It is starting to feel like spring where I live. Just barely. Mornings are still cold (and dark, thanks to daylight savings), and I’m still wearing sweaters. But the sun comes out in the afternoon, and I think the snow is over for the season (!). The crocuses photo is from Pixabay—I have not seen any flowers yet…

I’m reading a fair amount these days. I finished Noli Me Tangere (!!) and reread Humility: The Joy of Self-Forgetfulness. Two very different books, to be sure. Noli is a strange novel and I didn’t altogether enjoy it, but its historical and national significance for the Philippines is easily understood. Review soon… Humility is a book I think I’ll read every Lent; it’s got some wonderful prayers in it and makes for a great devotional.

Some of you might remember I started Confessions last year. It got sidelined due to Kristin Lavransdatter and other reading. This Lent, my boyfriend asked if I’d like to read it together (a reread for him), and I jumped at the chance. We are just about halfway, and I’m getting a lot out of it, both for reading it with him and because it’s aged very well, holding a lot of ideas and struggles still encountered today.

I started Cancer Ward for another readalong, but I have only got 20 pages into it. I’m not sure I like the pacing. It’s got an interesting setup though, following a man who checks himself into a cancer ward only to immediately regret it.

Passing (1929) is a novella I meant to read in a day or two, but due to general busyness it’s been stretched out over weeks. That’s no reflection on my enjoyment of it, because I’m mildly obsessed with this book. Larsen’s tale of dual identity, race, marriage, and female friendships is so intriguing, and the way she builds tension and reveals characters is masterful. It reminds me of The Great Gatsby (1925), but not in a derivative way. I wouldn’t say it has Gatsby’s magic and pizazz, but there are parallels between the two, while Passing brings more nuance to the relationships and higher stakes. Review soon!

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In other news, I’d like to diversify more, in terms of what types of works I read. Most of my life has centered around novels and nonfiction books, with a sprinkling of short stories and poetry. I’d like to reach a point, however, where articles and essays take a bigger place in my reading. I’m not sure yet how best to track this type of reading, so if anyone has any ideas, let me know. Perhaps I could just track them on this blog, if I got more disciplined about writing down my thoughts…

I have been very good about the Reading What I Own challenge, and I’m rapidly coming upon the next 5-book milestone, which means I may add another book to my personal library soon. 😉 I’m debating whether The Hound of the Baskervilles should be exempt, since it’s been a goal of mine for years to get the Sherlock Holmes series in individual volumes, and I’ve finally found a good publisher for it. (Is that bending the rules too much? I hope not.) On the other hand, just staying away from bookstores has helped me not want to buy books. So I can’t think of anything I particularly “need” right now. In fact I’m very eager to crack open the secondhand copy of The Beautiful and Damned I already own. Here’s the cover art—I fell harder than Jay for Daisy over this teal & red color palette:

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I’m sure you all are getting tired of me switching up the blog theme, but this is a new one WordPress put out, and I’m genuinely hoping to use it to its full potential. How do you all like to see old posts organized? I know a lot of people have a page of A-Z authors and review links… is that helpful? Or is it better to organize by topic and theme? (Or both?)

I’d really like to feature more art on the blog, too. I work in design now, which has reawakened my love of art. Mostly classic art styles (who’d have thought). There are some paintings that are almost like icons to me, not in a religious sense but in the sense they hold a mental space that is calm, separate from the world, and deep in safe memories. Visual art is amazing that way.

It is way past bedtime, and I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning, so signing off…