Monday Malarkey

Last week's absence from the blog was completely unexpected so we'll just pretend it didn't happen and move right along.

Recent Arrivals (top to bottom):

• The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking - from William Morrow for review
• The Survivor's Club by Michael Bornstein and Debbi Bornstein Holinstat - from FSB for review
• Brave Deeds by David Abrams - from Grove Atlantic for review
• The Dressmaker's Dowry by Meredith Jaeger - from William Morrow for review
• Murder on the Champs-Elysees by Alex Mandon - Sent by author for review 
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston - Finished copy kindly sent by Quirk Books because they're cool
• A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - Purchased (for $1, so I don't feel too awful about breaking my book-buying ban after a mere 2 weeks, although I also bought a book of Margaret Bourke-White's photographs, so . . . OK, guilty conscience is allowed). 
• No Man's Land by Simon Tolkien - from Doubleday for review

Book-buying bans are hard!! I did manage to go to a library sale without buying anything, although there were a few books that interested me, so there's that. But, I couldn't pass up a book that's been on my mental wish list at a mere $1! Even the guy who added up my purchases at Off-Square Books (including one book for Hubby) expressed shock that such a perfect copy of a recent title was marked down to a mere dollar. I was thinking, "Yeah, just hurry up and let me pay you because I feel like I'm practically stealing this book."


Books finished since last summary post (a Tuesday Twaddle):

• The Wars of the Roosevelts by William J. Mann
• The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking
• March, Book One by Lewis, Aydin, and Powell
• March, Book Two by Lewis, Aydin, and Powell
• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
• March, Book Three by Lewis, Aydin, and Powell

If you're going to take an unexpected break from your blog, this is the way to do it. Bury yourself in books and don't come up for a week. I would be lying if I said that's what really happened, but you don't want to hear about a car, refrigerator, and dryer all going out in the same week, I promise you. I have not been a happy camper.


Books finished:

It feels like almost everything I read the past two weeks was a diversion, the exception being The Wars of the Roosevelts. After focusing on finishing that book, I decided I wanted to read something upbeat and different, even though I had several books going. The Little Book of Hygge fit that nicely. It was fun reading about the way people live in another country and how the Danish deliberately work at inserting gentle gatherings, special lighting, and happiness into their lives.

After that, I was having a terrible time sleeping and decided that reading the March graphic novel series might keep me going during a time of low focus. It didn't occur to me, at the time, that we were on the cusp of Black History Month, so that ended up working out nicely. Between the 2nd and 3rd March books, I felt like taking a break from the series because they are, in fact, pretty depressing. So, I read another depressing book: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Smart. While I haven't officially signed up and I didn't follow the guidelines for reading (because I don't ever deliberately read a book slowly for the sake of discussion), I am planning to join in on discussion about The Handmaid's Tale.


Books with bookmarks in them:

I chose not to write "currently reading" because I'm in a between stage, having stepped away from the books that have bookmarks in them to read 5 that did not. Now, I'm planning to return to my previous reads while adding at least one fiction read, possibly two.

• The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G. K. Chesterton - I've struggled with this one. It's a tiny book at only about 128 pages and it has its moments, but I tend to dislike satire, in general, as that over-the-top sensation just bugs the hell out of me. It was the second classic I attempted in January and failed to finish. I'll probably DNF it and consider trying another time, but I hate to give up on such a short book, so I'm still waffling about giving up. 
• Metaphors Be With You by Mardy Grothe - A fun book of the author's favorite metaphors, by topic. This should be a fairly quick read, when I return to it. 
• The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman - You may recall that I stopped reading this book because I felt like I needed a highlighting pen (which I rushed out to buy). So, I need to backtrack two essays' worth and begin marking those passages I consider the most meaningful. I resisted picking up the book, for the past few weeks, because backtracking is so annoying. But, I need to do that and I will plan to highlight those two particular essays this week so I can move on. 
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston - I just started reading this last night, so I'm not sure if it will stick. I didn't get far before I fell asleep. But, this Cinderella-based story seems like a good choice to give me the much-needed upper break I require after reading about the evils of segregation and all the violence against non-violent protesters, followed by a tremendously realistic and equally disheartening dystopian read. 

In other news:

The only other post I've made in the past two weeks (besides the Tuesday Twaddle) was a Fiona Friday post:

Fiona Friday - Not sure I like this 

Since then, I've taken very few cat photos. However, I did manage to snap a few pics, week before last, and this one is a stand-out because it's so goofy. That expression on Isabel's face! I got several others of Izzy that were taken at the same time and in the rest she looks relaxed and happy. But this one is the one that catches my attention because it makes me feel a little bubble of laughter, every time.

Hopefully, this will be a normal blogging week. I have some serious catch-up to do.


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