Fragmentary little heap of up-dates
I’m sorry. Really, I am. Like the charming Finslippy, the longer I neglect you, the stronger my feeling that I need to give you something marvellous, or at least hilarious, to make up for it, and the angstier the nail-biting. And yet I am quite happy to read anything at all on my pals’ blogs, essays, rants, snippets that amused them, complaints about being bored.
The thing is, the thing IS, you see, the people at work actually do expect me to actually work, rather than sit about mulling over the Novel and wondering what to bore you lot with this week. It is monstrously unfair of them. [Though how this applies to all the time you spend at home surfing the net or watching CSI or, God help us, both at once, I don't know - Ed].
Anyway. [Have you noticed how she always ignores me when I'm right?]
ANYWAY. It doesn’t help that I’m a little absent-minded at the best of times.
I particularly like knowing what people are reading at the moment, especially when they are reading more than one book at a time - the juxtapositions are often so interesting and such great scope for feverish speculation. And as I am not a hypocrite, oh no, really, I’m not, here’s my current bedside book-pile:
- Auden’s The Dyer’s Hand - (which is out of print. For why?) slow going, and not at a point where I can formulate fair or coherent opinions. [And don't you go hoping she'll get back to you on this. Bone idle and absent minded, remember?]
- HG Wells’ Selected Short Stories (inc. The Time Machine). I don’t remember having ever actually read The Time Machine before (not that that precludes one from pontificating on it). The Time Machine is a giant of mythopoeia and yet is such a very short novella. Surprising. And I was, I think, more struck with the vision of London as a valley full of trees and stately ruins than with Wells’ now rather silly prediction of humanity splitting into two etiolated and bleached races, the pretty and pretty stupid, and the vile and viley predatory. Nowadays, of course, we know very well we are splitting into the skeletal and the fleshy, neither type will be able to reproduce, and the whole sorry boiling will come to an abrupt stop in three generations. London will still become a forest full of stately ruins. Oh, and crisp-packets. Unless they evolve a natural predator.
- Margaret Atwood’s Negotiating with the Dead, third time of asking. Which says a lot. And I am reading for the third time because I AM preparing a review, and the Editor can go and stick her head argh grr [Do you want control of the keyboard back? Just nod].
- Boris Akunin’s The Death of Achilles. Because a) it’s research and b) I cannot be clever all the time [Well then, half the time? A third of the time? Oh, go on, I dare you]
And, as ever, Big Thoughts are being Thunk regarding The Novel [I say Navel]. I confess I am being a little dilatory and pathetic about this. But, you know, so much fretting, so little time.
March 10th, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I have to admit I am reading just the one book at the moment.
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton. I am finding it hard to read, not because it is boring, but because it is set too close to my life. I lived through the time he writes about, I lived in the suburbs he writes about and he almost writes about my family! Scary and offputting as it keeps bringing back memories gilded with age and removing the gilt! When I finish I have to find some way of writing a review - that WILL be Hell!
March 11th, 2007 at 9:44 am
I spent six months sneering at Akunin’s Winter Queen in the library because I am unbearably snobbish about foreigners writing about Russia.
And then I finally snapped and got it out and realised that a) he’s not a foreigner and b) it’s the series everyone in Russia was raving about and had even made a wildly anticipated TV adaptation out of which I only didn’t watch as I hadn’t read the book.
All I can say is they shouldn’t have changed the title.
Anyway, I’m about a third of the way through his Turkish Gambit at the mo. And likely to stay there as I’m supposed to be reading a history of the Balkans. It’s 700 pages long, I’m on page 45 and we’ve already done 2 Serbian uprisings, the Greek war of independance and are in the middle of something in Croatia. I have to keep taking a break or I get lost.
March 12th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
At the moment I’m rereading my Robertson Davies (starting with Fifth Business) as Loricat has started an RD discussion page on her blog.
I was also in the middle of Emma for possibly the second time, but find it quite put-downable. I’d found it with a bookmark at page 195 when I tried again recently, though I have no recollection of having read any of it before.
I’m also reading a book in Spanish called La Sombra del Viento (The Shadow of the Wind) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Which so far is gorgeous, but I have to admit to feeling much too tired when I crawl into bed - the only reading time I have these days - to have to read in another language.
That Margaret Atwood book looks very interesting! She’s one of my favourite writers … think I’ll have to add that to my list.
Nice to see you back.
March 16th, 2007 at 12:07 am
I’m reading Michael Crichton’s Next right now.
And isn’t it inconvenient that people expect you to work? For example, right this second there is a client lying on my table who expects me to stop blogging and go give her a massage. I mean, really. Bye
March 16th, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Hi
new here
I’m reading About Time by Paul Davies and the seventh installment of The Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smitha and Cats Eye by Margaret Attwood.
Regarding your angst over your writing, here is a Leunig cartoon: http://users.bigpond.net.au/con-nosotros/leunig-2.gif
He came to speak to our narrative research group and he spoke of the state of confusion/angst/melancholy that accompanies creativity.
http://bindinestor.wordpress.com
March 16th, 2007 at 1:11 pm
PS. the thing IS: are you a Lano and Woodley fan?
http://bindinestor.wordpress.com
March 16th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Hiya, Bindi, nice to meet you! Welcome and please excuse the mess of ‘Things in Progress’ strewn over all the furniture.
The cartoon is adorable. I feel oh, SO like that.
And, err, who in heck are Lano and Woodley? I now must find out. Am on quest.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Hi, its been awhile since I’ve visited. I forgot how to make my way here until I saw the link in my blog stats.
Colin Lane (Lano) and Frank Woodley are the funniest comedians. They are an Australian duo who have produced a TV series as well as many live shows, all of which are available on DVD.
And Frank often says, The thing IS.