Reader, Know Thyself
This week I read three books and had a reading revelation. If you see me reading yet another book with a dual timeline, and/or one that involves the pandemic, rip that book right out of my hands. I’m sick and tired of both those things! Just give me a straightforward story where no on is wearing masks. Here’s the book that put me over the edge: This books has- yes!- a dual timeline, and the main part of the story takes place in 2020. I got lured into reading it because it’s a mystery that takes place in Palm Beach, FL, near where I live. The story is interesting- what is going on with “the wife?” What is her connection to “the writer?” And whose hand washed up on the beach??? It was pretty good, but not great for me. As I said, I’m tired of jumping back and forth in time, trying to figure out what’s going on. And, no more masks! It’s stressing me out. I needed something completely different for my next book: Lisa mentioned this one, and I knew I wanted to read it. Gymnastics is a fascinating sport, and I love any behind-the-scenes info. We get to hear lots of details about the Tokyo and Paris Olympics (well, yes- there was some pandemic in there, but it was unavoidable in this case). Jordan talks a lot about the racism in gymnastics. You would think, in a sport where Simone Biles is considered the GOAT, racism wouldn’t be an issue- but you’d be WRONG. This book reminded me, for those of us with white skin, what an easy path we’ve been given in life. And then, I read… This was good! A story about a hiker who goes missing on the Appalachian Trail. It’s fiction, but I liked all the details of how a search for a missing hiker is organized. There are multiple points of view and it was interesting to see how they all came together in the end. I’ve been binge listening to the Currently Reading podcast– I even became a “bookish friend” so I can get the bonus All Things Murderful and Indie Press List episodes. It’s so good! One of the hosts, Meredith, always likes to say, “Reader, Know Thyself.” Are there any types of books you know don’t work for you? What are they? Top photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash