Gwenda, Author at Gwenda Bond

File Under, Wrongheaded

5 Comments / Books / By Gwenda / November 21, 2006

So, Slate’s book coverage has pretty much been dead to me since the inept savagery of Karen Joy Fowler’s The Jane Austen Book Club. If that hadn’t done it, I’m sure this would have.

Now comes the proud proclamation that Octavian Nothing actually sucks–really, we’ve all just been snowed. We like a good sermon, apparently. (Although she gets points for referencing Matt’s review.)

Or maybe such reactionary book coverage isn’t worth the pixels it’s printed in.

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VeronicaMarsTalk

10 Comments / TV Goodness / By Gwenda / November 21, 2006

This looks to be a good one, and judging by the title, we’re back to the Pi Sigs.

Lord of the Pi’s. Selma Rose (guest star Patricia Hearst), the wealthy grand-daughter of the founder of Hearst College and a member of the Hearst College Board of Trustees, mysteriously disappears the night before she is to cast a swing vote that will determine the fate of the Greek system on campus. Keith (Enrico Colantoni), with Veronica’s (Kristen Bell) help, is hired by Dean O’Dell (guest star Ed Begley, Jr., "Arrested Development") to investigate the disappearance. Meanwhile, Veronica has been rehired as a photographer at the Hearst Free Press, but she and Logan (Jason Dohring) fight over her involvement in the rape case. Percy Daggs III, Francis Capra, Ryan Hansen, Michael Muhney, Tina Majorino, Chris Lowell and Julie Gonzalo also star. Steve Gomer directed the episode written by Diane Ruggiero.

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Historical Secrecy

5 Comments / Books / By Gwenda / November 21, 2006

Diana Gill of Morrow/Eos hosts a roundtable of John Crowley, Tim Powers, Jeff Ford and James Morrow, talking about secret histories. Since Pynchon’s on everyone’s lips this week, here’s a relevant snippet from John Crowley:

Maybe you could distinguish between books that are about secret histories (like The Crying of Lot 49) and secret histories themselves. What Pynchon got was that we’d rather be titillated by the possibility of the secret history than to hear it explicated. A wonderful new book out now explicates the many variants on Hollow Earth stories–from Ignatius Donnelly to Edgar Rice Burroughs and beyond. I’d say that the Hollow Earth story is about as perfect a paradigm of an actual secret history as Pynchon’s is the paradigm about one. Of course I attempted a combo or trifecta in the Aegypt series, about, embodying, and losing a secret history. (Note: I said attempted.)

Read the whole thing. And, apparently, there are more installments to come, which makes me very happy.

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Tuesday Hangovers

1 Comment / Hangovers / By Gwenda / November 21, 2006

The email is vanquished. If you didn’t get a response to something and you should’ve, send me another email. I found at least a couple of legitimate ones in the spam files and suspect a few more got nuked to the archive by my overzealous clicking. Also, now send me new messages! I have practically no email! And I vow to keep up with it from now on!
Small Beer Press has newsiness galore, including the goods on their 2007 books (Liz Hand! John Crowley! Laurie Marks! The Interstitial Anthology! Pre-order now!) and the new, 10th anniversary issue of Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet (with a new, slightly ricin-obsessed advice column by yours dearly).
A cold finds the Cinetrix doing that voodoo that she do do so well, dishing up the commentary on some recent films: Borat, The Science of Sleep and Brick.
Justine explains point of view.
CNN has the truth about happiness (ahem). And, of course, they provide the salary cap because how can you calculate happiness without talking moolah? The question’s only half-sarcastic; you can only half discuss it without going there or relying on platitudes. But, still, I prefer Gretchen at the Happiness Project’s approach.
Matt Cheney’s Holiday Book Picks — I agree with all of these (except the fourish I haven’t read yet).
Dave Moles does the Science Fiction Book Club list. (I thought about trying to come up with less sinister phrasing, but am too tired.)
I’m actually really looking forward to the Peter Pan sequel, Peter Pan in Scarlet, after reading this review. It sounds fab.
James Bond and cryptozoology.
And, finally, damn interesting. (Via La Gringa.)

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Heroes Yammer

12 Comments / TV Goodness / By Gwenda / November 20, 2006

And tonight’s episode is:

Homecoming. As H.R.G. (Jack Coleman) tries to protect his daughter by any means, Claire’s (Hayden Panettiere) high school homecoming turns into a frightening night. Meanwhile, Nathan (Adrian Pasdar) and Simone (Tawny Cypress) work together to find Isaac’s (Santiago Cabrera) painting for Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) — but this key to the future could lead to tragedy. Elsewhere, Hiro (Masi Oka) travels back in time to right an upsetting wrong and as Niki (Ali Larter) puts a goal in sight, Micah (Noah Gray-Cabey) spends time with his dad (Leonard Roberts). Still experiencing strange dreams while in India, Suresh (Sendhil Ramamurthy) learns of a boy that might pull him back into his father’s research. Greg Grunberg also stars. Nora Zehetner ("Everwood"), Sakina Jaffery ("Third Watch") and Jayma Mays ("Entourage") guest-star.

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Whoosh

6 Comments / Nattering / By Gwenda / November 19, 2006

And there went the weekend. No email answered (really, those two don’t count). Family seen (lovely) and a little writing done (whew). But I really do want to get all caught up on the correspondence before the houseguests arrive for Thanksgiving (YAY!).

(TV* sidenotes: Is it just me or is the new bad guy on House reminscent of Road House? Also, my favorite parts of Bones are when Bones and Boreanaz bicker in the car — who said car chatter is always dull?)

*It is my favorite procrastination tool. Besides, y’know, life, which hardly feels like procrastination.

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Friday Hangovers

1 Comment / Hangovers / By Gwenda / November 17, 2006

Possibly have avoided getting sick. Weekend plans: Write more words on book; see family; catch up on email (months and months worth).
Joe Schreiber’s Scary Parent blog is really and truly wonderful. You should check it out. Start with a description of Emotional Mapquest ("From CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM go approximately 10.5 miles thinking about the day’s obligations until you arrive at CREEPING APPREHENSION."), the scary story of the Ghost Sea, and the cutest picture ever of a child in a sinkhole reading Holes (!).
Max delves into the frightening world of Barnes & Noble’s quarterly earnings conference call so you don’t have to.
Ann Fernham nails the "where do books come from?" issue with aplomb worthy of a nailologist.
Terri Windling on an exhibition of drawings by Lord Leighton on display in London.
Mr. McLaren on hangovers, and how (one hopes) they get less frequent as you get older and wiser. I remember one morning after a particular St. Pat’s when Chris looked at me and said, "My mouth feels like a sock." Now that’s a hangover.
Scott at Slush Pile recommends John Lange’s Grave Descend.
Lots of Ugly Betty love at The Watcher.

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One Song: “In Our Talons”

1 Comment / Musical / By Gwenda / November 17, 2006

"In Our Talons," Bowerbirds – This is an amazing, small epic of a song that puts together a chirping, first-contact-gone-wrong narrative for me, but might do something completely different for you. It’s breathtakingly lovely at times. And there’s accordion. "Oh my cousins, you’re not alone…" It makes things feel bright and vital and precarious. (Via the ever-brilliant Said the Gramophone, where Sean as usual writes oh so well about it.) This may just be my new favorite North Carolina band (okay, at least among my favorite N.C. bands).

Download Bowerbirds_In_Our_Talons.mp3

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Thursday Hangovers

Hangovers / By Gwenda / November 16, 2006

As C gets better, I appear to be fighting off getting sick. Or maybe I’m just sleepy. That’s the ticket.
Go read the fabulous Literaticat’s interview with Tobin Anderson on the occasion of his now being a National Book Award winner.
See also Sarah Weinman’s interview with Richard Powers, and her thoughts on the ceremony.
Webster’s Daily explores the poetry of the definitions in the first edition of Webster’s, with a new entry each day. I love this.
Cecil’s play Westward Expansion gets a nice review in the LA Weekly. It sounds fab; LA-ians, go see!
Pinky has the goods on The Burnside Review’s first fiction contest, which is being judged by Glen David Gold.
DeVry University online is looking for someone to fill an adjunct position teaching an undergrad science fiction lit course. There are some background requirements.
Matt Cheney is the best, and this is why.

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The World is (sometimes) Just

1 Comment / Books / By Gwenda / November 16, 2006

M.T. Anderson won for Octavian Nothing!

Now, please, everybody read this book immediately. It’s that good, quite possibly the book of the year, period.

And yay for Richard Powers’ The Echo Maker. Read that one too.

A very good year at the National Book Awards.

p.s. The AP article contains a snippet of Anderson’s acceptance: Anderson, the young people’s literature winner, also cited the indulgence of his publisher, Candlewick Press. He thanked Candlewick for taking on a long and unusual book by a "neurotic who rarely leaves his house or gets dressed."

p.p.s. True junkies can see the ceremony on CSpan Book TV this weekend, at 10 p.m. Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday.

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