Category: News/Misc. Page 239 of 242

Dusted Off: Living with the Top of Our Son’s Head

On July 28, 2009

In Authors, Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, News/Misc.

This is pretty much all we’ve seen over the last week of Frodo. It’s mostly encouraging, but a little strange at the same time.

Frodo, like his siblings, reads more than your average kid–he really has no choice in this household, like I’ve intended it all along (TLomL has intended it, too…probably not as intensely as me).^* I should add that it’s not all by coercion, he actually enjoys reading. Granted, he’s not at the level I was at his age, but that’s probably a good thing. He might actually have a social life in a couple of years.

Things changed a week ago, though. After repeated suggestions from his parents over the last few months, he pulled down Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone from the shelf and dove in. I’m not going to be one of the roughly 97 bazillion people to use the line about Rowling casting a spell on him, but…she basically did that. He’s been plowing through them at a rate he’s never hit before–seven days after he started Sorcerer’s Stone, he started in on Half-Blood Prince. Samwise has been following his lead, but not at the same rate.

What’s more, he’s devoted hours to this project–he’s ignored opportunities to play outside, to play video games (not every opportunity, mind you), to do basically everything he normally does so that he can sit with a Potter novel open in front of him.

I do realize that parents all over the world have experience this phenomenon. It’s just great to see this in action. Never would’ve figured the top of his head would be such a great thing to look at (cowlick and all).

^* Can I legally call that a sentence? Someone grab a Defibrillator for my inner-editor…

Dusted Off: Hey, you sass that hoopy Douglas Adams? There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.

By HCNewton

On May 25, 2009

In A-B, Authors, Calendar Items, Douglas Adams, Fiction, Science Fiction, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

I may not have gone where I intended to go,
but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.
– Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams
(1952 – 2001)

What’s Towel Day? Wired has a handy article.

(thanks to Travis Avery for the banner)

Dusted Off: The Ides of April

By HCNewton

On April 15, 2009

In Calendar Items, Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin, Quotations

which means it’s time for me to post this quote again.

A man condemning the income tax because of the annoyance it gives him or the expense it puts him to is merely a dog baring its teeth, and he forfeits the privileges of civilized discourse. But it is permissible to criticize it on other and impersonal grounds. A government, like an individual, spends money for any or all of three reasons: because it needs to, because it wants to, or simply because it has it to spend. The last is much the shabbiest. It is arguable, if not manifest, that a substantial proportion of this great spring flood of billions pouring into the Treasury will in effect get spent for that last shabby reason.

–Nero Wolfe

Dusted Off: In nomine pizza domine!

By HCNewton

On April 13, 2009

In Authors, Books, Fiction, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, Urban Fantasy

a quick peak into my geekery:

Thanks to the virtual signing hosted by Dog Eared Books last week, I received my signed copy of the new Dresden Files novel, Turn Coat this weekend. This being the, I think, 6th signed book in my meager library,^** this one is obviously being added to my “do not loan” list–honestly, not sure I’m going to let myself read it.

——

^*The inscription, “In nomine pizza domine!” is the battle cry of Toot-Toot and his dewdrop faerie friends, as they attack the Summer Court in Summer Knight.

^**I fully expect certain readers, like TLomL, will dispute the use of the word “meager.” On this, however, she is uncharacteristically wrong.

Dusted Off: Belgium, Belgium, Belgium! (sorry for the profanity)

By HCNewton

On March 11, 2009

In Douglas Adams, Fiction, News/Misc., Science Fiction, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Not sure why I’ve let this layer of dust accumulate over things lately, meant to post a thing or two last week, but things got away from me I guess.

Nothing personal, I assure you–well, most of you anyway.

So what got me riled up enough to break my silence?

This monstrosity:

That’s right, author Eoin Colfer has been commissioned to write the sixth volume of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide trilogy.

SciFi Wire reports:

And Another Thing…, which will be released Oct. 12 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the publication of the first book in the series by the late Douglas Adams, is a sequel commissioned by the publisher from Eoin Colfer. Colfer is the author of the best-selling Artemis Fowl series.

While Penguin will publish the latest book, Pan Macmillan, which was Adams’ paperback publisher, will repackage his backlist, adding new introductions to the books, which will be released monthly leading up to the release of the new title.

Why, oh why, is this being done? Was the world begging for a follow-up to Mostly Harmless? Did another story just need to be told? NO!

Did Adams’ leave notes, instructions for another? No.

Does Arthur Dent really need to get kicked around some more? No.

Wouldn’t it be easier to insult the Douglas Adams’ memory by digging up his bones and throwing rocks at them? Or you could just put out the recent movie on Blu-Ray, that’d do it, too.

This is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. A travesty. A disgrace. A literary crime.

Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll be there on 10/21, cash in hand, just waiting for the book–probably with baited breath. Just hope it’ll be slightly better than a collection of poetry by Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings of Greenbridge, Essex, England.

Dusted Off: Attack of the Spoilers

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2009

In Books, News/Misc.

So, the instant I heard that Joe Torre had a book coming out about his time with the Yankees, I ordered it (even if he technically wrote nothing). Now I’m wondering if I wasted my money. The book comes out today, and it’s already been making news thanks to a copy that a couple of NY journalists got their hands on a week or so early.

The leaked portion of the book couldn’t be more than a few paragraphs, and yet hours of TV/radio time, gallons of ink, GB of internet traffic has been devoted to it. Now that the book is out, and we’ll get more than an isolated comment about A-Rod or a description of Cashman’s treatment of Torre toward the end. I can’t imagine that we’ll see less reporting.

Now, I’ll try to avoid as much of that as I can, but it won’t be enough. If I’m not careful, I’ll end up reading/hearing the whole book before my copy arrives on Thursday, and I really won’t have time to dig in to it until Saturday.

I understand our media culture is all about getting the story out before anyone else. But when it comes getting the details of a book–memoir or best-selling novel (how many leaks about the ending of Deathly Hallows were there?)–movie, TV series finale, etc. what’s the rush? Can’t we wait for the intended audience to get a crack at it before rushing to print? What’s the benefit to spilling the details/ending/spoilers?

Internet fan sites and whatnot have the decency to warn readers about spoilers, so we can avoid them. Can’t legitimate news groups (or reasonable facsimiles thereof) do the same?

just a little griping, I guess.

Dusted Off: Exactly what I’d Write if I was Erudite

By HCNewton

On January 12, 2009

In Authors, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin, News/Misc., Rex Stout

Terry Teachout’s blogpost today, “Forty years with Nero Wolfe” is one of those posts I really wish I could’ve written.

Give it a read, hopefully Teachout can convince you to pick up Wolfe. Outside The Bible, a handful of Reformed and Puritan writers, Stout’s the only author I’d recommend to every person I know w/o a disclaimer or a second thought.

Dusted Off: Happy Birthday, Archie!

By HCNewton

On October 23, 2008

In Calendar Items, Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin, Quotations

On Oct 23 in Chillicothe, Ohio, Archie Goodwin entered this world–no doubt with a smile for the pretty nurses–and American detective literature was never the same.

I’m toasting him in one of the ways I think he’d appreciate most–by raising a glass of milk in his honor.

Who was Archie? Archie summed up his life thusly:

Born in Ohio. Public high school, pretty good at geometry and football, graduated with honor but no honors. Went to college two weeks, decided it was childish, came to New York and got a job guarding a pier, shot and killed two men and was fired, was recommended to Nero Wolfe for a chore he wanted done, did it, was offered a full-time job by Mr. Wolfe, took it, still have it.” (Fourth of July Picinic)

Long may he keep it. Just what was he employed by Wolfe to do? In The Black Mountain he answers the statement, “I thought you was a private eye” with:

I don’t like the way you say it, but I am. Also I am an accountant, an amanuensis, and a cocklebur. Eight to five you never heard the word amanuensis and you never saw a cocklebur.

In The Red Box, he says

I know pretty well what my field is. Aside from my primary function as the thorn in the seat of Wolfe’s chair to keep him from going to sleep and waking up only for meals, I’m chiefly cut out for two things: to jump and grab something before the other guy can get his paws on it, and to collect pieces of the puzzle for Wolfe to work on.

In case you’re wondering if this post was simply an excuse to go through some collections of Archie Goodwin quotations, you wouldn’t be totally wrong…he’s one of the fictional characters I like spending time with most in this world–he’s the literary equivalent of comfort food. So just one more great line I’ve quoted here before:

I would appreciate it if they would call a halt on all their devoted efforts to find a way to abolish war or eliminate disease or run trains with atoms or extend the span of human life to a couple of centuries, and everybody concentrate for a while on how to wake me up in the morning without my resenting it. It may be that a bevy of beautiful maidens in pure silk yellow very sheer gowns, barefooted, singing “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and scattering rose petals over me would do the trick, but I’d have to try it.

Dusted Off: Towel Day 2008 (observed)

By HCNewton

On May 27, 2008

In Authors, Calendar Items, Science Fiction

We observed Towel Day on Monday, once again celebrating the author who permanently skewed my mind back in Junior High. Couldn’t get things organized enough for a group shot this year, but I was able to snag some individual shots:

oh, yeah, and a little gift from The Love of my Life…

(will try to get a better shot of that soon)

Dusted Off: Really only posting this to keep up my quota

By HCNewton

On April 14, 2008

In DVD/Movie, Fiction, News/Misc., YA/MG/Children's Books

Watched The Water Horse, this weekend with the family, which garnered very mixed reviews. TLomL called it “cute” and “a fun little movie.” The rest of us couldn’t disagree more. Whyfore the difference? The rest of us read the book last year before it opened in theaters, (one of our nigh unto unbreakable House Rules is “read the book first”) and the experience coupled with the trailers we’d been enjoying switched it from the “Get thee to a Multiplex” list to “Eh, maybe on video.” And we almost didn’t do that, but in the end, Frodo’s desire to compare the two and the Princess’ curiosity overcame Sam’s apathy.

I fully realize that you sometimes have to alter, tweak, or change elements of a book to get the thing into a movie. Sometimes I wonder why choices are made, but I can understand it. But this wasn’t on the level of leaving Hermione’s founding S.P.E.W. out of the flick, or something on that level. This was a wholesale re-write.

Dick King-Smith’s perfectly charming kid’s book is about two kids Kirstie and Angus living in Scotland in the 1930’s with their mother and her father (their father is a merchant marine gone for months at a time). They go to the shore frequently to look for firewood, kelp (to put on their grandfather’s garden), and miscellany. One day, Angus and Kirstie find a giant “mermaid’s purse“, which our protagonist, Kirstie, decides to sneak home because she’s so curious about it. That mermaid’s purse turns out to be an egg sack for the Water Horse. The rest of the book is about the family’s struggle to feed and care for the beastie while keeping him secret. He’s moved from body of water to body of water ’til he ends up in Loch Ness, where a certain picture is taken of him in 1934. Along the way, silly Angus grows up a bit, grandfather (named ‘Grumble’ because of his personality) cheers up, Kirstie becomes more mature.

In the movie, we’re still in Scotland, but it’s in the middle of WWII, and Angus is the focus…he’s drawn to the water, yet terrified of it (for reasons to be semi-explained later). One day at the beach where he’s supposed to be playing, he finds this strange rock, which he takes home–which is a large estate, his mother is the Head Housekeeper there. The rock turns out to be an egg, from which hatches the Water Horse. The next day, a regiment (or so) of soldiers arrives to be housed at the estate while they guard the nearby Loch from German Subs. Angus recruits the help of Kirstie and the new handyman with the mysterious past (taking the job of Angus’ father) to help him keep the creature a secret. Which brings them into confrontation with the soldiers, helps Angus deal with the loss of his father and his fear of water.

Which would’ve been a fine little flick, if it didn’t claim to be based on the book. Trust the source. You thought the novel was good enough to buy the rights to…don’t mess with it. Why is this so hard for people to understand?

So, basically, if you and yours haven’t read the book–it’s a cute movie to watch with the kids. Otherwise…find something else.

By the way, I have to wonder…just what history books do the people at Walden Media read? Apparently, aside from one/both parents being separated from their kids, WWII’s a pretty magical time (maybe just in the UK). The Pevensies are whisked away to Narnia, the MacMorrow kids get a magical pet…