Watching the Grass Grow

Watching the Grass Grow 

Watching the Grass Grow is my latest short read to be checked off the always-growing reading list. 

“I reflect on my surreal day. Playing softball in Central Park. Sweating in a subway stopped underneath the East River. Flirting with a phlebotomist.” 

Diane Michaels, Watching the Grass Grow

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Have you read Watching the Grass Grow from author Diane Michaels? Come on in and let me tell you about it! 

About Watching the Grass Grow 

Two short stories about subway delays, jury duty, and how love rushes in when life stands still.

They say you shouldn’t make eye contact with a stranger on the subway in New York City. It may not be an actual violation of the subway system code of conduct, but still. Lisa and Geoff, two strangers smushed together on a crowded E train, break that code when their train unexpectedly stops. 

Their conversation is the perfect antidote to the boredom and frustration of the delay. And more than the broken AC is to blame for the rising heat between them. When the train moves again, Lisa wonders if they should go back to behaving like strangers. But what if their paths were meant to cross? 

Tom—middle-aged, divorced, and out of work—needs to get a life. Instead, he gets a juror summons. Hardly expecting to ‘find himself’ while fulfilling his civic duty, he sets a single goal for the day: persuade the judge to exempt him from being picked for a jury. 

Time had stood still in the juror lounge. It begins to spin backward when he reconnects with Susan, a fellow juror and his middle school crush. Before long, he’s back under her spell. Could a man in his current position interest her? When she swipes through a dating app in front of him, she indicates the answer is no. With nothing else to lose, Tom prepares to sacrifice the one goal he has in order to capture her attention.

Thoughts on Watching the Grass Grow 

Watching the Grass Grow is actually two stories in one. But they are both quick and simplistic reads. It took me maybe thirty minutes to read both stories. 

“I’m not some anti-corporate twenty-something-year-old dude with a man bun and ironic tattoos, the kind of guy no lawyer wants on a jury. I’m forty-six and clean cut. I scream suburbia. A prosecutor’s wet dream.” 

Diane Michaels, Watching the Grass Grow

These are the perfect simplistic and mindless stories to read before going to bed. They will not keep you up reading another chapter, because there isn’t one. If you’ve ever played the “just one more chapter” game, you know exactly what I’m talking about here. 

I liked reading these, but they definitely lacked in the category of being memorable, and I was disappointed by that fact. Some authors can get the emotion and character development of a full novel into just a couple of pages. There was none of that in Watching the Grass Grow. 

The term mediocrity comes to mind when I think about describing these two short stories. 

Final Thoughts on Watching the Grass Grow 

The premise of this book is “two short stories about subway delays and jury duty, and how love rushes in when life stands still.” Yet there isn’t a trace of any actual love in these stories. They abruptly end before any actual love stories can happen. 

It’s like Diane Michaels wrote the first chapter of a novel, then called it a short story. A short story with really abrupt endings. 

“A cop opens the courtroom door. We shuffle in as if entering a funeral home for a viewing of someone we hardly knew. I stifle an inexplicable snicker. We wait some more.” 

Diane Michaels, Watching the Grass Grow

I feel like these stories have potential, but they leave a lot to be desired. If you want a mindless read right before bed, these really are perfect for that. If you want anything more, you should look elsewhere. 

Discussion 

Have you read Watching the Grass Grow or any other writing from author Diane Michaels? Are you a fan of short stories? Let me know your thoughts in the comments! 

About the Author 

Diane Michaels is a professional harpist and author. Her career has taken her from Carnegie Hall to the wedding hall (she has played at least 1000 weddings). Her articles on establishing and sustaining a career as a musician have appeared in Harp Column and Allegro. 

When not performing or writing, she and her husband make up songs about and for their miniature poodle, Lola. 

Purchasing Watching the Grass Grow 

If you are interested in buying the Kindle version of Watching the Grass Grow, click here.

Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.

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