Less than 48 hours into this week, it has already been A Week. More about this elsewhere if I feel up to it. In the meantime, I've been reading some books.
What I Finished Reading This Week
[ ] – [ ]
For reasons.
Miranda in Milan – Katharine Duckett
This fanfic sequel to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” reads like a fanfic sequel to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” That is, Duckett does a good job of imitating Shakespeare’s vocabulary (if not precise style) and flair for vivid scene setting. But convincing characterization, motivation, and decisionmaking are not among her priorities, to say the least. Pro- and antagonists do whatever the author needs them to to get the story to go where she'd like it to go next, never mind how one might believably get from the characters in the source material to these versions of themselves, or even how these versions of themselves might get to point X based on where they were a few pages ago. Characters gain or lose knowledge, powers, or abilities willy-nilly, again dictated by the needs of the plot rather than internal consistency or logical coherence. The romance is, shall we say, as fully developed as that between Miranda and Ferdinand in the source material. The multiple tonal shifts are even more jarring given the novella’s shortness. As freebie braincandy it served its purpose, but I would have been pretty displeased if I’d paid the $19.50 cover price for this 200-page, double-spaced, large-font, largely empty calorie read.
River Kings – Cat Jarmin
River Kings uses the device of a carnelian bead discovered at an archaeological dig in Repton, England, to explore the movement of Viking peoples throughout Western and Eastern Europe (and possibly beyond) from the 8th to the 10th centuries. It’s one of the best examples of popular history I’ve read in recent years: engaging and compulsively readable while also being genuinely informative. Jarmin has a knack for explaining complicated science (think strontium isotope analysis) in terms non-specialists can understand, while also not dumbing things down. The book covers a lot of ground—trade, migration, immigration, armed conflict, political alliances, gender, contemporary records—in a cohesive way, and Jarmin does a good job of distinguishing theory from established fact from personal speculation (hers or others'). Jarmin’s overall skill as a writer makes her multiple, if sporadic, misuse of random words all the more jarring, but that—and the fact that River Kings is so interesting I wanted it to be even longer and more academic—are my only points of dissatisfaction with the book. This was a great read and one I’ll probably pick up again.
No Shortcuts – Max Smeets
I wish all nonfiction writing could be this well-organized and clearly and concisely written. On the strength of that alone, this is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read this year.
What I Am Currently Reading
Chinese Communist Espionage – Peter Mattis & Matthew Brazil
Because I seem to be on a “random nonfiction subject” kick these days.
Gallant – Victoria Scwab
I’m just under 30 pages in, but so far I like this worlds more than anything else I’ve read by Scwab.
Dracula – Bram Stoker
This week’s entries drive home how much I like Stoker’s prose depicting natural scenery and how all the rest of it just sort of leaves me cold.
What I’m Reading Next
Nothing, because although Natasha Pulley’s new novel (Natasha Pulley has a new novel!) published yesterday, zero out of five local bookshops had it in stock. These places stock every other trendy Tor or WaPo-reviewed book that comes out; how do they not have Natasha Pulley’s new novel?
これで以上です。
What I Finished Reading This Week
[ ] – [ ]
For reasons.
Miranda in Milan – Katharine Duckett
This fanfic sequel to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” reads like a fanfic sequel to Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” That is, Duckett does a good job of imitating Shakespeare’s vocabulary (if not precise style) and flair for vivid scene setting. But convincing characterization, motivation, and decisionmaking are not among her priorities, to say the least. Pro- and antagonists do whatever the author needs them to to get the story to go where she'd like it to go next, never mind how one might believably get from the characters in the source material to these versions of themselves, or even how these versions of themselves might get to point X based on where they were a few pages ago. Characters gain or lose knowledge, powers, or abilities willy-nilly, again dictated by the needs of the plot rather than internal consistency or logical coherence. The romance is, shall we say, as fully developed as that between Miranda and Ferdinand in the source material. The multiple tonal shifts are even more jarring given the novella’s shortness. As freebie braincandy it served its purpose, but I would have been pretty displeased if I’d paid the $19.50 cover price for this 200-page, double-spaced, large-font, largely empty calorie read.
River Kings – Cat Jarmin
River Kings uses the device of a carnelian bead discovered at an archaeological dig in Repton, England, to explore the movement of Viking peoples throughout Western and Eastern Europe (and possibly beyond) from the 8th to the 10th centuries. It’s one of the best examples of popular history I’ve read in recent years: engaging and compulsively readable while also being genuinely informative. Jarmin has a knack for explaining complicated science (think strontium isotope analysis) in terms non-specialists can understand, while also not dumbing things down. The book covers a lot of ground—trade, migration, immigration, armed conflict, political alliances, gender, contemporary records—in a cohesive way, and Jarmin does a good job of distinguishing theory from established fact from personal speculation (hers or others'). Jarmin’s overall skill as a writer makes her multiple, if sporadic, misuse of random words all the more jarring, but that—and the fact that River Kings is so interesting I wanted it to be even longer and more academic—are my only points of dissatisfaction with the book. This was a great read and one I’ll probably pick up again.
No Shortcuts – Max Smeets
I wish all nonfiction writing could be this well-organized and clearly and concisely written. On the strength of that alone, this is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve read this year.
What I Am Currently Reading
Chinese Communist Espionage – Peter Mattis & Matthew Brazil
Because I seem to be on a “random nonfiction subject” kick these days.
Gallant – Victoria Scwab
I’m just under 30 pages in, but so far I like this worlds more than anything else I’ve read by Scwab.
Dracula – Bram Stoker
This week’s entries drive home how much I like Stoker’s prose depicting natural scenery and how all the rest of it just sort of leaves me cold.
What I’m Reading Next
Nothing, because although Natasha Pulley’s new novel (Natasha Pulley has a new novel!) published yesterday, zero out of five local bookshops had it in stock. These places stock every other trendy Tor or WaPo-reviewed book that comes out; how do they not have Natasha Pulley’s new novel?
これで以上です。
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