never again is what you swore the time before

[dragonladyflame]

David Foster Wallace, the author who recently committed suicide, was a favorite of a friend of mine. I decided to check his Brief Interviews With Hideous Men out from the library, and I very much recommend it. I'd worried, based on excerpts, that Wallace's work would be shallow and too clever, too self-consciously ironic. And there are aspects

Comments

[rachelrev]

When this has happened to me, I have felt (c) both flattered that my extreme awesomeness had captivated them as well as a bit insulted that they only noticed me after XYZ. I mean, hadn't they noticed A-W? That was pretty amazing, too. But I know that I also have done this, only noticed a person's fabulous character after some event (XYZ) that allowed me to see them in a new light. And usually, this revelation had nothing to do with transformation on their part, but with me being able to look beyond the assumptions I had made which blinded me to A-W. I try to remember this when I find myself in the position of suddenly being seen, and take the comment as the compliment it is intended to be.

Regarding books, have you read Eva Luna by Allende? (I also enjoyed Zorro) Also, what do you think of Lois McMaster Bujold? I am currently reading Palidin of Souls, the sequel to Curse of Chalion, which I LOVED.

[dragonladyflame]

I have not read Eva Luna. I don't think I've read anything by Bujold either, though I've heard the name.

For me, if I manage to startle someone into realizing that I am awesome when they previously had no opinion (or even a negative one!), I think I feel a measure of pleasure at having faked them out and surprised them so thoroughly. I don't like what doing what people expect -- indeed, this tendency is nearly a fault.

[heliograph]

I'll second Bujold. I prefer her science fiction setting, but her stuff is all good.

Start with Ethan of Athos. It is a very quick read, though I think A Civil Campaign is her best book.

[dragonladyflame]

What are her strengths?

[heliograph]

- Interesting, engaging, believable characters
- Interesting, engaging, believable settings (both sci-fi and fantasy)
- Excellent prose style
- Good balance of humor, action, and drama

She's pretty much the only author who writes books I still can't put down.

If Jane Austen were alive today and writing SF, she could have written A Civil Campaign ;-)

You can read sample chapters for free here:

http://www.dendarii.com/ebooks.html