Brrr. It has been a seriously cold stretch and today the coldest of the cold. I hope that after today things (and the temperature) will be looking up. It has been the sort of cold that is not just finger but mind numbing. I think it has become a cliche to say something as inane as--this has been a weird year (of course), but just when I think there can't be more to stress out over, the world outside-natural, social, political (I have dreams/nightmares these days concerning face coverings, if that is an indication to you), along comes something else to cause worry.
As if being stuck inside for obvious reasons is not enough, being forced to remain inside thanks to the weather has been a little depressing. I am in need of a good distraction, but I am finding it very difficult to find just the right book to match my mood. Don't get me wrong as I am thoroughly enjoying the books on my reading pile, but enjoying is not quite the same as being completely sucked into a story you don't want to be puled out of. Where is that book?
So, I ask you, friends, what was the last book that drew you in so that the world feel completely away?
I do have a few books on the horizon that will be in need of attention. Three readalongs/book club reads. They are all virtual events and I hope to join in, but no pressure should I not manage it. Just some new reads to look forward to.
My public library has a podcast and they are planning on doing a virtual book club read of Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind, which I have found intriguing, but I have heard it is quite intense and I wonder if now, the world as it is, is the time to read it. I will find out as a copy is waiting for me at the library now.
Along with the Alam, in March there is a virtual Opera book club that I am curious about. I have signed up for it, though I am not sure how interactive it will be. I am hoping more for being able to listen in and learn than share opinions. The book up for discussion is Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter. I love Amy Tan and it has been far too long since I read any of her work.
And just a further bit down the road in April (it will be Spring--hurrah and I hope considerably nicer outside) is the 1936 Club. I have already picked out and bought a copy of Agatha Christie's Murder in Mesopotamia.
I recently bought a copy of Barbara Michaels's The Dancing Floor, which I read some years ago and have happy memories (if not a good memory of the events in the story), which is sitting by me bedside. Just because it appeals. Maybe that will be the immersive story I need just now?
What do you think?