Sunday Musings

There's a racket being run at Books-a-Million and Borders.  It's one of those sale offers that tries to capitalize on consumer impulses of what they perceive to be a good deal.  They got these tables set up all around the store with "Buy two get a third free" signs and stickers.  One particular table had me drooling with offerings from A.S. Byatt, Patrick Rothfuss, John Irving, Sarah Waters, and Gabriel Garcia-Marquez. I was about to put a serious dent in my TBR list until I saw the prices.  Thanks to an iphone and 'snaptell' I saw that I could save about $21 by passing on what seemed to be an awesome deal.  I'm all for supporting brick-and-mortar stores, but when I spend that kinda money it will be at one of the local family owned stores, not a large chain.  I go to chain retailers to look at publishers remainders and bargain books.  (I know my efforts are in vain but I try...)

So I stuck to the bargain books as I planned and for nine bucks made out with Trader by Charles de Lint, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, and Escapement by Jay Lake.  Reading de Lint was a new year's resolution as is reading some steampunk (Lake).  While I read Lake before Escapement does mean I have to track down book one of this trilogy; for that reason alone I'm surprised I bought it.  This is actually the fourth time I've bought Grossman's novel though this time I don't know who I'll 'force-lend' it to.  I guess I liked it even more than I knew.  And by the way, does Michael Swanwick really count as steampunk?

Shopping today threw into sharp relief an interesting fact of my reading last year: I didn't read a single mass market paperback.  I finished Ender's Game last week and hope to have a review up shortly; it is the first mass market paperback I recall reading in a long time.  That was just a random fun fact.

I've discovered I like rye.  In fact I'll go so far as to say, "it's delicious."  If I can be sexist for a moment--and I can--it's a man's drink.  In today's drinking culture I can understand how rye has lost so much ground to bourbon, but just try a Manhattan with rye--as it should be--as opposed to bourbon; you'll see things the way I do shortly and if not, have another one...  I could see myself doing "Rye Reviews" much as I have with rum as soon as I get a better grasp on it.

The "N-Word" and Mark Twain

This is getting to be old news, but I've yet to really decide how I feel on the matter.  The Afterword is telling of a new edition of Huck Finn that will be published with "slave" in place of "nigger"... all 219 times.  Also on the chopping block is the word "injun" to be replaced with "slave" as well.

I can see both sides as to why the words should be replaced and why they should be kept the same.  Ultimately I think my feelings lie in the purist realm of, "leave it alone."  Anything else will be nothing more than an affectation of politically correct semantics which would go against the reality Twain was trying to write about.  Or at least that is how I think I feel.

Any one else have thoughts on the matter?

Most Anticipated Books of 2011

It's kinda odd for me to do a list.  I've never done one and I admit the lameness ahead of time.  Yeah, you guessed it... this is something else that was originally meant for examiner.

It goes without saying there will be more awesome books published this year than I'll read and unfortunately I'll probably never even hear of a large percentage of them.  So I should steal an idea from Joe Sherry and leave a place open for all the stuff that is unknown to me, but instead I'll just list what I know exist and gets me excited.

I've felt for awhile now that Michael Swanwick is a master of the short story and none are better than those involving his brilliant and lovable con-men Darger and Surplus.  (If you haven't read his fabulous collection, The Dog says Bow-Wow, which contains three Darger and Surplus stories, shame on you.)  So an entire novel dedicated to the two (They've FINALLY gotten to Moscow!) has to be awesome!  I read two of his previous novels and they were both meaty, behemoths that were as rewarding as wagyu beef; I expect nothing less from one as Swanwick.  He is manifest awesome.  

Sorry.  I'll calm down now...

Dancing with Bears comes out in May and is easily this years publication I'm most looking forward to.

Number two on this short list has to go to Lev Grossman.  I had so much fun reading The Magicians that I'll probably read it again leading into the fall release of The Magician Kings.  I will say that I have no idea where this book will go; it kinda makes me apprehensive like the second Matrix movie (which is a horrible feeling), but I'm hoping for the best.

KJ Parker's Purple and Black was an out-of-nowhere publishing piece of awesome for me last year.  By reading more of the author's work in 2011 I can satisfy two of my reading resolutions.  I've already ordered Blue and Gold,  and as I always prefer reading stand-alones to series The Hammer seems another good book to pick up.   
 
And what are you dear reader (sorry I've been reading the Bronte sisters lately...) looking forward to in 2011?

First Book Purchases of the Year and Other Happenings

Yesterday was a really long day, so today, I went book shopping (there is no logical correlation between the two...).

I sure hope John Fowles is as good of a writer as I think he is, because I'm racking up on his literary output.  Daniel Martin is a novel of Fowles that I've not heard of, but it fit the theme of 2011 "Doorstopper Year" and a gut feeling told me it was a safe buy.  My wallet said it was a safe buy because I only paid two dollars for a hardback copy.

Arturo Pérez-Reverte was one of my great discoveries last year and I look forward to The Nautical Chart a stand-alone title.  There was a small book by some guy named Kurt Vonnegut that I've never read; Slaughter House Five.  The latter is a book I have the least powerful urge to pick up and read of all books on my TBR shelf, but it was only six bucks.  The most intriguing book I found on this trip was The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Tenth Annual Collection edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.  The table of contents is absolutely staggering in this 1996 collection and the fun thing about anthologies isn't finding new favorites by authors I already know, rather coming across authors that are new to me and great writers.  It included stories from: Charles de Lint, Neil Gaiman, Terry Dowling, Patricia McKillip, Gabriel Garcia Márquez, Thomas Ligotti, Michael Swanwick, Angela Carter, and --the biggest surprise, to me--Susanna Clarke.  I had no clue she had publication credits going back to 1996 (though I've since read the story by her included here).

This shopping trip also helped me understand why my blogging has been on the rise in the past month or so.  That examiner gig is only kinda blah...  The support is awful.  I send emails asking questions get little to no reply, or an answer to one of four questions asked and I really just don't have the drive to put content up there.  However I resolved to do so in the beginning, it seems the material just ended up on my own blog instead of theirs.  I could go on with examiner frustrations but I don't want to dedicate the time to it.  (Should any of 'them' be reading, I've done the survey, and sent multiple emails to my content editor.  I mean seriously, why do I have to jump through hoops to include a link in an article?)  

So what are your first of the year book purchases?

Books of the Year 2010 and of Things to Come

I read, cover-to-cover, fifty-three books this year; of which only one was a 2010 release.  As usual, I seem to be consistent in staying away from the pulp blockbusters in a given year to seek out what is perhaps more substantial and enduring (though probably unheralded) beyond the immediate commercial push.  I only put down one book after starting it this year, and that more than anything else is something I'm very proud to say.  I don't mind putting a book down for any reason, but I've apparently developed a keen eye for what I like and avoided much that I didn't.   

There were a good deal of books in a series read this year, which, naturally, leads to a lot of repeat author experiences; although not all the repeat authors reads were works in a series.  Here's the break down:  

Neil Gaiman 2

Gene Wolfe 2

Gabriel Garcia-Marquez 2

Michael Swanwick 2

Guy Gavriel Kay 4

Greg Keyes 4

Arturo Perez-Reverte 5

Edward Whittemore 5

C.S. Lewis 5

There remaining books read were all from different, unique authors.  

This is officially not a "Best Books of 2010" list.  As previously noted, I've only read one book from this year.  As such, these are the books that stood out to me--enough to merit some special designation--at the end of my year of reading.  

Best New Author Discovery (And coincidentally, the shortlist for my favorite reads of 2010)

I can't give this to Miriam Gershow as I've come across her short stories (which are fabulous) in years past.  In the same breath I have to say, Whittemore, Joe Hill, John Fowles, Perez-Reverte, Akira Yoshimura, Garcia-Marquez, K.J. Parker, and Ivan Turgenev.  How's that for wussing out on a single answer (not to mention diversity)?  

I've offered a host of comments on Perez-Reverte, of which most of my reading has been confined to his Captain Alatriste series, and of Whittemore I've commented on every one of his books.  I've only read one book each from Yoshimura, Hill, and Parker and each was fabulous while Turgenev, Fowles, and Garcia Marquez are authors of 'classics' and near cheating to mention.

Most forgettable Reads

The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes, The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, The Last Song of Orpheus by Robert Silverberg , and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Silverburg was as un-engaging as it was inoffensive, Kostova was a let down of 'blah' proportions, and after the initial power of Barnes the middle and end of the novel were a complete snore-fest.  Of Ms. Bronte (pick one...), I'd just rather not speak…

Biggest Surprise 

The Dragon's of Babel by Michael Swanwick and The Magicians by Lev Grossman

Swanwick should come as no surprise but, I'll have to read it again to fully absorb the depths of awesome he gave readers.  He may be the most original mind in fiction today.  It's as though he lives for turning cliches into something fresh.  Furthermore, The Dragon's of Babel has stuck with me more than any other book read this year.  It's not a piece of fiction you fly through, nor is it so difficult as to be tedious.  It's a book that can be read and enjoyed on many different levels.  It's very mature and one I feel will endure for a long time to come.   

Grossman's book was an absolute gem; I can't wait for the next.  It was contemporary, visceral, and a success on every level.  

The Best Book I Read in 2010

The Local News by Miriam Gershow.  I tried multiple times to leave comments on this outstanding book, but was unsuccessful in writing anything that wasn't a litany of praise.  If I could physically force readers to pick up anyone book before all others, it would be The Local News.  It's better than great, and to find out why and just how good it is, you have to read it yourself or wait until I do so a second time and can commit my thoughts to paper.  

None of the above categories would really fit for Whittemore's Jerusalem Quartet and yet, I feel it an error to not mention what are easily the most profound, bizarre and wholly original books I came across this year.  Scour your used books stores, hunt for them at library sales, buy them online when you have to.  English language readers should be ashamed of 'out-of-print' status of these wonders, but if you look, you will find them.

Next years reading strikes me a bit odd: my shelves are weighted down with names like Chabon, Eco, Franzen, and Zafon; it seems my taste in fiction are on the move.  But I'm sure I'll find time for comfort food and not to mention slimmer volumes.  

2011 is looking like, "The Year of the Doorstopper" for me.  Five-hundred plus page giants are breeding on my shelves.  I'll set the same reading goal as I did last year: fifty books read, but I wouldn't be surprised to fall short of that number and triple the page count of this year's reading.  

Happy New Year.

The Year in Rum

In what I hope is a continued series into next year, I offered up comments on sixteen bottles of rum (and sipped here and there on countless others) through five separate post.  I learned a lot and honed my taste to a fine edge.  I have a penchant for the old world stuff: big, robust, aged in wood and meant to be enjoyed all by itself.  While I can appreciate the marketing and money making of the flavored sugary things I don't enjoy them enough to work them into my personal collection.  

Greatest Discovery:

I'm a bit surprised myself to say this but Anniversario has grown on me.  It's more versatile that I originally gave it credit for and exceptionally well-priced for what it is.  At the time I had it, I would have predicted Ron Barcelo Imperial to occupy this spot, but I doesn't strike me as profound a discovery now as it did then.   

Greatest Offender:

Depaz Blue Cane Rhum Argicole is plan and simply put, awful.  Furthermore, it's awful at a high price; no redeeming qualities to mention.  There isn't a close second place that comes to mind, and even if there were it would be misleading as to Depaz's awful-ness to mention someone else in the same breath.  

Greatest Dissapointment:

I could mention a great deal here but more than any other rum I really wanted more out of Pyrat and 10 Canes Rums.  Both are good, but I felt as they were on the cusp of something really special but didn't fulfill.  

The Best Rum You Can Drink:

Of the rums I sampled this year, I have to go with Zafra Master Reserve.  As I said in my review, "This is what scotch drinkers would drink if they weren't so high and mighty as to try something other than scotch."  The Mount Gay Extra Old gets an honorable mention, but comes up short in a taste test where all things are considered.  Two rums I didn't get to drink enough of to offer comments on were Zaya, and Ron Zacap XO Centenario Solera Gran Reserva.  I can say with confidence, both the Zaya and Zacap will be serious contenders to the space currently given to Zafra.  You can expect me to track down bottles of these two in the new year.  The general rule for this coming year is, if you looking for a great rum buy something that starts with a "Z" and you should be alright.   

Should funds allow, I'd love to continue this series in 2011 as the market is incessantly being introduced to new products and rare items are seem to pop up with greater and greater frequency.  There's plenty out there I've yet to have, and I'm telling myself I've gone through all the bad stuff.  

To the good stuff ahead...

The Month in Review and of Things to Come

It's a bit early for this post, I know, but I plan a few other "year in review" post in the very near future.  The Christmas season has come and gone!  Yea!!!!  Back to regular life; which is no bad thing.  Outside of a stressful month of work (compounded by the holidays, and other people's holiday stress) December was a blast.

I had a party the first weekend of the month with a stellar drink menu and full bar that was the envy of every true mixologist.    There were Margaritas, Papa Dobles, Blood and Sand, Tom Collins, The Pegu Club, Long Islands, Spring Break and Mama's Milk (the latter two were of my own device and extremely well received) plus anything else you could think to concoct.  I had top-shelf everything and small fortunes worth of freshly squeezed lemon and lime juice.  It was beyond decadent and nice to feel like I'm not broke-to-def for once in a while.

I also was humbled by a beverage this month; rum of all things.  Here I think I know this particular liquor from front to back and out of nowhere comes the mention of "Hot Buttered Rum."  Not wanting to remain ignorant to a drink that uses my favorite spirite I quickly made up a few batches with different spices.  The conclusion is that hot buttered rum is not for me...   Hot booze in general doesn't strike my fancy, but I do feel more veteran for the experience.

I also saw The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 3D and IMAX and all that jazz.  I'll say what I always say about seeing movies: it was fun and I had a great time.  I see about three movies a year and don't expect much and while this film had large deficiencies they were trumped by the badassery of the dragon.  Perhaps that should be a lesson for all film makers.  If you include a badass looking dragon moviegoers will forgive a lot.     

On the reading front I am bound and determined to get through Jane Eyre before 2011.  That said, I've got my work cut out for me.  I don't get along particularly well with the Brönte sisters but as with Wuthering Heights, I can't quite justify putting this book down, nor do I get excited about sitting down to read it, but once I get going it's enjoyable enough.  I also finished The Silver Chair and A Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis, 20th Century Ghost by Joe Hill.

This was also an absurd month for book purchases: six.  It's not that big of a number but considering my large stack of already unread books and the fact that I've told myself I'm not buying anything more until said stack has evanesced, (I'm not 100% sure you can conjugate evanescence in the manner I previously did, but it felt right so I said, "what the hell" and went for it) six is a lot.

December is also looking to be a big blogging month for me as well; not that that statement of fact arouses anyone's interest, but I thought I'd mention it.

Apropos 'things to come,' 2011 will be a year of wait-and-see.  In the first third of the year I hope to hear that I got accpeted into someones Ph D program and if not hopefully I'll find new full time employment.  I already know the reutine of the latter and there are many aspect to the former that I hope to undergo.

Let the waiting begin.