The Web Haunt of Ryan K Lindsay

I keep book lists of what I have read. Why do I do this? In Year 7 at high school we had to keep a log of all the books we read and when we reached a certain amount of pages then we were deemed to have read enough books for the year. It was a way of addressing a part of the syllabus that wonders if the students are doing enough independent reading. So, I created the list like everyone else. Why do I still do it? Well, the same reason why I didn’t cheat, like I could have so easily and others did, because I like reading.

Reading is one of the most fun and awesome things you can do, and it’s also one of the smartest things you can do. I teach primary school students and I always encourage them to read. Only by reading will you be exposed to new words, and only then can you be expected to learn those words. Soupcon was one word I stumbled across around the time I went to uni. I had never seen or heard the word before, so I had no idea what it meant. So I asked my mother and looked it up, both gave me the same answer. Most of literacy is about exposure, otherwise if you never come across heliocracy, lithe, anachronistic or antidisestablishmentaryanism you’ll never get the chance to wonder what they mean and then quench that curiosity.

So, ever since Year 7 I have detailed all the books that I have ever read. I even total up, at the end of each year, how many books I read, how many pages it all was, and what the average size novel I read for each year was. Then the information is tabulated over the years. From 1994 until 2009. That’s a long time, and a lot of books. 326 books to be precise, give or take a few from one lazy year.

The other day, my brother sent me the paper originals for the first six years of my lists and I finally put them into my computer to line up with the other ones. It was interesting to see what I was reading through my high school years, which these pages covered. I noticed some interesting facts that I thought I would share.

- I have only read two novels that clock in at over one thousand words. One was The Stand, which I read in Year 7, 1994, and the other was Moby-Dick, which was months ago. Many hit seven to nine hundred, but only two cross that line.
- I was capable of reading multiple books by the one author in a row (Stephen King and Clive Barker mostly), whereas now I need to break it up, diversify.
- I read my first Philip K Dick book in 1997. I’ve now read about a dozen.
- I am still impressed with my hit to miss ratio of books I enjoyed a lot, sometimes even noticing stretches where I was rocking it out with quality material. 1999 saw The Handmaid’s Tale, The Silence of the Lambs, Misery, The Solitaire Mystery, Galilee, Vita Brevis, Hearts In Atlantis, and The Wanderers all come in a row, and be bookended by Elmore Leonard. That’s not bad darts at all.
- My record would be thirteen novels in a month. I was laid up after an operation. As much as the operation sucked ass, ‘literally’, I findly remember that summer spent reading a few different things and watching movies.
- One year I only read two novels. I remember I read a hell of a lot of comics that year, and that was the year I also started to take my writing very seriously, so most nights were right at the computer spitting out words, not chewing them up. I now have a much better balance in life.

It was fun to travel back through the old lists. Interesting to see what titles and authors made me think and remember. Smells and feelings completely came back to me.
- R.L. Stine was my early high school transition author to more adult fare. I don’t mean the Goosebumps Stine either, or Fear Street Stine, I’m talking old school Stine.
- I remembered staying up to finish one more chapter of The Stand, only to find out that chapter was worth 70 pages. My mother walked in and told me lights out after the chapter, but she never made me stop reading, she was good like that.
- Christopher Pike’s adult books completely won me over. Did he do any more?
- I used to race home to keep reading the four book X-Wing Squadron series by Michael A Stackpole. Man, I will re-read those one day, for sure.
- The only other Star Wars books I would revisit would be the Tales Books (Mos Eisley Cantina, Bounty Hunters and Jabba’s Palace), and Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, and maybe Shadows of the Empire. It’s funny that the two books that come between the original movies are the good ones.
- At the same time I can remember waiting each month for The Green Mile to come out, it was such an experience getting it each month. Much like comic reading, no waiting for the trade on Green Mile.
- I can remember the smell and feel of the main two secondhand book stores where I bought most of the Stephen King books that I went through over those years. Both stores I haven’t been to in a long time, it was cool to think about them once more. I think my life is defined, partially, by the secondhand book stores I have loved, and I do remember them all.
- Last year, 2008, was the first year since the lists inception that I didn’t read a Stephen King book. Though I did read two Cormac McCarthy’s and a Clive Barker, seasoned with tastes of Robert E. Howard and Dashiell Hammett.

It’s been fun to travel to the past, but I will always be much more intrigued with where I will go for the future of my reading. Which made the other present even more relevant, a thirty dollar gift voucher to my local book chain.

Wonder what it’ll add to the list?

Posted on June 23rd, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: books | 5 Comments »

I was catching the train from Paris into Regional France, more specifically a little place called Nantes. It was going to take a few trains to get us where we went, so we had a twenty minute stop in one relatively large train terminal. Besides dodge the birds and try our best not to make conversation with the creepy lady who kept leering at my brother-in-law, there wasn’t much to do.

Then I spied the markets. I wandered in, mostly in the hope of killing some time, but always with a dream of a quality purchase. There were lots of small stall markets around Paris, but mostly they only sold crappy watches or even crappier ‘fresh’ fruit. One time I found some French comics, and one of the hardcovers was the first three issues of Azzarello’s 100 Bullets, which I thought was pretty cool, especially for only three Euro, but I didn’t get it. I didn’t get much at those markets, but then I found the stall that made my face melt. It was a stall selling some of the craziest shirts and bags I had ever seen. I couldn’t even describe them all because how do you describe an LSD trip and do it justice? How do you describe nearly dying and what St Peter looks like after millenia manning the door? How do you describe the coolness of the other side of the pillow?

There is no way. So I bought a shirt just to be able to tell you with pictures, not words. I also bought it because I love the image on the shirt. It is perfect and I wish I knew who drew it. Perhaps one day I’ll see the hand of this angel at work again. Perhaps.

Posted on June 21st, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: life | 1 Comment »

I love me some reading, that’s never been a secret. But between working a full-time job teaching, and then trying to write full-time in the hours I find spare, my reading has been lacking in the vigour it once possessed. That all changed when I traveled for three weeks. I surprised myself at how much time I found to read on my trip, but the opportunities were always there. And boy did I take advantage of them. I read four books in three weeks and they were all cracking books. This is who they were, and how they went down.

The Vengeful Virgin - Gil Brewer
This old school pulp comes courtesy of Hard Case Crime. It’s short, to the point and packs some serious punches that I didn’t see coming. There were some harsh scenes and some quick plot movements that I didn’t expect to happen, but I loved that they did. I couldn’t get enough of this book, and have subsequently raced out to get another Brewer book, which I’ll mention later, but for now, have fun tasting this little paragraph of his that completely enraptured me.

Doom. You recognise doom easily. It’s a feeling and a taste, and it’s black, and it’s very heavy. It comes down over your head, and wraps tentacles around you, and sinks long dirty fingernails into your heart. It has a stink like burning garbage. Doom.

Yeah, you wanna race out now and get it, don’t you?

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Seth Grahame-Smith, with an assist from Jane Austen

I’ve mentioned this already, and I loved it. Zombies chewing on annoying British people. I can only ask, when’s the movie coming?

Let The Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist

Holy crap! Best book of the holiday! I had heard the hype, but I wish someone had pulled me aside and said, “Ryan, ignore the hype, it’s so much better than all that.” This book is phenomenal. It warrants all of the, many, reviews that tout it as being on par with the King, Stephen King. It’s like reading King when he was on his game back in the late-70’s. It’s golddust sprinkled on your breakfast cereal. It’s what you’ve been looking for in a horror novel ever since King started knocking out dire stuff like Dreamcatcher. It is the book you will go out and track down now to revel in its superiority.

Clans of the Alphane Moon - PKD

This is one of the best PKD’s I’ve read in a long time. I would rate this in my personal choice of his top three works, with A Scanner Darkly and A Maze of Death. I thought it was really well put together and simply completely readable. His psychological metaphor, made explicit, is well constructed and his characters all bring something different to the table, or to the moon. This was a great book to bring me home on.

It was a treat getting to read so much, but now it feels that I am back to the real world and I won’t be chewing down any books at that rate for another long time.

I wonder, can you take books on your honeymoon?

Posted on June 21st, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: books | No Comments »

During my European holiday I celebrated a birthday. This occasion saw me rise the ranks to someone who was, I would say in my opinion, past his mid-twenties and into his late-twenties. I altered my physiological form and became a twenty-seven year old. Not sure how good a thing that is. I’ll find out by the time I’m twenty-eight though, I’m sure.

For the coming occasion, as it once was, I was afforded two presents early, which is always fun. The first was a book that I saw and instantly wanted, Stan Lee’s Amazing Marvel Universe.

It’s funny because it looks like a kid’s book with the sound board on the right side. I keep thinking of those old read-along books where you have to wait for the sound to turn the page, like R2-D2 will make this noise, or you will hear the whip, or in the Caravan of Courage book you heard a special shingle noise. I assure you, this is not like that. The book inside reads like an A-quality history book, just about comics. It’s relatively text dense but when you need a break you key in the appropriate number and you get to hear Stan tell you the tale from his very personal perspective. It’s like a book with director’s commentary, which I am all for. I’d love to write a novel and have one of these to relate to the reader what I was feeling and eating when I wrote that scene, ha.

The second early present was also a book, and one that I wanted as soon as I heard the title. It is, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Yes, you heard it right, and it’s as awesome as the title, and cover suggest.

That is one cover that just sings off the shelf, in my opinion. I am a huge fan of everything zombie, and this has proven to be a welcome addition like The Walking Dead or 28 Days Later… Seth Grahame-Smith has done a great job at weaving in a tale of zombies to the dusty old Austen text. I tried to read P and P a few years back and didn’t get past page fifty. I just hated the girls. They were vapid, annoying and boring. The only redeeming quality was the dad, and he just wasn’t getting enough page time for my liking, so I tossed it for want of something more. But now, the allure of zombies was too strong. I had to know.

So, how was it? Exactly as you would want and think. There is still, I would estimate, three-quarters of Austen’s text left as is, but when it is altered, you really strap yourself in. Hordes of the living undead busting into balls to feast, Japanese ninjas having their hearts ripped out with bare hands, musket shots to the head of the undead and an exploding carriage complete with witty one liner in the walkaway. If filmed, this will be the best throwback flick of all time. It’s part 80’s action, part 80’s horror and all 80’s goodness. I for one, loved it. It’s not perfect but it is so damned enjoyable that you take it on its merits.

One in Europe, and Florence in particular, I decided to indilge in some leather. No, not a hood with zippered eyes and lips, but a journal. I am crazy of writing journals. They fascinate me, I guess because they hold the blank page. Anything can be put into them. I took two different journals with me to Europe and came home with another one. And I love it, Tuscan leather from a Michaelangelo shop this bad boy was worth every Euro.

I can’t wait to get cracking on it and see what I can fill it with.

The latest present I have been blessed with, and I still have a wait for some family members to get theirs in via mail and visit, is of a high quality to stick with these other ones. It’s the Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter DVD, with the Under The Hood doco with it. I am very keen to watch this, and not sure which section I think will be better. I am waiting to watch and possibly be surprised.

Overall, it was a successful haul with no dead weight in the bunch. Always a pleasure.

Posted on June 18th, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: books, life, movies, travel | 1 Comment »

In fact, it was a holiday. France for one week, Italy for two, and it was all a sensational blast. I have never been to Europe, or really traveled as an adult, but I think I might have a taste for it now. It is a very cool sensation to walk through other countries and just soak it all in. Not to mention, you don’t have to work. That’s a bonus like it’s Christmas every morning I woke up.

I managed to read four books, buy some comics in another language, eat plenty of food and see some awe-inspiring sites. But most importantly, I got to relax. I didn’t think about work while I was away, and I didn’t do any writing, though I did a hell of a lot of thinking about it and made a few notes so that I can slip straight back into the groove upon my return.

It is right now 4 in the morning. I wanted to avoid jetlag so when I left on Saturday morning in Italy I stayed awake until Sunday night in Australia. I then slept very well and had a fine Monday. Then I only slept for three hours Monday night and have been up since 3am this morning and am not really tired. I wonder if this is jetlag, or just my stupid body thinking that it is now only going to sleep on every second night.

Either way…so long as I survive work today. I’ll post more about my trip later in genre themed posts, and I don’t mean my Western adventure and then my tween comedy adventure.

Posted on June 15th, 2009 by ryan
Filed under: life, travel | No Comments »