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Bookish Talk, Life

Sunday Matters: What Are You Doing to Stay Sane?

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Sunday Matters, a latte on a wooden tray against greenery.

This is a legitimate question. What are you all doing to stay sane? I would love to have a room with just puppies and kittens running all over the place. We do that here at the university during finals week but this needs to be a reality. I think it would really help alleviate some stress. I’d volunteer at the shelter but I would want to take them all home. So, no.

I avoid the news and bury myself in Bible study. It helps, a lot. I still think puppies would help. The Otter Pup gives me a lot of side eye these days because of her general health maintenance, that falls on me to do. She is not a fan!

Right Now:

About to hang with the students at church.

The morning is looking pretty normal for me. Church and then a very brief visit with the in-laws. As brief as possible. They’ve hit the “not so nice, sometimes nasty” stage and still mostly refuse to do anything to improve their living situation. They refuse help in the house. Still aren’t eating great but a tad better. So there’s some improvement.

This Week:

Not too much happening. I have book club on Wednesday night. We are discussing Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips. It was quite good but brutal at times.

Unfortunately, my blood work showed some wonky stuff with my liver so I have to go in for more tests. I supposed the 23 meds that I was given last year after the tumor journey affected something. I would think it would be better now because I am not even on Advil. Not too worried since I hardly drink. One glass of wine at book club. That’s it!

Reading:

I finished Night Watch and my review will post this week.  I also finished Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna. This was very good. I will write up my thoughts, hopefully this week as well.

So what am I reading now?

Watching:

  • Harlan Coben’s new Netflix show, Just One Look.
  • The Bob Newhart show. I pulled out some DVD’s that were gifted to us.

Grateful for:

  • Erasable pens. It’s dorky but I liked to take notes with my pen but I tend to correct a lot so erasable works great. Just don’t leave your notes out in the sun because all the ink will disappear! Ask me how I know. It eventually comes back, after…many…hours.
  • Warm, cushy throw blankets. It has been so cold for us. A nice throw is lovely.
  • That my hair is really growing like a Chia pet. I mean, it’s really taking off. A but out of control and requires weekly trims but I am so down for it.

That’s all I have. I hope everyone has a good week and tell me what you are doing to keep your mind off of this circus we are all forced to participate in.

Book Review

Review: Butter

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Butter book cover. A cow with a bloody handprint.

Butter
By Asako Yuzuki
Ecco, 9780063236417, October 2024, 464 pp.

The Short of It:

Can anyone live without butter? Yes, but why would you want to?

The Rest of It:

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story~the publisher

Manako Kajii, held in a Tokyo detention house for the murders of businessmen, who she allegedly seduced with her delicious gourmet cooking. The case has piqued everyone’s interest. Who is this woman? What is her motive? She’s tight-lipped and refuses to speak to the press, even with the possibility of it helping her case.

Enter Rika Machida. A journalist, assigned to interview Kajii. Kajii wants nothing to do with the press and refuses all interviews until Rika sends her a message asking for her recipe for beef stew. Turns out the beef “stew” is really Beef Bourguignon. Rika is FAR from a chef. Barely able to piece together a ramen packet. She has no clue what she is stepping into but knows that if Kajii is going to talk, it’s going to be about food.

Rika’s introduction into foodie culture is slow, beginning with really delicious rice and lots of butter. Good butter. Imported butter. Butter that is hard to find due to a butter shortage. The richness that it imparts to food is second to none and Kajii makes Rika well aware of this.

As Rika experiments with food, she becomes Kajii’s muse as she delights in Kajii’s favorite meals and then reports back to her how the dish made her feel. This interaction allows Kajii to experience these dishes from the confinement of the detention center.

Rika’s relationship with Kajii spills into her relationships with her close friends and they begin to question her intentions. What started off as an interview opportunity turns into something else. These relationship are complicated, cushioned between delicious food.

If you are looking for a crime thriller type of read, I’d hesitate to recommend Butter. Kajii’s interactions with her victims are centered around food culture, living a certain way, and gazing deeply into not only her victims but those who choose to know her. There’s not much in the way of court proceedings or evidence collection. But, if food is your thing, you will literally eat this one up. I gained six pounds while reading this book. No lie.

Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.