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Thursday, July 23, 2020

Buried in Books as I Haven't Been for Months!

Indeed, my bookish areas are swamped by piles of books. All the books I had on hold at my favorite Crandall Library for the past five months were "let loose", due to Covid-19, last week. I picked them up curbside in a large paper bag.
As sometimes happens, after what seemed like many, many months, only a few of the hoard still interest me.
I am nearly finished reading Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener, which is a memoir by a young woman who worked in the Silicon Valley/San Francisco area, in the hopes of making much more money than she was making working at her job at a literary agency in NYC. Her tale of start-up computer companies (she worked in several) is revelatory, especially considering her work there was so recent. She does not harp on the misogyny in these companies, but it is crystal-clear. I entered a totally foreign universe when I read this memoir. I listened to the first half on Audible, but it was too slow. The second half as I read it in hardcover zooms by and is much more satisfactory. I sometimes mind how slow audio is from a reading perspective.

Next: As some of you may recall, I waited for one month for the Sarah Kay Penman novel, the third in the series, The Devil's Brood to arrive. I can't believe that it actually made it, after four weeks, and in excellent condition. I've started it, but with  Penman's novels, there are so many characters and so much going on, it takes about 50 pages to really settle in, and I'm only 20 pages in so far. Yet I'm fascinated! Nothing like England in the 12th century, I always say! Henry II and his Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine and their three sons, the devil's brood, for sure. Fireworks will ensue!! At 770 pages, with tiny print--it will be a work in progress, but one I'm happy to make. Fortunately, there is lots of leading between the lines of tiny print, which helps immensely.

The other book I'm reading now received a starred review from several publications. It's Susan Wiggs's The Lost and Found Bookshop. I was fortunate to borrow this very recently published book as an e-book from the New York Public Library. It's women's fiction, first of all, and it's the story of a woman business executive who abandons  her career to rescue her deceased  mother's bookshop and to take care of her grandfather who has dementia. Sounds grim, but it's not at all. The community she returns to offers lots of possibilities in every area of her life. I'm enjoying it!


9 comments:

  1. Good news! In my local library we can't go in yet and choose what you want to borrow, but they are running an order and collect service. The Devil's Brood sounds great and also The Lost and Found Bookshop - enjoy your reading!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Margaret,
      Our libraries in the area here have recently started the same "curbside pickup" plan. I went to pick up a bunch of my books that have been on hold since March, and I was astonished at how super-organized the library was. I hope you have been able to get some good books. I will visit and see.

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  2. My library is not open yet, a few in Devon are but they seem to be the smaller ones. Which seems a bit odd but there you go. I've been fine reading from my own shelves and on my Kindle so it's all good. Love the sound of The Lost and Found Bookshop.

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    Replies
    1. Cath, I've been doing fine without my local library, but I've been so grateful to be able to borrow ebooks from the vast shelves of the New York Public Library, in NYC. I don't know if I'd said this before but residents of NYS are permitted to borrow, though the application process is a bit of a hassle. But this year so worth it!!
      I'm into The Lost and Found Bookshop now--lots to ponder there. I personally think that although the main character is in her 30s, the issues are most relevant to our age group, I think.

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  3. I know what you mean about losing interest in books after a while. I create a list such as the 20 Books of Summer and then as soon as I start reading some, other books are more interesting. I am looking forward to reading a book by Penman. But I am trying to stick to my list also. Happy reading!

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    Replies
    1. Tracy,
      The books I picked up that had been on hold for me date back to March. So interesting, but most of them hold no interest for me now. How my moods and interests have changed over the past months.
      I read quite a bit this afternoon, of several books, including Penman's Devil's Brood.

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  4. All my library reserves are "In Transit" from partner libraries as well. I just finished a wonderful book from 2020 that I need to return...Our Fathers, Rebecca Wait (stunning piece of literary fiction). No review yet.

    BTW - what month is your birthday? I'm December.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Diane,
      I'm going to look up Our Fathers.
      And my birthday is in early June. I would be fond of a birthday in December, because my mother and her oldest sister were both born on the same day in early December, though 12 years apart. I'm actually quite fond of December. I love the dark late afternoons and lighting candles to write by.
      When I was growing up, I loved my June birthday because I alone among all my friends could have a cookout and outdoor games and watermelon.

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  5. I do love Sharon Penman's books but I haven't read one for a long time.

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