Terry Pratchett

The State of the Watcher: 6/22/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 11 Comments

<–The State of the Watcher: 6/8/19                      The State of the Watcher: 7/6/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Saturday detailing my continual struggle to complete my extensive movie, show, and anime list.

Movies: 1

Melancholia (DNF)

Melancholia movie cover

This one was on my list for a long time, and on paper, it looks like something that would be really up my alley.  It’s highly symbolic of depression, and indeed, “melancholia” is a way I often describe the state I’m in.  I call it “the melancholia,” because sometimes I’m a pompous, artsy ass.  The title of the movie refers to a rogue planet of the same name set to crash into earth and destroy all life.  Justine, played by Kirsten Dunst, attempts to forestall thoughts of the inevitable through marriage, but her despair is palpable throughout.  No one seems to care about her feelings, and she’s constantly berated, gaslit, and made to feel bad for her inability to be happy.  They are angry with her for being upset, but no one ever seems to ask her how she feels, though we, the audience, assume it’s because the world is ending, and the farce she’s forced herself to go through cannot make her forget that.  It is an excellent metaphor for depression with the added facet that this is happening to everyone (the planet will destroy us all of course), but only Justine (the depressed) is unable to handle it.  She tells her mother that she’s frightened, and her mom kicks her out of the room.

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The State of the Reader: 5/22/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 15 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 5/8/19         The State of the Reader: 6/5/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 3

Books DNF: 1

Title: The Color of Magic
Series Title: Discworld, Rincewind
Author: Terry Pratchett
Date Added: February 21, 2012
Date Started: May 7, 2019
Date DNF: May 14, 2019

The Color of Magic coverMedia: Paperback – Library

I wasn’t feeling it so I shelved it.  I’ve liked other Discworld novels, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with it; it’s just not catching me.  It may be I’m just not in the mood, and I might be inclined later, but I have to pass for now.

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The State of the Reader: 5/8/19

/ The Shameful Narcissist / 10 Comments

<–The State of the Reader: 4/24/19         The State of the Reader: 5/22/19–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Obtained: 2

Books Finished: 2

Title: Coal
Series Title: Everleaf
Author: Constance Burris
Date Added: April 23, 2017
Date Started: April 10, 2019
Date Finished: April 30, 2019

Coal coverMedia: eBook/Kindle

By the end, I couldn’t stand Chalcedony.  She’s immature and needs to understand actions have consequences.  She’s supposed to be a ruler, and while I understand perceptions of power are vital, she just keeps making mistakes in order to maintain her image, which causes her to look worse.  Coal, the “weak” human, is much better at making decisions than her.  He’s not afraid to do what needs to be done even at the risk of his own life.  Even though the next book has the princess’s name, it seems to start with Coal (unfairly facing consequences for Chalcedony’s actions), so I’m interested in continuing.

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The State of the Reader: 8/31/16

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<–The State of the Reader: 8/24/16          The State of the Reader: 9/7/16–>

A weekly post updated every Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and where I am with them in addition to what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads to make it easier for interested parties to add any books that might strike their fancy.  I attempt to use the covers for the edition I’m reading, and I’ll mention if this is not the case.  If you have a Goodreads account feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Books Currently Reading: 4
Change from Last Week: 0

Title: The Mystical Qabalah
Author: Dion Fortune
Date Added: August 13, 2012
Date Started: Unknown

Mystical Qabalah, TheMedium: Paperback
Progress: 82%

I finished the part of the book initially written by Fortune, and while I was  on the fence with whether I’d continue into the Subjective Pathworking section, I’m glad I did.  In many ways it’s more engaging than the book proper.  There are other reasons I’m happy I continued.  I came upon something extremely meta that I never would’ve known about had I not.

Fortune in this latter section strives to explain the concept of Astral Light, and I immediately thought of two other ideas, one bleeding from the other, with the source concept very well known in popular culture:

“It is held to extend like a tenuous yet viscid atmosphere throughout the entire cosmos, interpenetrating all dense substance, and acting as the medium for the transmission of subtle forces.”

I read that and thought, “…wait, that sounds a hell of a lot like the Force.”  *letting the geek flag fly* “And wait again…the Lifestream from FFVII is inspired by the Force…and this book is about the Holy Sephiroth, omg holy meta, Batman, wheels within wheels.”  Do I think Squeenix delved that deeply into this concept?  Probably not, but I do believe they did some preliminary research, nor is it farfetched that they’d use philosophies from the Qabalah, as it’s quite commonly if not knowingly utilized through the fantasy and sci-fi genre.  It’s one of those theologies that’s prevalent in the zeitgeist, though it’s not necessarily named.  I’m pretty sure GRRM is using it to with his followers of R’hllor, the Red God, in the ideas of light and darkness, as there aren’t two trees, but rather the tree and the shadow it casts.

Title: The Mabinogion Tetralogy
Author: Evangeline Walton
Date Added: August 24, 2014
Date Started: July 31, 2016

Medium: Paperback
Progress: 7%

I read more, but only a little bit.  Apparently, I didn’t put any reading on my to do list so I didn’t do any (except for what I can from my phone) since Saturday.  Wtf.  I’ve remedied it, but I’m a bit annoyed since I really like this and the one below.

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