Category Archives: Bookish Talk

Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: With Spring, Comes Hope

5 Comments

Sunday Matters

I know many of you are still dealing with weather but here in California it’s been very mild with temps between 65-79 degrees. As I was walking around the neighborhood the other day it really did feel like spring was just around the corner. Everything is blooming and the grass is green again. We had a few weeks of mucky brown grass. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I feel so hopeful when the sun is out and the plants start popping.

Right Now:

We’ve been debating in-person church services. It would be nice to go back but I am not quite ready. Every time I drive by there is a large crowd. I miss it but we have online viewing options available to us so I’d rather be cautious. My youth group is about to meet in-person again so after that we’ll probably pull the trigger on regular service as well.

I really wanted to go to the zoo today but it’s a timed entry and you have to book in advance. Many of the exhibits are closed. I will wait. Instead, I will get a long walk in.

This Week:

Speaking of walks. I found this podcast recently and I’ve added it to my walking routine. Bookish talk. Lots of it. Each episode is roughly an hour long so it’s perfect for walking. Shelf Care is available for free on Spotify but you can also listen via Apple, Stitcher or SoundCloud. I’ve already added a few books to my want list.

Shelf Care

Reading:

I am finishing up The Sanatorium. It’s a Reese Book Club pick. It’s gotten very mixed reviews. I’ll write up the review as soon as I am finished but I usually do pretty well with Reese’s picks.

My next book will be Murakami’s new one, First Person Singular. It comes out in April but I can’t wait anymore. It’s a collection of stories. If you’ve read his stories before then you know how many of his stories could easily be the premise for a novel and some do become that. I am looking forward to it!

Watching:

Almost to Season 5 of Schitt’s Creek. Still super enjoyable.

The Walking Dead starts again tonight. Only six episodes this season. I will see how this season goes and then decide if I want to continue. I keep giving these showrunners a chance to rally this show back to what is used to be but it’s not been great and my loyalty has run out.

Grateful for:

  • University faculty who take the time to talk to a potential student. These people are invaluable.
  • Art and music and the different ways we can access it now. I’ve been listening to some great concerts lately. I’ve signed up for a few museum tours too.
  • Green juice. It’s a weird thing to be grateful for. I used to make green smoothies but I’ve found that V8 Healthy Greens has all the good stuff. No sugar or artificial flavors added. It’s quite affordable and shelf stable so I stock up. This is not sponsored but it helps me feel good so I wanted to share.

What does your March look like? It marks my one year anniversary of working from home. Feels so strange to say. I remember those early days and how weird it all felt. The streets were empty. You had to gather up all your courage to run to the market only to find that bread and milk were sold out, along with every cut of meat. My city eats well apparently. Forget shelf staples. They went for the meat case. Remember those days? I guess we have come a long way from that if you really sit down to think about it.

Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: Finished

15 Comments

Sunday Matters

Good morning! I hope you are all doing okay. I know some of my friends in Texas have had quite a rough time of it. Praying for you all. Hoping that you get the resources you need to get up and running again soon. I know many of you in other parts of the country were also affected by the recent snow and ice storms. Praying for you as well.

Well folks, we are done. Finished. Done with the college audition process. Now, we wait. My daughter is so exhausted. What a grueling process this was. It had some benefits. I mean, we didn’t have to fly to all these schools to audition in person but she is going to need a few weeks to recover from it all. She’s been going non-stop since August.

Right Now:

Yesterday, on a particularly fun and productive walk, I did something to my leg. I was walking along at a good clip and then my leg just gave out. It’s at the top of my femur and excruciatingly painful. I don’t know what the heck I did but I can’t lift it to take a decent step or to climb the stairs in my house. So, I am just being a slug and holing up on the couch at the moment.

Later, perhaps a trip to the bookstore. Because a trip to the bookstore is worth a lame leg. Then even later, youth group on Zoom. We are scheduled to meet in-person again beginning March 7th. Excited but also concerned. We will be meeting indoors. I plan to double mask when the time comes.

This Week:

Not much going on this week. My book club meets this Wednesday on Zoom. We will be discussing The Night Tiger. I am having coffee on the patio with a friend at the end of this week, weather permitting. Looking forward to a gab fest.

Reading:

I am currently reading Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson. It comes out in April but my review copy has been staring at me for weeks so I dove right in. Her stories always pull me in.

Watching:

I am halfway through Season Four of Schitt’s Creek. I do not want this show to end. I am rationing episodes now.

Grateful for:

  • A good night’s sleep. I’ve finally been able to sleep the last couple of nights. Hoping my daughter can relax enough now for her to get some sleep too.
  • Fatburger’ s Impossible Burger. It’s amazing. You would never know it’s plant based and I even get it on a gluten free bun and it’s like the real deal. I may have mentioned them in another post but they are unbelievably good.
  • Twinkly sunlight that filters through the trees. It makes me so, so happy.

Tell me what is going on in your world. How are you doing? What are you looking forward to when all this is behind us? I am really getting excited about museums opening soon.