Friday, June 26, 2009

Forgotten Books and Apollocon 2009

Alas, no forgotten book from me today. I'm prepping for the writer's workshop at Houston's Apollocon this weekend. I submitted the first chapter of my steampunk novel, the same one from which these sentences are a part. I'll blog about it next week, probably at SF Safari.

But Patti Abbot's blog is the place to be today. Head on over there for the complete list of titles that you're going to want to add to your List.

And be sure to check out SF Safari on Wednesday, 1 July, as I participate in Barrie Summy's Book Review Club. The title I'm reviewing: The Lies of Locke Lamora.

Upcoming reviews: Treasure Island and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Upcoming movie reviews: The Thing (1982), Up, Star Trek II

Upcoming questions to ponder: What makes a western a western?

5 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Good luck at Apollocon.

Chris said...

Can't wait for your review of The Thing. One of my favorites.

As for what makes a Western a Western, I would say at least three appearances of "Yeeehawww!!", a couple of horses, and a gunfight. LOL...I'm actually reading a book right now by Candy Moulton called The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West
from 1840 to 1900
. If I'm learning anything from that, it's that there's a lot that can make a Western a Western. :)

Barbara Martin said...

A western is anything that happened west of the Mississipi River or Fort Garry (Winnipeg in Manitoba) before 1890.

pattinase (abbott) said...

have a great time.

Scott D. Parker said...

Charles - Thanks. I'm blogging about it over on SF Safari.

Chris - I've seen the original 4-5 times. Watching the 1982 version, I quickly realized I needed to forget the 1950s version. Thought the 1982 was quite good. More later in the review.

Barbara - Mainly I was thinking that westerns, like all genres, almost tell the same time story. For westerns, it seems like the setting is what makes it a western. I know that's obvious but what I'm saying is that the stories in westerns and non-westerns are similar. That one takes place in Arizona and not England makes the former a western and the latter a Dickens-type story.

Patti - I will...and did!