Thoughts
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Cozy Mystery Round Up
Every once in a while, I need the book equivalent of a freshly baked cookie, something light, fluffy and without much substance. The books that give me the best “cookie” vibes are almost always “cozy” murder mysteries, especially when they have a female detective. I mean, when the world feels like it is ending, what could be better than reading about bad-ass women who can fix all the problems that they are given and still manage to enjoy themselves? My all time favorite series is the Phryne Fisher series, which was also developed into an absolutely wonderful television show. This series is set in late 1920s Australia and is based…
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My Reading Month: June
Another month down, and we are halfway through 2020. I don’t think it is a stretch to say we are having to reckon with a lot of our historic, structural issues this year in a big way. I keep seeing people talking about how they wish 2020 would take a break, and while I agree, I also recognize that most of these issues were just as present in 2019, 2018 and before and this is just the breaking point. I am struggling to find a way to respond without feeling like I am “performing” activism, outrage or simply grief. This blog is all about stories, but I don’t have a…
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A Jane Austen Re-read: Persuasion
Hello, I’ll be back in the next few days with a few other things, but today, I bring you the last of Jane Austen’s books, Persuasion. This short and sweet book is a great one, and I have been looking forward to it! There are spoilers below. If you haven’t already read this book or watched one of the movies, this post likely isn’t going to make much sense anyway. Rereading The Book Persuasion is the story of 27 year old Anne Elliot, the second daughter of Sir Walter Elliot, a spendthrift landowner who ends up having to relocate to Bath to reduce expenses. Anne is sensible, quiet and reasonable,…
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A Jane Austen Re-read: Northanger Abbey
Hello! Another week in quarantine, another Jane Austen marathon down. This week, I have been hoping for spring to come, and trying to stay upbeat despite some dreary weather. I’m working on what comes next on this blog, because I have one of these books left, so let me know if there is anything you want to see! Next week, we are wrapping up this series with Persuasion, which is both short and one of my favorites, so I am looking forward to it! There are spoilers below. If you haven’t already read this book or watched one of the movies, this post likely isn’t going to make much sense…
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My Reading Month: March
Well, March is (finally) over, and I can’t say I am sorry to see it go. Spring is a necessary thing for my mental health at this point, and while snow will continue to fall for the next few weeks, snow in April never lasts long enough to keep me from hiking! Social distancing (I would out money on this as the “word of the year” from dictionaries at the end of 2020) continues to be an interesting adventure, as my housemates and I balance our mental health, work and relationships within a limited amount of space. To say that I have used reading as an escape this month would…
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A Jane Austen Re-read: Mansfield Park
I promise I’ll have more to write about than Austen here at some point soon, especially as I am temporarily out of work due to events out of my control. In the meantime, I do promise that Austen is worth re-reading! Why not pick up Pride and Prejudice, and start reading along with me? The next book I will be reading is Emma, which is probably the second most popular Austen book, and is a very different flavor from Mansfield Park. There are spoilers below. If you haven’t already read this book or watched one of the movies, this post likely isn’t going to make much sense anyway. Rereading The…
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A Jane Austen Re-read: Sense and Sensibility
Well, since I last wrote, we have entered a very different world! And what better time to explore the classics? They are available free online, you don’t need to leave your house, and after you read the book you can watch hours of Regency movies in all your free time. The next book in this series will be Mansfield Park, the story of poor relation Fanny Price who is taken in by her rich cousins. There are spoilers below. If you haven’t already read this book or watched one of the movies, this post likely isn’t going to make much sense anyway. Rereading The Book This installment, I read Sense…
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A Jane Austen Re-read: Pride and Prejudice
Moving forward, I will be doing these books in order of publication, with Austen’s first book, Sense and Sensibility coming next. However, since it has the most movie adaptations ever, and since it is by far Austen’s best known work, I started here. There are spoilers below. If you haven’t already read this book or watched one of the movies, this post likely isn’t going to make much sense anyway. Rereading The Book I had so much fun revisiting the world of Longbourn and Elizabeth Bennett. Austen’s books are the frameworks for much romantic fiction to come, but they are also so much more, and their depth and complexity is…
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A Jane Austen Re-read: Introduction
Pretty much every year, I end up rereading a series of classics from my childhood. This usually happens when I hit my first “reading block” of the year, and I always love getting to fall into old, comfortable stories! This year, I treated myself and bought a beautiful set of Jane Austen’s books to reread, especially since I realized that while I have read them all throughout the years, I didn’t actually OWN any of them. This is a fun reread for me because I read all of Austen’s works at such different ages that they hold very different places in my mind and heart, and I am excited to…
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My Reading Month: February
Hello! I “slowed down” this month in terms of reading, mostly meaning I listened to a few more audiobooks, and made it through fewer actual books. This was because I hit a slump with a few books that were tough to get through, and because it has just been a busy month. I have also been struggling because the political events of the past few months have left me feeling very raw, particularly as I look at who the media and the powers that be seem to want to tell stories about, and how blatant that can be and still be considered to be acceptable. I will likely have more…
