What are you reading?
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I recently read Stephen King’s latest, Never Flinch. Now I’m rereading John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series in preparation for his new book in the series that releases in early September. My reading these days tends to be on the very light side. There is enough heaviness in the world - I don’t need it in my make believe worlds, too.
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Legal documents. I have 4 of them to read the longest of which is 50 pages.
I don't have to ask questions about them (a step in the process) and sign them yet (they are drafts written by a FL firm) because the
FL firm and the NY firm had a meeting at the end of July the result of which was the NY firm has concerns about them, the result being these aren't the drafts I can sign anyway.I'm glad for the delay because it gives me more time to read what I have, then more time to prepare for scheduling the meeting with the FL attorney, and so extending the date when I'll have to sign documents in front of notary and two witnesses.
I guess I am lucky because my brother's ex-wife has been like an angel. I met her when she and my brother came to HI on a cruise for their honeymoon. My sister was very close to her and their daughter. My mother was very close to her, as well of course her granddaughter.
As an aside, their daughter decided they were trans and also to change their name and use they/them pronouns. My brother refers to them as, "my child" so as not to have to confront the reality of it all. Lol!
So, when my father died, it was my brother's ex-wife who insisted that my brother and cousin find me.
She knew perfectly well (from my sister) that my father and I were very close. My brother and my cousin didn't know my father and I were in contact.
She knew all the details of my father's decision not to change his will and to refuse to finalize a new draft will for 2 years because my father told her these details himself.
To make a long story short, she and I have become friends.
I trust her with my life meaning she'll have the legal power to make end of life medical decisions. She'll also be my trustee, etc.
I live in a 55+ community. We have a monthly newsletter. I guess it's more like a bulletin. This month's issue has an article about what it called, "elderly orphans."
It defined this term as describing those members of our community who have nobody to designate as having various legal powers.
This reassured me a lot. These documents are arcane (to me) and more complex than I expected them to be. You are, I'd like to say kind of, but in fact giving other people legal power involving your life.
The consensus is that it's better to have people you trust as you become elderly than not to have anyone.
I'm pretty sure that I was at high risk of becoming an "elderly orphan."
I won't be living with the same person I have been living with for 30 years, this will be the first time in my life that I've lived by myself (I can't wait!), and narcissistic abuse is isolating by its nature (not complaining, just being realistic).
This is not as fun as reading a Critical Legal Studies text in college but it is real life, and I'm finding it to be deeply satisfying.
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I just started reading “The Satanic Verses” by Salmon Rushdie. I’m finding it hard to read. I’m going to take a pause from it and get a Cliff’s Notes Study Guide booklet for this book before going back to reading it.
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Well, I read through my documents on paper, not my phone screen, yesterday.
I actually do have a couple of questions. They're not major ones but I need the answers.
So I called the scheduler (back in the day she would have called a secretary but ok). I had to leave a message. I didn't get a call back. I'll try again tomorrow.
The daughter of one of my witnesses beat cancer more than once but is in the ICU because she went into cardiac arrest twice.
I'm praying and waiting for news. I bought condolence cards in case I need to send them.
Our NY house is supposed to close around Thanksgiving so I'm working as fast as possible.
I miss reading a lot but I've become near sighted. I have readers while I look for a Dr. and get glasses.
In any case, my eyes hurt when I read.
Nevertheless, I have a list of books I want to read. I'll buy them after I move. These will mainly be poetry, music history, and a guide or two about learning Latin.
Other than hard core reading, I plan to buy coffee table books, mainly about jewelry houses, history, and architecture.
I plan to buy an XL sized phone and desktop computer with a printer, if possible.
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Do you folk keep a pile of books 'on the go', to dip into as the mood takes?
Bedside table has these:
I'm actually reading the chimney sweep and samurai spirit books. The other humour & poetry as my mood takes.Meanwhile downstairs on the arm of a sofa is another pile of mostly recently bought books that I'm looking at rather than reading:
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I just finished The Time Traveller’s Passport (only available on Audible). It’s a collection of six short stories all related to time travel. I picked it up because one of my favourite authors (John Scalzi) wrote the first story. I absolutely loved three, liked two, and hated (DNF) one. Not bad for a short story collection!
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Am adding this to my list of books to read. Watched an interview with the author on Fareed Zakaria GPS this morning.
Nicholas Thompson, 49, isn’t wanting for accomplishments—personal nor professional. The CEO of The Atlantic ran a 2:29 marathon at 44 years old, shattering his years-long plateau of 2:43s. Thompson is a former editor for The New Yorker, where he covered the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, and the former editor-in-chief for Wired, for which he wrote about trying out the recently launched Nike Zoom Vaporfly 4% super shoes.
Thompson holds the American record in the 50K for the 45-49 age group (3:04:36), which he ran a few minutes behind his friend, Des Linden, who set the world record in 2:59:54.
The father of three prides himself on a close relationship with his wife and his sons, always prioritizing them, but still finding a way to be on top of his work and running games. For example, Thompson, who lives in Brooklyn, never rides the subway to his lower Manhattan office. He runs to and from work, logging eight miles while listening to podcasts and audiobooks. He tries to be as efficient as possible, which is, perhaps, how he managed to write his second book: The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports (October 2025).
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a65058548/nicholas-thompson-the-running-ground/
Fareed made the observation that you don't have to be a runner to find value in the book, but I imagine it would be of special interest to runners.
@kluurs - have you read it?
