Oh, Look, a Holiday

Wow. I'm finally enjoying a five-day break from work, which is something I haven't done since the lockdowns. There's a really long story behind the significant lack of PTO hours accrued since 2020, and I'm not going to start. Suffice it to say, I reached a milestone at my current job and am finally (FINALLY) reaping the benefits. I'm expected back next Thursday, and this holiday-of-sorts was planned specifically to fall on my birthday, which is Tuesday (Aug. 26).

I originally requested all of next week off, but I changed it as I wanted to allow myself one last hurrah in November before the holidays come, and the company goes into black out mode till after New Year's. 

So what's been up with me? Well, writing, of course -- or more specifically, revising and editing The Twilight Lover. It's also giving me lots of room to think more and more about the book that comes after (Doppelgänger) and how best to approach it. I've been significantly enjoying writing and revising + editing The Twilight Lover that I'm again being swayed into turning Doppelgänger into a dark comedy, but I'm trying to rein my impulses in. Until I settle down on a plot since there are so many paths to take with the idea (so what else is new?), the tone can be considered afterwards. 

The Shadow Groom, which comes after Doppelgänger, is a comedy, though, while Camera Obscura and A House of Profane Gods are both drama, so at least I've got some kind of balance going by way of tone. But as always, that's looking too far ahead, and I need to zero in on one thing at a time. 

In other news, my library card's been getting a wild workout lately. I've been checking out two or even three books at a time, and then there's also Hoopla, where I can check out digital books or audio books or even films and series. That said, I'm reverting back to print books when it comes to library loans, but as for purchasing books I want to own, I'm still a heavy e-book user. This is the only "vice" I now have as I get older, and what used to excite me in my twenties or even thirties no longer raise my interest. 

My eyesight needing extra help with font size adjustments aside, a quieter and more solitary pursuit has always been my thing. As a kid, I've frustrated people by pointedly ignoring them because I'd rather read my book than be with them (Dad absolutely loved seeing me read, though, so thank you, Dad). 

I recently reset my e-book library by updating old Kindle collections and turning them into .epub files, which I then re-uploaded while removing other books that are either one-time reads or DNFs. At the moment my e-book library's reached that sweet spot of containing only my favorite books (which I do reread when the mood strikes) and new titles. And so between that and my jaunts to the public library, my reading addiction's nicely satisfied while I'm also able to keep a close tab on my spending.

So you can guess what I'll be doing through Wednesday, eh? SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME! I mean, really, that'd be the best kind of dilemma to have as far as I'm concerned.