Sydney Reads and Reads August

August was busy. I spent my usual reading time (weekends) camping and spending time with visiting friends. I don't regret that, but I'm glad I found a better balance as summer transitioned into fall.

In August, things were pretty emotionally complicated for the ladies in our book club, so we decided to lean into something comforting. We were also interested in reading a classic before the fall got too busy. For us, that meant Jane Austen's Persuasion. For those unfamiliar, Persuasion follows twenty-seven-year-old Anne Elliot, Austen's most adult heroine, eight years after she was persuaded to break off her engagement to naval officer Frederick Wentworth. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret lived out among her rather foolish relations. When later Wentworth returns from sea a wealthy and successful captain, finding Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin, circumstances beg the question, will Anne and Captain Wentworth be united at last?

Much like in my previous reading of Anna Karenina, I remembered the romance of Persuasion being a much more significant part of the story. As a woman in my 30's and someone who often falls into the role of the "helper," I identified much more with Anne's grounded sufficiency this time around. I also caught more of the use of persuasion within the text, informing my impression of the title. I'm happy my book club chose to do Austen in August this year. I hope it's something we'll continue. 

Emergency Contact, by Mary H.K. Choi, was The Stacks Bookclub pick for August. "When Sam and Penny cross paths, it's less meet-cute and more a collision of unbearable awkwardness. Still, they swap numbers and stay in touch—via text—and soon become digitally inseparable, sharing their deepest anxieties and secret dreams without the humiliating weirdness of having to see each other."

Emergency Contact was an entertaining enough read, but I can't say I've thought of it one day since I put it down. Its primary influence was the sudden urge I had to transition to an all-black and white wardrobe. Never have I worn my For Days Relaxing Romper so much! 

So, that's it. That's all I read in August. I struggled with what this said about my worth at the time, but looking back, I feel good that I was learning new things and experiencing life outside the pages of a book this summer. What about you? - xo Sydney