After the Afterglow

I have a hangover. A book hangover. And my current imaginary condition brings to mind an excellent point—why do good books have to end? They shouldn’t be allowed to end. They should go on forever or until they aren’t good books anymore. Good books should be like fan fiction. Outstanding fan fiction. Fan fiction where the writer actually holds themselves to an update schedule instead of talking about life getting in the way or their muse taking an extended Cheeto break.  

I realize I sound like a not quite stable person, but I can’t let Reza, Judy, and Art of Abdi Nazemian’s Like a Love Story go. I pick up a new book with incredible characters and compelling themes, but my heart just isn’t in it. I need a rebound book. Something fun but not clever. Something entertaining but not intellectual. Something frivolous but not freaking annoying. Something that avoids bad tropes—there is no but for this one. I think what I’m trying to say, and doing an incredible job, is endings are the worst. The teacher in me will balance that out with beginnings are great too. Was I convincing? School ended which allowed summer vacation to begin. Great! School ended and my 8th graders are gone. The worst. School ended, and I have a billionty seven mosquito bites—there is unquestionably a correlation. Also, it is the absolute worst. The conclusion of this ultra-scientific study proves that endings are the worst. Also, I had to give my flip flop to the lagoon, so i only have one pink flip flop now, and we found a dead bird. The apocalypse is nigh, which will also be a bad ending. Just saying. You know what else is ending? AndI Mack. Why Disney? You let Wizards of Waverly Place and Good Luck Charlie linger on long after the writers had run out of ideas, but the show that tackles important issues and makes representation its bread and butter gets tossed after three seasons. I’ll ask again, why Disney? I feel like I should say something dramatic, like:

You ruined my summer, Disney! That is not true.

I’m going to boycott you, Disney! That isn’t true either. I’ve yet to successfully boycott Chick-fil-A or Anthropologie. Also, Disney is the sole provider of Captain America with and without a beard, and I can’t quit him.

I’m going to be indignant and express my displeasure by marching right through the front doors of your corporate headquarters, Disney! This I can do, but with some small tweaks. I’m going to tweet at Disney from my secret Twitter account. Take that, Disney!

I’m worried that my thoughts are deviating from the intentions I had when I started writing this post. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. A quick check let’s me know that the theme of this post is still incredibly apparent— I need a book to read or endings are bad. There is evidence to support both. Well, we’ve reached the end. We’ve reached the end because it’s time to eat homemade waffle cone with homemade chai ice cream for breakfast. If not for that priority, I could keep up this reckless writing. In conclusion, are you curious to know the title of my rebound book? If you were paying attention you knew before you started reading. If you know me, you are worried about it because when it comes to rebounding we never choose wisely. Cheers!