Reading on Vacation; Reflections on Reading "The Oligarch's Daughter"
- Neil Parekh
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
Emily, full of 12 y.o. Generation Alpha attitude, seems to think I don't know how to read a book. She reads all the time. She claims she's never seen me with a book. (She actually has.)
I picked up this book in part to show her I can read. Admittedly, it's been a while since I have curled up with a good book. I don't usually take the time to relax and quiet the non-stop commentary in my head of things I want to to do, need to do, haven't done or could consider doing.
I finished this book in two days on vacation, including staying up until 4am on Saturday night. I almost finished the book that night, but made myself go to sleep. There's something satisfying about staying up late to finish a good book. Joseph Finder's "The Oligarch's Daughter" is definitely a good book. If you like spy novels, this one, published in January 2025 with very up-to-date references, is really good.
I do a lot of quick reading (mostly NYT, Washington Post and MLB News, Google News posts, random items on social media). I seem to read books in fits and starts. Mostly spy novels; it was my dad's favorite genre. I particularly like reading whole series, in order.
Since I have a knack for forgetting details, I am able to read novels more than once. I once read 13 books by Vince Flynn featuring his Mitch Rapp character around 2010. Then, I picked up the same books again (I read most of them on my Kindle app on my phone) in 2023. It's interesting to have a vague recollection of the plot, but not know the details. I can do the same thing with movies sometimes.
I found this book in the library in their New Fiction display. I went and looked for the first one in the series, but they didn't have it. So, without spending too much time thinking about it, I picked it up, opting to start with the latest in the series. I have two other works of fiction with me on this vacation (not spy novels). Looking forward to digging in.
I'm hoping to write more short pieces, not related to the livestream shows I produce/co-host/guest host (Sree's Sunday #NYTReadalong and #ShiningLightonShadows.)
There are so many ideas running through my head. Maybe they don't have to be perfect. Maybe they don't have to be long. Maybe it's ok just to get something out there.
ADHD references abound. They're in boldface, if you missed them.
I initially had these last two points as N.B. for "nota bene" but then looked it up and realized I might not be using the notation appropriately.
Related Links