books, tv, some archaeological nifty

[tsuki_no_bara]

What I just finished reading:
the windup girl, which i enjoyed because the worldbuilding and bacigalupi's image of the future are both really interesting, but i gotta say, there's something weird and faintly western-colonizing about reading a novel set in bangkok, with some thais, a chinese guy, a japanese girl, and a lone white american dude as

Comments

[dear_tiger]

(O.o What's this weird new comment form?)

But anyway! Ha! I don't think there's some reason why a white American guy shouldn't write a story set in Thailand. But that doesn't sound like a very nice story. It sounds, in fact, like a J2BB slave fic. How odd. (OMG, is a/b/o werebuffalo going to make its way into mainstream fiction next? Nooooooo!)

I love that this astronaut's brother knew EXACTLY what to sent him. A gorilla suit! So he could put it on and terrorize his colleagues in space. This is just the kind of shit you do with your siblings, and it's awesome :D

[tsuki_no_bara]

(the comment field looks the same to me....)

there's no reason a white american dude can't write a novel set in thailand. it just started to feel weirdly colonial to me. i stil liked it, tho, even if i didn't like a lot of the characters for a lot of it. in practice it was a lot less slave fic-y than it sounds, thankfully.

werebuffalo! sure, why not.

who else but a sibling would send you a gorilla suit in space? right? it really does sound like the kind of thing brothers would do to each other, and it's fabulous.

[dear_tiger]

Since I haven't read it, I can't argue with the colonial feel :D Sucks that the dude created a better world than characters, though. Maybe he just needs werebuffalo.

That is such a sibling thing to do :D

[ephemera]

I just finished Wind Up Girl a little while ago, and I think I agree that the world was more interesting / likeable than any of the individual characters. It's kind of freaking bleak, actually. (I've read other pieces by him that I enjoyed more) I am envious of your plans to read Shadowshaper, as there's *still* no UK release date for it, and I WANTSES IT!

[tsuki_no_bara]

i'm liking the first short story - i think it's called "the calorie man" - partly because it isn't as bleak and so far i like the main character. so many people in the windup girl are greedy, grasping men looking out for their own self-interest, and there are only so many of those per novel i can take.

[no_detective]

Oh hey, I have the Shadowshaper e-book that I can lend you via Amazon, if you'd like (it's on my list, but my list is fucking long and for the past month I've had no mental energy for reading). I think it's a 2-week loan? Let me know!

[tsuki_no_bara]

aw, thank you! but i can't read it - i don't have a kindle or another kind of e-reader. :(

for the past month you've been ill! or getting over being ill! i hope you're feeling better now, and have more energy for fun stuff.

[no_detective]

I don't use a Kindle either these days - if you have an Amazon account, you can read via Kindle Reader in your browser or app on your phone.

Yeah, February was very bronchitis-y. :( Thank you! I'm much better now, but trying to take it easy.