I love to read, but since The Great 2020 Adventure began, I have been reading a lot less than I usually do. Partly, my brain was struggling to focus long enough to digest an entire paragraph, let alone a proper page or chapter. But also, the books I was reading when this adventure started were not good choices for the current circumstances. They were just too serious and dark. I wanted to finish them, though, so I inched my way to their endings before starting anything new.

Lesson learned: I need light, happy fare when living through such serious times.

I regained my bookworm status with Book Seven of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s. I cannot recommend that series highly enough! It’s about a group of time traveling historians and impossible to classify. The back of the book says it’s Sci-Fi but it’s also romance, adventure, and historical fiction plus the writing is hilarious in a “laugh so hard you might pee your pants especially if you’ve ever been pregnant and your children ruined your bladder” sort of way.

Now I am reading The UnHoneymooners by Christina Lauren, a romance that is so entertaining and funny, that I read waaaay past my bedtime last night for the first time since I began sheltering at home. Seriously, I have not been able to read for more than ten minutes before I nod off and wake hours later, the book still clenched in my hands. But last night, I read for an entire hour! I will have to abandon the t.v. by 9 p.m. tonight if I want any chance of honoring my 10 pm bedtime.

When I finish The UnHoneymooners, I am going to pick another novel that is light hearted and hopefully hilarious. And I know exactly what it is! I read inhaled Class Mom earlier this year when I had a sick day, and I picked up the sequel You’ve Been Volunteered at the library the day before Pasadena closed its libraries.

I’ve also been able to enjoy a couple of books in the graphic memoir/novel genre because hello, my brain enjoys the pictures. First up, I had already pre-ordered Lucy Knisley’s new comic memoir last July because I will read anything she writes. It’s a sweet but honest collection of cartoons about new parenthood.

And lastly, I really enjoyed The Queen of the Sea, which is a fantasy story loosely based on the story of young Queen Elizabeth I. I tried to savor this one as slowly as possible.

I also downloaded the audio version of The Diary of Anne Frank AND CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL I WAS THINKING? For fuck’s sake! What I need is to be diverted and entertained. At the time of the download, I thought I might find her story inspiring but holy shit, I am seriously questioning my judgment. Did I accidentally get high on glue sticks while doing a craft project with the kids?! I think I just need to download another audiobook and leave Anne Frank for happier times.