Whirlybrain

I think my attention span may have been broken these last few days. I haven’t read anything in book form for four days and I had to make the decision to put down ‘Boneshaker’ because it is brilliant and every time I picked it up my head would spin off to think about something else, while my eyes continued to scan the page, until I snapped back to the present and realised I hadn’t been taking anything in at all. I hate when that happens.

My head is in a whirl about job interviews at the moment. I’ve had one already (didn’t get through to the next level) and have two more next week, one where I have to create a presentation on the spot, about an unknown topic and one where I have to take a test. The process is nerve wracking, especially as I am well aware that I don’t often make a good first impression.

Luckily my steam punk month idea still allows for lots of variety in reading so today I decided to try again with one of the lighter reads. ‘The Osiris Ritual’ is from a series of steam punk mysteries beginning with ‘The Affinity Bridge’ which I read a couple of years ago. It’s about a steam punk series with a very cozy, familiar feel. Yes I realise a mysterious plague creating werewolf zombies in the London slums and automatons with the potential to kill may not be everyone’s idea of a cozy set up, but there’s only a low level of violence, the plots tend to revolve around the upper classes and you can be sure that even if they’re in peril the main characters will get out alive. They’re the steam punk equivalent of an extended visit with Sherlock Holmes, if Watson was a woman and Holmes didn’t have a problem with that.

So far so attention taming. A young reporter has been sent to cover the social event of the season, a party where the host proposes to open up the wrappings of a newly uncovered Egyptian mummy to prove that it is an entirely unique find. I am absolutely sure that idea will not cause untold horror to be unleashed. Oh aristocrats when will you learn mummies are not for collecting, try matchbox cars instead.

Talking of attention spans and accidental scanning last weekend I was talking to someone about how many books I read for ‘The Year of Reading’ and she said, not meaning to be harsh (although I did kind of feel like she was saying I’d conned her out of her donation), that I must skim so much to read so many books in a year. Umm, no, what would be the point of skim reading a novel or a non-fiction book, unless I was researching something, I wouldn’t get the experience I’m reading to get. Sometimes I accidentally scan without keeping my mind of the text, but I usually go back and reread those bits because the plot gets confusing, or I skim when books annoy me, but otherwise I try to read sentence after sentence, word after word. Now I’m curious, does anyone else skim for pleasure?

How to prepare for the Apocalypse

Lenore is having her own themed reading month over at ‘Presenting Lenore’ and I think our two themes match up nicely as she’ll be reading tons of dystopian fiction and I’ll be reading steam punk, which often takes place in dystopian societies. Never say book bloggers aren’t as cheery as a Clinton’s interior during the Valentine’s month (if you would prefer something more sweet and pink let me recommend a trip to bookarama, where there’s a big Blog Luv Fest going on during February).

In her initial post Lenore recaps why some bloggers say they like dystopian fiction and they all offer good reasons. It started me thinking about what we all take away from dystopian fiction, or more usefully what we can learn that will help us to survive the (almost certainly on its way this time) Apocalypse.

Only the Amish will survive: If I’ve learned one thing from dystopian fiction it’s that technology is bad and science is not always to be trusted either. They will almost certainly be the downfall of our civilisation and we would all be best avoiding anything the Luddites would not have been happy with. So step away from your computer right now people, it’s probably just biding its evil time.

Girls get your guns: Women’s rights are almost always the first thing to go in a dystopian society, meaning it’s probably a good idea to learn how to shoot a gun now, before people turn up chanting ‘Rights. You don’t need no stinking rights.’

Your money is no good here: Start stock piling tradable supplies. Those people piling their trolleys with cans and mountains of bread at Christmas time will make you dance for food if you don’t get on with it.

The world can end, as long as I have you: Don’t worry there will still be plenty of time for lurve in a dystopian society (of course walking around pointing guns at men’s privates may make it harder for women to find ‘the one’). The world may flood, freeze or dry up but it’s likely that these conditions will help you find that special someone, rather than hinder your search for love. Ok, you won’t get along right away, you’re on a quest while they’re all about scavenging, but then your eyes will meet as you’re fighting off the packs of giant (probably genetically modified) rats and you’ll realise they mean the world to you (the old world, not this awful new world). Just don’t expect to see in your silver wedding anniversary with them.

If all else fails, dig!: Underground tunnel systems are the way to travel in a dystopian society, but they take time to create. Why not start setting some up now? No, I’m sure you don’t need planning permission, the council will understand when you tell them about the upcoming Apocalypse.

See it does not all have to be doom and gloom in dystopia land as long as you prepare. What dystopian lessons do you have to pass on from your reading? Anyone want to volunteer to build my underground shelter (hammers are not my friends).