Sunday Morning Book Thread - 3-2-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading. 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...

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

MIGHTY MEGA MORON REVIEWS

Several Morons sent me some book reviews for your enjoyment. Let's get started!

First up, we have this contribution from OrangeEnt:

A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

A Journey to the Center of the Earth begins likewise as Around the World. We get a description of the main character, Professor von Hardwigg. Superficially, he seems the same as Phileas Fogg: imperious, know-it-all, sure of everything he says is correct. The idea of the journey is impetuous, as Fogg's,
because of a parchment containing runes found by the Professor, supposedly from a seventeenth-century scientist named Arne Saknussemm claiming he made it to the center of the earth. Hardwigg dragoons his nephew, the narrator of the story, Harry, playing the part of Passepartout, into the journey.

It takes a few chapters to start the journey. Iceland is their starting point, the extinct volcano, Mount Sneffels, taking along an Icelandic guide, Hans, who saves them many times. There's a lot of talk between the characters about the theories of how the earth is full of subterranean tunnels crossing the planet. Hardwigg dismisses the idea of crust, mantle, and cores, preferring the tunnel theory.

They traverse tunnels for miles and almost run out of food and water. They only speak of this whenever it's necessary to add excitement to the plot. It's a lot of wandering until over halfway through the story when they actually find something under the surface. They come to a huge subterranean lake that seems to go on for miles. Hans creates a raft from petrified trees, and during the sailing, they find sea
creatures, get caught in a fight between two, then find themselves in a storm that throws them back where they think they started from. The Professor and Harry explore the area and find mastodons and a very large human. They run away, and stumble on Saknussemm's initials scrawled on a tunnel. They go down the tunnel until they reach a granite boulder blocking their path. Harry suggests they blow it up to clear the passage. They get on their raft before Harry sets off the explosion. It opens a pit that causes the sea to drain into the pit and hurtles them down further into it until they find themselves rising in hot water. Professor Hardwigg determines they're now above lava, heading to the surface. They get blown out of a side fissure of a volcano that turns out to be Etna. They return home to great acclaim.

Obviously the science of Verne's time is wrong, as expounded by Hardwigg, but it's an adventure story, not a textbook. It's still an enjoyable read, although
coincidence—and Hans' abilities—always save the day. Just as in Around the World. Recommended if you like adventures.

One note: apparently my version has different names for the characters, but the source says it was from the original text as published in 1864.

--OrangeEnt

Next up, we have this even lengthier review sent to me by CharlieBrown'sDildo. You can find the source article at The Epoch Times, but you have to provide an email address if you want to read it (unless you already have access, I suppose.). If you want to read this book, it's available for free on Project Gutenberg.

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

A Children's Book of Wonder: 'The Princess and the Goblin'

By Walker Larson

"Of all the stories I have read ... it remains the most real, the most realistic, in the exact sense of the phrase the most like life," said British writer G.K. Chesterton about "The Princess and the Goblin." These are surprising words to describe a children's fantasy novel, yet Chesterton, as was so often the case, saw past the surface of the work to its inner depths.

"The Princess and the Goblin," despite its otherworldly setting and fantastical creatures, contains a certain realism: the realism of universal spiritual truths at the center of our lives. The delightful novel provides young readers (and old ones) with a well-balanced mixture of wit, wisdom, and wonder.

Chesterton wasn't the only one inspired by George MacDonald's writing. The Scottish writer and Christian minister is sometimes considered the father of modern fantasy. His imaginative, mystical books influenced such fantasy titans as Lewis Carroll, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien. He also wrote theological works, and his novels contain traces of theological speculation.

Larson provides a summary of the story, which is about an 8-year-old girl who lives in an ancient castle, under which a race of goblins schemes to abduct the girl for their own purposes. Irene's only allies are a young miner boy, Curdie, and her great-great-grandmother, who teaches Irene to experience wonder as she never has before.

Larson is struck by the sheer *wonder* evoked by MacDonald's use of language in this story. MacDonald is able to transform mundane objects, such as staircases and cellars into beautiful things that transcend Irene's everyday experiences. "[T]he child reader begins to see his own home as a place where adventure could be waiting around any corner" (Larson, 2025).

The other central theme pointed out by Larson is that MacDonald's story reinforces the idea that evil and good are in constant struggle all around us, through our ordinary habits and ordinary activities. It's how we respond to good and evil in that fashion that reveals our character. MacDonald, according to Larson, believed that "royal status had much more to do with being courageous, kind, honest, and the like, than it did with bloodline." This theme shows up consistently in fantasy literature again and again and again, as heroes of humble birth stride forth to defeat evil, and end up ruling a nation at the end, beloved by those they've saved.

Moron DL sent me the following message about military science fiction author John Ringo. I've included one of his books as a representative example below, though most of his books are highly recommended by DL:

Looking Glass Book 1 - Into the Looking Glass by John Ringo

I nominate JOHN RINGO, for the Sunday Morning Book Thread.

He's a veteran of the US Army (82nd Airborne), and an outstanding SciFi and MilFi author... Outstanding.

His Paladin of Shadows series was a brisk and entertaining read, as was his March Upcountry series... He is probably best known for the Legacy of the Aldenata series, all 12 books, but his MOST entertaining writing is the Looking Glass series. SciFi with a firm tongue-in-cheek homage to pop-culture, of various cultures...

I first encountered him in Keith Laumer's Bolo universe, and sought out his particular writing not long after... I recommend most any of his books, but most frequently, Through the Looking Glass, to anyone who reads SciFi or Fantasy.

He has an excellent sense of humor, and some of his contemporaneous writing - X and such - has been featured on AoSHQ as recently as this past weekend.

If he's not already a Friend of the Blog, like VDH, he is also worthy of an invitation, but mostly, you should feature him on the book thread, for others to enjoy.

His author home page, and self-description:
Ringo's Tavern

"Experience Fiction through Military Eyes"

John Ringo is a bestselling author and veteran of the 82nd Airborne, Ringo's Tavern brings a unique blend of military knowledge and storytelling to readers
Core Values: Action, Carnage, Epic Battles

His substack, and description:

John Ringo SF Author

SF Author. Veteran. Libertarian conservative. Author of over 30 novels, 50 plus books, multiple Bestseller lists. This is where I explore. So, if you're ready for finished and polished...

Finally, we have my own contribution below:

Star Wars - The New Jedi Order

In 1991, Lucasfilm released a new Star Wars novel by Timothy Zahn, Heir to the Empire, the first novel in a three-book cycle. It's now officially The Thrawn Trilogy, but at the time the series did not have a name (I'm not making that up--Dark Force Rising says "Volume 2 of a Three-Book Cycle"). Thanks to the success of this book and its sequels, Lucasfilm realized it now had a license to print money, so numerous books in the overall Star Wars saga were released in the 1990s. However, Lucasfilm realized that its stories were becoming a bit stale and predictable, with the constant proliferation of increasingly ludicrous superweapons in many of their storylines.

When Lucasfilm switched publishers from Bantam Spectra to Ballantine Del Rey, they opted to take the Star Wars franchise in a new and different direction. The New Jedi Order series was designed to significantly expand the Star Wars universe, taking place approximately 25 years after A New Hope. During that time, an entire generation of characters has grown up under the New Republic and the restoration of the Jedi Order under the leadership of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, including the children of Han and Leia Solo.

You can go read past installments of the Sunday Morning Book Thread for details on the overall storyline. The basic story follows Luke and Mara Skywalker, Han and Leia Solo, and their children Jacen, Jaina, and Anakin as they battle the destructive Yuuzhan Vong, who have invaded the galaxy, determined to conquer it for their own insidious purposes.

Is this great literature? No, of course not. It's all derived from a single blockbuster movie from 1977.

Is it a good space opera? Yes, I think so.

The series does have its flaws, of course. Many of the characters make monumentally stupid decisions from time to time in order to serve the plot. Especially when you KNOW the characters are smarter than that. It can be a painful slog to read through those sections, knowing that an intelligent person would make different decisions.

The sheer scale of the the galaxy is also minimized, as it seems like characters flit from planet to planet effortlessly. Traveling within a system seems to take moments and even as characters explore the Unknown Regions, it seems almost *too* easy. Contrived coincidence rules the day as characters just *happen* to show up at the same world for the same conflict, even if they were on entirely different missions.

However, I still enjoyed it tremendously. I thought the writers handled the horrors of war with appropriate gravitas for the most part. There are some uncomfortable scenes to read through as a young men and women are subjected to horrific tortures by their captors, but that's realistic when dealing with enemies as brutal as the Yuuzhan Vong. The deaths of significant characters are handled quite well, as Han struggles to deal with his grief over losing his best friend, holding his son Anakin responsible for a time. Anakin has to deal with his own guilt of leaving Chewbacca behind to die. LOTS of characters suffer PTSD throughout the story as the war drags on.

The authors had an ambitious challenge to face when writing this story. It was originally supposed to last for 30 novels or more, but due to time constraints, they had to cram it into 19 books instead, which I think is for the best. There's very little padding. One way to look at this series is as a 5-year television story arc in novel form. That's very much how it reads. The pacing and structure is quite similar to what you would find in a high-quality science fiction televion series like Babylon 5 or Farscape. The fact that 13 authors were involved also means that there was little risk of the stories becoming too formulaic. Although the stories had to weave together, authors could take characters in interesting directions. For example, the Agents of Chaos subseries follows Han Solo as he goes on his own quest while grieving Chewbacca's death. Dark Journey is a "breather episode" focusing on Jaina and her relationship with Leia after the traumatic events of Star by Star. The standalone novel Traitor explores Jacen's captivity by the Yuuzhan Vong and his indoctrination by Vergere, which has serious repercussions for the following series Legacy of the Force.

For the project leads and the authors, this was a grand adventure for them, but I think it really did enhance the Star Wars universe, giving us fans exciting new stories set in one of our favorite universes.

BOOKS BY MORONS - UPDATE!

Moron author John Racoosin, who was featured here early in my tenure as the curator of the Sunday Morning Book Thread, has an updated version of his book for you!

Hello All!!

This is to announce the 2nd edition of Combat Engineer, my book about my grandfather, H. Wallis Anderson. I think everyone knew I was working on this.

It is now up and available on Amazon.

Reasons for publishing this 2nd edition?

• Fix errors. Too many in the original, which I rushed through for a variety of reasons, not least of which was working on a schedule, etc. This edition is self-published.


• Add new primary and secondary material. Research never ends. I even recently came across some new material, but, with massive self-restraint (Ha!) and empathy for my wonderful designer/preparer, Vickie, I decided to go ahead and launch this one, sans one tiny addition.


• Improved formatting and layout, and cleaned up some rough passages and phrases.


• A couple essays at the end, just because.

All told, I'd estimate about a 10% change. (Germany still loses).

Oh, and only paperback, no hardcover. And a Library of Congress number (the original didn't).

Welcome comments and observations, from all.

Cheers,

John

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

I'm finishing Dean Koontz's 1981 The Mask and finding it un-exciting. I think we're finally going to be told by one of the characters what the cause behind all of the supernatural goings-on is. Koontz also seems to have this thing where all of his major characters, male or female, are hyper-talented -- English professors who are also novelists and do charity work; psychiatrists who find time to lecture, contribute to charities, do postdoctoral work on autism, do needlepoint, and tend a vegetable garden. Certainly it's better than reading about losers who do very little with their lives, but I feel exhausted just reading their accomplishments.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 23, 2025 10:20 AM (omVj0)

Comment: I will agree that Koontz's characters can seem unrealistic. I've noticed that a lof of them tend to live a self-sufficient lifestyle with no real need to work once Koontz has established their character. Even Odd Thomas, a fry cook, seems to get by without having to work much, though he's a hyper-talented fry cook who makes the best pancakes ever. I still enjoy most of Koontz's stories.

I should have read this book last week, when the snow was falling. That's because "Slippery" Jim diGriz spends a lot of time on a planet of endless snowfall in "The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!" by Harry Harrison.

He didn't expect to wind up there. His assignment was to disrupt a planned massacre of humanity by an alien coalition. But strings are being pulled ...

HH puts his opinions into these stories through Slippery Jim, and that annoys me. In the first book, he asserts that Heaven doesn't exist. This time, diGriz speaks against capital punishment, declaring that it isn't a deterrent. I wonder whether HH got letters about that.

Posted by: Weak Geek at February 23, 2025 09:08 AM (p/isN)

Comment: Yeah, it's pretty obvious that "Slippery Jim" DiGriz shares the opinions of his writer. I don't know much about Harry Harrison the person, but I suspect he was a "classical liberal" like a lot of his contemporary science fiction authors. "Slippery Jim" is meant to be a rebel against The System in place at the time (the books were written in the 1970s and '80s for the most part). I still enjoy them.

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

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.

Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Book 6 - The Heart of the Mountain by Larry Correia

I know I've mentioned this before, but this series really is a Bollywood epic fantasy story with fewer spontaneous musical dance numbers. Both the heroes and villains are larger than life, capable of astonishing superhuman feats. This is the final volume in the series. The demons--who normally live in the sea--have discovered a perceived weakness in their human prey and are now attacking them through underground rivers and streams in the heart of the human cities. Humans are nearly powerless to resist them. However, humans have discovered the lost art of firearms and have decided that most problems can be resolved by judicious application of overwhelming firepower, which is a frequent theme in Larry Correia's books. If at first you don't succeed, shoot it again.

The First King of Shannara by Terry Brooks

This is the prequel that should never have been written. Although I have no evidence to back up my suspicions, it seems to me that Brooks was pressured into writing this story by his publisher. I could tell that his heart really wasn't in it.

This story tells the tale of how the Sword of Shannara was created and used in the Second War of the Races to defeat the Warlock Lord. In other words, this is simply fleshing out the backstory that was already told to us in the The Sword of Shannara.

Most of the story is told through exposition. There is very, very little dialog that helps establish the characters and their relationships to one another. There is also very, very little character development, especially compared to most of Brooks' other entries in the Shannara series, which rely *heavily* on character development. Brooks also throws in quite a bit of nostalgia-bait and "member berries" throughout the story. Remember Panamon Creel and Padishar Creel from the previous stories? It turns out their great-great-grandpappy was the one who forged the Sword! Remember Allanon the Druid, the supreme badass from the first three books? Well, he was a prodigy from the time he was a young boy! Remember the Black Elfstone? Here's a pointless sidequest where the characters have to retrieve it for no reason whatsoever!

It just was not a good book in many ways. It was entertaining enough to keep me moving through the story, but I know Brooks can write much better, because his earlier Shannara books are much, much better (Elfstones is one of my all-time favorites).

The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock

Before Christopher Nolan directed Inception, Michael Moorcock wrote this book, about a young woman who is placed in a coma through sorcery and who can only be wakened by dreamthieves stealing into her mind to rescue her and thereby find the location of the mysterious Fortress of the Pearl. Elric of Melniboné is recruited by an evil politician who hopes to gain the treasure to secure his place in the city government. He meets an actual dreamthief who can help him accomplish his goal and free Elric from the curse the politician placed on him to secure Elric's cooperation. Then Elric will be free to unleash his vengeance. The Black Sword Stormbringer, the stealer of souls, is always hungry...

I found this book interesting because I can clearly see shades of both Lord Dunsany and H.P. Lovecraft in this tale. The landscape of dreams features prominently in fantasy literature, as a place of both wonder and terror. Sometimes it's a manifestation--or reflection--of our own soul. Entering the dreams of another person is always fraught with danger.

The Sunset Warrior by Eric Van Lustbader

Deep in the frozen bowels of a far-future earth, the remnants of humanity struggle to survive, but have forgotten much of the ancient lore that keeps their machinery running. Now the planet is finally dying for good. Meanwhile, a dark force is stirring in the even deeper earth....

The setting reminds me of a combination of The Matrix and Fallout, where humans are driven deep into the earth while the planet above them has been destroyed by humanity's hubris and folly.

The characters are "meh." You aren't given a whole lot of reasons to care about them and the worldbuilding is fairly sparse, so it's hard to really understand what's going on most of the time. Michael Moorcock is better at this type of story.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 2-23-2025 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.

Disclaimer: No Morons were physically harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Zombie kitties don't purr...

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 I saw by the clock the thread was about to start. And I was just about to enter Gutman's hotel room after taking Wilmer's guns.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:01 AM (0eaVi)

2 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:01 AM (fwDg9)

3 I saw by the clock the thread was about to start. And I was just about to enter Gutman's hotel room after taking Wilmer's guns.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:01 AM (0eaVi)
---
heh. Sounds like the beginning of an Agatha Christie mystery...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:01 AM (BpYfr)

4 Those pants? I seem to recall Zsa Zsz Gabor having pants like that. But with cats. They said "do you want to pet my pussy?"

Or, was that Mrs. Slocumbe?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:02 AM (0eaVi)

5 >> (Germany still loses).

Spoiler alert! Jeeze!

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 02, 2025 09:03 AM (l3YAf)

6 Got a roundabout
Anyway found the book been looking for about the 1825 Decembrists
The First Russian Revolution, the 1825 Decembrists by Susanna Rabow-Edling. Have it on pre-order and will get it on Kindle Friday.
Won't have anytime to read before then anyway.

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:03 AM (fwDg9)

7 Top Ten?

Posted by: vivi at March 02, 2025 09:04 AM (Egz6Y)

8 It's Book O'clock!

The cat saw me focusing on my screen and jumped in my lap. She knows it's the Book Thread.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:05 AM (kpS4V)

9 I liked the Combat Engineer book, my FiL was a D-Day vet in a Engineer battalion so been very interested to add anything that might bring the picture what they did.

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:06 AM (fwDg9)

10 The cat saw me focusing on my screen and jumped in my lap. She knows it's the Book Thread.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:05 AM (kpS4V)
---
Does she like to play "literary critic" by sitting on the books while you try to read them?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:06 AM (BpYfr)

11 Booken morgen horden!

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:06 AM (OTdqV)

12 Not much reading this week.

Never got around to Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series, but one of his others, Bill the Galactic Hero, was a favorite of mine in my teenage sf fan years. And that sucker still holds up. To this day, I can't read the pages introducing Deathwish Drang without laughing.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 09:07 AM (q3u5l)

13 Oh, and...

Morning, Perfessor.

Howdy, Horde.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 09:07 AM (q3u5l)

14 "I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom" by Jason Pargin, aka David Wong, author of "John Dies At The End", is a departure from his usual comic cosmic horror stories. It's more social satire, philosophical ramblings, and dueling polemics. Funny, but also kind of exhausting.

Abbott is a sad sack Lyft driver still living at home with his disapproving father. He's also a Twitch streamer with a minor following. He gets a call to pick up a young woman who needs to transport a large locked black box across the country to the DC area. Cash, no phones, no questions asked. She convinces a very reluctant Abbott with a fat stack of bills that will give him the freedom to move out and begin anew. He knows it's a bad idea. "Jesus, this woman's red flags could supply a Communist parade."

The box has what looks like a radiation sticker on it (it's just a band logo). A stranger spots it at a gas station and posts it online, and this, coupled with Abbott's enigmatic last message on Twitch, starts a bizarre conspiracy spiral on the internet. They're soon tailed by crooks, FBI, Abbott's dad, and others.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:08 AM (kpS4V)

15 Last week I listened to + read to The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward.

It was recommended by a number of the horde on previous threads, but it's not really to my taste.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:08 AM (OTdqV)

16 "The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!" seemed to be coming in for a landing ,,,

and then the story took one final go-round that it easily could have skipped.

I think Harry Harrison threw in the final chapters just to use a groaner of a pun: The director of the planetary league's Morality Corps is Jay Hovah.

Yeah, groan.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 02, 2025 09:09 AM (p/isN)

17 Does she like to play "literary critic" by sitting on the books while you try to read them?
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:06 AM (BpYfr)
-----

Yes. And philosopher. "You should live in the present moment, and rub mah tummay."

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:10 AM (kpS4V)

18 I didnt get to that book to my recollection

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at March 02, 2025 09:11 AM (dJR17)

19 The box has what looks like a radiation sticker on it (it's just a band logo). A stranger spots it at a gas station and posts it online, and this, coupled with Abbott's enigmatic last message on Twitch, starts a bizarre conspiracy spiral on the internet. They're soon tailed by crooks, FBI, Abbott's dad, and others.

Posted by: All Hail Eris



Those 1930s hard boiled stories are classic.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 02, 2025 09:11 AM (1NJ7X)

20 I picked up a couple of cool books last week. I follow Batman scribe Chuck Dixon on Facebook and he had a surprise sale on his Conan books, The Siege of the Black Citadel and The Caravan of the Damned. Each sells for a a pretty penny on the secondary market, but I got both books, signed and with a sketch of Conan, for just $25!

Posted by: Josephistan at March 02, 2025 09:12 AM (bHGBC)

21 My favorite quote from the book, which I felt to my core:

"Ah, okay, thought Abbott. So this wasn't happening after all. He felt a weight roll off him, the exquisite relief of canceled plans that extroverts will never know."

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:12 AM (kpS4V)

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

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 09:12 AM (yTvNw)

23 I saw by the clock the thread was about to start. And I was just about to enter Gutman's hotel room after taking Wilmer's guns.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:01 AM (0eaVi)

Maltese Falcon.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 02, 2025 09:12 AM (D7oie)

24 I had the opportunity this week to read Jon Gabriel's Sink the Rising Sun, a WW2 submariner story. Gabriel is a very interesting dude: of Finnish descent, he embodies sisu in all of it's sheer bloody-minded glory. A former US Navy submariner and nuclear reactor operator, he is a columnist for Arizona Republic and Discourse. He's also a fan of the Stoics and is an Eastern Orthodox Christian. On X as @exjon, he's also very funny, occasionally with wit so dry you could finish off your martini with it.

All of this author info is provided to give a flavor of what to expect from the book: this is Master and Commander for WW2 subs. Life in the Navy and underseas, tracking and killing Japanese tonnage are all covered in glorious and thrilling detail, but it is the philosophy of the stoic commander, and the development of officers and gentlemen, that really makes this book a page-turner. One Sunday afternoon read, just could not put it down.
5/5 Trumps with a bonus LittleX.

Posted by: Candidus at March 02, 2025 09:13 AM (+vLiZ)

25 Good Sunday morning, horde!

I thought I mead read some non-fiction this week, but I didn't.

I came across Housekeeping, by Marilyn Robinson. I saw this in movie form a couple of decades ago, and loved it. The book is just as good.

A pair of sisters were dropped off at their grandmother's house in the middle of Idaho, and their mother abandoned them there. A series of relatives raised them until a long-missing aunt was contacted and pressed into taking care of them. This is 1940s or 1950s era. The aunt was a quirky transient, and had some difficulty conforming to social expectations.

It's a poignant and often funny story, touching on mental health, social rules, loss, family, good stuff.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 09:13 AM (OX9vb)

26 Those 1930s hard boiled stories are classic.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 02, 2025 09:11 AM (1NJ7X)

Heh.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:13 AM (kpS4V)

27 A Journey to the Center of the Earth sucked.

Posted by: Gertrude at March 02, 2025 09:13 AM (vFG9F)

28 Let me guess aliens!

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at March 02, 2025 09:13 AM (dJR17)

29 Love the review up top! Fun trivia - the father of Alexander Dumas, who was the real life Napoleonic War hero whose life Alexander idealized in all of his works, was half black. You can see Alexander’s heritage clearly if you look up a picture of him.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 02, 2025 09:14 AM (SSRw1)

30 I’d like to know what genre of books are people’s favorite.

At one time the spy novel was my favorite and then I moved to historic based fiction along with autobiographies.

That said I like a number of books in every genre , like music, but I usually only read them off strong recommendations. Like Armor by John Steakley. (I’m not a Sci Fi reader)

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:14 AM (VofaG)

31 I think John Ringo has a new book forthcoming "Not that kind of good guy"
Bawn is selling the eArc so that usually means the publiication date is next month probably?

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:15 AM (OTdqV)

32 It's been cold and snowy here as casa del Castle Guy, which reminded me that I had a cold and snowy comic book on my shelf waiting to be read! "Blood and Ice" by Tito Faraci and Paquale Frisenda. It stars some French soldiers who were part of the Russian invasion of 1812. Suffice it to say, they are having a rough time. And then they encounter something supernatural...

I did not enjoy the book as much as I hoped I would. While the art is technically sound (black and white penwork, with grayscale watercolor shading, with a splash of red wherever there is warmth) it feels indistinct. Characters are hard to tell apart, backgrounds blur together... The character 'sketches' in the back of the book are more crisp than any sequential art. It's meant to be moody, but I don't like it. Then there's the book's twist ending; it genuinely surprised me, but it made the story lame and unfulfilling.

I don't see myself revisiting the comic much in the future.

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:15 AM (Lhaco)

33 The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock

WTF!!! What the ever-loving F!!!

That guy stole - outright stole = Wolfus' story!

(spit)

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:16 AM (0eaVi)

34 heh. Sounds like the beginning of an Agatha Christie mystery...
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:01 AM (BpYfr)

"It's black, and as long as your arm."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:17 AM (0eaVi)

35 Posted by: Tom Servo at March 02, 2025 09:14 AM (SSRw1)

I thought Dumas was always labeled a black author . What I did not know is that he is only 1/8. Is that correct?

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:17 AM (VofaG)

36 I read another vaguely disappointing book this week: _The Last Kings of Shanghai_, by Jonathan Kaufman. It's about the rise and fall of the Sassoon and Kadoorie dynasties in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Both families started out as Jewish merchants in Ottoman Bagdad, had interests in India, and then got in on the ground floor in China after the Opium Wars.

Great stuff, right? But as I said, the book is vaguely disappointing. I think the problem is that it's a huge story and the author is trying to squeeze it all into a single 100K word volume. So we get only the most cursory descriptions of what the families did and how they succeeded and what life was like in colonial Shanghai.

I think Kaufman should have (and maybe wanted to) just done a biography of Victor Sassoon, the most famous and colorful of the family, who lived through the World Wars and saw the peaks of the family's wealth before losing almost everything to the Commies. Then he could have gone into greater depth and detail.

There's also a little more "colonialism was bad, m'kay?" than I need.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 02, 2025 09:18 AM (78a2H)

37 The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock

WTF!!! What the ever-loving F!!!

That guy stole - outright stole = Wolfus' story!

(spit)
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:16 AM (0eaVi)
---
It was pretty wild reading it, because there are definite parallels to Nolan's Inception. Dreams have layered reality. As you go deeper, things get stranger and stranger. Also, there are figments of subconscious that will defend the dreamer from intrusion.

The ending was completely different than Nolan's, though...but fairly typical for an Elric saga.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:18 AM (BpYfr)

38 Last weekend I read one of Robert E Howard's short stories; "Sword Woman." It's the first of two stories featuring Dark Agnes. Sadly, the story and character are both among REH's lesser works. Agnes herself comes across as a murder-happy psycho. Sure, she starts off in some rough circumstances, but she seems way too prone to flying off the handle and stabbing people. Hopefully she'll have a better showing in the second story.

It's a shame, early-modern France (and Italy) is such an under-utilized setting. It would have been nice if Agnes had been successful enough to warrant more stories...

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:20 AM (Lhaco)

39 Well dom is still in the dream at the end right

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at March 02, 2025 09:20 AM (dJR17)

40 30 I’d like to know what genre of books are people’s favorite.

I'd say 90% of my library is 1600 to contemporary military history, with a focus on small wars and secondary theaters of larger wars (there's countless books on The Battle of the Bulge, but very little on WWII in Madagascar). Most of the rest is the pre-Disney Star Wars books and fantasy books.

Posted by: Josephistan at March 02, 2025 09:21 AM (bHGBC)

41 30 I’d like to know what genre of books are people’s favorite.

--

I like escapist fiction: fantasy, mystery, murder, horror, scifi, romance ... but if it's preachy or woke I will throw it against the wall because that's intrusive and makes it no longer escapist.

Just tell the story.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:21 AM (Wx316)

42 (1/2) Among the books I've read the last few weeks was Women Priests  Other Fantasies by Fr. Vincent Micel. Published in 1985, this is a collection of various magazine articles he wrote in the preceding years.

The book is organized with large sections on Dogma, Morals, and Philosophy. The first article and the appendix deal with the theological reasons why women can't be priests; it has nothing to do with women being "less than" men - women have a different charism (nuturing and spiritual instruction of children).

This is a pretty large book and I admit that I didn't finish it. Fr. Micel was a voice in the wilderness trying to tell the Modernists that what they wanted to do wouldn't work. Because these were magazine articles, Fr. Micel was a bit sloppy in his citations. The book has a name index but no topical index; apparently the publishers felt that the chapter heading were sufficient. Rating = 3.5/5.0.

I got aggravated with the problems that Fr. Marcel was seeing, but the Modernists were determined to follow their own agendas. Of course, St. Pope Leo XII, had his auditory experience where he heard Jesus Christ give Satan 100 years to destroy the Catholic Church.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:22 AM (pJWtt)

43 (2/2) Please note that this review is not an attack of our own 'Ette, "Fenelon Spoke." I'm aware that she is a minister. Not to be condescending, but she'd have been an outstanding religious sister in the Catholic Church (and some of the religious orders have lay sisters).

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:23 AM (pJWtt)

44 Those who are strong in the Word need not fear

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at March 02, 2025 09:24 AM (dJR17)

45 Since I mentioned Robert E Howard and his miscelaneous stories (ie, not Conan, Kull, or Solomon Kane), I've been periodically reading some of his stories set in the Crusader States. There's an inescapable melancholy feeling to any story set in that time. Sure, several generations lived and died in the Crusader States, but we all know how they ended, what their reputation ended up being. Even the most adventurous story set in that era can't help but leave you feeling sad...

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:24 AM (Lhaco)

46 I picked up a lot of Weird Tales magazines and realized that I already have a few in my collection. They're free to a good home, just pay for the shipping. The issues are Winter 1992/93, Spring 1993 and Summer 1993. If anyone is interested, let me know.

Posted by: Josephistan at March 02, 2025 09:24 AM (bHGBC)

47 I also read Military Life under Napoleon: The Memoirs of Captain Elzear Blaze translated by John Elting. Published in 1995, this was the first unabridged English translation with a little Appendix about Capt. Blaze's military record. Blaze wrote with a rather chatty, stream-of-consciousness style. He covered many subjects such as life on the march, in camp, battle and rationing. Some of the stories go a bit long.

Capt. Blaze was rather perplexed with the Spanish. He didn't grasp why they would stay defeated. Not being particularly devout himself, he didn't understand that Catholic Spain saw fighting the aetheistic French as a Crusade. He admits that beautiful paintings were stolen from Spanish churches, and Jerome Napoleon's government was trying to close monasteries, etc. Col. Elting provides numerous footnotes to enhance the modern reader's understanding of Capt. Blaze's references to early 19th C. Frech life. (I didn't like Elting's snarky footnote that the Spanish monks and priests became guerrillas because they didn't want to work).

Rating = 4.0/5.0. If you want a company-grade officer's view of life in the Grand Armee, this is a book for you.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:24 AM (pJWtt)

48 14 "I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom" by Jason Pargin, aka David Wong, author of "John Dies At The End", is a departure from his usual comic cosmic horror stories. It's more social satire, philosophical ramblings, and dueling polemics. Funny, but also kind of exhausting.

Some years ago, my son convinced me to read "John Dies at the End." Exhausting is exactly right--what a frenzy!

This one sounds interesting, but I know his style, and I'll probably not ever read it.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 09:25 AM (OX9vb)

49 Props for mentioning Ringo, one of the best for MilSciFi, along with Weber, and Eric Flint.
Note, all 3 authors have various collaborations with each other.

-SLV

Posted by: Shy Lurking Voter at March 02, 2025 09:26 AM (e/Osv)

50 Thug Notes--haha! That was entertaining, thanks, Perfessor. I'm going to check out some more of those.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 09:26 AM (OX9vb)

51 Morning, Book Folken,

I'm at a coffee shop up the highway about a half an hour from where I live, sipping on some black juice and typing away. Pleased I am that the Perfessor quoted me. I finished The Mask, and Koontz himself admits in an afterword that it was early in his career (1981) and tehre are things he'd do differently. I still have his Lightning from the library, and will get to it this week.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:27 AM (Dxave)

52 "It came down to this: if I had not been arrested by the Turkish police, I would have been arrested by the Greek police." This is the opening sentence of The Light of Day by Eric Ambler, the story of a small time crook named Arthur Simpson who is coerced into moving into the big leagues of crime by the Turkish police.

Simpson is caught in a petty theft by Mr. Harper, a fare he had driven from the airport, and in return for not calling the police, Harper demands Simpson drive a vehicle from Greece to Turkey. The vehicle has contraband in it that he couldn't find. When it is found and he is detained at the border, the Turks make him continue the journey, with the police discreetly trailing him to catch the big fish.

This story is told in first person, and Simpson is often recalling events from his past which explain (or more often, justify) the life he leads now. Arthur must stay with the car, and the recipients, in order for the police to make their arrest. This makes him an unwitting accomplice, and in danger from both the criminals and the police. Arthur's thoughts and asides are often quite humorous, and the story becomes a nailbiter as it nears its conclusion.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 02, 2025 09:27 AM (1NJ7X)

53 Just finished reading Clarence Thomas’s autobiography, My Grandfather’s Son for the second time after first reading it 17 years ago.

Hit me like it did the first time. As the saying goes, Only in America.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:27 AM (VofaG)

54 Capt. Blaze was rather perplexed with the Spanish. He didn't grasp why they would stay defeated.

---

Buckeye, do you mean "wouldn't stay defeated "?

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:28 AM (OTdqV)

55 @ 47, oops:

"would stay defeated" should be "WOULD'NT stay defeated"

If only we still had a preview option; but trolls messed that up.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:28 AM (pJWtt)

56 Now it's back to old school SF, Jack Williamson's "The Black Sun".

Project Starseed is using FTL quantum-wave technology to send colonists to distant stars -- destination unknown.

The final rocket ends up at a dead star with an icy planet. Things are looking grim. Their arrival sets off a chain of changes when something is stirred awake.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 02, 2025 09:29 AM (kpS4V)

57 Capt. Blaze was rather perplexed with the Spanish. He didn't grasp why they would stay defeated.

---

Buckeye, do you mean "wouldn't stay defeated "?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:28 AM (OTdqV)

Yes.

I do miss the old preview option.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:29 AM (pJWtt)

58 Well that was quick *grin*

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:29 AM (OTdqV)

59 Favorite genre? Don't know that I've got one right now. From age 12 through mid-20s, sf/fantasy/horror was just about all I read for pleasure (and I think it did a number on my attention span). Mystery and suspense came later. The stuff on my shelves now is almost all older work -- lost interest in what was going on in most of those fields some time in the 90s.

Now I just drift.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 09:30 AM (q3u5l)

60 Retired Buckeye Cop - one might think that book would have been read by me by now yet hasn't. Only maybe because the French army isn't my main interest but the Napoleonic wars is.

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:31 AM (fwDg9)

61 This past week I finished one of John Dickson Carr's best mystery novels, The Black Spectacles (aka The Problem of the Green Capsule), from 1939. I'd never been able to find it before; this is a new-ish British Crime Library edition.

It's not an impossible crime, unusual for this period of his work. It boils down to, "What did the witnesses really see?" as they literally witness a murder -- which is *being filmed* even as they watch. The three witnesses' stories match in some respects, diverge wildly in others (and Carr is at pains to tell us that the three, though they know each other, are not in a conspiracy or colluding with each other). But you, like his hero Dr. Fell, have to be very careful about what you are being told . . . the essence of the classic detective tale.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:31 AM (Dxave)

62 30 I’d like to know what genre of books are people’s favorite.

Mostly non-fiction books such as Will Durant's Story of Civilization and others on ancient history (Romans and Greeks). A few books on WWI and WWII plus some biographies. Also, quite a few books on chess ( openings, tactics , and combinations). That's about it for two bookcases.

Posted by: dantesed at March 02, 2025 09:32 AM (Oy/m2)

63 I finished What Has Government Done to Our Money by Murray Rothbard, which is a very quick book on what money is, what it does, why it is essential, and what happens when governments get full control over it and try to legislate away the demands of failure.

This one is the reissue by the Mises Org, and has an epilogue discussing the move from hard currency backed mostly by gold, through the European bank holidays for WWI, the Brits' attempt to re-instate the Gold standard at the pre-war level, the Genoa agreement, the Depression, Bretton Woods, the currency crisis under Nixon, the Smithsonian Agreement, followed by the current system of unbacked US Dollars as the international trade unit fluctuating freely against other currencies, what is called at times the PetroDollar

It is 112 pages of very clear and precise prose and the history section of the various international currency agreements is laid out in abut 18 pages.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 02, 2025 09:32 AM (D7oie)

64 she'd have been an outstanding religious sister in the Catholic Church (and some of the religious orders have lay sisters).
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:23 AM (pJWtt)

Catholic religious sisters are the backbone of the Church (which is why it's so painful to see some orders fall prey to the liberation mind virus)

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:32 AM (OTdqV)

65 I’d like to know what genre of books are people’s favorite.


Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth


Is all of them a good answer? OK, I don't read much fantasy and have never read a romance, but those are clearly not aimed at me.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 02, 2025 09:33 AM (1NJ7X)

66 Never got around to Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series, but one of his others, Bill the Galactic Hero, was a favorite of mine in my teenage sf fan years. And that sucker still holds up. To this day, I can't read the pages introducing Deathwish Drang without laughing.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025

***
JSG, is that connected to his Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers parody of space opera? Harrison had a dift for funny dialog. See the second of his Deathworld novels (aka The Ethical Engineer).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:34 AM (Dxave)

67 Yet " wouldn't stay defeated " fits very well with the Spanish view, Napoleon tried to run the country and the population wouldn't have it

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:34 AM (fwDg9)

68 The Fortress of the Pearl by Michael Moorcock

WTF!!! What the ever-loving F!!!

That guy stole - outright stole = Wolfus' story!

(spit)
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025

***
Huh? Which one? I've never read any Moorcock.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:36 AM (Dxave)

69 Wolfus, I don't think Bill the Galactic Hero was connected to Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers, but I haven't read the latter in decades and don't remember for certain. Sorry about that. Believe Harrison did a sequel to Bill, but I never got around to that one.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 09:37 AM (q3u5l)

70 Retired Buckeye Cop - one might think that book would have been read by me by now yet hasn't. Only maybe because the French army isn't my main interest but the Napoleonic wars is.
Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:31 AM (fwDg9)

Hi "Skip," I thought about you. You might still find the book of interest because Capt. Blaze does write about how he interacted with the Germans (this includes the Austrians), Russians and Spanish when he had the opportunity. After and armistice (he doesn't give the year, but I assume 1809), he got captured by Russian Cossacks, taken to a Russian officer, had his money and epaulets (I assume because of the gold in them) stolen, given a good meal and then sent on his way!

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:37 AM (pJWtt)

71 Good to see that particular chapeau back, Perfessor.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at March 02, 2025 09:37 AM (a3Q+t)

72 My favorite fiction genre is always science fiction. I also like a good swashbuckling fantasy or historical novel, and spy stories.

In nonfiction I read extremely widely. I read about space, biology, history, architecture, travel, food, folklore . . .

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 02, 2025 09:38 AM (78a2H)

73 Last weekend I read one of Robert E Howard's short stories; "Sword Woman." It's the first of two stories featuring Dark Agnes. Sadly, the story and character are both among REH's lesser works. Agnes herself comes across as a murder-happy psycho. Sure, she starts off in some rough circumstances, but she seems way too prone to flying off the handle and stabbing people. Hopefully she'll have a better showing in the second story.

It's a shame, early-modern France (and Italy) is such an under-utilized setting. It would have been nice if Agnes had been successful enough to warrant more stories...
Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:20 AM (Lhaco)

For heaven's sake! Keep those stories away from VMom!!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:38 AM (0eaVi)

74 What genre would Pat Conroy books be? I’ve read
his 3 most popular books , Lords of Discipline, The Great Santini and Prince of Tides when I was laid up from knee surgery in college.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:38 AM (VofaG)

75 Catholic religious sisters are the backbone of the Church (which is why it's so painful to see some orders fall prey to the liberation mind virus)
Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 09:32 AM (OTdqV)

Fr. Micel's book has an extensive chapter about this problem.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:39 AM (pJWtt)

76 If you have any interest in fantasy, imagination or just wonderful writing, George MacDonald is a good place to start. I am serious. His writing, whether fantasy, 'childrens' books' (they are much, much more), longer fiction or his prose, his writing is rich and expressive. It is a pleasure to read just for that. I can easily understand why Lewis, Chesterton and Tolkien were so taken with his works. The creativity he brought to his stories, the imaginative power expressed so effectively and on many levels, is exquisite.

Part of the enjoyment for me is seeing where MacDonald directly influenced later writers and following the rabbit holes his words lead me down. I find it interesting that many of his works have been newly published and in good quality editions. Yes, his writing is in the public domain but the publishers wouldn't be making this effort if the books weren't selling. That they are selling is encouraging.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 09:39 AM (yTvNw)

77 Only maybe because the French army isn't my main interest but the Napoleonic wars is.

Posted by: Skip



I have a friend who has just about every book written about the Napoleonic wars on land, while I have almost exclusively the naval side.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 02, 2025 09:39 AM (1NJ7X)

78 If you are in need of break out the popcorn online fights: Jon Krakauer wrote a very popular book about the 1996 Everest tragedy called "Into Thin Air". Krakauer was there to write up th climb for Outside magazine. The group he was with, Rob Hall's Adventure Consultants, is the group with all the deaths. Another group, Scott Fischer's Mountain Madness, is where Krakauer wants to put the blame.

Krakauer has admitted there were errors in his book and claims he will fix them. Michael Tracy, who is a climber that has summitted Everest,has put together videos showing all the things that don't add up. He's been very logical and has a good group helping him fact check. Krakauer has now taken to You Tube, whining that Tracy is trashing his book. He has a large following and they are busy telling Krakauer how wonderful he is. Meanwhile, there are problems with his other book, Into the Wild. This is the one Sean Penn made into a movie and some of it is just fiction. Waiting to see how it shakes out. Meanwhile, don't buy Krakauer's books.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 02, 2025 09:40 AM (o5+a9)

79 What genre would Pat Conroy books be? I’ve read
his 3 most popular books , Lords of Discipline, The Great Santini and Prince of Tides when I was laid up from knee surgery in college.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025

***
I'd call them literary fiction, but not in a bad way. By which I mean they are not dull. So much "literary" fiction is. But then, I've always been a lover of "sensational" fiction -- adventure, spy, detective, SF, fantasy.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:41 AM (Dxave)

80 I don't have a favorite genre. I do read westerns, detective stuff, and classic literature. Don't have any interest in reading fantasy unless giving a read of someone's works. I've like James Bond and Matt Helm novels, too. Also, read non-fiction of various types.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:41 AM (0eaVi)

81 I do miss the old preview option.

Must have been before my time here. I do remember briefly having controls to insert formatting like italics, bolding, etc. but they never really worked.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 02, 2025 09:41 AM (/y8xj)

82 In between the comics and old pulp stories, I've been re-reading a little bit of non-fiction: "The Great Divide" by Peter Watson. It's an exploration of the cultural differences between the old world cultures and the new world cultures. I'm still in the early part of the book, where he's discussing the current (2010) scholarship regarding how/when people first came to the new world. Lots of speculation and broad timescales here.

And some fun analysis of comparative creation stories! Lots of flood stories, the world coming forth out of the water... One interesting thing that was mentioned was that light occurring before the sun happens in origin stories even beyond the Biblical one. Watson wants to tie that to memories of something like the Toba volcano eruption, which may have put enough dust into the atmosphere to actually block out the sun.

Anyways, the book has lots of fun speculation, which usually sets me off daydreaming, trying to incorporate some of the proposed-deep-history into some fantasy epic I'll never actually write. A post-cataclysmic world, where the remnants of humanity live in eternal dusk, where dragons can swoop out of the haze without warning...

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:41 AM (Lhaco)

83 Well, I've got to go. We've got to go to Mass. Youngest grandson is on his faith journey into the Roman Catholic Church. He's on track to get the Sacraments during this upcoming Easter Vigil!

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:41 AM (pJWtt)

84 I do read and have quite a few books on the French Napoleonic armies

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 09:42 AM (fwDg9)

85 good morning Perfessor, Horde

Posted by: callsign claymore at March 02, 2025 09:42 AM (v1MW9)

86 I'm currently reading FBI Director Kash Patel's book: "Government Gangsters," which is about The Rissia Hoax and corruption in our government.

Also digging into my brand new, 3 inch thick, 5 pound, Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, which is absolutely magnificent.

https://tinyurl.com/Ign-Cath-Study-Bible

It took Dr. Scott Hahn 26 years to shepherd this new Bible from project inception to publication, and the wait and the herculean effort that was obviously put into this work was well worth it.

Dr. Hahn is one of the best Catholic apologists at connecting the New and Old Testaments together, and this version of the Bible has that as one of its main attributes. I highly, highly recommend.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 09:43 AM (/RHNq)

87 We were watching "Crossing Delancey" on the Criterion Channel,
when suddenly this poem from the Chinese Book of Songs popped up in the dialogue in a great movie moment:

ripe plums are falling
now there are only five
may a fine lover come for me
while there is still time
ripe plums are falling
now there are only three
may a fine lover come for me
while there is still time
ripe plums are falling
I gather them in a shallow basket
may a fine lover come for me
tell me his name

Here's the scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Yx5o1UIFA4

This is a great example of the power of poetry to convey dense meaning with few words.
Spring has come and the plums lush and ripe are ready for harvest, as in the young woman who gathers them is ready for love. But, there are only five possible suitors.
Next Spring, the plums ripe and juicy fall all around her, and yet she still has no love. And there are only three possible suitors.
Another spring and the young woman has no lover. Ripe plums, ripe love fall everywhere.But now there is no suitor, she can think of. Won't someone tell her who will love her?

Great stuff and used well in the movie to tell us character and plot indirectly.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 02, 2025 09:45 AM (iJfKG)

88 Too many great options & not enough time.

I expanded my vocabulary by listening to Thug Notes, he has got dozens if not hundreds of concise reviews of many classics, as well as more current books. Sooner or later I'll watch more.

I think I made it it about 50% through Combat Engineer when John announced the original version here. For ebooks my completion rate is really low, too easy to get distracted. I need to finish it, I really enjoyed it, and probably hadn't even made it to the most interesting parts.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at March 02, 2025 09:45 AM (L1omb)

89 Anyone else attempted to read a popular Best selling book and just could get into it and finish it?

It’s happened twice for me. Lucifer’s Hammer and A Confederacy of Dunces.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:45 AM (VofaG)

90 Good day Horde. Thanks Perfessor!

Posted by: TRex at March 02, 2025 09:46 AM (IQ6Gq)

91 Re the Conroys et al. In the sf fans I used to hang out with, such books were just called mainstream; been a while, though, so what they're called these days I couldn't tell you. Mainstream, literary fiction, general fiction...

Not in our genre, so not of the body, I guess.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 09:47 AM (q3u5l)

92 Ugh.

Pixy's anti-spam function is too hard to deal with.

I had to rearrange the above comment five times before it would print here.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 02, 2025 09:47 AM (iJfKG)

93 The other novel I have to hand is a new Western by Loren D. Estleman, Iron Star. Estleman is one of that short list of writers whose work I will pluck off the library shelf without even glancing at the cover blurb -- or at least just enough to make sure I haven't read it before or to see if it's connected with one of his other series.

Lawrence Block is another. A couple of years ago he wrote The Autobiography of Matthew Scudder, which purports to be his long-time detective character's writing out of his life. Scudder is 84 -- he was born in 1938, he says, which means he was just under forty when we first meet him in '76. His life as a cop began in the early Sixties, and we get a glimpse of what cop life, and society, were like then as opposed to 2023. Neat stuff.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:47 AM (Dxave)

94 Went to the annual Library Book Sale yesterday. The running of the bulls has nothing on that. Crowded.

Only picked up 5 books, as I have to be selective due to lack of more bookshelf space.

One was the conclusion of the John Ringo Live Free and Die series, The Hot Gate.

I read the entire book. The best parts were the discussion among the alien invaders. The plot was repetitious of the previous book, Citadel.

So, all in all, there was little character development, as usual the aliens attacking the Americans were doomed, and there was a big slam on South American military culture.

So a terrible book I read in one go, and will leave behind, never to reread.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 09:47 AM (u82oZ)

95 Good morning!

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

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 09:48 AM (u82oZ)

96 Could = couldn’t

I know I typed couldn’t . Autocorrect has a vendetta against me.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:48 AM (VofaG)

97 I read some of the Expanded Universe Star Wars books as a teen, but I never went through them systematically. Sounds like I missed out, at least a little bit.

It's also kind of funny to hear about a 'planned' 30-book epic being reduced to 19 books. A somewhat-analogous multi-author space-opera epic that is currently going on is The Horus Heresy series from the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It started out as a tightly-focused trilogy (Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames) but has since ballooned into...I dunno, somewhere between 50 and 100 books. Even among just the books I've read, the quality varies by staggering degrees.

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:48 AM (Lhaco)

98 Anyone else attempted to read a popular Best selling book and just could get into it and finish it?

It’s happened twice for me. Lucifer’s Hammer and A Confederacy of Dunces.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:45 AM (VofaG)
---
The University library in which I work (but do not work for) has A Confederacy of Dunces. I've been tempted to check it out if only to see what the hype is all about.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:49 AM (BpYfr)

99 Well, I've got to go. We've got to go to Mass. Youngest grandson is on his faith journey into the Roman Catholic Church. He's on track to get the Sacraments during this upcoming Easter Vigil!
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop

That's great news! God bless!

Posted by: Josephistan at March 02, 2025 09:49 AM (bHGBC)

100 Anyone else attempted to read a popular Best selling book and just could get into it and finish it?

It’s happened twice for me. Lucifer’s Hammer and A Confederacy of Dunces.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025

***
Both are readable, but it's rare, I think, that somebody who loves one would love the other. I prefer LH to ACoD, but only because the former is an apocalyptic adventure.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:49 AM (Dxave)

101 I think it was the very long set up in Lucifer’s Hammer that disinterested me .

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:51 AM (VofaG)

102 If the world had any justice George MacDonald would be remembered like Hans Christian Andersen.
MacDonald also influenced Lord Dunsany and Clark Ashton Smith.

Posted by: gKWVE at March 02, 2025 09:52 AM (qSHqn)

103 Huh? Which one? I've never read any Moorcock.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:36 AM (Dxave)

"Michael Moorcock wrote this book, about a young woman who is placed in a coma through sorcery and who can only be wakened by...."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 09:52 AM (0eaVi)

104 The University library in which I work (but do not work for) has A Confederacy of Dunces. I've been tempted to check it out if only to see what the hype is all about.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025

***
Be aware, Perfessor, that it's a period piece, set in the New Orleans of the early Sixties. Toole does a great job hinting at the infamous NO dialect without doing a lot of misspellings. He does when it's needed. Most authors indicate the Southern version of "children" as "chillun," which I've never heard in my life. Toole gives the NO version, "chirren," which I grew up hearing.

It's a comedy with peculiar characters, but not a laugh-out-loud farce, at least not to me.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:52 AM (Dxave)

105 There's a dumb old movie (featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000) called "Alien from LA" that is looooooooosly based on Journey to the Center of the Earth. It starts Kathy Ireland, and hearing a super-model try to say the name "Saknussemm" is just hilarious!

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 09:52 AM (Lhaco)

106 Couldn't finish?

Many times over the decades. Mailer, Oates, Irving, Styron, and on and on andonandon...

Confederacy of Dunces is in that stack too. I did read Lucifer's Hammer and enjoyed it, but have no desire to revisit it.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 09:53 AM (q3u5l)

107 Huh? Which one? I've never read any Moorcock.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:36 AM (Dxave)

"Michael Moorcock wrote this book, about a young woman who is placed in a coma through sorcery and who can only be wakened by...."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025

***
Well, it's a very old trope; Snow White, for instance, and many others. I knew that as I plotted mine. The difference I aimed for was to make it a fairly-clued mystery as to how she could be freed, with a larger-than-life magician as "detective."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:54 AM (Dxave)

108 I wonder if Farscape could be made into a book series. Or maybe they have. Just came to mind as I binged watched seasons 1 and 2 this passed week.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:54 AM (VofaG)

109 Ahhh, someone has mentioned Keith Laumer's Bolo stories, so I must now decamp and find my copy of his "Bolo: The Annals of the Dinochrome Brigade" and read it cover to cover today.

Love Laumer's Bolo, and his Retief stories.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 09:55 AM (/RHNq)

110 A chance mention on a YT video about Milton's Paradise Lost reminded me of CS Lewis' A Preface to Paradise Lost. I got it off the shelf. Forgot how well Lewis provides the historical and literary context that make the poem so powerful. A side benefit of having that context and understanding is it allows the reader to focus on the power of Milton's actual writing and not get distracted by the themes in the poem. The 'Preface' brings the poem to life as literature and faith. In less than 200 pages Lewis provides more information and understanding than a full semester in college would give.

I wish Lewis had done the same for The Faerie Queen and Canterbury Tales. Poetry, especially epic poetry, was his first interest as a writer and I believe was a spur to his fiction and Christian works. I should look up what, if anything, he thought of Chesterton's "Ballad of the White Horse".

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 09:55 AM (yTvNw)

111 I did read Lucifer's Hammer and enjoyed it, but have no desire to revisit it.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025

***
It's not my favorite of Niven & Pournelle's collaborations -- that would be The Mote in God's Eye -- but it's good stuff.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:55 AM (Dxave)

112 Working on the next book - the adventures of a young lad in Gold-Rush era California, in the early year when those who were fortunate enough to be on the scene struck it really rich. Bought a couple of books for research, including one about the Australian gold-seekers ... who had been English and Irish criminals convicted and transported to Australia. They came looking for gold, but not the honest way of digging or mining it from the ground ... and apparently did cut quite a criminal swath. The book is "Australian Desperados" by Terry Smyth. So far, pretty interesting a sidelight on Gold Rush history.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 02, 2025 09:56 AM (Ew3fm)

113 I wonder if Farscape could be made into a book series. Or maybe they have. Just came to mind as I binged watched seasons 1 and 2 this passed week.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:54 AM (VofaG)
---
Somewhat surprisingly, there does not seem to be much of a Farscape Expanded Universe. A handful of novels and a comic book series.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025 09:56 AM (BpYfr)

114 Thug Notes--haha! That was entertaining, thanks, Perfessor. I'm going to check out some more of those.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 09:26 AM (OX9vb)
-

Still lol'ing here. But give us a language warning, sucka!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 09:56 AM (T3vgT)

115 The Thug Notes for the Count of Monte Cristo is funny.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 09:57 AM (/RHNq)

116 Only picked up 5 books, as I have to be selective due to lack of more bookshelf space.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 09:47 AM

I've been told there are resources on this very blog whom you could consult for assistance in resolving such a dire issue.

Posted by: Duncanthrax at March 02, 2025 09:57 AM (a3Q+t)

117 Sharkman

We need more Retief in our State Department.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 09:57 AM (u82oZ)

118 ... actually looking it up, Brave AI can't find direct evidence that Plunkett / Dunsany read MacDonald. Clark Ashton Smith also seems not to have cited MacDonald.
If not I don't know why not. Maybe because these authors were more Orientalist, inspired by the Bible and the various olde-English translations of the Koran and the 1001 Nights.
HP Lovecraft read MacDonald though.

Posted by: gKWVE at March 02, 2025 09:57 AM (qSHqn)

119 Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 02, 2025 09:56 AM (Ew3fm)

Don’t want to turn this into a movie thread but you reminded me of The Man From Snowy River. I think what you described would make for a very interesting book.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:58 AM (VofaG)

120 There's a dumb old movie (featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000) called "Alien from LA" that is looooooooosly based on Journey to the Center of the Earth. It starts Kathy Ireland, and hearing a super-model try to say the name "Saknussemm" is just hilarious!
Posted by: Castle Guy at March

Thsr is one of my favorite episodes of MST3K

Posted by: Josephistan at March 02, 2025 09:58 AM (bHGBC)

121 I think it was the very long set up in Lucifer’s Hammer that disinterested me .
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025

***
I was willing to go with it because (until recent years, anyway) Larry Niven's work has always fascinated me and has never bored me. Pournelle's work by himself I find dull, but when LN is with him, the result is always worth reading at least once.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:58 AM (Dxave)

122 Early Retief can be had in semi-public-domain (legal to read anyway) at Gutenberg, from what Laumer got published in SF magazines. No excuse not to read it.

Posted by: gKWVE at March 02, 2025 09:59 AM (qSHqn)

123 Three and a half hours into a bright sunny day and its risen from 17° to 21.5°. Looking like my ass aunty leaving this chair today.
Maybe read so of Tolstoy's shorter stories for the laughs.

Posted by: From about That Time at March 02, 2025 09:59 AM (n4GiU)

124 What genre would Pat Conroy books be? I’ve read
his 3 most popular books , Lords of Discipline, The Great Santini and Prince of Tides when I was laid up from knee surgery in college.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:38 AM (VofaG)
---
Conroy is straight-up fiction, which bookstores still have. Some of the genres are now quite large, and I think less straight fiction is being produced because it requires more life experience than modern authors have. All writing is derived from something, but if you're a creative writing grad with delusions of adequacy, cranking out genre fiction packed with self-inserts is the way to go.

The Death of Santini is required reading for any Conroy fan because it gives you the story behind the stories.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:00 AM (ZOv7s)

125 Oh and yay book thread!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:01 AM (ZOv7s)

126 Favorite genre for me would be classic mystery series: Mason and Wolfe.

Next comes secret agent/espionage/action: Helm above all, the Queen & Country series (comics, then prose), Westlake (Parker and Dortmunder), MacLean, Ludlum.

Then science fantasy series: the Myth-Adventures, Retief, Lensman.

Note the common thread? Series. Few standalone books on my shelves.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 02, 2025 10:01 AM (p/isN)

127 The coffee shop I'm visiting has a slew of old guys talking about 1973 and their medical issues. I'll give 'em a pass, as I suspect they were veterans -- there's a sign at the register, "VFW, Please Come to Counter."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:01 AM (Dxave)

128 I'm almost 600 pages into The Durant's The Age of Napoleon. This is as hard a read as The Life of Lenin but more interesting and enjoyable, both in its subject matter and the authors' style.

Moscow, here I come!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:01 AM (T3vgT)

129 Posted by: From about That Time at March 02, 2025 09:59 AM (n4GiU)

I see autocorrect hates you too.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:01 AM (VofaG)

130 Duncanthrax

True. Maybe next year.

I did help by turning into the library some of the Harry Potter books that I did not like, such as the
cockroach killing final book The Deadly Hollows and Alister Reynold's Chasm City.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:02 AM (u82oZ)

131 30 I’d like to know what genre of books are people’s favorite.

At one time the spy novel was my favorite and then I moved to historic based fiction along with autobiographies.

Like Armor by John Steakley. (I’m not a Sci Fi reader)
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 09:14 AM (VofaG)

When it comes to actual prose, I read mostly fantasy. Occasionally some historical adventure fiction, usually in form of old pulp-short-stories. Read a lot of sci-fi as a teen, but have mostly dropped out of that.

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 10:03 AM (Lhaco)

132 Maybe start with Tolstoy as The Devil. Haven't read that before.

Posted by: From about That Time at March 02, 2025 10:03 AM (n4GiU)

133 The University library in which I work (but do not work for) has A Confederacy of Dunces. I've been tempted to check it out if only to see what the hype is all about.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 02, 2025

***
Be aware, Perfessor, that it's a period piece, set in the New Orleans of the early Sixties. Toole does a great job hinting at the infamous NO dialect without doing a lot of misspellings. He does when it's needed. Most authors indicate the Southern version of "children" as "chillun," which I've never heard in my life. Toole gives the NO version, "chirren," which I grew up hearing.

It's a comedy with peculiar characters, but not a laugh-out-loud farce, at least not to me.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 09:52 AM (Dxave)

I enjoy ACoD but it is very much a book of it's time.

And because of wokeness, the culture may have moved past it. Certainly, some folk would find it offensive.

Also, it's basically a character novel that sets it's characters to bounce off one another but is lightly plotted.

All that being said...it's a well-written comic novel.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 02, 2025 10:03 AM (iJfKG)

134 Pournelle's solo work in fiction never did it for me either. But his columns gathered in A Step Farther Out were nice, and his computer columns for Byte Magazine were by themselves reason enough to keep a subscription going. The anthologies he edited had a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction (some of it being Pournelle's essays) and were part of what steered me away from being a good little leftie back in the 80s (the other part being the reaction to Reagan's SDI proposals).

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 10:04 AM (q3u5l)

135 I used to be a heavy series reader myself, and still love some of the old ones. But oddly, I prefer Ruth Rendell's standalone crime drama novels to her series about Inspector Wexford. Rather like preferring an anthology TV series like Twilight Zone to one with continuing characters.

No doubt if I'd encountered her work as a teen (she started her career in 1964), it would have been the reverse.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:04 AM (Dxave)

136 108 I wonder if Farscape could be made into a book series.

--
I adore FarScape

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 10:05 AM (J5RCE)

137 I'm continuing with Malcolm Guite's "Sounding Heaven and Earth", a series of weekly columns he wrote for a church publication. In a couple of pages, dealing with random topics, Guite brings insight and enjoyment to the ordinary events and odd happenings we encounter at any time. Included are passages of poetry, sometimes his and sometimes from classic poems, that the events bring to mind and he knows a LOT of poetry. The chapters are a brief, refreshing spell to be enjoyed at any time. Delightful.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 10:05 AM (yTvNw)

138 This is to announce the 2nd edition of Combat Engineer, my book about my grandfather, H. Wallis Anderson. I think everyone knew I was working on this.
---
This is excellent news. I was one of the test readers and it's a really fascinating story, but it did need just the right amount of polish to bring it out.

I've been working hard to come up with a writing process that bulks out the editing side, because that really matters. I can recall several books that should have been interesting to me but were so poorly written that I had to give up.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:06 AM (ZOv7s)

139 Favorite genre: I suppose what I read most is detective stories. I am partial to Irish detectives (i.e. Tana French, Adrian McKinty), and American Western detectives (i.e. Craig Johnson's Longmire series, C. J. Box).

But I also love spy stories, and high body count unrealistic but satisfying action, such as Jack Reacher, Orphan X, etc.

Non-fiction covers whatever I'm interested in at the time. I like true history that reads like fiction.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 10:06 AM (OX9vb)

140 When an author I admire, Anthony Horowitz, has a character in one of his mysteries disparage the supposed best locked room mystery ever written, The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr, I read Hollow Man to develop my own opinion. Although brilliantly written, I found Horowitz ' criticisms valid, that much of the impossibility of the murders derived from the happenstance of a broken clock and an unexpected snow. Still, I liked it well enough to read another Carr, He Who Whispers. I liked it much more than Hollow Man although the subject matter is similar, an impossible murder, I like the writing much more. My criticism of Hollow Man is that it is too talky, as opposed to dynamic, and to analytical. Whispers is more emotional with more realistic characters and a better plot. Hollow Man was published in 1935, when Carr was 29 (snicker) while Whispers was published in 1946 when Carr was 40. Maybe in the intervening 11 years, he just got to be a better writer.
Meanwhile, in the same paragraph in which Horowitz disparages Hollow Man, he recommends two impossible murders books he thinks are better, Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada, and The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025 10:06 AM (L/fGl)

141 Went to the awesome used bookstore two hours away a couple days ago and picked up a Silverberg sci-fi paperback (looks pulpy, lol) and a fat history titled The Scramble Dor Africa.

Something like seven bucks total.

Posted by: Deplorable Ian Galt at March 02, 2025 10:06 AM (ufFY8)

142 I'm almost 600 pages into The Durant's The Age of Napoleon. This is as hard a read as The Life of Lenin but more interesting and enjoyable, both in its subject matter and the authors' style.

Moscow, here I come!
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs
____________

The Birth of the Modern by Paul Johnson picks up at 1815. Great book. Almost all his stuff is great.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Dm8we)

143 Like Armor by John Steakley. (I’m not a Sci Fi reader)
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025

***
I've never read that one, though I met Steakley at an SF con in the mid-'80s. He was eyeing the then-Mrs. Wolfus No. 2 a little too avidly, I thought, and so I didn't continue the acquaintance.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Dxave)

144 Oh, hell -- I forgot to mention the Saint!

I have almost all of those. Still a few not yet read.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (p/isN)

145 47 Capt. Blaze was rather perplexed with the Spanish. He didn't grasp why they would stay defeated. Not being particularly devout himself, he didn't understand that Catholic Spain saw fighting the aetheistic French as a Crusade. He admits that beautiful paintings were stolen from Spanish churches, and Jerome Napoleon's government was trying to close monasteries, etc. Col. Elting provides numerous footnotes to enhance the modern reader's understanding of Capt. Blaze's references to early 19th C. Frech life. (I didn't like Elting's snarky footnote that the Spanish monks and priests became guerrillas because they didn't want to work).

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 02, 2025 09:24 AM (pJWtt)

It seems like most of France's enemies didn't want to stay defeated. But regardless, I'm sure part of the Spanish resistance had something to do with the British Army on their doorstep.

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Lhaco)

146 I really liked A Confederacy of Dunces. It’s funny that it was written mid-century, because it almost reads like it was written today. It has a fat incel obsessed with Catholic monarchism who adopts radical left-wing politics in order to impress a dumb commie chick. Timeless.

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 02, 2025 10:08 AM (l3YAf)

147 There was a time I read everything Stephen Hunter wrote and then I just stopped for some reason. He is a very easy read.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:08 AM (VofaG)

148 As a dog lover I actually like the 'these pants' selection. Only in the house, of course. I don't wear pajamas outdoors, even though that seems to be a fashion these days. It would be a nice private joke if Mrs. JTB and I had a matching set.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 10:08 AM (yTvNw)

149 Man, autocorrect just hates apostrophes.

Posted by: From about That Time at March 02, 2025 10:09 AM (n4GiU)

150 Meanwhile, in the same paragraph in which Horowitz disparages Hollow Man, he recommends two impossible murders books he thinks are better, Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada, and The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo so they're both going on the TBR pile.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025 10:09 AM (L/fGl)

151 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Dxave

Oh man I wish I hadn’t read Armor so I could read it now and get that same on the edge of my seat feeling while I reading the first part of the book.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:10 AM (VofaG)

152 Next up, The Dictators: Hitler's Germany, Stalin's Russia by Richard Overy. This is a very thick book. Looking for some deep analysis from a master.

I really liked his earlier book Why the Allies Won, a concise and insightful explination.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:11 AM (u82oZ)

153 . . . The Hollow Man by John Dickson Carr, I read Hollow Man to develop my own opinion. Although brilliantly written . . . much of the impossibility of the murders derived from the happenstance of a broken clock and an unexpected snow. Still, I liked it well enough to read another Carr, He Who Whispers. I liked it much more than Hollow Man although the subject matter is similar, an impossible murder, I like the writing much more. My criticism of Hollow Man is that it is too talky, as opposed to dynamic, and to analytical. Whispers is more emotional with more realistic characters and a better plot. Hollow Man was published in 1935, when Carr was 29 (snicker) while Whispers was published in 1946 when Carr was 40. Maybe in the intervening 11 years, he just got to be a better writer. . . .

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks

***
The point on Hollow Man is that the murderer did not *intend* to set up an impossible-appearing crime. The clock, the snow, and other things combined to blow up his plot and set up the end result, which *looked* impossible.

Yes, Carr did get better as a writer, and in the same decade. See his The Burning Court.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:12 AM (Dxave)

154 I really liked his earlier book Why the Allies Won, a concise and insightful explination.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:11 AM (u82oZ)

How much of the reasons were divine intervention or luck ?

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:13 AM (VofaG)

155 Meanwhile, in the same paragraph in which Horowitz disparages Hollow Man, he recommends two impossible murders books he thinks are better, Murder in the Crooked House by Soji Shimada, and The Honjin Murders by Seishi Yokomizo so they're both going on the TBR pile.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025

***
I understand the Japanese love the analytical, logical mystery a la Ellery Queen and JD Carr.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:13 AM (Dxave)

156 Thug Notes is the best book reviewer, and his counterpart for film reviews is The Critical Drinker.

Posted by: Mr Gaga at March 02, 2025 10:13 AM (KiBMU)

157 Good morning Hordemates.

Posted by: Diogenes at March 02, 2025 10:15 AM (W/lyH)

158 Good morning all.
900+ pages and 8 story days into 10 days til the big battle takes place, the library took back my ecopy of Wind and Truth. This is fine. Should be able to finish when they next deliver a copy.
Got a paper copy of J.D. Robb's new detective novel set in future NYC after the Urban Wars. Had to remember how to read holding a book in my hands. Dallas has to solve a murder which has roots in the Urban War back in 2026(!).
Also have another Spenser novel on my Kimdle which I should get to this week.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 02, 2025 10:15 AM (t/2Uw)

159 The Birth of the Modern by Paul Johnson picks up at 1815. Great book. Almost all his stuff is great.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Dm8we)

Is he still around? Seems he was a crabby old curmudgeon (in the best possible sense) 30-40 years ago.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 10:15 AM (+zMED)

160 Have a great day in reading.

One note, the book sale was packed with younger people and many, many children. Yes, as a college town there were many funny colors in some of the hair, but they all looked to be voracious readers.
I find that heartening.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:17 AM (u82oZ)

161 It seems like most of France's enemies didn't want to stay defeated. But regardless, I'm sure part of the Spanish resistance had something to do with the British Army on their doorstep.
Posted by: Castle Guy at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Lhaco)
---
Napoleon was completely overthrowing the societal order, and that could not be allowed to stand. Had he merely 'rounded off' the borders, arranged some dynastic marriages and not tried to rearrange the Continent, things would have been different.

Spain's resistance was noteworthy because of how it was conducted, but Austria was implacable, getting hammered again and again and always coming back for more because of what Napoleon was doing could not be allowed to stand.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:17 AM (ZOv7s)

162 I really liked his earlier book Why the Allies Won, a concise and insightful explination.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:11 AM (u82oZ)

How much of the reasons were divine intervention or luck ?
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:13 AM (VofaG)

Hitler's only real skill was motivating people through hate. He wasn't any good at anything else. Including military strategy.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 10:17 AM (+zMED)

163 The Scramble for Africa is a fantastic book. The history is amazing, and you see the great power tussling in its formative years.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 02, 2025 10:18 AM (1NJ7X)

164 Sebastian Melmoth

Adults ran the Allied campaigns, logistics, production, and research, for the most part. I can not explain Mark Clark.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:18 AM (u82oZ)

165 What I'm reading. Or have been reading. And will continue to read for a long time.

Asimov's Foundation stuff.

Like all of it. In order. I'm on Robots and Empire now and it's fun reading it all. Yeah, there are parts where conversations about various things go on for ten pages, but if you read Asimov you know that going in.

Some frustration though - Robots and Empire isn't available on Kindle. I had to use an old scan I received...er, received.

Still, nice to hang out with Daneel.

Posted by: WitchDoktor at March 02, 2025 10:18 AM (+OnsA)

166 The Golden Age detective novel was supposed to be analytical. It was a grand game between author and reader, and there was little room for romantic subplots and the like. The goal was the puzzle for its own sake.

That said, Carr developed his skills as he went. His later mysteries use emotions and personalities as clues. But he was always able to suggest horror and the supernatural with only a few words. In The Hollow Man, the description of Pierre Fley in Chapter One evokes Wells's Invisible Man without ever mentioning the older character by name.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:19 AM (Dxave)

167 And since it came up earlier - Farscape is a criminally underrated show. Plenty of room for an EU. And not the stupid European Union.

Posted by: WitchDoktor at March 02, 2025 10:22 AM (+OnsA)

168 It’s happened twice for me. Lucifer’s Hammer and A Confederacy of Dunces.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth





I've read Lucifer’s Hammer about 10 times and loved it. It's one of three books by Niven and Pournelle that I reread every few years. Lucifer’s Hammer, The Mote in God's Eye, and Inferno. All excellent.

And then of course there are all of Pournelle's military sci fi books (His John Christian Falkenberg novels) and Niven's ridiculously vast collection of novels.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 10:22 AM (/RHNq)

169 35 I think 1/8 black is a mustee. It goes mulatto-quadroon-mustee. I saw that in George MacDonald Fraser's "Flash For Freedom" I think.

Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at March 02, 2025 10:23 AM (tRYqg)

170 I'm digging deeper into Bullfinch's Mythology and while I've read the book before, I'm seeing it in an entirely different way this time around. The behavior of the Greek Gods makes a lot more sense when you see them as the fallen angels. They still understand natural law, and some hew to it closer than others, but at the end of the day, they always lean towards cruelty, betrayal and their mercy is rare and incomplete.

Also of note is their role as sub-creators, and the fact that they are all limited in certain ways and that they still have a firm hierarchy that comes from outside of their actions.

It may seem silly, but the constant repetition that God is God, a true God, in Scripture makes more sense because the pagan gods are not true gods, but rebellious members of the Divine Council, which means they are unworthy of worship.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:24 AM (ZOv7s)

171 The Birth of the Modern by Paul Johnson picks up at 1815. Great book. Almost all his stuff is great.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Dm8we)

Is he still around? Seems he was a crabby old curmudgeon (in the best possible sense) 30-40 years ago.
Posted by: BurtTC
___________

Died a couple of years ago. I've got that, Modern Times, Intellectuals, A History of the American People, and A History of the Jews. Also his biography of Elizabeth I, but it's one of his earlier books, not too good, and I never finished it.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:24 AM (Dm8we)

172 I also finished Jon Gabriel's "Sink the Rising Sun" over a few nights. Well written, kept me interested, and didn't ask you to suspend disbelief. Just a fine yarn! Oh, and Jon, hurry up with the next one...

Posted by: Brewingfrog at March 02, 2025 10:25 AM (DxLks)

173 I read the Foundation series a very very long time ago and remember nothing about the story except that I thought at the end that Asimov did the best job of pulling all the story lines together that I had ever read.
This is why I despise GRR Martin.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 02, 2025 10:25 AM (t/2Uw)

174 Sebastian Melmoth

Adults ran the Allied campaigns, logistics, production, and research, for the most part. I can not explain Mark Clark.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at March 02, 2025 10:18 AM (u82oZ)

I asked because many historians have pointed to a number of decisions by Hitler that could have changed in outcome. One of the most significant was stopping the advance and allowing most of Britain’s army to escape at Dunkirk.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:25 AM (VofaG)

175 Good morning all!

A shout-out to the Horde for introducing me to Douglas Preston. Just finished the Tor audiobook of “Tyrannosaur Canyon,” which is the first in the Wyman Ford series. The bonus “track” was an interview with Mr. Preston which discussed his working methods and how the character of Wyman Ford came to take over the book. I really enjoy these insights into the author’s mind.

I am now listening to “Blasphemy,” Book 2 in the series. Since I only listen while at the gym or during long car rides, I haven’t gotten very far this past week. I expect to have more opportunities this coming week!

Posted by: March Hare at March 02, 2025 10:25 AM (O/GSq)

176 The Birth of the Modern by Paul Johnson picks up at 1815. Great book. Almost all his stuff is great.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:07 AM (Dm8we)
-

Thanks. Was not familiar with the author. He's all over the place, I see.

The Durants Napoleon Book covers quite a bit of post 1815 European history, showing the short and long term results of Napoleon's conquests and retreats.

I have a backlog of about 8 books waiting to be read after I finish Napoleon.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:26 AM (T3vgT)

177 I asked because many historians have pointed to a number of decisions by Hitler that could have changed in outcome. One of the most significant was stopping the advance and allowing most of Britain’s army to escape at Dunkirk.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:25 AM (VofaG)
---
At the same time, one can point to many egregious Allied mistakes that made the war longer and more costly than it needed to be. If one accept war, famine, etc. as divine judgements calling people to the faith, both are explained.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:26 AM (ZOv7s)

178 I read the Foundation series a very very long time ago and remember nothing about the story except that I thought at the end that Asimov did the best job of pulling all the story lines together that I had ever read.
This is why I despise GRR Martin.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 02, 2025

***
I don't know why I never got to Foundation, but I loved the short stories in I, Robot (which has nothing in common with the Will Smith film except the title). They are puzzles combined with action, as the lead humans try to figure out what has gone wrong with the Three Laws of Robotics and how to counter it. And his short "Little Lost Robot" is a classic of both puzzle and atmosphere.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:28 AM (Dxave)

179 From my readings in Louisiana, I thought "octoroon" was the term used for someone with 1/8 black ancestry. It's entirely possible that different areas used different terms.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 02, 2025 10:29 AM (78a2H)

180 From my readings in Louisiana, I thought "octoroon" was the term used for someone with 1/8 black ancestry. It's entirely possible that different areas used different terms.
Posted by: Trimegistus at March 02, 2025

***
That's what I understood as well. Quadroon was 1/4, and octoroon was 1/8. Maybe "mustee" was used in Spanish-colonized lands?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:30 AM (Dxave)

181 149 Man, autocorrect just hates apostrophes.
Posted by: From about That Time at March 02, 2025 10:09 AM (n4GiU)

Mine loves them. It substitutes "we're" for "were" every. damned. time. Inexplicable.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 10:31 AM (OX9vb)

182 Regarding the recommendation for Paladin of Shadows, you do know that the first book is full of bondage porn and that violent sexual imagery is through most the series?

Not saying it isn't a good read, but might be too much for some.

Posted by: John the River at March 02, 2025 10:32 AM (Li1E5)

183 Died a couple of years ago. I've got that, Modern Times, Intellectuals, A History of the American People, and A History of the Jews. Also his biography of Elizabeth I, but it's one of his earlier books, not too good, and I never finished it.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:24 AM (Dm8we)

I think there's one he wrote on Christianity, and if so I'm sure I have it around here somewhere.

For anyone looking for a place to start, Intellectuals is a tight little anthology of his perspective on various shitheads. It slices these people with gusto.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 10:32 AM (lbZc/)

184 For example, both the Norse and Greek mythology have gods walking around in disguise, testing people on their hospitality.

On the face of it, this seems fine, an in accord with Jewish and Christian morals and the role of prophets, a visit by an angel, etc.

But the carnage inflicted by the pagans is significant, while the benefit for observing hospitality are entirely temporal. No live everlasting, just material wealth and being turned into a tree, which I guess is a form of immortality but seems more like a curse than a blessing.

So while they have tremendous power, it's always limited somehow, and much of their stories and deeds are just screwing around, tormenting each other and especially mortals with no particular purpose in mind.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:33 AM (ZOv7s)

185 I'll second that recommendation of Paul Johnson's Intellectuals. He took no prisoners in that one.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 10:34 AM (q3u5l)

186 Another interesting thing - the gods keep getting it on with mortals for some reason. This aligns perfectly with the Nephilim in Genesis and the race of giants, heroes of old.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:35 AM (ZOv7s)

187 That's what I understood as well. Quadroon was 1/4, and octoroon was 1/8. Maybe "mustee" was used in Spanish-colonized lands?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025

***
Though Lousy-ana was in Spanish hands for quite a while, from the late 1700s until France took it back over. We have a lot of streets here named for Spanish governors like Galvez, Gayoso, salcedo, and Carondelet (which some people here insist on pronouncing as though it were French, i.e., "Caronde-lay").

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:36 AM (Dxave)

188
Just paid $2.78 for gas.
This Trump guy is building back better.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at March 02, 2025 10:37 AM (KcCWc)

189 I'll second that recommendation of Paul Johnson's Intellectuals. He took no prisoners in that one.
Posted by: Just Some Guy
__________

I didn't know how literally filthy Karl Marx was till I read that book. I mean, he doesn't look too hygienic in the photos and paintings, but man, he stank.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:37 AM (Dm8we)

190 The online Merriam-Webster dictionary says "mustee" is both archaic and a synonym for "octoroon."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:37 AM (Dxave)

191 Posted by: March Hare at March 02, 2025 10:25 AM (O/GSq)

Hey! Making spreadsheets is time consuming.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 10:38 AM (0eaVi)

192 I can’t read lately, but Combat Emgineer by John Racoosin looks good.

Posted by: Eromero at March 02, 2025 10:39 AM (DXbAa)

193 Time I hit the road back home. I'll check in later, if I get back before the thread is done. Have a good Sunday!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 10:39 AM (Dxave)

194 OT: after 100 years, the Original Pantry restaurant in DTLA will shutter it's doors today. Thanks, union! Another L A icon discarded.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at March 02, 2025 10:40 AM (a4kO0)

195 We need more Retief in our State Department.

Posted by: NaCly Dog




Indeed we do. Retief had snark, attitude, a sense of humor, intelligence and lethality. All attributes our state department has lacked for decades.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 10:40 AM (/RHNq)

196 I didn't know how literally filthy Karl Marx was till I read that book. I mean, he doesn't look too hygienic in the photos and paintings, but man, he stank.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 10:37 AM (Dm8we)

Karl Marx misgendered trannies. And never put the seat down.

Thanks, Paul Johnson, for letting us know.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 10:40 AM (IKcSj)

197 Durants' Age of Napoleon was my first read in their series, read most but not all of them afterwards

Posted by: Skip at March 02, 2025 10:41 AM (fwDg9)

198 Was just listening to Musk on Rogan's show, and Rogan said this:

"DOGE has found the coffin where the vampire sleeps."

That's a perfect description.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 10:42 AM (/RHNq)

199 I like the name of Michael Moorcock. I wish I had the equipment to justify that last name.

Posted by: Ralph at March 02, 2025 10:44 AM (8WZD4)

200 Well, time for Mass. Thanks again, Perfesser!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 02, 2025 10:45 AM (ZOv7s)

201 Just ordered “Combat Engineer”. It’s a crew that doesn’t get much thought, but we are there First! Thanks! REDHORSE!!!

Posted by: Rick554 at March 02, 2025 10:45 AM (FmOIw)

202 Was just listening to Musk on Rogan's show, and Rogan said this:

"DOGE has found the coffin where the vampire sleeps."

That's a perfect description.
Posted by: Sharkman at March 02, 2025 10:42 AM (/RHNq)
-

Von NGO. Ah-ha-ha!

Two NGOs. Ah-ha-ha!

Three NGOs. Ah-ha-ha!

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:46 AM (T3vgT)

203 Michael Moorcock Pussy Galore 2028!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025 10:48 AM (L/fGl)

204 Not a Massie fan but lol!

Thomas Massie
@RepThomasMassie
4h
NATO is a Cold War relic that needs to be relegated to a talking kiosk at the Smithsonian.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:48 AM (T3vgT)

205 Just a general observation about my reading habits. Most of my reading for the last few years has involved works of imagination that are not only creative but where the writing is a pleasure to spend time with. Less 'casual' reading and almost nothing modern. The exceptions involve hobbies and cooking. No current events, no politics, and aside from from some items from the Horde no recent fiction. I have a lifetime's worth of reading already on the shelves: historical fiction, poetry, classic fantasy, classic literature and philosophy, fundamental works on Christianity, fiction that has stood the test of time for the sheer enjoyment of the stories and quality of the writing.

AOSHQ takes care of almost all the news, culture and politics I need to follow.

I'm sure most would regard my choices as dull but I find most modern writing, fiction and nonfiction, to be ephemeral, poorly written and not worth my time.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 10:49 AM (yTvNw)

206 I was not much on the Co-Dominion or the Janissary books by Pournelle, but I did like his King David's Spaceship which was both a sort of Piperesque Federation period story, and sort of an Alexander Dumas type book.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 02, 2025 10:49 AM (D7oie)

207 I remember in "Intellectuals" one guy (Bertrand Russell?) used strips of bacon as bookmarks in other people's books.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 02, 2025 10:50 AM (CHHv1)

208 I like the name of Michael Moorcock. I wish I had the equipment to justify that last name.

Posted by: Ralph at March 02, 2025 10:44 AM (8WZD4)
-

All you need is a rope or cable. Then you're all set to explore.

Keep us posted.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:50 AM (T3vgT)

209 I remember in "Intellectuals" one guy (Bertrand Russell?) used strips of bacon as bookmarks in other people's books.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 02, 2025 10:50 AM (CHHv1)
-

The rare lard-cover editions.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:51 AM (T3vgT)

210 Any Golfers here who have not read The Legend of Bagger Vance?

The biggest surprise to me before I read it was that it was written by Steven Pressfield.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 02, 2025 10:53 AM (VofaG)

211 208 I like the name of Michael Moorcock. I wish I had the equipment to justify that last name.

Posted by: Ralph at March 02, 2025 10:44 AM (8WZD4)
-

All you need is a rope or cable. Then you're all set to explore.

Keep us posted.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 02, 2025 10:50 AM (T3vgT)
--------------------------------------------------------
No thanks. That seems like it would be painful.

Posted by: Ralph at March 02, 2025 10:57 AM (8WZD4)

212 Tatum O'Neal wrote an autobiography, A Paper Life, in which she describes abuse by her father, Ryan O'Neal, which she attributed to his jealousy over her winning an Oscar for Paper Moon (and becoming the youngest Academy Award winner at age 10). He cut her out of his will which she discovered only after his death. Now she responds . . .

Tatum O’Neal Shares Reaction to Late Dad Ryan O’Neal Cutting Her Out of His Will: “Keep It, Motherf***er”

https://is.gd/jFfdiW

-
It may not quite be William Faulkner but close.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025 10:57 AM (L/fGl)

213
*sticks head in through door*

Am I too late?

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at March 02, 2025 10:59 AM (dxSpM)

214 I remember in "Intellectuals" one guy (Bertrand Russell?) used strips of bacon as bookmarks in other people's books.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 02, 2025 10:50 AM (CHHv1)

I don't remember that one.

I should dig that out and reread it. Too many books now, about current events, published 6 months ago, and now they're out of date.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 11:00 AM (k3aEX)

215 The Legend of Bagger Vance?

The Legend of Bag Her Face.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle for festive little hats at March 02, 2025 11:00 AM (a4kO0)

216 *sticks head in through door*

Am I too late?
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at March 02, 2025 10:59 AM (dxSpM)

Yeah, the only things left are some stale fruit-filled donuts and boba teas.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 11:01 AM (0eaVi)

217 I've been reading romance novellas this week for a course that I'm taking. No experience beyond Georgette Heyer, but I found them repetitive, lots of sex but all mechanical, about as romantic as the description of a car engine.

BUT the marketing is fascinating. Every book tries to set up a personal relationship with the reader. Not just the cover copy--there's usually a personal note inside as well. If it's part of a series, where it fits in and what to read next. Very personal. You feel like you're joining a little club.

Something writers here might want to think about. I know I am.

Posted by: Wenda at March 02, 2025 11:01 AM (KaQH2)

218 Good Morning Book People and thank you Perfessor for the Book Thread.

I finished Jonathan Kelleman's The Ghost Orchid last week. It could very well be my changing taste in books/genres but I've found Kellerman's last couple of books to be only ok. The story and characters seem to be lacking something, maybe depth? I used to find them to be a huge treat but I'm not so sure I'll go out of my way to read the next one.

I just started Evelyn Waugh's Black Mischief. I'm not very far into it but so far every person in the country is corrupt with the possible exception of the country's leader who might only be incredibly naive. I guess I'll have to keep reading to find out.

Posted by: KatieFloyd at March 02, 2025 11:04 AM (jk53F)

219
No experience beyond Georgette Heyer, but I found them repetitive, lots of sex but all mechanical, about as romantic as the description of a car engine.

__________

I thumbed through one of Her Majesty's. I thought there'd be some story with a grand consummation near the end. Instead, the heroine was snogging away by Page 5.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at March 02, 2025 11:04 AM (dxSpM)

220 41
'if it's preachy or woke I will throw it against the wall because that's intrusive and makes it no longer escapist.'

But you aren't supposed to escape woke.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at March 02, 2025 11:06 AM (3wi/L)

221 I didn't know this but most of Jules Verne's novels were first published as a serial in magazines. That was fairly common at the time. Same with Charles Dickens, Dumas and several others. I've read accounts of people waiting on the wharf for the ships bringing the latest installments from Europe.

I wonder if there is a market for such an approach for longer fiction. I know there are some specialized magazines for short works, especially for mystery and sci-fi, but I can't think of any for longer novels.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:09 AM (yTvNw)

222 I wonder if there is a market for such an approach for longer fiction. I know there are some specialized magazines for short works, especially for mystery and sci-fi, but I can't think of any for longer novels.
Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:09 AM (yTvNw)

It used to be called "Analog" or "Black Mask"

Posted by: Kindltot at March 02, 2025 11:13 AM (D7oie)

223 The science fiction magazines used to run serials, but I don't imagine they did it the way it was done in Dickens' day; I think the sf magazine serials had the full novel in hand before they started publication, and I don't recall that being the case back in Dickens' time.

Was it Edgar Wallace in the 20s who wrote his character into an inescapable trap at the end of an installment and started the next installment with something like "With a mighty leap, Richards sprang out of the pit"? After that the editors wanted to have the whole thing on hand right from the beginning. I could be remembering wrong on that.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 11:15 AM (q3u5l)

224 I wonder if there is a market for such an approach for longer fiction. I know there are some specialized magazines for short works, especially for mystery and sci-fi, but I can't think of any for longer novels.
Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:09 AM (yTvNw)

Author substacks?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 11:15 AM (0eaVi)

225
I wonder if there is a market for such an approach for longer fiction. I know there are some specialized magazines for short works, especially for mystery and sci-fi, but I can't think of any for longer novels.

When I read science fiction magazines back in the day, they would serialize novels along with short fiction. I don't even know if science fiction magazines even exist any more.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 02, 2025 11:15 AM (CHHv1)

226 Most Romance novels are like watching a Hallmark movie. You know exactly where the story is going fromt he opening moments. As far as I'm concerned, that is not great writing. It is boring. There are some really good authors who can create sexual tension in a story that I think adds to story. Karin Slaughter is one. She writes a great detective story and the characters come to life because of the human emotions in hte story. People have sex. Sometimes it is part of the story. But if it is the whole point of hte story, not worth my time.

Posted by: sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 02, 2025 11:16 AM (t/2Uw)

227
as romantic as the description of a car engine.

_________

Good AI exercise. A Chilton manual in the style of a romance novel.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at March 02, 2025 11:17 AM (dxSpM)

228 I'm sure most would regard my choices as dull but I find most modern writing, fiction and nonfiction, to be ephemeral, poorly written and not worth my time.
Posted by: JTB
________

I agree on modern fiction. I'm sure it's not all poorly written, but why take a chance when there are so many classics I'll never get to? And more importantly, everything that can be said about human nature was said long ago. There is absolutely nothing new in that regard.

But I respectfully disagree about non-fiction. New information is constantly coming to light on just about any subject.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 11:18 AM (Dm8we)

229 I got a real kick out of the Thug Notes video!

And, speaking of Dumas, it brought to mind this hilarious A&W commercial from way back.

https://tinyurl.com/mw5nphvy

Posted by: Paco at March 02, 2025 11:21 AM (mADJX)

230 Man, autocorrect just hates apostrophes.
Posted by: From about That Time at March 02, 2025 10:09 AM (n4GiU)

So turn it off. All my typos I proudly own.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 02, 2025 11:21 AM (8zz6B)

231
But I respectfully disagree about non-fiction. New information is constantly coming to light on just about any subject.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 11:18 AM (Dm8we)

__________

Or just a different viewpoint. I was reading James Holland's recent history of Cassino in 1944. He's quite positive about Mark Clark, whom historians usually treat harshly.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at March 02, 2025 11:23 AM (dxSpM)

232 That "Pain Killer" cocktail on the ONT looks a lot like a pina colada.

Posted by: BignJames at March 02, 2025 11:24 AM (Yj6Os)

233 Just for info, reading Maltese Falcon and they use the word "clew." Confirms my hypothesis that the spelling was used in the US at least until the 30s.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 11:24 AM (0eaVi)

234 The road to Hell may be paved with good intentions but turning blue cities into hellish shitholes is just pure stupidity.

It’s not a mystery why Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is set to testify before Congress regarding her city’s affinity for tolerating illegal alien crime via its sanctuary status. Yet, what happened over the weekend pretty much says it all: an off-duty police officer shot and killed an armed attacker at a Chick-fil-A in Back Bay, and Ms. Wu gave condolences to the family of the criminal. The city’s police commissioner also repeated those same sentiments

-

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025 11:24 AM (L/fGl)

235 Star Wars novel by Timothy Zahn, Heir to the Empire

I was hyped, as the kids say, for this one. Had to take a bus to get to the local Crown Books. Cold, hard cash on the counter and it was mine. Got bored after the first three chapters. Zero tension for the opening. Oh, the baddie likes art, does he? * YAWN *

Many of the characters make monumentally stupid decisions from time to time in order to serve the plot.

This is my 'mortal sin' of fiction writing; if you need your protags to be idiots, you are asking your readers to become one. A curse upon your lesser soul~!

Posted by: weft cut-loop at March 02, 2025 11:24 AM (mlg/3)

236 "I wonder if there is a market for such an approach for longer fiction. I know there are some specialized magazines for short works, especially for mystery and sci-fi, but I can't think of any for longer novels."

I don't keep up with internet and streaming stuff but I understand that substacks (I had to look up what they are) might fill the function for longer works that magazines used to publish. Just more of an individual basis rather than a major publication.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:27 AM (yTvNw)

237 I'm ok with the fact that The Stainless Steel Rat will never be made into a movie considering the wasteland that is H-Wood right now.

Mebbe some young kid from Salinas or Okefenokee will change that in a few years.

Posted by: weft cut-loop at March 02, 2025 11:28 AM (mlg/3)

238 But I respectfully disagree about non-fiction. New information is constantly coming to light on just about any subject.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at March 02, 2025 11:18 AM (Dm8we)

I think there's a lot of well written non-fiction being written today, the problem is it becomes "old news" quite quickly.

Or, you'll hear an author talking about their newest book, and you'll get the gist of it in about an hour or 90 minutes or three hours if they're on with Rogan or one of these other podcasters who do long form interviews.

At that point I'm thinking, why read the book! So sometimes I'll buy the book, just because I think I should, but you already gave me the Cliff Notes version, dude.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 11:28 AM (LKYPT)

239 Speaking of blue shitholes . . .

Captain Obvious: Rahm Emanuel Says Chicago Has "Disaster on Crime in Some Dem Cities Due to Permissiveness"

-
Who'd athunk it?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Covfefe Today, Covfefe Tomorrow, Covfefe Forever! at March 02, 2025 11:31 AM (L/fGl)

240 Well, errands to run, a few chores to do, people and cat to annoy...

Thanks for the thread, Perfessor.

Have a good one, gang.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 02, 2025 11:34 AM (q3u5l)

241 Just for info, reading Maltese Falcon and they use the word "clew." Confirms my hypothesis that the spelling was used in the US at least until the 30s.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 11:24 AM (0eaVi)

There was a "spelling reform" fad in the USA, 1920's - 1930's. I remember seeing "bowlder" in a 1930-something issue of Popular Science.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 02, 2025 11:35 AM (8zz6B)

242 So turn it off. All my typos I proudly own.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 02, 2025 11:21 AM (8zz6B)

Wait, you can do that? I'm an idjit. LOL

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 02, 2025 11:36 AM (OX9vb)

243 228 ... "I agree on modern fiction. I'm sure it's not all poorly written, but why take a chance when there are so many classics I'll never get to? And more importantly, everything that can be said about human nature was said long ago. There is absolutely nothing new in that regard.

But I respectfully disagree about non-fiction. New information is constantly coming to light on just about any subject."

Hi Biff,

Agree on the first part. There are more classics than I have time to get to, and that's just what I have on hand. For nonfiction, I do keep up with matters related to hobbies and casual interests. But I no longer bother with books about current events or cultural matters. For example, I'm sure there will be a book or books concerning the JFK assassination but at this point I really don't give a damn what skullduggery was involved since I already know it wasn't some lone gunman.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:39 AM (yTvNw)

244 Back again, folk,

Yes, "clew" I remember seeing in the Fu Manchu books. Never saw "bowlder" (as in "large rock").

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 11:44 AM (omVj0)

245 For example, I'm sure there will be a book or books concerning the JFK assassination but at this point I really don't give a damn what skullduggery was involved since I already know it wasn't some lone gunman.
Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:39 AM (yTvNw)

The same people who killed the Kennedys tried to kill Trump this past summer.

And to a large extent, they run the world.

It's kind of a big deal. Don't read any books about it, but don't doubt they're doing things that matter in your life.

Posted by: BurtTC at March 02, 2025 11:46 AM (J5uWt)

246 I don't even know if science fiction magazines even exist any more.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 02, 2025

***
A couple of years ago, Analog and Asimov's still existed; I bought a copy of each. I think Fantasy and Science Fiction is no longer a monthly. It's possible the other two are.

F & SF never serialized novels that I know of, but Analog and the long-defunct Galaxy did.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 11:48 AM (omVj0)

247 Yes, "clew" I remember seeing in the Fu Manchu books. Never saw "bowlder" (as in "large rock").
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 11:44 AM (omVj0)

I had done research on the use of "clew" because I used it in the Epistolary we're doing at A Literary Horde. I'm using it as a red herring because it could or could not be an American using that word.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 11:51 AM (0eaVi)

248 I checked three books put of the library: minimalism room by room (lowercase deliberate) and two books titled Home Therapy (because my friend forgot the author of the book she recommended). My home is a complete mess at the moment because everything in storage and boxes from my parents' house have come home to roost and there's an air purifier running nonstop to deal with the dust and hair (dog hair?!)

This week's stack of secondhand, yellowed paperbacks to mark-up as I wish: Candide by Voltaire, The Dutch House bu Ann Pratchett, James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, and Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman.

I am stuck in my novel because the pacing isn't right.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at March 02, 2025 11:53 AM (Wl0YX)

249 The problem I had with serialized novels is that I'd invariably pick up the magazine with Part 3 of 3 or 3 of 4, and even with synopses, I'd be running behind.

Strange to say, too, but Playboy serialized novels in the early '70s at least. I remember Crichton's The Terminal Man running in about '72. It also appeared in the Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Seems odd, but then the readership of the two probably didn't overlap much.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 02, 2025 11:53 AM (omVj0)

250 Hunters the third bullet and delillos libra are the most persuasive fiction on that score

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at March 02, 2025 11:54 AM (dJR17)

251 Delurking to comment on the New Jedi Order series.

One of the main reasons they went ahead with the series was to allow our classic heroes, Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, to pass the torch to the next generation. Lucasfilm's plan was for this to be the swan song of the post-Return of the Jedi stories so they could start focusing on prequel era stories. Except a funny thing happened. The prequels, as we all know, were not terribly well received and as a result, any novels surrounding them also weren't.

After a couple of years, Lucasfilm realized their error and went back to publishing more books about our old favorites.

After a couple of shorter pre-planned series, they once again passed the torch to the next generation, with Jaina Solo set to take the reigns as our primary hero. But then Disney bought SW, made everything non-canon and here we are.

I remain convinced that Disney could have saved themselves an extraordinary number of headaches (and could still partially fix things) if they had maintained the expanded universe as canon and presented Jaina Solo as the star. Kathleen Kennedy's female lead was right there with a pre-built fanbase and they threw it all away.

Posted by: Cantankerous at March 02, 2025 11:55 AM (pNCQI)

252 Have to go start lunch. Perfessor, thanks for another wonderful book thread.

Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 11:56 AM (yTvNw)

253 Looks like it's that sad time of Sunday again. The end of the Book Thread. Thanks, Perfessor.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 11:56 AM (0eaVi)

254 Nood at noon

Posted by: CapeFear at March 02, 2025 12:07 PM (lTs8R)

255 Oh I just received a perfect new book at Church:

The Little Black Book
Lent 2025

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 12:18 PM (J5RCE)

256 Finished The Covenant of Water.
It is a door stopper of a book and felt while the description was accurate it wasn’t quite so. The beginning and end were fine and nice full circle moment but boy could have cut a bunch in the middle. I got bogged down in it and just came to not care so much about the characters. Maybe just not my kind of book.
A quick airport read was The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish. A red haired daughter in 1881 who doesn’t want to marry, independent works at the cathedral library. Her father is an archeologist/ adventurer. A seer told him his daughter would be able to see the dead. In the crypts of the cathedral some ceremony takes place & bodies are released from their coffins. Possession/ killing etc. it’s that kind of book but I found it fun and look forward to the next one as this doesn’t quite resolve things. The spirits can and do help her .

Posted by: Paisley at March 02, 2025 12:23 PM (0uL1O)

257 255 subtitles
Meditations on the Passion According to St John

based on the writings of Bishop Ken Untener

Very excited to have this companion for Lent

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 02, 2025 12:26 PM (OTdqV)

258 225
I wonder if there is a market for such an approach for longer fiction. I know there are some specialized magazines for short works, especially for mystery and sci-fi, but I can't think of any for longer novels.

When I read science fiction magazines back in the day, they would serialize novels along with short fiction. I don't even know if science fiction magazines even exist any more.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 02, 2025 11:15 AM (CHHv1)

Dell Magazines still publish genre magazines: Asimov’s Science Fiction (bimonthly; named after Asimov, features short stories & novellas), Analog (science fiction & fact), Ellery Queen (dectective/mystery), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Dell also publishes word search & crossword books.

Posted by: March Hare at March 02, 2025 12:36 PM (O/GSq)

259 Dell Magazines still publish genre magazines: Asimov’s Science Fiction (bimonthly; named after Asimov, features short stories & novellas), Analog (science fiction & fact), Ellery Queen (dectective/mystery), and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Dell also publishes word search & crossword books.
Posted by: March Hare at March 02, 2025 12:36 PM (O/GSq)

I'm surprised Wolfus didn't tell us that!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 02, 2025 12:41 PM (0eaVi)

260 I'm sure most would regard my choices as dull but I find most modern writing, fiction and nonfiction, to be ephemeral, poorly written and not worth my time.
Posted by: JTB at March 02, 2025 10:49 AM (yTvNw)

I feel the same way, but I wonder if a lifetime of reading simply leaves us with no fictional suprises that we can't see coming from experience.
However- I just finished a psychological thriller/black comedy by Alexandra Andrews, "Who is Maud Dixon?"
that kept the twists coming.
I was very pleasantly surprised.
It's a bit of a girly "Talented Mr. Ripley", but I think anyone would enjoy it.

Posted by: sal at March 02, 2025 12:53 PM (f+FmA)

261 "F & SF never serialized novels that I know of"

Robert Heinlein's "Starship Soldier" (later published as "Starship Troopers" with some additions) was serialized in F&SF in 1959, and "Glory Road" was serialized in F&SF in 1963. Heinlein mostly wrote for Astounding/Analog in his early years, but had a falling out with J.W. Campbell, Jr. (the stories differ as to the reason) and so began writing for the other SF magazines.

There were others, but those are the ones I have copies of and remember off the top of my head.

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Posted by: click link at March 02, 2025 01:57 PM (Jf6x4)

263 @233 --

Continental Op story, also by Hammett, spells it "clew."

Why stylebooks were invented.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 02, 2025 03:29 PM (p/isN)

264 I couldn't let the Book Thread end with a bot post.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 02, 2025 03:38 PM (p/isN)

265 I read Combat Engineer and liked it very much. Agree that there was a need for an edit. My dad was on the other side of the world fighting the Imperial Japanese. They were great men, we should try to live up to what they fought for.
Bridge seen in battle of the Bulge is great.

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