The finer things in life: literature, music. Comic Books.
LITERATURE: I've had fun in my first year of University, however I'm excited for summer break because I have some READING to do. I read plenty of textbooks these past few months (well, okay. not that many) but I think the only books I've read for fun since September have been Seven Pillars of Wisdom, Battle Royale, Flowers for Algernon (which I started waiting for the bus to my 9:00AM class and finished on the bus home :P) and The Handmaid's Tale. Which seems a little bizarre since I'm Jenn and have a freaking library in my bedroom.
But oh, my reading list is getting a little out of control. I tore through Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima this weekend and am starting The Last Temptation of Christ. I also got a new book by Solzhenisytn this weekend ♥, so perhaps I'll follow that up with Doctor Zhivago, which has been sitting in my shelf for some time. And then maybe finally I'll sink my teeth into George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series. But I also have a burning urge to re-read The Brothers Karamazov because... well, it's not as if I didn't understand it the first time I read it, it's more that I feel I didn't savour it effectively. :P BUT WOW, RE-READING THAT BABY WOULD BE AN UNDERTAKING.
Does anyone want to go used book shopping next week? I mean SERIOUS used book shopping. It will be a day long endeavour. I need more Herman Hesse, and possibly a higher percentage of Russia in my book collection.
NOT QUITE LITERATURE, BUT...: DC, if you give Renee Montoya her own series I will buy it. I adored Vic Sage and thought his death was pretty much unnecessary and embarassingly contrived, but I would still buy a comic about Renee as The Question without a moment's hesitation. On that note, please don't give Batwoman her own book. Because I'm not that fond of Batwoman, but I would have to buy it because Renee would inevitably be there a lot having "we're ex-lovers and sort of still into each other BUT TOTALLY NOT. REALLY" tension with Kate (while being The Question) and I don't want to buy a book about Batwoman. :(
She can co-star in Renee's book. Which will be awesome. Or, theoretically, they could both have their own series. That would occasionally cross over. BUT IF WE CAN ONLY HAVE ONE...
Also, since Booster Gold's going to be time-travelling, he'll try to save Ted using his time machine, right? Right?I AM FULL OF HOPE RIGHT NOW.
ALSO: I caved and bought a few issues of Connor Hawke's mini-series. I don't like it and find the: "BY THE WAY: NOT GAY" subtext of it twitchifying, buuuuut I have something of an obligation to give money for any comic that features Eddie Fyers. If Connor ever gets his own series it should just have some incredibly dumb name like: "The Amazing Karate-Chop Action Connor Hawke (not gay!) and his Cranky, Amoral, Forty Year Old Sidekick". Except not, but I love those two so much more than this crappy mini-series could do justice to. T__T Which isn't saying it doesn't have it's moments.Just none of those moments involve Connor making out with a chick who raped his father.
MUSIC!!!
Etres Humains - Katerine
Chanting. In french! It's got this heavy, primal feeling complete with organic percussion, but then the background's all mech-techno-ey overproduction and generally a fantastic clash. Intense!
Your Ghost - Kristin Hersh
This is something of a typical, longing song but oh- there's a steady beat, acoustic guitar and this slow, sad cello in the background being slow and sad and it's full of trepidition and then it goes into a round and it's so, so, so beautiful.
My Medea - Vienna Teng
So I like pretty much of all Vienna Teng's music, right? But this song. Oh, this song. Miss Teng has this great sense of emotional timing, by which I mean her music is full of those heart-stoppy moments. The ones that cram a halfbeat of undiluted emotion that you can't quite define into your ears and.... yeah, I sound like an idiot. But THIS is a BEAUTIFUL song. A beautiful, beautiful song full of bitter and ouch and, by the way, I love the lyrics. ♥
Every You, Every Me, Special K - Placebo
PLACEBO IS AWESOME. Ashley informed me a little while ago that everyone seems to HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT PLACEBO. This is not cool on account of the fact that PLACEBO IS AWESOME. I mean- they're an old-school Big Shiny Tunes staple! I couldn't decide on a song by them, so you get two. Both of which are extremely AWESOME. For those of you who have never heard of Placebo: they harken from an age where rough-cut, alternative bands with whiny-sounding lead singers DIDN'T suck. It's high energy, which is deceptive because their lyrics are MADE OF PAIN. Well-articulated pain, even, because their lyrics are also brilliant; intelligent and written with poetic sensibility. There's a lot of traditional rhyming schemes going on here, but also a lot of clever word play reminiscent of beat poetryAND JENN LOVES HER SOME BEAT POETRY. Mostly, they're lots of fun to listen to.
Touched - VAST
Everything by VAST is this intense kind of "oh wow" gorgeous. And weird. And always vaguely creepy with this lovely kind of desperation that makes asick person like me all melty and stuff. This song, however, is pretty much the audial incarnation of everything that makes VAST so amazing. Complete with that offbeat, almost inhuman chanting that made me fall in love with Pretty When You Cry all those years ago. (come to think of it, Yasunori Mitsuda used similar chanting in the Xenogears: Cried remix. HI, I'M A GEEK.)
I wish I were tired. I actually GOT OUT OF BED to make this post. Granted, I don't have class until 3PM tomorrow, but I don't want to sleep until noon. I have things to do and people to see at school in the morning. :P
But oh, my reading list is getting a little out of control. I tore through Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima this weekend and am starting The Last Temptation of Christ. I also got a new book by Solzhenisytn this weekend ♥, so perhaps I'll follow that up with Doctor Zhivago, which has been sitting in my shelf for some time. And then maybe finally I'll sink my teeth into George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series. But I also have a burning urge to re-read The Brothers Karamazov because... well, it's not as if I didn't understand it the first time I read it, it's more that I feel I didn't savour it effectively. :P BUT WOW, RE-READING THAT BABY WOULD BE AN UNDERTAKING.
Does anyone want to go used book shopping next week? I mean SERIOUS used book shopping. It will be a day long endeavour. I need more Herman Hesse, and possibly a higher percentage of Russia in my book collection.
NOT QUITE LITERATURE, BUT...: DC, if you give Renee Montoya her own series I will buy it. I adored Vic Sage and thought his death was pretty much unnecessary and embarassingly contrived, but I would still buy a comic about Renee as The Question without a moment's hesitation. On that note, please don't give Batwoman her own book. Because I'm not that fond of Batwoman, but I would have to buy it because Renee would inevitably be there a lot having "we're ex-lovers and sort of still into each other BUT TOTALLY NOT. REALLY" tension with Kate (while being The Question) and I don't want to buy a book about Batwoman. :(
She can co-star in Renee's book. Which will be awesome. Or, theoretically, they could both have their own series. That would occasionally cross over. BUT IF WE CAN ONLY HAVE ONE...
Also, since Booster Gold's going to be time-travelling, he'll try to save Ted using his time machine, right? Right?
ALSO: I caved and bought a few issues of Connor Hawke's mini-series. I don't like it and find the: "BY THE WAY: NOT GAY" subtext of it twitchifying, buuuuut I have something of an obligation to give money for any comic that features Eddie Fyers. If Connor ever gets his own series it should just have some incredibly dumb name like: "The Amazing Karate-Chop Action Connor Hawke (not gay!) and his Cranky, Amoral, Forty Year Old Sidekick". Except not, but I love those two so much more than this crappy mini-series could do justice to. T__T Which isn't saying it doesn't have it's moments.
MUSIC!!!
Etres Humains - Katerine
Chanting. In french! It's got this heavy, primal feeling complete with organic percussion, but then the background's all mech-techno-ey overproduction and generally a fantastic clash. Intense!
Your Ghost - Kristin Hersh
This is something of a typical, longing song but oh- there's a steady beat, acoustic guitar and this slow, sad cello in the background being slow and sad and it's full of trepidition and then it goes into a round and it's so, so, so beautiful.
My Medea - Vienna Teng
So I like pretty much of all Vienna Teng's music, right? But this song. Oh, this song. Miss Teng has this great sense of emotional timing, by which I mean her music is full of those heart-stoppy moments. The ones that cram a halfbeat of undiluted emotion that you can't quite define into your ears and.... yeah, I sound like an idiot. But THIS is a BEAUTIFUL song. A beautiful, beautiful song full of bitter and ouch and, by the way, I love the lyrics. ♥
Every You, Every Me, Special K - Placebo
PLACEBO IS AWESOME. Ashley informed me a little while ago that everyone seems to HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT PLACEBO. This is not cool on account of the fact that PLACEBO IS AWESOME. I mean- they're an old-school Big Shiny Tunes staple! I couldn't decide on a song by them, so you get two. Both of which are extremely AWESOME. For those of you who have never heard of Placebo: they harken from an age where rough-cut, alternative bands with whiny-sounding lead singers DIDN'T suck. It's high energy, which is deceptive because their lyrics are MADE OF PAIN. Well-articulated pain, even, because their lyrics are also brilliant; intelligent and written with poetic sensibility. There's a lot of traditional rhyming schemes going on here, but also a lot of clever word play reminiscent of beat poetry
Touched - VAST
Everything by VAST is this intense kind of "oh wow" gorgeous. And weird. And always vaguely creepy with this lovely kind of desperation that makes a
I wish I were tired. I actually GOT OUT OF BED to make this post. Granted, I don't have class until 3PM tomorrow, but I don't want to sleep until noon. I have things to do and people to see at school in the morning. :P