A Few Thoughts About Reading at the End of 2022 and Beginning of 2023

I fear this is going to be one of those posts that ramble, and are held together with good intentions and chewing gum.  While on some fronts the cancer battle is going well, the bone pain went from bad to worse at the end of the year, to the point that the medical team all nodded and said, “radiation. Again.”  Between that and the Zometa they seem determined to beef up my bones (No soup joke intended.) and, with luck, give me a break from the discomfort.

Well… radiation is no joke, especially the second time around when it came at me like a coked-up baboon with a flaming sledgehammer.  If I started to read I’d fall asleep almost immediately, so for the last few months I’ve relied on audiobooks, though many of them failed to hold my interest.  I’m not going to list them here though, since it’s not their fault they didn’t keep me reading.

What Worked and What Didn’t:

The Sins of Jack Saul, by Glenn Chandler – Interesting account of the life of an Edwardian-era rent boy, about the ease with which he slid into the life, and the way he affected the whole “Uranian” culture, such as it was.  In a real sense Jack was an early gay-rights proponent. He wasn’t always on the side of the angels, but his (relatively) unashamed approach to the way he lived and loved was very much an in-your-face challenge to the upright, uptight, and often hypocritical Edwardian society.  If you’re looking to dig a bit deeper into Queer history, this is worth a look.

The Living Blood, by Tananarive Due – Sequel to My Soul to Keep, and just as good, but alas the narrative lost me in the midst of some of my most uncomfortable days, and I returned it to the library before finishing it.  I hope to get back to it one of these days.

Less is Lost, by Andrew Sean Greer – Sequel to Less, it picks up not long after the events of Less.  Less and Freddy are now together, and living in the house that belonged to Less’ ex, whose death sends Arthur and Freddy into a financial tizzy.  Arthur is forced to take on various publicity events to promote his new book, and Freddy is restless and looking to make writing his career too.  Both of them have serious questions about their relationship.

While Arthur goes rambling around the US on his various publicity jobs, he finds himself exploring what it means to be an American, what it means to fit in and why he might want to, what it means to love Freddy in light of his own past failures, and a whole lot of the other questions and concerns that Arthur carries around in that over-stuffed brain of his.

As always, he’s charming, funny, sad, smart, insightful (though he doesn’t always realize it) and SO worth your time.

Dodge and Twist, by Tony Lee — Sounded like fun; Oliver Twist and the Artful Dodger team up again a dozen or so years after the events of Dickens’ novel. Oliver is seeking justice after having had his inheritance stolen from him. Dodger has an audacious plan to steal the Koh-i-noor diamond. But after an hour or so I started feeling that it was formulaic and a lot less imaginative as I had hoped. Doubt I’ll finish it. If anyone else does and wants to warn me away, or urge me to finish, please feel free.

Started & Determined to Finish:

The Bullet That Missed, by Richard Osman – Another in the Thursday Murder Club series, and it starts out just as wonderfully quirky as I hoped and expected.  I just can’t stay awake over hard copy right now.

Siren Queen, by Nghi Vo – Really intriguing so far!

Truly, Madly, Alan Rickman – Rickman’s diaries from 1993 through his death.  Difficult until you get the rhythm of his writing style, often obscure and occasionally oddly cryptic. It’s a lot of work sometimes, so I’m taking it slow.

The Magician, by Colm Toibin – This took so long to come in at the library that by the time it dropped I’d forgotten what it was about.  It’s not a fantasy about magick-workers, it’s a novel about Thomas Mann!  I’m a couple of chapters in and enjoying it.  Finding the style enchanting.

The Road to Hell is Paved with Books That Never Had a Chance

So many books passed through my library accounts in the last few months, including some Enola Holmes books, and a few socio-political books from people whose social media I follow.  And I have not been able to do more than open them, sigh, and close them again.  Some don’t even get that far.  But I’m hoping things will even out again in the near future, and I’ll be reading the way I always have. Wish me luck.