This can't come soon enough, I've no patience for cliffhangers. I demand resolution!!!This can't come soon enough, I've no patience for cliffhangers. I demand resolution!!!...more
(A-) 83% | Very Good Notes: Indoctrination exploration, knitting thorny threads, a startling ending (fallout pending!), weighty (dense with dread).
*Che(A-) 83% | Very Good Notes: Indoctrination exploration, knitting thorny threads, a startling ending (fallout pending!), weighty (dense with dread).
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)[
Progress updates:
09/26/2023 (1) - Preamble: (1) I rarely pre-order books, but did for this one. It's a remarkably consistent series and I always look forward to reading the next installment. (2) More than just a well-constructed plot, the characterization is really where the series shines. The Strike/Robin relationship is one of the more interesting ones in current fiction. - Hopefully, there's some tipping-point to their long-running sexual tension.
09/26/2023 (2) - Prologue: (1) We get familiar series accouterments at the very start. - Section epigraphs that don't necessarily add substance or context, but nevertheless set the literary mood. - Different fonts for epistolary sections, which is a perk of reading a physical book instead of digital. Here it's letters, last book was chat rooms. (2) I forgot that this series hasn't caught up to present day. - This takes place in 2016.
09/27/2023 (1) - Chapters 1–5: (1) It's interesting that these books, at least since "Lethal White," have always begun with some major life event. - Previously, a wedding, a deathbed, a milestone birthday, and here with a christening. (2) I enjoy that Strike bases his decisions in part on whether they will increase the chances of Robin breaking up with her new boyfriend. (3) UHC seems to be based on Scientology, with a dash of Amish.
09/27/2023 (2) - Chapters 6–11: (1) Strike and Robin better spill their feelings by the end of this! - It's playing their meant-to-be angle way too hard. - Barely 50-pages in and they're both privately consumed with how "in love" they are with the other. (2) Around 100-pages in, and I'm comfortable enough to rate this 4-stars. - Simply put, I can't see this falling to 3-stars nor reaching 5-stars. - Of course, I could change my mind.
09/28/2023 - Chapters 12–17: (1) I'm at the point in the book where it's really heavy into information gathering. - That means long interviews and lots of new names to keep track of. - Luckily, we get some spicy relationship drama peppered in, so it's never too dry. (2) Whenever I see "The Drowned Prophet" I think "Game of Thrones." - Though odd-sounding nomenclature, prophets are essentially the same concept as canonized saints.
09/29/2023 (1) - Chapters 18–24: (1) Niamh met her much older husband when he was her boss. Which is exactly how Robin met Strike, who's around a decade her senior. - A fairly clear parallel, at least to me. A window into what a potential homelife might be were they a couple. - It also follows similar Robin musings at Prudence's house. (2) Orange tracksuits are a bit Heaven's Gate, a bit "Orange is the New Black." - Ergo, cult prison.
09/29/2023 (2) - Chapters 25–30: (1) The Abigail interview chapter took forever to finish! - Not that it was bad but because, as is one of the hallmarks of this series, all accents are spelled out phonetically. - Abigail has the thickest cockney (?) accent this side of "My Fair Lady." Even more so because she's drunk for most of it. (2) Bold theory: I predict since Daiyu's body was never found, her death was faked to cover an escape!
10/01/2023 - Chapters 31–37: (1) This book does a great job of making Taio Wace look like the world's biggest creep and pervert. - Mostly to do with details concerning Robin and her undergarments. - Slimeball as he is, it's never the likeliest suspects in these books who's the main villain, it's always a twist reveal. (2) Bold theory: I predict Ryan will confront Strike, accusing him of hiding/destroying Robin's messages for him.
10/02/2023 (1) - Chapters 38–43: (1) I'm a big fan of phonetically spelling out accents. We get a variety here. - I especially enjoy Colonel Graves' upper class accent, with "hyar" for here, "yerse" for yes, and (my favorite) "marriage huana" for marijuana. (2) Ryan's handwriting font is quite girlish, especially compared to Strike's comparatively scratchy font on the opposite facing page. - I wonder how deliberate a choice this was.
10/02/2023 (2) - Chapters 44–52: (1) Well, those Polaroids are a game changer. - In a book that's been all sorts of creepy, it's the first really shocking thing to come up. - If not illegal, it at least corroborates some of the most hard-to-believe, allegations against the UHC. (2) Robin losing track of the days is low-key terrifying. - She's lost a grip on reality! (3) In my mental casting, Jonathan Wace is played by Timothy Dalton.
10/03/2023 (1) - Chapters 53–58: (1) Strike channels his inner mob boss during his trip to the prison and in dealing with Littlejohn. (2) I'll never think of the word "retreat" in the same way again! (3) Halfway in, and the bulk of this hardcover has (somewhat predictably) exacted a physical toll on me. - I've developed two bright-red abrasions on the back of my left thumb where the weight of the book's been pressing as I've held it.
10/03/2023 (2) - Chapters 59–65: (1) I don't think I'd ever envision there'd be a witness interview with a laugh track. - The whole thing felt like a sitcom or a late night interview show, or parodies thereof. - Ironically, silly as it was, it resulted in the most consequential witness revelations so far. (2) Charlotte! OMG! (3) Strike finally orders a Doom Bar. - Now we just need creosote tea and all will be right with the universe.
10/03/2023 (3) - Chapters 66–72: (1) One thing I appreciate about this series is that it's fairly agnostic when it comes to modern politics. - Brexit and Trump are brought up as news events, but no moral judgement's passed. - Strike's pretty much apolitical. Robin's politics are fairly clear, but only if you read between the lines. (2) Bold theory: I predict the axe will be used as a weapon! - It's Chekhov's gun... er, Chekhov's axe.
10/04/2023 (1) - Chapters 73–81: (1) It's come to the point where I dread reading Robin chapters. - Not that they're bad, just really uncomfortable. - The abuse Robin must/chooses to endure is increasingly gross and perverse. (2) That lawnmower scene was something else! - Prediction: The TV adaptation will not be 100% faithful to the source material. (3) Somehow I doubt, "Hey, wanna spirit bond?" will ever catch on as a pick-up line.
10/04/2023 (2) - Chapters 82–90: (1) Why does Robin always have to cut it so close? - Thank goodness for Jiang, that's all I'll say. - She's definitely not a damsel-in-distress, but being vulnerable and imperiled is her recurring theme. (2) Ironic, literally running away from religion, but with the absolute blind certainty a savior is at the end waiting for you. (3) Well, it looks like at least one of my bold theories may be correct.
10/05/2023 (1) - Chapters 91–97: (1) Strike: "If the f****r tries using a skeleton key again, he'll get his comeuppance." - So, it's booby trapped? I picture him getting a "Home Alone" style paint can to the face. (2) I'd totally forgotten about Flora Brewster. - I'd appreciate this revelation more if I remembered who she is. - With a book of this length, you need more regular reminders of who people are and their relation to others.
10/05/2023 (2) - Chapters 98–104: (1) As of this moment, this is my second favorite in the series behind "The Ink Black Heart." - That could still change. "The Ink Black Heart" didn't really kick into high gear until the last third, so there's still time for this to wow me. (2) Tasha Mayo looks to be a recurring character going forward. - A decent addition. Though definitely not commensurate compensation for the big series departure.
10/06/2023 - Chapters 105–111: (1) "[Strike] was staring at the board while eating, willing his subconscious to make one of those unexpected leaps that explained everything." - These eureka moments, at least to me, make or break a detective novel. (2) I had to remind myself that the age of consent in the UK is 16. - I understand it varies by jurisdiction, even within the US, but it's commonly understood in North America to be 18.
10/07/2023 (1) - Chapters 112–120: (1) I had to remind myself that "Asian" in the British context means South Asian, whereas in America it means East Asian. (2) Well, Chekhov's gun went off. Here's hoping Chekhov's axe isn't far behind. - The axe being explained/used is up there with creosote tea as things that need to happen before this book is over. - I'd have included the romance angle, but that's been like the boy who cried wolf.
10/07/2023 (2) - Chapters 121–129: (1) Robin's in peril at the climax, because of course she is. (2) While not stated outright, what happened to Daiyu is pretty much clear. - Heck of a twist if it sticks. (3) Good as it's getting, I feel like I'm going to finish disappointed. - With less than 50-pages left, there's barely enough space to wrap up the mystery let alone have Robin break up with Ryan and have a feelings talk with Strike.
10/07/2023 (3) - Chapters 130–136: (1) So, turns out the supposed solution to Daiyu's suspicious death was a red herring! - Though, the actual outcome isn't as beguiling a twist, albeit much more elaborate, so it's a bit of a letdown. (2) Boy! the ending was something, wasn't it? - Who knew all it would take was for Ilsa and Charlotte to cease pressing Strike about the elephant in the room to spur him into action? (3) And so we wait.
10/07/2023 (4) - Final Thoughts: (1) As good as this got toward the end and as much as I preferred the ending to what everyone was hoping for, it wasn't enough to make this my favorite in the series. That remains "The Ink Black Heart." But this got close. (2) We never got any mention of creosote tea! That's disappointing. - Robin's the only person who makes tea the way Strike likes, and hence it's symbolic of their unspoken intimacy. (hide spoiler)]...more
(A-) 84% | Very Good Notes: Political but even-handed, left and right get reprimanded, merits weight, no novelette, it makes you hate the internet.
*Che(A-) 84% | Very Good Notes: Political but even-handed, left and right get reprimanded, merits weight, no novelette, it makes you hate the internet.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)[
Progress updates:
09/01/2022 - Preamble: (1) I pre-ordered this book, which means that I'm actually getting it later than if I'd just walked in a store. Still, it's supposedly coming later today, so it's not too bad. (2) I'm interested to see the actual page count. This will likely be the longest book I've ever read. - Previously, I've only read one 1,000+ page book. That was "A Dance with Dragons," which I actually read twice (once in audiobook).
09/02/2022 - Chapter 1: (1) Lots of mirroring to start. Last book ended with Robin's birthday, and this book begins with it. - Also the perfume. (2) I've always said that Strike and Robin's relationship exist in a kind of adolescent/tween bubble, amplified by the often lascivious nature of their investigations. - Over the course of three books, they've graduated from hugs to accidental kisses to almost-intentional kiss movements.
09/06/2022 - Notes: (1) I've barely started with this book. My pre-order got lost in the mail, and so I've just got that sorted out. I'll pick up a copy soon from a brick-and-mortar. - So far, I've been tiding myself over with Kindle preview pages, but those have a bad tendency to run out. - I doubt I'd have had much time to read it last week anyway. I've been very busy. I spent all Sunday at my cousin's baby shower, for example.
09/08/2022 - Chapters 2-5: (1) I have a feeling the could've-been kiss is going to be like the hug at the start of Lethal White, and be referenced endlessly throughout the whole book. - Hugs are not how babies are made and should not be regarded as such. (2) That chat log chapter was like reading Goldstein's manifesto in 1984. - Not bad per se, just a total departure. (3) This takes place in 2014/2015. Seems like forever ago.
09/10/2022 - Chapters 6-12: (1) Around 100-pages in, and I'm comfortable enough to rate this 4-stars. - Simply put, I can't see this falling to 3-stars nor reaching 5-stars. - Of course, I could change my mind. (2) I appreciate that accents are spelled out phonetically. - Instantly adds personality. (3) Must there be food or tea for Strike and Robin to have a conversation? - Yes. (4) I'm sad I've not seen the word "creosote" yet.
09/11/2022 - Chapters 13-17: (1) One big criticism I have about this so far is how it represents online culture. - Everything is just so over-the-top aggressive—unmitigated id—that it bears little resemblance to my experience of YouTube and Twitter... well YouTube at least. (2) This has turned out to be a much more political book than I'd expected. - I guess I'm fine with that, so long as the main characters stay out of the muck.
09/12/2022 - Chapters 18-22: (1) It's worth noting that this book showcases the villain's POV. I think the only other time this happened was with The Shacklewell Ripper in "Career of Evil." - Of course, that depends on whether the prime suspect is the actual perpetrator. (2) We're at the evidence gathering portion of the book. - Usually that tedium is offset by some colorful subplots, but that's been few and far between thus far.
09/13/2022 - Chapters 23-28: (1) I was spoiled on the ending of the book yesterday in my comments by an anti-author troll. It is what it is. - Of course, not having finished the book, I can't confirm it's actually true. So I'll just treat it as if it isn't. - Anticipating mean and malicious harassment, I should have finished the book faster. But, as I said in an earlier update, my book arrived a week late. So, it can't be helped.
09/15/2022 - Chapters 29-34: (1) "Strike, who'd never heard of tumblr, found himself momentarily confused as to what he was looking at." - I'm plenty familiar with tumblr, and I still have no idea what I'm looking at. (2) I've gotten used to reading 2-3 simultaneous chat logs, but it's annoying when they cut off to continue onto the next page at the same time. (3) After a dry spell of relationship drama, suddenly there's a flood.
09/17/2022 - Chapters 35-37: (1) I don't know that the chapter epigraphs add anything to the story or experience of the book. Most often they confuse rather than enlighten. - If there's a poignance to the theme of lady Victorian poets, I'm not getting it. Unless it suggests Edie Ledwell's similarly gothic or discriminated for her gender. (2) Unfortunately ironic that the times I'm free to read each day is when I'm the most tired.
09/19/2022 - Chapters 38-41: (1) There's an additional layer of mystery-solving with this story. Not only is there the search to unmask the villain, but an added satisfaction in unmasking all the anonymous online personas as well. (2) While my reading's been slowed from watching so much coverage of the Queen's death and its subsequent ceremonies and dramas, it has, on the other hand, helped put me in a very British state of mind.
09/20/2022 - Chapters Chapters 42-47: (1) This has been an extremely political book. At least, socio-politically aggressive and in-your-face. Still, it's been clever in not having either main character express a clear political bias. - Robin, for example, feels depressed after the Tories win the 2015 UK election. But it's (I think) deliberately vague as to whether she'd depressed about the election or about a dog that's just died or both.
09/21/2022 (1) - Chapters 48-51: (1) Strike suffering humiliating injury due to his leg is a staple of the series. Here he has two in close succession. - I'm still holding out hope for creosote tea. (2) It's always satisfying to pass the halfway mark of any book, but more so for cinder blocks like this. - I find myself going at a faster pace. Partly because mental pictures have cemented and I'm no longer having to sort out who's who.
09/21/2022 (2) - Chapters 52-57: (1) I wonder if the author's a DC Comics fan? She seems to know her way around Batman characters fairly well, but can't even spell Spider-Man correctly. (2) We have a subtle callback to Strike and Robin's first meeting at the end of the "Red Shoes" chapter. - In both cases, Strike saves Robin from serious, perhaps mortal, injury in a way that could be taken as sexual if not for the life-saving aspect.
09/22/2022 - Chapters 58-62: (1) It's utterly predictable that Strike would reach the conclusion that the ersatz Robin he's been dating isn't close to the real thing. - Well, except physically, which, predictably, is about all he enjoys about her. (2) As in "Lethal White," Robin remarks on how heavy her mahogany bed is. As a hobbyist woodworker, I just want to yell: "Mahogany isn't heavy! It's one of the lightest woods there is!"
09/23/2022 - Chapters 63-65: (1) This moderator exam of Anomie's sounds exactly like the Goodreads' librarian application exam. - Although, with the former, it's not merely used as a tool to dissuade and reject applicants. I'd assume passing the "Drek's Game" moderator quiz actually makes you a moderator. (2) As much as I find information-gathering chapters tedious, the dots connected at the end of the Blay interview is worth it.
09/24/2022 - Chapters 66-70: (1) "[Strike] thought ... what? That [Robin] was some innocent schoolgirl?" - To be fair, Robin pretty much thinks this about herself a chapter or so back. (2) Interestingly, Strike and Robin exist as a kind of implicit couple, emotionally, although not in reality. So, anything romantic or sexual expressed to others is taken as infidelity, with all the emotional baggage, but none of the confrontation.
09/25/2022 (1) - Chapters 71-76: (1) One thing you can count on in this series is that if the police arrest someone, and the book's not over, they're not the killer. - Strike needs his info-dump reveal chapter. (2) I fear this whole Strike/Robin romance subplot may end up being a perpetual ships-passing-in-the-night situation. - At best, we might get a Ron/Hermione outcome, where thing finally happen at the very end of the last book.
09/25/2022 (2) - Chapters 77-81: (1) Again, we have an example of mirroring. The restaurant scene in Whitstable is essentially identical to the Ritz scene at the start. (2) "Strike looked down at his own plate: where there should have been chips, there was only salad." - Perhaps the most perfect line in the whole book. (3) The bit about "All-Star Batman and Robin" is so esoteric that I'm all but certain the author's a DC Comics' fan.
09/26/2022 - Chapters 82-87: (1) It's somewhat surprising how young all these anonymous characters are revealed to be. - Though, I suppose the internet isn't exactly the playground of the middle-aged or elderly. (2) Some jerk spoiled me on the ending early on, but I'm beginning to doubt its veracity. I have a theory that two mods are the same person, as the villain somehow knows information only this other account is able to get.
09/27/2022 (1) - Chapters 88-95: (1) As usual, the last fifth of the book is just flying by. - I had to make an effort to pull away. (2) One of the ironies of this series is how two detectives can be so perceptive and astute, yet so clueless about their own mutual attraction. - Though, early on, one did come to a shock epiphany about their own feelings, and the other did the same just now. - Again, this book's just full of mirroring.
09/27/2022 (2) - Chapters 96-100: (1) Going into the homestretch, I'm flirting with rating this 5-stars, despite saying previously that I couldn't see it happening. - Still a long-shot, but not a thing I even considered over the first 800 pages. (2) At this point, I'm fairly sure who the villain is. - There's at least one major unexplained scene that there's simply not enough pages to make sense of unless it's part of the end reveal.
09/28/2022 - Chapters 101-107: (1) I'm essentially done. All I have left are the Acknowledgements and Credits. I'll mark this finished after I read those. - Yes, I'm the sort of reader who must read every single word of a book to consider it done. (2) The ending was a bit frustrating. A bit too monster-movie for me... plus the personal drama. (3) Creosote tea is back! Of course it would be saved until the end, for maximum effect. (hide spoiler)]...more
(B+) 79% | Good Notes: Spread inches deep, miles wide, comprehensive if vanilla, paints a warts-and-all Diana, and a whack-a-mole Camilla.
*Check out pr(B+) 79% | Good Notes: Spread inches deep, miles wide, comprehensive if vanilla, paints a warts-and-all Diana, and a whack-a-mole Camilla.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)[
Progress updates:
06/04/2021 - Page 3 [image] (1) Okay, let's try something different. (2) I'm unsure whether I want to continue Gaiman audiobooks with "American Gods," as it's only partially covered by the show. - I'll have a think about it. (3) I try to read at least one non-fiction book a year, so why not this bio of Prince Charles I got for $4.49 CAD at Book Outlet? - I bought this book to get free shipping.
06/06/2021 - Page 17 [image] (1) Finished the first chapter, which covers Charles' life pre-Gordonstoun. The key theme, repeated over and over, is that in the absence of his parents raising him, Charles gravitated and transferred affection to other women in his life. - His nanny, his governess, his grandmother, etc. - Over-mothering, ironically not from his mother, possibly instilling wimpiness.
06/07/2021 - Page 31 [image] (1) The second chapter is about Charles' Gordonstoun years, including six months at its sister school, Timbertop in Australia. - He loathed Gordonstoun but loved Timbertop. - Australia's lack of a class system seems to be the difference, no longer bullied for his background. (2) Charles is named Head Boy in his final year, which just conjures images of Percy Weasley.
06/08/2021 - Page 51 [image] (1) Charles, being such an ardent environmentalist, I always assumed he was a hippie. But apparently he hates hippies. (2) His first love was the brainy polymath daughter of the Chilean ambassador. - Because virginity was at one time important, Charles has always denied any hanky-panky. Sure, why not. Seems downright wholesome compared to the many scandals to follow.
06/09/2021 - Page 67 [image] (1) Richard Nixon tried to set up Charles with his daughter Trisha. - Charles described her as plastic and artificial, like a Barbie doll. He pretty much said the same thing about Wallis Simpson, and other women he didn't care for. I'd be unsurprised if he said the same of Diana. (2) On the whole, Watergate would've been less scandalous for Charles than Camilla-gate.
06/12/2021 - Page 93 [image] (1) Charles met Camilla via his former girlfriend Lucia, who was her neighbor. (2) Among Charles' girlfriends was American Laura Jo Watkins. - Laura Jo described Charles as "a fabulous lover." Genuinely surprising. (3) Uncle Dickie wanted Charles to marry his granddaughter Amanda. - They're second cousins. But so were Elizabeth and Philip when Dickie introduced them.
06/23/2021 - Page 111 [image] (1) Getting back into this after a bit of a hiatus. (2) Between leaving the Navy and marriage, Charles' life seemed preoccupied with following gurus. - You don't really hear much of gurus these days. I think it may have been a '70s thing. (3) Charles set up The Prince's Trust in 1976 to help urban youth. - Probably would've earned him a knighthood were he a commoner.
06/27/2021 - Page 123 [image] (1) Before Diana, Charles proposed to his second-cousin Amanda. She declined. - Had things gone differently, we could've had Queen Amanda, though she likely would've gone by Victoria (her more royal middle name). (2) He also dated Diana's sister Sarah. - But being expelled, having eating disorders, and boasting of "thousands of boyfriends," she had too much baggage.
06/28/2021 - Page 145 [image] (1) You know, I've always joked that it was the lack of virgins among the British upper classes that forced Charles court much younger women. Turns out, I was right. (2) The Royal Train Scandal was when Diana was purported to have slept with Charles before marriage on the Royal Train. - Such a quaint scandal. - The blonde in question may or may not have been Camilla.
07/01/2021 - Page 161 [image] (1) Diana was obsessed with Camilla, which inflamed her already erratic behavior, which drove Charles to Camilla all the more. - Obviously Charles did wrong, but perhaps things would have been different if Diana wasn't so paranoid. (2) Diana threw herself down the stairs while pregnant, crying for attention. I don't care how Charles behaved, that's plainly not right.
07/11/2021 - Page 173 [image] (1) Tony Blair was so "pissed off" with Charles taking a public stance against GMO foods that he took it up with the Queen. - I suppose even the heir to the throne can't escape authorities going to his mom about his bad behavior. (2) Charles survived scandals of giving royal opinions mostly because they proved popular. - People came around to organic food eventually.
07/18/2021 - Page 195 [image] (1) Diana's go-to insult to Charles was that he'd never be king. - Interesting. Must have known that's what would hurt him the most. (2) Diana's favorite musical act was Supertramp. - I've probably heard their music, I'm just not familiar enough to name a song. (3) Diana forced Charles to get rid of his dog after marriage. - I can relate. I'm not a dog person either.
07/24/2021 - Page 205 [image] (1) Charles' affair with Camilla wasn't until 1986. Diana had affairs with her bodyguard and then her riding instructor the same year. - To me, it seems to be less a case of revenge affairs starting from Camilla, and more like an open marriage agreement à la Dickie and Edwina Mountbatten. (2) I like that "proof" Harry is Charles' son are his bald spot and beady eyes.
07/26/2021 - Page 217 [image] (1) It seems awful narcissistic to be jealous of your own wife's philanthropy. On the other hand, I can see his perspective. A single hug makes her a saint, while countless sleepless nights of paperwork and provable results barely gets him a pat on the back. (2) I can't read two books at once. A book and an audiobook, yes. But two books, and one falls by the wayside.
08/03/2021 - Page 231 [image] (1) This biography seems to be going through the 1980s year by year. - It makes sense, since those were the Diana years, and the most interesting to casual readers. (2) What tipped off the press to marriage difficulties was that Charles and Diana stayed in different hotel rooms. - Of course, that would've been no big deal a generation earlier, especially for royalty.
08/08/2021 - Page 241 [image] (1) Dorchester needed to expand. Rather than sell off land to developers, Charles decided to build his own town, Poundbury. - As Duke of Cornwall, I suppose it's technically his land to decide what do with. (2) Seems very authoritarian to deny townsfolk a supermarket and cinema for aesthetic reasons. - Though, to be fair, they did choose to live in Charles' Sim City.
08/09/2021 - Page 251 [image] (1) Diana's nickname for Camilla was "Rottweiler." - I can't tell whether that was a reference to her appearance or her temperament. (2) Charles kept his affair monogamous and out of public view. Conversely, Diana carried on several affairs simultaneously, and in full view of Kensington Palace staff and her children. - So very different. Little wonder it didn't work.
08/11/2021 - Page 271 [image] (1) Best chapter of the book so far covers 1991-1992, from Diana's press offensive against Charles, to the Morton biography, to the separation. - I sort of wish the entire book was the scandalous parts, but then, it wouldn't be a comprehensive biography. (2) In 1992, there was still hope, despite the separation, that Diana would be crowned Queen. - How very medieval.
08/12/2021 - Page 283 [image] (1) Though there was little doubt that Diana would be "the fun parent," she made extra effort to have her fun in public, so that Charles would by contrast look uninvolved in raising his sons. (2) When Buckingham Palace opened to the public, the Queen put Charles in charge. - He bemoaned selling cheap items in the gift shop. Though, what exactly is "cheap" to Charles?
08/16/2021 - Page 303 [image] (1) To secure the infamous 1995 Panorama interview, Martin Bashir used fake financial documents to convince Diana that her staff was spying on her. - This deceit was only uncovered this year. (2) As intended, the interview permanently burnt bridges with the royals. - As a direct result, the Queen demanded Charles and Diana divorce. She could no longer be queen-to-be.
08/17/2021 - Page 317 [image] (1) Following a long royal tradition of hiring "men of indeterminate sexuality," Charles hired PR wunderkind Mark Bolland. - William and Harry nicknamed him Lord Blackadder. (2) Diana fell in love with a Pakistani heart surgeon. He dumped her for being "needy and suffocating." - Eg. she would be furious with him for declining her phone calls while performing surgery.
08/18/2021 - Page 329 [image] (1) The portion of the book dealing with Diana's death is both the most moving part of the book and the least interesting. - I know it all already. (2) In my opinion, the British public never really accepted the divorce. There wasn't enough time. As such, to the public, they always will be married and, no matter how official, Camilla will always be "the other woman."
08/19/2021 - Page 359 [image] (1) "Stephen Fry['s] ubiquity at such functions put him perilously close to court jester status." - From what I know of Stephen Fry, I'm sure he'd take court jester as an honor. (2) Camilla was so unpopular that there were plans to elevate Princess Anne to "Royal Partner," to perform consort duties instead. - Reminds me of when Chelsea Clinton was briefly First Lady.
08/22/2021 - Page 439 [image] (1) Charles recycles his bathwater to water his garden. - I'm more surprised that he takes baths. (2) William's 21st birthday was fancy dress. - It was notable for a gate-crasher dressed as Osama bin Laden, also as the first royal event attended by Kate Middleton. (3) Harry's Nazi costume sparked international government condemnation. - Seems overkill for kid idiocy.
08/23/2021 - Page 495 [image] (1) Following retirement from the military, William and Kate moved into Kensington Palace apartment 1A, which features four stories, twenty rooms and a private garden. - My first apartment was a one bedroom with a window view of a brick wall. (2) In 2012 Harry was photographed naked at a party in Las Vegas. - First rule of naked Vegas party: check phones at the door!" (hide spoiler)]...more
(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: Wherein women cling devoted to manipulative men, and hugs, tea, missives, and accidental kisses stir illicit intrigue.
*Chec(A-) 81% | Very Good Notes: Wherein women cling devoted to manipulative men, and hugs, tea, missives, and accidental kisses stir illicit intrigue.
*Check out progress updates for detailed commentary: (view spoiler)[
Progress updates:
10/08/2018 - Preamble: (1) This is my first ever buddy read! With Ran. (2) I'm currently one book ahead of my reading challenge. At 650 pages, my challenge is set to take a beating! No matter, I enjoy fighting from behind. (3) I've not seen the TV show, which is perhaps a good thing. My Cormoran Strike has always been Samwell Tarly from Game of Thrones.
10/09/2018 - Prologue–Chapter 3: [image] (1) Long prologue, short chapters: usually it's the other way around. (2) I smell a Ross/Rachel/Emily situation! (3) Epigraphs are from Ibsen's "Rosmersholm". Never heard of it, but I have read Ibsen's "The Wild Duck".
10/10/2018 - Chapters 4–8: (1) Matthew's a bigger heel than Voldemort! Kills you with a thousand paper-cuts, he does. (2) This takes place just before the 2012 Olympics. Rowling does like to peg her stories to specific events. Last one was the Royal Wedding. (3) If I never read another line of Ibsen it'll be too soon!
10/11/2018 - Chapters 9–12: (1) Whenever I see old guy/weird hair I think Phil Spector. (2) Robin's not wrong to worry that she's sexually naive. She treats errant hugs like they're one-night stands. (3) Strike to Wardle: “Some women just like fat one-legged pube-headed men with broken noses.” (4) Spilled orange juice is the worst!
10/13/2018 - Chapters 13–21: (1) I'm interested to see if there's a resolution to this Dodgy Doc subplot or if it’s nothing but a running gag. (2) I enjoy a bit of will-they-won’t-they intrigue in my stories, but it’s been four books already! Nothing short of a full Ron/Hermione pay-off could justify this incessant tease!
10/14/2018 - Chapters 22–25: (1) Rowling always spells accents phonetically: it’s both helpful and annoying. (2) To put down the book and Google the Latin, or keep reading and leave it be? That is the question. (3) Not being British, I don't see the point of always meeting in pubs. Isn't that what offices are for? (4) Am I meant to be rooting for infidelity?
10/15/2018 - Chapters 26–31: (1) This whole cricket/hospital debacle has got me feeling some sympathy for the devil Matthew. (2) Of course the Latin would be a clue! I should have googled the Latin when I had the chance! (3) I'll never get used to 16 being the age of consent here. (4) You know that Sunscreen song? "Politicians will philander..."
10/16/2018 - Chapters 32–40: (1) I went ahead and translated Catullus 16 from Latin. Vulgate Latin? More like “vulgar Latin,” amiright? (2) Robin owns a mahogany bed so heavy it takes a full company of movers to lift it to the bedroom. As a hobbyist woodworker, I'm offended! Mahogany is one of the lightest woods there is. Get your facts straight Rowling!
10/17/2018 - Chapters 41–42: (1) Been kind of a slow reading day for me. I just haven't been able to get the ball rolling. Feeling a bit like Sisyphus at the moment. (2) More than halfway into the book and we finally learn what "Lethal White" means! I suppose I could have just googled it. (3) Hugs are not how babies are made and should not be regarded as such.
10/18/2018 - Chapters 43–48: (1) That moment when you realize Strike's already dating a Robin, except she's named Lorelei: as irrationally devoted to him, and his casual mistreatment, as Robin is to Matthew. Except they don’t row: it's all awkwardness and silent shame. (2) Undercover accent: “Fookin' Amazon,” said Robin. (3) Suddenly it’s all about horses!
10/19/2018 - Chapters 49–56: (1) Tea is a major theme. Strike only enjoys tea if it's from Robin. Could be: only she knows/cares to make it how he likes; because it’s something from her to him, and is thus imbued with feeling; or both. (2) Hopefully, like many a Holmes story, the end reveal will prove clever enough to tip scales against its more tedious parts.
10/20/2018 - Chapters 57–67: (1) Only fifty pages to go! Will finish this today! (2) This book is similar to The Casual Vacancy, which started tedious and slow (so much that I initially DNF’d it), had a bewilderingly labyrinthine plot and cast, but finished strong, and ultimately won me over. (3) This stupid hug is apparently the nexus of all things! (hide spoiler)]...more
