One of my 'almost the weekend' high points is my walk to the library for curbside pick up of my holds. I am actually reading Kate Riordan's The Heatwave (set in France!) from last week's haul, so now the added dilemma of which books to try and read sooner than later. I just found out that some of the branches of my library system will be opening September 21, with the coming week all branches closed in anticipation. They are continuing with curbside pick up, but it will be nice to go inside again if need be. All branches will hopefully be open again in the coming months. Has any one read any of these or heard especially good things about any of the novels?
It was a good mail week. First up was my BOMC club choice for this month, The Last Story of Mina Lee by Nancy Jooyoun Kim. It sounds like a mother-daughter story wrapped in a mystery. Serendipity as I just came across this article about the author today on CrimeReads!
My friend Smithereens and I have been trading short stories for a few years now. Unfortunately the pandemic put things on hold for a while, but we have just started back up again and two new stories arrived (along with this week's New Yorker!). Curiously (or maybe not?) I have never read Curtis Sittenfeld, so this is the perfect introduction. I'll save Smithereens's post on the collection until after I have read the story. The Sittenfeld story is joined by one by Frances Towers (which from the sound of it--I am in for a treat).
I just started this memoir, A Bite of the Apple, by Lennie Goodings about her career with Virago beginning in the mid-70s as well as a life in publishing and her experiences over time with the changing face of feminism. Just a chapter in and I am already immersed in her world and read with a pen and paper in hand (my reading list is going to grow as I read!).
And the ongoing problem. What to do about the books started but neglected. Left to languish--mostly through no fault of their own. I occasionally go through the reading pile and decide if the moment has passed and they need to return to their places on the shelves for a later attempt. In a few cases I absolutely want to get back to them, but it is always a matter of book juggling. There is only so much time in a day I can spend reading, and I am a slow reader. My pile is always too big and those new books (and library books) are constantly beckoning. I feel less bad about a book that I have barely started but others that I am more than halfway through are hard to ignore (well, maybe easier than I think of these piles would not be here).
So, all these photos were posts I had planned to write about during the last couple of weeks (I am cheating by sharing them in one go). I fully expect to be talking more about the Virago memoir
I am trying to switch linking from Amazon (who needs no help from me) to Bookshop and other stores. Unfortunately Typepad has paired with Amazon to provide links and photos on my sidebar, so I must think about how to share my current reads.
Now, I am off to read. A short story? One of library books? Or something from the sidebar (almost finished with that wiseacre Spenser's first case and my prompt for this month, Eva Underground). Happy reading everyone.