culture high, culture low part deux!
Jan. 8th, 2006 08:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ironymaideni've been devouring books lately, including Pride & Prejudice, Thud!, Strangers in Paradise vol 1, and A Feast for Crows. i finished the Martin before falling asleep last night, and this morning while C was out at stick poking i watched The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
the movie was surprisingly good. i know people have said this over and over, but i want to reiterate because i very rarely enjoy comedy that relies on embarrassing situations. (it does bother me that his collection is assumed to be unattractive. i'm pretty sure there are many women who would do him because of the collection. same goes for chest hair.) the final scene is a delight.
Pride & Prejudice: that Austen lady is very talented, and i wish she had written something other than chick lit. i liked it but i won't be rushing to read more of her books. it took a long time for me to be able to distinguish the sisters or care what happened to Lizzy. i still feel a bit squicked that she didn't decide to like Darcy until she saw how cool his house was. still, the author turns a great phrase. i've been thinking about how it compares to Jane Eyre and Little Women (both of which i love and found more memorable) and should write about it eventually. (the real Jane Austen kicks the shit out of Susanna Clarke.)
Thud!: i bought it because it was signed (meaning i missed seeing Pratchett again) and as a Guards book was likely to include Angua and/or Lady Sybil. on those fronts it did not disappoint, but i've not been really wowed by a Discworld novel since The Fifth Elephant. many laugh out loud moments, including the antics of a parent who has read a beloved bedtime story to the point of memorization and has started to improvise - "is that my Daddy? he goes 'buggrit! millennium hand and shrimp!' no, that is not my Daddy...", and an imp PDA.
Strangers in Paradise vol 1 (pocket edition): i've read this comic in random chunks, out of order. about half of this set was review, and half was new to me. C calls it a soap opera, which is pretty accurate, although i don't expect soap operas to quote Sugarcubes lyrics. i'm intrigued by Katchoo's backstory and ready to read more. i expected it to come off as a little dated, but beyond some references to aerobics, it holds up quite well.
A Feast for Crows: just as addictive as the first three volumes, but less satisfying. it did succeed in causing cramped muscles and sleep loss. (that's why i was a bit dopey at ADC Saturday.) i was also pleased to find references to the Legends stories appearing in more than one plot thread. the difference here is that each of the other volumes had me crying, screaming and/or dropping the book. maybe i'm numb. i had to go to The Citadel to check on some plot points and who was still alive, because certain POV characters do not appear in this volume at all, including my favorite. this is only half of a book that had gotten too long to print, and it shows. i'm hungry for the other half, which they say will be out in 2006, but i'll believe it when i'm reading it. those like![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
buhrger and mort_q who are waiting for Martin to finish before they start reading are wise indeed; when that day comes i may take a few vacation days and read them all straight through.
the movie was surprisingly good. i know people have said this over and over, but i want to reiterate because i very rarely enjoy comedy that relies on embarrassing situations. (it does bother me that his collection is assumed to be unattractive. i'm pretty sure there are many women who would do him because of the collection. same goes for chest hair.) the final scene is a delight.
Pride & Prejudice: that Austen lady is very talented, and i wish she had written something other than chick lit. i liked it but i won't be rushing to read more of her books. it took a long time for me to be able to distinguish the sisters or care what happened to Lizzy. i still feel a bit squicked that she didn't decide to like Darcy until she saw how cool his house was. still, the author turns a great phrase. i've been thinking about how it compares to Jane Eyre and Little Women (both of which i love and found more memorable) and should write about it eventually. (the real Jane Austen kicks the shit out of Susanna Clarke.)
Thud!: i bought it because it was signed (meaning i missed seeing Pratchett again) and as a Guards book was likely to include Angua and/or Lady Sybil. on those fronts it did not disappoint, but i've not been really wowed by a Discworld novel since The Fifth Elephant. many laugh out loud moments, including the antics of a parent who has read a beloved bedtime story to the point of memorization and has started to improvise - "is that my Daddy? he goes 'buggrit! millennium hand and shrimp!' no, that is not my Daddy...", and an imp PDA.
Strangers in Paradise vol 1 (pocket edition): i've read this comic in random chunks, out of order. about half of this set was review, and half was new to me. C calls it a soap opera, which is pretty accurate, although i don't expect soap operas to quote Sugarcubes lyrics. i'm intrigued by Katchoo's backstory and ready to read more. i expected it to come off as a little dated, but beyond some references to aerobics, it holds up quite well.
A Feast for Crows: just as addictive as the first three volumes, but less satisfying. it did succeed in causing cramped muscles and sleep loss. (that's why i was a bit dopey at ADC Saturday.) i was also pleased to find references to the Legends stories appearing in more than one plot thread. the difference here is that each of the other volumes had me crying, screaming and/or dropping the book. maybe i'm numb. i had to go to The Citadel to check on some plot points and who was still alive, because certain POV characters do not appear in this volume at all, including my favorite. this is only half of a book that had gotten too long to print, and it shows. i'm hungry for the other half, which they say will be out in 2006, but i'll believe it when i'm reading it. those like
buhrger and mort_q who are waiting for Martin to finish before they start reading are wise indeed; when that day comes i may take a few vacation days and read them all straight through.
