I have an exceptionally great collection of links this week, y’all. The internet is the best, isn’t it? Terry Crews on misogyny and toxic masculinity. Apparently this dude also works to prevent human trafficking. Yay for allies. Some thoughts on Islamophobia in dystopian fiction. Not sure of your language when you’re talking about race / sexuality / disability / whatever? The Conscious Style Guide is here to help, rounding up links that explain why you shouldn’t say that, what to say instead, and generally how not to be a dick accidentally. A reminder that these exceptionally gorgeous coloring books for…
18 CommentsReading the End Posts
So this is how the fourth section of the readalong begins: Lucy gets back from vacay and has an extended conversation with Reason. That is not a person. She has an imaginary conversation with her own personified faculty of Reason, who has blue lips and is kind of a dick. “But I have talked to Graham and you did not chide,” I pleaded. “No,” said she, “I needed not. Talk for you is good discipline. You converse imperfectly. While you speak, there can be no oblivion of inferiority—no encouragement to delusion: pain, privation, penury stamp your language.” Hey, Lucy, I’m on your…
21 CommentsDan Jones’s The Plantagenets is a hugely enjoyable read, particularly if you are (as I am) already roughly conversant with the early kings and queens of England. Since I have a vague outline in my head of the course of early British history, this book might as well have been Gossip about the Plantagenets. My main takeaways were on a theme, that theme being People from History Who Were Way Worse Than You Thought. First up: Thomas Becket. I know you learned in school that Thomas Becket was a martyr to his faith, and “will no one rid me of this turbulent priest” etc. That is true as far as it…
16 CommentsThe Once Upon a Time challenge is upon us once more! And this year I am not just going to talk about participating. I am going to really do it! And I mean — look at how pretty the button is (as always). So I want to do Quest the Second, in which I will read one book apiece in each of the challenge’s categories: fantasy, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. Here’s my plan. Fantasy: I am already reading Caroline Stevermer’s A Scholar of Magics, so that’s going to be my fantasy read. It is about an Oxford-like college at which people do magic. There is a…
6 CommentsThis was supposed to be the episode we recorded together in India, but tragically, my microphone broke down in transit. Now I am saving up for a new one, and borrowing microphones off of other people in the meantime. (Woe.) Anyway, we’re here to talk about intimidating books (we have a taxonomy) and Kiran Desai’s book Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard. You can listen to the podcast in the embedded player below or download the file directly to take with you on the go. Episode 36 Here are the contents of the podcast if you want to skip around: 1:09 –…
Leave a CommentA 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 CommentsGin 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…
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