I feel like I have to do an #introduction post after 3 years on this instance.
I'm sans serif girl - even if, at 40, I'm not a girl anymore (actually I'm not exactly a girl at all 'cause my gender is neutral, but you know force of habit; also in Italian we don't have a neutral equivalent and I'm not very fond of overextended [? I don't even know if this word exists] masculine) but I'm quite attached to this nickname - a neutral person, my pronouns are she/they, I'm #ace, #biromantic, #autistic and #deaf in my left ear.
I'm boring even if I laugh over the stupidest things and on a scale of 1 to 10 my mood is always an honest 5. Like Fiona Apple's meme in my pinned posts I don't like to go out (if it entails socializing and meeting people) except for walking my #dog (I have an old female dog that I love very much) and exploring the #countryside and river banks.
All my interests are things that I can do on my own like #reading, #writing, #MusicListening, watching #OldMovies, going on walks, taking nature #pictures. I told you: boring!
My best friends live far away from me and I'm obviously sad about it, but not so sad as a normal person would be because I don't despise my time alone, on the contrary I quite like it as it allows me to recharge from everyday stressing things like noises, traffic, work, and of course PEOPLE.
When I had my full earing I used to play the bass guitar and ukulele (and a bit of violin) but I quit because with only one ear left I find it quite difficult and a little bit painful. I also loved going to concerts but I can't anymore.
So most of my free time slots now are taken up by reading #manga #manhwa and #manhua, like I used to when I was in my twenties. One has to do something to entertain theirselves, no?
I'm also quite interested in #astrology and #tarots, that I use as a way to better understand myself.
I believe in #accessibility and that's why I'll always demand an alt text on your pictures and won't boost pictures without it.
I don't do immediate follow back because 1. I want to know who is following me 2. even when, after some time, I think someone is ok I almost always forget to reciprocate.
But you know: bad friend 🤝 bad mastodon user.
I've clearly forgotten something fundamental* but I'll blame the time and my age.
*Here we go! The first thing I’d forgotten is that, as one of my dearest friends always tells me, my love language is "a meme for every occasion". There’s a meme for everything, I’m sure I’ve got one in my endless archive and I'm going to post it. The second thing is that, unlike many people, I like voice messages a lot, even the longest ones. But I don't like podcasts for the record, nor audiobooks. The third thing is that, despite having read so much theory, I can’t bring myself to call me a #feminist. When I think of feminists, the image that springs to mind is about people who manage to put theory into practice, activists who take up spaces. I can’t do that – for various reasons I won’t delve into here – and so I don’t think it’s right for me to claim the label for myself. However, I have great respect for the comrades who carry out feminist practices into everyday lives.
And now for some faves:
- writers: #DaphneDuMaurier #DianaWynneJones #UrsulaKLeGuin #ShirleyJackson #JRRTolkien #NnediOkorafor
- musicians: I've always listened to a lot of kinds of music but if I must choose my all time fave is #JoannaNewsom
- movies: almost all where #CaryGrant starred, plus #ColdComfortFarm #Smultronstället and #NoisesOff
- tv series: #TwinPeaks #VeronicaMars #MontyPythonsFlyingCircus and #MurderSheWrote
- animals: #dogs #goats #donkeys

I've been reading some of Daphne du Maurier's short stories and they are quite good. But I always get a sense that I'm missing something, or what I read isn't actually what happened.

Du Maurier never quite gives it to you straight. Things are said, things are alluded to, but you are often left feeling you haven't been given all the answers.

The Alibi is one such story. It's casually dark, with Anna Kaufman tying her infant son up all the time, and it is full of surprises with a potential killer suddenly finding an unexpected passion for painting.

But the end, when the man confesses: I'm not entirely sure what happened. I read about a man renting a room, taking up painting ... but maybe none of that happened.

Because he didn't notice Kaufman was pregnant. And why confess to something he initially wanted to do, but didn't actually do?

One reading is he has no alibi, and cannot provide proof of innocence. Another reading is that he feels guilty and his intention to commit murder is as good as committing it because he lied and hid his true intentions.

But another reading is that none of what we're told actually happens and what he is accused of is the actual crime he committed.

idk her stories just do that to me.

#DaphneDuMaurier #Reading #ShortStory #Books

So, after finishing… Not as top-tier as Rebecca, but delightfully sinister and everyone got what they deserved. Something about the way Daphne du Maurier writes… like… it's very educational for my autist learning How To Person studies. It teaches me how to see people and read people and also, like, "OH! That's how women are able to manipulate these stupid men!" Not that I ever would… but I am taking notes for the sake of general knowledge…

BUT. We need to address the doofus that is Philip Ashley in the room because I genuinely… Like, I'm not giving him a pass for the physical abuse EXCEPT he was literally poisoned and not right in the head… so, like half a pass. But he is just Big Stupid Boy. Sheltered, emotionally inexperienced boy. You can't be mad at him for being a "bad" guy, because he thought he was doing the right thing, and you can't really yell at him "how can you be so oblivious?!" either, because… he was a young man lacking people skills and intuition and self-preservation (because why would he need it?) and he got DUPED and DEVOURED. Like, poor thing. Poor little idiot. You made some unwise decisions and had to learn the hard way. That's the way it goes, sometimes. I pity him. Not, "aww my poor lil bb" pity, just… Fuck around and find out, buddy. Sorry, it sucks. But you were just so clueless. (Uncle Ambrose didn't help by isolating him. I mean, you do really need early socialization with women to understand women when you start to have feelings… And I get it, your best little pal is a girl but it's like… she's not a girl?! She's Louise?! Like—?? "What are you talking about?" lol Absolute clown.)

HOWEVER semi-serious consideration of power dynamics aside… How am I supposed to take a man seriously who thinks things like, "He was so close I could have thrown a biscuit at him." ??? A BISCUIT?! PHILIP! You HATE this guy and the best thing you can think to throw is a BISCUIT. Oh, Philip. The real gothic knife-twist tragedy in this novel is that Daphne made you such a schmuck and then threw Rachel at you.



RE: https://app.wafrn.net/fediverse/post/525b68ed-bcbb-4314-9b5e-1c5d1eff40c6
#Daphne-du-Maurier #My-Cousin-Rachel #gothic-novel #gothic-literature #classic-literature #book-review #autist #audhd #reading

I read The Blue Lenses again

[End of transmission]

#DaphneDuMaurier

In Chapter 11 of Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel, and oh, oh Mr. Philip Ashley…

You really ARE a giant dum-dum of a little boy, aren't you?
Like, I love du Maurier and I've actually managed to not spoil the plot of this one for myself before I read it, so I know we're pre GOTHIC PLOT TWIST - and I can't wait to see how Daphne tortures her characters - but oh. Oh Philip. Such an empty noodle on top of your neck. You could be malevolent or tragic. But right now you're just so oblivious.


#Daphne-du-Maurier #My-Cousin-Rachel #Philip-Ashley #first-read #gothic-novel #1951 #literature
Cuando te quieren anular quitándote tu nombre 📚🧍🏻🧍🏻‍♀️ https://letrasprestadas-clubpickwick.blogspot.com/2022/03/y-tu-como-te-llamas-personajes-sin.html Personajes que sus autores creyeron conveniente que no tuvieran nombre por distintas razones. Con #CormacMcCarthy, #Murakami, #DaphneduMaurier, #MargaretAktwood, #Puccini, #Wagner y #Ruders

Actually -- and I might be imagining this -- but #DaphneDuMaurier's writing style reminds me quite a lot of #StephenKing's writing style.

Not sure why.

#Books #Reading

I'm rereading The Blue Lenses so I can write a blog post about it.

And that's the thing about #DaphneDuMaurier's work; you kind of have to read them a couple of times because they're so intriguing.

At least, I have to ...

#reading #books

Hay personajes inolvidables de los que no sabemos su nombre 📚🎼 https://letrasprestadas-clubpickwick.blogspot.com/2022/03/y-tu-como-te-llamas-personajes-sin.html Personajes que sus autores creyeron conveniente que no tuvieran nombre. Con #CormacMcCarthy, #Murakami, #DaphneduMaurier, #MargaretAktwood, #Puccini, #Wagner y #Ruders
Cuando te quitan tu nombre 📘🧍🏻‍♀️ https://letrasprestadas-clubpickwick.blogspot.com/2022/03/y-tu-como-te-llamas-personajes-sin.html Personajes que sus autores creyeron conveniente que no tuvieran nombre por distintas razones. Con #CormacMcCarthy, #Murakami, #DaphneduMaurier, #MargaretAktwood, #Puccini, #Wagner y #Ruders