Wednesday, November 5, 2008

"It`s not easy to cut through a human head with a hacksaw."

So begins the autobiography of one of my favorite authors.
I pride myself on discovering authors BEFORE they become popular and commercialized. In fact, I tend to get a bit miffed when my admired authors do gain any wide acclaim, because the quality of their work tends to spiral downwards shortly thereafter and/or I lose the joy of the "well-kept" secret (I gave my son a copy of Harry Potter to read when the "average Joe" on the street would have said J.K. Who??).
Long before the television show ER, long before Jurrassic Park- the movie, I was stealthily sneaking my father's well worn copy of The Andromeda Strain off his night table and reading it under the covers.
Michael Crichton died today at the age of 66, after a very private battle with cancer.
If you haven't read any of his books, I highly recommend (almost) ALL of them. {I see you non-scientific history buffs ducking for cover.... try Timeline....}

Bonus Michael Crichton quotes of the day:

“If you don't know [your family's] history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree”

"In the information society, nobody thinks. We expect to banish paper, but we actually banish thought"

3 comments:

citizen of brooklyn north said...

okay, that's how I felt about Robert James Waller (see if you know his books!) I read the first and it was so beautiful and touching. Then it became popular, then it became a movie, then I lost interest.

And I remember The Andromeda Strain also because my Dad had it. But a long long time ago...

what about Len Deighton?

G6 said...

It's funny you should mention Robert James Waller because he's one of only two authors who, in my opinion, have written books that were NOT AS GOOD as the subsequent movie.
I had so much difficulty with the message of "Bridges..." that I was hesitant to see the movie. The film though, left me crying like a baby {the ushers at the theater were actually offering Kleenex on the way out....}
I'm not familiar with Len Deighton.
Make a recommendation, and I might just read one. But choose wisely - - - I still haven't forgiven the guy who told me that the best movie EVER was The Big Lebowski (ugghh).

Anonymous said...

I just liked the slow moving non plot of "Bridges" I actually don't think there was a message (don't cheat? find fullfillment in something productive?) I just liked the prose or style. to be honest, I read it when it first came out and know that I liked it. I don't remember too many details.

here's a great book- 1,000 Acres, by Jane Smiley.