Happy Sunday, everyone! I still haven’t got much reading done this week, but that’s okay—I’m coming to terms with the fact that I won’t be going back to my normal reading pace after being gone awhile. For now, I’m setting a (very relaxed) target for myself of a book a week, and only books that can hold my suddenly goldfish-like attention span.
In other news, some weird energy is circulating around our place this week… I had a bad case of hyperacidity, and right after I recovered, my brother sprained his knee. He’s pretty bummed about it, but then, he also seems to enjoy ordering me around to fetch things for him just a taaad too much. I might kick his sprain if this keeps going on for another week. We’re having it checked tomorrow, though, so hopefully it’s not serious.
What I’m Reading
Still reading Butler’s Parable of the Sower, and recently I picked up Real Life, also encouraged by Emily @ Literary Elephant’s glowing review. I haven’t been able to get into a lot of the books I picked up lately but Real Life drew me in from the start, since it plunged me immediately into the character’s thoughts and emotional life. Fingers crossed that these books can pull me out of my slump!
Books Added to My TBR
I also began adding a number of books to my TBR again, mostly from Hannah @ Books and Bakes’ Mid-Year Book Freakout Tag. (Thanks for making my TBR explode, lol!) I was especially cheered to know that Allie Brosh’s new book, Solutions and Other Problems, is set to be released this September. I loved Hyperbole and a Half, so I’m really looking forward to getting a copy of this one.
Other Non-Bookish Things
Many of my friends in real life know me as the one who’s always late on the bandwagon (if I even get on it at all), and this week, I finally started started watching Season 1 of Queer Eye with a friend’s encouragement. And omg I WANT TO HUG THIS SHOW. Even if I’m aware that most of the ‘moments’ could be staged, every episode so far (I’m three episodes in) made me smile and tear up and believe in humanity. Bless these guys. They just made my week.
How about you, how was your week? Did you read or watch anything interesting? Let me know in the comments 🙂
Gil Reads Books 
Oh, I’ve totally been watching Queer Eye lately. Bobby Berk is my favorite. You get to know more about him as the show goes on. I think the reason this show is so great is because the altered it from the original show, Queer Eye for the Straight Gay, in which the original Fab 5 went to help a straight man by pointing out everything wrong with him, picking him apart and basically calling him a hypermasculine pig, and then helping him. I read that the new Fab 5 refused to do that because there is so much negativity in the media that they didn’t feel like it was appropriate to go to someone’s home and pick them apart.
I also added One to Watch because I saw you added it on Goodreads. Yay!
Oooh, so far the one that really stands out to me is JVN, but then his personality is very flamboyant (which I love) and I hear he really is the fan favourite. Maybe I’ll get to know the others better as the show goes on! I only watched one or two episodes from the old Queer Eye so I don’t remember it at all, but it makes sense that the Fab 5 would refuse to do that. I feel that each episode is low-key therapy for the person they’re doing the makeover for.
Yay! It does seem up your alley, and I’m curious about the reality-TV slant. I remember you reviewed a book before about a fat protagonist trying to make it as an actress, and One to Watch reminded me vaguely of that.
Oh, yes! The book All About Vee was a fun YA novel about a fat actress trying to make it in Hollywood. I read an interview with the author of One to Watch on Goodreads and was happy to see she has an interesting background: she watches ALLLLL the Bachelor and Bachelorette shows and was a political writer. This is her first novel.
I thinks, it’s fine to take it easy with the reading and have a relaxed attitude towards targets. To some extent, it’s a question of finding the right books and I hope you succeed in that 🙂 . I don’t have a TBR, but I might pick up Lanny at some point – only heard good things about it!
Thanks for the encouraging words – I hope I’ll pick up the right books too! Ah yes, I remember you’re the odd one without the TBR 😂 I’d love to hear your thoughts if you ever get around to it. 🙂
Aw I hope you feel better soon! I’m sorry (but also secretly a little bit happy?) for exploding your TBR lol! And I’m looking forward to your review of Real Life!!! I also added it to my TBR based on Emily’s review haha.
Also YES I am totally with you on Queer Eye!!! I think all reality TV is staged to some degree, and I can recognize “problems” with Queer Eye if I think about it…but when I’m watching it I just feel so warm and emotional hahah. They did such a good job making it a feel-good show that feels sincere ❤
I can feel you’re not sorry at all 😂 And there’s nothing to be sorry for! I discovered a lot of potentially great reads from your post haha.
Same, I’m not an uncritical viewer, but on the whole I just love how they emphasize self-care, being authentic, and vulnerable. I think it does good to dismantling stereotypes of men and showing it’s okay to open up, be emotional, ask for help, etc. It always gives me the warm fuzzies too ❤
It’s nice to have you back!! I’m almost convinced to add Real Life to my TBR, the petty reason why I haven’t yet is because I really dislike the cover (I know… amazing reasoning, much logic wow). But Emily’s review (and your update now) are making me really want to read it.
HAHA I love the honesty 😂 I get it though… while the cover didn’t completely deter me from reading it, it didn’t make me feel like I NEEDED it. Hopefully the story is a lot better than the cover, lol.
I’m sorry to hear about the spate of I’ll health in your house! My husband is doing a Wilderness First Aid course right now and every time he pops out for a break he tells me a new and horrifying way people can injure themselves!
We’re all doing much better now, so all is well 🙂 HAHA! I can imagine that‘s not a conversation to be had with the girls around 😂 What made him decide to take it? It takes a particularly hardy kind of person to be immune to descriptions like that 😅
Oh gosh, no! It’s a conversation in whispers or with spelling! It’s a required course for a new position he starts in the fall. He’s a teacher but he’ll be switching to an outdoor school in September.
Ah, I hope you haven’t had to resort to the kicking yet! Brothers are their own particular sort of pain. I have two of them but sometimes I don’t feel inclined to acknowledge it, lol. 🙂
It can be very nice and helpful to take the reading slower when you need a break; I hope you’ll enjoy the books you’re picking up even though your schedule and attention has changed. I’m glad Real Life is off to a good start for you! I hope it’ll end that way as well. Wishing you and your family a better week!