Here is a list on Bookshop.org with all the Maeve Binchy books I’ve read all year.
Wednesday, November 6 and also Thursday, November 7
- Book: Scarlet Feather
- Chapters: The End
- Location: Front Porch and also in the backyard
- Smoking: Girl, I forgot what I just scronched up, man. On Thursday, I added moonrocks.
What I’m listening to:
Did I cry?
I’m crying before I even start reading.
Thoughts while reading (could be about the book, could not):
I made a post on Facebook a week or so ago just asking how everyone was doing. It got some good replies. Today, it got one more that said nothing more than, “I’m not good, Jacki.” I feel that so hard.
Here is my reply:
I feel this so hard. My best recommendation is to get off the Internet and go outside (I know it is miserable hot in Florida right now, so that is difficult to do.)
I know for me, personally, if I stay on the Internet and read everyone’s despair and anger, I take that on myself.
It’s a terrible world we’re living in where people are governed more by fear than they are love, and that makes me immeasurably sad.
There’s not much else I can do but take care of my small circle of people. Lift them up with love and lead by example. I have to put good out into the world because it needs it. It’s fucking hard. And it’s fucking exhausting. And it’s fucking thankless.
But it is what I have to do to survive. Otherwise, I would easily curl into a ball that would never get untangled.
I’m horrified and crushed and angry and scared, but I can’t let those emotions lead me.
For now, I’m gonna go out into the backyard and read about Ireland, I think.
I love you, and we’re gonna get through this.
And we are. It’s gonna be hard, and scary, and uncertain, but we will get through it.
Love *is* stronger than fear. I think people, in general, don’t feel safe enough to share love. The government won’t make us feel safe, so we have to do it for each other. We have to. It’s the only way this works.
This week has sucked, y’all. I’m not gonna lie. It feels like the universe has been pummeling me for a week straight, ever since I got back from ceramics last week and found out one of my closest friends passed away.
And now this huge disappointment of an election. It’s soul-crushing. But my soul (our souls) is (are) stronger. They have to be.
Okay, I’m finishing this book today and I am listening to this soundtrack to that I can hear one song. I hope it plays.
Yes, I know I can just play the song, but that’s not as impactful for me for some reason.
The song did not play Wednesday and my brain wasn’t great on focusing either, so here I am on Thursday, trying again.
It’s not the book’s fault. It’s my brain. It’s been through a lot these past two weeks, y’all.
Oooh, I just got an idea for a verydark short story. It is so dark I feel weird telling you about it here, but I did text it to D so that I can remember (and also as a litmus test to see if it is “anything.” We do that sometimes. That is how I know I will be writing something about quantum death theory in action.)
okay, back to reading. Peter is out here. I am glad I have nuts in my pocket.
Side question: do nuts get roasted in the drier? Hmm. Boiled in the washer?
Ok, the end of this book is a roller coaster of emotions.
Seriously, this is a gateway Binchy. It’s a perfect entry point.
Okay, my fingers are cold. I’m gonna pack up.
I had a lot of squirrel visitors today.
New birds heard:
No new ones, but a bunch of regulars. The one that I hadn’t heard in recent memory was the ring-billed gull.
