I really don't have a lot of colds any more, probably because I don't go a lot of places. The two churches I attend don't have many attendees, so I'm not sitting with a crowd either place. But I guess I do have a cold, although it started out with a low (101) fever and I felt weak and grumpy for two days, so I thought it might be the flu. Then I wondered if it might be the start of Covid. We've have Covid tests in the house since 2022, but when I looked at all the instructions, and also had Cliff read them to me, I didn't care what I had. There are too words in the instructions to suit me, and the print is so small I can't see what it says anyhow. And today, the third day, all those symptoms are gone, and I am left with only a raging sore throat. That's better than feeling tired all the time; aspirin or Tylenol eases the pain.
I have not been enthralled with any of the books I've read lately.
Although The River by Peter Heller at least held my interest and had a plot that kept me turning the pages. I did sort of speed read over the descriptions of canoes and camping gear and such. I will warn you that it has an unhappy ending.
Night Watch, by Jayne Anne Phillips, is a Pulitzer Prize winner that takes place after the civil war. It may be that those things happened, but it just didn't ring true to me. I learned a lot about a lunatic asylum in West Virginia though. Very depressing.
West: A Novel by Carys Davies: When a mule-breeder reads in a newspaper that huge, ancient bones have been discovered in Kentucky, he decides to leave his daughter in Pennsylvania with his sister and go dinosaur hunting . I read it all, but didn't care for it. Actually, all four of these books are depressing.
The Vaster Wilds: Lauren Groff: A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness (Jamestown). Here's what Amazon says about it. "She carries nothing with her but her wits, a few possessions, and the spark of god that burns hot within her." It seems to me she just keeps doing the same things over and over. And then she dies.
And now I'm reading What This Comedian Said Will Shock You by Bill Maher, who is telling me what's wrong with Republicans, Democrats, and the world.
Maybe I should just stick to watching television.
Haha! At least you HAVE been reading. I haven't been doing that lately. Last week I checked out the newest book from a series I've been reading the past 3 or 4 years. I read the first few pages and then just put it down. The storyline just seems to get more and more ridiculous and I just lost patience. Rebecca in SW MO
ReplyDeleteI'm reading A Handmaid's Tale. I don't really like it, but I'm going to finish it. Before that, The Glassblowers, a Daphne du Maurier I don't have, and never read. It was good, as expected.
ReplyDeleteI checked out Handmaid's Tale quite a while ago, but I read enough to know it wasn't something I'd like.
DeleteSame here regarding Handmaid’s Tale, and I finally gave myself “ permission “ while I was still working that I don’t have to finish a book I don’t enjoy. I can’t even remember the last book I read with Libby . It was highly recommended, and I waited months to get it ( with a ton of people waiting on it after me.) It was so depressing with a sad ending. Dan asked me why in the world was I reading anything sad -and I wondered the same thing. I had ordered another Louise Penny book to read in case the electricity said byebyeseeyoulater this winter. Well, Dan and I are two of two few who have kept power in our county with this hurricane mess. I do have to pay attention when I read her books , and I am hoping it will distract me later today to keep from fretting over this sad mess so many are in bc of Helene. Dee from Tennessee who has written a book apparently just to make a comment! Sorry for rambling !
DeleteI liked Night Watch better than most people in my Book Club and appreciated the writing in Vaster Wild although the story of her survival got tiresome. Then to kill her off in the end, even with that well-written magical realism/dream sequence of an alternate reality--a bit over the top. Have you read "Sipsworth?" You might enjoy that one. And it's short.
ReplyDeleteI have Sipsworth on hold
DeleteMy book club just discussed "Go as a River" and we liked that one. It's not always a happy story but it's well-written and interesting.
ReplyDeleteI checked it out just now. Thanks.
DeleteThis is Carlene Noggle
ReplyDeleteI had written a long comment and it disappeared!
ReplyDeleteYou know, this will sound very silly, but our book club assignment for this month is Chris Bohjalian. We were to read any book by him. I picked up two from the library. Both of them are pretty straightforward plots, uncomplicated. I read both the Guest Room and The Buffalo Soldier while I had covid, and thought they were the perfect books for the covid brain. The Guest Room was good. I thought The Buffalo Soldier was a bit contrived, but I didn't hate it.
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