S.C. Butler's Blog, page 10

Sam-Who-Likes-Nothing - Paul Krugman

A classic Paul Krugman column in the NYTimes today. He complains that the mismanagement of the AIG bailout is contributing to the continued downturn in the economy because it means the country has lost trust in its financial officials. This is complete hogwash. The continued economic downturn has nothing to do with a lack of confidence in the government and everything to do with an eight year orgy of debt and consumerism that has to be gotten through before things can get better, like losing ...

Sam-Who-Likes-Nothing - The 'New' Prisoner

And I didn't even have to watch it.

New Orleans - the Geneva of the Caribbean!

From The Atlantic:

"When I originally thought of New Orleans, I was conditioned by the press to think of it as an extremely ill-governed city, full of ill-educated people, with a great deal of crime, a great deal of dirt, a great deal of poverty," said Duany, who grew up in Cuba. "And when I arrived, I did indeed find it to be all those things. Then one day I was walking down the street and I had this kind of brain thing, and I thought I was in Cuba. Weird! And then I realized at that moment t...

The Future of Bookstores?

My latest post at SFNovelists discusses just that.

Sam-Who-Likes-Some-Things - Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

See? I do like some things. I even like a few things everybody else likes.

But I have a question. Apparently the movie is based on a series of five books called The Crane-Iron Pentology by Wuxia novelist Wang Dulu. Why have these books never been translated into English? Are they written in Manchu or Cantonese?

Anyone out there know?

I must have these books.

Sam-Who-Likes-Nothing - YA

And here I am, ostensibly a writer of YA. Bah, humbug.

I actually don't read much YA, but I just finished Little Brother so YA is on my mind. I didn't much like the book, not so much because of the book itself but because it's YA. I know, I know, YA is the hot thing right now, but that still doesn't mean I have to like it.

The main reason I don't like YA is because of the way it's often written. It's just not to my taste. The POVs are generally too tight; the narrators are too often Mary Sues; ...

The Late, Great Carl Ballantine

Carl Ballantine, D-list comic, has passed away. Oy! My friends and I loved his dopey schtick.

Anyone out there remember him? Or am I just too old?

Authoritarian Capitalism

Interesting Op-ed piece in the NYTimes today on the possible rise of authoritarian capitalism.

The Night The Lights Went Out In Ledgewood

Actually, it was daytime. And I blame it all on Anton.

There we were, the Magnificent (Genre) Seven signing at a nearly empty B&N in Ledgewood, NJ when - Bang! - the lights went out. Having experienced three NYC blackouts, I was convinced the worst had happened, but it was only local. An Outback Steakhouse nearby had gone up in flames (or maybe it was just an oven fire), but it cut the power for several miles. For several hours. And there we were, willing and able to sell hundreds and...

Signing Saturday In Ledgewood, NJ!

No, the new governor won't be there. But the usual suspects will. The Magnificent Seven ride again.

November 7th, 2009

Noon-4pm

Barnes & Noble

Ledgewood Mall

375 Route 10 E

Ledgewood, NJ 07852

973-252-9300

***

with authors

Patricia Bray; S.C. Butler

Barbara Campbell; Laura Anne Gilman

Jackie Kessler; Joshua Palmatier

Anton Strout