Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
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For Tinseltown you mean? What is the right frame of mind? I have it but h..."
Patient and light hearted. :-)
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The Don in the books is tough, capable, resourceful -- a strong, mature man and a very good PI. The Don in the movies feels much younger, much more emotional, much less tough and resilient.
Lana wrote: "Charlinda wrote: "I'm reading Touch & Geaux! :DThis is perfect. It's Cesar Chavez day so I have no classes. I can lounge around and read this all day."
I'm envious!!! You ordered the paperback, r..."
I don't know what's going on but I'm thinking since I pre ordered it on Riptide I was able to download it today.
Tharayn wrote: "Josh wrote: "The Don in the movies feels much younger, much more emotional, much less tough and resilient. "And Timmy like a stupid hysterical little wreck *cough*."
Hm... I will wait with the movies then... I don't want to see them differently just yet :-)
Preorder link for everything Rifter, including Book Three:http://www.blindeyebooks.com/rifter/
I've just preordered it.
Becky wrote: "Becky (Fibrobabe) | 1048 comments I've only read the first Strachey book so far, and I found it tough going. A book written in and set during the late 70s/early 80s in the gay community is very different from a book written 30 years later. Knowing that the danger and police harassment was, and in some places probably still is, a daily thing is one thing, experiencing it through the eyes of a character is something else."I had a similar reaction you did when I read The Gay Haunt (1970) a couple of years ago. The trick is to put yourself in the right frame of mind and time period.
I just finished reading Death Trick and quite enjoyed it. The flavor is different from the later books and the movies, but it's interesting to see how much has changed in those 30 years.
Charlinda wrote: "@RiptideBooks: Well, it's leaked by now & the site's still standing, so... Touch & Geaux is now available for download onsite only! http://t.co/HEZHfvLWiF"Riptide made Touch and Geaux available early as an incentive to get people to vote for Abi vs Nalini Singh on Dabwaha. That's why you can get it now.
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This is one of the paperbacks I had been saving for my vacation and then I didn't have time to read it.
I'm definitely interested in hearing how you liked it! :) "
I finished today (day off). I've really liked these books, but have to be in a mood that tolerates Kevin's manic internal monologues. I have enjoyed the series. Sherman creates quite an ensemble group, some I want to hug, some I want to slap, some I want to do both, in varying orders. Sherman dances along that delicate balance between pushing it and too much. I mean too much high/low humor, coincidence, and trouble that one small guy with a heart of gold and a strong libido can get himself into and out of. It works for me somehow, even as I suspend disbelief (but I want to believe!) for the over the top resolutions in this one. Definitely worth a read.
Karen wrote: "Sherman creates quite an ensemble group.."I LOVE Kevin's mom! LOVE her! The second book was just hilarious.
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Thanks, Candice. I read the excerpt and bought it. Did some shopping today and I'm still deciding where to start reading, but I definitely let you know how it goes.
Joe wrote: "Josh wrote: "They are Power Readers in this group! "I totally read that as power ups, I've got gaming on the mind.
In regards to the Strachey books, should you read them in order?"
So far with this series i'm glad i read them in order, you get to know the characters better, but the mysteries are independent.
Soooo your reading along, happily enjoying where the book wants to take you... and then you see it up ahead. All of a sudden your heart clenches. You want to stop; you want to avoid it... anything to get out of it.
The big misunderstanding! Nnnnooooooooooooo!!!!!!!
Lou wrote: "Oh noes!"In self defense I must armor myself with good writing. I am going to dig out my current knitting project and plug back into my All She Wrote audiobook.
Whew. Crisis averted, or at least differed (if I pick that book back up again).
I wonder. Has Nichole done a Binky essay on The Big Misunderstanding? :)
OK OK DR. Binky! I liked poor TSTL Binky. That one was hilarious.
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Close: The Plot Zombie. http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/201...
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Thank you for your post, Karen. I loved your description above! That's so spot on!!! :-)
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http://www.blindeyebooks.com/rifter/
I've just preordered it."
Me too. Thanks for posting the link, Antonella. :-)
Johanna wrote: "Antonella wrote: "Preorder link for everything Rifter, including Book Three:http://www.blindeyebooks.com/rifter/
I've just preordered it."
Me too. Thanks for posting the link, Antonella. :-)"
You are welcome. I've just found out they are losing money by shipping it to Europe, so the least I can do is a bit of advertising...
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Oh, really? I'm happy to pay extra, so they won't lose any money. *runs to Ginn and Nicole*
Karen wrote: "Susinok wrote: "I wonder. Has Nichole done a Binky essay on The Big Misunderstanding? :) "Close: The Plot Zombie. http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/201......"
Yes, I loved The Plot Zombie! That one was great, as always.
Ok, I am in H&M bliss, sad but happy, still only on Chapter 8.
Susinok wrote: "Lou wrote: "Oh noes!"In self defense I must armor myself with good writing. I am going to dig out my current knitting project and plug back into my All She Wrote audiobook.
Whew. Crisis averted..."
Sounds like a very good crisis aversion strategy :)
I can't stand the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING... i find it so frustrating.
What is your knitting project? i was listening yesterday to CUTYS and knitting a hat with owls :)
"... knitting a hat with owls :)" ???This I have to see! Is the pattern on Ravelry?
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Aaaww... owls... for some reason I find this extremely appropriate! :-)
KC wrote: " was listening yesterday to CUTYS and knitting a hat with owls :)"When I hear CUTYS, all I think of are little tangerines. What is CUTYS?
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When I hear CUTYS, all I think of are little tangerines. What is CUTYS?"
LOL! It's Josh's Come Unto These Yellow Sands. :-)
Oh, ok... LOL, still, little tangerines are probably as delicious as Come Unto These Yellow Sands!
Hj wrote: ""... knitting a hat with owls :)" ???This I have to see! Is the pattern on Ravelry?"
Yes, probably, ... do you want me to send you the pattern?
Johanna wrote: "KC wrote: " was listening yesterday to CUTYS and knitting a hat with owls :)"Aaaww... owls... for some reason I find this extremely appropriate! :-)"
:-)
Joe wrote: "Oh, ok... LOL, still, little tangerines are probably as delicious as Come Unto These Yellow Sands!"Hard to decide, isn't it? ;-)
KC wrote: "Sounds like a very good crisis aversion strategy :)I can't stand the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING... i find it so frustrating.
What is your knitting project? i was listening yesterday to CUTYS and knitting a hat with owls :) "
I am knitting a shawl with very yummy merino/cashmere/silk blend yarn. It's a simple pattern and I'm still in the easy part before the design begins. But I'm getting closer to the interesting bits of knitting.
I'm almost done with All She Wrote. I had a lot of report time at work today.
I've just bought Sex, Drag, and Male Roles: Investigating Gender as Performance from the author, Diane Torr. She was attending the showing of movie ''Man For a Day''* and will give a workshop - for men and women at the same time - starting tomorrow at the University of St. Gall.I don't know about the book, but the movie was absolutely interesting to say the least. And I liked Diane Torr as a person.
Please notice that the idea is not to imitate a man for a day (and viceversa), or to perpetuate stereotypes and binary roles, but to experience how are we perceived from others. The participants to the workshop are encouraged to go out, observe the male postures and create a character to impersonate.
Diane Torr's idea is that gender is constructed. We can deconstruct it, play with it or just be aware of it.
For ex. do you notice that as woman you tend to speak low? Or to say ''sorry'' a lot, even when it isn't necessary? Ot that men tend to occupy space?
*see a critic here
Susinok wrote: "KC wrote: "Sounds like a very good crisis aversion strategy :)I can't stand the BIG MISUNDERSTANDING... i find it so frustrating.
What is your knitting project? i was listening yesterday to CUTYS ..."
I like the merino blends, very easy to work with and pretty and soft.
I'm almost in the middle of the CUTYS audio, i don't want it to end...
Afterwards, looking fw to All she wrote :-)
Tharayn wrote: "Well that idea isn't very new"I know, but I never heard of anybody doing something concrete like these workshops instead of writing books on the subject.
Oh, yes, but I look at gender every day with a very specific eye. I had a "funny" situation recently where a drunk man got extremely threatening - apparently he thought I was looking at his girlfriend (I wasn't really, she wasn't my type), and so he gets extremely loud and abusive and promises me physical violence. And I thought, damn, today is the first day I feel weird "passing" to a drunk asshole on the train. Men are immediately perceived as threats by men, whereas women aren't.
except if she perceived another woman as checking out her boyfriend - plenty of women feel threatened by this and act on it.
i rush to add i am not one of them
Yeah, but she wouldn't have threatened to beat me up, I don't think. (Also, she was way smaller. I'm pretty tall and have been called "physically imposing", so here aren't many British women who aren't boxers, athletes or martial artists that I would feel physically threatened by. I also tend to use Aikido to subdue violent women. Now, violent drunk men ARE scary. Mostly because Aikido works, but I'm not sure I can remember how to break bones, so "managing" the threat level is a different game. Not saying that women aren't vicious fighters at times.)
Aleksandr wrote: "Men are immediately perceived as threats by men, whereas women aren't."Threats to their masculinity.
Whereas men are immediately perceived as threats by women, mainly threats to their bodily integrity: if I'm walking at night in a desert street, I hear someone behind me and I see it is a woman I can relax.
Antonella - Exactly. And I'm short-haired and was wearing a pin-striped suit and a big black woolen coat, and the guy could only see me from the corner of his eye. So, yes, "passing" achieved, but wow, I spent the whole train ride plotting out how to break him without getting hurt, hurting other passengers or doing too much damage. Drunks are scary, their reflexes/responses are different.
Another interesting thing - when I studied criminology, we studied "victimology" (what is a victim, how was the victim chosen, what is the composition of the victim population by race, age, gender for any given crime.) So we were specifically told how not to "look" like a victim. High heels create a "helpless" gait, for example, and worse if you're drunk. It's not at all about the sexism of "She wore heels, she DESERVED IT", it was about how seeing a person in high heels walk triggers the "oh, victim!" circuit in a brain that's LOOKING for a victim. Being small, slight, walking in an insecure, slow way, and drunk/drugged ticks most boxes. It's why self-defense classes teach you to "square up" - it radiates confidence, protects you, shoulders are down (not rounded), hands are open and slightly lifted (a little curled if you like, I prefer mine open, Aikido-style), and you stay light on your feet. I'm lucky in how tall and broad-shouldered I am - I'm very rarely coded as "victim". And I think gender plays into it all. Women are trained/socialised to behave in a way that's "girlish"/"immature" and, sadly, then pressed the "victim" button. Which is horrid on so many levels.
Aleksandr wrote: "Drunks are scary, their reflexes/responses are different."Absolutely. When there is snow I'm unhappy to have to take a train instead of my bike to go home from the city center because sometimes I meet youths who already had enough to drink...
Antonella - In the UK, getting horrifically drunk is the national pasttime, and I'm not joking (much). Essentially, on weekends, the streets belong to drunks, while non-party people (oh us, the non-"fun-loving kind") stay home and out of trouble. Having seen drunk and rabid hordes of teenagers even in my area (which is a rich surburban part of Greater London) I understood for the first time in my life the inspiration of Clockwork Orange. The streets are pretty much out of control, and most people seem to accept it. Drunks are never challenged on trains and people make excuses for them.I grew up in a "socially deprived" part of Germany (post-industrial wasteland, with the fifth highest crime rate in Germany) and have never felt so insecure/threatened on the streets as in the UK. I can navigate that, but I'm also fit enough to either run or fight (and there are MANY easier victims out there). It's quite sobering.
Aleksandr wrote: "Another interesting thing - when I studied criminology, we studied "victimology" (what is a victim, how was the victim chosen, what is the composition of the victim population by race, age, gender ..."I always try to do the square up thing (what's helped me a lot there is doing a bit of training in natural horsemanship a few years back, where you have to use your body language alone to convey to horses what they're supposed to do - it's amazing how aware of body posture and its expressive value you become) - not only when walking home alone, but especially in professional areas, e.g., when I'm giving talks, defend my opinion, present my data, etc. A lot of (particularly female) students/budding scientists that I've seen make the mistake of showing their insecurity in their body posture - which leads to people inadvertently thinking that their lower confidence is based on lower competence. Huge mistake.
When I'm walking home alone at night, though, I usually think that I can square up all I want - I'm still 5' 2'' and weigh less than 115 lbs. Objectively speaking, I AM a pretty easy target.
Uh, I shouldn't complain about Switzerland... I can come home at 2 o' clock without feeling unquiet. And the thing with the youths in the train is just unpleasant, but for sure not a threat.
Antonella wrote: "Uh, I shouldn't complain about Switzerland... I can come home at 2 o' clock without feeling unquiet. And the thing with the youths in the train is just unpleasant, but for sure not a threat."
It very much depends where exactly you are, here. In the parts of Hamburg I've lived (or I've visited) coming home late is usually not a problem - there always enough people outside, anyway, which gives some sense of security. Underground stations are something completely different, though, those can be pretty uncomfortable. And there are some parts of the city where I'd rather not go at night.
Katharina - Yep to the body language! Still, a confident (purposeful) gait helps, too. It's crazy how these decision processes run. As an example, burglars won't break into your house if your neighbour's house is "easier". So the goal is to not be the "easy" house on the street. Which can be achieved with some stupid tricks, like a fence or just different-coloured pavement that signifies a boundary around the house, even if its value as a REAL obstacle is nil). In terms of gender, what's really interesting is voice pitch. British women, by and large, speak with a much higher pitch than I'm used from, say, German women. To my ear, again, that sounds "immature/girlish". And I've caught myself assuming that means that they are stupid/immature. Which is amusing when a super-girly, squeaky financial journalist hands you your ass. :)
Aleksandr wrote: "Katharina - Yep to the body language! Still, a confident (purposeful) gait helps, too."Yes, that, the "squaring up", defusing and so on: I've learned them in self-defense classes for women which I warmly recommend: http://www.wendo.ca/home.php.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
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Of the first three that i read so far, i liked Death trick and Ice blues b..."
Me too :-)