Recently in Books Category

It is with much sadness that finished The Deathly Hallows on Saturday. I picked the book up from the wonderful Kinokuniya in Sydney. As always they've gone to a lot of effort when I arrived at 9:01AM to pick up my pre-ordered book. The staff were dressed as students, witches and wizards. Cauldrons, lights and smoke added greatly to the effect, as did the distinct lack of children. Not that I don't like children, it's just that there was no noise, which added to the slightly surreal effect wonderfully carried off beautifully. Maybe a child in the cauldron…?

But no, I collected my book, and went to the coffee shop and sat and read. And read. And read. And read some more.
607 pages in one day, and then off to the pub. Very, very good. Very sad, and maybe not the children's books that they started out as, but still very good. Yes. Good. Sad that it's over, but good.
Mmm. Good. Read it.

Although… maybe not the last chapter, which I understand was written a long while ago, and clearly demonstrates how the authors style and ability have greatly improved over the last 17 years. It feels tacked on because… well, it is.

For all of you wanting to get into this as soon as possible, I give you Potted Harry for beginners at the BBCs news site. It would have been amazingly useful to me, if I hadn't already of listened my way through Stephen Fry read them to me over the last weeks.

I am excited

This was always one of my favorite books when I was younger. It's nice to see a still from the movie pretty much be the book in my head.

So the book is better than the movie, which is hardly a startling revelation. It clearly does read like it was written by a 15 year old, which is annoying because it's true.

That's it. I'm writing a good book now...

So I can have all sorts of amazing things going on in my room once I've got round to assembling this shit!

I'm very, very excited!

Oh, and the new Pratchett book is well good as well.

Found at Neil Gaiman's blog: Good Omens is being reissued in the US in February, in hardcover for the first time since 1990 and with a new introduction, Frequently Asked Questions, a piece on Terry by me and a piece on me by Terry. It will be coming out in an edition with two different covers, to ensure that people who can only find the G shelves in bookshops have an equal chance of finding it to the ones who only know about the Ps.

The covers will look more or less like this:

I know links don't go here, but if you loved me, you would ensure that I'd get one of these...

[posted with ecto]

Dean Koontz is finally getting called on his racist bullshit. The Guardian picks up the story of Koontz's anti-Japanese remarks at a recent luncheon, which was initially reported by authors Lee Goldberg and Tod Goldberg. (The Los Angeles Times reported on the story earlier this week.)

Koontz is a regular donor to the Republican National Committee — he donated $1,500 to the RNC on June 27, and has given to President Bush before. You think they'll return the donations? Ha ha! Me neither.

At any rate, I'm happy to announce Bookslut's First Annual Man, Is That Dean Koontz a Prick or What? Contest. In 250 words or less, write an erotic, tender-yet-sexy story about Dean Koontz having some sort of hot, life-changing physical encounter with a Japanese guy. Send your stories as plain text in an email to mschaub at bookslut dot com, with "Man, Is That Dean Koontz a Prick or What?" in the subject line. All entries should be submitted on or before Friday, November 18.

Whoever writes the best/hottest/funniest story will receive a copy of Tod Goldberg's Simplify (read Bookslut's review here) and a copy of Lee Goldberg's Unsold TV Pilots: The Greatest Shows You Never Saw, as well as whatever Dean Koontz book is cheapest at the used bookstore. Also, I will sign the Koontz book, possibly as "Mr. Teriyaki."

Enter now! It's erotica with a cause. (The cause: my own personal amusement.)

[posted with ecto]

Is your book basically a rip-off of The Lord of the Rings?
Read that question again and answer truthfully.

This Fantasy Novelist's Exam is especially important on the eve of NaNoWriMo.

[posted with ecto]

It's a Doctor Who book, but it's one of the old (uh, new) adventures that were written when it wasn't on TV.

I know I've said before that these are awesome books, and I really do suspect that the 8th Doctor is my favorite Doctor... but... this book was. Astounding.

The book before it The Eight Doctors was bollocks. An excuse to prove that the author (Terrance Dicks, who has written a tone of Doctor Who books since before I was born) knows his who shit. He does, but it's a pity that he forgot how to write at this stage. I've read much better by him, and that's just... sad. So anyway, I thought this might be shit.

It's not. Vampires (and yes they are classic, and still the same ones that Tom Baker fought) and violence, and a very clever Doctor. It's all there. Find a copy and read it, you'll not be sorry. After all, how can you not like a Doctor that says and does the following:

"She trusts me. Real trust is as rare and precious as having a cat pay attention to you"

and after the Vampires attack a house he is staying in, he goes back and rescues a cat. A cat that's just had kittens. Then a few pages later, while you are thinking "what about the kittens (a thought I have often, 'eh Emma?)... you get the following:

"The doctor was unloading the kittens from assorted coat pockets"

I have a lot of time for the Doctor that saves kittens.

Listening to: Speed Of Sound from the album "X&Y" by Coldplay

[posted with ecto]

Only, maybe not. The way Christopher feels all the time, the confusion, the fear, the isolation and frustration at fucking idiots... that's how I feel in London. In fact I finished it just now on the train home, and when I realized that, it made me cry a little. I am a modern man, you see...

The way he feels when the book ends and there was order in his world, and everything was good. That's how I felt when I was at home.

Only with less, you know, autism.

I loved that book.

[posted with ecto]