Improv and Space
Feb. 20th, 2019 01:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alobearI went to see Showstoppers again last night and they didn't disappoint. The show overall was a bit ragged in places, but there were moments of absolute genius and I laughed uproariously on multiple occasions. Even though the format is always exactly the same, and I've seen it enough times to be able to identify the tricks and repeated tropes they use, the improvised musical is always good value for money, and I always have a great time. In fact, I think I'm going to book another one right now...
I also finished listening to The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal this morning. It's the first book in her Lady Astronaut series and charts an alternative history from a meteorite wiping out the eastern seaboard of America in 1952. The protagonist is Dr Elma Yorke, a mathmetician and pilot, who works for the space program as a computer and fights to get women accepted into astronaut training. What I loved about this book is that it doesn't shy away from showing Elma's weaknesses. She suffers from crippling anxiety around social expectations and the book explores the stigma surrounding taking medication for mental health issues. It also highlights Elma's lack of appreciation of racism in the spheres where she is fighting sexism, introducing intersectionality into the the female pilots' attempts to be recognised for their skills. I'm really looking forward to listening to the next in the series, not least because the author narrates the audio versions herself, and is excellent.
I also finished listening to The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal this morning. It's the first book in her Lady Astronaut series and charts an alternative history from a meteorite wiping out the eastern seaboard of America in 1952. The protagonist is Dr Elma Yorke, a mathmetician and pilot, who works for the space program as a computer and fights to get women accepted into astronaut training. What I loved about this book is that it doesn't shy away from showing Elma's weaknesses. She suffers from crippling anxiety around social expectations and the book explores the stigma surrounding taking medication for mental health issues. It also highlights Elma's lack of appreciation of racism in the spheres where she is fighting sexism, introducing intersectionality into the the female pilots' attempts to be recognised for their skills. I'm really looking forward to listening to the next in the series, not least because the author narrates the audio versions herself, and is excellent.
