Sunday Morning Book Thread 09-10-2017

University of Coimbra General Library, Coimbra, Portugal.jpg

The University of Coimbra General Library, Coimbra, Portugal

Good morning to all you 'rons, 'ettes, lurkers, and lurkettes. Welcome once again to the stately, prestigious, internationally acclaimed and high-class Sunday Morning Book Thread, where men are men, all the 'ettes are gorgeous, safe spaces are underneath your house and are used as protection against actual dangers, like natural disasters, or Literally Hitler, and special snowflakes do not last. And unlike other AoSHQ comment threads, the Sunday Morning Book Thread is so hoity-toity, pants are required. Even if it's these pants which I guess are supposed to be "woke", but perhaps they're just being ironic.

Pic Note

Gorgeous library. Unfortunately, I could not find any large photos that would allow you to see the details, which I'm sure must be exquisite.

Some Random Items From the Mailbag

'Ette biancaneve (who really should drop by the book thread and say 'hi' more often) tipped me to an interesting site, Juniper Books, for people with hoity-toity libraries who want beautiful books to fill all those shelves. They're not publishers, but they create custom dustjackets for already-published books. They specialize in book sets where the spines form a picture. Fun, and aesthetically pleasing, but they're kind of pricey. I poked around the site, and the books definitely look nice, but for me, it was window shopping only.

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She also pointed me to this article, about scamming your way onto the NY Time best-seller list. I don't think this is the first time someone had tried to goose up their position on the Times' list by finagling some sales somewhere that they're likely to count.

A major conservative publishing house has decided to tell the Times to go pee up a rope:

Regnery, the nation's premier publisher of conservative books, has cut ties with The New York Times over long-simmering allegations the newspaper took a decided left-leaning slant in picking which books to feature on its best-seller lists.

Instead, they'll be using the Publishers Weekly lists to determine best-seller status.

The Times, of course, denies everything:

"The notion that we would manipulate the lists to exclude books for political reasons is simply ludicrous."

Right, because the accusation that the NY Times could ever be politically biased in its coverage is simply unheard of.

And then there's this:

The Times...says it interviews stores about actual sales. I am not certain who still buys books in a bookstore, but the surviving brick-and-mortar outlets occupy a declining niche in the market...Every time radio hosts Michael Savage and Mark Levin publish one of their bestsellers, I seem to recall listeners calling in with tales of covers turned the wrong direction, or conservative authors relegated to the children's fiction section and the like. Never mind doubts about which bookstores the Times calls up.

So the Times bases its list on calling up some brick-and-mortar stores? Really? That's it? By ignoring online sales, that alone should be enough to disqualify the NY Times list from any role of authority or prestige, even without the accusations of political bias. It's a dinosaur.

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Anna Puma sent me this link to 15 Calls for Themed Submissions (Fiction, Essays, and Poetry) so you authors may have a chance to earn some coin. Especially if you're into writing stories about LGBTBBQyadda-yadda-yadda interspecies romance.

Some of those deadlines are coming up pretty quick, so you'd better get cracking.

It Pays To Increase Your Word Power®

To EXSATURATE yourself is to fill yourself with food.

Usage: Some say that last time Michael Moore got loose in an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, he rekt it so bad that it had to close for a month, but that may be a bit of an exsaturation.

Hillary's Book, Part Dieux

This is such a target rich environment. Her new book, What Happened, is coming out tomorrow, September 11. Here's an "excerpt" that's been making the rounds on Twitter:

(Click for larger version)

Of course, this publishing event has inspired a number of gag books, such as The Achievements of Hillary Clinton, which is pretty funny especially if some humorless scolds do not get the joke. Like this unhappy purchaser:

This is a sham book....it is nothing but blank pages with a picture of trump laughing. ...if you really are a Hillary supporter, DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!! It is published by Cro.O Ked Publications. I would return it but I don't want to pay to send it back. Amazon should be ashamed of itself for selling this book as a legitimate book. Obviously, this was printed by the koah or merser brothers. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!

What Happened (Really) to Hillary Rodham Clinton: The Actual Evidence Supporting Her 34 Reasons For Losing the 2016 Election (President Obama Journals) is another page full of blanks, other than the chapter headings.

Why Hillary Lost: A Sore Loser Exposed is probably not blank pages:

Instead of listening to Hillary Clinton's long list of excuses, read this book to see exactly why the American people rejected her as the next President of the United States. This book goes item by item through the reasons why Americans didn't want to vote for her and voted to Make America Great Again instead.

And then there's Hillary's book of devotions, ~~The Necronomicon~~ Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Rev. Dr. Bill Shillady, a Methodist "pastor friend" of Mrs. Clinton. A couple of points: (1) if you keep having to tell other people you're strong, you're not strong. (2) who is the intended audience of this book? Is it the knuckle-dragging, snake-handling rubes in flyover country whom her marketing team believes would be favorably impressed by a display of religiosity or is it liberal churchgoers on her side of the aisle?

I don't know the answer, but I will say that one thing I've noticed about the Clintons (and I've been watching them ever since they and their slimy retinue of fixers, bagmen, hustlers and other reptilian creeps came slithering out of Arkansas 25 years ago) is that they think of themselves as "good persons", they want everyone else to think of them as "good persons" which is why they always have gone to extreme lengths to viciously attack anyone and anything that would cast them in any light where they are not perceived as "good persons". So I think this book of devotions is devoted chiefly to Hillary's self-image. And what would be better to prop up your image that has taken so many (deserved) hits over the years than a little bit of religion? Remember during one of the debates Trump told her to her face that she belonged in jail? She tried to laugh it off, but I think it probably hurt her more than she let on. So a book proclaiming her piety would be soothing balm for that wound.

RIP Jerry Pournelle

On Thursday, epobirs passed along the news that science fiction author Jerry Pournelle had passed away. Not many details are known, only this brief note from Jerry's son Alex posted on Pournelle's web site Chaos Manor:

I'm afraid that Jerry passed away

We had a great time at DragonCon

He did not suffer.

They set up this well-wishing page for readers to post their remembrances.

Another Moron Library

(Click for larger version)

Lurker Lawrence Person sent me this link to a giant post on his blog where he detailed his library collection. The photo above is just his books "A-Ba" which should give you some idea of the size of his library.

He's also got an impressive list of signed first editions and other one-of-a-kind items of interest to bibliophiles.

Mr. Person is an author himself, with an extensive bibliography.

And I like the looks of his conservative political blog. Very meaty.

Bleg

A lurking moron writes:

I am attempting to write fiction, possibly sci-fi, and I was wondering if you could provide a link to a past thread where Morons provided tips to help one another with ideas and how-to starters. Unless I am dumb and making all of this up. It's possible --- scotch is a helluva drug.

I *thought* we had a thread like this, but I didn't keep track of it, so I have no idea which one it is. Any of you morons bookmark it?

Moron Recommendation

Anna Puma made an interesting comment about flying ace Douglas Bader in one of the morning threads this week:

If you read Brickhill's biography of Douglas Bader, Reach for the Sky, the young Douglas could have been a serial killer. Older brother constantly picked on him and when his father took the family overseas, Douglas was left in England. Then his father died overseas and his mother remarried. Douglas was starting to torture animals but intervention came in the form of adults who showed an interest in his well being and team sports like rugby.

Yeah, when you've reached the animal torture stage, you've got some real psychological problems going on. I don't know how participation in team sports could ameliorate such a deep disturbance, but evidently it did, and Bader was guided away from the dark path.

I pimped his biography, Reach for the Sky: The Story of Douglas Bader, Legless Ace of the Battle of Britain, all the way back in 2012:

Douglas Bader was a legend in his lifetime. After losing both legs in an air crash in 1931 and being dismissed as a cripple by the Royal Air Force, he fought his way back into the cockpit of a Spitfire to become one of the great heroes of the Battle of Britain. This inspiring biography of the famous World War II fighter pilot, first published in 1954, has a following of faithful readers who come back to the book time and again to re-read, share with their children and pass along to friends. Not many books have made such an impact on people's lives. Bader's story is so extraordinary that no one would dare invent it, and Brickhill succeeds in matching the excitement of Bader's war deeds with the triumph of his greater battle over a severe handicap. Told he would never walk without a cane, Bader learned to dance, swim, golf, and play tennis. Told he would never fly again, he became not only one of the RAF's top combat pilots but a squadron leader and innovator of fighter tactics that helped win the Battle of Britain. Among the thrilling incidents chronicled in the book are Bader's first successful encounter with an enemy plane, his own shoot down, and his succession of escapes from German prisons.

The guy's got no legs, and he's busting out of German POW camps. Holy cow.

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A few weeks ago, I pimped Lawdog's book based on his experiences in law enforcement, The LawDog Files. 'Ette Roamingfirehydrant let me know in e-mail that Lawdog has another one out, The LawDog Files: African Adventures. She says

If you liked his first book, you'll like this one. The African tales are only about half of the book, so it bogs down in the middle with, well, more observations than funny stories, then it picks up again with dogs, squirrels, and military life. I literally laughed out loud with the Nigerian Space Program story.

About Lawdog, the Amazon blurb says

[L]ong before he put on the deputy's star, he grew up in Nigeria, where his experiences were equally unforgettable. In THE LAWDOG FILES: AFRICAN ADVENTURES, LawDog chronicles his encounters with everything from bush pilots, 15-foot pythons, pygmy mongooses, brigadier-captains, and Peace Corp hippies to the Nigerian space program...Africa wins again, and again, and again.

The Kindle edition (which is the only edition available) is $4.99.

Books By Morons

Moron author Alec Lloyd has released the fourth and final chapter of his 'Man of Destiny' series, The Imperial Rebellion.
The story takes place 20 years after the events of the first three books as the remnants of the Commonwealth groan under political oppression and military occupation.

Not to give any spoilers, but Mr. Lloyd assures me there is no Death Star. He also said:

I also want to convey my profound gratitude to the Moron Horde for their support. I hope they like the books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

If any of them are interested in fully experiencing the mindset of the author as he wrote it, try drinking lots of whiskey while reading, increasing both the quantity and proof as you go. By the time you get to The Imperial Rebellion you should be on the cask-strength stuff.

Mr. Lloyd is apparently a graduate of the Ernest Hemingway School of Writing.

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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.

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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.

Posted by: OregonMuse at 09:15 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle lege

Posted by: Skip at September 10, 2017 09:14 AM (pPKG5)

2 Bow down, I am the emperor of dreams.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 09:16 AM (qJtVm)

3 Finished book 12 of Thomas Carlyle's History of Frederick II at the end covering the War of Jenkins Ear a term coined by Thomas Carlyle. It was a drawn out conflict between England and Spain over maritime rights in the Caribbean. So have moved onto book 17 the start of the Seven Years War which has been termed the very first world War. I started at book 13, 14, 15,and 16 before going back to book 1.

Posted by: Skip at September 10, 2017 09:17 AM (pPKG5)

4 Currently on the last of the potter series but I have several new ones (at least new for Kindle) that Amazon had put on sale this past week. Will be going to those some time today.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 10, 2017 09:19 AM (mpXpK)

5 Jewells ( I think) is looking for a book on the cold war for a son to read but couldn't find anything I could recommend so if anyone has a idea pass it along.

Posted by: Skip at September 10, 2017 09:19 AM (pPKG5)

6 No no exsaturation is where you bleed out

Posted by: Bigby's Typing Hands at September 10, 2017 09:20 AM (z2W2E)

7 Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 09:16 AM (qJtVm)

You said "'Ettes" twice!

Posted by: Hrothgar at September 10, 2017 09:22 AM (gwPgz)

8 I completely forgot to send a beta reader request to OM, so he could put it in the actual thread, so you lucky people get it in the comments:

I'm looking for beta readers for my latest historical fiction, A Test of Valor. It's set in France in the early 1300s, so it's heavy on the knights in shining armor and courtly love. It's about 24,000 words, info dumps and all. If you're looking for something to read and make comments on, email me at countrywoman539@gmail.com. Please include your nic so I have an idea of who you are. I'm hoping to get comments back by the end of the month; sorry for the short notice.

I'm mostly looking for comments on whether you found it boring or not, but I'll also accept advice on cultural dissonance, fight scenes, and any thing else you want to tell me. Thanks in advance!

Posted by: right wing yankee at September 10, 2017 09:22 AM (26lkV)

9 Posted by: Bigby's Typing Hands at September 10, 2017 09:20 AM (z2W2E)

Exsanguination, IIRC.

Posted by: Hrothgar at September 10, 2017 09:23 AM (gwPgz)

10 Do click on the link to Lawrence Person's personal library. That is an amazing collection of first editions, signed editions, and furtively collected swatches of the authors' hair (I kid about that last one. Right, Mr. Person?)

An Avram Davidson sighting -- made me think of my favorite short story title of all time, "Hark! Was That the Squeal of an Angry Thoat?"

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 09:24 AM (qJtVm)

11 So the official release date for Hill's tome is 9/11?....seems appropriate.

Posted by: BignJames at September 10, 2017 09:26 AM (x9c8r)

12 Sarah Hoyt, who worked with Dr Pournelle and was a friend, has a eulogy up here: http://tinyurl.com/y8c9pepz

Dr Pournelle was a Renaissance Man, and will be missed.

Posted by: SDN at September 10, 2017 09:27 AM (z3gg+)

13 "This is such a target rich environment. [Hillary Clinton's] new book, What Happened, is coming out tomorrow, September 11."
________

Tomorrow is the 1-year anniversary of Clinton being helped into a van because she was something something just fine and ready to lead the nation.

Posted by: FireHorse at September 10, 2017 09:27 AM (zkGZ8)

14 I read The Dark Monk, the second in the Hangman's Daughter series by Oliver Potzsch, trans. by Lee Chadeayne. This is a very good mystery set in Bavaria in 1660 A. D. A treasure of the Knights Templar in involved as are a band of mysterious and dangerous monks. As in the first book the hangman, Jakob Kuisl, his daughter, Magdalena, and her beau Simon Fronwieser, the town doctor, are the team tasked to solving the mystery.

I also read the latest MHI novel, Monster Hunter Siege, by Larry Correia. As always, a very good, pleasurable escape read into the world of monsters and demons, one of which wants to end the world in chaos.

Posted by: Zoltan at September 10, 2017 09:28 AM (go62B)

15 I read "Reach for the Sky" many years ago and still own it. When I was in middle school I inherited a bunch of the old Bantam War Books:

Brazen Chariots
Fly For Your Life
The First and the Last
The Dam Busters
To War in a Stringbag

All awesome reads.

BTW, thanks for the plug! Hope everyone likes the Big Finish.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 09:28 AM (cfSRQ)

16 The moron looking for writing tips could get a lot of them at Mad Genius Club. http://tinyurl.com/y7qkg8ke

Posted by: SDN at September 10, 2017 09:28 AM (z3gg+)

17 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope people had a good week of reading. If you were stuck in evacuation traffic (and my prayers went up for you if you had to get out of the hurricane's path) I hope you had some audiobooks to play on the trip.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 09:29 AM (V+03K)

18 Book thread, yay!

Posted by: Brother Cavil, SERENITY NOW! at September 10, 2017 09:30 AM (66CWr)

19 The publisher of that collection of daily devotionals written by Hillary Clinton's pastor has pulled the book after finding extensive plagiarism.

The Washington Post reported that Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton is "riddled with plagiarism."

Posted by: cool breeze at September 10, 2017 09:33 AM (TKf/P)

20 I second the Mad Genius Club as a good spot for writing tips. Most, if not all, of the mad geniuses are professional writers, and are good at keeping track of what's happening in the industry. The articles range from writing to publishing to cover art to marketing. It's been very helpful to me.

Posted by: right wing yankee at September 10, 2017 09:33 AM (26lkV)

21 I just found out that Bruce Campbell is coming to town for a book signing of his new memoir. Signed copies would be great gifts for the kids come Christmas.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at September 10, 2017 09:35 AM (+Tibp)

22 Still chipping away at "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. Votermom and JTB have posted some great comments on the Goodreads thread.

Posted by: FireHorse at September 10, 2017 09:36 AM (zkGZ8)

23 16
The moron looking for writing tips could get a lot of them at Mad Genius Club.

Posted by: SDN at September 10, 2017 09:28 AM (z3gg+)

My two cents as I transition from "unknown author" to "obscure author":

1. If you want to write, start writing and keep writing. Practice makes perfect. For every page I've published, I have three in abandoned drafts.

2. Know why you want to write. Do you just want to sell books or do you have something to say? All my books had a point other than sales. In fact, if they didn't, I wouldn't have written them.

3. Hold onto your abandoned projects, they may come in useful later. "Man of Destiny" was inspired by the craptastically awful Star Wars prequels, but the background and many of the characters were created 10 years previously in a lengthy project I abandoned after cranking out 62,000 words.

Hope that helps.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 09:38 AM (cfSRQ)

24 Not reading all that much this week, but what I am is choice: finished Neal Shusterman's "Unwind" and am in the second novel "Unwholly". Again, unashamedly enjoying YA fiction.

It's a time about 50 years in the future where abortion has been banned, but unruly or inconvenient children can be gently divided up for parts for the betterment of all concerned. And there is a big, big demand for replacement parts. The big lie being told is that the person being "unwound" will live on in others.

The three main characters are a troublesome teen, a ward of the state who is considered to be draining scarce resources, and a tenth child who has been raised as a highly esteemed "tithe".

In the second novel so far, there has been the beginnings of a cultural backlash against the practice.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 09:40 AM (qJtVm)

25 The Washington Post reported that Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton is "riddled with plagiarism."

Posted by: cool breeze at September 10, 2017 09:33 AM (TKf/P)

and the other half is lies.

Posted by: BignJames at September 10, 2017 09:40 AM (x9c8r)

26 Currently re-reading the Frank Herbert Dune books and am at God Emperor of Dune. Last read it just back in the late 80s. I remember enjoying it more back then. I'm three-quarters of the way through it and not much has really happened.

Posted by: Darth Randall at September 10, 2017 09:40 AM (6n332)

27 A beautiful library indeed.

OTOH, I'm disturbed that Person's library is so well organized, and apparently dust free.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at September 10, 2017 09:43 AM (y3sT9)

28 he Washington Post reported that Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton is "riddled with plagiarism."

Posted by: cool breeze at September 10, 2017 09:33 AM (TKf/P)

I believe the book has been pulled because of that as well as the fact that only 300 copies have been sold.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 10, 2017 09:44 AM (iVOAv)

29 And then there's Hillary's book of devotions, The Necronomicon Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Rev. Dr. Bill Shillady...
---------------

Shillady? You couldn't make that up. I mean it sounds like a character created by Dickens.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at September 10, 2017 09:45 AM (y3sT9)

30 Mercifully the Sonobi logo covers the part of OM's text I never read anyway.

Bookwise I finished the highly recommended "The Buried Book" by DM Pulley *and* met the writer as part of the book group yesterday (she's an acquaintance of fellow group founder Jim Badal, whom some of you might be aware of as the author of a book on a string of serial killings in Cleveland known as the Torso Murders; fortunately she's not nearly as weird as Jim). She was refreshingly down to earth and matter of factly about her work, about which she claims to just sit down and fitfully do until an entire rough draft is done, at which point her hubby says "you need to explain this more" which she then does. Anyway, you don't need to know this as some of you are writers anyway; but she was a really likeable person and her book was really good about a 9 year old kid dumped by his slutty mother on his uncle at his farm north of Detroit and how she doesn't come back and young Jasper is forced to find out what happens to her.

Am nearing the end of John Guy's Elizabeth: The Forgotten Years and the superb narration continues. In the latest chapter Parliament is pissed off at her, particularly the House of Commons, because she grants monopolies to her friends to produce any fucking things to the complete detriment of anyone in competition with them. This was producing unrest and the reps were getting earfuls of bitching but they couldn't complain about her too flagrantly without being accused of treason and maybe having their heads lopped off. Fortunately her endless war with Spain made her come to them with a request for increased taxes so they had leverage which they applied. She withdrew a dozen of the granted monopolies by blaming them on her advisers for misleading her, which was utter horseshit. She also gave a speech to Parliament, of which a gazillion different versions exist so Law tries to reason out which were most likely. The funny thing is that she tries to rationalize the withdrawn monopolies as somethings she did out of the goodness of her heart since a divine ruler can't be ordered around but Parliament viewed this as a major victory in bending her over. Fascinating stuff.

Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 09:45 AM (y7DUB)

31 Re-reading (after many years) a couple of Dorothy L. Sayers' detective novels featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Presently in the middle of "Gaudy Night" which centers on Miss Vane. It is stunning to see how our culture has degenerated in eighty years (the book is set in 1935). Their standards of normal civil behavior make these characters seem like space aliens. Gaudy Night is probably one of Sayers' finest works and an excellent novel even for someone who's not a mystery fan.

Posted by: Miss Sippi at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (5fPhA)

32 for writing tips, especially sci-fi, google "Orson Scott Card writing tips" to get a link to his online free class. http://www.hatrack.com/writingclass/ and other tidbits from this author. He also has a book out there on Amazon, I have a book in my Kindle collection.

Posted by: tonyc at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (G89X4)

33 26
Currently re-reading the Frank Herbert Dune books and am at God Emperor of Dune.
Last read it just back in the late 80s. I remember enjoying it more
back then. I'm three-quarters of the way through it and not much has
really happened.

Posted by: Darth Randall at September 10, 2017 09:40 AM (6n332)

I reads all of them about 10 or 15 years ago. The first one was great and the followup were enjoyable, if not as good. I went for a re-read about a year ago. The first one was still goo, but I could not get into the sequels at all.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (mpXpK)

34 26
Currently re-reading the Frank Herbert Dune books and am at God Emperor of Dune.
Last read it just back in the late 80s. I remember enjoying it more
back then. I'm three-quarters of the way through it and not much has
really happened.

Posted by: Darth Randall at September 10, 2017 09:40 AM (6n332)
Herbert's Dune is a paradox.The early books are wonderfully creative and a lot is going on, but Herbert's writing is terrible.The later books are much better written, but the plot is almost non-existent.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 09:47 AM (cfSRQ)

35 If someone wants to read daily devotionals, i recommend "Life Secrets " by Dr. Henry Foster , who lived in the 1800's. He attended l(ike Hillary) the Methodist Church, but it's all his own work-Christ and discipleship centered, no SJW, new age stuff.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 10, 2017 09:47 AM (iVOAv)

36 Continuing to read The Seven Years War in Europe by Franz Szabo and I just got to 1761 (war ends in 1763). The book is pretty well done and the inter-play of personalities is quite interesting. This book is more about the political machinations than the battles.

The author is not a fan of Frederick the Great and Szabo's perspective is a good counterpoint to the typical hagiography. Szabo thinks Frederick is over-rated but his is definitely a minority opinion and it has gotten a bit tedious in the telling.

I have down-graded my rating to 4.5/5. Still a very worthwhile coverage of the subject but a major weakness are the inadequate maps. It is difficult to keep track of where the armies are.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at September 10, 2017 09:49 AM (5Yee7)

37 Off to church, but first I've just finished reading "The Drifter" by Nick Petrie and stayed up far too late reading it. Pretty interesting crime story with good characters, one of whom suffers from PTSD! Liked the ending when just deserts are handed out.

Posted by: Hrothgar at September 10, 2017 09:49 AM (gwPgz)

38 Posted by: Miss Sippi at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (5fPhA)

Great book; I love Dorothy L. Sayers-the mysteries as well as her theological essays.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 10, 2017 09:50 AM (iVOAv)

39 From bio of Jerry Pournelle on Wikipedia:

In 2011, he joined journalist Gina Smith, pundit John C. Dvorak, political cartoonist Ted Rall and several other Byte.com staff reporters to launch an independent tech and political news site aNewDomain.

----

Ted Rall, the no-talent hateful little shit? I don't get it.

Posted by: Semi-Literate Thug at September 10, 2017 09:51 AM (t5m5e)

40 The first one was still goo, but I could not get into the sequels at all.
Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (mpXpK)

After the second sequel I considered it sheer drudgery and said fuck it.

Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 09:51 AM (y7DUB)

41 I recall that the NY Times does not count books sold in Christian bookstores.

Posted by: Emmie at September 10, 2017 09:51 AM (ZapPq)

42 A Moron here suggested "The Liberators" by Viktor Suvorov. I couldn't get a copy of that free online but I did get his book "Inside the Soviet Army" from 1982.

A very well done detailed account of how the Soviet political power structure was set up and how the Red Army supported it and how the Red Army was organised not as a defensive organization but as the spear point for world wide communist advance and conquer.

To sum it up, Attack, attack, attack and never play defense unless forced to by the situational circumstances but always with the mindset of find the crack in your opponents defense and pour every available asset towards and through the crack.

Sounds a lot like our cuurent foes in the democrat marxist party and the MSM.

Viktor Suvorov (he uses the name of a famous Russian General as his own) then details how the Red Army is organized, trained and equipped for this mission. An easy read too with some humour thrown in here and there from his own personal observations.
I believe he was a carrer Red Army officer before he defected.

Highly recommended.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at September 10, 2017 09:52 AM (5VlCp)

43 The news this week has been especially infuriating and depressing. As I continued with "Meditations" for the Goodreads group, I took Aurelius' advice to heart: don't let matters you can't control ruin or rule your life. So I retreated (no other word seems appropriate) to matters of comfort and pleasure.

Fly tying and fishing. I have mentioned "Musings of an Angler" before and other books by Onnie Warren Smith. Born shortly after the Civil War, most of his writing is from the early decades of the 20th century. His writing is courtly and literate with gentle humor and reflects his true delight in fishing and the outdoors. It is a pleasure to read.

Muzzleloading and making accoutrements. None of the new-fangled in-line BS, traditional styles only.

Learning about brandy and cognac. Never knew much about these spirits, so the information is new and the huge variety of opinions about them is amusing.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 09:54 AM (V+03K)

44 No word yet on how much of Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton was plagiarized from The Necronomicon and The Satanic Bible.

Posted by: cool breeze at September 10, 2017 09:54 AM (TKf/P)

45 The first one was great and the followup were
enjoyable, if not as good.

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (mpXpK)

Agreed. I think I got through the third one before getting bored.

The original Dune is a great stand-alone book, and while I understand why Herbert would want to keep writing the story, nothing came close....

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 10, 2017 09:55 AM (wYseH)

46 To sum it up, Attack, attack, attack and never play defense unless
forced to by the situational circumstances but always with the mindset
of find the crack in your opponents defense and pour every available
asset towards and through the crack.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy at September 10, 2017 09:52 AM (5VlCp)

That doctrine also comes from Russia's experience of being repeatedly invaded and ravaged. Better to feed your army off of *someone else's* stuff.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 09:55 AM (cfSRQ)

47 The guy's got no legs, and he's busting out of German POW camps. Holy cow.

Yeah, but he never had to deal with headwinds. They're the worst!

Posted by: Barack Hussein Obama at September 10, 2017 09:57 AM (Sv2/X)

48 Gaudy Night is probably one of Sayers' finest works and an excellent novel even for someone who's not a mystery fan.
Posted by: Miss Sippi

I read the series in college 35 yrs ago. My favorite was The Nine Tailors.

Posted by: Blutarski-esque 0.0 at September 10, 2017 09:57 AM (+Tibp)

49 Lawrence Person, I see you have a lamentable lack of books by Christopher Anvil. You should rectify that deficiency as soon as possible.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 09:57 AM (Gv+zt)

50 Agreed. I think I got through the third one before getting bored.

The
original Dune is a great stand-alone book, and while I understand why
Herbert would want to keep writing the story, nothing came close....

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 10, 2017 09:55 AM (wYseH)
If you come across older copies, the first three books are described as "the Dune trilogy." In fact the third one ("Children of a Lesser Dune," I think) was billed as it's "exciting conclusion!"And then I guess the guy needed more money, so he cranked out "God-Emperor of Dune," "Oh God Another Dune," and "Someone Stop Me From Writing Dune."**Old 80s jokes. No attribution available.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 09:58 AM (cfSRQ)

51 Posted by: Hairyback Guy at September 10, 2017 09:52 AM (5VlCp)

If you haven't read it "Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945" by Catherine Merridale is highly recommended.

Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 09:58 AM (y7DUB)

52 Herbert's Dune is a paradox.The early books are wonderfully creative and a lot is going on, but Herbert's writing is terrible.The later books are much better written, but the plot is almost non-existent.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 09:47 AM (cfSRQ)

---

I liked the writing in Dune, but agree that Herbert's writing became better, even if his story-telling did not.

Posted by: Darth Randall at September 10, 2017 09:59 AM (6n332)

53 Strong For A Moment Like This: The Story of The Black Doctor and "The Van"

Posted by: t-bird at September 10, 2017 09:59 AM (7ulel)

54 This week I finished the retro-read of Clancy's 'Sum of All Fears'. It is hard to believe that it was written 26 years ago.

In the interest of at least appearing well-read, I also finished The Vicar of Wakefield. It struck me that Caldwell's 'Tobacco Road' paralleled the plot, except, no happy ending, Deus Ex Machina not occurring in the latter case.

Launched on Churchill's 'Their Finest Hour' this week. It's a bit of a tome, and filled with minutiae. It is truly impressive that Churchill could compile and pen such an accounting of the war. It also impresses anew his will, and the will of the Brits to stop the Germans.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at September 10, 2017 10:00 AM (y3sT9)

55 Reading Michael Crichton's "Pirate Latitudes", apparently found in manuscript after his death. Pretty straight forward pirate tale, English privateers vs the evil Dons. Not bad, but nothing special.

Posted by: That Deplorable SOB Van Owen at September 10, 2017 10:00 AM (IJX6l)

56 I believe he was a carrer Red Army officer before he defected.

Highly recommended.
Posted by: Hairyback Guy

He was also in the GRU, which was Soviet Army Intelligence. He wrote a book about that, too. I've got it here somewhere (remodeling my reading room/office).

Where do we "defect" to when the PC and the SJW's become too much to take?

Posted by: Bozo Conservative....lost in America at September 10, 2017 10:02 AM (S6Pax)

57 So I retreated (no other word seems appropriate) to matters of comfort and pleasure.

Posted by: JTB
________

I've been doing much of the same lately, although in the general sense. Largely messing around with the keyboard and listening to the sounds that come out. I don't record, just peck until a phrase develops, then I hone it.

Then my music starts to sound depressing, so I stop and do something else. I usually wind up here.

Posted by: FireHorse at September 10, 2017 10:03 AM (zkGZ8)

58 General Rule of Thumb: A book review should be shorter than the book being reviewed.

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:04 AM (mvenn)

59 Posted by: Hairyback Guy at September 10, 2017 09:52 AM (5VlCp)

If you haven't read it "Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945" by Catherine Merridale is highly recommended.
Posted by: Captain Hate
------------

Also: 'Russia's War', Overy

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at September 10, 2017 10:04 AM (y3sT9)

60
27 A beautiful library indeed.

OTOH, I'm disturbed that Person's library is so well organized, and apparently dust free.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at September 10, 2017 09:43 AM (y3sT9)

Neatness like that is the product of a sick mind.

*throws banana peel on floor*

Posted by: Patch at September 10, 2017 10:04 AM (nmr2M)

61 General Rule of Thumb: A book review should be shorter than the book being reviewed.

Posted by: Muldoon running away
________

The same relationship ought to apply between an introduction and the book being introduced.

Posted by: FireHorse at September 10, 2017 10:06 AM (zkGZ8)

62 19 The publisher of that collection of daily devotionals written by Hillary Clinton's pastor has pulled the book after finding extensive plagiarism.

The Washington Post reported that Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton is "riddled with plagiarism."
Posted by: cool breeze at September 10, 2017 09:33 AM (TKf/P)

Seriously? You mean, Hillary Clinton was involved with a fraudulent money-making scheme? The devil you say!

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:06 AM (bjWNl)

63 This is a question for Sayers/Whimsey fans. How do you pronounce Lord Peter's middle name (or one of; can't remember). Is it Death, like "death," or is it "deeth," or something else? Just curious if anyone knows.

Posted by: Gem at September 10, 2017 10:07 AM (uaHyk)

64 Huge thanks to All Hail Eris for getting me interested in Clark Ashton Smith stories. I read a couple of them this week. The writing is so calculatedly archaic and dense with description it is a guilty delight. (Actually, I don't feel guilty at all.)Smith's relationship with Robert Howard is clear in both subject matter and style. That's to his credit since I've been a fan of Howard since junior high school mummbly-mummbly years ago. This is reading just for the fun of it.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:07 AM (V+03K)

65 Where do we "defect" to when the PC and the SJW's become too much to take?

Posted by: Bozo Conservative....lost in America at September 10, 2017 10:02 AM (S6Pax)

Texas.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:07 AM (bjWNl)

66 Off Patch sock. Damn.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 10:07 AM (nmr2M)

67 Oh, and Lawrence, the article title Howard Waldrop Upgrades to Steam-Powered Typewriter

is fantastic, and I would purchase a book called I, John Mandeville, should it ever be written.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 10:08 AM (Gv+zt)

68 Still working away on SM Stirling's "The Peshawar Lancers" - an alternate history steam-punk adventure in the style of Kipling and other century-before-last adventure writers.
The reading is slowed due to the start of book and market events; the Giddings Word Wrangler, and a half-day at the Boerne public library. The second went better than expected, as I did have a regular trickle of people coming in and wanting to talk books.
Weirdly enough, I had a noted uptick in sales for "Sunset and Steel Rails" over the last few weeks. The last few chapters are set during the 1900 Galveston hurricane. I suppose that a fair number of people are searching Amazon for "texas+hurricane" lately, and that book is turning up. (key-words, people - key-words.)
BTW - still looking for beta readers for the second volume of Lone Star Sons. PM me at clyahayes-at-gee-mail-dot-com, if interested.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at September 10, 2017 10:08 AM (xnmPy)

69 This week I finished the retro-read of Clancy's 'Sum of All Fears'. It is hard to believe that it was written 26 years ago.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc.
________

Harder to believe was the Chargers and Vikings in the Super Bowl. It doesn't take a nuclear bomb to keep those teams from winning a championship.

Posted by: FireHorse at September 10, 2017 10:09 AM (zkGZ8)

70 Neatness like that is the product of a sick mind.

*throws banana peel on floor*
Posted by: Patch
------------

*scatters cat hair and pet dander*

Posted by: Mike Hammer's Cat at September 10, 2017 10:10 AM (y3sT9)

71 Viktor Suvorov (he uses the name of a famous Russian General as his own)

Posted by: Hairyback Guy
________

That just seems wrong.

Posted by: Ivan Chernyakhovsky at September 10, 2017 10:11 AM (zkGZ8)

72 Went on a used book buying spree which earned an eye-rolled from Mrs. LRF as about 15 books - Elmore Leonard, Robert B. Parker featured prominently - began landing in the mailbox.

Not reading anything 'serious' at the moment. Brain needs a vacation even if the rest of me needs to show up at work.

Prayers to all in Florida. Be safe, please.

Posted by: Long Running Fool at September 10, 2017 10:12 AM (oSjOY)

73 Oh, A.H. Lloyd, I also read Man of Destiny this week. I'll confess that I got a bit confused at the beginning (doesn't take much these days) especially with the names, but enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next one. My one criticism is that you could do with less description of clothes and hair, not sure it adds anything and I found it distracting. Otherwise, an intriguing story!

Posted by: Miss Sippi at September 10, 2017 10:13 AM (5fPhA)

74 70 Neatness like that is the product of a sick mind.

*throws banana peel on floor*
Posted by: Patch
------------

*scatters cat hair and pet dander*

Posted by: Mike Hammer's Cat at September 10, 2017 10:10 AM (y3sT9)

Lol.. No shit Mike. The felines own the place. I just cough up a hair ball on occasion. I've given up.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 10:14 AM (nmr2M)

75 The publisher of that collection of daily devotionals written by Hillary Clinton's pastor has pulled the book after finding extensive plagiarism.
--------------

The futility of attempting to ascribe godliness to the godless. The Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson Gambit.

Posted by: Mike Hammer's Cat at September 10, 2017 10:14 AM (y3sT9)

76 63 This is a question for Sayers/Whimsey fans. How do you pronounce Lord Peter's middle name (or one of; can't remember). Is it Death, like "death," or is it "deeth," or something else? Just curious if anyone knows.
Posted by: Gem at September 10, 2017 10:07 AM (uaHyk)

Deeth. He mentions it in one of the early books, forget which.

Posted by: Miss Sippi at September 10, 2017 10:15 AM (5fPhA)

77 If you haven't read it "Ivan's War: Life and Death in the Red Army, 1939-1945" by Catherine Merridale is highly recommended.
Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 09:58 AM (y7DUB)

Thanks Captain and everyone else for your recommendations!

I make a list each week and in my travels see what I can find from what you guys list.

The book thread should be good for 8 credits at any dingbat university.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at September 10, 2017 10:16 AM (5VlCp)

78 I am currently reading "A Blink of the Screen", a collection of short stories by Terry Pratchett of Discworld fame. Pretty good so far.

Posted by: roamingfirehydrant at September 10, 2017 10:18 AM (THS4q)

79 This might count as a book. Had a big copper job (OFE, oxygen-free copper) at work and read das Deutsche Kupfer-Institut's 68-page "Recommended machining parameters for copper and copper alloys"

https://tinyurl.com/jkf55k3

Very German, very thorough. Loved it. Copper is a beautiful metal to work with. You just have to go fast enough to not heat it up.

Posted by: t-bird at September 10, 2017 10:18 AM (BsIi9)

80 When I look at library pictures such as the Coimbra Library above I start to think along these lines:

Pulp fiction: Books that people dumber than me read.

Best-sellers: Books that people as smart as me read.

Literature: Books that people smarter than me read

Library tomes: Books that nobody reads

(Seriously though, when it comes to literature is there a sweet spot where powerful ideas, entertainment, diffusion of wisdom and accessibility come together? Great books that nobody reads can't really be considered great, can they? The power of books comes not from the ink on the page, but from the underlying ideas, and then only if those ideas reach a significant number of people.)

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:19 AM (mvenn)

81 Monroe St. Press had a great time at the Big River Steampunk Festival in Hannibal MO last weekend...sold out of "Edison's Conquest of Mars" (unofficial "War of the Worlds" sequel) and "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym" (Edgar Allen Poe's only full-length novel). "Pym" is also starting to sell consistently online at the rate of about 1 or 2 copies a week.

I haven't yet been able to determine why, but by far the biggest selling title we have online is "The Wreck of the Titan, or Futility" -- the collection of Morgan Robertson sea stories that includes his famous tale foreshadowing the Titanic disaster 14 years before it happened. We sell up to 30-40 copies a month online, but never more than 1 or 2 in person at cons or other events. Has anyone else who sells books both in person and through Amazon/Create Space noticed a significant discrepancy between what sells online and what sells in meatspace?

Posted by: Secret Square at September 10, 2017 10:19 AM (9WuX0)

82 I followed up Meditations by Marcus Aurelius by reading I, Claudius by Robert Graves (1934). Quite enjoyable for anyone who needs another fix of autobiographical Roman emperors. The 1976 BBC mini-series is supposed to be good too. Claudius' grandmother Livia is one of the most chilling villains of all time and a prolific poisoner.

Posted by: cool breeze at September 10, 2017 10:21 AM (TKf/P)

83 Thank you Skip. Yes still looking for good suggestions.

Posted by: DeplorableJewells45 at September 10, 2017 10:22 AM (CNHr1)

84 60 ... "throws banana peel on floor"

Glad you didn't throw it up in a tree. I might have been triggered and my fainting couch is stacked with books at the moment.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:23 AM (V+03K)

85 I don't know if this is still the case -- I have read no differently -- but the NYT bestseller list used to be based on the reported sales of a select group of Manhattan bookstores. This list was supposedly secret, but publishers figured it out eventually and started gaming the list. Even before the books were available nationwide, they would go in and buy out a certain title in every one of the bookstores and hey, presto! Instant NYT best seller book.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:23 AM (39g3+)

86 Hillary wrote her book primarily for the money. I think the excuse subject was chosen because that's what the Left demands. Unfortunately for some on the Left, Hillary took it too far and lumped them in also as part of reason for her losing. Obama would have written a similar book if he had lost in 2012 except it would have focused on racism as the reason for his loss. IMHO of course.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:23 AM (LuKE7)

87 It's obvious Mr. Person takes extreme care of his books. The dust covers look perfect. Very pleasing to the eye. BTW, do check out his blog. Scroll down for a look at the sanest and most informative meteorologist I've ever viewed.

O/T. OSU sucked donkey balls last night. Just wanted to get that out there. I feel better now. Kind of.

Back to books..I've been listening to a few Georgette Heyer and quite a few M.C. Beaton Regency novels this summer. My lazy self has decided it was born in the wrong century. I need to be Lady Tuna and my every whim attended to by a ladies maid, footman and butler.

Posted by: Tuna at September 10, 2017 10:24 AM (jm1YL)

88 I have to get busy but I will stop by later to see what you all have come up with.

Posted by: DeplorableJewells45 at September 10, 2017 10:25 AM (CNHr1)

89 I, Claudius is a great series, the Brits do fine Historical drama without needing to make it pretty and modern looking. At least, they used to.

I'm pretty sure Hillary had her book written mostly out of ego and an attempt to shore up donations.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:26 AM (39g3+)

90 The guy's got no legs, and he's busting out of German POW camps. Holy cow.

*****

You're tiring 'im out, boy-o. He's got no legs left, like MacGregor.

/Irish bat dad

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:26 AM (mvenn)

91 Dorothy Sayers is lamentably underrated these days. Her mysteries are superb and her essays on education and religion compare well with CS Lewis. Her translations of "Song of Roland" is a worthy read.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:26 AM (V+03K)

92 V. Suvorov's "Aquarium " is pretty good.

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 10:27 AM (fbgDX)

93 An anecdote about Ivan's War which I've told before but I'm an old fuck who has started repeating things: Merridale attended a meeting of Rooski WW2 vets from the Crimea and the people running the meeting said she was there to interview people over tea about their experiences. Since everyone had been mega fucked by Stalin during combat and afterward they didn't trust anybody particularly outsiders. Finally one brave soul talked with her and she gave him some cognac for doing so. He went back and said she was giving out free booze. She had to eventually turn people away after she filled up all her tapes.

Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 10:27 AM (y7DUB)

94 Jewells ( I think) is looking for a book on the cold war for a son to read but couldn't find anything I could recommend so if anyone has a idea pass it along.
Posted by: Skip at September 10, 2017 09:19 AM (pPKG5)

The great Jay Winik has a book called "On the Brink," which if I recall, at the time it was published was lambasted by the left. It's about the Reagan years, and goes into extensive detail on their "negotiations" with the Soviets.

You can learn a lot about the personalities inside the Reagan White House, and the "hero" of the whole affair is Richard Pearle. So...

I haven't finished it. I think the main reason is, I just don't care about the personalities. I want more on the events. How things happened, and less about the bickering and arguing between State and DoD and the rest of Reagan's foreign policy team.

It's a good read. Lots of great writing, which for anyone who has read anything by Winik, goes without saying. I'll finish it one day. It's just not going to be my favorite of his.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:27 AM (Pz4pT)

95 (Seriously though, when it comes to literature is
there a sweet spot where powerful ideas, entertainment, diffusion of
wisdom and accessibility come together? Great books that nobody reads
can't really be considered great, can they? The power of books comes not
from the ink on the page, but from the underlying ideas, and then only
if those ideas reach a significant number of people.) Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:19 AM (mvenn)
=====

I think that is where Science Fiction really showed the way. Literature of ideas using journeyman's tools. Yes, the current state of the genre is pretty dire, but it still shows the way in its workaday writers. Everyman fiction.

Posted by: mustbequantum at September 10, 2017 10:28 AM (MIKMs)

96 My favorite author , Steven Pressfield has written a couple of books to help would be authors. My favorite title of one of them is ' Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit: Why that Is and What You Can Do About It'

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:28 AM (LuKE7)

97 Good Morning Book Horde. I purchased a few books Friday from the local bookseller that will unfortunately closing it's store next week, and going to online only. I picked up:

The German Occupation of the Channel Islands, by Charles Cruickshank; The Sea War in Korea, by Malcolm Cable & Frank Manson; The Battle of New Orleans, by Donald Barr Chidsey; Stolen Glory: The McKinley Assassination, by Jack Fisher; The Story of the Malakand Field Force; by Winston Churchill; The Most Formidable Thing: The Story of the Submarine from its earliest days to the end of World War I, by William Jameson; Destroyer Weapons of World War 2, by Peter Hodges and Norman Friedman, and a small run of Aerospace Projects Review - not a bad haul for less than $20.

Posted by: josephistan at September 10, 2017 10:28 AM (ANIFC)

98 "The 1976 BBC mini-series is supposed to be good too. Claudius' grandmother Livia is one of the most chilling villains of all time and a prolific poisoner."

Oh yes! Sian Philips as Livia was lesson in evil. The late John Hurt as Caligula was the performance that stuck with me. Livia had no match until Caligula. Their scenes together were great.

Posted by: Tuna at September 10, 2017 10:29 AM (jm1YL)

99 I'm reading Mere Christianity. C.S Lewis. Its as close to philosophy as I've come I suppose. I've highlighted the crap out of it and will reread parts to attempt to follow his reasoning. I've read it in short bursts. It seems my days of hours of steady reading are behind me. I used to get so absorbed that I wouldn't hear someone calling me. Huh. Too bad. I've never taken a philosophy or classics course and feel very lacking in those areas, except for the HS stuff. Not sure I have the powers of concentration to tackle that stuff now.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 10:30 AM (nmr2M)

100 The problem with most literary fiction is that they're trying to write literary fiction instead of simply writing a very good story with very fine skill and talent. Instead of getting something truly deep and magnificent, you get pretentious and almost formulaic. They're checking off the requirements of literary to appeal to a certain kind of reviewer or reader, instead of letting the story be told.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:30 AM (39g3+)

101 except it would have focused on racism as the reason for his loss.

Racism, homophobia, Islamophobia, xenophobia, and, due to all of the horrendous women he put in power, sexism.

Heck, I suspect he still might ~~write~~ order that book to be written.

Posted by: t-bird at September 10, 2017 10:30 AM (kuiuS)

102 This is a question for Sayers/Whimsey fans. How do
you pronounce Lord Peter's middle name (or one of; can't remember). Is
it Death, like "death," or is it "deeth," or something else? Just
curious if anyone knows.
Posted by: Gem at September 10, 2017 10:07 AM (uaHyk)

In Murder Must Advertise he states that some people pronounce it as to rhyme with "teeth" but he preferred to say it as it is written.

of course with the great vowel shift affecting some names differently (I'm looking at you Messrs. Yeats and Yates!) both would be valid, and the "death" (rhymes with Beth) would indicate an older tradition.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 10:30 AM (Gv+zt)

103 I've never taken a philosophy or classics course and feel very lacking in those areas, except for the HS stuff. Not sure I have the powers of concentration to tackle that stuff now. /i]

Its a skill, you work up to it. I mean, nobody expects a casual walker to run a marathon, nobody expects someone to walk in a gym and bench 300. You build up to it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:31 AM (39g3+)

104 (Seriously though, when it comes to literature is there a sweet spot where powerful ideas, entertainment, diffusion of wisdom and accessibility come together?...)

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:19 AM (mvenn)

Yes, it's called the AoSHQ Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:32 AM (bjWNl)

105 *throws banana peel on floor*
Posted by: Patch at September 10, 2017 10:04 AM (nmr2M)

Careful, the Ole Miss students will go into hysterics.

Regarding Frank Herbert, he also wrote "The White Plague". A geneticist sees his family killed by an IRA bomb and goes crazy. If he can't have his wife, everyone else is going to lose theirs, too. He tailors a virus that's carried by men but only kills women. Chaos ensues.

Posted by: roamingfirehydrant at September 10, 2017 10:33 AM (THS4q)

106 Poets play games with words a lot, so you can't really rely on them for pronounciation or spelling. Shakespeare et al casually mangle words like ever and before into e'er and ere without an eyeblink. What do they mean? Eh, you get it in context, eventually. I needed a rhyme, the words didn't fit the meter.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:33 AM (39g3+)

107 96 My favorite author , Steven Pressfield has written a couple of books to help would be authors. My favorite title of one of them is ' Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit: Why that Is and What You Can Do About It'
Posted by: Jack Sock

Pressfield has a lot of good stuff for creatives of all types. I bought copies of Do The Work for all three daughters.

Followed it up with The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. I probably need to re-read this one.

Posted by: Long Running Fool at September 10, 2017 10:34 AM (oSjOY)

108 Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 10:30 AM (Gv+zt)

Reminds me of the etiology of the word Def as in Def Comedy Jam ( very successful black comedians show) .

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:35 AM (LuKE7)

109 Yes, it's called the AoSHQ Sunday Morning Book Thread. Posted by OregonMuse

*****

Nice. I'm just glad you didn't say, "The Glenn Beck Show, the fusion of enlightenment and entertainment."

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:36 AM (mvenn)

110 96 My favorite author , Steven Pressfield has written a couple of books to help would be authors. My favorite title of one of them is ' Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit: Why that Is and What You Can Do About It'

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:28 AM (LuKE7)

I have about 100,000 words in a first try at a book. I enjoy writing scenes but when it comes to organizing it into a book. Ya' know, like a continuos plot with defined characters? Its like having a root canal. Not good. I also have trouble eliminating scenes. Its like I'm a scene hoarder.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 10:38 AM (nmr2M)

111 Made a discovery. Found out I have an unabridged copy of Fagle's "The Odyssey" on cassettes read by Ian McKellen. I can't remember when I got it. (Yes, I still have cassette players.) I've been enjoying "Travels With Charley" and Sherlock Holmes stories on audio, so I'm looking forward to trying this.

Past attempts with audio for new-to-me books haven't worked well. But being familiar with the material, where I can focus on the words and intonation, has been great.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:38 AM (V+03K)

112 "In Murder Must Advertise he states that some people pronounce it as to rhyme with "teeth" but he preferred to say it as it is written."

I still remember the old BBC version of story.

Posted by: Tuna at September 10, 2017 10:39 AM (jm1YL)

113 Fox is reporting that the first ever tropical storm warning has been issued for Atlanta.

And they're forcing me to listen to Shep Smith!

Posted by: Tami at September 10, 2017 10:39 AM (Enq6K)

114 Howard's been working on I, John Mandaville on and off (mostly off) for some 40 years now, so I wouldn't expect it any time soon. You're more likely to get The Search for Tom Purdue or The Moone World first, and even those are no sure things....

Posted by: Lawrence Person at September 10, 2017 10:39 AM (zPalU)

115 I always read Wimsey's name as dee-ath, kinda like D'Ath. Don't know where or why I picked that up.

Nine Tailors is my favorite (talk about a nerdly festivus), with Murder Must Advertise and Gaudy Night rounding off top three. How the heck can they just create poetry like that -- I'm just as intimidated by them as I am by Muldoon.

Posted by: mustbequantum at September 10, 2017 10:40 AM (MIKMs)

116 I've been looking for a specific children's book for a long time. I had it and read it to my daughter uncountable times. (This was about 40 years ago.) I thought it was by Dr Seuss, but I must be mistaken, because all his books are supposedly still in print.

I was hoping to find it for my grands, but never did. Now I'd like to get it for my great-grands.

The book was about an elephant who had to sneeze. It started out, "Stand back" said the elephant, "I'm going to sneeze. I hate to alarm you. I don't wish to harm you. My friends, I fear it's clear. Oh, dear. You'd better stand back, I'm going to sneeze."

If any of you can help with the name of the author or the title, I would appreciate it. I have no idea if it's still in print.

Posted by: Vic's wife at September 10, 2017 10:41 AM (mpXpK)

117 (Seriously though, when it comes to literature is there a sweet spot where powerful ideas, entertainment, diffusion of wisdom and accessibility come together?...)

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:19 AM (mvenn)

Yes, it's called the AoSHQ Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:32 AM (bjWNl)

I've sorta given up on finding the "sweet spot" myself. With fiction, I mean. I leave the idea of learning something out of it, and read to be entertained.

Then I rotate between fiction (light) and non-fiction (heavy), and I do find that I am often surprised to be so entertained by some of those works of non-fiction.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:42 AM (Pz4pT)

118 Its a skill, you work up to it. I mean, nobody expects a casual walker to run a marathon, nobody expects someone to walk in a gym and bench 300. You build up to it.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:31 AM (39g3+)

Suggestion for an intro philosophy book CRT? Thats sounds funny I guess.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 10:42 AM (nmr2M)

119 #39

Rest assured, it was not Jerry's idea to have Ted Rall involved. Jerry was not greatly involved in the organizing. That would have been mostly Gina Smith or whoever was backing her. John Dvorak is even farther to the right than Jerry and more likely to be aware of who Rall was, so it couldn't have been any sort of arrangement that required them to pretend they were friendly.

Though Jerry did manage to maintain good friendships with people who were quite far to the left. In one of the 'There Will Be War' volumes there is an exchange with John Brunner in which Brunner seems to believe that the Soviet dominion over much of Europe following WWII was somehow owed them and not to be contested. Brunner could rightfully be blasted for this assertion but Jerry calmly suggested that the actual people who found themselves under Soviet control post-war likely felt very differently.

It's a bit over-detail that the venture even gets mention, as it generated very little notice and, though it shows up in searches, does not appear to be reachable today. I don't think I recall any mention of it since shortly after it was launched.

Posted by: Epobirs at September 10, 2017 10:42 AM (AJKgl)

120 Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:42 AM (Pz4pT)

Not trying to pimp Steven Pressfield but he definitely hits the sweet spot with his historical fiction novels.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:44 AM (LuKE7)

121 Mrs Vic

http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/

Posted by: weirdflunky at September 10, 2017 10:44 AM (6vOH5)

122 If any of you can help with the name of the author or the title, I would appreciate it. I have no idea if it's still in print.

Posted by: Vic's wife at September 10, 2017 10:41 AM (mpXpK)

Vic, see if this is it...

http://tinyurl.com/y7kvtou2

Posted by: Tami at September 10, 2017 10:44 AM (Enq6K)

123 Larry Correia has some good posts about world building and how to develop a book.

Here's one. http://monsterhunternation.com/2017/04/27/ask-correia-18-world-building/

Posted by: NJRob at September 10, 2017 10:45 AM (hkj67)

124 Oops, sorry... MRS. Vic.

Posted by: Tami at September 10, 2017 10:45 AM (Enq6K)

125 Posted by: Vic's wife at September 10, 2017 10:41 AM (mpXpK)

Whorton Hears a Who. ?

But that's a Seuss book.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:46 AM (LuKE7)

126 I also have trouble eliminating scenes. Its like I'm a scene hoarder.

There is no such thing as wasted writing. Every thing you write, even if you never use, is part of the learning process and honing your skill. Its like there's no wasted time in the gym, as long as you're working out.

Most of what keeps people from turning work into an actual finished book is fear and lack of confidence. Don't approach it like you're writing Citizen Kane. Just write and have fun with it, and who cares how it turns out? That's the point of national Novel Writing Month: write, and don't worry about the product. Just finish something, to teach yourself that you can finish.

Suggestion for an intro philosophy book CRT?

You can do no better than Mere Christianity.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:46 AM (39g3+)

127 Speaking of Frank Herbert, I've got an oddity lost somewhere in my pile of a collection

Without Me, You're Nothing: The Essential Guide to Home Computers

by Frank Herbert and Max Barnard, 1980

where Herbert and Barnard opine about the new world of home computing.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/y76lok4t

Posted by: Mr. Peebles at September 10, 2017 10:47 AM (oVJmc)

128 Okay, google says it's a book by Patricia Thomas .

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:47 AM (LuKE7)

129
@ Vic's Wife

Google: "Title: "Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm Going to Sneeze!"
Author: Patricia Thomas"

Maybe ^that one ?

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 10:47 AM (fbgDX)

130 (Seriously though, when it comes to literature is there a sweet spot where powerful ideas, entertainment, diffusion of wisdom and accessibility come together?...)

Posted by: Muldoon running away, yelling over his shoulder at the dog. at September 10, 2017 10:19 AM (mvenn)

Yes, it's called the AoSHQ Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:32 AM (bjWNl)

Looks like that's the name of it! "Stand Back," Said the Elephant, "I'm going to Sneeze."

Author's name is Patricia Thomas. Available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Back-Elephant-Going-Sneeze/dp/0688093388

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:47 AM (Pz4pT)

131 Holy moly! This is Ace-rant or ONT level content! Nice job, OM. Thank you!

Posted by: Duncanthrax at September 10, 2017 10:48 AM (HJlAN)

132 What Jack Sock said...

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 10:49 AM (fbgDX)

133 Oops, looks like I blew the margins a bit. If anyone can blast out my comment, please do. Others have already answered the question anyway.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:49 AM (Pz4pT)

134 Not trying to pimp Steven Pressfield but he definitely hits the sweet spot with his historical fiction novels.

I really enjoyed his book on Thermopolye, haven't read anything else.

Jerry Pournelle dying is a serious blow to science fiction. There are so few good sci fi writers left, its like that first generation was the cream of the crop and its all downhill from there.

I think Pournelle's greatest accomplishments were getting Larry Niven to write better. His compilations with Niven were amazing, but Niven on his own isn't quite as compelling.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:49 AM (39g3+)

135 Lawrence, this is a different format place. bold, italics, and underlines are done with square brackets, not what you are using.

[ i ] . . . [ /i ] for example (remove the spaces and always close your tags, the Barrel is a nasty place)

I love ancient fiction and stories, I love science fiction from the 40's and 50's. The story telling has changed since then, but it is such a good view of all those pre-conceived notions of what the world was like. Everything in John Mandeville's Travels is horribly wrong, geography, history, etymology, anthropology . . . If you could gather the verifiable facts together in one place you wouldn't have enough for a decent yellow pages ad. But it is such an interesting book of what "should" be and "what some guy told me"

Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 10:51 AM (Gv+zt)

136 Sonobi I don't like you

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 10:51 AM (fbgDX)

137
You can do no better than Mere Christianity.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:46 AM (39g3+)

Thanks Chris. it will absorb me for awhile. Its truly enjoyable.

What about 'philosopher's? Plato, St. Augustine, Aristotle, Socrates? Suggestion?

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 10:51 AM (nmr2M)

138 One of the ironies of war is that while of course, the vast majority of soldiers are normal and honorable, there are always a few who excel in war, even though they would be considered borderline to full psychopaths in normal life. (and admittedly the realities of combat drive some there)

I had an uncle, long since deceased, who never could really adjust to civilian life. (as kids, we called him UncaHolic behind his back) When he got to talking, he would tell this story about how the happiest time in his life was this time in Korea when he was in a squad that was able to use a charge to blow off a tread of a Nork tank coming down the road. Then they waited for the crew to look out the top and were able to shoot them in the head as they looked out, one by one.

He was messed up.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 10:52 AM (V2Yro)

139 103 ... "I've never taken a philosophy or classics course and feel very lacking in those areas, except for the HS stuff. Not sure I have the powers of concentration to tackle that stuff now."

Even though I read a lot of classic in college, they often failed to 'speak' to me. I've found that having some context makes a world of difference. CS Lewis' "Preface to Paradise Lost" will help readers appreciate most epic poetry, from Homer through Milton. The intro sections from Oxford Press and Penguin Classics (both literature and philosophy) also help.

I take my time with these works. Read a section, think about it and how it relates to my experiences, then read some more. Some of these works are both complex and massive, The Faerie Queen and Paradise Lost come to mind. So I take breaks from them before they become tiresome with effort.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:52 AM (V+03K)

140 OTOH, I'm disturbed that Person's library is so well organized, and apparently dust free.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at September 10, 2017 09:43 AM (y3sT9)

Yes. It is so unlike mine. When I'm trying to remember a quote from, say "Modern Times," my "search engine" consists of me running from room to room and bookcase to bookcase muttering, "Now, where did I put the damned thing?"

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 10:53 AM (P8951)

141 Stand back, Missus Vic!

http://tinyurl.com/yahwcob5

This looks like the book you are looking for.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 10:53 AM (qJtVm)

142 This looks like the book you are looking for.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 10:53 AM (qJtVm)

( *fist bump* )

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:54 AM (bjWNl)

143 31 It is stunning to see how our culture has degenerated in eighty years (the book is set in 1935). Their standards of normal civil behavior make these characters seem like space aliens...

Posted by: Miss Sippi at September 10, 2017 09:46 AM (5fPhA)

---------------------------------

As I've heard said here and elsewhere, the past is a foreign country.

Posted by: Boots at September 10, 2017 10:55 AM (EBwPV)

144 https://www.amazon.com/Stand-Back-Elephant-Going-Sneeze/dp/0688093388
Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:47 AM (Pz4pT)

( *fist bump* )

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 10:56 AM (bjWNl)

145 I'd stick with CS Lewis until you get comfortable with his systematic, classic way of constructing arguments and dealing with objections. Socrates is great, but its weighty, Augustine is easier, because he's more an ordinary guy (with immense intellect). GK Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories are a good intro as well because they give you philosophical concepts and arguments the way Sherlock Holmes gives you basic logic and deduction training.

There's a little book by Francis Schaeffer called Escape from Reason that tracks the corruption and collapse of logic and reason in society over time, and his book How Shall We Then Live? is an excellent examination of worldview and how it impacts everyone as well as culture.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:56 AM (39g3+)

146 Amazing!

That library pictured above looks exactly like the Guest Bathroom at the Woodard's Ancestral Mansion.

Huh.

As a reminder, the Giveaway on Amazon for Kindle versions of

"Wearing the Cat - The Complete Novel, Vol. 1"

and "WTC -TCN, Vol. 2"

ends today at !1:59 PDT.

Here are the links:

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/d167cce98770f565

https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/df542730fc45e3c6

(Though not incredibly different from the Serial Version of WTC, the Complete Novel version was re-edited and some parts punched up to clarify points, plot, and action)

Dive in!

Posted by: H. D. Woodard - "Wearing the Cat" at September 10, 2017 10:57 AM (9q7Dl)

147 Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:52 AM (V+03K)
---
JTB, I too like to sit, ponder, and digest what I read, especially if it's the denser fare like CAS (I'm so glad you're enjoying it!).

I've always been a fan of over-upholstered Gothic and Victorian prose, but it takes a certain discipline to slow down and really hear the words in your head.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 10:57 AM (qJtVm)

148 That should be ends at 11:59 PM PDT.

Posted by: H. D. Woodard - at September 10, 2017 10:58 AM (9q7Dl)

149 It is stunning to see how our culture has degenerated in eighty years

Watch comedy specials and movies from just ten years ago and see what was once perfectly acceptable and hilarious that now makes you cringe and look around for fear someone saw you laugh.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:58 AM (39g3+)

150 The Arms of Krupp
William Manchester
The Cover photo on the back,
mesmerizing

Good Read

Posted by: Schloss owner operator at September 10, 2017 10:59 AM (S1WrL)

151 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:49 AM (39g3+

I envy you because I'd love to discover an author like Pressfield , that I haven't read yet.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:59 AM (LuKE7)

152 I take my time with these works. Read a section, think about it and how it relates to my experiences, then read some more. Some of these works are both complex and massive, The Faerie Queen and Paradise Lost come to mind. So I take breaks from them before they become tiresome with effort.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 10:52 AM (V+03K)

Thank you. i forgot that I read Iliad and Odysssy as a kid. Not assigned but heard older cousins talking about there lists at school. the language was hard for me at the time but I enjoyed them both anyway. Even though cousins thought I was a pretentious brat when they saw me reading them. Whatever. I tried.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 11:00 AM (nmr2M)

153 Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 10:42 AM (Pz4pT)

Not trying to pimp Steven Pressfield but he definitely hits the sweet spot with his historical fiction novels.
Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 10:44 AM (LuKE7)

My brain compartmentalizes, maybe more than is good for me. Two things it generally does not think go together: History and Fiction.

Don't ask me why. And there are certainly works of fiction I have enjoyed that incorporated in, actual historical events, but it seems to be a question of the order.

So... if you write a book about Joe, and it's set in WWII, that would be fine. If you write a book about WWII, and there's a character named Joe, that's different.

Does that make sense?

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:00 AM (Pz4pT)

154 @ 149 there was shame and now guilt pleasures

Posted by: Schloss owner operator at September 10, 2017 11:00 AM (S1WrL)

155 Count me as a Jay Winick fan, thanks to someone here, perhaps no longer commenting, recommending The Great Upheaval, a masterfully narrated coherent explanation of what was happening in the US, France and Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, how they were interrelated and their impacts on the future. Perhaps the best book of history I've ever read.

Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 11:01 AM (y7DUB)

156 I envy you because I'd love to discover an author like Pressfield , that I haven't read yet.

Try Loren D Estleman. But I know what you mean, its like a treat to find another great author. The sad part is that eventually you run out of books, there just aren't any more. I won't ever find another Patrick O'Brian book.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:01 AM (39g3+)

157 Got hooked on amazon's Bosch; based on Michael Connelly's books. Connelly is the show's executive producer(?) or something like that. A bunch of years ago, someone recommended Connelly, never got around to reading him.thought now is a good time, so picked up a couple of books - probably out of sequence. Just want to see what his writing is like.

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:04 AM (fbgDX)

158 Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:00 AM (Pz4pT)

Pressfield writes his novels through the voice of a specific character that is witnessing the history around him. So based on your post, that should be agreeable to you.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 11:05 AM (LuKE7)

159 As I've heard said here and elsewhere, the past is a foreign country.

Posted by: Boots at September 10, 2017 10:55 AM (EBwPV)

The current age is a foreign country to me. I'm more at home in the past.

Posted by: josephistan at September 10, 2017 11:05 AM (ANIFC)

160 145 I'd stick with CS Lewis until you get comfortable with his systematic, classic way of constructing arguments and dealing with objections. Socrates is great, but its weighty, Augustine is easier, because he's more an ordinary guy (with immense intellect). GK Chesterton's "Father Brown" stories are a good intro as well because they give you philosophical concepts and arguments the way Sherlock Holmes gives you basic logic and deduction training.

There's a little book by Francis Schaeffer called Escape from Reason that tracks the corruption and collapse of logic and reason in society over time, and his book How Shall We Then Live? is an excellent examination of worldview and how it impacts everyone as well as culture.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:56 AM (39g3+)

Thanks much Chris. I thought Chesterton might be next. just from his quotes I've seen. Then Schaefer. It sounds like a great adventure into an area I have ignored. I'll copy moron comments suggestions to a file and dig in. i want to read more. It will help me write organize thoughts better believe.

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at September 10, 2017 11:06 AM (nmr2M)

161 Count me as a Jay Winick fan, thanks to someone here, perhaps no longer commenting, recommending The Great Upheaval, a masterfully narrated coherent explanation of what was happening in the US, France and Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, how they were interrelated and their impacts on the future. Perhaps the best book of history I've ever read.
Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 11:01 AM (y7DUB)

That was me, I believe, and you are welcome!

If you haven't yet, pick up "April 1865." I have his FDR book here, but haven't yet cracked it.

What amazes me is there are only the four titles to his name.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:06 AM (Pz4pT)

162 Amazon must have experienced a sudden swarm of " sneezing elephant" queries(myself included). Their server is probably scratching its head and wondering what's so special about that particular book.

Posted by: Tuna at September 10, 2017 11:07 AM (jm1YL)

163 The past does not have Apple, not going back to the dark ages....

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:07 AM (fbgDX)

164 @162

NSA is wondering too

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:08 AM (fbgDX)

165 Re: Jerry Pournelle, he lived down the street from my family about 45 years ago (in Buena Park, CA). My parents knew him but not well. I just found this out recently and was like, "WHAT?" but it didn't mean much to my parents as they are not scifi readers.

Posted by: Dr Alice at September 10, 2017 11:08 AM (LaT54)

166 "Got hooked on amazon's Bosch; based on Michael Connelly's books. "

Me too. Love the actors they chose. The actress who plays Bosch's lieutenant is great.

Posted by: Tuna at September 10, 2017 11:09 AM (jm1YL)

167 Laundry room is full. I thought I was clever by getting there in the morning when no one else would be there. Maybe I'll watch RiffTrax instead of doing chores

Posted by: josephistan at September 10, 2017 11:09 AM (ANIFC)

168 The past does not have Apple, not going back to the dark ages....
Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:07 AM (fbgDX)

Unlike Bendix Corporation, Apple never built a washing machine.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 11:10 AM (Gv+zt)

169 Geez, my cup it doth runneth over. Twice?

And I must issue a correction for I seem to have conflated a bit of Bob Tuck's life in with Douglas Bader's. And then bollixed it nicely.

The story can be found on pg 16-17 of the Bantam paperback of Larry Forrester's bio of Tuck Fly For Your Life.

It seems that Tuck, at age thirteen, had been sent to spend the summer with an aunt and uncle who owned a turkey farm. The farm had an issue with cats getting in and snagging a bird. Tuck decided to solve the problem with a .410. His aunt was horrified one day to go into the shed to find some thirty cat tails hanging from the wall in neat rows like scalps. Naturally Tuck was quickly packed off home.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at September 10, 2017 11:10 AM (+6nI6)

170 "The current age is a foreign country to me. I'm more at home in the past."

Agreed - wanted a good comedy, was just rewatching the first "Austin Powers". Amazing that movie is now 20 years old. I can't/won't watch anything made after 2010, and can only think of a handful made after 2005 that I consider watchable.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:11 AM (V2Yro)

171 Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:06 AM (Pz4pT)

Even worse is John Steakley . He only wrote two novels. Armor and Vampires.

I'm not a SciFi fan, but Armor is one of my all time favorite books. Mainly because of the opening chapters which are the most engrossing I've ever read.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 11:11 AM (LuKE7)

172 21 I just found out that Bruce Campbell is coming to town for a book signing of his new memoir. Signed copies would be great gifts for the kids come Christmas.

Apparently I just missed him in Chicago ( Gods forsaken shithole that it is ) would have liked to get a signed copy.

Posted by: Son of Sam the Butcher at September 10, 2017 11:12 AM (VJBq9)

173

The Sneezy, Wheezy Elephant - a limerick

That elephant was sure in a funk
While struggling with that allergy junk
The sneeze that started Sunday
Didn't come out until Monday
It had to travel the length of his trunk!

Posted by: Muldoon at September 10, 2017 11:13 AM (mvenn)

174 I love talking about water spouts!

Posted by: Shep Smith at September 10, 2017 11:13 AM (bc2Lc)

175 Thanks to all for the Wimsey answers! I know I've read Murder Must Advertise, so I just must have forgotten that bit. Since I've finished my Nero Wolfe kick I need to re-read those. I think the only one I own is Gaudy Night, though.

Posted by: Gem at September 10, 2017 11:13 AM (uaHyk)

176 Sometimes collaborations are greater than the sum of their parts. Niven/Pournelle is one. Both exceptionally good writers but somehow they worked together to produce really great fiction. Maybe it is just the specialization and compartmentalization of humans; if you are a 'scientist' you have no artistic leanings somehow. We are all put into the sorting hat and must live with the generic tendencies, like dog breeds.

Posted by: mustbequantum at September 10, 2017 11:14 AM (MIKMs)

177 'Deplorable lady..' had a great comment at end of last night's movie thread on rereading/watching titles that are worthwhile.
2nd time to see how it happened
3rd time to see why
4th If you still enjoyed to savor the small details.

I've been thinking it's a very long time since I've read Dune series, but will probably wait as today's comments aren't encouraging. (expect I'd concur, I remember loving the first two, but a slow steady decline after that)

I've decided instead I'll re-read Lucifer's Hammer by Jerry Pournelle Niven. It's 40 years old now.

Recently finished and enjoyed:
physical book - Sten gun - Osprey series
audible - Cosmic Serpent - DNA Origins of Knowledge

Posted by: SouthEast PA Lurker at September 10, 2017 11:15 AM (vFHFh)

178 I'm reading "The Sports Gene" by David Epstein right now, and it's a fascinating examination of the old nature vs. nurture debate as applied to athletes. Epstein's conclusions are no comfort to the PC crowd. Feminists in the 70's and '80's were crowing about how fast female athletes were breaking records and fantasized that women would be as strong as men in a few decades. Of course, the reason those records were being broken was because the East Germans and other Commies were feeding their female athletes steroids. Once the steroids were gone, female performance dropped.

Another fascinating tidbit: I had always assumed that MLB players were able to hit 95 mph fastballs because of quick reaction time. Epstein says no, it's not reflexes, it's eyesight. A doctor tested the Dodgers in the '90's and found that half the guys on the team had 20/10 vision and a couple had 20/8 vision, which is as good as visual acuity can get for humans - and it's very rare among the general population. So, it's not a matter of having quicker reflexes, but of seeing the spin on the ball much more clearly than someone with normal vision.. However, I'd like to ask Epstein about the exceptions - because there are guys in the majors who wear glasses and contacts.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:15 AM (P8951)

179 Thanks to all of you who helped with information. Now I can get it and some interesting-sounding other oldies for the great grands.

Posted by: Vic's wife at September 10, 2017 11:15 AM (mpXpK)

180 So the Benghazi Bungler's Big Book of Bodacious Bullshit is coming out on the anniversary of the Benghazi betrayal. How appropriate.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:16 AM (Nwg0u)

181 odds that irma will convince trump age is real:

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at September 10, 2017 11:16 AM (AxFdW)

182 73
Oh, A.H. Lloyd, I also read Man of Destiny this week. I'll confess that I
got a bit confused at the beginning (doesn't take much these days)
especially with the names, but enjoyed it and look forward to reading
the next one. My one criticism is that you could do with less
description of clothes and hair, not sure it adds anything and I found
it distracting. Otherwise, an intriguing story!

Posted by: Miss Sippi at September 10, 2017 10:13 AM (5fPhA)

Glad you liked it!

The first book is a bit slow because I have to introduce everybody. Things pick up rapidly after that. "The Imperial Rebellion" is basically a sprint to the finish line.

Regarding the description, yeah, that's tricky. I thought I was pretty minimalist and I tried to focus on details that mattered.

The funny thing is that I'm not real big on clothes (as my wife will confirm) but I put that in there because these characters hang around for a while and there is some significance when they start dressing differently, lose weight, etc.

But first I have to establish the baseline for comparison.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 11:16 AM (cfSRQ)

183 I really liked some of Pournelle's work, but my favorite one is King David's Spaceship. He took that universe in part from H. Beam Piper, and built it with Niven into the Motie universe. But it is classic golden age Sci-fi.

Niven and Pournelle wrote very well together, but my impression is that with both of them working together they put out books darker than their works alone.

Posted by: Kindltot at September 10, 2017 11:17 AM (Gv+zt)

184 61 Count me as a Jay Winick fan, thanks to someone here, perhaps no longer commenting, recommending The Great Upheaval, a masterfully narrated coherent explanation of what was happening in the US, France and Russia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, how they were interrelated and their impacts on the future. Perhaps the best book of history I've ever read.
Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 11:01 AM (y7DUB)

Yes, The Great Upheaval is excellent.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:17 AM (P8951)

185 agw not age. damn splchk.

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at September 10, 2017 11:17 AM (AxFdW)

186 For those who want an intro to philosophy, check out Pierre Hadot's "What Is Ancient Philosophy". It provides the basic information of who said what and when but, more importantly, how 'philosophy' was used in living life not just as an abstract matter. I've found that context very helpful. He has another book, "The Inner Citadel" giving depth and context to Aurelius' Meditations. It isn't cheap but I will probably end up splurging on it sooner rather than later.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 11:17 AM (V+03K)

187 @166 Tuna

She is, and quite impressive Credentials IRL;
You may have noticed Jeri Ryan in one of the seasons.
..but she is not the only Star Trek alum, Roxann Dawson directed one of the episodes

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:17 AM (fbgDX)

188 odds that irma will convince trump agw is real:

Posted by: musical jolly chimp at September 10, 2017 11:18 AM (AxFdW)

189 "His aunt was horrified one day to go into the shed to find some thirty cat tails hanging from the wall in neat rows like scalps. "

My brother's father in law (not really a relation of mine, but I know him) has gotten really weird in his old age. He used to be a Lutheran Pastor in Missouri, seemed to do okay, then his wife died, and he had a disastrous second marriage to some Filipino wench that went very badly (she cleaned him out and kicked him out) and now he lives by himself and tends a little garden. He hates rabbits and squirrels that get into his garden, so he sets out these homemade cage-like traps. When he catches one he goes and hangs the cage in a little pond nearby until they drown, and then he puts a check mark on a chalkboard in his garage listing how many critters he has "baptized". (that's what he calls it)

His grandkids are pretty freaked out whenever they get dragged over to his house.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:18 AM (V2Yro)

190 That was me, I believe, and you are welcome!

If you haven't yet, pick up "April 1865." I have his FDR book here, but haven't yet cracked it.

What amazes me is there are only the four titles to his name.
Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:06 AM (Pz4pT)

It probably was you so I'm in your debt. It was right after I read Bloodlands and I was marveling at how the situations of those countries had to be scrutinized as a whole over what the Soviets and Nazis did to understand it rather than concentrate on one or a small number of countries or time frame.

The book on FDR is good because it points out what a duplicitous piece of shit he was in some of his dealings with Churchill, how he got smoked by Stalin and just how horrendous his health was that was shielded from the public.

Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 11:18 AM (y7DUB)

191 Unlike Bendix Corporation, Apple never built a washing machine.

====

That's what "staff" is for

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:20 AM (fbgDX)

192 Tips on writing SF
http://tinyurl.com/Heinlein9876

Posted by: Mudd at September 10, 2017 11:21 AM (WAzyc)

193 Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:18 AM (V2Yro)

Oh, jeez, that's creepy.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:21 AM (P8951)

194 I think 'baptizing' any critter like that is more than freaky, someone needs Nurse Ratched to pay a house call.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at September 10, 2017 11:22 AM (+6nI6)

195 I had always assumed that MLB players were able to hit 95 mph fastballs because of quick reaction time. Epstein says no, it's not reflexes, it's eyesight. A doctor tested the Dodgers in the '90's and found that half the guys on the team had 20/10 vision and a couple had 20/8 vision, which is as good as visual acuity can get for humans - and it's very rare among the general population.

I used to have eyesight like that as a kid, the nurses that checked the kids in my grade school every year acted like I was a celebrity or something. I could read the entire eye chart.

Its a combination of things, really. Reflexes plays a part, but also the ability to calculate angles and speed without conscious thought and the ability to turn what you know into action without a mental command.

I saw a special on martial arts once, and they showed how by training, martial artists were able to react to stimula without thought, and as a result moved much faster than human reflexes are usually capable of.

When we react to something its a sequence:

1 - see
2 - recognize
3 - formulate response
4 - send response to appropriate muscles
5 - respond

With sufficient training and muscle memory it turns into this:

1 - see
2 - send response to appropriate muscles
3 - respond

And the difference is astounding. The quicker a bat, the more time the player has to read and recognize pitches. The amount of time between the pitch leaving the pitcher's hand and reaching the strike zone is shockingly small.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:23 AM (39g3+)

196 Someone has probably mentioned that jhst as everything else touched by the Chappaquatch, her Daily Devotional is a lie and a crime. The good reverend plagarized it.

https://tinyurl.com/y9fw2w9c

P.S. CNN covered this but I wonder if the NYT did.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:24 AM (Nwg0u)

197 The book on FDR is good because it points out what a duplicitous piece of shit he was in some of his dealings with Churchill, how he got smoked by Stalin and just how horrendous his health was that was shielded from the public.
Posted by: Captain Hate at September 10, 2017 11:18 AM (y7DUB)

Hey! Spoiler alert!!

Just kidding. That's pretty much what I would expect. FDR has mostly two diametrically opposed reputations, and I would expect Winik to sort through all that. He definitely leans conservative, and does so with honesty.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:24 AM (Pz4pT)

198 "Another fascinating tidbit: I had always assumed that MLB players were able to hit 95 mph fastballs because of quick reaction time. Epstein says no, it's not reflexes, it's eyesight. A doctor tested the Dodgers in the '90's and found that half the guys on the team had 20/10 vision and a couple had 20/8 vision, which is as good as visual acuity can get for humans - and it's very rare among the general population. So, it's not a matter of having quicker reflexes, but of seeing the spin on the ball much more clearly than someone with normal vision."

A long repeated story about Ted Williams is that at his peak, he could read the label of a fastball as it came across the plate in front of him.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:24 AM (V2Yro)

199 Here's a nifty way to while away a lazy Sunday:

http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 11:25 AM (qJtVm)

200 There is no such thing as wasted writing. Every
thing you write, even if you never use, is part of the learning process
and honing your skill. Its like there's no wasted time in the gym, as
long as you're working out.

Most of what keeps people from turning work into an actual finished
book is fear and lack of confidence. Don't approach it like you're
writing Citizen Kane. Just write and have fun with it, and who cares
how it turns out? That's the point of national Novel Writing Month:
write, and don't worry about the product. Just finish something, to
teach yourself that you can finish.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 10:46 AM (39g3+)

^ This x1,000For years I struggled to come up with something so totally original, people would have to notice. And I wrote a lot, but nothing I felt I could publish.
The turning point came when I realized that *professional authors* don't hold themselves to that standard. They write what they want, maybe what think will sell, and cash the check.
They won't worry about being original. Most writing isn't.
In fact, a bunch of respected authors basically do their own version on an existing story. Pressfield is a great example.

My Great Moment of Inspiration happened in a hospital waiting room while my wife was getting hysterectomy. I was reading Seamus Heaney's verse translation of "Beowulf" and listening to Enya's Amarantine on my headphones. I reflected how many stupid movies had ruined this awesome story.
When my wife woke up I said I was thinking of writing the definitive sci-fi retelling of "Beowulf." Perhaps because she was still under the influence, she said "Great idea!"
And thus was born Battle Officer Wolf, which I wrote over the next couple of months while listening to Enya and drinking copious amounts of gin (if you hold the book close to you, you can sometimes smell the Bombay Sapphire).
My friend liked it, I put it on Amazon, and the writers block was destroyed.
So write something that interests you, something you think is fun and don't worry about crafting an epic work for the ages.

Posted by: A.H. Lloyd at September 10, 2017 11:28 AM (cfSRQ)

201 Both Churchill and FDR tried to manipulate each other constantly. I'm a Churchill fan but he screwed us on the Soviet Union with his East European secret agreements.

Posted by: Jack Sock at September 10, 2017 11:28 AM (LuKE7)

202 When we react to something its a sequence:

1 - see
2 - recognize
3 - formulate response
4 - send response to appropriate muscles
5 - respond

With sufficient training and muscle memory it turns into this:

1 - see
2 - send response to appropriate muscles
3 - respond

And the difference is astounding. The quicker a bat, the more time the player has to read and recognize pitches. The amount of time between the pitch leaving the pitcher's hand and reaching the strike zone is shockingly small.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:23 AM (39g3+)

Yes, put me in the category of those who believe it's a combination of all, and it is especially important to remember that the brain creates neuro pathways with everything we learn. The more you do something, the more the pathway is strengthened and reinforced.

However... without the genetic underpinnings, it doesn't matter how hard or how long I train, I was never going to be able to hit a 95 MPH fastball.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:28 AM (Pz4pT)

203 A long repeated story about Ted Williams is that at his peak, he could read the label of a fastball as it came across the plate in front of him.

Guys like him and some of the great Negro Leagues players used to play a game. Someone would write a number on the ball, pitch to them, and they would say the number without looking at the ball. Baseball players can see the way the stitches are turning and tell what kind of pitch is coming at them. There's a reason only a few dozen really good hitters exist at any one time. And even they rarely hit more than 3 out of 10 at-bats.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:29 AM (39g3+)

204 Remembrance of things (long) past:

Growing up in the 50s-60s, IBM science nerds and their usually nerdly wives were given Emily Post-type social training. I recall that officers and their wives had the same for the Armed Services. Maybe the current 'sensitivity' training required for young people nowadays is a perversion of the tradition?

Don't know, but I'm still mad at my mom for scarfing up my Miss Manners and 1930s Emily Post.

Posted by: mustbequantum at September 10, 2017 11:29 AM (MIKMs)

205 "I had always assumed that MLB players were able to hit 95 mph fastballs because of quick reaction time. Epstein says no, it's not reflexes, it's eyesight."

I recall an old story that Ted Williams could see the stitches on the baseball during the pitch which, combined with his talent, made him such an extraordinary hitter. Don't know if the story is true but it follows that study.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 11:29 AM (V+03K)

206 So, it's not a matter of having quicker reflexes, but of seeing the spin on the ball much more clearly than someone with normal vision.. However, I'd like to ask Epstein about the exceptions - because there are guys in the majors who wear glasses and contacts.
Posted by: DonnaV sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:15 AM (P8951)

Ted Williams was able to tell exactly on the ball relative to the stitching he would hit a pitch. When he made this claim, they wouldn't believe him, but they covered a bat with shoe polish and threw him a few pitches and he told them exactly where the scuff mark was. They were dumbfounded.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 11:30 AM (bjWNl)

207 "And the difference is astounding. The quicker a bat, the more time the player has to read and recognize pitches. The amount of time between the pitch leaving the pitcher's hand and reaching the strike zone is shockingly small."

I played some pick-up games in college with my pals. I could do the timing, but never had good eyesight. I found that I could get a good hit occasionally by simply swinging as hard as I could at the center of the strike zone, timed for when I thought the ball would get there. I was counting on the pitcher to get lazy because he assumed I was no good.

And it was always fun to set a ball sailing when I myself knew that I had never actually seen the ball after it left his hand.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:30 AM (V2Yro)

208 hello bookthread!

been binge-reading series that I'm a year or two out of date with. Got caught up with Kate Daniels, Mercy Thompson, catching up with the Monster Hunters.

feels good to be in reading mode

Posted by: votermom pimping great books! at September 10, 2017 11:30 AM (hMwEB)

209 http://www.vintagechildrensbooksmykidloves.com/

Posted by: All Hail Eris
---
Thanks for that link! I've been accumulating old kid books (my favorites, thank you very much) for my kids and grands for quite some time. Great stuff.

Posted by: Tonypete at September 10, 2017 11:32 AM (tr2D7)

210 A long repeated story about Ted Williams is that at his peak, he could read the label of a fastball as it came across the plate in front of him.

Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:24 AM (V2Yro)

And when he recognized it, he was a tornado. The body would twist, the arms pulled the bat across the zone, and in a flash of action that MOST of us could not fully see, it struck the ball with such speed that it seemed to defy the laws of physics.

Ted was a big guy, but he was also skinny. Sinewy arms, a beanpole. The closest thing to a perfect hitter God ever created.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:32 AM (Pz4pT)

211 Another good resource for the niche reader (and writer) is Lulu Books.

https://www.lulu.com

I use it to get Tom Cotton books. No, not that Tom Cotton. This Tom Cotton is retired Brit engineer who has translated a number of classic books into Latin which I read in my never-ending quest to learn Latin. I'm currently reading Aurae Inter Salices (The Wind In the Willows).

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:33 AM (Nwg0u)

212 DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!! It is published by Cro.O Ked Publications. I

********

Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!

Cro O. Ked Publications!!!

Bwahahahahaha!!!!

Posted by: Diogenes at September 10, 2017 11:33 AM (0tfLf)

213 "were able to react to stimula without thought"

That was played up in the movie "Burn after Reading".
In that movie Brad Pitt played a hansom dolt. George Clooney played a handsome ass. John Malkovich played
an ugly ass. The other actors just wasted time. Pointless satire less funny than "Intolerable Cruelty".

Posted by: Mudd at September 10, 2017 11:34 AM (WAzyc)

214 Hillary Clinton, only a couple of numbers from Rogers and Hammerstein's Curly McLain can save your drunk fucking ass now.

Posted by: The Algorithm at September 10, 2017 11:34 AM (D0riW)

215 I believe I just exsaturated and boy, what a mess. *hic*

Posted by: Ready For Hillary!!11!! at September 10, 2017 11:34 AM (Tyii7)

216 There are some truly great baseball books out there and if you're at all a fan you can find them. Yogi Berra's bio is terrific fun, Sparky Anderson has a great book out, there are several wonderful books about past seasons and eras in baseball. Its a nice comfortable genre to read especially in hard times or when you need a break from heavier stuff.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:34 AM (39g3+)

217 And the difference is astounding. The quicker a bat, the more time the player has to read and recognize pitches. The amount of time between the pitch leaving the pitcher's hand and reaching the strike zone is shockingly small.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:23 AM (39g3+)

Epstein relates the story of how Jennie Finch, the championship softball pitcher, was able to strike out guys like Pujols and Bonds. Not one mlb batter could hit the pitches of a woman throwing in the high 60's - because they are not trained to see pitches coming from a softball pitcher. The visual cues that were built into their brains from playing thousands of baseball games - noticing the arm angle of the pitcher for instance - were of no use facing her. Also -softballs don't have red seams. That is also an essential visual cue for a mlb hitter. As Epstein put it, she deprived them of their crystal ball - their ability to see into the future by a fraction of a millisecond and estimate where the ball would be by the time it got to home plate. They simply had no idea with softball pitches.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:35 AM (P8951)

218 *rummages and finds what Marion Zimmer Bradley once wrote on figuring out one's story*

From Sword and Sorceress XIV on pg 279 - 280.

One of my major precepts is that you should be able to describe the plot of a story in a single sentence; if you can't tell me in a single sentence "what's the story about," it's too complicated.

...
I always asked the student to begin by summarizing the plot of her (or his) story as follows:
1.) Who is the main character?
2.) What does he or she want?
3.) What is keeping him (her) from getting it?
4.) Will he or she get it or not?

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at September 10, 2017 11:35 AM (+6nI6)

219
"I will say that one thing I've noticed about the Clintons (and I've been watching them ever since they and their slimy retinue of fixers, bagmen, hustlers and other reptilian creeps..."

...rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at September 10, 2017 11:36 AM (IqV8l)

220 I'm currently reading Aurae Inter Salices (The Wind In the Willows). Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:33 AM (Nwg0u)
=====

Darn it! Now I have to go find my copy of 'Winnie Ille Pu' and see who did the translation. (No, I don't remember a thing after 5 years of Latin, but I know I got the book as a gift.)

Posted by: mustbequantum at September 10, 2017 11:38 AM (MIKMs)

221 There are some truly great baseball books out there and if you're at all a fan you can find them. Yogi Berra's bio is terrific fun, Sparky Anderson has a great book out, there are several wonderful books about past seasons and eras in baseball. Its a nice comfortable genre to read especially in hard times or when you need a break from heavier stuff.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:34 AM (39g3+)

I have Christy Mathewson's "Pitching in a Pinch" laying around here somewhere. Bill James highly recommends it. That, and others. And I would recommend EVERYTHING Bill James has ever written, on baseball or anything else.

Bernard Malamud's "The Natural" is the best fiction book I would recommend... just know that the story does NOT follow the same path as the movie.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:38 AM (Pz4pT)

222 Growing up in the 50s-60s, IBM science nerds and their usually nerdly wives were given Emily Post-type social training. I recall that officers and their wives had the same for the Armed Services. Maybe the current 'sensitivity' training required for young people nowadays is a perversion of the tradition?

===

Perversion is a good term for it. They should bring back social training; nothing more distracting than having your dinner date use the tablecloth as a napkin, and a napkin for a hanky

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:38 AM (fbgDX)

223 "Cro O. Ked Publications"

Had to laugh. It reminded me of that Limbaugh spoof a few years ago about all the soccer injuries in the news at that time. The 'group' so concerned was KOOKS: 'Keep Our Own Kids Safe'. (The scary part was how few people seemed to get the joke.)

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 11:39 AM (V+03K)

224 My oldest brother David died this week, but he left me a wonderful legacy. When I was very young, like 7 or 8, he told me all about The Hobbit. I remember it so clearly I can remember climbing the Jonathan apple tree in our back yard as we talked. It seared in my mind these visions and concepts of dragons and magic and wizards and dwarves that awoke a love of fantasy I never knew I had, and more importantly, of reading.

So thank you David, for your gift.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:39 AM (39g3+)

225 Epstein relates the story of how Jennie Finch, the championship softball pitcher, was able to strike out guys like Pujols and Bonds. Not one mlb batter could hit the pitches of a woman throwing in the high 60's - because they are not trained to see pitches coming from a softball pitcher. The visual cues that were built into their brains from playing thousands of baseball games - noticing the arm angle of the pitcher for instance - were of no use facing her. Also -softballs don't have red seams. That is also an essential visual cue for a mlb hitter. As Epstein put it, she deprived them of their crystal ball - their ability to see into the future by a fraction of a millisecond and estimate where the ball would be by the time it got to home plate. They simply had no idea with softball pitches.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V
----
Yep - My uncle was a MLB pitcher way back in the day. We loved to play baseball with him as kids. He couldn't hit our crappy pitches worth a damn. He was always waaaaaay in front of them.

Posted by: Tonypete at September 10, 2017 11:41 AM (tr2D7)

226 Apparently, all AoSHQ threads devolve into baseball threads.

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 11:41 AM (bjWNl)

227 Need to get ready for church, bbl

Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 11:41 AM (bjWNl)

228 Sorry about your brother, Christopher R Taylor

Posted by: runner at September 10, 2017 11:42 AM (fbgDX)

229 As I've heard said here and elsewhere, the past is a foreign country.

-
And it's fascist.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:43 AM (Nwg0u)

230 ...rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists.

*finally gets out a pad and pencil*

Could you repeat that, boss?

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:43 AM (39g3+)

231 As I've heard said here and elsewhere, the past is a foreign country.

-
And it's fascist.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:43 AM (Nwg0u)

And stubborn.

It refuses to change.

Posted by: H. D. Woodard - "Wearing the Cat" at September 10, 2017 11:44 AM (9q7Dl)

232 After the eye tests on the Dodgers were conducted, Tommy Lasorda asked the ophthalmologist to predict which guy from the minor league system would have a great mlb career based on eyesight alone. That's all the doctor knew about them - he didn't have their baseball stats. The doctor chose a catcher who had been picked by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the draft and nobody was paying much attention to - Mike Piazza.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:44 AM (P8951)

233 They simply had no idea with softball pitches.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:35 AM (P8951)

No doubt. And I would also suggest, with enough training they could learn to crush anything she threw, because they have the built-in genetic coding that allows them to excel. At the cost of reducing their ability to hit MLB pitching though, so why bother.

It's like being a soprano, with a vocal range in the upper register, and then somebody gives you an alto part to sing. You could train yourself to do it, but you would risk losing your upper register range.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:45 AM (Pz4pT)

234 Hilarious and true

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/275125/

Posted by: steevy at September 10, 2017 11:45 AM (rmVvL)

235 As Epstein put it, she deprived them of their crystal ball - their ability to see into the future by a fraction of a millisecond and estimate where the ball would be by the time it got to home plate.

That's also why knuckleballers and other really unorthodox pitchers confuse batters. They get into a pattern and system and its very difficult to get out of it. At least some of Kershaw's success is that unusual delivery where he takes a half step then slides out. It messes with batter rhythm.

Also, its why the shift can work. A really good hitter will eat the shift alive, but average hitters, the simple expedient of slightly turning in the batter's box or delaying very slightly to move the ball somewhere else messes with their system so badly they can't adjust.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:45 AM (39g3+)

236 226 Apparently, all AoSHQ threads devolve into baseball threads.
Posted by: OregonMuse, AoSHQ Thought Leader at September 10, 2017 11:41 AM (bjWNl)

I apologize for bringing it up, OM. I will try to keep my obsession to myself

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:46 AM (P8951)

237 ALH Loyd and Christopher Taylor, yep. Write to satisfy your curiosity to see if your character or crew gets out of a sticky situation. Once done, then worry about fixing things.

*stares at 4,600 words of Reaper Cat Six* Of which I am bogged down on. Or Where Cats Dare which is completely missing the fun of Pinch of Larceny.

The winner of the Amazon UK Storyteller contest, a Mr. Leadbetter, won with his 23rd Kindle book. All about someone hired by the CIA to put together a team to retrieve ancient relics. In The Relic Hunters it is about a statue of Zeus.

How original is that? Well it snagged him the brass* ring. So it must have something going for it right?

*I had originally typo'd that as grass ring. Now I'm wondering what could that symbolize. *sigh* Imagination can be a problem.

Posted by: Anna Puma (HQCaR) at September 10, 2017 11:46 AM (+6nI6)

238 224 ... Condolences, Christopher. But you're right about your brother's legacy. He not only enhanced this world for you, he showed how to see and enjoy other worlds through books. That is a precious gift.

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 11:48 AM (V+03K)

239
As I've heard said here and elsewhere, the past is a foreign country.

The future is a foreign planet.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at September 10, 2017 11:48 AM (IqV8l)

240 The doctor chose a catcher who had been picked by the Dodgers in the 62nd round of the draft and nobody was paying much attention to - Mike Piazza.
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:44 AM (P8951)

Well... there's stories about Piazza, and there are stories about Piazza. One of them is that Lasorda asked the aforementioned Ted Williams to visit the kid when Mike was still a teenager. Allegedly, ol' Ted was so impressed with the kid he was predicting greatness for him, years before he was ever drafted.

Piazza is Lasorda's nephew or something like that.

Anyhoo, some of Piazza's prowess as a hitter is NOT God-given... unless you count steroids as one of God's gifts.

Posted by: BurtTC at September 10, 2017 11:49 AM (Pz4pT)

241 The Washington Post reported that Strong for a Moment Like This: The Daily Devotions of Hillary Rodham Clinton is "riddled with plagiarism."

Here's a preview from my next book, "2020: What Happened":

"Instead of focusing on the election issues, I was unfairly attacked by the press, because of accusations of plagiarism against a friend of mine who had written a devotional."

Oh, yes. I'm already collecting evidences of the conspiracies against my 2020 run. But I'll be back in 2024.

Posted by: Hillary Clinton at September 10, 2017 11:49 AM (/qEW2)

242 Write to satisfy your curiosity to see if your character or crew gets out of a sticky situation.

Most of my writing consists of very few things:

1) complicate things, don't let them work out as the hero plans
2) ask questions and answer them: how did she get there? Why did that happen? Where is that thing? What is that guy doing?
3) just throwing stuff on paper as it comes to me, out of the blue. Characters suddenly appear like the little kid in Old Habits. Hey he's interesting, let's see where this goes...

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:49 AM (39g3+)

243 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:39 AM (39g3+)

David sounds like a wonderful brother and wonderful human being. You were blessed to have him in you life - and he was blessed to have you.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:50 AM (P8951)

244 As always a bit late but since some good Russia/Soviet military titles mentioned way up above, I'll note I'm well into "A Writer at War", drawn largely from the diaries and notes, as well as some of the published articles, of Vasiliy Grossman, a writer-turned-journalist who was the star field correspondent for Red Star (Krasnaya Zvezda), the Red Army newspaper, in WWII.

Good, easy cruising for any WWII or eastern front nerds. Lots of interesting color, and as the good annotation and commentary by Antony Beevor notes, Grossman was very lucky to live through the war - not so much because of war danger, though he spent literally years at the front, but because his notes and sometimes his behavior could easily have resulted in imprisonment or worse by the NKVD.

Highly recommended. Not much of a fiction guy but will check out his novel about Stalingrad, Life and Fate, and his earlier novel about the early, chaotic retreats of the war, name escapes me right now.

Posted by: rhomboid at September 10, 2017 11:53 AM (QDnY+)

245 So sorry, Christopher. I hope your family can find the strength to remember and treasure those precious memories. Love each other. Again, my sympathies.

Posted by: mustbequantum at September 10, 2017 11:53 AM (MIKMs)

246 I, Claudius is a great series, the Brits do fine Historical drama without needing to make it pretty and modern looking. At least, they used to.

I'm pretty sure Hillary had her book written mostly out of ego and an attempt to shore up donations.

-
I, Hillary would make a good book if it told the truth about the lies, crimes, murders, corruption, mental illness, sexual perversion and such of the Clinton family. We'll probably have to wait 2000 years for it, though.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 11:57 AM (Nwg0u)

247 Finished Villains Inc. (Wearing The Cape #2) by Marion Harmon, the continuing story of Astra the super-strong, super-fast bullet-proof young woman who has joined a league of good super-powered people, as opposed to their enemies, a shadowy group of bad super-powered people. Terrific action and lot of fun, good characters, look forward to reading more of these, which is good as I'm running low on Hard Luck Hanks to read.

Listened to Monster Hunter Siege (MHI #6) by Larry Correia, as Owen Pitt leads the MHI gang plus other MH companies to try to save the world against otherworldly invaders. Enjoyed it, also it leaves some threads open, will be interested to see where they lead in the eventual sequel.

Posted by: waelse1 at September 10, 2017 11:58 AM (+7KtG)

248 His grandkids are pretty freaked out whenever they get dragged over to his house.
Posted by: Tom Servo at September 10, 2017 11:18 AM (V2Yro)

Damn...he is a loony tune. Sounds like the Dustbin Hoffman character in "Papillon".

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at September 10, 2017 11:59 AM (5VlCp)

249 Decided on a re-read of Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. It is about the Hurricane that wiped out Galveston about a century ago. Larson, to me, is one of the few nonfiction authors that write so well you think it is a fiction book you are reading.

Posted by: Charlotte at September 10, 2017 12:01 PM (c3AZU)

250 Oh bookreading Corgi's.....!

Posted by: ibguy at September 10, 2017 12:02 PM (vUcdz)

251 Got through it all
Wouldn't suprise me FDR got played, he was a out and out progressive.

Posted by: Skip at September 10, 2017 12:08 PM (pPKG5)

252 I have a favor to ask. I am donating a gift basket for a library fundraiser. I was going to just make a nice gift basket but now they tell me they'd like a literary theme if possible.
An example they gave was "tequila mockingbird" it had tequila, shot glasses, and I forget what else was in there.

I'm not that clever.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The cool book sets from Juniper.
One kings lane always has book sets from that site Juniper. Much cheaper than the website.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 10, 2017 12:10 PM (Ri/rl)

253 You said "'Ettes" twice!
Posted by: Hrothgar at September 10, 2017 09:22 AM (gwPgz)

I like 'Ettes.

Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at September 10, 2017 12:11 PM (7oUUT)

254 OT: This sounds unbelievable but people are being warned to not shoot at Irma. She can blow the bullets back at you.

https://tinyurl.com/ybfweswb

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Doppelganger To the Stars! at September 10, 2017 12:11 PM (Nwg0u)

255 It took the book A Man Called Intrepid for me to really appreciate how important FDR was at the time. None of his value to the world in WW2 eclipses his evil to the US in terms of domestic policy and his failure to deal with Communism in his midst and worldwide, but he wasn't all bad.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:11 PM (39g3+)

256 Christopher, since I am waiting for a call regarding my beloved BIL, who is on a ventilator now, weighs 84 pounds and has a fractured shoulder - well, I'm going on about baseball and perfume (yesterday's thread) and anything else I can think of to escape from what I think will come soon. This is a dumb analogy but I think of trying to ignore an abscessed tooth which is hurting and hurts 10 times as much if you touch it with your tongue -so you try to avoid doing that, but you're always conscious of that tooth and you know any second, it's going to flare up and really hurt.

I'm bracing myself for the bad hurt.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 12:11 PM (P8951)

257 Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:35 AM (P8951)

Donna, a friend of mine was the Jennie Finch of my era. She's in the hall of fame at her alma mater. Her husband goes to softball events and he's known as Mr his wife's maiden name.

She was awesome.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 10, 2017 12:14 PM (Ri/rl)

258 Donna and Christopher

Hugs and prayers.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 10, 2017 12:16 PM (Ri/rl)

259 Donna yeah my brother was in bad health for years, extremely overweight, with athsma and a bad heart. We knew he wouldn't last forever, so in a way we were kind of ready when he went. But its still hard to take.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:18 PM (39g3+)

260 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 11:39 AM (39g3+)

Condolences for your brother's passing, RIP.

Posted by: waelse1 at September 10, 2017 12:18 PM (+7KtG)

261 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:18 PM (39g3+)

Christopher, again I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a wonderful brother.

Posted by: CaliGirl at September 10, 2017 12:20 PM (Ri/rl)

262 The thing is, my brother had some very tough times in his life and many things he regretted, and now he is finally at peace. He lived a troubled life, and my mom said in a way it was restful to know he's safe now. I love the old song Angel Band:

My latest sun is sinking fast
My race is nearly run
My strongest trials now are past
My triumph has begun

Oh come angel band
Come and around me stand
Oh bear me away on your snow white wings
To my immortal home
Oh bear me away on your snow white wings
To my immortal home

Oh bear my longing heart to him
Who bled and died for me
Whose blood now cleanses from all sin
And gives me victory

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:22 PM (39g3+)

263 Unfortunately, I could not find any large photos that would allow you to see the details, which I'm sure must be exquisite.

++++

I suppose at this point, it's too late to do you much good, but here's a bigger version.

https://anasulum.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/10.jpg

Found via TinEye.com. That's a very handy image search tool. You give it a link to an image, it will give you links to the same image in other locations. Among other options, you can search by how big the image is. They even have browser plugins, so you just have to right click on an image to do a tineye search.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at September 10, 2017 12:22 PM (FUu/Z)

264 I'm trying to be comforting Donna and I guess I'm not very good at it. Just know that you aren't alone.

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:22 PM (39g3+)

265 nood

Posted by: Vic We Have No Party at September 10, 2017 12:23 PM (mpXpK)

266 Oh, yes. I'm already collecting evidences of the conspiracies against my 2020 run. But I'll be back in 2024.
Posted by: Hillary Clinton

It's nice to know that we'll ALWAYS have Hillary Clinton to kick around.

Posted by: Richard Nixon, it's 1962 all over again at September 10, 2017 12:23 PM (S6Pax)

267 I apologize for bringing it up, OM. I will try to keep my obsession to myself
Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 11:46 AM (P8951)

Another reason why we need a girly thread, dang it. Since Cochran abandoned us, we have no place to talk about baseball.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at September 10, 2017 12:27 PM (yE+j4)

268 Inidentally if you need writing tips or just are bored, I have a writing blog that i update irregularly over time and its where I put all my thoughts on books, writing, and the process and science of the deed

http://ctinscribed.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:28 PM (39g3+)

269 Science fiction fans are saddened by the news of Dr. Jerry Pournelle's passing. If you're interested in finding out why he's so respected as a science fiction writer, his first contact novel, The Mote in God's Eye, would be a good place to start.

Posted by: Hans G. Schantz at September 10, 2017 12:28 PM (NhF/Q)

270 Before we get too excited about pseudoSuvorov, professor Gregory Cochran has flagged at least one of ps-S's conspiracy-theories as discredited:

Icebreaker. Victor Suvorov (alias) wrote a book saying that the Soviets were poised to invade the Nazi-controlled lands in the summer of 41. Silly: the Soviets were desperately afraid of a war with Germany, because they feared that they'd lose. So afraid they ignored credible reports of the coming attack from their own intelligence guys, Western powers, even from the German ambassador! it was too horrible to be true.

The German Army looked damned good in defeating France, while the Soviets had had a lot of trouble with Finland, caused in part by having just shot most of the higher officer corps. That and Simo Hayha.

If the Sovs were within a couple of weeks of launching invasion, you'd think that they would have called up the deep reserves, bothered to get all of their tanks working, stockpiled fuel, run recon overflights, snuck sappers into German-occupied territory (to sabotage bridges and cut communications lines), finish reorganization of their tank corps, etc. etc.. - most of which the Germans did do, of course. None of which the Soviets did. The Soviet high command expressed great concern about their frontier about not giving Hitler an "excuse" for starting a war - like he needed one! Hitler may be the only person that Stalin really, truly trusted in his adult life: which must prove something.

http://tinyurl.com/y9s82g97

Cochran co-authored "The Ten Thousand Year Explosion" on recent human evolution, including the parts involving IQ. Hardly a Leftist bible.

Posted by: boulder terlit hobo at September 10, 2017 12:30 PM (6FqZa)

271 Not buying any thought that Russia was thinking of stabbing Germany in the back in '41, have read a couple of accounts Uncle Joe went to pieces right after Operation Barbarosa started. The Russians were convinced a war was coming but not for a few more years.

Posted by: Skip at September 10, 2017 12:34 PM (pPKG5)

272 Still chipping away at "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. Votermom and JTB have posted some great comments on the Goodreads thread.

Posted by: FireHorse at September 10, 2017 09:36 AM (zkGZ

I have thoroughly enjoyed what I've been able to read so far in Meditations. Haven't felt grounded enough to venture into the Goodreads site and comment, but MA's views on life are certainly making me think.

Posted by: Hrothgar at September 10, 2017 12:37 PM (gwPgz)

273 Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at September 10, 2017 11:36 AM (IqV8l)

You left out pederasts or is it Podestaists?

Posted by: Hrothgar at September 10, 2017 12:49 PM (gwPgz)

274 Disturbingly reminiscent of the bar interior at the end of From Dusk Til Dawn.

Posted by: Sven at September 10, 2017 12:55 PM (5rmvo)

275 Well, if I don't have pants on by now, it ain't happening.

*goes back to reading in shorty robe and slippers*

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 12:56 PM (qJtVm)

276 *whistles at Eris' gams*

Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 01:03 PM (39g3+)

277
I'm about halfway through...
"Churchills Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare"

I am really enjoying it. Reads more like a novel than a history book... think 007...but for realz.

Ian Fleming's older brother was one of the soldiers involved in this strange division dedicated to unusual tactics and devices. Perhaps that was the inspiration for the James Bond novels?

Highly recommend so far.... hope it's last half is as good as it's first half.

Posted by: Some Guy in Wisconsin at September 10, 2017 01:06 PM (tDTdL)

278 Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 01:03 PM (39g3+)
---
*lowers sunglasses*

Hey Christopher, I thought your remembrance of your brother was so beautiful. I hope you know you yourself are an influence for good in a thousand little ways you don't even realize. I am so sorry for your loss, but at least your brother has you to help guide your nephews.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 01:13 PM (qJtVm)

279 277
"Highly recommend so far.... hope it's last half is as good as it's first half."

It is. I thought it read like a novel too.

Posted by: Tuna at September 10, 2017 01:19 PM (jm1YL)

280 Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at September 10, 2017 12:56 PM (qJtVm)

Soooo fancy! I am barefooted in a tank top! #Hillbilly

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at September 10, 2017 01:21 PM (yE+j4)

281 264 I'm trying to be comforting Donna and I guess I'm not very good at it.
Posted by: Christopher R Taylor at September 10, 2017 12:22 PM (39g3+)

Actually, you are.

Posted by: Donna&&&&&&V sez: beat the Cubs, Crew! at September 10, 2017 01:21 PM (P8951)

282 280 ... "Soooo fancy! I am barefooted in a tank top! #Hillbilly"

Tammy, You and Eris shouldn't tease. Pictures, not words. :-)

Posted by: JTB at September 10, 2017 01:34 PM (V+03K)

283 I am attempting to write fiction, possibly sci-fi, and I was wondering
if you could provide a link to a past thread where Morons provided tips
to help one another with ideas and how-to starters. Unless I am dumb and
making all of this up. It's possible --- scotch is a helluva drug.

It may not be morons, but there is this:

http://monsterhunternation.com/best-of-mhn/

Look for the header: Writing Related.

And I'm not wearing pants. It's September.

https://www.kiltedtokickcancer.org/

So there.

Posted by: GGE of the Moron Horde, NC Chapter at September 10, 2017 01:44 PM (vbvxt)

284 So far I have ordered Hangman's Daughter and The Drifter used from Amazon- both I had not heard of before or read anything by those authors, which is one of the cool features of this site. However, that is my budget (and time) for the week, so I can't read anymore comments lest I be tempted to order more...

Posted by: Charlotte at September 10, 2017 02:00 PM (Uz88Z)

285 249 Decided on a re-read of Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. It is about the Hurricane that wiped out Galveston about a century ago. Larson, to me, is one of the few nonfiction authors that write so well you think it is a fiction book you are reading.

So am I! It is an incredible book that is heartbreaking in that so many mistakes were made by Issac Cline (and others). Al Roker wrote a book about the storm and even though there are several friends recommending it, I refuse to read it.. Larson's book is too good and I think Roker is an idiot.

Posted by: Rgallegos at September 10, 2017 02:09 PM (59GQk)

286
So the Times bases its list on calling up some brick-and-mortar stores? Really? That's it?

Even if they weren't specifically ignoring the conservative authors, they almost certainly were only calling stores in Manhattan, so, self-selecting.

Rather like every "lifestyle" article in women's magazines that get quotes from 6 women on a new fashion/lifestyle trend, and 5 of them live in NYC. Every. Time.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at September 10, 2017 02:14 PM (iFZVz)

287 For those who love World War Two Russian Front stuff, please say a prayer or cross your fingers for me. I just turned in a book proposal to a major publisher about The Battle For Austria in 1945.

Re: Jerry Pournelle. He was one of my literary heroes. What most folks won't know is how active he was in the SFWA, Science Fiction Writers of America. He posted on the discussion boards dozens of times a day on every imaginable subject. The guy's mind was sharper than ever. He was unfailingly gracious to new members.

Damn, this sucks.

Posted by: William Alan Webb at September 10, 2017 02:28 PM (OhYcy)

288 Can I kill a thread or what?

Posted by: William Alan Webb at September 10, 2017 02:44 PM (OhYcy)

289 Juniper books can be seen in the clubroom of many apartment complexes.

Posted by: MikeN at September 10, 2017 02:50 PM (o/eHL)

290 Damn it. Jerry Pournelle was one of the first authors I knew 'by name'. His work with Niven led to the best science fiction ever written.

Gonna go read Footfall.

Damn it...

I guess everyone dies.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards at September 10, 2017 03:04 PM (xJa6I)

291 On the "brick and mortar" bit? Regnary moved TONS through WalMart.

Take a guess as to whether NYT lists count those sales. Go on, guess.

Listened to the Hildabeast. Trump, Comey, Russians, etc. Jane Pauley: "You energized people with 'deplorables'..."

Hillary: "I don't accept that."

And Pauley ends the bit with "...while accepting responsabilty..."

I...I...it just...

I need a drink.

Posted by: Captain Comic at September 10, 2017 03:04 PM (x6Jxj)

292 My husband is good friends with a friend who's father was a good friend of Bader's (Roy Farran - look him up on wikipedia- interesting guy.) He (my husband met Bader a few times at his buddy's parent place. Described him as very intense and rather loud - his legs (wooden at the time) gave him away as he moved through the house.

Posted by: Sue at September 10, 2017 03:34 PM (+ZK/F)

293 Well, here I is. Better late than never. This week I'm reading Snow Blind by Ragnar Jonasson and Angels on Earth, by Laura Schroff.

Posted by: SandyCheeks at September 10, 2017 04:03 PM (joFoi)

294 William Alan Webb, good luck on the book proposal.

Posted by: votermom pimping great books! at September 10, 2017 05:12 PM (hMwEB)

295 I have been reading English authors the past few weeks. First up was Giles Milton's "Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlermanly Warfare", about the English sabotage against the Nazis in WWII. Next was Neale Shilton's autobiography "A Million Miles Ago" which tells the unfortunate story behind the demise of the English motorcycle industry from an insider's point of view. He was the national police sales Manager for Triumph in their heyday in the 50's and early 60's. He went on to sell the English police forces BMW police machines. Now I'm reading the remarkable book by Gavin Maxwell "Ring of Bright Water" about his life with otters. All very, very English.

Posted by: JimK at September 10, 2017 05:30 PM (asEt5)

296 100: "Literature" is books written by professors for professors. "I'll put your book on my required reading list if you put mine on yours." It's incest at its finest.

when I first got into the book biz, I read The New York Times book review section from cover to cover. A few years in, I gave it up because at some point it stopped being about books but about demonstrating how much smarter the reviewer was than either the writer or the would-be reader.

Posted by: Deplorable lady with a deplorable basket of deplorable Ca at September 10, 2017 10:42 PM (oLynO)

297 Interesting about the library at Coimbra. The French upended the city under Marshal Massena during their third invasion of Portugal in 1810. They went on to lose a third of their army at Torres Vedras trying to take Lisbon but Colonel Trant and the Loyal Lusatian Legion reoccupied Coimbra before that, where Massena had left his sick and wounded under a woefully inadequate guard. The destruction of supplies at Coimbra and the loss of his hospital finished off his armies moral. How many of those books survived that fateful years that are on the shelves today?

Posted by: WestCoastRich at September 11, 2017 12:30 AM (nHxB7)

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