First read this one the summer between 5th & 6th grades. Re-read in summer '06.
It's a pretty intense read and certainly sparks some of the ol' Cold WaFirst read this one the summer between 5th & 6th grades. Re-read in summer '06.
It's a pretty intense read and certainly sparks some of the ol' Cold War Nostalgia. It shows its age; feels a bit dated now that the Berlin Wall is long since down, now that the Kremlin is no longer Soviet, now that we know the F-19 as the F-117A... But I would say it certainly has a bit of resonance and pretty well captures those fears of the mid-80s....more
This one almost earns its title... When I think "manual", I think of a comprehensive glossary of keywords, expressions, functions, syntax, etc. This bThis one almost earns its title... When I think "manual", I think of a comprehensive glossary of keywords, expressions, functions, syntax, etc. This book does not really have that; instead, it leans on that weaksauce crutch of "but AppleScript is just ... like ... you know ... English!" If you read it cover to cover and work through the examples and use-cases, you'll pick up enough of the AppleScript to get by. I recommend keeping your copy of VoodooPad open at all times while reading this one though and taking notes on syntax etc. You'll thank yourself later....more
Interesting take on vampire mythos (and typical Butler, to boot). Thoroughly enjoyable (though not Butler's best work) though I had moments where I thInteresting take on vampire mythos (and typical Butler, to boot). Thoroughly enjoyable (though not Butler's best work) though I had moments where I thought I might lose interest; it would get going and then slow down again and then get going and then...
A worthy read on more levels than we have fingers and toes to offer. I’ve been a tremendous fan of Wallace’s fiction (”found drama” duh!) now for abouA worthy read on more levels than we have fingers and toes to offer. I’ve been a tremendous fan of Wallace’s fiction (”found drama” duh!) now for about five years and was more or less commanded by a good friend to check out this collection of essays. Several of them floored me. A few others I was “eh” about. His humor shines through in damn near all of these essays and in ways that are both easy to appreciate if you’re literate. “Getting Away from Already Pretty Much Away from It All” (for example) shows us his rare gift of being able to take a group of people and totally illuminate their follies and flaws without going about it in a way that is insulting or degrading; he saves that for his self deprecating remarks re: rich desserts. Then there’s “E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction” which is probably the first and only time I’ve seen him use footnotes in a way that I “expected”; oh, and this is pretty much required follow-up reading for anyone who just finished Infinite Jest. “Greatly Exaggerated” is a true gem - - a subtle jab at how literature/critical theory is so often so far up its own ass - - and making that jab as only an insider looking in as an outsider can do. But it’s the essay whose title is shared with the collection that makes it all worthwhile....more
I just couldn't get into this one. Just didn't pack the same punch as Down And Out In The Magic Kingdom. The point of the story doesn't really come ouI just couldn't get into this one. Just didn't pack the same punch as Down And Out In The Magic Kingdom. The point of the story doesn't really come out early enough to capture the reader's attention.
For some reason, my brain has a snapshot of this book as a weaker version of Accelerando except ... you know ... not....more
So now, ye should prolly ken tha I jist finished up this Irvine Welsh cunt’s book ehs cault Porno. I cannae honestly be puttin masel n a spot of calliSo now, ye should prolly ken tha I jist finished up this Irvine Welsh cunt’s book ehs cault Porno. I cannae honestly be puttin masel n a spot of callin it the bes book ays ever read, likesay. But I’d some kinda daft liar if I cault it pure trash also! I cannae rightly say whae I felt like eh went wrong. Ehs like written a follow-up to dem lads fae Trainspotting — Rents n Simon “Sick Boy” n even Spud n the Beggar Boy! Ehs given ays dis tale a betrayal n redemption and wrapt it all up raun some scam fae Sick Boy to get tae riches fae makin some stag film, likesay.
Now, ye should ken tha ehs nae a bad book. Ehs got ehs gauns on and like some really well writ passages. This Welsh cunt’s got a keen eye fae ehs stories, mind. This one jist don inspire like Trainspotting did — it didnae knock ays on ma arse, likesay. Again, ehs nowt without ehs charms n aw. Mibbe ehs jist used up all ehs bes work? I dinnae ken nowt aboot tha. One thing ehs got in spades like is ehs still got this full on fuckin mastery of ehs words.
Ehs like this. Ave ye ever done that optical illusion wi some cunt’s inverted flag? Ken wha ays mean? Mibbe ye seen dis one? Well this daft cunt Welsh, ehs writin ehs like some kinda afterimage only ehs wit words in YER BRAIN! Ye pick up the book tha ehs writ and struggle to get yer way through some fully dense passage tha is like full of all dese mashed up words that ye cannae ken on tha spot and so it takes ays fully way too long tae parse through it and it gies masel a right migraine tryin tae fae figure it oot. And but then whin I puts tha book doan and says to masel FUCK IT, I’M ALL DUN then the words that ehs writ are right stuck in ma heid.
I tells ye, ehs fuckin horrible. But now ahm jist so stuck on tha pish wi ehs language tha I cannae hardly make a fully qualified statement aboot ehs fuckin plot! Somethin about betrayal and jist bein consumers, likesay. But anyways, mibbe I’ll run doan tae tha fuckin boozer and grab a lager wi ma mates to put the edge off and sort masel right oot.
Emmanuel Carrere’s biography of Philip K. Dick: I Am Alive And You Are Dead - - a scintillating, fun and yet twisted take on the life, times, and writEmmanuel Carrere’s biography of Philip K. Dick: I Am Alive And You Are Dead - - a scintillating, fun and yet twisted take on the life, times, and writings of the author that many consider to be the most important name in American sci-fi. Carrere’s take on Dick’s life has a sensitivity born of curiosity and a skepticism born of professional respect. I felt like this biography illuminated the most important events and foci in Dick’s life and (all things considered) explained a lot of his writings’ themes. That said, it’s made me glad to hold Ubik in such high esteem but made me a bit irritated with myself that I had yet to pick up and read The Man In The High Castle....more
Bloody terrifying. Bone-chilling. Atwood's best known work for no shortage of obvious reasons. If you don't vote, if you don't get out into your commuBloody terrifying. Bone-chilling. Atwood's best known work for no shortage of obvious reasons. If you don't vote, if you don't get out into your community, if you don't participate: this is your future.
Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is a truly remarkable book that has already taken a high place in my literary pantheonMark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is a truly remarkable book that has already taken a high place in my literary pantheon of Sheer Genius. What starts out as a young detective’s murder mystery (with a nice hook) quickly turns into a far more sensitive and provocative tale than I can really do justice to here. (At least not without some substantial spoilers…)
Lucid and compelling, Haddon’s prose is a bit of Vonnegut (circa Breakfast of Champions) and a bit of David Foster Wallace (but DFW as Infinite Jest’s Mario channelling Chuck Palahniuk).
It’s really quite the read and I heartily recommend it....more
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