Sometimes I read CliffNotes versions of old classics that I don’t particularly want to slog through, but am curious about. One of those is “The Red Badge of Courage”, written by Stephen Crane in 1895. It’s one of those classics you hear about, but no one you know has read. I left The Killer Angels unfinished so I knew I was going to have problems with this one. But I didn’t know what kind of problems. I didn’t even like the summary. My biggest beef is the theme — glory and pride comes from war and battle. It sounds like toxic masculinity: violence is a means to an end, being…
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The Year in Reading
Another reason I feel like a loser in my writing life is that I’m just not reading anything good. Either I’m bad at picking books or my reading eye is past its prime. It’s not that I’m jealous of the people who write crappy books and get published. It’s that nothing is giving me that spark to create, that joy that reminds me of what a wonderful thing books are, and how I want to be a part of that community. Last year I only had two five-star books. One was a comic series (Y: The Last Man, for those who care). This year I definitely had more five star…
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Dumb Forum Posters
I’m just about done with this “I Should vs. I Want to” thread I’ve got going on SFFWorld.com. For one thing, it still seems the users are so steeped in their “How dare you insult the classics by implying it’s may not be necessary to read them if you’re a writer.” There’s only one guy that’s arguing with me, and he’s always misinterpreting my response. I’m now arguing things that have nothing to do with my point just so that I won’t be written off as some n00b that’s pissing in the wind compared to Mr. 1,000 Posts who has no idea what I’m or he’s talking about. He’s talking…
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The Not-So-Great Gatsby
I’m reading The Great Gatsby now. The language is elegant, the plot is kept simple, but stylish. The characters are refined and distinguishable. It’s truly a literary masterpiece, and a classic. I hate it. It’s boring. There are people out there who hate Catcher in the Rye, because Holden Caulfield is a whiny git. They should hate this book instead – pretty people with petty problems, just like Beverly Hills 90210. People having affairs, unrequited love, rich people crashing cars and not giving a whit. Nobody in this book is likable either. Nobody is noble. Nobody has real problems. Maybe the audience here is women, and that’s why I don’t…
