The past two weeks have not been good for reading.
It started a week ago Monday when my daughter woke up with a fever. She’s a toddler. These things happen. So I prioritized her when she was awake and completed work while she slept. That worked well on Monday and Tuesday. But then I woke up on Wednesday, exhausted and feeling like hell. And I have felt that way ever since.
It has been a boring week and a half. I was so exhausted that if I even tried reading, I instantly fell asleep. My partner and I had to coordinate so we limited the amount of time I was left alone with my daughter because I just wasn’t in any kind of shape to take care of her. It was annoying, because it just so disrupted our lives.
But I’m coming back now. I feel like doing things again and am slowly getting back to my usual productivity. That means I’m back to reading. So let’s take a look at what has crossed my path.
Reading Social Media News
This is kind of a sentimental read that no one but myself may care about, but… Meta is shutting down Spark AR Studio. I’m sad. Spark AR Studio gave me the ability to do fun filters for clients and gave them some cool flair for their campaigns. It was more of a party trick than a real skill, and I loved that. But all fun things come to an end. Goodbye Spark AR Studio. I will always have lovely memories of you.
We all love those bits from Google that tell us what will rank, right? The fact that Google doesn’t count words or links isn’t all that surprising. I think we get way too into the “rules” and don’t consider enough of what our audience actually wants. Does our audience want huge blog posts? Or do they perhaps prefer snippets? Think through things in that light, and you’ll probably get closer to what will rank on Google.
Reading Books, Books and More Books
Past
Boy was Sugar, Baby by Celine Saintclare a disappointment. It was so readable, so I was excited to read it early on. But there was this thread of anger that came out of nowhere. It felt super out of place in a book that read very light at the beginning. I think it was trying to bring a new twist to a story that has been told many times, but it didn’t work. It actually felt oppressive. I had trouble finishing it and I don’t think that’s just because I was sick. It could have been a light summer reading book, but instead, it was just super confused. Score: C-
Present
On the other hand, I’m enjoying The Briar Club by Kate Quinn so far. Quinn writes beautifully strong female characters, and I think that’s what I need right now. I’m just getting to know these women right now, and I already find myself wanting to sit down with each of them as they tell me their incredible stories. How lucky am I that I get to spend my weekend with these women? Let’s hope I stay this lucky.
Future
With how sick I’ve been, I’m feeling more blargh about my book club book than usual. It’s The Wedding People by Alison Espach. It could be the best book in the world. I’m still not excited to read it. I foresee this is going to be a bigger trudge than usual, and I’m really hoping I can get myself to get through it. Will I finish it in time? I honestly would be shocked if I do at this point.
So what are you reading? What books are you looking forward to?