My Head Is Full of Books: Sunday Salon -- No Big Deal

"Outside a dog a book is man's best friend, inside a dog it is too dark to read!" -Groucho Marx========="The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." -Jane Austen========="I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book."-JK Rowling========"I spend a lot of time reading." -Bill Gates=========“Ahhh. Bed, book, kitten, sandwich. All one needed in life, really.” -Jacqueline Kelly=========

Saturday, October 18, 2025

Sunday Salon -- No Big Deal

Autumn Purple Ash. This tree dumps its leaves quickly. It may be bare by the time we get home in a week.

Weather: The weather has really turned this week into deep autumn temperatures. The meteorologist on the TV news keeps warning us of freezing temperatures at night and possible snow in the mountains. Here we go folks!

No big deal: Ever feel like that? Like every day is filled with stuff but when you look back on what you did that day you think everything was no big deal. That seems to be my life lately. Even some things which I thought might be hard or emotional, like taking my friend to his radiation treatment for cancer, was really no big deal. It helped that J. was so positive and the appointment so short. Actually it was an honor to help him.

I'm taking that attitude with me this weekend when we help Mom move to her retirement apartment: Mom is healthy, all my siblings will be together, a moving company is moving the big stuff. It will likely be an emotional time for Mom but there is no need to stress out. There is no time-crunch and plenty of hands to help. We've got this. I refuse to make this into a big deal.

Rescheduling events/appointments: Oddly, a whole month of appointments all were concentrated next week, including both of my book club meetings. The appointments were easy to reschedule and other gals were willing to take over a few of my tasks in my one book club where I'm the secretary, including returning the book kit to the library. I will miss talking about the books but really it is no big deal.

The end of the summer tomatoes. We pulled up the plant to avoid a goopy mess if we waited until the freeze. Sad but really no big deal. There is always next summer's sunshine for more tomatoes.

No Kings Rallies! Demonstrate to remind the administration We Have NO Kings in America, Oct. 18th. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend because I will be driving to Eugene. So I am encouraging all my readers to do what they can to lend your support for this movement. (Find a rally in your area here.)

Actually this is a really big deal.

Reading:

Audiobooks:

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. Don and I are listening to this horror novel together. It is an Indigenous story. Very well done. Quite disturbing. 62% complete.
My Friends by Fredrik Backman. A book club selection. I was able to listen to enough today to get me, finally, into the story. 27% complete.
Timecode of a Face by Ruth Ozeki. A nonfiction book by a favorite author. On deck.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. A novella. On deck.

Currently reading print/e-books:

The Afterlife of Data by Carl Ohman. I've only read the introduction so far but already I've been mulling over this fact ---Pretty soon there will be more dead people on Facebook than living people. 10% complete.
Persuasion by Jane Austen. Reading for the 250 years anniversary of Jane Austen Challenge. Her last complete book. A reread. 20% complete.

Recently completed:

Gender Queer: a Memoir by Maia Kobabe. The #2 most banned book last year. A graphic memoir.
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee by Casey Cep. A nonfiction book for an upcoming book club.
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware. One of the book club selections I'll miss the meeting for next week. A retelling of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.
What Does It Feel Like? by Sophie Kinsella. A fictionalized story based on the brain cancer diagnosis and treatment the author had. I cried my way through it.
A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle. The first Sherlock Holmes story.
Flamer by Mike Curato. Another banned book and graphic novel. This one was the 10th most banned book in 2024.

Blogging:

Reading choices: I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what I will/should read next. I set myself reading challenges and then try to obtain then. This probably causes me more stress than I need but in actuality as long as there is something to read and something to listen to, I'm good. No big deal if I meet these challenges or not.

Remaining 2025 reading challenges and optional books which will fulfill them:

Booker Prize winner or long/short list nominees (Read one)

Audition by Katie Kitamura and/or
Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

National Book Award winners or shortlist nominees (Read two books choosing from the five categories)

I Do Know Some Things by Richard Siken (Poetry longlist) -- COMPLETE
The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri (Young People's Literature longlist)

Novellas in November (Limitless, but I want to read at least four)

Seascraper by Wood (also on Booker list), 176 pages
The Teacher of Nomad Land by Daniel Nayeri (also on the NBA list); 192 pages
Audition by Katie Kitamura (On the Booker list); 197 pages
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (Already checked out); 163 pages

Nonfiction November (Limitless but I want to read at least one)

The Afterlife of Data by Carl Ohman (currently reading)
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (on the NYT Best books of the 21sst Century list)

Classics Club SPIN (Read a classic from the spin list, announced Sunday) My list is here.
Goodreads Seasonal Challenges (Read one per category)

Dark Academia -- Options: Theory and Practice by Michelle de Kretser (also novella) or Katabasis by Kuang.
Mystery category announced Nov. 1st

Jane Austen's 250th Birthday

Persuasion - her final published book (Currently reading)

Book Club selections

My Friends by Backman for RHS Ladies Club December meeting (currently reading)
TBA for SOTH Gals December meeting

Totals: If all lines up properly (or with luck), that is a minimum of 12 books, since I can double up on books in more than one category. I know it sounds like a lot but with this blueprint I think I can finish all the challenges with time to spare. If not, no one cares!