Wednesday Reading Meme (40. Persepolis)
Jul. 2nd, 2014 11:56 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
Persepolis, which I think I expected too much from: I’ve heard raves about it, but it didn’t seem all that special to me. I’m wondering if the people who found it totally stunning have just never read graphic novels or histories of revolutions.
I also finished Eva Ibbotson’s A Song for Summer. I should probably just give Ibbotson her own tag, I’ve been reading so many of her books… A Song for Summer reminded me a lot of her book The Dragonfly Pool. Both take place at delightfully bohemian boarding schools in the lead-up to World War II, but The Dragonfly Pool offers a childs-eye-view of that situation, while A Song for Summer focuses more on the teachers.
I should add that this is just a tendency, because A Dragonfly Pool has important teacher characters, and A Song for Summer has important students. One thing I like about Ibbotson’s books is that the adult books have important child characters who are treated like people with thoughts and feelings (which is not true in adult books as often as it should be - not that adult books always need child characters, but if a book has them, they should be treated like people rather than adorable sock monkeys), and the children’s books have adult characters ditto ditto.
A Song for Summer is a bit less warm and fuzzy than some of Ibbotson’s other books. There is at last a happy ending, but by God she makes you work for it this time around. It’s not just that the political situation is bad, but the interpersonal relationships are more complicated than often.
In some of Ibbotson’s books the wrong suitors are almost caricaturish in their awfulness - I’m thinking particularly of Muriel the eugenicist in A Countess Below Stairs - but not so in A Song for Summer. Ellen’s suitor Kendrick is such a sad sack that it’s almost painful to read about him: I didn’t for a minute want Ellen with him, because being around him sounds awful (he thinks spouting off a litany of memorized facts counts as good conversation), but he’s such a sad puppy that I didn’t want to see him suffer anymore, either. “Too pathetic to be lovable” is a hard character trait to read about.
What I’m Reading Now
Tove Jannson’s The Summer Book. I’ve been reading it before bed, which it is perfect for: it’s a very soothing book.
I’m also reading Jo Walton’s My Real Children. I’m still in Patricia’s youth, before the timeline forks. I suspect it will get more interesting once the fork happens?
What I Plan to Read Next
I intend to finish the Benjamin January series, which will clear the decks so I can start Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series.
Persepolis, which I think I expected too much from: I’ve heard raves about it, but it didn’t seem all that special to me. I’m wondering if the people who found it totally stunning have just never read graphic novels or histories of revolutions.
I also finished Eva Ibbotson’s A Song for Summer. I should probably just give Ibbotson her own tag, I’ve been reading so many of her books… A Song for Summer reminded me a lot of her book The Dragonfly Pool. Both take place at delightfully bohemian boarding schools in the lead-up to World War II, but The Dragonfly Pool offers a childs-eye-view of that situation, while A Song for Summer focuses more on the teachers.
I should add that this is just a tendency, because A Dragonfly Pool has important teacher characters, and A Song for Summer has important students. One thing I like about Ibbotson’s books is that the adult books have important child characters who are treated like people with thoughts and feelings (which is not true in adult books as often as it should be - not that adult books always need child characters, but if a book has them, they should be treated like people rather than adorable sock monkeys), and the children’s books have adult characters ditto ditto.
A Song for Summer is a bit less warm and fuzzy than some of Ibbotson’s other books. There is at last a happy ending, but by God she makes you work for it this time around. It’s not just that the political situation is bad, but the interpersonal relationships are more complicated than often.
In some of Ibbotson’s books the wrong suitors are almost caricaturish in their awfulness - I’m thinking particularly of Muriel the eugenicist in A Countess Below Stairs - but not so in A Song for Summer. Ellen’s suitor Kendrick is such a sad sack that it’s almost painful to read about him: I didn’t for a minute want Ellen with him, because being around him sounds awful (he thinks spouting off a litany of memorized facts counts as good conversation), but he’s such a sad puppy that I didn’t want to see him suffer anymore, either. “Too pathetic to be lovable” is a hard character trait to read about.
What I’m Reading Now
Tove Jannson’s The Summer Book. I’ve been reading it before bed, which it is perfect for: it’s a very soothing book.
I’m also reading Jo Walton’s My Real Children. I’m still in Patricia’s youth, before the timeline forks. I suspect it will get more interesting once the fork happens?
What I Plan to Read Next
I intend to finish the Benjamin January series, which will clear the decks so I can start Elizabeth Peter’s Amelia Peabody series.
