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 story of her family through the other protagonist, El
Hello everyone on a very wet day, at least in Southwest Ohio! We are expecting so much rain this week that I'm feeling happy on behalf of our garden. It's going to make stepping outside a little challenging though but there will be plenty of dry breaks with beautiful cool weather, so that should help.
Linking with The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz and The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.
Life last week
Couple of weeks back, we had a Covid-19 scare. A consultant who visited my husband's office the same day my husband was in office (he usually works from home) got diagnosed with Covid-19 couple of days later. Many who were in the office that day got tested. My husband thankfully drew a negative but a few others got positive results. We've overall been extremely careful when outside - always wearing masks, often sanitizing hands and frequently touched surfaces, and doing the same routine once we reach home. That said, it's always sad and scary to hear about someone close or nearby having tested positive. Sometime last year, when the flu season was in full swing, everyone in this house got sick one after the other. For a whole month, someone was down and recovering. I myself had passed out couple of nights in a row and couldn't attend to the kids well. Thankfully, my parents were staying with us and took over. If the Covid-19 illness is expected to be more vicious than that, it's going to be dreadful. I really hope the search and commercialization of the vaccine is on a fast track.
This week, all of us enjoyed a good deal of time outside. The husband and I have been running every morning. I desperately need to shed the few pounds I've put on since the stay home started and the run helps set the right frame of mind. Plus, it's gorgeous and quiet in the morning. We see a few others walking their dogs or running but for the most part, it's usually just the two of us. My daughter has also started playing with a friend of hers in the neighborhood. They're either riding their scooter or having fun with sidewalk chalk, painting rocks or playing ball. The girl now obsessively waits for when the husband or I finish work so she can go play with her friend.
Looking forward to
Couple of my neighbors and I are discussing starting a book club, and have an excuse to do a 6ft apart backyard parties. We all enjoy reading books and have similar reading tastes so this will be interesting. I haven't been part of an IRL book club so this is a first for me.
Last week, after reading Meg's post about a Blue Apron recipe that she tried and that took me on a search for some freely available Blue Apron recipes. Turns out they have a free collection of recipes online. The husband and I found a couple of recipes that looked interesting and settled on trying out the Spicy Chicken Grain Bowl with Bok Choy & Sesame Freekeh. The picture looks delicious and it's the type of dish we typically enjoy so fingers crossed.
Tomorrow, our city library is finally opening for holds pickup. I'm surprised it took so long considering we do have a sizable population here but at least it's opening now. This is beyond curbside pickup, from what I gather but no inside browsing. After two months of digital reading, I honestly struggled to decide what I needed to pick up but that won't last long. I really need to refresh the children's books in the house.
Reading
Last week, I spent a lot of time in graphic novels. Guts by Raina Telgemeier was fun and quick. I've read and loved many of Raina Telgemeier's books and this was no exception. Stepping Stones by Lucy Knisley was cute. Although it is targeted for middle grade readers, I likely won't recommend it for that group, at least not without context. There's an emotionally abusive male character in the book whose actions are always excused as "Oh that's just who he is". It doesn't help that he's the only significant male character in the book.
Right now, I am in between two books. I'm almost halfway through another graphic memoir - Lucy Knisley's Something New, which is focused on her dating life and wedding planning. Also, I'm (still) reading Frances Cha's If I Had Your Face. I've mentioned previously that I'm enjoying reading individual chapters of this book (like I would a short story collection) but cannot yet see how all the chapters come together. That's still true and I've accepted that's how the book is designed. I'm in the last few chapters now so I'm curious to see where this leads.
On the blog
What has been the highlight of your summer so far?
Linking with The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz and The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.
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