Welcome To The Twenties!
January 7, 2020
Greetings Fellow Bibliophiles!
Happy New Year! Wishing you a year of health, happiness, and great books.
It's time for this month's lightning round of updates:
1. I Resolve Nothing: I didn't see too much on the web about New Year's Resolutions. Usually, websites have headlines the size of the top line on an eye test chart.
HOW TO GET MORE SLEEP!
HOW TO GET ORGANIZED!
HOW TO GET IN SHAPE!
I confess I like to read those articles. I don't do anything about them, but I enjoy reading them. I have not always been a New Year's Naysayer. I used to be a big believer in resolutions. I once made the unfortunate mistake of making a pronouncement on a December 31st at 11:50 p.m. Holding up a glass of wine, I proclaimed my resolutions and ended with a sweeping "Next year is going to be the best year ever!"
I had an $800 car repair bill and a cracked molar before Valentine's Day.
I don't make resolutions anymore.
I have eaten healthy for two days in a row. I ate salad. That's unusual for me. The writer's diet usually consists of coffee and carbohydrate-laden products.
I've been eating salad.
I have to tell you I'm not feeling all that well.
I suppose there's something about the New Year that inspires people to try, the promise of the yearly do-over. It's a testament to an enduring optimism. For me, I'm comforted by the fact that this nasty healthful streak probably won't last too much longer. A few chocolate cookies and I'll be back to my old self. Besides, I can always try again next year.
2. Off the Bookshelf: I had some time off from the day job at the holidays and I was thrilled for the chance to unplug and read. But first, a confession: my yearly ritual is to wait for the Christmas holiday to read Daniel Silva's "Gabriel Allon" July release. The latest book is The New Girl. I wimped out. I couldn't wait. I read it over Thanksgiving. Completely awesome, as always.
- December's pick was a throwback, Bonfire of the Vanities by Thomas Wolfe. I'm in the middle of it. So good. I love his prose. He can make a description of riding the NYC subway sound amazing. I spend a lot of time thinking, "I want to write like that!"
- From the non-fiction pile, I read Blowout by Rachel Maddow. Another confession: I read the book for a bit of research . . . and I can't tell you why without giving away plot clues. Excellent book and very informative.
Saltwater by Finn Butler:
"Everyone who terrifies you is 65% water.
And everyone you love is made of stardust,
and I know
sometimes
you cannot breathe deeply, and
the night sky is no home, and
that you are down to your last two percent,
but
nothing is infinite,
not even loss.
You are made of the sea and the stars, and
one day,
you are going to find yourself again."
4. Shameless Marketing: The writing continues on The Good Criminal . . . and the next two books in the series, Shell Game and Requiem. The stories are so interconnected, and I've been feeling so inspired, that I've started writing scenes for the next books.
Until next time,
Be well,
Jill Amy