The Jury is in

Tomorrow I will be serving my third stint of jury duty. This will be the third New Jersey County I've been called to serve. It should be interesting, I hope. I'll be bringing Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson to help me through the day, finally diving back into his Malazan epic.

Colonies and Vampires, oh my!

As my sidebar indicates, I posted my review of John Scalzi's The Last Colony. I've read all four of the books Scalzi has published through Tor and I've enjoyed each one of them. His SF has a great balance of tension, humor, sf-nal trappings and just damned entertaining storytelling. You could do much worse than pick up any of his books.

The same can be said of E.E. Knight's Vampire Earth sequence. I just finished the most recent, Valentine's Exile, yesterday and enjoyed it just as much as the other books in the series. He threw a nice little curveball at the end giving a not-quite-cliffhanger feel to the story. This was Knight's first hardcover release and I think it is pretty well deserved. I'm a big fan of the apocalyptic setting and these books have that feel in spades. I interviewed him a couple of years ago and reviewed the first, second, third, and fourth books in the series.

Last and certainly not least, this Friday I will be seeing one of my favorite bands for the fourth time: Godsmack.

Slow blogging, what can I say. I recently passed the one-year mark at the "new job," I guess it isn't so new anymore. In the year I've been there, a decent amount of change has occurred, much of it working in my favor. The work has been more challenging than past jobs, but I am realizing just how much I can accomplish.

I posted my review of Justina Robson’s Keeping it Real yesterday. A very fun book that managed to throw many fantasy AND science fiction clichés together in an original manner. Hobbit reviewed it about a year ago and my review is based on the recently published Pyr version of the book. A lot of the books I’ve been reading lately are review books for SFFWorld, so I should be posting a spate of reviews over the next few weeks.

It seems like the rains are finally over, thankfully. I was able to cut down the jungle of grass in my yard and will soon be getting the pool ready for the warm weather. And with the warmer weather comes one of the beer highlights of the year for me – Sam Adams Summer Ale.

The Devils got ousted rather unceremoniously. I don’t know what happened, they’ve had Ottawa’s number in the playoffs in the past, but not this year. They looked great against Tampa Bay but like last year, fell apart in the 2nd round. Until next year I guess in the new arena. My biggest complaint about the team the past few years has been actually going to and from the game in the Meadowlands.

The worst news, and something I was dreading as a Yankee fan, has come to pass. Roger Clemens is a Yankee, again. I never cared for him all that much, and after coming out of retirement following the most over-hyped retirement tour to play for the Astros a couple of years ago, I liked him even less. Now, with the Yankees pitching rotation in shambles he gets to come in like the returning hero and look like the savior. It has always been about him and not the team, this only proves it more.

Black Thunder

Having a basement really makes one hate rain. Last night the thunderstorm had to be one of the most powerful I have ever felt. My house/town was clearly at the eye of the storm since the thunder and lighting were simultaneous. At one point, one of the thundercracks nearly scared the shit right out of me, and I normally love thunder. I have never heard anything so loud and powerful in my life, my house was shaking as the thunder grew louder, rather than dissipating. I looked out my window and could tell immediately that power went out in the entire town. The thundercrack was powerful enough to set off car alarms going in every direction. All in all, it was quite eerie.

In good, or more normal news, I posted my review of Richard Morgan’s Black Man a day ago, after having received an advance copy from UK publisher Victor Golllancz. Readers in the US will see the book published very soon from Del Rey as Thirteen. I suggest picking it up, under either title.

In moment of serendipity, the collaborative interview with Richard Morgan, quarterbacked by Pat (http://fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com) and supported by Adam (http://thewertzone.blogspot.com), William (http://speculativereviews.blogspot.com), and myself went up at Pat’s blog today. Go read the my review, the interveiw then get the book. Black Man may be the one of the most talked-about SF novels of the year, and for good reason.

7 in a row for the Yankees; it is embarrassing.

Water, Water, Everywhere

So NJ's acting governer Dick Cody cliamed this was the worst storm to hit the State since 1882. I can believe it, I had a nice little lake in my basement which destroyed a nice new rug which wasn't even a year old. I'll likely need to replace some of the sheet rock walls.

As shitty as it is, I am thankful that I wasn't in one of the areas completely underwater that was evacuated. The worst of it was in the towns surrounding me and where I once lived. There was a State of Emergency and over 50 State roads were closed in NJ today.

Of course, this was all dwarfed by the tragedy at Virginia Tech today. Goddamned. Just when you think the world is fucked up, something like this happens to let you know you ain't seen nothing yet. My heart goes out to all those affected by the tragedy.

On a side note from all the mind-boggling reality, I posted my review of John Meaney's latest offering, Bone Song.

Bright Books and Crazy Day

My latest book review, Bright of the Sky by Kay Kenyon, went up at SFFWorld.com today. I enjoyed the book very much and have found yet another series I will be following. Such is the life of the FSF reader.

As many new books as I have on my “to read” pile, there are some books I have been wanting to re-read. Dune is one of them. I read the book twice, once in my college Science Fiction Literature course and again before the SciFi Channel Mini Series first aired. I loved it both times and I always wanted to follow through with the other books in the series; only those written by FRANK Herbert.

The other(s) is Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen. I read Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates about five years ago, right after returning from a business trip to Canada. At the time, Canada was the closest place I could get the books so I bought them and devoured them. When I found out Tor would be publishing them here in the States, I figured I could catch up again. Then time kept passing and six years later, Tor is almost caught up with the UK/Canadian releases.

On a side note, one of my biggest pet peeves in the SFFWorld forums (or any of the message boards I frequent) is when people constantly spell his name wrong, either Stephen or Erickson. Not only is it annoying because there is another author by the name of Steve Erickson, but know who you are talking about. Sorry, mini-rant over.

Some, OK, quite a few of the online FSF folks have been slagging Battlestar Galactica this past season/half season for the dip in quality of the show. I don't know that I can agree. I found myself being as drawn into the show each week, as much as just about any other time I was enjoying the series. Sure, maybe not as much as when the season kicked off and Adama returned to New Caprica, but I've been ejoying it nonetheless. I liked the season ender, and the build up to the last 15 minutes or so was really well-done. While not quite a cliff-hanger, I really can't wait to see what happens next.

As for the show that follows BSG, I'm really enjoying The Dresden Files. It is one of the few genre shows I can get Mrs. Blog 'o Stuff to watch, and enjoy watching it, with me. The first episode or two were a bit slow, but I keep coming back each week. Or at least TiVo does for me.

April Fool’s Day came and went with not so much as a whimper, though I thought it very clever how the Adult Swim folks “showed” the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters on Sunday. Speaking of Sunday, this Sunday The Sopranos begins its last half season. It will take quite a bit for the show to end on the high note with which it began.

There was a little craziness in my neck of the woods today, to say the least. I lived in a moderately sized city for over a year (New Brunswick) and I didn’t hear much insanity like this. Granted, I might have been a little insulated from the shadier parts of the city since I lived on the campus of Rutgers.

I think I've done enough stream of consciousness blogging for today.

Rothfuss Interview

Tonight, I posted the e-mail interview Pat and I conducted with Patrick Rothfuss. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out; I wasn't surprised that Mr. Rothfuss's responses were very much in the same tone as his protagonist Kvothe.

In sports news, I'm happy to see the Rutgers Women's basketball make it to their second Final Four under coach Stringer. Baseball season is less than a week away, though this will be the first season in many years I will not have a fantasy team to manage. Lastly, the NHL season is becoming very exciting - the Devils and Penguins are neck and neck for the Atlantic division lead. I've a feeling this is how the Atlantic division will play out for the next few years, or at least as long as a goalie named Brodeur is between the pipes in NJ and a kid named Crosby is wearing black and yellow.

Lucky Day

Yes it is snowing here in New Jersey. But today is something of a lucky day. On my way home from work, driving on the barely plowed roads (thanks NJDOT, although the roads were much worse during the February storm), I was listening to the only terrestrial radio station that plays the music I really like, 89.5 WSOU. I've been listening to the station for almost 20 years know, since my middle school and high school years when I really began to enjoy Heavy Metal. As is typical with the station, they announced they would be giving concert tickets to a caller within the hour. I kept the radio tuned to the station, hoping the giveaway would occur before the signal crapped out, which often happens as I get closer to home. When they played the latest song by Shadows Fall, I realized the contest would be next. After a couple of unsuccessful attemps (they often give tickets to caller #89) I won! So, in April I'll be seeing Shadows Fall and Lacuna Coil at the Roseland in NYC, probably my favorite small-scale concert hall in the area. However, it has been about 10 years since I saw a concert there.

I also had tickets ordered for Godsmack today, they'll be at the Hammerstein in May.

When I checked my e-mail, I was told I'd be receiving a copy of Scott Lynch's forthcoming Red Seas Under Red Skies - W00T!

And to top off the day, Mrs. Blog o' Stuff baked a batch of home-made Chocolate Chip cookies.

After an insane week at work, Friday turned out to be a nice little surprise of a day.

Writin' & Ramblin'

I finished up Tim Powers' pirate novel, On Stranger Tides a couple of days ago. I liked it quite a bit, even if the ending wasn't as strong as the first 2/3rds of the novel. It was a cool mix of pirates, magic and history. I think I need to read more of Tim Powers' books.

I also posted my latest review today, One Million A.D. edited by Gardner Dozois and published/offered by the Science Fiction Book Club. The book is a couple of years old. In fact one of the stories, Charlie Stross's Missle Gap was (or will be) offered in a limited edition by Subterranean Press.

In beer news, I recently had Samuel Adams' White Ale. I don't recall enjoying it, or rather I was somewhat noncommittal in my taste. However, in the past I had it in bottles, this time I had it on draught and it was suprisingly delicious.

I've been plugging away daily at the new story I'm writing, or rather the story I started many months ago and picked up last week.

Lastly, baseball season is just 'round the corner and Alex Rodriguez just cannot keep his mouth shut.

Heart-Shaped Review

I'm taking a break from my pirate story for now and returning to a story that's been gestating in my head for some time. This one is a first-person narrative and for whatever reason, I am feeling more comfortable writing in this voice. Time will tell, I suppose, but this (as of yet unnamed) character speaks to me every day, begging for his story to be told.


Oh yeah, I posted my review of Joe Hill's debut novel, Heart-Shaped Box. I liked this one very much, Hill threw a lot of elements together that really appealed to me. I loved 2oth Century Ghosts and this one almost as much.

The Ship Has Yet to Sail

The Pirate Vette won't be joining the good crew of Fast Ships, Black Sails edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer. Considering it was my very first ficiton submission, I can't say I'm too surprised. This is even more true when I saw that stories by Elizabeth Bear and Kage Baker had already been accepted, in addition to my near-deadline submission.

Oh well, I'll keep plugging away.

Sunshine and Wind

Mrs. Blog O' Stuff and I watched Little Miss Sunshine over the weekend and I hadn't even realized it was nominated for best picture. It was a quirky, fun and entertaining movie. It reminded me of, just a bit at least, Napolean Dynamite. Both films captured people who, externally, seemed very strange and off beat. When you get into their stories, they seem almost normal. I liked it a lot, being a fan of Steve Carrell didn't hurt either. But no matter what Greg Kinnear will always be the Talk Soup guy to me. Just like Mark Wahlberg, Oscar-nominated actor, will always be Marky Mark of the Funky Bunch to me.

In book-related happenings, I posted my review of Patrick Rothfuss's debut novel, The Name of the Wind. This was an incredibly impressive novel coming from a debut novelist. Rotfhuss set the bar pretty for 2007 with this book. However, Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box, which I just finished (review forthcoming) does come pretty close. They are definitely two different books, but the heart of what makes them both so great is not soo dissimilar. They both take what could be cliched stories and makes them fresh, original and damned entertaining.

Another book meme

A bit late, but I'm always up for a book meme.

The instructions:

Look at the list of books below. Bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, underline the ones you won’t touch with a 10 foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of.
1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. +The Stand (Stephen King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte) [one of my two worst reading experiences in college]
28. +The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie (Mitch Albom)
31. +Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. +1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. *The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. *The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. +Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. +The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. +War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. +Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. +The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down (Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. +Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

A Fair Review and Talisman

I posted my review of the World Fantasy Award winning anthology, The Fair Folk edited by Marvin Kaye and published by the Science Fiction Book Club. I think ACE is publishing a trade paperback version of this soon, if they already haven't. I liked it, and felt 4 out of the 6 stories were standouts with the other two still good and interesting stories.

I was browsing the world's greatest time waster/killer, as I'm won't to do, because I wanted to find something on the Stephen King/Peter Straub collaboration, The Talisman. This was a favorite book of mine when I was younger and still remains so to this day. I think a character's name was eluding me for some reason. Anyway, I stumbled across this. On the Friday nights when I wasn't playing poker in high school and early college, my friends and I would get together and play Talisman. The game would often last into the wee hours of the night. My one friend, let's just call him L.O.C., (if he happens to be reading this he knows who he is), had all the expansion sets to the game. I don't even recall how he got the game, but damn was it fun.

Through that entry, I found out a new edition is coming out later this year. I must own this. I remember a limited edition of the game coming out a few years ago for $75. I just wasn't able to get it at the time. Also, when traveling was part of one of my previous jobs, I would search out the bookstores and gaming stores where I was staying in hopes of finding the game. Oh I found it a couple of times, but at prices upwards of $100 to $200. I hadn't realized how popular and cultish a game it was. Let's hope the edition coming out at the end of the year is a bit more affordable.

Lun Dun Tower

I posted my newest review to SFFWorld yesterday, China Miéville's Un Lun Dun. I won't be the first to say this about the book, but Un Lun Dun has the chance to be his biggest book yet, and that is saying a lot. Of his published work, this definitely has the broadest appeal. I liked it very much, as I've liked most of his stuff. This reminded me most of King Rat, which I thought was about his strongest novel, just a notch under The Scar.

I also really liked issue one of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born. No I didn't go to a midnight release, but I picked it up yesterday. I thought Jae Lee's art was great and Marvel really did pack quite a bit into the first issue. The Spotlight issue from the week before was pretty much a waste, but for now, I'm happy with the first issue. I will be re-reading it again.

Not much else right now, except that yes winter does exist. After what felt like a non-existent winter in December and part of January, Winter has reared its icy head in ful effect.

SF Book Meme

Nicked from the Hornswaggler, once again.

DISCLAIMER: My responses are prone to change at the drop of a hat, especially the five favorites towards the end.

• Science fiction, fantasy, or horror?
  I’ve got to say Fantasy, pretty easily. Though I “graduated” into reading adult fiction for pleasure through the likes of Stephen King and Robert R. McCammon
  
• Hardback, trade paperback, or mass market paperback?
  Mocks nicks.
  
• Heinlein or Asimov?
  Heinlein, just by virtue of the fact I’ve read more by him.
  
• Amazon or brick-and-mortar?
  Most of my books arrive via amazon wishlist around my Birthday and Christmas
  
• Barnes & Noble or Borders?
  At one time I would say BN, since the Borders stores near me always seemed a mess. Now, either.
  
• Hitchhiker or Discworld?
  Hitchhiker, by a slim margin.
  
• Bookmark or dogear?
  Bookmark, usually a notecard
  
• Magazine: Asimov's Science Fiction or Fantasy & Science Fiction?
  FS&F
  
• Alphabetize by author, by title, or random?
  Most of my books are in boxes, so I would say random, though I do keep the books by the same author together . If I had enough bookshelves, it would be alpha by author.
  
• Keep, throw away, or sell?
  Keep aside from the occasional trade in at the used book shop.
  
• Year's Best Science Fiction series (edited by Gardner Dozois) or Year's Best SF Series (edited by David G. Hartwell)?
  Probably Dozois
  
• Keep dustjacket or toss it?
  Keep, of course.
  
• Read with dustjacket or remove it?
  More often than not, with dustjacket.
  
• Short story or novel?
  Novels, though over the past couple of years I have been reading and enjoying short stories more than I have in the past.
  
• Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
  Potter, the Snicket books were getting a bit repetitive when I stopped. I do plan on finishing them off now that THE END is published.
  
• Stop reading when tired or chapter breaks?
  Stop reading when: a) my lunch hour is over, b) the chapter breaks, c) the timer on the elliptical machine finishes counting down.
  
• "It was a dark and stormy night" or "Once upon a time"
  "Once upon a time, it was a dark and stormy night" I go for the high-concept!
  
• Buy or borrow?
  Buy. Or review copies
  
• Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation, or browse?
  Word of mouth/recommendation.
  
• Lewis or Tolkien?
  Tolkien
  
• Hard SF or space opera?
  Space opera.
  
• Collection (single author) or anthology (multiple authors)?
  Collections and themed anthologies.
  
• Hugo or Nebula?
  PotAto, PotAHto
  
• Golden Age SF or New Wave SF?
  New Wave, probably
  
• Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
  Not really one of the options, but logical endings that are consistent with the story.
  
• Morning reading, afternoon reading, or nighttime reading
  Lunchtime, a bit before bed and at the gym while I’m on the precor machine
  
• Standalone or series?
  Either or.
  
• Urban fantasy or high fantasy?
  High, though just by a margin.
  
• New or used?
  Mostly new, though I do find some cool stuff at the used shops.
  
• Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
  The Watch by Dennis Danvers is a pretty good book. I see next to no talk about it, especially in the SFFWorld Forums. As for favorite, I don’t know, but it was a very interesting book from a few years ago nonetheless.
  
• Top 4 favorite genre books read last year? (in no order)
  With over 70 books read last year five is tough. Two or three really stood out, with about 10 others just under those top 2 or three
  The Crooked Letter by Sean Williams
  The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
  20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
  Paragaea by Chris Roberson
  
• Top 5 favorite genre books of all time? (in no order, this changes everyday for me)
  1984 by George Orwell
  The Talisman by Stephen King & Peter Straub
  Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover
  A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  Dune by Frank Herbert
  
• 5 favorite genre series? (in no order)
  George R. R. Martin’s "A Song of Ice and Fire"
  Tad Williams’s "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn"
  Matthew Woodring Stover’s "The Acts of Caine"
  Stephen R. Donaldson’s "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever"
  Stephen King’s "Dark Tower"
  
• Top 5 favorite genre short stories? (in no order)
  "The Way of Cross and Dragon" by George R.R. Martin
  "Jeffty is Five" by Harlan Ellison
  "The Boogeyman" by Stephen King
  "The Fantasy Writer’s Assistant" by Jeffrey Ford
  "The Star" by Arthur C. Clark

Fast Forward: Joss to the Office

Joss Whedon is directing an episode of The Office? How freaking cool is that? The show with the best comedic dialogue being directed (at least one episode) by a guy known for films/television with great dialogue? It sounds like a great match, at least in theory. I know some purists might think it blasphemy that those Americans are at it again with their remakes of British shows, but damn if itsn't funny. I've been a Carrell fan since the Even Stephen skits on The Daily Show, so I suppose I was predisposed to like the show.

I posted my review of Lou Anders first anthology as Pyr publishing director , Fast Forward 1. From beginning to end, a very solid collection.

Space Pirates, Wizards, and Honey

Over the past year or two through the good graces of Pyr, I’ve been introduced to Mike Resnick’s fiction. This is a good thing, because I've come to really enjoy his work. I’d known his name but never came across any of his stories or books. Well, the three books I’ve read by him have me wanting to read more. The latest Resnick book I read was Starship: Pirate, and I posted my review today.

I caught the Dresden Files in between the Football games yesterday, but found it difficult to stay with Dresden, at least the first showing, during the Pats/Colts classic. What an incredible game. Not only was it an incredible game, but the Patriots are out of it and Peyton finally gets to the big game. As for Dresden, the first episode did its job of keeping me interested enough to tune in for the next episode.

I was very happy to find Samuel Adams Honey Porter back on the shelves of liquor stores. It was one of my favorite brews from the Boston Beer company and I was sad to see it disappear from shelves years ago. I think it is a bit sweeter than I remember, but still very tasty. I’ve found that I enjoy the Sam Adams specialty beers much more than the Boston Lager or Boston Ale. In the summer, nothing, absolutely no beer is better than their Summer Ale.

First a Preacher, Now Comes Winter

First HBO announces they will be doing a Preacher Television show. Today the annoucement is made that HBO just picked up the rights for George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

As both of these properties are in only the early stages, speculation is bound to run rampant. I can't think of a better venue for either of these two over-reaching storylines to be shown.

Orphans, Gunslinger and Brew

I published a new review to SFFWorld yesterday, John C. Wright’s Orphans of Chaos, which I thought was OK, if a bit frustrating. It felt a bit slow at times, though Wright did put forth some interesting ideas in what was a neat postulation of gods and hard science.

The Gunslinger draws even closer. With less than a month away I’m really excited about seeing Roland's younger days brought to illustrated life. Jae Lee’s art looks great and I have a lot of faith that Peter David can help to deliver a comic King fans will enjoy.

In the matter of a week here in NJ we went from 70 degrees to 29 degrees and it is supposed to be in the 60s this Saturday. I’ve been hearing winds outside my house like I can never remember hearing in my life, this with an extra layer on the house. Mrs. O’ Stuff and I had the house vinyl-sided last year, so I can only imagine what it would sound like without the added layer & insulation. But our environment is OK, there’s no global warming.

I’ve got two really good beers in the fridge right now. Well, the remnants of two six-packs of beer. Stoudt’s Big Dog Oatmeal Stout and Anchor Porter. Wow, great stuff there. I've had some of Stoudt's beers in the past, and I think even this one. Not sure about Anchor, though I will be having this one again.

Mrs. O’ Stuff likes to surprise me sometimes with the beer and these were both winners. I have to say, I'm a pretty lucky guy.