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Sunday, December 31, 2006 Book Reviews: Lab Lit, Whodunits, Excessive IMs A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies  by John MurrayThis collection of short stories is no longer than the typical book, but it took me a while to finish it. That's the problem with short stories even though I profess to prefer this form of fiction due to my short attention span for anything mediocre. Once you've finished a short story, there's nothing to stop you from not beginning the next one. But in A Few Short Notes, I didn't stop after I've finished a story, I stopped in the middle of one. "All the Rivers in the World" was the weakest of the bunch--probably because the focus continually shifted between two characters making me feel like I was having a bit of insomnia. I would describe Murray's stories as "lab lit", a bit akin to Andrea Barrett. The stories are tied together with science infused with humanity and culture clashes. Many of Murray's characters are Indians trapped between ambitious Western upbringings and traditional backgrounds. In "The Hill Station", a microbiologist used to sterile American labs gets a culture shock when she heads to the Indian subcontinent to combat cholera first hand. A young man struggles to understand how his mother's ambition to become a famous paleontologist splinters his family in "White Flour." Another major theme present throughout the stories is the characters' attempts at reconciling their training in systematic rigor with the messiness inherent in real life. This is exemplified by "Acts of Memory, Wisdom of Man" where a young man's desire to please his beetle-collecting father ultimately leads to his brother's fatal enlistment into the Vietnam War. In the short story "A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies", an aging surgeon, shaped by stories of his adventurous grandfather, jeopardizes his marriage by burying himself in butterfly collecting rather than taking risks. In all, I enjoyed most of the stories in this collection. Murray manages to blend natural history and biology into some literary food for thought without bogging down on the technical and pedantic. Get a Clue by Jill ShalvisBreanne Mooreland is having a very bad day. She gets dumped at the altar (for the third time), loses her luggage on her way to a mountain lodge, gets snowed in, and her honeymoon suite is already occupied by someone else--Cooper Scott, a burned-out vice cop on a much needed vacation. To top it off, Breanne stumbles upon a dead body at the lodge. Mostly, I found the relationship between Breanne and Cooper annoying. Actually, it was Breanne who was annoying. I'm sure getting abandoned at the altar and having all the other mishaps happening would certainly make one depressed, but her constant hang-ups and whining made her sound like an unlikable and spoiled brat. There wasn't even enough development of her character in the novel to really make her sympathetic to the reader. In other words, Breanne was a pampered chick-lit stock character who neither grew nor sufficiently acknowledged her own short comings. The mystery in Get a Clue is intriguing although not all that original. The deceased is the universally hated lodge manager thus making everyone present a suspect. But the clues weren't sufficient (or even necessary) for a reader to really figure out what was going on. Without giving anything away, the solution was more of a deus ex machina rather than any logical deductions that one could make. As a romance or as a mystery, this novel unfortunately flounders on both counts. Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex? by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg, M.D.If you've read the first book, Why Do Men Have Nipples?, this is more of the same thing. I will say this though, if you found the first book irritating, you'll find the sequel even more so. Interspersed between sections are transcribed instant messages between the two authors--some of it discussing their bad reviews on Amazon. I found them funny in the first book, but by this time it gets a bit tiring. It doesn't help that those IMs are lengthier giving the impression that this is just a gimmick, a one-trick pony. There were a few questions in which I was interested to read the answer to: What are those dust particles you sometimes see floating in front of your eyes? and What makes self-tanner work? come to mind. But I already knew the answers to many of the other questions, which leads me to ask, exactly who is the intended audience? If you like Leyner and Goldberg's brand of sophomoric, eclectic, and somewhat crass humor, this is a riot. Otherwise, this is the perfect gift for kids with wrong-headed notions about sex, people who need some convincing that all the wives tales that they believe are hogwash, and those who want to step into a bit of medical science without being confounded by too many esoteric terms. As for all those obscure scientific journals that are cited, I'm feeling a bit dubious.... [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:07 AM : Saturday, December 30, 2006 Book Reviews: Blogging and Steampunk The Rough Guide to Blogging by Jonathan YangWhy bother reading about something that I already know how to do? Well, for one thing, even if you're an expert, I bet there's always something new to learn. Or at least that's what you're hoping that might be the case when you pick up the book. In the case of blogging, the use of the technology is extremely simple. Anybody can Google "blogging" and get how-to sites that can explain everything without shelling out money to buy a how-to book (or in my case, wasting time by going to the library to get the book). But if your internet searching skills aren't up to par or you're somewhat apprehensive about the whole internet thing in the first place (although you have heard about this thing called a "blog" and you want to start one so you can be hip just like everyone else), The Rough Guide to Blogging is a good place to start as any. However, if you want to learn about the nuts and bolts of blogging and aspire to be a coding guru--look elsewhere. It's inevitable that I would be comparing The Rough Guide to another how-to blogging book that I recently read. But while the other one made me think more of a Sears catalogue than a book, The Rough Guide actually amused me. Sure, there is also a list of popular blogs where newbies should go read to get a feel for blogging before jumping into it (although the list itself is nowhere near as extensive as the Blogosphere book)--but it's really the writing style that I enjoyed. Anyone can read about what blog hosts are available or how to do podcasts, but I think it's the smaller things that make a how-to book more than just a glorified manual you might get with your new toaster oven. I really liked how Sitemeter was referred to as a tool in which you can "start stalking those who stalk you" or the tidbit that LiveJournal has a mascot--Frank the Goat--I didn't know that even though I've had a LJ account for a while! And I learned something too: blogs in which the authors co-opt the identity of fictional characters or celebrities are actually called "fantasy blogs." The Demon's Daughter by Emma HollyIn a city reminiscent of 19th century London, dingy alleys, gas lamps and Victorian mores clash with the introduction of a technologically advanced alien race called the Yama--or as they are colloquially called by humans, demons. But as the Yama are physically superior to humans, there is a need to police any who decide to take advantage. Inspector Adrian Philips is one of the few humans who have been enhanced by Yamaish technology in order to keep the criminal Yama in check--but his acceptance of alien technology in order to protect other humans comes with a price--he's disdained by his former wife and he's viewed as tainted by the rest of society. While searching for a missing child, Adrian is attacked and wounded. The notorious artist Roxanne McAllister finds and tends him. As their relationship unfolds, they both struggle between what they want and what society dictates--that their stations are too different for them to be together. Overall, there is the theme of two clashing societies: human and alien. Humanity lives in a precarious position with Yamaish technology and physical superiority looming over them with only the Yama's disgust of human emotion that keeps them from being conquered. Both Adrian and Roxanne are trapped between the two--Adrian is enhanced by Yama technology while Roxanne discovers that she is half demon from her human mother's liaison with a Yama diplomat. There's surprising complexity in this steampunk erotic romance (yes, even the combination of genres is surprising--and quite a feat since the author managed not to throw in everything and the kitchen sink). Although the relationships between the protagonists and with their estranged families are depicted well, Holly somewhat stretches the believability of the menace that threatens the balance between Yama and human and that glues the plot together. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:32 AM : Friday, December 29, 2006 Belated Meme The Thursday Threesome: Happy New Year! Onesome: Happy--New Year to you and yours! ...any plans for this weekend? Dick Clark? Guy Lombardo? Early to bed? No particular plans. Twosome: New--year, old year. Is this the year you take up skiing? ...or knitting? ...or vacuuming every other day? Do you have any major project you'd like to tackle? (Sure, 'resolutions' count...) I make no resolutions or proclamations about beginning anything. That way I don't disappoint anyone (or myself) if I happen to fail at any of those endeavors. Threesome: Year--end chores? Do the lights and decorations come down this weekend? ...or are you already "done with Christmas"? Of course Christmas is over. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:03 AM : Monday, December 25, 2006 Happy Holidays! And Merry Christmas! Don't stay on the computer too long. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:23 AM : Thursday, December 21, 2006 Links and a Meme December Animalcules. Check out this microbiology-themed carnival over at Aetiology. Tangled Bank #69. It's the War on Christmas Edition. But don't worry, the posts listed in this carnival are all about science, not holiday bashing. I just think the host is not so subtly hinting that he wants a vacation in the tropics. What's Noka Worth? Excellent take down of some very high priced chocolate. Of course, this won't stop people from buying it just to show off how much money they're willing to throw away. The Thursday Threesome: Plenty of time Onesome: Plenty-- of time, take a deep breath. Overnight/Saturday delivery could work for you... So could a trip a few hundred miles away if you're into shopping on Sunday! How are you doing? Do you have it together? I have things together as much as they can be. Twosome: of-- all the states, I'm hearing the worst reports from Ohio! It has no snow! No snow, no Christmas! What's to be done? Is it looking like the normal Christmas weather there for you? It's typical weather where I'm at. Which means no snow. And I totally do not agree that Christmas must have snow. If you need snow to have Christmas, your priorities are screwed up. Threesome: Time--Time? Good grief, the 24th is days away, and most men haven't even awakened a sense of urgency as yet. Is anyone done, finished, wrapped and resting? Er, no. And I think all this shopping and blatant conspicuous consumption is idiotic. I'm going to go bake a cake. Yes, I'm cranky. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:24 AM : Monday, December 18, 2006 The Writer Ratio People's perceptions of who reads what are definitely skewed. But what about authors on the publishing end? Do authors self-segregate into particular genres or do editors have some say in what kind of author get published? I came across the Broad Universe Bean Count which has some very interesting statistics on how many women and men are published in the speculative fiction field. Of course, compared to the romance genre (where most men still work under pseudonyms or with female co-authors), science fiction and fantasy appears to be a bastillion of equality. But nonetheless, the numbers aren't that great. It's true that over the years, the percentage of women winning awards has gone up, but for most of them, the split is still not fifty-fifty. Some other observations: Male reviewers prefer to review books authored by other males. The majority of stories in anthologies of speculative fiction are by male authors. However, is it possible that this is also a function of how many female speculative fiction writers are present in the first place? The membership of SFWA is not an accurate indicator of how many writers there are--you have to get published first before you can be a member. But according to Strange Horizons, about a third of their submissions were from female writers. I am very curious as to whether this is true or the exception compared to submission statistics to other magazines, agents, and editors. And another question: Does the sex of the authors also influence what kind of readers are drawn to a genre? With the quality of writing being equal as well as the male/female ratio of writers in whatever genre--would this equalize the readership as well? Or will people still be too hung up on convention and formula to read a book for the story? [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 12:18 PM : The Game Show People Are Getting Desperate I just heard an advertisement on the radio about a TV game show called Identity where you have to guess among a bunch of strangers who is a fashion model or Nobel Prize winner, etc. My first thought was that this was stupid. You know they're going to trick you by not pandering to the stereotype. The blue-haired lady with the poodle? She doesn't knit--she runs a tattoo parlor in Santa Monica. The person who won first place in the National Knitters Competition is the buff guy in biker leathers. Asian guy with glasses? He's the hip hop artist. The physicist you're looking for is the blonde popping the bubble gum. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:02 AM : Sunday, December 17, 2006 Who Needs A Green Thumb? Over at Pruned, a landscape and architecture blog, there are a couple of posts on gardens in a petri dish. (Via Metafilter - I couldn't resist, even if everyone else has already seen it.) I can tell you one thing: pouring agar is a lot easier than digging around in the dirt. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:28 PM : Pay No Attention to the Musing I recently discovered Better Fonts and my fingers got itchy for a redesign. Particularly of the domain's front page. I'm sort of getting tired of the valkyrie with the sword because she's not actively mowing anyone down. This also spurred me to finally update my layout page after, um, two years. There were some layouts I had to go and retrieve from the Wayback Machine. And after a trip down memory lane, all I can say is: dang, I feel unimaginative. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:39 AM : Friday, December 15, 2006 Oh the Fun Heh. I just found out today that I will be TA'ing a micro course next term. Stay tuned next year for my observations on cluelessness, hijinks, overachieving pre-meds, and if we're lucky, some undergrads actually getting excited about science. Sorta related: Frog Dissection Kit. I think this would make a cool holiday gift for budding bio geeks. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:51 PM : Thursday, December 14, 2006 Genre Fans Cry: Woe Is Me! Is this a great coincidence or what? I recently read three blog posts about how it is strange/not strange that there are female science fiction readers and then I came upon this post about the seeming lack of men reading romance. All of these posted today. (This reminded me of a conversation I had with an actress about a week ago about the biases in the media and society in general. She cited science as an example of lack of bias and I almost laughed my head off. Sure, scientists strive for lack of bias, but they aren't automatons with the main goal of finding the ultimate truth. Scientists are human and all humans have biases. The trick is to realize that you do have a bias and to not brush off your tainted observations with the lazy thought that it just is.) In the matter of genre, I find it somewhat sad and amusing that people still refuse to try certain books because they believe that those books are only meant for a particular type of person. The existence of stereotypes like the frustrated housewife sitting on the couch eating bon-bons and watching soap operas or the pimply and bespectacled geek playing D & D in his parents' basement is utter hogwash. The purpose of the stereotype is to compartmentalize everyone, to divide people into groups of US and THEM. When will anyone realize that in reality people are too complex to be categorized? Anyways, I find it interesting that fans of any genre are quick to moan about how they're looked down upon for their "lowbrow" tastes, the lurid covers, and the amount of energy they have to exert sneaking out of bookstores and hiding their guilty pleasures. Is this griping due to society's pressure to read what's "good" for you rather than what you want? What's "good" is only dictated by critics who think they Know It All. Genre is nothing but an arbitrary guideline set by publishers and bookstores trying to organize their product. Look beyond the branding and read a book for the story. Don't mindlessly believe that a book is only read by some make-believe demographic because some marketing executive somewhere decides that the novel should be pitched to that make-believe demographic. But that said, I think it will be virtually impossible to dissuade people from their genre prejudices. Unless we start a cross-genre trend! I wonder if there is more gender equity in the reader base of sci-fi romance/romantic sci-fi*.... * Authors off the top of my head: Catherine Asaro, Lois McMaster Bujold, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller, Anne McCaffrey, Sharon Shinn--heck, just go to this blog and make your list for the next time you head to the library or bookstore. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:37 PM : Lots O' Rain Yeah, it's been raining quite a bit for the past few days. Which is fine with me. I'd rather be driving in drizzle than fish-tailing around on ice. It's been somewhat stressful the past few days, too. And I don't just mean exams. All I can say is that there are certain things in life that are completely out of an individual's control. I'm not sure I would want to wish my depressing and checkered experiences on even my worst enemy. Oh, and about those short stories. Of course I sent them out to the next market as soon as I got them back. I don't give up very easily. The Thursday Threesome: Holly Jolly Christmas Onesome: Holly-- Hmmm... Do you have holly where you are? Is it used for decorating? ...and if not, what types of greenery are used to show off the season? Inquiring minds and all that... I have no idea. Here, everyone is talking about pulverized tumbleweeds, 80 mph winds, overturned tractor trailers, and wibbling sign posts. There are pine trees around though. Do those count? Twosome: Jolly-- Jolly Elf or The Grinch? How is your Christmas experience going so far? Er, is there something in between? I've been somewhat oblivious to all the Christmas-y things lately. It's not that I dislike the holiday or anything. I just find that there are some things that are a bit more important for worrying about. Threesome: Christmas-- Hey, I miss ol' Burl Ives singing the song in this header: who does your favorite Christmas song? ...and which song is that? Yes, yes, you're allowed more than one... I've avoided the radio station which is playing non-stop Christmas music. I don't own any Christmas music. I don't plan on buying any Christmas music. But that said, I don't hate Christmas songs either. There should be moderation in everything and when I do listen to Christmas songs, there should be a mix. I can't stand songs (any songs) on infinite looping. (However, I must say that I completely cracked up when I heard a parody of Winter Wonderland about cross-dressing. Does anyone know who did that song? Maybe Weird Al?) [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 2:57 PM : Tuesday, December 12, 2006 Random Blah-ness I'm feeling sort of bummed because I got three rejections all within the space of one week. I guess people are just trying to clear out their slush piles, but it would have been nice if they were a bit more staggered. (But I did get personalized notes on two of the stories, so I guess it's not a completely lost cause.) BlackBerry Orphans. It's not just a bad habit, it's an addiction. They should start BlackBerry Anonymous groups. Literature-Map. Neat stuff. Type in an author and a map will come up with a bunch of other authors writing similar stuff. Great way to find new writers to read. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 3:39 PM : Friday, December 08, 2006 The TBR Pile Will Never Die Via an interesting discussion on LibraryThing, what are the top science books that everyone buys but almost no one reads? Culled from that topic: Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking Darwin's Dangerous Idea by Daniel C. Dennett Consilience by Edward O. Wilson The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell by A. Zee A First Course in String Theory by Barton Zwiebach The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene The Structure of Evolutionary Theory by Stephen Jay Gould Life on Earth by David Attenborough A New Kind of Science by Stephen Wolfram I've already read The Elegant Universe and The Structure of Evolutionary Theory although I have a biased quibble with the above list--too little biology. On my personal list (which I always keep putting off), I have yet to finish Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene (although I did finish The Ancestor's Tale!), Matt Ridley's The Red Queen, and a whole slew of "Best Science Writing" collections stacked forlornly on my bookshelf. Does anyone else own some must-have science books which (somewhat embarassingly) have been left unread? [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 7:32 AM : Thursday, December 07, 2006 "A Little Book About Writing" It doesn't matter what you think about Stephen King's fiction (heck, I couldn't even get past the first couple chapters of Pet Cemetery), but On Writing is brilliant in its execution and intent. Who else can encapsulate the essence of being a writer with a wry, almost self-deprecating tone yet dish out sensible advice with very little BS? After reading this, I felt like gathering up all my rejection slips and staking them through the wall too (except I don't have a stake and my landlord probably wouldn't appreciate the hole in the wall). [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 9:50 AM : The Thursday Threesome: Christmas is Coming Onesome: Christmas-- shopping: done deal? Haven't started? "Oh, man! Yeah, I need to make a list!" (I'm thinking this one may sort out by gender...) Well, if you think all the women have a jumpstart on all this holiday shopping mess while the men have done nothing--count me as an anomaly. I haven't even thought about Christmas shopping yet. Twosome: is-- it time to decorate yet? ...or do you still have another week or two to go? Ugh. Too early to decorate. Threesome: Coming-- or going? ...or staying home? Are you visiting or hosting this Christmas? ...or both? I'm visiting my parents. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 6:56 AM : Wednesday, December 06, 2006 Tangled Bank #68 Hey, get your science blog fix over at Down to Earth which is hosting the latest Tangled Bank, "The Voyage of Discovery" edition. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:13 PM : Review: Fantasy Lite I've been remiss in reviewing some things from the past several weeks. So for the next couple of days, I'll probably be doing some posts with seemingly random topics. The Smoke Thief by Shana Abé. How can I describe this? Romance junkies would call this a fantasy. Fantasy fanatics would call this a romance. I'd say it's a romance written with a fantasy writer's sensibility. But what struck me at the get-go was the style: very lyrical yet verging on the purple. And there are the standard plot devices inherent in both genres (the addition of monkeys and crocodiles was a humorous touch, but it was too little, too late)--kleptomania, dragons, magic rocks, bad childhoods, bullies, orphans, a rich lord, and cross dressing among other things.In an alternate 18th century England, a clan of dragon shapeshifters who call themselves the drákon live secretly among unsuspecting humans. Clarissa Rue Hawthorne is a halfling, and after years of torment from other full-bloods, she fakes her own death and reinvents herself as the eponymous Smoke Thief by stealing valuable jewels from the aristocracy. However, her unusual methods used in these heists threaten to reveal the existence of the her kind to the population at large. Thus it's up to the drákon leader, Christoff the Marquess of Langford, to rein her in by using the clan's own diamond as bait. I appreciated the fact that Abé's dragons are not telepathic. Now that is a refreshing change. However with all the other clichés, one wonders how on earth such a story can work, but surprisingly, it does. Clarissa is no doormat heroine--despite the fact that she's been in love with the hero since she was a child, she doesn't automatically fall in line when her affections are returned. Freedom is important to her and she makes no bones about the fact that she has no use for the stifling insularity of drákon traditions. Christoff understands Clarissa's quandry although he has his own agenda to pursue. But some of the time, I found him the irritatingly stereotypical stock romance hero. There was no depth or unpredictability to him, and I found myself wondering why Clarissa didn't run off with the other crazy drákon thief instead. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:29 AM : Tuesday, December 05, 2006 Killing Bad Grammar And Bad Covers New pet peeve: People who think the past tense of "drag" is "drug". It's "dragged", dang it! Uber cool: Penguin is experimenting with do-it-yourself covers. See some examples here. I think all books should have DIY covers or none at all. This would level the playing field for authors who have the misfortune of getting an atrocious cover. And random people wouldn't go around assuming things just because there's a weird picture on the book you're reading. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 8:19 PM : Saturday, December 02, 2006 Head Rattling I was reading this post on Dustbury on the differences between blogging and journaling and thinking, "I really don't keep a journal these days anymore." The only introspective writings I've done the past year are in the occasional post on this blog and in random travel journals. My writing energy has been diverted elsewhere. This does not mean that I'm no longer drawn to a blank journal. I'm always drawn to a blank notebook--but I don't want to write about my thoughts about my life in there. I want to write stories. The kind of crazy genre stories that would make literary snobs cringe. Yesterday afternoon, I hiked up a steep hill again. It was somewhat treacherous--snow covered the surface so there was a bit of traction, but there wasn't enough snow to conceal the fact that the ground below was a solid sheet of ice. I trudged along, watching my feet, when some guy whizzed past me. A couple seconds later, he reached the top of the hill. This threw me into a black mood. The entire non-incident was like a metaphor of my life. Other people get to places with seemingly little effort while I have to tread carefully, hoping I wouldn't slip on some hidden patch of ice and fall flat on my face. [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 10:48 AM : Friday, December 01, 2006 A Late Meme The Thursday Threesome: Sweet Baby James Onesome: Sweet-- or sour? What type of sauces do you like on your dishes when you 'do Chinese'? Er, nothing? Twosome: Baby-- back ribs? ...or steak? Tofu? Chicken? It's your choice; what would you like for your next meal "out"? I have no idea. I tend to pick rather randomly whenever I go out to eat. Threesome: James-- town flood? What do flood your mashed potatoes with, gravy or butter? ...or do you like them plain? What potatoes? [posted by S. Y. Affolee on 11:56 AM : |
