A Break from a Break

I'm taking a break from life, snuggled into my little house in the country. I'm here totally alone, no humans or animals to intrude into the tranquility. I had enough of New York City last weekend, running the marathon, eating out, going to the Javits Center to collect my race bib. I do not like Convention Centers.

What do I do all day? Not much and a lot. I cook delicious meals, go to the Post Office, have a massage, go to yoga, the supermarket, and the library. I think I've mentioned that I was taking a break from Infinite Jest, substituting another but more readable tome 1Q84. When I went to the library Friday, I decided I needed a rest from that book, too, and scanned the new fiction section, looking for lighter fare.

I grabbed Chris Bojalian's latest silliness, The Night Strangers. I suppose it's meant to be a scary book, with ghosts, auras, murders, tinctures and potions. Turns out that these aging folks in a remote New Hampshire town have discovered how to tap into the fountain of youth. Mainly, it takes young blood and a lot of herbs.

The book's not badly written, and you learn more than you want to know about airplanes crashing, but it ends with the parent accepting the murder of one of their twins and buy into the fountain of youth crap. Who wants to live to be 100 or more when they know they were responsible for the death of their child?

At least it was a quick read. Break's over. Back to the bizarre world of 1Q84.