hellziggy

Well, I may not be keeping up on the daily posting, but I am at least posting a heck of a lot more than I had for the last who knows how many months. :)

Day 13 — A fictional book

Alright. Some of the fiction I've read lately.

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi
When John Perry turns 75, he does two things: He visits his wife's grave and he joins the Colonial Defense Force. The CDF's enlistment contract is incredibly tempting. When a person reaches retirement age, all they have to do is give up all their worldly possessions and promise never to return to Earth.

I really enjoyed this one, and I'll be picking up the next books in the series. John Scalzi is also going to be one of the guests at Phoenix ComiCon.


Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax Series #1)
Humans (Neanderthal Parallax Series #2)
Hybrids (Neanderthal Parallax Series #3)
by Robert J. Sawyer
Hominids examines two unique species of people. We are one of those species; the other is the Neanderthals of a parallel world where they became the dominant intelligence. The Neanderthal civilization has reached heights of culture and science comparable to our own, but with radically different history, society and philosophy.
Ponter Boddit, a Neanderthal physicist, accidentally pierces the barrier between worlds and is transferred to our universe.

I've never read a Robert Sawyer book I didn't like. This trilogy continues that trend. It did feel like book 3 had kind of a rushed "oh no, I have to resolve things" ending though.

Huh, looking at the books I listed you'd think I was a fan of Sci-Fi, but it's actually not the majority of what I read. It's just what I happened to have read lately.


Day 14 — A non-fictional book

I've got 2 non-fiction books I'm reading right now.

Return to Antarctica: The Amazing Adventure of Sir Charles Wright on Robert Scott’s Journey to the South Pole, by Adrian Raeside
Return to Antarctica marks the 100th anniversary of the Scott Expedition to the South Pole.
By 1910, the South Pole had gripped the imagination as one of the final frontiers to be explored, and British naval officer Robert Scott was obsessed that an Englishman—specifically himself—should be its conqueror. Despite being under-funded and under-equipped, Scott gathered together an electric group of naval personnel and scientists and sailed south in the ex-sealing vessel Terra Nova. Halfway through the rough passage to the Antarctic, Scott got word that rival explorer, Norwegian Roald Amundsen, was also making a run for the Pole and was close on their heels. What started out as a stroll to the South Pole became a race between two very determined and different men.
Also aboard the Terra Nova was a Canadian, Charles Seymour "Silas" Wright. Return to Antarctica will transport the reader to the very time and place of Scott expedition through the eyes of Charles Wright, whose diaries and notes were handed down to his grandson, Adrian Raeside. In the Antarctic summer of 2008-2009, Raeside travelled to Antarctica to retrace his grandfather’s footsteps and to gain perspective on an adventure of a century ago that challenged men’s courage, strength and sanity. Raeside’s story telling, supported by revelations from previously unpublished accounts, drawing and photographs, does admirable justice to the legacy of the men who literally followed Robert Scott to the end of the Earth.

I know. Me, reading a book about Antarctica. Who'd have guessed? LOL. I got my copy of this free from Quark Expeditions when they had a Twitter contest. It's really interesting, and the author has a down to earth way of writing. It does, however, become obvious that he's not a professional author at times as he repeats information, or a paragraph will have info that seems out of context. I think the book really just needed a good editor.

My other current non-fiction is Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, by Mary Roach
The best-selling author of Stiff turns her outrageous curiosity and infectious wit on the most alluring scientific subject of all: sex.

I'm only a chapter into this one, so I don't really have anything to say about it yet. But I LOVED her first book, Stiff : The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers so I'm expecting good things.


Day 15 — A fanfic

And for this last one... Don't worry. I won't point you towards any slash or vampire porn. No sex at all in either of these. They are also both hilarious.

Wait Wait Don't Eat Me
Yes, it is Wait Wait Don't Tell Me fanfic. With zombies.

Drugstore Sushi
And this is Jonathan Coulton fanfic, letting us all in on the secret of how he creates his songs.

Like I said, no sex. They are both totally safe for work.


( The whole list )

Infected, by Scott Sigler is being released in hardcover tomorrow, April 1st. You should go buy it. I haven't read/listened to this book yet, but I have read some of his others and they were good. I'll be hitting Borders tomorrow to pick up my copy. I'll also be using THIS COUPON to get 40% off of it. You should too. Here is the propaganda from Scott's website about the book.

“Sigler is masterful at grabbing the reader by the throat and refusing to let go. Just when I thought I knew what abyss he was leading me across, he knocked the bridge out from under ... I think I screamed the whole way down ... INFECTED is a marvel of gonzo, in-your-face, up-to-the-minute terror.”
—Lincoln Child, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Storm and Death Match

INFECTED will be published April 1, 2008, in hardcover by Crown Publishing. The book has already been optioned for a movie by Rogue Pictures.

INFECTED SYNOPSES:
Perry Daswey is 6-foot-5, 265 pounds of angry ex-linebacker. He knows all too well that if he doesn't control his quick temper, people get hurt. Through constant focus, he has locked his violent past away in the deep dungeons of his mind.

The infection changes everything.

Strange microscopic parasites tap into Perry's bloodstream like tiny little vampires. They start as bright orange blisters, but soon take the shape of triangular growths just beneath his skin. The "Triangles," as Perry calls them, try to control their host by manipulating hormone levels and flooding his body with neurotransmitters -- imbalances of which cause paranoia, schizophrenia and excessive aggression. As Perry begins a desperate battle to cut the Triangles out of his body before it's too late, his self-control dissolves into raging, murderous madness.

INFECTED REVIEWS:
"Part Stephen King, part Chuck Palahniuk, Infected blends science fiction and horror into a pulpy masterpiece of action, terror, and suspense. Three recommendations: don't read it at night, or just after you've eaten a full meal, or if you're weak of heart. You've been warned!"
—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Judas Strain and Black Order

“Sigler is the Richard Matheson of the 21st Century…smart and creepy, INFECTED is a flawless thinking-person’s thriller. Bravo to a bold new talent!”
—Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Bad Moon Rising and Ghost Road Blues

"Horror mavens rejoice! INFECTED is a revelation -- a novel that lives up to its hype. From page one, the story of a mysterious smart-virus that turns its hosts into deadly drooling drones creeps up on a reader like the ratchet of a roller coaster climbing toward its inevitable crest. Sigler brings the folksy character detail of Stephen King, the conceptual panache of Clive Barker, and the oozing, shuddery pathologies of a David Cronenberg movie. Zombies, spies, conspiracies, and gallons of goo make this the fastest read in the west! Highest recommendation!"
— Jay Bonansinga, National Bestselling author of SHATTERED, TWISTED, FROZEN, and THE SINKING OF THE EASTLAND

"Sigler has a unique talent for keeping readers on the edge of their seats; I absolutely had to know what was going to happen next. Infected is full of mayhem, action, and gore--and you won’t be able to put it down."
— Dave Wellington, author of 13 BULLETS and the MONSTER ISLAND trilogy

"Scott Sigler's Infected is a bucking pulp pony that throws you this way and that, and just when you think you've got your balance, that ole pony bucks the other way. All in all, one hell of an exhilarating ride, and highly recommended."
—Joe R. Lansdale, World Horror Convention Grand Master and six-time Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Bubba Ho-Tep and Lost Echoes

I was outta work today at 1:00 and I knew I wouldn't have a husband all night since he was locked in a basement with other geek boys all shooting each other on the computer. So when genevra asked if I wanted to come over I said sure and then I invited lucky13charm to come over to play with the monkeys & then play Killer Bunnies after they went to bed.

When I left work I went to Barnes & Noble and spent quite a while browsing. I ended up picking up book 4 of the Dresden series since there have been no plans yet to have James Marsters read for the audio version. I also got a Laurel K Hamilton book. Looks like this one will be more wereleopard porn than vampire porn.

I also spent a while drooling over the Photoshop books I want, specifically the O'Reilly Press Cookbooks series. But I wasn't going to pay full price at the store when I could get 30% off & free shipping online. So I caved and ordered Photoshop Blending Modes for Digital Photographers.

After the bookstore I headed to genevra's house where the monkeys were upstairs taking naps. Since she was tired too genevra went upstairs to take a nap and I ended up getting one in on the couch downstairs. :)

whoa, i'm totally falling asleep at the keyboard here so I'll write more tomorrow...