I don't think about directors much. If I were a true cinephile, then not only would I be knowledgeable about directors, but probably also cinematographers and even editors. Since I am only at best a dilettante, however, I mostly think about movies in the context of what is directly visible on screen. Joel and Ethan … Continue reading The Peculiar Greatness of the Coens
Tag: books
Stream? More like a trickle.
Sometimes people say to me, "Bob". "Bob", they say to me. "Bob, why do you get DVDs from Netflix instead of streaming movies?" The short and simple answer is that Netflix doesn't, by and large, stream the movies I want to see. My DVD queue tends to hover around the maximum number of 500, and … Continue reading Stream? More like a trickle.
Really, OED? Really?
The word is fine; I learned first from reading Patrick O'Brian's marvelous novels. What really gets under my skin is that the OED is citing Twitter for usage. Okay, it's the internet era, but Twitter? Really? We're all on a bobsled to Gehenna, friends.ahoo, adv. and adj.A. adv.†1. Unjustly, wrongfully; in error. Cf. mid or with … Continue reading Really, OED? Really?
Forget the Definition
The real gem here is one of the sources referenced for usage. I enjoy knowing that there's a book out there that was written with this title.aheight, adv.Now Eng. regional (north-east.) At or to a height; above, aloft.1969 S. Dobson Larn Yersel Geordie 25 He up wi' 'is deppity's stick hoyin' it reet up ahight.
Mixing Up Metaphors About Muggles
If you don't want to read the Harry Potter books, I think it's fine. (I only read them to check on their suitability for my children.) But if you haven't read a book, you probably ought not to make part of it the central metaphor of your unrelated opinion piece. You run the risk of … Continue reading Mixing Up Metaphors About Muggles
Authorial Chutzpah
It seems like Patrick Rothfuss and George RR Martin have a one-upsmanship fight going about how badly they can abuse their fans without alienating them all.George: I can make them wait more than 6 years for a book.Pat: I can make them wait more than 7.G: I can make them wait more than 20 years … Continue reading Authorial Chutzpah
The Pothunters: Review
It's probably a misnomer to call this a review. That I would be able to properly review anything is unlikely having neither the expertise, experience, or inclination to do it right. With that disclaimer out of the way, onward!The biggest problem with The Pothunters is that it's rather disjointed. There are a few plotlines and they … Continue reading The Pothunters: Review
The Pothunters
First up on the tour through the works of PG Wodehouse is The Pothunters. This was originally published in 1902, according to the information on the copyright page. Before it was a book, however, it was first published as a serial in Public School Magazine in January-March of the same year. This is one that I've … Continue reading The Pothunters
Just Like for Grown-Ups!
So, while you may have noticed that I have a widget there to the right (left, if you're facing away from the screen) which rotates through a sample of my books catalogued over at LibraryThing, if you'd rather peruse them in a way that feels more like a library's online catalogue (and who wouldn't, really?) … Continue reading Just Like for Grown-Ups!
Sentiment not sentimentalism
It is inevitable that the decay of sentiment should be accompanied by a deterioration of human relationships, both those of the family and those of friendly association, because the passion for immediacy concentrates upon the presently advantageous. After all, there is nothing but sentiment to bind us to the very old or to the very … Continue reading Sentiment not sentimentalism
Neh 