scattering shots

All over the place today and still catching up from The Hellish Debacle That Had the Nerve to Invade My Birthday Week.

Smart people are saying smart things over at Tingle Alley (read post and comments) -- except for yours truly, who is just talking. (And recommending the monstrously wonderful THE TRUTH ABOUT CELIA by Kevin Brockmeier.) The conversation cycles through some damn interesting stuff, from the lack of current life reflected in current books to how/when references to Now work in fiction.

Chapter 2 of Perfect Circle is now up at Salon. Follow the Ghost Road and take a left.

Science Fiction Weekly has a review of China Mieville's new book THE IRON COUNCIL (by Paul Di Filippo). Matthew Cheney had an interesting post about Mieville the other day that's worth checking out if you missed it (see comments by Jeff Vandermeer and Tim Pratt). I must admit here to liking China personally and thinking he's a swell guy, but having read very little of his work to date. I'm behind, okay? It's on my to do list. I read KING RAT and thought it was a good first novel that managed to work far better than most fantasies that make music a centerpiece of the action, but wouldn't characterize it as ambitious. The fact that his more recent works are always called ambitious makes me feel bad about not having read them yet. Plus, many smart people whose opinions I trust like THE SCAR immensely.

The Wash Post has a solid story about the pain of professional cycling, both physical and emotional. Poor Tyler Hamilton. Poor Tugboat. Sigh.

That's all I've got for today, except to point out the similarities between two books covers. I'd pulled out THE TRUTH ABOUT CELIA and also happened to have just gotten YOU REMIND ME OF ME, Dan Chaon's new book, from the library. (Spine-tinglingly good so far.) And then I realized just how much the two books visually complement each other. Don't they? You be the judge.





worm "Get Behind the Mule," John Hammond

namecheck R.D. "THANK YOU!" Hall