Summer went by way too fast. My gardens are half dead - which is maybe ok as they didn't perform as well as expected - pumpkin everything is everywhere and the temperatures took a massive plunge. Not sure I'm ready for what's next - Winter is coming - but it will be here whether I like it or not so might as well enjoy everything this season has to offer. One advantage of the cooler temps is that it makes for cozy reading / listening weather.
My book club selected Whistler by Ann Patchett and I loved it. Daphne runs into her former stepfather at a museum, and the reunion takes them down a detailed memory lane of the brief time they spent together 40 years ago that left a profound impression on each. They are bonded by a shared trauma and a sense of wonder and delight in the every day. Patchett does a phenomenal job of recording the nuances of relationships and quiet emotions.
I followed this up with Eleanore Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor has had a difficult life and that as well as being on the spectrum has made for a lonely, awkward and predictable life. A chance encounter and a sudden fantasy shake things up and awaken a deep awareness and memories she had buried deep inside. Her transformation from surviving to thriving is captivating. I especially enjoyed Eleanor's inner dialogue - hysterical one moment and cringey the next. This was in my to-be-read queue for a really long time and I'm glad I finely picked it up.
I also read Wormwood Abbey by Christina Baeher. This was a recommendation for the Emma M. Lion drought and I enjoyed its quirkiness. Edith Worms befriends a strange creature while visiting her cousins in rural Yorkshire. Could it be a dragon? There are four additional books in the series - on the fence if I'll read more.
With the movie version coming out this weekend, Verity by Colleen Hoover is my book club's pick for October and I'm almost halfway through. I read it early in 2022 so some of the details are fuzzy, but I definitely recall how different it is from Hoover's other books. This is dark, sexy and creepy. Looking forward to the movie with Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson.
