Dream. We all do it. Sometimes, we call our dreams nightmares; sometimes, we call them fantasies. Will we ever understand them? Will they ever come true? I think it’s funny when you dream of a certain place you’re familiar with, but in your dream that place is laid out & looks completely different but it is still that place.

Unlike a lot, I have not had the luxury of doing nothing during this pandemic. I have actually been pretty busy. Not necessarily doing all the things I would like to do, but I have been preoccupied & making the most of my life. Funny, because in retrospect I was practicing social distancing before it was a thing. & because people are stupid, think the world revolves around them, choose to believe what is going on is not real, & choose to believe they are being stripped of their rights having to wear a mask in public, we are stuck in this for a second wave. Hang tight because there will probably be more; a tsunami is just over the horizon. Newsflash people: Americans are not invincible. It sucks for the people who are actually doing their part. But this post is not about the elephant living in every room possible, this post is about a book, a rather good book I read. Reese Witherspoon, watch out!

I have been trying to read more. During a pandemic, what better time! I think it is safe to say I am no longer traumatized having to read 4 books a week minimum for majority of the year à college life, English college life. One can also only read so much of their own work 😉 à The Cubicle Diaries. I will admit though, The Cubicle Diaries, all 3, still get me every time. Sadly, the library is not open the way it used to be. Where are all the homeless people hanging out now?!? I am an old soul, so I love having an actual book in my hands, turning the page, using a bookmark.

How the Dead Dream. Immediately, when I crossed the title it struck me, like a hot passerby. How I originally crossed the book, I do not exactly know. I crossed it twice though. I think the first time was on the LAPL website. The second time was when I was cyber stalking someone & saw they published an article on it. Then I was like, I need to check this out. Then I thought, how do the dead dream? With regret? Remorse? Are they really happy for not needing to pay bills anymore? Stupid question! Are they really paying for their sins? Wishing they could turn back the hands of time? I bet there is a lot of ‘should’ve, could’ve, would’ve’ going on in that dead brain of theirs! I am talking about the dead, not the living. We only have 1 life to live, & here people are thinking they are living their best life…

How the Dead Dream is a good book. Written by Lydia Millet, it is set in the 90s. A great time. Santa Monica was NOT what it is now. It was better then. There are quite a few plot twists I did not see coming. All it did was drag me deeper into the story. The main character, T., is introduced & described well. I like the vocabulary the book has to offer. I have learned some interesting new words to add to my ever-growing vocabulary. That is what I love, among many things, about English: learning new words, finding clues & signs. I got Heart of Darkness vibes as I was reading the latter half of the book: going into the jungle, befriending a local civilian, facing animals who are facing extinction, money. One common theme throughout the book was death. Go figure! Hello! ‘Dead’ is in the title! Nearly everything and everyone around T. dies. I should also mention absenteeism. & if it is not him, it is a relationship he has. I begin to think, is he the dead one?!? Is he the problem? It seems like all T. is looking for is love and companionship, yet he loves being alone at the same time. T. is a complex character. Hmmm… It is clear he loves animals more than humans. The book is not one of those pieces of work where the title is hotter & better than the content. Even though this book is [intended] to be a standalone book, I believe it is part of an ‘extinction’ trilogy-based- theme Lydia Millet has going on. I am surprised as to how many cover arts there are for the book. Are there answers to every question the reader has? No. But let us say that is intended for reader interpretation.

Here are some of the great new words I have learned & I cannot wait to incorporate them into my everyday vocabulary!

Rudimentary

Sacrosanct

Monolithic

Ruminating/ ruminate

Technophile

Glemorangie

Amanuensis

Superfluous

Allayed

Patina

Tawdriness

Deciduous

Fulminate

Incursions

Tenuousness

Traipsing

Tarpaulin

Elegy

Dignitary

Someone speak nerdy to me!

A quote that really got to me is, “When a thing became very scarce, that was when it was finally also seen to be sublime & lovely.” [Millet 238]. Rare find. 😊

I think the dead dream of living, making up for lost time, while the living tends to dream of being dead. Ties hand-in-hand with the saying, youth is wasted on the young. Makes me wonder, how will I dream when I am dead? I do not think death is a bad thing. Out of everything in life, we are only ASSured that & taxes. So why should it come as such a surprise? Don’t get me wrong, when death strikes suddenly, of course it can be shocking, tragic, but when people know someone they are closed to is going to die because of an ongoing illness or old age, that should not be a such a shock when it happens because they saw it coming & had a fair warning & ultimately, that is the way life goes; death is always there. Go ahead & add ‘insensitive’ to the labels. & to answer your questions, no, I have not read that published article & no, not all that I am doing at this time is cyber stalking. Again, I set many trends before they were a thing now. 😉 & yes, I would read this book over again & the next time I do, I will buy it. Thank you, LAPL. NEVER underestimate the power of the library. It keeps us living.