Book thirty-six of 2019: How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back, by Diana Rowland. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
These continue to be fun, as the world and the conspiracies grow in scope. Some things have improved, but some continue to go downhill….
BHOF, not BOFH
Odd/amusing side effect of having been interested in geeky things for decades, and also having a number of friends and acquaintances in the local burlesque scene:
Though greatly separated both temporally and contextually, about half the time I see someone post about the BHOF (Burlesque Hall of Fame), my brain first sees BOFH (Bastard Operator From Hell) and takes a brief moment to recalibrate.
Status check: I’m now 20% of the way through my project of reading (or re-reading, for those I’ve read before) every Hugo Best Novel award-winning book. 📚
Book thirty-five of 2019: Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1960 Hugo Best Novel
Finally, a Heinlein Hugo winner I enjoyed! He still has issues with women’s roles, and I’m not on board with all the political philosophy, but it’s still a good read.
Book thirty-four of 2019: Sex Machine, edited by Amanda Lafrenais. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The latest in the Smut Peddler series of erotic comic anthologies, which are always entertaining. If you’re into stories about getting it on with artificial beings, this is for you!
Book thirty-three of 2019: A Case of Conscience, by James Blish. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1959 Hugo Best Novel
Kept my interest, though I’ve read other SF dealing with the intersection of religion and SF that I enjoyed more. Almost two separate stories; the first section was the better.
Sad to see the news that Tim Conway has died. He was always an incredibly funny man, and this has long been my favorite outtake from the Carol Burnett Show. If you’ve never seen this, you’re in for a treat; if you have seen it, it’s worth watching again.
Hear what a genderless AI voice sounds like—and consider why it matters. This is really neat, both in the science of how it was created, and in its potential for broader applicability if the companies behind voice assistants adopt it.
The rust upon
the roof of tin
shall see your heart
and know your sin.
(I absolutely love this.)
Science Fiction/Fantasy readers, writers, and editors: Which do you consider to be the top SF/F awards? Mike Glyer of File 770 would like to know and is running a poll; you can vote for up to six.
My (unordered) picks: Hugo, Locus, Nebula, PK Dick, World Fantasy, Bram Stoker.
5/13/19 Update: Here’s the results.