Sunday Morning Book Thread - 3-23-2025 ["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

Tornados are nature's assholes. Capricious, destructive, and utterly without mercy. Yet, through some miracle, the EF2 tornado that plagued my town on Friday, March 14, managed to avoid the two main population centers in town, driving a line right between them. Yes, it did destroy a few houses and buildings, and knocked out power to my neighborhood for three days. But it could have been much, much worse. I'm very grateful for the hard workers who were able to restore power in such a short amount of time. I'm also grateful for the countless volunteers who pulled out their chainsaws to clean up the damage. The pic above shows what happens when an EF3 tornado hits a library. It's not pretty.

WHERE IS ASGARD?

Although the MCU has popularized Asgard as its own celestial body located somewhere out in the cosmos, that's not how the ancient people in Scandinavia would have regarded it. Instead, ancient people around the world, regardless of culture or society, believed in "unseen realms" hidden all around us, but inaccessible to mortals unless they stumbled across them or found a key to a portal that would take them there. Although the ancients knew about the planets (the word for planet comes from a Greek word meaning "wanderer") as they could see them wandering around the night sky, they didn't understand the relationship between planets and stars, nor how far away they were from Earth. It was much easier for them to accept the idea of "hidden worlds" surrounding ours, populated by strange creatures and powerful gods.

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BOOKLAND

I found it interesting that the ISBN uses 978 (and also 979 now) as the "country code" for books. I knew UPCs had a specific code for categories of books and I had noticed a correlation between the UPC and ISBN but hadn't really put the two together quite like it's described in the video above. "Bookland" is an independent nation, I guess, with no government to speak of, other than an influence on the printing business to ensure that all books printed today have an appropriate ISBN so that they can be catalogued. I know that I appreciate having ISBNs as it makes it so easy to add books to the Moron Recommendations on our Libib site.

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

Of course, if you mention Ambrose Bierce, he's probably now best remembered for his Devil's Dictionary - a collection of sardonic, cynical definitions of words.
The edition to get, is The Enlarged Devil's Dictionary edited by Ernest J. Hopkins. Published in 1967, this version includes an additional 851 words to Bierce's 1000 words included in the book published in 1911. Hopkins culled the old San Francisco newspapers and discovered that Bierce had actually started his project in 1875. Hopkins speculates that Bierce couldn't access old newspaper files because he was now in the East, and San Francisco was still recovering from the 1906 earthquake.
Highly recommended if you're a Bierce complete-ist, collect dictionaries, or a student of word usage.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at March 16, 2025 09:07 AM (pJWtt)

Comment: Honestly, when I hear Ambrose Bierce, I think of his classic short story, "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" instead of The Devil's Dictionary. That's the first story of his I read way back in high school AP English class.

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I've been reading Malcolm Guite's The Word in the Wilderness. He regards Lent and Easter as a journey with Christ's last days on Earth and what we learn from them. He has chosen poetry as the way to bring these lessons to life. Arranged as a devotional, each poem, by many poets, and his commentary are inspiring and bring an understanding of the pains and triumph of Christ's journey. I wish religion (and faith) had been explained in such a way when I was young. Instead of Lent being just a mechanical exercise of giving up 'something' and no meat on Friday, the lessons of His path would have been a foundation for a fuller, more meaningful faith.
Posted by: JTB at March 16, 2025 10:02 AM (yTvNw)

Comment: It is Easter season, a time for us Christians to reflect on the priceless gift we've been given by His sacrifice. When I was a kid, Easter meant a visit from the Easter bunny with lots of candy. Now I take it a lot more seriously because I have grown in wisdom and experience (somewhat) and can now appreciate what that sacrifice has meant for mankind.

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Think I've mentioned it before, but one of my favorite Crichton's was an early thriller he wrote under the John Lange pseudonym. The book is called Binary. The plot involves a planned nerve gas attack during a political convention; the agent who has to stop it finds that his personnel files and psych profiles have been accessed by the man planning the attack, so his approaches to problems have been factored into the attack plans. He has to outsmart the attacker, but to do that he also has to outsmart himself. Nice little thriller. They did a movie of the week from it in the 70s, called Pursuit with Ben Gazzara and E. G. Marshall.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 16, 2025 09:48 AM (q3u5l)

Comment: Outsmarting a villain smarter than yourself is always a challenge, especially when you have high intelligence already like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. It's even harder when you *know* that you may have above average intelligence but aren't a genius and your opponent *is* a genius.

MORE MORON RECOMMENDATIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE: AoSHQ - Book Thread Recommendations

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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.

Bloodlines by F. Paul Wilson

This was laying on top of a stack of books in my bedroom, as I've officially run out of shelves. I grabbed it because it was handy and because I wanted something different to read. This is part of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series, which is itself part of a larger narrative Wilson calls "The Secret History of the World." Jack (the only name he answers to, preferring NOT to have a last name) is called upon to track down a young woman who has gotten involved with a man twice her age. The girl's mother wants Jack to break up that relationship. Throughout the story, we find out the depraved details about that relationship (involves incest), as well as hints about a much darker plan involving the "Otherness," that inimical, inscrutable being who is seeking to invade our world and claim it for its own purposes.

Harbingers by F. Paul Wilson

After reading Bloodline, I decided to backtrack in the Repairman Jack series and read the book immediately preceding Bloodline, Harbingers. In this one, Jack is confronted by the purpose for which he has been chosen by the Ally, who is only slightly less dangerous than the Otherness, and seeks to prevent the Otherness from claiming Earth. However, Jack, as the Heir of the Ally's current champion discovers the price for being the Heir and wants nothing to do with it. He's prepared to give up the world to the Otherness so that he doesn't have to pay that price.

The Dark Descent edited by David G. Hartwell

This is an excellent anthology of classic horror stories. Although I've read many of them elsewhere, there are plenty of stories that are new to me, though I've heard of most of the authors. In the first third of this doorstopper, we have classics such as "The Crowd" by Ray Bradbury, "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" by Robert Bloch, and "The Call of Cthulhu" by H.P. Lovecraft, which is really three stories in one, all linked by a strange, diabolic statue discovered at multiple locations. It also features a Norwegian sailor ramming his boat right in great Cthulhu's face, which is pretty badass. (Minor spoiler: the sailor survived, though his sanity suffered, of course.)<

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

Through the magic of Project Gutenberg and Amazon's Kindle app, I downloaded a public-domain copy of George MacDonald's classic story, which has been mentioned here before. It reads like a children's fairy tale, with a young princess trapped in a castle (though she's lives like a princess), a humble young hero who will protect her, and evil monsters (the goblins) that want to capture her. I can see how MacDonald influenced both J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 3-16-2025 (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. The Emerald City is a lovely place to visit but no one wants to live there.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Tolle Lege

Posted by: Skip at March 23, 2025 08:59 AM (fwDg9)

2 Hello Perf and fellow bibliophages.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:00 AM (kpS4V)

3 I read an old sci-fi that was posted on lawdog's e-mails last week. That's about it.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 09:00 AM (0eaVi)

4 About 1/2 way through The First Russian Revolution, Decembrists Revolt of 1825 by Susanna Rabow-Edling
You can watch the short version of Union of Salvation on YouTube with subtitles. They did a fantastic job of getting the details correctly. There is a long version without subtitles

Posted by: Skip at March 23, 2025 09:03 AM (fwDg9)

5 I'm surprised that any books stay shelved after a tornado.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 09:06 AM (p/isN)

6 I would think of Asgard and the like as other dimensions.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 09:09 AM (p/isN)

7 Glad damage was not worse perfessor.
This pic looks like it could've been done by a gaggle of toddlers on a sugar high.
The pics at link indicate it was much more violent.

Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at March 23, 2025 09:09 AM (L1omb)

8
I took "The Inimitable Jeeves" (original title: "Jeeves") with me on vacation but didn't open it until after we got home, and even then didn't get into it until yesterday.

It's the usual early 1920s mixture of Bertie Wooster struggling to deal with foolish friends, flighty females, and domineering dames, led by irascible Aunt Agatha. Good thing he has Jeeves to bail him out -- except during this imbroglio, Jeeves has gone on vacation ...

I enjoy Wodehouse, particularly Bertie's then-contemporary slang, but I can't comprehend some of it. When context doesn't help, I say that life is too short to let those instances pause me, and charge on through. Doesn't dim my pleasure a bit.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 09:09 AM (p/isN)

9 Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading. Glad Perfesor made it through the tornado as well as he did considering how much worse it could have been.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:10 AM (yTvNw)

10 Only eight comments in 10 minutes?! Where is everybody?

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 09:11 AM (p/isN)

11 As I've reached a crossroads with my sci-fi novel, I've done some reading on ISBNs. Each number is for whatever format you use. If you do self pub, you need a different one for e-books, for hard copies, and for audio books. They're also not free if you're doing all the publishing yourself. It can run into money. You can use ASIN numbers, but those are limited to Amazon, so, that sticks you into KDP. You'd still need numbers for other platforms. It can be confusing.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 09:11 AM (0eaVi)

12 Good morning again morons and thanks perfessor

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 23, 2025 09:12 AM (RIvkX)

13 my literary critic Allie is sprawled on top of the book i'm reading.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 23, 2025 09:12 AM (cweKM)

14 I picked up a large hardback copy of The Best of Ambrose Bierce several years ago at a book sale. Loaded with some great short stories.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 23, 2025 09:13 AM (vN5ta)

15 Only eight comments in 10 minutes?! Where is everybody?
Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 09:11 AM (p/isN)
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reading/watching the content?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 23, 2025 09:13 AM (cweKM)

16 Morning, Perfessor.

Howdy, Horde.

Been poking through a couple of books on Robert Heinlein, and thinking about finally getting to Patterson's 2-volume biography.

I'll second that recommendation of The Dark Descent -- there's a lot of excellent stuff in there. If you pick it up and (as I do with anthologies) sample a story here and there and get around to some of them eons after purchase, don't miss Fritz Leiber's 'Smoke Ghost' or Theodore Sturgeon's 'Bright Segment.' Trust me on this. Have I ever steered you wrong? (Exits stage right without waiting for an answer to that question.)

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 09:14 AM (q3u5l)

17 'm continuing with Guite's "Word In the Wilderness". Glad it is intended as a daily read since his comments make me reflect on the season and his choice of poems lead me to many rabbit holes. George Herbert's poetry is especially dangerous in that regard.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:15 AM (yTvNw)

18 Morning, Morons!

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 09:16 AM (78a2H)

19 Happy Sunday (pants - check!)

Is it wrong that my first reaction to your top picture was the song "Cleanup, cleanup! Everybody cleanup!"? Heh, kids in his 20's and I still remember those toddler messes. . .

Posted by: Lizzy at March 23, 2025 09:17 AM (Cki93)

20 I read An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge in high school, too. It was a good short story. I didn’t remember it was Bierce, though

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 09:18 AM (l3YAf)

21 . . . and happy you escaped more damage, Professor!
Tornadoes are scary.

Posted by: Lizzy at March 23, 2025 09:20 AM (Cki93)

22 Just finished Peter Heller's new novel "Burn" and it was a waste of my time.

Heller wrote "The Dog Stars" and "The Last Ranger." I recall the former as maybe OK, but did not read the latter.

This one is about the outbreak of a civil war in today's USA. A Maine secessionist assassinates the prez and the veep, a wannabe general, sends in Marine battalions to do to the secesh Mainers what Sherman did to Georgia. Only worse. Summary executions of all the secesh.

The story is told through the eyes of a couple of hunters, friends who travel from far away to go into the Maine wilds after moose, and who come upon the ruins of farms and villages when coming back out of the bush. They find no people to tell them what has happened and they have nothing from cell phones because towers are off.

They get something from a radio they find and all that can be found on the dial is a scratchy station up in Quebec, which talks about the "troubles" down south.

It's a garbage story made worse by pages and pages of flashbacks into one of the guy's failed marriage, that has nothing to do with the dilemma at hand.

So Rome vs Carthage. Skip it.

Posted by: Mr Gaga at March 23, 2025 09:20 AM (KiBMU)

23 The eggs and the rabbits connect Easter a lot more to pagan fertility rites than Christ's sacrifice.

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (CSPsH)

24 I saw the first picture and thought, finally, a library that looks like mine!

Posted by: lin-duh at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (VCgbV)

25 Can't say much this morning. Skiing with the father, instead. Have fun, all!

Posted by: Castle Guy at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (Lhaco)

26 Thanks to whoever mentioned "Queen Victoria's Little Wars" by Ron Farwell (was it you, Salty?). It's terrifically written and reads like an anthology of adventure stories, with assorted Abyssinians, Métis, Fenians, Afghans, Zulus, and other uppity wogs.

Interesting to me was the power wielded by East India and Hudson's Bay companies.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (kpS4V)

27 It's funny how some horror writers just absolutely don't work for me. Stephen King is my prime example. I love his books _about_ the horror genre and writing horror, but not his actual fiction.

I think, for me, the problem is that King is too random. Now, I do like me some Lovecraftian "the Universe doesn't care about you" horror, but with King -- in both novels and short stories -- the horror elements seem almost too random. Trucks start killing people! A laundry press is EVIL! Etc. My suspension of belief fails.

And then with the more realistic ones -- Cujo, for instance, they're just sad local news stories. Bad stuff happens to someone. The end.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (78a2H)

28 I read An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge in high school, too. It was a good short story. I didn’t remember it was Bierce, though
Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 09:18 AM (l3YAf)

I remember watching the short film with the same title in high school, but haven't read the short story. "Owl Creek" is used for many tributaries in the South, there's one just to the west of the Shiloh Battlefield Park.

Posted by: mrp at March 23, 2025 09:23 AM (rj6Yv)

29 Happy Sunday

Posted by: rhennigantx at March 23, 2025 09:23 AM (gbOdA)

30 Thanks for mentioning the Enlarged Devil's Dictionary. I fell in love the regular edition while in high school and will look for a decent copy of the enlarged version.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:23 AM (yTvNw)

31 Guten Morgen Horde!

Retrying the urban planning course, so back into "Classic Readings in Urban Planning," etc.

I had a note in my calendar from the OregonMuse era that around this time of March was the annual book thread "De-lurk day."

Speaking of that, back to lurking and research/writing. Ciao for now.

Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at March 23, 2025 09:24 AM (5CEo8)

32 Maine could secede from the Union tomorrow and it would take a couple of years for the rest of the country to notice.

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 09:25 AM (l3YAf)

33 If you like a bit of humor in your murder mysteries, I recommend The Case of the Late Pig, an Albert Campion mystery by Margery Allingham. It combines many colorful uniquely English characters and a crime that puts an entire village in an uproar, as our hero attempts to solve a most unusual death.

Roland "Pig" Peters was Albert's nemesis in grade school, so when he sees Pig's obituary in the paper, he travels to the village of Kepesake for the burial. He thinks nothing more of it until six months later, when Sir Leo Pursuivant, the local noble, asks Albert to come back to view a body that died under mysterious circumstances. When Campion sees the body, he realizes that he is looking at Pig, and knows he could not have died twice.

Amongst those interested in this case are an ex-fiance of Pig, an insurance adjuster, a supposed uncle, and the local parson. All are intertwined in the story in sometimes humorous ways. Through it all, Campion has to solve the mystery, while trying to figure out who is a murderer and who are those blundering in with useless tips. It is a clever mystery that gives the reader an insight into provincial English culture and habits.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 23, 2025 09:25 AM (vN5ta)

34 Booken morgen horden

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 23, 2025 09:25 AM (Wx316)

35 Interesting to me was the power wielded by East India and Hudson's Bay companies.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (kpS4V)

And for all that, we've got blankets and IPAs.

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 09:27 AM (Yj6Os)

36 Maine could secede from the Union tomorrow and it would take a couple of years for the rest of the country to notice.
Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 09:25 AM (l3YAf)
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The fat dudes in Speedos from Quebec contingent would notice. Right away.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 23, 2025 09:27 AM (RIvkX)

37 Maine could secede from the Union tomorrow and it would take a couple of years for the rest of the country to notice.
Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 09:25 AM (l3YAf)

Sooner than that, I think. Customers would complain about the tariff applied to their LL Bean purchases.

Posted by: mrp at March 23, 2025 09:27 AM (rj6Yv)

38 OrabgeEnt, I am getting close to publishing a pair of dark humor military space opera novels. I would be interested in sharing notes on publishing and marketing if you're willing.

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 23, 2025 09:27 AM (CSPsH)

39 Thanks to 'Just Some Guy' for his Binary recommendation last week. Very good read, you can see the writer Crichton will become in this early work. The edition I purchased had a nice forward by his wife talking about Crichton's ambivalence on bringing 'John Lange' out of pseudonymity.

Posted by: Candidus at March 23, 2025 09:28 AM (+wPkw)

40 Am reading a self help book -Taking Charge of Adult ADHD by Russell Barkley, which is an older book but was recommended by a counselor.

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 23, 2025 09:28 AM (Wx316)

41 When do we get the Devil's Thesaurus?

Posted by: Dr. Varno at March 23, 2025 09:28 AM (3pDBW)

42 Good Sunday morning, horde!

After I finished Preston & Childs "The Ice Limit," I thought I would read "Beyond the Ice Limit." I noticed that it is the fourth in a series with a different character, Gideon Crew, so I decided to start at the beginning of that series first so I would know the character. I picked up "Gideon's Sword."

Goodness, what a romp! Gideon Crew is new to the investigation thing, and was reluctant to be recruited to the job. But he's a rocket scientist, so he's smart enough to work his way through a problem. It's messy, and he makes mistakes. I nearly lost my mind when he engaged the bad guy in a battle with backhoes! WTAF?

Crew is a bit of a wise-ass, and rebellious, and I'll continue with this series.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 09:31 AM (h7ZuX)

43 41 When do we get the Devil's Thesaurus?
Posted by: Dr. Varno at March 23, 2025 09:28 AM (3pDBW)

Beelzebul's Almanac

Posted by: rhennigantx at March 23, 2025 09:31 AM (gbOdA)

44 *but with King -- in both novels and short stories -- the horror elements seem almost too random. Trucks start killing people! A laundry press is EVIL! Etc. My suspension of belief fails.*

Family Guy mocked this aspect of King pretty good.

https://youtu.be/tMZONL8x8NE?si=CYgiBim_NUa_vWem

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 23, 2025 09:32 AM (CSPsH)

45 OrangeEnt, I am getting close to publishing a pair of dark humor military space opera novels. I would be interested in sharing notes on publishing and marketing if you're willing.
Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 23, 2025 09:27 AM (CSPsH)

Sure. Just contact me through the sidebar email for ALH.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 09:33 AM (0eaVi)

46 >>Sooner than that, I think. Customers would complain about the tariff applied to their LL Bean purchases.

And that the famously folksy, local customer service team was replaced by Chinese residents (who've apparently been buying up real estate thanks to the governor's brother's iffy business dealings?)..

Posted by: Lizzy at March 23, 2025 09:34 AM (Cki93)

47 Just getting started on book 7 of the Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells, called "System Collapse."

Have really enjoyed this series about a sentient AI/human hybrid that has liberated itself from slavery as an intergalactic corporations security unit.

Posted by: Sharkman at March 23, 2025 09:35 AM (/RHNq)

48 Here is a depressing, or enraging, article out about the traditional publishing industry.

No white American man born after 1984 has been published in The New Yorker. The gory details https://t.co/oC0tghYHaT

You might say, no white American man born after 1984 reads The New Yorker. But the literary gatekeepers do; it's discrimination, pure and simple. But the good kind.

Posted by: Candidus at March 23, 2025 09:35 AM (+wPkw)

49 Can't recall when I first ran across The Devil's Dictionary -- knew Bierce's name from 'Owl Creek Bridge' and a number of short stories in sf and horror anthologies -- but hadn't seen the dictionary until I stumbled on a Dover paperback. Grabbed it immediately, and still find it useful. I've frequently quoted his definition of 'Bride' ('A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her.') to the incredibly nifty, long-suffering, Mrs Some Guy (who as of St. Patrick's Day has somehow tolerated me for 53 years).

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 09:35 AM (q3u5l)

50 After last week's comments about taking time to read instead of hurrying through the process, I was amused to come across a YT video on how reading isn't, or shouldn't be, a competition. Coincidence of timing? Maybe. But never underestimate the power of the book thread.

There seems to be a small but growing approach to take your time to enjoy books and reflect on your reading instead of racking up numbers on a list. This is probably a backlash against the modern contest mentality where numbers are used for bragging rights. (Assuming they aren't just made up.) It might also be a reaction against the ever shorter attention span of many people due to texting, brief snippets of videos, and 30 second 'news' reports that flood the net. This seems to go with the increasing preference for physical books and the growth of Barnes and Noble and other book stores. At least I hope this is a trend.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:36 AM (yTvNw)

51 An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was an episode on the 'Twilight Zone' .

Posted by: dantesed at March 23, 2025 09:37 AM (Oy/m2)

52 24 I saw the first picture and thought, finally, a library that looks like mine!
Posted by: lin-duh at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (VCgbV)

*snort

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 09:39 AM (h7ZuX)

53 This seems to go with the increasing preference for physical books and the growth of Barnes and Noble and other book stores. At least I hope this is a trend.
Posted by: JTB

Fingers crossed!!

Posted by: vmom deport deport deporte at March 23, 2025 09:40 AM (0JWOm)

54 My trash book this week is "The Great Los Angeles Blizzard" by Thom Racina. It reads like a tv movie-of-the-week, but I love disaster stories and how people react to adversity.

Lady Plushbottom has a case of the catnip toy crazies and won't let me read in peace.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:40 AM (kpS4V)

55 There seems to be a small but growing approach to take your time to enjoy books and reflect on your reading instead of racking up numbers on a list. This is probably a backlash against the modern contest mentality where numbers are used for bragging rights. (Assuming they aren't just made up.) It might also be a reaction against the ever shorter attention span of many people due to texting, brief snippets of videos, and 30 second 'news' reports that flood the net. This seems to go with the increasing preference for physical books and the growth of Barnes and Noble and other book stores. At least I hope this is a trend.
Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:36 AM (yTvNw)
====
Echoes of summer book reading campaigns.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 23, 2025 09:40 AM (RIvkX)

56 And then with the more realistic ones -- Cujo, for instance, they're just sad local news stories. Bad stuff happens to someone. The end.
Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 09:22 AM (78a2H)
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The part of King's On Writing was the autobiography, which explained a lot about his writing. I think he was initially successful because he sort of defined his own genre - horror affecting everyday people. None of the pretention and sophistication of Lovecraft or Poe or the Dracula spin-offs.

But it was also of a time, and of a certain mentality that is no longer here. I never liked his work because his writing style was so awful. He tried to capture the common touch, but like others of his generation who claimed to be for the working man (Bruce Springsteen being the epitome), he's really just a shallow, status seeker without any moral core or anything meaningful to say.

I mean, when you have to resort to self-inserting in what was supposed to be your magnum opus, there is no there, there.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 09:41 AM (ZOv7s)

57 Perfesser, I have to say that photo looks like my grandkids' room ten minutes after I clean it up.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 09:42 AM (ZOv7s)

58 Lady Plushbottom has a case of the catnip toy crazies and won't let me read in peace.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:40 AM (kpS4V)
=====
Never get high on your own supply

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 23, 2025 09:43 AM (RIvkX)

59 "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" was a short movie made in 1961. It was shown to us in 9th grade English class.

Posted by: Ordinary American at March 23, 2025 09:43 AM (vsTPo)

60 "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" was a short movie made in 1961. It was shown to us in 9th grade English class.
Posted by: Ordinary American at March 23, 2025 09:43 AM (vsTPo)
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I vaguely remember watching that in English class, though I can't remember how old I was at the time...Maybe senior year?

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at March 23, 2025 09:44 AM (cweKM)

61 I was pleased to see Evelyn Waugh mentioned in a list of Catholic reading for Lent. Tolkien of course gets lots of love, as does O'Connor, Chesterton an Greene.

One of my co-workers tried to watch Brideshead Revisited and found it revolting. This is the Jeremy Irons production, btw. He and his wife are Protestants and found interwar England too decadent to even watch.

Anyhow, it reminded me of the contention that Sebastian and Charles were more than friends. No, they were not. When Waugh wanted the gay, he wrote the gay. Charles was seduced emotionally by the Marchmains, and his subsequent relationship with Julia was more complicated than just dating his buddy's sister. Julia was older and more worldly, wearing short skirts and driving a car.

The remark that lighting a cigarette for her and watch her put it between her lips being the first squeak of sexuality gives the game away. Up to that point, Charles had been too shy and introverted to think about sex and romance.

Put simply, Julia was his first crush.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 09:47 AM (ZOv7s)

62 "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" was a short movie made in 1961. It was shown to us in 9th grade English class.

Posted by: Ordinary American

If it is the one I am thinking of, it was filmed in sepia tones, and some kid was sure to comment that they didn't know there were motion pictures made during the civil war.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at March 23, 2025 09:50 AM (vN5ta)

63 Didn't we talk about quality reading over book count last week or the week before?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 09:50 AM (0eaVi)

64 I liberated The History of Clan Shaw from my parent's house. A good if self-serving history of my Grandmother's people.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at March 23, 2025 09:52 AM (jc0TO)

65 There are some nice SF quotations in Sarah's weekly meme roundup:

accordingtohoyt.com

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:55 AM (kpS4V)

66 Good morning Book Horde! I second the recommendation for "The Dark Descent". Aside from military history, short horror fiction is one of my favorite genres. I have a good collection of books, many signed copies, and "The Dark Descent" is one of the best.

Posted by: Josephistan at March 23, 2025 09:55 AM (WQbU6)

67 I never liked his work because his writing style was so awful. He tried to capture the common touch...
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 09:41 AM (ZOv7s)

I think of King as a storyteller, and not so much a "writer." Sure, his stories are written down, but they're not literary masterpieces by any stretch. His prose is mediocre at best.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 09:55 AM (h7ZuX)

68 In reading/writing project news, I'm now up to the epic poems of Homer in Bulfinch's Mythology and with my new spiritual warfare lenses, the Greek gods are really just Chaos Gods from Warhammer.

Jove, supposed to be the father/ruler, is a caricature of a lazy, fickle and vindictive dad, cheating on his wife, abusing his kids, trying to avoid responsibility, but then unleashing severe beatings without warning. Have they done a trailer park version of the Iliad, because it would totally work. Have him live in a double-wide on a hill.

The notion that the Aegean world would be torn apart by war for 10 years over a botched beauty contest really puts the Old Testament in its proper context. All the assertions that God is God, make a lot more sense now.

Still, the Greek gods did cater to your desire for lust, greed, slaughter and a bit of cannibalism on the side. (Note: human sacrifice is not just throwing someone in a volcano - sacrifices involve a sharing of a meal, so if its a ram, or a goat, that's swell, but if it's a person, welll...)

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 09:56 AM (ZOv7s)

69 I definitely think I don't read the same way I once did. I dip into books rather than buckle down. Some of that is just life, and some of it is the physical demands of bifocals, but I do think the endless buffet of hot media available via the tubes has affected my attention span.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 09:57 AM (78a2H)

70 One of my co-workers tried to watch Brideshead Revisited and found it revolting. This is the Jeremy Irons production, btw. He and his wife are Protestants and found interwar England too decadent to even watch.
-----

How can one find one of the greatest series ever made "revolting"?!

Was it Sebastian and his teddy bear?

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:57 AM (kpS4V)

71 I do think the endless buffet of hot media available via the tubes has affected my attention span.
Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 09:57 AM

This. YouTube steals my life in 15 minute chunks.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at March 23, 2025 09:58 AM (jc0TO)

72 Reading adjacent because of the Tolkien connection. Watched the War of the Rohirrim movie last night. It was okay but seems intended for young girls or women. I'm not a fan of anime but this wasn't as bad as some I've seen. The backgrounds were the best visual part: detailed, sharp and imaginative and pulled strongly from the LOTR movies. There were a lot of casual mentions of characters and situations that would mean something to folks familiar with the books.

As far as I can tell, the story grew from a single mention in the books about a shield maiden, referring to Eowyn. The producers used that as a springboard to the story and characters.

Seems to me the story about Helm Hammerhand would have been fine as it is. But they had to make it a 'girl power' cartoon instead of a powerful story about desperate people and times and the qualities for survival. It's not bad, just could have been so much better.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:59 AM (yTvNw)

73 63 Didn't we talk about quality reading over book count last week or the week before?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 09:50 AM (0eaVi)

Well, yeah...probably every week. Same as we do Tolkien, and Star Trek.

*runs away, serpentine

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 09:59 AM (h7ZuX)

74 How can one find one of the greatest series ever made "revolting"?!

Was it Sebastian and his teddy bear?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 09:57 AM (kpS4V)
---
Anthony Blanche was problematic for them. Seriously.

I couldn't believe it. I gave away the spoiler that it is a conversion story, but I guess they could not relate to anything happening. Note that the guy's wife was a librarian at MSU. Not a good look.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 10:00 AM (ZOv7s)

75 Tornado? It looks just like our family room after an ordinary day.

Posted by: pjungwir at March 23, 2025 10:01 AM (8TbJ+)

76 As far as I can tell, the story grew from a single mention in the books about a shield maiden, referring to Eowyn. The producers used that as a springboard to the story and characters.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 09:59 AM (yTvNw)
---
In the appendices, there is the tale of Helm Hammerhand and how half-blood nobleman sought the hand of his daughter (who is not named) in marriage.

And from that they made up a bunch of stuff that never happened in the books, but called it a "faithful adaptation."

This is the new thing, I guess. You spend a billion dollars to buy the rights to immensely popular books and then take a dump on them and wonder why the audience isn't there.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 10:03 AM (ZOv7s)

77 if you didn't know better you would think King is more of a movie script writer than an author.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:04 AM (VofaG)

78 Tornado? It looks just like our family room after an ordinary day.
Posted by: pjungwir at March 23, 2025 10:01 AM (8TbJ+)
---
Mine is much worse at the moment, and that's after spending hours on it yesterday.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 10:05 AM (ZOv7s)

79 if you didn't know better you would think King is more of a movie script writer than an author.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:04 AM

[ Michael Crichton has entered the chat ]

Posted by: Grump928(C) at March 23, 2025 10:06 AM (jc0TO)

80 I also think King is a jackass, but I can forgive an awful lot because of one line in an article he wrote. He referred to some movie or other as badly made, then added, "and as the director of Maximum Overdrive, I should know."

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 10:06 AM (78a2H)

81 The best thing I think Stephen King wrote is The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon about a little girl who gets lost during a walk in the woods. It's a pretty short book without all the usual SK bullshit and filler. He must have had a real editor that time.

Posted by: huerfano at March 23, 2025 10:06 AM (n2swS)

82 Well, my mayfly Internet attention span is sated, so it's off to spend a few hours in the real world.

Posted by: Trimegistus at March 23, 2025 10:08 AM (78a2H)

83 if you didn't know better you would think King is more of a movie script writer than an author.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:04 AM (VofaG)
---
That was another factor. When movies and TV became a thing, you had writers who wanted to break into Hollywood, and figured selling the rights and then working the script was the key.

Alec Waugh, elder brother of Evelyn, went this route, writing a bunch of potboilers and eventually striking gold with An Island in the Sun. Quite a bit of fraternal rivalry. Alec lived in New York, jetted to LA and lived chased women while younger bro married into nobility and got a country estate.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 10:08 AM (ZOv7s)

84 Grabbed it immediately, and still find it useful. I've frequently quoted his definition of 'Bride' ('A woman with a fine prospect of happiness behind her.') to the incredibly nifty, long-suffering, Mrs Some Guy (who as of St. Patrick's Day has somehow tolerated me for 53 years).
Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 09:35 AM (q3u5l)

In light of The Current Year and the not so secret feelings of the Left, one of my favorites is his definition of 'African' -- 'A n****r that votes our way.' Absolutely chef's kiss bang on.

Posted by: Vanya at March 23, 2025 10:08 AM (g1h/9)

85 Gee, I thought the picture was of my grandson's play area, after he got through taking out all the books and throwing them on the ground...
I'm working my way through the to-be-read pile on the bedside table. Finished Barbara Hambly's story of four women associated with the first four presidents of the US - vaguely unsatisfied with it, as the narrative kept hopping from woman to woman, and exasperatingly, from year to year, sometimes in reverse. Very hard to follow the coherent story underneath. Now reading Ronald Mckie "The Heroes" - about a secret WWII mission to send a team of experts from Australia to Singapore to sabotage Japanese ships in Keppel Harbor. Reads like a novel, at least about the first mission, which made most of the voyage in a battered old Japanese coastal fishing tender. The second try, a year later and by submarine resulted in the death or capture and execution of the team members - so, not as readable, without the input from participants....

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at March 23, 2025 10:10 AM (Ew3fm)

86 I think there are almost 50 movies made based on King's books or short stories. I don't think anyone else comes close.

I've only read one of his books. The Running Man.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:12 AM (VofaG)

87 After many months, I'm almost finished reading The Age of Napoleon, by the Durants.

I'm up to Bonaparte's "Bedtime for Bonzo" moment - Waterloo. That's close enough to the end of the book to report on it.

This is my first Durant book. I very much appreciate their style. If the book is sometimes slow-paced, that is simply because the Durants are covering what the promised the book is about. So while I wasn't overly enthusiastic about the separate paths of arts, sciences, literature, philosophies, and morals in Great Britain, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Prussia, Austria, Italy and the Ottoman Empire, some of it is necessary sidetracking in order to understand the intricacies of "the age."

I personally enjoyed the detour about Beethoven's life and death.

But Napoleon is the star of the book and the Durants deliver. The book begins with a long and detailed introduction to the French Revolution, its aftermath, and it's players. There is a lot here, even before the rise of Napoleon.

And then there's Bonaparte himself. Brilliant officer. Fearless. Egomaniac. Tactician. Womanizer. Emperor. Short. Oh, and hemorrhoids. Who could ask for anything more!

Highly recommended.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 23, 2025 10:13 AM (qFAfu)

88 From earlier

Kitty, wife of failed Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, dies

https://mol.im/a/14526359
Posted by: Ciampino - I remembered her name at March 23, 2025 01:09 AM

Honestly, I thought she died years ago.

*ties into thread topic*
1991, Dukakis published her memoir, Now You Know, in which she candidly discussed her ongoing battle with alcoholism and the pressures of being a political wife.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at March 23, 2025 10:13 AM (jc0TO)

89 Trimegistus at 69,

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger. Over the last decade, I've found myself less and less willing to dive into anything really heavy. Ditto into much that's new. Trifocals for this kid, and just enough arthritis in the hands to make holding many physical books for very long uncomfortable. That and the decade of almost-sf-only starting when I was 12 or 13 (most of the novels were 40-60 thousand words max, and a LOT of the books out there were short story collections) that hit the attention span.

I look at the listings and recommendations of writers new to me and find myself returning instead to work already familiar. Not long ago a friend recommended Kazuo Ishiguro, of whom I've heard good things and seen a couple of films from his work. Probably won't get to his books. Kinda like a traveler at this point, noting all the countries on the map he'll never get around to visiting.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 10:15 AM (q3u5l)

90 Can't say I know much about King, but was never interested in any of his books. I was checking out the book section in a Target recently to see who random writers got published and by which houses. Some of the names were there, some were I suppose smaller imprints, and I paged through a few of them to check their writing styles. I can't understand how many people get published with the crap they write. I'm no great Shakes (peare), but I don't see that they're better than any one of the Moron authors, like MP4.

What was I saying? Oh, I riffed through a King book - can't remember the title - and in three pages he had three chapters. He started a new chapter in the middle of a page. That was offputting to me. But, I guess he's famous, so....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:15 AM (0eaVi)

91 I liberated The History of Clan Shaw from my parent's house. A good if self-serving history of my Grandmother's people.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at March 23, 2025 09:52 AM (jc0TO)

Got some Shaw's in my tree...NC, I believe.

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 10:16 AM (Yj6Os)

92 Got some Shaw's in my tree...NC, I believe.
Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 10:16 AM

We're probably kin.

Posted by: Grump928(C) at March 23, 2025 10:17 AM (jc0TO)

93 A few weeks ago, some moron or 'ette recommended Stone's Fall by Lain Pears. I'm about 1/3 through. It is good although at 600+ pages, it's a bit of a door stopper. The story concerns an English old man reminiscing about his employment by a wealthy lady who hires him to find her dead husband's illegitimate child so his will may be probated. In order to avoid pretenders, his cover story is that he is writing a biography of the man. He knows little about the world of finance and the upper class (and he has leftist inclinations) and, as he learns, he explains to us. The author has well created the world of England just before WWI. He finds numerous contradictory clues and I have no idea what's going to happen. The title refers to the husband's death by falling, jumping, or being pushed from a window.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 10:17 AM (L/fGl)

94 Well, yeah...probably every week. Same as we do Tolkien, and Star Trek.

*runs away, serpentine
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 09:59 AM (h7ZuX)

Which reminds me, I haven't thought about the Roman Empire today.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:17 AM (0eaVi)

95 Well, now I have.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:18 AM (0eaVi)

96 Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at

They made him short? Poor Napoleon. He was tagged with being short when he was actually 5' 7" which was above average at that time.

I think the mistake came when they took French units ion measurements and just reported it as English measurement.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:18 AM (VofaG)

97 Morning, Book Folken!

I enjoy Wodehouse, particularly Bertie's then-contemporary slang, but I can't comprehend some of it. When context doesn't help, I say that life is too short to let those instances pause me, and charge on through. Doesn't dim my pleasure a bit.
Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025

***
Bertie refers to his breakfast often as "b. and eggs," or "Bacon and e." Took me a while to get that.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:19 AM (omVj0)

98 I picked up a collection of four King stories on a barge I was working on years ago. The stories were 1408, Children of the Corn, The Mangler (which is the one about the evil laundry machine someone mentioned upthread), and one more that I don't remember. Oh, and I've also read The Regulators, which is one of the ones he published under a pseudonym.

My feeling, based on this rather small sample size, is that he knows how to imagine frightening situations and keep the reader's eyeballs on the page, which I suppose is all that's necessary to move product. Bradbury and Lovecraft are both better at actually constructing a fictional setting and moving a story through it. In short: King is the McDonald's of horror.

Posted by: Vanya at March 23, 2025 10:21 AM (g1h/9)

99 Which reminds me, I haven't thought about the Roman Empire today.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:17 AM (0eaVi)
----

This reminds me of a meme:

*shows Roman soldier pondering his own coolth*

"When your civilization is so awesome that the History Channel doesn't attribute your success to aliens."

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at March 23, 2025 10:22 AM (kpS4V)

100 This is my first Durant book.

I have one volume of their histories, but haven't read any of it yet.

Oh, and hemorrhoids. Who could ask for anything more!

I believe I'll pass on those.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 23, 2025 10:13 AM (qFAfu)

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:22 AM (0eaVi)

101 Finished Travis S Taylor's Warp Speed; started, barely, Piers Paul Read's Monk Dawson.

Posted by: Nazdar at March 23, 2025 10:23 AM (NcvvS)

102 I'm re-reading Steven Pressfield's , Tides of War.

I wish I could find another author who is as easy to read to me. So easy that even though im reading it feels like I'm just listening to an audio book.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:23 AM (VofaG)

103 Thank you Perfessor for the Steven Erikson series Fall of Malazan(book of the fallen). I'm over half way through the 2nd book with the 3rd on the tbr shelf already.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 23, 2025 10:23 AM (DNxNK)

104 I've read several Stephen King books over the years but was never a fan. Horror isn't my genre. His style just doesn't appeal and I'm not one to care about an author's popularity. The best book he wrote was the one 'On Writing'. It is a direct not overly heated memoir and has good advice on producing a book. I found out he was a leftist idiot after I formed my opinions about his books.

Posted by: JTB at March 23, 2025 10:23 AM (yTvNw)

105 He and his wife are Protestants and found interwar England too decadent to even watch.windows.

-
You ain't seen nothing yet.

Posted by: Post Civilization England at March 23, 2025 10:23 AM (L/fGl)

106 Morning all.
New swing shift job has not left any time to really dive into any books lately, or even keep caught up on this site for that matter.
I've been getting to know AI as much as I can. It's the industry I work in now. An industry where there is no time to write books about it as by the time you write then publish your book is outdated. Fun stuff and I'm not working amongst a bunch of felons, which is a change for the better and boy did I want a change. I think I stumbled onto a really good thing and plan on making it work.
After 8 months not working it's good to be able to hold my head up high again.
Off to content...

Posted by: Reforger at March 23, 2025 10:24 AM (xcIvR)

107 Which reminds me, I haven't thought about the Roman Empire today.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:17 AM (0eaVi)

I shannot believe it.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 10:24 AM (h7ZuX)

108 The Dark Descent gives you a lot of stories for your money. I looked over the Table of Contents, and see a bunch of classics that appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies decades ago like Lawrence's "The Rocking-Horse Winner" and Hichens' "How Love Came to Professor Guildea." There's also Shirley Jackson's "The Summer People." It's a creepy story, but even as a grownup I don't get the real threat behind what's surrounding the couple in the story. But it is unsettling.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:27 AM (omVj0)

109 Thanks for the dandy Book Thread, Perfessor!

That photo of the library is sobering in its reminder of how powerful the forces of nature and weather can be. So thankful the damage was not worse!

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at March 23, 2025 10:27 AM (rxCpr)

110 I went to a local ish book store last Sunday and picked up a few nice books - a one volume edition of Tolkien's letters, a recent edition of Alistair Maclean's "The Satan Bug" and "Halsey's Typhoon" by Bob Drury & Tom Calvin, about the massive typhoon that hit the Third Fleet in WWII

Posted by: Josephistan at March 23, 2025 10:27 AM (bHGBC)

111 King's work strikes me as wildly uneven, but when he was cookin' (less and less after he fell victim to TDS) he was good. I find I can still enjoy a lot of the earlier stuff (Salem's Lot, The Shining, most of Hearts in Atlantis, Different Seasons, and others). On Writing and Danse Macabre are well worth a look.

But one thing King did that slips through the cracks is Philtrum Press. He initially did Eyes of the Dragon through his own publishing house, founded just for that book for his daughter. Later he did one other title, which was Don Robertson's novel The Ideal Genuine Man -- I first heard of Robertson through that book, because of King. Have enjoyed Robertson's work for a long time, and I've said before that if I could write something one-thousandth as good as Robertson's novel Mystical Union I would die a happy man. For this kid, King gets all kinds of points for that.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 10:29 AM (q3u5l)

112 Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at

They made him short? Poor Napoleon. He was tagged with being short when he was actually 5' 7" which was above average at that time.

I think the mistake came when they took French units ion measurements and just reported it as English measurement.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:18 AM (VofaG)
-

Thanks for that clarification. Glok explains:

https://tinyurl.com/bdeupvsk

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 23, 2025 10:31 AM (qFAfu)

113 Almost half-way through Paul Johnson's The Birth of the Modern 1815-1830. There's an awful lot in it about how the English government works, but as the most powerful nation on the planet, it's probably justified. Also reading Absolute Power by David Baldacci and enjoying it. The excellent Clint Eastwood movie of the story follows it very closely so far (and as best as I remember).

Posted by: who knew at March 23, 2025 10:31 AM (+ViXu)

114 I forgot. When I was trying to teach myself Spanish I bought King's paperback of Misery in both English and Spanish (same publisher). I never did get around to them.

I did it because our local newspaper had been running a series of stories where they would put the English and Spanish text stories next to each other. It was a great way to learn.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:31 AM (VofaG)

115 Jove, supposed to be the father/ruler, is a caricature of a lazy, fickle and vindictive dad, cheating on his wife, abusing his kids, trying to avoid responsibility, but then unleashing severe beatings without warning. Have they done a trailer park version of the Iliad, because it would totally work. Have him live in a double-wide on a hill.

-
Perfect religion for Hollywood. They could be spiritual but still totally hedonistic bully untroubled by morality. I should see about becoming a priest Zeus and moving to Hollywood.

Posted by: Post Civilization England at March 23, 2025 10:32 AM (L/fGl)

116 Bring back the PMRC
I need some motivation.
Bring back the USSR
We need that situation.

Talk about a bygone era.
Kitty D was instrumental in the parent warnings on (heh)... record covers. "Parental Warning. Explicit Lyrics".
Starting a time when NOT having that warining was a sure fire way to sell zero records.

Posted by: Reforger at March 23, 2025 10:33 AM (xcIvR)

117 good morning Perfessor, Horde

Posted by: callsign claymore at March 23, 2025 10:33 AM (JwwkB)

118 98 I picked up a collection of four King stories on a barge I was working on years ago. The stories were 1408, Children of the Corn, The Mangler (which is the one about the evil laundry machine someone mentioned upthread), and one more that I don't remember. Oh, and I've also read The Regulators, which is one of the ones he published under a pseudonym.
. . . he knows how to imagine frightening situations and keep the reader's eyeballs on the page, which I suppose is all that's necessary to move product. Bradbury and Lovecraft are both better at actually constructing a fictional setting and moving a story through it. In short: King is the McDonald's of horror.
Posted by: Vanya at March 23, 2025

***
Those are really not his best in either short form or long. {i]Salem's Lot will scare you silly; The Dead Zone qualifies as tragedy; Firestarter is a solid SF-based thriller; and his short stories "Trucks" and "Battleground" will stick with your memory for a long long time.

I have noticed that as the years went by, he began to quote more from pop songs than from literary sources and poems.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:34 AM (omVj0)

119 I shannot believe it.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 10:24 AM (h7ZuX)

Well, I did right after posting.

Hey, whaddya think about the rumors of reanimating Cap't Kirk in a new Star Trek?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:35 AM (0eaVi)

120 I remember reading "The Devil's Dictionary" many years ago. I then found an older edition which was unabridged, and I guess you can see why: "African" is defined as "a [n-word] that votes our way."

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 23, 2025 10:37 AM (CHHv1)

121 I think in real life, most ( not all of course) evil, criminal geniuses are actually easier to catch because they are narcissistic and believe they are the smartest person in the room so they make mistakes thinking no one could rise to their level.

Leopold and Loeb come to mind.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:38 AM (VofaG)

122 He's got enough work in print by now that you could probably put together a reading list or anthology called "Stephen King for People Who Don't Like Stephen King."

A couple that would be in that list are his short stories "The Woman in the Room" and "The Last Rung on the Ladder." Believe both are in his collection Night Shift and both are highly recommended.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 10:39 AM (q3u5l)

123 I enjoy King's non-fiction, but I haven't read any of his novels in years. Last one was "The Tommyknockers" where his hero goes into a huge anti-nuke rant.

Honestly, my interest in an author rarely survives the moment when he feels he MUST inject his politics into the story.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at March 23, 2025 10:39 AM (CHHv1)

124 He's got enough work in print by now that you could probably put together a reading list or anthology called "Stephen King for People Who Don't Like Stephen King."

A couple that would be in that list are his short stories "The Woman in the Room" and "The Last Rung on the Ladder." Believe both are in his collection Night Shift and both are highly recommended.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025

***
Yes, plus the first three novelettes in Different Seasons. I love the fourth one -- but it might turn off people who dislike fantasy and horror.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:41 AM (omVj0)

125 Which reminds me, I haven't thought about the Roman Empire today.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:17 AM (0eaVi)
-

יומא דין בבלאי הוו לי

Yoma din Bavelaye havu li.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 23, 2025 10:41 AM (qFAfu)

126 Well, time for Mass. Thanks again, Perfesser!

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 10:41 AM (ZOv7s)

127 Leopold and Loeb come to mind.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:38 AM (VofaG)

For some reason, when I see those names I think about Tin Pan Alley.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:42 AM (0eaVi)

128 Who's more macho...Stephen King/Tim Walz?

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 10:42 AM (Yj6Os)

129 I was thrift shopping last week, and I often don't find any books I want to take home, but I chose five that day.

I got a knitting handbook, spiral bound, which is nice.

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers
The Sherwood File, a 1965 spy novel by Conrad Voss Bark. The cover of this little paperbook proclaims that it's "The Year's Number One Spy Thriller!" Looking forward to reading this one.
And, Sex and Rage by Eve Babitz, which looks to be a trashy beach read from 1979.

Will update on the latter two next week.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 10:43 AM (h7ZuX)

130 Who's more macho...Stephen King/Tim Walz?

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 10:42 AM (Yj6Os)
-

Both Village People.

Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 23, 2025 10:44 AM (qFAfu)

131 The Dark Descent is a good anthology, and Hartwell was a good anthologist.

You'll notice that he split the anthology into the parts, to allow himself to include three stories by Robert Aickman...

Posted by: J at March 23, 2025 10:44 AM (TZWdq)

132 The book is called Binary. The plot involves a planned nerve gas attack during a political convention; the agent who has to stop it finds that his personnel files and psych profiles have been accessed by the man planning the attack

--------

If I'm the agent? The psych profile says "No worries, full speed ahead, YD's plan is to sip the finest whiskey he can afford on a sandy beach somewhere with the radio on, waiting, and laughing."

Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at March 23, 2025 10:45 AM (BI5O2)

133 @110 --

I bought a copy of "The Satan Bug" decades ago but never read it. Then I lost it.

I bought another copy about a decade ago. Several years passed before I read it.

Good story, but one read is enough. I hope you like it.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 10:45 AM (p/isN)

134 This week I finished a late book in the Narnia series, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in which Lucy and Edmund from the earlier books venture back to Narnia again. An unpleasant cousin of theirs is swept along and gets changed into a dragon, and a magician rules benevolently over a crowd of near-idiots called the Dufflepuds.
And Aslan the Great Lion shows up again. Pleasant stuff, and I love Lewis's style of "I'm telling you a story about this amazing world."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:46 AM (omVj0)

135 Robert Aickman --

Haven't gotten to his novellas The Model and Go Back at Once, but have read a number of his short stories. Strange stuff.

I like them, but damned if I could say quite why...

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 10:47 AM (q3u5l)

136 Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:42 AM (0eaVi)

the song ?

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:47 AM (VofaG)

137 Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:42 AM (0eaVi)

the song ?
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:47 AM (VofaG)

No, more like confusing them with Lerner and Lowe.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:50 AM (0eaVi)

138 Currently I'm about halfway through Anne Tyler's 2020 Redhead by the Side of the Road, which does not involve a hot ginger stealing anybody's soul on a road trip. But it's fascinating stuff anyway. Tyler deals with everyday people, people you might actually know or have in your family, and sets them hurdles to jump that you can recognize from your own life or those of your friends.

She has written, what, twenty-three or more novels since 1964? I love The Accidental Tourist, which was adapted into a fine movie with William Hurt and Geena Davis back in '87 or so.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:50 AM (omVj0)

139 I love The Accidental Tourist, which was adapted into a fine movie with William Hurt and Geena Davis back in '87 or so.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:50 AM (omVj0)

Geena...she was a babe...back in the day.

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 10:53 AM (Yj6Os)

140 יומא דין בבלאי הוו לי

Yoma din Bavelaye havu li.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at March 23, 2025 10:41 AM (qFAfu)

Universal translator inactive. Mr. Scott, work a miracle.*

*ST ref for Dash.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:53 AM (0eaVi)

141 No, more like confusing them with Lerner and Lowe.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:50 AM (0eaVi)

Thanks. I always learn something at aos. Im not an American theater guy. Me not knowing who they are is like people saying they've never listen to a Taylor Swift song.

Even if its not your thing you should know this type of info just because it's ubiquitous info to most people (at least my age).

thanks again.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:54 AM (VofaG)

142 I never liked his work because his writing style was so awful. He tried to capture the common touch...
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at March 23, 2025 09:41 AM (ZOv7s)

I think of King as a storyteller, and not so much a "writer." Sure, his stories are written down, but they're not literary masterpieces by any stretch. His prose is mediocre at best.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 09:55 AM (h7ZuX)

Ugh. Can't believe that "I get" to defend King.

SK is clearly a good writer and a good prose writer because he is an effective writer for his genre. You don't become a mega-selling author if people either can't understand what you write or find it boring or too simplistic.

Not saying he's a great prose writer, but how many people read just for that?

As a f'instance, you will probably never find a better example of quality prose writing than in Thomas Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow' or "V'. Yet, most of the folks here woul run screaming for the exits after page 10 or so.

King gets a bajillion readers worldwide and a ton of movies made from his works.

Pynchon gets a few thousand and 2 movies by Paul T Anderson.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 23, 2025 10:56 AM (iJfKG)

143 *ST ref for Dash.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:53 AM (0eaVi)

Ah, thanks!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 10:57 AM (h7ZuX)

144 Now, Lois Lerner could tell a story!

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 10:58 AM (L/fGl)

145 No, more like confusing them with Lerner and Lowe.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:50 AM (0eaVi)

Thanks. I always learn something at aos. Im not an American theater guy. Me not knowing who they are is like people saying they've never listen to a Taylor Swift song.

Even if its not your thing you should know this type of info just because it's ubiquitous info to most people (at least my age).

thanks again.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025

***
The My Fair Lady and Camelot guys.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:58 AM (omVj0)

146 Stephen King isn’t so bad, so long as you keep in mind he’s writing pulp. Silly, violent, titillating ghost stories.

The “haunted lamp” criticism feels a little off-base. He relies more on unseen horrors and demonic figures, like Randall Flagg/“R.F.”

My biggest gripe would be his aggressive, ingeminate Boomerism. Like, we get it: the 60s were your favorite decade. You think sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll are the height of human achievement. You like far-left politics and hate the Vietnam War and Nixon. It’s the 21st century, you can shut up about it now.

King self-inserts into almost every story. How many ex-cokehead writers feature as protagonists?

Where he goes astray is being too serious. The Dark Tower series was way too long and the ending was as cliched as “it was all just a dream..” What a hack.

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 10:59 AM (l3YAf)

147 SK is clearly a good writer and a good prose writer because he is an effective writer for his genre. You don't become a mega-selling author if people either can't understand what you write or find it boring or too simplistic.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 23, 2025 10:56 AM (iJfKG)

That's fair, and I think I was getting there with that, but fell short. He does tell engrossing stories, which is why he's successful.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 11:00 AM (h7ZuX)

148 The My Fair Lady and Camelot guys.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 10:58 AM (omVj0)

Yes , something I just learned a minute ago. Always learning at aos.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:00 AM (VofaG)

149 @135 -- I have a copy of The Model, and it looks like I have a copy of Go Back At Once as well, but I have never read either of them.

I have read The Late Breakfasters, however, and several of his short stories...

Posted by: J at March 23, 2025 11:00 AM (TZWdq)

150 Thanks. I always learn something at aos. Im not an American theater guy. Me not knowing who they are is like people saying they've never listen to a Taylor Swift song.

Even if its not your thing you should know this type of info just because it's ubiquitous info to most people (at least my age).

thanks again.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:54 AM (VofaG)

The ubiquity of things in our culture in times past are fading away. Not that I'm all that conversant in theater, but you used to come across that info regularly in the olde tymes.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:01 AM (0eaVi)

151 Me not knowing who they are is like people saying they've never listen to a Taylor Swift song.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 10:54 AM (VofaG)

I've never listened to one all the way through...that I'm aware of.

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 11:02 AM (Yj6Os)

152 King is a storyteller, pure and simple. When people pick up one of his books, they're assured there will be a *story* with conflict and resolution, as compared to (newer) literary works where nothing much really happens. That sort of "slice of life" is fine in a short story -- see Dorothy Parker's best and a number of Shirley Jackson's stories -- but in a novel? No.

Yes, his later books have been infected with TDS and other political screeds. I actually did not read beyond Chapter Two of one of them. But he has too many good works for him to be dismissed completely because of that.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:02 AM (omVj0)

153 A good Stephen King story is Thinner. Interesting premise. Interesting psychological horror. Not too long, for a King book.

“It” is a perhaps his magnum opus, in all its coked-out glory. Weird, gross, creepy.

Some of King’s best stuff is his short stories. The longer the book, the more self-indulgent it becomes.

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 11:05 AM (l3YAf)

154 Now, Lois Lerner could tell a story!
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 10:58 AM (L/fGl)

Found her book in a Cincinnati bookstore. Tried to read it. Too taxing.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:06 AM (0eaVi)

155 Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:01 AM (0eaVi)

Hah. You reminded me that the youngish vet assistants had no idea who Bogie and BaCall were. (My cats names)

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:06 AM (VofaG)

156 "Stephen King isn’t so bad, so long as you... " set aside that 'It' ends with tweens having a gang bang in a sewer.

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 23, 2025 11:06 AM (HLRJX)

157 I once got some odd looks in a library committee meeting twenty or thirty years ago when I said that if I had to make a list of writers I believed would still be read a hundred years from now Stephen King would be on the list.

I thought that then, and still do.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 11:08 AM (q3u5l)

158 I only saw It on TV. Right up to the ending it was pretty good and creepy. Then it turned into a silly Doug McClure movie.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:09 AM (VofaG)

159 *ST ref for Dash.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 10:53 AM (0eaVi)

Ah, thanks!
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 23, 2025 10:57 AM (h7ZuX)

Roman Empire, check. Star Trek, check. Ok, I'll finish the trifecta.

Don't care for Tolkien, but don't miss Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" on You Tube!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:09 AM (0eaVi)

160 This guy David Hartwell also has a World Treasury of Science Fiction with a lot of classics of the genre, like Larry Niven's "Inconstant Moon," "Vintage Season" by Henry Kuttner & C.L. Moore, "The Green Hills of Earth" by Heinlein, and works by other authors I recognize and a lot I don't. I suspect, if you buy both this one and the Dark Descent volume, you will have a lot of good reading available on your shelf.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:11 AM (omVj0)

161 The Hartwell World Treasury also has a fine What if Nazi Germany Had Won WWII tale called "Weinachtsabend" by Keith Roberts of Pavane fame.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:12 AM (omVj0)

162 Hah. You reminded me that the youngish vet assistants had no idea who Bogie and BaCall were. (My cats names)
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:06 AM (VofaG)

That's a shame, really. Hopefully, our culture forgets who Taylor Swift is.*

* eh, joke.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:13 AM (0eaVi)

163 people saying they've never listen to a Taylor Swift song

*raises hand*

Posted by: Notorious BFD at March 23, 2025 11:15 AM (mH6SG)

164 I only saw It on TV. Right up to the ending it was pretty good and creepy. Then it turned into a silly Doug McClure movie.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025

***
Hey, just about anything with Annette O'Toole in it is worth watching at least once.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:15 AM (omVj0)

165 No meaningful reading again this week. The books are in sight on the end table taunting me but I just haven't had a block of time or the ability to concentrate long enough. Other than the fact that I really enjoy a good book, I try to force myself to read as a way to build my ever-decreasing attention span. As much as I love having so much information at my fingertips, the internet is, in many ways, not so good for me.

I've sort of stretched myself thin between family, work, and church activities. As an added bonus, I was asked to give a half-hour talk on an upcoming retreat which is definitely not my thing. As I struggle, I have an even greater appreciation for those of you who write and write well.

Thank you, Perfessor, for the Book Thread. I'm so happy to hear that you (and the rest of you, I hope) came through the storms ok.

Posted by: KatieFloyd at March 23, 2025 11:15 AM (oNKMU)

166 We watched the film Hillbilly Elegy two nights ago, in the middle of Ms G's read of it, and she just finished it.

So since we have it on the Kindle and own it, I guess I'll read it.

So before I start, I thought I'd read reviews and started with The Guardian's. Then I tried the NYT, but it's site is locked for subscribers only, but the page allows one to see the lede, and it's the same as The Guardian's. The reviewers cannot stop talking about Trump and MAGA people supporters.

Tiresome, no? Don't even bother to read Slate's take on it.

Posted by: Mr Gaga at March 23, 2025 11:16 AM (KiBMU)

167 Hey, just about anything with Annette O'Toole in it is worth watching at least once.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:15 AM (omVj0)

Or twice. One viewing for each of them!*

Boob reference, check.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:17 AM (0eaVi)

168 You reminded me that the youngish vet assistants had no idea who Bogie and BaCall were. (My cats names)
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth

Bogie and Bacall did a radio series, Bold Venture, portraying a couple running a hotel in Havana prior to Castro. They're always getting mixed up with criminals, spies, and what have you. I was listening the other night, and to my surprise, I was offended by his patriarchal treatment of her.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 11:17 AM (L/fGl)

169 164--

Wolfus, agree completely re: Annette O'Toole, who made even Paul Schrader's Cat People worth a viewing.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 11:18 AM (q3u5l)

170 Don't care for Tolkien, but don't miss Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" on You Tube!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:09 AM (0eaVi)

Whoa....who did that arrangement?

Posted by: BignJames at March 23, 2025 11:20 AM (Yj6Os)

171 No one ever said that talent was handed out only to good, reasonable people. Stephen King has a talent for storytelling.

He is, however, often awful at endings. The ending of It was an abomination. The ending of the Dark Tower series, which I loved through Wolves of the Calla was supremely stupid (and he knew it). For others, like Needful Things, the ending was very deus ex machina, just some sort of random rabbit pulled out of a random hat, so you could have an ending.

My favorite books of his (I have not read him in a long time) have satisfying endings that feel like a proper resolution of the story. Some examples: Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, Insomnia, The Stand.

Posted by: Splunge at March 23, 2025 11:21 AM (ju/6W)

172 Miss Linda also brought me a novel called vieux Carre Voodoo, a Scotty Bradley Mystery, from the library. It seems as though every novel about Noo Awlins (Dunces aside) has *got* to focus on the French Quarter and voodoo and Mardi Gras and all that stuff. Greg Herren, the author, steals his first paragraph directly and happily from Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House, and then plays with it after that. So I'll give him some credit. It seems to be a hardboiled sort of mystery instead of a cozy.

But it gets tiring. What if every novel about New York City focused *only* on Greenwich Village, or every story set in Baltimore concerned itself only with the harbor and Francis Scott Key?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:21 AM (omVj0)

173 Wolfus, agree completely re: Annette O'Toole, who made even Paul Schrader's Cat People worth a viewing.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025

***
I liked that film for that reason, and because it actually *used* the New Orleans setting in a noirish kind of way (and was actually filmed here too).

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:22 AM (omVj0)

174 Re: F. Paul Wilson. The first book I read by him was "The Keep"; essentially Nazis vs. Dracula in a medieval fortress. Great book, made into a mediocre (although sometimes interesting) movie. The next book I read was "The Tomb," first of the Repairman Jack series. Great book, although it wasn't clearly going to lead to a series, since it wasn't obvious that Jack was going to survive the book. Highly recommended.

Posted by: Disillusionist at March 23, 2025 11:23 AM (rsMc/)

175 Annette OToole was in one of my favorite movies, One on One with Robby Benson.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:24 AM (VofaG)

176 I finally got through all 7 of the existing Dungeon Crawler Carl books (more coming). It was an odd experience, because I kept thinking that I didn't want to read about someone living a video game, but I think he must be a really good writer, because I felt compelled to keep reading, even though part of me didn't want to be there. I hope he writes a different kind of book in the future, because he has talent IMO.

To cleanse my palate and get me back to a more normal place, I turned to one of my endlessly-re-readable standbys, Tim Powers' The Drawing of the Dark, which I love.

Posted by: Splunge at March 23, 2025 11:26 AM (ju/6W)

177 A.H. Lloyd, I hear you re children's messiness. My husband once stood at the door to my son's room and said, Did it hurt?

This was my solution: I made each room thoroughly neat, then took pictures of each section and taped them to the wall above said section. Instead of saying Clean it up, I said, Make it look like the picture.

End of problem.

Posted by: Wenda at March 23, 2025 11:27 AM (+ZccS)

178 Bogie and Bacall did a radio series, Bold Venture, portraying a couple running a hotel in Havana prior to Castro. They're always getting mixed up with criminals, spies, and what have you. I was listening the other night, and to my surprise, I was offended by his patriarchal treatment of her.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 11:17 AM (L/fGl)

Sounds like they were playing off the Thin Man series.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:27 AM (VofaG)

179 Re: F. Paul Wilson. The first book I read by him was "The Keep"; essentially Nazis vs. Dracula in a medieval fortress. Great book, made into a mediocre (although sometimes interesting) movie. . . .
Posted by: Disillusionist at March 23, 2025

***
There's a Manly Wade Wellman short story with that concept which was adapted into a Night Gallery episode; I don't know how well, since I've never read the actual tale.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:27 AM (omVj0)

180

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:27 AM (omVj0)

181 What if ... every story set in Baltimore concerned itself only with the harbor and Francis Scott Key?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:21 AM (omVj0)

That'd be a bridge too far.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:27 AM (0eaVi)

182 This must not stand!

NASCAR Shocks Fans With Controversial Decision to Evict the Hooters Girls

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 11:28 AM (L/fGl)

183 >> He is, however, often awful at endings.

Yes, this is one of my complaints about King. You could just cut the last 100 pages from his novels and they’d probably be better for it.

>> My favorite books of his (I have not read him in a long time) have satisfying endings that feel like a proper resolution of the story. Some examples: Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, Insomnia, The Stand.

Yeah, those are good. I read the extended edition of The Stand. Same problem: he doesn’t know how to wrap it up. The shorter version was better.

Posted by: Disinterested FDA Director at March 23, 2025 11:29 AM (l3YAf)

184 Oh Wolfus....

Posted by: The Barrel at March 23, 2025 11:30 AM (PiwSw)

185 This must not stand!

NASCAR Shocks Fans With Controversial Decision to Evict the Hooters Girls
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Soldier of the Persistence at March 23, 2025 11:28 AM (L/fGl)

in a twist , Hooters ran out without paying the bill. In this case NASCAR did what they had to do.

Bring in Twin Peaks !!!

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:30 AM (VofaG)

186 Annette OToole was in one of my favorite movies, One on One with Robby Benson.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025

***
The ex-Mrs. Wolfus No. 2 resented Annette, because Mrs. W. wanted to be an actress as well, and Annette was getting all the roles Mrs. W wanted -- like Lana Lang to Christopher Reeve's Superman in the third movie.

The did look quite a bit alike, though I think Annette was taller.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:30 AM (omVj0)

187 I liked that film for that reason, and because it actually *used* the New Orleans setting in a noirish kind of way (and was actually filmed here too).
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:22 AM (omVj0)

But do Annuciation and Erato streets actually cross? One of those Vegas based tv shows once gave an intersection location of two streets that run parallel.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:30 AM (0eaVi)

188 Posted by: Wenda at March 23, 2025 11:27 AM (+ZccS)

Wenda, I replied to you on ALH.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:33 AM (0eaVi)

189 Don't care for Tolkien, but don't miss Leonard Nimoy singing "The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins" on You Tube!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:09 AM (0eaVi)

I don't even know what to make of that video and have to wonder if, *substances* were involved. Or more likely *which* substances.

Posted by: KatieFloyd at March 23, 2025 11:33 AM (nwk3A)

190 Best New Orleans set movie was Hard Times with Charles Bronson. Or maybe The Cincinnati Kid.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:34 AM (VofaG)

191 Sounds like they were playing off the Thin Man series.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025

***
I have always been disappointed in Hammett's Thin Man novel. The comic energy Powell and Loy displayed in the film version, and in at least one of the sequels, just isn't there, or it doesn't come across. Somebody like Donald Westlake or Lawrence Block (or, dare I say it, me!) could have taken the characters and concept and done up a truly enjoyable series of novels about Nick and Nora.

"Just how many saloons have I been thrown out of now, Mrs. Charles?"
"That would be all of them, Mr. Charles."

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:34 AM (omVj0)

192 But do Annuciation and Erato streets actually cross? One of those Vegas based tv shows once gave an intersection location of two streets that run parallel.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025

***
Erato and Thalia and Euterpe, a lot of the "Muse" streets, cross Annunciation for sure. Lemme see . . .

. . . yes, they do, right near where the Greater New Orleans Bridge begins.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:37 AM (omVj0)

193 Totally off subject but here is 90 minutes of Howard Lutnick.

He really Loves America

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=182ckTL2KBA

Posted by: rhennigantx at March 23, 2025 11:37 AM (gbOdA)

194 Manly Wade Wellman wrote in both supernatural horror and science fiction, and is one of those Golden Age writers that got forgotten, but seem to have been very influential to the genres.
He was in in Weird Tales, and he was published in IF, but I have only seen some of his work in anthologies.
One of his characters is a itinerant magician who travels Appalachia with a guitar strung with silver strings, battling evil where he stumbles across it.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 23, 2025 11:38 AM (D7oie)

195 Somebody like Donald Westlake or Lawrence Block (or, dare I say it, me!) could have taken the characters and concept and done up a truly enjoyable series of novels about Nick and Nora.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:34 AM (omVj0)

I'd read it. Unfortunately, it's not in the public domain yet.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:38 AM (0eaVi)

196 ut do Annuciation and Erato streets actually cross? One of those Vegas based tv shows once gave an intersection location of two streets that run parallel.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025

***
Is that the Cat People scene with the white apartment building, where John Hurt and his crew gather because of the report of a wild black panther loose in the building? I think I know that building and I *think* it is right at that intersection. Or was in 1981 when the movie was short.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:39 AM (omVj0)

197 Manly Wade Wellman wrote in both supernatural horror and science fiction, and is one of those Golden Age writers that got forgotten, but seem to have been very influential to the genres.
He was in in Weird Tales, and he was published in IF, but I have only seen some of his work in anthologies.
One of his characters is a itinerant magician who travels Appalachia with a guitar strung with silver strings, battling evil where he stumbles across it.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 23, 2025

***
Pretty sure he wrote some mystery short stories as well. I know I first saw his name in an Ellery Queen's magazine anthology long ago.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:41 AM (omVj0)

198 King and endings --

One of King's satisfying endings (for me, anyway -- YMMV) was in his TV original Storm of the Century. The story itself played around with a combo of whatever-happened-to-the-Roanoke-colony and Jackson's "The Lottery." But the last portion of that mini-series showed the aftermath of the main story, what became of the residents of King's Little Tall Island, and it made the show.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 11:41 AM (q3u5l)

199 . . . yes, they do, right near where the Greater New Orleans Bridge begins.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:37 AM (omVj0)

Funny things that stick in your mind, isn't it? I only watched Cat People once, but I guess I'm always thinking. Now, at least I know they got that part right.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:41 AM (0eaVi)

200 Interestingly, I've had a small cluster of people buying my novel over the last month,

so if you folk are among those who did...

Thank you very much. i truly appreciate it.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 23, 2025 11:42 AM (iJfKG)

201 Real world beckons.

Thanks for the thread, Perfessor.

Have a good one, gang.

Posted by: Just Some Guy at March 23, 2025 11:42 AM (q3u5l)

202 they had a one hit wonder song in 1982 called Key Largo which has Bogie and Bacall in the lyrics.

that was 35 years after the movie and I believe even at that time I think a lot of my peers never heard of Bogie and Bacall.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:43 AM (VofaG)

203 Interesting history of Ambrose Bierce; as a young man was intelligent but not that noticeable. Fought for the Federal Army in the civil war, was badly wounded, and had a metal plate put in his head to hold his skull together. After that, all who had known him said his personality changed radically, and that he became a brilliant writer and editor, but bitter, mean, and nasty to everyone around him.

I don’t know if he started the stereotype of the man with the plate in his head, but he sure lived up to it.

Posted by: Tom Servo at March 23, 2025 11:43 AM (7ka71)

204 As of June '23, Gorgle Street View does not show a building like the Cat People setting at Erato and Annunciation any more. Oh, well.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:43 AM (omVj0)

205 One of his characters is a itinerant magician who travels Appalachia with a guitar strung with silver strings, battling evil where he stumbles across it.
Posted by: Kindltot at March 23, 2025 11:38 AM (D7oie)

The Devil went down to Georgia....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:43 AM (0eaVi)

206 Somebody like Donald Westlake or Lawrence Block (or, dare I say it, me!) could have taken the characters and concept and done up a truly enjoyable series of novels about Nick and Nora.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025
*
I'd read it. Unfortunately, it's not in the public domain yet.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025

***
I could have a *lot* of fun with that, set in the 1930s!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:45 AM (omVj0)

207 Is that the Cat People scene with the white apartment building, where John Hurt and his crew gather because of the report of a wild black panther loose in the building? I think I know that building and I *think* it is right at that intersection. Or was in 1981 when the movie was short.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:39 AM (omVj0)

Vague recollection. I think the scene took place at night. There may have been a crowd there.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:45 AM (0eaVi)

208 osted by: Tom Servo at March 23, 2025 11:43 AM (7ka71)

you reminded me of Master and Commander. That was a good series of books.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:46 AM (VofaG)

209 We've drifted away from books to movies, but at least the two are connected. Mostly. That's okay, I'm crazy about both and I love where they intersect.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:46 AM (omVj0)

210 Is that the Cat People scene with the white apartment building, where John Hurt and his crew gather because of the report of a wild black panther loose in the building? I think I know that building and I *think* it is right at that intersection. Or was in 1981 when the movie was short.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025
*
Vague recollection. I think the scene took place at night. There may have been a crowd there.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025

***
The plot opens at night, but John Hurt as the zoo curator and his crew gather there in the morning afterward. I think; been years since I watched the film.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:48 AM (omVj0)

211 Been sleeping tje whole book thread

Posted by: Skip at March 23, 2025 11:48 AM (fwDg9)

212 Orange Ent, I saw you mention ALH to someone else above. How do I find it?

Posted by: Wenda at March 23, 2025 11:48 AM (+ZccS)

213 they had a one hit wonder song in 1982 called Key Largo which has Bogie and Bacall in the lyrics.

that was 35 years after the movie and I believe even at that time I think a lot of my peers never heard of Bogie and Bacall.
Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025

***
Not even from movie posters and revivals at theatres? Lauren Bacall I can imagine is not as well known, but Bogart is, isn't he?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:49 AM (omVj0)

214 Interestingly, I've had a small cluster of people buying my novel over the last month,

so if you folk are among those who did...

Thank you very much. i truly appreciate it.

Posted by: naturalfake at March 23, 2025 11:42 AM (iJfKG)

Link?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:49 AM (0eaVi)

215 I could have a *lot* of fun with that, set in the 1930s!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:45 AM (omVj0)

Maybe five years left for copyright.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:51 AM (0eaVi)

216 I would like to read the unredacted Epstein files this week but alas, DC has more important things to attend to I guess.

Posted by: Maj. Healey at March 23, 2025 11:52 AM (/U5Yz)

217 We've drifted away from books to movies, but at least the two are connected. Mostly. That's okay, I'm crazy about both and I love where they intersect.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:46 AM (omVj0)

At Annunciation and Erato streets?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:53 AM (0eaVi)

218 Not even from movie posters and revivals at theatres? Lauren Bacall I can imagine is not as well known, but Bogart is, isn't he?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 11:49 AM (omVj0)

if you said Humphrey Bogart they would know but the label Bogie and Bacall might not be.

Posted by: Sebastian Melmoth at March 23, 2025 11:54 AM (VofaG)

219 Orange Ent, I saw you mention ALH to someone else above. How do I find it?
Posted by: Wenda at March 23, 2025 11:48 AM (+ZccS)

Oh, must be another person then. I thought you were on ALH.

Here's a link to the login page. It has instructions on how to get in if not a member.

https://groups.io/login

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:55 AM (0eaVi)

220 My grandfather was born in New Orleans. He liked to say that he was born on Good Man Street (Bonhomme?) midway between Piety and Desire.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 23, 2025 11:56 AM (ZmEVT)

221 Manly Wade Wellman wrote in both supernatural horror and science fiction, and is one of those Golden Age writers that got forgotten, but seem to have been very influential to the genres.
He was in in Weird Tales, and he was published in IF, but I have only seen some of his work in anthologies.
One of his characters is a itinerant magician who travels Appalachia with a guitar strung with silver strings, battling evil where he stumbles across it.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 23, 2025 11:38 AM (D7oie)
**********************************************

Wellman's John the Balladeer stories are collected in a book of the same name (including nine extremely short stories).

Posted by: My Ridiculously Circuitous Plan at March 23, 2025 11:58 AM (/t6P3)

222 220 My grandfather was born in New Orleans. He liked to say that he was born on Good Man Street (Bonhomme?) midway between Piety and Desire.
Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 23, 2025

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I think that street has been renamed. John Churchill Chase's book has something about it. I'll see if I can find that out. I know the area, though I wouldn't go into it even in daylight now.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 12:00 PM (omVj0)

223 WE HAZ A NOOD

Posted by: Skip at March 23, 2025 12:01 PM (fwDg9)

224 (looks at clock, kicks rock)

Shoot. The saddest part of Sunday morning again. Thanks for the thread, Perfessor.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 12:02 PM (0eaVi)

225 220 My grandfather was born in New Orleans. He liked to say that he was born on Good Man Street (Bonhomme?) midway between Piety and Desire.
Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 23, 2025

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There once was a "Goodchildren" Street; I think it's called "St. Claude" now.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 12:02 PM (omVj0)

226 Anyway! A fine Book Thread this morning. Thanks to the Perfessor and all of you!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at March 23, 2025 12:04 PM (omVj0)

227 Link?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 11:49 AM (0eaVi)

https://tinyurl.com/bdhc3dzu

Posted by: naturalfake at March 23, 2025 12:05 PM (iJfKG)

228 Posted by: naturalfake at March 23, 2025 12:05 PM (iJfKG)

Thanks, I'll take a look. Gotta go.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at March 23, 2025 12:06 PM (0eaVi)

229 LOL. Aunt Sally always corrected him by saying it was Good Children street.

My grandfather was a firm believer that the truth should not get in the way of a good story.

Posted by: no one of any consequence at March 23, 2025 12:07 PM (ZmEVT)

230 Orange Ent, I am a member, not familiar with the abbreviation, and I've never had much luck finding an active home page. Though I get and send emails. Today the home page doesn't seem to be live or show me how to make it live. (I am dolefully tech-un-savvy.)

Posted by: Wenda at March 23, 2025 12:08 PM (+ZccS)

231 #96 I know we aren't supposed to describe Napoleon as short; but in every contemporary description I've read by people who actually saw him, he was universally described as small or short. This includes descriptions by French people and people who greatly admired him.

Posted by: Karen at March 23, 2025 12:22 PM (Xx9uC)

232 "The pic above shows what happens when an EF3 tornado hits a library. It's not pretty."

Actually, that room looks like it has been hit by some of my grandchildren. Those kids can mess a room up like that in a matter of minutes.

Posted by: Ralph at March 23, 2025 12:29 PM (8WZD4)

233 I read King’s Dark Tower series and was disappointed in the ending as a lot of people were, but I did enjoy the first five books, though book five was perhaps taken from The Magnificent Seven. I could revisit them some day, the way I rewatch the first few seasons of Lost.

Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at March 23, 2025 12:51 PM (tHZw2)

234 @191 --

My understanding is that Hammett did not consider Nick and Nora to be heroes but instead objects of derision.

I'm glad I read it because it helped me to understand the movie.

And I love the line about Nick investigating the Haymarket bombing.

Posted by: Weak Geek at March 23, 2025 02:21 PM (xGGs9)

235 We should do another series of pics on Moron Libraries. It would give me a reason to clean mine.

Posted by: Victor Tango Kilo at March 23, 2025 02:36 PM (fpeEq)

236 me: Solid Ivory, the autobio of James Ivory (Merchant Ivory films; Remains of the Day; Howard's End; Room With a View)

Didn't like it much. Mostly a collection of essays which he'd published previously elsewhere.

Ivory is still alive; 96, IIRC.

Ivory & Merchant were both gay, which I didn't know but should've guessed. Ivory spent much of his working life living in India, for which he had a lifelong fascination.

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