Sunday 9 January 2011

The Weeping Angels


Although you probably won't encounter any of these ancient aliens, I wanted to write about them anyway, and you'll be prepared if for some strange reason you do.
Weeping Angels. The Lonely Assassins.

But they're not weeping. They're quantum locked, which means that when you observe them, they simply cease to exist. They cover their eyes because if they see each other, they're frozen in place as statues for all eternity, unable to blink, unable to look away. Their greatest asset is their greatest weakness. If they touch you, you go back in time to live yourself to death, while they feast off your lost days. But if you look at them, they're stone. To use the words of the Doctor, "And stone can't kill you. But then you look away, and oh yes it can."

So don't blink.

The Doctor: Listen—your life could depend on this—don't blink. Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you could believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink. Good luck.

(Seen in Doctor Who episodes Blink, The Time of Angels, and Flesh and Stone)
 

Sunday 2 January 2011

Books of 2010

How many books read in 2010?
I didn't keep track exactly...but over two hundred.

How many fiction and non fiction?
Mainly fiction, but I read non fiction too.

Male/Female author ratio?
About half and half.

Favourite book of 2010?
Definitely the hardest question! Probably The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver, Unwind by Neal Shusterman, and Maximum Ride by James Patterson.

Least favourite?
That would have to be Pride and Prejudice.




Newest?
Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, and The Lost Hero by Rick Riodan.

Longest and shortest books?
 Les Miserables was the longest, and the shortest was Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

 How many books from the library?
The majority was from the library.

Any translated books?
Les Miserables and most of the Tsubasa manga series.

Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author?
Probably Kathryn Lasky when I read The Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Wolves of the Beyond: Lone Wolf, and Chasing Orion.

Any re-reads?
I re-read some of The Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Lord of the Rings, Inkheart, Harry Potter, and many others.

Favourite character of the year?
I don't know....that's too hard.

Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?
Italy, England, and many others as well as different planets and worlds.

Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation?
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

Which author was new to you in 2010 that you now want to read the entire works of?
A lot, but the only two I can think of are Scott Westerfeld and Neal Shusterman.

Which books are you annoyed you didn’t read?
Shadow Wolf, the sequel to Lone Wolf. I read it on the first of January.


What books are you planning to read in 2011? 
Dune, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Xenocide, and many others.