Short Attention Span (or Reading in the Time of COVID-19)

Yes, I have been reading. I’ve been reading a lot. Books, after all, provide a great escape from reality and who isn’t looking for some escapism these days? (Thank you very much, COVID-19, for making even 2019 look good.) There’s only so much work from home, gardening, cooking and eating, binge watching, Zoom-ing (is that a word yet?), and random hobby development–hello, guitar practice!–one can do while sheltering in place.

Yes, I’ve been reading … but I’m having a hard time finishing.

Those books you see spread across the bedspread have been “in progress” for quite some time. They live on my nightstand, stacked and ready for the brief moment or two of attention they’re allotted. Mood seems to be the deciding factor.

Looking for Comfort

Two (Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and World War Z) are old friends, novels I’ve read and reread so many times they’ve become soothing in their familiarity. I know what you’re wondering: what sort of weirdo finds comfort in plots about a depressed young woman with a horrific childhood and the destruction of the known world through a zombie apocalypse? Me–because the authors’ writing is immersive and their characters memorable. And, when you get down to it, both have a positive ending: we get through the bad stuff, battered but eventually better.

Curious About the World

Three books appeared in my Little Free Library, which has been seeing some energetic churn since everyone’s been incessantly walking the neighborhood, looking for ways to escape boredom. All three examine life from another perspective. Rez Life and How Democracies Die: What History Reveals About Our Future were on my “books to read” list, so I immediately grabbed them; their more weighty subjects have required small doses. David Traeuer’s book is subtitled “An Indian’s Journey Through Reservation Life” and mixes personal experience with a lot of history and fact. Do I need to explain why How Democracies Die, no matter how engrossing and well written, might need to be put aside often these days? (Nah.) And I’m a personal essay fan, so there was simply no resisting Mary Laura Philpott’s cute collection with those easy-to-stretch-out-over-time distinct chapters.

I Need Some Beauty

Joy Harjo is the current Poet Laureate of the United States and first Native American to fill this honorable position. I love poetry and read one of her collections last summer (see “Traveling with Books” for my thoughts on Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings). Crazy Brave is Harjo’s memoir on becoming a poet; I’ve picked it up several times but somehow never fully dive in. I fully blame short attention span for this failure because Harjo is simply luminous, whether in prose or poetry. Or on Instagram.

Something to Snack on

And this brings me to my one success of the lot. I actually finished Crosstalk last night (Book #20 for 2020!). Sweet, light, funny, and with a patina of science fiction, this novel fit my short attention span reading rate. Nothing too heavy, easy to put down and pick up, little concentration required. Now, why I couldn’t finish it in time for our monthly book club discussion or make it to that Zoom meet-up is a failure of a whole ‘nother nature.

Perhaps you’re wondering about those allegedly completed books, #1 through #20 of 2020? That booklist is coming . . . just as soon as I get around to finishing it. I totally blame the pandemic.