A few weeks ago I decided to get my ass back into reading. I read ALL THE TIME when I was a kid. I was the kid that got yelled at for reading at the table. I continued to be a reader into my adulthood, until I got married. Once I moved in with someone and started sharing a bedroom, reading every day went out the window. I’m trying to get back to it, because reading makes me feel like myself again. I’ve occasionally revisited old favorites, but reading new books is where I’ve really struggled. I asked, and y’all delivered some suggestions, so here’s where I am so far. With work, keeping on top of the kid, going to the gym, etc. I don’t have a ton of time for reading, but I’m determined to stick with this, even if I may only get through a few books every month.
The first new book I read this year was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, picked up at my local library. I enjoyed this one a lot while I was making my way through it. I liked the author’s writing style, the descriptions of the circus utterly enchanted me, and I was interested in learning more about the characters. One nitpick I had with the book as a whole, was that the dialogue often didn’t feel accurate to the time period, which took me out of the story at times. In general, I’ve found this to be an issue with a lot of newer media coming out these days. The newer Anne of Green Gables series was particularly bad at this. The words that people use, the phrases they say definitely need to match the time period that you’re writing them in.
While I really enjoyed the book, I wasn’t so thrilled with the ending. I found it to be just a little too neat, tidy, and cute, and I think I was hoping for something a bit darker. I never really understood the whole point of the game, and why it was happening in the first place, but maybe it being this thing that didn’t make much sense WAS the whole point. I dunno. I really enjoyed it while I was reading it, but once I got to the end I was left wanting more.
After The Night Circus, I picked up Out of the Woods by Gregg Olsen. This tells the story of Shasta Groene, a woman who survived the horrific murder of her family, and being kidnapped for almost two months all when she was only eight years old. I knew this was going to be a difficult read, but I have always remembered Shasta. I was in my twenties when she was rescued after being kidnapped, and I just knew that kid was in for a rough time. Nobody can go through something as traumatic as that, and come out the other side unscathed, as much as they wanted to paint her rescue as a happy ending. You learn some horribly gut-wrenching things, about Shasta’s life in general, and of course about what she went through on that mountain with that horrible, horrible man. The author doesn’t shy away from the realities of the life she’s lived, but he tells her story in a kind and respectful way. I think he gave Shasta the voice to say things that she’s been waiting to say her entire life. She is a grown woman with kids of her own now, and I can only hope that life has kinder things in store for her and them as they build their lives together.
Those are the only two books I’ve finished so far, but I’ve already started on my third, and it’s Vagabond, a memoir by Tim Curry. I preordered an autographed copy of this one as soon as it was announced. I’m not one to fawn over celebrities, but Tim Curry has played such a role in my life from the earliest days of my childhood, I was willing to shill out a few more dollars to get the special autographed copy. He’s just such a special guy to me. I was so excited to finally learn a bit more about this famously private man. I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m already delighting in getting an inside look into his early years. I also appreciate that he came right out in the beginning and said there would be no details about who he did and didn’t fuck, because that’s none of our goddamn business. People have long speculated over his sexuality, and his private life, and I love that he’s still keeping that information under wraps. In an age where so many celebrities OVERshare and spill every bit of their private lives over social media, it’s nice to know someone as legendary as Tim Curry is still holding his cards close to his chest.
I’m excited to read the rest of Vagabond, and then I’ll be back to my list of suggestions to decide what to put on hold at the library next.
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