maplemood: (ships in the night)
[personal profile] maplemood
Squeaking this post in just under the line--I want to start being more systematic about recording/reviewing the books I've read, which may or may not actually happen but hey, you have to start somewhere. War and Peace is still taking up the bulk of my reading time (which absolutely isn't a complaint, I'm up to Book Twelve so, barring any huge distractions, on track to finish it this summer, and that was my main reading goal anyway), but I've had the time to sneak in a few other things now that my summer class is over.

Dead Girls: Essays on Surviving an American Obsession by Alice Bolin: A collection of essays that's a lot less focused than you'd expect given the title. I did enjoy it, but I didn't love it; I think that has more to do with my expectations going in (a bigger emphasis on true crime and true-crime-inspired stories) than with its actual quality, though.

And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side (short story) by James Tiptree Jr.: Classic, extremely depressing sci-fi. I liked it a lot more than I was expecting to, considering the extreme depressing-ness.

Chivalry (short story) by Neil Gaiman: Funny, sweet, and a really great palate cleanser after And I Awoke. This one's also a reread--I first read it years and years ago in the collection M is for Magic and aside from the basic set up (an old British woman discovers the Holy Grail in a thrift shop), didn't remember most of the best parts, like Sir Galahad coming for the Holy Grail and sticking around to help out with chores.

All That You Love Will Be Carried Away (short story) by Stephen King

Work and Days (poetry chapbook) by Tess Taylor

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini: Read this one mostly because my friend got me obsessed with the musical, and it's fantastic. Maybe not quite as emotionally satisfying as the show, but still plenty emotionally satisfying in its own way, honest to the point of getting pretty ugly in some parts, and funny.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini: Read because of Be More Chill, and everything about that applies here, times a hundred. I really, really, really loved this one.
 
On the TV front, I just finished the first season of Black Sails and started the second. Hardcore obsession hasn't kicked in yet but I've got a pretty good feeling that it might--of the characters so far Flint, Eleanor, Anne, and Max are my favorites, and aside from being chock full of all the brutal, backstabbing, wooden-ships-and-iron-men, Golden Age of Piracy tropes you could ask for so much of it is just gorgeous to look at. Since I've got a soft spot for anything Treasure Island-inspired I've been wanting to watch this show for a couple of years, and so far it's been worth the wait.

Date: 2019-07-11 05:59 am (UTC)
st_aurafina: Rainbow DNA (Default)
From: [personal profile] st_aurafina
Black Sails is so entirely committed to its story - I didn't always agree with the way it unfolded but I absolutely love how it went hellbent for leather. Flint is amazing - they're all amazing, really. (Max is just unearthly - I don't understand how she can be that beautiful. How is someone that beautiful??)

I don't know if you know [personal profile] selenak but she is a big Treasure Island fan and did some great recaps.

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Alex

June 2022

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