Books: The Measure

One of fiction's oldest tropes is arcane foreknowledge of the time of a person's death - from Julius Caesar and the Ides of March, all the way to Justin Timberlake in In Time. Nikki Erlick's novel, The Measure, takes this idea to its logical extreme: in the book, everyone on Earth magically receives an indestructible piece of string that indicates when they are going to die with perfect accuracy, down to the month and year.

I read The Measure for my book club (the cover quote literally says it's "perfect for book clubs") and I liked it okay. The novel is relatively short yet has an ensemble cast of eight characters, so they all feel like sketches rather than fully realized people. 

On the plus side, the story moves briskly and Erlick does a decent job of imagining the societal effects if everyone knew "the measure" of their lives.  Some people with "short strings" become hedonistic travelers, others become depressed, and a tiny minority become violent, which is all woven through the plot.  It's a relatively thought-provoking, breezy read that is...perfect for book clubs.

Miscellany: The Rosenberg Railroad Museum

Like many kids, my nephew is absolutely crazy about trains, so we took him to the Rosenberg Railroad Museum in the city of Rosenberg, Texas.

As far as railway museums go, this is one of the best ones I've been to, mostly thanks to the friendly and knowledgeable staff, and the cool restored railroad cars (there's a MoPac caboose and a railcar from 1879).

Admission was cheap, the tour was truly excellent, and my nephew absolutely loved the model trains and the playroom. If you're in the Fort Bend area and you have any interest in trains whatsoever, the Rosenberg Railroad Museum is well worth a visit.

Music: Schoolgirl

It's spring cleaning time here at Shangrila Towers, and that means a whole lot of rock music playing in the background as I excavate all the bric-a-brac in my house.

One obscure band that I just discovered is Annie Taylor, named after someone similarly obscure - a schoolteacher who was the first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. They're a Swiss band that sounds like a cross between Wolf Alice and Hole, with some killer grunge/punk riffs that could have come from your best friend's garage.  If you need an example, here's their track "Schoolgirl":