Title: Downbelow Station (Company Wars #1)

Author: C. J. Cherryh

Genre: Sci-fi

Publisher: Daw Books
Publication date: December, 1981
My version: Paperback, 526 pages (started with the audiobook)


Back cover:

The Beyond started with the Stations orbiting the nearest Earth. The Great Circle the interstellar freighters traveled was long but not unmanageable, and the early Stations were dependent on Mother Earth. The Earth Company which ran this immense operation reaped incalculable profits and influenced the affairs of nations.

Then came Pell, the first Station centered around a newly-discovered living planet. The discovery of Pell's World forever altered the power balance of Beyond. Earth was no longer the anchor which kept this vast empire from coming adrift, the one living mote in a sterile universe.

But Pell was just the first living planet. Then came Cyteen, and later others, and a new and frighteningly different society grew in the farther reaches of space. The importance of Earth faded and the Company reaped ever smaller profits as the economic focus of space turned outward. But the powerful Earth Fleet was still a presence in the Beyond, and Pell Station was about to become the final stronghold in a titanic struggle between the vast, dynamic forces of the rebel Union and those who defended Earth's last desperate grasp for the stars.

So, my main reason for reading this book was that it was Sword & Laser's book of the month for March 2013. And I was so happy they picked it! It was hard to get a hold of it in France (although I think they would've had it in British Amazon, I forgot to check that one) or you could get it but it took weeks. So, I got the audio version to start with. But what I learned (which I already suspected) was that I'm not an audiobook person. I'm very picky about the reader and I just don't take the time to listen. And when I do have time, I have all these podcasts I want to listen. But once I got the book (I was about 40 % done by the time), I finished it quite quickly: because it was awesome! I love multiple point of views and character driven stories. I loved that you could see many sides to the conflict, although I think you can see which people the writer prefers.

My definite favorite of the characters was captain Signy Mallory and I wish there was more about her. She was totally awesome, but flawed which made her a real person and she just didn't take crap from anyone. And I love the way she's unapologetically selfish and knows it. She wants to do things her way, but at the same time she's a fair leader and the crew knows they can trust her. Also, what I love about the book is, that in general there was women as well as men in all the levels of hierarchy. And it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't in any way commented, it was just characters interacting with each other. And also: some people just are married and that's that. It's not like they have to have all these crises and other women/men, that's just part of their life. Well, that's life in general, but sometimes I feel this is forgotten, especially in the sci-fi genre.

What I was really surprised about was that I hadn't heard of this book before. I mean it is a Hugo winner, after all. And yes, I haven't read that much sci-fi, so this might be the reason, but then again I have heard writers like Isaac Asimov and Frank Herbert even before I read them. Well, I actually haven't read them... Only The Foundation from Asimov. But that's my point. This was SO MUCH BETTER! I don't know if Cherryh is just undervalued because she's a woman, or if the character driven stories have been undervalued in sci-fi in general. But that was the main weakness in Foundation in my opinion. I mean, they talk about psychology and how everything can be predicted, but if you read any history or science books about human behavior you learn, that humans are actually quite unpredictable. I just found Foundation very unbelievable. But Downbelow Station was totally believable and I can't wait to read more of the series.

Cheese slices:

'I didn't realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isn't at its best when surrounded by axle grease and burnt oil...'

Mercedes Thompson runs a garage in the Tri-Cities. She's a mechanic, and a damn good one, who spends her spare time karate training and tinkering with a VW bus that happens to belong to a vampire. Her next-door neighbour is an alpha werewolf - literally, the leader of the pack. And Mercy herself is a shapeshifter, sister to coyotes. As such, she's tolerated by the 'wolves but definitely down the pecking order. As long as she keeps her eyes down and remembers her place, the pack will leave her in peace.

Title: Brainstorm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences

Author: Rebecca M. Jordan-Young

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Harvard University Press
Publication date: September 2010
My version: Hardcover, 394 pages

Book description (back cover):

Female and male brains are different, thanks to hormones coursing through the brain before birth. That's taught as fact in psychology textbooks, academic journals, and bestselling books. And these hardwired differences explain everything from sexual orientation to gender identity, to why there aren't more women physicists or more stay-at-home dads. In this compelling book, Rebecca Jordan-Young takes on the evidence that sex differences are hardwired into the brain. Analyzing virtually all published research that supports the claims of 'human brain organization theory,' Jordan-Young reveals how often these studies fail the standards of science. Even if careful researchers point out the limits of their own studies, other researchers and journalists can easily ignore them because brain organization theory just sounds so right. But if a series of methodological weaknesses, questionable assumptions, inconsistent definitions, and enormous gaps between ambiguous findings and grand conclusions have accumulated through the years, then science isn't scientific at all. Elegantly written, this book argues passionately that the analysis of gender differences deserves far more rigorous, biologically sophisticated science. 'The evidence for hormonal sex differentiation of the human brain better resembles a hodge-podge pile than a solid structure...Once we have cleared the rubble, we can begin to build newer, more scientific stories about human development.'

Most books set out to answer questions. This book sets out to question answers. The answers I question have to do with the nature and causes of differences between men and women, and between straight and gay people. Specifically I question what we "know" about male and female brains, or gay and straight brains.

Cheese slices:

After many years, I decided to revive this blog. I've lately gotten really addicted to GoodReads and also some awesome pop culture blogs with a feminist viewpoint. I think it's time to say what I think again. I haven't been very good with regular updates in the past, but I try to be better. That said, although I'm deliriously happy about any followers, I'm not going to stress about this. I hope you enjoy my ramblings. Be sure to check out the blogs linked in the sidebar (there's some awesomeness there). And if you're interested on my new grading system, be sure to check the About section of the blog.

I had a friend over last night and she told me about a great series she's been following: QI quite interesting. The host is one of my favorite actors: Stephen Fry. I of course had to check it and I uploaded some shows. And I'm totally hooked. Next thing I knew I ordered all the seasons that are on dvd from my trusted supplier Play.com and I also got the interactive dvds.


After this infection of yet another addiction, I started to think why is it, that there are so many genious comediens in Great Britain. What is it about British men? I mean, there is Stephen Fry, who's hilarious, there are two of my favorite authors: Douglas Adams and Jasper Fforde. Granted, Douglas Adams is dead, but still. And there are others. To me these are just the ones that stick out the most. There are of course other people in other countries that are funny, but these guys are totally hilarious and make me laugh out laud. Which is not too bad in the privacy of your own home, but can cause strange looks while reading in the bus for example. One of my later discoveries is also Dave Gorman and Danny Wallace who in their book Are you Dave Gorman? are looking for Dave Gormans mostly in Britain, but also in other countries.

Maybe it's just that I like British humor. Even though I tend to just laugh, the humor always has a bit of twist to it. It usually ironical, which is a type of humor that I love. It's not spelled out for you, but rather you have to find the fun of it. Also, it's sometimes just plain absurd and strange, which always appeals to me. Well, whatever the reason, I'll keep my eye on the British Isles for new acquaintances.

Today we went to see Bon Jovi's Lost Higway concert in Helsinki. For me this was very nostalgic. The first rock concert I've ever been to was Bon Jovi in the same Olympic stadium as today but 12 years ago. And he was as great today as he was then. 12 years ago Bon Jovi was my favorite band and since I'd never been to a concert, it really made and impression. Now I've been to many concerts but seeing Bon Jovi in a full stadium that are shouting and clapping just for him. It was unreal. I've been to smaller arena concerts but there is something about a full stadium. And the amount of noise it can make. One great thing was that since it was outside and we weren't sitting near the speakers, I didn't need earplugs. I'm sure that made the experience even better. I have good earplugs and you can really hear music through them, but the noise of the audience is filtered greatly. Well, I only can say, that there were few things in my teenage years that didn't suck :)

I'm a big fan of lists. I like to read lists. I like to check things off. When I travel, I make a list of everything I need to bring. This is not just a facet of my personality, it's also necessary. I'm way too absent-minded. If I don't make lists, I forget things. Like bringing underwear when going to places. I can manage this even with a list. Luckily it's usually things you can buy anywhere.

But reading lists has become somthing that makes my reading a bit different. I used to just pick up any book from the shelf. Now I'm thinking what would benefit my lists the most. What would be a book that would shorten most my lists. This is a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing, because then I pick up books that I just wouldn't get around to otherwise and end up loving, but it's also a bad thing, because I've started to stress about this and feeling guilty if I read outside the lists. Maybe I need somekind of treatment. Wonder if there is listaholics anonymous...

I just saw Sex and the city movie yesterday. And it was fine. Nothing earthshaking. I really liked the tv show more, though. My problem with the movie is that I never liked Mr. Big. I just don't understand what Carrie ever saw in him. And after everything I just don't understand why she would want to marry him.

Also, I didn't like Samantha's story line. Like Samantha putting up weight (what weight?). She just looked better and more normal. And even if she would've actually looked fatter, it's Samantha. She just wouldn't have cared what other people thought. And I really loved Smith Jerrod in the series. He was just wonderful. And in the movie, I don't like that they made him a jerk. Because he really was. And for that I like that Samantha left him, but in the series he was so great. And I think that was my biggest disappointment. I loved their unconventional relationship, but I guess it was too uncoventional to end the movie with that relationship working.

As a whole, I think the movie was watchable. I actually quite liked it. But now, the more I think about it, the more I dislike it. I definitely prefer the series. Already starting the movie with the way the book (I REALLY didn't like the book) starts, I was put off a bit. And how Louise ended up with her old boyfriend. She could've had a fabulous time in New York instead. The movie just got more and more conventional to the end and when the series was more about girls having fun together, the movie was more about finding that man. Not that I always liked the series either. I liked the beginning and the end, but they could've cut few seasons in the middle.

Well, anyway, I didn't have many expectations from the movie, so I can't say I was really disappointed.

I just read an amazing comic book. Liv Strömquist's Einsteins fru. Unfortunately I couldn't find a translation, so if you want to read it, you need to read it in Swedish. I immediately ordered my own copy and also her other books Hundra procent fett and Drift. Liv Strömquist writes comics from a feminist point of view. I mean why doesn't anyone talk about Einstein's wife? Not only did she raise their mentally chanllenged son on her own after Einstein run off with a younger woman, but she actually did research together with Einstein and didn't receive the credit from it in the end. And even though her part in the research is known, it's not talked about.

Einstein was just one small part of this book, though. There is so much more. And it still manages to be funny. I had never thought of Sting as stalker material, but then again, if you actually listen Every breath you take, it is kind of creepy. I've always loved that song and I probably still continue to love it, but I do think it's a bit disturbing. Well, I'm definitely thankful for the people who brought this book to my attention. How cool is it to find new great authors that you just haven't heard of before. I'm amazed.

On tuesday 22nd of April I was at Hartwall-areena and saw one of the most incredible concerts ever. I've been so lucky this spring. First Zemfira and now this. I mean, I know Paul Anka is good, but I didn't know that he is just incredible live!

I was with my nanny and her daughter. My nanny had actually seen Paul Anka when he performed last time in Helsinki, in Linnanmäki 1959. Of course he was at the Pori Jazz festival last year, so it wasn't as cool as it would've been if that was his last time in Finland altogether. Anyway, the show was great. And we definitely regretted for not paying the extra 30 euros for seats in 6th row. I mean, he walked around the audience. How cool is that. Anyway, we enjoyed immensely. And the new album, Rock Swings, was great. I knew most of those songs as well and they were good covers with addition of Paul's originality. And I didn't know that he had actually written My Way for Frank Sinatra. And to hear that as a duet with Frank (Frank of course on tape, since he is dead) - incredible. I'm out of superlatives. It was so good.

And to hear about his life and old buddies like Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Frankie Avalon etc. I mean they all just hung out together and were buddies. I also didn't know that Paul Anka actually wrote all his songs by himself and also wrote a lot of stuff to other people. He is very talented songwriter and a great performer. Just as with Zemfira, Paul Anka didn't have a lot of "show" but he really knew how to take his audience. And the band was incredible. So, all and all, it was worth all the money.

I also made a promise at the concert that if Bay City Rollers ever come to Finland, we'll be there. I mean, if nostalgy can be this good...

I just might be crazy... but then again, taking the easiest road has never been my thing. Just ask my elementray school craft teacher. So, I decided to participate in Blog a Penguin Classic. The idea is that they will send you a Penguin classic and you promise to read it and post a review of it in six weeks of receiving the book. My book will be Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Italian Journey 1786-1788. I have never heard of this book before and I'm actually quite excited about reading it and expanding my knowledge. I have of course heard of Goethe.

I wonder if I can make any comparisons. I mean I've been to Italy a few times. First times actually 200 years after Goethe, in 1986 and 1988. Then again I was 6 and 8 respectively, so I might have a different perspective on things than Goethe, who - after all - was almost 40. Maybe I'll refrain from comparisons. But I'm kind of excited to read the book anyway. It will be my first Goethe.

I have a friend who is a bollywood freak. Or Shahrukh Khan freak. And it's spreading... I at least have cathced the bug. Just last weekend we had a bollywood night and we watched Shahrukh Khan's latest film Om Shanti Om. It was a bit of a parody of older bollywood hits, but even though I haven't seen that many movies, I had a blast. And of course there's my friend who can explain. A movie totally worth seeing. Although, my case is hopeless, since I already belong to the Shahrukh Khan fan club :) I joined a bit reluctantly, but maybe the first movie I saw wasn't the best. Om Shanti Om and Karan Arjun convinced me. I mean, who can resist a movie, where two main characters die almost in the beginning only to be reborn and get their revenge (and girls too...). And the translations to English are hilarious as well. Who has ever heard of anyone thanking their uncle that he took care of them when their parents expired...

One of the greatest things about Om Shanti Om is that it replaced the traditional item girl with SHAHRUKH KHAN and pain of disco (just look at those abs...):

I wouldn't mind watching more of this kind of item numbers. Well, I'm totally a fan of bollywood now. I have even started my own collection, which hopefully will soon include Om Shanti Om and Karan Arjun as well. The bollywood singstar has already been ordered and now we are just trying to find the right time for a singstar night. The virus is spreading...

About a week ago I was in the best concert that I've ever been. And I've been to a few. It was a Russian singer Zemfira and she had a concert in Tallinn, where I went by myself and had a blast. I've loved the cd's but live it was even better. For the first half an hour I didn't remember I could move, I was so awestruck. And when I remembered that I actually can move, it just got better. The new album is awesome and we heard lot of old hits as well.

When I came home I started to wonder what it is in these Russian women that are non-heterosexually oriented. I mean, how are they so capable of making such incredible music. I'm mainly talking about Zemfira and Nozhnye Snipery. I came to the conclusion, that in Russia, there is still a lot of conservative attitudes concerning women and lot of Russian pop stars that are women, tend to try to please the male audience too much. But that's so great about singers like Zemfira, she really doesn't try to please anyone but herself. And that's one reason her music is so great. She also has a wonderful stage presence, I've never seen anything alike.



So, now I know what I'd like to be. I'd like to be like Zemfira on stage. I don't know if that will ever happen, but it's something worth aspiring to. I've definitely found my idol. With this one concert she went above anyone else.

In the summer there is the tv show hiatus... I can't wait to the new season of Heroes to begin. And I have to wait till January to see new episodes of Battlestar Galactica and Lost :( In a way this is a good thing, though. In the meanwhile I can catch up with podcasts and reading and writing songs and... Sometimes I wonder if it's healthy to actually stress about things that you do for fun. All things concerning popular culture are just that for me, but still somehow I manage to feel stressed when I haven't read all the books I want or am not up to date on all the tv shows or podcasts that sound interesting.

I have this problem that I have to know if not everything then at least a lot on a subject that I'm interested in. For example, when I found the Buffy season 8 comics it isn't enough just to read that. I need to find out what else is out there what might possibly interest me. And then of course I need to also acquaint myself with all the classics of the genre so, that I can actually say that I'm interested in comics. And I also have to read some manga to have an opinion about that as well. This has to be some kind of disease or something. I wonder if I would be able to be only slightly interested in something... what a novel idea...

Been very busy lately... Mainly because I'm taking a Japanese course in the Summer University of Helsinki. I'm busy, because the course is on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So it takes up a lot of energy. But Japanese is cool. Maybe I can read manga in Japanese one day. Although, I still need to find a manga that I really like. Well, Astro Boy might be one. And you can always learn from different cultures (also I think that Hiro might have a small effect on my current enthusiasm about Japanese).

Today I created an account in the Wikipedia. I decided that since I use it a lot, I should also contribute. Especially to the Finnish version. But maybe to the English one as well, if there are same articles that need updating. Like I don't have enough things to do already. But I think sharing the knowledge, even if it is about trivial things, is very important. And it's good to have a possibility to access the knowledge in your own language, since not everyone is fluent in English. I already found things to update. And if I'm too lazy to actually update the articles, I can always do some grammar control and editing. Sharing is caring :)

I just finished watching the final episode of the first season of Heroes. I still can't believe how good the show was. I mean, the whole season. Adding to my favorite shows, this one blew me away. I've always love the superhero stuff and this was that but then it had the other thing that I love: it was very character driven. And who would not love Hiro Nakamura? I do. I have high hopes for the second season and I can't wait for it. I had to order the dvd right away.

Well, there will be a long summer before the fall... and before the next season. These weeks are really exciting for me. Last week I was watching the final episodes of Gilmore Girls (the very last one, since it's not coming back for next season) and Grey's Anatomy. This week there was Heroes and there's still coming Veronica Mars and Lost. I will be so tired when this week is over...

Well, I gotta say that when Lost first started in Finland, I thought, this is not really for me. Now I've seen it recommended in so many places by people who I seem to have a similar taste with, that I just had to give it another go. And I'm totally hooked. I've seen the first 7 episodes of the first season and I can't wait to watch more. The only problem is I have to sleep once in awhile... I think what influenced my first decision about the series was the fact that Veronica Mars was on at the same time on a different channel and I was kind of surfing between the two shows, and didn't really get the feel for Lost. Veronica was already a favorite.

Well, now I got one more addiction to follow. I think I just should stop at some point, but it might not be possible with my compulsive obsessive nature. Or maybe the series loses its thing after awhile and I don't need to follow it anymore. I guess one can always wish... Gotta go to sleep, so that I can wake up for Lost again... Not that I'm a slave for tv shows or anything.

I just have to tell the world how much I LOVE the new season of Buffy. At the moment I'm paying dearly for that love at the moment, since I've ordered the first two issues from US and that's costly. Now I'm starting to get them through a friend of mine who has a pull list at the local comics store. So the costs are coming down to half. Anyway, I just got the issue 2 today and that's what prompted me to write. I just had to sit down and read it first even though I was dying of hunger. And of course I can't eat while reading my Buffy comics, since I might accidentally get some food on them and then the world as we know it would end.

The picture on this post is from the first issue and the best panel I've ever seen in comics. It's not exactly a power walk, but something similar. And I'm a fan of power walks. Well, the power drop just hasn't the ring to it... I was a bit worried of the art style, since I don't always like the way comics and especially women in comics are drawn, but after reading a few interviews with Joss Whedon where he said that he carefully picked the artist who wouldn't draw Buffy with inflatable breasts, I started to breathe again. And when I saw what Georges Jeanty had done I was relieved that I could trust Joss Whedon's judgement.

I was annoyed when I read one of the letters in the back of issue 2, though. One reader basically said that if Tara doesn't come back and get back together with Willow, she will stop reading the comics altogether. I really didn't like the tone of that mail. I mean, even though I might have some preferences where I would like to see the story go, I wouldn't dream of telling Joss Whedon and the other writers how to do their job. And I noticed while watching the tv series that even though the turn of events was sometimes not what I would've liked the story as a whole usually was better for it. As Joss Whedon said somewhere (my mind is failing where I heard it) you shouldn't give the audience what it wants, but what it needs. And I need season 8! In my opinion there's nothing to complain about. But then I might be biased since Joss Whedon is my master...

I found some old comics at my parents's place. There were these old comics about Indians (this might not be a correct term, but in Finnish it's definitely not insulting and is not meant in any offending way here) that I used to love as a kid. The comics were called Hopeanuoli (Silver Arrow), which was the name of one of the main characters a young chief of the Kiowa tribe. A little search int he wikipedia tells me that the comics were published in Finland from 1976-1985, so it ended around the time I learned to read. I remember reading these first when we were visiting some friends of our parents's who had two sons that were few years older. Then I found them in the local second-hand book store. Now I actually learned that the comic was created by Belgian guy called Frank Sels. Not much about the comics can be found in the internet. The site with most information is a Danish fan site. So, if you can read Danish, go ahead.

Why am I writing about this? Well, I really used to love this comic. I always thought the Indian culture was very fascinating and I guess this romanticized my image about it a bit further. Now when I actually read couple of the old issues, there wasn't that much in there. I loved the little mountain lion cub that was running around and the strong female character Kuunsäde (Moon Beam), who was so not featured enough. I think even as a kid I was more drawn to the historical facts about Indians and their livestyle and what happened to them when the white men came. And even though I won't be spending a lot of time going over these magazines, I'm glad I found them and got reminded how much they were a part of my life one time. I'm feeling very nostalgic at the moment...

To get the blog thing going, I thought I would start with a review of a recent Buffy comic that I read. Unlike all things Joss Whedon that I usually enjoy, this wasn't up there with all the great stuff. I read it few weeks ago and the almost same review, and maybe some other opinions can be found here.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Viva Las Buffy

published by Dark Horse Comic in july 2003
Writers: Scott Lobdell & Fabian Nicieza
Penciller: Cliff Richards
Inker: Will Conrad
Colorists: Dave McCaig & Liza Gonzales
Letterer: Clem Robins
Cover art: Paul Lee & Brian Horton

Ok, come on. I really didn't like this story. It was about Buffy before she came to Sunnydale, but in the world where Dawn exists. And Pike is there. The problem is that in the movie Pike was cool and in this he just whines and gets in the way. I really liked Pike in the movie, and maybe also because of this I really didn't like the story.

Also I don't think the story fits with the tv-series storyline. I mean, in the beginning of 1st season of Buffy, Angel wasn't really the one to fight and protect Buffy. Even in the end of the season he let Buffy face the master by herself. So it's really not believable that he's fighting very actively to protect her before this.

Also, Buffy was a lot more insecure in the beginning and it would be funny that just few months before she's totally confident fighting vampires. And Buffy has been all about that slayer can have it all: the job and personal life, so it's not really believable that she breaks up with Pike because of her duty as a slayer. Especially since she had "retired" when she came to Sunnydale.

And then come on: who really lets a 15-year-old to work in a casino? And what's with Giles and the watchers's council? I was under the impression that he didn't know Gwendolyn Post or Wesley personally. He thoroughly checked Wesley's background when he came to Sunnydale. If he had known him, he wouldn't had had to.

Besides the insipid and utterly stupid plot the writers were trying poorly to imitate the language of the tv series. The art wasn't too bad, but nothing extraordinary either. So I think that this was basically ripping off the fame of Buffy. Doesn't really make me crave for more Buffy that is not written by Mutant Enemy writers.