I Read: The League of Frightened Men

Source

Aaaaas hinted recently, I managed to finish a book in my absence though my reading, like basically all my activities, has stalled out just a little. Nevertheless, I couldn't fully abandon my last read as it was yet another amazing Nero Wolfe mystery.

If you aren't familiar with Rex Stout, you can read my post based on the first Rex Stout book I read which I have conveniently link to above; alternatively, you can click on the Nero Wolfe wiki link I also conveniently linked to for you. Either way, The League of Frightened Men starts with that same amazing cast of characters in that same orchid-filled New York brownstone.  

Wolfe and Archie meet a murder mystery writer, Paul Chapin, who has set a group of men on edge after announcing that he has committed a murder (but offering no further information) after two of this group had recently died amidst mysterious circumstances. This group, The League of Frightened Men, appeal to Wolfe to successfully tie Chapin to these murders so that they can no longer fear for their lives. 

They had cause to suspect revenge from Mr. Chapin following an accident years earlier while they were all attending Harvard. In a sort of hazing ritual, they forced Paul Chapin out on a window ledge to open the window of a room that was locked but he fell, injuring his leg and causing him to walk with a severe limp the rest of his life. While they attempted to atone for the accident, Chapin continued to carry a massive chip on his shoulder and, even as years pass, will not let these men forget the terrible thing they did, ultimately culminating in the events that transpire over the course of the book.

This is an excellently twisty turny plot of a book, weaving many different lives into an interesting psychological study of guilt and pity and how one event in your youth can affect your whole life. As a warning, I will say that it as a lot of ableist language, often describing Chapin as a "cripple" and various other negative terms focusing on his disability. Despite that, I find the plot very engaging and surprising and I'd highly recommend it.

Next up, I've started another nonfiction book because after every nonfiction book I read, I eventually forget that I have a hard time getting into nonfiction books and then I stumble across one I find extra interesting and the cycle starts again. It seems it was a quick turnaround this time.

Star rating: 4.3/5

2021 Book Count: 7

I read: Guards! Guards!

 

Yesterday, I had my second round of vaccinations. I'm thrilled to have them done but, like many, this means I felt like complete shit today. I would describe the feeling as being similar to having drunk too much cheap wine the night before, except instead of having had a fun night with friends, I got stabbed.* 

I'm not complaining though- aside from the benefit of, you know, being vaccinated, I got a day off work where I could wrap myself up in a quilt and do absolutely nothing productive whatsoever, guilt-free. I created a nest of blankets on the couch with my laptop, Switch controller, sewing, and book within easy reach. 

And therein we come to the real point of the post which is, I finished my book. 

***

With all my extra free time today, I finished reading Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. It's one of my favorites because it's the very first appearance of The City Watch, the top Discworld storyline in my opinion which 8 out of the 41 Discworld novels are based on. In it, a would-be ruler of the [in]famous city of Ankh-Morpork decides to take over by summoning a dragon  of the extremely large and fire breathing variety, which isn't supposed to- shouldn't- exist. To no one's surprise, there's some serious repercussions to this. To everyone's surprise, it's up to the small, ragtag, usually ineffectual Watch to save the day.

As with any Pratchett book, I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it to anyone and the only reason I didn't give it a full 5 star rating was because Nothing is Perfect and I will never be able to bring myself to give anything a 5 star rating.

Star rating: 4.8/5

2021 Book Count: 6

*I'm already feeling much better and will be back to work tomorrow. Don't let the potential for a fake hangover stop you from getting vaccinated!

I Read: A Scanner Darkly

I'm going to start out by saying I just got back from a serious Philip K Dick Wikipedia rabbit hole and it was WILD.  What a guy- a classic example of a seriously troubled individual churning out amazing work in spite of it all. 

His tumultuous personal life aside, I've read many of his books--and yes, seen a handful of the 13 movies (!!!) based on said books-- and I've never been disappointed. The book I just finished, A Scanner Darkly, is no different and the only reason it took me a little while to read it is that it's dark overtones clashed so harshly with the emergence of spring here that I had a hard time delving in (I always have a good excuse, don't I?). 

A Scanner Darkly follows a narcotics agent named Bob Arctor who, as he sets out to discover serious drug suppliers in the LA area, becomes addicted to the dangerous drug "Substance D," which ruins the connection between the two hemispheres of your brain. He becomes increasingly confused and the two parts of him- the government agent and the junkie- begin hunting each other until he finally breaks down and is admitted to New Path, a rehab facility. This work was especially personal for Dick as he struggled with his own addictions.

Yeah. See what I mean about it being a bit too anti-happy-spring for me? 

All the same, I would highly recommend this book. It's not as straight sci-fi-y as I've come to expect from Dick but it's an interesting viewpoint on the treatment of a disparaged portion of the population- it doesn't quite vilify heavy drug use but it certainly doesn't glorify it either- and corruption.

Anyway, I'm off to find the happiest book I have for my next read!

Star Rating: 4/5

2021 Book Count: 4

I read: Small Town Talk

Yes, I'm sneaking one measly book in at the end of February. My reading slump persists but I couldn't let the month go by without logging at least one read so I pushed through and here we are. I've considered giving myself a break on the whole reading thing- I'd never give it up completely but as long as I'm engaged in other activities that I'm enjoying and getting fulfillment out of, it shouldn't matter right? 

Well, I'm still experiencing lots of moments of "I need to do something...  but WHAT?!" where I have choice paralysis that leads to frustration that inevitable leads to a Mood (you know what I'm talking about). Having so much to do that I don't know what to do... yeah, there could be worse problems but not being able to choose something as simple as how to fill my free time is incredibly frustrating and I just want to grab myself by the shoulders and scream "just PICK SOMETHING!!!" I'm trying to use these moments to read because even if I'm having trouble getting myself to start reading, once I do I most definitely never feel like I wasted my time and the brain absorbing nature of said reading keeps the Mood at bay. 

That being said, without further ado, here's the latest off the book shelf, Small Town Talk by Barney Hoskyns.

I did a little redecorating so the door I normally take my book pictures in front of is occupied by a Voyage Home poster now.

Small Town Talk is about the town of Woodstock, NY,  detailing it's origins as a sort of artist colony in the Catskills to it's metamorphosis to a musical hotspot in the 60s and 70s. Hoskyns focuses pretty heavily on how the town and it's image was shaped by Albert Grossman and the acts he managed that rose to fame (Bob Dylan and The Band, etc) so not only are you learning about the growth of this small town in the mountains, you're getting a ton of information on the early 60's folk scene on into the more electrified 70s.

I'm usually terrible at reading nonfiction so this was probably a bad mid-slump choice. I love the idea of reading nonfiction and of course I find the topic interesting but... I don't know, it's just not as engaging I guess. I wish I liked it more (I have a similar relationship with documentaries). I feel like I have to put that out there given my 3-star rating- take it with a grain of salt. 

Anyhoo, that aside, I did indeed enjoy the book. I found it difficult to digest the shit-ton (a highly technical form of measurement) of names that were thrown at me but overall the information was interesting. I love the music from that era so learning the background for it added to my enjoyment- that alone makes it a worthy read. Music lovers that don't fall asleep during documentaries should most definitely read this.

Star rating: 2.5/5

2021 book count: 3

I can't end this one without a song or two so enjoy "Tears of Rage," the first track on The Band's first album which was born in a pink house in a little town in upstate New York...

..and "To Ramona." I have a love/hate relationship with Dylan but I love this song for sure.

I read: Deadeye Dick

Book number two in 2121, I squeezed in another before the first month was out. A decent start I'd say, considering. This time, I read another favorite, though it was just a favorite author as I haven't read Deadeye Dick before.

I love Kurt Vonnegut's writing style. Conversational yet artful- it sort of reminds me how I am when I try to tell someone a story, which is ass-backward and all over the place. When he does it though, it seems so perfect and well done and exactly how it should be. So I guess not at all how I tell a story...? You get the idea.

Deadeye Dick is, according to that link there, a "chillingly satirical look at the death of innocence. Amid a true Vonnegutian host of horrors—a double murder, a fatal dose of radioactivity, a decapitation, an annihilation of a city by a neutron bomb—Rudy Waltz, aka Deadeye Dick, takes us along on a zany search for absolution and happiness. Here is a tale of crime and punishment that makes us rethink what we believe . . . and who we say we are." 

Basically, Rudy there makes a fatal mistake as a young boy and him and his family pay the price for that for the rest of their lives, all that within the larger context of the eventual destruction of his town and it's inhabitants. 

Aside from the topics outlined in that description above, to me, one of the most interesting ideas he talks about is whether or not you're living your story, or living your epilogue. The idea is, stories are often contrived, made up, made purely to entertain someone else while the epilogue is the bit at the end that's meant to be about how the characters are getting on with their lives, not necessarily for entertainment but for closure. So your epilogue isn't just what happens at the end of your life but what happens when you start living for you, regardless how unexciting that may (or may not I guess) be. Some people start their epilogues early, some may not even have one.  

A lot of Vonnegut novels, while depicting all sorts of misfortunes and horrors mankind inflicts upon itself, leave you with this weird sort of hope, that we could somehow turn it around. Deadeye Dick though... is not one of those novels. There's more what I would call a feeling of semi-content resignation. While this hasn't broken into my top three Vonnegut novels (Breakfast of Champions, Cat's cradle, and Timequake respectively), I'd still recommend it.

I started my next book the same day as I finished this one. Something nonfiction for once, and music related. I'm on a roll!

Star rating: 4/5

2021 book count: 2

I Read: Wyrd Sisters

 

Part of my new year's ultra vague resolutions was to get back into the swing of reading more. What better way to do it than to revisit some classics I've loved for ages? 

I don't remember how old I was when I discovered Terry Pratchett's Discworld series but I do remember absolutely TEARING through my local library's stash of them. Since I was relying on my library's collection, I don't believe I've read them all but I've slowly been picking them up as I run across them- I'm collecting by publication date (there are other schools of thought as to how to read them) and I only have 6... out of 41.

Pratchett's writing style is so hilarious and easy to read, but they're also so smart and well done that they're anything but fluff. I don't feel bad about buying these books (not that I feel particularly bad about buying books in general) because they're so fun to re-read, I can't see myself getting tired of them. Plus, as I first read many of them when I was younger, I missed a lot of the jokes.

There are 6 character sets Discworld series fall into (see above link), and Wyrd Sisters is in the witches category. In it, a new king is crowned via dubious means and isn't particularly popular, especially with the land itself who can tell the new king hates it. Sensing this, the witches decide to break their "no meddling" rule and... help fate along a bit. Hilarity and sort-of-Shakespeare references ensue. 

I would like to just blanket recommend all of Terry Pratchett's body of work, especially if you're feeling a bit down and/or in a reading rut like I was. They're so engaging and always remind me why I love reading. The witches are a particularly funny group (though my favorites are the ones about the Nightwatch).

I plan on continuing with my "getting back to reading via my favorites" next by treating myself to a new Kurt Vonnegut book I haven't read before...

I Read: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Occasionally, I go through these long stretches where I just... don't read. I mean, I can always answer the question "what are you reading right now?," I'm always schlepping a book around just in case I find myself sitting around somewhere with nothing much to do (I, of course, aim to make that happen as much as possible). Sometimes though, I just don't make the time to read. There can be a variety of reasons why this happens to me but sometimes I just choose a book that doesn't really hit that mark of what I want to read at the time, but I can't give up on it because by the time I realize it's not suiting my mood, I've also recognized that it's good and I feel like I'm in too deep to leave it for later. That, I think, is what happened with A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Fantastic beginning to a review, amiright?

I've been familiar with Dave Eggers for quite some time as the founder of McSweeny's Internet Tendency which I occasionally pop over to read their often hilarious articles. Aaaaaaaaand I've already diverged from my review by going down two significant rabbit holes. The first is when I looked up Dave Eggers himself. I'm currently background watching the British Antiques Roadshow while typing this in my pajamas at 2:30pm because I played hooky from work (long day yesterday, long story) which made reading Eggers' list of accomplishments extra depressing. Aside from his many and various literary projects, he has an impressive list of charitable organizations he has a hand in as well. What am I doing with my life? How does he do so many things? When does he find himself with a few minutes to read the book he's been carrying around in his bag? This is terrifying.

The next rabbit hole was McSweeny's. If you're not familiar, McSweeny's is a San Francisco based non-profit publishing company that has a few interesting publications and lots of books under their belt, all geared toward championing new and unique writing, as well as a daily humor site, (Internet Tendency) which again is where I'm familiar with Eggers. If you also want to go down a McSweeny's rabbit hole with me, I highly encourage it and I'll like to suggest a couple articles for you: Encounters From Dungeons and Dragons: 2020 Edition and I Assure You, the Vaccine Our Administration is Rushing to Release is Not Just Three Kids Stacked Under a Trench Coat, both of which made me laugh out loud.

Ok, back to the book (were we ever there to begin with?). A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius is a memoir, which is not something I usually pick up but because of my aforementioned interest in the author, the expectation of some smart humor, and the fact that it was $4 from a used book store, I thought I'd give it a try. It's strange that I'm not usually into memoirs/autobiographies/biographies though because I am endlessly nosey and always want to know about the private lives of people but this was the first memoir I've read, now that I think of it. To be honest, I didn't even know the difference between an autobiography and a memoir but found this infographic from Book Riot to be super helpful. 

Anyway, the book is Eggers' account of the period after his parents death when, at 21 he was charged with taking care of his 8 year old brother. It focuses on the logistics of being a good caregiver but also being a 21 year old trying to do 21 year old things after moving to California and struggling to start a satirical magazine with his friends. It's filled with that very 90s specific affectation, that excessive amount of cynical introspection that I find can get old quickly, but he balances that well in the book by constantly checking himself, so to speak, so just when you're about to roll your eyes, he finds a way to take himself down a peg, bring it back to earth.

I would give this book a 3.5 stars out of 5 and to be honest, I feel a little guilty about it. I'm not sure if my rating is purely based on the fact that it wasn't the kind of book I really felt like reading at the time or not but as of right now that's my honest rating. Overall, I'd recommend it if the description interested you at all, the style is more, I dunno, artistic I guess than expected from an account of someone's life which is most definitely a "pro" from me. It's also made me extra interested in reading more of Eggers' work in the future so take what you will from that.

***

Wow, this was such weird review. It wasn't so much a review as it was an account of my harrowing adventure trying to get through a book during a period of uncharacteristically apathetic reading habits. I live such an exciting life, what can I say. 

I Read: Early Riser

A couple days ago I finished Early Riser by Jasper Fforde. I mentioned this particular book in this post (TL,DR: Mr Fforde sent me that book at my sister's request!) and was extremely excited to get a start on it after finally finishing Lord of the Rings. I was not disappointed.

Here's the quick and dirty synopsis (click the above link for the less-quick version): Picture Earth as it is now except the winters are so harsh the majority of the world hibernates during it. Some people have to stay awake to keep the world running such as it is, a small amount of people choose to stay awake for various reasons, and some people wake up too early and in a zombie-like state because of a drug called Morphenox that stops people from dreaming thus stopping excess weight loss during sleep, which is one of the main issues with hibernation apparently. Those zombies are occasionally trained to do simple tasks but most are... dispatched.

The story follows Charlie Worthing, a man that has recently taken a job as a "Winter Consul" who's job it is to keep the sleepers safe. While trying to stay alive during the harsh winter (not easy) he discovers those zombie-ish early risers might not be so brain dead after all and the company that makes the Morphenox might not be as invested in the good of the people as they say they are. Sleuthing and intense dreaming ensue.

This may sound like a pretty grim story and at the heart of it I guess it is, but Jasper Fforde's humorous style shines though and takes any edge off. I've read a fair amount by him and his books always have a fantastic and compelling "our current world but with a twist" plot injected with a delightful humor that makes them extremely readable. I tend to happily blow through his books and Early Riser was no different. I found the whole hibernation scenario very interesting and would think about it often outside of when I was actively reading. He makes the massive undertaking of getting most of the world to sleep half the year sound effortlessly plausible without bogging you down with tons of explanation and technical detail. The background he gives you is just enough to carry you through the book.

If pressed for criticism, I would say that it ended more abruptly than I would've like. There was a grand climax that was wrapped up a little hastily I felt. Maybe though, it could just have been my disappointment at having finished this charming book so I'd still give it 4 out of 5 stars for sure. 

I Read: LOTR To Get Through

On Wednesday, my grandmother died.

It's strange to think that it was that long ago really. It's strange to think that two whole days went by with me barely noticing. Two days since I sat in the nursing home playing music for the woman who used to be my grandmother but was currently a shell of her formerly grand self (Sinatra was the only thing I could think of that might get through the sickness and old age and dementia). Two days since I came to the horrifying conclusion that she had stopped breathing and slipped away in front of me but sat there for another half hour trying to imagine signs of life before I could bring myself to make sure and then go get the nurse.

This is the third grandparent I've lost in my lifetime, and fourth close death, but it's the first time I've been there when it happened. In the past, I've gotten a phone call, usually from my mom, breaking the news. But this time it was me that was making the call to my dad, telling him his mother died. And this time I went to the funeral home to help make arrangements. Its the most "adult" I've ever felt. Being adult is bullshit.

The past two days have been a blur. I feel sad of course, and also... I don't know. Strange. I don't know what it is. And on top of that, I have a wonderful fiancé who is doing his best to cheer me up and move me along which makes me feel simultaneously better and guilty. I've got that post-death feeling of "wait, life goes on after this?"

One thing that helped, one thing that always helps, was reading. After months of plowing through Lord of the Rings (did I even need to link that??), I spent a lot of yesterday sitting on my porch in the bright sunshine finishing the last 200 pages of The Return of the King, the final book in the series.

I got a gift card to Barnes & Noble for Christmas so at the beginning of the year I thought I'd splurge and get a fancy set of The Hobbit and LOTR because it's something I've always meant to read but never got around to it and what better way to go about it than to get the soft leatherette versions? You can get them here. Not a terrible price for all four books. Plus, they're smaller and soft covered, perfect for carrying around with you but without getting destroyed like what usually happens to my paperbacks.

I don't read a ton of fantasy anymore but as a super shy, self-conscious kid, delving into magical worlds where good triumphs over evil always was instrumental for getting me though so it used to be my go-to (Redwall books anyone...?). When I started reading this months ago (just before the pandemic!), I didn't know how much I would need that again. It doesn't take me that long to read four books normally (series always take me a while for whatever reason), but it just so happens that I got to that grand conclusion now, when I needed an epic happy ending most. 

It's extra strange to be going though a personal tragedy when there's a whole global one going on. Protesting, riots, police brutality, a pandemic and I'm preoccupied with the death of my 94 year old grandmother? I have a right to be of course, but it adds to my weird, unidentifiable feelings of strangeness. 

But reading this and finishing The Return of the King yesterday, finding out everything was ok in the end despite all the death, sorrow, heartache, hard work, and loss... Despite it being "just a book" you can't help but feel a little more hopeful. You can't help but think to yourself "I can win too."

I'll be alright of course, I am alright, just justifiably sad. I'm ridiculously lucky to have a whole host of super supportive friends and family around to get me through and, of course, a lot more books to read.

Sorry this post was super sad but life is like that somethings, not that I need to tell you that (whoever you are), but to end it on a good note, I'll share one of my grandmother's favorite songs (inexplicably) while toasting with a cocktail she would pressure me into getting on our lunch dates called a Toasted Almond (kinda like a White Russian- see this post- but with amaretto instead of vodka).

Cheers Emma.

I read: Starship Troopers

A few shades of nail polish ago, I read Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. I'm a big sci-fi fan but prior to reading this book, I'd only read one of the "big three" English-speaking classic science-fi dudes, the other two being my main man Isaac Asimov (a personal ultimate favorite) and Arthur C. Clarke. I came upon this copy in a used bookstore so I figured I'd finally cross that guy off the list.

A lot of early sci-fi is very, um, "men adventuring in space, possibly killing things, maybe picking up some chicks" and while that is all very good from a purely entertainment standpoint, it is not my cup of tea. I love adventure but I also want it to make me think. And, you know, not be ridiculously misogynistic.
Not to detract from the great contribution Heinlein has provided to the genre, or his talents as writer, but in my head I put him into the above category, assuming he was one of many (many, many, many...) who really focused on traditional male readers (to be fair, I'm sure men made up most of sci-fi's early readers especially). I can imagine there's numerous studies and essays etc about this but back to the book at hand.

Starship Troopers, at first glance, definitely seems to fit that old school man's man type of sci-fi I mentioned above. There's war! There's fighting! There's very few ladies but when they show up you are assured that they are super pretty lady-like ladies! It turns out to be a thinker after all though, closely examining patriotism, sacrifice and what it means to be a true citizen. Especially interesting to me personally was the heavy use of corporal punishment and this strict sense of moral code being instilled in everyone, keeping society in order and criminal activity minimal to nonexistant. He's built an Earth with as close to a militaristic society as you can get without having soldiers stationed on every street corner- you're only allowed to vote or hold office if you serve in the "Federal Service," in whatever capacity they deem is right for you.

I may not agree with a lot of the ideas Heinlein puts forth but I'd still give this book 3.7/5 stars. What's the use of only reading things you agree with? The only way to grow as a person is to constantly collect new ideas that force you to reconsider or reaffirm you own. This engaging space adventure is the perfect opportunity to expand your mind a bit and think about your own personal views so I'd definitely recommend it.

I Read: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle

Well, I just finished The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by my man Haruki Murakami and as usual, I feel a bit like a lost soul but, um, in a good way? I've read only 2 other Murakami books thus far (1Q84 and Kafka on the Shore) but every time I finish one, I'm left with a profound sense of what I like to call "what-ness" which basically means I have to think about it for a while to decide if I know what I just read or not. And yet, despite that, I'm already thinking of which one I'm gonna read next (Norwegian Wood maybe?).

***

You can read the full official synopsis of the book in the link above but Chronicle is basically a surreal detective story where this dude starts off looking for his cat who's gone missing, but then starts looking for his wife who goes missing soon after. AND THEN WEIRD STUFF HAPPENS.

I'm sorry but this is the best I can do. Murakami has been compared to Kurt Vonnegut plenty of times and if you've read anything by him (oh god, please do if you haven't) maybe you'll understand my struggle: while that sounds like a simple story, and while that is indeed what it's about, it's not at ALL that simple.*

As much as I've enjoyed them so far, I hesitate to recommend Murakami books because of that "what-ness" I mentioned above- the story is never that simple and there's a lot you may not understand, even when you're done. It doesn't seem like he concerns himself too much with explaining himself and tying up loose ends and there's a chance you won't feel completely satisfied with the ending. You have to be ok with taking time to flesh things out in your head a while after you finish, but I personally feel as if it's intentional (as opposed to shitty writing, say) and don't think it's a bad thing for an author to keep you thinking about the book long after you finish it.

Murakami-san himself. Pic found HERE from his 2015 "100 Most  Influential People" blurb written by Yoko Ono in TIME Magazine. Check it out (it's short, don't worry).

Anyway, a little more on the story itself: I think I especially liked this one because I really connected with the main character, the poor dude who's missing his cat and wife, Toru Okada. Right from the beginning you learn he recently quit his job and is having a hard time figuring out what to do next. At a bit of a similar crossroads myself (but without the luxury of being able to be out of work indefinitely), I like how, over the course of this novel you discover how much this seemingly lost and unambitious guy, accused of being worthless, has to offer in his own quiet way.

I'm afraid if I continue rambling about this I'll give away too many spoilers so I'll end it here. I'd give this book a 4/5 stars so consider it Highly Recommended.


*And real quick since I mentioned it, I'd like to say that when I mention he's much like Vonnegut, it doesn't mean that he's a "Japanese Kurt Vonnegut;" he's more a "Japanese version of Kurt Vonnegut-esque writing".

Journaling

When I was younger, I was an avid journaler. I was a quiet kid full of Feelings (as opposed to the slightly less quiet adult full of Feelings I am today) so naturally I turned to journaling, in addition to strange short stories and terrible poetry, to express those Feels.

Nowadays though, journalling has become a less effective means of expressing myself. Go figure- focusing on building my relationships by actually telling people how I feel* and/or creating Things has contributed a lot more to my general happiness/mental wellbeing than writing stuff Top Secretly in a notebook for my eyes only. As I get a little older, journalling seems favorable only as a means to chronicle all the fantastic things I do for, I don't know, future generations or something, because I'm forgetting shit left and right already. Plus, I read this book about Jim Henson and his life as chronicled by the journal he kept, scrawling quick lines of his (ridiculously full and busy) days.

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This book had me completely in awe of Jim Henson. He had an unbelievable amount of what the kids call "hustle" and I will never know how he fit so much into such a- sadly- short life. The book itself has excerpts from his journal along with pictures, blurbs, and other documents to give more background to the things he wrote. It's super interesting and I learned a lot about Jim Henson, someone I thought I knew a lot about already. I highly recommend the book.

Anyway, what I DON'T recommend, is trying to diligently write a few lines every day or every few days because you are NOT Jim Henson. Ok, well maybe you are one of those on the go every second people but since a lot of my time is spent emotionally preparing for things (it looks a lot like sitting on the couch watching old lady shows on TV but I promise it's WORK), my journal tends to be a little boring and repetitive.**

So, needless to say, journalling has most definitely not been on my radar for some time. That is, until I stumbled across Journal Threading. 

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Other than the link I provided above, I've found pretty much no further information about it (though there are links to a Facebook site on the page, as well as one to the Instagram page the above picture was originally found). 

The lowdown is, you set up a 12 inch embroidery hoop with the fabric of your choice, separate it into 12 sections (one for each month of course) with the year in the middle, then doodle whatever the hell you want, whatever small pictorial representation you can think of to represent what went on that month. 

I absolutely love this idea. Aside from it being an ideal way to practice some embroidery techniques which I've been meaning to do, it's a more accessible and pleasant way to record your year I feel. You've created a piece of art you'll be more likely to consume than a notebook filled with lists of things you did. Sure you might not remember what exactly each thing represents in years to come but wouldn't to be fun to look at try to figure out?

I'm considering starting one myself. I've been toying with the idea of merging the tradition journalling-in-a-notebook style with journal threading by, instead of having a bunch of hoops, creating a book of sorts that I can add to over the years. Who knows. 

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*Yeah, ok, sure, I guess I'm still working on this one. Ya caught me.

**I would like to say that not everyone can be a Jim Henson. I may write more on this at a later date but in a world that often stresses that the only way to really live is to go and do absolutely ALL THE THINGS, doing small things you love with minimal fuss often gets brushed off as not worthwhile. While I do agree you need to get out of your comfort zone sometimes, and you should definitely see a little something of this amazing world, no one should feel as if they need to apologize for appreciating the little things in life so much that they find joy in living quietly most of the time. Finding joy in the small and the so-called "mundane" is a precious gift, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

I read: The Blind Assassin

I like to read and I don't take that lightly. I don't mean that I occasionally pick up a book while on vacation here; I'm talking about never not having a book in progress since I could make my way through a novel. Because of this, it's only natural that I share my reads on occasion since they are one of the things that brings me joy.

Though I couldn't exactly say my recent read of The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood brought me any joy per se, but that's not a critique by any means. 

You can read the blurb on Goodreads I linked you to up there for a more eloquent description of this novel but here's my quick summary: 

A cynical and tired old woman narrates the trials and tribulations of her life in the 1930s and 1940s which is occasionally interrupted by a story about two secret lovers, one of whom is a pulpy science fiction writer who tells the other a sci-fi story called The Blind Assassin throughout the course of their clandestine meetings. These two (three??) seemingly disparate stories eventually intertwine in the most surprising way, in the best slow-burn fashion; you go from being sure of the connection, to unsure, to wildly unsure, to sudden reveal.

Got that? Good.

I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars, highly recommended. I had to stop reading this at work because afterward I'd be super affected by the narraters vaguely negative and cynical tone but that's quite the testament to Atwood's writing ability. I went beyond just enjoying it or not enjoying it. I couldn't help but become fully immersed. 

Prior to this book, I'd only read one of her books, Oryx and Crake (when linking this up, I discovered two more connected books have been written after I read it making it a trilogy I now HAVE TO READ), and it was fantastic. Much more sci-fi. A Handmaid's Tale has been getting a lot of mention lately what with it being made into a show and all but I've been putting off reading it because of all the hype. I'm glad too, because I picked this book up instead and do not regret it one bit.

Ps- I always take any and all book enthusiastic suggestions.