Seriously, I love this guy. He's one of my favorite writers -- established as well as up and coming. I'm not kidding when I say he writes some of the most exciting stuff I've ever read and/or listened to. And it's not the first time I've gone on about him -- hthe dude can write. And I honestly think he's on the way to rocking the genre for many years to come.
Also, despite his tough guy demeanor, the dude's a giant teddy bear and one of the nicest writers your likely to meet. Or at least email with. If you've not yet read or listened to any of his stories, I highly recommend you checking out what's available for free at his site, and then picking up this book.
Note: If you do pick up the book, and you want the signature, make sure you select the hardcover. You can't get your own personal dirty limerick without the HC.
- Music:BRMC -- 666 Conducer
Thus far, my reading list consists of:
Consider Phlebas (Ian Banks)
The Ghost Brigades (John Scalzi)
The Journal of George Fox (George Fox -- the founder of the Quaker movement, for uh, light reading)
Temutma (Rebecca Bradley and Stewart Sloan)
Unwelcome Bodies (Jennifer Pelland -- I like having some short stories with me, and I really want to read this!)
Like I said. Nuts. I'd be lucky to finish that many books in a month, much less a week. No comic books as of yet. That will probably change.
I don't know how much writing I'll get done on my trip -- I'm not expecting to get much done especially in relation to Fallen Horizon. I'll probably be offline for the majority of next week, too, so I doubt I'll be on LJ very much. It's been a couple years since we were in the UK, but we're going to be staying mostly in one place visiting family this time, and we are taking the laptop, so I might surprise you (and me). The idea of not checking my email for a week seems a bit scary, too.
I will be bringing a sketchpad though, because I really do want to draw a gearaffe, along with some other fun things, and this might be the time to do it.
That's it for now. See you on the other side of the pond (maybe) with the cider.
- Music:Vampire Weekend -- Oxford Comma
Despite
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
matt_wallace's griping, and despite the guy wanting to kick me in the nuts, I've got a lot of love for Sigler, and I'm excited for his book to show up on my doorstep. But there's something I find very interesting about the dude. When people give him shit (and I'm not talking about constructive criticism, I'm talking about trolling), Sigler doesn't hesitate to get in the troll's face. I've seen this happen several time's now. And both times, I've seen other people say that because he stuck up for his stuff, they'll give his book a chance. I love that, but I do find it odd. When Anne Rice went ballistic on people, her name was forever mired. Ditto Laurell K. Hamilton. Yet for Sigler, the opposite is true -- we love him for it. But why? Is it because he's one of us -- a fan, or a Creative Commons pioneer? Is it because that's what Sigler's led us to expect from him? (I love the podcasts in which he responds to critiques and feedback about his work as much as I do his actual fiction. That's not to discredit his books -- they're great. But hearing him interact with people and go off is at least equally amusing.) I'm curious to hear what other people think about this.Has anyone read any of Simon R. Green's Nightside books? I'm reading the first one now, about 100 pages into it, and I have to admit I'm a little bit smitten by it. I'm thinking Jim Butcher fans would really like it (he actually blurbed the book I'm reading) and it does for me what I was hoping the Dresden Files would. Imagine the middle brother of John Constantine Hellblazer and Fox Mulder and you'll get Nightside's John Taylor. Nightside is like Gaiman's London Below, a dark, gothic fantasy world with all kinds of creepiness, humor, and danger; Taylor is the P.I. for hire who doesn't solve things, he finds things, and he lets us ride shotgun while he takes us on a tour of the dark landscape in search of his latest job. My one complaint is that the characters seem to feel the need to remind us often that that's just how it is "in the Nightside," but the rest of it is so much pulpy fun, I'm fine with it.
Finally, local SoCal punk band Pennywise has a new album out, Reason to Believe, and for the next couple of weeks you can download it from their myspace account for free. This isn't necessarily an endorsement. I like some punk music quite a bit, and I was in HS when Pennywise first started getting big (although they were one of those bands that really shunned "getting big"). I confess, aside from "Bro Hymn," I never really got them. But I grabbed the new album to give them another chance. It's okay, for a free album, but I'm not sure it changes my opinion of them. Has anyone else heard it? What do you think?
The book itself is the stuff of creative dreams and Vaughan uses the comic book format in ways that set the medium apart from film, prose, and every other medium, and Vaughan creates a unique, heartfelt story about taking your best shot., and letting the chips fall wherever they may. It also deals with viral marketing, ret-conning, selling out to the man, romance, friendship, and of course, escapism. It is the most inspiring book about creativity I've read since Jules Feiffer's "The Man in the Ceiling". If you're a fan of Chabon's Kavalier and Clay, definitely check this one out.
In other news, Claire's been waking up around 3:45 in the mornings the last couple of days, needing to go to the bathroom, then needing me to stay in her room until she falls back asleep again (this morning, I woke up on her floor around 5pm). Needless to say, I haven't gotten a lot of writing done in the mornings.
Nevertheless, I'm very close to finishing a first draft of "The Gearaffe who Didn't Tick," which makes me very happy. The last 1,000 words or so that I've put into the story have take a lot of perserverence, and it's very much at the "Shitty first draft" point, to quote Pelland, but it is something resembling a draft. I also think it's ironic that the story that's made me want to curse more in the last two years is a children's story.
- Music:Chamberlain -- Her Side of Sundown
New Year's always seems like something of an anti-climatic holiday to me. New Year's Eve has always seemed like the closest thing to a holiday, and even that's pretty anti-climatic. At best, you get a kiss and maybe some champange. At worst, you get woken up at midnight by your neighbor's abandoned, whimpering dogs.
Easily my favorite part of new year's are the lists. The best of lists, the worst of lists, the what I recommend and what I don't lists. They run the risk of being anti-climatic, too, but a lot of times, they can be entertaining. I like making those lists, too, so I've written up a list of the books I've read and listened to over the last year. Like last year, I've bolded the books I really loved and italicized the ones that drove me nuts. I've written up little reviews for most of these on my shelfari page, for anyone interested in more detail on my thoughts.
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novick
I've never been into the dragon-riding sub-genre that's apparently out there, but this book was tons of fun.
7th Son: Descent by JC Hutchins (A)
Heaven by Mur Lafferty (A)
Heaven: Hell by Mur Lafferty (A)
Heaven: Earth by Mur Lafferty (A)
This is one of my favorite podcast stories out there. I can't wait for parts 4 and 5!
Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold
A Proper Fool by Jeffrey Valka*
I beta-read this for Jeff, and he's going to own all your asses when he gets this thing published. It's all about love, tarot, and the fools they both make.
The Willow Knot by Barbara Gordon*
I just finished beta-reading this for Barbara and she is also going to own all your asses with this, a very dark fairy tale.
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
This book just flat-out pissed me off. I picked it up because it had a JK Rowling blurb and I wanted to read some YA horror. But it ended up being vampirism at its most cliched. Everything that was supposed to be horrifying or exciting had an exclamation point at the end!
Infection by Scott Sigler (A)
Balls out horror.
The Rookie by Scott Sigler (A)
Intergalactic football sounds absolutely horrible, and yet between the aliens, the violent deaths on the field, and the mafia controlled football teams, this was pretty fun.
The Failed Cities Monologues by Matt Wallace (A)
This is my other favorite podcast novel and I can't recommend it enough. I listened to it twice this year.
Brave Men Run by Matthew Wayne Selznick (A)
Fun podcast novel with an elevator pitch that might go like: a John Hughes superhero story.
Overclocked by Cory Doctorow
Eastern Standard Tribe by Cory Doctorow
Singularity Sky by Charles Stross
I enjoyed this well enough to want to read more Stross, but not as much as I thought I would based on everyone else's opinions.
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Reread this and was surprised it was just as good as I remembered, if not better.
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
I've never had so much fun reading military SF before. I gave it to my dad after reading it, and he also borrowed my copy of the Ghost Brigades, then lost it on vacation, and just recently replaced it.
You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem
I fucking love Jonathan Lethem but this book about would be rock and roll stars, fair-use, and copyright was nothing short of a let-down for me.
Un Lun Dun by China Mieiville
It took a little while to get going, but after 100 pages, it's clear China Mieville is having way too much fun. I could go for a whole series of books about Mr. Cavea (the guy with a birdcage for a head), the Extreme Librarians, and the Unbrellisimo.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling
We've already talked about this.
Hammered by Elizabeth Bear
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
I did not expect this book to live up to the hype. A bittersweet coming of age and an adventure, all rolled into one.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Also excellent, it stays with the women in Afghanistan. I actually wanted to kill one of the characters in this book, which even in some genre books, takes quite a bit for me to feel.
Blood Engines by T.A. Pratt
Also known as Tim Pratt. Dark, fun, and often funny. Even the cannibal bits.
Nobody Gets the Girl by James Maxey
Thrill-a-minute superhero book. Lots of fun, despite some problems I had with the characterization.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy, the genre writer, does post-apocalyptic fiction. I've heard a lot of people frustrated with McCarthy's style (mostly lack of punctuation) which I think is valid, and also that this is a rehashed plot, which I suppose is also valid. But it felt completely genuine to me, and I had a hard time not getting misty-eyed by the end. I hope we get more of this kind of thing from McCarthy.
Nonfiction:
Grace (Eventually) by Annie Lamott
New Way to be Human by Charlie Peacock
This was a pretty interesting book about Christianity and how it should be applicable for today's Christians.
Comics:
Seven Soldiers of Victory Volume 2, by Grant Morrison, various
Seven Soldiers of Victory Volume 3, by Grant Morrison, various
Seven Soldiers of Victory Volume 4, by Grant Morrison, various
Books 2 and 3 are very strong, but like most things Grant Morrison, this one has a mindbender of an ending I still don't quite get. That said, it's a lot of fun!
Y the Last Man: Kimono Dragons by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
Y the Last Man: Motherland by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra
My absolute favorite comic book out right now. It's a shame there were only two collections this year. The final trade will be out next year. I will be very sad when it comes out.
Ex Machina: Fact vs. Fiction by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris
Ex Machina: Tag by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris
Ex Machina: March to War by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris
Great story about how the world's only superhero becomes mayor of NYC after saving one of the Twin Towers.
The Walking Dead: Days Gone By by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
Zombie + apocalypse = 'nuff said.
Marvel Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
Started out strong but ended relatively lame.
Eternals by Neil Gaiman and John Romita, Jr.
It was fun seeing Neil play in Marvel continuity for a change.
Powers: Supergroup by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
One of the better Powers books IMO and reminds me of why I love Bendis.
Fire by Brian Michael Bendis
Absolutely ridiculous and reminds me why some people get nervous when they hear Bendis' name.
Transmetropolitan: Year of the Bastard by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson
Transmetropolitan: The New Scum by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson
Transmetropolitan: Lonely City by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson
Transmetropolitan: Gouge Away by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson
Transmetropolitan: Spider's Thrash by Warren Ellis and Darrick Robertson
Wanted by Mark Millar and JG Jones
When this wanted to be Fight Club, it was pretty good. When it became a gang war, it was entertaining fluff.
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
Can't say enough good things about this comic. I've never read it before, but I'm shocked at how relevant it seems to be today, considering it was written in and set in the 80s.
Currently Reading/Listening to:
Playing For Keeps by Mur Lafferty
Nocturnal by Scott Sigler
7th Son: Deceit by JC Hutchins
I finished reading Jonathan Lethem's You Don't Love Me Yet this weekend. I posted a longer review on Shelfari, but the long and short of it is that when the book is about how art (in the book, rock 'n roll) is inspired by other things and goes onto inspire other things and ends up becoming a collaborative effort and/or part of the collective conscious it's pretty good. But when it strays from these things, less so. I'm not sure I'd recommend it unless you really like Lethem or are interested in the dilemnas of copyrights.
On the plus side, this is the second book of Lethem's I've read with a kangaroo in it, albeit the kangaroo in this book isn't packing a gun.
I invited several people there from my email account but I didn't invite everyone for fear of spamming. So if I accidentally skipped you and you think you want to sign up, feel free to hit me up.
- Music:Jack Johnson -- Bubble Toes
If you haven't finished reading it yet, don't worry: I won't spoil anything specific about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for you. I won't be the loud and brash fan or spoiler and I'll just speak in generic terms. And even though a lot's been said about it and some people are probably sick of the boy who lived, I want to throw my two cents in, because of how much fun this whole series has been for me. This is easily the darkest book of the series. The last three books have seen the death of charachters at the end. In this book, you don't have to wait very long. People die left and right, and I'm not talking about periphary charachters. I was pretty rocked by several of them. And yet, it's not all gloom. While there are sacrifices, there's displays of courage and bravery that left me surprised, proud, and a little misty-eyed. I think this might be my favorite book in the series (possibly better than Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix) because it hits just about every emotion so well and it's conclusion is so satisfying.
- Music:John Williams -- Harry Potter
Last night, we decided to go to bed right after we put Claire down. I was partly tempted to put in a DVD but I decided it would be a good time to read a chunk of Charles Stross' Singularity Sky. I've been reading this book for a while but I don't seem to be getting anywhere. It's not that the books bad, I think it has more to do with me only really being able to read right before bed. So, started reading around 8:45 last night, fell asleep reading around 9:30. It's bad news that I'm going to bed at 8:45.
It's worse news that I'm falling asleep reading a SF book a lot of my friends have recommended. And I've really got to finish this book soon. I want to reread the last two Harry Potter books before #7 comes out next month.
Even worse, though, is that despite going to bed so early, I woke feeling completely trashed. My back hurt, I was exhausted, and I had to go to work. I'm so bad in the mornings that I've earned the title "Your Grumpiness" from Emma. I kind of like that, as long as she capitalizes "Your Grumpiness."
- Music:Gin Blossoms -- New Miserable Experience
*happy dance*
Dammit, now I've got three books I want to read RIGHT NOW!
Lethem's You Don't Love Me Yet
China Mieville's Un-Lun-Dun (also mentioned in the link).
Paul Malmont's Chinatown Death Cloud Peril
Decisions decisions.
- Music:The Shins -- Wincing the Night Away
I finished reading Carter Beats the Devil last week. It's a fun historical novel about stage magician's Carter the Great's involvement with the assasination of President Warren G. Harding (did he or didn't he?), love lost and found, travelling magic acts, rivaling magicians (some of them murderous), television, and above all else: illusion. Glen David Gold, the author has a great voice -- his prose makes the roaring 20s sparkle exactly the way you'd expect it to. There's a few points where it really hit some slumps (for me, at least): when Carter was just a boy and another chunk in the middle. It's also a really big book but it's fun to see the way everything ties in together at the end.
For better or worse I started reading Cirque du Freak, a YA horror novel, afterward. I'm about halfway through it. It's not doing that much for me -- kinda cliched. There's exclamation marks peppered thoughout the book. I think it's the author's way of making the prose more exciting! Even though there's already vampires and carnivals! Hmmmm. I'll probably finish it because sometimes I'm just masochistic that way.
I'm also rereading Ender's Game which is loads of fun. Honestly, I'd forgotten just how good this book is. Emma started teaching it to her 10th grade students two weeks ago, so I'm trying to read along with them.
Not sure what I'll read after I finish Cirque du Freak. Probably Only Forward and Overclocked or City of Saints and Madman.
We got there right before it started and I was surprised by how mellow it was. I've never been to a book launch before -- to be honest, I thought it'd be more like a reading/signing thing. But the intimacy of the event was great. I introduced Emma and Claire and Cory noticed the pirate shirt Claire was wearing and busted out into "Yo-ho, Yo-ho, a pirate's life for me!" song. I don't think Claire was sure about him at first, but that caused her to break out into a big smile. We chatted about writing, all the books he has coming out (a YA novel, a novel, and a non-fiction book about copyright), podcasts, and Disneyworld. He was asked what I was doing and I told him I'd written a new short story I was very happy with and had been submitting it around. He was super friendly and it was a blast talking to him -- a conversation I don't think would have been possible at a huge event.
Claire soon became obsessed with an X-Men comic that had Jean Grey crying on the cover ("Crying," Claire said). After a little while, she started to get upset that Jean Grey was sad. I tried to tell her Jean Grey always cried and she'd get over it eventually, but my daughter's a more sensitive soul than I am and she wasn't convinced. Even pictures of Spider-man couldn't distract her, so we walked outside and played on the grass for a little while before leaving. All around it was a lot of fun and I'm glad we got to go do it.
- Music:Jack Johnson -- Flake
For your consideration, I'm omitting all the children books I read to her this year:)
Anything in Bold I highly recommend. Stuff italicized I don't think you need to bother with. Anything I marked with an (A) I listened to. So here's the list, in no particular order:
I'd heard mixed things about this book before I started reading it, but I wanted to know what all the hype is about. So far, I'm kind of enjoying it as a riff on Star Wars (but with dragons), albeit a very cliched one. (Actually, some of the parallels between this and SW are shocking, as this AICN review points out.) It's kind of fun to read, much like watching the old Battlestar Galactica TV show was fun to watch, even though you knew it was pretty much a SW rip-off. The writing quality could be better, the dialogue makes the prequels read like Shakespeare, and the plot could use an Uncle Jim treatment. That being said, I'm generally impressed that a kid between the ages of 15-17 could pull off so much and kind of enjoying myself.
But the dragonriding thing is really bumming me out. In Eragon, the dragon is in the background for most of the story (375 pages in, at least). She's always flying above because our hero is riding a horse and shooting the shit with one of his companions. The dragon can also never really go into towns with him, because dragons are supposed to be pretty much extinct (and seeing one would kind of give them away). The few times our hero has ridden the dragon are not much more exciting or terribly different than Aragorn riding a horse. I want to see dragon chases in the sky, breathing fire after each other, all that cheesy stuff. Reading about them dropping rocks on enemies is somewhat underwhelming.
athenaisBold the ones you've read,
Dave's note: A book has to be absolutely awful for me to hate it (Steve Perry's the Man Who Never Missed and the Jim Butcher's Storm Watch both come to mind). I haven't read any books on this list that I hated, although I some I didn't necessarily like. I also usually finish books, even ones I hate, just to have the bragging rights to say how horrible I thought they were...
- Mood:Back to Work -- Blah!
