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What I Just Finished Reading
The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
Oh, they just do not write YA novels as good as this anymore.
Unmentionable – Therese Oneill
This has been on my TBR list since I read a WaPo review of it when it was first published. Oneill opens by chastising women who want to return to the glory days of the Regency and Victorian eras of balls, courtship, chivalry, and frothy dresses. This seemed like a bit of a strawman set-up to me: I imagine that plenty of fans of the era are aware that the reality was less rosy than a BBC Austen adaptation: that is the whole point of fantasy. The book improved considerably once Oneill got down to the business of describing the realities of the era. She writes with a very Bust magazine or Jezebel-esque snark that was hit-or-miss but left me guffawing more than once. Oneill is upfront about her decision to only examine the lives of middle-to-upper class women, but there's still quite a bit of cherry-picking going on in the examples she discusses. Which isn't to say that the attitudes and contentions they reflect weren't horrible, only that I doubt people accepted them whole cloth. (After all, present day material makes much of the necessity of a Brazilian for good female hygiene or the inferiority of various social, ethnic, and racial classes, but not everyone believes it). All that said, I think this review is making me sound less a fan of the book than I am: I read it in under a day, laughed a lot, and enjoyed Oneill's commentary even as I cringed at the historic material.
What I Am Currently Reading
The Castle of Llyr – Lloyd Alexander
I'm glad to see Eilonwy get a little more real estate in this volume, and I'd forgotten how much Rhudd irritated me back in the day.
The Waste Land – T.S. Eliot
Perhaps my favorite poem ever written; I like to read this one slowly.
China – Kathy Flower
Still truckin'.
The Tarot: History, Mystery, and Lore – Cynthia Giles
This week's passage discussed the origins of the word “Tarot.” (Conclusion: no one really knows where it came from but there are a lot of spurious etymologies out there.)
Tarot: Beyond the Basics – Anthony Louis
Ah, yes, this is what I need from a Tarot book: none of this "intuitive" crap, I want systems for my bogus future-telling methods, and Louis provides them in spades. This week's passages dealt with attributing planets and zodiac signs to the various major and minor arcana, and the differences between classical, chaldean, and modern correspondences. Louis assumes a level of astrological knowledge that I don't have, but I'm enjoying reading it regardless.
Clariel – Garth Nix
Having been spoiled for the ending, I don't feel the sense of urgency I otherwise might as I approach the conclusion, but the writing is still descriptive and atmospheric, and I like the character of Clariel very much.
A Conspiracy of Kings – Megan Whalen Turner
Turner is such a good author, and has my deep respect and love for writing a new novel every time. I read The Thief in 2003, and have eagerly awaited each subsequent book...and while I've always liked them, it isn't until the second read that I come to love them, because there is that small part of me that just wants the newest volume to be a rehash of the old so that I miss the genius of what she's done until I revisit them.
What I'm Reading Next
Finally, FINALLY The Bedlam Stacks has arrived! And when that's done, Thick as Thieves. It's going to be a good week for reading.
これで以上です。
The Black Cauldron – Lloyd Alexander
Oh, they just do not write YA novels as good as this anymore.
Unmentionable – Therese Oneill
This has been on my TBR list since I read a WaPo review of it when it was first published. Oneill opens by chastising women who want to return to the glory days of the Regency and Victorian eras of balls, courtship, chivalry, and frothy dresses. This seemed like a bit of a strawman set-up to me: I imagine that plenty of fans of the era are aware that the reality was less rosy than a BBC Austen adaptation: that is the whole point of fantasy. The book improved considerably once Oneill got down to the business of describing the realities of the era. She writes with a very Bust magazine or Jezebel-esque snark that was hit-or-miss but left me guffawing more than once. Oneill is upfront about her decision to only examine the lives of middle-to-upper class women, but there's still quite a bit of cherry-picking going on in the examples she discusses. Which isn't to say that the attitudes and contentions they reflect weren't horrible, only that I doubt people accepted them whole cloth. (After all, present day material makes much of the necessity of a Brazilian for good female hygiene or the inferiority of various social, ethnic, and racial classes, but not everyone believes it). All that said, I think this review is making me sound less a fan of the book than I am: I read it in under a day, laughed a lot, and enjoyed Oneill's commentary even as I cringed at the historic material.
What I Am Currently Reading
The Castle of Llyr – Lloyd Alexander
I'm glad to see Eilonwy get a little more real estate in this volume, and I'd forgotten how much Rhudd irritated me back in the day.
The Waste Land – T.S. Eliot
Perhaps my favorite poem ever written; I like to read this one slowly.
China – Kathy Flower
Still truckin'.
The Tarot: History, Mystery, and Lore – Cynthia Giles
This week's passage discussed the origins of the word “Tarot.” (Conclusion: no one really knows where it came from but there are a lot of spurious etymologies out there.)
Tarot: Beyond the Basics – Anthony Louis
Ah, yes, this is what I need from a Tarot book: none of this "intuitive" crap, I want systems for my bogus future-telling methods, and Louis provides them in spades. This week's passages dealt with attributing planets and zodiac signs to the various major and minor arcana, and the differences between classical, chaldean, and modern correspondences. Louis assumes a level of astrological knowledge that I don't have, but I'm enjoying reading it regardless.
Clariel – Garth Nix
Having been spoiled for the ending, I don't feel the sense of urgency I otherwise might as I approach the conclusion, but the writing is still descriptive and atmospheric, and I like the character of Clariel very much.
A Conspiracy of Kings – Megan Whalen Turner
Turner is such a good author, and has my deep respect and love for writing a new novel every time. I read The Thief in 2003, and have eagerly awaited each subsequent book...and while I've always liked them, it isn't until the second read that I come to love them, because there is that small part of me that just wants the newest volume to be a rehash of the old so that I miss the genius of what she's done until I revisit them.
What I'm Reading Next
Finally, FINALLY The Bedlam Stacks has arrived! And when that's done, Thick as Thieves. It's going to be a good week for reading.
これで以上です。
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