November Reads
2024
It’s been a spare month for reading. We’re short-handed at work and ridiculously busy, which means by the time I get home I’m exhausted and often default to mindless solitaire or some other stuporous activity. After the election here in the USA, I began to focus more tightly on my own creative work as an escape and an anodyne to despair; that means less time. I’ve been reading extensively in Substack, but did not come across any new writers during November.
The Crying Child by Barbara Michaels
Here I Stay by Barbara Michaels
The Grey Beginning by Barbara Michaels
The Jackal’s Head by Elizabeth Peters
Master of Blacktower by Barbara Michaels
Ammie, Come Home by Barbara Michaels
Shattered Silk by Barbara Michaels
Barbara Michaels (AKA Elizabeth Peters) has long been a favorite, as I wrote in October Reads. I’ve collected most of her work; and it’s a battered and well-read collection. The paperbacks are falling apart. She writes great escapism, which has served me well in the last weeks. I read her exclusively at bedtime; my familiarity with her work is soothing and doesn’t keep me reading too late.
The Institute by Stephen King
Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King
End of Watch by Stephen King
Finders Keepers by Stephen King
Carrie by Stephen King
I read King during the day. I’m working steadily through my local library’s collection. They’re all incredibly entertaining and some are so marvelous I buy my own copy. I won’t buy any of those above, but I never feel I’ve wasted my time reading King. Mr. Mercedes starts a series of interconnected books. I haven’t read all of them yet, as the fourth one is checked out of the library presently. I had never read Carrie before. I struggled with it, not because I felt it was horror, but because of the human suffering experienced by the main character. For me, it’s an entirely tragic story. I have no desire to see the movie.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, read by Davina Porter (audio)
About 15 years ago I discovered Gabaldon’s Outlander series as I was helping clear out a little house after the demented owner had to be institutionalized. She had a paperback copy of one of the books and it looked interesting, so I took it home to read. I was hooked. I bought the series, up to the point it was written at the time, and have eagerly awaited each new book over the years. I also bought the audio books, which are narrated by Davina Porter, who is English. They are marvelous, and I don’t know how many times I’ve listened to them over the years. It takes a long time. Each book is quite long.
In October we started watching the Outlander series on Netflix. I knew it was being made and had heard mostly good things about it, but I’m always a little reluctant to watch my favorite series and characters on film. For me, this is a deeply felt and much beloved story with characters who are entirely real to me, and I didn’t want anything to disturb my joy in it. But I was curious and finally decided to try it.
It's wildly condensed, of course, but a beautiful production. Gabaldon acted as consultant. The addition of music adds greatly to the magic, and I’m enchanted. Seeing it on film made me want to revisit the written series, so I began Outlander on audio again. It companions me while I do housework and work in the kitchen, and transports me to a tumultuous time, now long past, helping me maintain some perspective on the current state of the world.