The Wind in the Willows

Surprisingly, I didn't love this quite so much as I was expecting. I thought for sure it would be 5 stars. Still, it was good vibes for the most part.

- Toad is an a-hole. I feel we're kind of supposed to be like “Oh, what a silly rascal!” and get behind his turning over of a new leaf, but I didn't buy it, and he didn't deserve to have Ratty, Moly, or Badger in his corner. Toad in the bin!

- Badger and Mole are sweetie-pie angels. When we were talking about it, I said “I wish I were a Badger, but I think more of a Mole” and my partner felt that was accurate. Which is not a self-deprecation; I love Moly, I'll take it!

- You cannot tell me that Rat and Mole weren't a couple. Look, I'm all for normalizing affectionate, deep, platonic relationships — soft masculinity heck yah; toxic masculinity in the bin — but this is giving Bert and Ernie before Bert and Ernie were a thing, and I said what I said.

A classic and a very cozy read, looking forward to finding and watching the animated adaptations.

I’ve been in a reading slump for about two months; I pick up a book and can’t focus. I find myself reading a simple passage over and over again.

Powering through, I tried dipping my toe back into the classics. I kept it light by choosing a children’s classic. This particular choice, along with my lack of focus, made it difficult to get through.

A sweet book with many lessons to be learned about friendship and accountability, it dragged in places where the author used excessive use of flowery words to dredge up imagery of the landscape, and so forth. The chapter on the Sea Rat (Wayfarers All) was particularly brutal. I’ll probably give this book another try when I’m back to regular reading mode, but for now I’ll let it be.