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Sunday Morning Book Thread - 6-14-2026 ["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 (from the pages of DRAGON® magazine!). 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?
PIC NOTE
St. Augustine's City of God has been mentioned quite a bit around here lately. I vaguely remember reading parts of it way back in college during my Western Civilization I course. I had a great professor for that course. We didn't have a textbook, just a variety of primary texts translated into English for our convenience. City of God was just one of them. I've hung on to it for all these decades. I finally decided to dig it up. Turns out it was super easy to find, barely an inconvenience. It was stashed in an open box of books in my garage. As I bought it USED, it's filled with annotations from the previous student(s). Maybe one day I'll get around to reading it with purpose.
WHY WE NEED VIRTUOUS CHARACTERS
Although the YouTuber above focuses on Hollywood storytelling in movies and televisions, I'd argue that her points are relevant to the modern state of literature right now as well.
For NerdWord (the YouTuber), virtuous characters are necessary for the following reasons:
Narrative Expansion -- The best stories involve continuous struggle by the main characters to reconcile their virtuous nature with the chaos and darkness that confronts them. In many cases, they always have an easy way out, but their refusal to take the easy way is what drives the narrative and gives the conflict in the story the depth we enjoy as readers. That choice demonstrates the strength of their virtue. They may suffer terrible short-term consequences as a result, but in the end, we as readers are rewarded in the long term when we see the characters develop over time into people worthy of respect and admiration.
Values -- Virtuous characters have values that define them. Honor, honesty, compassion, sacrifice, and so forth. The challenge for the character is to uphold these virtues despite the cost or difficulties of holding on to those virtues. One defining characteristic of a virtuous character is their selflessness. They are prepared to give up even their lives to save their friends and loved ones. They do not lust after riches and power, though those may come to them through their actions as a reward for their efforts. If they are already rich and powerful, they will gladly give it all up to achieve a more important goal, such as saving a loved one from tragedy or death. They also seek out and encourage others to embrace virtues for their own sake.
Inspiration -- Above all, a virtuous character is meant to be INSPIRING to the reader. One of the reasons why I love epic fantasy so much is because traditional epic fantasy has abundant examples of characters that I admire and respect and who possess those qualities that I seek to develop within myself. I don't always succeed, of course, but that's the point. Journey before destination.
Virtuous characters are important for a thriving, vibrant civilization. I think we've lost quite a bit of that here in America in recent decades. We only have to look to the Left and see what THEY celebrate to understand just how far we have fallen as a society.
Never lose sight of virtue. It matters far more on a personal level than many people realize.
++++++++++
++++++++++
THE MAN BEHIND THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOOKS IN THE WORLD
A lot of artistry goes into designing a quality font. It's clear that this man cares about the products he creates, because they are used in texts that deeply matter to their readers.
Out of curiosity, I looked at my own bible to see if I could find any information about the font used in it. Sure enough, on the copyright page, I found this notice:
This Bible was set in the Zondervan NIV Typeface, created at the 2K/DENMARK type foundry.
I'd be curious to know if any of you have books that are set in typeface created at 2K/DENMARK...
MORON RECOMMENDATIONS
I read The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt. The generation which matured using flip phones are mentally much healthier than Gen Z which matured using smart phones and social media apps. Haidt gives an overview of the many studies in this area and how almost constant screen time affects pre-teen and teens. Finally, he suggests actions that parents, schools, and various levels of government can do to restore sound mental health in our children.
Posted by: Zoltan at June 07, 2026 09:10 AM (VOrDg)
Comment: There does seem to be a psychological epidemic affecting younger people these days. Children are growing up with technology practically glued to their fingers as soon as they are born. There's a tendency to think of them as "digital natives" as though they have a better understanding of the technology than us old codgers. I'm not sure that's true, though. They may be able to USE the technology, but that doesn't mean they have a clue how it actually works.
I can also understand how depriving them of technology could induce withdrawal symptoms. Yesterday the power at my house went out for an hour or so. Within minutes, I could feel myself getting anxious because the comforting familiar sounds of technology were no longer humming around me. I even left the house and drove around town because I didn't want to be surrounded by the silence and darkness (OK, it was early afternoon, but quite cloudy).
++++++++++
I purchased Caroline Glick's book, Shackled Warrior: Israel and the Global Jihad, when it came out in 2008. I somehow let it slip off of my to-read pile and gather dust on a shelf until about a month ago. 18 years. But maybe there's good in the delay.
The book compiles many of Glick's media columns published worldwide between around 2003 and 2007. The material covers the post-9/11 world, including the Iraq and Afghanistan invasions and Israel's 2nd Lebanon War - and Iran's nuclear threat to the world. It points out the obvious failures of most everyone but especially of Israel, especially Prime Ministers Barak and more so Olmert (yuk!).
It's deja vu all over again. You could lightly edit some of these essays and republish them now. In 2026, it's practically an entire book of unintended I Told You Sos.
The last section of the book contains some of Glick's essays written as she travelled during battle in Iraq with US troops.
Whether it's Bush, Powell, Rice, Olmert, Netanyahu or US military brass and personnel - or to Glick herself, for that matter - the one thing everyone got wrong and still doesn't get is that you can't fix Islam.
Regards from northern Israel.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at June 07, 2026 09:33 AM (5UTWB)
Comment: Fixing Islam is one of those thorny problems that really only has one solution, but nobody wants to talk about it. Nobody even wants to *think* about it because it will require a solution so drastic that normal minds are horrified by the implications. As it should be. Going down that road will stain our souls for generations, no matter how necessary it might be to end the threat of Islam once and for all.
The Dragonrealm - The Horse King by Richard A. Knaak
The human kings are asserting their power and authority now that the Dragon Kings are waning. King Lanith of Zuu is launching a war of conquest against his neighbors. He's gathered an array of sorcerers to assist him. He's also discovered another entity that possesses incredible power, but may have its own hidden agenda. Cabe Bedlam's son is kidnapped and enslaved, so Cabe and his friend Darkhorse embark on a quest to rescue Aurim Bedlam, stop King Lanith from his mad plans, and uncover the truth behind Lanith's agenda. Darkhorse will be forced to confront his greatest fear.
Journeys to the Twilight Zone edited by Carol Serling
You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just journeyed into the Twilight Zone.
Rod Serling's wife edited this anthology of Twilight Zone style stories long after Rod Serling passed away. As with most speculative fiction, some of the stories are really good, some are OK, and some are just "meh." But the entire anthology is less than 300 pages long and they are all an easy read. The last story, "Suggestion," was written by Rod Serling himself and is a great way to end the anthology. Disturbing implications arise when an amateur hypnotist uses his skills at a cocktail party that results in a horrible tragedy.
Star Trek - The Next Generation #16 - Contamination by John Vornholt
She's a sexy empathic Betazoid counselor. He's a tough-as-nails Klingon security officer. Together, they must overcome their differences and solve a murder mystery...IN SPACE!
Counselor Deanna Troi and Security Chief Worf are assigned by Captain Jean-Luc Picard to find whomever murdered one of the leading scientists of the Federation aboard the starship Enterprise. It's one part buddy-cop movie, one part Agatha Christie murder mysters, and one part Perry Mason courtroom drama. Yet, somehow it all works (more or less). Just to make things more complicated, the Federation is in delicate negotiations between the Krell and the Klingons, who hate each other.
The Quorum by Kim Newman
Kids...Don't make a deal with the Devil.
This is NOT part of Kim Newman's Anno Dracula series. It's a stand-alone novel of loosely connected stories. The main characters made a deal with the enigmatic media mogul Derek Leech for wealth, but he demands a terrible price.
With a name like "Leech" you just know he's up to no good. Apparently he just appeared at the bottom of the Thames River and walked out of the muck. A leech in human form, existing and profiting off the misery and chaos of others' lives.
Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.
(Huggy Squirrel takes a side trip to...the Twilight Zone!
Disclaimer: I mean it! Don't make a deal with the Devil!
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 09:03 AM (LHPAg)
8
mnw mentioned "Say Nothing" by Keefe this week. I found it at the library and I'm up to page 18. I know nothing about The Troubles, so it's all news to me.
A new and very nice house has popped up on Realtor. Has everything ready to go . . . but no garage. And a clawfoot tub instead of a real shower? Puh-leeze.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 08:59 AM (wzUl9)
I don't have a garage. And you can buy an antique shower conversion kit for the clawfoot tub, as I have.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:04 AM (qRla/)
10Going down that road will stain our souls for generations, no matter how necessary it might be to end the threat of Islam once and for all.
Islam itself came out of a Christian crusade to end the threat of Zoroastrianism once and for all.
Kind of like in "Dune", you don't always get the result you want.
Posted by: gKWVE at June 14, 2026 09:05 AM (3+qA1)
11
I don't know what bothers me most about the 'these pants' example: that someone thought of them ON PURPOSE or that someone was willing to wear them. Either doesn't bode well for the future of mankind. Or maybe someone just lost a bet.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 09:05 AM (yTvNw)
12
Read this! What does it say?
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 09:03 AM (LHPAg)
Eat at Joe's.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 09:06 AM (1Ff7Z)
All those antifa characters and people protesting ICE see themselves as the Virtuous Character. It's too bad they've chosen to fight for American demise.
14
I've finished S.M. Stirling's econd volume in his "Lords of Creation" series, In the Courts of the Crimson Kings. This is set in an alternate Solar System in which Venus is habitable and has been seeded by pure humans, Neanderthals, dinosaurs, and big mammals like sabertooths; and a Mars which, though dry and dying, is home to a highly developed hominid species. Both books have a lot of that classic Burroughs flavor to the background and some of the events, but are not written in ERB's rather elaborate style.
The Martians in Kings are humanoid, though taller and thinner than humans, but their culture and way of thinking is quite alien to Earth visitors. You really get the feeling that you are not on this planet any more. I'll have to pick up the third one at my library.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:07 AM (wzUl9)
Rather than take another run at Bleak House right now, or start another series, have decided to try another Dostoevsky instead. Finally got around to Crime & Punishment a few years ago, so it'll be Karamazov, The Idiot, or The Possessed. Decisions, decisions...
Of course, I might get sidetracked by another Simenon.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at June 14, 2026 09:09 AM (q3u5l)
22
I'm about to finish the first trade collection of the "Rip Kirby" comic strip of the late 1940s by Alex Raymond. It started as average but pickrd up. Still, the comic strip "Steve Canyon" started in the same era, and it hit high gear much earlier in its run.
Final tally: Glad I own the first two decades of "Steve Canyon" (in different collection formats). "Rip Kirby" draws my interest, but I won't start a campaign to get all of the Raymond strips. They'll be targets of opportunity. And at prices of $150 per collection, even if they contain two years' worth of strips per volume, the opportunity is unlikely to knock.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:09 AM (p/isN)
23All those antifa characters and people protesting ICE see themselves as the Virtuous Character.
Jonathan Haidt calls it "The Righteous Mind". Add to this, Peter Turchin's End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration.
We (the West, and the Islamic world) have chosen to raise up a generation of holy warriors whose only prospect in life is to win the holy war.
Posted by: gKWVE at June 14, 2026 09:10 AM (3+qA1)
25
Has anyone read "American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed" by Isaac Fitzgerald? Wondering if I should recommend this to my hiking sister.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at June 14, 2026 09:10 AM (3AwA+)
26
Thanks Perfesser. Still reading Sowell's Wealth, Poverty, and Politics.
Also reading a pre-publication novel written by a friend. All the quotation marks are misplaced so I can't distinguish dialog from exposition.
I dislike fiction in any case.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 14, 2026 09:10 AM (RIvkX)
27
I've been reading Anthony Horowitz' A Deadly Episode, the latest in his Hawthorne and Horowitz series. The series is surreal in that the author himself is a character and he skillfully mixes fiction and fact. The premise is that Horowitz is drafted into chronicling disgraced and rather disagreeable detective Hawthorne's investigation despite preferring to do almost anything else. The latest book takes it one step further in that the murder occurs during the production of a movie about the first H&H book so there's real Horowitz, the character Horowitz, the movie Horowitz, and the actor Horowitz and, of course, there are similar Hawthornes. It's like Into the Spider-Verse.
It's interesting that Horowitz, in this and other books and series, does not present writers, including himself, in a very good light. The character Horowitz allows himself to be bullied into into Watsoning to Hawthorne's Sherlock, has his book butchered by a woke young radical feminist vegan global warmist (who's friends with Greta Thunberg) screenwriter, and is treated by everyone as Hawthorne's servant, and is again bullied into shadowing Hawthorne's investigation of the murder of the actor portraying Hawt
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at June 14, 2026 09:11 AM (ndZc7)
Posted by: The SnarfQuest book cover at June 14, 2026 09:11 AM (rpara)
29
Currently I'm on nonfiction: Mark Seal's Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli, a chronicle of how Puzo's The Godfather came to be written and then made into the famous film. Good stuff so far. I'm up to the point in late 1970 when the mob boss Joseph Colombo organized an Italian American Civil Rights League, and the League was objecting to the making of the movie and threatening via a Teamsters strike to shut it down.
There are also neat details on how the casting came to be -- the studio, Paramount, wanted Robert Redford to play Michael Corleone, for example; and there was talk of Laurence Olivier (!) playing the Don.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (wzUl9)
30
20 "Say Nothing" is about the Protestant/Catholic, English/Irish fracases in Ireland. True story about a political murder.
Posted by: gp at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (Jr5Lq)
31
Skip, the real moral of the story is that you need another tablet in the house.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (q3u5l)
32
It's been really too hot and humid to be comfortable reading or writing. I'm hoping I can do both next week, as the weather is supposed to be dropping down to the mid 70s.
Speaking of writing - as I was editing a chapter, I suddenly realized that two characters whom I have meeting for the first time actually were friends in real life. Now I'm wondering whether to rewrite to recognize that fact or go ahead as before. It means revamping a lot of the first seven chapters, so I don't know whether or not to put in all that work.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (qRla/)
33
Jar Jar Binks. The early years.
Posted by: The SnarfQuest book cover at June 14, 2026 09:11 AM (rpara)
----
Heh. I had a similar thought!
34
Good Morning Perfedder, Horde.
I'm crossing the streams this morning. Books, movies and guns. Needing some light reading to prevent rage stroking I picked up an old favorite by Dorothy M Johnsomn. The Bedside Book of Bastards. Described as a counter irritant to the news of the day. I have what she described as her favorite book, The Boody Bozeman. Her book on the Bozeman Trail, which was indeed bloody. Three of her short stories have been made into movies. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, A Man called Horse and, The Hanging Tree. All are great reads. After Liberty Valance was finished John Wayne sent her a note, "Thanks Dorothy, got anybody else you need me to shoot?" Her own comment on writing was, "There's something about a Colt .44 beside the typewriter that inspires me." She hated the sequel to Horse so much that she made the producers remove her name from it.
Posted by: Winston AKA Pops at June 14, 2026 09:13 AM (+iIfu)
35It's interesting that Horowitz, in this and other books and series, does not present writers, including himself, in a very good light. The character Horowitz allows himself to be bullied into into Watsoning to Hawthorne's Sherlock, has his book butchered by a woke young radical feminist vegan global warmist (who's friends with Greta Thunberg) screenwriter, and is treated by everyone as Hawthorne's servant, and is again bullied into shadowing Hawthorne's investigation of the murder of the actor portraying Hawt
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at June 14, 2026
***
I've read the first or second of those and liked it, and his first Sherlock Holmes pastiche The House of Silk. He is good. He really ought to try doing an Ellery Queen pastiche set in the 1930s or 1940s.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:14 AM (wzUl9)
36
All those antifa characters and people protesting ICE see themselves as the Virtuous Character.
-
Hitler, Himmler, Heydrich and the guys considered themselves to be the good guys.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at June 14, 2026 09:14 AM (ndZc7)
37Has anyone read "American Rambler: Walking the Trail of Johnny Appleseed" by Isaac Fitzgerald? Wondering if I should recommend this to my hiking sister.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at June 14, 2026 09:10 AM (3AwA+)
That sounds like something I would be interested in.
With the caveat that it's Bill Bryson, you might recommend his A Walk in the Woods to her. It's his tale of walking the Appalachian Trail.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:15 AM (qRla/)
38
Good morning!
I just finished Three Bags Full, by Leonna Swann. The recent movie The Sheep Detectives was based on it, and it was a rare instance of the movie being more coherent, charming and enjoyable than the book. Writer is a German academic writing about shepherding in an Irish village, and the English copy is a translation. Bless the translator's heart, I'm sure she did her best, but meandering gobbledygook is the best description I can come up for this mess, unless the author meant for it to be a tone poem of men as sheep.
Posted by: Moki at June 14, 2026 09:15 AM (wLjpr)
39
Hearda few podcasts recently on England's problems with religion in 1700s
Posted by: Skip at June 14, 2026 09:16 AM (Ia/+0)
40
I've started several books this week, and can't get interested in any of them. I have some non-fiction selections I'd like to read, but I've been tired all week. Don't know what my problem is. I think I just need to get outside more.
41Speaking of writing - as I was editing a chapter, I suddenly realized that two characters whom I have meeting for the first time actually were friends in real life. Now I'm wondering whether to rewrite to recognize that fact or go ahead as before. It means revamping a lot of the first seven chapters, so I don't know whether or not to put in all that work.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026
***
Will it affect your subsequent plot in any major way, and will it disturb you? You can always mention in a foreword that you've taken liberties with some of the real-life people, and give this as an example.
Or perhaps this can be their first meeting.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:17 AM (wzUl9)
42
This week's pants look more than appropriate for Pride Month.
Posted by: Person who always checks the pants at June 14, 2026 09:18 AM (rpara)
43
Actually, I did read a book last week: America 1908 by Jim Rasenberger. It's a look at that year and its people, framed by the story of the New York to Paris race, which was later the inspiration for the movie The Great Race.
It's OK. I'll probably dip into it again from time to time, but it's not an irreplaceable addition to my library.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:18 AM (qRla/)
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:18 AM (p/isN)
45
Ordered Eric Metaxas' "Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World". Won't be receiving it until the end of the month, beginning of July. There must be a high demand.
Posted by: Tuna at June 14, 2026 09:18 AM (lJ0H4)
46
Moving through my recent acquired custom bound omnibuses, I re-read the first half of "Meridian," a comic book from the early 00's. At one point, I considered this my favorite comic book ever. Upon re-read, that may have been an overstatement. There's still a lot about it I love, but there are also significant segments that I skip over...
Meridian is a girl's story. A magical princess gets usurped by her evil uncle, then has to rally allies to her cause to banish her uncle, reclaim her realm, and make the world a better place. The early issues are terrible. The writing is sappy, cheesy, saccharine, sanitized...just bad. Lots of first person narration from someone that's very young and naive. The art is even worse. Every character looks soft, ill-defined, fragile, and kinda bubbly-looking. The handful of action sequences look even stiffer and more awkward than they would if I had drawn them. Luckily, it does get better....
Posted by: Castle Guy at June 14, 2026 09:19 AM (3v7ra)
47
Didn't get much read this week. Guilty confession: I've been playing Europa IV.
Posted by: Trimegistus at June 14, 2026 09:19 AM (78a2H)
48
Thanks for the Book Thread, Perfessor! A bright spot every Sunday morning.
And yes, we do need virtuous characters. Virtue gives meaning to our lives.
Posted by: Legally Sufficient at June 14, 2026 09:21 AM (D/6p1)
Good God. The first three minutes of that video is one smug DEI movie character after another. A string of a hundred of them.... Like watching some Amber Heard challenge of showing your 'proud' / 'I am sooooo awesome' face after doing your most impressive action scene, which is nothing more than dropping a deuce on some WASP guy's pillow.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 14, 2026 09:21 AM (/lPRQ)
50Will it affect your subsequent plot in any major way, and will it disturb you? You can always mention in a foreword that you've taken liberties with some of the real-life people, and give this as an example.
Or perhaps this can be their first meeting.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:17 AM (wzUl9)
It won't affect the plot, it would just make the scene between them a bit more intense. And I've already mentioned in my author's note that my 1922 Hollywood isn't the real 1922 Hollywood so far as architecture and geography is concerned.
I need to think about it.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:21 AM (qRla/)
51
Thanks, MP4. I think she read that one. What is the deal with Bryson?
Posted by: Brunnhilde at June 14, 2026 09:21 AM (3AwA+)
A new and very nice house has popped up on Realtor. Has everything ready to go . . . but no garage. And a clawfoot tub instead of a real shower? Puh-leeze.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026
*
I don't have a garage. And you can buy an antique shower conversion kit for the clawfoot tub, as I have.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026
***
Ah, but I dream of having a garage. I want to keep my car free of hail, sun, and storm damage, as well as snow. The conversion kit is a good thing to keep in mind, though, MP4; I'll remember that if a future property has such a tub.
I personally would love one of those Jacuzzi modern shower stalls, but I think you need a bigger bathroom for those.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:22 AM (wzUl9)
After livestreaming all day and night trying to see Trump’s name being removed from the Kennedy Center building, Jim Acosta exclaims:
“This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down."
"It is a sign that humankind can stand up against tyranny."
-
In future decades we'll ask each other, "Where were you when Trump's name came off?"
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at June 14, 2026 09:24 AM (ndZc7)
54 It won't affect the plot, it would just make the scene between them a bit more intense. And I've already mentioned in my author's note that my 1922 Hollywood isn't the real 1922 Hollywood so far as architecture and geography is concerned.
I need to think about it.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026
***
That's all good, then. If I read a novel where Dorothy Parker and Robert Benchley meet for the first time in 1935 instead of ca. 1920, I'd be a bit disturbed, but only a bit.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:25 AM (wzUl9)
55
Yay book thread! I'm finally finishing Mao's Army Goes to Sea. What a slog. It's like the author took an interesting but obscure campaign and decided to package it in the dullest military briefing imaginable. First the briefer gives an outline, then spends a whole chapter on organization then methodology, then nothing but minutae about Communist org charts, then finally we get into the action but it is peppered with repetition as well as needless foreshadowing to remove any dramatic effect.
And now we're going through everything that just happened to summarize before making totally obvious conclusions that have already been discussed. I'm sure the last chapter will be a restatement.
A must-read only for incurable China nerds. Everyone else should avoid. It could have been edited down to an Osprey book.
56
Hadn't seen that comment from Acosta re Trump's name on the Kennedy Center. Jeez, what a dimbulb.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (q3u5l)
57
A couple of months ago, I got a message from Amazon saying they were discontinuing the ability to download new books to my old Kindle Fire, which is 14 years old. Three days ago, I found that I couldn't download a new book, so I needed to replace the Kindle. I evaluated my options, and went for a Samsang Galaxy Tab 11+, which is more expensive, but has many superior attributes compared to the newer Kindles. I was concerned about being able to transfer my old Kindle library, but it was absolute duck soup with the Kindle app I downloaded from Google Play.
This is not to say there aren't problems with the Tab, primarily centering on privacy, but I suspect the newer Kindles are no different.
I'd have continued using the old Kindle reader indefinitely, but now am out of that ecosystem. Smooth move, Amazon.
Posted by: Archimedes at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (Riz8t)
58
The best stories involve continuous struggle by the main characters to reconcile their virtuous nature with the chaos and darkness that confronts them.
_________
Flashman excepted.
Posted by: Boswell's Johnson at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (XvL8K)
59The villain is the hero of his own story.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026
***
Yes. In melodrama, the villain loves being a villain and sets out to do evil just for the sake of doing evil. In real drama, he thinks he is the hero. Even Steinbeck's Cathy the psychopath is securing her future, even as she murders her parents and later her benefactor, the madam she works for.
In soap opera, too, people ("evil twin" stories, for example) set out to do bad things just for the sake of bad things. In drama, people are just doing the best they can with what they have.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (wzUl9)
60
56 Hadn't seen that comment from Acosta re Trump's name on the Kennedy Center. Jeez, what a dimbulb.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (q3u5l)
Acosta definitely has Virtuous Character Syndrome.
61
Flashman excepted.
Posted by: Boswell's Johnson at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (XvL8K)
---
Well, yes. He's an antihero. Those can be quite amusing. Evelyn Waugh's version was Basil Seal.
Th reason I actually like the "Meridan" comic book is that while it started terribly, it was really neat watching it evolve into something great. First, the writer (Barbara Kessel) was playing the long game. The tone of the story slowly became more serious over time. Small elements in the early issues grew logically into major events later on. There were a lot of supporting character that didn't do much, but did make the world feel real and consistent. And most importantly, the main character actually grew. She started out sheltered and naive, but then had to confront the harsh realities of the world. And unlike too many current storytellers, the writer was not above slapping the hero in the face with problems, nor of letting her react poorly to them.
Secondly, the original (terrible) artist was fired, and replaced with a guy name Steve McNiven. Right from the start, the new artist's style looked more appropriate to the story and the world than the original's. Then we got to watch Steve grow from an absolute rookie to a veritable master. A year or two after he left this book, McNiven was headlining major Marvel titles...
Posted by: Castle Guy at June 14, 2026 09:32 AM (3v7ra)
Posted by: Hokey Pokey at June 14, 2026 09:32 AM (YlWIZ)
64Ordered Eric Metaxas' "Revolution: The Birth of the Greatest Nation in the History of the World". Won't be receiving it until the end of the month, beginning of July. There must be a high demand.
Wow. The Kindle version is $30, while the hard copy is $37. There is absolutely no way to justify that. It's a pity, because that could be an excellent book.
Posted by: Archimedes at June 14, 2026 09:32 AM (Riz8t)
65It won't affect the plot, it would just make the scene between them a bit more intense. And I've already mentioned in my author's note that my 1922 Hollywood isn't the real 1922 Hollywood so far as architecture and geography is concerned.
I need to think about it.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026
***
Which two real people are they?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:32 AM (wzUl9)
66
I just finished Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet. Amazing collection of essays chronicling the downfall of French culture.
Not sure that’s what it was meant to be, though.
“Ah, France is a rich country,” sighs Monsieur Alex. “Only the French do not realize what they have.”—from Naomi Barry’s essay on the Lucas-Carton, 1966
67
I know my fantasy stories would make good comic books. My imagination is visual (though I include sensory details such as how things feel and smell too), and I love having action scenes with real suspense.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:34 AM (wzUl9)
68After livestreaming all day and night trying to see Trump’s name being removed from the Kennedy Center building, Jim Acosta exclaims:
“This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down."
"It is a sign that humankind can stand up against tyranny."
-
In future decades we'll ask each other, "Where were you when Trump's name came off?"After livestreaming all day and night trying to see Trump’s name being removed from the Kennedy Center building, Jim Acosta exclaims:
“This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down."
"It is a sign that humankind can stand up against tyranny."
-
In future decades we'll ask each other, "Where were you when Trump's name came off?"
He's just trying to juice his podcast viewership, so he says outrageous things that will get people riled up and talking about him. Otherwise, he's as interesting as watching paint dry.
Posted by: Archimedes at June 14, 2026 09:35 AM (Riz8t)
69
Westlake's Parker isn't what you could call virtuous. But he does operate from a set of principles applicable to his chosen way of life.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at June 14, 2026 09:35 AM (q3u5l)
Posted by: Archimedes at June 14, 2026 09:35 AM (Riz8t)
71
Acosta definitely has Virtuous Character Syndrome.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at June 14, 2026 09:31 AM (h7ZuX)
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Main Character Syndrome. It's interesting how the points the Perfessor outlines are completely missing or inverted in the woke mind. Whereas the classical virtuous hero works continuously for self-improvement, the woke is already perfect, has no need for further effort. "You are enough" is pretty much their belief.
This is why the stories with them suck. It's just the girlboss winning all the time. Instead of relying on friends, she has fans who admire and applaud her. Some wag on twitter/x had a great take on Woke Star Wars.
"The original Star Wars was a D&D module and required lots of different characters to work together for the quest to succeed. A wizard, a knight, a pilot, mechanic, etc. and each brought their own skills and helped in their own way. When the quest succeeded, everyone celebrated because they did it together.
"The sequels basically ran through the module a second time only this time the DM's girfriend was playing."
72
I just finished "Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus" by Nabeel Qureshi. I recommend it to anyone who's interested in watching the progression of a very devout Muslim who starts to -- over a period of years -- unravel the lies he was brought up to believe about the Bible, Jesus, his Koran, and Mohammed. An extremely intelligent man who used to relish taking on anyone of the Christian faith in a test of historical facts and the entire basis for Christianity. He did so not combatively, but was so firm in his belief in Islam that he welcomed the challenge to "debunk the lies" of the Bible. He became true friends with a few notable Christians who ultimately pushed back and gave him a vastly different view of Jesus, as well as the Old and New Testaments. As a true truth seeker, he spent years trying to come to terms with what he started seeing as problematic with all he'd been taught to believe. He accepted Christ as his savior and became a minister for Christianity. His transformation was profound, and he suffered deeply when his family was torn apart from his decision. He died in 2017 at age 34 from cancer. You can find him on YouTube and hear his testimony.
Posted by: Lady in Black at June 14, 2026 09:36 AM (qBdHI)
73Thanks, MP4. I think she read that one. What is the deal with Bryson?
Most of his books eventually take a swipe at Thatcher, Reagan or (as Mencken would say) boobus Americanus.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:36 AM (qRla/)
74
Brunnhilde, I have in my to-be-read list "Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery. Emma Gatewood decided, in her mid-60's that she wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. This was sometime in the 1950s.
I haven't read it yet. Maybe I should try that one this week.
75
If'n you want a fake Sherlock, look up the Dr. Thorndyke stories, by R. Austin Freeman. It's free on the Gutenberg site. The prose is a bit stilted but it's contemporary to Doyle's.
His venue is 'medio-jurisprudence' - as apparently the term forensic science hadn't been in common use at the time.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 14, 2026 09:37 AM (diia5)
76
19 Ok, I'll ask: is "foundary" a real word or a typo?
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 14, 2026 09:08 AM
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typo.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at June 14, 2026 09:08 AM
----
Interesting that there's a typo in a sentence about typeface.
It's eyeronic.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 14, 2026 09:38 AM (rpara)
77After livestreaming all day and night trying to see Trump’s name being removed from the Kennedy Center building, Jim Acosta exclaims:
“This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down."
"It is a sign that humankind can stand up against tyranny."
Screw that nickelfucker in particular. Honestly, I wish Trump really were the tyrant these wannabe White Rose cosplayers pretend he is. Watching Acosta get his jaw laid open from a baton strike at the hands of a camp kapo would warm my heart.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:39 AM (qRla/)
78
Booken morgen horden
I hope all you book nerds are well.
81
Parker kills, but he's not a psychopath. He does so for logical reasons, such as to keep himself safe from likely retribution.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:39 AM (p/isN)
82
I will admit, though, that Steinbeck's Cathy (in East of Eden) does manipulate some people just for the fun of it and to exercise her sexual power. As a teen she gets a young schoolmaster to fall in love with her, and then rejects him so that he commits suicide. And earlier she leads several boys into illicit sex, then leaves them to be severely punished despite their denials.
She probably thinks of these exploits as necessary practice runs for manipulation of humans.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
83
After A H Lloyd mentioned City of God a few weeks ago I realized I hadn't read it. With a bit of research on the translations I got the Dods edition on Kindle and the Bettenson version on paper. Dods is the older translation, 1870s, and is regarded as more academically accurate. The Bettenson version came almost a century later. It is considered easier to read than Dods, a bit less stilted, but still accurate. Comparing the two was surprising. Some of the phrasing is different but the tone is the same.
I assumed Augustine would come across like Moses with the burning bush. Instead it is like a lecture from a pleasant professor: persuasive, patient, and not assuming the audience already knows most of the information. Augustine isn't just making declarations, he is teaching. It's not casual reading at over a thousand pages but the approach makes me want to keep reading and think about matters.
It will take me months, maybe longer, to read all of it, partly for the length and partly because it makes me think about the arguments and tracing how it has influenced so much over nearly two thousand years.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 09:41 AM (yTvNw)
84
City of God, when I read that I got the feeling that St. Augy was getting really frustrated over arguments. The way a parent has explained something a hundred times and knows every rejoinder that's coming and has planned for it. Some of it is bright and inspirational, from the point of view of someone who has experienced dark times, multiple invasions and war, collapse of order and civilization. It's an apologetic discourse so you expect the form it takes, but I detect some extra frustration. I bet he could write a good rant.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 09:41 AM (3uBP9)
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:41 AM (qRla/)
86
He did so not combatively, but was so firm in his belief in Islam that he welcomed the challenge to "debunk the lies" of the Bible.
Posted by: Lady in Black at June 14, 2026 09:36 AM (qBdHI)
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I wonder if we will ever see a world where scholars of Islam's origins will be able to write using their real names and offer public lectures.
87If'n you want a fake Sherlock, look up the Dr. Thorndyke stories, by R. Austin Freeman. It's free on the Gutenberg site. The prose is a bit stilted but it's contemporary to Doyle's.
His venue is 'medio-jurisprudence' - as apparently the term forensic science hadn't been in common use at the time.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 14, 2026
***
I think a Freeman Dr. Thorndyke story was one of the first, if not the first, to use the technique we call a "Columbo" story: showing the murder as it is committed, then showing the detection of it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:42 AM (wzUl9)
88 It will take me months, maybe longer, to read all of it, partly for the length and partly because it makes me think about the arguments and tracing how it has influenced so much over nearly two thousand years.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 09:41 AM (yTvNw)
---
I am trying to do a book each week. Trying. Didn't make it last week, but it is not something I can binge on. A couple of chapters a day is about the most I can handle. Very good stuff. Having a sense of Rome's history is very helpful.
His mockery of pagan gods - both their quantity (there is a god for literally everything) and their behavior is pretty awesome.
89If'n you want a fake Sherlock, look up the Dr. Thorndyke stories, by R. Austin Freeman. It's free on the Gutenberg site. The prose is a bit stilted but it's contemporary to Doyle's.
I don't know if they are on Gutenberg, but I would recommend Lady Mary of Scotland Yard and The Old Man in the Corner, both by Baroness Orczy, the creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
The former is told from the viewpoint of Lady Mary's female assistant and is very much in the Holmes and Watson mold. The latter is told from the viewpoint of a lady reporter who is badgered by a know-it-all in a coffee shop who, without leaving his chair, solves what are to her impossible mysteries.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:45 AM (qRla/)
90
Ann Coulter had a solution to Islam on 9/11 but nobody wanted to listen to her. Instead, we imported infinity asylum seeker migrant future decapitators to breed infinity more infidels. Thanks W!
When I was in the Air Force, I proposed overflying these areas with C-130s equipped with aerosolizers filled with phencyclidine (PCP) or a more persistent substrate. We would overfly Muslim regions, saturate them with aerosolized PCP thus inducing mass psychosis. In their persistent psychotic state, we would flood them with images of Jesus Christ. They would thus receive Jesus Christ as Savior and renounce Islam. There was a bit more involving neurolinguistic programming and compromising their leaders. They would constitute a militant arm of Christianity which would be used to annihilate China.
Would have saved us a lot of lives not to mention money, but the military opted to waste their resources on other crap instead.
Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at June 14, 2026 09:46 AM (qwx/I)
91
74 Brunnhilde, I have in my to-be-read list "Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery. Emma Gatewood decided, in her mid-60's that she wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. This was sometime in the 1950s.
I haven't read it yet. Maybe I should try that one this week.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at June 14, 2026 09:37 AM
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Jessica Mills (trail name: Dixie) did an excellent video and reenactment of the story on her Homemade Wanderlust YT channel. It's worth a half hour of your time.
https://youtu.be/rpxVRCCxWco
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 14, 2026 09:46 AM (rpara)
I wonder if we will ever see a world where scholars of Islam's origins will be able to write using their real names and offer public lectures.
May I introduce Robert Spencer.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:46 AM (p/isN)
94
OK, I am off to take what I expect will be the first of several showers and am going to ponder what to do about my book.
Hope you all have a lovely day.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:47 AM (qRla/)
95
Even price of ebooks sometimes makes me stop. Have paid a bit more than I wanted for a few I have.
These history books can't have a large volume of sells
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 09:48 AM (Zz0t1)
97
Also reading a pre-publication novel written by a friend. All the quotation marks are misplaced so I can't distinguish dialog from exposition.
I dislike fiction in any case.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 14, 2026 09:10 AM (RIvkX)
How does this happen?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 09:49 AM (1Ff7Z)
98
May I introduce Robert Spencer.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:46 AM (p/isN)
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I've got a couple of his books. But he is very much the exception. Not a lot of academics have the resources for bodyguards. Professional bomb-throwers are their own thing.
99
A contemporary writer to Freeman (I think; maybe he was later) was Melville Davisson Post. His "Uncle Abner" detective stories are set in 1840s West Virginia, and have a spare, almost Hemingway-esque style. Uncle Abner uses his knowledge of human nature and actions to solve local mysteries, including at least one locked-room tale.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 09:50 AM (wzUl9)
100
>>> This is not to say there aren't problems with the Tab, primarily centering on privacy, but I suspect the newer Kindles are no different.
I'd have continued using the old Kindle reader indefinitely, but now am out of that ecosystem. Smooth move, Amazon.
Posted by: Archimedes at June 14, 2026 09:30 AM (Riz8t)
I bypass amazon entirely now too. So yeah I'm out of their ecosystem. I still use my paperwhite. But even my amazon books I will strip drm before loading them myself. I get a lot now in regular ebook format like mobi anyway. The other companies try this like kobo who use adobi's drm but I strip that too. I buy all my books, but I'll use them myself any damn way I want.
I use calibre for everything now.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 09:50 AM (3uBP9)
101I don't know if they are on Gutenberg, but I would recommend Lady Mary of Scotland Yard and The Old Man in the Corner, both by Baroness Orczy, the creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Posted by: Mary Poppins'
The stories are on the Australian Gutenberg site which has a slightly bigger selection of 'free' stuff because of the copyright laws.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 14, 2026 09:50 AM (diia5)
102
MP4: I doubt my sister would have a problem with an author who was a red. She used to be one, though we haven't talked politics in so long that she may have since moderated a bit. She is very interested in the American Revolution now (though I do not know why, and it could be for less than patriotic reasons).
Dash: My sister has read that one and she really liked it.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at June 14, 2026 09:51 AM (3AwA+)
103
Re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in many, many years. Currently on Prince Caspian and I'm finding myself enjoying these as much as I did as a kid. Last year I did a re-read of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books and enjoyed them as well.
I also just finished the second book in James S.A. Corey's The Captive's War series. I think I liked the first one a bit better, but I'm finding them a good (and quite interesting) read when I want to get my sci-fi on.
Posted by: DangerGirl - what SanityProd??? at June 14, 2026 09:51 AM (4+lhO)
104
Ann Coulter had a solution to Islam on 9/11 but nobody wanted to listen to her. Instead, we imported infinity asylum seeker migrant future decapitators to breed infinity more infidels. Thanks W!
Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at June 14, 2026 09:46 AM (qwx/I)
---
It was a stupid solution. What we should have done is launched a punitive expedition to Afghanistan, overthrow the Taliban, back a strongman and leave.
Same with Iraq. Bounce Saddam, install new, compliant general, and leave.
105
Speaking of writing - as I was editing a chapter, I suddenly realized that two characters whom I have meeting for the first time actually were friends in real life. Now I'm wondering whether to rewrite to recognize that fact or go ahead as before. It means revamping a lot of the first seven chapters, so I don't know whether or not to put in all that work.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (qRla/)
Surely no reader would be so petty and pedantic as to call it out in a book review!
(looks at various online book reviews)
Uh, MP....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 09:52 AM (1Ff7Z)
Can we remove the Kennedy name from the arts center, too? The man did not deserve all these accolades.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:54 AM (p/isN)
107
I sometimes wish I was into reading. Just never developed the bug for it. My mother was an avid reader. She used to turn books to a cinder she'd read them so fast.
That trait didn't pass down.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 09:55 AM (Zz0t1)
108
Can we remove the Kennedy name from the arts center, too? The man did not deserve all these accolades.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:54 AM
+++
Sitting right here, boss.
Posted by: The Woodrow Wilson Bridge at June 14, 2026 09:55 AM (rpara)
109
Speaking of writing - as I was editing a chapter, I suddenly realized that two characters whom I have meeting for the first time actually were friends in real life. Now I'm wondering whether to rewrite to recognize that fact or go ahead as before. It means revamping a lot of the first seven chapters, so I don't know whether or not to put in all that work.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (qRla/)
Surely no reader would be so petty and pedantic as to call it out in a book review!
(looks at various online book reviews)
Uh, MP....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 09:52 AM (1Ff7Z)
---
The challenge of historical fiction is getting the details correct, so I would change it. This need to get everything just right is why I avoid that genre for writing. If I want to deal with history, writing nonfiction is much easier.
110
22 Final tally: Glad I own the first two decades of "Steve Canyon" (in different collection formats). "Rip Kirby" draws my interest, but I won't start a campaign to get all of the Raymond strips. They'll be targets of opportunity. And at prices of $150 per collection, even if they contain two years' worth of strips per volume, the opportunity is unlikely to knock.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:09 AM (p/isN)
Ouch. $150 feels really steep for newspaper strips. Even two years worth wouldn't make for a particularly thick book. Pricing for out-of-print books can be painful...
Posted by: Castle Guy at June 14, 2026 09:55 AM (3v7ra)
111There are also neat details on how the casting came to be -- the studio, Paramount, wanted Robert Redford to play Michael Corleone, for example; and there was talk of Laurence Olivier (!) playing the Don.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius
There's a fictional version of the production of the GF was produced a few years ago called The Offer . It's over the top and probably covers some of that book's material. Worth checking out if you like the GF.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 14, 2026 09:56 AM (diia5)
112
>>> Would have saved us a lot of lives not to mention money, but the military opted to waste their resources on other crap instead.
Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at June 14, 2026 09:46 AM (qwx/I)
I believe that a good bit of islam, its very early history, is a result of Christian proselytization of their nomadic very tribal pagan culture. However that went, this is what we were left with. Of course I'm not saying it can't be done, the Spirit is infinite in power. But whatever has been done in the past, and hokey half measures, seems to have had an even worse result on these people. They just go psycho.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 09:56 AM (3uBP9)
113
Phone addiction - KTE is working on breaking hers. She bought an old style alarm clock so she can leave her phone outside her room as step 1.
It seems to be helping.
114
I've read most of the Robert E. Howard adventure and horror stories but didn't know he wrote westerns as well. I read the first of his Breckinridge Elkins stories, "A Gent From Bear Creek" and was shocked. This is a light-hearted, absolutely hilarious piece. I was laughing out loud at the antics and perspective of Breckinridge, a huge but naive teen from the hills, going to a town for the first time. If a young Conan had joined the Stooges or Marx Brothers, this would be his story. The discovery was a complete delight.
My respect for Robert E. Howard's writing, already sky high, went up a few notches at how effective he was at comedy.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 09:57 AM (yTvNw)
115Phone addiction - KTE is working on breaking hers. She bought an old style alarm clock so she can leave her phone outside her room as step 1.
It seems to be helping.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at June 14, 2026 09:56 AM (GrXrw)
Good for her. I pray for her to gain the strength to defeat the evil beast.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 09:57 AM (Zz0t1)
116 The best stories involve continuous struggle by the main characters to reconcile their virtuous nature with the chaos and darkness that confronts them.
I don't really agree with this.
A story with Virtuous Joe and/or Angel Jill makes for ultimately a boring story because you know how it will work out in the end.
It works well for certain genres of stories, like fantasies. LOTR is exactly that sort of story. And it's great. If that's violated in a fantasy, you wind up with a pile o'poo like Game of Thrones.
But, for me the best stories allow the people to grow and change, hopefully with the protagonist toward the better. Though I'm not sure that's necessary.
There's a tradition in Catholic writing since the Counter-Reformation that depicts the weight of the world changing people not always toward the better. Its intent is demonstrative and can make for a more interesting and enjoyable story as you don't know the ending even before you read the first page.
Modern examples of this style of writing would b Evelyn Waugh and Graham Greene as probably the best known.
anyway, that's what I prefer to read, though the occasional popcorn book is a lot of fun too.
Posted by: naturalfake at June 14, 2026 09:58 AM (iJfKG)
Posted by: Diogenes at June 14, 2026 09:58 AM (2WIwB)
118
Sleeping with the phone out of reach is too risky and downright foolish.
Posted by: Person who lives alone at June 14, 2026 09:59 AM (rpara)
119
Happy Birthday Donald!
May I make some suggestions about the crumbling Kennedy Center.
I suggest that you nominate Judges James Boasberg and Emmett Sullivan to the board of directors and then resign completely from any involvement with that institution.
Let’s see if know-it-all judges can out-perform a real estate professional at managing an aging structure.
Posted by: Fenderbender at June 14, 2026 10:00 AM (1FEc1)
120I evaluated my options, and went for a Samsang Galaxy Tab 11+
Archimedes, this is what I have as my reader as well, after years using a Kindle. My only complaint is glare, especially when reading outside. The Kindle had that nice matte screen. But other than that, I've found it to be easy to use, the Kindle app (and other reading apps I use for magazines and epub files) works great on it and it has expandable memory using a microSD, which...when you have more ebooks than you can read in a lifetime...was important to me.
Posted by: DangerGirl - what SanityProd??? at June 14, 2026 10:00 AM (4+lhO)
121
Not a lot of book-reading in the church nursery this morning as we wait for praise team practice to finish, just mostly dumping things and pushing other stuff around. I wish I could get Lil Pooky to sit for me to read for him. His cousin/babysitter and his grandmas can do it, I guess I'm "special."
Posted by: pookysgirl's toes just got run over by a doll stroller at June 14, 2026 10:01 AM (KKhdZ)
122
I believe that a good bit of islam, its very early history, is a result of Christian proselytization of their nomadic very tribal pagan culture.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 09:56 AM (3uBP9)
---
It started as a Christian heresy in Syria. The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is a Christian church. There were lots of heresies in Syria and the East that emphasized different aspects of God and Jesus, which is why Christological debates were such a hot topic. Early Islam was built around the notion that John the Forerunner was the true messenger of God, and Jesus was more of a symbol. This is where the whole obsession with a Prophet started.
One of the interesting facts is that when the "Muslims" overran Syria and Persia, they continued to use Christian symbols on their coins. This wasn't an oversight; they still considered themselves Christian. It's also why all the early non-canonical copies of the Koran were destroyed, and the few specimens that survived are kept in hidden vaults.
123
I will say this: Christianity learned second-hand is very dangerous. Muhammed and Hong Xiuquan are prime examples. Missionaries have to work directly. You can't just hand out tracts and hope they figure it out.
Posted by: Trimegistus at June 14, 2026 10:01 AM (78a2H)
124Can we remove the Kennedy name from the arts center, too? The man did not deserve all these accolades.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:54 AM (p/isN)
Now I find I'm not sure which Kennedy it was named after. JFK and not Teddy, right?
Posted by: Emmie, celebrating 250 years of God's grace at June 14, 2026 10:02 AM (FMtrg)
125
How does this happen?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 09:49 AM (1Ff7Z)
====
The quotation marks or the not liking fiction?
1. I think he used AI to draft
2. I can't suspend my disbelief enough to just enjoy the story
Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 14, 2026 10:04 AM (RIvkX)
126
>>> Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at June 14, 2026 10:01 AM (ZOv7s)
Thankyou, I've heard a little bit of the history here and there and pieced things together for myself but it's nice to know more.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 10:04 AM (3uBP9)
127Can we remove the Kennedy name from the arts center, too? The man did not deserve all these accolades.
Posted by: Weak Geek at June 14, 2026 09:54 AM
+++
Sitting right here, boss.
Posted by: The Woodrow Wilson Bridge
Pffffft.
Posted by: The Obama "Library" and flak tower at June 14, 2026 10:05 AM (Riz8t)
128
Being abroad, I can't emphasize enough how much Hollywood has been a positive force for America/ns. Yes, now, not so much, but even the MCU has been huge. And here's the thing. Foreigners don't watch the dialogue heavy movies. The Fast and the Furious is a huge positive for us. I mean, can you believe it? But it it really is.
I'm not going to go negative here, just checking in on the Perfessor's point about virtuous characters. When the whole world sees American heroes and heroines acting virtuously, it's a big plus for us.
As a side note, American English is the DEFAULT English because of the movie industry.
Posted by: meh at June 14, 2026 10:06 AM (kK7U2)
129
I will say this: Christianity learned second-hand is very dangerous. Muhammed and Hong Xiuquan are prime examples. Missionaries have to work directly. You can't just hand out tracts and hope they figure it out.
Posted by: Trimegistus at June 14, 2026 10:01 AM (78a2H)
---
The Catholic missionaries in China grappled with how to translate the Bible. The core problem was that Chinese does not easily lend itself to new concepts or words, and trying to use the characters could result in confusion. The Jesuits (of course) were all for it, but the Church feared it would create confusion and heresy, so the decision was made to teach converts Latin and as part of that process they would also come to understand Christianity.
But when China was opened up, the missionaries flooded in with their own translations. And so you are correct, a badly-done tract caused a rebellion that killed 50 million people. The Taiping Rebellion, contemporaneous with our civil war.
130
>>> You can't just hand out tracts and hope they figure it out.
Posted by: Trimegistus at June 14, 2026 10:01 AM (78a2H)
What if you include oddly drawn insulting cartoons?
Posted by: Jack Chick at June 14, 2026 10:07 AM (3uBP9)
131
>Now I find I'm not sure which Kennedy it was named after. JFK and not Teddy, right?
***
Mary Jo Kopechne unavailable for comment.
Posted by: Obligatory at June 14, 2026 10:07 AM (rpara)
132 I will say this: Christianity learned second-hand is very dangerous. Muhammed and Hong Xiuquan are prime examples. Missionaries have to work directly. You can't just hand out tracts and hope they figure it out.
Posted by: Trimegistus
Indeed. The Circumcellions were hellions.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 14, 2026 10:07 AM (diia5)
133
I enjoy a lot of 'children's' books like Wind in the Willows, the Brambly Hedge stories and so forth. Just heard of a series by Lucy M. Boston starting with The Children of Green Knowe, written in the 50s. It gets high praise in the comments and, to my surprise, from Malcolm Guite, who loves her writing. He compared it to the Narnia books.
Is anyone familiar with the Green Knowe books? Any thoughts? I have the first one coming later today but I'm curious about the Horde's reactions, if any.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 10:07 AM (yTvNw)
134
I think the last book I read in it's entirety was our own TJM's 'The Battle of Lake Erie.'
I liked it well enough. But, it was an easy, short read.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 10:07 AM (Zz0t1)
135
114 I've read most of the Robert E. Howard adventure and horror stories but didn't know he wrote westerns as well.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 09:57 AM (yTvNw)
Have they released a good collection of these? Or do you have to pick them up piecemeal?
I have a whole row of Robert E Howard collections published by Del Rey, but I never saw a Western (or Boxing) collections from them. Just the Conan books, the related high-adventured themed characters, and some horror collections. But I passed on the horror books. Not my thing...
Posted by: Castle Guy at June 14, 2026 10:08 AM (3v7ra)
136
This week, I finished The Hunt for the Horn. It really shows that Robert Jordan originally had in mind a much faster tempo for his series. By the end of book 2, we have the Seachan (whom I could do without and so could the series, frankly), we have the Horn of Valere actually used and the heroes of legend appearing and fighting, we have Rand embracing his destiny as the Dragon Reborn.
Things are moving along well and book 1 and book 2 of the series are really, really good.
Then I started book 3, The Dragon Reborn, and the cheese starts sliding off the cracker. It isn't a bad book or unreadable, but the tropes that will become PAINFUL by the end begin. Nynavave tugging on her braid, over and over again, Elayne and Egwene acting like they know better than women two hundred years old and doing stupid shit. This is the book where we start to see more of the Aes Sedai and it certainly captures the imagination of many readers (and Terry Goodkind, who rips it off in his second novel) but...we lose the tight focus on Rand. And frankly, I think that's a mistake.
137
I'd read somewhere that very early Islam reached out to the Jews, as what they considered "honorary Christians," to join them in their crusade. The Jews went, "Unh-unh," and since then the Moslems have had it in for them. Probably an oversimplification, but I'll bet something like it happened at some point.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:08 AM (wzUl9)
138
As for the City of God, it is a very foundational book both to the Western Canon of civilization and to Christianity as a whole. It's not scripture, I think Augustine is flat out wrong in some of his beliefs and opinions, but its useful.
141Speaking of writing - as I was editing a chapter, I suddenly realized that two characters whom I have meeting for the first time actually were friends in real life. Now I'm wondering whether to rewrite to recognize that fact or go ahead as before. It means revamping a lot of the first seven chapters, so I don't know whether or not to put in all that work.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026 09:12 AM (qRla/)
I think that it would easier in the long run to do the rewrite now. Otherwise, you could end up with even more chapters in the future where they're acting like old friends after having just met. There may be a hack available where it turns out they were just pretending to have met for the first time, but experienced readers will recognize it on sight.
I have not done fiction writing beyond playing TTRPGs by forum post, on Paizo. It was good skill development, since typically each player had 24 hours to make his turn, so for each game I would be writing up a solid paragraph or three every single day, turning dry virtual dice rolls into dialogue and action. Do that for a couple years, and it adds up.
Posted by: SciVo at June 14, 2026 10:09 AM (Sy6m/)
I started out passing my deepest condolences to Doof, whom I learned lurking the ONT lost his mother this past week.
Today, we're having a memorial service of sorts for my SiL's mother who passed away not long ago.
Life is hard sometimes.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 10:10 AM (Zz0t1)
143
Raymond Ibrahim had a video on how some 7th century Christians were convinced that the rise of Islam was God's punishment for straying from the true faith.
Posted by: pookysgirl's toes just got run over by a doll stroller at June 14, 2026 10:10 AM (KKhdZ)
144
>>> Indeed. The Circumcellions were hellions.
Posted by: weft cut-loop at June 14, 2026 10:07 AM (diia5)
They had their own allah akbar, Laudate Deum:
wiki:
Because it is written in the Gospel of John that Jesus had told Peter to put down his sword at Gethsemane (John 18:11), the Circumcellions avoided bladed weapons and used clubs, which they called "Israelites". Using their "Israelites", the Circumcellions would attack random travelers on the road while shouting "Laudate Deum!" ("Praise God!" in Latin). The motive behind these random beatings was to provoke the victims into killing them so they would die a martyr's death.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 10:12 AM (3uBP9)
145
I have not done fiction writing beyond playing TTRPGs by forum post, on Paizo. It was good skill development, since typically each player had 24 hours to make his turn, so for each game I would be writing up a solid paragraph or three every single day, turning dry virtual dice rolls into dialogue and action. Do that for a couple years, and it adds up.
Posted by: SciVo at June 14, 2026 10:09 AM (Sy6m/)
147I'd read somewhere that very early Islam reached out to the Jews, as what they considered "honorary Christians," to join them in their crusade. The Jews went, "Unh-unh," and since then the Moslems have had it in for them. Probably an oversimplification, but I'll bet something like it happened at some point.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:08 AM (wzUl9)
I read somewhere that muhamhead started out peaceful and attempting to gain followers for his made up religion and was quite unsuccessful. That's where he came up with the whole join or die thing and started massacring people all over the place.
He found that more successful in getting people to join his death cult.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 10:14 AM (Zz0t1)
148
The quotation marks or the not liking fiction?
1. I think he used AI to draft
2. I can't suspend my disbelief enough to just enjoy the story
Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 14, 2026 10:04 AM (RIvkX)
Could be, but reading the work is the job of the author to make sure that stuff doesn't happen.
Not liking fiction is a choice. Some do, some don't. Not for anyone else to denigrate the choice.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 10:14 AM (1Ff7Z)
149
Robert Howard's horror stories are a very mixed bag. "Pigeons From Hell" is amazing, and "The Black Stone" is probably the best Lovecraft story not by Lovecraft.
BUT . . . a lot of Howard's horror stories end up being something like "There was this scary thing but then a broad-shouldered Celtic man killed it because nothing can beat a Celtic man."
Posted by: Trimegistus at June 14, 2026 10:14 AM (78a2H)
150
I am reading Lord Valentine's Castle. I had read it a couple times when younger, and I find myself enjoying it even more now that I am a curmudgeonly 29. Valentine is truly a virtuous character, immensely charming without any pretense, and, even before he recalls who he is, wins a lot of very loyal friends simply through the power of his genuine personality.
I also love Robert Silverberg's world building. He deftly paints the world of Majipoor with just enough description without bogging it down with too much information.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Born in Butte, America at June 14, 2026 10:14 AM (0aYVJ)
151
A Circumcellion walked into a bar and ordered a club soda.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:15 AM (GseMx)
152
I'm listening to The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova.
The author dedicates a year of her life to learning how to play high level poker, planning to compete in the World Series of Poker by year's end.
Even though I've never played a single hand of poker, I find the book fascinating.
She believes poker is the game which best replicates real, with it's combination of skill and luck.
She also believes beginning playing with a run of luck is the worst thing that can happen to a beginner because they get deceived into believing they are better than they really are.
Posted by: Northernlurker , Maple Syrup MAGA at June 14, 2026 10:15 AM (ggDd+)
153
Also on my TBR pile, since Conan has been mentioned, is S.M. Stirling's original Conan novel The Blood Serpent. I'm curious, now that I see what this author can do, to see how he handles the famous Cimmerian and his world.
Non-fiction is in the pile too: The Crime Book from Penguin/Random House. It features various contributors writing up various short illustrated items about bandits, robbers, and arsonists, con artists, and murderers such as Dr. Crippen, M'Naghten (the origin of the famous rule about insanity defenses), and Lizzie Borden. Plus serial killers and political assassinations. Including, of all things, the assassination of the Roman emperor Pertinax in 193 AD.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:17 AM (wzUl9)
154
135 114 I've read most of the Robert E. Howard adventure and horror stories but didn't know he wrote westerns as well.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 09:57 AM (yTvNw)
Have they released a good collection of these? Or do you have to pick them up piecemeal?
I have a whole row of Robert E Howard collections published by Del Rey, but I never saw a Western (or Boxing) collections from them. Just the Conan books, the related high-adventured themed characters, and some horror collections. But I passed on the horror books. Not my thing...
Posted by: Castle Guy at June 14, 2026 10:08 AM (3v7ra)
There's a REALLY good collection of Robert E. Howard's works, all of them, Finn J.D. John. He really knows Howard, you can find them on Audible. He also has a great Lovecraft complete collection
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:18 AM (GseMx)
156
>>> Then I started book 3, The Dragon Reborn, and the cheese starts sliding off the cracker. It isn't a bad book or unreadable, but the tropes that will become PAINFUL by the end begin. Nynavave tugging on her braid, over and over again, Elayne and Egwene acting like they know better than women two hundred years old and doing stupid shit. This is the book where we start to see more of the Aes Sedai and it certainly captures the imagination of many readers (and Terry Goodkind, who rips it off in his second novel) but...we lose the tight focus on Rand. And frankly, I think that's a mistake.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at June 14, 2026 10:08 AM (xcxpd)
The gals do get considerably more,... focused, on Rand in later books, big dreamy Rand, that they all want to tear their clothing off for and run around in circles along with a bunch of other young female Rand admirers. As one does.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 10:19 AM (3uBP9)
157
You can. start reading historical fiction and get the best or worst of both worlds.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:20 AM (GseMx)
Posted by: Worn out tropes for $200, Alex at June 14, 2026 10:20 AM (rpara)
159
Good morning
Haven't done a lot of reading this week but managed to walk to the library to pick up copy of Nora Robert's newest The Final Target which promises to be a "gripping thriller". I had given up on her a while back so we'll see how far I get.
160 Speaking of writing - as I was editing a chapter, I suddenly realized that two characters whom I have meeting for the first time actually were friends in real life. Now I'm wondering whether to rewrite to recognize that fact or go ahead as before. It means revamping a lot of the first seven chapters, so I don't know whether or not to put in all that work.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at June 14, 2026
*
I think that it would easier in the long run to do the rewrite now. Otherwise, you could end up with even more chapters in the future where they're acting like old friends after having just met. There may be a hack available where it turns out they were just pretending to have met for the first time, but experienced readers will recognize it on sight. . . .
Posted by: SciVo at June 14, 2026
***
I'd think it depends on the importance of both characters to MP4's story. Theda Bara is his lead, but set designer Hopkins may not appear again in the story, so it might not matter.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:21 AM (wzUl9)
Dragon Magazine had fun pull-out games. Remember the backgammon board with dragons?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 14, 2026 10:21 AM (kpS4V)
162
Islam itself came out of a Christian crusade to end the threat of Zoroastrianism once and for all.
Kind of like in "Dune", you don't always get the result you want.
Posted by: gKWVE at June 14, 2026 09:05 AM (3+qA1)
-
Islam founded in circa 610.
First Crusade took place in 1096 as a response to the Muslim Seljuk Turks attacking the Byzantine Empire.
163
In looking for a lightweight paper book to take to the pool in the little condo library, I found a copy of John Sandford book Neon Prey.. Turns out it is the last book in a very long series. Has anyone read him and is it worthwhile to start at the beginning?
Good God. The first three minutes of that video is one smug DEI movie character after another. A string of a hundred of them.... Like watching some Amber Heard challenge of showing your 'proud' / 'I am sooooo awesome' face after doing your most impressive action scene, which is nothing more than dropping a deuce on some WASP guy's pillow.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 14, 2026 09:21 AM (/lPRQ)
I think that's because The Cult of the Nice Characters has really been foisted on us by the Left.
If you read older American novels or watch older movies you'll notice that the characters are usually much more interesting and multidimensional. The good guy/gal may not always do nice and "relatable' things.
The Left as a group always use this idea to mean they're good and relatable because they recycle to save Mama Gaia, just like me! Or, this guy is so good and relatable cuz he's pro-choice just like me!
You almost every Hollywood has some scene like that at the beginning so you have no doubt about the good character and hero/heroine. Most best-seller novels as well.
Ah well...rant over.
Posted by: naturalfake at June 14, 2026 10:24 AM (iJfKG)
165Posted by: Northernlurker , Maple Syrup MAGA at June 14, 2026 10:15 AM (ggDd+)
Ooh, I'm going to have to pick this one up. I love watching poker, though suck at actually playing. This sounds interesting to me for sure.
Posted by: DangerGirl - what SanityProd??? at June 14, 2026 10:24 AM (4+lhO)
166
Going down that road will stain our souls for generations, no matter how necessary it might be to end the threat of Islam once and for all.
-
Just the opposite. Humanity will pat itself on the back fro saving itself before it's too late.
I'm talking about corking the genie back into the lamp - not extinction.
170
Islam won't get fixed until Christ comes back, and then it'll be over in about 30 seconds.
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at June 14, 2026 10:27 AM (tRYqg)
171
After livestreaming all day and night trying to see Trump’s name being removed from the Kennedy Center building, Jim Acosta exclaims:
“This is very much like watching the Berlin Wall coming down."
"It is a sign that humankind can stand up against tyranny."
++++
Screw that nickelfucker in particular. Honestly, I wish Trump really were the tyrant these wannabe White Rose cosplayers pretend he is. Watching Acosta get his jaw laid open from a baton strike at the hands of a camp kapo would warm my heart.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression)
====
Someday somebody will write a book (keeping it on topic) that if every man accused of being a tyrant were but 10% of what they are accused of 90% of the accusations would go away.
Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 14, 2026 10:27 AM (/lPRQ)
172
I think that's because The Cult of the Nice Characters has really been foisted on us by the Left....
Just recently watched The Big Hit with Mark Wahlberg. Overly nice hitman that couldn't stand people not liking him.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:28 AM (GseMx)
173
Telling a bunch of teenage boys with hormones running wild that they can have as much sex as they want, whenever and with whoever they want, is a great recruitment tool.
176
135 ... "Have they released a good collection of these? Or do you have to pick them up piecemeal?"
Collections of Howard's westerns are available on Kindle for a couple of bucks. There's also the Delphi complete collection of all his stories on Kindle. That's what I'm using. I couldn't find any old paperback editions (they may not have been published as a collection) but his westerns have been published recently by REH Foundation Press. Sadly, they are too expensive for my budget.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 10:30 AM (yTvNw)
177
Berlin Wall and Trump's name on a building he saved is exactly the same.
The Left can't meme or metaphor.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:30 AM (GseMx)
178I think that's because The Cult of the Nice Characters has really been foisted on us by the Left....
Just recently watched The Big Hit with Mark Wahlberg. Overly nice hitman that couldn't stand people not liking him.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026
***
Older Hollywood movies might well put in a nice moment to make a lead criminal character more relatable, but they didn't overdo it. Bogart's Roy Earle is one tough character, but he's fond of the little dog Pard. Plus he lays himself open to the crippled girl (because he's thinking of going straight and marrying her). When she tosses him, he goes ahead with his criminal robbery career.
Still he's fond of the dog.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:31 AM (wzUl9)
179
Aki Kaurismaki is weird.
youtube.com/watch?v=dpOFNJOXMS4
Posted by: gp at June 14, 2026 10:31 AM (Jr5Lq)
180
Telling a bunch of teenage boys with hormones running wild that they can have as much sex as they want, whenever and with whoever they want, is a great recruitment tool.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at June 14, 2026 10:29 AM (kJmSS)
----
Yep. In "The Quorum" this is one of the ways in which Derek Leech seduces the young hooligans to do his bidding against their one-time friend.
He offers them each everything they could possibly desire.
The only price is they have to physically and psychologically torture a man at least once a year without letting their target believe he's being targeted.
181MP4: there's a midway position for your 2 characters. What if the set designer remembers their previous encounter and Theda Bara doesn't?
Posted by: Wenda at June 14, 2026
***
That would work too.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:32 AM (wzUl9)
182
Couldn't seem to focus on reading much this week. I blame YouTube.
I found "Chains of the Sea" (1973) on my shelf, which is a collection of three SF novellas.
"And Us, Too, I Guess" by George Alec Effinger is a story about a quiet apocalypse that sneaks up on the planet one species at a time. Entire species die out overnight, randomly and sometimes unnoticed, until the holes in the food chain create chaos. The story ends not with humanity suddenly disappearing but rather the little gut bacteria that produce Vitamin K; the protagonist and his wife die bleeding out in each other's arms.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 14, 2026 10:32 AM (kpS4V)
183
Virtuous and virtues aren't the same, and that's what makes a complex character interesting. An asshole, if you define it rhetorically, can be very generous. A polite person can be traitorous. An psychopath can be disciplined and hard working.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:34 AM (GseMx)
185
Whether it's Bush, Powell, Rice, Olmert, Netanyahu or US military brass and personnel - or to Glick herself, for that matter - the one thing everyone got wrong and still doesn't get is that you can't fix Islam.
Regards from northern Israel.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at June 07, 2026 09:33 AM (5UTWB)
That's the truth. It shines like an atom bomb and yet most fail to notice.
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 10:35 AM (LHPAg)
186
I bought an e-ink reader, an XTE-ink4. It's slightly smaller than my iphone 13mini. They make an even smaller one. I really like the thing. It's very easy to read and uses real buttons, not a touch screen. I am using the built in OS, but there are a couple of replacements with more features. One works with Calibre.
I have finished The Choice, by Dr. Edith Eva Eger. It is about coming to grips with her survival of Auschwitz, where her parents were killed. It is an interesting read.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 14, 2026 10:36 AM (7T8ei)
188
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at June 07, 2026 09:33 AM
We don't do genocide so we do the best we can.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:36 AM (GseMx)
189
"The story ends not with humanity suddenly disappearing but rather the little gut bacteria that produce Vitamin K; the protagonist and his wife die bleeding out in each other's arms."
+++
Well that sounds fun.
Posted by: Said no one ever at June 14, 2026 10:37 AM (rpara)
190"And Us, Too, I Guess" by George Alec Effinger is a story about a quiet apocalypse that sneaks up on the planet one species at a time. Entire species die out overnight, randomly and sometimes unnoticed, until the holes in the food chain create chaos. The story ends not with humanity suddenly disappearing but rather the little gut bacteria that produce Vitamin K; the protagonist and his wife die bleeding out in each other's arms.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 14, 2026
***
I knew Effinger a little bit; he'd settled here in town later in his life. I've read little of his work, though he had a series of novels set in an alternate version of the Middle East: "Taking place in a futuristic Middle-Eastern setting, the series reverses some of the usual expectations of a future world order by painting the Western world in decline while Muslim countries seem to prosper." (He was not a Moslem convert as far as I know.)
His "casbah" was based on the French Quarter, which is why I read at least one of the books.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:37 AM (wzUl9)
>Why did Obama need a concrete monolith for some DVDs?
Is there a basketball court in there? Who paid for that abomination?
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at June 14, 2026 10:38 AM (SRceu)
192
As a species, we will soon stop reading altogether.
https://tinyurl.com/bd8vsemw
Posted by: Archimedes at June 14, 2026 10:38 AM (Riz8t)
193
Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention; the Humble Bundle website is running a sale on e-book versions of Tad Williams novels.
I read one or two of his fantasy epics back in the day. I assume I enjoyed them, but they didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Posted by: Castle Guy at June 14, 2026 10:39 AM (3v7ra)
194
Virtuous and virtues aren't the same, and that's what makes a complex character interesting. An asshole, if you define it rhetorically, can be very generous. A polite person can be traitorous. An psychopath can be disciplined and hard working.
Posted by: meh at June 14, 2026 10:33 AM (zZxsY)
---
A recurring theme in both Waugh and Greene is deeply flawed people stumbling towards some sort of redemption. That's what makes the books so interesting.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 14, 2026 10:39 AM (VyBeY)
196
What Islam and it's sister Socialism/Communism have in common is that both value power over every other value. I think sometimes about gaming that out with a computer. Put in various goods to acquire. Some bots go after the red gems, some bots go after the blue gems, some bots go after controlling the other bots.
I think the founders saw this: A Republic If You Can Keep It, because those of us who are uninterested in controlling everyone don't spend night and day in defense against those who do.
Islam and communism are designed from the ground up to be controlling ideologies and sociopaths and psychopaths understand them intuitively.
First Crusade took place in 1096 as a response to the Muslim Seljuk Turks attacking the Byzantine Empire.
Can you please explain your comment?
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at June 14, 2026 10:22 AM (Oj3Pf)
---
The struggle between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia took on a religious significance as it went on. It became something of a holy war. Islam's rise (or rather the heresy that preceded it) emerged at a point where both sides had fought each other to the point of exhaustion, creating a vacuum for independent chiefs to assert control over first Syria and later Persia.
But despite being "Muslim," Christian symbols continued to be used on their coins.
198
The gals do get considerably more,... focused, on Rand in later books, big dreamy Rand, that they all want to tear their clothing off for and run around in circles along with a bunch of other young female Rand admirers. As one does.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 10:19 AM (3uBP9)
Jordan/Rigney had a healthy perv streak in him, which is odd in a way as most of the POV characters come from very straitlaced, high shame cultures. The ultimate ending for Rand makes that clear. To Sanderson's credit, it did not change or rewrite Jordan's ending, and you can tell when it switches from Sanderson's words to Jordan's early draft words.
199
163 In looking for a lightweight paper book to take to the pool in the little condo library, I found a copy of John Sandford book Neon Prey.. Turns out it is the last book in a very long series. Has anyone read him and is it worthwhile to start at the beginning?
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at June 14, 2026 10:24 AM (kJmSS)
Yes.
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 10:42 AM (LHPAg)
200
And I bought a nice version of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. I had problems reading the Ballatine paperback, and wound up reading it on the Kindle. These books are the perfect size and the fake leather covers make them easy to hold.
https://tinyurl.com/mry5nj54
Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 14, 2026 10:42 AM (7T8ei)
201
The challenge of historical fiction is getting the details correct, so I would change it. This need to get everything just right is why I avoid that genre for writing. If I want to deal with history, writing nonfiction is much easier.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at June 14, 2026 09:55 AM (ZOv7s)
Morning book folks.
I don't like historical fiction much at all. History is polluted enough without it. Just finished one last week and the author is a friend from childhood whom I would like to talk with about why he shouldn't have written the book the way he did or at least how much of it is non-fiction but he sadly passed away recently.
I've done a bit of research on the main plot portion and find very little on it. There would have almost had to have been a similar true story but... I think he took a bit to many liberties unless this is more "based on a true story" than just a novel.
The book is Flying Lessons by Scott Grange.
I need to do more research on Norther France during WW11. Any recommendations on books about what the resistance did behind the sceenes in Normandy and such?
Posted by: Reforger at June 14, 2026 10:43 AM (bHWR0)
202
Well, it's that time. Thanks again, Perfessor!
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I'm making good progress on Derb's "Prime Obsession," but in my paperback edition, some of the formulas are printed in such tiny type that I need an eye loupe to read them.
Posted by: gp at June 14, 2026 10:45 AM (Jr5Lq)
206
My most recent video potential house tour is coming up shortly. I have big hopes for this one.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:46 AM (wzUl9)
207
Have we gotten any photos from the inside of the Obama library so we can post them on the book thread? The splendor must be breathtaking.
Posted by: Rev. Wishbone at June 14, 2026 10:46 AM (SRceu)
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207 Grand opening in five days:
www.obama.org/visit/
Posted by: gp at June 14, 2026 10:48 AM (Jr5Lq)
209
The problem with lack of virtuous characters is the same I see with the lack of deep platonic same-sex relationships. If kids never see that in what they read they won't realize it's possible and will assume any intense connection they feel to *anyone* must be sexual in nature.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026 10:49 AM (lFFaq)
210
I need to do more research on Norther France during WW11. Any recommendations on books about what the resistance did behind the sceenes in Normandy and such?
Posted by: Reforger at June 14, 2026 10:43 AM (bHWR0)
'The Sorrow and the Pity' is the landmark of that bit of history IIRC
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'The Sorrow and the Pity' is the landmark of that bit of history IIRC
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at June 14, 2026 10:49 AM (xcxpd)
Thank you.
Posted by: Reforger at June 14, 2026 10:52 AM (bHWR0)
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152 I'm listening to The Biggest Bluff by Maria Konnikova.
Posted by: Northernlurker , Maple Syrup MAGA at June 14, 2026 10:15 AM (ggDd+)
My sister recommended this to me, because I play poker. She read it because she runs a business, and found it to be a good analysis of decision-making.
How is the print in those pocket size LOTR editions? Better than the paperbacks? If I needed an easy to carry version, those look like a good deal.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 10:52 AM (yTvNw)
215 I'm seeing that Robert Caro (now over 90) is getting ready to release another, final, LBJ biography.
The first, "The Path to Power" was published in 1974.
Posted by: Auspex at June 14, 2026 10:52 AM (Y8DZL)
216 The problem with lack of virtuous characters is the same I see with the lack of deep platonic same-sex relationships. If kids never see that in what they read they won't realize it's possible and will assume any intense connection they feel to *anyone* must be sexual in nature.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026
***
We used to have those: Solo & Illya, Kirk & Spock, Fahfrd & the Gray Mouser, Wolfe & Archie, etc. Nowadays those first two have been co-opted by the "slash" fandom. I'm not aware of any "slash" fan fiction about Wolfe and Archie, and my simple childlike mind cannot encompass such things, but I'll bet somebody's tried it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:52 AM (wzUl9)
217
it was never meant to be a presidential library; it was going to be Party HQ for the Chicago Politburo under the harris (or subsequent) administration. why else would it have blast-resistant hardening? designed as a fortress against the people.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez at June 14, 2026 10:52 AM (VyBeY)
218
Do dogs get that string hanging from the roof of their mouth when they burn their mouths? I ask this because I was making polish sausage for breakfast, frying it, finished it and was dumping it into a plate when a piece fell out and SCARF! dummy ate it right up. I checked a piece in my plate and of course it was burning hot. She doesn't look any worse and is now following me around waiting for more mana from heaven.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 10:53 AM (3uBP9)
219
Read the second, on current final, book in Larry Corriea's Academy of Outcasts series. Next one isn't due out for a year. Lots of action and fun characters. The constant "f-bombs" are the only thing that really detracts.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026 10:54 AM (lFFaq)
220
The first few times I ate pizza I scorched the ridge just behind my front teeth. I learned to wait a bit for the pie to cool, and to use knife and fork to cut small bites that I could then place past that vulnerable zone.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:55 AM (wzUl9)
221
So Big-O is opening his "library" on junteenth?
Posted by: Reforger at June 14, 2026 10:55 AM (bHWR0)
222
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:52 AM (wzUl9)
Yes, fandom has degraded the nature of relationships throughout many genres.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026 10:56 AM (lFFaq)
223
I read once that the Califorinia supreme court ruled Poker legal in the state (despite their gambling ban) because it was a game of skill not chance.
Posted by: who knew at June 14, 2026 10:56 AM (+ViXu)
224
"The first few times I ate pizza I scorched the ridge just behind my front teeth."
Follow that up the next day with Capn Crunch for breakfast. That will effectively debride your burn wounds.
Posted by: gp at June 14, 2026 10:57 AM (Jr5Lq)
225Yes, fandom has degraded the nature of relationships throughout many genres.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026
***
My U.N.C.L.E. fan stories studiously avoid such topics. In fact they would never occur to me anyway.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:57 AM (wzUl9)
226
On the LOTR books, they do reduce the print a bit on the longer books. I am okay with it. They also have maps included too.
Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 14, 2026 10:59 AM (7T8ei)
227
The first few times I ate pizza I scorched the ridge just behind my front teeth."
Follow that up the next day with Capn Crunch for breakfast. That will effectively debride your burn wounds.
Posted by: gp
8 year old me did you that once. Only once.
Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at June 14, 2026 10:59 AM (j+8bz)
I have that exact same edition of City of God. I took a class on Augustine in college and that was one of the textbooks.
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at June 14, 2026 11:00 AM (eOFY+)
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221 So Big-O is opening his "library" on junteenth?
Posted by: Reforger at June 14, 2026 10:55 AM (bHWR0)
From what we're reading in the daily 'news', black folk believe black folk are still enslaved. Is ubama giving then a giant juneteemph booster shot?
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 11:01 AM (LHPAg)
231
By the way, one of you was reading her way through the Nero Wolfe saga. After we concluded the Book Thread last week, I went back to check out that 1959 pilot film for a Nero Wolfe TV series with a young William Shatner as Archie. He would have been perfect!
The show was done on a shoestring, with Wolfe and Archie as the only inhabitants of Wolfe's brownstone, and a weird plot about killing a rocket scientist. But there were callbacks to the original works in that Wolfe engineers his own hiring to solve the murder, and Archie is appropriately smart as well as brash.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 11:01 AM (wzUl9)
232
We don't do genocide so we do the best we can.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2026 10:36 AM (GseMx)
-
Why did you ignore the last line of my comment:
I'm talking about corking the genie back into the lamp - not extinction.
233
Ooh, thunder and rain outside. Better stay indoors and read, just to be safe.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 14, 2026 11:05 AM (kpS4V)
234
A very interesting fantasy/scify/horror universe is Hodgson's "The Night Land". I don't know if I can recommend the book as it is difficult, in many cases tedious to read. It's set at the twilight end of the earth, and this section of the universe. All the light is dying out, the whole world is shrouded in eternal darkness, no sun, moon or stars. There are many evil malevolent spirits in complete dominance over most of the planet. Humanity is gathered in these giant fortresses he calls redoubts. The main character is a citizen of one of the last redoubts trying to find his love which he believes is in danger so he has to go out into "the night land" to find her. Also she was his wife he lost in a past life, occult stuff popular in Hodgson's time.
His story universe really intrigues me. There have been a few authors that have revisited it since, for a modern audience. Not too many. But I think it is a fertile ground for ideas and adventures.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 11:05 AM (3uBP9)
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Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 10:57 AM (wzUl9)
Brandon Sanderson doing that in The Wind and the Truth, especially with a "autistic-coded" character is why I won't be paying for any more of his books. That's after I was working on collecting all his books until that came out. I admit that it's personal to me since I have a, high functioning, autistic daughter who has been tricked into the pronoun lifestyle after leaving home.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026 11:05 AM (lFFaq)
236
Jm J. Acosta is a fag and his shit's all retarded.
Owebama opening his indoctrination facility on Juneteenth tells you all you need to know. He's the most narcissistic sumbitch on the planet and everything 'black' revolves around his 1/2 white ass.
He is King Negro.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 11:05 AM (Zz0t1)
237 The first few times I ate pizza I scorched the ridge just behind my front teeth."
Follow that up the next day with Capn Crunch for breakfast. That will effectively debride your burn wounds.
Posted by: gp
You're not an American if you didn't experience this.
Posted by: Sponge - F*ck Cancer at June 14, 2026 11:07 AM (Zz0t1)
238
That's the truth. It shines like an atom bomb and yet most fail to notice.
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 10:35 AM (LHPAg)
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Trump included. I've had enough of his jack-assery:
Open Source Intel @Osint613
Trump : This morning’s attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran. Israel has the right to defend itself against threats, but the attack it was responding to was very small and meaningless, nobody was hurt, injured, or killed, and should not disrupt this important process. We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down. There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel. This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let’s not blow it!
239
From what we're reading in the daily 'news', black folk believe black folk are still enslaved. Is ubama giving then a giant juneteemph booster shot?
Posted by: Eromero at June 14, 2026 11:01 AM (LHPAg)
Upon entering, you'll be shackled and led around single file by cruel white devils who will be telling non-stop racial jokes.
Posted by: Dr. Pork Chops & Bacons at June 14, 2026 11:08 AM (g8Ew8)
240 I was making polish sausage for breakfast, frying it, finished it and was dumping it into a plate when a piece fell out and SCARF! dummy ate it right up.
_________
Betcha she nailed it before it hit the floor.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 14, 2026 11:08 AM (O0L8i)
241
By the way, one of you was reading her way through the Nero Wolfe saga. After we concluded the Book Thread last week, I went back to check out that 1959 pilot film for a Nero Wolfe TV series with a young William Shatner as Archie. He would have been perfect!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at June 14, 2026 11:01 AM (wzUl9)
I saw that. It was good. Might not have had ST if it made it to the lineup.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at June 14, 2026 11:09 AM (1Ff7Z)
242
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 11:05 AM (3uBP9)
I read that several years ago because John C. Wright wrote a "sequel" to it. It's slow but still interesting.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at June 14, 2026 11:09 AM (lFFaq)
243
233 Ooh, thunder and rain outside. Better stay indoors and read, just to be safe.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at June 14, 2026 11:05 AM (kpS4V)
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at June 14, 2026 11:12 AM (Kt19C)
247
I need to do more research on Norther France during WW11. Any recommendations on books about what the resistance did behind the sceenes in Normandy and such?
Posted by: Reforger
I liked Bodyguard of Lies by Anthony Cave Brown.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fat, Dumb, and Happy at June 14, 2026 11:12 AM (ndZc7)
248 Ooh, thunder and rainsunny and warm outside. Better stay indoors and read, just to be safe.
_____________
This would be equally prudent.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 14, 2026 11:13 AM (O0L8i)
249
How did the hipster burn the roof of his mouth?
{strikes a pose} *He* ate pizza, *before* it was cool.
Posted by: SciVo at June 14, 2026 11:13 AM (Sy6m/)
250
AI suggests Kielbasa Breakfast Skillet with Eggs. Sounds good to me! I'd buy that for a dollar. (Discounted if served off the floor.)
Posted by: gp at June 14, 2026 11:14 AM (Jr5Lq)
251
>>> Betcha she nailed it before it hit the floor.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 14, 2026 11:08 AM (O0L8i)
I honestly didn't even see it hit the floor. I looked down as it flew and the point where it would hit the floor, there she was. I know it hit the floor there because she went back to lick the floor a few times before I wiped it. But she done cleaned it better than I could. She's still walking around expecting me to chuck more sausage magic her way accidently.
Posted by: banana Dream at June 14, 2026 11:14 AM (3uBP9)
252 Any recommendations on books about what the resistance did behind the sceenes in Normandy and such?
Posted by: Reforger
___________
I don't know what they did, but after the war everyone in France claimed they were doing it.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 14, 2026 11:14 AM (O0L8i)
255 In Chicagoland, you will be required to make a pilgrimage to the monstrosity if you attend a public school.
Curiously, I know a number of residents in the loop that say attending Bears games in Hammond will be easier than accessing Soldier Field.
Posted by: Auspex at June 14, 2026 11:15 AM (Y8DZL)
256
Part of the power and influence of LOTR is from the many virtuous characters. Individuals who know, or come to know, what is both right and necessary and will risk everything to try to achieve it even against overwhelming odds. Aragorn, Theoden, Faramir, the four Hobbits, and others are all examples. They don't have to be flawless or have perfect judgement but they must persevere when it would be easier not to. Alfred the Great and King Arthur and his knights have remained so important to western culture for the same reasons.
I've seen accounts that Frodo failed in the quest. Wrong. He didn't give up, he was overcome. But if his virtue had not continued, despite wounds, ever increasing torment and deathly exhaustion, to that very point the story would have been different.
Posted by: JTB at June 14, 2026 11:15 AM (yTvNw)
257
OMG. I just read the sausage comment and remembered I started a hard boiled egg on the stove and forgot about it. Pot was entirely empty of water. Next time I need to set the timer. 🤦♀️
