This year is the year of the tiger, which is my sign in the Asian zodiac. That means, of course, my age is a multiple of 12 — in fact, 36. This isn’t quite midway for average male life expectancy in the developed world, but on the other hand, for the men in my family, this might well be the average of halfway, or even farther along. So I guess I should be reflecting on where I’ve been, and where I want to go. Except, well, I did that a lot last year, and I feel like I’m on track, …
Category: GENERAL
For you Home Brewers out there…
… or anyone interested in beer, brewing, and associated lore. I doubt the whole book will be of interest, but these few pages I typed out are probably at least a little bit interesting if you’re a brewer: From Roles of the Northern Goddess by Hida Ellis Davidson. London: Routledge, 1998. (from the Chapter titled “Mistress of the Household” (Pg 138-141): Yet another important use of water by the women was for brewing ale, the usual drink for all ages at a time when water was often suspect. Its association with a goddess may be seen in ancient Egypt, where …
Hugo Bids? Send the Sofa Some Love
I’m not really campaigning for a Hugo or a Nebula or anything like that, folks. 2009 was a very slow year for me, and the short story competition is huge. I love both of my published stories from 2009, but I’m much more excited about the stories coming out in 2010. Still, I guess I’m duty-bound to point out that “Cai and Her Ten Thousand Husbands” (at Apex) and “Of Melei, of Ulthar” (at Clarkesworld) are my two eligible stories. However, I wanted to draw attention to the bid Starship Sofa is making for Best Fanzine nomination. This isn’t just …
Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle
It is almost certainly unfair to Guy Delisle that reviewers will compare this book with his earlier Pyongyang, for that latter graphic novel was a major achievement, and for me at least, it represented something new in the world of comics. I read it in wonder, a few years ago, amazed at how Delisle managed to tell the story of a year so smoothly, so engagingly, and so courageously. The newer book is quite different, but this should surprise nobody: we cannot expect an artist or writer to produce work that is like the first work we have encountered from …
Shekhar Kapur’s Snake Woman, Vol 1: “A Snake in the Grass” by Zeb Wells (script) and Michael Gaydos (art).
So, graphic novels. The last few books I’ve read were all funny books. Expect the reviews over the next week or so to be focused on that area. Yeah, it’s hard for me to say much without spoiling this, but then again, I don’t think there are many surprises in this book, and it’s been out for ages (since June 2007), so I’m going to just go ahead and talk about it. Well: this is a horror comic that was published by Virgin Comics, one that, according to a tiny note on the cover, is “Suggested for Mature Readers.” The …
I’d Rather Die Than Give a Speech!: The Comprehensive Guide for Public Speaking by Michael M. Klepper
This is a book I picked up in a used book section in Depok, a small suburb of Jakarta. I was amazed to find, upon leafing through it, that it covers a lot of the same issues I cover in my undergraduate Public Speaking course. What’s more, since it is written for the average businessperson — it was, indeed, an Alternate Selection of the Executive Program, says the dustjacket — it’s basically at an appropriate reading level for my English Language & Culture major students, as well as many of the non-majors who seem to want to take the class. …
I’m Teaching What?
Update (a few months later): Well, surprisingly this turned out to be one of the better classes of the semester, and in fact I rather enjoyed it. We read Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Melville’s “Bartleby the Scrivener,” excerpts from Ha-Joon Chang’s Bad Samaritans, organized crime, and the massive documentary film The Corporation; not that it was a massive propaganda session, of course: I just played devil’s advocate, presenting materials that challenged a lot of the more common beliefs and attitudes among students. We had plenty of thoughtful discussions about cultural and economic imperialism, the relationships between government, the press, businesses, …
The Cleanest Race by B.R. Myers
I include the title of this book here for record-keeping only. I am writing a review of the book for The Kyoto Journal, so I will not be posting a review here. I will, however, note that it is quite an interesting book, and despite its shortcomings, I do think it’s worth your while to read it if you would like to know more about the mythic components of the North Korean ideology. Once it sees print, I’ll announce it here.
On a Bunch of 2009 SF films
I’ve been sorting through random files on my netbook, and just discovered a half-written post on District 9, which I never finished and never posted. (The post sucked, so it’s good I didn’t get around to putting it online, but still…) Having just seen Avatar a few weeks ago, and The Box just a few days ago, and Moon and the Korean vampire flick Thirst a long time ago, I thought I’d put up my opinion on all of them (and a few more that come to mind), as they’re the last few SF films I’ve seen (aside from the …
Sightseeing by Rattawut Lapcharoensap
(Still working on my review of Ian McDonald’s Cyberabad Days, so instead of rush-posting it before I’m happy with it, I’m posting this review.) I am writing this review without access to the Internet, so I may not have a chance to search for links before posting it. However, since I have a little free time, I am eager to write up this book while it is fresh in my mind. I’ll keep my review simple: this book is a fascinating, deft exploration of Thailand from the inside, by a young writer who I envy like mad. Lapcharoensap’s writing is …