Wednesday Reading Meme
Oct. 4th, 2017 10:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
osprey_archerWhat I’ve Just Finished Reading
...any genuine belief in what we call God should humble us, remind us that, if there really is a god or goddess worthy of the name, He or She or It must surely know more than we do about the things that matter most. This much, at least, is shared across the great religions.
The final quote from Stephen Prothero’s God Is Not One, which I liked in its evocation of humility, although I am not sure that I would hold with the use of the word genuine here, actually. A belief can be genuine even if it’s entirely erroneous. Many people believe quite sincerely that they know exactly what God thinks about the things that matter most.
ALSO ALSO! Ngaio Marsh’s Final Curtain! A colorful family of theater-adjacent eccentrics gather together in their country house - this is, like, a hat trick of all of Marsh’s best themes - to celebrate the family patriarch’s birthday. They are joined by Agatha Troy, who has been commissioned to paint a portrait of said patriarch… and therefore becomes a key witness in his murder! Which is then investigated by her husband, the Handsome Detective Inspector Alleyn, because of course it is.
A++ Troy action in this book. I am always bowled over anew by how much I like Troy whenever I read a Troy-centric book: she’s so awkward and standoffish (“Rory says I shy away from emotion like a nervous mare,” she comments) and prone to shoving her hands in her pockets when she is not busy using them to paint marvelous pictures. And of course extremely observant, and drawn into other people’s personal brangles quite against her will because they keep insisting on confiding in her, and she can’t help awkwardly attempting to sympathize even though she’d really rather be painting.
It’s almost a let-down when Alleyn at last shows up, although it is nice to see their reunion after Alleyn’s long sojourn to New Zealand.
What I’m Reading Now
Sarah Pennypacker’s Summer of the Gypsy Moths, which seems promising so far. It takes place by the seaside, and it’s hard to go wrong with books set by the sea.
What I Plan to Read Next
October is here! Which means it’s time for my next monthly reading challenge: “a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending.” Fortunately I planned for this one way back in December 2016! I shall be reading Diana Wynne Jones’ Fire and Hemlock.
I am also beginning to gaze speculatively at The Three Musketeers.evelyn_b? Would you be interested in a read-along of this book at some point in the not-too-distant future?
...any genuine belief in what we call God should humble us, remind us that, if there really is a god or goddess worthy of the name, He or She or It must surely know more than we do about the things that matter most. This much, at least, is shared across the great religions.
The final quote from Stephen Prothero’s God Is Not One, which I liked in its evocation of humility, although I am not sure that I would hold with the use of the word genuine here, actually. A belief can be genuine even if it’s entirely erroneous. Many people believe quite sincerely that they know exactly what God thinks about the things that matter most.
ALSO ALSO! Ngaio Marsh’s Final Curtain! A colorful family of theater-adjacent eccentrics gather together in their country house - this is, like, a hat trick of all of Marsh’s best themes - to celebrate the family patriarch’s birthday. They are joined by Agatha Troy, who has been commissioned to paint a portrait of said patriarch… and therefore becomes a key witness in his murder! Which is then investigated by her husband, the Handsome Detective Inspector Alleyn, because of course it is.
A++ Troy action in this book. I am always bowled over anew by how much I like Troy whenever I read a Troy-centric book: she’s so awkward and standoffish (“Rory says I shy away from emotion like a nervous mare,” she comments) and prone to shoving her hands in her pockets when she is not busy using them to paint marvelous pictures. And of course extremely observant, and drawn into other people’s personal brangles quite against her will because they keep insisting on confiding in her, and she can’t help awkwardly attempting to sympathize even though she’d really rather be painting.
It’s almost a let-down when Alleyn at last shows up, although it is nice to see their reunion after Alleyn’s long sojourn to New Zealand.
What I’m Reading Now
Sarah Pennypacker’s Summer of the Gypsy Moths, which seems promising so far. It takes place by the seaside, and it’s hard to go wrong with books set by the sea.
What I Plan to Read Next
October is here! Which means it’s time for my next monthly reading challenge: “a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending.” Fortunately I planned for this one way back in December 2016! I shall be reading Diana Wynne Jones’ Fire and Hemlock.
I am also beginning to gaze speculatively at The Three Musketeers.
evelyn_b? Would you be interested in a read-along of this book at some point in the not-too-distant future?
no subject
Date: 2017-10-04 02:43 pm (UTC)It’s almost a let-down when Alleyn at last shows up
WHAT
Actually, this sums up the majority of later Marsh books, at least the better ones. I'm glad you enjoyed Final Curtain! It's one of my favorites, definitely Marsh at her best and most characteristic, and also full of excellent HMS Awkward shipping material for those of us who care about that sort of thing.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-04 04:39 pm (UTC)We've talked about this before, I know, but it is rather sad that Marsh never wrote just a straight-up novel with no murders. Perhaps about the Lampreys? It might be very hard to get any kind of a plot out of the Lampreys without the impetus of a murder, though, they do seem rather feckless and undirected and unlikely to come up with a plot all on their own.
And YES the HMS Awkward shipping material is OFF THE CHARTS in this book, oh Troy and Alleyn, I remain slightly baffled that they managed to overcome their mutual awkwardness long enough to get together, but nonetheless DELIGHTED that they accomplished it.
Things I did not expect to be into but totally am: Troy sitting on the hearthrug in front of a blazing fire, leaning against Alleyn's knees.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-08 03:05 am (UTC)<3 is all I have to say to that.
I don't know what Marsh would have done without a murder to round things off and bring them to a conclusion, but I'd love to see her try. Spinsters in Jeopardy, which has a lot of non-murder action plotting, is not very good, but I think that sort of thing is hard to do. A book about the Lampreys being feckless and getting into scrapes and out of them with the help of their more sensible Kiwi friend would be enjoyable even if imperfect.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-04 07:33 pm (UTC)Not a let-down - a reunion! \o/ But Final Curtain is definitely a lot of fun.
Oh, Three Musketeers and Fire and Hemlock! I won't be able to look if you don't like them. (Lots of people don't like them for lots of reasons that are totally reasonable! I could very much see you being one of them.) Taking them together is v appropriate and cool, though.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-05 01:31 am (UTC)Actually I think the phrase for that is "pleasantly surprised."
no subject
Date: 2017-10-05 07:47 am (UTC)They are both TERRIBLE, you will HATE them from cover to cover! Good luck on beginning these twin arduous journeys.
:-D
no subject
Date: 2017-10-05 11:07 am (UTC)The Three Musketeers is super fun as long as you know it's no Count of Monte Cristo - then you should be fine.
no subject
Date: 2017-10-05 12:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-10-09 10:53 am (UTC)A downside of living in the southern hemisphere is that, for so many of my favourite books, books set during the current month have the opposite season to me. I think of books-set-in-October during October and decide I should reread them next March instead, and then March comes around and I forget...
no subject
Date: 2017-10-09 12:38 pm (UTC)