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For various reasons, neither SWMBO or I have had much time to watch telly or read books. However, we have bought books and recorded the programmes we thought we might want to watch: so this is an entry about catching up.
David Brin's "Existence" is a book I bought for myself for my birthday, and have only now had a chance to finish reading it.
Some obvious faults, but interesting nevertheless. Not that great on characterisation, but Brin has a good hold on the novel of ideas actually conveying those ideas. Still, it took me rather a long time to read the thing, whereas with a true page-turner, no matter how badly written or translated (see "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as an example) one rushes through in as few extended sittings as possible.
SWMBO and I finally caught up with series 2 of "The Hour". I thought it was fab, actually, and it brought back memories of people from my parents generations talking in code about Profumo, and generally reading about the late fifties and early sixties in the seventies, as geeky young men were wont to do in the years before the internet. Anyway, I found "The Hour" to be enthralling television, portraying a period before I had proper memory, but for which I feel a nostalgic affinity. However this is not a good series to watch if you've just given up smoking, as the characters light up all the flipping time.
Now I have to read Lavie Tidhar's "Osama"
Hoping it is as good as the buzz about it.
David Brin's "Existence" is a book I bought for myself for my birthday, and have only now had a chance to finish reading it.
Some obvious faults, but interesting nevertheless. Not that great on characterisation, but Brin has a good hold on the novel of ideas actually conveying those ideas. Still, it took me rather a long time to read the thing, whereas with a true page-turner, no matter how badly written or translated (see "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as an example) one rushes through in as few extended sittings as possible.
SWMBO and I finally caught up with series 2 of "The Hour". I thought it was fab, actually, and it brought back memories of people from my parents generations talking in code about Profumo, and generally reading about the late fifties and early sixties in the seventies, as geeky young men were wont to do in the years before the internet. Anyway, I found "The Hour" to be enthralling television, portraying a period before I had proper memory, but for which I feel a nostalgic affinity. However this is not a good series to watch if you've just given up smoking, as the characters light up all the flipping time.
Now I have to read Lavie Tidhar's "Osama"
Hoping it is as good as the buzz about it.
