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Wednesday Reading Meme
Mar. 21st, 2018 09:39 amWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
William Heyliger’s Don Strong of the Wolf Patrol, which is a book about Boy Scouts from 1916 and totally charming as long as you have a taste for epic earnestness, which it must be said that I do.
In fact I liked it so much that I went on to read another Heyliger book, Bartley, Freshman Pitcher, which is actually most about the sophomore pitcher Kennedy - who was about to move into the limelight as the college’s star pitcher, only to have his laurels stolen from him by that freshman brat Bartley. AGAIN. Bartley also tore away Kennedy’s chance to be star pitcher on the high school team.
When Kennedy discovers that Bartley’s father took out a mortgage at Kennedy’s father’s bank to pay for Bartley’s education, Kennedy tells Bartley that he owes it to him to step aside in the ballpark. This is impressively vile and I really doubted that Heyliger could bring Kennedy back from this, because honestly how could you, but actually he won me over for about 95% of Kennedy’s redemption arc. The very last bit seemed a bit rushed: they moved from enmity to “let’s be roommates next year!” just a little too quickly.
I have long thought that if I could just find the right Heyliger book it would be slashy as hell, but alas I think I will have to give this idea a rest. Here you’ve got a classic enemies-to-friends plot and arm massages (to keep the pitching arm in shape!) and they’re going to be sharing a room next year and it’s still not very slashy.
What I’m Reading Now
William Heyliger’s Captain of the Nine, which is the sequel to Bartley, Freshman Pitcher. I HAVE A HEYLIGER PROBLEM, OKAY. Now that Kennedy’s all reformed, the college nine has a new problem child: Mellen, the star second baseman who wanted to be elected captain but was THWARTED when the team elected that darn sophomore Bartley, even though Bartley is a pitcher and apparently it’s tough for the pitcher to be the team captain because he’s already got enough to deal with being, you know, the pitcher.
I suspect that Bartley will be a roaring success as captain after some initial hiccups, but it seems genuinely possible that it might be too much for him to handle (although Mellen certainly wouldn’t have been a better choice) and I’d quite enjoy it if the book explores that avenue.
I started Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment for my March challenge (“a book in translation”) but I’m having such trouble getting into it that I may read something else for the challenge. Possibly Alexandre Dumas’ The Black Tulip? No, the library doesn’t have The Black Tulip. Maybe Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. Anyone have any suggestions?
What I Plan to Read Next
Google Books has the last two books in Elizabeth Stuart Phelps’ Gypsy Breynton quartet! FOR FREE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THESE FOR YEARS.
William Heyliger’s Don Strong of the Wolf Patrol, which is a book about Boy Scouts from 1916 and totally charming as long as you have a taste for epic earnestness, which it must be said that I do.
In fact I liked it so much that I went on to read another Heyliger book, Bartley, Freshman Pitcher, which is actually most about the sophomore pitcher Kennedy - who was about to move into the limelight as the college’s star pitcher, only to have his laurels stolen from him by that freshman brat Bartley. AGAIN. Bartley also tore away Kennedy’s chance to be star pitcher on the high school team.
When Kennedy discovers that Bartley’s father took out a mortgage at Kennedy’s father’s bank to pay for Bartley’s education, Kennedy tells Bartley that he owes it to him to step aside in the ballpark. This is impressively vile and I really doubted that Heyliger could bring Kennedy back from this, because honestly how could you, but actually he won me over for about 95% of Kennedy’s redemption arc. The very last bit seemed a bit rushed: they moved from enmity to “let’s be roommates next year!” just a little too quickly.
I have long thought that if I could just find the right Heyliger book it would be slashy as hell, but alas I think I will have to give this idea a rest. Here you’ve got a classic enemies-to-friends plot and arm massages (to keep the pitching arm in shape!) and they’re going to be sharing a room next year and it’s still not very slashy.
What I’m Reading Now
William Heyliger’s Captain of the Nine, which is the sequel to Bartley, Freshman Pitcher. I HAVE A HEYLIGER PROBLEM, OKAY. Now that Kennedy’s all reformed, the college nine has a new problem child: Mellen, the star second baseman who wanted to be elected captain but was THWARTED when the team elected that darn sophomore Bartley, even though Bartley is a pitcher and apparently it’s tough for the pitcher to be the team captain because he’s already got enough to deal with being, you know, the pitcher.
I suspect that Bartley will be a roaring success as captain after some initial hiccups, but it seems genuinely possible that it might be too much for him to handle (although Mellen certainly wouldn’t have been a better choice) and I’d quite enjoy it if the book explores that avenue.
I started Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment for my March challenge (“a book in translation”) but I’m having such trouble getting into it that I may read something else for the challenge. Possibly Alexandre Dumas’ The Black Tulip? No, the library doesn’t have The Black Tulip. Maybe Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. Anyone have any suggestions?
What I Plan to Read Next
Google Books has the last two books in Elizabeth Stuart Phelps’ Gypsy Breynton quartet! FOR FREE. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THESE FOR YEARS.
