Get Your Damn Hands Off My Birthday!

You know how kids say ‘All I want for Christmas are my two front teeth”? I’ve always thought that was the dumbest thing growing up. My parents would sing it to me and I’d tell them to shut up and get me a Nintendo Entertainment System. But this was many moons ago, my friends.

Instead I’m going to be talking about my birthday, which is still about 4 months away. But what do I want for my birthday? I’m not greedy and I already have plenty of DVDs (but I could always use more).

But there’s one thing I’ve been wanting for my birthday for years but have only told a few people and they thought I was mad. Mad? On the contrary, this could make my birthday the greatest birthday ever. It is my 30th year on this planet, so why not get exactly what I want.

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Here’s to a New Year

On behalf of all the pilots, paperspaceships wishes all a Happy New Year  to you and yours. We’re working on some big improvements to the site content-wise for 2010 and as we do that, we also take time to wipe the slobber from our collective mouths as we look forward to the new releases in all things sci-fi and fantasy for the coming year. We hope you’re there to share it with us!

Sincerely,

The Paperspaceships team

p.s. – Go see James Cameron’s Avatar if you haven’t just yet. We beg you.

Frustration

Somehow, I’m managing to contain a roar of frustration.

2009 is almost over (oh, where does the time go?), and here I am, lamenting over all the unfinished things I have yet to do… and this does not even include my Christmas shopping, which is a daunting task at this point. Piling up and gathering dust in my room is a mountain of books I’d hoped to have finished and reviewed for the new year, hoping to see if any would fit on my “favorites of the year” list, but that’s looking as likely as the New York Jets making the playoffs. Sigh.

There are only two literary promises I have made to myself to do before the year is out: Read the latest Stephen King novel Under the Dome, which I hear good things about and Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson’s The Gathering Storm, the bittersweet beginning of the end of my favorite fantasy series of all time. It’s been out for a little while, but I have been delaying the inevitable, and now it’s time for me to haul ass.

Did I mention the nine million good video games and movies out now? Where were they when I actually had time? I guess I can squeeze in Avatar and The Road somewhere.

A Grain of Salt(iness)

The amount of (good) books I have at my fingertips right about now, I feel like the gorged lion after a feast whose eyeing a clueless water buffalo; unnecessary, but who the hell am I to turn down a good meal?

This past labor day, my brother just gave me the tetralogy (or is quadrilogy) The Pliocene Exile by Julian May. In his opinion, it is as well written as any fantasy series he has ever read. How can I doubt the man who introduced me to the Wheel of TIme?

I’m currently on the last book of the series and I have to admit, albeit an oldie, it’s still good. Still, you have to be careful when you take someone’s advice on things they’ve read and enjoyed. There’s something to be said about a friend’s opinion when it comes to taking their recommendation about a book: sometimes, your friends suck.

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Free time for what?

This isn’t insight: Its a cry for help.

Recently, there was something I found particularly funny without really giving it the proper consideration: A fellow dudely friend of mine said his goal for the year was to read three books, and he proudly announced that he was on his second. Granted his books choices so far have been great (Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs & Emergency Sex), I laughed because at several points this year, I’ve read three books in the span of a week. Then I had to ask myself “Shaka, why are you laughing? How many men do even know who read on a regular basis?”

Good question, self.

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john scalzi almost ruined my keyboard

John Scalzi is not only one of my favorite authors, the Old Man’s War series is ranked in my top five favorite sci-fi series, but is also an alarmingly entertaining blogger. He writes the must bookmark (or RSS for you savvy types out there) blog Whatever and a guest column Notes From the Monolith on the AMC website every Thursday.

He is also very funny which made me glad that I was not drinking anything when I read his newest article about Star Wars. … Continue Reading

onward to the tenth dimension

If you’re reading this blog there is a good chance that you are like me, someone who every once in a while imagines infinity, the universe, and what lies beyond. There is also a good chance that you’ve googled or wikied string theory and multiple universe theories and pondered the significance of Schrödinger’s Cat. Or I could be a nerd. A nerd about to blow your mind.

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Cures for a book hangover anyone?

The amount of books I have been knocking back at work lately, I’m amazed I can make it home afterwards.

My own personal Dune reread is over, and I’ve now entered the unfamiliar area of the saga (God Emperor, Heretics and Chapterhouse: Dune), though I am taking time in-between to complete the Twilight saga… if you really want to call it a saga. In their own respective ways, each series is a lot for me to take in and not feel a certain way when it’s over. I could equate the experience to doing a shot of prison-made booze and chasing it with a shot of grey goose vodka to wash the aftertaste out of my mouth.

Guess which one’s the prison booze?

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Meet Jacob Black

Let’s get this thing straight from the go: I am not a fan of the Twilight series.

I know it’s been said again and again already by people (with common sense), but I just cannot fathom why people eat this Twilight nonsense up. Maybe it’s because I no longer qualify as a young adult reader, the target audience of the series. I doubt that, but even then I try to give everything a fair shake, because I know that sometimes my cynicism can blind me to somethings that may be enjoyable. That’s why I tried reading this series after a woman from work gave me the first book.

With that said, please refer back to first sentence of this post.

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If I could see the future…

I’m two weeks into an as-yet inexplicable re-read of the Dune series.

*cough*

Frank Herbert’s Dune, I should say.

If you’re a fan of the series, then you already know that Frank Herbert passed away a couple decades ago. His son, Brian Herbert and author Kevin J. Anderson have been writing novels set in the Dune universe, based on his unfinished notes and manuscripts, which in some ways can be as cool as it is wrong.

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