Monthly Archives: May 2014
Thank You For Your Birthday Wishes. Please Accept, As a Token of My Esteem, This Picture of a Puppy
Posted on May 10, 2014 22 Comments
He’s a Shih Tzu. His name is Roscoe. He’s my mother in law’s new pet. He’s adorable.
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Posted on May 10, 2014 90 Comments
The way I figure it I am pretty much at the half-way point in my life. I don’t mean that in a morbid or pity-seeking way, I should note. I mean in the sense of knowing who I am, my family history, and various other factors, that if I do basic medical maintenance, keep fit, […]
Oh, and These ARCs Showed Up Too
Posted on May 9, 2014 18 Comments
Thought you might like to see them. For the record: I love love love getting physical ARCs. I’m happy to live in the electronic age, but getting something that looks and feels (and hell, is) an actual physical book still lights up all my squee neurons. Because it means the book is really going to […]
On The Claim That Heinlein Couldn’t Win a Hugo Today
Posted on May 9, 2014
Yeah, that’s complete bullshit. (Link goes to Metafilter) (Turning off comments here because I’ve ranted on Heinlein just recently and covered some of the same ground, and therefore I suspect this comment thread would be mostly a repeat.)
New Books and ARCs, 5/9/14
Posted on May 9, 2014 31 Comments
Here you go: So, what looks good to you here? Share in the comments!
The Big Idea: Stephanie Saulter
Posted on May 9, 2014 3 Comments
Humanity: It’s a big subject. What “humanity” entails as an overall concept, an even bigger one. But that doesn’t scare off Stephanie Saulter — indeed, in Gemsigns, it’s a topic she runs toward, to explore what it means in her novel’s world. STEPHANIE SAULTER: What makes us human? Not so much a Big Idea as […]
This Is Just To Let You Know
Posted on May 8, 2014 63 Comments
That the book I have been calling The Human Division 2: The Divisioning now has a working title. (Walks off, whistling)
The Big Idea: Jeff VanderMeer
Posted on May 8, 2014 15 Comments
Jeff VanderMeer’s Southern Reach trilogy chronicles the thirty-year attempt by the Southern Reach, a secret government agency, to solve the mystery behind Area X, a mysterious coastal region closed off from the rest of the world by an invisible border. The first novel, Annihilation, documented the disastrous twelfth expedition, narrated by a nameless female biologist. […]
My Slightly Early Birthday Present to Myself
Posted on May 7, 2014 40 Comments
Why, yes, they are Doc Martens with Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights on them — the happy parts of that triptych, anyway. I got them because my birthday is this Saturday (don’t say “happy birthday” yet, I’ll post a birthday post then) and I thought these were pretty cool. Also, although you probably don’t […]
Unlocked: Now Available!
Posted on May 7, 2014 59 Comments
I’m happy to announce that “Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden’s Syndrome” is now available in electronic form, in English, pretty much everywhere in the world, or at least everywhere that Tor has been able to get it into ebook retail systems. It’s a novella, set in the world of my upcoming novel Lock In, […]
In Which We Give My Mother-in-Law a New Puppy
Posted on May 6, 2014 33 Comments
It was a surprise. As you will be able to tell about 48 seconds into the video. And here’s a closer, static look at the thing: Seriously, it’s unreal how cute this puppy is.
An Anthem for the Broken (A single to benefit John Anderson)
Posted on May 6, 2014 20 Comments
Here’s a thing: My friend John Anderson (who some of you may remember did a guest stint here at Whatever a few years back) has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), better known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease.” His friend Matthew Ryan, who happens to be a hell of a musician, decided to do something to help John and […]
The Big Idea: Nick Mamatas
Posted on May 6, 2014 10 Comments
How do you turn a novel into a graphic novel — that is, capture the essence of what is cool and interesting about the original work, and bring it to another medium entirely? Especially when that novel is also the basis for an upcoming motion picture that features one of the biggest film stars on […]
Here, Listen to an 800-Year-Old Icelandic Hymn Sung in a German Train Station
Posted on May 5, 2014 18 Comments
Because why wouldn’t you? And yes, like you, and because we are nerds, it reminded me of parts of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Found here.
May Flowers, Continued
Posted on May 5, 2014 14 Comments
Because my word brain is stuck in neutral today. So: Look! Flowers!
I Claim This Word In the Name of the Internet: Snuffaluffphagy
Posted on May 4, 2014 44 Comments
Snuffaluffphagy: The scientific term for eating a Muppet. Google did not have a listing for the word previous to me posting the word here. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Update: Where it’s gone.
New Books and ARCs, 5/2/14
Posted on May 2, 2014 50 Comments
Traveling again today, this time to the Detroit area for Penguicon, where I will be hanging out and doing a few panels, and may even read from Lock In. But to keep you amused an occupied while I am on the road, here’s a stack of the fine books and ARCs that made their way […]
Various Things I Want to Tell You About, 5/1/14
Posted on May 1, 2014 36 Comments
Because you want to know them. Yes you do. 1. My pal Helen Montgomery wanted me to make you all aware of the following, relating to Worldcon, live theater at the Worldcon, and how you (yes, you!) can help make it happen. I am going to quote Helen directly: “I really appreciate you being willing […]
May Flowers
Posted on May 1, 2014 25 Comments
The adage about April showers appears to be true. Here at least. Happy May, everyone.
The Big Idea: Melanie Rawn
Posted on May 1, 2014 10 Comments
Melanie Rawn’s “Glass Thorns” fantasy series, which began with the books Touchstone and Elsewhens, now has a third installment, Thornlost, full of magic and drama… and, one might say, the series has a special emphasis on the latter. Rawn explains why that is in today’s Big Idea. MELANIE RAWN: When it was first mentioned to […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying