60 days. How does that even register? It doesn’t. Yesterday I spent most of the day in bed. After company for 4 days and lots of activity around a wedding I was wiped out. It is amazing how quickly my energy drains. I read between napping and found myself all over the board there too…. I am listening to…
The real-life Alex Vause from the critically acclaimed, top-rated Netflix show Orange Is the New Black tells her story in her own words for the first time – a powerful, surprising memoir about crime and punishment, friendship and marriage, and a life caught in the ruinous drug trade and beyond. I have been fascinated with Pipers story and now hearing the side of Alex Vause has been very interesting.
This one I found at the last Library Sale. Wally Lamb has run a writing workshop at the York Correctional Institution, Connecticut’s only maximum-security prison for women. Writing, Lamb discovered, was a way for these women to face their fears and failures and begin to imagine better lives. Couldn’t Keep It to Myself, a collection of their essays, was published in 2003 to great critical acclaim. With I’ll Fly Away, Lamb offers readers a new volume of intimate pieces from the York workshop. Startling, heartbreaking, and inspiring, these stories are as varied as the individuals who wrote them, but each illuminates an important core truth: that a life can be altered through self-awareness and the power of the written word.
My speed of reading right now draws me to books like this. It’s the opportunity Elena Alvarez has been waiting for–the challenge of running her own kitchen in a world-class restaurant. Haunted by an accident of which she was the lone survivor, Elena knows better than anyone how to survive the odds. With her faithful dog, Alvin, and her grandmother’s recipes, Elena arrives in Colorado to find a restaurant in as desperate need of a fresh start as she is–and a man whose passionate approach to food and life rivals her own. Owner Julian Liswood is a name many people know but a man few do. He’s come to Aspen with a troubled teenage daughter and a dream of the kind of stability and love only a family can provide. But for Elena, old ghosts don’t die quietly, yet a chance to find happiness at last is worth the risk.
So that’s what I am doing. Day to day doing what I can. Working a bit on projects I have to get done but making the steps slowly. So slowly.
Book Journey 
I hope writing helps. Not that anything will ever make this easier.
I love Orange is the New Black, and read Piper’s story…so, of course, I had to download this one. Thanks!
Hang in there…and enjoy your books!
‘Out of Orange’ sounds really interesting. I hope you enjoy it. Remember, ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ Your small actions will make a difference. I believe in you. Stay strong.
Take your time, Sheila – it’s not a race. I continue to think of you and pray for you daily.
“Lost Recipe for Happiness” gets put in the tbr pile. Sheila, no one hands us a timetable about grief….even if our society tries to. Please take care.
Please be gentle with yourself and wrap our hugs of love around you. I think of you often.
Just grateful you are a reader and a writer 🙂 Gifts that will help you through, regardless of the pace, my friend…
Sixty days is so short a time. Be kind to yourself. You’re doing amazingly well.
I loved listening to Orange is the New Black, but had not idea Alex has told her story, too. another one for my list! Slow steps are good…
Thinking of you in this unimaginable place… slowly seems the only way.
Shocks and grief take a really, really long time to heal from. And you are taking the steps you need to do that. Take care and give yourself time. It’s a big change for someone who has been as active as you’ve been. One day at a time. Prayers always for you.
Sounds like you’re learning to take things a new pace. I hope you enjoy the books you listed. I like Barbara O’Neal’s novels.
Read a post on FB the other day. Thought of you and wanted to share. ” Grief never ends…but it changes. It’s a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith….It is the price of love.”Though there was no author to attribute this quote to, I felt it was a wonderful thought. Grief does not have a time limit. Slow is good. {{HUGS}
Barbara O’Neal’s books are great reads!
I hadn’t seen Out of Orange around. Definitely one I’ll need to pick up.
I love Barbara O’Neal’s books– have read several of them. The other two I hadn’t heard of, so thanks for sharing the titles. Hope you find some peace and relaxation with your reading.
I have heard of Wally Lamb but the others are new to me. An interesting mix. You are still in my prayers.
Like the tide – in then back to recover energy. Love Barbara O’Neal and have yet to read this one.
60 days is not long – your loss is still raw. You are strong. When it all gets overwhelming, which right now is 24/7, take baby steps – minute by minute. I’ll hold you hand every step of the way. My heart is aching for you. Hugs, my friend.
Year’s ago I read Wally Lamb’s SHE’s COME UNDONE, but the others are new-to-me authors.
Sheila, thank you for sharing your reading. I am not familiar with these books. Sending a hug!
60 days already? ((Hugs)) Don’t worry about getting tired quickly. Grief saps your energy. Take care of yourself and get all the rest you need. I’m glad you’re finding comfort (or distraction) in books. Alex Vause’s book sounds interesting.