It’s been a busy-busy two weeks. In my last Sunday Salon post, What to Read in the Hospital, I told you guys about my boyfriend’s sister needing surgery for her meningioma. She’s okay now, the operation went off without a hitch, but it’s going to be a slow, difficult recovery—but we’re always hopeful. I’ve been in the hospital for the better part of the week, trying to make myself useful, mostly just being there, an extra hand to hold, a set of bony shoulders.
Thank you for all your prayers, to those who pray. For those who sent out positive vibes, let me send them back. That shiny thing you see at the corner of your eye? That’s it.
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Reading has been very vital to me the past couple of days. A way to keep my mind off the tension, a way to bolster my own spirits when I’m needed. The Book Dork in me couldn’t help but take notes, still. It’s Therapeutic Nerdovision. You can’t blame me. Here are some of the books I’ve been reading since I crawled under a rock (some lifted from the December 14 edition of the It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? meme):
- Crawling Into The Highest Hiding Place. Thoughts on The Highest Hiding Place, a book of poems by L. Lacambra Ypil, a local poet and a very good friend of mine.
- In the Company of Hornby. Thoughts on The Polysyllabic Spree & Shakespeare Wrote for Money, by Nick Hornby. My crush on his reading hasn’t gone anywhere, and I don’t think it will any time soon.
- Coetzee Dresses Up As Costello. Thoughts on Elizabeth Costello, by J.M. Coetzee. I actually made a lot of sense when I talked about this one. Imagine that.
- Quick Thoughts On What Was Lost. Uh, that’s self-explanatory, right? I read and think about What Was Lost, by Catherine O’Flynn.
- Reading About People Reading Jane Austen (Without Having Read Jane Austen Myself). Pat on the back for that meta title, yes? Ooh, self-aggrandizement, I love it. Ahem. Thoughts on The Jane Austen Book Club, by Karen Joy Fowler—I enjoyed this book, but maybe for the “wrong” reasons?
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Also, I fulfilled the first challenge since I started this blog. Confetti! I wrote a post about it, GLBT Challenge 2009 Completed, where I drag you through a quick recap of how the experience was like, and what I thought about the books I read. The 2009 edition of the challenge has a preparatory dimension to it, since I’m doing the 2010 edition as well. I think I’ll be more confident with my book choices and impressions and reflections the second time around. For one thing, even though it looks daunting, I’m excited to read The Well of Loneliness, by Radclyffe Hall. And get some Virginia Woolf in me.
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And in a display of bibliophilic bipolarity that is typical of any book dork, I wrote two very different entries on two very distinct events in a reader’s life: Bibliophilic Purgatory (that seemingly improbable time when there is absolutely nothing to read), and BookSale Spelunking (where I talk about the wonders and rewards of getting on your hands and knees to look for books you’ve always wanted, and discover books you never realized was missing from your bookshelf–and my finds!). I’m quite certain these shall be conditions I’ll return to over and over in the course of this blog, and even beyond it.
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Happy Holidays, everyone. Stay safe.
I’m glad things went well with the operation! Congrats on finishing your first challenge!