1,230 pages. $40 retail. Just arrived at the library 10/28/25, and been sitting on my table unopened for several days while I finished off Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare. And since someone else is waiting for it, I only have it for another 16 days. Hmmm. That's almost 80 pages per day. I'm thinking that that's unlikely to happen. But what the hell, let's roll them bones and see.
Day 1 (DDRD 2,940), November 20, 2025
Read to page 40. Which is not 80. I got sidetracked and spent quite a bit of reading time on A Little Life.
"...no matter how well hidden, age always gathers its scars." (22)
My friend Pat often talks about suffering...always in a Christian context. I think that essentially translates into Why does God permit what seems to be pointless sufferung? Like children with cancer, for instance. I wish that I had an answer for that one.
Day 2 (DDRD 2,941), November 21, 2025
Read to page 57. Yeah, that's even farther from 80. More A Little Life. This book is good...and might erupt into great, I think...but A Little Life is compelling. I'm just going to let myself drift with the glow on this since both books are due soon and unrenewable.
Day 3 (DDRD 2,942), November 22, 2025
Read to page 83. I'm growing unsure of this book. I was starting to sink into it (what with the ghost showing up and all that), but then there was a cut to a card game which (1) I don't understand & (2) don't care about at all, and the story just seems to have ground to a halt. I'm not ready to quit yet, but my enthusiasm for A Little Life is much larger than what i feel for this book...and I'm really knocking back the pages on that one.
Day 4 (DDRD 2,943), November 23, 2025
Read to page...Nope. I got up early with a burning desire to read A Little Life. I thought about reading Tom's Crossing first, but I let that go toot sweet and got on with A Little Life. Took it to church with me, too. After that the day dissolved...took the kids out to lunch, watched Tulsa King with Joe, took Jacqueline to a church to hear a performance of Handel's Messiah, watched a football game with my sister, got stoned, went to bed. Took A Little Life with me to bed, but was too pooped (and still stoned) and didn't get to it. But I'd read 71 pages, and I knew it was time to put Tom's Crossing on hold. So...
Day 4 (DDRD 2,949) November 29, 2025
Read to page 105.
I'm back in the 🏇 again. Apropos, as this seems to be a
Western. I'm not sure that I have it in me to finish this, but I feel that I should at least give it a shot. Meanwhile, I am thinking that
Hanya Yanagiharahas a third novel
that is available at the library.🤔
Day 5 (DDRD 2,950) November 30, 2025
Read to page 150. Hmmm. That leaves 1,080 pages to go, and 5 days to do it. So 216 pages a day would do it. But I don't see that happening. I'm just going to keep reading and see how it goes. I've started getting into it, so hopefully I can find a way to finish it in the near future. (Unless....)
"The heart is where what matters starts. The rest is aftermath." (134) Italicized in the text because it's a ghost speaking. Yes, one of the main characters in this novel (at least so far) is a 👻.
New word for me:
utileadjectiveˈyü-tᵊl ˈyü-ˌtī(-ə)l : usefulhttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/utileThere it is.
I just read a reddit review which said this:
vmedichalo17
•
23d ago
To sort of keep it short: I highly recommend it. I am not a Western person or someone who likes long works. I had only read House of Leaves prior several years ago. There is some MZD flare but it is minimal. Sort of the sheer size and lengths of description is the most HoL aspect to it in reflecting the story. I finished it tonight, 5 days of reading, I was that hooked. It got me to cry several times if that is unique. Some areas get winded and your eyes learn to gloss over it (some special details are there sometimes). The "accent" is explained later but after awhile it stopped bothering me. To me they were all believable characters and all provoked the right emotions out of me. It has made my top 5 favorite books...which I would never have believed when I started it.
You know what my first thought was? "If that motherfucker could read it in 5 days, so can I!"
But I really don't think I can.
Day 6 (DDRD 2,951) December 1, 2025
Read to page 200. I'm clearly not going to make it to the end of this before the due date, but I'm pretty into it now, so I'll keep reading until then and try to get it back as soon as possible. Tom's little sister is a great character.
Day 7 (DDRD 2,952) December 2, 2025
Read to page 230.
Day 8 (DDRD 2,953) December 3, 2025
Read to page 270.
Word of the day: excubant.
According to the OED, "How common is the adjective excubant? Fewer than 0.01occurrences per million words in modern written English."
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/excubant_adj?tl=true
And https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/excubant defines it as "keeping watch; on guard."
I checked on "other copies" of this book (since my loan only has 3 more days to it and no renewals), and there were 2 electronic copies with 10 people waiting and 4 print copies with 18 people waiting. I put in for an e-copy.
Day 9 (DDRD 2,954) December 4, 2025
Read to page 308. Wanted to read more, but
Well it figures. I have one more day before I have to return this book and I'm really getting into it now. On top of that, it will probably be months before I can get it again, as it is quite popular at the LFPL. 😕
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