Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-04-2022 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (the jokes practically write themselves!). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material, even if it's nothing more than Reddit recommendation requests. As always, pants are required, especially if you are wearing these pants...(a little something for the 'ettes this morning)

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, choke down that last remaining turkey, cranberry, and stuffing sammich, and crack open a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

PIC NOTE

Today's pic is from the Christmas display at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College. Hannah Arendt is known for being a fiercely independent thinker who warned against the political dangers of philosophy. Among her publications are: The Origins of Totalitarianism, The Human Condition, and On Revolution.

"CLASSIC" COVERS VS. "MODERN" COVERS

I stumbled across this thread on Reddit where the poster was asking folks about their opinions on "classic" covers vs "modern" covers. They are specifically asking about fantasy, but this topic is broad enough to apply across genres. Many books are continually being reprinted, especially for international audiences, so covers have to be created that will appeal to those audiences.

Does it matter if your cover art matches in a set? I do like to have matching sets of books when I can...

How important is cover art to you when purchasing a book or selecting it from the library? I will admit that I've bought books based on the cover art alone (e.g., Barry Hughart's The Story of the Stone)

Do you have any favorite cover artists? Any favorite covers? (Books, not music!)

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IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR WORD POWER

philanthropath - n. - This seems to be a portmanteau of "philanthropist" and "psychopath." (ht: Buck Throckmorton for featuring it in his Friday's Morning Rant). It perfectly captures the idea of a philanthropist who is secretly a psychopath. They use their philanthropic efforts to either hide their deranged behavior or to facilitate it in some way (or both).

troche - n. - a small tablet or lozenge, typically round and sweetened.

prodrome - n. - an early symptom that indicates the onset of a disease or an episode of something such as a migraine.

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MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

My book this week was Blake Snyder's Save The Cat!, a guide to screenwriting. It's similar to McKee's Story, but shorter and more lively.
I'm sure that every scriptwriter and showrunner in Hollywood has much-thumbed copies of both books, yet apparently very few of them actually understand the advice in them: make characters likeable, give them setbacks and challenges, make them learn a lesson. Whoever wrote the Epic of Gilgamesh understood these things.
Posted by: Trimegistus at November 27, 2022 09:19 AM (QZxDR)

Comment: We've talked about this quite a bit on movie/television threads. Today's screenwriters apparently toss out ALL of the information out there on writing good stories in favor of pushing ***THE MESSAGE*** (cue Critical Drinker's voice). It's not rocket science, people! All we want are good stories. That's it. "[M]ake characters likeable" (or at least relatable in some way), "give them setbacks and challenges" (conflict), and "make them learn a lesson" (growth and development). But that seems to be beyond the capabilities of today's modern storyteller...

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I started reading Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone books a couple of months ago and I've made it through O is for Outlaw. The books are smart and funny and full of twists with a heroine who knows her own flaws and is willing to admit to them.
Posted by: huerfano at November 27, 2022 09:20 AM (dTFZY)

Comment: I can't say I've ever read any of Sue Grafton's books. Though I've always liked the naming convention she uses for the titles of these books. Apparently she stalled out a bit at letter 24 and just called it X...Then picked it up again with Y is for Yesterday. Maybe Grafton will take a page from Dr. Seuss and go On Beyond Zebra...

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Starting rereading Sir Walter Scott's Tales of a Scottish Grandfather From Bannockburn to Flodden awhile back . I would read 3 to 4 chapters and then let it sit. Last weekend I decided I wasn't doing the author justice so I started over. Finished it this morning. Very satisfying, entertaining and distracting read. Mr. Scott takes license with history but as someone who fiercely loved his culture I have no problems with his interpretations.
Posted by: Sock Monkey * Ungovernable at November 27, 2022 09:26 AM (LPLH0)

Comment: Sock Monkey makes an excellent point here about not giving authors a chance sometimes. Perhaps we have trouble getting into the book the first time or we just aren't in the mood for that kind of story. I remember reading Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings for the first time. I put it down after about 80% of the way through...Then went back and finished it and the last 20% was pretty amazing.

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I also read The Parasite by Richard Paul Evans. This is the eighth book in the excellent YA Michael Vey series. The seventh in the series is titled The Final Spark, but after a three-year hiatus, his friends convinced him to bring back the Electroclan to fight remnants of the evil Elgin group.
I'm happy with his decision. We need more books such as these for our youths. They promote all the right attributes such as honor, loyalty, self responsibility, etc that are needed in our society.
Posted by: Zoltan at November 27, 2022 09:27 AM (bSGIK)

Comment: We need more recommendations for younger readers, I think. A lot of the books that are recommended to them in schools are, to put it politely, problematic in some way or another. Many of them are filled with "wokeness" or highly inappropriate sexual material. Books that promote traditional positive traits (honor, loyalty, self-responsibility) can really help readers develop their own character. It worked for me. (I think.)

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (514 Moron-recommended books so far!)

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WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

Monster Hunter Siege by Larry Correia -- MHI takes the fight to the enemy to try and rescue members of their team trapped in a hellish nightmare dimension...(worse than Las Vegas!)

Monster Hunter Guardian by Larry Correia and Sarah A. Hoyt -- While Owen Z. Pitt is besieging an ancient monster stronghold in northern Russia, his wife is at home with their new baby, who gets kidnapped by an evil monster-worshipping cult. That was their first mistake...

That's about all I have for this week. Thank you for all of your kind words regarding my Sunday Morning Book Thread. This is a very special place. You are very special people (in all the best ways!). The kindness, generosity, and wisdom of the Moron Horde knows no bounds. Let's keep reading!

If you have any suggestions for improvement, reading recommendations, or writing projects that you'd like to see on the Sunday Morning Book Thread, you can send them to perfessor dot squirrel at-sign gmail dot com. Your feedback is always appreciated! You can also take a virtual tour of OUR library at libib.com/u/perfessorsquirrel. Since I added sections for AoSHQ, I now consider it OUR library, rather than my own personal fiefdom...

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 11-27-22 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 BOING!

Just started reading "The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government."

Posted by: Biden's Dog, who knows no margin bounds at December 04, 2022 08:59 AM (IKuJQ)

2 Ahoy, biblionauts!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 08:59 AM (Dc2NZ)

3 Tolle Lege!

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 08:59 AM (PiwSw)

4 Tolle Lege
Halfway through Dennis Prager Rational Bible Deuteronomy
Camp of the Saints is on cue on ebook

Posted by: Skip at December 04, 2022 09:00 AM (xhxe8)

5 Morning, 'rons and 'ronettes.

Somehow it's typical of my lousy luck that I decide to stay off most of the HQ for the rest of the year and Ace puts up a Kolchak thread. I love that show, and I missed out on a discussion? FML.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:00 AM (AW0uW)

6 Eris, you wrote a book about us?

Posted by: bluebell at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (UiEF2)

7
From now on, I'm judging every book by its cover.

'Cause that's usually as far into the book as I get.

G'mawnin, literati.

Posted by: mindful webworker - Sunday mawnin woke up yawnin at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (cRX5h)

8 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (7EjX1)

9 Ooh, Bard College, Famous alumni: Donald Fagen and Water Becker!

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (PiwSw)

10 I wish I had time to read more

Posted by: San Franpsycho at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (EZebt)

11 Enjoy the book thread...Back to grading...*sigh*

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (BpYfr)

12 Nice package! I would wear those to unwrap in my back yard.

Posted by: Guy who likes those pants at December 04, 2022 09:03 AM (sn5EN)

13 If you are looking for some fiction to read, that is less than 20 years old, I suggest "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen.

Pretty incredible

Posted by: Jonah at December 04, 2022 09:03 AM (Cw0fX)

14 Not that anyone cares, but I had the pleasure of meeting RMBS for covfefe yesterday. A pleasant fellow with a lovely resonant voice. I never knew he was a born Masshole like myself; I thought he just ended up trapped in this hellhole state. Anyway, it was a nice couple of hours and brought me - temporarily - out of my usual depression.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:03 AM (AW0uW)

15 Hiya

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 09:04 AM (T4tVD)

16 Recently read The Guns of August for the first time. WW1 was brutal

Posted by: Jonah at December 04, 2022 09:04 AM (Cw0fX)

17 Absolutely, cover art matters. For now at least, SF and Fantasy covers still have decent artwork and haven't fallen prey to the trend of "big title, small nondescript decorative thing" I see everywhere. Photoshopping of people rather than a painting is becoming ubiquitous too in general fiction.

The greats? Frazetta (duh!), Robert McCall, Michael Whelan, Vincent DiFate, just off the top of my head.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:06 AM (Dc2NZ)

18 Saw a 70's detective show the other day on Me-Tv, with Judd Hirch before he made Taxi. Just Awful

Posted by: Jonah at December 04, 2022 09:07 AM (Cw0fX)

19 I like the pic, but not a fan of all white lights for Christmas. It's got to be multi-colored for me.

Didn't read anything the past week, too busy decorating.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 09:08 AM (Angsy)

20 The best cover artist of all time was Frank Frazetta. His Conan covers from the 1960s set the standard for such things.

After that the guy (or guys) who did those hard-boiled paperback covers in the 1950s: mostly naked dames, booze, cigarettes, guns, moody lighting, and the understanding that there is going to be steamy sex and or killing that night.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 09:08 AM (7EjX1)

21 So, reading. . .

Borrowed two books from the library and didn't care for them. Hitlerland by Andrew Nagorski, which was how Americans situated in Germany responded to the rise of Hitler. I didn't find it particularly interesting, but perhaps it's because I've read so much about Nazi Germany. I think Travelers in the Third Reich and In the Garden of Beasts covered the same subject much more thoroughly.

Then Robert Morrison's The Regency Years was a disappointment. He says he wrote it because it's been years since a decent overview of the period was published, but I didn't care for his work. I'd recommend Carrolly Ericson's Our Tempestuous Day or JB Priestley's The Prince of Pleasure first.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:08 AM (AW0uW)

22 One rule about cover art I try to adhere to. I'm not interested in the movie tie-in to a book, so I will, if possible, steer clear of an edition with the movie characters on the cover.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 09:09 AM (PiwSw)

23 Maybe Grafton will take a page from Dr. Seuss and go On Beyond Zebra...

Unlikely. She passed away in 2017.

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at December 04, 2022 09:10 AM (ZSK0i)

24 Cover artists: Geoff Hunt who did the covers for the Patrick O'Brian books. He comes closest, for my taste, to the effectiveness of the Frazetta covers.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 09:10 AM (7EjX1)

25 Good morning everyone. Continuing to unpack my book boxes. It's been a treat to discover my genres and when they hit me.

"Oh, these are all from the 70's." "Wow, Mom was sick then." "Gift from Uncle Dan." And so on.

A step into the time machine as it were. Very enjoyable.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:10 AM (qoGsy)

26 Enjoy the book thread...Back to grading...*sigh*

==

Give them all Cs. What ?? It's a passing grade, what else do they want ?

Posted by: runner at December 04, 2022 09:10 AM (V13WU)

27 Maybe Grafton will take a page from Dr. Seuss and go On Beyond Zebra...

Unlikely. She passed away in 2017.
Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at December 04, 2022 09:10 AM (ZSK0i)
---
I guess that explains why she stopped at "Y for Yesterday." I should do better research...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 09:11 AM (BpYfr)

28 I guess that explains why she stopped at "Y for Yesterday." I should do better research...
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 09:11 AM (BpYfr)

Now, she can do "Z for Zombie!"

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 09:11 AM (PiwSw)

29 Perfessor, I sent you an e-mail.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 09:13 AM (Angsy)

30 While we are celebrating great cover artists allow me to mention outstanding husband and wife team of Leo and Diane Dillon. They did beautiful work.

Posted by: John F. MacMichael at December 04, 2022 09:13 AM (DoysP)

31 As a comics reader, I could derail the thread with comics cover talk, but I will say only that I recall buying a comic solely on the basis of the cover and name, "21 Down." My daughter, who was in preschool, brought it to me in the shop. Good story, but it lasted only two years.

As far as book covers -- I prefer one specific set of Perry Mason covers and detest the ones that have photo covers of only a woman or a couple in an embrace. As Sam Levenson wrote, too many books have a girl on the cover and no cover on the girl.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:14 AM (Om/di)

32 George Cruikshank !

Posted by: runner at December 04, 2022 09:14 AM (V13WU)

33 Geek time! I tabled "Poker and Pop Culture" to reread two DC comics miniseries from the early 1990s by Phil Foglio, best known these days for the webcomic "Girl Genius," which he does with his wife, Kaja.

Each adapted lesser-known DC features from the 1960s: "Angel and the Ape," about a private investigator and her partner, a talking gorilla who draws comics; and "Stanley and His Monster," which we could call the progenitor for "Calvin and Hobbes," except Stanley's pet monster is real.

Each of these holds together and brings the laughs. Foglio even stitches them into the DC Universe as it was then. As much as I enjoy "Girl Genius," I wish Foglio would have turned his talents loose on more of DC's absurdities.

Actually, he also did a "Plastic Man" miniseries, which I own but didn't reread.

I would love to read the original Plas stories, which have been collected, but the libraries I checked keep a tight grip on them; they're pricey.

I'll deal again with P&PC this week. The next chapter is about books on how to play poker. Seems appropriate for the Book Thread.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:15 AM (Om/di)

34 Another favorite is Jody Lee, who painted covers for Tanya Huff, Mercedes Lackey, and others:

https://www.jodylee.org/cover-portfolio

Gorgeous! Try to do that, AI cover generator!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:15 AM (Dc2NZ)

35 Anyway, it was a nice couple of hours and brought me - temporarily - out of my usual depression.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:03 AM (AW0uW)

Good to hear it.

I've seen quite a few YT vids on Louise Brooks lately, maybe you'd like to look them up?

I can see the attraction for her. She seemed so modern compared to all the other silent stars.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 09:16 AM (Angsy)

36 16 Recently read The Guns of August for the first time. WW1 was brutal
Posted by: Jonah at December 04, 2022 09:04 AM (Cw0fX)
-

May I also recommend Tuchman's book, "The March of Folly."

Posted by: Biden's Dog, who knows no margin bounds at December 04, 2022 09:17 AM (IKuJQ)

37 MP4, I didn't trip across the Kolchak thread until it was nearly done. And it's not as if I was burdened with work. So many options for use of spare time.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:18 AM (Om/di)

38 As far as the genre of American memoirs of the Nazi Reich, I like The Nightmare Years. Shirer was in the country specifically for the purpose of observing and reporting on German politics, so it has a professional viewpoint on events.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (oINRc)

39 Sam Levenson wrote, too many books have a girl on the cover and no cover on the girl.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:14 AM (Om/di)

I agree!

Posted by: Guy in the Pants at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (Angsy)

40 Good Sunday morning, horde!

Now begins my month of book-buying for Christmas. I buy a variety of books, put them in a big basket, and everyone gets to root through and pick what looks interesting to them.

That Michael Vey series is definitely going in, as there are a couple of teens.

Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (OX9vb)

41 Weak Geek, I only know Plastic Man from the MAD Magazine parodies ("Plastic Sam!":

https://tinyurl.com/5ayttjwj

My first exposure to the word "furshlugginer" was him trying to chew a stick of gum.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (Dc2NZ)

42 I had this idea for a kind of superhero story, with the twist that the "superpower" is subtle, there are no action fights — not biff, bam, nor pow — and other anti-trope aspects - and no capes.

So naturally I borrowed my "cover" from the opening scene of the old 1950s Superman TV show. Look! Up in the Sky! and it went downhill from then… It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's a plane painted to look like a bird. Dumb! Boring! (crowd disperses)

Posted by: mindful webworker - Sunday will never be the saaaaammme at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (cRX5h)

43 Favorite Fantasy Cover Artist: Boris Vallejo

Favorite Science Fiction Cover Artist: Vincent DiFate

Posted by: Miami_grandpa at December 04, 2022 09:20 AM (qAYSM)

44 Leafed through Christopher Buckley's newest, "Has Anybody Seen My Toes?", a COVID lockdown-era novella, but it was like something I imagine is in the Cuckshed outhouse library. Constant snark against MAGA Country rubes. Maybe the lead character saw the light, but I didn't read far enough into the story to give a crap.

Switched to "Superego: Fathom" by Frank J. Fleming and Rico's smooth psychopathy for my bedside reading. Much better.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:22 AM (Dc2NZ)

45 2/3rds of the way through Frank Fleming's "Hellbender". Quite an amusing read, especially if you like underdog type stories. Hellbender II is next in the queue.

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at December 04, 2022 09:22 AM (ZSK0i)

46 But I am loving Tarantino's "Cinema Speculation".

"Unlike his mentor Don Siegel, whose forte was violent brutality, Peckinpah's violence constituted a turn away from mere brutality. The spurting red blood squibs of Bloody Sam were closer to liquid ballet and visual poetry painted in crimson (in the eighties John Woo would do the same thing with orange muzzle flash). The shock of The Wild Bunch wasn't just what we saw on screen, but our reaction to what we saw.

It was beautiful and moving."

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:22 AM (Dc2NZ)

47 Another favorite is Jody Lee, who painted covers for Tanya Huff, Mercedes Lackey, and others:

https://www.jodylee.org/cover-portfolio

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:15 AM (Dc2NZ)

I, Legend of Nightfall, spit at the pansy in Friday's Art Thread!

Posted by: Legend of Nightfall at December 04, 2022 09:24 AM (Angsy)

48 Based on the fact the developer (pixy minxy or whatever) behind this site was educated in the fascist state of Australia (or the US or New Zealand? No matter either way), is the lack of a thread-based commenting a feature you're proud of? You know - make putting comments into relational context impossible to stymie discussion? Did Ace direct him to designed this specifically for the geriatric retired (or welfare queen) COB zombies who can whittle away their last days tapping thru the linear comment stream? I'm sure designing thread-based commenting is possible (maybe not for Pixy Minxy (or whatever)?) but there must be a reason Ace wants to keep this ridiculously stupid feature. It's funny. Don't change it - not being able to put comments into context just makes my hobby of swooping in to bomb the comments of the purple-pilled 'MERICA!!!!! Jingo Tools that much easier on my mind. I may actually find out most people here aren't purple-pilled 'MERICA!!!!! Jingo Tools if I could read the comment section in context.

Posted by: NipsyAtTheJingosAtMyBaby at December 04, 2022 09:24 AM (ZVuj2)

49 Shadout Mapes @ 9-
'I'm never going back to my old school...'
I put Steely Dan right up near the very top.

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 09:25 AM (z3WCn)

50 MP4, who is RMBS?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:25 AM (Dc2NZ)

51 Coincidentally, a few weeks ago I looked up the cover artist of most of the books in the Executioner series, Gil Cohen. I found a website devoted to him. About 100 of his pieces have been collected in a book. I nearly bought it, then decided that I would not recognize most of the pieces because I didn't continue with the Executioner very far into the "new war."

I can't remember the title right now.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:25 AM (Om/di)

52 As far as the genre of American memoirs of the Nazi Reich, I like The Nightmare Years. Shirer was in the country specifically for the purpose of observing and reporting on German politics, so it has a professional viewpoint on events.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice

That reminds me, I have somewhere, buried in my mountain of tomes, a commemorative volume of the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The book was printed in Germany (and in German of course). A real step back in time with all the natzee banners and influences. All the photos in the book were actual photographs affixed to the pages rather than printed. This was originally my grandfather's and as kids we poured over this every time we visited the farm.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:26 AM (qoGsy)

53 Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:26 AM (qoGsy)

How did grandpa get his hands on such a thing ?

Posted by: runner at December 04, 2022 09:27 AM (V13WU)

54 Favorite Fantasy Cover Artist: Boris Vallejo

Posted by: Miami_grandpa

I went to look up his images - Nice!

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:27 AM (qoGsy)

55 I mentioned last week that the newest Isaac Bell book came out. the first written completely by Jack Du Brul after Cussler passed. I'm happy to say that it is a great read. Du Brul continues Cussler's blueprint for the stories (the latest technology for pre-WW I era) and his characters and pacing. (I always wondered if Cussler was influenced by the early Tom Swift books.) I've missed Du Brul's Philip Mercer series but his writing of the Isaac Bell books, I hope for a long time, gives me hope for modern, non-Horde fiction.

One aspect of the series I liked from the start was that the reader and characters are limited to the technology of the period. No computers for a deus ex machina or omniscient narrator.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 09:28 AM (7EjX1)

56 That Michael Vey series is definitely going in, as there are a couple of teens.

Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (OX9vb)

Oi! Vey seems to be something geared to older boys. Is it?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 09:28 AM (Angsy)

57 No discussion of cover art can be complete without mentioning the, instantly recognizable, Tor cover that were always highly detailed but were just *wrong* somehow.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at December 04, 2022 09:28 AM (nC+QA)

58 While on vacay the last couple of weeks, I finished -

"The Inferno of Dante Alighieri" translated by Ciaran Carson.

CC is an Irish poet who sought to make a more contemporary sounding translation of the Inferno.

So, how did he succeed?

His translation was definitely easier to read than most translations and easier to understand exactly what was going on given his direct and simpler language. His fairly...uh, casual rhyming scheme reminded me more of rock song lyrics than literary poetry, which I suppose was the point.

And while I liked and appreciated his translation, I didn't love it. CC seemed to miss the..what?...dense consequence of violating God's Law in one's moral and public life, and the sense that God's Justice while terrible indeed is just.

His Inferno then is a bit like rubber-necking a wreck between the Oscar Meyer's Wienermobile and a Dunkin' Donuts truck. Unfortunate, for those people, sure and maybe in some odd way, kinda meaningful, but we gotta get home with this bucket of chicken and watch "Dancing with the Stars".

So, if you want a simpler, lighter Inferno, buddy, have I got a translation for you.

Posted by: naturalfake at December 04, 2022 09:29 AM (KLPy8)

59 Hot Coffee!!!...Hellbender...wow!!! new Fav character is a LuLu....!!!

Posted by: Qmark at December 04, 2022 09:29 AM (ttO/Q)

60 Started listening to the podcast "The Agent" on YT rather than reading. Interesting true story of Russian spy Jack Barsky and how he was recruited, trained, and eventually embedded in the US. For the espionage lovers this is a find.

Posted by: Ziba at December 04, 2022 09:29 AM (4h9M3)

61 My first exposure to the word "furshlugginer" was him trying to chew a stick of gum.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:19 AM (Dc2NZ)

Potrzebie!!

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at December 04, 2022 09:30 AM (ZSK0i)

62 RMBS is RedMindBlueState, Eris.

I've seen quite a few YT vids on Louise Brooks lately, maybe you'd like to look them up?

For some reason, Brooks has never interested me, either as an actress or a woman. I have seen Pandora's Box, of course, but her appeal - whatever it is - is lost on me.

And as far as her famous hairstyle, I prefer it on the much more fun-looking Colleen Moore:

https://tinyurl.com/bfuenpsw

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:31 AM (AW0uW)

63 Tonypete- a scrap book I poured though as a kid was my Grandfather's collection of newspaper articles in a scrapbook, beginning of WWII and a good collection on Graf Spree. Have doubts it's around as my mother hauled off lots to local historical society to clear out "junk"

Posted by: Skip at December 04, 2022 09:31 AM (xhxe8)

64 BOOKEN MORGEN HORDEN

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022 09:32 AM (Kd4bG)

65 How did grandpa get his hands on such a thing ?
Posted by: runner

Good question. He was an avid buyer at auctions and sales for 70 years. And, lived in the PA German section of SE PA his entire life so the material was close at hand. Lots of high German bibles, etc. at hand.

While with him at estate auctions, I watched him watch others removing specific books/items from a box, look it over and then place it in a different box while waiting for the lot to come up on the block. Fascinating to watch all the players vie for items.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:32 AM (qoGsy)

66 Continuing with Pliny's Natural History, I am at the part about asparagus. Pliny was wrong about a lot of things, but he got this part right. He describes the multi-year process of planting and cultivating asparagus.

In the first year, on the vernal equinox, the seed is planted and "abundantly manured, and to be kept well hoed, due care being taken not to pull up the young plants along with the weeds"

In the second year it should be covered with straw in the Winter, and in the Spring you should "hoe and stub up the ground about them."

In the spring of the third year, " the plants must be set fire to".

That's about it.

Posted by: fd at December 04, 2022 09:33 AM (sn5EN)

67 Hot Coffee!!!...Hellbender...wow!!! new Fav character is a LuLu....!!!
Posted by: Qmark at December 04, 2022 09:29 AM (ttO/Q)

Oddly enough, I'd say my favorite character is Mills.

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at December 04, 2022 09:34 AM (ZSK0i)

68 Favorite cover artist - Michael Whelan

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022 09:34 AM (Kd4bG)

69 (Reposting after switch VPNs - Pixy Minxy (or whatever) may have figured out how to shadow ban based on username and VPN server)

Based on the fact the developer (pixy minxy or whatever) behind this site was educated in the fascist state of Australia (or the US or New Zealand? No matter either way), is the lack of a thread-based commenting a feature you're proud of? You know - make putting comments into relational context impossible to stymie discussion? Did Ace direct him to designed this specifically for the geriatric retired (or welfare queen) COB zombies who can whittle away their last days tapping thru the linear comment stream? I'm sure designing thread-based commenting is possible (maybe not for Pixy Minxy (or whatever)?) but there must be a reason Ace wants to keep this ridiculously stupid feature. It's funny. Don't change it - not being able to put comments into context just makes my hobby of swooping in to bomb the comments of the purple-pilled 'MERICA!!!!! Jingo Tools that much easier on my mind. I may actually find out most people here aren't purple-pilled 'MERICA!!!!! Jingo Tools if I could read the comment section in context.

Posted by: NipsyAtTheJingosAtMyBaby at December 04, 2022 09:34 AM (ja8+V)

70 Gorgeous! Try to do that, AI cover generator!
Posted by: All Hail Eris

Oh, those are nice. They have an element of art nouveau, very engaging.

Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 09:34 AM (OX9vb)

71 NAturalflake @ 58-
I read a SF book, Infernoland or some such, maybe 40 years ago. About a space shuttle pilot who ends up doing the levels of hell in a Corvette with William Bonney. Anybody familiar wth this one?

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 09:35 AM (z3WCn)

72 >>>CC is an Irish poet who sought to make a more contemporary sounding translation of the Inferno.

LOL. He should rot in hell for doing that.

Posted by: Ziba at December 04, 2022 09:35 AM (4h9M3)

73 "MP4, who is RMBS?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord"

Red mind, blue state. He was at the TX Mome

Posted by: fd at December 04, 2022 09:36 AM (sn5EN)

74 CC is an Irish poet who sought to make a more contemporary sounding translation of the Inferno.

LOL. He should rot in hell for doing that.
Posted by: Ziba

Which circle? LOL

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:36 AM (qoGsy)

75 The title of the Gil Cohen cover art collection is "One Man Army: The Action Paperback Art of Gil Cohen."

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:37 AM (Om/di)

76 Took a box of discards to the second-hand bookstore for credit.
Came back with 2 massive hardbounds containing the Saga of the Pliocene Exile by Julian May.
Just a dollar each, plus I think I only ever read book.1.
Need to make space for them.now.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022 09:37 AM (Kd4bG)

77 Posted by: NipsyAtTheJingosAtMyBaby at December 04, 2022 09:34 AM (ja8+V)

Decaf.

Posted by: Additional Blond Agent, STEM Guy at December 04, 2022 09:38 AM (ZSK0i)

78 Okay, here is the first Tolkien reference for the thread. I've been listening to the Audio CD of The Hobbit narrated by Andy Serkis. Like his audio of LOTR, he does a fantastic job. The pace of his reading is easy to follow but doesn't drag. All the characters have their own recognizable voices. Even his singing, not operatic quality, is effective. If I still made long road trips (I don't) and the CS player in the twenty year old car worked (it doesn't) this would make great listening for the trip. As it is, it makes great listening from my recliner with a pipe of good tobacco and a cup of tea.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 09:39 AM (7EjX1)

79 One of my new favorite novels, that I am now reading for the third time, is 'Stone's Fall' by Iain Pears. The story opens in 1953, at a woman's funeral, where a reporter, an old friend of the deceased, is given a packet by her lawyer, deliverable only after her death. Braddock, the reporter, originally met the woman when he was hired to find a previously unknown stepchild of the woman's husband upon his death. The husband, Mr Stone, an extremely powerful and wealthy businessman, had died in 1909 due to a fall from his second story window. Was it murder? His will cannot be settled without resolving the mystery of the child. This story is like a matrushka doll, where one peels back the story by going back through history. Braddock first reminices about when he first met and was smitten by the woman shortly after her husband's death. When he opens the first document he was delivered, it dates to 1890 and was written by one of Stone's lieutenants, and details the emotional and financial events that nearly broke Barings Bank, and led to Stone's marriage, and begins to put the pieces together.
(cont.)

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 04, 2022 09:39 AM (lTGtQ)

80 I probably should have posted that on the garden thread.

Posted by: fd at December 04, 2022 09:39 AM (sn5EN)

81
The greats? Frazetta (duh!), Robert McCall, Michael Whelan, Vincent DiFate, just off the top of my head.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022

***
Morning, all! Cover art? Robert McGinnis. He it was who did the one-sheets, posters, for Bond films like Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. But he also had a long career as the cover artist for scads of paperback originals like those from Fawcett Gold Medal (the art on the early Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald is his). Look him up on line. He gave us some of the most luscious women ever in cover art.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 09:41 AM (KAKDL)

82 49 Shadout Mapes @ 9-
'I'm never going back to my old school...'
I put Steely Dan right up near the very top.
Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 09:25 AM (z3WCn)

Jeff Baxter's solo. Usually, Becker and Fagen micromanaged all the solos, but Jeff aka "Skunk" came up with that one on his own and they liked it enough to keep it. One of my all-time favorite Steely Dan songs.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 09:41 AM (PiwSw)

83 I also like whoever did the covers of Patricia McKillip's (RIP) books published by ACE Fantasy
Example

http://patriciamckillip.com/portfolio/portfolio-atrix/

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022 09:42 AM (Kd4bG)

84 'Oleanders growing outside my door...'

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 09:44 AM (z3WCn)

85 So, if you want a simpler, lighter Inferno, buddy, have I got a translation for you.
Posted by: naturalfake

I got that from the library, and it's next in my read list. Do you feel like it's a good way to get one's feet wet with Inferno, then dive in to the older translations? Or, nah?

Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 09:44 AM (OX9vb)

86 (Stone continued)

The second set of documents date from 1867, and are in Stone's own hand. You see how he not only set himself up for financial success, but sowed the seeds of his own future travails. Not only is Stone's Fall well written and clever, but I sincerely felt the characters and the emotions they went through, and telling the story in reverse chronology only heightened the feeling of chasing after a ghost. The story has not only intrigue, but also financial legerdemain, and deals with the inception of the military/industrial complex. All this, and a twist ending. This is truly a remarkable book, and to me exceeds the best seller Pears wrote before it, 'An Instance of the Fingerpost'.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 04, 2022 09:45 AM (lTGtQ)

87 I read a SF book, Infernoland or some such, maybe 40 years ago. About a space shuttle pilot who ends up doing the levels of hell in a Corvette with William Bonney. Anybody familiar wth this one?
Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022

***
Inferno by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle? The hero and narrator is not a shuttle pilot but an SF writer who dies, and is conducted through Hell by, well, I won't give it away. But there is a scene like you describe.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 09:45 AM (KAKDL)

88 'Oleanders growing outside my door...'
Posted by: Eromero

In my head, I heard this as CCR singing it.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:45 AM (qoGsy)

89 One final comics comment: Brian Bolland produces gorgeous covers. He rarely does interior art.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:45 AM (Om/di)

90 I don't actually remember buying a book based on the cover, though young naturalfake did buy plenty o'Lp albums based on their covers.

I did like the original hardback cover of "Far Tortuga" by Peter Matthiessen. It really seemed to fit the story, as did

the original hardback cover of "Starfish" by Peter Watts.

Posted by: naturalfake at December 04, 2022 09:45 AM (KLPy8)

91 Favorite cover artist - Michael Whelan
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022

***
His portrait of Miss Friday on the paperback cover of Heinlein's Friday is indeed a classic.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 09:47 AM (KAKDL)

92 MP4, I am a native of this hellhole state too, I met RMBS at the Texas MoMe. Maybe in the new year, I will make the pilgrimage and join you guys for coffee. I am south of Boston.

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at December 04, 2022 09:47 AM (a4EWo)

93 I got that from the library, and it's next in my read list. Do you feel like it's a good way to get one's feet wet with Inferno, then dive in to the older translations? Or, nah?
Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs!

April - another way to be introduced to The Inferno is the 100 Days of Dante videos. Pretty short vids presented by experts. All of them should be on YooToob.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 04, 2022 09:47 AM (qoGsy)

94 Posted by: NipsyAtTheJingosAtMyBaby at December 04, 2022 09:24 AM (ZVuj2)

I guess the Aids-Related Dementia has caused you to forget that you have a Hot Air key on your keyboard. Sad.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 09:48 AM (tkR6S)

95 Favorite cover artist - Michael Whelan
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022
---
This is an excellent choice! I love his original covers for Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series. He also did a great job with the cover for A Memory of Light.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 09:48 AM (BpYfr)

96 I think lozenge is not a real word. Similarly: "legume".

It's just an affectation by europhiles. A sort of shibboleth.

On cover art, I really dislike using movie adaptations to recover books, eg. Lord of the Rings. The movies are real good, but the books and their original art came and stood first. Leave em be.

Posted by: .87c at December 04, 2022 09:49 AM (ltjFF)

97 Phil Foglio painted most of the covers for the Myth-Adventures series.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:49 AM (Om/di)

98 Another favorite is Jody Lee, who painted covers for Tanya Huff

Oh.
I thought you said "Tanya's Muff"

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 09:49 AM (T4tVD)

99 One of my best friends was used as the cover model for a reprint of several Conan books as well as a bunch of Louis L'Amour books. His brother appears on a couple of them as well. They were printed a while ago, so I haven't seen them on shelves for a few years, but it was funny to go into a bookstore and be like "Hey, I know that guy!"

Posted by: PabloD at December 04, 2022 09:49 AM (SZfqZ)

100 Hillsdale College has a series on The Inferno IIRC.

Robert Pinsky translation is very good with contemporary illustrations.

Posted by: Ziba at December 04, 2022 09:50 AM (4h9M3)

101 Vmom, I see the artist on a lot of those McKillip covers is Kinuko Y. Craft:

https://www.kinukoycraft.com/

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:50 AM (Dc2NZ)

102 So, if you want a simpler, lighter Inferno, buddy, have I got a translation for you.
Posted by: naturalfake

I got that from the library, and it's next in my read list. Do you feel like it's a good way to get one's feet wet with Inferno, then dive in to the older translations? Or, nah?
Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 09:44 AM (OX9vb)

Actually, that might be the perfect use for CC's translation. Get a nice overview then dive into a meatier translation.

sort of like seeing the movie then reading the novel.

Posted by: naturalfake at December 04, 2022 09:51 AM (KLPy8)

103 MP4, I am a native of this hellhole state too, I met RMBS at the Texas MoMe. Maybe in the new year, I will make the pilgrimage and join you guys for coffee. I am south of Boston.
Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at December 04, 2022 09:47 AM (a4EWo)

That would be nice. He and I are both north of Boston. He's promised to take me to the gun range in the spring, so perhaps we can talk about getting together then.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:51 AM (AW0uW)

104 And as far as her famous hairstyle, I prefer it on the much more fun-looking Colleen Moore:

https://tinyurl.com/bfuenpsw

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:31 AM (AW0uW)

Yeah, see, I don't care much about her. But I guess I'm sort of biased, my grandmother liked her. Used Louise as her middle name.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 09:52 AM (Angsy)

105 96 I think lozenge is not a real word. Similarly: "legume".
...
Posted by: .87c at December 04, 2022 09:49 AM (ltjFF)

If you lived at or near Camp Legume between 1953 and 1987, you may be entitled to compensation. Call Now!

Posted by: Dewey, Cheatem, and Howe, Attorneys at Law at December 04, 2022 09:52 AM (PiwSw)

106 Phil Foglio painted most of the covers for the Myth-Adventures series.
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:49 AM (Om/di)

He did a full comics version of the first novel, too, IIRC.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:52 AM (AW0uW)

107 That's the one, Wolfus! What I like about this group of readers visiting with Perfesser Squirrel? It's the sheer magnitude of what we've collectively read over our combined centuries of turning the page. The sad piece is 'now what was the name of that guy that wrote.....you know the one....aw, heck.'

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 09:53 AM (z3WCn)

108 The artist who is now famous for Civil War scenes, Mort something (?), also did the cover art for the Aurora Man From U.N.C.L.E. model kits. He made the scenes look truly exciting. And of course James Bama did the box art for the early Aurora monster models. His Dracula and Wolf Man are superb.

As for comic book covers, I'm not a big comics fan. But the "Days of Future Passed" cover for X-Men with the older Wolverine and Kitty Pryde caught in a spotlight before a wall of X-Men mugshots, all of which say "Deceased" or "Inactive," is a classic of comics work. No thought balloons, no speech bubbles, simply an arresting scene that makes you want to pick up the comic and see what is going on. I think it was a groundbreaker in its time (the 1980s).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 09:53 AM (KAKDL)

109 Weirdest thing just happened... phone booth time machine just slid out of the time circuits, and this goth guy in full makeup and black frock coat dances out of it to something by Echo and the Bunnymen. He takes one look at that Scritti Politti vid in the sidebar and says "Dude, that stuff is for fags!", flaps his arms and fly-dances back into the time machine, and it slides into the floor. Gone in a second, leaving only lingering sparks and the smell of ozone and incense. I think his name was Johnny Shoeshine.

Posted by: A Night Elf Mohawk at December 04, 2022 09:55 AM (toX1Y)

110 93 ... "another way to be introduced to The Inferno is the 100 Days of Dante videos. Pretty short vids presented by experts. All of them should be on YooToob."

Agreed. That series was excellent and really helped my understanding of Dante for both the allusions and poetry.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 09:55 AM (7EjX1)

111 Agree with the Whelan covers such as for dragonriders or almost anything paired by him.

The Starship troopers cover by James Warhola the purple one where Rico is having his helmet put on.

Larry Elmore book covers D&D and Dragon lance.

Michael Kaluta did a lot of comic coves I wish they would have put him on more books.

Posted by: Dread0 at December 04, 2022 09:56 AM (Eo/r2)

112 The latest set of Nero Wolfe reprints included correspondence by Rex Stout. One was a letter from the publisher saying that he had sent the manuscript for the latest book to the cover artist. That sounded like a tough job: pick out one scene or item that best represents the book and lends itself to comprehensible art.

Sometimes when I'm reading a book, I imagine a certain scene as the cover.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:57 AM (Om/di)

113 Posted by: A Night Elf Mohawk at December 04, 2022 09:55 AM (toX1Y)

Let Ace explore his softer, sassier side, you H8r!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live! from the Dungeon of Discord at December 04, 2022 09:57 AM (Dc2NZ)

114 Wolfus - I remember that X-Men cover. I hate to say it, but that comic, along with others, is probably buried in a box in my garage and deteriorating due to poor storage conditions. I never had a huge comic collection, but I did have a good run of X-Men from Death of Phoenix (#137) to somewhere in the early 200s.

Posted by: PabloD at December 04, 2022 09:58 AM (SZfqZ)

115 Some covers are so off the mark that they're ridiculous. One edition of Retief stories depict him on the cover as some sort of Roman soldier. Say what?!

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:59 AM (Om/di)

116 Greetings:

"The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" by Graeber and Wengrow is my recommendation this week.

I'm only two chapters into it. The authors are comparing the Northeastern Woodland Amerindians' concepts of freedom and equality to those their European arrivals. Lots of Rousseau, Hobbes and Locke.

I like big books. This one goes 500 pp plus.

Posted by: 11B40 at December 04, 2022 09:59 AM (uuklp)

117 I like big books
---

And I cannot lie!

Posted by: Sir Reads-a-Lot at December 04, 2022 10:01 AM (Dc2NZ)

118 Not much concerned with the cover art. Especially if buying hardbound. I think I look more at the title and decide from there. Either because of the topic or author.

Imagine buying paperbacks with scantily clad women when you're a young teen and trying to keep your mom from seeing them.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:02 AM (Angsy)

119 Not cover art, but the topic put me in mind of Visions of Space by David A. Hardy. I've enjoyed sharing it with my little hobbits as a conversation starter about space exploration and sci-fi. It has some pretty magnificent paintings, drawings, and illustrations of space and spacecraft, both real and imagined.

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022 10:02 AM (ftFVW)

120 Wolfus - I remember that X-Men cover. I hate to say it, but that comic, along with others, is probably buried in a box in my garage and deteriorating due to poor storage conditions. I never had a huge comic collection, but I did have a good run of X-Men from Death of Phoenix (#137) to somewhere in the early 200s.
Posted by: PabloD at December 04, 2022

***
I have the Phoenix Saga multi-episode "novel" with the Hellfire Club story on my bookshelf.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:03 AM (KAKDL)

121 April - another way to be introduced to The Inferno is the 100 Days of Dante videos. Pretty short vids presented by experts. All of them should be on YooToob.
Posted by: Tonypete

Thanks for the reminder--I do want to check that out. It's harder for me to find time for videos than for books, though, as it requires me to isolate and then Mr. April is all alone again. We actually like to be in the same room together in the evenings, and if I go to another, he thinks I'm mad at him. Heh.

Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 10:03 AM (OX9vb)

122 Imagine buying paperbacks with scantily clad women when you're a young teen and trying to keep your mom from seeing them.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022

***
I managed it. Not easily, but I managed it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:03 AM (KAKDL)

123 A few years back, I purchased the entire Tarzan book series in paperback; I had had the first seven of them as a teen, and the depiction of Jane on the cover of number one probably influenced my purchase.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 04, 2022 10:06 AM (0RyWp)

124 The latest set of Nero Wolfe reprints included correspondence by Rex Stout. One was a letter from the publisher saying that he had sent the manuscript for the latest book to the cover artist. That sounded like a tough job: pick out one scene or item that best represents the book and lends itself to comprehensible art.
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022

***
Especially since the Wolfe novels are very intellectual stories. They have their occasional action scenes, but the bulk of them is people sitting in Wolfe's office and talking. (For those of you who have never tried Rex Stout's Wolfe stories, that is not boring, I assure you.)

I have some Signet Ellery Queen paperbacks from the late '60s -- early '70s with scantily-clad women on the covers that almost alwyas have nothing to do with the story. But it must be tough to illustrate an intellectual scene in a way to grab a reader. I've always thought a new edition of EQ's The Siamese Twin Mystery should feature a shot of Ellery and his father in Ellery's car, outracing the forest fire in Chapter ONe.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:09 AM (KAKDL)

125 119 Not cover art, but the topic put me in mind of Visions of Space by David A. Hardy. I've enjoyed sharing it with my little hobbits as a conversation starter about space exploration and sci-fi. It has some pretty magnificent paintings, drawings, and illustrations of space and spacecraft, both real and imagined.
Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022 10:02 AM (ftFVW)
---

It has a great cover. Just ordered it.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Sans-Culottes (except for the Book Thread) at December 04, 2022 10:10 AM (Dc2NZ)

126 I watched the Power of Art episode on Andrew Wyeth. I did not know that his father NC Wyeth was the illustrator for the book Treasure Island.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 10:10 AM (l4ZPt)

127 Thomas Paine @ 123-
I remember Jane swimming with Tarzan in the old old black and white flick.

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 10:11 AM (z3WCn)

128 Speaking of Irish poets translating Dante's Inferno, allow me to sum up

*******

A Hell of a Synopsis - a limerick

He took a journey that covered all sin
Down to Hades and back out again
When it was over Dante said,
"I'm sure Grateful I'm not Dead!
What a Long Strange Trip it has Been!"

Posted by: Muldoon at December 04, 2022 10:11 AM (ykeLU)

129 For younger readers... Mary Pope Osbourne, of Magic Treehouse fame, wrote Tales From the Odyssey which is a nice introduction to the Odyssey for kiddos. Most of mine liked it, and the one that only tolerated it just isn't all that interested in the world of Greek mythology.

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022 10:12 AM (ftFVW)

130 My maternal grandfather had a shack in behind the house (rural area) that was filled with paperback books, most of which I'm sure he never read.

Prowling in there one day, I came across a Harold Robbins novel with a girl on the cover and little cover on the girl. I cracked it.

That's how I learned that sex can lead to babies.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:12 AM (Om/di)

131 So I breezed through the Kolchak thread and saw that most of it was concerned with Indiana Jones, which is of no interest to me.

I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but Richard Matheson, who wrote a couple of Kolchak episodes, said that the series was doomed from the beginning because it wrote itself into a corner. Each week, Kolchak battles some demon - a vampire, a werewolf, a rakshasha, an Aztec cult - but in each episode, he's almost the only one who knows what is going on and no other reporter ever gloms on to the same stories.

So, Matheson asked, what was the deal with Chicago being infested with paranormal activity and Kolchak being the only person to ever be involved?

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:14 AM (AW0uW)

132 42 I had this idea for a kind of superhero story, with the twist that the "superpower" is subtle, there are no action fights — not biff, bam, nor pow — and other anti-trope aspects - and no capes. . . .

Posted by: mindful webworker - Sunday will never be the saaaaammme at December 04, 2022

***
The psi power of the hero in Larry Niven's 2nd novel, A Gift From Earth, is like that -- a scientific underpinning for "the power to cloud men's minds." Scientific as long as you accept that there are psi powers, of course.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:14 AM (KAKDL)

133 @124 --

Wolfus, I just last week picked up a copy of "The Siamese Twin Mystery." Forest fire!!

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:16 AM (Om/di)

134
So, Matheson asked, what was the deal with Chicago being infested with paranormal activity and Kolchak being the only person to ever be involved?
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022

***
Kolchak needed a Mythos -- something like the Hellmouth in the Buffy TV series. In that, most people were unaware that the paranormal was real, but there were loads of allies and other characters who did know.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:16 AM (KAKDL)

135 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:14 AM (KAKDL)

My favorite super hero came from Dead Pool 2. The super power being super luck.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 10:16 AM (l4ZPt)

136 So, Matheson asked, what was the deal with Chicago being infested with paranormal activity and Kolchak being the only person to ever be involved?
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:14 AM (AW0uW)
---
That's a good question...A lot of times it involves something referred to as the Masquerade...Supernatural beings exist and certain folks are clued in, but the vast majority of "normals" have no idea. The supernatural community works to keep it that way on purpose.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 10:17 AM (BpYfr)

137 I'm about 80% of the way through reading "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu," and I still find myself chuckling every time the narrator talks about searching for a "clew" on how to thwart the evil doctor's plans. I had no idea that there had ever been an alternate spelling for that word...

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022 10:19 AM (Lhaco)

138 @131 --

Look at Washington today.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:19 AM (Om/di)

139
Wolfus, I just last week picked up a copy of "The Siamese Twin Mystery." Forest fire!!
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022

***
It is one of the best of the early EQ "nationality-object" title mysteries. It's got a neat reversal of the old "characters snowed in while murders happen," for one thing, and in a way that provides a brooding air and steadily mounting suspense. I picture a period-piece film of it with Alexis Denisof as Ellery!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:19 AM (KAKDL)

140 https://www.kinukoycraft.com/
Posted by: All Hail Eris, Live!

Oooh! Thanks!!!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022 10:20 AM (Kd4bG)

141 The psi power of the hero in Larry Niven's 2nd novel, A Gift From Earth, is like that -- a scientific underpinning for "the power to cloud men's minds." Scientific as long as you accept that there are psi powers, of course.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:14 AM (KAKDL)

Kate Upton is a Superhero?

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 10:21 AM (PiwSw)

142 I managed it. Not easily, but I managed it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:03 AM (KAKDL)

Heh, my mom bought me a book to read while I was at home for some reason in the late 70s. It had a sex scene in it. I'm sure she didn't know.

I still remember the book. The Oblivion Tapes, by Timeri Murari. I think she bought it for the cover. It's a man's face with a reel to reel as eyes. I was reading the Star Trek books at this time, so I think she though it was something I'd be interested in.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:21 AM (Angsy)

143 I find that the more books I unpack, the happier I am. Some have been packed for several years. I put together another bookcase, so more to unpack this weekend. I have some good how-to books I am going to mail to my stepson. I've decided there are some crafts that my hands just can't do.

I actually like small hardback books. I found myself looking for those on a library trip.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at December 04, 2022 10:21 AM (uz3Px)

144 So, Matheson asked, what was the deal with Chicago being infested with paranormal activity and Kolchak being the only person to ever be involved?
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:14 AM (AW0uW)

Kolchak was actually tripping his balls off on LSD and each episode was just his recollections.

It was the 70's man.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at December 04, 2022 10:22 AM (R/m4+)

145 Kolchak needed a Mythos -- something like the Hellmouth in the Buffy TV series. In that, most people were unaware that the paranormal was real, but there were loads of allies and other characters who did know.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:16 AM (KAKDL)

By all accounts, McGavin fought with the producer all through the run of the show and couldn't wait to end it, so that (and TV being what it was in the 1970s) was probably why the show had no real continuity underpinning it.

Writers have been pumping out Kolchak fan fiction for years; in one story, Kolchak learns that he has been chosen by 'the fates' to battle evil and that, while he might be injured or trapped, he should never fear, because he is being watched over and protected.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:22 AM (AW0uW)

146 Kolchak needed a Mythos -- something like the Hellmouth in the Buffy TV series. In that, most people were unaware that the paranormal was real, but there were loads of allies and other characters who did know.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:16 AM (KAKDL)

That would have been easily done, just make a Kolchak one of the Guardians, a necessarily secret society of humans who are attuned to signs of the demonic. That would allow for spinoffs in other localities, too.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 10:22 AM (tkR6S)

147 I'm about 80% of the way through reading "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu," and I still find myself chuckling every time the narrator talks about searching for a "clew" on how to thwart the evil doctor's plans. I had no idea that there had ever been an alternate spelling for that word...
Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022

***
Yes -- "clew" and "gaol" for the U.S. "jail."

What Rohmer did better than almost anybody was establish this air of sinister danger, of sudden mysterious death by night. I know, he's thought of as a racist for having an evil Chinaman as his villain. Unfairly, to my mind.

Dr. Fu Manchu turns up, unnamed, in several scenes of the U.N.C.L.E. original novel The Rainbow Affair. "Have a care, Englishman. My race was already decadent when yours was staining themselves blue."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:23 AM (KAKDL)

148 I read Jaws when I was 13 years old. Good sex scene. Glad though they left out the affair and sex scene out of the movie.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 10:24 AM (l4ZPt)

149 Heh, my mom bought me a book to read while I was at home for some reason in the late 70s. It had a sex scene in it. I'm sure she didn't know. . . .

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022

***
Mom did not want me reading the James Bond books, as tame as the "sex" scenes in those are. I sneaked 'em anyway.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:25 AM (KAKDL)

150 Mort Kunstler

Name was on tip of tongue and couldn't remember

Posted by: Skip at December 04, 2022 10:25 AM (xhxe8)

151 Writers have been pumping out Kolchak fan fiction for years; in one story, Kolchak learns that he has been chosen by 'the fates' to battle evil and that, while he might be injured or trapped, he should never fear, because he is being watched over and protected.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022

***
Exactly! Just that kind of thing was what they needed.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:25 AM (KAKDL)

152 Mort Kunstler

Name was on tip of tongue and couldn't remember
Posted by: Skip at December 04, 2022

***
That's it. I kept thinking Mort Drucker, but he was an artist for Mad Magazine.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:26 AM (KAKDL)

153 Jaws is another it took the movie to clean up a book mess
Last of the Mohicans is another

Posted by: Skip at December 04, 2022 10:26 AM (xhxe8)

154 I'm about 80% of the way through reading "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu," and I still find myself chuckling every time the narrator talks about searching for a "clew" on how to thwart the evil doctor's plans. I had no idea that there had ever been an alternate spelling for that word...
Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022 10:19 AM (Lhaco)

There was something of a movement for American Rationalized Spelling in the first half of the 20th Century. It got a little traction for a while. I remember seeing "bowlder" for "boulder".

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 10:27 AM (tkR6S)

155 I should do a translation of Inferno for contemporary readers. I'd call it Hellhole and it would begin. "When I came to in the forest, I was like WTF, dude?" Also, many references to Hotel California.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 10:28 AM (FVME7)

156 Jaws is another it took the movie to clean up a book mess
Last of the Mohicans is another
Posted by: Skip at December 04, 2022

***
Movies Which Are Better All Around Than the Source Book: Jaws, Die Hard, Wolfen, Hunt for Red October. It's rare that such lightning can be captured -- but it happens.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:29 AM (KAKDL)

157 Ex-Intelligence Officials Who Said Hunter Biden Laptop Story Was a Russian Operation Silent After Twitter Files Released

Scumbags. Someone should hold them accountable

Posted by: Nevergiveup at December 04, 2022 10:30 AM (dO/0d)

158 Scratch a Liberal and You Will Find a Fascist Every Time’: Hollywood Icon James Woods Opens Up About Left’s Attempt to Destroy His Career

Posted by: Nevergiveup at December 04, 2022 10:31 AM (dO/0d)

159 So, Matheson asked, what was the deal with Chicago being infested with paranormal activity and Kolchak being the only person to ever be involved?

Beats me.

Posted by: Harry Dresden at December 04, 2022 10:32 AM (nfrXX)

160 By all accounts, McGavin fought with the producer all through the run of the show and couldn't wait to end it, so that (and TV being what it was in the 1970s) was probably why the show had no real continuity underpinning it.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:22 AM (AW0uW)

I can never understand that. Why would you take the job? Same way with Max Baer when he didn't want to be connected at all the BH. Now he does, but denigrate and kill your own job? Don't get it.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:32 AM (Angsy)

161 155 I should do a translation of Inferno for contemporary readers. I'd call it Hellhole and it would begin. "When I came to in the forest, I was like WTF, dude?" Also, many references to Hotel California.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 10:28 AM (FVME7)

"All ye who enter here must be Vaxxed and Boosted;
Masks and Social Distancing are also Mandatory. "
Canto III line IX.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 10:33 AM (PiwSw)

162 Jaws the book and Jaws the movie are practically different genres. The book is an insightful study of the social dynamics of a New England resort town, with the stresses between "summer people" and "townies" coming to a boil because of the shark attacks. The movie is more Moby Dick territory.

Posted by: Trimegistus at December 04, 2022 10:34 AM (QZxDR)

163 "clew."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:23 AM (KAKDL)

I've seen American papers from the late 20s spell it that way. Don't know when it changed.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:35 AM (Angsy)

164 Whew -- I had typed a comment, but when I refreshed the thread, the screen showed "not found."

I feared that Bob from the NSA had turned on the jammer.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:35 AM (Om/di)

165 As to covers, one of the more interesting/embarassing things is to have a novel with cover art from a movie version. I think if I had a movie tie-in Starship Troopers copy I'd pitch it out and get a replacement. My paperback of Dune has the poster from the David Lynch film, while Dune Messiah has the trade dress from the Villeneuve era.

Posted by: Trimegistus at December 04, 2022 10:35 AM (QZxDR)

166 Writers have been pumping out Kolchak fan fiction for years; in one story, Kolchak learns that he has been chosen by 'the fates' to battle evil and that, while he might be injured or trapped, he should never fear, because he is being watched over and protected.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

***
Exactly! Just that kind of thing was what they needed.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

---
Sounds a lot like the TV show Supernatural. I liked the random monster encounter episodes more than many of the ongoing Demons/Angels storylines and eventually gave up on the show because of it. It was handy to give reasons behind the situations, but became kind of tedious as they expanded the time spent on it.

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022 10:35 AM (ftFVW)

167 By all accounts, McGavin fought with the producer all through the run of the show and couldn't wait to end it. . . .
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022
*
I can never understand that. Why would you take the job? Same way with Max Baer when he didn't want to be connected at all the BH. Now he does, but denigrate and kill your own job? Don't get it.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022

***
Because he was a working actor, and a job is a job. And possibly, considering the quality of the first 2 films, he thought -- and was promised -- that the show was going to be run better than it ultimately was.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:36 AM (KAKDL)

168 Scumbags. Someone should hold them accountable

Posted by: Nevergiveup at December 04, 2022 10:30 AM (dO/0d)

Don't look at us!

Posted by: GOPe at December 04, 2022 10:37 AM (Angsy)

169 I never judge a book by it's cover art. Condition of the cover is more important to me.

I try to stick to hard covers too. When I buy them I do a version of the paper bag covers we had to do in school to out text books. I use 3m clear tape and bind the spine then 20 mil plastic and make a cover. Write on it what it is and when it was written. Insert a print out of the authors wikipedia page and... well right now I just stack them somewhere but someday I will have a library to organize them in.

Currently binding and fixing an early 1900's set of.. I guess you would call the Industrial Encyclopedias. The covers are pretty bad and I've had to use glue to keep the pages in a couple of them.

Posted by: Reforger at December 04, 2022 10:37 AM (CZcGO)

170 Well, I am feeling much better this morning. Got some decent sleep. Still have an active head cold going on, but it's at the manageable stage now.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 10:37 AM (tkR6S)

171 Morons recommended John Bellairs's Lewis Barnavelt series. I finished the third book "The Letter, The Witch, and the Ring."

If the "trans community" ever discovers this series, they'll cancel it.

Despite being a supernatural series in a post-WW2 setting, it takes Normal Life seriously. The main character is Rose Rita Pottinger, who is very unhappy at the prospect of becoming a teenager. She worries that her friendship with Lewis will change, she hates the idea of wearing make-up and dresses, and underlying it all, she fears that she's going to fail at being a girl because she's homely and weird.

Rose Rita's mentor is a witch, Mrs. Zimmerman, who says she loved being a wife but enjoys her widowhood, too. The villain is utterly fixated on getting revenge for a loss during her youth.

Spoiler: At the climax, Rose Rita nearly wishes herself into being a boy. That she doesn't is considered an averted disaster.

Can you imagine what the "good" outcome would be now?

Posted by: NaughtyPine at December 04, 2022 10:38 AM (/+bwe)

172 126 ... "I watched the Power of Art episode on Andrew Wyeth. I did not know that his father NC Wyeth was the illustrator for the book Treasure Island."

polynikes (hope you feel better),

PLEASE check out NC Wyeth's many illustrations. I think you would really enjoy them. Treasure Island is my favorite but he did a lot of others. He had a wonderful ability to capture action and atmosphere. After 60-some years, his painting of Blind Pew still scares me a bit.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 10:38 AM (7EjX1)

173 I liked the Dune illustrations of John Schoenherr:

https://dune.fandom.com/wiki/John_Schoenherr

I had the calendar back in the day.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Sans-Culottes (except for the Book Thread) at December 04, 2022 10:38 AM (Dc2NZ)

174 Prayers By the Lake by St. Nikolai Velimirovich. A beautiful collection, especially LXXV: Bless My Enemies

Posted by: The Butcher at December 04, 2022 10:38 AM (JsenR)

175 Whew -- I had typed a comment, but when I refreshed the thread, the screen showed "not found."

I feared that Bob from the NSA had turned on the jammer.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:35 AM (Om/di)

Happened to me too. Thought maybe the crackpot above did something.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:38 AM (Angsy)

176 OT: I should have named Dagny the Siberian kitten "Squirrel." She's sitting at my screen door watching one dash around the lawn and up a tree, and their fur color is almost exactly the same.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:39 AM (KAKDL)

177 @156 --

"Men in Black." A failed comic, a monster hit as a movie.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:39 AM (Om/di)

178 Movies Which Are Better All Around Than the Source Book: Jaws, Die Hard, Wolfen, Hunt for Red October. It's rare that such lightning can be captured -- but it happens.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Good grief! How have I lived this long not knowing Die Hard was based on a book?

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022 10:40 AM (ftFVW)

179 I read today that Harpercollins workers have been on strike since 11/10. Maybe if the big publishers stopped giving big book deals to leftists, knowing that said books will never sell, they could pay their workers more. I guess it's like someone commenting on philosophers strike 'would anyone notice?"

Posted by: Smell the Glove at December 04, 2022 10:41 AM (muTXm)

180 Time to get cooking--good reading, horde, and have a lovely day!

Posted by: April--dash my lace wigs! at December 04, 2022 10:41 AM (OX9vb)

181 Because he was a working actor, and a job is a job. And possibly, considering the quality of the first 2 films, he thought -- and was promised -- that the show was going to be run better than it ultimately was.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:36 AM (KAKDL)

Maybe, but pay is pay. Unless the ratings were lousy or he had other offers that paid better. I never really watched it when it ran first, but I've watched a few years ago. I sorta liked it. Stories were out there, but McGavin was a good actor.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:41 AM (Angsy)

182 "What are YOU reading this fine morning?"

Am in the middle of "Paladin of Souls" by Lois McMaster Bujold. 2nd in her Chalion series.

Quite an interesting book. Fantasy setting but I couldn't figure out what THIS book was about until half-way through. Shocking twist, it's a mystery novel. Damn good, too.

Posted by: comradearthur at December 04, 2022 10:41 AM (ttOM0)

183 @156 --

"Men in Black." A failed comic, a monster hit as a movie.
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 10:39 AM (Om/di)
---
I enjoyed the animated series as well.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 10:41 AM (BpYfr)

184 The latest set of Nero Wolfe reprints included correspondence by Rex Stout. One was a letter from the publisher saying that he had sent the manuscript for the latest book to the cover artist. That sounded like a tough job: pick out one scene or item that best represents the book and lends itself to comprehensible art.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 09:57 AM (Om/di)

I really like those notes to the Bantam Nero Wolfe reissues. Another book in the series had a letter from Stout's publisher asking his permission to melt the plates to several of his earlier books in order to print the latest one. Stout said OK. It was WWII and there was a metal shortage.

Posted by: cool breeze at December 04, 2022 10:42 AM (UGKMd)

185
I can never understand that. Why would you take the job? Same way with Max Baer when he didn't want to be connected at all the BH. Now he does, but denigrate and kill your own job? Don't get it.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:32 AM (Angsy)

Met him a couple times. He is one of the nicest people. He actually tried to do a BH themed Casino where I live but our city rulers are dipshits and shot him down. He just has a small one called "The Max", great prime rib by the way.

Posted by: Reforger at December 04, 2022 10:43 AM (CZcGO)

186
Good grief! How have I lived this long not knowing Die Hard was based on a book?
Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022

***
Nothing Lasts Forever (1979) by Roderick Thorp, who also featured the same character (not at all like Willis's John McClane) in an earlier novel, The Detective. NLF is worth checking out, as nearly all the big action scenes from the film are right there in the novel. Where the movie beats it is the portrait of and focus on Alan Rickman's Hans. He's kind of a shadowy figure and is offstage in most of the book.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:44 AM (KAKDL)

187 Good morning Hordemates.
It's cold grey and threatening snow here in my little burg. A perfect day to sit up with a nice fire, a hot buttered rum and a great book. Except it's a gas fireplace, I am out of rum, and I need to scan the contents for a new book suggestion.
Sigh.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 10:44 AM (anj39)

188
Vice Verse - a limerick

A detective who hailed from Zhangzhou
Said, "This is a fine howdy-do!
When it comes to self abuse
What about tobacco use?
Many man smoke, but Fu Man Chu!"

Posted by: Muldoon at December 04, 2022 10:45 AM (ykeLU)

189 I loved all the Kinsey Milhone mysteries. Easy to read but not fluff I second the recommendation of the Baylor -sponsored 100 Days of Dante. I couldn’t have made it beyond day 2 without their help and insight. Similarly the online, free Hillsdale class
on CS Lewis and Christianity is excellent. Lectures are Tuesday and Thursday for about 35 minutes but you can go at your own pace.

Otherwise I’m still working my way thru Middlemarch: page 600 and it’s become a compelling read.

Posted by: LASue at December 04, 2022 10:46 AM (Ed8Zd)

190 Least surprising news of the year . . .

Russia Rejects G7 Price Cap on Oil

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 10:46 AM (FVME7)

191 So I had to dig that story out. From a collection called Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles, it is "The Way of the Matter."

Kolchak witnesses the murder of an 18-year old boy. He learns that the murderer is "Mr Whitebread," a man whose appearance subtly changes whenever you try to look at him, so that he can never be identified. He tells Kolchak, "I've been walking this round world for a long time, for so long that I've forgotten my beginnings. I kill people. I always have. I see a face or a name floats into my mind. My targets. Things will be fine and normal for years on end, than I wake up and know I have to be at a certain place at a certain time to end a certain life."

Only once, he says, did he refuse. He found himself in 1909 Vienna, looking at a ragged, starving 20-year-old. Why did this man have to die? he wondered. There was no reason. And so he let him live. The man, of course, was Hitler.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:47 AM (AW0uW)

192 The other thing about Die Hard: Since the novel featured the character that Frank Sinatra had played in the film version of The Detective in 1966, Sinatra's contract said that any other films featuring the character had to offer him the role first. Now of course he turned them down, being way too old by 1988. And they probably got around any sticky spots by renaming and reconfiguring the character. But it's always amused me to think: If DH had been filmed in, say, 1962, Sinatra would have made a *great* John McClane. We wouldn't have gotten the "Yippee-ki-ya, mother-f***er" line, but Frank could have done it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:48 AM (KAKDL)

193 Most of my books are boxed up now. Just a handful left, and it's interesting to see what didn't get put away first. Nietzsche is among those still on the table, and I think I mean to retry him.

Getting down to crunch time though, last week of work, then on to Arizona the week after that.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 10:49 AM (NWBBy)

194 Surprising news . . .

Iran Claims They'll Disband "Morality Police" After Months-Long Protests Against Regime

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 10:49 AM (FVME7)

195 Only once, he says, did he refuse. He found himself in 1909 Vienna, looking at a ragged, starving 20-year-old. Why did this man have to die? he wondered. There was no reason. And so he let him live. The man, of course, was Hitler.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 10:47 AM (AW0uW)

So Mr. Whitebread is Kanye?

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 10:51 AM (NWBBy)

196 Met him a couple times. He is one of the nicest people. He actually tried to do a BH themed Casino where I live but our city rulers are dipshits and shot him down. He just has a small one called "The Max", great prime rib by the way.

Posted by: Reforger at December 04, 2022 10:43 AM (CZcGO)

They tore down Park Lane Mall for it, if I remember. Used to work in a store there. I liked living there.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:52 AM (Angsy)

197 Germany banning fertilizers, bowing to net zero

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (Zzbjj)

198 MP4, I am a native of this hellhole state too, I met RMBS at the Texas MoMe. Maybe in the new year, I will make the pilgrimage and join you guys for coffee. I am south of Boston.

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at December 04, 2022 09:47 AM (a4EWo)

That would be nice. He and I are both north of Boston. He's promised to take me to the gun range in the spring, so perhaps we can talk about getting together then.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 09:51 AM (AW0uW)

Anyone interested in a MA mini moron meetup (MaMiMoMe)? I am northwest of Boston, also a member of a gun range.

Posted by: cool breeze at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (UGKMd)

199
I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (LkRZk)

200 I know what you mean about not giving a book a chance. It happened to me with Lord of the Rings. It took me three years to get past Tom Bombadil.

Posted by: sherlockzz at December 04, 2022 10:54 AM (6yG/4)

201 I don't normally read westerns, but gave "Showdown on the River" by J.L. Curtis a try and really enjoyed it, so I picked up the second book in the series ("Ranching in Colorado") and I'm enjoying that now.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at December 04, 2022 10:54 AM (nRMeC)

202 Cover art is very important and a major headache for indie writers. For one thing, it needs to be memorable so people *looks accusingly at Horde* who buy lots of books and then get distracted can remember "oh yeah, that was the book about the cat with a machine gun I read about on the Book Thread. A year ago." It has to signal genre CORRECTLY (glares at idiot who put cowboy art on a public domain copy of All Quiet on the Western Front).

And sadly, writers need to know their limitations. They are the word-people, not the picture people, and trying to take control of the art rarely works well. Fortunately my cover artist likes my books so I just send him the finished draft and tell him to go nuts. I may ask for a few details after to do the genre-signalling thing more loudly, but so far it has worked really well.

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at December 04, 2022 10:54 AM (BbSpR)

203 N. C. Wyeth did more than just Treasure Island. Somewhere around here I have a book of his illustrations and they are all beautiful. And to respond to the band mentions, Steely Dan is the best. Even when they (IMHO) drastically changed styles - Aja and after - they were great. The earlier stuff is my favorite and My Old School is one of their best. "when you put me on the Wolverine up to Annandale". I've never heard Scritti Polliti and may never but the girl in "a Bone Through Her Nose" by Richard Thompson has a boyfriend in the band/

Posted by: who knew at December 04, 2022 10:55 AM (4I7VG)

204 Germany banning fertilizers, bowing to net zero
Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (Zzbjj)

It worked so well for Sri Lanka, didn't it?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 10:55 AM (tkR6S)

205 The classic Sci-Fi cover art from Astounding Tales and such were pretty cool, way before my time.

I thought "The Runaway Robot" by Lester Del Ray cover in paperback was a cool cover though. I signed up for everything through Scholastic Book Services in school. Great program. Probably illegal now.

Posted by: Common Tater at December 04, 2022 10:56 AM (34mN2)

206 It worked so well for Sri Lanka, didn't it?
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 10:55 AM (tkR6S)

As I've said, that was the model. So far their prices have gone up 300%, if they can find it at all.

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 10:56 AM (Zzbjj)

207 I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (LkRZk)

And Telly Savalas is a better actor than singer.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 10:57 AM (Angsy)

208 Philadelphia Approves Permanent 10PM Curfew in Desperate Attempt to Fight Crime

-
Punishing the innocent for the crimes of the guilty always works out well.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 10:57 AM (FVME7)

209 I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 04, 2022

***
He was great at both. From accounts I've read, he preferred to do one take of a scene and be done. I don't know if he rehearsed a lot beforehand. His drug addict role in The Man With the Golden Arm took a lot of work, and he was very proud of his performance. But I can just see him as he looked in Manchurian Candidate, but in shirt sleeves and no shoes, cradling a machine gun and snarling into a walkie-talkie, "Get stuffed, Hans."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:58 AM (KAKDL)

210 Sounds a lot like the TV show Supernatural. I liked the random monster encounter episodes more than many of the ongoing Demons/Angels storylines and eventually gave up on the show because of it. It was handy to give reasons behind the situations, but became kind of tedious as they expanded the time spent on it.
Posted by: She Hobbit at December 04, 2022 10:35 AM (ftFVW)

Same thing with X-Files, and I know this topic was probably covered earlier this week. I know it's derivative, but I don't care. I loved the characters. Then it became all consuming pursuit of his sister, and the story around that. It was so much better when it was Monster Of the Week.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 10:58 AM (NWBBy)

211 Many man smoke, but Fu Man Chu!"
Posted by: Muldoon at December 04, 2022 10:45 AM (ykeLU)

Heh.
Had to read it twice to get it. (Need my coffee)
Well done.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 10:58 AM (anj39)

212
Philadelphia Approves Permanent 10PM Curfew in Desperate Attempt to Fight Crime

___________

"Yo, it's 9:58. Just two more minutes to rob someone."

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 04, 2022 10:59 AM (LkRZk)

213 It has to signal genre CORRECTLY (glares at idiot who put cowboy art on a public domain copy of All Quiet on the Western Front).

I would absolutely buy a copy of that just for the gag. I'll have to check abebooks.

Posted by: Oddbob at December 04, 2022 10:59 AM (nfrXX)

214 Hadrian - Sinatra starred in a radio series called Rocky Fortune in the 1950s, it's pretty good. Lots of old time radio websites stream it for free, along with Gunsmoke and Dragnet, Johnny Dollar, etc.

Posted by: Common Tater at December 04, 2022 11:00 AM (34mN2)

215 I would absolutely buy a copy of that just for the gag. I'll have to check abebooks.

Posted by: Oddbob at December 04, 2022 10:59 AM (nfrXX)

Well, it was the Western front....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 11:00 AM (Angsy)

216 I bought the grandsons a nice haul of new puzzles for the winter, art supplies, and some new books, including a dictionary, thesaurus and vocab enhancer set. Also warm pajamas, new down comforters and added plenty of favorites to my food strorage plan.

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (Zzbjj)

217 Germany banning fertilizers, bowing to net zero
Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (Zzbjj)

Yeah. Right.
Lived there for years and the only fertilizer I saw them spread wasn't potash. IYKWIM

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (anj39)

218 We wouldn't have gotten the "Yippee-ki-ya, mother-f***er" line, but Frank could have done it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Would've been, "Ring a ding ding, mother-f***er!"

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (FVME7)

219 I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (LkRZk)

He did a guest role on Magnum P.I., and was fantastic. I'd say I never really had any use for his music.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (NWBBy)

220 While decluttering a portion of our attic, I opened a box from my mothers estate and found about fifty paperback books from when I and sibling were in elementary school and were buying the Scholastic Book Service paperbacks for a $.25 or .50. Do kids today still have the opportunity to buy these books at school or is everything digital now? My niece wants them for her seven year old which makes me happy.

Posted by: Jen the original at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (F/Ftm)

221 Germany banning fertilizers, bowing to net zero
Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (Zzbjj)

This ought to turn out as well as their conversion to wind power.

Posted by: Count de Monet at December 04, 2022 11:02 AM (4I/2K)

222 I'll second that mention of Leo and Diane Dillon -- their work for Pyramid's editions of Harlan Ellison's books was a joy to see. Their covers for Ace Science Fiction Specials in the late 60s were just wonderful, particularly LeGuin's THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS and Zelazny's ISLE OF THE DEAD. I can't remember seeing any of their art that I didn't like.

And lift a glass to Richard Powers too -- his covers for Ballantine and Berkley sf titles in the 50s and 60s were just beautiful.

For me, Whelan's best were his covers for the DAW Year's Best Horror titles. A horror fan's dream, every one of them.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 04, 2022 11:02 AM (a/4+U)

223 "Parents! Where Are Your Children?"

TV stations actually used to broadcast a splash screen with that phrase a long time ago, and at 10 PM iirc.. A galaxy far, far away.

Posted by: Common Tater at December 04, 2022 11:02 AM (34mN2)

224 I miss that place too. I think we are on two attempts by him. He was trying to do one where the Carson Mall is in Carson City. He would up buying one across the street and changing the name. He wanted to do some sort of flaming oil well thing that the city rejected. Sort of like what the Peppermill did that once they lit it up the city of Reno said WTF? and shut down.

Park Lane is a sore spot for a lot of people. I havn't been to downtown Reno in years but last time I was there was nothing but arguing going on on that property.

Posted by: Reforger at December 04, 2022 11:02 AM (thi0v)

225 Same thing with X-Files, and I know this topic was probably covered earlier this week. I know it's derivative, but I don't care. I loved the characters. Then it became all consuming pursuit of his sister, and the story around that. It was so much better when it was Monster Of the Week.
Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022

***
So did I -- exploring the strange corners of the universe is a lot more fun. Though I was not a big fan of the show, the one with Peter Boyle as the snarky guy who could tell how people were going to die was a great story.

On the other hand, the story arcs with Buffy were more entertaining to me than the Monster of the Week. Maybe because Buffy had delightful humor. Mulder & Scully didn't, not often.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (KAKDL)

226 know what you mean about not giving a book a chance. It happened to me with Lord of the Rings. It took me three years to get past Tom Bombadil.
Posted by: sherlockzz at December 04, 2022 10:54 AM (6yG/4)

I gave Confederacy of Dunces a chance and I still don't get it.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (l4ZPt)

227 THE LT GOV of GA should be shot ( tongue in cheek)

Posted by: Nevergiveup at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (dO/0d)

228 My niece wants them for her seven year old which makes me happy.
Posted by: Jen the original at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (F/Ftm)

SBS still exists and you can buy from the little brochures or the book fairs. The selection is different and has some quite bad options, but it exists.

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (Zzbjj)

229 OK, folks, I think I'll head back downstairs, make a cup of tea and relax. Hope you all have a lovely day.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (AW0uW)

230 Covers.....I've been collecting omnibuses of old Conan the Barbarian comics, and they usually come with a choice of two covers: a cover drawn/painted this year, or an original comic book cover from one of the collected issues (drawn in the 70's or 80's). Looking back through my collection, most of the time I opted for the modern cover. Except when the modern cover looked too artsy or stupid, or when the original cover was painted by Boris Vallejo. Fortunately, the spines of both versions pretty much match, so everything looks nice on my bookshelf.

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022 11:04 AM (Lhaco)

231 221 Germany banning fertilizers, bowing to net zero
Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 10:53 AM (Zzbjj)

This ought to turn out as well as their conversion to wind power.
Posted by: Count de Monet at December 04, 2022 11:02 AM (4I/2K)

Klaus' Fourth Reich (Industrial revolution) moving ahead quickly now.

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:04 AM (Zzbjj)

232 227 THE LT GOV of GA should be shot ( tongue in cheek)
Posted by: Nevergiveup at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (dO/0d)

lots of clot shots, with extra ADE

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:05 AM (Zzbjj)

233 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Would've been, "Ring a ding ding, mother-f***er!"
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM (FVME7)

It probably shouldn't be done, but wouldn't it be something to see, if one took old classic movies, any old classic movies, and had curse words dubbed into the film?

Imagine Gone With the Wind, if Rhett and Scarlett were arguing, and he's calling her a whore, and she's calling him a Yankee sonofabitch. And worse.

Or "Ilsa, I know the problems of two people in this world don't mean f**k all, but you're getting on that motherf**king plane."

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:05 AM (NWBBy)

234 I gave Confederacy of Dunces a chance and I still don't get it.
Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022

***
It's a peculiar acquired taste, I'll admit. I think Richard Bradford's Red Sky at Morning is vastly better.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:05 AM (KAKDL)

235 9 ) Ooh, Bard College, Famous alumni: Donald Fagen and Water Becker!

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at December 04, 2022 09:02 AM (PiwSw)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Don't forget the ever entertaining Mark Groubert is also a Bardite. In addition to his magazine writing, he even wrote a book on dryout centers for the rich and famous

Posted by: Just call me Pete at December 04, 2022 11:06 AM (a4vvV)

236 Speaking of punishing the innocent for the crimes of the guilty . . .

Colorado Senate President Says "Everthing Is on the Table" in Gun Control Push

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 11:06 AM (FVME7)

237 Barnes and Noble had a nice sale on their leather bound books including some that were great for kids. Also ordered and received some nice board games, to help get through the cold, dark months when they don't play outside as much.

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:07 AM (Zzbjj)

238 It probably shouldn't be done, but wouldn't it be something to see, if one took old classic movies, any old classic movies, and had curse words dubbed into the film?

Imagine Gone With the Wind, if Rhett and Scarlett were arguing, and he's calling her a whore, and she's calling him a Yankee sonofabitch. And worse.

Or "Ilsa, I know the problems of two people in this world don't mean f**k all, but you're getting on that motherf**king plane."
Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:05 AM (NWBBy)

Edit with Unnecessary Bleeps and let the *bleep* viewer's *bleep* imagination *bleep* fill in the *bleep* language . . .

Posted by: Count de Monet at December 04, 2022 11:07 AM (4I/2K)

239 Colorado Senate President Says "Everthing Is on the Table" in Gun Control Push
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks aka Hangdog Barkston at December 04, 2022 11:06 AM (FVME7)

Gotta disarm them, if you wanna starve them

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:07 AM (Zzbjj)

240 228. Thanks CN. I remember being so excited as a kid when the teacher would pass out the new monthly order form and I could find books I wanted to read.

Posted by: Jen the original at December 04, 2022 11:08 AM (F/Ftm)

241 polynikes, when I read Confederacy Of DuncesI could smell New Orleans, it was that real to me.

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 11:08 AM (/knpl)

242 Just started "Lincoln Highway," by Amor Towles, who wrote "A Gentleman In Mowrote!

So far so good...the guy can write!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 04, 2022 11:09 AM (Suwv8)

243 If you haven't already immediately get Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series. outstanding.

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at December 04, 2022 11:09 AM (WVJo4)

244 240 228. Thanks CN. I remember being so excited as a kid when the teacher would pass out the new monthly order form and I could find books I wanted to read.
Posted by: Jen the original at December 04, 2022 11:08 AM (F/Ftm)

I know, I loved it. And as a teen, I still bought things like their HS writing competition volume.

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:09 AM (Zzbjj)

245 On the other hand, the story arcs with Buffy were more entertaining to me than the Monster of the Week. Maybe because Buffy had delightful humor. Mulder & Scully didn't, not often.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:03 AM (KAKDL)

There's an episode where Mulder, Scully, and the Assistant Director dude (forget his name) go out to Hollywood to advise on a movie version of them. It's pretty freakin' hilarious.

I was surprised when I started rewatching the series recently, and realized just how thoroughly the show was about the Deep State. Yeah, I know that was part of the storyline, but even the mundane aspects of how agencies like the FBI are corrupt, it was all right there from the start, and Mulder's pursuit of aliens and whatnot, it was essentially a stand-in for the government covering up anything they didn't want getting out there.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:10 AM (NWBBy)

246 polynikes, when I read Confederacy Of DuncesI could smell New Orleans, it was that real to me.
Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 11:08 AM (/knpl

I grew up in South Louisiana but never was a New Orleans fan. It's definitely unique.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 11:10 AM (l4ZPt)

247 Thanks CN. I remember being so excited as a kid when the teacher would pass out the new monthly order form and I could find books I wanted to read.
Posted by: Jen the original at December 04, 2022

***
Most of what was on the Scholastic catalog in my jr. high days didn't interest me much. Not enough (implied) sex and violence. They did offer one of the Man From U.N.C.L.E. original paperbacks -- but I already had it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:10 AM (KAKDL)

248 Park Lane is a sore spot for a lot of people. I havn't been to downtown Reno in years but last time I was there was nothing but arguing going on on that property.

Posted by: Reforger at December 04, 2022 11:02 AM (thi0v)

It's still an empty lot?!

Carson mall was by that side street that angled off the main? Can't remember the name. Ah, Stewart St. I don't remember much about that area. The place I lived at was right at the north end. It's all gone now, torn down for the freeway expansion.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 11:11 AM (Angsy)

249 If you haven't already immediately get Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series. outstanding.
Posted by: TANSTAAFL at December 04, 2022 11:09 AM (WVJo4)
----
I wouldn't go quite that far, but they are very entertaining and he is One Of Us in many ways...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 04, 2022 11:11 AM (BpYfr)

250 Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:05 AM (NWBBy)

Edit with Unnecessary Bleeps and let the *bleep* viewer's *bleep* imagination *bleep* fill in the *bleep* language . . .
Posted by: Count de Monet at December 04, 2022 11:07 AM (4I/2K)

Heh, maybe. But I hate bleeps. It takes me out of whatever I'm watching/listening to.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:11 AM (NWBBy)

251 Philadelphia Approves Permanent 10PM Curfew in Desperate Attempt to Fight Crime

___________

"Yo, it's 9:58. Just two more minutes to rob someone."
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 04, 2022 10:59 AM

About ten years ago, my neighborhood had a similar situation with vandalism and petty theft. It occurred mostly during the winter months, when night fell earlier.

My neighbors and I figured out that most of it - petty theft, smashed lights, etc. - happened between 8 and 9. That was the curfew set by most parents of pre-teens and young teens. We turned on all our outdoor lights for a couple of weeks.

Then we turned them off and watched. I caught one kid doing the "ding-dong ditch" and walked him home. His parents took care of it. One neighbor chased a couple of kids about a mile before letting them escape into a woods. He and his wife never had trouble after that, despite him keeping his tools in an unsecure tent.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at December 04, 2022 11:12 AM (/+bwe)

252 I've picked up my copy of Lucifer's Hammer about three times. Just can't get past the set up chapters. One day I'll power through.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 11:13 AM (l4ZPt)

253 polynikes, when I read Confederacy Of DuncesI could smell New Orleans, it was that real to me.
Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022

***
You could smell Da Swamp? Quick, get the Febreze and burn some Southwestern incense!

Dunces has a lot to recommend it. It's set in the early Sixties, when I was a kid and remember a lot of the sights and places Toole wrote about. It's funny in many places and dead accurate as to the local dialect ("chirren" for "children," for example). But I still prefer Red Sky at Morning, which is set in WWII New Mexico. (Oddly, Bradford also lived in NO as a kid!)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:14 AM (KAKDL)

254 This is book-related. Has anyone else seen the latest video of alleged "vigilantes" about to disrupt some library"s Drag Queen Story Hour? They're practically marching in column formation, wearing matching boots, jeans, flannel shirts, gator necks, sunglasses, and baseball caps. Oh, and there's not a single mom in the bunch.

Posted by: Pete in Texas at December 04, 2022 11:15 AM (2RBkF)

255 I've picked up my copy of Lucifer's Hammer about three times. Just can't get past the set up chapters. One day I'll power through.
Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022

***
It really is good. Pournelle's solo work has always bored me, but his collaborations with Niven were great.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:15 AM (KAKDL)

256 This week I finished _The Madman's Library_, by Edward Brooke-Hitching (yes, he's English). I don't remember if this one was a Moron recommendation or not, but it's pretty good and I'm keeping it.

It's a book about weird books -- books bound in skin, books printed in blood, enormous books, microscopic books, books nobody can read, etc. The coverage of each one is pretty brief, but as a collection of rabbitholes to explore, it's not bad, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

Posted by: Trimegistus at December 04, 2022 11:15 AM (QZxDR)

257 Philadelphia Approves Permanent 10PM Curfew in Desperate Attempt to Fight Crime

Does this mean Wyatt will have to arrest himself after the swing shift?

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:16 AM (anj39)

258 Nothing Lasts Forever is a good book.
I was very surprised how much stuff was kept for Die Hard.
That said, yes the movie is 'better' .

As for the Hunt for Red October.
The movie was very good, but I liked the book more.
Some of the best parts in the book aren't in the movie.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at December 04, 2022 11:16 AM (2j1hH)

259 There's an episode where Mulder, Scully, and the Assistant Director dude (forget his name) go out to Hollywood to advise on a movie version of them. It's pretty freakin' hilarious. . . .

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022

***
I remember that one. It's always cool when Hollywood pokes fun at itself (the original A Star Is Born, for example).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:17 AM (KAKDL)

260 I've picked up my copy of Lucifer's Hammer about three times. Just can't get past the set up chapters. One day I'll power through.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 11:13 AM (l4ZPt)

Try picking up mine, mortal!

Posted by: Thor at December 04, 2022 11:17 AM (Angsy)

261 As for comic book covers, I'm not a big comics fan. But the "Days of Future Passed" cover for X-Men with the older Wolverine and Kitty Pryde caught in a spotlight before a wall of X-Men mugshots, all of which say "Deceased" or "Inactive," is a classic of comics work. No thought balloons, no speech bubbles, simply an arresting scene that makes you want to pick up the comic and see what is going on. I think it was a groundbreaker in its time (the 1980s).
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Classic cover! Referenced/homaged many, many times....

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022 11:18 AM (Lhaco)

262 I don't think a book cover has ever convinced me to buy a book (it will convince me to read the blurb though), but when I see "Now a Movie/TV Show!" on the cover I look for earlier printings.

Posted by: Octochicken at December 04, 2022 11:19 AM (T+Dhx)

263 As for comic book covers, I'm not a big comics fan. But the "Days of Future Passed" cover for X-Men with the older Wolverine and Kitty Pryde caught in a spotlight before a wall of X-Men mugshots, all of which say "Deceased" or "Inactive," is a classic of comics work. No thought balloons, no speech bubbles, simply an arresting scene that makes you want to pick up the comic and see what is going on.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere
*
Classic cover! Referenced/homaged many, many times....
Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022

***
I imagine John Byrne (?) turning it in, and the editor going, "I dunno about this one, man. Could you put in a thought balloon or two . . .?"

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:20 AM (KAKDL)

264 I've picked up my copy of Lucifer's Hammer about three times. Just can't get past the set up chapters. One day I'll power through.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 11:13 AM (l4ZPt)

Ditto but I doubt if I go back to it. Too many of that genre seem to have the same basic plot lines. So yes, getting through the set up is...boring.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:21 AM (anj39)

265 Tell the Story: Like my musician brother said when commenting on another drummer’s over-performance: “Play the song!”

Posted by: SgtBob at December 04, 2022 11:21 AM (by4sp)

266 Try Cryptonomicon by Neil Stephenson, polynikes. Involved.

Posted by: Eromero at December 04, 2022 11:21 AM (/knpl)

267 I don't think a book cover has ever convinced me to buy a book (it will convince me to read the blurb though), but when I see "Now a Movie/TV Show!" on the cover I look for earlier printings.
Posted by: Octochicken at December 04, 2022

***
If I truly enjoyed the film version, I'll go for the tie-in. When I looked for a copy of True Grit a few years back, I insisted on the one from 1969 with Kim Darby as Mattie.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:22 AM (KAKDL)

268 As for the Hunt for Red October.
The movie was very good, but I liked the book more.
Some of the best parts in the book aren't in the movie.
Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at December 04, 2022 11:16 AM (2j1hH)

When the book came out, and after reading it, I gave it to my 'ol man (20 years in subs) and told him if the sub stuff was half as good as the intel stuff was, he was going to like it. I didnt see him for four days. He agreed.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:25 AM (anj39)

269 There's an episode where Mulder, Scully, and the Assistant Director dude (forget his name) go out to Hollywood to advise on a movie version of them. It's pretty freakin' hilarious. . . .

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022

I remember that one. It's always cool when Hollywood pokes fun at itself (the original A Star Is Born, for example).
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:17 AM (KAKDL)

Skinner was his name, by the way.

There's a scene where an actor is playing a zombie, and as he goes to take a bite out of the neck of someone, he howls with disgust and horror. The neck is made out of turkey! He INSISTED he was vegan, and INSISTED on having the neck meat made out of tofurkey.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:26 AM (NWBBy)

270 I am reading two old books. One is a hagiography of John Wesley and the other is Farrar's "Life of Christ" which has no printing date. The pages are orange and crumbling in my hands. NYC won't let me buy a replacement as they will simply toss the book. That saddens me.

Posted by: Jamaica NYC at December 04, 2022 11:27 AM (b+v9B)

271 The only classic book cover I can even think of is the one for the first edition of The Catcher in the Rye. That's the one with the drawing of the carousel horse.

Posted by: Pete in Texas at December 04, 2022 11:27 AM (2RBkF)

272 Iranian regime has plotted to kill Jews overseas, including philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy
French Jewish philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy among Iran's targets, according to report

And obama gave them money and biden wants to. Moderates?

Posted by: Nevergiveup at December 04, 2022 11:29 AM (dO/0d)

273 If folks are looking for books of some type for kids, we have a great nephew's 4th birthday coming up. We got him a couple of coloring books customized with his name on them, from Fox Chapel publishing. He is getting one on dinosaurs and one on trucks and earth moving machines. On the back of each page is a brief write up about the animal or vehicle. Figured he would enjoy the coloring and reading about them with his parents. Never too early to encourage reading. His folks thought it was a great idea.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 11:30 AM (7EjX1)

274 Do the vigilantes have matching Ray-Bans and glowie hair?

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:30 AM (Zzbjj)

275 Rudyard Kipling's books are illustrated. My all time favorite is Captains Courageous. The movie wasn't as good as the book but it was pretty good.

Posted by: polynikes at December 04, 2022 11:31 AM (l4ZPt)

276 The artwork for the Sixties printings by Signet of the James Bond novels was neatly done, too. For the first 9 books, each features the name "Ian Fleming" in black capitals, the words "A James Bond Thriller" vertically along the cover edge, and the title below a small cameo-like painting illustrating a scene from the novel. Casino Royale has an image of Bond in tuxedo at a casino; Live and Let Die features the villain Mr. Big; etc.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:32 AM (KAKDL)

277 He is getting one on dinosaurs and one on trucks and earth moving machines. On the back of each page is a brief write up about the animal or vehicle. Figured he would enjoy the coloring and reading about them with his parents. Never too early to encourage reading. His folks thought it was a great idea.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022

***
It'd be intriguing if they got mixed up. "Dozersaurus Rex"!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:33 AM (KAKDL)

278 I was tricked into reading a SF book from the '60s because the cover showed an amazing kaleidoscopic vision of woman who seemed to be casting a spell. That scene occurred at the end, when some space-entity was changing shape rapidly.

I also was sucked into "Lord Foul's Bane" (the first of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson) because the beat-up paperback had a cover which called to mind Gandalf et al in the Mines of Moria. I never finished the series because the protag was a cynical rapist.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at December 04, 2022 11:34 AM (/+bwe)

279 Germany banning fertilizers, bowing to net zero
Posted by: CN

I read that as "Bowling"

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:34 AM (T4tVD)

280 I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh

You'd better hope that he's really dead.

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:36 AM (T4tVD)

281 There's a scene where an actor is playing a zombie, and as he goes to take a bite out of the neck of someone, he howls with disgust and horror. The neck is made out of turkey! He INSISTED he was vegan, and INSISTED on having the neck meat made out of tofurkey

So vegan zombies would basically be slow moving garden pests

Posted by: azjaeger at December 04, 2022 11:38 AM (3/XaG)

282 I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh

You'd better hope that he's really dead.
Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:36 AM (T4tVD)

Oh well, that's life!

Posted by: A Skinny Kid From Hoboken at December 04, 2022 11:39 AM (4I/2K)

283 I don''t think that the pants guy owns a weedwhacker. (if you catch my drift....)

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:39 AM (T4tVD)

284 Do the vigilantes have matching Ray-Bans and glowie hair?

Their hair is mostly covered by the gator necks and caps, but I'm guessing they're mostly high fades or at least well within military regulations.

Again, not a single mom in the group. Or even a married one!

Posted by: Pete in Texas at December 04, 2022 11:40 AM (2RBkF)

285 "So vegan zombies would be slow-moving garden pests."

I'm picturing a farmer with a rake, chasing away the undead, while yelling "you damn zombies leave my tomaters alone!"

Posted by: PabloD at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (SZfqZ)

286 Again, not a single mom in the group. Or even a married one!
Posted by: Pete in Texas at December 04, 2022 11:40 AM (2RBkF)
Amazing how they keep doing the same thing. Hope someone is screaming "feds, feds, feds"

Posted by: CN at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (Zzbjj)

287 I like Leslie Charteris' approach to cursing:

" 'Who was that gentleman who just left?' he asked.

'Gentleman' was not the word he used."

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (c7UwR)

288 There's a scene where an actor is playing a zombie, and as he goes to take a bite out of the neck of someone, he howls with disgust and horror. The neck is made out of turkey! He INSISTED he was vegan, and INSISTED on having the neck meat made out of tofurkey

___

Obligatory:

https://tinyurl.com/52dw6f8h

Posted by: SMH, traveling down the meme highway at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (i2sH5)

289 What Rohmer did better than almost anybody was establish this air of sinister danger, of sudden mysterious death by night. I know, he's thought of as a racist for having an evil Chinaman as his villain. Unfairly, to my mind.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 10:23 AM (KAKDL)

Mr. Romer has crafted a narrative that is engaging and fun to read. That said........it's not just that the main villain is Chinese and evil. It's that (so far) every Chinese character introduced is evil and is described in less-than-flattering terms....

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022 11:42 AM (Lhaco)

290 I may be a minority of one, but I prefer Sinatra the actor to Sinatra the singer.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh
*
You'd better hope that he's really dead.
Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:36 AM (T4tVD)
*
Oh well, that's life!
Posted by: A Skinny Kid From Hoboken at December 04, 2022

***
"Nineteen sixty-two was a very good year. And as usual, I did it My Way."

Posted by: Zombie Frank Sinatra at December 04, 2022 11:43 AM (KAKDL)

291 Obligatory:

https://tinyurl.com/52dw6f8h
Posted by: SMH, traveling down the meme highway

LOL !

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:43 AM (T4tVD)

292 Do the vigilantes have matching Ray-Bans and glowie hair?

Psssssttt!
Yo. Oakleys. Didn't you get the memo last month?

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:44 AM (anj39)

293 Obligatory:

https://tinyurl.com/52dw6f8h
Posted by: SMH, traveling down the meme highway at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (i2sH5)

Heh! A classic.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 04, 2022 11:44 AM (tkR6S)

294 Hiya Heidi !

Give my regards to The Artist Formerly Known as "Da Cannibal" !

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:45 AM (T4tVD)

295 I like Leslie Charteris' approach to cursing:

" 'Who was that gentleman who just left?' he asked.

'Gentleman' was not the word he used."
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 04, 2022

***
I used this once: "Trahan's reply was colorful and relied on the sort of metaphors employed by stevedores and construction workers. When he finished, I said, 'You know, when you were a kid, language like that would have been unprintable.'"

Posted by: Zombie Frank Sinatra at December 04, 2022 11:46 AM (KAKDL)

296 I imagine John Byrne (?) turning it in, and the editor going, "I dunno about this one, man. Could you put in a thought balloon or two . . .?"
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 04, 2022 11:20 AM (KAKDL)

I really prefer covers without word balloons. It's part of my 'modern sensibilities' that I just hard to get past...

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 04, 2022 11:47 AM (Lhaco)

297 254 This is book-related. Has anyone else seen the latest video of alleged "vigilantes" about to disrupt some library"s Drag Queen Story Hour?

***
Where is it?

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 04, 2022 11:47 AM (Kd4bG)

298 Obligatory:

https://tinyurl.com/52dw6f8h
Posted by: SMH, traveling down the meme highway at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (i2sH5)

Not obligatory, and definitely not safe for work:

https://tinyurl.com/2b8smjz3

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:47 AM (NWBBy)

299 Jen the original at December 04, 2022 11:01 AM

Jen, when my ex was in teacher training she went through all the Newberry Award books going back from the 1990s. Everything before about 1963 was genuinely great, and could be enjoyed by adults as well. After 1963, it's an entirely different genre. So, look up the list, and order the 1963 and earlier books.

Posted by: Gordon Scott at December 04, 2022 11:49 AM (Is1w/)

300 "So vegan zombies would be slow-moving garden pests."

I'm picturing a farmer with a rake, chasing away the undead, while yelling "you damn zombies leave my tomaters alone!"
Posted by: PabloD at December 04, 2022 11:41 AM (SZfqZ)

Or use unwanted vinyl albums as throwing discs.
https://youtu.be/uLquz4Iz-30

Posted by: Shaun & Ed at December 04, 2022 11:49 AM (4I/2K)

301 Not obligatory, and definitely not safe for work:

https://tinyurl.com/2b8smjz3
Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:47 AM (NWBBy)

Or the fifth pew...

Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:52 AM (anj39)

302 226 know what you mean about not giving a book a chance. It happened to me with Lord of the Rings. It took me three years to get past Tom Bombadil.
Posted by: sherlockzz at December 04, 2022 10:54 AM (6yG/4)

Piker. It took me 49.

Posted by: sal: tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum at December 04, 2022 11:54 AM (wE246)

303 Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:47 AM (NWBBy)

Or the fifth pew...
Posted by: Diogenes at December 04, 2022 11:52 AM (anj39)

Yeah, no. Don't open that in church or wherever you worship.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 04, 2022 11:56 AM (NWBBy)

304 Jen, when my ex was in teacher training she went through all the Newberry Award books going back from the 1990s. Everything before about 1963 was genuinely great, and could be enjoyed by adults as well. After 1963, it's an entirely different genre. So, look up the list, and order the 1963 and earlier books.
Posted by: Gordon Scott

I guess a Newberry award is better than a Dingleberry Award

Posted by: JT at December 04, 2022 11:57 AM (T4tVD)

305 Guess it's about time to go. Thanks for the thread, Perfessor.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 12:01 PM (Angsy)

306 nood !

Posted by: sock_rat_eez - we are being gaslighted 24/365 at December 04, 2022 12:01 PM (j3SBD)

307 243 If you haven't already immediately get Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series. outstanding.

It's worth it alone for the scene where some of the monster hunters visit the Elves for information. For an offering they bring beer and cigarettes. The Elf Queen, and her clan, reside in a trailer park, you see . . . .

I met Larry at Uncle Hugo's bookstore in Minneapolis before it burned down in the riots (It's now reopened, BTW). He was signing my book when I asked, "Did you know the government set off two nukes underground in Alabama in the 1960s?"

His eyes got wide and I saw the light of author inspiration come into them.

Posted by: Gordon Scott at December 04, 2022 12:03 PM (Is1w/)

308 275 ... "Rudyard Kipling's books are illustrated. My all time favorite is Captains Courageous."

polynikes has discussed Captains Courageous several times. Another classic I never read. But the pressure became to hard to resist. (And I like Kipling.) Just ordered the Seawolf Press edition with the original illustrations. I have a number of their editions of Twain, Jules Verne, and others and they have been excellent. Besides being well-made for paperbacks, they make the print size usable. Something I value as I get older. Looking forward to it.

Posted by: JTB at December 04, 2022 12:05 PM (7EjX1)

309 Tuesday, A Bad Day For a Hangover by Darynda Jones finally comes out. It is the third and final book in the Sunshine Vickram series. The series is light, fluffy, totally without socially redeeming value, and has a few plot holes. But It's a cute, pleasant way to waste a few hours. Not nearly as sexually graphic as Jones' Charlie Davidson series which is actually kind of pleasant. I wouldn't go so far as to classify Sunshine's books as urban fantasy since there is a distinct lack of demons, werewolves, witches, etc. but if you squint hard enough, there are enough unexplained oddities to make them urban fantasy adjacent. As a former professional bookseller, I would classify them as mental M&Ms.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin -- I wasn't particularly fond of the '70s the first time around at December 04, 2022 12:06 PM (z7W9M)

310
It's still an empty lot?!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 04, 2022 11:11 AM (Angsy)

Yep. They renamed it something like the Reno Experence. It's a
political football now.
Sorry for the late response the grandkids were occupying my lap for a couple of Christmas specials.

North Draino is full of Apartments now. You probably would get lost. It's stupid busy there now.

And yep on the Carson Mall. It's still there. Main occupant is a coffee kiosk in the parking lot and a sportmans warehouse.

Posted by: Reforger at December 04, 2022 12:12 PM (kll2d)

311 Hey Perfesser, it might be a nice topic for some Sunday, the Uncle Hugo's/Edgar's saga. After two years, the store finally reopened in a new location. The son of the owner led the crowdfunding effort, and has detailed it.

The rioters burned the store out of sheer bloodymindedness. There was nothing inside to interest any looter. Many signed first editions were lost forever.

Most independent bookstores would have quietly taken the settlement and walked away, but Hugo's is legendary, with many authors starting tours there, and stopping in to sign books whenever they pass through the Twin Cities.

Posted by: Gordon Scott at December 04, 2022 12:12 PM (Is1w/)

312 CORRECTION:

I guess the Feds Oops! I mean "vigilantes" got the memo that the uniform - or, rather, they were told they could wear either khakis or blue jeans.

Posted by: Pete in Texas at December 04, 2022 12:16 PM (2RBkF)

313 I’ve bought a lot of Doc Savage novels mainly because of the cover art. I think I‘m like Mel Gibson’s character in “Conspiracy Theory” with his “Catcher in the Rye” books.

Posted by: Norrin Radd at December 04, 2022 12:31 PM (M0b4k)

314

Unfortunately Sue Grafton passed away on December 28, 2017, in Santa Barbara, California, U.S.

Posted by: DSY at December 04, 2022 12:38 PM (KJwRC)

315 Reading lately?
Finally finished the 30+ Erick Flint 1632 series books(decent cover art , by the way) Would make a pretty good movie series , TV, or streaming series methinks
Then started on the Longmire series of books...that went fast.
Decided to go back and start with the Bourne books, I had read the 1st three in 1980 or so when they came out, none since...I'm struggling to maintain interest in the 1st one at this point...not only is it not as good as I remembered, but the character/story is lame in comparison to the Movie ones. I'll finish it and get as far as the 4th(new author replaced Ludlum) before I either commit or abandon.
Cover art? Wyeth's Horatio Hornblower covers are good, as are all of the Patrick O'Brian/Master and Commander covers. Was there ever a "bad" cover on ANY Louis L'aMour book?

Posted by: birddog at December 04, 2022 01:00 PM (uAI4S)

316 22:
It's not just movie tie-ins on book covers that are disgusting. Many years ago when I worked in a record store (remember LPs?) we got a new classical recording in stock. It was a Mozart piano concerto (+ other things) by a famous artist that was expected to sell very well. I refused to listen to it because the giant diagonal band across the cover called it 'The Elvira Madigan Concerto!'. Instant rejection.

Posted by: Dr. Weevil at December 04, 2022 01:13 PM (rCKb0)

317 7 From now on, I'm judging every book by its cover.
'Cause that's usually as far into the book as I get.
Posted by: mindful webworker

I swear, I just jumped down and left that comment before reading the post. I had no idea the theme would be covers. Accidental cool.

Posted by: mindful webworker - Horde minded at December 04, 2022 02:18 PM (cRX5h)

318 I'm late to the book thread. And they're discussing Shirer there. So I have a question: Anyway... Yudhishthira's Dice: does _The Nightmare Years_ bear any relation to _Berlin Diary_?

Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain at December 04, 2022 02:25 PM (fDnRH)

319 I wonder if the Arendt Center still allows a Christmas tree.

*sigh*

Posted by: Ultra pj at December 04, 2022 03:21 PM (G1dq6)

320 I've had a change of heart. I'm ashamed of my mean-spirted rants and apologize.

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Posted by: Maria Harris at December 05, 2022 01:19 PM (sDrJY)

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