Though it’s been a tough week I’ve been enjoying my current read, Fenland Chronicle by Sybil Marshall, a memoir of the author’s mother and father. I’ve finished the father’s part with it’s humourous prose and I’m now up to the second chapter of the mother’s section. The Fens are a marshland area in South-East England and the people in the book are working class. In Sydney Covid has become worse again so there may be a potential lockdown here again after 6 months.
Looking on booktube has been infringing on my reading time. I follow many booktubers on YouTube. A particular video project I’m watching is Ranking 100 Victorian Books from Kate Howe. She has some controversial and sometimes odd assessments but there is a great amount of material to fascinate. A new booktuber I discovered is Milena Reads, from the Netherlands whose subtitle is classics, feminism, history. It’s here I discovered Eva by Carry Van Bruggen, a Dutch classic which has been translated into English. Usually I like a booktuber whose recommendations I enjoy as well as liking their style of presenting. Some I just watch for the books while others I watch for both. Kate Howe is mostly for the some of the books she reads though her style is nice as well. Milena Reads reads Dutch books as well as English so sometimes there’s a good translation recommendation, as well as for her conversational style and other book recommendations.
Next to read is Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. The thought of it is unexciting but I remember reading the first few pages a couple of months ago and liking it’s style. With me thinking about it spoils my motivation. I find it’s easier to just pick a book and trial it out.
My pet peeve: standing in a supermarket line with someone breathing down your neck right behind you in the middle of a COVID pandemic.
On the positive side I will be resuming my weekly films watching and reviews. FYI – Sydney in officially in lockdown from 6pm tonight AEST.
Readable 