Peter Jones lost his wife through a freak occurrence of nature. Due to this, he initiated a Boxing Day every month in which he woke up and just did whatever struck his fancy. As a working parent, I am intrigued by how he does it. Who knows, maybe I will throw all my responsibilities and implement his Boxing Day idea one day.
The Dawnhounds by Sascha Stronach. It's super weird, in a Jeff VanderMeer sort of way (complete with mushroom-derives houses and stuff) and mixes SF and fantasy and a bit of biopunk. Whether it sticks the landing will determine if it's a 3 or 5-star read for me, but if you like weird worldbuilding (like VanderMeer's books or the Locked Tomb series), it's definitely in that vein and well-done so far.
Still an amazing novel. I read it as a kid before seeing the movie, and while Blade Runner is incredible, they're just such different works, the change it name is very warranted.
I've been working through copywriting projects the last few days and have been in too much of a daze to do any reading reading at all.
However, I saw a clip of Saylor saying he's reading Will Durant's Story of Civilization. I read that whole series when I was a kid (fun childhood!). Hearing him praising it put me in the mood to reread it (as often happens when someone praises something you like but haven't interacted with in a while), so I put on the audiobook of Vol. 3 'Caesar and Christ' last night and was listening to that a while.
Within the deafening noise of the wind, on the Lower Slopes, an elite group of twenty-three children were raised for the sole purpose of facing the ever-blowing gusts, climbing up windwards for the rest of their lives. Their only purpose: to find the mysterious source of the wind in the Upper Reaches. There have been thirty-three attempts in eight hundred years, thirty-three Hordes that have failed.
The Horde of Counterwind follows the twenty-three members of the thirty-fourth – and most likely last – Horde. Predominately told by Sov, the Horde’s scribe, Damasio plunges us directly into the daily preparation of these children who must focus on and gather their strengths while coping with their differences, their love and hate for one another. Each Horde member has their own strong and assertive personality and a very precise duty in the Horde that they occupy during training and missions.
The author alternates between breathtaking descriptions of the unique and bewildering world he created – ruled by seven types of wind, classified by their forces – and intensely rhythmic dialogues that makes us as much a member of the Horde as any of the characters. As the story progresses, the suspense intensifies around Golgoth the trailbreaker, Erg the defender, Oroshi the aeromaster and the rest of the group, for they must face not only the unpredictability of nature, but also enemies from other clans determined to see their defeat.
Brilliantly mixing genres, Alain Damasio adds a philosophical and political touch to his work, freely inspired by French Theory thinkers. The Horde of Counterwind is a best-selling dystopian literary novel with a large, adoring, and dedicated fan base.
I just started "A Wild Sheep Chase" from Haruki Murakami today and finished just now. I love his language. When you start it, you won't feel how the time passes. For me, he is just in between Chekov and Maupassant. He tells his story but leaves the ending to the reader. Me and my wife are discussing his books for days after we finish them. I highly suggest it for this weekend.
I am not a fan of reading too much of contemporary literature. Rather, I'm a big fan of classics of Shakespeare, Milton and Marlow.
Currently, I am readin', rereading 'Paradise Lost' and I must say if you ever feel empty of motivation, just go through the most satanic inspiration from the lord of Hell himself.
"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
Kamsutra