Bookish Chatter | Recently Finished; Indie Bookstore Day

Happy Wednesday, friends. For two weeks in a row, I have no knitting to share so I’m focusing on books again. I have a recent finish, an update on a couple of other (amazing!) books, and a bit about this year’s Indie Bookstore Day. I have my coffee at my side and am so ready to chat with you!

FINISHED THIS WEEK:

We’re still rereading Bryce’s Captain Underpants collection. The Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People was about an alternate reality in which Fred and George have evil twins and Mr. Krupp is actually a good guy who turns into the evil Captain Blunderpants – everything is opposite! But with the help of their bionic hamster, Fred and George save the day. It’s all so bizarre. Bryce has decided to start the ninth one now, The Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinkletrousers. I’ll let you know how we’re doing with it next week.

I’m still loving Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse. The challenge is that I have no concentration right now! I’ll read a paragraph, enjoy it, but then realize that I’m daydreaming and not paying attention. Which is strange — I am no stranger to zoning out while reading books, but that’s usually a red flag that the book isn’t for me. I don’t think that’s the case with these two. Maybe it’s spring fever and I’m feeling antsy and restless; sitting down and reading just isn’t working for me right now. My reading mojo comes and goes, but I want to read and have a whole stack of fun books waiting for me. I’m not sure what’s so different right now, but I’d like to shake if off soon because something’s not right. To compensate, I’m taking small bites of books and reading for just a few minutes at a time. I’m hoping that will whet my appetite and launch me back into a good reading space.

I’m trying to stay prepared for the moment when my concentration returns, so I’m keeping up with my TBR and ensuring I have what I want/need at the ready. Which is why I was so excited about:

INDIE BOOKSTORE DAY 2022

It’s been a few years since I’ve been able to visit my local Indie for Indie Bookstore Day, but I made sure it happened this year. Armed with May’s TBR and some upcoming reading plans, I gladly slipped into the door at Gibson’s right at opening time, loaded up my arms, and basked in being around the bookish for a few minutes. I wasn’t totally selfish: Taste was for Matthew; Flowers for Sarajevo was for Bronwyn (it was on the We Are Ukraine shelf in the children’s section); Five Little Ducks was for Colton; and not pictured: Big Nate Goes Bananas for Bryce (it is already well-thumbed and was tucked away in his room when I snapped this picture on Sunday morning).

Also in this stack:
* The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (plan to read in August)
* Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason
* Weather by Jenny Offill (not on my May TBR but I decided it was a necessary purchase)
* Popisho by Leone Ross
* Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT MY MAY READING LIST!! I just need to make a few library ILL requests and hope they become available at the right time. So please, please, please… can I figure out what’s going on with this restlessness? Because I’d really like to get back to my reading plans now, as weIl as some knitting.

I’ve hit this bump in the road in which I can’t even imagine how I managed to knit and read so much in the last few months. I don’t know how I found the time; it is totally perplexing me. Part of the challenge is that I’ve been adding exercise into the mix, which uses up some of my available time. There’s also been lots of time outside and in the gardens, so it makes sense that it’s hard to fit it all in. I just wish I could do everything I wanted to do!! (me and the rest of the world, I know.)

Oh well – I’m trying not to dwell on it too much. At some point, something will shift and I’ll find a new way to do things. And then that won’t work anymore and another shift will be necessary. That’s life!

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I plan to be back on Friday with another update. I hope the second half of your week is smooth and you find the time to do what fills your cup. Until then, I’ll just keep filling my coffee cup (and water bottle) to make up the difference in my own life! Stay cozy, friends.