Day 277

Blah.

It's a drab December day. The snow is melting. Everything is slushy. The sky looks like the color of soiled socks or rather three-day old snow. And I just want to sleep. It's a bloody shame humans can't hibernate like Bears.

I don't really like winter. I suppose I should go south, but with climate change - I'm thinking Canada.

Talked to mother - who keeps telling me about friends who have their entire families joining them for Christmas, just like they did for Thanksgiving - while mother is stuck inside her bubble. ( Read more... )

One of my college friends on FB - who is a medical doctor, was vaccinated two days ago. She took a picture and posted it online. And posted again today - that she's doing fine, and even went out an exercised - a 90 minute tennis drill, no issues. Still wearing a mask of course.

And, I fell asleep again during the Zoom church service via Facebook. I watched it on FB, so no one noticed. I've not been sleeping well - and lately, I've been having odd nightmares about my parents - which indicates I'm worried about them on some level.

The situation regarding COVID in the US is unsurprisingly not good. And getting worse by the moment, even with the vaccination under way. Why? Because people are visiting their families for the holidays, socializing, and having parties, and not obeying the rules - because they figure they got tested, they are clean, and all will be well. My super and his wife were putting up a picture of a fake fireplace in the lobby for people to take Christmas photos, since they can't do Santa and the Presents this year due to COVID.

Like I said? Blah.

Day #38 of the 50 Day Book Challenge

This is Day #38 of 50 Day Book Challenge

The prompt is A Book with Magic.

I rather liked The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - it's about two magicians who are reared to engage in duel to the death, but fall in love along the way.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

It's told in an odd manner or narrative style - where we are in the points of view of various people and not always the main characters. Kind of a Citizen Kane style? Where you are telling the story from side characters, such as a boy who visits the circus, or the teacher of one of the characters, then the protagonists, then their friends, etc. And it shifts between third person distant to third person close, etc. I found the style to be distancing at times somewhat similar to Neil Gaiman - whose style distances the reader and focus appears to be on world-building, but mileage may vary on that point.

It was optioned for a movie a while back but nothing has come of it. Most books that are optioned for films rarely make it to the screen.