Hello everyone,
I’m not going to start this by talking about the weather in April, because there’s really no point. This month we got everything. Let your imagination run wild.
Aside from that it was a decent month, quite busy work-wise for me, but when compiling the Things I Wrote section I was actually surprised how much I’d gotten done. I’m quite pleased with that, since in the past I’ve tended to let my writing slide during busy periods.
Below you’ll find the usual sections, and as always, feel free to skip through at your leisure.
Books I read:
20 000 Leagues Under the Sea - Jules Verne (first time)
I was extremely disappointed by this one, as it is mostly descriptions of ocean life, or Captain Nemo being cynical about life on the surface, and the narrator eating up every word. Around the World in 80 Days was much better, as it featured neither a fawned-upon Byronic hero, nor a rather dimwitted Canadian, as central characters. This book more often read like an old biology textbook than an adventure story.
H.M.S. Surprise - Patrick O’Brian (first time)
These books are growing on me. The naval cant, I confess, grows no clearer, but I’m surprised by how familiar the characters have become. Would not at all be surprised if O’Brian had never been on a boat in his life, but he can make you believe it.
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro (first time)
Not entirely sure I’ve gotten over this one. Ishiguro observes so well how the things you say - especially the smallest, most inconsequential ones - can change your entire relationship with someone else. They can both ruin and resurrect lives. I finished it knowing I’ll come back to it very soon.
The Razor’s Edge - W. Somerset Maugham (first time)
Got this off a bargain cart at the library. I read The Painted Veil back in September & had a similar experience - you think it’ll be rather boring, but after the first few pages you can’t stop. I finished most of this one in a day. Massively entertaining characters, including the world’s greatest snob, a serial artists’ mistress, and an American out to find the meaning of life. My local used bookstore has a fairly good selection of Somerset Maugham’s novels, so I’ll look those up when I’m next in.
The Dark Lord of Derkholm - Diana Wynne Jones (re-read)
The cleverest way of incorporating fantasy clichés I’ve ever read.
Things I watched:
Slow Horses Series 2-3 (first time)
Finished these too quickly as I don’t think there’ll be another series before the end of the year. Oh well. These were brilliant - not a particularly original opinion, but it’s true! I’d watch another two happily.
Les Trois Mousquetaires : D'Artagnan (first time)
Very good, nice score, excellent hats (honestly, not many actresses can pull off smoking a pipe and wearing a feathered hat, but Eva Green certainly can). My French comprehension was embarrassingly bad (I understood maybe 5-10%), but the English subtitles were more than sufficient. I’ll definitely watch the next part.
Things I wrote:
In April I published four regular poems and one short story, as well as one piece of flash fiction, and four posts in The Journal.
I used
’s prompts and a few old characters for this piece, which I enjoyed writing very much.And I finally finished this short story, which has been on my to-write-soon list since, erm, last fall.
I also properly started The Journal this month! Writing these poems is the new highlight of my week. We’ve come to the end of Wolf Hall, so poems here will be responding to Bring Up the Bodies for the next little while.
Things other people wrote:
A few excellent pieces from my saved folder:
Pictures I took:
Song:
And that’s all. Thanks for reading!
Iris Shaw