Random XP! Three Books

Is it just me or is this pandemic exhausting? I think I found the shelter-in-place order intriguing to begin with. I was relieved in some ways that my weekends were now free, and that I could write to my heart’s content. It hasn’t really worked out that way, though. I feel like I’m writing less. My weekday mornings are shot because my children are on Zoom meetings for class and on the weekends, well, there’s much to do. Much to do I tell you even though I typically spend one full day watching TV with my teenage daughters (I’ve been watching so much anime that I’m beginning to think in Japanese) and one full day working in the backyard/cleaning/being otherwise productive. When I’m lazy, it’s exhausting When I’m productive, I tend to overdo it and it’s exhausting. Not only that but for the last week, I’ve been plagued by a persistent yet mild headache which doesn’t lend itself to creativity. So I guess this post is just going to be me whining while people are outside dying. I’m done now.


I’ve been staying away from the news for the most part. I read headlines. I’m not interested in what Trump is doing because it only pisses me off (The fact that he’s putting his name on the CARE ACT checks? WTF? And why are we letting him? It’s an obvious ploy to get votes from the uneducated, and so ridiculous it’s laughable. Ay, Dios Mio!). And congress, I mean, for Christ’s sake people, if they can’t stop their bickering and finger-pointing at a time like this I think we really are doomed. Doomed, I tell ya! So, I don’t even want to know.


Anywho … the title of this post is three books for a reason. I started reading three different books that I have not finished in the last year (perhaps longer? I could consult Goodreads to be certain but I’m certain it doesn’t matter at this point). I’m so close to finishing my own book (I think I hope OMG maybe not) that I haven’t read anything more involved than manga in a really long time (a long time being months, which is a long time indeed for a mind vacation). So, I’ve decided I need to finish these three books:


Shadowland – Peter Straub

The Left Hand of Darkness – Ursula Le Guin


Linger – Maggie Stiefvater


This list of DNFs perfectly encapsulates the strangeness of my motley reading interests.

And then, I must commit to reading a book I bought months ago with the intention of reading right away because it’s going to be so awesome I know and yet, I can’t seem to pick it up because I know every waking moment going forward will be spent reading it in all it’s 1300+ pages of glory:


Words of Radiance – Brandon Sanderson


So, wish me luck. I have already made progress in Shadowland. Hopefully, Straub doesn’t do anything horrible to absolutely piss me off or I’ll have to permanently DNF him.

Happy reading, people!


J. L. Dodd