Good morning Cantina.
If that's what floats your steampunk dreadnought, you really need to get into China Mieville. Pretty much any part of his oeuvre, but I recommend his Bas Lag trilogy (Perdido Street Station, The Scar and - most politically and astutely - Iron Council) for a set of superbly written, politically sophisticated, subtle and nuanced urban fantasies. The guy is my favourite living novelist, bar none, and that's as much for how he writes as what he writes about. If you haven't read any of his stuff, prepare to have whole new vistas blown wide open in front of your living brain. He really is that good and I cannot recommend him highly enough to anyone who will listen.
I have heard much about china mieville. I was undecided on whether to have a go, mainly because I have heard that sometimes he can get caught up in the fanciness of his words.
I'll have to give it a go now.
I wanted to like Perdido, I really, really did.
I just could not carry through with it, and much of it was the "gee, aren't I clever" - ness of it all.
Admittedly I haven't read the three Bas Lag novels, but I have read
The City & The City and
Embassytown because I have been reading the BSFA Best Novel shortlist since 2009*. I wasn't overwhelmed by
City and REALLY didn't get on with
Embassytown, which I would have given up on if I wasn't the kind of masochist who rarely doesn't finish what I start reading. No characters, just names. And a distinct whiff of naked emperors to me.
*I sometimes shudder at the thought of the 2001 shortlist, when the two major contenders were
Perdido (about 250k words) and Mary Gentle's
Ash (about 450k). I read the latter to, in and from Australia in 2010, otherwise it would have taken me about two months to get through - was worth it though.
Himself has updated the driver for the computer wireless dongle. It flashes now. Everyone go Oooo at the flashing dongle.*
* because I know you just can't resist the innuendo.
I have a memory stick that flashes on insertion.
I love you guys
(5 points to go. Someone is worth more than 1 point a rep!)
We love you, Fenika!
I don't know how many points my reps are worth...
oh and the movies I watched yesterday, as I was asked:
What's your number
The Hangover
Star Trek
Cabin in the Woods
Love Actually
Not seen the first two, have seen the others. Something puts me off The Hangover (there's a Part III on its way) for some reason, but that may be my loss.
My watching so far this weekend:
Black Sheep (Lovefilm Instants streaming)
The Facility (cinema)
The Look of Love (cinema)
The Evil Dead (original from 1982) (DVD)
The Help (Lovefilm rental Blu-ray)
first two episodes of Doctor Who: The Visitation (DVD review checkdisc)
And lined up for today: Somersault (Lovefilm Instants streaming - to be rewatched as reviewing prep for the same director's new film Lore, which is out on Blu-ray and DVD later this month)
Holy Motors (Lovefilm rental Blu-ray)
and the rest of The Visitation
I'm watching that movie, YA on Amazon, and it's making me really uncomfortable. Like I don't know what this crazy bitch is gonna do or say.
And maybe how accurate the ennui is ....
And the music is terrible.
If that's the movie
Young Adult, I liked it a lot, though as it's a very black comedy it won't be for everyone. Charlize Theron should have been Oscar-nominated for it.
Interesting that her character name is Mavis - that's somewhat of an old-lady name in the UK. Maybe it's not in the US? (And her surname is my first name...)
Good morning again. Coffee and breakfast beckons.