Web Log
Search (for Ridiculous Things) and You’ll Find Me
Been on the road for a while, then attending “The First Stanford Symposium on Bedside Medicine,” which was a real honor. Here’s a link to Dr. Verghese’s thoughts on the ritual of the physical exam. His presentation was truly inspiring. During the weekend, I finally got a Twitter account going. Follow @blakecharlton if you’re keen. [...]
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What’s in a Score?
For those who consistently read this blog, both of you might remember my post about how the exam brought me to my knees. Preparing for the test and confronting my fears about my disability created one of the most painful events of my life—only having my heart shattered by a reckless lover and watching my [...]
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Why I’m not posting today…
Admin: Hi, is this Blake, the teaching assistant for the new Internal Medicine lecture series?
Blake: Yes.
Admin: I’m Dr. ____’s assistant and I’ve just realized that even though I confirmed Dr. ___ would make your lecture, I also confirmed him for a lecture twenty minutes later on A DIFFERENT CONTINENT.
Transitions & Translations
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reading for the past week. See the previous two posts for thoughts on the audiobooks I’ve recently enjoyed. There was a fair amount of writing as well, none of it for this blog. My Med Scholars Fellowship required I write one last short story. It unfortunately grew [...]
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Audiobook Review: THE CITY & THE CITY by China Mieville, narrated by John Lee
The audiobook of The City & The City by China Mieville, produced by Random House Audio, and read by John Lee was delightful. For years now I’ve loved China’s writing, which is complex, rich, and very weird. The City & The City is all of these things, but much more accessible than his previous work. [...]
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Audiobook Review: THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA by Scott Lynch, narrated by Michael Page
I recently listened to the audiobook of Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, produced by Tantor Media and read by Michael Page. If you follow fantasy even passingly, you know that Lies is one of the freshest début fantasies in recent memory. Lynch’s thrilling plot is filled with murderous, unscrupulous, but terribly witty [...]
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Spellwright, Sci Fi, Syfy, and Irony
Spellwright has been chosen to be the “Sci-fi Essentials Book Series” selection for February 2010. This means it’s been it given the stamp of approval for co-branding by the cable network formally known as “The Sci-Fi Channel.”
I’m flattered to be chosen. But consider three things: One, Spellwright is a book about the power of misspelling. [...]
Spellwright Publication Dates Set
After years and years of telling everyone that Spellwright is going to come out sometime next year/season/eon but of my publishers have set actually ‘days’ on which this will happen.
US: 16 February, 2010
UK: 31 August, 2010
Audiobook Review: TIGANA by Guy Gavriel Kay, narrated by Simon Vance
A few years ago I used the blog to review and analyze what I was reading or listening to. Criticism, or rather good criticism, is very hard work. I’d still like to float some thoughts about what I’m reading but would like to save more time for writing fiction. As a compromise, I’m going to [...]
Read MoreIndie Booksellers Command Respect!
Blake: Hello, I’m local who’s going to be an author soon, and I was wondering if—
Bookseller: Stop right there, son. How is my bitch-please-you’d-better-not-be-about-to-mention-your-Xlibris-self-published-novel expression?
Blake: Really intimidating, actually.
Bookseller: Son, does your mother like your novel?
Blake: Thinks it’s the best book ever written.
Bookseller: As I thought. Could you go sit over there beneath the sign labeled [...]