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Wed Reading Meme ...
Jul. 27th, 2016 06:34 pmI managed to escape Barnes and Noble today without purchasing a book. Instead, I went back to the office and purchased the Kindle version on Amazon. It's cheaper. Well that, and I can actually read the print. Which book? Ah, The Big Book of Science Fiction aka the Ultimate Collection of science fiction short stories from around the world, and the last 100 or so years. Apparently a few years back, the editors went on the internet and asked people to list the best sci-fi short stories (no more than 10,000 words) from the past 100 years. This book collects and comments on all of them. It has stories by people like Ursula Le Guinn, Arthur C. Clark, HG Wells, Octavia Butler, Jorge Luis Borges, and Kurt Vonnegurt amongst many others.
My first genre love is science fiction/fantasy. Although there are subgenre exceptions. For instance?
I'm really not a fan of Victorian steam-punk or Jules Verne wannabees. I've read it, and the appeal is lost on me. I find it to be a bit clunky and jarring in the narrative structure. Really not a fan of 19th Century Literature. 18th Century didn't bother me as much. I remember attempting to avoid the 19th Century Literary courses in college, which was a lot easier than it should have been considering I was an English Lit major. So, skipped Jim Butcher's latest which is steam-punk.
But overall? I like most fantasy and sci-fi. Tend to steer clear of the "horror" unless it is written by Stephen King or someone whose writing style works for me. GRR Martin, I'm on the fence about. He's a wee bit on the wordy side and tends to meander. Reading Martin feels a bit like getting lost in a bramble bush and wishing you'd remembered to leave a trail of bread-crumbs to find your way out again.
Urban fantasy - I've mixed feelings about. It tends to skew towards either paranormal gothic romance or horror. There are a few exceptions. The Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series and the Jim Butcher Dresden series. Both of which feel more like dime store noir fantasy novels, which snarky lingo, sticky situations, and ambiguous leads. Think Philip Marlow meets Stephen King by way of Joss Whedon, with a touch of Anne Rice.
Just finished one of Andrews short stories in the Kate Daniels Magic Series, entitled "A Questionable Client". Kate, a mercenary, is hired to protect an sociopathic shapeshifter, who can change into any shape. The Shape-shifter, who is also a sexual deviant, has stolen a magical acorn from a sect of Russian Wizards.
Still reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow - learned that American Politics and in-fighting hasn't really changed all that much, well except women and persons of color get to enter the fray. There is that. Which, considering I happen to be a woman, is a huge deal. But the back-biting, manipulation, playing with the facts, and overall stupidity? It's the same. Weirdly comforting, in its own way. I guess because it all turned out okay? Yes, there were crazy people back then too. It's amazing we survived. But we did. Aliens did not invade. The British tried too, but it really didn't work out that well for them in the long run. I doubt they'll attempt it again.
[Right now, according to the news media, the Russian's are making an attempt - albeit a lame one. Is Russia bored? I mean you'd think they have enough problems of their own without nosing their way into American politics. ]
New York was also more or less the same back then. A city of multiple languages. That took for granted that the vast majority of people residing in it - most likely immigrated from
elsewhere and weren't from NY. Did not care that people came from elsewhere, or that they spook 14 different languages. Granted it was smaller back then, and from our perspective, at least, had less people - about 25-27,000. But back then - that was considered a huge population. Now? We're closer to 12.8 million depending on the day of the week, and the time of day. It may be more than that actually.
Also reading The Pristine Mind which is by a Tibetan Monk. It's not bad. I like it better than the Power of Now, which I found to be a bit smarmy and preachy. Both discusse how getting caught up in the ordinary mind makes us miserable. And we need to focus on the now, not the past (which is gone) or the the future (which may not happen). (Obviously these people haven't listened to Brian Green's take on space-time and how the present, future, and past are existing concurrently and are all real and happening at the same time, depending on where you happen to be on the grid.) Hard to explain. You sort have to read it for yourself. It's more philosophy than physics. My explanation? Our mind is only capable of dealing with the present and clock-time. If we try to hold onto past, present, and future...we will go nutty.
My first genre love is science fiction/fantasy. Although there are subgenre exceptions. For instance?
I'm really not a fan of Victorian steam-punk or Jules Verne wannabees. I've read it, and the appeal is lost on me. I find it to be a bit clunky and jarring in the narrative structure. Really not a fan of 19th Century Literature. 18th Century didn't bother me as much. I remember attempting to avoid the 19th Century Literary courses in college, which was a lot easier than it should have been considering I was an English Lit major. So, skipped Jim Butcher's latest which is steam-punk.
But overall? I like most fantasy and sci-fi. Tend to steer clear of the "horror" unless it is written by Stephen King or someone whose writing style works for me. GRR Martin, I'm on the fence about. He's a wee bit on the wordy side and tends to meander. Reading Martin feels a bit like getting lost in a bramble bush and wishing you'd remembered to leave a trail of bread-crumbs to find your way out again.
Urban fantasy - I've mixed feelings about. It tends to skew towards either paranormal gothic romance or horror. There are a few exceptions. The Illona Andrews Kate Daniels series and the Jim Butcher Dresden series. Both of which feel more like dime store noir fantasy novels, which snarky lingo, sticky situations, and ambiguous leads. Think Philip Marlow meets Stephen King by way of Joss Whedon, with a touch of Anne Rice.
Just finished one of Andrews short stories in the Kate Daniels Magic Series, entitled "A Questionable Client". Kate, a mercenary, is hired to protect an sociopathic shapeshifter, who can change into any shape. The Shape-shifter, who is also a sexual deviant, has stolen a magical acorn from a sect of Russian Wizards.
Still reading Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow - learned that American Politics and in-fighting hasn't really changed all that much, well except women and persons of color get to enter the fray. There is that. Which, considering I happen to be a woman, is a huge deal. But the back-biting, manipulation, playing with the facts, and overall stupidity? It's the same. Weirdly comforting, in its own way. I guess because it all turned out okay? Yes, there were crazy people back then too. It's amazing we survived. But we did. Aliens did not invade. The British tried too, but it really didn't work out that well for them in the long run. I doubt they'll attempt it again.
[Right now, according to the news media, the Russian's are making an attempt - albeit a lame one. Is Russia bored? I mean you'd think they have enough problems of their own without nosing their way into American politics. ]
New York was also more or less the same back then. A city of multiple languages. That took for granted that the vast majority of people residing in it - most likely immigrated from
elsewhere and weren't from NY. Did not care that people came from elsewhere, or that they spook 14 different languages. Granted it was smaller back then, and from our perspective, at least, had less people - about 25-27,000. But back then - that was considered a huge population. Now? We're closer to 12.8 million depending on the day of the week, and the time of day. It may be more than that actually.
Also reading The Pristine Mind which is by a Tibetan Monk. It's not bad. I like it better than the Power of Now, which I found to be a bit smarmy and preachy. Both discusse how getting caught up in the ordinary mind makes us miserable. And we need to focus on the now, not the past (which is gone) or the the future (which may not happen). (Obviously these people haven't listened to Brian Green's take on space-time and how the present, future, and past are existing concurrently and are all real and happening at the same time, depending on where you happen to be on the grid.) Hard to explain. You sort have to read it for yourself. It's more philosophy than physics. My explanation? Our mind is only capable of dealing with the present and clock-time. If we try to hold onto past, present, and future...we will go nutty.