08/30/07: A shout out to the three creative writing students met at Borders this evening. Should have written your names down I've totally forgot.

To the right is Un Lun Dun, the book we were discussing.

I'll load up some more reading suggestions this Labor Day Week End, a labor of love.

Suggested authors and the books that come first to mind. I read everything an author writes if I like one of the works.

Jeff Noon: Vert and Pollen; the altered consciousness caused by the drug on the feather actually open a rift between dimensions, got to read both books to see how. Some images that remain is a pair of lovers who wove their dred locks together, that sort of love got to end tragic. The living and the dead can reproduce and produce a halfling of sorts. New world these books, new creatures and possibilities.

Paul Neilan: Apathy; he has a blog. His first novel and he's delightfully cracked. He was recommended by Max Barry, and that's a big deal. "The best book you'll read in years, the funniest novel ever. If you don't love it, there's something wrong with you, and if you do, there's also something wrong with you - but you won't care." 

Buy his book and allow him to write more.

Jack Wokack: Ambient, Heathern, Elvissy, Random Acts of Senseless Violence, Let's put the future behind us

"An information-dense, battering-ram English...that evokes and commands constant action.. Look for sequels. They will be loud and feral, and they'll fizz." The Washington Post Book World on "Terraplane".

Quotes that comes to mind are the commands "Ciggarette me" and "Newspaper me".  Image that comes to mind are the duel to the death business deals, gladiator style.

William Browning Spencer: Resume With Monsters;

It has a Lovecraft feel to the monsters. Here's the wiki for him.

From Publishers Weekly on Amazon
"Word processor Philip Kenan is not just stuck in a series of dead-end jobs in this satirical novel, but trapped in delusional fantasies about undead co-workers and monsters from the horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft as well... "

Steve Erickson: Anything... Amnesiascope, Days Between Stations, Rubicon Beach;

LA is the location, the time near future that's broken, multiple time zones in LA, rings of fire no one seems to put out, sand storms that bury apartments. Nothing is explained, it's just the environment the characters have to function in.

last but not least the original CyberPunk John Shirley: City Comes A-Walking. He inspired William Gibson and Bruce Sterling.

Speaking of William Gibson I'm just finishing up his new work, Ghost Country (spooks as in spies). Compared to the cyberpunk trilogy of Neromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, it's Gibson-lite. His later works are not as jam packed with gizmos, more character development, female pov in this one and in Pattern Recognition. I've not read a bad book by him ever.

But I'm fond of the dystopian future where governments are pretty much moot next to multinational corporations. Mix that with inexplicable weather, a random Cthulhu monster and I'm all good.

Oh how can I forget... Cory Doctorow: Over Clocked, Down and out in the Magic Kingdom, Someone comes to town, Someone leaves town (where the parents of the protagonist is a mountain and a washing machine... yeah, you got to read this), Eastern Standard Tribe. He's as fresh as tomorrow. The computer culture dream weaver, capturing our humanity through our tech. I read a few pages of one of his works and them bought five titles in one shot. The family has loved him, the books have been passed around with glee.

Jon Armstrong: Grey, just out 2007

"Jon Armstrong's debut novel puts a fresh suit of stylish clothes on the beloved body of cyberpunk, skewering high fashion, consumerism, and... the public fascination with celebrities.." Locus Magazine

"Grey is a truly extraordinary and original work -- a deft and raucous mash-up of William Gibson and J.D. Salinger by way of Fellini. It'll change our outlook, your brain chemistry, and your wardrobe."  Catherynne M. Valente, Author of The Orphan's Tales

Remember what we were talking about... certain works are so unique, so new, it's a life experience. Our brains change with the reading of these works; the words carving new wrinkles in our grey matter.

06-18-06: Father's Day Book Shuffle

06-27-07: A year or so back I was asked to contribute a short story to a collection called "If it's not one thing, it's your mother" I contributed Saying "Solly"

I just discovered the Editor, and my former bosslady,
Edymay, used the picture of my Mom, Linda and me, on
the blog page for the website, along with a quote from
my short story that goes with the picture.

Needless to say I'm tickled she picked my story and
family picture for the website blog.

I just had to share. I just discovered this page this
afternoon.

http://www.ifitsnotonethingitsyourmother.com/blog.html (retired)
 

Polymer Clay Creative Traditions: What I like best about this polymer clay book is how it shows other creative traditions that inspire clayers: fabric, glass, paper, stone and more. It's not "just another" polymer clay book.

05-05-05

Five books that have been keeping me company while I convalesce. They are inspiring me on future projects with miniatures and polymer clay that are a bit of mini scenes and a bit of modern art.

Links go to the "Runagate-Rampant" web section.

Books by CHINA MIÉVILLE

Jennifer Government, ISBN# 1-4000-3092-7

Links go to Max Barry's website.

05-15-03:  The Matrix Books and What's the Big Deal? Links go to the Biz site archive. I have to buy these books again. They were lent out and didn't come back.  

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