Entry tags:
culture consumed Wednesday: better
Finished Abhorsen. Cried at the bit at the end that I always cry at.
Read Dervish is Digital by Pat Cadigan. I found it disappointing. I was hoping that there would be a payoff in the form of a denouement, but not so much. :/
Reading Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. I quite like it, but I have to turn my disability politics off. DID does not work that way.
ETA: Oh, and I also read How to Disappear Completely: On Modern Anorexia by Kelsey Osgood.
+
I have finally resumed watching Once Upon a Time. I'm still pausing in the middle of episodes because my attention isn't fully engaged, but I'm making progress! I still don't understand exactly what I like about this show? I guess, as aforementioned, tropey goodness. But I can't name favorite characters or 'ships or anything, and that is extremely unlike me.
Maybe it's cos my favorite relationships are all familial relationships that I don't want 'cest for?
+
Colored another mandala
+
And merry Christmas. And if the sun is still up where you are, happy Hanukkah. And happy Wednesday and/or Thursday.
Read Dervish is Digital by Pat Cadigan. I found it disappointing. I was hoping that there would be a payoff in the form of a denouement, but not so much. :/
Reading Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup. I quite like it, but I have to turn my disability politics off. DID does not work that way.
ETA: Oh, and I also read How to Disappear Completely: On Modern Anorexia by Kelsey Osgood.
+
I have finally resumed watching Once Upon a Time. I'm still pausing in the middle of episodes because my attention isn't fully engaged, but I'm making progress! I still don't understand exactly what I like about this show? I guess, as aforementioned, tropey goodness. But I can't name favorite characters or 'ships or anything, and that is extremely unlike me.
Maybe it's cos my favorite relationships are all familial relationships that I don't want 'cest for?
+
Colored another mandala
+
And merry Christmas. And if the sun is still up where you are, happy Hanukkah. And happy Wednesday and/or Thursday.
culture consumed Wednesday: pumpkins, pirates, perfume, and gender-based violence
ELCA Draft Statement on Gender-Based Violence. It is well-written and I'm pleased with it in various ways, but I'm definitely most personally pleased about the inclusion of non-binary genders (not perfectly and not using the language I would use, but clearly intentionally inclusive.)
books
I read two Jincy Willett novels: Amy Falls Down, which is a sequel to The Writing Class, and Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor, and Really Bad Weather, which it turns out I'd read before, although I didn't remember any details.
I liked both of these books, but neither as much as I liked The Writing Class.
Winner of the National Book Award is full of gender-based violence, helpfully tying this post together thematically.
I read Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy by Helen Fielding. I... well. That is a choice you could make, Helen Fielding!
[spoilers]
( Read more... )
unspoilery: Like the previous two books this is laugh-out-loud funny. Bridget remains adorable and sympathetic. It was enjoyable on all those levels, but not ultimately emotionally satisfying because of reasons under the cut-tag (which, while spoilery, I don't think will spoil one's enjoyment of the book, whose pleasure lies mostly in humor and character voice.)
There are children in the picture, whom I didn't find particularly realistically drawn but who weren't annoying.
It's definitely not porn; it's also definitely more sexually explicit than the previous two books. I once read a review of the film that said something like, "There's a suggestion that Daniel and Bridget indulged in anal sex, something that would never happen in the book." This book doesn't have anal sex, but it would not be out of place.
I miss Shazzer. :(
Content note: there is a fairly substantial plotline involving weight loss/fat/obesity in a way that's different from the previous books and might be more triggery (on the other hand, it's fairly self-contained, and the rest of the book has less yo-yo dieting than the previous books); if it would be helpful to anyone I'd be happy to talk about this in more detail.
There are also other ick things that are common squicks -- there are parts that it would be wise not to read while eating.
It makes me wish that I could write fanfic again because it desperately needs a completely different ending. :(
I started reading cite>Clariel by Garth Nix. This is a major tonal shift from the other books I read this week and I'm finding getting into it slow-going.
games
I played some Puzzle Pirates while on the phone with Elizabeth the other day.
perfume
(Spoilers: I suck at identifying scents.)
I finished the 'weenies:
Pumpkin I
should be: "Pumpkin cream with cardamom, black tea, allspice, and ginger milk."
was: Cake! I probably need to stop acquiring MORE BPAL foodie scents because they all smell indistinguishably of cake to me, but in the meantime, cake!
Pumpkin IV
Should be: "Warm pumpkin with three honeys, oudh, sweet frankincense, and champaca resin."
Was: And yet another cake, with maybe the faaaaintest hint of something darker -- cinnammon? incense? underneath. Yup, definitely need to declare foodie scents from BPAL off-limits. They smell perfectly nice, like a generic sweet baked good, but, e.g., these didn't really smell of pumpkin to me, and I now own enough of them that if I desire this scent I have maybe half a dozen options. Sigh. Really disappointed, because description sounded sooo promising
I got Anne Bonny as a frimp from![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
synecdochic_decants.
Should be: "A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense."
Was: Oooh. After ALL THE CAKE this is kind of a relief. Brine? It does have an aquatic sense to it, but maybe like a seaport, a bit of salt and -- cedar? -- I am definitely getting pirate feels from this. I think I might be sensing the same "trickle of blood" that's in Valentine of Rome.
music
I actually listened to Spotify for awhile this afternoon. All David Haas.
books
I read two Jincy Willett novels: Amy Falls Down, which is a sequel to The Writing Class, and Winner of the National Book Award: A Novel of Fame, Honor, and Really Bad Weather, which it turns out I'd read before, although I didn't remember any details.
I liked both of these books, but neither as much as I liked The Writing Class.
Winner of the National Book Award is full of gender-based violence, helpfully tying this post together thematically.
I read Bridget Jones: Mad about the Boy by Helen Fielding. I... well. That is a choice you could make, Helen Fielding!
[spoilers]
( Read more... )
unspoilery: Like the previous two books this is laugh-out-loud funny. Bridget remains adorable and sympathetic. It was enjoyable on all those levels, but not ultimately emotionally satisfying because of reasons under the cut-tag (which, while spoilery, I don't think will spoil one's enjoyment of the book, whose pleasure lies mostly in humor and character voice.)
There are children in the picture, whom I didn't find particularly realistically drawn but who weren't annoying.
It's definitely not porn; it's also definitely more sexually explicit than the previous two books. I once read a review of the film that said something like, "There's a suggestion that Daniel and Bridget indulged in anal sex, something that would never happen in the book." This book doesn't have anal sex, but it would not be out of place.
I miss Shazzer. :(
Content note: there is a fairly substantial plotline involving weight loss/fat/obesity in a way that's different from the previous books and might be more triggery (on the other hand, it's fairly self-contained, and the rest of the book has less yo-yo dieting than the previous books); if it would be helpful to anyone I'd be happy to talk about this in more detail.
There are also other ick things that are common squicks -- there are parts that it would be wise not to read while eating.
It makes me wish that I could write fanfic again because it desperately needs a completely different ending. :(
I started reading cite>Clariel by Garth Nix. This is a major tonal shift from the other books I read this week and I'm finding getting into it slow-going.
games
I played some Puzzle Pirates while on the phone with Elizabeth the other day.
perfume
(Spoilers: I suck at identifying scents.)
I finished the 'weenies:
Pumpkin I
should be: "Pumpkin cream with cardamom, black tea, allspice, and ginger milk."
was: Cake! I probably need to stop acquiring MORE BPAL foodie scents because they all smell indistinguishably of cake to me, but in the meantime, cake!
Pumpkin IV
Should be: "Warm pumpkin with three honeys, oudh, sweet frankincense, and champaca resin."
Was: And yet another cake, with maybe the faaaaintest hint of something darker -- cinnammon? incense? underneath. Yup, definitely need to declare foodie scents from BPAL off-limits. They smell perfectly nice, like a generic sweet baked good, but, e.g., these didn't really smell of pumpkin to me, and I now own enough of them that if I desire this scent I have maybe half a dozen options. Sigh. Really disappointed, because description sounded sooo promising
I got Anne Bonny as a frimp from
synecdochic_decants. Should be: "A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense."
Was: Oooh. After ALL THE CAKE this is kind of a relief. Brine? It does have an aquatic sense to it, but maybe like a seaport, a bit of salt and -- cedar? -- I am definitely getting pirate feels from this. I think I might be sensing the same "trickle of blood" that's in Valentine of Rome.
music
I actually listened to Spotify for awhile this afternoon. All David Haas.
culture consumed Wednesday
books:
I finished The Night She Died and read all of Six Feet Under by Dorothy Simpson. I really like these books; they are British cozies featuring an police detective, and all the mysteries are of the small village/lots of secrets/complicated interpersonal relationships kind, very Agatha Christie (and particularly very Jane Marple; Jane Marple would solve all of these cases in basically a day, but we provide allowances for Detective Inspector Luke Thanet.) They were written in the 1980s and 1990s and are set then, which is really nice and appropriately period, and only occasionally provides confusion of the, "How did people live before Google?" variety. (When reading Christie, it's easy to put myself in that time period, but these are much closer to contemporary so I keep doing doubletakes and thinking, "Can't you just check the internets?")
I also read 1 Kings and a good bit of 2 Kings for Sunday school. I will try to finish 2 Kings, and then read Micah, which is what's next.
In terms of fiction, next up is the set of library books that I am very excited about -- there is apparently a third Bridget Jones book, there are two more books by Jincy Willett, and there is Clariel.
For many years of my life, I looked fruitlessly for Regiment of Women by Clemence Dane. A chapter was anthologized in Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the Seventeenth Century to the Present ed. Lillian Faderman, and that chapter plus the things mentioned in the preceding biographical blurb were basically tailor-made for my burgeoning kinks. (It is not a happy story and is deeply homophobic, according to the summary, and ends with pastede on het, but!
[behind the cut for trigger warnings, because your kinks are not my kinks. (Probably internalized) homophobia and mention of suicide]
( Read more... )
Anyhow, I fruitlessly searched for many years but couldn't find it, and yesterday I suddenly remembered it -- I saw mention of "queer literary fiction" and it popped into my head -- and lo, there is is on Project Gutenberg. If we have this technology, why don't we have the technology to send it back in time to me-at-fourteen, who really wanted to read it? I suck at reading long things on my computer, and my interest in self-loathing lesbians is substantially less than it used to be, so I suspect I won't actually read it. Which is sad, because teenage!me. (and because I feel like a crossover between this and Discworld's Monstrous Regiment needs to exist.)
perfume
My BPAL 'weenie decants fromsynecdochic_decants arrived just in time for me to wear the first four on the correct days. Brief writeups, since heaven knows I won't manage longer ones:
( Read more... )
food
I usually talk about this on Culture Created Tuesday, since most of the food I eat is created by me, but we went out to eat for my birthday.
We went to Alladin Cafe. I got lentil soup ("Red lentils seasoned with saffron, curry, cumin and lemon") and lamb kabob ("Tender marinated lamb, grilled and served with cucumber yogurt sauce" and with basmati rice and sautéed vegetables). It was all quite delicious.
I also got crème brûlée from Cosentinos, which was, as aforementioned, both disappointing and inspirational.
coloring books
I am not sure where these fall on the consumed/created scale, but Elizabeth gave me a Care Bears coloring and activity book for my birthday, so the first hour of being 29 was a lot like being 5.
sports
I half-heartedly watched the by-play on mlb.com during the last game of the World Series, so I would know whether my pie was celebratory or consoling.
+++
idk, I feel like I don't know where the week went. I mean, frequently I frivol away time, but I usually at least know where it went. I guess I did a bunch of baking, and read a novel and a half, and did a bunch of personal writing, and went out to eat with my roommates, and had a long phone call with my dad last night, and these things add up.
I finished The Night She Died and read all of Six Feet Under by Dorothy Simpson. I really like these books; they are British cozies featuring an police detective, and all the mysteries are of the small village/lots of secrets/complicated interpersonal relationships kind, very Agatha Christie (and particularly very Jane Marple; Jane Marple would solve all of these cases in basically a day, but we provide allowances for Detective Inspector Luke Thanet.) They were written in the 1980s and 1990s and are set then, which is really nice and appropriately period, and only occasionally provides confusion of the, "How did people live before Google?" variety. (When reading Christie, it's easy to put myself in that time period, but these are much closer to contemporary so I keep doing doubletakes and thinking, "Can't you just check the internets?")
I also read 1 Kings and a good bit of 2 Kings for Sunday school. I will try to finish 2 Kings, and then read Micah, which is what's next.
In terms of fiction, next up is the set of library books that I am very excited about -- there is apparently a third Bridget Jones book, there are two more books by Jincy Willett, and there is Clariel.
For many years of my life, I looked fruitlessly for Regiment of Women by Clemence Dane. A chapter was anthologized in Chloe Plus Olivia: An Anthology of Lesbian Literature from the Seventeenth Century to the Present ed. Lillian Faderman, and that chapter plus the things mentioned in the preceding biographical blurb were basically tailor-made for my burgeoning kinks. (It is not a happy story and is deeply homophobic, according to the summary, and ends with pastede on het, but!
[behind the cut for trigger warnings, because your kinks are not my kinks. (Probably internalized) homophobia and mention of suicide]
( Read more... )
Anyhow, I fruitlessly searched for many years but couldn't find it, and yesterday I suddenly remembered it -- I saw mention of "queer literary fiction" and it popped into my head -- and lo, there is is on Project Gutenberg. If we have this technology, why don't we have the technology to send it back in time to me-at-fourteen, who really wanted to read it? I suck at reading long things on my computer, and my interest in self-loathing lesbians is substantially less than it used to be, so I suspect I won't actually read it. Which is sad, because teenage!me. (and because I feel like a crossover between this and Discworld's Monstrous Regiment needs to exist.)
perfume
My BPAL 'weenie decants from
synecdochic_decants arrived just in time for me to wear the first four on the correct days. Brief writeups, since heaven knows I won't manage longer ones:( Read more... )
food
I usually talk about this on Culture Created Tuesday, since most of the food I eat is created by me, but we went out to eat for my birthday.
We went to Alladin Cafe. I got lentil soup ("Red lentils seasoned with saffron, curry, cumin and lemon") and lamb kabob ("Tender marinated lamb, grilled and served with cucumber yogurt sauce" and with basmati rice and sautéed vegetables). It was all quite delicious.
I also got crème brûlée from Cosentinos, which was, as aforementioned, both disappointing and inspirational.
coloring books
I am not sure where these fall on the consumed/created scale, but Elizabeth gave me a Care Bears coloring and activity book for my birthday, so the first hour of being 29 was a lot like being 5.
sports
I half-heartedly watched the by-play on mlb.com during the last game of the World Series, so I would know whether my pie was celebratory or consoling.
+++
idk, I feel like I don't know where the week went. I mean, frequently I frivol away time, but I usually at least know where it went. I guess I did a bunch of baking, and read a novel and a half, and did a bunch of personal writing, and went out to eat with my roommates, and had a long phone call with my dad last night, and these things add up.
Entry tags:
culture consumed Wednesday:
games:
I'm playing Marvel Puzzle Quest, which is Bejeweled with Marvel heroes, because it was nominated for Yuletide. It is, as is the nature of Bejeweled, incredibly addictive. I should probably see if the computer can endure playing it and podcasts at the same time, so I'm not completely wasting my time.
There isn't a lot of narrative, but the dialogue is witty and I've laughed a bunch of times.
books:
I read I and II Samuel for Sunday school.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vass, I think I've changed my mind and wanna cliff David, so I suppose shag Saul?
As happened when I skimmed I Samuel for that conversation with Vass, I have lots of Saul feels.
The Inclusive Bible puts an intentional David/Jonathan slant on the story, because Inclusive Bible.
Other reading:
I finished The Family Trade, by Charles Stross. Not going to read more of the series, even though the book ends -- not on a cliffhanger, but also not at a particularly satisfying ending place.
I read The Writing Class by Jincy Willett in one long sitting and enjoyed it very much. Possibly what Tiggers are in the mood for is mystery, not sf?
Nevertheless, I'm working on the 22nd Year's Best Science Fiction ed. Gardner Dozois. Like the last volume of this anthology I read, this is fairly entertaining. I really liked the first story, "Inappropriate Behavior" by Pat Murphy.
tv:
Some more of OuAT. I most recently watched 2x13, "Tiny," and predictably cried. This show this show this shooooooow
sports:
Listened to an inning and a half of the Royals game last night. I really, really want to care about the Royals (because Kansas City is my home), but apparently I just don't. :/
I'm playing Marvel Puzzle Quest, which is Bejeweled with Marvel heroes, because it was nominated for Yuletide. It is, as is the nature of Bejeweled, incredibly addictive. I should probably see if the computer can endure playing it and podcasts at the same time, so I'm not completely wasting my time.
There isn't a lot of narrative, but the dialogue is witty and I've laughed a bunch of times.
books:
I read I and II Samuel for Sunday school.
vass, I think I've changed my mind and wanna cliff David, so I suppose shag Saul? As happened when I skimmed I Samuel for that conversation with Vass, I have lots of Saul feels.
The Inclusive Bible puts an intentional David/Jonathan slant on the story, because Inclusive Bible.
Other reading:
I finished The Family Trade, by Charles Stross. Not going to read more of the series, even though the book ends -- not on a cliffhanger, but also not at a particularly satisfying ending place.
I read The Writing Class by Jincy Willett in one long sitting and enjoyed it very much. Possibly what Tiggers are in the mood for is mystery, not sf?
Nevertheless, I'm working on the 22nd Year's Best Science Fiction ed. Gardner Dozois. Like the last volume of this anthology I read, this is fairly entertaining. I really liked the first story, "Inappropriate Behavior" by Pat Murphy.
tv:
Some more of OuAT. I most recently watched 2x13, "Tiny," and predictably cried. This show this show this shooooooow
sports:
Listened to an inning and a half of the Royals game last night. I really, really want to care about the Royals (because Kansas City is my home), but apparently I just don't. :/
Entry tags:
culture consumed Wednesday: once upon a time in Kansas City
TV: Once Upon a Time
(So, Netflix is a thing, and I have access to S2 of OuAT)
Good grief.
I cried three or four times during 2x03 "Lady of the Lake."
I suppose theoretically this show could push my buttons harder, but I don't really know how.
Perhaps if more of the characters had complicated parent-child stuff going on.
[several more episodes into the season] -- okay then.
I was legit not expecting to have Regina feels but lo, here are my Regina feels.
I keep thinking, "Gosh this show is not very good," through tears and then -- you know what, fuckit, show is enjoyable on many levels to me, and that makes it good even if it is tropediculous. (and just when I think this show can't get any more tropediculous, zombies arise.)
okay, so, more specific thoughts:
[spoilers through 2x09 "Queen of Hearts." Would appreciate no spoilers past then.]
( Read more... )
Books
Bunch of random reading. I skimmed stuff for Sunday school; I'm trying to read I and II Samuel for this week.
I borrowed a new batch of books from the library and am reading The Family Trade, by Charles Stross, the first book in the Merchant Princes series. It's entertaining and reads fast?
I dithered with some other books -- the random romance I had started reading, some other stuff I have out from the library -- I'm having a hard time committing.
Games
I'm at an obnoxious point in Rogue Soul where I've accomplished basically all the accomplishments -- actually, I think I have accomplished all of them but "finish the game" but some of them keep getting erased -- so there aren't any more short term goals left.
I played a couple of hands of Free Cell.
(So, Netflix is a thing, and I have access to S2 of OuAT)
Good grief.
I cried three or four times during 2x03 "Lady of the Lake."
I suppose theoretically this show could push my buttons harder, but I don't really know how.
Perhaps if more of the characters had complicated parent-child stuff going on.
[several more episodes into the season] -- okay then.
I was legit not expecting to have Regina feels but lo, here are my Regina feels.
I keep thinking, "Gosh this show is not very good," through tears and then -- you know what, fuckit, show is enjoyable on many levels to me, and that makes it good even if it is tropediculous. (and just when I think this show can't get any more tropediculous, zombies arise.)
okay, so, more specific thoughts:
[spoilers through 2x09 "Queen of Hearts." Would appreciate no spoilers past then.]
( Read more... )
Books
Bunch of random reading. I skimmed stuff for Sunday school; I'm trying to read I and II Samuel for this week.
I borrowed a new batch of books from the library and am reading The Family Trade, by Charles Stross, the first book in the Merchant Princes series. It's entertaining and reads fast?
I dithered with some other books -- the random romance I had started reading, some other stuff I have out from the library -- I'm having a hard time committing.
Games
I'm at an obnoxious point in Rogue Soul where I've accomplished basically all the accomplishments -- actually, I think I have accomplished all of them but "finish the game" but some of them keep getting erased -- so there aren't any more short term goals left.
I played a couple of hands of Free Cell.
Entry tags:
culture consumed Wednesday
games
approximately 9000 rounds of Spider Solitaire (not actually 9000. But a lot.)
books
+As aforeblogged, I finished the last Gossip Girl book with much squealing.
+I read Reamde by Neal Stephenson in basically one giant gulp, taking breaks only to sleep. I enjoyed it very much. There was too much action and too little gaming, but I enjoyed the gleefully absurd plot, and the fact that the protagonist was female, and I'm planning not to think too hard about anything else.
+Then I poked around a bunch. I read part of Zodiac also by Stephenson, but I don't know where I laid my copy down.
+I reread Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry because see below, movies. I had completely misremembered the ending. Huh.
+Currently halfheartedly rereading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, because YA dystopia.
Next: Unsure. I will probably continue to reread the Uglies series until I figure it out. Really ought to get back to the library to return S1 of OUAT and Reamde and find something else I want to read.
tv
Rewatched a few episodes of Gossip Girl. My DVDs are borked, which makes watching sort of problematic, and I got sidetracked by other projects.
Next: Twice accidentally typed "read" instead of "watch." Will try toread WATCH more of Gossip Girl, but clearly my motivation is not strong.
movies:
Saw The Giver IN A REAL THEATRE with my roommates. That is TWO WHOLE MOVIES I have seen in the theatre this year. The filmmakers made lots of questionable choices, but I still teared up a lot and it was a generally positive experience. Even the cranky The Book Was Better ranting is pleasurable in its way. (Of all the pleasures of life, I think I enjoy nit-picking the most!") Also lots of feels related to having read the book as a Twelve.
Next: I might at some point see another movie in a theatre, but I don't really have a timeframe for this.
music:
Last night it occurred to me to turn on Spotify to find worship music to cheer me up, so I listened to a bunch of miscellaneous things, then a bunch of Marty Haugen, and now I have queued basically all of Gather, the Roman Catholic hymnal. (I did skip many of the Christmas hymns. Listened to some of them, but am really okay with not being in the mood for Christmas music.)
Next: Another 1800 pieces of liturgical music.
approximately 9000 rounds of Spider Solitaire (not actually 9000. But a lot.)
books
+As aforeblogged, I finished the last Gossip Girl book with much squealing.
+I read Reamde by Neal Stephenson in basically one giant gulp, taking breaks only to sleep. I enjoyed it very much. There was too much action and too little gaming, but I enjoyed the gleefully absurd plot, and the fact that the protagonist was female, and I'm planning not to think too hard about anything else.
+Then I poked around a bunch. I read part of Zodiac also by Stephenson, but I don't know where I laid my copy down.
+I reread Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry because see below, movies. I had completely misremembered the ending. Huh.
+Currently halfheartedly rereading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, because YA dystopia.
Next: Unsure. I will probably continue to reread the Uglies series until I figure it out. Really ought to get back to the library to return S1 of OUAT and Reamde and find something else I want to read.
tv
Rewatched a few episodes of Gossip Girl. My DVDs are borked, which makes watching sort of problematic, and I got sidetracked by other projects.
Next: Twice accidentally typed "read" instead of "watch." Will try to
movies:
Saw The Giver IN A REAL THEATRE with my roommates. That is TWO WHOLE MOVIES I have seen in the theatre this year. The filmmakers made lots of questionable choices, but I still teared up a lot and it was a generally positive experience. Even the cranky The Book Was Better ranting is pleasurable in its way. (Of all the pleasures of life, I think I enjoy nit-picking the most!") Also lots of feels related to having read the book as a Twelve.
Next: I might at some point see another movie in a theatre, but I don't really have a timeframe for this.
music:
Last night it occurred to me to turn on Spotify to find worship music to cheer me up, so I listened to a bunch of miscellaneous things, then a bunch of Marty Haugen, and now I have queued basically all of Gather, the Roman Catholic hymnal. (I did skip many of the Christmas hymns. Listened to some of them, but am really okay with not being in the mood for Christmas music.)
Next: Another 1800 pieces of liturgical music.
Entry tags:
reading Ash Wednesday
Finished: Neverwhere
In the middle of: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
(All the books in this latest iteration of me doing Reading Wednesday are rereads).
Next: Not sure. After devouring 2/3 of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell while I was sick, my attention span has lapsed some, so I will probably be working at it for awhile.
In the middle of: Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.
(All the books in this latest iteration of me doing Reading Wednesday are rereads).
Next: Not sure. After devouring 2/3 of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell while I was sick, my attention span has lapsed some, so I will probably be working at it for awhile.
Entry tags:
reading yesterday: Gaiman
Finished: Good Omens
Current: Neverwhere
Next: Prob'ly American Gods since I own it and the changes of dragging myself to a library are slim since I am on day 4 of a wretched cold. I am going back to work this evening, which I expect will wipe me out completely.
Current: Neverwhere
Next: Prob'ly American Gods since I own it and the changes of dragging myself to a library are slim since I am on day 4 of a wretched cold. I am going back to work this evening, which I expect will wipe me out completely.
[whine] I don't know what I wanna read next
I kinda want to read Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but it gets all strange at the middle-end, and I kinda wanna read Cryptonomicon but I might have had enough of Stephenson just now. I really wanna read Anathem, but I don't own it. Neverwhere is too sad. I wish I could figure out a way to read Robin Hobb's Assassin trilogy without reading the Fitz bits (spoilers: they're first person in Fitz's pov), and I'd just read the second trilogy, except TOO SAD. I would read Circleverse, or Tortall, except I don't have all of either 'verse and the bits I have are kind of random. I have some miscellaneous cyberpunk that I've never read, but I've never read it so I don't know if it'll suck and I suspect it'll have not enough girls. I just reread all my Gail Carson Levine but I kind of want to read it again because after stealth-princess-story of Diamond Age, or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer I want proper princess story, but I JUST read them... The Parasol Protectorate is too silly for what I want (I know I know Ella Enchanted is not too silly but Parasol Protectorate is.)
I 'spose it could be Old Kingdom time, in preparation for Clariel coming out for realio truelio sometime this year‽
I have more books that I have room for. Why aren't any of them exactly what I wanna read?
(Also, I should not be reading any books right now, as it is almost an hour past my bedtime, but... I don't want to fall asleep without starting something new.)
Want things that are steampunkish or otherwise Regency/Georgian/Victorian aesthetic with girl heroes and lots of handwavy science/magical artifacts and very worldbuilding that don't get surreal halfway through that aren't too silly or too sad. And it's nice if they aren't entirely caught up in het romance. <-- is kind of asking for recs, but in a picky mood where nothing is exactly right except the imaginary version of the Primer that Nell has yet to create.
I 'spose it could be Old Kingdom time, in preparation for Clariel coming out for realio truelio sometime this year‽
I have more books that I have room for. Why aren't any of them exactly what I wanna read?
(Also, I should not be reading any books right now, as it is almost an hour past my bedtime, but... I don't want to fall asleep without starting something new.)
Want things that are steampunkish or otherwise Regency/Georgian/Victorian aesthetic with girl heroes and lots of handwavy science/magical artifacts and very worldbuilding that don't get surreal halfway through that aren't too silly or too sad. And it's nice if they aren't entirely caught up in het romance. <-- is kind of asking for recs, but in a picky mood where nothing is exactly right except the imaginary version of the Primer that Nell has yet to create.
Entry tags:
reading Wednesday: little girls and the magical devices who love them
Just finished: Her Dark Materials. Ending still oh so frustrating. Cried many times (because ~feels~, not because frustration.)
Currently reading: The Diamond Age or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, which I have never actually finished. Hopefully this will be the time, as I've read over half of it in the past day, but I've gotten near the end before and then just kind of stalled. :/
&Nell!;
Next: Something else from my sf/f bookshelves, which are now all unpacked.
Currently reading: The Diamond Age or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, which I have never actually finished. Hopefully this will be the time, as I've read over half of it in the past day, but I've gotten near the end before and then just kind of stalled. :/
&Nell!;
Next: Something else from my sf/f bookshelves, which are now all unpacked.
and it's not even Wednesday
Media consumed on my summer vacation (and several days following).
I'm having trouble making words, so these aren't full write-ups or analyses by any means. But. Words on paper.
Media consumed on my summer vacation (and the next couple of days)
1. I reread What Was She Thinking? aka Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller. 100% of my feels about this book are summed up with "DO ME BARBARA." My response to the movie, lo these many years ago, was much the same. When I watched it with my ex (no, other ex), she tried to explain to me that Judi Dench's character is a sociopath, but I was like, no, if the younger woman (sic) were REALLY INTO IT then it would be lovely and Barbara would be sane. So there and ♥__♥
So. Barbara Covett. I want her to devour me.
2. I reread Matilda by Roald Dahl. Is it bad that I have way many more thoughts about this than the above? Cos I do. And while I have difficulty seeing anything bad in Barbara Covett, I have way more complicated feelings about Miss Honey.
[cut for being vaguely spoilery and for talking about abuse.]
( matilda )
3. Elizabeth and I saw Joss Whedon'sWhat I Did on My Summer Vacation Much Ado About Nothing. Unsurprisingly, I have more feelings about Joss&family than about the show itself, although it was quite entertaining. Like how Joss has apparently moved on from his obsession with Summer Glau's feet, and opened with a shot of Alexis Denisof's feet.
4. I borrowed War for the Oaks by Emma Bull from Elizabeth. It was entertaining; sanctioned OTP is lovely, but alas there are no malicious/broken/lovely/brilliant female teachers so it would have had to be pretty amazing to compensate for that deficiency.
5. I borrowed a few comic collections from the library. First Ultimate Fantastic Four, hardback collection #4, which collects the strips from God War and Devils and an X-Men crossover. I was hoping to add Fantastic Four to the collection of Marvel characters I know enough to occasionally read fic or comics about, but I accidentally cared more about the secondary characters than the Four in pretty much every arc, so. That's not gonna work out.
6. Then I read Invincible Iron Man trade 2, World's Most Wanted part 1. I had SO MANY FEELS. And then I discovered that my library catalogues these really poorly, so there are 35 items indexed as "V. 2. World's most wanted, bk. 1 -- v. 6. Stark resilient -" including the one I have, so I don't know if they're all actually World's Most Wanted volume 1 or what. Hands. I really want to read more of this. (Tony and Pepper were really added to my collection after seeing Avengers, but this added Maria Hill, so, success.)
I'm having trouble making words, so these aren't full write-ups or analyses by any means. But. Words on paper.
Media consumed on my summer vacation (and the next couple of days)
1. I reread What Was She Thinking? aka Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller. 100% of my feels about this book are summed up with "DO ME BARBARA." My response to the movie, lo these many years ago, was much the same. When I watched it with my ex (no, other ex), she tried to explain to me that Judi Dench's character is a sociopath, but I was like, no, if the younger woman (sic) were REALLY INTO IT then it would be lovely and Barbara would be sane. So there and ♥__♥
So. Barbara Covett. I want her to devour me.
2. I reread Matilda by Roald Dahl. Is it bad that I have way many more thoughts about this than the above? Cos I do. And while I have difficulty seeing anything bad in Barbara Covett, I have way more complicated feelings about Miss Honey.
[cut for being vaguely spoilery and for talking about abuse.]
( matilda )
3. Elizabeth and I saw Joss Whedon's
4. I borrowed War for the Oaks by Emma Bull from Elizabeth. It was entertaining; sanctioned OTP is lovely, but alas there are no malicious/broken/lovely/brilliant female teachers so it would have had to be pretty amazing to compensate for that deficiency.
5. I borrowed a few comic collections from the library. First Ultimate Fantastic Four, hardback collection #4, which collects the strips from God War and Devils and an X-Men crossover. I was hoping to add Fantastic Four to the collection of Marvel characters I know enough to occasionally read fic or comics about, but I accidentally cared more about the secondary characters than the Four in pretty much every arc, so. That's not gonna work out.
6. Then I read Invincible Iron Man trade 2, World's Most Wanted part 1. I had SO MANY FEELS. And then I discovered that my library catalogues these really poorly, so there are 35 items indexed as "V. 2. World's most wanted, bk. 1 -- v. 6. Stark resilient -" including the one I have, so I don't know if they're all actually World's Most Wanted volume 1 or what. Hands. I really want to read more of this. (Tony and Pepper were really added to my collection after seeing Avengers, but this added Maria Hill, so, success.)
Entry tags:
shipper bait
Last night killing time before meeting Elizabeth's mom, we ended up browsing the clearance racks outside The Harvard Bookstore (which has an enviable url).
Elizabeth bought porn; I bought Christian Worship, Corporate Worship in the Reformed Tradition and Word & Table: A Basic Pattern of Sunday Worship for United Methodists, which as I said, "is like porn for Aris."
++
When I got in the other night Elizabeth offered me a spot in the bed and I went, "... I need to crawl over you to be on MY side."
"Oh right. I forgot you had a side." ... "In a gen way."
Later, "Yes, you have a side. Cos, we're not like an old married couple at all."
"We're like an older married couple in that we don't have sex."
"Well, we don't have sex with each other."
"Like an old married couple."
Elizabeth bought porn; I bought Christian Worship, Corporate Worship in the Reformed Tradition and Word & Table: A Basic Pattern of Sunday Worship for United Methodists, which as I said, "is like porn for Aris."
++
When I got in the other night Elizabeth offered me a spot in the bed and I went, "... I need to crawl over you to be on MY side."
"Oh right. I forgot you had a side." ... "In a gen way."
Later, "Yes, you have a side. Cos, we're not like an old married couple at all."
"We're like an older married couple in that we don't have sex."
"Well, we don't have sex with each other."
"Like an old married couple."
Entry tags:
clothes and books
Ten minutes till I have to leave for work. Tonight is dinner with my ex-mother-in-law (yes, I am going through with it, to those people who may've wondered). I wish I could arm myself with something more powerful than prayers. Like maybe a machete. Or a magic want that punches people in the face (hat tip to Elizabeth). At least I have a skirt! I've been dressing up all week, partially because I'm out of shorts and jeans, but also because I would like to get a chance to wear all the girly clothes I have stockpiled. I'm even wearing earrings.
Books I'm in the middle of:
Baby-Sitters Club: The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin. I am reading this slowly, partially to savor it, partially to ward off nostalgia bees. And partially because I think the epic lgbtfest plotbunny I had (not that I posted it for lgbtfest) is going to get jossed worse than it already is. But it's really good in a lot of ways.
Adult Children of Abusive Parents: A Healing Program for Those Who Have been Physically, Emotionally, or Sexually Abused by Steven Farmer. I kind of stalled in the middle of reading through the This Is What You Can Do part.
The Runaway Dragon by Kate Coombs. Princess pastiche.
Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce. Not sure if I like it enough to read further.
Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge. Slytherin hero and her Slytherin companion!
Shannon's Story by Nola Thacker. I don't think I actually read this in my former BSC-reading days.
And that's it. Time for work. Where I'm in the middle of listening to The Giver by Lois Lowry and next up is So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld (which I recently read in paper and ink form).
Books I'm in the middle of:
Baby-Sitters Club: The Summer Before by Ann M. Martin. I am reading this slowly, partially to savor it, partially to ward off nostalgia bees. And partially because I think the epic lgbtfest plotbunny I had (not that I posted it for lgbtfest) is going to get jossed worse than it already is. But it's really good in a lot of ways.
Adult Children of Abusive Parents: A Healing Program for Those Who Have been Physically, Emotionally, or Sexually Abused by Steven Farmer. I kind of stalled in the middle of reading through the This Is What You Can Do part.
The Runaway Dragon by Kate Coombs. Princess pastiche.
Flora Segunda by Ysabeau Wilce. Not sure if I like it enough to read further.
Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge. Slytherin hero and her Slytherin companion!
Shannon's Story by Nola Thacker. I don't think I actually read this in my former BSC-reading days.
And that's it. Time for work. Where I'm in the middle of listening to The Giver by Lois Lowry and next up is So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld (which I recently read in paper and ink form).
yes, like THAT
I am looking for media like this:
+YA preferred.
+Female hero.
+Set in an otherworld, futuristic or fantastic, or thisworld but so fantastic you can't tell (e.g., Gossip Girl, various spy stories).
+Action/adventure-y.
+Hero has a quest that is deeply personal to her and drives the action.
+Preferred media: books or Interactive Fiction ETA or podfic
Examples (I am adding to these as people rec things I forgot to mention)
TV:
Dark Angel
Dollhouse
Books:
the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
Hunger Games (I do need to read Catching Fire) by Suzanne Collins
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
the first Kushiel's trilogy (not YA, obviously) by Jacqueline Carey
The Giver (if Jonas were a girl, which she totally should be) by Lois Lowry
Tamora Pierce (especially Tortall)
Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
Garth Nix's Abhorsen series
Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books
+YA preferred.
+Female hero.
+Set in an otherworld, futuristic or fantastic, or thisworld but so fantastic you can't tell (e.g., Gossip Girl, various spy stories).
+Action/adventure-y.
+Hero has a quest that is deeply personal to her and drives the action.
+Preferred media: books or Interactive Fiction ETA or podfic
Examples (I am adding to these as people rec things I forgot to mention)
TV:
Dark Angel
Dollhouse
Books:
the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
Hunger Games (I do need to read Catching Fire) by Suzanne Collins
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
the first Kushiel's trilogy (not YA, obviously) by Jacqueline Carey
The Giver (if Jonas were a girl, which she totally should be) by Lois Lowry
Tamora Pierce (especially Tortall)
Jackaroo by Cynthia Voigt
Garth Nix's Abhorsen series
Terry Pratchett's Tiffany Aching books
Entry tags:
I like girls who wear hats. Or habits. OR BOTH.
I have decided the best way to organize my BSC books is chronologically by publication date -- that is, with Super Specials and Mysteries mixed in where they fit in the main series timeline. And Little Sister books, too.
Why, other than to drive myself insaner?
So that I can make a complete (looping!) timeline of the series. This is one of my Major BSC Canon Projects. The other is making a spreadsheet of how attractive they all find each other in every chapter 2, to see if I can draw lines of desire using the power of SCIENCE.
I've separated my adult books from mygood middle reader/young adult books:
(![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fox1013's icon, that is)
The only problem with this?
+I am still buying into the artificial separation ofquality literature like Little Women and formulaic crap like my horribly offensive crime-solving nun books adult and young adult and middle reader fiction?
+Despite having only half as much adult fiction, I still don't have room to shelve it?
+I don't know how to sort the YA stuff that doesn't have authors?
+It highlights the sad gaps in the series I am collecting?
+I totally forgot about the twenty+ SVH books I hadhidden in the closet, so now I am not sure I have adequate shelving after all?
+There's still no way to hide the fact that the single largest category of books I own is BSC books.
+And I'm cataloging them according to my own geeky system
+and putting all the Paula Danziger books in front of all the Ann M. Martin books so that Snail Mail No More (and eventually, P.S., Longer Letter Later can live together?
+and calling this whole section of my bookshelves "Pollyanna."
+Meanwhile, on the adult side, I can see that my thorough-going devotion to mysteries, clergy and religious, crime-solving religious, and pedophilia is plainly on display. (Okay, I've only got Lolita and Tom Perotta's Little Children, plus various mysteries involving members of the Catholic church so... face meets desk.
I sold back a box of books to Half-Price books this afternoon. With the proceeds I bought 2 Little Sister books and a vegetarian cookbook.
One of my yardsale finds: Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy by Wenelin Van Draanen. Let's see. This book is:
+Part of a series
+of mysteries
+for kids
+and has bonus surprise nuns.
\o/
(Ooh, and I have just realized that Sammy is a girl! EVEN BETTER!)
Wee femslash porn battle at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
femmeslash.
I really wish more of you lived around here and could come over and have a slumber party. :(
BSC AU ideas that I have had in the past year:
+BSC Regency Romance AU (The Young Governesses series). I have titles for the first four books! A Dangerous Habit, The Bradford Phantom, Chosen Vices and Secret Salvation.
+BSC convent AU. Because Kristy Thomas was born to be a Mother Superior.
I'm reading the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and writing BtVS crossovers in my head. Maybe someday I will actually write fanfic on paper again.
Why, other than to drive myself insaner?
So that I can make a complete (looping!) timeline of the series. This is one of my Major BSC Canon Projects. The other is making a spreadsheet of how attractive they all find each other in every chapter 2, to see if I can draw lines of desire using the power of SCIENCE.
I've separated my adult books from my
(
fox1013's icon, that is)The only problem with this?
+I am still buying into the artificial separation of
+Despite having only half as much adult fiction, I still don't have room to shelve it?
+I don't know how to sort the YA stuff that doesn't have authors?
+It highlights the sad gaps in the series I am collecting?
+I totally forgot about the twenty+ SVH books I had
+There's still no way to hide the fact that the single largest category of books I own is BSC books.
+And I'm cataloging them according to my own geeky system
+and putting all the Paula Danziger books in front of all the Ann M. Martin books so that Snail Mail No More (and eventually, P.S., Longer Letter Later can live together?
+and calling this whole section of my bookshelves "Pollyanna."
+Meanwhile, on the adult side, I can see that my thorough-going devotion to mysteries, clergy and religious, crime-solving religious, and pedophilia is plainly on display. (Okay, I've only got Lolita and Tom Perotta's Little Children, plus various mysteries involving members of the Catholic church so... face meets desk.
I sold back a box of books to Half-Price books this afternoon. With the proceeds I bought 2 Little Sister books and a vegetarian cookbook.
One of my yardsale finds: Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy by Wenelin Van Draanen. Let's see. This book is:
+Part of a series
+of mysteries
+for kids
+and has bonus surprise nuns.
\o/
(Ooh, and I have just realized that Sammy is a girl! EVEN BETTER!)
Wee femslash porn battle at
femmeslash. I really wish more of you lived around here and could come over and have a slumber party. :(
BSC AU ideas that I have had in the past year:
+BSC Regency Romance AU (The Young Governesses series). I have titles for the first four books! A Dangerous Habit, The Bradford Phantom, Chosen Vices and Secret Salvation.
+BSC convent AU. Because Kristy Thomas was born to be a Mother Superior.
I'm reading the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld and writing BtVS crossovers in my head. Maybe someday I will actually write fanfic on paper again.
Entry tags:
pictures and memes and bookage, oh my
1. Does anyone know if there's a 50bookchallenge community centered around the 50 states? I.e., for every state, read one book set in that state by an author from that state? Or maybe one focused around the EU states, or the UN states? Because that would be cool.
2. First seen viaastrogirl2:
The rules:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture
It's been an hour or so since I saw the meme, but I promise I haven't primped in any way. Mebbe combed my hair a wee.
( ugh )
3. I'm not really fond of quoting shows out of context. Makes me less gleeful when the quotes pop up in context. But meme says we're meant to quote the Buffyverse so here are some from eps we watched recently:
WESLEY: I am from the Watcher's Academy in southern Hampshire. In fact, I happen to be head boy.
CORDELIA: Gee, I wonder how you earned that nickname.
WESLEY: A lot of effort, I don't mind saying. (Angel 4.06 "Spin the Bottle")
++
Buffy: I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? Was I not good?
Angel: You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2.14 "Innocence")
(Thx to Buffyworld and Buffy vs. Angel for transcripts.)
50bookchallenge community centered around the 50 states? I.e., for every state, read one book set in that state by an author from that state? Or maybe one focused around the EU states, or the UN states? Because that would be cool.2. First seen via
astrogirl2:The rules:
Take a picture of yourself right now.
Don't change your clothes, don't fix your hair...just take a picture.
Post that picture with NO editing.
Post these instructions with your picture
It's been an hour or so since I saw the meme, but I promise I haven't primped in any way. Mebbe combed my hair a wee.
( ugh )
3. I'm not really fond of quoting shows out of context. Makes me less gleeful when the quotes pop up in context. But meme says we're meant to quote the Buffyverse so here are some from eps we watched recently:
WESLEY: I am from the Watcher's Academy in southern Hampshire. In fact, I happen to be head boy.
CORDELIA: Gee, I wonder how you earned that nickname.
WESLEY: A lot of effort, I don't mind saying. (Angel 4.06 "Spin the Bottle")
++
Buffy: I, I don't understand. Was it m-me? Was I not good?
Angel: You were great. Really. I thought you were a pro. (Buffy the Vampire Slayer 2.14 "Innocence")
(Thx to Buffyworld and Buffy vs. Angel for transcripts.)
Entry tags:
[greed] cultural memory; porn
1. We went to two libraries today and now have library cards in TWO awesome systems. LOVE.
At the KC library, in the lgbt section, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of books available -- I was just pulling out everything that interested me and realized I had too many to carry -- and as I left I felt personally distressed at the memory of a girlhood without those books available. And it's not my girlhood -- I was so amazingly lucky; I never felt a lack of books. But looking at THIS selection, I felt how meager the pickings were in my hometown, and the knowledge that people -- people I know, people I'm related to -- had no books, or had hateful books, or had chapters from reference books that they clung to because it meant they weren't alone -- and I was overwhelmed. And grateful and greedy, because I can read as much as I want, because I have all the books I could possibly want right at my fingertips, books about my tribe.
2. Porn battleeeeeee! Finally. Go prompt!. Thanks, flistflist.
Poooorrrrrrn.
At the KC library, in the lgbt section, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the number of books available -- I was just pulling out everything that interested me and realized I had too many to carry -- and as I left I felt personally distressed at the memory of a girlhood without those books available. And it's not my girlhood -- I was so amazingly lucky; I never felt a lack of books. But looking at THIS selection, I felt how meager the pickings were in my hometown, and the knowledge that people -- people I know, people I'm related to -- had no books, or had hateful books, or had chapters from reference books that they clung to because it meant they weren't alone -- and I was overwhelmed. And grateful and greedy, because I can read as much as I want, because I have all the books I could possibly want right at my fingertips, books about my tribe.
2. Porn battleeeeeee! Finally. Go prompt!. Thanks, flistflist.
Poooorrrrrrn.
old skool slash liek whoa
Am reading Star Trek: The Motion Picture which I got for a quarter at the library book sale yesterday.
It's way too adorable. Especially the footnotes. Like, for instance, this one. Spock is thinking:
( cut for Kirk is Roddenberry's Mary Sue. Also for being long )
Ohhhh, the denials, the protestations of hetness! It's too adorable. This book is causing me insane gigglefits of slashy glee.
It's way too adorable. Especially the footnotes. Like, for instance, this one. Spock is thinking:
( cut for Kirk is Roddenberry's Mary Sue. Also for being long )
Ohhhh, the denials, the protestations of hetness! It's too adorable. This book is causing me insane gigglefits of slashy glee.