Sunday Morning Book Thread 05-10-2015: Don't They Know There's A War On? [OregonMuse]

"All of you ISIS nancy-boys are weak and cowardly - how does it feel to be pwned by a little Jewish girl armed with a blog and a pen?"

Good morning to all of you morons and moronettes and bartenders everywhere and all the ships at sea. Welcome to AoSHQ's stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread. The only AoSHQ thread that is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Or kilts. Kilts are OK, too. But not tutus. Unless you're a girl.

Book Quote

One always has a better book in one's mind than one can manage to get onto paper.
-Michael Cunningham

I'd guess that many, if not all, of you moron authors understand that quote all too well.

Pamela Geller, Warrior Princess

I suppose if we had some sort of "person of the week" feature on this here smart military blog, obviously this week it would be Ms. Geller. I've never paid much attention to her previously, but now, the more I hear her, the more I like her. And the reason I like her is the same reason I like Sarah Palin: they fight. Despite any problems or defects they might have, they are willing to fight. They are willing to take it to the enemy, as too few on our side are. Big Jihad has declared war on Western Civilization, so we're going to have to fight, and if we wait, we're going to be fighting on their terms rather than ours. Ms. Geller is playing offense and so the fight last week was one she was prepared for, snd was on her terms, and, as a result, Big Jihad got punched in the face.

And what's not to like about that?

Ms. Geller is an author who has written several books, and this being the book thread and all, let's take a look at them.

Her first book, co-written with Robert Spencer, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America, which also contains a foreward by John Bolton, sounds like a depressing read:

In this timely and urgent battle cry, Pamela Geller...and New York Times bestselling author Robert Spencer team up to expose the Obama administration's destructive agenda..and rally Americans to protect the sovereignty of a country that is under siege by the highest levels of its own government...Obama ignores our forefathers' founding principle: individual rights. Instead, he...seeks to transform both the global and national landscape in favor of our enemies - even if it means cutting America off at the knees. He envisions himself as...a shaper of the new world order, an internationalist energetically laying the groundwork for global government: the president of the world.

That's OK, the LIVs elected him twice, so it's all good.

Next year she wrote Stop the Islamization of America: A Practical Guide to the Resistance, which is an expose' of the Muslim Brotherhood's ongoing campaign to Islamicize America on the down low. It is currently listed as an Amazon best-seller.

Finally, there's Freedom or Submission: On the Dangers of Islamic Extremism & American Complacency. From her introduction:

Islamic supremacists are more assertive in the United States than they ever have been before. They're building large mega-mosques in communities where the local Muslims can neither fill nor afford them. They're demanding - and receiving - special privileges for Muslims in workplaces and special installations...

They're shutting down the national debate that we urgently need to have about Islam and Islamization. They are demonizing as "bigots," "racists," and "Islamophobes" anyone who suggests any anti-terror measure or who asks the Muslim community in the U.S. to do something effective about the jihadists and Islamic supremacists in their midst.

I see this a lot in the news coming out of Great Britain, the "shari'a only" zones, the Muslim enclaves, the out-and-out aggressive push to establish some sort of Islamicized culture (with the assistance of loathsome tools such as George Galloway) and the leaders of that country, hamstrung by the canons of political correctness, all seem to be just standing around with their hands in their pockets, watching it all happen. What's it going to take for them to wake up?

Ha.

From the sidebar of a week or so ago, here are some romance novel covers, as recreated by real people. Not sure if this is NSFW or not. But some of those guys in the romance novel cover art appear to be buck naked. I never noticed that before. I mean, isn't that a little ridiculous: the woman is decked out in full, flowing period attire, but the guy is running around in his birthday suit.

Repeating History

"No country was ever saved by good men," Horace Walpole once observed, "because good men will not go to the length that may be necessary."

This is the opening sentence of Roger Kimball's review of the newly released The Death of Caesar: The Story of History's Most Famous Assassination by Barry Strauss

I sometimes feel that the reason we keep losing is that we're consistently being out-ruthlessed. We feel constrained, at some level. The other side does not. I would hate to think that in order to win against an evil and ruthless foe, we have to be even more evil and ruthless.

Because maybe the results will be worse:

One of the great ironies surrounding the assassination of Julius Caesar is that, for all of the upheaval it occasioned, it failed utterly in its stated purpose. The conspirators sought to overthrow a dictator and restore the Republic....But the Roman Republic, devised to govern a city state, was overwhelmed by the cosmopolitan responsibilities of empire...By killing Caesar, the conspirators merely hastened the Republic's collapse.

I have to resist the urge to simply cut and paste the entire review, so I'll stop there. The entire review is well worth reading if you're at all into history. Kimball compares Strauss to Victor Davis Hanson as an author who has the ability to take an ofttimes boring and dry subject like history and turn it into something fresh and exciting -- and very readable.

I have no idea what Barry Strauss' political views are, but I thought this quote from an article he wrote on the birthday of Rome is interesting:

The Catholic Church, with 1.2 billion members worldwide...has its seat in Rome. And Christianity is by far the main Western religion. The Islamic State militants of ISIS paid a backhanded compliment to that fact. In February they announced plans to conquer Rome. This may seem ridiculous, but so did the idea of a new caliphate conquering Mosul, or Iran getting the bomb or Russia lopping off parts of Ukraine. The threat to Rome displays a sure grip of public relations on ISIS's part, as in their powerful, videotaped beheadings. A successful attack on EU or NATO headquarters in Brussels would shock the world with the glass and steel debris. But blowing up the marble of the Vatican and ISIS would put the will of the West on trial.

How would the West respond? Would we pass the test? On the birthday of our civilization, the answer is unclear.

Things You've Always Wanted To Know

Books didn't used to have dust jackets:

Prior to the 1820s, most books were issued as unbound sheets or with disposable board covers. Customers would buy the text-blocks and commission bindings themselves - often to match the other titles in their library. For this reason, dust jackets were neither needed nor desired. Instead of a dust jacket, some printers would protect the exterior with a blank page (called by some a "bastard title").

I saw the Bastard Titles open for Frumious Bandersnatch at the Avalon Ballroom in 1969...

Thanks to moron "Grey Fox" for the tip.

One Weird Stress-Reducing Trick That Is So Effective, You'll Want To Walk Right Up To Hillary! And Give Her A Big Wet Lingering Kiss Right On The Lips

Look, I'm sorry for the click-bait headline, but I didn't see ace's thread covering this on Friday until it was way too late, and I felt left out.

Anyway, the "weird stress-reducing trick" is real, and it's something I didn't know, namely, that there is a big market for coloring books written for adults:

Perhaps you already know about the coloring books craze; you might be one of the 1.4 million people who's bought Johanna Basford's "Secret Garden." Published in 2013, it continues to float among Amazon's bestselling books -- currently it's at No. 10, two spots ahead of Kim Kardashian's "Selfish" -- and is the online retailer's most-wished-for book. Basford's followup, "Enchanted Forest," is almost as popular.

Because

The books feature intricate patterns and designs that are far too sophisticated for a child's hand. But for adults, they're a way to engage creatively with a relatively low barrier of entry: Coloring is easier than most crafts like, say, learning to knit.

So, as mentioned, Johanna Basford is the "big dog" in this genre, and her coloring book Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt and Coloring Book is a huge best-seller. The sequel Enchanted Forest: An Inky Quest & Coloring Book

There are others, such as Balance (Angie's Extreme Stress Menders Volume 1) by Angie Grace, another big seller, as is Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns which features drawings by a variety of artists.

I like Simply Pen Tangled: A Coloring Book of Patterned Pictures as the author was an overnight guest in my home a few weeks ago while her family attended a wedding at my church. She drew an amazingly intricate pattern on the thank-you card she left for us.

Books By Morons

Author Mark Haugen e-mailed me requesting me to pimp his just-released 4th novel on the book thread, and I will endeavor to do so. Runaway Trane is about a priest who goes off the rails, off the grid, and perhaps even off his rocker:

Bobby Trane surprises his Montana church one Sunday by not showing up. That's usually not a big deal, except when you're the priest. Tired of blank faces, complainers and cell phones ringing during his sermons, Bobby follows the lead of a mysterious letter he receives and takes off to save the world.

The novel contains lots of stuff that makes it plenty Moron friendly:

We're talking Sturgis Rally, midgets, Satanists, outlaw bikers, booze, drugs, pretty women and a loyal dog named Stanley. All the things that make life worth living.

Amazon - paperback (no Kindle edition as of yet)

B&N paperback

B&N Ebook (preorder)

It also contains one of Mark's previous novels, 'Zoo Falls' (mentioned in this previous book thread).

Mark's previous novels are Joshua's Ladder and its sequel, Amy's Ladder.

___________

Author James Cambias is a long-time AoSHQ lurker. His latest novel, Corsair, has just been published.

In the early 2020s, two young, genius computer hackers, Elizabeth Santiago and David Schwartz, meet at MIT...Nearly ten years later, David is...working in the shadows under a multiplicity of names for international thieves, and Elizabeth works in intelligence preventing international space piracy...David and Elizabeth fight for dominance of the computer systems controlling ore drop placement in international waters...But international piracy has very high stakes and some very evil players. And both Elizabeth and David end up in a world of trouble.

Jim says:

It's a science fiction thriller about space pirates, and the whole book is kind of infused with the Moron Lifestyle sensibility.

Also, trigger warning for action, violence, and gratuitous use of the word "tranny".

Audio version available here.

Mr. Cambias' previous novel is A Darkling Sea.

___________

So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, bribes, 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? Hopefully something good, because, as you all know, life is too short to be reading lousy books.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:03 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 A headline in the local paper: "Million Mons' rally in DC" to protest police killings of the black children. No mention of any black children killed on the street by fellow blacks!
I hate USA Today for using such a misleading headline....

Posted by: colin at May 10, 2015 09:05 AM (BO1b9)

2 Currently re-reading The Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey while waiting for some of the new books to come down to a reasonable price. Will try to read OSP's second book in the Amy Lynn series when wifey is finished with it, but she got the dead tree version and I am having a hard time reading dead tree books now.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 09:06 AM (wlDny)

3 >>isn't that a little ridiculous: the woman is decked out in full, flowing period attire, but the guy is running around in his birthday suit

Ridiculous?

Sounds like a great start to me!

Posted by: Y-not at May 10, 2015 09:06 AM (9BRsg)

4 Finished a book this week, bit it wasn't worth the effort. Avoid it.

Posted by: pep at May 10, 2015 09:08 AM (LAe3v)

5 I had missed the coloring books for adults craze, but past few weeks hubby and I have been doing jigsaw puzzles. Good way to get away from monitors and work on something together... but it is reminding me how bad my eyes have gotten for close work. bleu

Posted by: Y-not at May 10, 2015 09:09 AM (9BRsg)

6 RE Romance Novel covers, That is 80% of what I find every day on the Daily Deals. Even the Sf is either urban witch or vampire which is nothing more than bodice rippers with fangs. A lot of my favorite authors are dying out which is why I am doing so much "re-reading" now.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 09:11 AM (wlDny)

7 First :
I don't need a book telling me what Obama is doing to America.

I need a book telling me how to stop Obama's destruction of the country I was born into.

Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:11 AM (ZVynT)

8 I dated Xena.

Posted by: Brian Williams at May 10, 2015 09:12 AM (MYPM9)

9 I loved it when she shoved her fingers in my throat.

Posted by: Brian Williams at May 10, 2015 09:14 AM (MYPM9)

Posted by: Turd Ferguson at May 10, 2015 09:14 AM (MYPM9)

11 Since it's book related, I'd like to mention "Bring your own book":

http://bringyourownbook.com/

It is a fun game for bibliophiles. It's like Apples to Apples except your response is a quote from a book that you have brought.

It is on Kickstarter, but you can download the basic intro game for free.

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 09:15 AM (7YlUk)

12 Mr. Cambias' previous novel is A Darkling Sea.

Hum, same title as John Ringo's first novel in his new series.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 09:16 AM (wlDny)

13 I read "The Chaplain's War" by Brad R. Torgerson because his Sad Puppies campaign was mentioned here. I give it three-and-a-half stars (but gave it five stars on Goodreads to poke the SJWs in the eye--unless they're in to that).

Posted by: Turd Ferguson at May 10, 2015 09:16 AM (MYPM9)

14 Well ... er, one of the male models in the book series is a bit on the chunky side. Fran Libowitz once remarked that clothes are given to us to hide our figure flaws, of which the average person has fourteen.
I've been too tired to read much the last couple of nights: I've been putting together a chicken coop and doing the necessary re-landscaping - and I do have a nice copy of Robert and Hannah Litt's "A Chicken in Every Yard" which my daughter bought for us both to study.
I've also been working on the next book - plot involving a proper young Bostonian with a tangled family situation who finds a solution to it by going west as a Harvey Girl. (I think I mentioned this before on the book thread; Stephan Fried's "Appetite for America" is a wonderful and readable account of the first-ever semi-national hospitality corporation.)
Anyway, selected chapters of the latest are on my author website, and I will have pictures of the coop posted there before very long.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at May 10, 2015 09:18 AM (95iDF)

15 I just want to mention that I wrote a book, too. I don't know how much this crowd will like it, but it covers a lot--politics, economics, history, filthy Joooooz.....

Posted by: Adolf Hitler at May 10, 2015 09:18 AM (MYPM9)

16 Loved OM's opening -- "they fight." Also true about Malkin and Breitbart, with their ability to use humor to mock the left. To my taste Ann Coulter diminishes her fighting effectiveness by excessive bomb throwing.

Finished Eric Larson's "Thunderstruck." Not as enjoyable as "In the Garden of Beasts" and "The Devil in the White City." Looking forward to his "Dead Wake."

Reading Daniel Silva's "The Heist." One of the nice things about Silva's books is the elegant way he weaves background info for those new to the series or who may have forgotten earlier books.

Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 09:19 AM (qYWZ5)

17 Once upon a time I worked in an office that was undergoing the "austerity" model. It was exhibited by the refusal to purchase post-it notes in more than one color, a ban on buying Sharpies and refusal to buy quarter-sheet notepads.

I was the receptionist. I had various tracking forms for a busy office that I needed to read at a glance, so I had been using sharpies to mark them up.

when the ban on new Sharpie purchase came down, I collected a handful of crayons from the waiting room and started using those.

Please be aware, when you do paperwork with crayons, your co-workers go pinch-faced and display great dissatisfaction.

(Later I instituted the "Support Staff Coloring Contest" which bothered even more people, so I get the whole Coloring Books for Adults thing)

Posted by: Kindltot at May 10, 2015 09:20 AM (t//F+)

18 It was exhibited by the refusal to purchase post-it notes in more than one color...
Posted by: Kindltot
--

I love it when it's more for show than actually saving money. "Um, you know multi-color three pack costs the same as the all-yellow three pack, right?"

"Sure, but this way we LOOK cheaper."

Posted by: Turd Ferguson at May 10, 2015 09:24 AM (MYPM9)

19 Anyway, the "weird stress-reducing trick" is real, and it's something I didn't know, namely, that there is a big market for coloring books written for adults:

***

Any time I've been hospitalized, I've asked for coloring books to pass the time. It's a simple way to check out for a little while. It's the same reason that I watch equal parts news/politics and cartoons.

A few hours of Cartoon Network and you feel clean again.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at May 10, 2015 09:24 AM (PMlgt)

20 A few hours of Cartoon Network and you feel clean again.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse

I always feel dirty after watching Sponge Bob Squarepants....

Posted by: Harry Reid at May 10, 2015 09:25 AM (MYPM9)

21 Went to the library and picked up a Lindsey Davis book, The Ides Of April.

Lindsey Davis writes historical murder mysteries set in ancient Rome, where the main character is an 'informer', akin to a private detective. Good stories and good background details on what the life of everyday Romans was like back in the day. Quite enjoyable. But then, I took Latin in high school and translated Caesar's The Gallic Wars, among other works. I've always had a certain fascination with Ancient Rome.

It may be misogynist, but Davis is one of the few female writers I enjoy, besides Barbara Tuchman (but she's a real historian, not a fiction writer). I've read many female writes of sci-fi, fantasy, murder/mystery, etc., but I just can't get into the 'tone' of the stories. There's just something more gruff and gritty about a Mickey Spillane versus a Sue Grafton. I tried reading P.D. James, even Agatha Christie. Just couldn't get into them.

I also picked up at the library a Brad Thor novel, Act of War. I've enjoyed Thor's other books in a 'damn that's a pretty prophetic storyline' kind of way.

Posted by: RickZ at May 10, 2015 09:26 AM (dVYKF)

22 I've been reading some light novels.

"Is it wrong to pick up girls in a dungeon" has been quite enjoyable (and better than its adaptation). Take a D&D style set up, and explore the what that would mean in a world with dieties giving D&D style point ranking.

"A Certain Magical Index". Enjoyed the adaptation. A world of "Academy City" where ESPers are collected and trained with unspoken of darker intent. Throw in church officials who wield magic and things become interestng.

"Spice and Wolf". A harvest wolf goddess hitches a ride with a mercantile trader in a medieval setting, and whose adventures are based on economics. Very good.

"Haruhi Suzumiya" series. A teenage girl wants to look for ESPers, aliens, and time travelers. She puts together a high school club and collects the narrator... along with an ESPer, and alien, and a time traveler... none of whom she recognizes as anything but "normal" high school club members. Excellent series, and the adaptations are mostly excellent.

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 09:26 AM (7YlUk)

23 Vic @ #6:

Check out Baen books, and browse their free e-book section. There's some good stuff there.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at May 10, 2015 09:26 AM (0IhFx)

24 "One of the nice things about Silva's books is the elegant way he weaves background info for those new to the series or who may have forgotten earlier books."

On my short list of favorite Authors

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at May 10, 2015 09:28 AM (VPLuQ)

25 Brad Thor, sorry, not paying $12 for an ebook.

Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:28 AM (ZVynT)

26 Heh, I like your trigger warning for Corsair - I can see trigger warnings becoming a marketing ploy enticing you with all of the verboten stuff a books includes (Oh my stars and garters! It has gratuitous use of guns AND flagrant demonstrations of freedom of speech?! Maybe I'll just take a peek...)

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 09:29 AM (2TN4k)

27 While those mock-ups of the romance novels are kind of funny, they are mostly just painful. Yet, still, they aren't as painful as the actual romance covers.

Perhaps I am just terribly dense, but I cannot grasp the appeal of those books. I mean, JUST LOOK AT THEM!

There's a unicorn! A fecking unicorn!!!

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at May 10, 2015 09:29 AM (PMlgt)

28 @21 Female writers - I know what you mean, but have you tried J. A. Jance? To my mind, she writes both female and male characters well.

Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 09:30 AM (qYWZ5)

29 Re: Coloring books - I sometimes sketch out potential quilts on graph paper to see how color combinations would work before I get too far into a design, and it can be relaxing - as relaxing as actually working on the quilt.

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 09:31 AM (2TN4k)

30 25 Brad Thor, sorry, not paying $12 for a-n ebook.

Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:28 AM (ZVynT)

I didn't pay anything, unless I'm late returning the damn thing (which I've been known to be). Libraries are good for current novels. For serious books, I'll buy them and add them to my library.

Posted by: RickZ at May 10, 2015 09:32 AM (dVYKF)

31 Adding to Vic's comment. I check the Kindle Daily deals and doubt I find 2 books in a month. Damn near EVERYTHING is a romance in one way or another no matter the listed genre. It is amazing how little I care about the "heartbreaking struggle of a young woman" who might find "happiness in the arms of her true love". Or words to that effect. If I want heartbreaking romance, I'll re-read 'Romeo and Juliet'.

It's to the point where if I see the author is female, I skip over the book. If it wasn't for Sgt. Mom, Sabrina Chase, Donna Andrews, and a few others, I wouldn't read any fiction written by females.

This situation is also why so much of my fiction reading is re-reading and stories from over a century ago.

Rant off. (For the moment.)

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 09:32 AM (FvdPb)

32 23
Vic @ #6:

Check out Baen books, and browse their free e-book section. There's some good stuff there.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at May 10, 2015 09:26 AM (0IhFx)

Baen's free books have been on my list ever since I got my first Kindle and I have downloaded a LOT of them. But they are ones that I had almost all in dead tree versions already.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 09:32 AM (wlDny)

33 >>> I dated Xena.
Posted by: Brian Williams

I pegged Brian Williams.

Posted by: Xena at May 10, 2015 09:32 AM (Ua6T/)

34 Horace Walpole also wrote what is considered the first gothic novel, "The Castle of Otranto".

I preferred Lewis' lurid "The Monk", monastic debauchery covered in melted cheez.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at May 10, 2015 09:35 AM (jR7Wy)

35 >>While those mock-ups of the romance novels are kind of funny, they are mostly just painful. Yet, still, they aren't as painful as the actual romance covers.

Uh, at least real romance covers have buff men, not pasty pudgy homely dudes.

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 09:36 AM (2TN4k)

36 One of the things I enjoyed about Barry Eisler's John Rain books (before Eisler went SJW) was the insights into Japanese culture. Also enjoyed Clavell's "Shogun."

Any suggestions for other authors who give insights into Japanese culture?

Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 09:36 AM (qYWZ5)

37 Coloring is fun with colored pencils, or with markers.
Crayons are terrible, unless you get those pastel crayons in the art supplies (super oily so you can blend them).
Or get watercolor pencils, which you can also blend.

Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 09:36 AM (nsn2M)

38 I don't read anything over 140 characters.

Posted by: Millennial at May 10, 2015 09:37 AM (MYPM9)

39 ">>> I dated Xena.
Posted by: Brian Williams

I pegged Brian Williams."

Brian Williams is a Xenaphobe

Posted by: Peg at May 10, 2015 09:37 AM (VPLuQ)

40 I started Ayaan Hirsi Ali's "Infidel" this week. Halfway through "The Alto Wore Tweed" - fun read, recommended by OM. Halfway through "Bowerman and the Men of Oregon." Again, fun read. Bowerman was a character.

Name dropping a bit - for the morons that are runners, John L. Parker (Once a Runner) and Jack Welch (When Running was Young) are going to be at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene at the end of the month. Rumor has it that they might be doing a book signing.

Posted by: Long Running Fool at May 10, 2015 09:37 AM (/A5gb)

41 Any suggestions for other authors who give insights into Japanese culture?

***

Michelle Malkin

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at May 10, 2015 09:37 AM (PMlgt)

42 28 @21 Female writers - I know what you mean, but have you tried J. A. Jance?

No, never heard of her. Sounds interesting. Put her down on my list for the next time I go to the library. If I don't write down suggestions from the book thread for when I go the library, well, let's just say when I get there 'I forget and then get distracted'.

A man has got to know his limitations. Now if I can just remember where I put the damn paper with the list on it. But that's another story.

Posted by: RickZ at May 10, 2015 09:38 AM (dVYKF)

43 Is Joe Biden still doing covering books?

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at May 10, 2015 09:38 AM (VPLuQ)

44 Go read Sabrina Chase's Jinxers. It's a good read.

Presently got a 52k word rough first draft on a novel. So that's progress right?

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 09:38 AM (pOqmx)

45 Speaking of bodice rippers my wife gets some of those periodically. She takes them to doctor visits with her because she says she wants brain pablum in the waiting room and if she forgets it in the office she hasn't lost anything.

I almost asked her how much they cost but I wisely kept my mouth shut.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 09:39 AM (wlDny)

46 Is VIA still letting autocorrect change the meaning of his sentences?

Why yes...yes he is.

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at May 10, 2015 09:40 AM (VPLuQ)

47 ".... But some of those guys in the romance novel cover art appear to be buck naked. I never noticed that before. I mean, isn't that a little ridiculous: the woman is decked out in full, flowing period attire, but the guy is running around in his birthday suit."

Says someone who sounds like he wishes the ladies were buck naked instead of the other way around. Fair is fair. LOL

Posted by: Tuna at May 10, 2015 09:40 AM (JSovD)

48 I also enjoyed Clavell's books, and had them all in paperback. Unfortunately, during one of my many forced relocations they were discarded thinking them unimportant at the time.

Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:40 AM (ZVynT)

49 Is Joe Biden still doing covering books?

Posted by: Village Idiot's Apprentice at May 10, 2015 09:38 AM (VPLuQ)

He's into Japanese stuff now...

http://bit.ly/1FdIjVa

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 09:41 AM (7YlUk)

50 41 @NDH

Ouch.

Posted by: fluffy at May 10, 2015 09:42 AM (Ua6T/)

51 Heh, I like your trigger warning for Corsair - I can see trigger warnings becoming a marketing ploy enticing you with all of the verboten stuff a books includes (Oh my stars and garters! It has gratuitous use of guns AND flagrant demonstrations of freedom of speech?! Maybe I'll just take a peek...)

This is a great idea. It's like how the pr0n industry made a mockery of the MPAA 'X' rating back in the 1970s by advertising their movies rated XX, XXX, etc.

And certainly the whole "trigger warnings" thing needs to be mocked mercilessly.

Posted by: OregonMuse at May 10, 2015 09:42 AM (iQIuh)

52 Insight into Japanese WWII culture?
The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang
Return from the River Kwai
Prisoners of the Napanese by Dawes
Unbroken by Lauren Hillibrand

A Canterberry sort of historical tour of Japan is Meeting With Japan.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 09:44 AM (pOqmx)

53 Unusually good selection of Kindle Daily Deals today. 24 books, many with 4+ stars.

Robert Crais' "Indigo Slam" for $2.99 for anyone thinking about reading Crais. I liked it.

Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 09:44 AM (qYWZ5)

54 48
I also enjoyed Clavell's books, and had them all in paperback.
Unfortunately, during one of my many forced relocations they were
discarded thinking them unimportant at the time.

Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:40 AM (ZVynT)

I have them in paperback, hardback, and now kindle for the first three and Nobel House. I did not like King Rat so I have not downloaded that. My favorites are Shogun and Nobel House. I don't have the Whirlwind book (Iran) because I checked it out from the library. It is not available on the Kindle. If it becomes available I will probably get it.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 09:48 AM (wlDny)

55 Ouch.

***

That was the only thing I had to contribute, so I did.

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at May 10, 2015 09:49 AM (PMlgt)

56 Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 09:44 AM (pOqmx)

I read Iris Chang's Rape of Nanking years ago. Really great book, can't recommend it enough. Sad how she ended up, though.

Posted by: RickZ at May 10, 2015 09:50 AM (dVYKF)

57 The yard and garden claimed a lot of time this week so didn't get as much reading done as I like. Finished re-reading the second Matt Helm book, continued with the CS Lewis "Discarded Image" and read a lot of hobby related articles about fly tying, hand loading, and whittling.

I'm fighting the urge to re-re-re-read "King Solomon's Mines". I suspect I'm going to lose the struggle.

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 09:51 AM (FvdPb)

58 Your mention of Pamela Gellar's books reminds me that I have an Oriana Fallaci book on my "to read" pile, and my brother recommended I read Brigitte Gabriel about a year ago and I haven't even gotten around to tracking down one of her books (heard her interviewed on Hannity's show years ago - so I know it will likely be tough reading).
Argh!

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 09:51 AM (2TN4k)

59 g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at May 10, 2015 09:53 AM (KCxzN)

60 Bringing together today's topic of adult coloring books and NDH's loathing of unicorns in one neat package is "Unicorns Are Jerks: A Coloring Book Exposing the Cold, Hard, Sparkly Truth":

http://tinyurl.com/lrxgyjq

Posted by: All Hail Eris at May 10, 2015 09:55 AM (jR7Wy)

61
The commie scrunt, redpenny, who defended the defacing of a war memorial in the UK on VE day, was told to get some lube and go join ISIS. Ha!

Posted by: Bruce J. at May 10, 2015 09:55 AM (iQIUe)

62 Here's a secret tip for those trying to wade through the sea of randy werewolves and emo vampires in search of the good stuff, like spaceships and aliens with tentacles and ray guns.
- Go to Amazon and pick the Book section (or Kindle books if you know you want electrons)
- If you know the general area you are interested in (SF Fantasy, Space Opera, whatever) pick that from the list on the left side of the page
- Now, in the search box at the top, type the following:
-vampires -werewolves -paranormal -romance
and hit enter/search

the "-" flag works much like it does in Google search, it *removes* that term from the search results. It won't get all of the little bastards but it will make a big dent. You may have other betes noires to remove (me, I have no interest in zombies or apocalyptic fiction, and a few authors that are like kudzu and show up EVERYWHERE *koff*Galbadon*koff*)

Unfortunately you don't seem to be able to use regex expressions or anything more advanced (no multi-word tags or quote marks around phrases) but this still is useful.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at May 10, 2015 09:55 AM (GQdlU)

63 I am re-reading The Pirates of Ersatz by Murray Leinster.

It is spaceships, intrigue, barbarians, space pirates, bureaucracy, and a group of hapless fundamentalists doing their own interstellar voortrek.
The main character turned his back on his pirate upbringing and just wants to settle down as an electrical engineer and marry a nice girl. Instead he winds up doing all sorts of derring do.

Very fun.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 10, 2015 09:55 AM (t//F+)

64 Thanks, Sabrina - never knew that trick!

Galbaldon = kudzu *snort*

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 09:57 AM (2TN4k)

65 Bringing together today's topic of adult coloring books and NDH's loathing of unicorns in one neat package is "Unicorns Are Jerks: A Coloring Book Exposing the Cold, Hard, Sparkly Truth":

****

How in the world did you stumble upon that?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at May 10, 2015 10:00 AM (PMlgt)

66 Bringing together today's topic of adult coloring books and NDH's loathing of unicorns in one neat package is "Unicorns Are Jerks: A Coloring Book Exposing the Cold, Hard, Sparkly Truth":

****

How in the world did you stumble upon that?

Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at May 10, 2015 10:00 AM (PMlgt)

Canned unicorn meat:

http://bit.ly/1Pziuyo

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 10:02 AM (7YlUk)

67 Also:

What About Transgender Dragons?

Are you a H8r and Tansphobe? Are you a H8r who denies dragon-kin?

http://bit.ly/1PziEpo

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 10:03 AM (7YlUk)

68 NDH, I just searched on "adult coloring books" and there is was. You have to scroll down past the artier illustration and mandala books.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at May 10, 2015 10:04 AM (jR7Wy)

69 re:Nipon...William Gibson's "Idoru" is pretty good on the tech/scifi end of Japanese culture - especially now in light of Vocaloids [Hatsune Miku, etc]. And, PHat, what would you say about "Endless Eight" and Haruhi, hmm??
Love Horo, btw

Posted by: geezer der mensch at May 10, 2015 10:04 AM (DE31Y)

70 Good morning rons. Golden Angel finally made it to Kindle. HOORAY! One chapter away from Finishing the rough draft the Lady of Castle Dunn. My Daughter Read Jinxers by Sabrina Chase. Liked it a lot. Started a book called Pendulum of Justice by DK Halling. and other than that all is well.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:05 AM (KbNXw)

71 Whoever mentioned "The Alto Wore Tweed", prompted me to obtain a copy. Clearly written by a NC Moron, and pretty amusing at times. I'm going to have to research the author.

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:06 AM (MYyT1)

72 and for dry reading, try Calvin Cooledge's auto bio - I like the man and his dry New England style!

Posted by: geezer der mensch at May 10, 2015 10:06 AM (DE31Y)

73 And, PHat, what would you say about "Endless Eight" and Haruhi, hmm??
Love Horo, btw

Posted by: geezer der mensch at May 10, 2015 10:04 AM (DE31Y)

The animation staff took "Endless Eight" a bit too literally (guess they were saving up for the "Disappearance" movie).

And yes.... Holo (official translation) goes well with Belldandy and now Hestia as goddesses for worship... though the wall scrolls in my Den are of Holo...

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 10:07 AM (7YlUk)

74 I've been clearing out Dad's bookshelves since he went into a nursing home and I came across The Navy: A History - The Story of a Service in Action by Fletcher Pratt. Pratt was a writer that frequently wrote about naval matters from the 1930s to the 1950s. He developed a naval wargame that enjoyed quite a bit of popularity prior to WWII.

The book was an enjoyable read and Pratt's unstated theme was that the personalities of the officers drove how the U.S. Navy fought. Pratt has flair for using a bit of an old-fashioned vocabulary (he started as a free-lance journalist in the 1920s). The book had copyrights from 1938 and 1941 and was published before the Japanese attach on Pearl Harbor.

Pratt makes the observation that in modern naval warfare, a fleet in harbor is now an invitation to aerial attack. He was confident that the massive buildup of the Navy that was being planned in 1940 would limit the Japanese. This makes me think that one of the reasons the Japanese decided to attack when they did, besides feeling the pressure of the Roosevelt oil embargo, was that they saw the window of opportunity rapidly closing.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at May 10, 2015 10:10 AM (8+0sF)

75 This makes me think that one of the reasons the
Japanese decided to attack when they did, besides feeling the pressure
of the Roosevelt oil embargo, was that they saw the window of
opportunity rapidly closing.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop
-----------------

If you haven't, "At Dawn We Slept". The most comprehensive, and well-documented accounting of the lead-up to Pearl that I know. Extensive commentary regarding what the Japs were thinking/doing. Again, well-documented, references.

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:13 AM (MYyT1)

76 70
Good morning rons. Golden Angel finally made it to Kindle. HOORAY! One
chapter away from Finishing the rough draft the Lady of Castle Dunn. My
Daughter Read Jinxers by Sabrina Chase. Liked it a lot. Started a book
called Pendulum of Justice by DK Halling. and other than that all is
well.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:05 AM (KbNXw)

Aha, I see the Kindle now. AND only $5.00! As soon as I finish the book I am working on now I'll get it and then read the first and it after.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 10:13 AM (wlDny)

77 if you want to be unnerved, read "Hotel Iris", female Japanese author whose name I forget. Recommended on NPR [yeah, I know] a few years back, so there's that

Posted by: geezer der mensch at May 10, 2015 10:14 AM (DE31Y)

78 Jus' wanna say...

I appreciate the breadth and depth of knowledge and interests of the horde generally, but the book thread is always especially impressive, and humbling.

Thank you, Oregon Muse, for hosting the thread. (And thanks to our snoozing ringmaster his ewokship.)

Posted by: mindful webworker - one word at a time at May 10, 2015 10:14 AM (VQjKe)

79 71 ... Mike, I'm up to the seventh in the Liturgical Mysteries series. The books maintain that level of creative humor in the first one. My only concern is that I'll finish the series before the next one comes out.

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 10:15 AM (FvdPb)

80 Hitler was pro Muslim too. Another thing in common with modern liberals.

Posted by: Ayatollah Khamenei at May 10, 2015 10:15 AM (XrHO0)

81 Anyone would blanch at the smell of Xena's fingers.

Sidney Lumet's "Making Movies" is a great read.

Posted by: derit at May 10, 2015 10:16 AM (jT+gh)

82 Aha, I see the Kindle now. AND only $5.00! As soon as I finish the book I am working on now I'll get it and then read the first and it after.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 10:13 AM (wlDny)

Yeah, Price point is everything on E-Books. As Sabrina told me three years ago, "You're playing for beer money.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:17 AM (KbNXw)

83 At 800 and a few pages, At Dawn We Slept might cure insomnia.

But least we forget this book is part of a trilogy. There is Dec 7th which covers the day of the attack. And then Pearl Harbor the Verdict of History

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 10:17 AM (pOqmx)

84 Happy Day!, you Mothers.

If you can't be there, call your mother. I wish I could call mine.

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:17 AM (MYyT1)

85 Thank you, Oregon Muse, for hosting the thread. (And thanks to our snoozing ringmaster his ewokship.)

Posted by: mindful webworker - one word at a time at May 10, 2015 10:14 AM (VQjKe)

The weekend is the time of the Cobs.

To Oregon Muse, and the rest of the Cobs, thank you for ALL your efforts.

Posted by: The Political Hat at May 10, 2015 10:18 AM (7YlUk)

86 Mike, I'm up to the seventh in the Liturgical
Mysteries series. The books maintain that level of creative humor in the
first one. My only concern is that I'll finish the series before the
next one comes out.

Posted by: JTB
------------------

Well, it casually entertaining stuff, light, amusing reading, but so far I have enjoyed it. Know anything about the author?

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:21 AM (MYyT1)

87 Just picked up Matthew Reilly's "The Great Zoo of
China" (kindle) for $1.99! AtC had recommended Reilly, and I loved "Temple" - like an Indiana Jones adventure, pure escapism.

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 10:21 AM (2TN4k)

88 I read Bone Mountain, the third book in the Inspector Shan series by Eliot Pattison. I thought this was the best work of the series so far. The main character, Shan, is a disgraced Beijing inspector who was sent to a Tibetan prison work camp when he found economic corruption by a person with too much political clout.

The adventure/detective plots are good, but the real richness of these books are in the descriptions of Tibet, its peoples and their customs, and Tibetan Buddhism. In Bone Mountain, Shan is learning much from the lamas and is growing within. As he says he is having "an incarnation in the same body."

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I too am growing within from reading it.

Posted by: Zoltan at May 10, 2015 10:21 AM (eLZwy)

89 If you haven't, "At Dawn We Slept". The most comprehensive, and well-documented accounting of the lead-up to Pearl that I know. Extensive commentary regarding what the Japs were thinking/doing. Again, well-documented, references.

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:13 AM (MYyT1)

Thanks for the recommendation; I have not read it. I will have to see if Dad has the book on his shelves somewhere; it won't surprise me if he does since he was a career Navy officer and interested in naval history.

My interests have previously been more on the military hardware. I think Pratt's theme that personality drives combat decisions is very valid.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at May 10, 2015 10:21 AM (8+0sF)

90 I appreciate the breadth and depth of knowledge and interests of the horde generally, but the book thread is always especially impressive, and humbling.

Posted by: mindful webworker - one word at a time at May 10, 2015 10:14 AM (VQjKe)

Good sentiment. If it wasn't for the help and support of the people here I would have never finished my first book much less sold thousands of copies and almost be finished with a third one.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:22 AM (KbNXw)

91 Huh huh, huh huh. He said flowing period.

Posted by: Butt-head at May 10, 2015 10:25 AM (IN7k+)

92 Read the 2nd Cadfael book as a fun read and continued with the When Christ and the Saints slept historical novel of Stephen and Maude fighting for the British crown around 1140. The Cadfael novel was set around one of the events in that civil war, was fun to read that take on it.

Buying Cadfael on kindle feels foolish because the series is so old I don't know if the author is still alive to get any royalty but I'll probably indulge myself anyway rather than find time for library runs and possibly awaken the wrist tendonitis from holding real books.

Posted by: PaleRider at May 10, 2015 10:26 AM (7w/kf)

93 Don't know much about the political views of Barry Strauss either but interestingly he includes "divine providence" among the factors of a successful battle in his book "Masters of Command." An excellent writer and given a VDH blurb on his latest--"The Death of Caesar."

PM to Jim Cambias: your dad left his cell phone at my house last week. So if you call him, you'll get me----Louie in MS.

Posted by: Libra at May 10, 2015 10:26 AM (GblmV)

94 Listened to John Ringo's A Hymn Before Battle (Posleen War #1). Space aliens arrive and want Earthers to help battle other bad aliens. Decent military sci-fi but didn't grab me much. Normally Ringo is a very entertaining writer but this was just OK to me.

Read Candide by Voltaire. Speaking of trigger warnings, as it was published in 1759 it's frequently politically incorrect. For example after Candide is kicked out of his home it is attacked and his squeeze Cun�gonde is raped many times then murdered. Then she just turns
up, saying she got better. Other murdered characters also keep getting
resurrected.

Fun wacky story that mocks the philosophy that
whatever happens must be for the best, that this is the best of all
possible worlds. Candide believes this, no matter how many terrible
things happen to him and his companions. Excellent short novel reminiscent of Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Posted by: waelse1 at May 10, 2015 10:27 AM (x+P8L)

95 >>> Anyone would blanch at the smell of Xena's fingers.

Fuck you, Pal. Just fuck you.

Posted by: Gabrielle at May 10, 2015 10:27 AM (Ua6T/)

96 82 Yeah, Price point is everything on E-Books. As Sabrina told me three years ago, "You're playing for beer money.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:17 AM (KbNXw)

Somebody needs to tell John Ringo and David Weber that.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 10:28 AM (wlDny)

97 Does anyone else stockpile books in a certain genre or by a particular author? I'm doing that with CS Lewis. This week I got copies of "Experiment in Criticism" and "Yours, Jack". The latter is a compendium of his correspondence over the decades. Much more accessible than the three volumes of his letters. There are a number of others that I have on the shelf waiting to be read, knowing I'm likely to enjoy them even if it takes a few years to get through them all. I think I enjoy his academic writings even more than the religious apologia.

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 10:29 AM (FvdPb)

98 The last coloring book I ever had was "The Adventures of CB Rabbit, Giant Story Coloring Book". My life fades. The vision dims. All that remains are memories.

Posted by: A burnt out, desolate man at May 10, 2015 10:29 AM (9FaY6)

99 Retired - There are copies at ABE Books. If your are interested, search "ABE Books free shipping", open that page, then scroll down to the "Search for books with free shipping". Enter At Dawn We Slept, there are many available for $3.00- $4.00, NO Shipping cost!

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:30 AM (MYyT1)

100 Just read Patrick Rothfuss, "The Slow Regard of Silent Things." He's one of the best, if not the best, writers of fantasy fiction. While we're waiting for the third book in his series, he wrote a novella that is just brilliant, beautifully written, lovely.

Posted by: Smallish Bees at May 10, 2015 10:30 AM (YPgXi)

101 Japanese culture - I seem to recall enjoying Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoko.
Historical with samurai - missionary gal romance, but written in a sort of literary emo style.

Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 10:30 AM (e+EMw)

102 Japanese culture - I seem to recall enjoying Cloud of Sparrows by Takashi Matsuoko.
Historical with samurai - missionary gal romance, but written in a sort of literary emo style.
Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 10:30 AM (e+EMw)

I Read a book a long time ago called Geisha. It was really good if I remember correctly.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:31 AM (KbNXw)

103
Does anyone else stockpile books in a certain genre or by a particular author?
--------------

C.S. Forster
P.G. Wodehouse
John Fox
Anthony Trollope
Thackery

Weird, huh? It's almost as If I long for another age.

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:33 AM (MYyT1)

104 Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. That was it.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:34 AM (KbNXw)

105 Off to Church.

Posted by: Mike hammer, on leave from Camp Banhammer at May 10, 2015 10:35 AM (MYyT1)

106 EK didn't want to read May the Circle be Unbroken (she said it looked like To Kill a Mockingbird with black main characters and she already read TKaM this year) for English so chose Fahrenheit 451. Which is $10 on Kindle so we went to the library. The librarian was completely unfamiliar with the book or Ray Bradbury. They do stock 3 copies but 2 were out (when we repeated title and author a couple of times) and the third wasn't on the shelf (we found it on the end cap once we knew it had to be there somewhere).

Anyway, I remembered I hadn't read Jim Butcher's newest so picked that up. I really liked it. A quick read for tbe size and back to the witty/snarky dialog I liked in the older ones.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at May 10, 2015 10:35 AM (GDulk)

107 I would ask the Horde to see who would like to a peek at that story and offer advice, but with the lingering threat of my stalker still reading this place. That option has been curtailed. Alas.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 10:36 AM (pOqmx)

108 Posted by: Smallish Bees at May 10, 2015 10:30 AM (YPgXi)

I really enjoyed the first book of the series, waiting for #3 to be finished before continuing with it. Everyone seems to think he's slower than GRRM.

Posted by: waelse1 at May 10, 2015 10:36 AM (x+P8L)

109 I would ask the Horde to see who would like to a peek at that story and offer advice, but with the lingering threat of my stalker still reading this place. That option has been curtailed. Alas.
Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 10:36 AM (pOqmx)

I'm on it, It's on the top of the pile, finally.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:37 AM (KbNXw)

110 My copy of Moby Dick is one with all the Rockwell Kent images, and if you want to see some excellent book art, go here.

http://book-graphics.blogspot.com/2013/08/moby-dick-or-whale-illustrated-by.html

I love books with good illustrations, and this has the best of both: a classic story, and mystical pictures.

You can visit one of the places Kent lived, where he had a studio and did a lot of his larger landscape pieces. Asgaard Farm is in Ausable Forks, NY, in the beautiful historic valley of the river's east branch, with spectacular views of Whiteface mountain and the surrounding Adirondacks.

Operated today as a livestock ranch, the shop there sells some very good goat cheese and some other specialties.

Posted by: the littl shyning man at May 10, 2015 10:37 AM (U6f54)

111 @101 - Thank you. Added to my Wishlist.

@102 - OSP, "Memiors of a Geisha?"

Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 10:38 AM (qYWZ5)

112 Mike, I only know the author through his website. Do a search on Mark Schweizer. The site is also a lot of fun. Don't miss the audio files.

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 10:39 AM (FvdPb)

113 @102 - OSP, "Memiors of a Geisha?"
Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 10:38 AM (qYWZ5)

YEP

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:39 AM (KbNXw)

114 113 @102 - OSP, "Memiors of a Geisha?"
Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 10:38 AM (qYWZ5)

YEP
Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:39 AM (KbNXw)

I discovered how I know for sure a book is awesome. The make it into a FKD up movie.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:41 AM (KbNXw)

115 I'd love to buy Mr. Cambias latest and support a moron author (as I have in the past many times), but I ain't payng $13 for a Kindle copy. Hard cover - fine. Paper back/trade - maybe. Kindle? No way. I've read a lot of great books and short story authors who lurk and post here, but they've been reasonable for their Kindle prices - $5 or less.

And speaking of Female Authors, I've been reading Tanya Huff recently - lots of books from scifi to fantasy to humor.

I would also recommend T. Kingfisher (look up "Nine Goblins" on Amazon) - great stuff and fun reads.

One last recommendation: "Grunts" by Mary Gentile. It's about a war band of Orcs who pick up the Marine Corp esprit de corps - funny and witty. Also has touches of AOS lifestyle.

Posted by: Teafran at May 10, 2015 10:41 AM (6awKZ)

116 "Million Mons' rally in DC"

Posted by: colin at May 10, 2015 09:05 AM (BO1b9)

Isn't that a bit sexist and objectifying?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 10, 2015 10:43 AM (Zu3d9)

117 Posted by: Teafran at May 10, 2015 10:41 AM (6awKZ)

Try my foundation Novel Amy Lynn. It's only $4.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 10:43 AM (KbNXw)

118 Oh and for authentic Japanese culture, try the Tale of Genji.

Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 10:43 AM (HTvgV)

119 I just started "The Mechanical" by ian Tregillis.

"The Mechanical" is an alternate history where the Dutch are a major world power. And have created a 'class" of servant "clackers" - using clockwork bodies and souls engineered through alchemy.

The "clackers" yearn to be free but cannot, thanks to the alchemy holding them in place.

I highly recommend Tregillis as a writer of SF/fastasy/adventure mash-ups after reading his "Milkweed Trilogy", which I've mentioned before.

The "Milkweed Trilogy" starts with "Bitter Seeds" and concerns an alternate WWII and Cold War where British conjure Lovecraftian horrors thru blood magic to fight German Supermen created with psychic powers created through surgery and electronics.

I know, I know how it sounds but "Milkweed Trilogy" gets my highest recommendation for this type of book.

Great writing, great characters, great plotting.

Can't say if "The Mechanical" will reach the heights of "Milkweed Trilogy" but I'll let you know.

Posted by: naturalfake at May 10, 2015 10:45 AM (KUa85)

120 If Memoirs of a Geisha captivates you, in meeting with Japan the Italian author weaves in a tale about a cross cultural romance two acquaintances of his are in. Part of the story intersects with the tea houses and geishas. And yes there is one time geishas do blacken their front teeth.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 10:46 AM (pOqmx)

121 Four inches of new snow outside, blanketing my roses, my hostas, my everything. I wonder how the fully-leafed-out trees are going to like this.

It has become a Mothers' Day tradition in Denver.

Posted by: the littl shyning man at May 10, 2015 10:47 AM (U6f54)

122 With the conservative blogosphere bringing Pam Geller back into the fold all they have to do is reach out to Jeff Goldstein and the band will be back in business and touring again.

Posted by: Kreplach at May 10, 2015 10:48 AM (fc5kv)

123 26 murders in Charm City since Freddy Gray.

Silence.

Posted by: RWC - team BOHICA at May 10, 2015 10:48 AM (XAFOu)

124 "I would hate to think that in order to win against an evil and ruthless foe, we have to be even more evil and ruthless."
-- OregonMuse

I think the comparison between Rome and our current situation has some merit, but the evil and ruthlessness that is required now is political and social...not violent.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 10, 2015 10:49 AM (Zu3d9)

125 >>Four inches of new snow outside, blanketing my roses, my hostas, my everything.

I was out shaking snow and ice off of my lilac bushes at about 6:30 am - most branches are so bent I hope they recover!

Posted by: Lizzy at May 10, 2015 10:51 AM (2TN4k)

126 Via Instapundit, a link to a well-written defense of Geller's event by Carl Cannon -- "From Guadalcanal to Garland: Why We Fight" -- http://bit.ly/1IriP7p

Posted by: doug at May 10, 2015 10:51 AM (qYWZ5)

127

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.

-Groucho Marx

...lest the chain be unbroken...

Posted by: BackwardsBoy, who did not vote for this sh1t at May 10, 2015 10:51 AM (0HooB)

128 From the 1938 book Jungle Patrol:

It was Colonel Alexander Rodgers of the 6th Cavalry who accomplished by taking advantage of religious prejudice what the bayonets and Krags had been unable to accomplish. Rodgers inaugurated a system of burying all dead juramentados in a common grave with the carcasses of slaughtered pigs. The Mohammedan religion forbids contact with pork; and this relatively simple device resulted in the withdrawal of juramentados to sections not containing a Rodgers. Other officers took up the principle, adding new refinements to make it additionally unattractive to the Moros. In some sections the Moro juramentado was beheaded after death and the head sewn inside the carcass of a pig. And so the rite of running juramentado, at least semi-religious in character, ceased to be in Sulu. The last cases of this religious mania occurred in the early decades of the century. The juramentados were replaced by the amucks ... who were simply homicidal maniacs with no religious significance attaching to their acts.

Posted by: OTB at May 10, 2015 10:52 AM (s91DN)

129 Snow on Mother's Day - that's just wrong.

Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 10:53 AM (V+xAQ)

130 Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 10:36 AM (pOqmx)

Maybe OregonMuse could act as a filter for you?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 10, 2015 10:53 AM (Zu3d9)

131 It is intent behind the ruthlessness that sets apart say the Horde versus the Soviet Justice Wankers.

We become ruthless to protect kin and hearth. The SJW are ruthless to prove how correct they are.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 10:54 AM (pOqmx)

132 96 Vic the Aged and Wise
Ringo and Weber don't have control over their ebook prices -- Baen, their publisher, does. One of the huge advantages to being an indie writer is I can set my own prices. The legacy big publishers are *still* trying to kill ebooks by setting the price at or above the print price, and they get all confused by the scampering mammals running around their huge reptilian feet and eating their lunch (indies are taking over their market share, in aggregate http://bit.ly/1EXGv0v ) Now Baen is more like the velociraptor in this analogy -- fast and clever-- so I don't know why they haven't dropped their ebook prices more. Toni probably has a Cunning Plan(tm) that involves world takeover, spiffy uniforms, etc.

Ebooks really don't take that much money to make. There's the writing, but authors do that without being paid first (they will want to be paid *later* of course). I do everything except the cover art and editing myself, and I have a full-time day job. No family, but I do have the day job, and I STILL produce two books a year on average, and earn back my expenses and make a profit. All while keeping my books priced in a range the average person can afford. If I can do it, so can they.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at May 10, 2015 10:54 AM (GQdlU)

133 128 That's sad. Think of all the wasted bacon.

Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 10:55 AM (fAyOF)

134 92 Read the 2nd Cadfael book as a fun read and continued with the When Christ and the Saints slept historical novel of Stephen and Maude fighting for the British crown around 1140. The Cadfael novel was set around one of the events in that civil war, was fun to read that take on it.

Buying Cadfael on kindle feels foolish because the series is so old I don't know if the author is still alive to get any royalty but I'll probably indulge myself anyway rather than find time for library runs and possibly awaken the wrist tendonitis from holding real books.

Posted by: PaleRider at May 10, 2015 10:26 AM (7w/kf)

********

Somewhere in a box in the attic I have all the Brother Cadfael novels in paperback. I bought and read them in the late 90s. I'm thinking I need to go searching for them.

Edith Pargeter, the pen name for the author Ellis Peters, died in 1995. Check out her biography on Wikipedia and other places. She seems like an interesting lady.

I've also been thinking about repurchasing the Cadfael books on Kindle because of the osteoarthritis in my hands. It's so much easier to read that way. As it is, most of the time when I read a "real" book anymore, I place it in an easel type book holder and prop it up on the table in front of me.

Posted by: Elinor, Who Usually Looks Lurkily at May 10, 2015 10:58 AM (NqQAS)

135 I'm in Lisbon. It's a peek into the future of a great and wealthy world power humbled and decaying. Still beautiful but not what it was

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 10:58 AM (5t0Mq)

136

Those romance novel covers were parody, right?

The males(?) are such pasty white flab bodies it's embarrassing to look at.

Posted by: irongrampa at May 10, 2015 10:59 AM (jeCnD)

137 Well time to scoot. Have a great day everyone.

Thanks OSP

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 10, 2015 11:00 AM (pOqmx)

138 Reading the last installment of Manchester's biography of Churchill, The Last Lion

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 11:00 AM (5t0Mq)

139 About 10 days ago my wife brought home a 12 year old coon hound. She does volunteer work for a place called Carolina loving hound rescue. It was a foster dog. His name was Poppie. Long story short. He was a mess. Abused for years, emaciated, half blind and wouldn't you know it. He bonded with me. He had never been inside so he pooped and peed all over the house. I ran around behind him with a mope rueing the day my wife brought him home. By day three he began to perk up. He sat with his head on my leg while I wrote. He quickly figured out he would rather do his business outside. He would pace until I sat on the floor then he would plop down on my lap and sleep. Last wednesday he took a quick turn for the worse and by wednesday evening he was dead. I did my radio show thursday night and for the first three minutes ended up crying like Glenn Beck while I talked about him. Anyway, I think he will be my first short story. I'm going to call it Six Days with Poppie and if it makes any money I'll give to the Animal Rescue.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 11:01 AM (KbNXw)

140 133 Think of terrified rag heads shitting their pants.

Posted by: OTB at May 10, 2015 11:03 AM (s91DN)

141 OSP, sorry, I could not finish your comment at #139, I got something in my eye here...

Posted by: OregonMuse at May 10, 2015 11:05 AM (iQIuh)

142 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 11:01 AM (KbNXw)

About to bawl here, and I'm not over-fond of dogs. At least he had those couple days of love and *home* at the end. I'm not sure there's any greater service a human can do for a fellow creature.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at May 10, 2015 11:06 AM (GDulk)

143 OSP. Wow. How wonderful you gave him the serene gift of care, comfort, affection and peace in his last days..

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 11:06 AM (5t0Mq)

144 One of the more esoteric sorts of romance novels are those aimed at the female Mennonite market: check the book rack in any supermarket that serves a Mennonite population if you don't believe me.

I call 'em "Mennonite bodice rippers." They aren't, but in this case mere fact must give way to (my) art.

Posted by: PersonFromPorlock at May 10, 2015 11:06 AM (U4QC6)

145 RIP Poppie.

Posted by: @votermom at May 10, 2015 11:07 AM (VJb54)

146 132 Posted by: Sabrina Chase at May 10, 2015 10:54 AM (GQdlU)

You're right and I knew that, sometimes I just forget. But sadly Baen did not always be that way. I think it has become more like the "old hands" in publishing since Jim Baen died.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 11:07 AM (wlDny)

147 Six Days with Poppie . . .

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 11:01 AM (KbNXw)

*********

I think I got the sniffles.

Posted by: Elinor, Who Usually Looks Lurkily at May 10, 2015 11:08 AM (NqQAS)

148 From the sidebar...dyslexia reads Porn Vending Machines...instead of porn and video games...

Posted by: Mr Wizard at May 10, 2015 11:09 AM (vNlkp)

149 I just don't think you can do better for anyone than that.

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 11:09 AM (5t0Mq)

150 139 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 11:01 AM (KbNXw)

Sad OSP, sad. And the people who had him before will probably get another dog and do the same.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 11:10 AM (wlDny)

151 ThunderB: my grandparents lived there. We'd go to Lisbon regularly until we moved them out.

Portugal was always backward. Even the Portuguese kings despised the place; first chance they got, they moved the palace to Brasil.

Portugal got sort-of wealthy in its own right with the EU - which moneys then got spent on construction, partly on resorts for rich Europeans, partly on housing-projects for immigrants. Now the money's run out.

I have a few impressions: my grandparents had roll-down window-shutters, not Venetian blinds. This is because the home invasion rate was astronomical.

Also, the Portuguese had lovely tiling on the outside of their walls. The Moorish tiling was multicoloured and geometric. The imperial-era tiling was blue and white and depicted pictures. Some of the latter dealt with the Portuguese pushing out the Moors. When I went there for the last time - 2002 - someone had chipped away the faces of the Portuguese on those tiles.

Portugal is boned, sorry to say. Keep your purse close to you at all times.

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 10, 2015 11:10 AM (AVEe1)

152 "We become ruthless to protect kin and hearth. The SJW are ruthless to prove how correct they are."

I think there is a lot of truth in that.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at May 10, 2015 11:11 AM (GDulk)

153 Fully boned. The fled to Brazil when Napoleon was stomping through Europe, but came back.

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 11:12 AM (5t0Mq)

154 Hi all! I'm reissuing my Rolling Stone masterpiece as a bodice ripper romance between Jackie and the Phi Psi house. Brian Williams has graciously agreed to coauthor the new format with me, as he has a fresh and fun take on rape to add to my more ominous approach, and so we are looking for a good cover artist! Drop me a tweet!

Posted by: Sabrina Rubin Erdely at May 10, 2015 11:13 AM (DwF62)

155 Yes, I believe ISIS when they say they want to conquer Rome. Say this about those barbarians--they are as honest as George Washington or Abe Lincoln when it comes to articulating their intentions.
So what would the West do if Rome was reduced to a pile of marble? Probably nothing. Oh, I'm sure the EU or NATO would fire off a letter to someone; And there might even be half-hearted attempts at discussing a military solution. But I truly believe the most common response of the average Westerner would be something along the lines of, "Oh well, it's a shame. But we must not allow this to give free rein to the violent impulses of those who would use this event to harm Muslims, or defame Islam. Otherwise, the terrorists would win..."

Deep down in the collective memory of the Christian West, there is a a knowledge of exactly what needs to be done in order to eradicate the scourge that is radical Islam. It's there. But it's buried under layers and layers of politically correct bullshit. But it's still there.

Posted by: JoeF. at May 10, 2015 11:13 AM (8HGb7)

156 Arabs ruled Portugal for 400 years.

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 11:16 AM (5t0Mq)

157 One of the more esoteric sorts of romance novels are those aimed at the female Mennonite market: check the book rack in any supermarket that serves a Mennonite population if you don't believe me.

There also appears to be a huge market for romance novels about Amish or Mennonite characters aimed at evangelical Christians.

The plot is usually it's something along the lines of "Pretty Amish lass falls for handsome English outsider and zany hijinks ensue".

I wonder if we're talking about the same thing...?

Posted by: OregonMuse at May 10, 2015 11:16 AM (iQIuh)

158 Arabs ruled Portugal for 400 years.

And Spain for 700, Sicily for 200 and other parts of Europe for varying degrees of time. To "them", it's still theirs.

Posted by: JoeF. at May 10, 2015 11:20 AM (8HGb7)

159 155 We need to go Old School.

Posted by: OTB at May 10, 2015 11:20 AM (s91DN)

160 After reading the "Weird Stress-Reducing Trick" and the "Frumious Bandersnatch" hyper-text link, it brought to mind my way of handling things when things go haywire - I memorize poems. Something beautiful or whimsical depending on the situation.

Posted by: mrp at May 10, 2015 11:21 AM (JBggj)

161 Has it occurred to anyone that the Left is scared shitless that, if it becomes vogue to flout Islamist political correctness, it might then become acceptable to question theirs? That Freedom of Speech stuff is skeery.

Posted by: Pappy O'Daniel at May 10, 2015 11:22 AM (oVJmc)

162 Later rons. Happy Mothers day to the moms.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 11:24 AM (KbNXw)

163 Bye OSP. Take it easy

Posted by: Thunder B, Shapeshifter at May 10, 2015 11:25 AM (5t0Mq)

164 Was looking to re-read weirddaves letter to a Baltimore protestor but it's gone now?

Censorship or a bow to urban terrorists?

Anyway, great piece.

Posted by: scottst at May 10, 2015 11:26 AM (Ltygl)

165 I try not to like Donald Trump. But sometimes he opens his mouth, says what he really feels, and I want to shake his hand, pat him on the back, and say, ''Thank you. Somebody had to say it.'' Pam Geller, same thing.

This Republican primary season could be the best evah, or a nightmare.

Posted by: SE Pa Moron at May 10, 2015 11:29 AM (xQX/f)

166 Posted by: scottst at May 10, 2015 11:26 AM (Ltygl)

I strongly suspect weirddave took it down himself when a couple commenters repeatedly couldn't *not* "go there".

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at May 10, 2015 11:33 AM (GDulk)

167 I got the audio book "Prince Of Thorn" I just can't get into it, the main character see his mother and brother murdered and he gets thrown into a thorn bush, Father/King does nothing to about the Murders. The son frees a band of mercenaries and he joins them, he becomes a Murder, Rapist. The book lost me when he is raping a farm girl and kills her and that is in the first chapters. The main character is just such an asshole.

Posted by: Patrick from Ohio at May 10, 2015 11:34 AM (CxEX+)

168 Have a great day Mom'ettes!!

Posted by: Diogenes at May 10, 2015 11:36 AM (08Znv)

169 The whole Ebola issue made me go back and reread The Hot Zone. Next, by the same author, a book that I had never read, 'The Demon in the Freezer', about smallpox. The latter will curl your toes at the mere implication of having such microbial matter in existence, anywhere in the world. In these days of terrorism, the idea that we don't really know the location of all of these samples is chilling.

As to 'coloring books', rock on. But I do bristle at the bit about it being 'easier than knitting'. It actually isn't. Basic handcrafts are basic. My only reservation is that I think in general, people are abandoning hand skills for things that don't produce better results. Anything that is a skill merely takes practice, not necessarily talent. I picked up knitting and crocheting recently and it's a whole new happy world for me. It doesn't take much and you can be taught by instructors, books or even videos on the internet.

Someone in this thread mentioned quilting, something else that I'd like to try, even though I'm not a seamstress. The aforementioned has given me the courage to check it out.

Posted by: tired at May 10, 2015 11:38 AM (adOUE)

170 OSP you have definatlely earned you place in heaven. You are a hero if the first order.

Posted by: Ms. M at May 10, 2015 11:43 AM (MBEYv)

171

Note that Runaway Trane, is no longer on pre-order for Nook. Released yesterday. Will start reading it after I finish the latest installment of the Lost Fleet space opera by Jack Campbell, which was released last Tuesday. This is probably the 10th (or so) in the series and I have yet to be disappointed by one. Each stands in its own right and there a no loose-ends that plague some other popular series (yes GoT and Wheel of Time, I'm talking to you).

Posted by: Sketchy at May 10, 2015 11:48 AM (7RHQv)

172 I just finished Citizen of The Galaxy, by Robert Heinlien.

Such a Great book, What's sad is that his books would not pass the SJW muster.

Posted by: Patrick from Ohio at May 10, 2015 11:50 AM (CxEX+)

173 Nood.

Posted by: Y-not at May 10, 2015 11:51 AM (9BRsg)

174 132 96 Vic the Aged and Wise
Ringo and Weber don't have control over their ebook prices -- Baen, their publisher, does. One of the huge advantages to being an indie writer is I can set my own prices. The legacy big publishers are *still* trying to kill ebooks by setting the price at or above the print price, and they get all confused by the scampering mammals running around their huge reptilian feet and eating their lunch (indies are taking over their market share, in aggregate http://bit.ly/1EXGv0v ) Now Baen is more like the velociraptor in this analogy -- fast and clever-- so I don't know why they haven't dropped their ebook prices more. Toni probably has a Cunning Plan(tm) that involves world takeover, spiffy uniforms, etc.

Ebooks really don't take that much money to make. There's the writing, but authors do that without being paid first (they will want to be paid *later* of course). I do everything except the cover art and editing myself, and I have a full-time day job. No family, but I do have the day job, and I STILL produce two books a year on average, and earn back my expenses and make a profit. All while keeping my books priced in a range the average person can afford. If I can do it, so can they.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at May 10, 2015 10:54 AM (GQdlU)

IIRC, Toni W and Baen raised their prices about $2-3 when Amazon started selling their e-books, to match the other Amazon prices. ???I think they had to, in order to get Amazon to carry them?

For a while, the Baen Free Library even disappeared. The webmaster they love to kill in their books even took down his copies of the Author's CDs from his website for a few months.

I am happy that Baen authors have more visibilty, and their sales will go up, but I miss the slightly cheaper prices.

Posted by: rd at May 10, 2015 12:06 PM (nQfHO)

175 172
I just finished Citizen of The Galaxy, by Robert Heinlien.

Such a Great book, What's sad is that his books would not pass the SJW muster.

Posted by: Patrick from Ohio at May 10, 2015 11:50 AM (CxEX+)

That is one that is up there as his best, and it is classified as one of his youth series.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 12:19 PM (wlDny)

176 "I see this a lot in the news coming out of Great Britain, the "shari'a only" zones, the Muslim enclaves, the out-and-out aggressive push to establish some sort of Islamicized culture (with the assistance of loathsome tools such as George Galloway) and the leaders of that country, hamstrung by the canons of political correctness, all seem to be just standing around with their hands in their pockets, watching it all happen. What's it going to take for them to wake up?"

I can't vouch for the rest of Europe but I can tell you that the Brits do not care one bit about islamization. It is not their priority. Being money-oriented people they only care about money, as long as the money flow, they will happily enslave themselves in sharia law.

It is impressive how everybody treats it as a non issue. It could be that the majority of muslims comes from that part of Asia that was once under their control and therefore it's the old white guilt.

Posted by: fromabroad at May 10, 2015 12:23 PM (rnV3B)

177 How would the West respond? Would we pass the test? On the birthday of our civilization, the answer is unclear.

You misspelled 'nuclear'.

Posted by: chipotle at May 10, 2015 12:25 PM (/pxOE)

178 "15
I just want to mention that I wrote a book, too. I don't know how much
this crowd will like it, but it covers a lot--politics, economics,
history, filthy Joooooz.....

Posted by: Adolf Hitler at May 10, 2015 09:18 AM (MYPM9)"

Since we are on the subject of romance novels, has anybody here read my book, "Zabiba and the King"?

Posted by: Saddam Hussein at May 10, 2015 12:43 PM (KDbAT)

179 Word that Allen West has capitulated to Islam as well.

http://bit.ly/1bI7xx0

Posted by: RushBabe at May 10, 2015 12:47 PM (zdw2Z)

180 I've been reading mysteries lately. I read "The Last Detective" by Peter Lovesey, first in his Peter Diamond series, on a trip and passed it on to my father and another traveler. We all liked the book until the last 20 pages or so, where the author reveals who the murderer really is, which was a disappointing and somewhat unbelievable finish. If I hadn't already bought the second book in the series, "Diamond Solitaire", I wouldn't have bothered to read it, but since I had it I went ahead and read it. It is a much better book, about an autistic Japanese girl who suddenly shows up in Harrods overnight, and the hunt to find out who she is and why she's been abandoned.

I've also recently read "Murder on the Mauretania", by Condrad Allen, and am currently reading "Murder on the Minnesota", the 2nd and 3rd books in a series set on steamships during the early 1900's. They're basically English country house mysteries, but on a ship instead of in a house. Entertaining fluff.

Posted by: biancaneve at May 10, 2015 12:49 PM (Zl68m)

181 You misspelled 'nuclear'.

Or mispronounced it. That invalidates the point you were trying to make. Hater.

Posted by: MSM and your betters... at May 10, 2015 12:53 PM (8HGb7)

182 First :
I don't need a book telling me what Obama is doing to America.

I need a book telling me how to stop Obama's destruction of the country I was born into.
Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:11 AM (ZVynT)

I think this may have some of what you're looking for, but "The Liberty Amendments," calling for the states to take back the Constitution, is having some tough going...

http://amzn.to/1HaQF00

Posted by: RushBabe at May 10, 2015 12:53 PM (zdw2Z)

183 I have that Secret Garden coloring book. It is really gorgeous. I haven't done more than half the first two-page spread, though. It's hard to come up with a good coloring scheme for each flower that I haven't already used.

Posted by: Mrs. Peel at May 10, 2015 12:56 PM (1EtXn)

184 For the Erik Larson fans - don't forget "Isaac's Storm". It's one of his earlier books, about the hurricane that destroyed much of Galveston in 1900. Very readable.

And if you like Erik Larson, try Ben Macintyre. He has a similar way of making history very readable. His books examine some aspect of WWII. "Agent Zigzag" and "Operation Mincemeat" are a good start.

Posted by: biancaneve at May 10, 2015 12:56 PM (Zl68m)

185 Brad Thor, sorry, not paying $12 for an ebook.

Posted by: Cleveland Boid at May 10, 2015 09:28 AM (ZVynT)

There's probably no need to; you can get them from the library on ebook.

Posted by: Comrade Moron April at May 10, 2015 12:58 PM (rZl6h)

186 Allen West was quick to call for Zimmerman's head. I never could trust him after that.

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 10, 2015 01:07 PM (v2IHZ)

187 Cozy in here.

* curls up in comfy leatherbound overstuffed chair in corner *
* switches on reading light *
* opens large volume *
* falls asleep *

Posted by: Radd Dadd Upanishadd Smythe at May 10, 2015 01:26 PM (i+qnA)

188 186
Allen West was quick to call for Zimmerman's head. I never could trust him after that.

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at May 10, 2015 01:07 PM (v2IHZ)

I quit trusting him after he voted for that chickenshit fraud for payouts-II to black farmers and Indians.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at May 10, 2015 01:26 PM (wlDny)

189 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at May 10, 2015 11:01 AM (KbNXw)

What a very retouching account, OSP. I am glad Poppie has a final couple of days with some folks who loved him. God bless you for your care of him!

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 10, 2015 01:30 PM (1sJza)

190 Some moron here recommended C.S. Lewis's "The Space Trilogy."

I was having a hard time getting into the third one, "That Hideous Strength." I just couldn't care less about the two main characters, Jane and her husband Mark.

But you know how every story should have an arc?

Enjoyed it very much.

btw, he made the comment that only 10% of Britain is Christian.

Maybe so. But I read somewhere that the Catholic Church is growing there. A lot of Poles immigrated to Old Blighty for jobs.

Posted by: Grampa Jimbo at May 10, 2015 01:32 PM (V70Uh)

191 Finishing reading "With Christ In The School of Prayer" by Andrew Murray which was very inspirational and helpful.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 10, 2015 01:33 PM (1sJza)

192 Damn!! Someone had to mention those adult coloring books, of which I had been blissfully unaware. Checked them out on Amazon. They look like a lot of fun. Just what I need: more things to use up my time. Damn, damn, damn.

Can't wait to get one. Probably this afternoon.

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 01:39 PM (FvdPb)

193 OSP ... That was a lovely and touching account, even though tears do nothing for my sinus pressure.

I have both of the Amy Lynn books but haven't read them yet. I'll have to correct that. If you can evoke such emotion in a few lines, I have to see what you can do with a few hundred pages.

Posted by: JTB at May 10, 2015 01:47 PM (FvdPb)

194 I have the Secret Garden coloring book. The pages of that and other adult coloring books make wonderful embroidery patterns.

Posted by: Rana at May 10, 2015 03:03 PM (uFm1t)

195 Is Joe Biden still doing covering books?

Crazy Uncle Joe has more problems than you can shake a stick at: http://iotwreport.com/?p=285242

Posted by: RushBabe at May 10, 2015 03:03 PM (zdw2Z)

196 184
For the Erik Larson fans - don't forget "Isaac's Storm". It's one of
his earlier books, about the hurricane that destroyed much of Galveston
in 1900. Very readable.

And if you like Erik Larson, try Ben Macintyre. He has a similar
way of making history very readable. His books examine some aspect of
WWII. "Agent Zigzag" and "Operation Mincemeat" are a good start.

Larson has a new one out about the Lusitania, but I am going to have to wait until used copies surface. Will take a look at Macintyre- thanks for the suggestion.

Posted by: Charlotte at May 10, 2015 03:22 PM (VRwlD)

197 For those that like fantasy with inventive magic systems, Brent Weeks' The Black Prism (Lightbringer #1) is $1.99 at Amazon today. I've read some critics complain they didn't like the characters that much, I thought it was awesome.

Posted by: waelse1 at May 10, 2015 03:26 PM (x+P8L)

198 There also appears to be a huge market for romance novels about Amish or Mennonite characters aimed at evangelical Christians.

The
plot is usually it's something along the lines of "Pretty Amish lass
falls for handsome English outsider and zany hijinks ensue".

I wonder if we're talking about the same thing...?

Posted by: OregonMuse at May 10, 2015 11:16 AM (iQIuh)

Probably. Here in Maine we have so many off-brand sects that the Jehovah's Witnesses are regarded as practically High Church.

Posted by: PersonFromPorlock at May 10, 2015 04:24 PM (U4QC6)

199 Here in Maine we have so many off-brand sects that the Jehovah's Witnesses are regarded as practically High Church.

lol

Posted by: OregonMuse at May 10, 2015 04:38 PM (iQIuh)

200 btw, he [C.S. Lewis] made the comment that only 10% of Britain is Christian.

Yeah, and that was back in the 50s. Just imagine how he would describe the UK of today.

Posted by: OregonMuse at May 10, 2015 04:43 PM (iQIuh)

201 You can get the Runaway Trane ebook here for Kindle, Nook, Apple. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/532683

Posted by: Purple at May 10, 2015 05:02 PM (9PMGX)

202 Posted by: waelse1 at May 10, 2015 03:26 PM (x+P8L)

I liked Black Prism too. Not going to pay $10 for the others though.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at May 10, 2015 06:45 PM (GDulk)

203 we lose because we have idiots up there representing us that don't realize how ruthless the enemy really is. so yeah, we are being out ruthlessed. the left is absolutely playing for keeps here, and they HATE this country and everything it used to stand for.

they have, in effect, won. they have educated the youth, and as Reagan once said that no country is more than just a generation away from living under tyranny. this is what we are seeing now. how prescient he was. we did not pass down our values to our children, also did not have enough children, and now, here we are!

boehner and mcconnell have no clue. they don't realize that the alinsky tactics have been and are being used on them every single damn day. look what they did to palin? it was text book: identify the target and freeze it, use humiliation, etc.. it worked! they certainly know what they are doing!!

...meanwhile...beohner and mitchy are still trying to figure out why obama doesn't like them even though they do everything he wants them to do.

Posted by: Mistress Overdone at May 10, 2015 08:59 PM (2/oBD)

204 Rome has been the target of Islam for a long time. In the 16th century, when Europe was reeling from the fall of Constantinople, when the Turks had conquered Greece and the Balkans and were using the Christian population as their Janissary stud-farm, when Muslim corsairs were the plague of the Mediterranean and the Turkish navy was conquering Cyprus, Suleiman the Magnificent spoke of plucking the "Red Apple": Rome itself.

Then a bastard son of Charles V, Don John of Austria, stepped forward and Lepanto happened.

So, we must not lose hope. Work like hell, fight like hell, and never lose hope.

As for Barry Strauss, his book on the Battle of Salamis is outstanding. If his book on the death of Caesar is as good a Kimball says, it must be a superb read.

Posted by: Brown Line at May 10, 2015 09:19 PM (a5bF3)

205 The Gift of Fear

Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World

Posted by: RL at May 10, 2015 09:25 PM (e0SiG)

206 Coloring books.
For adults.
For use in the Safe Room?

Posted by: fuqdat at May 10, 2015 10:53 PM (4Z0vT)

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