"Anathem" by Neal Stephenson is ok if you like math-geek monks living out the rises and falls of civilization "long-now"-wise with the chance that those mathics have maybe learned new technologies that involve the many worlds interpretation of the universe, and then top it off with the intrusion of visitors from one of the other world-strands who are probably not visitors but invaders. I can't quite tell what he was thinking in writing this book. After the wonderful dive into historic fiction of his last few I wanted more of the same. Still fun to read if you like that sorta stuff.
"The Little Book" by Seldon Edwards is a time travel love story set at the turn of the last century in Vienna. It is the first (and probably only book) by the author (he spent his life writing it). It reads like it took someone maybe a bit too long to write it (overwrought?) That being said it was a fun exploration of time travel (of course with a young Hitler), Freud, and a time and place many of us don't know much about. I enjoyed it.
"The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga just won the Man Booker Prize (I thought Salman's book should have won it by the way because even though it wasn't his best it was richer than this one). All that being parenthetically said, I enjoyed the read. It is another first time writer (though an accomplished reporter). It is a mildly comic "murderer coming of age in a pretty screwed up have and have not world" sort of story (oh yes another one of those). Very compact exploration of Indian Society and the mind of an antihero.
"Slam" by Nick Hornby is yet another coming of age tale (About a Boy and High Fidelity where coming of age stories in different vein). Set in working class London with a teen who idolizes Tony Hawk (and maybe talks to him). The main character gets slammed pretty hard by life, maybe travels occasionally through time (hmm is time travel the new black?), and ultimately makes it through to the other side, older than his years. Small, good, and quick read.
Other things...
Films?
"Sunshine" by Danny Boyle (of Trainspotting & Millions & 28 Days Later fame) is a bit bloody but blindingly buildingly brilliant exploration of science fiction themes (like the sun is going out, we're all trapped on an ark and there is a murderer loose, space travel is long stretches of boredom complimented by moments of terror, and ecologies are fragile things). Anything Danny makes I will watch and this is no exception. He has a new one out called "Slumdog Millionaires" that promises to be good as well.
"Synecdoche, NY" is confusing, difficult, looping, lingering, halting, sprawling, small, dark, and somehow ultimately worth seeing again (I think people will love or hate it or a little of both and if you love it you'll end up wanting to see it again 24 hours after seeing it for the first time).
Music?
Department of Eagles and Beirut. Good.
2 comments:
I'll probably see Synecdoche--I've liked Kaufman's other stuff, though I worry how self-indulgent he'll get on on his own project. (I thought he and Michel Gondry were perfect foils for each other in "Eternal Sunshine".)
Things I think you might like: "The Fall" (the director of "The Cell" gets to just focus on the eye candy without having to shoehorn in a studio plot--though the self-indulgence shows) and "LittleBigPlanet" (PS3 platformer with an awesome "crafting" aesthetic that encourages players to remix/build their own levels).
Kaufman is self indulgent with this one but still worth seeing (made me think there should be a list of movies that are meta or strange looping... Being John M, maybe Groundhog Day, etc.). I'll have to check out "The Fall" I hadn't heard of it. LittleBigPlanet almost makes me want to buy a ps3.
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