We're living in strange times, aren't we? Life has been an ongoing upheaval for me for a while with the death of a parent before the holidays and then the ongoing work to sort out my parent's estate. On top of that the adoption/inheritance of two lovable yet very needy felines.
Every time life seems about to start smoothing out, something new comes along to throw me for a loop and it seems as if life is constant reinvention to a new "new". Not to complain as we are all dealing with COVID-19 and I am much better off than many people, and for that I am eternally grateful.
I worry for friends and family who are in other places and perhaps in higher risk categories. I worry about my favorite places locally that are mostly independent, small, family run businesses that have also had to make massive changes in the hope of staying afloat. I think of all those authors with books coming out that may go unremarked with so much other news swirling around and bookstores shuttered.
It's scary out there these days. I have to mention that I have been taking a meditation class (now moving from on campus to online, which should be interesting once remote learning classes start up again after "spring break"). I think it is so helpful in a variety of ways. My instructor mentioned a few online resources that can be accessed via digital devices or online and one of them is Ten Percent Happier. This week they are doing a daily livestream at 2PM (central time) with guest meditation teachers (and occasional feline appearances of the host of Ten Percent--actually that makes me chuckle). I have been trying to log in and listen in and take a mini meditation break along with whoever else out there is joining in. If you have an interest, you should check it out--a moment away each afternoon for the usual stresses.
I am still at work, though like the rest of the university campus will be working remotely at home very soon. The library is open on a very limited schedule and with very limited services. We are actively following social distancing protocol. It is a strange way of being. Aside from my work day and my (now somewhat worrisome) bus rides, I am staying indoors and trying to keep busy. I miss
my daily gym workouts as I always feel better after exercise. I try and take a half hour walk outside, but wonder if that is a good idea these days or not. As well, the gym and bus have been my main times and places for most of my reading. I have noticed a somewhat drastic downturn in time spent reading. Often by the time I am at home and can relax I am too tired to concentrate--trying to work and stay informed and be cautious about how to be in the world now is a little exhausting.
It is not for a lack of good books that my reading has slowed down, however. I just finished my first Kinsey Millhone mystery of 2020, P is for Peril, and once I got into the story was lost in Kinsey's adventures and misadventures! I have heard that Q is for Quarry is even better. Now that I am ensconced in the town of Santa Teresa and Kinsey's latest cases I am reluctant to pick up some other thriller or mystery, but I came across JP Delaney's The Perfect Wife and was so intrigued by the premise--a woman with no memory wakes up in hospital to discover she is not real woman but an early version of a cobot--lifelike artificial intelligence--once alive, deceased and now brought back to life. (No spoilers as this is revealed in the first couple of chapters). I am in the mood for a thriller and this sounds quite different from the usual fare.
I finished reading Andrew Taylor's The Ashes of London, a chunkster of a book that I thoroughly enjoyed (and I think already mentioned here). I have wanted some good historical fiction; stories set well before the 20th century and that quite met up with my high expectations. I have since acquired a few other books, which I will share soon, that might be 'next reads'.
Of course I had to check out the Women's Prize for Fiction Longlist. There are several books already on my wish/reading list, but I have picked up Angie Cruz's Dominicana about a young woman from the Dominican Republic who is married off to a much older man and brought to New York City in the hopes of helping advance the rest of her family. I am not far in, but Ana seems quite resilient and I love her voice. I am finding the story, set in the mid-60s, really riveting.
Stefanie from Weeds (formerly So Many Books) and I are rereading Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. I think this is the one books I have reread the most times of all my favorite rereads. While it is a story I am very familiar with, I still find it unsettling. We picked this books before things became so intense with the coronavirus. It is dystopian, but the situation different from our reality, so I read just a bit every other day or so.
For my March read I opted for The Muse by Jessie Burton, another book I am finding quite engaging. It is a dual narrative story with plotlines set in 1960s London and 1930s Spain. So far the voice is that of a Trinidadian young woman, an immigrant trying to make her way in a not always welcoming society. But she finds work in a gallery, so I love the artsy slant to the story.
In my ongoing graphic novel/memoir reading I just read Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, a quick, one-sitting book which is a nod to all us introverts out there. I was completely in agreement with all she said (and it makes me happy to know I am not alone in my way of looking at the world). My follow up, another memoir (I find those so interesting and pick them up over almost any other graphic story) is Olivia Burton's Algeria is Beautiful Like America. Another book I am just getting started in, but I think I will like it as much as all the other graphic memoirs I have been reading this year.
So, yes. So many really good books and I enjoy them when I pick them up and settle down with them. I just need to carve out some 'reading only' time and try to avoid the distractions of the news or house tasks--reading is my escape, if only for an hour or two every day.
So, how are you? What good books are you reading these days? How are you coping with COVID-19? Has your life changed drastically as well? What is your new "new"? Take care and I hope to be around a little more regularly here. As so many of us take to being at home or in more solitary environments, being connected via blogs and social media seems the best way to chat right now. By the way, many thanks for all the comments, which are always very appreciated. I hope to catch up with replying (and chatting back) very soon.