Spoiler Alert
Currently reading:
Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson
For podcast fans interested in these “diaries,” I highly recommend the Teen Creeps episodes in which they read Go Ask Alice and Jay’s Journal. Not incredibly informative, but very funny.
Books finished this week: 1
★★★★☆
Where this book came from: A search of my personal email tells me I bought it from Bookshop.org last summer——almost exactly 13 months ago, to be precise.
Why this book: Literary Talented Mr. Ripley. That’s all.
Thoughts: I’ll start by saying I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book, thus the four-star rating. Even when I got annoyed at a character or a predictable plot point, I hated having to put the book down to start working or to go to sleep, and I always looked forward to picking it back up. I also related a little too much to the protagonist, Florence, at times, which made me feel some kind of way. The publishing stuff at the beginning was equal parts cringey and true. Later, there were moments of high anxiety, when I would have preferred to crawl out of my skin to avoid the secondhand fear and awkwardness rather than keep reading. But I’m glad I didn’t skip anything.
SPOILERS! SPOILERS! I need to talk about some major plot points and the ending to explain why I docked a star. Do not read on if you plan to read this book and want nothing ruined. Skip down or look away. I’ve never done this before, but here’s a new bullet point in my review because SPOILERS AHEAD. // Last chance. Are you gone, if you plan to read this book? Okay. So, there was a twist or two that I didn’t expect, but I found the plot fairly predictable overall, and everything wrapped up too neatly. I’ve (luckily) never been drugged, but I’d be a bit suspicious if I passed out after taking two sips of a cocktail and woke up in a hospital bed the next day after a supposedly horrific car accident——get it together, Florence. The full villain monologue at the end was absolutely bonkers, too, though I guess I appreciated having the full plan laid out (even if I’d guessed or already understood most of it). I’m also sort of confused by the ending. Florence is our heroine, and by the end, she gets everything she’s ever wanted. It’s a triumphant ending. But . . . Florence has literally murderer two people?? Was Florence supposed to have learned anything from this ordeal? Because, uh, I don’t think she did. Except how to kill people and get away with it. Anyway, still loved reading it.
Library updates:
(Did you read the spoilers even though I told you not to? Be honest.)
I’m deep into my New Tumblr Era™️. I was a heavy Tumblr user in college and immediately after, but then everyone seemed to be fleeing the site and I figured I would just pivot my semi-professional Twitter account to a whatever-the-fuck-I-want-to-talk-about account. I popped on every now and again for the last five or six years, and the site experienced me in my deeply unhinged Penny Dreadful era (I’m so sorry), but I assumed my blog would remain dormant.
But then I was talking to a friend (hi, Brendan!) about Tumblr and we exchanged URLs, and now I’m back. I changed my username and picture and cleaned up my sprawling about me page, but most of it exactly as I left it back between 2010 and 2014. It’s been fun (and only a little uncomfortable) to explore tags and see what kind of person I was a decade (a decade) ago. God, sometimes I was insufferable. But I’m enjoying bring my new thirty-year-old self to that hellsite.
It’s also distinctly less hellish than Twitter these days, so.
What else is new? Well, I officially passed one month at my new job! I’m still enjoying it quite a bit. I feel like I’m still learning processes and understanding my place in it all, but I’ve made contributions and I feel useful. And now I have my new health insurance all set to go!
I’m also really enjoying the East Coast hours, I have to say. I think I mentioned in another post recently that I was working on figuring out the balance——doing too much versus doing too little, figuring out what to do with my newfound freedom——and I still have work to do. But I’m doing my best to find routines. I went back to a dance class I love for the first time in months and went to two sessions of a writing group meet-up, one last Saturday and another on Wednesday this week. Two different locations and days, but I really enjoyed both.
It may not be for everyone, but I love having a set time to write. For one, I’m glad to have a reason to get out of the house; it makes writing feel real, almost like a job, but without the responsibilities and expectations. It’s also really good to talk to new people, even if we aren’t doing deep dives into our projects. I feel less guilty about not writing, too, because I know I have those set meetings to get things done. It’s been helping a ton! I know I’m overwriting in places, but I’m also working out sticky plot points as I go. I’m answering questions I left for myself months, or maybe even years, ago, on a project that’s really fun.
Will this go anywhere (aka to an agent)? Who knows. I’m nowhere near done and I have work and reviewing and other ideas nipping at my heels. But maybe I’ll be able to finish up the main thrust of this. Maybe I’ll be able to keep the momentum going. Maybe the routine will keep me on track and help me achieve the things I’ve been dreaming about and working toward pretty much my whole life.
Closing thoughts:
Don’t be afraid to go it alone! I mean, yes, you need——and deserve——a support system. But go to that meetup; see that movie; grab that drink. Do what you want to do and see who you meet along the way. Even if it’s no one at all, I’m sure you’ll learn to enjoy your own company.
