Some Annotated Reading November 7

Books

Well, I've been reading two books but then I had an unexpected opportunity to go to my favorite library with my list and a bag.

Yeah, I was overwhelmed for a moment. But the way to take on a task like this is to just read one book at a time. Though, actually, I'm reading two. That's not counting the two I was reading before, which I own and thus don't have a deadline for finishing them. 

You really have to give some thought to how you're going to approach a situation like this. 

Short Form

Steinbeck mined her research for "The Grapes of Wrath." Then her own Dust Bowl novel was squashed by Iris Jamahl Dunkle at Salon. Dunkle has written a biography of Sanora Babb, the women referred to in the title.

A Spanner of One's Own: Liberation and Mechanics in Maria Ward's "Bicycling for Ladies" 1896 by Sheila Hanlon at Sheila Hanlon/Historian/Women's Cycling I've been feeding an interest in 1890s history, particularly women's history, for many, many months. Why shouldn't you have to hear about it?

John Charrington's Wedding by Edith Nesbit at Project Gutenberg Australia. I'm reading a book about women who pioneered horror and speculative fiction. This is one of the stories and authors referred to. Nicely written, though the ending isn't much of a surprise. It's an older work that has probably been redone in various ways, so seems more familiar than it would have in its own time.

The Tight-knit World of Kamala Harris's Sorority by Jazmine Hughes at The New Yorker. This should still be interesting, if you have a digital subscription and can access it. Though probably not as interesting as it would have been before November 5.

#Girlbosses and the Stupid Idiot Men Who Welcome Them by Jamie Loftus at Paste. Jamie Loftus wrote Raw Dog, which is what led me to look for her shorter work. Her spin makes #girlbosses sound like #tradwives...something that never really existed.

Humor 

Thanks for Stopping to Chat. I'll Just Pretend You're Not Holding a Bag of Shit by Caroline Horwitz at Belladonna Comedy  Anything can be funny. Anything.

Thank You for Coming to My Fred Talk by Steven Ostrowski at The Offing. This is not so much about voice, but attitude. "Or consider this: on some days, there's a one hundred percent chance of rain...and yet...it doesn't rain!"