So finally this coming week, Tuesday, to be exact, is my surgery (arthroscopy on left knee to repair a degenerative meniscus). And while obviously I’m looking forward to getting my knee fixed, and not being in pain (duh!), I’m perhaps even looking forward more to convalescing for two weeks off work, which includes Dewey’s 24 Hour Readathon this coming Saturday. I’m also looking forward to my wife and I catching up on a few TV shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime over the next couple of weeks.
Last week after announcing that I was “starting with a clean slate again,” I did just that, by returning all of my library books, both physical and virtual, and canceling all of my holds. And even though I said I wouldn’t let you know what I chose next until after I read it, as I am apt to do, I’ve changed my mind and now will let you know what I’ve already started plus a few recent purchases and books I’ve checked out from the library this past week that are among my potential reads for the next two weeks.
What I’m reading and plan to finish today
The Best American Poetry 2014, edited by Terrance Hayes, guest editor, and David Lehman, series editor
What I might read in the next two weeks
Physical books
Four Novels: The Sun Also Rises; A Farewell to Arms; For Whom The Bell Tolls; The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Heaven, My Home (A Highway 59 Mystery Book 2) by Attica Locke
Orphan X (Orphan X, #1) by Gregg Hurwitz
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I purchased the Hemingway collection this past Wednesday from our library’s bookstore. I’m not normally into tomes like that in print, but this one, the print wasn’t too small so I thought I’d get it and The Sun Also Rises reminded me that I had an ebook I had purchased a while ago, but hadn’t gotten to read yet. As for the others: 1.) Our library’s book club just read Where The Crawdads Sing and after months of not being available at our library, it became available so I thought why not? 2.) I read Bluebird, Bluebird the first Highway 59 Mystery by Attica Locke and enjoyed it. I also had had this second one on hold on ebook at The Free Library of Philadelphia, but the wait was six months! So when this came in at our library, I scooped it up, with no wait. 3.) I like Gregg Hurwitz, but have been hesitating on the Orphan X series. Now we’ll see if I really want to read it. 5.) The Graveyard Book I reread every year for Halloween.
Virtual books
Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway’s Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises by Lesley M.M. Blume
Ruth Galloway Series: The First Three Novels by Elly Griffiths
The Lord God Made Them All (All Creatures Great and Small Book 4) by James Herriot
The Cuckoo’s Calling (Cormoran Strike Book 1) by Robert Galbraith
A Morbid Taste for Bones (The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael Book 1) by Ellis Peters
The book about Hemingway will make a perfect companion to The Sun Also Rises for Saturday’s readathon, I think. Three of the other four are the starts of series I’ve always thoughts about reading and the Herriot is the continuation of a series I restarted two years ago.
What we plan on watching in the next two weeks
Mindhunter, Season 2 on Netflix
Good Omens, Season 1 on Amazon Prime
Narcos Mexico, Season 1 on Netflix
Money Heist, Season 2 on Netflix
Criminal: UK, France, Germany, and Spain on Netflix
We have started watching the Narcos and Money Heist, but have yet to get to the other three.
If you missed this earlier this week
I’ll leave you with a little music from Floating Points:
What are you reading this week? Anything good? Watching, listening to, doing anything cool? Let me know in the comments.
Still an unfinished person... 
Oh, Hemingway. Highly approve.
Good luck with your surgery tomorrow. I know it will be so good to have a functioning knee again and yes, the time off is nice too.
Right now I am wearing my new computer glasses and for the first time in like 6 months I can read my screen without strain. Although, they keep sliding down my face. Adjustment needed.
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At least someone approves of the Hemingway. 🙂 Oh, yeah, I should have mentioned about having a functioning knee being important too. 😉 I saw your computer glasses on Instagram, I think. They look good and glad they are helping.
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I’ll be thinking of you this week and sending post-surgical healing vibes. I’d decided against reading Crawdads, but then my book club decided to discuss it. I was pleasantly surprised….enjoyed it MUCH more than expected. We close on our FL house Friday, so no readathon for me on Saturday. Hope it’s a good one for you!
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Thanks, JoAnn. I wasn’t going to read it either, but since it’s now available, I’m willing to give it a go.
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Wishing you a safe surgery and an easy recovery.
Have a great reading week
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Thanks, Shelly.
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I’ve read the Hemingway novels and the Cadfael mystery. I wish you well with your surgery. Have fun during the readathon. My weekly update
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Did you like the Cadfael? And thanks for the well wishes on the surgery.
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Oh man, that reminds me I need to finish Cuckoo’s Calling. Yes, that’s all I got out of this post today. And this surgery? I can’t believe I had to read about this on the blog. I’m sure you never told me. Did you? Hmmmmm….can’t seem to remember.
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I hope the surgery goes well and your recover in no time.
I don’t “get” poetry and need to try to understand it more. I’m one of the few who didn’t love Where the Crawdads Sing – it was just too unbelievable to me.
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I’m not sold on Where The Crawdads Sing but I am going to give it a try.
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You have started over and begun again with a new stack of great possibilities for your R&R (Readathon & Recovery). I know many people who don’t like Hemingway, but I’m a simple person, and I like people who write in a simple, clear fashion (hence my love of picture books). The nonfiction book about Hemingway should be a great side dish. I could pick up the Herriot books and start reading them anywhere and enjoy them. That sounds great for a readathon. I thought the first chapter of Where the Crawdads Sing was brilliant, though it went somewhat downhill from there for me. Not sure what happened. On the other hand, I know lots and lots of others who are wild about that book. My book club read and enjoyed Bluebird, Bluebird for the Gulf Coast Reads last year (or maybe two years ago). I am curious about the second book.
I hope the readathon goes well for you. I’ll be at the Texas Book Festival that day, so I’ll be celebrating reading, but in a different way. I hope to get in a few hours of reading anyway.
It’s nice to have a Halloween tradition. I have a friend who has a LFL like I do, and every year at Halloween, she passes out scary kids’ books in her Little Free Library. She has great fun with it. I should go by her house this year and write it up for my blog.
Have a great week!
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I hope I have a good week. Don’t know if great but I am shooting for good. 🙂
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Hope the surgery goes well Bryan. Recuperation is a frustrating time so having a plan like this is a smart idea. I’m not a fan of Hemingway though.
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I don’t know why but I like his writing.
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Plenty of people do…. I have many debates with my niece who is a great fan and tries so hard to get me enthused.
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