A Little Blue...

I am so upset! There are only so many authors out there that I would purchase their book regardless of knowing what the book is about. Kurt Vonnegut, Philip K Dick, C.S. Lewis, George Orwell, Richard Feynman, and Michael Crichton to name probably all of them. Sadly, I just read an article that said Michael Crichton had passed away. Oh my gosh! I had a dream of meeting him sometime in my life and now that dream is shattered. He was/is in my top three favorite authors. I must have read Jurassic Park 10 times in 4 or 5 years, I loved it that much. I’ve read all of his books except for his latest one, Next. Most I’ve read more than 3 times. Timeline is incredible and I remember getting Prey for Christmas and reading it that night. I can remember the first time I read the Great Train Robbery and Andromeda Strain. I remember where I was when I was reading Lost World and Terminal Man. And who could forget Congo even though I hate monkeys? Argh! I’m gonna miss you Crichton.

Summer Saga Pt. 4

Well, so it's been a while, and in the way of a summer saga of reading, not much has happened. After completing Vonnegut's Player Piano, I moved on to Larry Niven's Ringworld, based on the recommendation of my fine fellow friend Trev. An incredible read, one that is definitely reminiscent of Greg Bear or Gregory Benford. That is, it's heavy on the descriptive technical portions with a noticeable different style of writing in regards to character and plot development. I liked it. The concept of being on a "world" that is a million miles wide and circles all the way around a star at a distance of 90+ million miles makes for great food for the imagination. I was going to continue the series (I think there are three more books), but I had bought a book that I'd owned in the past, and had never made it through, and I wanted to start it.

I speak of Quicksilver, by Neal Stephenson; his first book in the Baroque Cycle which is a historical fiction set in three large volumes of over a 1000 pages each. How can you pass that up? Well, I began it with a fervor to make it through, knowing full well that in the past, I'd only made it to the 100th page or so before wanting to read something else. Something was holding me back but I didn't know what. I still don't know, but I've petered out already. I've been captured by a MMORPG, which hasn't let go yet, causing my reading to suffer. I'm going on vacation this Friday, though, so I'll have plenty of time to catch up on my reading.

Life Goal Update: Still working on it.

Satiated

LORD have mercy! I've had a thorn in my side the size of a New England clam as of late; a thorn that screams at me to write something (quite literally, and therefore, verbally). It's akin to an insatiable desire for turkey on the fourth Thursday of November, ham on the 25th of December, green Guinness on St Patty's Day, and endless kisses and romantic schmoozing on February 14th. How does one go about relieving these covetous wants and needs? They act on them! Yes! Go out and gobble that gobbler, pork out on that ham, drown the desire in an Irish drink, and love your love with an unending love! In my case, though, write, and write about whatever. Here I pluck the thorn out.

In the weeks leading up to my current summer reading blockade, I've been feeling like I should/could write a short story. Something fantasy based or simple in it's telling; sort of a dog and his boy kind of story, but not. I don't know if the style I would use in a narrative would be worth reading or comparable to some of my favorite authors (I, of course, speak of Vonnegut, Lawhead, Crichton, and Adams [or, for the more classical, Lewis, Orwell, Hugo, and Dickens]), but I think I could make an interesting story. The question then becomes, how long should it be? Or more importantly, who would read it?

I'm naturally a shy person and not outgoing except at need. A short story, to be read in the court of public opinion (my core of friends), falls most assuredly in the outgoing category. Recently, I was joking with Trev and Amanda, and perhaps others or not the former two at all, regarding having a game of sorts in regards to writing. We would take a title, something vague yet specific, and all write our own short stories. Something brief, like 3 or 4 pages but no more than 5. I think it's a wonderful idea and I'd like to inquire of my friends if they'd like to try it out in our free times. Thoughts? (Note: this is the shy guy's way of trying to not prominently display his work, but hiding it amongst others, and still getting attention).

P.S. The 22° halo pictured in the previous blog is one of the most beautiful, naturally occurring phenomena to me. It's caused by hexagonal ice crystals in the atmosphere reflecting light and typically occur with cirrus clouds. I want to get married during one.

Summer Saga Pt. 3

Times are grim. Like a rocket that's used up all its fuel before reaching its target, I feel I've exhausted myself in my summer reading. I'm not sure how it happened, but I'm having trouble bringing myself to sit down, relax, and just waste time (if waste it is) reading. Perhaps it's due to Les Miserables, which I finished about two weeks ago. Perhaps it's due to the book I started next, Catch-22, not being what I expected and resulting in a slight let-down. Or perhaps it's simply a phase that I've entered; one where knowledge, relaxation, and enjoyment aren't welcome. I don't know.

Catch-22, while being a term used by myself at least once a week, was to be a new read for me, and I began it shortly after I finished Les Miserables. I confess, though, that I did fit Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency in before I started Heller's book. Catch-22 is an amusing read, as it reminds me of British humor, but without the accent. The dialogue between characters is hilarious and totally outrageous in that it makes no sense, and I like that. The problem I'm having, I believe, stems from the intellectual and all-encompassing literary high I was on from Les Mis. Catch-22 doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and I've decided I don't like it for that reason. I'm not saying it isn't a literary masterpiece, but it just isn't hitting the spot at the moment. I put it aside, but rest assured, I will finish it someday soon. I do not leave books unfinished as it is against my nature to leave anything half done. The bookmark is still in the book.

The summer saga continues then with Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut, my longtime friend and advisor (of course, he doesn't know that and unfortunately, now, won't ever know). Player Piano was his first novel and I can tell that the style is definitely Vonnegut, but has a sense of being different from his later works. It reminds me of a conversation I was having with Utz (also a longtime friend and advisor, and he knows it). We were driving and listening to the classical radio station and he was endeavouring to determine the period the work was from. Little motifs the composer placed in the music could be all you need to tell Baroque from Classical, or Romantic. In the same way, you can see subtle differences in writing style or content of one author from book to book. Vonnegut is one of my favorite authors and it's very cool, to use a ridiculously simple phrase, to see that difference. I highly recommend him.

Inexpressible

There is something indescribably satisfying about completing a 1463 page classic novel in 16 days; a novel by which your entire range of emotions was not merely placated, but was accosted right and left by the most heinous of extremes. Les Miserables has left me with impressions and emotional memories that I believe I will not soon forget. On the one hand, there was the misery (hence the name) that was indigenous to almost every major character. Victor Hugo did a remarkable job of describing the totality of sorrow that a person could endure, which in fact was the result of the love of one or more persons. To read about love leading to such sadness for the one who's loving...it goes beyond my ability to comprehend. It's the ultimate sacrifice; to give up your existence (but continue to live) so that another can have a normal life. Words fail me.

Then there was the happiness, which I'll be honest, I was surprised to read about. I thought the entire book would be about sad people; you can't have sad without happy, though. Hugo did an incredible job at describing the pure joy and ecstasy inherent to certain moments. I found myself almost weeping, well crying, well tearing up, at both the sorrowful and joyful events. This is probably one of only two books that has ever moved me to the point of actual tearing up, I don't mind telling you. Unfortunately, I can't name the other one, but that's beside the point.

It's 12:38a on Tuesday, June 17, 2007, and I didn't want to wait until morning to write my first impressions upon completion. I may have to read it again in just a few months. That's how incredible it is to me. Welcome to the book at the top of my list. More to follow.

Summer Saga Pt. 1

I'm reading Les Miserables this summer, on the recommendation from a very nice barista I happened to talk to at the Lyon's Den coffee den (redundancy allowed) in Bothell. I had been reading (and have since finished [that night in fact]) The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. A marvelous book that has a fantastic ending (even if you know it) and therefore should be read all the way through, regardless of how you feel during the book.

Anyway, this pleasant barista inquired as to what I was reading and I said,

"The Picture of Dorian Gray," to which she replied,

"I've always wanted to read that. Have you read Les Mis?"

Unfortunately, I had to say no, it had never really peaked my interest. NOT UNTIL NOW! Anyway, it would be wrong for me to say that I wasn't a little intrigued by this girl who was clearly learned in literature, but regardless, I went and bought the book the first chance I got and am now over 500 pages into it. I've completed the first two primary book sections and they were amazing.

I'm well on my way to declaring this one of the best books ever. It may very well reach my top 5, at the least my top 10. Maybe later I'll actually think about what my top 10 favorite books are and will post them here. Obviously, as I read more, the list may change.