Posted by Sari
Category 4, A steampunk book: Josiah Bancroft: Senlin Ascends
Senlin Ascends is one of the increasing number of books that are self-published first and only then find a mainstream publisher later. It takes place in a secondary world that is reminicent of steampunky 19th-century with dirigibles and pith helmets. Thomas Senlin, a rural teacher who has just married his ex-student Marya takes her to a honeymoon to the famed Tower of Babel. They get separated, and Senlin has to ascend the great tower, level by level in his quest to find his bride.
Senlin is a bit like Eliot's Casaubon, but one that is able and willing to learn, and he must learn if he is to succeed in his quest. The tower is crumbling - those outside have to dodge huge pieces of masonry falling randomly on the ground - and the levels are strange and surreal and not at all what the guidebook promised. This is a part of a trilogy (Books of Babel) so the book does not really have an ending, but the second one is out already and the last is out next January, so go and grab it!
Category 28, A Tähtivaeltaja-award winning book: Jonathan Lethem: Gun with Occasional Music
The hard-boiled detective story in the style of Philip Marlowe and Dashiell Hammet is about a world-weary usually alcoholic private eye who is stupid as fuck, gets beaten up a lot and solves the mystery basically by accident. I find that boring as hell. Here the hard-boiled detective uses futuristic drugs and gets beaten up by a kangaroo. I does not help enough. It is still boring as hell.
Forsman Black Oolong tea
I think Oolong as an easy tea, there are so many varities from less oxidised to more oxidised that it is easy to find a favourite. I make mine gongfu-style with an yixing pot that is reserved solely to oolong teas. This involves brewing a larger quantity of tea leaves in much shorter time, and lots of mucking about with water. Bit pretentious, maybe, but I love the process. This particular tea is more oxidised oolong from Taipei, nearer the flavour of black than green tea, but has a nice refreshing flavour.
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