I’ve been obsessing over the pandemic news since becoming a breakthrough case myself at the start of last month. Selfishly, I’m wondering how many of our rescheduled-to-2021 weekend trips and events might get canceled again, and, if they don’t, whether it is safe to travel/attend events. It’s hard to know how cautious is too cautious, but with the Delta variant raging in the US, I admit to being shocked when my husband and I are the only ones wearing masks at large indoor gatherings. It was one thing in June, but September seems to demand a return to precautions.
Not to make this a blog post about COVID-19, but you see what I mean about obsessing over it…
Currently Reading
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
How to Pronounce “Jacob de Zoet” in Dutch
Last week, I expressed hope that finishing The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (Random House, 2010) by David Mitchell by the official end of summer (Sept. 22) it would count towards my Big Book Summer Challenge, but no such luck. Sue at Book by Book had the challenge end with Labor Day, so I plan to do my wrap-up post this week.)
Nerd Do Well by Simon Pegg
Nerd Do Well (Penguin, 2012) is the comedic autobiography/memoir of Simon Pegg. It seems to be taking me an awfully long time to finish this e-book from the library. I’m only reading it on my breaks at work.
I’m possibly going to let it go unfinished, or maybe just read through the rest of the comic superhero-novel chapters interspersed with the memoir chapters, now that he’s gotten more into the film- and TV-nerd stuff, which I’m not nerd enough to appreciate.
Recently Read
Life After Life by Jill McCorkle
Life After Life (Algonquin, 2013) by Jill McCorkle received mixed reactions from my library book club last week. Some found the stories of death and dying within the microcosm of a retirement village and the small town surrounding it to be a downer, while others loved the idea of capturing the essence of someone’s life in words and memory before they leave life behind.
Read The New York Times book review of Life After Life by Jill McCorkle.
Recently Listened To
The Missing Ones by Edwin Hill
The Missing Ones (Highbridge Audio, 2019), narrated by Karen White, is second in the Hester Thursby mystery series by Edwin Hill. Added to my TBL list now is the third book, which came out in December, Watch Her.
Currently Listening To
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller is this year’s hot summer read and I can’t believe I’ll actually be finished with it in the same summer it came out. It’s the kind of dysfunctional family drama (multiple trigger warnings) that I love, going back and forth in the narrator’s 40-odd (I think) years of life. The audiobook narrator, Nan McNamara, is new to me, but seems absolutely perfect, and I’ll be looking for other books she has done.
Temporarily (?) Not Listening To
The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck
I have admired Martha Beck’s writing since reading Expecting Adam many years ago. The author narrates the audio edition of The Way of Integrity and she makes me want to have her as my personal life coach. But, I guess, not yet! – as St. Augustine famously wrote about his adolescence life – because I keep setting this book aside.
This post is linked to “It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date. Check out the link-up party there for more book lists!
The Paper Palace looks tempting. Thanks for sharing, and here are my WEEKLY UPDATES
I also liked Expecting Adam but haven’t tried any of her other books, as they don’t look like my kind of nonfiction (a very narrow category).
Is it obsessing or is it just being careful? One seems to lap the other over the past year, and it’s hard to get much perspective. I’m frustrated about not being able to travel, even though I’m fully vaccinated, because I like to plan ahead, and don’t want another bunch of airplane tickets going in the trashcan, unused.
The Paper Palace looks good. No one around here is wearing a mask either and our cases are worse than they were last December. I don’t get it, I am wearing mine, I am trying to stay healthy. I obsessed over it the first time and trying really hard not to this time!
The Paper Palace IS good! I’m trying to hurry with it, so my audiobook from the library doesn’t expire before I get to the end.
I liked Leaving the Saints also. We traveled to Virginia at the end of July and I tested positive for COVID after coming back, so we are only planning road trips for the fall. Our travel plans for Spring 2021 were postponed to Spring 2022, and now, who knows? People are traveling, but it is hard to plan, that’s for sure. I would suggest getting the more protective masks to wear on the plane, if you travel (I didn’t have them myself) instead of the cloth or surgical masks that are worn more to protect others.
We’ll be flying home in a couple of weeks and then attending my cousin’s wedding. Supposedly everyone at the wedding will be vaccinated but I’m already a little stressed about it. But there will only be a handful of us from our (large) side of the family because of complicated family dynamics so I hate not to go. And the flight–! My husband snagged an N95 mask for me today. I’m wearing it as I type this to see if I can tolerate it! 😀 My brother-in-law was diagnosed with a breakthrough case of covid this weekend so that isn’t helping matters. Luckily he doesn’t feel too bad.
The cover of The Missing Ones looks perfect for this time of year! I’ll have to take a look at the first in the series.
Enjoy your week!