Novel novels: February 2010

Note: I'm starting to write this series multiple months after I've finished reading the books, so in most cases I don't remember a whole lot. I'll include stuff I remember, including trigger warnings, but I'm not going to remember everything. I hope to rectify this when I catch up and am writing about stuff I just got done reading.

1. The Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind

• 2 stars
• If you've read Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, do yourself a favour and skip this book. I have read the Sword of Truth series in its entirety, and although I still list it among my favourites for nostalgia reasons, it's rife with problems from many standpoints, including feminist. This book is basically Wizard's First Rule, set in a modern world. *eye roll* I wouldn't be surprised if they got an intern to write it.

2. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

• 4 stars
• One of my first exposures to Gaiman's writing. Pretty nice.

3. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

• 3.5 stars
• Interesting, as a reader and a person interested in the specific history of an object, to read an account of the history of one particular copy of one particular book. Also enjoyable for the religious history aspect.

4. Life, Inc. by Douglas Rushkoff

• 4.5 stars
• Quietly inspiring. I liked learning about the history of the corporation, from this guy's POV.

5. take a chance on me by Annabelle Vestry

• 2.5 stars
• The Gossip Girl series is one of my guilty pleasures. Cotton candy for the brain. Don't judge.

6. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

• 4.5 stars
• Lovely prose, lovely plot.

7. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

• 3 stars
• Westerfeld is one of my favourite authors. I liked the juxtaposition of biopunk and steampunk, but the plot didn't grip me as much as I would have liked.

8. Fire by Kristin Cashore

• 3.5 stars
• Again, I liked the world, but felt the plot fell short. Fairly decent from a feminist perspective.

9. Rosemary and Rue by Seanan McGuire

• 2.5 stars
• Interesting plot, but the writing and character development didn't really do it for me.

10. Let the Hurricane Roar by Rose Wilder Lane

• 2.5 stars
• Recommended only if you're a Martha/Charlotte/Caroline/Laura/Rose buff, like me.

11. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

• 3.5 stars

12. Haweswater by Sarah Hall

• 2.5 stars

13. Graceling by Kristin Cashore

• 3 stars

1 star = hated

1.5 stars = didn't enjoy at all, but didn't hate

2 stars = didn't enjoy particularly

2.5 stars = enjoyed somewhat

3 stars = enjoyed, but might not read again

3.5 stars = would probably read again

4 stars = would like to own a copy

4.5 stars = would like to own a copy, and would probably read occasionally

5 stars = would like to own a copy, and would probably read often

Let's Play Fallout New Vegas: backstory

I am not a gamer.

But I have decided to do a Let's Play of Betheda's Fallout New Vegas, to be released on 19 October.

Background:

• I didn't grow up playing video games, and as such have only played a few hours on a handful of games other than Morrowind, Oblivion and Fallout 3 (hereafter referred to as the Bethesda trifecta). I don't quite understand the major draw of games like Super Mario Brothers or Call of Duty. Neither do I play online MMORPGs, as I'm not really interested in the social aspect that seems to be a primary focus.
• I am a person who enjoys starting fairly ambitious projects (ambition, as always, being a relative term). Also, I am a person who frequently abandons projects within three days. And if not within three days, certainly within two weeks.
• I have logged upwards of 100 hours each with the Bethesda trifecta. I really don't even know how much I have played them. 100 hours is an exceedingly conservative estimate. It's probably closer to 200 for Fallout 3 and 300 for Oblivion.
• I am not especially skilled at critiquing games, I think because I feel I don't have the wealth of experience on which to draw.

Goals:

• I want to capture my own discovery of this game, and stretch my gameplay out by forcing myself to document it.
• I wanted to do a Let's Play after reading Chocolate Hammer's Let's Play Morrowind.
• I want to approach the game with fresh eyes, so there isn't so much difference between player knowledge and character knowledge. I don't want to have to pretend I don't know that if I just go to this particular shrine in the middle of nowhere and then go find a glowing bowling ball, a goddess will give me an invincible lockpick. If I'm writing describing my first playthrough of the game, and I don't consult any other resources, player and character knowledge will, necessarily, be the same. Whether or not this will make for more enjoyable reading, I don't know, but I think it will make for more enjoyable writing.
• I want to do a game that hasn't been around forever, primarily because if I start doing a series on it right out of the gate, I will probably be more likely to get hits. I doubt I'm going be getting hits, but I might as well give myself as good of a chance as possible. At the time of this writing, Googling "let's play fallout new vegas" gets you nine hits, all of them on YouTube.
• I want to play a game I have a high probability of enjoying. My tastes are somewhat limited, so when I remembered that a new Fallout was being released my choice of game was obvious.

At this point, I plan to do updates on Tuesdays and Saturdays for a few weeks, and then once per week after that.

Run away! Run away!

We all know Jenny Schecter is Ilene Chaiken's Mary Sue.*

So I'm watching the opening of season five, episode one, and Jenny's writing a scene for her movie. Chaiken is clearly writing the main character in Lez Girls, Jessie, as Jenny's Mary Sue. An incredibly poorly written Mary Sue which Chaiken is apparently using to show how messed-up Jenny is.

I try not to bring out the i word at the drop of a hat, but ohdeargodirony.

* I said this exact sentence to M, and she said "Yes, Ilene Chaiken's Mary Sue. Of course! We all know that." M's not big on remembering celebrity's names. Also, she doesn't share my penchant for cilice via The L Word.