We just love February! There’s the promise of spring, love of all kinds is in the air, Mardi Gras celebrations are ramping up and the Super Bowl is happening (we’re just in it for the food and drink, frankly). Enjoy our roundup of What’s In Good Taste in February, which we’ll keep adding to as we find awesome happenings. And, coming very soon, watch for our annual…
Not quite as many as January, but still not bad! A better mix of genres, though it's interesting that I read mainly romance in January, and not as many in February.
I have a few still going (Wool, Head Like a Hole, A Light in the Dark, Never Caught, others probably), that I will hopefully finish up in March.
End of February round-up! A bit late since I was on a holiday for the last couple of days. I definitely read a lot less this month but I'm still happy with my outcome - again, a lot of history and a lot of my fandoms can be seen above.
This month: Wandering Stars, A Study in Scarlet Women, Romancing Mr Bridgerton, To Sir Phillip With Love, And Just Like That, The Gilded Age, The Marvelous Mrs Maisel
Reading
Wandering Stars (Sholem Aleichem [translated from Yiddish by Aliza Shevrin]) - I recently watched a documentary about Fiddler on the Roof (Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles - a great watch) one of my favourite musicals, which is based on the “Tevye the Dairyman” short stories of Sholem Aleichem, and it was mentioned that the producers were at first interested in adapting this novel as a musical before deciding on the latter. So when I saw it on the shelf at the library while I was perusing the historical fiction aisle (I just can’t help myself) I had to check it out.
Written in in the early 1900′s and set contemporaneously, Liebel, the son of a rich man, and Reizel, the daughter of the cantor, run away from their shtetl to join a Yiddish theatre troupe - but are soon separated. Each change their names and find success, Liebel as an actor and Reizel as a singer, travelling across Europe and America, hoping to find the way back to each other. It was originally serialized in Warsaw newspapers which account for the incredibly short chapters, and there are interesting stylistic changes - the second half of the novel often using letters between characters and at one point a conversation is transcribed solely as dialogue. But I really enjoyed it! Liebel and Reizel are somewhat cipher characters, the reasonable pair that are surrounded by a cast of colourful, big personalities, but I still felt for their longing love story. I don’t know anything about Yiddish theatre, but Aleichem paints a vivid picture of the artform and community that surrounded it - the “wandering stars” as they moved from Russia, to Romania, to London, to New York, culminating in an abrupt but bittersweet ending.
A Study in Scarlet Women (Sherry Thomas) - I actually heard this recommended on a podcast and decided the check it out - the first of the “Lady Sherlock” series, a genderbend of the classic detective in the form of Charlotte Holmes, who assumes the identity of Sherlock as an outlet for her intellect, sending letters to Inspector Treadles (an anagram of Lestrade) of Scotland Yard with observations about ongoing cases. The central mystery is inspired by the original but with different circumstances and twists (there is a particularly cute little nod at the end), but it seems Thomas is more interested in the forgotten/dismissed “scarlet women” of the age - Charlotte as the fallen daughter of an aristocrat, her spinster sister Livia, widowed stage actress Mrs Watson, and others I won’t mention to avoid spoilers.
I could have done without Charlotte’s love for an unattainable man, especially when the character reads aro/ace through most of the book, and there’s quite enough going on without romantic pining. But other than that I found this a really engrossing read, although being the first in the series quite a bit of it is setting the stage for future works - much of the legwork is done by Treadles while Charlotte is trying to find her place in the word after leaving her father’s house, for example - and I’m really looking forward to reading the next one.
Romancing Mr Bridgerton (Julia Quinn) - The forth Bridgerton novel, and this time it’s third son Colin’s turn, although the pov is shared by Penelope Featherington aka Lady Whistledown. However the reveal doesn’t take place until about halfway through this novel (as opposed to the end of the first season of the show), when Colin himself uncovers the secret. It is effective to be done this way, but it means that the before this Penelope is beyond an unreliable narrator, the narrative is actively deceptive. I’m not opposed to this on principle, but it is a cheat when you’re in Penelope’s pov and she has internal monologue or thoughts about Lady Whistledown that don’t ring true - she knows who she is, but the reader cannot, so it’s a fudge. My other gripe was that it’s also made clear several times that Penelope has lost weight since the early books - because heaven forbid we have a fat heroine!
I admit I didn’t quite vibe with Penelope in the show, mostly due to the subplot around Marina, with Pen essentially using her gossip column to ruin her friend’s life because of her obsession with Colin. It’s a terrible thing to do, especially when she had other options (like telling Eloise), and it’s never treated as a character flaw - in fact Marina apologises to her, and Pen seems quite satisfied with what she did.
This plot thankfully doesn’t appear in the book at all, and in fact Whistledown is far less catty/cruel than she is in the show. Pen in the books is the true underdog, mistreated by her mother, ignored by the ton, and taken pity upon by the Bridgertons. In contrast, Colin is very popular but is restless, constantly travelling with little desire to settle down.
But how exactly can these younger sons just swan around doing nothing rather than needing to join the church or the army like others of the day? It’s waved away that the late Viscount provided for all of his sons not just the heir, but there’s 8 children, four of whom are girls who need dowries. Are the Bridgertons just THAT rich? If so, why wasn’t Daphne swimming in suitors in book 1, even if they were just fortune hunters?
I think my other issue with these books is just…I don’t find the Bridgerton men that appealing? They all have the same aggressive temper and lack of boundaries - this is clearly Quinn’s jam, but it’s not mine. I generally like all the female characters though, and enjoy the books to that extent even if the actual romance leaves me cold. Which brings us to…
To Sir Phillip, With Love (Julia Quinn) - I wasn’t going to read any more of these, but this is Eloise’s book and she was my favourite character in the show so I decided to give them one more shot. After writing the above about Marina not being in the books, imagine my surprise when she turns up in this one! Well, she’s dead by page 12 and isn’t much of an actual character rather than a tragedy, being Sir Phillip’s first wife who is severely depressed and commits suicide - the precipitating event of the novel as Eloise writes to Sir Phillip to express her sympathies and they begin a correspondence.
So while I can see why, as an adaptive choice, the show writers decided to pull Marina from this book and insert her into the season 1 narrative, where she marries Sir Phillip at the end, the brother of her deceased lover, quite reluctantly. But the thought of Marina having this ending on the show to essentially make way for Eloise feels rather gross, and to be honest the romance isn’t enough to make up for that. Because Phillip is essentially looking for a mother to his twin children (his in the book, the background is Marina was his brother’s fiance when he died and so Phillip stepped up, but she was not pregnant like she was in the show), and Eloise is feeling bereft after Penelope’s marriage to Colin, as she thought they would be old maids together. The trope here is marriage of convenience/growing together, and its serviceable enough but I can’t say I can imagine this romance playing out on the show.
I do wonder if they will go in a different direction, since show-Eloise seems queer coded, and I hope they do, because I am actually interested in the narrative of a happy spinster? Loving aunt to her scads of nieces and nephews, a wealthy woman who does not have to marry and chooses not to, just explores the world with the small measure of freedom being unmarried but rich afford her?
Honestly, I just think I want different things from these books - it’s unfair to expect the above in a romance series, after all. I don’t think I will continue with the remaining Bridgerton siblings, but will be interested to see how the show handles this going forward.
Watching
And Just Like That (season 1) - I was only ever a casual watcher of Sex and the City (Carrie and Big were both terrible people who deserved each other), but I’m a sucker for a revival (and beautiful clothes) so what the hey.
There is a great deal of cringe - mindful of the original shows lack of diversity we have new characters of colours which is great, although they are in introduced in a way that is obvious each of the girls has to have their own “poc friend” which feels tokenistic. However over the course of the season it begins to feel more natural, and in many ways Seema, Lisa, and Nya are more like real people whereas Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte felt like caricatures of their former selves.
Unlike most, I actually like Che Diaz (mostly due to Sara Ramirez), but the writers really couldn’t decide on their character - they’re the catalyst for Miranda’s queer awakening, but it comes across as very Mid Life Crisis - she basically replaces alcoholism with a Che obsession (at one point she unironically says “Carrie, I’m in a romcom!”), and they tell her upfront that they can’t offer “anything traditional” - all seeming to set up the inevitable fall/reality check, and then it just...never happens? At the end of the season they are in a traditional relationship, and Miranda gives up a very important opportunity at a human rights organisation (the very passion she gave up her corporate job to pursue) to be in LA with Che while they film a pilot. It’s bizarre!
Carrie’s arc is hit and miss - there were obviously Big flashback scenes that were (rightly) cut in the wake of the Chris Noth revelations, and there is some nuance to her grief process, but then there’s insufferable Carrie nonsense like stalking Big’s ex-wife and buying a huge multi-million dollar apartment only to decide she doesn’t like it and move back out. Charlotte perhaps comes out best with her minor family dramas - her second child being gender nonconforming doesn’t really get the attention the plot perhaps needed, but everything in this show is glossed over, nothing it explored.
There’s also a documentary on the making of the first season, and honestly this is much more enjoyable than the actual show. Watching Sarah Jessica Parker in close collaboration with the costume designers to create the looks is quite honestly fascinating, and I have newfound respect for her.
The Gilded Age (season 1, episodes 1-5) - The latest offering from Julien Fellows, this time devoted to the Rich People Problems of New York in the 1880’s and the conflict between the Old Money and the New. Check your morality at the door, this show will have you rooting for robber barons and ruthless social climbers!
I have to give Fellows credit, because the show is driven by the women - Christine Baranski as the waspish old money Agnes Van Rhijn, her happily spinster sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon), their impoverished niece Marian (Louisa Jacobson), newly hired secretary Peggy Scott (Denee Benton), and powerhouse social climber Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). However the “downstairs” storyline is really lacking - we have both the Van Rhijn and the Russell households and honestly it’s hard to keep track of which is which sometimes.
The costumes are beyond beautiful, especially Bertha’s gauche extravagance - Carrie Coon is just so compelling in the role and really is the heart of the show despite being someone you would loathe in real life.
I’ve also been listening to the official podcast, which actually gives quite a bit of insight into the time period and has notables from the show as guests - I really recommend episode four which includes historical consultant/co-executive producer Dr Erica Armstrong and the great Audra McDonald, examining the flourishing Black Elite and development of Peggy and her family.
Although Fellows gets sole writing credit it’s clear that he’s had input/help - McDonald and Armstrong both mention this on the podcast (I’d be absolutely shocked if Fellows wrote the scene where Marian shows up at Peggy’s family home, for example) - but there are some of his more frustrating hallmarks, aggressive pursuit of women painted as romantic for one. But on the whole I’m very much enjoying this and am looking forward to seeing where it goes. Will we get a young Cora cameo? We’ve already seen Newport and it is in the right time period, so we’ll see.
The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (season 4, episodes 1-4) - It’s been a lot wait between drinks for this show, but it picks up right where we left off, with Midge dealing with the fallout from being fired from the tour with Shy Baldwin, incredibly bitter and back at the bottom of the comic pack.
The opening scene is Midge on stage, dragging on a cigarette and proclaiming “Revenge!” Which is actually a very sour framing of what happened last season - Midge essentially outed Shy in her act, a terrible dangerous thing at that time especially for a black man, yet Midge is full of rage at being “f*cked over by another man.” Now, this could be part of Midge’s arc this season, since she does seem to be on a bitter, self-involved descent, but we’ll see I suppose - the way Midge swooped in as the saviour of the burlesque hall doesn’t give me hope.
But I am still enjoying it overall - especially the clothes (although we’ve moved into the era of absolutely hideous hats), and the guest stars. Jason Alexander! Santino Fontana! John Waters! The show is at it’s best when it focuses on Midge and Susie - particularly Susie - and she actually seems to be getting more of a storyline this season expanding her client roster, even if trouble is clearly telegraphed .
Writing
Yeah, so I wasn’t productive at all this month, just piecemeal efforts on a few projects, so I’m going to roll over the word count to next month. Wish me better luck!
📚February Roundup📚
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Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo: 3/5
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: 5/5
A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H. G. Parry: 5/5
Waiting for Spring Vol. 1: 4/5
The Promised Neverland Vol. 2: 3/5
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For being the shortest month, February sure brought me a lot of time to read! I picked a lot of fantasy books this month. I usually try to read a variety, but fantasy is definitely my go-to genre.
It’s that time again y’all!!! Time for the monthly roundup!!!
Oh WOW!!!! What a month!!! February saw 5 fics updating, including one from CSSNS18 and with one moving into the COMPLETED column!!! So everyone go catch up on whatever you missed and be sure to give these lovely ladies all the love they deserve!!!
Under the cut, unless Tumblr ate it.
@kymbersmith-90 opened us up last month with an update for Divine Intervention. Artwork by @hollyethecurious.
Brothers Liam and Killian Jones are on the hunt for their father, Brennan Jones, who has gone missing in his hunt for the supernatural creature that killed their mother. But along the way, the brothers discover that the supernatural world is much bigger than they could ever have imagined.
And someone else has big plans for one of them. Rated E with 11chs so far.
@snowbellewells COMPLETED Face to Face (In the Broad Daylight), her sequel to CSSNS18′s fic Run to Me (In the Dead of Night). Artwork by @branlovestowrite.
(Here we have a sequel to my werewolf, alternate season two and beyond fic from last year’s CSSNS. You probably want to read that story "Run to Me (in the Dead of Night)" first, or it might be a bit confusing in places. This second story in the same universe partially exists just because I wanted to revisit these couples and enjoy a bit more of their fluffy happily ever afters. However, we may also see them get into some new surprises and challenges, and of course we need to see if Rumplestiltskin is still under control or back to his usual scheming and plotting. Rated T with 9chs.
@courtorderedcake updated Hallow TWICE last month!!! (X) (X) With accompanying artwork 1 2.
"The Goblin King was prepared to host the Darkness, stealing Fae women away to their corrupted lands underneath the ground as concubines. The Darkness chose another in his stead, but not before this selected vessel enacted a devastating attack in its vengeance, revealing its hatred & rage. The battle was a lesson the old kings had forgotten; never underestimate an opponent.
Many more lives were lost as they razed over any who dared defy The Goblin King's will. Only the pure love of our rulers united in matrimony, breaking the Vorpal Dagger, sealed the darkness and the Goblin menace away. The light flourished under their fair rule, and the queen bore a child as pure as moon beams, swan feathers, and starlight. They lived happily ever after, and shall be written in history as Heroes for All Time."
This is the history Princess Emma memorizes from the day she is born, paraded about and presented only with the highest protection. The palace is a cage she wishes to escape, desperately. Not careful what wishes she made, Emma discovers history is written by the victors - The Dark One has an entirely different version of the events that took place. Rated E with 15chs so far.
@seriouslyhooked updated her fic Lost Souls and Reveries from CSSNS18. Artwork by @shipsxahoy.
Killian Jones is a wolf shifter without roots, without plans, and without a pack. He’s a rogue, someone humans should avoid and shifters should be wary of given his lineage. But one night years back set him on a path he didn’t realize he was taking, a path leading to the future he was destined for. That future is tied up in one woman – a human named Emma Nolan. Together Emma and Killian will find not only answers but a love that’s truly fated. But will love be enough to set both of them free, or will past demons win out in the end? Rated M with 23 of 25 chapters so far.
And finally,
@whimsicallyenchantedrose updated Until the Stars Are All Alight, her LOTR/CS crossover. Artwork by @clockadile.
CS Lord of the Rings au: When Emma Swan steals a yellow Volkswagen Beetle, she has no idea it will lead her toward an adventure filled with danger and intrigue, sacrifice and a love stronger than anything she could imagine. Tasked with bringing the Savior home, the elf, Killian Jones of Misthaven travels to the Land Without Magic. Can he convince Emma to fulfill her destiny before the Dark One regains power and takes over all of the Enchanted Forest? Rated T with 6chs so far.
Ohhhh MAN!!!! ALL of these updates were simply INCREDIBLE!!!! I am BEYOND thankful for all of these ladies, and all our participants in these events!!! They have been such fun to head up!!! Please go give all our lovely ladies lots of love for all their hard work and perseverance!!! This will be the last of the monthly roundups for the 2019 event because the Get to Know Me interviews for the CSSNS20 will start posting here THIS week!!! I am SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!! Not to worry, though, any new updates for any fic, whether from 2018 or ‘19, will still be reblogged and flailed over!!! So, I’ll see y’all soon with our first GTKM interview!!!
Hello everyone!!! We’re back with the final monthly roundup for the 2018 event!!!
Get To Know Me’s have started posting so we are in full 2019 mode! I come today bearing links to those fics and chapters that updated in February! Go catch up if you haven’t, and be sure to show the authors some well deserved love!
My Fate is Darkness by @teamhook ch7
Is there light in darkness? Throughout the realms, there are all sorts of supernatural creatures roaming the lands. And there are those who are tasked with protecting the innocent. Fated to be enemies, can true love find its way through time?
Slayer by @kymbersmith-90 ch14
Into every generation a slayer is born: one girl in all the world, a chosen one. She alone will wield the strength and skill to fight the vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness; to stop the spread of their evil and the swell of their number. She is the Slayer.
Divine Intervention by @kymbersmith-90 ch5
Brothers Liam and Killian Jones are on the hunt for their father, Brennan Jones, who has gone missing in his hunt for the supernatural creature that killed their mother. But along the way, the brothers discover that the supernatural world is much bigger than they could ever have imagined.
And someone else has big plans for one of them.
Lost Souls and Reveries by @seriouslyhooked ch14
Killian Jones is a wolf shifter without roots, without plans, and without a pack. He’s a rogue, someone humans should avoid and shifters should be wary of given his lineage. But one night years back set him on a path he didn’t realize he was taking, a path leading to the future he was destined for. That future is tied up in one woman – a human named Emma Nolan. Together Emma and Killian will find not only answers but a love that’s truly fated. But will love be enough to set both of them free, or will past demons win out in the end?
Ohhh these updates were absolutely fantastic!!! I can’t wait to see more from these incredibly talented authors! And from all our authors as well!!! I’ll continue to reblog and flail whenever any of our WIP’s update so make sure you enable notifications from the blog so you don’t miss anything!
