I’m a week late on making this update, but life has been a little hectic the past couple of weeks. A couple of fun performances and UIL solo & ensemble competitions took the majority of my musical attention after returning from San Antonio. Add to that the first couple of weeks of rehearsals for the children’s opera produced by Opera of the Plains and you will see that I have been a busy boy! Last week, wildfires plagued the Panhandle and the windy conditions made containment a major challenge while blowing heavy smoke into Plainview. While I was never in danger from the fires, the acrid smell brought some frightening times from my youth right back to the forefront of memory.
With all of that going on, reading took a bit of a back seat in the second half of February. Still, I managed to work my way through a couple of books that I enjoyed quite a bit.
What I Finished
- Red, White, and Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston). Let’s start with a simple statement: I LOVED THIS BOOK! It has everything you could want…humor, intrigue, politics, romance. Alex is the son of the US President. Henry is a member of the British Royal family. The two hate each other—or is the tension really denying deeper feelings? This LGBTQ novel is both riveting and heart-warming. It is a worthy read by any book lover.
- Yellow Face (R.F. Kuang). Two authors — one white, one Chinese-American — are at the heart of the novel. When one dies suddenly, the other takes her first draft of a new novel, edits and caresses it into a masterpiece and publishes it as her own. Is it plagiarism? In an industry where there is “nothing new under the sun,” Yellow Face is a deep exploration of integrity, racial sensitivity, and creative freedom. It also brings to question where original inspiration comes from….and if it’s even possible to write a story that hasn’t been influenced by the experiences and thoughts of another person. While this wasn’t a pleasure for me to read, it did make me think deeply about issues.
What I Did Not Finish
- The Caine Mutiny (Herman Wauk). I always struggle when I decide to DNF a book. With the craziness of February, I was barely able to read 50 pages of this massive work. Rather than dragging this book with me into another month, I decided to shelf it for now. I enjoyed the writing, so maybe I’ll return to this military story again at a later date.
What’s On My TBR
Three books are on my radar at the moment.
- The Women (Kristen Hannah). I’ve been anxious to dive into the latest book from a favorite author ever since it arrived a few weeks ago. I’ve barely started it, but I can tell that I’m going to enjoy this tale of the women heroes in Vietnam’s nursing units.
- 23rd Midnight (James Patterson). I’ve always enjoyed these stories of the Women’s Murder Club series. Again, just started it….but I’m expecting a fast, enjoyable read.
- Silas Marner (George Eliot). March brings me back to my project of exploring the works of Eliot. Since the month looks busy, I’ve elected to read one of the shorter works. With less than 200 pages and the regular assignment of this novel to high school students, I’m feeling confident that I can complete my reading goal this month.
There you have it. I’m going back to my reading chair now and will tell you how things are going in a few weeks.
~Kennith
Reading for Me 
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