A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future - reading

Finished "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future...Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned" by Michael J. Fox. This quick story of MJF's life from dropping out of school to becoming an advocate for stem cell research underscored the idea that you can get an informal education in life, something that I did for a while before returning to school to finish my BS. Sometimes funny, sometimes inspiring, it was a decent - though very short - story worth reading.

A Wrinkle in Time - reading

Finished "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle. This is old-school fantasy from 1962, and it is starting to show its age. It took probably half the book to really get going, and at 190 pages total, it was over quickly. I was amused that it began with "It was a dark and stormy night," a phrase from 1830 that has been referenced in several stories and popularized more recently by Snoopy in Peanuts.

7 Dirty Words - reading

Finished "7 Dirty Words: The Life and Crimes of George Carlin" by James Sullivan. This covered his career from very early until his death in 2008, including his military experience, his idol (Lenny Bruce), his various routines and how some of them evolved, his influence on censorship and law, his relationships and even his hairstyles. Best enjoyed with an open mind. After I finished it, I went on Netflix and watched about 4 hours of his routines. 4/5 stars

1776 - reading

Finished "1776" by David McCullough. I loved how the author referenced so many primary sources in the telling of the military and political events of 1775 and 1776 in America, including resources from the British commanders and soldiers. One thing referenced in several places throughout was General Washington's indecisiveness, which I hadn't learned much about before. Also, several instances of the amazing luck his army had on multiple occasions and how that turned the tide. Now I want to go back and read McCullough's John Adams.

Still Life - reading

Finished "Still Life" by Joy Fielding. About a woman who goes into a coma after being hit by a speeding vehicle who later finds she is able to hear what goes on around her, this felt like a soap opera all around. I was wondering how the author was going to keep the coma patient as the main character since all the action would have to come to her, and when she would come out of it to reveal that she could hear what was said in her presence. It was generally a good job. I personally thought it went on a little too long, but was for the most part nicely done. Some of the secrets revealed to the patient made me cringe at the stupidity, but sometimes the guilty feel they need to vocalize and I guess that she was in a coma made them comfortable enough to do so. 3/5 stars.

Does Pohl hate NaNo?

"When I wrote it was in bursts: an eighteen-thousand-word novelette all one night long, taking the last page out of the typewriter at noon and falling exhausted to sleep. It was not a bad novelette, but the way I wrote it was very bad. To produce so much so quickly and so exhaustingly makes it that much harder to sit down to produce again. The experience gives you the confidence that a great deal can be done in a short time, which encourages delay."

- Science fiction author Frederik Pohl
(from his autobiography "The Way the Future Was")

I would have to say that 99% of my writing has happened during NaNoWriMo. While I never banged out an 18,000 word novella overnight, nor skipped a night of sleep for writing, I have hit 10,000 words in a day during NaNo before. It is hard work for me!

That said, I do have to agree with both conclusions. It does give confidence that I can finish NaNoWriMo, which is a lot of writing in a month, but I also see myself procrastinating the other 11 months of the year.

The Assassin - reading

Finished "The Assassin" by Stephen Coonts. One of these days I will figure out where to look and see that a book is part of a series. I don't recall the cover saying anything about it being the third in a line. Anyway, since I skipped the first two books, take this with a grain of salt. I wasn't overly impressed with this one. I can't point to anything terrible about it except for maybe a couple pet words ("erect!"), or maybe referring to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise as the "cockpit." I also can't point to anything awesome or memorable.