So last week, I was in one of the least glamorous locations known to man, Maidstone. "I spent a year there one week" as the old joke goes! Well, it was a week, and it did indeed feel like a year! It was a 'Creative Workshop' with the other copywriters and designers on my team, and I thought it went very well. It was like a strange hybrid between really hard work and a relaxing holiday! I got more sleep than usual, in a very, very comfy bed; and we got sooo much food! I am seriously amazed that I only put on 3lb, and I can lose that in a couple of days. But it was quite hard, and I am pleased to say that I did come up with the required creative goods. :) I also managed to start, and completely finish, Last Argument of Kings, the last book in a trilogy I enjoyed immensely: The First Law, by Joe Abercrombie.
I thought I was ruined after I discovered George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. I thought nothing could be so entertaining, so gripping, so gory. I actually gave up reading fantasy for a few years as nothing even came close. Nothing at the local library anyway. Well and the fact that Mr Martin has taken approximately 647 years to write the latest instalment. Anyway, I read a lot of great, and not-so-great detective novels in that time. But then I discovered The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and I got re-hooked on nerdy fantasy. So I went to a different library and scoured their SF section, and picked up The Blade Itself, the first in the First Law series. I was hooked from beginning to end. Then, when I went on a (very classy, I might add) holiday to Lanza-grotty with my mum and brother, I bought my bro the first two in the First Law series as a belated birthday present, hoping he'd let me read the second one while we were away! He did, and loved them so much, he bought The Last Argument of Kings the moment we got back and read it before me! What a git! I should add that I also bought him the George R. R. Martin books, and actually got him into reading again. And he likes Joe Abercrombie even more. He's even been pressing copies on his mates, trying to get them into him!
Anyway, suffice to say it is an absolutely cracking read. It's a fantastically well-written series, and the characters are so ... full of character! They have both good and bad sides, and unlike some books, there were no character chapters that I wanted to (or *gasp* did!) skip through. The battle scenes were particularly epic, and suitably bloody. My only niggle is the ending! I am praying that Mr Abercrombie left so much potential story deliberately, so he can continue it in the future! I want to know about Ferro's vengeance! I want to know if Logen escapes from that evil Black Dow (I knew he was rotten to the core)! I want to see Jezal catch a break and Bayez get his comeuppance! So fingers crossed, we haven't seen the last of that world.
*ahem* that is quite enough nerdery for one day, back to being a poser! Yesterday, I went to a 'group shoot', namely a large collection of models and photographers, in a lovely old manor house hotel. The rooms and gardens were lovely, and I think (hope!) I will get some fab shots for my portfolio. I have only seen a couple so far, but then it only took place yesterday. I am also awaiting pics from the beach shoot of a fortnight ago and a wedding and fashion shoot I did a week ago. I will be updating when all those are back...no more shoots for a while now.
Enough waffling, have a couple of piccies.
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