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what i'm reading wednesday
What I finished:
+ The Collected Ghost Stories, M.R. James, which I talked about last week. I feel like he got weirder as he got older. Glad I read them, probably won't seek out anything else of his (though maybe that was all of his stories? Unsure).
+ The Bone Key by Sarah Monette. Enjoyed this a lot! A collection of short stories about a painfully awkward archivist stumbling into the paranormal. I liked that it started out with a finding aid, though I was like, "Where are the dates????" And I think she should have included dates, because for the first few stories, I had NO idea when these stories were set. I was thinking it was fairly contemporary (like late 90s/early 2000s?) and I kept having to move my estimate of time period back a few decades. It took me like four stories before I finally figured out that they were set in, like, the late 20s/early 30s? I think? Just commit to a time period, Ms. Monette, and quit trying to be coy!
But other than that, I thought they were fun. I liked our main character, I liked the Museum he works at, I liked the weirdness he dealt with. Honestly I would read three more collections about the same character having still more paranormal adventures.
When I was done, I was like, "I dig this person's style, I should see what else they wrote." The m/m romantasy books on that account didn't look all that appealing to me AND THEN I FIGURED OUT THIS WAS KATHERINE ADDISON'S REAL NAME.
Speaking of which:
What I'm currently reading:
The Angel of the Crows because I wanted more of the same writer, but...I am not sure about this book. I'm just not sure what the...point of a fairly straightforward retelling of Sherlock Holmes only this time with supernatural creatures is. It's not different enough from the Holmes stories to really grab me, though there are some tantalizing worldbuilding details around the edges (always here for a reference to Deseret!). Perhaps as I get further along, I will change my mind.
I think retellings of works of literature are really hard to do well. Like, obviously many people have written great retellings of fairy tales, folklore, legends, etc. But all the retellings of novels, etc....very few of them work for me. For every Clueless, there are a zillion stories that are either too much like the original--a retreading that makes me think, "Why would I read this version of Pride and Prejudice when I could just reread Pride and Prejudice, which is superior in every single way?"--or so far from the source material that you wonder why the writer didn't just write something wholly original.
I do think that cross-medium retellings work better--Clueless, obviously, but also I enjoyed Nothing Much To Do, etc. It's also possible to take the vibes of something--say, Jane Eyre--and just incorporate them into something completely new--Emily of New Moon. But a book that's a retelling of another book...that rarely works for me.
+ The Collected Ghost Stories, M.R. James, which I talked about last week. I feel like he got weirder as he got older. Glad I read them, probably won't seek out anything else of his (though maybe that was all of his stories? Unsure).
+ The Bone Key by Sarah Monette. Enjoyed this a lot! A collection of short stories about a painfully awkward archivist stumbling into the paranormal. I liked that it started out with a finding aid, though I was like, "Where are the dates????" And I think she should have included dates, because for the first few stories, I had NO idea when these stories were set. I was thinking it was fairly contemporary (like late 90s/early 2000s?) and I kept having to move my estimate of time period back a few decades. It took me like four stories before I finally figured out that they were set in, like, the late 20s/early 30s? I think? Just commit to a time period, Ms. Monette, and quit trying to be coy!
But other than that, I thought they were fun. I liked our main character, I liked the Museum he works at, I liked the weirdness he dealt with. Honestly I would read three more collections about the same character having still more paranormal adventures.
When I was done, I was like, "I dig this person's style, I should see what else they wrote." The m/m romantasy books on that account didn't look all that appealing to me AND THEN I FIGURED OUT THIS WAS KATHERINE ADDISON'S REAL NAME.
Speaking of which:
What I'm currently reading:
The Angel of the Crows because I wanted more of the same writer, but...I am not sure about this book. I'm just not sure what the...point of a fairly straightforward retelling of Sherlock Holmes only this time with supernatural creatures is. It's not different enough from the Holmes stories to really grab me, though there are some tantalizing worldbuilding details around the edges (always here for a reference to Deseret!). Perhaps as I get further along, I will change my mind.
I think retellings of works of literature are really hard to do well. Like, obviously many people have written great retellings of fairy tales, folklore, legends, etc. But all the retellings of novels, etc....very few of them work for me. For every Clueless, there are a zillion stories that are either too much like the original--a retreading that makes me think, "Why would I read this version of Pride and Prejudice when I could just reread Pride and Prejudice, which is superior in every single way?"--or so far from the source material that you wonder why the writer didn't just write something wholly original.
I do think that cross-medium retellings work better--Clueless, obviously, but also I enjoyed Nothing Much To Do, etc. It's also possible to take the vibes of something--say, Jane Eyre--and just incorporate them into something completely new--Emily of New Moon. But a book that's a retelling of another book...that rarely works for me.
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Yup, agreed. I feel like Rebecca is more an "inspired by" than a retelling. And I love inspired bys! But if you're going to do a retelling, stick to fairytales/legends/folklore/whatever!
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This tracks for me - which I find funny considering how much I enjoy fanfiction, but maybe there's something about the publication process and selection effects on what stories get published that I'm just "meh" in response to, or something along those lines.
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Have you read Witness for the Dead? Maybe you’ll fare better with it, if you’re looking for second-world Holmes-like fare. Thara Celehar is my new favorite frazzled wet cat of a man.
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I started Witness for the Dead and didn't get very far with it--I wasn't in the right headspace at the time. But I will certainly give it another try later and I suspect I will like it. I love a fazzled wet cat of a man!
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but I keep trying print novel retellings of classic novels, and they never work for me.
Same! I have finally learned my lesson and stopped reading them. See also: most YA books published in the last 15 years (but not MG ones!), the vast majority of romance novels. There are so many genres that sound like my thing in theory but just aren't in execution.
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So basically I never touched anything under any name again. But i do keep hearing good things about the goblin emperor books so............ I'm very on the fence.
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Maybe she's worth trying just once more? If she still doesn't work for you, then I think you're pretty safe just writing her off.