Pessimism:

princessbfairy's in town on Friday. We're going to the pub, probably for about nine-ish. Then we're going to the ballroom.

You coming?

What's going on? Well, I was wondering if any of you are going to this?

Also, in the finest tradition of Jack Chick, I think this is something we could all do with reading.

I like books, so I stoled this'n off of davegodfrey.

What author do you own the most books by?
Probably Ian Banks, although they're a mix of Ian Banks (fiction) and Ian M Banks (sci-fi).

What book do you own the most copies of?
I've been good and have purged all my multiple copies.

Did it bother you that both those questions ended with prepositions?
Not in the slightest.

What fictional character are you secretly in love with?
Rachel Mansour I think, from "Singularity Sky" - Charles Stross again.

What books have you read the most times in your life (excluding picture books read to children; i.e., Goodnight Moon does not count)?
I'm not sure, but possibly "Servant of the Empire" by Raymond Feist & Janny Wurts.

What was your favourite book when you were ten years old?
"Blade of the Poisoner" by Douglas Hill.

What is the worst book you've read in the past year?
"Sandworms of Dune". It inly counts because it's Dune though, anything else that awful I'd just have stopped reading and thrown away.

What is the best book you've read in the past year?
"The Atrocity Archives" by Charles Stross. Lovecraftian computer-geek cold-war James Bond nonsense. What's not to like?

If you could force everyone you tagged to read one book, what would it be?
I'm not all that evangelical about books, but I think I pimp Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle most frequently.

Who deserves to win the next Nobel Prize for Literature?
I don't really pay attention to this sort of thing, but let's say Terry Pratchett.

What book would you most like to see made into a movie?
"Rune", by Chritopher Fowler. Purely becuase of the fantastic afterword detailing all the horrific alterations the Hollywood studio who optioned the book have attempted to get past him. They still haven't come to an agreement.

What book would you least like to see made into a movie?
I find that films of books are nearly always very disappointing, so I'll say everything I've ever read. Barring the one above. Stuff I haven't read yet is fine, I'll watch the film first.

Describe your weirdest dream involving a writer, book, or literary character.
Absolutely not.

What is the most lowbrow book you've read as an adult?
I confess to a weakness for Linda Fairstein novels. That or Harry Potter.

What is the most difficult book you've ever read?
Hmm. I read for escapism and I just don't get that from anything I find hard going.

What is the most obscure Shakespeare play you've seen?
I'm not sure I've seen anything other than "Romeo and Juliet" and "Macbeth" on stage.

Do you prefer the French or the Russians?
Russians. Although I can't claim to have read much by either.

Roth or Updike?
What?

David Sedaris or Dave Eggers?
Who?

Shakespeare, Milton, or Chaucer?
Chaucer.

Austen or Eliot?
Austen, for "Pride and Pejudice and Zombies". Not that I've read it yet, but still.

What is the biggest or most embarrassing gap in your reading?
I don't read non-fiction.

What is your favourite novel?
This changes frequently, but top of my re-read list at the moment is "The Atrocity Archives" by Charles Stross.

Play?
I don't go to the theatre or read plays, so I'm going to have to pick something I studied at school. That'll be "Macbeth" then. I quite enjoyed the porn version.

Poem?
See above, except I can't recall any poetry I read at school.

Essay?
Erm, don't read non-fiction.

Short story?
"Diamond Dogs" by Alastair Reynolds.

Work of nonfiction?
"If Chins Could Kill", Bruce Campbell's autobiography.

Who is your favorite writer?
William Gibson, I think.

Who is the most overrated writer alive today?
Dan Brown, quite clearly.

What is your desert island book?
"1001 Handy Hints for Surviving on a Desert Island", it's printed on very thin paper and has about 10,000 conveniently-sized blank pages at the back "for your notes".

And... what are you reading right now?
When I started this it was "Let the Right One In" by John Ajvide Lindqvist, but then I went for a smoke and finished it so now I'm on to "Halting State" by Charles Stross.

to ask why none of you saw fit to inform me of this:



Hmm?

I can be there from about half five and it's not worth me going home and then coming back into town, so please give me a shout when you can head over and I'll join you.

If you can only do one night this weekend though, it may be that you'd prefer to come out tomorrow to see the lovely princessbfairy who will be in town for one night only - we'll be at the Yorkshire Grey from around eight, and may well end up at the penultimate Decadence & Disorder afterwards, seeing as they're knocking the venue down in a fortnight.

But not about anything interesting. Work is seriously dull today, so have that end-of-year meme.

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I've had a hella busy weekend, but I can't be arsed to post about it otherwise I'll have nothing to talk about in the pub. Hence, the 200 things meme below:

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I have formulated a plan. Meet between six and seven in the Lord Raglan, as it's the closest pub I can find to the Museum of London. The funny starts at seven, so we ought to amble along for then I think.

We can decide on what to do afterwards afterwards.

So folks, Wanted tomorrow night? It's on at 20:20 or 21:20, or failing that there is the almost certainly terrible but also likely to be hilarious Teeth at 19:10 or 21:30.

Thursday is a free comedy night at the Museum of London in honour of me being older. I have no idea about pubs in the area, so can anyone suggest somewhere to meet?

Traditionally I talk a good fight, but, aided by no Warcraft for three weeks now (cigarettes: you're next!) for once I've actually gotten off my arse and made some progress on something. So, with aid of blurry, badly lit photos, I will get you up to speed.

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