Weekend reading roundup

[nanila]

What did you read this weekend? If you planned on anything specifically, did you read it? (Reminder link to intended weekend reading post)

Comments

[nanila]

I read nearly all of Bram Stoker's The Lady of the Shroud. And a couple of Nature articles on Pluto.

[fred_mouse]

Do you recommend the Stoker book? I've only read Dracula, never gone looking at other Stoker.

[nanila]

Did you like Dracula? One of the things I love about Dracula is the flowery language used to idealise of Mina as Perfect [Victorian] Woman (it's just soooo brilliantly over-the-top) by Van Helsing. The Lady of the Shroud is like that except all of the characters are idealised to the point of caricature. The ungentlemanly nobleman, the gentlemanly pauper, the damsel in distress (who is brave and strong and virtuous but still must be rescued, naturally). And you'll get a strong sense of how much of a royalist and fervent believer in the righteousness and superiority of the British empire Stoker must have been. I enjoy reading it because it amuses me but I can see why its popularity has not endured the way Dracula's has.

[fred_mouse]

I do like Dracula, in a 'I read it 15+ years ago, and remember enjoying the experience enough that I wouldn't get rid of my copy'.

Given that I'm quite fond of caricature, as long as it doesn't descend into farce, it sounds like something I would enjoy.

[quoththeravyn]

I finished a friend's murder mystery, "Work to Do" by Bob Zeanah.

I had started it in March when I was traveling. It was a welcome distraction from the funeral rites and stuff for my mother. Last week I found myself wondering what became of one of the main characters. I guess that makes her a compelling character! There's a sequel; I'm not sure if it's out yet.

I forced my local independent bookstore to get a copy from the small independent press. "Independent bookstores should sell books from independent presses," I told the clerk. "I can't disagree," he said, and found a way to make it happen.

[nanila]

Thank you for the recommendation!

[fred_mouse]

I was almost right about what I thought I would get read - I cleared the two fanfic out of my browser (although one of them I backbuttoned), read a page of the gender book, and a whole article of study related reading!

and then hit the 'I'm over responsible' and started reading book two of a series I bought on spec in a second hand bookstore - about ten pages in.

[nanila]

Congratulations on fulfilling your intentions! And having some frivolous fun too.

[fred_mouse]

the frivolous book is lovely. Bit worried though, because book 1 kept sneaking in dark directions, before bouncing back into the sunlight. This one has a whole swathe of obvious things that could go wrong.

[weaverbird]

As planned I read Twitter and managed to read/close many browser tabs. I didn't, however, do much about the work stuff, which means today is full exactly that.

[nanila]

\o/ Excellent. Hope the work stuff went okay today.

[alexseanchai]

mrf. :(