The Secret Life Of Cows: Never Judge A Book By Its Title

I think I've said before but I don't really read new books. I tend to go for proven classics and tend to go for fiction. However, I am also a sucker for bookshop purchases. I was in one of Dublin's well known establishments when I spotted not one but three books in the top ten section. I was unsure about picking up The Secret Life of Cows but I perused the foreword by Alan Bennett and it piqued my curiosity. 

In the book, Rosamund Young goes into the personalities and the family history of her cows, telling various stories about them that, she argues, show their personality and intelligence. She argues that people see personalities in other domesticated creatures like dogs and cats but hardly ever apply this belief to farm animals like chickens, sheep, pigs and lambs. An argument that has won me over. If the book was just about this, it might just be a quirky distraction but she uses her argument to further argue that we should take personality (and individuality) into account when raising these animals.  It is an excellent argument against factory farming and over-reliance on medication. It is also a case for maintaining our hedge rows and how the loss of any part of nature disrupts the whole. The book is fun, quirky and educational and it is worth your time.

Writing lesson: there is more to animals than you think   

Personal Picks Episode One - Halloween

      

      I was a big fan of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour and one of my pie in the sky ambitions would be to host a similar show myself. Being as I don't see that happening, I have decided to do it as some blog posts. For the season that's in it, I have decided to go for a Halloween for my first "episode". Dylan would usually throw in some facts related to the theme so I have decided to throw in some recommended comics, books, TV and movies at the end. Anyway, here's a mix of spooky songs and ones that remind me of spooky stuff. 

      

      A wolf-like howl carries over the wind.

      A monster dances on somebody's grave.

      A couple feel like something is out there.

      It's time for my personal picks.

      

      Welcome to this edition of Personal Picks where something is out there and I'm starting to worry. Maybe you should enjoy these tunes under your blankets or behind a barricaded door. 

   [(You can check out the playlist on Spotify) 

     We begin with Queen. With vocals from Freddie Mercury, it's a kind of magic...

      1.   A Kind Of Magic – Queen

      2.     Superstition – Stevie Wonder

      3.     Somebody’s Watching Me – Rockwell

      4.     I Put A Spell On You – Creedence Clearwater Revival

      5.     Mulder & Scully - Catatonia

      6.     Werewolves Of London – Warren Zevon

      7.     Thriller – Michael Jackson

      8.    The Time Warp – Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell

      9.     The Monster Mash – Bobby Pickett

    10.     Ghostbusters – Ray Parker Jr

    

    Well the Witching Hour is upon us and I still can't shake the feeling that somebody out there is watching me. Maybe next time I post some picks, I'll have given them the slip. In the meantime, here as some blood-curdling books and a weird watch-list.

Recommended reading: Dracula, Twisted Myths, Tomb of Dracula, Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland

Recommended viewing: X-Files, Millennium, Gremlins, Army of Darkness, Final Destination 2

Planetfall: The Joy Of A Good Book

Living in the age of social media and various streaming services, I haven't been much of a book reader lately. Yes I maintain a comic book habit but even that has dwindled in recent times. Being editor of Irish Comic News has at least kept me somewhat up to date on Irish books. Recently, I decided I needed to tackle my to-read pile, a decision that was reinforced by Michael Carroll's recent panel at Octocon where he urged aspiring writers to read more in order to become better writers. He also suggested reading a broad range of books so I decided to alternate between science fiction and something from another genre.  I have a lot of sci-fi books in my to-read pile so I decided to start with that genre. When trying to settle on what book to begin with, I decided I wanted to try a modern sci-fi. I have read some H.G. Wells and Philip K. Dick (a novelist I will be returning too) but I hadn't read any recent stuff so I decided to put Planetfall on top of the pile.

I first became aware of Emma Newman when she was guest of honour at Octocon in 2015. I learnt a bit about her issues around socialising and anxiety and, seeing as I suffer from similar issues, I felt somewhat of a connection with her. After listening to her Tea & Jeopardy podcast (which she does with husband, Peter), I became a fan of her writing too (she has an excellent sense of humour). Looking at the publishing date, Planetfall, which was her first venture into science fiction, came along around this time. I picked up a copy when it first came out but, as with many of my book purchases, I started it and got sidetracked. "Life is what happens when you're busy doing other things". Delving back into it, I was reminded of the comfort books have given over the years. The writing style is such that I found myself devouring numerous chapters at a time. I am not going to go the plot as I want people to discover things for themselves. What I will do is tell you a few things that, to me, makes this a great novel.  Firstly, the technology has a level of believability. Sure the alien technology is strange but the human technology feels like a logical step to the likes of Facebook, YouTube and Facebook, social media in general. Secondly, it may be on an alien world but it is all about humanity and what makes us tick. Finally, I really connected with the main character's point of view. She is dealing with issues and I felt her anxiety and emotions along with her. The pacing of the writing seemed to pick up with her anxiety levels which resulted in a book that had me on an emotional rollercoaster and absorbed me from start to finish. I highly recommend that people pick this book up. Emma Newman's next book set in the same universe, After Atlas, is already on my read pile. In fact it is the next one after my current non science fiction one.

Writing lessons: believable characters, grounding your story.