a pep talk--to myself

How are you guys doing reading sci-fi this month? You're not reading one, are you? Ok, ok, neither have I. Yet. But I certainly plan on it. I don't know, maybe it just seems like our sci-fi books aren't going out as well as the thrillers and romances. But really, you just have to keep in mind that the book doesn't have to be all tech heavy and crazy alien sci-fi. Just look at The Time Traveler's Wife. I would consider it sci-fi-ish. I mean the guy can travel through time, for pete's sake. So really, I'm just asking you to pick up a book with a slight inkling of the not-so-normal. Shoot, even Nora Roberts writes about the paranormal. Choosing to read a sci-fi book is like eating a pretzel. It's like, with all the choices in the world why would I choose to eat pretzels? Then I eat one, and I'm like, man, these pretzels aren't half bad. I want more pretzels. These pretzels are making me thirsty (sorry, knee-jerk Seinfeld reaction--can't be helped). To help get your feet wet, maybe try something that you're familiar with. Here are some books that had movies made from them.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.

There's a debate going on in my house whether the dinosaurs used in this movie were actual robots or cgi (computer generated images). My thought is it is cgi, but really good cgi, before they started making everything in the movie cgi and thus ruining the integrity of film (thanks a lot George Lucas and the guy who invented the cgi rat). My husband thinks robots. The librarian side of me wants to look it up, but the practical side of me (because they are apparently two opposing sides) wants to finish this blog up before the sci-fi of the future becomes the sci-fi of today.

Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle

Oh man, remember the first time you watched it and you see the Staute of Liberty partly in water and realize that the planet of the apes is really planet Earth in the future? And then you proceeded to giggle when Charlton Heston screams "It's a madhouse--A MAAAAADHOOOOUSE!!!" Classic. And see, no cgi and perfectly watchable.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Also known as the movie "Blade Runner" to all you laymen. Does anyone else think this is one of those movies that you have to pretend you get to feel intellectual in front of your friends? I watched it in my film class in college and the professor is all (picture a man with a pipe and a monocle--it makes the story funnier) "Oh, the director's cut reveals so much about humanity that the edited version did not have time for!! I do say, if you do not get the director's cut you are not intellectual!!" But anyways, you might want to check it out or something, it's really good.