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Sunday Morning Book Thread 03-02-2014: Hipsters Will Be The Death Of Us All [OregonMuse]
"See How Important I Am, Daddy? Daddy? Please Notice Me, Daddy!"
Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's prestigious Sunday Morning Book Thread.
The Tyranny of Cool Greg Gutfeld (author of The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage) has a new book coming out: Not Cool: The Hipster Elite and Their War on You is worthy of purchase based on the title alone. And the Amazon blurb is even better:
From politics to the personal, from fashion to food, from the campus to the locker room, the desire to be cool has infected all aspects of our lives. At its most harmless, it is annoying. At its worst, it is deadly, on a massive scale. The Cool are the termites of life, infiltrating every nook and cranny and destroying it from within. The Cool report the news, write the scripts, teach our children, run our government—and each day they pass judgment on those who don’t worship at the altar of their coolness. The cool fawn over terrorists, mock the military, and denigrate employers. They are, in short, awful people.The bad news is that this book isn't available until March 18th. The good news is that it is also available on Kindle. This is a point I have argued with liberals: "Cool? Of course we're not cool. We're Republicans for crying out loud! We're the adults in the room. We're the ones who wash the dishes and put away the toys after the kids are all in bed. And who get up and go to work the next morning."
First Arab eBookstore Launches, Few Arrests Made An older (Feb. 7th) GoodEreader news item reports:
With the Cairo Book Fair wrapping up this week–amidst controversy, as journalists were arrested for possessing cameras and video equipment to cover the event–one exciting launch took place with critical support from Vodafone Egypt. The first dedicated Arab ebookstore, Kotobi.com, launched from their stage at the fair, bringing several hundred Arab titles from nearly forty publishers to digital devices.Why they would stage a public event and then arrest journalists for covering it makes no sense. I thought this was interesting:
According to the Kotobi website (translated), “Statistics show that readership levels in the Arab World are significantly lower than those among other world populations. And because we believe that reading is a key ingredient for the development of any nation, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to play a role in supporting the Arabic reading ecosystem to the benefit of raising readership levels in the Arabic language.”This is a noble aspiration, but I wonder if they know what this means? If every Arab citizen down to the humblest peasant and streetsweeper can read, that means that they will be able to read books other than the Koran. Is that what the Kotobi backers want? I'd bet that there's a substantial number of Muslim authorities that absolutely do not want this. Certainly this isn't what the jihadis want. Nor their sympathizers, either, I'd expect. So I predict that it won't be long before Kotobi comes under some sort of attack, either by cyberspace or by physical threats from the outside, and it won't be from the Great Satan, but by their own brethren.
A Tale of Modern Dating Lisa De Pasquale, who blogs at The Conversation and was formerly a CPAC organizer, has written a book called Finding Mr. Righteous, a memoir of looking for love in DC among guys on the right. In his review entitled The Racy Memoir That Will Rock CPAC, Breitbart contributor Joel Pollack writes
My colleague Lisa De Pasquale has written a lively Bridget Jones-style memoir of dating in the conservative movement, Finding Mr. Righteous...[that] pulls back the veil to reveal the hot-blooded desires (and, occasionally, earnest romantic ambitions) of conservatives who are trying to balance faith and desire, sex and politics. Along the way, she describes her own journey towards faith, encountering a new religion with each new romance. There's an atheist, a Catholic, a Quaker, and a Jew--and they even walk into bars, often at conservative conferences...Ann Coulter, one of many illustrious names to blurb De Pasquale's book, writes that it is "[a] true Christian story, disguised as racy Chick Lit." It's more than that, though: it's also journalism.
Barnes & Noble - Still Not Dead First, how much do you think B&N has lost on the Nook since its introduction in 2011? Go on, guess. How about a billion dollars? The Nook was predicted to become extinct in 2013 due to market pressures, but that didn't happen, and B&N is still struggling to make a game of it:
Since fiscal 2014 began, approximately 190 NOOK positions have been eliminated both through reductions and attrition...Last quarter Barnes and Noble...controls roughly about 20% of the eBook market, whereas a year ago they had 27%. The bookseller is hoping to capitalize on more international distribution via Microsoft to boost revenue. Finally, Barnes and Noble announced plans for a new Nook tablet to be released sometime this year.Well, I don't know. I would have liked to have been at the meeting where the B&N CEO unveiled the new business plan to revive the Nook division: 1. Fire everybody
2. Ask Microsoft to sell our stuff
3. Hope our new Nook doesn't suck
4. Profit! And the competitive pressure will continue to increase in 2014 with Google scheduled to release its new Nexus 8 tablet in April.
Not Your Father's President OK, so who is the tea-bagging right-wing knuckle-dragging religious extremist h8r who said this:
A society which seeks to make the worship of the state the ultimate objective of life cannot permit a higher loyalty, a faith in God, a belief in a religion that elevates the individual and acknowledges his true value.Heh. According to author Ira Stoll, the answer is: John F. Kennedy. He discusses this, as well as many other surprising things about the president in his new book JFK, Conservative, specifically that
by the standards of both his time and our own, John F. Kennedy was a conservative. His two great causes were anticommunism and economic growth. His tax cuts, which spurred one of the greatest economic booms in our history, were fiercely opposed by his more liberal advisers. He fought against unions. He pushed for free trade and a strong dollar. And above all, he pushed for a military buildup and an aggressive anticommunism around the world. Indeed, JFK had more in common with Ronald Reagan than with LBJ.It's fun to read the foam-flecked 1-star reviews by sputtering liberal twits who are reduced to whining about what JFK said or how he was viewed by prominent Republicans of his day, rather than what he actually did. Not that I am under any illusions. I'm sure that if he had lived, JFK would have drifted left and even farther left along with all of the other Democrats, but even so, he's a long ways away from Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and Barack Obama. In fact, I think that the modern politician whose political views are most like JFK, the tax-cutting, big government welfare state spending war hawk, is that tax-cutting, big government welfare state spending war hawk George W. Bush. (Tell this to your liberal friends, and watch them explode.) The only difference is, Bush didn't spend his presidency chasing skirt.
And Speaking of Bush, That Dumb Guy The MSM always loved to portray W. as an incurious, low-IQ dullard. But:
Bush read 186 books between 2006 and 2008, mainly history and biography. By way of comparison, the typical American reads four books annually and 27 percent of Americans report reading no books over the course of a year. Bush, in contrast, read fourteen biographies of Lincoln alone while in the White House. This was in addition to his annual reading of the entire Bible, along with a daily devotional.Of course, it's permissible to say this sort of stuff these days. Bush is safely out of public life, he doesn't have a presidency that needs to be destroyed, so it's OK for the MSM to be honest and truthful about him now.
In contrast to his reputation, George W. Bush was a prolific behind-the-scenes reader.No mention of how this "reputation" came about. Must've just happened, like a sudden rainstorm, all of a sudden, poof, there it is.
In another surprise, Bush read both liberal and conservative authors without appearing to discriminate.What with us going on and on about what a close-minded dullard W was, of course something like this is going to be a surprise. I get so tired of this crap.
Moron Recomendations After reading this week's atheism threads, moron commenter 'RS' recommends Answering the New Atheism by two philosophy professors, Scott Hahn and Benjamin Wiker. The book "looks at the the math and physics and logical arguments advanced by Richard Dawkins and the other crop of New Atheists" and answers them. I notice there's a boatload of books dealing with the issues raised by the New Atheists in general, and Richard Dawkins in particular: The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine by Alistair McGrath The Godless Delusion: A Catholic Challenge to Modern Atheism by Patrick Madrid and Kenneth Hensley. There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind by Antony Flew The Deluded Atheist: A Response to Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion by Douglas Wilson The Devil's Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions by David Berlinski
___________ So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm. What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as I keep saying, life is too short to be reading lousy books.
Comments
(Jump to bottom of comments)1
Of mice and men and the house on mango street.
Posted by: NCKate at March 02, 2014 10:07 AM (4KFgL)
2
I am continuing my re-reading of Clancy and Vince Flynn. This week completed Debt of Honor and, Executive Power (Flynn). I am now about halfway through Executive Orders. I don't know what the deal is but I am finding a LOT of stuff in Executive Orders that I don't remember form previous reads.
Posted by: Vic at March 02, 2014 10:11 AM (T2V/1)
3
In contrast to his reputation, George W. Bush was a prolific behind-the-scenes reader.
------------
Anybody who bothered to pay attention knew this. Then again if you get your news from Bill maher or Jon Stewart you probably didn't.
And you're probably a dumbass.
------------
Anybody who bothered to pay attention knew this. Then again if you get your news from Bill maher or Jon Stewart you probably didn't.
And you're probably a dumbass.
Posted by: Adam at March 02, 2014 10:12 AM (Aif/5)
4
According to the Kotobi website (translated), �Statistics show that
readership levels in the Arab World are significantly lower than those
among other world populations.
I guess it be's that way when you are stuck in the 6th century and the only thing you are supposed to read is the Qu'ran.
readership levels in the Arab World are significantly lower than those
among other world populations.
I guess it be's that way when you are stuck in the 6th century and the only thing you are supposed to read is the Qu'ran.
Posted by: Vic at March 02, 2014 10:13 AM (T2V/1)
5
Hipsters: Culture vultures and dilettantes with little original content.
Posted by: Dr. Varno at March 02, 2014 10:14 AM (V4CBV)
6
Here is a story that proves two things - if it fits a person's preconceptions with compelling narrative it will sell. Plus it shows how far out of the mainstream literati I am, had never heard of this author.
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718/
And for those who still defend the writer for this hoax/fraud, would you have liked it if Charles Dickens had claimed he was really Oliver Twist?
What is truly depressing, they got two books published and even a movie made from the works. *sigh*
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718/
And for those who still defend the writer for this hoax/fraud, would you have liked it if Charles Dickens had claimed he was really Oliver Twist?
What is truly depressing, they got two books published and even a movie made from the works. *sigh*
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:16 AM (MOXtS)
7
I'm working through a backlog of books gotten through Amazon Vine - (Hey, free stuff, and occasionally it's useful, just that I do have to do a review of it for Amazon). Nothing really memorable so far.
The only book event of note for me this week is that the paperwork has been formally signed whereby I have bought out my business partner and now I am the sole owner of a Tiny Publishing Bidness; Watercress Press. It's been around for thirty years, since my business partner founded it - she took me into partnership five or six years ago, intending that I should carry on when she retired. It's a subsidy publisher, with a very good local reputation. We do editing, publishing, some advising on marketing, and arrange for printing and distribution. If any 'Rons and Ronettes are interested - check it out; website is at www.watercresspress.com.
The only book event of note for me this week is that the paperwork has been formally signed whereby I have bought out my business partner and now I am the sole owner of a Tiny Publishing Bidness; Watercress Press. It's been around for thirty years, since my business partner founded it - she took me into partnership five or six years ago, intending that I should carry on when she retired. It's a subsidy publisher, with a very good local reputation. We do editing, publishing, some advising on marketing, and arrange for printing and distribution. If any 'Rons and Ronettes are interested - check it out; website is at www.watercresspress.com.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 02, 2014 10:18 AM (Asjr7)
8
Finished reading Solaris (surprisingly cerebral and very good) and am about five pages into a biography of Martin Van Buren. It's a long one, but I've heard good things.
Posted by: David at March 02, 2014 10:19 AM (6Oj/Y)
9
OM it's probably going to be a slow day today with all the temps coming up and people finally venturing outside.
Posted by: Vic at March 02, 2014 10:20 AM (T2V/1)
10
Look Behind You is out on Smashwords now, and the paperback proofs just shipped. I have two chapters (I think) left to finish on Loyal Valley: Bystanders, and that should launch March 22; I'll send OM the details closer to the release.
And *then* maybe I'll have time to finish reading the Queen Mum's letters.
And *then* maybe I'll have time to finish reading the Queen Mum's letters.
Posted by: Elisabeth G. Wolfe at March 02, 2014 10:21 AM (Aiwi+)
11
I generally root for the underdogs. I hope Barnes Noble and the Nook survives. Competition benefits the consumer.
Posted by: Titanium at March 02, 2014 10:24 AM (IgOQg)
12
I can't believe Bush wasted all that time reading books when he should have been working.
Up next, why President Obama's three week Hawaiian vacation is so cool.
Up next, why President Obama's three week Hawaiian vacation is so cool.
Posted by: MSM at March 02, 2014 10:24 AM (Aif/5)
13
The Muslim world is not a monolithic collection of ignorant, Koran-reading psychos.
Some of their most influential psychos are well educated, often in the West, and have specifically rejected Western concepts of freedom and self.
Some of their most influential psychos are well educated, often in the West, and have specifically rejected Western concepts of freedom and self.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:26 AM (QFxY5)
14
This whole meme that Kennedy was a conservative is bullshit. By today's standard perhaps. The major difference between Lib's and Con's is the rate at which change is avocated and accepted. Don't buy into the liberals crap that we Conservative's want to go backwards
Posted by: NativeNH at March 02, 2014 10:26 AM (ei6NI)
15
Bush was very well read when it came to history; much better than the JEF for whom, if it weren't for the teleprompter, there's scant evidence he knows how to read or Saint JFK who read James Bond books to fluff himself before banging secretaries.
Am nearing the end of "A Death in the Family" by James Agee, as part of my book group, which has been quite a positive reading experience. It's excellently written and deals with race in early 20th century Knoxville, Tennessee, as an aside to the main focus of the book, in a much more effective manner than the fairy tale way "To Kill a Mockingbird" does to the applause of the usual suspects.
Only made a little progress in "Red Fortress" and it deals mainly with how Boris Gudunov went on a massive building spree while Fedor was still Tsar, and afterward when he first wanted his sister to be a female Tsarina (to which she said "fuck that shit" and went in a convent) and then became one hisownself. Also he was the driving force on the Rooski Orthodox Church becoming powerful by, when the Constantinople Patriarch came begging for money, locking him up and bending him over until he agreed to creating an equal Patriarch in Moscow. Pretty much playing hardball like Volodya is now.
Am nearing the end of "A Death in the Family" by James Agee, as part of my book group, which has been quite a positive reading experience. It's excellently written and deals with race in early 20th century Knoxville, Tennessee, as an aside to the main focus of the book, in a much more effective manner than the fairy tale way "To Kill a Mockingbird" does to the applause of the usual suspects.
Only made a little progress in "Red Fortress" and it deals mainly with how Boris Gudunov went on a massive building spree while Fedor was still Tsar, and afterward when he first wanted his sister to be a female Tsarina (to which she said "fuck that shit" and went in a convent) and then became one hisownself. Also he was the driving force on the Rooski Orthodox Church becoming powerful by, when the Constantinople Patriarch came begging for money, locking him up and bending him over until he agreed to creating an equal Patriarch in Moscow. Pretty much playing hardball like Volodya is now.
Posted by: Captain Hate at March 02, 2014 10:27 AM (2YXbl)
Posted by: backhoe at March 02, 2014 10:31 AM (ULH4o)
17
You may find some of what Gavin McInnes has to say interesting. Though I'm not sure how genuine I is...
Posted by: West Town at March 02, 2014 10:33 AM (V8Hba)
18
Just finishing Ben Bova's "the rock rats" Bova seems like a liberal asshole but it was an interesting read "the precipice " was the first of this 2 book series. Finished "Redshirts" by Scalzi , can't say I enjoyed it
Posted by: NativeNH at March 02, 2014 10:35 AM (ei6NI)
19
Here is a story that proves two things - if it fits a
person's preconceptions with compelling narrative it will sell. Plus it
shows how far out of the mainstream literati I am, had never heard of this author.
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718/
And
for those who still defend the writer for this hoax/fraud, would you
have liked it if Charles Dickens had claimed he was really Oliver Twist?
What is truly depressing, they got two books published and even a movie made from the works. *sigh*
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:16 AM (MOXtS)
Even before it came out that "JT Leroy" was a nom de plume, it was incredibly obvious that JT Leroy was a persona and not an actual person. The only reason that it became a problem is that the person who came up with him made the mistake of starting to sign legal documents under that name. If she hadn't done that, she could have kept it up for ages. Hell, if she'd simply set up a JT Leroy, LLC and then given someone else a power of attorney to sign for "him", she could have kept it going and played into the whole JT Leroy mythos.
I wouldn't say I'm defending her so much as I am laughing openly at those who thought it was real in the first place.
I found the whole creation of the Robert Galbraith persona to be very interesting because it plays into the same dynamic. Rowling wanted to hide her identity to get the work reviewed on its own merit while at the same time the publisher wanted to sell books. Thus, the creation of an "author" with a back story that would lend credibility to the work and to the acceptance of that persona as real. It does help that the background chosen was a fairly common one for that type of work. At least that persona was believable. But still. If it wasn't Rowling, there would be stronger murmurs about the near fraud of it.
Also, I'm going to be blunt here, I am rather suspicious that those who unmasked Rowling as the author were tipped off. After all, the book was getting excellent reviews but wasn't a huge seller until oh hey it's Rowling! Best of both worlds, she gets her evaluation of the work and the publisher gets to sell a ton of books.
I forget who it was last week who said s/he doesn't read works by authors who go by initials instead of names due to doubts as to why that person wouldn't use a name (I'm paraphrasing because I'm too lazy to go back and look). Here's a hint. If it's initials instead of name, there's a very strong probability that the work is by someone who is trying to hide gender (EL James), trying to hide who the author really is due to change of genre or simply trying not to flood the market (remember Richard Bachman?) or it's the nom de plume for a writing partnership/consortium.
person's preconceptions with compelling narrative it will sell. Plus it
shows how far out of the mainstream literati I am, had never heard of this author.
http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/features/14718/
And
for those who still defend the writer for this hoax/fraud, would you
have liked it if Charles Dickens had claimed he was really Oliver Twist?
What is truly depressing, they got two books published and even a movie made from the works. *sigh*
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:16 AM (MOXtS)
Even before it came out that "JT Leroy" was a nom de plume, it was incredibly obvious that JT Leroy was a persona and not an actual person. The only reason that it became a problem is that the person who came up with him made the mistake of starting to sign legal documents under that name. If she hadn't done that, she could have kept it up for ages. Hell, if she'd simply set up a JT Leroy, LLC and then given someone else a power of attorney to sign for "him", she could have kept it going and played into the whole JT Leroy mythos.
I wouldn't say I'm defending her so much as I am laughing openly at those who thought it was real in the first place.
I found the whole creation of the Robert Galbraith persona to be very interesting because it plays into the same dynamic. Rowling wanted to hide her identity to get the work reviewed on its own merit while at the same time the publisher wanted to sell books. Thus, the creation of an "author" with a back story that would lend credibility to the work and to the acceptance of that persona as real. It does help that the background chosen was a fairly common one for that type of work. At least that persona was believable. But still. If it wasn't Rowling, there would be stronger murmurs about the near fraud of it.
Also, I'm going to be blunt here, I am rather suspicious that those who unmasked Rowling as the author were tipped off. After all, the book was getting excellent reviews but wasn't a huge seller until oh hey it's Rowling! Best of both worlds, she gets her evaluation of the work and the publisher gets to sell a ton of books.
I forget who it was last week who said s/he doesn't read works by authors who go by initials instead of names due to doubts as to why that person wouldn't use a name (I'm paraphrasing because I'm too lazy to go back and look). Here's a hint. If it's initials instead of name, there's a very strong probability that the work is by someone who is trying to hide gender (EL James), trying to hide who the author really is due to change of genre or simply trying not to flood the market (remember Richard Bachman?) or it's the nom de plume for a writing partnership/consortium.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (Gk3SS)
20
Speaking of Hipsters and PC Police running everything:
When Jonathan Ross Was Presenting The Hugo Awards. Until He Wasn’t.
http://tinyurl.com/k97ckh7
So the short version seems to be that fantasy and graphic novel author Neil Gaiman asked his slightly bigger celebrity buddy Jonathan Ross to host the Hugo Awards at this year's WorldCon in London.
"Jonathan Ross, is one of the UK’s best known broadcasters, comedians and presenters, hosting a late night chat show and with a sideline in severe geekdom. And he’s done quite a lot to make that a little more mainstream in his time on the stage of celebrity. Recently, he’s begun writing comics books from the sci-fi fantasy Turf to the superheroic America’s Got Powers to the revenge thriller Revenge."
"Which means, amongst other things, he’s a published sci-fi writer. But it’s not good enough for the fans it seems, who fear the fact that he can also be an acerbic comedian,"
So Ross not only said yes, but he offered to do it for free. The event organizers of course jumped on his offer with both feet.
So the choice was announced on Twitter, and the response was OUTRAGE! Ross is the worst person in the world apparently. Why, look at all these mentions of him in British tabloids!
Fantasy and horror author Seanan McGuire was perhaps his most vocal critic, going off on a completely unhinged tirade about his white maleness which of course means he's a misogynist who will call her fat and completely shatter her special snowflake feelings. She said that his being named host had literally reduced her to tears.
It all turned into a giant Twitter harassment campaign until Ross withdrew as host as he decided he'd rather not spend an evening with a bunch of people howling for his blood.
And they all lived happily ever after, or something like that.
When Jonathan Ross Was Presenting The Hugo Awards. Until He Wasn’t.
http://tinyurl.com/k97ckh7
So the short version seems to be that fantasy and graphic novel author Neil Gaiman asked his slightly bigger celebrity buddy Jonathan Ross to host the Hugo Awards at this year's WorldCon in London.
"Jonathan Ross, is one of the UK’s best known broadcasters, comedians and presenters, hosting a late night chat show and with a sideline in severe geekdom. And he’s done quite a lot to make that a little more mainstream in his time on the stage of celebrity. Recently, he’s begun writing comics books from the sci-fi fantasy Turf to the superheroic America’s Got Powers to the revenge thriller Revenge."
"Which means, amongst other things, he’s a published sci-fi writer. But it’s not good enough for the fans it seems, who fear the fact that he can also be an acerbic comedian,"
So Ross not only said yes, but he offered to do it for free. The event organizers of course jumped on his offer with both feet.
So the choice was announced on Twitter, and the response was OUTRAGE! Ross is the worst person in the world apparently. Why, look at all these mentions of him in British tabloids!
Fantasy and horror author Seanan McGuire was perhaps his most vocal critic, going off on a completely unhinged tirade about his white maleness which of course means he's a misogynist who will call her fat and completely shatter her special snowflake feelings. She said that his being named host had literally reduced her to tears.
It all turned into a giant Twitter harassment campaign until Ross withdrew as host as he decided he'd rather not spend an evening with a bunch of people howling for his blood.
And they all lived happily ever after, or something like that.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (zpNwC)
21
Just started reading "One Second After" by William Forsrchen. Written a few years ago, it's about what happens after an EMP attack on the U.S. I've been too busy for much recreational reading lately, but wanted something to fuel my daydreams about societal collapse (SMOD, Yellowstone caldera, etc).
Posted by: PabloD at March 02, 2014 10:37 AM (iV5eJ)
22
The article on presidential reading has a throwaway line at the end about presidential memoir advances. They suggest that because Obama is a "best-seller maker," his advance will be huge.
I wonder? He is in the process of discrediting himself, with obvious foreign policy and domestic failures. Will his memoir really attract that much attention?
I wonder? He is in the process of discrediting himself, with obvious foreign policy and domestic failures. Will his memoir really attract that much attention?
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:37 AM (QFxY5)
23
Supposedly the Muslim conquerer who had the Library of Alexandria trashed said something like: if the book contradicts the Quran destroy it, if it agrees it is unnecessary.
Too lazy to look it up. Coffee!
Too lazy to look it up. Coffee!
Posted by: Beagle at March 02, 2014 10:38 AM (KRNhj)
24
"Also, I'm going to be blunt here..."
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (Gk3SS)
It's a first!
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (Gk3SS)
It's a first!
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:38 AM (QFxY5)
25
I read Poul Anderson's "The High Crusade". It's one of his more popular books. (Except that it's not a book. It started its life a serial. This shows.)
Plot: aliens land on a mediaeval English village, to use it as a beachhead for the conquest of the planet. Unfortunately the aliens landed in 1345 when most men in England had been fighting the French for generations. Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
Marry, 'tis a preposterous yarn but diverting nevertheless.
Plot: aliens land on a mediaeval English village, to use it as a beachhead for the conquest of the planet. Unfortunately the aliens landed in 1345 when most men in England had been fighting the French for generations. Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
Marry, 'tis a preposterous yarn but diverting nevertheless.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 10:39 AM (mGC6m)
Posted by: Retread at March 02, 2014 10:39 AM (cHwk5)
27
I've started "The Great Deformation" by David Stockman. Got it on kindle from the library. I'm only up to chapter 4, but I've managed to get quite angry at the players in the financial crisis of 2008. We did a good a good job of bailing out the Banksters and preserving their bonuses, while mortgaging our future.
Posted by: Ben Ghazi at March 02, 2014 10:40 AM (Im0DR)
28
I started reading "This is How You Fall," by Keith Dixson. I'm 144 pages in, and I still can't decide if I like it or not. I will say this, the feeling of dread the author has managed to invoke in me is such that I can't sit and read it for very long. It's like watching the rear view mirror as you stop and see a car speeding up behind you, waiting for the crash to come.
Posted by: no good deed at March 02, 2014 10:40 AM (vBhbc)
29
20 Sorry that should be Hipsters and PC Police ruining everything
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 10:41 AM (zpNwC)
30
Kinda off topic, but, looking at the hipster and those that are old enough to know better, what is that delightful german word for "deserving a punch in the face" ?
Posted by: Bill at March 02, 2014 10:41 AM (uvyrw)
31
Supposedly the Muslim conquerer who had the Library of Alexandria trashed said something like: if the book contradicts the Quran destroy it, if it agrees it is unnecessary.
The story is famous but it's generally considered bullshit (as pertains to Egypt).
There's a similar story about the conquest of the Sasanian Empire however. That, I can believe, since the Zoroastrians didn't even merit a dispensation as "people of the book".
The story is famous but it's generally considered bullshit (as pertains to Egypt).
There's a similar story about the conquest of the Sasanian Empire however. That, I can believe, since the Zoroastrians didn't even merit a dispensation as "people of the book".
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 10:43 AM (mGC6m)
32
25 I read Poul Anderson's "The High Crusade". It's one of his more popular books. (Except that it's not a book. It started its life a serial. This shows.)
Plot: aliens land on a mediaeval English village, to use it as a beachhead for the conquest of the planet. Unfortunately the aliens landed in 1345 when most men in England had been fighting the French for generations. Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
Marry, 'tis a preposterous yarn but diverting nevertheless.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 10:39 AM (mGC6m)
That was a fun read. Poul Anderson was an SCA founder and I think he writes medieval characters much better than he does characters in the far future.
Plot: aliens land on a mediaeval English village, to use it as a beachhead for the conquest of the planet. Unfortunately the aliens landed in 1345 when most men in England had been fighting the French for generations. Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
Marry, 'tis a preposterous yarn but diverting nevertheless.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 10:39 AM (mGC6m)
That was a fun read. Poul Anderson was an SCA founder and I think he writes medieval characters much better than he does characters in the far future.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 10:44 AM (zpNwC)
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 10:44 AM (mGC6m)
34
20 And they all lived happily ever after, or something like that.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (zpNwC)
The heckler's veto lives on even after the Supremes squashed it. But evidently this was in GB where they have no 1st amendment.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (zpNwC)
The heckler's veto lives on even after the Supremes squashed it. But evidently this was in GB where they have no 1st amendment.
Posted by: Vic at March 02, 2014 10:45 AM (T2V/1)
35
As far as books read this week. Plowed through Neptune's Inferno about Operation Watchtower.
I must admit it did give a peek behind the events around Guadalcanal. Especially in regards to Ghormley who sadly proved out of his depths in a combat command. And one comes to the conclusion that Callaghan bears the full onus of the debacle that got him killed along with Norman Scott, many sailors, and so many fine ships like USS Atlanta sunk. He had no real plan except it seems to grapple closely with the enemy. It was a death ride that need not have happened.
However it is not a definitive history of those titanic struggles around that fetid, oppressive, and very lethal island. How can I say this? Quick cross reference with Theodore Roscoe's Tin Cans from 1960 that is an abridged version of Roscoe's United States Destroyer Operations in World War II as published by UNSI in 1959 brings up several ship loses not mentioned in Neptune's Inferno.
First is the loss of USS Jarvis. Ship's name is not even in the index of the book. Referring to Roscoe, USS Jarvis was one of the destroyers assigned to guard Turner's transports. On 8 Aug 1942, the ship took an aerial torpedo. Neptune's Inferno mentions the transport hit in same attack, George F. Elliot, but does not mention USS Jarvis. Or the possibility that Jarvis sailed straight through the Battle of Savo Island that saw Quincy, Canberra, Astoria, and Vincennes sunk while being sighted by both sides. 9 Aug the last US sighting of USS Jarvis was by a Saratoga pilot. Post war analysis of Japanese records showed a Japanese air attack had sunk the ship with the loss of all hands.
Then there is the loss of the hard luck destroyer USS Blue. The destroyer that had failed to detect Mikawa's cruiser raiding force before the Battle of Savo Island still had more agony ahead. 21 Aug 1942, USS Blue and USS Henley were ordered by Turner to intercept the Tokyo Express. As payment for this effort to stop Tanaka from delivering supplies, in the early hours of 22 Aug USS Blue got hit by yet another Long Lance torpedo and sunk. Roscoe names the Japanese destroyer as Kamikaze, have also seen this ship named Kawakaze.
I must admit it did give a peek behind the events around Guadalcanal. Especially in regards to Ghormley who sadly proved out of his depths in a combat command. And one comes to the conclusion that Callaghan bears the full onus of the debacle that got him killed along with Norman Scott, many sailors, and so many fine ships like USS Atlanta sunk. He had no real plan except it seems to grapple closely with the enemy. It was a death ride that need not have happened.
However it is not a definitive history of those titanic struggles around that fetid, oppressive, and very lethal island. How can I say this? Quick cross reference with Theodore Roscoe's Tin Cans from 1960 that is an abridged version of Roscoe's United States Destroyer Operations in World War II as published by UNSI in 1959 brings up several ship loses not mentioned in Neptune's Inferno.
First is the loss of USS Jarvis. Ship's name is not even in the index of the book. Referring to Roscoe, USS Jarvis was one of the destroyers assigned to guard Turner's transports. On 8 Aug 1942, the ship took an aerial torpedo. Neptune's Inferno mentions the transport hit in same attack, George F. Elliot, but does not mention USS Jarvis. Or the possibility that Jarvis sailed straight through the Battle of Savo Island that saw Quincy, Canberra, Astoria, and Vincennes sunk while being sighted by both sides. 9 Aug the last US sighting of USS Jarvis was by a Saratoga pilot. Post war analysis of Japanese records showed a Japanese air attack had sunk the ship with the loss of all hands.
Then there is the loss of the hard luck destroyer USS Blue. The destroyer that had failed to detect Mikawa's cruiser raiding force before the Battle of Savo Island still had more agony ahead. 21 Aug 1942, USS Blue and USS Henley were ordered by Turner to intercept the Tokyo Express. As payment for this effort to stop Tanaka from delivering supplies, in the early hours of 22 Aug USS Blue got hit by yet another Long Lance torpedo and sunk. Roscoe names the Japanese destroyer as Kamikaze, have also seen this ship named Kawakaze.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:47 AM (MOXtS)
36
It's a first!
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:38 AM (QFxY5)
I'm trying to get over my fear of revealing my true thoughts. It's a work in progress.
This weeks' crap YA book is The Fifth Wave. I'm about 2/3rds of the way through it and it's enjoyable and well written and part of the fun of it is trying to guess which of the obvious twists are going to turn out to happen and which aren't. It's formulaic, yes, but that's not really an insult. There's nothing wrong with using the tried and true and just writing the hell out of that.
One of the things I like about it is that Our Heroine is brave in the true sense of it. She's terrified and lonely and in over her head and she knows it but she gets up and goes on and does things anyway because she has to do it.
I'm noticing some plot holes but I'm not done with the book yet and it's the first in a series so we'll see if those get addressed.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:38 AM (QFxY5)
I'm trying to get over my fear of revealing my true thoughts. It's a work in progress.
This weeks' crap YA book is The Fifth Wave. I'm about 2/3rds of the way through it and it's enjoyable and well written and part of the fun of it is trying to guess which of the obvious twists are going to turn out to happen and which aren't. It's formulaic, yes, but that's not really an insult. There's nothing wrong with using the tried and true and just writing the hell out of that.
One of the things I like about it is that Our Heroine is brave in the true sense of it. She's terrified and lonely and in over her head and she knows it but she gets up and goes on and does things anyway because she has to do it.
I'm noticing some plot holes but I'm not done with the book yet and it's the first in a series so we'll see if those get addressed.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 10:47 AM (Gk3SS)
37
Retread, yes, it's an edited collection--Counting One's Blessings: The Selected Letters of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Very interesting historically, and the Queen Mum was a HOOT.
Posted by: Elisabeth G. Wolfe at March 02, 2014 10:49 AM (Aiwi+)
38
#23
I have no doubt that several millions copies will be supposedly printed and sales recorded with royalties paid to Obama. A few years later there will be little to suggest the book ever existed in such numbers.
There have been a few cases over the years where strange things came up around a book that was claimed to sell a zillion units despite an apparent lack of readers. I can recall seeing copies of an L. Ron Hubbard hardback coming out of a shipping box already carrying discount stickers. I was widely believed there was a campaign by his followers to buy up his books at stores whose sales are tracked for compiling the best seller lists. The books would then be gathered up and sent back to the publisher but not recorded as returns. They would then be shipped out to the stores again, still carrying the stickers that had been applied the first time they showed up. Thus sales of over a million copies could be claimed for a book that had less than 100,000 in existence. Made for great PR and an effective money laundering system.
I have no doubt that several millions copies will be supposedly printed and sales recorded with royalties paid to Obama. A few years later there will be little to suggest the book ever existed in such numbers.
There have been a few cases over the years where strange things came up around a book that was claimed to sell a zillion units despite an apparent lack of readers. I can recall seeing copies of an L. Ron Hubbard hardback coming out of a shipping box already carrying discount stickers. I was widely believed there was a campaign by his followers to buy up his books at stores whose sales are tracked for compiling the best seller lists. The books would then be gathered up and sent back to the publisher but not recorded as returns. They would then be shipped out to the stores again, still carrying the stickers that had been applied the first time they showed up. Thus sales of over a million copies could be claimed for a book that had less than 100,000 in existence. Made for great PR and an effective money laundering system.
Posted by: Epobirs at March 02, 2014 10:49 AM (bPxS6)
39
I wonder? He is in the process of discrediting
himself, with obvious foreign policy and domestic failures. Will his
memoir really attract that much attention?
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:37 AM (QFxY5)
You underestimate how delusional lefties are. They will celebrate him as the messiah they believe him to be.
himself, with obvious foreign policy and domestic failures. Will his
memoir really attract that much attention?
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 02, 2014 10:37 AM (QFxY5)
You underestimate how delusional lefties are. They will celebrate him as the messiah they believe him to be.
Posted by: Titanium at March 02, 2014 10:50 AM (IgOQg)
40
I have a Nook HD that I use for reading. I really like it. I also have 2 Samsung tablets (8 in and 10 in) that I use for everything else. I can read on them but I prefer the Nook. I have everything in epub so I never even considered the Kindle.
I am reading "The Breach" which was recommended here. Very good read, fast and enjoyable. I am also reading "The Martian" which is better than I thought it was going to be. Just finished "Monuments Men" and liked it a lot. Now maybe I'll see the movie.
I finally found a copy of "A death in the Family" for ebook and will start it after these two. I have been looking for it for a while. My TBR pile never gets smaller.
I am reading "The Breach" which was recommended here. Very good read, fast and enjoyable. I am also reading "The Martian" which is better than I thought it was going to be. Just finished "Monuments Men" and liked it a lot. Now maybe I'll see the movie.
I finally found a copy of "A death in the Family" for ebook and will start it after these two. I have been looking for it for a while. My TBR pile never gets smaller.
Posted by: Megthered at March 02, 2014 10:50 AM (iR4Dg)
41
39
Bingo
The only way Obama has survived with such thin skin is by living in an echo chamber - cheerfully provided to him by his supporters.
They will all live in the same echo chamber, happily, for as long as they can.
The reason this is so disgusting is that most people voted FOR it. This is what they voted for, but they were too stupid, selfish, evil, etc. to know or care.
Bingo
The only way Obama has survived with such thin skin is by living in an echo chamber - cheerfully provided to him by his supporters.
They will all live in the same echo chamber, happily, for as long as they can.
The reason this is so disgusting is that most people voted FOR it. This is what they voted for, but they were too stupid, selfish, evil, etc. to know or care.
Posted by: RobM1981 at March 02, 2014 10:51 AM (zurJC)
42
Being a hipster is admitting to complete uselessness, then trying to pretend you are good for something, even if it's only being an idiot.
Posted by: maddog at March 02, 2014 10:52 AM (tfuED)
Posted by: backhoe at March 02, 2014 10:53 AM (ULH4o)
44
I know the poetry thread was last Sunday, but I want to link this again. I'm no English major, but I know it's bloody difficult to parody a poem and make it work. I think "goozer" did an excellent job.
http://minx.cc/?blog=86&post=347542#c21845888
"The Charge against the Light Bringer"
Half a world, half a world,
half a world over,
While our President dithers,
Our enemies grow bolder.
'Forward! Hope and Change!'
'Confiscate their guns!' He said:
While our nation grows weak
Our enemies grow bolder.
'Forward! Hope and Change!'
Who knew that we were play'd?
Not those bumpersticker'd
With that mantra display'd:
"Because shut up," their reply,
"We don't need a reason why,"
"Why don't you f-off and die!"
While our nation grows weak
Our enemies grow bolder.
Reid to the left of him,
Pelosi to the other left of him,
Maddow in front of them,
Hector'd and scold'd;
Peddling the lies they had to sell,
Bald faced and shameless to tell,
While jawboning us to death,
While our nation goes to Hell
Our enemies grow bolder.
Rhetoric empty and bare,
Rhetoric hangs in air,
Red lines that aren't really there,
Waiting and watching while
All the world wonder'd:
Far from the tear-gas smoke,
Through your 'red line' they broke,
Fascist and Russian
Deliver'd the fatal stroke;
A nation now sunder'd.
While our nation dither'd
Our enemies grew bolder.
Reid to the left of him,
Pelosi to the other left of him,
Maddow in front of them,
Hector'd and scold'd;
Peddling the lies they had to sell,
While our ambassador fell,
With those who fought so well,
"What difference does it make?"
From hearts darkened by Hell,
And our nation goes to sleep,
Our enemies grow bolder.
Why does our glory fade?
O the promises made!
All the world wonder'd.
Dishonor'd 'Hope and Change',
Dishonor'd to our shame,
Our enemies embolden'd!
Posted by: goozer at March 01, 2014 04:58 PM (GITyA)
http://minx.cc/?blog=86&post=347542#c21845888
"The Charge against the Light Bringer"
Half a world, half a world,
half a world over,
While our President dithers,
Our enemies grow bolder.
'Forward! Hope and Change!'
'Confiscate their guns!' He said:
While our nation grows weak
Our enemies grow bolder.
'Forward! Hope and Change!'
Who knew that we were play'd?
Not those bumpersticker'd
With that mantra display'd:
"Because shut up," their reply,
"We don't need a reason why,"
"Why don't you f-off and die!"
While our nation grows weak
Our enemies grow bolder.
Reid to the left of him,
Pelosi to the other left of him,
Maddow in front of them,
Hector'd and scold'd;
Peddling the lies they had to sell,
Bald faced and shameless to tell,
While jawboning us to death,
While our nation goes to Hell
Our enemies grow bolder.
Rhetoric empty and bare,
Rhetoric hangs in air,
Red lines that aren't really there,
Waiting and watching while
All the world wonder'd:
Far from the tear-gas smoke,
Through your 'red line' they broke,
Fascist and Russian
Deliver'd the fatal stroke;
A nation now sunder'd.
While our nation dither'd
Our enemies grew bolder.
Reid to the left of him,
Pelosi to the other left of him,
Maddow in front of them,
Hector'd and scold'd;
Peddling the lies they had to sell,
While our ambassador fell,
With those who fought so well,
"What difference does it make?"
From hearts darkened by Hell,
And our nation goes to sleep,
Our enemies grow bolder.
Why does our glory fade?
O the promises made!
All the world wonder'd.
Dishonor'd 'Hope and Change',
Dishonor'd to our shame,
Our enemies embolden'd!
Posted by: goozer at March 01, 2014 04:58 PM (GITyA)
Posted by: rickl at March 02, 2014 10:53 AM (sdi6R)
45
Finished Alex Berenson's "The Counterfeit Agent." Quite good, with two caveats -- this book ends with a setup for a sequel and Berenson doesn't do quite enough back story on the principal characters for readers who haven't read the previous Wells books. E.g., Wells was an American CIA agent who fought jihadists in Afghanistan and converted to Islam in a previous book. From the generally favorable book review in "The Economist": "The only shaky note is Wells’s attachment to Islam. He converted while he was trying to infiltrate al-Qaeda, but by now his faith and sporadic prayers feel tacked-on, rather than a genuine belief in the religion. Better to embrace Allah, or abandon the attempt altogether." Doesn't really matter to this book, but the mentions of his Islam in this book makes little sense without the back story.
Still, highly recommended for fans of Flynn, Thor, and Silva, but these three do a better job of providing necessary back stories in later books.
***
Finished Daniel Suarez's "Influx." Recommended for fans of Michael Crichton. Warning: don't judge the book by the first chapter. It suffers from an extremely heavy dose of techno-jargon that is not representative of the rest of the book. Pro - Intriguing science fiction in the style of Crichton, but with better writing and fewer "cardboard" characters. Less predictable than Crichton. Con - The author can go a bit overboard with science jargon on occasion. (Mostly in first half; better in second.)
There is an interesting webcast interview with Suarez on the twit.tv site. Leo Laporte discusses the book with the author and Jeff Gurner, the man who voices Suarez's audio books. Gurner's live read is quite impressive. Suarez is an interesting guy. Runs 70 minutes. Downloadable free in various video definitions as .mp4 files or as an audio .mp3 file via http://bit.ly/1ogWaff.
Still, highly recommended for fans of Flynn, Thor, and Silva, but these three do a better job of providing necessary back stories in later books.
***
Finished Daniel Suarez's "Influx." Recommended for fans of Michael Crichton. Warning: don't judge the book by the first chapter. It suffers from an extremely heavy dose of techno-jargon that is not representative of the rest of the book. Pro - Intriguing science fiction in the style of Crichton, but with better writing and fewer "cardboard" characters. Less predictable than Crichton. Con - The author can go a bit overboard with science jargon on occasion. (Mostly in first half; better in second.)
There is an interesting webcast interview with Suarez on the twit.tv site. Leo Laporte discusses the book with the author and Jeff Gurner, the man who voices Suarez's audio books. Gurner's live read is quite impressive. Suarez is an interesting guy. Runs 70 minutes. Downloadable free in various video definitions as .mp4 files or as an audio .mp3 file via http://bit.ly/1ogWaff.
Posted by: doug at March 02, 2014 10:54 AM (WEqwO)
46
If every Arab citizen down to the humblest peasant and streetsweeper can read, that means that they will be able to read books other than the Koran.
Yes. Mass literacy is what changed Europe and America.
This is why it was illegal, back in the Old South, to teach slaves to read and why the present-day Leftist "educational" establishment is attempting to discourage literacy using Common Core--the latest tactic.
Illiterates make better chattel.
Yes. Mass literacy is what changed Europe and America.
This is why it was illegal, back in the Old South, to teach slaves to read and why the present-day Leftist "educational" establishment is attempting to discourage literacy using Common Core--the latest tactic.
Illiterates make better chattel.
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 10:55 AM (36Rjy)
47
Elizabeth, thanks for the Queen Mum's letter info.
Epobirs, I remember reading, perhaps here at the HQ, that the State Dept. bought something like 50k copies of SCOAMT's books to hand out asinsults gifts. Money laundering scheme, indeed.
Epobirs, I remember reading, perhaps here at the HQ, that the State Dept. bought something like 50k copies of SCOAMT's books to hand out as
Posted by: Retread at March 02, 2014 10:56 AM (cHwk5)
48
AlextheChick, reading that article I could not believe that people fell for it. But then again I grew up on the Internet. They conned people but like any con, the mark has to be willing to believe first. Fake but accurate.
Of course I shall offer as a counter Alice Bradley Sheldon who wrote under the pen names of Racoona Sheldon and James Tiptree Jr. As James Tiptree Jr, Sheldon won a Hugo for The Girl Who Was Plugged In.
Of course I shall offer as a counter Alice Bradley Sheldon who wrote under the pen names of Racoona Sheldon and James Tiptree Jr. As James Tiptree Jr, Sheldon won a Hugo for The Girl Who Was Plugged In.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:57 AM (GKbOt)
49
Spent the week re-reading Hard Magic (Grimnoir Chronicles #1) by Larry Correia. Just as awesome as the first time I read it.
I also read the Baen free story story collection for 2013. Lots of goodies in there.
The best were Sweothi City by Larry Correia (a Dead Six prequel story), Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden by Wen Spencer (a Tinker side-story), and The Krumhorn and Misericorde by Dave Freer.
I'm currently reading Fire with Fire by Charles E. Gannon. So far it's a let-down. It has been getting a lot of positive reviews but frankly there isn't anything in this novel to justify them. I'm halfway through the book and I just don't care about anybody in it or anything going on.
The author is an English Lit professor who wrote a sci-fi espionage novel. It reads pretty much like you would expect from that description. I don't think he bothered to research anything he thought he already knew, which results in lots of dumb stuff. Plus there is also the massive Mary Sue protagonist.
I also read the Baen free story story collection for 2013. Lots of goodies in there.
The best were Sweothi City by Larry Correia (a Dead Six prequel story), Pittsburgh Backyard and Garden by Wen Spencer (a Tinker side-story), and The Krumhorn and Misericorde by Dave Freer.
I'm currently reading Fire with Fire by Charles E. Gannon. So far it's a let-down. It has been getting a lot of positive reviews but frankly there isn't anything in this novel to justify them. I'm halfway through the book and I just don't care about anybody in it or anything going on.
The author is an English Lit professor who wrote a sci-fi espionage novel. It reads pretty much like you would expect from that description. I don't think he bothered to research anything he thought he already knew, which results in lots of dumb stuff. Plus there is also the massive Mary Sue protagonist.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 10:58 AM (zpNwC)
50
I guess it be's that way when you are stuck in the 7th century and the only thing you are supposed to read is the Qur'an.
North Africa suffers from the loss of its ancestral vernacular languages (Berber, Coptic, Greek, Punic, Romance) and the failure of the vulgar Arabic dialects to gain any independent prestige. The newspapers and the books in the Arab world are done in Modern Standard Arabic, which is quite literally lingua-franca. Nobody speaks it.
It is as if all the books in Mexico, France, and Brazil were written in 14th-century Latin, or if our books never got out of the Chaucer era.
In Algeria it's even worse. Some write in MSA, some think that French is the way to go, some are moving to English - and that's before we even get into the Kabyle remnant. Algerian Arabic is nowhere, except that it's what people actually speak in.
North Africa suffers from the loss of its ancestral vernacular languages (Berber, Coptic, Greek, Punic, Romance) and the failure of the vulgar Arabic dialects to gain any independent prestige. The newspapers and the books in the Arab world are done in Modern Standard Arabic, which is quite literally lingua-franca. Nobody speaks it.
It is as if all the books in Mexico, France, and Brazil were written in 14th-century Latin, or if our books never got out of the Chaucer era.
In Algeria it's even worse. Some write in MSA, some think that French is the way to go, some are moving to English - and that's before we even get into the Kabyle remnant. Algerian Arabic is nowhere, except that it's what people actually speak in.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 10:58 AM (mGC6m)
51
Got halfway or so through Freakanomics before the "this is a fallacy, but one I agree with so not a fallacy" reasoning of the authors caused me to toss it in the trash (glad I didn't pay full price for the crap). Switched to something more interesting: William Shatner's autobiography "Up Till Now" - would love to hear him reading it out loud, but a very interesting and funny book.
Posted by: JustDave in GR at March 02, 2014 10:58 AM (4fyxk)
52
I've been working my way through the Honor Harrington series, by David Weber. I liked the first two about enough to keep going, and now I'm on the fourth, Flag in Exile, and I'm getting close to hooked.
At first, I wondered whether it was going to be too P.C. for my taste -- a future society with a Queen and a Navy that seems to have more women in it then men, but not so. In fact, there is a long passage in the book I'm on now, Flag In Exile, that describes the Obama administration perfectly, except that it was written long before there was an Obama administration. It's future space opera, I guess you'd call it, battles on a large scale with huge ships, an interesting protagonist who gets more interesting as the stories unfold. I have some criticisms -- it can be boring when there are long passages of explanation or character background; only a few characters are well-filled-in. But the principal characters are great, the books get better as you go along, and the battle scenes, and the scenes of interaction between characters, are excellent.
You may be wondering how I got to the fourth book of a series that took until the third book to really grab me. Who would spend the money? Actually, I haven't spent a dime, but David Weber will be getting my money eventually. The first two books can be "bought" on Amazon, for a Kindle, for $0.00. All but the last three or four can be obtained from a freely redistributable CD that Baen put out. So I will be well locked in by the time the freebies run out. It's the heroin dealer strategy. Very clever.
At first, I wondered whether it was going to be too P.C. for my taste -- a future society with a Queen and a Navy that seems to have more women in it then men, but not so. In fact, there is a long passage in the book I'm on now, Flag In Exile, that describes the Obama administration perfectly, except that it was written long before there was an Obama administration. It's future space opera, I guess you'd call it, battles on a large scale with huge ships, an interesting protagonist who gets more interesting as the stories unfold. I have some criticisms -- it can be boring when there are long passages of explanation or character background; only a few characters are well-filled-in. But the principal characters are great, the books get better as you go along, and the battle scenes, and the scenes of interaction between characters, are excellent.
You may be wondering how I got to the fourth book of a series that took until the third book to really grab me. Who would spend the money? Actually, I haven't spent a dime, but David Weber will be getting my money eventually. The first two books can be "bought" on Amazon, for a Kindle, for $0.00. All but the last three or four can be obtained from a freely redistributable CD that Baen put out. So I will be well locked in by the time the freebies run out. It's the heroin dealer strategy. Very clever.
Posted by: Splunge at March 02, 2014 10:59 AM (qyomX)
53
#27
There is plenty more anger to come. There were times when I thought I'd have a stroke while listening tot he audio version.
If you've haven't read it in previous releases, there is a tenth anniversary edition of 'The Smartest Guys In The Room,' which is THE book about Enron. It is amazing that they got away with so much for so long and everybody whose job it was to be suspicious instead though everything was swell. Even more infuriating is that much of the real estate bubble was created by the exact same sort of behavior despite laws that were claimed to end the threat.
I have little doubt that there are numerous little Enrons all over the financial landscape. They just haven't gone far enough yet to force scrutiny of their deals and prove the revenue really exists and where it came from.
There is plenty more anger to come. There were times when I thought I'd have a stroke while listening tot he audio version.
If you've haven't read it in previous releases, there is a tenth anniversary edition of 'The Smartest Guys In The Room,' which is THE book about Enron. It is amazing that they got away with so much for so long and everybody whose job it was to be suspicious instead though everything was swell. Even more infuriating is that much of the real estate bubble was created by the exact same sort of behavior despite laws that were claimed to end the threat.
I have little doubt that there are numerous little Enrons all over the financial landscape. They just haven't gone far enough yet to force scrutiny of their deals and prove the revenue really exists and where it came from.
Posted by: Epobirs at March 02, 2014 10:59 AM (bPxS6)
54
Maybe because I suspect this century is shaping up to be a repeat of the previous, I picked up a couple of books on WWI.
"Never Call Retreat: Theodore Roosevelt and the Great War" by J Lee Thompson - I'm only a few chapters in and I already love it. This book focuses on the years building up to the Great War and his adversarial relationship with Woodrow Wilson. "It is a very unjust world in which my sons and their wives and their mother and I have to pay for the slothful and utterly selfish ambitions of a cold-blooded and unprincipled demagogue. History may never discover it but when this war is over I shall write a full and truthful record of why we went in late and so unprepared and of the incredible baseness which lay behind." Unfortunately he did not lie long enough to complete it.
This is also a good time to plug Mike Reznick's collection of TR-themed short stories, "The Other Teddy Roosevelts". When the cover has the Rough Rider and Cthulhu together, you know it's tasty.
Also got "Rommel & Caporetto" by John and Eileen Wilkes, in case I need pointers on conducting a war of movement in the mountains. Because you just never know!
And because it was there, I picked up Food Network Magazine's Bacon Issue. The photo of Chicken and Bacon Waffles alone is worth it, and requires a slow smoky sax solo as accompaniment.
"Never Call Retreat: Theodore Roosevelt and the Great War" by J Lee Thompson - I'm only a few chapters in and I already love it. This book focuses on the years building up to the Great War and his adversarial relationship with Woodrow Wilson. "It is a very unjust world in which my sons and their wives and their mother and I have to pay for the slothful and utterly selfish ambitions of a cold-blooded and unprincipled demagogue. History may never discover it but when this war is over I shall write a full and truthful record of why we went in late and so unprepared and of the incredible baseness which lay behind." Unfortunately he did not lie long enough to complete it.
This is also a good time to plug Mike Reznick's collection of TR-themed short stories, "The Other Teddy Roosevelts". When the cover has the Rough Rider and Cthulhu together, you know it's tasty.
Also got "Rommel & Caporetto" by John and Eileen Wilkes, in case I need pointers on conducting a war of movement in the mountains. Because you just never know!
And because it was there, I picked up Food Network Magazine's Bacon Issue. The photo of Chicken and Bacon Waffles alone is worth it, and requires a slow smoky sax solo as accompaniment.
Posted by: All Hail Eris at March 02, 2014 11:00 AM (QBm1P)
55
I read Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi this week. It's an autobiography about his growing up in the Islamic faith, only to be confronted with the truth of Christianity and the false teachings he'd been raised to believe.
From what he said, most first generation Western Muslims knew what the Quran said but didn't understand what the teachings meant. Most relied upon older, wiser Muslims and various hadiths to further explain the faith. Once he actually read what was in the Quran and the hadiths, he was appalled by the violence of Muhammad, about which he was never taught. Perhaps this is why literacy isn't prolific in the Muslim world, for it may reveal the truth about their religion.
From what he said, most first generation Western Muslims knew what the Quran said but didn't understand what the teachings meant. Most relied upon older, wiser Muslims and various hadiths to further explain the faith. Once he actually read what was in the Quran and the hadiths, he was appalled by the violence of Muhammad, about which he was never taught. Perhaps this is why literacy isn't prolific in the Muslim world, for it may reveal the truth about their religion.
Posted by: Mary at March 02, 2014 11:02 AM (2wZs/)
56
Where's John Belushi when you need him?
Regarding online reviews... there are some who game the system by having colleagues, friends, and family pile on positive glowing reviews on a book on Amazon. Usually you can see through them because they have little to do with the quality of the book or writing, but it probably does help sales.
Regarding online reviews... there are some who game the system by having colleagues, friends, and family pile on positive glowing reviews on a book on Amazon. Usually you can see through them because they have little to do with the quality of the book or writing, but it probably does help sales.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 02, 2014 11:03 AM (zfY+H)
57
it was illegal, back in the Old South, to teach slaves to read
To write. It was illegal in North Carolina to teach them to write.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_during_the_Slave_Period
The slavemasters in the South were Christians, and they understood it as a religious duty to teach their charges to read the Scriptures.
After Nat Turner, there were moves to limit reading as well, but these weren't codified into law.
To write. It was illegal in North Carolina to teach them to write.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_during_the_Slave_Period
The slavemasters in the South were Christians, and they understood it as a religious duty to teach their charges to read the Scriptures.
After Nat Turner, there were moves to limit reading as well, but these weren't codified into law.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:04 AM (mGC6m)
58
Forty books all ending, "and then I killed the Jew." That ought to do it, thanks, Ray.
Posted by: Richard McEnroe at March 02, 2014 11:04 AM (XO6WW)
59
AlextheChick, reading that article I could not
believe that people fell for it. But then again I grew up on the
Internet. They conned people but like any con, the mark has to be
willing to believe first. Fake but accurate.
Of course I shall
offer as a counter Alice Bradley Sheldon who wrote under the pen names
of Racoona Sheldon and James Tiptree Jr. As James Tiptree Jr, Sheldon
won a Hugo for The Girl Who Was Plugged In.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:57 AM (GKbOt)
Oh I'd forgotten about Tiptree.
As far as cons and growing up on the Internet and I want to believe, the various cons that have gone through fandom as staggering when you consider that you are dealing with people who grew up on the Internet and who know full damn well that a screen name and a persona are specifically designed to mask real identity. These are people who should know better and who fall for it anyway.
What's really breathtaking is when the same person moves to a different fandom and then attempts more or less the same scam all over again. Given the ways fandoms overlap, it is inevitable that person will be found out and found out quickly. I'm sure there are people who are getting some interesting papers out of the psychology behind that.
I'm trying to figure out why there's this huge boom in Scandinavian mysteries and crime novels. I presume it's due to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books (which I hated oh how I hated) but it's bizarre to me that all of a sudden those translation rights are selling like hotcakes.
believe that people fell for it. But then again I grew up on the
Internet. They conned people but like any con, the mark has to be
willing to believe first. Fake but accurate.
Of course I shall
offer as a counter Alice Bradley Sheldon who wrote under the pen names
of Racoona Sheldon and James Tiptree Jr. As James Tiptree Jr, Sheldon
won a Hugo for The Girl Who Was Plugged In.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 10:57 AM (GKbOt)
Oh I'd forgotten about Tiptree.
As far as cons and growing up on the Internet and I want to believe, the various cons that have gone through fandom as staggering when you consider that you are dealing with people who grew up on the Internet and who know full damn well that a screen name and a persona are specifically designed to mask real identity. These are people who should know better and who fall for it anyway.
What's really breathtaking is when the same person moves to a different fandom and then attempts more or less the same scam all over again. Given the ways fandoms overlap, it is inevitable that person will be found out and found out quickly. I'm sure there are people who are getting some interesting papers out of the psychology behind that.
I'm trying to figure out why there's this huge boom in Scandinavian mysteries and crime novels. I presume it's due to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books (which I hated oh how I hated) but it's bizarre to me that all of a sudden those translation rights are selling like hotcakes.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:04 AM (Gk3SS)
60
I hate it when I post in the wrong thread:
Worlds Apart Book 09 now online:
http://tinyurl.com/ksf9cau
The
inhabitants of the planet Gethsemane, knowing their world was doomed,
constructed The Gateway; a device that transport people directly to the
Afterlife, and allows them to return. They have evacuated nearly their
entire population through The Gateway. But where does it go, really?
Prime Commander Keeler and TyroCommander Redfire are determined to find
out. Once they reach the other side, they come face to face with...
themselves; and confront uncomfortable truths about their lives. Also,
there is a dark secret about The Gateway the authorities on Gethsemane
have tried to keep hidden. This secret will change Pegasus and its
mission irrevocably and for all time.
Worlds Apart Book 09 now online:
http://tinyurl.com/ksf9cau
The
inhabitants of the planet Gethsemane, knowing their world was doomed,
constructed The Gateway; a device that transport people directly to the
Afterlife, and allows them to return. They have evacuated nearly their
entire population through The Gateway. But where does it go, really?
Prime Commander Keeler and TyroCommander Redfire are determined to find
out. Once they reach the other side, they come face to face with...
themselves; and confront uncomfortable truths about their lives. Also,
there is a dark secret about The Gateway the authorities on Gethsemane
have tried to keep hidden. This secret will change Pegasus and its
mission irrevocably and for all time.
Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at March 02, 2014 11:04 AM (lcVWe)
61
The heckler's veto lives on even after the Supremes squashed it. But evidently this was in GB where they have no 1st amendment.
Posted by: Vic at March 02, 2014 10:45 AM (T2V/1)
They didn't kill his show or anything like that (this time). They were just dicks on the internet at him long enough that he said 'screw it' and told them, sorry, I guess I'm not hosting your awards for free after all. Good luck.
Posted by: Vic at March 02, 2014 10:45 AM (T2V/1)
They didn't kill his show or anything like that (this time). They were just dicks on the internet at him long enough that he said 'screw it' and told them, sorry, I guess I'm not hosting your awards for free after all. Good luck.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 11:05 AM (zpNwC)
62
A shame that the Nook has struggled so. It can currently be had for a very good price. If you haven't tried an e-ink screen device and use a tablet as an e-reader, you're missing out. The reduced eyestrain using the paper-like e-ink display really makes it superior for that specific task. It is very worth the money even if you already have a device like an iPad.
Posted by: Epobirs at March 02, 2014 11:06 AM (bPxS6)
63
Congrats on becoming the business owner, Sgt Mom! Best of luck with it.
Posted by: Darles Chickens at March 02, 2014 11:06 AM (ZpoIZ)
64
It is bad enough that my stepdaughter is expending her life in the pursuit of Yet Another Wispy Hipster without having to see a photograph of one here, too.
It is bad enough that my stepdaughter is expending her life in the pursuit of Yet Another Wispy Hipster without having to see a photograph of one here, too.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars™ at March 02, 2014 11:07 AM (HsTG8)
65
Hipsters are big Apple device fans because they are basically about the same thing: they want to be loved and known for their vibe, their presentation, and their cultural connections rather than their accomplishments. I don't mean this as a bash on Apple products, which are fine enough, but on their advertising. Apple never advertises their products, they advertise a lifestyle, and Hipsters want to LIVE that life style and be known for it.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 02, 2014 11:08 AM (zfY+H)
66
I read Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi this week. It's an autobiography about his growing up in the Islamic faith,
Not only that, but based on his name he is a kinsman of the Prophet himself, and of all the caliphs. Interesting.
Not only that, but based on his name he is a kinsman of the Prophet himself, and of all the caliphs. Interesting.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:09 AM (mGC6m)
67
Christopher Taylor, I have heard that if you pay people on Fiver, they will flog your book for you. Generate the buzz needed for real sales. At $5 a pop. Which is cheap advertising when you think on it. Spend $50, get ten glowing reviews on Amazon.
AlextheChick I got gimlet eyed real quick online. Comes from someone in what is your online circle pretending to being several people. And then deciding it amuses them to tell the people in the circle that one of their personas was just killed in an auto accident.
AlextheChick I got gimlet eyed real quick online. Comes from someone in what is your online circle pretending to being several people. And then deciding it amuses them to tell the people in the circle that one of their personas was just killed in an auto accident.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:09 AM (GKbOt)
68
I tend to read books that I can identify with personally, so lately I've only been reading books with, "You Are So Totally Boned" in the title. Or some variant.
Posted by: LoneStarHeeb at March 02, 2014 11:10 AM (BZAd3)
Posted by: HR at March 02, 2014 11:10 AM (hO8IJ)
70
Still plugging my way through the Gulag Archipelago. 350 pages in and they still haven't left for the Islands. Some parts chilling, some part lose impact since I don't know who all the players are.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:10 AM (FpHdx)
71
#59
To this day, most of the fans of 'Steig Larson' don't know the actual person was a big name in Euro SF fandom and a serious commie.
The thing about Jonathan Ross is that he offers something to offend everyone. Such as the people who were angered when he teamed up with Russell Brand to harass Andrew Sachs (best known as Manuel on 'Fawlty Towers') about his grand-daughter taking up prostitution.
To this day, most of the fans of 'Steig Larson' don't know the actual person was a big name in Euro SF fandom and a serious commie.
The thing about Jonathan Ross is that he offers something to offend everyone. Such as the people who were angered when he teamed up with Russell Brand to harass Andrew Sachs (best known as Manuel on 'Fawlty Towers') about his grand-daughter taking up prostitution.
Posted by: Epobirs at March 02, 2014 11:12 AM (bPxS6)
72
59 - "I'm trying to figure out why there's this huge boom in Scandinavian mysteries and crime novels. I presume it's due to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books (which I hated oh how I hated) but it's bizarre to me that all of a sudden those translation rights are selling like hotcakes"
I didn't read the "Girl" series because the reviews made plain that the author was a raging leftie loon. However, I did enjoy the movies, both the Swedish one and the English language remake. (Sweedish was a bit better, IMO.)
I can't stand to watch "Wallender" on TV (originals or English) -- very, very depressing. Guess I couldn't stand to live in Sweden. Both the culture and the climate suck...
I have read all of the Jo Nesbo books and quite like them. jonesbo.com/en/
I didn't read the "Girl" series because the reviews made plain that the author was a raging leftie loon. However, I did enjoy the movies, both the Swedish one and the English language remake. (Sweedish was a bit better, IMO.)
I can't stand to watch "Wallender" on TV (originals or English) -- very, very depressing. Guess I couldn't stand to live in Sweden. Both the culture and the climate suck...
I have read all of the Jo Nesbo books and quite like them. jonesbo.com/en/
Posted by: doug at March 02, 2014 11:12 AM (WEqwO)
73
57
it was illegal, back in the Old South, to teach slaves to read
To write. It was illegal in North Carolina to teach them to write.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_during_the_Slave_Period
The slavemasters in the South were Christians, and they understood
it as a religious duty to teach their charges to read the Scriptures.
After Nat Turner, there were moves to limit reading as well, but these weren't codified into law.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:04 AM (mGC6m)
I'm not just speaking of NC. And it seems to me that reading and writing go hand in hand. Most government of the time thought so as well.http://www.yale.edu/glc/archive/927.htm
it was illegal, back in the Old South, to teach slaves to read
To write. It was illegal in North Carolina to teach them to write.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_during_the_Slave_Period
The slavemasters in the South were Christians, and they understood
it as a religious duty to teach their charges to read the Scriptures.
After Nat Turner, there were moves to limit reading as well, but these weren't codified into law.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:04 AM (mGC6m)
I'm not just speaking of NC. And it seems to me that reading and writing go hand in hand. Most government of the time thought so as well.http://www.yale.edu/glc/archive/927.htm
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 11:14 AM (36Rjy)
74
Christopher Taylor, have you read Appletopia by Brett Robinson? He dissects Apple's advertising and comes to that exact conclusion, though with more of a religious slant. (Full disclosure: I did the index on that book. Wouldn't have read it otherwise, as I'm a PC gal, but I'm glad I did.)
Posted by: Elisabeth G. Wolfe at March 02, 2014 11:14 AM (Aiwi+)
75
Another Swedish import is Let the Right One In that also got a US remake. Remember the movie about the little blonde girl who was a vampire. Yeah.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:15 AM (GKbOt)
76
It really is too bad about the Nook, because its a good device. The problem is, the e-reader market is not nearly as big as companies hoped, and people are using devices like tablets for the same thing. So most people who want one, have one.
Sadly we're living in an increasingly illiterate age, not by lack of education, but by choice.
Sadly we're living in an increasingly illiterate age, not by lack of education, but by choice.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM (zfY+H)
77
Christopher Taylor, I have heard that if you pay people on Fiver, they will flog your book for you.
Arguably even worse is when ideologues show up. On the Islam beat, I've seen some extremely flawed material get 1/5 by Muslims and 5/5 by antiMuslims, or vice versa, as best I can tell because they liked the title. And these are the ones which get "58 of 61 people thought this review was helpful".
Arguably even worse is when ideologues show up. On the Islam beat, I've seen some extremely flawed material get 1/5 by Muslims and 5/5 by antiMuslims, or vice versa, as best I can tell because they liked the title. And these are the ones which get "58 of 61 people thought this review was helpful".
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM (mGC6m)
78
#32 #25 "That was a fun read. Poul Anderson was an SCA founder and I think he
writes medieval characters much better than he does characters in the
far future."
Balderdash and fumblydiddles!
writes medieval characters much better than he does characters in the
far future."
Balderdash and fumblydiddles!
Posted by: Richard McEnroe at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM (XO6WW)
79
"Hipsters are big Apple device fans because they are basically about the same thing: they want to be loved and known for their vibe, their presentation, and their cultural connections rather than their accomplishments. I don't mean this as a bash on Apple products, which are fine enough, but on their advertising. Apple never advertises their products, they advertise a lifestyle, and Hipsters want to LIVE that life style and be known for it. "
This describes my family, the aging hipsters and their children, all Apple users. They bought into the advertising and have their Ipods, and Ipads and Iphones and say "Look how cool I am". They're just sheeple, and they voted for O.
This describes my family, the aging hipsters and their children, all Apple users. They bought into the advertising and have their Ipods, and Ipads and Iphones and say "Look how cool I am". They're just sheeple, and they voted for O.
Posted by: Megthered at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM (iR4Dg)
80
I forget who it was last week who said s/he doesn't read works by authors who go by initials instead of names due to doubts as to why that person wouldn't use a name (I'm paraphrasing because I'm too lazy to go back and look). Here's a hint. If it's initials instead of name, there's a very strong probability that the work is by someone who is trying to hide gender (EL James), trying to hide who the author really is due to change of genre or simply trying not to flood the market (remember Richard Bachman?) or it's the nom de plume for a writing partnership/consortium.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (Gk3SS)
Meh.
The novel I'll be flogging here in a couple of months will probably use my initials.
Not trying to hide anything. I don't particularly care for either of the names I was stuck with.
I've played around with just first name then sur, middle name then sur, first initial middle name sur, first name middle initial sur, both initials sur.
I like the sound of initials best. That simple.
I forget who it was last week who said s/he doesn't read works by authors who go by initials instead of names due to doubts as to why that person wouldn't use a name (I'm paraphrasing because I'm too lazy to go back and look). Here's a hint. If it's initials instead of name, there's a very strong probability that the work is by someone who is trying to hide gender (EL James), trying to hide who the author really is due to change of genre or simply trying not to flood the market (remember Richard Bachman?) or it's the nom de plume for a writing partnership/consortium.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 10:36 AM (Gk3SS)
Meh.
The novel I'll be flogging here in a couple of months will probably use my initials.
Not trying to hide anything. I don't particularly care for either of the names I was stuck with.
I've played around with just first name then sur, middle name then sur, first initial middle name sur, first name middle initial sur, both initials sur.
I like the sound of initials best. That simple.
Posted by: naturalfake at March 02, 2014 11:17 AM (KBvAm)
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 11:17 AM (36Rjy)
82
Thanks, Darles! It's a nice little business with a definite niche. It supported the founder for a good few years, and we hope it will support us for just as long!
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 02, 2014 11:17 AM (Asjr7)
83
baldilocks - Most government of the time thought so as well.
Thanks for the link. Serves me right for relying on Wikipedia...
Thanks for the link. Serves me right for relying on Wikipedia...
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:20 AM (mGC6m)
84
this quote from a DKos diary will give you a chuckle...
The West faces the uncomfortable reality that acquiescing to a Russian theft of Crimea is no different than past surrenders to territorial bullies in Europe. Fierce measures, short of war, are called for now, before worse measures are necessary later. President Obama is student enough of history to know it.
The West faces the uncomfortable reality that acquiescing to a Russian theft of Crimea is no different than past surrenders to territorial bullies in Europe. Fierce measures, short of war, are called for now, before worse measures are necessary later. President Obama is student enough of history to know it.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:20 AM (FpHdx)
85
56 Where's John Belushi when you need him?
Regarding online reviews... there are some who game the system by having colleagues, friends, and family pile on positive glowing reviews on a book on Amazon. Usually you can see through them because they have little to do with the quality of the book or writing, but it probably does help sales.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 02, 2014 11:03 AM (zfY+H)
If this is in response to my talking about Fire With Fire, I don't think that was the case here. Established genre review blogs were also positive. And also wrong.
Maybe it's me. I hate protagonists who are perfect at everything and never make mistakes. Maybe most people don't mind that.
Regarding online reviews... there are some who game the system by having colleagues, friends, and family pile on positive glowing reviews on a book on Amazon. Usually you can see through them because they have little to do with the quality of the book or writing, but it probably does help sales.
Posted by: Christopher Taylor at March 02, 2014 11:03 AM (zfY+H)
If this is in response to my talking about Fire With Fire, I don't think that was the case here. Established genre review blogs were also positive. And also wrong.
Maybe it's me. I hate protagonists who are perfect at everything and never make mistakes. Maybe most people don't mind that.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 11:21 AM (zpNwC)
86
I have read all of the Jo Nesbo books and quite like them. jonesbo.com/en/
Posted by: doug at March 02, 2014 11:12 AM (WEqwO)
I love Jo Nesbo and I'm very glad that these works are being translated. It's just strange to me that right now it seems to be the Hot New Thing in mystery to push Scandi authors.
Another Swedish import is Let the Right One In that also got a US remake. Remember the movie about the little blonde girl who was a vampire. Yeah.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:15 AM (GKbOt)
I read Handling the Undead by Lindqvist as well and that's where my interest in why Swedish authors was piqued. Here's the thing about Bringing in the Undead, it's an interesting idea and presented well and I could not shake the feeling that there was an entire level of the book I was missing because I'm not Swedish. It was obvious that the when and where of the reanimation was Very Significant Indeed but it was whizzing right past me.
To haul True Detective into it, it's like someone from the UK watching it and not understanding why it's significant that Rust asks for Lone Star. I mean, hey, it's just beer, right? No additional cultural signifiers or anything.
Posted by: doug at March 02, 2014 11:12 AM (WEqwO)
I love Jo Nesbo and I'm very glad that these works are being translated. It's just strange to me that right now it seems to be the Hot New Thing in mystery to push Scandi authors.
Another Swedish import is Let the Right One In that also got a US remake. Remember the movie about the little blonde girl who was a vampire. Yeah.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:15 AM (GKbOt)
I read Handling the Undead by Lindqvist as well and that's where my interest in why Swedish authors was piqued. Here's the thing about Bringing in the Undead, it's an interesting idea and presented well and I could not shake the feeling that there was an entire level of the book I was missing because I'm not Swedish. It was obvious that the when and where of the reanimation was Very Significant Indeed but it was whizzing right past me.
To haul True Detective into it, it's like someone from the UK watching it and not understanding why it's significant that Rust asks for Lone Star. I mean, hey, it's just beer, right? No additional cultural signifiers or anything.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:21 AM (Gk3SS)
87
Regarding barring journalists from covering a public event - that's not what was actually said. The cameras were confiscated. Cameras have always been a tricky thing for the Muslim fundamentalists. In strictest interpretation, camera images go to "graven images" which go to "idol worship". You find that in hard-core Christian fundamentalists, too.
Additionally, when I worked in Saudi back in the '80s, cameras were allowed, but we were forbidden to take pictures of people, industrial facilities, trash piles, or anything that might be detrimental to the Saudi public image. Even desert sunsets were out, because they showed the extent of pollution from flaring off all that natural gas. (Even Australia was complaining about that pollution!)
I'm not surprised that they were confiscating cameras, but the journalists themselves were not barred.
Additionally, when I worked in Saudi back in the '80s, cameras were allowed, but we were forbidden to take pictures of people, industrial facilities, trash piles, or anything that might be detrimental to the Saudi public image. Even desert sunsets were out, because they showed the extent of pollution from flaring off all that natural gas. (Even Australia was complaining about that pollution!)
I'm not surprised that they were confiscating cameras, but the journalists themselves were not barred.
Posted by: I lurk, therefore I amn't at March 02, 2014 11:21 AM (ab+jQ)
88
This is a point I have argued with liberals: "Cool? Of
course we're not cool. We're Republicans for crying out loud! We're the
adults in the room. We're the ones who wash the dishes and put away the toys
after the kids are all in bed. And who get up and go to work the next
morning."
Please change Republican to Conservative - RINOs want to be Cool!
course we're not cool. We're Republicans for crying out loud! We're the
adults in the room. We're the ones who wash the dishes and put away the toys
after the kids are all in bed. And who get up and go to work the next
morning."
Please change Republican to Conservative - RINOs want to be Cool!
Posted by: No Hipster at March 02, 2014 11:21 AM (SqxMb)
89
buzzsaw90, steel and oil imports on Japan really taught them a lesson... The Kossacks again confuse words as equaling resolve.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:21 AM (GKbOt)
90
"The Borgias" (1966 book), and "Imperial Grunts" by Robt Kaplan for me this week.
Posted by: mnw at March 02, 2014 11:22 AM (68RU9)
91
56 Regarding online reviews... there are some who game the system by
having colleagues, friends, and family pile on positive glowing reviews
on a book on Amazon. Usually you can see through them because they have
little to do with the quality of the book or writing, but it probably
does help sales.
In the book business it's called "logrolling". Agents and publishers will have their other authors plug their hot new one whether they've read the stuff or not, in order to get some name-names on the jacket. Been going on since commercial publishing began, and probably earlier: "Spinoza...is an intriguing challenge to the modern reader." — Cardinal Mazarin...
having colleagues, friends, and family pile on positive glowing reviews
on a book on Amazon. Usually you can see through them because they have
little to do with the quality of the book or writing, but it probably
does help sales.
In the book business it's called "logrolling". Agents and publishers will have their other authors plug their hot new one whether they've read the stuff or not, in order to get some name-names on the jacket. Been going on since commercial publishing began, and probably earlier: "Spinoza...is an intriguing challenge to the modern reader." — Cardinal Mazarin...
Posted by: Richard McEnroe at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (XO6WW)
92
The West faces the uncomfortable reality that
acquiescing to a Russian theft of Crimea is no different than past
surrenders to territorial bullies in Europe. Fierce measures, short of
war, are called for now, before worse measures are necessary later.
President Obama is student enough of history to know it.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:20 AM (FpHdx)
With the exception of the last howler sentence, that's very prescient for a Kossack. I assume he or she is being purged from the hive.
acquiescing to a Russian theft of Crimea is no different than past
surrenders to territorial bullies in Europe. Fierce measures, short of
war, are called for now, before worse measures are necessary later.
President Obama is student enough of history to know it.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:20 AM (FpHdx)
With the exception of the last howler sentence, that's very prescient for a Kossack. I assume he or she is being purged from the hive.
Posted by: Captain Hate at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (2YXbl)
93
I'm reading Blacklisted by History by M. Stanton Evans. It's a very well researched, but the sheer amount of footnotes is overwhelming.
O/T-Listening to the Sunday talking heads is maddening. What are Russia's money making exports? Gas and oil. Who do they sell it to? Europe! If this administration would stop their myopic war on fossil fuels instead of exploiting our natural resources, and sell it to Europe, we'd have some leverage.
O/T-Listening to the Sunday talking heads is maddening. What are Russia's money making exports? Gas and oil. Who do they sell it to? Europe! If this administration would stop their myopic war on fossil fuels instead of exploiting our natural resources, and sell it to Europe, we'd have some leverage.
Posted by: boned to the bone at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (Ph479)
Posted by: HR at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (hO8IJ)
95
Sorry - that was a copy and paste from Word - I didn't add ANYTHING HTML other then Bold in this Post Tool!?!
Posted by: No Hipster at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (SqxMb)
96
Well, there's our Sunday morning barrelling.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:24 AM (mGC6m)
97
Sgt. mom good luck with your effort. Bookmarking your site.
Now to wrestle with do I submit anything to you for review?
Now to wrestle with do I submit anything to you for review?
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:24 AM (GKbOt)
98
Next book, stumbled upon in library -- C. J. Sansom's "Dominion." (2012)
From the flap: "1952 Twelve years have passed since Churchill lost to the appeasers and Britain surrendered to Nazi German. The global economy strains against the weight of the long German war against Russia still raging in the east. The British people find themselves under increasingly authoritarian rule -- the press, radio, and television are tightly controlled and British Jews face ever-greater constraints.
"But Churchill's Reistance soldiers on...."
I'm not familiar with the author, but I liked some of Turtledove's alt-history books and the flap really grabbed me.
Author has written a number of books, but this is his first alt-history.
From the flap: "1952 Twelve years have passed since Churchill lost to the appeasers and Britain surrendered to Nazi German. The global economy strains against the weight of the long German war against Russia still raging in the east. The British people find themselves under increasingly authoritarian rule -- the press, radio, and television are tightly controlled and British Jews face ever-greater constraints.
"But Churchill's Reistance soldiers on...."
I'm not familiar with the author, but I liked some of Turtledove's alt-history books and the flap really grabbed me.
Author has written a number of books, but this is his first alt-history.
Posted by: doug at March 02, 2014 11:25 AM (WEqwO)
99
89 buzzsaw90, steel and oil imports on Japan really taught them a lesson... The Kossacks again confuse words as equaling resolve.
----
But what if they retaliate and cut off access to Russian Mail Order brides???
----
But what if they retaliate and cut off access to Russian Mail Order brides???
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:25 AM (FpHdx)
100
In another surprise, Bush read both liberal and conservative authors without appearing to discriminate.
Lefties never shut up about how brilliant they are because they read stuff
Yet what they read is simply their own thoughts reflected back to them in print. They read affirmations of their own biases and preconceptions
Yet somehow "Faux News" and "H8 Radio" prove that conservatives are stoopid because they just tell them what they want to hear
Lefties never shut up about how brilliant they are because they read stuff
Yet what they read is simply their own thoughts reflected back to them in print. They read affirmations of their own biases and preconceptions
Yet somehow "Faux News" and "H8 Radio" prove that conservatives are stoopid because they just tell them what they want to hear
Posted by: kbdabear at March 02, 2014 11:25 AM (aTXUx)
101
To this day, most of the fans of 'Steig Larson' don't know the actual person was a big name in Euro SF fandom and a serious commie.
I knew he was a hard-core rat bastard commie, but not that he wrote SF.
I knew he was a hard-core rat bastard commie, but not that he wrote SF.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 11:25 AM (fTJ5O)
102
CS Lewis was probably trying to hide that his first name, Clive, was stupid. About the only worse name English parents give their kids is Nigel.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:25 AM (mGC6m)
103
Thanks for the link. Serves me right for relying on Wikipedia...
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:20 AM (mGC6m)
Ha! I was thinking it but not saying it.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:20 AM (mGC6m)
Ha! I was thinking it but not saying it.
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 11:26 AM (36Rjy)
104
Start! Barrel time!
Arguably even worse is when ideologues show up. On
the Islam beat, I've seen some extremely flawed material get 1/5 by
Muslims and 5/5 by antiMuslims, or vice versa, as best I can tell
because they liked the title. And these are the ones which get "58 of 61
people thought this review was helpful".
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM (mGC6m)
My personal pet peeve are those who give one star reviews based on price of book/app/whatever while admitting that they've never read/used/whatever it. I wish there was some way to weed those out.
I will admit that when it comes to the self-published stuff I head straight to the one star reviews looking for discussions of grammatical and spelling errors. At least that is helpful.
Arguably even worse is when ideologues show up. On
the Islam beat, I've seen some extremely flawed material get 1/5 by
Muslims and 5/5 by antiMuslims, or vice versa, as best I can tell
because they liked the title. And these are the ones which get "58 of 61
people thought this review was helpful".
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM (mGC6m)
My personal pet peeve are those who give one star reviews based on price of book/app/whatever while admitting that they've never read/used/whatever it. I wish there was some way to weed those out.
I will admit that when it comes to the self-published stuff I head straight to the one star reviews looking for discussions of grammatical and spelling errors. At least that is helpful.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:26 AM (Gk3SS)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:27 AM (GKbOt)
Posted by: rickl at March 02, 2014 11:28 AM (sdi6R)
107
Finishing Dale Furutani's Samurai mysteries, "Death at the Crossroads", " The Jade Palace Vendetta" and "Kill the Shogun". They chronicle the exploits of a ronin roaming Japan in the early years of the Tokogawu shogunate as he fulfills his pledge to find his late lord's missing child. Full of period detail with a very appealing hero. Anyone who enjoyed "Shogun"(book or mini-series) or is interested in Japanese history will love these books. Reasonably priced Kindle versions too. My only quibble is that Mr. Furutani made the series a trilogy. Would love to read more. BTW the author's dedication to his adopted father at the beginning of the third book is quite moving.
Posted by: Tuna at March 02, 2014 11:28 AM (M/TDA)
108
Not only that, but based on his name he is a kinsman of the Prophet himself, and of all the caliphs. Interesting.
He writes about that in his book as well. It was a great sense of pride for his family and himself when he was growing up as a young Muslim. He parents raised him as an "ambassador for Islam" in America, speaking about the peace and truth found in the religion. He went to college to study medicine, became a doctor, but gave it up to be a Christian apologetic (right now he's traveling with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries).
He writes about that in his book as well. It was a great sense of pride for his family and himself when he was growing up as a young Muslim. He parents raised him as an "ambassador for Islam" in America, speaking about the peace and truth found in the religion. He went to college to study medicine, became a doctor, but gave it up to be a Christian apologetic (right now he's traveling with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries).
Posted by: Mary at March 02, 2014 11:28 AM (2wZs/)
109
So I'm thinking that Obama has a reset button and Putin has an Easy Button.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:29 AM (FpHdx)
110
And now I kinda feel bad, because I looked at Gannon's twitter account, and he's actually a really cool guy.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 11:30 AM (zpNwC)
111
This describes my family, the aging hipsters and
their children, all Apple users. They bought into the advertising and
have their Ipods, and Ipads and Iphones and say "Look how cool I am".
They're just sheeple, and they voted for O.
Posted by: Megthered at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM
Don't forget their constant rants about "corporate this and corporate that" along with their smug superiority because they're not driven by consumerism
their children, all Apple users. They bought into the advertising and
have their Ipods, and Ipads and Iphones and say "Look how cool I am".
They're just sheeple, and they voted for O.
Posted by: Megthered at March 02, 2014 11:16 AM
Don't forget their constant rants about "corporate this and corporate that" along with their smug superiority because they're not driven by consumerism
Posted by: kbdabear at March 02, 2014 11:30 AM (aTXUx)
112
95 Sorry - that was a copy and paste from Word - I didn't add ANYTHING HTML other then Bold in this Post Tool!?!
Never copy and paste from Word, or any other formatted word processor. Use a text editor (like notepad) instead
Never copy and paste from Word, or any other formatted word processor. Use a text editor (like notepad) instead
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 11:30 AM (fTJ5O)
113
What were T.S. Eliot and E.E.Cummings trying to hide?
Posted by: HR at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (hO8IJ)
Sheesh, since everyone is pointing out the obvious counter examples, fine, lemme clarify.
In genre fiction, there is a high probability etc etc.
I should note that there's not one thing wrong with any of the examples I gave. I was rather taken aback by the notion that anyone would refuse to read a book merely because the author elected to use initials rather than a full name.
I don't want to know about the author as person. I don't give a rat's ass about his/her personal life or politics or if s/he is a Yankee's fan. I just want to know about the work itself.
Posted by: HR at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (hO8IJ)
Sheesh, since everyone is pointing out the obvious counter examples, fine, lemme clarify.
In genre fiction, there is a high probability etc etc.
I should note that there's not one thing wrong with any of the examples I gave. I was rather taken aback by the notion that anyone would refuse to read a book merely because the author elected to use initials rather than a full name.
I don't want to know about the author as person. I don't give a rat's ass about his/her personal life or politics or if s/he is a Yankee's fan. I just want to know about the work itself.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (Gk3SS)
114
The Battery charger is on the Indian, should be 70 today, and I'm off to poker tournament to support the local Hockey team...i don't even like hockey. I figure theis will give me an idea if I can hang in a real poker tournament.
Posted by: Paladin at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (Ouc7s)
115
Apple Inc, where only the cheapest of Chinese slave labor is used.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (GKbOt)
116
I've been watching Black Sails which is a prequel to Treasure Island. So I'm re-reading the book. As good as I remember. Up next are Havana Nocturne, Child 44, and the soon to be released Words of Radiance.
Thanks for the book thread.
Thanks for the book thread.
Posted by: Achilles at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (oj0hw)
117
The mods have pulled No Hipster out of the barrel. Good work!
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:33 AM (mGC6m)
118
Apple Inc, where only the cheapest of Chinese slave labor is used.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (GKbOt)
Everybody uses cheap foreign labor. The difference with Apple products is that they work. Look I hate Apple's Politics but I love their products.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (GKbOt)
Everybody uses cheap foreign labor. The difference with Apple products is that they work. Look I hate Apple's Politics but I love their products.
Posted by: Nevergiveup at March 02, 2014 11:33 AM (t3UFN)
119
just want to know about the work itself.
---------
You only have to look at me to understand why I spend five pages describing a royal feast.
---------
You only have to look at me to understand why I spend five pages describing a royal feast.
Posted by: George R. R. Martin at March 02, 2014 11:33 AM (Aif/5)
120
Finished reading The Physics of War: From Arrows to Atoms by Barry Parker. While the author had an interesting premise (i.e., how did physics influence the development of military technology), the book is flawed by the issue that the Parker is a physicist who is apparently not a serious student of military history.
Many of the footnotes consist of internet references and I noticed three factual misstatements that jumped out at me:
1) He says the armor of interconnected rings is called "chain." No, contemporary accounts called it maille (and we now call it chain-mail).
2) He refers to Fulton's submersible having a torpedo full of "dynamite" in 1801. Of course, dynamite hadn't been invented yet and I think Parker just wanted to use a cooler-sounding word than explosive.
3) He asserts that the Germans had up-armored their tanks compared to the British and French in 1940. That is flat-out wrong: the German success in France was due to superior doctrine and command-and-control. The Germans were the ones facing tanks with heavier armor.
There are also some typographical errors that show that the book needed tighter editing. One particularly unfortunate typo has the date 1943 transposed to 1934: this is while discussing the development of the German V2 rocket.
In short, I can not recommend the book and am sorry I wasted my money on it.
Many of the footnotes consist of internet references and I noticed three factual misstatements that jumped out at me:
1) He says the armor of interconnected rings is called "chain." No, contemporary accounts called it maille (and we now call it chain-mail).
2) He refers to Fulton's submersible having a torpedo full of "dynamite" in 1801. Of course, dynamite hadn't been invented yet and I think Parker just wanted to use a cooler-sounding word than explosive.
3) He asserts that the Germans had up-armored their tanks compared to the British and French in 1940. That is flat-out wrong: the German success in France was due to superior doctrine and command-and-control. The Germans were the ones facing tanks with heavier armor.
There are also some typographical errors that show that the book needed tighter editing. One particularly unfortunate typo has the date 1943 transposed to 1934: this is while discussing the development of the German V2 rocket.
In short, I can not recommend the book and am sorry I wasted my money on it.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop at March 02, 2014 11:34 AM (1htQa)
121
75 Another Swedish import is Let the Right One In that also got a US remake. Remember the movie about the little blonde girl who was a vampire. Yeah.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:15 AM (GKbOt)
The movies were good, but boy were they depressing at the same time.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1139797/
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:15 AM (GKbOt)
The movies were good, but boy were they depressing at the same time.
Posted by: Insomniac at March 02, 2014 11:34 AM (UAMVq)
122
You only have to look at me to understand why I spend five pages describing a royal feast.
JV Jones wrote about food a lot in her books too. In her case she was a chef in her day-job before getting published, iirc.
JV Jones wrote about food a lot in her books too. In her case she was a chef in her day-job before getting published, iirc.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:36 AM (mGC6m)
123
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:31 AM (Gk3SS)
when god lets my body be
From each brave eye shall sprout a tree
fruit dangles therefrom
the purpled world will dance upon
Between my lips which did sing
a rose shall beget the spring
that maidens whom passions wastes
will lay between their little breasts
My strong fingers beneath the snow
Into strenous birds shall go
my love walking in the grass
their wings will touch with their face
and all the while shall my heart be
With the bulge and nuzzle of the sea
when god lets my body be
From each brave eye shall sprout a tree
fruit dangles therefrom
the purpled world will dance upon
Between my lips which did sing
a rose shall beget the spring
that maidens whom passions wastes
will lay between their little breasts
My strong fingers beneath the snow
Into strenous birds shall go
my love walking in the grass
their wings will touch with their face
and all the while shall my heart be
With the bulge and nuzzle of the sea
Posted by: e.e. cummings at March 02, 2014 11:36 AM (QFxY5)
124
*couriers to AlextheChick some brownies and a glass of milk*
Nevergiveup, by pointing out where Apple gets their products made I am merely trying to illustrate the hypocrisy of Apple Inc and those 'oh so morally superior d-bags' who can't afford to buy anything but will drop $400 for an iPhone.
Nevergiveup, by pointing out where Apple gets their products made I am merely trying to illustrate the hypocrisy of Apple Inc and those 'oh so morally superior d-bags' who can't afford to buy anything but will drop $400 for an iPhone.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:36 AM (GKbOt)
125
The discussion of not time traveling to kill Adolph Hitler led me to-
"I Killed Adolph Hitler"
More than a comic book. Less than a graphic novella. A graphic novella, I guess.
It's about a time traveller who travels back in time to kill Adolph Hitler and blows it then what happens as a result.
Rather clever. It doesn't go in the direction you think it will.
The guy who wrote it goes by the moniker "Jason". He a Norwegian so I guess he's a dirty Scandi, but the other stuff I've read of his has been clever and fun.
His characters are anthropomorphized dogs, birds, and cats. He pretty good at thinking up high concept ideas then taking them in unusual directions.
Of the three I've read here's my order of preference:
1) Werewolves of Montpellier
2) I Killed Adolph Hitler
3) The Last Musketeer
Check him out.
"I Killed Adolph Hitler"
More than a comic book. Less than a graphic novella. A graphic novella, I guess.
It's about a time traveller who travels back in time to kill Adolph Hitler and blows it then what happens as a result.
Rather clever. It doesn't go in the direction you think it will.
The guy who wrote it goes by the moniker "Jason". He a Norwegian so I guess he's a dirty Scandi, but the other stuff I've read of his has been clever and fun.
His characters are anthropomorphized dogs, birds, and cats. He pretty good at thinking up high concept ideas then taking them in unusual directions.
Of the three I've read here's my order of preference:
1) Werewolves of Montpellier
2) I Killed Adolph Hitler
3) The Last Musketeer
Check him out.
Posted by: naturalfake at March 02, 2014 11:36 AM (KBvAm)
126
Nevergiveup, by pointing out where Apple gets their products made I am merely trying to illustrate the hypocrisy of Apple Inc and those 'oh so morally superior d-bags' who can't afford to buy anything but will drop $400 for an iPhone.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:36 AM (GKbOt)
I got no problem with that
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:36 AM (GKbOt)
I got no problem with that
Posted by: Nevergiveup at March 02, 2014 11:37 AM (t3UFN)
Posted by: beavis at March 02, 2014 11:37 AM (UAMVq)
128
Here is a story that proves two things - if it fits a person's preconceptions with compelling narrative it will sell.
Tell me about it.
Tell me about it.
Posted by: mary mapes at March 02, 2014 11:38 AM (fTJ5O)
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 11:40 AM (fTJ5O)
130
Naturalflake, if its anthro WWII that has piqued your interest well have I got something for you. There is Art Spiegelman's two volume work called Maus. Art is the son of two Holocaust survivors, in this he tries to tell his parents story of survival. Jews are mice, Germans are cats, and the French are frogs.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:41 AM (GKbOt)
131
I'm re-reading "Phoenix Rising" (Ryk Spoor) because the next in that series isn't out yet, and I've already re-read the two Arena books.
Something I asked last week, but never saw an answer to: are the books he wrote with collaborators any good? I've had bad experiences several times when authors I liked as solos did collaborations, so I'd really appreciate some Moron input.
Something I asked last week, but never saw an answer to: are the books he wrote with collaborators any good? I've had bad experiences several times when authors I liked as solos did collaborations, so I'd really appreciate some Moron input.
Posted by: Empire1 at March 02, 2014 11:41 AM (R8/Kw)
132
Speaking of hipster hate, I came across this fine website a few weeks ago.
Diehipster dot com:
http://tinyurl.com/yguxnsc
With post titles like "LIVING IN A GIANT HAMSTER WHEEL IS NOT ART", how can one go wrong?
Diehipster dot com:
http://tinyurl.com/yguxnsc
With post titles like "LIVING IN A GIANT HAMSTER WHEEL IS NOT ART", how can one go wrong?
Posted by: Thrawn at March 02, 2014 11:43 AM (X866z)
133
FWIW, the wife owns a nook (1st gen) and she loves it.
And I love that we only have 10 boxes of books in the basement and have held steady over that time.
But with B&N on the verge of collapse we're really not sure what direction to go next with the ereader. (I, sadly, don't read enough to justify one at the current price point. And for my school work, I still like paper for the bookmarking and marginalia.)
And I love that we only have 10 boxes of books in the basement and have held steady over that time.
But with B&N on the verge of collapse we're really not sure what direction to go next with the ereader. (I, sadly, don't read enough to justify one at the current price point. And for my school work, I still like paper for the bookmarking and marginalia.)
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 11:43 AM (hq5sb)
134
70
Still plugging my way through the Gulag Archipelago. 350 pages in and they still haven't left for the Islands. Some parts chilling, some part
lose impact since I don't know who all the players are.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:10 AM (FpHdx)
****************
Yeah, it's a tough go. The Gulag is as much of a catalog as it is a revelation of Stalinism. And Solzhenitsyn is going to go into detail of every aspect of that archipelago as he can.
He had a lot of it committed in his memory when he finally came out. Think about that.
Still plugging my way through the Gulag Archipelago. 350 pages in and they still haven't left for the Islands. Some parts chilling, some part
lose impact since I don't know who all the players are.
Posted by: buzzsaw90 at March 02, 2014 11:10 AM (FpHdx)
****************
Yeah, it's a tough go. The Gulag is as much of a catalog as it is a revelation of Stalinism. And Solzhenitsyn is going to go into detail of every aspect of that archipelago as he can.
He had a lot of it committed in his memory when he finally came out. Think about that.
Posted by: I lurk, therefore I amn't at March 02, 2014 11:44 AM (ab+jQ)
135
I read Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea this week. It's about the 1857 shipwreck of the SS Central America, a paddle-wheel steamboat carrying a lot of passengers and at least $3,000,000 of California gold, and the efforts to recover her in the 1980's. I was expecting the book to be mostly about the shipwreck and was disappointed when I realized that most of the book was about the recovery operations, but that actually turned out to be very interesting and quite suspenseful. Basically, one guy, Thomas Thompson, decided right out of college that he wanted to solve the problem of working in deep water and figured that recovering a shipwreck with a lot of money on board was the only way to attract the investors he would need to fund his efforts. He talked to a lot of experts, hired some of them, then designed from scratch the equipment needed to first find the ship, then recover the gold. Great book - worth reading.
Posted by: biancaneve at March 02, 2014 11:45 AM (2sR50)
136
54 degrees out and I am about to go into work to finish some stuff in case we get 12 inches of snow like they're predicting.
Can I pick up anything for anyone while I am down there? New Senator or Congressman perhaps? New Preezy?
Can I pick up anything for anyone while I am down there? New Senator or Congressman perhaps? New Preezy?
Posted by: RWC at March 02, 2014 11:46 AM (MtC8f)
Posted by: backhoe at March 02, 2014 11:47 AM (ULH4o)
138
Loved "Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea", second the recommendation.
Posted by: Lincolntf at March 02, 2014 11:48 AM (ZshNr)
139
94
What were T.S. Eliot and E.E.Cummings trying to hide?
Posted by: HR at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (hO8IJ)
And why are TSE and EAP frequent answers to crossword puzzle clues?
What were T.S. Eliot and E.E.Cummings trying to hide?
Posted by: HR at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (hO8IJ)
And why are TSE and EAP frequent answers to crossword puzzle clues?
Posted by: I lurk, therefore I amn't at March 02, 2014 11:51 AM (ab+jQ)
140
Best fiction collaboration I can think of: "Daughter of the Empire" by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts. Lady Acoma is an excellent protagonist, and not a Mary Sue (too rare for a book of this sort).
Honourable mention to "The Silmarillion": because JRRT's son did so much work on it - especially the last act of the tragedy, after Morgoth breaks the Siege, and that is the part that didn't bore me.
Honourable mention to "The Silmarillion": because JRRT's son did so much work on it - especially the last act of the tragedy, after Morgoth breaks the Siege, and that is the part that didn't bore me.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:51 AM (mGC6m)
141
131 All I can tell you is that I've read Ryk Spoor's short work "Skyspark" which is set in the Boundary universe that he shares with Eric Flint and it was pretty cool.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 11:51 AM (zpNwC)
142
My colleague Lisa De Pasquale has written a lively Bridget Jones-style memoir
Not only do I not know who Lisa De Pasquale is, I don't know who Bridget Jones is either, nor do I know anything about her style of writing.
If this is an attempt to illuminate the ignorant, it has failed. If it is an attempt to prove one's kool factor by dropping a name only the koolist of the kool know about, well, I can't judge the effectiveness of that remark.
So off to Google I go, knowing that even after searching out the biographies of people I have never heard of, I still won't know anything, but will have succeeded in wasting a few minutes of my allotted life span all the while knowing I have been exposed as being unkool to the max. Just the way I like it.
Not only do I not know who Lisa De Pasquale is, I don't know who Bridget Jones is either, nor do I know anything about her style of writing.
If this is an attempt to illuminate the ignorant, it has failed. If it is an attempt to prove one's kool factor by dropping a name only the koolist of the kool know about, well, I can't judge the effectiveness of that remark.
So off to Google I go, knowing that even after searching out the biographies of people I have never heard of, I still won't know anything, but will have succeeded in wasting a few minutes of my allotted life span all the while knowing I have been exposed as being unkool to the max. Just the way I like it.
Posted by: Joe Neaderthal at March 02, 2014 11:52 AM (uQw68)
143
Since the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, U.S. military bases have hosted gay marriage ceremonies and potluck gatherings. But on Saturday, servicemembers here may have been the first to take to the stage and perform as drag queens on a military installation in support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender troops.
Drag queens and drag kings, to be premise.
Six servicemembers — gay, lesbian and straight — donned heavy makeup to dance and lip sync songs such as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” for a raucous capacity crowd at the Rocker NCO Club at Kadena Air Base. The event was a fundraiser for the recently formed Okinawa chapter of OutServe-SLDN, which is the largest nonprofit advocate for the military’s LGBT community.
“We didn’t think there was much of a desire for an event like this on the island but it has actually blown up,” said Navy Lt. Marissa Greene, co-chapter leader of OutServe Okinawa.
Weasel Zippers:
Makes me want to cry
Drag queens and drag kings, to be premise.
Six servicemembers — gay, lesbian and straight — donned heavy makeup to dance and lip sync songs such as “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” for a raucous capacity crowd at the Rocker NCO Club at Kadena Air Base. The event was a fundraiser for the recently formed Okinawa chapter of OutServe-SLDN, which is the largest nonprofit advocate for the military’s LGBT community.
“We didn’t think there was much of a desire for an event like this on the island but it has actually blown up,” said Navy Lt. Marissa Greene, co-chapter leader of OutServe Okinawa.
Weasel Zippers:
Makes me want to cry
Posted by: Nevergiveup at March 02, 2014 11:53 AM (t3UFN)
144
Posted by: Joe Neaderthal at March 02, 2014 11:52 AM (uQw6
?! I figured after they made the Rene Zellwiger movie (2 of them maybe?) this became just a common parlance type of phrasing.
As for the other chick, no idea who she is.
?! I figured after they made the Rene Zellwiger movie (2 of them maybe?) this became just a common parlance type of phrasing.
As for the other chick, no idea who she is.
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 11:55 AM (hq5sb)
145
There is Art Spiegelman's two volume work called Maus. Art is the son of two Holocaust survivors, in this he tries to tell his parents story of survival. Jews are mice, Germans are cats, and the French are frogs.
And Americans are dogs, iirc. These are great books. And Spiegelman felt gulity about how successful he became because of his books. At the beginning of the second book, he drew a picture of himself at his drawing table atop a giant pile of dead bodies. Gut punch!
And Americans are dogs, iirc. These are great books. And Spiegelman felt gulity about how successful he became because of his books. At the beginning of the second book, he drew a picture of himself at his drawing table atop a giant pile of dead bodies. Gut punch!
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 11:55 AM (fTJ5O)
146
Bridget Jones isn't cool. She's middle-to-low-brow chick lit for Brits.
I didn't read the book but I did get dragged to the movie, and was... pleasantly surprised.
I didn't read the book but I did get dragged to the movie, and was... pleasantly surprised.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:55 AM (mGC6m)
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 11:56 AM (GKbOt)
148
On the subject of the new atheism, one of the best books available right now is Edward Feser's The Last Superstition. He does an outstanding job of presenting the connections between theism and ancient/medieval metaphysics, and he does an excellent job of showing just how difficult it is to reject those metaphysical systems. Lastly, he does all of this in a clear and accessible way that makes all the high-falutin' philosophical thinking accessible to the reader who does not have an extensive background in the field.
Perhaps most importantly, he gives an accurate presentation of Aristotelian/Thomist metaphysics, and he highlights the failure of Dawkins, et. al., to really understand the arguments that they are allegedly critiquing. It is a fine book, and I routinely recommend it to my own undergrad students. It is only occasionally marred by a desire to sink to the same polemical level as the people he's rebutting.
Perhaps most importantly, he gives an accurate presentation of Aristotelian/Thomist metaphysics, and he highlights the failure of Dawkins, et. al., to really understand the arguments that they are allegedly critiquing. It is a fine book, and I routinely recommend it to my own undergrad students. It is only occasionally marred by a desire to sink to the same polemical level as the people he's rebutting.
Posted by: Some Asshole at March 02, 2014 11:57 AM (cgeZi)
149
Hey you, in the Phillies shirt.
You know, there are few things more pathetic than an aging hipster.
You know, there are few things more pathetic than an aging hipster.
Posted by: Andors at March 02, 2014 11:57 AM (8xPuu)
150
“We didn’t think there was much of a desire for an event like this on the island but it has actually blown up,” said Navy Lt. Marissa Greene, co-chapter leader of OutServe Okinawa.
Weasel Zippers:
Makes me want to cry
I thought the saying was "It's not gay if you're underway."
Weasel Zippers:
Makes me want to cry
I thought the saying was "It's not gay if you're underway."
Posted by: Insomniac at March 02, 2014 11:57 AM (UAMVq)
151
?! I figured after they made the Rene Zellwiger movie (2 of them maybe?) this became just a common parlance type of phrasing.
As for the other chick, no idea who she is.
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 11:55 AM (hq5sb)
All I can say is that telling me anything is Bridget Jonesesque is a good way to keep me from ever ever ever reading it.
As for the other chick, no idea who she is.
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 11:55 AM (hq5sb)
All I can say is that telling me anything is Bridget Jonesesque is a good way to keep me from ever ever ever reading it.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:58 AM (Gk3SS)
152
Re Ryk Spoor -- I enjoyed his collaboration with Eric Flint. Flint actually is better for me with a collaborator and I admire his work for Baen Free Library while not particularly enjoying his writing style.
Niven and Pournelle are also one of the GREAT collaborations. Both are good but greater together.
Niven and Pournelle are also one of the GREAT collaborations. Both are good but greater together.
Posted by: Mustbequantum at March 02, 2014 11:59 AM (MIKMs)
153
>>125 The discussion of not time traveling to kill Adolph Hitler led me to-
"I Killed Adolph Hitler"
Stephen Fry's "Making History" is in the same vein.
Pretty good story, but gets unnecessarily gay at the end.
"I Killed Adolph Hitler"
Stephen Fry's "Making History" is in the same vein.
Pretty good story, but gets unnecessarily gay at the end.
Posted by: Dr. Varno at March 02, 2014 11:59 AM (V4CBV)
154
some asshole on Edward Feser's The Last Superstition.
I'll have to give that a try.
To the original poster - David Berlinski's a honcho in the Discovery Institute, so I don't trust a word he says, sorry.
I'll have to give that a try.
To the original poster - David Berlinski's a honcho in the Discovery Institute, so I don't trust a word he says, sorry.
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 11:59 AM (mGC6m)
155
I quit watching Red Eye because Greg Gutfeld went after Christine O'Donnell harder than the IRS went after her. As far as I can tell she has a lot more guts than he does.
Posted by: Huggy at March 02, 2014 12:01 PM (aUlRP)
156
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 11:58 AM (Gk3SS)
It's entirely possible that was his point?
It's entirely possible that was his point?
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 12:01 PM (hq5sb)
157
Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
I have always loved the last paragraph of that story.
Hilarity ensueth when the yeomen riddle the aliens with arrows and take over their ship.
I have always loved the last paragraph of that story.
Posted by: Fox2! at March 02, 2014 12:02 PM (cHwSy)
158
I agree. FYI, the best ebook reader I have come across is Mobipocket. Google it.
I did. The last update to Mobipocket was in 2008.
Dead product?
I did. The last update to Mobipocket was in 2008.
Dead product?
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 12:03 PM (fTJ5O)
159
Stephen Fry's "Making History" is in the same vein.
Pretty good story, but gets unnecessarily gay at the end.
My problem with the ghey in this book is that it wasn't even foreshadowed in the beginning. By contrast with Frederick Pohl's "Gateway" where the protagonist's bisexuality actually was hinted at (leaving aside the 1970s psychology). In Fry's book the dick just jumped out at me unexpectedly
Pretty good story, but gets unnecessarily gay at the end.
My problem with the ghey in this book is that it wasn't even foreshadowed in the beginning. By contrast with Frederick Pohl's "Gateway" where the protagonist's bisexuality actually was hinted at (leaving aside the 1970s psychology). In Fry's book the dick just jumped out at me unexpectedly
Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at March 02, 2014 12:04 PM (mGC6m)
160
It's entirely possible that was his point?
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 12:01 PM (hq5sb)
I'm gonna say no.
Niven and Pournelle are also one of the GREAT collaborations. Both are good but greater together.
Posted by: Mustbequantum at March 02, 2014 11:59 AM (MIKMs)
You are correct, you are absolutely correct, but dear heavens I hated their book with the elephant aliens. I can't even tell you why, it's an interesting concept, well executed, their writing is up to their usual standard but I hated it oh so much.
Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 12:01 PM (hq5sb)
I'm gonna say no.
Niven and Pournelle are also one of the GREAT collaborations. Both are good but greater together.
Posted by: Mustbequantum at March 02, 2014 11:59 AM (MIKMs)
You are correct, you are absolutely correct, but dear heavens I hated their book with the elephant aliens. I can't even tell you why, it's an interesting concept, well executed, their writing is up to their usual standard but I hated it oh so much.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 12:05 PM (Gk3SS)
161
So who admits to seeing Unexpected Dick open for Pussy Riot?
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 12:05 PM (GKbOt)
162
161 So who admits to seeing Unexpected Dick open for Pussy Riot?
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 12:05 PM (GKbOt)
Wasn't that the other way around?
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 12:05 PM (GKbOt)
Wasn't that the other way around?
Posted by: Insomniac at March 02, 2014 12:06 PM (UAMVq)
163
Come on AlextheChick, Footfall has an eco-warrior who has seen the error of his ways when the cute elephant aliens invade. So to help the humans win, he kills a reporter who was going tell everyone about Michael 'to boost morale' don't cha'know and dumps the body in a compost heap. 
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 12:08 PM (GKbOt)
164
95 Sorry - that was a copy and paste from Word - I didn't add ANYTHING HTML other then Bold in this Post Tool!?!
Posted by: No Hipster at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (SqxMb)
As others have said, never paste from Word. I use Notepad or Wordpad, like I'm doing with this comment.
Posted by: No Hipster at March 02, 2014 11:23 AM (SqxMb)
As others have said, never paste from Word. I use Notepad or Wordpad, like I'm doing with this comment.
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 12:09 PM (36Rjy)
165
155
I quit watching Red Eye because Greg Gutfeld went after Christine
O'Donnell harder than the IRS went after her. As far as I can tell she
has a lot more guts than he does.
I actually watched my first episode of Red Eye last nite with the feeyancy. Serious, you guys, in what way was that show any better than the "cool people?'
I quit watching Red Eye because Greg Gutfeld went after Christine
O'Donnell harder than the IRS went after her. As far as I can tell she
has a lot more guts than he does.
I actually watched my first episode of Red Eye last nite with the feeyancy. Serious, you guys, in what way was that show any better than the "cool people?'
Posted by: Richard McEnroe at March 02, 2014 12:09 PM (XO6WW)
166
Born Lib and Mustbequantum -- Thanks a lot! We've got a major snowstorm predicted for late tonight and tomorrow (6-12" is a lot for lower Delaware), and we're on one of the last roads to get plowed. If it hits as predicted, I'll probably be housebound for at least 3 or four days, and it'll be good to have some new Spoor on the Kindle.
I have to take Frank the Dachshund for his after-lunch run (which he will not be getting the next few days, most likely). Back in about half an hour.
I have to take Frank the Dachshund for his after-lunch run (which he will not be getting the next few days, most likely). Back in about half an hour.
Posted by: Empire1 at March 02, 2014 12:11 PM (wyKf7)
167
#163 If you liked that you'll LOVE "Watch on the Rhine" by Tom Kratmann. Resurrected Waffen SS fighting centauroid carnivorous aliens with greens and transnationalists caught in the middle. Feel-good book of 2005.
Posted by: Richard McEnroe at March 02, 2014 12:11 PM (XO6WW)
168
Summer reading for incoming freshmen was just posted for the kid. He has to read Night Talk by Elizabeth Cox. About racism in the south.
Posted by: NCKate at March 02, 2014 12:12 PM (4KFgL)
169
158?
Muse?
Well, I'll be dogged! It's funny how you switch between analog and digital books- I have not used it in a long time. Went back to paper books for some odd reason. Right before Miss Emily died in 2010 we discussed getting an actual Kindle to share- but they were kind of pricey then, and "events got in the way." After losing her I discovered Amazon had a free Kindle app, so I installed it on her netbook which I had commandeered since it had so much of her info on it. Read mostly all ebooks for a year or so, then went back to paper. Who knows why?
Muse?
Well, I'll be dogged! It's funny how you switch between analog and digital books- I have not used it in a long time. Went back to paper books for some odd reason. Right before Miss Emily died in 2010 we discussed getting an actual Kindle to share- but they were kind of pricey then, and "events got in the way." After losing her I discovered Amazon had a free Kindle app, so I installed it on her netbook which I had commandeered since it had so much of her info on it. Read mostly all ebooks for a year or so, then went back to paper. Who knows why?
Posted by: backhoe at March 02, 2014 12:12 PM (ULH4o)
170
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 12:05 PM (Gk3SS)
I wouldn't know.
Being a man, nothing sounds worse than either of those books.
I wouldn't know.
Being a man, nothing sounds worse than either of those books
.Posted by: tsrblke, PhD(c) (No Really!) at March 02, 2014 12:12 PM (hq5sb)
171
Come on AlextheChick, Footfall has an
eco-warrior who has seen the error of his ways when the cute elephant
aliens invade. So to help the humans win, he kills a reporter who was
going tell everyone about Michael 'to boost morale' don't cha'know and
dumps the body in a compost heap.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 12:08 PM (GKbOt)
I know! I should love it and I don't. I admit freely that the problem is me, not them. The weird thing is that I love their other stuff, it's just Footfall. For the life of me, I cannot tell you why it triggers my arrgggh hatehatehate response.
Oh, I also reread The Cobra Event by Richard Preston this week and, of course, that led to rereading The Monster in the Freezer and then I had to hide under the bed for awhile.
eco-warrior who has seen the error of his ways when the cute elephant
aliens invade. So to help the humans win, he kills a reporter who was
going tell everyone about Michael 'to boost morale' don't cha'know and
dumps the body in a compost heap.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 12:08 PM (GKbOt)
I know! I should love it and I don't. I admit freely that the problem is me, not them. The weird thing is that I love their other stuff, it's just Footfall. For the life of me, I cannot tell you why it triggers my arrgggh hatehatehate response.
Oh, I also reread The Cobra Event by Richard Preston this week and, of course, that led to rereading The Monster in the Freezer and then I had to hide under the bed for awhile.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 12:12 PM (Gk3SS)
172
Arrrgghh The Demon in the Freezer. Demon. FFS, I was actually looking at the freaking cover when I typed that.
I blame everyone but me.
I blame everyone but me.
Posted by: alexthechick - come for the Global Warming stay for the SMOD at March 02, 2014 12:15 PM (Gk3SS)
173
9 OM it's probably going to be a slow day today with all the temps coming up and people finally venturing outside.
Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Looks like we were both wrong.
Yeah, that's what I thought, too. Looks like we were both wrong.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 12:16 PM (fTJ5O)
174
Drat sorry I got up too late for book thread. I know some people read all day so I will post my recommendation anyway. Read a good book this week called Disguised about a girl who in Indonesia during World War 2 when the Japanese invaded the islands and put the people in prison camps. She disguised herself as a boy for the duration so the Japanese didn't take her and use her as a comfort girl. The writing is average but the story itself was interesting.
Posted by: ParanoidGirlinSeattle at March 02, 2014 12:16 PM (RZ8pf)
175
Small wonder sci/fi sucks these days, apparently the only acceptable subject is how PIV(1) sex is actually the moral equivalent of an alien invasion.
(1)PIV = Penis In Vagina, for those of you lucky enough to have been living under a rock.
(1)PIV = Penis In Vagina, for those of you lucky enough to have been living under a rock.
Posted by: motion view (@motionview) at March 02, 2014 12:17 PM (e6TyM)
176
169-backhoe
I have started to read real books again, sort of. I got 2 for Christmas and kind of liked reading "oldschool" again. My children go back and forth all the time. My daughter bought an old house with a library in it. She was so excited about the library, and she filled it with books. Her husband even added more shelves. But she also has an ereader for travel. She won't let her children have one yet. She thinks they should enjoy the feel and smell of books.
I have started to read real books again, sort of. I got 2 for Christmas and kind of liked reading "oldschool" again. My children go back and forth all the time. My daughter bought an old house with a library in it. She was so excited about the library, and she filled it with books. Her husband even added more shelves. But she also has an ereader for travel. She won't let her children have one yet. She thinks they should enjoy the feel and smell of books.
Posted by: Megthered at March 02, 2014 12:18 PM (iR4Dg)
177
It's funny how you switch between analog and digital books- I have not used it in a long time. Went back to paper books for some odd reason.
bh, I do all my reading on my tablet now. I'm going to have to switch back at some point, though, because I've got dead tree books to read piling up.
bh, I do all my reading on my tablet now. I'm going to have to switch back at some point, though, because I've got dead tree books to read piling up.
Posted by: OregonMuse at March 02, 2014 12:18 PM (fTJ5O)
178
In short, I can not recommend the book and am sorry I wasted my money on it.
Thnaks for the heads up - the premise sounds like something I would normally like, but issues like the ones you stated would bug me to no end.
Thnaks for the heads up - the premise sounds like something I would normally like, but issues like the ones you stated would bug me to no end.
Posted by: PMRich at March 02, 2014 12:19 PM (KDUNf)
179
but issues like the ones you stated would bug me to no end.
Just like realizing I did a typo, after I hit post.
Just like realizing I did a typo, after I hit post.
Posted by: PMRich at March 02, 2014 12:20 PM (KDUNf)
180
Anna Puma
Thanks for the recommendation
I've read Maus and thought it was great
I mention the anthropo stuff so people won't let that scare them off
Or hell, maybe it will
Thanks for the recommendation
I've read Maus and thought it was great
I mention the anthropo stuff so people won't let that scare them off
Or hell, maybe it will
Posted by: naturalfake at March 02, 2014 12:22 PM (0cMkb)
181
176?
177?
The one thing I note about the ereaders on my netbook is the scalable fonts are a wonder and blessing. Some of the typefaces in beloved old paperbacks are on the verge of being painful to try to read. I just hate getting old....
177?
The one thing I note about the ereaders on my netbook is the scalable fonts are a wonder and blessing. Some of the typefaces in beloved old paperbacks are on the verge of being painful to try to read. I just hate getting old....
Posted by: backhoe at March 02, 2014 12:24 PM (ULH4o)
182
In contrast to his reputation, George W. Bush was a prolific behind-the-scenes reader.
-
I remember that people were excited when a picture of W showed a copy of The Fair Tax. Now we find out he probably read while he was waiting for Laura to fix her makeup.
-
I remember that people were excited when a picture of W showed a copy of The Fair Tax. Now we find out he probably read while he was waiting for Laura to fix her makeup.
Posted by: WalrusRex at March 02, 2014 12:24 PM (E+uky)
Posted by: Cass Sunstein at March 02, 2014 12:27 PM (4+AaH)
184
Wasn't Ace trying to get with that Lisa chick?
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 12:28 PM (36Rjy)
185
107 Finishing Dale Furutani's Samurai mysteries, "Death at the Crossroads", " The Jade Palace Vendetta" and "Kill the Shogun". They chronicle the exploits of a ronin roaming Japan in the early years of the Tokogawu shogunate as he fulfills his pledge to find his late lord's missing child. Full of period detail with a very appealing hero. Anyone who enjoyed "Shogun"(book or mini-series) or is interested in Japanese history will love these books. Reasonably priced Kindle versions too. My only quibble is that Mr. Furutani made the series a trilogy. Would love to read more. BTW the author's dedication to his adopted father at the beginning of the third book is quite moving.
Posted by: Tuna at March 02, 2014 11:28 AM (M/TDA)
That sounds awesome. Putting these on my list, thank you.
Posted by: Tuna at March 02, 2014 11:28 AM (M/TDA)
That sounds awesome. Putting these on my list, thank you.
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 12:30 PM (zpNwC)
186
Ooh, old sock.
Pohl's Heechee series addresses the singularity and health care issues with a lot of forward vision.
I remember when I was reading Kurzweils stuff I was thinking Pohl had this thirty years ago.
Pohl's Heechee series addresses the singularity and health care issues with a lot of forward vision.
I remember when I was reading Kurzweils stuff I was thinking Pohl had this thirty years ago.
Posted by: blaster at March 02, 2014 12:32 PM (4+AaH)
187
My internal autocorrect made me read Kill the Shotgun. Thinking that is kind of weird for a Japanese series.
Posted by: blaster at March 02, 2014 12:35 PM (4+AaH)
188
After Ace's post on SFWA linking Sarah Hoyt and recalling that Sabrina Chase has said good things about Hoyt I have read her first two books in the Shifter series (first one free on kindle.) They were great fun for me being set in Colorado and I binge read them both. I also read Stone and Steel which was the parallel book to 4 emperors by David Blixt. Liked it but not quite as much as the 4 emperors book.
Posted by: PaleRider at March 02, 2014 12:36 PM (m+nIW)
189
If you liked that you'll LOVE "Watch on the Rhine" by Tom Kratmann. Resurrected Waffen SS fighting centauroid carnivorous aliens with greens and transnationalists caught in the middle. Feel-good book of 2005.
Watch on the Rhine is John Ringo and Tom Kratmann, set in Ringo's 'Legacy of the Aldenata" universe, also known as the "Posleen War" series. And yeah it's kick-ass.
Watch on the Rhine is John Ringo and Tom Kratmann, set in Ringo's 'Legacy of the Aldenata" universe, also known as the "Posleen War" series. And yeah it's kick-ass.
Posted by: filbert at March 02, 2014 12:37 PM (roTS7)
190
Zim, in case I have neglected to tell you lately, you are so damn smart. I am always fascinated by your breadth of knowledge. How's you eye?
Having loved The Martian, I was given a recommendation of an intertubes friend from a perfume blog who also enjoyed it and suggested Red Rising. Has anyone else read it? I'd been avoiding it because I had heard it compared to Ender's Game.
Having loved The Martian, I was given a recommendation of an intertubes friend from a perfume blog who also enjoyed it and suggested Red Rising. Has anyone else read it? I'd been avoiding it because I had heard it compared to Ender's Game.
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 12:37 PM (Pfvig)
191
186 books in three years? That's about one book every 6 days or so. I read quite a bit, but that's even a bit much for me if I'm just reading at night and a bit more on the weekends.
Posted by: FishUnderTheSea at March 02, 2014 12:39 PM (SdKsJ)
192
Baldi, is your new book done? I thought it was, but I am either mistaken or I lost the link, because I don't see it on my shelves or in my Kindle...
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 12:40 PM (Pfvig)
193
Little Footfall trivia: The original climax had the Army Intel officer, based on Jerry's daughter Jennifer, shoot the Carter-esque President rather than allow him to accept a conditional surrender from the Fithp. Their editor talked them out of it and the scene was changed to the personnel refusing to execute the President's orders.
Posted by: Epobirs at March 02, 2014 12:47 PM (bPxS6)
194
Gosh, how I look forward to this thread every week. So many recommendations so little time.
Posted by: Tuna at March 02, 2014 12:48 PM (M/TDA)
195
Interesting post, informative and rich.
Posted by: Dr Spank at March 02, 2014 12:48 PM (P1WNR)
196
Well...'cool' and 'fool' do rhyme nicely, eh?
Posted by: Stu-22 at March 02, 2014 12:50 PM (KbrNh)
197
"On the Origins of War: And the Preservation of Peace" by Donald Kagan. Kagan analysis various historical wars up until the Cuban Missle Crisis and comes to the conclusion that if you want to preserve the peace, you had better be fully prepared for war. Excellent!
Posted by: Libra at March 02, 2014 12:51 PM (GblmV)
198
Regarding what AtC mentioned about authors hiding their identities in genre fiction.
Andre Norton anyone?
Andre Norton anyone?
Posted by: HH at March 02, 2014 12:53 PM (XXwdv)
199
167 #163 If you liked that you'll LOVE "Watch on the Rhine" by Tom Kratmann. Resurrected Waffen SS fighting centauroid carnivorous aliens with greens and transnationalists caught in the middle. Feel-good book of 2005.
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I loved this book. Kratmann said in an interview that it was his little bit of revenge against German lefties.
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I loved this book. Kratmann said in an interview that it was his little bit of revenge against German lefties.
Posted by: All Hail Eris at March 02, 2014 12:53 PM (QBm1P)
200
Wouldn't it be fascinating to compare Obama's while-president reading list to GWB's? It would. Except that even if Obama's was made available, it would be bullshit, and his many enablers would hide and guard an honest one like they have his college transcripts.
Posted by: Stu-22 at March 02, 2014 12:54 PM (KbrNh)
201
I think Book 2 of Sanderson's 'Stormlight Archives' is supposed to be released any day.
Posted by: garrett at March 02, 2014 01:04 PM (r1RNB)
202
Crud, I almost forgot.
The Kindle version of the first of the Repairman Jack novels, Legacies by F. Paul Wilson, is 99 cents this weekend.
http://tinyurl.com/ll3qd35
The Kindle version of the first of the Repairman Jack novels, Legacies by F. Paul Wilson, is 99 cents this weekend.
http://tinyurl.com/ll3qd35
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 01:10 PM (zpNwC)
203
Wasn't that the other way around?
Posted by: Insomniac at March 02, 2014 12:06 PM (UAMVq)
Thread winner!
Posted by: Insomniac at March 02, 2014 12:06 PM (UAMVq)
Thread winner!
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 01:11 PM (Pfvig)
204
This week I gifted four audiobooks to people I love:
"How to Listen to and Understand Great Music"
"The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World"
"The Rise and Fall of the British Empire"
and "Luther: Gospel, Law, and Reformation".
All of these are part of the Great Courses Series, available on Audible.com.
"How to Listen to and Understand Great Music"
"The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World"
"The Rise and Fall of the British Empire"
and "Luther: Gospel, Law, and Reformation".
All of these are part of the Great Courses Series, available on Audible.com.
Posted by: grammie winger at March 02, 2014 01:13 PM (oMKp3)
205
For reviews I like goodreads. There are enough readers on my "follow" list whose tastes are more or less in line with mine that I can usually judge if a book is worth trying.
If they haven't checked it yet, I look at the 3 star reviews. Those are usually objective.
If they haven't checked it yet, I look at the 3 star reviews. Those are usually objective.
Posted by: votermom at March 02, 2014 01:17 PM (GSIDW)
206
That hipster picture above is bringing out the sadist in me. I think I'd just love to pluck out each of stripy shirt boy's pitiful little chin hairs one by one .
Posted by: Tuna at March 02, 2014 01:19 PM (M/TDA)
207
#206 Wait til they bring back the draft and send him to the Crimea...
Posted by: Richard McEnroe at March 02, 2014 01:21 PM (XO6WW)
208
So back to the prediction that this thread is gonna be slow today...
It is snowing really heavy right now, and I just looked at the local radar and this huge band is crossing over my area. Looks like it's going to last for hours.
So yes, I may be going outside, but not because of the warm weather.
Sighs...
It is snowing really heavy right now, and I just looked at the local radar and this huge band is crossing over my area. Looks like it's going to last for hours.
So yes, I may be going outside, but not because of the warm weather.
Sighs...
Posted by: HH at March 02, 2014 01:21 PM (XXwdv)
209
Celia, congratulations! You won't quit writing, though, I hope? Seems like publishing could suck up a lot if time...
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 01:23 PM (Pfvig)
210
AlextheChick, never read either of those Freezer books.
Perhaps the hang-up is the little aliens have tentacle trunks, an Unknown Eldritch horror that Lovecraft probably thought was too horrible to write about.
Another anthro comic is Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo that as won the Eisner. Miyamoto Usagi is a masterless samurai rabbit in feudal Japan.
Still debating a pen name to hide behind myself.
Perhaps the hang-up is the little aliens have tentacle trunks, an Unknown Eldritch horror that Lovecraft probably thought was too horrible to write about.
Another anthro comic is Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo that as won the Eisner. Miyamoto Usagi is a masterless samurai rabbit in feudal Japan.
Still debating a pen name to hide behind myself.
Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at March 02, 2014 01:23 PM (GKbOt)
211
192
Baldi, is your new book done? I thought it was, but I am either mistaken
or I lost the link, because I don't see it on my shelves or in my
Kindle...
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 12:40 PM (Pfvig)
Not yet. I've been in the process of trying to save my house from foreclosure.
Baldi, is your new book done? I thought it was, but I am either mistaken
or I lost the link, because I don't see it on my shelves or in my
Kindle...
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 12:40 PM (Pfvig)
Not yet. I've been in the process of trying to save my house from foreclosure.
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 01:23 PM (36Rjy)
212
Hey, OregonMuse:
I saw this comment the other night:
103 Totally OT ...
Any chess players amongst the Horde ? I'm a layman myself - read a couple basic texts and such. Pretty good until the good players show up.
Short story long - my nine year old shows some ability and interest. I'd like to start him down the road, since he's interested. Are there any books that are better than Chess for Dummies - but still readable for a nine year old ?
Posted by: ScoggDog at February 28, 2014 08:23 PM (6/+vz)
I suggested that he ask you on the book thread, but he doesn't seem to be here now. If you have any recommendations I'll pass them on next time I see him.
I saw this comment the other night:
103 Totally OT ...
Any chess players amongst the Horde ? I'm a layman myself - read a couple basic texts and such. Pretty good until the good players show up.
Short story long - my nine year old shows some ability and interest. I'd like to start him down the road, since he's interested. Are there any books that are better than Chess for Dummies - but still readable for a nine year old ?
Posted by: ScoggDog at February 28, 2014 08:23 PM (6/+vz)
I suggested that he ask you on the book thread, but he doesn't seem to be here now. If you have any recommendations I'll pass them on next time I see him.
Posted by: rickl at March 02, 2014 01:30 PM (sdi6R)
213
Not yet. I've been in the process of trying to save my house from foreclosure.
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 01:23 PM (36Rjy)
Well, damn it, I'm sorry to hear that.
Posted by: baldilocks at March 02, 2014 01:23 PM (36Rjy)
Well, damn it, I'm sorry to hear that.
Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at March 02, 2014 01:43 PM (Pfvig)
214
Okay, I've ordered "Boundary" and "Caliphate", and will be getting "Words of Radiance" (the second Stormwinds Archive book) when it comes out on Tuesday. Thanks for the pointer on the last, Garrett!
Those, plus re-reading "Way of Kings", should get me through the storm very nicely, even if we lose power and I can't play Skyrim at all.
Gods, I love this place!
Those, plus re-reading "Way of Kings", should get me through the storm very nicely, even if we lose power and I can't play Skyrim at all.
Gods, I love this place!
Posted by: Empire1 at March 02, 2014 01:52 PM (wyKf7)
215
Crap crap crap. I hate reading about the parallels between 1914 and the present (from Never Call Retreat), with TR writing: "... our own prize idiot, (SoS William Jennings) Bryan, and his ridiculous and insincere chief, Mr. Wilson...prattling pleasantly about the steps they are taking to procure universal peace by little arbitration treaties which promise impossibilities" ... "a college president with an astute and shifty mind...a hypocritical ability to deceive plain people, unscrupulousness in handling machine leaders, and no real knowledge or wisdom concerning internal and international affairs".
Posted by: All Hail Eris at March 02, 2014 01:52 PM (QBm1P)
216
Oh, yes. Add "Watch on the Rhine" to my list of new reading above.
This thread is fun and informative, but can also be expensive!
This thread is fun and informative, but can also be expensive!
Posted by: Empire1 at March 02, 2014 01:58 PM (wyKf7)
217
Thanks for the tip upthread about the first 2 Honor Harrington kindle books being free! I also stumbled on a free Andre Norton while checking it out.
Posted by: votermom at March 02, 2014 02:09 PM (YCfvr)
218
Thanks Tammy.
The right eye has been stable over the last year: mildly farsighted with a blur. I found out last year that Colorado legally allows me to drive just using the left one, so that's a plus (Texas demanded both eyes - I'd be boned if I still lived there, especially Houston where cars are required).
The right eye has been stable over the last year: mildly farsighted with a blur. I found out last year that Colorado legally allows me to drive just using the left one, so that's a plus (Texas demanded both eyes - I'd be boned if I still lived there, especially Houston where cars are required).
Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at March 02, 2014 02:10 PM (30eLQ)
219
Is there any way for 'rons and 'ronettes to find each other on goodreads?
Posted by: cool breeze at March 02, 2014 02:29 PM (A+/8k)
220
Well I don't know who else is, but OSP and I are both members of the Goodreads group "Small Government Book Fan Club"
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 03:49 PM (zpNwC)
221
202 - Repairman Jack @ 0.99
Beware -- Repairman Jack is addictive! Fortunately, your library may help support your new RJ habit.
Fun stuff.
Beware -- Repairman Jack is addictive! Fortunately, your library may help support your new RJ habit.
Fun stuff.
Posted by: doug at March 02, 2014 03:50 PM (WEqwO)
222
220 Well I don't know who else is, but OSP and I areoi n is both members of the Goodreads group "Small Government Book Fan Club"
--
I'll join if that's ok. I am vmom on gr.
--
I'll join if that's ok. I am vmom on gr.
Posted by: votermom at March 02, 2014 04:00 PM (GSIDW)
223
222 The more the merrier I say!
Posted by: BornLib at March 02, 2014 05:17 PM (zpNwC)
224
202 Thanks, I joined the group. I am hesitant to put my goodreads nick here, but if you look who joined today it should be pretty obvious.
What do people think about the idea of an AoSHQ group on goodreads?
What do people think about the idea of an AoSHQ group on goodreads?
Posted by: cool breeze at March 02, 2014 06:57 PM (A+/8k)
Posted by: RovingCopyEditor at March 02, 2014 07:52 PM (/S5ss)
226
Cool. Just got a plug by Instapundit. http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/184703/
The Stars Came Back is doing OK, or more accurately for a first-time self-published noob, OutSTANDing! It was first plugged here about six weeks ago. Thanks one and all, hope you liked it.
The Stars Came Back is doing OK, or more accurately for a first-time self-published noob, OutSTANDing! It was first plugged here about six weeks ago. Thanks one and all, hope you liked it.
Posted by: Rolf at March 02, 2014 07:58 PM (+O7nZ)
227
225 I would create an AoSHQ group on goodreads myself but A) I don't want to step on anybody's toes and B) I am relatively new to goodreads to be moderating a group.
Is this OK with Ace? Any veterans willing to step up and do this? OregonMuse? votermom?
Is this OK with Ace? Any veterans willing to step up and do this? OregonMuse? votermom?
Posted by: cool breeze at March 02, 2014 08:37 PM (A+/8k)
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