Sunday Morning Book Thread - 03-20-2022 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Good morning, Horde! Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading. Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material, even if it's nothing more than the rules text on your favorite Pokemon card. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...for when you absolutely, positively need an extra floatation device (ht: bonhomme).

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, break open a box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs, and crack open a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

NOTE ON COMMENTS:

As a general rule on specialty threads (Book, Pet, Gun, Food, Gardening, etc.), please keep comments mostly relevant to the specialty of that thread. Comments that are simply about the events of the day don't really belong here. At the very least, a good rule of thumb is to obey the "100 comment" rule, where all comments should by relevant to the specialty subject until after 100 comments or so. Thank you.

Now on to the chocolate frosted goodness of the Sunday Morning Book Thread!

PIC NOTE

The Grolier Club is an organization based out of New York City that promotes "the literary study of the arts pertaining to the production of books" among other activities. It does seem to be a rather exclusive club of antiquarian book sellers, collectors, and bibliophiles. Perhaps a tad elitist. But they do hold books in high regard and consider books to be artworks worthy of display just like any other medium of art. Can't really argue with them there. They are a good resource for anyone who is really, really serious about books: cataloging, binding, printing, storing, auctioning, etc. The Grolier Club library is open to outsiders, by appointment, and there are some very strict protocols you are expected to observe (not all of which are COVID related). Many of their books are quite old and extremely delicate.

IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR ~~WORD POWER~~ FICTIONAL GEOGRAPHY

Last week we had a rather spirited discussion of the merits or lack thereof regarding the fantasy genre. One of the arguments against the genre is that authors have to invent their own worlds with their own rules. Of course, just because an author creates a fictional land doesn't necessarily mean that it's filled with magic and monsters. Furthermore, we live in a universe that is filled with wonders we are only beginning to understand. With that in mind, here are a couple of interesting locales for stories. One is fictional, but realistic, meaning there are no magical or supernatural aspects to this location. The other is an actual location, but displays odd properties that could be used in a science fiction story.

Kravonia

Kravonia is a tiny little European country that exists at the intersection of the current nations of Poland, Ukraine, and Slovakia, just a little ways south of the Polish town of Cisna. It's the home of Baroness Dobrava, a one-time kitchen maid from Essex, England, who made her way to Paris and from there to Kravonia, where she saved the life of the Crown Prince, thus earning her current status and position. The customs and language of Kravonia are difficult for many westerners to learn. As Sophy herself states, "You must accustom yourself to Kravonia; it's not Essex, you know."

SOURCE: Sophy of Kravonia (1906) by Anthony Hope (also author of The Prisoner of Zenda). This book is in the public domain and can be found at Project Gutenberg for free.

TOI-178

According to Space.com, TOI-178 is a very unusual system in that 5 of the 6 known worlds orbit the star in a resonant pattern (18:9:6:4:3 to be precise). The first planent in the chain (closest to the star) completes 18 revolutions around the star in the same time as planet number two completes 9 orbits, the third planet completes 6 orbits, and so on. It's a highly stable system indicating one of two things. Either it has not had any major gravitational perturbations from wandering bodies (stars, planets, comets, etc.), or aliens did it, a much more likely explanation. The composition of the planets also seem a bit "off" compared to our own solar system. This is exactly the kind of star system that would be fun to explore in any number of ways in a science fiction story. Heck, even Star Trek fan fiction could be interesting in this setting.

TOI-178 is a boring name. What crazy names can the Horde come up with for this extra-solar system?

WHO DIS

CLUE 1 - Frequent collaborators until the death of one of them in 1991.

CLUE 2 - One worked as an astronomer and computer scientist. The other worked as a teacher and interpreter.

CLUE 3 - Created the "Wanderers Universe."

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS:

This is a free "book", a debate (of sorts) between Dugin of Russia and Olavo de Carvalho of Brazil. The topic is this new world order interpreted. It's 169 pages in pdf.
https://is.gd/XUFbqR
Carvalho lays out a lot about the failures of the powers that be, or their success I guess, in terms of global domination wars. I found the last half or so especially interesting, where Carvalho responds to how Dugin tries to frame Carvalho as not really independent, but a tool of those dirty Americans.
Some was more philosophy than I really grasped, but a lot of history from their different viewpoints. On the new world order thing, Carvalho has good insight into their evil intent, and control in the USA and beyond. "Does he (Dugin) see with horror the globalist project of the Rockfellers and Soros? So do I."
But explains in detail how the communists are no saintly answer (as in not saving Ukraine from the Nazis).
Posted by: illiniwek at March 13, 2022 10:13 AM (Cus5s)

Comment: In light of the events happening overseas in Russia/Ukraine, it can be useful to read something like this. Both sides undoubtedly have legitimate grievances from their respective points of view. It's just unfortunate that so many people have to suffer and die before these issues can be resolved.

+++++

As gDaughter is younger and not yet reading in her own, I read her selection to her, "Dog Man Unleashed". The art is not great (this is the Captain Underpants author, so, of course), but the story was filled with enough absurdities and out of nowhere plot zigs and zags that it amused a preschooler. I was laughing throughout it, as I enjoy such antics. When I finish reading a book to the gKids I sometimes ask them if they want to hear how the rest of the story went and I take it to weird juxtapositions and flights of word play that "You're weird, Grandpa" is often their rejoinder. ("Stop it!" is not uncommonly heard, too.)
At nearly two hundred pages, my audience said the book was too long for one reading to complete the full thing. I agreed with that. But we had a fun 3/4 of an hour together and that made it all worthwhile.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 13, 2022 08:33 AM (pNxlR)

Comment: Reading to children is one of the true joys in life. They experience stories in ways that we seldom remember, but they can help us rekindle our own sense of wonder when they encounter stories for the first time. Stories are excellent for teaching children how to become functioning members of society.

+++++

And on a happier note, I highly recommend for Christians, "With Christ in the school of prayer" by Andrew Murray, who was a Dutch Reformed Minister in the late 19th and early 20th century. I have read it several times now and it is a uplifting and encouraging book on prayer
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at March 13, 2022 08:29 AM (klcqt)

Comment: I know many members of the Horde are celebrating Lent right now, in preparation for Easter in a few weeks. All of us could perhaps take some time to step back and reflect on what is really good and true in this life, as well as reflecting on what may be waiting for us in the next. Prayers up for everyone who is suffering right now, whether it is the loss of a beloved pet, a parent, a spouse, or any other loss, as well as those who are simply struggling to cope with the crazy world we live in right now.

+-----+-----+-----+-----+

That's about all I have for this week. Thank you for all of your kind words regarding my Sunday Morning Book Thread. I hope I am able to continue doing this for the foreseeable future. I do have some plans for this space to help grow it and increase our active participation. Stay tuned!

If you have any suggestions for improvement, reading recommendations, or writing projects that you'd like to see on the Sunday Morning Book Thread, you can send them to perfessor dot squirrel at-sign gmail dot com. Your feedback is always appreciated! You can also take a virtual tour of my library at libib.com/u/perfessorsquirrel.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 03-13-22 (hat tip: vmom stabby stabby stabamillion) (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 No reading this week!

Posted by: rhennigantx at March 20, 2022 07:57 AM (yrol0)

2 first?

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 07:57 AM (PiwSw)

3 rats, Tolle Lege?

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 07:57 AM (PiwSw)

4 Time machine in full effect today. Posted in the future!

Posted by: Cat Ass Trophy at March 20, 2022 07:58 AM (qnVBz)

5 Morning, Horde...How goes it?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 07:59 AM (K5n5d)

6 Comment: I know many members of the Horde are celebrating Lent right now, in preparation for Easter in a few weeks. All of us could perhaps take some time to step back and reflect on what is really good and true in this life, as well as reflecting on what may be waiting for us in the next.

Amen.

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 08:00 AM (45fpk)

7 Tolle Lege
Of two books in middle of Napoleon and the Queen of Prussia is only one been reading, Race Marxism I want to get back to but it's heavy reading.

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 08:01 AM (2JoB8)

8 Being an astrologist in a harmonic solar system would be interesting....

Posted by: Warai-otoko at March 20, 2022 08:02 AM (6FeV1)

9 I'm working my way through the Shetland series of books by Ann Cleeves. I got interested because of the excellent TV series. The books do not disappoint, Very atmospheric and well-written.

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 08:03 AM (45fpk)

10 That library pic looks to me like a photo of The World's Grandest Coin-Operated Video Game.

Maybe Sinistar 2.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 08:03 AM (5NkmN)

11 Lithgow reading Seuss -- it doesn't get any better than that.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 08:03 AM (PiwSw)

12 >>>a box of Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs

I want these.

Posted by: m at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (2Q+cC)

13 Good morning everyone.

I am going through the stacks and trying to reduce the number of books. *snif*

If anyone is interested in a 2-volume set of the Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of The Lehigh Valley Pennsylvania (1905), reach out to me. Info in my nic.

I'll send them to you all gratis.

Posted by: Tonypete at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (ZSrej)

14 I'm starting on Elric. I listened to the first two volumes of Corum and liked it a lot.

Posted by: BourbonChicken at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (ybIRR)

15 It seems like a truly harmonic solar system would be the astrophysical equivalent of an unbalanced washing machine.

Posted by: Warai-otoko at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (6FeV1)

16 Morning, book folk!

Another truly peculiar setting for SF is Larry Niven's Ringworld. Imagine a belt around a star, 93 million miles in radius, 1000 miles from edge to edge with rim walls to hold in the air, and it spins to provide gravity. It's always high noon on the Ring, except for the night provided by a series of shadow squares that orbit closer to the Sol-like star. LN tells us it has something like 3 million times the surface area of the Earth. There are no Coriolis forces, thus no hurricanes (though the first novel in the series gives us a variation on that).

A fantastic, mind-bending adventure novel, is Ringworld -- sort of a Wizard of Oz story, except the Yellow Brick Road is 600 million miles long!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (c6xtn)

17 I'm starting on Elric. I listened to the first two volumes of Corum and liked it a lot.
Posted by: BourbonChicken at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (ybIRR)
---
All of the books in Moorcock's Eternal Champion series are worth reading.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 08:05 AM (K5n5d)

18 Mornin'! Thanks for the book thread, Perfessor!

I hope everyone has a great week of reading.

Painting bedrooms, driving everywhere for kid activities, Lent stuff, and life are not leaving any noticeable room these days. But I'm slowly working my way through Bruce Catton's This Hallowed Ground, and the maps he provides are indispensable since I'm too lazy to go get one and keep it handy while I read.

Posted by: Catherine at March 20, 2022 08:06 AM (ZSsrh)

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

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 08:06 AM (7EjX1)

20 A fantastic, mind-bending adventure novel, is Ringworld -- sort of a Wizard of Oz story, except the Yellow Brick Road is 600 million miles long!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 08:04 AM (c6xtn)
----
As I recall, Niven tried to make the Ringworld obey real-world physics, but readers pointed out he made a slight miscalculation. He had to readjust the physics a bit in later editions to correct for his earlier mistake.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 08:07 AM (K5n5d)

21 Yay book thread!

My policy of staying the hell away from the news is paying off bigly on my China book. Up to 36,000 words overall and my writing sessions are much more productive without the distractions of the world outside.

That being said, I did take a break in China reading to celebrate the return of Edward Ezell's Handguns of the World. I loaned it to a friend and was thrilled to get it back. I was reading up on the Colt 1911 development and saw that after the US Army decided the new pistol would be in .45 caliber, they offered ammo to the interested parties at the price of $2.84 per 100 rounds.

Imagine paying $1.42 for a box of 50 .45 ACP rounds!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 08:07 AM (llXky)

22 A recent thing for me is getting my books through the local library's e-reader system. I just "check out" and download my desired book onto my Kindle Paperwhite and I'm good to go. I can enlarge the font as I like. I don't know why I didn't do this before.

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 08:08 AM (45fpk)

23 Morning, 'rons and 'ronettes. Just dropping in for a few.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 08:09 AM (2JVJo)

24 Read Book "Voroshilovgrad" by Ukrainian author Serhiy Zhadan. Serhiy Zhadan considering best contemporary Ukrainian writers and nominated on Nobel prize.

From Amazon:
Serhiy Zhadan, one of the key figureheads in contemporary Ukrainian literature and the most famous poet in the country, has become the voice of Ukraine's "Euro-Maidan" movement. He lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

About book:
A city-dwelling executive heads home to take over his brother's gas station after his mysterious disappearance, but all he finds at home are mysteries and ghosts. The bleak industrial landscape of now-war-torn eastern Ukraine sets the stage for Voroshilovgrad, the Soviet era name of the Ukranian city of Luhansk, mixing magical realism and exhilarating road novel in poetic, powerful, and expressive prose.

Posted by: redmonkey at March 20, 2022 08:09 AM (0+Ppk)

25 Good morning Mr. Poppins. Happy Spring!

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 08:10 AM (45fpk)

26 As I recall, Niven tried to make the Ringworld obey real-world physics, but readers pointed out he made a slight miscalculation. He had to readjust the physics a bit in later editions to correct for his earlier mistake.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022

***
Yes -- fans pointed out the Ringworld was unstable and would bob up and down in its orbit. He devised attitude jets on the rim wall in the first sequel. It makes sense that the characters in the first book didn't notice them as they approached the ring; it's a BIG structure.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 08:10 AM (c6xtn)

27 Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 08:08 AM (45fpk)

Is that the Libby app?

Posted by: dantesed at March 20, 2022 08:11 AM (88xKn)

28 hiya

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 08:11 AM (arJlL)

29 Thank you for the thread, perfessor.

I finally finished "Dr. Zhivago." Gad, what a slog. The poems at the end, were interesting, though.

Now, on to "Great Expectations." A story, I might add, so far, flows quite well.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 08:11 AM (5pTK/)

30 Is that the Libby app?

Posted by: dantesed at March 20, 2022 08:11 AM (88xKn)

No, no app required. I just log into my account at the library, choose a book, see if it's available as an e-book, and directly download it onto my Kindle. I think I get it for three weeks. Sometimes there is a wait so I have to put it on hold. Same as the regular library.

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 08:13 AM (45fpk)

31 Good morning horde

I've always admired the Lenten observance of abstention, freeing oneself of an addiction, a habit, or compulsion, like freeing oneself of cookies during Passover

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 20, 2022 08:14 AM (EZebt)

32 I don't think the pants guy owns a weedwhacker. (If you catch my drift.)

I also think he has diarrhea.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 08:14 AM (arJlL)

33 29. Yes! Dickens get a bum rap.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 08:15 AM (ONvIw)

34 Mornin'! Thanks for the book thread, Perfessor!

I hope everyone has a great week of reading. Painting bedrooms, driving everywhere for kid activities, Lent stuff, and life are not leaving any noticeable room these days. But I'm slowly working my way through Bruce Catton's This Hallowed Ground, and the maps he provides are indispensable since I'm too lazy to go get one and keep it handy while I read.

Posted by: Catherine

So, no time to cuss ?

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 08:15 AM (arJlL)

35 Ezell's great book aside (and I may be crossing the threads by bringing it up), I'm up to the Taiping Rebellion in China, and it's an interesting contrast with the US Civil War which partly overlapped with it.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 08:16 AM (llXky)

36 Here is a book I just finished about a week ago - Vincent McCaffrey's The Dark Heart of Night.

https://tinyurl.com/mr2ccmmb

McCaffrey owns and runs the Avenue Victor Hugo bookshop in Lee, NH and is also a prolific novelist. This particular book takes place in 1937 NYC and follows Daily Mirror photographer Hugh McNeill and his (soon-to-be) wife Cass Green as they investigate a series of killings dubbed "The Annie Oakley Murders."

The book is very well written, with sharply-drawn characters, an intriguing storyline, authentic period details and a grand sense of time and place. . .

but it is over 600 pages long. McCaffrey admits that he didn't bother editing for length (he self-publishes) and it shows. IMO, at least half of the book is Hugh going off on philosophical tangents that could easily have been cut with no damage to the story. YMMV.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 08:17 AM (2JVJo)

37 I had to look up Who Dis, but Perfessor gives us an additional clue at the bottom of the page.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 08:17 AM (PiwSw)

38 Sad to say, no reading this week outside of catching up on Ace's essays -- and not the comments -- after work. It's been that busy.

And me with three more Perry Mason books from the library.

Fortunately for me, due dates are now a polite fiction, and fines are no more. Besides, I have possession of the books. The library will eventually get them back.

I have to crow about this:

I recently watched "Von Ryan's Express" after tripping across it through TV Tropes. Mentioned it to eldest son, who lives out of town.

When he and his girlfriend visited us recently, they gave me a copy of the novel on which the movie was based. They found it at a library sale.

One more for the TBR list, but owing to those circumstances, it won't be at the bottom.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 08:17 AM (Om/di)

39 I don't recall the details, but John Varley's Titan features another gigantic created structure.

Poul Anderson's War of the Wing Men (no, it's not about the guys who help you out at the singles bar) features an Earthlike world that essentially rolls around its Sol-like star on its side, like Uranus or Neptune: an 80- or 90-degree axial tilt. It makes life peculiar for the natives, intelligent winged beings who can actually fly, not just glide.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 08:18 AM (c6xtn)

40 MP4 in da house! *waves to MP4*

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 08:18 AM (PiwSw)

41 Yes! Dickens get a bum rap.
Posted by: CN

Speaking of that, how do they get Dick out of Richard ?

Its like, my name is Bartholomew, but everybody calls me Schlong.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 08:19 AM (arJlL)

42 Through the state-wide lending system, I borrowed two books of short stories (part of Firebirds series edited by Sharon November) and Sapir's The Far Arena. Haven't started them yet.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at March 20, 2022 08:19 AM (/+bwe)

43 I am enjoying Demons, and I did not expect to like it. Despite the patronymics, the characters are easy to follow and ring true. As a character, Stepan is a masterpiece.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 08:20 AM (ONvIw)

44 Like grammie winger, I check only ebooks out of my library. They are primarily through the Overdrive/Libby service, but you don't need a special app to read them. The library has other ebooks available on hoopla and you DO need their app to read those. (I don't like hoopla anywhere near as well as Kindle. Just not as user friendly to my mind.)

Best part is that since I have to pay an out-of-city fee to use the Austin Public Library, it's only $22 a year for a "digital only" membership. If you live anywhere in Texas, you can get an APL membership. Quite a bargain.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at March 20, 2022 08:20 AM (fTtFy)

45 41. I assume it's part of the British rhyming thing.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 08:21 AM (ONvIw)

46 I had to look up Who Dis, but Perfessor gives us an additional clue at the bottom of the page.
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper

The guy on the right looks like he's casting a spell on the other guy's boogers.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 08:21 AM (arJlL)

47 Thanks, grammie!

My Lenten 'digital fast' has been sporadic. I haven't been commenting, but I do glance through the HQ posts every now and then. I really shouldn't. I'd also hoped to get in a daily walk and rosary, but that's been sporadic, too.

St Patrick's day is past and that was going to be my last blowout before the NoVaMoMe so that I could lose enough weight to fit back into my dinner jacket (think the Persil spokesman, but one who looks like Danny DeVito after an all-night bender).

The whole idea was to detox from the world, center myself and get some perspective on my own failings. It's not been working out as I hoped.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 08:21 AM (2JVJo)

48 I don't recall the details, but John Varley's Titan features another gigantic created structure.
----
Illegal Aliens by Nick Pollota and Phil Foglio has a brief anecdote about a civilization that built a Dyson sphere and then abandoned it. When explorers entered the sphere, they found ANOTHER sphere inside of the outside sphere. Then another and another and another...After going through a hundred or so layers of Dyson spheres, the explorers gave up after speculating the insane aliens who built it might still be inside somewhere further down....They didn't want to meet anyone that crazy.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 08:21 AM (K5n5d)

49 Reading the same thing as always on a Sunday morning, The Book Thread.

Thanks for another one.

Posted by: irongrampa at March 20, 2022 08:21 AM (KATBx)

50 I've always admired the Lenten observance of abstention, freeing oneself of an addiction, a habit, or compulsion, like freeing oneself of cookies during Passover

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 20, 2022 08:14 AM (EZebt)
---
Lent can be a great gateway to do precisely this because it's a finite period so you can think of it as only "temporarily quitting."

It's easier to give something up if you know it's only for a short while. And, having given it up even for that short time, you begin to realize you could give it up for ever.

This Lent I'm not giving anything up so much as trying to do more good. It's a different approach for me, but so far I like it. I go to an extra Mass during the week and make an extra tithe each Friday. It's an interesting change.

Okay, I guess I am 'giving up' pizza on Friday (I like pepperoni on it, which is out), but since I'm rotating in my grandmother's tuna salad recipe, it's not that much of a sacrifice.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 08:22 AM (llXky)

51 I always thought 'Great Expectations' was just a meh read. I prefer 'Oliver Twist' because to me that a more interesting story.

Posted by: dantesed at March 20, 2022 08:22 AM (88xKn)

52 **waves back to Shadout Mapes**

Just checking in to the Book Thread. Not coming back full-time until after Easter.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:23 AM (2JVJo)

53 MP4, Hi, how goes the writing?

Posted by: Infidel at March 20, 2022 09:23 AM (ou23q)

54 Our Weekly Reader is here.

Posted by: Dr. Varno at March 20, 2022 09:23 AM (vuisn)

55 Speaking of that, how do they get Dick out of Richard ?

Its like, my name is Bartholomew, but everybody calls me Schlong.
Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 08:19 AM (arJlL)
===

The Russians turn Aleksandr into Sasha

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 20, 2022 09:23 AM (EZebt)

56 Even before Ringworld, Niven was a master at creating odd planets. Jinx, for instance, is a moon of a gas giant like Jupiter. It's been shaped by that gravity, so that Jinx is somewhat egg-shaped ("the Easter Egg Planet"). The habitable areas ring the East and West poles, which stick out of the super thick and unbreathable atmosphere. And it has gravity of 1.75 of Earth; so the humans who colonized it wind up being short and powerful bipeds who tend to die young of heart trouble.

His We Made It (the colonists call themselves "crashlanders," so you can guess at the derivation) has 1500-mph winds at the solstices or equinoxes, so the people build underground. And Mount Lookitthat has only one habitable plateau, miles high, about the size of California, sticking up out of a thick soupy atmosphere, an "eternal searing black calm." So the environments of all these planets shape the people and their experience of living on them.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:24 AM (c6xtn)

57 My Lenten 'digital fast' has been sporadic. I haven't been commenting, but I do glance through the HQ posts every now and then. I really shouldn't.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 08:21 AM (2JVJo)
---
I hear ya and I urge you to go full-on boycott. It's tough at first, but it's worth it.

Even if you don't comment, you'll think of comments you could make, and that brain power needs to go elsewhere.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 09:25 AM (llXky)

58 This Lent I'm not giving anything up so much as trying to do more good. It's a different approach for me, but so far I like it. I go to an extra Mass during the week and make an extra tithe each Friday. It's an interesting change.

I don't come from a faith tradition that purposely observes Lent, but your way is the way I try to do things too. Instead of take-away, I try to add something of value. Intentional kindness. More consistent reading of the Bible. An extra gift to missionaries. That sort of thing.

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 09:25 AM (45fpk)

59 51 I always thought 'Great Expectations' was just a meh read. I prefer 'Oliver Twist' because to me that a more interesting story.
Posted by: dantesed at March 20, 2022 08:22 AM (88xKn)

I was also underwhelmed by Great Expectations. My favorite Dickens novel is Bleak House.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 09:25 AM (PiwSw)

60 I always thought 'Great Expectations' was just a meh read. I prefer 'Oliver Twist' because to me that a more interesting story.

Posted by: dantesed at March 20, 2022 08:22 AM (88xKn)

"Great Expectations" is my favorite! I like the descriptions of society and Pip's smugness.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 20, 2022 09:27 AM (XIJ/X)

61 9 ... "I'm working my way through the Shetland series of books by Ann Cleeves"

grammie,
Mrs. JTB really enjoyed Shetland and the Vera series. Last year I got her the complete set of books in paperback for both series. She's been enjoying them.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:28 AM (7EjX1)

62 Mrs. JTB really enjoyed Shetland and the Vera series. Last year I got her the complete set of books in paperback for both series. She's been enjoying them.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:28 AM (7EjX1)

What a nice gift!

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 09:29 AM (45fpk)

63 I was also underwhelmed by Great Expectations. My favorite Dickens novel is Bleak House.
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 09:25 AM (PiwSw)

That's my favorite, too, but I did enjoy Great Expectations, and nearly every other Dickens novel I've read. The same for Thomas Hardy, except for Jude the Obscure.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (ONvIw)

64 @55 --

The origins of nicknames fascinate me.

Some are simple, just taking the first syllable, but how does Margaret become Peggy? Theodore to Ted?

For that matter, do today's kids use nicknames?

Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (Om/di)

65 A Tale if Two Cities is my favorite Dickens book.

Posted by: Jmel at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (bVhJi)

66 My wife and I just finished reading Brady Gooch's "Flannery", his biography of Flannery O'Connor. She was 38 when she died of lupus, but she managed to pack a lot into those few years - not in worldly terms, since most of her years were spent living with her mother on a farm outside Milledgeville, Georgia, but in terms of her growing mastery of the art of the short story. Gooch occasionally flirts with Freudian theory, but for the most part puts interpretation aside and simply presents the facts of her life. This is a good book about a great writer. Highly recommended.

Our present read is Alan Moorehead's "The White Nile", his history of European exploration in search of the source of the Nile. It's a fascinating read, filled with larger-than-life people, starting with Richard Francis Burton. Well worth reading - or, in my case, re-reading.

Posted by: Nemo at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (S6ArX)

67
The Russians turn Aleksandr into Sasha
Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 20, 2022 09:23 AM (EZebt)

I'm guessing a younger sibling had trouble saying "Aleksandr" and the older sibling became known by whatever the little one was saying.

Posted by: Moki at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (JrN/x)

68 MP4, Hi, how goes the writing?
Posted by: Infidel at March 20, 2022 09:23 AM (ou23q)

Funny you should ask!

Yesterday and Friday, I visited a dear friend of mine to read the book out loud (this is a very good exercise for authors - it helps you to get the 'flow' of the book). She helped me make some cuts, add a few details and save myself from my repetitions (it became a joke how many people in the book "purse their lips" throughout the thing.

I'm breaking for a few days, but then I will be doing a formatting / final polish (I've never published a full paperback on Amazon before). My front and back covers are ready, so once I think it looks good, I'll be uploading it and letting the Perfesser know so he can give me a shout-out here. Time? Probably in the next two weeks, I think certainly before Easter.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (2JVJo)

69 Russians have multiple names, nick names thrown in and use them all every time, pads out Russian literature so their books go to 1,000 pages, and movies to stretch 2 hours.

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (2JoB8)

70 Michael Moorcock's kind of an interesting writer/dickweed, much like the Mach 1 version of Charles Stross.

His best book(s) IMHO are contained within the trilogy "Dancers at the End of Time"

It plays out as a sort of romance at the end of time(duh!) between a young Edwardian woman and a man who's one of the dissolute, frivolous, nearly godlike clique of last humans.

As written as though Jerome K Jerome, HG Wells, GBS, PG Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh all got together for for an acid and 'shroom party and invited Oscar Wilde along. It's not a laugh a minute but clever in that earlyish 20th century British way.

His "Cornelius Quartet is pretty good as well, but shows it's age.

MM was also a member(lyricist/player?) for the space rock band Hawkwind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUR7FIVNQ8

Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (5NkmN)

71 I don't come from a faith tradition that purposely observes Lent, but your way is the way I try to do things too. Instead of take-away, I try to add something of value. Intentional kindness. More consistent reading of the Bible. An extra gift to missionaries. That sort of thing.

Posted by: grammie winger at March 20, 2022 09:25 AM (45fpk)
---
There's room for both approaches and I've used Lent to quit some bad habits over the years.

The first step is to admit that yes, that is a sin, and even if its a minor one and the whole thing seems silly, you should give it up for just a little while. Having done that, you then wonder why it's such a big deal to keep doing it. So you extend it longer and longer and then without much fanfare you realize you are free.

Obviously I'm not without sin, but I've rooted out the chronic stupid stuff and proved to myself that I can give up beer or whatnot, so there's not much gain in doing it. Instead, I felt the need to take more positive action as you say.

I will say that the daily Mass crew is a different one from the weekend set. It's kind of funny when you start to recognize folks and give that nod of recognition.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (llXky)

72 The Russians turn Aleksandr into Sasha

In America, you need a new wardrobe or a surgeon to do that.

I'm reading. Slowly, as usual. I'd go into details, but I dislike what I'm reading and lack the energy for a rant.

Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (KFhLj)

73 I finished two books this week. One was the book group's choice of the first volume of Paul Scott's The Raj Quartet, The Jewel in the Crown, a reference to how India fit in with the British empire. The book was really a narration of a few events told by different characters. The Brits were mostly irritating knobs; I kept wondering how a much older culture like India could be dominated by some relatively young interlopers until I thought of our current situation and ended the confusion. The final narrator was a "big boned" (which says to me "fat with the gracefulness of a hobbled mule"; think Big Mike) skeezer with a raging case of jungle fever. The object of her Bengal Tiger love was a self hater who wanted to be thought of as Brit despite his dark skin (he made a point to talk on the phone to make people think he was white). As you can imagine things didn't work out so well for either. Despite how everyone annoyed me, it served as a good illustration of how everyone talked past each other in a cultural mosh pit.

I think I'll like the second book The Day of the Scorpion more since it mostly has new characters.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (y7DUB)

74 Hiya Moki !

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 09:33 AM (arJlL)

75 I'm breaking for a few days, but then I will be doing a formatting / final polish (I've never published a full paperback on Amazon before). My front and back covers are ready, so once I think it looks good, I'll be uploading it and letting the Perfesser know so he can give me a shout-out here. Time? Probably in the next two weeks, I think certainly before Easter.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (2JVJo)
---
I look forward to hearing more about it and promoting it on the Sunday Morning Book Thread!

Since I took on this gig, Moron authors are popping out of the woodwork to share their work, which is fantastic!

I'll do my best to promote them here.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:33 AM (K5n5d)

76 Although I continue with the 100 Days of Dante which is up to Canto 16 of the Paradiso and LOTR. The combination of reading while listening to the Andy Serkis narration is slow but pleasant. Definitely worth the extra time.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:33 AM (7EjX1)

77 For all of you calling "Great Expectations" meh, I still think it's a step up from "Dr. Zhivago."

However, "Bleak House" is also on the reading agenda this year.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 09:34 AM (5pTK/)

78 The whole idea was to detox from the world, center myself and get some perspective on my own failings. It's not been working out as I hoped.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

If ya want, the Horde can help ya get some perspective on yer failings !

We'll even make some up !

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 09:35 AM (arJlL)

79 My wife and I just finished reading Brady Gooch's "Flannery", his biography of Flannery O'Connor. She was 38 when she died of lupus, but she managed to pack a lot into those few years

EWTN, a Catholic network, has a program called Saints vs Scoundrels, where the host has famous people from the past debate their worldviews. One episode was Flannery O'Connor against Ayn Rand, but I can't seem to find it on YouTube.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:35 AM (2JVJo)

80 "Great Expectations" and "A Tale of Two Cities" are my faves.

I need to go back and reread his stuff at some point.

There's probably a good omnibus on kindle for that very purpose.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 09:35 AM (5NkmN)

81 For that matter, do today's kids use nicknames?

Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (Om/di)
---
They use them as their identities. It's interesting to watch this all play out because just as the trans thing is finally striking home that womens' sports are going to be dead soon, educators and psychologist are becoming wise to the fact that a lot of the identity changes is just the usual random games.

Example: girl loves Superman, changes online alias to "Clark," now 'identifies' as male. No other visible change, but everyone has to keep up for reasons.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 09:36 AM (llXky)

82 And speaking of Dickens, the only writings of his I can stand are A Christmas Carol, The Pickwick Papers and Sketches by Boz. Everything else leaves me cold.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM (2JVJo)

83 Out of curiosity, how are Kindle prices set? Authors? Publishers (if not self published)? Amazon?

I've come across some unexpected prices for Kindle books lately. Sometimes unexpectedly low, more often what seems inappropriately high.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM (7EjX1)

84 Started (reading) a new book this week: the Alexiad by Anna Comnena. She was a Byzantine princess and the book is a bio of her father, Emperor Alexius. (If this sounds kind of Dune-ish, yes, I think she was the model for Princess Irulan.)

I'm only a little way into it but already she's described a big set-piece battle between her father and her future father-in-law. You would think that sort of thing would lead to awkward moments at Thanksgiving, but apparently in those days fighting a war with someone wasn't even a faux pas.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM (QZxDR)

85 Maybe start an Open Thread below the Book Thread, PS, for current affairs' commentary??

Posted by: andycanuck (UHVv4) at March 20, 2022 09:38 AM (UHVv4)

86 Some are simple, just taking the first syllable, but how does Margaret become Peggy? Theodore to Ted?

For that matter, do today's kids use nicknames?
Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022

***
Margaret -- Margie -- Meggie -- Peggy (?)

Theodore -- Thad -- Ted (?)

Elizabeth must be the champ for possible nicknames: Liz, Lizzie, Beth, Bess, Bessie, Betty, Bets, Eliza, Lizbet, etc.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:38 AM (c6xtn)

87 "celebrating" Lent? More like observing it.

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at March 20, 2022 09:38 AM (9fmff)

88 Currently reading "Always with Honor: The Memoirs of General Wrangel."

Posted by: Biden's Dog at March 20, 2022 09:39 AM (7OePz)

89 Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM (2JVJo)

I think that was Dickens' intent to show it was a cold
world out there.

Posted by: dantesed at March 20, 2022 09:39 AM (88xKn)

90 Maybe start an Open Thread below the Book Thread, PS, for current affairs' commentary??
Posted by: andycanuck (UHVv4) at March 20, 2022 09:38 AM (UHVv4)
----
That's pretty much the reason for the EMT posted by krakatoa...just a way for early morning folks to chime in on what's in the news or what's on their mind....

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:39 AM (K5n5d)

91 I'm breaking for a few days, but then I will be doing a formatting / final polish (I've never published a full paperback on Amazon before). My front and back covers are ready, so once I think it looks good, I'll be uploading it and letting the Perfesser know so he can give me a shout-out here. Time? Probably in the next two weeks, I think certainly before Easter.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (2JVJo)

That is wonderful! Interesting, reading it out loud to another author.

Posted by: Infidel at March 20, 2022 09:40 AM (ou23q)

92 Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 08:17 AM (2JVJo)

+++

I adore the Vincent McCraffey Hound series and always wanted to ask you if you were familiar with this author. He is a gifted writer and gives a lot of background and insights into the world of book dealing, the history of architecture and commerce of Boston, delves into his own psyche through sometimes comical introspection, describes many quirky characters, wrapped up in a thoroughly interesting mystery.

Posted by: washrivergal at March 20, 2022 09:41 AM (0W3z4)

93 Re Fictional Geography in Eastern Europe. That brings back memories of a book I read in the '90s. "Molvania - A Land Untouched By Modern Dentistry." It was a humorous parody of 20th Century travel guidebooks. To this day I still get confused and call Moldova "Molvania" by mistake.

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at March 20, 2022 09:41 AM (d9Cw3)

94 FIRST!!!!!

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:41 AM (Zz0t1)

95 The Brits were mostly irritating knobs;

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (y7DUB)
---
Not to be confused with "nabobs."

Anyhow, it's interesting to me how a good adaptation can cause characters that were written as somewhat irritating to become more fully realized. I'm told that as written, the Lannisters were basically charm-free jerks but the actors put a lot of thought into the role and because they were charismatic, made them sympathetic.

One reason why I don't read any of the George Smiley books is that Alec Guinness owns the part. A book couldn't compare.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 09:41 AM (llXky)

96 I don't like cats and my dog is a spaz who doesn't like to cuddle much. Will lick the crap out of you, tho.

My curl up options are limited.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:42 AM (Zz0t1)

97
That is wonderful! Interesting, reading it out loud to another author.
Posted by: Infidel at March 20, 2022

***
I read aloud, and "act out," the dialog in my stuff while I'm revising, and sometimes while I'm writing. The narration not so much, though I do it too. By myself though.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:42 AM (c6xtn)

98 93 Re Fictional Geography in Eastern Europe. That brings back memories of a book I read in the '90s. "Molvania - A Land Untouched By Modern Dentistry." It was a humorous parody of 20th Century travel guidebooks. To this day I still get confused and call Moldova "Molvania" by mistake.
Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at March 20, 2022 09:41 AM (d9Cw3)

Ah, the Jetlag Travel Guide series! I have to get this.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 09:43 AM (PiwSw)

99 Part of my writing process is to give the whole damned thing a final read-aloud (in a murmur, anyway, no sense in wearing out my voice). Amazing how that flags awkward sentences and weird grammar. Language evolved to be spoken, and even when we read I think we're still "hearing" it inside our heads.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (QZxDR)

100 @86 --

In the Matt Helm book "The Interlopers" -- the first Helm book I read -- Helm discusses the many types of Elizabeths, from his mousy ex-wife Beth to the adventure's free spirit Libby.

Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (Om/di)

101 33 29. Yes! Dickens get a bum rap.
Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 08:15 AM (ONvIw)
-

That's Charles Dikkens, with 2 k's.

Posted by: Biden's Dog at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (7OePz)

102 Re Fictional Worlds. I quit reading Tom Clancy books when I put down The Sum Of All fears after about 150 pages. I had hit my "I'm done" point for several reasons, but one of them was that ultimately it was too hard for me to have this parallel world of modern geo-politics that involved real US-foreign tensions, but without the actual Presidents who were in office. Without Reagan/Bush/Clinton as the actual Presidents, it just became annoying to me.

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (d9Cw3)

103 OT, but the 2003 Western Open Range w/ Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner, and Annette Bening is on Grit tonight at 7 CDT. A very solid and non-revisionist (i.e., non-woke) Western film.

It's based on a novel, so it's fair game for the Book Thread!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (c6xtn)

104 @ 93 Buck Throckmorton: Sounds like a Monty Python sketch.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (5pTK/)

105 That's pretty much the reason for the EMT posted by krakatoa...just a way for early morning folks to chime in on what's in the news or what's on their mind....

Yeah but once a new thread is put up the old one tends to die off pretty fast. That said, interested to see what you come up with! And good Sunday morning to you Perfessor. Excellent job as always.

Posted by: Jewells45 deplorablethug#FJB at March 20, 2022 09:45 AM (nxdel)

106 I've come across some unexpected prices for Kindle books lately. Sometimes unexpectedly low, more often what seems inappropriately high.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM (7EjX1)
---
I look at comparable books and also consider what people would be willing to pay.

As people get more recognition, they can also charge more.

I've noticed nonfiction costs more than fiction, but since it's a lot more work, it makes sense.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 09:45 AM (llXky)

107 In the Matt Helm book "The Interlopers" -- the first Helm book I read -- Helm discusses the many types of Elizabeths, from his mousy ex-wife Beth to the adventure's free spirit Libby.
Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022

***
The one with Helm working with a Labrador retriever as part of his cover, I think? Yes, I'd forgotten "Libby."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:46 AM (c6xtn)

108 @ 93 Buck Throckmorton: Sounds like a Monty Python sketch.
Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (5pTK/)

---
I was thinking the same thing...or maybe Terry Pratchett

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:46 AM (K5n5d)

109 I finally finished a reread of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past and, just like the first time, feel like starting it again. Most of that is caused by the final book being such a free flowing result of everything happening previously that you want to experience how it happened again. That's probably unrealistic considering everything else on my plate (and I sense a not small amount of eye rolling) but it has a unique appeal that makes me even think of doing it. I won't bore the Horde any longer on it.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 09:46 AM (y7DUB)

110 In the Matt Helm book "The Interlopers" -- the first Helm book I read -- Helm discusses the many types of Elizabeths, from his mousy ex-wife Beth to the adventure's free spirit Libby.
Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (Om/di)
-----------

Too bad the movies made from the books weren't anything more than a parody of the spy genre.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 09:46 AM (5pTK/)

111 And good Sunday morning to you Perfessor. Excellent job as always.
Posted by: Jewells45 deplorablethug#FJB at March 20, 2022 09:45 AM (nxdel)
----
Thank you! Always a pleasure...I'm having a blast coming up with these threads. Lots of horde members are also starting to send me contributions, so it's as much about you all as it is about anything I do...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:47 AM (K5n5d)

112 I'm still trying to get through JJ's book. Not that it's a hard read or anything, but I don't read much and picking that thing up reminds me how bad we were screwed and how everyone knew it, yet nothing was done to stop it.

It's truly the death of America as incredible amounts of laws were broken and not one person will ever be punished for it.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:47 AM (Zz0t1)

113 don't like cats and my dog is a spaz who doesn't like to cuddle much. Will lick the crap out of you, tho.

My curl up options are limited.
Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022

***
I'm a major cat person, but of course Chekov the Ailing Codger Cat can no longer climb into my lap or be lifted into it with hurting him, and my big black Wolf cat passed on last year. So I'm cat-limited for now.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:47 AM (c6xtn)

114 @107 --

Yes.

Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022 09:48 AM (Om/di)

115 Started and finished The 39 Steps by John Buchan. Claims to be the first spy+thriller novel, and given that it was published in 1915 that may be so. Great book, lots of fun and it does read like a modern thriller. Also, I started The Red Badge of Courage. I haven't read an Crane since college and had forgotten how much I like him. Need to revisit his short stories (I remember really liking 'The Blue Hotel' and 'The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky').

Posted by: who knew at March 20, 2022 09:49 AM (4I7VG)

116 Posted by: washrivergal at March 20, 2022 09:41 AM (0W3z4)

McCaffrey's a very nice fellow and always treats me right when I visit his shop. I'm going to bring him a copy of my book when it comes out and see if he will sell it.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:49 AM (2JVJo)

117 That's about all I have for this week. Thank you for all of your kind words regarding my Sunday Morning Book Thread. I hope I am able to continue doing this for the foreseeable future. I do have some plans for this space to help grow it and increase our active participation. Stay tuned!

Not being a frequenter to the SMBT, I can't comment too much, but I think you're doing a great job keeping Oregon Muse in our minds and keeping his legacy alive and well.

Good work.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:49 AM (Zz0t1)

118 The other epic work of fiction I'm reading right now is my town's proposed budget for 2023. Basically everything in it is a wild-assed guess, and since the town can shift money around as needed after we approve it, all the numbers are meaningless in practice.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 20, 2022 09:51 AM (QZxDR)

119 I've come across some unexpected prices for Kindle books lately. Sometimes unexpectedly low, more often what seems inappropriately high.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM

The last book I bought was $5 used including shipping, while the Kindle was about $14. It's crazy.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at March 20, 2022 09:51 AM (/+bwe)

120 In the Matt Helm book "The Interlopers" -- the first Helm book I read -- Helm discusses the many types of Elizabeths, from his mousy ex-wife Beth to the adventure's free spirit Libby.
Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022
-----------
Too bad the movies made from the books weren't anything more than a parody of the spy genre.
Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022

***
Hamilton had other novels adapted well, like The Big Country w/ Gregory Peck. But the Helms, I guess he took the money and shrugged. If someone did a real period-piece adaptation of one of the Helm novels -- Interlopers is a good choice, or Ravagers -- H'wood would find it hard today to cast Helm. Robert Culp would have been a great choice in the mid-'60s, but who could carry it off now?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:51 AM (c6xtn)

121 I've come across some unexpected prices for Kindle books lately. Sometimes unexpectedly low, more often what seems inappropriately high.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 09:37 AM (7EjX1)

I priced my short story Thirteen Moons at zero on kindle just to get the thing out there and give people some entertainment. For the new book, I'm going to check out some Horde authors and probably base my prices for hard, paperback and kindle on their examples.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:51 AM (2JVJo)

122 It's truly the death of America as incredible amounts of laws were broken and not one person will ever be punished for it.
Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:47 AM (Zz0t1

Incredibly depressing that we're living in a dystopia. Reading about the decay of our country is something I do, but it's too much sometimes. The essay Everything is Broken, is too true. I like the idea of flouting the oligarchy, but when they can take everything you have, it's hard. And I don't see myself commanding much attention.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 09:51 AM (ONvIw)

123 As is the Horde's wont, the EMT dies post Book Thread even when it only has a few hundred comments, like today, let alone when it has been more active and later risers don't want to wade through 300+ comments. [And, of course, no overt criticism meant on my part.]

Posted by: andycanuck (UHVv4) at March 20, 2022 09:52 AM (UHVv4)

124 My main reading project this week is to continue my way through Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (again). So far I'm almost halfway through The Fires of Heaven. It's better than I remember. I am enjoying reading it at a close level to see if I can spot all of the important foreshadowing Jordan included. He was an absolute grandmaster of setting up important events that payoff beautifully later.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:52 AM (K5n5d)

125 McCaffrey's a very nice fellow and always treats me right when I visit his shop. I'm going to bring him a copy of my book when it comes out and see if he will sell it.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:49 AM (2JVJo)

++++
Very glad to hear that he is an amiable guy and best of luck with your new book debut.

Posted by: washrivergal at March 20, 2022 09:52 AM (0W3z4)

126
***
I'm a major cat person, but of course Chekov the Ailing Codger Cat can no longer climb into my lap or be lifted into it with hurting him, and my big black Wolf cat passed on last year. So I'm cat-limited for now.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:47 AM (c6xtn)

Yes, your cat woes have been well documented. I may not be a fan of cats, my wife is so I understand the bond. You have my deepest sympathies for what you've been through with your 'sources of great allergy.'

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:52 AM (Zz0t1)

127 @110 --

Agreed, but I don't think any movie could do any of the books justice. When Helm goes into action, it would be hard to capture all that simultaneous movement at once.

And then the problem of casting Mac.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 09:53 AM (Om/di)

128 Starting our second day of discussions on Twain's "The Innocents Abroad" at the Old Books group on Gab. Feel free to join in or just lurk around. Having a lot of fun!

Posted by: Marica at March 20, 2022 09:53 AM (Yztc6)

129 Incredibly depressing that we're living in a dystopia. Reading about the decay of our country is something I do, but it's too much sometimes.
----
This is why the weekend threads are so very important! We all need a little space to decompress and focus on other things besides politics. The weekend threads keep us grounded and focused on what really matters--faith, friends, and family.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:54 AM (K5n5d)

130 But the Helms, I guess he took the money and shrugged. If someone did a real period-piece adaptation of one of the Helm novels -- Interlopers is a good choice, or Ravagers -- H'wood would find it hard today to cast Helm. Robert Culp would have been a great choice in the mid-'60s, but who could carry it off now?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 09:51 AM (c6xtn)
-------------

Aging former spy called back into duty? Hugh Jackman? It definitely needs to be someone middle to late middle age.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 09:55 AM (5pTK/)

131 I quit reading Tom Clancy books when I put down The Sum Of All fears after about 150 pages. I had hit my "I'm done" point for several reasons, but one of them was that ultimately it was too hard for me to have this parallel world of modern geo-politics that involved real US-foreign tensions, but without the actual Presidents who were in office. Without Reagan/Bush/Clinton as the actual Presidents, it just became annoying to me.

Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (d9Cw3)
---
When I realized that Jack Ryan was Clancy's Mary Sue/fantasy self, I was done. He's fundamentally an uninteresting character.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 09:55 AM (llXky)

132 Seems to me the Dean Martin movies are so thoroughly forgotten now that some studio could easily do a more serious take on Matt Helm without worrying about any confusion.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 20, 2022 09:56 AM (QZxDR)

133 I'm still trying to get through JJ's book. Not that it's a hard read or anything, but I don't read much and picking that thing up reminds me how bad we were screwed and how everyone knew it, yet nothing was done to stop it.

It's truly the death of America as incredible amounts of laws were broken and not one person will ever be punished for it.
Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe!

Its a well-written book, though very depressing.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 09:56 AM (arJlL)

134 68 it became a joke how many people in the book "purse their lips" throughout the thing
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (2JVJo)

Fun!

Posted by: m at March 20, 2022 09:57 AM (2Q+cC)

135 I finished Chicken Every Sunday by Rosemary Taylor.
This is a biographical book focused around her mother, who ran a boarding house in Tuscon AZ from the 1900's, first converting her family home, they building a house on purpose to take in guests.
Her mother started taking lodgers because her father was a speculator in property and start-up Tuscon businesses, and was always plunging in financially and tying up all the money in the next big thing, be it gold mines or laundries.
The book is a series of vignettes talking about taking in guests, starting a catering business, taking over a laundry, and her brothers and sisters getting married and taking in lodgers as well.

It only discusses WWI because one of the maids thought a tenant was a German spy, and it doesn't touch on national happenings at all. This is a book about the people in her family in her childhood.

Nice little book, and worth the time to read it.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 09:57 AM (xhaym)

136 About 3/4 of the way through "Servants of War" by Larry Correia & Steve Diamond. It's well crafted, but grim.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at March 20, 2022 09:57 AM (nRMeC)

137 Claims to be the first spy+thriller novel, and given that it was published in 1915 that may be so.

You just reminded me of a couple of books I really enjoyed, both written by the Baroness Orczy, an early 20th-century author whose most famous book is The Scarlet Pimpernel.

Her The Old Man in the Corner is a series of stories, very Holmes-like, in which a female reporter, while sitting in a small restaurant, is pestered by the 'old man,' who discusses unsolved London murders with her and gives his own solutions to the crimes.

https://tinyurl.com/2p8hk77u

Lady Molly of Scotland Yard is much more in the Holmes tradition, with her assistant Mary chronicling Lady Molly's involvement with and solving of seemingly impossible cases.

https://tinyurl.com/2p9ejhyb

I recommend both.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 09:57 AM (2JVJo)

138 nd good Sunday morning to you Perfessor. Excellent job as always.
Posted by: Jewells45 deplorablethug#FJB

Seconded !

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 09:58 AM (arJlL)

139 72 The Russians turn Aleksandr into Sasha

In America, you need a new wardrobe or a surgeon to do that.
Posted by: bear with asymmetrical balls at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (KFhLj)

LOL

Posted by: m at March 20, 2022 09:59 AM (2Q+cC)

140
Its a well-written book, though very depressing.
Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 09:56 AM (arJlL)

Not demeaning it at all. I agree. It gives you his thoughts throughout the entire ordeal and you can really see his mindset.

But, yes. It's incredibly depressing to relive the moments this country was destroyed from within.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:59 AM (Zz0t1)

141 After mentioning Dave Barry's Big Trouble and Tricky Business last week, I read both of them and Laughed long and hard.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:00 AM (arJlL)

142
Not being a frequenter to the SMBT, I can't comment too much, but I think you're doing a great job keeping Oregon Muse in our minds and keeping his legacy alive and well.

Good work.
Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:49 AM (Zz0t1)
----
Agreed!

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (0IeYL)

143 This is why the weekend threads are so very important! We all need a little space to decompress and focus on other things besides politics. The weekend threads keep us grounded and focused on what really matters--faith, friends, and family.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 09:54 AM (K5n5d)
---
Yes. It's funny, but if you turn off the internet and just focus on the small things around the house, take a moment to appreciate the sunrise, make a tasty meal, you get a different perspective.

Reading about China is reminding me just how comfortable we still are compared with what most of humanity knew. It's good to be grateful for that.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (llXky)

144 ----
Agreed!
Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (0IeYL)

*fistbump*

What's shakin?

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (Zz0t1)

145 I finished Chicken Every Sunday by Rosemary Taylor.

I have that book and have recommended it here often.

She also wrote a prequel to Chicken called Ridin' the Rainbow: Father's Life in Tucson, which described how her father came to Tucson, met Mother and raised the family. Just as funny and heartwarming as Chicken.

https://tinyurl.com/2p9xku2h

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (2JVJo)

146
This is a free "book", a debate (of sorts) between Dugin of Russia and Olavo de Carvalho of Brazil. The topic is this new world order interpreted. It's 169 pages in pdf.

Even more interesting is that Dugin is the guiding philosopher that V. Putin uses as a guide, and Carvalho is the philosopher that president Bolisnaro uses as a guide.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (xhaym)

147 That squirrel stole my book. I have that edition of Roadside Picnic along with a Russian one. Interesting story, but it was very disjointed. I know that's what the author was going for, but it made for a challenging read even in english.

Posted by: Mishdog at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (D31SV)

148 I'm currently reading Unknown Remains by Peter Leonard (Elmore's son). Its pretty good and the plot has more twists than a Chubby Checker dance-a-thon.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (arJlL)

149 I did not get much book reading done this week. What started out as learning about and reading the Psalms has led to a convergence of philosophy, art (especially poetry and fantasy), faith and religion, cultural history, natural history, violin making, and pipe smoking. There's more but those are the main components. So far.

Yeah, it's a mishmash of topics and I'm not sure where it is going to lead. But it is incorporating aspects of faith, art, and philosophy that have been accumulating in my mind for a long time.

Posted by: JTB at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (7EjX1)

150

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (K5n5d)

151 Reading about China is reminding me just how comfortable we still are compared with what most of humanity knew. It's good to be grateful for that.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (llXky)

I'm working on correcting that.

Posted by: Joe Biden at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (Zz0t1)

152 Booken morgen horden!

Hahaha those pants!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (lCui1)

153 D'oh!

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 10:03 AM (2JVJo)

154 Roll out the barrel.

We'll have a barrel of laughs.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:03 AM (Zz0t1)

155 Italican invasion!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:03 AM (llXky)

156 Agreed!
Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (0IeYL)

*fistbump*

What's shakin?
Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:01 AM (Zz0t1)
----
Just reading comments, slowly tracing the words with my trigger finger and sounding them out as I go along!

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (0IeYL)

157 Reading aloud is the main value of being in a writer's group.

It makes you hypersensitive to the nuances of what's on the page and how people are reacting to the writing/plot/etc.

If you're in a good group of good writers, you get great comments and a few suggestions, of course, you also get stupid comments when someone tries to rewrite your story to their preferences. But, again, in a good group that's rare.

It also acts as a nice whip to keep you moving as you don't want to be the shmoe who just sits there without contributing grist for the mill.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (5NkmN)

158 Question -

Someone mentioned a series of books with a Reacher -like character....what was that ?

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (arJlL)

159
Aging former spy called back into duty? Hugh Jackman? It definitely needs to be someone middle to late middle age.
Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022

***
Jackman would be a fine choice! Helm was under 20 (?) when he was first recruited by Mac's unnamed agency during WWII to hunt and kill Germans, so when we first meet him in 1960, 15 years after the war, he would have been 35 at the least, and in his 40s during the late '60s.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (c6xtn)

160 ----
Just reading comments, slowly tracing the words with my trigger finger and sounding them out as I go along!
Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (0IeYL)

LOL! I didn't know you were a Texas A&M grad.....

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:05 AM (Zz0t1)

161 150 { absolutely nothing, void of text }

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:02 AM (K5n5d)

The Squirrel is speechless?

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at March 20, 2022 10:05 AM (nRMeC)

162 The first Helm book had him in his late 30s. Later just an aging lobo, as he would describe himself.

The second described him as blond, skinny, and 6' 2". The blond made his code name, Eric, seem appropriate.

The cover artists, however, drew and painted him as having dark hair.

Hamilton never mentioned hair color again. Of course, considering how often Helm had to dye it, that could have been his excuse.

And, of course, in his later years Helm would have been gray.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 10:05 AM (Om/di)

163 MP3, what a coincidence, I just finished Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel and really enjoyed it. I was thinking about looking for more by her and now I will. Thanks for the recommendation.

Posted by: who knew at March 20, 2022 10:06 AM (4I7VG)

164 Nothing much - I've been going through a Book Thread recommend, "Thunder Road" - a kind of noirish period mystery, set in Dallas-Fort Worth just after WWII. Not much time to read casually, as we are trying to replace the back fence, and do a little light furniture restoral.
My daughter says that I have been watching altogether too many restoral videos on YouTube, lately - but they do give me a good notion of how to go about repairing/renovating stuff. That and a serious case of power tool envy...

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 20, 2022 10:06 AM (xnmPy)

165 Started a book mentioned here a few weeks ago, The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock. First of all this is right in my wheelhouse of books I read compulsively that have an uncomfortable edge to them, like a constant suspicion that something really bad is about to happen. Some of my favorite writers of that sub genre are Ron Rash, Raymond Carver (his early work before that whore Tess Gallagher ruined him) and Harry Crews. Although not quite up to that standard I'm still halfway through in three days and will surely finish by next week. What this book has an unfortunate similarity to is Geek Love, a piece of trash which made me take a second look with enhanced respect at book burning. Some of the characters come dangerously close to being cartoonish in their dysfunction. It hasn't crossed that line yet but I've already been triggered.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 10:06 AM (y7DUB)

166 About a quarter of the way through Gladius by Guy de la Bedoyere. As I am a Roman Empire history buff, this is quite good. He explores what it was like to serve in the Roman army. It was recommended here a while back.

Posted by: RetsgtRN at March 20, 2022 10:06 AM (v5wub)

167 Reading aloud is the main value of being in a writer's group.
---
I took a course on teaching creative nonfiction writing in graduate school. Our professor forced us to read our submissions aloud in reading groups. It's amazing how many problems suddenly jump out when you start reading aloud.

You tend to gloss over them when you read your own writing silently because your brain's autocucumber "fixes" everything without you noticing.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:07 AM (K5n5d)

168 If you're in a good group of good writers, you get great comments and a few suggestions, of course, you also get stupid comments when someone tries to rewrite your story to their preferences. But, again, in a good group that's rare.

It also acts as a nice whip to keep you moving as you don't want to be the shmoe who just sits there without contributing grist for the mill.
Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022

***
Our group here was a good one. But people have drifted away. Now we're down to yours truly, the founder of the group, and the lefty loon I'm mentioned arguing with before. I'm not sure there is any joy or value to the group as it is now. I think I need to find, or start, a new one.

We had a start at one in 2019, meeting at the public library, but the Coof Hysteria killed that.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:07 AM (c6xtn)

169 Greetings:

Following your fictional geography item, I would like to mention the fairly sorry state of cartography in our modern books. Maps don't seem to be a very high priority even in history books, often incomplete in relation to the text and placed without much rhyme or reason. One might guess that in this digital age publisher could do better.

Posted by: 11B40 at March 20, 2022 10:07 AM (uuklp)

170 But, yes. It's incredibly depressing to relive the moments this country was destroyed from within.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 09:59 AM (Zz0t1)
---
Which is why I don't read those kinds of books. If I want to be depressed, I have lots of ways to do it without paying anyone.

Right now I'm looking at the sunlight in the backyard and in the back of my mind I'm debating on what I'm going to do to make the house even more comfy this year. I think we need something outside for the grandkids to climb on.

It's going to be nice having them over and taking them to the park and using the bike trailer to take them for a ride.

That's part of my motivation to get this book done - more time to spend with them.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:07 AM (llXky)

171 Reread Outward Frontier. Forgot I owned that book, so from Secret Squirrel's comment that the sequel is coming i went to get it...

kept on in Tyrants by Waller Newell. Three kinds of tyrants: kleptocrats, reformers, and millenarian (sp? the utopian ones). He seems to have some good to say about the reformers (e.g., Henry VIII, Louis XIV), not so much about the others, though he concedes that it's hard not be mix them. though i think a primarily reformer tyrant doesn't mix well with a millenarian.

and started back up in the Spellmonger world w/book 13

Posted by: yara at March 20, 2022 10:08 AM (hBsVD)

172 The Squirrel is speechless?
Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at March 20, 2022 10:05 AM (nRMeC)
---
Had to repel a siege of Italicans... When folks don't properly close their tags, they tend to run amuck and disrupt the blog...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:08 AM (K5n5d)

173
It's going to be nice having them over and taking them to the park and using the bike trailer to take them for a ride.

That's part of my motivation to get this book done - more time to spend with them.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:07 AM (llXky)

*fistbump*

Rock on.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (Zz0t1)

174 The cover artists, however, drew and painted him as having dark hair.

Hamilton never mentioned hair color again. Of course, considering how often Helm had to dye it, that could have been his excuse. . . .

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022

***
The cover artwork of the Gold Medal paperback editions I have (not firsts) make him look sort of like Randolph Scott.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (c6xtn)

175 Just started the 3 rd book in Sanderson's Mistworld series, The Hero Of Ages. In the foreword Sanderson talks about riding the book and how he worked hard to make it the third and final book. However, when I downloaded it from the library through Amazon, it turns out that there are now 3 additional books set in the Mistworld universe and one on the way. Sigh.
Back to book 3...I am only about 150 pagers in and it is a bit depressing as our heroes are bogged down(literally and figuratively) so not a lot of action and evil is currently winning.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (Y+l9t)

176
Who Dis is Frick and Frack, the Tappet brothers

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:10 AM (pNxlR)

177
Fine, be that way!

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:10 AM (pNxlR)

178 Imagine paying $1.42 for a box of 50 .45 ACP rounds!

The handy-dandy inflation calculator app says that $1.42 in 1910 would be $40.19 in 2021. Which is, uh, not too far off.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 10:11 AM (nfrXX)

179 OK, I'm going to make a cup of tea and finish Philip Dye's Lost Cleopatra: A Tale of Ancient Hollywood. Dye is a film scholar who has spent years collecting every publicity / press photo of Theda Bara's 1917 epic Cleopatra and matching them up with press book storylines to create a 'complete' version of the lost film. I want to see if there's any last-minute trivia I can incorporate into my own novel.

Here's an introduction for his movie:

https://tinyurl.com/445je2ef

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 10:11 AM (2JVJo)

180 Hey! Did everybody forget Who Dey?

I'll guess Larry Niven and his writing partner (Javk Pournelle?), who have been mentioned in several past Book Threads.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (Om/di)

181 Thanks to the horde for suggestions the other day when.I asked about a good bible with notes to read.
I checked our library and was able to borrow the New King James Version Holy Bible Study Edition published by Thomas Nelson. I read the introductory notes, skipped over to "between the Testaments" notes, then I'll start on Matthew.
I have The Chronological Bible on hold which I am curious about.
I am interested in looking at two Catholic study bibles: The Didache Bible RSV2CE and the the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible in real life to see if I want to buy one of them (sadly the library has neither).

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (lCui1)

182 ***
The cover artwork of the Gold Medal paperback editions I have (not firsts) make him look sort of like Randolph Scott.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (c6xtn)

RANDOLPH SCOTT!!!???

*removes ten gallon hat and places it over chest*

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (Zz0t1)

183 Just started the 3 rd book in Sanderson's Mistworld series, The Hero Of Ages. In the foreword Sanderson talks about riding the book and how he worked hard to make it the third and final book. However, when I downloaded it from the library through Amazon, it turns out that there are now 3 additional books set in the Mistworld universe and one on the way. Sigh.
Back to book 3...I am only about 150 pagers in and it is a bit depressing as our heroes are bogged down(literally and figuratively) so not a lot of action and evil is currently winning.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (Y+l9t)
---
If it makes you feel better, the sequel series is set hundreds of years after the original series. The events are only loosely related to the original series, so you don't *have* to read the sequel series. Though it's also a pretty fun series to read.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (K5n5d)

184 Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:05 AM (Zz0t1)
---
Ha!

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (0IeYL)

185
The only books occupying my time for last week and this are financial books, as I am to be audited for my performance as treasurer this week. Lots of stuff to do tonight.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (pNxlR)

186 Someone mentioned a series of books with a Reacher -like character....what was that ?
Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (arJlL)
-----------

Any book by Louis L'Amour?

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 10:14 AM (5pTK/)

187 Perfess or, seeing as I have been reading every Sanderson book I can lay my hands on including both short novels, Edgedance and Dawnshard, it is a pretty good bet that I will end up reading all the rest.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:15 AM (Y+l9t)

188
*fistbump*

Rock on.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (Zz0t1)
---
Thanks! Last week the temperature briefly reached 70 degrees - the warmest day this year so far.

I opened our new windows (which were installed four months late) and let the breeze blow through the house. Many of the old ones couldn't be opened.

I cracked the wife and kids up because I was just walking around with a big grin on my face, feeling the wind, taking it all in. It was glorious! There's a lot of joy in the world if you just look for it.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:15 AM (llXky)

189 Also, a clue! The planet survives!

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:15 AM (Y+l9t)

190
I cracked the wife and kids up because I was just walking around with a big grin on my face, feeling the wind, taking it all in. It was glorious! There's a lot of joy in the world if you just look for it.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:15 AM (llXky)

NICE! And I agree. It's getting harder and harder to find, but it's still out there.

I'm still able to hit a bar or two, hand out with the few friends that I have and enjoy things a bit.

All is not lost, yet.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:16 AM (Zz0t1)

191 Perfess or, seeing as I have been reading every Sanderson book I can lay my hands on including both short novels, Edgedance and Dawnshard, it is a pretty good bet that I will end up reading all the rest.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:15 AM (Y+l9t)
----
Have you read the Reckoners series? (Steelheart, Firefight, and Calamity). Pretty good deconstruction of the superhero genre.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:16 AM (K5n5d)

192 I've seen the dust jackets for the first few Helm hardbacks. Blah.

The paperback artists did better.

Not the latest paperback editions, however.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 10:16 AM (Om/di)

193 vmom, the Ryrie Study Bible based on the New American Standard Bible is very good, too.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 10:16 AM (5pTK/)

194 *hang

Not hand out.....although I do pay the tab once in a while.

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (Zz0t1)

195 I love fantasy,for the world-building, but also for the way it can put moral struggles into high relief. And also for the pure escapism.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (lCui1)

196 Harry Crews

CH,

One of my fave writers.
Poor guy though. His books seemed to die when he did. Few reprints and almost no kindles.
You can find his later weaker works but it's though to find his earlier great ones. A pretty astonishing streak in the 70s(?) with -
Car
Karate is a Thing of the Spirit
The Hawk is Dying
Gyspy's Curse
A Feast of Snakes
I hope someone bothers putting them on the kindle at least. He's due for a renewed appreciation, perhaps.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (5NkmN)

197 I checked our library and was able to borrow the New King James Version Holy Bible Study Edition published by Thomas Nelson. I read the introductory notes, skipped over to "between the Testaments" notes, then I'll start on Matthew.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (lCui1)
---
Does this version have the Apocrypha? I just finished a podcast on 1 Maccabees that was great.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (llXky)

198 "I'm still trying to get through JJ's book. Not that it's a hard read or anything, but I don't read much and picking that thing up reminds me how bad we were screwed and how everyone knew it, yet nothing was done to stop it.

It's truly the death of America as incredible amounts of laws were broken and not one person will ever be punished for it.
Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe!"

I seem to have missed something, exactly what book are we talking about here.

Posted by: who knew at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (4I7VG)

199 Hey! Did everybody forget Who Dey?

I'll guess Larry Niven and his writing partner (Javk Pournelle?), who have been mentioned in several past Book Threads.
Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022

***
Jerry Pournelle. And Niven has collaborated with a number of other authors -- an art form in itself. He's also lent his "Known Space" universe, to which Ringworld belongs, to other authors for the Man-Kzin Wars short story anthologies. But I'd recognize Niven -- I met him at a convention in 1985 -- and Pournelle too, I think.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (c6xtn)

200 Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (pNxlR)

Good luck!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:18 AM (lCui1)

201 today's reading is Servants of War by Larry Correia and Steve Diamond, just out for a few weeks.
good read

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:18 AM (c1v4f)

202 Reading the Death Stalker series by Simon R. Green (almost done)

It's Scifi without much sci just the general stuff; warp drives, disruptors, proton torpedos etc. the disruptor only has on charge and it has to recharge for another. for defense in the meantime theres swords. So it's got swashbuckling too.

Set in a Feudal, kingdom, empire, atmosphere spread across the stars with the assorted bad guy aliens, creepy good guy aliens, creepy humans who are mixed good/bad, and AI Robots. Of various degrees of hate for humankind.

Our Hero, DeathStalker is followed from his being put in status a 1000 years ago to come back now just when his progeny and kingdom needs him and experiences all sorts of mcguffins, gets super powers, loses superpowers, save the empire but kills the empress. gets told the real secrety secrets till the last book where I am at now. I don't usually take to these but I did.

Posted by: jakee308 at March 20, 2022 10:19 AM (sr9Zz)

203
I seem to have missed something, exactly what book are we talking about here.
Posted by: who knew at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (4I7VG)

JJ Sefton's book: https://is.gd/clNoLr

Posted by: Sponge - Trudeau is Asshoe! at March 20, 2022 10:19 AM (Zz0t1)

204 @199 --

Wolfus, which is which?

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 10:20 AM (Om/di)

205 Today's library/book gallery reminds me of a topic I don't remember seeing discussed: book binding.

Japanese sewn bindings are a simple way to start and can be either completely plain or artistic. There are a lot of YouTube videos showing how to get started, which is how I learned, and I assume there are more advanced instruction available but I haven't looked.

It's great for notebooks or sketchbooks since you can have the type of paper you want (I like a combination of plain sheets and light dotted graph on half-sized paper) and either side or top (my preference) binding.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 20, 2022 10:20 AM (nC+QA)

206 Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

Hiya MP4. The last day you were here, I was commenting on your story-telling style. Another Moron recommended checking out your books. I grabbed "Thirteen Moons" on my Amazon Unlimited account so I hope you are remunerated for that same as an actual sale. At any rate, I enjoyed it very much and I'll put The Director's Cut on my list.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 10:20 AM (nfrXX)

207 Greetings:

Nothing says varsity-level altar boy like rolling out into a cold, dark, and snowy Bronx February morning to serve a 6 o'clock weekday Mass.

Except maybe that phone call saying the scheduled guys didn't show.

Posted by: 11B40 at March 20, 2022 10:20 AM (uuklp)

208 I saw someone last week asking about Ukrainian literature.

archive.org/details/TheBlackRavine

At the bottom of the page is a link to the Electronic Library of Ukrainian Literature with free public domain ebooks. My favorite being Oles Honchar's The Black Ravine.

Posted by: 13times at March 20, 2022 10:21 AM (yxp1g)

209
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (pNxlR)

Good luck!
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion

Thanks! I am in good shape, but my predecessor was meticulous in ways that I will never (willingly) be, so that's the high bar I face. Luckily, he cannot be a member of the audit committee until next year, so I have time to mend my ways.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:22 AM (pNxlR)

210 One of the ways I'm trying to spur my China project to completion is watching movies about China. An unforeseen side effect is that I'm now getting a heck of a lot more out of them than I did before.

The other day I watched "Curse of the Golden Flower," which I'd never noticed was set in the Tang Dynasty. Hmmm, yes, the Tang were kind of ruthless. Good flick.

Next up was "55 Days at Peking," which is kinda sorta accurate ("Betsy," also known as the "International Gun" did not blow up).

Last night was the director's mammoth cut of "The Last Emperor." That film needed an intermission. Anyhow, I thought it was funny that Chiang Kai-Shek got mentioned five times, and every one was derogatory. Obviously CCP cooperation had a price.

I'm finding lots of flaws, but also a lot they got right.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:23 AM (llXky)

211 Sounds like TOI-178 is the galactic version of a 6 speed close ratio transmission.

Posted by: Berserker-Dragonheads Division at March 20, 2022 10:23 AM (VwHCD)

212 @75: Perfersser: "Since I took on this gig, Moron authors are popping out of the woodwork to share their work, which is fantastic!"

Just a list w/links would work

Posted by: yara at March 20, 2022 10:23 AM (hBsVD)

213 I seem to have missed something, exactly what book are we talking about here.
Posted by: who knew

The End of America - 100 Days that Shook the World, by JJ Sefton.

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:23 AM (arJlL)

214 Not Niven and Pournelle. Look at the Squirrel for Clue #4.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at March 20, 2022 10:24 AM (PiwSw)

215 Another good one more on the line of military scifi is Legion of the Damned by William C. Dietz.

(oh there are 3 prequels to the Death Stalker there about 8-9 books total)

Legion of the Damned is based on the French Foreign Legion done to the uniforms, ranks, memorialized fights to the death, honor and much other stuff that's been long gone and I'm surprised it shows up in the future. 8 books or so.

Dietz does a bunch of other series smaller than this one and some stand alones. Very good stuff. Believe it or not he makes you think and not just wham bam dead alien.

Posted by: jakee308 at March 20, 2022 10:25 AM (sr9Zz)

216 Had to repel a siege of Italicans... When folks don't properly close their tags, they tend to run amuck and disrupt the blog...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:08 AM (K5n5d)

Ah, thank you for that (both the cleanup effort and the explanation.)

Also: I think you're doing a fine job of continuing the weekly book thread, and it is much appreciated.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at March 20, 2022 10:25 AM (nRMeC)

217 Does this version have the Apocrypha? I just finished a podcast on 1 Maccabees that was great.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author

No, I think this is a Protestant study Bible.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:25 AM (lCui1)

218 @199 --

Wolfus, which is which?
Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022

***
If you mean our Mystery Guests, I don't have any idea. They don't resemble Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle in the least. It's true that Pournelle was a major computer aficionado and expert; he wrote a column for Byte magazine, I think, or PC World. Niven was never a teacher, not as a job -- he inherited a trust fund (his family is connected to the Doheny oil people of Los Angeles).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:25 AM (c6xtn)

219 Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 10:20 AM (nfrXX)

Thanks very much!

With regards to The Director's Cut, it's only available on kindle. I wasn't the original publisher for that, but I hope to some day reformat it, clean it up a bit and reissue it so people who want it in paperback can get it.

Time to get out. Hope you all have a lovely day.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 10:26 AM (2JVJo)

220 I am reading The C.I. Desk: FBI and CIA Counterintelligence As Seen From My Cubicle....

fairly entertaining and indicative of how much we rely on luck.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:26 AM (Lzpvj)

221 That being said, I did take a break in China reading to celebrate the return of Edward Ezell's Handguns of the World.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 08:07 AM (llXky)

Ezell's book is one of my favorite resource books, the discussion on the development of the .45 ACP cartridge is fascinating, and the section on European military revolvers is one of the best I have found for the various "families" of actions. The section on the development of the semi-auto pistol is equally wonderful, from brilliant designs like the Schwartzlose 1898 through to the Colts.
I wish there had been more discussion on the various operating systems, but it does give more information in one book than any other, including Smith and Smith's Small Arms of the World.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 10:26 AM (xhaym)

222
Nothing says varsity-level altar boy like rolling out into a cold, dark, and snowy Bronx February morning to serve a 6 o'clock weekday Mass.

I enjoyed being an alter boy, even when that meant having to roll out during or after a snowstorm. When I got older and I was afforded opportunities to serve as crucifer at the later service, I enjoyed that much less as I had to sit next to the choir and sing rather than assist with preparing for communion.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:27 AM (pNxlR)

223 Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 10:17 AM (5NkmN)

It's a damn shame the neglect that was inflicted on his work; I strongly suspect the woke shitheads and their outsized influence have something to do with that. The odd thing is the appeal of his work crosses ideological boundaries. I know lots of libs that just feast on his books unapologetically.

Maybe the New York Review of Books publishing, which has rescued many a forgotten classic, will come to the rescue.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 10:27 AM (y7DUB)

224 I will say that all the movie-watching is doing what I intended - getting me psyched to write more.

I guess my point is that in addition to having the correct environment to write, using music and films to put you into the proper creative frame can be very helpful.

I should mention that I'm watching the movies in their historical order (by setting) so that as I advance in my book, I get exposed to the various periods in time. On deck I have "The Sand Pebbles." I'm also trying to find a copy of "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" for the Chinese Civil War period.

Anyone know of other ones I should consider?

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:27 AM (llXky)

225 "Posted by: naturalfake at March 20, 2022 10:04 AM (5NkmN) "

I remember reading something many years ago about how speaking processes concepts through different parts of the brain than merely thinking internally ... the idea stuck with me because of how many times I have solved problems this way; in the middle of explaining it to someone, I will suddenly see the solution.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:28 AM (c1v4f)

226 193 Thanks blake!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:28 AM (lCui1)

227 Morning.

Here is something - a very good summary of the origins of Russia. It start Viking settlements (850 AD) and goes to election first Romanov (1613 AD). It is good , accessible , seems accurate and 15 minutes long.

https://bit.ly/3u5zfy4

Not a book, but it might inspire some reading....

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 10:28 AM (V13WU)

228 So Piss Hockey is actually pretending like she does not know that Han-Tur Bai-dan got paid money from China, Russia, and Ukraine...

the media allows this.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:28 AM (Lzpvj)

229 *starts with Viking

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 10:29 AM (V13WU)

230 201 today's reading is Servants of War by Larry Correia and Steve Diamond, just out for a few weeks.
good read
Posted by: sock_rat_eez

Is this part of an existing series or a new one?

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:29 AM (lCui1)

231 *goes to the election..

geez..it's like the keyboard is possessed

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 10:30 AM (V13WU)

232 MP4, (Sorry for getting your nic wrong earlier), Just bought both your Theda Bara books to add to the TBR stack. Looking forward to reading them.

Posted by: who knew at March 20, 2022 10:31 AM (4I7VG)

233 No, I think this is a Protestant study Bible.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:25 AM (lCui1)
---
If you haven't checked out 1 Maccabees, it's worth it. It gives a lot of context for the New Testament. I'm (slowly) working through 2 Maccabees, which covers the same ground, but is more spiritual-oriented.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:31 AM (llXky)

234 Well, time to wander.

Later, all!

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing (5pTK/)) at March 20, 2022 10:31 AM (5pTK/)

235 The clue to the Mystery Guests, someone suggested, is the book the Squirrel is holding. Boris Strugatsky is the only name I can read -- the book is Roadside Picnic (?), which was mentioned here sometime in the recent past.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:31 AM (c6xtn)

236 The who dis are the brothers Strugatsky, Arkady and Boris. No, I didn't recognize 'em right off -- I had to cheat and look up the Wanderers Universe. My bad, but thanks for the hint.

And Perfesser, having the squirrel reading Roadside Picnic in the picture is a nice touch.

Working my way through Crime and Punishment, slowly, and a bunch of short stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer (a lot of whose work is becoming available for Kindle now, at long freaking last).

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 20, 2022 10:32 AM (JzDjf)

237 Re: TOI-178 being an alien construct...

Our moon is just the right size and just the right distance to make a perfectly-sized solar eclipse. With trillions of solar systems, there's plenty of chances for weirdly-perfect coincidences.

Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at March 20, 2022 10:32 AM (5YmYl)

238 If you haven't checked out 1 Maccabees, it's worth it. It gives a lot of context for the New Testament. I'm (slowly) working through 2 Maccabees, which covers the same ground, but is more spiritual-oriented.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:31 AM (llXky)

My plan is to read the NT first, then go back to the OT. I definitely want to include the Apocrypha.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (lCui1)

239 "Posted by: Buck Throckmorton at March 20, 2022 09:44 AM (d9Cw3) "

I can't read Tom Clancy any more because of all the upright, patriotic ham&eggers from all the 3-letter-agencies populating his books ... no, just no. easier for me to believe in weird magic fantasy sci-fi worlds than in fibbies and the company being on the square.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (c1v4f)

240 Morning everyone!
Currently reading "Ice Age Floods" by a Dept of Energy scientist who works out at the Pacific NW National Lab. Pretty interesting so far. Lots of pictures and high level geology my pea-brain is trying to get.
But, neat thing is that a lot of the terrain featured in the book is right here in WA state. 14K years ago, or thereabouts, the glaciers melted and the torrent of water scoured the eastern half of Washington. The remains of that deluge are in the Channeled Scablands and Dry Falls.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (mr1KG)

241 It's 9:30 here, and I have to decide if I want to go out, sign a note in blood, and gas up the car, or stay here and do chores like vacuuming and making my salad for the week. Either one sounds unpleasant. Of course, if I do the latter course now, I'll have time to go out and finish waxing the car this afternoon.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (c6xtn)

242 MP4, (Sorry for getting your nic wrong earlier), Just bought both your Theda Bara books to add to the TBR stack. Looking forward to reading them.
Posted by: who knew at March 20, 2022 10:31 AM (4I7VG)

Well, thank you! If you enjoy them, please leave a review on Amazon.

And now I am really out.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at March 20, 2022 10:34 AM (2JVJo)

243 240 Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (mr1KG)

I have driven multiple times the last two months through the New Madrid zone in Misery....

The amount of geological pressure that exerted its will there is humbling.....I am wondering what sports utility vehicles were responsible.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:34 AM (Lzpvj)

244 I wish there had been more discussion on the various operating systems, but it does give more information in one book than any other, including Smith and Smith's Small Arms of the World.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 10:26 AM (xhaym)
---
Yes, and it has great illustrations and diagrams.

I was fascinated to see how Browning came up with the 1900, 1905 and then seemed to fade from 1911's development only to return when it became clear that if Colt could just make it a little better, they could actually get the Army's handgun contract.

There's a cool graphic showing cutaways of the 1911's "family tree": all the other designs that copied it's operating system.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:35 AM (llXky)

245 vmom, the cover says Book 1 of The Age of Ravens, so new series, apparently.

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:35 AM (c1v4f)

246 I can't read Tom Clancy any more because of all the upright, patriotic ham&eggers from all the 3-letter-agencies populating his books ... no, just no. easier for me to believe in weird magic fantasy sci-fi worlds than in fibbies and the company being on the square.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022

***
I tried Hunt for Red October and was disappointed that it had none of the excitement of the film. He likes to lecture the reader, I guess, but Michael Crichton did it better. The weird thing is that Clancy was a big fan of Larry Niven. I wonder what would have happened if they had collaborated?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:36 AM (c6xtn)

247 For that matter, do today's kids use nicknames?

Posted by: Weak Geek, who never will reveal his college nickname at March 20, 2022 09:30 AM (Om/di)

Not so much I think every kid has a unique name.

My Grandfather's generation had to, the family all used the same three Christian names, William, Andrew and Robert.
This tendency, and the fact that the Scots put a registry fee on recording births, makes Scottish genealogy a more exciting field of study that you might expect.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 10:36 AM (xhaym)

248 Thanks for the recommendation Perfessor. I believe it was your recommendation that got me started on the Mistborn series after finishing the Stormlight Archive.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:36 AM (Y+l9t)

249 IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR... FICTIONAL GEOGRAPHY

While I am a historical fiction fan(sommat) and a science fiction reader(less so)I had not expected to "Like" any where near as much as I do Eric Flints 1632 series of stories. Though an intergalactic "Prank", a three mile diameter sphere of West Virginia, including the town, mine, powerplant, school etc of late 1980s West Virginia is plopped into 1632 central Germany, smack dab in the middle of the 30 years war. Hapsburgs, Spain, France, England, Holy Roman Empire..King of Sweden all battling for dominance...the tiny "Pebble in the Pond" of several hundred modernly equipped and moderately educated Hillbillies turns out to be more like a "Bowling ball into a Bathtub".
Butterfly effect ensues over a dozen sequel stories.

Posted by: Birddog at March 20, 2022 10:37 AM (uAI4S)

250 I can't read Tom Clancy any more because of all the upright, patriotic ham&eggers from all the 3-letter-agencies populating his books ... no, just no. easier for me to believe in weird magic fantasy sci-fi worlds than in fibbies and the company being on the square.
Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (c1v4f)

This is a good take. A new alternate universe.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 10:37 AM (ONvIw)

251 239 Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (c1v4f)

It is telling that the bad guys at the farm and the bureau are better morally than the real life "good guys."

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:37 AM (Lzpvj)

252 Is this (Servants of War) part of an existing series or a new one?

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:29 AM (lCui1)

3/4 of the way through reading this one as well.

New book, not part of any of Larry's existing series. Picked my copy up as part of the March 2022 Baen Bundle. Not sure if it will be part of a series or not.

Posted by: Grumpy and Recalcitrant at March 20, 2022 10:37 AM (nRMeC)

253 Thank goodness someone just changed channels in break room cutting off anything else Fauci would blarney about.

Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2022 10:38 AM (iASaX)

254 I tried Hunt for Red October and was disappointed that it had none of the excitement of the film. He likes to lecture the reader, I guess, but Michael Crichton did it better. The weird thing is that Clancy was a big fan of Larry Niven. I wonder what would have happened if they had collaborated?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:36 AM (c6xtn)
---
Clancy isn't helped by his writing style. The book created a sensation when it came out and the topic and pacing made it a hit.

But when I re-read it knowing how it was going to end, the bad writing really stood out.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:38 AM (llXky)

255 I've finished listening to Pale Fire. In the queue is part 1 of The Civil War, Sumter to Perryville, by Shelby Foote. I may never finish it.

Posted by: N.L. Urker, the Phillips screwdriver of the gods at March 20, 2022 10:38 AM (eGTCV)

256 Good morning, Horde.
This week I've been rounding the corner on the last few Nero Wolfe books. I read 'Death of a Dude' and Archie Goodwin is a real prick in it. It's also weirdly sexless for all that the story is set at his part-time girlfriend's Montana ranch with her in residence.

Also did some Agatha Christie as well, reading 'Cards on the Table' and 'The ABC Murders'. I'm struck mostly by how empathetic and good (morally) Poirot is. He is not sarcastic and most of his arrogance is justified and rare in any case. The endings kind of have one twist too many, I actually find Agatha Christie to be very readable right up until the final reveal. There's a little too much 'ah ha but here's what REALLY happened!'. And then there's the bits where occasionally Poirot will let someone get murdered, which...is a thing.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at March 20, 2022 10:39 AM (eeRB6)

257 246 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:36 AM (c6xtn)

Clancy's master work was made with Larry Bond....

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:39 AM (Lzpvj)

258 In the queue is part 1 of The Civil War, Sumter to Perryville, by Shelby Foote. I may never finish it.
Posted by: N.L. Urker, the Phillips screwdriver of the gods at March 20, 2022 10:38 AM (eGTCV)

Do it. Is good book. Foote is my favorite Civil War 1 writer.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at March 20, 2022 10:40 AM (eeRB6)

259 TOI-178?

The Clockwerk System duh

Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2022 10:40 AM (iASaX)

260 253 Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2022 10:38 AM (iASaX)

Putin caused CUOMO19 to be funded in Wuhan....

//Antknee Fauci

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:40 AM (Lzpvj)

261 It is telling that the bad guys at the farm and the bureau are better morally than the real life "good guys."

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:37 AM (Lzpvj)
---
To be fair to Clancy, that was a different time with very different people. If you look at the policy debates, the maturity involved, it's nothing like today.

Clancy does idealize them, but the people running the show back then were actual veterans who had hard lives, not sheltered DC creatures given participation trophies from birth.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 10:41 AM (llXky)

262 AH Lloyd
Dunno how accurate, but here's a chart someone made of which bible versions include the Apocrypha
https://tinyurl.com/4vzr99fu

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:41 AM (lCui1)

263 I thought Red Storm Rising was Clancy's best book.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (Y+l9t)

264 did not know that, Wolfus; yes, might have been interesting !

Posted by: sock_rat_eez (c1v4f) at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (c1v4f)

265 Finally started reading "Sword Woman and Other Historical Adventures." It's the last collection of Robert E Howard stories that I've bought but haven't read.

The first story was a slog to get through, and I think it was just an excuse to list off all the nobles who fought (and died) in a battle between Irish natives and Viking occupiers.

The second story, "Hawks over Cairo" was better, though a little hard to follow. Our hero gets plopped into a power struggle in caliphate Cairo, with four different competing factions. It helped that I had already read the story in comic format, as it was adapted into a Conan story.

Then I skipped to "Shadow of the Vulture," which features Red Sonya--the inspiration for the chainmail bikini wearing Red Sonja. Other than Sonya, the most notable thing about this story is that it reminded me how saucy stories of the 30's could be. Sonya repeatedly called another character a slut. Tut tut. I guess there wasn't a continuous streak of editorial prudishness between the Victorian Era and the 50's....

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (Lhaco)

266 I might need to re-read my Tom Clancy.
One thing I recall him doing well is juggling multiple points of view and multiple plot threads. Its the kind of thing that gets GRRM praised but I noticed Clancy doing it first.

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at March 20, 2022 10:43 AM (eeRB6)

267 263 Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (Y+l9t)

That is the aforementioned "master work."

When he went borderline woke or "gay for pay" for the Whore E Wood check he lost my interest completely.

The only work of his I have bought the last ten years is the audiobook of Red Storm Rising.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:43 AM (Lzpvj)

268 I have driven multiple times the last two months through the New Madrid zone in Misery....

The amount of geological pressure that exerted its will there is humbling.....I am wondering what sports utility vehicles were responsible.

Sven,
speaking of fault zones, if the Cascadia Subduction Zone ever pops along the WA/OR continental shelf, most of the west coast will be inundated by a tsunami plus all of the fun of the earthquake itself. It's something the WA Army National Guard and the WA State Emergency Mgmt Division has put a lot of time and planning into. People have no idea how lethal and unforgiving Mother Nature can be. The Dry Falls out in eastern WA are the remains of the world's LARGEST waterfall. It's awe inspiring.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:44 AM (mr1KG)

269 268 Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:44 AM (mr1KG)

I am pulling for the faults, I miss the country that would move heaven and earth to save a girl stuck in a well.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:46 AM (Lzpvj)

270 Lone to my cousin JJ's book, haven't seen him since but wonder if I will get it back.

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 10:47 AM (2JoB8)

271 More on my Robert E Howard reading, I just received my copy of Conan the Barbarian Omnibus Volume 7. It collects the Marvel comics from the mid 80s. The previous 2 volumes were a bit generic, but this volume has a new writer, Christopher Priest, who has a good reputation. And it has the same great art from John Buscema. The first two stories were a definite strep up from what came before, so I'm hoping this volume will be a return-to-form for the series.

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 20, 2022 10:47 AM (Lhaco)

272 263 I thought Red Storm Rising was Clancy's best book.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (Y+l9t)
I'd love to live in that world, that America, again.

Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 10:47 AM (0OP+5)

273 In the queue is part 1 of The Civil War, Sumter to Perryville, by Shelby Foote. I may never finish it.
----
Do it. Is good book. Foote is my favorite Civil War 1 writer.

I started it -- yay, me. And then I put it down for a couple days -- big mistake. It's like dieting or (I imagine) quitting smoking. If you allow yourself to slack, it's very hard to regain the discipline to restart.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 10:47 AM (nfrXX)

274 Skip, it's funny how we are so used to autocucumber that I automatically substitute the correct word.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:48 AM (Y+l9t)

275 There is new content at
http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=398297.

Posted by: Nazdar at March 20, 2022 10:48 AM (g5pdH)

276
Do it. Is good book. Foote is my favorite Civil War 1 writer.
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021)

I concur, on both counts. I have listened to the audio book version of his three volume history twice. I'd do so again if I could locate a functioning Walkman (or an equivalent) in our house.

Which brings up the question, are there cassette tape players in existence which can be accessed by BlueTooth?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:49 AM (pNxlR)

277 This week I've been rounding the corner on the last few Nero Wolfe books. I read 'Death of a Dude' and Archie Goodwin is a real prick in it. It's also weirdly sexless for all that the story is set at his part-time girlfriend's Montana ranch with her in residence.

Also did some Agatha Christie as well . . . The endings kind of have one twist too many, I actually find Agatha Christie to be very readable right up until the final reveal. There's a little too much 'ah ha but here's what REALLY happened!'. . . .
Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards (Logan Tiberius 2012-2021) at March 20, 2022
***
I'll admit that Rex Stout's late work is not on a par with his post-WWII Wolfe stories, no. I haven't reread Death of a Dude in a very long time.

Maybe that over-emphasis on the twist is part of why I am not a big Christie fan. Of course the Ellery Queen stories were famous for "the false solution, then the true."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 10:49 AM (c6xtn)

278 272 263 I thought Red Storm Rising was Clancy's best book.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (Y+l9t)
I'd love to live in that world, that America, again.
Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 10:47 AM (0OP+5)

One of my work buddies was talking about Red Storm Rising and was wondering if that sequence of events will play out with the current Russian government (the ending, I should clarify). It's definitely something to chew on.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:49 AM (mr1KG)

279 Eromero, there was a time when people went into government service or ran for political office to try and make things better not just to improve their own lot in life.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:50 AM (Y+l9t)

280 73 the first volume of Paul Scott's The Raj Quartet, The Jewel in the Crown, a reference to how India fit in with the British empire. The book was really a narration of a few events told by different characters. The Brits were mostly irritating knobs; I kept wondering how a much older culture like India could be dominated by some relatively young interlopers until I thought of our current situation and ended the confusion. The final narrator was a "big boned" (which says to me "fat with the gracefulness of a hobbled mule"; think Big Mike) skeezer with a raging case of jungle fever. The object of her Bengal Tiger love was a self hater who wanted to be thought of as Brit despite his dark skin (he made a point to talk on the phone to make people think he was white). As you can imagine things didn't work out so well for either. Despite how everyone annoyed me, it served as a good illustration of how everyone talked past each other in a cultural mosh pit.
Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 09:31 AM (y7DUB)

Sounds good!

Posted by: m at March 20, 2022 10:52 AM (2Q+cC)

281 I'd love to live in that world, that America, again.
Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 10:47 AM (0OP+5)

I thought we did! Here we are, as a nation, discussing WWIII, the use of nukes and deposing a Russian leadership. Evil Russians, false flags...no more real, than a Clancy novel.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 10:52 AM (ONvIw)

282 MPPPP, I think I bought Chicken Every Sunday because of your recommenation

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 10:53 AM (xhaym)

283
I thought Red Storm Rising was Clancy's best book.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice)

I very much liked "The Cardinal of the Kremlin" and thought that it ought to have been made into a movie.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:54 AM (pNxlR)

284 Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:09 AM (Y+l9t)
---
If it makes you feel better, the sequel series is set hundreds of years after the original series. The events are only loosely related to the original series, so you don't *have* to read the sequel series. Though it's also a pretty fun series to read.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (K5n5d)

Is that the Wax and Wayne series? I enjoyed the ones of those I read.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 20, 2022 10:54 AM (nC+QA)

285 Is that the Wax and Wayne series? I enjoyed the ones of those I read.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 20, 2022 10:54 AM (nC+QA)
---
Yep. Kind of a quirky mix of western, steampunk, and buddy cop series.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:55 AM (K5n5d)

286 Vol 1 of the Foote series is 42 hours of listening I usually like to listen to books while driving. It would cost a fortune in gas to listen to the whole book.

Posted by: N.L. Urker, oops, I commented again. Sorry, eh. at March 20, 2022 10:55 AM (eGTCV)

287 The spam Nazi killed my comment !

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:56 AM (arJlL)

288 Thee was a series on Netflix that was made in Norway called Occupied. The premise was that the European Union had found a clean energy source that could provide unlimited practically free power. The discovery was made in Norway which sits on a Russian border. Naturally the Russians were very unhappy about this as it was cutting off the money flow for Russian energy. Sound familiar? It is very well done.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:57 AM (Y+l9t)

289 So, after I finish Demons, which should be today (I am anticipating much death and destruction) I will move on to rereading some Agatha and some Francoise Sagan.

I have essentially finished cleaning the book piles throughout the house and re-establishing order. I also boxed a tremendous number of books my kids collected throughout college and young adulthood and stored here between multiple moves. Time for them to collect all their books and other belongings or face having me donate them.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 10:57 AM (ONvIw)

290 The spam Nazi killed my comment !
Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:56 AM (arJlL)
---
Did you make the proper offering to Pixy's hamster farm?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:58 AM (K5n5d)

291 Sound familiar? It is very well done.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:57 AM (Y+l9t)

Except there is no practically free, clean energy source. LOL

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 10:59 AM (ONvIw)

292 Did you make the proper offering to Pixy's hamster farm?
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 10:58 AM (K5n5d)

I'd offer up a can or two of Vegemite since Pixy is in the Land Down Under haha!

P. Squirrel, check your email sir!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:59 AM (mr1KG)

293 CN, good luck with that. When I moved, had to hire people to take away all their accumulated junk.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (Y+l9t)

294 259 TOI-178?

The Clockwerk System duh
Posted by: Anna Puma at March 20, 2022 10:40 AM (iASaX)

LOL my first thought!

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (evAgx)

295 I thought Red Storm Rising was Clancy's best book.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 10:42 AM (Y+l9t)
---
I liked it (and bought the wargame based on it!), but I think it also shows Clancy's weaknesses.

The fact that SACEUR only got a name at the end of the book showed just how Clancy was writing by the seat of his pants. He has a lot going on and a good editor would have made him go back and fix some of the things like that.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (llXky)

296 Never read a Shelby Foote book, have many American Civil War books.

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (2JoB8)

297 All these squirrels!
Perfessor and Secret.

Posted by: Morocco Mole at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (ONvIw)

298 The spam Nazi killed my comment !
Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 10:56 AM (arJlL)
---
Did you make the proper offering to Pixy's hamster farm?
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

WTF is that ? I don't hafta reach into Richard Gere's bum do I ?

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 11:01 AM (arJlL)

299 P. Squirrel, check your email sir!
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:59 AM (mr1KG)
---
I found it! Thanks for this...I'll read it *after* I read Outward Frontier, which should show up in a couple of days...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (K5n5d)

300 297 All these squirrels!
Perfessor and Secret.
Posted by: Morocco Mole at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (ONvIw)

The circle is now complete

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (mr1KG)

301 Except there is no practically free, clean energy source. LOL

It was something called Thorium which is a real thing.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (Y+l9t)

302 293 CN, good luck with that. When I moved, had to hire people to take away all their accumulated junk.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (Y+l

They actually want most of these things, and each of them has a nice large house now. Neither likes to get rid of any books, evidenced by the fact that they paid to move them so they could store them with me. Kid1 likes to pretend that there is "no room", which is crap, so it's crunch time for kid1 in particular. I do not see all these books, ending up on the street.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:04 AM (ONvIw)

303 How do you people remember all this stuff? I am now going to have to eread Red Storm Rising.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:04 AM (Y+l9t)

304 It's something the WA Army National Guard and the WA State Emergency Mgmt Division has put a lot of time and planning into.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:44 AM (mr1KG)
---
They did a long-planned and elaborate exercise a while back. I hear it did not go well.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:04 AM (llXky)

305 181 Thanks to the horde for suggestions the other day when.I asked about a good bible with notes to read.
I checked our library and was able to borrow the New King James Version Holy Bible Study Edition published by Thomas Nelson. I read the introductory notes, skipped over to "between the Testaments" notes, then I'll start on Matthew.
I have The Chronological Bible on hold which I am curious about.
I am interested in looking at two Catholic study bibles: The Didache Bible RSV2CE and the the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible in real life to see if I want to buy one of them (sadly the library has neither).
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 10:12 AM (lCui1)
1599 Geneva Bible.

Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 11:04 AM (0OP+5)

306 I'd offer up a can or two of Vegemite since Pixy is in the Land Down Under haha!

P. Squirrel, check your email sir!
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:59 AM (mr1KG)

I don't think Vegemite is sold in cans. Either jars, or caulking gun cartridges, probably.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:06 AM (P3gRi)

307 It was something called Thorium which is a real thing.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (Y+l9t)

But as we're denuclearizing our energy sources, I don't see thorium as a savior for the Russians, or Western Oil companies to kill.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:07 AM (ONvIw)

308 I don't think Vegemite is sold in cans. Either jars, or caulking gun cartridges, probably.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:06 AM (P3gRi

LOL you're right. I was typing faster than my brain was engaging. Plus I'm one cup of coffee #1. Still warming up the engine!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:07 AM (mr1KG)

309 It was something called Thorium which is a real thing.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (Y+l9t)

Face palm.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:07 AM (P3gRi)

310 And now a complaint. I've been reading A Coin For the Ferryman by Megan Edwards, an OK book about scientists snatching Julius Caesar from the past to learn about him. There is an epilogue that explains what happened to the characters. One, a Catholic priest who taught our hero Latin allowing her to talk with Caesar, later presided over the homo marriage of two other characters whose predilections were not previously mentioned. It is so obvious tacked on one must wonder if the editor said, "Dude, it's 2022! You've got to pervert it up!" And this even as "Ferryman" appears in the title!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 11:07 AM (FVME7)

311 I don't think Vegemite is sold in cans. Either jars, or caulking gun cartridges, probably.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022

***
I've seen it in jars at World Market. Never been tempted by it, though.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius at March 20, 2022 11:08 AM (c6xtn)

312 I don't think Vegemite is sold in cans. Either jars, or caulking gun cartridges, probably.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon

Is that anything like Vitameatavegimin ?

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 11:10 AM (arJlL)

313 307 It was something called Thorium which is a real thing.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (Y+l9t)

But as we're denuclearizing our energy sources, I don't see thorium as a savior for the Russians, or Western Oil companies to kill.
Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:07 AM (ONvIw)

Regarding free and clean energy, I'd offer up our hydro dams in WA. Little known facts about said dams:
1. CA buys most of the power generated by them so they can claim green status. WA and other states get the leftovers (we have an active nuke plant at Hanford that provides power).
2. The envirnomental nuts want to destroy the dams along the Columbia and Snake Rivers due to the salmon runs being...endangered? distressed? They've yet to make a coherent argument.
3. The Federally protected sea lions that live along the west coast eat tons of salmon when they are running. If the do-gooders wanted to help salmon, they need to harvest them some sea lion pelts.
4. Knock down the dams...uh, no power. Which, I guess, maybe is the idea.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:11 AM (mr1KG)

314 Never read a Shelby Foote book, have many American Civil War books.
Posted by: Skip

If interested, you might read one of the short book length excerpts from his massive 3000 page The Civil War: A Narrative. For example, The Stars In Their Courses is the excerpt concerning Gettysburg and, I believe, there are others.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 11:12 AM (FVME7)

315 Occupied was fiction after all but the premise made sense. IRL, Russia had to get Germany to give up nuclear power to get them to buy Russian gas, making NATO impotent to stop them taking over Ukraine.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:13 AM (Y+l9t)

316 It was something called Thorium which is a real thing.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:02 AM (Y+l9t)

It's entertaining of the author to use that name. Thorium is relatively common, and there have been proposed designs for Thorium reactors, which could supply a neighborhood's worth of electricity at very low cost, floating around for quite a few years. But because of regulatory, or environmental, or vested interests - pick your poison!!! - these designs have never been pursued.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 11:13 AM (evAgx)

317 Thorium is misogynistic.

Posted by: klaftern@yahoo.com at March 20, 2022 11:14 AM (taPSh)

318 Well, let's go all in and take down Glen Canyon and Hoover. People are stupid and should be beat with a tire iron.

Posted by: Infidel at March 20, 2022 11:14 AM (ou23q)

319 So the guy on the right really isn't John Belushi?

Posted by: Dagwood at March 20, 2022 11:15 AM (MNaS0)

320 Currently reading "Stalin's War: A New History of World War 2", by Sean McMeekin.

Did you know that from August 23, 1939 (signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact) to June 22, 1941 (Operation Barbarossa), Stalin invaded 7 independent countries, while Hitler invaded 9. Yet somehow we blame Hitler for WW2 and not Stalin.

A lot of myths shattered in this book, among them that Stalin hid himself away for almost three weeks before doing anything to command the USSR's armies, and the myth that USSR was caught unawares by the Nazi attack, and finally, that Stalin was NOT planning to invade Europe in July of 1941. He was, the Nazis just beat him to the punch.

Had Stalin hit Europe in July 1941, his armies (including numbers of tanks and aircraft) were 5 times the size of Germany's and almost certainly the USSR would have conquered all of Europe.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:16 AM (iJVGX)

321 Which brings up the question, are there cassette tape players in existence which can be accessed by BlueTooth?
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars

So you're looking for a nuclear powered buggy whip?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (FVME7)

322 ...there have been proposed designs for Thorium reactors, which could supply a neighborhood's worth of electricity at very low cost, floating around for quite a few years. But because of regulatory, or environmental, or vested interests - pick your poison!!! - these designs have never been pursued.

I don't have the knowledge to actually, um, know but it reminds me very much of the 100 MPG carburetor plans and magnetic water treatments sold in the back of DIY magazines.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (nfrXX)

323 California is stupid. They cut off water supply to CA agricultural areas, the f'ing breadbasket of our country, to save a smelt.
They stopped the building of a critically needed hospital because it was in the path of a migrating fly. A fly!

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (Y+l9t)

324 "TOI-178. I'm not saying it was aliens. But it was aliens."

Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (iJVGX)

325 But, neat thing is that a lot of the terrain featured in the book is right here in WA state. 14K years ago, or thereabouts, the glaciers melted and the torrent of water scoured the eastern half of Washington. The remains of that deluge are in the Channeled Scablands and Dry Falls.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 10:33 AM (mr1KG)

The entire Willamette Valley was flooded from those events. I have seen, from Dayton to Albany, ice rafted "erratic" rocks that were flushed down from the collapse of one or another of the ice dams. The flood was so big as to bring in icebergs carrying rock and gravel down the valley. There is one really big one outside of McMinnville, OR at Erratic Rock Park.
It must have been as much a cataclysm as the filling of the Black Sea, and probably happened a couple of times.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (xhaym)

326 Secret Squirrel @ 313- I suppose the gaiia-worshippers want us to go back to harvesting salmon the way first people did? And smearing ourselves in bear grease? And the sea lions? 'Nice boots, Eromero, what are they made of?' 'Sea lion. Smell them. Just like the ocean, right?'

Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 11:18 AM (0OP+5)

327 303 Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:04 AM (Y+l9t)

Memory palaces, I would make the argument calling SACEUR SACEUR was a conscious move on Clancy's part to show the impersonal nature of a huge operation....he did the same thing with CINC-West.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:18 AM (Lzpvj)

328 I don't have the knowledge to actually, um, know but it reminds me very much of the 100 MPG carburetor plans and magnetic water treatments sold in the back of DIY magazines.
Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (nfrXX)

but I saw a 100 mpg mustang in Birdemic!

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 11:19 AM (evAgx)

329
Putin caused CUOMO19 to be funded in Wuhan....
//Antknee Fauci
Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 10:40 AM (Lzpvj)

what, he is saying that he was so afraid of Putin that he was compelled to create Captain Tripp level bioweapons to maintain the balance of terror . . . Oh, and dang, and oops, boy are our faces red?

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:21 AM (xhaym)

330 I was also looking through my children's book collection and weeding out items that the grandsons would not like, IOW girl books. I never bought crap like the Sweet Valley series, but I have plenty of other things that boys would avoid. I will donate these so that someone else can enjoy them. I do hate the fact that the book sales near me are all sponsored by libraries that will use the funds for woke bullshit acquisitions, but I can't keep them forever.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:21 AM (ONvIw)

331 296 Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 11:00 AM (2JoB

Foote's "Civil War a Narrative" trilogy is well done.

Listen to it on Audio Book it is ~ 90 hours.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:21 AM (Lzpvj)

332 Sharkman interesting, would like to read that, some of the things you mention are said by many many writers and participants

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 11:22 AM (2JoB8)

333 RE: Nuclear power...

All of those nice radioactive elements are going to decay regardless of whether or not we harvest them to produce energy. Every moment they are in the ground is less useful energy they can produce for us.

Environmentalists are absolute idiots when it comes to understanding energy production and usage.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:22 AM (K5n5d)

334 The entire Willamette Valley was flooded from those events. I have seen, from Dayton to Albany, ice rafted "erratic" rocks that were flushed down from the collapse of one or another of the ice dams. The flood was so big as to bring in icebergs carrying rock and gravel down the valley. There is one really big one outside of McMinnville, OR at Erratic Rock Park.
It must have been as much a cataclysm as the filling of the Black Sea, and probably happened a couple of times.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (xhaym)

There are some erratics where I live. Up near Okanogan you can see them as well. The name is totally appropriate- giant rock in the middle of the wheat field. I think the cool part is knowing, as you pointed out, that they were carried by a massive glacier and then dumped there. I wish I would have paid more attention in my geology 101 class back in the day.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:22 AM (mr1KG)

335 what, he is saying that he was so afraid of Putin that he was compelled to create Captain Tripp level bioweapons to maintain the balance of terror . . . Oh, and dang, and oops, boy are our faces red?
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:21 AM (xhaym)

LOL, I read something online last night about a US lab in Georgia (SSR) that is weaponizing insects to spread disease.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:23 AM (ONvIw)

336 It's entertaining of the author to use that name. Thorium is relatively common, and there have been proposed designs for Thorium reactors, which could supply a neighborhood's worth of electricity at very low cost, floating around for quite a few years. But because of regulatory, or environmental, or vested interests - pick your poison!!! - these designs have never been pursued.
Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 11:13 AM (evAgx)

Thorium is the unicorn put out by the anti-nuke crowd for the purpose of blocking construction of uranium reactors. "Wait! Something much better is just around the corner!" Thorium reactors do work, and they do produce fewer nasty radioactive waste elements. Problem is, there is no secure domestic thorium supply, nor is there likely to be.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:24 AM (P3gRi)

337 There is one really big one outside of McMinnville, OR at Erratic Rock Park.
It must have been as much a cataclysm as the filling of the Black Sea, and probably happened a couple of times.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (xhaym)

I wonder if there's an Erotic Rocks State Park somewhere. If there isn't, there should be!

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 11:24 AM (evAgx)

338 If California and Arizona were serious about water conservation, they would force golf courses to purchase water not meant for human needs or agricultural needs. So, the country club set can finance the desalination plants to water their precious playgrounds.

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 20, 2022 11:24 AM (U2p+3)

339 326 Secret Squirrel @ 313- I suppose the gaiia-worshippers want us to go back to harvesting salmon the way first people did? And smearing ourselves in bear grease? And the sea lions? 'Nice boots, Eromero, what are they made of?' 'Sea lion. Smell them. Just like the ocean, right?'
Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 11:18 AM (0OP+5)

LOL yeah no doubt. Curiously missing from their arguments are the massive amounts of Indian gill nets that are clogging the rivers, taking enormous amounts of salmon. So many salmon caught that they can't get them all, and they die trapped in the nets. The waste is appalling.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (mr1KG)

340 I cracked the wife and kids up because I was just walking around with a big grin on my face, feeling the wind, taking it all in. It was glorious! There's a lot of joy in the world if you just look for it.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

Thank you, President Biden.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (FVME7)

341 263, Sharon, Red Storm Rising scared the living daylights out of me and I had to put it aside until whatever crisis in the world (Iraq, first time?) settled down and I could finish it.

Posted by: Tonestaple at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (5aF+L)

342 Environmentalists are absolute idiots when it comes to understanding energy production and usage.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:22 AM (K5n5d)

They are, and I suspect Fukashima, Chernobyl (invoked by St. Zelensky, himself) and TMI constitute a larger reason that we are avoiding nuclear power than is Russian desire to sell oil.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (ONvIw)

343 Finished reading the Montefiore biography of Potemkin. Fascinating, very readable, and charitable to all the almost incomprehensibly alien Russian characters. I am still chewing on the 'souls' owned, bestowed, and traded by the Russian elite. Millions of serfs totally owned by their lords until the 20th century, although there is a good argument that the 'souls' are still in slavery.

The book really needed more maps and I have an ongoing irritation with endnotes rather than footnotes.

In one way, it was a debunking of the Potemkin=Fake histories; but in another view it really highlights how vital talented and persistent outsiders are to renewing any society.

Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (MIKMs)

344 Sean McMeekin, Sean McMeekin, who is that ...??

Oh, let's look him up...ok, Stalin's War , interesting, National Review liked it , The Guardian, Financial Times......wait, what's this ?
"Historian Mark Edele said that the book contains misquotes of Stalin's speeches, and included sources refuted decades beforehand, or else long ago shown to be fraudulent. Edele concluded "A gifted writer and a talented polemicist, he has lowered the historian's craft to the level of propaganda."

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:26 AM (V13WU)

345 Which brings up the question, are there cassette tape players in existence which can be accessed by BlueTooth?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 10:49 AM (pNxlR)

You may have to cobble something together, like splice in an RCA jack to a blue-tooth lavaliere mike microphone.
I remember "toasterware" and "cyberpunk" being complimentary ethos.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:26 AM (xhaym)

346 Sharon, if you enjoy Sanderson, are you aware that he has a Kickstarter right now? You contribute and get 4 books indie (instead of his usual publisher) as he writes them.

I probably have a detail or two wrong. I don't know much about Kickstarters.

Posted by: Wenda at March 20, 2022 11:27 AM (WlRzn)

347 World leaders have consistently made horrendous decisions throughout history. Most of our time on earth is spent living through and trying to overcome those decisions.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:27 AM (W3AhE)

348 Sven could read it faster

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 11:28 AM (2JoB8)

349 There are many places successfully using nuclear power, even here in the US. They are being shut down by the Global Warming fanatics in order to promote unicorns like solar and wind power. Germany's nuclear plants were perfectly operational and providing steady power only to be shut down because of the access to Nord stream. That was not due to fear of nuclear meltdown.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:29 AM (Y+l9t)

350 338 If California and Arizona were serious about water conservation, they would force golf courses to purchase water not meant for human needs or agricultural needs. So, the country club set can finance the desalination plants to water their precious playgrounds.
Posted by: nurse ratched at March 20, 2022 11:24 AM (U2p+3)

Hi Nurse! Good point. A commenter noted up above about the smelt or some such fish CA is protecting. They divert the meltwater from the Sierra Nevadas directly into the San Fran Bay, bypassing the farmers and everyone else who could benefit from the water, to keep the smelt going. Then they have the audacity to complain that global warming is preventing a snow pack, or too little rain, whatever. The insanity is real.
Speaking of insanity, Tacoma is now joining the ranks of lawless Seattle. Read a story about a portion of a main street shut down by some 40 vehicles racing and doing spin outs. Tacoma PD said they couldn't do anything.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:32 AM (mr1KG)

351 California and Arizona were serious about water conservation, they would force golf courses to purchase water not meant for human needs or agricultural needs. So, the country club set can finance the desalination plants to water their precious playgrounds.

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 20, 2022 11:24 AM (U2p+3)

Modern golf courses conserve water through many means these days including recycling ,retention ponds, using filtered black water , etc. .

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:32 AM (kvb15)

352 Beeezos lists a decadent dual cassette with "usb". Take a look.

Posted by: klaftern@yahoo.com at March 20, 2022 11:32 AM (taPSh)

353 Clean coal, let's not talk about that either.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (V13WU)

354
TOU-178

I posit that the Star Wars universe can be recast as a giant skee ball game, with the skee balls being the Death Stars therein.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (pNxlR)

355 348 Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 11:28 AM (2JoB

I've read it several times, the thing is for retention it helps to layer the data so you can retrieve it in multiple ways....and the narrator does a good job.

https://youtu.be/nQfKkCH_YoM

CPAN interview with Foote.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (Lzpvj)

356 Had Stalin hit Europe in July 1941, his armies (including numbers of tanks and aircraft) were 5 times the size of Germany's and almost certainly the USSR would have conquered all of Europe.
Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:16 AM (iJVGX)

In the Spy Novel Green Hazard that was published in 1945, that is set in 1941 Berlin, it has as a sub plot that the Germans are gearing up for invading Russia because it is understood that Russia is on the brink of invading Germany. So the argument over Stalin being preparing to invade is a very old argument

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (xhaym)

357 I don't have the knowledge to actually, um, know but it reminds me very much of the 100 MPG carburetor plans and magnetic water treatments sold in the back of DIY magazines.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 11:17 AM (nfrXX)

Really!? You have any old issues you don't want!?

Posted by: Cannibal Bob at March 20, 2022 11:34 AM (XlDSe)

358 353 Clean coal, let's not talk about that either.
Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (V13WU)

We talk about clean coal, we end up silencing the Greta "HOW DARE YOU!" Thunbergs of the world.
Now, we can't have that, can we?

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:34 AM (mr1KG)

359 353 Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (V13WU)

Yeah EPA "we will set a standard that the industry cannot possibly meet to defacto outlaw it"

Energy Sector "meets goal in 12 years"

Urkle "I have a pen, a phone, and a hatred of America"

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:34 AM (Lzpvj)

360 349. Can you deny that the "public perception" of nuclear power is incredibly colored by events like Chernobyl and Fukashima? While the real reason might very well be profits for oligarchs everywhere, if you were to propose new nuclear plants, you'd get incredible blowback from those who expected and feared a meltdown, and the proposal would die.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:35 AM (ONvIw)

361 Thank you for an excellent book thread and many excellent recommendations.

I started out reading The Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian. I thought it would be interesting and the story takes place in Boston, where I once lived. I couldn't make myself finish it. Once upon a time, I prided myself on finishing every book I began, but have come to the conclusion that life is too short (and there are too many other, better things to read!). I found none of the characters likable. Even the main character, who is beaten by her husband, was not especially sympathetic, although I think the author meant her to be.

I did read and enjoy P.D. James' The Murder Room. I'm amazed at how she brings in so many characters and weaves them all together. I'm always amazed by those of you who write and are able to pull together stories, and characters, and make them all so real.

Posted by: KatieFloyd at March 20, 2022 11:36 AM (ob77J)

362 343, mustbequantum at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (MIKMs), I am listening to Montefiore's "The Romanovs" and, even with just the relatively brief mentions of Potemkin during the reign of Catherine the Great, I am highly motivated to get your book: it really does sound like Potemkin was one of those men who could really change the world, or at least his world, by force of character. And no, it didn't sound at all like he was a big faker just to make his queen happy.

Posted by: Tonestaple at March 20, 2022 11:36 AM (5aF+L)

363 Continuing into Three Body Problem. It got even better...and worse.

I am about half way through. The book is kind of a thriller more so than SciFi so far. The thriller part is the part that gets better. What puts it into SciFi territory so far is the cyberpunk (not really) which is kind of VR with haptic feedback, though so far that has not played a real part in the story.

It is "in game" where the Chinese-ness of the story really comes out. It's hard to appreciate as a Westerner. And some of it is just kind of tedious.

Posted by: blaster at March 20, 2022 11:36 AM (9otr5)

364 Read a story about a portion of a main street shut down by some 40 vehicles racing and doing spin outs. Tacoma PD said they couldn't do anything.

Which makes it clear that a peaceful, lawful society only works if some very large majority of the population wants it to. The critical mass for a social overthrow is distressingly low.

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 11:36 AM (nfrXX)

365 Memory palaces, I would make the argument calling SACEUR SACEUR was a conscious move on Clancy's part to show the impersonal nature of a huge operation....he did the same thing with CINC-West.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:18 AM (Lzpvj)
---
Right, but wars are fought be real people, with pasts, quirks, etc.

Name a war and you'll see the merits and flaws of the generals. Clancy cut that out because character development is not a strength and at the end he (or likely, an editor) said "Tom, you have to gave these people actual names."

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (llXky)

366 Stalin and Hitler were both evil rat bastards. This is not a hard concept to grasp.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (P3gRi)

367 349 There are many places successfully using nuclear power, even here in the US. They are being shut down by the Global Warming fanatics in order to promote unicorns like solar and wind power. Germany's nuclear plants were perfectly operational and providing steady power only to be shut down because of the access to Nord stream. That was not due to fear of nuclear meltdown.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:29 AM (Y+l9t)
Mrs. E and I just drove though an area infested by bird-killing eyesore wind-driven generators (estimate 1/5 of them feathered and locked) the past five days. She got a pretty good picture of and old AerMotor mindmill water pump right under one of those giant alien monsters.

Posted by: Eromero at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (0OP+5)

368 360 349. Can you deny that the "public perception" of nuclear power is incredibly colored by events like Chernobyl and Fukashima? While the real reason might very well be profits for oligarchs everywhere, if you were to propose new nuclear plants, you'd get incredible blowback from those who expected and feared a meltdown, and the proposal would die.
Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:35 AM (ONvIw)

The HBO docudrama "Chernobyl" didn't help any nuke proponents, either. I heard, though cannot confirm, that it was funded in part by the Chinese to scare the gullible American public into never using nuclear tech again- the only sustainable means besides fossil fuels we can use here at home to get us energy dependent.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (mr1KG)

369 364 Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 11:36 AM (nfrXX)

Order is a choice, and indifference to chaos is one too....

Myrtle Beach's competing bike weeks comes to mind.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (Lzpvj)

370 Had Stalin hit Europe in July 1941, his armies (including numbers of tanks and aircraft) were 5 times the size of Germany's and almost certainly the USSR would have conquered all of Europe.
Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:16 AM (iJVGX)

They barely could handle Finland. They were good at defending the Motherland but their offensive skills on an army that had not already been decimated is not so good. And without the worst winter in Russia's history they may not even had been able to defend the Motherland.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:38 AM (kvb15)

371
osted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (P3gRi)

Well known that they divided up Europe and then played a game who of who was going to outsmart whom.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:38 AM (V13WU)

372 LOL yeah no doubt. Curiously missing from their arguments are the massive amounts of Indian gill nets that are clogging the rivers, taking enormous amounts of salmon. So many salmon caught that they can't get them all, and they die trapped in the nets. The waste is appalling.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:25 AM (mr1KG)

The Chinese are strip mining the ocean runs with their factory ships as well, there was a drive in the 2000's to do genetic testing of Chinese canned fish brought into the US, Canada, and Europe to find out what species are actually being caught and sold, and I haven't heard a peep about that in two decades.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 20, 2022 11:38 AM (xhaym)

373 365 Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (llXky)

I read it when published, I always figured he was showing how skin of the teeth and busy the NATO guys were versus the actual pacing the WP fellas got because it was "planned."

Anyway, I think he fleshed out the point of view characters well enough-hell Edwards would make a good movie all on his own up in Iceland.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (Lzpvj)

374 Sharkman interesting, would like to read that, some of the things you mention are said by many many writers and participants

Posted by: Skip

It's an excellent read and really goes into depth about a lot of Stalin's ministrations before the war with reference to how he handled Japan, England and the US as well as Germany in the lead up to Barbarossa. Dispels a lot of myths but isn't as extreme as Victor Suvorov's "IceBreaker".

Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (jpBkc)

375 The HBO docudrama "Chernobyl" didn't help any nuke proponents, either. I heard, though cannot confirm, that it was funded in part by the Chinese to scare the gullible American public into never using nuclear tech again- the only sustainable means besides fossil fuels we can use here at home to get us energy dependent.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (mr1KG)
---
I think that it didn't work as intended, because you get to see how badly they needed to screw up basic operations for that to happen.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (llXky)

376 Oh, before I forget -- John Paul Jones, legendary founder of the US Navy, got rather short shrift as an American privateer in Catherine's Imperial Russia. I think Montefiore found those takes pretty amusing as contemporary assessments of a US hero. The Benthams of England (one a mummified philosopher, the other an engineer) are treated as oddities as well.

Posted by: mustbequantum at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (MIKMs)

377 The HBO docudrama "Chernobyl" didn't help any nuke proponents, either. I heard, though cannot confirm, that it was funded in part by the Chinese to scare the gullible American public into never using nuclear tech again-

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (mr1KG)

I'm sure we have plenty of Americans making money on energy and have no need for a mysterious Chinese or Russian villain. But we like to have villains don't we. When we're not fighting imaginary nazis, we're fighting Russians.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:41 AM (ONvIw)

378 Late and off to Mass, but Ramis and Belushi?

Lost of good books going on right now- Dominion by Fr. Rippernberger, 2 wedding planning books andIm still working on the biography of Paul and Dante's Comedia.

Posted by: LASue at March 20, 2022 11:41 AM (Ed8Zd)

379 I think that it didn't work as intended, because you get to see how badly they needed to screw up basic operations for that to happen.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (llXky)

I haven't watched it, mainly because I won't give HBO my money. However, having the ability to watch Rome again is very tempting. Fantastic series.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:41 AM (mr1KG)

380 I also think that Red Storm Rising is Clancy's best book. Just re-read it last year and it really holds up.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:42 AM (jpBkc)

381 366 Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at March 20, 2022 11:37 AM (P3gRi)

https://youtu.be/Hcm1A-KdEIY

Hitler had a mustache, Stalin had a mustache.....

One of them imprisoned millions of their own people killing a large portion of them, as opposed to killing a large portion of their imprisoned millions....

One was a socialist, the other was a socialist....

Totally different guys.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:42 AM (Lzpvj)

382 I think that it didn't work as intended, because you get to see how badly they needed to screw up basic operations for that to happen.

Quick, pull Jane Fonda out of the home for a "China Syndrome" sequel!

Posted by: Oddbob at March 20, 2022 11:42 AM (nfrXX)

383 I read it when published, I always figured he was showing how skin of the teeth and busy the NATO guys were versus the actual pacing the WP fellas got because it was "planned."

Anyway, I think he fleshed out the point of view characters well enough-hell Edwards would make a good movie all on his own up in Iceland.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (Lzpvj)
---
Same, read it as soon as it was in paperback and while it was a page-turner, that was one of the weaknesses I noticed.

By then I'd been going through all the Bantam books and personality was crucial. Clancy was clearly interested in his wargaming results, and he added a few characters to make some gambits work.

I don't know how it would hold up if I read it now.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:42 AM (llXky)

384 Thanks Perfessor!
------
Tip o' the hat to the Moron that recommended 'Doc Holliday', Myers (on the ONT, probably a breach of protocol). Obtained a copy, and it has been entertaining reading. Meyers writing style substantially adds to that.

Still working on another Moron-recommended book, 'The New Dealer's War', which I've hyping, as it is IMHO, a must-read for observers of our current socio-political circumstances.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:42 AM (L47aO)

385 CN, I am going to continue to respectfully disagree. There were nuclear plants in CT and Maine that were shut down even though working just fine. The ones in Germany also. They were not shut down due to fear of meltdown but because they were convinced by the dunderheads that solar and wind area "cleaner" and better for the environment. Fukushima should never have been built in such a vulnerable spot.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:42 AM (Y+l9t)

386 I wonder what Wehrmacht's analysis was right before Barbarossa. They wanted a short campaign.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:43 AM (V13WU)

387 And with that, I'm off to Mass. Thanks Perfesser!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:43 AM (llXky)

388 375 Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 11:40 AM (llXky)

Chernobyl properly understood is a damning indictment of the type of compartmentalized empire building Fauci is guilty of.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:43 AM (Lzpvj)

389 Chernobyl properly understood is a damning indictment of the type of compartmentalized empire building Fauci is guilty of.
Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:43 AM (Lzpvj)

Siloes of Excellence

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:44 AM (mr1KG)

390 I mean, what triggered the invasion. What made them say, "hey, now is good time."

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:44 AM (V13WU)

391 I mean, what triggered the invasion. What made them say, "hey, now is good time."

Trump.

Posted by: Brandon at March 20, 2022 11:46 AM (nfrXX)

392 Quick, pull Jane Fonda out of the home for a "China Syndrome" sequel!
Posted by: Oddbob
------

I'd settle for a sequel to the SNL skit 'The Pepsi Syndrome'. I suppose a contemporary redux would be 'The Red Bull Syndrome', which would be appropriate on several planes.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:46 AM (L47aO)

393 I mean, what triggered the invasion. What made them say, "hey, now is good time."
Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:44 AM (V13WU)

Hitler.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:46 AM (kvb15)

394 Runner, as usual, defends Stalin, murderer of 50 million.

Give it a rest. Nobody but you believes Russia or the USSR were the good guys.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:47 AM (jpBkc)

395 390 Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:44 AM (V13WU)

Both nations had robust insight into the goals and capabilities of the other.

Read "icebreaker", part of the problem Stalin had early war was his TO ampersand E was kitted for offensive operations.

https://youtu.be/wYSy80WlmWY

Suvorov

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:47 AM (Lzpvj)

396 Runner, as usual, defends Stalin, murderer of 50 million.

Give it a rest. Nobody but you believes Russia or the USSR were the good guys.
Posted by: Sharkman at March 20, 2022 11:47 AM (jpBkc)

Are you off your meds again ? Get a grip, friend.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:48 AM (V13WU)

397 Bringing things back to books for the last 11 minutes, I bought a copy of Roadside Picnic and am looking forward to reading it!

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 11:49 AM (0IeYL)

398
Clean coal, let's not talk about that either.
Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:33 AM (V13WU)

We talk about clean coal, we end up silencing the Greta "HOW DARE YOU!" Thunbergs of the world.
Now, we can't have that, can we?
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon

That the environmentalists get wrought up about gyres of plastic waste in the oceans and point their fingers of blame at Western countries when the ranking of rivers for volume of such pollutants discharged into the oceans is overwhelmingly populated by Asian and African waterways speaks volumes about their ideological blinkers.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 11:49 AM (pNxlR)

399 re: sidebar

I feel like this is part of a whisper campaign. Will ace become the replacement for Biden?

I say no. No more oddly smelling people.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 11:49 AM (dNqv+)

400
Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:46 AM (kvb15)

Well, yeah.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (V13WU)

401 Bringing things back to books for the last 11 minutes, I bought a copy of Roadside Picnic and am looking forward to reading it!
Posted by: Weasel
--------

Is there a segment on roadkill?

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (WD9ZA)

402 Bringing things back to books for the last 11 minutes, I bought a copy of Roadside Picnic and am looking forward to reading it!
Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 11:49 AM (0IeYL)
---
It's a pretty wild ride...I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (K5n5d)

403 385. That's fine. But I cannot imagine a situation in which "the public" says "give us fossil fuels". Yes, I know they are easily manipulated. It's easy to fault the placement of Fukashima after the disaster.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (ONvIw)

404 Thanks Perfessor for a great thread this morning. Lots of great recommendations and lively and interesting back and forth.
Range day today so have to get ready.
Have a great day all.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (Y+l9t)

405
Is there a segment on roadkill?
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (WD9ZA)
-----
Not sure. I'm about a quarter of the way through page 1.

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 11:51 AM (0IeYL)

406 Is there a segment on roadkill?
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (WD9ZA)
----
Well, I suppose so, in a manner of speaking, though not probably what you might expect...

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:51 AM (K5n5d)

407 Stalin apologia?

Don't mind me, I just wanted to say 'apologia'. It is a good word.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 11:51 AM (dNqv+)

408
I say no. No more oddly smelling people.
Posted by: Aetius451AD
--------
Oddly-smelling cruel people.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:51 AM (WD9ZA)

409 I've been on a cyberpunk kick lately. I'm currently reading Neuromancer by William Gibson, the granddaddy of cyberpunk. He failed to foresee the cell phone and had the US collapse and fragment rather than the USSR. Still, nobody's perfect.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 11:52 AM (FVME7)

410
Don't mind me, I just wanted to say 'apologia'. It is a good word.
Posted by: Aetius
------

I was told that there would be no Latin.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:53 AM (WD9ZA)

411 Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:46 AM (kvb15)

Well, yeah.
Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (V13WU

My point was that most of his Generals were against it and the timing but essentially remained silent after minimally raising opposition.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (kvb15)

412 Best historical accounts of what happened under Stalin comes from books of survivors. If someone wants to read books written by historians, that is fine. But to say that they are god's truth, is nonsense. They have their own biases.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (V13WU)

413 I thought Apologia was one of them pop tart divas.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (x8Wzq)

414 Oooo! Oooo! Is that a billiards table? Every library should have one.

Posted by: creeper at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (cTCuP)

415 I should say written by survivors.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (V13WU)

416 I thought Apologia was one of them pop tart divas.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (x8Wzq)

I thought it was the part of the country where cousins married.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (kvb15)

417 Not sure. I'm about a quarter of the way through page 1.
Posted by: Weasel
--------

My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)

418
Chernobyl properly understood is a damning indictment of the type of compartmentalized empire building Fauci is guilty of.
Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 11:43 AM (Lzpvj)

Siloes of Excellence
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon

The vaunted peer review system for vetting scientific papers for publication is nothing but silos as far as the eye can see. Think how sports fans for any given team view the existence and "listen-worthiness" of sports fans from other teams and you'll get a good idea of how unbiased and credible the peer review process is.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 11:56 AM (pNxlR)

419 My point was that most of his Generals were against it and the timing but essentially remained silent after minimally raising opposition.
Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (kvb15)

OK.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:56 AM (V13WU)

420
My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)

Some people cannot tolerate an unhappy ending?

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:56 AM (ONvIw)

421 412 Best historical accounts of what happened under Stalin comes from books of survivors. If someone wants to read books written by historians, that is fine. But to say that they are god's truth, is nonsense. They have their own biases.
Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (V13WU)

Of course, but are we having one of those 'who can say what reality is' discussions?

Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 11:56 AM (dNqv+)

422 fYI, went on my local library site and there was a copy of Roadside Picnic on Hoopla so got an immediate checkout. Thanks book thread!

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at March 20, 2022 11:57 AM (Y+l9t)

423 Hitler had a mustache, Stalin had a mustache.....

-
My high school history teacher, "Chicken Legs" Ingraham, said the only difference between Hitler and Stalin was the shape of their mustaches.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 11:57 AM (FVME7)

424 They have their own biases.
Posted by: runner
---------

This is about me, isn't it?

Posted by: Howard Zinn, 'Historian' at March 20, 2022 11:57 AM (bk3Sg)

425 414 Oooo! Oooo! Is that a billiards table? Every library should have one.
Posted by: creeper at March 20, 2022 11:54 AM (cTCuP)

It kind of looks like someone's kitchen.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 11:57 AM (dNqv+)

426 My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)
----
Interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand it's a great idea, but on the other hand it sort of ruins the end if you make it all the way through!

Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 11:58 AM (0IeYL)

427
It kind of looks like someone's kitchen.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 11:57 AM (dNqv+)

A kitchen with lots of books and no appliances?

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:58 AM (ONvIw)

428 The vaunted peer review system for vetting scientific papers for publication is nothing but silos as far as the eye can see. Think how sports fans for any given team view the existence and "listen-worthiness" of sports fans from other teams and you'll get a good idea of how unbiased and credible the peer review process is.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 11:56 AM (pNxlR)

I think Ace did a piece on that sting op a group was doing to prove how ridiculous the peer review process had become. Can't recall all of the details but they ginned up papers with the most ridiculous theses- one of the papers accepted into some sociology or SJW journal for publication talked about the systematic racism of dogs in parks.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:58 AM (mr1KG)

429 How does one become a "historian" I wonder. Anyone can peruse a few newspapers, read a few books, then write an engaging book, and then what , you are a historian ?

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:59 AM (V13WU)

430 My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)
----
Interesting. I'm not sure how I feel about that. On one hand it's a great idea, but on the other hand it sort of ruins the end if you make it all the way through!
Posted by: Weasel at March 20, 2022 11:58 AM (0IeYL)
---
I usually give a book a chapter or two to reel me in. I tried starting N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season to see if it was really as good as advertised. NOPE! Barely made past chapter two before putting it down forever.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:59 AM (K5n5d)

431 Hardly any book I read I don't know the ending, it's how it got there I might not know.

Posted by: Skip at March 20, 2022 11:59 AM (2JoB8)

432 I mean, what triggered the invasion. What made them say, "hey, now is good time."
Posted by: runner

Hitler himself said he had to do it now for fear some lunatic would assassinate him and it would not get done at all.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 12:00 PM (FVME7)

433 My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)

The book cover synopsis wasn't sufficient I assume.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 12:00 PM (kvb15)

434 My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)

My wife used to do that too. She no longer does. She reads way more than I do.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 20, 2022 12:00 PM (x8Wzq)

435 Hiya Cannibal ! Regards to Heidi !

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 12:00 PM (arJlL)

436
Not sure. I'm about a quarter of the way through page 1.

LeBron James, is that you?

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars at March 20, 2022 12:00 PM (pNxlR)

437 I think Ace did a piece on that sting op a group was doing to prove how ridiculous the peer review process had become. Can't recall all of the details but they ginned up papers with the most ridiculous theses- one of the papers accepted into some sociology or SJW journal for publication talked about the systematic racism of dogs in parks.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 11:58 AM (mr1KG)

My husband is a retired academic. Peer review is a pretty political process in most disciplines.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:01 PM (ONvIw)

438 Thomas NOOD

Posted by: Skip guy who says NOOD at March 20, 2022 12:01 PM (2JoB8)

439 My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc.

They killed Old Yeller, the bastards!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Proprietor of the Outrage Outlet at March 20, 2022 12:01 PM (FVME7)

440 Hiya Donna of the Ampersands !

Posted by: JT at March 20, 2022 12:01 PM (arJlL)

441 My mother had the maddening habit of reading the last few pages of a book to determine if she wanted to read the entire thing. Drove me nuts.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 11:55 AM (bk3Sg)

That's what I do know when I watch the true crime shows. I watch the first 10 or 15 minutes then go to wiki to read who did what and how.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at March 20, 2022 12:02 PM (kvb15)

442 My husband is a retired academic. Peer review is a pretty political process in most disciplines.
Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:01 PM (ONvIw)
---
There's also a lot of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" in academic publishing. Meaning that academics will conspire to put each others' names on publications to increase their chances of getting tenure by having lots of publications to their name.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 12:03 PM (K5n5d)

443 438 Thomas NOOD
Posted by: Skip guy who says NOOD at March 20, 2022 12:01 PM (2JoB

The swimmer again, not the judge. I'm tired of him, though I'm glad he's inadvertently forcing young libs to look at the consequences of their political leanings.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:03 PM (ONvIw)

444 There's also a lot of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" in academic publishing. Meaning that academics will conspire to put each others' names on publications to increase their chances of getting tenure by having lots of publications to their name.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 12:03 PM (K5n5d)

And, of course, the funding is in the equation. More papers published = more grant money, honorariums, speaking fees...

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (mr1KG)

445 There's also a lot of "you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" in academic publishing. Meaning that academics will conspire to put each others' names on publications to increase their chances of getting tenure by having lots of publications to their name.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 12:03 PM (K5n5d)

Definitely, but it's more "You scratch my back or I'll scratch your eyes out".

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (ONvIw)

446 On one hand it's a great idea, but on the other hand it sort of ruins the end if you make it all the way through!
Posted by: Weasel
---------

"And I only am escaped alone to tell thee."

Hmm, that leaves one curious about what happened. Be interesting to examine the closing sentence of well-known books.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (bPH26)

447 429 Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 11:59 AM (V13WU)

You become a historian by graduating from a 3d rate J school obviously.

Being a "historian" meant once upon a time meeting certain ethical guidelines and admitting your biases and goals in the forward.

Being a historian now means using the analysis of facts extant from the historical record in lieu of psychological therapy.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (Lzpvj)

448 403 385. That's fine. But I cannot imagine a situation in which "the public" says "give us fossil fuels". Yes, I know they are easily manipulated. It's easy to fault the placement of Fukashima after the disaster.
Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 11:50 AM (ONvIw)

I can easily see that happening - just wait until gasoline is $10 per gallon, inflation is 25% per year, and unemployment rates are north of 20% and rising. You know, where we'll be by next winter.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (evAgx)

449 The idea that academia is all nice and collegial is wrong. One of the best TV representations of professors' "collegiality" comes from an Inspector Lewis Episode. The conversations between the two dons was very good.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:06 PM (ONvIw)

450 I can easily see that happening - just wait until gasoline is $10 per gallon, inflation is 25% per year, and unemployment rates are north of 20% and rising. You know, where we'll be by next winter.
Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (evAgx)

Ah, don't worry. AOC will craft a bill giving everyone a $500 credit toward a new Tesla! See, you simply plug it in and no emissions or gas! Yay!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 12:06 PM (mr1KG)

451 I can easily see that happening - just wait until gasoline is $10 per gallon, inflation is 25% per year, and unemployment rates are north of 20% and rising. You know, where we'll be by next winter.
Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (evAgx)

Desperate times are rather new.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:07 PM (ONvIw)

452 446 On one hand it's a great idea, but on the other hand it sort of ruins the end if you make it all the way through!
Posted by: Weasel

Someone who does that is someone who's worked to get through a book only to find the ending deeply dissatisfying, way too many times. Kind of like I will *never* watch any movie anymore unless I hear a review from someone I trust, first.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 12:08 PM (evAgx)

453 Of course, but are we having one of those 'who can say what reality is' discussions?
Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 11:56 AM (dNqv+)

I don't know. I can only speak for myself, and I am talking about accuracy and fantasy, and some have a moment when told that what they rely on may not be accurate. And when we deal with very closed society like the USSR, its documents that are still under lock and key, who is to say. Regardless, it does not change what is generally known about Stalin, WWII and USSR.

Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 12:08 PM (V13WU)

454 Well, time to get on with the day. Perfessor Squirrel, thanks for the thread!
You all have a great day out there.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of Outward Frontier and ALAMO, sci fi books on Amazon at March 20, 2022 12:09 PM (mr1KG)

455 Desperate times are rather new.
Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:07 PM (ONvIw)

What a glorious time to be alive; Everything Old is New Again.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 12:10 PM (evAgx)

456 453 Posted by: runner at March 20, 2022 12:08 PM (V13WU)

Suvorov had access to the archives in the Soviet Union, during the brief 5 year window we had access most of his assertions were verified when able.

I have no problem believing that Stalin wanted the same buffer zone Putin aspires to today given it is sort of baked into the Russian empire cake as it were.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 12:11 PM (Lzpvj)

457
What a glorious time to be alive; Everything Old is New Again.
Posted by: Tom Servo at March 20, 2022 12:10 PM (evAgx)

Well the 70s and the Depression for that matter, are practically myths to most people.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:13 PM (ONvIw)

458 Being a "historian" meant once upon a time meeting certain ethical guidelines and admitting your biases and goals in the forward.

Being a historian now means using the analysis of facts extant from the historical record in lieu of psychological therapy.
Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 12:04 PM (Lzpvj)

History is 'news reporting' for the past. As with modern reporters, modern historians have tossed out trying to relay 'fact' and get at the truth of the matter in favor of trying to influence current outcomes.

Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 12:14 PM (dNqv+)

459
History is 'news reporting' for the past. As with modern reporters, modern historians have tossed out trying to relay 'fact' and get at the truth of the matter in favor of trying to influence current outcomes.
Posted by: Aetius451AD at March 20, 2022 12:14 PM (dNqv

Sad, but true. Facts are being reinterpreted into fictions.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:20 PM (ONvIw)

460
Sad, but true. Facts are being reinterpreted into fictions.
Posted by: CN
--------

In his sundry books, Sowell eloquently points this out.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 20, 2022 12:22 PM (pK7cg)

461 460. Yes he does. I have some of his works and admire him.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:24 PM (ONvIw)

462 And unfortunately Petr Beckmann's THE HEALTH HAZARDS OF NOT GOING NUCLEAR is long out of print...

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 20, 2022 12:33 PM (JzDjf)

463 First let me say that I vote for Bleak House as the best Dickens, but I haven't found one that I didn't like. I guess that makes me a fangirl.

This week I am in the middle of three books, not finishing anything. Frustrating, that.

My audiobook, which I listen to while driving or doing chores is Lois McMaster Bujold's The Hallowed Hunt. Excellent so far, though not quite as good as the first 2 in this "trilogy" - which is only very loosely a trilogy at all.

Reading through Agatha Christie, because my library just got in a new set. Currently in the middle of Taken at the Flood. I know who I *want* the killer to be, which is a sure sign that he won't be.

And then I started Bujold's Warrior's Apprentice - the first of the Miles Vorkosigan part of the long, series. I had read the first two books about his parents and really liked them, but this one is not so much to my taste. Young Miles wears me out. Maybe it will get better as we go on.

Thanks for the heads up on the Austin Public Library system. I am off to see what they have of some books that I have been longing for that our library system does not have.

Posted by: SummaMamaT - the one always late to the party at March 20, 2022 12:42 PM (USQVR)

464 Reading through Agatha Christie, because my library just got in a new set. Currently in the middle of Taken at the Flood. I know who I *want* the killer to be, which is a sure sign that he won't be.

Posted by: SummaMamaT - the one always late to the party at March 20, 2022 12:42 PM (USQVR)

You might be surprised by this one. Sometimes Christie does make the insufferable bastard the killer.

Posted by: CN at March 20, 2022 12:45 PM (ONvIw)

465 I just woke up and the thread is done. Oh, well...
Reading Ben Franklin's autobiography.
Next I will read biographies by others.
Thanks for the thread!

Posted by: gourmand du jour at March 20, 2022 01:06 PM (53piZ)

466 Well, I'm back from Mass and the thread's quiet, but I want to throw up a placeholder for further discussion regarding Stalin's War.

My point is simply this: if Barbarossa was purely a spoiling attack, why haven't the Germans been screaming their heads off about this? I mean, they'd know, wouldn't they?

Why have I not read Manstein saying this? All the German generals' memoirs go on about how Hitler was obsessed with attacking Russia, it was in Mein Kampf, "we tried to talk him out of it," etc., and I find it really strange that the easy way out of war guilt card is never played.

Also, the time to rape Germany was June, 1940. Just sayin'.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 01:20 PM (llXky)

467 466 Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 20, 2022 01:20 PM (llXky)

Stalin's goal was to have Germany beat the hell out of France to leave continental EUtopia vulnerable.

Posted by: sven at March 20, 2022 01:30 PM (Lzpvj)

468 You know, Sundays would be a good time to get some reading done. Unfortunately, I end up taking a long time to read the Book Thread and comments about reading. And writing. And stuff.

Posted by: mindful webworker - click for a story at March 20, 2022 01:52 PM (uNjhb)

469 I flip to the end of a book to see how many pages it has, but I try to see only the page number.

With a mystery, seeing just one proper noun can spoil the whole story.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 20, 2022 02:15 PM (1RS+E)

470
Life-changing books,
will open eyes to new understanding.

Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do
--Peter McWilliams
The Tin Drum
--Gunter Grass
Our Lady of the Flowers
--Jean Genet

Posted by: zigzag at March 20, 2022 02:18 PM (YE2Zh)

471 466 Well, I'm back from Mass and the thread's quiet, but I want to throw up a placeholder for further discussion regarding Stalin's War.

***

If you throw up you better clean it up

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 02:18 PM (lCui1)

472 I tried starting N.K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season to see if it was really as good as advertised. NOPE! Barely made past chapter two before putting it down forever.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 20, 2022 11:59 AM (K5n5d)

I read an NK Jemison book years ago - incredibly woke before woke was a thing.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at March 20, 2022 02:32 PM (lCui1)

473 Rereading Dan Simmons's, Flashback.

If that novel isn't prophetic, I don't know what is. Substitute social media for the drug of choice in the book and it's modern day as we sink into a dystopian society.

Posted by: NJRob at March 20, 2022 02:39 PM (ZnVpv)

474 First let me say that I vote for Bleak House as the best Dickens

Bleak House is enjoyable because he targets the legal system and its snail pace frustrating everyone.

Posted by: Captain Hate Won't Forget Ashli Babbitt at March 20, 2022 02:47 PM (y7DUB)

475 Paul French is one of my favorite writers.

He writes non-fiction (which often reads like fiction) about Shanghai between the wars, and to a lesser extent about China generally during that time.

He's one of those writers who OWNS a particular time and place-- eg., Mark Twain & the Mississippi River; Dickens & mid-Victorian London.

His two best-known books are probably "City of Devils" & his best seller, "Midnight in Peking."

I feel like I got a real feel from French for these fascinating, Gone With the Wind places.

French is an American who has spent most of his life in China, first as a journo & then as a long form writer. His writing is lively & witty, too.

Posted by: mnw at March 20, 2022 02:50 PM (NLIak)

476 Thanks again to Perfessor Squirrel for keeping the Book Thread going.

A note to Wolfus Aurelius @39, if you have not already read it, I recommend finding a copy of the later edition of Anderson's "War of the Wing Men". It restores material cut from the first edition by his publisher and is under his preferred title "The Man Who Counts" (that man of course being the great Nicholas Van Rijn).

Posted by: John F. MacMichael at March 20, 2022 04:28 PM (BM/4J)

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