Dandyfunk

How to read more books

Life hack has a short article on how to read more books this year.
I'd try the audio book suggestion, if my library had a better selection.

Read it here.

Another article on how to cultivate a lifetime reading habit, found here.

Something new from GRR Martin

No, not the long awaited Feast for Crows, but a different sample chapter on his website. This one from Jon Snow's point of view.

Read it here.

Books Read, 2007

Managed to read 47 books this year.
See the list below the cut.

Build your own Antholgy

There's a great new SF anthology out there. It's got exactly the stories you want in it. You are guaranteed to love every story.  How is that possible? A mind link with the editor? Nope -- you choose the stories yourself, and the book is printed up for you.

More details here.

Right now, the number of stories you can choose from is limited, but in a perfect world, where all stories are available, I think I would pick the following lineup:

Nightwings, Robert Silverberg
Breathmoss, Ian MacLeod
On the Orion Line, Stephen Baxter
Fondly Fahrenheit, Alfred Bester
Flowers for Algernon, D Keyes
Scanners Live in Vain, Cordwainer Smith
Think Like a Dinosaur, JP Kelly
Shannach -- the Last, Leigh Brackett
View from Endless Scarp, Marta Randal
Ghost Stalk, Glen Cook
Lean Times in Lankmar, F Leiber
Hardfought,  Greg Bear
Sergeant Chip, Bradley Denton
Swarm, Bruce Sterling
Liar! Isaac Asimov
Lobsters, Charlie Stross
Sandkings, GRR Marin
Death of Captain Future, Allen Steele

Spec Fic High School Confidential

Every wonder what some SF writers were like in High School? Ever wonder if they all happened to go to the same school at the same time?

Read it here.

Confessions of a How to Book Junkie

Reading Like a Writer, A guide for people who love books and for those who want to write them, by Francine Prose.

Just got this book a few days ago and I've already finished reading it. There are several different kinds of how-to writing books. Some focus on plot, or moving a story along, or are just famous writers writing about writing.
Prose takes a different approach, teaching by example: you can learn to write by studying good writing. There are may excerpts from different writers, most of whom I don't recognize. Prose is a "literary" writer, and as such there's no quotes from SF writers.
She begins with a chapter on "Words," moves up to "Sentences," and puts these together in "Paragraphs."
Of course there's more to writing then just putting your carefully chosen words into artistic sentences and your sentences into fully formed paragraphs, so the next topics are "Narration," "Character," and "Dialog."
The rest of the books covers the finer points, and concludes with a list of "Books to Be Read Immediately."
The trade paperback version adds an interview with Prose, and a nice section about her books.

What I'm reading now

I had a $50 gift certificate, and I wanted to spend it all at once. So I went to the bookstore and got:
Reading Like a Writer, A guide for people who love books and for those who want to write them, by Francine Prose. She is the author of 14 novels, and has a great name for a writer. I told Peggie I bought a writing book, and as she looked through the bag she said "What kind of writing is Ancine Prose?" I had no idea of what she was talking about until I saw the sticker on the cover obscuring the first two letter's of her name. This is the trade paperback version which includes an interview with the author.

The New Space Opera, edited by Gardner Dozois and Jonathan Strahan.

But, you know what, you just can't get enough Space Opera. So I also got:

The Space Opera Renaissance, edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer.

Review: Jim Baen's Universe, Vol 1, Number 3

Jim Baen's Universe, Vol 1, Number 3

Jim Baen's Universe offered a free issue to anyone who would review an issue on their blog, so I took them up.
JBU is an on-line magazine that, to quote their website, believes in stories, long and short. Many big name SF authors have appeared in the magazine, and they offer a higher payrate to entice them, since magazine rates don't make it worthwhile for authors who write novels. Some might consider this worthwhile to keep the short fiction market viable, but on the other hand, writers who appear in the magazines are probably doing it because they like writing short stories, regardless of the pay rate.

Summer Reading

If you just can't wait for the new season of Dr Who to start, here's some e-books from the BBC. No stuff from the current Doctor, these are all "Classic" Dr Who.

Dr Who E-Books

Here's an old one

The June, 1984 issue of Asimov's SF magazine.