I just wanted to post this review of Dreadfully Ever After, which is the new Pride and Prejudice and Zombies sequel.
I liked certain things about the first book. I thought there was something really clever about it, and there was some great imagery and writing. The fault was that the transitions between the new writer and Austen were really abrupt.
From what the reviewer said, it sounds like that this book wisely doesn't do that.
I also like that Elizabeth is the hero in this story. I need more female heroes.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Friday, November 19, 2010
Cleopatra
There's a review out this week on a couple of books on Cleopatra. Being a big history nerds, I think I'm going to need to read these two books. Schiff apparently calls Cleopatra a monster, which makes me a little wary, since that sounds like male fear of women's power talking there.
But the review had some good details. For example, Egypt was a egalitarian (or at least more egalitarian society.) I'd like to read a book on that, frankly, since socieites that allowed women significant power seem to be lacking and the books on them most certainly are.
Also, there's apparently a movie coming out featuring Angelina Jolie! I'm already excited.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Well-Read Wife
This morning I stumbled across a blog called The Well-Read Wife. It basically looks like a small book review blog.
What got my attention (and, obviously, got me thinking) was that the site's title basically identifies the author in a traditional woman's role. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Of all the things to think of one's self as, being something of another's seems strange. Haven't women spent enough time being someone else's and not their own?
She is reading Cassandra Clare, and, back before she was a well-loved children's author, I read her too, so it is hard for me to hate on her. And I do like the author's (the well-read wife's?) observation about the Millennium Wheel being so Victorian. So I guess it isn't all bad.
What got my attention (and, obviously, got me thinking) was that the site's title basically identifies the author in a traditional woman's role. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Of all the things to think of one's self as, being something of another's seems strange. Haven't women spent enough time being someone else's and not their own?
She is reading Cassandra Clare, and, back before she was a well-loved children's author, I read her too, so it is hard for me to hate on her. And I do like the author's (the well-read wife's?) observation about the Millennium Wheel being so Victorian. So I guess it isn't all bad.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Signs and Wonders
I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed the graduation ceremony today. I figured it would be boring and I would be annoyed and reminded of all the things I didn't like about MSU. Nope, it was the most enjoyable ceremony I've ever been to, barring maybe my honors fraternity initiation.
I love the PhD outfits that people wear. There's something about them that makes me think of wizards and Nostradamus. Since I'm a medievalist, I know this is not as off as everyone else might assume, but I find myself wanting to inquire of everyone I meet what everything means. I myself know that this cord and that stole and these pins all have specific meanings, and I know what mine mean, but I am curious as to others.
The woman they had come to speak was really awesome. At twenty-two, she had started her own company. (!) She then made it big through designing golf clothes for women, which she implied were demeaning.
As a feminist, I approve of a woman working for herself and doing something that huge. There aren't a lot of women CEOs out there, though sadly, they tend to make significantly less money than male CEOs. I was thinking that maybe one of the things that might possibly account for this disparity was that female CEOs were more egalitarian in how their companies funds were distributed, perhaps paying their workers more or investing more back into the company.
I have thought frequently about starting my own company. My family has saved money for when I marry, but I'm not planning on marriage since I disapprove of the so many aspects of the institution. I think I still deserve this money (since my sister gets the same amount for the wedding she will almost inevitably have), and I was thinking that starting a company might be the right idea. I've been quietly playing around with a few ideas.
It was really nice to see some people. I ran into Ben, who I took Young Adult Lit with. We spoke a little about the future (what everyone seems to be talking about these days) and a mutual friend. I also got tons of pictures with some friends from a program I was in a few years back, and a few people I've had classes with. I ran into one of my professors, and I thought maybe he hated me these days, but he was nicer to me than I've ever seen him. He said I made the department look good and that I had been an asset. I don't think he'll ever realize how much those words meant to me.
Actually, the thing I found most fascinating was the signers they had.
I'm not sure that signers is even the right term, but they are the people who interpret the ceremony using sign language. I find these people and their words fascinating. Paul knows some sign language, and I guess I should interrogate him more on this subject, but I like watching people sign, even though I'm not hard of hearing. (Ask my Mom, and she'll tell you I am.) There's something almost dance-like it. I was sitting maybe ten feet away from the signers, and I watched them more than some of the speakers. The blond was particularly great because she had such great expressions on her face for all of it. (Is that a sign of advanced signing? Or just a personal touch?)
As I was contemplating this, I realized that what I should be doing is writing a creative nonfiction piece on this. (How many people have read a piece, especially a creative piece, on sign language?) I was thinking I could title the piece "Signs and Wonders." :)
I love the PhD outfits that people wear. There's something about them that makes me think of wizards and Nostradamus. Since I'm a medievalist, I know this is not as off as everyone else might assume, but I find myself wanting to inquire of everyone I meet what everything means. I myself know that this cord and that stole and these pins all have specific meanings, and I know what mine mean, but I am curious as to others.
The woman they had come to speak was really awesome. At twenty-two, she had started her own company. (!) She then made it big through designing golf clothes for women, which she implied were demeaning.
As a feminist, I approve of a woman working for herself and doing something that huge. There aren't a lot of women CEOs out there, though sadly, they tend to make significantly less money than male CEOs. I was thinking that maybe one of the things that might possibly account for this disparity was that female CEOs were more egalitarian in how their companies funds were distributed, perhaps paying their workers more or investing more back into the company.
I have thought frequently about starting my own company. My family has saved money for when I marry, but I'm not planning on marriage since I disapprove of the so many aspects of the institution. I think I still deserve this money (since my sister gets the same amount for the wedding she will almost inevitably have), and I was thinking that starting a company might be the right idea. I've been quietly playing around with a few ideas.
It was really nice to see some people. I ran into Ben, who I took Young Adult Lit with. We spoke a little about the future (what everyone seems to be talking about these days) and a mutual friend. I also got tons of pictures with some friends from a program I was in a few years back, and a few people I've had classes with. I ran into one of my professors, and I thought maybe he hated me these days, but he was nicer to me than I've ever seen him. He said I made the department look good and that I had been an asset. I don't think he'll ever realize how much those words meant to me.
Actually, the thing I found most fascinating was the signers they had.
I'm not sure that signers is even the right term, but they are the people who interpret the ceremony using sign language. I find these people and their words fascinating. Paul knows some sign language, and I guess I should interrogate him more on this subject, but I like watching people sign, even though I'm not hard of hearing. (Ask my Mom, and she'll tell you I am.) There's something almost dance-like it. I was sitting maybe ten feet away from the signers, and I watched them more than some of the speakers. The blond was particularly great because she had such great expressions on her face for all of it. (Is that a sign of advanced signing? Or just a personal touch?)
As I was contemplating this, I realized that what I should be doing is writing a creative nonfiction piece on this. (How many people have read a piece, especially a creative piece, on sign language?) I was thinking I could title the piece "Signs and Wonders." :)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Being a Medievalist
The professor was actually impressed today during the review for the final on Wednesday. We were actually asking good questions so that we would understand it.
I'm really sad about leaving medieval history, though I suspect I won't have enough time to get upset about, seeing as I have another final, two research papers and a thesis to write in the next nine days.
So maybe I'll postpone that until after the term is over.
But thinking about it now, a few things become clear. First, becoming a medievalist was totally a fluke. I decided one morning freshman year, while asleep in my bed, that I wanted to try a second major in history. All year I did not have history classes and it made me sad. Every history major has to take the basic class, and I choose a class based on location and time. When I signed up, there was no subject and no teacher attached. It was all random that I got medieval. I suspect if it had been something else and the teacher had been cool, I might be obsessed with that now.
Secondly, I'm so glad that medieval happened because it forced me to learn a little Latin and to see how complicated European history is. It's easy for Americans to brush off stuff and just focus on the plague or the Crusades, but other stuff happened, like the Investiture Contest, like the splitting of Charlemange's empire, like the Pope's policy of neutralizing any significant political power in Italy. All of it had long reaching consequences, and all of those examples are important to understanding things today. I'm happy for that perspective.
And also, being a medievalist is just another way I'm nerdy. It's a different kind of nerdy, but one that Dungeons and Dragon kids can appreciate.
I'm hoping that in the future, I will occasionally make time for medieval history. I'm want to keep reading about it.
If you happen to be like me, I can suggest the following books:
God's War: A New History of the Crusades One of the best books I've read on the Crusade. Easy to understand prose. He doesn't shy away from explaining the important ways the Crusades were influences by other things happening at the time.
William Marshal: Knighthood, War and Chivalry Crouch is Marshal's main biographer, and this book is a decent explanation of his life. Might be a little harder to work on if you're not familiar with the events at hand.
Medieval Architecture, Medieval Learning: Builders and Masters in the Age of Romanesque and Gothic One of the strangest books I've encountered in my studies. I'm not sure I buy the argument of the book, which is that architects and masters worked sort of in tandem to create great masterpieces in their respective fields. But the explanations of medieval architecture are perfect. And there are pretty pictures. My copy has those pictures in black and white, but I'd love to see a color version of this book.
The Song of Roland One of the first poems in French. It's the classic story of the brave knight Roland who sacrifices himself to save his beloved king, Charlemagne. Though not accurate historically, it's still a fun read.
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings A glorious book. Easy read and great images to bring the Viking world alive.
Arthur: The Seeing Stone Though not an actual history book, this is easily my favorite fictional book about the time period. Although written for a young adult audience, it's delightful.
I'm really sad about leaving medieval history, though I suspect I won't have enough time to get upset about, seeing as I have another final, two research papers and a thesis to write in the next nine days.
So maybe I'll postpone that until after the term is over.
But thinking about it now, a few things become clear. First, becoming a medievalist was totally a fluke. I decided one morning freshman year, while asleep in my bed, that I wanted to try a second major in history. All year I did not have history classes and it made me sad. Every history major has to take the basic class, and I choose a class based on location and time. When I signed up, there was no subject and no teacher attached. It was all random that I got medieval. I suspect if it had been something else and the teacher had been cool, I might be obsessed with that now.
Secondly, I'm so glad that medieval happened because it forced me to learn a little Latin and to see how complicated European history is. It's easy for Americans to brush off stuff and just focus on the plague or the Crusades, but other stuff happened, like the Investiture Contest, like the splitting of Charlemange's empire, like the Pope's policy of neutralizing any significant political power in Italy. All of it had long reaching consequences, and all of those examples are important to understanding things today. I'm happy for that perspective.
And also, being a medievalist is just another way I'm nerdy. It's a different kind of nerdy, but one that Dungeons and Dragon kids can appreciate.
I'm hoping that in the future, I will occasionally make time for medieval history. I'm want to keep reading about it.
If you happen to be like me, I can suggest the following books:
God's War: A New History of the Crusades One of the best books I've read on the Crusade. Easy to understand prose. He doesn't shy away from explaining the important ways the Crusades were influences by other things happening at the time.
William Marshal: Knighthood, War and Chivalry Crouch is Marshal's main biographer, and this book is a decent explanation of his life. Might be a little harder to work on if you're not familiar with the events at hand.
Medieval Architecture, Medieval Learning: Builders and Masters in the Age of Romanesque and Gothic One of the strangest books I've encountered in my studies. I'm not sure I buy the argument of the book, which is that architects and masters worked sort of in tandem to create great masterpieces in their respective fields. But the explanations of medieval architecture are perfect. And there are pretty pictures. My copy has those pictures in black and white, but I'd love to see a color version of this book.
The Song of Roland One of the first poems in French. It's the classic story of the brave knight Roland who sacrifices himself to save his beloved king, Charlemagne. Though not accurate historically, it's still a fun read.
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Vikings A glorious book. Easy read and great images to bring the Viking world alive.
Arthur: The Seeing Stone Though not an actual history book, this is easily my favorite fictional book about the time period. Although written for a young adult audience, it's delightful.
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