I’ve found myself simply swamped with work lately, and I just haven’t had the time or energy to post as much as I’d like, even though I have two books I’d like to review as soon as I can. Actually, to be truthful, it’s not that I’m swamped with work so much as I’m unwilling to take a moment away from the other things in my life I like to do (bike riding, yoga, friends, etc.), and I spend so much time on those things that it gets a little tricky to squeeze work in. How bothersome work is. So I’ll post as much as I can, but don’t be surprised to see fewer posts than usual.
That said, I did manage to finish reading Antonia White’s Frost in May, which I liked quite a lot, and I also listened to Elizabeth Strout’s Abide with Me and have become a Strout fan. I’m now eager to get to some of her other books.
And I have a couple acquisitions to report: J.C. Hallman kindly sent me a copy of the collection he edited, The Story About the Story, which looks fabulous and like something I want to dip into just as soon as I can. I got a copy from Book Mooch of The Norton Book of Personal Essays, edited by Joseph Epstein, to add to my essay collection collection. And I have two new book group books: Obama’s Dreams From My Father, which I’ll probably need to have read sometime in November, and Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black for the Slaves of Golconda. And I’ve just begun the book for my mystery group: Cornell Woolrich’s The Black Angel. Lots of good stuff coming up, so I hope I have time to write about it!
Of Books and Bicycles 
Bike riding, yoga, friends, well, I think I can understand why you have needed some time away. I’ve been posting but haven’t had much of a chance to read blogs because I’ve been busy with some other stuff. Oh why don’t we have 48 hour days 🙂
Looking forward to hearing more about the good stuff!
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Don’t worry about posting, we’ll be there whenever you find time in your busy schedule… and enjoy your friends and yoga!
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Oooo – love Elizabeth Strout. Abide With Me is a great read. I wonder how I would like it as audio book. Have you read Olive Kittredge yet?
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I sympathise! There just isn’t enough time at the moment. But the new books look great and I’ll be keen to read your reviews when you get around to them. In the meantime, enjoy everything that you have planned to do. 🙂
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I understand your wanting to squeeze in as much bike riding and other fun things as possible — there’s plenty of time to hibernate with our books and blogs when winter comes.
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It is hard to squeeze in everything you’d like to do–work tends to take up so much time it feels like there’s not much left over! I’m looking forward to hearing about Frost in May–as I have that to read as well, and also the Strout book. I’ve looked at her books numerous times but never seem to get around to them.
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Oh man, do I ever understand. Work is SO getting in the way of my life right now (I seem to have forgotten how to balance that), and my own blog, as well as reading and commenting on favorite blogs, has suffered. I hope to regain my memory of how to balance all this soon. Meanwhile, I am interested to hear what you think of The Woman in Black. I loved it and then forced it on a friend who seemed to think I was crazy for doing so. And now — damn you — you’ve got me interested in Elizabeth Strout.
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Work does have a tendency to get in the way of things, doesn’t it? A copy of The Story About the Story showed up in my mailbox from the publisher the other, the book does look quite good. I am looking forward to dipping into it.
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Iliana — yes, blogging is SO great, but so is a lot of other stuff! It’s hard when I have to choose, and it’s definitely better when everything fits in. Oh, well. At least there’s lots of good things to do.
Smithereens — thank you!! It’s wonderful to know that I will have readers out there still, even if I get a bit unreliable.
Frances — this is my first Strout, and definitely not my last. I tend to like audio books more than regular ones — and by that I mean I’m less critical and exacting. But I’m sure I would have loved the Strout even in book form!
Litlove — thank you! I generally post about slowing down the frequency of writing and then immediately afterward stick to my old schedule, so we’ll see what happens … 🙂
Debby — yes, it makes so much sense to be outside while the weather is relatively nice. Riding is great this time of year, and I’m trying to take advantage of it. I’m very glad my readers are patient with me!
Danielle — my review of Frost in May is up next, whenever I manage it. And as you’ll see in my latest post, the Strout book is definitely worth seeking out — when you feel like it, of course!
Emily — I’m very glad to hear you enjoyed The Woman in Black so much — that makes me look forward to it even more. I’m sure you’ll settle into the job in time — I can see that starting up again would be challenging and might take a while. I hope a feeling of more time and space comes soon!
Stefanie — how cool that you got the Hallman book too. Doesn’t it look great? I just love that kind of writing — good essays about writing.
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