Reading: I started the year on fire, and so I quickly read about 26 books (most of those were rereads, many were short books in a series, but some were very large tomes). I wasn’t going to count the rereads, but I’ve decided they have to count! So I’m at 32 out of my 35 book target for the year. I think I’ll make it! Since then, though, I’ve been trying to read more worthy books, and there are only a few sparks left alive in my reading mojo. There have been a number of distractions that have kept me from reading – but more about those later.
Two outstanding books were:
In Memoriam by Alice Winn was a fabulous, five-star read about the first World War. I won’t go into any details, to avoid spoilers, but it is a moving, informative, and of course, horrific book. I highly recommend it.
As I do Night, by Elie Wiesel. This isn’t part of the school curriculum here, as I understand it might be elsewhere, and I’ve been wanting to acquire this for years ever since I saw him interviewed on Oprah. This was an audiobook, which made it feel more real. I started listening to it one morning, and I couldn’t stop until it was finished about four hours later. Warning: You need a tissue box next to you as you read or listen.
Two other five-star ratings were:
Ten Steps to Nanette, by Hannah Gadsby. I am a big fan of Hannah Gadsby, and if you haven’t seen her show Nanette on Netflix, then you should go and watch it now. This is an autobiography, telling us about how she got to write and perform Nanette, starting as a little kid growing up in Tasmania. It’s funny, but it’s heart-breaking too (just like Nanette). I listened to the audiobook. It’s my favourite way to “read” autobiographies, especially when it is read by the author. Absolutely beautiful!
I’ve written about Otherhood: Essays on being childless, childfree, and child adjacent, elsewhere. Disclaimer: I have an essay in the book. But it is a lovely collection of stories about women who feel “other” simply because we do not have children. I loved every story, often especially the ones who had very different experiences to my own, the foster parent, for example, or the Mormon-raised woman. They are also funny and, again, heart-breaking. They are stories of New Zealand women, but they are universal stories. Some of the women’s stories are based elsewhere – Lil O’Brien, one of the editors, writes about infertility treatment in New York, and being told not to masturbate, on top of everything else she was going through. She said, “There are many cruelties on the treacherous road that is IVF but this is the one that felt like a real ‘f*@# you.’ It reeks of the patriarchy. I don’t know how that’s to blame, but somehow it must be.”
And finally, I caught up with Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, rereading An Echo to the Bone (I think, I couldn’t remember), moving on to Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, and finishing with Go Tell the Bees I’m Gone. I was so out of date because I’d started to find them a bit laborious. But after watching the TV series, I was inspired to try again, and I have to say that reading them all together like that was excellent. I could just lose myself in their world, their time, and go along on the ride. I saw a review that said, “there’s no plot!” Well, that is kind of the point, and a reason why I really enjoyed these three books one after another. Good grief, they’re long – Goodreads tells me that Go Tell the Bees I’m Gone is 902 pages – but I didn’t mind that this time!
Watching: Well, I’ve just come back from watching my first (of four) films in the French Film Festival, but I’ll write about those next time maybe.
Wicked Little Lies and Mr Bates and the Post Office were two wonderful British productions based on true stories that had a common theme of false accusations. Olivia Coleman and Timothy Spall in Wicked Little Lies were both wonderful, as was Toby Jones and a cast of recognisable faces in Mr Bates and the Post Office. I highly recommend them both, though I’m not going to give away any spoilers. I went to see Wicked Little Lies knowing almost nothing about it, and it was better as a result. Watch them both!
After the above two, I needed a change of scenery. The Bay was a great watch. Four or five seasons of a police procedural set in England was just what I needed. Great characters, stories, and actors. Boat Story is set in a similar setting (on the other side of England), and was at times quite funny (though also quite gory).
We continue to LOVE the Alone series. Alone Australia season two was set in New Zealand, and was a vast improvement on season one. And just as we finished that, a new series of Alone set in Canada became available. We gobbled it up. I think I love it because it is a reality series that showcases people’s skills, their own thoughts, and the fact they’re really competing against themselves. It’s something I could never do, so it is great armchair watching! (I get freaked out every time they mention bears or wolves!)
Listening: As I mentioned above, audiobooks have been my backdrop for walks, ironing, lying on the floor with a massager to fix a sore neck, and cooking.
Following: French Open tennis. I watched the Final of the Men’s Singles this morning on repeat, before even looking at my phone so I didn’t know the result. (I did try and stay up for it – slept two hours from 11 pm to 1 am, watched the first two sets till 3 am, then went back to bed!) Looking forward to Wimbledon. I’ve been following other events around the world, but from a distance.
Drinking: Earl Grey tea as the gloom of winter sets in. I was a tea drinker when I was younger, then went off it for maybe 20 years. But I do lovely a nice Earl Grey these days.
Cooking and Eating: I’ve been cooking less and less. If we go out for lunch, then we have been having soup and scones or toast for dinner. Though hearty winter fare is now beckoning. I made a delicious spicy pumpkin, almond (or cashew nuts, but I didn’t have any) and chicken tray bake a couple of nights ago. It is sooooo good I’ve added the link.
Wearing: Getting into the winter uniform of jeans and black thermal tops or woollen jerseys. Though I’ve resisted getting into winter coats just yet. I think it’s time though.
Buying: For the first time in years, I have splashed out on some winter duds. New flat-heeled winter boots ordered online (a first) and fitted successfully (admittedly they were from a brand I knew so ordered a size up from my usual). Now I need to wear them in slowly so I don’t get blisters the first day I go walking in them. Also bought a winter quilted jacket, and a fabulous raincoat. I’ve tried to get a good raincoat for years – the trench coat I used to wear when working is rather the worse for wear – so was thrilled to find one that fits, is long, and is fully waterproof. As the need to take public transport increases (our Council is determined to remove all cars from the city centre), I’m more likely to get caught in a rainstorm than in recent years. Umbrellas in this windy city just don’t last.
Planning: The international travel planning continues. I like to do it months (sometimes a year) in advance, so that I can stop fearing that tickets and accommodation will all be taken, that I will go to the wrong places at the wrong time, etc. It means closer to the trips I can relax and focus on other things. I’ve given myself plenty of time this year! I’m starting to think about blogging too. Do I put A Separate Life on hold, or do some serious pre-programming?!
Appreciating: The beauty of New Zealand. We took a road-trip back in March, and there was stunning scenery all around, even the drought-stricken areas had a starkly barren beauty, and the native bush and lakes and beaches were, as always, lovely in their variety.
Trying: To keep fit. It’s harder when the weather sets in, but the settled autumn weather has been wonderful for walking around our neighbourhood, seeing some autumn colours (not always easy in this city), hiking up and down hills. I need to step it up over the next few months. Getting fit and losing weight would be a great bonus to my health.
Loving: Cosy cups of tea with The Husband, snuggling under the duvet on cold mornings, the sound of rain on the roof or outside on the deck; in other words, all the joys of autumn/winter.
Still unashamedly copying Loribeth’s regular series every few months here on A Separate Life.
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