Wednesday, Oh Wednesday, What Did I Read?
Jan. 3rd, 2018 08:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lydamorehouseI actually read a book. Like, you know, the kind without pictures. It was called Sonora by Hannah Lilith Assadi. I picked it up because Locus Magazine suggested it MIGHT be of genre interest and it was on the long-list for the PEN award. There was one genre moment and it COULD have gone the route of magical realism, but the novel pulled its punches on that aspect in favor of a more "literary" bent. For me, that made it less appealing. I can't, however, say that I HATED the book, because I didn't give up on it. I read the whole thing. I would not, however, recommend it to genre readers. I would say that there was a lot of "navel gazing," except the heroine, Ahlam, lives a wholly unexamined life. She just frames it very poetically.
So, that was a bit of a bust. I did start the PEN prize winner, Out in the Open by Jesus Carrasco, which I'm liking better, though I'm also still waiting for the possible genre element to start. I think maybe it's being set in a dystopian Mexico, but because everything is so rural where we are in the story at the moment, it's not entirely clear yet. It's also not super gripping, so I've set it down and haven't felt a burning need to pick it up right away again. So, we'll see if I can report it read by next week or not.
Otherwise, I did consume my usual amount of manga: You & Me, Etc. / Bokura ni Matsuwaru Et Cetera. by Kyuugo and a chapter of Renai Game by Chidori Peko, "Cinderella and the Shoemaker," both of which were yaoi, neither of which were terribly sexy. Alas. Kind of a "meh," week for reading.
Meanwhile, debate continues to rage on my Facebook feed about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I find it really kind of amazing, but people are still chiming in either positively or negatively about that movie. I've continued to engage some folks, but, as I've said many times, if you have a good reason for disliking it, I'm not going to argue with you. I have one friend who wanted a particular character to go one way, and was disappointed when that didn't happen. Fair. But, it's people who want to insist that it was bad writing and just stupid... I mean, yes. You're not wrong. Star Wars has never been written on the same level as, I dunno, 2001: Space Odyssey. This is the same franchise that has "I hate sand. Sand is coarse. It gets into everything. Not like you. You're soft." for dialogue from the young man who would grow up to be Darth freaking Vader. I mean, of course, we should EXPECT better, but... I'm not sure how much more to expect is reasonable. Star Wars was never meant to be great literature, IMHO. But, if that's what you hated, that's fine, I guess. I'm not going to waste hours attempting to prove that the newest Star Wars is the pinnacle of writing prowess, especially since I don't believe that myself. :-)
I just thought the movie was fun, and I'm surprised so many people seem to hate it with SUCH burning passion.
The movie broke box office expectations (and records?), so people are seeing it. I don't really know what kind of stock to put into box office numbers, because there are plenty of popular movies that 1) I have never seen ("Titanic," being the prime example of that. Still haven't seen it. Have no plans to.) and 2) that I personally think were kind of dumb (too many to list.) So, I don't think there's any particular vindication in the box office success of this film. I do wonder if the hater population is just loud and vehement, rather than as wide-spread as I'm being led to believe by various fannish media outlets.
Well, it might make a good topic for a panel discussion at some point, at any rate. Goodness knows, I've had plenty of practice arguing my points about the movie. And it's a welcome distraction from the THREAT OF THERMO-NUCLEAR WAR, for f*ck's sake.
So, that was a bit of a bust. I did start the PEN prize winner, Out in the Open by Jesus Carrasco, which I'm liking better, though I'm also still waiting for the possible genre element to start. I think maybe it's being set in a dystopian Mexico, but because everything is so rural where we are in the story at the moment, it's not entirely clear yet. It's also not super gripping, so I've set it down and haven't felt a burning need to pick it up right away again. So, we'll see if I can report it read by next week or not.
Otherwise, I did consume my usual amount of manga: You & Me, Etc. / Bokura ni Matsuwaru Et Cetera. by Kyuugo and a chapter of Renai Game by Chidori Peko, "Cinderella and the Shoemaker," both of which were yaoi, neither of which were terribly sexy. Alas. Kind of a "meh," week for reading.
Meanwhile, debate continues to rage on my Facebook feed about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I find it really kind of amazing, but people are still chiming in either positively or negatively about that movie. I've continued to engage some folks, but, as I've said many times, if you have a good reason for disliking it, I'm not going to argue with you. I have one friend who wanted a particular character to go one way, and was disappointed when that didn't happen. Fair. But, it's people who want to insist that it was bad writing and just stupid... I mean, yes. You're not wrong. Star Wars has never been written on the same level as, I dunno, 2001: Space Odyssey. This is the same franchise that has "I hate sand. Sand is coarse. It gets into everything. Not like you. You're soft." for dialogue from the young man who would grow up to be Darth freaking Vader. I mean, of course, we should EXPECT better, but... I'm not sure how much more to expect is reasonable. Star Wars was never meant to be great literature, IMHO. But, if that's what you hated, that's fine, I guess. I'm not going to waste hours attempting to prove that the newest Star Wars is the pinnacle of writing prowess, especially since I don't believe that myself. :-)
I just thought the movie was fun, and I'm surprised so many people seem to hate it with SUCH burning passion.
The movie broke box office expectations (and records?), so people are seeing it. I don't really know what kind of stock to put into box office numbers, because there are plenty of popular movies that 1) I have never seen ("Titanic," being the prime example of that. Still haven't seen it. Have no plans to.) and 2) that I personally think were kind of dumb (too many to list.) So, I don't think there's any particular vindication in the box office success of this film. I do wonder if the hater population is just loud and vehement, rather than as wide-spread as I'm being led to believe by various fannish media outlets.
Well, it might make a good topic for a panel discussion at some point, at any rate. Goodness knows, I've had plenty of practice arguing my points about the movie. And it's a welcome distraction from the THREAT OF THERMO-NUCLEAR WAR, for f*ck's sake.
no subject
Date: 2018-01-04 01:40 am (UTC)Other than that, I read a couple of paranormal romances by Ann Aguirre and Ilona Andrews, and am currently rereading Terry Pratchett's The Truth. Still haven't seen The Last Jedi--Denise got sick after Christmas, then I did--but am trying really hard to avoid spoilers until sometime tomorrow...