Boy oh boy do I relate to the August weather induced restlessness - and I feel like I don't even have it as bad as you have in Texas/Florida! Twice now we've almost up and left for colder climates (Scotland zillowing included) -- grateful seasons change and sanity eventually returns!
I laughed at the Scotland reference as I may or may not have been day dreaming about taking off there myself 😂 .. I don’t think I could handle if I knew my husband was going to the UK and I was stuck in this so I give her a lot of credit! Haha
So many good things here 1. I HIGHLY recommend writing with fountain pens, it adds a meditative and tactile quality that just makes such a difference for me (tend to use them for prayer journaling when I want to be more meditative) 2. The idea that escapism is a bad thing in fantasy/literature is why I am so so fatigued by so much of modern fiction and why fantasy, which used to be my favorite genre, is something I barely read anymore. I remember reading the first of NK Jemisin’s trilogy which everyone said was so unique in its world building, storytelling, and magic system. And it was all of those things. But it was also one horrific tragedy after another with no hope in sight. So often we wallow in tragedy and ugliness in the name of realism, and forgetting that goodness, truth, beauty, and hope are also essential components of the real world, and it is those things we need to be reminded of/‘escape’ into the most.
Oh dear. Did so want to read the Evelyn Waugh article that you linked, but then 👿 the Cookie Monster 👿 appeared and stubbornly refused to depart unless and until one would decide to click on “accept all.” Which I, equally stubbornly, refused to do. So, alas, there will be no Evelyn Waugh to enlighten me now.
This is my second summer in the south and I’m only on the coast of NC so probably not as bad as what you experience, but my anger has officially reached an all time high! I keep the AC low and my fall scents diffusing and You’ve Got Mail on repeat, so I can delude myself into feeling that crisp NY vibe I am used to. We finally made it into the low 80s today and it’s sad that this now feels like a fall treat! I hope you start to feel something less dreadful in FL soon!
Thank you for sharing Tsh’s link! I only just discovered this other “newsletter” she does and was so excited for it! On my catch up reading list for this next week!!
Oh my gosh, that Netflix adaptation of Persuasion had me up in arms within the first couple of minutes and I had to stop watching it after 10. And of course I was thinking about how much you and Christy would hate it and hoping you’d talk about it on the podcast.😂
It really is so unfortunate that our modern level of narcissism has made us so ready to dismiss stories that don’t cater to our modern sensibilities. And for people who do want those stories as they are traditionally meant to be told, it feels so patronizing when a filmmaker assumes we don’t have the ability to connect with something like that.
Boy oh boy do I relate to the August weather induced restlessness - and I feel like I don't even have it as bad as you have in Texas/Florida! Twice now we've almost up and left for colder climates (Scotland zillowing included) -- grateful seasons change and sanity eventually returns!
I laughed at the Scotland reference as I may or may not have been day dreaming about taking off there myself 😂 .. I don’t think I could handle if I knew my husband was going to the UK and I was stuck in this so I give her a lot of credit! Haha
To be fair, I went to England without him in 2022 so he deserves it!
Ah, still admire you for it, I would definitely be cranky about it! 😂 this might be due to my being fed up w the southern heat though!
So many good things here 1. I HIGHLY recommend writing with fountain pens, it adds a meditative and tactile quality that just makes such a difference for me (tend to use them for prayer journaling when I want to be more meditative) 2. The idea that escapism is a bad thing in fantasy/literature is why I am so so fatigued by so much of modern fiction and why fantasy, which used to be my favorite genre, is something I barely read anymore. I remember reading the first of NK Jemisin’s trilogy which everyone said was so unique in its world building, storytelling, and magic system. And it was all of those things. But it was also one horrific tragedy after another with no hope in sight. So often we wallow in tragedy and ugliness in the name of realism, and forgetting that goodness, truth, beauty, and hope are also essential components of the real world, and it is those things we need to be reminded of/‘escape’ into the most.
Oh dear. Did so want to read the Evelyn Waugh article that you linked, but then 👿 the Cookie Monster 👿 appeared and stubbornly refused to depart unless and until one would decide to click on “accept all.” Which I, equally stubbornly, refused to do. So, alas, there will be no Evelyn Waugh to enlighten me now.
This is my second summer in the south and I’m only on the coast of NC so probably not as bad as what you experience, but my anger has officially reached an all time high! I keep the AC low and my fall scents diffusing and You’ve Got Mail on repeat, so I can delude myself into feeling that crisp NY vibe I am used to. We finally made it into the low 80s today and it’s sad that this now feels like a fall treat! I hope you start to feel something less dreadful in FL soon!
Thank you for sharing Tsh’s link! I only just discovered this other “newsletter” she does and was so excited for it! On my catch up reading list for this next week!!
Southern summers are rough. And they feel like they're going to last forever!
Oh my gosh, that Netflix adaptation of Persuasion had me up in arms within the first couple of minutes and I had to stop watching it after 10. And of course I was thinking about how much you and Christy would hate it and hoping you’d talk about it on the podcast.😂
It really is so unfortunate that our modern level of narcissism has made us so ready to dismiss stories that don’t cater to our modern sensibilities. And for people who do want those stories as they are traditionally meant to be told, it feels so patronizing when a filmmaker assumes we don’t have the ability to connect with something like that.
That adaptation was SO BAD. And yes yes YES.
wait, I have to know who the other 5 favorite authors are!
Today I'd say Waugh, Austen, Undset, Vodolazkin, and Susannah Clarke!
Thank you!!! I’ve read Waugh and Austen and one Susannah Clarke. Will add the rest to my Goodreads for maternity leave reading in a few months!