#weekendreads
I‘m enjoying juggling only two books this Valentine‘s weekend.
“The Bell Jar” for #HashtagBrigade
“The Zero Stone” for #LitsySFBC
panApprentice gemmologist Murdoc Jern's master is killed as a sacrifice. Can Murdoc escape from Koonga and find out why?
A strange mixture of fantasy faux-mediaeval tropes (apprentices, arcane rituals, quests, rings of power) set in a science fiction world of spaceships, rockets, spacesuits, interstellar travel, and aliens. There were too many threads left hanging and unexplained. They may be explained later, but I'm not sure I will bother.
pick5 Stars • Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol follows the cunning Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov as he travels through Russia, buying "dead souls"—serfs who are deceased but still listed in government records. His scheme aims to use these souls as collateral for a loan, exposing the corruption and moral decay of Russian society through his interactions with various landowners. Each character represents a satirical critique of societal flaws.
OK, after 5 long weeks of Ren Faire shenanigans, I am going to finally catch up on my missed book updates and challenges. But first....Here are my Ren faire looks. Garden Gnome, Pirate, Belle, Ursula, Elf Rogue and Faun.
pick(1954) Hm. Something scary relevant about a dystopian society ruled by anti-science populists ...
There are really two books here: one a thriller about a group of outlawed scientists trying to escape Earth for for a trip to the stars and a long shot at starting over again, this time with less superstition and hate. The second book is an exploration of their new world. Pace is uneven, but it kept me engaged.
panFirstly, the ending was so frustrating that I actually threw this book away (onto grass so all is well). I really enjoyed the way Gogol breaks the 4th wall and adds his own personality onto the descriptions, yet the ending of this book is full of incomplete sentences and an entirely missing section which is where the chaos built up was supposed to unfold. I‘m upset right now - maybe I‘ll think differently when I‘m a bit calmer. What do you think?
#poetrymatters
@TheSpineView
#sorrow
Lord Byron added an additional stanza that he never published. Wonder why?
🤔🤣😉 Here's the (not-published) last stanza:
Then—fare thee well—Fanny—
Now doubly undone—
To prove false unto many—
As faithless to One—
Thou art past all recalling
Even would I recall—
For the woman once falling
Forever must fall.
[The poem was about Byron's failed affair with Lady Frances Webster.)
