Friday Reads 1.31.25
On Conquering Existential Exhaustion
People, it was a week. There were lows. There were highs! There was loss. There was joy. There was pain, and there was relief. There were words, and words, and words. And there was everything in between. Our lives are dichotomous by design; it’s impossible not to have these swings. But it’s been a wild one.
I’m absolutely heartsick about the CJR/Blackhawk crash in DC. It’s starting to look like this was a breakdown in ATC communication creating a collision vector. This shouldn’t have happened. It’s always a perfect storm of problems, and I’m sure we’ll know more soon enough. But so many hopeful lives—what a terrible loss for the US Figure Skating team, the Army, the airline, and everyone in between.💔
You probably don’t know this, but in a past life, when I first left the political world, I went to work for Lockheed Martin on their FAA contract. Part of my job was to do the budget and finance for the multitudes of TRACONs (Terminal Radar Facilities Approach Controls) across CONUS. (Yes, they paid me to do math. I’d make a joke about the government here, but…inappropriate. Though I can still maneuver the hell out of an Excel spreadsheet.) I spent a lot of time in planes, visiting dozens of air traffic control towers and TRACON facilities all over the country. I usually flew in and out of Reagan. That’s a scary flight path on a good day, and even tenser at night. No room for error.
Not to date myself, but tracking flights wasn’t wholly electronic then. They actually wrote the flight details on a slip of paper that went into a metal plate, and they slid the plates along a board in reference to where the planes were on their approaches. It used to be a lot of fun to listen to the pilots talking to the tower as I flew away. (For a few controllers, a girl in the TRACON was akin to a woman aboard an 1800s vessel angering the sea gods, which they were happy to let me know.) It's astounding, really, how much the technology (and society) has changed.
(True story: After a particularly grueling twelve weeks on the road, Mr. E put a ring on it, and I moved jobs.)
Anyway. Out of the wayback machine. Flying is still the safest mode of transportation. But any time there’s an incident, it terrifies us all. “PAT25, do you have the CRJ in sight?” is going down in aviation history.
On to brighter subjects: The books.
I finished ONXY STORM and it was everything I could have hoped for. Twists I expected, twists I didn’t, and a few whoppers that left my jaw on the floor. So much fun, and I can’t imagine how long we’re going to have to wait for the fourth installment. Congrats to Rebecca for breaking the all-time record for week one book sales!
It’s always hard to pick up another book after one so immersive, but I picked well: I’m now deep into SOCIETY OF LIES by Lauren Ling Brown. It is utterly engaging from page one, and I do so love a dark academic theme.
I also started HEARTWOOD by Amity Gage, which is lyrical and beautiful. The literary thriller is gaining popularity again, which makes me very happy.
I grabbed two books on Kindle that I haven’t started yet: GIRL, FORGOTTEN by Karin Slaughter and BEAUTIFUL UGLY by Alice Feeny. Two stunningly great authors, and I’m sure will really get me in the mood for work next week.
And a couple of books are releasing that are well worth your time… A KILLING COLD by Kate Alice Marshall, which I blurbed because I loved it so much. If I recall, the words feral and gothic were used. Also, Carter Wilson’s TELL ME WHAT YOU DID is on sale this week. I think the world of Carter; he has a great podcast that is a lot of fun, too.
On the research side of the fence, I’m reading THE MEANING OF MYTH by Neel Burton, who is a psychiatrist interpreting 12 Greek myths. It’s fascinating to see the myths I am so familiar with through a new lens.
Not a ton of progress on the new book this week, as I had to do the copyedit of THE SCROLLS OF TIME, but I sent that off last night. Another step forward toward wrapping the whole Jayne series in a tight little bow.
That’s it from me today. How about you? What are you reading this weekend? Do you have any great recommendations?
The crash is DC was so terrible. My sister was a competitive ice skater for 7 years. She never reached the "elite" level where you had sponsors and traveled by plane. We did drive all over the Midwest for her competitions....St Joe, KC, Tulsa, Wichita, Denver, Colorado Springs, Dallas...just to name a few. The figure skating world is a small world. Just not your local club. You get to know your competitors as you more than likely compete against them several times a year. It's just so sad.
I also lived in DC for a couple of years after college. I only flew into Reagan once and it's pretty coming in but looking back at it...there must be little room for error. I used to work in the mall at Crystal City, VA...this was basically across from Reagan.
On a much happier note, I took my granddaughter to a college visit on Mon. We went to Creighton Univ in Omaha, NE. I was born and raised in Omaha but I'd never stepped foot on the campus. It's lovely and small. My granddaughter loved it! It's pretty expensive so we'll have to see what scholarships she receives. She wants to be a Dr and if you graduate with Pre Med from there,you're automatically accepted into their medical school...kind of a big deal!
I finished ONXY STORM last night. To say I'm in a book hangover is an understatement. I think I'm going to re-read FOURTH WING and IRON FLAME next. Yes, I should have re-read them before...just an amazing series!
The crash was awful!! Life is hard right now for so many people, and that is why I love books. They help make life more bearable for me. A much-needed escape. ONYX STORM was everything I wanted, and everything I didn't know I needed. I'm in the middle of THE DROWNING GAME by Barbara Nickless. A breathless ride thriller about the world of the ultra-wealthy, and a family that is renown in their line of building luxury yachts. It's about political intrigue in China and missing Jewish heirlooms lost to the Nazis. It's completely different than ONYX STORM and that is deliberate as I didn't think I'd be fair to any other fantasy book right now. I, also, have to confess. Barb and I were in the same SinC chapter in Colorado. She lived outside of Colorado Springs, and I have long wondered if she worked for the CIA. This book only increases that curiosity. I haven't finished it, but if it continues to be this good, I'll be recommending it. Ironically, it was recommended to me by another friend as I had no idea Barb had another book out. One of the things I'm missing by staying off social media more.