Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-31-2023 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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 (next year put out shotguns for Santa instead of cookies and milk!). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...(also available in chicken flavor!)

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, get those fireworks ready, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

PIC NOTE

I went looking for "New Year's Libraries" and didn't find much that appealed to me. Most of the pics I found were of elementary school library displays. However, for some reason this picture came up in the search results. It's in the Library of Congress archives. Libraries are much more than a repository of books, of course. They contain all sorts of interesting artifacts from days gone by, like the lovely picture above.

LOOKING BACK AT 2023

I'm not going to bore you with my "Top 10 Books of 2023." There are plenty of BookTubers that have videos you can watch about their top 10 lists. All of them are highly subjective, of course. The only top 10 list that matters is YOUR top 10 list of books. However, I thought I'd share with you some of the stats of my own reading journey in 2023, including a few notable reading experiences.

# OF BOOKS READ - 128

# OF PAGES READ - 55,069 (I know word count is a more accurate measure, but page count is easier to track)

AVG PAGES / BOOK - 430.23

AVG PAGES / WEEK - 1,059.02

NOTABLE READING EXPERIENCES

Daybreak Series by John Barnes -- A horrific look at what could happen to the world if the ecoterrorists are able to get their way. One of the better dystopian stories I've ever read, though also quite bleak in the final outlook.

The Cinder Spires Series by Jim Butcher -- He's just a fantastic author who creates interesting worlds. The Cinder Spires series promises to be one of Butcher's best series yet. The Olympian Affair was well worth the wait. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

The Riftwar Empire Series by Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts -- This series has always been highly regarded by fans of the Riftwar Saga. I was a bit skeptical as I had not been all that impressed with Daughter of the Empire on my first readthrough. However, once I read the entire series again, as a much older man, I now understand why fans really love this particular series. It's some top grade political action as a young woman navigates a difficult path to save the future for her noble house. It's a textbook on how to properly write a "strong female character" without turning her into a caricature of a male hero.

The Agent Pendergast / Nora Kelly / Gideon Crew Series by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child -- Thomas Paine recommended several of these books. I was able to find a few at a library book sale. Then immediately had to buy the rest. I blazed through them all this summer. If you enjoy mysteries with a bit of X-Files or Fringe twist to them, these are great books.

Christmas - The Rest of the Story by Rick Renner -- This was recommended by StewBurner. It goes into quite a bit of details about the life and times in which Jesus Christ was born. For example, Joseph probably wasn't the poor carpenter as he is usually portrayed, but a highly skilled craftsman in much demand. But he was also faithful and obedient to God's will, which is why he was chosen to be Christ's mortal father-figure.

The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari -- This was an excellent book to close out the year. A wonderful tale of magic, mayhem, faith, and chivalry, with a bit of modern flair to it. A great read.

FUTURE READING EXPERIENCES?

Now I must decide what to read for the future. I think I have settled on reading a lot of epic fantasy for 2024, starting with The Malazan Books of the Fallen by Steven Erickson. This series always comes highly recommended as one of the best epic fantasies ever written. I do own them all but have only read the first one, Gardens of the Moon, which I quite enjoyed. Aetius451AD has also recommended this series, so it comes with a Moron stamp of approval as well. My plan is to try and read one of these per month, so I should finish up by October or thereabouts. Unless I *really* get into the series and just plow through them. It's about 10,000 pages long, so it should keep me busy for a while.

What are YOUR reading plans for 2024?

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HOW TO READ MORE

The BookTuber below has some very useful advice to anyone who is interested in reading more. In summary:

Think about why you want to read more -- Motivation is critical when it comes to reading! You must find an intrinsic motivation to read in order to increase the amount of reading that you do. When I was a kid, my parents sometimes use extrinsic motivation (e.g., taking me out for ice cream) if I read a certain number of books per week. Now, I do it because I *like* to read and find it highly enjoyable. Everyone's intrinsic motivation will be different, but it's very important that you find one that works for you!

Pursue variety -- If you are struggling with developing a reading habit, it may be because you have not found a genre or format that works best for you. You will need to experiment. Fortunately, the Moron Horde has provided you with a rather large list of recommendations! Find one that appeals to you and get started. If you don't like it, then try something different. Eventually you will find a genre that you enjoy more than others. Then you can start exploring that genre to find the best books within that genre.

Do the right kind of note taking -- This is perhaps the one point that doesn't quite fit with the others. I'm not much of a notetaker when I read, unless I'm reading for a very specific purpose (e.g., writing a paper for school). However, if you ever intend to write a book yourself, you WILL need to become a better reader and you WILL need to take a lot of notes during the research phase of your writing project. Writing fiction still requires a ton of research if you want to craft a believable world.

Schedule your reading time -- Becoming a stronger reader is all about developing reading habits. Scheduling a deliberate time for reading is an excellent way to develop a habit, so that you are reading more even without adhering to a strict schedule. I'd recommend at least 30 minutes of quiet time with no distractions as a good start. You may have to find ways to eliminate some of those distractions. Then keep track of your progress! I use a spreadsheet to keep track of how much I've read in each book. This keeps me going if I know that I've read 75% and only have 25% left to go.

IDENTIFYING YOUR TBR PILE

The BookTuber below came up with an interesting way of identifying which books he has not read (the "TBR" pile). He goes through his entire library and turns all of the books he's read around so that the spine is facing the interior of the bookshelf. Only the spines of books he's not yet read are visible. I tried this on one of my bookshelves and then decided against it. It's much easier to track them in a spreadsheet, color-coded for my convenience. Green for books I've read, red for books I have yet to read, and yellow for the book I'm currently reading.

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

Another Christmas themed book, which has become a holiday tradition, is William Gilmore Simms' The Golden Christmas. It's a novel written in 1852 about Charleston, SC in the holiday season. It's fiction but is historically accurate as to the people and customs of the area. Simms was hugely popular in his day, deservedly. His writing is engaging and can capture poignant moments as well as wonderful humor. This is the kind of book I want to come back to for sheer pleasure and entertainment. Simms' other writings are all worth the time, including the best biography of Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, I've read.
Simms' reputation suffered after the War of Northern Aggression, being a Southern writer, but he is being recognized more in recent years by people who read for pleasure, although there is still the usual woke bitching from imbeciles.
Posted by: JTB at December 24, 2023 09:36 AM (7EjX1)

Comment: Since Simms was writing about contemporary life and times, it's no wonder that it is an accurate representation of life in South Carolina. The fact that Simms' reputation was damaged after the Civil War means he's probably going to become a legitimate target for cancellation at some point, no matter how skilled he was as a writer.

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The Holy Angels by Mother Alexandra.
My wife enjoyed it, and frequently corrects me on angelic lore as a result. That's partly why I didn't dig into it yet - if I have a question, I just ask her!
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 24, 2023 10:01 AM (llXky)

Comment: We had a very lively and interesting discussion about angels last week. The Bible seems to depict them in a variety of ways. At times they are very human-like, appearing to be indistinguishable from normal humans, but still able to instill a sense of awe and wonder. At other times, they are downright terrifying, with strange, alien appearances. Hence, they tend to show up with surrounded by a divine light and inform the recipient of their message that there is no need to be afraid. Can't say as I've ever met one in real life, but then how would I know? They can work in subtle ways as well, influencing people with a deft touch here or a quiet message there.

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This past week I've been reading African Game Trails by Theodore Roosevelt. I've never hunted, so the long passages about stalking game and TR's opinions on various rifles are a bit of a drag, but the anecdotes of camp life, the people he encounters, and his digressions on various topics are very entertaining. There's a whole appendix devoted to the library he brought along on the expedition -- a sixty-pound chest of books bound in pigskin. Because you can't go out into the African bush shooting animals without a library.
Posted by: Trimegistus at December 24, 2023 11:03 AM (78a2H)

Comment: Say what you like about Teddy Roosevelt, but he clearly knew that traveling with a library was a high priority, even back then. Nowadays we can carry around a massive trove of literature on our iPads and Kindle devices. Roosevelt would no doubt be very jealous. For all we know, he went on hunting expeditions just to collect the skins for more more books.

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (1000+ Moron-recommended books!)

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WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

After reviewing some of OregonMuse's old Book Threads, I thought I'd try something a bit different. Instead of just listing WHAT I'm reading, I'll include commentary as well. Unless otherwise specified, you can interpret this as an implied recommendation, though as always your mileage may vary.

The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari

I picked this up in a used bookstore many years ago, but for some reason I never got around to reading it until this past week. It was well worth the read, and a great way to end out 2023. It tells the story of the classic wager between God and Lucifer, where Lucifer bets that he can get a young man to turn away from God. This time, if Lucifer wins he gets to destroy all of creation and remake it as he sees fit. If God wins, then the world will proceed as normal, according to God's plan.

Although that's the basic set up of the story, it gets quite a bit more complicated as things progress. We find out that Joby is just an average young man in many ways, faced with the same temptations that we all face. He is very much unaware of God in the beginning of the story. All he knows is that his life is in a downward spiral because of a tragic series of events (caused by Lucifer's interference in his life). In despair, Joby finds his way to the one place on Earth where he found temporary peace, a small town on the California coastline. For several years, he's able to rebuild his life and find contentment until Lucifer's minions start bringing ruin back into his life. Fortunately, the town is not quite what it seems, as it's a holy sanctuary protected by the archangel Michael and the descendants of Arthurian legend. Yes, King Arthur and the Roundtable play a huge role in this story.

As always God has the upper hand in his wager with Lucifer, working behind the scenes to thwart Lucifer's plans, carefully negotiating Himself around His own promises to avoid direct interference in Joby's life. Just a reminder that however grim or dark things may get, there IS hope and light and life to be found. The Enemy is powerful and subtle, but God is infinitely more powerful and subtle.

Forgotten Realms - The Harpers Book 10 - Masquerades by Kate Novak and Jeff Grubb

This is one of those "fluff" novels that I like to read from time to time. It's part of the Harpers series of books, set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. This is one of my favorite campaign worlds. I never got into Greyhawk (sorry, Gary!). As I understand it, the writers of the Forgotten Realms books had one explicit rule they had to follow: Good always wins out in the end. The heroes could be put through the wringer, but in the end good MUST triumph over evil. This is built into the game somewhat, even though players can play an evil character. However, I've never seen evil characters prosper in the long term. They tend to be very annoying to play with because they feel like they have to be evil all the time. Anyway, this story features characters from Azure Bonds, which was based on the SSI Gold Box game, Curse of the Azure Bonds. The main character, Alias, must take on the evil Night Masks, a thieves guild that rules Westgate with an iron fist. She and her companions will have to unravel several mysteries before they face down The Faceless, their ruthless leader.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 12-24-23 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Disclaimer: No Morons were harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Nine New Year's resolutions have already been broken.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 09:00 AM (fwDg9)

2 First!!

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 09:00 AM (rbZ2o)

3 hiya

Posted by: JT at December 31, 2023 09:00 AM (T4tVD)

4 Happy New Years Eve

FSU sucks

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 09:02 AM (lwOKI)

5 Finished I, Tom Horn by Will Henry
And we'll started on Ebook
Race, Revenge and Ruin Its all Obama
Scott McKay
Also yesterday got
German Liberation War 1813 Alexander Mikaberize which is a continuing biography of a Russian Artillery officer

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 09:02 AM (fwDg9)

6 My pants are full of dried noodles.

Posted by: that guy at December 31, 2023 09:04 AM (vFG9F)

7 Wondering in I. Tom Horn, a black character in book has a N word in his name, if went and got a new copy would that be changed in it?

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 09:05 AM (fwDg9)

8 Dammit.

Morning all. I did some writing this week. Nothing worth bragging about. A short story. Too short but I did get it on paper.

Reading Walls of Men.
Notnfar enough into it yet for any sort of opinion.

Off to content.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 09:05 AM (rbZ2o)

9 And Happy New Year to you, Prof!

And to the rest of the Horde.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:06 AM (p/isN)

10 Good morning and Happy New Year to my fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading and will have many more in 2024.

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 09:06 AM (7EjX1)

11 The best and saddest part of Sunday morning all in one. The beginning, and the end of the Book Thread. Thanks, Perfessor. Can't stay but for a few minutes today.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 31, 2023 09:06 AM (Angsy)

12 The heroes could be put through the wringer, but in the end good MUST triumph over evil. This is built into the game somewhat, even though players can play an evil character. However, I've never seen evil characters prosper in the long term. They tend to be very annoying to play with because they feel like they have to be evil all the time.

How about just being a chaotic character? Although, I suppose, that COULD be annoying.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:06 AM (ynpvh)

13 6 My pants are full of dried noodles.

Posted by: that guy at December 31, 2023 09:04 AM (vFG9F)

Who filled my pants with noodle soup?

Posted by: Joey Bidet at December 31, 2023 09:07 AM (ynpvh)

14 The year ends on a sour note: My father died the morning after Christmas Day. He was 87. His passing was peaceful; he had been put on morphine for comfort care.

But this is the Book Thread. So, to books.

I'm still reading -- and enjoying, despite outside circumstances -- "Put a Lid on It" by Donald Westlake. I might have finished it, but I got bored just sitting in the hospital room. So I went out to my car to get it, only to find that I had left it in Dad's house.

Fortunately, the car was stocked with Perry Mason paperbacks that I was going to trade in, having replaced them with books with better covers. So I grabbed the oldest in the lot, "The Case of the Dangerous Dowager," published the year before Dad was born.

As always, a good read; I finished it in about three sittings. What's more, I developed suspicions about one character -- who turned out to be the killer.

Now back to Westlake in the hope that I finish it before the New Year.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:07 AM (p/isN)

15 Yay book thread!

Finishing up my Lord of the Rings re-read, and now that the tension has abated, I'm back to a more discriminating reading style. This may sound strange, but for the first time in going through the book, I'm recognizing that many of the "poems" are actually psalms or canticles.

I think this hit me at this particular moment because the liturgy right now is full of references to the birth of the long-anticipated king of the House of David and noticed an uncanny resemblance to the song the eagles sang when they brought the news of victory to Minas Tirith.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:08 AM (llXky)

16 Spreadsheets? Color-coding? Too much like work.

I prefer the ziggurat, if library books. Otherwise they stay on shelves to be rediscovered sometimes years after purchase.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 09:08 AM (+RQPJ)

17 Condolences, Weak Geek.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:08 AM (ynpvh)

18 I think that's a church, Perf.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 31, 2023 09:09 AM (Angsy)

19 My wife has a thing for cooking books; we have a bookshelf over-full of them. How many has she read? Maybe a dozen. How many has she or I used? Maybe 6. What can I say, she's always been a bit of a hoarder.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:09 AM (ynpvh)

20 How about just being a chaotic character? Although, I suppose, that COULD be annoying.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:06 AM (ynpvh)
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"Chaotic" is another alignment that is tough for players to figure out correctly. It's a lot more complicated than just doing things at random. It's a whole philosophical outlook on life.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:10 AM (BpYfr)

21 The year ends on a sour note: My father died the morning after Christmas Day. He was 87. His passing was peaceful; he had been put on morphine for comfort care.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:07 AM (p/isN)
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Please accept my condolences on your loss.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:11 AM (llXky)

22 Good Sunday morning, horde!

I would not even consider turning books edge-out on my shelves. I can figure out which ones I haven't read just by reading the title, yo.

Backward-faced books would really annoy me.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (OX9vb)

23 It's ALL guilty pleasures this week.

Britney Spears' autobiography "The Woman in Me". Her conservatorship was a decade-long house arrest with time out to generate money for her worthless family and other leeches. Poor Brit-Brit.

"Bookshops and Bonedust" by Travis Baldree, a follow-on to his "Legends and Lattes" cozy fantasy.

But the crown jewel is the kookoo-bananas "Antarctica and the Secret Space Program: From WWII to the Current Space Race" by David Hatcher Childress. How I ran across this gem in my traipsing through the library website is a mystery; these oddities seem to find me.

The Thule Society; James Forrestal's suspicious death; Operation Highjump and the Battle of Antarctica; secret moon bases; aliens; Antarctic Nazis! It's like a greatest hits with all my favorite suppressed histories. I SO want all this to be true.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (+RQPJ)

24 Every now and then I realize, especially when looking for more space for my latest books, the amount of treasure I've accumulated over the decades. The variety and sheer breadth and depth of what is sitting on the shelves (and in boxes) is amazing. I can weep for the destruction of the Library of Alexandria and regret what has been lost to the ages even as I marvel at and appreciate what has survived. I understand that I have more wealth, by my standards, then I can send in a lifetime. Those volumes take on more importance when I think how I can pass them on to future readers.

It's a damn nice feeling.

Note: I don't count the ton of material I have on e-readers. They have some advantages and conveniences but they are too unreliable for preservation of knowledge for the future. I want physical books and the most important are in hardcover and use acid free paper if possible.

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (7EjX1)

25 The year ends on a sour note: My father died the morning after Christmas Day. He was 87. His passing was peaceful; he had been put on morphine for comfort care.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:07 AM (p/isN)
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My condolences on your loss. Prayers for you and your family during this difficult time.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (BpYfr)

26 Currently doing a re-read of the Corps series. Now on Book 4

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (A5THL)

27 It is said that some men live the lives of ten men, but in the case of Sir Richard Francis Burton, this may be an understatement. The Devil Drives by Fawn Brodie, professor of history at UCLA, is an excellent biography of this amazing man. Burton spoke over two dozen languages, translated the Arabian Nights and the Kama Sutra into English, and was one of the few white men to sneak into Mecca, by dying his skin and using his linguistic skills and ethnic knowledge. He was a renowned expert on Africa, helped find the source of the Nile, and carried a spear scar on his left cheek from a tribal battle. In addition, he was a botanist, ethnologist, poet, geologist, and soldier. This book covers the vast expanse of this man's turbulent yet driven life. There are several books on aspects of his career, but this one gives the grand overview of an astounding life. Brodie did a diligent job of research, especially considering that Burton's widow burned as many of his papers as she could after his death, thus depriving history of even more details of his life.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (ikvBW)

28 I read fifty-seven books this year, about average for me. The last of the year was Munich Signature, as I continued the Zion Covenant series by Bodie Thoene. Elise is forced into being a courier by British Intelligence for a group led by Admiral Canaris, which is not only providing information, but is plotting the arrest of Hitler and others. Her reward will be British passports for her parents and two brothers. Meanwhile, her husband, John Murphy, is trying to rescue a boat loaded with Jewish refugees from Germany that is refused immigration status in England, the U. S., and Cuba. An interesting series.

Posted by: Zoltan at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (DE9AH)

29 20 How about just being a chaotic character? Although, I suppose, that COULD be annoying.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:06 AM (ynpvh)
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"Chaotic" is another alignment that is tough for players to figure out correctly. It's a lot more complicated than just doing things at random. It's a whole philosophical outlook on life.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:10 AM (BpYfr)

I see it as being a "trouble-maker". Putting a scorpion in a disturbed ant hill. Doesn't matter who wins, you're just there to enjoy the mayhem.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:13 AM (ynpvh)

30 I got a book for Christmas "Boring Car Facts Vol 2". Things like
"The 6.2 liter 797 horsepower Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye has an Eco mode" and "The very first Lada officially came off the assembly line on 22 April 1970, Lenin's 100th birthday".

There's some good stuff in there. Did you know that the wood trim in the original Lexus LS 400 was finished by piano makers at Yamaha?

Posted by: fd at December 31, 2023 09:13 AM (vFG9F)

31 Thank you Perfessor Squirrel for the weekly Book Thread. Hat tip also to the horde's writers and contributor commentaters.

Even a non-bibliophile mouth-breather like me can observe a lot just by watching this space.

Posted by: Count de Monet at December 31, 2023 09:13 AM (4I/2K)

32 # OF BOOKS READ - 128

How the hell do you read that many books?

I think I read maybe read 4 or 5 books in all of 2023.

Posted by: dantesed at December 31, 2023 09:15 AM (88xKn)

33 Good morning everyone.

Was gifted 'The Wager' by David Grann this Christmas. I've only read the introduction as of yet. I'm hopeful it's a good one.

It was a NYT #1 Bestseller but perhaps it is worthwhile nonetheless.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 31, 2023 09:15 AM (qoGsy)

34 31 Thank you Perfessor Squirrel for the weekly Book Thread. Hat tip also to the horde's writers and contributor commentaters.

Even a non-bibliophile mouth-breather like me can observe a lot just by watching this space.

Posted by: Count de Monet at December 31, 2023 09:13 AM (4I/2K)

That being the case, many on the left are sea cucumbers; they breath through their ass.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (ynpvh)

35 I keep a spreadsheet of books in my favorite series -- Mason, Wolfe, Retief. Categories are: own/read, own/yet to read, have read, acquire (through purchase or library).

I do it just for fun. However, each series has its own color-coding.

As I said, it's fun.

No need for a spreadsheet for Helm -- I have those burned into my memory. Besides, I own them all.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (p/isN)

36 Good grief, I repeating myself. Need more coffee.

Posted by: dantesed at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (88xKn)

37 I'm still working my way through the Fall of Rome. Whodathunk it would take the barbarians so long to destroy an empire?

As for 2024, I plan on picking out a dozen books on the TBR pile and assigning one for each month of the year. I may read more, but I want to at least read one per month. There will be a mix of history, theology, sci-fi, etc.

And yes, I plan on re-starting a Bible reading plan. Some years I finish; others I do a rather dismal job, start over, quit, rinse, repeat. I hate the plans where you read a snippet from each of four or five books per day, so I tend to just hop back and forth between the OT and NT and read one book at a time.

Posted by: PabloD at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (TQH6A)

38 I have just finished Thomas Fincham "The October Five (A Military Murder Mystery of Crime and Suspense)". Not bad. A little superficial in character development.

Currently reading Thomas Fincham "The Runaway Reporter (A Police Procedural Mystery Series of Crime and Suspense".

Not too pleased with the muzzie main character and all the "fasting" for Ramadan sheet. Fasting? When you gorge at night? That's just the opposite to what people do normally, eat during the day and not eat at night.
Fasting usually implies a prolonged period of not eating, certainly more than 24 consecutive hrs, and usually assumes some hardship when done for a cause.

Posted by: Ciampino - Liars all of them at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (qfLjt)

39 We periodically do the century challenge at our house, which is the attempt by every family member to read 100 books in a year. It is a good motivator to decrease the to be read pile. Tomorrow is the starting gun.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 09:20 AM (M2vnv)

40 37 I'm still working my way through the Fall of Rome. Whodathunk it would take the barbarians so long to destroy an empire?

As for 2024, I plan on picking out a dozen books on the TBR pile and assigning one for each month of the year. I may read more, but I want to at least read one per month. There will be a mix of history, theology, sci-fi, etc.

And yes, I plan on re-starting a Bible reading plan. Some years I finish; others I do a rather dismal job, start over, quit, rinse, repeat. I hate the plans where you read a snippet from each of four or five books per day, so I tend to just hop back and forth between the OT and NT and read one book at a time.

Posted by: PabloD at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (TQH6A)

One can get a bit bogged-down in the genealogies, unless you like genealogy. I've done it a few times with wife and kids over the years with different Bible versions: KJV, Catholic Bible (took longer with the extra books), Jewish Bible. I even have a KJV bible that is also a Hebrew bible, although my understanding of Biblical Hebrew was never very good and has atrophied.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:20 AM (ynpvh)

41 # OF BOOKS READ - 128

How the hell do you read that many books?

I think I read maybe read 4 or 5 books in all of 2023.
Posted by: dantesed at December 31, 2023 09:15 AM (88xKn)
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I have no social life to speak of. No wife, no children.

4 or 5 books per year is pretty average for most Americans. It takes effort and dedication to read a lot more than that and there are many ways to be distracted from reading.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:20 AM (BpYfr)

42 Happy New Years to all of the book reading morons!

Busy week with celebrating the birth of Christ and all, so I just barely finished one book and it was short.
Starter Villain by John Scalzi.
A really fun read; Charles used to have a spouse, a job as a reporter, a house, an uncle and two stray cats, Hera and Persephone. Now Charlie no longer has any of those, Except for the cats. He got divorced, laid off, and after he attended his uncle Jake's funeral, his house exploded; sans cats.
It's not all bad though. Uncle Jake left him a job in the family business. Jake's business? Villainy.

Posted by: p0indexterous at December 31, 2023 09:21 AM (QBwMV)

43 I just did a search for books set in Greyhawk... I wasn't sure if there were any.

That Greyhawk box kit I had as a kid is going for $300 used now.

Of all the things I wish I had never let go of my DnD book collection is up there at the top of the list.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 09:21 AM (2HEY8)

44 We periodically do the century challenge at our house, which is the attempt by every family member to read 100 books in a year. It is a good motivator to decrease the to be read pile. Tomorrow is the starting gun.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 09:20 AM (M2vnv)
---
Somehow my TBR pile never seems to actually shrink over time...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:22 AM (BpYfr)

45 Only thing of note is I read Ant Poison Revenge, which I thought was a recent work by a moron but I went back to check and couldn't find it anywhere. well, not since November. might've missed it.

It's a book that, to me, cries out for a sequel, though I don't know how he'd do it. It's a lovely story about a couple (nurse and truck driver) that move to the South and have an unexpected welcome in lots of different ways. Recommended.

Posted by: yara at December 31, 2023 09:22 AM (xr64u)

46 Happy New Year, Book nerdz!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 31, 2023 09:22 AM (mTuD/)

47 And yes, I plan on re-starting a Bible reading plan. Some years I finish; others I do a rather dismal job, start over, quit, rinse, repeat.
Posted by: PabloD

I belong to two different Bible study groups that each use a different version. It's like they have picked up completely different, unrelated books each printed in a different language.

Actually, very interesting.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 31, 2023 09:22 AM (qoGsy)

48 @23 --

Eris, that Antarctica book sounds wild!

And the TBR list grows.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:23 AM (p/isN)

49 However, I thought I'd share with you some of the stats of my own reading journey in 2023, including a few notable reading experiences.
**

Braggart

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 31, 2023 09:23 AM (mTuD/)

50 As a guess maybe read 15 at most new books this year.

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 09:24 AM (fwDg9)

51 Happy New Year, Book nerdz!
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion

backatcha VMom !

Posted by: JT at December 31, 2023 09:24 AM (T4tVD)

52 I continue with my annual LOTR (obligatory mention) reading. The Christmas reading was a pleasant interruption but those books are back on the shelf awaiting next year. In a Tolkien connection, I came across a collection of lectures about the influences, especially from George MacDonald, on the Inklings. So far it is fascinating. The lecture by Malcolm Guite is my favorite so far. (No surprise there. I am accumulating every book he has written.) The problem, as always, is the many rabbit holes I'm sent down. Glad I'm not in a hurry.

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 09:24 AM (7EjX1)

53 Even when I had no wife and no kid, and even no TV or internet access, I didn't read anywhere near 128 books per year.

Posted by: PabloD at December 31, 2023 09:25 AM (TQH6A)

54 I just did a search for books set in Greyhawk... I wasn't sure if there were any.

That Greyhawk box kit I had as a kid is going for $300 used now.

Of all the things I wish I had never let go of my DnD book collection is up there at the top of the list.
Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 09:21 AM (2HEY

---
Gary Gygax wrote a couple of books set in Greyhawk. They're not very good. However, I do like Robin Wayne Bailey's "Night Watch" about a watch commander in the city of Greyhawk that has to solve an unusual series of murders. All of the city's diviners are being killed by the instruments they use in divination rituals. They never see it coming.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:25 AM (BpYfr)

55 23 Britney Spears' autobiography "The Woman in Me". Her conservatorship was a decade-long house arrest with time out to generate money for her worthless family and other leeches. Poor Brit-Brit.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (+RQPJ)

This was my sister's guilty pleasure this week, also. It wasn't on my radar at all. Sis said it's pretty poorly written. I like memoirs, and Britney is kind of a train wreck one can't turn away from--I'll probably read it.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 09:25 AM (OX9vb)

56 Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:20 AM (BpYfr)

I not married either. Guess I'm watching too much TV or something.

Posted by: dantesed at December 31, 2023 09:26 AM (88xKn)

57 Braggart
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at December 31, 2023 09:23 AM (mTuD/)
---
No doubt there are Morons who read even more than I do...

I *know* there are Morons that have libraries that put mine to shame.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:27 AM (BpYfr)

58 this week: "Trail of the Lost"; 3 people who disappeared while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and the search for them.

I see over at Insty that a new Kurt Schlichter is coming out next week, this one's not part of the Peoples Republic series.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez, for certain values of sock, rat, & Eez ... at December 31, 2023 09:27 AM (kc18b)

59 No need for a spreadsheet for Helm -- I have those burned into my memory. Besides, I own them all.
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:16 AM (p/isN)

If you're amenable, I'd borrow those from you, but only later in the year. After that sweet gov't issued check* starts coming in 2024....

* The interest free loan the gov had out of my paycheck.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 31, 2023 09:27 AM (Angsy)

60 Perfessor used my comment from last week about William Gilmore Simms' "A Golden Christmas". I hope folks will check out his other writing, especially his short fiction which is delightful. Also, his biography of the Swamp Fox. Besides the material in hos works, Simms' writing style is simply a pleasure to read.

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 09:28 AM (7EjX1)

61 Now, the sad part. Time to go. At least I can read the rest of the thread later.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 31, 2023 09:29 AM (Angsy)

62 Just on the last of the stories in the first "Space Marines" anthology by Raconteur Press. This has been an entertaining collection, and I'm glad they ended up doing a second book in this series, but first I'll be trying the first of the "Pinup Noir" anthologies.

These are perfect stories for people who have limited time in the day to read.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at December 31, 2023 09:29 AM (qPw5n)

63 18 I think that's a church, Perf.

And a two horse open sleigh.

Posted by: Which is different than the song at December 31, 2023 09:29 AM (NBVIP)

64 Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:07 AM (p/isN)
===

May his memory be a blessing

Posted by: San Franpsycho at December 31, 2023 09:33 AM (RIvkX)

65 58 this week: "Trail of the Lost"; 3 people who disappeared while hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, and the search for them.

I see over at Insty that a new Kurt Schlichter is coming out next week, this one's not part of the Peoples Republic series.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez, for certain values of sock, rat, & Eez ... at December 31, 2023 09:27 AM (kc18b)

Some get lost, some are preyed on by animals and human animals. Saw part of a show my wife was watching about a certain roadway in Canada where teenage and young 20's girls would disappear, some never to be found. It was thought to be the work of a serial killer or serial killers. Lots of evil humans out there.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:33 AM (ynpvh)

66 "Chaotic" is another alignment that is tough for players to figure out correctly. It's a lot more complicated than just doing things at random. It's a whole philosophical outlook on life.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:10 AM (BpYfr)
---
I think the original rules got it right - there is only law or chaos. Trying to tease them into "good" and "evil" versions was very much a 1970s thing. Chaotic Good was laid back, while Lawful Good were humorless scolds.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:33 AM (llXky)

67 LOL, Eris, sound like a fun read!

Posted by: sock_rat_eez, for certain values of sock, rat, & Eez ... at December 31, 2023 09:33 AM (kc18b)

68 Been a long time since I tried to keep count of how much I'd read in a year or a month or whatever. It's too embarrassing. In high school summers before I went looking for work, I could read a book or two a day (sf novels mostly, and they ran short in those days). I'll never read in that quantity again. Tried tracking books owned/read/dumped/etc in a spreadsheet but never really kept it well organized (the Cosmically Nifty Mrs Some Guy manages that, but not this kid). But the memory is still good enough that I can look at the shelves or the kindle and know what I've read and what I haven't, so I can still maintain the proper levels of guilt.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 09:34 AM (a/4+U)

69 H/T to the moron who recommended Warwo’s F&P War book. Well written and covers a period of time we usually devote to our CW.

Posted by: Jamaica at December 31, 2023 09:35 AM (Eeb9P)

70 I'm getting a Loompanics vibe from Adventures Unlimited Press. You got yer South American Nazis, of course, but also ancient flying machines, ETs, drugs, anti-gravity and Teslamania, and practical time travel for the beginner. I need to put somebody on their list.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 09:35 AM (+RQPJ)

71 All of the city's diviners are being killed by the instruments they use in divination rituals. They never see it coming.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:25 AM (BpYfr)

More DM added experience points for creative killing is probably what caused them to be killed like that.

My lead figure collection was to die for also. They failed a save vs. extreme heat and died in a fire, 30 or so boxes turned into about a 10 lb lump of lead on the garage floor.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 09:36 AM (2HEY8)

72 I've finished 55 books this year, a bit over my goal of 52 (I am to read at least one book a week).

While adding some kindle unlimited to books, amazon recommended to me Treacherous Estate: Crime Story, by Behcet Kaya.

It is every cliche you can imagine assembled into boring prose. I'm angry with amazon for putting it in the category of things I'd read.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 09:36 AM (OX9vb)

73 Managed to hit 100 books exactly this year. I hadn’t planned on it, and don’t normally care, but when I saw that I had 99 books my OCD kicked in and I dedicated more time to finishing the ebook I’d started. (Valhalla: Into the Darkness, the second Valhalla book by RPG author Lee Gold, a series I recommend if you enjoy heavily-researched fairy-tale-like books, although the third book isn’t out yet.)

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at December 31, 2023 09:38 AM (EXyHK)

74 Should have been continuing with Bleak House this week. So what did I do? Reread Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes and skipped around in Jonathan Eller's 3-volume bio of Bradbury. What sidetracked me to Bradbury this week instead of the Dickens? Beats me.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 09:40 AM (a/4+U)

75 My condolences to Weak Geek. Hope you and the rest of the family are getting through things...

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 09:41 AM (Lhaco)

76 Total for the year:

20 books -- mostly series

18 comics series/trade collections/OGNs

(TC count is misleading, for it includes the Doom Patrol Omnibus, which is about 12 times the thickness of a standard TC.)

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:42 AM (p/isN)

77 42
There's a John Scalzi book, "The President's Brain is Missing" which sounds like FJB.

Posted by: Ciampino - Close to home at December 31, 2023 09:42 AM (qfLjt)

78 I've found it difficult to get back into reading after my husband passed away. Don't know why that is. I've only read the latest C.B. Strike novel. I was gifted Naomi Novik's "A Deadly Education" for Christmas and am about a third of the way in. So far so good. I'm determined to pick the pace though and have purchased Davis Grann's "The Wager" and David James Brown's " The Boys in the Boat". Both look like excellent reads.

Posted by: Tuna at December 31, 2023 09:44 AM (oaGWv)

79 Hot Coffee!!!...Tolle Lege!!! Kindle stats for 23'...19 books read with a 186 weeks of reading streak going...
Happy New Year!!!

Posted by: qmark at December 31, 2023 09:45 AM (+t9Oi)

80 I read Anthony Horowitz's novel, "The Word is Murder," this past week in which the author himself is a character. Hawthorne, a former police inspector wants Horowitz to write a book with him about a case he is investigating: A woman who was the driver in a hit and run accident has been murdered on the same day she planned and paid for her funeral. The detective is secretive and brilliant. The author is reluctant, but as the case moves on, becomes more caught up in the twists and complications.

I have already requested the sequel from inter-library loan, which is a pretty good recommendation from me.

Posted by: huerfano at December 31, 2023 09:45 AM (Q4KYm)

81 I belong to two different Bible study groups that each use a different version. It's like they have picked up completely different, unrelated books each printed in a different language.

Actually, very interesting.

Posted by: Tonypete at December 31, 2023 09:22 AM (qoGsy)
---
My grandparents had the four-in-one version, so one could compare translations. (Concordance Bible? I forget what it was called.)

I've not done any formal Bible study, but it seems to me that going through the Bible without the supporting literature and references (such as I Enoch, which is mentioned but not in canon), gives one an incomplete picture.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:46 AM (llXky)

82 Because I heard my nieces had started watching the new Spider-Man cartoon, I gave them some Spider-Man comics for Christmas. I started them off at the beginning, with the Stan Lee and Steve Ditko originals. But before parting with the books, I read the comics for myself. They were....hard to get through. Very of-their-time (late 60's) and for-their-audience (kids, not 40-year-olds).

However, the collection I gave them included issue 33, which was regarded as a landmark story in the series. And that particular issue (and the 4-part story it concludes) actually does hold up to today's standards! The writing got a little more sophisticated, the pacing a little less frenetic, it relied a bit more on continuity....even the artwork stepped up! There may come a point where I re-buy the book with that issue just to re-read it...

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 09:48 AM (Lhaco)

83 Condolences Week Geek

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 09:48 AM (lwOKI)

84 Some get lost, some are preyed on by animals and human animals. Saw part of a show my wife was watching about a certain roadway in Canada where teenage and young 20's girls would disappear, some never to be found. It was thought to be the work of a serial killer or serial killers. Lots of evil humans out there.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:33 AM (ynpvh)
---
Throughout recorded history, the very notion of going for a walk in the wilderness alone has been regarded as the hallmark of a lunatic.

The wilderness was where bandits flourished, and being alone (and unarmed!) was tantamount to suicide.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:49 AM (llXky)

85 Disclaimer: I am a descendant of William Gilmore Simms, through my mother's side of the family. I'm less proud of that than what my paternal ancestors were up to at the same time - John R. Mew was at Battery (later Fort) Wagner with his college buddies lobbing shots at random ships headed for a fort in Charleston Harbor called Sumter, but I digress.

Edgar Allen Poe considered Simms' Grayling "the best ghost story ever written by an American." Simms also wrote a history of the state of South Carolina that was used in public schools until 1985, and is an invaluable reference if you're interested in anything that happened in the state between discovery and 1860.

Posted by: Ham Biscuits at December 31, 2023 09:50 AM (JoY6n)

86 I don't recall how but I came across the "Wingfeather Saga" series by Andrew Peterson. While it is written for young people, say 8 years and up, the huge number of reviews, many thousands, mention how much adults are enjoying the books. I was going to order the set from Amazon but the publisher offered it in a boxed hardcover edition at a better price. (I'm finding that happening more and more often lately. And I prefer to give the money direct to the producer when possible.)

Just started the first book and it is wonderful. Imaginative, very creative and suitable for an advanced grade school reading level, but should work well reading to or with younger kids. Peterson does a great job establishing his world of the stories. There is a lot of humor and situations included that will appeal to adults. In that sense it makes me think of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons where a lot of the humor and asides were aimed at adults.

Anyone here familiar with the series? What did you think of it? Or am I just regressing in my golden years?

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 09:50 AM (7EjX1)

87 Weak Geek, may his memory be a blessing.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 09:51 AM (M2vnv)

88 I recently finished Kurt Schlichter's "Overlord" which is the latest in the Kelly Turnbull series.

There was an interesting plot point in that book and the previous one. Citizenship is earned through military service and if you're a citizen, you can be recalled to duty. Imagine how disgruntled a small segment of society becomes when they keep getting called up and losing their jobs and livelihoods.

Posted by: NR Pax at December 31, 2023 09:53 AM (SFLXm)

89 The main DM in my area started a thing with allignment.
He graphed everyones actions over the campaign. Doing things out of your characters allignment could net you negative XP's in some cases. Some Palladin went hack and slash they wound up loosing a level, do it to much and he would switch your allignment and make you 1rst level fighter. Evil Wizards or Clerics doing good... he'd send you a few of your gods minions to take care of you.
He looked like GG so we rolled with it.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 09:54 AM (2HEY8)

90 Bless you, Weak Geek. Take care of yourself and your family.

Posted by: huerfano at December 31, 2023 09:55 AM (Q4KYm)

91 No reading at all except articles on training new puppies to refresh my memory. New puppy prevented me from doing much except watching him. He is not house trained yet. I forgot how much work they are. 😱

Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 09:55 AM (1yY5C)

92 It's easy to get lost on the Pacific Creat Trail. There are some serious woods in the Cascades. And too many folks don't dress for bad weather and decide to leave the marked trail.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (L8hCM)

93 This talk of quantifying reading is deeply disturbing to me. I read for pleasure, to unwind, sometime to inform, but I never would set a quota.

It reminds me of the "reading olympics," which was all about quantity of books rather than quality. My peers were doing Judy Blume while I was reading A Bridge Too Far. My mother was distraught at the thought of me not even reaching bronze level, so I powered through a set of "Young Readers Classics" that had been collecting dust on my shelf and managed to reach silver.

Not a memory I relish.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (llXky)

94 He looked like GG so we rolled with it.

* groan *

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (p/isN)

95 Masquerades
-

Tell me that isn't Kathy Griffin on the cover.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (ch/kO)

96 Stopped reading comics when I found Heinlein's Puppet Masters and diverted all disposable $$$ into sf paperbacks. But in them days Marvel was just cranking up, so I'd accumulated a bunch of early issues, a run of a couple of years. Starting with Fantastic Four #6 and up, first issues of X-Men, Avengers, SpiderMan, the Hulk, Sgt Fury... If I'd kept 'em I could have paid the mortage a lot sooner, but when I started the sf books, I gave the comics to a kid on the next block. So I can't even blame my mother for throwing them away.

I like to think the kid's mother threw them away later...

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (a/4+U)

97 89 The main DM in my area started a thing with alignment.

An interesting idea but I'd argue a Paladin can and will engage in hack and slash when it's matter of "Surrounded by evil and only one way out."

Posted by: NR Pax at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (SFLXm)

98 The wilderness was where bandits flourished, and being alone (and unarmed!) was tantamount to suicide.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:49 AM (llXky)

Where I grew up, the police would break pursuit if a suspect went into the woods. Too dangerous. Back in those days, everyone was a local, they knew their patches of forest like the backs of their hands, and chasing them in there was insanity.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (0FoWg)

99 Good morning!

Let's smile & be happy & strike fear in the hearts of killjoy leftists everywhere.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (u82oZ)

100 NESFA Press (New England SF Assn) has some interesting collections:

https://www.nesfa.org/press/

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (+RQPJ)

101 Very sorry for your loss Weak Geek. Thank goodness for comfort care.

Posted by: Tuna at December 31, 2023 09:57 AM (oaGWv)

102 the hellBender series being my favorite read this year!!!

Posted by: qmark at December 31, 2023 09:58 AM (+t9Oi)

103 However, I've never seen evil characters prosper in the long term. They tend to be very annoying to play with because they feel like they have to be evil all the time.

"Way of the Wicked" was a Pathfinder campaign put out by a third-party. The endgoal was to become an evil deity, and while I usually play Good-aligned characters, this was a blast to play. I became the half-orc Reka, The Goddess of Petty Vengeance (minor curses like sand in your boots every morning). At midlevel, you run a dungeon and kill off adventurers, and since one of our party members was insane, we held a mass wedding in the endboss area to confuse the adventurers. So much fun....

Posted by: pookysgirl needs to type up her notes from that sometime at December 31, 2023 09:58 AM (dtlDP)

104 Running some errands and meeting for a brunch. BBL.

But thanks, as always to Perfessor and the wonderful job he does with the book thread.

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 09:59 AM (7EjX1)

105 This talk of quantifying reading is deeply disturbing to me. I read for pleasure, to unwind, sometime to inform, but I never would set a quota.

It reminds me of the "reading olympics," which was all about quantity of books rather than quality. My peers were doing Judy Blume while I was reading A Bridge Too Far. My mother was distraught at the thought of me not even reaching bronze level, so I powered through a set of "Young Readers Classics" that had been collecting dust on my shelf and managed to reach silver.

Not a memory I relish.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (llXky)
---
I don't set a quota--other than trying to read at least one book per week, which is usually quite achievable. I do think setting reading goals can be useful, though, as a motivation to keep reading. For instance, my goal for 2024 is to complete Malazan Books of the Fallen. It's going to be a long read, so I doubt I'll read as many books in 2024 as I did in 2023, but I'm hoping the *quality* of the reading will be top-notch.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:59 AM (BpYfr)

106 When I was watching repeats of "Have Gun -- Will Travel," I thought that riding through the wilderness alone would be foolhardy. Even for Paladin.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 10:00 AM (p/isN)

107 "New puppy prevented me from doing much except watching him. He is not house trained yet. I forgot how much work they are. 😱"

Ive had my puppy since the end of October and he's still quite a handful so I know what you mean.

Posted by: Tuna at December 31, 2023 10:00 AM (oaGWv)

108 I read over 200 Art Threads this year. How many books is that?

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at December 31, 2023 10:00 AM (NBVIP)

109 Throughout recorded history, the very notion of going for a walk in the wilderness alone has been regarded as the hallmark of a lunatic.

The wilderness was where bandits flourished, and being alone (and unarmed!) was tantamount to suicide.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 09:49 AM (llXky)
===

Heh. Walk down Geary Blvd with me.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at December 31, 2023 10:01 AM (RIvkX)

110 As a child, I enjoyed The Unknown Soldier. A soldier, whose face had been destroyed in battle uses makeup and wigs to impersonate the enemy and goes behind the lines to disrupt their operations. Those and Sgt Rock were my go tos.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:02 AM (M2vnv)

111 I don't set a quota--other than trying to read at least one book per week, which is usually quite achievable.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at December 31, 2023 09:59 AM (BpYfr)

That's my "quota" as well--primarily as a reminder to get off the computer and do something else.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:02 AM (OX9vb)

112
There was an interesting plot point in that book and the previous one. Citizenship is earned through military service and if you're a citizen, you can be recalled to duty. Imagine how disgruntled a small segment of society becomes when they keep getting called up and losing their jobs and livelihoods.

Posted by: NR Pax at December 31, 2023 09:53 AM (SFLXm)
---
In an effort to consolidate power, the Socialists in charge of the Second Spanish Republic tried to purge the army of officers it considered disloyal by offering payouts or assigning them to remote, unpleasant duty stations.

The (predictable) result was to create a large body of unemployed junior officers with an axe to grind and placing the most disgruntled serving officers in the most reactionary areas of the country. They literally put Mola in Navarre, a hotbed of Carlist reactionaries. While initially hostile to everyone, Mola was able to win them over to the Nationalist cause, and the Requetes became the elite of the Nationalist army.

If only there was a book about this...

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:03 AM (llXky)

113 My wife has a thing for cooking books; we have a bookshelf over-full of them. How many has she read? Maybe a dozen. How many has she or I used? Maybe 6. What can I say, she's always been a bit of a hoarder.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 09:09 AM (ynpvh)

I have a shelf of cookbooks, from bread books, to those church cookbook collections, to the Farm Journal cookbooks, and some speciality books for bread, Jamestown and foreign.

Mostly use three or four, but it is good to be able to get multiple recipe options when I am doing something new, or in a new way.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 10:03 AM (D7oie)

114 Morning, Book Folk! Just back from a jaunt to the grocery. I recently gave up on Elizabeth Bowen's The Death of the Heart, an English novel from 1938. The basic story had promise, but EB is one of those writers who has to explain what each character meant in his last few lines of dialog. Nothing seemed to be happening.

I gave up and shifted to Joe R. Lansdale's 2014 Western, Black Hat Jack, which is only really novella length but in which much more happens per chapter than you might expect. The narrator, Nat, is a former slave who adventures out West, Texas in this story, and fights Comanches and Kiowas along with his white friend Jack, known by the title sobriquet because he always wears a black cap with ear flaps. The novel is subtitled "The True Life Adventures of Deadwood Dick, As Told by His Own Self." Fast, funny in places, it looks to be the start of a series.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 10:04 AM (omVj0)

115 Backward-faced books would really annoy me.

Yes. If you can't see the titles so you can find the one you want when you want to find it, you may as well just toss them under the basement staircase. Maybe I'm being uncharitable but why do I suspect that it's just a way of virtue signaling to visitors? "Look how many books I've read!"

Posted by: Oddbob at December 31, 2023 10:04 AM (sNc8Y)

116 Be careful when you're cooking books.

Posted by: Enron executives at December 31, 2023 10:05 AM (NBVIP)

117 Don't recall ever setting quotas -- just devouring print. Much more slowly these days, though.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 10:05 AM (a/4+U)

118 Been rereading some military history, on how the Western Allies used material superiority to win WWII. Brute Force by John Ellis makes this point very clear, on how ham-handed our military leaders were. Montgomery, Bomber Harris, and MacArthur are most criticized, but Patton, Bradley, Eisenhower, Nimitz, King, and Arnold come in for their share of criticism.

This is relevant today, because the West absolutely could not dominate a peer-peer war with current industrial base and military forces. Real force ratios of more than 3-1 (the usual standard) to over 10-1 were needed to win. We do not have that. Ukraine is a cautionary tale.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:06 AM (u82oZ)

119 I don't set a quota--other than trying to read at least one book per week, which is usually quite achievable.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

I also try to do one or two per week, but I always have three or four books going at once, so the goal is to finish at least one per week.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:07 AM (M2vnv)

120 The way I keep track of what I have read is that I use an old clothing wardrobe we had in a spare bedroom. After I’m done reading a book, it goes in the wardrobe. Problem is I’m running out of space quickly. Oh well, first world problems.
Thanks Perfessor for all the enjoyment you have given me this past year with the book thread.
Also, may all my fellow Morons have a blessed and happy and healthy new year.

Posted by: RetSgtRN at December 31, 2023 10:07 AM (eTkTC)

121 Responding to the Perfessor's main post: my main goal for the next year (my new year's reading resolution, if you will) is to finish reading some of the books/series that I have started, but abandoned: I have the final collection of Harold Lamb's Cossack stories to finish. I'm still only halfway through a Robert E Howard stories: "Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures," which don't follow any particular character. And I think there may be another pulp collection or two on my shelf with a bookmark still in it...

Comic book wise, I need to finish my Deadly Hands of Kung Fu omnibus. Also Batman: No Man's Land, and Spider-Man's Clone Saga. (I have an excuse for abandoning the Clone Saga, two of the middle books were out of print, but will be re-published this year.)

But I'm most excited for some new comics I'm about to jump into. I just received Shad Brook's (Shadiversity) Shadow of the Conqueror book. I've got some (hopefully) great indy books to start: Wraith of God 2 (supernatural western) and Kor-Dath (sword and sorcery). And the holy grail: the Sigil Omnibus. A gloriously drawn space opera from a publisher (CrossGen) that was killed by a tragic bankruptcy.

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 10:07 AM (Lhaco)

122 Weak Geek, wishing you comfort for your loss.

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 31, 2023 10:09 AM (ftFVW)

123 The Thule Society; James Forrestal's suspicious death; Operation Highjump and the Battle of Antarctica; secret moon bases; aliens; Antarctic Nazis! It's like a greatest hits with all my favorite suppressed histories. I SO want all this to be true.
Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 09:12 AM (+RQPJ)

I recommend David Drake's action adventure Fortress. It has all that, plus sexy belly dancers, Kurdish nationalists and orbital nukes.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 10:09 AM (D7oie)

124 Heh. Walk down Geary Blvd with me.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at December 31, 2023 10:01 AM (RIvkX)
---
The same is true of towns as well. I think the current generation thinks that pre-modern towns were like they are in video games, with flickering lamps lighting the way and people wandering about in the dark. Nope, try little - if any - public light and doors being locked and barred.

Some years ago a female was accosted at night (hurt but survived) and people were all about safety and I'm like - yeah, totally normal expectation to run through town in the equivalent of your underwear at midnight and nothing bad will happen to you.

Arguably our biggest problem is that the vast majority of people think that this is a natural, expected thing rather than a historical aberration.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:09 AM (llXky)

125 92 It's easy to get lost on the Pacific Creat Trail. There are some serious woods in the Cascades. And too many folks don't dress for bad weather and decide to leave the marked trail.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (L8hCM)

When I was at the Grand Canyon years ago, picked up two books: Geology of the Grand Canyon and Deaths in the Grand Canyon. Both very good books.
The latter book had a story of a guy during wintertime with his kid. He walked over the "Do Not Cross" chain at one of the lookout points, and when his kid said, "Dad, its says don't cross!", his dad replied "Sometimes you have to break the rules"...a few seconds before he broke through the ice and plummetted to his death.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:11 AM (ynpvh)

126 een rereading some military history, on how the Western Allies used material superiority to win WWII. Brute Force by John Ellis makes this point very clear, on how ham-handed our military leaders were. Montgomery, Bomber Harris, and MacArthur are most criticized, but Patton, Bradley, Eisenhower, Nimitz, King, and Arnold come in for their share of criticism.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:06 AM (u82oZ)
---
Wait, so having more stuff is a bad thing? What's his take on Russia then?

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:12 AM (llXky)

127 Speaking of series, I ordered a complete set of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books from eBay. 26 books, I believe. In middle school I read the first seven or eight.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:12 AM (M2vnv)

128 My favorite Christmas moment was also a book moment. At Christmas dinner, my son said to my daughter, "I gave Ma this book. You can't read it straight through, but 2 or 3 pages gets you in the right mood for writing."

My daughter said, "You mean Rick Rubin's book? The Creative Act?"

Yes, he did. They went off on a tear of what they liked and why. To have them discover it separately and then know to share it: it was such a powerful moment. It still is, remembering it.

Posted by: Wenda at December 31, 2023 10:13 AM (17/Kb)

129 96 Stopped reading comics when I found Heinlein's Puppet Masters and diverted all disposable $$$ into sf paperbacks. But in them days Marvel was just cranking up, so I'd accumulated a bunch of early issues, a run of a couple of years. Starting with Fantastic Four #6 and up, first issues of X-Men, Avengers, SpiderMan, the Hulk, Sgt Fury... If I'd kept 'em I could have paid the mortage a lot sooner, but when I started the sf books, I gave the comics to a kid on the next block. So I can't even blame my mother for throwing them away.

I like to think the kid's mother threw them away later...

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (a/4+U)

And that's how the remaining one became more valuable. Happened to my BIL. His auntie gave him a ton of classic comic books (1960's Spiderman, Fantastic Four, etc). Her older brother (uncle) visited the house, saw the comic books, said they were rubbish to read and threw them ALL away.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:14 AM (ynpvh)

130 For enjoyment I reread a couple of short stories by Christopher Anvil that speak to me.

"Uplift the Savage" (196

is the clearest exposition of why experts with theories and no practical experience are worthless.

"Trial by Silk" (1970) tells of a planet that keeps it's culture pure by offering wondrous pleasures to the visitors. If they give in to pleasure, they are doomed. The visitors are kept away from the productive part of the planetary society.
Seems relevant to today's welfare society, which is working slower than the planet in this story. It tells why moderation and work ethic are important.

Both stories are collected in Interstellar Patrol II: The Federation of Humanity (2005), along with Interstellar Patrol stories and other goodness.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:14 AM (u82oZ)

131 *totally normal expectation to run through town in the equivalent of your underwear at midnight and nothing bad will happen to you.*

So, tonight in Times Square?

Posted by: Kathy Griffin at December 31, 2023 10:16 AM (NBVIP)

132 "Sometimes you have to break the rules"...a few seconds before he broke through the ice and plummetted to his death.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:11 AM (ynpvh)

See also: hot springs in Yellowstone. Humans. Just cannot help themselves.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:16 AM (OX9vb)

133 One of the kiddos got me the Folio Society reprint of "Roadside Picnic" by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky,

which I am reading currently and am once again under the spell of this great SF novel.

In "Roadside Picnic", there has been an alien occurrence of some sort in six different spots around the world. Landing? Something else? No one knows.
All that's known is that there were a multitude of alien artifacts and phenomena left in these "Zones". As if the aliens had a roadside picnic(!) and carelessly left their garbage laying around.

The main character "Red" is a "stalker" that is an individual who illegally enters the Zone and sells artifacts to the highest bidder. The Zones are tremendously dangerous leaving most of the stalkers dead, disabled, mutilated, or changed in some way.
He is simply trying to do the best he can for his family and himself, but of course there is more to it than that. The tension in the novel is palpable.

RS has a strong philosophical strain which is subtly introduced through action and word, which i like and a kind of quiet existential horror. You see and learn just enough to give you the willys.

Highly recommended.

Posted by: naturalfake at December 31, 2023 10:16 AM (nFnyb)

134 Tuna, I loved "The Boys in the Boat." I should probably re-read it.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at December 31, 2023 10:17 AM (FEVMW)

135 Posted by: Wenda at December 31, 2023 10:13 AM (17/Kb)

Wenda, I love that! I was surprised how many books my sister and my children and I discussed that we had discovered separately.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:18 AM (OX9vb)

136 Our longtime local used bookstore PeaPicker is closing in January. Every book, all of them, hardback softback or in between, is $1.00. This is like finding money in the road to somebody like me. I’m going straight to military, then to medical, then to history.

Posted by: Eromero at December 31, 2023 10:18 AM (DXbAa)

137 116 Be careful when you're cooking books.

Posted by: Enron executives at December 31, 2023 10:05 AM (NBVIP)

I thought that made them more digestible for the IRS...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:18 AM (ynpvh)

138 * groan *
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:56 AM (p/isN)

Sorry to hear about your Dad. Lost mine on Holy Saturday a few years ago. Miss him every day. They are in better places now.

I really didn't intend that as a joke.. but.. I'm lame that way.
Further on DM dude is there was a time when we speculated he might have been GG. He vanished about 1990. We found out his whole back story (which was unbelievably crazy) was BS but never were able to confront him.
I found one of his "kids" I had met a few years back and tried to get in touch. Nothing came of it. He's kind of rich and famous too.
It's one of those childhood mysteries that will probably will never be solved.
Who the fuck was that Bob guy?
I'm not saying he was GG, I'm saying he damn sure wasn't who he pretended to be.
Damn good DM though.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 10:18 AM (4DC/N)

139 Western Allies used material superiority to win WWII. Brute Force by John Ellis makes this point very clear, on how ham-handed our military leaders were. Montgomery, Bomber Harris, and MacArthur are most criticized, but Patton, Bradley, Eisenhower, Nimitz, King, and Arnold come in for their share of criticism.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:06 AM (u82oZ)
----------
Since the Navy fought for the first part of the war at a material and weapons disadvantage, with fewer ships, men, non-functioning torpedos and totally outclassed airplanes, I would have to read this to understand how Nimitz gets included.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at December 31, 2023 10:19 AM (MqOEd)

140
I finished The Uplift War" by David Brin, and closed out that trilogy. I have no plans to read the second trilogy. Perhaps I'll read C. S. Lewis' three-fer next.

I revisited Andrew Breitbart's "Righteous Indignation". It's very dated at this point and what history is there pales next to the abject horrors that we're living now. This is pretty much in line with my experience for all "read it now!" books put out by pundits -- they typically just rehash what they bloviated about on air or in a podcast. Save your $$$ and time and move on to something else.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at December 31, 2023 10:19 AM (8Z5Bd)

141 Year 2023 - 64 books read. Best books I read this year.
1.Sarit Yishai-Levi "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem".
Want to read this book before watching Netflix series. After reading the book decided don't watch it, liked book too much, don't want spoil it.
2.Shehan Karunatilaka "The Seven Moons of Maali lmeida".
Booker prize winner, page turner good book.
3.Julius Margolin "Journey into the Land of the Zeks and Back: A Memoir of the Gulag".
Unusual book on Gulag from foreigner, Zionist who got caught between Hitler and Stalin in 1939. Also included part of Russian occupation of Poland in 1939.

Posted by: redmonkey at December 31, 2023 10:19 AM (0+Ppk)

142 (TC count is misleading, for it includes the Doom Patrol Omnibus, which is about 12 times the thickness of a standard TC.)
Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:42 AM (p/isN)

Ha! Even just discussing an 'omnibus' can be tricky. I quick glance at my own shelves tells me they can range anywhere from 600 to 1100 pages!

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 10:20 AM (Lhaco)

143 Wandering around at midnight even in smaller rural towns may start getting a bit dicey too. Since the deer populations don't get thinned out by hunting as much as they used to, they're starting to draw predators. We're seeing a lot more coyotes here and not long ago somebody's outdoor camera filmed a mountain lion in city limits. Maybe a fluke, but I figure where there's one, there's more.

Was a time I'd walk or bicycle to work pretty late-night or pre-sunrise when needed. I'd be a bit leery of it now.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 10:20 AM (a/4+U)

144 124 Heh. Walk down Geary Blvd with me.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at December 31, 2023 10:01 AM (RIvkX)
---
The same is true of towns as well. I think the current generation thinks that pre-modern towns were like they are in video games, with flickering lamps lighting the way and people wandering about in the dark. Nope, try little - if any - public light and doors being locked and barred.

Some years ago a female was accosted at night (hurt but survived) and people were all about safety and I'm like - yeah, totally normal expectation to run through town in the equivalent of your underwear at midnight and nothing bad will happen to you.

Arguably our biggest problem is that the vast majority of people think that this is a natural, expected thing rather than a historical aberration.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:09 AM (llXky)

Some short story I read where the society was controlled to be peaceful, peacful enough that women were walking around basically nude, but anarchists broke down the security system and all went to hell pretty fast...damned if I can remember the name of the short story.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (ynpvh)

145 peaking of series, I ordered a complete set of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books from eBay. 26 books, I believe. In middle school I read the first seven or eight.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023

***
The ones that have stuck in my memory since I was about ten or eleven: Book One, of course, Tarzan of the Apes, No. 6, Jungle Tales of Tarzan, and No. 8, Tarzan the Terrible (the visit to Pal-ul-don). Two others from much later, Tarzan and the City of Gold and Tarzan's Quest (in which Jane has a featured and very strong role), were very good.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (omVj0)

146 When we bought this house we bought the contents, too, and the previous owner had a lot of cookbooks and so did I. I pared them all down to two shelves. Like most of rest of you, I have 3 or 4 go-tos but it's fun to pull out some more obscure ones from time to time to get inspiration.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (FEVMW)

147 The year ends on a sour note: My father died the morning after Christmas Day. He was 87. His passing was peaceful; he had been put on morphine for comfort care.

Posted by: Weak Geek at December 31, 2023 09:07 AM (p/isN)

Please accept my condolences, Weak Geek.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (tkR6S)

148 We are celebrating the new year In new orleans while waiting for the sugar bowl (hook 'em! Bow down!) , so not much reading this week ,but i did start Joe Heschmeyer The Early Church Was The Catholic Church I think it was a Horde recommendation. So far it is well written and fascinating.

Posted by: LASue at December 31, 2023 10:22 AM (pXTGA)

149 I recommend David Drake's action adventure Fortress. It has all that, plus sexy belly dancers, Kurdish nationalists and orbital nukes.
Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 10:09 AM (D7oie)
----

David Drake, get outta my head!

Thanks, Kindltot! This is why I love the august and classy book thread.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 10:22 AM (+RQPJ)

150 136 Our longtime local used bookstore PeaPicker is closing in January.

Another grim milestone of the Biden administration.

Posted by: Narrator at December 31, 2023 10:22 AM (NBVIP)

151 >>> 124
==
Some years ago a female was accosted at night (hurt but survived) and people were all about safety and I'm like - yeah, totally normal expectation to run through town in the equivalent of your underwear at midnight and nothing bad will happen to you.

Arguably our biggest problem is that the vast majority of people think that this is a natural, expected thing rather than a historical aberration.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:09 AM (llXky)

There are many things about the past century or so that are historical aberrations....

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at December 31, 2023 10:23 AM (llON8)

152 This is pretty much in line with my experience for all "read it now!" books put out by pundits -- they typically just rehash what they bloviated about on air or in a podcast. Save your $$$ and time and move on to something else.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at December 31, 2023 10:19 AM (8Z5Bd)
---
Sometimes it's useful to see that *every* generation is convinced that the fate of the world hinges on that or that contemporary event that turns out to have been completely overblown.

I try to keep that perspective today, but it's impossible in the clickbait era, which is why I tune all of it out.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:23 AM (llXky)

153 132 "Sometimes you have to break the rules"...a few seconds before he broke through the ice and plummetted to his death.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:11 AM (ynpvh)

See also: hot springs in Yellowstone. Humans. Just cannot help themselves.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:16 AM (OX9vb)

I think they found a tennis shoe with a foot still in it on one of the springs (no relation to all the feet in shoes washing ashore on the Northwest). Don't know if they ever identified who the foot belonged to or how it got there. My vote? bear ate him, left the foot for later...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:24 AM (ynpvh)

154
See also: hot springs in Yellowstone. Humans. Just cannot help themselves.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs!

The "Obey Gravity -- It's the Law!" adventures which most amuse me are the ones where the Darwin candidates are backing up at the canyon rim to get the perfect selfie and so wind up taking the plunge to glory.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at December 31, 2023 10:25 AM (8Z5Bd)

155 We are celebrating the new year In new orleans while waiting for the sugar bowl (hook 'em! Bow down!) , so not much reading this week ,but i did start Joe Heschmeyer The Early Church Was The Catholic Church I think it was a Horde recommendation. So far it is well written and fascinating.
Posted by: LASue at December 31, 2023

***
So that was *you* I saw on Canal Street yesterday! Where are you staying, with friends or in one of the downtown hotels?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 10:25 AM (omVj0)

156 The ones that have stuck in my memory since I was about ten or eleven: Book One, of course, Tarzan of the Apes, No. 6, Jungle Tales of Tarzan, and No. 8, Tarzan the Terrible (the visit to Pal-ul-don). Two others from much later, Tarzan and the City of Gold and Tarzan's Quest (in which Jane has a featured and very strong role), were very good.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (om
I read those too i and loved them Not a genre i thought Id enjoy but they were so good !

Posted by: LASue at December 31, 2023 10:26 AM (pXTGA)

157 Found out Christmas day my aunt is writing a ( I think) Christian devotional book. She seems to be as she said 3/4 way done writing and 1/2 done editing. Actually can't wait to get a copy.

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 10:26 AM (fwDg9)

158 "...but anarchists broke down the security system and all went to hell pretty fast...damned if I can remember the name of the short story."

It was called Pottersville and it was a damn fine town.

Posted by: Mr. Potter at December 31, 2023 10:26 AM (NBVIP)

159
My vote? bear ate him, left the foot for later...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia)

Hot springs are Yellowstone's microwave ovens -- discuss quietly among yourselves.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at December 31, 2023 10:26 AM (8Z5Bd)

160 @27 RF Burton is often romanticized a bit much. A great deal of his writing was rightly considered scandalous in the extreme; he was said to have f**ked his way around the world, and told all in detail at the height of Victorian sensibility. He was frequently hors de combat as a carrier of virtually every disease of venery then known, and of course this created a certain tension with his wife and friends when he was at home.

Further, for all who will not be meeting me in person, he and I are virtual dead ringers. So I have that going for me.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 10:27 AM (FCs/J)

161 Some short story I read where the society was controlled to be peaceful, peacful enough that women were walking around basically nude, but anarchists broke down the security system and all went to hell pretty fast...damned if I can remember the name of the short story.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (ynpvh)
---
Well, we did have something close to that ideal, though both men and women dressed modestly. It's a pretty clear concept - if people accept a common morality, respect it, follow customs and sacrifice some elements of expression (or lusts), they can overall have more freedom in the sense of not being oppressed by crime.

But when one starts cutting away at those supports, demanding the "right" of homeless people to defecate in the street, order collapses.

Again, this was once widely known. But then came the Great Forgetting, and everyone assumed peace and prosperity was the world's default setting. It's not.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:27 AM (llXky)

162 When we bought this house we bought the contents, too, and the previous owner had a lot of cookbooks and so did I. I pared them all down to two shelves. Like most of rest of you, I have 3 or 4 go-tos but it's fun to pull out some more obscure ones from time to time to get inspiration.
Posted by: Art Rondelet

Heh, if you bought my house with the contents, you wouldn't have room for a single paperback. Or furniture, or clothes. I need to do some serious spring cleaning.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:28 AM (yVw/m)

163 159
My vote? bear ate him, left the foot for later...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia)

Hot springs are Yellowstone's microwave ovens -- discuss quietly among yourselves.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at December 31, 2023 10:26 AM (8Z5Bd)

Sous vide

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:28 AM (ynpvh)

164 127 Speaking of series, I ordered a complete set of Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan books from eBay. 26 books, I believe. In middle school I read the first seven or eight.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:12 AM (M2vnv)

Oh, wow. I got maybe 3 books into that series, thanks to a collected edition. Good luck finishing the entire collection!

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 10:29 AM (Lhaco)

165 Oh! I also want to put in a good word for the Folio Society's reprint:

Wholley Kau!, is this a physically nice book!

The pages are nice and thick and made from acid-free paper for longevity. The binding is perfect. The cover and slipcase designs beautiful. The illustrations appropriately weird.

It is just a pleasure to read. just turning the thick, crisp pages is nice. The font is clear and easily read.

The translation is, to my mind, perfect. The prose not only flows well but is crystal clear and clear in English.

The only downside is that SC books are pricey.

So, if there a novel that you really love and want to have till the end of time and pass on or have it buried with you for the future to find,

check out and see if the Folio Society has a reprint of it.

Posted by: naturalfake at December 31, 2023 10:30 AM (nFnyb)

166 Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

His point is we used, and the Russians used, material force to substitute for maneuver and encirclements. We would maneuver to find the enemy, then hold up until they were blasted with artillery, naval bombardments, or heavy bombers.
Tactical air off the leash was a war winner, but even without any air defense, the greatly outnumbered German forces, with no reserves and only light forces left, would stop the Allies time and again.

The examples he used were El Alamein, Italy, Normandy, the breakout in France, the destruction of Army Group Central, and the entire campaign to close the Rhine.

He noted that Montgomery and Patton did not encircle any troops, and that key NCOs and officers mostly escaped the Falaise pocket. Only a few German divisions were wiped out and never reconstituted.

I find his analysis compelling.

We used tactics and operational savvy poorly, and ultimately paid the price in higher casualties.

The UK Bomber effort comes in for very sharp criticism, with casualties greater than WWI trench armies (65%), a poor target selection mantra, and inflexible operations.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:30 AM (u82oZ)

167 This week I'm going to check out "All Creatures Great and Small" from the library. I read the book by James Herriot when I was much younger, along with "All Things Bright and Beautiful." I remember the books making me laugh, and cry, and everything in between. I've been watching the PBS Masterpiece adaptation, and it's lovely. Rev has even started watching it, despite its lack of shooting and killing.

Posted by: grammie winger - I don't belong here at December 31, 2023 10:31 AM (SfhV1)

168 I think they found a tennis shoe with a foot still in it on one of the springs (no relation to all the feet in shoes washing ashore on the Northwest). Don't know if they ever identified who the foot belonged to or how it got there. My vote? bear ate him, left the foot for later...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:24 AM (ynpvh)
---
I've never understood the need to tempt danger. Danger knows where I live, and regularly messes me up without any extra encouragement on my part.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:31 AM (llXky)

169 *But when one starts cutting away at those supports, demanding the "right" of homeless people to defecate in the street, order collapses.*

And pull up those damn pants. Geez.

Posted by: Guy at the next gas pump at December 31, 2023 10:32 AM (NBVIP)

170 I read [the Tarzans] and loved them Not a genre i thought Id enjoy but they were so good !
Posted by: LASue at December 31, 2023

***
Book One sets the whole mythos up and is great. Six gives us more glimpses into the young Tarzan before he met other Europeans. In Eight, "Pal-ul-Don," the lost valley, has dinosaurs and two races of intelligent hominids -- with tails! City of Gold has the epic of the two warring cities, the psycho character of the queen who is obsessed with Tarzan, and a classic writer's example of how you set up a deus ex machina so that it makes the reader go, "Yes!!!" and doesn't seem machina.

Quest shows us how Jane handles herself in a dangerous crisis without Tarzan and how much she has learned from him.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 10:32 AM (omVj0)

171 . Imagine how disgruntled a small segment of society becomes when they keep getting called up and losing their jobs and livelihoods.

Posted by: NR Pax at December 31, 2023 09:53 AM (SFLXm)

Common for those subject to the draft in the 60s.

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 10:33 AM (A5THL)

172 Happy New Year, Horde!

I'm very sorry for your loss WeakGeek. Prayers are up for you during your time of grief. May the coming year bring peace and eventual joy at the memory of your father.

Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at December 31, 2023 10:33 AM (qa8SC)

173 Rev has even started watching it, despite its lack of shooting and killing.
Posted by: grammie winger - I don't belong here at December 31, 2023 10:31 AM (SfhV1)

Ha!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:33 AM (OX9vb)

174 “If you were to convert a significant segment of that professional workforce into one that is being chosen by political fiat, then you end up in a system that is responsive to the political desires of the individual rather than the larger responsibilities to the Constitution and to law,” Max Stier has distinguished himself as Washington’s foremost champion of the federal civil service, The Partnership for Public Service, “You wind up with a workforce that is not only going to deliver poor service, but also that is going to be a tool for retribution and actions that are contrary to our democratic system.”

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 10:34 AM (lwOKI)

175 I used to be a prolific reader, 300 books/year. Once a week at the used book store, once a month at the two book stores in the mall. Now I'm married, own a very small house and I have a yard long Honey-do list. Due to lack of space/all of our money being spent on said Honey-do list, I'm reduced to reading whatever's new at the library and being lucky to get a single title read in a week.
Wouldn't trade it for the world!

Posted by: p0indexterous at December 31, 2023 10:34 AM (QBwMV)

176 168 I think they found a tennis shoe with a foot still in it on one of the springs (no relation to all the feet in shoes washing ashore on the Northwest). Don't know if they ever identified who the foot belonged to or how it got there. My vote? bear ate him, left the foot for later...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:24 AM (ynpvh)
---
I've never understood the need to tempt danger. Danger knows where I live, and regularly messes me up without any extra encouragement on my part.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:31 AM (llXky)

I'm lucky that way.
I find the pitted olives with the pit fragments.
The salsa with a wire tie in it.
The chicken sandwich from a major fast food place with a bone in it.
Lucky.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:35 AM (ynpvh)

177 Common for those subject to the draft in the 60s.
Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 10:33 AM (A5THL)

Maybe the issue is a standing Army that needs to start wars to break and kill things.

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 10:35 AM (lwOKI)

178 Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

I have all the Edgar Rice Burroughs books.

The first two Tarzan books were groundbreaking, and Tarzan and the Foreign Legion, set in WWII, is very refreshing. The crackle of authenticity came from Edgar Rice Burroughs being the oldest war reporter in the Pacific War. He saw a lot of stuff.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:35 AM (u82oZ)

179 WeakGeek:
My condolences to you and your family.

Posted by: p0indexterous at December 31, 2023 10:36 AM (QBwMV)

180 *Now I'm married, own a very small house and I have a yard long Honey-do list.*

An owner's manual is a book. Technically.

Posted by: Give yourself credit at December 31, 2023 10:37 AM (NBVIP)

181 Just finished Craig Symonds book "The Battle Of Midway", which is a gripping blow-by-blow account of the naval war in the Pacific from Pearl Harbor to Coral Sea and Midway.

We are lucky not to be speaking Japanese is one reaction, but also, we are lucky in the creative and combative men who fought at Midway and overcame odds against.

Posted by: Huck Follywood at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (YH2pE)

182 Speaking of Yellowstone, if you haven't been there, make a point to do so. What an amazing place. Go in the shoulder season when it isn't as crowded. One of the best trips I have ever done, and I have been all over the world.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (Jmbld)

183 Some short story I read where the society was controlled to be peaceful, peacful enough that women were walking around basically nude, but anarchists broke down the security system and all went to hell pretty fast...damned if I can remember the name of the short story.
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:21 AM (ynpvh)

It was a Larry Niven short story, ARM period.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (D7oie)

184 This week I read "To Sleep In A Sea Of Stars" by Christopher Paolini.

800 pages of military sci-fi, Lovecraftian body horror, nano-technology and some pretty decent humor. I didn't enjoy it asich as I had hoped I would, though I did ultimately enjoy it just fine.

Now reading another 800 page tome, Lawrence Feingold's "The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice and Communion." Only 50 pages in, very good so far. It's more of a textbook for a class than a rumination.

Posted by: Sharkman at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (/RHNq)

185 Again, responding to the original post regarding notable reading experiences: this year I made two notable discoveries.

First, the Savage Realms e-zine. A collection of modern sword-and-sorcery pulp short-stories. Great for summer outdoor reading, and a great change-of-pace from the typical fantasy-epic-door-stops. I haven't read the zine for a few months (its cold outside where I live), but I'll be getting back to it next summer.

Second, A Bride's Story manga. It's the definition of a guilty pleasure: it's not my usual medium, not my usual genre, and I looked into it because of a single image I saw online....but I bought and read the entire 14-volume series this year. The art (and the character moments) were just....mesmerizing.

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (Lhaco)

186 Former SIL once told a brother of mine "It has to be true; I read it in a book!"
He asked her for a book. She handed him one and he picked up a pencil and starting writing in it and said, "What I'm writing is now in a book so it has to be true"...

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (ynpvh)

187 Big discovery for me this year was enjoyment of a particular style of non-fiction. I mostly read fiction for pleasure, so it was quite a surprise. Really not sure what it might be called as a genre or style (if it is even categorized as such), but it seems very matter of fact - almost journalistic - in style. The three I read this year were Boom Town, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Devil in the White City. Hard to describe them exactly, but they were almost like reading documentary films.

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (ftFVW)

188 {{{grammie winger}}}

Rev can write his own stories about a tough-as-nails preacher, righting wrongs, with a calm secret identity, and making sure his delightful wife does not have to cook.

I'd stay for the discussion on on why shotgun slugs are the current equivalent of maces, and why AR-15s are swords, to be shunned by the ecclesiastical avengers of today.

Winner!

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:40 AM (u82oZ)

189 Shenna Bellows called Electoral College ‘white supremacy in action.’

Maine 4/535=0.74% vote for Pres
Maine 1.3/340=0.38% vote for Pres

Maine has 50% LESS voting power under Popular Vote.

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 10:40 AM (lwOKI)

190 Happy 2024!

My favorite part of 2023 is my mom turned 90 and is still going strong.

The best book I read in 2023 is The Decline of the West. I didn't like it at first, but sticking with it was very worthwhile.

The book I am reading as the year ends is a "banned" book - Le Camp des Saints. The going is slow because the only version I could find is in French and my French is abysmal.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 31, 2023 10:42 AM (ogTiX)

191 Stop bellowing, Shenna.

Posted by: Sorry. Couldn't resist. at December 31, 2023 10:42 AM (NBVIP)

192 Well, time to go. Thanks again, Perfesser!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at December 31, 2023 10:43 AM (llXky)

193 189 Shenna Bellows called Electoral College ‘white supremacy in action.’

Maine 4/535=0.74% vote for Pres
Maine 1.3/340=0.38% vote for Pres

Maine has 50% LESS voting power under Popular Vote.

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 10:40 AM (lwOKI)

So many people are historically ignorant, yet talk like renowned experts. Too proud and/or stupid to ask a simple question: "Why was it done that way?"

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:43 AM (ynpvh)

194 In the bailiwick of strolling through unfamiliar neighborhoods, here is an excerpt from RF Burton's African adventures, that used to hang above my desk in the government survey office:

“Exploring the native town - a filthy labyrinth, a capricious arabesque of disorderly lanes and alleys...
It would be the work of weeks to learn the threading of this planless maze, and what white man would have the heart
to learn it?”

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 10:43 AM (FCs/J)

195 I read this year were Boom Town, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Devil in the White City. Hard to describe them exactly, but they were almost like reading documentary films.
Posted by: She Hobbit

If you liked Devil in the White City, you should try Thunderstruck and Isaac's Storm.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at December 31, 2023 10:44 AM (DwRqv)

196 The thing about angels being terrifying is a plot point in the series Midnight Mass. And if you haven't watched that you need to.

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at December 31, 2023 10:45 AM (9qqCt)

197 190 Happy 2024!

My favorite part of 2023 is my mom turned 90 and is still going strong.

The best book I read in 2023 is The Decline of the West. I didn't like it at first, but sticking with it was very worthwhile.

The book I am reading as the year ends is a "banned" book - Le Camp des Saints. The going is slow because the only version I could find is in French and my French is abysmal.

Posted by: Oglebay at December 31, 2023 10:42 AM (ogTiX)

épouvantable

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:45 AM (ynpvh)

198 Thank you, "Perfessor" Squirrel for another in a string of excellent Book Thread posts.

Only 9 resolutions broken? And it's not even the New Year? You da Man.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:45 AM (u82oZ)

199 Good morning Hordemates and a big wish for all of you for a happy and prosperous New Year.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 31, 2023 10:45 AM (W/lyH)

200 198 Thank you, "Perfessor" Squirrel for another in a string of excellent Book Thread posts.

Only 9 resolutions broken? And it's not even the New Year? You da Man.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at December 31, 2023 10:45 AM (u82oZ)

You can't break resolutions if you have none. I'm resolute that way.

Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:47 AM (ynpvh)

201 Oh, and I have "The Essential Ellison: A 35 Year Retrospective" in dead tree form heading my way.

Harlan Ellison was a collosal asshole but Holy shit he could write. I've not read anything by him in decades, but my memory of his writing is such that I really need to catch up with him again.

Posted by: Sharkman at December 31, 2023 10:48 AM (/RHNq)

202 Maybe the issue is a standing Army that needs to start wars to break and kill things.
Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 10:35 AM (lwOKI)

Agreed. The gun owner side US's population is the largest unorganized army ever. One could argue it's an easy 50 million self supporting motorized Infantry army.
We don't need a standing army. Navy and Marines to insure shipping routes and the popullation for defence/deterrence against invasion.
I think it's what the second amendment means.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 10:48 AM (uFr/c)

203 - a filthy labyrinth, a capricious arabesque of disorderly lanes and alleys...

But enough about Detroit.

Posted by: Rimshot at December 31, 2023 10:49 AM (NBVIP)

204 I got "Surely you can't be serious" about the making of Airplane! for Christmas. Started it and finished it. Funny book and now I have to decide if it belongs on the Wisconsin bookshelf or the regular one.

Posted by: who knew at December 31, 2023 10:50 AM (4I7VG)

205 There are many things about the past century or so that are historical aberrations....
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at December 31, 2023 10:23 AM (llON

Getting off topic, but this is why I despise when people in my office talk politics. They lament that society isn't like it was in the 60's (cheap homes, affordable college, good jobs, civic mindedness, ect) while mocking/demeaning everything that made society the way it was. (we're so much better/enlightened these days, trying to limit illegal immigration is the most evil/pointless thing you can do) Some of them can't seem to even comprehend that factors they don't want to think about may actually affect things. (The auto industry is hurting because the unions aren't strong enough anymore. Why would you even bring up foreign automakers?) grrrrr...

Not going to think about that. Back to books....

Posted by: Castle Guy at December 31, 2023 10:51 AM (Lhaco)

206 I have a number of half-read books, life got complicated and/or I lost interest.

House of Rain about the Anasazi lost me because of the way it was written
Gun Runner by Correia and Brown got me bogged down because life got complicated
The Pirate Lafitte is another, it got set aside because it was a perfect example of "appropriate history for good children" from the 30's, which is sad because it was an interesting subject.

There were others, like a review of Thomas Malthus and his essays, and James Kunstler's The Long Emergency that are still sitting there waiting for me to overcome my dread.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 10:51 AM (D7oie)

207 If you liked Devil in the White City, you should try Thunderstruck and Isaac's Storm.
Posted by: Thomas Paine

Thanks! Will look for those.

Posted by: She Hobbit at December 31, 2023 10:51 AM (ftFVW)

208 Raffensperger’s statement says there were six counties “audited,” the Pro V&V memo only listed four: Floyd County (Rome, GA), Douglas County (Douglasville, GA), Paulding County (Dallas, GA), and Cobb County (Marietta, GA). (Note: Fulton and Gwinnett not listed)

Not one county had records affirming, or even suggesting, that Pro V&V did an audit of their equipment.

Posted by: rhennigantx at December 31, 2023 10:51 AM (lwOKI)

209 Started The Siege Of Shangri-La, McCrae, about Western efforts to explore Tibet. Chock full of lunatic Brit explorers. 'Eccentric' doesn't even come close, more like hatter style crazy.
I'm mostly interested in the Western fascination with Eastern beliefs and why they exert such pull. This book covers some of that as well as the physical travels, which always seem to end with some Englishman stumbling out of the mountains in rags, if they stumble out at all.

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 10:55 AM (43xH1)

210 Tuna,
What type of puppy do you have?
Barkley is half border collie, half Blue Heeler(aka Australian Cattle dog).
I got a book that is specifically about training border collies but I'm wondering about the heeler part.
It's interesting that there are books about training different breeds in different ways. I thought it was the same for all dogs.

Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 10:56 AM (QBwwm)

211 My system for keeping track of read v. unread is simple. Books don't go on the bookshelf untiv I've actually read them. So my TBR pile is literally a pile (or actually, 3 piles) on the spare room floor'

Posted by: who knew at December 31, 2023 10:56 AM (4I7VG)

212 It's interesting that there are books about training different breeds in different ways. I thought it was the same for all dogs.
Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 10:56 AM (QBwwm)

I think the one for English Bulldogs says "Don't bother. They will do whatever they want, no matter what."

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:57 AM (OX9vb)

213 Hey all,
Reading a book called The Ride of Her Life. It follows Anne Wilkins historic horseback journey to California from her hometown of Minot, Maine. Starting out in November 1954, she encounters an America in the process of being transformed by the automobile. Author Elizabeth Letts captures Anne and the people she encounters (Andrew Wyeth among them) in great detail. If you're into horses, history, or America, I cannot recommend this book enough!

Best wishes to you and yours in the coming year!

Posted by: Joe Kidd at December 31, 2023 10:58 AM (RMN7W)

214 But enough about Detroit.
You'd think so, wouldn't you?
Detroit and Chicago, after their fires, laid out new cities on strict north-south axes that were easy to navigate, and simple for emergency services. It wasn't until artistic geniuses my age decided to make the country into romantic villages that the plate of spaghetti cul-de-sac was invented.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 10:58 AM (FCs/J)

215 Sorry for your loss, Weak Geek.

Posted by: Brewingfrog at December 31, 2023 10:58 AM (17aRN)

216
Now reading another 800 page tome, Lawrence Feingold's "The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice and Communion." Only 50 pages in, very good so far. It's more of a textbook for a class than a rumination.
Posted by: Sharkman at December 31, 2023 10:38 AM (/RHNq)

_____________

I wish I could read more devotional works, but every time I try it's like trying to read a book on electron spin resonance or the diplomacy of Sweden.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 31, 2023 10:59 AM (E8h6R)

217 An Essential Ellison that ain't in The Essential Ellison is his novella "All the Lies That Are My Life." You'll find it in his collection Shatterday, and for my money it's one of his very best. Well worth finding.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 11:01 AM (a/4+U)

218 Finished up the Dashiell Hammett Continental Op tales, which I enjoyed tremendously, even when we went from short stories about the Op bouncing around San Francisco, to him suddenly being in a Western town in the Arizona desert that needed some cleaning up, in a longer story.

Amazing writing. The first-person character rarely tells the reader, or anyone else, anything about himself, and is famously never given a name. You get a sense of him by accretion, noticing how he handles himself in various situations, as you go through the stories.

Posted by: Splunge at December 31, 2023 11:02 AM (CJkBc)

219
The examples he used were El Alamein, Italy, Normandy, the breakout in France, the destruction of Army Group Central, and the entire campaign to close the Rhine.

__________

*polite cough*

Posted by: The Ruhr at December 31, 2023 11:02 AM (E8h6R)

220 Burton's tale of going to Mecca is in fact screamingly funny and I recommend it very highly! It's like some Boys Own Adventure gone horribly wrong.
I laughed my ass off through the whole thing. Which was awkward reading it at lunches at work with my no collar co-workers baffled how a BOOK could be funny...

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:03 AM (43xH1)

221 I think the best book(s) I read this year was Adrian Tchaikovsky's Final Architecture Trilogy, which consisted of "Shards of Earth," "Eyes of the Void," and "Lords of Uncreation."

Absolutely fantastic science fiction. Loved the characters, plot, story and universe it was set in.

Second favorite/best was a complete re-read of every single novel and short story in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space universe. Wonderful hard science fiction.

And not to forget I've started a chronological re-read of all 45 books in Anspach and Cole's Galaxy's Edge series. Tyrus Rechs!!!

Posted by: Sharkman at December 31, 2023 11:03 AM (/RHNq)

222 Sorry to hear of your loss Weak Geek, my prayers are with you and the family.

Posted by: who knew at December 31, 2023 11:03 AM (4I7VG)

223 Happy New Year! bangs pots and pans with cooking spoon

Posted by: I'm Gumby Damn It! at December 31, 2023 11:03 AM (WPHuI)

224 @209 You may have undertaken a lifelong journey in this.
You'll want to look at "Mapping The Great Game" and "Trespassers on The Roof of The World," which include the exploits of Nain Singh, the greatest hands-on geographer ever, known to history as Pundit Number One. Hell of a man.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 11:05 AM (FCs/J)

225 Finished up the Dashiell Hammett Continental Op tales, which I enjoyed tremendously, even when we went from short stories about the Op bouncing around San Francisco, to him suddenly being in a Western town in the Arizona desert that needed some cleaning up, in a longer story.

Amazing writing. The first-person character rarely tells the reader, or anyone else, anything about himself, and is famously never given a name. You get a sense of him by accretion, noticing how he handles himself in various situations, as you go through the stories.
Posted by: Splunge at December 31, 2023

***
People laugh when I say this, but Ed Asner in his young days, when he played roles of tough cop and dangerous antagonist instead of gruff teddy bear, would have been good casting as the Op.

The only line I recall from the short stories is when the Op tells a woman criminal, "You're thinking I'm a man and you're a woman. That's wrong. I'm a hunter and you're just something that's been running in front of me."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:05 AM (omVj0)

226 Start small: finish Geddy Lee’s memoirs (I’m close!). From there, raid my TBR pile.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at December 31, 2023 11:06 AM (Q9bls)

227 Ellison title is great, I've been seriously considering (for a few reasons) writing up a certain segment of my own life, which I will subtitle: ' A pack of lies told by a lying liar'.

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:06 AM (43xH1)

228 Which was awkward reading it at lunches at work with my no collar co-workers baffled how a BOOK could be funny...
Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023

***
The waiter at Waffle House this morning commented that it'd been a long time since he saw anyone with a library book. I said, "How do you read?" "E-Reader app on my phone." "Oh," said I.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:07 AM (omVj0)

229 We don't need a standing army. Navy and Marines to insure shipping routes and the popullation for defence/deterrence against invasion.
I think it's what the second amendment means.
Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 10:48 AM (uFr/c)

Concur. When each State goes their own way the States will be able to deter any foreign "invasions".

The federales standing "army" only ensures endless wars, foreign adventures, rape, kick backs, bribes, cost overruns, fruit salad collectors and rape.

They don't even protect us now against the illegal invaders so get rid of them.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at December 31, 2023 11:08 AM (R/m4+)

230 I think the one for English Bulldogs says "Don't bother. They will do whatever they want, no matter what."
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at December 31, 2023 10:57 AM (OX9vb)

My neighbor got one about a month ago. I get a kick out of him trying to walk it (I don't know the sex, I think it's a male). Damn thing will just lay down in the street when it is done. Usually about half a block. I see him carrying it back all the time. He sets it down in the yard and it'll run to the door.

Posted by: Reforger at December 31, 2023 11:09 AM (uFr/c)

231
I now have some store-bought glasses with which I can read comfortably after my eye surgery. I also find that the amount of light is important as well. Maybe I can now get to work on my TBR pile.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 31, 2023 11:09 AM (E8h6R)

232 Detroit and Chicago, after their fires, laid out new cities on strict north-south axes that were easy to navigate, and simple for emergency services.

It might be an interesting survey to see how many cities that were booming in the late 1890s-1910s or so have streets named "1st," "2nd," etc going one direction and "A," "B," etc going the other direction. Offhand, I know of Galveston, TX and Omaha and Lincoln, NE.

Posted by: Oddbob at December 31, 2023 11:09 AM (sNc8Y)

233 I've been reading an anthology of non-Chandler short stories about Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. I've read only the first several and quality varies but generally they are good. I also learned a new phrase, "shit chat."

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:09 AM (FVME7)

234 Detroit and Chicago, after their fires, laid out new cities on strict north-south axes that were easy to navigate, and simple for emergency services. It wasn't until artistic geniuses my age decided to make the country into romantic villages that the plate of spaghetti cul-de-sac was invented.
Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 10:58 AM (FCs/J)

I call such neighborhoods the "you can't get there from heres". To make matters worse, the various legs of the maze usually have similar or derivative names.

One of the first acts of Dictator AOP would be to use eminent domain to buy up certain parcels in those 'hoods, and bulldoze the homes in an effort to reconfigure the streets into some sort of grid plan.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 11:09 AM (tkR6S)

235 épouvantable
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at December 31, 2023 10:45 AM (ynpvh)

I had to look that up!

Posted by: Oglebay at December 31, 2023 11:10 AM (ogTiX)

236 202: if communication technology reverts to what it was in the 17th Century, we won’t need a standing army. Now? We need one.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at December 31, 2023 11:10 AM (Q9bls)

237 Thank you Perfessor, as always, The Book Thread ROCKS! I finished Ben Mezrich*s latest, Breaking Twitter, about Elon Musk*s takeover of Twitter. I read a lot of Mezrich*s books, and this was by far my least favorite. Neither Elon nor any of his inner circle participated in providing their side of the story, so it makes sense that the book paints Elon as overmatched by the *awesome sacredness* of a company so vital to *Our Sacred Democracy (TM)*. Building rockets, cars, and tunnels is one thing, but understanding how to run blue-checked echo chamber deluxe sandbox for Elites was way to *nuanced* (gag) for Elon. The Twitter employees came off, to me, as entitled little b*tches, portrayed as saints/martyrs of *Freedom*, trying desperately to save their almost religious institution from the cloddish jackboot of Elon and his *Goons*.

Somebody cue the great Graham Parker*s *I*m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down*, and let *Our Betters* cry me a river.

Posted by: SuperMayorSuperRonNirenberg-Buff, Buff, Did I Mention I Am Buff at December 31, 2023 11:11 AM (45aek)

238 my book count was 33. A bit down from some other years but in my defense I read a lot of really long books this year (a hat tip to the Russians for their contribution to that).

Posted by: who knew at December 31, 2023 11:11 AM (4I7VG)

239 The frontispiece will read, "Not one word of this is true. I made up every word, including And and But. It is utterly, completely false and none of this ever happened."

For Acknowledgements, "I thank no one. Nobody wanted me to write this and fought it tooth and nail every step of the way. F*** You."

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:11 AM (43xH1)

240 Either the pimp is on holiday, or the hat is at the dry cleaners.

Posted by: Dr. Bone at December 31, 2023 11:12 AM (J3ryZ)

241 25: sorry to hear that, Weak Geek. I am leaving my father behind in 2023. He died in July.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at December 31, 2023 11:12 AM (Q9bls)

242 It might be an interesting survey to see how many cities that were booming in the late 1890s-1910s or so have streets named "1st," "2nd," etc going one direction and "A," "B," etc going the other direction. Offhand, I know of Galveston, TX and Omaha and Lincoln, NE.
Posted by: Oddbob at December 31, 2023

***
Denver has that setup.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:13 AM (omVj0)

243
Saw over at Insty a post about H. L. Mencken. He may have had a gift for words, but I can't say I much care for the way he used his gift. He always struck me as bitter that people weren't like H. L. Mencken. His atheism has aged very badly too.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 31, 2023 11:14 AM (E8h6R)

244 "Tuna,
What type of puppy do you have?"

Mini dachshund. He's a cuddle bug but at the same time so stubborn.

Posted by: Tuna at December 31, 2023 11:15 AM (oaGWv)

245 Either the pimp is on holiday, or the hat is at the dry cleaners.
Posted by: Dr. Bone at December 31, 2023 11:12 AM (J3ryZ)

Huggy Squirrel only dons the pimp hat when pimping books by Morons.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 11:16 AM (tkR6S)

246 I'm still working my way through the Fall of Rome. Whodathunk it would take the barbarians so long to destroy an empire?

-
Credit where credit's due, Biden has done it in less than three years.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:16 AM (FVME7)

247 Yeah but Sheena's Marxist theory is popular vote and 51%rules the country to prey on the other #49

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 11:16 AM (fwDg9)

248
Mini dachshund. He's a cuddle bug but at the same time so stubborn.
Posted by: Tuna

__________

He's a hound. Hounds do what hounds want to do.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 31, 2023 11:16 AM (E8h6R)

249 For wacky Tibet stuff, Red Shambala, Znemenski. Discusses how Eastern Mysticism was rife among Bolsheviks until Stalin put an emphatic stop to it.

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:17 AM (43xH1)

250 I've been reading an anthology of non-Chandler short stories about Marlowe, Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe. I've read only the first several and quality varies but generally they are good. I also learned a new phrase, "shit chat."
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023

***
If that's the anniversary anthology (1989, I think -- fifty years since The Big Sleep was published in '39), there are several good ones. The guy who wrote Six Days of the Condor has a fine tale in there.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:17 AM (omVj0)

251 Condolences weak geek 😢🙏🏻

Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 11:18 AM (QBwwm)

252 One can get a bit bogged-down in the genealogies, unless you like genealogy.

-
It's Leviticus I have trouble with.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:19 AM (FVME7)

253 Hadrian 7th,
How old are the puppies now?

Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 11:19 AM (QBwwm)

254 Here's reading you, kid.

- Humphrey Braggart

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:21 AM (FVME7)

255 If that's the anniversary anthology (1989, I think -- fifty years since The Big Sleep was published in '39), there are several good ones. The guy who wrote Six Days of the Condor has a fine tale in there.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023

***
I looked it up: 1988, 100 years since Chandler was born. The short story I mention above is "The Devil's Playground" by James Grady.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:21 AM (omVj0)

256 My favorite Continental Op story was The Tenth Clew, where the murder weapon was a typewriter with the serial number filed off, and the murder was not solved until they threw out the clues and focused on the facts.

I seem to remember that there are other Hammett stories that were not collected in the books put out by the estate, either because they didn't own them, or didn't care.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 11:22 AM (D7oie)

257 How old are the puppies now?
Posted by: lin-duh

___________

Five weeks. Eating like little horses. They're in that charming stage where they discover speed but not coordination. So they take cringeworthy tumbles. But since they're like little rubber bands right now, no major damage is done.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at December 31, 2023 11:23 AM (E8h6R)

258 It's interesting that there are books about training different breeds in different ways. I thought it was the same for all dogs.
Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 10:56 AM (QBwwm)
When we got our first Weimaraner i read up on training and most of the pages were basically, good luck with that.

Posted by: megthered at December 31, 2023 11:23 AM (EN4LN)

259 "Chaotic" is another alignment that is tough for players to figure out correctly.

-
Chaotic? You're soaking in it!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:24 AM (FVME7)

260 Mini dachshund. He's a cuddle bug but at the same time so stubborn.

Posted by: Tuna at December 31, 2023 11:15 AM (oaGWv)

He's smarter than you, too. Just wait.....

Posted by: BignJames at December 31, 2023 11:24 AM (AwYPR)

261 "An owner's manual is a book. Technically."
Then I've read a couple of hundred books this year!

Palolini wrote an adult book? I'm all over it.
I read the Inheritance series, known to most as Eragon, and it was a slog of YA reading. The story was great and the writing was top notch but the books were definitely for a younger reader.

Posted by: p0indexterous at December 31, 2023 11:25 AM (QBwMV)

262 About 6 or 8 years ago one of the main papers in Colombia did an analysis of the Colombian presidential elections, and determined that if their system was an electoral college system the other candidate would have won, since the votes from the capital, Bogotá, outweighted the rest of the country in a straight count.

there are valid reasons for the electoral college, but the main effect it to not allow the largest population centers to rule the outlying areas.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 11:27 AM (D7oie)

263 Tuna,
I think those small dogs are harder to train. My friend has 2 and they are little sh*ts!

Hadrian,
My pup is 9 weeks old and still takes hilarious tumbles. When we play fetch, he always miscalculates the porch and does a hilarious tumble.

Posted by: lin-duh at December 31, 2023 11:27 AM (QBwwm)

264 Shenna is protecting "democracy" from a new hitler
http://tinyurl.com/hv3sb5df

Posted by: GOP sux at December 31, 2023 11:28 AM (Zzbjj)

265 *... in an effort to reconfigure the streets into some sort of grid plan.*

*cough*

Posted by: Pierre L'Enfant at December 31, 2023 11:28 AM (NBVIP)

266 I read 50 books and I can't figure out how I got that many read, after this awful year. I guess sitting at the hospital day after day gives you some time. The problem is I don't remember what some of these books were about. I have to decide whether to read them again or start the new year fresh.

Posted by: megthered at December 31, 2023 11:30 AM (EN4LN)

267 ...save the future for her noble house.
------
Lady IHOP??

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:31 AM (2yu8s)

268 Well, time to face the real world...

Happy New Year and thanks for the thread, Perfessor. Always a pleasure.

And a nifty 2024 to all -- may it be a whole bleep-load better than 2023.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at December 31, 2023 11:31 AM (a/4+U)

269 "Tuna,
I think those small dogs are harder to train. My friend has 2 and they are little sh*ts!"

LOL. Yep. He's so cute though, so fortunately for him it's hard for me to stay mad at him for too long.

Posted by: Tuna at December 31, 2023 11:33 AM (oaGWv)

270 Agreed. The gun owner side US's population is the largest unorganized army ever. One could argue it's an easy 50 million self supporting motorized Infantry army.
----------
Are there that many Toyota pickup trucks in the U.S.?

http://tinyurl.com/ycabhw25

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:34 AM (2yu8s)

271 Since I don't have as many chores to see to this Sunday -- I don't have to make my lunch salad for the week, for instance -- I'll nap a bit later, wash and finish detailing car and wheels, etc. Temp was about 38 F. this a.m. before sunrise. It's supposed to go up to about 65 today.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:35 AM (omVj0)

272 Shenna is protecting "democracy" from a new hitler
http://tinyurl.com/hv3sb5df
Posted by: GOP sux at December 31, 2023 11:28 AM (Zzbjj)

Never again... unless we have to.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:35 AM (uzIqO)

273 204 I got "Surely you can't be serious" about the making of Airplane! for Christmas. Started it and finished it. Funny book and now I have to decide if it belongs on the Wisconsin bookshelf or the regular one.
----
Don't you have a Jive Shelf, homey??

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:35 AM (2yu8s)

274 159
Hot springs are Yellowstone's microwave ovens -- discuss quietly among yourselves.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at December 31, 2023 10:26 AM (8Z5Bd)
----
Isn't a hot spring more like CBD's sous vide?

Posted by: Ciampino - Close to homing at December 31, 2023 11:36 AM (qfLjt)

275 If that's the anniversary anthology (1989, I think -- fifty years since The Big Sleep was published in '39), there are several good ones. The guy who wrote Six Days of the Condor has a fine tale in there.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere

Yes, that's the one.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:36 AM (FVME7)

276 NESFA Press is selling "A Lit Fuse: The Provocative Life of Harlan Ellison":

https://www.nesfa.org/book/a-lit-fuse-4/

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 11:36 AM (+RQPJ)

277 I've never really understood detective stories especially murder mysteries. I always end up in a kind of Who cares? They're dead-type feeling. Why the commotion unless it's something really egregious. The vast majority of killings are by people who know each other and most often are dirtbags. I understand the social order aspect but otherwise most of the time it's Good Riddance.
One cop I knew in Chicago had one I thought should have been totally left alone, finding the skeleton of a young child between two old buildings, probably decades old. They found a list of residents back to the 1960s and went to interview a woman who had had 3 kids at the time, then in her 70s and in I think Nebraska? She took the phone call from him, agreed to talk, then walked into the back yard and shot herself. DNA was inconclusive.
What was the point of that?

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:36 AM (43xH1)

278 266 I read 50 books and I can't figure out how I got that many read, after this awful year. I guess sitting at the hospital day after day gives you some time. The problem is I don't remember what some of these books were about. I have to decide whether to read them again or start the new year fresh.sounds like me.

Sounds like me. In my two months in the hospital I ran up a big bill on my daughter's credit card and since I am pinned to my recliner now it continues.

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 11:37 AM (A5THL)

279 Isn't a hot spring more like CBD's sous vide?

Posted by: Ciampino - Close to homing at December 31, 2023 11:36 AM (qfLjt)

Bison-sized Sous Vide bags are really tough to find.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at December 31, 2023 11:38 AM (gSZYf)

280 Shenna is protecting "democracy" from a new hitler
http://tinyurl.com/hv3sb5df
Posted by: GOP sux at December 31, 2023 11:28 AM (Zzbjj)

Never again... unless we have to.
Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:35 AM (uzIqO)

OT, but Shenna Bellows looks exactly as you would expect.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at December 31, 2023 11:38 AM (8e0w3)

281 Agreed. The gun owner side US's population is the largest unorganized army ever. One could argue it's an easy 50 million self supporting motorized Infantry army.
----------
Are there that many Toyota pickup trucks in the U.S.?

http://tinyurl.com/ycabhw25
Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:34 AM (2yu8s)

They're driving the Hilux, which isn't available here. The question is though, how many Tacomas and Titans would you need, to defeat 50 million Hiluxes?

Half? Less than that? I mean, most of the Toyota trucks sold here are pretty well tricked out. I'd buy one, if I could get a 50 cal on the hood.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:39 AM (9CYbY)

282 The Ransom center in Austin has an exhibition on the long lives of old books The collection of important and not so important but loved and old books was great , especially the bindings and some of the art . It ends today; i should have shared this earlier!

Posted by: LASue at December 31, 2023 11:41 AM (pXTGA)

283 Register Smith Corona not Smith & Wesson!

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:41 AM (2yu8s)

284 Titan is made by Nissan. I think you meant Tundra there Norm.

Posted by: Cliff Clavin at December 31, 2023 11:41 AM (NBVIP)

285 OT, but Shenna Bellows looks exactly as you would expect.
Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at December 31, 2023 11:38 AM (8e0w3)

The Ur-Karen, indeed.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 11:42 AM (tkR6S)

286 OT, but Shenna Bellows looks exactly as you would expect.
Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at December 31, 2023 11:38 AM (8e0w3)

Shenna Bellows is a strange bad-bellows. Becoming a hitler, in order to save us from hitler.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:42 AM (amruZ)

287 Love the painting of the library at the top of the post. It reminds me of one of the libraries in my home town. It opened in the 1740s and IIRC it is the first library in the country built specifically for that purpose. It always felt like entering a small cathedral.

Posted by: JTB at December 31, 2023 11:43 AM (7EjX1)

288 Titan is made by Nissan. I think you meant Tundra there Norm.
Posted by: Cliff Clavin at December 31, 2023 11:41 AM (NBVIP)

I thought maybe I got that wrong, but I'm still on vacation.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:43 AM (ZaGfH)

289 Who names their kid Shenna?

Posted by: Karen McWinebox at December 31, 2023 11:44 AM (NBVIP)

290 I'd buy one, if I could get a 50 cal on the hood.
--------
Modern-day Rat Patrol!

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:44 AM (2yu8s)

291 I've never really understood detective stories especially murder mysteries. I always end up in a kind of Who cares? They're dead-type feeling. Why the commotion unless it's something really egregious. The vast majority of killings are by people who know each other and most often are dirtbags. I understand the social order aspect but otherwise most of the time it's Good Riddance. . . .

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023

***
Which is why I don't care much for most "realistic" cop stories. If they hew close to our reality, yes, it all seems pretty pointless, the kind of day-in-day-out sleaze that often leads cops to commit suicide. What I love is the classic murder mystery, the 1920s-1930s stuff by Ellery Queen and John Dickson Carr. The puzzle is the attraction, the struggle of wits between murderer and detective (and between writer and reader). When a writer like Queen or Carr wields a real thunderbolt for a surprise, but fairly clued, revelation, it's great.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:45 AM (omVj0)

292 Who names their kid Shenna?
----
A dyslexic Jungle Queen??

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:46 AM (2yu8s)

293 283 Register Smith Corona not Smith & Wesson!
Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s)

The Smith associated with Corona also made shotguns. The Smith tTower in Seattle was his originally.

Posted by: Rex B at December 31, 2023 11:46 AM (asZ+E)

294 Many thanxs Professor for each book thread. It is appreciated.

Posted by: Diogenes at December 31, 2023 11:46 AM (W/lyH)

295 Who names their kid Sheena? The Easton's,silly

Posted by: Ben Had at December 31, 2023 11:46 AM (I6hse)

296 The library in my original hometown had paintings you could check out. It was a very popular offering.

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:46 AM (43xH1)

297 Also on this: The classical mystery is not supposed to be realistic. John Dickson Carr was famous for his "locked room" puzzle stories. He was more interested in whether a story was exciting, and believable in the way humans react and interact. He admitted this; he once wrote in a review, complaining about the implausibility of some new writer's book, "For me to complain about implausibility is very like St. Vitus complaining about the Twist."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:47 AM (omVj0)

298 My Living Bible turned 50 on Christmas this year.

Posted by: Drive by at December 31, 2023 11:48 AM (MNhXM)

299 That short story you're thinking of is Larry Niven's "Cloak of Anarchy." In the future teleport disks have made roadways obsolete so the LA freeway is now a huge park where no laws apply -- except that anyone who tries to harm anyone else gets stunned by the ubiquitous "copseye" drones. Then some clever idealist figures out how to disable the drones so people can enjoy REAL anarchy . . . which turns into a nightmarish dystopia in about fifteen minutes. Niven once said he wrote it to explain to Jerry Pournelle why he wasn't a Libertarian.

Posted by: Trimegistus at December 31, 2023 11:49 AM (78a2H)

300 Also on this: The classical mystery is not supposed to be realistic. John Dickson Carr was famous for his "locked room" puzzle stories. He was more interested in whether a story was exciting, and believable in the way humans react and interact. He admitted this; he once wrote in a review, complaining about the implausibility of some new writer's book, "For me to complain about implausibility is very like St. Vitus complaining about the Twist."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:47 AM (omVj0)

Related, the Inspector Morse series had murders occurring in and around Oxford. If there were really that many murders happening there, you wouldn't have any perfessers left. Half would be dead, and the other half in prison.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:50 AM (SqvfN)

301 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:45 AM (omVj0)

The First 48 is addictive though.

Posted by: Drive by at December 31, 2023 11:50 AM (MNhXM)

302 298 My Living Bible turned 50 on Christmas this year.

Careful when you light the candles.

Posted by: And have a bucket of water nearby at December 31, 2023 11:50 AM (NBVIP)

303 Hahaha! That Carr quote is awesome

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:50 AM (43xH1)

304 Thanks for another splendiferous Book Thread, Perf!

And another happy year of reading to us all.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at December 31, 2023 11:50 AM (+RQPJ)

305 Shenna Bellows is a strange bad-bellows. Becoming a hitler, in order to save us from hitler.
Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:42 AM (amruZ)

LOL; I read that initially as strange bed-fellows, and thought yeah, that would be frightening. Thanks and Happy New Year to the Perfessor and all the posters who edjamacate me on books.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at December 31, 2023 11:51 AM (8e0w3)

306 The Smith associated with Corona also made shotguns. The Smith Tower in Seattle was his originally.
-----
Interesting.

BTW, when I checked out my spelling [I thought it was Smith & Corona because I remembered the psychic German neighbour in a parody mystery movie calling it 'Smit und Corona'], I see they no longer make typewriters of any kind.

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:51 AM (2yu8s)

307 Agreed. The gun owner side US's population is the largest unorganized army ever. One could argue it's an easy 50 million self supporting motorized Infantry army.
----------
Are there that many Toyota pickup trucks in the U.S.?
http://tinyurl.com/ycabhw25
Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:34 AM (2yu8s)

No, but there probably are that many F-150/Silverado/Ram trucks in the US, all with room for a gunrack in the back window.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at December 31, 2023 11:52 AM (yWvc2)

308 Made it through 46 books this year. About a third of them were books I had read before. (I'm counting them!) And about a third were recommendations from here. Appreciate it Horde!

Posted by: Diogenes at December 31, 2023 11:52 AM (W/lyH)

309 Niven once said he wrote it to explain to Jerry Pournelle why he wasn't a Libertarian.
-----
LOL.

Funny because it's true.

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:53 AM (2yu8s)

310 The talk about people thinking it's historically normal to wander around at night alone, yeah it's not. I've been told by horrified people when I inform them I often walk alone to the office in the middle of the night, "OMG! There might be some dangerous person out there with a gun!"

Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023 11:54 AM (43xH1)

311 No, but there probably are that many F-150/Silverado/Ram trucks in the US, all with room for a gunrack in the back window.
Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at December 31, 2023 11:52 AM (yWvc2)

But they'd be breaking down all the time, rendering the movement of the Toyotas substantially more difficult. Thankfully, the Toyotas have excellent off-road capabilities, where no one would be foolish enough to take a Frod or Dudge or Chitvy.

Posted by: BurtTC at December 31, 2023 11:55 AM (biRla)

312 Rainy Day Women ♯12 & 35

President of Burundi Calls on Citizens to Stone Gay People

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 11:55 AM (FVME7)

313 Made it through 46 books this year. About a third of them were books I had read before. (I'm counting them!) And about a third were recommendations from here. Appreciate it Horde!
Posted by: Diogenes at December 31, 2023 11:52 AM (W/ly

I remember when the Left as usual railed on the book reading contest between Bush and Rove and then tried to make us believe Obama was well read by doing staged photographs of him carrying a book. Damn I hate the Left .

Posted by: Drive by at December 31, 2023 11:55 AM (MNhXM)

314 Who names their kid Shenna?

Someone who doesn't want their daughter to grow up and become a Karen

Posted by: p0indexterous at December 31, 2023 11:56 AM (QBwMV)

315 Hahaha! That Carr quote is awesome
Posted by: LenNeal at December 31, 2023

***
Carr had a distinct sense of humor. He once referred to Hitler's V-2 rockets as "little drolleries, part of [Hitler's] inexhaustible sense of humor." And there is often unexpected comedy in his novels. Dr. Gideon Fell, his main detective, was modeled on G.K. Chesterton. In one story Carr describes Fell as swaying gently as he stood on his two canes, "like a tethered elephant." And like his creator Fell detests mathematics. "He glared at his salad as if expecting to see a binomial theorem lurking in the lettuce."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 11:56 AM (omVj0)

316 OT: Four Houthi gunboats attacked a Maersk cargo ship off Yemen this morning. Seahawks from the Eisenhower sank three of them and the fourth one ran away.

Posted by: Meade Lux Lewis, Domestic Terrorist at December 31, 2023 11:57 AM (woPEM)

317 Are there that many Toyota pickup trucks in the U.S.?
http://tinyurl.com/ycabhw25
Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:34 AM (2yu8s)

No, but there probably are that many F-150/Silverado/Ram trucks in the US, all with room for a gunrack in the back window.
Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at December 31, 2023 11:52 AM (yWvc2)

I would hazard a guess that the Toyota Hilux "technicals" are only effective against unarmed or under-armed villagers. and not near-peer or superior-armed opponents.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 11:57 AM (tkR6S)

318 The first one of my Christmas books I've finished is Adam Frank's _The Little Book of Aliens_. Frank is an astronomer, involved in searching for "technosignatures" on exoplanets, so he knows what he's talking about. The book looks at both the history of SETI and the parallel growth of the UFO phenomenon. Frank thinks "UAPs" deserve serious study, though he's pretty damned sure they aren't alien spaceships.

Overall, a good book, especially as an introduction to the topic for non-scientists. Recommended.

Posted by: Trimegistus at December 31, 2023 11:59 AM (78a2H)

319 That short story you're thinking of is Larry Niven's "Cloak of Anarchy." In the future teleport disks have made roadways obsolete so the LA freeway is now a huge park where no laws apply -- except that anyone who tries to harm anyone else gets stunned by the ubiquitous "copseye" drones. Then some clever idealist figures out how to disable the drones so people can enjoy REAL anarchy . . . which turns into a nightmarish dystopia in about fifteen minutes. . . .
Posted by: Trimegistus at December 31, 2023

***
That's right, and I'm surprised at myself (a big Niven fan) for not recognizing it from Jim's description.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 12:00 PM (omVj0)

320 Wars and murders become more enjoyable the further away they are from you.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024 at December 31, 2023 12:00 PM (FVME7)

321 When danger reared its ugly head it bravely turned its tail and fled.

Posted by: Brave Brave Sir Gunboat at December 31, 2023 12:01 PM (NBVIP)

322 We haz a NOOD

Posted by: Skip at December 31, 2023 12:01 PM (cL4jw)

323 I would hazard a guess that the Toyota Hilux "technicals" are only effective against unarmed or under-armed villagers. and not near-peer or superior-armed opponents.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 11:57 AM (tkR6S)

What was the up armored truck that South African courier was driving when he and his partner were attacked by road bandits? That was one intense video. I want that truck.

Posted by: Drive by at December 31, 2023 12:01 PM (MNhXM)

324 320 Wars and murders become more enjoyable the further away they are from you.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter 2024

***
Medical crises and diseases too. I once found Berton Rouche's stories of medical detection fascinating and could read about smallpox, anthrax, rabies, and carbon tet poisoning without a qualm. As I soar above 29, though, medical stuff is kind of disturbing (unless there is sparkling dialog and gorgeous women as in the TV series House).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at December 31, 2023 12:04 PM (omVj0)

325 If you are interested in the not so common Continental Op stories that are mostly not reprinted, there are facsimiles of the Black Mask stories on archive.com

The Tenth Clew and Eight Other Continental Op Stories

http://tinyurl.com/jv4e6bbh

Posted by: Kindltot at December 31, 2023 12:04 PM (D7oie)

326 I would hazard a guess that the Toyota Hilux "technicals" are only effective against unarmed or under-armed villagers. and not near-peer or superior-armed opponents.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 31, 2023 11:57 AM (tkR6S)

Yep. See also the fate of Jackie Fisher's "battle cruisers" at the Battle of Jutland. Wading in with a big gun and no armor against someone who has a big and and armor is a losing proposition.

Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at December 31, 2023 12:05 PM (yWvc2)

327 317 Are there that many Toyota pickup trucks in the U.S.?
http://tinyurl.com/ycabhw25
Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 11:34 AM (2yu8s)

No, but there probably are that many F-150/Silverado/Ram trucks in the US, all with room for a gunrack in the back window.
Posted by: Idaho Spudboy at December 31, 2023 11:52 AM (yWvc2)

I once read an article in a car magazine that said there were more F-150s sold in the US than all other trucks combined

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 12:05 PM (A5THL)

328 RE: Christmas: The Rest of the Story

I think most folks picture carpenters Joseph and Jesus making furniture.

I read something persuasive a few years ago (forgot the name) which suggested that they likely made window frames, not tables & chairs. Apparently window frames required more skill & were more lucrative.

Posted by: mnw at December 31, 2023 12:06 PM (NLIak)

329 Whodathunk it would take the barbarians so long to destroy an empire?

It took the Church of Rome close to 1800 years to convince all its young scholars that empire was the natural state of man, and that The Empire were the good guys. They're still hard at it.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 12:07 PM (FCs/J)

330 If there were really that many murders happening there, you wouldn't have any perfessers left.

Cambridge was founded in 1209 by scholars fleeing a murder investigation in Oxford. Three of them were hanged for it. So...

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at December 31, 2023 12:12 PM (FCs/J)

331 I would hazard a guess that the Toyota Hilux "technicals" are only effective against unarmed or under-armed villagers. and not near-peer or superior-armed opponents.
-----
You think the Boyz in the Hood will have APCs??

Posted by: andycanuck (2yu8s) at December 31, 2023 12:13 PM (2yu8s)

332 (snif)

I knew I'd be back too late for the Book Thread.

(kicks dirt)

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 31, 2023 12:45 PM (Angsy)

333 My condolences also to Weak Geek. We also lost my father the day after Christmas; sudden illness, emergency operation, failure to recover from it. His death put a damper on the holiday season for about a decade afterwards.
I've been lazy, reading-wise. Going through all my Robert Barnard mysteries, which I hadn't read in so long that I have forgotten who most of the murderers were...

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at December 31, 2023 12:59 PM (xnmPy)

334 I remember when the Left as usual railed on the book reading contest between Bush and Rove and then tried to make us believe Obama was well read by doing staged photographs of him carrying a book. Damn I hate the Left .
Posted by: Drive by at December 31, 2023 11:55 AM (MNhXM)

Much like how Mao railed against reading, telling his followers that they shouldn’t be too “bookish”, yet he himself was a voracious reader. The Left is all the same.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at December 31, 2023 01:08 PM (Q9bls)

335 Concur. When each State goes their own way the States will be able to deter any foreign "invasions".

The federales standing "army" only ensures endless wars, foreign adventures, rape, kick backs, bribes, cost overruns, fruit salad collectors and rape.

They don't even protect us now against the illegal invaders so get rid of them.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy at December 31, 2023 11:08 AM (R/m4+)

I’m old enough to remember when conservatives didn’t ache for a whiny, toothless America.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at December 31, 2023 01:10 PM (Q9bls)

336 in regards to angels and their various manifestations (no, i'm not going to reference the movie michael), there is a nabokov short story titled "wingstroke" that contains some (unsurprisingly) richly worded descriptions.

Posted by: cmeat at December 31, 2023 01:12 PM (QBEAD)

337 The Erikson Malazan series peaks in book 2. After that, it’s a long slow slide.
I quit after book 7. By that time, it had become a screed against Christianity and Capitalism. (Although the author strawmans them both so badly that they have little relation to the actual things, So YMMV. But he does try to rub what he’s doing in your face, so probably not.)

Posted by: Luke at December 31, 2023 01:14 PM (LcCGY)

338 Hello all! I used to frequent to be a regular reader and infrequent commenter here at the book thread, but then for several years I didn't have time for much reading and the book thread just make me feel guilty. Back in March I started listening to audiobooks, and then has got me back to reading physical books as well, so I hope to be a more frequent lurker and commenter going forward.

As for identifying my TBR, I used to keep all the books I had read and wanted to keep on one side of my wall o' books, and all of my TBR on the other side, but then one day I decided to combine everything and organize by category - fiction, poetry, spiritual, memoirs/biography, and nonfiction. I thought for sure I'd remember which books I've read and which I haven't, but that isn't always true. I have way too many books, so once I've read a book I put it in the donate pile unless I think I'll want to reread it.

Audiobooks have really made a difference for me. Right now I'm trying to clear out my TBR by listening to the audiobook if it's available through my library. This year I was able to read/listen to over 50 books from my stack. Listening to a good audiobook is a bit like a theater experience.

Posted by: Biancaneve at December 31, 2023 01:47 PM (q7VIy)

339 I am currently reading Fehrenbach's "This Kind of War." It is about he Korean War, sorry, "Police Action." The description of a civilianized, inadequately armed and trained army getting the stuffing kicked out of it by the Norks and Red Chinese seems eerily prescient. I don't think we will have the time or will to turn things around the next time. We will end upas an open satrapy of the CCP. Glad I'm 29+ and won't live under it for too long.

Posted by: butch at December 31, 2023 02:47 PM (50gwd)

340 "As a child, I enjoyed The Unknown Soldier. A soldier, whose face had been destroyed in battle..."

Unknown Soldier was pure badass.

Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at December 31, 2023 03:01 PM (5YmYl)

341 Mark Ferrari is also a spectacular SF artist.

Posted by: TB at December 31, 2023 03:22 PM (C5VP2)

342 Sorry I’m late. Mass, then the Niners we’re playing.

As for reading, lots of short stories, especially by Sarah Hoyt. “The Book of Joby” looks intriguing: God, Lucifer, AND King Arthur’s knights? Count me intrigued! Now, to find a copy…

Posted by: March Hare at December 31, 2023 04:16 PM (WOU9P)

343 342 Sorry I’m late. Mass, then the Niners we’re playing.

As for reading, lots of short stories, especially by Sarah Hoyt. “The Book of Joby” looks intriguing: God, Lucifer, AND King Arthur’s knights? Count me intrigued! Now, to find a copy…

Posted by: March Hare at December 31, 2023 04:16 PM (WOU9P) `

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 04:53 PM (A5THL)

344 343 342 Sorry I’m late. Mass, then the Niners we’re playing.

As for reading, lots of short stories, especially by Sarah Hoyt. “The Book of Joby” looks intriguing: God, Lucifer, AND King Arthur’s knights? Count me intrigued! Now, to find a copy…

Posted by: March Hare at December 31, 2023 04:16 PM (WOU9P) `

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 04:53 PM (A5THL)

Amazon has it. 12.99 For the kindell.

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 04:54 PM (A5THL)

345 Was Joseph a decently well-off, high-demand carpenter, or was he a poor man?

Joseph & Mary take the baby Jesus to the temple to present Him to God. The Law requires the sacrifice of a lamb and a pigeon, if one could afford it; two doves or two pigeons if that's all one could afford.

"And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
-- Luke 2:24

Conclusion: Joseph was not wealthy.

Posted by: LCMS Rulz! at December 31, 2023 05:23 PM (TOe+Q)

346 Thanks, vic. I was able to order a copy through inter-library loan—which means it won’t languish on my TBR pile!

Posted by: March Hare at December 31, 2023 06:31 PM (WOU9P)

347 346 Thanks, vic. I was able to order a copy through inter-library loan—which means it won’t languish on my TBR pile!

Posted by: March Hare at December 31, 2023 06:31 PM (WOU9P)

I would have bought the kindle version if it had been reasonably priced.

Posted by: vic at December 31, 2023 06:41 PM (A5THL)

348 -Dash my lace wigs
I had 9 wolfhounds over the years. They could kill a pack of wolves or a bull, but put a shock collar on one and they would break your heart with a look of "How could you have done this to me?" Only did it once. This was after I had a Malamute/Chesapeake bay retriever cross. It would look at you and bark until it wore out the collar batteries, then lick the cayenne pepper paste off of the kennel 2x4s and proceed to eat the wood. Just finishing Ordinary Monsters. Good book, thumbs up.

Posted by: Diana Pool at January 01, 2024 05:55 PM (0nnuA)

349 My periodic re-reads include the LOTR series, Zelazny Amber series and Lord of Light, as well as TH White's Once and Future King.

Posted by: Diana Pool at January 01, 2024 05:57 PM (0nnuA)

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