Next to feature on my 1001 list (12) is the collected work of popular sci-fi novelist, Clifford.D.Simak who was born in 1904 and died in 1988. His work was published extensively throughout the late sixties and seventies and had a resurgence in the mid to late eighties. Featuring a wide variety of both classic and original sci-fi ideas, his novels were highly successful and he was regarded amongst some of the greatest sci-fi writers of the time! His work often followed similar themes, usually to do with mankind's first contact with alien species', and, though he was not noted for ever writing one classic single sci-fi epic that stood out above the rest, still his novels were of a consistently high standard!
Not all his books were a roaring success though; a couple of attempts he made at fantasy fiction were not as well written or as enjoyable as his mainstream sci-fi but then even Stephen King writes the occasional duff novel and he is one of my favourite writers of all time! Some of my favourites of Simak's novels include They Walked Like Men, Shakespeares Planet, The Visitors and Catface but it is difficult to pick between his extensive back-catalogue of novels as the majority of them are as ground-breakingly breath-taking as they are inspirational to read!
One of the main characteristics of his novels that makes them so poular is the sense of community that all his books bring. Many of his novels have a relatively small cast, sometimes no more than two or three characters feature throughout the whole of a story, and many of them likewise are set in small American towns in and around Winconsin. Whatever your thoughts on Simak, there is little doubt that he was one of the all-time sci-fi greats comparable to the likes of Asimov and Arthur.C.Clarke and it is only regretful that in later years, his books have become less well known! Here is a link to his Wikipedia page if you want to learn more about him...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clifford_D._Simak
Next on my list of 1001 books and authors you really need to read before you die is (11) The Charlie Parker novels by John Connolly (whom I mentioned before last year when I was reading The Lovers). These novels, the latest of which is The Whisperers, follow the exploits of ex-Cop and Private Detective, Charlie Parker, whose wife and child are brutally murdered by a serial killer known only as The Travelling Man! In Every Dead Thing, the first of these novels, Parker hunts down the man responsible and finds himself developing a kind of sixth sense that allows him to see the spirits of the recently dead. Parker soon finds himself driven to hunt down other bad men of a similar nature almost against his will as though he is being directed by a higher force...but before long, the forces of Darkness begin to fight back! Fallen Angels, Demons and the ongoing them of a much larger imminent battle between the forces of Good and Evil begin to turn up all through Connolly's novels but one of the best things about these books is that many of the paranormal occurrences are left to the readers own interpretation. If you want, you can read into all that happens to Parker as a form of mental break from reality brought on by Post Traumatic Stress left over from the brutal murder of his family. But you can also read into it that Parker is in fact someone important; an unknown quantity that will play a large part in things yet to come!
These are very dark and graphic serial thrillers that are seriously not for the faint of heart! The theological aspects set them apart from anything else available in this genre and though Connnolly's latest, The Whisperers, is not quite as good as some of the others in this series, it is still miles ahead of what most thriller writers have to offer!
In the last few weeks I have kind of over-indulged and slipped into naughty habits of just buying stuff that I want with little thought to consequence. Hence this month, money has gotten a little tight and I am very glad that I am getting paid on Monday!
With this in mind, I have decided that for the next month I am not going to buy anything for myself! No books, no matter how cheap, no DVDs, no sweets ~ nothing! I am going to really deprive myself. I don't need any more books, I have loads on my TBR as well as all the books I am re-reading at the moment, and if any do come out there is no rush to buy them~ I have to learn that I don't need them there and then; I can wait!
My aim is not to buy any more books unless I sell or mooch some of the vast number of books on my TBR! And not to buy any more DVDs until I have watched some of those I have bought and not even seen yet!
I am also going to try AGAIN to keep a record of everything I spend starting from Monday when I start another weeks holiday. That way I can keep a note of where all my money is going and see where I need to cut costs! I am determined to try and get my expenditure down. We may not be able to afford to move right now but maybe I can help make this seem a little bit more likely by not treating myself and only buying essentials. I have tried before to keep records unsuccessfully but always lose heart, cannot be bothered after a few weeks and always end up giving up! This time though, I am going to try again and by posting that I am doing it on here, hopefully this will help my motivation!
Anyway, I will keep you informed how I get on and try to keep you updated with my progress. Until next time.....ciao peoples xxxx Sparky
Lately a few things have happened in my life (that I don't want to go into here in part because there are some things in my life that I truly believe should remain private) that have lead me to realise how lucky I am to be married to Mrs.Sparky! She is so kind, thoughtful and understanding and sometimes I really don't think I deserve to be with her or to share our beautiful daughter, Emilie, with her. This is a little bit to do with the self-doubt that runs through the very core of my being but also as much to do with the fact that I don't always appreciate her as much as I should. I know, or suspect, that all of us are guilty of this sometimes but with her feeling a little down at the moment, I wanted to take this opportunity to publically declare just how much I love her and tell her how glad I am that she came came into my life! I may not always tell her but I like to think she knows these things. Sometimes though, I guess it is just nice to have these things affirmed. Which is why I have decided to write this post! And also why I think the lyrics of Bon Jovi's "Thank-you for lovin' me" are so appropiate to my relationship with my wife!
"It's hard for me to say the thingsI want to say sometimesThere's no one here but you and meAnd that broken old street lightLock the doorsWe'll leave the world outsideAll I've got to give to youAre these five words when IThank you for loving meFor being my eyes when I couldn't see forParting my lips when I couldn't breatheThank you for loving meThank you for loving meI never knew I had a dreamUntil that dream was youWhen I look into your eyesThe sky's a different blueCross my heartI wear no disguiseIf I tried, you'd make believeThat you believed my liesThank you for loving meFor being my eyes when I couldn't seeFor parting my lips when I couldn't breatheThank you for loving meYou pick me up when I fall downYou ring the bell before they count me outIf I was drowning you would part the seaAnd risk your own life to rescue me, yeahLock the doorsLeave the world outsideAll I've got to give to youAre these five words when IThank you for loving meFor being my eyes oh, when I couldn't seeYou parted my lips when I couldn't breatheThank you for loving meWhen I couldn't flyOh, you gave me wingsYou parted my lips when I couldn't breatheThank you for loving meThank you for loving meThank you for loving meOh for loving me"
One of the things getting Mrs.Sparky down at the moment is the fact that it is looking increasingly unlikely that we will be able to afford to move in the next few years and, in order for us to have another child, which she really wants, we would need a bigger house. I know sometimes you can overthink things and that sometimes you just have to go for them because otherwise what you want will never happen, but you also have to be practical too and our house really isn't big enough! It distresses me too, maybe not as much as Mrs.Sparky it is true, but I am trying not to dwell on it too much. Right now, all I am thinking about is how lucky I am to have such a lovely family. My depression has not surfaced so far this year and ideally I would like it to stay that way! Sometimes you just have to be thankful for what you've got and shouldn't try to dwell on things that could be, but on the here and now!
