SOLC Day 12: Finding a Just-Right Book

Reading is one of my favorite things. I usually have 2 books going at a time. One is an audiobook that I listen to when I’m driving or running. The other is in print or on my Kindle.

For the first time in awhile, I was in a reading rut. I don’t particularly spend a lot of time choosing my next read, because I usually have a book become available from my hold list. (Curating my three library hold lists is practically another hobby, but that’s another slice!) However, last week I just couldn’t seem to get into anything. Over vacation I picked out several books to get my mind inspired about upcoming gardening. After reading Second Nature by Michael Pollen, I wanted to read something like one of my favorites, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I quickly abandoned Plenty: One Man, One Woman, and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally mostly because it takes place in the Pacific Northwest, not Maine. I adored the premise of Two Gardeners: Katharine S. White and Elizabeth Lawrence: A Friendship in Letters, but it didn’t have enough of a plot to follow.

I switched gears and saw that a new rom com, Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok from my holds was available. I got about 20% into this one, but I kept falling asleep when I read it! It is rare that I abandon 3 in a row. I was beginning to worry.

But that changed on Saturday.

PING! Went my phone. It was an update from the Libby app. A new book from my hold list was available! I was excited to give something new a try. It was the book Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson. It is a mystery and thriller with some wit. It takes place on a train called The Ghan which runs from South to North in Australia. I absolutely love a book that has a strong sense of place, especially one that I have never been to before! At rest time (when my 3 year old naps and my 5 year old plays quietly while I read) I couldn’t wait to start it. Before I knew it, I was on page 19. I had to stop reading to find out how much this luxury train ride actually cost. When my son asked for a snack I was on page 47, not reading but Googling photos of Coober Pedy, a real underground city in Australia. By the time my daughter woke up, I was on page 72. Is it the best book of all time? No, but it is just right for now!