Reading vs performing

Jeremy Irons' reading of Lolita is really good. I wish more audiobooks would have actors as the narrator, because he is doing way more than just reading the text. It's a performance. Tone is so important, timing, enunciation--all these things can change the meaning of something so drastically.  I would be very picky about how …

Don’t tell me what I already know

There are two ways to reveal a surprise or secret you've been hinting at in a story. Well, I'm sure there's more than two but let's be black and white for a minute. There's a good way, and a bad way. There's a way that makes your reader smile and say 'ah, yes I suspected that' …

Obsession

Since the current thing I'm working on has a lot to do with obsession, I was recommended to read Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov. I got the audible version and so far am impressed by both the writing and the reading of it (narration by Jeremy Irons). It's always been interesting to me how people justify their …

Borne: why?

Finally finished this book, and I'm left with a lot of question. Mainly: what was the point? This post contains spoilers.   What was Borne's purpose? What was Morde's purpose? What was the magician trying to do, other than kill Morde? Was the whole story just an essay against scientific meddling? Borne, the most interesting …

Alien Covenant: why

There's a first time for everything, and I guess people who haven't seen any alien movies might find this interesting and exciting. But can you even make it into adulthood without being exposed to the xenomorph and the chest burster and face hugger? Is it going to be shocking or scary in the least to …