Lone Traveler
Currently reading:
American Woman by Susan Choi
Books finished this week: 2
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: I literally purchased this book a decade ago, I could not tell you.
Why this book: I love P. D. James and I’m making my way through the Dalgliesh books in order for the first time, albeit at a leisurely pace.
Thoughts: Technically, this is a reread, but since I last read this book in 2013 (according to Goodreads) and I truly did not remember even one character or plot twist, I’m counting it as a Library success. What I did remember vaguely was that I did not like this book last time (at least not as much as I’ve liked other Dalgliesh novels), and I can understand why. She is a slow one. Dalgliesh is recovering from a long illness and grappling with plans to leave the Met entirely, so there’s a lot of introspection. Not that these books ever read like action movies, but there was that one novel where Dalgliesh had to save people during a super intense flood. There are some fireworks near the end of this one (no spoilers), but overall, I greatly enjoyed sinking back into Dalgliesh’s narration and getting to know the world of Toynton Grange. James knows how to write a dysfunctional set of strangers-turned-family-by-proximity! I was also sick with and then recovering from COVID while reading, which I think helped put me in the right mindset. When Dalgliesh found taking a nice country stroll difficult? I felt that, Commander.
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: Split Rock Books in Cold Spring, NY<3
Why this book: I love a true-crime novel (more on that in the Library updates)
Thoughts: I truly devoured this book. I finished The Black Tower my last morning in Cold Spring and was facing down a two- to three-hour trek home, so I decided to start Bright Young Women while waiting for my (first) train. Throughout that day, I read nearly 200 pages; I actually found it difficult to put the book down. It sagged a bit in the middle for me, thus the docked star, but it was such a good read. It even sparked a deep and urgent need in me to reread my favorite true-crime-inspired novel, American Woman. More on that below, too.
Library updates:
I skipped writing last week because I took myself on a self-created writer’s retreat up in Cold Spring. I went up there for the first time for a weekend just back in January, and I immediately fell in love. (My Zillow search history proves it.) I should probably gatekeep the place a little more, since plenty of people already know about it, but I can’t help but gush about it: it’s so easy to get there on public transit from the city, there are adorable shops and excellent bars, walking along the river will bring you peace like you’ve never known, and everyone is just so ding-dang nice.
Anyhow, I had MFA work to get through and had planned to maybe put in some work on my current WIP, too, but life had other plans. I did finish my Gothic Lit final project and get in some good work on my workshop final portfolio, and I also took a nice walk at Hudson Highlands State Park. I also finished The Black Tower and basically read half of Bright Young Women on my last day and during my travels back to Queens. I spent too much money at so many cute shops, including their local bookstore, Split Rock Books. But on Friday late afternoon, not long after I got into town, I decided to stop into Cro’Nest for a warming glass of red wine, started chatting with the bartender, and then didn’t leave for the next five hours. Whoops! But that’s what traveling is for: adventure, intrigue, and just so much red wine.
We’re getting pretty close to the end of the year, and I know the last two weeks are going to be a doozy for me (in a very-busy, not-totally-looking-forward-to-it kind of way, unfortunately). Maybe they will be for you, too, so we can support each other through it. But my main point in bringing that up is that I always find myself thinking around this time what my lasts of the year will be: last meal, last people I’ll see, last book I’ll read. Time is a construct, but I like keeping track of how I finish one year and how I start the next.
For 2023, I of course have stacks and stacks of books just staring at me, waiting to be read. And maybe I’ll get to one or two more before the end. But after finishing Bright Young Women, I felt compelled to reread Susan Choi’s American Woman, which Goodreads tells me I’ve read once, but which I could’ve sworn I’ve read twice. Dracula is my favorite classic book, but American Woman is probably my favorite modern novel. Like Bright Young Women, it too is a true-crime-inspired novel, this time fictionalizing a fascinating part of the Patty Heart kidnapping saga. Some of you might know how absolutely obsessed I am with that story, so maybe it isn’t a surprise how much I love this book. Though it won’t count toward the Moratorium Library count, I’ll probably still write up a little something about it when I finish it.
Anyhow, it feels a little strange that a reread might be my last book of the year, or the one that carries me in 2024. But there’s also some comfort in it. I can revisit a story I love, the way I’ll revisit the highlights and the lessons learned from this year.
Closing thoughts:
Read what feels right.
Total books read from the Moratorium Library: 54
(Books added to the Library: 111)
So, I ordered a couple books from Barnes & Noble.
As mentioned above, I also went to Split Rock not once, but TWICE. The first time, an older guy felt the need to squeeze by me in a particularly tight section of the store and I huffed in annoyance. Couldn’t he just walk around the other side of the display table? He then brought a stack of books up to the counter, was greeted warmly by the booksellers, and offered to sign any other copies of his books they had on hand. I was immediately like, Aw, that’s sweet, a little local author supports his local indie!
It was Amor Towles. I got annoyed at New York Times bestselling author Amor Towles.
(Mr. Towles, if you somehow stumble upon my little corner of the internet, I am such a huge fan of The Rules of Civility and A Gentleman in Moscow, and I am so sorry!!!)
Anyway, I bought two books on my first visit. The second time, I was good and just bought a Christmas present.
