I'm sorry, those ladies might be big time horror fans but when you confuse Jason Vorhees with Michael Myers (Michael Myers in his hockey mask?!), you lost me. Reading The Ultimate History of Video Games, Vol. 2 by Steven L. Kent instead for my nonfiction of the month
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What'cha Reading?
- Thread starter Falselogic
- Start date
I finished this last night, and I'm pleased to report that my faith in the writer was almost immediately rewarded after I made this post. The book really picks up after the first section, and it becomes something slippery; the mystery is "what kind of book is this/what is this book about" rather than "who killed these people". It's nearly impossible to pin down almost to the very end, and I appreciated how it never quite turned out to be the book you were expecting.
Gwendy's Magic Feather by Richard Chizmar
I've never read Darnielle (nor am I particularly a fan of his music) but this, this has me interested.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Now reading Tales of the Greatcoats, Volume 1 by Sebastien de Castell. The Greatcoats series was the best thing I read in 2017, so I'm excited to be reading this
First, that Greatcoats anthology was great. I can't wait to read his new book. Now reading Gwendy's Final Task by Stephen King & Richard Chizmar
I hate to say it, but that was my least favorite of the trilogy. It was still good, but not as good as the first two. Anyway, that was my last book for February, because I'm getting an early start on The Shadow Rising by Robert Jordan
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Just starting Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology. I've been wanting to read the original Edda but the library didn't have it and several people recommended this retelling to me.
I read this a couple of years back and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Hopefully you will too!
Johnny Unusual
(He/Him)
It's shocking how funny most of these stories are. Like, there's a lot of wild farce in here.
TSR is done: six days it took me this time, nine days less than when I read it in 2019. I've resolved not to read New Spring and wait until April to read Fires of Heaven. Now, reading The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (potentially being my trilogy for the month)
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I'm about halfway through and very much enjoying it and am also surprised by the humor!
Also I learned too late that Neil Gaiman was giving a virtual talk through the local library today so bummed I missed that although tickets were expensive...
The first book was just alright for me, not interested in continuing with the series. Moving on to Jean-Christophe by Romain Rolland
This was a big bust, so instead I ended up reading Luke Skywalker Can't Read: And Other Geeky Truths by Ryan Britt, which was a fun, short read. Now reading, what I hope will be a fun sci-fi adventure Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot
FelixSH
(He/Him)
I started reading Les Miserables in the middle of October. Now, five months later, I finally finished the book. Great book, and I really should write some long post about it, but for now, I simply wanted to mention that I made it. That was quite a ride, and I still think that taking so long with it enhanced the experience. Such a monumental piece of literature. Loved it all, including the chapter about the Bishop (I really enjoyed those, and missed the guy for the rest of the book), the Waterloo chapter (granted, that was a bit of a challenge) or the one about the sewers (no one talks about how Hugo complains about France wasting a ton of wealth in the form of literal shit - I couldn't help but find it funny, because I'm probably still six years old.
Also, there is an interesting podcast, The Les Miserables Reading Companion, where the host discusses the different sections of the book in quite some detail. It is really helpful, by giving me some additional information about the times, and explains some of the complexer things in the book. Very much recommended.
Oh, and Marius is the worst. Honestly, the only part of the novel that I had trouble staying with was the marriage at the end. Partly, it felt off, considering how we just had a lot of people die, and I thought for a bit that no one even thought of them (which isn't quite right, Marius does think of them a lot). But also, the whole love story doesn't feel quite right in here. More problems that people can actually solve, not this lovestruck teens, please. I know, it feels like the world ends, but it just isn't the same. Which reminds me, that Marius is the worst.
Strangely, I don't mind how Eponine was always in unhappily in love with Marius (who is the worst - look, he is the worst in multiple ways). I think that's because, a) unlike him, she is very proactive and helps in different ways - not a great role model, but feels very true and it makes her feel like someone with actual inner strength and b) her suffering is due to something different, mainly her family being awful. Her love seems to be the only positive thing in her live.
Book Valjean is so much better than Anime Valjean, which I don't blame the anime too much for, though. The focus IS different, and it is for children. Also, Valjean is just such a complex character, it is hard to do him justice, if you can't spend as much time inside his head, as you want. I still think it is, on the whole, a good adaptation, that tries really hard. The chapter, where he tries to save the guy everyone thinks is him, with his intense inner monologue is one of the most captivating things I have ever written. The other thing, equally captivating, was Javerts last monologue. Another great character.
My favourites, though, were the Thenardiers. Specifically the father, Eponine and Gavrouche. Thenadier is a monster, and, unlike his musical or anime version, simply an incredibly horrible man. The book never makes him out to be comic relief, he is just a heartless monster, not above selling his daughters for awful things. He is chilling, even though his plans never quite work out.
I already mentioned Eponine, but the scene where she meets Marius, and talks about her awful life immediately drew me to her. It was so heartbreaking, when she talked about sometimes walking around at night, starving, but getting some joy(?) out of it. She was just in such a deeply sad situation. And still, she had, as mentioned, inner strength.
Spending time with Gavroche was fun, even knowing that his heart was dark, due to familial neglect. He is clever and, like his sister, full of inner strength and bravery. And, despite never learning what love is, he helps two other boys, who are strangers to him. And, despite knowing that his future will be bleak, and him already living in terrible conditions, he always seems to be able to help himself. That said, it is clear that he suffers deeply.
These are just very flat paragraphs, I should write way more, but it's long enough as it is. There is so much to love about this book, and I recommend it to everyone who likes the musical and/or can stand slow moving writing styles. This book isn't fast, except for a handful of situations. It's, I think, one of the reasons why I love it so much.
Strangely, I don't mind how Eponine was always in unhappily in love with Marius (who is the worst - look, he is the worst in multiple ways). I think that's because, a) unlike him, she is very proactive and helps in different ways - not a great role model, but feels very true and it makes her feel like someone with actual inner strength and b) her suffering is due to something different, mainly her family being awful. Her love seems to be the only positive thing in her live.
Book Valjean is so much better than Anime Valjean, which I don't blame the anime too much for, though. The focus IS different, and it is for children. Also, Valjean is just such a complex character, it is hard to do him justice, if you can't spend as much time inside his head, as you want. I still think it is, on the whole, a good adaptation, that tries really hard. The chapter, where he tries to save the guy everyone thinks is him, with his intense inner monologue is one of the most captivating things I have ever written. The other thing, equally captivating, was Javerts last monologue. Another great character.
My favourites, though, were the Thenardiers. Specifically the father, Eponine and Gavrouche. Thenadier is a monster, and, unlike his musical or anime version, simply an incredibly horrible man. The book never makes him out to be comic relief, he is just a heartless monster, not above selling his daughters for awful things. He is chilling, even though his plans never quite work out.
I already mentioned Eponine, but the scene where she meets Marius, and talks about her awful life immediately drew me to her. It was so heartbreaking, when she talked about sometimes walking around at night, starving, but getting some joy(?) out of it. She was just in such a deeply sad situation. And still, she had, as mentioned, inner strength.
Spending time with Gavroche was fun, even knowing that his heart was dark, due to familial neglect. He is clever and, like his sister, full of inner strength and bravery. And, despite never learning what love is, he helps two other boys, who are strangers to him. And, despite knowing that his future will be bleak, and him already living in terrible conditions, he always seems to be able to help himself. That said, it is clear that he suffers deeply.
These are just very flat paragraphs, I should write way more, but it's long enough as it is. There is so much to love about this book, and I recommend it to everyone who likes the musical and/or can stand slow moving writing styles. This book isn't fast, except for a handful of situations. It's, I think, one of the reasons why I love it so much.
Also, there is an interesting podcast, The Les Miserables Reading Companion, where the host discusses the different sections of the book in quite some detail. It is really helpful, by giving me some additional information about the times, and explains some of the complexer things in the book. Very much recommended.
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Violentvixen
(She/Her)
The list of things that I love about the musical is very long, but high on the list is how damned good it is at drawing the Valjean-Javert juxtapositions that people argue about with this book. Valjean's crisis of faith after the Bishop giving him his freedom and Javert's crisis of faith after Valjean giving him his freedom are the same song, but end up in entirely different places.
I think a lot of people don't realize On My Own has some basis on the book too.
I'm so glad you liked the book, it's just amazing. And I should watch the anime and check out that podcast sometime!
FelixSH
(He/Him)
Oh, that's great. I recognized this also with The Bishops Song and Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. I guess the musical does this a lot?
You know, if you ever feel like writing a longer post about the musical, I would love to read it. Just for the record, if you ever feel like it, don't feel pressured.
That song was the one that immediately came to mind. When she talked about walking outside at night, it gave this beautiful song, that I had known for so much longer, so much heart-breaking context. It just mixed in her own heart-break about Marius, and it just makes it so, so bitter.
In One Day More, it is so excellently placed - while Marius and Cosette sing together, standing next to each other, about how this might be the last day where they see each other, Eponine stands away from them. She sings a line, about how she is all alone, and just wants to be next to Marius, and then they sing one, and it's clear that she isn't even a thought in his mind. It's so sad.
I just found out that there is also a Manga version, which is also its own thing. Only read the first few chapters, which are probably the only interpretation that starts in Valjeans young adulthood, where we even see his sister and her children, together with him stealing the bread and a visualization of him becoming an animal (not literally, but you see it behind him), while he is in prison. It's way harsher and grimmer than the Anime, but seems like it tries really hard.
Just for fun, I read the first few sentences, at the start, where we meet the Bishop, again. I could immediately start to reread that book. Would love to spend some more time with him. I don't think I ever felt this way about a book, where I'm done, but have such a hard time letting it go, switching to something different. I really would love to spend some more time in this world, with these people.
Ok, I'll stop now. Anything else will be posted in the Victor Hugo thread, so that this doesn't become a bunch of way too long posts about Les Miserables.
Bluebird was a lot of fun. Highly recommend if you are into some light space opera. Now, for Women's History Month, I'm reading James Tiptree Jr: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon by Julie Phillips. I have never read any of her stories yet btw
Currently about halfway through John Scalzi's new one, The Kaiju Preservation Society. So far, fun concept, but the writing feels kinda lazy? Like, for a book that revolves around kaiju, you'd expect to maybe get a single description of one. He'll maybe describe one particular detail of any given kaiju, and the rest of it is left to your imagination. Unsatisfying. I've got a pretty active imagination, but you can't just say "kaiju" and leave it at that. Help me see your giant monsters!
I finished Age of Ash, the first part of Daniel Abraham's new fantasy trilogy. I recommend it if you like his other work or smaller scale, character driven fantasy in general.
So, the Tiptree bio was a bust. It's less than 400 pages and in four days I wasn't even halfway done, not a good sign. Instead, going back to fiction to read The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fannone Jeffers
Finished None of Those Explosions Were My Fault, which was about 80% explaining the world building of how a comic book universe exists scientifically (half magic, half Plausible deniability) which butts head with the fact that all the main characters are poly-sci students so the fact that the laws of physics don’t apply to them is endlessly frustrating.
The bits where it wasn’t World Building we’re fine enough, but the author was really all there to explain how exactly Super Shrinky powers work in a world with vampires and skeleton-monsters.
Frankly it feels enough like something I would have written myself, both in subject matter and writing style, that I’m wondering if there’s not two of me.
The bits where it wasn’t World Building we’re fine enough, but the author was really all there to explain how exactly Super Shrinky powers work in a world with vampires and skeleton-monsters.
Frankly it feels enough like something I would have written myself, both in subject matter and writing style, that I’m wondering if there’s not two of me.
Finished this a couple of days ago. Apparently he wrote it in two very quick months, which explains why everything feels overly breezy. Didn't love it, but I'm not mad.
I was looking forward to this - good to know it's safe to push it a bit in the backlog. I do love how easy Scalzi is to read, but the premise was too cool to spare details. Pity.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Read Recitatif, Toni Morrison's only short story. This NPR article summarizes it nicely:
Highly recommended, if only for an exercise in examining your own subconscious bias. But it's also a well-written story that would stand even without this context.
Highly recommended, if only for an exercise in examining your own subconscious bias. But it's also a well-written story that would stand even without this context.
If you happened to be looking for epic fantasy not set in a generic European medieval/renaissance period. I heartily suggest S. A. Chakraborty's Daevabad trilogy. I've read the first two books: The City of Brass and The Copper Kingdom. They're both fantastic. Complicated, conflicted characters living in the world of Ottoman Empire & Muslim/Arabic myth and folklore.
I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy - The Empire of Gold
I'm looking forward to the final book in the trilogy - The Empire of Gold
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Starting Mel Brook's memoir after all the positive comments on here.
Also starting Vanity Fair for my classics book club which I am decidedly less excited about.
Also starting Vanity Fair for my classics book club which I am decidedly less excited about.
Solution; read the magazine, say you misunderstood, and then be done with it all the sooner.
The Perfect Crime
The Perfect Crime