getting back into reading
this summer has been too stormy, too hot or both. but for once the heat didn't sting today. i was able to spend a couple hours of it reading outside, sitting under the shade and basking in the breeze. while i couldn't concentrate for more than a minute at a time because of two erratic doggies i had to keep an eye on, i'd say i successfully revived a few brain cells from a disgusting amount of time on reddit.
prior to that, two books. the first i finished at an excruciatingly slow pace (2 1/2 months), Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, a sci-fi historical fiction where a woman and her partner are whisked away to a plantation in the 1800s without warning. it is an immersive novel about the enduring effects of slavery. Butler is not a flowery writer—and i do love a hint of floral in my books—but her stories seep. they inject and leave an impression. those are my favorite stories, even if i don't recognize it in the moment.
next, a lighter and lusher sci-fi: A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. i didn't know cozy could be found in crumbling buildings and a clunky robot. this one was more of an introduction to the series, a novella if we're being generous. i used to love dystopian stories. you know, the ones with the determined hero who attempts to take down their authoritarian government. but i read to escape, and those stories have been closer to reality than not. A Psalm reminds us that there are other possibilities in which ruins don't mark the end and instead become an opportunity to rebuild and correct. optimistic sci-fi stories, where have you have been all my life?!
we go back to my romcom roots with You, Again by Kate Goldbeck. i'm only 13% through but i already like it. obviously it's not without the usual tropes that make me roll my eyes, like the full name introductions, the first impression gone wrong and the way-too-open first conversation between love interests, but it's not so unbearable yet.
some other reads:
- questions are desire paths of curiosity, Sindhu Shivaprasad — i am very measured when it comes to words i speak out loud to minimize embarrassment for one, and second, to protect myself from, god forbid, saying the wrong thing. this essay inspires me to be inquisitive. i'm too scared to expose my lack of knowledge. i don't ask enough and because of that i fail to deepen my connections. my favorite people are curious. they're unafraid of asking too many questions. all they want is to know and to relate. i want to be like them!
- The Ozempic Era Is Distorting What We See as Healthy, KC Hoard — this answered why i always felt weird about people parroting the "obesity is a disease" argument.
- on not disappointing myself, Sindhu Shivaprasad — (can you tell she is my favorite writer recently?) this one's about the balancing act of vulnerability and good writing and writing for an audience. weaving personal narratives into writing meant to be read by others is hard. what a contradiction it is to want to write well and connect with others while maintaining privacy. i'm still trying to find the guts to not care about anything else but expressing and connecting—spooky.
(hi hello! trust me and the 10 drafts i've got hidden away that i've been wanting to publish for so long but anxiety and perfectionism and all that. i've just been here keeping up with everyone's blogs. thank you for being brave enough to share your thoughts, you inspire me! hope you've all been well.)