Recent reading
Apr. 10th, 2023 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
luzulaI went out hiking this weekend, and camped out overnight. It was my first night camping for this year, and I'm glad I took my winter sleeping bag, as there was frost on the tent in the morning! But the sunshine was warm during the day. The bright yellow coltsfoot flowers are out and the chaffinches and wrens are optimistic, but that's about it for the spring: no other flowers in the woods, nor any leaves on the trees. Oh, I did also hear my first chiffchaffs of the year, but no willow warblers yet.
Vinternoveller by Ingvild H. Rishøi (2019)
Original in Norwegian. Contemporary Scandinavian literature--not something I read every day, but this was a Christmas present from one of my best friends. It was also a very quick read; 'novell' means 'short story' in Swedish, not 'novel'. This is social realism, mostly about the relationships between struggling parents and their children, from both sides: one of the short stories is about a single mother who has no money and her daughter, another about an alcoholic father who has just come out of prison and is now going to meet his son. It was actually quite page-turney, but in general I suppose I prefer more escapism in my fiction. Not in order to stick my head in the sand--yes, I know about poverty and inequality, this is why I am active in a union--but to have a space in my life that is about enjoying myself, so that I can also have the energy to engage in the world.
The Captain’s Lady by D K Broster (1947)
Broster’s last book! But I still have two of her books left to read. I was annoyed with how the romance was handled in the conclusion of the previous book, but in this sequel, I like their relationship better. In the previous book’s climax, the male love interest has to save her from her own stupid actions, whereas in this book, she is the one to take action to save him. Charlotte, a refugee from the French Revolution, has married her English Navy captain and moved to England, but previous events in her life come back to haunt her, and her French connections cause problems for her husband's career. The book ranges from serious to almost screwball comedy, with a terrible brat of a child who is quite different from Broster’s earlier earnest children. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, but I do prefer Broster’s earlier slashy books.
Vinternoveller by Ingvild H. Rishøi (2019)
Original in Norwegian. Contemporary Scandinavian literature--not something I read every day, but this was a Christmas present from one of my best friends. It was also a very quick read; 'novell' means 'short story' in Swedish, not 'novel'. This is social realism, mostly about the relationships between struggling parents and their children, from both sides: one of the short stories is about a single mother who has no money and her daughter, another about an alcoholic father who has just come out of prison and is now going to meet his son. It was actually quite page-turney, but in general I suppose I prefer more escapism in my fiction. Not in order to stick my head in the sand--yes, I know about poverty and inequality, this is why I am active in a union--but to have a space in my life that is about enjoying myself, so that I can also have the energy to engage in the world.
The Captain’s Lady by D K Broster (1947)
Broster’s last book! But I still have two of her books left to read. I was annoyed with how the romance was handled in the conclusion of the previous book, but in this sequel, I like their relationship better. In the previous book’s climax, the male love interest has to save her from her own stupid actions, whereas in this book, she is the one to take action to save him. Charlotte, a refugee from the French Revolution, has married her English Navy captain and moved to England, but previous events in her life come back to haunt her, and her French connections cause problems for her husband's career. The book ranges from serious to almost screwball comedy, with a terrible brat of a child who is quite different from Broster’s earlier earnest children. On the whole, I enjoyed the book, but I do prefer Broster’s earlier slashy books.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-11 06:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2023-04-11 08:57 am (UTC)Definitely a valid reaction! : D