Words by Allyson

I have tracked my reading on Goodreads for the past several years, but I'm not great at writing reviews or putting down my thoughts. I used to keep a reading journal but have since fallen off that, so this is my attempt. We'll see how many months I keep up with this, but I'm choosing to be optimistic. With that...

1. Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig - I devoured the first book in this duology in December and was eager to finish it off. I read it in just a couple of days and thoroughly enjoyed it. This author has a new book coming out in a few months and now I'm very eager for it.

2. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett - I've decided that Ann Patchett is an author I don't need to revisit again. This is the second of her books that I've read; both were fine and entirely forgettable to me. I need more plot, more stakes, more characters I care about. I'm not mad I read it, but I won't be lining up for her next book.

3. The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young - This was my favorite book I read this month! This is the kind of time travel I like. The main tension with this time travel deals entirely with relationships. How do you handle it when you arrive back in time and confront someone you know, but at a completely different stage of the relationship than you have ever experienced? It was brilliantly done - could not put it down.

4. I'm No Philosopher But I've Got Thoughts by Kristin Chenoweth - I don't really have kind things to say. I read this for my book club and it was sweet and also completely forgettable. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it, but I also would never recommend it.

5. How to Read a Book by Monica Wood - This one sort of breaks my heart. I loved the first two thirds of this book. But the ending was so disappointing that I would hesitate to recommend it. There were just enough convenient choices by the author that really ruined it for me.

6. The Dry by Jane Harper - This was fun! I was recommended this book by my boss, and it reads like a pretty classic mystery. There are more books in this series with the same investigator, and I would read more of them.

7. Talking at Night by Claire Daverley - I bought this book in an airport last summer and it just was not the right time for me to read it. On this revisit, I can still say I don't think this book is for everyone. The writing was really beautiful and I absolutely loved the language. But it does move rather slow and the characters can be sort of unlikeable. It worked for me, but I will be selective about who I recommend it to.

When I was in the seventh grade, I read Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. The novel begins, 

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure it out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy."

A brilliant opener that sent a pang through me the first time I read it. That's a feeling I've been chasing with each book I've picked up in the 20 years since I first experienced it. There's an immediate awareness that something profound will follow. That reading this book will be an experience to savor. 

Here's to the power of an opening line.

Cari Cakes - I'm obsessed with her vlogs, and her book content.

Needlepoint. It's my favorite way to wind down before bed right now.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Rooting for her to win gold tomorrow!

The pool. I feel so lucky to have a neighborhood pool.

I loved this post and I've read every single comment on it.

I made the best sandwich today for lunch and the minute I finished it, I started looking forward to tomorrow when I get to have it again.

I just got this sweater and I'm so excited to wear it this fall.

The Olympics. I haven't had to look for plans in days. At any given time, I can turn on the Olympics and I'm content.

Five years ago, I went to my hometown to say goodbye.

My parents were selling the home I grew up in that summer, and I didn't know when I would ever be back in that town. While I had (and still have) no interest in living in Tallahassee again, I felt a strange paralysis. Like if my parents left, somehow Tally wasn't mine anymore. I wasn't allowed to claim it. 

When my parents picked me up at the airport for my farewell visit, my mother asked if there was anything I wanted to do. 

I wasn't sure how to answer. I told her that I wanted to spend time with her and Dad, a visit to Mashes Sands to swim in the Gulf, and that I wanted a Bradley's sausage. Bradley's Country Store is one of my favorite places in Tallahassee. We pulled up the next day for lunch and ordered sausage dogs and bought a bottle of Nehi. We sat on the front porch to eat. Afterward, we went back inside where Dad picked up a jar of some kind of preserves, and I picked out Sweet Vidalia Onion salad dressing to take back with me to Virginia.

I held onto that salad dressing and didn't open it for almost two years, and I teared up a little when I finally finished it (and not just because it's truly heavenly - I've never found anything that compares here).

Lately, I've been thinking about Tallahassee. Thinking about my life there. Thinking about how different my life is now, and how grateful I am for the place I grew up. 

For the town and the memories that will always be mine.