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 04-08-2018

Library of motionview 525.jpg
Library of motionview, a lurker
(click for larger version)


Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes. Oh, and we've got a new category of readers, escaped oafs and oafettes. Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, a weekly compendium of reviews, observations, and a continuing conversation on books, reading, and publishing by morons who follow words with their fingers and whose lips move as they read, where 'good enough' counts as perfect, and the eschaton is never immanentized. Unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants, which come from the 1980s, but everybody was wearing ugly pants in the 1980s.


Pic Note

Occasional commenter and "recovering twit" motionview writes:

I've been waiting almost a year for this. Newly built-in and loaded bookshelves. The cabinets/countertop/shelves are all from Ikea, modified to look like built-ins. Books are roughly divided by columns: Science, engineering, history, current events & Soviet/communists, sci-fi, and the last is my wife & daughter.

Another impressive library. And the shelving looks nice, too.


It Pays To Increase Your Word Power®

To GYMNOLOGIZE is to meditate or debate naked.

Usage: Gymnologizing our presidential debates would not improve them.

20180408 book cartoon.jpg

Old Business

In last week's book thread, I provided an example of word usage that referenced Hillary's election night concession speech. I was informed by a couple of morons that Hillary hadn't made a concession speech, and I thought maybe my memory was bad (which it frequently is these days), but I could've sworn she had. I did some Googling and it turns out I was right.

If you want to watch and listen to Hillary making her election night concession speech, here is a YouTube link.

However, if you don't want your ears assaulted by that shrill, shrieky, ex-wife voice, you can read the text of her speech at this CNN link.

I know how disappointed you feel because I feel it too, and so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful and it will be for a long time, but I want you to remember this. Our campaign was never about one person or even one election, it was about the country we love and about building an America that's hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted.

We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead.

You got that? "Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead." Hillary actually said this. So she gave him "a chance to lead" for about what, a week?

In this context, moron commenter cool breeze mentioned:

Conservative newspaper columnist, talk radio host and Trump buddy Howie Carr just published his account of the 2016 election, titled What Really Happened: How Donald J. Trump Saved America From Hillary Clinton.

Posted by: cool breeze at April 01, 2018 09:43 AM (UGKMd)

What Really Happened: How Donald J. Trump Saved America From Hillary Clinton is available only in paperback for $19.99. I think Carr publishes it himself, because the 'buying options' link goes directly to him.

Carr has also written Kennedy Babylon: A Century of Scandal and Depravity, also in paperback only and also for $19.99. Howie Carr is like a prophet crying out in the wilderness of Massachusetts.


Moron Recommendations

From a couple of weeks back:

I completed reading Lust for Life by Irving Stone, a bio-fiction-ography of Vincent van Gogh. This was written well overall and broken into chapters by where he resided at the time, beginning as a young man in London. Certain chapters stood out above the others. Borinage, St. Remy, and Auvers were largely dark and troubling, as was his life at those times. Paris and Arles are lively and full of color. It helped me that I also own Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings by Rainer Metzger, a collection of reproductions of all his works (reputedly) so I could follow along via his works with what Stone was describing in words. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys VvG's art.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at March 25, 2018 11:42 AM (pNxlR)

There is no electronic edition of Lust For Life, but used copies are available at the Amazon link.

___________

This one is from 'ette SandyCheeks in a e-mail she sent me:

Have I got a recommendation for you! I hope you're wearing pants.

On Living, by Kerry Egan.

I found it on Book Bub's Deals of the Day. Luckily, my local liberry had it. Wow, wow, wow.

Egan is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School and a hospice chaplain. She doesn't see her job as explaining, cajoling, providing good cheer. She sees her job as listening, listening to the regrets, joys, traumas, unresolved issues and even funny episodes of those who are dying and those who are caring for them.

I finished this small book yesterday, but I'm still thinking about the conversations she shared. It's hard to single out just one patient/caregiver vignette Egan provided, but she knows of whence she speaks because of her own (near) psychotic break when she was given Ketamine as an epidural during childbirth and "lost" the first year of her son's life. She vacillated between the guilt of blaming the drug or her own weakness in not being able to "snap out of the stupor" she felt.

She touches on "demystifying" death and the wisdom of dying words since most people die alone or slip away after days of silence. What she does know is what's on everyone's mind when they've only got so long to live -- and it's not their careers.

I absolutely flew through the book while savoring every minute. As the title attests, the book might focus on dying, but it's ultimately about living and being offered the advice of those who asked Egan to pass it on.

This is one you'll never forget.

On Living in on Kindle for $9.99


Books By Morons

It's nice to see moron author Oldsailors Poet commenting on the book thread again after being excommunicated by Pixy's quirky software for, what, 2 or 3 years? AND I'm happy to announce he's just published book 5 of his Amy Lynn series. According to a comment he posted in the book thread a couple of weeks back:

81 Good morning horde. Amy Lynn, hostaet is now available on paperback and Kindle. For those of you that like the books.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet at March 25, 2018 09:39 AM (YwHOD)

The Amazon blurb for Amy Lynn, hostaet is long and complicated, as if it's talking about 3 different books. Here's how it starts:

200 miles from Amy’s country home, 14-year-old Susie Delany falls for a dangerous and seductive man’s promises of fame and fortune. Whisked away to a viper’s nest masquerading as a tropical paradise, Susie hurtles toward a fate worse than death. A senator and a scheming CIA director recruit Amy for an ‘off the books’ mission, leading a rag-tag mercenary group out to end a vile billionaire’s dark fantasy and rescue the teen victims of sex trafficking.

Lotsa other stuff happens, too. You can read it all in the Kindle edition for the price of $4.99.

OSP e-mailed me to say:

Also Book 1 is being made into an audiobook available around the middle of May. And, last but not least, any body that wants to come have a cocktail with me, I will be at the Biltmore Hilton in Ashville April 13th & 14th receiving a book of the year award award for Amy Lynn, Into the Fire.

___________

Moron author Grant Halstead is grateful to the Horde members who volunteered as beta-readers for his novel. He tells me:

I finally found time to get it finished and pressed publish on SMITH'S PROTEGE this week. I scheduled it for a free promotion beginning this coming Saturday through Monday to coincide with your thread as a gesture of thanks for anyone interested.

Here's the blurb:

The book is the first of an intended series following a character named John Smith through various adventures set at different points in American history. The original John Smith was a con man who played the role of spy and saboteur during the Revolution, his efforts funded by a network of criminal patriots left out of the history books due to their unsavory professions. The arrangement continued after the original John Smith retired and SMITH'S PROTEGE takes place in 1940 with the latest iteration attempting to rescue a captured French scientist whose secrets may help Germany unlock the atom bomb.

Again, Smith's Protege is available on Kindle for free today through Monday. Thanks, Grant!

___________


What I'm Reading

So I'm well into Feet of Clay, the third of Terry Pratchett's 'City Watch' arc. It's a fun book like his others, but I get the impression that he just wanted to write a murder mystery. I also get the impression that Sir Terry must've read a few in his day, because he's got opinions about them, and sometimes they come boiling out, usually from one of his characters:

[Samuel Vimes]...had a jaundiced view of Clues. He instinctively distrusted them. They got in the way.

And he distrusted the kind of person who’d take one look at another man and say in a lordly voice to his companion, “Ah, my dear sir, I can tell you nothing except that he is a left-handed stonemason who has spent some years in the merchant navy and has recently fallen on hard times,” and then unroll a lot of supercilious commentary about calluses and stance and the state of a man’s boots, when exactly the same comments could apply to a man who was wearing his old clothes because he’d been doing a spot of home bricklaying for a new barbecue pit, and had been tattooed once when he was drunk and seventeen and in fact got seasick on a wet pavement. What arrogance! What an insult to the rich and chaotic variety of the human experience!

It was the same with more static evidence. The footprints in the flowerbed were probably in the real world left by the window-cleaner. The scream in the night was quite likely a man getting out of bed and stepping sharply on an upturned hairbrush.

The real world was far too real to leave neat little hints. It was full of too many things. It wasn’t by eliminating the impossible that you got at the truth, however improbable; it was by the much harder process of eliminating the possibilities. You worked away, patiently asking questions and looking hard at things. You walked and talked, and in your heart you just hoped like hell that some bugger’s nerve’d crack and he’d give himself up.

Yes, murder mysteries can be stilted and artificial. But that doesn't make them any less fun. Despite that in real life, most murders get solved by confessions and the use of informants, it's fun to pretend that some guy who never leaves his New York City apartment where he tends his orchids all day can solve the most baffling of crimes by sitting back in a chair and reasoning it all out.


___________

Don't forget the AoSHQ reading group on Goodreads. It's meant to support horde writers and to talk about the great books that come up on the book thread. It's called AoSHQ Moron Horde and the link to it is here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/175335-aoshq-moron-horde.

___________

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: OregonMuse at 09:00 AM




Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle lege

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 08:52 AM (aC6Sd)

2 Library envy!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 08:52 AM (qJtVm)

3 Good morning Horde!

Contenty!

Posted by: tonypete at April 08, 2018 08:53 AM (9rIkM)

4 Might be the coolest person library yet, I'll get the corgis

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 08:53 AM (aC6Sd)

5 Hiya bookies !

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 08:53 AM (k5pWm)

6 Good morning, enthusiasts of the printed word.

Or the digital word.

Or the digital picture "book" with no words.

When is a book not a book?

Hm. I deem that I need more coffee, and to wander back to the EMT until my brain can at least kick into second.

Posted by: mindful webworker - words AND pictures FTW at April 08, 2018 08:56 AM (OZZ16)

7 About 1/3 into The Ionian Mission, have no idea why it takes me weeks to read a short novel when I use to read 800 page boks in a week.

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 08:56 AM (aC6Sd)

8 yay book thread!!!

really nice library wall, motionview!

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 08:58 AM (hMwEB)

9 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. Hope everyone had a pleasant week of reading, especially those snowed in with global warming.

The bookshelves in the top photo are gorgeous. But why waste space with drawers and cabinets? They use up space that could hold more books. And where is the cat supposed to sleep?

Seriously, a damn nice job with the Ikea shelves.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 09:00 AM (V+03K)

10 Nice library, Motionviewalurker.

Mind if we call ya Mo ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:02 AM (k5pWm)

11 vincent's name is not pronounced "van go". it's more like "van ghghhggh"

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at April 08, 2018 09:02 AM (Pg+x7)

12 Map drawers! I want map drawers in my library.

OK, these are probably for drawings, given the drawing board, but still.

Posted by: LochLomondFarms at April 08, 2018 09:02 AM (GfqQF)

13 What are the odds that Mike has read a book?

Posted by: Puddin Head at April 08, 2018 09:03 AM (vV/gB)

14 Thank you auto-correct.

Thank you for changing a text from:

"Doing a long one right now"

to

"Dong a long one right now"

I appreciate that.

Posted by: Nationalist Pikachu at April 08, 2018 09:03 AM (iqQK7)

15 I forgot the last two weeks to mention Dennis Prager's The Rational Bible- Exodus in a first part of his plan to go through the books of the Torah and explain the meaning of them.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621577724/?tag=denprager-20

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 09:04 AM (aC6Sd)

16 I'm reading "John Dies @ The End" by David Wong (actually Jason Pargin). I first read the third novel in the series about Dave and John, who are a sort of rust belt Bill and Ted fighting malevolent extradimensional entities, and this one tells of how they got into the business of monster hunting in the first place. Which is, unwittingly and unwillingly, chosen as it were by the "soy sauce", a strange substance that gives its user a window into another dimension co-located with our own.

The movie of the same name, which I highly recommend, seems to be a very faithful adaptation of the novel thus far.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:04 AM (qJtVm)

17 vincent's name is not pronounced "van go". it's more like "van ghghhggh"

Posted by: musical jolly chimp



Did you hear that from a throat singer ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:04 AM (k5pWm)

18 While visiting family in Spokane, WA I went to a local bookstore called Giant Nerd Books. They have everything you would expect with a name like that from the mainstream to the slightly preverted. Inside is a big ol stuffed alligator named Happy and other delightful oddities. Then there's the old book smell. Thought I stepped into an orgasmatron. I wanted a big book of explorers with maps. Found not one but two, plus 3 Henry Stanley books about his treks in Africa. I will go back.

Some head music.

Adriano Celentano-Prisencolinensinainciusol
https://youtu.be/F1qKv-kaYEk

Bugs Bunny-Hillbilly Hare
https://youtu.be/m9SrXRNPRCA

Posted by: Jake Holenhead at April 08, 2018 09:05 AM (8EJVd)

19 If only ace could see those shelves!
he'd steal them...

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 09:07 AM (hMwEB)

20 "Dong a long one right now"

That could be a song title.

A real toe tapper.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:07 AM (k5pWm)

21 All Hail Eris,

Last week you posted a link to the works of Christine McConnell. You might like these links. Travis Louie's work sort of reminds me of the cartoons by Charles Addams.

http://www.travislouieart.com/
https://beautifulbizarre.net/

Posted by: Jake Holenhead at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (8EJVd)

22 What is a good translation of the Bible for literary purposes? For someone who just wants to read it like a book.

I like Shakespeare and can read, comprehend, appreciate and understand the King James version - but I am in a minority. Seems for a lot of people trying to read the King James is a mentally intensive labor.

What's a good alternative?

Posted by: Nationalist Pikachu at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (iqQK7)

23 Very nice library area motionview.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (vFHFh)

24 If only ace could see those shelves!
he'd steal them...

Like Nixon, "Ace is NOT a crook"

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (k5pWm)

25 Jake, why didn't you buy me that drawing of Mr. Spock up in the corner?

http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/mar/23/giant-nerd-books-is-a-book-hunters-passion-project/#/0

Check out some of the old paperbacks! I love vintage cheez.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (qJtVm)

26 Still working on Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life."

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 08, 2018 09:09 AM (EZebt)

27 It's still below freezing here in far NW Chicagoland. We are sick of it.

But finally the wind has subsided. The lake is a mirror outside, and the forecast is to go to the middle 40s by this afternoon.

I've got the oldest grandson, age 11, reading Barry Lopez's "Of Wolves and Men."

Speaking of wolves, we saw Los Lobos last night and those old rockers blew the doors out. Fabulous guitar work.

Posted by: Les Kinetic at April 08, 2018 09:10 AM (4ZE6o)

28 Still working on Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life."

Are you stuck on number two ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:10 AM (k5pWm)

29 Wow, that's a nice library.

Posted by: BignJames at April 08, 2018 09:11 AM (0+nbW)

30 I read The Escape Artist by Brad Meltzer. This book has an unlikely hero, Jim "Zig" Zigarowski, a mortician at Dover Air Force Base. He teams with Nola Brown, the Army's Artist in Residence, to solve the case of a downed aircraft which kills seven people. Reading this exciting story, one learns about the procedures for our fallen heroes when their remains arrive at Dover. One also learns about the very real position of the Army's Artist in Residence. A good story and some new knowledge. Just what I look for in a book.

I also read Ode to a Banker, the twelfth in the Didius Falso series, by Lindsey Davis. It's A. D. 74 in Rome and Falco is hired to investigate the murder of a banker who also runs a scriptorium. There is a stable of disgruntled writers, a business manager, a wife and an ex, and a son as possible perpetrators. I think this is the best mystery of the series so far.

Posted by: Zoltan at April 08, 2018 09:12 AM (RKP6T)

31 >>If you want to watch and listen to Hillary making her election night concession speech ...

You would have had to wait until the next morning because she didn't give the speech until then.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2018 09:12 AM (/tuJf)

32 Read a book that was not a children's book this week. Hooray! It was PD James' "Death Comes to Pemberley," and it was quite good. It's a murder mystery set about 8 years after "Pride and Prejudice." James not only nails Austen's writing style but her plot devices as well. The one part I wasn't quite sure about was that James briefly referenced the Eliot family ("Persuasion") and the Martens/Knightleys ("Emma"). I couldn't decide if that was corny or clever. Oh well, it was still a great book.

Posted by: pookysgirl at April 08, 2018 09:13 AM (XKZwp)

33 Thinking about Gymnologizing our presidential debates caused rhennigantx to think it would make him stab his own eyes out seeing HRC naked.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 09:13 AM (BtQd4)

34 Congratulations to OSP on his award for Amy Lynn: Into the Fire. Well deserved.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 09:14 AM (V+03K)

35 Posted by: Jake Holenhead at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (8EJVd)

Nice linkage!

Beautiful Bizarre looks like Juxtapoz and Hi Fructose, which I love. I will have to check out the print version.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:17 AM (qJtVm)

36 been reading John Lockes stand alone books. Read all of the series. it is mindless junk but fun. Love Laurence Shames key west books. Ben Rehders Blanco County is some funny shite!

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 09:17 AM (BtQd4)

37 That library's in the attic, no?

Meandering my way through John Schindler's Unholy Terror, about Bosnia in the 90s, it appears that CNN, particularly Christianne Imawhore, was obviously biased towards the moooooslims in their dogshit coverage even then. Rather than try and find some devious Soros cabal of cocksuckers behind this, I'll just assume it was their default anti-West attitude promulgated in the kollidges. I just want to know if there was any time in which anyone with properly functioning synapses gave those dickholes a shred of credibility.

Going through American Sanctuary makes it clear that there's always been an element in our country that's been very open borders so this isn't a recent phenomenon. The initial reaction to John Adams turning over the guy who led the mutiny on the Hermione to the Brits was that they, particularly his Secretary of State Pickering and the black robed tyrant in South Carolina, may have turned over a citizen. Pickering sent a letter to the officials of the town he was supposed to have been from asking them to send him their word that he wasn't from there but to keep their yaps zipped if he was. They dutifully replied that nobody by that name was from there so they figured it was case closed. Except there was a growing attitude that his citizenship status didn't matter one fucking bit and that if he was here he deserved our protection. So this sanctuary bullshit isn't a recent Mexifornia phenomenon.

Posted by: Captain Hate at April 08, 2018 09:18 AM (y7DUB)

38 26 Still working on Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life."
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 08, 2018 09:09 AM (EZebt)

On my tablet as I have to 8 hour travel days coming up.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 09:19 AM (BtQd4)

39 26 Still working on Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life."
--------------
Me too. Must say, so far he just repeats what others have said elsewhere. I do enjoy him and am very happy that he is a thing with the high schoolers. My son knew of him before me.

Posted by: Puddin Head at April 08, 2018 09:19 AM (vV/gB)

40 Thanks primarily to the horde, my next big reading project is going to be the 54 volume great books of western civilization. First I need to buy the set.

Posted by: LASue at April 08, 2018 09:19 AM (Z48ZB)

41 Skip - keep reading! The Aubrey/Maturin series only gets better. About to start a reread of the entire thing.

ESV is my favorite literal translation of the Bible. New living is very readable as a story.

Posted by: Bellorephon at April 08, 2018 09:20 AM (UMz2+)

42 Book nerds!

Posted by: Ogre at April 08, 2018 09:22 AM (Dp6qK)

43 Check out some of the old paperbacks! I love vintage cheez.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (qJtVm)

They have all sorts of vintage cheez. A lot of those goofy pulp books with titles like 'The gal with demon breasts stole my soul!' Several dozen boxes of comics including underground and some that where labled 'filthy dirty.' Old Mad, Cracked, and Creepy magazines. I'm going back this week to spend some quality time searching their store.

Posted by: Jake Holenhead at April 08, 2018 09:22 AM (8EJVd)

44 I have never commented on a book thread before. I am usually in the yard at this time of day doing something outside, since I work every weekday in a windowless concrete cube.


I am not much of a reader and I have no library to speak of. I am generally a more kinetic person, so sitting and reading makes me pent up, and reading before bed will often keep me up till 2 am, it activates my mind at the wrong time. Most things I read are how to get better at my hobbies, not literature.

Anyway about a 8 months ago, I decided to make reading for fun a priority for the rest of my life and have tried to learn to read novels. I have read five books cover to cover. Could be more, but I got wrapped up in kinetic project for 3 months.


There is a book exchange where I work and I grab one from there periodically. Lot's of dreck action/romance novels. I grab the popular authors that I recognize by name, but I have figured out the many "authors" are just names assigned to a character and plot type, and they pay people to fart out crappy novels, I'm looking at you "Patterson NYPD RED". Anyway, I am tired of police action novels and need a better book.



I have read Great Expectations, and liked it well enough, but started another Dickens book and put it down.




So maybe you hung along this far in my comment, maybe not.



The point of all this is I am known at work for colorful turns of phrases that make people laugh and smile. I like words and descriptions. I thought that maybe in a book thread we could post something like a phrase we read during the week in our current reading that we liked. Short and punchy.


From a current crime detective author-



"His hair was brown and curly and fell like apple peelings across his head."




This is a wonderful piece of writing. The simplicity of the words combine so well. Hair described by the pile of apple peels. I never heard anything like this before, but I have seen it.







Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:22 AM (7+qdf)

45 Ohh, I love a wall-o'books! I promise, better pics of my own this week.
I am still reading Owen Parry's first Abel Jones book, Faded Coat of Blue, and by chance picked up another Abel Jones book at the massive NEISD PTA book sale on Friday. (This is a once-yearly 3-day extravaganza, held in a basketball stadium: all hardbacks $1, paperback .50 ...) Yes, people come away staggering under massive piles of books, and I am no exception. I am rebuilding my Mom's collection of American Heritage magazine issues, as well as her Time-Life Foods of the World. I've found many of both at these sales, so many that I have to keep a list of what I have already.
I am very much liking the Abel Jones books, and entertaining vague considerations of doing a Civil War adventure, as well as the American Revolution adventure for my next historical fiction project. Will take lots of research, though - probably won't have either one completed for another year, or so.

But - A Half Dozen of Luna City (which is book #6) is done and out to the beta readers, and should be available by the end of the month, in print and ebook both. The mystery of the skeletal remains found at the end of book #5 will be investigated and resolved, and there is a new cook at the Cafe, a tattooed, body-pierced and nearly homeless millennial who is also a drummer in an unsuccessful rock band called OPM. (Which might stand for Ozona Mud Puppies, Other People's Money, or something else starting with the letters OPM. The band can't decide, which possibly is why they are unsuccessful.)

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at April 08, 2018 09:25 AM (xnmPy)

46 I'm looking at you "Patterson NYPD RED".

I read that and came away disappointed.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:28 AM (k5pWm)

47 Cuthbert, avoid Dickens. He is a man in dire need of an editor. I recommend Henry Fielding's Tom Jones. Think you will have a raucous good time reading him. I would also recommend Bergman's Little Big Man and Hemingway's Nick Adams Stories. Both have action and introspection nicely woven together. The later two are basically short stories so you don't have to commit to a long read. Once you get to the long reads I recommend the Russians.

Posted by: Puddin Head at April 08, 2018 09:28 AM (vV/gB)

48 His hair was brown and curly and fell like apple peelings across his head."




This is a wonderful piece of writing. The simplicity of the words combine so well. Hair described by the pile of apple peels. I never heard anything like this before, but I have seen it.
Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:22 AM (7+



I like that.

Posted by: LASue at April 08, 2018 09:29 AM (Z48ZB)

49 Didn't have much time for reading this week. Our niece and her husband were visiting from Fort Bragg. Wonderful and delightful young people. Spent many hours at the range and the rest of the time talking about black powder shooting and reloading. (More about that in the next gun thread.)

In preparation, I was re-reading some of my books on flintlocks, colonial era recreations, and basic hand loading techniques and resources. Always pleasant topics.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 09:30 AM (V+03K)

50 Cuthbert, you might enjoy Lonesome Dove. A modern classic, IMO.

Posted by: LASue at April 08, 2018 09:32 AM (Z48ZB)

51 Nice library, I wish I had a dedicated room for a library. Even now I'm trying to find more places to squeeze a bookcase in my apartment.

I'm dusting off all my bookcases, and working new acquisitions into the stacks, so I will send photos soon.

Posted by: josephistan at April 08, 2018 09:32 AM (ANIFC)

52 Cuthbert, you might enjoy Lonesome Dove. A modern classic, IMO.

Posted by: LASue


Agree !

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:33 AM (k5pWm)

53 51 Nice library, I wish I had a dedicated room for a library. Even now I'm trying to find more places to squeeze a bookcase in my apartment.
-------------------------------
Read them and trade them. No real reason to stockpile them. I can't think of one book that I intend on re-reading. Not one.

Posted by: Puddin Head at April 08, 2018 09:33 AM (vV/gB)

54 46
I'm looking at you "Patterson NYPD RED".



I read that and came away disappointed.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:28 AM (k5pWm)


Disappointed???? I am sure there is a better word for that level of being let down. Don't get me going on the Jack Reecher novel where the "killer" hypnotized her victims to commit suicide nd a side character thrown is as a complete and utter red herring only to have the author say, "nope, not that guy". ARRRRGHHHHH.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:36 AM (7+qdf)

55 Finished Amity Shlaes' "The Forgotten Man". I found it interesting that in the afterword she seems to take the stance that The New Deal had much to recommend it, and that the biggest flaw was that the New Deal programs were turned from their pure initial motive of rebuilding the economy to a cynical political motive and that was the reason they failed.

Socialism would work if we just had the right people running it.

She comes across as saying that Big Government federalism would do wonders for the economy (infrastructure, buildings, sustainable job growth) if we just did it right. I was disappointed by her wrap-up.

Posted by: Muldoon at April 08, 2018 09:36 AM (wPiJc)

56 Finished scanning the EMT comments, and while I feel well-nourished, it did seem a bit lite.

Even if it's these pants

Are those "parachute pants"? I had a pair of those. Probably still do, down in the Old Clothes and Shoes section of the catacombs. Hoarding organizedly.

Posted by: mindful webworker - pair o' parachutes at April 08, 2018 09:36 AM (OZZ16)

57 What a fantastic library, motionview. Me likey!

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 09:38 AM (hyuyC)

58 Gymnologizing our presidential debates would not improve them.

It'd be easier to spot the Better Man.

Posted by: Mr. Peebles at April 08, 2018 09:40 AM (oVJmc)

59 If you want to watch and listen to Hillary making her election night concession speech, here is a YouTube link.

Um, no. I'll never forget that night and all the hilariously let-down Hillary fans while she was busy driving the porcelain bus.

From the description on that vid link:

"Hillary Clinton formally and publicly conceded to Donald Trump this morning after an upset defeat in the presidential election."

Posted by: mindful webworker - expert idiot at April 08, 2018 09:40 AM (OZZ16)

60 Posted by: Muldoon at April 08, 2018 09:36 AM (wPiJc)



This shit would taste wonderful if only it was made out of peanuts and nougat and chocolate with tiny bits of candied lemon peel,

instead of metabolic waste products and bacteria.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 09:41 AM (9q7Dl)

61 Cuthbert - i have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia to my oldest children... liked this quote:
And all at once (they never knew exactly how it happened) the face seemed to be a sea of tossing gold in which they were floating, and such a sweetness and power rolled over them that they felt they had never really been happy or wise or good, or even alive and awake before. And the memory of that moment stayed with them always, so that as long as they both lived, if ever they were sad or afraid or angry, the thought of all that golden goodness, and the feeling that it was still there, quite close, just around the corner or just behind some door, would come back and make them sure, deep down inside, that all was well.
C.S. Lewis, The Magicians Nephew

Posted by: Bellorephon at April 08, 2018 09:42 AM (UMz2+)

62 Ok---Everyone who recommends me a book, I will write it down and make it my reading list. I will read one the books and come back and give you my two minute review.

If anyone throws a turkey in there on purpose,......... why I will do absolutely nothing.


For what it's worth, I have already read Atlas Shrugged, and at 1000 pages of 6 point font........yeah, no, not again. If anyone recommends an Ayn Rand book it had better be good, and not ever mention swarthy Spanish fellows and friggin naked shoulders all the time. ( I think Ayn was trying to be naughty)

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:42 AM (7+qdf)

63 Gymnologizing our presidential debates would not improve them.

It'd be easier to spot the Better Man.
Posted by: Mr. Peebles at April 08, 2018 09:40 AM (oVJmc)



Well, the Bigger Man anyway.









In that regard, Hillary! might've won the debate with Mitt.(had that happened)

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 09:43 AM (9q7Dl)

64 "Hillary Clinton formally and publicly conceded to Donald Trump this morning after an upset defeat in the presidential election."

Posted by: mindful webworker - expert idiot at April 08, 2018 09:40 AM (OZZ16)

It was still dark though.

Posted by: BignJames at April 08, 2018 09:46 AM (0+nbW)

65 SF readers!

Jon Del Arroz has a new book - start of a space opera series.

link in my nic

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 09:46 AM (hMwEB)

66 I'm so wistful about that bookcase. wish i had the space/dough to do something similar.

Posted by: vivi at April 08, 2018 09:46 AM (11H2y)

67 In last week's book thread, I provided an example of word usage that referenced Hillary's election night concession speech. I was informed by a couple of morons that Hillary hadn't made a concession speech, and I thought maybe my memory was bad (which it frequently is these days), but I could've sworn she had. I did some Googling and it turns out I was right.

I was one of those morons, and the point was that Hillary hadn't made an election night concession speech. She didn't, instead sending John Podesta out to tell the crowd to go home. The speech you reference was delivered just before noon the following day at a New York hotel.

From the Washington Post, "As the early morning hours ticked away and the 2016 presidential race was called for Donald Trump on election night, some critics on social media pounced on Hillary Clinton for not giving a concession speech. While she phoned Trump to officially concede, she did not appear in front of her supporters at the Javits Center in New York, instead letting her campaign manager John Podesta make a brief appearance under that massive glass ceiling so many had thought she was going to shatter."

I suspect that HIllary was far too rage-stroked and/or drunk to deliver any kind of speech on election night, and it took half a day for her handlers to write that speech, sober her up and prop her in front of the cameras.

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 09:47 AM (UGKMd)

68 Barrel save?

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 09:47 AM (UGKMd)

69 My mind keeps trying to put stairs just to the right of the viewer leading up from the living room into that library into the picture.

Posted by: hogmartin at April 08, 2018 09:48 AM (y87Qq)

70 Hillary was too drunk and enraged to give her concession speech on election night, if the rumors are true. Or her unexpected loss to Trump led to a seizure of some kind.

Nice library, with the white with dark wood.

And half an oaf is better than no oaf at all.

Posted by: JuJuBee, just generally being shamey at April 08, 2018 09:48 AM (2NqXo)

71 Jon Del Arroz has a new book - start of a space opera series.

In space, no one can hear you sing.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:48 AM (k5pWm)

72 Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 09:47 AM (UGKMd)

Almost.

The barrel won't be toyed with.

Soon

Posted by: weirdflunky at April 08, 2018 09:48 AM (JDq1j)

73 Just got suspended (permanently, it appears) at Twatter for defending Israel and Europe's beleagered Jews. Pure and simple.
So you bastards are going to have to put up with me again.

Posted by: TexasJew at April 08, 2018 09:49 AM (ATL/t)

74 Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 08:56 AM (aC6Sd)

Reading boks is easy!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 09:49 AM (n9EOP)

75 69 My mind keeps trying to put stairs just to the right of the viewer leading up from the living room into that library into the picture.
Posted by: hogmartin at April 08, 2018 09:48 AM (y87Qq)
---
Wut?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:49 AM (qJtVm)

76 Lines heard at the gymnologized debate:


"Well, that's certainly a wrinkle I hadn't considered before."


"If you strip you argument down to bare facts you will find that it doesn't stand up."


"I find your position very revealing."


"Yeah, well you have a fat ass!"

Posted by: Muldoon at April 08, 2018 09:49 AM (wPiJc)

77 Ok---Everyone who recommends me a book, I will write it down and make it my reading list. I will read one the books and come back and give you my two minute review.

Here ya go.... Big Trouble by Dave Barry

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:50 AM (k5pWm)

78 "If anyone throws a turkey in there on purpose,......... why I will do absolutely nothing."

How about a whale?

Posted by: Captain Ahab at April 08, 2018 09:50 AM (UdKB7)

79 Here ya go.... Big Trouble by Dave Barry
Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:50 AM (k5pWm)

The Hangman's Daughter

Posted by: weirdflunky at April 08, 2018 09:51 AM (JDq1j)

80 And half an oaf is better than no oaf at all.
Posted by: JuJuBee, just generally being shamey at April 08, 2018 09:48 AM (2NqXo)


As long as it's the "right" half!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 09:51 AM (n9EOP)

81 Cuthbert the Witless,

If you like fun turns of phrase give my book, "Wearing the Cat" a whirl. It's chock full o'them.

It's a comedy in the old picaresque mode (think Fielding, Smollett, DeFoe, Swift) but modernized so be warned - it's rude, crude and socially unacceptable.

I'd recommend checking it out on Amazon, in the sample mode. The sample is very generous and you can tell if it's your sort of dealio or not.

Cheers!

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 09:51 AM (9q7Dl)

82 "If anyone throws a turkey in there on purpose,......... why I will do absolutely nothing."


Ya won't even take a bite ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:52 AM (k5pWm)

83 Ooh, Motionview, The Riverside Shakespeare, Iain M Banks, Born in Blood, The Fatal Shore, Grey's Anatomy, all old friends.

I am not fond of Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel and I always suggest Carlo Cipolla's Guns Sails and Empires, since it is a better set up argument over the development of agricultural societies into industrial societies.


I love your library, no clutter, a drafting table and good natural light.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 09:52 AM (2K6fY)

84 Insert obligatory ace versus Ikea shelves here


Love the Terry Pratchett quote where he mocks clues.

List: Added to.

Posted by: Blake at April 08, 2018 09:52 AM (WEBkv)

85 I enjoy crime novels. The majority tend toward being formulaic and not realistic, but I enjoy them none the less.

Posted by: Northernlurker-Teem at April 08, 2018 09:52 AM (nBr1j)

86 50
Cuthbert, you might enjoy Lonesome Dove. A modern classic, IMO.

Posted by: LASue at April 08, 2018 09:32 AM (Z48ZB)

My mom always says....OOOOOO you would love Lonesome Dove. I never pick it up, though. It's on the list now. Thanks.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:53 AM (7+qdf)

87 I like Dickens, but I think you have to read him for his characters more than for the storylines. He's arguably the greatest character creator ever, but most of his stories meander endlessly. Probably due to the fact that many of his novels were written in serial version for a popular publication of the day; so it was one chapter a month for years when they first came out, and it actually paid him to keep them going on and on and one, until he finally wraps it up with some implausible deus ex machina involving a Secret Inheritance.

and then there's stories like Bleak House - he wanted to make the point that the Legal System led to endless frustration with a series of pointless delays where nothing ever made any objective sense, and where everyone loses in the end. So he wrote a frustrating novel that is a tale of pointless delays where nothing makes any objective sense, and everyone loses in the end. I take his point, but it's certainly no fun to read.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 08, 2018 09:53 AM (V2Yro)

88
We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought

-

This irritates me to no end.

The country rejected me = more deeply divided than we thought.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - Bama's Boot Stomping on the Face of College Football Forever at April 08, 2018 09:54 AM (ks6bw)

89 Here ya go.... Big Trouble by Dave Barry

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:50 AM (k5pWm)

Ya got that right.

Posted by: BignJames at April 08, 2018 09:55 AM (0+nbW)

90 g'mornin', 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at April 08, 2018 09:55 AM (KCxzN)

91 60
Posted by: Muldoon at April 08, 2018 09:36 AM (wPiJc)







This shit would taste wonderful if only it was made out of peanuts
and nougat and chocolate with tiny bits of candied lemon peel,



instead of metabolic waste products and bacteria.





Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 09:41 AM (9q7Dl)

Is that a critique of Socialism or just a catchy turn of the phrase you read somewhere.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:55 AM (7+qdf)

92 I read the first two books of Dean Koontz's Jane Hawk series this week, The Silent Corner and The Whispering Room. They are about Jane's attempt to take down a government/elitist conspiracy of utopian totalitarians. You see, the computer spits out the Hamlet list, a list of people who, if killed in the first act, will prevent everybody dying in the final act. But don't worry; they're killing only like 8,700 a year mostly conservatives and other rabble rousers.

Jane may be a little too much of a Mary Sue but they are exciting stories.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 09:55 AM (+y/Ru)

93 73 Just got suspended (permanently, it appears) at Twatter for defending Israel and Europe's beleagered Jews. Pure and simple.
So you bastards are going to have to put up with me again.
--------------------------------
Does it strike you as odd that you are being suspended by other Jews?

Posted by: Puddin Head at April 08, 2018 09:55 AM (vV/gB)

94 I like the library pictured.

Unfortunately, our library is sort of distributed throughout the house.

Yeah, even the WC is known to have a book or three available.

Posted by: Blake at April 08, 2018 09:57 AM (WEBkv)

95 Don't get me going on the Jack Reecher novel where the "killer" hypnotized her victims to commit suicide nd a side character thrown is as a complete and utter red herring only to have the author say, "nope, not that guy". ARRRRGHHHHH.

I've read all of the Reacher books, but I don't remember that one.

I like 'em, good escapist stuff.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:57 AM (k5pWm)

96 Is that a critique of Socialism or just a catchy turn of the phrase you read somewhere.

The food thread ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:58 AM (k5pWm)

97 >>If you want to watch and listen to Hillary making her election night concession speech ...

You would have had to wait until the next morning because she didn't give the speech until then.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2018 09:12 AM


I saw an interview with Kellyanne Conway where she pointed out an outfit she was wearing election night, and said she was going to keep it as a reminder that she was wearing it when Huma called her with Hillary's concession of defeat.

Hillary 'outsourced' her concession of defeat and sent her supporters home without making an appearance that night.

Posted by: Forgot My Nic at April 08, 2018 09:58 AM (LOgQ4)

98 Just reread the Adams - Jefferson Letters by Lester Cappon. Simply great foundational reading.

I will now be opening up my copy of Vickers Guide:WW Ii Germany Volume I.

Posted by: Marcus T at April 08, 2018 09:58 AM (sfAgW)

99 Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:49 AM (qJtVm)

The picture at the top of the post; it looks like a loft. Maybe it's the pitched ceiling.

Posted by: hogmartin at April 08, 2018 09:58 AM (y87Qq)

100 Thanks to everyone for the very nice comments about the library. About two years ago we decided to take a year-long road trip, while our daughter was young enough and I had a gig that allowed me to work from the road. We put most of our stuff in storage but got rid of a lot, including my old, well-traveled, and barely standing bookshelves.

We finished up the trip about a year ago, and moved into a great rural area (high ground with a good water supply and clear lines of fire). After a year of rehabbing about 75% of the house I finally got a chance to do the library and let the books out of their boxes.

And then, in the manner of Cortes burning his boats, I gave away all those moving boxes. Molon labe.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 09:59 AM (pYQR/)

101 Is that a critique of Socialism or just a catchy turn of the phrase you read somewhere.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:55 AM (7+qdf)



In this case, embrace the power of "and".

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 09:59 AM (9q7Dl)

102 87
I like Dickens, but I think you have to read him for his characters more
than for the storylines. He's arguably the greatest character creator
ever, but most of his stories meander endlessly. Probably due to the
fact that many of his novels were written in serial version for a
popular publication of the day; so it was one chapter a month for years
when they first came out, and it actually paid him to keep them going on
and on and one, until he finally wraps it up with some implausible deus
ex machina involving a Secret Inheritance.



and then there's stories like Bleak House - he wanted to make the
point that the Legal System led to endless frustration with a series of
pointless delays where nothing ever made any objective sense, and where
everyone loses in the end. So he wrote a frustrating novel that is a
tale of pointless delays where nothing makes any objective sense, and
everyone loses in the end. I take his point, but it's certainly no fun
to read.

Posted by: Tom Servo at April 08, 2018 09:53 AM (V2Yro)


Well that sounds like a good use of everyone's time. THANKS Dickens.

I had actually known that about the serialization of the Dickens Novels. That's why I tended to avoid them after the one I put down. He was getting paid by the word, which is not economical to my time, but certainly to his pocketbook.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 09:59 AM (7+qdf)

103 Ya got that right.



Posted by: BignJames


Have you read Tricky Business ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:59 AM (k5pWm)

104 95
Don't get me going on the Jack Reecher novel where the "killer"
hypnotized her victims to commit suicide nd a side character thrown is
as a complete and utter red herring only to have the author say, "nope,
not that guy". ARRRRGHHHHH.



I've read all of the Reacher books, but I don't remember that one.



I like 'em, good escapist stuff.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:57 AM (k5pWm)

Running Blind.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:01 AM (7+qdf)

105 I just finished Vertical Run by Joseph R. Garber. Designated a threat to be shot on sight, a business executive must elude a team of assassins and figure out why they're targeting him. This non-stop action thriller combines, murder, mystery, and conspiracy in a thoroughly satisfying package.

I'm also reading 1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder by Arthur Herman. Intriguing history of how socialist collectivism came to dominate the twentieth century (and beyond!).

Posted by: Hans G. Schantz at April 08, 2018 10:02 AM (NhF/Q)

106 73 Just got suspended (permanently, it appears) at Twatter for defending Israel and Europe's beleagered Jews. Pure and simple.
---

From Sippican Village:

"Twitter is really, really creepy. Uber was creepy long before you found out exactly how it was creepy. The only human thing about anyone who worked there was their hamhanded attempts to grope the help, now that I think of it. When that's the top of your interpersonal heap, Dante Alighieri should write your yearly reports. Facebook, and the avaricious little twerp that runs it, is the creepiest thing I've ever encountered on this world, and I've renovated apartments that had a dead body in them. Google is creepy turtles, all the way down."

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 10:02 AM (qJtVm)

107 Cuthbert, For enjoyable, casual reading:

the Matt Helm series by Donald Hamilton;
the Martha's Vinyard series by Philip Craig;
the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout;
the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer. (VERY laugh out loud funny)

I regard the writing in these books to be excellent in general and certainly for the genre. These are books I re-read just for pleasure.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 10:02 AM (V+03K)

108 More BHusseingate
But it wasnt enough for Brennan to push the FBI investigation. He also had to publicize it, which he achieved through another person in Christopher Steeles orbit, Senator Harry Reid, whose Super PAC, as the Daily Caller reports, was run by the very Hillary lawyer who hired Steeles services. Brennan briefed Reid on the beginnings of the FBI investigation he instigated, knowing that Reid would leak the contents of the briefing to the press.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:02 AM (BtQd4)

109 The library is on the main floor of a the house, there were originally two living rooms (?) with vaulted ceilings and the visible beams. There is a fireplace opposite the book wall, and of course the cat sleeps where nature intended, on my keyboard.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (pYQR/)

110 the Matt Helm series by Donald Hamilton

Ah yes Dean Martin! Maybe find those on Amazon?

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (BtQd4)

111 Have you read Tricky Business ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 09:59 AM (k5pWm)

No. I watched "Big Trouble" last night.

Posted by: BignJames at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (0+nbW)

112 Cuthbert have you tried political/military thrillers?

Tom Clancy etc.?

Posted by: weirdflunky at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (JDq1j)

113 81
Cuthbert the Witless,



If you like fun turns of phrase give my book, "Wearing the Cat" a whirl. It's chock full o'them.



It's a comedy in the old picaresque mode (think Fielding, Smollett,
DeFoe, Swift) but modernized so be warned - it's rude, crude and
socially unacceptable.



I'd recommend checking it out on Amazon, in the sample mode. The
sample is very generous and you can tell if it's your sort of dealio or
not.



Cheers!

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 09:51 AM (9q7Dl)


Will do. I always enjoyed Swift--Pope I read a lot of in college, keep meaning to circle back.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:05 AM (7+qdf)

114 There is a fireplace opposite the book wall...

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (pYQR/)


!

You're definitely doing it right.

Posted by: hogmartin at April 08, 2018 10:06 AM (y87Qq)

115 We're culling our book collection, in order to downsize our abode.... so most everything had to be sacrificed. In the light reading category, i highly recommend James Swain's gambling-crime-vice-cop-turned-hired-sleuth Tony Valentine series.

Posted by: goatexchange at April 08, 2018 10:06 AM (YFnq5)

116 112
Cuthbert have you tried political/military thrillers?



Tom Clancy etc.?

Posted by: weirdflunky at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (JDq1j)

Read Clancy as a teenager I think.
Ken Follet--Teenager again

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:06 AM (7+qdf)

117 Running Blind.

Thanks. I wrote it down.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 10:07 AM (k5pWm)

118 Kindltot on Guns Germs and Steel. I read it originally to see what the fuss was, and was a bit stunned at the inanity of the argument. It is the kind of intellectualoid nonsense that progs use to justify their envy at the success of Western culture.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (pYQR/)

119 110
the Matt Helm series by Donald Hamilton



Ah yes Dean Martin! Maybe find those on Amazon?

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM (BtQd4)


Thought that was Coburn.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (7+qdf)

120 No. I watched "Big Trouble" last night.

I've never seen it.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (k5pWm)

121 SEVENTEENTH AMENDMENT RATIFIED ON THIS DAY IN 1913

Remember when states had power? When one person from Texas or Tennessee could stand up to the abusive Federal Government and defend a state from abuse by other state! Now the senate is used to protect the swamp and import more alligators, snakes, and swampwater.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:09 AM (BtQd4)

122 Anonosaurus Wrecks, I like the Jabe Hawk books, although I had to give him a "ridiculous SF handwaving pass" on the tech

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 10:09 AM (hMwEB)

123 Posted by: Bellorephon at April 08, 2018 09:20 AM (UMz2+)

I've got to get back into the O'Brian groove, I bogged down in the Yellow Admiral discussion of the commons and have not been able to restart. To be fair, I have been so sick and recovering from influenza I have barely been able to read anything at all (except "the" blog) for the last three weeks.

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:09 AM (n9EOP)

124 88
We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought

-

This irritates me to no end.

The country rejected me = more deeply divided than we thought.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - Bama's Boot Stomping on the Face of College Football Forever at April 08, 2018 09:54 AM (ks6bw)


Oh yeah. If she had won, all we would be hearing is "The people have spoken, and we must all come together as a nation and support our President."

Posted by: rickl at April 08, 2018 10:10 AM (sdi6R)

125 The movie version of Lust for Life is also quite good.

Posted by: steevy at April 08, 2018 10:10 AM (LiyEm)

126 Don't get me going on the Jack Reecher novel where the "killer" hypnotized her victims to commit suicide nd a side character thrown is as a complete and utter red herring only to have the author say, "nope, not that guy". ARRRRGHHHHH.


Yeah, the killer as hypnotist gambit never quite works.

One of Michael Connelly's early novels, "The Poet" concerns a serial killer using that method.

The book's very well written and developed a nice creepy atmosphere-

bu-u-u-ut, when I got to that plot point it more or less broke my suspension of disbelief.

I finished the book cuz very well written and developed a nice creepy atmosphere.

Still, what a disappointing resolution of the mystery.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 10:10 AM (9q7Dl)

127 I agree with everything in "Guns, Germs, and Steel"....until Humanity reaches about 40,000 BC.

Posted by: goatexchange at April 08, 2018 10:10 AM (omJOK)

128 Gotta go.

I got shittadoo.

Catch yas later.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 10:10 AM (k5pWm)

129 Jane Hawk

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 10:11 AM (hMwEB)

130 The Matt Helm books are serious,the movies are...not.

Posted by: steevy at April 08, 2018 10:11 AM (LiyEm)

131 If you like fun turns of phrase give my book, "Wearing the Cat" a whirl. It's chock full o'them.

=====

Was it you who posted on the Pet Thread yesterday wearing cats?

Posted by: mustbequantum at April 08, 2018 10:11 AM (MIKMs)

132 James Coburn was Flint. Dino was Matt Helms.

Posted by: goatexchange at April 08, 2018 10:12 AM (omJOK)

133 117
Running Blind.



Thanks. I wrote it down.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 10:07 AM (k5pWm)


So you can avoid the bending rage when you don't read it I hope. Lol,

More seriously, It was my first Reecher book., mostly based on the comments at Ace O Spades, I actually enjoyed the book. Well done all around except for those two things. I'll circle back and give the series another chance. My opinion is if you are going to have hypnosis as a feature in a book, you have to play it pretty smart, cause hypnosis is mostly bunk and a lazy author crutch.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:12 AM (7+qdf)

134 118 Kindltot on Guns Germs and Steel. I read it originally to see what the fuss was, and was a bit stunned at the inanity of the argument. It is the kind of intellectualoid nonsense that progs use to justify their envy at the success of Western culture.
---------------------
It is nothing more than a self hating white's apologia for white Europeans building the modern world. History is what it is. Europeans built the modern world, but to do so they endured centuries of invasions and set backs. Diamond appeals to those that know little history and have strong opinions taught to them by TeeVee and Hollywood.

Posted by: Puddin Head at April 08, 2018 10:12 AM (vV/gB)

135 132
James Coburn was Flint. Dino was Matt Helms.


Posted by: goatexchange at April 08, 2018 10:12 AM (omJOK)



Coburned!

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:13 AM (7+qdf)

136 120 No. I watched "Big Trouble" last night.

I've never seen it.
Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (k5pWm)

Some good lines:
Must be a gator fan!
Okay, we gotta pick a road. Arrivals or departures? Were arriving, but then were departing. Which one, Snake?
Well you're not hearing what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that I'm a Gators fan and I'm calling you now.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:14 AM (BtQd4)

137 TexasJew being suspended from Twitter is like suddenly becoming deathly allergic to cocaine - sure that awesome dopamine rush is gone but after a few weeks you realize you have your life back.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:14 AM (pYQR/)

138 Honestly I do not know how you folks on social media do it. Long ago I made a conscious decision not to join. History shows us these types of situations, where you grant consent and control to a person or oligarchy, never ends well. It invariably runs into the worst parts of human nature, the desire to cajole, control, force and dictate.

It is not democratic in any fashion. You cede all power to those who control the network. You give them license to your content, thoughts, habits- your life. Thats done via their terms and conditions which nobody ever reads.

In the rush to participate in the latest fade, which the oligarchs have ensured it is through celebrity, media and constant popular reinforcement, they have made it a sine qua non to your daily life. Really- an addiction for some. Yet now people are surprised they are exerting control over the language, thoughts, content and dictating the permissible activities of the users. You should not be shocked. This is where it was intended to end.

It is the dream of all despots to have that control. It is the very power our own government was meant to prevent, and millions have surrendered to these entities without a single shot fired. Simply surreal.

Posted by: Marcus T at April 08, 2018 10:15 AM (sfAgW)

139 Thought that was Coburn.
Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (7+qdf)

Coburn was In Like Flint.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:16 AM (BtQd4)

140 107
Cuthbert, For enjoyable, casual reading:



the Matt Helm series by Donald Hamilton;

the Martha's Vinyard series by Philip Craig;

the Nero Wolfe books by Rex Stout;

the Liturgical Mystery series by Mark Schweizer. (VERY laugh out loud funny)



I regard the writing in these books to be excellent in general and
certainly for the genre. These are books I re-read just for pleasure.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 10:02 AM (V+03K)


TYVM----On the list.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:16 AM (7+qdf)

141 Cuthbert, if you like clever word play, you might try the Jeeves and Wooster books by P.G. Wodehouse. Bertie's analogies always crack me up and they are mostly short stories, so easy to pick up and put down.

I've hated Dickens with a white-hot hate since I was forced to read "Oliver Twist" in the 7th grade. I thought that book would never end.

And thanks to whoever recommended Georgette Heyer's "Friday's Child." Just finished it a couple of days ago and enjoyed it very much. Extended family is going through a very painful patch and it was a perfect antidote to the darkness.

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at April 08, 2018 10:16 AM (S+f+m)

142 OT
woke up too early
chopped 10 lbs of meat
walked the dog
I'm tired!

back to books - reading review copies of a new Matt Margolis tome and a book by a retired cop

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 10:17 AM (hMwEB)

143 ".....You cede all power to those who control the network. You give them license to your content, thoughts, habits - your life....."

Dumb fucks.

Posted by: Zuckerberg at April 08, 2018 10:17 AM (omJOK)

144 139
Thought that was Coburn.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (7+qdf)



Coburn was In Like Flint.

Posted by: rhennigantx at April 08, 2018 10:16 AM (BtQd4)


Coburned.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:18 AM (7+qdf)

145 I am not fond of Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel and I always suggest Carlo Cipolla's Guns Sails and Empires, since it is a better set up argument over the development of agricultural societies into industrial societies.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 09:52 AM (2K6fY)

Kindltot on Guns Germs and Steel. I read it originally to see what the fuss was, and was a bit stunned at the inanity of the argument. It is the kind of intellectualoid nonsense that progs use to justify their envy at the success of Western culture.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (pYQR/)


Why Did Europe Conquer the World? by Philip T. Hoffman is a scholarly rebuttal of Jared Diamond's (and others) take on the subject. A moderately difficult read aimed at an academic audience, at least it isn't one long politically correct apology for what happened, like Guns, Germs and Steel.

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 10:20 AM (UGKMd)

146 Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:12 AM (7+qdf)

Lee Child doesn't write deathless prose, but so far I have read every Jack Reacher book once and taken as a body of work they're a good set of fluff reading. A willing suspension of disbelief helps with some of the plot elements though!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:20 AM (n9EOP)

147 I'd recommend Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute. Or for non-fiction Eastern Approaches by Fitzroy MacLean.

Both fun reads. And Fitzroy MacLean went from Private to Brigadier in from 1940 to 1945. His descriptions of the Moscow Show Trials were chilling. And there is more!

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 10:21 AM (hyuyC)

148 Whoever recommended Another River, Another Town, thank you. It's a nice quick read and very interesting book written by a guy who was involved in the last few months of the fighting in Europe in WWII. The interesting things in the story are really his interactions with his fellow soldiers. Plus the opening story of him getting to the unit is funny. The overall impression is everyone sees the war as a job they just want to get done.

Posted by: WOPR (With Full Auto Nuclear Ability) at April 08, 2018 10:24 AM (J70i0)

149 Just got suspended (permanently, it appears) at Twatter for defending Israel and Europe's beleagered Jews. Pure and simple.
So you bastards are going to have to put up with me again.

-
Tolerance is their watchword but there are limits.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 10:24 AM (+y/Ru)

150 61
Cuthbert - i have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia to my oldest children... liked this quote:

And all at once (they never knew exactly how it happened) the face
seemed to be a sea of tossing gold in which they were floating, and such
a sweetness and power rolled over them that they felt they had never
really been happy or wise or good, or even alive and awake before. And
the memory of that moment stayed with them always, so that as long as
they both lived, if ever they were sad or afraid or angry, the thought
of all that golden goodness, and the feeling that it was still there,
quite close, just around the corner or just behind some door, would come
back and make them sure, deep down inside, that all was well.

C.S. Lewis, The Magicians Nephew

Posted by: Bellorephon at April 08, 2018 09:42 AM (UMz2+)


Nice!

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:25 AM (7+qdf)

151 I recently finished "Dragon Teeth", completed posthumously by Michael Crichton's estate. I love Crichton, more for his unstinting defense of skepticism on climate change than his works. He was a relentless champion for the scientific method, and because of his talent argued very effectively.

"Dragon Teeth" was mediocre; probably a reason he never published it while alive. It does say in the blurb that 15 of his works were turned into major motion pictures. I'm glad he got those in before his climate change apostasy was revealed.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:25 AM (pYQR/)

152 Whoever recommended Another River, Another Town, thank you.

-
If you read the blurb about the author you see that this 18 year old high school drop out combat tank gunner went on to become a professor of philosophy.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 10:27 AM (+y/Ru)

153 141
Cuthbert, if you like clever word play, you might try the Jeeves and
Wooster books by P.G. Wodehouse. Bertie's analogies always crack me up
and they are mostly short stories, so easy to pick up and put down.



I've hated Dickens with a white-hot hate since I was forced to read
"Oliver Twist" in the 7th grade. I thought that book would never end.



And thanks to whoever recommended Georgette Heyer's "Friday's
Child." Just finished it a couple of days ago and enjoyed it very much.
Extended family is going through a very painful patch and it was a
perfect antidote to the darkness.

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at April 08, 2018 10:16 AM (S+f+m)

TYVM- On the list

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 10:28 AM (7+qdf)

154 Cuthbert, Another vote for just about anything by PG Wodehouse. Such understated but effective humor brilliantly delivered on the page. I am sometimes reminded of Swift's "A Modest Proposal" with its straight-face approach.

Also, coming out of left field, Cleveland Amory's "The Trouble With Nowadays: A Curmudgeon Strikes Back".

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 10:30 AM (V+03K)

155 Book threadists!

Since I have discovered the joy of free Kindle books I can brag about the classics which I'm not reading. Basically old out of copyright stuff is free unless the author was successful enough for his heirs to keep the ruse going.

So I'm not reading Dubliners (haven't ruled it out, just not for the current plunge, nor The Beautiful and Damned (love Gatsby and one of his stories, but I care less for the ancestry of a WASP than I do for the class distinctions among Russian peasants).

I'm not reading Der Tod in Venedig, at least not yet. Dense paragraphs of nested statements, but heavy, unlike Grass who makes those things sing. Maybe later, I read Tonio Kroger years ago and don't remember hating it. (Also free).

I forget what else I'm not reading, but I settled upon Heart of Darkness. I quite like it. We've just survived a hail of arrows and are fetching up at Kurtz' station. I expect we meet Marlon Brando any page now.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 10:31 AM (fuK7c)

156 I always found that Pratchett was doing more than one thing at a time, and where Feet of Clay was on the surface a police procedural and a murder mystery, that was just the method of talking about what is freedom, what is bondage, what is self ownership, and what it requires and obligates.

Self ownership obliges accountability and recognition of self agency, which is very scary.

I have read other, I suppose you would call it "suburban fantasy" genre books by Tom Holt, and where a similar patter and supernatural silliness is there, there are very few deep thoughts, so the books are painful to read the second time.

Pratchett I can read time after time. The characters are not compelling because Vimes is like Inspector Dalgliesh, or Angua is like Cordelia Grey, and the rest are filling the tropes for detective novels, but because they feel like people trying to be better than what they are in the face of things that don't care how good they are and it gets rubbed in their faces.

(Once upon a 4th of July potluck, an old friend started telling me about his girlfriend's linking of Small Gods and gnostic thought and that is when I started looking at Pratchett as something other than a fun read)

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 10:32 AM (2K6fY)

157 Also working my way through A Frozen Hell about the Russo-Finnish war. So far it's been really good. The negotiations in the lead up to the war are interesting. The Soviets actually seem to not want to annex Finland. They just wanted some security on that flank.

Posted by: WOPR (With Full Auto Nuclear Ability) at April 08, 2018 10:33 AM (J70i0)

158 Tolerance is their watchword but there are limits.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 10:24 AM (+y/Ru)


Well, there's just no telling where unlimited tolerance might lead us, so...

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:35 AM (n9EOP)

159 There is a fireplace opposite the book wall, and of course the cat sleeps where nature intended, on my keyboard.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:04 AM

I knew a cat was in there somewhere

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 10:36 AM (aC6Sd)

160 You would have had to wait until the next morning because she didn't give the speech until then.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2018 09:12 AM (/tuJf)


Thank you. I *knew* my memory just had to be bad.

But now, after being reminded, I can now remember Podesta getting up in front of Hillary's supporters at her HQ and telling them to go home.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:38 AM (xlCXC)

161 Kindltot

Going Postal by Pratchett is a smashingly fun read. The main character Moist von Lipwig is a delight in this book and two others by Pratchett

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 10:38 AM (hyuyC)

162 But now, after being reminded, I can now remember Podesta getting up in front of Hillary's supporters at her HQ and telling them to go home.
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:38 AM (xlCXC)


Funny, but I thought I remembered Pudesta saying "Hey people, it's all over, let's go to Comet Pizza for a 'snack'!"

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:40 AM (n9EOP)

163 157 Been a little while in my readings of the Winter War but thats how I remember it that the Russians just wanted pieces of land to secure their own land and though pretty much losing the war got what they wanted anyway.

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 10:42 AM (aC6Sd)

164 Shelf space, and even space for boxes, is becoming scarce again. I have to cull through the books to reduce the numbers, again. Sigh! I have to remember that I'm 65 now and don't have another fifty years to get to all the books.

I am reminded of a line from one of the later Lazarus Long books by Heinlein. Lazarus mentions that if he hadn't learned to dispose of casual fiction, his space ship wouldnt be able to take off. I am dismally familiar with the situation.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 10:43 AM (V+03K)

165 For beautiful writing I really like Patrcia McKillip.
Fantasy though, and maybe a bit girly?

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 10:43 AM (hMwEB)

166 Tolerance is their watchword but there are limits.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 10:24 AM (+y/Ru)


Tolerance is their fig-leaf.

Tolerance is their excuse.

Left wing tolerance is never actually tolerance, it's just "tolerance for me but not for thee."

It's how they get their foot in the door. And once they get in, they throw everybody else out.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:43 AM (xlCXC)

167 Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 10:38 AM (hyuyC)

I've always liked Moist and Sam Vimes, and admired The Patrician.

Vimes reminds me of some really good decent men I have been privileged to know in my life!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:43 AM (n9EOP)

168 >>But now, after being reminded, I can now remember Podesta getting up in front of Hillary's supporters at her HQ and telling them to go home.

It's long been rumored that she threw one of her notorious violent fits after losing and was in no condition to be seen publicly.

Personally, I don't think she's ever fit to be seen publicly. She gets more repugnant by the day.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2018 10:44 AM (/tuJf)

169 73 Just got suspended (permanently, it appears) at Twatter for defending Israel and Europe's beleagered Jews. Pure and simple.
So you bastards are going to have to put up with me again.
Posted by: TexasJew at April 08, 2018 09:49 AM (ATL/t)

The purge continues. For short form social media, try Gab.ai. Warning: there are neo-Nazis there and they are shameless. On the other hand, it's basically an open frontier.

For all other commenting you have us, and welcome back.

Posted by: joncelli, going phalangist at April 08, 2018 10:45 AM (1FhAQ)

170 161 Kindltot
Going Postal by Pratchett is a smashingly fun read. The main character Moist von Lipwig is a delight in this book and two others by Pratchett
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 10:38 AM (hyuyC)


Did you see the movie version of Going Postal? A better cinematic rendition of a Pratchett novel is hard to imagine.

In particular, the "look and feel" of Ankh-Morpork was dead solid perfect.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:45 AM (xlCXC)

171 OregonMuse, Thanks for another wonderful Book Thread. I notice you are posting threads more often the last few weeks. I hope that means you are feeling better and the rehab is helping.

Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 10:45 AM (V+03K)

172 Socialism would work if we just had the right people running it.



She comes across as saying that Big Government federalism would do
wonders for the economy (infrastructure, buildings, sustainable job
growth) if we just did it right. I was disappointed by her wrap-up.

Posted by: Muldoon at April 08, 2018 09:36 AM (wPiJc)


This is an economist and historian who never heard of James Buchanan and Gordon Tullock's Public Choice theory.

"[A]lthough people acting in the political marketplace
have some concern for others, their main motive, whether they are
voters, politicians, lobbyists, or bureaucrats, is self-interest. In [James]
Buchanan's words the theory 'replaces... romantic and illusory...
notions about the workings of governments [with]... notions that embody
more skepticism.' "

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 10:46 AM (2K6fY)

173 I've been acquiring more books lately, including a recent order for the 3 volume unabridged set of the Gulag Archipelago. At this point, I have several months' worth of reading awaiting me, if I ever get the time and/or energy to start plowing through it.

I am close to finishing my home study course on celestial navigation, and can recommend David Burch's book on the subject to anyone who is interested.

Posted by: PabloD at April 08, 2018 10:46 AM (Rao08)

174
I am not fond of Jared Diamond's Guns Germs and Steel and I always suggest Carlo Cipolla's Guns Sails and Empires, since it is a better set up argument over the development of agricultural societies into industrial societies.

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 09:52 AM (2K6fY)

Kindltot on Guns Germs and Steel. I read it originally to see what the fuss was, and was a bit stunned at the inanity of the argument. It is the kind of intellectualoid nonsense that progs use to justify their envy at the success of Western culture.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 10:08 AM (pYQR/)

Why Did Europe Conquer the World? by Philip T. Hoffman is a scholarly rebuttal of Jared Diamond's (and others) take on the subject. A moderately difficult read aimed at an academic audience, at least it isn't one long politically correct apology for what happened, like Guns, Germs and Steel.
Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 10:20 AM (UGKMd)






The anti-Diamond book I prefer is VDH's Carnage and Culture. Which I've described as a book-length exercise in repeatedly kicking Jared Diamond in the nutsack.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at April 08, 2018 10:46 AM (eXA4G)

175 Actually, Going Postal wasn't a movie-movie, but a 2-part TV mini-series.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:46 AM (xlCXC)

176 Was Hillary's concession speech when she and Bill wore those weird matching purple outfits?

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 10:47 AM (hMwEB)

177 I've been acquiring more books lately, including a recent order for the 3 volume unabridged set of the Gulag Archipelago.

I've started reading Gulag online, which is suboptimal but the tab is open and I keep going back to it. Thanks to the bookthreadists who mentioned it was available that way last week when I couldn't find it on Kindle.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 10:49 AM (fuK7c)

178 But now, after being reminded, I can now remember Podesta getting up in front of Hillary's supporters at her HQ and telling them to go home.

-
Greg Gutfeld is a smartass.

https://bit.ly/2GKnun8

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 10:49 AM (+y/Ru)

179 Posted by: joncelli, going phalangist at April 08, 2018 10:45 AM (1FhAQ)

Gab.ai sort of proves the point that maybe you can have too much free speech; however, it is technically a better social media platform than twitter, and you can easily block/mute the idiots.

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:49 AM (n9EOP)

180 Still working on Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life."
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 08, 2018 09:09 AM (EZebt)


My take is, he's very much on point with all he has to say. I'm not really learning anything new though. And he's... to put it kindly, wordy.

I know some folks are raving about the book, and that's fine. I don't want what I'm saying to come off as negative, the fact that it's out there, and people are reading it, that's a good thing.

For me though, I'm going to finish it and move on to stuff that will have a deeper impact on me.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 10:50 AM (Pz4pT)

181 171 OregonMuse, Thanks for another wonderful Book Thread. I notice you are posting threads more often the last few weeks. I hope that means you are feeling better and the rehab is helping.
Posted by: JTB at April 08, 2018 10:45 AM (V+03K)


I don't perceive that I am posting more, just my usual GP rants 3 days per week and the weekend chess/dress and book thread. But I am feeling better, thank you. My back injury has healed enough so that even though I still need a wheelchair if I need to travel distances, I've weaned myself off of the oxy and am down to Tylenol for pain management.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:51 AM (xlCXC)

182 Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 10:50 AM (Pz4pT)

===

I do not disagree. It's been a bit of a slog. Good, but I'm not moving through it so fast.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 08, 2018 10:53 AM (EZebt)

183 O Cuthbert the Witless--
If you like a witty turn of phrase, and are gingerly inching into that "reading" thing you hear so much about, I recommend P.G. Wodehouse. He does *amazing* tidbits. E.g. "his crookedness was such he could hide at will behind a spiral staircase." (from Leave it to Psmith) There are also some good short story collections if you want to work up to a full novel or have commitment issues (we don't judge here on the Book Thread). Vintage Wodehouse is a good start for that, containing one of my all-time favorites, "Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend". Enjoy!

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 08, 2018 10:53 AM (L59/U)

184 Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 10:45 AM (xlCXC)

Where did Going Postal get made into a mini-serires?

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:53 AM (n9EOP)

185 Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 10:31 AM (fuK7c)

Gunter Grass! Haven't read him in years. Maybe it's time for a visit...

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 10:55 AM (wYseH)

186 My ears perked up when Diamond made the claim in GG&S that your average native of Papua New Guinea was probably smarter than your average European and it all basically came down to resources. There was a lot of grumpy nastiness in Diamond's argument and the fact that lefties thought it was a slam-dunk just confirmed my suspicions that it was revisionism.

Posted by: joncelli, going phalangist at April 08, 2018 10:57 AM (1FhAQ)

187 Great looking library. And while Ikea comes in for a lot of abuse, their shelves are actually fully functional, sturdy , economically-priced, and nice looking.

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 10:58 AM (7uYFy)

188 and then there's stories like Bleak House - he wanted to make the point that the Legal System led to endless frustration with a series of pointless delays where nothing ever made any objective sense, and where everyone loses in the end. So he wrote a frustrating novel that is a tale of pointless delays where nothing makes any objective sense, and everyone loses in the end. I take his point, but it's certainly no fun to read.
Posted by: Tom Servo at April 08, 2018 09:53 AM (V2Yro

Wasn't there a British inheritance case that ended only after the solicitors had consumed the entire estate over some edgended period of time?

Posted by: Fox2! at April 08, 2018 10:59 AM (brIR5)

189 >>And while Ikea comes in for a lot of abuse, their shelves are actually fully functional, sturdy , economically-priced, and nice looking.


Notice he didn't say anything about their Cordless Drills.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 10:59 AM (icEus)

190 Gunter Grass! Haven't read him in years. Maybe it's time for a visit...

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 10:55 AM (wYseH)



Interesting writer. I liked what I've read of his.

But, his involvement with the Waffen-SS puts me off him.

To be fair, the Stasi apparently hated him. So, there's that.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:00 AM (E3rQ4)

191 Pratchett! One of those I reread and still laugh out loud. Such a deceptively simple and clear style with !layers!.

Posted by: mustbequantum at April 08, 2018 11:01 AM (MIKMs)

192 Hello, Horde! Not much reading for me today, I'm afraid. I'm painting the laundry room. And putting up shelves! Yay, Me!

McGyver, out (play nice while I'm gone)

Posted by: McGyver at April 08, 2018 11:01 AM (XpTJH)

193 Still working on Jordan Peterson's "12 Rules for Life."
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 08, 2018 09:09 AM (EZebt)


My take is, he's very much on point with all he has to say. I'm not really learning anything new though. And he's... to put it kindly, wordy.

I know some folks are raving about the book, and that's fine. I don't want what I'm saying to come off as negative, the fact that it's out there, and people are reading it, that's a good thing.

For me though, I'm going to finish it and move on to stuff that will have a deeper impact on me.
Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 10:50 AM (Pz4pT)


I want to read this, but I have a feeling I'll be depressed if I do because in my life I've broken so many of Peterson's rules that I might not get much out of it---or lament the fact that I couldn't read this in my 20's , when it might have had some impact on me.

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:01 AM (7uYFy)

194 I'm laughing at the egypt pic, the dude in the upper right has a football helmet on.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Divison at April 08, 2018 11:02 AM (aMlLZ)

195 >> Gunter Grass! Haven't read him in years. Maybe it's time for a visit...

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 10:55 AM (wYseH)



I don't like him, personally...but, the Tin Drum and The Flounder are both excellent reads.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:02 AM (icEus)

196 Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 10:50 AM (Pz4pT)

===

I do not disagree. It's been a bit of a slog. Good, but I'm not moving through it so fast.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at April 08, 2018 10:53 AM (EZebt)


I'm a bit of a cynic too. In the intro, the explanation for the book was fairly straightforward, but it basically says these were online posts that he decided to flesh out.

He says there were... what, 30 or so rules he started with? Then decided to whittle it down to these 12. When I read that, I thought I would have preferred more rules, less text for each.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:03 AM (Pz4pT)

197 Nice collection of electronics texts! This guy speaks my language.

01100101 01111000 01100011 01100101 01101100 01101100 01100101 01101110 01110100 !

Posted by: PaddyO' at April 08, 2018 11:03 AM (Bbw58)

198 Interesting writer. I liked what I've read of his.

But, his involvement with the Waffen-SS puts me off him.

To be fair, the Stasi apparently hated him. So, there's that.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:00 AM (E3rQ4)

I believe he "served" in the Hitler Youth with young Joseph Ratzinger--who later became the last real Pope.

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:03 AM (7uYFy)

199 I'm pretty sure this is a hate crime.

Iran hit by cyber attack that left USA flag on screens...

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:03 AM (+y/Ru)

200 Not a book, but-

It appears a Horde Semi-Favorite movie-

"Knowing"

has gotten a very good 4K release with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack for those of you with great A/V systems.

That's something I never figured would happen cuz Our Betters dislike it.

Behold the Power of the Fully Operational Free market!

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:04 AM (E3rQ4)

201 And I see the erudite troglodytes of the Book Thread already mentioned PG Wodehouse a few times... but I was the first one who *quoted* him! *preens* Damn, we are a well-read Horde...

Oh yes, and Heyer! The Talisman Ring is an excellent start, no heaving bosoms and lots of funny.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 08, 2018 11:04 AM (L59/U)

202 So I found Going Postal on Bezos Book Store, is it worth ordering the BluRay and violating my "not a penny to movies" rule??

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:04 AM (n9EOP)

203 Where did Going Postal get made into a mini-serires?
Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 10:53 AM (n9EOP)


Where? In England, of course, back in 2010. It was one one of the non-BBC television channels like ITV or Sky.

It was probably never shown here.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:05 AM (xlCXC)

204 Bahrain Grand prix is starting, 10 minutes past the hour this year, to help Ferrari they gave Hamilton a 5 grid place penalty for engine part change. The race is not being carried on UniMas today so no commercial free.

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 11:05 AM (aC6Sd)

205 199 I'm pretty sure this is a hate crime.

Iran hit by cyber attack that left USA flag on screens...
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:03 AM (+y/Ru)

Snort. Always good to have hackers with a sense of humor.

Posted by: joncelli, going phalangist at April 08, 2018 11:05 AM (1FhAQ)

206 I don't like him, personally...but, the Tin Drum and The Flounder are both excellent reads.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:02 AM (icEus)



Yeah, great reads. Probably his best.

"The Tin Drum" is a really tough type of novel to pull off, but Grass does it gloriously.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:06 AM (E3rQ4)

207 Well, gosh, Queenie, come on down.

Russia claims Queen 'downs cocktails all day' and PM 'has brandy habit'...

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:06 AM (+y/Ru)

208 Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 10:50 AM (Pz4pT)


I want to read this, but I have a feeling I'll be depressed if I do because in my life I've broken so many of Peterson's rules that I might not get much out of it---or lament the fact that I couldn't read this in my 20's , when it might have had some impact on me.
Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:01 AM (7uYFy)


I can see that.

This is one thing I will say though: Peterson is a clinical psychologist. His mind works in ways that are alien to people outside of mental healthcare. He's moving into the political arena, and I think that's why there is such a visceral reaction against him. He doesn't speak the same language as our current political class!

They come from the lawyer perspective, which I have always noted is a very narrow way of seeing the world.

It has to be a good thing for someone like Peterson to start a new conversation, in a different way. And those who are able to tune into him, there is MUCH good that can come out of it.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (Pz4pT)

209 Russia claims Queen 'downs cocktails all day' and PM 'has brandy habit'...
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:06 AM (+y/Ru)


Sir Winston looks down and laughs and laughs!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (n9EOP)

210 207 Well, gosh, Queenie, come on down.

Russia claims Queen 'downs cocktails all day' and PM 'has brandy habit'...
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:06 AM (+y/Ru)

Um, the RUSSIANS are making hay out of drinking? That dog won't hunt.

Posted by: joncelli, going phalangist at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (1FhAQ)

211 202 So I found Going Postal on Bezos Book Store, is it worth ordering the BluRay and violating my "not a penny to movies" rule??
Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:04 AM (n9EOP)


I would suggest looking at purchasing a pre-owned copy on eBay first before you give your hard earned money to Bezos.

Me? harumphBitTorrentharumph.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (xlCXC)

212 Gunter Grass! Haven't read him in years. Maybe it's time for a visit...


I come back to Cat and Mouse (Katz und Maus) every few years. It's accessible and it's not four million pages long.

Love, love, love Peeling the Onion (Beim Haeuten der Zwiebel), his memoir in which, among other things, he confronts the problem of memory and what really did happen. Just because of his age it's also a mini-history of Germany from the 30s to the 60s.

I've never got through Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) despite a couple of attempts. Maybe because I saw the movie first. (Hanna Schygulla takes her clothes off!). It was free on Kindle too, so perhaps another attempt. I think I have it on trees, too.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (fuK7c)

213 My back injury has healed enough so that even though I still need a wheelchair if I need to travel distances, I've weaned myself off of the oxy and am down to Tylenol for pain management.
---
I'm so glad you're on the mend OM! The estimable Book Thread is my favorite thread. *curries favor*

I hope you will be walking pain-free before long -- but don't be too quick to dismiss the visual impact a giant robotic spider chair will have on your enemies.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (qJtVm)

214 Speaking of tolerance, didja see this?

FACEBOOK penalizes pro-Trump Diamond & Silk: 'Unsafe to community'...

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (+y/Ru)

215 But, his involvement with the Waffen-SS puts me off him.

(a) He was drafted into Waffen-SS;

(ii) He was a soldier, not a political.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (fuK7c)

216 >>My ears perked up when Diamond made the claim in GG&S that your average native of Papua New Guinea was probably smarter than your average European and it all basically came down to resources. There was a lot of grumpy nastiness in Diamond's argument and the fact that lefties thought it was a slam-dunk just confirmed my suspicions that it was revisionism.

One trip to Port Moresby and the surrounding environs will further confirm your suspicions. One of the scariest places I've ever been.

P&G is full of resources like silver and gold. Given it's size it should be one of the riches places per capita on the planet.

Spoiler, it's not.

Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2018 11:09 AM (/tuJf)

217 I don't like him, personally...but, the Tin Drum and The Flounder are both excellent reads.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:02 AM (icEus)


Yeah, great reads. Probably his best.

"The Tin Drum" is a really tough type of novel to pull off, but Grass does it gloriously.
Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:06 AM (E3rQ4)


I saw the movie. Brilliant filmmaking.

One of the ugliest things I've ever seen though. Horrible, ugly, unflinching view of evil.

So yeah, no. I can't imagine wanting to read the book.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:09 AM (Pz4pT)

218 JoeF - I'm partway through 12 Rules, and I know what you're saying, but I'd give it a read. The thing about Peterson is he will acknowledge that, yes, you're screwed up and the world is screwed up and everything is terrible, but you can do yourself a lot of good by dealing with problems one at a time. And they don't have to be major problems - just start with one thing, a small thing, then fix it and move on.

Peterson is lime that good friend that not everyone has, the one who will pat you on the back then give you a not-too-hard kick in the ass to get up and moving when you fall down.

Posted by: PabloD at April 08, 2018 11:09 AM (Rao08)

219 I don't like him, personally...but, the Tin Drum and The Flounder are both excellent reads.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:02 AM (icEus)

He's sort of tough. I lost my interest in him when he revealed, belatedly, that he was Waffen SS, after spending 40 years chastising Germany for its postwar response to its own conduct.

But I did enjoy what I read.

Ever read Jerzy Kozinski?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (wYseH)

220 I believe he "served" in the Hitler Youth with young Joseph Ratzinger--who later became the last real Pope.


POW camp. He says he spent long hours playing (cards? I forget) with a devout Bavarian Catholic named Josef and he thinks it might have been Ratzinger.

Ratzinger family denies it.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (fuK7c)

221 Republicans Warn Of Impeachment To Hold Off Blue Wave...

-
Yeah, you'd be sitting pretty then, boy.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (+y/Ru)

222 218 JoeF - I'm partway through 12 Rules, and I know what you're saying, but I'd give it a read. The thing about Peterson is he will acknowledge that, yes, you're screwed up and the world is screwed up and everything is terrible, but you can do yourself a lot of good by dealing with problems one at a time. And they don't have to be major problems - just start with one thing, a small thing, then fix it and move on.

Which is what I always took from his admonition to "clean your room." Start with the things that are immediately around you and relatively simple to address as part of a broader and more long-term effort to get your shit together.

Posted by: Insomniac at April 08, 2018 11:12 AM (NWiLs)

223 last but not least, any body that wants to come have a cocktail with me,

Hellz, yeah! Just tell me who I need to sell out...

Posted by: GOPe at April 08, 2018 11:12 AM (lqqZa)

224 FACEBOOK penalizes pro-Trump Diamond Silk: 'Unsafe to community'...
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (+y/Ru)


Probably the subject of an upcoming GP rant.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:13 AM (xlCXC)

225 Ever read Jerzy Kozinski?
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (wYseH)
---
"The Painted Bird". That scene where the kid (Jerzy) hid in the toilet...

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 11:14 AM (qJtVm)

226 214 Speaking of tolerance, didja see this?

FACEBOOK penalizes pro-Trump Diamond & Silk: 'Unsafe to community'...
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (+y/Ru)

Pretty sure that's RAAAAACIST!!! and sexist.

Posted by: Insomniac at April 08, 2018 11:14 AM (NWiLs)

227 The book, Lust for Life, is a great read.
And yes, the movie is pretty good too.
But best of all is the Second City TV parody of the movie, which I believe was called Lust for Paint.

Posted by: Margarita DeVille at April 08, 2018 11:15 AM (0jtPF)

228 (a) He was drafted into Waffen-SS;


(ii) He was a soldier, not a political.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (fuK7c)

Correct, but that's not the point. He spent many years on the moral high ground, chastizing Germans and Germany, and didn't bother to mention that he had fought too. He carefully cultivated the fiction that he sort of wandered through Germany during the war, being too young to do much.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:16 AM (wYseH)

229 Um, the RUSSIANS are making hay out of drinking? That dog won't hunt.
Posted by: joncelli, going phalangist at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (1FhAQ)


Yeah, that's like the Democrats saying that Donald Trump is a bad person because he's an adulterer.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:16 AM (xlCXC)

230 225 Ever read Jerzy Kozinski?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (wYseH)


Did he write 'Being There'?'

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (xlCXC)

231 Ever read Jerzy Kozinski?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (wYseH)



Lo-o-o-ove Jerzy Kosinski.

I read "Steps" as a teen and hardly knew what to make of it. I just knew it was brilliant.

Poor guy got the Alinsky treatment and was unpersoned unjustly by Our Betters.

He's not for everyone, so give "Being There" a read first to dip your toe in the water.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (E3rQ4)

232 He carefully cultivated the fiction that he sort of wandered through Germany during the war, being too young to do much.


Fair enough. And was very scoldy and leftist and also opposed unification.

I separate the art from the man, except in the case of the memoir where the art is about the man.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (fuK7c)

233 Did he write 'Being There'?'

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (xlCXC)

Yup.

Actually a pretty good book.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:19 AM (wYseH)

234 Correct, but that's not the point. He spent many years on the moral high ground, chastizing Germans and Germany, and didn't bother to mention that he had fought too. He carefully cultivated the fiction that he sort of wandered through Germany during the war, being too young to do much.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:16 AM (wYseH)



My gripe with Grass as well.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:19 AM (E3rQ4)

235 So the deep state will get it's war?

Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:20 AM (RZ4iC)

236 Russia criticizing leaders for drinking.


Rich.

Posted by: goatexchange at April 08, 2018 11:20 AM (YFnq5)

237 He's not for everyone, so give "Being There" a read first to dip your toe in the water.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (E3rQ4)

"The Painted Bird!"

And for weird, try "Steps."

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:21 AM (wYseH)

238 Actually a pretty good book.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:19 AM (wYseH)


I should read it. I saw the movie. Peter Sellers gave a performance for the ages.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:21 AM (xlCXC)

239 236 Russia criticizing leaders for drinking.


Rich.
Posted by: goatexchange at April 08, 2018 11:20 AM (YFnq5)

Putin doesn't drink.... neither does Trump....

Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:21 AM (NgKpN)

240 So the deep state will get it's war?
Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:20 AM (RZ4iC)


And guess who's going to lose, comrade?

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:21 AM (n9EOP)

241 Russia claims Queen 'downs cocktails all day' and PM 'has brandy habit'...

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:06 AM (+y/Ru)

Sir Winston looks down and laughs and laughs!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (n9EOP)


And yet, not a word about Hillary. There's your proof of Russian collusion right there.

A question for the horde: what book features the heaviest drinking? Nick and Nora Charles in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man?

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (UGKMd)

242 Thanks PaddyO'. You know what they say - there are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who know binary and those who don't.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (pYQR/)

243 I'm so glad you're on the mend OM! The estimable Book Thread is my favorite thread. *curries favor*
I hope you will be walking pain-free before long -- but don't be too quick to dismiss the visual impact a giant robotic spider chair will have on your enemies.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 11:08 AM (qJtVm)


Thank you, and thank you for the links to the Melania pics you posted in the chess/dress pr0n thread. I'll be using some of them in the weeks ahead.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (xlCXC)

244 >>Putin doesn't drink.... neither does Trump....



No wonder Hillary dislikes them.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (icEus)

245 I believe he "served" in the Hitler Youth with young Joseph Ratzinger--who later became the last real Pope.


POW camp. He says he spent long hours playing (cards? I forget) with a devout Bavarian Catholic named Josef and he thinks it might have been Ratzinger.
Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:11 AM (fuK7c)

Now THERE'S an idea for a historical novel......

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (7uYFy)

246
Putin doesn't drink.... neither does Trump....





Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:21 AM (NgKpN)

TRUMP DRINKS COKE LIGHT!!

Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (RZ4iC)

247 And was very scoldy and leftist and also opposed unification.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (fuK7c)

That he was, but his rationale for opposing unification was just nuts. A theoretical martial Germany in the distant future vs. the immediate improvement in the lives of millions of East Germans?

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:23 AM (wYseH)

248 And guess who's going to lose, comrade?

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:21 AM (n9EOP)

Everyone?

Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:23 AM (RZ4iC)

249 Which is what I always took from his admonition to "clean your room." Start with the things that are immediately around you and relatively simple to address as part of a broader and more long-term effort to get your shit together.
Posted by: Insomniac at April 08, 2018 11:12 AM (NWiLs)

the second part of 'clean your room'...

Is should you be telling other people how to live THEIR lives, if your own room is a mess?

Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:24 AM (NgKpN)

250 What Really Happened: How Donald J. Trump Saved America From Hillary Clinton is available only in paperback for $19.99. I think Carr publishes it himself, because the 'buying options' link goes directly to him.

Everyone click on the "report abuse" button on the 1-star reviews by people who didn't bother reading the book before hating on it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (39g3+)

251 I didn't know Putin didn't drink or there was a Russian who didn't vodka like it was milk.

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (aC6Sd)

252 A question for the horde: what book features the heaviest drinking? Nick and Nora Charles in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man?
Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (UGKMd)

Anything by Hunter S. Thompson?

Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (NgKpN)

253 Terry Pratchett was a godless prick. He can take a story and piss all over it, like a dog marking his yard.

He's like the chick you're on a date with and you're laughing and having fun and when you go to kiss her, she slaps you and knees you in the balls and hisses how much she hates people like you.

Fuck him.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:26 AM (xJa6I)

254 TRUMP DRINKS COKE LIGHT!!
Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (RZ4iC)


AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

TRUMP DRINKS 2 SIX PACKS OF COKE LIGHT EACH DAY!!!!!

THAT'S UNPRECEDENTED!!!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

NO WONDER HE'S SUCH A CRAPPY PRESIDENT!!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

MY HAIR IS ON FIRE!!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

--the MSM

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:27 AM (xlCXC)

255 I separate the art from the man...

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (fuK7c)

There's a topic!

My problem with Hemingway....

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 11:27 AM (wYseH)

256 A question for the horde: what book features the heaviest drinking? Nick and Nora Charles in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man?
Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (UGKMd)


"Moscow to the End of the Line" by Venedikt Erofeev

for all your literary drinking needs.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 11:27 AM (E3rQ4)

257 I have tried reading Pratchett's books but they bother me. They read like someone who despises fantasy spitting on it repeatedly and mocking it, rather than someone who enjoys fantasy having fun with the concepts. Bored of the Rings made me laugh my head off because you could tell they had affection for the story even if they were poking fun.

Its the difference between modern talk show hosts talking politics and Johnny Carson: he never was bitter or cruel, just fun.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:27 AM (39g3+)

258 249 Which is what I always took from his admonition to "clean your room." Start with the things that are immediately around you and relatively simple to address as part of a broader and more long-term effort to get your shit together.
Posted by: Insomniac at April 08, 2018 11:12 AM (NWiLs)

the second part of 'clean your room'...

Is should you be telling other people how to live THEIR lives, if your own room is a mess?
Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:24 AM (NgKpN)

That too. It's a somewhat nicer way of dismissing teenage snotnosed little shits who think they know how to run the world.

Posted by: Insomniac at April 08, 2018 11:28 AM (NWiLs)

259 Everyone?
Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:23 AM (RZ4iC)


By Jove, I think you've got it!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:28 AM (n9EOP)

260 For a non-book recommendation, I love the "Occupied" series on Netflix. You have to get past the pilot, which seems far-fetched, but it then settles into a great story about 21st century warfare as waged by the Russians. It covers a "silk-glove" invasion of Norway set off by the Greens trying to turn off the supply of natural gas. Good people doing bad things, mixed loyalties, little green men, Russian perfidy, and (some) Westerners eventually standing up for democracy and the rule of law.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (pYQR/)

261 My problem with Hemingway....

He's overrated. He could write a pretty good story, but they were treated like the voice of God printed on gold plate. And all his stories read like a desperate man trying to embrace masculinity but from a remote distance, theoretically. Which in his case was literally true.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (39g3+)

262 251 I didn't know Putin didn't drink or there was a Russian who didn't vodka like it was milk.
Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (aC6Sd)

Yup... one of the reasons Putin is so scary...

He saw what the Leadership of Russia did under the Communists... as a KGB agent... he saw the rot in the system.

And he is truly Pro Russia....

Sooo... a Competent, Sober, Effective, Pro Russia Patriot??? One who see the EU as a threat?

Yes, Scary... not so much to the US... but to Europe... which ends up dragging us in.

Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (NgKpN)

263 I separate the art from the man...

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:18 AM (fuK7c)

There's a topic!

My problem with Hemingway....

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo



Go on....

Or broaden it. I'm just a Hemingway fanboi will stick up for most of the work.

Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (fuK7c)

264 He's like the chick you're on a date with and you're laughing and having fun and when you go to kiss her, she slaps you and knees you in the balls and hisses how much she hates people like you.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:26 AM (xJa6I)

And this AFTER she cops a feel on your package.....

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:30 AM (7uYFy)

265 Now that I have THAT out of my system...


I finished up 'This Kind of War' about the Korean War this week. Talk about a weeper. Having someone repeat 'out loud' the stupid decisions in that conflict gnaws at the soul. Author is right about how American needs a capacity to do low-intensity war. We have the Marines. We also need an American Legion.

I also read 'Too Many Cooks', a classic Nero Wolfe novel. I'm really enjoying these and I'm planning to buy all the books in the series, one by one.

I'm half way through Chuck Dixon's 'Shrinkage', which is a fascinating period crime drama set in Philly in the 70's. It is full of period and place details, it's well-written and moves fast. It reminds me a lot of Elmore Leonard. It has similarities to Chuck's other books but it is very different, focusing on a low-level shoplifter and grifter instead of a soldier or hero. Good stuff, I'm like Chuck Dixon quite a bit.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:30 AM (xJa6I)

266 264 He's like the chick you're on a date with and you're laughing and having fun and when you go to kiss her, she slaps you and knees you in the balls and hisses how much she hates people like you.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:26 AM (xJa6I)

And this AFTER she cops a feel on your package.....
Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:30 AM (7uYFy)

Yup, gets your hopes up and then...

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (xJa6I)

267 Pratchett always has been good-humored to me. He knows the tropes and how to mock them (with footnotes, no less), but I always get a sense of joy of life. DEATH is one of his best characters.

Posted by: mustbequantum at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (MIKMs)

268 And all his stories read like a desperate man trying to embrace masculinity but from a remote distance, theoretically. Which in his case was literally true.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (39g3+)

That was the point....

Posted by: Jake Barnes at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (7uYFy)

269 251 I didn't know Putin didn't drink or there was a Russian who didn't vodka like it was milk.
Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (aC6Sd)

In the land of drunks, the teetotaler is Czar.

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (hMwEB)

270 A question for the horde: what book features the heaviest drinking? Nick and Nora Charles in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man?
Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (UGKMd)

Anything by Hunter S. Thompson?
Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (NgKpN)


This one:

https://tinyurl.com/y9gzuu9j

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (Pz4pT)

271 I like Peterson's line "Six years ago you were twelve. What the hell do YOU know?"

Posted by: Insomniac at April 08, 2018 11:32 AM (NWiLs)

272 Yup, gets your hopes up and then...
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (xJa6I)

BAM!!! blue balls......

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:32 AM (7uYFy)

273 260 For a non-book recommendation, I love the "Occupied" series on Netflix. Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (pYQR/)

Haven't seen season 2 yet, but season 1 was excellent.

When I first started watching it, I though, wow, they must have spent like maybe 100 dollars on production, it looked that cheaply filmed. I thought it was going to stink, but it was actually quite good.

I've heard that Amazon is filming its own version of it.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:33 AM (xlCXC)

274 Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?
Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (fuK7c)

Marion Zimmer Bradley

Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 11:33 AM (hMwEB)

275 261 My problem with Hemingway....

He's overrated. He could write a pretty good story, but they were treated like the voice of God printed on gold plate. And all his stories read like a desperate man trying to embrace masculinity but from a remote distance, theoretically. Which in his case was literally true.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (39g3+)

I think he's great. In small doses.

He has a great gift for subtly and clarity.

I think like most writers, he's trying to write true things. And he wants to get at them without layers of obfuscating words.

I can't think of anything in his personal life that bothers me, either.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (xJa6I)

276 Posted by: mustbequantum at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (MIKMs)

I can get the "godless" comment (it is rather blatant in spots), but I'm reading Pratchett for the humor and characters, not to get "unconverted"!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (n9EOP)

277 It reminds me a lot of Elmore Leonard. It has similarities to Chuck's other books but it is very different, focusing on a low-level shoplifter and grifter instead of a soldier or hero. Good stuff, I'm like Chuck Dixon quite a bit.

Yeah, Dixon is a great writer, I recommend his books to the horde with great satisfaction. He's very skilled at crime and adventure fiction with a gritty reality in all he's written. Should be better known. By the way, he's right of center on almost everything, we're "buddies" on Facebook.

That was the point....

Yeah but Hemingway delivers it like he's desperate to be perceived as many like how he lived his life. It doesn't work for met at all and I think he's one of the most overrated writers in history.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (39g3+)

278 I finished up 'This Kind of War' about the Korean War this week. Talk about a weeper. Having someone repeat 'out loud' the stupid decisions in that conflict gnaws at the soul.

I read that last year. There was so much I didn't know about that war.

I thought his tone was different about the "stupid decisions" for the most part. It was understandable why we demobilized, it's cultural why we couldn't run a safe POW camp, etc. He only singles out a few people for outright condemnation.

Mostly I took it as a lament about how perfectly understandable forces intersected to create that disaster.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (fuK7c)

279 274 Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?
Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (fuK7c)

Marion Zimmer Bradley
Posted by: votermom certified russian matryoshka bot at April 08, 2018 11:33 AM (hMwEB)

This.

And Samuel Delaney.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (xJa6I)

280 TRUMP DRINKS COKE LIGHT!!
Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (RZ4iC)

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

TRUMP DRINKS 2 SIX PACKS OF COKE LIGHT EACH DAY!!!!!

THAT'S UNPRECEDENTED!!!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

NO WONDER HE'S SUCH A CRAPPY PRESIDENT!!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

MY HAIR IS ON FIRE!!!!

AAAAAAAAGGGHHHHHH!

--the MSM
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:27 AM (xlCXC)


If people are talking about Diet Coke, I would agree.

But if people are talking about the new and improved zero sugar Coke... that stuff is better than crack.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:36 AM (Pz4pT)

281 Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (Pz4pT)

Great story!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:36 AM (n9EOP)

282 Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (fuK7c)

Hmmm...maybe F. Scott Fitzgerald....depressing dreck...imo.

Posted by: BignJames at April 08, 2018 11:36 AM (0+nbW)

283 278 I finished up 'This Kind of War' about the Korean War this week. Talk about a weeper. Having someone repeat 'out loud' the stupid decisions in that conflict gnaws at the soul.

I read that last year. There was so much I didn't know about that war.

I thought his tone was different about the "stupid decisions" for the most part. It was understandable why we demobilized, it's cultural why we couldn't run a safe POW camp, etc. He only singles out a few people for outright condemnation.

Mostly I took it as a lament about how perfectly understandable forces intersected to create that disaster.
Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (fuK7c)

You might be the dude that suggested the book in the first place

The decisions were understandable. But stupid. And avoidable, mostly.

Just breaks my heart. I love competence and watching moral cowardice eats at me.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:36 AM (xJa6I)

284 In my opinion, Dashiell Hammett wrote everything the way Hemingway wanted to and intended to, but it came across as true and real instead of desperate projection. And all the writing style and technique people praise Hemingway for, Hammett does better.

It was good to go to a bookstore and find Hammett's stuff starting to be put in the American Literature section instead of pulp. Only took about a century but he's finally getting some respect.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:37 AM (39g3+)

285 Fun party game - where in the world is Tony Podesta?

Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine at April 08, 2018 11:37 AM (fA1SL)

286 Just reading a few of the tweets thrown out during the Trump Tower fire. Some people are pretty scary. And these are supposed to be normal people not psychopaths.

Posted by: never enough caffeine at April 08, 2018 11:37 AM (N3JsI)

287 279 274 Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?
Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (fuK7c)


Mrs. Muse.

I mean, she's got a long list of Hollywood actors/directors she doesn't like for one reason or another, so there's an even longer list of movies and TV shows she refuses to watch because somebody on her black list stars in it.

Drives me nuts.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:38 AM (xlCXC)

288 Fun party game - where in the world is Tony Podesta?
Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine at April 08, 2018 11:37 AM (fA1SL)


Back room at Comet Pizza?

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:39 AM (n9EOP)

289 I guess for drinking in literature there's always Charles Bukowski. He opened one story describing his vomit after a bender.

This would be a great English Lit class:

http://listverse.com/2008/01/22/top-15-great-alcoholic-writers/

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 11:39 AM (qJtVm)

290 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (39g3+)

I think he's great. In small doses.

He has a great gift for subtly and clarity.

I think like most writers, he's trying to write true things. And he wants to get at them without layers of obfuscating words.

I can't think of anything in his personal life that bothers me, either.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (xJa6I)


My thing about Hemingway, and pretty much the entirety of 20th century fiction writers, is that they're not worth the time it takes to read them. It was a f**ked up century, dominated by writers who were weenies and lefties and amoral gasbags of ego. And I can't think of anything of value to be gotten from reading them. Except maybe... maybe, entertainment.

So yeah. Not worth my time and effort.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:39 AM (Pz4pT)

291 You might be the dude that suggested the book in the first place

Probably here, but credit goes to Sean Bannion who recommended it to me.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:39 AM (fuK7c)

292 And these are "supposed" to be normal people not psychopaths.

Posted by: never enough caffeine at April 08, 2018 11:37 AM (N3JsI)

The operative word there is supposed!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:40 AM (n9EOP)

293 For drunk novels, how about William Kennedy, especially Ironweed.

Posted by: Ignoramus at April 08, 2018 11:40 AM (pV/54)

294 288. Dunno. But he sorta dropped off the edge of the earth late last year. Havent heard or seen a thing from or about the guy.

Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine at April 08, 2018 11:40 AM (fA1SL)

295 208---....It has to be a good thing for someone like Peterson to start a new conversation, in a different way. And those who are able to tune into him, there is MUCH good that can come out of it.
Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:07 AM (Pz4pT)
-----------------------------
AMEN.
He doesn't have all the right answers.
What he does is ask the right questions. As you say, he approaches things from an angle that is quite different from that of contemporary discourse.
And for young people especially, he is a breath of fresh air.

Picture it:
My son comes home at 4 in the morning cold sober after visiting with a couple of old friends (guys) and tells me they were talking about Nietzsche, Jung, and Aristotle.
WTF? I know these kids. I don't recall them talking about anything deeper than Star Trek.

Jordan Peterson. He has opened a door. He has told a new generation that a whole world of ideas exists outside the stifling ideologies of the post-modern world.

It's not that the ids are all going to become great philosophers or spend the rest of their lives immersed in the wisdom of the Ancients. But by God, they now know that there is something .....more.

Posted by: Margarita DeVille at April 08, 2018 11:40 AM (0jtPF)

296 She comes across as saying that Big Government federalism would do wonders for the economy (infrastructure, buildings, sustainable job growth) if we just did it right. I was disappointed by her wrap-up.
Posted by: Muldoon

That is sorta true, but also sort of not true. I think Schlaes rationalized that government intrusion was necessary or rather inevitable. But the damage of the Fed.gov interferring with everything and making a lot of things worse was also interesting.
It was Schlaes point that Roosevelt and the New Dealers wanted to manage everything, and were bad at it. Making the economy worse.
It was my late mother's contention that only the beginning of WWII mobilization ended the Depression. And that was a widely held belief.

Posted by: Bozo Conservative....outlaw in America at April 08, 2018 11:40 AM (S6Pax)

297 When I was in college in the early '80's , Hemingway, Faulkner and Fitzgerald were still considered the "Big Three" in 20th century American lit , so I read a lot of them at the time. You could get a flavor of what American life was like in the first half of the century. But honestly, I doubt young people would get ANYTHING out of any of them today. To them, these three guys might as well have lived 1000 years ago.....

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:41 AM (7uYFy)

298 Remember the movie Heavenly Creatures, with Kate Winslet? Two girls have a rich and strange fantasy life together and conspire to kill one of their mothers so they won't be parted?

Kate Winslet's character got out of jail, moved to England, changed her name, and started writing mystery novels under her new name... Anne Perry.

I have a hard time reading her books since I found that out. Something about them always felt a little off, because no matter what the character or topic, they always have a cabal of evil "inner circle" powerful and rich who secretly run things and are responsible for everything bad, even things like Jack the Ripper. Its like she has this enduring fury against authority dating back to having been taken away from her best friend and jailed.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:41 AM (39g3+)

299 Yeah but Hemingway delivers it like he's desperate to be perceived as many like how he lived his life. It doesn't work for met at all and I think he's one of the most overrated writers in history.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (39g3+)

Hm.

To me he stands out from the Falkners and the overly-mannered English authors that came before him. He strips language down without losing it's power and poetry. Writing tersely is a tough trick.

He's a tent pole in English Literature, as much as Jane Austen is, I think.

And I don't have a problem with him living or advocating for a masculine life. He was one of the last writers to write unadulterated praise for a life of risk and double barreled enjoyment of the masculine pleasures: of the hunt, of women, of a fine meal, of hard work and sacrifice. Sacrifice of yourself, in the end.

I'd love to hear more about how you came to this view. The Leftist critiques of him, I've heard plenty. But you have your head screwed on.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:42 AM (xJa6I)

300 The people in John Cheever's short stories drink A LOT.

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 11:42 AM (7uYFy)

301
And Samuel Delaney.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:34 AM (xJa6I)
---
He looks like Dirty Santa now!

https://tinyurl.com/yd82xzdd

But I still enjoy his writing, even the gender-bendy later stuff.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 11:42 AM (qJtVm)

302 Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:31 AM (Pz4pT)

Great story!
Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:36 AM (n9EOP)


In fact, 24 stories!

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:42 AM (Pz4pT)

303 Back room at Comet Pizza?

"I just really like ping pong!!!!"
--John Podesta

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:43 AM (39g3+)

304 Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?
=====

Saw one of those old Dick Cavett shows and my contribution would be Lauren Bacall. Good grief, that woman was painfully stupid. Attractive, even as an older woman, but so mind-numbingly vapid that I can't look at her stuff. Conversely, saw Charlton Heston interview, and he was thoughtful and nice, even with Cavett attempting to push stuff so he went up from just another pretty face.

Posted by: mustbequantum at April 08, 2018 11:43 AM (MIKMs)

305 DEATH is one of Pratchett's best characters, but I find I enjoy the Witches series the most. Fairly regular old women doing unmagical things that other people don't want to do = witch. Of course there's magic here and there, too, but it's a fun thought exercise.

Now that I think about it, Pratchett managed to make some great characters. Carrot was King Arthur working a day job iirc, which was fun. The patrician was great, too.

Posted by: Moron Robbie - Bama's Boot Stomping on the Face of College Football Forever at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (ks6bw)

306 And I don't have a problem with him living or advocating for a masculine life. He was one of the last writers to write unadulterated praise for a life of risk and double barreled enjoyment of the masculine pleasures: of the hunt, of women, of a fine meal, of hard work and sacrifice. Sacrifice of yourself, in the end.

My problem isn't living a masculine life. My problem is that he comes across as living the masculine life like a psychopath living a normal life; as if its playacting and something alien to him that he aspires to. The bravado and posing comes across as false and inauthentic.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (39g3+)

307 American novelists - Faulkner & Chandler. I've never yet found anything by either that wasn't worth reading.

Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine at April 08, 2018 11:45 AM (fA1SL)

308 Its like she has this enduring fury against authority dating back to having been taken away from her best friend and jailed.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:41 AM (39g3+)


Well, she did help her friend murder her mother, so it's not like she's a victim of injustice.

I know about Anne Perry, but I always wonder what happened to the friend.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:45 AM (xlCXC)

309 293 For drunk novels, how about William Kennedy, especially Ironweed.
Posted by: Ignoramus at April 08, 2018 11:40 AM (pV/54)
---
Yes! There is a sad, beautiful, booze-soaked book. A pretty good movie was made of it too.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 11:45 AM (qJtVm)

310 guess for drinking in literature there's always Charles Bukowski. He opened one story describing his vomit after a bender.

This would be a great English Lit class:

http://listverse.com/2008/01/22/top-15-great-alcoholic-writers/

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta




That there is a rogues' gallery.


Now, about Hemingway. Somebody said Dashiell Hammett did it better. I think of Hammet as a writer of potboilers and I can't keep him separate from the other two in my mind.

Hemingway changed the way we write the American language. He made it sharp and direct. There is pre-Hemingway and there is post Hemingway. (With a special exception for Mark Twain).

It's like saying you don't like the Beatles. You can't deny that they changed music.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:45 AM (fuK7c)

311 Now that I think about it, Pratchett managed to make some great characters. Carrot was King Arthur working a day job iirc, which was fun. The patrician was great, too.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - Bama's Boot Stomping on the Face of College Football Forever at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (ks6bw)

A turn of phrase worthy of Pratchett!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:46 AM (n9EOP)

312 284 In my opinion, Dashiell Hammett wrote everything the way Hemingway wanted to and intended to, but it came across as true and real instead of desperate projection. And all the writing style and technique people praise Hemingway for, Hammett does better.

It was good to go to a bookstore and find Hammett's stuff starting to be put in the American Literature section instead of pulp. Only took about a century but he's finally getting some respect.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:37 AM (39g3+)

I'm a huge fan of Hammett, I love all his non-communist propaganda writing.

They're different writers. They're telling different stories, though sometimes of similar men.

I guess they're both 'mannered' in their prose, just in different but similar ways.

It's a shame success killed Hammett's muse.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:46 AM (xJa6I)

313 I agree that Hemingway's style was, at the time, a big break from the overly florid and excessively stylish writing of most of his peers -- but Hammett did it too, and did it better.

The problem was, Hammett wrote about people doing things rather than people feeling things, and it was declared not literature as a result. Its the old faux divide between "literary" and "non-literary" fiction, where certain types of books do not qualify because they aren't misery filled novels filled with nothing in particular taking place, but lots of feelings and reactions to that nothing.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:46 AM (39g3+)

314 Our Great Depression got worse in FDR's second term. Were it not for WWII he might have lost going for a third term. This is mostly forgotten in retrospect because of the glow of our winning WWII at comparatively low cost.

Hayek explains the failure of socialism as an information problem (free markets beat central planning) and its inevitable need to be coercive and ultimately totalitarian.

The advent of Big Data will challenge the presumption that central planning can't be improved.

Posted by: Ignoramus at April 08, 2018 11:47 AM (pV/54)

315 183
O Cuthbert the Witless--
If you like a witty turn of phrase, and are
gingerly inching into that "reading" thing you hear so much about, I
recommend P.G. Wodehouse. He does *amazing* tidbits. E.g. "his
crookedness was such he could hide at will behind a spiral staircase."
(from Leave it to Psmith) There are also some good short story
collections if you want to work up to a full novel or have commitment
issues (we don't judge here on the Book Thread). Vintage Wodehouse is a good start for that, containing one of my all-time favorites, "Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend". Enjoy!


Posted by: Sabrina Chase at April 08, 2018 10:53 AM (L59/U)

LOL So crooked he could hide behind a spiral staircase.

TYVM- On the List

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 11:48 AM (7+qdf)

316 Now that I think about it, Pratchett managed to make some great characters. Carrot was King Arthur working a day job iirc, which was fun. The patrician was great, too.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - Bama's Boot Stomping on the Face of College Football Forever at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (ks6bw)


If a writer can work with and develop a set of characters over the course of his career, I'd say he was doing pretty good.

Pratchett, on the other hand had, like, 3 or 4 sets of characters he developed over the course of his writing career. That puts him a cut above most other fiction writers, in my view.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:48 AM (xlCXC)

317 The bravado and posing comes across as false and inauthentic.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (39g3+)


I suspect he knew that better than anyone. Which is why he chose to swallow a gun.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:48 AM (Pz4pT)

318 The advent of Big Data will challenge the presumption that central planning can't be improved.
Posted by: Ignoramus at April 08, 2018 11:47 AM (pV/54)


AI enhanced socialism with the "right" people in charge is the wave of the future!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:49 AM (n9EOP)

319 After the discussion here, I decided to read Jordan Peterson's book, but to check it out from the library rather than buy it. I am 82 out of 82 on the waitlist for one of 16 copies. This is in the AUSTIN TEXAS Public Library.

I'll bet it frosts their cookies that the book is so popular that they have to have that many copies of it!

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at April 08, 2018 11:49 AM (S+f+m)

320 He doesn't have all the right answers.
What he does is ask the right questions. As you say, he approaches things from an angle that is quite different from that of contemporary discourse.
And for young people especially, he is a breath of fresh air.


What Jordan Peterson does is explain old wisdom and presumptions about life learned through experience and passed down through tradition, but he does it in scientific terms so that the "I f'in love science" generation who has been raised brainlessly naturalist accept and understand it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:49 AM (39g3+)

321 I think he's great. In small doses.

-
In high school, I loved both A Farewell To Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls. Hated The Sun Also Rises.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:49 AM (+y/Ru)

322 318. There's a name for that already. And because this is Current Year, it is, of course, a stupid name - Automated Luxury Communism.

Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine at April 08, 2018 11:50 AM (fA1SL)

323 The people in John Cheever's short stories drink A LOT.
Posted by: JoeF.

John Cheever drank a lot. And he was gay.

Posted by: Bozo Conservative....outlaw in America at April 08, 2018 11:50 AM (S6Pax)

324 AI enhanced socialism with the "right" people in charge is the wave of the future!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 11:49 AM (n9EOP)

We could call it : Utopia!

Posted by: muckrack at April 08, 2018 11:51 AM (RZ4iC)

325 306 And I don't have a problem with him living or advocating for a masculine life. He was one of the last writers to write unadulterated praise for a life of risk and double barreled enjoyment of the masculine pleasures: of the hunt, of women, of a fine meal, of hard work and sacrifice. Sacrifice of yourself, in the end.

My problem isn't living a masculine life. My problem is that he comes across as living the masculine life like a psychopath living a normal life; as if its playacting and something alien to him that he aspires to. The bravado and posing comes across as false and inauthentic.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (39g3+)

Hm.

He WAS an ambulance driver in WW1 and was wounded in battle. He was a big game hunter, got up close in the Spanish Civil War.

He wasn't an armchair writer of life.

I've heard similar critiques of Hemingway but I'm not sure I see where it comes from.

His prose does hold things at a distance. Perhaps part of it comes from his style???

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:51 AM (xJa6I)

326 Hemingway changed the way we write the American language. He made it
sharp and direct. There is pre-Hemingway and there is post Hemingway.
(With a special exception for Mark Twain).

=====

Kind of a BIIIIG exception, there. Thanks for mentioning though. However, I think EB White (of Strunk and White) was a bigger honing device.

Posted by: mustbequantum at April 08, 2018 11:52 AM (MIKMs)

327 That Woods fellow looks like his pencil is definitely lead challenged. Looks like Elin is the ball striker in the family

Posted by: Martha at April 08, 2018 11:52 AM (VWsDy)

328 I've heard that Hemingway basically put marlin fishing on the map. Basically, nobody knew much about how to catch them until he went out and did it. Because of that, I don't think his masculinity was fake.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:52 AM (xlCXC)

329 I'm reading "John Dies @ The End" by David Wong (actually Jason Pargin). I first read the third novel in the series about Dave and John, who are a sort of rust belt Bill and Ted fighting malevolent extradimensional entities, and this one tells of how they got into the business of monster hunting in the first place. Which is, unwittingly and unwillingly, chosen as it were by the "soy sauce", a strange substance that gives its user a window into another dimension co-located with our own.

The movie of the same name, which I highly recommend, seems to be a very faithful adaptation of the novel thus far.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 09:04 AM (qJtVm)

"This Book is Full of Spiders" (Book 2) is my favorite of the three... I remember thinking it had been years since I'd laughed that hard at a book. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

Posted by: Gem at April 08, 2018 11:52 AM (XoAz8)

330 Also, Hemingway raised a kid who took a fly rod with him when parachuting behind the German lines. Got surprised by a German patrol and kept fishing calmly so as not to draw attention to himself as they marched by.

He did eventually get caught, but still...

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:52 AM (fuK7c)

331 I know about Anne Perry, but I always wonder what happened to the friend.
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:45 AM (xlCXC)


She was found, not too long ago, living a quiet life in a small village. In England, not too terribly far from Perry, but the two have not crossed paths again.

I think she takes care of homeless dogs, or something like that. Seems to be living a life of atonement. As far removed from the crime as she can get.

Whereas Perry is writing fictionalized versions of it, and getting paid quite well to do so.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:53 AM (Pz4pT)

332 >>John Cheever drank a lot. And he was gay.


Best Seinfeld Ever.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:53 AM (icEus)

333 Read a book the kids were reading, The Aeronaut s Windless, easy read. If there are any cat people here you'll like it.

Posted by: Jean at April 08, 2018 11:53 AM (cCcDY)

334 316 Now that I think about it, Pratchett managed to make some great characters. Carrot was King Arthur working a day job iirc, which was fun. The patrician was great, too.
Posted by: Moron Robbie - Bama's Boot Stomping on the Face of College Football Forever at April 08, 2018 11:44 AM (ks6bw)

If a writer can work with and develop a set of characters over the course of his career, I'd say he was doing pretty good.

Pratchett, on the other hand had, like, 3 or 4 sets of characters he developed over the course of his writing career. That puts him a cut above most other fiction writers, in my view.
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 11:48 AM (xlCXC)

Oh he's not unskilled.

See my 'date' analogy.

It's just as you get to know these characters and like them, he jeers at you and stands on a wall, peeing down on you.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:53 AM (xJa6I)

335 Even if it's these pants, which come from the 1980s, but everybody was wearing ugly pants in the 1980s.

++++

Of course, you could embed the pic in your post instead of just providing the link. Thank you for not doing so.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at April 08, 2018 11:54 AM (pvjTE)

336 >>Hemingway raised a kid who took a fly rod with him when parachuting behind the German lines.


That's just common sense.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:54 AM (icEus)

337 It's long been rumored that she threw one of her notorious violent fits after losing and was in no condition to be seen publicly.

Personally, I don't think she's ever fit to be seen publicly. She gets more repugnant by the day.

Posted by: JackStraw


I hope there's a tape of that somewhere....

like the Buddy Rich tape.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 11:54 AM (k5pWm)

338 252
A question for the horde: what book features the heaviest drinking? Nick and Nora Charles in Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man?

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 11:22 AM (UGKMd)



Anything by Hunter S. Thompson?



Posted by: Don Q. at April 08, 2018 11:25 AM (NgKpN)

Liars Autobiography- Graham, Chapman. OOOOOOO that boy could drink.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 11:54 AM (7+qdf)

339 He's overrated. He could write a pretty good story, but they were treated like the voice of God printed on gold plate. And all his stories read like a desperate man trying to embrace masculinity but from a remote distance, theoretically. Which in his case was literally true.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (39g3+)



I completely agree. I was utterly bored reading everything of his I've read.

Nice library by the by

Posted by: TheQuietMan at April 08, 2018 11:55 AM (SiINZ)

340 Best Seinfeld Ever.

Posted by: garrett


Yes it was.

Posted by: Bozo Conservative....outlaw in America at April 08, 2018 11:55 AM (S6Pax)

341 Well, I'm off to start my writing day.

Great discussions and some more book pile suggestions.

Great time today, thanks!

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at April 08, 2018 11:56 AM (xJa6I)

342 I've heard that Hemingway basically put marlin fishing on the map. Basically, nobody knew much about how to catch them until he went out and did it.

This is accurate. For nautical pisco literary types I recommend "Hemingway's Boat".

He consulted the current expert on marlin fishing, who was the expert because he had caught about seven in his life. Within a couple of years Hemingway was catching seveny a season.

Everything was new, gear, tactics, everything. It really hadn't been done and he figured it out. Also was part of founding IGFA.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:56 AM (fuK7c)

343 Cuthbert the Witness.....

are you still in here ?

Ya wanna read a GREAT book ?

Chiefs by Stuart Woods.

Ya wanna read a TERRIBLE book ?

Name Dropping by Frank Langella.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 11:56 AM (k5pWm)

344
Now, about Hemingway. Somebody said Dashiell Hammett did it better.

-
Nether can hold a candle to Sean Penn.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 11:56 AM (+y/Ru)

345 I'm not a flea. I don't roll that way.

Posted by: the Scarab at April 08, 2018 11:57 AM (g6yUI)

346 261
My problem with Hemingway....



He's overrated. He could write a pretty good story, but they were
treated like the voice of God printed on gold plate. And all his
stories read like a desperate man trying to embrace masculinity but from
a remote distance, theoretically. Which in his case was literally true.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (39g3+)


LOL- That is solid two minute review. I have always felt the same way when reading Hemingway. Hey Big Papie, you are trying too hard.

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 11:57 AM (7+qdf)

347 John Cheever drank a lot. And he was gay.


Best Seinfeld Ever.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 11:53 AM (icEus)


Cherish. The cabin!!

Holy smokes! I just realized, the father in that episode is Doc Hayward, and the mother is Sarah Palmer from Twin Peaks!!!

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 11:58 AM (Pz4pT)

348 Nether can hold a candle to Sean Penn.

As funny as that is, its actually pretty on topic: Hammett and Hemingway were the antidote to writing like Sean Penn's. Overly wordy, florid, thick and difficult to read. Writers lie Hammett and Elmore Leonard took out all the bits people skipped, and pared down the sentences to what was needed.

As much as I love the story, reading Ivanhoe is like swimming through molasses.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 11:59 AM (39g3+)

349 175 170 OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine

Thank you. I have never seen any Diskworld stories on TV or in the movies. I'll see if I can get a DVD of Going Postal (TV).

I basically do not watch any TV beyond the televised games of Bill Snyder's Kansas State University football team.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:00 PM (hyuyC)

350 343
Cuthbert the Witness.....



are you still in here ?



Ya wanna read a GREAT book ?



Chiefs by Stuart Woods.



Ya wanna read a TERRIBLE book ?



Name Dropping by Frank Langella.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 11:56 AM (k5pWm)

Chiefs- On the list
Name Dropping- Is it bad/good like Highlander the movie or bad like Madonna and The Your So Vain guy in Dick Tracy?

Posted by: Cuthbert the Witless at April 08, 2018 12:00 PM (7+qdf)

351 That said: writers like Twain (as mentioned above) and Robert Louis Stevenson were to the point and clean as well, and they predate Hemingway's birth by many years. It wasn't all painful to read.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:01 PM (39g3+)

352 Ohayo Horde, dreamed of writing last night though now can't remember what I was writing. So best get about the writing I do know about ne?

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at April 08, 2018 12:01 PM (YndnO)

353 Who else is so problematic as a human that it affects the way we see the work?

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 11:29 AM (fuK7c)

John Dos Passos

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 12:02 PM (wYseH)

354 My favorite bad movie that's good is "Hawk the Slayer." Its awful and the music is terrible and the acting is wooden but...

it works. By the end you're going "that was pretty good!"

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:03 PM (39g3+)

355 John Dos Passos


What was wrong with Dos? All I know about him is he fished with Hemingway. Never read him.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 12:03 PM (fuK7c)

356 I'm on Gab now. I signed up in 2016, but never was active before. Yes, there is quite a swamp of hateful nutjobs over there, but also a decent amount of good freedom loving folks. At least you can be honest there, which is a relief (and why I first came here almost 10 years ago, after the LGF purges).

Posted by: TexasJew at April 08, 2018 12:04 PM (ATL/t)

357 John Dos Passos

-
John Dos Passos
John dos Passos.jpg
Born
John Roderigo Dos Passos
January 14, 1896
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died
September 28, 1970 (aged 74)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Occupation
Novelist, playwright, poet, journalist, painter, translator
Nationality
American
Literary movement
Modernism
Lost Generation
Notable works
USA Trilogy
Notable awards
Antonio Feltrinelli Prize
In 1920 his first novel, One Man's Initiation: 1917, was published, and in 1925 his novel, Manhattan Transfer, became a commercial success. In 1928, he went to the Soviet Union to study socialism, and later became a leading participant in the 1935 First American Writers Congress sponsored by the communist-leaning League of American Writers. He was in Spain in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War. The murder of his friend José Robles soured his attitude toward communism, and led to severing his relationship with fellow writer Ernest Hemingway.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 12:05 PM (+y/Ru)

358 Kimi Raikkonen hit one of the mechanics in a pit stop incompletely the stop and is out of the race

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 12:05 PM (aC6Sd)

359 Elmore Leonard -- mentioned above -- was a Hemingway fanboi.

Leonard has an amazing record of his novels and stories getting made into really good movies and TV series, some more than once.

Posted by: Ignoramus at April 08, 2018 12:07 PM (pV/54)

360 Mark Andrew Edwards, try Tom Holt, he might be more your speed, he is into fantasy as fantasy

Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 12:07 PM (2K6fY)

361 Nood Jounalists

Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 12:07 PM (aC6Sd)

362 Maybe Trump can evolve into Diskworld's Patrician in a post-Republic America. FWIW, the Patrician is my favorite character in Diskworld.


Hmmm, maybe the Horde can crowd-source that novel.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:08 PM (hyuyC)

363 John Dos Passos

-----------------
What was wrong with Dos? All I know about him is he fished with Hemingway. Never read him.
Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 12:03 PM (fuK7c)


Just another of the run-of-the-mill commie bastard writers, who is overly praised for... some reason or another.

Posted by: BurtTC at April 08, 2018 12:08 PM (Pz4pT)

364 I'm barreled. Didn't mean to include all that extraneous stuff.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 12:08 PM (+y/Ru)

365 After the discussion here, I decided to read Jordan Peterson's book, but to check it out from the library rather than buy it. I am 82 out of 82 on the waitlist for one of 16 copies. This is in the AUSTIN TEXAS Public Library.

I'll bet it frosts their cookies that the book is so popular that they have to have that many copies of it!

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at April 08, 2018 11:49 AM (S+f+m)


Here in the People's Republic of Massachusetts, the numbers are 149 holds on 55 total copies. And the wait list keeps getting longer, even as they continue to buy more copies. Those numbers are for only one of a dozen library networks statewide.

Yeah, I'm sure they are furious they have to buy so many copies. I know the head librarian at my home library was, but she got so many requests she finally had to give in.

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 12:09 PM (UGKMd)

366 Almost all 20th century "great literature" isn't that great and a lot of it is just drek. That's not unusual, very few books in any century stand the test of time. Its like music, there's an ocean of lousy crap and a few spare isolated great songs.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:10 PM (39g3+)

367 What was wrong with Dos?

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 12:03 PM (fuK7c)

Hard-core communist, though he flipped to the right in his later years.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 12:10 PM (wYseH)

368 364 I'm barreled. Didn't mean to include all that extraneous stuff.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Tyrannosaur Wrangler at April 08, 2018 12:08 PM (+y/Ru)
----
Don't worry, the Barrel is still digesting LogProf.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 12:11 PM (qJtVm)

369 Name Dropping- Is it bad/good like Highlander the movie or bad like Madonna and The Your So Vain guy in Dick Tracy?

It was bad. Like rotting fish.

He names pretty much every actress of the day and claims to have slept with ALL of them. Bet they never knew he was such a blabby.

THEN....he names ALL of the popular actors of the day and explains why they're NOT good actors.

Know who HE thought was a GREAT actor ?
HIMSELF !

What a self-serving load of shit that was.

I threw that book away.

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 12:12 PM (k5pWm)

370 Yeah, I'm sure they are furious they have to buy so many copies. I know the head librarian at my home library was, but she got so many requests she finally had to give in.

Reminds me of the tweet I linked last week: a girl angry that Peterson's books are being checked out, so she was destroying his books to protect the world from their pernicious message.

She was then fired by a manager who told her to read Orwell's books.

http://tinyurl.com/y8fjjk6c

Your job is to be a curator of knowledge, not a censor.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:13 PM (39g3+)

371 313--- As to your first point, and at the risk of getting into one of those who-did-it-first? arguments that can only end in the Garden of Eden, both Hemingway and Hammett were yuuuuge admirers of Stephen Crane.
I think he paved the way.

Your second point about the distinction between focusing on Feeling versus Doing is a great one. Very insightful and thought-provoking.

Off the top of my head --- as I said, it begs for deeper thought! --- I would say that a lot depends on the interior life presented.
For example, Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment is one of my favorite novels and Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises one of my least favorite. Both are psychological novels with very little external action, yet one excites me while the other bores me to tears.

Hypothesis: the reason that 20th-century 'interior life' novels are dreary and dull is because the interior life of the authors is so vapid and constricted.

Posted by: Margarita DeVille at April 08, 2018 12:13 PM (0jtPF)

372 It's long been rumored that she threw one of her notorious violent fits after losing and was in no condition to be seen publicly.

Personally, I don't think she's ever fit to be seen publicly. She gets more repugnant by the day.
Posted by: JackStraw at April 08, 2018 10:44 AM (/tuJf)


Ain't that the truth. There's footage of her stumbling on some stairs on a recent trip to India where she also slipped in the bathtub and fractured her wrist.

And to think she came very close to being elected president. ( *shudder* )

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 12:14 PM (xlCXC)

373 Mark Andrew Edwards, try Tom Holt, he might be more your speed, he is into fantasy as fantasy
Posted by: Kindltot at April 08, 2018 12:07 PM (2K6fY)



"Expecting Someone Taller" is a hoot.

Posted by: naturalfake at April 08, 2018 12:16 PM (E3rQ4)

374 I probably have more books than any only Moron. Thousands of them, socked away in boxes, piles, groaning bookshelces and two storage units. Mostly science, engineering and math.
I really envy a clean, decent organized library like the ones shown here.

Posted by: TexasJew at April 08, 2018 12:17 PM (ATL/t)

375 I forgot the last two weeks to mention Dennis Prager's The Rational Bible- Exodus in a first part of his plan to go through the books of the Torah and explain the meaning of them.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1621577724/?tag=denprager-20
Posted by: Skip at April 08, 2018 09:04 AM (aC6Sd)

Hiya, everyone. Just got here. I received my copy this week and it's bee-yoo-ti-ful. Haven't started yet. I'm debating whether to treat it as a devotional and commit to a few pages daily to get through it.

Amazon also refunded $10 because the price dropped after I ordered it. Quelle surprise!

Posted by: SandyCheeks at April 08, 2018 12:18 PM (ihzOe)

376 Ain't that the truth. There's footage of her stumbling on some stairs on a recent trip to India where she also slipped in the bathtub and fractured her wrist.

And to think she came very close to being elected president. ( *shudder* )
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader & Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair Magazine at April 08, 2018 12:14 PM (xlCXC)

And yet, after every forum or interview, the young women line-up to take selfies with this harridan.
Wish I had the link.

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 12:21 PM (7uYFy)

377 What was wrong with Dos?

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 12:03 PM (fuK7c)

Hard-core communist, though he flipped to the right in his later years.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at April 08, 2018 12:10 PM (wYseH)

Steinbeck also flipped to the right in later years.
Better late than never.

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 12:23 PM (7uYFy)

378 I've got many built in bookcases , a couple of antique secretary bookcases and three large antique bibliothèques. They are all full of antique bric a brac, porcelains and chotskies. I own about 20 books and have read maybe 10. Maybe I shouldn't have dropped out of HS at 15. I nod a lot at dinner parties.

Posted by: REDACTED at April 08, 2018 12:23 PM (VWsDy)

379 re: Hillary

Why should anyone be surprised at the adoration that continues? Some still worship Lenin and Stalin.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at April 08, 2018 12:24 PM (YndnO)

380 Maybe I shouldn't have dropped out of HS at 15. I nod a lot at dinner parties.
Posted by: REDACTED at April 08, 2018 12:23 PM (VWsDy)

But you are wise enough to nod knowingly than start opining.....

Posted by: JoeF. at April 08, 2018 12:27 PM (7uYFy)

381 Hypothesis: the reason that 20th-century 'interior life' novels are dreary and dull is because the interior life of the authors is so vapid and constricted.

The more I think about this, the more I agree, and think you have hit upon something profound. Hemingway's novels (and life) are more about stunts to prove masculinity rather than quiet confidence and comfort in masculinity. Dostoevsky's novels are about ideas and truth drawn not just from a comfortable assurance and understanding, but a long ancient tradition and teachings of truth.

If your worldview is built on emptiness and lies, your analysis of the world will carry that emptiness and truth will evade you.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:28 PM (39g3+)

382 Maybe I shouldn't have dropped out of HS at 15. I nod a lot at dinner parties.
Posted by: REDACTED at April 08, 2018 12:23 PM (VWsDy)

Are you the retired antiques guy ?

Posted by: JT at April 08, 2018 12:29 PM (k5pWm)

383 I really envy a clean, decent organized library like the ones shown here.

I know the feeling. I have books stacked up all over because I don't have enough shelving. I need ace to come over and fix up the place.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:31 PM (39g3+)

384 Do you really want an Ewok armed with an Ikea screwdriver building shelves?

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at April 08, 2018 12:34 PM (YndnO)

385 Anna Puma (HQCaR)

Ace says he's up to 4 "bomb-proof" shelves and is going for more. He has hard-won skills.

Festung Ace must be an interesting place.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:37 PM (hyuyC)

386 Ace says he's up to 4 "bomb-proof" shelves and is going for more. He has hard-won skills.
---
I picture Ace placing one tiny porcelain unicorn on a shelf and the whole room collapses on him.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 12:39 PM (qJtVm)

387 "I probably have more books than any only Moron." TexasJew

Maybe. It would be a good contest. I want a Finnish au pair to count my books.

What does the winner get?

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:41 PM (hyuyC)

388 I figure he's got lots of practice now! I think that's what "yub yub" means, at least.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:41 PM (39g3+)

389 I picture Ace placing one tiny porcelain unicorn on a shelf and the whole room collapses on him.


If Edward James Olmos places an origami unicorn on ace's shelf we'll know he's a replicant.

Posted by: Bandersnatch at April 08, 2018 12:41 PM (fuK7c)

390 >>I picture Ace placing one tiny porcelain unicorn on a shelf and the whole room collapses on him.

Then one end of the shelf tips/falls and the unicorn s l o w l y slides the entire length and falls to the tile, below.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 12:42 PM (icEus)

391 All Hail Eris, Michigangsta

That's a funny mind picture.


BTW which part of Michigangsta are you claiming? Show me where on a hand.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:43 PM (hyuyC)

392 Salty, I'm on the fleshy part next to the thumb.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 12:44 PM (qJtVm)

393 Tho I'm not currently in the Mitten Kingdom.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 12:45 PM (qJtVm)

394 As the reverberations of the crash die down and plaster dust slowly settles out, what is pictured in the clearing air appears to be ghost mop holding in one furred hand a still gleaming unicorn figurine. As his emerald green eyes widen in surprise at survival of both him and the precious unicorn, the dusty coated figure is racked by a massive sneeze.

As the unicorn flies from his grip to shatter into a million glistening porcelain pieces upon the edge of an Ikea shelf he exclaims. "Yub! Yub!"

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at April 08, 2018 12:45 PM (YndnO)

395 >> Salty, I'm on the fleshy part next to the thumb.


That's where everyone is.

I didn't know Eris was from Michigan or I would use 'Upper UP' a lot more when she was around.

Michiganders hate that.

Posted by: garrett at April 08, 2018 12:46 PM (icEus)

396 That's why Yoopers call us Trolls. Cuz we're under the bridge.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 12:48 PM (qJtVm)

397 All Hail Eris

I tell people my wife came from the mean streets of Detroit. She immediately says "St. Clair Shores. Next to Grosse Pointe."

She taught me about the hand locater. I courted her with two six-packs of Verner's shipped to Reston, VA.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:52 PM (hyuyC)

398 She taught me about the hand locater. I courted her with two six-packs of Verner's shipped to Reston, VA.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:52 PM (hyuyC)
---
You're a naughty elf!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 12:55 PM (qJtVm)

399 All Hail Eris, Michigangsta

⏣ Shrug ⏣

Whatever works. I needed help with courtship skills.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 12:59 PM (hyuyC)

400 What does the winner get?

The Finnish Au Pair to count your books

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 01:00 PM (39g3+)

401 Christopher R Taylor

OK, but I'm going to need Ace's time machine that he totally does not have.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 01:01 PM (hyuyC)

402 Eris check your Comm Center

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at April 08, 2018 01:08 PM (YndnO)

403 @265 --

I didn't know Dixon wrote novels! I love his comics work, and I was once a frequent visitor to his message board.

Glad you posted that. Thanks.

Posted by: Weak Geek at April 08, 2018 01:13 PM (zT4Y1)

404 I'm originally from St. Clair Shores, MI too. Never came across anyone else from there--or even knew where it was!

Posted by: Lirio100 at April 08, 2018 01:14 PM (JK7Jw)

405 Reminds me of the tweet I linked last week: a girl angry that Peterson's books are being checked out, so she was destroying his books to protect the world from their pernicious message.

She was then fired by a manager who told her to read Orwell's books.

http://tinyurl.com/y8fjjk6c

Your job is to be a curator of knowledge, not a censor.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at April 08, 2018 12:13 PM (39g3+)


Christoper,

Great catch! I already stole it and sent it to a librarian I know.

Posted by: cool breeze at April 08, 2018 01:22 PM (UGKMd)

406 Very nice motionview. I'd feel right at home with that collection.

Posted by: geoffb at April 08, 2018 01:24 PM (zOpu5)

407 Lirio100

I'll tell my wife. She was there until college.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 01:32 PM (hyuyC)

408 Lake Shore, Lakeview, or South Lake?

Posted by: Lirio100 at April 08, 2018 01:36 PM (JK7Jw)

409
374 I probably have more books than any only Moron. Thousands of them, socked away in boxes, piles, groaning bookshelces and two storage units. Mostly science, engineering and math.
I really envy a clean, decent organized library like the ones shown here.
Posted by: TexasJew at April 08, 2018 12:17 PM (ATL/t)

Ah. One of those rebuild society collections. They are inevitably messy due to sheer volume.

Sadly, most post apocalyptic survivors would be overjoyed at finding bound firestarters. Hence the Long March to Mediocrity.

Hmmm. One can argue that surviving copies from the Library of Alexandria helped rebuild civilization.

Posted by: Provider #2 at April 08, 2018 01:37 PM (e1mEI)

410 Oh crappe. Let's see... I post under what handle... Aha!

Posted by: Headless Body of Agnew at April 08, 2018 01:40 PM (e1mEI)

411 Totally OT, but I'm laffing at some made-up band names from Sippican Cottage:

The Kimjongleurs
The 4chan-teuses
The Crystal Methodists

And an actual band,

The Jewbadours

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 01:45 PM (qJtVm)

412 Lirio100

South Lake.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 01:47 PM (hyuyC)

413 Didn't the Kimjongleurs open for Insane Clown Posse at the Cow Palace?

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at April 08, 2018 01:51 PM (YndnO)

414 Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 01:45 PM (qJtVm)

Eris, I hadn't thought about Sippican Cottage for years, I'll have to go visit (again)!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 01:51 PM (n9EOP)

415 Hrothgar, I just learned about it today and now I can't stop!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Michigangsta at April 08, 2018 01:54 PM (qJtVm)

416 415
Bittersweet commentary!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 01:56 PM (n9EOP)

417 NaCly Dog

Rivals then! I was Lake Shore.

Posted by: Lirio100 at April 08, 2018 02:04 PM (JK7Jw)

418 Lirio100

I'll tell her. From a distance.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 02:12 PM (hyuyC)

419 22 What is a good translation of the Bible for literary purposes? For someone who just wants to read it like a book.

I like Shakespeare and can read, comprehend, appreciate and understand the King James version - but I am in a minority. Seems for a lot of people trying to read the King James is a mentally intensive labor.

What's a good alternative?
Posted by: Nationalist Pikachu at April 08, 2018 09:08 AM (iqQK7)


Two thoughts on this, the NIV is perhaps the most well-balanced readable yet faithful to the intent translation, while The Message is very readable and more like the straight out literary work you are looking for, yet takes some rather extreme liberties with both word and intent translations. The NLT is also a good, readable translation, my personal favorites vacillate between the NAS and the ESV.

Secondly, while it is considered a literary work, the Bible is the collected core tenants of the Christian faith and as such is, quite literally, God's truth and the revelation of His ways, intents, and will. As Christ himself noted, it is completely unintelligible or seems like sheer foolishness to those not indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Which is the major reason I am at best ambivalent about the Gideon's ministry and others handing out free copies, as it seems like sheer foolishness to me to attempt primary evangelism by giving people something that they can't possibly understand. And I say that as a former member of the Gideon's ministry, which is otherwise a great and powerfully effective prayer fellowship.

And, yes, I am one of those dread Reformed Baptist theologians, a self-described "7 Point Calvinist Because 5 Points Isn't Enough" (full disclosure: stolen from John Piper), so the whole element of reading scripture that you can't fully understand to trigger a free will acceptance and submission to Christ doesn't really work for me. Didn't really work for Saul of Tarsis on the Damascus Road, either.

Posted by: John the Baptist at April 08, 2018 02:21 PM (MPH+3)

420 Posted by: John the Baptist at April 08, 2018 02:21 PM (MPH+3)

This is why you keep renewing the Book Thread!

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at April 08, 2018 02:26 PM (n9EOP)

421 John the Baptist

Thank you for this info.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at April 08, 2018 02:52 PM (hyuyC)

422 "John the Baptist"

A John Gill sort of John the Baptist?

I understand the attempt to find an English [per]version of the Scriptures to read. I went through the same struggle and ended up learning the original languages since every [per]version out there would take liberties.

The guy who wrote The Message probably isn't even saved given the liberties to take out whole doctrines that don

Posted by: Blue Bird of F'ing Joy at April 08, 2018 03:34 PM (lD3vL)

423 (continuing...) ... don't match his own theology, and substituting his own. (Sort of like Dr Taylor who rewrote God

Posted by: Blue Bird of F'ing Joy at April 08, 2018 03:36 PM (lD3vL)

424 (problems with keyboard here automatically submitting) ...God's Word in the form of "The Living Bible").

One nice side-effect of learning the Greek and Hebrew, is understanding that the translations are bad, that many words aren't really known and we have just good approximations.

The NIV decided to remove Sarah from the Hall of Faith in Hebrews, and apparently all of the modern translators decided that they didn't like God's language when stating "those who pisseth against the wall" (KJV) and decided to censor him and change the meaning of the phrase by stating things like "fighting age men".

If God is worth knowing, then He is worth knowing with as few translators substituting His wisdom for their own.


Posted by: Blue Bird of F'ing Joy at April 08, 2018 03:41 PM (lD3vL)

425 Deep into "Dark Wake" by Erik Larson, the almost minute-by-minute saga of the Lusitania. It's wonderful. Next in my pile is re-reading Sharyn McCrumb and her ballad series.

Posted by: Bookaday at April 08, 2018 03:56 PM (2qDS0)

426 424 ....One nice side-effect of learning the Greek and Hebrew, is understanding that the translations are bad, that many words aren't really known and we have just good approximations.

My seminary professors made a point of telling us that our Greek and Hebrew sequences were what they would term "survival language studies," meaning the two full years we spent in each language was just barely enough to work the scriptures out for ourselves well enough to figure out which major translation worked best (in intent if not exact verbiage) for a given passage. At the time, I took the "survival" bit much more literally about how I would make it through each course! I am still convinced that Hebrew just makes things up as it goes along....

I've found it useful to use a select variety of translations on the rare occasions when I am expositionally preaching (I am with a very specialized chaplaincy ministry), and to that end I find it immensely useful to use a software program called Accordance, where I can put multiple texts side by side, with notes, parsing, translations, and a huge number of commentaries available at the click of a mouse.

422 "John the Baptist"

A John Gill sort of John the Baptist?


Sort of. Gill had the right idea but just couldn't pull the trigger in de-emphasizing the importance of free will belief. Roughly about half of us in the SBC pastorate tend to the Reformed side of theology, versus the others emphasizing the more traditional free will Baptist doctrines. I went to the New Orleans BTS, which is somewhat notorious for "converting" students to the Reform viewpoints. I credit the fact that NOBTS made us actually *read* the Bible quite throughly, of course.

Posted by: John the Baptist at April 08, 2018 04:30 PM (MPH+3)

427 All progress is from the outrageous to the commonplace.

Posted by: f'd at April 08, 2018 04:47 PM (UdKB7)

428 Cuthbert,

I second Wodehouse. His has several short stories, so you can figure out if you like his style pretty quick. Also you might also like _Vanity Fair_ by Thackeray.

Posted by: goodluckduck at April 08, 2018 05:55 PM (V8zw+)

429 Just checked out Pratchett's books on Amazon. Not one of them down at the $5 price I'm willing to pay (max) for an E-book. So I guess that as much as I'd like to re-read them after the move from De (which cost me almost all my books, in addition to almost everything else), that ain't gonna happen.

Posted by: empire1 at April 08, 2018 06:47 PM (MsnFf)

430 Pratchett's "Hogfather" and "The Color of Magic" were both made into miniseries (see IMDB for details).

If you haven't read Pratchett, start with his Discworld series, and prepare to be amazed at how deliriously inventive the man was.

Posted by: Beverly at April 08, 2018 07:50 PM (Cb7Is)

431 Richard Pipes, "The Russian Revolution" is a great addition to the collection.

Posted by: Jno Aubrey at April 08, 2018 08:19 PM (fIAUt)

432 Good to hear from you geoffb, I hope all's well.

Posted by: motionview at April 08, 2018 09:54 PM (pYQR/)

(Jump to top of page)






Processing 0.07, elapsed 0.0671 seconds.
14 queries taking 0.0233 seconds, 440 records returned.
Page size 276 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