reviews: windosill; inside job; batman! ; imaginary beasts (bks. 10 & 11)

I won't admit to how much time I spent this afternoon working my way through Windosill, but it was loads of fun and totally worth $3. It's sort of like a series of serenely surreal interactive screen savers, rather than your typical computer game, but it's a great way to just chill--good mood guaranteed within five minutes.

Inside Job: I really like most of Connie Willis's stuff, and I like the premise of this one (psychic/medium-debunkers confronted with what appears to be the real deal), but there's something about it that just rubs me the wrong way. Perhaps because one of the characters rather gleefully lumps Christianity and creationism in with the spoon-benders et al.--actually, that's probably it entirely. The other characters are likable, and the story is told with Willis's deft touch and smart humor.

A lovely friend of mine gave me volume 1 of The Batman Chronicles, which contains the first 17 Batman stories. The stories themselves are fun, though a bit silly and simplistic for the most part; I can't imagine what their impact would have been like when they were first published. Certainly, there's little to suggest how huge Batman would become, or how many different interpretations would show up over the years. (I grew up watching Timm's animated Batman--so far that has remained the definitive version of the character for me, although I like Nolan's very much.)

imaginarybeasts book 10: travel
The Hard Way - In which we are given a brief glimpse into a possible future of travel. Beats waiting in airports, I suppose, and the story is fast-paced and fun.

book 11: school
Cat School - Pretty much the sweetest thing ever. Reminds me a bit of Beatrix Potter's stories.
Making Friends - In which an orphan makes friends with someone even less popular than he is. Short, but rather sweet. Though not at all in the same way as Cat School.