Holy moly it’s April. What the actual?
A few things have been going on in my life.
Reading Goals 2024
I finished the Covenant of Water – wonderful wonderful wonderful! Since then, I’ve started:
- Naomi Alderman – The Future: I loved The Power so when I saw Alderman has written another apocalyptic type novel I was interested. Thanks to the Libby App I could get the e-book out from my library for free. Another great win for Libby.
- Karne R. Kleiman, and Valierie Davis Raskin – This isn’t what I expected: I’m in the process of studying to become a postpartum doula, and this was one of the set works for the course. It’s about postpartum depression and stress disorders. As someone who struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety, it has been a very helpful read (though I think the version of the book I’m reading is a little outdated) because it normalizes the experience of postpartum mood disorders, and provides helpful tips for mothers and fathers who are struggling with them.
- Lisa Taddeo – Animal: I read Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women many years ago and found the writing extremely compelling. I started Animal on my very first night away from my son back in February, and only managed a few chapters before it was time to go home. But looking forward to dipping back into this in the next month or so.
Online reading
- This compelling and powerful piece about how becoming a mother forces you to confront what is and isn’t working in your life – Leslie Jamison: The Birth of My Daughter, the Death of My Marriage.
- This piece by Kate Sidley on the aftermath of an armed home robbery – The Third Person: Writing in the Aftermath of a Home Robbery.
Watching
- The Morning Show – wow. I know I’m incredibly late to watching this but I was totally sucked in by the story, the characters and the pacing. I thought it was extremely compelling. I gobbled up Season 1 in a week, and watched the next two seasons over March.
- The Shining Girls – I’m a big fan of Lauren Beukes’s writing, and now that I’ve got an Apple TV subscription I’m excited to be able to watch the Shining Girls. Read the book as soon as it came out many years ago, and love Elisabeth Moss, so I’m pretty sure I’m going to freaking love this show.
- The Three Body Problem- my husband read the trilogy and enjoyed it, so when we saw it was out on Netflix we decided to jump in. Two episodes in and I’m gripped.
Things other than reading and watching TV
In late January I started an awesome strength training program at Sports Science Institute of South Africa. It’s called EmpowerHer and it’s an all-women 12-week strength program. After the first class I realised I was about to get my ass kicked for 12 weeks, and now that we’re in week 10 I’m feeling stronger and pleased about it. It’s been amazing working out with a supportive group of women.
This year has also been full of surprises. Unexpected creatures living in our roof. Many many things going wrong with the very old house we decided to buy during COVID. Work that I thought was going to go one way, but went another. It has been … interesting.
But is she writing?
Truthfully, not much. But I have been transcribing my journals from my early days of being a mom, and I’m trying to work out if there is anything there to work with. Possible titles for writing about early motherhood:
- Is this kak, or is it just me?
- Am I going to make it out of this alive?
- I need more snacks.
And you?
What have you been up to? Writing? Living? Doing anything exciting? Tell me. I’d love to hear.
Jen Thorpe 