Reading and Cycling: Take 2

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.