Book Chatter

Sunday Matters

Friends, it’s been a challenging week. Whatever energy I had, left. My daughter did not get a part in the show she auditioned for which means she will be in ensemble. That made the rest of the week like a tightrope walk on a very thin rope and the tip-toeing around exhausted me (insert dramatic faint with a hand to the forehead).

Right Now:

The time change. Ugh. Spring forward makes me grouchy. We went to church earlier this week to attend a special event so we got to sleep in today. That made up for it.

This Week:

This should be an excellent week. No big appointments or projects at work. It would be really great if I could get a handle on my house and clear out some clutter that’s been accumulating.

Reading:

Did the earth move recently? Did you hear a clap of thunder or see a rainbow? No? Because I finished Ulysses!!! Folks, this makes me very happy! I will talk more about that later this week and next but I can happily say, “I am done!”

With all this free reading time, I am finishing up The Lonely Hearts Hotel and The Fall of Lisa Bellow. Next up, The Barrowfields and The Things We Carried.

Watching:

There was a lot going on last week so I have to catch-up on last week’s episode of Bates Motel. I know Normy is flipping his lid.

The Walking Dead is in a honeymoon period right now which is the calm before every storm. These moments of calm frustrate me because they are slow. I want Carol to gear-up and lose her Buddhist monk persona and make some heads roll.

As for movies, I have Bridget Jones’s Baby but I don’t know if we will have time to watch it today.

Making:

These days, I’m really leaning towards becoming a vegetarian again. Simple, meatless meals. This one is from Oh She Glows. So fresh and colorful.

Veg Bowl

Grateful for:

The people who consistently lift my spirits.

That’s all I’ve got. What’s your Sunday look like?

The above graphic is quite humorous because this READ ALONG has become a READ ALONE. Not quite alone because I think Serena is still with me but if so, she is hanging by a thread because part two was like reading a book in another language.

Part Two is the longest of the three sections and much of it reads as gibberish. However, one section called Nausicaa (according to Wikipedia) was quite readable and all about Leopold Bloom (ahem) pleasuring himself. I find it incredibly amusing that the only section that made sense was this section. In it, Bloom admires a young woman from afar and while fireworks go off in the distance, so does Bloom.

Part Two ends with Bloom visiting a brothel. He’s overcome by sexual fantasies and hallucinations. One of which, involves a visit from his deceased son, Rudy. While there, his friend Stephen angers a soldier and gets punched in the face.

I did not enjoy the first half of Part Two AT ALL but the second half of it was quite entertaining. I don’t think anyone is left but if you are still with me, what did you think of the script format? It was very strange to have inanimate objects talking but if I’ve learned anything while reading this book, it’s that anything goes, no matter how weird or strange it may be.

Why does Joyce take so long to tell a story that takes place all in one day? I mean, there were pages and pages of words blended together and made-up words. I don’t think I could write nonsensical sentences like his even if I tried.

I’ve actually finished the book! Early, and everything but I’ll wait until next week to talk about part three.

Chatting with friends about books and life…