It’s become so commonplace to wear a mask, I feel like something is missing if I go outside without it on. The fuss people are making about wearing them makes no sense. The world seems crazy. I look to normalcy like going to IKEA only to find that I have to wait in line for 45 minutes to get in the store.
But the regular world reappears when I work on the manuscript for the next Crochet Mystery. Nobody is wearing masks, Molly hugs people, the Hooker don’t worry about social distancing and people shop in a bookstore at their leisure.
I’m reading SUMMER OF ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand. I happened upon the book by accident. Somewhere I read that she’d written a book called 28 SUMMERS that was based on SAME TIME, NEXT YEAR, which happens to be one of my all time favorite movies. It also mentioned some other books by her including SUMMER OF ‘69. I was thinking of ordering 28 SUMMERS, but then when I was in Costco there was one copy of SUMMER OF ‘69. It seemed like fate, so I bought it.
I’d never read anything by Hilderbrand before, but as soon as I started reading, I thought of how much I liked the book. I haven’t read a book like it in a long time. A good story with a lot of interesting characters during a summer I remember quite well. I find that when I read now, I’m often too aware of technique or where I think the author is headed. With this book, I took off my writer hat and got lost in the story. It’s a true escape.
I bought a paper copy and am comparing it to reading on my Kindle. The biggest problem with the Kindle is that I don’t see the cover much and even when I do it doesn’t make much of an impression. I got the last book I read on the Kindlle as a special deal from BookBub and the title and author kept slipping my mind. It is a different experience when you hold a three dimensional thing in your hand with a colorful cover and the authors’s name in big print.
For some reason the long twilight of this time of year makes me feel melancholy. Like I’m homesick for something, but I don’t know what. Still, I like the pastel pink and blue of the sky as I look across the Valley. We’ve been going on drives to places I’ve never been before. Tonight I finally saw the Chatsworth reservoir. There was only a small spot of water surrounded by lots of open area of brown grass and trees with blackish green leaves. I gather when the winter rains come it’s a different story.
Wouldn’t it be nice if next week the news of the pandemic was better. Fingers crossed that it happens.
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3 comments:
Days of nostalgia--maybe it's just part of becoming older ! I tend to get very melancholy in the evenings--so I usually turn on a home remodeling show ! I feel better watching changes that can be made, at a steep price though !
There has been quite a gap in your books, so I have read a few things by other authors as fill ins. Some of the basic plots are similar, but it is fun to see how differently the authors present ideas. Most seem to have a lot more graphic sex, and one very well known woman uses four-letter words in almost every sentence. I must admit, I think it is about time for a little more 'action' between Molly and Barry.
Hoping to see some new material from you soon--it has been a looong time, and your style is the best !
Thank you, Linda. I am writing as fast as I can. Thanks for the suggestion about Barry and Molly.
My fingers are definitely crossed that news about the pandemic improves, Betty. In fact, those crossed fingers make it hard for me to type!
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