Reading, Writing, and Me

Welcome back to the world's most inconsistent monthly series—my wrap-ups! They should get more consistent now that I'm in school and reading is definitionally part of my job. Operative word is should ... Hopefully, they'll also be more interesting because I'll be exploring a wider range of books and texts as I keep expanding my knowledge, doing class readings, and picking up books for fun. I'm currently reading like twelve different things at the moment, and my brain is thriving being stretched in so many ways! I'm using it again! So needless to say, we're forcibly putting an end to the summer reading slump. This month started slow because I had my last week at work where I really prioritized hanging out with everyone and then I moved to an entirely new country and had to settle in, but the ending is promising. I'm also so excited about all the writing I've managed to do in the last week now that I'm no longer scrambling to buy enough household s...

The Wardrobe Department  by Elaine Garvey Overview: Mairéad moved from Ireland to London to work in the wardrobe department of a theater. She rents a room in a shabby house with many other people, she doesn't quite fit with her coworkers and despises the producer of Uncle Vanya, and she spends much of her time feeling out of place. Even her clothes don't fit right. After chronicling a day at the theater in great detail, Mairéad learns her grandmother died, and she has to return to Ireland for the funeral. There, she has to confront awkward family situations and feeling out of place in a different way. Still, the time helps her unearth more information than she had before, and she returns to London with a new energy. Overall: 3.5 Characters: 3 For being a first person novel, Mairéad renders herself somewhat flat on the page. She feels uncomfortable and withdrawn from everyone, but beyond flinching away and being defensive and also chronicling all of the clothing she feels deeply...