I just finished listening to Helene Wecker's novel The Hidden Palace, the sequel to her The Golem and the Jinni.
I loved both books so much.
I've decided to take a seven day hiatus before seeking out my next audiobook.
I need time to mourn.
And I don't want to make another book my rebound book.
Plus...thanks to an article and podcast episode from The Times of Israel, I actually have an idea for my own novel or series that I'm very excited about. I haven't been this excited about an idea since 2014 when I wrote The Dead are Online. (More on that later...maybe)
Because of my excitement over my own idea, it will be hard to concentrate on someone else's story. I need a lot of extra day-dreaming time.
And I need to mourn for the genie and the golem...and all their friends.
* * *
Backstory: I had an autistic-style crisis when Random.org picked Helene Wecker for me from my long list of authors.
I mean after I saw that the audio book was 19 hours!
Shit. I stress about 10 hour books.
I have this rule that I need to finish a book by the library's due date. Though in the back of my mind, I knew I could probably renew it.
I had a brain crisis over whether to pre-divide the book into my reading assignments over two weeks...or plan to renew and divide the book over four weeks.
I decided to take the four weeks.
But I felt uneasy about it.
* * *
My hope was to find an excuse not to read the book.
I looked for evidence that Wecker was one of those Jews who hates Israel.
Did she sign the petition?
No. Fuck.
Okay, I told myself. Fine. But if I find the book boring or annoying within listening to the first three chapters, I can quit and find a new book.
A much shorter book.
* * *
The book pulled me in immediately.
And never let go.
I finished listening to the whole 19 hours before it was time to renew.
I renewed the second book...read it a bit slower. It wasn't because the second book was less wonderful. It's more the fact that the best way for me to concentrate on an audiobook is to listen while doing mindless gardening work.
During the listening of the second book, it was too cold.
Too cold=less gardening=less listening time.
Still...even though I renewed it, I think I actually finished it before the original due date.
* * *
It wasn't just the length that made me not want to read it.
I'm very nervous about fantasy books.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE some of them.
But with other fantasy books...books that other people love....I'm bored.
Also: I tend to like the idea of cultural mythology in theory. Yet a lot of times...when I tried to read about it in depth, I get bored.
Wecker's series is much more history and character driven than mythology-driven.
And there's a lot of food description...which I love. And it takes place in NYC...which I love. In those two ways, it reminds me a bit of The All of a Kind Family series.
Well...three ways. Also, the Jewish aspect.
My condolences. I've been there. Like that feeling when you finish a book and you'd read it again immediately, but it was such a wonderful experience that you're afraid to read it again, in case it doesn't live up to the first time.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Curious if that's happened to you recently (as in last 25 years)...where you reread something, and it wasn't as good the second time. I don't often reread things anymore. Though I did reread the Dark Tower series...and liked it a little less. I think it might have been less about the books and more about me.
DeleteI used to reread more when I was younger and by brain and eyes worked better because I could read stupid fast. It's slowed down a bit. Last 25 years stretches it a bit. For real recently- I have been rereading the Dune series between new stuff, one at a time the first time, instead of all at once. Those have held up. Tolkien is the same. The books I've read most, Hitchhikers Guide always holds up. So does Dracula, the Godfather is the one that waffles, because its different and trashier than the films, so I tend to go back and forth being surprised its better or worse than I remembered the last time. I don't think I've ever intentionally done a reread that led to getting rid of a book, or making me think "I won't read this again." Sometimes it happens with old non-fiction books. Meaning, OK, I still liked this dinosaur book, but now it's almost completely wrong.
DeleteCool! Yeah. I used to reread much more back when I was younger. For me, it's not just about speed of reading but being distracted from so much other content. OR the knowledge that there's so much content out there I want to get to someday. Even though I know it's impossible.
DeleteMy most recent RE was season one of Severence. Because I feel it's going to actually SAVE time. Otherwise, Tim and I are going to keep having to pause season two to ask "Who is that? What happened again?"
Now I'm thinking...I was hoping there would be a third book in the Golem/Genie book, but if there is...I will have to reread, so I know what's going on.
So...I do occasionally reread and rewatch but mostly for the purpose of helping my memory so I can enjoy sequels, next seasons, etc. Much less so because I want to have the enjoyment again.
When I was young...I would go to the theater to see movies multiple times. Reread books over and over and over. I think because there was much less out there competing for my attention.
Its rough now. I do try to prioritize books and films over online content as that leads to doomscrolling too often, but its hard with the world yelling in our faces all the time.
ReplyDeleteThe Dune one's are definitely for the sequel's. I got the Brian Henson follow up books last year, but it's been a while since I read the original 6... but since I know if I read them in a row, I'll be sick of that world when I reach the new ones, I'm spacing them out.
The cross media trigger is a big one. Over October break, when we were watching horror movies, Anabelle picked Coppala's "Bram Stoker's Dracula." It's her favorite book and one of mine, leading to us talking about what the movie changed, and both inserting it to the top of our piles.
I do have a huge amount of "comfort films" so even when we're working through a new pile there's often a "need" to pull out one of the "classics."