I was looking at my previous post to see where I left off with books. In the last two and a half months, I managed to make my New Year's Resolution without even trying hard. I read two paperbacks, four ebooks, and one audio book. The audio book was The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. I finished that before things got upside down and I could still listen to an audio book while walking to work. To be honest, though, TGOTT wasn't the best to listen to because there were a lot of time jumps and a lot of different character perspectives that made me really have to concentrate to keep up. That being said, it was definitely worth the listen.
On to Ebooks... Probably the longest book I have read in a long time was The Goldfinch written by Donna Tartt. This was an awesome book (extremely well-written), but took me forever to finish. If I haven't mentioned it, I am a terribly slow reader. I like to think it is because I am enjoying the book, rather than finishing it. Anyway, this was an award winning book, and definitely worth the time I put into it.
The next ebook I read was The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I picked this one up on a lark only because I remembered the protesters right after President Trump's election with all of the women wearing the costumes from the television series that was going on at the time. While it was an okay read, I don't feel compelled - at least right now - to pick up the next in the series.
After that, I actually purchased a Kindle book that Megan had talked about when she was in high school. I wanted something more young adultish, and it definitely fit the bill. The name of the book was Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin. I found it very entertaining and a little thought provoking, even if it wasn't my favorite read in this last little while.
On to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It took a while for this book to come off hold due to popularity. I am a little embarrassed to admit I had never read it before, and it seems that it had been required reading for many in high school. This was probably my favorite of all of the books I just finished, if not top 3 for all of the books I have ever read. I enjoyed it so much that I picked up the next in the series Go Set a Watchman, that I am reading now.
As I said, I also read two paperbacks in the last little while:
The first was Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram. I have mixed feelings about this book given its history. I have to remind myself it was a part of a personal diary of a young female North Vietnamese doctor who worked in field hospitals in Quang Ngai Province during the Vietnam War. It really wasn't her constantly expressed hate of Americans that bothered me so much as many of her ideologies. I also didn't appreciate the slant created by the many footnotes of the translator. Many of the footnotes were just flat out incorrect, and others seemed pointless. Nevertheless, in the end, I am glad I read it.
The last paperback that I read was Maid written by Stephanie Land. I really wanted to love this book, but I almost didn't get through it. It isn't terribly long, but there are places that I got really bogged down. I am not sure whether I would have read it with more enthusiasm if I had not been in isolation, but it just left me feeling that there was more to the real situation than what I was reading. I can see where many struggling moms might find motivation, strength and courage from the book, but I also think that the women that would get the most out of it don't have the luxury of reading for being so exhausted from everything else going on. While Stephanie Land is more than capable as a writer, I think I just didn't have my heart in this one. I do hope that the proceeds from the book pulled her out of her financial woes, and has given her the freedom to pursue those goals that she expressed in her book.
So, that makes seven books in almost three months. I do feel good that I have rediscovered my joy of reading, but because of my own personal circumstances, I wish there was a way I could be more selective in the books I choose to read. With the limited time I have, I really don't want to waste my time reading something that isn't really what I want. I have been checking out the top seller lists and book rating sites in an effort to narrow down my next reads.
In other news, the COVID virus shut down our gym at the apartment and the office for almost two months. It killed my motivation to workout and resulted in a substantial COVID belly. I have been working out pretty consistently for the past two weeks, but this belly isn't going away anytime soon. I got a smart scale that tracks my body weight, muscle mass, Basal Metabolic Rate, and some other key indices of my health, and I hope it motivates me.
On the other side of the motivation is family duties. I spent four days in Quy Nhon last week with Diep. Quy Nhon was a nice beach getaway that I think we needed, but it was also some very slack time with lots of food and drink without much exercise. I got right back in the exercise on returning to Hanoi, but this weekend was filled with birthday party lunches and dinner parties for Diep. Happy Birthday dear, but I need to get back in a routine.
Not sure how many people even bother reading this. It could be terribly boring for many, but I know my sister reads it from time to time. I really miss talking to her! I can't talk to anyone on the phone right now being trapped in the house. It just isn't natural... and, someone has to critique my conversations when I am done with the phone call. Hopefully things will get to some semblance of normalcy in the near future and we can resume our talks.
