The Gilded Age
For a couple years now, I've been dabbling in Gilded Age fiction - primarily biographical novels of Alva Vanderbilt and Jennie Jerome. Their personal stories, even when portrayed fictionally, are deliciously entertaining, and I love imagining what it would have been like to be in that world - in that circle. Recently, my Gilded Age journey has expanded a little. We watched season 1 of the HBO Max show, and it was glorious. Predictable at times, but that's what I wanted. And the costuming, set-building, and music were ^chef's kiss^ perfection. It got me wanting to read more, maybe even pick up some of the nonfiction I've had on my shelves, to get a broader sense of the era.
Then I listened to the audiobook of The Lost Summers of Newport; one of the three interwoven storylines featured "a dollar princess" of the Gilded Age - from a less glamorous family than the Astors or Vanderbilts. It was fascinating, and further stoked the fire.
Now, of course, I must start finding Gilded stories ... stay tuned, I'm sure I'll share my findings.
Weird Reading Experience(s)
What do you do when you get a book that is so ... odd ... reading it feels like watching a trainwreck?
I recently found myself in that situation - and while I'm not afraid to DNF a book (I have marked 2 titles "Did Not Finish" so far this year), this particular book was compulsively readable. I could not put it down. I finished reading it approximately 26 hours after I started it - and that includes an overnight sleep in the mix. It was so very readable, but also so very strange. I'm still not sure exactly what I read.
To Holiday or Not to Holiday?
With fall officially here and October marching toward the door, it's the time of year for seasonal books to shine. In a weird quirk of the publishing world, October is when most new Christmas books are published. Which means I always consider October 1st to be the start of Christmas Reading Season - a date that most of my reading friends disagree with.
Their argument is that October is for fall and spooky reads, and you can start Christmas reading after Halloween at the earliest, but it's better if you wait for post-Thanksgiving.
As someone who has never been a big fan of "spooky" and hasn't ever made Halloween a big deal, I have never felt that need - but can see their point. To a point. And yes, "fall" books are a good thing - but very hard to come by! - and I will work those into the mix as I'm able. But there are so many Christmas books, and with more added every October, that if I waited to read them until after Thanksgiving, I'd never make progress!
When do you think is the appropriate time to start reading Christmas books?
Hurricane Ian
At the time of writing (true confession: I'm writing this ahead of time for Friday posting!), it looks like a hurricane will be upon us by the time this is live for reading ... Here's hoping for a cozy hibernation weekend, with "nice" rain and lots of good books to read.
Stay safe, y'all!
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