beardonaut likes:
JPod, by Douglas Coupland. I finished this book a while back, and wanted to write something about it, but it just never happened. So here goes.
So far I've only read three of Coupland's novels, Microserfs, All Families are Psychotic and JPod, but I need to read more. Microserfs was good, Families was so-so, and JPod was great. Hilarious, well-written, exceptional characters, and with a nice meta-plot twist, since Coupland himself plays a minor part in the story.
My gut feeling is that you need to be at least partially a geek to appreciate JPod (and Microserfs) fully. There are geek references throughout, and most of the characters are geeks. However, since it is very well-written, anyone with an appreciation for witty contemporary literature should be able to appreciate it.
Now go read it.
beardonaut doesn't like:
Undisciplined dogs. Or rather, their owners. While walking home from the grocery store today, I met a woman with two dogs. I rarely pay attention to dogs, unless it's a pitbull straining at a leash held by a punk with too many heavy gold chains around his neck (wait, what am I saying? One heavy gold chain is too many...). So today I paid them no attention, and just walked on, headphones on, cut off from the world.
Until one of her dogs decided that whatever I had in my bag was of interest. Not like it bit me or anything, it just lunged at me and careened into me. The woman pulled it back from me, and started screaming at it.
Now, here was a person that obviosuly shouldn't own a dog at all. Why? Because she couldn't control it, and because she screamed at it.
I have no problem with dogs in general. My grandfather had dogs when I was younger, but they were well-behaved, well-trained dogs.
I could make all sorts of parallels here between dogs and children, but I won't. For now.
2 comments:
I hated JPod, but then my geek factor is probably pretty low. I just hated the fact that Coupland was part of the story. It's a stupid, boring book.
Even without the inclusion of Coupland as a character, it would have been great. With it, it became awesome. And I'm right *smile*
But then again, someone has to justify those fantasy fluff people writing, and I won't, so I guess we're both right. In a way. But mine's better ;)
Post a Comment