A Man on An Island, A Man Accused of Murder, and My Obsession with Gourds
It's Fall Ya'll
I am having a hard time writing, reading, and watching this week. Maybe hard time is not the right way to describe it, but it’s more like I just don’t have a lot of things I’m really invested in or in love with. Everything is just ok? These times come, and I know it will pass, but it just makes writing these kind of tough sometimes. Anyway, here is a short post with what I’ve been up to--would love to hear anything you’re loving right now to help get me out of this funk!
What I’m Reading
Clear by Cary Davies
Set somewhere near Norway, a religious man needs funding for the new church so he takes on the challenging job of evicting a man on a remote island so that sheep and only sheep can take over. Somewhat unfortunately, the religious man is involved in an accident on the island which drastically changes the mission and the relationship between the two men.
I was somewhat surprised by this one! Surprised that I enjoyed it and have been thinking about it even after finishing it. When I initially picked it up, I thought it might be boring because it does take a minute to get warmed up. But then a fascinating, gentle relationship begins dealing with a situation that is really quite awful. I think the historical aspects of it were some of my favorite qualities of this. Folks really were getting evicted off islands so that others could generate new profit, which is still an issue today, but it was interesting to explore it in this remote island setting where no one even spoke the language of that island anymore. Which was another aspect that I loved--exploring words and how we teach others, the intimacy of language, as well as interpreting body language.
I recommend it for anyone that loves historical fiction, looking for a soft reading experience but still explores some beautiful themes.
What I’m Watching
I got around to watching Presumed Innocent on Apple TV as well, and found it to be a decent watch. The story follows a prosecutor who is accused of the murder of a colleague after it's discovered he was having an affair with her.
A few things to note. Jake Gylennhal was excellent, he was confusing and misleading, but charming. His bestie, and later his prosecutor was my fav character. What undying support some of these characters had for Jake because I’m not sure I would be that down for someone cheating on his wife and other issues… Loyalty is a fascinating theme explored. I also read that their was quite a few changes from the sourced novel, which honestly intrigued me because I wasn’t a fan of the ending--without giving it away, I just didn’t buy into it after all that happened.
All in all, if you like courtroom dramas, thrillers, who dunnits, this a pretty solid one worth watching.
What I’m Doing
It’s fall in the Pacific Northwest which means I somehow went to four pumpkin patches in the last two weekends. This is actually not something I normally do, but rather a necessity of circumstances. You see, ever since purchasing our first home, every fall time I get really obsessed with decorating with pumpkins. I’ve bought over 100 lbs in pumpkins for the last three years each October and I have no intention of stopping. Also 100 lbs in pumpkins actually, in my opinion, sounds more than what it is, but I digress.
The first patch we stopped at was one where you could pet mini highland cows--the obvious reason for our attendance. If you’ve never had the experience of feeding mini cows, it feels a lot like a giant dog is licking your hand. Not unpleasant, if I do say so.
Our second was to go with my siblings and some of their kids. This was a busy patch, but I was able to get a pumpkin doughnut and chase around my nephew who wanted photos at every opportunity. We love it.
Lasty, we hit a couple smaller farms with the sole purpose of picking up more pumpkins. I am obsessed with the pastel pumpkins I found this year. Who needs traditional orange when you can get a soft green or a fairy princess pumpkin. Needless to say, I am a pumpkin person.
Later this week I’ve finally written some thoughts about the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives and it gets personal, so hope to see you there!
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