Wednesday Reading Meme
Feb. 11th, 2026 05:44 pmWhat I Just Finished Reading
Hilary McKay’s Rosa by Starlight, an enchanting short children’s fantasy featuring cats, Venice, a deliciously wicked aunt and uncle (but ARE they really Rosa’s aunt and uncle?), and an intrepid orphan facing down her problems as best she can. Perfect if you like classic children’s fantasy that swirls a soupcon of magic into the real world.
Damon Runyon’s Guys and Dolls. Although the musical isn’t based directly on any one of these stories (in fact, I think the only direct reference might be Nathan Detroit’s craps game), it is at the same time exactly like Damon Runyon’s short stories.![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
troisoiseaux suggested a similarity to the work of P. G. Wodehouse, which I definitely also see: it’s easy to imagine a crossover where Wodehouse’s upper class doofuses get into a caper with Runyon’s Broadway gangster idiots, probably ending in a double wedding where an upper class doofus marries a Broadway doll, and a Broadway guy marries Muriel Broadbent.
What I’m Reading Now
I’ve started my St. Patrick’s Day Maeve Binchy early this year, because I’ve picked her short story collection A Few of the Girls, and even starting now I probably won’t finish it by St. Patrick’s Day. (I usually read story collections one story a day.)
What I Plan to Read Next
You will be shocked to hear that a steady diet of Horatio Hornblower and Aubrey-Maturin have made me want to read a book about the history of the Napoleonic Wars, preferably an overview so I can get a general idea of the most important dates so I can orient myself as we go along. Any recommendations?
Hilary McKay’s Rosa by Starlight, an enchanting short children’s fantasy featuring cats, Venice, a deliciously wicked aunt and uncle (but ARE they really Rosa’s aunt and uncle?), and an intrepid orphan facing down her problems as best she can. Perfect if you like classic children’s fantasy that swirls a soupcon of magic into the real world.
Damon Runyon’s Guys and Dolls. Although the musical isn’t based directly on any one of these stories (in fact, I think the only direct reference might be Nathan Detroit’s craps game), it is at the same time exactly like Damon Runyon’s short stories.
troisoiseaux suggested a similarity to the work of P. G. Wodehouse, which I definitely also see: it’s easy to imagine a crossover where Wodehouse’s upper class doofuses get into a caper with Runyon’s Broadway gangster idiots, probably ending in a double wedding where an upper class doofus marries a Broadway doll, and a Broadway guy marries Muriel Broadbent. What I’m Reading Now
I’ve started my St. Patrick’s Day Maeve Binchy early this year, because I’ve picked her short story collection A Few of the Girls, and even starting now I probably won’t finish it by St. Patrick’s Day. (I usually read story collections one story a day.)
What I Plan to Read Next
You will be shocked to hear that a steady diet of Horatio Hornblower and Aubrey-Maturin have made me want to read a book about the history of the Napoleonic Wars, preferably an overview so I can get a general idea of the most important dates so I can orient myself as we go along. Any recommendations?
