Tiny Tomatoes

Currently reading:

Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver [ongoing]
Extracting the Stone of Madness: Poems 1962–1972 by Alejandra Pizarnik [ongoing]

Books finished this week: 1

★★☆☆☆

Where this book came from: Rizzoli Bookstore, so beautiful, so perfect (visited back in March)
Why this book: The premise sounded so cool. (Also I think Britt——hi, Britt!——suggested I get it?) (Sorry I didn’t like it more!!)
Thoughts: I went into this book expecting spirits, unlikely female friendships, a daring escape, and a gorgeous ball as the setting of a big finale showdown. Well . . . there were some spirits? The back-cover summary of the book really hones in on the parts that, in theory, could be especially awesome but, in practice, are not. The promises the copy makes are very much not fulfilled by the book (in my opinion, anyway). Overall, I found this slow and repetitive. Characterization was lacking, to the point that I didn’t care much about anyone. Some of the issues I had with the book might be due to a bad translation, but it seems like the structure and pacing were flawed from the start. Still, I do wish I knew more French than Je m’appelle Katie, so I could read the original version and compare. Since I can’t, two stars because spirits are cool, and also because the titular “ball” literally doesn’t happen until, like, the last fifteen pages.

Library updates:

This was an action-packed week, on both the reading and life fronts. For reading, another Library book down——woo! I also finished a reread of My Sister, the Serial Killer for grad school and am most of the way through the first omnibus collection of 30 Days of Night, which is also for school (or at least the first part of the story is). I’m taking a class called Dread and Fear for the second half of the summer, and, boy, does that feel fitting right now!!

I’m also very much enjoying Such a Bad Influence so far, because one of my favorite subcategory of YouTube commentary video is “snark about and/or a deep dive into influencer families.”

Anyhow, on the life front, plenty of good stuff, for which I am very thankful. I went roller skating for the first time since I was probably seven or eight years old and only fell on my ass once. (I have a pretty good bruise on my left palm now.) I was even sort of gliding by the time I got to the end of my one and only lap of the rink. Afterward, we——my friend, Tori (hi, Tori!), and I——got ice cream, and then got many cocktails and oysters and other delicious foods on a boat. And then we both agreed we were tired and it was time to go, and then promptly walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Truly the most perfect summer Friday to summer Friday in a long, long time.

And then yesterday, Saturday, I drove up to Connecticut to take part in a writing session at the Mark Twain House and Museum. I’ve never actually been to the house, but I am definitely now planning a return visit to really explore the house and museum. The event was basically a three-hour-long version of Shut Up and Write, just a long stretch of time to sit in Twain’s gorgeous library and write. I sat near one end of the library that had a small greenhouse with a fountain attached, and when it started raining about half an hour into the session, both the sight and sound of it were delicious. The event was also an excuse to do my favorite thing: stay in a hotel for a night.

(left to right) Sunset over oysters; Manhattan viewed from Brooklyn Bridge Park; Twain’s house on the hill

I’m finishing up this missive after 10pm tonight, Sunday, because I just got back from Boston. I decided to turn my Mark Twain excursion into a full-blown New England Cultural Weekend and took myself to see Gatsby: An American Myth at the American Repertory Theater (the one with music and lyrics by Florence Welch, my queen). Pros: the show was excellent! ART Gatsby supremacy! Eat it, Broadway Gatsby!! Cons: all our phones had to be in Yonder pouches, so I had no idea that Biden had announced that he was stepping aside and endorsing Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee until like three hours later.

But the most exciting event this week (or at least the one I’m choosing to focus on, because it probably brought me the most unbridled joy) was that I got to officially harvest my first tiny tomatoes of the season. There are plenty of little green guys just waiting to ripen, and a small pepper or two on my pepper plant, but I noticed these two beauties and decided it was time. I immediately went inside to give them a quick rinse and then popped them in my house. They were warm from the sun and a little tart; they were perfect. I look forward to expanding my vegetable offerings next season.