An Open Book: February 2024

Yes, we’re just a few days away from the end of March and I’m just now getting February’s open book post out. C’est la vie!

Part of my Lenten sacrifice was to not read my Kindle in bed at night because I wanted to devote that time to prayer instead. Therefore, I read a lot less in February than I did in January.

Now that Lent is almost over, I’ll be honest and say that my Kindle-in-bed ban didn’t last! A few weeks ago, I whipped out my little black device under the comfort of my warm blankets and read the night away.

Another factor for me (attempting) to give up the Kindle was that I was staying up way later than I wanted to and would wake the next day as a crabby grouch to my family – nobody wants that! For the sake of my family, I needed to get to bed earlier.

Now my happy-medium is allowing my Kindle in bed but only for 15 minutes of reading before lights out!

OK, onto the books.

Fiction

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

This was a crazy story about a man trying to solve a murder who lives the same day over and over in the bodies of a different person each day. At times I wondered if my brain could handle all the body-and-time-hopping, but I wanted to make it to the end, and it was worth it! I was sad when the book was over and I definitely couldn’t have predicted how it would end. This is one of the most creative novels I’ve ever read.

Non Fiction

 #Outofshapeworthlessloser (Gracie Gold memoir)

Woah, this was riveting! As a former figure skater, this book brought back so many memories and feelings related to some of the uglier sides of this sport.

If you don’t know Gracie Gold, she’s a US Olympic medalist who battled depression and an eating disorder and went to rehab. But that’s just the surface of her story. Her book is a tell-all, revealing unhealthy training techniques (which didn’t surprise me in the least), disordered eating, her parents’ broken marriage, and the utter spiral Gracie went down on her way to the top. I was still competing when Gracie Gold was at “her best”, though I was nowhere near her level and in a different discipline.

I was a member of the media at 2014 US Nationals, where she won and brought the crowd to its feet to secure her spot at the Olympics. I remember feeling jealous of her life, wishing I could have it. Now, having read what she was going through at that time, I wouldn’t wish it on anyone! It’s a reminder that all the glory in sports doesn’t heal wounds and doesn’t make you feel loved.

Trigger warning as rape, sexual assault, suicide, drugs, emotional/verbal abuse and sexuality is discussed, plus a decent amount of swearing.