“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them” ~Mark Twain
I love quotes. I love gaining a quick and clever insight about life from someone smarter than me. Often I find these in Science Fiction and Fantasy novels or from interviews with SFF authors. Here are a few I’ve kept in mind:
“It is not despair, for despair is only for those who see the end beyond all doubt. We do not.” ~Gandalf the Grey (The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R.
June 23rd, 2011. Justin Blazier | Thoughtful Thursday | 10 comments |
I will assume that most of you who frequent this site have been readers for quite sometime. More than likely for most of your life. I began reading a little later than most. I learned to read in the 1st grade, but never really fully grasped “books” till the 3rd grade. I was lucky in that I was diagnosed dyslexic fairly early and had a string of amazing teachers who went the extra mile for me. I’m glad they did, because in the 3rd grade something happened. I read my first real “book”. I had finished Stuart Little on my own time with no lessons or guidance from teachers.
June 16th, 2011. Justin Blazier | Thoughtful Thursday | 13 comments |
I’ve gathered some weird and wonderful things for you to read this week. I’m not sure if I should be frightened at how easy I find some of the more odd articles. Let me know what you think about them. In the coming weeks, if you find something interesting you think everyone should read, drop me a line via the contact form and let me know, or just post it below. Let’s get started:
1) Ponymen: My Little Ponies + Watchmen = Awesome? The scary part is that I’d probably go watch this.
June 15th, 2011. Justin Blazier | World Wide Wednesday | 3 comments |
Harry Dresden never knew his mother Margaret. He knows that she was a wizard, that she used the last name LaFey, and that before she married Harry’s father she hung out with some shady characters. In Blood Rites, he discovers something about Margaret that changes everything he believes about himself.
In the sixth Dresden Files novel, Jim Butcher shakes up Harry’s world. In addition to shocking new information about his mother, Harry has to deal with a revelation about Ebenezar,
June 10th, 2011. Marion Deeds, Kat Hooper and Justin Blazier´s rating: 3.5 | Jim Butcher | Audio | SFF Reviews | 2 comments |
Throughout my normal day I have lots of silly thoughts. Those who know me are probably not surprised by that. I keep most of my silliness to myself. But not today. Yesterday, while standing in the line at the grocery store, I was thinking about having supernatural editing powers. I could change checkout line magazine titles to read humorous things specific to the person standing behind me. Then I started wondering how to make a man-sized hamster wheel. Would it need some sort of breaking system? I’m not sure… but that’s not actually what I want to talk about today…
June 9th, 2011. Justin Blazier | Thoughtful Thursday | 17 comments |
Everything from sarcastic authors to beautiful art is represented in today’s selections. Hope you all enjoy. In the coming weeks, if you find something interesting you think everyone should read, drop me a line via the contact form and let me know, or just post it below. Let’s get started:
1) Sam Sykes abuses err… interviews Andrew P. Mayer: Sam Sykes seems to be confused about how to interview people. Whatever the reason… it’s brilliant.
2) Tim Powers: ‘I don’t have to make anything up’
June 8th, 2011. Justin Blazier | World Wide Wednesday | 3 comments |
What if the world I knew came to an end? What if millions of the undead began roaming the streets in a quest to fulfill their never-ending hunger? Let’s say this process occurred over a period of a week or two, so I had some time to prepare. What are the first things I would do? How could I get ready in just a few days for the oncoming zombie horde? Well, I’ll tell you.
First I would head to the grocery store. Hopefully my hyper-awareness of an imminent zombie apocalypse would allow me to be one of the first to realize that things had gotten bad,
June 2nd, 2011. Justin Blazier | Thoughtful Thursday | 12 comments |
I was digging through the Thoughtful Thursday archives looking for some inspiration from our beloved Retired Ruth for this week’s post, when I spotted an early gem about guilty pleasures. It was nearly two years ago that Ruth asked you to admit them, so it seems like it’s time for confession again. We all have those little guilty pleasures which we’re embarrassed to admit to. Professional Wrestling, Fruity Pebbles cereal and fan-subtitled Anime are just a few of the female-repelling habits I have never been able to shake. I did somehow manage to lure a lady into wedlock despite them,
May 26th, 2011. Justin Blazier | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 18 comments |
Wednesday has come upon us once again, and I have plucked the ripest of links for your enjoyment. The Nebulas are over, and I’ve linked to the results below. There is a little bit of everything in there, even free books. In the coming weeks, if you find something interesting you think everyone should read, drop me a line via the contact form and let me know, or just post it as a comment below. Let’s get started:
1) 2010 Nebula Awards Winners: Congratulations to all the nominees and especially to the winners.
May 25th, 2011. Justin Blazier | World Wide Wednesday | 7 comments |
I recently chatted with C.J. Henderson, whose book Central Park Knight, sequel to Brooklyn Knight (which was really fun!) is being released today by Tor. We’ll be giving away a copy to a couple of commenters.
Justin Blazier: Thanks for taking time out to answer some questions for me. Your writing ranges across several genres. You’ve had successes in Horror, Detective, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi and Fantasy. The Brooklyn Knight series seems to provide a home for all your varied writing interests. Was that the plan?
May 10th, 2011. Justin Blazier | C.J. Henderson | Author Interviews, Giveaway! | 8 comments |
Pretty challenging book. Cut by half, speed up the cadence. Trying to figure out the plot, the main point of…
Thanks for the kind words, Marion! Coming as they are from a professional writer, they are much appreciated!
Wonderful review, Sandy.
The "body count" bothered me a bit less because being dead seemed more like an inconvenience than anything else... unlike…
Detailed, thoughtful review, Bill. I'm going to read it for two reasons. First, Karen Russell wrote it, and second, it…