Sunday Morning Book Thread - 05-29-2022 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (when it's time to spit on your hands, hoist the black flag and begin, well, you know the rest...). 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 HTML code for this very webpage. As always, pants are required, especially if you are wearing these pants...(for the arachnophobe in all of us...Courtesy of both CBD and NaCly Dog, who both sent me the same pic!)

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

PIC NOTE

Since tomorrow is Memorial Day, I thought I'd find a somewhat relevant picture. Today's picture shows several military maps hung in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle in England. They are part of the Royal Collection Trust, which houses over 3,000 military maps, views, and prints. George III was an avid collector of military maps. He had a vast collection of more than 55,000 topographical, maritime, and military prints, drawings, maps, and charts. I love this quote: "These vast maps were probably hung on purpose-made mahogany stands in Buckingham House, enabling the King to follow the steady erosion of his hold on the American colonies" [emphasis added - PS]. Imagine King George III's madness spiraling out of control as more bad news about the colonies keeps pouring in, much like Hitler in his bunker.

You can check out the collecion of maps at: militarymaps.rct.uk. I'm sure there is excellent story fodder within these maps for any aspiring writers of historical fiction!

IT PAYS TO INCREASE YOUR TROPE AWARENESS

I recently read Life Unworthy by Moron author Christopher R. Taylor. This is a story about a werewolf who escapes from Birkenau camp at Auschwitz and goes on a rampage against the Nazis occupying Krakow, Poland. It's a ripping good yarn. But it also highlights a couple of tropes that I want to discuss today.

Shown Their Work - This is when an author clearly indicates the he or she has done significant research on a topic within the story. Life Unworthy has an afterword by the author where he discusses the research he conducted to bring 1940s Krakow under Nazi occupation to life. The attention to detail is quite remarkable, as Christopher includes very specific weapons and vehicles, presumably what Nazis would have had access to during those times. He also points out that Dr. Mengele might not have actually been at Birkenau during this time frame, but he wanted to include that character in the story simply because the real Mengele was an odd duck (putting it mildly) who would fit into the story, just adding to the weirdness of an already bizarre story. Most importantly, Christopher acknowledges that if there are any historical discrepancies, they are meant to enhance the story, not take the reader out of the story.

Having read a number of books by moron authors, I'm very impressed with your ability to conduct research that serves your story. It puts you head and shoulders above many other contemporary creators too lazy to do the same. You all have a wealth of personal knowledge and experience that you bring to your stories. You are not afraid to dive deeply into a subject in order to get the details just right.

Dan Browned - This is when an author claims that his work is based on extensive research, but it's really just a steaming pile of lazy assumptions or outright lies. It's named after the author of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, who likes to claim that his stories are based on factual evidence, but this is easily refuted by anyone familiar with his subjects. There are so many errors within his books that Dan Brown gets his own page of Dan Browned at TVTropes.org. Another prominent example is The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones. It's presented as a "true" historical account, but any historian worthy of the name (yes, I know that's not too many these days) can tear it to shreds.

Moral of the story: Be Christopher R. Taylor! Don't be Dan Brown or Nikole Hannah-Jones!

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(JD Brick Productions has a whole series of Lego stop-motion animation of famous battles. They are all awesome and informative!)

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BOOKS BY MORONS

Several weeks ago, Moron author Marc Levy reached out to me. His book sounded like a great one to promote on the Memorial Day Weekend Sunday Morning Book Thread:

Thank you for offering to mention my book The Best of Medic in the Green Time on an Aces of Spades HQ book thread.
Andrew Bacevich has said of Medic "Reading this collection of Vietnam-related stories and recollections is excruciatingly painful--which is precisely why it demands to be widely read."
The book is based on my website and is divided into three sections: War, Postwar and Poetry. There are stories of combat, travel yarns and poetry by noted poets. There are two remarkable interviews with Bao Ninh, the celebrated Vietnamese author of The Sorrow of War. The Introduction is by Janet McIntosh, Chair, Anthropology Department, Brandeis University. While there is no political agenda Medic shines a light on the brutality of war and its consequences.
My writing has appeared in CounterPunch, Stone Canoe, New Millennium Writings, War, Literature and the Arts, New Madrid, and elsewhere. It is forthcoming in Queen's Quarterly, Fiction International and Black Scat Review. In 2016 I won the Syracuse University Institute for Veterans and Military Families Writing Prize.
Regards,
Marc

Comment: Marc was the editor of Gary Rafferty's Nothing Left to Drag Home, one of the first books that I featured when I took over the Sunday Morning Book Thread. Gary's memoir of his time in Vietnam is haunting and poignant. Very recommended. Marc's book also sounds like an excellent companion to Gary's memoir, capturing the lives and spirits of the many, many soldiers who left a piece of themselves in that hellscape. Some gave their all. We should remember them for their eternal sacrifice.

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MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

I've started The Guns of Avalon, the second book in Roger Zelazny's Amber series. I've been looking forward to this because of one line in the previous book: "... I promised myself that guns would blaze within the immortal city ..."
As most fantasy stories seem to happen in medieval worlds that have no gunpowder or other explosives, I'm intrigued as to what will happen. I hope for slam-bang action.
Posted by: Weak Geek at May 22, 2022 09:09 AM (Om/di)

Comment: While guns and explosives are fairly rare in fantasy, they do have their place. In Amber, it's explicitly mentioned that the laws of physics in that realm prevent conventional gunpowder/explosives from functioning. However, one of the protagonists stumbles upon an alternate solution in one of the "shadow" realms outside of Amber. It drastically alters the political landscape of Amber, I believe. Pretty good series, though I think Zelazny's Changeling/Madwand series is superior on many levels.

+++++

Almost done with Pu-Yi's memoir, which - other than the dizzying number of Chinese names - is a very easy read. It's written quite conversationally, as if the ex-emperor is sitting across with you having a drink and reminiscing about his lift. Obviously, he became a Chi-com at the end, but given the corruption (and weirdness) of the Imperial Court, it's kind of hard to blame him.
I've breached 52,000 words on my China book, and I'm now in the Warlord Era. Broomhandle Mausers for everyone! I'm behind schedule, but hoping that I can make a concerted effort to sprint to the end because frankly, I'm getting burned out.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 22, 2022 09:13 AM (llXky)

Comment: A.H. Lloyd is avidly involved in researching China these days. Perhaps he could share some tips and tricks of his research process for other aspiring Moron authors...And maybe someone can help A.H. Lloyd become re-energized!

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Book recommendation: I really recommend the Chilton's manual for the 99 Camry. It has helped me keep ol' Molly on the road a couple extra years.
That and YouTube.
Posted by: 496 at May 22, 2022 09:38 AM (U1eOr)

Comment: There's a lot to be said for a well-written, usable technical manual. I'm a technical writer by trade. I've written hundreds, if not thousands, of pages of help documentation. There's a fair amount of skill involved in creating a quality technical document that people find helpful. It's also nice to be recognized for your work when people compliment you on how easy it is to follow your directions.

+++++

I did try to read a book on the mental side of playing tennis just recently called The Inner Game of Tennis. It's a classic first published in the 70's. It was basically a psychological study of why we do things and it can be applied to all sports . I accept that what was being said is probably accurate but I hate psychological babble and didn't finish it.
Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 22, 2022 10:23 AM (jNAzB)

Comment: As well as a technical writer, I'm also an instructional designer. There's a lot of psychological science (real science) behind learning skills and improving performance. Quite a bit of empirical research on the subject has been published in recent years. Unfortunately, the educational establishment has been very slow to adopt the results to increase student learning outcomes. *sigh* I guess it keeps me employed...There's a huge demand for instructional designers in education and industry these days...

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (170 Moron-recommended books so far!)

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WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

The Dreaming Void by Peter F. Hamilton -- It's basically the plot of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (seriously), but much better.

The Vixen War Bride by Thomas J. Doscher -- This was featured on the Sunday Morning Book Thread a few weeks ago. Thomas has generously donated a few signed copies to be handed out at the TXMOME in October! Another moron highly recommended it as well. NOTE: It was a pretty decent read.

The Temporal Void by Peter F. Hamilton -- Book 2 in the Void Trilogy. The Void has just started expanding at superluminal speeds, threatening to swallow the entire galaxy...

That's about all I have for this week. Thank you for all of your kind words regarding my Sunday Morning Book Thread. This is a very special place. You are very special people (in all the best ways!). The kindness, generosity, and wisdom of the Moron Horde knows no bounds. Let's keep reading!

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 OUR library at libib.com/u/perfessorsquirrel. Since I added sections for AoSHQ, I now consider it OUR library, rather than my own personal fiefdom...

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 05-22-22 (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 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 09:00 AM (2JoB8)

2 hiya

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:01 AM (arJlL)

3 Currently doing a re-read of the Mich Rapp series.

Posted by: vic at May 29, 2022 09:01 AM (mZwKe)

4 Everybody must be reading the content.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at May 29, 2022 09:01 AM (PiwSw)

5 BOOKZZZ

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:01 AM (kf6Ak)

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

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:04 AM (arJlL)

7 I highly recommend the Amber series for those who have not read it.

Posted by: vic at May 29, 2022 09:04 AM (mZwKe)

8 Almost done book 1 in Richard Pipes Russian Revolution
It's getting scary how much today is rhyming the Russian Revolution. Even with baseless ( and the liars knew it then as well) charging the Royals and government officials with treason at beginning of the First World War just as we had congress charging DJT and officials of treasonous acts.

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 09:04 AM (2JoB8)

9 Everybody must be reading the content.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at May 29, 2022 09:01 AM (PiwSw)

Quiet please. I am reading the content.

Posted by: grammie winger at May 29, 2022 09:05 AM (45fpk)

10 {{{grammie}}}

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at May 29, 2022 09:06 AM (PiwSw)

11
g'mornin', book-ish 'rons

Posted by: AltonJackson at May 29, 2022 09:06 AM (ENBF0)

12 Making my way through "The Guns of Avalon." No guns have appeared, but they've been mentioned. Any time now, Corwin. ...

To Prof: Spoilers!

I'm also reading a collection of Iron Man tales that are so old that he didn't have his own title yet. With only 12 pages each issue, these stories didn't have room for introspection. Action all the way.

Stan Lee did have his own sense of humor, explaining some stilted dialogue as purely to help clue in any new readers. His chatty captions helped make mine Marvel.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:06 AM (Om/di)

13 Hiya Grammie !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:07 AM (arJlL)

14 Yay book thread!

China continues to trundle on. Yesterday the word count surpassed that of Long Live Death, which I figured it would. 55,000 words and counting. I'm covering the first United Front between the Communists and Nationalists as we gear up for the Northern Expedition.

The Whampoa Military Academy is one of those odd focal points of history, where a bunch of characters all come together. It's kind of like West Point in the years before the Civil War - everyone winds up knowing their enemies.

Same thing. Chiang Kai-shek was the commandant of the academy and his first classes will end up leading the Nationalist and Communist armies.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:08 AM (llXky)

15 Very Happy Memorial Day

Posted by: rhennigantx at May 29, 2022 09:08 AM (yrol0)

16 Imagine King George III's madness spiraling out of control as more bad news about the colonies keeps pouring in, much like Hitler in his bunker.

Hard to do, since the war ended in 1781 and George didn't really begin showing signs of 'madness' for another decade, more or less, IIRC.

Of course, Lord Bute was the one who, when hearing of Yorktown, clapped his hands to his head and ran around the room, crying, "Oh, God, it is all over!"

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:08 AM (2JVJo)

17 Hiya JT!

Posted by: grammie winger at May 29, 2022 09:08 AM (45fpk)

18 Almost done book 1 in Richard Pipes Russian Revolution
It's getting scary how much today is rhyming the Russian Revolution. Even with baseless ( and the liars knew it then as well) charging the Royals and government officials with treason at beginning of the First World War just as we had congress charging DJT and officials of treasonous acts.
---
Stanley G. Payne has a book on Europe's various revolutions that covers their similarities as well as differences: Civil Wars in Europe, 1905-1949.

His book on the Spanish Civil War helped convince me to write Long Live Death and when I reached out to him, he actually replied with some sources to help me. Neat guy, also writes for First Things.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:11 AM (llXky)

19 Good morning everyone.
Thank you again for the great writing help Perfessor.

Posted by: SaltLifeLurker at May 29, 2022 09:12 AM (Hu963)

20 You all have a wealth of personal knowledge and experience that you bring to your stories. You are not afraid to dive deeply into a subject in order to get the details just right.

Hope I'm included in that.

One reason I did so much research is that I know, from personal experience, that silent film buffs can be the most anal, detail-obsessed pricks you would ever come across, I remember reading a thread on a certain site when the movie The Artist came out, with posters all pissed off because the movie used the wrong font in its title cards and because, in one scene, a woman was wearing the wrong sort of negligee!

As I've said, if you read The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of and come away saying that the Red Car never went near the Alexandria Hotel, you're wasting your time and mine.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:13 AM (2JVJo)

21 I'm continuing to add vacation-books to my Kindle paperwhite. Yesterday I got a deal on "Above Suspicion" by Scottish author Helen MacIness. Ms. MacInnes's husband was in MI6. She wrote espionage novels beginning in WW2 through the Cold War. I read her books many 29 years ago, looking forward to a re-read.

Posted by: grammie winger at May 29, 2022 09:14 AM (45fpk)

22 Hiya JT!
Posted by: grammie winger

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:14 AM (arJlL)

23 King George III ruled as regent well into 1800s, his madness as I understand was not constant through his years.

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 09:14 AM (2JoB8)

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

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 09:15 AM (7EjX1)

25 a werewolf who ... goes on a rampage against the Nazis. ... It's a ripping good yarn.

ISWYDT

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:16 AM (Om/di)

26 Oops, got lost in tv tropes for a minute...that place is a trap!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:16 AM (kf6Ak)

27 Nothing much to report this week - I finished Roger Crittendon's "The Forever Child", which had an interesting premise. But there were some elements and characters left hanging, or unexplained/unexplored, so rather unsatisfied with it.

For Memorial Day, I also did a novel about WWII - a pair of woman cousins, one the wife of a British FePOW (Far East POW) waiting out the war in Australia, and the other an Army nurse in North Africa, Italy and France. They write letters to each other, but most of the book is a straight narrative, regarding two very different experiences.
https://tinyurl.com/ytb2wscm

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at May 29, 2022 09:16 AM (xnmPy)

28 I watch a lot of these stop motion Lego videos. The work is amazing and really would like to do one with my miniatures but need equipment and a real computer.

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 09:16 AM (2JoB8)

29 The guilty pleasure books sgould be made into a movie starring Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

Those pants....why not?

King George wasn't too concerned about the Americans. India was the jewel in the British Crown. Old George figured we would come back into the fold after trying to govern ourselves we would end up with rape, famine and free crack pipes in every mailbox and beg the old boy to return.

More coffee.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at May 29, 2022 09:18 AM (R/m4+)

30 7 I highly recommend the Amber series for those who have not read it.
Posted by: vic

Zelazny is good.

Btw,Vic, I hope you are feeling better today

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:18 AM (kf6Ak)

31 I watch a lot of these stop motion Lego videos. The work is amazing and really would like to do one with my miniatures but need equipment and a real computer.
Posted by: Skip

Do you have a rubber computer now ?

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:18 AM (arJlL)

32 Be Christopher R. Taylor! Don't be Dan Brown or Nikole Hannah-Jones!

With all due respect to Christopher - who helped make my book better than it has any right to be - Dan Brown makes about $20 million per year. I would rather be him.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:19 AM (2JVJo)

33 Hiya JTB ! Regards to the Missus !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:19 AM (arJlL)

34 I am re-reading "Padre Pios spiritual direction for everyday." I find that various spiritual direction /reflections transfer over from RC to Protestantism. In other words, one can appreciate reading Thomas Kelly's. A Testament Of Devotion ( he was a Quaker) or Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship" or reflections by Padre Pio or "The Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross because they came from the same spiritual well of a love for Christ

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:20 AM (l7p9i)

35 Read book 20 of Daniel Silva Gabriel Alon series "Order". Very disappointed. Repeating previous books, a lot of woke stuff. The author should stop with this series couple books before. Personally, I am done with it

Posted by: redmonkey at May 29, 2022 09:21 AM (0+Ppk)

36 @26 --

I love TV Tropes, but it's not a site you want to visit if you have only a few minutes to spare.

I wind up opening as many tabs as I do with the Morning Report.

Difference is, I'll get to the TT tabs.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:21 AM (Om/di)

37 First Amber series is outstanding, second not so much. It has some good points but is not up to the standard set by the original.

Posted by: Darles Chickens at May 29, 2022 09:21 AM (rm95X)

38 think Zelazny's Changeling/Madwand series is superior on many levels.

***

Did I read that? I can't remember

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:21 AM (kf6Ak)

39 Hiya Fen !

Good to see ya !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:21 AM (arJlL)

40 Looking into stop action, it's not hard but a good electronic camera and computer to put together thousands of pictures is needed. The computer program takes care of putting it together

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 09:21 AM (2JoB8)

41 Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship"

That's a great one.

Posted by: grammie winger at May 29, 2022 09:22 AM (45fpk)

42 Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:20 AM (l7p9i)

Fen, did I hear you were away for an operation? I hope all is well.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:24 AM (2JVJo)

43 Fen, good to see you here. Hope you're continuing to improve.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:24 AM (Om/di)

44 Dan Brown stole a lot of stuff from "Holy Blood, Holy Grail."

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 09:25 AM (lKAqb)

45 Dan Brown makes about $20 million per year. I would rather be him.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:19 AM (2JVJo)

Sad, isn't it? The 1619 liar shouldn't make any money either, but probably does.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 09:26 AM (7bRMQ)

46 I bought Victor Davis Hanson's The Second World Wars, and JEEPERS !

When that guy writes a book, he doesn't fook around !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:26 AM (arJlL)

47 Good morning Book Threadists!

Finished the Harper Hall trilogy, and was so pleased to be back in Pern that I ordered an old copy of Katherine Wynn Fonstad's Atlas of Pern. Like her Middle Earth atlas, you learn a lot of history just from idly flipping through the maps.

I may read the series. I checked out The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall, about the exploratory survey team's first encounter with this new planet (classified "Parallel Earth, Resources Negligible").

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:27 AM (Dc2NZ)

48 Currently, I’m reading John Le Carre’s debut novel “Call For The Dead”.

So far, I’d recommend it. Fairly good for a debut.

Posted by: SaltLifeLurker at May 29, 2022 09:28 AM (Hu963)

49 A friend has a 2001 Camry that he bought new. Just loves it. He is thinking of giving it a new paint job.

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 09:28 AM (lKAqb)

50 Perfessor, did you see that YT vid about George's maps?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 09:29 AM (7bRMQ)

51 Sad, isn't it? The 1619 liar shouldn't make any money either, but probably does.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 09:26 AM (7bRMQ)
---
To be fair, Dan Brown is at least writing fiction. He can claim whatever he wants about how "real" it is, but it's fiction.

1619 doesn't have that excuse.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:29 AM (llXky)

52 34 I am re-reading "Padre Pios spiritual direction for everyday." I find that various spiritual direction /reflections transfer over from RC to Protestantism.

***

We've gone to the Padre Pio center in Barto, PA a couple of times (pre-covid). Interesting.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:29 AM (kf6Ak)

53 There are few bad authors out there, I think. Or at least that used to be the case, when they went through the editing sieve and ended up in the slush pile. An author wasn't incompetent, I just didn't happen to like their style.

But Dan Brown is the only author whose book I have thrown against the wall in disgust, then pitched in the trash. I know, I should have recycled.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:31 AM (Dc2NZ)

54 Those pants are ________. I would wear them ________.

Posted by: awful & never at May 29, 2022 09:32 AM (vrz2I)

55 Glad to see you back with the Horde Fen.
Hope your healing progresses well.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 09:32 AM (JzBU4)

56 Perfessor, did you see that YT vid about George's maps?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 09:29 AM (7bRMQ)
---
I'm watching this one right now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CopaZDFUwqA

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 09:32 AM (K5n5d)

57 The Dan Brown talk puts me in mind of a lengthy (30-some issues comics limited series, "Rex Mundi."

Alternate world quest for highly significant religious object. Clues abound.

Utterly gripping until the end, which fizzled badly. Such a disappointment!

I still have it, but I don't know whether I will reread it -- which defeats the purpose of keeping it.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:32 AM (Om/di)

58 We've gone to the Padre Pio center in Barto, PA a couple of times (pre-covid). Interesting.
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion

But you didn't stab anyone, right ?

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:33 AM (arJlL)

59 Appreciate yer effort Perfessor. Couldn't agree more on Dan Brown. Going to have to consider buying Mr. Taylor's book.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * Ungovernable at May 29, 2022 09:33 AM (VTlqx)

60 But Dan Brown is the only author whose book I have thrown against the wall in disgust, then pitched in the trash. I know, I should have recycled.
Posted by: All Hail Eris

Using his books for fire starting is *upcycling*.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 09:33 AM (JzBU4)

61 If Captain Hate is around -
I was thinking last week about your William Gass problem. ( It's a terrible thing to have bad Gass!)
Anyway-
If you're a fan of avant-garde fiction, and want a guy who can actually write a story,
Give Harry Matthews a whirl.

His first three novels, "The Conversions", "TLOOTH", "The Sinking of the Odradek Stadium" are his best.

Back in the previous century, all of the above three were gathered together in a quality paperback, which you can still find on Amazon. However, his first three were published this century and are still easily available to buy. But no Kindle.

Each of the 3 are very different and all well-worth reading. Just pick the one where the story seems like it would appeal to your most.

In short, Dr naturalfake recommends taking 3 doses of Harry Matthews and your terrible Gass will disappear!

Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (5NkmN)

62 "Perfessor" Squirrel

Great job on The Book Thread; Thank You !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (arJlL)

63 Btw,Vic, I hope you are feeling better today

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:18 AM (kf6Ak)

My stomach cramps went away yesterday so I fixed a hamburger for supper. They came right back.

Posted by: vic at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (mZwKe)

64 47
Finished the Harper Hall trilogy, and was so pleased to be back in Pern

Just picked up that set at a book sale. One of the great things about living in Florida - easy to find book sales with tons of classics.

Posted by: SaltLifeLurker at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (Hu963)

65 I'm watching this one right now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CopaZDFUwqA

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 09:32 AM (K5n5d)

That's the one. I thought maybe you saw it earlier that's why the pic today.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 09:35 AM (7bRMQ)

66 I guess I shoulddo my book report:
Finished the last SPQR mystery - The Year if Confusion. Felt like the weakest one.
I tried Saylor's first Roma Sub Rosa mystery - Roman Blood- but it didn't grab me so I returned it to the library unread.
I am midway through Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: Shadows of Self

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:36 AM (kf6Ak)

67 Picked up Thucydides for the first time in a while (and VDH's A War Like No Other). Now that there's been a truce of sorts with the Spartans and the plague (a real one that killed many many people; not this Covid horseshit) is in the past the Athenians needed a new way to fuck things up so why not sail to Sicily and start breaking shit when you're a long way from home and outnumbered pretty damn badly. There are a lot of pages devoted to this so it was an early version of clusterfuck maximus.

It's like an earlier version of the Ukrainian shitheads and "what were they thinking?" I still doubt they had anyone as dumb Biden.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 09:36 AM (y7DUB)

68 know, I should have recycled.
Posted by: All Hail Eris,

Mr. Brown's books are widely available on most thrift stores bookshelves. Trash seems the more appropriate reaction.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * Ungovernable at May 29, 2022 09:36 AM (VTlqx)

69 Good morning,

Fen, I hope you are feeling better!

I am the only person I know who really likes Thomas Wolfe's books. Look Homeward, Angel is a great favorite of mine and I've read it several times. When an uncut version (Max Perkins was his editor) came out, I resisted as I have great respect for the editorial process of that period and Perkins was a legend.

Anyway, I finally bought a copy of O, Lost, which was the original title for the book as written by Wolfe. Now that I started it, I agree with FS Fitzgerald, that a man like Wolfe should have been able to decide the length of his book.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 09:36 AM (ONvIw)

70 My stomach cramps went away yesterday so I fixed a hamburger for supper. They came right back.
Posted by: vic at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (mZwKe)

Try a slippery elm bark capsule. In the supplement aisle

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:37 AM (kf6Ak)

71 In short, Dr naturalfake recommends taking 3 doses of Harry Matthews and your terrible Gass will disappear!
Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (5NkmN)
---

I started typing "Harry Mat---" in the Amazon search bar and it took me (unbidden) to Aged Urine: Discovery of the Century by Harry Matadeen.

That's one to slip in somebody's book shelf as a prank!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:38 AM (Dc2NZ)

72 But you didn't stab anyone, right ?
Posted by: JT

No point. Stabbee would just ask Padre Pio to heal him/her/xim

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:39 AM (kf6Ak)

73 But Dan Brown is the only author whose book I have thrown against the wall in disgust, then pitched in the trash. I know, I should have recycled.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:31 AM (Dc2NZ)
---
"This isn't a book to be set aside lightly - it should be hurled with great force."

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:39 AM (llXky)

74 Style question from a former copy editor:

Should comics series titles take quotation marks?

AP doesn't do that with magazines, which continuing comics are, but it does with books.

I didn't put Iron Man in quotes, but I did with "Rex Mundi."

I've wrestled with this issue for years.

Anybody else have thoughts on this?

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:40 AM (Om/di)

75 In short, Dr naturalfake recommends taking 3 doses of Harry Matthews and your terrible Gass will disappear!
Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 09:34 AM (5NkmN)

Thank you doctor; the Gass pains were pretty bad this week; but as you can tell, I always have options.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 09:40 AM (y7DUB)

76 Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion

Yes: The Padre Pio Center is an interesting place.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:40 AM (KpYH4)

77 I splurged on a hardcover of the three CS Lewis space stories and read "Out of the Silent Planet" this week. It's the first time I've read it with the physical book in my hands. My old paperback copies passed away a few decades ago. Reading the paper copy added to the renewed excitement and enjoyment.

I know e-books have their benefits, especially for those who need bigger print. And the convenience of being able to carry a thousand page book in a breast pocket is undeniable. But nothing beats having a nicely bound paper book in hand. It also eliminates Amazon's quaint notion that something you paid for doesn't actually belong to you.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 09:41 AM (7EjX1)

78 I am re-reading "Padre Pios spiritual direction for everyday." I find that various spiritual direction /reflections transfer over from RC to Protestantism. In other words, one can appreciate reading Thomas Kelly's. A Testament Of Devotion ( he was a Quaker) or Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship" or reflections by Padre Pio or "The Dark Night of the Soul" by St. John of the Cross because they came from the same spiritual well of a love for Christ

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:20 AM (l7p9i)
---
Be careful or you might end up "swimming in the Tiber." The priest at my old parish was a Free Methodist minister who in the course of Bible study found himself digging deeper into Catholic writings until he converted.

Quite a shock to his congregation, I'm told.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:42 AM (llXky)

79 So the real Look Homeward, Angel starts at the end of the Civil War and finds the young W.O. and his siblings watching the wretched Confederate troops marching to Gettysburg.

I imagine that Wolfe used a lot of the stories his father told him about those times, and the father's own tumultuous life. I am enjoying them, and I am also enjoying the long descriptive passages that make Wolfe, Wolfe. I know the trend is toward dialog and a story dense with action, but I'm not trendy.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 09:42 AM (ONvIw)

80 I have never read anything by Dan Brown-just books debunking his theology and history..

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:43 AM (KpYH4)

81 Pu-Yi or not Pu-Yi, that is the question.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 09:44 AM (FVME7)

82 Because copyright is different in different countries, this is available online. The pace is slow for me, but the writing is just lovely. I am taking my time. For once I am not desultory; I peruse.

Title: The Hour of the Dragon (Conan the Conqueror)
Author: Robert E. Howard
https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600981h.html

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 09:45 AM (WUxVt)

83 80 I have never read anything by Dan Brown-just books debunking his theology and history..

**
His style is short chapters with cliffhangers. Usually ridiculous cliffhangers.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 09:45 AM (kf6Ak)

84 But nothing beats having a nicely bound paper book in hand. It also eliminates Amazon's quaint notion that something you paid for doesn't actually belong to you.
Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 09:41 AM (7EjX

And it's damn hard to revise a printed book. I live in fear of this. Yeah, Wolfe for example, used the language of his day and not all of it is up to modern "standards", but the characters' "own voice" is important.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (ONvIw)

85 >>> 9 Everybody must be reading the content.

Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at May 29, 2022 09:01 AM (PiwSw)

Quiet please. I am reading the content.
Posted by: grammie winger at May 29, 2022 09:05 AM (45fpk)

This. is. ~~LIBRARY!~~ BOOK THREAD!

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (llON8)

86 LOL. The best Catholics are the converts.

e.g. Ann Barnhardt, Dr. Taylor Marshall.

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (lKAqb)

87 Regarding Dan Brown, my father was a huge fan of his and for a while he'd act like Catholicism had been disproven.

I'd converted by that point and while I now know a lot more about scripture, at the time I simply knew more about European history in general to shoot holes in the various arguments.

Oh, and Focault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco quoted from Dan Brown's source book (the French one, someone gave the name).

Speaking of which, I will give a shout-out to Focault's Pendulum, which is one hell of a fun ride. Eco is the anti-Dan Brown, knowing all sorts of oddball stuff in lots of languages. The plot is basically a bunch of bored book editors come up with the most over-the-top conspiracy they can think of, and naturally people start to believe its true.

Quite amusing as well.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (llXky)

88 Naturalfake, check out this blurb about Mathews' "My Life in the CIA: A Chronicle of 1973":

Leading a life of letters and leisure in Paris in the late 1960s and early '70s, Mathews (Cigarettes; The Human Country; etc.) wanted to "play a part in the grand conspiracy of poetic subversion," but people mistook him for "an ordinary, paid conspirator." Idle rumors grew a life of their own for this American ex-pat writer: people thought he was CIA, and when his denials fell on deaf ears, he decided to embrace the role, a story he embellishes in this staccato autobiographical novel peppered with literary, artistic and political references. Playing spy "seemed more promising than moping at home in front of my mirror wondering how fast I was losing my hair," the 41-year-old Mathews muses as he faces middle age in 1973. So he invents a fake travel agency for cover and bones up on the language of the spy trade with the help of his friend Patrick, who does corporate intelligence work. Mathews's shaggy dog tale turns risky when agents begin approaching him for real intelligence, "Patrick" turns out to be a false identity and Mathews goes on the run.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (Dc2NZ)

89 My wife read "The DaVinci Code." She hated it.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (Om/di)

90 I started typing "Harry Mat---" in the Amazon search bar and it took me (unbidden) to Aged Urine: Discovery of the Century by Harry Matadeen.

That's one to slip in somebody's book shelf as a prank!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:38 AM (Dc2NZ)

What the...?

Though upon further reading...the '69 Bordeaux, that is, Dan Bordeaux's urine from 1969, is the preferred quaff of aged urine connoisseurs.

Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 09:47 AM (5NkmN)

91 77 I splurged on a hardcover of the three CS Lewis space stories and read "Out of the Silent Planet" this week. It's the first time I've read it with the physical book in my hands. My old paperback copies passed away a few decades ago. Reading the paper copy added to the renewed excitement and enjoyment.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 09:41 AM (7EjX1)

I'm reading That Hideous Strength from the trilogy and Revelation because they seem, uh, eerily appropriate these days. It's slow going because I have ruined my sustained reading attention span by spending too much time on the internet.

Posted by: Emmie at May 29, 2022 09:47 AM (6RgRK)

92 No. AH Lloyd . It is highly unlikely I will convert. I can just enjoy the religious writings of a variety of Christians.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:48 AM (KpYH4)

93 Just arrived yesterday, a nearly pristine used hardcover copy of "The Helga Paintings" by Andrew Wyeth. I've long enjoyed his work and remember the furor when his Helga paintings became public. I've just thumbed through it so far but, aside from the expected excellence of the finished paintings, there appears to be a wealth of sketches and background information. There may be some of the philosophy Wyeth brings to his work.

This book, and a good magnifying glass, will be by my reading chair this week.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 09:48 AM (7EjX1)

94 Good Morning book friends.
I read the Zelazny Amber series a long long time ago but I was pretty enthralled by them. When I bought my first dog, a pure bred yellow lab, I named him Corwin. When I bought a female, she became Amber's butterscotch girl and that became the kennel name. Raised 4 litters of Amber puppies(all yellows of varying shades) before she had to be spayed and my days of raising puppies was over.
Not sure what this had to do with the book thread except I obviously loved the Zelazny books.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at May 29, 2022 09:48 AM (Y+l9t)

95 Leading a life of letters and leisure in Paris in the late 1960s and early '70s, Mathews (Cigarettes; The Human Country; etc.) wanted to "play a part in the grand conspiracy of poetic subversion," but people mistook him for "an ordinary, paid conspirator." Idle rumors grew a life of their own for this American ex-pat writer: people thought he was CIA, and when his denials fell on deaf ears, he decided to embrace the role, a story he embellishes in this staccato autobiographical novel peppered with literary, artistic and political references. Playing spy "seemed more promising than moping at home in front of my mirror wondering how fast I was losing my hair," the 41-year-old Mathews muses as he faces middle age in 1973. So he invents a fake travel agency for cover and bones up on the language of the spy trade with the help of his friend Patrick, who does corporate intelligence work. Mathews's shaggy dog tale turns risky when agents begin approaching him for real intelligence, "Patrick" turns out to be a false identity and Mathews goes on the run.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:46 AM (Dc2NZ)

That sounds like a hoot. Ima buy that

Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 09:49 AM (5NkmN)

96 80 I have never read anything by Dan Brown-just books debunking his theology and history..

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:43 AM (KpYH4)
---

Like me never watching NuTrek but devouring any Red Letter Media video slagging same.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:49 AM (Dc2NZ)

97 Here's a list of favorite SF and Fantasy books according to a 1987 poll of Locus readers:

https://tinyurl.com/yckv27u7

I've read quite a few in both categories, but there are some serious omissions in my reading; it's a convenient list for future good reads. Yeah, it's seriously dated, but I find myself going back to Old Skool stuff more and more.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:50 AM (Dc2NZ)

98 Well, you opened the door on guns so I now present a strong contender for stupidest gun control argument.

Katelyn Burns
@transscribe
If a weapon is so dangerous that a squad of police officers are too afraid to confront a single person wielding it, that weapon should be banned.

-
The beautiful and charming Ms. Burns is a freelance journalist columnist at MSNBC.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 09:50 AM (FVME7)

99 I was afraid of running up to the comment limit, so more on Focault's Pendulum.

There are very few books that stick with you to the extent that you quote from it. This is one of them. Eco's got so many great turns of phrase. One of my favorites is a discussion about people. There are four kinds of people: cretins, fools, morons and lunatics.

Cretins are stone stupid, try to eat and ice cream cone and plant it on their forehead. They don't write books, so no one cares about them.

Fools seem very intelligent, but they always talk "outside the glass." They're trying to talk about what's *in* the glass, but never make it. They walk up to you and ask how your wife is doing after you divorce. Fools are in great demand as diplomats and politicians.

Morons use logic to solve everything, mindlessly following it wherever it goes. I am a human. Martin Luther King Jr. is a human. Therefore, I am Martin Luther King Jr. Stuff like that. Sometimes they get things right, but it's hard to tell.

Lunatics are exactly like morons in every respect, except that sooner or later, they will always bring up the Knights Templar.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:51 AM (llXky)

100 80 I have never read anything by Dan Brown-just books debunking his theology and history..

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:43 AM (KpYH4

So what is the appropriately slangy opposite of the irritating "debunk"? Bunk up? Bunk the hell out of? Whatever that is, I suspect it's more common than debunking.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 09:51 AM (ONvIw)

101 I thought I would be on my summer reading schedule by now: bike to the park, read my kindle in the fresh air and sunshine, and then ride home. But for the past week the weather has not been conducive to lingering in the park. So, no reading from my kindle, and no reading real books. Instead I just stay home and read comic books...

Speaking of comics, last week I started "The Rocketeer" by Dave Stevens. The material that inspired the Disney movie. Great art, but, surprisingly, not much of it. Maybe a half-dozen issues, total. Hm.

Posted by: Castle Guy at May 29, 2022 09:52 AM (Lhaco)

102 No point. Stabbee would just ask Padre Pio to heal him/her/xim
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion

LOL !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:53 AM (arJlL)

103 Hiya CN !

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 09:53 AM (arJlL)

104 80 I have never read anything by Dan Brown-just books debunking his theology and history..

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:43 AM (KpYH4)

You haven't missed anything.

I wonder if Brown's audience was primed for his writing style by some of the truly awful youth "literature" out there. I recall reading the same book a young friend was reading to give us something to discuss, and the book was an absolute mess. It seemed designed merely to produce reactions in the autonomic nervous system.

Posted by: Emmie at May 29, 2022 09:53 AM (6RgRK)

105 On fantasy with guns, Dave Duncan's The Seventh Sword has technology, including guns in a fantasy setting. This is one of my favorite series.

The first book is The Reluctant Swordsman.

Faith is also a prominent feature of the books. Faith in something greater but also faith in oneself.

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 09:54 AM (WUxVt)

106 Between Fitzgerald and Wolfe, I developed a strange new respect for book burning.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 09:54 AM (y7DUB)

107 "The Name of the Rose" by Eco is also a fun read.

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 09:54 AM (lKAqb)

108 Bunk can mean "BS"' so debunking is removing the BS.

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 09:54 AM (vrz2I)

109 Because copyright is different in different countries, this is available online. The pace is slow for me, but the writing is just lovely. I am taking my time. For once I am not desultory; I peruse.

Title: The Hour of the Dragon (Conan the Conqueror)
Author: Robert E. Howard
https://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks06/0600981h.html

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 09:45 AM (WUxVt)
---
I've heard Howard characterized as many things, but never "slow." I've always thought him one of the most action-oriented writers out there. Polar opposite of H.P. Lovecraft.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:54 AM (llXky)

110 His style is short chapters with cliffhangers. Usually ridiculous cliffhangers.

You could say the same about Ian Fleming. Especially You Only Live Twice.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:55 AM (2JVJo)

111 Hey Perfesser Skwerl, but's your stance on pants re: the Book Thread?

OregonMuse had harsh strictures against going commando; I was more Do Your Own Thing (as it were).

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 09:55 AM (Dc2NZ)

112 I read the first third or so of the Da Vinci Code. Tossed it in the trash instead of the Goodwill box.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * Ungovernable at May 29, 2022 09:56 AM (VTlqx)

113 106 Between Fitzgerald and Wolfe, I developed a strange new respect for book burning.
Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 09:54 AM (y7DUB)

I love them both. And I acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Max Perkins, even though I am enjoying the less edited version of Angel.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 09:56 AM (ONvIw)

114 Perfesser-

My son will be starting college full time in the Fall, God willing. He only took a few classes at a time at the community college. Any recommendations for a non woke "How to be a organized successful college student"? There seems to be a lot of stuff out there. I just don't know what's good and I think-as many young people do- he has some ADD and needs to be more organized.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:56 AM (l7p9i)

115 I am certain of a reward in the afterlife because I have actually read two (and a bit) Dan Brown novels.

The original Da Vinci Code, which amused me more than anything because I was already familiar with most of the crackpot literature Brown plagiarized and passed off as his own "original research." I thought the book was viciously anti-Catholic and was absolutely baffled at how many nice Catholic little old ladies in my parents' condo were reading it. Sigh.

Part of Angels and Demons, which wasn't entirely voluntary because it was what the dude next to me on a plane was reading and I had nothing of my own. I spotted the idiocy of claiming the Illuminati was a medieval organization of scientists -- since it was started in the 18th century and mostly consisted of lawyers. I figured the big revelation would be for Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon to immediately Encyclopedia Brown that shit and unveil whoever was saying it as Bugs Meany in disguise, but apparently they don't teach that sort of thing at the Harvard Symbology Department.

And I read Inferno for an exercise in analyzing bad writing, so I had to find the worst page in the book. There were plenty of candidates.

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 09:56 AM (QZxDR)

116 I'm continuing to read the columns by Malcolm Guite, "Heaven in Ordinary". They are brief, lovely vignettes that inspire an appreciation of the wonders of God's creation, even when their ordinariness has made them bland with familiarity.

Guite is a dangerous man. His writing and speaking keep introducing me to authors new to me or books by authors I thought I knew. That is what led me to Chesterton's "The Ballad of the White Horse". This may be the finest work he ever produced. His use of rhyme, alliteration, and cadence is hypnotic without distracting from the story. I'm only a few pages in so far and keep getting lost in the England of Alfred the Great.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 09:57 AM (7EjX1)

117 No. AH Lloyd . It is highly unlikely I will convert. I can just enjoy the religious writings of a variety of Christians.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:48 AM (KpYH4)
---
If you told me when I was 25 that I'd be a Catholic and Knight of Columbus by 40, I would have laughed my ass off. Heck, the notion getting up on a weekend and actually *going to church* would have left me gasping for breath. I was spiritual, but not relgious, thank you.

And yet here I am.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 09:58 AM (llXky)

118 Good morning, Perfessor, Horde,

Dan Brown...far from A game material. Lew Wallace traveled to the Holy Land to debunk Christianity once and for all...but wound up a believer. And then wrote the superb "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ."

Posted by: callsign claymore at May 29, 2022 09:59 AM (V20fV)

119 The only Eco I've ever read and enjoyed was The Name of the Rose and Chronicles of a Liquid Society (which is a collection of essays he wrote for the newspaper L'Espresso).

I tried The Island of the Day Before, but couldn't make it past the first few chapters.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:59 AM (2JVJo)

120 Good morning fellow Morons.

I admit I read Da Vinci code and enjoyed it when it came out. But I recognized it for what it was- pure brain candy. And it was years ago.

Currently reading a book of essays by a friend of mine I was in the army with. The book is titled, "Now I Understand You" by Joanna Manning. The short book is filled with vignettes on her life dealing with anxiety in a humorous way. Witty and poignant, and she lays out some of her struggles for the world to laugh at. As someone who has family members who deal with anxiety and mental illness, I appreciate her honesty and willingness to open herself up to the world.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 09:59 AM (cFx0q)

121 Lunatics are exactly like morons in every respect, except that sooner or later, they will always bring up the Knights Templar.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

Laughing hard enough to elicit a raised eyebrow look from Mrs. Sock. That one's going on my list.

Posted by: Sock Monkey * Ungovernable at May 29, 2022 10:00 AM (VTlqx)

122 33 ... Good morning, JT. Welcome to the holiday weekend. We had plenty of motorcycles go by the house last night. Official or not, apparently there will be a Rolling Thunder rally for Memorial Day.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (7EjX1)

123 (Continued). It's a damned lucky thing for Dan Brown that Wikipedia isn't copyrighted, because he brutally padded out Inferno with blocks of cut-and-paste "research."

My guess is that he took a (deductible!) trip to Italy, went on a lot of guided tours, highlighted the hell out of his Michelin Green Guide, and then came home and moved Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon among the places he visited until he hit his word count, then ended the book.

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (QZxDR)

124 Perfesser-

My son will be starting college full time in the Fall, God willing. He only took a few classes at a time at the community college. Any recommendations for a non woke "How to be a organized successful college student"? There seems to be a lot of stuff out there. I just don't know what's good and I think-as many young people do- he has some ADD and needs to be more organized.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 09:56 AM (l7p9i)
---
Fen, as it happens, I have a handy booklet that I like to give my own students. You should be able to download it here:

https://tinyurl.com/msm3mbr2

If that doesn't work, reach out to me via email (in my nic) and I'll get it to you.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (K5n5d)

125 It was "Angels and Demons" that I sent flying across the room, like a failed DaVinci aerial screw.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (Dc2NZ)

126 Imagine King George III's madness spiraling out of control as more bad news about the colonies keeps pouring in, much like Hitler in his bunker.

-
In his history of the revolution, The British Are Coming, Rick Atkinson presents George III as a much more honorable man than His Royal Heinous Biden.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (FVME7)

127 Thanks, Perfessor.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:02 AM (9mofz)

128 Perfessor Squirrel,

Our internet is sporadic this morning, so I want to thank you for another wonderful book thread in case I can't do so later.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:02 AM (7EjX1)

129 @101 --

Yeah, The Rocketeer had an outsized influence when you consider how short it was.

I suspect the Bette Page homage, particularly in the second issue, had much to do with that.

Shame that Dave Stevens died so young.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 10:03 AM (Om/di)

130 Perfessor- I just checked out the booklet in your link- very nice! Saving that one. And handing it right off to my high schooler, as this is just as applicable to HS kids.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:03 AM (cFx0q)

131 Thanks, Perfessor.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:02 AM (9mofz)
---
No worries! Good luck to him in college!

And I hope you are rapidly on the mend these days...We've all been praying for your swift recovery.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:03 AM (K5n5d)

132 Will Durant posited that the American Revolution was just the kinetic side of a broader Whig movement against King George. Durant kind of admired him -- he said something like, "It took madness, Fox, Napoleon, and George Washington to bring him down."

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:04 AM (QZxDR)

133 Perfessor- I just checked out the booklet in your link- very nice! Saving that one. And handing it right off to my high schooler, as this is just as applicable to HS kids.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:03 AM (cFx0q)
---
That's exactly why I gave it to my own students last fall (college freshmen). I have two rules for success in my class: 1) Show up. 2) Do the work. The only students who didn't succeed failed to follow both rules.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:05 AM (K5n5d)

134 reading a book of essays by a friend of mine I was in the army with. The book is titled, "Now I Understand You" by Joanna Manning. The short book is filled with vignettes on her life dealing with anxiety in a humorous way

***
I'll see if I can get that, Secret Squirrel

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:05 AM (kf6Ak)

135 How easy it is to find a rabbit hole while reading the most excellent Sunday Morning Book Thread.

How to Avoid Converting to Catholicism, in 8 Easy Steps.
https://is.gd/3HquNM

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:06 AM (JzBU4)

136 My guess is that he took a (deductible!) trip to Italy, went on a lot of guided tours, highlighted the hell out of his Michelin Green Guide, and then came home and moved Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon among the places he visited until he hit his word count, then ended the book.

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (QZxDR)
---
Brown understood that there was a huge market for pretentious anti-Catholic stories.

It's not just secular types, either. There's plenty of Protestant nonsense about the "real" Bible being suppressed, fueled in part by Bart Ehrman types.

Add in the new Easter tradition of some academic passing off a new forgery that "proves" Jesus was gay, or married, or that Mary Magdalen was an ordained bishop, etc., and he basically got to print his own money.

Honestly, I don't begrudge him his fame in fortune. He has his reward...

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 10:06 AM (llXky)

137 If that doesn't work, reach out to me via email (in my nic) and I'll get it to you.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (K5n5d)

Looks like something to download and print!

One of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me was to get the reading materials as fast as possible and start reading before the semester starts. Also read the professors' bibliographies, when included, as they use a lot of sources outside the textbook.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:06 AM (ONvIw)

138 the superb "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ."

-
Could've used a good editor. That discussion among the sand dune philosophers at the beginning is hard to get through.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:06 AM (FVME7)

139 ***
I'll see if I can get that, Secret Squirrel
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:05 AM (kf6Ak)

vmom-
Thanks! Short read, but insightful.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:07 AM (cFx0q)

140 Fenelon,
Please let us know how things are going as you find out. In the meantime, our prayers for you will continue.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:08 AM (7EjX1)

141 If that doesn't work, reach out to me via email (in my nic) and I'll get it to you.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:01 AM (K5n5d)

Downloaded one for my current graduate.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:08 AM (7bRMQ)

142 The only Eco I've ever read and enjoyed was The Name of the Rose and Chronicles of a Liquid Society (which is a collection of essays he wrote for the newspaper L'Espresso).

I tried The Island of the Day Before, but couldn't make it past the first few chapters.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 09:59 AM (2JVJo)

It took me two tries to make it through The Name of the Rose. I think having Sean Connery's image for Brother William was helpful. The same thing applied for Russel Crowe as Jack Aubrey.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 10:09 AM (y7DUB)

143 I have most of Will Durant's series but not the beginning or the end. Would like to finish them

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 10:10 AM (2JoB8)

144 Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater!

That is a very low bar. But he was.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:10 AM (u82oZ)

145 Good morning!

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

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:11 AM (u82oZ)

146 I apologize for my comment. I misspoke. I am sure the pace is lively, but the density of the language slows me down. No insult to Howard, I am just a slow reader.

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 10:11 AM (WUxVt)

147 Perfessor,
Thanks for the link to that map room. It's the kind of place I could, and intend to, get lost in for hours. We texted the link to our nieces and nephews about it and got some immediate replies. Including the one who just gave birth last week.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:11 AM (7EjX1)

148 And I hope you are rapidly on the mend these days...We've all been praying for your swift recovery.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:03 AM (K5n5d)

True 'dat!

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 10:12 AM (y7DUB)

149 I read a *lot* of science fiction and some 'science' fiction.
Dan Brown's book were readable if you started out ignoring his declaration of 'non-fiction'.

They were burnable for his treatment of the Catholic Church though.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:12 AM (JzBU4)

150 I kind of unexpectedly wound up rereading an old classic -- _Too Many Magicians_ by Randall Garrett. It's part of his "Lord Darcy" series of magical detective stories, set in an alternate history where the Plantagenets united France and Britain, and the laws of magic have been codified. Garrett throws in lots of fun references to other mystery series -- the Marquis of London is basically Nero Wolfe, and his chief agent is Lord Bontriomphe ("good win").

The mystery is good, and done fairly. It's a locked-room puzzle, which turns out to be at the center of an espionage plot.

Why don't they write 'em like that any more?

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:12 AM (QZxDR)

151 Fenelon! I'm happy to see you here, and happy you're reading Padre Pio. Did you receive my email with the prayer he wrote for healing?

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:12 AM (aeePL)

152 started reading Andrew Wareham's books this week, (War to End All Wars). Another series that isn't finished yet. His writing is good, not a lot of character development, but the action is (to me) realistic. He's not a fan of the British Navy bureaucracy. Picked up his Call of the Sea seires as well, well, all of his books are KU so not really.

Re: Dan Brown as fiction, therefore (somewhat) excusable. The big dilemma reading stuff like that is at what point do you concede that it's fantasy and no longer historical? I had that problem the first time I read Josephine Tey's book The Daughter of Time about whether Richard III was really a bad guy or not. I'm not conversant with all of the English literature she references, so I'm still not sure how much is fiction and how much is real.

and so, given a novel in a fictional setting, how does one know what's "real" and what's made up? (Dan Brown is probably an outlier for the morons here)

Posted by: yara at May 29, 2022 10:13 AM (hBsVD)

153 One of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me was to get the reading materials as fast as possible and start reading before the semester starts. Also read the professors' bibliographies, when included, as they use a lot of sources outside the textbook.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:06 AM (ONvIw)

I try to do that for my gradeschooler too. Haven't found any sources for next year yet.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (7bRMQ)

154 Remember, if you really must commit a crime, don't take your phone.

Posted by: humphreyrobot at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (FGZ2R)

155
One of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me was to get the reading materials as fast as possible and start reading before the semester starts. Also read the professors' bibliographies, when included, as they use a lot of sources outside the textbook.
Posted by: CN

This is contrary to what college/university students actually do in a class.
I found that out of 96 nursing students there were about 7 of us that actually read the assigned reading.
Those 7 were top of the class of course.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (JzBU4)

156 @149: "Dan Brown's book were readable if you started out ignoring his declaration of 'non-fiction'."

it's been so long since i read Davinci Code, I don't remember this.

Posted by: yara at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (hBsVD)

157 Everybody should get a nice little workout by throwing a book across the room. I've remarked before that I did that with Steven Donaldsons's " A Mirror of her Dreams" . I think the author has or had an unsavory mind and I never read another one of his books

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:15 AM (l7p9i)

158 and so, given a novel in a fictional setting, how does one know what's "real" and what's made up? (Dan Brown is probably an outlier for the morons here)
Posted by: yara at May 29, 2022 10:13 AM (hBsVD)

What's real? Uh, the Louvre has a pyramid structure on it?

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:15 AM (cFx0q)

159 It was "Angels and Demons" that I sent flying across the room, like a failed DaVinci aerial screw.
=====

When I read Brown, I just figured they were competent thrillers that just happened to hit bigly. I liked Angels and Demons better because it was so cinematic. Otherwise pretty forgettable.

Posted by: mustbequantum at May 29, 2022 10:15 AM (MIKMs)

160 E. L. James (50 Shades) is no Dan Brown.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 29, 2022 10:15 AM (4I/2K)

161 Just realized that the perfesser asked how I am approaching nonfiction writing and I've totally blown him off.

Okay, so the first thing is know what you want to write. Ask yourself: "What value am I adding to this topic?"

In the case of Long Live Death, I wanted to write the kind of book I would love to read, but which did not exist. I knew that there was a lot of b.s. about the Spanish Civil War so I could correct that, but mostly I really wanted to know how the war unfolded.

A big factor in this was that I had spent several months reading about the Spanish Civil War while convalescing from an attack of acute myocarditis. So a lot of the research had already been done, and all I had to do was refresh my memory, add some more sources, etc.

I then blocked out the structure of the book, outlining the chapters and topics. After that, it was just a matter of filling in the gaps...

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 10:16 AM (llXky)

162 How to Avoid Converting to Catholicism, in 8 Easy Steps.
https://is.gd/3HquNM

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

That was fun!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:16 AM (kf6Ak)

163 What a great thread, Perfesser.

Just finished Tom Holland's "Persian Fire", which is about ancient Persia (Darius and Xerxes) vs. Ancient Greece (Sparta and Athens). Excellent scholarship and a wonderful story. Learned a ton that I didn't learn from watching "300" and "300: Rise of an Empire".

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (jO1gQ)

164 @150 --

That sounds interesting.

Added to the list.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (Om/di)

165 I will try that. I don't know what courses he will be taking yet. , but he is a strong reader and likes to read.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (l7p9i)

166 Donaldson has his main character commit rape of an underage girl very early in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (WUxVt)

167 Fenelon,
Please let us know how things are going as you find out. In the meantime, our prayers for you will continue.
Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:08 AM (7EjX1)

Double Ditto.

Posted by: Count de Monet at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (4I/2K)

168 I went to the remodeled Eisenhower Museum yesterday with a friend. There is now a $15 admission fee. Totally worth it.

Excellent museum, with fantastic flow and artifacts. Well told story as well. Quite full of people.

To tie into the Book Thread, they showed the three books Ike authored. I own a copy of his At Ease. Stories I Tell My Friends. Which is a great autobiography. It explains well his internal conflicts with coaching Army Football teams, and his lack of commanding troops. And his love of his poor but value-filled upbringing in Abilene, Kansas.

Ike despaired privately, but all the jobs he did taught him valuable skills and gave him exposure to high ranking officers. He then made his own luck, with the help of those demanding superior officers.

Highly recommended.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:19 AM (u82oZ)

169 Just finished Tom Holland's "Persian Fire", which is about ancient Persia (Darius and Xerxes) vs. Ancient Greece (Sparta and Athens). Excellent scholarship and a wonderful story. Learned a ton that I didn't learn from watching "300" and "300: Rise of an Empire".
Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (jO1gQ)
----
Wait a minute...are you claiming that "300" and "300: Rise of an Empire" are NOT 100% accurate historical documentaries?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:19 AM (K5n5d)

170 I try to do that for my gradeschooler too. Haven't found any sources for next year yet.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (7bRMQ)

I encouraged my kids to find the reading lists for the next grade. Today with everything online it's easier than ever to find materials to get that headstart on the year. I don't know your situation, but a call to the school might be useful, A "what sort of books will they be reading next year?" inquiry tends to yield good info without saying too much. Of course, it's more difficult to get younger kids to reread a book, than it is for college kids or high schoolers, so when they were little I concentrated on math and undertaught subjects like geography.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:19 AM (ONvIw)

171 Yes, I also didn't enjoy Steven Donaldson. In my prime fantasy & SF reading years, he was the Hot New Thing. His Thomas Covenant books were coming out and all my friends were raving about them, but I found them awful. Just reading them made me feel like I'd taken too much cold medicine.

And the main character's weird reluctance to do anything because he thinks this is all a delusion and he's going to hurt himself and die from infection because he's got Hansen's Disease/leprosy doesn't make any goddamned sense. I mean, it's a reasonable motive except that the logical thing would be to remain absolutely still. Once he starts wandering around The Land he's basically admitting that it's real, or at least he's given up on trying to protect himself.

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:19 AM (QZxDR)

172
it's been so long since i read Davinci Code, I don't remember this.
Posted by: yara

Me too... quite a while (when it came out) and sorry I will not hunt for the book to quote it for us.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:20 AM (JzBU4)

173 Lots of heavy tomes read this week at the Dungeon of Discord. Next up was The Simpsons/Futurama Crossover

Comic book Simpsons is a kind of alternate universe already. Tossing in Futurama is the natural next step.

There's the usual rift in the fabric of SpaceTime, blah blah blah. The fun part is how characters from both universes naturally gravitating to their counterpart -- Monty Burns with Mom, the Reverend Lovejoy and Lionel Preacherbot, the Robot Mafia vs. Fat Tony and goons, Zapp Brannigan macking on Edna Crabapple, Rainier Wolfcastle and Calculon 1.0, Moe and the Suicide Booth...

Plus, you get a reprint of the first Simpsons comic included in the box.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:20 AM (Dc2NZ)

174 (continued) With China, my approach is a little different because this time I dove into Chinese history with the notion that I would probably write a book on it. So my work is a little more organized. I should be farther along than I am, but we've had a lot of family drama, so I don't always get the quiet time I need to write.

As in all books, I have an idea of how long I think it will be to guide me, and I try to set a quota of words per session/week/month. I did really well in April but May has been a disaster. I'm still hoping to finish the draft in June with a July publication target.

One big difference between fiction and non-fiction is the need for an index, and this time I started auto-populating it right from the start. Saves me a lot of effort on the back end. For example, I just introduced Mao Tse-tung, and immediately added him to the indexer thingy. Now all subsequent mentions will be added.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 10:20 AM (llXky)

175 I liked Mirror of Her Dreams & sequel. The bad guy was convincing, the main character had weird back story.
Hated the Thomas Covenant books.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:20 AM (kf6Ak)

176 Gravitate!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:21 AM (Dc2NZ)

177 Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:12 AM (aeePL)

Thanks, bluebell. I'll have to look for that. I haven't actually been sitting at the computer to get my e-mail for a few days.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:21 AM (l7p9i)

178
That was fun!
Posted by: vmom

I thought so too.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:21 AM (JzBU4)

179 Oh- forgot one other book I am currently reading (well, listening to):
Raven Rock: The story of the US Government's secret plan to save itself while the rest of us die.

Pretty fascinating so far. The effort for "Continuity of Government" is exactly what the title says: a core group of people live. The unwashed masses become soylent green.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:22 AM (cFx0q)

180 vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion
& FenelonSpoke.

Hated the Thomas Covenant book.

Threw it away after the rape scene. Ugh.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:22 AM (u82oZ)

181 166 Donaldson has his main character commit rape of an underage girl very early in The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (WUxVt)
---

There's a rape in "Mirror of Her Dreams" too. It can sour one on an author.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:23 AM (Dc2NZ)

182 I encouraged my kids to find the reading lists for the next grade. Today with everything online it's easier than ever to find materials to get that headstart on the year. I don't know your situation, but a call to the school might be useful, A "what sort of books will they be reading next year?" inquiry tends to yield good info without saying too much. Of course, it's more difficult to get younger kids to reread a book, than it is for college kids or high schoolers, so when they were little I concentrated on math and undertaught subjects like geography.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:19 AM (ONvIw)

She attends a Barney Charter school, I'll give the staff a couple of weeks to get the end of school stuff done, then email them. I want her to read over the summer.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:23 AM (7bRMQ)

183 Everybody should get a nice little workout by throwing a book across the room. I've remarked before that I did that with Steven Donaldsons's " A Mirror of her Dreams" . I think the author has or had an unsavory mind and I never read another one of his books
=====
Truly baaaad shelf-busting fantasy volumes are a nice little workout.

Posted by: mustbequantum at May 29, 2022 10:23 AM (MIKMs)

184 Just finished Tom Holland's "Persian Fire", which is about ancient Persia (Darius and Xerxes) vs. Ancient Greece (Sparta and Athens). Excellent scholarship and a wonderful story. Learned a ton that I didn't learn from watching "300" and "300: Rise of an Empire".
Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 10:17 AM (jO1gQ)

I once told my co-workers that '300' was historically accurate for about 30 seconds: when the Persians were first pushing up against the Spartan shield wall. After that the movie became a fantasy/dramatized-camp-fire-story. The sequel annoyed me with its badness and missed opportunities...

I took most of my Greek military history from Victor Davis Hanson. Though, admittedly, at lot of his work has some commentary built in to it.

Posted by: Castle Guy at May 29, 2022 10:23 AM (Lhaco)

185 FenelonSpoke

Glad to see you well enough to post. Home from the hospital after a short stay sounds good. May your path to recovery continue to be smooth.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (u82oZ)

186 Mornin' Horde. I have a copy of Life Unworthy but have not started it yet. (Not much attention span these days.) But I really enjoyed another Christopher Taylor book, Snowberry's Veil.

MP4's latest is on my list to buy. I'd like to get a paper copy of the first Theda Bara novel but can only seem to find it on Kindle, which I don't have.

So good to see you, dear Fen.

Posted by: screaming in digital at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (pkAcY)

187 91 ... "I'm reading That Hideous Strength from the trilogy and Revelation because they seem, uh, eerily appropriate these days."

emmie,
I had a hard time reading parts of "That Hideous Strength". It was too close to current culture. I wonder if Lewis was being prophetic based on the world around him or if he was trying for a nightmare image he thought would be fantastic. But I recall liking the parts dealing with Merlin and the 'mythical' aspects of the story. I'm curious how I'll react when I get to the third book now that I'm older.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (7EjX1)

188 Thanks, bluebell. I'll have to look for that. I haven't actually been sitting at the computer to get my e-mail for a few days.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:21 AM (l7p9i)
----------

I think you'll like that prayer. I wrote to you the day before your surgery so you might have to dig a bit to find it! I haven't been around much but Mrs. JTB let me know about your surgery and I am grateful to her. Lots of prayers for you and your family, dear lady.

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (aeePL)

189 Will Durant posited that the American Revolution was just the kinetic side of a broader Whig movement against King George. Durant kind of admired him -- he said something like, "It took madness, Fox, Napoleon, and George Washington to bring him down."
Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:04 AM (QZxDR)
-------
Durant also admired Rousseau, which makes his judgment of character a bit suspect.

Posted by: Captain Obvious, Laird o' the Sea at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (aaGzp)

190 >>> 179 Oh- forgot one other book I am currently reading (well, listening to):
Raven Rock: The story of the US Government's secret plan to save itself while the rest of us die.

Pretty fascinating so far. The effort for "Continuity of Government" is exactly what the title says: a core group of people live. The unwashed masses become soylent green.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:22 AM (cFx0q)

Odds they end up like the Top.Men. in Night of the Comet?

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (llON8)

191 This is contrary to what college/university students actually do in a class.
I found that out of 96 nursing students there were about 7 of us that actually read the assigned reading.
Those 7 were top of the class of course.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (JzBU4)

Hence it is extremely important. When I was an undergrad, I had a roommate who was amazed by her professors and thought their lectures showed that they were all brilliant and full of unique insight. When there was free time, I suggested that she read their "suggested readings" which were part of the syllabus. There she found the brilliant insights she attributed to the profs. Very few lecturers use unique material, and what they do use can usually be found. Being too busy to read "additional" or "dig deeper" type readings puts you at a disadvantage when taking history, literature, or "social science".

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:25 AM (ONvIw)

192 I read mirror, but I had forgotten that. Wow.

Posted by: David Prince at May 29, 2022 10:25 AM (WUxVt)

193 What's real? Uh, the Louvre has a pyramid structure on it?
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:15 AM (cFx0q)
---

Uh, you mean under it. That pyramid is just the tip of a structure going a mile below the museum. It's a hangar for the Templar's space ship!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:25 AM (Dc2NZ)

194 Long ago and faraway...when I was maybe 12, I learned about the Council of Nicaea and the separation of canon and apocrypha to form the New Testament.

The Roman Catholic Church and the Greek Orthodox Church and the Coptic Church are still all around from those days. So, I think they have the best grip on the truth and the long intellectual tradition to back it up. Though my understanding is that the Coptic New Testament is fairly different from what we know.

I suppose with the hundreds(?), thousands(?) of apocryphal gospels and stories out there, if you were egotistical (or evil) enough, you could create a whole new new testament that paints a very different picture of Christ.

That the "DaVinci Code" was such a shocka and best seller for most people pretty much proves there is a ton of ignorance out there to be exploited.

Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 10:26 AM (5NkmN)

195 it's more difficult to get younger kids to reread a book, than it is for college kids or high schoolers, so when they were little I concentrated on math and undertaught subjects like geography.

Posted by: CN

I always found that by reading the textbook before class I was able to keep an outline of what the instructor thought was important instead of trying to *learn* the material by listening to the lecture.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:26 AM (JzBU4)

196 G.K. Chesterton and Modernity

https://bit.ly/3t5OJm9

G.K. Chesterton was born this day in 1874: Chesterton recognized that heart and hearth, work and worth, are all of a piece. Human flourishing is found in families, human wholeness in holiness. Civilization depends on faith -- faith both in the transcendent horizon that many call God, but also faith in reason, and in the ability of human intelligence to grasp objective truth...

Posted by: Clyde Shelton at May 29, 2022 10:26 AM (Do5/p)

197 Current book I'm reading is a biography based telling of the entire War between Britain and France from the Revolution to Waterloo. Found a few things I did not know, and hope they are accurate. When I finish, I'll report it here.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:26 AM (u82oZ)

198 @114 & @124: Success in College.

In retrospect, and the advice I give students these days (not that anyone ever asks for it) is to treat your schooling as your job. and it's on'e you're paying for, not being paid for. If you're not spending at least 40 hours a week at it, you're wasting your money. Classroom time (IIRC) is ~20 hours/week. Overtime is almost mandatory.

Posted by: yara at May 29, 2022 10:26 AM (hBsVD)

199 So, you start with an outline.

Good advice.

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 10:27 AM (lKAqb)

200 Thanks , JTB and Count, I should know more later this next. I appreciate the concern and prayers.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:27 AM (+ucyC)

201 Secret Squirrel, I just requested "Raven Rock" from the library. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm sure it will piss me off.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:28 AM (Dc2NZ)

202 192 I read mirror, but I had forgotten that. Wow.
Posted by: David Prince

Me too.
But the main character wasn't the rapist,was she?

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:28 AM (kf6Ak)

203 Inferno is only good for showing how evil the who is, as they collaborste with an extinctionist organization, in the book they succeed in sterilizjng humanity

Posted by: No 6 at May 29, 2022 10:29 AM (i0Lci)

204 Have a great day, everyone. May it all be sunshine and beauty where you are.

Posted by: NaCly Dog (u82oZ) at May 29, 2022 10:29 AM (u82oZ)

205 Classroom time (IIRC) is ~20 hours/week. Overtime is almost mandatory.
Posted by: yara

It isn't *almost* it is *absolutely* mandatory.
And having a full time job while going to school... nope... you're not going to have time to dedicate to your 'real' job, as you note.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:30 AM (JzBU4)

206 and so, given a novel in a fictional settin

-
Mrs. Wrecks is a big fan of Truman Capote, inventor of the nonfiction novel, so we watched a documentary about him on Hulu. What a bitchy little dwarf! I think even Mrs. Wrecks was taken aback.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:30 AM (FVME7)

207
I once told my co-workers that '300' was historically accurate for about 30 seconds: when the Persians were first pushing up against the Spartan shield wall. After that the movie became a fantasy/dramatized-camp-fire-story. The sequel annoyed me with its badness and missed opportunities...

Posted by: Castle Guy at May 29, 2022 10:23 AM (Lhaco)
---
What's great about "300" is that it is exactly how the Greeks themselves saw everything going down. Everything is larger than live, everything is over the top, it's just such a glorious way to express what happened.

I mean, sure, it's fantastic, but come on - look at the source material which has also sorts of fantastic stuff. I love the guy who could swim for miles underwater without coming up to breathe. Sure! We'll allow it.

And then the sequel came out and sucked.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 10:30 AM (llXky)

208 Lunatics are exactly like morons in every respect, except that sooner or later, they will always bring up the Knights Templar.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd
Laughing hard enough to elicit a raised eyebrow look from Mrs. Sock. That one's going on my list.
Posted by: Sock Monkey * Ungovernable at May 29, 2022 10:00 AM (VTlqx)

Tell me about it...

Posted by: The Curse Of Oak Island at May 29, 2022 10:30 AM (R/m4+)

209 OK, folks, I've got to send off a couple of e-mails and then try to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.

I was turned on to this song through Mark Steyn, who called it classic British Invasion pop - "Dick A Dum Dum (King's Row)" by Jim Dale:

https://tinyurl.com/2nwcntey

Hope you all have a lovely day.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing at May 29, 2022 10:30 AM (2JVJo)

210
Odds they end up like the Top.Men. in Night of the Comet?
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 10:24 AM (llON

Heh. A classic!

What's interesting about Raven Rock (a non fiction book) is that the author of the book laments how much is still classified from the early days of planning for TEOTWAWKI. Elements within these departments (some might use the words, "deep state") were adamant about stymieing efforts to shed light on these plans. Of particular interest is how the term "national security" was born and was later used to cover or conceal activities.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:31 AM (cFx0q)

211 She attends a Barney Charter school, I'll give the staff a couple of weeks to get the end of school stuff done, then email them. I want her to read over the summer.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:23 AM (7bRMQ)

My grandsons' school publishes a year by year reading list and curriculum. As they will be in second and fourth grade, I hesitate to have them read the actual books used in the literature classes, as they will be unhappy to reread, but the list gave me the authors which is a good springboard.
This summer, I have some nice new geography books, math books, and books on rocks to supplement their sports camps.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:31 AM (ONvIw)

212 Thanks, everyone. I think I need to go lie down again.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:32 AM (6QCiE)

213 That's why cartoons are important. 1 minute exposure vs none.

Wash sins, rinse. Repeat.

Posted by: humphreyrobot at May 29, 2022 10:32 AM (FGZ2R)

214 See ya later Fen!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:32 AM (kf6Ak)

215 Thanks, everyone. I think I need to go lie down again.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at May 29, 2022 10:32 AM (6QCiE)
---
Get some rest...We'll be here all day, you know!

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:32 AM (K5n5d)

216 JTB and Emmie, you may want you read Lewis' The Abolition of Man as a companion to That Hideous Strength. He wrote this book as a caution and then fleshed it out into That Hideous Strength. We read them both together for my book club last year and it was amazing not only to see the parallels between those books, but also to what's going on right now.

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:33 AM (aeePL)

217 There's an ironic aspect to that Lego stop-motion video: Lego has an explicit policy of not producing war-themed sets. At least, not modern war. Knights and castles, yes. Pirates, yes. Cowboys, once upon a time. Space guns, sure. Stuff from movies, absolutely. But they've never produced an official set of a tank, and it's rare to get modern looking guns....

I spent the whole video trying to figure out what was an official piece, and what came from 3rd-party manufacturers. (Hint, all the WWII-looking guns were 3rd-party, and the torsos might have been custom-prints.)

I really liked the couple times when a tank was hit, and they replaced part of the tank with a brick that had an official hole in it. Clever work, that.

Posted by: Castle Guy at May 29, 2022 10:33 AM (Lhaco)

218 201 Secret Squirrel, I just requested "Raven Rock" from the library. Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm sure it will piss me off.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:28 AM (Dc2NZ)

I'm about halfway through it and I'm not pissed yet, but my concern meter is pegged. Not everyone in the government was cool with the idea of whole populations (on both sides) being exterminated in nuclear fire.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:33 AM (cFx0q)

219 Thanks, everyone. I think I need to go lie down again.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke

Take a good rest so you'll be ready for he gub thread!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 10:34 AM (JzBU4)

220 Nikole Hannah-Jones was a featured speaker for the American Library Association (online) conference in 2021. This was well after the 1619 Project had been discredited. Other featured speakers at ALA in the last few years include Patrisse Cullors, DOCTOR Jill, Leana Wen, Stacey Abrams, and Ibram X. Kendi. Oh, and the Lightbringer himself. This is one of the reasons I'm no longer a member of this alleged professional organization.

I still like the actual work that I do (mostly) but I despise my "profession."

Posted by: screaming in digital at May 29, 2022 10:35 AM (pkAcY)

221 I'm about halfway through it and I'm not pissed yet, but my concern meter is pegged. Not everyone in the government was cool with the idea of whole populations (on both sides) being exterminated in nuclear fire.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, a

I'm trying to imagine a country populated by the descendants of the survivors- politicians, top brass, mega-rich.
Probably all the next gen will be psychos and sociopaths

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:35 AM (kf6Ak)

222
Tell me about it...

Posted by: The Curse Of Oak Island at May 29, 2022 10:30 AM (R/m4+)
---
It's funny because it's true. Having read that, I can't not blurt it out every time I encounter it. I remember when that show came out and the Templar connection was mentioned and I compulsively said "Ah, so they're lunatics."

Lots of other good stuff in Focaults Pendulum. Dense reading at times, but good.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 10:36 AM (llXky)

223
Uh, you mean under it. That pyramid is just the tip of a structure going a mile below the museum. It's a hangar for the Templar's space ship!
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:25 AM (Dc2NZ)

haha yes!
Took my family to the Louvre as part of a Griswold Family Euro vacation and our absolute first priority was finding the bathroom lol

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:36 AM (cFx0q)

224
I'm trying to imagine a country populated by the descendants of the survivors- politicians, top brass, mega-rich.
Probably all the next gen will be psychos and sociopaths
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:35 AM (kf6Ak

You just described the plot of the sci fi show "The 100."
And, the show itself was meh. First few episodes were okay.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:39 AM (cFx0q)

225 Other featured speakers at ALA in the last few years include Patrisse Cullors, DOCTOR Jill, Leana Wen, Stacey Abrams, and Ibram X. Kendi. Oh, and the Lightbringer himself.

-
A true meeting of the minds.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:39 AM (FVME7)

226 I'm about halfway through it and I'm not pissed yet, but my concern meter is pegged. Not everyone in the government was cool with the idea of whole populations (on both sides) being exterminated in nuclear fire.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:33 AM (cFx0q)
---

President Eris would preserve the Brains and the Hotties.

Congrats, Horde! You're saved!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:40 AM (Dc2NZ)

227 Good afternoon (or morning) Horde.

May we all keep blessed remembrances alive this Memorial Day.

Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at May 29, 2022 10:40 AM (t0cxj)

228 Don't laugh.

I'm currently reading "The Overstory" by Richard Powers.

I'm really enjoying it. Yes. It will go woke, like many modern day novels do, but the first half is mesmerizing. He has woven a handful of tales together, all involving people and the trees that have been inter rap to their lives and their families lives for generations. The trees belong to a world the is vast and slow and interconnected, resourceful and magnificently inventive.

I'll probably have to put it down when it comes to the Pacific Northwest timber wars, but perhaps not as I'm a bit of an environmentalist myself.

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 10:41 AM (U2p+3)

229 Yes paige turco was one of the few good things in hhat series

Posted by: No 6 at May 29, 2022 10:41 AM (i0Lci)

230 Perfessor, if you go to the website for Scully & Scully, you will find a pillow with a squirrel surrounded by books, apparently adding to her To Be Read list. Just sayin'.

Posted by: Wenda at May 29, 2022 10:42 AM (TK9+5)

231 I have to admit to being a Birkenstock wearing, tree hugging, backpacking kinda girl. I love the trees.

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 10:43 AM (U2p+3)

232 154 Remember, if you really must commit a crime, don't take your phone.
Posted by: humphreyrobot at May 29, 2022 10:14 AM (FGZ2R)

This!

Posted by: Pork Chops & Bacons at May 29, 2022 10:43 AM (Qhnrt)

233 Hope this works.

Posted by: mustbequantum at May 29, 2022 10:44 AM (MIKMs)

234 That pyramid is just the tip of a structure going a mile below the museum. It's a hangar for the Templar's space ship!

-
Where else are you going to park your Templar spaceship? Come the final days, the Templar spaceship will fight Louis Farrakhan's Islamic UFO for control of the universe.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:44 AM (FVME7)

235 "In Amber, it's explicitly mentioned that the laws of physics in that realm prevent conventional gunpowder/explosives from functioning. However, one of the protagonists stumbles upon an alternate solution in one of the "shadow" realms outside of Amber."

This sort of thing pisses me off. It's an authorial cop-out. If a world really existed, in which the laws of physics prevented gunpowder from working, there would probably be no life, and no world, either. You cannot "turn off" one consequence of natural laws, and expect all the other consequences to still work.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 10:45 AM (yH+IJ)

236 231 I have to admit to being a Birkenstock wearing, tree hugging, backpacking kinda girl. I love the trees.
Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 10:43 AM (U2p+3)

Nurse, you're in Seattle, right?

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:45 AM (cFx0q)

237 Anonosaurus- "bitchy little dwarf" would be a good title for a biography about Anthony Fauci.

Posted by: PabloD says start up the rotors at May 29, 2022 10:45 AM (ZfIh5)

238 The prague cementary one of ecos last is about the figure who stitched together the protocols of zion a rather lethal dossier.

Posted by: No 6 at May 29, 2022 10:45 AM (i0Lci)

239 Posted by: Wenda at May 29, 2022 10:42 AM (TK9+5)

What is Scully & Scully?

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (kf6Ak)

240 Nurse, you're in Seattle, right?
Posted by: Secret Squirrel

Yep. 4th generation.

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (U2p+3)

241 216 ...
bluebell,
Thanks. I hadn't thought of reading Lewis' "Abolition of Man" along side of "That Hideous Strength". Good call. And I can see my copy of Abolition on the shelf from here.

Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (7EjX1)

242 A few months ago, we discussed using someone else's life or lives in fiction. Lo, and behold, a recently retired cousin (a professor at a school in the midwest) wrote wanting to know about our opinions about a "family saga". Seems we all told her no, and expressed pleasure that we know her icky plan so that we can ostracize her if she moves forward.

My own reaction to a vague saga cements my view that other people's stories are theirs, not mine, to process.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (ONvIw)

243 I'm trying to imagine a country populated by the descendants of the survivors- politicians, top brass, mega-rich.
Probably all the next gen will be psychos and sociopaths

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:35 AM (kf6Ak)

The next generation?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:47 AM (7bRMQ)

244 A true meeting of the minds.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:39 AM (FVME7)

A meeting of untrue minds.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:47 AM (ONvIw)

245 My own reaction to a vague saga cements my view that other people's stories are theirs, not mine, to process.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (ONvIw)

I think if they can file off the serial numbers then it's ok

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:48 AM (kf6Ak)

246 I think if they can file off the serial numbers then it's ok
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:48 AM (kf6Ak)

Perhaps, but you don't call or email your intended prey and tell them your plans to write about your interpretation of their struggles or tragedies, now do you?

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:49 AM (ONvIw)

247 Perhaps, but you don't call or email your intended prey and tell them your plans to write about your interpretation of their struggles or tragedies, now do you?
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:49 AM (ONvIw)

No, that was a dumb move.

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:51 AM (kf6Ak)

248 Perhaps, but you don't call or email your intended prey and tell them your plans to write about your interpretation of their struggles or tragedies, now do you?

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:49 AM (ONvIw)

Sorta sounds like something our government would do. Or is doing....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at May 29, 2022 10:51 AM (7bRMQ)

249 Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 10:41 AM (U2p+3)

I used to be a Powers fan until he got too full of himself and became increasingly annoying. The book you're reading is a case in point. It's well crafted but to what end? Say that trees are sentient in ways we don't understand; what are we to do with that information assuming it can be proven true?

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 10:51 AM (y7DUB)

250
No, that was a dumb move.
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:51 AM (kf6Ak)

And it got her ass kicked off many an invitation list, if what other family members say is true. What an intrusion! Who wants to give the bitch subject matter?

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:53 AM (ONvIw)

251 Payback is a bitch.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Claims That In 2014 Donald Trump Told Him He Would Run For President If The NFL Prevented Him From Purchasing The Buffalo Bills

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 10:53 AM (FVME7)

252 This sort of thing pisses me off. It's an authorial cop-out. If a world really existed, in which the laws of physics prevented gunpowder from working, there would probably be no life, and no world, either. You cannot "turn off" one consequence of natural laws, and expect all the other consequences to still work.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 10:45 AM (yH+IJ)
---
It's a fairly common trope in stories involving multiverses. Stephen Baxter--who writes excellent "hard" science fiction--loves to play around with these ideas. I generally don't take much issue with it, but then I love fantasy and science fiction. I just want to read a good story.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:54 AM (K5n5d)

253 Yep. 4th generation.
Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (U2p+3)

I get it about the trees. I'm sure you've been to the rainforest and Olympic National Park. The cedars there are amazing. Not so many trees in my neck of Washington.

I still need to get down to CA and see the redwoods.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:55 AM (cFx0q)

254 Time for The Outside.

Keep 'er movin', book people.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at May 29, 2022 10:58 AM (Dc2NZ)

255 In the Amber books, the explanation for everything is "A Wizard Did It" because a wizard literally did set everything up.

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:59 AM (QZxDR)

256 CN, ask your cousin if she's ever read anything by Nancy Mitford and see if she's gets the hint. Her sisters were none too pleased with their thinly veiled portrayals.

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:59 AM (aeePL)

257 I get it about the trees. I'm sure you've been to the rainforest and Olympic National Park. The cedars there are amazing. Not so many trees in my neck of Washington.

I still need to get down to CA and see the redwoods.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel

I've backpacked a hundred miles over the years in the Hoh rainforest. It's incredible.

Are you coming to our PNWMoMe next weekend in Yakima? Ping Mark in the left sidebar and he will give me your email and I'll give you details. There's morons coming from all over Washington as well as Idaho and Oregon. Please consider. I'd love to meet you!

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:00 AM (U2p+3)

258 still need to get down to CA and see the redwoods.

You seen one you seen them all.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenko Solutions at May 29, 2022 11:00 AM (0mUYx)

259 Hope I'm included in that.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

You absolutely are included in that.

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:01 AM (jO1gQ)

260 258 still need to get down to CA and see the redwoods.

You seen one you seen them all.
Posted by: Commissar of Plenty

Be careful! They'll steal your soul!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:02 AM (kf6Ak)

261 I'm going to write an Unauthorized Autobiography. I'll have to do it in my sleep.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 11:03 AM (FVME7)

262 I get it about the trees.
=====

Nasty carbon-based lifeforms that they are. /s

Posted by: mustbequantum at May 29, 2022 11:03 AM (MIKMs)

263 *wanders in*

Allegedly there is a Shatner cut of Star Trek V. I'll pass, shared that pain once.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 29, 2022 11:04 AM (5hml+)

264 There's a hike in Mt Rainier National Park, "The Grove of the Patriarchs," that is awe inspiring. Our group of 12 fiinally grew our children large enough to grasp hands and encircle the largest tree on the hike. 12 adults. We just touched fingers.

Tree huggers all of us.

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:04 AM (U2p+3)

265 Have fun, kids.

Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 11:04 AM (QZxDR)

266 Are you coming to our PNWMoMe next weekend in Yakima? Ping Mark in the left sidebar and he will give me your email and I'll give you details. There's morons coming from all over Washington as well as Idaho and Oregon. Please consider. I'd love to meet you!
Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:00 AM (U2p

Man, I wasn't tracking that at all! Would love to, but have to work that weekend. I'll ping him as I'd still like the details and maybe I can swing by!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:04 AM (cFx0q)

267 Just finished Kellyanne Conway's book, "Here's the deal." It's pretty good as a picture of Trump. She was excluded from the 2020 campaign and it showed. I still don't understand her husband, George.

Posted by: Mike K at May 29, 2022 11:05 AM (o3Ds4)

268 Watching trees is better than watching birds because trees can't fly away.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, That's AnonosaurX WrX, hater! at May 29, 2022 11:05 AM (FVME7)

269 Unless the trees suffer arboreal drift.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 29, 2022 11:06 AM (5hml+)

270 268 Watching trees is better than watching birds because trees can't fly away.

***

Or poop on you

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:06 AM (kf6Ak)

271 A few months ago, we discussed using someone else's life or lives in fiction. Lo, and behold, a recently retired cousin (a professor at a school in the midwest) wrote wanting to know about our opinions about a "family saga". Seems we all told her no, and expressed pleasure that we know her icky plan so that we can ostracize her if she moves forward.

My own reaction to a vague saga cements my view that other people's stories are theirs, not mine, to process.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:46 AM (ONvIw)
---
I don't know, it depends on how it is done and how recognizable people are.

Three Weeks with the Coasties is autobiographical, and my family loves that they got to be in one of my novels.

When I wrote A Man of Destiny, I based the character of Maxim Darius on Jerry Roe, and when the series was done, I gave him autographed copies and told him he was in it, and he was thrilled. At his funeral I let his son know, and he likewise thought it neat.

It all comes down to how people are shown. Pat Conroy famously alienated his sister and mother by using their personal stories as his material. Of course, he was using verbatim conversations.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:06 AM (llXky)

272 This past week my attention turned to Ernest Hemingway, an author who I have neglected because I don't read much fiction.
That was a mistake.
So I read a collection of 20 short stories, and they were excellent.

Posted by: gourmand du jour at May 29, 2022 11:07 AM (jTmQV)

273 Rain Forests:

North Carolina... Pisgah, Nantahala and Chattahoochee National Forests receive more than 60 inches of rainfall per year and thus are considered "rain forests."

Pisgah in the summer is wet even when it's not raining.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 29, 2022 11:08 AM (BFigT)

274 Nurse-
pinged Mark for info. Thanks!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:08 AM (cFx0q)

275 Nikole Hannah-Jones was a featured speaker for the American Library Association (online) conference in 2021. This was well after the 1619 Project had been discredited. Other featured speakers at ALA in the last few years include Patrisse Cullors, DOCTOR Jill, Leana Wen, Stacey Abrams, and Ibram X. Kendi. Oh, and the Lightbringer himself. This is one of the reasons I'm no longer a member of this alleged professional organization.

Posted by: screaming in digital at May 29, 2022 10:35 AM

Well, this explains why libraries have been hosting drag queen story hours for kids and are pushing child grooming books and programs.

The Left just continues to take over every single institution in the world and use it to spread their evil.

Posted by: Clyde Shelton at May 29, 2022 11:09 AM (Do5/p)

276 Been in the Amazon rain forest, you can keep your rain forest.

Posted by: Anna Puma at May 29, 2022 11:09 AM (5hml+)

277 >>> 221
==
I'm trying to imagine a country populated by the descendants of the survivors- politicians, top brass, mega-rich.
Probably all the next gen will be psychos and sociopaths
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 10:35 AM (kf6Ak)

vmom, these people *think* they're SMAAHHHHHRRRT but I think they're just the types that one of 'em *will* leave the vents open or something else equally stupid.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 11:09 AM (llON8)

278 In the Amber books, the explanation for everything is "A Wizard Did It" because a wizard literally did set everything up.
Posted by: Trimegistus at May 29, 2022 10:59 AM (QZxDR)

Reminds me of the point Ryan from Pitch Meeting makes about the "Fantastic Beasts" movies. That every time the writers got themselves into a plot corner, they'd solve it by declaring "magic!"

One of the things Rowling did with her books is lay the groundwork for HOW magic works... as in, set up the rules for it, and not play around like anything that can't otherwise be explained is magic.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:10 AM (NWBBy)

279 I should explain that the late Jerry Roe was the Chair of the Michigan Republican Party during the 1970s and later became a part-time professor teaching government at the local community college.

So he was very political and when I met him (199

, he was still "in the game" but past his prime. Wonderful guy to know, and Maxim's way of explaining things to people is right out of how Jerry talked.

Big difference: Jerry was an incorrigible skirt-chaser who actually kept a physical "notch count" if you know what I mean. Maxim was above such things.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:10 AM (llXky)

280 Watching trees is better than watching birds because trees can't fly away.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks

Have you read Integral Trees?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:10 AM (JzBU4)

281 Fen!!

Good to see you. I hope all is going well for you and you are recovering quickly.

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:11 AM (jO1gQ)

282 Pisgah National Forest is beautiful.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at May 29, 2022 11:11 AM (P8k+X)

283 I've been reading some Pliny and have learned many marvellous things. Such as:

"Sometimes individuals are born with certain parts of the body endowed with properties of a marvellous nature. Such was the case with King Pyrrhus, the great toe of whose right foot cured diseases of the spleen merely by touching the patient. We are also informed that this toe could not be reduced to ashes together with the other portions of the body."

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:12 AM (vrz2I)

284 Have you read Integral Trees?
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

Math, again?!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:13 AM (kf6Ak)

285 I still don't understand her husband, George.
Posted by: Mike K at May 29, 2022 11:05 AM (o3Ds4)

He's a grifter who is a closeted gay man.

There. Done.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:13 AM (NWBBy)

286 CN, ask your cousin if she's ever read anything by Nancy Mitford and see if she's gets the hint. Her sisters were none too pleased with their thinly veiled portrayals.

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:59 AM (aeePL)
---
The Marchmains in Brideshead Revisited take their family history from the Herbert family, which Evelyn Waugh married into.

Again, the character of the portrayal is more important than the portrayal itself.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:14 AM (llXky)

287 264 There's a hike in Mt Rainier National Park, "The Grove of the Patriarchs," that is awe inspiring. Our group of 12 fiinally grew our children large enough to grasp hands and encircle the largest tree on the hike. 12 adults. We just touched fingers.

Tree huggers all of us.
Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:04 AM (U2p+3)

It is beautiful. Once I just stopped the car, got out and walked into the forest about 50 - 100 yards. It was like I had been transported to a beautiful alien world. I've never experienced anything like that anywhere else.

Posted by: Pork Chops & Bacons at May 29, 2022 11:16 AM (Qhnrt)

288 Currently reading a book of essays by a friend of mine I was in the army with. The book is titled, "Now I Understand You" by Joanna Manning. The short book is filled with vignettes on her life dealing with anxiety in a humorous way. Witty and poignant, and she lays out some of her struggles for the world to laugh at...
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 09:59 AM (cFx0q)

Thanks, Squirrel, for the recommendation.
I will check this our for our daughter, who deals with the same, the result of a TBI from a car accident.

Posted by: sal at May 29, 2022 11:17 AM (bJKUl)

289 Have you read Integral Trees?
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

Math, again?!
Posted by: vmom

Only if you think about it!
L.Niven always has *some* math in his stories.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:17 AM (JzBU4)

290 Have you read Integral Trees?
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron

Math, again?!
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:13 AM (kf6Ak)
---
One of Larry Niven's more creative endeavors....Giant trees floating in a "smoke ring" (breathable atmosphere) surrounding a star. Humans evolve to live in that environment. Pretty weird place.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 11:17 AM (K5n5d)

291 Thanks, Squirrel, for the recommendation.
I will check this our for our daughter, who deals with the same, the result of a TBI from a car accident.
Posted by: sal at May 29, 2022 11:17 AM (bJKUl)

Sal,
hope it helps!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:17 AM (cFx0q)

292 I still don't understand her husband, George.

Posted by: Mike K at May 29, 2022 11:05 AM (o3Ds4)
---
It's pretty simple: he's in the same line of work and his wife passed him in earnings. That cuts into his identity. One of the biggest risk factors for divorce is when the wife starts out-earning the husband. I personally know three couples were the marriage ended once the wife fished the school her husband paid for and landed a better job than him.

I don't know either of them well, but when you have that level of dysfunction, there's more than enough blame to go around.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:18 AM (llXky)

293 Watching trees is better than watching birds because trees can't fly away.

***

Or poop on you
Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:06 AM (kf6Ak)

Having grown up in the midwest, with all the gumballs and nose and throat choking green pollen and that seaweed looking shite that falls on the ground in great clumps, I'd rather take my chances with the bird turds.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:18 AM (NWBBy)

294 Tried to read, "Why There Are No Good Men Left;" but, butt, failed. Thinking of the auth-her, Whitehead, a better question is why can't any of these pustules on humanity learn to write.

Posted by: Marooned at May 29, 2022 11:18 AM (w6hJ9)

295 Secret squirrel,
Email en route.

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:18 AM (U2p+3)

296 It's a fairly common trope in stories involving multiverses. Stephen Baxter--who writes excellent "hard" science fiction--loves to play around with these ideas. I generally don't take much issue with it, but then I love fantasy and science fiction. I just want to read a good story.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 10:54 AM (K5n5d)

It's just a lame way of building a fantasy world. He could have said that the people of the world shared a common mental condition that made it impossible for them to conceive of using any explosive mixture for any purpose. Sort of a taboo, but organic and spontaneous.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:19 AM (aSlSu)

297 There is one Redwood tree in Delaware County in Pa at a arboretum. It's tall but not California Redwood size.

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 11:19 AM (2JoB8)

298 One of Larry Niven's more creative endeavors....Giant trees floating in a "smoke ring" (breathable atmosphere) surrounding a star. Humans evolve to live in that environment. Pretty weird place.
Posted by: "Perfessor"

Yes, IIRC the *critics* really didn't like it or it's sequel.
I thought it was intriguing; but, then I really like science fiction.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:20 AM (JzBU4)

299 So, not a book thing, but indulge me for a second:

Way back in the 80s, my dad took me to see Top Gun. I was in 4th grade when it came out. Loved the movie and the soundtrack.
I showed my kids Top Gun and they loved it.

Dad just called and wants to take me and my kids to see the sequel tomorrow.
I think that's pretty cool.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (cFx0q)

300 It's just a lame way of building a fantasy world. He could have said that the people of the world shared a common mental condition that made it impossible for them to conceive of using any explosive mixture for any purpose. Sort of a taboo, but organic and spontaneous.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:19 AM (aSlSu)
---
There are lots of ways for not having explosives, not sure why one has to warp physics and stuff.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (llXky)

301 So I read a collection of 20 short stories, and they were excellent.

Posted by: gourmand du jour at May 29, 2022 11:07 AM (jTmQV)

He was a great short story writer!

There is a "First 49" book of his stories that has little snippets between some of them. They add to the flavor of the book, and it's definitely worth seeking out.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (XIJ/X)

302 Vmom, I don't know if Scully & Scully still has an actual store. When I was working in NYC they had one on upper Park Ave and I walked by on my way to and from work. They had everything from big furniture to tiny figures, and all had a sense of fun. Family owned, a new generation now, but still with that idiosyncratic edge that makes it a relaxing place to sight-see on days when the news is gloomy. Lots of pig figures (my weak point). Currently there's one balancing on one foot on a four leaf clover that I may not be able to resist.

Posted by: Wenda at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (TK9+5)

303 Well, this explains why libraries have been hosting drag queen story hours for kids and are pushing child grooming books and programs.

The Left just continues to take over every single institution in the world and use it to spread their evil.
Posted by: Clyde Shelton
---
Yep. I'm in academic libraries, so I don't see the kiddie stuff directly, but it has become a cesspool of woke groupthink. I've been around for awhile--let's just say my library career is old enough to drink--and it's getting worse very rapidly. One of the reasons I initially got into this field was the support for intellectual freedom. We still give it lip service but it only goes one way.

Conferences and organizations have become much less valuable to me because so much time is spent on virtue signaling, not on how to do our jobs. I have to do committee service to keep my job (ridiculous "faculty" requirements), so I now focus on system user groups, which tend to have a more practical focus, instead of the usual professional organizations. No one seems to have noticed yet, but I'm not sure how much longer I can continue to fly under the radar.

Sorry for ranting.

Posted by: screaming in digital at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (pkAcY)

304 In the south there are what we call "Piney Woods." Basically dense, packed in pine trees that go on for miles in all directions. Got lost in one with my brother and sister many decades ago. Scared us shitless it did.

You can't see the sky, there are no landmarks, every tree looks like every other tree.

Did another walk in them as an adult it's still a bit unnerving when you get deep into them.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (BFigT)

305 And yet here I am.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd

Have you read "Death on a Friday Afternoon" by the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus?

Excellent musings on the meanings of the "Last 7 Words" of Christ on the Cross.

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (jO1gQ)

306 Flying drone hammers for sale in use in a story.
Also working on on the flying throat puncher.

Posted by: humphreyrobot at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (HbSQA)

307 Dad just called and wants to take me and my kids to see the sequel tomorrow.
I think that's pretty cool.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (cFx0q)

Nice! Critical Drinker, whose opinions I trust, says it's fantastic. It's a throwback to the era when the first one was made, including lots of real effects rather than CGI.

I may have to see this one in the theaters, something I haven't done in about 2 decades.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (NWBBy)

308 "It's just a lame way of building a fantasy world. "

Maybe the Minimighticlorians that are everywhere stop any explosion reaction before it starts due to their peaceful nature.

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:23 AM (vrz2I)

309 Thanks, Perfessor, for another great book thread. I hope you made plenty of noise early this morning for your neighbors.

Posted by: Debby Doberman Schultz at May 29, 2022 11:23 AM (a4EWo)

310 Have you read "Death on a Friday Afternoon" by the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus?

Excellent musings on the meanings of the "Last 7 Words" of Christ on the Cross.

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (jO1gQ)
---
No, not yet. Once I finish with China I have a LOT of books waiting for me.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:23 AM (llXky)

311 A man with a more successful wife will always worry that she will find him boring and decide to "trade-up."

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (lKAqb)

312
Did another walk in them as an adult it's still a bit unnerving when you get deep into them.
Posted by: Martini Farmer

Now go to Sequoia NP, I suggest you stay on the paths or close to them.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (JzBU4)

313 295 Secret squirrel,
Email en route.
Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:18 AM (U2p+3)

Got it, thanks!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (cFx0q)

314 256 CN, ask your cousin if she's ever read anything by Nancy Mitford and see if she's gets the hint. Her sisters were none too pleased with their thinly veiled portrayals.

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 10:59 AM (aeePL)

Fortunately we are not the notorious Mitfords.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (ONvIw)

315 Have you read "Death on a Friday Afternoon" by the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus?

Yes. It is good. However, Fr. Neuhaus believes in Universal Salvation. Beware!

Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 11:25 AM (lKAqb)

316 Dad just called and wants to take me and my kids to see the sequel tomorrow.
I think that's pretty cool.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel,

Very cool.
The Mrs. told me yesterday she wants to see it.
I think I'll let her twist my arm.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:25 AM (JzBU4)

317 Maybe the Minimighticlorians that are everywhere stop any explosion reaction before it starts due to their peaceful nature.
Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:23 AM (vrz2I)

My assumption if we didn't have gunpowder, we'd just have way more knifings and garrotings.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:25 AM (NWBBy)

318 My assumption if we didn't have gunpowder, we'd just have way more knifings and garrotings.
Posted by: BurtTC

England agrees.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:26 AM (JzBU4)

319 Nice! Critical Drinker, whose opinions I trust, says it's fantastic. It's a throwback to the era when the first one was made, including lots of real effects rather than CGI.

I may have to see this one in the theaters, something I haven't done in about 2 decades.
Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (NWBBy)

If they did real stunts/flying and managed to not go woke with the characters and storyline, it'll be a blockbuster.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:26 AM (cFx0q)

320 Back from a constitutional with the lively and sunny-dispositioned Mrs naturalfake.

Lesse what's upstairs.

Posted by: naturalfake at May 29, 2022 11:26 AM (5NkmN)

321 Again, the character of the portrayal is more important than the portrayal itself.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:14 AM (llXky)

Which is probably why we are treating this idea as radioactive. We are all in our "golden years" and nobody can recall a pleasant interaction with the would be writer.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (ONvIw)

322 Yes professor, thanks.

Very diversified with normal pronouns.

Posted by: humphreyrobot at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (HbSQA)

323 A man with a more successful wife will always worry that she will find him boring and decide to "trade-up."
Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (lKAqb)

Always?

I'd suggest the majority of the time, if he's mewling about his wife's success, he might not be a man.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (NWBBy)

324 What the ever loving hell is CBD punishing us for now? Those pants? Yikes!

Posted by: Madamemayhem (uppity wench) at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (Wy1BU)

325 Back from a constitutional with the lively and sunny-dispositioned Mrs naturalfake.

Lesse what's upstairs.
Posted by: naturalfake

This has so many possible interpretations!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (JzBU4)

326 Fortunately we are not the notorious Mitfords.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (ONvIw)
-----------
Ha! But she (he?) could certainly make you sound like them and claim artistic license!

Posted by: bluebell - NoVaMoMe 2022! at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (aeePL)

327 I saw Psychological Babble open for the Psychedelic Furs in 1980 at the Forum ,

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (CfLd+)

328 Well the Minimighticlorians are able on the molecular level to manipulate chemical reactions, they are powerless on a macro level when it comes to controlling what a human may do with a piece of steel.

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:28 AM (vrz2I)

329 Well, time to get some stuff done around the house. Take care!

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:29 AM (cFx0q)

330 My assumption if we didn't have gunpowder, we'd just have way more knifings and garrotings.
Posted by: BurtTC

NTTAWWT

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:29 AM (kf6Ak)

331 Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (NWBBy)

If they did real stunts/flying and managed to not go woke with the characters and storyline, it'll be a blockbuster.
Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 11:26 AM (cFx0q)

That's what he says, and like I said, I trust his assessment, because that's one of the themes he's often talking about, how "the message" gets in the way of Hollywood storytelling. He's essentially raving about this film, giving it all sorts of credit, including just how badarse Cruise is.

Of course, CD is an author himself, Will Jordan, whose books I have bought, but not yet read. Those who have say he's a terrific storyteller himself.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:29 AM (NWBBy)

332 >>> 300 It's just a lame way of building a fantasy world. He could have said that the people of the world shared a common mental condition that made it impossible for them to conceive of using any explosive mixture for any purpose. Sort of a taboo, but organic and spontaneous.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:19 AM (aSlSu)
---
There are lots of ways for not having explosives, not sure why one has to warp physics and stuff.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:21 AM (llXky)

Jim Butcher has a variant of this in The Aeronaut's Windlass but his premise is that oxidizing metals rust much more quickly than before the apocalyptic event which altered the world, so firearms are *unreliable* because they're likely to explode after not much use.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 11:29 AM (llON8)

333 From where I sit I can see a coastal redwood.
I remember when my neighbor planted it from a cutting.
Now it's 30 feet or so. I'm sure it will cut off my view at some point...
'til then I don't mind.
My entire house is made from redwood.
Bugs don't like to eat it.

Posted by: gourmand du jour at May 29, 2022 11:30 AM (jTmQV)

334 I simply must abandon this most excellent thread to sight in a .25 cal PCP air gun.

I'll be back when it gets hot out.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at May 29, 2022 11:30 AM (JzBU4)

335 Fenelon,
Please let us know how things are going as you find out. In the meantime, our prayers for you will continue.
Posted by: JTB at May 29, 2022 10:08 AM (7EjX1)

Double Ditto.
Posted by: Count de Monet

Triple quadruple ditto.

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 11:30 AM (arJlL)

336 It all comes down to how people are shown. Pat Conroy famously alienated his sister and mother by using their personal stories as his material. Of course, he was using verbatim conversations.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:06 AM (llXky)

Well, in her "blog" which we found and were not directed to, we determined that she was asshoe.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:30 AM (ONvIw)

337 still reading Peterson's Field Guide To Birds

plot is fairly interesting- there are these birds, and you watch them
lots of pictures

Posted by: DB at May 29, 2022 11:31 AM (geLO8)

338 Wait a minute...are you claiming that "300" and "300: Rise of an Empire" are NOT 100% accurate historical documentaries?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

I'd say about 79.4% accurate. They definitely left out a lot of great stuff.

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:31 AM (jO1gQ)

339 A man with a more successful wife will always worry that she will find him boring and decide to "trade-up."
Posted by: Chatterbox Mouse at May 29, 2022 11:24 AM (lKAqb)

I have absolutely no problem with a very successful woman . But I do caution against marrying a physically 9 or 10 with no real career. They do constantly scan the horizon for greener pastures.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 29, 2022 11:31 AM (CfLd+)

340 "Jim Butcher has a variant of this in The Aeronaut's Windlass but his premise is that oxidizing metals rust much more quickly than before the apocalyptic event which altered the world"

I could buy "A manmade virus that eats every bit of metal it can find".

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:31 AM (vrz2I)

341 Jim Butcher has a variant of this in The Aeronaut's Windlass but his premise is that oxidizing metals rust much more quickly than before the apocalyptic event which altered the world, so firearms are *unreliable* because they're likely to explode after not much use.
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 11:29 AM (llON

But the swords don't rust, right?

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:32 AM (aSlSu)

342 It all comes down to how people are shown. Pat Conroy famously alienated his sister and mother by using their personal stories as his material. Of course, he was using verbatim conversations.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:06 AM (llXky)

The Great Santini was pretty favorable to the Mother.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 29, 2022 11:33 AM (CfLd+)

343 I have absolutely no problem with a very successful woman . But I do caution against marrying a physically 9 or 10 with no real career. They do constantly scan the horizon for greener pastures.
Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 29, 2022 11:31 AM (CfLd+

And I caution against relationships with men who seek physical 9s and 10s, looks fade and they constantly scan the environment for younger pastures.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:33 AM (ONvIw)

344 Wenda, did you mean this squirrel?

https://tinyurl.com/2p95r9fj

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:33 AM (kf6Ak)

345 Swords made of buckyballs. Easy peasey.

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:34 AM (vrz2I)

346 345 Swords made of buckyballs. Easy peasey.
Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:34 AM (vrz2I)

They're so stable!!!/

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:34 AM (ONvIw)

347 By the way, Perfessor, as a half-assed amateur documentation nerd, I enjoyed your mention of documentation. I'm not trained as a technical writer, but I write a crap ton of docs for myself and others in my department. (As an accidental sysadmin, I also have to actually *read* manuals...)

My starting point is to write the docs I wish I'd had the first time I do something. It's especially difficult for me to write instructions for something that I do often. "Export the following fields from MarcEdit to Excel" is one step for me because I've done it a million times, but might be 5 or more steps for someone who's never done this, plus multiple screen shots. Very time consuming, but I never regret time spent on documentation, and frequently regret the times I didn't write it down because surely I'd remember. No, I won't.

Feel like I'm talking a lot today, must be too much covfefe. Thanks for another great book thread!

Posted by: screaming in digital at May 29, 2022 11:35 AM (pkAcY)

348 Which is probably why we are treating this idea as radioactive. We are all in our "golden years" and nobody can recall a pleasant interaction with the would be writer.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:27 AM (ONvIw)

I have a sister who has demonstrated quite a talent for writing, generally in the form of long emails which I don't read.

If she were to try to write an "autobiographical" novel, it would be one hot mess of untruths.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:35 AM (NWBBy)

349 I must admit, that the cousin was part of the reason I decided to buy and read O, Lost. I can't imagine that Wolfe's father would have loved W O Gant.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:36 AM (ONvIw)

350 "345 Swords made of buckyballs. Easy peasey.
Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:34 AM (vrz2I)

They're so stable!!!/
Posted by: CN "

The Minimighticlorians line them up and cement them together for the humans but have no idea what they are making!

Posted by: fd at May 29, 2022 11:36 AM (vrz2I)

351 And I caution against relationships with men who seek physical 9s and 10s, looks fade and they constantly scan the environment for younger pastures.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:33 AM (ONvIw

Nothing wrong with that if you're not married. The comment was referring to marriage not relationships.

Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 29, 2022 11:37 AM (CfLd+)

352 Just completed Ways and Means, about how the Lincoln admin financed the Civil War. Very interesting account of how we transitioned to paper currency. Recommend. And I got dirt on the liberry book so I will have to buy.

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at May 29, 2022 11:37 AM (W7ezD)

353 There is one Redwood tree in Delaware County in Pa at a arboretum. It's tall but not California Redwood size.

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 11:19 AM (2JoB

Might be a "Dawn Redwood", there's one at the state botanical garden at Clemson, SC.

Posted by: BignJames at May 29, 2022 11:37 AM (AwYPR)

354 We thought we were building plowshares!

Posted by: The Minimighticlorians at May 29, 2022 11:38 AM (vrz2I)

355 There's morons coming from all over Washington as well as Idaho and Oregon. Please consider. I'd love to meet you!

Posted by: nurse ratched

Also one flying in from Florida!!

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:40 AM (jO1gQ)

356 343 I have absolutely no problem with a very successful woman . But I do caution against marrying a physically 9 or 10 with no real career. They do constantly scan the horizon for greener pastures.
Posted by: Anti doesn't matter at May 29, 2022 11:31 AM (CfLd+

And I caution against relationships with men who seek physical 9s and 10s, looks fade and they constantly scan the environment for younger pastures.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:33 AM (ONvIw)

Sounds like a philosophy shared among 4's and 5's.

Posted by: Pork Chops & Bacons at May 29, 2022 11:40 AM (Qhnrt)

357 If she were to try to write an "autobiographical" novel, it would be one hot mess of untruths.
Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:35 AM (NWBBy)

This is what we suspect would be the case. And we have all declined furnishing recollections. This at a time in life when you, to some extent, love to recollect and endeavor to reconcile yourself with your early life and deceased relatives. In nicer hands, I could see it, maybe.

This has also had the effect of stopping a lot of conversations we might have had about our parents and grand parents. Nobody ants to discover that someone has been covertly assisting. Paranoid, much? Maybe.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:41 AM (ONvIw)

358 Off to watch Top Gun: Maverick.

See ya all later!

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:42 AM (jO1gQ)

359 If she were to try to write an "autobiographical" novel, it would be one hot mess of untruths.
Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:35 AM (NWBBy)

This is what we suspect would be the case. And we have all declined furnishing recollections. This at a time in life when you, to some extent, love to recollect and endeavor to reconcile yourself with your early life and deceased relatives. In nicer hands, I could see it, maybe.

This has also had the effect of stopping a lot of conversations we might have had about our parents and grand parents. Nobody ants to discover that someone has been covertly assisting. Paranoid, much? Maybe.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:41 AM (ONvIw)

Sounds like you COULD be describing my sister! Almost exactly.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:43 AM (NWBBy)

360 Also one flying in from Florida!!
Posted by: Sharkman

Can't wait to hug you!

Posted by: nurse ratched at May 29, 2022 11:43 AM (U2p+3)

361 >>> But the swords don't rust, right?
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:32 AM (aSlSu)

Heh. They're coated with copper, as are some other in-world weapons. In fact a red shirt gets his ass chewed for failing to maintain the copper cladding on his sword, allowing a spot to rust.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 11:44 AM (llON8)

362 My man Tony LaRussa standing up for Merica. Hawk never should have fired him.

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at May 29, 2022 11:45 AM (W7ezD)

363
Sounds like a philosophy shared among 4's and 5's.
Posted by: Pork Chops & Bacons at May 29, 2022 11:40 AM (Qhnrt)

Actually, I heard this from women who were 9s and 10s, who found themselves replaced. But then they married men who were very well off and could afford this expensive way of life, pensioning off wives.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:45 AM (ONvIw)

364 Just curious... What do you figure is your timeline for the China book's publication?

Posted by: @TheRealWilliamHayes at May 29, 2022 11:46 AM (FIJ+3)

365 BignJames not sure but probably not 300 years old either

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 11:46 AM (2JoB8)

366 Sounds like you COULD be describing my sister! Almost exactly.
Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:43 AM (NWBBy)

Alas, she is an only child. There are a lot of frustrated authors like her, I assume. And instead of using family experiences to sort of universalize and explain, her "blog" lets us know she's an angry person.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:47 AM (ONvIw)

367 My man Tony LaRussa standing up for Merica. Hawk never should have fired him.
Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at May 29, 2022 11:45 AM (W7ezD)

LaRussa also made a stupid statement about what Donelson said to "Jackie," about rayciss.

So maybe he's just trying to make up for that.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:48 AM (NWBBy)

368 I just burnt through the entire, except for the last book, Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries by C.S. Harris.

In many respects, I was reminded of Georgette Heyer's Regency romances because these books are set in Regency England. The politics of the time play a very big part of these books, several times being the driving force behind the various murders St. Cyr investigates.

I am of mixed emotion about the technical aspects of the series. The writing was good enough to keep me reading, but more than once I rolled my eyes and heaved a deep sigh. On the other hand, Harris' history is incredibly detailed. Each book has a small epilogue detailing her research and explaining how various events actually happened and that, yes, certain people featured in the book existed and did exactly as laid out in the book.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin -- I wasn't particularly fond of the '70s the first time around at May 29, 2022 11:48 AM (sjtZ7)

369 I recently read Devon Monk's "House Immortal" series. I got the first book as a giveaway at the 2013 Worldcon. The first book is set in 2210 where the entire world is run by the great houses, and among the reasons the great houses are great are 12 immortal humans called "galvanized" that agreed to belong to those houses in order to end a terrible war.

Except there aren't 12 galvanized, there are 13, and it turns out that the galvanized were made in a botched time experiment three hundred years before and time is about to boomerang back to make right was was broken in 1910. So, there is a race against time to fix time before it all goes kablooey and, once time is fixed, then what? There's a bad guy loose in the new reality. It kept me turning pages until the very end, so if you like steampunk-ish fantasy-ish adventure tales, I'd recommend the series. Start with House Immortal and go from there.

Posted by: Cybersmythe at May 29, 2022 11:49 AM (LJSpF)

370 368 I just burnt through the entire, except for the last book, Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries by C.S. Harris.

**
i think I'm about midway through that series, took a break a couple of years ago

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 11:50 AM (kf6Ak)

371 My starting point is to write the docs I wish I'd had the first time I do something. It's especially difficult for me to write instructions for something that I do often. "Export the following fields from MarcEdit to Excel" is one step for me because I've done it a million times, but might be 5 or more steps for someone who's never done this, plus multiple screen shots. Very time consuming, but I never regret time spent on documentation, and frequently regret the times I didn't write it down because surely I'd remember. No, I won't.

Feel like I'm talking a lot today, must be too much covfefe. Thanks for another great book thread!
Posted by: screaming in digital at May 29, 2022 11:35 AM (pkAcY)
---
That's pretty much how I do it as well. Lately, I've been creating "Technology Cheat Sheets" because I often get the same question from different customers. No point in writing down the same instructions in an email a dozen times, so I do it once and send them the link to the "cheat sheet."

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 11:51 AM (K5n5d)

372 Sounds like you COULD be describing my sister! Almost exactly.
Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:43 AM (NWBBy)

Alas, she is an only child. There are a lot of frustrated authors like her, I assume. And instead of using family experiences to sort of universalize and explain, her "blog" lets us know she's an angry person.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:47 AM (ONvIw)

Ah. Well, I'm sorry for her. That's no way to go through life. My sister has for the most part shed most of her anger, but still has quite a distorted view of her upbringing.

Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:51 AM (NWBBy)

373 Speaking of mysteries, can anyone recommend a good biography od Agatha Christie?

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:51 AM (ONvIw)

374 Vnom, that's the squirrel I meant! Isn't it adorable?

Posted by: Wenda at May 29, 2022 11:51 AM (TK9+5)

375
Actually, I heard this from women who were 9s and 10s, who found themselves replaced. But then they married men who were very well off and could afford this expensive way of life, pensioning off wives.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:45 AM (ONvIw)

For that matter, I know 9's and 10's marrying and having a happy life. Some of them are rich, some of them middle class.

Posted by: Pork Chops & Bacons at May 29, 2022 11:53 AM (Qhnrt)

376 Heh. They're coated with copper, as are some other in-world weapons. In fact a red shirt gets his ass chewed for failing to maintain the copper cladding on his sword, allowing a spot to rust.
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 11:44 AM (llON

But copper-plating a firearm is right out, eh?

And copper plate actually accelerates the rusting of steel, if there is one tiny flaw in plate.

Fail.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:53 AM (aSlSu)

377 Ah. Well, I'm sorry for her. That's no way to go through life. My sister has for the most part shed most of her anger, but still has quite a distorted view of her upbringing.
Posted by: BurtTC at May 29, 2022 11:51 AM (NWBBy)

I am too, and when she first vaguely got in touch with us, we were looking forward to her. Like I said, we are of the age that this seems like a good idea, and rotten covid seems to have inspired more introspection. But with an angry book in mind, we will limit contact.

Oddly, I have been contacted by other people I have not heard from since the 70s. Age and the not-exactly-the Black Death inspired a lot of this I assume.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 11:55 AM (ONvIw)

378 Ah. Well, I'm sorry for her. That's no way to go through life. My sister has for the most part shed most of her anger, but still has quite a distorted view of her upbringing.
=====

As much as I love and admire my sisters, where the heck is the anger coming from? Sometimes when I listen to their childhood tales, even though I was right there participating for some of them, my conclusion is that we were raised separately and have no common ground. Scarey.

Posted by: mustbequantum at May 29, 2022 11:56 AM (MIKMs)

379 I took a long road trip and caught up on some audio books. Finished A Spy In Plain Sight by Lis Wiehl. The book is the true story of Robert Hannsen, a FBI agent who spied for the Russkies from the 80s through the early 2000s. A good read/listen until the epilogue when the author unleashes her Trump Derangement Syndrome and I stopped listening. Next I moved on to Michael Connelly*s latest Renee Ballard/Harry Bosch book The Dark Hours. Harry Bosch is my favorite literary character. I love Connelly and have read pretty much everything he has written. He took a few jabs at PDJT in his last Lincoln Lawyer book. In The Dark Hours he includes a short passage about *The Insurrection* of 1/6/2021, that serves no purpose beyond the author*s political vanity. C*mon Michael, you can do better than that. Currently am deep into Harlen Cobin*s Missing You. I love Cobin*s insanely constructed who done its. I am three quarters of the way through and still have no clue how all of the connected little mysteries will be resolved. Thanks so much for the Book Thread, Perfessor!

Posted by: SuperMayorSuperRonNirenberg-Coming For You Baby Yoda at May 29, 2022 11:57 AM (vDQ+2)

380 There is one Redwood tree in Delaware County in Pa at a arboretum. It's tall but not California Redwood size.

Posted by: Skip at May 29, 2022 11:19 AM (2JoB

Might be a "Dawn Redwood", there's one at the state botanical garden at Clemson, SC.
Posted by: BignJames

Or a Needledick Redwood......

Posted by: JT at May 29, 2022 11:57 AM (arJlL)

381 A writer once said that you could safely put any man in a book. Just say he has a small penis and he will never recognize himself.

Posted by: Wenda at May 29, 2022 11:57 AM (TK9+5)

382 I've been re-reading "Hamlet" this week. I've always been grateful for the scads of commentary available for Shakespeare, but I recognize that a great deal of nonsense has become orthodoxy among scholars. While I always recommend Harold Jenkins' excellent edition in the Arden Shakespeare Second Series, I must admit he accepts one such theory known as "memorial reconstruction" to account for some of the flawed texts known as "bad quartos."

Posted by: Brett at May 29, 2022 11:58 AM (Sm9Ko)

383 153 One of the best pieces of advice anyone ever gave me was to get the reading materials as fast as possible and start reading before the semester starts. Also read the professors' bibliographies, when included, as they use a lot of sources outside the textbook.
Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 10:06 AM (ONvIw)

Tied in with this is get the syllabus as soon as possible and mark any projects, deadlines, etc., on a calendar so they don't "sneak up" on you.

Posted by: Peter (My friends call me Pete) Zah at May 29, 2022 11:58 AM (a4vvV)

384 One Shakespearean researcher named Eric Sams flogs the theory of "memorial reconstruction" hard in his article "Taboo or not Taboo."

tinyurl.com/2mrbvz9y

Posted by: Brett at May 29, 2022 12:01 PM (Sm9Ko)

385 WE HAZ A NOOD

Posted by: Skip advising you of your Nood threads at May 29, 2022 12:01 PM (2JoB8)

386 >>> 376
But copper-plating a firearm is right out, eh?

And copper plate actually accelerates the rusting of steel, if there is one tiny flaw in plate.

Fail.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 11:53 AM (aSlSu)

Isn't copper fouling an issue with guns (don't we have copper-coated *bullets* because 'omg lead in the environment' ... where do you think it came from green-tards)? In the scene with the sword they do mention it could rust away in a few days if the spot isn't repaired.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 12:02 PM (llON8)

387 Thanks for another great thread, Perfesser!

Posted by: gourmand du jour at May 29, 2022 12:07 PM (jTmQV)

388 378. I suppose anger comes from reflection and a desire to exonerate yourself from bad choices. The proper venue is probably journalling in the dear diary sense, and not an expose casting you and your mom as heroes.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 12:07 PM (ONvIw)

389 Eric Sams is dismissed by most Shakespearean scholars as he has not been vetted by them in the academic gymnasium: he is a musicologist by training.

However, his Shakespearean writings are fascinating researches taking on many academic orthodoxies. His opinions are always backed by documentary evidence.

Most of his writings are available on the site ericsams.org. His book "The Real Shakespeare: Retrieving the Early Years" must be bought in hard copy. Its follow-up "The Real Shakespeare II: Retrieving the Later Years" can be downloaded for free at ericsams.org.

Posted by: Brett at May 29, 2022 12:07 PM (Sm9Ko)

390 My older daughter lives in Santa Cruz. Up in the hills away from the ocean, redwoods are as thick as thieves.

Posted by: Captain Hate won't forget Michael Byrd Murdered Ashli Babbitt at May 29, 2022 12:09 PM (y7DUB)

391 375. Me too. But they brought more than looks to the relationship and the spouses were not exclusively seeking beauty. When someone seeks just beauty or jjust money or just one facet of a person it's rarely good.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 12:11 PM (ONvIw)

392 Just completed Ways and Means, about how the Lincoln admin financed the Civil War. Very interesting account of how we transitioned to paper currency. Recommend. And I got dirt on the liberry book so I will have to buy.

Posted by: Big Fat Meanie at May 29, 2022 11:37 AM (W7ezD)

If this is a subject that interests you, I will suggest Murray Rothbard's A History of Money and Banking in the United States (also known as The Big Green Book) that is like drinking from a firehose on the subject.
It is published by the Mises Society.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 29, 2022 12:14 PM (xhaym)

393 Isn't copper fouling an issue with guns (don't we have copper-coated *bullets* because 'omg lead in the environment' ... where do you think it came from green-tards)? In the scene with the sword they do mention it could rust away in a few days if the spot isn't repaired.
Posted by: Helena Handbasket at May 29, 2022 12:02 PM (llON

Yeah, it is. What I take issue with here, is that the author acknowledges the usefulness of guns, but then invents a lame way of making them impractical.

Look. You can build a device that will blow a knight in armor right off his horse with one shot. Are you going to let the fact that such a device becomes unreliable after a few such shots stop you from using it? No. Maybe you will make disposable single-use barrels, already loaded with powder and shot. Or develop stainless steel. Or build a gun like the GyroJet, where the propellant charge is contained withing the bullet, and the barrel is just a guide tube.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at May 29, 2022 12:14 PM (aSlSu)

394 Well I'm heading back to O, Lost and my other projects. See you next week. Thanks perfessor. I'll check back to see if anyone recommended a Christie bio.

Posted by: CN at May 29, 2022 12:15 PM (ONvIw)

395 another very good book on fiat money is a short one by Andrew Dickson White, Fiat Money Inflation in France.
PDF is online if you are cheap like me

Posted by: Kindltot at May 29, 2022 12:16 PM (xhaym)

396 I get it about the trees. I'm sure you've been to the rainforest and Olympic National Park. The cedars there are amazing. Not so many trees in my neck of Washington.

I still need to get down to CA and see the redwoods.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at May 29, 2022 10:55 AM (cFx0q)

I look out my windows and see wheat. Wheat. Wheat everywhere you look. (Well not yet, but later in the year). The "amber waves of grain" are on a hillside across from my office. It's a wonderful sight to see them moving in the wind.

Posted by: Peter (My friends call me Pete) Zah at May 29, 2022 12:17 PM (a4vvV)

397 There is a book called Chickenhawk by Robert Mason that come out in '83. I liked it, about a Huey pilot in Vietnam.

Another called Street Without Joy details the French involvement in Vietnam in '50's and came out in '61. We should have learned from it.

Posted by: SSR at May 29, 2022 12:52 PM (xDzoL)

398 You have to be a certain type of twat or racial grievance monger to conflate George III and A.Hitler.
"All white people are Nazis!".

Posted by: general giap at May 29, 2022 12:57 PM (RkBbt)

399 381 A writer once said that you could safely put any man in a book. Just say he has a small penis and he will never recognize himself.
Posted by: Wenda

Heh

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at May 29, 2022 01:02 PM (kf6Ak)

400 The problem with Chiltons and Haynes is that they're not making new ones for cars newer than 2020 or so. It'll all be online. Which is a pain in the ass, and it will probably be much more expensive.

Bentley, for German cars stopped altogether in 2010. So if you have a modern VW, Audi, M-B, or BMW, you're absolutely fucked. I've had to get creative to find even partial information for a 2016 Passat. Torque specs are key, of course, but procedures are hard to come by for even something as simple as an ATF level check and change, as it's a bit more involved. Youtube helped there. But there isn't anything in one place like there used to be.

Posted by: Jeff Weimer at May 29, 2022 01:13 PM (4enNW)

401 Hello Perfessor:

When linking books by Morons, would it be possible to include a link where we might buy direct from authors, instead of through Amazon? I know you do sometimes when possible.

For example, I recently purchased "Passion of Command" but was able to get it from Marine Shop instead of big tech book. Bezos doesn't need my money - nor do I wish to give it to him.

Posted by: Java Joe at May 29, 2022 01:55 PM (VsPm9)

402 @396 --

Heh, I did that just yesterday, at a field Dad leases out to a guy. I grew up on a farm, but I don't recall seeing wheat wiggle like that.

What I remember is getting the grain stuck in my socks when I was shoveling it.

Posted by: Weak Geek at May 29, 2022 02:35 PM (Om/di)

403 I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Someone has written a book called Hope Never Dies (Obama Biden Mysteries #1). The cover has Slow Joe driving his TransAm with Barky riding shotgun. The blurb reads:

"It's been several months since the 2016 presidential election, and "Uncle Joe" Biden is puttering around his house, grouting the tile in his master bathroom, feeling lost and adrift in an America that doesn't make sense anymore.

But when his favorite Amtrak conductor dies in a suspicious accident, Joe feels a familiar desire to serve - and he leap into the role of amateur sleuth, with a little help from his old friend President Barack Obama (code name: Renegade). Together they'll plumb the darkest depths of Delaware, traveling from cheap motels to biker bars and beyond, as they uncover the sinister forces advancing America's opioid epidemic."

Posted by: cool breeze at May 29, 2022 03:28 PM (UGKMd)

404 Hello Perfessor:

When linking books by Morons, would it be possible to include a link where we might buy direct from authors, instead of through Amazon? I know you do sometimes when possible.

For example, I recently purchased "Passion of Command" but was able to get it from Marine Shop instead of big tech book. Bezos doesn't need my money - nor do I wish to give it to him.
Posted by: Java Joe at May 29, 2022 01:55 PM (VsPm9)
---
That is generally my preference as well. But some authors don't have their own website (yet). I do try to find an author website if one is available.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at May 29, 2022 03:55 PM (K5n5d)

405 Have you read "Death on a Friday Afternoon" by the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus?

Excellent musings on the meanings of the "Last 7 Words" of Christ on the Cross.

Posted by: Sharkman at May 29, 2022 11:22 AM (jO1gQ)
---
No, not yet. Once I finish with China I have a LOT of books waiting for me.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at May 29, 2022 11:23 AM (llXky)

Late to the thread, but I would recommend avoiding Neuhaus's book. He is a heretic and argues for the "Empty Hell." He is a follower of Balthasar and space is too limited to go into the problems. Neuhaus admits that he rejects St. Augustine's argument that there are some souls condemned to spend eternity in Hell.

A much better treatment of Christ's 7 Last Words would be the series by Archbishop Fulton Sheen: they've been collected into a paperback a few years ago under the title, Cries of Jesus From the Cross.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at May 29, 2022 09:00 PM (pJWtt)

406 Hi theｒe! Quick question thɑt's completely off topic.

Do you know how to make your site mobile fｒiendly?
Ⅿy site looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I'm tryіng to find
a template or plugin that might be able to fix thiѕ issue.

If you have any suggestions, please sһare. Many thanks!

Posted by: sioux at June 01, 2022 02:02 PM (mrdB6)

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