'Read yourself silly' hols, plus Sherlock

[flemmings]

1. The BBC Sherlock is exhilarating. It makes the world seem larger somehow. And I drag my feet about watching it, as proved by the fact that I believe incandescens sent it to me for Christmas a year ago and I watched the first season in October. Have just bitten bullet and started to watch season 2. The source of the reluctance, I think, is that I expect to be embarrassed when I watch TV shows, and most shows I've watched were only too glad to oblige. Sherlock is currently obliging with the Irene Adler episode. I suppose it's worth watching for Cumberbatch's Holmes, but otherwise I'd rather just get on with it.

2. Finished The Snake Stone, number two in the Inspector Yashim series. Goodwin has sensaplace down pat; if only I knew the place he has a sense of better. (Istanbul, FWIW.) I have vol three and will start it soon just to see if there's always a beautiful married woman that Yashim beds. And how, one wonders? Eunuchs, even those castrated fairly late, are not known for their staying power. Some people's priorities, I tell you: "no one will want to read it without a romantic plot and a sex scene, so eunuch or not, a romantic plot and a sex scene is what we get."

3. Possibly just the presence of London coppers, but Mieville's Kraken is the first of Aaronovitch's recs that has the same appeal as his own books. Alas it's *Mieville*, whom I will trust as I do adders fanged.

Comments

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

They're not necessarily known for staying power, no, but women used to chase castrati opera singers around Europe, because they mostly can at least somewhat and they won't get you pregnant. A couple of them had long-term mistresses the way other wealthy men did, even. That said, I haven't read the books you mention but you're probably right about the plot reasoning.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Um yes. My suspicious mind wonders who it was said that women chased castrati for those reasons: and not because, say, castrati might have mastered other modes of intercourse than straight p in v, no pun intended.

I always figured the castrato lover was the 18th century's equivalent of the gay best friend-- dresses well, makes good conversation, and has the extra eclat of being famous. Or possibly the 18th century equivalent of the male-role Takarazaka actress.