I don't know about you, but I am ready to see the end of the election season (and I say that to my friends outside the US, too, since I bet you are just as tired of hearing about it as I am). I have gotten into the habit of writing my posts the day before they actually appear, so here it is midday and I am not sure I can manufacture enough brain power to write a proper book post. Check back tomorrow for something about my recent Tove Jansson read, however. For now, though, how about some bookish distraction for everyone? Hopefully Wednesday when this is appearing online, the craziness of the election will be over and fingers crossed with a satisfying resolution. (Well, it is over, but not with the results I was hoping for. To say I am a little worried about what all this means is an understatement) . . .
A friend sent me this link and how perfect, I want a local bookstore like this one! You could get rid of a lot of tension in ten minutes. Can I have access to the room for the next four years?
And then after that little stress releaser, how about a nice warm beverage in one of these cool mugs?
When I saw this link to these tiny houses, I was thinking of those Little Free Libraries (which I think would be totally cool to host for all my neighbors to use, and who knows, maybe someday it will really happen). But the tiny houses in this case happen to be work spaces for writers. I can picture myself in one as a quiet place to read! Another fantasy for some future living space.
I love these two links--the long and short of reading:
Here are twenty-six very long books worth the time they'll take to read. I've only read a mere five, but I own a further four more and was very pleased to see that Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy (one of my own in progress books!) made a place on the list. I knew it was worth the time, but it's always nice to get a little extra validation.
And then as breathers, or books to read while you are engrossed in a really long book, how about a really short book? Here are 21 Short and Spectacular Novels under 200 pages. I've read eight of those and have several more on my shelves and might have to note down the rest (as I read my way through those 1,400 plus pages of the Seth novel).
I have an Instagram account (which is more so I can follow others) that I really need to "do" something with. I like Instagram since I am very visual (but I haven't quite explored how to upload photos not using a cell phone--how does one do it manually?), and when I saw all these Rad Bookstagram Accounts I saved the link and will be adding them to my places to follow!
I am a great fan of podcasts in general, but the more bookish the better, so here are 25 Outstanding Podcasts for Readers that I can't wait to try out.
And two reading notes to share--I finally, yes finally finished reading Vicki Baum's Grand Hotel. I will be writing about it properly in the coming week. It was my June NYRB subscription book and I think I must have started reading it shortly after I got it in the mail. I had heard many good things about it, but it has been something of a mixed bag of a read for me. I loved parts of it and will have a mostly positive experience to take away from it, but I have to admit it was a book that seemed to be an uphill read at times. Parts flew by and parts were a little sloggy, if you know what I mean. I liked the drama and what I came away from it with, but some of the business dealings were just a little too detailed for me. I'll be letting it percolate a little and will share more soon.
I have yet to get November's book, but last month's selection is Ge Fei's The Invisibility Cloak, which I have started and am very much liking. It clicked from the very first page. Maybe I was just ready for something new so my mood is right. In any case I like very much the 'voice' of the narrator who is described as a "likable loser" trying to "stay afloat financially and emotionally" in contemporary Beijing. Maybe I am also trying to stay afloat and have days where I feel much the same (as in a likable loser, too) and so can relate to him even though we're separated socially and culturally. How can you not like a man who installs sound systems, which makes me inwardly laugh to be honest. I am not sure I have ever even read anything translated from Chinese, so this is promising to be a great read in a variety of ways.
It's a sunny fall day (as of the moment I am writing this) and my book is good, so I'll remain optimistically cheerful that all will turn out well with the world.