This is not funny. This... this is a morality tale about the evils of sake.

Simon ,'Objects In Space'


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."


Consuela - Sep 20, 2022 6:05:26 pm PDT #27445 of 27912
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix

How dare!

I know! OTOH these novels are very reliant on people not understanding each other because of poor communication. So that tracks pretty well. I think that over time Pali could grow to like Kip, because she's a scholar and so is he.


juliana - Sep 22, 2022 11:33:37 am PDT #27446 of 27912
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss them all tonight…

I think that over time Pali could grow to like Kip, because she's a scholar and so is he.

Oh, definitely, He absolutely would appreciate her ability to throw dry commentary in, too.


Consuela - Sep 25, 2022 10:23:52 pm PDT #27447 of 27912
We are Buffistas. This isn't our first apocalypse. -- Pix

I splurged this week on Kate Beaton's new book Ducks. I haven't finished it yet: it's pretty long and quite heavy in its subject matter. But it's SO GOOD. She's so impressive as an artist and writer.

Anyway, here's a link to a New Yorker review: [link]


DavidS - Sep 25, 2022 10:54:36 pm PDT #27448 of 27912
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

I splurged this week on Kate Beaton's new book Ducks. I haven't finished it yet: it's pretty long and quite heavy in its subject matter. But it's SO GOOD. She's so impressive as an artist and writer.

I also bought it and read it this last week. I agree with your assessment! It is soooo good. It's sort of a hard sell, especially if you're coming to it from Hark, A Vagrant. It's not funny with the Bronte jokes.

But it does completely immerse you into that world, and it's a world I do kind of know from memory (having lived in very northern Canada for 18 months of my childhood) and also experience doing construction work out of college. Those very masculine realms and the ingrained sexism (and racism) and culture.

It's just so rich and artfully done that it takes you to places you haven't been and makes you feel them. You will not just know but understand more about the world because she's so good at creating her experience. You can read about capitalism, or environmentalism or sexism but she parses all those complex liminal spaces and you understand the weight of things. Their context. Their human value and cost.

It's really masterful. It did remind me a bit of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home. Very different in subject but similarly adept at catching ambiguities.


Tom Scola - Sep 26, 2022 5:17:23 am PDT #27449 of 27912
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500

On top of everything else, it’s just a gorgeously-made book: The dust jacket, the leafing, the paper stock. It was well worth the 40 bucks to me.


Sue - Sep 26, 2022 8:38:23 am PDT #27450 of 27912
hip deep in pie

I got to her book launch last week. She gave a bit of a presentation, then did an interview. I didn't stay around to get my book signed because the line was long and I thought I might give my copy away. (And a friend who grew up with her said he could get it signed for me if I wanted)


DavidS - Sep 26, 2022 9:56:58 am PDT #27451 of 27912
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

And a friend who grew up with her said he could get it signed for me if I wanted

Oooh, the Haligonians were on my mind as I read it. Now I want to go to Cape Breton.


Sue - Sep 26, 2022 11:22:22 am PDT #27452 of 27912
hip deep in pie

Now I want to go to Cape Breton.

You might want to wait until it dries out and turns itself upright again. Fiona hit it hard.


DavidS - Sep 26, 2022 11:58:40 am PDT #27453 of 27912
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."

You might want to wait until it dries out and turns itself upright again. Fiona hit it hard.

I saw! Well, they can use my tourist dollars come spring, I guess.


Tom Scola - Sep 26, 2022 12:26:04 pm PDT #27454 of 27912
Mr. Scola’s wardrobe by Botany 500

Photos from the Maritimes.