Actually Fucking Read
Currently reading:
Shroud for a Nightingale by P. D. James
I feel like I will be reading this book until the day I die at this point. (It’s not bad. I just literally . . . have not had the time or brain power to read in weeks.)
Books finished this week: 0
(Surprising no one.)
And a bit belated, but . . .
Final NaNoWriMo word count: 50,656 🎉
Library updates:
First, an apology! No, I didn’t buy more books. But I did come out of something of a haze on Tuesday evening and very belatedly realize that I had not posted a missive last Sunday. In fact, I had not even thought about drafting one last weekend. Instead, I was in Atlantic City, embracing a life of debauchery (and cold crab nachos).
Living our best lives.
But don’t worry——you didn’t miss much last week. I did not finish a book. I did not purchase new books. And after Wednesday, November 30, I didn’t write much of anything either.
I did win NaNoWriMo, which was an incredibly exciting and satisfying accomplishment! And now I have 50,000 fresh words of an idea to play with. I’m still very invested in the idea and I feel like it was especially helpful to use November to push through some of the boring opening bits, streamline the outline, and work out character motivations and backstories, so now I can jump into more romance and action and fun. I forget if I’ve written elsewhere, but my plan is to finish this book, edit it, and get it posted on the internet somewhere for all to read.
I want to share more of my writing with anyone who’s curious to read it. Maybe I’ll also make some money on it.
In other news, I haven’t been able to stop listening to the movie soundtrack from Phantom of the Opera (2004). The only explanation for it is that my crush on Patrick Wilson has reared its beautiful, beautiful head once more.
I also spent a lot of time in the course of one working day last week watching most of the series Dalgliesh. (I wasn’t editing, I promise——it was mostly formatting tasks.) The series is based on the P. D. James mystery novels starring Adam Dalgliesh of New Scotland Yard, as you may have gathered from the title. The show apparently premiered last year, but as P. D. James’ biggest fan and an unabashed Dalgliesh stan, I was disappointed I had to stumble upon the show myself. If there was any justice in the world, I would have been hand-delivered an engraved invitation.
Anyhow, the first book the series tackles is Shroud for a Nightingale. Sound familiar? It should——the title is right up there at the top of this missive. My original plan was to finish reading the book and then watch the corresponding episodes as I worked my way through the Dalgliesh novels, but since reading has been slow-going and I wanted something new to watch, I gave in.
The show is . . . fine! My first introduction to the Dalgliesh stories were the made-for-TV movie versions from the early 2000s starring Martin Shaw. (Specifically, I first watched Death in Holy Orders, because I was in the throes of my House obsession and had convinced myself that I was going to marry Jesse Spencer.) Shaw just fits my picture of Dalgliesh so well that I don’t think anyone else will ever come close. Sorry, guy who plays Dalgliesh in Dalgliesh. They also made the odd choice to make his sidekick Masterson a raging asshole, to the point where I’ve now watched two or three books’ worth of content and I’m just waiting for this guy to get tossed off the force.
Or murdered. I’d take that, too.
Also, every woman on this show is just immediately horny for Dalgliesh. They all want to fuck him. All of them.
Except Kate. Which is good!! I love Kate Miskin with all my heart and soul and I will be sending a strongly worded letter if they try to hook her up with the racist misogynist and don’t let me enjoy the fruits of my many years of Kate Miskin/Piers Tarrant shipping.
But I digress. The show is just okay, but I’ll probably finish it, and I’m looking forward to future episodes. I love a good adaptation. And honestly, I’ve already forgotten who the killer is in Shroud, so I don’t think that will ruin my enjoyment of the book.
On that note . . . reading, y’all. Reading. I love it and yet I do not do it. Work is busy. I have too much freelance. I have gone mad with social events because it’s December and that feels like the way to do the holiday season right.
I’m trying, y’all. New Year’s resolution, here and now: actually fucking read. (And stop doing so much work, maybe.)
Closing thoughts:
Rest.
