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A New Way of Living | Weekly Snapshot

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I don't know about you guys but this has been one of the longest weeks ever. With schools closed and work moved to home, this has been a new way of living. When the changes and shutdowns came just before last weekend, there was no time to really process the information. Within days, life had changed. And then on Monday, I reported to work, from my home, with kids also at home. It was when Friday finally rolled along that I felt the gravity of the situation, how we'll be rarely getting out for weeks, if not for months. How schools were likely going to be closed for months. How work still had to be done remotely or worse, there was no work to do anymore due to layoffs or a shutdown. How there was not going to be any dining in restaurants for months.


That was a very sobering thought. I didn't sleep until 1.30am that night.

How are you all doing? What are some of your tips to keep your sanity on while we get through this very difficult time? Some of you are in places that are …
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Light Reading and Quick Thoughts: The Vampire Diaries #1 & #2

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Lately, light reading is what I've been trying to do quite a bit. It makes it easier to get back into reading when I feel that I'm finishing books. But reading a silly fluffy book wouldn't help either because they tend to wear my brain down with all the cringe-worthy or cheesy stuff they may contain. I picked up The Vampire Diaries for some quick reading, even though I guessed that it was likely going to be very silly, because at least I knew the story (the TV version of the story, that is). And besides, I've been meaning to read the books at some point to find out how different the books were from the TV show.

As it turns out, very different, while still very similar. To me, The Vampire Diaries books are super-boring, tiring and so like the Twilight series that I'm surprised they are not the same story. Book Elena is such a pain in the butt and so very "I will never leave you Stefan" and "I will die for you Stefan" that if I weren't determined to read the books, I may have packed them away in the donations box. The TV show is, in contrast, a lot more mature (yes, there's a lot of skin too), intriguing and the characters are so much more interesting and three-dimensional.


Still, the book served its purpose of letting me devour a book. Sometimes brainless reading is just what I need. It was good enough that I kept coming back to it, but not enough that I would consider it a substantial reading. I probably will continue with this series - the more I read this series, the more I'm thanking the TV show producers for making it very different from the book.

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Jennifer Hartling said…
Sometimes I need some brainless reading as well. It helps clear the cobwebs, lighten the mood. They can be like a palate cleanser :)
June 28, 2013 at 7:17 AM
Jaime Shetrone said…
I had a similar experience while reading the first Vampire Diaries book. Elena annoyed me greatly. I couldn't even get halfway through it -- I was afraid it would taint my enjoyment of the TV show!
June 28, 2013 at 9:34 AM
Ti Reed said…
If you want to devour a book quickly that is not fluff, pick up The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison. I am breezing through it and love every minute.
June 28, 2013 at 9:44 AM
Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com said…
I love this review. Honest and real.
June 28, 2013 at 2:22 PM
Athira / Aths said…
You said it perfectly. There's nothing like brainless books to make you feel so much lighter!
June 28, 2013 at 6:13 PM
Athira / Aths said…
I'm intrigued by that book now. I will have to look for it. A book that lets you breeze through it, in a good way, is always a good thing.
June 28, 2013 at 6:14 PM
Athira / Aths said…
I think the books only made me more appreciative of the TV show. It makes me wonder how they even considered making a show out of it. I do remember finding the first half of the first season boring for the same reason - childish characters but the show just suddenly improved loads after that.
June 28, 2013 at 6:15 PM
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