Yesterday was a marvelous mail day at the McLaren household. Through a confluence of mail karma–or possibly because our mailman seems to be skipping a day whenever he gets bored with the route–I had several books arrive from several different publishers. This will consequently be one long post full of book porn. If you’re not interested in small presses and… Read more →
Category: Books
I am weary of days and hours
Earlier today I ran into this passage in the course of my wanderings: From too much love of living, From hope and fear set free, We thank with brief thanksgiving Whatever gods may be That no life lives for ever; That dead men rise up never; That even the weariest river Winds somewhere safe to sea. Now I’m generally not… Read more →
15 Books
I noticed on Walter Jon Williams’ blog that there seems to be a meme going around about quickly listing 15 books that you think will always be with you. Williams suggests actually modifying the meme by taking some time to think, which is an idea that appeals to me. In some senses it’s ludicrous–I just had a professional mover estimate… Read more →
Finder: Go Read It
No, I’m not talking about Emma Bull‘s 1994 novel Finder–although I think you should go read that too, and all the other Borderlands stuff. I’m talking about Carla Speed McNeil’s comic Finder. Why should you read it, you might ask? Well, I think it’s one of the best straight up science fiction comics out there, and I’ve been following it… Read more →
Farther Beyond Than I Can Apparently Go
Generally speaking I appreciate black humour. Generally speaking I get that especially dry, uniquely British style of humour. Generally speaking any book that’s described as witty, much less as “a masterpiece of wit”, is right up my alley. Generally a book that makes excellent use of metaphoric commentary to satirize and skewer political systems, the general public, and the interaction… Read more →
Living In Interesting Times, Or, Friday Night With Fancy Books
While there were many exciting conversations here at Casa McLaren tonight about things that are not yet blog-announcement-ready, as far as actual action goes things were pretty sedate. Mostly it was me assembling some hardware store purchases, and then spending a few hours doing some sorting and organizing of the library. So, since I spent all my time doing that,… Read more →
Now Magazine vs The Adapters
I’ve been following the video posts from the shooting of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, the movie that’s being adapted from Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of Scott Pilgrim comics. Partly this is because I dig the comics, and it seems like the filmmakers are having a wonderful time adapting them, and partly it’s because Mal used to live here in… Read more →
Aside
If you’re a fan of The Wire (and really, you should be) then prepare for some cognitive dissonance, as you watch and listen to Jimmy McNulty, or rather Dominic West the actor that portrays him, read from one of the few dirty books that snuck into the canon of classical literature. In his actual accent.
There is no more speaking to the nation
I recommend that if you haven’t already you head over to this month’s issue of the Internet Review Of Science Fiction and read Kristine Kathryn Rusch‘s essay “What’s Louder Than Noise“, in which she puts forth her argument for why the Great American Novel is no longer something that it’s possible to write. The essay isn’t terribly long, but it… Read more →
Marco Polo, Nativity, Divine Fire, and blindspots in the mind
So I spent some time today–when I probably should have been doing something else–reading some of the Travels Of Marco Polo. Oddly, I don’t have a print copy of this in my library–an omission I shall have to correct at some point–but that wasn’t a problem since Project Gutenberg has a decent translation. I wasn’t reading for any particular purpose,… Read more →
Old John D. Knew A Thing Or Two
A parade is a group, and I’m not a group animal. I think a mob, no matter what it happens to be doing, is the lowest form of living thing, always steaming with potential murder. Several things I could write on my placard and then carry it all by myself down empty streets. UP WITH LIFE. STAMP OUT ALL SMALL… Read more →
The why of your eye, and the tricking of it also
This week when I was picking up comics at the shop, my daughter talked me into buying Jay Hosler‘s latest science comic, Optical Allusions, to read with her. This was a pretty easy sell, considering my previous enjoyment of Hosler’s Clan Apis and Sandwalk Adventures (both of which, it occurs to me just now, are good candidates for being pulled… Read more →
Now I’m Going To Have To Reread The Prince
I heard quite a lot–references and allusions–about Machiavelli during my early teen years, and that lead me to get around to reading The Prince at some point during my time living in Switzerland–I was 16 at the time. I remember being impressed and amused by the book, and by what I knew about how it connected to political life in… Read more →
Aside
So, it seems Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Jane Yolen (it might be more than 5 now–I don’t keep track) is doing a YA graphic novel with comics publisher Dark Horse. I think this will be her 10,576th (this is a rough figure) published work. And it’s certainly something I’ll be picking up and reading with my daughter.
Aside
My wife has been known to comment on her preference for the mass market paperback over the hardcover book, on the basis that it’s easier to read without tiring yourself out. As a collector, I do tend to prefer the hardback for books that I want to keep in the collection, but I certainly know what she’s talking about–reading Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle could give a guy tennis elbow. One hesitates to wonder what her reaction would be to the new limited edition of Agatha Christie’s Complete Miss Marple. (I love that it comes with a carrying case.)
