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At Home
Reading a book is like re-writing it for yourself.... You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms.
-- Angela Carter
Tuesday, October 5, 1999
One year ago: Office Life
Two years ago: L.A. Confidential
I spent the day quietly at home today, except for walking down the street to eat lunch and purchase chocolate peanut butter ice cream. This was because I wasn't feeling very well -- backache, cramps, ouch! I'd been so good about getting out of bed and sending email to work in a timely manner, to let them know I wouldn't be in. Oops! The group alias doesn't work externally, it seems, so I got a call around eleven from our business manager: "Anita? are you coming in today? we were wondering where you were." How humiliating!
Fortunately, ibuprofen did take the edge off the pain, so I was able to lay in bed and read. I finished Darwin's Radio, which I'd borrowed from Jack, and reread River of Fire, a good one from Mary Jo Putney. I also managed to get three loads of laundry done. That's only the light-colored stuff! But I was doing a bunch of extra sheets and towels from my various guests. I don't have three loads worth of underwear, though I do have quite a few pairs.
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I was very impressed with Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio. He takes some modern biological discoveries and theories, and constructs problems and a plot that held my interest. I'm not sure I understand all of the twists and turns yet!
I was reminded of his earlier Blood Music (shockingly, it's out of print!), but this was more like a modern thriller. Jack was slightly dissatisfied with the ending, but I thought it was good. Bear says (in the interview on the the Del Rey website) that he'll be doing a sequel, so I guess he had to leave room for that. Depicting a superhuman being or race is always a tough job for us mere humans.
The tone throughout is pretty serious -- I don't think there are any humorous moments! But maybe it's hard to put in comic relief when you are talking about sad and scary genetic plagues.
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Epinions.com has added a bounty feature, where I get a bonus if you sign up on my recommendation. So if you are thinking of trying it, click on the previous link! I don't expect to make any serious bucks this way; I do like having my reviews read and rated, though!
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