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I have made the very intentional and hard decision to go sober at this time. I have lots of reasons for it; happy to chat and discuss with anyone who cares to know more. This has NOT been easy. Every day is hard—alcohol is so social and it often feels like everyone is doing it. I am on day 40 as I write this note to you all. Proud of the journey thus far and have no solid plans for this into the future, other than I would like to go through the holidays. Side effects: more awkward in public, more shy all-around, headaches at first and a little grumpy. I have more energy, clearer skin...dewy, even. I am not falling asleep at 8:45 in the evening, and I am reading more. I went to my first sober concert since being an adult and that was hard too, and very fun. I am happy to be on this journey.
My current crochet projects are gifts for my girls here...so I can't share fun pics of those projects, but I am also making my FAVORITE hat pattern; it works up so easily and nicely, and the colors naturally variegate. Great gift hat! This one is for my niece, and I bought the most ridiculous puff to put on the top. I will include a pic next time.
I really LOVED Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love, by Marianne Cronin. It is just lovely—start to finish. She is such a good writer. I love the characters and the way she makes them come to life on the page, the way she makes you feel about them. I read William, by Mason Coile. Oh my!! This book had all my spooky sensors firing in all of the best ways. A book about AI gone terribly wrong. The main character is agoraphobic. He and and his wife have a strained relationship. They are both very smart, and the husband creates a being: William. The ending is awesome and I NEVER SAY THAT! So good and creepy. I started reading The Wives: A Memoir, by Simone Gorrindo, who is one of the authors coming to Lit Fest. For those who don't know, I was married to a Navy man for almost 11 years. This book follows an Army wife, and I know that Army wives have had it very hard, so I am interested in this one. So far, it is a good, fast read.
I listened to The Blonde Dies First, by Joelle Wellington. This is definitely a Young Adult novel. Fun, campy, and gory. I really did like this book. The ending wasn't totally amazing, but I do think it had a lot of nice things. I also listened to The Familiar, by Leigh Bardugo. This was my first Leigh Bardugo, and everyone talked so fondly about this author, I thought I must try. It is dark and delicious, good writing and lots of romantic tension. This book is definitely in the magical realism genre. I listened to Gamer Girls, by Andrea Towers. This book is perfect for 8-to-11- year-olds, especially if they like to game. My daughter is 9.5, so we listened to this in the car, and she really enjoyed it—it was easy for her to follow. I am halfway through listening to Hum, by Helen Phillips. I started listening to this with Amberly on one of our giant car rides, and I am continuing listening to it on my own and it is shaping up to be one of my favorite books this year! A novel set not to too far in the future. Like a future that we can sort of picture easily. It is AI focused and it follows a family, told from the perspective of the mom. I feel so connected to this mom. I will report more later.
I will finish reading The Wives and report back about that. I am also going to read The Story of a Heart, by Dr. Rachel Clarke. It is a lifesaving transplant, non-fiction story. I really am drawn to this type of non-fiction. I want to finish listening to Hum. I hope it has a good ending!! I hope to listen to Immortal Dark, by Tigest Girma; looks so creepy. I also hope to listen to Jodi Picoult's latest book, By Any Other Name.
Happy Reading and Stay Safe!
Brandy~
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