Survivor: China got off to a good start last night. I got a good feel for several of the players during the first episode, which is unusual. Chicken’s arc was interesting—his petulance was his downfall. To back off to the extent he did was survivor suicide. He wouldn’t even offer an opinion as to whether it was day or night. Glad he’s gone, because I couldn’t understand a bloody thing he said. It will be interesting to see how the others work out. The wrestler has a bit of a hole to dig herself out of due to her illness. The NY waitress will have to adjust her attitude if she’s going to work with the others on her team. Can’t wait to see what surprises they have in store this year, as there’s been no talk of an exile island or a hidden immunity idol.
I watched the first hour of the Burn Notice finale and taped the rest to watch this weekend. The gunshot near the end of part one took me quite by surprise. The bloodspatter on Michael’s face was a nice touch. I like this show—it is light and deadly at the same time. Bruce Campbell rocks and Gabrielle Anwar is a cutie. Westin’s relationship with his mother is so edgy.
I’m reading Who’s Killing the Great Writers of America? by Robert Kaplow, which is a very odd sort of book. It’s a parody, I guess, or a spoof, with chapters written from the point of view of (thus far) Sue Grafton, who dies at Riechenbach Falls, the same place Sherlock Holmes (almost) met his fate;Stephen King, who’s depicted as a self-absorbed money-grubber obsessed with his place in literary history and his Amazon sales rankings; and Danielle Steel, who throws herself at Gerard (call me Geri) Depardieu. Steve Martin (or a simulacrum) flirts with Grafton. I’m not sure I’m attuned to the writer’s sense of humor yet. Mercifully, the book is short so it’s not going to be a task to finish it. I’ve only guffawed a few times.
I received a review copy of Best American Short Stories: 2007, edited by Heidi Pitlor and Stephen King, last night. I’m looking forward to perusing the tales at my leisure. After I finish Who’s Killing I’m going back to Jonathan Maberry’s book, though.
Don’t forget to check out my eBay auctions, which end on Sunday. There are a few nice ARCs among the batch, if that’s your thing. Otherwise, a chance to get your hands on some recent hardcovers for a pittance. A pittance, I say. Or you could invest in a flat-signed set of Dark Tower 1-7 to benefit charity.
