Hayden and I are still waiting for our visas to go through--we hope to know the complete story later today. It appears that the road to France may be long and filled with detours. Worst-case scenario? 6 more weeks in the states. We're debating between staying here in Boston, or moving to another UbiSoft office for a few weeks (either North Carolina or Montreal). The only upside to all of this mess, as far as I can see, is that we may miss most of the cold weather in France.
Hayden has established a temporary office at the Brookline Public Library, one of the nicest libraries I've ever seen. I've been making my way through the new releases section. As I have plenty of time on my hands, I thought I'd start posting a few brief book reviews, in case you're looking for something new to read.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell: I'm sure you've all seen the glowing advance reviews for this title, as well as the more reserved post-publication ones. I actually did like this book, but it's nothing like what I expected. Think Jane Austen + Harry Potter. The action is limited, space instead dedicated to character development, society, and minor quibbles. A comedy of manners with a twist. Only read this if you read quickly or have a long plane flight--it's 800+ pages, and as I mentioned, not a lot happens.
Fables V.4: The latest trade paperback of this Vertigo series just came out--more of the same inventive characters, impressive art, and surprisingly literary storytelling. I don't even like comic books very much, but this is a great place to start (second, in my opinion, only to Y The Last Man).
Alive: Hayden's dad seems to share my passion for end-of-the-world and survival literature. I started with Into the Wild, which is notable but not as interesting as Kraukower's (sp?) later works. Alive, on the other hand, is everything I hoped for and so much more. Dramatic plane crash, fascinating cast of characters, truly impressive handling of a difficult subject. Yes, they ate the bodies of their fellow passengers, but there's no doubt in my mind after reading this book that you would too. I cried throughout the last two chapters, which doesn't happen very often.
Bergdorf Blondes: I'm embarrassed too admit that I read this, but it was a good vacation read. Trashy but entertaining.
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