Did you know that Hawaii is really far from Ohio? I mean, I knew that, instinctively, but I didn’t understand just how far it was. It’s far. Don’t get me wrong, the time I spent in Kauai was worth every second I spent on a plane, but spending the equivalent of 2 days in an airport or on a plane was a bit rough. Here’s how I passed the time:
1. Trying to find a celebrity at LAX. I was committed to spotting someone famous at LAX. I didn’t tell anyone about this because it’s an embarrassing goal, but whatever. The entire time we were there, I just sat in my chair and people watched. And then I saw Julianne Hough, and I didn’t tell anyone until I got home and confirmed it on the internet. I love Julianne Hough, for the record. I think she’s a weirdly energetic person and I can’t wait to see her in the new Diablo Cody movie.
2. Trying to figure out how American Airlines picks their programming. Why The Big Year? Of all the movies. Oh, and then I watched an episode of Married to Jonas, despite not knowing anything about the Jonases. All I learned was that they seem pleasant and their mom needs to understand that they’re adults now. Seriously, lady has a problem.
3. I read. A lot. After weeks of barely having any reading time, it was downright luxurious to just sit around with a book. Here’s what I read:
Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: I’d heard a lot of good things about Bernadette, and then Lauren let me borrow it, so I dug into it as soon as our plane lifted off in Columbus. As I read, I kept thinking to myself, “This kind of feels like a Jonathan Franzen book.” Then I looked at the cover, and wouldn’t you know, old Johnny Boy himself has a blurb. I can see why he liked it so much…just like one of his books, Bernadette is big, features lots of details about very specific things (except instead of birdwatching, it’s Microsoft and Antarctica), and deals with a dysfunctional family. So basically, if Jonathan Franzen could write about women in a way that didn’t show complete and total disdain for them both physically and mentally (insert tangent here about whether that’s Jonathan Frazen’s POV or just that of his characters…we have neither the time nor the space right now for that particular discussion), then he’d probably write a book like Where’d You Go, Bernadette. The book was funny and quick and the story was told in a unique way, but I’ll admit that I found the characters lacking in warmth a little. Which, conincidentally, is another way Bernadette reminds me of a Jonathan Franzen book.
Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: I’d been putting off Sharp Objects because it’s the last Gillian Flynn book I had to read and that’s depressing. As with Gone Girl and Dark Places, Sharp Objects was compelling from the first sentence. Flynn has a way of writing about women who are literally victims without making them objects of pity. These aren’t women who stumble into their situations; they make choices, do terrible things, do heroic things, etc. The less you know about Sharp Objects, the better, but it features some of the weirdest characters I’ve read about in awhile. Also, it’s very short. Highly recommended.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Okay, so I’m only about 20% of the way through this one, but I’m already obsessed and resenting the time I have to spend doing anything else. It’s about a poor boy from a small town in California who essentially reinvents himself into a prepster so he can fit in with an elite group of intellectual richies at a New England college. His new friends seem absolutely magical, but then (insert sinister music) something terrible happens.You know what the “something terrible” is from the first sentence, but so far the suspense is coming from the intense foreshadowing. Is anything more exciting than foreshadowing?
So that’s what I read while I was up in the air. What about you guys? What are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments!
