It seems as though allergens have been in the air all week. Despite taking all the allergy medicines, my eyes have been paying the price. They have felt puffy, itchy, dry, and just plain tired. I know it won’t be an issue always; just for a few weeks as things begin to calm down with the arrival of fall. It can’t get here soon enough.
Combine tired eyes with less than stellar reading selections and you have a perfect formula for a rough reading week. I made progress through both reads this week, but only because I set daily goals for my reading and tried to stay on top of it. This week’s books were not what I had hoped they would be. That makes me second guess my plans for what to read next because I really need to be pulled into a story now to get me back into a healthy reading routine.
What I Finished This Week
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry. I needed to read a book with a celebrity on the cover. This was a free book through Kindle Unlimited, so I decided it would be the selection. I should remember that often there is a reason the book is free. Knowing how Perry’s life tragically ended just a few years after the publication of the book should have been my first red flag. The book centered on Perry’s struggles with addiction throughout his life and how drugs and alcohol impacted his career, relationships, and health. At times, the text read as though it was blaming his addiction on everyone else but himself — a parent’s choice to allow him to fly as an unaccompanied minor or a woman who didn’t love him enough to stay despite his struggles. While I was hopeful to hear about his encounter with God, I found his relationship with a “higher power” unsettling. At times, I almost DNF’d the book because of the way Perry spoke to God; it was almost blasphemous. As you can tell, this was not a good fit for me at all. My rating is based solely on the fact that Perry was a gifted wordsmith. 2.75 stars.
To the Moon and Back by Eliana Ramage. What began as a very positive reading experience quickly turned to a story of selfishness in the midst of family struggles. Last weekend, I expected this to be a book all about fulfilling one’s goals by overcoming obstacles. While there was an element of that in the conversation, To The Moon and Back was more focused on human sexuality and a person’s willingness to do anything necessary to obtain their dreams — whether that meant fighting a shark or betraying a sister. Truthfully, it felt as though the author lost her way about halfway through the novel when things took a turn in the plot’s construction. Ramage tried too hard to make the text make a political argument that didn’t do the story any favors. 3 stars.
What I’m Currently Reading
This has proven to be more complicated that I anticipated. It was late on Sunday evening when I finished reading To the Moon and Back. (I really just wanted to get that book done so I could start something new.) I planned to read Night Over Water by Ken Follett this week because of how much I had enjoyed my experiences with his other works, specifically the Century Trilogy and The Pillars of the Earth. (I must admit that Never left me a bit apathetic after reading it.) While Night Over Water sounds intriguing, as I sat down to begin reading today, the book is just not hitting me at the moment. So, I’ll head home this afternoon and peruse my TBR shelf for something that will captivate my imagination. It will be a surprise to all of us what turns up as the week’s featured book.
Reading for Me 
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