Hello! I hope you’ve had a great week. Mine has been busy, interesting yet mostly routine, aside from a curious bout of stomach flu that overtook me on Friday and yesterday. Thankfully, I am feeling much better today.
My book group met on Tuesday evening and we discussed The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham. Our conclusion – it is a feminist novel and Charlie Townsend is awful. Personally, I enjoyed the book, but was a little thrown off because I was expecting it to be like the movie and it is not at all. The movie is much more sentimental and less frustrating.
I slumped into a reading funk at the beginning of the week and just couldn’t sustain interest in anything. It’s the most horrible feeling. On Thursday at work, in an effort to read something, anything, I decided to read a book that is completely out of my normal range of interests and checked out Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story by Shanna Hogan. Of course, I’ve heard of Jodi Arias as she murdered Travis Alexander about 10 miles from where I live and was tried and convicted in Phoenix last year, but I didn’t pay much attention to the case aside from the basics. Picture Perfect fleshed out the entire story of their relationship and Arias’s obsession in a really quick, matter of fact tone. Utterly disturbing, sad and fascinating – and it worked! I recommend trying a true crime book to break you out of a reading funk.
And in other news, I am once again going to Italy in June. The friend who I’m going with gently reminded me that I am a pretty anxiety ridden person and it might be best for me to take my first trip to Europe with someone who is not anxiety ridden. And I had to agree. I was able to negotiate a couple of weeks off in June (which I can’t help feeling guilty about as it is the busiest month of the year in the public library business) and I will be heading to Italy in the middle of the month. I’d still like to visit London in September so if I can swing it financially I am going to plan on that too.
Are you reading anything amazing, fun, beautiful? Have a wonderful Sunday – I’ll be back later in the week with a round-up of my March reading.
A Certain Fondness 
Well, Italy will be wonderful! I’m very envious, I’ve never been to Italy, as I haven’t yet found someone sufficiently not-anxiety-ridden to go with. I’ve just been to London a whole bunch of times, enough that it does not cause me anxiety anymore. I hope you do get to do both! What a wonderful summer that would be.
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There was a stomach bug going around my office last week, too. I think I just barely missed getting it. Your upcoming travel plans sound great! Both of those destinations have lots of great theme reading to get you in the mood.
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Glad you’re feeling better 🙂 Regarding true crime, I often find a fun non-fiction book gets me out of a slump. I’ve wondered if it’s that knowing it’s true helps, even when fiction is just as good. Wherever you’re staying in Italy, see if you can visit Florence and Tuscany in general.
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