Oktoberfest Media

Over at The Quagmire, Eric writes that he's picked up, among other things, a new Terry Pratchett book. As it turns out, I picked up Pratchett's sequel to Going Postal earlier today after I enjoyed a delicious Sandrine's creme brulee at their booth in Harvard Square, which was turned into a mini-fair to celebrate Oktoberfest. Sandrine's, boasting cuisine that includes bockwurst and choucroute, was one of the more legitimate exhibitors at Oktoberfest, but I was too full from Dim Sum brunch to go for the wurst, so it was dessert only for me. But I digress.

After enjoying the sweets of Oktoberfest, my friends and I meandered down to the Harvard Book Store (allowing me to point to the actual location of Sandrine's as we walked; I can't recommend them more). I couldn't resist picking up Pratchett's Making Money and Charlie Stross's The Atrocity Archives. Charlie Stross has been amusing me intermittently in posts on various blogs (his own and BoingBoing come to mind), but I hadn't managed to read any of his stuff, despite a recommendation from a friend to get Halting State (eventually, I swear!). Tor.com has been featuring short stories in their new online community, and last week, I finally got around to reading some Strossian fiction: Down on the Farm, which is in the same setting as The Atrocity Archives. I enjoyed it, and it was fortuitously fresh in my mind as I browsed the Sci-Fi/Fantasy stacks in the Harvard Book Store as I glimpsed The Atrocity Archives, which I grabbed, along with Making Money. These two are going to the top of my pile.

Also on that pile are a few books borrowed from friends (coincidentally the friends with whom I was meandering around Harvard Square this afternoon), by Moorcock and Zelazny. Several authors I enjoy have mentioned how much an influence Michael Moorcock has been, so I wanted to get an idea of what that was like. So far, I can report that it is emo. Very emo. Mostly because I'm reading Elric.

I've been on a bit of a Pratchett kick recently, covering the Tiffany Aching series (obliquely referred to back in August on Eric's birthday), Thud!, and Reaper Man, which I'd read before but couldn't recall (as I began it, it was completely unfamiliar, but as I progressed, I began to recall bits and pieces, until it was entirely familiar by the end. Memory's weird).

And comics! I've recently finished reading the first volume of Linda Medley's Castle Waiting (I'm impatiently waiting for volume 2), I devoured all of Y: The Last Man, as well as J. Michael Straczynski's Rising Stars.

I've got more Jim Butcher on tap (I love both the Dresden series and the Codex Alera series), I've got a couple more Scalzi novels on the way, as well as a Joe Haldeman that isn't The Forever War.

I have no idea how I'm going to find time to read all these things, as my projects at work are quite demanding, and I'm starting to ramp up for NaNoWriMo. In fact, I've got a novel planning event tomorrow after work in which I'll meet some fellow Somerville WriMos.