The Books
For a bit of a chance of pace, I’m alternating between two things for a moment, and neither are novels:
George Orwell’s A Collection of Essays, which I’ve barely started but I’m already regretting not reading it earlier. The first essay is a rather lengthly recollection of his boarding school days, aka, plenty of discussion about educational policy, especially when it mixes with the political! I’m really excited to continue with it; he’s very engaging and sometimes wryly funny.- Oscar Wilde plays, specifically Lady Windermere’s Fan, An Ideal Husband, A Woman of No Importance, and Salome (I’ve already read The Importance of Being Earnest): I love the witty dialogue and the way Wilde slips in social commentary, though that does mean it must be read very closely! I should be finishing Lady Windermere’s Fan very soon. I definitely recommend Wilde if you’re looking to get into plays, especially older ones.
Meanwhile, I’ll be posting my review of Some Kind of Happiness this week, plus some other bookish stuff!
ALSO A REALLY COOL THING: I won Adam Silvera’s Twitter giveaway, which means I’m apparently getting signed and personalized copies of the paperback More Happy Than Not (which I LOVED, but read on Kindle so I don’t have a physical copy) and an ARC of his January release, History Is All You Left Me, which I’m eagerly anticipating! I still can’t quite believe it. That, in combination with my ever-present feeling that I may have done something wrong (even though I checked the address I sent in and everything), means that I don’t think I’ll quite accept my luck until it arrives on my doorstep.
Writing
I’m back writing! Well, kind of. I’ve been in a strange situation where I don’t quite have a full draft because I didn’t write certain scenes and finish it off because I suddenly came up with a new plot to craft the story–which is largely character-driven–around. So I started reading through and taking notes on what I had done–a process I’m going to blog about–to prepare for revising, but I realized I quite liked it. So instead, I’ve just come up with some more subtle ways to liven up the plot while still exploring what’s going on in the characters’ minds, and I’m going to write that and see where I end up.
This is a really tricky one, but after reareading a good portion of it, I feel so much better about it than before! The story has a lot of personal investment from me in it, which is why I keep returning to it. But that also means I need to be in a certain mode to write about it, as some of it is difficult for me to write.
The Rest
I’ve been watching the 1996 BBC Pride and Prejudice serial (aka the Colin Firth one). It doesn’t have the highest production values, but it is a pretty close adaption so far, and the characters really stand out and the pacing more accurately reflects the timing of Georgian England. Also, Mr. Collins is rightfully disgusting. (I kind of have this thing for P&P adaptations because I’m perpetually making up for not having a great experience reading the book due to deciding to read it during exams last year.)
And–you guessed it–I’m still addicted to Gilmore Girls. I’m almost halfway through Season 5 now, though I didn’t mean to make it go that fast! It’s just what I watch when I need a little calming down, because it’s both escapism and a way for me to think about the rocky path of life. [SPOILERS FOLLOW] Luke and Lorelai are perfect,. I’ve also got a lot of thoughts about Dean as a character and how he really outstayed his purpose as a character, and really doesn’t have much outside of Rory as a result. He needs to go back to college and form his own life! (And as the episodes noted, he really doesn’t offer much to Rory intellectually.) So yes, I’m kind of glad he’s gone. Now I will patiently wait for Jess to show up in Season 6, because I know what happens then and I’m so proud of him! (Unlike Dean, he had character outside of Rory and he actually grows up. You could see some of it in Season 4.)
I’m also enjoying The Eighties documentaries on CNN (though they better replay the technology one that didn’t air because of the coverage of the Paul Ryan/Trump fued). They’re more of an overview than anything, but I like how the series covers cultural and social aspects as well as the big headlines. The Sixties and The Seventies are also on Netflix now, so I’ve been catching up with the ones I missed of them (which are most!).
Olivia Anne Gennaro 