Lucky Thirteen
Currently reading:
Secret Identity by Alex Segura
Books finished this week: 1
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: I don’t remember exactly why I got a bee in my bonnet about Tana French last year, but I did, and I remember looking up the closest Barnes & Noble that I could drive to to buy a few. The store was not too far away, but technically on Long Island, and it was the smallest B&N I’ve ever been in. It was probably the first time I’d gone into a store to just browse since the start of the pandemic, too. I bought the first two or three books in this series and a couple other books, then stopped at Bed Bath & Beyond (lot of ampersands that day) for K-cups. Best day ever tbh.
Why this book: It felt like everyone in my book life read a bunch of Tana French years ago and loved her, so I figured it was finally time to jump on the bandwagon. As my love of PD James shows, mysteries from that part of the world make me giddy, so I bought the first few Dublin Murder Squad books and dug into the first——Into the Woods——last summer. This year, it was time for round two.
Thoughts: Since this is a mystery novel, a confession, to start: I finished this one last week, just in time to add it to last week’s entry. But to give you a peek behind the curtain, I usually end up drafting these posts on Thursday or Friday, sometimes even as early as Wednesday, if I feel moved to do so. I schedule them a day or two after, once I give them another read and polish, and once they’re scheduled, I don’t like to edit them. (Especially not to add a book to a post all about not finishing said book.) So here we are.
Actual review: I was on the fence about The Likeness basically from page one. The premise is incredible, if bonkers, but I was glad to have Cassie back and I was very much on board for murder and strife within the insular world of lit nerds at Trinity. But the book is slow. Yes, it’s great for characters to have interiority, to ponder their lives and actions, to give readers a glimpse into their thoughts. But after the murder that sets the plot in motion, it takes 100 pages for Cassie to come on board for the undercover gig. Girl, we know you’re going to do it; this book would not exist if you were going to say no. Just get on with it. My other issue with the book is that I basically hated every character to some degree——except Sam. Sam deserves so much better and I cannot believe *SPOILER ALERT* that he proposes?? And Cassie accepts?? I have never read about two people in a supposed romantic relationship who have less chemistry. /spoiler Anyhow, the murdered girl’s friends are exhausting and I absolutely fucking hated Frank, Cassie’s ex-boss and undercover handler. Fuck Frank. The next book is about Frank and I’m so mad. But anyway! It sounds like I hated this book, but I really didn’t. Did it need to be 600 pages long? Absolutely not. Did I still enjoy reading almost all of those 600 pages? Yes. Has it reignited my desire to move to Dublin and get a master’s degree from Trinity? Uh oh.
Library updates:
I threw my back out last Sunday. I was tidying up before a friend (hi, Tori!) came over and stretched too much or twisted wrong to adjust the placement of a plant, and then I was hit with a thunderbolt of excruciating pain in my lower back. (I wish I was joking.) I had therapy at home, and then my friend and I were going to the beach after. I knew the responsible thing to do would be to cancel my plans and let myself heal, but, like . . . I really wanted to go to the beach.
I managed to muscle through the day—after spending some time lying facedown on the floor with an ice pack on my lumbar region—and I’m glad I did, because we had a lovely time. But the lower back pain for the days after, and the reduced mobility that went with it, was so disheartening. I couldn’t do much the first few days and as I just laid on my bed or my couch, I felt some sad, dark thoughts creeping in. I had to skip my dance class, which I had really been looking forward to, and I felt like the world was spinning on without me.
But in a way, I guess this was a good reminder of two things: slow down and think about what keeps you going. I’ve become someone who looks forward to social interactions and physical activity. Who knew?
Thankfully, things started to turn around as the week went on. Had another excellent session at the weekly writing group I found on Meetup and ended up with a comp ticket to see John Gallagher Jr. at Joe’s Pub. And then I met him. I shook his hand twice and said something about The Newsroom; it was exhilarating. Saw Leon Bridges on Thursday night and felt properly romantic under the stars. Went to a publishing happy hour and actually talked to people and made friends. (Hi, new friends, if you’re reading this!)
My back twinges every now and again, just a little reminder that I’m human and I can take a break sometimes. I almost appreciate the pain.
Anyway, I also made a handy new newsletter sign-up sheet, if you’re a Google Forms person. You can also sign up for the same weekly Moratorium Library updates at the bottom of each page on this site. Book reviews and thoughts just like these, all in your inbox every Sunday morning! What more could you want?
Closing thoughts:
Rest when you need it.
