Mr. Nobody and Other Wintry Pastimes and 2020 Worry

Catherine Steadman's thriller Mr. Nobody is a good read, yet it took me so long to finish it. I still seem to be in a place where reading is not my #1 activity. It's true--I am pre-occupied and distracted by the 2020 political whirlwind, but the worst of it all is that this distraction leads me to worry intensely. The more days that pass, the more I'm overwhelmingly disturbed by my concerns. This state of mind leads me to want to do the following: 1) cook ferociously and madly!, 2) heave myself into financial matters that should have been dealt with long ago, 3) push myself into an extravaganza of stranded (color) knitting learning, 4) revamp the studio (again), and 5) walk my dog over wintry, snowy mountain roads for up to two hours per day. (Sandy's an angel after her walkie, though, so it's worth the trouble! Otherwise she is a little demon.)

Okay. Mr. Nobody is a "very good" thriller, and I would give it four stars. I must have a thriller or two in the depth of winter and in the steamiest heat of summer, and this one was just twisty enough with loads of psychological matter to consume me. If you're intrigued by stories of intense psychological suspense, you will likely appreciate this one. But??? Want an even better thriller??? Then look back to the January 2018 publication of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. That was a killer. Five stars. That had a psychological depth and deftness that most thrillers never attain.

Where to next? I've got my eye on The Dutch House by Ann Patchett. I bought it late last year, and haven't gotten off the ground with it--not yet anyway. The answer is: Keep trying.