Well, not quite a book report. I'm reporting that I am moving this book from my purse to my nightstand, where it won't get much attention. I'm still willing to finish it, but I'll tell you why it's not a priority anymore: I'm supposed to be posting science fiction reviews over at Worlds Unimagined and if there's one thing this paper brick isn't, it's science fiction.
Is it good? Yes. Stephenson knows how to hit me with just the right amount of hyperbole and get me awful close to honest-to-god ROFLing. That's a rare thing -- I'm a tough audience, when it comes to comedy.
It consists of a WWII-era storyline and a modern-day (late 90s) storyline. Of them, the WWII story is far more interesting IMO. I've been starting to skim the modern-day chapters, to be honest, because it's a bit murkier in its goals and challenges. Neither story, as of two-thirds of the way through the book, involves the slightest bit of science fiction. Which isn't bad in and of itself, it's just that my to-read pile is getting deep and I've got to keep moving.
Up next: Old Man's War.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Word Choice Wednesday: Parse
parse
Merriam-Webster says:
1 a: to resolve (as a sentence) into component parts of speech and describe them grammatically b: to describe grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection and syntactical relationships 2: to examine in a minute way : analyze critically
Value:
This is a five cent word, I think. Seems to me that it's had an upswing in popularity over the last few years (using the second definition) so it's not really a ten cent word anymore (if it ever was).
More specific than:
Sort, analyze, describe. For me, it's a combination of sorting and analyzing. I like the dictionary's use of resolve, but for me resolve includes images as in a sense of focusing and clarifying. Parse refers to assemblages of discrete items, usually words but this word seems to be spreading out into other situations. Parsing search results. Parsing complex flurries of emotion.
Word relationships:
I love this word. It's got mechanical, logical connotations, it's short and succinct, and it implies a bit of success, of domination of unruly things. Life dumps a mass of data onto you and you parse it into something usable. Arrange and sort definitely require moving things around physically, whereas parse is a mental function.
Catalog would be a similar verb. Index? Those also have strong relationships to texts, for me. A little more formality, maybe.
What comes to your mind?
Merriam-Webster says:
1 a: to resolve (as a sentence) into component parts of speech and describe them grammatically b: to describe grammatically by stating the part of speech and explaining the inflection and syntactical relationships 2: to examine in a minute way : analyze critically
Value:
This is a five cent word, I think. Seems to me that it's had an upswing in popularity over the last few years (using the second definition) so it's not really a ten cent word anymore (if it ever was).
More specific than:
Sort, analyze, describe. For me, it's a combination of sorting and analyzing. I like the dictionary's use of resolve, but for me resolve includes images as in a sense of focusing and clarifying. Parse refers to assemblages of discrete items, usually words but this word seems to be spreading out into other situations. Parsing search results. Parsing complex flurries of emotion.
Word relationships:
I love this word. It's got mechanical, logical connotations, it's short and succinct, and it implies a bit of success, of domination of unruly things. Life dumps a mass of data onto you and you parse it into something usable. Arrange and sort definitely require moving things around physically, whereas parse is a mental function.
Catalog would be a similar verb. Index? Those also have strong relationships to texts, for me. A little more formality, maybe.
What comes to your mind?
Monday, April 25, 2011
Memory prompts
Libby's post about two months of blogging reminded me that I'm getting close to three months (already!) and I still haven't posted any of my writing here. It's something I ought to do. I have some work posted on Absolute Write, but it's under the wrong name and not in a public thread.
So I will settle on a sample and post it here this week.
In other news, I'm working my way through that chunk of backstory -- "Nell's Last Stand" in my progress bars. Turned out even grimmer than I thought. No wonder my characters didn't want to talk about it.
ETA: Posted a sample and later took it down. Maybe I'll post another sample sometime.
So I will settle on a sample and post it here this week.
In other news, I'm working my way through that chunk of backstory -- "Nell's Last Stand" in my progress bars. Turned out even grimmer than I thought. No wonder my characters didn't want to talk about it.
ETA: Posted a sample and later took it down. Maybe I'll post another sample sometime.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Book Report: Write the Fight Right, by Alan Baxter
I've posted a review of the ebook Write the Fight Right over at Worlds Unimagined.
I'll be keeping this one on hand for reference the next time my characters get into a scrap, that's for sure.
I'll be keeping this one on hand for reference the next time my characters get into a scrap, that's for sure.
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