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
It's been a month since I've posted here. My first December '21 post and also possibly my last one unless I get my best ofs out this week. A lot has happened over here!
Holidays
First off, sending belated greetings your way for all the merry holy-days this month. It's almost time to ring in the new year! Will it be like any of the years since 2016? I hope not but I expect it will be.
Renovation updates
Remember that renovation I've talked about way too much over here for the past many many posts? Well, we are thiscloseto done. All that's left are a few finishing touches and some fixing/patching work but these will likely be in the new year at this point. We had started using the kitchen couple of weeks back and then yesterday, started setting up the master bath too. It feels so so good to be in your own bathroom - let me call out that luxury and privilege.
Will I do a renovation again? I think I may, if needed, but we've also learnt a lot from this experience. For one thing, a renovation will likely take far longer than you expect to. I laugh thinking about how I expected to be back in my bedroom in three weeks, and then three months had passed. Our schedules got impacted quite a bit by several illnesses (including contractor getting Covid-19), shipment delays, items ordered in wrong colors or sizes, etc. Also, as everyone warns you, it does get extremely dusty and can trigger dust allergies. The biggest thing though is that as inconvenient as a reno is, it is the best way to get the house you need, in my opinion. Just need to factor that in when house shopping, if ever. I'm still in awe at all the transformation in our house and I also love every inch of it.
I will try to have pictures posted another day. I'm a little out of sorts today and my brain's in a funk at the moment.
Life
My parents also finally arrived here from India. We all kept pinching our arms for a few days since they arrived because we couldn't believe they made it. This trip had been planned and replanned for the past 1.5 years. We are all so happy to have them with us. After their one week quarantine, we all went and got our booster doses. I was feeling annoyed at not having gotten it sooner, especially as omicron now is making the rounds.
Later tonight, we have a few family members visiting. Looking forward to more bonding. I have taken much of the last two weeks in December off from work and I realized how much I needed this downtime.
On the work end, I have some great news to share as well - I recently got promoted to a director role! While in some ways, I had been working towards this for a while, I fully expect work to get busier in 2022.
Reading
I've continued reading this month. December started with Piranesi, which I loved every minute of but also wasn't as fast a read as I thought it may be (probably because I had much going on). If you aren't tired of hearing how awesome this book is, let me add my voice to the chorus. This book was so beautiful to read, had so much to think about, and also leaves you wondering what the author even meant by much of it.
After that, I read a few quick ones - Sarah Andersen's newest comic, Oddball, and a reread (or rather a memory refresh) of A Christmas Carol.
Couple of nights ago, I started reading There There by Tommy Orange. Haven't gotten too far with it yet. After this, I'd like to return to Elantris, which I haven't picked up in a month. I'm really looking forward to reading a fantasy series through 2022. (I know Elantris is not part of a series, but it is part of the same universe as several other books by Brandon Sanderson.)
Watching
Hawkeye - Felt like there was too much going on in this show and at one point, I wondered what was the point. Really the point was to hand over reins to a new archer-hero and it felt like a long way to do it. Still, it was a good watch, the finale especially so.
Star Trek Discovery - I haven't watched the latest episode yet but so far, the show has been enjoyable, even if it's not as fast-paced and full of twists and turns as before. Its focus is more political this time - something I'm not sure I really care to watch about much. There's enough of that ugly business in real life, even down at the local level (esp in the US).
The Wheel of Time - This quickly became my favorite show of the season. I like all the ways it is different from GOT (an unfortunate comparison) and really love the vastness of the universe. I know many are reading the books currently and I want to as well but 14 books (!) with a couple of poorly rated ones too (!) is a long commitment. That said, I may be interested in a readalong or a buddy read if others are considering reading the books, or even if just the first book.
Happy New Year in advance! May 2022 be much much better than many of the recent years. How do you plan to ring in the new year?
Linking with The Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz and The Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer.
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