Masks and Winter

Winter in Brisbane is usually delightful. It’s the time of year which allows us to recoup and regroup for the coming summer. It’s the time of year when physical exercise during the daylight hours doesn’t leave you a quivering mess. It’s the time of year when your makeup doesn’t slowly slide down your cheeks leaving a puddle on the tablecloth.

This winter sux. Covid sux. Everything sux. We’ve come out of a three day Lockdown ( which was easy peasy) to compulsory mask wearing and I tell you, wearing masks obviously means less oxygen getting to the brain. Because I assure you, the nut jobs are out there.

Yesterday I received a monthly newsletter from my insurance company. Targeting the mature demographic the newsletter includes warming soup recipes and road trip tips for those with vans and mobile homes. All rather innocuous.

It also includes the article “Seven Guaranteed Page-Turners To Read This Winter”. I’ll list the recommendations below.

The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe.                                      1987

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.                                                          2002

The Narrow Road To The Deep North by Richard Flanagan.       2014

The Yiddish Policemans Union by Michael Chabon.                     2007

The Poisonwood Diary by Barbara Kingsgrove.                            1999

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.                                               2005

The North Water by Ian Maguire.                                                    2016

I have no doubt that they are all fine reads but only one was written within the last five years. Doesn’t this just reek of laziness to you?

So, here’s the book I last read – and thoroughly enjoyed :

Here are my coming reads for Bookclub:

And you’re suggesting I just need to get out more, aren ‘t you?

AGREED. It’s just difficult to co-ordinate a frock with a mask and be able to breath at the same time.