What Are You Reading Wednesday
Man, it's been a while since I did one of these. Erm. Oops.
What have you recently finished reading?
The Calamity Papers: Western Myths and Cold Cases, by Dale L. Walker. This was kind of cool? He covered a few myths and crimes that took place in the old West, starting with the death of Meriwether Lewis and moving on to the death of Jack London. I was not aware that the death of Jack London was in any way mysterious but apparently I was wrong. Anyway, I'm a true crime junkie and I did enjoy this book, but it was rather dry and I wish he'd gone more into interpretation then just stating the plain facts of each case.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, by Allie Brosh. Amazing. Just. Amazing. I can't recommend her work enough.
Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades, and Horrible Blunders, by Josephine Ross. This is actually quite fun to read. I'm very, very, very fond of Jane Austen (as the next two sections will show) and this is just, well, fun. Ross picks through Austen's novels to find examples of manners done right, wrong, and just weird, and I highly recommend reading it if you're fond of the books. However, if you're not, I recommend not reading it, as it'll probably just be confusing.
The Spartacus War, by Barry S. Strauss. A blow-by-blow (heh) account of the Third Servile War. A little dry in places, but Strauss is a meticulous historian and it shows. I like that he straight-up says when we're not sure about things or don't know why certain things happened or even if certain things happened. I also like that a truly astounding number of people in the Spartacus TV show are actual, proven historical figures. Like. A LOT. Even fucking Creepyface/Cossutius (look under Architects).
What are you currently reading?
As per usual, so many things.
Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey. Hi, my name is Kat and I am a Valdemar addict. I know it's not good, I know it's just going downhill, I know that everyone involved has fallen prey to huge bags of gold syndrome and yet, I just. The shiny white pretty talking horses, guys. THE SHINY PRETTY WHITE TALKING HORSES.
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein. Yes, still. I had to stop for a while because I was very sick and having difficulty concentrating. I'm still very sick, but it's evidently a different kind of sick because now I'm just... blinking.
The Well of Loneliness, by Radcylffe Hall. Early lesbian fiction fuck yeah. I'm just hoping it doesn't end horribly for everyone. Spoiler: it will probably end horribly for everyone.
Tangled Web, by Lee Rowan. Gay Regency romance. Do I need to say anything more.
A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen, edited by Susannah Carson. Kinda slow but I'm still in the academic essays. It should lighten up as soon as we get to Martin Amis and Amy Heckerling.
Juvenilia, Jane Austen. Can't read about the woman without reading her actual work. The Juvenilia is frequently hysterical but also obviously written by someone quite young. Looking forward to reading her more mature work.
Jane's Fame, by Claire Harmen. I'm literally three pages into this, so not much to say on it yet.
What are you planning to read next?
Everything that I have out on Jane Austen, plus Lady Susan, Northanger Abbey, and The Watsons, before moving on to the five main novels and then Sandition. And then the Jane Austen mysteries. And then every biography of Austen I can lay my hands on. I have a problem and it is overidentification with Jane Austen.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/296524.html. Please comment over there if possible.
What have you recently finished reading?
The Calamity Papers: Western Myths and Cold Cases, by Dale L. Walker. This was kind of cool? He covered a few myths and crimes that took place in the old West, starting with the death of Meriwether Lewis and moving on to the death of Jack London. I was not aware that the death of Jack London was in any way mysterious but apparently I was wrong. Anyway, I'm a true crime junkie and I did enjoy this book, but it was rather dry and I wish he'd gone more into interpretation then just stating the plain facts of each case.
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened, by Allie Brosh. Amazing. Just. Amazing. I can't recommend her work enough.
Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades, and Horrible Blunders, by Josephine Ross. This is actually quite fun to read. I'm very, very, very fond of Jane Austen (as the next two sections will show) and this is just, well, fun. Ross picks through Austen's novels to find examples of manners done right, wrong, and just weird, and I highly recommend reading it if you're fond of the books. However, if you're not, I recommend not reading it, as it'll probably just be confusing.
The Spartacus War, by Barry S. Strauss. A blow-by-blow (heh) account of the Third Servile War. A little dry in places, but Strauss is a meticulous historian and it shows. I like that he straight-up says when we're not sure about things or don't know why certain things happened or even if certain things happened. I also like that a truly astounding number of people in the Spartacus TV show are actual, proven historical figures. Like. A LOT. Even fucking Creepyface/Cossutius (look under Architects).
What are you currently reading?
As per usual, so many things.
Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar, edited by Mercedes Lackey. Hi, my name is Kat and I am a Valdemar addict. I know it's not good, I know it's just going downhill, I know that everyone involved has fallen prey to huge bags of gold syndrome and yet, I just. The shiny white pretty talking horses, guys. THE SHINY PRETTY WHITE TALKING HORSES.
Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein. Yes, still. I had to stop for a while because I was very sick and having difficulty concentrating. I'm still very sick, but it's evidently a different kind of sick because now I'm just... blinking.
The Well of Loneliness, by Radcylffe Hall. Early lesbian fiction fuck yeah. I'm just hoping it doesn't end horribly for everyone. Spoiler: it will probably end horribly for everyone.
Tangled Web, by Lee Rowan. Gay Regency romance. Do I need to say anything more.
A Truth Universally Acknowledged: 33 Great Writers on Why We Read Jane Austen, edited by Susannah Carson. Kinda slow but I'm still in the academic essays. It should lighten up as soon as we get to Martin Amis and Amy Heckerling.
Juvenilia, Jane Austen. Can't read about the woman without reading her actual work. The Juvenilia is frequently hysterical but also obviously written by someone quite young. Looking forward to reading her more mature work.
Jane's Fame, by Claire Harmen. I'm literally three pages into this, so not much to say on it yet.
What are you planning to read next?
Everything that I have out on Jane Austen, plus Lady Susan, Northanger Abbey, and The Watsons, before moving on to the five main novels and then Sandition. And then the Jane Austen mysteries. And then every biography of Austen I can lay my hands on. I have a problem and it is overidentification with Jane Austen.
This entry is crossposted at http://bookblather.dreamwidth.org/296524.html. Please comment over there if possible.