Fatal perforations

I've been struggling with writer's block a lot lately. Either I have no inspired ideas, or I manage to so over-think the ideas I do have they become crap. Much like that sentence. It doesn't help I've read/listened to three good books in a row (all good for different reasons). There's nothing quite like someone so much better than you to make you feel woefully inadequate. Normally this does not bother me, and I don't know why it is now, or if, indeed, it really is. Perhaps I am simply using this as an excuse for my own laziness. Maybe my subconcious is trying to protect what is left of the nerves in my wrists and hands after my daily marathon of crane-folding (the issue of overly grandious goals and my occasional all-or-nothing attitude is a post in and of itself). My last-ditch effort was to perhaps parody a song (it's all the rage now, it seems) but, again, though I am good at it, I feel I would pale compared to Pen. And I just can't muster the enthusiasm to write. I am stuck in a rut. It's kind of like keeping the kitchen meticulously clean to avoid the disaster of the attic. The kitchen is safe and known. Everything has a place. It's easy. And that is the trap of a rut.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
I loved this book. It has just about everything you could want in a book: a good story, wonderful characters, hilarious turns of phrase, and a good ending. Not to mention all of that very deep and thought-provoking insight into people and religion lurking just under the surface.

The General's Daughter by Nelson DeMille
I expected to dislike this book. It's not at all my usual cup of tea. But he's a very good author and I got hooked fast. Until the last twenty pages, at which point the book just petered out, after the mystery was resolved. The most interesting thing about this story was how unlikable all the characters were. There was something a little frighteningly wrong with all of them, especially the main character. They weren't likable, and yet I didn't hate them. They were interesting, in that way we try to understand the unexplainable (the sane trying to rationalize the actions of a madman, for instance).

White Witch, Black Curse by Kim Harrison
Maybe it's just nice to see someone having a crappier day than you are. Maybe it's the fun escapsim offered. I wouldn't say it's the most brilliant writing or the best plot ever, but I continue to enjoy this series. It's so very wacky and out there, and yet I really do (despite some annoyingly unfortunate descriptors) love the characters. It also, unlike a lot of fluffier books, shows consequences to actions and the fact that sometimes the world can't see past what you do to see why you're doing it. No good deed goes unpunished, and bad deeds are just as often rewarded. You can see some deeper meaning in the book (when Al throws it in Trent's face that he condems Rachel for consorting with demons, yet sees no problems with murdering people to further his own goals), or you can just relax and enjoy a fun, fast-paced story.