Books and Reading

May 21, 2024 ∞

What I Read in April 2024

A shorter list this month because the weather is nicer, because I long to be outside, because a lot of things. I’m falling behind on Shakespeare, unfortunately, but I’ll pick him up again once I’ve gotten through the books I have planned for May. I’m thinking of running off and starting the Wheel of Time series, which I loved in high school and haven’t tackled since. I might very well regret that decision, but that’s okay. I’ll have some fun along the way, if nothing else. See you next post!

I haven’t shared these in a while, so: Want to see what I’m up to? I’m on The Storygraph, wandering around on Mastodon, or you can send me an email. Drop me a line if you like!

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May 17, 2024 ∞

What I Read in March 2024

March ended with a resumption of winter. I was not a fan, but I did end up reading more as a result of our suddenly snowy month. With the lateness of this post (sorry about that!) I won’t say too much more here — I’ll wait until April’s post to add a full introduction.

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Mar 26, 2024 ∞

What I Read in February 2024

February was by Duluth standards a dry month, a warm month, an odd month. As I write, at the end of March, we’re in the middle of a storm that will drop more snow than we’ve had over the course of the entire winter. What a year, right? A warm month by Duluth standards does not mean a pleasant month, so I’ve spent plenty of time inside and, by extension, plenty of time reading. It is absolutely that time of year where I long to be outside again, am ready to take some time and plunge into all the fun of spring, but can’t just yet. The snow outside provides ample evidence of that. It will be gone soon enough, though, and all of that spring fun will arrive. Until then, books.

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Mar 10, 2024 ∞

What I Read in January 2024

Why yes, this post is very late. No, I don’t mind you asking. It’s been a very busy time of late, with a small job change and the bustle of the academic semester getting underway. I’m behind on a lot of things, really. I’ve been reading a lot, though, and as I wrote this post I really enjoyed getting to look back on what I started the year with. In the middle of an odd winter, one with not enough snow and far too much warmth, I enjoyed getting to escape into my books. They have treated me wonderfully.

There has been a platform change for the blog, which I hope has gone smoothly on the reader’s side as well. I’m on Micro.blog now, which isn’t perfect (it’s a little fussy around the edges), but isn’t (unlike Wordpress) going to sell all of my data to AI companies. I know, I know, I know. My writing has probably already been scraped. That battle has almost certainly been lost. However! That doesn’t mean I have to actively participate in selling my work on. I just want to write and have a good time with the words I put down. Opting into something smaller is exactly what will let me do that. So welcome. A Turn of the Page lives here now, off in its own little space. I like it and I plan to stick around.

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Feb 11, 2024 ∞

Shakespeare's The Life and Death of King John

A few weeks ago, I read Shakespeare's The Life and Death of King John, which presents an unfamiliar King John. Shakespeare’s John is a king in the fullness of his power. This isn't a greedy John or an effeminate John in the way he appears in the popular versions of the Robin Hood stories. This is just a John who isn't a good king.

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