Sunday, September 4, 2022

The Sunday Post #310

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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 ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.




The Sunday Post #310





On The Blog Recently






In My Reading Life


I've once again been neglecting my Sunday Posts. I haven't written one since July. So, here are tiny reviews of everything I read in August. Click the title to see a summary of the book because nobody's got time to be summarizing books!




Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher may have started a new obsession. I haven't been this enthusiastic about a horror writer in years. Now I want to read everything T. Kingfisher has written. Maybe she's my new Stephen King? Admittedly, I had a hard time getting invested in Nettle & Bone because the pacing feels off. It really drags in places (which is reminiscent of Stephen King, now that I think about it), but the creepy imagery makes up for any flaws. The bizarre fairytale world and its hilarious inhabitants made the book hard to put down. This is a magical story for Halloween. Please read it.


After finishing Nettle & Bone, I wanted more horror, so I picked up We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. I liked this one too! I understand why it's a classic. It's a terrifying depiction of mental illness and how it will slowly steal a person's life. The characters are unforgettable. Like with Nettle & Bone, I had a hard time getting interested in the plot. The author just tosses the reader into a weird situation and expects them to figure out what's going on. I'm too tired for that. Still, I recommend this book if you're a horror lover. It's had a big impact on current-day horror novels.


Continuing with the horror theme, I read The Majesties by Tiffany Tsao. The beginning and end of this novel are stunning. The book hooked me immediately because it's narrated by a rich Indonesian businesswoman in a coma. We quickly learn that the woman's sister poisoned their entire family. It's a compelling premise, but I ended up feeling "meh" about the book. I think there are too many characters. I didn't get to know them well enough to care that they got poisoned.




I had enough horror, so I went in a radically different direction and read a romance. I was nervous about Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed because it's a political romance. I haven't had much luck with those in the past. I don't like politics in my "happy" books. Luckily, Yes No Maybe So keeps a good balance between politics and romance. I never felt stressed out while reading it! The characters are adorably awkward. The dialogue is funny. It's a cute story about teenagers who are attempting to make their state a better place.


Then I read The Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers. I'm honestly not sure what to think about this one. It's part novel, part philosophy book. The characters are developed beautifully. I love that the book focuses on people who live at the fringes of society. It's a story about weirdos who are following their passions and finding happiness in small ways. Their passion ripples across their community and eventually across the world. Unfortunately, I got a bit bored with the book because it's very repetitive. I guess I can't match the characters' enthusiasm for crop circles.


Finally, I read a nonfiction book called The Trauma Cleaner: One Woman's Extraordinary Life In Death, Decay & Disaster by Sarah Krasnostein. This biography is completely captivating. It's about Sandra Pankhurst, a transgender former sex worker who starts a successful "trauma cleaning" business. Her team cleans up houses after disasters. Sandra is a complicated person. She's not likeable, and she doesn't always make good decisions, but her compassion for other people is admirable. I loved learning about her life. I didn't always enjoy the author's writing style. It gets melodramatic at times. Still, I recommend this one if you enjoy biographies. (Beware of the rape scene, though. There's a very long and very graphic rape scene that caught me off guard.)





In The Rest Of My Life


Here's what's been happening:

I'm trying not to get obsessed with House Of The Dragon because Game Of Thrones hurt me so badly. I refuse to be disappointed again! (I'm a little bit obsessed though.)




Other than that, I'm working a lot. Being a park ranger is cool, but the pay is kind of a scam. If you only want to work 40 hours a week, you won't earn enough to survive. I knew this before I applied for the job, but I was in denial about how exhausted the overtime would make me. I'm pretty sure I've had a nonstop headache for the past 3 weeks. And Labor Day is coming. Hopefully that will be the final intense workweek of summer.

Okay, enough whining. Here are two interesting interactions I've had with visitors at work:


While I was selling park passes:

Visitor, talking on a phone: "Hold on, I'm at the till."

Voice on speakerphone: "Till? Aren't you in America? You still sound British."

Visitor: "Shut your whore mouth!"

Awkward silence.

Visitor: "Did that sound American?"


While I was picking up trash on the side of the road:

Visitor, stopping next to me in his car: "Are there fire pits in this park? I need to burn something real quick."

Me: ". . . Before I answer that, I'm going to need more information."





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






33 comments:

  1. You had me laugh with these comments AJ! Now I am sorry that you have a constant headache! When I visited the US and NP, I had no idea rangers had it so bad with some tourists! I swear I was not one of these ;-)

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  2. Beware of people who stop you in the street with weird questions. That was a strange one. Glad nothing weird happened, lol.

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  3. Oh jeez!!! I am sorry that you have to deal with some of those tourists! Yikes! I hope that things calm down after Labor Day. :)

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  4. I've enjoyed a few by Albertalli but decided to pass on Yes No Maybe So. It wasn't calling to me. The visitor interactions... oy vey.

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  5. I hope this weekend isn't too crazy for you!

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  6. I love your in the rest of your life section - always a good chuckle. For some reason, I cannot sign into leave a comment (other than anonymous on your site - I don’t have this problem anywhere else so I’m stumped!). Have a great week ahead.

    Jodie @That Happy Reader
    My link: https://www.thathappyreader.ca/the-sunday-post-22-let-the-sunshine-in/

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  7. Oh, my! Little scary that they had to burn something quickly. HA! I hope the holiday weekend is kind to you.

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  8. I am sorry that pay for park rangers is so low that you must work overtime and be exhausted, but I am glad you are (mostly) enjoying your work. Let's hope things slow down after this long weekend.

    I've heard good things about The Trauma Cleaner before. And thanks for the warning about the potentially upsetting scene.

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  9. I have been wanting to read We Have Always Lived in a Castle. :) That interaction about needing to burn something was kinda creepy.

    Happy readings!

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  10. The Trauma Cleaner was an interesting read,Sarah Pankhurst sadly passed away last year.
    I hope Labor Day at the park has not been too trying.

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  11. Love those two work conversations! Who the heck has to "burn something real quick"?! Good luck working this holiday weekend!

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  12. Omg not the person wanting to burn something real quick 😂 Not suspicious at all. Lol.

    Hope you have a great week!

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  13. Those two work convos just really hit different lol

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  14. The Trauma Cleaner sounds fascinating!
    https://wordsandpeace.com/2022/09/04/sunday-post-65-09-04-2022/

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  15. You always bring the funny. I do hope you feel better soon. Stress headaches?

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  16. The PErfect Circle sounds interesting but I can see too where it might get kind of out there. I honestly don't know how they do those crop circles. I've been reading Nomadland which is also about people following their own lights (or being forced to because society) although that's more nonfiction, obviously. Anywho...

    "Shut your whore mouth" WOW.

    "I need to burn something real quick" O.o

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  17. The Trauma Cleaner sounds really interesting. I read nonfiction so rarely--and yet so many books interest me. I need to get back into reading more nonfiction. I hope work eases up for you. I can only imagine the variety of people you come across. I hope most are friendly. Have a great week!

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  18. Urg! I'm so sorry that you are forced to work overtime to be able to earn enough money to live. I swear that in another decade, we'll all be back to the kind of working conditions that Charles Dickens was railing against:((. It must be made so much harder when people decide to be complete arses to those who are trying to help!! I hope the holiday weekend goes as smoothly as possible. I haven't yet had a chance to sit down and properly tuck into House of the Dragon - I was a bit switched off by the terrible quality of the sound... Have a great week:)).

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  19. I went AWOL with these posts during August, too! The pay may not be great, but at least the park visitors are an endless source of entertainment! Have a great week! - Melinda @ A Web of Stories

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  20. Those visitor interactions are hilarious!! Nice to see you back.

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  21. I'm laughing at both of those interactions. Thanks for my much needed laugh.

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  22. Both interactions made me laugh. Interesting assortment of books too. I generally stay away from horror but think I read Shirley Jackson's years ago. Maybe I was braver then. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  23. Hilarious comments! You have an interesting job. Enjoy your week and the upcoming books. Here are my WEEKLY UPDATES

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  24. It's trash when a full-time job doesn't pay enough to survive. Burn it all down I say.

    I really liked the Nettle and Bone audio.

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  25. Yes No MaybeSo sounds really good. I'll have to check it out. I don't like politics in my happy place either so it's good to know it didn't ruin the book. I'm sorry about the headache and the extra work hours. I hope things calm down for you. Have a great week!

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  26. Lol at "shut your whore mouth" I'm dying. Hilarious. And I feel like SO MANY JOBS just do not pay enough for people to survive on them. You definitely deserve a raise.

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  27. Being a park ranger sounds like it is an interesting job! Hope it gets better for you! Have a great week!

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  28. Okay your response to the visitor who needed to burn something had me dying laughing. My first thought would have been evidence of a crime or a body so I had questions! Shirley Jackson is not good reading for when you are tired though I do love her books when I pick them up in the right mood. She's so good at slowly building eerie weird atmosphere but if you have to be paying close attention. I hope you are having a wonderful week!

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  29. Omg! The conversations are hilarious, also the second one might be a little disturbing... Hope you get some rest! I've been struggling to keep up with bookish things too!

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  30. If anything, you get good comedy fodder from work ;-) LOL -vvb32 reads

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  31. What did he want to burn?! How strange! Yes, yes, yes to Nettle & Bone!! I adored that book and am also newly obsessed by T. Kingfisher.

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  32. Ha burn something quick? In these dry times? No. I enjoyed the Shirley Jackson book. And need to read another this Halloween. Maybe post-Labor Day just sleep for a week ....

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  33. I enjoyed We've Always Lived in the Castle too! It's been years since I read it, maybe it's time for a reread.
    I'm sorry to hear about the overtime, must be exhausting. I hope it will get better soon!

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