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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.

 

 

The Sunday Post #265

 

 

 

 

On The Blog Last Week

 

• On Tuesday I talked about the jobs I’d have if I was fictional.
• On Wednesday I listed my most-anticipated March book releases.
• On Saturday I wrapped up February.

 

 

 

 

On The Blog This Week

 

• I don’t know! Last week I had eyestrain and didn’t get any posts scheduled. This week I have a job meeting/interview/thing that I’ll spend all my free time needlessly stressing about. If there’s a blog post this week, it’ll be a surprise to all of us.

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

I barely got any reading done last week because my eyes hurt and my vision was blurry, but I did finish The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I was surprised by how funny it is. I may have snort-laughed while listening to the audiobook on a run. That’s awkward. Good thing I run through icy fields in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, The Help is about upper-class southern white women and their black maids. One of the white women is writing a book about the experiences of the maids. The city is thrown into chaos when the maids start talking to the author and airing everybody’s dirty laundry. Kathryn Stockett is a very talented writer. I love that her characters have distinct voices and huge personalities. I could set the book down in the middle of a chapter, pick it up hours later, and instantly know whose point-of-view I was reading. That’s not the case with most books. The 1960s Mississippi setting is well-developed. The book has a lot of humor, but it doesn’t gloss over the turbulent relationships between the maids and their employers. Even when you’re laughing, you’re aware of the tension crackling beneath the surface. You know something could go wrong for the characters at any second.

I think the author is sometimes heavy handed about the lessons she wants the reader to take from the book. Even when I agree with the morals of a book, I get pulled out of the story when I feel like the author is preaching at me. While reading The Help, I was very aware that I was reading a white author’s musings on racial issues in the 1960s. The book has a white savior plotline. I kept wondering how different the book would have been if a black woman had written the black characters. Maybe the author got everything right, and the book would be exactly the same. I have no idea. I just know I got pulled out of the story a few times because I was thinking about morals and the authenticity of the characters who were preaching at me.

Right now, I’m reading The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. It’s historical fantasy about a couple in 1920s Alaska who can’t have children. They build a child out of snow, and she comes to life. Possibly. So far, it’s slow-paced and sweet. I’m enjoying it. I’m also reading Gerald’s Game by Stephen King. So far, I’m not enjoying it. It’s about a husband and wife whose bondage sex game ends badly. The first 150 pages are mostly just scenes of the wife being sexually abused in graphic, gratuitous ways. It’s a horror story for sure, but I don’t think it’s my kind of horror story. I completely understand why it’s on Goodreads’ “Most Disturbing Books Ever Written” list. I am disturbed!

 

 

 

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy last week:

 

1. Buying books on sale. I found a sequel I really wanted, and then I had to add other books to my cart to get free shipping.
2. My parents said they'll get me new running shoes as a birthday present. You should see my current running shoes. I literally ran holes in them. My feet were falling out. Why are shoes so expensive? They either need to be cheaper or last longer. That’s my shoe opinion.
3. I finally watched My Octopus Teacher on Netflix. I know what everybody is talking about now! It’s pretentious. I feel like the dude tried too hard to make his story profound and meaningful when deep down he just wanted to pet an octopus, but he does make some awesome nature videos.
4. I have now done yoga every day for 13 months.
5. Experimenting with Pinterest Stories. I got early access to them. I’m having fun learning to use them, but I secretly hope they’re a massive failure and Pinterest makes them go away. I hate that every social media site has Stories. I want every site to be different. That’s what makes them interesting!

 

 

 

 

See What Nonsense I’m Getting Into

 

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!