Party!!!

I'm so excited about the Shriek party David and I are hosting!!

It's going to be August 19 at 7:30 give or take (meaning you can show up pretty much anytime) and it'll last till whenever the last drunken one of you decides to stumble out our door or pass out on our couch, in which case you will be subjected to the avid attention of our cat Nemo who likes to sit on windpipes while the victims sleeps (it's your call). And we (or rather David) will be making food so that's something to look forward to. I'll be sending out an evite in the next couple of weeks, so let me know if you can make it. If you can't be at our party, to find out more about the movie, and other events and showings around the country, go here http://shriekthemovie.blogspot.com.

Clip of the Day: O'Reilly Douchebaggery

Man, talk about having some serious projection issues:

Help Me Learn Quantum Physics...

After years of being confused by the Schrodinger’s Cat thought experiment, and the often obtuse explanations that come with it, I am going on a quest to understand quantum mechanics...At first I thought, hey this will be easy—I just have to look up the term on Wikipedia and boom, I’ll understand it by the end of the day.

Needless to say, I feel pretty stupid right now. Okay, so on a quantum (atomic or subatomic level), a whole new set of rules apply for how things operate. All right, I got that part. But the rest of it makes me feel like the hypothetical cat, rather upset and generally fed-up with the whole thing. So in the spirit of the girl who got people all over the internet to send her twenty-thousand dollars to pay off her credit card debt (yeah you heard me right, she got random strangers to send her the 20,000 that she needed to pay off bills that she racked up doing too much shopping) I’m launching a campaign called: Help Cindy learn quantum physics! To contribute, simply send me a link that you think will be helpful to my learning, or attempt to explain some aspect of it to me either here, via e-mail or over the phone.

World's most expensive cities

I found this list posted on BoingBoing.com from the Sydney Morning Herald incredibly interesting. The list factors in "housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment".

1. Moscow
2. Seoul
3. Tokyo
4. Hong Kong
5. London
6. Osaka
7. Geneva
8. Copenhagen
9. Zurich
10. Oslo
10. New York

You can't help but want these...

Cotton swab holders

Wow...

I have just finished K J Bishop’s Etched City, and have been sitting here wondering how to write a review for this work. Every time I sit down to begin, I find myself holding back, wanting not to prejudice the reader with any stereotypical description of the book (failing since I have already likened it to the Dark Tower series by Stephen King).

The problem with reviews, when not done well or when done too well, is that it leads readers to form opinions before actually reading the book---a habit that I find to be limiting to what we as readers choose to read, and then how we choose to read it. However, with no review at all, I doubt if any of you will actually pick up this book, so instead of writing one of my own, I have decided to shirk the responsibility and link you to what I thought was the fairest review out of the several that I had discovered on the internet. I think it leaves to be said, if you like fiction at all, this book should be one to consider highly on your list of things to read.

The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque and Hans-Georg Gadamer

I will finally put up my first book related post soon, in which I attempt to relate Jeffrey Ford's The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque with some of Hans-Georg Gadamer's discussion of art (from Truth and Method). I hope you look forward to it. Either way, have a great weekend everyone.

Perdido Street Station

Highly recommended. China Mieville resides in the same world as Neil Gaiman, but is the better storyteller.

General Things

I decided to change my blog name to be more descriptive for those who happen upon it by accident. Mostly this blog will be interesting for anyone who reads a lot and is looking for something off the beaten path.

Although many of my recommendations “fit” into the genre of science fiction and fantasy, mostly I define the books I like as good reads. Usually well-written, the books generally will have strong plots or strong characters. I like unusual books and books that make you think or laugh. And most importantly, I love good stories.

If you like that sort of thing, check out the recommendations I have, and stick around for more in the future.

Check out my April and May archives for lists of books that I recommend. That will give you a general idea of my tastes. Also I'm always open for trying new authors, so if anyone has any recommendations, leave me a note.

Thoughts on Viriconium

I’m still in the midst of Viriconium – its not something you want to try to read and digest in one sitting seeing as how you may go insane, not from frustration of the material, although it is more challenging than some, but just the sheer burden of what Harrison imparts between these pages. I will be very surprised if he isn’t considered a master in a couple of decades.

But if you want something to do, and you want to be pleasantly surprised, and you want to give that little hamster that lives up in your noggin some much needed exercise, read him!!!! Start with the short story I recommended in my post below.

Bookcrossing

Go to this website: BookCrossing. The members "release" books all over the world, in cafes, on park benches, etc., for others to find and enjoy. You can also use the website to "hunt" for books that other members have released in your area. Become a member, and release some of that stuff you'll never read again, or hunt around your city for books that other members have left behind. It's a great community for those who love books, sharing, and traveling.

Darth Vader at the MTV Movie Awards

Here is some crazy Youtube action of Gnarls Barkley (Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, WHAT?!) performing at the MTV Movie Awards in full Star Wars regalia:




(Click here if you have trouble with the video)

M. John Harrison

Read him. Trust me it'll be worth it. Here's a novelette Isobel Avens Returns to Stepney in the Spring to start off with. The best thing about M. John Harrison is that everytime you pick up another book by him, you are only sure its the same author by the adroitness of the writing. M. John Harrison handles different styles in a way that speaks of his mastery as a writer.

I'm currently reading his collection, Viriconium, which I would highly recommend to anyone. But first read his novelette. It speaks of his style and his mastery. And don't forget to read the afterward and see why he thinks we live in the "Age of the Wanker".

Blogger...

I've been having a lot of blogger problems lately, hopefully they'll fix the site so I can post more regularly

The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque

The Portrait of Mrs. Charbuque is a mystery/thriller in the best sense of the genre. A young artist, Piambo is commissioned to do a portrait that will ensure that he will never have to work again.

The catch is that he is not allowed to see his employer, Mrs. Charbuque. While she sits behind a screen, he is only allowed to ask her questions to compose her portrait. Confused and frustrated by the terms of his task but desperately in need of the money, Piambo stumbles into Mrs. Charbuque’s world with its cast of sinister characters and secret history. Meanwhile the city around them is being attacked by parasites that cause their victims to weep blood. Jeffrey Ford, another one of my favorites, manages to set-up a tense and well-written mystery without failing to deliver at the end.

KJ Bishop

If you like Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, you will love KJ Bishop’s The Etched City. For a sample of her work, read her short story The Art of Dying.

Too bad these cost $125

Stuff you should read

Since my life has been consumed by a desire to live in a organized space---I've been living out of boxes and suitcases for the past 6 month damnit---my reading has been unfortunately relegated to the 30 mins I spend commuting every day.

During this transition time I thought I’d start making recommendations of past reads that I found particularly enjoyable. My first recommendation will be coming up later this day: a mystery involving an artist commissioned to paint a woman that he is not allowed to see… stay tuned as they say.

...

I can’t seem to tear myself away from the almost compulsive organization and decorating of my new apartment. Last night I reached some low points which included the grouping of all like-colored hangers together and then making sure that the variation amongst the like-colored hangers went from darker to lighter shades.

One hasn’t truly lived until one is standing there squinting at an blue hanger to see exactly where it should go amongst the other blue hangers…

And if that wasn't bad enough

Squidalicious

This is what I found when trying to look for squid costumes patterns online...

Recommendation

The Black Lotus. Short story by Simon Ings. Check it out at http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/lotus.htm

PARTY!!!!

The Shriek party is happening at my new apartment on Saturday, August 19. If you are around the East Coast, I expect you to be here. So come and check out my apartment, stay for the free beer, Shriek movie and me (or David) prancing about in a squid outfit.

Go read the editorial reviews on Amazon, and you'll see why I'm constantly pushing everyone to read Jeff Vandermeer

Yeah!!

The 2-week move that David and I have made is finally over. This finishes the 6 moves that the two of us has made all together this last school year. We're celebrating by getting organized and decorating the apartment. And it also means that I will again have time to read and blog. So look forward to more activity here.