I knew who they were but never heard their songs. So after a little research, I have had the following insights: they are both surprisingly fun, but WOW, what terrible singers!

Hey tai chi is hard!

Come on, she was great :)

You make me laugh.

I have a huge ‘to be read’ pile....

Guys, this just makes me think once again that we really need a what is everyone reading thing around here...

excellent kinja!

Did you ever read AS Byatt? She also has the ‘fantastic realism’ thing going on, and I always felt that she was in some ways a UK analogue to Atwood.

Counterpoint: Nikola Tesla was very special indeed, maybe even uniquely so.

tl;dr

No one expects the behavioural geneticists!

with imagination (and verve!)

I have never been able to get the Atwood love. I read Surfacing and THT, and tried OaC, but just could not get into them, or through them. Obviously, different strokes and so on, but I am always so puzzled when I meet people who are really nuts about her.

Wait, what, why? no, don’t do it.

You seem to hold a moderate opinion and express it succinctly. YOU TROLL.

a gif is born

I actually don’t mind being in the greys.

In Lynne Cox’s Swimming to Antarctica, she talks about having to swim in the Nile in Cairo when she was young, describing extremely gross stuff that I won’t repeat.

excellent!

So based on your Crake ref, I’m thinking you like Atwood’s books other than The Handmaid’s Tale?