Sunday Salon: Release
Wahoo! Though I love my job (part-time, seasonal, no-stress
at a beautiful, interesting, elegant place), I am glad that it comes to a
seasonal end as it did for me on Thursday.
I’ll return in March.
But……job’s out for
the winter!
And those who are still there working – some even full-time
asked -- what are you doing with your time off?
I said, “Reading.”
And so Friday and Saturday I began in full powered mode.
First, play catch-up. Read back log of “core readings” of
Coursera course, Witches, Plagues and Wars, which I can thank Karen of Booker
talk for getting me into. Some wonderful
sample chapters of James Fenimore Cooper, Charles Dickens and a great essay
about Hilary Mantel – that reminds me I want to read Bring Up the Bodies.
Second, Continue with The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane,
also for that course. I do not care for this book.
Third: line up future reading: Man Alive for book group in a
few weeks; The Boys in the Boat ( favorite of sister-in-law); Fever (for the
course); Year of Wonders (for the course); Cascade (someone recommended); and
Richard Ford’s The Sportswriter (picked up for free).
And suddenly, I realize I have a TBR pile, which is unusual
for me. Others talk about them all the time, but I rarely know what I am going
to read next, and don't collect piles of unread books.
I finally posted my review of Life After Life – which I came
to enjoy more as I wrote about it. I want to write about Mapuche, another
Europa edition mystery, a book I had a lot of trouble with. My troubles
interest me and are worth exploring.
Also the time of good movies is coming, setting up for Oscar
nominations. We saw Captain Phillips yesterday.
And that, dear friends is October.
I'm tired from all of October's activities. I hope to slow down in November.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Sunday Salon.
I was hoping to do so as well, but I am not feeling slower. Still pressure to get things done. For me, it's all in the mind -- not the real pressure I once had as a working mom.
DeleteI know someone who was in a Coursera Course on historical fiction and recently gave up on the The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, just to let you know that you're not the only one. Her blog post about that was http://somanybooksblog.com/2013/10/31/happy-halloween/
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Bryan. I checked that out, and I am heartened to find that I am not alone -- that I am not just being Barbara the book grouch.
DeleteI hope you don't live to regret me getting you embroiled in the coursera thing! there is a lot more reading than I expected. As for Deliverance Dane, what a dreadful book....
ReplyDeleteKaren (Booker Talk)
Karen,
DeleteI won't regret it. I very pleased with the lectures and much of the reading.Looking at "the historical novel" is a different lens on lit for me.
Congrats for your freedom from the job. Enjoy your months off reading! What did you think of Capt. Phillips? Pretty hair-raising action right?
ReplyDeleteWe liked "Captain Phillips." Tom Hanks was great. I was particularly impressed with the actor who played the Somali named Muse. We have friends stopping by tonight -- a couple -- and he is a retired merchant marine-- was an engineer. I'll be interested to know if they have seen the movie, and what they think.
ReplyDelete