Sep

22

Colfer Divides Forty-two by Sixth or Artemis Towel

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Adams towel

I know I’m a bit late with this news (it took me a while to get to making a graphic for this post) but I LOVE LOVE LOVE that there will be another book added to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Truly amazing!

Eoin Colfer is slated to write the next installment of the five-part trilogy (classic Adams), as per Adams’s widow, Jane Belson’s, request. Wow!

Colfer is probably best known for the Artemis Fowl series; which from many-a-disappointed-Harry-Potter fan, was a far superior read. My nephews will contest! (Airman is currently on my “Holds” list at the library.)

Apparently Adams wanted to write a sixth book following Mostly Harmless, book five of the series, but unfortunately, died before completing his work. (This might sound morbid, but I always thought that Adams was spared 9/11–he died earlier in the same year, in 2001–as maybe some greater force realized his sensitive soul would not be able to stomach such a catastrophe, especially after writing the underpinnings of the modern day world as we know it.)

I hope Colfer’s contribution to Adams’s achievement will generate interest for more books in the series since, six is too perfect, too even, a number for me. (I’m partial to odd numbers.) Douglas Adams’s strength in storytelling relies heavily on relaying to his reader about the imperfection of life, in all its humour, more than the striving of perfection, the ideal that exists differently in each individual’s imagination. That is to say, the oddity of the evenness of life, and not the evenness of the oddity of life. (Why do I feel like I just talked myself into a circle? Thank-you Adams. Thank-you very much.)

However, six conveniently, is a multiple of forty-two; which may mean, I may not have to wait millions of years to discover the Ultimate Question. Until publishing then! Deep thought persists!

IMAGE | Umbra | Conceal towel shelf

Sep

18

Welcome Bynum to School!

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Ms Hempel Chronicles

OMG OMG OMG! New Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum book out now! Ms. Hempel Chronicles! YES! She is my favourite! And that opinion is based on some fiction she wrote for Tin House and The New Yorker. (I’m not an easy sell. I just know great when I see it!) I have yet to get my hands on a copy of her first book, Madeleine is Sleeping, which was a finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Kafka Prize. Regardless of merit, awarded or not, Bynum gets A’s in my books, and maybe one day, I can score some of my own in hers too.

I am, seriously, seriously considering taking her writing course at the University of California, San Diego where Bynum teaches writing and lit. Next year Bynum is teaching Short Fiction, for the Winter 2009 academic calendar. Perfect!

So. Who wants to put me up for a while? Seriously. This is one of my rare moments of extroversion here folks. Rarely do I raise my hand in the hopes of getting chosen. I’ll be the perfect house guest. I’m just saying. Think about it. (You’ve got three months). But not too much. My writing life hangs in the Bynum balance.

Jul

28

Relationsham: Eggs Over Easy

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Egg Race Damien Hirst In and Out of Love

Every so often, I take a break from my regular fiction reads, and delve into a bit of chick lit for a “mental break.” At the beginning of the year, I read Getting Rid of Matthew, and was so surprised with the read, that I considered optioning the book. (But stopped when I learned that the author is a celebrity in the UK, and figured the rights must have been bought up as part of the book publishing deal.)

Recently, I read another British author’s version of being a thirties-single something (no reason why I keep going to Brit books; I think they just have the most interesting book covers) and was equally impressed. The Egg Race by Polly Williams. At one point in the read, the story made me stop, sit up (in bed) and have a think. And then, a revelation.

There’s no “elation” in relationsham. Read more

May

28

Bonds that Bind

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Devil May Care Cover

New Bond novel comes out today! What could be better? Daniel Craig on the big screen! That’s what!