Books, books, and more books
So. Another weekend passed. Feels like those days go far too quickly, ugh. But at least I've gotten over my cold.
Reading Terry Pratchett's Strata, and enjoying it thoroughly. Had a little trouble following it at first, and I'm not sure if it's because I don't usually read science fiction, or if it's because of something to do with the novel itself. It's really good though, and it has all the texture and qualities of Pratchett's early writing that I like. And it's really neat to read about what is basically the prototype for the Discworld series. Who knows, maybe after this I'll start reading a little more sci fi, just for the hell of it. Anyone got any recs?
Popped into the bookstore the other day and ended up picking up more books. Another Jo Nesboe novel (I've developed quite a taste for his books), and Stephen King's Carrie, which is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for years, but never actually got around to. The film was one of the first Stephen King films I'd seen, if not the first, and it was... quite an experience, lemme' tell you. Regardless, I do like King's older work, though his more recent stuff is take-it-or-leave-it, so I expect I'll like this one.
There was another book that caught my eye - Afterlight by Alex Scarrow - some post-apocalyptic thing... it looked interesting, but apparently it's part of a series, so if I pick it up, I'd want to read the first one too. Not sure if I should, though. I'm waffling. As I've mentioned before, apocalypse/post-apocalypse narratives are one of those things I find really difficult to handle; they tend to give me nightmares. On the other hand, I find them fascinating, and some of my favourite novels are in that genre (Atwood's Oryx and Crake, McCarthy's The Road, etc). I guess I have a similar relationship with fiction/nonfiction dealing with contagion; it disturbs and frightens me, but at the same time it fascinates me. But there are some differences - with contagion, a plague or epidemic might seem like the end of the world, but it isn't; we can beat it, and have beat it in the past, though the time before it is beat is quite awful, and sometimes the disease never really goes away (see: the Black Death). But apocalypse/post-apocalypse... it hasn't happened, but it might happen, and to think of being left alive after that is -- well, it's very frightening.
Eh, who knows. Knowing me, I'll buy the books, read 'em, scare myself silly, not sleep properly for a week, and then feel foolish (but satisfied).
Reading Terry Pratchett's Strata, and enjoying it thoroughly. Had a little trouble following it at first, and I'm not sure if it's because I don't usually read science fiction, or if it's because of something to do with the novel itself. It's really good though, and it has all the texture and qualities of Pratchett's early writing that I like. And it's really neat to read about what is basically the prototype for the Discworld series. Who knows, maybe after this I'll start reading a little more sci fi, just for the hell of it. Anyone got any recs?
Popped into the bookstore the other day and ended up picking up more books. Another Jo Nesboe novel (I've developed quite a taste for his books), and Stephen King's Carrie, which is one of those books that I've been meaning to read for years, but never actually got around to. The film was one of the first Stephen King films I'd seen, if not the first, and it was... quite an experience, lemme' tell you. Regardless, I do like King's older work, though his more recent stuff is take-it-or-leave-it, so I expect I'll like this one.
There was another book that caught my eye - Afterlight by Alex Scarrow - some post-apocalyptic thing... it looked interesting, but apparently it's part of a series, so if I pick it up, I'd want to read the first one too. Not sure if I should, though. I'm waffling. As I've mentioned before, apocalypse/post-apocalypse narratives are one of those things I find really difficult to handle; they tend to give me nightmares. On the other hand, I find them fascinating, and some of my favourite novels are in that genre (Atwood's Oryx and Crake, McCarthy's The Road, etc). I guess I have a similar relationship with fiction/nonfiction dealing with contagion; it disturbs and frightens me, but at the same time it fascinates me. But there are some differences - with contagion, a plague or epidemic might seem like the end of the world, but it isn't; we can beat it, and have beat it in the past, though the time before it is beat is quite awful, and sometimes the disease never really goes away (see: the Black Death). But apocalypse/post-apocalypse... it hasn't happened, but it might happen, and to think of being left alive after that is -- well, it's very frightening.
Eh, who knows. Knowing me, I'll buy the books, read 'em, scare myself silly, not sleep properly for a week, and then feel foolish (but satisfied).