Indoors-y things - of books and telly and new year type thinky-thoughts
Hello! It's the Monday after Christmas, and it's a bank holiday Monday, and after three days of mostly sitting on my couch and reading books, interspersed with watching telly, I think I should probably try and be a bit more active today... *g* So - a post isn't a bad place to start, I think? Hope you all had good days over the break - and still are having! Hello. *g*
(My Pros-y Christmas-y view from the couch... Hurrah Pros, and ProsFandomCards, and thank you all! *g*)
There's been lots of lovely reading, most of which didn't require me to check the placement of a single comma or preposition, so that's been lush. Since starting my holiday, that's been Greenwitch by Susan Cooper, The Grey King by Susan Cooper, How the Marquis got his Coat Back by Neil Gaiman, A Handful of Sovereigns by Anna King and Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli.
I've been re-reading The Dark is Rising series because I meant to sign up for the Dark is Rising Readathon but in all my pre-Christmas rubbishdom I didn't, and I probably wouldn't have joined in properly by posting anyway, and... well. But I'm still enjoying the reading, and that's the main thing! *g* It's also fun spotting little things that I notice differently now, too. The Grey King was where I first learnt about reading and pronouncing Welsh, and I've always loved that about it, only this time I recognised some of the Welsh dialogue too. Just simple things - bore da! - iawn diolch! - but at least I've learned a bit more since I was a kid! *g*
A Handful of Sovereigns was a historical romance that I added to some other bogof books I was buying, partly to see how it compared to the m/m historical romance I've been reading this year. It was... interesting. Perfectly good. But it made me think about characterisation. The heroine and the hero were just a bit too good, and the other characters mostly a bit too flawed, but it's difficult to put my finger on where. And then the little boy seemed to be there solely as a character for the heroine to bounce off - he didn't have any spark of his own, even though he was in the story alot. If he'd been more incidental it wouldn't have been noticeable, I don't think, but it was very unclear who he was. Anyway - not sorry I read it, but it didn't really add anything to my life, even while I was reading it, if that makes sense. On the other hand - How the Marquis Got his Coat Back was a wee rush of a diversion to another world, and though I wouldn't include it among my top ten or anything, it did add to my life, by taking me away and showing me someone and somewhere else to believe in. Which is all I really ask for, in a book - that I can believe in it! Of course that was pretty much guaranteed, because it was by Neil Gaiman. *g*
I liked Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda alot too - it's one of those books that has a brilliant energy about it, the kind that reminds you of all the optimism and hope and looking-forward-to-the-world of being that age!
And before all that there were some rather lush days involving a flurry of releases from my two favourite m/m authors. Finally finally K.J. Charles' A Seditious Affair, second book in the Society of Gentleman series (I hold onto my hope that when the three books are out there will be some kind of print release rather than just the e-book). Then Joanna Chambers' Humbug short Christmas story (but not too short *g*), and then her new book Unnatural, which is a spin-off from her Enlightened series, which I adore. *g* So yeay - and they all lived up to expectations, too! *g*
With the new separate release of it, I also re-read Chambers' Rest and Be Thankful, from last year's Comfort and Joy e-book - huge kudos for everyone who publishes in a format that makes stories printable once you've bought them - it makes such a difference to reading them. I was a bit disappointed in RaBT when I read it in ebook last year, but I liked it much better this time. Being able to flick your eyes around the pages and attach meaning from here to there cos it's there in front of you means there's so much more to a story! Like the difference between working out whodunnit just in your head and memory, and on an Elizabeth-Walsh-type puzzleboard, where you can see the strings that make connections...
Also, blow up the cover to Joanna Chambers' Humbug - now why can't all m/m books have covers that beautiful?!
It feels like years since I properly sat down to watch more than one programme a night, but there's been some good Christmas telly this year! I'm enjoying Dickensian, and And Then There Were None, and I really, really liked the Christmas Doctor Who! A whole episode with Peter Capaldi as the Doctor where I enjoyed every moment of it! I thought it was excellent, and the Doctor was more like the Doctor I know and love, and even when Riversong was confusing him she wasn't being condescending to him (even when she was - or maybe it was more that the Doctor wasn't being condescended to). I liked the series finale best of all the eps from this series too, although not perfectly, and I rather suspect that was because Clara was still in it, despite being dead, and the Doctor was still being condescended to by her! So yeay The Husbands of River Song! *g*
I've also finally been watching Outlander, and thoroughly enjoying it. They've done a really good job of translating it to screen, I reckon - as do most people, from what I gathered when it was first out. Nice to be able to agree. *g* I'm getting to the end of the box set now, and am going to hate having to wait so long for the next dvds to come out, but it's good. I shall console myself by diving into the Hornblower series, I think - I've been restraint itself, watching just one episode, wanting to wait until I'd read the books - but I've not managed it yet, so... *g*
What else? Astreiant fanfic! Three new ones - A Life in Star Signs, Wicked Grace and Four Things Philip..., all by Anonymous (I suspect the same one, but not sure). And of course lots of Pros that I'm catching up (too slowly) on. So much to read in the world, so little time... *g*
So now I'm at the bit between Christmas and New Year where you're thinking about all the possibilities and potential that next year has. What will I do? What's my plan? This year has been - well, okay, but it's involved far too much work and whinging about work, and not enough brilliant things in the world! I lost all my weekends away and holidays a couple of years ago, and I don't seem to have replaced them yet - so I guess that's part of my plan for 2016. And I'm enjoying reading still (well, as ever *g*), so more of that please. *g* But what else...? I'm toying with the idea of doing a 365 photography project (where you take a photo and show it to people every day for a year - guess who that would be. *g*), cos I seem to have put down my camera a bit- no reason other than work and all, really. There's a course I've got my eye on, not far away. There's bookbinding. Fiddling. National Trusting. Those all seem sort of background things though. What d'you reckon? What should I do in 2016? All ideas and thoughts welcome!
And what are you thinking of doing in 2016?
(My Pros-y Christmas-y view from the couch... Hurrah Pros, and ProsFandomCards, and thank you all! *g*)
There's been lots of lovely reading, most of which didn't require me to check the placement of a single comma or preposition, so that's been lush. Since starting my holiday, that's been Greenwitch by Susan Cooper, The Grey King by Susan Cooper, How the Marquis got his Coat Back by Neil Gaiman, A Handful of Sovereigns by Anna King and Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda by Becky Albertalli.
I've been re-reading The Dark is Rising series because I meant to sign up for the Dark is Rising Readathon but in all my pre-Christmas rubbishdom I didn't, and I probably wouldn't have joined in properly by posting anyway, and... well. But I'm still enjoying the reading, and that's the main thing! *g* It's also fun spotting little things that I notice differently now, too. The Grey King was where I first learnt about reading and pronouncing Welsh, and I've always loved that about it, only this time I recognised some of the Welsh dialogue too. Just simple things - bore da! - iawn diolch! - but at least I've learned a bit more since I was a kid! *g*
A Handful of Sovereigns was a historical romance that I added to some other bogof books I was buying, partly to see how it compared to the m/m historical romance I've been reading this year. It was... interesting. Perfectly good. But it made me think about characterisation. The heroine and the hero were just a bit too good, and the other characters mostly a bit too flawed, but it's difficult to put my finger on where. And then the little boy seemed to be there solely as a character for the heroine to bounce off - he didn't have any spark of his own, even though he was in the story alot. If he'd been more incidental it wouldn't have been noticeable, I don't think, but it was very unclear who he was. Anyway - not sorry I read it, but it didn't really add anything to my life, even while I was reading it, if that makes sense. On the other hand - How the Marquis Got his Coat Back was a wee rush of a diversion to another world, and though I wouldn't include it among my top ten or anything, it did add to my life, by taking me away and showing me someone and somewhere else to believe in. Which is all I really ask for, in a book - that I can believe in it! Of course that was pretty much guaranteed, because it was by Neil Gaiman. *g*
I liked Simon vs the Homosapien Agenda alot too - it's one of those books that has a brilliant energy about it, the kind that reminds you of all the optimism and hope and looking-forward-to-the-world of being that age!
And before all that there were some rather lush days involving a flurry of releases from my two favourite m/m authors. Finally finally K.J. Charles' A Seditious Affair, second book in the Society of Gentleman series (I hold onto my hope that when the three books are out there will be some kind of print release rather than just the e-book). Then Joanna Chambers' Humbug short Christmas story (but not too short *g*), and then her new book Unnatural, which is a spin-off from her Enlightened series, which I adore. *g* So yeay - and they all lived up to expectations, too! *g*
With the new separate release of it, I also re-read Chambers' Rest and Be Thankful, from last year's Comfort and Joy e-book - huge kudos for everyone who publishes in a format that makes stories printable once you've bought them - it makes such a difference to reading them. I was a bit disappointed in RaBT when I read it in ebook last year, but I liked it much better this time. Being able to flick your eyes around the pages and attach meaning from here to there cos it's there in front of you means there's so much more to a story! Like the difference between working out whodunnit just in your head and memory, and on an Elizabeth-Walsh-type puzzleboard, where you can see the strings that make connections...
Also, blow up the cover to Joanna Chambers' Humbug - now why can't all m/m books have covers that beautiful?!
It feels like years since I properly sat down to watch more than one programme a night, but there's been some good Christmas telly this year! I'm enjoying Dickensian, and And Then There Were None, and I really, really liked the Christmas Doctor Who! A whole episode with Peter Capaldi as the Doctor where I enjoyed every moment of it! I thought it was excellent, and the Doctor was more like the Doctor I know and love, and even when Riversong was confusing him she wasn't being condescending to him (even when she was - or maybe it was more that the Doctor wasn't being condescended to). I liked the series finale best of all the eps from this series too, although not perfectly, and I rather suspect that was because Clara was still in it, despite being dead, and the Doctor was still being condescended to by her! So yeay The Husbands of River Song! *g*
I've also finally been watching Outlander, and thoroughly enjoying it. They've done a really good job of translating it to screen, I reckon - as do most people, from what I gathered when it was first out. Nice to be able to agree. *g* I'm getting to the end of the box set now, and am going to hate having to wait so long for the next dvds to come out, but it's good. I shall console myself by diving into the Hornblower series, I think - I've been restraint itself, watching just one episode, wanting to wait until I'd read the books - but I've not managed it yet, so... *g*
What else? Astreiant fanfic! Three new ones - A Life in Star Signs, Wicked Grace and Four Things Philip..., all by Anonymous (I suspect the same one, but not sure). And of course lots of Pros that I'm catching up (too slowly) on. So much to read in the world, so little time... *g*
So now I'm at the bit between Christmas and New Year where you're thinking about all the possibilities and potential that next year has. What will I do? What's my plan? This year has been - well, okay, but it's involved far too much work and whinging about work, and not enough brilliant things in the world! I lost all my weekends away and holidays a couple of years ago, and I don't seem to have replaced them yet - so I guess that's part of my plan for 2016. And I'm enjoying reading still (well, as ever *g*), so more of that please. *g* But what else...? I'm toying with the idea of doing a 365 photography project (where you take a photo and show it to people every day for a year - guess who that would be. *g*), cos I seem to have put down my camera a bit- no reason other than work and all, really. There's a course I've got my eye on, not far away. There's bookbinding. Fiddling. National Trusting. Those all seem sort of background things though. What d'you reckon? What should I do in 2016? All ideas and thoughts welcome!
And what are you thinking of doing in 2016?