Maybe it because you first read Narnia when a child and Potter as an adult?
Who among us can ignore the allure of really funny math puns?
Willow ,'Empty Places'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Scrappy - May 20, 2011 11:56:35 am PDT #14817 of 28289
Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
erin_obscure - May 20, 2011 3:15:42 pm PDT #14818 of 28289
Occasionally I’m callous and strange
Wow, so anyone who has read _Feed_ but hasn't been following the author's LJ should start here . She's been posting a series of 29 daily vignettes of the beginning of the rise. Sort of a prologue in serial form. And it's friggin amazing. 29 days later...we get the next book. Oh yes, my kindle, she will be busy in 11 days. Today i had 2 "ah HA!" moments. One was the 29 days deal. The other was that Marburg virus is a real thing. I went researching it because of the association with nosebleeds and holy crap it's a relative of Ebola. Are there really scientists working on human testing of virus strains that dangerous? Science is terrifying sometimes. I have washed my hands about eleventy times today.
Ok, back to your regularly scheduled reading.
Polter-Cow - May 20, 2011 3:25:35 pm PDT #14819 of 28289
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
Oh, erin, I'm glad you came and did this for me because I had meant to myself. This is the first one, and this tag should find all the rest if you scroll down. "Countdown" is fucking fantastic, and it's a great addition to the Feed mythology. Even if you haven't read Feed, it's worth reading. When was the last time you read a vignette from the perspective of a virus ?
The other was that Marburg virus is a real thing.
You hadn't heard of it either! Man, she was giving me shit this morning, like everyone was supposed to know what it was.
erin_obscure - May 20, 2011 3:34:35 pm PDT #14820 of 28289
Occasionally I’m callous and strange
I had no idea. She made me go do research! With fiction! On livejournal! Ok, i'll stop oohing and ahhing here and maybe mention that in a comment on the most recent one :)
Ginger - May 20, 2011 3:36:46 pm PDT #14821 of 28289
"It didn't taste good. It tasted soooo horrible. It tasted like....a vodka martini." - Matilda
The other was that Marburg virus is a real thing.
The Coming Plague is a great book about all the scary diseases and why we're poorly equipped to deal with them.
Rayne - May 20, 2011 3:37:19 pm PDT #14822 of 28289
"Oh no! Has falling sky liquid once again caused you the sadness?" -Starfire
How cool! I loved Feed and I'm really looking forward to Deadline!
Cass - May 20, 2011 3:38:13 pm PDT #14823 of 28289
Bob's learned to live with tragedy, but he knows that this tragedy is one that won't ever leave him or get better.
The other was that Marburg virus is a real thing.
I am the creepy person who totally knew about it but only because I find it fascinating. It's got the shepherd's crook tail too.
When was the last time you read a vignette from the perspective of a virus ?
It's WHAT? I am so reading this.
Cass - May 20, 2011 3:39:43 pm PDT #14824 of 28289
Bob's learned to live with tragedy, but he knows that this tragedy is one that won't ever leave him or get better.
And reading anything by Richard Preston will totally freak you out if you think about it too much. There are bits of Hot Zone that I still have to quick skim through because they are so creepy.
Polter-Cow - May 20, 2011 4:41:43 pm PDT #14825 of 28289
What else besides ramen can you scoop? YOU CAN SCOOP THIS WORLD FROM DARKNESS!
When was the last time you read a vignette from the perspective of a virus ?
It's WHAT? I am so reading this.
To clarify, it's not first-person, but third-person, but it treats the virus like a character worth describing.
As her feathers swept through the air, they collected dust and pollen...and a few particles of Alpha-RC007. The hooks on the outside of the virus promptly latched onto the goose's wing, not aware, only reacting to the change in their environment. This was not a suitable host, and so the bulk of the virus remained inert, waiting, letting itself be carried along by its unwitting escort back down to the planet's surface.
Cass - May 20, 2011 10:08:08 pm PDT #14826 of 28289
Bob's learned to live with tragedy, but he knows that this tragedy is one that won't ever leave him or get better.
To clarify, it's not first-person, but third-person, but it treats the virus like a character worth describing.
That is the best story ever. Basically 3rd person omni as a virus? I must own this. And read it. Over and over.