Reading, Writing, Watching

My last post here was called "Writing in the Dead Zone", and how prophetic that turned out to be! Four months later, here I am, even more tanned and handsome than before; even more brilliant and full of shiny promise...

So, what have I been up to? Writing, mostly. Editing my various WIPs for the tough times that lie before them out in the world. By the end of this year, I think I'll have a better idea of whether my destiny is to be a writer who supplements his income working on databases, or a system admin who dreams of being a butterfly writer.

But no matter how hard I scribbled over the last four months, I never once slacked off on the entertainment...

READING

I just finished Iain Pears' An Instance of the Fingerpost the other day and it's one of the best books I've ever been lucky enough to devour. A dense historical mystery that's right up there with The Name of the Rose. Four narrators, each recount a particular set of events that occurred in England in 1663 from their own perspective: one a liar; one insane; one obsessed and one besotted... but which is which?

The first story -- that of "a Venetian Gentleman" Marco da Cola is only mildly entertaining when you're reading it, but in the light of the stories that follow, it becomes more and more fascinating. The final tale packed quite an emotional punch for me too. A brilliant, brilliant book.

WATCHING

I've seen three fabulous programs over the last few weeks. They are...

The Fall -- the story of a serial killer in Belfast, hunted by a police inspector played by Gillian Anderson. If serial killer stories turn you off because they're utter crap, this one will change your mind. Beautifully acted and shot. Full of gripping and piteous scenes and always, always contrasting the lives of the two main characters.

I love, in particular, how the seemingly mild killer is threatened more than once by ex-terrorists and how they always leave these encounters confused and vaguely disturbed, as if part of them recognises a monster greater than they are. Fabulous writing here.

The Returned (Les Revenants) -- an extremely creepy French series about a small town where a number of dead people come back to life. They're not zombies; they're not ghosts. They seem to be fully alive except for a few quirks: they're always ravenously hungry; they don't sleep; they don't remember dying or realise that any time has passed since. The story follows each of these people and explores the disturbing consequences of their return.

The Americans -- In the 1980s, a pair of Russian sleeper agents pose as an average American couple. They pretend to be married, and in their utter dedication to the cause, they go so far as to have two children for the sake of their cover. Family life is tough for two people who weren't in love to begin with and, in the midst of secret missions and assassinations and all-out war with the FBI, cracks begin to appear in their relationship.

It could have been so corny, but it's beautifully done and great television.

TONIGHT

And tonight? Tonight, I'll be watching The Cabin in the Woods for the first time. Yes, I'm late to this particular party. I accept your scorn and revel in it...

OH

Oh! And I was out cycling. Here's a photo I took of a derelict house.