Freebies Bonanza

From Tor's sparkly new site:

"...for some months now, Tor.com has been making free, un-DRMed electronic editions of particular Tor titles, one per week, available to people who register at the page which has been temporarily holding down the tor.com URL. At any rate, now that the life of our doughty little holding page is drawing to a close (shed a tear), we thought we'd make everything we gave away there--all the novels, all of the desktop wallpaper--available for one additional week, starting today and running through Sunday, July 27."

The full list is here and looks pretty tempting - included are Tobias Buckell's Crystal Rain, John Scalzi's Old Man War and many, many more. If only I had some kind of electronic reading device to hand!

Mythago Wood - Robert Holdstock

I've just finished reading Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood, which I was prompted to dig out and read after it featured over on Neth Space. [edit: I might have just finished this book when I wrote this but then forgot to post it for a week - whoops!]

In the aftermath of World War Two, Steve Huxley returns home following the death of his father. He find that his brother, Christian, has become obsessed with their father's investigation notes on the mysterious Ryhope Wood which borders their home. Ryhope Wood is an ancient woodland that has lain undisturbed since the ice age and appears no more than three square miles in area from the outside. However, as Steve and his friend Harry Keeton soon discover, it's significantly bigger, and more dangerous, on the inside.

The Mythagos of the title are myth-creatures who are created from the subconscious minds of the humans who live near them and are generally based on folk tales or racial memories. This means that there are a range of influences at play within the woods with a mixture of mythagos appearing from pre-history, from myths, folk heroes and legends as well as more recent incarnations - the accuracy and strength depending on the imagination of the people who live nearby.

For a book first published in the 1980s, it feels strangely old fashioned. It slightly reminded me of the Cosmic Trilogy by C.S. Lewis but that could just be because both start out in a countryside that isn't quite what it seems. Mythago Wood won the World Fantasy Award for best novel in 1985 and it is a really original book that is quite different to anything that came before it. Robert Holdstock has written several books in the setting of the Mythago Wood and I might well hunt out the sort-of-sequel, Lavondyss, to delve deeper as I gather that's the best.

I am the Very Model of a Modern SF Novelist

By Jim C Hines.

I am the very model of a modern SF novelist,
I've manuscripts space opera, anime, and fantasist,
I know the kings of fandom and the best flamewars historical
From Andrew Burt to LiveJournal, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted too, with matters editorial,
I keep my cover letters brief and never too suctorial,
About rejection etiquette I'm teeming with propriety,
With many cheerful facts about your online notoriety,
I'm very good at worldbuilding and proper use of ansibles;
I know the hyphenated names of beings unpronounceable:
In short, in matters space opera, anime, and fantasist,
I am the very model of a modern SF novelist.

I know our genre history, from H. G. Wells to Arthur Clarke,
I've read so much time travel, I've a pretty taste for paradox,
I quote in panel talks the wise advice of Crispin and Miss Snark,
I study wormholes, galaxies and theories about matter dark;
I can tell a work professional from books Publish America,
I know the Eye of Argon from Conan of Cimmeria!
Then I can hum the melody from every last John Williams score,
And whistle all the airs from that infernal film Fantastic Four.
I'll write you books of goblin war and princesses who won't conform,
And tell show you every detail of a goblin warrior's uniform:
In short, in matters space opera, anime, and fantasist,
I am the very model of a modern SF novelist.

In fact, when I know what is meant by "grok" and "droid" and "FTL",
When I can tell at sight the sword Excalibur from Anduril,
When twists in stories I perceive by reading just one paragraph,
And when I know precisely how to pen a clever epigraph,
When I have followed breakthroughs yearly in e-book technology,
When I know more of grammar than my profs from University--
In short, when you run out and buy and read every last book by me--
You'll say a better novelist has never writ a fantasy.
My works even appear in many dialects European,
Thanks to the perseverance of my agent JABberwockian;
In short, in matters space opera, anime, and fantasist,
I am the very model of a modern SF novelist.

What to do with unwanted books...

Oh dear. Sometimes a book really is just unloved and unwanted. Here's a crafty list of ideas, from birdhouses to purses, to turn them into something other than a book to read. Although the thought of sacrificing one of my books makes me shudder, there are some lovely ideas there.

















Of course, you can also give them to charity, free them at book crossing or sell them on green metropolis!

The Good Life

Something is up at Bookling Towers and it's having a drastic impact on my reading rate! This month I've bottled my first batch of home-brewed wine and set up two more batches. I've baked strawberry tarts using the produce from our four strawberry plants. We've eaten home grown herby salads from the garden - and willed the tomatos and cucumber to geta move on. I've made several loaves of bread, embarked on a cooking-from-scratch spree and now this!

I've never made chutney before and, if I do say so myself, it turned out pretty well. It's a pity I got my labels too wet so they bubbled but at least it tastes yummy.

In the spirit of Freecycling, if I am right to call it that, I've already bartered one pot for strawberry jam and a bottle of the wine for elderflower champagne. Any other takers?

Next up, I've got my eye on Sarah Raven's Garden Cookbook, as recommended over on Cornflower's blog, as I'm sure cookbooks don't count as new books so it wouldn't violate my ban. I'm also considering making my own parma ham having read about it in my copy of Preserved... Or am I getting carried away?

Watchmen

After my post about Watchmen earlier this month, here's a sneak preview of the official trailer!

The Constant Gardener - John le Carré

I've watched the excellent 2005 film adaptation, directed by Fernando Meirelles, of John le Carré's The Constant Gardener and loved it. I've read that le Carré said that the film followed the plot of the book but not the story and having read the book I agree but don't think that the adaption suffered.

For those who have not watched the film, or read the book, the Constant Gardener tells the story of Justin Quayle, a British diplomat based in Nairobi, and his recently murdered wife, Tessa, who has become a passionate activist championing a number of local issues. Investigating what Tessa was researching at the time of hear death takes Justin around the world and uncovers an uncomfortable dossier of evidence that implicates the dubious business practices of a very influential drugs company.

This is an interesting book that quite probably hits a few nerves. I find it hard to say if I'd have enjoyed it as much if I'd not had the imagery from the film in my head - especially the chapters set in Kenya. I think it's a strong story with an element of suspense throughout as you try to understand what shade of grey each character really is - nothing is ever black and white.

It's one of the few instances where I prefer the film to the book, although that isn't to say that the book's not good in its own right! I plan to re-watch the film in the near future so it'll be interesting to see it again in light of some of the extra knowledge I now have.