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Sunday Morning Book Thread (02/01/2026) [MP4]
Today’s opening topic is a two parter: 1. What was the first book you read? 2. What book (if any) changed your life?
First Book: I suspect most of you are like me, in that you can’t remember a time when you couldn’t read. My grandparents had a separate room that held not just their own books, but ones that my mother and aunt had read during college. There was the usual 1960s crap like The Organization Man and The Feminine Mystique, but also wonderful ones that have stayed with me to this day. The first books I can distinctly remember reading were Lewis Carroll’s Alice books and – oddly – Nineteen Eighty-Four. Both had me hooked from the start; Carroll not so much for the story or wordplay, but for Sir John Tenniel’s illustrations, which made Victorian fashion my go-to ever since. And as far as Orwell, who could stop reading after his opening sentence, It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen? I couldn’t understand the machinations of the Party and the constriction of Newspeak, but as I got older, the book became ever more chilling and so much closer to reality.
Books That Changed My Life: Two other books I discovered fairly early in my reading life were the Victorian-era erotica Venus in Furs and A Man with a Maid, which, I suppose, could be considered books that changed my life, since they’ve colored my views of and relationships with women ever since puberty. I’d be less than honest if I didn’t admit that.
But the book that I can truly say changed my life was one that I mentioned a few weeks ago: Donald Rumbelow’s The Complete Jack the Ripper. I knew nothing about the case when I first saw it – in fact, my first reaction was, “how can there be an entire book about Jack the Ripper?” – but after reading it, I delved deeply into the world of the Whitechapel Murders, eventually corresponding with and meeting some of the most respected names in true-crime writing, editing a magazine about the murders and the world of 1888, as well as writing a reference book and penning a to-this-day regular column in the specialist magazine Ripperology. It was after I finished my JtR book that I looked around for another subject, thought about tackling the idea of a silent film mystery with Theda Bara as an amateur detective. . .and here I am, with two Bara novels under my belt and a third on the way.
What about you? Do you remember the first book you ever read? What book, if any, changed your life and made you who you are today?
Comments
(Jump to bottom of comments)1
Tolle Lege
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 09:01 AM (Ia/+0)
2
Read “How the Croix is Won,” by Warren H. Miller. Published in Blue Book Magazine’s December 1931 issue. Apparently, there was a subset of pulp dedicated to the French Foreign Legion which had a heyday from the 1920s through the 50s by various authors. Miller’s story concerns a battalion’s detachment who’ve had their adjutant kidnapped and their rifles stolen by “friendly” natives in North Africa.
The battalion sets up its cannon at the city gates demanding the return of their officer and arms. The Caid of the city sympathizes with them, but one of the squad, an old soldier named Hortet, a man known for rash actions leading to success, doesn’t believe the Caid, and hatches a mad plan to enter the city unarmed, except for hidden grenades, and rescue their officer.
Anyway, the attack works, and they retrieve both adjutant and arms, leading to the commandant giving Hortet his own Croix de Guerre, hence how the Croix is won. It wasn’t bad, just didn’t hold my interest enough to find more in this genre. The story had action and very defined characters, but it’s definitely of its time. Maybe Miller should have stuck with ski films….
The battalion sets up its cannon at the city gates demanding the return of their officer and arms. The Caid of the city sympathizes with them, but one of the squad, an old soldier named Hortet, a man known for rash actions leading to success, doesn’t believe the Caid, and hatches a mad plan to enter the city unarmed, except for hidden grenades, and rescue their officer.
Anyway, the attack works, and they retrieve both adjutant and arms, leading to the commandant giving Hortet his own Croix de Guerre, hence how the Croix is won. It wasn’t bad, just didn’t hold my interest enough to find more in this genre. The story had action and very defined characters, but it’s definitely of its time. Maybe Miller should have stuck with ski films….
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 09:01 AM (uQesX)
3
That hat demonstrates a clever use of the giant milkweed plant.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:02 AM (0U5gm)
4
First book read?
Can't remember. Probably a children's book, maybe Dr. Suess or Bennett Cerf.
Changed my life?
More than one, I'd guess. How exactly it changed me is another story....
Can't remember. Probably a children's book, maybe Dr. Suess or Bennett Cerf.
Changed my life?
More than one, I'd guess. How exactly it changed me is another story....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 09:03 AM (uQesX)
5
Morning, Book Folken! And a tip of the chapeau to MP4 for his thread handing duties today!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:03 AM (wzUl9)
6
Good morning book people.
I finished Dante's Inferno this week.
Sadly, I recognized many circles where I'm pretty sure some folks I am familiar with will reside eventually.
I finished Dante's Inferno this week.
Sadly, I recognized many circles where I'm pretty sure some folks I am familiar with will reside eventually.
Posted by: Tonypete at February 01, 2026 09:04 AM (cYBz/)
7
Love the Tenniel drawing up top, but don’t remember it. Which character is that with Alice?
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 01, 2026 09:04 AM (IUuBi)
8
Thats an intriguing question something about zoology we had the whole time life series
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (bXbFr)
9
Morning, 'rons and 'ronettes. Thanks for letting me host, CBD.
I was, naturally, depressed yesterday (I'll have more on that in a moment), so went book shopping to cheer up. I picked up a brand-new true crime book, Black Dahlia by William Mann. He is also the author of Tinseltown, which was a deep dive into the still unsolved murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor in 1922.
Dahlia is packed with research footnotes, and, if it's anything like his Taylor book, it is solid research. I haven't begun it yet, so don't know who his suspect is, or if he has one, but it's a book I am actually looking forward to spending an afternoon with.
I was, naturally, depressed yesterday (I'll have more on that in a moment), so went book shopping to cheer up. I picked up a brand-new true crime book, Black Dahlia by William Mann. He is also the author of Tinseltown, which was a deep dive into the still unsolved murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor in 1922.
Dahlia is packed with research footnotes, and, if it's anything like his Taylor book, it is solid research. I haven't begun it yet, so don't know who his suspect is, or if he has one, but it's a book I am actually looking forward to spending an afternoon with.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (ufSfZ)
10
Finished Brandon Fisichella's Corpse War of 1793, a fiction of a survivor of a zombie war in East Anglia.
It was a good read if you like Sci-fi, he did change the Zombie rules , if thats expected but not maybe unusual to newer stories as a writer might want to make their story different yet being in early the French revolution era it is different.
It was a good read if you like Sci-fi, he did change the Zombie rules , if thats expected but not maybe unusual to newer stories as a writer might want to make their story different yet being in early the French revolution era it is different.
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (Ia/+0)
11
The first book I read, one that my grandmother selected to teach me to read, was a collection of Grimm's fairy tales and poems. I can still see the illustrations of Red Riding Hood and the mouse running down the clock in my head.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (0U5gm)
12
Good morning again and thanks MP4
That cover shot is the version of 1984 I read, but I had read Animal Farm previously which was very jarring and disturbing. Most of my peers who read it did not see anything other than a story about a farm and what I remember is the growing sense I saw the world differently than they did.
That cover shot is the version of 1984 I read, but I had read Animal Farm previously which was very jarring and disturbing. Most of my peers who read it did not see anything other than a story about a farm and what I remember is the growing sense I saw the world differently than they did.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (RIvkX)
13
Who's the lady with the enormous large hat?
Posted by: dantesed at February 01, 2026 09:07 AM (Oy/m2)
14
The character is the White Queen.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:07 AM (ufSfZ)
15
Hi Horde. Iced in here, as I assume many of you are.
Something hit me yesterday which I should have thought of decades ago. In Pride and Prejudice, why is it that Mr Collins's name is Collins? As we are told the estate is entailed in the male line, shouldn't he be another Bennett? He is a cousin, but some of my cousins share my last name - the ones descended from my father's brother, or my grandfather's brother (2nd cousins).
The answer to the first is Winnie the Pooh/House on Pooh Corner, which should surprise everyone. The 2nd was the Just So Stories.
One that changed my life was Churchill's World Crisis, which hooked me on naval history, forever.
Something hit me yesterday which I should have thought of decades ago. In Pride and Prejudice, why is it that Mr Collins's name is Collins? As we are told the estate is entailed in the male line, shouldn't he be another Bennett? He is a cousin, but some of my cousins share my last name - the ones descended from my father's brother, or my grandfather's brother (2nd cousins).
The answer to the first is Winnie the Pooh/House on Pooh Corner, which should surprise everyone. The 2nd was the Just So Stories.
One that changed my life was Churchill's World Crisis, which hooked me on naval history, forever.
Posted by: Eeyore at February 01, 2026 09:08 AM (AlhUl)
16
The first book I ever read? You'll have to be more specific as to what "book" means. I certainly recall a children's story called Space Cat Goes to Mars which I read in first or second grade -- but I'd been reading for a while before that. In grammar school I always preferred adventures and Westerns to more traditional "kid" fare. The Whitman TV Adventures for Young Readers novels, based on shows like Roy Rogers, Maverick, Have Gun -- Will Travel, and others were a staple of my reading in third to about sixth grade, when I graduated to Alfred Hitchcock anthologies of crime, suspense, and the supernatural.
I really can't recall a first "book," if you define "book" as a hardback or paperback with actual text.
I really can't recall a first "book," if you define "book" as a hardback or paperback with actual text.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:08 AM (wzUl9)
17
I don't remember my early childhood clearly but, I distinctly remember reading a Jack London novel and a book of children's folk tales.
I loved the folk tale book so much I sought out copies for the kids. It was published in 1934 and has the most vivid illustrations. Beautiful colors that you just don't see in today's volumes.
I loved the folk tale book so much I sought out copies for the kids. It was published in 1934 and has the most vivid illustrations. Beautiful colors that you just don't see in today's volumes.
Posted by: Tonypete at February 01, 2026 09:09 AM (cYBz/)
18
One of my professors, Peter L Heath, was the author of The Philosopher's Alice.
Posted by: Eeyore at February 01, 2026 09:10 AM (AlhUl)
19
That cover shot is the version of 1984 I read, but I had read Animal Farm previously which was very jarring and disturbing. Most of my peers who read it did not see anything other than a story about a farm and what I remember is the growing sense I saw the world differently than they did.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (RIvkX)
Animal Farm is one of the few Orwell books that I can't really read. It's odd, but I can read about Winston Smith being tortured and not flinch, but Boxer being sent to the knackers really affects me. I think AF would have been much less effective if Orwell had used humans and set it in some sort of island community.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:06 AM (RIvkX)
Animal Farm is one of the few Orwell books that I can't really read. It's odd, but I can read about Winston Smith being tortured and not flinch, but Boxer being sent to the knackers really affects me. I think AF would have been much less effective if Orwell had used humans and set it in some sort of island community.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:10 AM (ufSfZ)
20
Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading. Given the cold temps, nasty wind chill factor and ice on top of snow, it was a good excuse to stay put, stay warm, and read. (I'll take any chance for that.)
Posted by: JTB at February 01, 2026 09:10 AM (yTvNw)
21
First book?
No doubt some children's book, can't say first history book but did remember well reading in 8th grade I think Hell in a Very Small Place, a history of the French battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. I llearned Communists were evil and have never turned back from.that concept.
No doubt some children's book, can't say first history book but did remember well reading in 8th grade I think Hell in a Very Small Place, a history of the French battle of Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam. I llearned Communists were evil and have never turned back from.that concept.
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 09:10 AM (Ia/+0)
22
First book outside of Dr. Seuss was I think Winnie the Pooh, and it’s sequels. I always liked maps, I remember studying the map of the 100 aker wood just inside the cover and understanding where everything was at. I think I was 4.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 01, 2026 09:11 AM (IUuBi)
23
I think AF would have been much less effective if Orwell had used humans and set it in some sort of island community.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:10 AM (ufSfZ)
Instead of humans, flies!
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:10 AM (ufSfZ)
Instead of humans, flies!
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 09:11 AM (uQesX)
24
Good Sunday morning, horde!
I suppose all of the books I've read change my life in some way. If for no other reason, just the compiled and ever-increasing information and vocabulary from each one expands my mind.
I can't think of a specific book that really grabbed me and changed my outlook.
Wait, maybe there was....I spent an entire summer between sixth and seventh grade reading a book on art history. I learned a lot from it, and it informed my own artistic interest and style.
I suppose all of the books I've read change my life in some way. If for no other reason, just the compiled and ever-increasing information and vocabulary from each one expands my mind.
I can't think of a specific book that really grabbed me and changed my outlook.
Wait, maybe there was....I spent an entire summer between sixth and seventh grade reading a book on art history. I learned a lot from it, and it informed my own artistic interest and style.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 01, 2026 09:12 AM (h7ZuX)
25
TBH, I'm sure I read books before Alice - it's just that Carroll is the first author I can remember.
I also enjoyed tales of Robin Hood, with the constant mentioning of 'nut-brown ale' and wondering what that must taste like. I didn't get into the Arthurian romances until high school.
I also enjoyed tales of Robin Hood, with the constant mentioning of 'nut-brown ale' and wondering what that must taste like. I didn't get into the Arthurian romances until high school.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:13 AM (ufSfZ)
26
Probably getting on ebook next is Rick Atkinson's The Army at Dawn a history of the North African campaign 1942-3. That theater of WWII was my first fascinating
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 09:13 AM (Ia/+0)
27
The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov.
Posted by: MichiCanuck at February 01, 2026 09:14 AM (jqHAs)
28
Yesterday I threw out a question in KT's 1st thread, but shit happened and I was unable to stay around. It strikes me as not inappropriate here. It is why do we always assume that a "high-trust" society is an unalloyed good?
To develop the idea, note that one arguable problem is that the people of the society will tend to be over trusting in the competence and integrity of those in authority. (The proof of that is essentially the history of the 21st Century, so far.) I note this was, when I was young, a standard criticism of Scandanavia.
To develop the idea, note that one arguable problem is that the people of the society will tend to be over trusting in the competence and integrity of those in authority. (The proof of that is essentially the history of the 21st Century, so far.) I note this was, when I was young, a standard criticism of Scandanavia.
Posted by: Eeyore at February 01, 2026 09:14 AM (AlhUl)
29
Yay book thread! First book is hard to say in absolute terms, but The Lorax was the mainstay of my early childhood. I'm reading it to the grandkids and it captivates them. They're all hyper and then I start reading the brooding introduction and they immediately fall silent, fascinated by the mystery that they've heard hundreds of times.
Important books? Lord of the Rings and Sword of Honour. I read the former in middle school and revisited it annually for twenty years or so. Lifelong Tolkien addict.
I discovered Sword of Honour at a crisis point in my life, and its explanation and demonstration of Catholic faith in action transformed me.
Important books? Lord of the Rings and Sword of Honour. I read the former in middle school and revisited it annually for twenty years or so. Lifelong Tolkien addict.
I discovered Sword of Honour at a crisis point in my life, and its explanation and demonstration of Catholic faith in action transformed me.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:14 AM (ZOv7s)
30
Books that changed my life? The Shining by Stephen King. I very much identified with Jack, the tragic, alcoholic figure of the novel, in that my drinking too was getting out of control. When I read of him going dry, I shot for the same thing, and made almost four years at it.
The Past Through Tomorrow, the collection of future history stories by Heinlein, certainly changed my view of science fiction. Suddenly I understood what the field was all about: not just space travel or time travel or surprise Twilight Zone-ish endings, but about people.
Ellery Queen's mysteries, and to a lesser degree my earlier acquaintance with Sherlock Holmes, had a profound influence on my thinking. EQ's mysteries were solvable by the reader (if he were a genius, at least); they did not require specialized knowledge of the mud around London or of cigar ash, as in SH stories. They taught me to look for patterns in data and to reason from what I found. Which stood me in good stead later as a computer programmer!
The Past Through Tomorrow, the collection of future history stories by Heinlein, certainly changed my view of science fiction. Suddenly I understood what the field was all about: not just space travel or time travel or surprise Twilight Zone-ish endings, but about people.
Ellery Queen's mysteries, and to a lesser degree my earlier acquaintance with Sherlock Holmes, had a profound influence on my thinking. EQ's mysteries were solvable by the reader (if he were a genius, at least); they did not require specialized knowledge of the mud around London or of cigar ash, as in SH stories. They taught me to look for patterns in data and to reason from what I found. Which stood me in good stead later as a computer programmer!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:14 AM (wzUl9)
31
The first book(s) I remember reading on my very own are Little House on the Prairie and A Wrinkle in Time. I was probably around 8-9. I'm sure I read other children's books but not novels. My dad had gotten a set of Funk & Wagnells encyclopedias and I think they had thrown in about 8 books that were the first book in the series of books. I believe the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was also in there. I can't remember the rest of the books but those 3 made an impression. I have been a constant reader since.
Posted by: lin-duh is offended at February 01, 2026 09:15 AM (VCgbV)
32
Happy books news: the audiobook of Battle Officer Wolf is now available for your listening pleasure. I used the automated voice, which is decent and also free. The process of converting it allowed me to make additional corrections, and I will move ahead with my other books in no particular order.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:17 AM (ZOv7s)
33
Morning, MP4.
Howdy, Horde.
First book read? Can't remember -- I don't recall a time when I couldn't read, and would read anything from comics and kids books to cereal box labels over breakfast.
Changed my life? Heinlein's The Puppet Masters. Began devouring SF after stumbling over that one, and read almost nothing else for pleasure for a little over a decade. That was both good and bad for me, I think.
Howdy, Horde.
First book read? Can't remember -- I don't recall a time when I couldn't read, and would read anything from comics and kids books to cereal box labels over breakfast.
Changed my life? Heinlein's The Puppet Masters. Began devouring SF after stumbling over that one, and read almost nothing else for pleasure for a little over a decade. That was both good and bad for me, I think.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 09:17 AM (q3u5l)
34
On a grumpier writing note, I sometimes wonder why I bust myself trying to come up with a good plot for my new novel when the most obvious, ham-handed woke crap sells millions.
It's a movie, but I'm talking about the screenplay for Send Help. Just looking at the trailer makes it obvious that (spoiler!) the woman kills the man and becomes rich and successful in the end. It couldn't be written that the two ally themselves or that the man kills the woman - no, it has to be the blatant, woke, 'yas kween!' shit.
**grumbles**
It's a movie, but I'm talking about the screenplay for Send Help. Just looking at the trailer makes it obvious that (spoiler!) the woman kills the man and becomes rich and successful in the end. It couldn't be written that the two ally themselves or that the man kills the woman - no, it has to be the blatant, woke, 'yas kween!' shit.
**grumbles**
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:18 AM (ufSfZ)
35
I think my first book must have been one of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, if only because my mother really loved them so that gives the best odds of that being the book where I started following the words myself rather than just listening.
As to books that changed my life, I think Heinlein's Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which I read far too young and put me onto science fiction for good; and an obscure book by Adrian Berry called The Next Ten Thousand Years, which immunized me against Malthusian doomerism.
As to books that changed my life, I think Heinlein's Moon is a Harsh Mistress, which I read far too young and put me onto science fiction for good; and an obscure book by Adrian Berry called The Next Ten Thousand Years, which immunized me against Malthusian doomerism.
Posted by: Trimegistus at February 01, 2026 09:18 AM (78a2H)
Posted by: Perfessor Sqiurrel at February 01, 2026 09:19 AM (5WBUQ)
37
An early book for me was Bible Stories for Young People, a large-format and illustrated collection of both Old Testament and New Testament stories. Tot his day I have dim memories of Elijah and the ravens, Shadrach and his compatriots in the fiery furnace, and others from the pen-and-ink illustrations.
I peeped into my mother's nursing textbooks, which she did not want me to look at. After seeing some of the horrible photographs of various patient conditions, I wished I'd listened to her. Nothing like a shot of somebody with elephantiasis to put you off your feed for a while.
I peeped into my mother's nursing textbooks, which she did not want me to look at. After seeing some of the horrible photographs of various patient conditions, I wished I'd listened to her. Nothing like a shot of somebody with elephantiasis to put you off your feed for a while.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:19 AM (wzUl9)
38
Gustave Doré's illustrations for La Grande Bible de Tours would be the first I remember having a lasting impact. Don't know when Mom brought it home, but it was always there.
Posted by: Berwyn Mutt - Home of Svengoolie at February 01, 2026 09:19 AM (HcbZb)
39
Are Robin and Little Red Riding related Hoods? And are hoodlums their descendants?
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at February 01, 2026 09:19 AM (8zz6B)
40
Love the Tenniel drawing up top, but don’t remember it. Which character is that with Alice?
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 01, 2026
***
I was going to say the Red Queen, but she was pretty imperious. One of the other playing-card figures?
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 01, 2026
***
I was going to say the Red Queen, but she was pretty imperious. One of the other playing-card figures?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:20 AM (wzUl9)
41
Good morning bibliophiles. Thanks, MP4, for taking up the baton.
"I loved the folk tale book so much I sought out copies for the kids. It was published in 1934 and has the most vivid illustrations. Beautiful colors that you just don't see in today's volumes.
Posted by: Tonypete at February 01, 2026 09:09 AM (cYBz/)"
----
I, too, remember reading a book of folk tales with lush, complex illustrations. To this day I can visualize Puss in Boots and his marvelous tooled leather boots! Wish I could recall what book that was.
Why do adults think kids want simple illustrations? Is it because that's all a child can draw at that age?
"I loved the folk tale book so much I sought out copies for the kids. It was published in 1934 and has the most vivid illustrations. Beautiful colors that you just don't see in today's volumes.
Posted by: Tonypete at February 01, 2026 09:09 AM (cYBz/)"
----
I, too, remember reading a book of folk tales with lush, complex illustrations. To this day I can visualize Puss in Boots and his marvelous tooled leather boots! Wish I could recall what book that was.
Why do adults think kids want simple illustrations? Is it because that's all a child can draw at that age?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:20 AM (kpS4V)
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at February 01, 2026 09:21 AM (2Ez/1)
43
The first books I can clearly remember reading were:
Green Eggs and Ham
The Littlest Angel
Little Black Sambo
Winnie the Pooh (and various related texts like "Now We are Six")
Mother Goose Rhymes
Loved all of that stuff. Esp. LBS.
But, I was a question kid: "Why is the sky blue?" "Why is grass green?" "What is the sun?" "Why is there night?"...etc all the time, so
my folks bought me a lot of Kid-Level science books along with fossil and dinosaur books.
And I was off, I read almost nothing but science books along with the occasional comic and mythology books(somewhere along the line I learned that people believed in other gods, which fascinated me and I was off on that as well.
The first books I can clearly remember reading were:
Green Eggs and Ham
The Littlest Angel
Little Black Sambo
Winnie the Pooh (and various related texts like "Now We are Six")
Mother Goose Rhymes
Loved all of that stuff. Esp. LBS.
But, I was a question kid: "Why is the sky blue?" "Why is grass green?" "What is the sun?" "Why is there night?"...etc all the time, so
my folks bought me a lot of Kid-Level science books along with fossil and dinosaur books.
And I was off, I read almost nothing but science books along with the occasional comic and mythology books(somewhere along the line I learned that people believed in other gods, which fascinated me and I was off on that as well.
Posted by: naturalfake at February 01, 2026 09:21 AM (iJfKG)
44
Life changing: Notes from Underground, The Possessed (better than Crime and Punishment and Brothers K, IMO), and Darkness at Noon.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (XvL8K)
45
Everybody remembers the World Book or the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but who remembers the World Book encyclopedia? We had that when I was growing up and I loved just poking through it, reading entries here and there. I still collect small sets of encyclopedias and old dictionaries as well; it makes me sad to think they'll all end up in the garbage when I die.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (ufSfZ)
46
First book can't remember either, but I remember I loved Go Dog Go and hated Are You My Mother?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (7fpSt)
47
I didn't finish any books this past week. I just kept working through a couple different books. Three different comic collections, and a non-fiction prose ebook.
The prose book is an overview/summary of the various wars between Africans and Europeans during the late 19th century. In the early-going, the author spent a bit of time talking about the Zulus, and the migrations within Africa that their rise caused. The author cited several observations made by Dr. Livingstone during his travels....and it made me realize that I know nothing about Dr. Livingstone, save the for the scene of some guy walking into a clearing and saying 'Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"
The prose book is an overview/summary of the various wars between Africans and Europeans during the late 19th century. In the early-going, the author spent a bit of time talking about the Zulus, and the migrations within Africa that their rise caused. The author cited several observations made by Dr. Livingstone during his travels....and it made me realize that I know nothing about Dr. Livingstone, save the for the scene of some guy walking into a clearing and saying 'Doctor Livingstone, I presume?"
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 09:23 AM (Lhaco)
48
I don’t know if a single book changed my life, but the epic fantasy I read as a teenager definitely affected my outlook on Good and Evil.
Posted by: Perfessor Sqiurrel at February 01, 2026 09:23 AM (5WBUQ)
49
At the same time I discovered Tolkien, I also got into Winston Churchill's The Second World War.
My grandparents had an illustrated "young readers" version by Time-Life, and I read through it constantly. It had some of the best known passages of Churchill's book, his speeches, repeated the iconic chapter headings and the gaps were filled by editorial commentary or summaries in a different font.
Lavishly illustrated, neat little maps and inherited it. Still on my shelf. The maps got me thinking about wargaming before I knew that was a thing. I would set out blankets on the floor and populate it with dominos and poker chips to represent borders, defensive lines and unit types (white was infantry, red armor, yellow artillery and blue was air/special) on land, at sea red was destroyers, white cruisers, yellow battleships and blue aircraft (sitting on a domino) or submarines. Also landing craft.
I remember being amazed to discover people actually made wargames out of paper. A dream come true!
My grandparents had an illustrated "young readers" version by Time-Life, and I read through it constantly. It had some of the best known passages of Churchill's book, his speeches, repeated the iconic chapter headings and the gaps were filled by editorial commentary or summaries in a different font.
Lavishly illustrated, neat little maps and inherited it. Still on my shelf. The maps got me thinking about wargaming before I knew that was a thing. I would set out blankets on the floor and populate it with dominos and poker chips to represent borders, defensive lines and unit types (white was infantry, red armor, yellow artillery and blue was air/special) on land, at sea red was destroyers, white cruisers, yellow battleships and blue aircraft (sitting on a domino) or submarines. Also landing craft.
I remember being amazed to discover people actually made wargames out of paper. A dream come true!
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:23 AM (ZOv7s)
50
First book I ever read was "The Big Green Thing" when I was 4. Mom wrote a note on the inside cover that I read it myself. I dearly want to find it; it has to be inside their (now my) house.
First book I read after that would have to be a Hardy Boys story, but I can't recall which.
Book that changed my life is a Harold Robbins novel that I found in Grandpa's shack in the back yard. (Today we would call it a man cave.) He had shelves of paperbacks, and during one visit I came across a paperback with a photo of a woman in bed. No bra straps. Hmm.
I flipped through it and came upon a scene that explained the relationship between sex and babies. I grew up on a farm, and I knew cows had calves, but I didn't understand the role of the bull. And I knew women had babies, but I thought marriage was a mandatory component.
Needless to say, I beelined for that shack during subsequent vusits.
Confession: I have never read Orwell, Rand, or any of the Western Civ readings. Maybe some Plato.
First book I read after that would have to be a Hardy Boys story, but I can't recall which.
Book that changed my life is a Harold Robbins novel that I found in Grandpa's shack in the back yard. (Today we would call it a man cave.) He had shelves of paperbacks, and during one visit I came across a paperback with a photo of a woman in bed. No bra straps. Hmm.
I flipped through it and came upon a scene that explained the relationship between sex and babies. I grew up on a farm, and I knew cows had calves, but I didn't understand the role of the bull. And I knew women had babies, but I thought marriage was a mandatory component.
Needless to say, I beelined for that shack during subsequent vusits.
Confession: I have never read Orwell, Rand, or any of the Western Civ readings. Maybe some Plato.
Posted by: Weak Geek at February 01, 2026 09:23 AM (p/isN)
51
No memory of the first book I read. Most likely a fairy tale with illustrations. It was certainly before kindergarten and being bored with the 'see Spot run' schools always started with. The first reading, not a book, was probably the comics section of the local paper. I knew the alphabet and my grandfather, bless him, showed me how to sound out the words.
Posted by: JTB at February 01, 2026 09:23 AM (yTvNw)
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (ufSfZ)
53
Yesterday I threw out a question in KT's 1st thread, but shit happened and I was unable to stay around. It strikes me as not inappropriate here. It is why do we always assume that a "high-trust" society is an unalloyed good?
To develop the idea, note that one arguable problem is that the people of the society will tend to be over trusting in the competence and integrity of those in authority. (The proof of that is essentially the history of the 21st Century, so far.) I note this was, when I was young, a standard criticism of Scandanavia.
Posted by: Eeyore
My idea of a high trust society is based on local personal interaction, not trust in government. To me, high trust is where everyone expects their neighbors to behave in a way that is conducive to each others' well-being. You expect your neighbors to have a casual eye out for danger in the neighborhood. This is the same behavior that herd animals exhibit. If your daily life is that anything not nailed down will be stolen by neighbors, you don't have a high trust society, in fact, you don't really have a society at all. I believe the flaw is that this system is not applicable to larger systems or government.
To develop the idea, note that one arguable problem is that the people of the society will tend to be over trusting in the competence and integrity of those in authority. (The proof of that is essentially the history of the 21st Century, so far.) I note this was, when I was young, a standard criticism of Scandanavia.
Posted by: Eeyore
My idea of a high trust society is based on local personal interaction, not trust in government. To me, high trust is where everyone expects their neighbors to behave in a way that is conducive to each others' well-being. You expect your neighbors to have a casual eye out for danger in the neighborhood. This is the same behavior that herd animals exhibit. If your daily life is that anything not nailed down will be stolen by neighbors, you don't have a high trust society, in fact, you don't really have a society at all. I believe the flaw is that this system is not applicable to larger systems or government.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (0U5gm)
54
Let's hear it for the Hard Case Crime line. Without it, we would find it much more difficult to see how top thriller writers honed their craft. Case in point: "361" by Donald Westlake.
The title is explained on the page before the title page as a reference to homicide. Wbose reference is not made clear.
Ray Kelly, freshly discharged from the Air Force, is picked up in New York City by his father. As they start their drive home to Binghamton, a car pulls beside them and somebody inside opens fire. Result: Daddy dead and Ray badly banged up in the ensuing crash. He's even lost an eye.
Ray and his brother, Bill, learn that Daddy was once a lawyer for a top mobster, who is about to get out after 25 years in prison. He wants to revive the old gang and push out the usurpers. Was this why Daddy was killed?
Westlake spins a tale of revenge with a few twists. That same year (1962), under the pen name Richard Stark, he published "The Hunter," his first Parker book, and his career moved into high gear.
The title is explained on the page before the title page as a reference to homicide. Wbose reference is not made clear.
Ray Kelly, freshly discharged from the Air Force, is picked up in New York City by his father. As they start their drive home to Binghamton, a car pulls beside them and somebody inside opens fire. Result: Daddy dead and Ray badly banged up in the ensuing crash. He's even lost an eye.
Ray and his brother, Bill, learn that Daddy was once a lawyer for a top mobster, who is about to get out after 25 years in prison. He wants to revive the old gang and push out the usurpers. Was this why Daddy was killed?
Westlake spins a tale of revenge with a few twists. That same year (1962), under the pen name Richard Stark, he published "The Hunter," his first Parker book, and his career moved into high gear.
Posted by: Weak Geek at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (p/isN)
55
Just started reading " Somewhere For Me" a biography of the composer Richard Rodgers by Meryle Secrest. It's quite lengthy and packed with nostalgic photos.
Posted by: Tuna at February 01, 2026 09:25 AM (lJ0H4)
56
Of course the James Bond novels were an influence on the young Wolfus. Mom bought each paperback -- this was arund the time of the first movie -- but thought they were on the whole too racy and adult for me. However, one night she handed me Doctor No and asked me to read the part of the chapter where Bond awakes, naked in his bed, with the deadly venomous centipede crawling on him. Hooked me good. After that I sneaked reads of the action scenes (I was too young yet for the sexy ones).
I must have read the Dr. Fu Manchu stories before that, because Doctor No himself reminded me very strongly of the Chinese mastermind. And I know I read the Tarzan series when I was about ten. Some were better stories than others, but each contained fascinating stuff.
Never got into the Burroughs Mars stories, though.
I must have read the Dr. Fu Manchu stories before that, because Doctor No himself reminded me very strongly of the Chinese mastermind. And I know I read the Tarzan series when I was about ten. Some were better stories than others, but each contained fascinating stuff.
Never got into the Burroughs Mars stories, though.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:26 AM (wzUl9)
57
"I think my first book must have been one of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, if only because my mother really loved them so that gives the best odds of that being the book where I started following the words myself rather than just listening."
The same with me. I remember the moment when my mother misspoke and I corrected her by reading the word from the text. She suddenly realized that I was actually reading and not just memorizing what she said. I think was about 3 years old. I can't remember the first book I read by myself, but I know I could read pretty well by the time I started school.
The same with me. I remember the moment when my mother misspoke and I corrected her by reading the word from the text. She suddenly realized that I was actually reading and not just memorizing what she said. I think was about 3 years old. I can't remember the first book I read by myself, but I know I could read pretty well by the time I started school.
Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at February 01, 2026 09:26 AM (FEVMW)
58
A compilation of Sad Sack cartoons was the first book I remember.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at February 01, 2026 09:28 AM (XvL8K)
59
Too many books have informed my view of the world. No lightning bolt/road to Damascus revelations, just "ah...yes!" moments.
My love of art and history made me tethered more to the past, aesthetically.
My love of art and history made me tethered more to the past, aesthetically.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:28 AM (kpS4V)
60
Orwell couldnt because the leftwing book club minders
Who are still around btw
Thaf seems like a plot wriiten in crsyon by homer
Who are still around btw
Thaf seems like a plot wriiten in crsyon by homer
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:29 AM (bXbFr)
61
"See Spot Run"
Posted by: TheCatAttackedMyFoot at February 01, 2026 09:29 AM (jrgJz)
62
Know exactly when I learned to read: at my grandmother's house, a couple of months after my 4th birthday, and she had simple, heavily-illustrated children's books; looking at one, really just for the pictures, and it was like a switch flipped in my brain - suddenly, I knew what the words on the page said. No idea of the name of the book, though. First book I read that I can name was Escape to Danger, in 2nd grade; Lord of the Rings started me on fantasy & science fiction, which have been my main reading for 50 years now, so could say that it changed my life.
Posted by: Nazdar at February 01, 2026 09:29 AM (NcvvS)
63
I have also always loved the detailed colorful illustrations in children's books.
As an adult I hunt those down. Andrew Lang's "colored" fairy books illustrated by Henry J. Ford is one kind.
As an adult I hunt those down. Andrew Lang's "colored" fairy books illustrated by Henry J. Ford is one kind.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at February 01, 2026 09:29 AM (7fpSt)
64
Working on the audiobook cut into my reading time, so minimal progress on Ovid and The War for Middle Earth. The latter goes into a bit more detail on the war records of Tolkien and Lewis, and it's clear to me that a lot of Tolkien's early work were a form of therapy.
The scene where a jaded and war-wearing Beren is beguiled by Luthien dancing in a forest glade is based on an actual event, and it stuck with him for the rest of his life.
The scene where a jaded and war-wearing Beren is beguiled by Luthien dancing in a forest glade is based on an actual event, and it stuck with him for the rest of his life.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:29 AM (ZOv7s)
65
Our encyclopedia was a supermarket one-volume-a-week (or month, maybe -- I forget). Early books I remember from pre-Heinlein days -- Roy Chapman Andrews' dinosaur books, Roy Gallant's astronomy books for kids (Chesley Bonestell paintings for illustrations IIRC), book club copies of London, Kipling, Verne, & Lamb's Shakespeare. Classics Illustrated comics. etc, etc, etc. Pre-Heinlein, I read almost anything I could lay my hands on, with a preference for science stuff.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 09:30 AM (q3u5l)
66
George Pullman became wealthy by making luxurious railroad cars, and built a model city for his workers to improve their lives. Ironically, these workers would begin the largest and most violent strike in US history. In The Edge of Anarchy, Jack Kelly describes how the panic of 1893 led to the massive strike action, boycotts, and actual battles that followed.
The traditional response to a depression was for companies to cut wages, and when the Chemical Bank failed, this began. Pullman's employees decided to fight back, and not only went on strike, they asked other workers to boycott Pullman. One strike leader was Eugene Debs, the socialist who later would run for president from prison.
As the strike widened, railroads around the country began to stall, making the depression worse. The Chicago stockyards, passengers, and freight began to pile up. As the strike grew violent, Grover Cleveland sent in troops to restore order, and under attack, they fired on the crowds.
What finally ended the strike was the workers running out of savings. Pullman never fully recovered from his failed experiment and when he died, was buried in a concrete bunker to avoid desecration.
The traditional response to a depression was for companies to cut wages, and when the Chemical Bank failed, this began. Pullman's employees decided to fight back, and not only went on strike, they asked other workers to boycott Pullman. One strike leader was Eugene Debs, the socialist who later would run for president from prison.
As the strike widened, railroads around the country began to stall, making the depression worse. The Chicago stockyards, passengers, and freight began to pile up. As the strike grew violent, Grover Cleveland sent in troops to restore order, and under attack, they fired on the crowds.
What finally ended the strike was the workers running out of savings. Pullman never fully recovered from his failed experiment and when he died, was buried in a concrete bunker to avoid desecration.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:30 AM (0U5gm)
67
Reading Blake Crouch's "Recursion," which is about memory and apparent time travel. It's honestly a tough read for me, for as with the characters in the book who end up using the technology to seemingly travel in time to try to fix that one moment where their lives went off the rails, I, too, have that moment in the past that I wish I could somehow prevent from happening, as its occurrence completely destroyed my peace and family for the next ten years. Alas, you can't change the past, as I think the characters in the book are going to discover soon.
Also just getting ready to start a new Alastair Reynolds standalone novel called "Halcyon Years," in which a private dick on a generation starship investigates a murder. As with all of Reynolds' works, I'm certain I'll love it. I also read a couple of his short novellas called "Merlin's Gun" and "The Six Directions of Space," both of which were excellent.
Greeting!
Also just getting ready to start a new Alastair Reynolds standalone novel called "Halcyon Years," in which a private dick on a generation starship investigates a murder. As with all of Reynolds' works, I'm certain I'll love it. I also read a couple of his short novellas called "Merlin's Gun" and "The Six Directions of Space," both of which were excellent.
Greeting!
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 09:30 AM (/RHNq)
68
My father read lots of Winnie the Pooh to me, and later Mark Twain.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:30 AM (ZOv7s)
69
Just started reading " Somewhere For Me" a biography of the composer Richard Rodgers by Meryle Secrest. It's quite lengthy and packed with nostalgic photos.
Posted by: Tuna at February 01, 2026 09:25 AM (lJ0H4)
His daughter Mary is the subject of a recent bio, Shy.
Posted by: Tuna at February 01, 2026 09:25 AM (lJ0H4)
His daughter Mary is the subject of a recent bio, Shy.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:30 AM (ufSfZ)
70
My very first book was a reader called Kip the Dog. It was about a dog.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (RIvkX)
71
BTW, if folks haven't read MP4's Theda Bara mysteries, they should. He really brings you into the era and settings with characters you learn to care about. And no, I didn't solve the mystery early on. I'm looking forward to the third book whenever it comes out.
Posted by: JTB at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (yTvNw)
72
Then after an intervsl i got interested in astrononomy and science fiction
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (bXbFr)
73
52 Oh, FFS! I meant, who remembers Grolier's Book of Knowledge encyclopedia.
--
Me, me!!!
Also Collier's Junior Classics!
--
Me, me!!!
Also Collier's Junior Classics!
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at February 01, 2026 09:32 AM (7fpSt)
74
I did read a number of the Hardy Boys books. Mystery was my meat and drink, after all. It helped that I identified with Frank and Joe, who were in high school or college; I did not enjoy many stories with kids my age as the heroes. (Watching my first Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode with Kurt Russell as the 12-year-old innocent, I identified not with him but with Napoleon Solo.)
I outgrew the HBs fairly early as I moved on to the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies of grown-up suspense stories.
Apparently I missed out on a lot of the traditional kids' books like the Pooh tales and Wind in the Willows.
I outgrew the HBs fairly early as I moved on to the Alfred Hitchcock anthologies of grown-up suspense stories.
Apparently I missed out on a lot of the traditional kids' books like the Pooh tales and Wind in the Willows.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:33 AM (wzUl9)
75
>>Grolier's Book of Knowledge encyclopedia.
Wasn't that the original Jeopardy! 'source authority'?
Wasn't that the original Jeopardy! 'source authority'?
Posted by: Nazdar at February 01, 2026 09:33 AM (NcvvS)
76
It's amusing to me to see how many members of the Horde put fantasy and SF up there in their lists of books. Those are two genres that have never appealed to me (I suppose you could consider Alice fantasy, though).
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:33 AM (ufSfZ)
77
I'm reading two very good books this week.
C.J.Box's "Battle Mountain" (2025) has Nate and his friend Geronimo following the trail of Alex Soledad, the man who killed Nate's wife and attempted to kill Geronimo's family. The charismatic Soledad has a small army of disaffected ex-military followers, and they react violently when two hunters stumble upon their group staking out a mega rich people's lodge. They shoot and kidnap the two hunters, one of whom is the governor's SIL, and this brings Joe Pickett into the fray.
This is a return to top form for Box. His last couple of books were good but not great. This one is great.
I'm about halfway through the third book in Alan Smale's alternate history space race series Apollo Rising, "Burning Night". The Cold War just turned very hot and it's being fought on the Moon as well as Earth.
C.J.Box's "Battle Mountain" (2025) has Nate and his friend Geronimo following the trail of Alex Soledad, the man who killed Nate's wife and attempted to kill Geronimo's family. The charismatic Soledad has a small army of disaffected ex-military followers, and they react violently when two hunters stumble upon their group staking out a mega rich people's lodge. They shoot and kidnap the two hunters, one of whom is the governor's SIL, and this brings Joe Pickett into the fray.
This is a return to top form for Box. His last couple of books were good but not great. This one is great.
I'm about halfway through the third book in Alan Smale's alternate history space race series Apollo Rising, "Burning Night". The Cold War just turned very hot and it's being fought on the Moon as well as Earth.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:34 AM (kpS4V)
78
Around seventh grade or so, I found a paperback copy of The Exorcist in the house. I can't imagine Mom reading this, but she must have thought she wanted to.
I read it, and that definitely changed my outlook. I hadn't previously had any concept of true evil, and after reading that, I did.
I read it, and that definitely changed my outlook. I hadn't previously had any concept of true evil, and after reading that, I did.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 01, 2026 09:34 AM (h7ZuX)
79
First book I read? Probably something by Richard Scarry. My parents had a well-worn copy of one of his books, and I'm told I would not move on to the next page until I read out every caption on the page. There's a Monster at the End of This Book is another old one..
Something I read early on put me on a dog-in-the-wilderness kick. White Fang, Call of the Wild, Big Red, or maybe Snow Dog...
Redwall and Dragonsong put me on a lifelong fantasy kick.
Some random Garfield collection was my first comic purchase. But The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes was the first purchase I treasured. Excalibur 101 and What If 89 were my first foray into comic books, as opposed to comic strips...
Something I read early on put me on a dog-in-the-wilderness kick. White Fang, Call of the Wild, Big Red, or maybe Snow Dog...
Redwall and Dragonsong put me on a lifelong fantasy kick.
Some random Garfield collection was my first comic purchase. But The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes was the first purchase I treasured. Excalibur 101 and What If 89 were my first foray into comic books, as opposed to comic strips...
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 09:34 AM (Lhaco)
80
I was looking at the "new books" section of my library's website and holy crap have libraries gone off the deep end. The new hotness is "remixes"
-"What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix" (they're blackish)
- "A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix" (they're female and Asian)
- "Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo and Juliet Remix" (two gay boys)
- "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix" (e'r'body black!)
-"Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix" (hijabs and ME politics!)
-"My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix" (blaaaaaack)
Etc.
I've enjoyed some retelling of classics because they approach the story from different angles, but they were character-driven. These are just ideology-driven. The race and gender swapping can't end soon enough for me.
-"What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix" (they're blackish)
- "A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix" (they're female and Asian)
- "Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo and Juliet Remix" (two gay boys)
- "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix" (e'r'body black!)
-"Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix" (hijabs and ME politics!)
-"My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix" (blaaaaaack)
Etc.
I've enjoyed some retelling of classics because they approach the story from different angles, but they were character-driven. These are just ideology-driven. The race and gender swapping can't end soon enough for me.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:35 AM (kpS4V)
81
1. _Born Free_, Joy Adamson's biography of Elsa, the lioness. I can remember because I did not learn to read until I was eight years old. I blame the "progressive" UH Lab School and negligent parents.
2. Quine, _From a Logical Point of View_, specifically, the essay "Two Dogmas of Empiricism". I was depressed for two weeks. Losing your faith hurts, like amputation without anesthesia.
2. Quine, _From a Logical Point of View_, specifically, the essay "Two Dogmas of Empiricism". I was depressed for two weeks. Losing your faith hurts, like amputation without anesthesia.
Posted by: Malcolm Kirkpatrick at February 01, 2026 09:35 AM (lOlGn)
82
The earliest book I remember reading was The Happy Little Whale. IIRC, it involves a little whale who is separated from his pod by a whaling ship. He ends up being taken to a SeaWorld-like park, where he lives happily ever after. Things have changed in children's literature.
https://is.gd/IzN250
https://is.gd/IzN250
Posted by: Archimedes at February 01, 2026 09:35 AM (Riz8t)
83
Our encyclopedia was a supermarket one-volume-a-week (or month, maybe -- I forget). . . .
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026
***
The Golden Book Encyclopedia series? I think it was a weekly arrangement. Later we had the high-school level version of the same thing. They helped me write a *lot* of papers in jr. high and high school.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026
***
The Golden Book Encyclopedia series? I think it was a weekly arrangement. Later we had the high-school level version of the same thing. They helped me write a *lot* of papers in jr. high and high school.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:36 AM (wzUl9)
84
The traditional response to a depression was for companies to cut wages, and when the Chemical Bank failed, this began.
Of course, Pullman kept the rents and company store prices at the same levels as before when he cut his workers' wages, which didn't help matters. I wonder if he had announced that, until the panic was over, costs would be cut along with wages, would there still have been a strike? Probably.
Of course, Pullman kept the rents and company store prices at the same levels as before when he cut his workers' wages, which didn't help matters. I wonder if he had announced that, until the panic was over, costs would be cut along with wages, would there still have been a strike? Probably.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:36 AM (ufSfZ)
85
At some point i started with the readers digest condensed books maybe something from robin cook the sphinx i think
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:36 AM (bXbFr)
86
It's amusing to me to see how many members of the Horde put fantasy and SF up there in their lists of books. Those are two genres that have never appealed to me (I suppose you could consider Alice fantasy, though).
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:33 AM (ufSfZ)
---
Other than Tolkien (and later C.S. Lewis), I'd abandoned both genres by college, focusing heavily on military history and when I read fiction, it was mostly of the literary sort, like Conrad, later Waugh.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:33 AM (ufSfZ)
---
Other than Tolkien (and later C.S. Lewis), I'd abandoned both genres by college, focusing heavily on military history and when I read fiction, it was mostly of the literary sort, like Conrad, later Waugh.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:37 AM (ZOv7s)
87
First book was a children’s one with the main character (an animal) who had a similar name to mine. Also loved Grimm and fairy tales. One thing I do remember as a child was the gorgeous artwork in the books that really helped you become part of the story. I think that idea was the hook to readying for me. In High School read one of the first Bourne books and thinking is this real? Is this how you get fake id’s etc? That and Agatha Christie I suppose showed how there are people who have different objectives or ways of doing things than perhaps is done on the daily.
Posted by: Hyacinth at February 01, 2026 09:37 AM (ryp7h)
88
53 ...
My idea of a high trust society is based on local personal interaction, not trust in government. To me, high trust is where everyone expects their neighbors to behave in a way that is conducive to each others' well-being. You expect your neighbors to have a casual eye out for danger in the neighborhood. This is the same behavior that herd animals exhibit. If your daily life is that anything not nailed down will be stolen by neighbors, you don't have a high trust society, in fact, you don't really have a society at all. I believe the flaw is that this system is not applicable to larger systems or government.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (0U5gm)
_______
Your understanding is like most people's. But remember, nothing human is perfect or perfectible. I believe what I described goes with it. Also, is a low trust society means "in fact, you don't really have a society at all", then what work is "high trust" doing?
My idea of a high trust society is based on local personal interaction, not trust in government. To me, high trust is where everyone expects their neighbors to behave in a way that is conducive to each others' well-being. You expect your neighbors to have a casual eye out for danger in the neighborhood. This is the same behavior that herd animals exhibit. If your daily life is that anything not nailed down will be stolen by neighbors, you don't have a high trust society, in fact, you don't really have a society at all. I believe the flaw is that this system is not applicable to larger systems or government.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (0U5gm)
_______
Your understanding is like most people's. But remember, nothing human is perfect or perfectible. I believe what I described goes with it. Also, is a low trust society means "in fact, you don't really have a society at all", then what work is "high trust" doing?
Posted by: Eeyore at February 01, 2026 09:37 AM (AlhUl)
89
I wasn't really censored by my parents as far as reading material. I remember reading pretty adult level books at a young age. Probably because I read what my parents had left around. I'm sure my first Stephen King book was my dad's. Salems Lot or Pet Cemetery. I read all his stuff pre 2000 before he went crazy. But I also read romances. In high school, my cousin came to visit and I borrowed a David Eddings book. That started my love for Fantasy books. My reading has always been eclectic.
Posted by: lin-duh is offended at February 01, 2026 09:37 AM (VCgbV)
90
I can't think of a book that changed my life.
I did have a teacher though who did based on her concern that I wasn't going to develop into a well-rounded young man because...I read nothing but science books.
So, she convinced my folks that I should stop reading science and start reading fiction, which annoyed me to no end.
so, I started reading a lot more fiction. Some history and biography, which overall I found boring cuz it'd already happened and was done. Scientific discovery bios I found interesting cuz it explain the scientific method in real life and discovery was ongoing.
Fiction made me realize that it was a lot like scientific research in that all stories were a kind of "theory" abut how things would come together if X was added to y and catalyzed by z, if you see what I mean. And I realized that I could right stories.
I did have a teacher though who did based on her concern that I wasn't going to develop into a well-rounded young man because...I read nothing but science books.
So, she convinced my folks that I should stop reading science and start reading fiction, which annoyed me to no end.
so, I started reading a lot more fiction. Some history and biography, which overall I found boring cuz it'd already happened and was done. Scientific discovery bios I found interesting cuz it explain the scientific method in real life and discovery was ongoing.
Fiction made me realize that it was a lot like scientific research in that all stories were a kind of "theory" abut how things would come together if X was added to y and catalyzed by z, if you see what I mean. And I realized that I could right stories.
Posted by: naturalfake at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (iJfKG)
91
The book that changed my life was Tuchman's A Distant Mirror. It turned me to a doctorate in bacteriology after undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry.
It's been said nothing focus the mind like being shot at, but finding flea bites on your ankles the day after collecting plague samples from an infected prairie dog village is pretty damn close.
It's been said nothing focus the mind like being shot at, but finding flea bites on your ankles the day after collecting plague samples from an infected prairie dog village is pretty damn close.
Posted by: retropox at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (0JEjf)
92
How are you doing mpps
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (bXbFr)
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (ufSfZ)
94
I enjoyed reading JK Rowling, writing under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym, the first novel in her Cormaran Strike series, "Cuckoo's Calling."
Very talented writer. I read it on my Kindle and needed the embedded dictionary from time to time. She's wonderfully descriptive. The quotes at beginnings of chapters are good. The quote at the end is from "Ulysses."
So I say to AI, hey, what might I read in the way of a Brit detective novel that would be in the vein of the Robert Galbraith thing I just finished. AI said to read "Three Mysteries: A Novel" by Kate Atkinson. The PI is some Scotsman named Brodie.
Well, AI was wrong. This Kate Atkinson cannot hold a candle to Rowling. I quit reading it at about the one-third mark and won't go back.
The Cuckoo book, to me, had some Dickensian passages, so if you like Dickens, which I do, you'll like Cuckoo. But I was surprised reading some book reviews, and also answers to inquiries (AI) as to whether Rowling's novels are up there with the best in detective mysteries. AI says she's OK but somewhat pedestrian.
Very talented writer. I read it on my Kindle and needed the embedded dictionary from time to time. She's wonderfully descriptive. The quotes at beginnings of chapters are good. The quote at the end is from "Ulysses."
So I say to AI, hey, what might I read in the way of a Brit detective novel that would be in the vein of the Robert Galbraith thing I just finished. AI said to read "Three Mysteries: A Novel" by Kate Atkinson. The PI is some Scotsman named Brodie.
Well, AI was wrong. This Kate Atkinson cannot hold a candle to Rowling. I quit reading it at about the one-third mark and won't go back.
The Cuckoo book, to me, had some Dickensian passages, so if you like Dickens, which I do, you'll like Cuckoo. But I was surprised reading some book reviews, and also answers to inquiries (AI) as to whether Rowling's novels are up there with the best in detective mysteries. AI says she's OK but somewhat pedestrian.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026 09:39 AM (KiBMU)
95
70 My very first book was a reader called Kip the Dog. It was about a dog.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (RIvkX)
What was the dog's name?
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (RIvkX)
What was the dog's name?
Posted by: Sophomore English Major at Harvard at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (CpcAD)
96
I also remember my grandmother using different voices for different characters when reading to me, which made the stories more interesting, and I employed that technique to great effect with my kids as I taught them to read.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (0U5gm)
97
One of my grandsons turns nine tomorrow.
His gift from me (that he asked for) is a collection Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. How cool is that.
His gift from me (that he asked for) is a collection Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. How cool is that.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (2Ez/1)
98
Currently, I'm re-reading Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's high-fun fantasy, Good Omens. If you're not familiar with it, the concept is that an angel and a demon are working together to *head off* the end of the world as heralded by the birth of the Antichrist. The angel certainly doesn't want to destroy the world, and neither does the demon -- he enjoys the world too much. They have found out what secret agents on opposite sides have often discovered: Each has more in common with his opposite number out in the field than he does with his superiors back at headquarters.
NG and TP clearly had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, and the writing alone is a delight.
NG and TP clearly had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, and the writing alone is a delight.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
99
It's been said nothing focus the mind like being shot at, but finding flea bites on your ankles the day after collecting plague samples from an infected prairie dog village is pretty damn close.
Sphincter status:
[X] Puckered
[ ] Not puckered
Sphincter status:
[X] Puckered
[ ] Not puckered
Posted by: Archimedes at February 01, 2026 09:41 AM (Riz8t)
100
Nochmals Guten Morgen, Horde!
Which was my first book? It’s difficult to be certain given all of the Little Golden Books laying around my room when I was growing up. My parents told me that by age three I had memorized The Little Engine that Could, so I’m going with that.
Which was the most life-changing? The Bible. I started with the basics (the Gospels, the Ten Commandments, a few Psalms and one or two Proverbs) in the King James Version in childhood but got farther along with the New International Version starting around 1990.
Aside from the Bible, the life-changer might have been Fighting Jets, one of the final volumes of the Time-Live series The Epic of Flight. It pretty much solidified in my mind what I thought I wanted to do with my life.
Thanks for the thread, MP4!
Which was my first book? It’s difficult to be certain given all of the Little Golden Books laying around my room when I was growing up. My parents told me that by age three I had memorized The Little Engine that Could, so I’m going with that.
Which was the most life-changing? The Bible. I started with the basics (the Gospels, the Ten Commandments, a few Psalms and one or two Proverbs) in the King James Version in childhood but got farther along with the New International Version starting around 1990.
Aside from the Bible, the life-changer might have been Fighting Jets, one of the final volumes of the Time-Live series The Epic of Flight. It pretty much solidified in my mind what I thought I wanted to do with my life.
Thanks for the thread, MP4!
Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at February 01, 2026 09:41 AM (Yg2TI)
101
'Monster at the end of this book' was the last early book I kept. I'm sure not the first I'd read or been given.
Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at February 01, 2026 09:41 AM (KaHlS)
102
The Cuckoo book, to me, had some Dickensian passages, so if you like Dickens, which I do, you'll like Cuckoo. But I was surprised reading some book reviews, and also answers to inquiries (AI) as to whether Rowling's novels are up there with the best in detective mysteries. AI says she's OK but somewhat pedestrian.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026
***
The one Galbraith I've read -- the first, I think -- was overlong, and did not really feature a thunderbolt solution a la Queen or Carr, or even Christie.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026
***
The one Galbraith I've read -- the first, I think -- was overlong, and did not really feature a thunderbolt solution a la Queen or Carr, or even Christie.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:42 AM (wzUl9)
Posted by: naturalfake at February 01, 2026 09:42 AM (iJfKG)
104
Oh, FFS! I meant, who remembers Grolier's Book of Knowledge encyclopedia.
Dumbass.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (ufSfZ)
Sure. Forgot all about me.
Dumbass.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:24 AM (ufSfZ)
Sure. Forgot all about me.
Posted by: Encyclopedia Americana at February 01, 2026 09:42 AM (uQesX)
105
45 Everybody remembers the World Book or the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but who remembers the World Book encyclopedia? We had that when I was growing up and I loved just poking through it, reading entries here and there. I still collect small sets of encyclopedias and old dictionaries as well; it makes me sad to think they'll all end up in the garbage when I die.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (ufSfZ)
My parents had a World Book set, and I remember spending way too much time with it.
I also had an atlas book that I carried around with me a bunch.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (ufSfZ)
My parents had a World Book set, and I remember spending way too much time with it.
I also had an atlas book that I carried around with me a bunch.
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 09:43 AM (Lhaco)
106
46 First book can't remember either, but I remember I loved Go Dog Go and hated Are You My Mother?
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (7fpSt)
*fistbump
We are sisters in spirit. Go Dog, Go was the best. I loved the wide-crowned trees, so unlike the tall trees I knew.
Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at February 01, 2026 09:22 AM (7fpSt)
*fistbump
We are sisters in spirit. Go Dog, Go was the best. I loved the wide-crowned trees, so unlike the tall trees I knew.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 01, 2026 09:43 AM (h7ZuX)
107
but who remembers the World Book encyclopedia
We had the world book encyclopedia, and the Jacques Cousteau encyclopedia. Cousteau had far better pictures.
We had the world book encyclopedia, and the Jacques Cousteau encyclopedia. Cousteau had far better pictures.
Posted by: Stephen Price Blair at February 01, 2026 09:43 AM (EXyHK)
108
The book that most influenced me is one I cannot even name. I think is was by Albert Camus because it was set in Algeria in the middle 1900s. About the life of a poverty stricken boy who grew into a very wealthy adult by following one rule - "never turn down something offered for nothing". Maybe one of the tribe here can name the book. I'd sure like to find a copy.
Posted by: oldgeezer at February 01, 2026 09:44 AM (569Pr)
109
Poppins, I avert despair because I choose to believe parents and kids select books they actually want to read, and not the swill pushed by the Library Industrial Complex.
It's especially egregious during Identity Months, I've noticed.
It's especially egregious during Identity Months, I've noticed.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:44 AM (kpS4V)
110
The Cat in the Hat, for starters.
Reading was the light bulb moment for me. My Dad was very patient about answering my "What does "wxyz" spell?" questions, but he was a reader, too.
Three books that eventually changed my life: "In This House of Brede" (Godden), "The Cardinal" (Robinson) and "The Dry Wood" (Houselander). Started me on the longish path into the Church.
Devoured the "Golden Book Encyclopedias" on the day they arrived from the grocery.
Reading was the light bulb moment for me. My Dad was very patient about answering my "What does "wxyz" spell?" questions, but he was a reader, too.
Three books that eventually changed my life: "In This House of Brede" (Godden), "The Cardinal" (Robinson) and "The Dry Wood" (Houselander). Started me on the longish path into the Church.
Devoured the "Golden Book Encyclopedias" on the day they arrived from the grocery.
Posted by: sal at February 01, 2026 09:44 AM (f+FmA)
111
Encyclopedia Brown! That was a character I read a lot of when I was young, but it didn't lead to a lifetime of reading mysteries.
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 09:44 AM (Lhaco)
112
Of course, Pullman kept the rents and company store prices at the same levels as before when he cut his workers' wages, which didn't help matters. I wonder if he had announced that, until the panic was over, costs would be cut along with wages, would there still have been a strike? Probably.
Posted by: Mary Poppins'
Yes, probably, because people like Debs were involved. I will note that to this day, wage growth and wage deflation still exist and are used by economists to gauge economic conditions, though in modern times, it is hours that are reduced, not wages.
Posted by: Mary Poppins'
Yes, probably, because people like Debs were involved. I will note that to this day, wage growth and wage deflation still exist and are used by economists to gauge economic conditions, though in modern times, it is hours that are reduced, not wages.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:45 AM (0U5gm)
113
How are you doing mpps
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (bXbFr)
Do you really want to know?
OK, I suppose. About 3 weeks into total sobriety, but that's a story for a GAINZZ thread. Trying to write, but for some reason I simply can't get enthused about the plot, the people or the time and it feels like work rather than anything else.
And of course, my friend and writing muse continues to have wonderful luck. Even though Kathleen Kennedy no longer helms Lucasfilms, she is still pushing to adapt my friend's book, Becoming Hazel, into either a feature film or a Netflix limited-episode series. I try to be happy for her, but it's so hard for me to swallow the envy I have and not let her know my true feelings.
I thought if I gave up drinking, I wouldn't brood so much or hate myself so much, but no. Of course, it has been only 3 weeks, so. . .
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (bXbFr)
Do you really want to know?
OK, I suppose. About 3 weeks into total sobriety, but that's a story for a GAINZZ thread. Trying to write, but for some reason I simply can't get enthused about the plot, the people or the time and it feels like work rather than anything else.
And of course, my friend and writing muse continues to have wonderful luck. Even though Kathleen Kennedy no longer helms Lucasfilms, she is still pushing to adapt my friend's book, Becoming Hazel, into either a feature film or a Netflix limited-episode series. I try to be happy for her, but it's so hard for me to swallow the envy I have and not let her know my true feelings.
I thought if I gave up drinking, I wouldn't brood so much or hate myself so much, but no. Of course, it has been only 3 weeks, so. . .
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:45 AM (ufSfZ)
114
Wolfus, that supermarket encyclopedia we had was probably some variant of a Funk & Wagnall's rather than a Golden Book set. Later (6th or 7th grade maybe), we replaced it with a Collier's. And I wrote a lot of school papers with that one (and more than a few book reports with the aid of Classics Illustrated -- and the memory of some of those comics came in handy in college as well. Bless them.)
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 09:45 AM (q3u5l)
115
First book I read of any length was one of the Hardy Boys.
Off topic, but what's happened to Jackstraw? Have not seen a post from him in some days?
Off topic, but what's happened to Jackstraw? Have not seen a post from him in some days?
Posted by: Dad of Six at February 01, 2026 09:46 AM (vUDHB)
116
I wasn't really censored by my parents as far as reading material. I remember reading pretty adult level books at a young age.
Posted by: lin-duh is offended at February 01, 2026 09:37 AM (VCgbV)
---
For a time, my mother attempted to steer me away from military history, which fascinated me from the get-go. She also forbade me to have "war toys," which my father completely wrecked by sending he home from weekend visits with toy guns and army men.
My maternal grandmother (who owned the Churchill book) mocked my mother. "Let him read what interests him!" and to drive the point home, she bought "Weapons and Warfare of the 20th Century" for me when I was five because I found it in a book store and loved all the pictures. She even inscribed it to me. (Do people do that anymore?) That ended the discussion.
I will say that I wish my parents had shown greater discretion in the sophistication level of what I read, because in retrospect, I read some very age-inappropriate material that had negative downstream effects. My wife went through a similar experience, and so we took care to curate the reading choices of our kids in that respect.
Posted by: lin-duh is offended at February 01, 2026 09:37 AM (VCgbV)
---
For a time, my mother attempted to steer me away from military history, which fascinated me from the get-go. She also forbade me to have "war toys," which my father completely wrecked by sending he home from weekend visits with toy guns and army men.
My maternal grandmother (who owned the Churchill book) mocked my mother. "Let him read what interests him!" and to drive the point home, she bought "Weapons and Warfare of the 20th Century" for me when I was five because I found it in a book store and loved all the pictures. She even inscribed it to me. (Do people do that anymore?) That ended the discussion.
I will say that I wish my parents had shown greater discretion in the sophistication level of what I read, because in retrospect, I read some very age-inappropriate material that had negative downstream effects. My wife went through a similar experience, and so we took care to curate the reading choices of our kids in that respect.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:46 AM (ZOv7s)
117
Thanks for another fascinating Book Thread, MP4!
It seems I've always been reading so it's hard to say what the first book was, or what influenced me. I did make it to the edge of adulthood with my (often read) Bronte and O. Henry books in tow, and I still have them to this day.
It seems I've always been reading so it's hard to say what the first book was, or what influenced me. I did make it to the edge of adulthood with my (often read) Bronte and O. Henry books in tow, and I still have them to this day.
Posted by: Legally Sufficient at February 01, 2026 09:46 AM (kB9dk)
118
First book was that Dick and Jane book, don't remember the title. They had a dog named Spot.
Posted by: From about That Time at February 01, 2026 09:47 AM (sl73Y)
119
The first chapter book I ever read was The Secret Sea by Robb White. I loved it and read a bunch of other White books after that. It's about a naval officer wounded during the Battle Off Samar who goes on a treasure hunt in the Gulf of America to fund an operation for his kid brother injured playing football. Then there's this bad guy . . .
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 09:48 AM (J+Psw)
120
Hi All, happy reading, Thanks to MP4 and all who contribute to make this happen.
Still reading (and loving) "Not Stolen" by Fynn-Paul. It's a great follow-on to "War Before Civilization", by Keeley.
"First remembered books that had an impact as I reached awareness": Jack London's wild dog/wolf books; everything by Robb White; "A Boy Ten Feet Tall", by Canaway; Kipling. Great question.
Still reading (and loving) "Not Stolen" by Fynn-Paul. It's a great follow-on to "War Before Civilization", by Keeley.
"First remembered books that had an impact as I reached awareness": Jack London's wild dog/wolf books; everything by Robb White; "A Boy Ten Feet Tall", by Canaway; Kipling. Great question.
Posted by: goatexchange at February 01, 2026 09:48 AM (hyS0X)
121
1st: Fun with Dick and Jane
Most influential: Genesis and Exodus
Most influential: Genesis and Exodus
Posted by: BirdRockDoc at February 01, 2026 09:48 AM (PoaF2)
122
At some point i started with the readers digest condensed books maybe something from robin cook the sphinx i think
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026
***
My mother subscribed to those when I was about twelve. I got to read Jaws, for example, The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three, Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry, Airport, and Bless the Beasts and Children, among others.
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026
***
My mother subscribed to those when I was about twelve. I got to read Jaws, for example, The Taking of Pelham One-Two-Three, Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry, Airport, and Bless the Beasts and Children, among others.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:48 AM (wzUl9)
123
Everybody remembers the World Book or the Encyclopaedia Britannica, but who remembers the World Book encyclopedia? We had that when I was growing up and I loved just poking through it, reading entries here and there. I still collect small sets of encyclopedias and old dictionaries as well; it makes me sad to think they'll all end up in the garbage when I die.
Posted by: Mary Poppins'
We had a set. I read it. The whole thing, A to Z. I guess you could say I was a voracious reader.
Posted by: Mary Poppins'
We had a set. I read it. The whole thing, A to Z. I guess you could say I was a voracious reader.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 09:49 AM (0U5gm)
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at February 01, 2026 09:49 AM (XvL8K)
125
As many have said, not sure what the absolute first book I read (maybe a Dr. Seuss book), but I know I could read before I started kindergarten. (Thanks Mom!) A favorite childhood book was The Phantom Tollbooth and the wonderful illustrations. I still remember Tock the watchdog! I was disappointed when my son didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. Also loved The Hobbit when I discovered it in fifth grade or so, followed by The Lord of the Rings.
Posted by: NCDave at February 01, 2026 09:49 AM (mAiNO)
126
"I enjoyed reading JK Rowling, writing under the Robert Galbraith pseudonym, the first novel in her Cormaran Strike series, "Cuckoo's Calling."
I've read all the other books in the series. Uniformly excellent. Waiting impatiently for the next, and I believe, final book in the series. BTW, the TV series based on the books is pretty good. I think it's on HBO/Max but I've watched through Amazon Prime after paying a small fee.
I've read all the other books in the series. Uniformly excellent. Waiting impatiently for the next, and I believe, final book in the series. BTW, the TV series based on the books is pretty good. I think it's on HBO/Max but I've watched through Amazon Prime after paying a small fee.
Posted by: Tuna at February 01, 2026 09:49 AM (lJ0H4)
127
Poppins, I avert despair because I choose to believe parents and kids select books they actually want to read, and not the swill pushed by the Library Industrial Complex.
It's especially egregious during Identity Months, I've noticed.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:44 AM (kpS4V)
---
Public libraries are now computer labs for homeless people, ersatz DVD rental joints and after school hangouts. Books are a side gig at best. I think most library boards - and patrons - are late middle age women who use tax dollars to buy their chick lit. The gay stuff is just virtue signalling. No one reads it.
It's especially egregious during Identity Months, I've noticed.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:44 AM (kpS4V)
---
Public libraries are now computer labs for homeless people, ersatz DVD rental joints and after school hangouts. Books are a side gig at best. I think most library boards - and patrons - are late middle age women who use tax dollars to buy their chick lit. The gay stuff is just virtue signalling. No one reads it.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 09:50 AM (ZOv7s)
128
I also remember my grandmother using different voices for different characters when reading to me, which made the stories more interesting,. . .
Posted by: Thomas Paine
My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Schrock, did that to great effect when ready the Just So Stories by Kipling. How the elephant got his trunk was a particular favorite.
Posted by: Thomas Paine
My sixth-grade teacher, Mrs. Schrock, did that to great effect when ready the Just So Stories by Kipling. How the elephant got his trunk was a particular favorite.
Posted by: Tonypete at February 01, 2026 09:50 AM (cYBz/)
129
It might have been airport
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 09:50 AM (bXbFr)
130
My great-uncle and -aunt subscribed to the Readers Digest Condensed Book series and would hand some of them off to my grandmother. When I went to visit her they were often the only thing available to read -- unless one of my cousins had left behind a paperback bestseller that my grandmother didn't know was highly unsuitable as most of them were.
I don't remember most of the RDCBs I read, but I do recall Velikovsky's _Worlds in Collision_, where I spotted an obvious howler at the age of about 8 which evidently Mr. V and none of his editors caught. Hydrocarbons are not carbohydrates. I knew that just like everyone else who lived in oil country.
I don't remember most of the RDCBs I read, but I do recall Velikovsky's _Worlds in Collision_, where I spotted an obvious howler at the age of about 8 which evidently Mr. V and none of his editors caught. Hydrocarbons are not carbohydrates. I knew that just like everyone else who lived in oil country.
Posted by: Trimegistus at February 01, 2026 09:52 AM (78a2H)
131
95 70 My very first book was a reader called Kip the Dog. It was about a dog.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (RIvkX)
What was the dog's name?
Posted by: Sophomore English Major at Harvard at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (CpcAD)
====
Hey. Do your own research, bro.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:31 AM (RIvkX)
What was the dog's name?
Posted by: Sophomore English Major at Harvard at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (CpcAD)
====
Hey. Do your own research, bro.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 09:52 AM (RIvkX)
132
I enjoyed the Robert Galbraith audio books. I didn't enjoy the style of the Ink Black Heart though.
CJ Box is another author I enjoyed.
CJ Box is another author I enjoyed.
Posted by: lin-duh is offended at February 01, 2026 09:52 AM (VCgbV)
133
Wolfus, that supermarket encyclopedia we had was probably some variant of a Funk & Wagnall's rather than a Golden Book set. Later (6th or 7th grade maybe), we replaced it with a Collier's. And I wrote a lot of school papers with that one (and more than a few book reports with the aid of Classics Illustrated -- and the memory of some of those comics came in handy in college as well. Bless them.)
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 0
***
There was another set of encyclopedias that came with a portion of the Funk & Wagnall's dictionary between two unrelated information portions. For example, one part might have been breeds of horses, another might have been various kinds of rocks in the Earth's crust. Certainly there was one on cat breeds with a painting of a red tabby Maine Coon cat pacing alongside a barn.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 0
***
There was another set of encyclopedias that came with a portion of the Funk & Wagnall's dictionary between two unrelated information portions. For example, one part might have been breeds of horses, another might have been various kinds of rocks in the Earth's crust. Certainly there was one on cat breeds with a painting of a red tabby Maine Coon cat pacing alongside a barn.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:53 AM (wzUl9)
134
I started reading insanely young so not sure I remember my first book
I'll go with a Dick and Jane book which I do recall reading in first grade.
as far as choose-to-read it would be The Land of Oz. I have a bunch of Baum's Oz books and read them voraciously
Book that changed my life - The Dictionary of the Khazars. apparently it's sort of politically inappropriate but I still love it. it's more of a book of poetry, you don't read thru.
still reading Hyperion/Endymion by Dan Simmons. this is VERY applicable to our current status vis-a-vis AI. super interesting how prescient he is.
I'll go with a Dick and Jane book which I do recall reading in first grade.
as far as choose-to-read it would be The Land of Oz. I have a bunch of Baum's Oz books and read them voraciously
Book that changed my life - The Dictionary of the Khazars. apparently it's sort of politically inappropriate but I still love it. it's more of a book of poetry, you don't read thru.
still reading Hyperion/Endymion by Dan Simmons. this is VERY applicable to our current status vis-a-vis AI. super interesting how prescient he is.
Posted by: BlackOrchid at February 01, 2026 09:53 AM (emBoF)
135
I wonder if he had announced that, until the panic was over, costs would be cut along with wages, would there still have been a strike? Probably.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:36 AM (ufSfZ)
Commies like Debs et al don't strike to help "workers," they strike to gain power.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:36 AM (ufSfZ)
Commies like Debs et al don't strike to help "workers," they strike to gain power.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 09:54 AM (uQesX)
136
One that was quite memorable for me, was Russell Hoban's "Ridley Walker." Set in the place we call Britain, six millennia after a nuclear holocaust, the narrator is a young man, a storyteller, describing his journey through an iron-age civilization of collective farms, villages, and a city all ruled by an iron-fisted group, the headman called the "Pry Minster." Iron is mined in large open pits, not ore, but the deeply buried remnants of metal things from that long ago mysterious civilization. The legend of the fall is told by traveling minstrals doing punch and judy puppet shows, with the bad guy called Adam, the Littl Shyning Man. The atomic bomb.
It's a tough read because the language is a bent version of english, but you get the hang of it after a chapter or so.
Makes you think, what could it be possibly be like, 50 or 100 generations coming out of a nuclear winter, living like neanderthals.
It's a tough read because the language is a bent version of english, but you get the hang of it after a chapter or so.
Makes you think, what could it be possibly be like, 50 or 100 generations coming out of a nuclear winter, living like neanderthals.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026 09:54 AM (KiBMU)
137
There are two books that changed my life.
The first was Treasure Island in second grade. That was the book that made me realize that words on a page could instill powerful images and emotion in me. I came to love the information (encyclopedia, dictionary, history) could provide and the excitement of fiction (Hardy Boys, Heinlein juveniles).
The second was LOTR in seventh grade. (I know. Surprise!) The scope of the story, the vibrant writing, songs and poetry, strange characters, and the challenge of his language was like seeing a new sunrise. (I learned later that CS Lewis had a similar reaction to MacDonald's Phantastes.) Perhaps as important, it made me aware of that my own experience and knowledge could make the story more meaningful. Tolkien's 'applicability' versus allegory. That is what continues to make LOTR so important to me. The more I bring to the book, the more I get out of it. That has shaped my reading ever since.
The first was Treasure Island in second grade. That was the book that made me realize that words on a page could instill powerful images and emotion in me. I came to love the information (encyclopedia, dictionary, history) could provide and the excitement of fiction (Hardy Boys, Heinlein juveniles).
The second was LOTR in seventh grade. (I know. Surprise!) The scope of the story, the vibrant writing, songs and poetry, strange characters, and the challenge of his language was like seeing a new sunrise. (I learned later that CS Lewis had a similar reaction to MacDonald's Phantastes.) Perhaps as important, it made me aware of that my own experience and knowledge could make the story more meaningful. Tolkien's 'applicability' versus allegory. That is what continues to make LOTR so important to me. The more I bring to the book, the more I get out of it. That has shaped my reading ever since.
Posted by: JTB at February 01, 2026 09:54 AM (yTvNw)
138
I don't know of a book that changed my life. There have been many books that had an impact on me.
Once was 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' by William Shirer. It made me understand how Hitler rose to power in Europe.
Another one was 'Caesar and Christ' by Will Durant. It got me interested in ancient history.
There are other books as well.
Once was 'The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich' by William Shirer. It made me understand how Hitler rose to power in Europe.
Another one was 'Caesar and Christ' by Will Durant. It got me interested in ancient history.
There are other books as well.
Posted by: dantesed at February 01, 2026 09:54 AM (Oy/m2)
139
Went to Baldwin's Book Barn yesterday lol. That place has changed now that it's "instagram popular"
there were a lot of young people there not looking at books, just taking "interesting photos"
I did grab a couple of books - they didn't have as many as usual? - and ended up having to haggle with the ancient lady at the register. I guess they are now a "rare book" shop?!?
I got her down pretty good but I will stick with church book swaps and Arden Fair for my used book needs (and Abe). crazy over there!
also freezing they don't really have heat, just a little woodburning stove in the front room. some of the little warren rooms were insanely cold
there were a lot of young people there not looking at books, just taking "interesting photos"
I did grab a couple of books - they didn't have as many as usual? - and ended up having to haggle with the ancient lady at the register. I guess they are now a "rare book" shop?!?
I got her down pretty good but I will stick with church book swaps and Arden Fair for my used book needs (and Abe). crazy over there!
also freezing they don't really have heat, just a little woodburning stove in the front room. some of the little warren rooms were insanely cold
Posted by: BlackOrchid at February 01, 2026 09:56 AM (emBoF)
Posted by: Person who checks out titles at February 01, 2026 09:56 AM (2Ez/1)
141
My library is still a haven for book lovers and not a hobo encampment like others I've seen. And they still shush loud people on phones.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:56 AM (kpS4V)
142
"Intern" by Dr. X. Experiences of a medical intern first year of training. I read it when I was probably 7 years old, and knew then I wanted to be a doctor.
Posted by: Dantes at February 01, 2026 09:56 AM (Ya4pq)
143
Holy shit, Eris, those books are obscene.
I should make Theda Bara a black lesbian.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (ufSfZ)
Wait! She wasn't??
I should make Theda Bara a black lesbian.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (ufSfZ)
Wait! She wasn't??
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 09:57 AM (uQesX)
144
A lot of the novels chosen by the Reader's Digest for the Condensed Books wound up being movies. A lot didn't, of course, but there was a high percentage. I see My Cousin Rachel by Du Maurier, and Giant by Edna Ferber, were two early ones.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:57 AM (wzUl9)
145
The first one I remember reading was "Harry The Dirty Dog.", which is mostly a picture book. I think the first serious book I read was "Charlotte's Web'. My third grade class took a field trip to the Jervis Public Library, and while we were in line to check out (with my limit of seven books), my teacher Mrs. Asadourian dropped Charlotte's Web on top of my stack. I finished it after school and before suppertime.
Posted by: Nancy@7000ft at February 01, 2026 09:57 AM (4qIhJ)
146
I currently reading, "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir.
He's the guy who wrote "The Martian".
PHM is very much like a straight up science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton but with more humor.
The plot concerns a kind of "sun-eating microbe" that is decreasing the sun's output, which will essentially bring about a new extinction event on Earth and good-bye human race. Earth sends rocket to a sun unaffected by the "sun-eater", and our hero wakes up as the only one left alive and with amnesia about why he's there. And we're off.
The novel is very well-written and intelligent with our hero having to figure out basics scientifically. Nice to have an intelligent, scientifically literate protagonist for once.
So far, I totally recommend PHM for a fun read.
PHM doesn't have the urgency yet of "The Martian" as we're now in the "meet cute" phase of the novel, but I assume as things come together and a solution is discovered,, the plot will intensify.
If this sounds like your kind of thing, it is. Check it out.
I currently reading, "Project Hail Mary" by Andy Weir.
He's the guy who wrote "The Martian".
PHM is very much like a straight up science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton but with more humor.
The plot concerns a kind of "sun-eating microbe" that is decreasing the sun's output, which will essentially bring about a new extinction event on Earth and good-bye human race. Earth sends rocket to a sun unaffected by the "sun-eater", and our hero wakes up as the only one left alive and with amnesia about why he's there. And we're off.
The novel is very well-written and intelligent with our hero having to figure out basics scientifically. Nice to have an intelligent, scientifically literate protagonist for once.
So far, I totally recommend PHM for a fun read.
PHM doesn't have the urgency yet of "The Martian" as we're now in the "meet cute" phase of the novel, but I assume as things come together and a solution is discovered,, the plot will intensify.
If this sounds like your kind of thing, it is. Check it out.
Posted by: naturalfake at February 01, 2026 09:57 AM (iJfKG)
147
97 One of my grandsons turns nine tomorrow.
His gift from me (that he asked for) is a collection Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. How cool is that.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (2Ez/1)
Happy Birthday! Eldest granddaughter will be 24.
Super cool b-day digits.
His gift from me (that he asked for) is a collection Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. How cool is that.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (2Ez/1)
Happy Birthday! Eldest granddaughter will be 24.
Super cool b-day digits.
Posted by: sal at February 01, 2026 09:58 AM (f+FmA)
148
"Intern" by Dr. X. Experiences of a medical intern first year of training. I read it when I was probably 7 years old, and knew then I wanted to be a doctor.
Posted by: Dantes at February 01, 2026
***
I read it when I was about twelve, when it came out in paperback. Startling the amount of humor it has in it.
The author, Alan E. Nourse, was also a science-fiction writer during the Fifties and onward.
Posted by: Dantes at February 01, 2026
***
I read it when I was about twelve, when it came out in paperback. Startling the amount of humor it has in it.
The author, Alan E. Nourse, was also a science-fiction writer during the Fifties and onward.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:58 AM (wzUl9)
149
I will say that I wish my parents had shown greater discretion in the sophistication level of what I read, because in retrospect, I read some very age-inappropriate material that had negative downstream effects.
I can understand that. I joke about reading Venus in Furs and A Man With A Maid just as I was hitting puberty, but looking back, I realize that those books really derailed my emotional growth and still affect me now.
I can understand that. I joke about reading Venus in Furs and A Man With A Maid just as I was hitting puberty, but looking back, I realize that those books really derailed my emotional growth and still affect me now.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:59 AM (ufSfZ)
150
Was it Adventures of Dick & Jane?
Somehow don't remember Dr Suisse first, more like 6,7 yo
Somehow don't remember Dr Suisse first, more like 6,7 yo
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 09:59 AM (Ia/+0)
151
A while back, I saw a set of custom bound comics on ebay. I tried to buy the set, but was out-bid at the last second. Because I'm a sore loser, I've been looking around to see what it would cost to create my own copy of the books. Well, as it turns out, just buying the original comic book issues would cost at least as much as the original set. Binding those comics into actual books would cost half as much again, and would take many months of waiting. Whomever won that bid got one hell of a deal.
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 09:59 AM (Lhaco)
152
NG ... clearly had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, and the writing alone is a delight.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
Was there a scene with NG in a bath with a young girl? He's the weirdo, right?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
Was there a scene with NG in a bath with a young girl? He's the weirdo, right?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 10:00 AM (uQesX)
153
The earliest reading I can remember doing wasn't books. Before I was in kindergarten, I used to copy words that I saw and ask my Dad what they said. One of those words was "Janitrol", which was the brand name of the furnace in our house. Later on, I started reading comic strips in the newspaper.
I can't remember the first actual book that I read, but one of the early ones was "Fire Hunter" by Jim Kjelgaard. Another one was "Star Beast" (I think that was the title) by Robert Heinlein. After that I became a voracious reader, so much so that my parents started to complain that I spent too much time reading.
When I went to the library, at first they only wanted to let me check out "age-appropriate" books; illustrated kid's books with one sentence per page. I convinced them to change their minds by sitting at a table and reading about 100 pages of "The Abominable Snowman" by Ivan Sanderson, and then describing what I had read.
I can't remember the first actual book that I read, but one of the early ones was "Fire Hunter" by Jim Kjelgaard. Another one was "Star Beast" (I think that was the title) by Robert Heinlein. After that I became a voracious reader, so much so that my parents started to complain that I spent too much time reading.
When I went to the library, at first they only wanted to let me check out "age-appropriate" books; illustrated kid's books with one sentence per page. I convinced them to change their minds by sitting at a table and reading about 100 pages of "The Abominable Snowman" by Ivan Sanderson, and then describing what I had read.
Posted by: Toad-0 at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (oI25S)
154
The first adult level book I just had to read and which influenced my reading life would be The Sinking of the Bismarck by William Schirer. I remember the long wait list at the library to get a copy. The movie "Sink the Bismarck" was one of the WGN classic movies that would play on Sunday afternoons, and every boy in my class wanted to read that book. I now have hundreds of military history books, and at least half are naval history.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (0U5gm)
155
The library here has been depressing for some time. I can go in there and find at least fifteen feet of shelf space devoted to James Patterson, but if I'm in a mood for Somerset Maugham it's Of Human Bondage and maybe two others. They've kept a few Hemingways, maybe three or four Heinleins, no O'Hara, not much Dickens, not much in the way of classics at all really.
It appears that a lot of library school grads in recent decades go along with the idea that a book that doesn't circulate often enough should be weeded, which is understandable; less understandable is the idea that it should be weeded no matter what it is. But gotta make room for DVDs and the sort of books Eris described above. I used to hit the libraries a lot when I was a kid; over the last 20 or 30 years, not so much.
It appears that a lot of library school grads in recent decades go along with the idea that a book that doesn't circulate often enough should be weeded, which is understandable; less understandable is the idea that it should be weeded no matter what it is. But gotta make room for DVDs and the sort of books Eris described above. I used to hit the libraries a lot when I was a kid; over the last 20 or 30 years, not so much.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (q3u5l)
156
Fun with Dick and Jane, I do think that is possibly first. First published 1930, final edition 1965
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:02 AM (Ia/+0)
157
I should make Theda Bara a black lesbian.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (ufSfZ)
Trans-disabled!
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 09:38 AM (ufSfZ)
Trans-disabled!
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 01, 2026 10:02 AM (h7ZuX)
158
We did not have many books growing up. Mom was a functional illiterate who never went further than fifth grade. Dad was into crosswords and puzzle books. What saved me was my cousin who was four years older than me. He got me hooked on reading. Then it dawned on my parents that maybe it’s something to be encouraged. It was only then that we began to have books in the house.
Posted by: Uncle Slayton at February 01, 2026 10:02 AM (ZDNhW)
159
Went to Baldwin's Book Barn yesterday lol. That place has changed now that it's "instagram popular"
Never heard of it until now, when I looked it up. It seems like my kind of place, and I'll have to check it out if I'm ever in the area.
Never heard of it until now, when I looked it up. It seems like my kind of place, and I'll have to check it out if I'm ever in the area.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 10:03 AM (ufSfZ)
160
I read the whole story, the one that was done as little 5 or 6 paragraph inserts onto the bottom corner of the pages of The Whole Earth Catalog, but I can't remember any of it, because I was stoned.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026 10:04 AM (KiBMU)
161
My first books were The Great Brain series and the most important is Closing of The American Mind.
As an adult, hands down the KJB.
As an adult, hands down the KJB.
Posted by: Accomack at February 01, 2026 10:04 AM (j6fda)
Posted by: Weak Geek at February 01, 2026 10:04 AM (p/isN)
163
I mentioned last week reading the first of Faith Martin's Arbie and Val mysteries, Murder By Candlelight. I liked it so well I read the second this week, The Last Word Is Death, and am deep into the third and, to date, final, A Dangerous Train of Thought. These are not hard boiled like Rowling's Comoran Strike novels but more Agatha Christie-esque.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 10:04 AM (J+Psw)
164
One that was quite memorable for me, was Russell Hoban's "Ridley Walker."
=====
Hoban wrote the book in a pidgin language much in the style of Burgess' A Clockwork Orange or Orwell's 1984.
=====
Hoban wrote the book in a pidgin language much in the style of Burgess' A Clockwork Orange or Orwell's 1984.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 10:05 AM (RIvkX)
165
80 I was looking at the "new books" section of my library's website and holy crap have libraries gone off the deep end. The new hotness is "remixes"
-"What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix" (they're blackish)
- "A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix" (they're female and Asian)
- "Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo and Juliet Remix" (two gay boys)
- "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix" (e'r'body black!)
-"Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix" (hijabs and ME politics!)
-"My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix" (blaaaaaack)
Etc.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:35 AM (kpS4V)
Ick. Those sound awful. I try to avoid remixes, as I would prefer something original, but unfortunately remixes do catch the eye easier than original works. When I do get them, it tends to be because the story had been retold as an action/adventure.
-"What Souls Are Made Of: A Wuthering Heights Remix" (they're blackish)
- "A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix" (they're female and Asian)
- "Teach the Torches to Burn: A Romeo and Juliet Remix" (two gay boys)
- "So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix" (e'r'body black!)
-"Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix" (hijabs and ME politics!)
-"My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix" (blaaaaaack)
Etc.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 09:35 AM (kpS4V)
Ick. Those sound awful. I try to avoid remixes, as I would prefer something original, but unfortunately remixes do catch the eye easier than original works. When I do get them, it tends to be because the story had been retold as an action/adventure.
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 10:06 AM (Lhaco)
166
After reading Wiki on Fun with Dick and Jane I am positive that was first book as my reading skills suffered throughout my life
( rolls eyes)
( rolls eyes)
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:06 AM (Ia/+0)
167
I remember reading all the books in the third grade classroom, but they did not change my life.
Books that influenced me mightily as a lad were Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes and more. His Barroom tales, and every other book he wrote were influential as well.
That led me to being a completist on the Victor Appleton Jr. books about Tom Swift, Junior. I focused on the technology and ideas, not the language, lame personal dynamics, or condescending text. Gave me an introduction to science and technology.
As an adult, The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris reframed my thinking about humanity.
Books that influenced me mightily as a lad were Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes and more. His Barroom tales, and every other book he wrote were influential as well.
That led me to being a completist on the Victor Appleton Jr. books about Tom Swift, Junior. I focused on the technology and ideas, not the language, lame personal dynamics, or condescending text. Gave me an introduction to science and technology.
As an adult, The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris reframed my thinking about humanity.
Posted by: NaCly Dog at February 01, 2026 10:06 AM (u82oZ)
168
My parents rarely bought books. Not that they didn't like them, but they were very frugal. My grandmother, however, was an elementary school principal, and would sometimes bring us a whole box of books that were leftovers from the Scholastic book fairs at her school. I still have some of them. But there were also the books I found behind an upstairs door in my other grandma's rickety old house, a whole series called "Aunt Janes Nieces", by Edith Van Dyne. Many years later I learned that Edith Van Dyne was actually L. Frank Baum.
Posted by: Nancy@7000ft at February 01, 2026 10:07 AM (4qIhJ)
169
Come, I will be honest with you: The book that changed my life the most was The Complete Home Medical Encyclopedia (1963) by one Dr. Harold Hyman. My mother had not yet had The Talk with me about the birds and the bees. One evening my pre-teen self was dipping into this massive paperback, and ran across the sections on "Sexual Intercourse (Coitus)" and "Sexual Maturation in Health and Disease." Naturally I dived into them.
Well. Really? Is that how it all works . . .? Wow!
As an adult I have a copy of the book. It's not a dry examination of the topic -- the language is almost poetic. As you can imagine, It Changed Everything for me.
Well. Really? Is that how it all works . . .? Wow!
As an adult I have a copy of the book. It's not a dry examination of the topic -- the language is almost poetic. As you can imagine, It Changed Everything for me.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:07 AM (wzUl9)
170
Makes you think, what could it be possibly be like, 50 or 100 generations coming out of a nuclear winter, living like neanderthals.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026 09:54 AM (KiBMU)
Reminds of the book that really got me into Sci/fi-futuristic fantasy: “Daybreak 2250 AD” by Andre Norton. Setting is kind of a Thundarr the Barbarian world.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026 09:54 AM (KiBMU)
Reminds of the book that really got me into Sci/fi-futuristic fantasy: “Daybreak 2250 AD” by Andre Norton. Setting is kind of a Thundarr the Barbarian world.
Posted by: Tom Servo at February 01, 2026 10:08 AM (IUuBi)
171
The first adult level book I just had to read and which influenced my reading life would be The Sinking of the Bismarck by William Schirer. I remember the long wait list at the library to get a copy.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (0U5gm)
---
The elementary school library had a small collection of military history books and several were always being checked out, especially the picture book on World War II. They had a similar book on World War I that was less popular, so that's the one I checked out and that's probably why I got so interested in the topic. Wish I could remember the name of the series. They were cool.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (0U5gm)
---
The elementary school library had a small collection of military history books and several were always being checked out, especially the picture book on World War II. They had a similar book on World War I that was less popular, so that's the one I checked out and that's probably why I got so interested in the topic. Wish I could remember the name of the series. They were cool.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:08 AM (ZOv7s)
172
First conscious story I remember was non-fiction in third grade and asked the Sister how to pronounce 'coelacanth.' When she had trouble pronouncing it, I knew I wanted to learn more.
Precocious wasn't I?
Precocious wasn't I?
Posted by: Anna Puma at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (HFAps)
173
Just finished "Exogenesis" by Peco Gaskovski, a well-known "Unmachiner".
It's a dystopian future novel set 200 years in the future. The protagonist is a 4th Echelon "counselor" in the population control bureau who encounters insurgents during a routine sterilization trip to the Luddite-like outlands.
It's a short read, reasonably well-written and the society build is quite good. The title is from the future extra-uterine technology that allows eligible couples to create hundreds of embryos and to choose which one will be allowed to live.
It's a dystopian future novel set 200 years in the future. The protagonist is a 4th Echelon "counselor" in the population control bureau who encounters insurgents during a routine sterilization trip to the Luddite-like outlands.
It's a short read, reasonably well-written and the society build is quite good. The title is from the future extra-uterine technology that allows eligible couples to create hundreds of embryos and to choose which one will be allowed to live.
Posted by: sal at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (f+FmA)
174
In fact I suspect my mother bought the Hyman medical text and left it around for me so I would read those sections, and she would not have to have The Talk with me at all. If so, it worked.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (wzUl9)
175
The first book I recall was "The Monster at the End of This Book." It was a little illustrated Sesame Street book featuring Grover.
As for life-changing books, I'd say C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" ranks #1 (outside of the Bible).
As for life-changing books, I'd say C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" ranks #1 (outside of the Bible).
Posted by: PabloD at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (3VXNH)
176
My first book was actually the entire Encyclopedia Britannica, at first the red colored version with a lot of pictures and then the adult, black and gray colored version that wasn’t so heavy on pictures. My Mom told me that I used to fall asleep my head on the pages of an open volume when I was 4 and 5 years old.
I was definitely a hardcore book nerd at a very early age. And now I have something like 300 unread books sitting on my Kindle, far more than I can probably read before I die. Better get to work!
I was definitely a hardcore book nerd at a very early age. And now I have something like 300 unread books sitting on my Kindle, far more than I can probably read before I die. Better get to work!
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (/RHNq)
177
Starting An Army at Dawn, North Africa WWII
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:10 AM (Ia/+0)
178
Had the Dick & Jane readers in grade school. Did not consider them 'books'. Didn't read any Dr Seuss until senior year in high school; when my English teacher found out that I never had, she brought 3 of his books in for me to read - forget how she put it, but something along the lines of him being part of the culture.
Posted by: Nazdar at February 01, 2026 10:10 AM (NcvvS)
Posted by: Cow Demon at February 01, 2026 10:10 AM (PlzrS)
180
I remember sitting in a circle in grade school with other kids reading aloud Fun With Dick and Jane. Every minute was torture and made me hate being in school.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026 10:10 AM (RIvkX)
181
It appears that a lot of library school grads in recent decades go along with the idea that a book that doesn't circulate often enough should be weeded, which is understandable; less understandable is the idea that it should be weeded no matter what it is. But gotta make room for DVDs and the sort of books Eris described above. I used to hit the libraries a lot when I was a kid; over the last 20 or 30 years, not so much.
Posted by: Just Some Guy
A new city library is under construction not far from my house. It will be much more convenient, but I hope against hope that there will actually be anything there worth checking out.
Posted by: Just Some Guy
A new city library is under construction not far from my house. It will be much more convenient, but I hope against hope that there will actually be anything there worth checking out.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:10 AM (0U5gm)
182
The first book I read was probably the Bible because we were and are church going folks. I haven't not had books at my home. One book that gives me PTSD is the Count of Monte Cristo. I can't even listen to it being read any more. We studied it and attempted to translate it in HS French. I really like it, but I have great trouble getting through the inhumanity. I understand that is the point. I probably am the only person who has PTSD from a book rather than a real life physical experience.
I read Jane Austin as an adult. Love those then hit the other authors who wrote about the same time like Elizabeth Gaskill and Anthony Trollop.
I fell in love with Shakespeare in high school. I struggled to understand him but love him anyway.
I prefer biographies over fiction when it comes to things like crime since the biographies have already happened. Fictional stories of serial killers means there is still a change that it could happen. Terrifying!
I read Jane Austin as an adult. Love those then hit the other authors who wrote about the same time like Elizabeth Gaskill and Anthony Trollop.
I fell in love with Shakespeare in high school. I struggled to understand him but love him anyway.
I prefer biographies over fiction when it comes to things like crime since the biographies have already happened. Fictional stories of serial killers means there is still a change that it could happen. Terrifying!
Posted by: Beverly at February 01, 2026 10:10 AM (O6DQB)
183
When I was in grade school, the town librarian lived one street over from where we lived. I loved visiting the library and Mom would drive us over on Saturdays. The library's limit on checking out books was three books for a period of two weeks. My personal limit was different: I could check out as many books as I could carry. Even back then I devoured books like crazy!
Posted by: Legally Sufficient at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (kB9dk)
184
I can't remember the first actual book that I read, but one of the early ones was "Fire Hunter" by Jim Kjelgaard. Another one was "Star Beast" (I think that was the title) by Robert Heinlein. After that I became a voracious reader, so much so that my parents started to complain that I spent too much time reading.
Posted by: Toad-0 at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (oI25S)
Hm. I've read a lot of Jim Kjelgaard books, but not that one. I'm guessing it wasn't one of his dog books...
Posted by: Toad-0 at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (oI25S)
Hm. I've read a lot of Jim Kjelgaard books, but not that one. I'm guessing it wasn't one of his dog books...
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (Lhaco)
185
Posted by: PabloD at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM
At least not like the Monster book of Monsters that tries to bite you
At least not like the Monster book of Monsters that tries to bite you
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (Ia/+0)
186
Since this is Book Worm Central, let me put this question to the Moron Hive Mind: There was a collection of books in the 1970s that were built around the 20th Century. Each decade got its own book, as did World War I and World War II.
It might have been called "The 20th Century" but a title search for that is pointless. Anyone recall author or publisher? I found some of the illustrations in other war books, but the illustrator's work was in countless books and I can't find a bibliography of his work. These were tall, slender volumes, brightly colored covers.
It might have been called "The 20th Century" but a title search for that is pointless. Anyone recall author or publisher? I found some of the illustrations in other war books, but the illustrator's work was in countless books and I can't find a bibliography of his work. These were tall, slender volumes, brightly colored covers.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (ZOv7s)
187
Never heard of it until now, when I looked it up. It seems like my kind of place, and I'll have to check it out if I'm ever in the area.
It is definitely worth a visit. Do be prepared to haggle; hard to find bargains here anymore I think. one of my books was clearly a library donation and I wasn't prepared to pay too much (despite it being out of print, which she may or may not have known).
they don't mark all the books with prices, actually very few are marked.
so it's fun, the 'checking out" part. they probably will have to add a cafe or something to recoup costs from the young people. they were not buying any books. just wandering around the warrens ... which is fun, I don't blame them!
It is definitely worth a visit. Do be prepared to haggle; hard to find bargains here anymore I think. one of my books was clearly a library donation and I wasn't prepared to pay too much (despite it being out of print, which she may or may not have known).
they don't mark all the books with prices, actually very few are marked.
so it's fun, the 'checking out" part. they probably will have to add a cafe or something to recoup costs from the young people. they were not buying any books. just wandering around the warrens ... which is fun, I don't blame them!
Posted by: BlackOrchid at February 01, 2026 10:12 AM (emBoF)
188
#45 Yes the encyclopedias! I remember randomly picking a word or letter and opening it up and reading. My parents had a study that was full of (we are talking early 70’s) National Geographic’s, books about science, atlas’ and a bit about everything. It really gave one a sense of the world and broader knowledge rather than ‘googling’ something specific. I loved that my Mom had her college Chemisty books. Didn’t understand but loved looking at them. It sparked curiosity
And love of reading. Also loved the series books Little House and I also read All of a Kind Family.
And love of reading. Also loved the series books Little House and I also read All of a Kind Family.
Posted by: Hyacinth at February 01, 2026 10:12 AM (ryp7h)
189
I don't remember the first things I read, they were probably Dr. Seuss or Babar the Elephant books.
Hey, I've got that Donald Rumbelow Jack the Ripper book somewhere in storage. A great, gruesome book.
Book that changed my life? Dunno. Maybe all of them? Even if only "This sucks."
Hey, I've got that Donald Rumbelow Jack the Ripper book somewhere in storage. A great, gruesome book.
Book that changed my life? Dunno. Maybe all of them? Even if only "This sucks."
Posted by: BeckoningChasm at February 01, 2026 10:13 AM (CHHv1)
190
6 After reading Wiki on Fun with Dick and Jane I am positive that was first book as my reading skills suffered throughout my life
( rolls eyes)
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026
***
Those were the first I was expected to read in first grade. I already knew what those little bugs on the paper meant, so I breezed right along. My teacher, about a month into school, scared me by asking me to stay after class for a minute. She said, "Wolfus, you already know how to read, don't you?" "Well, sure," I said (I'd thought everybody did).
It earned me a field promotion to second grade, later confirmed with testing at the School Board office in the summer, so I went right into third.
The Dick and Jane stuff seemed awfully simple to me even at age seven. And what was "burning autumn leaves" all about? Nobody I knew did that.
( rolls eyes)
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026
***
Those were the first I was expected to read in first grade. I already knew what those little bugs on the paper meant, so I breezed right along. My teacher, about a month into school, scared me by asking me to stay after class for a minute. She said, "Wolfus, you already know how to read, don't you?" "Well, sure," I said (I'd thought everybody did).
It earned me a field promotion to second grade, later confirmed with testing at the School Board office in the summer, so I went right into third.
The Dick and Jane stuff seemed awfully simple to me even at age seven. And what was "burning autumn leaves" all about? Nobody I knew did that.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:13 AM (wzUl9)
191
The first book I remember reading was about a cocker spaniel puppy who became an obedience champion. Long forgotten, 30-odd years later, I come to find Her Majesty had a copy.
The first book I remember reading was about a cocker spaniel puppy who became an obedience champion. Long forgotten, 30-odd years later, I come to find Her Majesty had a copy.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 01, 2026 10:14 AM (tgvbd)
Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at February 01, 2026 10:14 AM (Yg2TI)
193
The elementary school library had a small collection of military history books and several were always being checked out, especially the picture book on World War II. They had a similar book on World War I that was less popular, so that's the one I checked out and that's probably why I got so interested in the topic. Wish I could remember the name of the series. They were cool.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd
Yes, there was a book in my school library on submarine missions in the Pacific Theater that was fantastic, and wish I could find it, or at least remember the name.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd
Yes, there was a book in my school library on submarine missions in the Pacific Theater that was fantastic, and wish I could find it, or at least remember the name.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:14 AM (0U5gm)
194
I've enjoyed some retelling of classics because they approach the story from different angles, but they were character-driven. These are just ideology-driven. The race and gender swapping can't end soon enough for me.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes
Christopher Nolan has apparently cast a Somalian actress (who looks just like the "Look at me. I'm the captain now" guy from the movie Captain Phillips) as Helen of Troy in the new Odyssey movie that is going to suck harder than a black hole formed from the star UY Scuti.
Because Helen of Troy wasn't a pasty white Greek lady, you know?
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes
Christopher Nolan has apparently cast a Somalian actress (who looks just like the "Look at me. I'm the captain now" guy from the movie Captain Phillips) as Helen of Troy in the new Odyssey movie that is going to suck harder than a black hole formed from the star UY Scuti.
Because Helen of Troy wasn't a pasty white Greek lady, you know?
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (/RHNq)
195
I remember sitting in a circle in grade school with other kids reading aloud Fun With Dick and Jane. Every minute was torture and made me hate being in school.
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026
***
+100
Posted by: San Franpsycho at February 01, 2026
***
+100
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (wzUl9)
196
Two books that deeply affected me were All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, sort of a modern (OK, 1920s and 30s) retelling of The Divine Comedy and Radical Son by David Horowitz, a red diaper doper baby grows up.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (J+Psw)
197
It appears that a lot of library school grads in recent decades go along with the idea that a book that doesn't circulate often enough should be weeded, which is understandable; less understandable is the idea that it should be weeded no matter what it is. But gotta make room for DVDs and the sort of books Eris described above. I used to hit the libraries a lot when I was a kid; over the last 20 or 30 years, not so much.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (q3u5l)
---
The whole point of a library is the depth of its collection. They have shelves so you don't have to. The book section of my city library is an atrocity, lots of empty space, incomplete historical series, the nonfiction is a joke. The fiction section has some gems, but the remorseless turnover makes it clear that this is just the wine aunts' reading room.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 10:01 AM (q3u5l)
---
The whole point of a library is the depth of its collection. They have shelves so you don't have to. The book section of my city library is an atrocity, lots of empty space, incomplete historical series, the nonfiction is a joke. The fiction section has some gems, but the remorseless turnover makes it clear that this is just the wine aunts' reading room.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (ZOv7s)
198
Quirky book story. Back in the dark ages before my smartphone addiction I got a notification for jury duty. And it was for federal court, not the local hoosegow. In preparation I read all instructions on the web page. Juror candidates could bring almost NOTHING into the courtroom. I would have to surrender all personal items and jewelry and even my belt. Ok, sounds a little extreme, but whatever. The instructions recommended candidates bring reading material to pass the time. I forgot about that until the day before when I happened to be in a drug store. I saw a rack of paperbacks and randomly grabbed some book about the battle of Fredericksburg. I wasn't selected to be on the jury, but had enough dead time that I began reading.
Was so hooked I had to finish it before going to bed that night.
Was so hooked I had to finish it before going to bed that night.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (2Ez/1)
199
Nice hat.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (nWPIJ)
200
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (ZOv7s)
Try "This Fabulous Century". I remember reading them in the early '70s. They were a good popular history intro and were very well illustrated.
Try "This Fabulous Century". I remember reading them in the early '70s. They were a good popular history intro and were very well illustrated.
Posted by: sal at February 01, 2026 10:16 AM (f+FmA)
201
First book was Cowboy Andy. It was from a children's book club my mom had me enrolled in before kindergarten.
Posted by: Cosda at February 01, 2026 10:16 AM (uDw7N)
202
My first book: Cars and Trucks and Things That Go
Posted by: hadsil at February 01, 2026 10:16 AM (Xht4H)
203
Went to Baldwin's Book Barn yesterday lol. That place has changed now that it's "instagram popular"
Never heard of it until now, when I looked it up. It seems like my kind of place, and I'll have to check it out if I'm ever in the area.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 10:03 AM (ufSfZ)
I looked it up because of the poster's mention of Arden Fair. Not the same area at all. Not likely to ever go there either.
Never heard of it until now, when I looked it up. It seems like my kind of place, and I'll have to check it out if I'm ever in the area.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 10:03 AM (ufSfZ)
I looked it up because of the poster's mention of Arden Fair. Not the same area at all. Not likely to ever go there either.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 10:16 AM (uQesX)
204
After the encyclopedias, I was gifted the entire set of Little House books when I was about 7, I think, and those were the first non-reference volume books I read.
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 10:16 AM (/RHNq)
205
Helen of Troy as portrayed by a Somali actress?
Ah, yes, the face that launched a thousand pirate skiffs.
Ah, yes, the face that launched a thousand pirate skiffs.
Posted by: PabloD at February 01, 2026 10:17 AM (3VXNH)
206
Christopher Nolan has apparently cast a Somalian actress (who looks just like the "Look at me. I'm the captain now" guy from the movie Captain Phillips) as Helen of Troy in the new Odyssey movie that is going to suck harder than a black hole formed from the star UY Scuti.
Because Helen of Troy wasn't a pasty white Greek lady, you know?
Posted by: Sharkman
For a moment, I had hope it might be good good but, alas . . .
Because Helen of Troy wasn't a pasty white Greek lady, you know?
Posted by: Sharkman
For a moment, I had hope it might be good good but, alas . . .
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 10:17 AM (J+Psw)
207
Some of the books you can find on libby,, some on the remainder shelves of the library and second hand stores
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 10:17 AM (bXbFr)
208
Photo of the Edwardian/Gilded Age Lady show us how far we have fallen.
Posted by: Michael K at February 01, 2026 10:18 AM (DcGjW)
209
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (ZOv7s)
Perhaps Time-Life's This Fabulous Century?
Perhaps Time-Life's This Fabulous Century?
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 10:18 AM (ufSfZ)
210
NG ... clearly had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks, and the writing alone is a delight.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026
*
Was there a scene with NG in a bath with a young girl? He's the weirdo, right?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026
***
He's supposed to be, yes. No such scenes so far.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026
*
Was there a scene with NG in a bath with a young girl? He's the weirdo, right?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026
***
He's supposed to be, yes. No such scenes so far.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:18 AM (wzUl9)
211
First book: Yurtle the Turtle
Posted by: Fritzy at February 01, 2026 10:19 AM (2GIh1)
212
Wow thats going to stink
I doubt she was blonde like diane kruger but more lkke marion cotillard
I doubt she was blonde like diane kruger but more lkke marion cotillard
Posted by: Miguel cervantes at February 01, 2026 10:19 AM (bXbFr)
213
I learned to read at the Goodson School in rural NE New Mexico that needed one more student to stay open or the students, grades 1-6, would have to be bused more than an hour to Clayton. I stayed on the ranch with my aunt and uncle for a couple of weeks at a tim and went to school with my cousin, then I'd go home for a week, back and forth for the school year. I don't remember when I learned to read, but I remember reading the newspaper to my mom one morning when she'd come out to pick me up.
The school where I learned to read closed in 1961:
https://tinyurl.com/4avwbddu
The school where I learned to read closed in 1961:
https://tinyurl.com/4avwbddu
Posted by: huerfano at February 01, 2026 10:19 AM (98kQX)
214
The drug store where I found Heinlein's Puppet Masters has been gone for decades. But it had a NICE selection of paperbacks. And mass-market paperbacks then weren't the mass-markets now (and I hear the format's on its way out for good). Among the authors I remember seeing in mass-market on that drug store's racks: Singer, Nabokov, Anthony Powell, Anthony Burgess, John D. MacDonald, Hemingway, Orwell, Kipling, Simenon, O'Hara, Irwin Shaw, James Jones, Cheever, Updike, Roth (Philip and Henry), Solzhenitsyn, and the usual run of classics from the Signet Classics line, as well as all the popular titles of the day and an excellent bunch of sf and mystery reprints. Try finding variety like that on the local mass market racks these days.
And seeing all those, and remembering who wrote what, came in handy when I went to work in libraries after college.
And seeing all those, and remembering who wrote what, came in handy when I went to work in libraries after college.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 10:19 AM (q3u5l)
215
Speaking of Gilded Age, I visited Edith Wharton's vacation home in the Berkshires called The Mount. She was the architect and interior designer.
Posted by: Michael K at February 01, 2026 10:20 AM (DcGjW)
216
I guess every book you read changes your life to some extent. Like every experience, I suppose - a story is like an experience in some ways.
One book that affected my life is "Scarne's Complete Guide to Gambling", which I read when I was in the 5th grade. From it I got two things: A lifelong interest in math, and the conviction that gambling in a casino is just throwing away money.
One book that affected my life is "Scarne's Complete Guide to Gambling", which I read when I was in the 5th grade. From it I got two things: A lifelong interest in math, and the conviction that gambling in a casino is just throwing away money.
Posted by: Toad-0 at February 01, 2026 10:21 AM (oI25S)
217
I visited the book barn shortly after it was featured here, I know that was over 3 years ago. I had no problem picking out about $50 of very reasonably priced eclectic titles. The only reason I've yet to return is that I've already got a backlog I'll never be able to finish. But, Arden is even closer to me, I'll have to consider a visit to the next fair, thanks BlackOrchid !
Posted by: InspiredHistoryMike at February 01, 2026 10:21 AM (KaHlS)
218
My reading started with newspaper comics, we got three papers a day so.my father could stay abreast of retail competition. As i learned more words, I moved on to kid's detective series, the Hardy boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, Ken Holt, Rick Brant, all of them. Then by nine or ten moved to the adult books, the James Bonds, Matt Helms, Flint, etc. Didn't get into science fiction much until late high school, early college.
Posted by: From about That Time at February 01, 2026 10:21 AM (sl73Y)
219
Was it ___Our American Century___? Or ___This Fabulous Century___?
Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at February 01, 2026 10:14 AM (Yg2TI)
---
That could be it.
Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at February 01, 2026 10:14 AM (Yg2TI)
---
That could be it.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:21 AM (ZOv7s)
220
My acquaintance with Dr. Seuss was later, when my younger brother was learning to read. I was four years older but I found them fun, and enjoyed the wordplay and illustrations.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:21 AM (wzUl9)
221
I remember read Upton Sinclair's the Jungle and Orwell's Animal Farm in HS. Those were impactful. They probably don't read stuff like that anymore. Although my spawn did read All Quiet on the Western Front for her AP class this school year which surprised me. Not sure if it was for English or History though.
Posted by: lin-duh is offended at February 01, 2026 10:21 AM (VCgbV)
222
I suppose if I had to name one book that led to a real transformation in my thinking and beliefs, it would be The Gulag Archipelago.
I suppose if I had to name one book that led to a real transformation in my thinking and beliefs, it would be The Gulag Archipelago.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 01, 2026 10:22 AM (tgvbd)
223
AHL, I'm pretty sure that decades series you're talking about was done by Time-Life.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 10:22 AM (q3u5l)
224
My mom used to read me the Junior Deluxe Editions, and at some point I started reading them on my own. The Lewis Carroll books were a part of those. She would also buy me the American Heritage histories of the U.S. in the grocery stores as they came out, which really dates me. I also remember an astronomy book that described how vast the universe is, and it had an illustration of an asteroid that was juxtaposed with and dwarfed New York City, but I don't remember the name of the book.
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at February 01, 2026 10:23 AM (tRYqg)
225
Book that changed my life: I could go with the standard "The Bible" or the obscure "Child's Garden of Grass" but really no book changed my life, only added to it.
Posted by: Fritzy at February 01, 2026 10:23 AM (2GIh1)
226
RED
STORM
RISING
That is all.
Posted by: Cow Demon
I love that book. It has long been my favorite Clancy novel, and I've read all of them (at least the ones he wrote alone.
STORM
RISING
That is all.
Posted by: Cow Demon
I love that book. It has long been my favorite Clancy novel, and I've read all of them (at least the ones he wrote alone.
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 10:23 AM (/RHNq)
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 01, 2026 10:24 AM (tgvbd)
228
Christopher Nolan has apparently cast a Somalian actress (who looks just like the "Look at me. I'm the captain now" guy from the movie Captain Phillips) as Helen of Troy in the new Odyssey movie that is going to suck harder than a black hole formed from the star UY Scuti.
Because Helen of Troy wasn't a pasty white Greek lady, you know?
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (/RHNq)
I do wish that they would stop trying to teach me lessons instead of telling the dang story.
Look, if you want to do a Somalian Odyssey, do an all Somalian Odyssey with an all Somalian cast. That is actually more true to the story than racial stunt casting.
Or better yet, if the Somalians have a great literary story about the Quest for Bananas and Rice, do that.
Just stop the lame-assery.
Because Helen of Troy wasn't a pasty white Greek lady, you know?
Posted by: Sharkman at February 01, 2026 10:15 AM (/RHNq)
I do wish that they would stop trying to teach me lessons instead of telling the dang story.
Look, if you want to do a Somalian Odyssey, do an all Somalian Odyssey with an all Somalian cast. That is actually more true to the story than racial stunt casting.
Or better yet, if the Somalians have a great literary story about the Quest for Bananas and Rice, do that.
Just stop the lame-assery.
Posted by: naturalfake at February 01, 2026 10:24 AM (iJfKG)
229
I don't remember the first things I read, they were probably Dr. Seuss or Babar the Elephant books.
Hey, I've got that Donald Rumbelow Jack the Ripper book somewhere in storage. A great, gruesome book.
Book that changed my life? Dunno. Maybe all of them? Even if only "This sucks."
Posted by: BeckoningChasm
I do recall that as a five year old, I happily checked out a Babar book without looking closely, and when I got home realized that it was written in cursive. I'm still a little miffed about that.
Hey, I've got that Donald Rumbelow Jack the Ripper book somewhere in storage. A great, gruesome book.
Book that changed my life? Dunno. Maybe all of them? Even if only "This sucks."
Posted by: BeckoningChasm
I do recall that as a five year old, I happily checked out a Babar book without looking closely, and when I got home realized that it was written in cursive. I'm still a little miffed about that.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:24 AM (0U5gm)
230
I so remember my first book: "Miss Hickory," my first chapter book. I was perhaps six.
And I remember thinking, Oh, that's what I've been doing! And started scribbling down all the stories I had been telling myself without even knowing what they were.
And I remember thinking, Oh, that's what I've been doing! And started scribbling down all the stories I had been telling myself without even knowing what they were.
Posted by: Wenda at February 01, 2026 10:25 AM (r2BmP)
231
Book that changed my life: Rape of the APE, (American Puritan Ethic) by Alan Sherman. Poem that did also: The Gods of the Copybook Headings, by Rudyard Kipling. Read either or both and you will understand.
Posted by: Ray at February 01, 2026 10:25 AM (+gz+2)
232
At this point, if one has not read 1984, they don’t care.
Posted by: Eromero at February 01, 2026 10:25 AM (DXbAa)
233
The feathers in that fancy hat are likely egret. Below Marco Island in SW FL, there's an area along the coast called the ten thousand islands, all covered in mangrove, many with no land at all above sea level, some with tiny areas of beach. Inland, creeks flow into all the back bays from the lands just north of the Everglades. Lesser and greater egrets are found nesting in huge colonies in those mangrove swamps, and in the late 1800s men lived up the creeks in the area, many of them old civil war deserters, and descendants of them, the men killing egrets for the plume trade. Ladies hats, made in the big city lofts in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other places.
They'd hunt in the season when the rookeries were full of birds feeding their young, using cheap break action rimfire rifles, skinning the lower back off the dead carcasses to capture only the plume feathers. Paddle skiffs full of feather bales out to deeper water where steam powered larger boats could freight the plumes up to Fort Myers, to be loaded onto big boats bound for the northeast cities.
They'd hunt in the season when the rookeries were full of birds feeding their young, using cheap break action rimfire rifles, skinning the lower back off the dead carcasses to capture only the plume feathers. Paddle skiffs full of feather bales out to deeper water where steam powered larger boats could freight the plumes up to Fort Myers, to be loaded onto big boats bound for the northeast cities.
Posted by: M. Gaga at February 01, 2026 10:26 AM (KiBMU)
234
My opening to De Suisse was when a younger cousin got them, certainly not my books
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:26 AM (Ia/+0)
235
1st grade reader that we used in school had a dog named Tip, but I do not remember the children's names. We also read a publication called The Weekly Reader. The only thing I remember from WW was a review of a rock band I had not heard of called Cream.
Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" books were popular at home especially for my brother and I. Still have a few of them.
Mysterious Island was a favorite -not sure about changing my life though. I did read more Jules Verne novels.
Charles Schultz's "Peanuts" books were popular at home especially for my brother and I. Still have a few of them.
Mysterious Island was a favorite -not sure about changing my life though. I did read more Jules Verne novels.
Posted by: Glenn at February 01, 2026 10:26 AM (LjRNM)
236
Well, time to get ready for Mass. Thanks, MPPP!
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:26 AM (ZOv7s)
237
Anyone else get absorbed reading almanacs as a kid?
**raises hand**
Almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries - I love all of them.
**raises hand**
Almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries - I love all of them.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 10:27 AM (ufSfZ)
238
My acquaintance with John D. MacDonald and Donald Hamilton came when I was about sixteen. A neighbor lady gave a bunch of old paperbacks to my mother, and there were three Travis McGees and about the same number of Matt Helms. My adventure reading instantly got a injection of vitamins.
Since then I've read and collected a slew of other MacDonald novels, and several non-Helm stories by Hamilton. I wish I could find his The Big Country, the basis for the Gregory Peck movie.
Since then I've read and collected a slew of other MacDonald novels, and several non-Helm stories by Hamilton. I wish I could find his The Big Country, the basis for the Gregory Peck movie.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:27 AM (wzUl9)
239
The school where I learned to read closed in 1961:
https://tinyurl.com/4avwbddu
Posted by: huerfano
Funny, I looked up my primary school, and it is not only closed, but torn down. Only an empty field remains.
https://tinyurl.com/4avwbddu
Posted by: huerfano
Funny, I looked up my primary school, and it is not only closed, but torn down. Only an empty field remains.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 01, 2026 10:28 AM (0U5gm)
240
If you're reading at Brentano's, don't take a book into the bathroom. It's a whole thing. Ask me how I know.
Posted by: George Costanza at February 01, 2026 10:28 AM (2Ez/1)
241
I consider myself lucky that I learned to read long before computers and the internet came along. You had to dig a bit to get information and picked up skills and side knowledge in the process. One encyclopedia article could lead to so many others. (The original rabbit holes in my life.) Getting a definition from a dictionary was cool but the etymology for each word was the bees knees. Heck, just using a card catalog or the Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature developed investigative skills. Want to know the population of Lithuania? Check the annual World Almanac. (You had one, didn't you?)
I don't denigrate the internet as such. It offers a wider range of information more easily obtained. But easy access denies the skills needed to learn on your own. I won't get into the huge amount of dreck it provides.
I don't denigrate the internet as such. It offers a wider range of information more easily obtained. But easy access denies the skills needed to learn on your own. I won't get into the huge amount of dreck it provides.
Posted by: JTB at February 01, 2026 10:28 AM (yTvNw)
242
Current reads: Research Design by John & David Creswell, Advanced Research Methods for the Social and Behavioral Sciences by Edlund & Nichols; and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition by the APA.
Now back to work on this class on research! Happy Sunday everyone.
Now back to work on this class on research! Happy Sunday everyone.
Posted by: SPinRH_F-16 at February 01, 2026 10:28 AM (Yg2TI)
243
We also had Comptons Encyclopedia set that I used for grade school book reports.
Posted by: Glenn at February 01, 2026 10:28 AM (LjRNM)
244
I was an indefatigable reader-aloud to my kids and middle daughter taught herself to read at five from that.
I once hid "Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever" under the couch, because it was the only thing one child would "listen" to.
No one has mentioned the "Best in Children's Books" series, but I loved those. One grandmother gave me a subscription to them back in the late '50s.
I once hid "Richard Scarry's Best Word Book Ever" under the couch, because it was the only thing one child would "listen" to.
No one has mentioned the "Best in Children's Books" series, but I loved those. One grandmother gave me a subscription to them back in the late '50s.
Posted by: sal at February 01, 2026 10:29 AM (f+FmA)
245
Don't know if he had fans among the horde, but I hear that James Sallis passed away last week. Author of Drive, and a fair amount of mystery and sf as well as several volumes of poetry and a nice book of essays on (mostly) noir writers.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at February 01, 2026 10:29 AM (q3u5l)
246
Speaking of movies, I've begun rewatching the German miniseries Generation War about five friends in Berlin as Barbarossa begins. It's only somewhat sugar coated. Of the five friends, three commit war crimes, one enthusiastically. The other two, a Jew and a girl singer, don't have much opportunity. Anyway, I found myself overcome with sadness during the opening scene where they are all excited to be part of the coming great adventure. Having watched it before, I knew it would not be the kind of war they thought it would be. It made me think of the Antifa anti-ICE warriors and how they are throwing their lives away for a twisted dream.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 10:29 AM (J+Psw)
247
Anyone else get absorbed reading almanacs as a kid?
**raises hand**
Almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries - I love all of them.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026
***
Reader's Digest offered an almanac, and Mom bought one in the mid-'60s. It had a small street map of Manhattan Island -- the first idea I'd ever had of how it was arranged. At that point I'd been reading the Rex Stout Nero Wolfes set in NYC. Suddenly I had a picture of how Wolfe and Archie's world was laid out.
**raises hand**
Almanacs, encyclopedias, dictionaries - I love all of them.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026
***
Reader's Digest offered an almanac, and Mom bought one in the mid-'60s. It had a small street map of Manhattan Island -- the first idea I'd ever had of how it was arranged. At that point I'd been reading the Rex Stout Nero Wolfes set in NYC. Suddenly I had a picture of how Wolfe and Archie's world was laid out.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:29 AM (wzUl9)
248
Well, if I don't get to my own writing soon, I won't at all.
I should be hosting again on March 1. I have a topic, but I just haven't written it up yet.
Thanks for all the kind words. It means a lot to me.
Hope you all have a lovely day.
I should be hosting again on March 1. I have a topic, but I just haven't written it up yet.
Thanks for all the kind words. It means a lot to me.
Hope you all have a lovely day.
Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing (aka Eloquent Depression) at February 01, 2026 10:30 AM (ufSfZ)
249
I do still have most of the periodicals History of the WWII, actually got some missing maybe 20 years ago so have about 3/4 of the series. Its well over 100 magazines in total.
Its a fantastic read from people who were there, often in command. Well photograph and maps. Think started them when I was 13yo.
Its a fantastic read from people who were there, often in command. Well photograph and maps. Think started them when I was 13yo.
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:31 AM (Ia/+0)
250
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at February 01, 2026 10:23 AM (tRYqg)
How's your book coming?
How's your book coming?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at February 01, 2026 10:31 AM (uQesX)
251
@30, Wolfus, could you suggest a good, representative EQ novel? I normally start things like that in publication order, but I happened into an inexpensive 5-in-1, of which I have read three. I found all three very easily predictable, and I'm confident it was not due to any great genius on my part. I did find them pleasant to read, but completely lacking in mystery. I'm hoping I just grabbed an omnibus of the unfortunate, weak entries. If there's a particularly tough one I should try, to get me interested, I'd be obliged for the pointer.
Posted by: IS Roth at February 01, 2026 10:31 AM (fg/kn)
252
First "Chapter Books" I remember was a boxed set of the first three Hardy Boys. The book that sent me down the SF/Fantasy genre was the Andromeda Strain in freshman english. We read the book and then saw the movie on an old black and white TV, this would have been in 1973. Which led to the LOTR, and every sort of SF/Fantasy I could get my hands on.
Posted by: EyeofSauron at February 01, 2026 10:32 AM (G6FGs)
253
Always wanted to see Generation War but only a few small clips
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:32 AM (Ia/+0)
254
The book that changed my life was definitely the Bible, as I read John chapter 3, put my trust in Christ that he paid the penalty for my sins and was saved on Jul 2, 1998, praise the Lord.
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways at February 01, 2026 10:33 AM (tRYqg)
255
The first book a remember reading on my own was a tiny picture book that I think came with a can of cat food at my grandmother's house. It was about a fluffy grey Persian cat who went on adventures. I doubt I was actually *reading* it, since I wasn't in kindergarten yet, but I certainly thought I was.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at February 01, 2026 10:35 AM (lFFaq)
256
I still live within a mile or so of my elementary school. It's up and running and has been enlarged several times Frankenstein style.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 10:36 AM (J+Psw)
257
"The Dick and Jane stuff seemed awfully simple to me even at age seven. And what was "burning autumn leaves" all about? Nobody I knew did that."
I, too, was confused about Dick and Jane. They were always playing in the snow--and in central Texas it only snows every seven years or so.
They also went home from school for lunch. Unheard of!!
I, too, was confused about Dick and Jane. They were always playing in the snow--and in central Texas it only snows every seven years or so.
They also went home from school for lunch. Unheard of!!
Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at February 01, 2026 10:36 AM (FEVMW)
258
Finally! Your child or grandchild or even you can lear to read good.
https://tinyurl.com/4sn6tsha
Finally! Your child or grandchild or even you can lear to read good.
https://tinyurl.com/4sn6tsha
Posted by: naturalfake at February 01, 2026 10:38 AM (iJfKG)
259
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at February 01, 2026 10:11 AM (ZOv7s)
Not the Time-Life "This Fabulous Century" series? I have a few of those.
Not the Time-Life "This Fabulous Century" series? I have a few of those.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 10:39 AM (kpS4V)
260
I leave school for lunch, I ain't going back.
Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at February 01, 2026 10:40 AM (u9Xr5)
261
First chapter book I read was Charlotte's Web. I was...three or four maybe? I don't remember a time before reading.
Book that changed my life...Mere Christianity. And Lord of the Rings.
>I probably am the only person who has PTSD from a book rather than a real life physical experience.
I had to read One Hundred Years of Solitude in high school.
Book that changed my life...Mere Christianity. And Lord of the Rings.
>I probably am the only person who has PTSD from a book rather than a real life physical experience.
I had to read One Hundred Years of Solitude in high school.
Posted by: Mrs. Peel at February 01, 2026 10:40 AM (exqbn)
262
The book that changed my life was definitely the Bible, as I read John chapter 3, put my trust in Christ that he paid the penalty for my sins and was saved on Jul 2, 1998, praise the Lord.
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways
_________
It is comically tragic that I can't read the Bible or any devotional work with any attention. There's just no resonance at all. I may as well be reading something in Sanskrit. I don't know why.
The book that changed my life was definitely the Bible, as I read John chapter 3, put my trust in Christ that he paid the penalty for my sins and was saved on Jul 2, 1998, praise the Lord.
Posted by: Norrin Radd, sojourner of the spaceways
_________
It is comically tragic that I can't read the Bible or any devotional work with any attention. There's just no resonance at all. I may as well be reading something in Sanskrit. I don't know why.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 01, 2026 10:40 AM (tgvbd)
263
I got the 1985 World Almanac and Book of Facts via school book order. Remember Scholastic Book Orders?
Now I have 42 since then.
Now I have 42 since then.
Posted by: Cow Demon at February 01, 2026 10:40 AM (PlzrS)
264
1. What was the first book you read?
Either The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Or Ruble Noon by Louis L'Amour. Cannot remember, honestly. Was sick as a dog during a flu outbreak and staying with my grandmother, a nurse, as she took care of me. Seems like i spent two weeks in bed delirous before she let me avoid using the bedpan for the bathroom. I read both books during that time, but cannot remember the order. Usually spent my time being feral out in the woods and that was the first time I'd ever been forced into being staid to avoid explosive ejections at both ends simultaneously.
2. What book (if any) changed your life?
Probably Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith. Gotta root for the underdog.
1. What was the first book you read?
Either The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Or Ruble Noon by Louis L'Amour. Cannot remember, honestly. Was sick as a dog during a flu outbreak and staying with my grandmother, a nurse, as she took care of me. Seems like i spent two weeks in bed delirous before she let me avoid using the bedpan for the bathroom. I read both books during that time, but cannot remember the order. Usually spent my time being feral out in the woods and that was the first time I'd ever been forced into being staid to avoid explosive ejections at both ends simultaneously.
2. What book (if any) changed your life?
Probably Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith. Gotta root for the underdog.
Posted by: BifBewalski- at February 01, 2026 10:40 AM (QVmho)
265
Did anyone else read in the dark under the covers with a flashlight? I thought I was weird for doing so, until my grandmother said that she used to read her daddy's Zane Grey books under a desk with a flashlight, because girls weren't supposed to read those kinds of books.
Posted by: Nancy@7000ft at February 01, 2026 10:40 AM (4qIhJ)
266
My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Armstrong, was also the school librarian. I remember her steering me towards the Black Stallion books by Walter Farley. I devoured all of them. My mom introduced me to the Nancy Drew mysteries. I also remember being especially interested in biographies, mostly of scientists and doctors.
Posted by: Tuna at February 01, 2026 10:41 AM (lJ0H4)
267
251 @30, Wolfus, could you suggest a good, representative EQ novel? I normally start things like that in publication order, but I happened into an inexpensive 5-in-1, of which I have read three. I found all three very easily predictable, and I'm confident it was not due to any great genius on my part. I did find them pleasant to read, but completely lacking in mystery. I'm hoping I just grabbed an omnibus of the unfortunate, weak entries. If there's a particularly tough one I should try, to get me interested, I'd be obliged for the pointer.
Posted by: IS Roth at February 01, 2026
***
Did these three feature Ellery himself? There were a bunch of ghostwritten mysteries issued under the EQ name, and they were pretty pedestrian fare. Some of the later Ellery novels were weaker, true.
For pure puzzle: The Egyptian Cross Mystery, Greek Coffin Mystery, Siamese Twin Mystery, all 1930s.
For better characterization and even better writing, Ten Days Wonder and their best novel, Cat of Many Tails. Plus The Origin of Evil and The King Is Dead from the 1950s.
Posted by: IS Roth at February 01, 2026
***
Did these three feature Ellery himself? There were a bunch of ghostwritten mysteries issued under the EQ name, and they were pretty pedestrian fare. Some of the later Ellery novels were weaker, true.
For pure puzzle: The Egyptian Cross Mystery, Greek Coffin Mystery, Siamese Twin Mystery, all 1930s.
For better characterization and even better writing, Ten Days Wonder and their best novel, Cat of Many Tails. Plus The Origin of Evil and The King Is Dead from the 1950s.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:41 AM (wzUl9)
268
174 In fact I suspect my mother bought the Hyman medical text and left it around for me so I would read those sections, and she would not have to have The Talk with me at all. If so, it worked.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (wzUl9)
We were provided "The Life Cycle Library," a sort of encyclopedia of the human body an development. I'm sure all five of us scoured every page of it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:09 AM (wzUl9)
We were provided "The Life Cycle Library," a sort of encyclopedia of the human body an development. I'm sure all five of us scoured every page of it.
Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at February 01, 2026 10:42 AM (h7ZuX)
269
Just found out that the neighborhood school I attended for K through 4th grade closed down in 2006 due to declining enrollment. I find that to be very sad and an indication that I wouldn't recognize much of my hometown. That area was vibrant with young middle class families.
Posted by: JTB at February 01, 2026 10:42 AM (yTvNw)
270
Did anyone else read in the dark under the covers with a flashlight? I thought I was weird for doing so, until my grandmother said that she used to read her daddy's Zane Grey books under a desk with a flashlight, because girls weren't supposed to read those kinds of books.
Posted by: Nancy@7000ft
Oh yes. I remember reading under the covers. Got caught a number of times but that didn't stop me.
Posted by: Nancy@7000ft
Oh yes. I remember reading under the covers. Got caught a number of times but that didn't stop me.
Posted by: Tuna at February 01, 2026 10:43 AM (lJ0H4)
271
Anyone else get absorbed reading almanacs as a kid?
-
The Book(s) of Lists by David Wallechinsky et al. Though I see a definite leftist bias today, they were informative and great fun.
-
The Book(s) of Lists by David Wallechinsky et al. Though I see a definite leftist bias today, they were informative and great fun.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Damn It Feels Good to Be a Trumpster! at February 01, 2026 10:43 AM (J+Psw)
272
Books studied as part of English class are likely to be ruined as a result. I can't hear the name "Siddhartha" without wanting to woof.
Books studied as part of English class are likely to be ruined as a result. I can't hear the name "Siddhartha" without wanting to woof.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 01, 2026 10:43 AM (tgvbd)
273
"The Dick and Jane stuff seemed awfully simple to me even at age seven. And what was "burning autumn leaves" all about? Nobody I knew did that."
I, too, was confused about Dick and Jane. They were always playing in the snow--and in central Texas it only snows every seven years or so.
They also went home from school for lunch. Unheard of!!
Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at February 01, 2026
***
I lived only three blocks from my school, but I never went home for lunch. My mother, a night-duty nurse, would have been sleeping, for one thing. I'm not sure we were allowed to leave before 3 pm unless with a note. I can't recall any of my friends doing that.
I, too, was confused about Dick and Jane. They were always playing in the snow--and in central Texas it only snows every seven years or so.
They also went home from school for lunch. Unheard of!!
Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at February 01, 2026
***
I lived only three blocks from my school, but I never went home for lunch. My mother, a night-duty nurse, would have been sleeping, for one thing. I'm not sure we were allowed to leave before 3 pm unless with a note. I can't recall any of my friends doing that.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:43 AM (wzUl9)
274
Can't remember when I first started reading but recall something called "Trudy And The Treehouse" in a collection of illustrated short stories. As to shaping my life, it's Heinlein all the way, starting with "Red Planet", "Podkayne Of Mars", on to "Starship Troopers" and "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress".
Currently devouring Sam Sisavath's "Chance Mock" series after decding to give the first one, "The Freelancer" a try. Lots of non-stop action and dry humor; this guy can write!
Currently devouring Sam Sisavath's "Chance Mock" series after decding to give the first one, "The Freelancer" a try. Lots of non-stop action and dry humor; this guy can write!
Posted by: tankascribe at February 01, 2026 10:44 AM (NtoJk)
275
I never read the 'Dick and Jane' books. Instead, my school used a series called 'Together We Go.' Which may not have been the best title to put in front of kids just learning how to string letters together. Because if you break that title down into more manageable pats, you get "To Get Her We Go," which sounds a little bit ominous...
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026 10:45 AM (Lhaco)
276
227. I still have several almanacs kicking around, I love maps. One is an almanac of world history, very cool synopsises of corresponding events at certain times in different parts of the world. Useful.
Posted by: From about That Time at February 01, 2026 10:46 AM (sl73Y)
277
Actual earliest memory of reading? We had an encyclopedia set, and I would pull one out randomly and sound out the words for the picture titles for Mom. Eventually, she would randomly pull one, open it, and have me read a section and tell her what happened. I had to do that before she would let me pull out the atlas and find the country it happened in. Made me appreciate geography as a young kid a lot more.
Looking back, I'm pretty certain I was that wierd AF preacher's kid the other kid's moms wouldn't let them play with me.
Actual earliest memory of reading? We had an encyclopedia set, and I would pull one out randomly and sound out the words for the picture titles for Mom. Eventually, she would randomly pull one, open it, and have me read a section and tell her what happened. I had to do that before she would let me pull out the atlas and find the country it happened in. Made me appreciate geography as a young kid a lot more.
Looking back, I'm pretty certain I was that wierd AF preacher's kid the other kid's moms wouldn't let them play with me.
Posted by: BifBewalski- at February 01, 2026 10:47 AM (QVmho)
278
I was bored and asked my mother if she could recommend anything from what we had. She looked things over and said no to Anatomy of a Murder since it involved rape. And so it was many, many years before I found out how great a novel it is.
I was bored and asked my mother if she could recommend anything from what we had. She looked things over and said no to Anatomy of a Murder since it involved rape. And so it was many, many years before I found out how great a novel it is.
Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at February 01, 2026 10:47 AM (tgvbd)
279
First full novel type book I read was Captains Courageous. .
Of course the Bible changed my life which I expect is the #1 Family Feud answer.
Of course the Bible changed my life which I expect is the #1 Family Feud answer.
Posted by: Opinion fact at February 01, 2026 10:47 AM (cwGMH)
280
I just thank God I grew up in a house stuffed to the gills with books of every kind, and nobody telling me what was age-appropriate (not in the "adult content" sense, but reading level or topic). Art, history, humor, science, reference, fiction, every Time-Life series they made...just all kinds of books, all edifying in their own way.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes. at February 01, 2026 10:48 AM (kpS4V)
281
I never read the 'Dick and Jane' books. Instead, my school used a series called 'Together We Go.' Which may not have been the best title to put in front of kids just learning how to string letters together. Because if you break that title down into more manageable pats, you get "To Get Her We Go," which sounds a little bit ominous...
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026
***
You know, that title does sound familiar somehow.
The only reading text I ever wanted to take home was the outgoing reader for tenth grade. The books were being replaced and my teacher said, 'If you want one, go ahead." I already knew that "Leiningen Versus the Ants" was in there, along with a Poe pastiche short by Steinbeck, so I grabbed it. Still have it.
Posted by: Castle Guy at February 01, 2026
***
You know, that title does sound familiar somehow.
The only reading text I ever wanted to take home was the outgoing reader for tenth grade. The books were being replaced and my teacher said, 'If you want one, go ahead." I already knew that "Leiningen Versus the Ants" was in there, along with a Poe pastiche short by Steinbeck, so I grabbed it. Still have it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at February 01, 2026 10:48 AM (wzUl9)
282
The buildings I went to K-3 , and 2nd building 4-6 grade are still used
Posted by: Skip at February 01, 2026 10:48 AM (Ia/+0)
Posted by: dantesed at February 01, 2026 10:48 AM (Oy/m2)
284
still have several almanacs kicking around, I love maps. One is an almanac of world history, very cool synopsises of corresponding events at certain times in different parts of the world. Useful.
Posted by: From about That Time at February 01, 2026 10:46 AM (sl73Y)
I would get the Readers Digest World Almanac every year. It’s how I came to love trivia
Posted by: From about That Time at February 01, 2026 10:46 AM (sl73Y)
I would get the Readers Digest World Almanac every year. It’s how I came to love trivia
Posted by: Opinion fact at February 01, 2026 10:48 AM (cwGMH)
285
The only thing I learned from the Barba the Elephant books is that the French are weird motherfuckers. That has held up.
Posted by: From about That Time at February 01, 2026 10:49 AM (sl73Y)
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MuNuvians
MeeNuvians
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Primary Document: The Audio
Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement
Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band
AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection
AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings)
George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer
Paul Anka Haiku Contest Announcement
Integrity SAT's: Entrance Exam for Paul Anka's Band
AllahPundit's Paul Anka 45's Collection
AnkaPundit: Paul Anka Takes Over the Site for a Weekend (Continues through to Monday's postings)
George Bush Slices Don Rumsfeld Like an F*ckin' Hammer
Top Top Tens
Democratic Forays into Erotica
New Shows On Gore's DNC/MTV Network
Nicknames for Potatoes, By People Who Really Hate Potatoes
Star Wars Euphemisms for Self-Abuse
Signs You're at an Iraqi "Wedding Party"
Signs Your Clown Has Gone Bad
Signs That You, Geroge Michael, Should Probably Just Give It Up
Signs of Hip-Hop Influence on John Kerry
NYT Headlines Spinning Bush's Jobs Boom
Things People Are More Likely to Say Than "Did You Hear What Al Franken Said Yesterday?"
Signs that Paul Krugman Has Lost His Frickin' Mind
All-Time Best NBA Players, According to Senator Robert Byrd
Other Bad Things About the Jews, According to the Koran
Signs That David Letterman Just Doesn't Care Anymore
Examples of Bob Kerrey's Insufferable Racial Jackassery
Signs Andy Rooney Is Going Senile
Other Judgments Dick Clarke Made About Condi Rice Based on Her Appearance
Collective Names for Groups of People
John Kerry's Other Vietnam Super-Pets
Cool Things About the XM8 Assault Rifle
Media-Approved Facts About the Democrat Spy
Changes to Make Christianity More "Inclusive"
Secret John Kerry Senatorial Accomplishments
John Edwards Campaign Excuses
John Kerry Pick-Up Lines
Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney
Torments in Dog-Hell
Greatest Hitjobs
The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
News/Chat