Actually, let's get to books in a minute. First, let's talk about the decor style at Marriott Towneplace Suites: Minimalist Pkunk.
An actual Pkunk (photo not taken in hotel room)
Pkunk style doorknob. Note beady little eye.
Strange Pkunky carpet. Ignore white socked toe. Note carpet coloration and beady-little-eyeness.
Flowers à la Pkunk necklace
Maybe this is why I stay at Towneplace Suites so often when I travel. The extra "e" in "Towneplace" - I have always puzzled over that "e" - must stand for "enlightenment", which of course is Pkunk.
Alright. Now to books. What have I been reading?
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by the inimitable (but much imitated nonetheless) Philip K. Dick. An exploration into what it means to be human, what empathy is and what it's good for. The book on which the movie Blade Runner is based. I had never read it. It was - unsurprisingly - a good read, and now I know that the movie left a lot out. The eponymous androids are of a certain make and model: Nexus 6. (If you were wondering, the Android Nexus 6 by Samsung will come out this spring. We're six iterations into a joke I am just now getting.) The only problem with this book is that now I've got no one to talk to about it.
The New Spaniards by John Hooper. Cause, y'know, going to Spain and all. This is probably not a book most people are going to want to pick up and read, but I have to say, recent Spanish history is fascinating, especially the plotting and scheming that went into the successful transition from the Francoist Spain to democratic Spain. Dignitaries being snuck into the palace in car trunks, manipulative hijinks in Franco's parliament analog, the works. I'm just getting to the part about regional politics. Spain is comprised of many autonomous regions, some of which desire even more autonomy. This part should be good.
The Waves by Virginia Woolf. This is the first Woolf I've attempted. It started out slowly, and while I'm loving it now, I am still not sure when I will finish it, or whether it matters if I finish it. It's a book of rhythm and mood, excellently written, quite over my head in its literary references, but stunningly beautiful nonetheless. It demands tea and time, a special kind of time to steep in. Often as not, I have only the tea.
The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. I was recently reminded that I have never read it through, and that is a pleasurable fault to correct. This book is about longing and about how when you achieve your goals, it doesn't always turn out the way you wanted it to, even when you're sure it turns out the way it should. This book is poetry in places. I am reading it to the little Atehs, slowly. They like it, but not more than one chapter at a time.
Norse Stories by Hamilton, Wright, and Mabie. This is a retelling of the stories of the Eddas. Norse mythology is stark and savage and beautiful and futile, and those are all adjectives of things I like.
What are you reading?
