Media Gluttony
Nov. 8th, 2009 12:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyspriteThe up-side of having work slow down for a little while is that I'm finally getting to partake of some forms of entertainment that I haven't for quite some time. When things are busy and hectic, paradoxically I wind up finding it hard to take what little time off I have to amuse myself with purely-entertaining stuff. I get so wrapped up in Doing Stuff and Being Busy that even when I'm not at work or finishing vital projects, I wind up feeling the need to continue in that mindset, and work on hobbies or crafts that accomplish stuff, too - making sweaters and afghans, tackling giant stitchery projects, baking cakes, and things like that. I enjoy those hobbies and projects, but they're still active things. Taking time to sit down and relax feels like cheating, or being lazy.
This past week, though, was slow enough on work that I managed to get my fill of active hobbies, and then have time left over. And eventually, even I can be convinced that, in the absence of other important stuff to do, it's okay to take some actual downtime. And, in the process, maybe actually watch tv instead of just having it on in the background, or sit down and read a book for more than ten minutes at a stretch.
Some time ago, a friend suggested that I watch 'Being Human,' but we didn't get BBC America at the time. Later, another friend suggested it as the perfect show for me, and I kind of filed it in the back of my head. When a third friend suggested it, and mentioned that he had the entire first season on his DVR and free time that matched mine, I decided to finally act on it.
I'll admit, a large part of the enjoyment of the day was having nothing to do but curl up on the sofa with an old friend. But even aside from that, this is one of the best TV shows I've seen in longer than I can remember. I was afraid, given the premise (a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost move into an apartment together) that it'd just be cheesy sitcom humor, but it's not. There's an element of horror and seriousness that I didn't expect, and what humor there is seems to come more from the juxtaposition of the characters and the situation, rather than slapstick or witty banter (I love witty banter, but sometimes a change of pace can be nice). And the dialogue is as realistic as possible, given the situation, and I kind of want to invite all the characters over for dinner and to join my gaming group. I love it. I want more.
As for books.... a few weeks ago I was wandering through Barnes & Noble - I can't quite remember why, other than, well, it's always fun to wander through bookstores, and I saw 'The Child Thief' sitting in the new releases section of the science fiction ghetto, and I fell in love with it on first sight. It was big, and dark, and heavy, and the cover art was just gloriously spooky. (Yes, when it comes to books, I am fairly superficial in my initial opinion-forming.) When I read the dust-jacket and realized it was, in fact, a modern urban horror/gothic retelling of Peter Pan, I was completely sold - I have had a long-term love affair with urban horror and fantasy, and I'll admit I have also been desperate for any urban fantasy that doesn't involve a main character who turns out to be a sparkly-eyed, tramp-stamped demon-sucking Mary Sue who really just wants to buy designer shoes and bang her boss/nemesis. There have been exceptions, but they've been few and far between. This seemed *perfect.* Except, of course, for the fact that it was a hardcover by an unknown author, and I couldn't justify the price.
But my library came through for me a few days ago, thanks to the miracle of Interlibrary Loan, and Monday afternoon I settled in to start reading it. I was a little afraid at first, though, that it wouldn't live up to my hopes. Gothic horror Peter Pan? It does kind of sound like a recipe for disaster.
It's not, though. It's even better than I thought it would be. It's creepy and dark and full of Celtic mythology and urban grittiness and characters that are complex enough to be engaging, and a world that's clearly more complex than what we see on the surface, and the kind of writing that I can just fall into for a hundred pages without noticing.
Every year I seem to find one book that knocks my socks off, and becomes the defining story of that year - 'World War Z,' 'Soon I Will Be Invincible,' 'Dies the Fire'... I had kind of written off 2009 as a no-world-shaking-books year. It's late, but I am so, so glad to be proven wrong.
And right now, I think I hear a mug of tea, a Butterfingers candy bar, and Chapter 15 calling my name....
This past week, though, was slow enough on work that I managed to get my fill of active hobbies, and then have time left over. And eventually, even I can be convinced that, in the absence of other important stuff to do, it's okay to take some actual downtime. And, in the process, maybe actually watch tv instead of just having it on in the background, or sit down and read a book for more than ten minutes at a stretch.
Some time ago, a friend suggested that I watch 'Being Human,' but we didn't get BBC America at the time. Later, another friend suggested it as the perfect show for me, and I kind of filed it in the back of my head. When a third friend suggested it, and mentioned that he had the entire first season on his DVR and free time that matched mine, I decided to finally act on it.
I'll admit, a large part of the enjoyment of the day was having nothing to do but curl up on the sofa with an old friend. But even aside from that, this is one of the best TV shows I've seen in longer than I can remember. I was afraid, given the premise (a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost move into an apartment together) that it'd just be cheesy sitcom humor, but it's not. There's an element of horror and seriousness that I didn't expect, and what humor there is seems to come more from the juxtaposition of the characters and the situation, rather than slapstick or witty banter (I love witty banter, but sometimes a change of pace can be nice). And the dialogue is as realistic as possible, given the situation, and I kind of want to invite all the characters over for dinner and to join my gaming group. I love it. I want more.
As for books.... a few weeks ago I was wandering through Barnes & Noble - I can't quite remember why, other than, well, it's always fun to wander through bookstores, and I saw 'The Child Thief' sitting in the new releases section of the science fiction ghetto, and I fell in love with it on first sight. It was big, and dark, and heavy, and the cover art was just gloriously spooky. (Yes, when it comes to books, I am fairly superficial in my initial opinion-forming.) When I read the dust-jacket and realized it was, in fact, a modern urban horror/gothic retelling of Peter Pan, I was completely sold - I have had a long-term love affair with urban horror and fantasy, and I'll admit I have also been desperate for any urban fantasy that doesn't involve a main character who turns out to be a sparkly-eyed, tramp-stamped demon-sucking Mary Sue who really just wants to buy designer shoes and bang her boss/nemesis. There have been exceptions, but they've been few and far between. This seemed *perfect.* Except, of course, for the fact that it was a hardcover by an unknown author, and I couldn't justify the price.
But my library came through for me a few days ago, thanks to the miracle of Interlibrary Loan, and Monday afternoon I settled in to start reading it. I was a little afraid at first, though, that it wouldn't live up to my hopes. Gothic horror Peter Pan? It does kind of sound like a recipe for disaster.
It's not, though. It's even better than I thought it would be. It's creepy and dark and full of Celtic mythology and urban grittiness and characters that are complex enough to be engaging, and a world that's clearly more complex than what we see on the surface, and the kind of writing that I can just fall into for a hundred pages without noticing.
Every year I seem to find one book that knocks my socks off, and becomes the defining story of that year - 'World War Z,' 'Soon I Will Be Invincible,' 'Dies the Fire'... I had kind of written off 2009 as a no-world-shaking-books year. It's late, but I am so, so glad to be proven wrong.
And right now, I think I hear a mug of tea, a Butterfingers candy bar, and Chapter 15 calling my name....
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-11-08 06:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-08 10:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-09 12:50 pm (UTC)I am utterly in geek love with George. I like all of the characters, but he's the one I most want to take home, bake cookies for, and commiserate on the sorry state of the world today....
no subject
Date: 2009-11-09 01:05 pm (UTC)Lenora Crichlow (Annie) has also done Dr Who, but made her name as a flaky, annoying, needy "friend" in a lovely lesbian coming-of-age series called "Sugar Rush".
Aidan Turner (Mitchell) displays the same magnetism in a current BBC series, "Desperate Romantics", a drama romp about the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-08 10:50 pm (UTC)Also, if you haven't read "Rosemary and Rue" by Seanan McGuire yet, you should. It's definitely up your alley.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-09 12:51 pm (UTC)I read 'Rosemary and Rue,' and liked it - that's one of the exceptions I was thinking of....
no subject
Date: 2009-11-09 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-09 02:01 pm (UTC)glad you got to take a little break, too!
no subject
Date: 2009-11-09 04:24 pm (UTC)Not as up on my slang as I thought I was...
Date: 2009-11-09 09:08 pm (UTC)Re: Not as up on my slang as I thought I was...
Date: 2009-11-09 09:57 pm (UTC)From my experience, it's about as derogatory as 'geek' or 'nerd' - technically I suppose it could be construed as offensive, but it's become so commonly and inoffensively used, at least by people I know, that it doesn't hold any sting for me, to hear or use.....