Support




Contact
Ace:
aceofspadeshq at gee mail.com
CBD:
cbd.aoshq at gee mail.com
Buck:
buck.throckmorton at protonmail.com
joe mannix:
mannix2024 at proton.me
MisHum:
petmorons at gee mail.com
Powered by
Movable Type





Sunday Morning Book Thread 08-31-2014: Shake, Rattle, and Roll [OregonMuse]


napa-earthquake-sends-library-books-flying-20140825.jpg
Napa County Library After Earthquake


Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's stately, prestigious, and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread. The only AoSHQ thread that is so hoity-toity, pants are required.


Ah, Thread of Book
Peacefully great
With mood subdued
With pace sedate

Participate
Or lurkly look
Leisure learning
Thread of Book

Thanks to moron "mindful webworker" for posting this fun poem in last week's comments.

Another thing I like about the book thread is that I can come back to it after 8 or 12 hours and there may be new comments posted. On last week's thread, for instance, the comments extended into the evening, even to the next day. It takes a long time for the book thread to die.


Quake Damage

Last Sunday's earthquake in Northern California really did a number on the libraries in Napa, my old stomping ground:

"There is lots of work to be done -- lots of shelving to do! We are closed, but we hope to get back with you as soon as possible with the doors open," says director of Napa County Library Services Danis Kreimeier in a video posted on the system's Facebook page. "Be safe, take care of yourself, and we'll see you real soon."

All Napa County libraries were closed Monday for cleanup.


More On Superman

Last week, I mentioned that a pristine copy of Action Comics #1 was put up for auction on eBay. Guess how much it sold for:

An original Superman comic, sold for 10 cents at a West Virginia newsstand in 1938, was purchased at auction Sunday night for $3.2 million, making it the most expensive comic book ever sold.

I wondered how it survived for so long in such good shape:

Purchased off a newsstand by a man from West Virginia in 1938, the comic book was stored in a cedar chest “at high altitude” for four decades. When the man died, a collector purchased it from his estate.

The 3.2 million auction price far exceeding earlier purchases:

The previous record for a comic book was $2.1 million, for another Action Comics No. 1, sold by the actor Nicolas Cage in 2011.

America Under Attack

Holy crap:

The German submarine glided through the icy water past New York City, its captain noting the glowing skyscrapers of Manhattan and then Coney Island's brilliantly-lit Ferris wheel. Soon his lookouts spotted a large oil tanker, steaming ahead without escort. Maneuvering into position, the captain easily acquired his target, framed by the city's lights, and fired a torpedo into the vessel, sending a fireball into the sky worthy of America's most dazzling city.

This isn't some "alt history" sci-fi novel, this really happened. The Burning Shore: How Hitler's U-Boats Brought World War II to America by Ed Offley recounts a rather sobering historical story, that WWII was not fought exclusively in Europe or in the remote Pacific theater, but at times, it came dangerously close to home. Far a period of time in 1942, German U-boats pretty much had their run of the Atlantic off the eastern seaboard, attacking and sinking shipping with impunity. Over 200 ships and tankers were sunk and hundreds of sailors were killed.

I must confess my own ignorance of this. I knew that the U-boats had scored some hits over on this side of the Atlantic, but I never knew it was this bad.

One of the Amazon reviews is by the son of Horst Degen, commander of U-701, who inflicted his share of damage to Allied shipping during this time.

Offley has another book, Turning the Tide: How a Small Band of Allied Sailors Defeated the U-boats and Won the Battle of the Atlantic, that also looks interesting.


Nook: "I'm Not Dead Yet"

Even though Barnes and Noble is going to spin off its money-losing Nook Media Division early next year, they managed to strike a deal with Samsung to co-brand a color Android device. According to the advertising-copy-disguised-as-a-news-story article:

Samsung Electronics America and NOOK Media, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc., today announced the introduction of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK, a 7-inch tablet combining Samsung’s leading technology and NOOK’s extraordinary content and reading experience. This new co-branded tablet offers the best of both worlds: the first-ever full-featured Android tablet optimized for reading. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 NOOK is now available in more than 660 Barnes & Noble bookstores and online at www.bn.com and www.nook.com for $179 after a $20 instant rebate, and includes more than $200 in free content from the NOOK Store including bestselling books, popular TV shows, top magazines and more.

I think this is a great idea, and I hope it works, but unfortunately, this is most likely going to be too late to have any kind of a market impact. Like a tired and flagging long-distance runner, the Nook has fallen too far behind to catch up.

I wonder if I could run the Kindle app on of those Galaxy/Nook things? It's an Android device, so I ought to be able to. Because, you know, that would be, like, ironic.


A Waterproof E-Reader?

Why Not?

Kobo announced Wednesday that it would launch a waterproof e-reader, the Kobo Aura H2O. The device will be available for preorder Sept. 1 for delivery beginning Oct. 1...It's the first official waterproof e-reader to be released (aftermarket waterproofed Kindles are available).

Just how waterproof is it?

The Kobo Aura H2O should take care of casual concerns of the e-reader getting splashed or dunked. As long as its port is closed, it can stay up to 3 feet underwater for up to 30 minutes.

More here.


I Did Not Know That

For some reason, I find linking to Buzzfeed distasteful, but I have to admit there are some interesting items on this 34 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About "The Lord Of The Rings" Trilogy list, some have to do with the movie adaptation, some with the books themselves. For example:

21. Back in the ’60s, the Beatles wanted to make a movie adaptation of Lord of the Rings, with Stanley Kubrick directing, but Tolkien killed the project.

The source for this is apparently LOTR director Peter Jackson, but I have no idea where he heard it from.

A couple of others:

1. Nicolas Cage passed up the role of Aragorn because of "family obligations."

And I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief over that.

24. Tolkien believed Sam was the “chief hero” of the story.

I can kind of see this, I think. And by the way, Christopher Lee is a complete badass:

22. [He] has recorded and released several metal albums. Including a Christmas album

Dude's like 90 years old, and he's putting out metal albums.


Another One

So I might as well continue on the path of shame by linking to another buzzfeed list, 11 Things You Learn Your First Month As A Bookseller


The Case For Books

7 minute Youtube video on building a bookcase. Excellent stop-motion animation that shows a number of nifty woodworking tools being used.


Traditional Publishing

If you're a book-lover (and really, why would you be reading this if you weren't?), you really need to check out the Dover Publications site. Mrs. Muse and I have bought books from them for years, and they've always had an interesting, eclectic line of titles that they publish. For instance, they publish a lot of older, classic books, so back in the day, back before the internet, and Amazon, and public domain books on Kindle, Dover is where you went to pick up cheap reprints. We used Dover a lot when were homeschooling our children.

Here's a taste: on the home page, there's The Early Science Fiction of Philip K. Dick on sale for $4.98, also a collection of World War One Short Stories for $4.00 and The Federalist Papers for $5.50.

Other categories of interest include mathematics, clip art, military, chess, paper dolls(!), and engineering.

You don't get much of a price break on Dover's e-books, but I guess that's pretty much par for the course everywhere you go. And since I've never bought one, I don't know if they're actual e-books, or just scanned in .pdf documents.

But the site is worth bookmarking and browsing every month or so.


What I'm Reading

I'm on the fourth and final novel of the 'Giver' series, Son, and here we're back in the colorless, attenuated world of the first novel. Here, parents don't have and raise their children, but rather, specially selected "breeders" are artificially inseminated, carry the pregnancy, but immediately after birth, the infants are whisked away to a hillary-clinton-it-takes-a-village type of "nurturing center" where they're raised by professional caregivers until they're old enough to be assigned to parents who aren't really married, but are assigned to each other. In this story, a birth mother finds out, due to some procedural sloppiness, that Baby #36 is actually hers. I don't think I want to let Mrs. Muse read this, because she might find reading about the heartache of a mother with empty arms, who has bonded with her child, but now the child is gone, too hard to take.

___________

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 the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm.

What have you all been reading this week? H

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:44 AM




Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 First. First. first?

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 09:44 AM (IdCqF)

2 THE BEEES! THE BEEES!

Posted by: Nicholas Cage at August 31, 2014 09:44 AM (MMC8r)

3 I am reading the November Man by Bill Granger

Posted by: Perdogg at August 31, 2014 09:47 AM (o6/Pl)

4 I've been reading Power, Faith, and Fantasy. About the US and it's interaction with the Middle East since 1776. Very interesting.

Posted by: Adam at August 31, 2014 09:48 AM (HstNY)

5 The 1994 Northridge quake did quite a number on the Crown Books I was working at in Thousand Oaks. It was a great example of how the shock wave move through the ground. My home, less than two miles away, was barely touched by the quake but the interior of the book store looked like a giant had picked up the building and gave it a good shaking. All of the wall shelves were emptied and the floor shelves were all overturned.

The funny thing was all of the old items we found during the cleanup. Shoplifters often chicken out and put the items they were planning to steal in odd places rather than be seen putting them back were they came from. Illogical but saw enough of it to know it was a real behavior. We found books that were almost a decade old, based on their cover prices.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 09:54 AM (IdCqF)

6 Everything is improved by a Theremin.

Posted by: HR -- SMOD 2016 or else at August 31, 2014 09:55 AM (hO8IJ)

7 Yay, book thread!

I haven't been reading much fiction lately, but the non-fiction has been pretty good. I finished Stephen Clarke's 'One Thousand Years of Annoying the French' last week, which was pretty funny. It's an easy read about the history of the France/England conflict from the Norman Conquest through today. The author is slightly impressed with himself, for no logical reason, but I'd still recommend it to anybody looking for basic information about limeys and cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

Then I re-read 'Inside the Victorian Home', by Judith Flanders, which was a fascinating look through the rooms of a typical Victorian house, and the impact of domesticity on Victorian people. Also gets my recommendation, but its not for the faint hearted, long and very in-depth.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 09:58 AM (B+8EN)

8 In WWI, a German U-boat commander actually docked in NYC, and walked to a newsstand to purchase a paper. And get his man-card punched, obviously.

Adm King's "Tenth Fleet" had exactly zero ships. It was the intel and co-ordination operation that went after the wolf packs -- and copied their tactics for our boats in the Pacific. Adm King was called out of retirement for the job, and remarked, "When they get into trouble, they send for the SOB's." He was. He won.

Both the intracoastal waterway and the web of pipelines were a response to the Happy Times carnage on the East Coast. They built a 1700-mile pipeline from Texas to Ohio in less than a year. Now that's laying some pipe, brother.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 09:59 AM (xq1UY)

9 http://tinyurl.com/mm49368

An even earlier attack on the US by Germany is largely unknown to people today. Black Tom Island, a small bit of land in New York Harbor, contained an ammunition depot that blew out windows in Manhatten when it blew up. It was soon determined to be sabotage and thus began a twenty year quest for reparations from Germany. These reparations were one of the debts Hitler repudiated soon after taking power.

The link above is to the book 'The Detonators: The Secret Plot to Destroy America and an Epic Hunt for Justice' by chad Millman.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 10:01 AM (IdCqF)

10 I wonder if I could run the Kindle app on of those Galaxy/Nook things? It's an Android device, so I ought to be able to. Because, you know, that would be, like, ironic.

I have a Nook HD, running the original OS because I haven't bothered to root it yet, which has the Kindle app and the 2 apps which allow me to check ebooks out of the library.

This is my second Nook device, and in between I had 2 Nexus 7s which were unfortunately very frail. Nooks are built SOLID and can withstand a lot of abuse, perfect for me since my spine is pressing on some nerves and my hands stop working so I drop things a lot. If you're looking for a tablet which will primarily be an ebook reader, it's a great buy.

Posted by: Laura_PH at August 31, 2014 10:01 AM (ew9ys)

11 Reading "The Heist" by Danial Silva.


Interesting Russian sub-plot, and events in Ukraine seem to be right out of today's headlines.

And as I mentioned yesterday, for insight into how consumer goods travel east/west, and vulnerability, "TrainMan" by P.T. Deutermann is outstanding.

Another of his books, "Darkside", describes certain physical aspects of the Naval Academy in a manner that any Graduate would recognize.

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at August 31, 2014 10:02 AM (IOKzp)

12 I'm starting to read 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs. I think it's a YA book, but I like it so far. And as a bonus, it's got pictures!


Also want to give thanks to Mr. O'muse for posting about the book 'The Terror'.
Ordered and received it. Boy, it's one of the thickest paperbacks I've ever had, but should be a good read.

Posted by: HH at August 31, 2014 10:02 AM (XXwdv)

13 #7

Do they talk about the poison wallpaper?

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 10:02 AM (IdCqF)

14 I just finished Orwell's '1984'. That book could almost be a headline today.

Posted by: Jmel at August 31, 2014 10:03 AM (cfFqn)

15 Here is the book on King and Tenth Fleet: http://tinyurl.com/mcrtsc8

It's available PDF, but none of those links look live to me, from here.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:04 AM (xq1UY)

16 * GASP! *

I... I got a mention in an AoS post? Not just a mention, but a ditty quoted?

The bucket list is getting short!

Posted by: mindful webworker - just a few things more.... at August 31, 2014 10:05 AM (ec4Wg)

17 #10

A good cover can also greatly improve the survivability of those droppings. I consider it essential for any tablet type device.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 10:05 AM (IdCqF)

18
We made our annual visit to the Lewes Public Library's annual used book sale yesterday. It was pretty disappointing overall, with pickings in the nonfiction section being pretty slim. I did get a copy of Paul Johnson's History of the American People, though, as well as The Penguin Atlas of Ancient History (I am a sucker for maps and charts).

Now reading The Scoutmaster's Other Handbook in preparation for our first troop meeting later this week, at which point I officially become the troop's next Scoutmaster.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars(TM) at August 31, 2014 10:06 AM (vSDwv)

19 It must be a special kind of hell to have to clean up a library after an earthquake, much akin to cleaning up after a truck accident the cargo of which was coat hangers.

The librarians must have sounded like clones of Raymond Babbit...

551.045 551.045 551.045

Damn you, Dewey!

Posted by: Zombie Myles Standish at August 31, 2014 10:06 AM (GgGgG)

20 14 Posted by: Jmel at August 31, 2014 10:03 AM (cfFqn)

Between '1984' and 'Brave New World', sometimes I wonder if I'm living in some bizarre form of the Matrix, where fiction and reality have become intertwined. What bizarre times we live in.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:06 AM (B+8EN)

21 The Tenth Fleet has multiple copies available through ABEbooks

Now owned by Amazon, they were my go-to site for out of print books.

http://tinyurl.com/pmyyxts

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at August 31, 2014 10:07 AM (IOKzp)

22 @18 Never forget, it's only one hour a week. A little Scouter humor, there.

I'm an Old Scouter. My dad was a scoutmaster when I was born. One week he checked his calendar: on the seven nights, he was required at eight meetings.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:08 AM (xq1UY)

23 the barnes & noble in my neighborhood is gone....
just closed up.....so i went to the one in the mall yesterday to burn a stack of gift cards before that one closes.....got a bunch of movies....they were all discounted from 10% to 50% + my membership discount....great deal....it will be sad when that one closes though....but such is the way of the world...nothing lasts....

Posted by: phoenixgirl at August 31, 2014 10:08 AM (u8GsB)

24 I'm an eeeeeevil right winger. I don't read books, I burn them!

Posted by: Insomniac at August 31, 2014 10:11 AM (mx5oN)

25 On the West coast, at one point a German U-Boat docked at night in Depoe Bay to steal diesel of the dock. And if you've seen Depoe Bay you know that took some balls, you can shoot a rifle across it.

Also, I understand the big thing for U-Boat captains to do was to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge from inside the bay.

Posted by: kindltot at August 31, 2014 10:11 AM (t//F+)

26 19 It must be a special kind of hell to have to clean up a library after an earthquake, much akin to cleaning up after a truck accident the cargo of which was coat hangers.

The librarians must have sounded like clones of Raymond Babbit...

551.045 551.045 551.045

Damn you, Dewey!
Posted by: Zombie Myles Standish at August 31, 2014 10:06 AM (GgGgG)

Let's not forget that Dewey's main "contribution" was the destruction of our educational system. Damn him, indeed.

Posted by: Insomniac at August 31, 2014 10:12 AM (mx5oN)

27 Finished listening to Dicken's The Pickwick Papers on Kindle TTS. At nearly a thousand pages that was the only way I was ever going to know what was in it. Enjoyed it more than I expected, certainly more than most of Dickens that I've read. There are actually a lot of short stories within the structure of the larger plot so it's quite different from many of Dickens' other books.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 10:13 AM (GDulk)

28 Yes, I knew about the U-Boats operating off the East Coast. I think they were in the Gulf of Mexico as well.

I think I remember a scene from a Woody Allen movie, where he was a child on the beach at Coney Island, and sees a U-Boat briefly surface within sight of shore.

Posted by: rickl at August 31, 2014 10:16 AM (sdi6R)

29 @26 I'm pretty sure you've got the wrong Dewey there. He also did not sink the Spanish fleet at Manila.

Melvil Dewey was a spelling reformer -- spelled like a moron's spelchek -- and helped establish Home Economics, but you're thinking of John Dewey, right?

He defeated Truman.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:17 AM (xq1UY)

30 Those stories about the Germans in New York Harbor really made me stop and think. I never knew there was so much fighting/spying/small scale invading in the U.S. during WWII. Most of my history classes seemed to run out of time right around WWI, so anything I know about later history, I learned on my own. Amazing to think it was actually going on in our backyards, even if we didn't know it at the time.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:17 AM (B+8EN)

31 Just finished Animal Farm. I don't remember it being quite so poignant in the 8th grade...

Any recco's on good historical fiction in the Michner style?

Posted by: Yep, I'm a nerd... at August 31, 2014 10:17 AM (FCgaq)

32 A 76 year old comic in near pristine condition? I suspect time-travel was involved.

Posted by: Gregory of Yardale at August 31, 2014 10:18 AM (9y18Y)

33 Also, I understand the big thing for U-Boat captains to do was to take pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge from inside the bay.

Hmmm..

The U-boats made it through the Panama Canal and over to the West Coast? During war time? That's quite a voyage.

That doesn't smell right

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 10:19 AM (yRdR4)

34 @ Epobirs at August 31, 2014 10:05 AM (IdCqF)

Agreed. Both my Nexus were in covers when I broke them.

Posted by: Laura_PH at August 31, 2014 10:20 AM (ew9ys)

35 @30 Telegram for Ambassador Zimmermann! We should never forget that one.

While one might eventually forgive the Germans for that strategy, it being War and all, and any good German will tell you it was a British Intelligence plot, the many governments of Mexico continue to act as if the offer still stands.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:20 AM (xq1UY)

36 A 76 year old comic in near pristine condition?

No, I hear she's on life support now.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:21 AM (xq1UY)

37 *sung to the tune of "Yellow Submarine"

In the land where I was born
Middle Ear-ear-earth, there was a Ring
Made by Saur-aur-ron the Dark
That controlled Nine Wraithy Kings
So I got that crazy Ring
From my u-un-cle Frodo by name
With my buds to find Mt Doom
Then throw that Ring into the flames
Oh!
We're all on a Quest to burn the Ring
And run from scary things
Like Gollum and Wraith Kings
Oh!
We're all on a Quest to burn the Ring
A Quest to burn the Ring
A Quest to burn the Ring

Posted by: Ringo Starr as Frodo in The Beatles "Lord of the Rings" at August 31, 2014 10:21 AM (KBvAm)

38 Bloody'ell, I mis-sung me lyrics.

Frodo = Bilbo

Posted by: ringo Starr as Frodo in The Beatles "Lord of the Rings" at August 31, 2014 10:22 AM (KBvAm)

39 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Happy_Time

Posted by: DaveA at August 31, 2014 10:23 AM (DL2i+)

40 Yes, I knew about the U-Boats operating off the East Coast. I think they were in the Gulf of Mexico as well.
Posted by: rickl at August 31, 2014 10:16 AM (sdi6R)


Yes, in fact they just found some wreckage of a ship a U-boat killed last month.

Posted by: Laura_PH at August 31, 2014 10:23 AM (ew9ys)

41 Re: stuff you didn't know about The Lord of the Rings. According to the list the screeching of the Nazgul was made by scraping two Target plastic cups together. I could swear the special feature section of the DVDs says Peter Jackson's wife did the screech.
My memory, however, could fail me. And I'm far too lazy to check it out.

Posted by: Northernlurker at August 31, 2014 10:28 AM (0oN6k)

42 Regarding the bookseller article:

1) Of course you aren't going to read them. At least half are garbage no self-respecting person would want to read. Their value is for trading to collectors for cash or for stuff you do want to have.

2) If you don't have a title or an author, you will take what I find based and your description. Seriously, buy it or never set foot in here again.

3) Are these women cognitively impaired?

4) Most of the customers here are NPR listeners? I quit.

5) No. Just no.

6) The last thing we ever talked about was books. At least, not the ones we were expected to sell. (This may have something to do with there no longer being a Crown Books chain.)

7) If someone presented me with such a fool's errand, if I didn't immediately know what they wanted I would deny the existence of any such book, even if it turned out to be on the display in front of the counter.

Fortunately for me, I did know everything. At least in those areas that were my specialty. We sold more SF than the rest of the stores in the district put together because people would drive past two other locations to consult with me on what to read next.

9) Never happen. The search is abandoned the moment the customer exists, unless you know them and LIKE them enough to call them.

10) They didn't have those in my day, or they were reserved for the kind of store that welcomes NPR listeners.

11) Must be the NPR listeners. They get shitty cell phone reception.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 10:28 AM (IdCqF)

43 Posted by: Ringo Starr

I'm calling thread winner.

Posted by: rickl at August 31, 2014 10:28 AM (sdi6R)

44 Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at August 31, 2014 10:02 AM (IOKzp)

Consumer goods disruption would suck but it's the *coal* that would bring a lot of states to their knees quickly. Especially California since the pretty much refuse to generate any of the massive amounts of energy they consume.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 10:28 AM (GDulk)

45 35 Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:20 AM (xq1UY)

I don't want this to turn into a rant about the public school system, and how I succeeded in spite of it, but I guarantee you that half a dozen people, maximum, in my graduating class could tell you what the Zimmerman Telegram was. I have a vague idea, only because I'm a total nerd and I think history is extremely memorable, and worth remembering.

Still chuckling to myself about the German captain who bought an American newspaper, just because he could. That takes a set of brass ones, for sure.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:29 AM (B+8EN)

46 I'm flipping through the 12 Foxfire books in preparation for the burning times. A lot of dead/dying skills in those books.

Posted by: NCKate at August 31, 2014 10:30 AM (y0gf0)

47 #33

Perhaps it was Japanese U-Boats. We know those paid a few visits to coastal CA during the war.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 10:30 AM (IdCqF)

48 Elephant Parts and Caveman are both pretty entertaining. I would definitely pay to go see a Ringo spoof of Lord of the Rings.

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at August 31, 2014 10:30 AM (dJCJQ)

49 I read on the original Nook device. I love this e reader and have used a Kindle and kindle Fire and still go back to my Nook. It has a cover with a light and it looks like paper when reading. I will miss this product when no longer available.
Right now I am in a Nordic crime fiction period and I am living in Iceland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

Posted by: bossy barbara at August 31, 2014 10:32 AM (lchei)

50 Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:29 AM (B+8EN)

Graduated in '92 from a supremely mediocre highschool. Pretty sure I learned about the Zimmerman Telegram here at the HQ (which means in the last 7 years). Even then I don't *really* know more than the basics mentioned by others in passing.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 10:32 AM (GDulk)

51 1942 and 43 there were 47 ships , mostly tankers sunk in the GOM.
Wonder where all of that oil went?

Posted by: Velvet Ambition at August 31, 2014 10:32 AM (R8hU8)

52 wreckage of a ship a U-boat killed last month.

Perfect example of the difference between syntax and Sin Tax.

Those Germans can sure hold a grudge. Runs in my family, both sides.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:34 AM (xq1UY)

53 U-boats near our shores was a common enough occurrence. Civil Air Patrol - civilian aircraft that helped patrol the shores of the US was actually credited with a kill. Civil Air Patrol is now a group that functions much like the scouts with an eye on aviation, search and rescue, and disaster recovery.

Posted by: Mekan at August 31, 2014 10:37 AM (3677V)

54 Still chuckling to myself about the German captain who bought an American newspaper, just because he could. That takes a set of brass ones, for sure.

I heard this story. It was WWI and America was not officially in the war, yet. The German commander bought a newspaper for the shipping schedules, so he knew where they were going to be, so he could target them.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 10:37 AM (yRdR4)

55 Ever heard of the "Battle of Orleans"? 1918, German U-boat attacks shipping off of Cape Cod, Nauset Beach to be exact. Sank a tugboat, shelled several shipping vessels and the shoreline. Coast Guard planes "bombed" the sub, but it got away unscathed. Caused a kind of "mania" among Cape Codders, with people thinking they were constantly seeing/hearing a new attack. I have a little locally published book on it, but it's 800 miles away at the Cape.

Posted by: Lincolntf at August 31, 2014 10:37 AM (2cS/G)

56 I knew about the U-boats in WWII sinking ships in US coastal waters, only because the period was one of my fascinations. I may yet write something fictional with a 1940s setting, sted of my usual beloved 19th century. This was pre-Pearl Harbor, of course: the ships were silhouetted against the city and coastal lights and made a perfect target, and the US was still neutral. (But trending towards Allies.)

And in the early years of WWI the US was happy hunting ground for all kinds of pro-German espionage and sabotage activities. Someone up-thread mentioned a book about German activities in NY - earlier this year I reviewed Dark Invasion 1915, by Howard Blum. It was very good, and very detailed about exactly what kind of shenanigans the German government was up to in ostensibly neutral America.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at August 31, 2014 10:37 AM (Asjr7)

57 Hi OM. I found a source other than Buzzfeed for lists that will make you think.



These six things doth the LORD hate; yea seven are an abomination unto Him:

(7) a proud look,
(6) a lying tongue,
(5) hands that shed innocent blood
(4) a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations
(3) feet that be swift in running to mischief
(2) a false witness that speaketh lies and
(1) he that soweth discord among brethren

(Proverbs 6:16-19)



Have a good weekend everybody.

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at August 31, 2014 10:38 AM (mvenn)

58 Perhaps it was Japanese U-Boats. We know those paid a few visits to coastal CA during the war.

Now that sounds more plausible.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 10:38 AM (yRdR4)

59 My father's older brother was killed when a U-boat sank his tanker in the Caribbean. He joined the merchant marine in 1941 to ship Texas oil to Britain. Most of the crew survived that sinking, but they think he was caught below decks or was wounded or killed in the attack and couldn't get out.

WW2 was basically won on Texas oil. Germany and Japan ran out of oil, but the Allies had Texas oil. At first the oil was shipped through the Gulf and Caribbean, but then a huge pipeline was built to send the oil to the Northeast, from where it was shipped to the Brits.

There were U-boats were all over the Gulf. Galveston was fortified with big guns, and one of the huge bunkers now has a hotel built on top of it.

Posted by: stace , Queen of Typos at August 31, 2014 10:39 AM (9PXzx)

60 I just finished reading "Six Days of War" by Michael Oren and "The Lion's Gate" by Steven Pressfield, both books about the 6 Day War in 1967.

They cover the same topic, after a fasion, but "The Lion's Gate" is mostly comprised of first-person stories of the war, from several different fronts.

A lot has been written about the 6 Day War, and why it was called that.

A few take aways:
King Hussein of Jordan was always portrayed as sort of a friend to the West. He was a weasel, but not quite as big a coward as some other Arabs.
Nasser and his Field Marshall, El'Amer were both a couple of incompetent idiots. For all the hardware that the Soviets had given them, they wasted it and the lives of tens of thousands of poor Egyptian kids because they were fools and cowards.

Some of the Israeli soldiers and officers....what can you say. They were incredible. Israel Tal, armored division commander was a Jewish Rommel. His men would follow him anywhere.
Arik (Ariel) Sharon was a helluva soldier and general, and held in the highest regard in those days by the Army. Most people only know of him later when he was really overweight and a politician.
The Israeli Air Force trained for this war for at least three years, and executed the destruction of the Egyptian Air Force (on the ground) almost to perfection. It was really all over by noon of the first day. They loved their Mirage III's.

Lyndon Johnson comes off as sort of a schmuck. And the Soviets talked out of both sides of their mouths, and were appalled at how bad their equipment and training looked, and wanted to stop the war ASAP so they didn't look worse.

When they took the Old City of Jerusalem, it was hard to read about it without getting choked up. It meant so much to the Jews to stand their again. Pissed off King Hussein as his family had lost Mecca and Medina to the Saudis, and now lost Jerusalem to the Jews. What a loser.

And lastly, the hardest thing to grasp, and even Steven Pressfield (American Jew) mentioned this. The Israeli Jews and the IDF are not like us (Americans). I admire them greatly and respect them and would stand by them, but they are different. In those days, a lot of the young guys were from Kibbutzes, which was a different sort of upbringing. And despite their ferocity and courage in combat, the IDF can't seem to bear taking too many losses, because everybody seems to know everybody else, and when losses in some units got high, morale got really down (unsurprising, really). The country is more like an extended family, which accounts for their desperate courage at times, their passion and dedication.
The IDF fights very limited wars, on very limited fronts, for very limited goals. "Total victory" or unconditional surrender are beyond their reach. They hoped to trade victory and land for a real peace, and here we are in 2014, and you can see how that worked out. Yet Israel endures.
It seemed that a lot of the Israelis in 1967 were not very religious, but knew that they were fighting for their place, their land and their homes. They heard the radio broadcasts from Cairo everyday talking about what the Egyptians were going to do if they won.
They are an incredibly brave and decent people, who so rarely do anything so awful in combat that is frankly common in most wars, yet a good part of the world hates them. Because.

Posted by: Bossy Conservative riding the comfy chair at August 31, 2014 10:40 AM (+1T7c)

61 The future of submarines was being forged in the Atlantic. It is surprising how retrograde the sub war in the Pacific was. The German boats were getting stealthier underwater and using snorkels to stay under indefinitely--by the end of the war with Japan we were mounting 5 inch (and on a few, 6 inch) deck guns on the fleet boats. Very WWI'ish.

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at August 31, 2014 10:41 AM (dJCJQ)

62 6 Everything is improved by a Theremin.
Posted by: HR -- SMOD 2016 or else at August 31, 2014 09:55 AM (hO8IJ)

Even BEER?!!!!?!!

Posted by: Hanoverfist at August 31, 2014 10:42 AM (ecN6u)

63 These six things doth the LORD hate; yea seven are an abomination unto Him:

(7) a proud look,
(6) a lying tongue,
(5) hands that shed innocent blood
(4) a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations
(3) feet that be swift in running to mischief
(2) a false witness that speaketh lies and
(1) he that soweth discord among brethren

-
Why didn't they just name Debbie Washerwoman Schlitz?

Posted by: The Great White Snark at August 31, 2014 10:42 AM (8MlTP)

64 Working through the second AOIAF book.

Got the first ten Wheel of Times at a thrift shop this week for $5.

Posted by: Blackford Oakes at August 31, 2014 10:43 AM (KVnkf)

65 Posted by: Stringer Davis at August 31, 2014 10:17 AM (xq1UY)

Ah. Yes. Thank you for gently pointing out that I am a dumbass.

Posted by: Insomniac at August 31, 2014 10:43 AM (mx5oN)

66 50 Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 10:32 AM (GDulk)

Not intentionally bragging here, but my high school was considered good for its size/funding, whatever that means. It turned out some of the most moronic people I've ever had the misfortune of interacting with. Granted, there were a few decent folks, but most of them were complete airheads, even the smart ones. And I count myself among those airheads, only I kept quiet, so no one realized how ridiculous I was.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:44 AM (B+8EN)

67 'Elephant Parts' was Mike Nesmith.

Posted by: --- at August 31, 2014 10:45 AM (MMC8r)

68 For those of you wanting to stock up, but feeling overwhelmed, I recommend "Urban Pantry" by Pennington (very basic pantry cooking", "Independence Days" by Astyk and "Food Security for the Faint at Heart" by Wheeler. The last one has some interesting stories by a woman that bought groceries once a year!

And after talking about it last week, my boyfriend found me a copy of Carla Emery's book! I think it's the sixth edition but on the multi colored mimeographed pages! Looks exactly like the one I used to own. Most of these seem to be going for $100, so felt lucky to find one cheaper. It's in pristine condition so I'm going to put it somewhere safe.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 31, 2014 10:45 AM (Lqy/e)

69 >>>>67
'Elephant Parts' was Mike Nesmith.<<<<<

Yer right. Brain fart on my part.

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at August 31, 2014 10:47 AM (dJCJQ)

70 Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:44 AM (B+8EN)

Eldest Kidlet's high school seems to be like that.

The older I get the more history I find out was never taught in school. Working hard to get my kids to realize that *now* and to seek info on their own.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 10:48 AM (GDulk)

71 Oh, and my brother the graphic artist has begun work on the cover for my next book - Lone Star Sons. He hasn't had the opportunity to do free-hand art for a long time, so he is experimenting.
Progress so far -
http://tinyurl.com/qjuxyjb

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at August 31, 2014 10:48 AM (Asjr7)

72 #57 Thanks for the reminder, Seamus, that's a good list.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 10:49 AM (yRdR4)

73 These six things doth the LORD hate; yea seven are an abomination unto Him:

(7) a proud look,
(6) a lying tongue,
(5) hands that shed innocent blood
(4) a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations
(3) feet that be swift in running to mischief
(2) a false witness that speaketh lies and
(1) he that soweth discord among brethren

(Proverbs 6:16-19)



Isn't that list part of the DNC platform?

Posted by: Insomniac at August 31, 2014 10:50 AM (mx5oN)

74 I don't think any made it to San Francisco but there were u boats in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsun_Gruppe

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at August 31, 2014 10:50 AM (dJCJQ)

75 I like the earlier Foxfire books. Did you know they did a broadway play about them? The second book was a driving force behind learning to spin (and probably accounts for the Great Wheel in the living room).

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 31, 2014 10:51 AM (Lqy/e)

76 From the Maitiem Adminstration:

"By all available records, the U.S. Merchant Marine suffered the highest rate of casualties of any service in World War II with 1,554 ships sunk due to war conditions. Hundreds of other ships were damaged by torpedoes, shelling, bombs, kamikaze attacks and mines."

My uncle was killed at age 19 when his ship was shelled and shot up by U-boat 512 northeast of Barbados. His tanker was unescorted.

Posted by: stace , Queen of Typos at August 31, 2014 10:53 AM (9PXzx)

77 @27,
I read Pickwick Papers long ago and want to read it on Kindle at some point, one of favorite Dickens pieces, though long. Did recently watch an old black-and-white British movie version that I thought captured the spirit of it pretty well.

Read Sue Grafton's K Is For Killer, a Kinsey Millhone mystery and enjoyed it quite a bit, like detective candy.

Listened to Dan Simmon's Hyperion, a very good fantasy/sci-fi story that embeds a handful of interesting shorter stories within it. But no ending. Will have to continue the series soon to see where it goes.

Posted by: waelse1 at August 31, 2014 10:53 AM (x+P8L)

78 The older I get the more history I find out was never taught in school. Working hard to get my kids to realize that *now* and to seek info on their own.

*****

The value of history is the ability to connect the dots. The threads and that comprise the rope connecting us to our past become the paths to the future. Picking the right path requires understanding of the strands.

I hope your kids "get" it, and help form the core of the coming generations that will have to find that path.

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at August 31, 2014 10:54 AM (mvenn)

79 70 Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 10:48 AM (GDulk)

Totally agree. I'm also amazed at the sheer lack of life skills that we were taught, like balancing a checkbook, understanding how the credit system works, basic human biology/anatomy, the electoral process, etc. If I'm ever in a position to home school my -currently non-existent- kids, I'll do it in a heartbeat. Not because I'm a good teacher, but because I want them to actually learn to use their brains.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:58 AM (B+8EN)

80 One of the things I like about that Proverbs quote @57, is the "here are six things that the Lord...no, wait, make that seven things." Great comedic timing.

Posted by: Seamus Muldoon at August 31, 2014 10:59 AM (mvenn)

81 I don't hate the Theremin but that entry just makes me think of the scene in Animal House where Bluto smashes the folk singer's guitar.

"Sorry, man."

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 11:00 AM (IdCqF)

82 Do you know of any links for that Depoe Bay/Uboat story? My boyfriend is skeptical.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 31, 2014 11:02 AM (Lqy/e)

83 I hadn't read much fiction in years, but this summer, because of a comment on a gun blog, I got started on Stephen Hunter's Swagger thrillers, and I'm hooked like a big fat bass.

Sgt. Mom, I really need to start reading your books, especially since I'm in San Antonio too.

Posted by: stace , Queen of Typos at August 31, 2014 11:03 AM (9PXzx)

84 I'm finishing up an Aimee Leduc mystery by Cara Black right now. I really liked this series when it started, but I'm on the seventh book now and I'm starting to get tired of the heroine, so I'm not sure if I'll continue with the series. I have the next book in the series already, so I'll read that and then decide if I want to stick with it.

Next up is Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield, my book club book.

439 books to go.

Posted by: biancaneve at August 31, 2014 11:03 AM (6Turu)

85 Hey guys, FYI. A bunch of us are putting our books on sale over Labor Day weekend. Lots of SciFi and Fantasy, but also urban fantasy, horror, mystery/thriller, humor, religious, and non-fiction. Everything is $2.99 or less (some are free).

Linky: http://nocturnal-lives.com/?page_id=1032

That is all.

Posted by: Craig Allen at August 31, 2014 11:07 AM (s5wm7)

86 The greatest blessing that we've had in terms of the Nerdlets education has been finding a good Classical school. It has been worth every penny we have spent. As a product of mediocre public schools, I realize how much of my knowledge had to be acquired on my own. I'm so very grateful that I had parents who encouraged me to read voraciously, and were ready to refute the indoctrination and explain how the world really works.

Posted by: Yep, I'm a nerd... at August 31, 2014 11:07 AM (FCgaq)

87 439 books to go.


Posted by: biancaneve at August 31, 2014 11:03 AM (6Turu)

LoL, my Kindle looks like that. Easier to buy books than going to the store, but still have to find time to read them (which gets eaten up by reading the HQ instead). That's why I love the TTS I got. Objectively, the voice is horrible, there are glaring reading errors, and the list is pretty limited, but at least I can get the info from the books that *are* available.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 11:08 AM (GDulk)

88 Teachers explain history as though it had to turn out that way. If kids understood how many different ways that things COULD have turned out , they'd find it more interesting.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 31, 2014 11:08 AM (Lqy/e)

89 Posted by: Craig Allen at August 31, 2014 11:07 AM (s5wm7)

I notice a Sabrina Chase book. Is this another one of those "Human Wave Garage Sales" that cost me so much money last time (and introduced me to several authors I really like now)?

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 11:11 AM (GDulk)

90 Isn't that list part of the DNC platform?

Posted by: Insomniac at August 31, 2014 10:50 AM


Looks more like Choom Boy's personality profile to me.

On topic: Just starting Eric Larson's In the Garden of Beasts," a true story about the experiences of Ambassador Dodd's wife and daughter (mostly) in 1933 Berlin. So far, interesting, which I expect from Larson.

After that, a bio of Mussolini and, from the local Book Barn (free books!) a Tony Hillerman mystery and Dr. Strangelove.

Good times. As long as you don't read the papers or watch teevee.

Posted by: MrScribbler at August 31, 2014 11:12 AM (dDzOj)

91
Hello from Way Down Here and yes I'm an 'ette (not Annette)


This week I've decided to actually read the stuff I buy for my beloved Kindle because I'm a Kindle book shopaholic and the unread stuff is building up...

So I've been reading a freebie from Kindle "The Complete Father Brown Mysteries Collection" by GK Chesterton and it's been enjoyable reading some definitely pre PC writing - refreshing really as I have reached the limit of my PC tolerance

I'm heartily sick of heroic women, stupid men and absence of any moral virtues in some of the books I start reading, so I stick with history, old books and interesting people's biographies and a few murder mysteries written by some good authors

If anyone can help me find a book recently written about the Battle of Midway - this was mentioned here or perhaps on an Aussie blog and I just can't remember the author or the actual title of the book

Apparently it's a great read so if anyone can help that would be much appreciated!

Posted by: aussie at August 31, 2014 11:12 AM (EGwwB)

92 Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 31, 2014 11:08 AM (Lqy/e)

Very true. I had Son read Grant's memoirs after having listened to them myself for that very insight. It's easy to forget that the people living through the events didn't know how they would turn out, but could only hope and (hopefully) do their best.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 11:13 AM (GDulk)

93 I'm about to dive into "Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman" by Robert O'Connell. Of Grant, he said: "He stood by me when I was crazy and I stood by him when he was drunk; now, sir, we stand by each other always."

Also working my way through Dunsany's "Tales of Three Hemispheres". From How the Gods Avenged Meoul Ki Ning: "And the gods sent for their seer who is all eyes and all feet, running to and fro on the Earth, observing the ways of men, seeing even their littlest doings, never deeming a doing too little, but knowing the web of the gods is woven of littlest things. He is it that sees the cat in the garden of the parakeets, the thief in the upper chamber, the sin of the child with the honey, the women talking indoors, and the small hut's innermost things."

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 31, 2014 11:13 AM (QBm1P)

94 I recommend Homer Hickam's "Torpedo Junction" about the U-boats off the East Coast. Among other jobs, he was a safety diver for NASA, so he actually dove to some of the shipwreck sites while researching this book. My father-in-law remembers one of the ships on fire off the Jersey shore. I consider this and "Rocket Boys" his best books. He's written several WW2 fiction novels that you might like, but I am too easily annoyed by his little tee-hee, look-at-me moments that break up the story line. Yes, we know there is a Hickam Field in Hawaii, you can quit that now.

Posted by: roamingfirehydrant at August 31, 2014 11:14 AM (DA2Hm)

95 6 Everything is improved by a Theremin.

Posted by: HR -- SMOD 2016 or else at August 31, 2014 09:55 AM (hO8IJ)



Even French songs sung by French girls with the ooo-la-la:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZdt3G6bPnM

Posted by: naturalfake at August 31, 2014 11:15 AM (0cMkb)

96 Notsothoreau,


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_submarine_I-25

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at August 31, 2014 11:16 AM (dJCJQ)

97 #97 - I read Larson's In the Garden of Beasts earlier this year - I think on a book-thread recommendation, and it was terrific. Ambassador Dodd's daughter, though - ugh. Piece of work. Like Unity Mitford but with a taste for boffing Communists rather than Nazis, although she did a bit of that as well. The ambassador himself seems to have been a pretty decent sort, and one of the first to realize how hellific Nazi Germany became. But he was an academic rather than a professional diplomat, so he did not get on well with the established State Department drones.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at August 31, 2014 11:18 AM (Asjr7)

98 The German sub in NY thing was mentioned in:

"Radio Days" the movie by Woody Allen




An-n-n-nd other than that, I got nothing.

Posted by: naturalfake at August 31, 2014 11:18 AM (0cMkb)

99 Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 31, 2014 11:11 AM (GDulk)

Sarah Hoyt got the ball rolling on this one, so yeah there's a lot of human wave books in there (which is a good thing in my opinion). Been spending some cash on a lot of these books myself, actually.

Posted by: Craig Allen at August 31, 2014 11:19 AM (s5wm7)

100 I'm so very grateful that I had parents who
encouraged me to read voraciously, and were ready to refute the
indoctrination and explain how the world really works.

Posted by: Yep, I'm a nerd... at August 31, 2014 11:07 AM (FCgaq)

My parents did the same thing. If they only knew the can of worms they were opening... My family has a tendency to save things: my dad hoards tools, my brother hoards old cars, I hoard books. In my defense, I've read 99% of them and I'm currently working on the ones I haven't cracked open yet.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 11:24 AM (B+8EN)

101 The Brits actually built a group of steam powered subs at the end of WWI;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_K-class_submarine


Crazy.

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at August 31, 2014 11:25 AM (dJCJQ)

102 31
What historical era piques your interest?

Posted by: Tuna at August 31, 2014 11:28 AM (hpWy+)

103 Thanks for re-posting MWW's poem, Muse. I enjoyed it last week.

As to what I'm reading:

As surely as a dog returneth to its own vomit, I went out and picked up John Scalzi's new novel," Lock In". (I denounce myself.)

For those of you who can still stand to read anything by Scalzi after the recent Hugo hullaballoo, it's fairly short (334 pages) and set in a near future where a fast-moving virus has killed millions world-wide and left millions more "locked in" their bodies, unable to move or communicate. The main character is a "locked in" FBI agent who uses a highly advanced android/robot-type device to connect to and interact with the outside world while his "real" body lies in a paralytic state in a hospital bed.

I found it interesting (but not surprising, given Scalzi's recent ambitions) how well the novel seemed to lend itself to a future adaption for episodic television.

I bought the book at my local bookstore, but Tor.com will let you read the first five chapters free, as well as the prequel novella "Unlocked".

Posted by: Elinor, who usually looks lurkily at August 31, 2014 11:30 AM (95xxa)

104 I just discovered "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman. Could NOT put it down. Best new-to-me author in ages (I usually default to re-reading Tolkien, Neal Stephenson, Dresden books by Jim Butcher, or Orson Scott Card).

Posted by: stutterk at August 31, 2014 11:42 AM (95gQx)

105 89 Polliwog the 'Ette Guilty as charged. As Craig says, not entirely Human Wave but there's a lot of us in there.

The Scent of Metal is a mere $1.99 through Monday. Featuring the dark secret of Pluto, computer geeks, and the Dent and Ding squad of Special Forces! And why you should never say "what does that button do?" when exploring an ancient abandoned alien ship.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 31, 2014 11:42 AM (2buaQ)

106 If you like WWII stuff, and the Atlantic U-boat war in particular, the best books I know of are
(a) anything by Rear Admiral Danial V Gallery. He was a naval aviator and pocket-carrier carrier (the USS Guadalcanal) task force commander in the Atlantic fighting U-boats, and a genuine character. He was commanding the ship that attacked, boarded, and captured a German U-boat, the U-505.
(b) Steel Boats, Iron Hearts, by Hans Goebeler - a book written by a common kreigsmarine sailor in the Atlantic, writing of his several near-death adventures... aboard the U-505.
You see both sides of the battle, not from a high-level strategic / academic level, but from two guys who were there, doing it, with literal gun-sights on each other.
I can't recommend them enough

Posted by: Rolf at August 31, 2014 11:43 AM (be0G3)

107 Reading Robert Buettner's "Orphanage" series. It's about how Earth, at peace for 70 years and totally unprepared technologically, deals with an alien race hurling death and destruction from their base on Ganymeade. Fairly fast reads. Now on book 2 of 5. So far so good.

Posted by: Tuna at August 31, 2014 11:47 AM (hpWy+)

108 Speaking of Grossman, the novelist Austin Grossman has written two of my favorites in the last few years, "Soon I Will Be Invincible" (superheroes) and "You" (the birth of the gaming industry).

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 31, 2014 12:00 PM (QBm1P)

109 Yesterday was the Library of Congress's National Book Festival. I didn't go - too much stuff to do yesterday and I didn't find out about it until mid-week. In years past it was held in late September.

To my mind, the book festival was better when Laura Bush was the chairman. Mooch just doesn't do it for me. Also, although I've gone a few times since 2008, I am still pissed at all the elite lefty authors Salman Rushdie using the book festival as an opportunity to tell us all how to vote. Thanks, Obama!

Posted by: biancaneve at August 31, 2014 12:02 PM (6Turu)

110 That was supposed to be "elite lefty authors (cough) Salman Rushdie (cough)". He was not the only one, just the most annoying.

Posted by: biancaneve at August 31, 2014 12:03 PM (6Turu)

111 If you're a book-lover (and really, why would you be reading this if you weren't?), you really need to check out the Dover Publications site.

Yeah, well, the world just hasn't been the same since Lindsay Books closed.

Posted by: Anachronda at August 31, 2014 12:05 PM (o78gS)

112 That pic of the library after the earthquake reminds me of the recent riots and looting.
But then I remembered that during riots and looting, libraries are probably the safest place to be.

Posted by: Dr. Varno at August 31, 2014 12:06 PM (fIv/H)

113 In my book club a few months ago, we read The Heart Mender, which takes place in WWII and present day. It was about the U-boats that were positioned in the Gulf of Mexico, and how the people who lived in the communities off the coast dealt with that situation. The book is technically a love story, but it is based on a true story. Not really being a fan of sappy love stories, I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed the book.

Posted by: Mary at August 31, 2014 12:11 PM (nzmxZ)

114 Posted by: biancaneve at August 31, 2014 12:02 PM (6Turu)
----------
In Saturday's WaPo Lively Arts section, an author praised Mrs. Bush for starting the book festival, but HAD to add something to the effect that neither she nor any of her friends voted for her husband.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 31, 2014 12:14 PM (QBm1P)

115 @96,

Thanks for the link. I knew about the Oregon coast attacks but not Depoe Bay specifically. We go there yearly for the Wooden boat show. It's a tricky entrance and would be easy to go aground.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at August 31, 2014 12:14 PM (Lqy/e)

116 This year I have felt the need to read escapist literature. I have been working my way through the entire works featuring - Bob (and Earl) Swagger, Mitch Rapp, Jack Reacher and Scot Harvath. Feeling somewhat guilty, I read a chapter or two of serious stuff in between each book. So far I have finished Grant's memoirs and I am reading Wealth of Nations - tough going but well worth it - and recently, the Army's official history of D-Day, h/t o an AoS moron pointing out when it was free for Kindle. Also an occasional Father Brown or Sherlock Holmes story.

Posted by: real joe at August 31, 2014 12:22 PM (xXhgd)

117 116 Posted by: real joe at August 31, 2014 12:22 PM (xXhgd)

Were Grant's memoirs any good? Not that I need any more books, but it might be nice to add some primary source material to my collection.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 12:27 PM (B+8EN)

118 Were Grant's memoirs any good? Not that I need any more books, but it might be nice to add some primary source material to my collection

According to many morons here, Grant's memoirs are the gold standard of presidential memoirs.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 12:46 PM (yRdR4)

119 Oregon Muse, other books on U-boats so far not mentioned

U-boats Offshore by Edwin P. Hoyt. Originally published in 1978 about the early months off the American shoreline.
U-boats At War by Harold Busch. Originally published in 1955. Busch is a U-boat veteran.
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. 2005. About diving on the sunken U-869 off the Eastern seaboard.
Tin Cans by Theodore Roscoe on US destroyer actions in WWII.

Online there is: uboat.net

If you are in Germany, there is the small North Sea town of Cuxhaven which has a U-boat museum. http://uboat.net/special/archiv/contacts.htm

Of course there is even a movie about a Gulf of Mexico sunk U-boat called Assault on a Queen. Starred Frank Sinatra and a plan to rob the RMS Queen Mary.

This concludes today's episode of what is in my library.

Of course this morning I finished writing a 1,200 word short story. A bit Twilight Zone-ish. In which I put a real politician into Hell. Not the fire and brimstone type, one made specifically for him.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 31, 2014 12:47 PM (whKdw)

120 this morning I finished writing a 1,200 word short
story. A bit Twilight Zone-ish. In which I put a real politician into
Hell. Not the fire and brimstone type, one made specifically for him.


Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 31, 2014 12:47 PM (whKdw)
A place where only honest people are allowed to pontificate? 'Cause that /would/ be cruel.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 01:00 PM (B+8EN)

121 Wow! First I find out that OregonMuse also lives here in Eugene. Then I find out that WierdDave also had Atari ST computers. Now I see that OregonMuse also once lived in the Bay Area.

It's almost like my whole crazy life has finally swirled around into itself full circle. You know, like a mystical toilet.

-ICNH

P.S. Just finished The Highway by CJ Box. Very enjoyable, fast paced read with an excellent plot twist about half way in about a long haul trucker who is a serial killer. The character seemed a little two-dimensional, but it sure kept me turning the pages like nothing else lately.

Posted by: Insert Clever Name Here at August 31, 2014 01:03 PM (SS8WM)

122 Because nothing says long-suffering like having Atari and Amiga in your past. I worked both sides of the street on that one.

Posted by: Epobirs at August 31, 2014 01:18 PM (IdCqF)

123 Totally agree. I'm also amazed at the sheer lack of life skills that we were taught, like balancing a checkbook, understanding how the credit system works, basic human biology/anatomy, the electoral process, etc. If I'm ever in a position to home school my -currently non-existent- kids, I'll do it in a heartbeat. Not because I'm a good teacher, but because I want them to actually learn to use their brains.
Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 10:58 AM

In high school I had flip-side semesters of shop, which included car basics, and home-ec , which included sewing and nutrition, as well as a semester on basic personal accounting with info on banking, credit, mortgages, how to get a driver's license, how to fill out a job app, how to vote, etc. The other unit of that class was health, which pretty much boiled down to keep yourself clean, exercise tips, don't get preggers, and don't drink and do drugs. This was in the late 70s, early 80s, in DuPage County, IL.

Why is real life stuff not taught anymore?

Posted by: Gem at August 31, 2014 01:20 PM (zw+pb)

124 Why is real life stuff not taught anymore?

Posted by: Gem at August 31, 2014 01:20 PM (zw+pb)
The only non-tinfoil hat-ish reason I can think of is that they expect parents to teach basic life skills. Which would be ideal, except we live in a world where someone would have to teach the parents first.My high school offered some of those classes, but the mentality was that only the not-so-smart kids took classes like that, when in fact, they should have been required for everybody.

Posted by: right wing whippersnapper at August 31, 2014 01:34 PM (B+8EN)

125 @91 - re: the Midway book, "Shattered Sword" perhaps? Haven't read it yet but it's on my reading list after seeing recommended here.

Posted by: Croaker at August 31, 2014 01:37 PM (QSntp)

126 Kubrick's LotR = David Lynch's Dune. Both directors are too hung up on their own artiste status to adapt others works well, especially those with "cult" status (e.g. The Shining, redeemed in part by Nicholson but totally forgettable on Kubrick's part and his story changes were unjustifiable at best). As for Cage, that could have killed the whole franchise about 1 hour into Book One. What nepot casting monkey thought that would work ?

Posted by: SocietyIs2Blame at August 31, 2014 01:54 PM (QKIQb)

127 Shattered Sword is awesome.

Now I drank with John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson last night.

Posted by: SGT Dan's Cat at August 31, 2014 01:55 PM (TT3D3)

128 Now I drank with John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson last night.
Posted by: SGT Dan's Cat at August 31, 2014 01:55 PM (TT3D3)
--------
Cat, fist pump! Did Z. bring knives?

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 31, 2014 02:05 PM (QBm1P)

129 Good time to plug Williamson's "Better to Beg Forgiveness".

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 31, 2014 02:07 PM (QBm1P)

130 So did Ringo wave around his cigar, drink, and talk about his beautiful and smart wife?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at August 31, 2014 02:07 PM (whKdw)

131 As part of my "supervision" requirement for my school district, I can do a book group. A couple of my co-workers are doing "Sand County Almanac." (Considered one of the top two environmental books of the 20th century, along with "Silent Spring.")

Now I could rant about this and other things involving the teaching profession in 2014, but I will pass that up for another time.

So, now why would a moron (even a lurking moron) read "Almanac?" Especially if it is keeping company with the appalling "Silence of the Birds?"

I have already read it, so this will be a re-read. I might use it on my science blog as fodder. [Bwahahahaha!] The two teachers have already prepped the proposal, so that is mostly done.

Posted by: LochLomondFarms at August 31, 2014 02:16 PM (+3H69)

132 So, now why would a moron (even a lurking moron) read "Almanac?"
----
Composting?

Perhaps it can be enjoyed for the detailed descriptions of hunting grouse and ducks. Efuse over the hunting bits!

Posted by: All Hail Eris at August 31, 2014 02:29 PM (QBm1P)

133 I just discovered "The Magicians" by Lev Grossman. Could NOT put it down.

It has to be read as a series. I read them as they came out and had trouble remembering 'oo screwed 'oo.

My main problem with it is that Fillory never becomes more than Sub-Narnia. Although I suspect the fanfic authors might help out here.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at August 31, 2014 02:40 PM (rAeZm)

134 If ISIS attacks along the Southern border after an Obama "executive
action" on immigration and his refusal to enforce current immigration
law, the Democrats will be toast.

The clock is ticking ...


I bet the DNC wishes the election were today so they could limit their losses.

Posted by: Donald Segretti at August 31, 2014 02:42 PM (e8kgV)

135 Dunsany was the best prose stylist in English since the King James translators.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at August 31, 2014 02:43 PM (rAeZm)

136 Looking for something to read by the pool this
Labor Day? On 8/30 and 8/31, BEVERLY HILLS IS BURNING is available
available for FREE in the Amazon Kindle store. Just follow the link below to grab a copy for yourself if you haven't already, and feel free to share this with family, friends or anyone who likes thrillers. As always, reviews on Amazon are greatly appreciated.

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your summer. http://amzn.to/1hUOwFa

Posted by: Rail Black at August 31, 2014 03:17 PM (k7cFB)

137 On 8/30 and 8/31, BEVERLY HILLS IS BURNING is available for FREE in the Amazon Kindle store . . .

Posted by: Rail Black at August 31, 2014 03:17 PM (k7cFB)

************************

Just now got it and I loved reading "A Note from the Author" at the beginning!

Look forward to finishing it.

Posted by: Elinor, who usually looks lurkily at August 31, 2014 03:31 PM (95xxa)

138 Epobirs : no Amigas in my past, but still "suffering" in a sense - I'm largely a Linux fan now.

SocietyIs2Blame : I agree that it is better that we were spared Kubrick's LOTR - and along-those-same-lines I think it is better we were spared a Dune movie by Jodorowsky.

-ICNH

Posted by: Insert Clever Name Here at August 31, 2014 03:50 PM (SS8WM)

139 8 "Adm King's "Tenth Fleet" had exactly zero ships. It was the intel and
co-ordination operation that went after the wolf packs -- and copied
their tactics for our boats in the Pacific. Adm King was called out of
retirement for the job, and remarked, "When they get into trouble, they
send for the SOB's." He was. He won."

One of the best books on the German U-Boat attacks on North America is Michael Gannon's _Operation Drumbeat_ (1992). Long story short, Gannon demolishes this sentiment. King was a blinkered, unimaginative bully who inexcusably turned down vast amounts of free help and intel from the Royal Navy, who had finely honed their antisubmarine tactics in the first years of the war. This led to vast loss of life and huge, preventable damage to the Allied war effort. Gannon describes the early U-Boat attacks on US shipping as "the Atlantic Pearl Harbor" and makes the case that if Adm. Kimmel was removed from command and demoted for the Pacific catastrophe, the far more preventable Atlantic massacre should have ended King's career.

Posted by: P.M. at August 31, 2014 03:54 PM (MCVbD)

140 Had Bukowski's Post Office recommend recently. Found that an enjoyable trashy little dirty novel. Like junk food for the mind.
Was given Beloved by Toni Morrison recently. Found it a captivating read but when i finished i wasn't sure if i really liked it. Too brutal for my taste and i kept wondering how much real research was done about the plight of slaves (i know it was horrendous) and if they were just trying to get me to succumb to white guilt. I didn't enslave anyone or treat anyone brutally, why am i lumped in with the evil because of the color of my skin?

Best read lately: Civil Disobedience by Thoreau! The first sentence always captivates me!
"I heartily accept the motto, "That government is best which governs least" and i should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried or it finally amounts to this, which i also believe - "That government is best which governs not at all" and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have."

Posted by: m3 at August 31, 2014 03:55 PM (x4XdM)

141 Wow! First I find out that OregonMuse also lives here in Eugene. Then I find out that WierdDave also had Atari ST computers. Now I see that OregonMuse also once lived in the Bay Area.

Yup. Born and raised in SF Bay Area. Spent high school years in Napa. Moved to Oregon in 1983.

Boo-yah.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 04:45 PM (yRdR4)

142 In response to all the book suggested about sub warfare, don't miss Thunder Below, by Eugene Fluckey, which recounts his actions a s a sub commander during WWII. During the course of which he won the Medal of Honor.

Posted by: kalel666 at August 31, 2014 05:01 PM (pM5Z0)

143 19 It must be a special kind of hell to have to clean up a library after an earthquake, much akin to cleaning up after a truck accident the cargo of which was coat hangers.

The librarians must have sounded like clones of Raymond Babbit...

551.045 551.045 551.045

Damn you, Dewey!
Posted by: Zombie Myles Standish

One of the things I volunteer for at my children's school is helping in the library.....an elementary school library. Now, it is a bit smaller than the one pictured above, but after a few classes of unruly kinder, first, second, & third graders goes thru "looking for books," that's how it looks. You'll find books put back in the oddest places. When re-shelving books you always wind up stopping, saying to yourself, WTF??? And having to fix a whole shelf before moving on.

I'm reading the third book in the Giver series, the Messenger.

Posted by: lindafell at August 31, 2014 05:49 PM (nKVlf)

144 Grant's memoirs are wonderful -- but understand that there's nothing of his presidency in there, only from his childhood until the end of the Civil War. It was in 2 volumes, published by his friend Mark Twain. Grant wrote the memoirs as he was dying of throat cancer -- in excruciating pain because he refused morphine so his mind would stay clear enough to write. He was determined to finish them since he'd lost all his money to a 19th-century version of Bernie Madoff, and he needed the royalties from the memoirs so his wife, Julia, would be provided for after his death. Three days after he finished reviewing the proofs of Volume 2, he died. Grant's doctor opined that it was Grant's determination to finish the job that helped him stay alive as long as he did.

I loved reading the memoirs because Grant's personality comes through on every page -- and how I do love that personality. He was a gem.

Grant's memoirs were one of the first works I read after becoming a Civil War buff earlier this year. I've read about a book a week on the Civil War for the last eight months. So far, my favorite one-volume history of the whole war is Bruce Catton's "This Hallowed Ground." Catton is an amazing writer, and the book is a grand, sweeping epic that reads like an exciting novel and is impossible to put down.

Now I'm reading James McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom," which is a good 50 percent longer than "This Hallowed Ground," and fills in a lot of the details of the Big Picture painted by Catton.

Biography-wise, I'm now reading "Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman," by Robert O'Connell, another brilliant, incisive, witty writer -- almost as punchy as Sherman himself. A sheer joy to read -- although Sherman's life itself was quite sad.

Posted by: Kathy from Kansas at August 31, 2014 06:09 PM (afLO3)

145 Mrs. E would probably sell her comic book collection if she new how or where. She's not in love with any particular one. She has some which I have seen priced at $250 plus.

Posted by: Erowmero at August 31, 2014 06:37 PM (go5uR)

146 I'm reading the third book in the Giver series, the Messenger

I'm on the fourth book; I think each book in the series is better than the one previous to it.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 09:45 PM (yRdR4)

147 Mrs. E would probably sell her comic book collection if she new how or where. She's not in love with any particular one. She has some which I have seen priced at $250 plus.

I'll bet if she did some creative Google searching, such as "appraise comic book value" or "comic book sell or auction", that'd give her a good start.

Posted by: OregonMuse at August 31, 2014 09:48 PM (yRdR4)

148 My grandmother lived in Key West and eventually married my grandfather, a sailor aboard a Navy sub. The family recalls stories of them her walking the beach with her sisters and seeing debris from overnight battles wash ashore.

Posted by: tony at August 31, 2014 10:45 PM (eb9ok)

149 Re: The U-boat attacks on the east coast.

My family has always been acutely aware of the success of the German U-Boat campaign. See, my Grandmother actually singularly uncovered a NAZI spy ring led by her own boss, working in maritime shipping. She was very careful as she didn't know who to talk to at first because she didn't know who all was involved and to prove her suspicions she had to intercept and read classified documents, so she could have been brought up on espionage charges if she didn't have air tight proof. Even then she could still take a fall.
After she got the proof and turned the spies in, she was recruited by the Government to read German prisoner mail and detect coded communications and inject misdirection.

I know, it seems too much to be true, but there it is and it is true.

Posted by: TSgt Ciz.net at September 01, 2014 12:52 AM (af5xa)

150 See, my Grandmother actually singularly uncovered a NAZI spy ring led by her own boss, working in maritime shipping. She was very careful as she didn't know who to talk to at first because she didn't know who all was involved and to prove her suspicions she had to intercept and read classified documents, so she could have been brought up on espionage charges if she didn't have air tight proof. Even then she could still take a fall.
After she got the proof and turned the spies in, she was recruited by the Government to read German prisoner mail and detect coded communications and inject misdirection.


Dude. You need to write a book about this. It's a story that's begging to be told.

I'll even feature your book on the book thread. : )

Posted by: OregonMuse at September 01, 2014 11:07 AM (yRdR4)

151 I'm a fifth of the way into A Few Good Men (Darkship #3) by Sarah A. Hoyt and I think it's her best book yet. Part of it is I like the new character at the core of the novel and part of it is I think Hoyt's skill as an author is improving.

Posted by: BornLib at September 03, 2014 04:22 AM (zpNwC)

152 Now I drank with John Ringo and Michael Z. Williamson last night.
Posted by: SGT Dan's Cat at August 31, 2014 01:55 PM (TT3D3)

I'll just say it. I'm jealous.

Posted by: BornLib at September 03, 2014 04:23 AM (zpNwC)

(Jump to top of page)






Processing 0.02, elapsed 0.0265 seconds.
14 queries taking 0.0104 seconds, 160 records returned.
Page size 124 kb.
Powered by Minx 0.8 beta.



MuNuvians
MeeNuvians
Polls! Polls! Polls!

Real Clear Politics
Gallup
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
News/Chat