Month: June 2015

  • Hugo Nomination: Impossible. Or IS it?

    The Hugo debates keep going ((If you really want to know, go to File770.com. )). And going. And going. ((One of the nice things surrounding this unending back-stabbery is I’ve added to the list of people who have self-identified as “not worth reading.”

    I will be delighted to read a conflicting point of view, but when you asshatly and repeatedly make statements that are not just wrong but hell wrong (or you’re a self-serving asshole) then I can just ignore everything you have to say. You’re Ted Cruz, in other words.))

    One of the points being made is that the landscape of the scifi/fantasy field has changed over the last twenty years. In the 90’s and earlier, it was possible to keep up with most of the authors; today that is not possible. There are too many to read ((Side note on this same problem with today’s blossoming TV programming. )).

    Which brings me to the point of this posting. Where are the recommended reading lists? 

    Yes, yes. I’m fully aware of the reading lists pertaining to the various awards. I’m speaking of recommendations for books that have been published in 2015 to date. People are still reading, yes? Some of those books were published in 2015, yes? Why don’t people make some recommendations for “Best First Half 2015” novels or short stories, or whatever. Frankly, I’m lost when it comes to the shorter fiction and I don’t make any Hugo nominations in those areas at all. And, for example, last year I read over 25 novels published in 2014, but only threw two of them into the Hugo arena. Partially because I’m picky but mostly because they didn’t make the grade.

    I’d much rather spend my time reading books that someone else has said, “This is a good book.” ((Danger lies here. For example lots of people thought that some books-that-shall-remain-nameless were AWeSOMETOtaLLy!1!! last year and I thought they’d do better as bird-cage liners. You have to know the person making the recommendation…)) With that sort of information (Amazon and Goodreads reviews are helpful, but not that helpful) you can leverage your hard-earned money toward quality fiction, and stay the hell away from fiction that just plain isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.

    Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t put up my own list.  Here it is so far: ((Sorry, I’ve been reading a lot of older, non-2015 fiction this year, so it’s a short list.))

    • Touch – Claire North. Not as good as The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, but still worth your time.
    • Firefight – Brandon Sanderson. Again, not as good as Steelheart that it’s the sequel to, but still good. YA.
    • The Devil’s Only Friend – Dan Wells. Book 4 of the John Cleaver series, all of which is worth it. This the first book of the second trilogy. I read the entire series in about 5 days. This will be getting a Hugo nomination from me.

    And that’s it so far. I just started reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which is good so far, but I’m only about 8 chapters in.

    What do you recommend?

  • Love Locks Lost

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    Paris is removing the famed (or infamous) Love Locks from the Pont des Arts across the Seine ((Just north of Ile de la Cité , the island containing Notre Dame cathedral.)). People are not happy about it. Word is that Paris will also start the same sort of work on the Pont de l’Archevêché, where the pictures in this post were taken ((Pont de L’Archevêché connects the Ile de la Cité to the left bank of the Seine, right next to Notre Dame )) .

    I feel for some of the stories I’ve heard people tell about the significance of their personal locks, but I feel stronger for the infrastructure of the bridges. Just look at this picture, and keep in mind that this was taken three years ago. The locks have spawned since then.

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    That fence was not designed to hold this kind of weight. The bridge was not designed to hold it either. This is a stone arch bridge built in 1828; this sort of eccentric loading was not factored into the designer’s numbers.

    This is an excellent example of how infrastructure can be invisible to most people when it’s working. So long as these bridges are up and maintained, it shouldn’t matter what you do with them, right? It’s a big ass bridge! Surely it can stand a few locks placed on it? Unfortunately that is not the case. Roads and bridges and tunnels and buildings and sewers and water pipes are designed and maintained at a certain capacity. Over load them and they will fail. No matter the desires of the people who placed the locks, and the personal stories behind them, these locks should come down for the health of the bridges.

    Let’s end with a metaphor: if lovers were slowly but inexorably clogging up the water main to your house, would you support keeping the clog?