#MicroblogMondays: Reading update

My last post was a review of the 12th book I've read so far this year.  Four months into 2019, I'm FIVE books ahead of schedule and halfway to reaching my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 24 books. (As I said in the comments to Jess, "Now watch me tank out for the rest of the year...!")

I've had the same Goodreads challenge goal for a couple of years now. I reached 24 books in 2016, fell short at 17 in 2017, and then exceeded my goal with 27 books read last year. I did wonder if I should set a slightly more ambitious goal this time around, but decided to leave it the same for another year & see how I did this time. If I manage to exceed 24 books this year, particularly if it's by a significant margin, I'll probably increase my goal for 2020.

What's made the difference for me, so far?  (The list of "things that help me read more books" that I posted a year or so ago still applies.)  I think all the book clubs/challenges I've been joining have certainly helped. The Goodreads challenge has helped keep me on track and mindful of my goal, for sure. Joining the local library book club earlier this year means I'm reading at least one book a month I wouldn't have read before. (I'll be attending my second meeting tonight!)  My D.E. Stevenson group goes through about several of the author's novels a year, with a chapter by chapter discussion. There are a couple of other book clubs/discussions I may be taking part in soon, too.

The trick will be to maintain the incentive and participate in the clubs/challenges, without making it become a chore/too stressful.  Reading is supposed to be fun, after all...!

What are you reading lately? Are you taking part in any challenges or book clubs? 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here. 

"Daisy Jones & The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I will admit there was a big part of me that was feeling skeptical as I picked up "Daisy Jones & The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I'd heard the hype around the book -- there are some RAVE reviews on Goodreads, and a friend said it was the best book she'd read so far this year -- and I wondered whether the book would live up to it.

Also, I was a teenager in the 1970s (when the book takes place). From her photo, the author looked... far too young to remember the Seventies. ;)  (I did some Googling, and found an article from the Los Angeles Times in which Reid says, "Alex and I met in 2008. He was 23. I was 24." = she is now 35 = born in 1984.)  Was this some millennial's rose-coloured glasses/romanticized view of  what the Seventies were like?

(I recognize this is kind of a ridiculous bit of prejudice on my part -- I've read & enjoyed all kinds of historical novels written by people who weren't around for the events they write about. Somehow, though, it seems different when it's YOUR history and YOUR memories that someone is trying to depict...!  I guess it was just another unwelcome reminder that I'm getting older, lol.)

"Daisy Jones and The Six" is a fictional book about a fictional band, in the form of an oral history. Think of it as a transcript of a "Behind the Music" episode. This format might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. In this respect, it reminded me of "Edie" by Jean Stein & George Plimpton -- a great 1982 book about Edie Sedgwick, a 1960s model & Andy Warhol protege. I was also reminded of "Almost Famous," the movie based on Cameron Crowe's experiences as a teenaged reporter for Rolling Stone (with Billy Crudup as Russell Hammond, the quintessential '70s rock star, Kate Hudson in an Oscar-nominated role as groupie Penny Lane).

While the band may be fictional, there have been a lot of comments from critics, as well as the author, about the resemblance/parallels to the real-life Fleetwood Mac of the "Rumours" era.  (The author has admitted Fleetwood Mac was an influence, as well as the band The Civil Wars, which I am less familiar with.)  You can picture Daisy -- with her skimpy tank tops, bracelets and big hoop earrings -- as a young, feisty red-headed version of Stevie Nicks (and Karen, the keyboard player in the background, as the dark-haired doppleganger for the much underrated Christine McVie). (My very favourite Mac song is "Songbird." Just Christine McVie and her piano and that amazing, crystalline voice. Perfection!) 

I was also reminded of a short-lived band from the early 1980s that I liked a lot, Lone Justice, whose lead singer was a charismatic young thing with a powerful, bluesy voice named Maria McKee. (Check out their videos for "Ways to Be Wicked" -- written by Tom Petty -- or "Sweet Sweet Baby.")

In many ways the book was what I expected, almost to the point of cliche. There is sex (in closets, even). There are drugs. (Way too many drugs, and alcohol. And trips to rehab.)  There is rock & roll. And all the drama that goes along with those things.  The story traces the rise (& fall) of The Six,  and what happens when they're joined by Hollywood wild child/budding singer/songwriter Daisy Jones. (Sample quote: “I had absolutely no interest in being somebody else's muse. I am not a muse.
I am the somebody. End of f***ing story.”)  There is chemistry, there are clashes of oversized egos and massive blowups. (Spoiler alert:  There are pregnancies, there is a female character who is childfree by choice (and a saintly madonna figure, for contrast), and there is an abortion.)

But in other ways, it was not what I expected at all -- both for better, and for worse. I don't want to give too much away here... but I found the ending just a bit flat. In some ways, though, it was probably pretty true to life. For every Fleetwood Mac (still going strong after 50+ years, albeit with only two of the original members), there's a Lone Justice -- a band that records a handful of brilliant albums, & then combusts and fades away. Not all bands last as long as Fleetwood Mac;  not everyone's dream is to still be a rock star when they're 65 or 70. Some people are happy to take the money and run. I'm sure it was fun while it lasted...!   

This was a Reese's Book Club pick, and I understand that Reese Witherspoon & Amazon are adapting it into a limited run TV series. It will be interesting to find out who's going to put the songs to music (lyrics to the songs from the band's most famous album, "Aurora," are included at the back of the book), and how they wind up sounding. Not to mention the casting...!  Any advice to offer the casting director?? 

I gave this four stars on Goodreads. I'm not sure it deserved quite that many -- maybe more like 3.75 -- but I did enjoy it overall, and I was feeling generous, lol.  ;) If you love Seventies music and "Valley of the Dolls"-type novels, and old episodes of "Behind the Music," you will probably get a kick out of "Daisy Jones and the Six."

This was book #12 that I have read in 2019 to date, bringing me to 50% of my 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 24 books.  I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 5 (!!) books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. :)  

Recent reading: "The Mueller Report"

Shortly after the release of the long-awaited Mueller report, I joked on Facebook, "So, if I manage to slog my way through the complete (redacted) 448-page Mueller report, does that count towards my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal for the year??"

Most of the commenters said yes. One of my cousins said, "It also counts toward sainthood," lol.

While I'm not holding my breath for canonization ;) I DID in fact download & slog my way through the entire 448 pages.  And I'll be damned if I don't get credit for it, lol.  ;)

Yes, some of it was pretty eye-glazing. I'll admit to skimming through some of the legalese, and the long passages in the Russia investigation section detailing who emailed who about what and when, etc. The second section, on obstruction of justice, is a much easier read.

(There's a list of acronyms and "cast of characters"/who's who at the back, which I wish had been available up front! -- Interestingly, there are even some entries in this list of names that are partially or fully blacked out too!) 

But my overall impression is that this was a thorough investigation, albeit limited within certain parameters, which are explained in the report.  The level of detail was impressive -- and damning (even without knowing what's behind the black bars that cover 8-10% of the content).

A lot of what's in the report will be familiar to anyone who's been paying attention to the news -- which, as some have pointed out, vindicates the (non-Fox News -- cough, cough...) media coverage of the Trump presidency to date. More often than not, journalists got the story right. (The report does add more details/background to some previously reported events.)

There's a lot more I could say, but I think I'll leave things here. I'll just say that the entire report is worth reading -- but if 448 pages seems too daunting, there are lots of great summaries out there (and I'm NOT talking about the infamous four-page Barr memo, lol). (If you want a chuckle, you can also have a look at Alexandra Petri's "book report" in the Washington Post.)

The ball is now in the court of Congress -- and the American people.

This was book #11 that I have read in 2019 to date, bringing me to 46% of my 2019 Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 24 books.  I am (for the moment, anyway...!) 4 books ahead of schedule to meet my goal. :) (I did not assign a star rating to this "book.") 

Odds & ends

• I was back at the optometrist's office last week to check on my PVD (again -- third time in about as many weeks). He was encouraging -- but he wanted me to continue to take it easy for one more week (no heavy lifting or straining) -- and come back to see him in another month or so. (We made an appointment for late May.) Frustrating...!! 
• We had a busy Easter weekend. I barely had time to dwell on my usual holiday-related angst, lol.  We were invited to dinner at dh's cousin's house (along with BIL & SIL) for Good Friday, and then to BIL's on Saturday (along with the nephews and SIL's family). Then, Easter Sunday morning, SIL called & said, "Let's go for brunch!"  It's nice to be included (even if it's (STILL) a bit awkward sometimes to be the only childless/free adults in the room...) ...but it's also nice to have some alone time to recuperate, lol.  (Previous Easter-related posts here.) 
• A few weeks ago, I wrote a post in response to a question posed by Erik & Melissa on their Live Childfree podcast, about why so few people openly embrace a childless/free identity.  I sent them the link in an email (as well as a link to a previous post from 2012 where I discussed this subject) -- and lo & behold, they put up a new episode this weekend where they mention ME and this blog (as well as some other responses they received). Pretty strange to hear yourself being talked about in the third person, lol. If you want to check out the podcast, it's episode 4, and I'm mentioned starting at around the 7:30 mark. 
• Welcome to anyone who came to this blog after hearing about it in the podcast! (& thanks, Erik & Melissa, for the shoutout!). 
• Another interesting podcast I listened to recently: Glynnis MacNicol, author of "No One Tells You This," which I read & loved last summer (reviewed here), was a guest on the April 22nd episode of "A Single Serving Podcast." The podcast is aimed at "changing the discussion around being single into one that doesn't suck." :)  MacNicol is single & childless/free by choice -- but I don't think you have to be either to appreciate what she has to say about the lack of women's stories and voices, particularly when those stories don't fit into the established/accepted narrative. 
• A couple of worthwhile reads I came across recently: 
• A highly satisfying rant from Jody Day at Gateway Women, in response to two recent (& rather ridiculous) articles about childless/free women, written by mothers (!):  "Whether they’re damning us or praising us, mothers so often don’t ‘get’ women without children…"
• Elizabeth Day in Britain's Daily Mail:  "The question guaranteed to kill conversations -Do you have children?"  
• The review of an upcoming book on miscarriage that sounds quite interesting:  "The Brink of Being: Talking About Miscarriage" by Julia Bueno. (Added to my want to read/wish list!)
• An older blog post about social attitudes towards childfree women that also has a lot of relevance for those of us who are childless not by choice: "Why do we have such a big problem with childfree women?" Lots of food for thought here! 

Great expectations :)

(Trigger alert: pregnancy mentioned.)

(No, DEFINITELY not mine!!) 

It was a Wednesday morning in early March when I got out of bed, turned on my cellphone, and my app notifications began popping up.

One of them, from Pinterest, stopped me dead in my tracks.

It said A. (Older Nephew's wife) has created a new board.

And the title of that board?

"BABY"

!!!!!!!!!!!!

When dh finally woke up, I told him,"I have something to show you -- but you CANNOT tell your brother!" (A.'s FIL) And then I showed him -- and he woke up in a hurry, lol.

"She's pregnant??"  he said.

"Well, if she's NOT pregnant, she's definitely showing a sudden interest in the subject," I said.  (Believe me, I have learned NEVER to assume someone is pregnant unless (a) they tell you themselves or (b) you actually see the baby emerging from their vagina. ;)  )

That Saturday, we went to BIL's. Older Nephew & A. live in a small apartment in the basement, and dh went downstairs to say hello & see if the dog could come upstairs to play ;)  -- and we heard a lot of loud voices & laughter, and then they all came upstairs.

BIL:  You told him!!

Dh: We already knew!

And in that moment, I knew exactly what they were referring to. :)

When dh arrived at their door downstairs, Older Nephew started giggling & said to his wife, "Should we tell him?"  (NONE of the men in that family, my late FIL included, can keep a secret to save their life...!). Dh said, "We already know!"

A. was shocked that I found out via Pinterest notification... check your privacy settings, kids! ;)  Another clue: We'd noticed a dearth of the usual phone calls from BIL lately -- he & dh usually talk a couple of times during the week, and he admitted he hadn't been calling because he was afraid he'd spill the beans.

Anyway, I have been dying to spill the news here (& elsewhere) myself, but we were initially sworn to secrecy, since it was still very early on (the peestick was barely dry...), and she was experiencing a lot of cramping & nausea (which has since improved). I don't think anyone would have found out if I posted it here ;) but I wanted to respect their wishes.  And so, I didn't say anything to (hardly) anyone until they started sharing the news a little more widely. (They still haven't mentioned the pregnancy anywhere on social media -- so I haven't either -- but most of their extended families & close friends now know, so I felt "safe" finally posting about it here.)

Of course (given my own reproductive history), I am horribly nervous for them, for all the obvious reasons. I know too much NOT to be nervous.

Not to mention that -- get this -- her pregnancy is happening in the EXACT SAME TIME FRAME as my own, 21 years ago (and we all know how THAT turned out :( ). They went for an ultrasound at the end of March: there was a heartbeat (THANK GOD) & the pregnancy was dated at about 7 weeks. The due date they gave her? Nov. 15th. (Mine -- at least, the first one I was given -- was Nov. 14th.  OF COURSE.)

I am so happy for them.

I am SO terrified for them.

I am (I will admit) just a LITTLE annoyed with the universe about the timing of this pregnancy.  :p

I am sad that nobody else remembers the baby girl who should have been born in mid-November, 21 years ago. (I don't think the coincidence in timing even occurred to dh, until I mentioned it to him.)

But, nevertheless -- I am determined to be the greatest great-auntie that I can possibly be for this wee one. :)  I was lucky enough to have & know a plethora of wonderful great-aunties myself, growing up (although I knew some better than others). They are all gone now, bless them all, but they left an excellent example for me to follow. :)

Fingers (& everything else!) crossed that all continues to go well! (Even dh admits he is going to be a bundle of nerves, especially come August...)(Next big hump to get over:  her next ultrasound, scheduled for the first week of May, and blood tests. Good vibes, prayers & positive thoughts welcomed...!)

It's been a weird mixture of glee & grief for us these past few weeks. But for the most part, I'm very happy to say, the glee is winning. ;)  And, as a sign that I have come a LONG way in my grief journey (not to mention how thrilled we are with the news!),  we couldn't resist going shopping for just a FEW things for our new little great-niece or nephew-to-be. (With much, much more to come...!)  ;)

(Some of) what we bought for our new great-niece or nephew-to-be. :)
Would you believe I now have a Toys/BabiesRUs discount card??
(I never would have, 20 years ago...!) 

#MicroblogMondays: Condo living, three years later

It's hard to believe that, as of today, we've been in our condo for THREE YEARS. As some of you might remember from some of my previous/earlier posts about condo living, moving was NOT my idea, and I wasn't entirely thrilled by the prospect.

Three years later, while I'm still not entirely enamoured by the surrounding community where we live, I have to admit, I love our condo, and I love being closer to our family.

While we're still enduring the frequent thundering footsteps above us, the chain-smoking, screaming-at-each-other neighbours across the hall moved out last year. The original, inept property managers were booted out and replaced by a company/manager that's much more efficient. Our monthly fees have gone up significantly, but we knew they would (fees for new buildings are often deliberately kept low, at first, to attract buyers), and we're now confident that the building is getting back on a more solid financial footing.  The endless roadwork/transit lane construction in front of our building is dragging on (& will continue for at least another year, UGH...), but on the other hand, construction on the 59 new townhouses behind us, which began right around the time we moved in, is (dare I say?? -- finally!!) almost complete. People started moving in last fall, and work seems to be winding down on the last block of homes (although the driveways & roads still need to be paved, and landscaping completed).

Condo living might not be for everyone -- but for those of us who don't have children, who don't  need a lot of space and extra bedrooms for guests, who have brown thumbs and dislike mowing lawns & shovelling snow (especially as we age) and the other trappings of suburbia, it's a solution worth considering.

Previous relevant posts:

Condo living one year later 
Condo living two years later 

You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.

Parenting & politics

Rebecca Traister -- author of several books I have read, enjoyed and reviewed on this blog -- wrote a brilliant article for The Cut this week about "how parenthood gets presented and received on a presidential trail when it’s not just fathers (and not-fathers) who are out there:" "Mom vs. Dad on the Road to 2020." (Childlessness is also mentioned as part of the article.)

An interesting conversation unfolded after Traister tweeted the article link on Twitter -- particularly after one commenter tweeted this:

Rebecca, Parents are given a moral compass when they have children. Because evolution. Sorry if this is an inconvenient truth. You have no argument until you can admit that the parent-child relationship is how the world turns. It is the one thing that matters above all else. 

Traister (who, for the record, is a mother) responded, "I do not believe that parents have any greater claim on morality than those who are not parents. I do not believe it at all. I cannot say strongly enough how much I don’t believe it."  (Yay!  Thank you, Rebecca Traister!! :)  )

Someone else quipped, "Is that the same moral compass that guided all the parents in the college admissions scandal?" Said another, "Ooh do they give you the compass at the hospital or is there a registry?"

Others wrote comments along the lines of "Donald Trump has five children. I rest my case."  ;)

Thoughts?