This has been a summer of reading. Oh, how happy it makes me saying those words! I have loved books since adolescence, decided I wanted to be a writer, and after a short, failed attempt at finishing a chapter, quit that dream at the age of twelve. I carry a massive admiration for writers, especially women writers who I consider smart and masterful with their ability to express a thought that completely captures my own so succinctly.
I have fallen out of reading many times. I’m sure you can relate. You want to be reading, hear of others reading, yet can’t find the attention span or that one book that will pull you back into being the reader you know you are. Luckily, thankfully, I found my groove this summer and my reading list keeps growing longer, a trend I hope will carry me into autumn and winter.
As one who laments my attention being tied to a computer/social media, finding my desire to reach for a book is a distraction I welcome. You say goodnight to your partner not to sleep, but to steal away to bed before slumber reaches you to read some pages. And, when you wake before anyone else, it’s the unique pleasure of collecting your book and coffee together, curling up on the couch to rediscover the story inside the pages.
As a non author, I feel nothing but excitement following authors and independent booksellers for further reading suggestions. If I was a writer, would I feel a sense of competition or unease at my own lack of published material? I don’t know, and lucky for me I don’t need to find out. Rather, I feel as though I am inside a toy store, and on most shelves sits something I want. Tell me more, I say. I didn’t know about that writer or that book, now I do, just look at my spoils!
This is where it started:
July 2023
Woman, Watching by Merilyn Simonds
Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld
Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
The Unsinkable Greta James by Jennifer E Smith
Holding Still for As Long as Possible by Zoe Whittall
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
And currently, Love and Trouble by Claire Dederer
There were other books started but unfinished that I didn’t include in this list. It would seem I have a love of Curtis Sittenfeld. This was my first time reading her books, and although I didn’t love them all, they were ‘good enough’ to try a new title from the library. American Wife is by far my most favourite of her books.
What have you read lately that you want to share?
