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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer, Readerbuzz, and Book Date.
The Sunday Post #370
On The Blog Recently
In My Reading Life
Long time, no Sunday Post! I think my last one was over a month ago. Oops. It's because I've barely been reading, and the books I did read were "meh." Or maybe the books are fine, and I'm too exhausted to enjoy them? I don't know. Here's what I read in June.
I read Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. It's a western. I never thought I'd read a western, but I gave it a try, and it was much better than I expected. It's about a big group of cowboys who are herding cows from Texas to Montana. Danger and death ensue. It's very episodic, like reading a mini-series.
I really struggled to get interested in this book. There are a lot of characters, and they spend 100s of pages stealing, whoring, and yapping. You can tell that this novel was written by a man for a male target audience. There wasn't much in it to capture my attention.
Then the action picked up, and I was suddenly hooked. I don't even know what hooked me! Maybe I was just happy that the plot finally started? Or there was more time for character development once the men got away from the whores? Who knows. I enjoyed the ending. It's funny and sad. The friendships between the men are believable. You really get the sense that these people have known each other for decades, and this is going to be their final adventure. The friendships make the book worth reading.
Then I read The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë. I can see why this book caused a scandal when it was first published in the mid-1800s. It feels more straightforward and honest than other books from the time period. It's about alcoholism (gasp!) and debauchery (double gasp!) and a woman leaving an unhappy marriage (triple gasp!)
It's written as a series of letters from a dude named Gilbert to his friend. One day, Gilbert is walking his dog when he meets his new neighbors. They're Helen—a young, sexy widow—and her son. Gilbert falls in insta-love with Helen, but she friend zones him and insists she has deep, dark secrets. Helen and Gilbert can never be together! Then there's a bunch of angst and misunderstandings while Gilbert tries to earn Helen's trust.
It's all a bit melodramatic and preachy for my tastes, but I appreciate this book. It's cool to see early feminist literature. I bet a lot of readers could relate to Helen and her desperation to escape from her abusive husband. I hope this book gave female readers in the 1800s the courage to save themselves.
Continuing with the classics, I read Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. I haven't read all of Jane Austen's books yet, but this one is my least-favorite so far. It's about two love triangles. Two! And all the people involved are horrible or bland.
Fanny's parents have too many dang kids, so they send teenage Fanny to live with wealthy family members. The family treats Fanny like garbage because they don't want her to think she's equal to their children. That doesn't stop Fanny from falling in love with her cousin, Edmund. Unfortunately, Edmund is in love with the (slightly awful) Mary Crawford. Then Mary's (completely insufferable) brother, Henry, develops a crush on Fanny.
Every character in this book is either passive or irritating. I guess that makes sense. Fanny was raised to keep her opinions to herself and take care of others. Mary and Henry are upper-class people who are used to getting whatever they want, so they just steamroll everybody. It's commentary on society's class system and how the upper class uses the lower classes. The characters make sense, but their love drama is tedious! I had a hard time staying interested.
In The Rest Of My Life
Five things that made me happy recently:
- I survived the 4th of July! I worked a 12.5-hour shift, and it was absolute chaos. I spent the 5th of July cleaning up trash. So much trash.
- Anne @ Books Of My Heart gifted me a box of healthy food. I'm chubby and lazy, so it was massively appreciated.
- Even though I'm barely reading, I hit my Goodreads goal.
- I got accepted to EMT school and registered for classes. Now I'm trying to figure out how to get tons of different vaccines into my body so I can work with sick people. I've spent my whole life with bad health insurance or no health insurance. All my healthcare is DIY. I got my COVID shots because those were free. The other vaccines . . . nope. Can I just go to a walk-in clinic and ask for one of everything?
- Here are the animals that visited my yard:
Find Out What Happens When I Get Every Vaccine (I'm Hoping For Superpowers)
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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!
I'm thinking Lonesome Dove is probably not for me. And neither is Mansfield Park with its double love triangles. Oof. Vaccines in bulk... is that a thing?
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about Lonesome dove, glad you ended up enjoying it. The 4th of July sounds hectic! Congrats about EMT school!
ReplyDeleteI read all the Brontes during one of the early feminist eras, when The Tenant of Wildfell Hall was almost unknown, and I learned a lot about women’s (lack of) rights in 19th C. England from it and other novels. At the time all the literary scholars I knew seemed to be men with very superior attitudes, so I think I liked it better than you did. I love Jane Austen, but I see your point about Fanny.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Oh boy, catching up on all your vaccines will be quite the journey, but I am glad you'll be able to get them. That's so great that you got into EMT school, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteJuly 4 in a National Park sounds like it could be a nightmare so I am glad you survived.
I have heard such good things about Lonesome Dove, but just can't quite get myself to read it. Perhaps some day....
I guess the people who adapted Lonesome Dove agreed with you that it seemed like a miniseries. I didn't see it (or read it) but it was very popular back in the day. That is a long day in the July heat. Glad you survived. You should see what your township offers in terms of vaccines. I know they do them at the health services building in my town for free. If you are in school, would you qualify for coverage as a student?
ReplyDeleteI love Gus and Call, even though they are very much people of their time, and I love Lonesome Dove. I don't know why. I don't like Westerns. I don't like books written by men. I don't like books with a lot of male main characters.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with all your preparations for your EMT course. Vaccines are (mostly) free here in Texas (and that's one of the few things that are).
I hope you like the food. We like some more than others but the convenience and gluten free part makes it worthwhile for us some days. You're busy now with work. I have 2 suggestions for vaccines / etc. If your work does not offer insurance or when you stop working to go to school, you should be able to get the ACA. It's subsidized for your annual income and most preventative care is available with no copays. When I worked as a pharmacy tech the insurance was horrible and they kept screwing with my hours so I couldn't always get insurance. The ACA insurance was the best solution. Another option is some states have good options for preventative care or doctors who will provide care on a sliding scale.
ReplyDeleteAnne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post
Congratulations on being accepted to the EMT school AJ!!!
ReplyDeleteI've not been reading much either -- something in the water?!
ReplyDeleteMansfield Park was the first Austen book I read. I enjoyed it once I got into it. Now that I've read three of her others, it's probably my least favorite too.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being accepted into the EMT school. That's really awesome! Thanks for sharing the video of the animals in your yard. They always make me smile and laugh.
I hate the feeling that you're too tired to enjoy what you're reading. It definitely affects your review. If I'm in that kind of headspace, I usually take a break from reading.
Anyway, I hope you have a great week!
My Sunday Post
You'd think since the goal is to prevent the spread of disease, they would just hand out ALL vaccinations for free to everyone who wants them.
ReplyDeleteI've never read Lonesome Dove and I'm unlikely to. I've read Mansfield Park and it is my least favourite Austen novel. Fanny is a bit too goody 2shoes and as you say, everyone else is either horrible or meh. Thank you for the video of the nightlife in your garden - your night temperatures are similar to ours. And glad you survived 4th July - it's a bit disgusting that people can't be bothered to take their rubbish home with them, though. We have the same problem in the UK. I hope the coming week is a good one, AJ:).
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting into EMT school, and good luck with all those shots!! :-)
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I love westerns, even though I don't read them often. Congrats on EMT school! Hang in there. Hope you get some rest.
ReplyDeletehttps://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2024/07/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-july-15.html
I confess to really like Mansfield Park, but I am not sure how I'd feel about it if I hadn't watched all the movies first. I am also a BIG fan of LONESOME DOVE. What a saga.
ReplyDeleteInteresting comments about Lonesome Dove. I think I DNF'd it too soon, I wasn't into the stealing, whoring, and yapping like yourself and felt dislike of the word carrot!
ReplyDeleteI loved Lonesome Dove and have read it twice. It is a massive book though!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being accepted onto the EMT course! Well done!
I loved Lonesome Dove. The friendship they shared was really special. The other books about them are pretty good too!
ReplyDeleteMaybe if you contact your local health department they can steer you in the right direction, or maybe even offer the vaccines there for free.
Congratulations on being accepted to EMT school! That’s amazing AJ! I’m in Canada and the way vaccines work here is to call your local health unit and explain the situation. They may provide most or all of the vaccines for you free of charge. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteI'm way behind on my reading, according to Goodreads, but have been stuck in reading ancient texts of 1200 pages and other such mammoth works... Best with your EMT classes!
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting all the vaccinations. I hope you like your EMT classes. I'm going to give your books a hard pass. I need simple fluff which is seldom found in "Classics." Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI think I read Mansfield Park years ago .. Not sure what my fav Austen book is (maybe Northanger Abbey but I read it so long ago that I cant be sure now)..
ReplyDeleteWishing you luck with EMT school..
My post is here - https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/wonderful-poetic-words-with-friends/
Congrats on getting into EMT school. Good luck! I hope it will be easy to get all the vaccinations you need. That's great that you made your Goodreads goal. I'm behind, as usual :) Hope you have a great week!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting into EMT school and reaching your reading goal!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting accepted to EMT school and reaching the Goodreads goal! I've been struggling with the reading too. Also, once the struggle is over, I'd also like to try Tenant of Wildfell Hall.
ReplyDeleteAdded Wildefell Hall to my TBR list. Don't know why I thought it would be shorter... 500+ pages?!? Congrats on goals reached! And start your vaccines ASAP, but not all at once - if (gods forbid) you have a reaction to something, you need to be able to tell what ;)
ReplyDeleteYour back yard camera makes me want to put one up in my backyard as well! I know I have at least one bunny that hangs out there, and I've seen at least one groundhog. I would love to see what all is there at night, or at least when I'm not outside. Of course I don't even have a Ring camera, so yeah, probably won't get an outdoor one put in. The only camera I have is set on my dogs so I can see when I'm gone to make sure they're okay in their kennel/crate. Hope you have a good week, and yowch for a bunch of vaccines!
ReplyDelete