I mean, I didn't particularly expect a book dealing with colonialism and race in the Victorian era to be a fun read, per se, but I didn't expect it to be so utterly dreadful, either.
Writing
Jude the Obscure
Jude the Obscure is similar to several other books on the list in that it was originally published as a serial; was later revised several times in the process of putting it into book-form; is making un-subtle points about society at the time of writing; and is definitely, absolutely, in no way about the author himself, why would you ever say such a thing?
The Picture of Dorian Gray
I'm on a bit of a tear this year with the Classic Books Reading List of Doom, which feels really good. I was stuck on Karamazov for so long it seemed like I'd never get any further, but once I got past the eponymous Brothers, I hit a little stretch of reasonably short and readable … Continue reading The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Brothers Karamazov
One of my goals for that trashfire of a just-completed year, 2020, was to finally, finally, finish The Brothers Karamazov, which I had been reading to a greater and lesser extent since 2018. Dear reader, I finished. I had expected, having taken a little bit to get stuck into Anna Karenina, that TBK would take … Continue reading The Brothers Karamazov
That Quarantine Life
As of September 16th, my partner and I will have been under Shelter-in-Place protocol for six full months. Functionally, since both our offices closed the week before, we have been sheltering in place since March 9th. While some restrictions have been eased since the early days, and while we did move from a Tier 1 county (widespread incidence) to a Tier 2 county (substantial instance), little has changed for us - we do not go out, except for masked walks. We get groceries as infrequently as possible. We attend religious services online. We do not see friends or family.
murmurations 04
One of the things I like best about myself is that I am generally pretty good about getting back on the proverbial horse. Like anyone, I get derailed and sidetracked or otherwise pushed off of whatever I'm trying to do, but I will almost always pick myself up and try again. Current band falls apart? I'll … Continue reading murmurations 04
murmurations 03: the new normal
ETA: I had this saved. For some reason. Who can say why? Time is meaningless, so I'm sending it now. -- It took until Day 34 of our quarantine, but I finally had a pandemic dream. I had gone to the church to make sure that the live streaming for the Easter Sunday service was set … Continue reading murmurations 03: the new normal
The Last Frontier
My father grew up in Alaska, having moved there with his family around the age of two. He lived first in Fairbanks, and then moved (with his parents and older sister) to a cabin a few miles outside of Fox, Alaska, which is maybe not quite a half hour outside of Fairbanks proper. I first … Continue reading The Last Frontier
Call of the Wild
Progress has been slow on the Classics Book Reading Project front, for all the usual reasons, which can be largely summed up as "life"- I've read a few more than indicated here, because I just haven't blogged about them, but I'm definitely still behind where I "should" be according to our five year plan. But! … Continue reading Call of the Wild
More bounce, less fall
I dreamed two nights ago that I was standing on a balance beam. The beam was long and wooden, but narrower than they usually are, probably only the width of my foot. The room around me was a generic gym-sort of place: low ceilings; a bank of windows to my left, the start-at-shoulder-height bland rectangle kind. A … Continue reading More bounce, less fall
Idlewilde 