Monday, July 14, 2008

when is a weekend not a weekend?

I spent most of yesterday reading D. M. Cornish's Lamplighter. It's book two of a planned trilogy--the first book, Foundling, came out in 2006. I liked the first book, but the second one is way better. I started reading it on Saturday night, read it for most of Sunday, and am now on page 450-ish. I tried to do some other things, but it didn't really work out. For example, I watched the first ten minutes of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. But I didn't even get past Old Jimmy Stewart because I kept thinking, you know, I'd rather be reading.

I find work so disorienting sometimes. I mean, I get here, and it seems to take so long for me to remember what I am supposed to be doing. As in, Aaaaah! What is my job? Does that happen to everyone? Especially after weekends. The only thing I am really intellectually equipped to be doing this morning is making photocopies, and I already made all the photocopies that need to be made.

Also, I like it here, but I would kind of rather be at home so I would be there when the mail arrives.

Everyone whose twitter stream I subscribe to seems to be talking about the iPhone. I should knit a fake one and then use it to check my fake email on the bus.

5 comments:

Tederick said...

REALLY it's good REALLY??? I kinda gave up on Foundling. Actually the only reason I bought Foundling is cuz it's called Monster Blood Tattoo (which is cool) and it was marked down to five bucks (which is cool).

REALLY???

Prolix said...

Well, I don't know! I know you didn't like the first one and I liked it, but I wasn't CRAZY about it--it was not my Favourite Thing Ever. But I like this one a lot more. I mean, I felt strangely compelled to keep reading it and reading it. That has to mean something, right? I may not know anything about books, but I know what I like, to twist a famous turn of phrase.

I like how inventive it is. I like how the world of the books feels so fully realized, as if what we're getting is just the tiny part of the world that happens to overlap with the story. I hate fantasy worlds where you get the feeling the author only made up the bare minimum number of details necessary to make it make sense. This is the opposite of that. In fact in some cases it has too many details--the language in particular can be frustrating, flipping to the glossary once a paragraph in order to catch some relatively insignificant reference.

But, yes, it's really good really. I think. And Monster Blood Tattoo IS cool, and would be a good name for a certain kind of band.

Tederick said...

OK maybe I won't throw out my book yet.

Tederick said...

OK maybe I won't throw out my book yet.

Tederick said...

Hmmm... I swear I only hit that button once.