Octarine

A move is afoot to name one of the four new elements to the periodic table Octarine, in honor of Terry Pratchett.  I support this effort.

 

Terry Pratchett

His final book is to be released.  I wish it had been another Moist Von Lipwig book, but just glad to have one more in the series.

A bit more on the passing of Sir Terry Pratchett

A nice blog post with a funny video of Neil Gaiman talking about Sir Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett

Sir Terry Pratchett has died.  Damn.

Book review: Going Postal by Sir Terry Pratchett (2005)

I just finished reading this book (Going Postal) for the third time.  Actually I’ve read it once and listened to it on CD twice.  This book, like all of Pratchett’s work just gets better and better with each reading.  For a review of Pratchett’s most recent books, see my review here. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Sir Terry Pratchett (he was knighted a year or two ago) then run, do not walk to the book store where you will find that he has written more than 3 dozen books, each of which is a pleasure to read.  He is the most gifted writer of our age, with an ability to turn a phrase and a command of the language that makes him a pleasure to read. 

In researching this post I found out that the book was made into a  TV movie last year.  The whole thing is on YouTube and I plan on watching it before it gets pulled down.

In addition to great writing, Sir Terry has an insight into human nature and the way things really work in the world that is amazing.  This makes it all the more interesting that his books are set in a made up fantasy world setting.

The book is about a con man being forced to take over the Postal System of a city and get it running again in the face of competition from the more modern “Clacks”. (A cross between a fax and telegraph-type system.)  Any attempt by me to actually describe the action in the book would be futile.  You just have to read this for yourself.  By all means, do so, immediately.

Book review: Unseen Academicals

Unseen Academicals is the latest in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series of books.  Sir Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors and one of the most talented storytellers/satarists writing today.  Each of his books is a pleasure to read, and in fact, to reread, since in rereading them you find great little nuggets that you missed the first time thru.

Mr. Pratchett was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.  I will admit that as I read this book, I kept and eye out looking to see if the disease had yet affected his ability to write.  I am happy to report that his storytelling skills are as sharp as ever.  The story itself is a send-up of British Premier League Football (Soccer).  I suspect that a few of the jokes and sly references made more sense if you are a Premier League fan.  However, even for the non-soccer fans out there, the book is a great story, well told.  I highly recommend it.

Random notes from the holidays

Northen Virginia ought to sue the Federal government for what the presence of DC and all the government workers has done to Northern Virginia.  The interstate system looks like someone threw a handfull of cooked spaghetti at a map of Northern Virginia and said, “We’ll put the interstates there!”

Compliments to the Country Inn and Suites in Beckley WV.   Good hotel. Decent price. Friendly staff.

The Shennandoah Valley is the prettiest place on earth.  I got to drive thru it at night in a fog so thick, pea soup would have been envious.

Thank God the we are starting to get more daylight hours in each day.

Despite illness, got to reread Terry Pratchett’s  book Making Money. He is one of the few authors whose books I’ll reread.  That book ought to be required reading for Ron Paul and all the gold bugs out there.