Spring break

[tarigwaemir]

Blair Hall Apts., on Easter Sunday

A very happy Easter to you all! I returned to New York yesterday morning--for once, the roads were clear and I arrived an hour early--and spent a very happy day and half getting stuffed with food. (Mgsr. Sheehan encouraged us to fast on Holy Saturday as well, in preparation for the Easter Vigil, but going without lunch on Friday was difficult enough; I couldn't manage it for Saturday as well. Clearly I am not cut out for the ascetic life.) Yesterday's Mass was trilingual (English, Spanish and Korean), and the bishop presided over it on account of our parish having the most candidates for baptism in the parish. The interesting part though is that eleven out of the twelve candidates were Korean. One of these days some historian is going to analyze exactly why Christianity spread so quickly throughout Korea and with such fervor. Korean parishes turn out the most seminarians as well, which is an unusual phenomenon in this age of declining numbers in the clergy.

I brought Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as well as the rest of the Vlad books that Daera lent me, and I am rapidly settling back into my normal reading pace. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is getting more and more fantastic: the footnotes, the novel-of-manners narration, the Dickensian cast! And oh, the language is just delightful. I wish I'd noted down some of the particularly nice metaphors, but alas, I always forget to do these things. I think I'll buy the book when it comes out in paperback.

Anyway, I have about three thousand other things that I wanted to talk about (for example, my mother's dyed her hair!) but Father's been nagging at me to get off the Internet. (So he can go and read Korean novels online--oh the hypocrisy.) I've dashed through the friends list at a rather frantic pace, so I'm not leaving half the comments I want to. ;_; But I should go, so more news later.

Yours &c.

Comments

[ladydaera.livejournal.com]

*grin* much love - am very glad that you're happily home and stuffing yourself. you must lend me jonathan strange when you purchase it. it sounds fantastic. ^_^ and your mother's hair?! you must write about that!

i read kushiel's chosen at an absolutely breakneck pace starting on the plane on friday and finishing now on saturday evening. it was just as deliriously good as kushiel's dart. now i'll have to insist that you read these books as well... after you read your way through steven brust, of course. :-P

anyway, i've put a request for the third book at my local library, so hopefully it'll be in my hands in another few days and i can chomp my way furiously through it before i have to come back to school.

it's not true that the books are about sex, by the way. there's sex in them, but it's very tastefully, sensually done, and it's hardly the central aspect of the story. the glory of jacqueline carey's writing is definitely in the intricacy of her world-building and the astounding complexity of the political/religious intrigues that populate her world. *raves shamelessly* the characters are worth obsessing about as well, protagonist and villain alike. *sighs blissfully*

[troisroyaumes]

Oh really? Well, I did like the premise of the books (I read about the first hundred pages of Kushiel's Dart), but I was a little put off by the main character (her eyes are not "brown" indeed ::rolls eyes::). Anafiel was quite interesting though, and I did like the idea of the Night Court. I do mean to finish the books eventually, though, because they do have atmosphere and an interesting plot. (Also, the Kushiel's Legacy FST was awesome. Sad how much my life revolves around that community. ^_^)

[ladydaera.livejournal.com]

*grin* yes, i do think they do a rather thorough job of grinding into your head, through sheer repetition, that she's very beautiful. *wince* i too like the other characters better than phedre, though i don't find her annoying (thank goodness). anafiel, yes, and also melisande and joscelin, both of whom i think are very, very interesting. ^_^