Five books for the week
I love this time of year. That’s hardly an original thought, I know. But when I’m saying it, I’m seeing past all the red and the green and the lights and the presents. I’m thinking about the end of this year and the start of a new one. I find it so invigorating to have a fresh new year and make decisions about how I am going to show up to it. I’m deep in the contemplation phase of looking back at 2023 and ahead at 2024
To summarize my week ahead, I have to do two weeks’ worth of work in four days. It’ll be a challenge and I’ll be exhausted, but I also kind of like the intensity of it. I’ll definitely survive and I’ll also miss the high of it in the work weeks that follow.
I’m taking tomorrow off and I have big plans to explore some places I like to go and haven’t been in a while, seeking solitude while enjoying the changes that the holiday season brings with it.
Reading? Hmm. I don’t know. It could become solace or it could position itself as too much mental energy to expend. Only time will tell.
What I read last week:
I read a bit of everything that I had on my list with the exception of French Exit. I was saving that one for a time when I could really enjoy it and I ran out of time to devote without interruption.
I’m bringing three books from this week into next. Of the two I’m not, one was finished this week and the other just got to be too much. I actually think that it will eventually turn into a decent story, but there is a lot of aggressive and even fatphobic language that stole the enjoyment of reading it. I’m undecided on whether I’ll go back to it, but for now it’s being shelved.
The Witches of New York by Ami McKay - I finished this book after relying more on the audio than the book itself. I really enjoyed the storytelling and all the threads of the story. I also loved learning more about the characters in Half-Spent Was the Night which I will be reading closer to the holidays or just after Christmas. It’s longer than my preferred length, but it is very worth the investment.
What I’m reading this week:
And the Birds Rained Down by Jocelyne Saucier - This is a carryover from last week and I’m very close to finishing it, but I’m also not rushing through. It’s more of a book I want to savour.
French Exit by Patrick deWitt - This will be my treat or reward whenever I feel like I need or want one.
Uncertain Kin by Janice Lynn Mather - This book was recommended to me by Waubgeshig Rice a little more than a year ago and I bought it immediately at the time. On my trip to Toronto last month, I talked to my friend Emma about it and she texted me last week saying she was reading it and that she couldn’t wait until I did. I replied immediately that I would start it soon.
The Adversary by Michael Crummey - It may not be evident from it hanging around on this list week after week, but I am really enjoying this book. I like it so much, but I also feel like I don’t want to rush through it.
Sunshine Nails by Mai Nguyen - I started to read this book earlier this year and just as I was getting into the groove, my loan from the library expired and I’ve been waiting to borrow it again ever since. It’s cute and it’s funny and light and every once in a while I need a little of that.