laceyrowland

[laceyrowland]

Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Part V

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Part IV of the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Categories 41-50!

It's already a new year for the UBN Challenge with 50 new categories. If you're interested in the challenge, information can be found at the Boise Public Library. I am planning to tackle the challenge again this year, and am already picking out books for some of the categories, so stay tuned for updates on my progress!

This year I'm going to try and read more of the books that I already own, we'll see how that goes. Every time I go to a bookstore, thrift store, pretty much any store that has books for sale - I end up bringing one home. I guess you could say I have a problem. Of all the vices one could have, book-buying seems harmless enough.

I've also grown more and more interested in local book bans in my community and taking a stand for everyone's freedom to read. If you're not sure what a book ban is, or why they're harmful, I encourage you to check out the American Library Association's information on Book Bans. This month there is going to be a "Freedom to Read-In" happening at the Idaho State Capitol to stand up for libraries and the freedom to read.

Now for the recap of what I read for categories 41-50:

41. Read a book featuring an Indigenous person - An American Sunrise by Joy Harjo *

42. Read a book by a person represented at BCAF - Be Gay Do Comics by Multiple Authors

43. Read a book of essays - Upstream by Mary Oliver

44. Read a book by a Basque author (or about Basque culture) - The Basque History of the World by Mark Kurlansky

45. Read a dystopian novel - Scattered All Over The Earth by Yoko Tawada *

46. Read a book from a child's point of view - Foster by Claire Keegan

47. Read a book from a different point of view than your own - Patience by Daniel Clowes

48. Read a book with a one-word title - Woolgathering by Patti Smith

49. Read a Teen/YA book - Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

50. Read a book recommended by a library staff member - Shortcomings by Adrian Tomine

*=Books I'd recommend to a friend or reread

[laceyrowland]

UBN Challenge 2023 Recap - Part IV

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Part IV of the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Categories 31-40!

There's a lot of overlap with these categories and the poetry I read for the Sealey Challenge. The books in this particular section of the list were some of the most educational books I read. Educational in the sense that I learned a lot from them--craft-wise, culturally, history-wise, artistically. I also enjoyed reading a book I'd meant to read for my PhD, without having to read for the purpose of gleaning material to write a seminar paper.

Perhaps you've been in a situation where you have different ways of reading or maybe you have no idea what the heck I'm even talking about. Graduate school (both MFA and PhD) shaped the way I read for good and bad. I love that now when I read I can appreciate the art of the writer, the craft on the page, the magic of how a narrative is created. It's a separate pleasure than "reading for pleasure" and one I appreciate most as I read poetry (because I'm learning to write poetry as I read it).

And then there's the type of reading that's for analysis, that's for hunting for things to write about in the context of theory or an academic paper. Reader, I learned the hard way that I'm an artist, not an academic, when it comes to literature.

Stay tuned for the final installment of the UBN Challenge 2023 Recap and I'll share my absolute favorite reads!

Now for the recap of what I read for categories 31-40:

31. Read a book set in your dream vacation location - Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri *  32. Read a book by a Pacific Northwest author - Dialogues with Rising Tides by Kelli Russell Agodon *  33. Read a book based in the Middle East - The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi * 34. Read a book about a social movement - Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness and Liberation by Eli Clare * 35. Read a book required in school - Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut *  36. Read a book from your to-be-read list - Enchantment by Katherine May 37. Read a book about a holiday tradition you don’t celebrate - A Holly Jolly Diwali by Sonya Lalli 38. Read a book with “Rain” in the title - The Rain in Portugal by Billy Collins 39. Read a book with recipes - Loves You by Sarah Gambito *  40. Read a book that takes place on a boat/ship - The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka * (This one was a stretch because only the first chapter takes place on a boat...)

*Books I would reread or recommend to a friend.

[laceyrowland]

UBN Challenge 2023 Recap - Part III

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Part III of the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Categories 21-30!

This particular round had some difficult categories for me to find books I really wanted to read, but two of my favorites from this set of reads are Biography of X and The Story of Art Without Men. Both books were hard for me to finish in the best way possible - I just didn't want them to be over. I savored each page, which wasn't great for speeding through the rest of my list, but it meant that I really got to immerse myself in the prose.

I should add that when I do the UBN Challenge, I bounce around the categories. I will often choose a book in advance, only to come back to it and realize I'd rather read something else. So there's a lot of shuffling that happens for me to get through these categories and actually enjoy the process (sometimes it's not that enjoyable, actually).

About 30 books into the challenge, I found myself getting a little bored. Instead of taking a break from reading, I picked up another challenge. In August, I completed the Sealey Challenge (a book of poetry every day for the whole month). I thought I'd be burned out as a result, but I ended up finding my second wind and reigniting my passion for poetry! Sometimes you just have to find the right book to fall in love with reading again.

Now for the recap:

21. Read a book by an author that shares their first name with you (or initials if first name is impossible) - Biography of X by Catherine Lacey (I cheated a little on this one, since I share my first name with the writer's last name) *

22. Read a book found in a book list (NY Times, etc.) - Ducks by Kate Beaton *

23. Read a gothic novel - Skim by Mariko Tamaki

24. Read a western - True Grit by Charles Portis *

25. Read a biographical fiction - Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders* (also highly recommend the audiobook of this one!)

26. Read a book involving art - The Story of Art Without Men by Katy Hessel *

27. Read a graphic novel adaptation of a classic - Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings

28. Read a NaNoWriMo Book - Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

29. Read a romance - Sunburn by Andi Watson

30. Read a book written from a non-human point of view - Birds of Maine by Michael DeForge *

*Books I'd recommend to a friend or read again.

[laceyrowland]

UBN Challenge 2023 Recap - Part II

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Part II of the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Categories 11-20!

One of the many upsides to this challenge is that it provides me an opportunity to read more graphic novels! If you haven't discovered their awesomeness, I encourage you to check them out. I was first introduced to graphic novels in an undergrad literature class (I know, I'm always late to the party). We read Ghost World by Daniel Clowes. Since then I've read dozens of graphic novels. You'll notice a few pop up here and there on this list. They add a cool dimension to the story, and I appreciate all the different styles of illustrators.

I feel like graphic novels are dismissed as being juvenile or not very literary - I think that sentiment couldn't be more inaccurate. Case in point, number 20 on this list - Maus I (and II) by Art Spiegelman. It's a crushing, powerful story of a Jewish family and generational trauma passed down as a result of the Holocaust. You'll be changed after reading it - I can promise you that much.

Now for the recap:

11. Read the first book in a series - Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

12. Read the second book in a series - Maus II by Art Spiegelman * 

13. Read the third book in a series - Junk by Tommy Pico

14. Read a book by an author from The Cabin’s “Readings and Conversations series” (past or present) - The Good Lord Bird by James McBride *

15. Read a book where the narrator is not the main character - Less by Andrew Sean Greer *

16. Read a book found while browsing (the library, a bookstore, OverDrive, GoodReads, etc.)  - I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong *

17. Read a book of nature writing - Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer *

18. Read a book written by an author over 50 - Citizen by Claudia Rankine *

19. Read a book about the experience of a refugee - Freedom Hospital by Hamid Sulaiman *

20. Read a book about different socioeconomic class - Maus I by Art Spiegelman *

*books I'd recommend to a friend and/or read again

Check out what I read for the UBN Challenge 2023 Categories 1-10!

[laceyrowland]

Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge 2023 Recap - Part I

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This year I managed to complete the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge with a little over a month to spare. If you're wondering what makes someone an Ultimate Book Nerd in the eyes of the Boise Public Library, I'll be sharing the categories from 2023 and the books I read to complete the challenge. I often interpret these categories loosely in order to squeeze in more of what I'm reading in the moment, but I do a significant amount of searching in the library catalog and online lists to find books that meet the challenge while also challenging me as a reader. (see what I did there)

I'm sharing the links to each book, I encourage you to shop local or borrow items from your local library!

If you're searching for the next book to add to your TBR pile, you might find a gem in my stack. Here's what I read for categories 1-10 (there's a total of 50 categories, so stay tuned!):

Read a book that celebrates your freedom to read  - Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe*

Read a book about someone that identifies as a different gender than you - Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke

Read a how-to book - How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell*

Read an allegory - 1984 by George Orwell

Read a book you found in a little free library - Seattle Walk Report by Susanna Ryan

Read a book by a female author under a male pseudonym - Sula by Toni Morrison*

Read a British crime classic - Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Read a fantasy - The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V*

Read a book by an award-winning Canadian author - Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

Read a book from the 800’s (Dewey) - Inciting Joy by Ross Gay*

*books I'd recommend to a friend and/or reread

[laceyrowland]

2022 Reading Wrapped Part IV

I was chatting with a dear friend the other day about audiobooks and how we both came around to them after being the kind of people that believed that listening to audiobooks wasn't really reading. Audiobooks have been a game-changer for us. There's something magical about being read to, and there are certain narrators who really bring the text alive.

But if you're reluctant to get into audiobooks, or maybe you've tried and it hasn't really gripped you, I'd like to recommend some audiobooks that hooked me and made me fall in love with the medium.

The Dutch House - Ann Patchett, narrated by Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks made me realize that this book actually had some humor in it. It was one of the audiobooks that made me want to listen to it on repeat.

The Years - Annie Ernaux, narrated by Anna Bentinck. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'd never heard of Annie Ernaux until this year when she won the Nobel Prize in Literature. This was the only audiobook my local library had by her, so I took a gamble on it. It's a winding journey through post-WWII to the early 2000s, following a woman's life in France (presumably Ernaux's, it's described as a sort of fictionalized memoir). I learned so much, but it didn't feel like learning. As I was working on my miniatures I found myself saying, "Huh, I never knew that" a lot. It's one to listen to if you can dedicate longer stretches of time to.

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain (narrated by the author). Anthony Bourdain has a certain magnitude in his voice. With him reading his own work it felt like I was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a beer with him and swapping old stories.

Any book by David Sedaris. He's hilarious, his essays are poignant and bizarre. He narrates his own work, and so it feels like you're listening to a sort of stand-up performance, rather than a book.

Mystic River - Dennis Lehane, narrated by Scott Brick. If you're looking for a psychological thriller, this one is one of my favorites. I'd already read the book ages ago, and also seen the movie, but I had the chance to listen to this while driving from Missouri to North Carolina and through the Blue Ridge Mountains and the audiobook made me want to keep driving, to stay in the car until the very end.

Activities that pair well with audiobooks: Walking in the park or hiking (but be aware of your surroundings!), riding on trains or airplanes, roadtrips, putting together puzzles, crafting, baking, and on lazy mornings with a good cup of coffee.

Here's what I read from October to December of 2022:

The Last White Man - Mohsin Hamid

My Begging Chart - Keiler Roberts

Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart*

Severance - Ling Ma

The Swimmers - Julie Ostuka

The Summer Book - Tove Jansson*

Stay True - Hua Hsu*

Five Tuesdays in Winter - Lily King*

The Years - Annie Ernaux*

Nothing to See Here - Kevin Wilson*

*Books that blew my hair back

Catch up on my Reading Wrapped Parts I, II, and III.

See you in 2023!

[laceyrowland]

2022 Reading Wrapped Part III

At about this point in the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge, I was starting to experience some burnout and finding myself just wanting to get through the challenge so that I could read what I wanted to read. It's motivating to have a goal, but sometimes the goal begins to feel arbitrary and meaningless.

Instead of giving up, I pushed through at breakneck speed, finishing the challenge in August. And in September I slowed down considerably in my reading.

Some tips about setting reading goals or committing to reading challenges:

Find a challenge that allows for some flexibility in interpretation. The one thing I can say about the Ultimate Book Nerd challenge was that no one was really checking whether the books I read met the categories perfectly - the point was to get folks reading and to try new things! So don't beat yourself up if you fudge the rules. You're reading, that's what matters.

Set realistic goals. If you're a slow reader like me, focus on a challenge or a goal that focuses on quality (or variety) rather than quantity. I am challenging myself to read books 35 books I've never read before, prioritizing women, queer and BIPOC writers (I'm a chronic re-reader).

Have fun with it! An idea I'm sitting on for a future challenge is to read books that were adapted into movies and then watching the movie when I've finished the book as a treat. I've also got The Sealey Challenge on my radar for 2023 - a book of poetry a day for the entire month (I already have some of the collections picked out). Whatever you do, don't make it a chore for yourself.

Here's what I read July through September of 2022:

Fever Dream - Samanta Schweblin

This Time Tomorrow - Emma Straub*

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry - Neil deGrasse Tyson

Self-Portrait with Ghost - Meng Jin*

O Pioneers! - Willa Cather

Afterparties - Anthony Veasna So*

The Electricity of Every Living Thing - Katherine May

Heartstopper Vols 1-4 - Alice Oseman*

Black Birds in the Sky - Brandy Colbert*

Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American - Laura Gao*

After Dark - Haruki Murakami

This One Summer - Mariko Tamaki*

Katie the Catsitter Book 2 - Colleen AF Venable

The Deep - Rivers Solomon

Seance Tea Party - Reimena Yee

Sea of Tranquility - Emily St. John Mandel*

The Prince and the Dressmaker - Jen Wang

Greenlights - Matthew McConaughey

Indian Horse - Richard Wagamese*

Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain*

The Sympathizer - Viet Thanh Nguyen*

The Magic Fish - Trung Le Nguyen

Ms. Marvel Vols 1-2 - G. Willow Wilson

The Joy of Doing Just Enough - Jennifer McCartney

Goldenrod - Maggie Smith

*Books that blew my hair back

Don't miss the first parts of the list - check out Part I and Part II.

Stay tuned for the Part IV - the wrap-up of 2022 Reading Wrapped!

[laceyrowland]

2022 Reading Wrapped Part II

In the Spring I got a part time job at the local library which was great motivation to kick my reading into high gear. It's hard to be around books all day and not want to take them all home. Let's just say my TBR list stretches farther than my lifetime.

Being surrounded by books is great motivation to read, but so is being surrounded by nature. My partner and I both enjoy the outdoors, and I've been known to spend hours lounging around outside with a good book. We got a hammock stand to bring with us on camping trips which has really spoiled me when it comes to travel.

Tips for squeezing in more reading:

Bring a book with you when you're away from home. Or have an audiobook downloaded on your phone with some earbuds handy. Case in point, last night I was picking up a birthday gift at the bookstore and was stuck in a long line with nothing to do. I pulled out my headphones and listened to a few minutes of my audiobook (Five Tuesdays in Winter by Lily King, in case you were wondering) while waiting. If you're riding public transit, stuck in an airport during a layover, or even just waiting at the doctor's office - having a book makes the waiting less annoying.

Find a cozy, but not too cozy, spot to read. I've found that reading at the kitchen table is great when I'm waiting for something to finish baking, but if I sit too long on the hard kitchen chairs my butt goes to sleep and I get uncomfortable. If I read in bed, it better be a compelling book or I'll go right to sleep. Reading in front of the TV is not recommended. A coffee shop can be a good place to read if you need to get away from the laundry piling up. Libraries are free and quiet and generally have comfortable (but not too comfortable) seating. A blanket on the lawn is also great.

Take advantage of the resources around you for reading recommendations. While working at the library I met tons of avid readers who had loads of recommendations, and folks would come in and ask for suggestions from me as well. It's a community built around readers! Libraries are a unique space - they're free, they're protectors of democracy and intellectual freedom, and they're open to everyone. Patronizing them is critical to their survival.

Here's what I read April through June of 2022:

Harlem Shuffle - Colson Whitehead*

My Monticello - Jocelyn Nicole Johnson*

The Honjin Murders - Seishi Yokomizo

My Sister, The Serial Killer - Oyinkan Braithwaite*

Things We Lost in the Fire - Mariana Enriquez*

The Bookshop - Penelope Fitzgerald

Autobiography of Red - Anne Carson

The Incendiaries - R.O. Kwon*

The Lost Daughter - Elena Ferrante*

Infinite Country - Patricia Engel

Rosemary's Baby - Ira Levin

The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead*

From Chaos to Creativity - Jessie L. Kwak

Wide Sargasso Sea - Jean Rhys*

Katie the Catsitter - Colleen AF Venable

Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu

Parasite - Mira Grant

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee*

Taproot - Keezy Young

The Book of M - Peng Shepherd

*Books that blew my hair back

Catch up on Part I of my Reading Wrapped, and stay tuned for Part III!

[laceyrowland]

2022 Readings Wrapped Part I

This year I decided to participate in the Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge put on by the Boise Public Library. 50 books in 50 categories in one year.

I completed the challenge in August.

I'm a textbook overachiever.

As of writing this, I've read 77 books in 2022. I'm set to read a couple more by the end of the year, to hopefully end on a nice round number.

For those of you wondering how the heck I did it, here are some of my "secrets" to reading a lot of books:

Audiobooks 100% count as reading. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I listen to them when I walk, when I'm cooking, exercising, and sometimes when I'm doing tasks that don't require a lot of attention at work. Also, roadtrips. I don't recommend audiobooks for short car trips if only because it is hard to follow a plot when you're constantly stopping and starting. If that's something you're into, then go for it.

Graphic novels, comic books, poetry collections, novellas - these also count as books. I like to keep a nice balance of shorties and fat books in my reading practice. It's okay to read little quickies. Reading is reading.

Actually make time for reading. When I put it on my to-do list and made it a priority, I got the reading done. If at first it feels like a chore, keep at it and let your brain be tricked into the habit. It'll eventually kick in, I swear. It also helps to pick something that really grips you. Which brings me to my final tip...

Be ruthless with the 30-page rule. Life is too short to be reading what you feel obligated to read. If you want to read trash, go for it. No one has to know. If you don't want to read The Classics, don't. There are millions of better books out there. Don't let what you "should" read get in the way of what you want to read. If it doesn't blow your hair back in the first 30 pages, don't feel bad for putting it down and maybe never coming back to it. Not every book is written for every person. The book will be read, even if it's not by you. Let it go.

And now, for Part I of The List. Here's what I read January through March of 2022:

The Guide to Superhuman Strength - Alison Bechdel*

Proxima Centauri - Farel Dalrymple

This is How I Disappear - Mirion Malle

How to Read Nature - Tristan Gooley

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender*

New Kid - Jerry Craft*

Redbone - Christian Staebler

Dear Ijeawele - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Undoing Depression - Richard O'Connor*

Intimacies - Katie Kitamura*

Yellow Bird - Sierra Crane Murdoch*

People from My Neighborhood - Hiromi Kawakami

The Man in the High Castle - Phillip K Dick

The Mist - Ragnar Jonasson

Imagine Wanting Only This - Kirsten Radtke*

The Art of Living - Thich Nhat Hanh

Trust Exercise - Susan Choi*

The Longer We Were There - Steven Moore*

Between the World and Me - Ta-Nahesi Coates*

Red at the Bone - Jacqueline Woodson

Good Talk - Mira Jacob

Stay tuned for Part II!

*Books that blew my hair back.

[laceyrowland]

[laceyrowland]

[laceyrowland]

2021 in Books

For the last two years I've been keeping track of my cultural consumption in a spreadsheet. It's mostly because my memory is terrible, so when someone asks me, "Have you read _______?" I can quickly pull up my spreadsheet on my phone and answer. I spend a lot of time talking about books, thinking about books, reading them but not really working on my own book. Go figure.

Since I quit grad school, I decided to institute my "30 Page Rule." If a book doesn't hook me in 30 pages, for whatever reason, I don't bother finishing it. Sometimes I'll put it back on my to-read list, mostly because I realize that sometimes I start a book at the wrong time (like Claire Vaye Watkins' new novel--I'm sorry, Claire, but I'm too depressed to read that book right now, but it's sitting on my nightstand!). All the books on my list this year I've read cover-to-cover. No cheating.

Anyway, here's what I read last year. I've also included my notes (if I made any) which are generally brief and half-formed thoughts, or just a reminder to myself. Books marked with * are ones I'd recommend to a friend or reread.

THE LIST

I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Iain Reid. Note: "Meh, wouldn't recommend the book or the movie"

*All My Puny Sorrows - Miriam Toews. Note: "sisters. suicide."

*Wintering - Katherine May. Note: "perfect for the pandemic"

Talking To Strangers - Malcolm Gladwell

Women Talking - Miriam Toews. Note: "MT is a gem, book about mennonites"

*A Bright Ray of Darkness - Ethan Hawke. Note: "E.H. wow, what a writer! Loved the scenes about being on stage."

How to Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan. Note: "Made me want to do shrooms"

The Uncoupling - Meg Wolitzer

*Writers and Lovers - Lily King. Note: "A writer's writer book, good, would read again"

Farenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury. Note: "revisiting a high school requirement, holds up" Added note: Tim Robbins narrates the audiobook, well done.

*Nomadland - Jessica Bruder. Note: "#vanlife"

*Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro. Note: "I'm addicted to K.I."

*Dept. of Speculation - Jenny Offill. Note: "rereading again, cannot quit this book"

Hatchet - Gary Paulsen. Note: "revisiting childhood favorite, still holds up"

The Night Always Comes - Willy Vlautin. Note: "Marry me, W.V."

A Pale View of Hills - Kazuo Ishiguro. Note: "Beautiful. stark. sad."

Grief is the Thing with Feathers - Max Foster. Note: "Widowers. Boo-hoo." (It's a good book, I just have baggage re: widowers)

*The Dutch House - Ann Patchett. Note: "Got me hooked on audiobooks" (Tom Hanks narrates)

*Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata. Note: "Read at Wildacres. More like inhaled."

Mystic River - Dennis Lehane. Note: "gritty. good."

*Interior Chinatown - Charles Yu. Note: "So good, I want to reread this one"

A Lie Someone Told You About Yourself - Peter Ho Davies. Note: "I don't remember what this one was about, but I remember liking it"

The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams. Note: "narrated by Stephen Fry, liked the movie better, oddly enough"

Gone Baby Gone - Dennis Lehane. Note: "gritty, good. Probably better than the movie."

*The Memory Police - Yoko Ogawa. Note: "so dang good. I would buy and reread."

Outlawed - Anna North. Note: "historical speculative fiction, feminist outlaws"

*Paper Girls Vol 1-6 - Brian K Vaughn. Note: "Stranger Things meets Babysitters Club, loved it"

Deaf Republic - Ilya Vachynsky. Note: "so damn sad"

In a Lonely Place - Dorothy B. Hughes. Note: "Noir Crime. Enjoyed it!"

*Felicity - Mary Oliver. Note: "It's Mary Oliver, what's not to like?"

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley. Note: "I thought it was going to better, but it was okay, I guess."

Territory of Light - Yuko Tsushima. Note: "70s I-novel about a single mom in Japan"

*Beautiful World Where Are You - Sally Rooney. Note: "I will always love S.R."

The Paper Palace - Miranda Cowley Heller. Note: "Generational family drama, page-turner. Steamy adultery story. Childhood rape/incest trauma"

*Stone Fruit - Lee Lai. Note: "Queer family/relationships. YES."

State of the Union - Nick Hornby. Note: "Short little novel with 10 weeks of conversations between a couple on the brink of divorce. Little breeze of a thing."

*Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel. Note: "Thank god I don't live in THAT pandemic. A little withholding, but still good"

[laceyrowland]

2021 Revisited

We survived it. We made it through the year by the skin of our teeth.