I hate getting a good reading flow interrupted. It's a bummer and it's sometimes scary to not know whether the good vibes have run out or if it's just a matter of finding "the next right read". Each book you've never read is a gamble.
I got my last run interrupted with fiction. After The Elegance of the Hedgehog, I read a book on the history and lore of the Superstition Mountains which was … meh? I felt the same as many other reviewers, lots of history that seemed off topic even though it gave insight. The voice was outdated so that made me struggle. I wasn't prepared for that.
So I finished it quickly, skipping some sections, and then I had a gap. Two books on the TBR shelf too close in subject matter to the last one and one too thick and reference-y to be next.
I dove back into Alex's box and had a couple fiction titles that were maybes. I tried one of the fantasy titles. … Couldn't get into it. I got excited to find elements of horse-centric steppe cultures like that of Mongolia but it felt like - hold up, I need a tangible analogy for this… It felt like looking for a rich damask tapestry and getting a dollar tree plastic tablecloth instead.
I could not keep picking that up. It may be good but it wasn't at all what I wanted.
I did book shopping today, so I have some titles on the way. And I've got a digital read from my library, as well as a hold for a biography recommendation I pulled off a podcast. But I still need my time away from screens.
So comes an old faithful. I love my curated shelf. Most of these can stand by in these uncomfortable times, and I've picked up The Book of Yokai again. According to Goodreads this is my third time picking it up.
I should get it a medal of some kind. Good bookie.
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