Whatcha' Reading November 2020

Hi, I'm Katherine and I love books.

For those of you who don't know me, I've taken on the position of copywriter/editor, online merchandiser, and photoshoot stylist (among other things) for Boutique Lustre. After a few years of being a huge fan of Lustre, Yasmine, and her designs, we found a way to work together.
FUN FACT: Yasmine made my wedding dress!

As I said, I love books. Always have, always will. I feel perfectly at home sitting cozily in a corner reading quietly for hours. (If I'm honest, it's not always "quietly." Sometimes I'm laughing or gasping out loud and occasionally throwing the book across the room if it's particularly upsetting.) Since COVID first hit Montréal in March, my husband and I have basically stayed at home in semi-isolation. (We're very thankful to have jobs that let us work from home.) At first, that meant a lot of streaming movies and TV. However, for the last few months, I've started reading again: revisiting some old favourites, as well as delving into new stories.

I must admit I have a problem though, and that is that I start one book after another until I have a good five or six on rotation, forget about book two and three as I finish book four and six, only to add new titles to replace the completed ones, until I eventually turn my attention back--however briefly--to the ones I've misplaced or ignored. I also have a habit of "putting away" a book for a while if it's tough reading. (Think Joey putting his copy of The Shining in the freezer.)

Going into October, my bookclub opted for some classic spooky fare: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I'd never read it before and jumped at the chance to read something that had such an impact on English Literature and the horror genre. Now, it always takes me a few pages (or paragraphs) to get into the groove of a particular author and their writing style (whether it's as foreign as Riddley Walker or close to home as the morning paper). Jekyll and Hyde was no different. The heightened British vocabulary and long sentences took a bit of time to adjust to, but I got there quickly enough. It was certainly strange, spooky, and left me with a lot of questions about the nature of people, civilization/civility, and duality. 

In stark contrast to this more serious and sombre piece, I also reread all six books of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. This is one of my favourite series, created and written by Douglas Adams (except number six, which is a great send-up of Adams' style and weird universe). Part Monty Python, part Doctor Who, and part je-ne-sais-quoi, these books have me laughing out loud almost every single page. If this sounds like your bag, I highly recommend giving them a try. Light and funny entertainment with whip-like social commentary and deep contemplations about the nature of people, civilization/civility, and towels.

As the universe works in mysterious ways, just as I finished the sixth instalment of the Hitchhiker's trilogy, my dad sent me a copy of Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Neil Gaiman, which details (through interviews, research, and source material) the evolution of the Hitchhiker's universe (including radio shows, records, theatre productions, musicals, a tv series, and the books). I'm already 42% through it (spot the joke, if you can).

Have you read any of these novels? If so, what did you think? If not, why not? What genre of books do you prefer? Do you have a favourite author? Comment below or tag me on instagram @katturn and let me know!

#booksbooksbooks

- Katherine