All of a sudden it seems like every second book coming out is either about zombies or superheroes.  Why do I have this feeling that these are two sides of the same coin?  That they are a response to some kind of uncertainty in our current political and economic climate, with one responding to our dread and the other our need for  hope and certainty.

I’m sitting in my living room, occasionally deriving an almost ridiculous amount of pleasure from my four foot tall lava lamp, and listening to some old Van Morrison on the stereo.  I had a friend, Gordon, visiting who’s been recommending some new stereo gear to me, and I’m seriously considering it.  I bought my current setup (a Rotel system with Lin speakers) about 12 years ago, and I’m feeling it might be time.  He’s recommending some Consonance cd players and amps, and I might go that way.  They’re bodaciously ugly, but he seems pretty confident. Of course he showed me these (http://www.supratek.biz/gallery.htm), which are cool, but aren’t in production any more, which is sad.  There are too few beautiful things in the world, to see something pass out of it.

What else? I’m going through a “Oh my god, don’t make me read science fiction” phase this past couple weeks.  Just seeing it makes me shudder, though I know this will turn around.  It always does.  It is, of course, convenient that this happened six weeks or so out from handing in the year’s best!  On that score, do you have a favorite 2008 story?  I have a bunch, but would like to hear yours.  On that score, I’m waiting for the new Interzone, which should be here any idea.  My pal Jetse told me it has a work of genius in it, and that’s plug enough for me.

Oh, and Margo’s Tender Morsels came in the mail today.  Yay!

That earlier portrait is pretty rough looking so, by way of compensation something a little more pleasant.  Herewith, young Jessica who chose to stand on one leg, for reasons best to known to her.

I fear I have been less than sociable of late.  We’ve started serious work on the new lounge room and, other than that, I’ve not felt much like chatting.  Read some good stories (including a very good one by Gregory Feeley in Otherworldly Maine called “Awskonomuk” which isn’t genre enough for the year’s best, but is well worth checking out), started Justine’s How to Ditch Your Fairy, and am enjoying that.  Went out to a Sean Williams’ bookstore appearance where we didn’t really get to catch up (which was fair enough) and heard a lot about Star Wars (which was fair enough too).   We have dinner tomorrow night, so that should be good.  And then a busy, busy weekend. I’m also beginning to think about returning to work, and Calgary.

Via catsparx: Take a picture of yourself right now. Don’t change your clothes. Don’t fix your hair. Just take a picture. Post that picture with no editing. (Except maybe to get the image size down to something reasonable. Don’t go posting an eight megapixel image.) Include these instructions.

I’m not reading enough at the moment.   I got the new multi-focal glasses just before heading off to the US and I feel like I’ve been reading less, not more, since then.  Still, I am pushing forward.  I’m reading Lou’s Fast Forward 2, which I’m enjoying, but being fickle am reading out of order.  Read the opening story, the middle story, and the last story: I’ll pick off the others during the week. I think Paolo Bacigalupi’s story is terrific, if not quite as strong as “Yellow Card Man” from a year or two back. I’m also dipping into Postscripts 15, which has a great Beth Bernobich story in it.  I also second all good things that have been said about Jeff VanderMeer’s and Margo Lanagan’s stories from Extraordinary Engines.  Excellent work.  This is a year for original anthologies, especially SF ones.

A while back I was thinking on my favorite new writers of the moment.  The person I’d pick for that position is Ken Scholes.  I read his first novel, Lamentation, earlier this year and loved it.  I’ve been reading his first collection, and owe him and his publisher a blurb (for which my apologies).  Just for you, dear Streeters, though I’ll tell you that it’s smart, savvy, poetic and the best damned thing you’re likely to pick up for less than twenty bucks any times soon.  Scholes can make words dance, and stories sing: it’s stunning that he’s only starting out.  I have his second novel on my Reader, but have been holding it back till I’ve finished other work before treating myself, but soon.

In other news which warms the cockles of this reader’s heart: whispers suggest Charlie Stross has started writing The Fuller Memorandum, the third Laundry novel.  We discussed the book over a few too many happy hour ales in Denver, and his enthusiasm for the book was infectious. I can’t wait till it’s done.  If it’s half as interesting as that conversation it’ll be something special.