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[shadowkat]

Another lovely day, if a tad on the chilly side. Accomplished a few things, just wish didn't amount to expenditures of cash. Sigh. Bought food - shitake mushrooms, chives, artichocke/garlic chicken sausage, artichocke/lemon pesto, raspberries, cocnut chocolate/cocnut lemon macroons, steak, breyer's natural vanilla ice cream, and bottled water. Bought books as well - that was the pricy item, books and a magazine, been on a magazine kick recently - don't know why. This week's were: 1.) George RR Martin's A FEAST OF CROWS for $22.20 (nice discount), no clue why I felt need to buy this in hardback or been lusting after it, know it will leave me unsatisfied just from a scan read. But Martin is an odd writer, you scan, then you feel an urge to really read it, even if it takes a long time. Reminds me a lot of Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond series, except better plotted and less romantic. So if you remove the romance and the crazy plotting of Dunnett, and literally go inside the pov of every character and go in depth on the political wrangling - you got an idea of what Martin is like. Plus the character's are tad more complex than Dunnetts, and considering Dunnett drew complex characters that's saying something. Never could read Robert Jordan - so would not say it's comparable to him. But it is decidely odd that I bought Feast, without first reading Storm of Swords, which apparently is the best of the bunch, albeit a tad on the grisely side. 2)Baroness Orczy's The Scarlette Pimpernell, a book I read over and over and over again as an adolescent and cherished. Haven't liked any of the tv or movie or play version nearly as well as the original - mostly because they do not reproduce the last three chapters and instead do something far less interesting to me. For me, the best part of the book is the last three chapters. (this was a cheap $5), 3) World Philosophies by Ninian Smart, described as a comprehensive introduction to all the world's major philosphical and religious traditions. Ninian Smart (1927-2001) - is described as the world's foremost scholar in religious studies. (hmmm, wouldn't know, but that's what the book jacket says. Looks readable and fascinating.), 4)What every online budding intellectual snob cannot live without - The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy - Second Edition. Yes, apparently, I've decided to enhance my psychological studies with a bit of philosophy on the side. May even write about to the abject horror of the philosophy experts on my flist. (I have an incredibly intellectual flist by the way. Very well-read and a good portion of them seem to know more than two languages. Intimidating to say the least.)5)The Economist: "France's failure". The question is - when will I find the time to read all this stuff???

* _{Oh and on the shallow, geeky front, yesterday, I bought Angel S5 DVD that I've been privately lusting after for the last year and a half. I liked that season, I identify. I work in the legal department of big corporation. Plus, Spike. Illyria. Cool Cordy. And the return of Lindsey.}

This morning got up early and did laundry. Yep, again. This round linens. Since going off to Hilton Head next weekend. Read this week's New Yorker - three articles, one on the recent election, one on the Supreme Court, and one on malpractice suites. Came home, watched my tape of this week's Nip/Tuck - which I found vaguely interesting - at least the Christian Troy sections, the other characters are boring me. Then took off for my walk and mused over the week's events.

If last week I felt as if I were sitting at a train station watching everyone board trains and leave me behind. This week I felt as if I were playing conductor, giving them directions on which trains to board. Or rather which ones they should take. Go figure. Life never fails to amuse and astonish me with it's unplanned twists and turns.

Very odd week. Had lots of eye-opening conversations - the type where you go, whoa, wait, that explains it.
Or whoa...that makes sense now.

Comments

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

The new book is here - that's Feast of Crows.

Dunnett's plots at times feel a tad on the unbelievable side. And contrived. I didn't think so upon first reading them, but read some convincing reviews by oyceter and ponyegirl that made me aware of it.
People convienently pop up where she wants them to - at times in ways that defy belief. Martin's popping up makes a little more sense and he seems to have a better concept of geographical distance and the intricacies of warfare. The action sequences in Martin's make more logical sense, the ones in Dunnett's novels made me roll my eyes at times and think, okay fun, but not believable. Which is odd since Dunnett's is a historical and Martin's is a fantasy. But Martin is obsessed with warfare and geography, while Dunnett was obsessed with political wrangling. Don't get me wrong - I preferred Dunnett, even though I found her sentences at times impossible to decipher and a tad overwrought. Reading Dunnett on the subway gave me a headache at times. Also Dunnett tends to be a tad melodramatic - "Lymond has excruciating headaches and they can only be sated by alcohol or sex with a woman", heh! I loved the Lymond Chronicles, even if they made me laugh at times in the weirdest places.