Fran > Recent Status Updates

Like stylistically? It's whatever. Never my selling point. I've never loved Green for his prose or plots. It's the observations on people, the understanding of ourselves, the digressions into a sort of navel gazing, but one that is generous and kind and healing, it's intimate and understanding and true in a way that is difficult to find, for me.

This too, is grief and wanting and the awe-fear-mystery of the self. For better or worse, John Green (or at least his writing) and I share that same understanding of the soul, and art, and the core of human experience. This was true for the YA, for the OCD novel, for the nonfiction, and apparently now, also this. Framing the central narrative inside a film about Warhol was an inspired choice.

Krista appearing once again to read me to filth and rip me a new one in a way that feels so very deliberately targeted. The first time I tried to read this I got so emotionally anguished about Matty that I spiralled and had to stop. I see now. I see why.

The audiobook is SO well done (thank u Isla for the rec) and I'm enamoured with this story that is both hopeful and such a tragedy and so out of line with what I know of GRRM. Maybe I have been unfairly harsh because the GOT show was Like That or maybe Dunk and Egg has a genuinely chivalric charm all the more tragic for what comes after in Westeros.

and if I cried. What then.

I knew I was going to love Alyosha, but didn't realize how much Ivan was going to be Like That (affectionate, forever changed, and I haven't even gotten to the inquisitor chapters yet)

oh I Get It Now. i am beginning to see why this is One Of Those Books.

The prose is actively grating. It's so bad oh god. I'm suffering. Grace's internal narration is choppy and cringe and a burden to read. The flashback scenes have, not good prose, but at least not actively making me stop to be annoyed constantly. I persist for rocky and bc sm ppl rec'd it to me and bc I paid REAL MONEY for this. I'll hopefully like the movie since it'll bypass the awful 1st person internal narration

I'm already not a fan of the prose but that's just a staple of certain authors and subgenres I suppose. Especially when there's a focus on the "hard science" of scifi. As if I, personally, give a shit whether my fantastical exploration of various themes and the human condition has plausible science. Hence my preference for character driven space opera. Rocky my little alien guy you better be worth it.

Ok Mr 'i don't understand Star Trek or put politics in my books' I'm gonna go read the story with the rock aliens where /friendship saves the universe/. Wild. Normally we see that rhetoric from right leaning libertarian works but Weir's stories all seem to be ateast somewhat hopeful and centre-liberal leaning??? Despite, apparently, his intentions. All art is political my guy

Not to cry anti intellectualism about Western monoculture but also. I'm not NOT saying that. I work in academia. I see it in both students and colleagues. Sometimes to discuss things we DO need jargon and theory and sometimes we DO need to put it some intellectual effort. (And mind you! This isn't a difficult to read theory heavy book at all. I think people are perhaps just. I shan't say dumb. But lazy).

I'm not very far in but ... Did the negative reviews actually read the book (or the intro) and understand that it's a series of essays and not a literal how to book directed at a general audience. Yes OFC it's 'for the intelligentsia' it's an academic examination of the eocnomy of attention. Nevermind the fact that it's not actually hard to read/understand, people simply just don't like putting in the effort

Immediately and immensely charmed by this, please please please let the rest of the book be so

the universe knew i NEEDED this library hold rn. do the horrors never cease

Not a good choice for sick day reading but oh man. Deeply Canadian, for better (and more often) worse. Unflinching. Refuses to look away from what us city dwelling Canadians often don't/won't see.

reading for work bookclub

i wish i could muster a fraction of Gaskell's enthusiasm for print types, he's throwing academic shade at groups i've never even heard of

Freeing myself to enjoy books that are not necessarily technically good and have lots of problems but have the exact kind of character and theme work I want

I've realized that I don't necessarily enjoy LMB's prose/style - very direct and abrupt - and the way she writes inner voices grates on me. And yet. And YET. The character work. It compels me. It must outweigh the bad significantly because despite it all I'm so invested I went out and got a bunch of secondhand copies for the other books in the series. I'm enraptured. I haven't read a book in less than a day in eons.

I keep hitting moments that make me wince. That are cringe or clunky or ham fisted or full of 1991 attitudes around gender roles and maternal instincts and bioessentialism etc etc. And yet. The next page will immediately hit me with something so gut wrenching and transcendent, I'm deeply invested regardless of its obvious flaws

how is literally every single chapter throwing something agonizing at me amidst terrible space opera tropes and questionable discussions of eugenics and consent. im dying. the emotional trenches. ive almost cried multiple times. the book reminding me why i like to read.

ik im not very far in and anthologies are always risky but it feels like my refrain for this year's reading is 'but what if it were good instead' ;-;

Once again. Series of all time and it stuck the landing

the things i do for work...... ;-;

chapter 23 siege of leningrad has me like....koschei a bondage christ figure???? absolutely haunting chapter. incredible.

Koschei isn't even evil he just desperately needs someone to match his freak

We are SO back

but what if it were good instead

I love bureaucracy, time travel, and doomed Arctic exploration. I had a macabre obsession with it aged 7 that I never shook. This SHOULD be my book. So far it is mostly kinda boring romance, a guy adapting to modern life WAY easier than he should, and a lot of heavy handed social commentary (which would be fine if we weren't trying to address Every Oppression all at once, and be funny, AND romantic, AND have a plot)