A few weeks ago I turned 42, which prompted my friend Paul to declare I was entering my “Douglas Adams year.” (Though somewhat worryingly, one of his other analogy-years was 33, because that’s how old John Belushi and Chris Farley were when they died… Douglas Adams died at age 49. Hmmmmm.) 2014 was an eventful year,… Continue reading My Douglas Adams year
Category: Books
Shakespeare turned 450 years old today
I don’t quite know how I’d missed this until the latter half of the day—I’m actually surprised Google didn’t do a doodle on this today—but William Shakespeare was born 450 years ago today (April 23). (Okay, to be fair, nobody actually knows for sure that Shakespeare was born on April 23; however he was baptized… Continue reading Shakespeare turned 450 years old today
Sherlock Holmes
At some point back I’d picked up an older hardcover copy of The Complete Sherlock Holmes, and since I’ve found myself watching (and enjoying) the series “Elementary” on TV (no, I’ve missed BBC’s “Sherlock” thus far but I’m quite sure I would love it)—as well as thoroughly enjoying the Robert Downey Jr. “Sherlock Holmes” movies… Continue reading Sherlock Holmes
Robopocalypse
I recently read the novel Robopocalypse, a science fiction-y thriller about the, er, robot apocalypse—the uprising of robots and technology and the attempt to wipe out humanity, and overall I quite enjoyed it: a good “popcorn” book that entertaining and mostly plausible if you don’t think about it too hard. Definitely movie fodder, and I… Continue reading Robopocalypse
Reamde and Bill Cosby
No I’m not entirely sure how those two things go together: one is the latest novel from Neal Stephenson which had me riveted all the way through the 1000-odd pages, the other is the comedian best known for his influential TV series from the 1980s. I suppose it’s a pop cultural thing, but I’ve been… Continue reading Reamde and Bill Cosby
November wrap-up
Much of November was uneventful—it mostly consisted of the usual routine for the first few weeks minus a kid’s birthday—but for the week of Thanksgiving we visited Burbank to spend the holiday with my brother and his family. That trip started out slightly awry, as we tried to leave town on Friday the 18th, right… Continue reading November wrap-up
Top 10 books lost to time
Just ran across this Smithsonian.com article: The Top 10 Books Lost to Time. Neat read, rife with possibilities; every link I’ve seen pulls a quote from the #4 selection, Inventio Fortunata, which does have a bit of a Piri Reis-sounding mystery to it; but the “lost” Shakespeare work of Cardenio interests me more: Cardenio has… Continue reading Top 10 books lost to time
New books
Got some new books from Barnes & Noble that came last week (online order via gift card): Under the Dome – Stephen King Farmhouse Ales – Phil Markowski Zoe’s Tale – John Scalzi Zero History – William Gibson The Jennifer Morgue – Charlie Stross The Fuller Memorandum – Charlie Stross Also a set of three… Continue reading New books
Zombies!
Over the past week and a half I read through two zombie novels: Monster Island and Monster Nation, both by David Wellington. Now I’m the first to admit that I’m not a true aficionado of the zombie genre; aside from Stephen King’s Cell, I can’t think of any other books I’ve read, and I’ve only… Continue reading Zombies!
Pop culture segue
Don’t let the title completely fool you, this entry is a rant, as much as anything else. And don’t think that I’m some sort of pop culture otaku; I’m usually behind the curve when it comes to such things, especially music. But I seem to consume a fair amount of it anyway, and so here… Continue reading Pop culture segue