Nadya Sugiarto LMST345

Week 13: For this week, I read "All At One Point". I think it's an interesting read. It makes me think about relativity and the quantum theory back in high school... which I don't remember 100%, but I think time and space is always an interesting topic. When I read the title "All At One Point" it reminds me of the concept of a space warp that I read a long time ago in a comic book. It's like when you draw two points on a piece of paper, and then you fold the paper so that those two points meet. So, as I continued reading, what I understand from the story, is that the world has been merged into one point. It sounds like the infinity number of points, as in a circle, has been merged into one point and now people are living in one point. And people are also one. They share everything they have and everything they feel. Judging from the names their names, I'm wondering if people become elements or compounds (like in periodic table). At first, I don...

Week 12: For this week, I read "I Live With You". I really enjoy reading it. I think it's kind of creepy because it feels like we're seeing from the perspective of a stalker. What makes it more interesting is that this stalker seems to be something that is not normal. She has the same look but also not her. I'm wondering if she is a doppelganger? But it seems to be something more than that. I'm wondering if it's a metaphor. Is the stalker actually her other persona? That's why she does things, like inviting a man without realizing it? But it doesn't make any sense too because the person who gets stalked does notice that someone else is living with her.... Or does this stalker actually just someone with mental disorder that thinks she is just like the other person? Another possibility, judging from other readings like Bloodchild, maybe alien? It feels too random though. It's interesting though that this stalker was able to change the woman...

BLOODCHILD 1) I was confused with the terms and how the world works at the beginning. I didn't understand what the eggs are and where they come from. At the end of the story, I'm still unsure. The story seems interesting and creepy at the same time, but it's hard for me to visualize it because I don't exactly know how to imagine T'Gatoi. Is she like a spider or some kind of other bugs or insects? Does she have a human face? Is she basically an alien with appearance like an insect or myriapods? Bug, grubs, and worms have always creeped me out, so this story definitely creeped me out too. Not to mention the description on the blood and human flesh during Lomas' process of being opened and harvested. The story is definitely not my cup of tea. 2) I can relate to Gan when he puke after seeing Lomas being opened and T'Gatoi eating. I think I would be the same, if not, I might even passed out. Other connection I have with the story is probably on responsibility...

WEEK 10: THE FICTION OF IDEAS Earlier last week, I said that I don't really like Science Fiction. This week is special because even though I don't really like science fiction, I like Ursula K. Le Guin's work. At least one of her other series. I really enjoyed "The Earthsea Cycle", so seeing her name for this week makes me excited. That's why I choose The Left Hand of Darkness. The Left Hand of Darkness was so fun to read. The overall feeling I got was like reading a fantasy novel, even though it's a science fiction. The problem I got was the confusing terms that were thrown to me right away when I started reading. It took some time and re-read to understand them. But, the novel itself is so rich of description and it was really fun to imagine this new world. Maybe that's why it feels like reading a fantasy world. My favorite part is when the main character, Genly, visits the fortune tellers. That arc/chapter can stand alone and it would still be ...

Week  9: SPACE OPERA For this week, I read Vintage Season. To be honest, sci-fi and space stories are not really my cup of tea. So, reaching this topic for this class doesn't really excite me. When I looked at the reading resources, I skimmed through some of them and decided on which one I wanted to read based on the writing style. Vintage Season seemed okay for me. So I gave it a shot. Vintage Season has an interesting beginning. "Three people come up the walk to the old mansion on a perfect May morning" sounds like something that  I would read in any other genres. "Okay, that sounds interesting", I thought. As I continued reading, I found myself feeling curious about these three people. The story itself felt really slow. I don't really like the main character, but my curiosity about these three characters kept me going. Until half of the reading, it still doesn't feel like a sci-fi and more like a mystery story. So that's good for me. Relation ...

WEEK 8: MYTHIC FICTION AND CONTEMPORARY URBAN FANTASY For this week, I choose to read Neil Gaiman's "The Ocean at The End of The Lane". I bought this book about a year ago, while waiting at an airport, but I never got to read it until the end. I think part of the reason was the beginning/opening that felt kind of slow. After reading it again, I guess it's not that the beginning is slow. Maybe I was just impatient, haha. When the narrator returns to his childhood memory, for some reason, I couldn't really understand his personality, but not really? I understand that he loves his kitten, Fluffy. I understand his feeling about burnt toast, and his old bedroom... But his narration feels kind of monotone for me. In contrast to Lettie, Lettie feels more alive. Midway through, I start to feel more comfortable reading his narration style. The part when he pulls out the worm from his foot was intense, it scared me. The story overall is so weird and unpredictable. ...

Week 7: The Tale of Spiritual Education For this week, I read the Night Circus. I've seen the book on the top ten shelf for so long every time I went to bookstores, but for some reason I never gave it a chance. So, when I start reading the opening of the book, I wondered why I never read this book before. The writing style at the opening is something that would make me keep going. I really like the mysterious and magical feeling I got when I read it. And the structure of the book, going back and forth between characters is also my favorite kind of structure. I love it when I can follow stories from different perspective and root for different characters. For this book, I like both characters, Celia and Marco. I root for both character and so of course the ending satisfied me. They are such a sweet couple. Story wise, some parts of the book made me cringe, and confused too. Like when Hector slices open Celia's finger so that she heals herself. I'm always weak to gory stu...