"One of the unloveliest and least enlightening aspects of contemporary discourse is the tendency to presume that whatever one disagrees with must be very simple—not only simple, but also simply wrong." - Elizabeth Bruenig
As a teen, I went to a Pratchett book signing in Bristol. As I handed over my book (The Light Fantastic, if I recall) I nervously asked if there would ever be a sequal or if and Gaiman and he would write together again. Pratchett gave a very grumpy "harrumph No" and that was that. By all accounts they did not get on well. Funnily enough that incident and a separate incident with Gaiman totally put me off of ever meeting my heroes.
Pratchett was a great writer, but a bit of a grump.
@PossibLeigh To be fair, I think anybody reading Pratchett’s books would kinda expect him to not be one for engaging with the fans and such. If anything, his daughter is a lot better on that side of things. I always did want to meet him though.
@nessisonett Oh yes, I can totally understand it. I'd probably be exactly the same. Still, as a teen meeting a hero it was a bit deflating.
I guess I shouldn't say I 'met' Pratchett as it was just a book signing.
Gaiman was an arrogant ***** when I met him, but I think he was a bit high on his own sucess at that time (this was around Neverwhere time, but before the TV show bombed, so he was riding high on Sandman and the Neverwhere book). I've met him since and he was absolutely lovely.
@PossibLeigh Gaiman’s definitely one with a career that’s ebbed and flowed over the years. I’d imagine the massive initial success and then the show bombing probably made him mature a bit.
I am reading this FANTASTIC booker shortlisted work by a Sri Lankan writer called A Passage North- its really well written and i found myself absolutely immersed into the book. Its by Anuk Arudpragasam. I am also reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates- its a national book award winner!
Currently reading Musashi's Book of Five Rings and The Lord of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. I really enjoy a good book. Though I've loved the Peter Jackson films for years this is actually the first time I'm actually reading the book!
"as I roll along I begin to find.. things aren't always just what they seem.."
Ive been reading Next by Michael Crichton. I was going to put it in the charity shop with a few others that have sat on my shelf for some years but I thought I'd give it a go now that I have a commute to read it on.
I'm about 1/3 through and it's decent. Haven't read any novels in many many years so took me a while to get into it. I am having moments where I sort of get lost in the fiction which is something I've struggled to do when I've tried reading recently so that's good. Like moments where you kind of snap out of it and you realise you are just reading words on the page rather than just imagining what you are reading if you get what I mean.
@LordSteev just finished up Snow Crash, a great recommendation so thanks. Will definitely dive into more Neal Stephenson books. Next up The Three-Body Problem.
Haven't really been gaming for the last few weeks and it's refreshing to just get through book after book for a change.
I am a massive Stephenson fan after randomly stumbling onto him coz I needed a hefty sci-fi something some years back. Snow Crash is great I would recommend Diamond Age next, or maybe Reamde or maybe Anathem.
(Sorry to butt in - like I said, fan boy!)
“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”
Have been reading "Shuggie Bain" by Douglas Stuart, which won the man booker prize 2020. I've been on the record before as often having an issue with media coming from Scotland being relentlessly gritty. Your first thought when someone says they are reading a novel set in Scotland is not typically to think "ooh wonder if its a rom-com". Standard portrayals are of economic deprivation, drugs, violence and crime. This book ticks all of the above with some sectarian divide 80s Glasgow thrown in for good measure. However, despite having some of those well worn tropes, it's a fascinating and achingly sad story of addiction and its effect on a family with some surprisingly funny and relatably human dialogue. I'll be upfront , some of it is harrowing and has descriptions of domestic violence and sexual abuse, its not for the faint hearted but I've been really enjoying it. Compelling stuff so far and well worth a read.
@R1spam You’ve basically described exactly why I’ve been avoiding that book. I’m also pretty worn down with the relentless ‘grittiness’ of really anything set in Glasgow. I mean ok, we have our fair share of problems, but it does feel amplified to the point that any kind of positive representation is drowned out. I read quite a lot so at least hearing that the book is as good as its reputation means I might give it a go.
@nessisonett it just gets too much, doesn't it? Glasgow gets a disproportionate share but I'm originally from Dundee, which also typically gets hammered. I was watching the NoClip documentary about DMA designs and the GTA series when I realised that part of the reason I was enjoying it so much was seeing Dundee portrayed positively, such a breath of fresh air!
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