the memory palace by mira bartok

a heart wrenching, well written memoir by mira bartok, and the story of her schizophrenic and homeless mother. bartok and her sister spent seventeen years hoping that their mother would never find them - her schizophrenia caused her to obsess over both of her daughters lives - calling them fifty times a day or more, appearing unannounced at their jobs and homes, threatening them if they suggested that she get treatment for her illness and violently attacking them.

at age forty, a car accident left bartok with a debilitating brain injury - she retrained herself to draw and write, but her memories were lost to her. when she learns that her mother has terminal cancer, her sister and her decide to visit their mother before it's too late - bartok begins to connect with memories she fears were lost for good.

haunting, tragic, and deeply moving.

It has been a while since I read anything of note. I keep starting things and stopping. And I am still reading Anna Karenina which is wonderful but I read it in pieces. Demonglass is a YA read. I try to keep up with some things for that age. It was okay. Last Night at the Lobster was interesting. O'Nan is a very good writer. This is a story that takes place over the span of one night. The manager of a Red Lobster on the last night before it closes is trying to get through the last shift with a snowstorm, an ex, and a staff that is mostly going to be unemployed the next day. I feel indifferent about it. Boneshaker was a lot of fun. Sort of a steampunk zombie story. Seattle has been overtaken by a yellow fog that turns people into zombies. The survivors of the initial fog have walled off the city to keep everything in. A young mother goes in after her son and adventure ensues. Highly entertaining but not life changing. I really need to buckle down and read something great.

mourning diary by roland barthes

it has been some time since i've posted and it's been some time since i've finished a book. and so, finally, i finished reading mourning diary by roland barthes last night.

the day after his mother died, in october 1977, he began a diary of mourning. for nearly two years, he took notes on index cards and reflected on his loss.

they are a unique study of grief...snippets of thoughts and feelings, intimate, and sad.