vacation r&r&r (rest, relaxation and reading)

it has been a few years since i have taken a vacation that didn’t involve navigating foreign public transit, clumsily speaking french or catalan, and wandering in and out of cafes, shops, and museums until collapsing back at the hotel. spending last week in mexico was restorative, revolving mostly around lazing in the sun, pina coladas, and reading on the beach. i think i prefer madcap, activity filled trips to laying still like a vegetable in the sun but hey, i’m not complaining.

a snapshot of what i read on the trip:

a visit from the goon squad: i decided in advance i was going to love this one and i was not let down. one of the first books i’ve read in a while that left me with a tangible sense of loss when i finished it. count me as a jennifer egan fan—i bought two more of her books and also a ticket to hear her read at the NYPL next week. details here.

my story so far: women’s marathon world record holder paula radcliffe’s autobiography. a must read for runners looking for some motivational prose.

the book thief: glad to have finally gotten around to this one after so many glowing recommendations. i *almost* made it through without crying; the last ten pages did me in.

the immortal life of henrietta lacks: i am not finished yet and am unsure if this will be addressed in the 100 pages i have left, but i am curious as to how the lacks family feels about their depiction in the book after experiencing exploitation at the hands of the medical community. while rebecca skloot is careful to let their own words tell their side of the story, she is still laying out their naïveté for the world to see and if i were the lacks family i would feel used. it’s a tough balance between telling their story and using their story. that said, this is an incredible read and i am wishing i retained more information from high school biology to fully appreciate the science behind HeLa.