I read the following books:
- A Far Off Place by Laurens van der Post: There was so much rah-rah colonialism that I readily accepted for the prequel, A Story Like The Wind, I don’t know why I couldn’t get past it this time. Anytime that Francis is by himself, the book runs dull and slow. The first third, before they get to the Kalahari, is so minutely detailed in things I couldn’t care less about. Kalahari-time is much better, but still, I didn’t attach to the story in the same way I did the grossly changed Disney movie I watched a thousand times as a kid.
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
- The Fear by Peter Godwin: Unlike Godwin’s earlier two books on Zimbabwe (ici et ici), this didn’t draw me in, probably because this book is more reportage and less memoir. Facts and I are disagreeing lately.
- Beautiful Ruins by Jesse Walter: It starts out shlock. Actually, come to think of it, it ends shlock too, but by then you’ve kind of grown attached with a warm fuzzy feeling inside so you’re willing to forgive the shlockiness.
Best book: Life After Life: I wasn’t keen at first – a Kate Atkinson, non-mystery novel that isn’t Behind The Scenes At The Museum, with a bizarro meandering time setup. The first few iterations, I kept an eyebrow raised and my mouth shut. Then, like a champagne cork popping, everything worked. I lent the book out and now I want it back to re-read again, to get Geoff to read it so we can discuss, all of that.
This month was a slow reading month. I’m still ponderously going through Swann’s Way, and I started Far From The Tree, another huge book, even though Andrew Solomon’s blurb on When A Crocodile Eats The Sun made me rageful a few months ago. I haven’t felt like reading. When I should read, instead I watch Mad Men in a reduced browser and play Solitaire alongside.
I watched:
- Game of Thrones: Am I the only one who hates Daenerys? I hate her so much. All that white-saviour-privilege-I want I want I want tantruming. My blood pressure rises whenever she comes on screen and ruins the rest. Actually, maybe the constant unnecessary nudity ruins everything. Or Aiden Gillen‘s unstable accent (go back to running Baltimore Carcetti!). Or maybe I’m just missing something. Game of Thrones is good, but it isn’t The Wire good. It isn’t even Mad Men good. I watch to see if the characters I dislike will die soon. That will make me happy.
- Mad Men: So I hate Daenerys, but I don’t hate Betty Draper. Maybe only in Season Three I haven’t got to her being awful, but I don’t understand the hatred of Betty in contrast to the acceptance of Don. Don is a shit. He’s trapped, but he’s a shit. Betty’s trapped too, but people hate her for it? I don’t know. I’m still not fully enthralled with Mad Men either. There’s all this privilege for white men, so I can see why a white male might think about what a great time he missed out on, but me, there’s nothing there.
- The Wire: It’s over. I watched it all. I might start watching from the beginning again. I miss The Wire already.
- The Office (UK): I’d forgotten, or maybe I never noticed the first time I watched it ten years ago, how mean-spirited a show this is. I suppose that makes sense as every time I see Ricky Gervais now, like when he hosted the Golden Globes, he acted like a dick. The show is mean.
- Waltz With Bashir
- The Boat That Rocked: Perfectly fine British movie ruined by putting in a Hollywood ending. My month’s first foray with Chris O’Dowd.
- The IT Crowd: My month’s second foray with Chris O’Dowd.
- Parks and Recreation
- The Infidel: Another British movie with a nonsense Hollywood ending.
- Cropsey
- Community: Joel McHale is on twitter everyone! I now follow Joel McHale on twitter!
- Friends With Kids: My month’s third foray with Chris O’Dowd.
I wrote: Come From Away proof-reading extravanganza. Shoot me now.