Going through a library book sale has unearthed a few gems. One of those was a Le Guin book I'd never heard of before: Orsinian Tales. It's neither sci-fi nor fantasy, and that's what immediately drew my interest. The stories of the Orsinian Tales take place in a fictional Eastern European country and follow the general history of that region. In this imagined setting, Le Guin follows various lives of Orsinia's people through the great events of European history. The tales in themselves are well written but only loosely connected: perfect for leisurely or sporadic reading. If you like Le Guin, check it out.
I got my Super Nintendo Entertainment System when I was eleven years old. That's a couple years after it first came out. The occasion was a little dramatic: to celebrate the end of a two-and-a-half year course of treatment for cancer. I had no idea that it would be waiting for me at home after the final doctors visit. It was a nice spring day, the trees were waving gently in the breeze outside the bay windows. With a cup of tea resting on the coffee table, I set down to play. What was that first game? It was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . Around twenty years later, my SNES still works as does that Zelda cartridge. It's been a long way from boyhood in Southern Connecticut to manhood in North Houston, but I'm still playing. Why am I still playing? There were stretches when I didn't. Many times, I've just been too busy. There were also seasons when it felt embarrassing to still be playing video games....
Comments