Thoughts inspired by, cool things discovered in, or reviews of:
• Books I’ve read
• Movies I’ve seen
• TV I’ve watched
• Music I’ve listened to
• Games I’ve played
• Software I’ve used
Most of this is usually posts about science fiction & fantasy books & movies, though I also often enjoy history & historical fiction, and occasionally post about cool music, videos, geeky software or tech gadgets I’ve used.
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” – The Storytelling Animal: How Stories Make Us Human by JONATHAN GOTTSCHALL
I haven’t read this book, but stumbled on this quote which I really like and it rings very true for me. I may decide to check this out from library, as it has good reviews, doesn’t sound too technical and it supposedly a quick and entertaining read. Regardless, I want to remember this quote.
I finished watching Season 1 of The Last Kingdom, the TV series adaptation of the first two books of Bernard Cornwell‘s Saxon series of historical novels set in 9th and 10th century Britain. I liked it a lot and hope they renew it for a second season and continue to adapt the books. Very well done.
This scene from Episode 8 tickled my funny bone. Spoilers ahead so read no further if you want to experience this for yourself…. Continue reading The Last Kingdom Season 1 Finale
I discovered the poem “Burnt Norton” in a recent post from Brain Pickings, a blog I have really found engaging on multiple levels. So many thoughts and literary works it has brought to my attention that I have wanted to pursue. But there is so much to read, so little time, and I DO so love my Sci-Fi & Fantasy escapes.
Anyway, back to the point. Below is a bit of the poem “Burnt Norton” by T. S. Eliot which is all about Time and our perception of it, and a little about writing & poetry, and how the universe and our bit of time in it, does have an order (Logos), and that writing and poetry is our attempts to encapsulate a bit of that order, that bit of time, into our own mutable words. I need to study this poem much more, as there are parts that I don’t quite grasp but “feel”. Continue reading The Still Point of the Turning World…
The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
View book info on GoodReads
My Rating: 
4 out of 5 stars
First Published: Jan 1, 1962
Read from: Nov. 14 to Nov. 24, 2015
Awards: 1963 Hugo Award for Best Novel
I’ve been wanting to read this for a long time. I watched the first episode of the Amazon series and decided it was past time for me to read this and compare the two. Like the show, this book is pretty dark and disturbing. Partly because you can SEE how easily the American society could adapt. I happened to be reading this during the ISIS attacks in Paris and the deep religious and racist backlash that occurred in the press and social media was all the more disturbing combined with reading this dark alternate history of a US that lost World War II.
Read the Full Review
Much of what I do would be considered blue-collar, manual labor. And I kind of like it. You can see what you have accomplished each day. I care what other’s think of my work and ethic, but mostly, I care what I think about it.
“People call this blue-collar. I don’t care what color your shirt is. You bring pride to the job, people notice. Even if they don’t, you notice.”
– NCIS S12E17 “The Artful Dodger”
I’ve been really liking The Last Kingdom, the BBC production of Bernard Cornwell’s “The Saxon Stories“. This line from episode four really grabbed me.
King Alfred: “Why do you not pray to God?”
Uhtred: “God… created everything that surrounds me… the fields, rivers, the forests. The land is my church. And I pray each day, Lord. In silence.”
The Last Kingdom – S01E04
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn series #3
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My Rating: 
3 out of 5 stars
First Published: October 14th, 2008
Read from: Sept. 17, 2015 to Oct. 30, 2015
My reaction to The Hero of Ages, the last book in the Mistborn trilogy, is VERY mixed. A LOT of stuff takes place in this novel. Plot-wise what Sanderson did with the entire series is fully revealed in this book, and it is an amazing piece of work. There is some pretty good action, some characters evolve in interesting and ultimately exciting ways, and it has an awesome climax… BUT it just didn’t grab me like the previous books in the series.
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I like this quote. It rings true for me.
“You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.”
It is commonly attributed to Buddha. In fact I most recently saw it and a bunch of other powerful quotes on this Buddha Quotes page that a friend happened to like or comment about on social media. But as this page on a “Fake Buddha Quotes” website shows the phrasing of this quote makes that very unlikely. In fact the Fake Quotes site has an entire page dedicated to the veracity the the first Quotes Page, showing that many of the quotes were not “from” Buddha. Continue reading Anger punishes
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
Mistborn series #2
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My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
First Published: July 25th, 2006
Read from: Sept. 3, 2015 to Sept. 17, 2015
The Martian by Andy Weir
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My Rating: 
5 out of 5 stars
First Published: 2011
Read from: August 4, 2014 to August 6, 2015
Awards: 2015 Seiun Award for Best Novel, 2015 John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Novel, 2015 ALA Alex Award
I finished The Martian in very little time. The first 25% I read at a fairly normal pace and liked enough that it really grabbed my interest. Shortly there after it went from damn good, to… *AWESOME*!… I read the last 75% or so in one continuous reading, as I simply could NOT put it down. That ought to tell you something right there.
Read My Full Review →
