Sunday Morning Book Thread - 11-17-2024 ["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. Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...

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

PIC NOTE

This map was taken from the Grolier Club's website. It seems to show the layout of the building, but I do note the lack of detail that makes it difficult to really understand this map. Where is the entrance to the building? Are the stairs going UP or DOWN? Are the alcoves categorized by subject matter? In the library in which I work, but do not work for, we have similar maps, of course, to direct patrons to various locations within the library. They are definitely more useful than this archaic map.

GAMIFICATION OF READING?

"Gamification" is a term widely used in education--especially K-12--to refer to adding elements to learning that are derived from the pleasure we get from gaming. In other words, teachers add things like competitions or achievements to the learning curriculum to motivate students in their learning.

It turns out "gamification" of reading is also a thing on the interwebs these days. You can find YouTube videos on the subject as well as conversations on social media about how to make reading more like a game. Goodreads, for instance, offers a Reading Challenge every year as a way to help readers increase the number of books they want to read per year. So far, in 2024, it looks like there are over 9 million participants who have pledged to read a whopping 355+ million books this year (around 39 books per participant). I've seen people talking about reading over 350 books in a single year, which sounds crazy to me. I consider myself to be a reasonably fast reader, but I'm doing well if I read a third of that in a year.

This idea of "gamifying" reading has been around for a long time. When I was a child *mumble* years ago, our local community library had a program where children were encouraged to track the books they read. After reading X number of books, there were some small extrinsic rewards, like a coupon for free ice cream. It certainly helped motivate me to read a lot of books when I was a kid.

Nowadays, I implement some "gamification" into my reading. I use a spreadsheet to track all of my reading activities, which does help motivate me when I can see how much progress I've made in my reading every day. I've got at least two more fat tomes to get through by the end of the year in addition to some other books I want to cross of my list. So I think gamification does have a role to play in reading, just as it does in education, or monitoring one's health via exercise apps (they use similar principles there to make exercise more enjoyable).

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ARE BOOKS BECOMING A LUXURY ITEM FOR THE "RICH?"

The YouTuber above raises some interesting questions, but I'm not sure her premises hold up after doing some back-of-the-envelope calculations. Let's go back about 30 years (1994) and look at the average prices of a mass market paperback book. According to the interwebs, it was around $5.00. Now, the federal minimum wage back then was $4.25. So for approximately one hour's worth of labor at minimum wage, a guy like me (who was poor back then) could still afford a paperback book once in a while.

Now let's look at the present day. Today, the average cost of a mass market paperback book is $7.50 or so. The federal minimum wage is $7.25. So again, it looks like someone can spend one hour's worth of labor at minimum wage in order to have enough money to afford a mass market paperback book.

Things get more complicated when you look at eBooks, trade paperbacks, and hardcovers, of course. Though when I look at the average cost of a hardcover book, the price doesn't seem to have increased all that much from 30 years ago. Today, the average cost is between $17 and $28, depending on a variety of factors. Back in 1994, the average cover price of a hardcover novel was between $22 and $25. Maybe 4-5 times as much as a mass market paperback book. Now, a hardcover book is only 2-3 times as much as a mass market paperback.

So are books slowly becoming a luxury item for the rich? Maybe, as the purchasing power of minimum wage has significantly decreased thanks to inflation, among other factors. But one hour of labor at minimum wage still provides enough income to afford a mass market paperback, assuming all other expenses are covered. Books are, to some extent, a luxury item in general, as we don't *need* books to live--though it would be a true hardship for many of us to give them up completely!

BOOKS BY MORON ADJACENT AUTHORS

Moron "Roll-Aid" asked if I would post a little something about The Name in the Stone, a posthumous collection of essays from Gerard Van der Leun, who passed away in January 2023. He was the proprietor of the American Digest blog. For many years, American Digest was one of my "go-to" reads in the morning. In fact, I usually saved that for last because it was among the most interesting. Gerard may not have been "the most interesting man in the world," but he's a strong candidate.

His dear friend Jean Kaufman (a.k.a "NeoNeoCon") edited and published The Name in the Stone at his request, which is also the name of one of his "most personal and revealing essays."

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

This past week, we exercised our right to vote, and we exclaimed our right to free speech, to protect our property, and to express our revulsion for arbitrary government political prosecution. These rights are expressed in our constitution, but they draw their inspiration from a much older document. Dan Jones explores the history of the foundational document of Western civilization in Magna Carta, the Birth of Liberty.
In 1215 at Runnymeade, King John of England signed the Magna Carta in order to be allowed to maintain kingship over his rebellious subjects. His father Henry had been more amenable to his subjects, and they were not about to accept anything less: the right to tax only by the consent of the people, the right one's trial by his peers, and the English church would be free.
In a very readable manner, Jones reviews the development of the inherent rights of the people, the struggle to achieve and to hold them, and the document that finally cemented them in place in England. Every representative government in the world is built on the foundation of this document, and Jones gives us the story of one of the primary written guarantees of freedom that we cherish.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 10, 2024 09:19 AM (eH98r)

Comment: God willing, last week's election results will serve as a repudiation of every repugnant policy the Left stands for. Yes, some of the ballot measures (like abortion) passed in some states. But I hope that will be a Pyrrhic victory at best. The idea that average, ordinary people have a voice in their government is truly a revolutionary idea. One the "elites" hate with a fiery passion.

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Continuing my reading in a 7-book Jules Verne omnibus. I shot through Five Weeks in a Balloon and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and just started From Earth to the Moon this morning.
It's interesting to watch Verne getting better as a writer, book by book. Five Weeks in a Balloon was his first, and the narrative is basically what a D&D player would call a "hexcrawl" across Africa, full of random encounters. The plot is entirely "what happens next?"
By Journey to the Center of the Earth he's learned to maintain suspense, and gives us a (little) bit of character development over the course of the novel as young Axel, the narrator, goes from being very reluctant (almost cowardly) to a competent adventurer.
And by From Earth to the Moon he's capable of satire which is still funny 150 years later!
Posted by: Trimegistus at November 10, 2024 09:19 AM (78a2H)

Comment: I've never read Verne, but his evolution as a writer is not all that surprising. I've seen similar evolution in fantasy authors over the years. Their first book might be a standard "dungeon crawl" or loosely (or even wholly) inspired by Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. If they work on honing their craft, you can see that their plots and character development become much more complex as their writing skills improve. Examples include Terry Pratchett, Terry Brooks, and Tad Williams, among many others.

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One book I did finish recently was The Great Shakespeare Fraud by Patricia Pierce. It's the story of William-Henry Ireland, a rather lackluster clerk who, in order to win the affection of his father, forged a Shakespeare signature in 1798. Although his creations appear literally ridiculous to modern eyes, they were accepted and celebrated for almost a year by some of the most learned people in England until the whole thing came crashing down when Ireland tried to forge an entirely new Shakespeare play, Vortigern.
A very interesting book, if you are a fan of Shakespeare or hoaxes.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at November 10, 2024 09:39 AM (Q0kLU)

Comment: We live in interesting times. Thanks to "deep fakes" and generative AI, it's now possible to create passable forgeries of works, though they will seldom stand up to intense scrutiny. You can ask ChatGPT (or another LLM) to write essays in Shakespearean pentameter, for instance, and it will take a crack at it. It probably won't be good, but you can ask ChatGPT to keep refining it.

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (1000+ Moron-recommended books!)

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WHAT I'VE ACQUIRED THIS PAST WEEK:

Last King of Osten Ard Book 4 - The Navigator's Children by Tad Williams - This was supposed to be released about a year ago, but was delayed for some reason. It's the final volume in the series. I think Tad Williams has given up on trying to write proper trilogies because it never works out for him.

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

After reviewing some of OregonMuse's old Book Threads, I thought I'd try something a bit different. Instead of just listing WHAT I'm reading, I'll include commentary as well. Unless otherwise specified, you can interpret this as an implied recommendation, though as always your mileage may vary.

Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Book 2 - House of Assassins by Larry Correia

The prophet Thera, who speaks for the Forgotten, has been captured by the House of Assassins, a lost House of wizards that seeks to capture Thera's power for their own use. Ashok must find a way to rescue her because the rebels need her gifts to motivate them and provide them with direction. Otherwise, the rebellion of casteless is doomed to failure despite their overwhelming numbers.

Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Book 3 - Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Correia

Ashok and allies have obliterated the House of Assassins. Thera, the Voice of the old gods has been rescued. Now Ashok must find a way to protect the casteless (or "non-people") from the Great Extermination, a pogrom that will eliminate all of the casteless from the realms. Instigated by the Grand Inquisitor, this pogrom will also remove any obstacles to the demons coming onto land again and ravaging the lands, as it's said that the casteless are the descendants of the great warrior Ramrowan, who saved the people centuries ago from demon hordes.

Saga of the Forgotten Warrior Book 4 - Tower of Silence by Larry Correia

These books are loosely based on Indian (dot) culture, with the way the castes in society are structured and who is in charge. The Law dominates society and any deviation from the Law is harshly punished by the Protectors and the Inquisition. In execution, these books are essentially Bollywood action flicks in novel form, with incredibly over-the-top action set pieces and nigh indestructible heroes. There are fewer impromptu song-and-dance numbers, however.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 11-10-2024 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.

Disclaimer: No Morons were physically harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Awright, which one of you Morons scheduled a public library book sale the week before I go on Thanksgiving break?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 09:00 AM (fwDg9)

2 The notion that books are a luxury good available only to the rich is absurd. Forget e-books, if you're willing to buy used books, there has never been a better time to be a book collector. The advent of YT, as well as all the other used book sellers, means you can get pretty much any book for an affordable price.

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:02 AM (xCA6C)

3 Still slowly reading Martin Gilbert's Churchill a Life
At a chapter a week will be reading this into next year, have to pick up the pace. But am learning what a more remarkable man than I knew.

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 09:03 AM (fwDg9)

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

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:03 AM (yTvNw)

5 In hope that the next administration will finally slice into Leviathan, I reopened "The Weed Agency," a 2014 novel by Jim Geraghty of National Review. The agency is a small unit in the USDA whose mission is weed control. A Reaganite budget cutter has it in his sights. He's thwarted in his first attempt to kill it because of Red Scare chicanery by the civil "servant" in charge. The agency winds up with its budget more than doubled, and "Nick the Knife" vows revenge.

I think we'll see how the agency sucks up more cash as time passes. Maybe Nick will finally win.

I bought this new because I liked Geraghty's columns but put it down because it seemed to rip off "Yes, Minister," the 1980s Britcom that focused on the conflict between politicians and civil servants. The agency head even has the surname Humphrey. Time for me to quit acting like a government lifer and actually do something with this.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:03 AM (p/isN)

6 "I've never read Verne..."

???

Posted by: davidt at November 17, 2024 09:03 AM (i0F8b)

7 I'm not a fan of introducing stress to my reading by "gamifying" it. I read for pleasure, and for self-improvement, not competition. However, if it encourages the large fraction of the population that doesn't typically read, then I suppose it's a good thing. It's just not for me.

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:05 AM (xCA6C)

8 The notion that books are a luxury good available only to the rich is absurd. Forget e-books, if you're willing to buy used books, there has never been a better time to be a book collector. The advent of YT, as well as all the other used book sellers, means you can get pretty much any book for an affordable price.
Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:02 AM (xCA6C)
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yeah, that's pretty much my thinking as well. Books are CHEAP if you know where to look.

The depreciation of books once they are sold is incredible, especially considering the value of the information they may contain.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 17, 2024 09:05 AM (BpYfr)

9 I did something unusual: I got a reading copy of the LOTR for this year's annual rereading. My paperback versions distintegrated long ago and my cherished hardcover volumes are showing their 60 years of use from many moves, with the beginning of yellowing pages, tattered dust jackets and loose bindings. That set in their slip cover is now enshrined behind glass.

This edition is the 50th Anniversary one volume version with the gray leather flexible cover. The paper is good quality, the binding is solid but still lets the book lay flat(ish), and the print is decent size. The material of the cover is pleasant to hold. Of course, the maps are all included. For 20 dollars I think it is a heck of a value.

PS: The advantage of laying flat is that I often smoke a long churchwarden pipe while reading LOTR and that requires a hand to hold it. So I can prop the book on my lap and just use one hand to turn the pages.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:06 AM (yTvNw)

10 Prof, you amaze me. You read at least three books a week, keep up on TV shows, and hold a job that includes lesson planning and grading papers. Do you sleep?

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:08 AM (p/isN)

11 The advent of YT, as well as all the other used book sellers, means you can get pretty much any book for an affordable price.

And of course I meant Amazon. D'Oh!

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:10 AM (xCA6C)

12 Good Sunday morning, horde!

This week, I read Ice in the Blood by Kevin Wignall. A freelance security advisor is in France, working to influence a coup in Belarus. Inconveniently, a child is dropped at his door--the child's mother claims it is his son, and she can't handle him anymore.

The operative manages to do his work, incorporating the aid of his precocious son. Implausible, as is the case with fiction, but as delightful as a spy story can be.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 09:10 AM (OX9vb)

13 Prof, you amaze me. You read at least three books a week, keep up on TV shows, and hold a job that includes lesson planning and grading papers. Do you sleep?
Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:08 AM (p/isN)
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I have no life. No wife, no children, no major social obligations other than work and church (which is still new to me).

I don't really watch television any more. Certainly not any of the new stuff. Mostly older stuff that I already own.

So I have plenty of time to read...

Oh, and teaching is my *second* job. I'm also an instructional designer the rest of the time.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 17, 2024 09:10 AM (BpYfr)

14 It was another good week for magazines. One say both Backwoodsman and Fly Tyer arrived. Backwoodsman has the usual selection of history, nostalgia, and practical matters. Fly Tyer always has a two page painting of an outdoor scene that is lovely in addition to the usual pieces about fly tyers and techniques. And this issue had an interesting article about tying flies without a vise as was common over a hundred years ago but has almost disappeared. A bit of history about a small aspect of the hobby and rediscovering some techniques. These magazines are quarterly so I read through them slowly to savor the content.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:13 AM (yTvNw)

15 Finished the Verne omnibus with what's probably his best book: Around the World in 80 Days. This is a mature writer at work. The story naturally pulls you along, there's opposition from several directions producing suspense, Fogg's character changes and develops, and there's even a romance!

One interesting bit: the novel begins with Omniscient Narrator talking about Phileas Fogg and how mysterious he is. He's rich but nobody knows where his money came from, or anything about him. It's a mystery . . . which the author never resolves! Once he's on the way around the world, his mysterious backstory ceases to be of interest, but it's a great way to get the reader into the story.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 09:13 AM (78a2H)

16 In my family, we have participated in the century challenge, which is to read 100 books in a year.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 09:14 AM (lTGtQ)

17 I read A Woman Under Ground by Andrew Klaven. This is the fourth book in the Cameron Winters series. Winters is a literature professor who has a side job as a government spy/assassin. His first childhood love re-enters his life and ignites a long-lost passion; but the woman soon vanishes, leaving Winter to track her down. His search leads him into the world of extremist partisan violence. Lots of action and critiques of extremists on both sides.

Posted by: Zoltan at November 17, 2024 09:14 AM (OAKaM)

18 Morning All,

Recently decided to re-read Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen series (currently on Distant Thunders).

But that led me to take notice of an announcement on Veteran's Day of the discovery of the "four stack" destroyer USS Edsall. Edsall was a ship similar to the Mahan and Walker destroyers that Anderson uses in his series. Though the Edsall was a Clemens class and Anderson's destroyers were from the preceding Wickes class, Edsall shares distintictive features common with Anderson's destroyers (the later Clemens replaced a boiler with additional fuel bunkerage, so main difference was that the Clemens were slower, but had longer legs than the preceding Wicckes class).

Further similarities were Edsall's service at Surabaya, Balikpapan, and Java Sea which plays into the opening of Anderson's series. Smithsonian has a pretty good article on the Edsall (https://tinyurl.com/3jdp3js2)

-SLV

Posted by: Shy Lurking Voter at November 17, 2024 09:15 AM (e/Osv)

19 Perfessor,
Thanks for the link to the Grolier Club site. I'll look at it after the thread so I can give it the proper attention.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:15 AM (yTvNw)

20 I have no idea what being an instructional designer entails, but you're still amazing me.

And I forgot to mention how you keep up on AoS and write a weekly column.

OK, that's enough tongue bathing. Probably should have put this in email. Too late now.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:17 AM (p/isN)

21 I might argue books make you poorer

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 09:18 AM (fwDg9)

22 This won't/can't happen on Amazon,but-

Over the last couple of years I've noticed that most used book sellers are very willing to dicker over the price if I happen to find a nice but pricey used book I happen to want.

Having sold some books to clear my shelves I have a pretty good idea of what they paid for what Iwish to buy.

Posted by: naturalfake at November 17, 2024 09:18 AM (eDfFs)

23 Yay book thread!

Regarding books as luxury goods, it's clearly absurd. Maybe new book prices have outstripped inflation, but I doubt it. However, used books are comparatively MUCH cheaper than they were in the 1980s.

Last week I happened into a Barnes and Noble (my wife wanted a new release and I browed the fiction section to see how 'woke' it was. Sadly, no Waugh, but lots of new editions of Graham Greene. I ponder picking some up, but the knowledge that I can go on ebay and get four books for as much money deterred me.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:18 AM (llXky)

24 The Star Wars books are located next to the stairs in the Library Hall.

But they misspelled Ella Vader.

(Darth's sister)

Posted by: muldoon at November 17, 2024 09:20 AM (991eG)

25 JTB, which magazine do you open first?

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:20 AM (p/isN)

26 Reading news: I'm with Winston in the trenches, and he's having a lovely war. The awfulness of trench warfare has been grotesquely overstated, as has the lethality of the conflict. The vast majority of troops lived through it, and while you had very bad spots, not every battle was Verdun or the first day of the Somme. Those are remembered because they stood out so sharply.

As a sidebar, it is interesting to see how the British Liberal Party slowly but surely turns itself on its head, pushing for massive government intervention and ultimately conscription.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:21 AM (llXky)

27 Hello bibliophiles!

Thanks to whoever recommended "The Last One at the Wedding" by Jason Rekulak, about an average Joe whose daughter is set to marry the son of a tech billionaire at their family's private retreat. All sorts of red flags are popping up in his mind but they are conveniently explained away.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 09:21 AM (kpS4V)

28 BOOOOOKKKKKZZZZX

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:22 AM (0JWOm)

29 I didn't watch the video but:
*Betteridge's law of headlines is an adage that states: "Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no."*

There's a term sometimes used in the world of electric power generation: "unmeterable." What it refers to is the idea that the cost of the power provided to the end user is so low, it can't be measured. (In actuality they have to change units of measure...from watts to kilowatts to megawatts to gigawatts to MONGOwatts...)

Anyway, now that we are fully entrenched in the Information Age, the same principle holds true for information. Infinte content is available for very little cost and effort.
The consumer simply has to decide from what area of the all you can eat buffet to partake.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 17, 2024 09:23 AM (dg+HA)

30 >>>Are the stairs going UP or DOWN?

Perhaps it's a bidirectional staircase. If you want to go up, you point yourself in an upward direction and start to climb. Reverse the process for going down.

Posted by: Anon Y. Mous at November 17, 2024 09:23 AM (klJTj)

31 It has to be very difficult to be a retail book seller these days. I visited a B&N a few weeks ago; they have given the local managers the freedom to stock as the local market desires, but they still tend to carry only the latest work of any author. Meanwhile, hardbacks in good condition for all but the latest work from any given author can be had online for $5 to $10.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 09:24 AM (lTGtQ)

32 I continue to dip into George MacDonald (in this case The Princess and the Goblin) and GK Chesterton. They were both prolific so I'll be doing this for years. Chesterton for his insight, wit and humor and superb writing which is a pleasure of its own. MacDonald for his ability to create worlds and characters that a small child can follow and enjoy but also appeal to adults. His imagination is as creative as any in literature and his ability to express that imagination is beyond my ability to praise sufficiently. It is easy to understand his influence on Lewis, Tolkien and others. If Shakespeare had written prose he might have approached MacDonald's level. Think of A Midsummer Night's Dream as a novel.

I find it interesting that there seem to be a lot of new editions of MacDonald's works. Apparently, there is a demand.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:26 AM (yTvNw)

33 Thats why the liberals collapsed

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at November 17, 2024 09:26 AM (pGTZo)

34 I also read "Dragon Teeth: A Novel" by Michael Crichton. A fake, but accurate, portrayal of early American paleontologists competing to find the best bones and get their discoveries on the books.

I like rocks, and westerns, and Michael Crichton, so two thumbs up.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 09:27 AM (OX9vb)

35 And would not resurface for another 60 years not in power

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at November 17, 2024 09:28 AM (pGTZo)

36 25 ... "JTB, which magazine do you open first?"

Not usually a problem since they rarely arrive the same day. This time I chose Backwoodsman first although I couldn't say why.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:28 AM (yTvNw)

37 Thomas Paine just don't be picking 1,000 page books and you will be fine

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 09:28 AM (fwDg9)

38 (In actuality they have to change units of measure...from watts to kilowatts to megawatts to gigawatts to MONGOwatts...)

Mongowatt merely joule per second in game of life.

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:28 AM (xCA6C)

39 Are the stairs going UP or DOWN?

************

Exactly!!

Posted by: M.C. Escher at November 17, 2024 09:28 AM (991eG)

40 The notion that books are a luxury good available only to the rich is absurd. Forget e-books, if you're willing to buy used books, there has never been a better time to be a book collector..

Used books are a wonderful introduction to books and very inexpensive today. The main drawback is that the dwindling of used book venues makes it more and more a collector pastime. The main benefit is that the discovery of completely unknown and random books is a beautiful bounty at those used book venues that continue to exist.

I had no idea there was a collection of “Weird Tales” until I saw it at the New Braunfels sale last month. Or that I would have any interest whatsoever in an autobiography of Conrad Hilton.

Driving between Texas and Michigan last week I happened upon a sale in Dowagiac and found three collections I would never have thought of. An Arthur Conan Doyle collection of Tales of Terror and Mystery that has nothing to do with Holmes? An thick Algernon Blackwood collection from Czechoslovakia? A collection of Christmas horror edited by Asimov and Greenberg?

I never would have found these in an online bookstore.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 09:29 AM (olroh)

41 Why is someone trying to kill Graham? He is an armaments engineer visiting Turkey, sent to evaluate their naval vessels for upgrades. Unfortunately for Graham, it is 1940, and Germany would like the Turkish fleet to remain in its current impotent state. This week's novel is Journey into fear by Eric Ambler.

In a story that grabs you right away, Graham is expecting to catch a train for home in the morning, having completed his ship review, and goes to his hotel room for the night. He finds someone in his room, who grazes him with a bullet. What was thought to be a burglary is revealed to be an assassination attempt. The Turkish police slip him onto a steamship to escape, but who else is on board?

Once again, Ambler spins a tale that starts off strong and keeps going, with interesting characters, and much second guessing as to whom to trust and whom to fear. Graham is frantically trying to find a way to get back to safety in England, not knowing ally from enemy, and finally taking charge of his own escape. It is easy to see why Ambler was such an influential writer with stories like this.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 09:29 AM (lTGtQ)

42 I have no idea what being an instructional designer entails, but you're still amazing me.

And I forgot to mention how you keep up on AoS and write a weekly column.

OK, that's enough tongue bathing. Probably should have put this in email. Too late now.
Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:17 AM (p/isN)
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It's been a long time since I was single, but I had vastly more things going on then than I do now. I think of various hobbies and clubs, gaming nights, etc. It wasn't as productive as the Perfesser, but it was almost a challenge to fill the empty hours.

Monday was the Vampire RPG, Tuesday was SCA fighting practice, Thursday was armoring (SCA), Friday was D&D, Saturday was events or LARP. Open weekend time meant either Warhammer or 40k or some involved boardgame to be played over multiple sessions.

Looking back at some of the rulebooks is exhausting to me now.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:30 AM (llXky)

43
"Mongowatt merely joule per second in game of life."

Golfclap

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 17, 2024 09:30 AM (dg+HA)

44 Good morning Horde. Thanks Perfessor!

Posted by: TRex at November 17, 2024 09:31 AM (6zBSC)

45 The Davenant Institute (https://adfontesjournal.com/) has an article about "The Forgotten Lewis" which has prompted me to re-read his Cosmic Trilogy ("never, no never, the Space Trilogy"). I'll report back when done.

Posted by: yara at November 17, 2024 09:32 AM (5wYGj)

46 Just started "Radiant Sky" by Alan Smale, a sequel to "Hot Moon". These are set in an alternate but plausible late 70's/early 80's in which there has been a precarious thawing of the Cold War and the US and USSR are cooperating (somewhat) in lunar exploration and development.

A joint trek between the lunar poles falls under attack -- by whom?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 09:33 AM (kpS4V)

47 I'm not sure whether my hobby is reading or collecting books. I've dropped several hundred bucks in bookstores and on online vendors to fill out several classic mystery series. But not just any volume -- I'm buying specific cover designs. (It's annoying how many lousy covers exist.)

Online sellers make this so much easier. I feel as if I'm cheating in my quests. I still hit secondhand bookstores in other towns if time permits.

Now that I've nearly achieved all these goals, and the shelves are loaded, I think I've been pursuing a luxury.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:33 AM (p/isN)

48 “Values cannot replace truth; they cannot replace God, for they are only a reflection of him, and without his light their outline becomes blurred.”—The Pope Benedict XVI Reader, found at a Goodwill in San Diego.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 09:33 AM (olroh)

49 No bookshop here in town, so I tend to get my used books online unless I can get into Joplin to scrounge at a few shops there.

I find abebooks.com to be a pretty good source, but prices tend to be all over the map. Used Simenon hardcovers can be had for five to ten bucks depending on the title, but there are some dealers trying to charge 150 and up for titles I bought just a year ago for twenty or thirty.

New books too expensive? Sometimes seems that way, considering that I can still remember paperback prices of 35 and 40 cents and hardcovers of 4.95. But everything else is expensive too, so why not books?

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 09:33 AM (q3u5l)

50 I never would have found these in an online bookstore.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 09:29 AM (olroh)
---
Yes, you can't browse through the online retailers in the same way. There are used book stores still out there, and even the "new" booksellers now have pretty substantial used book sections.

What's great about today is that if you have an idea of what you want, you can pretty easily find it. When I wanted more Waugh, I got it. Same with St. Augustine.

When I get through Gilbert's Churchill, I'll be scooping up a bunch of Graham Greene and doing it on the cheap.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:34 AM (llXky)

51 Good morning dear horde and thank you perfesser

Posted by: San Franpsycho at November 17, 2024 09:34 AM (p/QnN)

52
"A joint trek between the lunar poles..."

Pfft... get outta here with that garbage.

Posted by: The Flat Moon Society at November 17, 2024 09:35 AM (dg+HA)

53 I had a nice lineup of To Be Read items on the runway, and Larry Correia drops a book right in the middle of it. Boom! Dropped all semblance of order and dove right in.

Larry made me do it.

Posted by: Brewingfrog at November 17, 2024 09:36 AM (9u9w8)

54 Let me guess decepticons

Posted by: Miguel cervantes at November 17, 2024 09:36 AM (pGTZo)

55 It's interesting to contrast Neville Chamberlain, who spent the war safe in London, with Churchill, who did spend time on the Front and also led a Naval Brigade in Belgium early in the conflict. Chamberlain was (quite understandably) horrified by the cost and bloodshed, and became very conflict-averse. Churchill saw the men enduring godawful conditions with black humor and dogged tenacity, and was thereafter confident of victory.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 09:36 AM (78a2H)

56 There are fewer impromptu song-and-dance numbers, however.

---

Hah! I bet the author could pull off adding those

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:37 AM (OTdqV)

57 I'm rereading some of the authors who have a series - series which I have on my shelves. I finished BJ Oliphant's Shirley McClintock series of mysteries, and went on to Sharon McCrumb. Finished Bimbos of the Death Sun - which I always giggled over, since I went to a few science fiction cons in the early 90s. Yes, there were some seriously obsessed people at cons...
Went on to If I Had Killed Him When I Met Him - just the first couple of chapters. I think I'll continue with her Ballad novels, next.
As for my own book in progress, I am nearly done with incorporating corrections and suggestions from the beta readers on my YA emigrant trail adventure, but am waiting on the finished cover. I'll let the Perfessor know when it is ready to be launched!

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at November 17, 2024 09:37 AM (Ew3fm)

58 I love the serendipity of used book stores. It's not just contemporary stuff, it's like time isn't linear, man!

I also trawl used/vintage furniture stores because they often have old beautiful books for decoration and I get to liberate them.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 09:38 AM (kpS4V)

59 @40 --

Was the Hilton book "Be My Guest"?

My late father read that when I was a teen, and he said it was interesting. It's probably still in his house.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:39 AM (p/isN)

60 This past week I read "Haunt Fox" by Jim Kjelgaard. It's a book about a fox and a hound, but, unlike in the Disney movie, the animals in the book did not become the best of friends. Indeed, they remained quite bitter enemies...

Actually, I made some exaggerations in that description for the sake of a joke. There is a hound in the book, but he (and his owner) is a minor character that bookends the story, but is absent during the majority of the book. The fox is the main character, and we get to follow him through the first few years of his life, as he deals with extreme seasonal weather, fox-killing apex predators, a few angry farmers, an extremely angry and somewhat disreputable trapper, and the trials and tribulations of raising his first litter of fox cubs.

"Haunt Fox" is, admittedly, a children's book, but it was enjoyable enough.

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 09:40 AM (Lhaco)

61 It's interesting to contrast Neville Chamberlain, who spent the war safe in London, with Churchill, who did spend time on the Front and also led a Naval Brigade in Belgium early in the conflict. Chamberlain was (quite understandably) horrified by the cost and bloodshed, and became very conflict-averse. Churchill saw the men enduring godawful conditions with black humor and dogged tenacity, and was thereafter confident of victory.
Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 09:36 AM (78a2H)
---
Churchill was a thrill-seeker to the end. Learned to fly before the war and only gave it up because his wife begged him to stop after a great many of his instructors were killed in crashes.

He also had a much harder road to power. After being pushed out of the Admiralty, he was offered command of a brigade and accepted, only to find himself given a battalion instead. He made the best of it, seemed to enjoy it and his deputy was Archibald Sinclair, later Liberal Leader and part of his cabinet in WW II.

That's a big part of what I'm picking up - how many of his WW II counterparts were old chums from the trenches.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:40 AM (llXky)

62 Regarding the diagram, stairs are indicated on the bottom portion of the diagram just to the right of center.

Posted by: Edward at November 17, 2024 09:41 AM (93DJn)

63 As to gamifying reading, in grade school they used a color coded system that marked reading advancement. When each quiz about the material was passed, you could move up a color to more advanced material, ending in gold. No other rewards but it provided a mild spur to read more.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:41 AM (yTvNw)

64 This past week I read "Haunt Fox" by Jim Kjelgaard. It's a book about a fox and a hound, but, unlike in the Disney movie, the animals in the book did not become the best of friends. Indeed, they remained quite bitter enemies...

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 09:40 AM (Lhaco)
---
See also "The Duel" by Joseph Conrad.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:42 AM (llXky)

65 As to gamifying reading, in grade school they used a color coded system that marked reading advancement. When each quiz about the material was passed, you could move up a color to more advanced material, ending in gold. No other rewards but it provided a mild spur to read more.
Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:41 AM (yTvNw)
----
I had something similar in my own elementary school many years ago...And yes, it did tend to inspire me to "advance" to the next color over time.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 17, 2024 09:42 AM (BpYfr)

66 Oh never mind. I misread. Insufficient caffeine. Hate when that happens.

Posted by: Edward at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (93DJn)

67 Was the Hilton book "Be My Guest"?

Yes, it is. I haven’t started it yet but it looks very interesting.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (olroh)

68 Perfesser, what things do you track in your books read spreadsheet?
Author, title, date started date finished - anything else?

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (Wx316)

69 I don't have all my thoughts organized yet, but we're talking about books here while many libraries are pivoting to digital approaches that get further and further away from hard copies and stacks. More on a later thread/comment...

Posted by: TRex at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (6zBSC)

70 Oh, for history buffs (or other interests), The Great Courses is discontinuing the production of DVDs, so pretty much all of their titles are going for $40 or so. I have found some interesting courses there. I would rather have the physical copy than rely on the company staying in business.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (lTGtQ)

71 I stated before, and might help one decide collector or reader
I am fairly sure every book I have I read at least once

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 09:44 AM (fwDg9)

72 In grade school they had the Reading Olympics, and you got medals for reading books.

I was annoyed by this, because by then, I was digging into grownup stuff which took a lot longer to read. I felt page count was a better measure.

However, I had been gifted with a Young Readers Adaptations boxed set of various books like The Three Musketeers, Treasure Island etc. and had never bothered with it.

Under pressure, I devoured it quite easily and got a silver medal.

And went back to reading real books.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:44 AM (llXky)

73 I stated before, and might help one decide collector or reader
I am fairly sure every book I have I read at least once

No book may be placed on a book shelf until it has been read. It is known.

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (xCA6C)

74 63 As to gamifying reading, in grade school they used a color coded system that marked reading advancement. When each quiz about the material was passed, you could move up a color to more advanced material, ending in gold. No other rewards but it provided a mild spur to read more.
Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:41 AM (yTvNw)

I remember those little cardboard books.

-SLV

Posted by: Shy Lurking Voter at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (e/Osv)

75 I came across a mention that Tolkien was a fan of Mary Renault historical novels. Apparently, she was a student of his at some point. Never read any of her books. Any thoughts of if they are worth the time? I do enjoy historical novels: O'Brian, Cornwell, etc.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (yTvNw)

76 Hey y'all! Gracias, Perfessor!

I am still wandering through: Ibrahim's Sword and Scimitar, Melania's book (did I mention, for the 95th time, that we share a birthday?), and Like Wolves on the Fold. Y'all rock.

Also, as a PSA, not sure if its been covered recently, but Archive.org is back up and seems to be functional. I was able to log in, something I haven't been able to do for several weeks.

Posted by: goatexchange at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (mD6kZ)

77 Can't recall reading challenges in grade or high school, but it's pushing 60 years since I graduated hs and I don't think they went in for that sort of thing then. The offspring's elementary schools had 'em -- the local Pizza Hut gave a free pizza after the school gave the kids notes saying they read a certain number of books.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 09:46 AM (q3u5l)

78 While Amazon is a convenient source for used books, I find Abe Books to be cheaper and with more options. Their search engine kind of blows, though. But whenever buying used books online, check for reviews of the bookseller. There are some scammers who don't actually have the book they say they do. I believe they take your order and then try to find the book themselves at a lower price.

I've had a few issues (just yesterday I received a "new" condition hardcover with a rather battered spine), but overall the bargains have far outnumbered the disappointments. Buying books has never been more affordable.

Posted by: Taro Tsujimoto at November 17, 2024 09:47 AM (5YmYl)

79 “Values cannot replace truth; they cannot replace God, for they are only a reflection of him, and without his light their outline becomes blurred.”—The Pope Benedict XVI Reader, found at a Goodwill in San Diego.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair
___________

Respectfully disagree with his wording. They don't just become blurred, they become nothing.

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at November 17, 2024 09:47 AM (Dm8we)

80 As I mentioned in the prayer thread, when I was feeling anxious Election night I dug out my Anglican rosary. The prayers for the four large (cruciform) and seven small (week) beads of each repeat are up to the person praying and I wasn't able to decide in the moment.

So, that week I started looking for prayers arranged for Anglican rosaries and found The Anglican Rosary by Jenny Lynn Estes the wife of an Anglican pastor in the US. She gives a history of this type of rosary as well as a number of sample arrangements such as the Lord's Prayer, the Breastplate of St. Patrick, A.C.T.S., and the Daily Offices. She also explains how to make personal prayer arrangements. I especially like her method because it makes full use of all 33 beads. I also chose her book because, in her video of an online conference from 2020 , her love of God really shone.

I also got Praying With Beads by Nan Lewis Doerr and Virginia Stem Owens. I got this one because it had what I guess would be called a Sunday Missal, prayers based on the scripture readings for the Liturgical year. I like this one because the authors created icons for each type of bead and they give a date for each section.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at November 17, 2024 09:47 AM (s9EYN)

81 Our local public library still does a reading program for little prizes in the summer.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:47 AM (Wx316)

82 So, earlier in the year I bought a box of 8 used a-dog-in-the-wild books by Jim Kjelgaard, because I remembered reading a bunch of them as a kid. My plan was to re-live my childhood for a bit, and then pass the books on to my nieces (One of whom flies through books, and another of whom really likes dogs.) So far I've read 5 of the 8, but only 1 of those ("Haunt Fox" which I just posted a brief review of) is a book I'm comfortable giving to my nieces. Unfortunately, in the 3 of the books, one character calls another character a bitch. Granted, they use that term in the dog-breeding sense, using it to refer to a female dog, with no disparaging intent, but....Well, do I really want to explain that distinction to my nieces' parents? Not really.
Curse the way language changes connotations over the years...

(There was one other book that didn't call a character a bitch, but that book was the sequel of two books that did...)

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 09:48 AM (Lhaco)

83 Perfesser, what things do you track in your books read spreadsheet?
Author, title, date started date finished - anything else?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (Wx316)
---
I don't track dates. Don't care about that.

I do track whether I've read a book or not and how many pages I've read so far in the book I'm currently reading (at 169 in Tower of Silence). I also track the total number of books I've read this year so far.

In late December, I'll make a copy of the current spreadsheet and zero it out for 2025.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 17, 2024 09:48 AM (BpYfr)

84 @63 and 65 --

SRA, Scholastic Reading Associates. I went through many of those. Found it annoying that the color rankings were not consistent in each set.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:48 AM (d7XBr)

85 I will read Petes book this week.

Posted by: rhennigantx at November 17, 2024 09:49 AM (gbOdA)

86 27 Hello bibliophiles!

Thanks to whoever recommended "The Last One at the Wedding" by Jason Rekulak,

--

Are you enjoying Eris?
I haven't started it yet but glad to know you like it.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:49 AM (Wx316)

87 I have found some interesting courses there. I would rather have the physical copy than rely on the company staying in business.

I strongly recommend the Allan Guelzo histories on The Great Courses. And if you’re interested in physics the Don Lincoln videos are great. Much like his YouTube videos but half hour installments instead of ten minutes.

I actually prefer the “instant video” versions from GC. They let you download them and save them for offline viewing in any video app, so they’ll survive the company going out of business or changing their model. I have them stored on my phone for watching while traveling or with my dad.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 09:50 AM (olroh)

88 "I've never read Verne"

Oh Perfessor, shame!!

Verne was a wonderful writer but the translation makes a huge difference. (Forget the Disney crap.) Frederick Paul Walter is the Verne translator to look for. Nobody else comes close.

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 09:52 AM (yTvNw)

89 Any thoughts of if they are worth the time?

I read one a long time ago as a teen. Something about the Minotaur. I enjoyed it. Don’t know why I haven’t picked up any of her books. They are very common at book sales.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 09:52 AM (olroh)

90 My.kids all enjoyed the Book-It program at school which rewarded them with Pizza Hut pizzas for reading some number of books. I'm pretty sure they read more books than they would have otherwise.

Posted by: Bigsmith at November 17, 2024 09:53 AM (8cb44)

91 No book may be placed on a book shelf until it has been read. It is known.
Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (xCA6C)
---
When I was writing my nonfiction books, this place was a mess. I was buying tons of books on the topic and they were spread all over the Great Room, covering every flat surface, all with thin bookmarks to quickly access necessary material.

Afterwards, there was the Great Enshelvening, which required a massive overhaul of the existing collection.

My wife is binge-reading again after getting away from it, and there is a permanent stack next to her bedside table. The books change, but the stacks remain, and the now bookcase I bought slowly fills up.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:54 AM (llXky)

92 No book may be placed on a book shelf until it has been read. It is known.
Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (xCA6C)

*looks at shelves with shifty eyes

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 09:55 AM (OX9vb)

93 90 -- Yeah. Book-It. My kids' schools had that program. Couldn't remember the name of it.

They read plenty of books and devoured plenty of pizza. Win-win.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 09:56 AM (q3u5l)

94 I remember my cousin, who didn't like to read, was paid a dollar by my aunt for every book that he read. I was envious as I would read anything I could get my hands on for free.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 09:56 AM (lTGtQ)

95 Thats why the liberals collapsed
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at November 17, 2024 09:26 AM (pGTZo)
---
Yes. The wartime coalition with the Tories gave Churchill cover to slide back over to them and leave the sinking Liberal ship.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:56 AM (llXky)

96 Read nothing this last week. Wait, that's not true. I've read a couple of submissions for the group written mystery on A Literary Horde. Seems to be coming along nicely.

Who doesn't like Billy Shakes?

I made - what I thought - was a very nice Shakespeare pun last BT, but only one person seemed to notice. We should do more puns around here. Sure, there are pun snobs, but really, they're mad because they didn't think of it first....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 09:56 AM (0eaVi)

97 good morning Perfessor, Horde

Posted by: callsign claymore at November 17, 2024 09:58 AM (JcnCJ)

98 In late December, I'll make a copy of the current spreadsheet and zero it out for 2025.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel

--

I's love to know the column headings

I have had a hard time making time for reading the past couple of years and I need a system

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:58 AM (OTdqV)

99 I finished Paradise Lost, which in it's own way is Paradise Regained but I'll wait awhile to tackle the actual poem Paradise Regained. Started reading "Only You Know and I Know" by Dave Mason (of Traffic). That should be a quick read as rock stars aren't known for their profundity. But he has always been one of my favorites and he played and sang with over half of the rock stars of the 60sand 70s so expecting a lot of fin anecdotes.

Posted by: who knew at November 17, 2024 09:58 AM (+ViXu)

100 *looks at shelves with shifty eyes
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 09:55 AM (OX9vb)
---
As part of the Great Enshelvening, I looked at books that had been given to me, were shelved, and I never read. These were removed to make room for my sources.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:58 AM (llXky)

101 Regarding Verne translations: heartily agree! The USNI edition of 20,000 Leagues is _far_ better than the original Victorian-era translation.

I think part of it was simply that the translator simply wasn't familiar with the scientific terminology Verne was using, and treated it as "technobabble" rather than actually trying to get it right. That problem is still with us today.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 09:59 AM (78a2H)

102 Just to throw this out there: it looks like Humble Bundle is currently offering a sale on bunch of Ursula Le Guine ebooks. Some (or all?) of here Earthsea novels, and a random collection of others.

And for the comic readers, they also have a (digital) collection of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, plus some recent iterations of the book.

While both bundles have a bit of a pedigree in their respective genre, neither really hooks me. Plus, my to-be-read pile is so big I'm not sure I'd ever get around to reading either of them...

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 09:59 AM (Lhaco)

103 Any books around here have to go to a shelf whether they've been read yet or not. If they're not shelved, I'll have no idea where to find them when I finally get around to them.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 09:59 AM (q3u5l)

104 I's love to know the column headings

I have had a hard time making time for reading the past couple of years and I need a system
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:58 AM (OTdqV)
---
Shoot me an email and I can share it with you.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at November 17, 2024 10:00 AM (BpYfr)

105 Thanks to whoever recommended "The Last One at the Wedding" by Jason Rekulak,

--

Are you enjoying Eris?
I haven't started it yet but glad to know you like it.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:49 AM (Wx316)
---

Very much! Couldn't put it down.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:00 AM (kpS4V)

106 MOrning, Book Folken,

Once again, Ambler spins a tale that starts off strong and keeps going, with interesting characters, and much second guessing as to whom to trust and whom to fear. Graham is frantically trying to find a way to get back to safety in England, not knowing ally from enemy, and finally taking charge of his own escape. It is easy to see why Ambler was such an influential writer with stories like this.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024

***
I read Journey into Fear when I was in high school, and enjoyed it tremendously. It's the flip side of the Ian Fleming "spy-as-hero" tale, the story of an innocent person caught up in deadly intrigue.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:00 AM (omVj0)

107 Yes, targeted book searches online e ds up with interesting books overlooked, whereas going through the stacks can yield treasures.

I remember coming across the Joe Gores book "22 Cadillacs," in which an auto repossession agency comes up against a Roma clan that defrauded car dealers out of the 22 cars in a single day.

The book has a memorable scene in which one of the repo guys encounters Donald Westlake's Dortmunder gang. In the Dortmunder book "Drowned Hopes," Westlake tells the scene from the Dortmunder POV.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 10:01 AM (p/isN)

108 Any books around here have to go to a shelf whether they've been read yet or not. If they're not shelved, I'll have no idea where to find them when I finally get around to them.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 09:59 AM (q3u5l)
---
Mine are either on the coffee table or at my bedside.

A select few are next to the Comfy Chair for easy reference.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 10:02 AM (llXky)

109 Perusing Anthony Read's "The Devil's Disciples: Hitler's Inner Circle" is like flipping through an Asshole-a-Day Calendar.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:02 AM (kpS4V)

110 I started a book while traveling for work back in September, and then forgot to finish it til last week. It's called Stasiland, by Anna Funder.

It's an interesting book. I wouldn't recommend it to someone who doesn't already know some history of East Germany, because it's a social history, and you can't learn much from that unless you have some academic knowledge as a basis.

But it does add a lot of texture to the topic, and tells stories of everyday people living under the most well-developed Communist regime.

My only criticism is the author injects herself too much into it, so it comes off as almost a travelogue in some places. I want to know about her subjects, more than her relationship to them.

But it's overall a good book.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at November 17, 2024 10:02 AM (7oYYI)

111 As part of the Great Enshelvening, I looked at books that had been given to me, were shelved, and I never read. These were removed to make room for my sources.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 09:58 AM (llXky)

Oh, these are all books I intend to read. Someday. And I often do go peruse my own shelves when I'm in a reading slump, and choose something I'd forgotten I have.

And Mr. Dmlw! likes to collect classics from the Easton Press. He reads some of them. I read some of them. Between the two of us, we've read most of them. But he likes how they look, more than anything, I think.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:03 AM (OX9vb)

112 @107 --

*ends up with*

Fat fingers, small keyboard.

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 10:03 AM (p/isN)

113 Any books around here have to go to a shelf whether they've been read yet or not. If they're not shelved, I'll have no idea where to find them when I finally get around to them.

Posted by: Just Some Guy

If i didn't shelve unread books, I would be in a pickle. There has to be at least a hundred books in my TBR pile; when I find a good author or a good deal, I buy immediately. I will get to them eventually. My problem is continually running out of shelf space.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 10:04 AM (lTGtQ)

114 A select few are next to the Comfy Chair for easy reference.
-----

I read a big book on the Inquisition in my comfy chair. Imagining Cardinal Fang and company just enhanced the experience.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:04 AM (kpS4V)

115 Curse the way language changes connotations over the years...

(There was one other book that didn't call a character a bitch, but that book was the sequel of two books that did...)
Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 09:48 AM (Lhaco)

I appreciate your conscientiousness about helping to keep your nieces' language clean and respectful. May I make a suggestion? Perhaps you can explain your intentions and concerns to their parents and see if they are okay with the girls reading those books and knowing not to insult people with the troublesome yet legitimate word.

Posted by: Emmie at November 17, 2024 10:04 AM (Sf2cq)

116 I found the SRA stuff tedious. The reading selections were dull and the question-answering felt like pointless busywork. Despite being probably the most advanced reader in my 5th grade class (he said modestly) I was way down in the rankings on completing the SRA units. Who did well? The girls who enjoyed pointless busywork, that's who.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 10:05 AM (78a2H)

117 I will point out that scholarly works and textbooks are viciously expensive, upwards of 100 dollars, and more.
I think this is a function of the university presses, they seem to only want to sell to other universities, reference libraries and governments, and why they only want to do that is a mystery.

I was trying to find a book on ethnobotany of central Oregon and Columbia plateau (we all have our fancies) and the prices of even a used one are insane. I had also found some ethnography works are equally impossible to buy. I have heard some profs complain about publishing through the University and professional press, where you never sell anything to get a royalty, and if it does sell out you never get a second printing unless you revise it for a second edition.

Posted by: Kindltot at November 17, 2024 10:06 AM (D7oie)

118 I will point out that scholarly works and textbooks are viciously expensive, upwards of 100 dollars, and more.

This is true, but I wonder if the students at a university have their own websites for exchanging used books. Back when I was in school, the university's book store filled that role, but a website is much more efficient.

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 10:08 AM (xCA6C)

119 I am “lucky” enough in my house to have one room dedicated as the library. There is a shelf covering most of one wall and on this shelf are only unread books. Once read, books I want to keep go to a shelf elsewhere in the house: upstairs in the office, the small shelf in the bedroom, the public shelves in the living room, the small shelf in the media room.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 10:08 AM (olroh)

120 Alberta Oil Peon asked an interesting question last night on the ONT.

Why are elves depicted with long ears?

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:09 AM (+O65L)

121 The book is on the shelf.
The book is on the shelf.

Posted by: Eromero at November 17, 2024 10:09 AM (DXbAa)

122 A quick price-check on the stack Jim Kjelgaard books I've been talking about; a bunch of Bantam-Skylark Books from the late 70's to the late 80's, in the 150 to 200 page range; we've got two $1.95 books, 5 books between $2 and $3, and a single book at $3.99.

So it seems today's paperback prices have stayed relatively in-line with inflation, and haven't themselves become 'luxury' items. Now the kind of people who want to actually buy books may be changing, but that's a different conversation....

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 10:10 AM (Lhaco)

123 I think this is a function of the university presses, they seem to only want to sell to other universities, reference libraries and governments, and why they only want to do that is a mystery.

Posted by: Kindltot at November 17, 2024 10:06 AM (D7oie)
---
I ran into the same problem and a librarian recommended I just check out the book and not return it. This was a few years ago, but she said that they are used to it and have established channels to get replacements.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 10:10 AM (llXky)

124 I tried a couple of Jules Verne books as a kid and didn't enjoy them. I realize now that it was probably the translator so I got a Kindle compilation. I have enjoyed this much more.

I find it funny that French Verne seems to really like having Scots as main characters.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at November 17, 2024 10:11 AM (s9EYN)

125 *de-lurks*

Simply wanted to say thank to whomever recommended "Something of Value" by Robert Ruark. Excellent Nov about the Mau Mau uprising in 1950s Kenya. He gives a brutally honest view of the cultures at play and events of the event. Well written as well.

Thanks again to whomever recommend it.

Posted by: Dandalo at November 17, 2024 10:12 AM (3QsZU)

126 I find it funny that French Verne seems to really like having Scots as main characters.

They both hated the English?

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 10:12 AM (xCA6C)

127 Good morning Hordemates.
Last night I finished The Sluggo Chronicles: Memoirs of an Old Bomber Pilot, by Daly.
Interesting book and he writes about a few things that aren't generally known. A good read for those interested in aviation and the workings of government.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 10:13 AM (W/lyH)

128 Scots were the engineers.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:13 AM (kpS4V)

129 I will point out that scholarly works and textbooks are viciously expensive, upwards of 100 dollars, and more.

A related story. A few years before I retired from working at a university, I found myself behind two students discussing ebook textbooks vs. physical. “You should buy the ebooks,” said one. “They cost a lot less.”

“True,” the other replied. “But my parents pay for buying them. And at the end of the semester when I sell them back, that money is mine.”

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 10:13 AM (olroh)

130 We should do more puns around here
==================
No. No we shouldn't.

Posted by: Brave Sir Robin at November 17, 2024 10:14 AM (lPeS+)

131 Writing Update: I haven't done one of these in a while because I haven't been writing much, however, after spending my first week on the weekday Horde in two years, I can say that while it's not as it was, I did enjoy it - to a point.

It's more negative than it was, some folks are back, some have fallen away, but I mention it because I did feel inspiration returning to me. Writing is like anything else - the more you do, the easier it becomes and even getting in snit-fights has some value in this respect.

I am a reactionary person. I usually find motivation in fixing things that I deem broken rather than just striking out in a random direction. Both my fiction and non-fiction were undertaken as correctives. Man of Destiny "fixed" Star Wars and Long Live Death attacked the blatant bias of Spanish Civil War authors. Walls of Men set out to prove that ancient China's attitudes are very much in play, but Communism did change things.

Of course the Book Thread is hugely helpful as a sounding board, which is why I never abandoned it.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 10:15 AM (llXky)

132 Thanks for the dandy Book Thread, Perfessor! Always a weekend treat.

This thread is an enjoyable treat on the weekend.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at November 17, 2024 10:15 AM (rxCpr)

133 Posted by: The Flat Moon Society

Now there's question that never occurred to me and I don't know the answer. Do flat-earthers think that all the planets and their moons and the sun are all flat as well or only the earth?

Posted by: Oddbob at November 17, 2024 10:15 AM (/y8xj)

134 120 Alberta Oil Peon asked an interesting question last night on the ONT.

Why are elves depicted with long ears?
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:09 AM (+O65L
Same reason as squirrels.

Posted by: Eromero at November 17, 2024 10:16 AM (DXbAa)

135 Scots were the engineers.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:13 AM (kpS4V)

Good point.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at November 17, 2024 10:16 AM (s9EYN)

136 I don't think we did the SRA at my school. But I remember something similar from Reader's Digest. My mom provided these--it wasn't through school. I don't remember what they were called, but I remember enjoying them, and it made me read about things I might not have otherwise.

*the reading, not the quizzes at the end. I specifically remember reading about Marconi and his transatlantic radio achievements. Funny what sticks with a person for half a century.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:16 AM (OX9vb)

137 I found the SRA stuff tedious. The reading selections were dull and the question-answering felt like pointless busywork. Despite being probably the most advanced reader in my 5th grade class (he said modestly) I was way down in the rankings on completing the SRA units. Who did well? The girls who enjoyed pointless busywork, that's who.

Posted by: Trimegistus

I recall not so fondly our SRA stack in grade school. My teacher was one of those busywork people. We had to read a couple per week and do the report. I would read ten of them and turn in the report on two. "No, no" said the teacher; you have to do the report on every book you read. It almost turned me off on reading.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 10:17 AM (lTGtQ)

138 Archimedes at 9:45. Exactly! Which is why I have 4 bug stacks of "to be read" books on the spare room floor.

Posted by: who knew at November 17, 2024 10:17 AM (+ViXu)

139 When I think of libraries I realize the little machines they used to check out books made a unique sound. Never heard it replicated anywhere else.
I miss that.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 10:18 AM (W/lyH)

140 Elves have been in folklore for centuries I would think, so one might have to find early written stories for description. Sure Tolkien didn't start elves though gid give them a written language

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 10:18 AM (fwDg9)

141 15 Finished the Verne omnibus with what's probably his best book: Around the World in 80 Days. ...

One interesting bit: the novel begins with Omniscient Narrator talking about Phileas Fogg and how mysterious he is. He's rich but nobody knows where his money came from, or anything about him. It's a mystery . . . which the author never resolves! Once he's on the way around the world, his mysterious backstory ceases to be of interest, but it's a great way to get the reader into the story.
Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 09:13 AM (78a2H)

Another interesting tidbit: (assuming what I've been told is correct) like many novels of the time, "Around the World in 80 Days" was originally serialized in a magazine. But this story was serialized in real time, or at least as close to real time as the magazine's publishing schedule would allow. So imagine reading that book over the course of 12 weeks, as if you were getting regular news updates on the journey...

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 10:19 AM (Lhaco)

142 133 Posted by: The Flat Moon Society

Now there's question that never occurred to me and I don't know the answer. Do flat-earthers think that all the planets and their moons and the sun are all flat as well or only the earth?
Posted
They’re flat do they stick better when you throw them out there. Takes less adhesive.

Posted by: Eromero at November 17, 2024 10:19 AM (DXbAa)

143 I don't enjoy reading quickly, but I can do it. I had a class in college where the professor had fifteen books on the syllabus. I purchased them all. This asshole ridiculed me in front of the whole class.

"You're supposed to buy the main text and select another one of them for a project later in the course," he said.

"Well, you didn't say that in the syllabus," I replied.

"It's common sense. Nobody would read all those books in one semester."

"I could easily do it."

We had a bad relationship after that.

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at November 17, 2024 10:19 AM (7oYYI)

144 Alberta Oil Peon asked an interesting question last night on the ONT.

Why are elves depicted with long ears?
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:09 AM (+O65L)
---
I'm not where the folklore debate is, but Tolkien enthusiasts have long debated the question and as usual, the evidence is subtle. Tolkien himself was silent in describing their ears, but in his notes the word "leaf" also resembles that of "ear," thus ears are leaf-shaped.

As for Elfs (note the distinction), I think it's of a place with Faerie and pagan concepts of sprites and pixies, and pointy ears make them look less human and also somewhat sinister.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 10:20 AM (llXky)

145 No book may be placed on a book shelf until it has been read. It is known.
Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 09:45 AM (xCA6C)

*looks at shelves with shifty eyes
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 09:55 AM (OX9vb)

So, Ace stacks book on his floor?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 10:20 AM (0eaVi)

146 There are quite a few ebooks from the scholarly presses that are ridiculously expensive too. I've seen some priced at a hundred bucks or more. I don't imagine they expect to sell very many copies.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 10:20 AM (q3u5l)

147 Elves have been in folklore for centuries I would think, so one might have to find early written stories for description. Sure Tolkien didn't start elves though gid give them a written language
Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 10:18 AM (fwDg9)
---
In addition to giving us orcs, Tolkien also changed the plural of elf and dwarf. Quite the guy.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 10:21 AM (llXky)

148 We had a bad relationship after that.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at November 17, 2024 10:19 AM (7oYYI)
---
My alma mater (James Madison College at Michigan State University) was infamous for its heavy reading load. Happily for me, I'd already read must that was required.

I doubt that is true today. In my day, at the first session of a required class, we were told to look to our left, look to our right and know that half of us will be gone by next year.

Now they boast a 95% graduation rate.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at November 17, 2024 10:24 AM (llXky)

149 Gamification?

The video game Death Stranding has been novelized! Many don't realize that games may contain interesting characters and moving plots. Death Stranding is a syfy post apocalyptic game by legendary game designer Hideo Kojima. The plot concerns a porter whose job it is to deliver supplies and equipment strapped to his backto various isolated settlements over difficult terrain with the hope of reuniting the USA by establishing communications. You know, like the Costner movie The Postman except good. Well, there are also been a breach between the living and the dead allowing supernatural monsters to roam the Earth. So, anyway, turns out plot has been novelized to good reviews.

https://is.gd/o0c68n

Anyway, so there's a new genre, the video game novelization. Regardless, what could be more fun than this?

https://is.gd/wvSSRU

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:24 AM (L/fGl)

150 Verne's mother was from a Scottish family.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 17, 2024 10:24 AM (78a2H)

151 In addition to giving us orcs, Tolkien also changed the plural of elf and dwarf.

And allegedly argued with and overrode his editors as to the adjective. They thought it should be "elfin" and he insisted on "elvish."

Posted by: Oddbob at November 17, 2024 10:24 AM (/y8xj)

152 This thread is an enjoyable treat on the weekend.
Posted by: Legally Sufficient at November 17, 2024 10:15 AM (rxCpr)

Agreed. No one is allowed to bother me before 11 a.m. on Sundays.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:25 AM (OX9vb)

153
Simply wanted to say thank to whomever recommended "Something of Value" by Robert Ruark. Excellent Nov about the Mau Mau uprising in 1950s Kenya. He gives a brutally honest view of the cultures at play and events of the event. Well written as well.

Thanks again to whomever recommend it.
Posted by: Dandalo at November 17, 2024

***
'Twas I, Dandalo, and you're welcome. I was rereading it myself at the time and liked it all over again. His later Uhuru focuses on Kenya again and the independence movement ca. 1960, and his lead is again a white hunter fellow, but very different from the one in SoV. I don't have a copy and my library doesn't have it in the general stacks. I'll have to see about buying a paperback.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:26 AM (omVj0)

154 I am reading online the life of David Brainerd ( 1718-1747) who was a missionary to native Americans. Through the story of his short life written by the man who hoped Brainerd would become his son-in-law- eminent Protestant theologian, Jonathan Edwards , the life of Brainerd influenced future missionaries such as John Wesley and others.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 17, 2024 10:29 AM (Z29Hm)

155 Anthony Horowitz is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Among the series he has written is the Susan Ryeland series consisting thus far of two novels, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders. I'm wondering if there can be a third.
The premise is that Ryeland was the editor for bestselling author Alan Conway who wrote the Atticus Pund series of mystery novels. In Magpie Murders, Ryeland searches for the missing final chapter of Conway's latest Atticus Pund novel after Conway's death possibly by accident, suicide, or homicide. The search for the missing chapter causes the inclusion of the mystery book within the mystery book of Conway's final book and causes her to solve the mystery of Conway's death. The second book, Moonflower Murders, concerns Ryeland's search for a missing bride who, shortly before her disappearance, said that her reading of another Atticus Pund mystery had convinced her that a convicted murderer was, in fact, innocent. Her parents hire Ryeland to investigate the disappearance in light of the Conway novel she had edited.

1/2

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:29 AM (L/fGl)

156 Robert's ONT with the unicorn has kicked off my publishing five separate image posts on Tensor with redheads and unicorns.

https://tensor.art/u/727481333235843246

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:30 AM (+O65L)

157 2/2

Again we have a mystery inside a mystery in that Ryeland rereads the Pund novel and investigates the real murder and subsequent disappearance. So the question is posed, can Horowitz create another Ryeland solves a real murder by investigating a Pund mystery.
Horowitz is a skillful writer particularly at creating intricate mysteries. Can he do it again? Time will tell. Incidentally, Horowitz frequently includes authors among his characters and does not present them favorably. Conway, for instance, is an asshole. I wonder if that reflects Horowitz view of himself or other authors.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:30 AM (L/fGl)

158 >>> 56 There are fewer impromptu song-and-dance numbers, however.

---

Hah! I bet the author could pull off adding those
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at November 17, 2024 09:37 AM (OTdqV)

He left an opening for Bollywood with an offhand remark about preparation for the wedding.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at November 17, 2024 10:30 AM (KcwUg)

159 >>>I recall not so fondly our SRA stack in grade school. My teacher was one of those busywork people. We had to read a couple per week and do the report. I would read ten of them and turn in the report on two. "No, no" said the teacher; you have to do the report on every book you read. It almost turned me off on reading.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 10:17

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

LoL. I also loved reading but absolutely loathed writing book reports. So I would always be behind in the silly school "contests" that tracked how many book reports you had turned in, even though I probably read more books than just about anyone else. I just didn't see the point in writing reports, I had better things to do. Drove my teachers nuts, they would complain to my mom that I wasn't cooperating....but she didn't care either, she knew I was doing plenty of reading.

Posted by: Bigsmith at November 17, 2024 10:31 AM (8cb44)

160 Anthony Horowitz is one of my favorite contemporary authors. Among the series he has written is the Susan Ryeland series consisting thus far of two novels, Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks

He also wrote an authorized and very good Sherlock Holmes story, The House of Silk.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 10:32 AM (lTGtQ)

161 Persuasion by Jane Austen is my latest foray into early 19th century English society. The story is a good one, featuring the middle child of a titled spendthrift widower who has no male heirs but does have an ego as big as Dallas (as we say). This middle child was nearly engaged but family objected to the young naval officer who proposed so the relationship was called off. Fortunately, love abides and the young couple meets after several years apart and each discovers their feelings have not changed. Boy gets girl in the end. The society is tightly structured and I found myself wondering how these people were able to endure it.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at November 17, 2024 10:32 AM (rxCpr)

162 This week I finished Agatha Christie's 1950 Miss Marple, Murder at the Vicarage, and was impressed not only with her clue planting but her delineation of character -- including that of the murderer. A murderer's personality has a lot to do with his becoming a killer, but most mysteries (except for many of the classics in the genre) don't delve into it much -- not the closed mystery where the killer's identity is revealed at the end, anyway.

I followed that with John Dickson Carr's Fire, Burn!, one of his 1950s "time travel" historical mysteries. Inspector Cheviot of the 1950s CID finds himself in the London of 1829, and must not only help to establish "police officers" as a group to respect, but deals with his own romance with a beautiful and mysterious woman -- and an impossible murder as well. It amazes me how Carr managed to weave all those threads together.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:32 AM (omVj0)

163 I used to trade paperbacks at Moe's Books on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley. They gave 60% of the cover price in credit if you used it in trade, and that's what the charged for used paperbacks. So after $10 or so, I read for free. It was great!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at November 17, 2024 10:32 AM (d9fT1)

164 I wonder if Lord Dunsany's The King of Elfland's Daughter from 1924 has had any impact?

Well besides being a cautionary tale to the Parliament of Erl to be careful of what they desire because of their wish to have a little magic, with Orion's birth, their land becomes overrun with magic.

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:33 AM (+O65L)

165 70 Oh, for history buffs (or other interests), The Great Courses is discontinuing the production of DVDs, so pretty much all of their titles are going for $40 or so. I have found some interesting courses there. I would rather have the physical copy than rely on the company staying in business.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 09:43 AM (lTGtQ)

It's always sad to hear about physical media getting the ax. That said, I've only ever watched a few of their DVD's, and have several sets sitting on my shelf still unopened.

That said, I loooooooove their audio-only lectures. I've got 3 or 4 dozen series saved on my iPod (another discontinued gem) that I listen to during my daily walks. I'm about to finish up a re-listen of Brian Fagan's "Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations."

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 10:34 AM (Lhaco)

166 -though it would be a true hardship for many of us to give them up completely!
-------

I cannot imagine my world without books, real books, ink-on-paper books. They are companions. Is this a healthy state of mind? I do not know. I do know that those who do not read generally seem to have narrower personalities.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 17, 2024 10:34 AM (XeU6L)

167 I never could get into Jules Verne's writing. Purchased a collection of his stories and ended up giving them to the library after slogging through only a couple of them. Was never sure whether it was his writing or the fact that I had read sci-fi that was so far advanced as to render Verne's writings a pale forethought of the genre.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at November 17, 2024 10:34 AM (rxCpr)

168 Thats why the liberals collapsed
Posted by: Miguel cervantes

Termites in their platform?

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:34 AM (L/fGl)

169 Posted by: Legally Sufficient at November 17, 2024 10:32 AM (rxCpr)

That is my favorite Austen novel and it's a great movie with Ciaran Hinds as Captain Wentworth before it PC'ed up a few years ago and a new version had Captain Wentworth played by an oriental actor.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 17, 2024 10:35 AM (2SyCM)

170 My current book is another Agatha Christie, Murder in Retrospect, which I think was published during WWII. Poirot this time is asked to establish the truth about a murder from sixteen years before. A painter's wife was convicted of poisoning him, was not hanged, but died in prison. Her grown daughter, about to be married, wants to know whether her mother was indeed a murderess. Poirot starts from the view that, since all the physical clues are long since gone, he must learn about the characters and their relationships to have any chance to reach the truth. Looks intriguing so far (though I think I prefer Miss Marple as a detective).

I'm still more of a Carr and Ellery Queen fan. But I begin to understand why Christie is still remembered, read, and enjoyed today.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:36 AM (omVj0)

171 The "Something of Value" recommendation must have set off a buying spree. There are a few volumes available of Thrift Books but a lot more "temporarily unavailable" and even the mass-market paperbacks are quite pricey.

Posted by: who knew at November 17, 2024 10:36 AM (+ViXu)

172 Ok, a little bit of a story, but bear with me.
My dad was a Navy officer and his penultimate (you can use a word like that in the book thread) duty station was in West Germany where yours truly was born.
I recently spent time with my oldest brother (11 years senior) and he told me of an incident for the first time.
It was sometime in 1959 in some sort of castle somewhere in Germany. Our family rarely did touristy things but evidently everyone was dressed up and eating a meal (beef stew) in a fancy dining room.
An unknown man (server, kitchen staff?) approaches my father, who is not in uniform and asks "Excuse me, are you an American?" Dad cautiously replies in the affirmative.
The man exclaims: "Aliceville, Alabama, 1943 to 1945. The best years of my life!"
He had been a German POW in what was one of the largest camps built during the war, and was recalling how well the men were treated with living conditions, education, jobs, and even money.
Little did he know my parents were both born and raised in Alabama.
So, to wrap up this long winded post, my brother has been reading a book about the camp: "The Guests Behind The Barbed Wire."
I'm looking forward to reading it when he's done

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 17, 2024 10:37 AM (dg+HA)

173 I love Persuasion. (Side note, I also think Mansfield Park is way underappreciated.)

I read a couple hundred books a year usually, but it depends on the year and the books. But I will eventually get through The Great Ebook Backlog and the Western Canon reading projects. (There is overlap, but not that much.) EVENTUALLY.

Posted by: Mrs. Peel at November 17, 2024 10:38 AM (Y+AMd)

174 This thread is an enjoyable treat on the weekend.
Posted by: Legally Sufficient at November 17, 2024 10:15 AM (rxCpr)

Agreed. No one is allowed to bother me before 11 a.m. on Sundays.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:25 AM (OX9vb)

Unfortunately, it seems the number of comments each week appears to be decreasing. Used to get nearly 400, now around high two-hundreds - low three-hundreds.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 10:39 AM (0eaVi)

175 Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:26 AM (omVj0)

Hah. Thank you Wolfus.
I ahold have remembered. I lurk quite a bit and I know when it's your comment by the end of the first sentence (if not by the salutation alone) quite often.

Posted by: Dandalo at November 17, 2024 10:39 AM (3QsZU)

176 It's always sad to hear about physical media getting the ax. That said, I've only ever watched a few of their DVD's, and have several sets sitting on my shelf still unopened.

That said, I loooooooove their audio-only lectures. I've got 3 or 4 dozen series saved on my iPod (another discontinued gem) that I listen to during my daily walks. I'm about to finish up a re-listen of Brian Fagan's "Human Prehistory and the First Civilizations."
Posted by: Castle Guy

I have gotten several courses on ancient and medieval history from them. I could not fit the number of books necessary to contain that information in my house.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at November 17, 2024 10:41 AM (WNviX)

177 The man exclaims: "Aliceville, Alabama, 1943 to 1945. The best years of my life!"
He had been a German POW in what was one of the largest camps built during the war, and was recalling how well the men were treated with living conditions, education, jobs, and even money. . . .

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 17, 2024

***
The Noo Awlins area had a POW camp for Italian prisoners. They too were very well treated, and many decided to stay in this country, marry American women, and become citizens. Recently I read a novel by a local (?) woman focusing on one family with a grocery in the French Quarter in 1944, and how they interact with the Italian POWs. I'll see if I can dig up the title and/or author.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:42 AM (omVj0)

178 Good morning.
Know I'm late to the party but have some thoughts.
If you really don't have money for books, the library has them. I can get books from any library in my county. I can't a,ways get the book I immediately want, but it would take more,than my lifetime to peruse all the possible choices from classics to comics.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at November 17, 2024 10:42 AM (t/2Uw)

179 He also wrote an authorized and very good Sherlock Holmes story, The House of Silk.
Posted by: Thomas Paine

Loved it.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:42 AM (L/fGl)

180 I ahold have remembered. I lurk quite a bit and I know when it's your comment by the end of the first sentence (if not by the salutation alone) quite often.
Posted by: Dandalo at November 17, 2024

***
What, you mean I have a *style*? Horrors! (Actually that's a high compliment --!)

Please do post more. As you've seen, we have a great deal of fun on AoSHQ.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:43 AM (omVj0)

181 Its interesting that library usage has declined so much.

My local library has added a bunch of options and activities to try and stay relevant - from getting DVD movies (old school but you don't have to buy 10 different services to get the older movies you want), hosting game nights and lectures, and even adding board games you can check out.

Posted by: 18-1 at November 17, 2024 10:44 AM (oZhjI)

182 Ebooks are a Godsend for those of us who have reached the ripe old age of 29. The kindle on my IPad shows two pages at a time allowing me to read the same way I would a paper book. Also having shed my large house for a condo at this stage of my life, do not have room to store a large collection. I hardly ever reread books so no loss here.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at November 17, 2024 10:45 AM (t/2Uw)

183 One German POW did escape from his US POW camp and was never captured until decades later after his American wife, upon learning his story after years of marriage, encouraged him to turn himself in.

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:45 AM (+O65L)

184 What else I didn't know existed. Death Stranding plush toys.

https://is.gd/MVt3Xv

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:47 AM (L/fGl)

185 Jelly's Books and Music was my go-to place in Hawaii for used books. I'd read and exchange paperbacks so fast that after the initial outlay it was more like a lending library.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:47 AM (kpS4V)

186 The Noo Awlins area had a POW camp for Italian prisoners. They too were very well treated, and many decided to stay in this country, marry American women, and become citizens.

Same thing happened with German POWs in Idaho Falls.

Posted by: The ARC of History! at November 17, 2024 10:47 AM (uxCna)

187 After rereading the Hobbit, and enjoying it immensely, I took out my new editions of Lord of the Rings. I wore the 1970's paperbacks out.

I slowly savored The Fellowship of the Rings. I read all the songs and poems, and watched a beloved world come to life again. Just finished it, and am happy I went back slowly.

Next up, The Two Towers.

Bored of the Rings is still a very funny book, and I get snatched of dialog pop in my head while reading Tolkien's masterpiece. Hi! Eris.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at November 17, 2024 10:47 AM (u82oZ)

188 I suppose it's possible the number of comments might go up as horde members get back to spending more reading time on books instead of election news? Maybe?

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (q3u5l)

189 47 I'm not sure whether my hobby is reading or collecting books. I've dropped several hundred bucks in bookstores and on online vendors to fill out several classic mystery series. But not just any volume -- I'm buying specific cover designs. (It's annoying how many lousy covers exist.)

Posted by: Weak Geek at November 17, 2024 09:33 AM (p/isN)

I read that and immediately chuckled at the idea of novels having variant covers! But I guess it makes sense, since (decent-selling) novels get new printings every couple years, and potentially new covers for those new printings....At least nobody is creating 1-in-100 incentive covers for those novels....

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (Lhaco)

190 No book may be placed on a book shelf until it has been read. It is known.
Posted by: Archimedes
-------

I occasionally peruse a book case and wonder, 'Gee, did I read that'? On the chance that I didn't, I will read something and find that it has been so long since I read it that re-reading is very close to reading it for the first time, i.e. plot and etc. are not recalled.

I have a number of John Fox novels in my 'Appalachia Collection'. Recently I decided to read one that I did not recollect having read before. About half way through, I found un-slit pages. 'Gosh', I thought, 'this book is over a hundred years old, and it has never been read'.

Checking in the front to find a printing date, I found inside the cover a note penciled in, 'Several unslit pages, I read it anyhow, M.H. 1995'. So, it had been read before...by me.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (XeU6L)

191 One German POW did escape from his US POW camp and was never captured until decades later after his American wife, upon learning his story after years of marriage, encouraged him to turn himself in.
Posted by: Anna Puma
________

What would the crime be at that point? Illegal immigration?

Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (Dm8we)

192 Posted by: Mrs. Peel at November 17, 2024 10:38 AM (Y+AMd)

My second favorite Austen novel. 😊

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (TuASk)

193 What, you mean I have a *style*? Horrors! (Actually that's a high compliment --!)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:43 AM (omVj0)

Yes, you do. I don't scroll to the bottom of a comment to see who wrote it, but I also can tell if it's you. Weak Geek is similar to you, so sometimes I'm wrong.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 10:49 AM (0eaVi)

194 Its interesting that library usage has declined so much.

My local library has added a bunch of options and activities to try and stay relevant - from getting DVD movies (old school but you don't have to buy 10 different services to get the older movies you want), hosting game nights and lectures, and even adding board games you can check out.
Posted by: 18-1
Yes, my library as well. I think a lot of the usage is not visible. I do most of my perusing on line, reserve what I want and go and pick it up. There are usually long queues for new books.

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at November 17, 2024 10:49 AM (t/2Uw)

195 One German POW did escape from his US POW camp and was never captured until decades later after his American wife, upon learning his story after years of marriage, encouraged him to turn himself in.
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024

***
There's a short story or even a novel in that.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:49 AM (omVj0)

196 So, to wrap up this long winded post, my brother has been reading a book about the camp: "The Guests Behind The Barbed Wire."

I'm looking forward to reading it when he's done

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 17, 2024 10:37 AM (dg+HA)

Great story! It's amazing the humanity we displayed during WWII.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at November 17, 2024 10:49 AM (d9fT1)

197 184 What else I didn't know existed. Death Stranding plush toys.

https://is.gd/MVt3Xv
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 10:47 AM (L/fGl)
---

Nothing will surprise me after seeing a Baphomet plushy at a gaming store.

I was sorely tempted to get an adorable Plague Doctor plushie.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:50 AM (kpS4V)

198 183 One German POW did escape from his US POW camp and was never captured until decades later after his American wife, upon learning his story after years of marriage, encouraged him to turn himself in.
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:45 AM (+O65L)
I was in school with a family with a German POW dad. He was sent back to Germany after the war, but came back to good old South Carolina as soon as he could. I think he would have been willing to return as a POW.

Posted by: Eromero at November 17, 2024 10:50 AM (DXbAa)

199 Books are available on line for free if you look around

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 10:50 AM (fwDg9)

200 One German POW did escape from his US POW camp and was never captured until decades later after his American wife, upon learning his story after years of marriage, encouraged him to turn himself in.
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:45 AM (+O65L)

There's a YT vid about him. Not by Mark Felton, however.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 10:51 AM (0eaVi)

201 Bored of the Rings is still a very funny book, and I get snatched of dialog pop in my head while reading Tolkien's masterpiece. Hi! Eris.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at November 17, 2024

***
I hate to admit this, but I haven't attempted to reread Tolkien's big work since the 1970s. The names and puns in BotR have stuck better in my memory than the originals have.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:52 AM (omVj0)

202 I don't enjoy reading quickly, but I can do it. I had a class in college where the professor had fifteen books on the syllabus. I purchased them all. This asshole ridiculed me in front of the whole class.

"You're supposed to buy the main text and select another one of them for a project later in the course," he said.

"Well, you didn't say that in the syllabus," I replied.

"It's common sense. Nobody would read all those books in one semester."

"I could easily do it."

We had a bad relationship after that.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at November 17, 2024 10:19 AM (7oYYI)

You should have told the prof that you don't move your lips when you read like he does.

Posted by: Dr Pork Chops & Bacons at November 17, 2024 10:52 AM (g8Ew8)

203 Bored of the Rings is still a very funny book, and I get snatched of dialog pop in my head while reading Tolkien's masterpiece. Hi! Eris.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at November 17, 2024 10:47 AM (u82oZ)
----

Hiya Salty!

May the good fairie wot sits in the sky grant yer ev'ry wish!

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 10:53 AM (kpS4V)

204 182 Ebooks are a Godsend for those of us who have reached the ripe old age of 29. The kindle on my IPad shows two pages at a time allowing me to read the same way I would a paper book.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at November 17, 2024 10:45 AM (t/2Uw)

And I don't have to struggle to hold it open when I'm reading in bed!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:53 AM (OX9vb)

205 Camp Clinton in Mississippi housed the senior officers of Rommel's Afrika Corps

https://tinyurl.com/2kcknftc

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:54 AM (+O65L)

206 Books are available on line for free if you look around

I do a lot of research using the Internet Archive, the extent of which I fully realized only when they went offline recently.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 10:54 AM (olroh)

207 There were POW camps up here in Wisconsin as well. I don't know a lot about them but they were apparently key to the Door County cherry harvest (and I think worked on the truck farms in the area as well).

Posted by: who knew at November 17, 2024 10:54 AM (+ViXu)

208 Nothing will surprise me after seeing a Baphomet plushy at a gaming store.

WANT!

Posted by: Some Templar Knight Heretic at November 17, 2024 10:55 AM (oZhjI)

209 There's a short story or even a novel in that.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:49 AM (omVj0)

Hmm, you're right. Maybe title it "Summer of my German soldier."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 10:57 AM (0eaVi)

210 My library usage fell off badly when I went to work for Kroch's & Brentano's in Chicago. Got into the habit of buying the paperbacks I was after, and got into the habit of buying it while it was there instead of waiting for the time when I'd actually get around to reading it -- wait and it would no longer be in stock.

That habit has stayed with me, contributing to the immensity of the Amazing Colossal To-Be-Read Pile.

I'll second Sharon's comment re ebooks/eyes. While I still have a bookcase of favorites, most of my reading is Kindle these days. I wouldn't want to live in a house without physical books, but the physical volumes are harder on the eyes and hands now.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 10:57 AM (q3u5l)

211 for the Great Courses, when I get a video series, i download it and then use Audacity to extract the audio track. Then I listen to them while I'm on my bicycle rides.

it was a duh! moment, but after wondering about the g'kids reading, i realized i could provide some sense of what i valued by giving them books. The first set was the Dead Sea Squirrels somebody mentioned a while back, then Beverly Cleary's Ralph S Mouse series. Christmas this year is Narnia. The Hobbit and LOTR will come in a couple of years.

Posted by: yara at November 17, 2024 10:58 AM (5wYGj)

212 188 I suppose it's possible the number of comments might go up as horde members get back to spending more reading time on books instead of election news? Maybe?
Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (q3u5l)

Also, winter is coming.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:58 AM (OX9vb)

213 A summer reading contest influenced my reading in a way that makes me shake my head at six-year-old me. I went to the library to pick out books. They were on tables: 1, 2, 3 and 4, 5, 6, etc. I assumed they meant age, not grade, and was appalled. People knew how to read at one? How could I be so retarded?

I slunk over to the 4, 5, 6 table to pick. I still remember the title--Miss Hickory--though not the author. Oh my God. I couldn't believe the world I immediately fell into.

I hope that happens to many other kids who receive no encouragement elsewhere.

Posted by: Wenda at November 17, 2024 10:58 AM (QuymX)

214 Then there is the Santa Cthulhu plushy

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 10:59 AM (+O65L)

215 Camp Clinton in Mississippi housed the senior officers of Rommel's Afrika Corps

-
I know nothing! Nothing, y'all!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 11:00 AM (L/fGl)

216 There's a short story or even a novel in that.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 10:49 AM (omVj0)

Hmm, you're right. Maybe title it "Summer of my German soldier."

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 10:57 AM (0eaVi)

The Summer of the Glorious Schwanzstucker.

Posted by: Dr Pork Chops & Bacons at November 17, 2024 11:00 AM (g8Ew8)

217 "Also, winter is coming."

You don't say.

Posted by: John Snow at November 17, 2024 11:00 AM (Gqoy+)

218 My reading goal for this year was one book per week. I’m at 34 so there’s no way I’m going to reach 52 unless I quit my job and spend the next six weeks reading. Hmmmm… Nah, that won't work....

Last week I read for escapism and Christopher Taylor’s Life Unworthy delivered. It opens with a scene from a Nazi death camp. The soldiers assigned to operate the gas chamber sense that something did not go right with their last group execution. When they open the door to the chamber, they’re attacked and killed by a werewolf which escapes into Nazi-occupied Warsaw. This beast is then hunted by the Nazis, a doctor who wants to learn how to reproduce the beast, and a spiritualist whose motives are a mystery for most of the book. The man who has been cursed, is doing his best to keep the beast inside him under control while running from the Nazis and then becomes involved with a young Gypsy widow. Lots of interesting characters whose stories are woven together to create a very entertaining story.

Posted by: KatieFloyd at November 17, 2024 11:01 AM (FkuFp)

219 Getting my kids to read is the fun bit. I'm sometimes surprised by what catches their attention, especially my youngest (8yo). Animorphs were an easy win - what's not to like about kids turning into gorillas and sharks and flies and stuff and fighting off a space alien invasion? - but I was VERY surprised to see him voluntarily pick up the (admittedly, abridged for kids) copy of Oliver Twist he's having to read for school. He finished the whole thing in one weekend, when he didn't have to finish it until probably sometime next year. !!!

(It also inspired me to reread Oliver Twist (not abridged) for the first time in decades. I forgot how funny Dickens is. I was laughing out loud at several bits.)

Posted by: Mrs. Peel at November 17, 2024 11:01 AM (Y+AMd)

220 Orange Ent

from the linked site:

Perhaps the strangest escape of all involved a German pilot and the wife of a Delta planter. The wife fell in love with Helmut Von der Aue during the several months that he worked on the plantation. The German POW and the planter's wife were arrested in Nashville, Tennessee. The pilot explained that they were on their way to the east coast to steal an airplane and fly to Greenland.

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 11:01 AM (+O65L)

221 Also, winter is coming.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 10:58 AM (OX9vb)

Winter is coming! But "A Dream of Spring" is not. (as Nerdrotic and many others will remind you, whenever the topic comes up.)

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 11:02 AM (Lhaco)

222 I suppose it's possible the number of comments might go up as horde members get back to spending more reading time on books instead of election news? Maybe?
Posted by: Just Some Guy at November 17, 2024 10:48 AM (q3u5l)
*
Also, winter is coming.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024

***
Did winter ever arrive in that Game of Thrones series? It certainly hasn't here.

It would be interesting to set a story on a planet or fantasy world where, even in the "temperate" zones, the summer lasts for 5/6ths of the year, and daytime temps rise to deadly levels for a good part of it -- a hot counterpart to a Wisconsin winter.

Yes, many of us have had our attention distracted by the political events this year.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:02 AM (omVj0)

223 And I'm going to get Percy Jackson for my oldest (13yo) for Christmas. I bet he'll like it.

Posted by: Mrs. Peel at November 17, 2024 11:03 AM (Y+AMd)

224 "Also, winter is coming."

You don't say.
Posted by: John Snow at November 17, 2024 11:00 AM (Gqoy+)

I do say!

Posted by: Jack Frost at November 17, 2024 11:03 AM (0eaVi)

225 Surprised George R.R. Martin's publisher has not sued him for breach of contract yet.

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 11:03 AM (+O65L)

226 Shut up, John Snow!

*ahem*

Winter is coming
The goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you have no penny a half-penny will do
If you have no half-penny,
Then God bless you

Posted by: naturalfake at November 17, 2024 11:04 AM (eDfFs)

227 Perhaps the strangest escape of all involved a German pilot and the wife of a Delta planter. The wife fell in love with Helmut Von der Aue during the several months that he worked on the plantation. The German POW and the planter's wife were arrested in Nashville, Tennessee. The pilot explained that they were on their way to the east coast to steal an airplane and fly to Greenland.
Posted by: Anna Pumareally!

Old and busted: Mandingo

New and cool: Hansdingo

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 11:05 AM (L/fGl)

228 I grew up near Fremont, Michigan, where Gerber Baby Food is centered. There is a plaque commemorating German POWs outside the plant. The text is reproduced in the link in my nic, which also mentions a book I may have to search out, Gregory Sumner’s Michigan POW Camps in World War II.

Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at November 17, 2024 11:05 AM (olroh)

229 15
'Phileas Fogg and how mysterious he is. He's rich but nobody knows where his money came from, or anything about him. It's a mystery'

I supplied recreational pharmaceuticals through Hong Kong. It turned out to be really popular.

Posted by: Phileas Fogg at November 17, 2024 11:06 AM (3wi/L)

230 Perhaps the strangest escape of all involved a German pilot and the wife of a Delta planter. The wife fell in love with Helmut Von der Aue during the several months that he worked on the plantation. The German POW and the planter's wife were arrested in Nashville, Tennessee. The pilot explained that they were on their way to the east coast to steal an airplane and fly to Greenland.
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 11:01 AM (+O65L)

We always hear about how allied prisoners escaped, but you don't hear much about axis prisoner escapes. I wonder how many really did get away?

Posted by: Jack Frost at November 17, 2024 11:06 AM (0eaVi)

231 The only true kids' book I can recall much about was Space Cat Goes to Mars, which I read in second grade. I moved on to the Whitman Authorized TV Westerns novels, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Bat Masterson, Bret Maverick, et al. DC Comics and the Hardy Boys occupied me for a while, while I was secretly reading the action scenes in the James Bond novels (Mom didn't want me reading those, tame as they seem now). Then came the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies of short horror and crime stories, then Rex Stout and Ellery Queen. So I never read The Wind in the Willows or many of the classic children's stories.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:08 AM (omVj0)

232
Ah...well...nursery rhyme fail.

It's Christmas is coming
The goose is getting fat
...

*kicks elf*

Posted by: naturalfake at November 17, 2024 11:09 AM (eDfFs)

233 Franz von Werra really needs a movie made of his life

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_von_Werra

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 11:10 AM (+O65L)

234 The election has cut down my reading time, but then now fall is taking it .

Posted by: Skip at November 17, 2024 11:11 AM (fwDg9)

235 We always hear about how allied prisoners escaped, but you don't hear much about axis prisoner escapes. I wonder how many really did get away?

Why would you leave a land of plenty for a quick ride to the Russian front?

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 11:11 AM (xCA6C)

236 Oh wait they did make a movie

Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 11:11 AM (+O65L)

237 Camp Clinton in Mississippi housed the senior officers of Rommel's Afrika Corps

-
I know nothing! Nothing, y'all!
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 11:00 AM (L/fGl)
***

Nicely done.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 11:11 AM (W/lyH)

238 Well damn! People had to mention Bored of the Rings. Now I have to get out my copy and reread it before starting the trilogy. I did learn not to read it in public. People became concerned about a rather large fellow laughing out loud for no obvious reason. (They couldn't see the paperback in my hands.) Same thing with "3 Men in a Boat".

Posted by: JTB at November 17, 2024 11:13 AM (yTvNw)

239 95
'The wartime coalition with the Tories gave Churchill cover to slide back over to them and leave the sinking Liberal ship.'

That and the replacement of the Liberals by the Communist friendly Labour.

Posted by: Phileas Fogg at November 17, 2024 11:13 AM (3wi/L)

240 Off fictional world circumnavigator sock.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at November 17, 2024 11:14 AM (3wi/L)

241 Wenda, I laughed! Such pride for a six-year-old!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at November 17, 2024 11:14 AM (OX9vb)

242 Franz von Werra really needs a movie made of his life

Von Werra's story was the subject of the 1957 film The One That Got Away starring Hardy Krüger as Franz von Werra. (from your link)

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 11:16 AM (0eaVi)

243 It made no sense for a POW in the U.S. to escape. Where would he go with all the fighting and friendly units across the Atlantic (or Pacific if any Japanese prisoners ended up here). Allied soldiers escaping had a slim but real chance to get back to freedom.

Posted by: who knew at November 17, 2024 11:16 AM (+ViXu)

244 Perhaps the strangest escape of all involved a German pilot and the wife of a Delta planter. The wife fell in love with Helmut Von der Aue during the several months that he worked on the plantation. The German POW and the planter's wife were arrested in Nashville, Tennessee. The pilot explained that they were on their way to the east coast to steal an airplane and fly to Greenland.
Posted by: Anna Puma at November 17, 2024 11:01 AM (+O65L)

So basically Bridges of Madison County, but actually interesting.

Posted by: BurtTC at November 17, 2024 11:17 AM (lH8E4)

245 We have a few sets of very old encyclopedias from the 1980's on bookshelves in the basement.

They look great but I'm cleaning.

There's nothing I cam really do but pitch these I guess. 1980's..who'd want them.

Posted by: Stateless at November 17, 2024 11:17 AM (jvJvP)

246 The Forest Meister at Grafenweor Germany, where I trained in the 70's, was a POW. Was captured in near Kasserine. He was sent to America where he focused on learning English. He spent the last year of the war as a driver for some general at Ft Sheridan IL. Got back to Germany, was hired as a translator and worked his way up. Great guy.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 11:17 AM (W/lyH)

247 Okay since "The Great Courses" has been brought up...I haven't looked at them much since they stopped releasing CD's. It used to be a convenient family gift; I'd go through the catalog, mark up what I liked, and my Mom would have an actual present to give to her grown up son for Christmas or whatever. Alas, gifting a digital download doesn't carry the same sort of connotation, so the tradition ended...

So, I haven't looked through their catalog for a while. But I've been doing so as I wait for more comments to refresh, and, well, they've gotten some new titles. (The history selection had gotten a bit stale the last time I looked around) A lecture series about Pirates and The Mongol Empire are both a welcome addition. There's Middle Ages around the World series that looks interesting (what other civilizations existing in the 1000's-1400's). There's also one about the Indians of North America, but I'm wary about that one because, well, just a nagging suspicion that the lecturer will be overly judgmental. That topic just seems like it will attract the politically motivated academic. I can't say that for sure, but modern media has my me gun-shy about that sort of thing...

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 11:18 AM (Lhaco)

248 Thank you, Perfessor and Book People, for another interesting and enjoyable Book Thread.

I have leave the Book Thread early to go meet up with some non-book friends but, as always, will be sure to read the rest of the Thread later. Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Posted by: KatieFloyd at November 17, 2024 11:21 AM (IVDcZ)

249 Von Werra's story was the subject of the 1957 film The One That Got Away starring Hardy Krüger as Franz von Werra. (from your link)
Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024

***
Hardy Kruger!

("She is not a toy, Mr. Townes, she is an aeroplane!")

I see too that the movie was co-written by one James Leasor. He published a number of novels in the '60s, including some spy thrillers featuring Dr. Jason Love, and the later The Sea Wolves.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:21 AM (omVj0)

250 We have a few sets of very old encyclopedias from the 1980's on bookshelves in the basement.

They look great but I'm cleaning.

There's nothing I cam really do but pitch these I guess. 1980's..who'd want them.
Posted by: Stateless at November 17, 2024

***
I still have my 1980s edition of the Britannica, bought new in '84. And I still dip into them from time to time.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:22 AM (omVj0)

251 The Forest Meister at Grafenweor Germany, where I trained in the 70's, was a POW. Was captured in near Kasserine. He was sent to America where he focused on learning English. He spent the last year of the war as a driver for some general at Ft Sheridan IL. Got back to Germany, was hired as a translator and worked his way up. Great guy.
Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 11:17 AM (W/lyH)

I don't recall any at Graf, but in Hohenfels, the forest nazis would drive up in their little cars, and tell you some road was off limits, or you couldn't drive your APC through some area of the woods.

Then the officers would look at a map and make the whole column detour around whatever these little freaks in their funny hats were claiming to protect.

Now, maybe they were protecting the forest, but back then I thought "who won that damn war."

Posted by: BurtTC at November 17, 2024 11:23 AM (lH8E4)

252 196
'Great story! It's amazing the humanity we displayed during WWII.'

It's easier to be humane when you're not on the receiving end of very many war crimes.

Posted by: Dr. Claw at November 17, 2024 11:23 AM (3wi/L)

253 The German POW stories remind us that not all Germans were hardcore Nazi Party members, or believers in National
Socialism.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:25 AM (omVj0)

254 Dash My Lace Wigs,

Silly, isn't it? And when I really WAS in third grade I was sneaking Forever Amber from wherever my older sister thought she could hide it.

Posted by: Wenda at November 17, 2024 11:25 AM (QuymX)

255 More "The Great Courses" musings; in the 'Hobby' section, there are only 4 audio-only lecture series. I suppose that makes sense, since hobby stuff would have a much stronger need for visual aides than, say, a history or philosophy lecture....Maybe I'll look into ripping the audio from a video file. I think that was mentioned up-thread...

Posted by: Castle Guy at November 17, 2024 11:26 AM (Lhaco)

256 I still have my 1980s edition of the Britannica, bought new in '84. And I still dip into them from time to time.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:22 AM (omVj0)

Heck, we still have old Encyclopedia Americana around somewhere.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024 11:26 AM (0eaVi)

257 And when I really WAS in third grade I was sneaking Forever Amber from wherever my older sister thought she could hide it.
Posted by: Wenda at November 17, 2024 11:25 AM (QuymX)

(sharp intake of breath)

Amber!

Posted by: Old WB Cartoon at November 17, 2024 11:28 AM (0eaVi)

258 I haven't read "Dune" in decades. My son left a paperback copy of it last time he was here. I watched part one and part two on an airplane earlier this year. Think I'll pick it up.

Posted by: Javems at November 17, 2024 11:29 AM (8I4hW)

259 The German POW stories remind us that not all Germans were hardcore Nazi Party members, or believers in National
Socialism.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:25 AM (omVj0)

I wonder how such a thought could be relevant to today.

It seems whenever anyone decides some group of people are sub-human, bad things happen. Regardless of who is doing it.

Posted by: BurtTC at November 17, 2024 11:29 AM (lH8E4)

260 Forest Nazis!

Did they have leaf-shaped ears and bows made of mallorn and yew?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 11:30 AM (kpS4V)

261 Now, maybe they were protecting the forest, but back then I thought "who won that damn war."
Posted by: BurtTC at November 17, 2024 11:23 AM (lH8E4)

I was the FO a lot for my battalion so spent a lot of time at Graf and the OP. Got to know the Forest Meister dude quite well. He was a nice guy and I suspect a senior NCO in the local "Stay Behind Militia." Very tuned into what we were doing. And when the Germans came to shoot, he was always there.

Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 11:30 AM (W/lyH)

262 Range day today so I'm out early too.
Now that the election is over and not obsessed with X, I seem to be getting back into the habit of reading again. Reading Kim Harrison's new Hollows book, Demon's Bluff. Didn't have high expectations because many of my long time favorites have gotten boring but this one is pretty good. I'm impressed with how many different magical constructs she can create and make them all work.
Have a great day.🤠

Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at November 17, 2024 11:30 AM (t/2Uw)

263 258 I haven't read "Dune" in decades. My son left a paperback copy of it last time he was here. I watched part one and part two on an airplane earlier this year. Think I'll pick it up.

Dune: Prophecy premieres on Max today.

Posted by: Archimedes at November 17, 2024 11:31 AM (xCA6C)

264 The German POW stories remind us that not all Germans were hardcore Nazi Party members, or believers in National
Socialism.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:25 AM (omVj0)

It was very enjoyable sitting in gasthauses over beers with old German grunts and tankers talking about the war. Great education into the philosophy that a soldier is a soldier no matter which army one is in.

Posted by: Dr Pork Chops & Bacons at November 17, 2024 11:32 AM (g8Ew8)

265 ***
I still have my 1980s edition of the Britannica, bought new in '84. And I still dip into them from time to time.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:22 AM (omVj0

These aren't Britannica's but still look good.

I'll think about it. They sit untouched.

Posted by: Stateless at November 17, 2024 11:33 AM (jvJvP)

266 A new Hollows book! Thanks Sharon.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, Agent of Chaos at November 17, 2024 11:33 AM (kpS4V)

267 secretly reading the action scenes in the James Bond novels (Mom didn't want me reading those, tame as they seem now).

-
My father flipped his top when to celebrate another kid's birthday we all went to see Thunderball.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024 11:33 AM (L/fGl)

268 I was the FO a lot for my battalion so spent a lot of time at Graf and the OP. Got to know the Forest Meister dude quite well. He was a nice guy and I suspect a senior NCO in the local "Stay Behind Militia." Very tuned into what we were doing. And when the Germans came to shoot, he was always there.
Posted by: Diogenes at November 17, 2024 11:30 AM (W/lyH)

I'm pretty sure the ones we encountered in Hohenfels were not old enough to have been in the war.

Very different attitude, in the late 80s, when everyone seemed to prefer to believe that war never happened.

Posted by: BurtTC at November 17, 2024 11:36 AM (lH8E4)

269 Von Werra's story was the subject of the 1957 film The One That Got Away starring Hardy Krüger as Franz von Werra. (from your link)
Posted by: OrangeEnt at November 17, 2024

Just found it free of charge on the UToobz. Looking forward to watching it. Thanks!

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at November 17, 2024 11:38 AM (dg+HA)

270 ecretly reading the action scenes in the James Bond novels (Mom didn't want me reading those, tame as they seem now).

-
My father flipped his top when to celebrate another kid's birthday we all went to see Thunderball.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now With Peppermint Mocha! at November 17, 2024

***
My mother had only herself to blame. When I was about nine she was reading Doctor No. One evening she handed me the paperback, open to the "huge venomous centipede in Bond's bed" scene, and instructed me to read it. I was hooked -- and started on my lifelong career of improving my mind via sensational fiction.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at November 17, 2024 11:39 AM (omVj0)

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