Listening to: my stomach rumbling
At: work hours, weighing sockless existence vs. doing laundry
This essay is by someone who definitely makes my top ten list of authors. She's funny and articulate and says many many things that I might have thought but haven't verbalized (or at least not half as well.) I've been following her blog for many years now and decided to share this particular essay here, after rereading it for the nth time. If you are like me and love books and reading and yet are frequently frustrated by the search for a REALLY GOOD ONE, or even if you just happen to think girls, ahem, sorry women, are awesome go read this now. It's thought provoking, and did I mention it's funny?
http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/133191.html
Also if you are a fantasy buff, or even if you are not, read the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. Many, many books in the saga but do not be intimidated! Each one is complete in itself so start with 'Young Miles' like I did and float down the river of awesome.
I think one of my life's Great Works shall be converting people to the church of Lois McMaster. Because sadly not many people know about her here, and she is awesome! And that makes it very difficult to have conversations about her amazing world building or her wonderful heartbreaking characters or the complex but always believeable plots. I believe these people, people; they live and breathe and sometimes they make me cry. And I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have believed in or cared enough about a book, or a moment in that book to do the great blub. Plus these books are just plain fun!
I also love the story of how I discovered Bujold's writing in the first place. I was at Mr. Old Books (MOB) my home away from home in Karachi and I had a limited budget and limited time (considering the fact that my book shopping tactics generally involve grabbing every interesting looking book, and then sitting on the floor with my towering pile to weed it further while the sibs sigh and or roll their eyes. This is a good strategy people! Especially if you are afraid that somebody else might grab that much coveted only copy of that book that you've been looking for for ages. (Sometimes I hide the ones I cannot afford to buy. It's a harsh world out there.) So I had narrowed it down to two books, no mean feat considering that I had started out with six and then at the last minute, just as I was about to leave, and taking my last lingering look backwards, I saw the cover, and then I decided to read the back cover and then I made a split second decision (this is a big deal for me you guys, ask the many many people who have vowed never again! to go shopping with me with a traumatized look in their eyes) and borrowed money to buy 'Young MIles' instead of the other two books. And I have been very smug and self congratulatory since. It was fate people! Or an act of god (okay all right maybe a minor deity) but I was meant to discover these books! And then bore people by rambling incoherently about them. After all, imagine how easily I might have missed out. Viva la secondhand book stores! But that's another blog post entirely.
Also go read 'Eyes and Tears' by Andrew Marvell (just because I'm feeling nostagic about A' Level literature class :)
Nimra