Skip to main content

Bookish (And Not So Bookish) Thoughts

1. After North and South, I've gone straight on to another Elizabeth Gaskell novel that's been on my TBR shelf, Mary Barton. Unfortunately, my puppy got to it before I did, but despite that, I've been enjoying it so far. It was the first written of the novels of hers I've read, and it feels like the most honest and--I think--the best.



2. I'm listening to the audiobook The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory. It's about Henry VIII's sixth wife, Katherine Parr, the one who survived. However, I realized that the title makes it sound quite more salacious than it is, and I wonder what people passing by, who see the case on the seat in my car, think. So far, I'm enjoying it, but I dislike that Gregory credits Parr with giving Elizabeth the "woman with the heart and stomach of a king" line.

3. Also, it is hard to read historical fiction in a time period you've studied--so far, in Taming of the Queen, there's an inaccuracy when Parr talks about how she can't publish under her own name as a woman, but would proudly do so as a man--without getting too far into it, it wasn't seemly for a gentleman to publish either, and Parr did eventually publish religious texts under her own name, the main kind of text it was socially acceptable for anyone genteel to publish.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Books with Single-Word Titles

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books with Single-Word Titles These are all my favorite books that I could think of with one-word titles. A lot of fantasy, a few nonfiction (minus subtitles) and Kindred , whether you consider it scifi or historical fiction. Also two portmanteaus using the word "bitter." I suppose it's a word that lends itself to amelioration. 1. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 3. Fire by Kristin Cashore 4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer 5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 7. Stoned by Aja Raden (has a subtitle) 8. Educated by Tara Westover 9. Fledgling by Octavia Butler 10. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel

Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel *To Be Released from New Door Books on April 10, 2018* Mindy Vogel is haunted by the future. In frequent daydreams, she toggles between her real, wheelchair-bound life and the adventurous life of her fanfic alter ego, SkyLog officer Kat Wanderer. She's haunted by all that Kat can do which she cannot---belong to an organization of comrades, walk, and fall in love---yet. Because at twenty-four, Mindy's future is very much ahead of her, wheelchair notwithstanding. Through Mindy's "SkyLog" fanzine and related emails, Seidel evokes Star Trek fandom around the turn of the millenium, but also creates a new and compelling science fictional universe, similar to what Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl  does for the Harry Potter fandom with "Simon Snow." Mindy is among the pioneers transitioning fandom from print to digital, boldly encountering like-minded individuals from the comfort of her chair behind the monito...

Books On My Summer 2024 TBR

 I've been fairly successful with my reading goals so far this year (40 out of 42 read!), but I still have some goals to catch up on or exceed (books by authors of color and women in translation). I've also got my book club books, and I'll throw a few new and/or summery titles into the mix for inspiration. Hoping to read many of these outside, basking in beautiful weather! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books On My Summer 2024 TBR She's Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino--This is technically for a book club, although I probably won't be able to attend the meeting.  I've heard so many good things about this one, and it looks like a good summer read, so I'm planning to read it anyway. Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia by David Greene (Book club read)--I already have it out of the library, but have to get on this one! It sounds very interesting but nonfiction usually takes me a little longer. The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (Book cl...