What are you reading now?

I had put the book on hold in Libby, and got it last week, but returned it as I want to read it peacefully in late June. By coincidence, the author Alka Joshi was scheduled to speak at Monterey Public Library recently, but I saw the event just an hour before the time and it is quite a drive for me. She looks quite young in the pictures, not 67!

 

I recently listened to The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston — my first book like this in almost three or four years. It’s a gentle read, with similes that made me smile a lot and even laugh out loud a few times. You really get attached to the characters and can almost feel and smell the places they’re in. There’s something really uplifting about reading a good book. In the days after, I found myself slowing down, writing a bit more thoughtfully, and just feeling a little more grounded.

I don’t know when life and reading got so busy that I’m juggling four books at once: one for exercise, one for driving, another for those sleepless midnights. : ) To focus on one book now takes conscious planning.

 

I’m currently reading The Next Day by Melinda French Gates. I’d been looking forward to this book’s release, and so far, it’s fairly engaging, I kind of like it. But it does take some patience to keep going. Overall, it seems to be doing what Melinda intends: offering people, especially women, a book to turn to during times of transition, just like she turned to famous authors and philosophers in hers.

That said, two things hold it back for me. First, while she fully acknowledges her privilege - her wealth, connections and family support - it still feels a bit off when she talks about finding things challenging. Second, the writing often feels like chatting with a wise neighbor or a caring ILite, : ) which is nice and comforting but sometimes leaves me wanting a bit more depth or gravitas.

Also, I have mixed feelings about people sharing details of their divorces, even when it’s meant to help others. It’s complicated.

I’ll hopefully add to this after finishing the book.