A quick note before I start reading: My hope for this section is that Monsieur Paul finds Lucy in the midst of her depression and swooning and nurses her back to health. I recognize that it is much more likely that Dr. John will do this, as he is in fact a medical professional, but I don’t care. LU PAUL FOREVER! Remember last week, when Alice said that Charlotte Bronte was super weird and gave zero fucks about it? I didn’t really see it then, but I am coming around to Alice’s point of view. This is how Lucy Snowe describes waking…
5 CommentsAuthor: Jenny Hamilton
Gin Jenny: I dreamed that you & I were both at the hospital having babies and I was like, “Aw, Whiskey Jenny, this’ll be so neat, our kids will grow up together and be friends” and you were like “meh” “maybe” Whiskey Jenny: WHAT I WOULD NEVER of course they would be friends and of course I would find endless joy in that fact I would make them be friends make them answer those questions if it didn’t seem like it was working at first Gin Jenny: “No more apricot Gerbers until you tell Rosemary what would constitute a perfect…
9 CommentsYikes, guys. The State of Alabama is investigating claims of elder abuse against Harper Lee. Hopefully everything is fine… There are many reasons to feel grateful that I live in the times I live in, but here’s another one. Tom Stoppard has a new play at the National, and although reviews of it have accused it of being all ideas and no feelings, I still want to see it. And because of technology, I can. And that is pretty great. Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction, that widely-beloved power couple of the comics world, are coming for your televisions. I…
17 CommentsOMG so many chapters in this week’s installment of the Villette Readalong, and it was a busy week, with cleaning and unpacking and houseguests and small road trips. So if you find that I have missed crucial nuance in this section of Villette, please try to forgive me. I spent yesterday gazing sadly at the very small number of dirty dishes in my sink and feeling utterly daunted by them. I started Chapter Six with very warm feelings toward Lucy Snowe, because she had just come to a new city, and she was comforted in the midst of all the…
18 CommentsMea maxima culpa! My hibiscus expanded to comprehend podcast as well, and moreover my microphone broke down. You should have seen Whiskey Jenny’s and my faces when the microphone broke down. We were so excited to record podcast together in India. ANYWAY. This week, we want to tell you about a dear pal’s new book, Mort(e), recently the subject of io9’s Book Club. After that, we’re talking about animals in books (particularly, dogs dying in books), a somewhat truncated discussion as Whiskey Jenny cannot speak of fictional animal deaths without breaking down (that is hyperbole but barely). And we wrap…
5 CommentsI had a bumpy start with Villette, insofar as I instantly loathed everybody. I’m not trying to get on Lucy Snowe’s case, but her youth seems to have prepared her exceptionally well for becoming the kind of mean governess who hits you with a ruler for saying you think Richard the Lionheart was bad at governing a nation. She is so judgey right off the top. Here are Lucy Snowe’s assessment of all the characters in the first three chapters, in GIF format. Polly: Polly’s father: Graham: The effect of this is to make me dislike all those characters (well…
24 CommentsOkay, okay, I know I’m on my hibiscus right now, but I have these links and I’ve been rounding them up all fortnight. I don’t want to deprive you. Just enjoy these links, and then be off with you, for my hibiscus continues. This is a fabulous slide show, compiled by the incomparable Linda Holmes of NPR, of the costumes in the Miss Universe costume show. I like the yellow one that is yellow because I love yellow. The Daily Dot wants us to figure out how to write about transgender people, already. Trevor Noah! More Trevor Noah, right? He starts off…
13 CommentsHi everyone! This is a quick notification that I’ll be doing adventures in the month of February, which will keep me away(ish) from blogging this month. The podcast should still be coming out on schedule, and I’ll still be visiting your blogs as often as I can, but generally it’ll be quiet around here. Get at me on Twitter or by email (readingtheend AT gmail DOT com) if something particularly amazing happens that requires my attention. Like if the fourth Raven Cycle book gets a title other than Raven Cycle IV: Children with Large Bank Accounts Finally Get What’s Coming to Them. FAQS: Q: What kind…
25 Comments