Lisa > Recent Status Updates

I’ve been finding solace in the show lately. Now it’s time to move forward and be a leader in my community.

Maybe it’s because I have a better sense of what I’m getting myself into, but one chapter in and I’m already enjoying this more than the first book.

While the premise of this reminded me of Dark Matter, the story is progressing in a different and interesting way. The flashbacks become a bit incessant at times, but they do flesh out the characters and relationships nicely.

Lots to unpack in this, not the least of which is a better context for the term “triggering”.

This is taking on an “Iowa Stubborn”/Music Man vibe and I am here for it!

This book is making me miss my days as a bookseller.

Just when I thought I might be ready to take a break from this book, Things Happen! Love when the past comes back to haunt.

Reading this book immediately after reading “Hidden Bodies” is such a trip. Before, Joe really seemed to be trying to be better, even those his delusions were still as present as ever. I was actually kind of rooting for him before. But here, it’s like he’s lost any redeeming qualities he might have been cultivating. It’s like getting a better prescription and seeing things clearly. Wow.

He glosses over this so quickly (in fact, it’s half of a compound sentence), but it struck a chord with me: “People take longer-lasting pleasure from being kind to others than having others be kind to them.” Sort of a self-centered approach to kindness, but I wouldn’t mind more people keeping this in mind!

I keep thinking that if I were to recommend this book to others, it would be with the massive caveat that you must finish it. Derren spends a lot of time early on tearing down perceived institutions of thought, presumably in order to rebuild them further into the book. We’re just not quite there yet.

Feeling nearly as impatient as Nora. This book has chosen an odd time to come into my life.

The writing is fine, but I’m not sure I’m in the right mood for this book at the moment.

Loved the way The Life of Chuck was told, and what a fascinating concept. The movie adaptation of Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, as it turns out, was quite faithful to the story.

I am such a sucker for this concept, storytelling from the point of view of supporting characters. There are a couple of stories I skipped through, but most are highly enjoyable.

The Thing in the Shed! We’ve arrived!

Charlie’s a good kid. I like him. Hard to say when things are going to get topsy-turvy, but they will.

I’m just realizing how much of an impact Anna has on this entire novel. The way these threads are coming together is breathtaking.

“…a story is a way of stretching time.”

I’m starting to anticipate how all of these characters’ stories will come together, even across space and time, and it is a marvel. I’m excited to finish, and I also don’t want to.

Just finished learning about Library Day on the Argos and now I’m having conflicted feelings about my Oculus Quest.

I am utterly captivated by this book, and have been alternately chastising and congratulating myself for having borrowed it from the library. It reminds me quite a lot of “The Neverending Story” in all the best ways.

I don’t know how I feel about tracking page number progress on this one, because I’m already finding stories I want to sit with for a while after reading. Reading “Nicholas Was…” on Christmas Day was a real trip. Finished “Murder Mysteries” just now and I definitely want to pause and reflect after that.

I find that I’m moving through this book much more slowly, giving me time to reflect on each story as I finish it. But this is definitely the type of writing I was looking for from Neil Gaiman, and I am happy to have found it.