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Feb. 15th, 2023 06:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatAlmost done with "Within These Wicked Walls" and no, I don't think I can highly recommend it. I kept skimming most of it. The romance doesn't work. The hero comes across as a bit too "wet-behind-the-ears". We have a Beauty and the Beast tale with the boy from the Secret Garden. I'd have preferred Mr. Rochester. He's supposed to be Mr. Rochester, but he acts like the little boy from the Secret Garden, which is jarring. Except he turns into a hyena at night.
I kept reading it - because I found the magic, the hyena bit, and the mythology interesting (ie the world building/curse), also her relationship (somewhat fractured at best) with her mentor. And there's some interesting horror - magic bits in there that I'd not seen done before. Such as the hero's mother died and was brought back as a clay golem that does the evil eye's bidding. But only the heroine, her mentor, and the hero can see the woman.
**
Work is slow at the moment (it usually is this time of year). I'm waiting for a lot of things...so, I've been biding my time working on revising my book via my personal one drive, filling out the union medical reimbursement forms, playing around the RFQ, pestering the people I'm waiting on things from, talking to people, and organizing things.
Also chose to take two days off - or give myself a five day weekend, one of the days is a doctor's appointment that I have to fast for.
Lusting after trips - right now I'm playing with trips to:
* Scotland
* Switzerland
* Belize
* Alaska
And Niagra Falls. Also Montreal.
In May, I've promised mother that I will join her for niece's graduation in Mass, and upstate NY. BYT said she could approve a couple days in May, when I floated the idea at her. (They just don't want to give me Christmas, other times of year appear to be fine. It's because Christmas comes at the end of the fiscal year - and everyone is a bloody procrastinator.)
I'd like to go to Scotland - I'm plotting a fantasy novel that takes place there. Also Spain - I've a novel in my head that takes place in Seville and in Argentina.
But I don't really want to "travel" anywhere right now. (I travel every day on public transportation - I don't want to do more of it.) I may get tickets to see the Broadway show (by way of the West End) entitled SIX, which is described as the Spice Girls meet King Henry the VIII. I think I can get a reasonable price for Mezzaine, and I'm not sure I really require Orchestra for it.
Brief splurge for my birthday. I'm not sure about getting a massage, haven't done it since 2020, and it's always hit or miss with me. Also I don't ache at the moment - I've figured out if I control my digestive issues, my back won't hurt.
***
Realized something today - there are genres I don't like.
For example? I don't like real person fanfic (which is a genre) and is often blended in with the historical. It irritates me and I find it jarring for the most part. (Weirdly it doesn't bother me in film or television, but it does annoy me in novels.)
I don't write it. My characters are made up. They may have characteristics from various people I've met, but they aren't those people and for most part bare no resemblance. I don't like writing about people who live outside of my imagination. It makes me twitchy to write or read it.
I also don't tend to like straight up historical novels. If they are mystery hybrids like the Alienist by Caleb Carr, then yes, I love them. But not if its just a historical. I think the only ones I enjoyed were the family saga novels by Howard Fast in the 1970s and 80s.
Some people, such as my Uncle, assume novelists (all novelists) base their characters on people they know or real people or historical figures - we don't. Some might. But a lot of us don't.
In music? I'm not really a pop music fan. It sounds alike. I downloaded all of Rhianna songs today - and listened to them on the way home - and yep, they sound alike.
Also, because I decided to reference it in the novel I'm revising (the characters sing it as a Karaoke duet), the song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - which apparently is also featured in the musical Promises, Promises - and sung as a duet by Kristen Chenworth and Scean Hayes. I did not know this - I'd only heard the version by Bobbie Gentry and Dionne Warwick. I also didn't know it was written by Burt Bacharach - who wrote a ton of film music scores, romantic scores, and elevator music. I thought it was written by Bobbie Gentry. (I like his (Burt Bacharach) songs, but I admit I've heard them in elevators and stores over the years. Not now - no one has elevator music any longer. It's sad. I remember doing a contract for elevator music or muzac at the health insurance company I once worked for. It was also by far - in the best location. Right next to Bryant Park and a stone's throw from the F train.)
The song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a bit of an earworm, also it's had an insane number of covers. Everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Tom Jones to Issac Hayes and the Carpenters has done it. Even Elvis Costello, who did a lot of duets with Burt Bacharach.
I like the song - it's kind of subversive for Bacharach. It swings in on itself. An anti-love song that doth protest too much.
Some songs fascinate me. They manage to accomplish the seemingly impossible - encapsulate indescribable emotions, and get people to feel them in a similar way. So automatic empathy. Music generates empathy better than anything else.
There are bad songs out there of course. And I like a lot of them. I don't really care that they are considered bad - I like them anyhow. I like a lot of bad books and movies too. Well bad may be the wrong word - unpopular? Politically meh? IDK.
Was discussing Billy Joel with a co-worker, and we both agreed that most of his songs sounded alike, and he wasn't that good of a musician or songwriter. He's not - but I like his music anyhow. "We Didn't Start the Fire" doesn't make sense and isn't very good - but I enjoy the heck out of it. Same with "Allentown".
Everybody is a critic. Including me. And Billy Joel for that matter.
John Scalzi stated on Twitter in a response to a tweet that wondered why "writers want to be known" - "Writers want to be known for the same reasons that baseball players and ninja assassin's want to be known for what they do -"
Me: Well, I seriously doubt ninja assassins want to be known. Being known kind of takes away the whole surprise factor of being a ninja assassin. It's kind of hard to sneak up on a target if they know who and what you are.
Unlike writers, ninja assassins don't care what people think about them, nor do they need to be applauded. They are assassins. Let's think about that for a minute. If you know about them? You are either employing them or dead.
I wonder about traditionally published/famous best-selling novelists sometimes. I know they are bored. Because they spend a lot of time on social media - more than we do. They are on about twenty different platforms and post on all of them twenty times a day. I'm amazed they actually find the time to write a book, let alone get it published.
I was telling a coworker recently that a lot of people are just bored. You really can't underestimate the motivating factor of boredom in society right now.
***
Sci-Fi co-worker and I are kind of at odds. He likes and watches things I don't and vice versa. Although we did agree that the Original Trek was the least interesting of the Trek's. And the only interesting and developed character in it was Spock. Neither of us were crazy about Kirk.
He warned me off of The Mayfair Witches - said it is very gory and violent, and he gave up on it. So, maybe not? Gory horror isn't my thing.
I feel at cross-purposes with my co-workers at the moment. Another good reason for a five day weekend. I need to get away from them.
I kept reading it - because I found the magic, the hyena bit, and the mythology interesting (ie the world building/curse), also her relationship (somewhat fractured at best) with her mentor. And there's some interesting horror - magic bits in there that I'd not seen done before. Such as the hero's mother died and was brought back as a clay golem that does the evil eye's bidding. But only the heroine, her mentor, and the hero can see the woman.
**
Work is slow at the moment (it usually is this time of year). I'm waiting for a lot of things...so, I've been biding my time working on revising my book via my personal one drive, filling out the union medical reimbursement forms, playing around the RFQ, pestering the people I'm waiting on things from, talking to people, and organizing things.
Also chose to take two days off - or give myself a five day weekend, one of the days is a doctor's appointment that I have to fast for.
Lusting after trips - right now I'm playing with trips to:
* Scotland
* Switzerland
* Belize
* Alaska
And Niagra Falls. Also Montreal.
In May, I've promised mother that I will join her for niece's graduation in Mass, and upstate NY. BYT said she could approve a couple days in May, when I floated the idea at her. (They just don't want to give me Christmas, other times of year appear to be fine. It's because Christmas comes at the end of the fiscal year - and everyone is a bloody procrastinator.)
I'd like to go to Scotland - I'm plotting a fantasy novel that takes place there. Also Spain - I've a novel in my head that takes place in Seville and in Argentina.
But I don't really want to "travel" anywhere right now. (I travel every day on public transportation - I don't want to do more of it.) I may get tickets to see the Broadway show (by way of the West End) entitled SIX, which is described as the Spice Girls meet King Henry the VIII. I think I can get a reasonable price for Mezzaine, and I'm not sure I really require Orchestra for it.
Brief splurge for my birthday. I'm not sure about getting a massage, haven't done it since 2020, and it's always hit or miss with me. Also I don't ache at the moment - I've figured out if I control my digestive issues, my back won't hurt.
***
Realized something today - there are genres I don't like.
For example? I don't like real person fanfic (which is a genre) and is often blended in with the historical. It irritates me and I find it jarring for the most part. (Weirdly it doesn't bother me in film or television, but it does annoy me in novels.)
I don't write it. My characters are made up. They may have characteristics from various people I've met, but they aren't those people and for most part bare no resemblance. I don't like writing about people who live outside of my imagination. It makes me twitchy to write or read it.
I also don't tend to like straight up historical novels. If they are mystery hybrids like the Alienist by Caleb Carr, then yes, I love them. But not if its just a historical. I think the only ones I enjoyed were the family saga novels by Howard Fast in the 1970s and 80s.
Some people, such as my Uncle, assume novelists (all novelists) base their characters on people they know or real people or historical figures - we don't. Some might. But a lot of us don't.
In music? I'm not really a pop music fan. It sounds alike. I downloaded all of Rhianna songs today - and listened to them on the way home - and yep, they sound alike.
Also, because I decided to reference it in the novel I'm revising (the characters sing it as a Karaoke duet), the song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - which apparently is also featured in the musical Promises, Promises - and sung as a duet by Kristen Chenworth and Scean Hayes. I did not know this - I'd only heard the version by Bobbie Gentry and Dionne Warwick. I also didn't know it was written by Burt Bacharach - who wrote a ton of film music scores, romantic scores, and elevator music. I thought it was written by Bobbie Gentry. (I like his (Burt Bacharach) songs, but I admit I've heard them in elevators and stores over the years. Not now - no one has elevator music any longer. It's sad. I remember doing a contract for elevator music or muzac at the health insurance company I once worked for. It was also by far - in the best location. Right next to Bryant Park and a stone's throw from the F train.)
The song "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a bit of an earworm, also it's had an insane number of covers. Everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Tom Jones to Issac Hayes and the Carpenters has done it. Even Elvis Costello, who did a lot of duets with Burt Bacharach.
I like the song - it's kind of subversive for Bacharach. It swings in on itself. An anti-love song that doth protest too much.
Some songs fascinate me. They manage to accomplish the seemingly impossible - encapsulate indescribable emotions, and get people to feel them in a similar way. So automatic empathy. Music generates empathy better than anything else.
There are bad songs out there of course. And I like a lot of them. I don't really care that they are considered bad - I like them anyhow. I like a lot of bad books and movies too. Well bad may be the wrong word - unpopular? Politically meh? IDK.
Was discussing Billy Joel with a co-worker, and we both agreed that most of his songs sounded alike, and he wasn't that good of a musician or songwriter. He's not - but I like his music anyhow. "We Didn't Start the Fire" doesn't make sense and isn't very good - but I enjoy the heck out of it. Same with "Allentown".
Everybody is a critic. Including me. And Billy Joel for that matter.
John Scalzi stated on Twitter in a response to a tweet that wondered why "writers want to be known" - "Writers want to be known for the same reasons that baseball players and ninja assassin's want to be known for what they do -"
Me: Well, I seriously doubt ninja assassins want to be known. Being known kind of takes away the whole surprise factor of being a ninja assassin. It's kind of hard to sneak up on a target if they know who and what you are.
Unlike writers, ninja assassins don't care what people think about them, nor do they need to be applauded. They are assassins. Let's think about that for a minute. If you know about them? You are either employing them or dead.
I wonder about traditionally published/famous best-selling novelists sometimes. I know they are bored. Because they spend a lot of time on social media - more than we do. They are on about twenty different platforms and post on all of them twenty times a day. I'm amazed they actually find the time to write a book, let alone get it published.
I was telling a coworker recently that a lot of people are just bored. You really can't underestimate the motivating factor of boredom in society right now.
***
Sci-Fi co-worker and I are kind of at odds. He likes and watches things I don't and vice versa. Although we did agree that the Original Trek was the least interesting of the Trek's. And the only interesting and developed character in it was Spock. Neither of us were crazy about Kirk.
He warned me off of The Mayfair Witches - said it is very gory and violent, and he gave up on it. So, maybe not? Gory horror isn't my thing.
I feel at cross-purposes with my co-workers at the moment. Another good reason for a five day weekend. I need to get away from them.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-16 12:07 pm (UTC)Oh and Bobbie Gentry is female.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-16 03:42 pm (UTC)Thanks on Promises, Promises - I wondered if BB had written all the songs for it. Assumed he had but wasn't certain.