This
week: more endurance work blending working out with literature,
seemingly the two staple themes of this ridiculous blog.
Last
week I went for burnout by cycling for as long as possible, with as
few breaks as possible. I did this whilst reading Dom Joly’s The
Dark Tourist.
This
time, to avoid the eventuality of burning out and finding my legs
seizing up on me, I decided to read in bursts with intervals of
sit-ups. I figured an anthology of short stories would be the best
type of book to go for, so I could break for stomach work between
each story. I picked out Don’t Look Now and Other Stories by Daphne
DuMaurier. Printed in 1971, the collection was a success and the
titular story soon turned into one of the scariest films ever made.
Don’t
Look Now
An
effective horror featuring a couple holidaying in Venice whilst
coming to terms with their grief. It seems Nicholas Roeg stuck quite
faithfully to the original text for his 1973 movie interpretation,
with the odd adjustment for visual effect.
Reading
time: 1hr 22.
Not
After Midnight
An
interesting holiday-set mythical murder mystery with a good twist in
the tail.
Reading
time: 1hr 32.
A
Borderline Case
A
woman is inducted into an Irish terror faction. With a terrified lead
character and supporting villains altering photographs, it’s an
interesting 1950s predecessor to Bret Easton Ellis’ Glamorama. Also
appearing in the story is a woman called Dr. Dray, who is an actual
medical practitioner, not the weed-smoking founder of Gangster Rap.
Reading
time: 2hr 5.
Way of
the Cross
Four
people go on a double date in Jerusalem, resulting in dental mishaps,
fallouts and loss of faith. If I read it right. Very strange.
Reading
time: 2hr 15.
The
Breakthrough
An
electrical contractor is sent up to Scotland to investigate some
unusual behaviour at a science lab. A predecessor to The Exorcist and
Poltergiest, with a British slant. It features the most amateur
science lab known to man, with dogs roaming through the kitchen
whilst a paranormal-ologist assesses a potentially possessed teenage
girl. Again, very strange.
Reading
time: 1hr 7 mins.
Reading
and cycling requires using your body and your brain at the same time.
At the risk of typecasting myself, I found multitasking hard. I had
to slow my reading speed down a lot, reread parts and sip copious
amounts of water. I started the warmup at around 11am, and finished
the last story at 8.47pm, just before the gym shut. I’d had a big
carb breakfast first thing, but no food until after I'd left the gym.
The breaks allowed me to rest my legs, letting them cool and giving
my strength more longevity.
As for
the book: the language was flowery and dated, but the stories were
engaging and unusual, even to this day.
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