If I were a brilliant writer I’d have written this exact review. Thank goodness the brilliant writer who is John Scalzi, my favorite Scifi author in the galaxy, wrote this review of The Force Awakens so I didn’t have to.
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2015/12/18/my-non-spoilery-review-of-the-force-awakens/
And for Pete’s sake, follow this man and read his books!
Science fiction/fantasy is my favorite genre by far. Nothing thrills me like blasting into hyper space or exploring the terrain of a new world from the safety of my own home.
I just finished the novel, The Three-Body Problem by China’s premier science fiction author, Cixin Liu. I’d love to tell you I read it in the original Chinese, but I only know how to say, not spell, “thank you” in Mandarin. The Three-Body Problem was not light reading, at least not for me. There was all this math-y and science-y stuff. I’m trying to decide if I’m woman enough to tackle the sequels. Three-Body provides a spectacularly different view into Chinese culture, so after a brain break I’m sure I’ll return to the impending Trisolarus invasion.
Before Liu’s book, I’d immersed myself in the works of John Scalzi whose Old Man’s War series is a must read for scifi fans. Scalzi’s wit, I suspect, could make a rewriting of the U.S. Tax Code into a pleasurable evening of reading, and I recommend it to everyone, not just those into the genre.
Hugh Howey is another scifi writer I’ve become attached to. Not literally because Howey might have me arrested, but his Wool Omnibus is incredibly entertaining, and deals with intriguing social issues. If you suffer from claustrophobia, be warned. The characters don’t get out much.
Now anyone who’s still with me might wonder what in heaven’s name all this has to do with the post’s title, “Saving the Cowsills.” As a preteen one of my all-time best friends who I’ll call LA, and I were obsessed with brothers John and Barry Cowsill of the family singing group the Cowsills, upon whom The Partridge Family TV series was based.
We could tell you darned near anything you wanted to know about the brothers: Eye color, height, birth dates, likes, dislikes, etc. One of the highlights of our young lives was getting to meet our idols after a concert in Canyon, Texas.
At a recent reunion LA gave me a book entitled, I Think I Love You, and insisted that I read it. Sure, I said, thinking it was the last thing a scifi fangirl like me wanted to read, but after tackling The Three-Body Problem my brain truly needed a rest. I picked up LA’s book and dove in. And began giggling like a preteen schoolgirl.
Written by Allison Pearson, of I Don’t Know How She Does It fame, I Think I Love You perfectly captures the mindset of a young teenaged girl infatuated with a rock idol, in this case David Cassidy of The Partridge Family. The book’s heroine, Petra, is obsessed with David Cassidy, whom I’d always assumed was an amalgam of John and Barry Cowsill. Ah ha!
I’m not a particularly speedy reader, so I’m savoring the awkwardness and self-consciousness of Petra in something akin to a slow motion retro film. She’s me at 13. She’s pretty much every girl at 13, with the exception of those who somehow seemed to be in on the whole joke from the beginning.
I owe LA a big hug and a thank you for lending me I Think I Love You. It’s been more than a brain break. It’s been a refreshing swim in a pool of Cowsill-stocked memories. One thought goes out to my idol: John Cowsill, we’d have been so very good together.
I look forward to finding out just what becomes of Petra’s obsession with her hero. He’d best not disappoint her!
Peace, people!
Last night’s dream:
I trained for living on an alien world for many months (years?). Videos of a flooded, forested planet were studied in great detail. I was told our housing had been erected among the trees–durable, functional tree cubes.
The journey to our new world was a long one, so we (myself and three fellow anonymous travelers) were placed into a state of suspended animation aboard a craft capable of traveling at speeds faster than that of light. My education continued while I slept, in the form of dreams within my dreams. I wondered if I’d recognize being awake when I woke.
In the middle of a cautionary tale about massive, carnivorous turtles our interstellar journey ended. Fortunately I had dreamt of these turtles before, so I knew to give them a wide berth.
We had landed in a marsh near our new abode, and our ship easily converted into a water craft to deliver us safely. I don’t recall climbing the tree, but I must have because soon I was exploring my cozy little dwelling.
Basically each of us had our own little cube with built in cots and storage units. Our cubes were connected to one another’s by a covered walkway with a shared living/cooking space in the middle. There were hammocks hanging outside of our cubes for off hours relaxation. I also remember laughing about the shared privy at the end of a long walkway. One of our first decisions as a team was to agree on rules for the use and care of this toilet.
We quickly fell into our routines as explorers and researchers. I was tasked with learning as much as I could about the flora of our new home. What was edible? What was toxic? What plants might benefit mankind back on earth? Every day I ventured farther from our home tree to gather specimens and conduct tests.
One day I saw a craft similar to the one we’d arrived in land just a mile or so from our tree. I alerted my co-workers and we gathered to observe the new arrivals. Imagine our delight when two dogs emerged from the pod. One was a Golden Labrador puppy and the other was a small brown and white mixed breed dog.
The Lab jumped into the water and began swimming toward us. Soon we were hugging and petting this charming addition to our lives. The little mutt stood shaking in the pod. One of my companions rowed out to get him, but the little dog panicked and jumped into the water. We all laughed as he realized he could swim and began paddling happily to his new home. Then, I saw a huge turtle heading toward him underwater.
We began urging our coworker to paddle faster, faster, but the turtle was faster yet and devoured the little guy. I woke up in tears.
Interpretations welcomed.
Peace, People
Praying for Eyebrowz 