I was going to use some soothing and aspirational graphic (like the one from last week), but I decided reality would be best. Here you go, my room, my haven and where I do most of my work. Triple this and you have some idea of the joys of moving and what remains to be done.
Of course, there is happiness in being back in an area we enjoy (I’ve had sushi 4 times in 6 days) and there’s muscle memory as to where things should go in a familiar house, but it stutters when moving boxes don’t contain what they’re supposed to and you can’t find the simplest of things—a wastebasket, please!—when you need them. It just takes time.
May and June are usually big reading months for me, but this year my reading ground almost to a stop. The weeks of the move left my July a reading trainwreck, but I’m very happy to report that my reading brain is slowly regathering itself. There were some highs and now I feel as if I’ll be completely back on track (behind a bit, but energized) by the end of August.
Thank you, dear readers, for bearing with me. All is well here in the Pacific Northwest (I’m completely ignoring the national news) and I PROMISE real reviews will resume in August. For now, here is a very quick list of books I’d recommend for your end of summer reading. Brief thoughts, a rating and a link to the synopsis in Goodreads, if it looks interesting to you. Real reviews to follow soon.
Need to completely escape? Then try the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy. It’s YA but sly and immersive—an epic battle between chimera and seraphs that spills from their world into ours. So good!
Vogue. Anna Wintour. Biography. That’s all you need to know. Anna
Joan of Arc as you’ve never read her before. 5 stars and in line to be a favorite of the year. Joan: A Novel
A grieving mother, a lonely Scottish grocer, a man-child hoping to find the father he never knew, and an octopus nearing the end of its life. Sounds wild, but Remarkably Bright Creatures is charming and warm and I loved it.
How has your summer been going? Read anything I should add to my TBR?
So glad the move went well. I am very much looking forward to your reviews when you are ready. A move is a huge endeavour – so take it slow and conserve your energy! Take care of yourself!
Thank you!! I’m getting back to it, just slow because while I’ve had some great reading (yay!) my brain is so mushy I can’t remember enough to write about them.
Oh, moving … it is so disorienting. Hope you’ll settle down and have time and peace for reading soon.
This summer I finally read The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett. I’ll be looking forward to more of the Lymond Chronicles.
Other highlights: Swing Low by Miriam Toews was touching, an attempt to understand through fiction the last days of her dad who committed suicide. And I got halfway through Red Comet, the biography of Sylvia Plath, before I had to return it to the library. But I’ll definitely finish it when I can.
Thank you for this- I love Miriam Toews. I’m adding to my TBR right now.
Starting to settle a bit, but still in that stage of looking for things I swear we moved but can no longer find. Sigh. But I have had some great reading and hope to get going on reviews soon!
I’m glad you’re starting to settle in in Seattle. Hope the reading mojo returns soon. My faves of the summer so far are : Lessons in Chemistry, This Time Tomorrow, and one I just finished last night: Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell.
Ooo…I haven’t heard of Confessions. You know I love books about books!
Well … it sounds like you survived. I don’t know how you did it but apparently you did. It seems like a moving odyssey across the country. Are you back at your former house? Did you leave Michigan in the dust or just the rearview? I can’t poke fun at your experience too much because now we are moving too, yikes. Didn’t I learn anything from your escapade? Towards the end of July we bought a place in the countryside … it’s 45 minutes south of where we live now … and there is much to be done to the place. Craziness continues … as we put our place on the market after 17 years here. Hold onto your hats. & good luck there settling back in …
Oh my goodness! Congratulations! It will be marvelous, I’m sure. Changing states is a large part of the hassle- drivers’ licenses, insurance…everything different.
It’s odd but I’d say MI is in the dust. We know no one there and have no reason to ever go back. We were there for the 2 years of COVID so didn’t explore the state or get to meet many people. I miss the house, the quiet, and the insane thunderstorms. Beyond that, I’m trying to get my mind to settle here and get back to my routine.
Thanks so much for checking in!
Good Catherine. I’m glad you’re back West & getting back into things there. Thanks for the move wishes. After 17 years, we seem like move newbies again …. need to figure out the ins and outs all over again on how to go about this. Check you later.