rain, tornado, rain

[gurdonark]

An April storm blew through yesterday. A tornado touched down forty five minutes' drive away in Fort Worth, and another grazed ground in half-hour-drive distant Arlington. Up in Allen, where we live, we just got heavy rain and the great visuals of a major lightning storm to our east. This is pretty much seasonal weather, and apparently nobody was hurt as far I know, but the local network affiliates stopped their evening programming as if this were the first sign of the Apocalypse. I'm not knocking the programming choice, or suggesting that they shouldn't cover it, but I was glad that I could flip between "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Smallville".

I need a good, solid read. I've got a few sci fis I got at the dollar store, which should be a good
way to spend to a few hours. I need more.
I need a good series--a Forsyte saga, a Strangers and Brothers, a Parade's End, a Barchester series. My favorite books are neither "high concept, high art"
cutting edge novels, nor "Mr. President, they've got one of our subs; not just any sub, it's a
Geo Metro 1.2 Liter!" action adventures. I like a good old fashioned "good intelligent read" bit of middlebrow long fiction. I am tempted to fashion an on line prayer about being granted the grace to find literature which fits my particular stick in the mud reading habits, but it just seems too "cute" to phrase it that way. Perhaps I can mangle a poem or Shakespeare instead...to read,
perchance to dream, of a well-plotted 10 to 12 volumes...

Comments

bad weather

[(Anonymous)]

They go ballistic about bad weather up here in Oklahoma too. There's an entire subculture of people who make it their avocation to ride around during bad weather tracking every interesting looking cloud. I find the bad weather fascinating though; I always enjoy watching lightning if I can get to a safe place to watch it.


I've encountered some interesting science-fiction/fantasy stuff in the "young adult" section of things since my kids are getting older and reading now. It may not be up to your standards but it would be quick to find out. Phillip Pullman is one such author of that stuff

Re: bad weather

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I'll have to see if the local library has Phillip Pullman.

I think of Tulsa as more a tornado alley than here; maybe that justifies a bit more coverage.

[mouchette.livejournal.com]

Actually on UK t.v. BBC2 is running a new 'Forsyte Saga' series. It's really good ... I think I'm in love with the main actress ...

Did you ever read Musil's 'The Man Without Qualities?' It's not such a 'gripper' but it's a completely sustained read.

Or a good long book, Thomas Mann's 'The Magic Mountain.' I loved that.

Hello fellow postcardxer!

[geekturtle.livejournal.com]

It's very interesting reading your profile. You sound so much like my husband. I would never guessed you are an attorney. "Hus" as I affectionaly call him is an attorney and an avid reader. He loves sci fi but nothing as you put "high art or concept" did I get that right heheeh

Have you read the "Thomas Covenant Series". I forget how many there are. I remember picking them up ages ago and actually really enjoying the read. I am not the sci fi fan he is.

Anyway, I have dictation to type, a yellow page ad to design AND it's my turn to cook dinner. I hate cooking, don't mind baking. Is that your nick name on postcardx too. I will look for you and send you some of my mail art.

sincerely,
turtlegrrl(it was taken on here so I am the superhero......geekturtle)

Re: Hello fellow postcardxer!

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Hi--

I read the Thomas Covenant series some years ago, and really enjoyed it. Some sci fi/fantasy series grate on me after a few volumes, because I get bored of the kinda "trite" modes of speaking which some authors allow their characters to fall into as a substitute for writing a character....one series in particular
featured a slew of characters who tried to Gimli the Dwarf type jokes about the joys of slaying, which did not work for me at all. I don't why that stuff doesn't bother me in Tolkien, but does elsewhere.

So your husband is an attorney as well?
We're a plague of locusts, I'm afraid.
Although, frankly, I don't see attorneys as locusts. I just see us as a part of the way things work. I got out of law school 18 years come next month. It's been an interesting career--quite stressful, but what isn't?
I used to imagine that being a librarian, for example, would be less stressful, but here on livejournal the librarians seem to have just as much to worry about.

I'm Gurdonark on postcardx, as well as my "real name". I'll have to look you up on postcardx and send one of my artistically amateur but
extremely earnest cards over....nice to hear from you.