Asymptomatic

Posts tagged: reading

Books in 2024
November 23, 2024
reading library books

The year isn’t over, but I’ve been reflecting on books that I’ve read this year. I recently started in book two of the Hyllis Family series, Teleporter, after having finished the inaugural book, “Telekinetic”. It’s an odd little book with an interesting premise, about a family with subtle/small psychic talents in the midst of a post-apocalyptic return-to-pre-industry Earth setting. I enjoyed it and I’m anxious to see where the story that focuses on the main character’s sister goes.

I pulled together a list of books that I remember (whether vaguely or not) read this year, including some books that I’ve re-read, like Seveneves and The Three-Body Problem. There were a few in this list that I re-read because the kids were interested in something new and I was wondering if they’d be interested. There are also a handful of books in this list that I know I read but I have no memory of beyond the book flap. Pretty weird.

Narration Factor
January 15, 2013
voiceover movies books reading

I saw the new Hobbit movie recently (what is the actual title of that multi-part film?) and something interesting struck me. I've known the opening words to The Hobbit well enough that I'd recognize them if someone spoke them, and the words in the film are (at least in part) some of those.  What I didn't expect was hearing them spoken differently than how I read them in my head.

Particularly, when Gandalf remind Bilbo who he is, he says the line, "I am Gandalf, and Gandalf means me!" When Ian McKellen says the words, there is a discernible pause between "means" and "me", such that the audience is led to a particular conclusion about the spoken words.  When I read the book, I hear Gandalf proclaiming that Gandalf is his name and everyone should know it, by golly!  When I watch the movie, I get the impression that Gandalf is perplexed that Bilbo should have any other impression of what Gandalf means.  The difference is subtle, surprising, and caused by a mere pause in the narration.