- Currently Listening To: Haydn's Oxford Symphony.
- Recently Found Myself Embroiled In: a flurry of 19th c. reading. Completing Treasure Island (now I want to read the Delderfield prequal, The Adventures of Ben Gunn), The House of the Seven Gables, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and The Woman In White, I remembered once again why I love this time period in literature so much. They really knew how to spin a good tale! I particularly loved The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Even though he left it unfinished, this may turn out to be my favourite Dickens novel. I was sad when I reached the end, and frustrated, of course, because I was completely wrapped up in Rosa and Mr. Grewgious and Dick Datchery. And the mystery! I'd initially decided to read it because I'd been hearing good things about Dan Simmons' Drood and wanted to first read the Dickens novel it references before diving into the Simmons. I'm so glad I did. It was great fun!
- Recently Watched and Enjoyed: Two very different films. And the first may be a surprise: Cop Out. What with the script not having been written by Smith, Tracy Morgan being one of the main actors (not a Morgan fan, am I), and the movie getting rather negative reviews (to say the least), I figured this would be a disappointing viewing at best, possibly a collosal waste of time. Perhaps it was all due to low expectations, but I found myself enjoying the tongue-in-cheek 'homage' to cop films that is Cop Out. And Bruce Willis is (almost) always reliably diverting. The film goodnaturedly sends up all the ridiculous cliches that go along with a buddy-cop film. Even including the oh-so-80s soundtrack. But a glorious film of sound, image, and meaning it's not. (It's no Hot Fuzz, for example). The second film I found myself enjoing is visually gripping, as well as tragic, dramatic, and splendidly acted. The Warlords is an epic kind of film which was satisfying in the way a good, tragic Russian novel is satisfying. Jet Li does, as always, a wonderful job at everything required for a well-acted, well-written, well-choreographed action film. Lots of interesting fighting choreography, but not at the cost of story. Loved it!
- Curently Reading: I've started in on Drood by Dan Simmons, but I will probably be at it for quite awhile. Nearly 800 pp . . . hoping those are 800 gloriously written pages. I'm also dipping into The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch every now and again. This is the first Murdoch I've tried.
- Currently Looking Forward To: some no-bake, creamy cheesecake with fresh raspberries (picked by Mr. Inkslinger from our own bushes in the backyard).
2 scribble(s) in the margin:
I've read all the 19th c. novels you mentioned (except for Drood) and love them all. Those authors really did know how to "spin a good tale" didn't they? It is my favorite era in literature. I really have to check Drood out of the library. I didn't know it was an unfinished novel.
It seems Dickens expired before he finished writing the novel, but he did leave a synopsis of how he meant to end it. Shame it's unfinished, though, because it really is great.
The 19th c is my favourite period too . . . I had intended on specializing in it when I was still contemplating a career in academia. There's so much happening in it (literarily and otherwise)!
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