(no subject)

[apocalypsos]

And because I've been gone all weekend, I didn't spot the link about when Hurley's episode is going to air. YAY! I can't wait for Hurley's episode. *happy dance*

So anyway, the link has some really good spoilers I hadn't seen already. (Sun's going to vanish?! Ack, no! Wait ... Jin vs. Michael male posturing! Woohoo!) It also has some really interesting speculation about what Hurley's big secret is, and I just know that until I find out what the hell it is, I'm going to be thinking about it every time I think about Lost from now until it airs. (Charlie and Claire may be my favorite couple, but my Hurley love knows no bounds.)

So here's my guesses --

1a. Okay, I call this 1a because I think this might be part of the "what Hurley really does" secret. I think they might make Hurley gay. Do I think that's a bad thing? No, of course I don't. The thing is, if they do go the incest way with Boone and Shannon, I can totally see them saying, "You know, we don't have any gay people on this island," and then looking at Hurley.

1. I honestly don't think that they're going to use the "saboteur" angle with him in regards to the plane crash. I'm starting to believe that it's more like somebody on the ground did something to make them crash. I mean, a circus plane crashes, and the French science team is stuck there, and now there's another crash? It seems like too much of a coincidence, especially considering Ethan passed himself off as a real survivor for so long to get to Claire and the baby. What do I think is a good guess from the ones Herc made? I like the one where he's a Microsoft millionaire. It makes sense in a geeky, amusing sort of way.

2. I keep trying to figure out what would make Hurley's secret so shocking. What would surprise me about what he does for a living? It would have to require him to be serious, to be highly skilled in something needing a high intelligence, and to be able to say he did an important job. (Whether or not he does have an important job is another discussion. And I love my Hurley, but he doesn't seem to be the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes.) So here's what I'm thinking -- he's a computer genius working for the FBI. It would explain the geekiness, the "I'm something of a warrior back home" line, and the vaguely necessary but flawed ideas he gets. He's really trying to be helpful and important in a way that Boone is failing at because he's working with what he's good at and not putting himself out there about it.

3. Even if his spelling might be bad, I could still buy him as a writer. I mean, hell, how many writers do you know who can't live without spellcheck and grammar-Nazi editors but still manage to write well because they're incredibly creative?

4. Wouldn't it be great if he were a stand-up comedian? Not a famous one, obviously, but someone who was just getting up there and getting used to being on stage to the point where he was actively gaining an audience? He's got a healthy sense of humor, and he always recognizes when everybody needs to de-stress.

5. Do you know what I just realized? He's really concerned that everybody have a good time (or at least that they not fry their brains) and ... well, there's that list of the survivors. He did make a list. And then he checked it twice to find out who was naughty or nice. Maybe it's just because it's two days after Christmas, but wouldn't it great if he were really Santa Claus? HEE!

Speculating on Hurley's past is way too much fun. :)

Am watching tsunami/earthquake footage. Holy shit. *gapes*

Hmm. I have $40 in Borders gift certificates. Who's got some good book recs for me? I'm up for anything fantasy, horror, romance, or history. :)

Comments

[harmonyfb.livejournal.com]

Move Under Ground by Nick Mamatas (nilhistic_kid) - it's Cthulhu meets the Beat Generation, as told by an aging Jack Kerouac. Brilliant, engaging, and well done.

Abarat and its sequel by Clive Barker. Wonderful and weird (written as YA novels, they're fully illustrated in color, and are very good).

[harmonyfb.livejournal.com]

Argh. nihilistic_kid. I obviously can't spell today.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I second the Abarat recommendation, and will add that you should try to get the illustrated Abarat - there's a less expensive, nonillustrated version that is missing out, I think. It's kind of really cool when a mind like Clive Barker illustrates his own work in colour.

[pescivendolo.livejournal.com]

I skipped over your spoilers (because I don't want to spoil it) but I just wanted to say that I, too, feel the endless love for Hurley. I'm glad he gets an episode.

[clauw.livejournal.com]

The "I'm something of a warrior back home" line made me wonder if he's maybe a Sumowrestler :)
I know a guy that I used to go to school with who went on to be one and he Hurley reminds me of him.
Also to hurl/to throw... I don't know I just had a hunch that it would be something like that ;)

Also: Bookrec, the Ewan McGregor book about him and a friend driving across the world on their motorcycles :)

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I don't know. Sumo wrestler wouldn't be much of a surprise to me, considering I've seen everybody and their brother guess it so far. I'd guess just a regular WWE wrestler before that, because aside from Sawyer or Walt, I can't see any of the other main characters knowing enough about wrestling to know who he was if he was any good. And that'd certainly come as a surprise to me, if they could get a few real wrestlers to do a few cameos.

I also would be surprised if he were a football player. I mean, he got winded walking up to the caves, but I'm not sure whether or not being a linebacker or tackle or whatever it is the really big guys play in football movies would require long-term stamina aside from the repetitive bursts of energy.

[clauw.livejournal.com]

Hmmm true true, also everybody seems to have been on the plane when they were not really supposed to be so I'm starting to wonder if he is running from something.

[nycdeb.livejournal.com]

Hurley's secret: *stunned gape* of COURSE! Why didn't I see it before? Of COURSE he's gay. Or Santa. Or both. Yes make it both. **smiles happily* Oh and a Microsoft millionaire - cause I want Hurley to be mulitfacted and happy and wealthy. I want Hurley to have it all.

book recs:
E: A novel by Matt Beaumont. A novel in email format. Literally could NOT put it down, laughing outloud until tears streamed down my face

Anything by Jasper Fforde is you haven't read them. Start with Eyre Affair

I'm about 3/4th of the way the way though Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and I'm loving it so far.

And here's an off the wall selection - Memo from David O. Selznick - scathing, hilarious and well written - this man knew and shredded everyone in Hollywood's Golden Era. And lucky us - it all made it to paper. Re Fred Astaire: "I am a little uncertain about the man, but I feel, that in spite of his enormous ears and bad chin line, his charm is so tremendous that it comes through even in this wretched test."

[saturnalia.livejournal.com]

Anything by Jasper Fforde is you haven't read them. Start with Eyre Affair

Seconded. Or anything by Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett- you basically can't go wrong with those two.

[lots42.livejournal.com]

'Return To The Twilight Zone'

[gruyere.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I have $40 in Borders gift certificates. Who's got some good book recs for me? I'm up for anything fantasy, horror, romance, or history. :)

House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.
House of Leaves.





House of Leaves.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I really like this book called The Seventh Heart by Marina Fitch. It's modern and subtle and beautiful and smart and just, well - good. Anything by Marina Fitch is good, which is why it's a pity she's not better known.

One of my new favorites is a trilogy that begins with The Bone Doll's Twin by Lynn Flewelling. Murder, intrigue, court politics, cross-dressing, and hauntings. What more could you want? Oh yeah, fascinating characters and a compelling world. Yup, got those, too.

[fyrdrakken]

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes to The Bone Doll's Twin -- but be warned, the third book isn't out yet and the author herself doesn't know when it'll be done.

Also, Connie Willis is someone I've recently gotten into -- To Say Nothing of the Dog was like Code of the Woosters meets Back to the Future.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Yes, and word on her other trilogy (which I have not yet read - I'm saving myself) is that somewhere in it, the characters sit around the fire and tell over the story of The Bone Doll's Twin, legend-style. So, being that I don't want to spoil the end of the trilogy, I can't read her other trilogy, even though it's sitting temptingly on the shelf. Bah.

And, ditto on Conniw Willis. Impossible Things is an absolutely fabulous unbeatable collection of short stories. Bellwether is not science fiction, but it is brilliant. Doomsday Book is time travel and medieval history and heart-wrenching and fabulous. And To Say Nothing of the Dog (best appreciated after reading Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) but thoroughly enjoyable on its own as well) is one of the funniest time-travel-Victorian-mystery novels ever. Ever, I say.

[fyrdrakken]

My usual preference is to read books in publication order rather than chronological order, because I figure that if the author "spoils" herself it's really foreshadowing and therefore okay. (Plus, easier to check the year on the copyright page of each than to hope that the "other books by this author" page will thoughtfully list the books in chronological or suggested reading order.) Also, the Nightrunners books weren't quite as good as the Tamil books, so nice to work up to the really neat ones rather than be disappointed by the earlier ones.

I've read TSNotD and Domesday Book -- and let the latter shift me into Barbara Tuchman's A Distant Mirror, since I felt like I should read some nonfiction at some point and it's about the same time period as Kivren went to. Have Bellwether and another one -- possibly Impossible Things -- waiting at home for me once I finish the history book, and a list of others to get by the same author.

[penmage.livejournal.com]

If I hadn't already started the Tamil books, I might have read them in publication order, but The Bone Doll's Twin was the first Lynn Flewelling book I picked up, so I figure, once I've started, I should see it through, spoiler (official and author-sanctioned or otherwise) free.

[fyrdrakken]

As noted above, the third one isn't out yet and when I asked the author at DragonCon she had no idea when it would be finished, so that's gonna be a long wait to "see it through."

[trishalynn.livejournal.com]

My current book recommendation is Smilla's Sense of Snow which is about a Greenlander living in Denmark and solving the mystery of a young boy's death from a fall off of a tall apartment building. Or was he pushed? *stinger music* Anyway, there's lots of culturally significant stuff regarding the native people of Greenland, the colonization of Greenland and its affect on the people losing their culture, dysfunctional marriages, social climbing, etc., but there's also an action-like hero main character. There's this one part where she totally comes across as an Ellen Ripley type, pre-Alien 3, post-Aliens.

There's also a movie that I haven't seen yet of the same name, starring Julia Ormond and Gabriel Byrne. If that last name isn't enough to get you to see the movie, I don't know what is. I'll let you know what I think of it later.

[the-jackalope.livejournal.com]

Erm... Trollprincess... you know that time machine you taunted us with a while ago? Do you think you could possibly use it to get us to next week? Cause I can't wait anymore, I'm going into hard-core Lost withdrawl. Please?

[doqz.livejournal.com]

I'm something of a warrior back home

Dude. RPGer.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but you just know there's got to be more to him than that. I mean, "shocker of a flashback"? What would be shocking about Hurley as an RPGer? There's got to be something else.

[snellios.livejournal.com]

I think it was the monster/mystical force that made them crash. Especially after all the talk of fate and destiny. (umm?)

[musyc]

History - Fiona Buckley's Ursula Blanchard series. A maid of honor in the court of Queen Elizabeth I is actually a spy/investigator for Her Majesty, despite scandal in her past that has begun to affect her present. To Shield a Queen, The Doublet Affair, To Ruin A Queen and several others.

Fantasy - Tanya Huff's Liveship Traders series. Ship of Magic, Mad Ship, Ship of Destiny. Seafaring families build ships made out of a magic wood that actually becomes alive after so many generations have died on board. This magic wood supposedly was planted by a different race/people - or was it?

Romance - Well, I'm biased towards the Regency period. So.
Stephanie Laurens - The Lady Chosen, A Gentleman's Honor, A Lady of His Own from the Bastion Club. A group of gentlemen form a club that is a "last bastion" against matchmaking aunties/mothers/cousins, each determined to find love on his own grounds.
Amanda Quick - LOTS to choose from here. Scandal, Mistress, Seduction, Dangerous to name a few. Recently, she's been working for repeated characters, which is nice. Slightly Shady, Don't Look Back, Late for the Wedding all star Lavinia Lake and Tobias March, a duo of private investigators who fight off enemies and their own passions, the former more successfully then the latter.

Horror - Dean Koontz. Specifically, House of Thunder. First Koontz I ever read, and it kept me up for several nights. Exceedingly creepy without being gory.

Gods. I may have lost my job at Borders, but I'm never going to be able to stop recommending books to people. ;)

[penmage.livejournal.com]

Just a note - the Liveship books are actually by Robin Hobb. Whos Assasin's Apprentice books are set in the same world and are also excellent.

*blush*

[musyc]

Egads. I'm a bad, bad person. I got series mixed all up. Was thinking of the Quarters series by Huff, but forgot to mention them.

And I even went and looked them up on Amazon so I'd be sure and have the right titles. *shame*

Re: *blush*

[penmage.livejournal.com]

I'm a fan of the Quarters books by Tanya Huff, too, so take this as a chance to give in even more book recs :).

[tinylegacies.livejournal.com]

My favorite rec right now is Kelley Armstrong

Her books (in order) are: Bitten, Stolen, Dime Store Magic, and Industrial Magic. The first two deal mainly with werewolves and the second mainly with witches/sorcerers - but there are also vampires, necromancers and other assorted supernaturals throughout the series. They are mainly fantasy - but include an element of romance.

They were recently released in mass market paperback (the regular paperbacks, about $7.99 each) in the US - she's a Candian writer and only recently managed to break into the US market.

I know that dragonsinger would second those recs :)

[fyrdrakken]

Read the Kelley Armstrong books myself recently, trying to get the taste of Laurell K Hamilton's latest paperback out of my mouth. I second the rec -- and note that they're all the same world and many of the same characters.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mydecember_/]

I Should Be Extremely Happy In Your Company by Brian Hall. A fictionalized account of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I could *not* put it down.

The Alienist by Caleb Carr. A rather unlikely group of people searches for a serial killer in 1890s NYC.


And I second the recommendation of anything by Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett.

[lea724.livejournal.com]

Book recommendation

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

It's the first in a series of 7 or 8 books (she hasn't come out yet with the last few books, and on her website, she says that she's not sure if there will be 7 or 8 in total) - a synopsis that doesn't capture the greatness of these books is here (http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~gatti/gabaldon/excerpts/outlandersynopsis.html).

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

Oh my GOD, you have got to read Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh. It's right up your alley. An exterminator gets mistaken for an assassin and...I don't want to spoil it for you. But there's a lot of humor based in music (there's a line tat quotes "Werewolves of London" and flows with the story, and a lot of Bob Dylan references - oh, the name of the main character is Bob Dillon) and assassin's jobs. It's a great read.