I've blogged in the past about genre-bending movies (and I finally saw Cowboys and Aliens on DVD over the break - or at least I saw most of it, I think I fell asleep about half way through).
But lately I've been reading some cute genre-bending fiction, so here's some recommendations to pick up and read on planes to and from conferences this semester.
A friend gave me the P.D. James novel, Death Comes to Pemberley, for Christmas and I finally got around to reading it. It's really cute. I can't say I've read much, or indeed any, P.D. James in the past but she does a good job of taking Austen's characters and making them face murder most foul in the woodlands of the Pemberley estate.
Another one that may or may not count as a genre-bender, but I'd like to think it does, is Kate Bernheimer's 2010 collection of modern, and extremely creepy, fractured fairytales entitled My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me. Not only are there some really good modern takes on traditional fairytales in this book by a variety of writers from all over the world, but each writer gets to explain why (s)he picked a particular fairytale for inspiration and the process in developing it into a new version. For those of us copyright law geeks interested in the creative process, it's really interesting to see so many authors talking about their inspiration and process in the short story context.
I guess I'll have to stop reading books soon and turn back to movies because awards season is upon us and I missed the Golden Globes last weekend. Did Ricky Gervais go as far as he did last year? But the list of winners reminded me of all the movies I have yet to see before the Oscars. Who's in charge of the Oscar Trivia pool this year?? Tim??
You're not alone, I also missed the Golden Globes! Sigh...
Posted by: Sarah | January 20, 2012 at 12:54 AM
So did I. I didn't much care for Gervais as a host last year, so I wasn't eager to see a repeat. Congrats on your new appointment, Jacquie! As for the trivia pool, Tim has my vote.
Posted by: Kelly Anders | January 20, 2012 at 10:06 AM
Fair warning to my fellow Austen-ites out there: Death Comes to Pemberley is the best of the sequels with regard to tone. Capturing Austen's voice is terribly difficult, and this book does it far better than the others. But the plot is ridiculous and some of our favorite characters - Darcy, Elizabeth - are reduced to one or two leading characteristics, with no nuance at all. So don't worry about the story. Just let the sound of the words wrap you in the warmth of your favorite childhood blanket.
Posted by: alta charo | January 20, 2012 at 10:57 AM
Thanks Kelly. I second the vote for Tim!
And I have to agree with Alta re how good P D James was at capturing Austen's voice, but how it was also a little disappointing that the main characters don't have much of a role in this sequel.
Posted by: Jacqui Lipton | January 20, 2012 at 10:24 PM