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Infinite Country by Patricia Engel | Thoughts

   Published : 2021   ||    Format : print   ||    Location : Colombia ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆   What was it about the country that kept everyone hostage to its fantasy? The previous month, on its own soil, an American man went to his job at a plant and gunned down fourteen coworkers, and last spring alone there were four different school shootings. A nation at war with itself, yet people still spoke of it as some kind of paradise.. Thoughts : Infinite Country follows two characters - young Talia, who at the beginning of this book, escapes a girl’s reform school in North Colombia so that she can make her previously booked flight to the US. Before she can do that, she needs to travel many miles to reach her father and get her ticket to the rest of her family. As we follow Talia’s treacherous journey south, we learn about how she ended up in the reform school in the first place and why half her family resides in the US. Infinite Country tells the...

Fleeing the den


Happy Fourth of July to my American readers!

Couple of nights ago, my best friend, Piyush, did a great imitation of my blogging style, and pretty much verbally composed a blog post for me, based on his understanding of how I write and organize my posts. Unfortunately, he did a pretty good job at it, but I have to say his narration cracked me up immensely. So much for comfortable writing patterns.

Did you get a whiff of that VA/WVA/DC/MD/OH storm this past weekend? What a humongous mess that bully created! No power still at our place, so on Sunday, we left town to warmer but powered pastures in NC to stay with my friends. Power is back up at my workplace but our den is still in the stone age. Anyways, no power on a 100 F day is never fun, whether or not there is a pool to dip in, or a movie theater to take shelter in. Half the traffic lights weren't working, so it was pretty much a case of stop, look, then drive. Have to say that this actually worked better than if there were lights, because we were literally looking around in fright and driving cautiously. Most of the retail stores were closed and gas stations had lines that could challenge any opening night queue at a big movie theater. I felt pretty much like I was in an apocalyptic locale.

My summer hours began this week. Last year was the first time I worked them and I loved the long 3-day weekends. I'm looking forward to them again this year, and although I expect my weekdays to be even more stressful than before, the allure of the long weekend and the immense possibilities around them keep me hooked. On the reading front, I didn't get anything going. At this point, I'm staring at quite a few books I could start with on my friend's Kindle to shake up a rut - 1Q84, Reamde, or maybe I'll drift towards something shorter, even though I've been reading a lot of that and would actually prefer to stay with literary fiction for now. 

What are your plans for today? I had gotten so used to calling it the July 4 weekend, that it feels weird having just a day off this time. I have an early day at work tomorrow, so at some point today or early morning tomorrow, I need to make the drive to work.

Comments

bermudaonion (Kathy) said…
That was some storm!  We've been sweltering and had some rain, but were lucky to avoid a big storm.  Carl is working today - it's a floater for him - so today's just a regular day for me.
zibilee said…
I hate it when the power goes out. It gets so hot and uncomfortable, and when I can't use the computer, I get angry as well. I hope that things get back to normal for you soon. Summer hours are wonderful, though I can imagine that the week still drags by during those working days! I hope that your reading goes well this week, and that your day is a nice one!
Aarti said…
Oh, so sorry your power is still out!  We had some bad rain here in the Midwest, too, but luckily I have power still.  I am so jealous of your summer hours!  Three-day weekends sound wonderful, though I agree that they make the other four days quite stressful!
Helen Murdoch said…
So sorry you are dealing with the mass power outage and a heat wave! Our 4th has been very uneventful and foggy. Go figure. We're off to Vegas tomorrow for a dance convention so as much as I don't like Vegas, it will be fun!
Givingreadingachance said…
Any holiday in the middle of the week just never works, really :) But it is really sad that you have to deal with a power outage! That sucks!
Ti said…
I'm glad to have had the day off and all but coming back the next day stinks! Plus, our AC died so I can relate to the no power issue you experienced. 
Athira / Aths said…
It was the worst storm I've been through - I'm glad it didn't get any worse. But then the heat wave wasn't any fun.
Athira / Aths said…
We just heard that power is back at home, so that's exciting! We are finally planning to head back home tonight - it was a long stay away!
Athira / Aths said…
Today is my first Friday off and I have to say it feels so awesome! And the power came back finally yesterday so we are heading back home soon.
Athira / Aths said…
I hope you have fun in Vegas! Our power finally came back last night, so we are heading home soon. Phew!
Athira / Aths said…
Thank goodness we decided to stay with a friend! The power was out for a total of 6 days! Finally it came back last night, so we are heading home.
Athira / Aths said…
Uff! No AC is what drove us out most of all. We were okay with everything else. But it came back last night, so we are finally heading home. Yay! 
Care said…
Enjoy 1Q84!  a good book for an eReader because you won't realize how long it is.
Athira / Aths said…
That's true! I think I will stick to the ebook, for this one.