Books (...and some TV stuff)
Sep. 30th, 2007 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quaggy
The National Book Festival
I think this is my favorite day of the year. I love going down to the National Mall and listen to authors whose books I love, authors who I’ve been meaning to check out and authors I’ve never heard of until now. I love seeing the sea of bags that C-Span gives out every year (bright yellow, this time). As wonderful as it is that the authors will sign afterwards, I do not understand the people who will skip hearing the author talk to get their signature instead. It makes no sense to me! You’re going to stand out in the hot sun so that you can spend five seconds with this person when you can be listening to everything they have to say for thirty minutes?! Most even take questions afterwards! Now that’s quality time!
The problem with question and answer period is the people in line don’t always ask the best questions. Don’t get me wrong. Most (even kids) ask really deep and insightful things about the author’s books and characters or about the writing process in general. But then there are the ones that make you just shake your head and wonder what they were thinking. I think the worst one this year was this girl who was clearly a Stephanie Meyer fangirl. Which is fine, except Stephanie Meyer was a speaker LAST year and this girl was asking Holly Black, a pretty well known urban fantasy author in her own right, what basically amounted to why wouldn’t there be anymore sequels to Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. Holly Black was nothing but gracious and was really complementary about Stephanie Meyer's books. In passing she mentioned that she hadn’t had a chance to read books other than the first…
“Oh you must!” FanGirl insisted breathlessly, which would have been a LOT more obnoxious if she wasn’t so earnest. But still. If I were Holly Black, I would have wanted to yell “I just published two new books this year and have another being adapted into a movie. You really think I have time to keep up with someone else’s series when I’m not even into vampires to begin with?” Holly Black, of course, did nothing of the sort. She just continued on with her point. That was totally classy.
The worst case of this was about three years ago when Patricia C. Wrede (fantasy author) was answering questions and the VERY last question was given to this older woman who had clearly never read one of Patricia Wrede’s books in her life and wanted to know what Patricia though about Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books (which were just gaining attention). The line behind that woman of fans who had REAL questions was just horrified. I was too. THAT was the last question? Patricia C Wrede gave a great answer, but I still would have rather have heard her talk about her OWN books, not someone else’s!
I think this is my favorite day of the year. I love going down to the National Mall and listen to authors whose books I love, authors who I’ve been meaning to check out and authors I’ve never heard of until now. I love seeing the sea of bags that C-Span gives out every year (bright yellow, this time). As wonderful as it is that the authors will sign afterwards, I do not understand the people who will skip hearing the author talk to get their signature instead. It makes no sense to me! You’re going to stand out in the hot sun so that you can spend five seconds with this person when you can be listening to everything they have to say for thirty minutes?! Most even take questions afterwards! Now that’s quality time!
The problem with question and answer period is the people in line don’t always ask the best questions. Don’t get me wrong. Most (even kids) ask really deep and insightful things about the author’s books and characters or about the writing process in general. But then there are the ones that make you just shake your head and wonder what they were thinking. I think the worst one this year was this girl who was clearly a Stephanie Meyer fangirl. Which is fine, except Stephanie Meyer was a speaker LAST year and this girl was asking Holly Black, a pretty well known urban fantasy author in her own right, what basically amounted to why wouldn’t there be anymore sequels to Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. Holly Black was nothing but gracious and was really complementary about Stephanie Meyer's books. In passing she mentioned that she hadn’t had a chance to read books other than the first…
“Oh you must!” FanGirl insisted breathlessly, which would have been a LOT more obnoxious if she wasn’t so earnest. But still. If I were Holly Black, I would have wanted to yell “I just published two new books this year and have another being adapted into a movie. You really think I have time to keep up with someone else’s series when I’m not even into vampires to begin with?” Holly Black, of course, did nothing of the sort. She just continued on with her point. That was totally classy.
The worst case of this was about three years ago when Patricia C. Wrede (fantasy author) was answering questions and the VERY last question was given to this older woman who had clearly never read one of Patricia Wrede’s books in her life and wanted to know what Patricia though about Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next books (which were just gaining attention). The line behind that woman of fans who had REAL questions was just horrified. I was too. THAT was the last question? Patricia C Wrede gave a great answer, but I still would have rather have heard her talk about her OWN books, not someone else’s!
Ugly Betty
Excellent season opener! I’m amazed they fit as much as they did into one episode! I think my favorite part was when Daniel actually checked himself out of the hospital because he knew that Betty needed him. And he knew just where to look too! Betty and Daniel is my favorite part of this show. It always has been. It's nice to see Betty and Daniel's friendship as a mutual thing, rather than Betty just looking after Daniel. It does look like Daniel is trying to become a better person. The boy is learning.
Willie in charge scared me. All I could hope is that the edition that she’s working on this episode will be the lowest selling in Mode history. She needs to be smacked down. HARD! Oh, that’s right… Claire already did!! I adore Claire. Bradford so does not deserve her. I almost which that Fey would come back from the dead just so the charges against Claire would be dropped. Willie deserves no less.
Excellent season opener! I’m amazed they fit as much as they did into one episode! I think my favorite part was when Daniel actually checked himself out of the hospital because he knew that Betty needed him. And he knew just where to look too! Betty and Daniel is my favorite part of this show. It always has been. It's nice to see Betty and Daniel's friendship as a mutual thing, rather than Betty just looking after Daniel. It does look like Daniel is trying to become a better person. The boy is learning.
Willie in charge scared me. All I could hope is that the edition that she’s working on this episode will be the lowest selling in Mode history. She needs to be smacked down. HARD! Oh, that’s right… Claire already did!! I adore Claire. Bradford so does not deserve her. I almost which that Fey would come back from the dead just so the charges against Claire would be dropped. Willie deserves no less.
Tim Gunn’s Guide To Style
I swear Tim Gunn is the only reason I’m still watching. Episode four was the worst of the bunch. Make it go away! I wanted Martha Stewart to escape from that commercial and magically appear, while taking out Veronica Webb at the same time. Tim deserves so much better than this dreck. I want Project Runway to come back NOW!!
I swear Tim Gunn is the only reason I’m still watching. Episode four was the worst of the bunch. Make it go away! I wanted Martha Stewart to escape from that commercial and magically appear, while taking out Veronica Webb at the same time. Tim deserves so much better than this dreck. I want Project Runway to come back NOW!!
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Ugh. I really like Avatar: The Last Airbender... but the cannon pairings creep me out! I mean, I'm not wild about the cannon pairings in Harry Potter... but these actually make me shudder! Sigh. It almost makes me wish the show wasn’t so wonderful! That way I could stop watching. But it’s a great show, so I’ll be tuning in next week.
Speaking of which, the scenes with Zuko and Iroh were heartbreaking. Zuko is conflicted because he knows that he should do the right thing and the right thing may actually be doing something as difficult and dangerous, not to mention potentially suicidal, as openly betraying his father the Fire Lord. So, he turns to the one man who always guided him down the right path. If Iroh had spoken up during that second visit, even to yell at Zuko or insult him, it probably would have influenced Zuko to do the right thing. But Iroh, I think, knows that he cannot tell Zuko what to do anymore, not if he wants Zuko truly to choose the right path and to think for himself. So, Iroh remains silent, not out of anger or disappointment, but because he realizes that Zuko has to do this on his own. But his tears show how much staying silent hurts and how worried he is that his beloved nephew will continue to choose the wrong path. Just like Aang and his schoolfriends, Iroh is trying to teach Zuko to think for himself. Unfortunately, as shown by his hiring that assassin, Zuko still has a long way to go. (Seriously, Zuko. There's no way that's going to end well for you.)
Ugh. I really like Avatar: The Last Airbender... but the cannon pairings creep me out! I mean, I'm not wild about the cannon pairings in Harry Potter... but these actually make me shudder! Sigh. It almost makes me wish the show wasn’t so wonderful! That way I could stop watching. But it’s a great show, so I’ll be tuning in next week.
Speaking of which, the scenes with Zuko and Iroh were heartbreaking. Zuko is conflicted because he knows that he should do the right thing and the right thing may actually be doing something as difficult and dangerous, not to mention potentially suicidal, as openly betraying his father the Fire Lord. So, he turns to the one man who always guided him down the right path. If Iroh had spoken up during that second visit, even to yell at Zuko or insult him, it probably would have influenced Zuko to do the right thing. But Iroh, I think, knows that he cannot tell Zuko what to do anymore, not if he wants Zuko truly to choose the right path and to think for himself. So, Iroh remains silent, not out of anger or disappointment, but because he realizes that Zuko has to do this on his own. But his tears show how much staying silent hurts and how worried he is that his beloved nephew will continue to choose the wrong path. Just like Aang and his schoolfriends, Iroh is trying to teach Zuko to think for himself. Unfortunately, as shown by his hiring that assassin, Zuko still has a long way to go. (Seriously, Zuko. There's no way that's going to end well for you.)
