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graculus1. A book you wish you'd written.
I've decided to go for a modern(ish) trend here, though I could wax lyrical about Evelyn Waugh or Orwell or Jane Austen or a dozen other writers of genius and flair.
Instead I'm going to rave about Regeneration, by the wonderful Pat Barker. It's book #1 of a trilogy, though I think the first two are the best (The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road are the remainder). It's a book about the birth of modern psychotherapy, the creative mind (as evidenced by Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen) and so much more.
2. An author you respect, and why.
James Lee Burke. For anyone who's never read him, or only knows of his series of books from the bad Alec Baldwin movie version of one of them, they're missing out. He has a fantastically lyrical turn of phrase, one that's sadly missing in the majority of the prosaic world of crime fiction.
Do yourself a favour, go read him, particularly the three book series that has Cimarron Rose and Heartwood and the other one whose title I can't recall...
3. A book you love even though you think it's kind of trashy.
Not so much a book as a series of books. The Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout - I've read them all, just about, have got most of them, and the characters just grab me every time. Archie's snarkiness and fearlessness, Wolfe's understated yet crowing genius, and all the other characters (the recurring ones at least) bright and sharp and alive.
4. A book that's had a real impact on your life. Describe.
Too hard to narrow this down to one book. I find myself stirred, challenged, perplexed and envious of so many... *g*
5. The book that you most often find yourself recommending to people.
I think the book(s) I've pimped most furiously to people are the Aubrey & Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian. The man was a classic story-teller, creating characters that you give a damn about, human and imperfect but still fascinating. And you want everything to be okay for them, even though you know that it's just not going to be that simple.
----------------
Meanwhile, back in the real world...
I don't often talk about work, for good reason, but the prospective move we're facing has me vexed. At present our team works in one half of two buildings joined together - it's not a perfect arrangement, as we're in 3 rooms on 2 levels. The other team is in our mirror image building.
Now, however, we're moving, and we can either go to the top floor or spread horizontally. The other team will take the rooms we don't. My suspicion already is that these things are pre-ordained, not by the fact that we actually have more workers than the other team, but by our relative status. Yes, we're the red-headed step-children, destined for the attic, I can see it coming a mile off.
*scowls*
I've decided to go for a modern(ish) trend here, though I could wax lyrical about Evelyn Waugh or Orwell or Jane Austen or a dozen other writers of genius and flair.
Instead I'm going to rave about Regeneration, by the wonderful Pat Barker. It's book #1 of a trilogy, though I think the first two are the best (The Eye in the Door and The Ghost Road are the remainder). It's a book about the birth of modern psychotherapy, the creative mind (as evidenced by Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen) and so much more.
2. An author you respect, and why.
James Lee Burke. For anyone who's never read him, or only knows of his series of books from the bad Alec Baldwin movie version of one of them, they're missing out. He has a fantastically lyrical turn of phrase, one that's sadly missing in the majority of the prosaic world of crime fiction.
Do yourself a favour, go read him, particularly the three book series that has Cimarron Rose and Heartwood and the other one whose title I can't recall...
3. A book you love even though you think it's kind of trashy.
Not so much a book as a series of books. The Nero Wolfe mysteries, by Rex Stout - I've read them all, just about, have got most of them, and the characters just grab me every time. Archie's snarkiness and fearlessness, Wolfe's understated yet crowing genius, and all the other characters (the recurring ones at least) bright and sharp and alive.
4. A book that's had a real impact on your life. Describe.
Too hard to narrow this down to one book. I find myself stirred, challenged, perplexed and envious of so many... *g*
5. The book that you most often find yourself recommending to people.
I think the book(s) I've pimped most furiously to people are the Aubrey & Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian. The man was a classic story-teller, creating characters that you give a damn about, human and imperfect but still fascinating. And you want everything to be okay for them, even though you know that it's just not going to be that simple.
----------------
Meanwhile, back in the real world...
I don't often talk about work, for good reason, but the prospective move we're facing has me vexed. At present our team works in one half of two buildings joined together - it's not a perfect arrangement, as we're in 3 rooms on 2 levels. The other team is in our mirror image building.
Now, however, we're moving, and we can either go to the top floor or spread horizontally. The other team will take the rooms we don't. My suspicion already is that these things are pre-ordained, not by the fact that we actually have more workers than the other team, but by our relative status. Yes, we're the red-headed step-children, destined for the attic, I can see it coming a mile off.
*scowls*
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no subject
Date: 2002-11-02 09:49 am (UTC)(Possibly because we were too busy working our way through the big Shanks-love?)
I talk about my work all the time en blog, though in what I hope would be hard-to-identify terms, for the same good reasons as you. It's swamping me all to hell - including that ongoing legislation which will no doubt impact all over yours in due course...) Right now, I'm ending each week bent double, prematurely wizened, and sociopathic. Hope you can hang fire on a weekend meet-up? I'd be poorest of company right now, even more than usual . Planning to take a nice long break over Christmas, during which time I may actually revert to a semi-domesticated state, so please keep faith with me until then!
If you're the red-headed children in the attic, we're their collection of chewmarked toys. This seems to be the view of HMT at any rate. I badly need to find me an obscure job in Brum (on a G7 salary, natch). Prognosis? don't hold your breath.
no subject
Date: 2002-11-02 10:34 am (UTC)As for the Birmingham thing, well we need to do that sometime, don't we? Away next weekend with the old jet-set lifestyle, going to sunny Newark NJ for a con...
Other than frustration at our impending attic move, work is going well. Even the legislation (grrrr at the delay) looks bound to make a return soon. There's a limit to how long the ermined ones can frustrate progress and the Right Thing To Do, regardless of what religious prattle they wrap it in.
G7? Grrrrr.