The Bookhive List: 'Little Dorrit' by Charles Dickens

October 22, 2015 Natalie Morath

Last year I made an effort to read one Dickens novel per month -- I made it to June, which was my Little Dorrit month, and then I ran out of Dickens novels under 800+ pages, so that resolution fell apart completely. However, I definitely accomplished my goal, which was just to get better acquainted with an author I had somehow managed to dodge through all of high school and college, and who up to that point I thought I hated. I still don't love Dickens, and some of his books were painful at times, to finish, but I really loved Little Dorrit. Happy endings were had by all the characters I cared about, there was plenty of mystery and suspense and creepy Victorian weirdness, and many moments of comic relief, including one of the best descriptions of the British colonial government and its bureacracy I've ever read. It is definitely an under-appreciated DIckens novel, and if you're feeling lazy, check out the Masterpiece Classic version, starring Clare Foy (Anne Boleyn in Wolf Hall, which speaks to her enormous skill as an actress in that she manages to play both women incredibly well).

The Bookhive List is a weekly recommendation of my all-time favorite, must-read books.

What I Did When I Wasn't Reading: 'Wolf Hall'

October 9, 2015 Natalie Morath

My adoration for Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall series is quite well-documented, but I didn't get around to watching the BBC/Masterpiece Classic adaptation of the first two novels until this week. What finally inspired me was the fact that the changing weather reminded me of the experience of reading Bring Up the Bodies last fall, which got me deep into a Hilary Mantel mood. Since I couldn't justify starting any of her other books until at least reduce the size of the ridiculous stack of books next to my bed, I decided to cheat a bit and watch the tv miniseries instead. It's only six hours long, and only includes the action from the first two novels; I have no idea if BBC will produce a follow-up after the publication of the third (and supposedly final) novel in the series, but I would hope so. Based on the level of excitement expressed my grandparents, PBS devotees, 'Wolf Hall' was quite popular.

Book Trailers: 'Bleak House' by Charles Dickens

November 19, 2014 Natalie Morath

Apologies for the terrible quality of this video, and the utter cheese-fest that is the Masterpiece Classics Bleak House trailer. Try to ignore the fact that this trailer seems more excited by the actors than by the characters or the story, and don't pay too close of attention or the plot will be completely spoiled. Try instead to focus on the transcendence of Agent Scully, on display here in all her melancholy glory. I saw this trailer a few years ago, probably on the DVD of some other Masterpiece mini series, and it prompted me to read not just Bleak House, but six other novels by Charles Dickens, who I had ingeniously avoided up to that point. And all for Gillian Anderson. And just in case you need further inspiration:

If you enjoy this type of thing, there are literally hundreds of mini series you should be watching (and accompanying novels you should be reading).

What I'm Reading: 'Cranford' by Elizabeth Gaskell

July 21, 2014 Natalie Morath

Every few weeks I need to take a break from the 20th century and dive into a book that's a bit older. I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that the way I got into Elizabeth Gaskell was via Masterpiece Classic trailers that play before my favorite Jane Austen adaptations (the new 'Emma' is especially good). 'Cranford' is basically Golden Girls in the Victorian era. A group of spinsters (apologies for using that word but I couldn't think of another) and widows has minor misadventures in a small English town called Cranford in the shadow of the newly arriving railroad system. They drink a lot of tea, they gossip quite a bit, and are extraordinarily judgmental, but it is so funny and sweet.