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Sunday Morning Book Thread 01-22-2017
Hotel Emma Library, San Antonio, TX“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
--C. S. Lewis
Pic Note
Last weekend, I discovered a beautiful library in the Hotel Emma in San Antonio. The hotel is built in the old Pearl Brewery and the two-story library and reading room is part of that structure. The library's almost 4000 books were donated by Sherry Kafka Wagner, a San Antonio author and book enthusiast/collector.
Posted by: LASue at January 08, 2017 11:22 AM (CLKfs)
Impulse Buy I generally don't buy books right away. When I see a book I think I might like, I tend to over-think the purchase. I mull it over in my mind for awhile, weighing the pros and cons, reading the reviews (esp. the 1-star reviews), and then maybe, just maybe, I'll buy it. Even if it's a $1.99 Kindle deal. Yes, I am that cheap. I just hate spending money. Compared to me, Vic throws money away like a drunken sailor or a Democratic congressmen. But then occasionally I will find a book that I'll look at, read a bit of the blurb, and then bam, buy it. One such book is A Stranger In My Own Hometown: A Brendan O'Brian Legal Thriller by J.W. Kerwin. This is how the Amazon blurb starts out:
The Council for Islamic Religious Respect (CIRR) has filed suit against a crusading newspaper reporter for defaming Islam and linking the group to terrorists.The blurb goes on, but at that point, my head had filled up with "I WANT!" like an inflated tire. So I stopped reading and plunked down my $2.99. I mean, who knows, it may turn out to be a crappy book, but for $3, it's a good risk. Also, I had to laugh at the novel's bad guys, the "Council for Islamic Religious Respect (CIRR)". Gee, I wonder who that's supposed to be?
CIRR has seemingly unlimited funds and a wily attorney who thinks nothing of lying to the judge. But the reporter has Brendan O’Brian, America’s most politically incorrect defense attorney.
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Another View of the Hotel Emma LibraryAnd then it turns out that this novel is actually a sequel to an earlier novel, Slow Death in the Fast Lane, which blurb starts out:
If you hate the IRS, you’ll love this book!I stopped reading right there and bought it. 99 cents. Here's more of the blurb:
Years of creative accounting have landed Harvey Berkowitz in court, charged with criminal tax fraud. The government has a mountain of incriminating evidence and what appears to be an airtight case. But Harvey has Brendan O’Brian, an unconventional defense attorney with a reputation for winning seemingly unwinnable cases.I found this book because I had discovered the BadBlue news aggregator site and I keep it open in a browser tab pretty much all of the time. It linked to this piece on the anti-jihad site BareNakedIslam, which is a video compilation of German politicians denying any problem with mass immigration from Muslim countries. I swear if you shoved Angela Merkel's face into a pile of dung, she'd claim she couldn't smell anything.
O’Brian turns the tables on the government, putting the Tax Code and predatory IRS practices on trial with strategies that create a circus-like atmosphere in the normally staid federal court.
Correcting the Record Earlier this week, ace noted the 19th anniversary of the reporting of a story that Newsweek had known about, but spiked. The reporter, of course, was Matt Drudge, the story was about President Bill Clinton's surreptitious sexual relationship with a young intern named Monica Lewinsky, and the breaking of that story was the first crack in the edifice of control that the MSM had exerted over news coverage. The Newsweek editors did not want to report a story that might potentially harm a president they favored, so they did what they usually do. They spiked it. They thought it would go away. It didn't. Instead, thanks to the efforts of one Matt Drudge, it sparked a journalistic war that is still being fought. I even had my own story to tell about Matt Dudge. But I was wrong about one thing. For some undoubtedly stupid reason, I thought he was the co-author with Andrew Breitbart of the book Hollywood, Interrupted: Insanity Chic in Babylon -- The Case Against Celebrity, but that's not the case. Breitbart's co-author was investigative journalist Mark Ebner. H,I is
...a sometimes frightening, occasionally sad, and frequently hysterical odyssey into the darkest realms of showbiz pathology, the endless stream of meltdowns and flameouts, and the inexplicable behavior on the part of show business personalities.I'm not sure the behavior is all that "inexplicable." Take an average American, give her everything she wants, surround her with sycophants and courtiers, never let her ever hear a word of rebuke or criticism of even the mildest sort, constantly tell her how great she is (even when she isn't), praise her every time she combs her hair or puts her shoes on, and how could this not be a sure-fire recipe for the production of manifold psychological problems? It would take a person with the strongest possible set of values, deeply internalized and self-consciously followed, to resist the temptation to vanity, megalomania and madness. The real question is, why aren't there a lot more Hollywood flameouts? Of course, Matt Drudge did write his own book, Drudge Manifesto, wherein he
reveal[ed] how he discovered and broke the stories that threatened the Clinton presidency, how his bombshells sparked one of the most intense media frenzies in history, and how he envisions the future of journalism.I guess it's kind of ironic that there is no Kindle edition of Drudge's book.
Moron Recommendations Received an e-mail from a moron who liked Conclave by Robert Harris. He wrote a pretty good blurb for it:
This is a fictional account of the selection of a new Pope by the College of Cardinals. There is an interesting "inside baseball" story of the process of selection, and a view of the ambitions of several of the Cardinals themselves. The protagonist is a fictional Dean of the Cardinals, whose job is to guide the College thru the process of determination.Harris is also the author of the 'Ancient Rome' Trilogy, Imperium, Conspirata, and Dictator (not sure what order they're in).
The several 'papabile' can be seen maneuvering to gain the consensus and there is some maneuvering to eliminate potential rivals. The author does lead the reader to the ultimate selectee, but there awaits a stunning conclusion. Even if you are not a fellow Catholic, the story is interesting in its intrigue.
Books By Morons Over on votormom's Goodreads group, 'ette Mona informed the Horde that her
...debut novel is now available on Kindle. If you like Jane Austen, I think you will like this. If you like Jane Austen but don't like Fanny Price, be reassured that I have given her a bit of a tweak in this book. I also like to think there's a dash of Flashman in the character of the cad, Henry Crawford.Her book is titled A Contrary Wind: a variation on Mansfield Park:
Fanny Price, niece to Sir Thomas Bertram of Mansfield Park, is an intelligent but timid girl from a poor family, who is grateful for the advantages of education and breeding conferred upon her as result of growing up with her wealthier cousins.Not a bad price at $4.99.
But the cruelty of her Aunt Norris, coupled with the pain of knowing that the man she secretly loves is infatuated with the vivacious but cold-hearted Mary Crawford, compel Fanny to run away from Mansfield Park and find employment as a governess...This variation of Jane Austen’s novel includes all the familiar characters from Jane Austen’s novel, as well as some new acquaintances. There are some mature scenes.
___________ Moronette 'votermom' is putting together a list of moron authors over on the Goodreads site which is intended to be accessible to non-members. Here is the list she has compiled so far. Let her know if there's an author she's missing. http://www.bookhorde.org/p/aoshq-authors.html ___________ Don't forget the AoSHQ reading group on Goodreads. It's meant to support horde writers and to talk about the great books that come up on the book thread. It's called AoSHQ Moron Horde and the link to it is here: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/175335-aoshq-moron-horde. ___________ So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, bribes, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at the book thread e-mail address: aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm. What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as you all know, life is too short to be reading lousy books.
Comments
(Jump to bottom of comments)1
Tolle lege
Posted by: Skip at January 22, 2017 08:55 AM (yx0Ld)
2
Lovely library pics.
Posted by: Darles Chickens at January 22, 2017 09:00 AM (u8Dsi)
3
Nice library in the pic.
Currently working on a re-read of the John Ringo Council Wars Series (There Will Be Dragons). I had originally thought to do Flight of The Old Dog by Dale Brown but it is not available in ebook.
Currently working on a re-read of the John Ringo Council Wars Series (There Will Be Dragons). I had originally thought to do Flight of The Old Dog by Dale Brown but it is not available in ebook.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 09:00 AM (mpXpK)
4
I've got to head out, but am wondering if anyone has read 'Supreme Commander', by Seymour Morris, Jr.?
Friend has recommended, but before buying, I'd appreciate any comments, up/down.
Friend has recommended, but before buying, I'd appreciate any comments, up/down.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 09:00 AM (ZO497)
5
Still resding Russian Officers of the Revolutionary and Napoleoic wars by Alexander Mikaberidze.
Lots of cross reference for me looking up events mentioned that never knew, like Polish Uprising of November 1830 and Pugachev's uprising of 1773.
Lots of cross reference for me looking up events mentioned that never knew, like Polish Uprising of November 1830 and Pugachev's uprising of 1773.
Posted by: Skip at January 22, 2017 09:00 AM (yx0Ld)
6
Compared to me, Vic throws money away like a drunken sailor or a Democratic congressmen.
LOL, I struggle over every purchase unless it is one of my favorite authors and I will still hold off on those until it drops below my self-imposed $10 ceiling.
LOL, I struggle over every purchase unless it is one of my favorite authors and I will still hold off on those until it drops below my self-imposed $10 ceiling.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 09:02 AM (mpXpK)
7
The blurb goes on, but at that point, my head had filled up with "I
WANT!" like an inflated tire. So I stopped reading and plunked down my
$2.99. I mean, who knows, it may turn out to be a crappy book, but for
$3, it's a good risk.
That sounds like something I would like too. Let us know how it turns out.
WANT!" like an inflated tire. So I stopped reading and plunked down my
$2.99. I mean, who knows, it may turn out to be a crappy book, but for
$3, it's a good risk.
That sounds like something I would like too. Let us know how it turns out.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 09:03 AM (mpXpK)
8
Still finishing up 'Clash of Titans: WWII at Sea', Boyne.
A decently capsulized record of the war at sea. The writing itself is good, highly readable.
A decently capsulized record of the war at sea. The writing itself is good, highly readable.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 09:05 AM (ZO497)
Posted by: freaked at January 22, 2017 09:05 AM (BO/km)
10
This week I read The Last Assassin by Barry Eisler. This is the fifth book in the John Rain series. John Rain is a Japanese-American assassin. In this book he attempts to leave the profession so that he may marry and be a father for his son without putting them in danger from his multiple enemies. Circumstances just won't allow that to happen, and the series continues. Interesting, good, light reading.
Posted by: Zoltan at January 22, 2017 09:06 AM (ApkN7)
11
As Sherry Kafka Wagner awoke one morning from uneasy dreams she found herself transformed in her bed into a gigantic singing valkyrie.
As Sherry Kafka Wagner awoke one morning from uneasy dreams she found herself transformed in her bed into a gigantic singing valkyrie.
Posted by: New and Pussy hat approved "The Metamorphoshe" at January 22, 2017 09:07 AM (9q7Dl)
12
Read Conclave after an impulse but at Costco (I'm a sucker for books on the Catholic Church). It was a good read, a page-turner, but really a set of episodes involving the papabile ("He who enters Conclave as Pope comes out as a Cardinal") instead of the cumulative tension of Fatherland.
Posted by: Kodos the Executioner at January 22, 2017 09:09 AM (J8/9G)
13
Got four books from the library and all look juicy.
"The War of the Roosevelts" by William J. Mann sounds like a very gossipy account of the rivalry between the Oyster Bay Roosevelts and the Sagamore Hill Roosevelts, and the attempt to exile Eleanor's illegitimate half brother, Elliot Roosevelt Mann.
"Map Stories" by Francisca Matteoli, twenty historical maps and the journeys undertaken to create them.
"The DC Comics Encyclopedia" because I am woefully ignorant of the cannon. Oversized, full color. Visual overload.
And lastly and most excellently, "Punk Tees: The Punk Revolution in 125 T-Shirts" by Martin Popoff.
"The War of the Roosevelts" by William J. Mann sounds like a very gossipy account of the rivalry between the Oyster Bay Roosevelts and the Sagamore Hill Roosevelts, and the attempt to exile Eleanor's illegitimate half brother, Elliot Roosevelt Mann.
"Map Stories" by Francisca Matteoli, twenty historical maps and the journeys undertaken to create them.
"The DC Comics Encyclopedia" because I am woefully ignorant of the cannon. Oversized, full color. Visual overload.
And lastly and most excellently, "Punk Tees: The Punk Revolution in 125 T-Shirts" by Martin Popoff.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 09:09 AM (EnKk6)
14
Book Recommendation
Ernie Pyle in England (B01M103QCP)
- 99 cents on the kindle. Worth more than that, but I doubt I would have bought it at two or three bucks. Short and easy read, well worth your time.
The contrast between then and now is striking. Three months in 1940 and London is being bombed by the Germans. Ernie Pyle, a newspaper man, tells you what he saw.
Book Recommendation
Ernie Pyle in England (B01M103QCP)
- 99 cents on the kindle. Worth more than that, but I doubt I would have bought it at two or three bucks. Short and easy read, well worth your time.
The contrast between then and now is striking. Three months in 1940 and London is being bombed by the Germans. Ernie Pyle, a newspaper man, tells you what he saw.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:09 AM (m/LaZ)
15
Someone I know has the outline done for an entire series of books set in feudal Japan that follows the successive incarnations of a single soul. In some lifetimes he better, in some he's worse, and the actions of past lifetimes affect the future ones; the karmic system is an everpresent theme.
Won't ever write it, though. This outline was begun in about 1988. I wonder if I should steal it.
Won't ever write it, though. This outline was begun in about 1988. I wonder if I should steal it.
Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:10 AM (2ilh7)
16
I finished my re-read of "Hallow Mass" and it really is a lot of fun. So looking forward to the sequels, if/when.
And Boundless Egomania is nearing the end. I may skip the chapter I just started because Ed Gein is just too disgusting to read about ever again.
I did buy those two Kerwin books OM mentioned because I am just not in the mood for anything intellectual or remotely hard. Then, when I'm done with them, and maybe the next Meg Langslow mystery, I'll read a grown-up book. Maybe.
And Boundless Egomania is nearing the end. I may skip the chapter I just started because Ed Gein is just too disgusting to read about ever again.
I did buy those two Kerwin books OM mentioned because I am just not in the mood for anything intellectual or remotely hard. Then, when I'm done with them, and maybe the next Meg Langslow mystery, I'll read a grown-up book. Maybe.
Posted by: Tonestaple at January 22, 2017 09:11 AM (+DRpa)
Posted by: freaked at January 22, 2017 09:12 AM (BO/km)
18
Our first TFG-free Book Thread! I love that hotel library, but I'm not sure if I'd ever use it. There's no way i could finish up a good book in the week or less that I'd ever spend at a hotel. Still, looks like a lovely place to read.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 09:13 AM (7qAYi)
19
I've been digging the new translation of Dumas' "The Red Sphinx." The translator noted that at the turn of the century, English versions of Dumas were much more stilted and some of the sex references bowlderized. Not that Dumas wrote musketeer porn, but he was far more accepting of sexual politics than American culture would accept.
One interesting note for old school DDers, the translator, Lawrence Ellsworth, is really Lawrence Schick who edited "Deities and Demigods" and "The Fiend Folio".
One interesting note for old school DDers, the translator, Lawrence Ellsworth, is really Lawrence Schick who edited "Deities and Demigods" and "The Fiend Folio".
Posted by: Uma Thurmond's Feet at January 22, 2017 09:14 AM (tDp6R)
20
Kindle is a good way to save money on books but really wishing I had the one I'm reading in hardback as I wanted. Will not get a book I will constantly pick up again (I hope).
Posted by: Skip at January 22, 2017 09:14 AM (yx0Ld)
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 09:15 AM (Om16U)
22
haha, canon, not cannon.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 09:15 AM (EnKk6)
23
Saw the new to me term "kafkatrapping" the other day, I leave it to you to unravel the potential political meanings!
Posted by: Hrothgar at January 22, 2017 09:15 AM (wCEn4)
24
Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:10 AM (2ilh7)
Sounds a bit like Yukio Mishima's tetralogy "The Sea of Fertility".
Though that's set in the 20th Century.
But, still karmic influence, etc, etc.
Check it out and see if it's your kind of thing.
Sounds a bit like Yukio Mishima's tetralogy "The Sea of Fertility".
Though that's set in the 20th Century.
But, still karmic influence, etc, etc.
Check it out and see if it's your kind of thing.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 22, 2017 09:15 AM (9q7Dl)
25
Thanks O-Muse for another great Book Thread.
Posted by: Kodos the Executioner at January 22, 2017 09:16 AM (J8/9G)
26
On my blog I have a book excerpt of a newly released paranormal mystery by a CLFA writer.
It's about a rookie FBI psychic and has a serial killer and vampires.
Link in nic
It's about a rookie FBI psychic and has a serial killer and vampires.
Link in nic
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 09:16 AM (Om16U)
27
The Ionian Mission is up next on my Aubrey-Maturin slog. Got side-tracked by a Terry Prachett book "Thud!" which I liked. It had some interesting Soros like disturbance fomenting which I thought very timely.
Posted by: Hrothgar at January 22, 2017 09:17 AM (wCEn4)
28
Good morning fellow Book Threadists. Love that library. But I REALLY, REALLY want those wingback chairs in the second photo.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:18 AM (V+03K)
29
@24 Naturalfake: Never heard of that before, I'll bookmark it. Thanks. At the least, one would want to be familiar with how it goes, to avoid imitation pitfalls.
Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:19 AM (2ilh7)
30
I want wingback chairs that have actual wings, like a valkyrie helmet.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 09:19 AM (EnKk6)
31
The old Pearl Brewery complex is a fantastic development, slightly to the north of downtown San Antonio - for years and years it was mostly run-down and semi-industrial, but the complex has been totally re-done and added to. There are condos and apartments over shops on the street level, a weekly market, upscale eateries and retail outlets - as complete an assembly of yuppie scum and their required support system as can be found anywhere ... nice, but a little on the expensive side. It is also along the northern arm of the Riverwalk, and the terminus for the river taxi system. If you visit San Antonio, get a day pass for the river taxi ... and just ride, You can get off at any of the interesting stops - at the main library and art school, the art museum, the Pearl ... it's all beautifully landscaped and adorned with art.
As for me - still working on the Nueces Massacre project. When done, it will likely be the definitive work, as the author (retired Army colonel with a background in insurgency-fighting) not only had ancestors involved, but has researched down to the tiniest detail of the whole episode.
As for me - still working on the Nueces Massacre project. When done, it will likely be the definitive work, as the author (retired Army colonel with a background in insurgency-fighting) not only had ancestors involved, but has researched down to the tiniest detail of the whole episode.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at January 22, 2017 09:19 AM (xnmPy)
32
Matt Drudge's book can be had for 1 ¢ $3.99 shipping
Posted by: Skip at January 22, 2017 09:20 AM (yx0Ld)
33
Just finished putting up some new bookcases - four 4-section Kallax cubes from Ikea. Each just $20 on special sale. I'm using them as a room divider, and their deep enough to use both sides as book cases. Once everything is filled with books, I'll send pics.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 09:20 AM (7qAYi)
34
You could have a few cats in that library
Posted by: Skip at January 22, 2017 09:21 AM (yx0Ld)
35
Comanches: The History of a People by Fehrenbach. A very readable format he goes into detail on many of the Amerindian tribes, the Spanish attempt at colonization and so much more. If you haven't read his "This Kind of War" about the Korean War you should...it'll make you support the UN even less. It's been many years (decades?) since I read that but it chapped my hide raw and shows the progressives were nuts back then too
Posted by: born01930 at January 22, 2017 09:21 AM (gvN6z)
36
They're, not their
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 09:22 AM (7qAYi)
37
Someone I know has the outline done for an entire
series of books set in feudal Japan that follows the successive
incarnations of a single soul. In some lifetimes he better, in some he's
worse, and the actions of past lifetimes affect the future ones; the
karmic system is an everpresent theme. Won't ever write it, though. This outline was begun in about 1988. I wonder if I should steal it. Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:10 AM (2ilh7)
=====
For some reason that made me think of Kim Stanley Robinson's Years of Rice and Salt (2002). I remember that it was lauded, but I thought it was very, very dark.
series of books set in feudal Japan that follows the successive
incarnations of a single soul. In some lifetimes he better, in some he's
worse, and the actions of past lifetimes affect the future ones; the
karmic system is an everpresent theme. Won't ever write it, though. This outline was begun in about 1988. I wonder if I should steal it. Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:10 AM (2ilh7)
=====
For some reason that made me think of Kim Stanley Robinson's Years of Rice and Salt (2002). I remember that it was lauded, but I thought it was very, very dark.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 09:22 AM (MIKMs)
38
This has been a strange week for reading. I spent so much time online, especially on Ace, that I only got a fraction of the usual amount of reading done. Even so, I made a lot of discoveries (and a rediscovery) that will be of serious value.
One of the threads recently mentioned "The Rape of the Masters" by Roger Kimball. No, it's not about golf. Kimball launches an attack on the destruction of paintings and their 'meaning' by the self-proclaimed arbiters of art interpretation, mostly in today's academia. Another brick in the wall of stupidity by the anti-western, deconstructionist school f thought. He quotes their published words about seven paintings. The common thread is that they assign all sorts of modern sensibility to even classic works, to the point that the paintings themselves are subordinated to the supposed wisdom of the review or professor. And they do so in the arrogant, obfuscatory cant of the modern art world while sneering and dismissing any who don't agree with their profound discernment or approach. (If they tried this approach on a play ground, they would have been punched in the mouth, often and with good reason.) If you ever wondered why the 'experts' sound like fools discussing art, this is the book that has your back. While the book sticks to the art world, it is obvious that the same sneering approach to literature, history, journalism, teaching methods, and many other aspects of modern Western culture suffer the same fate. In light of the punch back attitude we are seeing in the Trump administration, this book is especially satisfying and fun.
BTW, it is worth reading the comments on Amazon about the book. Most could have been written by the Horde. They are entertaining in their own right.
One of the threads recently mentioned "The Rape of the Masters" by Roger Kimball. No, it's not about golf. Kimball launches an attack on the destruction of paintings and their 'meaning' by the self-proclaimed arbiters of art interpretation, mostly in today's academia. Another brick in the wall of stupidity by the anti-western, deconstructionist school f thought. He quotes their published words about seven paintings. The common thread is that they assign all sorts of modern sensibility to even classic works, to the point that the paintings themselves are subordinated to the supposed wisdom of the review or professor. And they do so in the arrogant, obfuscatory cant of the modern art world while sneering and dismissing any who don't agree with their profound discernment or approach. (If they tried this approach on a play ground, they would have been punched in the mouth, often and with good reason.) If you ever wondered why the 'experts' sound like fools discussing art, this is the book that has your back. While the book sticks to the art world, it is obvious that the same sneering approach to literature, history, journalism, teaching methods, and many other aspects of modern Western culture suffer the same fate. In light of the punch back attitude we are seeing in the Trump administration, this book is especially satisfying and fun.
BTW, it is worth reading the comments on Amazon about the book. Most could have been written by the Horde. They are entertaining in their own right.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:24 AM (V+03K)
39
I have a new book up on Amazon; "Little Squeak and other stores" (ASIN:B01MTA1NQU). Three 'novellas', i.e. longer that short stories, shorter than a novel. About 75k words. Three Bucks.
The McGuffin for the first story is weapons trafficking; weapons being sold to rebels, and the Wolf Hunters want it stopped. They try the diplomatic approach, but people don't like the Wolf Hunters because the clones make some men crazy, and they keep an alien creature that is similar in size and behavior to an African Lion as a house pet. (I just learned that there is a guy on youtube, Kevin Richardson, who has made friends with real, wild, African Lions just as I imagined it. It is scary to see the video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxPaUUaxGlM.)
The back story to one of the characters, Kyle Rainsman, is in the short story 'Grassland' in Wolf Hunters : Unleashed (ASIN:B00S1MJURI). There is enough explanation in 'Little Squeak' that the storyline should be understandable. The story is told from the viewpoint of ordinary people living their lives during momentous times.
The second story, "Alliance", is a variation of the diplomatic approach. The Wolf Hunters are trying to make friends with their neighbors through 'cultural exchange'. Since the Wolf Hunters are warriors, they send a small unit to train with their new friends military. The story is about how well the Wolf Hunter culture meshes with a more normal human military.
The third story, "Little Squeak" is an introduction of a new character, and is the reason for the story. It is also something of a continuation of the second. The Wolf Hunters are afraid that they will be hunted by normal humans who think the clones are witches practicing witchcraft, or evil practitioners of genetic engineering, or just plain different, dangerous, and need to be wiped out. So, in 'Little Squeak' the Wolf Hunters return to their roots, return to May Flower, to walk the hallowed ground of their ancestors, and relearn the lessons their ancestors learned, and to experience wilderness life that has been forgotten now that they are civilized.
And a thank you to all of you who have bought one of my ebooks.
The McGuffin for the first story is weapons trafficking; weapons being sold to rebels, and the Wolf Hunters want it stopped. They try the diplomatic approach, but people don't like the Wolf Hunters because the clones make some men crazy, and they keep an alien creature that is similar in size and behavior to an African Lion as a house pet. (I just learned that there is a guy on youtube, Kevin Richardson, who has made friends with real, wild, African Lions just as I imagined it. It is scary to see the video -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxPaUUaxGlM.)
The back story to one of the characters, Kyle Rainsman, is in the short story 'Grassland' in Wolf Hunters : Unleashed (ASIN:B00S1MJURI). There is enough explanation in 'Little Squeak' that the storyline should be understandable. The story is told from the viewpoint of ordinary people living their lives during momentous times.
The second story, "Alliance", is a variation of the diplomatic approach. The Wolf Hunters are trying to make friends with their neighbors through 'cultural exchange'. Since the Wolf Hunters are warriors, they send a small unit to train with their new friends military. The story is about how well the Wolf Hunter culture meshes with a more normal human military.
The third story, "Little Squeak" is an introduction of a new character, and is the reason for the story. It is also something of a continuation of the second. The Wolf Hunters are afraid that they will be hunted by normal humans who think the clones are witches practicing witchcraft, or evil practitioners of genetic engineering, or just plain different, dangerous, and need to be wiped out. So, in 'Little Squeak' the Wolf Hunters return to their roots, return to May Flower, to walk the hallowed ground of their ancestors, and relearn the lessons their ancestors learned, and to experience wilderness life that has been forgotten now that they are civilized.
And a thank you to all of you who have bought one of my ebooks.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:24 AM (q12E+)
40
Read several Newbery Medals this week in my quest to finish all the ones I haven't ever read. They announce a new one tomorrow, I think. It's striking the fall in quality and intellectual heft of the winner from 1922 The Story of Mankind to last year's winner which is a book about riding a city bus to buy groceries.
Posted by: NCKate at January 22, 2017 09:24 AM (0McF9)
41
@26: So, it seems psychic powers are real.
I saw this about Uri Gellar 'seeing' and interpreting drawings outside of his room based on random dictionary selections.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4133044/Yuri-Geller-convinced-CIA-psychic-powers.html
The same day, by coincidence, I met a man for the first time and started chatting. In the middle of the conversation, he says, "So you have three children?"
"I do."
"Two boys and a girl?"
"Yeah."
"Girl's the youngest?"
"Yes. How do you know this?"
*shrug* "It's just something I can do sometimes."
72 year old man named Daniel.
I saw this about Uri Gellar 'seeing' and interpreting drawings outside of his room based on random dictionary selections.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4133044/Yuri-Geller-convinced-CIA-psychic-powers.html
The same day, by coincidence, I met a man for the first time and started chatting. In the middle of the conversation, he says, "So you have three children?"
"I do."
"Two boys and a girl?"
"Yeah."
"Girl's the youngest?"
"Yes. How do you know this?"
*shrug* "It's just something I can do sometimes."
72 year old man named Daniel.
Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:25 AM (2ilh7)
42
I'm trying to read more 'new' books this year, since I have a habit of reading the same old favorites a thousand times as the pile of unread books grows higher and higher. To that end, I finished The Picture of Dorian Gray last week (very predictable ending) and I'm onto Grimm's Fairy Tales. And boy, are they grim. Lots of people dying in horrible ways, although the hero usually gets a happy ending.
The other noticeable thing about fairy tales is that the author assumes the audience has a vivid imagination. Sometimes you'll get a detail like 'he put on his red coat' or 'she had golden hair', but it's rare.
Time is treated oddly, too. A child will recognize his parents even though he hasn't seen them since infancy. A woman's beauty never fades- if she starts the story as a beautiful person, she usually ends the story in the same state. Irish fairy tales are very similar- the hero goes away for sixty years to do his great deeds, returns home, and is instantly recognizable to everyone who knew him before.
Anyway, very bizarre stuff, but they're interesting reading.
The other noticeable thing about fairy tales is that the author assumes the audience has a vivid imagination. Sometimes you'll get a detail like 'he put on his red coat' or 'she had golden hair', but it's rare.
Time is treated oddly, too. A child will recognize his parents even though he hasn't seen them since infancy. A woman's beauty never fades- if she starts the story as a beautiful person, she usually ends the story in the same state. Irish fairy tales are very similar- the hero goes away for sixty years to do his great deeds, returns home, and is instantly recognizable to everyone who knew him before.
Anyway, very bizarre stuff, but they're interesting reading.
Posted by: right wing yankee at January 22, 2017 09:27 AM (26lkV)
43
OM, Damnit! Now I may have to spend money for those J. W. Kerwin books. They sound like fun reads. This thread is always dangerous to my budget.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:27 AM (V+03K)
44
Cats have a long association with libraries, being used by the Egyptians to cut down on rodent infestation.
But how do they prevent them from knocking stuff off shelves, like every cat I've ever owned?
Here's an article on Dewy Readmore Books, resident book guardian and ambassador for the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Readmore_Books
But how do they prevent them from knocking stuff off shelves, like every cat I've ever owned?
Here's an article on Dewy Readmore Books, resident book guardian and ambassador for the Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Readmore_Books
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 09:27 AM (EnKk6)
45
Time is treated oddly, too. A child will recognize
his parents even though he hasn't seen them since infancy. A woman's
beauty never fades- if she starts the story as a beautiful person, she
usually ends the story in the same state. Irish fairy tales are very
similar- the hero goes away for sixty years to do his great deeds,
returns home, and is instantly recognizable to everyone who knew him
before. Anyway, very bizarre stuff, but they're interesting reading. Posted by: right wing yankee at January 22, 2017 09:27 AM (26lkV)
=====
Silly child that I was, I always wondered how Odysseus's dog recognized him. How long was he gone?
his parents even though he hasn't seen them since infancy. A woman's
beauty never fades- if she starts the story as a beautiful person, she
usually ends the story in the same state. Irish fairy tales are very
similar- the hero goes away for sixty years to do his great deeds,
returns home, and is instantly recognizable to everyone who knew him
before. Anyway, very bizarre stuff, but they're interesting reading. Posted by: right wing yankee at January 22, 2017 09:27 AM (26lkV)
=====
Silly child that I was, I always wondered how Odysseus's dog recognized him. How long was he gone?
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 09:30 AM (MIKMs)
46
Just finished Michener's Space, one of his that I hadn't read before. It's a fairly satisfying read and I learned a few things about the early space program, but as Michener was an avowed liberal, it's interspersed with a fair amount of virtue signaling. One thing that has always irked me slightly about this author are his abrupt endings to what are often 1000-page works. Overall, not bad.
Posted by: Soap MacTavish at January 22, 2017 09:31 AM (Tyii7)
47
I picked up a book from my library earlier this week about the 1815 war against the Algerian pirates. I was enjoying it, until I came to a line where the author described the U.S. envoy to Algiers as a "naif." That rung a bell with me & I checked the book's fore-edge & saw my pencil mark - I had read it before! So now I'm reading a book about the naval war facet of the Crimean War. Aside from the Black Sea, British & French navies fought the Russians in the Baltic, Finland, the Arctic, even in Alaska!
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 09:31 AM (7qAYi)
48
Silly child that I was, I always wondered how Odysseus's dog recognized him. How long was he gone?
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 09:30 AM (MIKMs)
I wanted to know the same thing! I think he was gone for twenty years, all told, so that must have been a really long-lived dog.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 09:30 AM (MIKMs)
I wanted to know the same thing! I think he was gone for twenty years, all told, so that must have been a really long-lived dog.
Posted by: right wing yankee at January 22, 2017 09:33 AM (26lkV)
49
I finally read Dune. Third try in 30 years is the charm.
My take: I should have powered through the opaque early chapters, as it is quite good once it gets going.
Frank Herbert gave much more credit for the intelligence of his audience than Lynch and the screenwriters did for the movie. I now understand the disappointment many fans had with it.
I can also see now why so many group Sci Fi and Fantasy together. I'm more a hard Sci Fi kind of guy and it always struck me as odd that those two very different genres would be grouped together. This book was set thousands of years into the future, but the sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic. That is, it could have been written as a sword-and-sorcery epic without much fiddling.
My take: I should have powered through the opaque early chapters, as it is quite good once it gets going.
Frank Herbert gave much more credit for the intelligence of his audience than Lynch and the screenwriters did for the movie. I now understand the disappointment many fans had with it.
I can also see now why so many group Sci Fi and Fantasy together. I'm more a hard Sci Fi kind of guy and it always struck me as odd that those two very different genres would be grouped together. This book was set thousands of years into the future, but the sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from magic. That is, it could have been written as a sword-and-sorcery epic without much fiddling.
Posted by: Hugh Jorgen at January 22, 2017 09:34 AM (R5EqA)
50
The chain of events that can lead to getting books can be rather odd. The other day I was watching "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for no good reason. They got to the scene where Indy shows the Bible illustration of the power of the Ark. The style of the art reminded me strongly of other such works I've seen and I wondered which edition of the Bible it came from. Some online searching revealed it was an original piece done just for the movie, using traditional acid etching techniques. (The skill is wonderful.)
It reminded me strongly of Gustave Dore woodcut engravings in "Paradise Lost", which I have and they are magnificent. I also learned that Dore had done engravings for the King James Bible and that B and N had one of their affordable, leather bound versions at the local store. That led to a trip to the library for a how-to book on wood engraving by Simon Brett. (It is a fascinating process.) Then a stop at the book store for the Dore illustrated KJ Bible.
It turns out there will be future books coming home over time as I learned that there are several books of Dore's illustration for some classical literature. Sheesh! All because of a three second bit in an old movie.
It reminded me strongly of Gustave Dore woodcut engravings in "Paradise Lost", which I have and they are magnificent. I also learned that Dore had done engravings for the King James Bible and that B and N had one of their affordable, leather bound versions at the local store. That led to a trip to the library for a how-to book on wood engraving by Simon Brett. (It is a fascinating process.) Then a stop at the book store for the Dore illustrated KJ Bible.
It turns out there will be future books coming home over time as I learned that there are several books of Dore's illustration for some classical literature. Sheesh! All because of a three second bit in an old movie.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:36 AM (V+03K)
51
Harris is also the author of the 'Ancient Rome' Trilogy, Imperium, Conspirata, and Dictator
Harris is probably better known as the author of Fatherland and An Officer and a Spy, both first rate.
Harris is probably better known as the author of Fatherland and An Officer and a Spy, both first rate.
Posted by: cool breeze at January 22, 2017 09:37 AM (StZrq)
52
"Silly child that I was, I always wondered how Odysseus's dog recognized him. How long was he gone?"
20 years. And by scent, I imagine. Scents are powerfully connected to memory. It has happened that I smelled something that triggered an ancient memory (decades forgotten) and immediately teared up. And my nose is poor.
Surely a hunting dog could manage the same feat.
20 years. And by scent, I imagine. Scents are powerfully connected to memory. It has happened that I smelled something that triggered an ancient memory (decades forgotten) and immediately teared up. And my nose is poor.
Surely a hunting dog could manage the same feat.
Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:37 AM (2ilh7)
53
50 The chain of events that can lead to getting books can be rather odd. The other day I was watching "Raiders of the Lost Ark" for no good reason. They got to the scene where Indy shows the Bible illustration of the power of the Ark. The style of the art reminded me strongly of other such works I've seen and I wondered which edition of the Bible it came from. Some online searching revealed it was an original piece done just for the movie, using traditional acid etching techniques. (The skill is wonderful.)
It reminded me strongly of Gustave Dore woodcut engravings in "Paradise Lost", which I have and they are magnificent. I also learned that Dore had done engravings for the King James Bible and that B and N had one of their affordable, leather bound versions at the local store. That led to a trip to the library for a how-to book on wood engraving by Simon Brett. (It is a fascinating process.) Then a stop at the book store for the Dore illustrated KJ Bible.
It turns out there will be future books coming home over time as I learned that there are several books of Dore's illustration for some classical literature. Sheesh! All because of a three second bit in an old movie.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:36 AM (V+03K)
The late, great Ralph McQuarrie, who designed much of "the look" of Star Wars, was the artist who did that great illustration of the Ark of the Covenant. You can buy prints pulled from the original plate.
It reminded me strongly of Gustave Dore woodcut engravings in "Paradise Lost", which I have and they are magnificent. I also learned that Dore had done engravings for the King James Bible and that B and N had one of their affordable, leather bound versions at the local store. That led to a trip to the library for a how-to book on wood engraving by Simon Brett. (It is a fascinating process.) Then a stop at the book store for the Dore illustrated KJ Bible.
It turns out there will be future books coming home over time as I learned that there are several books of Dore's illustration for some classical literature. Sheesh! All because of a three second bit in an old movie.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:36 AM (V+03K)
The late, great Ralph McQuarrie, who designed much of "the look" of Star Wars, was the artist who did that great illustration of the Ark of the Covenant. You can buy prints pulled from the original plate.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 09:39 AM (7qAYi)
54
And a question.
Amazon has a new service; they will turn your eBook into a paperback. I've converted to the Kindle and all my reading is done on the computer now.
Do readers buy a paperback, instead of a cheap ebook? The economics of publishing, it seems to me, favor the Kindle, especially for an unknown author, where readers might take a chance on something at 99c when they would not spring for a $5-$7 paperback.
Has anyone tried this new service on Amazon? All the difficulty I had just getting an ebook file formatted makes me worry about trying to fight the formatting wars all over again for a paperback.
Advice from the Horde will be welcomed.
And a question.
Amazon has a new service; they will turn your eBook into a paperback. I've converted to the Kindle and all my reading is done on the computer now.
Do readers buy a paperback, instead of a cheap ebook? The economics of publishing, it seems to me, favor the Kindle, especially for an unknown author, where readers might take a chance on something at 99c when they would not spring for a $5-$7 paperback.
Has anyone tried this new service on Amazon? All the difficulty I had just getting an ebook file formatted makes me worry about trying to fight the formatting wars all over again for a paperback.
Advice from the Horde will be welcomed.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:39 AM (q12E+)
55
>>>Frank Herbert gave much more credit for the intelligence of his audience than Lynch and the screenwriters did for the movie. I now understand the disappointment many fans had with it.
I'm not sure that's quite fair to Lynch. There were two versions of the film released - the infamous "Alan Smithee" cut, and the regular cut, which was still butchered by the studio. Lynch has complained that neither version was what he was trying for.
I'm not sure that's quite fair to Lynch. There were two versions of the film released - the infamous "Alan Smithee" cut, and the regular cut, which was still butchered by the studio. Lynch has complained that neither version was what he was trying for.
Posted by: Citizen Cake at January 22, 2017 09:40 AM (ppaKI)
56
I had not heard of Dewey Readme really Books when we named our foundLing Dewey Oliver Tigerclaw.
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 09:42 AM (Ovnvw)
57
congrats on the new book, Skandiua!
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 09:42 AM (Om16U)
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 09:42 AM (Om16U)
59
Random musing: as a Kindle guy I'm getting a bit discouraged with the pricing. Even having Prime it's become a real snipe hunt finding stuff that I would consider "bang for the buck". I'm by no means a miser but I just don't really want to shell out $15 for a digitized 350 page work that is often poorly translated/edited in the process. Anyway, my glass of whine for the morning.
Posted by: Soap MacTavish at January 22, 2017 09:43 AM (Tyii7)
60
Watched the Russian miniseries of "The Master and Margarita" this week, after having read the book four times. The tag line is "Manuscripts don't burn!" This part is autobiographical; Bulgakov burned his own manuscript of The Master and Margarita," which he knew to be unpublishable under Stalin, and then rewrote it. The book is scathing in its condemnation of Communism, and the miniseries brings it out even more. Cat lovers won't want to miss this, also; the black cat Behemoth, part of Satan's retinue, is one of the great cats of literature. Based loosely on Faust, with the devil claiming souls in atheist Moscow.
Posted by: cyloncat at January 22, 2017 09:43 AM (E2Ek+)
61
Didn't Ralph McQuarrie also come up with the butt ugly starship resign they are using in the new Star Trek?
And is anyone else expecting the new Trek to be an SJW cluster fetch?
And is anyone else expecting the new Trek to be an SJW cluster fetch?
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 09:45 AM (Ovnvw)
62
Good morning OM & Morons.
A top notch thread this morning. Thank you.
And all of you folks have a fine day,
Off to church this morning,it's been too long
A top notch thread this morning. Thank you.
And all of you folks have a fine day,
Off to church this morning,it's been too long
Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at January 22, 2017 09:46 AM (voOPb)
63
Thanks votermom, I've tried to leave comments at your blog, but my doubts trip me up, and I chicken out.
Thanks votermom, I've tried to leave comments at your blog, but my doubts trip me up, and I chicken out.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:49 AM (q12E+)
64
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:39 AM (q12E+)
A lot more people don't own the kindle than do.
So, numbers alone make a paperback a good idea.
The service seems pretty easy as long as you can format within their parameters.
I tried to get all four parts of the novel, "Wearing the Cat" into one volume, which works fine on the kindle.
But, number of pages was too great for a single createspace paperback, so I've had to instead turn it into two volumes with new covers, etc, etc to allow Amazon to link everything together easier.
Which hopefully will be finished within the next two weeks. We'll see.
A bit of a PITA for me but if your novel is of average size...easy-peasy.
A lot more people don't own the kindle than do.
So, numbers alone make a paperback a good idea.
The service seems pretty easy as long as you can format within their parameters.
I tried to get all four parts of the novel, "Wearing the Cat" into one volume, which works fine on the kindle.
But, number of pages was too great for a single createspace paperback, so I've had to instead turn it into two volumes with new covers, etc, etc to allow Amazon to link everything together easier.
Which hopefully will be finished within the next two weeks. We'll see.
A bit of a PITA for me but if your novel is of average size...easy-peasy.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 22, 2017 09:50 AM (9q7Dl)
65
Would the lucky Moron with Abu-BlahBlahBlah in Yemen in the premiere TrumpDroneStrike collect your winnings. Should be a nice pile with all the bets on Mohammed SomebodyOrOther.
http://tinyurl.com/j4qf7oo
http://tinyurl.com/j4qf7oo
Posted by: DaveA at January 22, 2017 09:51 AM (8J/Te)
66
>>>And is anyone else expecting the new Trek to be an SJW cluster fetch?
I expect EVERYTHING coming from Hollywood for the next 4-8 years to be an endless stream of virtue signaling.
I expect EVERYTHING coming from Hollywood for the next 4-8 years to be an endless stream of virtue signaling.
Posted by: Citizen Cake at January 22, 2017 09:51 AM (ppaKI)
67
Ooops, should've scrolled further.
Posted by: DaveA at January 22, 2017 09:51 AM (8J/Te)
68
I recently saw "Murder on the Orient Express", both the 1970s version and the newer David Suchet version. Obviously the same story but a very different feel. I hadn't read the actual book in a long time, or any Agatha Christie for that matter, so decided to give it a re-try. As much as I enjoy the movie versions, the book is much more entertaining. I forgot how much subtle humor she put in her stories.
Dang! Now I have to add the Christie books to the 'to be read' list. Lord knows I have enough of them.
Dang! Now I have to add the Christie books to the 'to be read' list. Lord knows I have enough of them.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:52 AM (V+03K)
69
I'm a little groggy still, so I read that as, " is anyone else expecting the new Trek to be an SJW cluster felch?" Come to think of it, I might have read it correctly.
Posted by: t-bird at January 22, 2017 09:53 AM (eeTCA)
70
Well, put me down for the paperback. In theory, Kindle should be easier, but having paper in my hands is more satisfying somehow. Also, I prefer paperbacks (regular size), because holding bigger hardbacks is difficult in bed where I do most of my reading. Bopped myself on the nose quite a few times falling asleep with a hardback.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 09:53 AM (MIKMs)
71
Skandia, I got totally overwhelmed by reviews last year but I will dig and see if I have a copy of one of your books
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 09:53 AM (Om16U)
72
naturalfake at January 22, 2017 09:50 AM
Thank you. I'll have to work my courage up and give it a try.
Thank you. I'll have to work my courage up and give it a try.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:54 AM (q12E+)
73
Posted by: Apostate at January 22, 2017 09:25 AM (2ilh7)
---------
I too read something about Uri Geller this week. There's a BBC documentary about him that I believe is posted on his website. I want to watch it - sounds fascinating.
And OMuse - so maybe I was right after all and Matt Drudge really WAS a rodeo clown before the Drudge Report!
---------
I too read something about Uri Geller this week. There's a BBC documentary about him that I believe is posted on his website. I want to watch it - sounds fascinating.
And OMuse - so maybe I was right after all and Matt Drudge really WAS a rodeo clown before the Drudge Report!
Posted by: bluebell at January 22, 2017 09:55 AM (XZXi1)
74
"Silly child that I was, I always wondered how Odysseus's dog recognized him. How long was he gone?"
20 years.
I'd say the miracle was a dog 20+ years old, more than him recognizing his owner.
20 years.
I'd say the miracle was a dog 20+ years old, more than him recognizing his owner.
Posted by: Mr. Peebles at January 22, 2017 09:56 AM (oVJmc)
75
Re: Odysseus's dog @45 & 48, Odysseus had been away for 20 years (10 years at the siege of Troy and 10 years trying to return to Ithaca). So, as Homer told it, his dog was 20 plus years old. Incredibly old for a dog but still loyal. He greeted Odysseus and died.
I once read a bit from a medieval Irish retelling of The Odyssey where Odysseus dealt with his old dog by whipping up a potion of youth. He fed this to his dog and so restored him to full health and vigor.
An interesting contrast of the Greek and Irish world views!
I once read a bit from a medieval Irish retelling of The Odyssey where Odysseus dealt with his old dog by whipping up a potion of youth. He fed this to his dog and so restored him to full health and vigor.
An interesting contrast of the Greek and Irish world views!
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at January 22, 2017 09:56 AM (khzs0)
76
I got around to reading a couple books I mentioned here a couple of weeks earlier.
The History of Jonathan Alder is a bit more complicated a document than I realized - Jonathan Alder's own written manuscript was lost or destroyed shortly after his death, and what we have now was written by his son, relying on memory. The son's manuscript has also been lost, but was published with editorial additions no less than three times within the lifespans of Alder's children. The version I got, edited by Larry Nelson, is a compilation of these three published versions, with the occasional differences between versions noted in bold. Very simple and effective, and, as Nelson notes, the fact that all three versions were published within the lifespan of those that knew Alder and drew no criticism indicates that they have not been greatly tampered with, so with some care the History can be used as a useful historical source.
Once these transmission problems are taken into account, we are left with a very interesting narrative indeed. Alder was kidnapped and adopted into the Shawnee in the 1780s, and as a young man participated in several horse-stealing raids against the white settlers, and also fought against Wayne and the US Army during the Fallen Timbers campaign. It is one of the very few eye-witness sources for this period from the Indians' point of view. Alder himself, at least by his own telling, never actually shot at a white man - he seems to have been a friendly, gentle sort of man with a gift for getting along with people. After the Shawnee were defeated, he managed to reintegrate successfully into white culture. Lots of fun hunting stories as well...Well worth reading if you are interested in the American frontier.
The other book was Year of the Hangman, by Glenn Williams, about the New York frontier and the campaign against the Iroquois during the American Revolution. Kind of disappointing. Williams is an army historian, and it shows - as a blow-by-blow account of the campaign, where troops moved, how logistics were handled, etc., it is very detailed. However, he never discusses his sources and their reliability, and it gets a little irritating to have him quote a source without indicating any background or why the quote should be believed. The biggest flaw is that in the introduction he introduces the controversy over how effective the campaign was at achieving its goal of reducing or eliminating the Iroquois threat. Williams suggests that, contrary to majority thinking, it was successful at its stated goal of reducing the threat and degrading the British strategic situation in the theater. Unfortunately, after spending several hundred pages dealing with the two years of fighting prior to the campaign and then the course of the campaign itself, he then deals with the aftermath in a few short pages, providing virtually no evidence nor even giving a short narrative of the course of the war after the campaign. To me this was one of the most interesting and important questions and the one that the book should have been written to answer. In sum, if you want to know where a particular company was at a particular date, this is the book for you. If you want to know if this early attempt at combating guerrilla-type opponents backed with proto-SF operators with a large force of regular troops was actually effective (something you'd think the military would be interested in discussing), you need to go somewhere else.
Williams also has the old Army reluctance to admit that the militia were in any way useful. In this particular theater he is largely justified, but there is an institutional bias that should be taken into account by the reader.
The History of Jonathan Alder is a bit more complicated a document than I realized - Jonathan Alder's own written manuscript was lost or destroyed shortly after his death, and what we have now was written by his son, relying on memory. The son's manuscript has also been lost, but was published with editorial additions no less than three times within the lifespans of Alder's children. The version I got, edited by Larry Nelson, is a compilation of these three published versions, with the occasional differences between versions noted in bold. Very simple and effective, and, as Nelson notes, the fact that all three versions were published within the lifespan of those that knew Alder and drew no criticism indicates that they have not been greatly tampered with, so with some care the History can be used as a useful historical source.
Once these transmission problems are taken into account, we are left with a very interesting narrative indeed. Alder was kidnapped and adopted into the Shawnee in the 1780s, and as a young man participated in several horse-stealing raids against the white settlers, and also fought against Wayne and the US Army during the Fallen Timbers campaign. It is one of the very few eye-witness sources for this period from the Indians' point of view. Alder himself, at least by his own telling, never actually shot at a white man - he seems to have been a friendly, gentle sort of man with a gift for getting along with people. After the Shawnee were defeated, he managed to reintegrate successfully into white culture. Lots of fun hunting stories as well...Well worth reading if you are interested in the American frontier.
The other book was Year of the Hangman, by Glenn Williams, about the New York frontier and the campaign against the Iroquois during the American Revolution. Kind of disappointing. Williams is an army historian, and it shows - as a blow-by-blow account of the campaign, where troops moved, how logistics were handled, etc., it is very detailed. However, he never discusses his sources and their reliability, and it gets a little irritating to have him quote a source without indicating any background or why the quote should be believed. The biggest flaw is that in the introduction he introduces the controversy over how effective the campaign was at achieving its goal of reducing or eliminating the Iroquois threat. Williams suggests that, contrary to majority thinking, it was successful at its stated goal of reducing the threat and degrading the British strategic situation in the theater. Unfortunately, after spending several hundred pages dealing with the two years of fighting prior to the campaign and then the course of the campaign itself, he then deals with the aftermath in a few short pages, providing virtually no evidence nor even giving a short narrative of the course of the war after the campaign. To me this was one of the most interesting and important questions and the one that the book should have been written to answer. In sum, if you want to know where a particular company was at a particular date, this is the book for you. If you want to know if this early attempt at combating guerrilla-type opponents backed with proto-SF operators with a large force of regular troops was actually effective (something you'd think the military would be interested in discussing), you need to go somewhere else.
Williams also has the old Army reluctance to admit that the militia were in any way useful. In this particular theater he is largely justified, but there is an institutional bias that should be taken into account by the reader.
Posted by: Grey Fox at January 22, 2017 09:56 AM (bZ7mE)
77
I'm another one who prefers actual print copies, mostly because I don't have to worry about them running out of batteries. But for people on a budget, digital is good because it costs less to produce (and therefore, less to purchase). Also, the author tends to make more money per digital sale.
Posted by: right wing yankee at January 22, 2017 09:56 AM (26lkV)
78
Posted by: Citizen Cake at January 22, 2017 09:40 AM (ppaKI)
I'm thinking of how the two different works dealt with things like "weirding". It was a fighting style in the book, but a strange form of weapon in the movie - both versions. That was a fundamental change to the source material that no amount of editing would affect, and it was a cheat, a way to make it obvious Paul a messiah figure.
And the Navigators were *too* fantastic. Of course it would have ruined the reveal that happened near the end of the book if they showed them as merely humans with Fremen-like blue eyes in the first scene where they threatened the Emperor over the spice, which was another unnecessary scene that felt out of place even for a guy who had never read the book.
I'm thinking of how the two different works dealt with things like "weirding". It was a fighting style in the book, but a strange form of weapon in the movie - both versions. That was a fundamental change to the source material that no amount of editing would affect, and it was a cheat, a way to make it obvious Paul a messiah figure.
And the Navigators were *too* fantastic. Of course it would have ruined the reveal that happened near the end of the book if they showed them as merely humans with Fremen-like blue eyes in the first scene where they threatened the Emperor over the spice, which was another unnecessary scene that felt out of place even for a guy who had never read the book.
Posted by: Hugh Jorgen at January 22, 2017 09:57 AM (R5EqA)
79
cyloncat,
I hadn't realized that The Master and Margarita had been made into a mini-series in 2005. It is one of my favorite books of all time. Thanks for calling my attention to that.
The entire mini-series is available on YouTube for free:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t6W9hkXV6glist=PL5F53D266E7688852
(Russian with English subtitles). I am looking forward to watching it.
I hadn't realized that The Master and Margarita had been made into a mini-series in 2005. It is one of my favorite books of all time. Thanks for calling my attention to that.
The entire mini-series is available on YouTube for free:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t6W9hkXV6glist=PL5F53D266E7688852
(Russian with English subtitles). I am looking forward to watching it.
Posted by: cool breeze at January 22, 2017 09:58 AM (StZrq)
80
Oh, I forgot. I love the look of the leather wing chairs, but I want fabric seats to slow down the slide off as you nod off in comfort. Maybe like satin sheets -- very pretty but you slide right off the bed.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 09:58 AM (MIKMs)
81
61 Didn't Ralph McQuarrie also come up with the butt ugly starship resign they are using in the new Star Trek?
And is anyone else expecting the new Trek to be an SJW cluster fetch?
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 09:45 AM (Ovnvw)
Yes, it's based on some designs McQuarrie did for ST:TMP.
And yes, it should be a PC fark, if they can ever actually get it produced. It was supposed to be out this month, then moved to May, now moved to the right again.
And is anyone else expecting the new Trek to be an SJW cluster fetch?
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 09:45 AM (Ovnvw)
Yes, it's based on some designs McQuarrie did for ST:TMP.
And yes, it should be a PC fark, if they can ever actually get it produced. It was supposed to be out this month, then moved to May, now moved to the right again.
Posted by: Hugh Jorgen at January 22, 2017 09:59 AM (R5EqA)
82
11
"As Sherry Kafka Wagner awoke one morning from uneasy dreams she found herself transformed in her bed into a gigantic singing valkyrie. "
With the unfortunate name of Schwertleide.
"As Sherry Kafka Wagner awoke one morning from uneasy dreams she found herself transformed in her bed into a gigantic singing valkyrie. "
With the unfortunate name of Schwertleide.
Posted by: Tuna at January 22, 2017 10:01 AM (JSovD)
83
Good Sunday morning, horde. Reading got sidetracked this week, what with all the inaugural activity, but I listened to Gone Girl on my commute, and have started A Gentleman In Moscow by Amor Towles.
Gone Girl: What a cast of psychotic people who deserve each other!
A Gentleman in Moscow: I was about to pull it from the CD player, then it got interesting.
Gone Girl: What a cast of psychotic people who deserve each other!
A Gentleman in Moscow: I was about to pull it from the CD player, then it got interesting.
Posted by: April at January 22, 2017 10:02 AM (e8PP1)
84
And yes, it should be a PC fark, if they can ever actually get it
produced. It was supposed to be out this month, then moved to May, now
moved to the right again.
Probably retooling it to have the Federation taken over by a short-fingered vulgarian Ferengi.
And yes, it should be a PC fark, if they can ever actually get it
produced. It was supposed to be out this month, then moved to May, now
moved to the right again.
Probably retooling it to have the Federation taken over by a short-fingered vulgarian Ferengi.
Posted by: Mr. Peebles at January 22, 2017 10:02 AM (oVJmc)
85
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 09:54 AM (q12E+)
De nada.
Oe more thing I would say is to make sure your book is well edited.
There's a lot of awful editing on kindle books, but it can be easily corrected with updates.
That isn't the same at all with a createspace book. It's quite a bit more effort involved.
Printing is forever, so to speak. So, I gave WTC one more good going over and still found some errors though I thought I got them all in the kindle editing.
Anyway, best foot forward and all that.
De nada.
Oe more thing I would say is to make sure your book is well edited.
There's a lot of awful editing on kindle books, but it can be easily corrected with updates.
That isn't the same at all with a createspace book. It's quite a bit more effort involved.
Printing is forever, so to speak. So, I gave WTC one more good going over and still found some errors though I thought I got them all in the kindle editing.
Anyway, best foot forward and all that.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 22, 2017 10:02 AM (9q7Dl)
86
Also, I've been trying to gear up to read the Bible again. I haven't read any of it since I was a kid and had to.
Last time I was at my mom's, she was listening to a version on cd read by James Ear Jones. I'm thinking I might get my hands on a copy of that and get something positive out of my commute.
Last time I was at my mom's, she was listening to a version on cd read by James Ear Jones. I'm thinking I might get my hands on a copy of that and get something positive out of my commute.
Posted by: April at January 22, 2017 10:03 AM (e8PP1)
87
84
And yes, it should be a PC fark, if they can ever actually get it
produced. It was supposed to be out this month, then moved to May, now
moved to the right again.
Probably retooling it to have the Federation taken over by a short-fingered vulgarian Ferengi.
Posted by: Mr. Peebles at January 22, 2017 10:02 AM (oVJmc)
And they still expect people to subscribe to CBS's streaming service just to watch this show.
And yes, it should be a PC fark, if they can ever actually get it
produced. It was supposed to be out this month, then moved to May, now
moved to the right again.
Probably retooling it to have the Federation taken over by a short-fingered vulgarian Ferengi.
Posted by: Mr. Peebles at January 22, 2017 10:02 AM (oVJmc)
And they still expect people to subscribe to CBS's streaming service just to watch this show.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 10:04 AM (7qAYi)
88
For Odyssey fans, I recommend 'The Bow and the Lyre' by Benardette, and 'The Wrath of Athena,' by Jenny Strauss-Clay (daughter of the famed Leo Strauss.) Benardette gives a platonic interpretation and commentary - amazing - and Strauss-Clay puts forward a novel theory as to the true identity of the Olympian god who prevents Odysseus' homecoming.
Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine, No Longer Accepting Harem Applicants at January 22, 2017 10:05 AM (WFENN)
89
I find Chris Wallace to be a dick.
Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at January 22, 2017 10:06 AM (xJxz7)
90
btw for ppl who like anthologies, there are a couple recent rightwing ones I mentioned on my blog recently (scroll down and they are still on the front page):
Forbidden Thoughts has a foreword by Milo Yiannopolous
Freedom's Light is donating any proceeds to FIRE
Forbidden Thoughts has a foreword by Milo Yiannopolous
Freedom's Light is donating any proceeds to FIRE
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:06 AM (Om16U)
91
>>>>And they still expect people to subscribe to CBS's streaming service just to watch this show
Much as Voyager was to launch the powerhouse UPN network
Much as Voyager was to launch the powerhouse UPN network
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 10:09 AM (Ovnvw)
92
naturfake omg yes
please writers check your book at least 5 times for errors
check it backwards
check it in chunks out of order
find and correct those errors
please writers check your book at least 5 times for errors
check it backwards
check it in chunks out of order
find and correct those errors
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:09 AM (Om16U)
93
Oe more thing I would say is to make sure your book is well edited.
Absolutely. I know this is being nit-picky but for me, poorly edited copy just takes a bit of the wind out of my sails navigating what may otherwise be commendable work.
Absolutely. I know this is being nit-picky but for me, poorly edited copy just takes a bit of the wind out of my sails navigating what may otherwise be commendable work.
Posted by: Soap MacTavish at January 22, 2017 10:10 AM (Tyii7)
94
Didn't finish anything this week, with all the political stuff going on. Working on Marcel Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, Volume 1: Swann's Way, my goal is to read all 7 books in the series this year. Enjoying it so far, beautiful introspective writing, though it's amusing how Proust uses commas to make sentences go on and on and on, and paragraphs can run on for multiple pages.
Posted by: waelse1 at January 22, 2017 10:10 AM (7RETJ)
95
And lastly and most excellently, "Punk Tees: The Punk Revolution in 125 T-Shirts" by Martin Popoff.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes
Oh, that looks like one I'd like to have around. Looked for it in my library, but they don't have it. I'll have to buy it, I guess. Just for nostalgia. Looks like Popoff has another detailing heavy metal album art. That one looks like fun, too.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes
Oh, that looks like one I'd like to have around. Looked for it in my library, but they don't have it. I'll have to buy it, I guess. Just for nostalgia. Looks like Popoff has another detailing heavy metal album art. That one looks like fun, too.
Posted by: April at January 22, 2017 10:13 AM (e8PP1)
96
The blurb goes on, but at that point, my head had filled up with "I WANT!" like an inflated tire. So I stopped reading and plunked down my $2.99. I mean, who knows, it may turn out to be a crappy book, but for $3, it's a good risk.
You may think you want to read a book because it has a similar view to your own, but that can backfire. I stopped reading Brad Thor's "Full Black" because it had a lengthy exposition by the George Soros character in the middle, and it was just too depressing to slog through. Although now that Thingy is no longer in office, I might give it a second look.
You may think you want to read a book because it has a similar view to your own, but that can backfire. I stopped reading Brad Thor's "Full Black" because it had a lengthy exposition by the George Soros character in the middle, and it was just too depressing to slog through. Although now that Thingy is no longer in office, I might give it a second look.
Posted by: Steve and Cold Bear at January 22, 2017 10:13 AM (rH4JY)
97
I thought Lynch's Dune did an excellent job with the feel of the universe. The mini series followed the book better but had a poor feel.
Posted by: WOPR - Nationalist at January 22, 2017 10:16 AM (WBUS9)
98
I'd like to recommend something a tad unusual.
Get The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. Have a third-grader read it to you. Very satisfying and stomach muscle hurting funny.
Get The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. Have a third-grader read it to you. Very satisfying and stomach muscle hurting funny.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at January 22, 2017 10:16 AM (u82oZ)
99
I think it keeps getting moved because someone realizes it's an SJW disaster.
Posted by: WOPR - Nationalist at January 22, 2017 10:20 AM (WBUS9)
100
Much as Voyager was to launch the powerhouse UPN network Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 10:09 AM (Ovnvw)
=====
Still don't know how that abominable 'theme' passed anyone's muster. The show itself is meh, okay at times, but the theme should be held up as a gross example of horrible and canned.
=====
Still don't know how that abominable 'theme' passed anyone's muster. The show itself is meh, okay at times, but the theme should be held up as a gross example of horrible and canned.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 10:20 AM (MIKMs)
101
I like the Voyager theme a lot. Feels very nautical. Are you perhaps thinking of the ST: Enterprise theme?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 10:23 AM (EnKk6)
102
Continuing to read the Charlie Muffin series. Excellent thrillers from the 70s-80s time frame. Slouchy, old-school spy who's hated by his "betters", so naturally they decide to kill him. My favorite so far is the 2nd installment "Here Comes Charlie M". Good fun!
Posted by: countrydoc at January 22, 2017 10:24 AM (8NT9j)
103
I'd like to recommend something a tad unusual.
Get The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by
Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. Have a third-grader read it to
you. Very satisfying and stomach muscle hurting funny.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at January 22, 2017 10:16 AM (u82oZ)
=====YES!For some reason, I always forget him in my kids' recommendations, probably because writing out his name is too hard for me (pronounced SHes-ka).
Get The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by
Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith. Have a third-grader read it to
you. Very satisfying and stomach muscle hurting funny.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at January 22, 2017 10:16 AM (u82oZ)
=====YES!For some reason, I always forget him in my kids' recommendations, probably because writing out his name is too hard for me (pronounced SHes-ka).
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 10:24 AM (MIKMs)
104
Enterprises theme was horrible. Sadly the actually improved the series a lot by season 4 but too late.
Posted by: WOPR - Nationalist at January 22, 2017 10:25 AM (WBUS9)
105
Dune - I felt so sad about Alia in the books. Now I think she could be a metaphor for our youth corrupted by evil.
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:25 AM (Om16U)
106
Lot of reading.
Excellent:
How I killed Pluto and why it had it coming by Mike Brown. A clear explanation of astronomy, scientific fraud, raising a newborn, and trans-Kepler objects.
Pretty good:
The disappearing spoon : and other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the periodic table of the elements by Sam Kean. Entertaining and for the general audience. This contains history not generally taught to chemists, on the back-story to the discovery of elements.
Thief of time by Terry Pratchett.
Avoid at all costs:
The crisisby David Poyer.
Bitter ocean: the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945 by David White.
Excellent:
How I killed Pluto and why it had it coming by Mike Brown. A clear explanation of astronomy, scientific fraud, raising a newborn, and trans-Kepler objects.
Pretty good:
The disappearing spoon : and other true tales of madness, love, and the history of the world from the periodic table of the elements by Sam Kean. Entertaining and for the general audience. This contains history not generally taught to chemists, on the back-story to the discovery of elements.
Thief of time by Terry Pratchett.
Avoid at all costs:
The crisisby David Poyer.
Bitter ocean: the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939-1945 by David White.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at January 22, 2017 10:26 AM (u82oZ)
107
I like the Voyager theme a lot. Feels very nautical. Are you perhaps thinking of the ST: Enterprise theme? Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 10:23 AM (EnKk6)
=====
Aaaaack! You are right, I have confuzzled them. I loooove the Voyager theme (actually my favorite of all of them), despise the Enterprise theme.
=====
Aaaaack! You are right, I have confuzzled them. I loooove the Voyager theme (actually my favorite of all of them), despise the Enterprise theme.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 10:26 AM (MIKMs)
108
Hotel Emma is gloriously steampunk, and I applaud the concept of a hotel library. It is true that cats would be the cherry on top, but perhaps the hotel is afraid guests would abscond with them like they do with towels and all the little soap things. *gives Horde meaningful glare*
I always do print versions of my full-length books, at first because a good friend is a total Luddite and wanted to read my books and then I discovered it isn't that hard to do with Createspace. Amazon's new deal does not allow you to do extended distribution (to the Ingram's catalog, permitting bookstores to order) so there is no incentive for me to switch right now. Maybe later.
Recently read Blackfog Island, sequel to The Dungeoneers. Not as hilarious as the first book but still a decent read. Dwarves have very effective anti-zombie techniques, it turns out. Also the Persian fantasy series of The Fourth Element just came out with the last book, making it complete for those who like to wait for the whole mess of washing before starting. (The first book is now FREE, if you want to check it out, Vic!) The series is quite good, and set in a time and place that hasn't been hammered to death. What I find hilarious is the third book is titled Queen of Chaos--the same title as the third book in my SF Sequoyah series. Just goes to show I pick *excellent* titles
...
I always do print versions of my full-length books, at first because a good friend is a total Luddite and wanted to read my books and then I discovered it isn't that hard to do with Createspace. Amazon's new deal does not allow you to do extended distribution (to the Ingram's catalog, permitting bookstores to order) so there is no incentive for me to switch right now. Maybe later.
Recently read Blackfog Island, sequel to The Dungeoneers. Not as hilarious as the first book but still a decent read. Dwarves have very effective anti-zombie techniques, it turns out. Also the Persian fantasy series of The Fourth Element just came out with the last book, making it complete for those who like to wait for the whole mess of washing before starting. (The first book is now FREE, if you want to check it out, Vic!) The series is quite good, and set in a time and place that hasn't been hammered to death. What I find hilarious is the third book is titled Queen of Chaos--the same title as the third book in my SF Sequoyah series. Just goes to show I pick *excellent* titles
...Posted by: Sabrina Chase at January 22, 2017 10:28 AM (SuJIo)
109
Excellent:
How I killed Pluto and why it had it coming by Mike Brown. A clear explanation of astronomy, scientific fraud, raising a newborn, and trans-Kepler objects.
----
I loved this book. While I still consider Pluto a planet(oid) out of habit, it explained why it was really part of the trans-Neptunian objects, something that was impossible until telescopes improved. It's just amazing to me how the boundaries of our solar system keep pushing outward. And how could I not like a book about a place named Eris?
Also, he's very funny.
Excellent:
How I killed Pluto and why it had it coming by Mike Brown. A clear explanation of astronomy, scientific fraud, raising a newborn, and trans-Kepler objects.
----
I loved this book. While I still consider Pluto a planet(oid) out of habit, it explained why it was really part of the trans-Neptunian objects, something that was impossible until telescopes improved. It's just amazing to me how the boundaries of our solar system keep pushing outward. And how could I not like a book about a place named Eris?
Also, he's very funny.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 10:31 AM (EnKk6)
110
wrapping themselves in the flag - did you guys see the posters of hijab flag? ugh
https://twitter.com/FiveRights/status/823157502967771136
although the sight of pro abortion wymyn holding sharia inspired posters is also deeply funny
(sharia forbids abortion after 4 months, forbids in cases of rape, and I'm pretty sure final say is up to a man)
https://twitter.com/FiveRights/status/823157502967771136
although the sight of pro abortion wymyn holding sharia inspired posters is also deeply funny
(sharia forbids abortion after 4 months, forbids in cases of rape, and I'm pretty sure final say is up to a man)
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:33 AM (Om16U)
111
"I'd like to recommend something a tad unusual.
Get The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka"
A hearty YES! to that. In the same vein, I recommend Fables by Arnold Lobel. They are poignant and hilarious.
Get The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka"
A hearty YES! to that. In the same vein, I recommend Fables by Arnold Lobel. They are poignant and hilarious.
Posted by: April at January 22, 2017 10:34 AM (e8PP1)
112
oh crap wrong thread
OM you can delete my comment at 110
OM you can delete my comment at 110
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:34 AM (Om16U)
113
Good morning literary Horde. On Lesson 4: Plot with the James Patterson Master Class. Almost a ten minute video. Need to watch it again to make sure I captured it all.
Some of the immediate take-away from one viewing. Quotes EM Forster about the difference between a story and a plot. Distills The Great Gatsby down to five sentences to show what its plot is. Write each chapter as if it is the first. Keep the story moving, kill even the pretty sentences to do so. Up the stakes for your protagonist, why are they doing it?. Make sure your villain is worthy, do you reveal from the start your villain or keep the reader guessing is the writer's decision.
One of the other things he mentions is write it for your reader. Make it so they want to read it in one sitting. And then he says make that reader female because 70% of his sales comes from women. Not sure if that applies to other genres hence my putting it as a separate paragraph.
Posted a story plot up for this lesson like a lot of other people. So far one person has been intrigued. So taking that as a good sign. Is it the San Francisco story? No, that lovely is past 85k words. This is a different one from years ago that has existed as a story stub and I want to see how Patterson's lessons will impact it.
Some of the immediate take-away from one viewing. Quotes EM Forster about the difference between a story and a plot. Distills The Great Gatsby down to five sentences to show what its plot is. Write each chapter as if it is the first. Keep the story moving, kill even the pretty sentences to do so. Up the stakes for your protagonist, why are they doing it?. Make sure your villain is worthy, do you reveal from the start your villain or keep the reader guessing is the writer's decision.
One of the other things he mentions is write it for your reader. Make it so they want to read it in one sitting. And then he says make that reader female because 70% of his sales comes from women. Not sure if that applies to other genres hence my putting it as a separate paragraph.
Posted a story plot up for this lesson like a lot of other people. So far one person has been intrigued. So taking that as a good sign. Is it the San Francisco story? No, that lovely is past 85k words. This is a different one from years ago that has existed as a story stub and I want to see how Patterson's lessons will impact it.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 10:34 AM (5WfEd)
114
those are good tips, Anna
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:36 AM (Om16U)
115
Haven't been there in a couple of years, but there used to be a used book store in the Fine Arts Building in Chicago, on south Michigan Avenue across from Grant Park.
It was everything you expect in an old fashioned used book store - cramped, dusty, with lots of OLD books piled up to the ceiling in every one of the little rooms. But with huge windows overlooking the park, and of course a cat to follow you around.
It was everything you expect in an old fashioned used book store - cramped, dusty, with lots of OLD books piled up to the ceiling in every one of the little rooms. But with huge windows overlooking the park, and of course a cat to follow you around.
Posted by: Boots at January 22, 2017 10:36 AM (EBwPV)
116
It occurs to me that many human activities (eating, drinking alcohol, sex, masturbation, defection, etc) have multiple and colorful euphemisms.
However, I can't think of many for reading. In fact, I can only think of one, "hitting the books" which doesn't really mean reading for pleasure.
Does anyone know of any phrases that describe reading other than "reading"?
However, I can't think of many for reading. In fact, I can only think of one, "hitting the books" which doesn't really mean reading for pleasure.
Does anyone know of any phrases that describe reading other than "reading"?
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 22, 2017 10:38 AM (MZcWR)
117
It may be a coincidence, maybe, but I've come across several books on Amazon and B and N tat are sold out or have only a few copies left in stock. The common theme is they tend to deal with a challenge to the usual, anti-western, approach to culture. (Wish I had made a list of the titles as I ran into them.)
It would be interesting to find out if this is a measure of the attitude that got Trump elected: people sick and tired of their 'betters' telling them what to think and denigrating them if they diverge from the current SJW cause of the moment. Echoes of Sad Puppies with the sci-fi crowd and continuing, increasing interest in CS Lewis literary writings. (I notice the Lewis books almost never go down in price.)
It would be interesting to find out if this is a measure of the attitude that got Trump elected: people sick and tired of their 'betters' telling them what to think and denigrating them if they diverge from the current SJW cause of the moment. Echoes of Sad Puppies with the sci-fi crowd and continuing, increasing interest in CS Lewis literary writings. (I notice the Lewis books almost never go down in price.)
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 10:40 AM (V+03K)
118
Lynch's Dune yes had a Baroque Steampunk feel to it. But it was a gold-trimmed existence that was becoming tarnished and you could feel with the lighting and atmosphere of the shots it was collapsing under itself.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 10:40 AM (5WfEd)
119
Just ordered the legal thriller with CIRR as the villain using one click Kindle order.
Going to try that one before doubling down on Brendan O'Boyle novels. Thanks for the tip, Oregon Muse.
What did we do pre-Kindle?
Grinding away through a book (don't have the name in front of me) that dissects Vincent Bugliosi's defense narrative in Bugliosi's acclaimed book, "And The Sea Will Tell" (ATSWT)
ATWST was, to me, a spellbinding true crime drama about a nasty 1974 murder on an eerie island in the South Pacific, Palmyra Island. Way too complex for me to summarize here, but Bugliosi (Manson prosecutor extraordinaire) is the defense attorney for a woman allegedly involved in the murders.
A fair bit of ATSWT is devoted to Bugliosi's defense of his client and the trial, as may be expected for anyone familiar with him.
Great read for any true crime fan who hasn't read it yet.
The book I am plowing through is pretty dry, but interesting enough to make me believe we will never know quite what happened On Palmyra Island.
Going to try that one before doubling down on Brendan O'Boyle novels. Thanks for the tip, Oregon Muse.
What did we do pre-Kindle?
Grinding away through a book (don't have the name in front of me) that dissects Vincent Bugliosi's defense narrative in Bugliosi's acclaimed book, "And The Sea Will Tell" (ATSWT)
ATWST was, to me, a spellbinding true crime drama about a nasty 1974 murder on an eerie island in the South Pacific, Palmyra Island. Way too complex for me to summarize here, but Bugliosi (Manson prosecutor extraordinaire) is the defense attorney for a woman allegedly involved in the murders.
A fair bit of ATSWT is devoted to Bugliosi's defense of his client and the trial, as may be expected for anyone familiar with him.
Great read for any true crime fan who hasn't read it yet.
The book I am plowing through is pretty dry, but interesting enough to make me believe we will never know quite what happened On Palmyra Island.
Posted by: RM at January 22, 2017 10:41 AM (U3LtS)
120
I like the Voyager theme a lot. Feels very nautical. Are you perhaps thinking of the ST: Enterprise theme? Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 10:23 AM (EnKk6)
=====
Aaaaack! You are right, I have confuzzled them. I loooove the Voyager theme (actually my favorite of all of them), despise the Enterprise theme.
Posted by: mustbequantum
Freaking heretics!
=====
Aaaaack! You are right, I have confuzzled them. I loooove the Voyager theme (actually my favorite of all of them), despise the Enterprise theme.
Posted by: mustbequantum
Freaking heretics!
Posted by: Captain Kirk at January 22, 2017 10:42 AM (rH4JY)
121
It was everything you expect in an old fashioned used book store - cramped, dusty, with lots of OLD books piled up to the ceiling in every one of the little rooms. But with huge windows overlooking the park, and of course a cat to follow you around.
Posted by: Boots at January 22, 2017 10:36 AM (EBwPV)
---
This sounds like the very ideal of a book store!
I love the serendipitous discoveries experienced in used/old book stores. Like, I didn't know this 1904 pictorial report on the Russo-Japanese war existed, and now I can't live without it.
Posted by: Boots at January 22, 2017 10:36 AM (EBwPV)
---
This sounds like the very ideal of a book store!
I love the serendipitous discoveries experienced in used/old book stores. Like, I didn't know this 1904 pictorial report on the Russo-Japanese war existed, and now I can't live without it.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 10:44 AM (EnKk6)
122
108 Also the Persian fantasy series of The Fourth Element
just came out with the last book, making it complete for those who like
to wait for the whole mess of washing before starting. (The first book
is now FREE, if you want to check it out, Vic!) The series is quite
good, and set in a time and place that hasn't been hammered to death.
What I find hilarious is the third book is titled Queen of Chaos--the same title as the third book in my SF Sequoyah series. Just goes to show I pick *excellent* titles ...
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at January 22, 2017 10:28 AM (SuJIo)
LOL, you folks are picking on my cheapness this morning. I took a look at that first book in the series. It looks like zombies and other assorted monsters. Not usually my thing, but since the rest of the series are so reasonably priced I may have to give it a try.
just came out with the last book, making it complete for those who like
to wait for the whole mess of washing before starting. (The first book
is now FREE, if you want to check it out, Vic!) The series is quite
good, and set in a time and place that hasn't been hammered to death.
What I find hilarious is the third book is titled Queen of Chaos--the same title as the third book in my SF Sequoyah series. Just goes to show I pick *excellent* titles ...
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at January 22, 2017 10:28 AM (SuJIo)
LOL, you folks are picking on my cheapness this morning. I took a look at that first book in the series. It looks like zombies and other assorted monsters. Not usually my thing, but since the rest of the series are so reasonably priced I may have to give it a try.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 10:46 AM (mpXpK)
123
free book! that's great Sabrina, will have to blog & tweet that
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 10:49 AM (Om16U)
124
I read quite a few books this week, but "The Wolf of the North," by Duncan M. Hamilton was the standout. It begins the tale of Wulfric, a boy from the North who yearns to be a warrior but has no talent for it until a chance encounter with a mysterious object guarded by the village priest. Unfortunately, I am now awaiting the second installation of the series. I hate waiting.
Posted by: no good deed at January 22, 2017 10:49 AM (hJamr)
125
"But for people on a budget, digital is good because it costs less to produce (and therefore, less to purchase). Also, the author tends to make more money per digital sale."
With the caveat that this almost always applies to new books. If you think you are going to download say, all the Spenser or Lucas Davenport novels for $1.00 each, think again.
"Prices set by publisher" ensure these old books - some 20+ years old - sell for about $6 to $10 on Kindle. Insanity.
Can't talk about that any more, makes me way too mad.
With the caveat that this almost always applies to new books. If you think you are going to download say, all the Spenser or Lucas Davenport novels for $1.00 each, think again.
"Prices set by publisher" ensure these old books - some 20+ years old - sell for about $6 to $10 on Kindle. Insanity.
Can't talk about that any more, makes me way too mad.
Posted by: RM at January 22, 2017 10:50 AM (U3LtS)
126
Does anyone know of any phrases that describe reading other than "reading"?
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 22, 2017 10:38 AM (MZcWR)
=====
I remember a big ad campaign for 'eat this book' from the library people (ALA?) one year. Dealing with a 2yo grandkid every day, I don't think that is what they had in mind.
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 22, 2017 10:38 AM (MZcWR)
=====
I remember a big ad campaign for 'eat this book' from the library people (ALA?) one year. Dealing with a 2yo grandkid every day, I don't think that is what they had in mind.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 10:51 AM (MIKMs)
127
Beloved Vic, we all admire and respect your frugality! No doubt learned in your youth when papyrus scrolls cost a cow apiece.
No doubt learned in your youth when papyrus scrolls cost a cow apiece.Posted by: Sabrina Chase at January 22, 2017 10:53 AM (SuJIo)
128
OM - If you can find it you should check out the documentary on the trial of Charlie Hebdo for publishing the infamous mohammed cartoons as well a one of their own. Being Charlie Hebdo, their staff is brash and insouciant throughout most of the trial, with their defense being freedom of speech and, hey, we insult everyone (and they call their biggest targets as witnesses for the defense).
It's called "It's Hard Being Loved by Jerks."
It's called "It's Hard Being Loved by Jerks."
Posted by: Lizzy at January 22, 2017 10:54 AM (NOIQH)
129
And they still expect people to subscribe to CBS's streaming service just to watch this show.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 10:04 AM (7qAYi)
That's what torrents are for.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 10:04 AM (7qAYi)
That's what torrents are for.
Posted by: Hugh Jorgen at January 22, 2017 10:55 AM (R5EqA)
130
In theory, Kindle should be easier, but having paper in my hands is more satisfying somehow
Once we settle in one place, I plan on buying actual books again. Having the Kindle has been great as a space saver. I'm more likely to take a chance on a book I am on the fence about buying using it as well.
Once we settle in one place, I plan on buying actual books again. Having the Kindle has been great as a space saver. I'm more likely to take a chance on a book I am on the fence about buying using it as well.
Posted by: no good deed at January 22, 2017 10:59 AM (hJamr)
131
127
Beloved Vic, we all admire and respect your frugality! No doubt learned in your youth when papyrus scrolls cost a cow apiece.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at January 22, 2017 10:53 AM (SuJIo)
I grew up about 1 block from this building here. I used to take my little brother's wagon down to it and load up with as many books as they would let me check out. And that was FREE!
http://tinyurl.com/graqrtg
Beloved Vic, we all admire and respect your frugality! No doubt learned in your youth when papyrus scrolls cost a cow apiece.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at January 22, 2017 10:53 AM (SuJIo)
I grew up about 1 block from this building here. I used to take my little brother's wagon down to it and load up with as many books as they would let me check out. And that was FREE!
http://tinyurl.com/graqrtg
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 11:00 AM (mpXpK)
132
Voyager had a great theme. Enterprise's theme sacked.
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 11:00 AM (jn7FC)
133
130 In theory, Kindle should be easier, but having paper in my hands is more satisfying somehow
==
for me too
and I am more likely to finish a paper book quickly
kindle books tend to get bookmarked and forgotten
==
for me too
and I am more likely to finish a paper book quickly
kindle books tend to get bookmarked and forgotten
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:01 AM (Om16U)
134
A good theme makes a big difference. Mad Men was hugely overrated, but that theme music!
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 11:02 AM (jn7FC)
135
As much as I prefer physical books, for many reasons, ebooks have made some items more affordable and convenient. I realized I have the first 8 books in Cornwell's Saxon Tales series on Kindle and paid less than 16 bucks for all of them. Same with many 'complete works', especially from Delphi, for under 2 dollars. I could read Emerson's "Self-Reliance" essay or jump to parts of "Just So Stories'.
I don't like not 'possessing' these books (as in on the shelf) or relying on electricity for reading. But I still have hundreds of them. Yes, I'm conflicted.
I don't like not 'possessing' these books (as in on the shelf) or relying on electricity for reading. But I still have hundreds of them. Yes, I'm conflicted.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 11:02 AM (V+03K)
136
Another show with great theme music.... Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 11:02 AM (jn7FC)
137
"Enterprise's" theme was so bad, it was good. I can just picture some half-drunk dude with a mullet belting it out at karaoke night.
But I did love the intro credits, with all the various "Enterprises" throughout history.
But I did love the intro credits, with all the various "Enterprises" throughout history.
Posted by: josephistan at January 22, 2017 11:03 AM (7qAYi)
138
Ah, found the Charlie Hebdo trial movie on Amazon - as I watched it I kept thinking, "Why is it that only Charlie Hebdo has the guts to stand up to these bullies?" They put the serious media to shame. Then again, they paid dearly for it in the end.
https://www.amazon.com/Its-Hard-Being-Loved-Jerks/dp/B00VFXWE96
https://www.amazon.com/Its-Hard-Being-Loved-Jerks/dp/B00VFXWE96
Posted by: Lizzy at January 22, 2017 11:04 AM (NOIQH)
139
Just finished Beyond Good and Evil. I'm trying to figure out what to read next. I have to run a couple books back to the library, and I think I want to find something on art. Maybe art history, or aesthetics or the like...
Posted by: Colorado Alex In Exile at January 22, 2017 11:04 AM (mBnZE)
Posted by: Your Decidedly Devious Uncle Palpatine, No Longer Accepting Harem Applicants at January 22, 2017 11:06 AM (WFENN)
141
tv show theme music = gotta go with Hawaii Five-O
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:07 AM (Om16U)
Posted by: Lizzy at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (NOIQH)
143
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 22, 2017 10:38 AM (MZcWR)
Offhand would say I've seen "feasting on", "consuming", or similar colorful descriptions.
Offhand would say I've seen "feasting on", "consuming", or similar colorful descriptions.
Posted by: waelse1 at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (7RETJ)
144
http://tinyurl.com/graqrtg
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 11:00 AM (mpXpK)
God bless Andrew Carnegie
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 11:00 AM (mpXpK)
God bless Andrew Carnegie
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (Om16U)
Posted by: V the K at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (jn7FC)
146
40--- Read several Newbery Medals this week in my quest to finish all the ones I haven't ever read. They announce a new one tomorrow, I think. It's striking the fall in quality and intellectual heft of the winner from 1922 The Story of Mankind to last year's winner which is a book about riding a city bus to buy groceries.
Posted by: NCKate at January 22, 2017 09:24 AM (0McF9)
--------------------------------------
What a wonderful and intriguing reading project!
As an off-and-on home-schooling mother of 4, I've already read quite a few of them. I just might pick up that challenge myself.... one of these days.
Posted by: NCKate at January 22, 2017 09:24 AM (0McF9)
--------------------------------------
What a wonderful and intriguing reading project!
As an off-and-on home-schooling mother of 4, I've already read quite a few of them. I just might pick up that challenge myself.... one of these days.
Posted by: Margarita DeVille at January 22, 2017 11:09 AM (Nox3c)
147
144 God bless Andrew Carnegie
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (Om16U)
He sure helped a lot of kids like me growing up in small towns with very few resources in the 50s.
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (Om16U)
He sure helped a lot of kids like me growing up in small towns with very few resources in the 50s.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 11:10 AM (mpXpK)
148
As for what book I read this week. After seven years sitting on the shelf, finally read Gene Cernan's The Last Man on the Moon. I had picked the book up back in the middle of 2010 at the Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum for $75 since it was signed by Cernan. By one month I had missed meeting the first and last men to walk on the Moon: Neil Armstrong and Gene Cernan. So buying the book was me compensating.
This book is his biography. It starts with him in California with two other astronauts going through tests on their Block One Apollo CSM when they get a call cancelling all the tests. The date was January 27th, 1967 and the crew of Apollo One had just been killed. Roger Chaffee was one of Cernan's best friends and next door neighbor.
Then he talks of growing up, getting the flying bug, attending Purdue with a Naval scholarship just to go fly, and then getting to fly. Falling madly in love and getting married. Studying at Monterey. Getting selected after exhaustive investigation to be one of the third batch of astronauts.
Then we get to his missions in space starting with Gemini 9 with Stafford. Of the EVA that almost killed him on top of everything else that had gone wrong with that mission. Then came the Apollo 10 mission with him as the LMP, of how Fate's hand had glided over their CSM and spared them - a balky fuel cell had meant the oxygen tanks had been pulled and replaced by new ones, the old tanks were then installed in the Apollo 13 CSM. But Fate still had terror waiting for them only 47k feet above the Lunar surface at LM upper stage seperation and poor communication had resulted in Stafford putting PINGS back in control of the guidance instead of AGS. Then he got into trouble for saying a swear word during this stressful time, some on Earth were offended so he had to issue an apology of sorts. And then he took a gamble with Deke Slayton by turning down being the LMP for Apollo 16 saying he wanted to command Apollo 17. His gamble paid off only to almost derail at the last minute unless he swapped out his LMP for Dr. Harrion Schmitt geologist. And that is how Gene Cernan became the last man to walk on the surface of the Moon.
Throughout the book he also talks briefly of current events. Of his buddies flying in Vietnam. Of the stresses the wives of the astronauts were going through and how it eventually destroyed his marriage. After Apollo 10 he went to his parents house to find in the kitchen his Dad drinking beer with Mayor Daley. Of his father's death and how it affected him. He was in the other T-38 when See flew his T-38 into the McDonnel-Douglas building. Of his friendship with Vice President Agnew that lasted long after Agnew had to step down. And of him finding new love.
The book ends with Gene talking to his granddaughter about going to the Moon. And she asks if Poppy went to Heaven. "Yes, Punk*." ... "Your Poppy went to Heaven. He really did."
*Punk was also his nickname for his daughter Tracey.
This book is his biography. It starts with him in California with two other astronauts going through tests on their Block One Apollo CSM when they get a call cancelling all the tests. The date was January 27th, 1967 and the crew of Apollo One had just been killed. Roger Chaffee was one of Cernan's best friends and next door neighbor.
Then he talks of growing up, getting the flying bug, attending Purdue with a Naval scholarship just to go fly, and then getting to fly. Falling madly in love and getting married. Studying at Monterey. Getting selected after exhaustive investigation to be one of the third batch of astronauts.
Then we get to his missions in space starting with Gemini 9 with Stafford. Of the EVA that almost killed him on top of everything else that had gone wrong with that mission. Then came the Apollo 10 mission with him as the LMP, of how Fate's hand had glided over their CSM and spared them - a balky fuel cell had meant the oxygen tanks had been pulled and replaced by new ones, the old tanks were then installed in the Apollo 13 CSM. But Fate still had terror waiting for them only 47k feet above the Lunar surface at LM upper stage seperation and poor communication had resulted in Stafford putting PINGS back in control of the guidance instead of AGS. Then he got into trouble for saying a swear word during this stressful time, some on Earth were offended so he had to issue an apology of sorts. And then he took a gamble with Deke Slayton by turning down being the LMP for Apollo 16 saying he wanted to command Apollo 17. His gamble paid off only to almost derail at the last minute unless he swapped out his LMP for Dr. Harrion Schmitt geologist. And that is how Gene Cernan became the last man to walk on the surface of the Moon.
Throughout the book he also talks briefly of current events. Of his buddies flying in Vietnam. Of the stresses the wives of the astronauts were going through and how it eventually destroyed his marriage. After Apollo 10 he went to his parents house to find in the kitchen his Dad drinking beer with Mayor Daley. Of his father's death and how it affected him. He was in the other T-38 when See flew his T-38 into the McDonnel-Douglas building. Of his friendship with Vice President Agnew that lasted long after Agnew had to step down. And of him finding new love.
The book ends with Gene talking to his granddaughter about going to the Moon. And she asks if Poppy went to Heaven. "Yes, Punk*." ... "Your Poppy went to Heaven. He really did."
*Punk was also his nickname for his daughter Tracey.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 11:11 AM (5WfEd)
149
Re: The tag line is Manuscripts don't burn!
Love the Master and Margherita! Just read it for the first time this past summer, referred to it by my aunt who read it decades ago.
Didn't realize it was a mini-series. I always have doubts about watching my favorite books turned out onto a screen. Even with the doubts, I usually watch. Just in case the video is better than my imagination.
Love the Master and Margherita! Just read it for the first time this past summer, referred to it by my aunt who read it decades ago.
Didn't realize it was a mini-series. I always have doubts about watching my favorite books turned out onto a screen. Even with the doubts, I usually watch. Just in case the video is better than my imagination.
Posted by: Squeakywheel at January 22, 2017 11:13 AM (fce+O)
150
I've been enjoying Emerson's essay on self-reliance. I'm not into Transcendentalism but can appreciate the emphasis placed on the importance of the individual, both in isolation and in society.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 11:14 AM (V+03K)
151
It's striking the fall in quality and intellectual heft of the winner
from 1922 The Story of Mankind to last year's winner which is a book
about riding a city bus to buy groceries.
I am reading "Anne of Green Gables" with my daughter right now. The vocabulary alone is stunning when compared to modern children's lit.
from 1922 The Story of Mankind to last year's winner which is a book
about riding a city bus to buy groceries.
I am reading "Anne of Green Gables" with my daughter right now. The vocabulary alone is stunning when compared to modern children's lit.
Posted by: no good deed at January 22, 2017 11:16 AM (hJamr)
152
...settle in with a good book...
...curl up with a book...
...crack open a book...
...get lost in a good story...
...escape into a book...
...curl up with a book...
...crack open a book...
...get lost in a good story...
...escape into a book...
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:16 AM (wPiJc)
153
...delve into...
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:18 AM (wPiJc)
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 11:19 AM (5WfEd)
155
I've been an e-book reader since the introduction of Rocket E-reader. Migrated to a Nook and now on Kindle. E-readers have replaced my paperback collection. I still buy hard covers for 'keepers'. I find myself revisiting already owned books as I can't justify paying $15 for an e-book when a soft cover is a couple of dollars more. A little hesitant to buy any free or cheap e-books as so many seem to be ... written for women, NTTAWWT, just not my cup of tea.
Posted by: Usedtocould at January 22, 2017 11:20 AM (VCqKl)
156
Anna Puma, if you are still around, did you like The Last Man on the Moon and would you recommend it?
Or was this more the type of thing where you finally make the effort because it is there, and it turns out to be...OK?
It sounds interesting from your description.
Or was this more the type of thing where you finally make the effort because it is there, and it turns out to be...OK?
It sounds interesting from your description.
Posted by: RM at January 22, 2017 11:21 AM (U3LtS)
157
...delve into...
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:18 AM (wPiJc)
To be honest, I do less immersion into books that I did in the past. And I find many books I long ago read and carried with me long after reading, are fading away.
No, I'm not losing my mind.
The more recent books I have read, they don't sink in as deeply, and frankly, I don't find the experience of reading as enjoyable as I did in the past. It's more of a thing I do, less a think that becomes part of me.
I'm not sure how else to explain it.
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:18 AM (wPiJc)
To be honest, I do less immersion into books that I did in the past. And I find many books I long ago read and carried with me long after reading, are fading away.
No, I'm not losing my mind.
The more recent books I have read, they don't sink in as deeply, and frankly, I don't find the experience of reading as enjoyable as I did in the past. It's more of a thing I do, less a think that becomes part of me.
I'm not sure how else to explain it.
Posted by: BurtTC at January 22, 2017 11:21 AM (Pz4pT)
158
I'm going to be getting back into The City of God by St Augustine.
Honestly, I find it an intensely difficult read--the challenge of reading that dense kind of material can make me feel as dumb as a Democrat. But I take it slow and in small bites.
Honestly, I find it an intensely difficult read--the challenge of reading that dense kind of material can make me feel as dumb as a Democrat. But I take it slow and in small bites.
Posted by: Northernlurker at January 22, 2017 11:25 AM (nBr1j)
159
I could read Emerson's "Self-Reliance" essay or jump to parts of "Just So Stories'.
I don't like not 'possessing' these books (as in on the shelf) or
relying on electricity for reading. But I still have hundreds of them.
Yes, I'm conflicted. Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 11:02 AM (V+03K)
=====
The Elephant's Child is something of my theme -- spirit animal. I STILL want to know what, how -- and getting spanked metaphorically with regularity.
As a kid, I wanted to live in Stalky and Co, Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil and Boxcar Children.
I don't like not 'possessing' these books (as in on the shelf) or
relying on electricity for reading. But I still have hundreds of them.
Yes, I'm conflicted. Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 11:02 AM (V+03K)
=====
The Elephant's Child is something of my theme -- spirit animal. I STILL want to know what, how -- and getting spanked metaphorically with regularity.
As a kid, I wanted to live in Stalky and Co, Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil and Boxcar Children.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 11:25 AM (MIKMs)
160
I've been reading Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith after having watched the not very good movie. The book is so far much better. It is about a true believer Russian security officer pursuing largely imaginary spies who becomes disillusioned while encountering a series of child murders in the crime free Soviet utopia.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks. Laugh at a joke, get another joke free! at January 22, 2017 11:25 AM (Nwg0u)
161
Ack. Margarita, not Margherita. I must need a drink.
BTW, someone recommended the Little World of Don Camillo, a collection of funny stories about a fictional Italian priest. Interesting book, so thank you to whomever made the recommendation.
And ebooks are cheap and accessible, yes, but nothing compares to holding a book in your hands. Or finding a long-searched-for book buried on a back shelf of a used book store. Or giving a beautifully wrapped book as a present. IMHO.
BTW, someone recommended the Little World of Don Camillo, a collection of funny stories about a fictional Italian priest. Interesting book, so thank you to whomever made the recommendation.
And ebooks are cheap and accessible, yes, but nothing compares to holding a book in your hands. Or finding a long-searched-for book buried on a back shelf of a used book store. Or giving a beautifully wrapped book as a present. IMHO.
Posted by: Squeakywheel at January 22, 2017 11:27 AM (fce+O)
162
Moron Recommendations
I'm not really into reading but one book I would recommend is:
Jihad
by Isser Harel 1973
Harel was instrumental in building the Mossad and the Shin Bet. After he was finished spying he took to writing spy novels. This one was ahead of its time.
I'm not really into reading but one book I would recommend is:
Jihad
by Isser Harel 1973
Harel was instrumental in building the Mossad and the Shin Bet. After he was finished spying he took to writing spy novels. This one was ahead of its time.
Posted by: ThePrimordialOrderedPair at January 22, 2017 11:30 AM (zc3Db)
163
Vic: give Ringo's Watch on the Rhine a try... Or World War Z, the book is as always WAY better than the movie. The audio book is one of the best I've ever listened to. More of a play than someone reading you the book,.. 11t11!
Posted by: Fewenuff at January 22, 2017 11:31 AM (gHE26)
164
I remember reading, when I was in my 20's, "Blood and Money" by Thomas Thompson. I was totally pulled in by the power of his writing and the story.
Started around lunchtime and spent the entire day reading it. It was late winter and by the time I finished it was well after dark. Almost like coming out of a trance, I had been so engrossed.
Now - I still love to read and am a still a pretty voracious reader. However - there is way more competition for my time now is the best way to explain it. Can't conceive of totally blowing off an entire day like that. Always family, work, errands, chores. Not complaining at all, that's just the way of the world.
Started around lunchtime and spent the entire day reading it. It was late winter and by the time I finished it was well after dark. Almost like coming out of a trance, I had been so engrossed.
Now - I still love to read and am a still a pretty voracious reader. However - there is way more competition for my time now is the best way to explain it. Can't conceive of totally blowing off an entire day like that. Always family, work, errands, chores. Not complaining at all, that's just the way of the world.
Posted by: RM at January 22, 2017 11:31 AM (U3LtS)
165
Does $16 seem like a lot to pay for an ebook? My husband had balked at paying $7 for some but he has paid $25 for others. I supposed it varies by genre. What do y'all have as price ceilings for ebooks?
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:32 AM (P5esK)
166
The best beer I ever had was an ice cold Pearl Beer in a bottle at an ice house. "From the Country of Eleven Hundred Springs".
Bernard Cornwell has a new book, "The Flame Bearer". Uhtred of Bebbanburg is an great literary figure.
The best beer I ever had was an ice cold Pearl Beer in a bottle at an ice house. "From the Country of Eleven Hundred Springs".
Bernard Cornwell has a new book, "The Flame Bearer". Uhtred of Bebbanburg is an great literary figure.
Posted by: Frankly at January 22, 2017 11:32 AM (tTWsg)
167
163 Vic: give Ringo's Watch on the Rhine a try... Or World War Z, the book is as always WAY better than the movie. The audio book is one of the best I've ever listened to. More of a play than someone reading you the book,.. 11t11!
Posted by: Fewenuff at January 22, 2017 11:31 AM (gHE26)
----
Second re Watch on the Rhine. Rejuvenated Nazis help denatured Germans battle aliens. You're a very naughty boy, Ringo.
Posted by: Fewenuff at January 22, 2017 11:31 AM (gHE26)
----
Second re Watch on the Rhine. Rejuvenated Nazis help denatured Germans battle aliens. You're a very naughty boy, Ringo.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 11:33 AM (EnKk6)
168
The insanity of Democrats has me thinking of rereading Dante's Inferno. It seems appropriate. But I don't know if I can find the Penguins Translation that I once had.
Posted by: Northernlurker at January 22, 2017 11:34 AM (nBr1j)
169
I think you can devour a book.
Posted by: Mish With A Wish at January 22, 2017 11:35 AM (BO/km)
170
The more recent books I have read, they don't sink in as deeply, and frankly, I don't find the experience of reading as enjoyable as I did in the past. It's more of a thing I do, less a think that becomes part of me.
I'm not sure how else to explain it.
Posted by: BurtTC
*****
I think I experience the same thing. I suspect it may be that when one is younger, a particular book is new, and the ideas are mind-expanding. The older I get, the more repetitive books seem to become. Someone referred to it the other day on an SNL thread- that SNL is less funny now because we (people of a certain age) have seen it all before.
Many of the modern political books (Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and others of that ilk) seem iterative to me. Sci-Fi all blurs together, as do zombies, vampires, aliens.
I'm not sure how else to explain it.
Posted by: BurtTC
*****
I think I experience the same thing. I suspect it may be that when one is younger, a particular book is new, and the ideas are mind-expanding. The older I get, the more repetitive books seem to become. Someone referred to it the other day on an SNL thread- that SNL is less funny now because we (people of a certain age) have seen it all before.
Many of the modern political books (Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and others of that ilk) seem iterative to me. Sci-Fi all blurs together, as do zombies, vampires, aliens.
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:35 AM (wPiJc)
171
>>As a kid, I wanted to live in Stalky and Co, Mixed-up Files of Mrs Basil and Boxcar Children.
When I was in about third grade, our teacher read "The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" (not sure I got the last name right, but you know what i mean) aloud to us during the rest time after lunch. I never forgot that book - something about it just stayed with me, but, unfortunately, not the title. I remembered siblings who'd run away from home to a museum and found a mystery. This was in the early stages of internet searches and it took me a while to find out what book that was. I've since read it aloud to each of my children, and the older ones always gathered around to hear it again when it was time to read to the younger ones. I'm due to start another big book purge, but that is one that I can never be rid of, even though the kids are well past the age to enjoy it anymore.
When I was in about third grade, our teacher read "The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" (not sure I got the last name right, but you know what i mean) aloud to us during the rest time after lunch. I never forgot that book - something about it just stayed with me, but, unfortunately, not the title. I remembered siblings who'd run away from home to a museum and found a mystery. This was in the early stages of internet searches and it took me a while to find out what book that was. I've since read it aloud to each of my children, and the older ones always gathered around to hear it again when it was time to read to the younger ones. I'm due to start another big book purge, but that is one that I can never be rid of, even though the kids are well past the age to enjoy it anymore.
Posted by: AngelEm at January 22, 2017 11:37 AM (p0zAa)
172
161 ... " but nothing compares to holding a book in your hands. Or finding a long-searched-for book buried on a back shelf of a used book store. Or giving a beautifully wrapped book as a present."
All very true. I've mentioned in the past that there are certain books I want in hardcopy because they are a pleasure to handle and are too important to me to risk to electronics not under my control. If I consider a book worthy of being a gift, it is worth having in hardcopy.
All very true. I've mentioned in the past that there are certain books I want in hardcopy because they are a pleasure to handle and are too important to me to risk to electronics not under my control. If I consider a book worthy of being a gift, it is worth having in hardcopy.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 11:37 AM (V+03K)
173
"Vodka Politics" by Mark Schrad is $9.99 for the Kindle version. That is way too high. I'd say $6.00 is a bridge too far for me, and I'd only spend five if it was something epic I had to have right away.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 11:37 AM (EnKk6)
174
The Old Man wanted a copy of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three by John Godey because he likes the old movie of that title. After getting a copy, I read it and liked it quite a bit. Godey has a great way of turning a phrase and the novel was presented as a series of little character studies. The novel went into more detail about the motivation of the subway hijackers than the movie (the Travolta remake doesn't follow the novel as closely). I give it 5 out of 5 stars and I definitely want to track down more John Godey novels.
Posted by: Retired Buckey Cop is now an engineer at January 22, 2017 11:39 AM (5Yee7)
175
165 Does $16 seem like a lot to pay for an ebook? My husband had balked at paying $7 for some but he has paid $25 for others. I supposed it varies by genre. What do y'all have as price ceilings for ebooks?
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:32 AM (P5esK)
I don't really have a ceiling if I want the book now.
But yeah, I guess $25 would be the max.
Right now, I'm replacing some old crumbling SF paperbacks and so forth that either aren't in print but are on kindle (!)
or where they are in print but the kindle is cheaper.
It's a pisser that they charge $9.99 for some of these ancient tomes but there you go.
Occasionally, I'm thrilled to find a used hardback replacement for $0.01 so that's what I get.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:32 AM (P5esK)
I don't really have a ceiling if I want the book now.
But yeah, I guess $25 would be the max.
Right now, I'm replacing some old crumbling SF paperbacks and so forth that either aren't in print but are on kindle (!)
or where they are in print but the kindle is cheaper.
It's a pisser that they charge $9.99 for some of these ancient tomes but there you go.
Occasionally, I'm thrilled to find a used hardback replacement for $0.01 so that's what I get.
Posted by: naturalfake at January 22, 2017 11:40 AM (9q7Dl)
176
I have the same price threshold, Eris. When I first bought my e-reader, the prices were great. They've all crept back up to the same price I paid for paperbacks.
Posted by: no good deed at January 22, 2017 11:40 AM (hJamr)
177
...the...Travolta remake...?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 11:40 AM (EnKk6)
178
Does $16 seem like a lot to pay for an ebook?
----------------------
Five Dollars is the strike price for me. The old Heinlein's are out (coming out) as ebooks for about $6.50 or so. But the Old Masters of SciFi are getting a bit dated. Might be fine for younger people.
Around $7 I'd buy the paperback if I really wanted the book. You can get the old ones used for half that.
----------------------
Five Dollars is the strike price for me. The old Heinlein's are out (coming out) as ebooks for about $6.50 or so. But the Old Masters of SciFi are getting a bit dated. Might be fine for younger people.
Around $7 I'd buy the paperback if I really wanted the book. You can get the old ones used for half that.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at January 22, 2017 11:40 AM (4SqSK)
179
"The Wars of the Roosevelts" has me interested but not hardback-book-interested. And $16 for an ebook? That's where I am having a difficult time deciding...
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:41 AM (P5esK)
180
It is a bit more complicated than that in regards to Gene Cernan's book. I had thought I had read it but with his death decided to read it again. I started reading and nothing was striking any memory chords. That was when I realized I had let a book lie fallow unread for far too long.
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes I did. It is Gene's story and it is written as such. Unlike Chaiken's A Man on the Moon where the writing is more clinical as it were. Cernan's observations on fellow astronauts is pretty eye-opening. Like Buzz Aldrin coming into the office Gene shared with Neil, who was absent, to campaign yet again on why Aldrin should be the first to set foot on the Moon. How Wally and his Apollo crew after the Apollo One fire became downright scary screaming martinets demanding 'their' capsule be perfect and thus demoralizing the workers. How Alan Sheppard absolutely terrified him until Cernan became the Apollo 14 backup commander and finally nerved himself up to face Alan in his own office. One of his regrets is not pushing harder for one of his buddies to replace Ed Mitchell on that mission because Ed was dabbling too much into ESP and not focusing on being the CM pilot.
Did I enjoy reading it? Yes I did. It is Gene's story and it is written as such. Unlike Chaiken's A Man on the Moon where the writing is more clinical as it were. Cernan's observations on fellow astronauts is pretty eye-opening. Like Buzz Aldrin coming into the office Gene shared with Neil, who was absent, to campaign yet again on why Aldrin should be the first to set foot on the Moon. How Wally and his Apollo crew after the Apollo One fire became downright scary screaming martinets demanding 'their' capsule be perfect and thus demoralizing the workers. How Alan Sheppard absolutely terrified him until Cernan became the Apollo 14 backup commander and finally nerved himself up to face Alan in his own office. One of his regrets is not pushing harder for one of his buddies to replace Ed Mitchell on that mission because Ed was dabbling too much into ESP and not focusing on being the CM pilot.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 11:41 AM (5WfEd)
181
BTW, someone recommended the Little World of Don Camillo, a collection of funny stories about a fictional Italian priest. Interesting book, so thank you to whomever made the recommendation.
Yes, I had done so some weeks ago. A good lesson in how political opponents can work together when the greater good demands it yet still stay political opponents.
BTW, someone recommended the Little World of Don Camillo, a collection of funny stories about a fictional Italian priest. Interesting book, so thank you to whomever made the recommendation.
Yes, I had done so some weeks ago. A good lesson in how political opponents can work together when the greater good demands it yet still stay political opponents.
Posted by: Kodos the Executioner at January 22, 2017 11:42 AM (9eOWg)
182
168 ... Amazon has several editions of the Inferno Penguin Classics with different translators. Chances are one of those is what you want.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 11:42 AM (V+03K)
183
Sci-Fi all blurs together, as do zombies, vampires, aliens.
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:35 AM (wPiJc)
Then read my novel.
Guaranteed 100% free of zombies, vampires, and aliens. And werewolves are right out!
Posted by: Muldoon at January 22, 2017 11:35 AM (wPiJc)
Then read my novel.
Guaranteed 100% free of zombies, vampires, and aliens. And werewolves are right out!
Posted by: naturalfake at January 22, 2017 11:44 AM (9q7Dl)
184
Last year my special challenge was to RE-read 12 books that "deserve" it, ones I remember as being important in my life but that I haven't read in ages.
I cheated with The Brothers Karamazov by listening to an audio version over weeks and weeks and weeks. To assuage my guilt about that "cheat," I supplemented my re-read of Irving Babbitt's Democracy and Leadership by also re-reading his Rousseau and Romanticism.
I cannot recommend Babbitt enough to morons. There is no one better at explaining how materialist utilitarianism on the one hand and pathetic sentimentalism on the other have undermined Western civilization, especially in academia.
Democracy and Leadership is his masterpiece and fullest exposition, but I recommend Rousseau and Romanticism even more highly. If you want to understand how the partisans of Science!!! and Progress!!! end up waving papier-mache vagina puppets while wearing "I stand with Islam" t-shirts, Babbitt is your man.
I cheated with The Brothers Karamazov by listening to an audio version over weeks and weeks and weeks. To assuage my guilt about that "cheat," I supplemented my re-read of Irving Babbitt's Democracy and Leadership by also re-reading his Rousseau and Romanticism.
I cannot recommend Babbitt enough to morons. There is no one better at explaining how materialist utilitarianism on the one hand and pathetic sentimentalism on the other have undermined Western civilization, especially in academia.
Democracy and Leadership is his masterpiece and fullest exposition, but I recommend Rousseau and Romanticism even more highly. If you want to understand how the partisans of Science!!! and Progress!!! end up waving papier-mache vagina puppets while wearing "I stand with Islam" t-shirts, Babbitt is your man.
Posted by: Margarita DeVille at January 22, 2017 11:45 AM (Nox3c)
185
For prospective authors self publishing: 5 bucks is about the outside price you can reasonably expect an unknown author to sell an e-book for. And at 70% royalties, that's actually pretty good return; more than you'd get if you went through a publishing house in print.
People will buy an unknown for five bucks where they will go "eh, I don't know, never heard of them" for six. You're actually costing yourself sales if you go too high.
And if you feel like you are ripping yourself off or presenting yourself as cheap, don't. Remember this is the internet, and an e-book is just a file, its not even a physical object. People view a 99 cent book as a cheapie.
People will buy an unknown for five bucks where they will go "eh, I don't know, never heard of them" for six. You're actually costing yourself sales if you go too high.
And if you feel like you are ripping yourself off or presenting yourself as cheap, don't. Remember this is the internet, and an e-book is just a file, its not even a physical object. People view a 99 cent book as a cheapie.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 11:46 AM (39g3+)
186
Northernlurker,
I don't know which Inferno translation you are looking for, but the one by John Ciardi is really good.
I don't know which Inferno translation you are looking for, but the one by John Ciardi is really good.
Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living at January 22, 2017 11:49 AM (x3uSY)
187
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:32 AM (P5esK)
$12 is about my limit for something I want badly, but I have so many unread ebooks it'd have to be important to pay as much as $10. $7 or less is best.
$12 is about my limit for something I want badly, but I have so many unread ebooks it'd have to be important to pay as much as $10. $7 or less is best.
Posted by: waelse1 at January 22, 2017 11:50 AM (7RETJ)
188
Good morning, y'all. I've been working my way through Bobby Akart's various books the last few months. They are, of course, centered on my prepping habit and he has both fiction and non-fiction. Definitely worth checking out if you have that bent:
https://tinyurl.com/jynvgys
If you like your dystopian novels mixed with a strong does of Christianity, I highly recommend Mark Goodwin's The Days of Noah series:
https://tinyurl.com/jtxnoow
He has also released the first book in the follow on The Days of Elijah series.
https://tinyurl.com/jynvgys
If you like your dystopian novels mixed with a strong does of Christianity, I highly recommend Mark Goodwin's The Days of Noah series:
https://tinyurl.com/jtxnoow
He has also released the first book in the follow on The Days of Elijah series.
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 11:50 AM (GUBah)
189
And after reading the first seventeen chapters of David Weber's latest Honor Harrington book Shadow of Victory on Baen's site, I still have no urge to fork over $9.99 for the e-version.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 11:51 AM (5WfEd)
190
I should also note that both Akart and Goodwin have their books available through Amazon Unlimited, which is quite nice.
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 11:52 AM (GUBah)
191
185 For prospective authors self publishing: 5 bucks is about the outside price you can reasonably expect an unknown author to sell an e-book for.
Actually if you are selling in a genre that has a good following (say historical, or fan fiction), it is best to start a little higher because fans will pay more, and then after sales slow down put the ebook on sale for $4.99 or lower.
Each prospective buyer has a different view on what the book is worth.
Actually if you are selling in a genre that has a good following (say historical, or fan fiction), it is best to start a little higher because fans will pay more, and then after sales slow down put the ebook on sale for $4.99 or lower.
Each prospective buyer has a different view on what the book is worth.
Posted by: JoeNYC at January 22, 2017 11:52 AM (kf+qe)
192
I got a gift certificate for my birthday and finally took it down to the store today. As its a used bookstore run by younger people it has the usual leftist tripe pasted to the windows and a "we are welcoming to all sorts of people" sign (implying, I suppose, that other stores without this don't want the money of any sort of customer somehow). But there's a special feeling of going into a book store no matter what sort of knucklehead runs it, and while I wish I could buy books new to patronize authors, this is what I can afford and I can get 3 books on a $10 gift certificate.
2 L'Amour books and an Estleman western later, I was a happy man.
2 L'Amour books and an Estleman western later, I was a happy man.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 11:55 AM (39g3+)
193
The death of Gene Cernan this week reminded me to recommend Rocket Boys (Hickham). Fascinating look at the unintended intellectual renaissance of flight and aiming to the moon. I really loved that book. Darn it all, that's another one I wish I could have lived in. None of my friends would read it or the renamed Rocket Boys.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 11:55 AM (MIKMs)
194
Fan fiction you say?
As in you are writing a Star Trek story in which this time it is Scotty who gets the girl and Kirk gets to sing to the engines?
Unless you have permission from oh say Paramount, for you to try and sell said fan-fiction via places like Amazon. Beware Ferengi lawyers because they won't leave you with your shorts due to copyright infringement.
As in you are writing a Star Trek story in which this time it is Scotty who gets the girl and Kirk gets to sing to the engines?
Unless you have permission from oh say Paramount, for you to try and sell said fan-fiction via places like Amazon. Beware Ferengi lawyers because they won't leave you with your shorts due to copyright infringement.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 11:56 AM (5WfEd)
195
Really didn't like The Conclave. It was interesting for the behind the scenes intrigue of The Vatican, but I felt it was very snarky to Catholics and the ending was just stupid. It was not a very nice portrayal of the Catholic Church.
Posted by: Abby at January 22, 2017 11:58 AM (HBU7W)
196
179 "The Wars of the Roosevelts" has me interested but not hardback-book-interested. And $16 for an ebook? That's where I am having a difficult time deciding...
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:41 AM (P5esK)
---
See if your library has it. If I'd purchased the four books I just checked out, it would have set me back $110 bucks.
And yes I've spent that much in one orgy of bibliophilia.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:41 AM (P5esK)
---
See if your library has it. If I'd purchased the four books I just checked out, it would have set me back $110 bucks.
And yes I've spent that much in one orgy of bibliophilia.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 11:59 AM (EnKk6)
197
God bless Andrew Carnegie
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (Om16U)
He sure helped a lot of kids like me growing up in small towns with very few resources in the 50s.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 11:10 AM (mpXpK)
And kids like me in the 70s and 80s. The Carnegie Library in my hometown is still standing, though now used as the local Chamber of Commerce since the library outgrew the building.
https://tinyurl.com/heo4nbq
https://tinyurl.com/zutdbtl
I can still smell that unique smell of leather and old books and hear the floorboards softly creaking inside that building. I spent many, many hours there perusing the stacks from the time I could read until I graduated high school and moved away.
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 11:08 AM (Om16U)
He sure helped a lot of kids like me growing up in small towns with very few resources in the 50s.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at January 22, 2017 11:10 AM (mpXpK)
And kids like me in the 70s and 80s. The Carnegie Library in my hometown is still standing, though now used as the local Chamber of Commerce since the library outgrew the building.
https://tinyurl.com/heo4nbq
https://tinyurl.com/zutdbtl
I can still smell that unique smell of leather and old books and hear the floorboards softly creaking inside that building. I spent many, many hours there perusing the stacks from the time I could read until I graduated high school and moved away.
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 11:59 AM (GUBah)
198
Re: CS Lewis quote - I could never find a cup large enough or long enough to suit me.
Posted by: Zombie John Holmes at January 22, 2017 12:01 PM (bc2Lc)
199
re: rereading Dante's Inferno.
Just bought Dante's Divine Comedy as Told for Young People, by Joseph Tusiani for my eleven year old. He loved it. I thought it was scary as hell. Heh.
Thank you Kodos for the referral of Don Camillo.
Just bought Dante's Divine Comedy as Told for Young People, by Joseph Tusiani for my eleven year old. He loved it. I thought it was scary as hell. Heh.
Thank you
Kodos for the referral of Don Camillo.Posted by: Squeakywheel at January 22, 2017 12:01 PM (fce+O)
200
Yeah our library in Salem is a Carnegie library. It used to be gigantic for the size of our town, but the town has grown into a city and the library has been pretty static. Its a good one but I wish they had more room because they're taking out older books to make room for newer. I can't even find Zorro there, which is a classic.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 12:01 PM (39g3+)
201
As I spend more time reading classics that require translation I've been looking for the best ones. And they aren't always the latest ones. It might be Jules Verne (my French is only good for about 70 percent), the Greek and Latin classics, etc. Trying to determine the 'best' translation has its own amusements. No one agrees on the quality or approach. It makes longbow and crossbow look tame and straightforward. :-)
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 12:02 PM (V+03K)
202
Fan fiction you say?
=====
Okay, I started laughing. Remember the old days of xeroxed fanfic (some porno) passed around? Heavens-to-Betsy what is our own Senate passing around. Think McCrumb and her mysteries set at sci-fi conventions.
Still laughing.
=====
Okay, I started laughing. Remember the old days of xeroxed fanfic (some porno) passed around? Heavens-to-Betsy what is our own Senate passing around. Think McCrumb and her mysteries set at sci-fi conventions.
Still laughing.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 12:03 PM (MIKMs)
203
If any of you morons have the facility, I would appreciate your kicking patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson in the nuts for me.
Many thanks.
Many thanks.
Posted by: garrett at January 22, 2017 12:05 PM (PPu+l)
204
Some of those fan-fics actually got published in respectable looking fanzines like Enterprise Incidents. For example Apple in which a very buxom and beautiful Human newbie aboard Enterprise has a wager to see if she can get Spock to Pon Farr her out of season. Or when the Tom Bakker Dr. Who encountered Kirk and company.
And yeah McCrumb rocked with those stories. Some fen to this day are still butt-hurt over her portrayals.
And yeah McCrumb rocked with those stories. Some fen to this day are still butt-hurt over her portrayals.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 12:08 PM (5WfEd)
205
Only three hours in...If anyone wants to read a fire-and-brimstone, no-holds-barred account of the current poly pope situation, you'll want to check out Ann Barnhardt's
"Cutting the Crap: 32 Questions and Blunt Answers About the Catholic Church and Anti-Pope Bergoglio."
http://bit.ly/2kfCZYB
And if that's not enough, how 'bout that "Seismic Noose Tightening Around Rome?"
http://bit.ly/2jPzpHT
"Cutting the Crap: 32 Questions and Blunt Answers About the Catholic Church and Anti-Pope Bergoglio."
http://bit.ly/2kfCZYB
And if that's not enough, how 'bout that "Seismic Noose Tightening Around Rome?"
http://bit.ly/2jPzpHT
Posted by: SandyCheeks at January 22, 2017 12:10 PM (joFoi)
206
Second the Ciardi recommendation for the Divine Comedy. And don't forget to read the footnotes; they are an education in themselves.
Posted by: Darles Chickens at January 22, 2017 12:11 PM (u8Dsi)
207
Crud, now want to and read again Bimbos of the Death Sun because I can't remember what that Scottish folk singer finally decided to tell the folks back home about his very odd encounter with fandom. I think he decided to say "I fed candies to the Martians."
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 12:12 PM (5WfEd)
208
I am teaching C. S. Lewis, "Till We Have Faces," to my juniors and seniors. Kids keep saying, "MIND BLOWN."
Posted by: Smallish Bees at January 22, 2017 12:13 PM (YPgXi)
209
When I took a college prep lit course in high school, the Romeo & Juliet we read had lots of notes in it. They were useful because they helped modern readers get the jokes (most of which were pretty raunchy) and explained some terms and cultural stuff. There was a lot in the plays to get the common folks something to laugh at while being highbrow in the process. Something to learn from as an author.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 12:14 PM (39g3+)
210
"I think the thread's dead Jim." - Dr. Leonard McCoy literary doctor.
Posted by: Anna Puma at January 22, 2017 12:22 PM (5WfEd)
211
148; Thanks, Anna, I must get that book. Just your review has me wanting more.
Posted by: chavez the hugo at January 22, 2017 12:29 PM (KP5rU)
212
Oh, cool, the Hotel Emma. One of my hangouts. It's rather spectacular.
Emma Koehler was a very interesting lady, but even more fun is the story of the Three Emmas.
http://www.thehotelemma.com/overview/emmas-story/
Emma Koehler's husband was shot to death by one of his two mistresses, both of whom were also named Emma.
Mrs Koehler took over running the brewery and got it through Prohibition.
Emma Koehler was a very interesting lady, but even more fun is the story of the Three Emmas.
http://www.thehotelemma.com/overview/emmas-story/
Emma Koehler's husband was shot to death by one of his two mistresses, both of whom were also named Emma.
Mrs Koehler took over running the brewery and got it through Prohibition.
Posted by: stace at January 22, 2017 12:31 PM (ozZau)
213
Actually, a semi-political library rant:
My old mom (library board member for 40 years) actually supported a Democrat in Illinois as State Librarian. In all honesty, the man dragged everyone into the digital age, with due respect to paper records, and consolidated a lot of functions. I could go anywhere in Illinois, present my card, and check out anything. For an old conventional Republican, my mom's approval of his 'revolutionary' changes was astonishing. No matter the politics, Jesse White in Illinois did an outstanding job updating (with respect to paper traditions) library functions.
As a lot of us keep tabs open for local libraries on the SMBT; old Jesse White managed to seamlessly keep both options viable. Of all the corrupt Illinois politicians, he might get something of a pass from me.
My old mom (library board member for 40 years) actually supported a Democrat in Illinois as State Librarian. In all honesty, the man dragged everyone into the digital age, with due respect to paper records, and consolidated a lot of functions. I could go anywhere in Illinois, present my card, and check out anything. For an old conventional Republican, my mom's approval of his 'revolutionary' changes was astonishing. No matter the politics, Jesse White in Illinois did an outstanding job updating (with respect to paper traditions) library functions.
As a lot of us keep tabs open for local libraries on the SMBT; old Jesse White managed to seamlessly keep both options viable. Of all the corrupt Illinois politicians, he might get something of a pass from me.
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 22, 2017 12:35 PM (MIKMs)
214
As for me - still working on the Nueces Massacre project. When done, it will likely be the definitive work, as the author (retired Army colonel with a background in insurgency-fighting) not only had ancestors involved, but has researched down to the tiniest detail of the whole episode.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at January 22, 2017 09:19 AM (xnmPy)
Fascinating, Sgt Mom. Please keep us posted.
As for me - still working on the Nueces Massacre project. When done, it will likely be the definitive work, as the author (retired Army colonel with a background in insurgency-fighting) not only had ancestors involved, but has researched down to the tiniest detail of the whole episode.
Posted by: Sgt. Mom at January 22, 2017 09:19 AM (xnmPy)
Fascinating, Sgt Mom. Please keep us posted.
Posted by: stace at January 22, 2017 12:39 PM (ozZau)
215
Williams also has the old Army reluctance to admit that the militia were in any way useful. In this particular theater he is largely justified, but there is an institutional bias that should be taken into account by the reader.
Posted by: Grey Fox at January 22, 2017 09:56 AM (bZ7mE)
Militias were very effective as long as they were tasked with defense of positions containing their liquor rations. Also, there is no recorded failure of a militia defense of a tavern.
Naturally, the same can be said of regulars.
Williams also has the old Army reluctance to admit that the militia were in any way useful. In this particular theater he is largely justified, but there is an institutional bias that should be taken into account by the reader.
Posted by: Grey Fox at January 22, 2017 09:56 AM (bZ7mE)
Militias were very effective as long as they were tasked with defense of positions containing their liquor rations. Also, there is no recorded failure of a militia defense of a tavern.
Naturally, the same can be said of regulars.
Posted by: Headless Body of Agnew at January 22, 2017 12:42 PM (FtrY1)
216
"...in regards to Gene Cernan's book..."
Thanks, Anna Puma, for the follow up. Went out for breakfast so was gone for an hour or so, thus the late response.
I may poke around for this book. I enjoy those personal observations; they usually are what makes a book compelling to me.
Thanks, Anna Puma, for the follow up. Went out for breakfast so was gone for an hour or so, thus the late response.
I may poke around for this book. I enjoy those personal observations; they usually are what makes a book compelling to me.
Posted by: RM at January 22, 2017 12:47 PM (U3LtS)
217
Just found Cernan's "The Last Man on the Moon" on Kindle and grabbed it. Thanks again, Anna Puma!
Posted by: RM at January 22, 2017 12:54 PM (U3LtS)
218
Working my way through Charles Stross' Laundry Series, which I am really enjoying. They are on the scifi spectrum but best classified as urban fantasy. The protagonist works for a super secret British government agency known as the Laundry, "protecting the Earth from the scum of the multiverse."
Clever cross between Cthulhu type horror, spy fiction and heavily salted with humor. The characters are great. There's tons of hard science and math in the books, but I have found you can blip over the technotalk and still really enjoy them. Recommended.
Clever cross between Cthulhu type horror, spy fiction and heavily salted with humor. The characters are great. There's tons of hard science and math in the books, but I have found you can blip over the technotalk and still really enjoy them. Recommended.
Posted by: Dr Alice at January 22, 2017 12:54 PM (LaT54)
219
The dear wife of the Orthodox Priest at the church I am attending gave me two books to read. (This was in response to my wanting to know about "Mothers" (women saints in the church) She gave me a book "Women martyrs of the Lord" saying apologetically"This is really meant for teens in Sunday school" It has more to do with early church Martyrs which I was familiar with. However, she also gave me a book for adults, "Marriage As a Path To Holiness" lives of married saints- by David and Mary Ford which focuses of Married Saints in the Orthodox Church. That is the book I am looking forward to reading.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 22, 2017 12:55 PM (tOcW/)
220
163 Vic: give Ringo's Watch on the Rhine a try... Or World War Z, the book is as always WAY better than the movie. The audio book is one of the best I've ever listened to. More of a play than someone reading you the book,.. 11t11!
Posted by: Fewenuff at January 22, 2017 11:31 AM (gHE26)
I picked up Watch on the Rhine after reading Ringo's Troy Rising books (a series I would recommend without any reservation.)
While the premise is interesting (an SS unit is brought back to life to fight an alien menace.) It is just a poorly written book, in my opinion. The characters were thin, and given the premise- that historical people are not always who you think they are- this seems kind of unforgivable.
Lest anyone think this is an odd bit of writing, as I understand the series is all about these types of culture shocks. Mankind gets a technology that allows them to revivify those long dead by an alien race fighting the aliens attacking the Earth. This shows leaders like George Washinton, Patton, Andrew Jackson, etc. coming into the stories. It sounded like an interesting idea, but I got sidetracked in a literary sense before I could explore some of the other books.
Posted by: Fewenuff at January 22, 2017 11:31 AM (gHE26)
I picked up Watch on the Rhine after reading Ringo's Troy Rising books (a series I would recommend without any reservation.)
While the premise is interesting (an SS unit is brought back to life to fight an alien menace.) It is just a poorly written book, in my opinion. The characters were thin, and given the premise- that historical people are not always who you think they are- this seems kind of unforgivable.
Lest anyone think this is an odd bit of writing, as I understand the series is all about these types of culture shocks. Mankind gets a technology that allows them to revivify those long dead by an alien race fighting the aliens attacking the Earth. This shows leaders like George Washinton, Patton, Andrew Jackson, etc. coming into the stories. It sounded like an interesting idea, but I got sidetracked in a literary sense before I could explore some of the other books.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at January 22, 2017 12:57 PM (92kX2)
221
I have formatted many ebooks and paperbacks (professionally) so if you need help, ask me. I will advise you if you don't need my services. I use Adobe InDesign to make paperback texts.
What I am reading: First book of Samuel. It's a JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh.(JPS is Jewish Publication Society). I like a translation that is pretty close to the original Hebrew. I'm not fluent in Hebrew by any stretch but I can read it along with English. I've never read the Bible and this story is pretty riveting. Saul was a Shakespearean character.
What I am reading: First book of Samuel. It's a JPS Hebrew-English Tanakh.(JPS is Jewish Publication Society). I like a translation that is pretty close to the original Hebrew. I'm not fluent in Hebrew by any stretch but I can read it along with English. I've never read the Bible and this story is pretty riveting. Saul was a Shakespearean character.
Posted by: microcosme at January 22, 2017 12:57 PM (X079o)
222
The Bible is a work of extraordinary literature as well as a religious work. Many different styles, astounding tales, fascinating characters and events
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 12:59 PM (39g3+)
223
Williams also has the old Army reluctance to admit that the militia were in any way useful. In this particular theater he is largely justified, but there is an institutional bias that should be taken into account by the reader.
Posted by: Grey Fox
Old, I saw the Army fighting National Guard funding two weeks ago. And, the National Guard defends their funding as if it were a tavern full of drunk virgins.
Williams also has the old Army reluctance to admit that the militia were in any way useful. In this particular theater he is largely justified, but there is an institutional bias that should be taken into account by the reader.
Posted by: Grey Fox
Old, I saw the Army fighting National Guard funding two weeks ago. And, the National Guard defends their funding as if it were a tavern full of drunk virgins.
Posted by: Jean at January 22, 2017 01:01 PM (2RVmA)
224
From long ago recommendations by the Horde, I'm finally reading Raspail's The Camp of the Saints. ( I waited until the price dropped to $12. When I first wanted to read it, the price was $75)
It is scarily prescient ( 40 years ago, he pegged Australia as a country that would defend itself from invading throngs) and exposes in detail the creeping evil of leftist thinking and behavior. It's a page turner, alright, but I doubt it'll have a happy ending.
It is scarily prescient ( 40 years ago, he pegged Australia as a country that would defend itself from invading throngs) and exposes in detail the creeping evil of leftist thinking and behavior. It's a page turner, alright, but I doubt it'll have a happy ending.
Posted by: RondinellaMamma at January 22, 2017 01:09 PM (oQQwD)
225
Anonosaurus, I've also read Child 44 and I found it riveting. That one led me to his other books, which are also good stories. His books likely paint an accurate portrait of Soviet life.
Posted by: April at January 22, 2017 01:16 PM (e8PP1)
226
From long ago recommendations by the Horde, I'm finally reading Raspail's The Camp of the Saints. ( I waited until the price dropped to $12. When I first wanted to read it, the price was $75)
It is scarily prescient ( 40 years ago, he pegged Australia as a country that would defend itself from invading throngs) and exposes in detail the creeping evil of leftist thinking and behavior. It's a page turner, alright, but I doubt it'll have a happy ending.
------------
Should be read by everyone.
ABE's Free Shipping site has a number of used paperback copies priced at $15-$20
Go here, then enter 'The Camp of the Saints' for title, and 'Raspail' for author.
http://tinyurl.com/hvra972
It is scarily prescient ( 40 years ago, he pegged Australia as a country that would defend itself from invading throngs) and exposes in detail the creeping evil of leftist thinking and behavior. It's a page turner, alright, but I doubt it'll have a happy ending.
------------
Should be read by everyone.
ABE's Free Shipping site has a number of used paperback copies priced at $15-$20
Go here, then enter 'The Camp of the Saints' for title, and 'Raspail' for author.
http://tinyurl.com/hvra972
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:20 PM (ZO497)
227
[My old mom (library board member for 40 years) actually supported a Democrat in Illinois as State Librarian. In all honesty, the man dragged everyone into the digital age, with due respect to paper records, and consolidated a lot of functions. I could go anywhere in Illinois, present my card, and check out anything. For an old conventional Republican, my mom's approval of his 'revolutionary' changes was astonishing. No matter the politics, Jesse White in Illinois did an outstanding job updating (with respect to paper traditions) library functions.]
My state representative (a leftist Democrat) saved my branch library from closure, and also changed its schedule so it was open on Sundays to accomodate the heavily Orthodox Jewish population in the neighborhood. He gets a pass from me on that, but on other things, not so much.
My state representative (a leftist Democrat) saved my branch library from closure, and also changed its schedule so it was open on Sundays to accomodate the heavily Orthodox Jewish population in the neighborhood. He gets a pass from me on that, but on other things, not so much.
Posted by: microcosme at January 22, 2017 01:21 PM (X079o)
228
In a different category of books, I'm slowly making my way through a book my mom got me. Its a side-by-side commentary on the Psalms by Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, and John Calvin. It takes a very long time to read because some of the psalms are quite long, and it takes several pages to get through them for each commentator. The comparison between each theologian's analysis is very interesting and each has insights the other might miss or a focus that another varies on.
But its taken me three years to get to Psalm 94, so its a long term project.
But its taken me three years to get to Psalm 94, so its a long term project.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 01:21 PM (39g3+)
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 01:25 PM (Om16U)
230
Old, I saw the Army fighting National Guard funding two weeks ago. And, the National Guard defends their funding as if it were a tavern full of drunk virgins.
Posted by: Jean
-----------
I'll not denigrate The Guard, as some units have been called upon for extraordinary service in the last 8-10 years.
Having said that, I relate a story. During VN I spent some time at Ft. Dix. One weekend I was down at the USO in Philly, which if I recall, was located on the 4th floor of the Adelphia Hotel.
It happened to be Columbus Day, and there was a parade in progress. I was leaning out the window and watching an NG unit go by. Among them was an APC with the top opened up. Looking down from the 4th floor, I could see NG guys sitting around inside, and beer cans rolling around on the floor.
Posted by: Jean
-----------
I'll not denigrate The Guard, as some units have been called upon for extraordinary service in the last 8-10 years.
Having said that, I relate a story. During VN I spent some time at Ft. Dix. One weekend I was down at the USO in Philly, which if I recall, was located on the 4th floor of the Adelphia Hotel.
It happened to be Columbus Day, and there was a parade in progress. I was leaning out the window and watching an NG unit go by. Among them was an APC with the top opened up. Looking down from the 4th floor, I could see NG guys sitting around inside, and beer cans rolling around on the floor.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:30 PM (ZO497)
231
Okay, Mona, just bought your book! You had me at "if you have never liked Fanny Price"... I never have, and always thought Mansfield Park was the worst of the Austens.
Very interested to see how you redeem her!
Still reading my book on the Inklings...I'm enjoying it, but I have the hardcover and it's too big to take back & forth on the train to work, so I lose my place and have to read back a bit to get caught up again.
I'm going ask the office administrator if I can leave some books in the cabinet of a lesser-used conference room so that I can read at lunchtime. Wish I was on the glass, but no, sigh.
Very interested to see how you redeem her!
Still reading my book on the Inklings...I'm enjoying it, but I have the hardcover and it's too big to take back & forth on the train to work, so I lose my place and have to read back a bit to get caught up again.
I'm going ask the office administrator if I can leave some books in the cabinet of a lesser-used conference room so that I can read at lunchtime. Wish I was on the glass, but no, sigh.
Posted by: Gem at January 22, 2017 01:32 PM (uaHyk)
232
This week I'm reading Terry Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment" and "The Survivors Club" by Ben Sherwood. Enjoying both, and Survivors Club might even be helpful if I'm ever in a plane crash.
Posted by: biancaneve at January 22, 2017 01:33 PM (CQny9)
233
>>>>the Greek and Latin classics, etc. Trying to determine the 'best' translation has its own amusements.<<<<<
I'm a big fan of Penguin Classics. Any of the Livy translations by Aubrey de Selincourt are entertaining reads, with copious footnotes and appendices. They have an edition of The Twelve Caesars translated by Robert Graves that is good--one of their editors went through it and turned it into a more scholarly translation than Graves, but kept most of his language and added footnotes to point out where the poet got a bit carried away.
If you ever want to give Plutarch a shot, I recommend the Dryden translation. It was revised in the Victorian era (I think) by Arthur Clough and it is a breezy fun read. The language is just modern enough to be easily understood, but archaic enough to give a sense of history. Fair warning, I have never seen an edition with footnotes, I guess the publishers assume a certain familiarity with the ancient world if you are seeking this book out.
BTW if you start with the Gracchi and work your way through the Roman lives in chronological order you get a version of the fall of the Roman Republic as told through a series of character studies.
I'm a big fan of Penguin Classics. Any of the Livy translations by Aubrey de Selincourt are entertaining reads, with copious footnotes and appendices. They have an edition of The Twelve Caesars translated by Robert Graves that is good--one of their editors went through it and turned it into a more scholarly translation than Graves, but kept most of his language and added footnotes to point out where the poet got a bit carried away.
If you ever want to give Plutarch a shot, I recommend the Dryden translation. It was revised in the Victorian era (I think) by Arthur Clough and it is a breezy fun read. The language is just modern enough to be easily understood, but archaic enough to give a sense of history. Fair warning, I have never seen an edition with footnotes, I guess the publishers assume a certain familiarity with the ancient world if you are seeking this book out.
BTW if you start with the Gracchi and work your way through the Roman lives in chronological order you get a version of the fall of the Roman Republic as told through a series of character studies.
Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living at January 22, 2017 01:34 PM (x3uSY)
234
205 Only three hours in...If anyone wants to read a fire-and-brimstone, no-holds-barred account of the current poly pope situation, you'll want to check out Ann Barnhardt's
"Cutting the Crap: 32 Questions and Blunt Answers About the Catholic Church and Anti-Pope Bergoglio."
http://bit.ly/2kfCZYB
And if that's not enough, how 'bout that "Seismic Noose Tightening Around Rome?"
http://bit.ly/2jPzpHT
Posted by: SandyCheeks at January 22, 2017 12:10 PM (joFoi)
Whoa... almost afraid to look...
"Cutting the Crap: 32 Questions and Blunt Answers About the Catholic Church and Anti-Pope Bergoglio."
http://bit.ly/2kfCZYB
And if that's not enough, how 'bout that "Seismic Noose Tightening Around Rome?"
http://bit.ly/2jPzpHT
Posted by: SandyCheeks at January 22, 2017 12:10 PM (joFoi)
Whoa... almost afraid to look...
Posted by: Gem at January 22, 2017 01:37 PM (uaHyk)
235
Old, I saw the Army fighting National Guard funding two weeks ago. And, the National Guard defends their funding as if it were a tavern full of drunk virgins.
Posted by: Jean at January 22, 2017 01:01 PM (2RVmA)
The NG used to be quite laughable. Not so these last 15 years, as they've performed admirably alongside the active duty side.
There's a really good documentary, mostly shot with GoPro cameras that's worth watching called "Citizen Soldier" that covers an infantry unit of the Oklahoma National Guard in Afghanistan.
https://tinyurl.com/jaeksws
Posted by: Jean at January 22, 2017 01:01 PM (2RVmA)
The NG used to be quite laughable. Not so these last 15 years, as they've performed admirably alongside the active duty side.
There's a really good documentary, mostly shot with GoPro cameras that's worth watching called "Citizen Soldier" that covers an infantry unit of the Oklahoma National Guard in Afghanistan.
https://tinyurl.com/jaeksws
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 01:41 PM (GUBah)
236
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:30 PM (ZO497)
Those days are pretty well long gone. I used to hear the stories of First Sergeants showing up at the range during Annual Training, while guys were firing for qualification, in a jeep with a trailer full of iced down beer. Now? "Good job this month. You're allowed one beer, as long as you have nothing scheduled for the next 24 hours."
Those days are pretty well long gone. I used to hear the stories of First Sergeants showing up at the range during Annual Training, while guys were firing for qualification, in a jeep with a trailer full of iced down beer. Now? "Good job this month. You're allowed one beer, as long as you have nothing scheduled for the next 24 hours."
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 01:45 PM (GUBah)
237
Posted by: Brunnhilde at January 22, 2017 11:32 AM (P5esK)
I paid $15 for eARCs from David Weber and Larry Correia. I wouldn't recommend paying that much unless you gotta have it right now. The mistakes in Weber's eARC were enough to annoy me and I paid extra for that.
I didn't notice any errors in Correia's, FWIW.
I paid $15 for eARCs from David Weber and Larry Correia. I wouldn't recommend paying that much unless you gotta have it right now. The mistakes in Weber's eARC were enough to annoy me and I paid extra for that.
I didn't notice any errors in Correia's, FWIW.
Posted by: Hugh Jorgen at January 22, 2017 01:46 PM (R5EqA)
238
Yeah I have a lot of respect for the Guard units. They always were a real deal but they've gotten quite good.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 01:48 PM (39g3+)
239
"A Stranger In My Own Hometown" is available from Kindle Unlimited, read for free like a library for $9.99 a month. I'm still in my free trial stage, but I kinda like being able to pick and choose without plunking down actual cash money. Anyway, on your recommendation, OregonMuse, I'm gonna give it a whirl. Still have a week to go before I get my staples out so plenty of time to read...
Posted by: antisocialist at January 22, 2017 01:49 PM (W2wn0)
240
Old, I saw the Army fighting National Guard funding two weeks ago. And, the National Guard defends their funding as if it were a tavern full of drunk virgins.
I'd consider the Guard to be part-time regulars, not militia. The Guard likes to take on the mantle of the militia, which, given that it is the designated replacement for the state militias, makes sense, but they are volunteers of military age paid, equipped, and trained by the state. The militia in the 18th century was pretty much universal, free men from 15 to 65, and had to equip and train themselves for the most part. Over the 19th century the militias came closer and closer in organization to the modern Guard, which confuses the issue, though. The modern Guard might be better likened to the short-term Continentals than the 18th century militia in my opinion.
Incidentally, my brother's guard unit, with him participating, cleaned the 101st's clock in the wargames last spring while playing the part of a generic Middle Eastern Army. Set a new record for penetration of Blue defenses, and virtually "destroyed" the 101st - a team of two NG guys in my brother's company nailed something like 95 paratroopers between a harassing attack and then calling in artillery, and my brother's half-squad got 16 paratroopers without losing a man when their position was attacked. The 101st got its "ready to deploy" status revoked in consequence, I believe.
So yes, the Guard can be pretty effective at times.
I'd consider the Guard to be part-time regulars, not militia. The Guard likes to take on the mantle of the militia, which, given that it is the designated replacement for the state militias, makes sense, but they are volunteers of military age paid, equipped, and trained by the state. The militia in the 18th century was pretty much universal, free men from 15 to 65, and had to equip and train themselves for the most part. Over the 19th century the militias came closer and closer in organization to the modern Guard, which confuses the issue, though. The modern Guard might be better likened to the short-term Continentals than the 18th century militia in my opinion.
Incidentally, my brother's guard unit, with him participating, cleaned the 101st's clock in the wargames last spring while playing the part of a generic Middle Eastern Army. Set a new record for penetration of Blue defenses, and virtually "destroyed" the 101st - a team of two NG guys in my brother's company nailed something like 95 paratroopers between a harassing attack and then calling in artillery, and my brother's half-squad got 16 paratroopers without losing a man when their position was attacked. The 101st got its "ready to deploy" status revoked in consequence, I believe.
So yes, the Guard can be pretty effective at times.
Posted by: Grey Fox at January 22, 2017 01:49 PM (bZ7mE)
241
Oh no.
Another one.
Yordano Ventura killed in a car wreck this morning in the Dominican Republic.
Thoughts and prayers go out for his family, friends and his teammates, the KC Royals.
Another one.
Yordano Ventura killed in a car wreck this morning in the Dominican Republic.
Thoughts and prayers go out for his family, friends and his teammates, the KC Royals.
Posted by: teej at January 22, 2017 01:49 PM (iMDvh)
242
It happened to be Columbus Day, and there was a parade in progress. I was leaning out the window and watching an NG unit go by. Among them was an APC with the top opened up. Looking down from the 4th floor, I could see NG guys sitting around inside, and beer cans rolling around on the floor.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:30 PM (ZO497)
---
That's awful. They should've crushed and properly stowed those beer cans.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:30 PM (ZO497)
---
That's awful. They should've crushed and properly stowed those beer cans.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 01:52 PM (EnKk6)
243
It happened to be Columbus Day, and there was a parade in progress. I was leaning out the window and watching an NG unit go by. Among them was an APC with the top opened up. Looking down from the 4th floor, I could see NG guys sitting around inside, and beer cans rolling around on the floor.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:30 PM (ZO497)
---
That's awful. They should've crushed and properly stowed those beer cans.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 22, 2017 01:30 PM (ZO497)
---
That's awful. They should've crushed and properly stowed those beer cans.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 01:52 PM (EnKk6)
244
Double post!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at January 22, 2017 01:52 PM (EnKk6)
245
And the Tubby Dubonnet series are great books! Don't remember who it was who recommended them, but they're fun, not overly involved, kinda "Sam Spade" meets "Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives". Fun reads, all of them!
Posted by: antisocialist at January 22, 2017 01:53 PM (W2wn0)
246
You're just now finding BadBlue News, OregonMuse? Really?
Posted by: Miles at January 22, 2017 01:53 PM (MS8Va)
247
Double post!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf
-----------
Oops. Sorry. Our bad.
We're still trying to get the bugs out of the Store-and-Forward software.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf
-----------
Oops. Sorry. Our bad.
We're still trying to get the bugs out of the Store-and-Forward software.
Posted by: Bob, at NSA at January 22, 2017 01:55 PM (ZO497)
248
Posted by: Grey Fox at January 22, 2017 01:49 PM (bZ7mE)
The 101st has a bad habit of things like that. My unit was relieved by them in 2003 in Iraq. The 101st guys didn't want to listen to the advice given and immediately took the uparmored doors off the humvees because of the heat. Needless to say, the doors went back on when the IEDs started going off.
The 101st has a bad habit of things like that. My unit was relieved by them in 2003 in Iraq. The 101st guys didn't want to listen to the advice given and immediately took the uparmored doors off the humvees because of the heat. Needless to say, the doors went back on when the IEDs started going off.
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 01:59 PM (GUBah)
249
Also, nood MisHum.
Posted by: Country Singer (BertG @Gab.ai) at January 22, 2017 02:01 PM (GUBah)
250
Should be read by everyone.
The Camp of the Saints should indeed be read by everyone. There are 533 copies in libraries, so cost shouldn't be an obstacle.
It may be a coincidence, maybe, but I've come across several books on Amazon and B and N tat are sold out or have only a few copies left in stock. The common theme is they tend to deal with a challenge to the usual, anti-western, approach to culture.
The Camp of the Saints has been, and continues to be, unavailable in a kindle edition since months before the election. Amazon blames it on "quality issues with the source file". It's almost as if they were trying to suppress the book.
The Camp of the Saints should indeed be read by everyone. There are 533 copies in libraries, so cost shouldn't be an obstacle.
It may be a coincidence, maybe, but I've come across several books on Amazon and B and N tat are sold out or have only a few copies left in stock. The common theme is they tend to deal with a challenge to the usual, anti-western, approach to culture.
The Camp of the Saints has been, and continues to be, unavailable in a kindle edition since months before the election. Amazon blames it on "quality issues with the source file". It's almost as if they were trying to suppress the book.
Posted by: cool breeze at January 22, 2017 02:02 PM (StZrq)
251
That's NOT a Library,just stairs and shelves............5:1 on the bookies and Green Bay shoot your shelves......replace all porno and wipe off the covers .
Posted by: saf at January 22, 2017 02:06 PM (+zN6H)
252
I bought a box of science fiction and fantasy books unseen several months ago, and I have discovered there were an awful lot of books out that I couldn't stand to read.
Ah, well, they go to the store for credit, maybe.
I bought an anthology of George O Smith's short story annotated by George O Smith.
Smith was an Analog writer during and after WWII, and is famous for his Venus Equilateral stories, basically a giant vacuum tube driven radio station in orbit around the Sun to retransmit radio messages from Venus, Mars and Earth when the target planets are occluded by the Sun.
In asides between the the short stories in this anthology, he talks about what he was doing as a civilian electronics engineer during WWII, working on proximity fuses for AA shells and other forms of radar, and his relationship with John Campbell and his wife, Dona.
The first story in the anthology is Blind Time, where insurance companies use time machine technology to find out when claimable accidents are going to occur and send out an insurance adjustor to minimize the damage. In this story the adjustor is a newby and thinks his job is to prevent the accident, and it grows larger and greater in scope and eventually does him in for trying to break causality.
Ah, well, they go to the store for credit, maybe.
I bought an anthology of George O Smith's short story annotated by George O Smith.
Smith was an Analog writer during and after WWII, and is famous for his Venus Equilateral stories, basically a giant vacuum tube driven radio station in orbit around the Sun to retransmit radio messages from Venus, Mars and Earth when the target planets are occluded by the Sun.
In asides between the the short stories in this anthology, he talks about what he was doing as a civilian electronics engineer during WWII, working on proximity fuses for AA shells and other forms of radar, and his relationship with John Campbell and his wife, Dona.
The first story in the anthology is Blind Time, where insurance companies use time machine technology to find out when claimable accidents are going to occur and send out an insurance adjustor to minimize the damage. In this story the adjustor is a newby and thinks his job is to prevent the accident, and it grows larger and greater in scope and eventually does him in for trying to break causality.
Posted by: Kindltot at January 22, 2017 02:15 PM (UZg+f)
253
The Camp of the Saints has been, and continues to be, unavailable in a kindle edition since months before the election. Amazon blames it on "quality issues with the source file". It's almost as if they were trying to suppress the book.
Amazon is usually more concerned with money than politics but these days its hard to not wonder.
Amazon is usually more concerned with money than politics but these days its hard to not wonder.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 02:15 PM (39g3+)
254
Books are great for readers, to become rooted in truth. But the soundbite driven crowd hysteria is pervasive. The internet has penetrated the MSM bubble, but many still hide in their safe spaces. Drudge provides a port or entry toward reality for many of them, though he is also painted as villain.
40 million heard the MLK bust was gone (OMG Trump is KKK!!!), and it was like shock treatment, it gave them a 24 hour Jolt of Hate. Hate more powerful and enduring on their psyche, than a passive correction a day or two later (if the "unjolting" correction ever enters their safe space at all).
So cheers to the book readers, that maintain a core rooted more deeply than PC Religion flames of the moment. We need to return Orwell to the school curriculum, as explanatory of the Hollywood Hate Fest. They removed Orwell, and put global warming religion in science class. Save our Kids.
40 million heard the MLK bust was gone (OMG Trump is KKK!!!), and it was like shock treatment, it gave them a 24 hour Jolt of Hate. Hate more powerful and enduring on their psyche, than a passive correction a day or two later (if the "unjolting" correction ever enters their safe space at all).
So cheers to the book readers, that maintain a core rooted more deeply than PC Religion flames of the moment. We need to return Orwell to the school curriculum, as explanatory of the Hollywood Hate Fest. They removed Orwell, and put global warming religion in science class. Save our Kids.
Posted by: illiniwek at January 22, 2017 02:17 PM (uFxPi)
255
Hope I'm not too late with this question -
To those recommending "Watch on the Rhine", is it necessary to have read the previous books in the series? Thanks.
To those recommending "Watch on the Rhine", is it necessary to have read the previous books in the series? Thanks.
Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at January 22, 2017 02:36 PM (1ouh3)
256
Books carry truth in a more thoughtful, patient, and complete manner. Modern social media gives what truth it does in such a manner that it often ends up being untrue or misleading. Reducing some thought to 140 characters or a text or some delivery that people will actually read (shorter than this paragraph) strips so much out of it as to reduce or eliminate its truth.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at January 22, 2017 02:37 PM (39g3+)
257
To those recommending "Watch on the Rhine", is it necessary to have read the previous books in the series? Thanks.
Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at January 22, 2017 02:36 PM (1ouh3
I did not thing it was necessary, but also the preceding books seem to be cheap with the first being free in kindle when I just checked on my phone.
Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at January 22, 2017 02:36 PM (1ouh3
I did not thing it was necessary, but also the preceding books seem to be cheap with the first being free in kindle when I just checked on my phone.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at January 22, 2017 02:48 PM (jbFVL)
258
"This week I'm reading Terry Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment" and "The Survivors Club" by Ben Sherwood. "
That's a terrific book. My dad is acquainted with the F-15 pilot who survived the supersonic ejection.
I went on a kick and read two similar books right after that one: "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why", and "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why".
In that last book I'll never forget the author's story of his father surviving falling from his B-17 and then living as a POW in Germany until the Allies won.
That's a terrific book. My dad is acquainted with the F-15 pilot who survived the supersonic ejection.
I went on a kick and read two similar books right after that one: "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why", and "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why".
In that last book I'll never forget the author's story of his father surviving falling from his B-17 and then living as a POW in Germany until the Allies won.
Posted by: stace at January 22, 2017 03:01 PM (ozZau)
259
"That's a terrific book." meaning Survivors club. I haven't read the other one.
Posted by: stace at January 22, 2017 03:03 PM (ozZau)
260
Some time ago here on the Book Thread someone tipped us off to a couple of free downloads from Amazon for a couple of SciFi works by Michael Eves Shaffer. One was called "Firing of the Crucible: Phoenix Empire Book 1" and the other was "Attila the Runner: Episode 1: Awakening". I finally got around to reading both this week and found them to be very enjoyable, and I wanted to thank whomever gave us that tip. I shall be giving the next episodes, of both books, a chance to continue to entertain me.
Posted by: goon at January 22, 2017 03:06 PM (EaQ6/)
261
goon I'm glad you enjoyed them!
please leave a review on amazon if you can, that's so helpful to authors
please leave a review on amazon if you can, that's so helpful to authors
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 03:10 PM (Om16U)
262
Hi, votermom.
Posted by: Sean O'Brien at January 22, 2017 04:44 PM (WAUOJ)
263
Not sure if I got the recommendation here or elsewhere but I just received and started reading "War and Peace in the Middle East" by Norwegian General Odd Bull.
Posted by: Scottst at January 22, 2017 05:30 PM (nNfLy)
264
I second Oregon Muse's recommendation of Harris's "Conclave". The ending was obvious from the get-go, but the process is well worth a few precious reading hours. Harris is a fairly dependable author. I read "Black Sunday" when it first came out, and it really opened my eyes to the possibility of mass terrorism for the first time. (C'mon, I was barely in my twenties.) "Fatherland" was another good read.
Posted by: Deplorable lady with a deplorable basket of deplorable cats at January 22, 2017 05:38 PM (j5ne3)
265
By coincidence, my household has both "Last Man on the Moon" and "Bimbos of the Death Sun." I have yet to read either. We got "Last Man" at the space museum in Hutchinson, Kan., where Cernan was autographing copies. They're on the TBR list and by no means are the longest-owned books on it.
For now, I'm reading "Operation Family Secrets," about a Chicago mob associate who turned state's evidence against his psychotic father, a crew leader. Nice bite-sized chapters, but I wish it had photos. When I break from that, I dip in my "Terry and the Pirates" reprints and wish that I had the new hardback collections.
For now, I'm reading "Operation Family Secrets," about a Chicago mob associate who turned state's evidence against his psychotic father, a crew leader. Nice bite-sized chapters, but I wish it had photos. When I break from that, I dip in my "Terry and the Pirates" reprints and wish that I had the new hardback collections.
Posted by: Weak Geek at January 22, 2017 05:51 PM (oyUDM)
266
Oh! Forgot to brag -- the town where I went to high school, Girard, Kan., has the distinction of being the smallest burg to have a Carnegie Library. Took some lobbying by a committee, I understand.
Posted by: Weak Geek at January 22, 2017 05:54 PM (oyUDM)
267
54.
This is not a new service. Amazon has been doing POS (point of sale) publishing for years. Create Space and Thomas and Mercer are two of their imprints. Most independent bookstores will refuse to carry an Amazon printed title. First, of course, is because it is printed by Amazon, which has been doing its damndest to put every bookstore in the world out of business. Secondly, it is usually returnable, so if it doesn't sell, we have to eat the loss. Thirdly, it usually costs the bookseller more than a incomparably priced book. Fourth, many booksellers are still very prejudiced against self-published (vanity) books. Self published means the book was not good enough to be picked up by a real publisher. It means poor editing, lousy writing and an infinite number of typos and printing errors. Another issue is that most self published books are released as trade paperbacks, which cost about twice as much as a mass market paperback. People are much more willing to chance $7.99 on a new author than $16.99. On the other hand, the major publishing houses are standing in the middle of Manhattan committing seppuku so it might be worth trying. Just be prepared to have a lot of doors slammed in your face. (For what it's worth: the last few years my bookstore was open, I recommended that wannabe writers publish through Amazon rather than screw around with the traditional publishers. But I never suggested moving into actual printed books, just staying with digital. )
This is not a new service. Amazon has been doing POS (point of sale) publishing for years. Create Space and Thomas and Mercer are two of their imprints. Most independent bookstores will refuse to carry an Amazon printed title. First, of course, is because it is printed by Amazon, which has been doing its damndest to put every bookstore in the world out of business. Secondly, it is usually returnable, so if it doesn't sell, we have to eat the loss. Thirdly, it usually costs the bookseller more than a incomparably priced book. Fourth, many booksellers are still very prejudiced against self-published (vanity) books. Self published means the book was not good enough to be picked up by a real publisher. It means poor editing, lousy writing and an infinite number of typos and printing errors. Another issue is that most self published books are released as trade paperbacks, which cost about twice as much as a mass market paperback. People are much more willing to chance $7.99 on a new author than $16.99. On the other hand, the major publishing houses are standing in the middle of Manhattan committing seppuku so it might be worth trying. Just be prepared to have a lot of doors slammed in your face. (For what it's worth: the last few years my bookstore was open, I recommended that wannabe writers publish through Amazon rather than screw around with the traditional publishers. But I never suggested moving into actual printed books, just staying with digital. )
Posted by: Deplorable lady with a deplorable basket of deplorable cats at January 22, 2017 06:09 PM (j5ne3)
268
Hi Sean, I saw your email but kid has the laptop
Will reply shortly!
Will reply shortly!
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 06:39 PM (Om16U)
269
231 Okay, Mona, just bought your book! You had me at "if you have never liked Fanny Price"... I never have, and always thought Mansfield Park was the worst of the Austens.
Very interested to see how you redeem her!
Thank you Gem! I look forward to your comments. I'm Lona actually, but when one has an unusual name, one gets used to seeing it permutated -- in my case, Lana, Lena, and mostly Lorna. My lurker name here at AOS is Rosemarie because I'm Canadian. I comment so infrequently that I don't even know if I'm replying to a comment correctly....
Very interested to see how you redeem her!
Thank you Gem! I look forward to your comments. I'm Lona actually, but when one has an unusual name, one gets used to seeing it permutated -- in my case, Lana, Lena, and mostly Lorna. My lurker name here at AOS is Rosemarie because I'm Canadian. I comment so infrequently that I don't even know if I'm replying to a comment correctly....
Posted by: Rosemarie at January 22, 2017 07:14 PM (ehk5U)
Posted by: @votermom @vm at January 22, 2017 07:46 PM (Om16U)
271
votermom, Rosemarie was a movie starring Jeanette MacDonald as an opera singer and Nelson Eddy as a Mountie that takes place in the Canadian wilderness. It has the song "When I'm Calling You" that has become a symbol of those movies.
MP4 probably knows a lot more about it.
MP4 probably knows a lot more about it.
Posted by: JTB at January 22, 2017 09:44 PM (V+03K)
272
269 231 Okay, Mona, just bought your book! You had me at "if you have never liked Fanny Price"... I never have, and always thought Mansfield Park was the worst of the Austens.
Very interested to see how you redeem her!
Thank you Gem! I look forward to your comments. I'm Lona actually, but when one has an unusual name, one gets used to seeing it permutated -- in my case, Lana, Lena, and mostly Lorna. My lurker name here at AOS is Rosemarie because I'm Canadian. I comment so infrequently that I don't even know if I'm replying to a comment correctly....
Posted by: Rosemarie at January 22, 2017 07:14 PM (ehk5U)
I'm so sorry...don't know where Mona came from. Rosemarie works for me! :-) Will be sure to review when I'm done.
Very interested to see how you redeem her!
Thank you Gem! I look forward to your comments. I'm Lona actually, but when one has an unusual name, one gets used to seeing it permutated -- in my case, Lana, Lena, and mostly Lorna. My lurker name here at AOS is Rosemarie because I'm Canadian. I comment so infrequently that I don't even know if I'm replying to a comment correctly....
Posted by: Rosemarie at January 22, 2017 07:14 PM (ehk5U)
I'm so sorry...don't know where Mona came from. Rosemarie works for me! :-) Will be sure to review when I'm done.
Posted by: Gem at January 22, 2017 10:17 PM (uaHyk)
273
271 votermom, Rosemarie was a movie starring Jeanette MacDonald as an opera singer and Nelson Eddy as a Mountie that takes place in the Canadian wilderness. It has the song "When I'm Calling You" that has become a symbol of those movies.
MP4 probably knows a lot more about it.
Yeah, I'm Canadian..... and old! Not as old as the movie, though. Good catch!
MP4 probably knows a lot more about it.
Yeah, I'm Canadian..... and old! Not as old as the movie, though. Good catch!
Posted by: Rosemarie at January 23, 2017 03:05 AM (rbbYR)
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