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Back in the Twin Cities

  • Jan. 21st, 2013 at 2:13 PM
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Drove over 1000 miles Saturday and Sunday, and made it back to grad school land. It's -20 windchill out there. I can't really say I'm pleased, but everything's unpacked and I am become human again instead of a driving machine, so that's awesome.

Tomorrow is my first (only) class of the week! And tomorrow evening I'm directing sabre at a highschool competition, for which service I will be given Money. So my outlook on life is pretty great :)

ALSO, on the drive I was listening to the Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell audiobook, which is rad. I guess some people complained about how the footnotes interrupt the story, but I'm not sure how they could have gotten around it. Skipping the footnotes could have gutted some of the chapters, and I didn't find them that distracting. But I have also read the book twice? three times? so it's probably easier for me. I do wish they had gotten a woman to do the reading though, since I've always felt that the strong (and female) authorial narration was great in Strange and Norrell. But audiobooks always seem to be read by dudes, for some reason. I love the guy who's doing the audiobook now, his voices are excellent, but... dudes.

The main thing I am getting out of this relistening is that this book is ridic long. Which I knew, obviously, but I just drove 18 hours and I'm not even halfway through the audiobook. I will persevere! I love listening to audiobooks, because I'm way more active than when reading - I shout at the tape and laugh more and try to give the characters advice. My current favorite exclamations are "Poooor Mr. Norrell," "Strange, your life is so hard, I'm sure," and "CHILDERMASS."

Which brings me to the other main thing I am getting out of this relistening - I love Childermass. And Norrell. They're such terrible people. And I really really want to write Childermass/Norrell, that's probably going to happen soon.
This entry was originally posted at http://neveralarch.dreamwidth.org/56527.html. Comment wherever you want.

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( 9 comments — Leave a comment )
x_los
Jan. 21st, 2013 09:14 pm (UTC)
Mil Nicholson, my favorite librivox person, does /excellent/ Lady Narration of all the Dickens novels (it's a WIP, but she has several out).
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neveralarch
Jan. 22nd, 2013 07:59 pm (UTC)
Oh, cool! I am not the biggest fan of Dickens, but I'll keep Nicholas Nickleby bookmarked for my next long drive.
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x_los
Jan. 22nd, 2013 08:09 pm (UTC)
I am--ambivalent about him, but I like him WAY better than I did as a young. NN is not the one I'd personally go for, as Nicholas himself sucks, but your call?
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neveralarch
Jan. 22nd, 2013 08:26 pm (UTC)
I've had Nicholas Nickleby recommended to me a few times, but I don't have any strong feelings about it - it just was the only book on her list that I really recognized besides Bleak House (which I've tried to read and am really not a fan of). If you have any favorites, I'd appreciate your advice!

I read Great Expectations when I was younger and totally despised it, and I've read A Tale Of Two Cities more recently and thought it was okay, but it did not make me want to read all the Dickens. But I think my basic resistance is more that a lot of his books are really long, and I can generally think of something else I want to read. But that doesn't seem as much of a problem with audiobooks, since I spend a lot of time driving around.
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x_losfic
Feb. 4th, 2013 05:29 pm (UTC)
I find Nickleby himself an unappealing protagonist? While the book has some interesting secondary characters and interludes, it reads like the early work it is, lacking the plot-thrust and consistently rich characterization of mature Dickens? Mil's offerings aside, I think David Copperfield's what I'd choose as the best Intro to Dickens and What He Does Well? Our Mutual Friend and Bleak House, both of which I think Nickleson has recorded, also have strong elements, though they're in some ways dark for him (and 'dark' is not necessarily where his talents shine, though he does a good line in screaming uncanny).
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neveralarch
Feb. 7th, 2013 01:39 am (UTC)
Awesome, thanks for the advice! Someday I will figure out how to read Dickens in a way I enjoy (it probably involves not having to write a paper about it at the end).
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desecrets
Jan. 23rd, 2013 06:54 pm (UTC)
I am just dropping by to say that if you did write Childermass/Norrell, I would read the heck out of that.
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neveralarch
Jan. 23rd, 2013 10:18 pm (UTC)
Since I made this post, I actually wrote a short Childermass/Norrell piece! I don't normally move from idea to fic this fast, haha. I'm working on editing it now, it should be up soonish.
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desecrets
Jan. 23rd, 2013 10:58 pm (UTC)
That was quick! Awesome. :D Oh, now I miss that book.
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( 9 comments — Leave a comment )