Blankbaby

2013 Hugo Awards and my misplaced hopes

Ever since I started a concerted effort to read all the Hugo nominated novels (check out the Incomparable episodes: 2011 and 2012) I've been disappointed with the awards in general for two reasons: my own misconceptions and Mira Grant. Oddly enough, they are related to one another.

In my mind the Hugo award nominees represent the finest, most creative and interesting writing done in science fiction novels during the previous year. While this is true for some nominees that's not what the Hugos are. The Hugos are voted on by the readers, which means that at the basest level the Hugos are a popularity contest.

Which explains why every novel in the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant has been nominated. I'm sure Ms. Grant is a lovely woman, and clearly there are people who enjoy her work. Kudos to her! But do her novels represent the best that science fiction has to offer? No, they do not. However, lots of people like her and her books are very easy to read and are fun if you don't mind overly repetitious prose, blunt force world building, borderline incest, cardboard villains, and rudimentary plotting.

I will be reading all of the nominated novels for the Incomparable yet again. Luckily I've already read 3 out of 5. Here's the list:

• 2312, Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit): One of two I haven't read yet. I was going to read it when it first came out but my good old pal Glenn Fleishman said it was crap, so I passed. Looks like I'll have a chance to form my own opinion.
• Blackout, Mira Grant (Orbit): Savvy readers might guess this is the other novel I haven't read yet. I'll go into it with an open mind, promise!
• Captain Vorpatril's Alliance, Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen): Bujold is a great writer, though this isn't a great book. It is fun, but I don't think it is award winning. You don't have to take my word on it, listen to the Incomparable book club wherein we discuss the book in detail.
• Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas, John Scalzi (Tor): Another fun book that isn't really a good book. Scalzi isn't shy about the fact that his aim isn't high literature but rather readable works that lots of people will buy. He did it in spades with this book, and I think his big old royalty checks are award enough. We also did an episode of the Incomparable on this book.
• Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed (DAW): I was surprised, in a good way, to see this book on the list. Out of the 3 I've read, this would be the one I would vote for. Sure, it reads like an awesome D&D adventure, but I really liked the setting and the characters.

Nine books that should have been nominated

It is all well and good to complain about the books that got nominated, but a real critic should provide some alternatives. Looking over what I read last year that were Hugo eligible, I've come up with nine books that should have been on the list:

• The Dog Stars, Peter Heller: I didn't declare this book the best book I read in January 2013 for nothing, folks! Sure, it isn't as good as the Road but is far better written than some of the nominated novels. "But, Scott," you say, "This isn't science fiction!" Umm, yes it is, dude. The post-apocalypse thing is totally science fiction. Word.
• Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson: I'm actually surprised this one wasn't nominated (though perhaps it wasn't in the running for some reason). Set in the immediate future, this story tells the tale of a hacker who gets into a mess of trouble. Wonderfully written, though I suppose some might argue the "science fiction" distinction here.
• The Islanders, Christopher Priest: I love me some unreliable narrators, and this book is like a delicate cloud of unreliability. Billed as a guide to a series of islands, this book is so much more. Inventive and, dare I say, brilliant? Also, it isn't obviously science fiction but come on people, the genre is flexible!
• Three Parts Dead, Max Gladstone: A legal thriller with magic and dead gods? What's not to like?
• The Fractal Prince, Hannu Rajaniemi: When I think about people pushing the boundaries of science fiction I think of Rajaniemi. This book is fantastic, cerebral, and unlike anything I've read (well, other than the first book in the series).
• The Hydrogen Sonata, Iain M. Banks: Banks can write space opera, and this is one of his best.
• Sharps, K.J. Parker: OK, so Parker will never be nominated for a Hugo for best novel (I'm willing to bet) which just makes me sad. Sure, he (or she) writes brutal stories with characters that you really don't like but they are so well done. Sharps isn't Parker's best but even at 75% of his/her best it is better than most of the nominated novels I've read.
• The Mirage Matt Ruff: An alternate reality book which imagines what would happen is the Middle East had developed into the world's dominant culture and western terrorists crashed into the Middle Eastern World Trade Center. Thought provoking, well written, and worthy of an award.
• Glamour in Glass, Mary Robinette Kowal: I've read all three of the currently available Glamourist History books and I've really enjoyed them. The first book, Shades of Milk and Honey, was something of a small, quiet story. The second volume builds on that story and makes it much bigger and adds in a dash of action. Don't let the YA covers scare you off from these books, they are smart reads for discerning readers.

There you have it, add my voice to the chorus bellyaching about the Hugos. Of course, say what you will be the awards but at least they get people talking about, and writing about, science fiction. That can't be a bad thing, right?

Best Book I Read: January 2013

I've long had illusions that I'd write a review of every book I read, however, since I read over 70 books last year and wrote a review for one or two of them that goal seems unrealistic.

Therefore, a new feature of Blankbaby is born: the best book of the month! Hurrah!

Last month (January 2013) I read a total of 10 books, all fiction. There were a number of good books in the running, but the best book I read that month was: The Dog Stars.

The Dog Stars is set in a world ravaged by a pandemic (an out of control super flu) which killed off lots and lots of the world's population. The story follows Hig whose wife and child died of the flu. Now he's holed up with Bangley who seems to have waited his entire life for something like this to happen. Hig isn't happy, but he's making a go of it with his trusty dog at his side and frequent trips in a small airplane to scout for dangers, and other survivors.

I won't recap the story since there are some surprising bits, but it is well written and worth your time. I will say, however, that while I thought it was a good book it is unfortunate that it contains some echoes of The Road. Why is this bad? The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, is a brilliant literary achievement next to which most books would pale in comparison. Add in similar story lines and The Dog Stars just can't hold a candle to The Road.

That being said, The Dog Stars is good it just isn't great.

The other nine books I read last month were:

• Cemetery World
  


• Hammered


• Alif the Unseen


• Damned Busters


• Tricked


• The Last Policeman


• Trapped


• The Kassa Gambit


• The Fifth Elephant
  

Be My Enemy

As a reader, and a person, I tend to fixate on things. I have spent days listening to the same song over and over again (one inexplicable example: A View to a Kill by Duran Duran), and countless hours watching episode after episode of TV shows.

When I stumble upon a new author (well, new to me) and find that I love his work I go a little wild. I read about the author, I follow them on Twitter, and I subscribe to their blog. Oh, and I read a bunch of their books too.

Thanks to my involvement with the Incomparable (a fine podcast filled with geeky delights) I've been reading all the Hugo nominated novels for the last couple of years (2011, 2012). Sometimes this makes me happy, and sometimes not so much.

The Dervish House by Ian McDonald was nominated for a Hugo in 2011, and so I knew I was going to read it. For some reason I thought it was a sequel to River of Gods, an earlier novel by the same author, so I picked that up from the library.

Wow. It was a great book, and it really set my expectations high for the Dervish House (which I found out had nothing to do with River of Gods). After reading the Dervish House I knew two things to be true:

• I would read whatever McDonald publishes in the future.
• The Dervish House would win the Hugo hands down.

I was only right about one of those things (Connie Willis won the Hugo for Blackout/All Clear which were the only nominees that year I hadn't read), but McDonald was certainly upgraded to an author whose books I buy no matter what they are about.

The YA problem

McDonald's novels are complex stories intricately plotted featuring characters in non-Western cultures (generally speaking). The neat thing about setting his novels of the near future in cultures that I am not super familair with is that it transforms me, as the reader, into "the other." I'm the one that is sort of an alien, as opposed to the characters I'm reading about in this science fiction novel.

Narrative complexity like this appeals to me, which is why I loathe Young Adult novels (YA, for those in the know). Since they're written for a younger audience a more straightforward story is needed, which leave out all the interlocking stories that seemingly have nothing to do with each other until that beautiful moment when it all clicks into place (at least in a well written novel).

When I heard McDonald was going to start writing a YA book I was nervous because I knew I had to read it, and that my bias against the genre wouldn't make it easy for me to like it.

That book was Planesrunner, the first in the Everness Series following the adventures of a teenage boy (what else?) as he tracks down his father through the multiverse. To sum up my thoughts of Planesrunner I offer you one word: disappointment.

Gone were the interweaving plots. Good bye to the myriad of characters. Hello straightforward story, typical YA hero, and fairly well trod scifi tropes.

The book read like a very well written episode of Sliders with a main character who is just like normal kids except he's a math genius who can cook (which is admittedly a nice touch).

I wasn't thrilled with it, but it was a solid book overall (though if it hadn't been written by McDonald I never would have picked it up in the first place).

Now the second book in the series, Be My Enemy, is out and I've just finished reading it the other day (I finish reading series that I begin, damn it!).

Happily, Be My Enemy is a much better book than Planesrunner. I'm not sure if that is a result of my lowered expectations (as set by Planesrunner) or if this book is just better. I tend to lean towards the latter since McDonald seems to be playing with some of the very ideas that made the first book a bit cliche in interesting ways.

At one point a character says something long the lines of, "This is an alternate universe, of course there are airships." That made me laugh out loud (LOL as the kids say).

The central premise of the series remains unchanged: our 14 year old hero Everett Singh must track down his father who has been shot into a random universe by mysterious agents of the Plenitude embodied by the main villianess Charlotte Villiers (who gives me shades of Marisa Coulter). There are 10 Earths that have discovered one another by inventing Heisenberg Gates which allow them to jump from one Universe to the next. In some universes this is a known fact, in others it is a secret.

The first book see Everett teaming up with an airship crew, and he is still with the same crew in the second book.

While the setup isn't all that orignal (special kid goes on quest, fights adults) the concept of Alters (introduced in the first book) is explored during the course of this book to great effect.

Given there are multiple universes it stands to reason that there are multiple versions of people too. The other versions of you in other universes are known as Alters. Everett is confronted with his own Alter who has been altered (see what I did there?) by a colony of aliens who, in the Alter's universe, live on the moon (the aliens are kind of neat, but I won't spoil them for you). Pressed into service by Villiers and her male Alter, the Alter Everett is made into a weapon to track down Everett and get the map of the multiverse.

Alter Everett is placed on Earth 10 (our Earth) to replace real Everett at school. Everett then decides he's going to rescue his family (well, mom and kid sister) before continuing to look for his dad. That doesn't go well, but we get to see Alter Everett power up his internal weapon systems and blast some stuff only to be outsmarted by real Everett (just before this fight Villiers reminds Alter Everett that he is just a tool, the real Everett is the important one).

After that battle a good chunk of the action happens on Earth 1 which has been quarantined for mysterious reasons. No one can jump into the world, with the exception of Everett and his airship buddies (who have his map of the multiverse that he figured out based on his father's work, and which the villains want) and his Alter (who gets there thanks to the moon aliens). The mystery of why this Earth was quarantined is pretty easily solved by a frequent science fiction reader, though McDonald does offer an interesting twist of a modern scifi chestnut (I'm really trying to avoid spoilers). On Earth 1 there's some chase scenes, characters trying to figure out the obvious, and a couple of twists that I didn't see coming.

The Alter Everett makes a critical deal towards the end of the book which will have a great impact on the third (and final?) volume in the series. I must admit I had a hard time accepting that anyone would make the deal he did (once again, avoiding spoilers) but he is a 14 year old who is being manipulated by people… so I bought it.

The writing is solid, with some glimpses of McDonald's true talent (I get the feeling that he was holding back since this is a YA book, though one could argue he is just stretching other writerly muscles with this series). There are a couple of false notes when McDonald tries very hard to write like a 14 year old would think/talk, like this: "His body felt out the different slopes and structures an slipperinesses of the roofs. Just like a real-life version of the Assassin's Creed video game." But those are few and far between (thank goodness).

At this point I'm surprised to say I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. The first book left me cold, but my interest in McDonald's work convinced me to stick with it, and I feel like the pay off is going to be worth it.

A few words about the Kindle edition

I read the Kindle version of Be My Enemy, which is my preferred version of a new book that I don't have any real reason to own as a keepsake (some books are just better as physical artifacts, and older books tend to be way cheaper when you buy a used copy vs. a digital copy). For some reason Pyr, McDonald's publisher, delayed the reason of the Kindle book for 2 weeks. I have no idea why, but it was very annoying to me.

Furthermore, if you're going to delay the Kindle book you really need to make sure the ebook formatting is spot on. I was more than 3/4 of the way through the book before I realized the chapters were numbered. The chapter number graphic was so faint as to be nigh on impossible to read on my eInk Kindle's screen (and I have the fancy new Paperwhite).

Book Details:

Be My Enemy by Ian McDonald

Pages:280

Publisher: Pyr

Release date: September 4th (hardcover), September 17 (Kindle) Buy it: Amazon [Kindle], Barnes and Noble, Powells.

You don't have to take my word:

Kirkus Reviews:

Smart, clever and abundantly original, with suspense that grabs your eyeballs, this is real science fiction for all ages.

Stefan Raets on Tor.com:

If I’m to be completely honest, Be My Enemy didn’t blow me away as completely as Planesrunner did. That’s partly because it’s, well, a sequel. A sequel to an outstanding novel, granted, but still, some familiarity sets in. The surprise factor wears off, ever so slightly.

Duncan Lawie writing for Strange Horizons:

In softer hands these books could become a "monster of the week" series but here there are consequences, none more so than when Everett is punched in the stomach by an authority figure. This basic, personal violence is a reminder that this is not a game and that even a genius can't get through unscathed. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Cory Doctorow on Boing Boing:

In Enemy, there's a lot more of what made Planesrunner great -- tremendous action scenes, cunning escapes, genius attacks on the ways that multidimensional travel might be weaponized, horrific glimpses of shadowy powers and sinister technologies.

Vacation book haul

I was off on vacation with Marisa for Labor Day weekend (we padded it by taking Friday and Tuesday off because we are awesome). Say Marisa likes to say we take "old people" vacations: we rent a cabin and read for awhile, go to thrift stores, and eat dinner early.

As is my wont I bought a bunch of used books:

• London by Edward Rutherfurd
• Hamlet, Revenge by Michael Innes
• Cemetery World by Clifford D. Simak
• Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
• Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
• Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
• Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
• Manhattans & Murder by "Jessica Fletcher" and Donald Bain
• Space Opera by Jack Vance
• The Fall of the Towers by Samuel R. Delany
• Second Stage Lensmen by E.E. "Doc" Smith
• Gray Lensman by E.E. "Doc" Smith
• Catapult by Jim Paul
• Sudden Fiction: American Short-short stories
• Operation Shylock by Philip Roth
• The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
• Days of Bitter Strength by David Wingrove
• Arthur & George by Julian Barnes
• Life Mask by Emma Donoghue

More books then expected

Marisa and I had to go to a wedding yesterday. Now, I'm not the most social person in the world (shocker) and I'm even worse when I don't know many people I am supposed to socially interact with. At this wedding there would be almost no one I knew, other than Marisa, but being the good husband I was happy to accompany my lovely wife. She sweetened the pot, however, by promising me a visit to the Plymouth Meeting Mall during the 2 hour break between the ceremony and the reception.

A trip to some random mall generally wouldn't result in a placated Scott but this mall is home to an outlet of Ukazoo Books which sells both new and used books. I figured I would give myself a limit of $10 and see what treasures I could find (a favorite past time of mine).

We had no idea how fortuitous our timing was because it would seem that the Plymouth Meeting Ukazoo location is closing, and they were having a big clearance sale. Of course I'm sad to see any independent bookstore close, but that is balanced out by my insatiable desire for MORE BOOKS. I was struck, as we entered the store, by a certain melancholy which I last felt visiting the Borders that used to be in Center City Philadelphia during its last days of operation. The shelves are pretty bare, the staff is milling about trying to figure out what to do next with their lives, and I'm there looking for some cheap books like some sort of readerly vulture.

Anyway, not only were they closing (sad face), but we were visiting on the last day they were open (happy face). My plan to spend only $10 was thwarted by the particulars of their clearance sale: $5 for as many books as you can stuff into a brown paper bag (they provided the bag).

Let me tell you, when you're paying $5 for a bag of books your selectivity takes a hit. Marisa and I managed to find 35 books that piqued our interest, and crammed them all into one bag. 14 cents a book? Why not!

Out of the 35 I take credit for snagging the following 12 books:

• Murder, She Wrote: Margaritas & Murder: I find Murder, She Wrote entertaining, and this whole series of books has lots of fans. Why not give it a try for a few cents?
• Homegoing: I haven't read as much Pohl as I should (I don't think I've read anything by him, to be honest). Plus kangaroo like aliens? You know that's going in the bag.
• The Undersea Trilogy: You can't judge a book by the cover, but that's what I did with this one.
• Visible Light: Another great cover that I couldn't resist.
• The Skinner: I've been meaning to read some Asher, and the cover describes this as "Dune meets Master and Commander."
• The Forgery of Venus: Marisa and I both think we've read The Book of Air and Shadows, so it makes sense to get this one.
• Medicus: An ancient Roman doctor detective? Duh.
• The Catch: A Joe Gunther Novel: I've read another of Mayor's books and found it entertaining (and it allows me to more fully flesh out my fantasy of moving to Vermont).
• Company: Max Barry is an amusing author.
• Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story: I might own this already, but for a few cents why not get another one just to make sure.
• Shampoo Planet: Douglas Coupland isn't my favorite writer, but I appreciate what he tries to do with his work.
• Space Vulture: Another great cover, and this book was co-authored by a priest.

Marisa picked up a slew of books, which I shan't list here (though I might read a few of them over the next couple of years.

Even more recent acquisitions

Just the other day I listed my recent book purchases and it is already out of date. On Sunday I headed down to Washington, D.C. to assist Marisa with a canning demo at the Dupont Circle Farmers Market. The demo lasted for a couple hours, and while I enjoy supporting my lovely wife she didn't need me lurking about the entire time.

Luckily, there were bookstores to checkout in the very near vicinity.

Kramersbooks

It would seem that Kramersbooks is an institution in DC, and one that I had been hoping to visit for some time. A while back I happened to be in DC for a week attending some training. During the evening I would rush back to my hotel and work on a book I was writing at the time, but I plotted taking some time off to explore this lovely bookstore. Finally, the day I had decide to visit Kramerbooks was upon me. I had finished my training for the day, and stopped by my hotel to unload some stuff. Just as I was putting my bag down a terrific downpour started and lasted the entire evening. Needless to say I stayed in, and the bookstore had to wait until last weekend.

I bought three books:

• Stone's Fall
• New York
• Absolute Monarchs

Second Story Books

I hastened back with my new books and was alerted to the fact that Second Story Books, a used bookstore, was just across the street from the Farmers market. I headed over and bought:

• Mr. Peanut
• The Yard

Recent additions to my library

Over the course of the last few weeks I've found myself in a variety of situations in which I had the opportunity to purchase some books. If you know me I rarely turned down the offer to buy myself a book or two (in any format that I can get my grubby little hands on), so I thought I would share a list of books I've recently added to the Blankbaby Manor Library and from whence they came.

Raven Used Books

Marisa and I spent a few days visiting with our friends Becky and Eric in Northampton, MA. I always enjoy our visits because Becky and Eric are good people… and Northampton is home to a few very nice bookstores. Raven Used Books has a great selection of used books at reasonable prices, though I only ended up purchasing one book this time around (plus a t-shirt):

• This Alien Shore: I read the Coldfire Trilogy and quite liked it (years and years ago though so I have no idea what they were about) so I thought I would give this book a try.

Broadside Books

Broadside Books, just down the street from Raven Used Books, is a fantastic independent bookstore. I know there are differing opinions about whether one is obligated to support independent bookstores or not but I feel like I should buy a book or two whilst I'm there. Now, I'll only buy a book from the store if they have something I want (obviously) and if I feel like the store is worth supporting. Broadside certainly is, so I picked up a book there:

• The Death Instinct: A mystery set in 1920's New York City. Need I say more?

Odyssey Bookshop

Marisa is a published author now (buy her book) and she's put together her very own book tour (I've found that few people care to meet the geek behind their favorite tech books, so no tours for me). One of the first stops on the tour, and the secondary reason for our visit to Northampton, was at the Odyssey Bookshop. Marisa's demo and signing was a huge success (they sold out of her book!) but sadly my shopping wasn't as successful.

The bookshop has two levels. Marisa's demo was on the second floor so as we walked in I scoped out what looked like a pretty good science fiction section. However, I was there to help with the demo and take pictures and not browse the wares. By the time the demo was over the store was closed, so I had to limit my purchases to a few books I saw on the second floor:

• Just My Type: A Book About Fonts: Who doesn't like fonts? This book is very well designed and I look forward to reading it.
• Maisie Dobbs: I'd never heard of the Maisie Dobbs series but the description hooked me.
• A People's Guide to the Federal Budget: Becky, who hosted us in Northampton, helped write this book and I like to support my friends whenever I can (yes, friends, this is a passive aggressive reminder that you should feel free to purchase my books!). Plus it is probably a good idea to know how the Federal budget works and stuff.

PennMOVES

I work at Penn (specifically the Wharton School) and I really enjoy it. I tried the whole corporate thing at Comcast and I just wasn't cut out for it (I totally told them it was me not them… but I think it was a tiny bit them too). There are many benefits to working at a University: lots of time off, being surrounded by smart people, and a lovely setting. Also, the students leave every summer and in their wake are many nice possessions that they've cast off. Penn, being home to many smart people, realized that instead of having the students throw away all the crap they don't want to haul home with them why not collect it all and sell it, and give the proceeds to GoodWill? Thus PennMOVES was born, and thus why I was awake at 7am on a Saturday and in a rather industrial building at 8:30am wading through a thicket of people.

The PennMOVES price list mentioned that all books were a dollar a pop, which excited me. I made a beeline to the books room only to fine that many professional book resellers had beaten me there. How did I know they were book resellers? They all had iPhones with scanners attached to them and were scanning every book they could find. The ones with high resale value were tossed into bags and the low resale books were tossed back onto the pile.

I wasn't interested in the high value books (i.e. textbooks) I just wanted some cheap novels, however, I worried that there wouldn't be much overlap between my reading interests and those of the average Penn student. I rummaged around the books for 30 minutes or so and managed to find a very good haul (and it only cost me $12):

• On Writing: Stephen King's classic take on writing. Marisa already had a copy but for a buck why not?
• The Man Who Invented the ComputerI like computers and I like Jane Smiley. This book is a slam-dunk.
• The King's Peace: I am generally over fantasy but Jo Walton is one of those authors whose books I buy even if I am not interested in the genre (plus the price worked in the book's favor).
• Cosm: It would seem that many Penn students who leave books behind aren't into science fiction, so I felt the need to buy whatever scifi books I found. Benford won out on this one (though he'll not make a cent off this transaction).
• The City and the Stars: I haven't read all that much Clarke (2001 and some of the Rama books about cover it), and this seemed like an interesting book (and it was written at a time when a short novel was ok. Now everyone needs to write at least 400 pages).
• The Door into Summer: A Heinlein time travel book with a wacky cover. Sold.
• The Complaints: Ian Rankin is one of those authors whose work I want to read but I haven't gotten around to it.
• Kosher Chinese: I like Chinese food and I'm married to a Jew.
• Mr. Wilson's Cabinet of Wonder: Picked this one up based on the name alone.
• Tastes of Paradise: This seemed like something Marisa would like, and since she was off looking at other tidbits in the sale I picked it up for her.
• The Iron Lady: Having recently watched the movie of the same name I was intrigued by the book.
• Murder for Christmas: I'm trying to educate myself in the mystery genre so why not read some stories by a master?

Amazon

Yes, I realize how ironic it is to list all these books from rummage sales and independent bookstores and link to Amazon, but I also buy my fair share of books at Amazon. In fact, for some reason Amazon sent me a $37 gift certificate which I blew on the following Kindle books:

• The Inquisitor
• On the Head of a Pin
• The Alchemist of Souls
• Inventing Modern
• Ray of Light

A look inside the New York Public Library

I'm a New Yorker at heart, even though I haven't lived in New York for several years. When I conjure up an image of a public library the image I see is the New York Public Library's main branch with the iconic lion statues out front.

That's why I enjoyed reading Charles Petersen's two part (part 1, part 2) story about how the NYPL is attempting to transform itself to meet the new needs of their patrons. It is such a huge organization, and many people assume the library is dedicated to one thing: books. Nope. Any library you visit isn't just a collection of books, but rather a repository of information staffed with people who make it their life's work to help you sort through it all.

Anyway, you shouldn't be wasting time reading this when the first part of Charles' great article is waiting for you.

Too many Kindles?

I say not enough Kindles!

Don't be guilty at the library

People pirating books piss me off, but I love the library (in fact I was just at the Free Library of Philadelphia yesterday (proof) where I checked out three books). Sometimes I do wonder, though, if I should buy a book to support an author I like instead of making use of the library. The problem is, if no one goes to the library then in these days of budget cuts the library closes (heck, even though library usage is up some libraries are closed!).

Luckily N.K. Jemisin, author of the wonderful Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, which was discussed on an episode of The Incomparable, assuages my guilt thusly:

It really, really, really helps me to be in libraries. Not all traditionally-published books get that privilege; most self-published books certainly don’t. So if you’re feeling at all guilty over checking my stuff out from your local library — don’t. Consider: you’re helping to keep me on their “buy” lists, especially in these days of rampant budget cuts, which means several hundred (if not thousand) additional sales for me.

Library haul

Hugo Awards 2012

Ever since the Hugo Award nominees for 2012 were announced I can't tell you how many people have asked my opinion about them. Ok, I can tell you: zero. However, I won't let a silly number like that stop me from sharing with you, my Internet friends.

This is one of the first years I've read a majority of the Hugo nominated novels before they were announced (3 out of the 5 beforehand) mostly because of my participation in the Incomparable book club (listen to the episode where we discuss 2011's nominated novels). Since the nominations have been announced I've managed to read the other two novels (I owned one and the library provided the other).

Now, last year I read almost all of the nominated novels, with the exception of Connie Willis' Blackout/All Clear (two novels that were considered as one for some reason). I bet my hat that The Dervish House was destined to win since it was the best novel I had read in a long time (I was also fairly certain that Feed's inclusion was some sort of clerical error).

I tell you all of this so you can get a feel for my track record. Last year not only did Connie Willis walk away with the award (she's a great writer, and since I haven't read her novels as of yet I can't say with certainty that The Dervish House was a better book, but I'm pretty sure it was) but Feed, which I hated, managed to garner more votes than The Dervish House.

That ain't right folks.

With all of that in mind, here are my thoughts about the nominated novels this year (here's the full list of Hugo nominees this year):

• Among Others, Jo Walton (Tor): This year's The Dervish House. A great book that is basically about a young girl who loves reading and happens to see fairies. Jo Walton is an amazingly talented writer and if she doesn't win the Hugo this year I'll think the thing has been fixed. The only problem I see with Among Others' chances is that while the book is about science fiction (check out this Pinterest board that lists all the novels mentioned) it's really a fantasy book. Sure, some fantasy novels have won but the Hugo is, at the core, a science fiction award. Plus, I want it to win and that is the kiss of death for any nominated novel.


• A Dance with Dragons, George R. R. Martin (Bantam Spectra): Here's the deal, this book is fine. It isn't the best installment of the series, but it is satisfying for those who keep plugging along with the books. If you were to start reading The Song of Ice and Fire (a.k.a The Game of Thrones) series with this book you'd have no idea what the hell was going on, and I doubt you would care. That being said Mr. Martin has two things going for him this year: The Game of Thrones is a legitimate cultural phenomenon. It has emerged from the ghetto of genre and has been embraced by the mainstream (I was at a birthday party for twin toddlers the other and one of the parents of an attending child told me her mother has read the whole series). That's some powerful stuff. Second: Martin has been nominated 4 times before in this category (3 out of those 4 times for previous installments in the Song of Ice and Fire) and he hasn't won once. The voters might decide it is time for George to get the award based not on this novel, but on the series as a whole thus far. I won't be too upset if George wins, but it'll be a shame since Jo Walton deserves the little rocket ship.


• Deadline, Mira Grant (Orbit): This was the last novel on the list I read (I just finished it a few hours ago) because I hated (really hated) the previous book in this series, Feed. Deadline is slightly better than Feed, but it is still a bad book. I honestly have no idea how Deadline ended up on the ballot, but clearly lots of people are into it. I found the first 100 pages to be awful, the rest of the book is just meh, and the "surprise" ending is both incredibly predictable and really undercuts a very powerful part of the first book.


• Embassytown, China Miéville (Macmillan / Del Rey): Oh, China Miéville. He's an inventive writer, and Embassytown is a fantastic novel (in that it is full of flights of fancy). I thought it a very interesting rumination on the nature of truth and language, but as a novel it was a little thin. The writing is spectacular, but the plot is pretty run of the mill. I enjoyed reading it, and I would recommend it to other fans of China Miéville, but I don't think it should take the prize this year.


• Leviathan Wakes, James S. A. Corey (Orbit): Funny thing about this book, which I read after it was nominated: I bought it many months ago and attempted to start reading it over the summer but stopped after the first 10 or so pages. Oddly, the big twist that makes you want to keep reading happens about 15 pages in, so I really should have stuck it out on the first go-a-round. This is the most traditional science fiction novel of the bunch, and it is a fun read. I'm a little puzzled as to why it was nominated since I don't think it does much to expand the genre but sometimes a novel just needs to be a good read and Leviathan Wakes certainly has that in spades (and I love the minor plot point involving Mormons).

Generally, I'm a novel kind of guy but John Scalzi rounded up links to all the nominated short stories this year so I decided to read them. They are all worth your time to read, especially since you can read them for free, but there was one that really stood out to me.

Here are my thoughts, and my pick:

• “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”, E. Lily Yu (Clarkesworld): This lovely, and beautifully written, story about some warmongering wasps expanding their empire gets my vote. Great writing which feels like it belongs in a literary fiction magazine which might turn some people off but worked for me. I choose not to linger on the fact that Yu is a recent college graduate (damned talented young people) and won't let that make me spiral into a depression about my own (nonexistent) fiction output.


• “The Homecoming”, Mike Resnick (Asimov’s): A great story about a young man visiting his ailing mother and estranged father and experiencing that wonderful tension that you get when visiting parents. Oh, and the son has voluntarily had his consciousness transplanted into an alien body which complicates things just a bit.


• “Movement”, Nancy Fulda (Asimov’s): This one didn't do too much for me, though I can see how other folks would really like it. The main character is a autistic girl who only becomes truly functional when she is dancing.


• “The Paper Menagerie”, Ken Liu (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction): This story came in a close second for me, just edged out by those darned cartographer wasps! A story about cultural assimilation, a parent's unconditional love, and how awful kids can be without even knowing it. Add in some animated paper animals and a wonderful story is born. How can you go wrong?


• “Shadow War of the Night Dragons: Book One: The Dead City: Prologue”, John Scalzi (Tor.com): This is a parody of fantasy novels, and it is funny though I have a hard time believing there wasn't another non-jokey short story out there that could have been nominated. That said, it is fun.

eBook covers

This article on The Atlantic and Chip Kidd's TED Talk about the importance of book covers got me to thinking about, of all things, eReaders.

Specifically the fact that every eReader I've used (and I've used many) displays some sort of image when it is "sleeping." Amazon even sells Kindles that show ads when the device isn't being used.

Why not display the cover of the book currently being read on the device when it is sleeping? I love book covers, and I miss seeing them when I'm reading something, so why display them?

This would have to be an optional setting, though, because one of the great things about eReaders is that you can read super trashy novels in public and no one ever knows (not that I would do such a thing).

Write about books

Hey there Blankbaby readers (reader?), I have a question for you. I've been doing lots of reading the last couple years (20 books so far this year) and not so much blogging (obviously).

To rectify this situation (and attempt to make some sweet, sweet Amazon affiliate money) I'm going to write about the books I'm reading. The question is: should I do that here on Blankbaby or on the reading blog I started long ago called Scott's Reading List (which you probably didn't even know about)?

Sound off in the comments!

Also, how do you like the snazzy new design? Pretty sweet, huh?

War is coming

This ad for The Game of Thrones on my Kindle is brilliant and timely.

10 Cool Things You Can Do with Your Kindle Fire

My dear, dear publisher, Peachpit, asked me if I would be interested in writing an article for their website about the Kindle Fire. I, of course, was interested and wrote 10 Cool Things You Can Do with Your Kindle Fire:

Did you know that you can email documents, load your own content, and sideload apps with the Kindle Fire? Scott McNulty, author of The Kindle Fire Pocket Guide, offers a list of ten cool things he loves about the Kindle Fire.

Go ahead and read it, dude!

The Kindle Fire Pocket Guide is now available

Hey cats and kittens, the day you've been waiting for is upon us (well, it actually happened yesterday but I was busy taking the day off): my latest book, The Kindle Fire Pocket Guide, is officially available for sale in hardcopy!

To celebrate I thought I would give away some copies of the book to Blankbaby readers/followers. I have 15 copies of the book to give away, so leave a comment on this post by January 24th to enter. If more than 15 people comment then I will randomly select the winner, and if less than 15 people comment everyone wins (if exactly 15 people comment the universe will implode).

The book covers the basics from using the web browser, buying media from Amazon, and more advanced topics like side loading apps and filling your Kindle Fire up with non-Amazon purchased content (you can do it!).

All that I ask from the handsome/lovely people who win a copy is that you leave a review on Amazon after you've read the book. Just share how you felt about the book: good or bad (though I think this book will be a boon to any Fire owner).

The Kindle Fire Pocket Guide

Have you been wondering what I've been up to these last few months? Shockingly, I've been writing a book. Actually, most of the book was written during a 3 week span in November with editing and tweaking done the following weeks. All that work by myself, and the fine folks at PeachPit, translates into The Kindle Fire Pocket Guide (available in paperback
[out January 22nd, but you can pre-order now] or Kindle
[You can buy it now! Heck, you can even buy it before you get your Kindle Fire from Amazon and it'll be waiting for you when you turn on your Fire]. If Barnes and Noble is your thang you can pre-order it there too.).

I think this book turned out very well, and I hope folks who purchase it find it useful.

Buying books from old jews

You may not know this about me, but I live in a building where a lot of older Jewish people live. I don't have a problem with this. They are very quiet, the elevators are easy to get late at night, and they can be quite entertaining.

My building has a little library in the community room, which I have never been to. However, the library had a book sale last week to raise some money.

Given the key demographic in my building, I didn't think there would be many books of interest to me but at a buck a book I figured I could take 15 minutes to check out the wares.

I'm glad I did because I ended up spending $5 on the following:

• Mr. Vertigo: I like Auster a lot, so this was an easy choice.
• Third Class Superhero : I enjoyed Yu's second novel How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe so why not give his first work a go?
• Bonk's Bar : This one is the wild card. I picked it up mostly because it is set in Philadelphia.
• The Law of Nines : Oh Terry Goodkind. I expect this book to be pretty bad, but I went through a Goodkind phase in high school and I thought I would give him a chance now.
• Jpod : I was an English major in college, which means most of my classes were discussions. As any of you who have met me in real life (or have listened to any of The Incomparable podcasts in which I appear) know I am a man of few words. I remained generally quiet in class except for two notable occasions: in a creative writing class discussion on Hemingway and the "Iceberg theory" (90% of an iceberg is underwater as a metaphor for how much is concealed in Hemingway's spare prose) I suggested that he wrote so simply because he wasn't a very good writer (the TA of the class didn't agree with me). The other time, in a postmodern literature class, I argued reading Generation X, Coupland's most well known work, was a waste of time because all the characters did was whine about nothing (the Prof. didn't agree with me). Given that background it might seem odd to pick this up, but I did enjoy Microserfs.

When I went to pay for my five books the little old lady looked at them and said, "Great! We don't get many people with such esoteric taste."

Not sure what she meant by that, but I'll take it as a compliment.

Win a copy of The Mac OS X Lion Project Book

You all know that I'm a big fancy pants author, right?

Did you know that big fancy pants authors get author copies of their books? It is true! It is also true that I have no use for 25 copies of my latest opus: The Mac OS X Lion Project Book
(though I do recommend you purchase at least 3 copies, in case of disaster).

However, two lucky people will win a copy of my book just by commenting on this post by end of day Saturday, September 3rd.

That's right, just leave a comment and you'll be entered to win! I'll pick two lucky people, autograph the book (if requested to) and mail it off to them.

All I ask of the winners is this: read the book and leave a review of it on Amazon/BN.com/iBookstore… wherever you do your shopping. The review should be honest (good, bad, or indifferent) of course.

Alright, why are you still reading this? Leave a comment already!

The Mac OS X Lion Project Book ebook now available

Hey, did you hear? I wrote another book. Oh, right, I've posted about it.

I'm posting again because The Mac OS X Lion Project Book is now available wherever finer ebooks are sold, including:

• Amazon
• iBook Store


• Google Books


• Nook Store

I suggest you buy the electronic version to hold you over until you buy several copies of the print version.

My Lion ebooks are now available

When Cliff, my editor at Peachpit, asked me to write The Mac OS X Lion Project Book, I jumped at the chance. I wrote, and wrote, and wrote… well, I wrote too damn much!

I only had 240 pages, which seems like a lot when you’re staring at the blank page in Scrivener, but they fill up fast.

I wrote so much additional information that we had enough stuff to six (6!) additional ebooks, which are now available on the iBook Store and the Kindle store (I say buy both formats… cross platform!):

Secure Your Mac with Mac OS X Lion (iBooks | Kindle): Out of the box, Lion is pretty darned secure… but it could be even more secure (people are out to get you). This ebook covers how to use Lion’s Firewall, FileVault, and change some default settings to thwart the criminal element (just like a superhero!).

Childproof your Mac with Mac OS X Lion (iBooks | Kindle): Kids have sticky fingers and they want to prod and poke your Mac, launch apps they shouldn’t, and spend all your money on the Mac App Store. This ebook will show you how to enable Parental Controls on your Mac and put those ankle-biters in their place (you will even learn how to limit their computer usage using a Lion feature).

Manage passwords with 1Password (iBooks | Kindle) Ok, this book isn’t Lion specific but 1Password is a great app worthy of an ebook unto itself. Thanks to 1Password I am of the opinion that the best password is a password that even you don’t know. 1Password creates, manages, and fills in passwords for you. Brilliant! I have no idea what any of my password are anymore, and I love it!

Spruce up iTunes (iBooks | Kindle): iTunes is kind of a beast, and this ebook shows you how to keep it in line. Learn how to add album art, edit meta-data, dedup your iTunes Library (and even more your Library to another disk). Rock on, you crazy diamond.

Video conferencing with Mac OS X Lion (iBooks | Kindle): There are lots of ways to video conference with Lion, but this ebook covers one you might not think of first: Skype. I know, I know: what about iChat or FaceTime? Well, I thought it made the most sense to go with the app that people have heard of, and that non-Mac users can actually use (madness!).

Powering your home theater from your Mac (iBooks | Kindle): You’re made your iTunes library all pretty, but no iTunes library is an island! How do you get all that sweet, sweet media from your Mac onto the screen of your giant HDTV or stream Jefferson Starship to your kickin’ audio system? This ebook tells you how (and you just have to buy a couple things).

The Mac OS X Lion Project Book

When I first thought about writing a tech book the subject seemed obvious: something Mac related.

That didn't work out, but I managed to write a few books about WordPress, TypePad, and even the Kindle (thanks to the four people who bought this one!).

I really enjoyed writing those books, but in the back of my mind I still wanted to write a book about something Mac related.

Enter Lion.

Lion is Apple's latest and greatest operating system, and The Mac OS X Lion Project Book is my book about it!

Now, this book is in Peach Pit's Project Book series, so it won't tell you how to use Lion. It tries to answer the question, "I have this super cool Mac running Lion, now what the hell can I do with it?"

Lots! I had so many ideas, in fact, that I wrote way more than 240 pages (the book's length was capped at 240) so we'll be releasing 6 additional ebooks (which I'll blog about when they are available).

What's covered in the book? Why, I'm glad I asked myself! You'll find out how to:

• Encode your DVDs for playback on your iPad, iPhone, Mac, or Apple TV
• Bend iChat to your will
• Create a wonderful Web site
• And more!

Now, if you're looking for a book that'll teach you Lion, I have a few suggestions:

• Mac OS X Lion: Visual Quickstart Guide by Maria Langer
• Mac OS X Lion Pocket Guide by Jeff Carlson
• Taking Your Mac OS X Lion to the Max by my TUAW friends Steve Sande, Dave Caolo and Michael Grothaus (I don't know Grothaus but he keeps good company!)

Books of 2010

I'm a reading person, which makes me better than you (look in your heart, you know it to be true).

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to list all the books that I read in 2010 as a fond look back at the stories that were. I started this post a couple of months ago and I'm just finishing it up now.

I was too busy reading.

See what I did there?

Last year's reading list was greatly impacted by my participation in the fabulous geeky podcast The Incomparable (I even listen to the episodes that I am not in.. that's high praise from a self proclaimed egomaniac).

Here's the list:

• How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
• Surface Details
• Spin
• The Evolutionary Void
• The Gone-Away World
• Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
• Shatnerquake
• Ship Breaker
• The God Engines
• From Hell with Love
• A Curtain Falls
• Brains: A Zombie Memoir
• In the Shadow of Gotham
• Pinion
• The Dream of Perpetual Motion
• Boneshaker
• The Bad Book Affair
• The Adamantine Palace
• The Man Who Loved Books Too Much
• Geosynchron
• MultiReal
• Infoquake
• Up in the Air
• Shades of Grey
• Speaks the Nightbird
• The City & the City
• The Windup Girl

New library card

Sure, I love eReaders (some might say I have an eReader problem) but here's a dirty little secret: if, by some otherworldly force, all the eReaders in the world disappeared I would be sad. If said force was turned against libraries instead I would weep for humanity.