2023, books, Business, Fantasy, home

Reading for Relaxation

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I’m having a very busy week with both my programs running (one today, one tomorrow); several trips to the office have been required, including most of today at the warehouse and all of tomorrow at the warehouse.  This is stressing me out. 

To keep myself somewhat balanced I’m trying to keep up with my reading; reading is my #1 de-stressor.  Currently I’m reading Boys in the Boat (actually listening on CD and hoping I actually finish by Blevins), a biography of Shirley Jackson, The Dark Queens about Brunhilde and Fredegund in the 6th century, finally got started on John Dyer’s Illusion of Gravity (John is an occasional baboon) and then Wolverine’s Daughter by Doranna Durgin that I picked up for $2.50 in a bookstore in Nashville last October.  A nice mix of genres so that at any given minute I can pick up something that seems the best of soothe me.

As you can see from the photo, Nimue likes to help me read, especially if I’m sitting on my bed when I read!

What are you reading this week?

49 thoughts on “Reading for Relaxation”

  1. I am reading Lucy By The Sea, by Elizabeth Strout. If the ennui of lockdown in 2020 appeals to you, this is your book! If you are a fan of Tom Clancy, you’ll hate it.

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  2. I just finished Geraldine Brooks’ People of the Book. I am often impatient with fiction but Brooks bases many of her stories on actual events or, in this case, actual artifacts without overly romanticizing the narrative.

    I am currently halfway through a biography of Eric Gill, who was a notable type designer, sculptor and stone mason around the first decades of the twentieth century.

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  3. RIse and Shine, Baboons,

    THis week I listened to Remainders of the Day by Shaun Bythell who owns the largest used bookstore in Wegtown, Scotland. He previously published “Diaries of a Bookseller.” It reminds me of “All Things Bright and Beautiful” (Herriot) with its UK setting and the quirky characters. It would be a great selection for Blevins. It also makes me think of our dear departed Steve for some reason, who has been on my mind as I read. I am getting ready to start “Diary of a Young Naturalist” which another Master Gardener recommended while I sit with the crazed puppy who’s antics are endless.

    Last Monday on two occasions I heard a raucous bird squawking in the neighborhood. A bald eagle streaked along our back property line chased by a duck and two black birds of some ilk. I could not see anything in its talons.

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    1. I read Remains of the Day earlier this year and I’ve read all of Bythell’s bookseller diaries. They’re quick reads, amusing and engaging. I would definitely consider visiting Wigtown if I were going to visit the UK.
      I have an accumulation, not to say a collection, of books about bookselling, bookstores, and book hunters.

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  5. I’ve got Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, which at first was so annoying to read (the police interviewing these nutcases), but I’m so glad I stuck with it, and now can’t wait to see what happens next.

    Also… hmmm, that may be the only thing I’m reading currently!
    We’ve got the UU Book sale in 8 days, and I’m collecting some of the books in our garage, so busy sorting through what comes in, and of course reading excerpts and starting my own bag of what I’m going to buy. It’s a little bit of heaven…

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  6. Lovely Nimue! She looks a lot like our Keanu. I am trying to finish “How Thor Lost His Thunder,” which argues that Thor is not (or not just) a God of thunder. The author ends his review of the literature in the Middle Ages and never engages with modern Heathen Reconstructionism, but it’s not too bad…plus, it seems to be the only academic book written on Thor.

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    1. CG – I can’t find a copy of HTLHT except a very expensive versio on Amazon. Do you own it? Once you get finished, can I borrow??

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  7. Does anybody know a good book about what to do about the loss of close vision so you cannot read? Just kidding. I cannot listen to books. My mind just wanders off.
    I did just read Sandra’s favorite book of her childhood, which I managed to find a place that sells it about 20 years ago. It is not a book found in libraries any more. So I am not quite sure what to do with it. It is a new pristine copy.

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    2. Clyde, talk with the MN Association for the blind. My mom got a lot of help from them. A talking watch, the audio book player, and they also have that machine that enlarges print so she could read the paper, cookbooks, bible, or magazines. I’m working on the name….

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      1. I once read for them 55 years ago because of my mother in law. She was not blind but could not hold books because of her severe arthritis.
        Yes, I can enlarge print on my IPad but it too distracts me. iPads are heavy, but maybe I am just bored with reading. Last night I came home and should have done several things but did nothing. Saw this is mental health month so I decided to be depressed.

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        1. You might prefer an actual Kindle for reading online books. They are lighter than an ipad and more compact and you can adjust the type size directly on the page without having to go into settings. I have an old one from my daughter and it’s become my preferred device for ebooks.

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        2. I have two kindles. Yes I should try that. I have an old one. Paper something, paper white maybe. The newer one is awful to manage and heavier but the color makes it easier read. The old one is easy to read lying on my side. I cannot lie on my back. And I have several books cued up on it. Amazon does sell more obscure books too, the kind I read. Thanks.

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      1. I bet many on here have never heard of it. It was removed from libraries so many years ago. But I bet you have. And Bill. Little Black Sambo. It catches up a liberal. I don’t want to burn a book, but I don’t want it around.

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        2. I had a copy as a child as well. It’s even more problematic than Uncle Remus and not as diverting.
          I have a number of humor books written by southerners in the middle of the nineteenth century and the racism is repellant. Just about anything written at that time, whether in the north or south, will have its racist allusions. But you just have to acknowledge that and read on if you want to understand other things about the time and place. They’re not titles that would produce any reaction from any but a very few liberals because of the books’ and author’s obscurity.

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        3. Occasionally libraries will put up a display of banned books or, in this case, offensive books of various kinds. Might your local library want it as a good example of a bad example?

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        4. Not the public library. It is a mess. But I wonder about Minnesota State. I will talk to them. Thanks

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        7. I remember reading a review in the 1980′ s about the book that deplored the racism in it, but also liked the warm depiction of a loving family. I never read the book.

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  8. Just read a short book about Artificial Intelligence geared toward authors (AI’s pretty scary, folks, for what it can do positively and negatively, like all technologies). It can be useful for authors, but I’m sure a lot of authors are going to try to write and sell AI-generated books as their own. The book I read actually seemed like it was mostly written by AI–very formulaic and repetitive. I didn’t get a sense of the author’s voice at all. And you should be able to “hear” the author’s voice even in non-fiction.

    My other big project is to catch up on all of Michael Connelly’s books. Right now, I’m reading The Burning Room. My goal is to have read all his books by the end of 2023.

    Chris in Owatonna

    *BSP*–A big event is happening at the Four Seasons Centre in Owatonna tomorrow from 9-3. The Rustic Mamas’ Market. It’s an art and craft show (indoors thankfully!) that features dozens of local artisans, artists, crafters, and a few authors like me. From what I’ve seen, the quality of the merchandise is very good.

    I’ll be there selling and signing my books and would love to meet or “re-meet” some TBers. The timing is good if you’re looking for a Mother’s Day gift for that special mother in your life–or for yourself if you’re a mom. YOU DESERVE IT! 🙂
    *END BSP*

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  11. I’m reading the second novel of the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman, The Man Who Died Twice. I ordered The Seedkeeper from Fair Trade Books in Red Wing. I ordered it a couple of weeks ago but it’s still not in. I have read it before but that was over a year ago and I’d like to reread it. I hope it comes soon. The Seedkeeper is hard to get from the library, unless you want to sit on a waiting list. I liked it enough that I rationalized buying it. I just finished The Boys in The Boat by Daniel Brown. I enjoyed the story but not the writing. I’m also reading some stuff from my own bookshelves, especially a book of poems by Rumi.

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  12. Have any of you read The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling? I picked up a copy and may read it next. It’s a science fiction/alternative history/steampunk sort of thing, I gather. I kept running into references to it when I looked for books by and about Laurence Oliphant, a fascinating nineteenth century adventurer/mystic/diplomat/spy/author, a Zelig-like character who had a knack for turning up at significant points in history. He features as a character in the novel.

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      1. Have you ever read Loren Eisely? He’s on my mind because I just happened to pick up one of his books on a bargain shelf and, while I haven’t read him for decades, I quite liked him when I did read him and intend to read him again.

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  13. Want to read The Wager. By David Grann. History. Very peculiar story about a sailing ship of that name. And some more Wendell Berry.

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  14. “The Wager” is on my library hold list (along with a bunch of other books. Just finished “Profiles in Ignorance” by Andy Borowitz (about Reagan, Quayle, HW and GW Bush, Palin, Trump, and their handlers – dumbing down of politicians in general). Also recently finished “The Dream Builders” by Oindrila Mukherjee.

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  16. Hey!!! Everyone.

    Oh,yes, Vonnegut. I suppose some of those things could have happened.

    I’m currently reading my stack of British “Farmer’s Weekly.” I’ve unaccountably lost a lot,but am hoping I’ll still find them somewhere in the garage. Most are ones I bought in the sixties,but I have a few from the fifties,which I found while working at the recycling centre. The April 13th, 1951 issue,two days before I was born,is missing,to my chagrin.
    Reading them this time around, the nagging thoughts I’ve had all my life have become much stronger. We are keeping animals in slavery. It’s no benefit to them. It needs to stop. Which means I need to become vegan. Right. Hmm.

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  17. First current post I found was Sherrilee’s, about Wee Willie Harris. I don’t remember him from the time, because I hadn’t discovered Rock’n’Roll yet. Nevertheless, I’ll set the record straight. The Killer claims he wasn’t influenced by anyone, the same claim I’ve heard from Brenda Lee incidentally. This is nonsense, but I do know that Jerry DIDN’T copy Little Richard,though I can sympathise if Richard was bitter towards the racist Jerry. And NO genuine USA issue Rock’n’Roller was influenced by ANY of the weedy British copycats. Jerry was the real thing, love him or hate him,and I probably do both.

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  21. I have both the Blevins selections,one as an audiobook and the other as a book book. I haven’t made a whole lot of progress on either so far. Recently read Kate Atkinson’s A God in Ruins.

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  23. Pingback: Reading for Relaxation – Bloga gyts

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