Sigh, etc

[labellementeuse]

kia ora everyone! there has been a little bit of radio silence from me for awhile and there probably will be fore another while, because first uni buried me in work, then work buried me in work, and somewhere in there my laptop died. (I am hopeful that it's just the power cord - the adaptor, I think - and that's all I'll need to replace. I am nearly 100% confident that it's not a hard-drive thing.) However, in a weird way it was good timing, inasmuch as there can be good timing for that sort of thing - I've been really needing to turn over a new leaf in my semi-professional life mostly revolving around getting up in the mornings in time to actually get to school & watching little enough tee vee on the internets that I can actually get my work done. So: more radio silence. (I can't afford to fix it right now anyway.)

I've read about twenty books in the last three weeks, so there are some distinct pluses. How about that Miles Vorkosigan, huh? I've been meaning to get around to him for awhile and now I am in a major way. Also, Octavia Butler's Fledgling: Amazing amazing amazing. Read it now.

In conclusion: I'm not around much, although I am reading the flist and checking the emails. However, I won't be commenting or posting much & the only shows I'm keeping up with are Doctor Who (most recent episode: ohhhhhh ♥ but why didn't anyone warn me it was a two-parter) and Bones (because my flatmate watches it. We disagree about absolutely EVERYTHING about the show except for that we both love it, so that's... interesting.)

Finally: is anyone going to Regina Spektor this weekend? I'm going but no-one else I know is. :-/ I don't wanna be Nigel No-Mates!

Comments

[paintmarks.livejournal.com]

The concert is on Monday, isn't it? My boyfriend and I are going, flick me a text if you want to meet up before/after/whatever.

(Would you mind screening this after you get it? Thankssssss :))

Ah, never mind... edit works! Let me know if you don't get email notifications and I'll send it some other way, lol.)

[eavanmoore.livejournal.com]

Ahahahaha. First time I've ever seen someone deliberately send sensitive information by the LJ-comment-then-edit method.

[cabaiste84.livejournal.com]

I'm going! Well, if there's still tickets available, that is.

Really hope she'll end up playing a fair bit of her old stuff. Which is waaaaay superior to what she's put out in the last couple of years.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

I saw your back there! Did you enjoy it? I LOVED it. Awesome, awesome night.

I have to disagree with you about what she's put out in the last year or two. I think "Folding Chair" is as superior a piece of pop music as one could ever hope to hear, as good as anything on Soviet Kitsch and, IMO, better than some of her earlier stuff like Pavlov's Daughter, which is really two or three songs taped together - not that there's anything wrong with that...

[cabaiste84.livejournal.com]

I had an amazing time! :D She was just fabulous and I want to adopt her. <3 Really enjoyed the support act, too.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoy some of the songs she's put out recently- particularly some of the songs from her most recent release. I just personally prefer her older music. But, that's just me, I guess. *shrug*

I still absolutely adored her set from last night, though! And I almost cried when she played "Us" in the encore! <3

[cabaiste84.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I LOVED "That Time"- which I think is one of her best recent songs! Brilliant little tune.

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

It's been a while since I read the Vorkosigan books, but Miles made me swoon. :)

I'm off to request Fledgling from the library right now -- it's the only book of Octavia Butler's that I haven't read. I really should; I love that woman.

Hope you emerge victoriously from under that pile of work!

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

I think they're quite terrific! And space opera is just what I'm in the mood for.

Fledgling is really really good. I have just gotten into Butler this year - I LOVED Kindred and Fledgling, but I have to admit that Clay's Ark didn't really grab me. Can you recommend me some others of her stuff?

[wanderlight.livejournal.com]

Clay's Ark is some of her earlier writing -- I personally loved it because it was like a zombie action-adventure, but it's definitely not for everyone. I'd recommend the Xenogenesis trilogy (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, Imago; omnibus version published as Lilith's Brood) if you like aliens/First Contact, or the Parable duology (Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents) if you prefer apocalypse/societal collapse in a time closer to our own. Both books have excellent characterisation and weighty themes. As does the novel Wild Seed; it's in the same quartet as Clay's Ark, but an example of her much more mature, fleshed-out writing. It's very rich and poetic, with amazing characterisation.

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're finally getting into the Miles books - I've been re-reading them recently and I'm always amazed at how un-put-downable I find them even though I've read them a lot. I love everyone in them, I love the stories...and there's a new one out in October, score! (Although it sounds like it will not have much Ekaterin, which sucks.)

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I waited so long! (Did you know Meg hasn't read them? Very weird, I thought she had.) I haven't been awestruck by everything - I find Shards of Honour far superior to Barrayar (even though the latter won the prize) and Cetaganda pretty average, but otherwise I've ranged from really liking to adoring (Borders of Infinity and I'm partway through A Civil Campaign atm.... <33333)

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

Really? Bizarre, space opera is totally up her alley.

I prefer most of the planet-set ones to the more space-oriented ones, not sure why; but my favourites far and away are the Memory/Komarr/ACC arc. I could re-read Memory, especially, any number of times.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

IKR? I am going to lend her Cordelia's Honour (the omnibus with Shards of Honour and Barrayar) to get her going.

Memory and Diplomatic Immunity are the ones I haven't read yet - I've actually been sort of putting off Memory because isn't it the horrible one where bad things happen to Miles and he tells lies? This is sort of the impression I get from Komarr and ACC (finished yesterday, brilliant!) Am I wrong?

Actually probably my FAVOURITE would be Ethan of Athos. I just like Ethan and Elli so much, ideal comedy duo. Also, of course, I enjoy The Gay. Generally I think I'm about even on space and planet ones leaning slightly towards the space ones (Didn't really love Komarr, for example), although perhaps this is because I find it SO refreshing to read military space opera written by a woman whose politics are clearly on the left (both qualities usually being alien to military SF. Alien. See what I did there?) Plus I really enjoy Mark.

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

Memory is traumatic that way. BUT it is also the story of how the Duv/Delia, Simon/Alys, and Gregor/Laisa relationships got started, which means we see a lot of all those characters. It also has my personal favourite plot of all the books. And it's actually very very important to read Memory to really get where Miles is going in Komarr/ACC - the three form the plot arc of Miles transitioning from being Admiral Naismith to being Lord Vorkosigan. Just READ IT. Diplomatic Immunity...has its moments, but after ACC is a bit of a let-down.

I last read EoA when I was sixteen, i.e. far too long ago, but I remember not being *totally* sold on it? I have always been a bit eh on Elli - I mean, she's awesome, she's just not a personal favourite - so that probably didn't help.