It’s the end of March! This year is somehow both dragging and flying. The busy season at work continues and thankfully the weather has cleared up since last month…so at least I’m not worried about sliding off the side of a bridge while I’m commuting!
In Books…
- Going Clear: I’d seen the documentary that got made from this a few years back when it came out and found it really interesting, so no surprise that the source material was also compelling. It explores Scientology through its beginnings as the brainchild of L. Ron Hubbard through the current domineering leadership of David Miscavige and is critical without being gratuitous. Very readable nonfiction.
- If Beale Street Could Talk: I still haven’t seen the movie, but was really excited when this was selected as our book club read for the month because I’ve heard great things. This book is short, but it’s a beautifully told and heartbreaking tale of love and family and injustice with vivid, powerful characters.
- Man’s Search for Meaning: This slim volume, recounting the author’s experiences in a concentration camp and the “logotherapy” he developed beforehand and put into practice to help him deal with what happened. Basically, it’s the process of finding a purpose to motivate one’s life, through both its normal course and tragedy. It really gave me a lot to think about.
- The Club: Another short book, this tells the story of Hans, who’s recruited as a teenager by his only surviving relative to infiltrate an exclusive social club at Cambridge to help solve an unspecified crime. It doesn’t go anyplace especially surprising, but it’s entertaining enough.
- The Stranger: Albert Camus’ classic was short in length but rich in food for thought. I didn’t especially enjoy reading it, though, and wonder if part of that was the translation I read, which was apparently meant to be Hemingway-esque…and I don’t care for Hemingway’s writing style.
- Inside Edge: This book about figure skating is about 25 years old, which means that it’s “out of date” in terms of the personalties it profiles (I hadn’t even thought about Nicole Bobek in a loooong time), but also in terms of the casual homophobia that is all over it. I don’t think it’s anything more than a product of its time, but the bigger sin is that it’s just…not very good.
- The Rules of Attraction: I wouldn’t say that I liked this book about three college students struggling to find meaning among the sex and drugs that take up much of their senior year at a liberal arts school, but I honestly thought I would kind of hate it and I didn’t do that either.
In Life…
- Halfway through session: Technically we’re a little less than halfway through (it doesn’t end until June 3), but close enough! I’ve been more active than I was last session, which has been awesome and I’m learning a bunch, but it’s also been super busy!
One Thing:
With Worlds now in the rearview, the figure skating season of 18-19 is over! I love watching figure skating and for me, the NBC Sports Gold figure skating subscription has been totally worth it. There’s no commentary (which at first bummed me out but I’ve come to quite like it), and you get to see every single skater and not just the Americans and/or favorites. From Worlds, I particularly enjoyed Jason Brown’s short program, Nathan Chen’s free skate, and Evgenia Medvedeva’s fight to earn the bronze!
Gratuitous Pug Picture:
