Coffee Letter #007: Mum and Queen Elizabeth
Who else was lying still in a box?
My mum went for her first MRI when Queen Elizabeth II died. Completely unrelated, but in typical mum fashion, the first thing she thought as she was in the magnetic resonance imaging machine was who else was lying still with her eyes closed in a box other than her and Queen Elizabeth II? When I do my annual MRI I do not think about dead queens or princesses. I write stories in my head.
My mum is a bit obsessed with the Queen to the point we looked everywhere for one of those figurines with the Queen waving her hand — we found one in Germany of all places, although I almost caved in and ordered it from Amazon. I’m glad I didn’t. It was a lot more fun to look for it whenever we travelled together.
I have a vague memory of my mother crying when Princess Diana died. We haven’t talked about it — I was 5 years old — but I’ve always wanted to ask her about Lady Di and her love for her. That’s why for her birthday I got her Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words by Andrew Morton and I plan to read it too so we can discuss it together.
If it wasn’t obvious by now, I love book clubs, and buddy-reading, and simply just talking about books with other people or writing about books on the internet.
~ read
Surprisingly, only one book this week — the book club book this month for our small book club (or book club A how I like to call it in my head, since the other ones are book club B from Bogdana and book club C from Cărturești). But there will be a lot more books to talk about next Monday since I have three book clubs this week and then another one early next week.
Lying on the Couch by Irvin D. Yalom. It follows a big cast of characters from therapists to their clients and how their lives intertwine. On paper, it sounds great. It should be fun, juicy, I even enjoyed some of the twists and the questions it poses... HOWEVER I definitely did not vibe with the writing. It was bland, it was boring, it was incredibly stuffy, and it was putting me to sleep — AND I’m a bloody insomniac! General anesthesia couldn't put me to sleep!!
I’m curious what the girls will think about this book and if talking with them will enlighten me and make me see this book in a better light — or at least a different light. Until then, it was a waste of time imho. It saddens me because I heard great things about Yalom and I had other books by him on my TBR; now I’m not sure we’re compatible.
~ watch
The Diplomat (TV series, 2023-). I rewatched the first season — even though I complained last year that the ending was too obvious. Joke’s on me because the second season proved me wrong. They played me good and I loved every second of it!
The show follows Kate Wyler, who lands the job of US ambassador in the UK in spite of her reservations, immediately after a British vessel is attacked. What I liked the most is the chemistry between the leads — and I do not mean romantically, but the way the two of them act — absolutely delicious (I might have a soft spot for Rufus Sewell), and also how the characters themselves connect intellectually — chef’s kiss!
Everything I complained about in the first season was made better in the second one. It’s a political thriller that doesn’t rush into action, but builds itself like a puzzle. And that cliffhanger ending of the second season? My jaw was on the floor! Fortunately it was already renewed for a third season.
For whatever reason it reminds me of Homeland (it’s probably the chemistry between the leads), but also of Designated Survivor and Madam Secretary — it’s a lot more like the last two, only with fewer episodes and a better cast.
Over the Garden Wall (TV miniseries, 2014). My friend Indra recommended this to me saying I would love it and guess what? She was right! I did! It’s animation, it’s short (only 10 episodes around 10 min each), it brought back my need for Saturday mornings spent watching cartoons and eating cereals.
The story follows the usual Alice in Wonderland trope: two brothers in a strange land are trying to find their way home. Quite unique, a bit dark and gloomy — perfect for November — with an eerie quality about it that I absolutely adore!
~ and other things I did last week
Music: The album Pressure & Time by Rival Sons. A friend told me about this band exactly a year ago and I only liked a few songs back then — I guess it wasn’t the right time. My music app has a section of “forgotten albums” and that’s what helped me remember this album. I’m usually an alternative indie rock princess and this band (or at least this album) is a bit more hard, a bit more classic, a bit out of my comfort zone, yet it was what I craved this week.
Food: Jambon-beurre sandwiches. I discovered this sandwich a year ago or so thanks to Condiment Claire and I’ve been eating it ever since. Even when I got out of the hospital and had to avoid fats, hubby made a diet-friendly version — I missed the butter, but at least I could have my hyperfixation sandwich!
Other things consumed last week:
“Acasă” e oriunde sunt cărți by Bogdana Todoruțiu (Unfinished Love Stories). She is my dear friend, but I’m not biased when I tell you Bogdana’s story really touched me. Obviously I love books and I love hearing how others fell in love with them too. It’s even more impressive when someone goes from hating reading to being as passionate about books and reading as Bogdana is now — and she’s doing so much more, she’s spreading this love of books, especially for this need we have to not just read book but also talk about them.
Nine of the steamiest reads from the Booker Library (The Booker Prizes). I am a big defender of romance (and smut) — I read at least half a romance book each week. At first I was a book snob and I considered myself too good for romance, especially smut, but then I started using spicy romance books to get me out of reading slumps. When the chronic migraines first hit I couldn’t read anything else — I couldn’t focus on reading and I needed books with low stakes and happy endings (stressing was making my migraines worse, even when it was about fictional characters). Now I’m better at dealing with my migraines, but the habit of always having a romance book on my kindle has stuck.
No Ordinary Love: An Anthology of Love Stories Almost Never Told (No Ordinary Love). Is this a massive ad for a dating app? Yes, but if you make an ad at least do it using literature, right? It features six modern love stories of real people who met on the app.
By the time I finished writing this letter, my MRI results got back and it’s all good — no changes since the last time, which means I can still drink my coffee, although I should still work on improving my sleep and stress levels. I am on track, I reckon — I slept around 8h two nights this week!
Speaking of what I did last week, I also went to the Book Swap event and it was so much fun! Ioana did an amazing job with the organisation and my other friend Ioana created a stunning exhibition with her photographs inspired from some of her favourite books. I returned home with so many exciting books and, as always at a book swap event, it’s such a joyfully weird feeling to see your books in the hands of other people, on their way to a new home.
I also got some new books as my birthday present (including all the Penguin Weird Fiction collection); now that the shelves are organised it’s such a pleasure to walk around the house and put each new book in its place. It really is the little things!
Thank you for reading!
If there is somebody who makes me wanna pick up a book in the middle of the night or whenever I finally get to read your letter, that is you and only you!!!🙏