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Sunday Morning Book Thread 8-16-2026 [Sabrina Chase]
Genre, meaning a category of style or content, is a useful label for fiction. In that context it usually refers to categories like mystery or romance. It has an unfortunate reputation in Literary Circles, where "genre fiction" is dismissed as poorly written schlock, with unrealistic settings (like rocket ships and quaint English villages beset by multiple murders every month). Not like literary fiction, which features yard-long paragraphs and characters such as middle-aged literature professors getting seduced by licentious co-eds. Don't laugh, it could happen! Someday ...
No, the real issue is genre fiction is enjoyed by the masses. A lot. And you don't need a degree in Fine Arts to enjoy it either. Now it is true that the quality can be ... uneven. Some of that is due to the need for LOTS of genre fiction. Writing at what is sometimes called "pulp speed" can create content that is a little rough around the edges. Romance writers are amazing at writing a lot, fast. They have to be, because romance *readers* go through multiple books per WEEK and are always looking for more. Their writing discipline is scary and their marketing chops...well, lets just say all the other genre writers try to imitate it, because romance writers know what works and what doesn't. And boy do they sell a lot of books! Genre is a shorthand signal for setting reader expectations and makes it easier for you to find just the type of fiction you want to read, giving a hint of the contents without giving the entire plot. It's like the label on a box of cookies. We all know the horror of mistaking an oatmeal raisin cookie for a chocolate chip one! If your mouth is set for oatmeal raisin, the label should say so and then you can enjoy your cookie in peace. It is the same way with fiction and genre. If you want existential dread, cthonic horror, and Things Man Was Not Meant To Know, a regency romance will not make you happy. Genre is just a label, and does not indicate quality, good or bad. And as we at the Book Thread know, happiness of the reader is the most important thing!Western: the main character holds true to their code of honor, even at great personal cost
Horror: the plot isn't as important as giving the reader adrenaline spikes of fear.
Science Fiction: plot centers around solving the inciting problem using logic and internally consistent rules. (One rule can be broken from our world, like FTL, but rarely more than that.)
Fantasy: Magic is often a part of the world but not always. the main character is tested and proven after adventure.
YA: Plot and character development focuses on things kids ages 10-16 find important (finding friends, finding Mom, surviving school). Usually, but not always, has less profanity and gratuitous sex and adults sometimes read YA if they want to avoid that stuff. Each of those has sub-genres, like Regency romance, steampunk fantasy, space opera, and more are getting invented every day, like isekai and LitRPG. In addition, you can have sub-plots of a different genre lurking in the shadows! I write science fiction and fantasy with an emphasis on action and adventure, but there is usually a romantic sub-plot in my books. BUT! I do NOT write romance! This actually got me in big trouble once. A very nice book reviewer read and enjoyed my science fiction series and posted a glowing review on her site. Unfortunately, she specialized in romance. Her readers were looking for romance. They read her review and bought my book, and HATED it so much they returned it! So I am looking at my Amazon dashboard seeing all the returns and wondering if I forgot to run spellcheck or something. I was quite mystified until I found that review.
Comments
(Jump to bottom of comments)1
Good morning all!
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 08:51 AM (78a2H)
2
Good morning all Bookists! TY Sabrina! Hugely enjoying DH Fischer's Washington's Crossing. My slow reading will mean I will finish in about the time it took for the actual campaign.
Posted by: goatexchange at August 16, 2026 08:54 AM (hyS0X)
3
Seeking in are we?
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 08:55 AM (Ia/+0)
4
Tolle Lege
As was driving right by used book store had to stop in
Picked up The Gathering Storm written by Winston Spencer Churchill
Always wanted to read this
As was driving right by used book store had to stop in
Picked up The Gathering Storm written by Winston Spencer Churchill
Always wanted to read this
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 08:57 AM (Ia/+0)
5
Someone ran off with the user's manual to the time machine so I had to figure it out on my own. It's hard!
Never mind, we're here now and there's BOOKS!
Never mind, we're here now and there's BOOKS!
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 08:59 AM (qpqMM)
6
Romance: the plot focuses on the characters' relationship(s) and feelings
----
Huh.
Based on this definition, Dune: Messiah is a romance novel.
Mostly characters just sitting around talking about their feelings and relationships re: prescience.
----
Huh.
Based on this definition, Dune: Messiah is a romance novel.
Mostly characters just sitting around talking about their feelings and relationships re: prescience.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 16, 2026 09:01 AM (FZ29D)
7
Booken morgen horden!
Bon jour, Sabrina!
Bon jour, Sabrina!
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at August 16, 2026 09:01 AM (Ydd86)
8
I'm going to quibble with Ms. Chase's definitions a little. Western and Science Fiction genres don't have standard stories and themes, instead they are tied to a particular kind of setting.
A Western needs to be connected to the American West. Sure, there are marginal cases — you could put one in Canada or Mexico — but writing a Western set in the West Country of England just wouldn't be a Western. The themes are connected to a culture which exists in a place. It's not just generic "frontier" or "cattle raising" either, as a story in Siberia or on the Pampas of Argentina among Gauchos would have a different culture and a different code.
So you can have funny Westerns, romantic Westerns, Western mystery stories, Western horror stories, etc., but they're still Westerns.
Same for science fiction. The setting (a world or time with some change from our own which is at least vaguely scientifically plausible) can vary widely, the stories can vary widely, the themes can vary widely, but it's still SF.
A Western needs to be connected to the American West. Sure, there are marginal cases — you could put one in Canada or Mexico — but writing a Western set in the West Country of England just wouldn't be a Western. The themes are connected to a culture which exists in a place. It's not just generic "frontier" or "cattle raising" either, as a story in Siberia or on the Pampas of Argentina among Gauchos would have a different culture and a different code.
So you can have funny Westerns, romantic Westerns, Western mystery stories, Western horror stories, etc., but they're still Westerns.
Same for science fiction. The setting (a world or time with some change from our own which is at least vaguely scientifically plausible) can vary widely, the stories can vary widely, the themes can vary widely, but it's still SF.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 09:03 AM (78a2H)
9
Sabrina, have you ever made your own format template?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:03 AM (1Ff7Z)
10
Morning, Book Folken! I'm at my desktop computer right now. Let me move back out to the living room laptop and see what I have on my TBR pile.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:04 AM (wzUl9)
11
Good morning morons and thanks Sabrina
Posted by: San Franpsycho at August 16, 2026 09:04 AM (JvZF+)
12
Boy! This "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" isn't at all doing what I expected. Jousting matches? Stupid, says he. Knight-errantry? Profitless. How about heading off in search of the Holy Grail? Suicidal.
Then what is he doing? Establishing commercial businesses (such as soap) to subvert the system of monarchy and nobility -- and the Church -- because he thinks it crushes the spirits of the people. And when you see some of the injustices of the system, you can’t disagree.
Among CY's businesses is a telephone system. That took me aback to realize that it existed in Samuel Clemens' time. He wasn't writing in a primitive era.
Then what is he doing? Establishing commercial businesses (such as soap) to subvert the system of monarchy and nobility -- and the Church -- because he thinks it crushes the spirits of the people. And when you see some of the injustices of the system, you can’t disagree.
Among CY's businesses is a telephone system. That took me aback to realize that it existed in Samuel Clemens' time. He wasn't writing in a primitive era.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:05 AM (+nhNB)
13
Morning, Sabrina.
Howdy, Horde.
IIRC one of Barry Malzberg's essays noted that genre as a marketing tool also meant that a book sold in a category could expect a certain level of sales whether the publisher devoted any effort/$$$ to promoting it or not. With genre work you had at least a slight chance to know where you stood financially. Mainstream or non-genre? Who knew?
Don't know if that holds true today, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was still some validity to it.
Howdy, Horde.
IIRC one of Barry Malzberg's essays noted that genre as a marketing tool also meant that a book sold in a category could expect a certain level of sales whether the publisher devoted any effort/$$$ to promoting it or not. With genre work you had at least a slight chance to know where you stood financially. Mainstream or non-genre? Who knew?
Don't know if that holds true today, but it wouldn't surprise me if there was still some validity to it.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 09:05 AM (q3u5l)
14
(1 of 2) Last week we were discussing Case of Conscience by James Blish. Tastes vary, but I didn't enjoy that book at all. On top of the bad theology, Blish never made it clear to me why, because all of the alien life on planet were actually developmental forms of the same species (along the lines that an egg -> tadpole -> frog are the same amphibian), that was the clue that the alien species had been created by Satan. I suspect Blish was trying to anti-Christian, but I don't know for certain.
A much more fun (and more thought-provoking) book is The Teloriad by John Ringo and Tom Kratman. This is the sequel to Yellow Eyes, which is straight military sci-fi, set in their Posleen War series. While there are some recurring characters, The Teloriad can be read as a stand-alone story.
A much more fun (and more thought-provoking) book is The Teloriad by John Ringo and Tom Kratman. This is the sequel to Yellow Eyes, which is straight military sci-fi, set in their Posleen War series. While there are some recurring characters, The Teloriad can be read as a stand-alone story.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at August 16, 2026 09:07 AM (ksbjf)
15
I've just finished Stephen Hunter's collection of three Swagger family novellas, Front Sight. The third one is a serial killer story with Bob Lee Swagger set in Hot Springs, AR, in 1978, with a neat surprise ending. The other two feature BL's grandfather Charles in 1934 and his father Earl in 1947. Grand evocation of the times in each one. (It's so good not to have computers and cell phones in a story, so that the characters have to work at finding out stuff.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:08 AM (wzUl9)
16
(2 of 2) After the Posleen (think of sentient human-sized reptiles) are defeated, the Posleen set out on a space voyage to find a new home planet. We get insight into their thinking, and learn that the species had been created by ancient aliens playing at being gods.
The Pope sends an missionary expedition in attempt to convert the Posleen to the Catholic Church in order to save their souls. The novel ends with a trial by combat between a detachment of Swiss Guards and a Posleen convert against the pagan Posleen champions.
Christianity ultimately succeeds.
An interesting sci-fi novel that makes a deeper point besides the action. I enjoyed it a lot. Rating = 4.5/5.
The Pope sends an missionary expedition in attempt to convert the Posleen to the Catholic Church in order to save their souls. The novel ends with a trial by combat between a detachment of Swiss Guards and a Posleen convert against the pagan Posleen champions.
Christianity ultimately succeeds.
An interesting sci-fi novel that makes a deeper point besides the action. I enjoyed it a lot. Rating = 4.5/5.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at August 16, 2026 09:09 AM (ksbjf)
17
Yay books!
Wolfus, last week you were looking for a book about convicts on Mars. I found it, title’s Olympus Mons by William Walling. Looks interesting, I’ll have to check if my shelves can accomodate an addition to the TBR pile…
Wolfus, last week you were looking for a book about convicts on Mars. I found it, title’s Olympus Mons by William Walling. Looks interesting, I’ll have to check if my shelves can accomodate an addition to the TBR pile…
Posted by: Bryce at August 16, 2026 09:10 AM (5GspC)
18
First line follies
In a cupboard underneath the stairs there lived a Hobbit...
Good day, Bookies. Hospital breakfast was tolerable. Fresh nurses' station coffee beats cafeteria (lukewarm) brew. Presumably escaping today.
Daughter & hub were in Dallas & brought me a little Buckees cell phone stand. Big help on reading & composing. But these big beaver eyes staring at me.....
In a cupboard underneath the stairs there lived a Hobbit...
Good day, Bookies. Hospital breakfast was tolerable. Fresh nurses' station coffee beats cafeteria (lukewarm) brew. Presumably escaping today.
Daughter & hub were in Dallas & brought me a little Buckees cell phone stand. Big help on reading & composing. But these big beaver eyes staring at me.....
Posted by: mindful webworker - it was a stark and dormy night.... at August 16, 2026 09:11 AM (S3rL0)
19
Also finished: Naomi Novik's The Summer War, a neo-medieval fantasy story with magic affecting much of what the characters say and do. There are knights and swordfights, and a war has been going on for a century between the mortals of Prosper and the land of the immortal summerlings. There's some adventure and danger in the slim volume, but the main story is about the young girl Celia and her relationship with her father and her two brothers. One of whom, the big-time knight, is gay. Though the word is never used in the story.
Not sure I will read any more of her stuff.
Not sure I will read any more of her stuff.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:12 AM (wzUl9)
20
Finished book 4 of Unintended Cultivator, more explicit and more grim than the previous books as the MC deals with anger and feelings of betrayal along with having a fling with the .most beautiful woman on the continent.
Currently reading book 4 of Starbreaker. Ironically, MC of this one is learning to acknowledge that sometimes anger is righteous, but can't be allowed control.
Honestly, I've been reading too much, instead of listening to the books, and it has badly affected my ability to get anything done.
Currently reading book 4 of Starbreaker. Ironically, MC of this one is learning to acknowledge that sometimes anger is righteous, but can't be allowed control.
Honestly, I've been reading too much, instead of listening to the books, and it has badly affected my ability to get anything done.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:14 AM (lFFaq)
21
There's a Krakenbush in that painting...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 16, 2026 09:15 AM (l3cgK)
22
Linda brought home from the ibrary a new Grady Hendrix, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls. I've liked nearly all his stuff so far, so I'm looking forward to this one.
He is great with titles: this one, and The Final Girl Support Group, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, How to Sell a Haunted House. You can't ask for much better titling than that.
He is great with titles: this one, and The Final Girl Support Group, The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires, How to Sell a Haunted House. You can't ask for much better titling than that.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:16 AM (wzUl9)
23
Top pic: that really is an impish little firebug about to turn that pleasant little picnic into a conflagration?
Posted by: mindful webworker - hot time in the pasture tonight at August 16, 2026 09:16 AM (S3rL0)
24
Wolfus, last week you were looking for a book about convicts on Mars. I found it, title’s Olympus Mons by William Walling. Looks interesting, I’ll have to check if my shelves can accomodate an addition to the TBR pile…
Posted by: Bryce at August 16, 2026
***
William Walling! That sounds like it.
Posted by: Bryce at August 16, 2026
***
William Walling! That sounds like it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:17 AM (wzUl9)
25
Re opening lines:
I see your Hobbit and raise you:
"I always feel guilty smuggling a gun through Mexican customs."
-- who else but Matt Helm ("The Menacers")
I see your Hobbit and raise you:
"I always feel guilty smuggling a gun through Mexican customs."
-- who else but Matt Helm ("The Menacers")
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:18 AM (+nhNB)
26
Posted by: mindful webworker - it was a stark and dormy night.... at August 16, 2026 09:11 AM (S3rL0)
=====
Prayer for a complete and speedy recovery
=====
Prayer for a complete and speedy recovery
Posted by: San Franpsycho at August 16, 2026 09:19 AM (JvZF+)
27
Opening lines? Hard to top:
"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:19 AM (wzUl9)
28
21 There's a Krakenbush in that painting...
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 16, 2026 09:15 AM (l3cgK)
Croquembouche >>> Krakenbush
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 16, 2026 09:15 AM (l3cgK)
Croquembouche >>> Krakenbush
Posted by: jim (in Kalifornia) at August 16, 2026 09:19 AM (l3cgK)
29
Sabrina, I'm sorry those readers couldn't handle dipping their toes in another genre. Their loss (well, and yours). I personally like it when genres collide, because that's life.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:20 AM (kpS4V)
30
I had fun coming up with today's Book Thread art. Yes, that is little YA being a menace and lighting a stick of dynamite. Don't worry, Granpa Western will grab and yeet it before it disturbs the ladies. Or the tentacled horror will do it, if it isn't distracted by the cookies on the table.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:20 AM (k+oif)
31
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:12 AM (wzUl9)
I *loved* Temeraire (sp?) but all her subsequent books got more presentism as they went along. Sounds like this series starts that way.
I *loved* Temeraire (sp?) but all her subsequent books got more presentism as they went along. Sounds like this series starts that way.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:21 AM (lFFaq)
32
A big omission in the fiction categories is: Mysteries.
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at August 16, 2026 09:21 AM (ksbjf)
33
Wolfus, I was sure you would add that one to the pot.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:22 AM (+nhNB)
34
About 2/3 of the way through Vanity Fair. Guessing Osborne is going to get killed at Waterloo and Dobbin ends up with Amelia, but this doesnt seem like a happy ending book.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 16, 2026 09:22 AM (XvL8K)
35
After more than a century, it can be hard to fathom the public outcry for General Charles Gordon, trapped in Khartoum, and the demand for military action to save the hero of the British empire. Michael Barthorp details the crisis and the military action in War on the Nile.
Gordon was the hero of the Taiping Rebellion in China, where, regularly outnumbered, his forces always found victory. The next firestorm occurred in the Sudan, where the Mahdi overthrew the government, putting the Suez Canal at risk, and Britain sent Gordon to protect their interests. Unfortunately, he became trapped in Khartoum, and public outcry demanded a rescue.
Britain dithered in their response until it was too late; Gordon and 10,000 besieged men in Khartoum were killed, to British outrage. Herbert Kitchener finally led a British force up the Nile to revenge Gordon in 1898. They caught the Mahdi's 50,000 man army at Omdurman, and won a lopsided battle, which featured the last operational cavalry charge in British history, and included a young lieutenant named Winston Churchill. The canal was now safe, and the headless body of the Mahdi was thrown into the Nile, a symbolic revenge for Gordon.
Gordon was the hero of the Taiping Rebellion in China, where, regularly outnumbered, his forces always found victory. The next firestorm occurred in the Sudan, where the Mahdi overthrew the government, putting the Suez Canal at risk, and Britain sent Gordon to protect their interests. Unfortunately, he became trapped in Khartoum, and public outcry demanded a rescue.
Britain dithered in their response until it was too late; Gordon and 10,000 besieged men in Khartoum were killed, to British outrage. Herbert Kitchener finally led a British force up the Nile to revenge Gordon in 1898. They caught the Mahdi's 50,000 man army at Omdurman, and won a lopsided battle, which featured the last operational cavalry charge in British history, and included a young lieutenant named Winston Churchill. The canal was now safe, and the headless body of the Mahdi was thrown into the Nile, a symbolic revenge for Gordon.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at August 16, 2026 09:23 AM (0U5gm)
36
Is historical fiction considered a genre or is it just fiction?
Posted by: dantesed at August 16, 2026 09:25 AM (Oy/m2)
37
Lovecraftian romantasy would a very strange genre to read but I’m sure it exists.
Posted by: Perfessor Sqiurrel at August 16, 2026 09:26 AM (dX6+n)
38
Most of my reading life has been in genre fiction. Back in the '80s, in an attempt to improve my writing style and learn about the simple declarative sentence, I studied a lot of the mainstream authors: Hemingway, Steinbeck (whom I still love), Harper Lee, Capote, Dorothy Parker, and John O'Hara (meh). But invariably I come back to the true *story,* the tale of adventure or mystery or horror or sometimes all three. Now I appreciate the good genre writers' writing because of my "research" into non-genre. If you want to write, you have to be aware of Hemingway and other non-genre people, even if you don't like them.
At a con in the '80s, somebody complained he didn't like the ending to Heinlein's penultimate novel, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. I blinked at him. "You want to be a writer, and you've never read and don't recognize the basic ending to For Whom the Bell Tolls?" He didn't know what I was talking about.
At a con in the '80s, somebody complained he didn't like the ending to Heinlein's penultimate novel, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. I blinked at him. "You want to be a writer, and you've never read and don't recognize the basic ending to For Whom the Bell Tolls?" He didn't know what I was talking about.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:26 AM (wzUl9)
39
After repeated starts and stops, and keeping it on my currently-being-read shelf for far too long, I finally finished reading "The Warlord by Mike Grell, Omnibus 1." It's a sword and sorcery comic that takes a lot of inspiration from Edgar Rice Burrough's "Pellucidar" setting. A pilot from the modern day (well, the then-modern 70's) cashes his plane in the arctic, falls down a giant hole, and finds himself in the hollow-earth. There, humans live like barbarians, fending off constant attacks from each other, sorcerers, and random monsters, living among the ruins of abandoned ancient technology. The pilot quickly adapts to the setting, and becomes a wandering adventurer nicknamed The Warlord.
The comics are enjoyable, provided you have the proper expectations. The story doesn't have any grand over-arching quest, and instead follows the lets-throw-a-new-threat-at-our-hero format. That's probably great when reading the story on monthly basis, but it's not quite as satisfying when read in a single volume. But, as hinted by the title, the comic is written and drawn in its entirety by Mike Grell, so has a unity of style that many comic book collections lack!
The comics are enjoyable, provided you have the proper expectations. The story doesn't have any grand over-arching quest, and instead follows the lets-throw-a-new-threat-at-our-hero format. That's probably great when reading the story on monthly basis, but it's not quite as satisfying when read in a single volume. But, as hinted by the title, the comic is written and drawn in its entirety by Mike Grell, so has a unity of style that many comic book collections lack!
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 09:27 AM (3v7ra)
40
I *loved* Temeraire (sp?) but all her subsequent books got more presentism as they went along. Sounds like this series starts that way.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
presentism
Perfect word for it
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
presentism
Perfect word for it
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at August 16, 2026 09:27 AM (Ydd86)
41
Reading this week -
A couple of Bradbury stories. After watching Bertrand Tavernier's film Death Watch (Romy Schneider and Harvey Keitel, and not bad) revisited the source novel, D. G. Compton's The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe (which is better than the movie). Also revisited Don Robertson's The Ideal Genuine Man, as dark and grim a book as you could want; in his foreword to the novel, Stephen King said he thought Robertson had outdone himself with this one. For me, Robertson's best are Praise the Human Season, Miss Margaret Ridpath and the Dismantling of the Universe, and Mystical Union (love those titles); but The Ideal Genuine Man is quite a read. It is, of course, out of print as is most of Robertson's work.
A couple of Bradbury stories. After watching Bertrand Tavernier's film Death Watch (Romy Schneider and Harvey Keitel, and not bad) revisited the source novel, D. G. Compton's The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe (which is better than the movie). Also revisited Don Robertson's The Ideal Genuine Man, as dark and grim a book as you could want; in his foreword to the novel, Stephen King said he thought Robertson had outdone himself with this one. For me, Robertson's best are Praise the Human Season, Miss Margaret Ridpath and the Dismantling of the Universe, and Mystical Union (love those titles); but The Ideal Genuine Man is quite a read. It is, of course, out of print as is most of Robertson's work.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 09:27 AM (q3u5l)
42
Wolfus, I was sure you would add that one to the pot.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026
***
Oh, the mystery? Yes, I should have thought of it.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026
***
Oh, the mystery? Yes, I should have thought of it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:28 AM (wzUl9)
43
Posted by: Thomas Paine at August 16, 2026 09:23 AM (0U5gm)
I read Churchill's book on his experiences there several years ago. He mentioned that camels *can* go a long time without water, but it's very bad for them and most of them died (or had to be slaughtered) after a brutal forced march.
I read Churchill's book on his experiences there several years ago. He mentioned that camels *can* go a long time without water, but it's very bad for them and most of them died (or had to be slaughtered) after a brutal forced march.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:28 AM (lFFaq)
44
No, the real issue is genre fiction is enjoyed by the masses. A lot. And you don't need a degree in Fine Arts to enjoy it either. Now it is true that the quality can be ... uneven. Some of that is due to the need for LOTS of genre fiction. Writing at what is sometimes called "pulp speed" can create content that is a little rough around the edges. Romance writers are amazing at writing a lot, fast. They have to be, because romance *readers* go through multiple books per WEEK and are always looking for more. Their writing discipline is scary and their marketing chops...well, lets just say all the other genre writers try to imitate it, because romance writers know what works and what doesn't. And boy do they sell a lot of books!
Funnily enough, there's a vid I linked to at A Literary Horde - a fine resource for Horde writers, if they want to use it - yesterday from a YTer I don't know, who discusses why some books don't sell. She talks about romance writers and why they are successful - and how you can be successful too*
https://tinyurl.com/msp7z6t6
* work fast, and write a series.
Funnily enough, there's a vid I linked to at A Literary Horde - a fine resource for Horde writers, if they want to use it - yesterday from a YTer I don't know, who discusses why some books don't sell. She talks about romance writers and why they are successful - and how you can be successful too*
https://tinyurl.com/msp7z6t6
* work fast, and write a series.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:28 AM (1Ff7Z)
45
Historical fiction is a genre but it can overlap with others (e.g. western or gothic).
Posted by: Perfessor Squirrel at August 16, 2026 09:30 AM (dX6+n)
46
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:26 AM (wzUl9)
Never read For Whom the Bell Tolls. Everyone dies at the end?
Never read For Whom the Bell Tolls. Everyone dies at the end?
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:30 AM (lFFaq)
47
The other thing about genre is that, when a literary type tries his hand at it, he often gets some of its conventions right, but rarely all of them. I guess Brave New World and 1984 are exceptions. A literary writer trying a mystery or an SF novel often leaves me feeling like something is missing, like I've put my foot down on a stairstep that isn't there.
As much as I like a lot of their work, I have trouble imagining Truman Capote writing a successful classical mystery, or Steinbeck an SF tale. ("Successful" as in "The story works," not necessariy successful in sales.)
As much as I like a lot of their work, I have trouble imagining Truman Capote writing a successful classical mystery, or Steinbeck an SF tale. ("Successful" as in "The story works," not necessariy successful in sales.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:32 AM (wzUl9)
48
Sabrina, are you aware of another, lesser-known author, John Hundley, who also writes about a red wolf?
Posted by: Buck Ofama at August 16, 2026 09:33 AM (z6ONu)
49
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at August 16, 2026 09:27 AM (Ydd86)
Can't take credit for it. Don't remember where I picked it up. Probably on the Book Thread a couple of years ago.
Can't take credit for it. Don't remember where I picked it up. Probably on the Book Thread a couple of years ago.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:33 AM (lFFaq)
50
Caedite eos. Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius ("Kill them all. Let God sort them out.") -- an anti-Cathar papal legate, when asked how the Catholic soldiers might sort out the Cathars from the innocent
I'm reading "Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735" by Steven Veerapen
Surely the eruption of accusations and trials proved that there was a witchcraft problem?! If you protest, you must be a secret convert to the Devil.
Interesting that the widening use of the printing press popularized and widened the discussion with sensationalistic pamphlets.
I'm reading "Witches: A History of Witchcraft, Witch-Hunters, and a King's Obsession: 1562-1735" by Steven Veerapen
Surely the eruption of accusations and trials proved that there was a witchcraft problem?! If you protest, you must be a secret convert to the Devil.
Interesting that the widening use of the printing press popularized and widened the discussion with sensationalistic pamphlets.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:33 AM (kpS4V)
51
Never read For Whom the Bell Tolls. Everyone dies at the end?
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026
***
Probably. We don't know for sure. But it is a heroic ending.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026
***
Probably. We don't know for sure. But it is a heroic ending.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:33 AM (wzUl9)
52
Each of those has sub-genres
Another warning about genres from various YTers: Ghost categories that Amazon doesn't promote. Put your book in them, you'll never be listed as a best seller in the category, leaving your book to languish in a no sales ghetto.
Another warning about genres from various YTers: Ghost categories that Amazon doesn't promote. Put your book in them, you'll never be listed as a best seller in the category, leaving your book to languish in a no sales ghetto.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:33 AM (1Ff7Z)
53
A lot of talk about Young Washington movie....very little about Mr. Vinings' Colonial Nightmare...cool little jaunt..
Posted by: qmark at August 16, 2026 09:33 AM (hzpDl)
54
37 Lovecraftian romantasy would a very strange genre to read but I’m sure it exists.
I once dared a fellow writer to write a book in a genre that didn't exist, Post-apocalyptic Cosy Mystery. She did it
I once dared a fellow writer to write a book in a genre that didn't exist, Post-apocalyptic Cosy Mystery. She did it
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (k+oif)
55
I started Dungeon Crawler Carl last night. The writing style reminds me a lot of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter books. Here's a world to explore, it'll be fun to read, don't think too much about it and just enjoy the ride. My wife and kiddo plowed through the series and loved it, so we have all the books.
Posted by: PabloD at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (zDDmD)
56
I read Churchill's book on his experiences there several years ago. He mentioned that camels *can* go a long time without water, but it's very bad for them and most of them died (or had to be slaughtered) after a brutal forced march.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
They can drink several gallons at a time when thirsty, which must be hard on their system. I was in the empty quarter several years ago, and ran across a camel that had died of thirst.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
They can drink several gallons at a time when thirsty, which must be hard on their system. I was in the empty quarter several years ago, and ran across a camel that had died of thirst.
Posted by: Thomas Paine at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (0U5gm)
57
I read Churchill's book on his experiences there several years ago. He mentioned that camels *can* go a long time without water, but it's very bad for them and most of them died (or had to be slaughtered) after a brutal forced march.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026
***
Another great title: Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026
***
Another great title: Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:35 AM (wzUl9)
58
I dimly recall (from high school days) Herman Wouk taking a stab at sf with something called The Lomokome Papers (?). Not his finest hour.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 09:35 AM (q3u5l)
59
Among CY's businesses is a telephone system. That took me aback to realize that it existed in Samuel Clemens' time. He wasn't writing in a primitive era.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:05 AM (+nhNB)
Well, yeah. The telephone was demonstrated at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Been around for a long time.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:05 AM (+nhNB)
Well, yeah. The telephone was demonstrated at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Been around for a long time.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (1Ff7Z)
60
Here's something that sort of relates to this week's theme: the genre of the "Warlord" comic I just finished. When I first heard of the book I became really excited, because it was a sword and sorcery comic that wasn't Conan! (Conan is great, but I did want some variety) Alas, I became less excited as soon I learned the sub-genre of Warlord. It's a modern-day-hero in a fantasy-land story. The real-world connection is supposed to make the story and hero easier to relate to, but for me it does the opposite. The modern-day protagonist always breaks immersion for me. If I see a guy swinging a sword at a monster, I want that guy to feel like be an actual barbarian. (or knight, or ranger, or whatever) I don't want him to be making some crack about how the monster is just as bad as the IRS...
The incongruity may have been easier to take if played into the plot; if the hero uses his modern-dayness to his advantage, or if the story is about how the hero adapts to the new setting...But at least in The Warlord, they skip all that, and the main character immediately becomes an expert in all things barbarian. At least for me, it was a missed opportunity...
The incongruity may have been easier to take if played into the plot; if the hero uses his modern-dayness to his advantage, or if the story is about how the hero adapts to the new setting...But at least in The Warlord, they skip all that, and the main character immediately becomes an expert in all things barbarian. At least for me, it was a missed opportunity...
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (3v7ra)
61
Fenelon Spoke, last week I said I enjoyed Eric Metaxas's work on the Great Awakening, but I think that was a part of his book "If You Can Keep It: the Forgotten Promise by of American Liberty".
I think.
I think.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (kpS4V)
62
I lived enjoyed Naomi Novik'd Temeraire thru, I forget book 3 maybe, then the wokeness was too much for me.
I also enjoyed books1-2 of her dark academia trilogy, but book 3 was bleh.
There is a new to me author H G Parry whose historical fantasy A DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAGICIANS was great. Sequel was also good.
She has a new book this year, gonna try it.
I also enjoyed books1-2 of her dark academia trilogy, but book 3 was bleh.
There is a new to me author H G Parry whose historical fantasy A DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAGICIANS was great. Sequel was also good.
She has a new book this year, gonna try it.
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (Ydd86)
63
I once dared a fellow writer to write a book in a genre that didn't exist, Post-apocalyptic Cosy Mystery. She did it
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (k+oif)
Is it available?
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (k+oif)
Is it available?
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:37 AM (lFFaq)
64
Good morning fellow Book Threadists. I hope everyone had a great week of reading.
TY to Sabrina for the thread and her insights into publishing realities. Also, love that top image. It has representatives of most fiction genres. I especially like the tentacle sneaking in on the right.
TY to Sabrina for the thread and her insights into publishing realities. Also, love that top image. It has representatives of most fiction genres. I especially like the tentacle sneaking in on the right.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 09:37 AM (yTvNw)
65
Never read For Whom the Bell Tolls. Everyone dies at the end?
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
Spoiler alert:
It tolls for thee
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
Spoiler alert:
It tolls for thee
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at August 16, 2026 09:38 AM (Ydd86)
66
6 Romance: the plot focuses on the characters' relationship(s) and feelings
----
Huh.
Based on this definition, Dune: Messiah is a romance novel.
Mostly characters just sitting around talking about their feelings and relationships re: prescience.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 16, 2026 09:01 AM (FZ29D)
That....That does not make me want to read Dune: Messiah... Is it 'feelings in hallways' like a CW show, or do they at least have grand backdrops when they sit around?
----
Huh.
Based on this definition, Dune: Messiah is a romance novel.
Mostly characters just sitting around talking about their feelings and relationships re: prescience.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at August 16, 2026 09:01 AM (FZ29D)
That....That does not make me want to read Dune: Messiah... Is it 'feelings in hallways' like a CW show, or do they at least have grand backdrops when they sit around?
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 09:38 AM (3v7ra)
67
(It's so good not to have computers and cell phones in a story, so that the characters have to work at finding out stuff.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:08 AM (wzUl9)
Yeah, that's one reason I set the Richard Allen mystery stories in postwar America. Pretty hard to not solve something with computers and cell phones to consult for knowledge or a person's whereabouts.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:08 AM (wzUl9)
Yeah, that's one reason I set the Richard Allen mystery stories in postwar America. Pretty hard to not solve something with computers and cell phones to consult for knowledge or a person's whereabouts.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:39 AM (1Ff7Z)
68
Another great title: Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius
That series is so fun!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius
That series is so fun!
Posted by: vmom deport deport stab deport at August 16, 2026 09:39 AM (Ydd86)
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at August 16, 2026 09:39 AM (2Ez/1)
70
I dimly recall (from high school days) Herman Wouk taking a stab at sf with something called The Lomokome Papers (?). Not his finest hour.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
Was that the title? I thought he did something about a new particle being discovered in physics, and its consequences. Maybe that was it?
P.D. James didn't do badly with her Children of Men SF story, in which it becomes obvious that human beings are no longer able to reproduce (thanks to a virus, I think) and will go extinct in less than a hundred years.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
Was that the title? I thought he did something about a new particle being discovered in physics, and its consequences. Maybe that was it?
P.D. James didn't do badly with her Children of Men SF story, in which it becomes obvious that human beings are no longer able to reproduce (thanks to a virus, I think) and will go extinct in less than a hundred years.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
71
P.D. James didn't do badly with her Children of Men SF story, in which it becomes obvious that human beings are no longer able to reproduce (thanks to a virus, I think) and will go extinct in less than a hundred years.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026
***
Bu then, James was a mystery writer, thus genre by definition.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026
***
Bu then, James was a mystery writer, thus genre by definition.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:41 AM (wzUl9)
72
Another great title: Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:35 AM (wzUl9)
I've read several of hers, but not that one. Sounds like an Amelia Peabody story. Kind of went off those when she had a murderer killing people to suppress a Gnostic "gospel" that Amelia's expedition had found.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:35 AM (wzUl9)
I've read several of hers, but not that one. Sounds like an Amelia Peabody story. Kind of went off those when she had a murderer killing people to suppress a Gnostic "gospel" that Amelia's expedition had found.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:41 AM (lFFaq)
73
I have to agree about A Case of Conscience. Blish wanted to write theological SF but I don't think he put in much effort to actually learn the theology. Ironically, the future Earth society is the least convincing part of the story, not the alien world.
He did slightly better in Black Easter.
He did slightly better in Black Easter.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 09:41 AM (78a2H)
74
Those are the minuscule and uncommon Grape Cluster Bats hanging in their telltale grape cluster formation in that tree. No bat of that species wants to be "First!" because it will become weighted down by all the other bats that swarm in to create the cluster.
Those are the minuscule and uncommon Grape Cluster Bats hanging in their telltale grape cluster formation in that tree. No bat of that species wants to be "First!" because it will become weighted down by all the other bats that swarm in to create the cluster.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 09:41 AM (I1Vkr)
75
That....That does not make me want to read Dune: Messiah... Is it 'feelings in hallways' like a CW show, or do they at least have grand backdrops when they sit around?
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 09:38 AM (3v7ra)
—-
It’s mostly like a CW show with a few grand backdrops. The book is about 80% dialogue. Nothing much happens at all.
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 09:38 AM (3v7ra)
—-
It’s mostly like a CW show with a few grand backdrops. The book is about 80% dialogue. Nothing much happens at all.
Posted by: Perfessor Squirrel at August 16, 2026 09:41 AM (dX6+n)
76
(It's so good not to have computers and cell phones in a story, so that the characters have to work at finding out stuff.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026
*
Yeah, that's one reason I set the Richard Allen mystery stories in postwar America. Pretty hard to not solve something with computers and cell phones to consult for knowledge or a person's whereabouts.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026
***
That, and it's so hard for a villain or murderer to *conceal* things!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026
*
Yeah, that's one reason I set the Richard Allen mystery stories in postwar America. Pretty hard to not solve something with computers and cell phones to consult for knowledge or a person's whereabouts.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026
***
That, and it's so hard for a villain or murderer to *conceal* things!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:42 AM (wzUl9)
77
A key aspect of the Warlord is that it's sword and sorcery -- and firearms. Morgan uses his .44 a lot. (The question of where does he get fresh ammo is waved away.)
Oh, and beautiful scantily clad women.
Oh, and beautiful scantily clad women.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:43 AM (+nhNB)
78
Another great title: Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius
Autopsy showed that camel was high at the time of its death.
Another great title: Elizabeth Peters, The Last Camel Died at Noon.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius
Autopsy showed that camel was high at the time of its death.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 09:44 AM (I1Vkr)
79
I have to agree about A Case of Conscience. Blish wanted to write theological SF but I don't think he put in much effort to actually learn the theology. Ironically, the future Earth society is the least convincing part of the story, not the alien world.
He did slightly better in Black Easter.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026
***
Black Easter is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. It has a . . . flavor . . . that will stay with you for a long while after you read it.
The scene where the young assistant is visited by the succubus is a classic.
He did slightly better in Black Easter.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026
***
Black Easter is one of my favorite fantasy novels of all time. It has a . . . flavor . . . that will stay with you for a long while after you read it.
The scene where the young assistant is visited by the succubus is a classic.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:44 AM (wzUl9)
80
Just wondering how you would prove to a court of law accusations of lycanthropy, sorcery, flying on enchanted chairs, invisibility, or demonic pacts.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:45 AM (kpS4V)
81
Not sure I will read any more of her stuff.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:12 AM (wzUl9)
If more people would stop reading stuff with characters like the knight, inserted for the sake of showing them as heroes and better than dumb hick haters, then the stories would start disappearing. The introduction for homosexual characters usually are to highlight and promote them - not including yours in MTM, or the one in my unpublished RA mystery. Does their predilection help the story, or is it merely to signal?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:12 AM (wzUl9)
If more people would stop reading stuff with characters like the knight, inserted for the sake of showing them as heroes and better than dumb hick haters, then the stories would start disappearing. The introduction for homosexual characters usually are to highlight and promote them - not including yours in MTM, or the one in my unpublished RA mystery. Does their predilection help the story, or is it merely to signal?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:45 AM (1Ff7Z)
82
TY to Sabrina for the thread and her insights into publishing realities. Also, love that top image. It has representatives of most fiction genres. I especially like the tentacle sneaking in on the right.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026
***
I didn't notice that!
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026
***
I didn't notice that!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:46 AM (wzUl9)
83
Genres: 10th grade (ancient history). English teacher asks the class for the difference between SF & Fantasy. I'm a new shy kid at the school, trying to keep an invisible profile, but not a hand went up, and, hey! I know this one! Nerd knowledge FTW. I even used the FTL example for SF.
Thank you Professor Asimov. And Star Trek. Although Trek had a lot of science tweaks, and frequently lapped over into Fantasy.
Thank you Professor Asimov. And Star Trek. Although Trek had a lot of science tweaks, and frequently lapped over into Fantasy.
Posted by: mindful webworker - beam me up, Gandalf at August 16, 2026 09:46 AM (S3rL0)
84
Polliwog the 'Ette, the Post-apocalyptic cosy mystery is Toxic to Touch by Juliet Chase. Yes, my sister Available on Amazon.
Available on Amazon.Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:47 AM (k+oif)
85
On at least two occasions, Theodore Sturgeon took mainstream stories that had failed to sell to the slicks (what were the editors drinking on those days?), introduced sf elements to give them the genre trappings and sold 'em both.
The stories are "A Saucer of Loneliness" and "Hurricane Trio." Both well worth a look.
The stories are "A Saucer of Loneliness" and "Hurricane Trio." Both well worth a look.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 09:48 AM (q3u5l)
86
I bet Steinbeck could have written a decent SF story. He wasn't just about okies and drunks in Monterey. He wrote a comic novel about the restoration of monarchy in 1960s France — _The Short Reign of Pepin IV_, and he did a prose version of the Arthurian legends. He might have done something about hard-luck asteroid miners, or eccentric characters at a remote research station orbiting Jupiter.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 09:49 AM (78a2H)
87
If more people would stop reading stuff with characters like the knight, inserted for the sake of showing them as heroes and better than dumb hick haters, then the stories would start disappearing. The introduction for homosexual characters usually are to highlight and promote them - not including yours in MTM, or the one in my unpublished RA mystery. Does their predilection help the story, or is it merely to signal?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026
***
I'll give Novik this, that the "haters" are few and far between in this novel. Except for the knight's father -- who seems mostly upset that his son doesn't want to inherit his title and have more children in their line -- everybody seems to accept the fact of his orientation and not worry about it.
I chose to make my professor gay in MTM because I didn't want any possibility of a romance between him and his woman assistant, the narrator. Yes, it occurred to me that it could check a box for an editor, but that was not really why I did it.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026
***
I'll give Novik this, that the "haters" are few and far between in this novel. Except for the knight's father -- who seems mostly upset that his son doesn't want to inherit his title and have more children in their line -- everybody seems to accept the fact of his orientation and not worry about it.
I chose to make my professor gay in MTM because I didn't want any possibility of a romance between him and his woman assistant, the narrator. Yes, it occurred to me that it could check a box for an editor, but that was not really why I did it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:49 AM (wzUl9)
88
After more than a century, it can be hard to fathom the public outcry for General Charles Gordon, trapped in Khartoum
Ah yes, Gordon.
If MP4 shows, he may remember a joke from Fun Fare about Gordon.
It went something like this: A man and his little boy were looking at a statue of Gordon on a camel. The boy asked his Dad, "who is that?"
The man said, "That's Gordon. A great hero."
The boy replied. "Dad, who's that man on Gordon?"
Ah yes, Gordon.
If MP4 shows, he may remember a joke from Fun Fare about Gordon.
It went something like this: A man and his little boy were looking at a statue of Gordon on a camel. The boy asked his Dad, "who is that?"
The man said, "That's Gordon. A great hero."
The boy replied. "Dad, who's that man on Gordon?"
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:50 AM (1Ff7Z)
89
I re-read Vonnegut's "The Sirens of Titan". I will get around to my other favorite work of his, "Cat's Cradle", at some point in the near future. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't "Slaughterhouse Five" the only work of his that has been made into a movie?
In a punctual way of speaking, "good bye".
I re-read Vonnegut's "The Sirens of Titan". I will get around to my other favorite work of his, "Cat's Cradle", at some point in the near future. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't "Slaughterhouse Five" the only work of his that has been made into a movie?
In a punctual way of speaking, "good bye".
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 09:51 AM (I1Vkr)
90
I bet Steinbeck could have written a decent SF story. He wasn't just about okies and drunks in Monterey. He wrote a comic novel about the restoration of monarchy in 1960s France — _The Short Reign of Pepin IV_, and he did a prose version of the Arthurian legends. He might have done something about hard-luck asteroid miners, or eccentric characters at a remote research station orbiting Jupiter.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026
***
That sounds intriguing!
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026
***
That sounds intriguing!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:51 AM (wzUl9)
91
80 Just wondering how you would prove to a court of law accusations of lycanthropy, sorcery, flying on enchanted chairs, invisibility, or demonic pacts.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:45 AM (kpS4V)
You tell the court that it happened to you personally.
But then add “it got better”.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:45 AM (kpS4V)
You tell the court that it happened to you personally.
But then add “it got better”.
Posted by: Tom Servo at August 16, 2026 09:51 AM (TCmq7)
92
I'm not a fan of Book Tube videos on YT. Too many how to read dozens of books a day or similar unrealistic (or even vaguely possible) topics. But it has its uses when it comes to introducing people to classic literature and appreciating what books can bring to your life.
A recent trend, however, is positive: a certain topic for a month. June was 'June on the range' about westerns. The latest is 'To Sea in September'. Should be fun. Pirates, exploration, naval battles or ship development, history, it could all qualify. Several Book Tuber hosts are in on it. If nothing else I'll be curious to see what books are mentioned.
A recent trend, however, is positive: a certain topic for a month. June was 'June on the range' about westerns. The latest is 'To Sea in September'. Should be fun. Pirates, exploration, naval battles or ship development, history, it could all qualify. Several Book Tuber hosts are in on it. If nothing else I'll be curious to see what books are mentioned.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 09:52 AM (yTvNw)
93
On at least two occasions, Theodore Sturgeon took mainstream stories that had failed to sell to the slicks (what were the editors drinking on those days?), introduced sf elements to give them the genre trappings and sold 'em both.
The stories are "A Saucer of Loneliness" and "Hurricane Trio." Both well worth a look.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
I've read "Saucer," but not the other.
The stories are "A Saucer of Loneliness" and "Hurricane Trio." Both well worth a look.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
I've read "Saucer," but not the other.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:52 AM (wzUl9)
94
I *loved* Temeraire (sp?) but all her subsequent books got more presentism as they went along. Sounds like this series starts that way.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:21 AM (lFFaq)
That's a good explanation for why I bailed on the Temeraire series. Novick spent all the time and effort setting up a parallel dragon-riding society, just so that she could have the protagonist could give that society modern-day sensibilities. That, and her parallel-society made no sense. There was no reason for dragon-rider to be so secretive and weird and cut off from the rest of the world. In fact, the real world provided an alternate example; the parallel-society of sailors! Not only were they not isolated and secretive, but sailor lingo and mannerism seeped into all levels of society!
So, there are some dragons that only accept women as riders. That's a little weird, sure, but its real (in the story) and militarily important. It's not likely to be kept a secret. (in the country that hade Queen Elizabeth!). It's far more likely that it would become a societal norm to label every tomboy or overly-willful-daughter a 'spitfire,' or whatever that dragon-type was called.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 09:21 AM (lFFaq)
That's a good explanation for why I bailed on the Temeraire series. Novick spent all the time and effort setting up a parallel dragon-riding society, just so that she could have the protagonist could give that society modern-day sensibilities. That, and her parallel-society made no sense. There was no reason for dragon-rider to be so secretive and weird and cut off from the rest of the world. In fact, the real world provided an alternate example; the parallel-society of sailors! Not only were they not isolated and secretive, but sailor lingo and mannerism seeped into all levels of society!
So, there are some dragons that only accept women as riders. That's a little weird, sure, but its real (in the story) and militarily important. It's not likely to be kept a secret. (in the country that hade Queen Elizabeth!). It's far more likely that it would become a societal norm to label every tomboy or overly-willful-daughter a 'spitfire,' or whatever that dragon-type was called.
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 09:52 AM (3v7ra)
95
I think Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions was also filmed, but I've never seen it. Ditto Mother Night. There was a PBS American Playhouse short film from Vonnegut's story "Who Am I This Time?" with Christopher Walken and Susan Sarandon, and it's delightful.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 09:54 AM (q3u5l)
96
I've been reading/listening to a new to me author named Phillip Quaintrell. Straight up fantasy with elves, dwarves, dragons, swords, etc. Very much Lord of the Rings types of books without hobbits. I'm enjoying the books. There is very little profanity, in fact it feels shocking when it does turn up. He has about 15 books out so a good amount to keep me occupied for a while. I have taken a break after 6 books to listen to The Correspondent by Virginia Evans for my book club. I'm really enjoying the narration but I'm still not sure what is going on yet.
Posted by: lin-duh at August 16, 2026 09:54 AM (VCgbV)
97
In one of the Flashman series, there's an offhand comment about Harry being responsible for the Khartoum disaster, but Fraser never got around to giving an account.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 16, 2026 09:55 AM (XvL8K)
98
I an reading William Gibson's "Neuromancer" at the moment. It is not a "pick up and read a chapter or so at a time" work. As the video adaptation of it will be released in January 2027, I am going to have to block out time between now and then to attain a better understanding of what was going on in the story and why.
I an reading William Gibson's "Neuromancer" at the moment. It is not a "pick up and read a chapter or so at a time" work. As the video adaptation of it will be released in January 2027, I am going to have to block out time between now and then to attain a better understanding of what was going on in the story and why.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 09:56 AM (I1Vkr)
99
I hadn't realized Naomi Novik was the author of the dragons-in-the-Napoleonic-Era novel, His majesty's Dragon, I read some years ago. At the time I thought it rather an original concept, but I didn't have a desire to read any more in the series, so I guess it didn't click with me.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:57 AM (wzUl9)
100
For those who care, the 2027 Old Farmer's Almanac is due out on August 25. Yes. I look forward to it every year.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 09:59 AM (yTvNw)
101
By the time of Khartoum Flashman would have been getting on in years, so he probably didn't screw up in the Sudan. Maybe he embezzled the funds Gordon needed for supplies.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 10:00 AM (78a2H)
102
it becomes obvious that human beings are no longer able to reproduce (thanks to a virus, I think) and will go extinct in less than a hundred years.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
A woke virus?
I'd say it's probably because guys are tired of seeing fat, ugly, pierced and tattooed up, danger-hair girls all over society, harping on how men are bad bad bad! So the men say, "Hello, Rosie P."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:40 AM (wzUl9)
A woke virus?
I'd say it's probably because guys are tired of seeing fat, ugly, pierced and tattooed up, danger-hair girls all over society, harping on how men are bad bad bad! So the men say, "Hello, Rosie P."
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 10:01 AM (1Ff7Z)
103
Finally finished Dan Simmons' "Drood," and rate it an 8 of 10. I enjoyed Simmons' efforts to make writers Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins into interesting and possibly demonically-possessed murderers, but ultimately I think the book is really about nothing more complicated and dramatic than opium addiction.
Now have moved on to Simmons' "The Terror," which is about the failed Franklin Expedition in the 1840s to discover the Northwest Passage. Very interesting story so far.
Now have moved on to Simmons' "The Terror," which is about the failed Franklin Expedition in the 1840s to discover the Northwest Passage. Very interesting story so far.
Posted by: Sharkman at August 16, 2026 10:01 AM (/RHNq)
104
I think Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions was also filmed, but I've never seen it.
Just Some Guy
The subtle commentary about our times in that work was the reference to a Crispus Attucks of Boston Massacre fame in the form of there being a Crispus Attucks High School that was referred to in the vernacular as "Innocent Bystander High.
I think Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions was also filmed, but I've never seen it.
Just Some Guy
The subtle commentary about our times in that work was the reference to a Crispus Attucks of Boston Massacre fame in the form of there being a Crispus Attucks High School that was referred to in the vernacular as "Innocent Bystander High.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 10:02 AM (I1Vkr)
105
Dave Sundstrom's latest YT channel video is about how James Blish and his Star Trek novels are so important to TOS fans. Haven't watched yet and haven't read any of the Blish books in decades but I immediately thought of Wolfus.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:02 AM (yTvNw)
106
The last on my TBR pile is The Tribe, which is apparently a Golem story from 1981 by Bari Wood. Wood sprang onto the scene in about 1975 with a pre-King horror/psi powers novel, The Killing Gift, which I read and enjoyed when it was almost new. This paperback edition has an intro by Grady Hendrix, in which he says, ". . . this to me is her masterpiece." Here's hoping it will be as good as he says.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:03 AM (wzUl9)
107
Never read For Whom the Bell Tolls. Everyone dies at the end?
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
Several members of the commie rat bastard guerrilla band ride off into the sunset and presumably survive.
I first read FWTBT in high school. I was shocked when Pilar told of Pablo, before he became a useless and cowardly drunk, attacking a village and slaughtering the inhabitants. I thought, these are supposed to be the good guys?
FWTBT and A Farewell to Arms are both great novels.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette
Several members of the commie rat bastard guerrilla band ride off into the sunset and presumably survive.
I first read FWTBT in high school. I was shocked when Pilar told of Pablo, before he became a useless and cowardly drunk, attacking a village and slaughtering the inhabitants. I thought, these are supposed to be the good guys?
FWTBT and A Farewell to Arms are both great novels.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 10:04 AM (ndZc7)
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 10:04 AM (I1Vkr)
109
Skip, The Gathering Storm is excellent. In fact his entire history of WWII is excellent. Don't let the length scare you (There are 5 or 6 volumes), Churchill is an excellent writer and easy to follow all the way through.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:05 AM (+ViXu)
110
77 A key aspect of the Warlord is that it's sword and sorcery -- and firearms. Morgan uses his .44 a lot. (The question of where does he get fresh ammo is waved away.)
Oh, and beautiful scantily clad women.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:43 AM (+nhNB)
His gun would feel a lot less like a 'magic win button' if Grell actually addressed the issue of ammo....
Also, it isn't just the women that are scantily-clad. The Warlord's shorts are...uncomfortably skimpy. The guy wears less than Conan. It kinda reminds me a feminist attempt at a meme; where they tried to show how male action heroes would look if they dressed like female action heroes. Little did they realize that the meme accurately depicted the standard outfit of Conan, and the Warlord, and Tarzan, and John Carter of Mars, and....
Oh, and beautiful scantily clad women.
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 09:43 AM (+nhNB)
His gun would feel a lot less like a 'magic win button' if Grell actually addressed the issue of ammo....
Also, it isn't just the women that are scantily-clad. The Warlord's shorts are...uncomfortably skimpy. The guy wears less than Conan. It kinda reminds me a feminist attempt at a meme; where they tried to show how male action heroes would look if they dressed like female action heroes. Little did they realize that the meme accurately depicted the standard outfit of Conan, and the Warlord, and Tarzan, and John Carter of Mars, and....
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 10:05 AM (3v7ra)
111
I chose to make my professor gay in MTM because I didn't want any possibility of a romance between him and his woman assistant, the narrator. Yes, it occurred to me that it could check a box for an editor, but that was not really why I did it.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:49 AM (wzUl9)
Right, and I think we discussed it before. That's fine, but introducing a character flaming brighter than a bonfire is just to signal and insult.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 09:49 AM (wzUl9)
Right, and I think we discussed it before. That's fine, but introducing a character flaming brighter than a bonfire is just to signal and insult.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 10:06 AM (1Ff7Z)
112
Polliwog the 'Ette, the Post-apocalyptic cosy mystery is Toxic to Touch by Juliet Chase. Yes, my sister Available on Amazon.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:47 AM (k+oif)
I wondered if that were it. I really enjoyed that. Should read it again. Does she have any more books?
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:47 AM (k+oif)
I wondered if that were it. I really enjoyed that. Should read it again. Does she have any more books?
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 10:07 AM (lFFaq)
113
Reading The Memoirs of General: Always with Honor by Pyotr Wrangel. About 80% through the ebook. Wrangel was handed Denikin's wrecked army, yet reformed it, and soldiered on.
He died in 1928 after being poisoned by a Bolshevik agent.
He died in 1928 after being poisoned by a Bolshevik agent.
Posted by: 13times at August 16, 2026 10:09 AM (fnZRl)
114
He might have done something about hard-luck asteroid miners, or eccentric characters at a remote research station orbiting Jupiter.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026
Hmm. Lonely, hard-luck miners stuck on a rock.
(snaps fingers)
That gives me an idea!
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026
Hmm. Lonely, hard-luck miners stuck on a rock.
(snaps fingers)
That gives me an idea!
Posted by: Harcourt Fenton Mudd at August 16, 2026 10:09 AM (1Ff7Z)
115
Dave Sundstrom's latest YT channel video is about how James Blish and his Star Trek novels are so important to TOS fans. Haven't watched yet and haven't read any of the Blish books in decades but I immediately thought of Wolfus.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026
***
I need to co check them out.
Blish's adaptations to short-story form of the TV scripts were my introduction to Trek. I'd watched a few episodes, had a buddy who was big into the show, and I enjoyed the collections enormously. They have an important place in Trek fandom history. Between 1969 when the show ended and 1979 when the first big movie came along, Blish's short stories and his original novel Spock Must Die were -- with the animated series -- all the fans had to keep the flame alive.
Kind of like the original Ace Man From U.N.C.L.E. novels were all we MfU fans had until CBN ran the original shows in 1985.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026
***
I need to co check them out.
Blish's adaptations to short-story form of the TV scripts were my introduction to Trek. I'd watched a few episodes, had a buddy who was big into the show, and I enjoyed the collections enormously. They have an important place in Trek fandom history. Between 1969 when the show ended and 1979 when the first big movie came along, Blish's short stories and his original novel Spock Must Die were -- with the animated series -- all the fans had to keep the flame alive.
Kind of like the original Ace Man From U.N.C.L.E. novels were all we MfU fans had until CBN ran the original shows in 1985.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:09 AM (wzUl9)
116
Ask your Doctor if genre is for you. Do not take genre if allergic to genre.
Posted by: Tonypete at August 16, 2026 10:10 AM (hrOJm)
117
2027 Old Farmer's Almanac is due out on August 25
---
Are they discontinuing it after this year? I thought I saw something about it...
---
Are they discontinuing it after this year? I thought I saw something about it...
Posted by: lin-duh at August 16, 2026 10:11 AM (VCgbV)
Posted by: Weak Geek at August 16, 2026 10:11 AM (+nhNB)
119
Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't "Slaughterhouse Five" the only work of his that has been made into a movie?
-
I saw a not very good movie of Mother Night starring Nick Nolte.
-
I saw a not very good movie of Mother Night starring Nick Nolte.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 10:11 AM (ndZc7)
Posted by: Michele Fields at August 16, 2026 10:11 AM (hrOJm)
121
By the time of Khartoum Flashman would have been getting on in years, so he probably didn't screw up in the Sudan. Maybe he embezzled the funds Gordon needed for supplies.
Posted by: Trimegistus
_______
He was there. Flashman and the Tiger has him leaving for the Sudan on Gordon's intelligence staff.
Posted by: Trimegistus
_______
He was there. Flashman and the Tiger has him leaving for the Sudan on Gordon's intelligence staff.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 16, 2026 10:12 AM (XvL8K)
122
Polliwog the 'Ette, my sister also wrote Amy's Amazing Adventures Across Time and Space which is ... an insane collection of every trope she found amusing. I am not even sure what genre it is. Maybe all of them.
"On Thursday afternoon, while the forces of darkness are presenting status reports in their weekly staff meeting, the rabbits finally deploy their secret weapon."
"On Thursday afternoon, while the forces of darkness are presenting status reports in their weekly staff meeting, the rabbits finally deploy their secret weapon."
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 10:12 AM (k+oif)
123
For Whom the Bell Tolls has a hammock structure. High at the beginning and end, with a low stretch in the middle where all they do is talk about "blowing the bridge" and swear by "the milk of thy mothers."
The Gary Cooper flick is the same way.
The Gary Cooper flick is the same way.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:12 AM (wzUl9)
124
Dave Sundstrom's latest YT channel video is about how James Blish and his Star Trek novels are so important to TOS fans. Haven't watched yet and haven't read any of the Blish books in decades but I immediately thought of Wolfus.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:02 AM (yTvNw)
I saw it. I didn't know that.... Wait, I'll let everyone see it. Wolfus may know anyway.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:02 AM (yTvNw)
I saw it. I didn't know that.... Wait, I'll let everyone see it. Wolfus may know anyway.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 10:13 AM (1Ff7Z)
125
I read "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain as part of my preparation for a high school term paper. I can't say that I recall much about it, other than rhe protagonist ran afoul of Merlin because his Nineteenth Century "magic" outshone Merlin's own.
I read "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" by Mark Twain as part of my preparation for a high school term paper. I can't say that I recall much about it, other than rhe protagonist ran afoul of Merlin because his Nineteenth Century "magic" outshone Merlin's own.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 10:13 AM (I1Vkr)
126
In one of the Flashman series, there's an offhand comment about Harry being responsible for the Khartoum disaster, but Fraser never got around to giving an account.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 16, 2026 09:55 AM (XvL8K)
I wish the Warhammer 40K series Ciaphas Caine was on Kindle Unlimited. The MC is essentially Flashman, but with a level of ethics Flashman lacks.
Posted by: Biff Pocoroba at August 16, 2026 09:55 AM (XvL8K)
I wish the Warhammer 40K series Ciaphas Caine was on Kindle Unlimited. The MC is essentially Flashman, but with a level of ethics Flashman lacks.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 10:14 AM (lFFaq)
127
Interesting artwork. Do you have a higher rez version you could share with us. Is that the star of the Alien movies hiding in the tree?
Posted by: Luger Axhandle at August 16, 2026 10:14 AM (3CNi3)
128
4 ... "Picked up The Gathering Storm written by Winston Spencer Churchill"
I've read a lot of Churchill's books. He was an excellent writer. I especially liked his "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples" volumes and "Painting as a Pastime".
I've read a lot of Churchill's books. He was an excellent writer. I especially liked his "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples" volumes and "Painting as a Pastime".
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:14 AM (yTvNw)
129
Wolfus,
You can find "Hurricane Trio" in Sturgeon's collections A Way Home and Thunder and Roses, the latter being the 4th volume I think of that big 13-volume set of his complete short fiction. A few of the stories in his collection Sturgeon Is Alive and Well (around 1970 or 72 IIRC) weren't genre stories at all and one of them, "The Girl Who Knew What They Meant," is one of his strongest pieces. There's another Sturgeon story that's been included in horror anthologies -- "Bright Segment." Also one of his strongest stories and not a conventional horror story at all; the chill is in the resolution.
And Sturgeon's another writer who deserves a couple of volumes in the Library of America. But this kid's not holding his breath.
You can find "Hurricane Trio" in Sturgeon's collections A Way Home and Thunder and Roses, the latter being the 4th volume I think of that big 13-volume set of his complete short fiction. A few of the stories in his collection Sturgeon Is Alive and Well (around 1970 or 72 IIRC) weren't genre stories at all and one of them, "The Girl Who Knew What They Meant," is one of his strongest pieces. There's another Sturgeon story that's been included in horror anthologies -- "Bright Segment." Also one of his strongest stories and not a conventional horror story at all; the chill is in the resolution.
And Sturgeon's another writer who deserves a couple of volumes in the Library of America. But this kid's not holding his breath.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 10:16 AM (q3u5l)
130
NOT FUNNY!!!
Posted by: Michele Fields
Hush, child! Consider yourself fortunate that, in your case, "A Farewell to An Arm" is all that afflicted you.
NOT FUNNY!!!
Posted by: Michele Fields
Hush, child! Consider yourself fortunate that, in your case, "A Farewell to An Arm" is all that afflicted you.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at August 16, 2026 10:17 AM (I1Vkr)
131
I've been very sick for a month (including a week in the hospital - not recommended) so haven't gotten much reading in. I did finish Manalve by Chesterton and thought it was a waste of time. I started The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andric and it is great, although I could have done without the rather detailed description of how impaling someone works (also, not recommended). The book runs from the 1570s to 1910s but skips over large chunks of the time in between. Just getting to when the Austrians move in and push the Turks out of Bosnia iin the 1870s
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:18 AM (+ViXu)
132
So, is this the author trying to be nuanced? Ironic? Or just being bad as messaging?
In "Lord of the Shattered Land," officials of the evil empire (stand-ins for Rome) have deposed (possibly exiled) and replaced the un-cooperative priestess of a local temple. The hero muses on this, and mutters that 'people don't like being told they are worshipping the wrong religion.' A short time later, the priestess and her cultist-followers return, drug and kidnap the hero and a couple officials, (casually killing some less important people in the process) and then summon some demons to murder the captives! Frankly, I'm siding with the evil empire on this issue. Go ahead and depose that priestess! Suppress that psychotic religion and replace it with a better one! All hail the evil empire that doesn't summon demons while laughing maniacally!
...As a coda, after the priestess is dead, the goddess of the temple possesses one of the surviving officials, and comments that it's a shame that the now-dead-priestess lost her way. Boy, it sure would have been nice if the goddess had made her presence known before the demons had been summoned...
In "Lord of the Shattered Land," officials of the evil empire (stand-ins for Rome) have deposed (possibly exiled) and replaced the un-cooperative priestess of a local temple. The hero muses on this, and mutters that 'people don't like being told they are worshipping the wrong religion.' A short time later, the priestess and her cultist-followers return, drug and kidnap the hero and a couple officials, (casually killing some less important people in the process) and then summon some demons to murder the captives! Frankly, I'm siding with the evil empire on this issue. Go ahead and depose that priestess! Suppress that psychotic religion and replace it with a better one! All hail the evil empire that doesn't summon demons while laughing maniacally!
...As a coda, after the priestess is dead, the goddess of the temple possesses one of the surviving officials, and comments that it's a shame that the now-dead-priestess lost her way. Boy, it sure would have been nice if the goddess had made her presence known before the demons had been summoned...
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 10:19 AM (3v7ra)
133
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 10:12 AM (k+oif)
Oh! I read that one too, but forgot that was hers. She should write more.
Oh! I read that one too, but forgot that was hers. She should write more.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 10:21 AM (lFFaq)
134
The biggest flaw in Connecticut Yankee is Twain's perennial problem: ending the damned thing. Twain wasn't up to the task of inventing the alternate history genre, so after having his protagonist drastically change medieval society he had to put everything back the way it was supposed to be, by magic, plus a framing which suggests "it was all a dream" anyway.
There's another tell for science fiction: accepting that something will change society and examining how, rather than stuffing the genie back in the bottle at the end of the story.
There's another tell for science fiction: accepting that something will change society and examining how, rather than stuffing the genie back in the bottle at the end of the story.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 10:21 AM (78a2H)
135
#27 "Opening lines? Hard to top:
"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
The opening line of John D. MacDonald's "Darker Than Amber" (1966) one of his Travis McGee series.
"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
The opening line of John D. MacDonald's "Darker Than Amber" (1966) one of his Travis McGee series.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026 10:22 AM (/GVA9)
136
I once dared a fellow writer to write a book in a genre that didn't exist, Post-apocalyptic Cosy Mystery. She did it
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (k+oif)
---
My worst-selling book, Scorpion's Pass, is a genre orphan. It's a romance/adventure in the style of Jane Austen set on a desert planet. I wrote it as a Valentine for my wife, and it was supposed to be a short story, but of course Austen's tales constantly seem to resolve themselves and then get complicated, and that's what I kept doing, adding a new chapter to the finished product.
I need to think of a better title because Jane Austen parodies are now a genre. "Pride, Prejudice and Landships" might work.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:34 AM (k+oif)
---
My worst-selling book, Scorpion's Pass, is a genre orphan. It's a romance/adventure in the style of Jane Austen set on a desert planet. I wrote it as a Valentine for my wife, and it was supposed to be a short story, but of course Austen's tales constantly seem to resolve themselves and then get complicated, and that's what I kept doing, adding a new chapter to the finished product.
I need to think of a better title because Jane Austen parodies are now a genre. "Pride, Prejudice and Landships" might work.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:22 AM (ZOv7s)
137
Blish's Trek adaptations were also important to ST fans because, at least in the first volume, he was working only from first-draft scripts and, living in England, had never seen an episode. We see how the concept of Spock and his relationship to the ship's crew evolved. In the adaptation of the first Romulan story, "Balance of Terror," Spock is distinctly unlikeable. Kirk even says, "Spock's a funny customer; he gets people's back hair up on even ordinary days."
There are also plot differences. The "He's turned the engines off -- completely cold!" final twist is not in the JB adaptation of The Naked Time, for instance.
But he made Kirk a very accessible character with a sense of humor.
There are also plot differences. The "He's turned the engines off -- completely cold!" final twist is not in the JB adaptation of The Naked Time, for instance.
But he made Kirk a very accessible character with a sense of humor.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:23 AM (wzUl9)
138
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (kpS4V
Thanks for the update.
Thanks for the update.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 16, 2026 10:24 AM (JrHfD)
139
"Opening lines? Hard to top:
"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
*
The opening line of John D. MacDonald's "Darker Than Amber" (1966) one of his Travis McGee series.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026
***
That's it -- the seventh in the series, I think.
"We were about to give up and call it a night when somebody dropped the girl off the bridge."
*
The opening line of John D. MacDonald's "Darker Than Amber" (1966) one of his Travis McGee series.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026
***
That's it -- the seventh in the series, I think.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:24 AM (wzUl9)
140
Two thread jobs we are on, a public library, that haven't been on but is still going so who knows if I will get back
But hopefully someday by end of year they should have website so maybe a Book thread picture comes out of it.
Also forgot I am working on a new Animal Hospital so maybe something for Pet thread some dsy as well.
But hopefully someday by end of year they should have website so maybe a Book thread picture comes out of it.
Also forgot I am working on a new Animal Hospital so maybe something for Pet thread some dsy as well.
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 10:24 AM (Ia/+0)
141
Ask your Doctor if genre is for you.
Posted by: Tonypete at August 16, 2026 10:10 AM (hrOJm)
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Especially true when it comes to genre affirmative care.
Posted by: Tonypete at August 16, 2026 10:10 AM (hrOJm)
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Especially true when it comes to genre affirmative care.
Posted by: Biden's Dog sniffs a whole lotta malarkey, at August 16, 2026 10:25 AM (MOPlc)
142
Skip, The Gathering Storm is excellent. In fact his entire history of WWII is excellent. Don't let the length scare you (There are 5 or 6 volumes), Churchill is an excellent writer and easy to follow all the way through.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:05 AM (+ViXu)
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I've read the whole thing twice, and by far my favorites are the first two books. The Gathering Storm is just so full of foreboding and capturing the mood of the 1930s, but Their Finest Hour is Churchill at his finest. You can almost see the gleam in his eyes as he recounts the summer of 1940.
"This was a time when it was equally good to live or die."
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:05 AM (+ViXu)
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I've read the whole thing twice, and by far my favorites are the first two books. The Gathering Storm is just so full of foreboding and capturing the mood of the 1930s, but Their Finest Hour is Churchill at his finest. You can almost see the gleam in his eyes as he recounts the summer of 1940.
"This was a time when it was equally good to live or die."
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:26 AM (ZOv7s)
143
If memory serves, Blish frequently worked with scripts that may not have matched up with what showed up in the Trek episodes as aired. His adaptation of Ellison's "City on the Edge of Forever" incorporated bits from the original script, which differed considerably from the screened version. He tried to keep the best of both worlds when he did those adaptations.
Haven't read 'em since they first came out though, so my memory may be faulty on that.
Haven't read 'em since they first came out though, so my memory may be faulty on that.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 10:27 AM (q3u5l)
144
I had to give up on Night in the Lonesome October, a story about supernatural characters trying to open (or keep closed) a world of evil beings. There was a LOOOONG chapter where the cat and dog familiars were supposedly traveling across some sort of otherworld (it was endless, dull, and I found later was drawing from Lovecraftian stories) then came upon another cat. When the first cat said, "Hail, High Purring One," I had to give up. I gave it a good shot: almost halfway through it. Just not my cup of tea.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at August 16, 2026 10:27 AM (3AwA+)
145
29 years ago bought 2 books, can't remember title of William Gibson novel, and pynchons Vineland. Thought both sucked. Would buy more books, but library instead. BTW, POP UPS FUCKING SUCK
Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at August 16, 2026 10:29 AM (upAXB)
146
An overlooked work of Churchill's is the precursor the Second World War, The World Crisis. It's a massive undertaking, somewhat hard to fine, but there is a current abridged edition out there.
I hesitated because I wanted the full Monty so to speak, but this was an abridgement made by Churchill in preparation for The Second World War, so it's his highlight reel. Lots of great turns of phrase, including one of my favorites: "The Old World in its sunset was fair to see." I thought about that a lot after 9/11.
I hesitated because I wanted the full Monty so to speak, but this was an abridgement made by Churchill in preparation for The Second World War, so it's his highlight reel. Lots of great turns of phrase, including one of my favorites: "The Old World in its sunset was fair to see." I thought about that a lot after 9/11.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:29 AM (ZOv7s)
147
Dave Sundstrom's latest YT channel video is about how James Blish and his Star Trek novels are so important to TOS fans. Haven't watched yet and haven't read any of the Blish books in decades but I immediately thought of Wolfus.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:02 AM (yTvNw)
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I was a kid during these dark Times of No Trek. Dave's video is very touching as he recalls the novelizations being the one slender thread to stay connected, reliving episodes that were no longer aired. I loved the Star Trek Concordance and other supplementary bits and bobs that came out during the intertrek years.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:02 AM (yTvNw)
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I was a kid during these dark Times of No Trek. Dave's video is very touching as he recalls the novelizations being the one slender thread to stay connected, reliving episodes that were no longer aired. I loved the Star Trek Concordance and other supplementary bits and bobs that came out during the intertrek years.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 10:31 AM (kpS4V)
148
Series idea for someone who like Cultivation settings. Spirit Beast Veterinarian. Do with it what you will.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 10:31 AM (lFFaq)
149
A minor writing update: I'm periodically doing essays on what would happen if the PLA invaded Taiwan, which is scratching my writing its for the moment. No idea of how many installments, I write as it comes to me. Link to my blog in my nic.
The big news is that I actually resumed work on Battle Officer Wolf II: Electric Boogaloo, albeit in a halting fashion. Right now I'm distracted by my wife's recovery, the start of the school year (grandkids live with us), and so long-form writing is difficult. Once school starts and the kids have to go to bed, I'll have the quiet necessary to get into the writing zone.
The big news is that I actually resumed work on Battle Officer Wolf II: Electric Boogaloo, albeit in a halting fashion. Right now I'm distracted by my wife's recovery, the start of the school year (grandkids live with us), and so long-form writing is difficult. Once school starts and the kids have to go to bed, I'll have the quiet necessary to get into the writing zone.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:33 AM (ZOv7s)
150
Apparently we've found the one person on Earth who didn't like A Night in the Lonesome October.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 10:35 AM (78a2H)
151
The first paragraph of "A Farewell to Arms."
"In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees [...]
I was hooked after reading that very simple paragraph.
"In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees [...]
I was hooked after reading that very simple paragraph.
Posted by: 13times at August 16, 2026 10:35 AM (fnZRl)
152
Even 1000 page door stop books don't scare me off
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 10:36 AM (Ia/+0)
153
If memory serves, Blish frequently worked with scripts that may not have matched up with what showed up in the Trek episodes as aired. His adaptation of Ellison's "City on the Edge of Forever" incorporated bits from the original script, which differed considerably from the screened version. He tried to keep the best of both worlds when he did those adaptations.
Haven't read 'em since they first came out though, so my memory may be faulty on that.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
You're quite right. Ellison was a friend of his, so he tried to meld the two versions. The printed short story has a fine ending that would have worked well on the aired episode. People have complained for years that the original bridge had no other way to enter or leave but the turbo-lift; but in one story Blish has Spock report to Kirk, "Emergency exits jammed."
I've watched the vid, and Sundstrom's comments are pretty much the same as mine -- that Blish's adaptations and his novel kept the flame alive for ST fans during the '70s.
Haven't read 'em since they first came out though, so my memory may be faulty on that.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
You're quite right. Ellison was a friend of his, so he tried to meld the two versions. The printed short story has a fine ending that would have worked well on the aired episode. People have complained for years that the original bridge had no other way to enter or leave but the turbo-lift; but in one story Blish has Spock report to Kirk, "Emergency exits jammed."
I've watched the vid, and Sundstrom's comments are pretty much the same as mine -- that Blish's adaptations and his novel kept the flame alive for ST fans during the '70s.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:37 AM (wzUl9)
154
Even 1000 page door stop books don't scare me off
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 10:36 AM (Ia/+0)
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They didn't back in the day, but now I'm a bit more selective. It may be a function of the disruptions in the house. I'm still working on City of God, and to prevent burnout, I limit myself to a few pages each day.
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 10:36 AM (Ia/+0)
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They didn't back in the day, but now I'm a bit more selective. It may be a function of the disruptions in the house. I'm still working on City of God, and to prevent burnout, I limit myself to a few pages each day.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:38 AM (ZOv7s)
155
I tried to like a Night in the Lonesome October! I bought it from the recommendations here. I just thought it sucked. De gustibus &c.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at August 16, 2026 10:39 AM (3AwA+)
156
Apparently we've found the one person on Earth who didn't like A Night in the Lonesome October.
Posted by: Trimegistus
Heh
Posted by: Trimegistus
Heh
Posted by: Thomas Paine at August 16, 2026 10:40 AM (0U5gm)
157
Philip Quaintrell was mentioned upthread, and since he writes fantasy novels, I opened a new tab to look at his stuff...For a lot of books, I lose interest while reading the blurb. I usually see (rightly or wrongly) red flags for presentism, or overdone tropes...Not this time. the blurb for "Once There Were Heroes" actually sounded interesting.
Posted by: Castle Guy at August 16, 2026 10:41 AM (3v7ra)
158
Even 1000 page door stop books don't scare me off
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 10:36 AM (Ia/+0)
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They didn't back in the day, but now I'm a bit more selective. It may be a function of the disruptions in the house. I'm still working on City of God, and to prevent burnout, I limit myself to a few pages each day.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026
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The library only gives you three weeks to read something that long. Yes, you can renew it, but if it's fairly new and someone else has it on his "wanted" list, you have to bring it back. I've gotten so I look actively for slim volumes on the shelf.
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 10:36 AM (Ia/+0)
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They didn't back in the day, but now I'm a bit more selective. It may be a function of the disruptions in the house. I'm still working on City of God, and to prevent burnout, I limit myself to a few pages each day.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026
***
The library only gives you three weeks to read something that long. Yes, you can renew it, but if it's fairly new and someone else has it on his "wanted" list, you have to bring it back. I've gotten so I look actively for slim volumes on the shelf.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:41 AM (wzUl9)
159
I tried to like a Night in the Lonesome October! I bought it from the recommendations here. I just thought it sucked. De gustibus &c.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at August 16, 2026 10:39 AM (3AwA+)
It's okay to not toe the line.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at August 16, 2026 10:39 AM (3AwA+)
It's okay to not toe the line.
Posted by: 13times at August 16, 2026 10:41 AM (fnZRl)
160
I tried to like a Night in the Lonesome October! I bought it from the recommendations here. I just thought it sucked. De gustibus &c.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at August 16, 2026
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I've liked a lot of Zelazny's stuff. Next time I go to the big suburban library, which has a pretty good SF/fantasy section, I'll look for ANitLO.
Posted by: Brunnhilde at August 16, 2026
***
I've liked a lot of Zelazny's stuff. Next time I go to the big suburban library, which has a pretty good SF/fantasy section, I'll look for ANitLO.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:42 AM (wzUl9)
161
For my taste, some of the best writing of the last 150 years was intended, or at least marketed, for young people. Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows, Winnie-the Pooh, The Hobbit and several other Tolkien works, Narnia Chronicles, some of George Macdonald's stories. The latest I can add to the list is Lucy Boston's Green Knowe books and Kipling's Puck of Pook's Hill. The quality of the writing is superb, the characters have dimensions that are sometimes subtle but plausible, and the descriptions are vivid. They are direct enough to be suitable for reading aloud to children and for adults, even old ones, the quality of the writing remains an ongoing pleasure. Add to that some wonderful illustrations. Simply fine reading.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 10:43 AM (yTvNw)
162
I've been reading a lot of Harlan Coben. Many of his books have a theme of secrets and lies within families lead to many problems often of the dead body variety. For example . . .
SPOILER ALERT!
In one novel, a vicious drug dealer is murdered and the police suspect his abused girlfriend's father. 1000 red herrings then, turns out, the girl's mother is the actual murderer although she's off the hook because a couple of dead hitmen persons implicate themselves. The father and the daughter talk and he tells her no more secrets and lies. But then they put two and two together, with a little help from DNA, and discover that, although she doesn't know it, the dirtbag drug dealer she murdered was her own son. Daughter begs dad not to tell mom despite his most recent honesty is the best policy harangue. The book ends without resolving the issue of whether he'll tell his wife that she murdered her own son.
SPOILER ALERT!
In one novel, a vicious drug dealer is murdered and the police suspect his abused girlfriend's father. 1000 red herrings then, turns out, the girl's mother is the actual murderer although she's off the hook because a couple of dead hit
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 10:44 AM (ndZc7)
163
Have been perusing Death in Grand Canyon a fairly morbid tome, as one might expect. A surprising number of people for example crawl over the fenced in overlooks to “get a better picture” and things like that. There are also plane crashes, helicopter crashes, and hikers getting lost.
Some Army Air Force guys had to bail out of their plane and landed on one of the isolated Mesas. Eventually they were located, and they air dropped K-rations, water, blankets, cigarettes, and bottles of Old Overholt whiskey. Heck, with all that stuff I’d tell them “Yes, we’re fine, I’m taking a couple weeks off, thanks”
Some Army Air Force guys had to bail out of their plane and landed on one of the isolated Mesas. Eventually they were located, and they air dropped K-rations, water, blankets, cigarettes, and bottles of Old Overholt whiskey. Heck, with all that stuff I’d tell them “Yes, we’re fine, I’m taking a couple weeks off, thanks”
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:46 AM (oEXy7)
164
Blish's adaptation of the Khan story, "Space Seed," has something that belonged in the aired version. We get the mention of Milton, as we did on screen. Then Spock comments that it "would be interesting in a hundred years to come back and see what has sprung from the seed we planted today."
Kirk: "It would, Mr. Spock. I only hope that in a hundred years, that seed hasn't sprung from the ground and come looking for us."
Not only chilling, but an unconscious prefiguring of the Wrath of Khan movie, too.
Kirk: "It would, Mr. Spock. I only hope that in a hundred years, that seed hasn't sprung from the ground and come looking for us."
Not only chilling, but an unconscious prefiguring of the Wrath of Khan movie, too.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:47 AM (wzUl9)
165
The creative writing prof told his workshop group that a successful genre story must have elements of religion, royalty, sex, and mystery, and that concision was important.
The little old lady in the back of the class turned in
"Jesus Christ, said the Princess, pregnant again.
I wonder who done it."
The little old lady in the back of the class turned in
"Jesus Christ, said the Princess, pregnant again.
I wonder who done it."
Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at August 16, 2026 10:47 AM (zdLoL)
166
George MacDonald was wonderful. My mother introduced me to his works when I was little . I'm sort of glad he flamed out a a pastor and then got to spend more time on his writing.
I also think that the "Anne of Green Gables" is great for girls for its descriptions of nature and struggles and joys in human relationships .
I also think that the "Anne of Green Gables" is great for girls for its descriptions of nature and struggles and joys in human relationships .
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 16, 2026 10:48 AM (JrHfD)
167
I've found myself for quite some time now reverting to reading habits I fell into after discovering paperback sf when I was 12 or 13. Prior to that I'd hit the library and come back with bricks from Verne or Dumas and think nothing of it. But a decade of reading almost nothing but sf for pleasure apparently did a number on my taste and attention span. A novel? That's gonna run 40 - 60,000 words. Much longer and I start thinking, what, this guy thinks he's Dickens? Big fat books even by writers I like give me pause, and I chalk it up to the tastes I formed early while reading tons of 160-250 page sf paperbacks.
Makes if a bit harder to tackle or revisit books by Dickens or the Russians. I suspect I'm not alone in this.
Makes if a bit harder to tackle or revisit books by Dickens or the Russians. I suspect I'm not alone in this.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 10:50 AM (q3u5l)
168
Meant "Anne of Green Gables" series of books.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 16, 2026 10:50 AM (JrHfD)
169
Late so will post this because relevant and then go back and read the comments.
I've noticed that there has been a change in genre make up. I gave up reading Romance because it became so formulaic that I knew exactly what was going to happen 10 pages into the book. I liked fantasy type with vampires and werewolves. Used to be called Paranormal Romance. Romance now seems to be the Nurse, Prince, Sheik, billionaire business mogul meets average woman, sees the error of his arrogant ways and marries her. The End.
Cont
I've noticed that there has been a change in genre make up. I gave up reading Romance because it became so formulaic that I knew exactly what was going to happen 10 pages into the book. I liked fantasy type with vampires and werewolves. Used to be called Paranormal Romance. Romance now seems to be the Nurse, Prince, Sheik, billionaire business mogul meets average woman, sees the error of his arrogant ways and marries her. The End.
Cont
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (kJmSS)
170
I just flashed on L.E.Modessit's Spellsong Cycle, about an opera singer transported to a world where her precise, classically trained voice can make real magic. I think I need to reread "The Soprano Sorceress".
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (kpS4V)
171
Yes, you can renew it, but if it's fairly new and someone else has it on his "wanted" list, you have to bring it back.
——-
What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”? I’m sure they could be assuaged somewhat by a clever excuse, or a $20 bill carefully deployed to one of the smart-glassed tawny vixens at the checkout desk
——-
What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”? I’m sure they could be assuaged somewhat by a clever excuse, or a $20 bill carefully deployed to one of the smart-glassed tawny vixens at the checkout desk
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
172
What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”? I’m sure they could be assuaged somewhat by a clever excuse, or a $20 bill carefully deployed to one of the smart-glassed tawny vixens at the checkout desk
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
That's what I was thinking. Keep it until you're done. Pay a fine if needed.
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
That's what I was thinking. Keep it until you're done. Pay a fine if needed.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 10:56 AM (1Ff7Z)
173
What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”? I’m sure they could be assuaged somewhat by a clever excuse, or a $20 bill carefully deployed to one of the smart-glassed tawny vixens at the checkout desk
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
---/
Tell her you just emerged from your COVID lockdown bunker.
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
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Tell her you just emerged from your COVID lockdown bunker.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 10:57 AM (kpS4V)
174
By the way, a useful website is BookSeriesInOrder.com. I consulted it to make sure I had the title of "Darker Than Amber" right (I recognized the line Wolfus quoted but I was not 100% sure I remembered the title correctly). One of my pet peeves is that my local library's catalog does not list series in order. Also, library management does not make any visible effort to keep complete series available even when they are still in print.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026 10:57 AM (/GVA9)
175
I read the first volume of the full "The World Crisis" by Churchill and it was fascinating. Unfortunately, it was also 6 years ago so most of the details have escaped me.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:58 AM (+ViXu)
176
Happy to report that after several books so flimsy that we were sure they were ghosted, the new J.D. Robb is back on track.
Maybe she was just tired...
Discovered that William Kent Krueger, whose stand alone novel about a 1930's Odyeuss I liked very much, has a 15 book mystery series. Mr. S did not like the one he read, but I am enjoying them and will start from the beginning.
Maybe she was just tired...
Discovered that William Kent Krueger, whose stand alone novel about a 1930's Odyeuss I liked very much, has a 15 book mystery series. Mr. S did not like the one he read, but I am enjoying them and will start from the beginning.
Posted by: sal at August 16, 2026 11:00 AM (f+FmA)
177
Now really good former Romance writers like Karin Slaughter, Jayne Ann Krentz, Kelley Armstrong are now Mystery writers because there is a mystery to be solved. Generally have both strong male and female lead characters.
A lot of fantasy seems to be characterized now as Sci Fi. Alternate universe instead of just magical intervention.
A lot of fantasy seems to be characterized now as Sci Fi. Alternate universe instead of just magical intervention.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:00 AM (kJmSS)
178
Kirk: "It would, Mr. Spock. I only hope that in a hundred years, that seed hasn't sprung from the ground and come looking for us."
Not only chilling, but an unconscious prefiguring of the Wrath of Khan movie, too.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:47 AM (wzUl9)
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That line wasn't in the show, but the one before it was.
Choosing that particular episode was a stroke of genius, and while Wrath of Khan is a great film, one of the core weaknesses of franchises is the amount of homework was has to do to understand what the heck is going on.
Star Wars for a long time had the edge over Star Trek because you just had to watch three movies to be up to speed. Yeah, books and stuff, but that was the core of the thing.
What Lucas (and later Disney) did was "Trekify" films that weren't designed to be for hard-core sci-fi fans. They were mass market films for casuals, and that is why the whole enterprise (heh) has collapsed.
When you turn popcorn films into multi-product sub-genres, you'll lose the very accessibility that made them successful in the first place.
Not only chilling, but an unconscious prefiguring of the Wrath of Khan movie, too.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 10:47 AM (wzUl9)
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That line wasn't in the show, but the one before it was.
Choosing that particular episode was a stroke of genius, and while Wrath of Khan is a great film, one of the core weaknesses of franchises is the amount of homework was has to do to understand what the heck is going on.
Star Wars for a long time had the edge over Star Trek because you just had to watch three movies to be up to speed. Yeah, books and stuff, but that was the core of the thing.
What Lucas (and later Disney) did was "Trekify" films that weren't designed to be for hard-core sci-fi fans. They were mass market films for casuals, and that is why the whole enterprise (heh) has collapsed.
When you turn popcorn films into multi-product sub-genres, you'll lose the very accessibility that made them successful in the first place.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 11:00 AM (ZOv7s)
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 16, 2026 11:00 AM (JrHfD)
180
What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”? I’m sure they could be assuaged somewhat by a clever excuse, or a $20 bill carefully deployed to one of the smart-glassed tawny vixens at the checkout desk
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026
***
Very little in the way of fines. I don't recall the last time I had to pay one.
"Tawny vixens" at the checkout desk? Where in the heck do *you* live???
(I've always said that if the girls in Library Science had been even 3/4 as cute as the ones in the Drama Department, I'd have become a librarian. But, sadly, no dice.)
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026
***
Very little in the way of fines. I don't recall the last time I had to pay one.
"Tawny vixens" at the checkout desk? Where in the heck do *you* live???
(I've always said that if the girls in Library Science had been even 3/4 as cute as the ones in the Drama Department, I'd have become a librarian. But, sadly, no dice.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:01 AM (wzUl9)
181
I read the first volume of the full "The World Crisis" by Churchill and it was fascinating. Unfortunately, it was also 6 years ago so most of the details have escaped me.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:58 AM (+ViXu)
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The things Churchill lived through are simply incredible. From Queen Victoria's reign to the grim confrontation of the Cold War, watching the England he loved transformed from global empire to wretched welfare state dependent on American generosity. No wonder he suffered from depression.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 10:58 AM (+ViXu)
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The things Churchill lived through are simply incredible. From Queen Victoria's reign to the grim confrontation of the Cold War, watching the England he loved transformed from global empire to wretched welfare state dependent on American generosity. No wonder he suffered from depression.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 11:02 AM (ZOv7s)
182
Also, library management does not make any visible effort to keep complete series available even when they are still in print.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026
***
My suburban libraries do, but only for the endless series of new romances and punningly-titled cozy mysteries. And then they shelve them in alphabetical order.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026
***
My suburban libraries do, but only for the endless series of new romances and punningly-titled cozy mysteries. And then they shelve them in alphabetical order.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:03 AM (wzUl9)
183
"Tawny vixens" at the checkout desk? Where in the heck do *you* live???
(I've always said that if the girls in Library Science had been even 3/4 as cute as the ones in the Drama Department, I'd have become a librarian. But, sadly, no dice.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:01 AM (wzUl9)
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The word that describes librarians best is "mousy." I have never seen a hawt librarian in real life, just the pin-up variety.
The bookstore clerk in "The Big Sleep" comes to mind.
(I've always said that if the girls in Library Science had been even 3/4 as cute as the ones in the Drama Department, I'd have become a librarian. But, sadly, no dice.)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:01 AM (wzUl9)
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The word that describes librarians best is "mousy." I have never seen a hawt librarian in real life, just the pin-up variety.
The bookstore clerk in "The Big Sleep" comes to mind.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 11:04 AM (ZOv7s)
184
Been reading the newly released "The Revolutionists," by Jason Burke. He's British, so the analysis is the predictable, threadbare, European shitlib dross of the Boomer variety. But it's not the modern neo-Marxist variety and it's pretty easily brushed aside, and the booked is fact-packed and interesting.
The book covers (among other things) the Islamic and European Marxist terror groups.
I knew the origins of PLO/Fatah/PFLP, etc. were much more national socialist than the more religious terrorists we see today.
But these terror leaders were happy to exploit religious fundamentalism as a source for recruiting and operational reasons.
Much of the leadership - guys like George Haddad and Arafat and Abu Hassan, etc. - were pretty secular in their thinking, and made a common cause with Marxists from Japan to Sweden.
This led to a lot of tension between the leaders/Marxists, and the rank-and-file illiterate sandmaggot cousinfuckers who carried out the operations on their behalf. An excellent example is the debacle in Jordan.
Of course, the Islamists eventually consumed all the rest, and we're watching that play out in real time, again. The commies and fascists learned nothing.
The book covers (among other things) the Islamic and European Marxist terror groups.
I knew the origins of PLO/Fatah/PFLP, etc. were much more national socialist than the more religious terrorists we see today.
But these terror leaders were happy to exploit religious fundamentalism as a source for recruiting and operational reasons.
Much of the leadership - guys like George Haddad and Arafat and Abu Hassan, etc. - were pretty secular in their thinking, and made a common cause with Marxists from Japan to Sweden.
This led to a lot of tension between the leaders/Marxists, and the rank-and-file illiterate sandmaggot cousinfuckers who carried out the operations on their behalf. An excellent example is the debacle in Jordan.
Of course, the Islamists eventually consumed all the rest, and we're watching that play out in real time, again. The commies and fascists learned nothing.
Posted by: Yudhishthira's Dice at August 16, 2026 11:04 AM (BI5O2)
185
One of my pet peeves is that my local library's catalog does not list series in order. Also, library management does not make any visible effort to keep complete series available even when they are still in print.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026 10:57 AM (/GVA9)
Mr. S, a retired librarian, and I were just discussing this. They should have a folder with the current output of popular authors available at the desk, withi series in order.
Always appreciated that Preston and Child include a detailed list re: which books go with others and the order in which they should be read, in their books.
Posted by: John F. MacMichael at August 16, 2026 10:57 AM (/GVA9)
Mr. S, a retired librarian, and I were just discussing this. They should have a folder with the current output of popular authors available at the desk, withi series in order.
Always appreciated that Preston and Child include a detailed list re: which books go with others and the order in which they should be read, in their books.
Posted by: sal at August 16, 2026 11:04 AM (f+FmA)
186
Library management these days seems to work almost exclusively on the "if it hasn't circulated x times in y years, then it gets weeded out" principle. Sometimes exceptions are made for important works, but that depends on the staff recognizing important stuff. My local library will provide me instantly with all the James Patterson I could possibly want, but if I want Hemingway or Maugham only a few of their titles are available.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:05 AM (q3u5l)
187
Arizona couple charged with stealing thousands of library books, selling them to used bookstore
https://tinyurl.com/3jf7f4k3
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It's nice we have a more literate class of criminal.
https://tinyurl.com/3jf7f4k3
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It's nice we have a more literate class of criminal.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 11:05 AM (ndZc7)
188
My suburban libraries do, but only for the endless series of new romances and punningly-titled cozy mysteries. And then they shelve them in alphabetical order.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:03 AM (wzUl9)
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The notion that one needs a college degree to put books on shelves is patently absurd. How many credits do you need to be able to set up a fake "banned books" display?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:03 AM (wzUl9)
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The notion that one needs a college degree to put books on shelves is patently absurd. How many credits do you need to be able to set up a fake "banned books" display?
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 11:05 AM (ZOv7s)
189
What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”? I’m sure they could be assuaged somewhat by a clever excuse, or a $20 bill carefully deployed to one of the smart-glassed tawny vixens at the checkout desk
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
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Tell her you just emerged from your COVID lockdown bunker.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026
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That would probably work. There are still librarians wearing the stupid masks. One who works at my local library even comes to the book club meeting after work wearing the thing, and I can't understand what she's saying.
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (oEXy7)
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Tell her you just emerged from your COVID lockdown bunker.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026
***
That would probably work. There are still librarians wearing the stupid masks. One who works at my local library even comes to the book club meeting after work wearing the thing, and I can't understand what she's saying.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:06 AM (wzUl9)
190
*What’s the maximum penalty for being a Library Book scofflaw or “fugitive”*
Seinfeld writers had a lot of fun with this topic when Jerry is accused of not returning a book to the New York Public
Library from 1971. It gave them a chance to inject the cameo of one of the most unforgettable bit characters: Lieutenant Bookman, library cop. The writing and delivery of all of his scenes is top notch.
Seinfeld writers had a lot of fun with this topic when Jerry is accused of not returning a book to the New York Public
Library from 1971. It gave them a chance to inject the cameo of one of the most unforgettable bit characters: Lieutenant Bookman, library cop. The writing and delivery of all of his scenes is top notch.
Posted by: Person who has watched WAY too much of Seinfeld at August 16, 2026 11:06 AM (2Ez/1)
191
I always liked “Interlibrary loans”. If you wanted a book they didn’t have, they would get it for you, no charge. Took a couple weeks to get mailed (Media Rate, no doubt) but eventually they would tell you it has arrived. I did it once, as I recall, for a book about 300 Day Anniversary clocks, by a guy named Terwilliger. Usually brass, covered by a glass dome.
These clocks were very popular with tourists and inexpensive in the 1950s as Europe was recovering from their Unpleasantness. The pendulum was suspended by an impossibly fragile thin flat wire, and usually found in a state of inoperative-ness. They are quite pretty when running. I was able to secure the correct pendulum wire and get it running well. I gave it away as a present, and I’d bet they broke it, but I haven’t thought to ask.
These clocks were very popular with tourists and inexpensive in the 1950s as Europe was recovering from their Unpleasantness. The pendulum was suspended by an impossibly fragile thin flat wire, and usually found in a state of inoperative-ness. They are quite pretty when running. I was able to secure the correct pendulum wire and get it running well. I gave it away as a present, and I’d bet they broke it, but I haven’t thought to ask.
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 11:06 AM (oEXy7)
192
Finally had to download Brave. Jeebus, that pop-up was annoying.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 11:06 AM (kpS4V)
193
I am a Zelazny fan but I didn't like A Night in Lonesome October.
Having missed the July meeting of the Library Mystery Book Club due to extreme weather picked up the August book A Mystery for Miss Hortense. Unreadable. The dialog is written in Jamaican patois and was so completely annoying to read I took the book back. I'll try again in September because the July book was really good. Hoping this choice wasn't just because the characters are DEI.
Having missed the July meeting of the Library Mystery Book Club due to extreme weather picked up the August book A Mystery for Miss Hortense. Unreadable. The dialog is written in Jamaican patois and was so completely annoying to read I took the book back. I'll try again in September because the July book was really good. Hoping this choice wasn't just because the characters are DEI.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:07 AM (kJmSS)
Posted by: Ignoramus at August 16, 2026 11:07 AM (dtajH)
195
Our library system will keep renewing books if they are close to the due date. So for some reason they never want lost, stolen or late books. We went no fines a few years ago and they probably don't want to look like it was a stupid idea so magically now no lost, stolen or late books, yall.
Posted by: nckate at August 16, 2026 11:09 AM (enNUy)
196
Saw a large coffee table book on Czar Nicolas and Alexandra at the book store. I wanted it but not sure need another masdive book.
But of course I still want it.
But of course I still want it.
Posted by: Skip at August 16, 2026 11:10 AM (Ia/+0)
197
Hoping this choice wasn't just because the characters are DEI.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:07 AM (kJmSS)
Look to the make up of your book club members for the answer.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:07 AM (kJmSS)
Look to the make up of your book club members for the answer.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 11:10 AM (1Ff7Z)
198
I just flashed on L.E.Modessit's Spellsong Cycle, about an opera singer transported to a world where her precise, classically trained voice can make real magic. I think I need to reread "The Soprano Sorceress".
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (kpS4V)
I started that but never finished it. Don't remember why.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 10:51 AM (kpS4V)
I started that but never finished it. Don't remember why.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 11:11 AM (lFFaq)
199
Tawny vixens?
Don't recall any. But I've known a number of librarians who were, if not hot, then quite fetching.
But that's years and years ago. Don't know about the current crop.
Don't recall any. But I've known a number of librarians who were, if not hot, then quite fetching.
But that's years and years ago. Don't know about the current crop.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:11 AM (q3u5l)
200
Nckate, ours did too, although fines may be back on the table. I enjoyed the reprieve while it lasted; it's about the only reparations I'll ever get.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 11:11 AM (kpS4V)
201
Just rewatched The Big Sleep for the 10th time at least. My honey had never seen it and I specifically pointed out that the scene in the bookstore is one of the sexiest things ever filmed. When I went back to school to get my teaching license I took a work-study job in the library specifically to work for the hot librarian, so there is at least one real life example. Unfortunately, she was married.
Posted by: Who Knew at August 16, 2026 11:11 AM (+ViXu)
202
I recently retired but one of my long time coworkers had a daughter who was perpetually in college and at least one of the degrees, at some level, was Library Science. He was a good friend and I decided to be polite enough to never ask about her job prospects, student debt, or love life. Just quietly thanked my lucky stars.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at August 16, 2026 11:12 AM (2Ez/1)
203
Alien is sci-fi crossed with horror.
Posted by: Ignoramus at August 16, 2026
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It's been suggested that Alien was directly inspired by A.E. Van Vogt's The Voyage of the Space Beagle, in which an alien life form gets aboard a starship and wreaks horrifying havoc. Don't know for sure; I've never been a van Vogt fan and haven't read that one. But Wiki comments about the first section of the book, "Alien is virtually a film version or translation of "Black Destroyer". Van Vogt is not credited, and as it turns out he sued the film-makers for plagiarism; the latter settling out of court."
Posted by: Ignoramus at August 16, 2026
***
It's been suggested that Alien was directly inspired by A.E. Van Vogt's The Voyage of the Space Beagle, in which an alien life form gets aboard a starship and wreaks horrifying havoc. Don't know for sure; I've never been a van Vogt fan and haven't read that one. But Wiki comments about the first section of the book, "Alien is virtually a film version or translation of "Black Destroyer". Van Vogt is not credited, and as it turns out he sued the film-makers for plagiarism; the latter settling out of court."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:13 AM (wzUl9)
204
If you click on comments before scrolling down, the pop up goes away.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:14 AM (kJmSS)
205
196 Saw a large coffee table book on Czar Nicolas and Alexandra at the book store. I wanted it but not sure need another masdive book.
But of course I still want it.
Posted by: Skip
I once wrote a coffee table book about coffee tables.
But of course I still want it.
Posted by: Skip
I once wrote a coffee table book about coffee tables.
Posted by: Kramer at August 16, 2026 11:14 AM (2Ez/1)
206
O'Bannon famously joked that he ripped off from the best.
I prefer the classy word "homage", said with poncey French accent.
I prefer the classy word "homage", said with poncey French accent.
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 11:15 AM (kpS4V)
207
Pandorum and Event Horizon two other SciFi Horror genre movies. I preferred Pandorum.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:16 AM (KC5Lt)
208
Passengers was a SciFi romance genre movies.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:17 AM (KC5Lt)
209
I don't read much modern fiction these days, except for books by Horde members, and I recently got an idea why. My tablet is an Amazon Fire and they advertise the latest 'popular' novels. Almost without exception they are grim, sometimes horrific, and loneliness and alienation is a regular theme. And Amazon sees this as positive for sales. It's not just drama or conflict as is normal for a novel. It's extreme, like anything not ramped up to extreme levels won't get attention. The blurbs read like a bad soap opera.
Fortunately, I have about 2,500 years of writing to draw from for my reading. I'll look at the newest popular fiction in the next century. They may be classics by then.
Fortunately, I have about 2,500 years of writing to draw from for my reading. I'll look at the newest popular fiction in the next century. They may be classics by then.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 11:17 AM (yTvNw)
210
I don't know why I've never read much of van Vogt. I guess because his stuff is so *odd.*
One short story of his about the first sublight trip to Alpha Centauri is pretty good. The voyagers discover when they awaken from cold sleep that Earth, having discovered super-light drive, has colonized the planet already . . . and their culture is subtly different. The recently arrived humans, for example, smell *terrible* to the inhabitants. I'm not sure any other writer of the times (1930s-1950s) would have included that detail.
One short story of his about the first sublight trip to Alpha Centauri is pretty good. The voyagers discover when they awaken from cold sleep that Earth, having discovered super-light drive, has colonized the planet already . . . and their culture is subtly different. The recently arrived humans, for example, smell *terrible* to the inhabitants. I'm not sure any other writer of the times (1930s-1950s) would have included that detail.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:18 AM (wzUl9)
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 11:18 AM (ndZc7)
212
Well, yeah. The telephone was demonstrated at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. Been around for a long time.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (1Ff7Z)
Watson? Watson, pick up. I know you're there. Watson?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 09:36 AM (1Ff7Z)
Watson? Watson, pick up. I know you're there. Watson?
Posted by: What really happened during A.G. Bell's first phone call at August 16, 2026 11:19 AM (0256r)
213
Stephen Hunter is the For Guys Only genre.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:19 AM (KC5Lt)
214
Took a library degree in the 70s, mainly because you couldn't move up in position without the paper. Do you need a degree to put books on shelves or set up a banned books display? No, of course not. But deciding what shelf the book belongs on in the first place isn't always simple -- there are systems of classification to learn, and the number of reference tools to get acquainted with can be surprisingly large. That said, the really essential knowledge can be picked up on the job given some time. But credentialism, you know.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:21 AM (q3u5l)
215
The van Vogt short story is "Far Centaurus," from 1944.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:21 AM (wzUl9)
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:22 AM (KC5Lt)
217
The only romance novels -if it's part of that genre- is Jane Austen and that Brontes if that can be considered ""Romance novels". They have romances in them. However, I get the impression that some of the men here think all women are reading ""Fifty shades of Grey " ( shudders)or some gloop with "romances" with raped minotaurs. ( Nope)
I take it back. I did read some sort of bondage thing when I was teen but can't recall the title
I also read "Fanny Hill" when I was in high school but that is earlier porn, not romance.
I take it back. I did read some sort of bondage thing when I was teen but can't recall the title
I also read "Fanny Hill" when I was in high school but that is earlier porn, not romance.
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 16, 2026 11:22 AM (JrHfD)
218
The telephone was demonstrated at the 1876 Centennial Exposition.
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We've been trying to reach you about your buggy warranty.
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We've been trying to reach you about your buggy warranty.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 11:23 AM (ndZc7)
219
Watson? Watson, pick up. I know you're there. Watson?
Posted by: What really happened during A.G. Bell's first phone call at August 16, 2026 11:19 AM (0256r)
You're not fooling me, fella. My buggy's warranty is up to date!
Posted by: What really happened during A.G. Bell's first phone call at August 16, 2026 11:19 AM (0256r)
You're not fooling me, fella. My buggy's warranty is up to date!
Posted by: Watson at August 16, 2026 11:23 AM (1Ff7Z)
Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at August 16, 2026 11:23 AM (kpS4V)
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:23 AM (KC5Lt)
222
Who Knew --
I always thought the bookstore scene was the best thing in The Big Sleep, and The Big Sleep was a heckuva movie.
Also not bad at all -- some of Margaret Sheridan's scenes in the 1951 The Thing.
I always thought the bookstore scene was the best thing in The Big Sleep, and The Big Sleep was a heckuva movie.
Also not bad at all -- some of Margaret Sheridan's scenes in the 1951 The Thing.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:26 AM (q3u5l)
223
If you do a search for "[author's name] books in order", you will find a page that lists series by that author in order of publication and sometimes chronologically in the story line, if different. Very handy if you're interested in a series but don't know where to start.
Posted by: Toad-0 at August 16, 2026 11:26 AM (Sk3+j)
224
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 11:17 AM (yTvNw
I think the Library of Alexandria has closed down.
I think the Library of Alexandria has closed down.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:27 AM (KC5Lt)
225
So is the Dewey Decimal System long gone ?
I haven't been to a library since college.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026
***
I think my local library's non-fiction sections still use the DDS. The library at the college where I used to work was Library of Congress.
I haven't been to a library since college.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026
***
I think my local library's non-fiction sections still use the DDS. The library at the college where I used to work was Library of Congress.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:27 AM (wzUl9)
226
Good morning, Bibliophiliacs!
Finished The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin, the second book in the series, The Ill-Mannered Ladies, by Alison Goodman. The series crosses genres: Regency romance, mystery, adventure. There is some woke whining about how oppressed and mistreated women are by men, especially in the upper-classes, but not enough to spoil the story. And, TBH, it's historically true. 1/2
Finished The Ladies Road Guide to Utter Ruin, the second book in the series, The Ill-Mannered Ladies, by Alison Goodman. The series crosses genres: Regency romance, mystery, adventure. There is some woke whining about how oppressed and mistreated women are by men, especially in the upper-classes, but not enough to spoil the story. And, TBH, it's historically true. 1/2
Posted by: March Hare at August 16, 2026 11:28 AM (+A1pr)
227
I've read "Black Destroyer" both in short story form and as part of the fixup _Voyage of the Space Beagle_. I've seen _Alien_ a bunch of times. Other than the elements of 1) a hostile alien, and 2) a spaceship, there's no connection. The alien ("Coeurl") is an intelligent being and we know this because we get sections from his viewpoint; he has what amount to superpowers letting him do things like pass through walls; and he's more like a vampire than a parasite. If a judge decided there was a connection, the judge didn't know much about science fiction. I suspect it came down to "is it more expensive to fight this case out in court, or just pay them to go away?"
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 11:28 AM (78a2H)
Posted by: FenelonSpoke at August 16, 2026 11:30 AM (JrHfD)
229
From what I've seen, college libraries favor Library of Congress, but public and school libraries like Dewey.
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 11:31 AM (78a2H)
230
Dewey Decimal's still there. Big university libraries tend to use Library of Congress classification which allows for finer breakdowns in subject organization; but LC is IMHO too cumbersome to use in most public libraries except for really large city systems. YMMV.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:31 AM (q3u5l)
231
Posted by: Trimegistus at August 16, 2026 11:28 AM (78a2H)
A judge ruled against Taurus when LZ ripped them off so anything is possible.
A judge ruled against Taurus when LZ ripped them off so anything is possible.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:32 AM (KC5Lt)
232
If you do a search for "[author's name] books in order", you will find a page that lists series by that author in order of publication and sometimes chronologically in the story line, if different. Very handy if you're interested in a series but don't know where to start.
Posted by: Toad-0 at August 16, 2026
***
The site I consulted, BookSeriesinOrder, is wrong in a number of places about the Ellery Queen series. It has Player on the Other Side, an Ellery novel, in the "Stand Alone Novels" section, and has the collection New Adventures of Ellery Queen (193
as being published *before* the Adventures of Ellery Queen from 1934 or so.
Maybe there are better sites.
Posted by: Toad-0 at August 16, 2026
***
The site I consulted, BookSeriesinOrder, is wrong in a number of places about the Ellery Queen series. It has Player on the Other Side, an Ellery novel, in the "Stand Alone Novels" section, and has the collection New Adventures of Ellery Queen (193
as being published *before* the Adventures of Ellery Queen from 1934 or so.
Maybe there are better sites.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:33 AM (wzUl9)
233
A card catalog might be neat to have. Re-purposed for hobbies or crafts. Yarn or something. Or nuts and bolts in the garage. All carefully cataloged and labeled, of course. “Pencil stubs - too short to sharpen” and other valuable accumulata.
Posted by: Common Tater at August 16, 2026 11:33 AM (oEXy7)
234
My fractional system never caught on.
Posted by: Melvil Dewey at August 16, 2026 11:33 AM (2Ez/1)
235
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:21 AM (q3u5l)
And in later years, it lets you properly shelve your 500+ collection of Texana...
And in later years, it lets you properly shelve your 500+ collection of Texana...
Posted by: sal at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (f+FmA)
236
. . . the Post-apocalyptic cosy mystery is Toxic to Touch by Juliet Chase. Yes, my sister Available on Amazon.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:47 AM (k+oif)
***
Sabrina, I read Juliet's The Trouble With Mini Cows back in 2017 based on your recommendation and enjoyed it. So I just now went to Amazon to check out Toxic to Touch because it sounded interesting.
Seems that in 2017 I also purchased Toxic to Touch, but it has been languishing in my Kindle TBR pile ever since!
I blame this on turning 29 years old too many times.
. . . the Post-apocalyptic cosy mystery is Toxic to Touch by Juliet Chase. Yes, my sister Available on Amazon.
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 09:47 AM (k+oif)
***
Sabrina, I read Juliet's The Trouble With Mini Cows back in 2017 based on your recommendation and enjoyed it. So I just now went to Amazon to check out Toxic to Touch because it sounded interesting.
Seems that in 2017 I also purchased Toxic to Touch, but it has been languishing in my Kindle TBR pile ever since!
I blame this on turning 29 years old too many times.
Posted by: Elinor, Who Usually Looks Lurkily at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (TPFQA)
237
Oh!
I'll be back in a moment. Going to put my kilt on!
I'll be back in a moment. Going to put my kilt on!
Posted by: Diogenes at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (2WIwB)
238
Another commonly cited source for Alien was It! The Terror from Beyond Space. Which is still fun if you haven't evicted your inner 13-year-old.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:35 AM (q3u5l)
239
2/2 I also finished reading Tolkien's translation of Pearl. This was more difficult to get through than Sir Gwain and the Green Knight. I'm re-reading the introduction to it now that I've finished so I can gain further insight. The poem definitely very Christian, retelling the parable of the owner of a vineyard who hires workers at different times but pays them all the same as well as the Book of Revelation. The structure of the poem, especially the alliteration and the echoing of the last line of the previous stanza in the first line of the next one is wonderful. The poem begs to be read aloud--my muttering annoys Hubs as I read in bed!
Posted by: March Hare at August 16, 2026 11:36 AM (+A1pr)
240
237 Oh!
I'll be back in a moment. Going to put my kilt on!
Posted by: Diogenes at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (2WIwB)
Don't forget your sporran!
I'll be back in a moment. Going to put my kilt on!
Posted by: Diogenes at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (2WIwB)
Don't forget your sporran!
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at August 16, 2026 11:36 AM (0256r)
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 11:36 AM (ndZc7)
242
Alien was just another monster movie with all the same tropes. I don't know how it could be considered a copy. If it is, then all monster movies are copies.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:37 AM (KC5Lt)
243
Except the first one of course.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:38 AM (KC5Lt)
244
Sometimes it's a simple twist on the formula.
Lethal Weapon is a play on "police buddies." Family guy paired with a psychotic. The added twist was casting black Danny Glover as the family guy with white Mel Gibson as the psycho, a move made by the casting director.
In Alien, it's casting Signourey in the lead.
Lethal Weapon is a play on "police buddies." Family guy paired with a psychotic. The added twist was casting black Danny Glover as the family guy with white Mel Gibson as the psycho, a move made by the casting director.
In Alien, it's casting Signourey in the lead.
Posted by: Ignoramus at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (dtajH)
245
224 ... "I think the Library of Alexandria has closed down."
Yeah, I heard about that. (LOL) That's why I'm building my own to the extent I can. Which explains why ANY horizontal space in my house is at a premium.
Yeah, I heard about that. (LOL) That's why I'm building my own to the extent I can. Which explains why ANY horizontal space in my house is at a premium.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (yTvNw)
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (q3u5l)
Posted by: Headline writers of the day at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (2Ez/1)
248
Posted by: Elinor, Who Usually Looks Lurkily at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (TPFQA)
Thank you for mentioning the Mini Cows. Now I have that series too.
Thank you for mentioning the Mini Cows. Now I have that series too.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 11:42 AM (lFFaq)
249
247 "... but public and school libraries like Dewey."
+++
He was able to defeat Truman.
Posted by: Headline writers of the day at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (2Ez/1)
Good partner, little gassy in meetings, though.
+++
He was able to defeat Truman.
Posted by: Headline writers of the day at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (2Ez/1)
Good partner, little gassy in meetings, though.
Posted by: Cheatem, and Howe, Attorneys at Law at August 16, 2026 11:42 AM (0256r)
Posted by: OrangeEnt at August 16, 2026 11:42 AM (1Ff7Z)
251
I am also trying to start a fantasy cozy mystery, one of the Midnight Louie series by Carole Nelson Douglas, Cat in an Alien X-Ray. Midnight Louie, you see, is a cat, a twenty-pound black tomcat, who narrates large sections of the story. He lives with his human, Temple Barr, in Las Vegas, and has already had multiple published adventures like Catnap, Pussyfoot, Cat on a Blue Monday,, etc. This is book 25 and starts with Louie introducing himself and recapping his most recent adventure. This section is literally labeled, as in a TV show, "Previously in Midnight Louie's Life and Times."
I'm not sure about this one yet.
I'm not sure about this one yet.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:42 AM (wzUl9)
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:43 AM (wzUl9)
253
From what I've seen, college libraries favor Library of Congress, but public and school libraries like Dewey.
Posted by: Trimegistus
While I was in college I had summer job organizing and filing catalog cards in OSU's main library. This, of course, was in the days before those big card catalogs became obsolete. I kind of miss them. Became quite familiar with all the ins and outs of the Library of Congress system.
Posted by: Trimegistus
While I was in college I had summer job organizing and filing catalog cards in OSU's main library. This, of course, was in the days before those big card catalogs became obsolete. I kind of miss them. Became quite familiar with all the ins and outs of the Library of Congress system.
Posted by: Tuna at August 16, 2026 11:43 AM (lJ0H4)
254
I think the Library of Alexandria has closed down.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:27 AM (KC5Lt)
-----------
All the bums wanking it to internet pr0n drove off the respectable clientele.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:27 AM (KC5Lt)
-----------
All the bums wanking it to internet pr0n drove off the respectable clientele.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at August 16, 2026 11:44 AM (KdDAQ)
255
I'll be back in a moment. Going to put my kilt on!
Posted by: Diogenes at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (2WIwB)
Don't forget your sporran!
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at August 16, 2026 11:36 AM (0256r)
I have an impressive sporran.
Posted by: Diogenes at August 16, 2026 11:34 AM (2WIwB)
Don't forget your sporran!
Posted by: I am the Shadout Mapes, the Housekeeper at August 16, 2026 11:36 AM (0256r)
I have an impressive sporran.
Posted by: Diogenes at August 16, 2026 11:44 AM (2WIwB)
256
In memoriam.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
@RepRashida
Mike Brown should still be with us today.
But 12 years ago this week, he was murdered by a police officer in Ferguson. Our fight for justice and an end to white supremacy, police violence, and mass incarceration continues.
Black lives matter.
-
If it's Brown, flush it down.
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
@RepRashida
Mike Brown should still be with us today.
But 12 years ago this week, he was murdered by a police officer in Ferguson. Our fight for justice and an end to white supremacy, police violence, and mass incarceration continues.
Black lives matter.
-
If it's Brown, flush it down.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 11:45 AM (ndZc7)
257
I should italicize the book and movie titles I mention, but I know I'll screw up the tags and spend the rest of my declining years in the barrel.
It is the barrel, right? Or would I be spending them in the box? I lose track.
It is the barrel, right? Or would I be spending them in the box? I lose track.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:45 AM (q3u5l)
258
Didn't the library at Alexandria burn while Julius Caesar was there, during his dalliance with Cleopatra?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:46 AM (wzUl9)
259
I often consider how impoverished our life and culture has become with Mike Brown gone.
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero43) at August 16, 2026 11:47 AM (KdDAQ)
260
If he lived Mike Brown no doubt would be in prison today. The Left always pick evil thugs to be their martyrs
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:48 AM (KC5Lt)
261
I understand Mike Brown was just a few weeks from wrapping up a revolutionary design for a faster-than-light drive at the time of his demise.
Ah, if only.
Feh.
Ah, if only.
Feh.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:49 AM (q3u5l)
262
Ishiro Honda wants to know how you can say such a thing.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (q3u5l)
Interesting guy for sure.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:40 AM (q3u5l)
Interesting guy for sure.
Posted by: polynikes at August 16, 2026 11:50 AM (KC5Lt)
263
I loved those huge wooden card catalog pieces with the brass fixtures, even when I needed a step ladder to reach the top drawers. Maybe especially then. The cards were written on a manual typewriter. It was like going on a treasure hunt and each card could be a clue to the next trove.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026 11:51 AM (yTvNw)
264
I saw a horror movie as a child, The Tingler, that put me off horror for my entire life. I just realized that Alien is the same monster and why Alien is the only horror movie I saw as an adult which just confirmed why I don't watch horror movies. I also can't watch torture scenes.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:53 AM (kJmSS)
Posted by: JackStraw at August 16, 2026 11:53 AM (viF8m)
266
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib
@RepRashida
Mike Brown should still be with us today.
But 12 years ago this week, he was murdered by a police officer in Ferguson.
Maybe said Police Officer should sue Tlaib... Good morning not reading anything at the present...
@RepRashida
Mike Brown should still be with us today.
But 12 years ago this week, he was murdered by a police officer in Ferguson.
Maybe said Police Officer should sue Tlaib... Good morning not reading anything at the present...
Posted by: It's me donna at August 16, 2026 11:54 AM (FtULh)
267
I loved those huge wooden card catalog pieces with the brass fixtures, even when I needed a step ladder to reach the top drawers. Maybe especially then. The cards were written on a manual typewriter. It was like going on a treasure hunt and each card could be a clue to the next trove.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026
***
Some years ago Miss Linda was downtown at the library as they were throwing out the old card catalog. She snagged a card for me and scribbled on the back, "Souvenir of Pre-Computing Days"!
I have it as a bookmark somewhere.
Posted by: JTB at August 16, 2026
***
Some years ago Miss Linda was downtown at the library as they were throwing out the old card catalog. She snagged a card for me and scribbled on the back, "Souvenir of Pre-Computing Days"!
I have it as a bookmark somewhere.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:54 AM (wzUl9)
268
Re the library/card catalog comments -
The opening of chapter 2 of William Goldman's novel The Color of Light has a sequence involving the protagonist's first days on the job in the college library, and it's good for a chuckle or two.
The opening of chapter 2 of William Goldman's novel The Color of Light has a sequence involving the protagonist's first days on the job in the college library, and it's good for a chuckle or two.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:55 AM (q3u5l)
269
About time I shuffled off to do some chores here. A tip of the chapeau to Sabrina and the rest of you for, as always, the highlight of my Sunday!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:56 AM (wzUl9)
270
***
Some years ago Miss Linda was downtown at the library as they were throwing out the old card catalog. She snagged a card for me and scribbled on the back, "Souvenir of Pre-Computing Days"!
I have it as a bookmark somewhere.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:54 AM (wzUl9)
Research like that is a lost art now..
Some years ago Miss Linda was downtown at the library as they were throwing out the old card catalog. She snagged a card for me and scribbled on the back, "Souvenir of Pre-Computing Days"!
I have it as a bookmark somewhere.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:54 AM (wzUl9)
Research like that is a lost art now..
Posted by: It's me donna at August 16, 2026 11:56 AM (FtULh)
271
I’m currently reading Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobson. As I just finished the first chapter, I’ll have to comment next week after I read a little more.
Posted by: Unkaren at August 16, 2026 11:57 AM (ccX9M)
272
I should italicize the book and movie titles I mention, but I know I'll screw up the tags and spend the rest of my declining years in the barrel.
It is the barrel, right? Or would I be spending them in the box? I lose track.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
The Box Within the Barrel is for the really heinous offenders.
It is the barrel, right? Or would I be spending them in the box? I lose track.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026
***
The Box Within the Barrel is for the really heinous offenders.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 11:57 AM (wzUl9)
273
Damn you racists!
Supertanskiii
@supertanskiii
I hope all those racist bastards are happy with themselves for driving a young black man [Jason Arday] to his death.
You essentially achieved an indirect lynching.
God, I fucking hate what this country is becoming.
-
I saw Indirect Lynching open for Remote Control Rape at the Slave Mart in '75.
Supertanskiii
@supertanskiii
I hope all those racist bastards are happy with themselves for driving a young black man [Jason Arday] to his death.
You essentially achieved an indirect lynching.
God, I fucking hate what this country is becoming.
-
I saw Indirect Lynching open for Remote Control Rape at the Slave Mart in '75.
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 11:57 AM (ndZc7)
274
The opening of chapter 2 of William Goldman's novel The Color of Light has a sequence involving the protagonist's first days on the job in the college library, and it's good for a chuckle or two.
Posted by: Just Some Guy
I was surprised at what a big operation the catalog card department was.
Posted by: Just Some Guy
I was surprised at what a big operation the catalog card department was.
Posted by: Tuna at August 16, 2026 11:57 AM (lJ0H4)
275
Thank you for mentioning the Mini Cows. Now I have that series too.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 11:42 AM (lFFaq)
***
I need to get the second book Mini Cows Christmas!
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at August 16, 2026 11:42 AM (lFFaq)
***
I need to get the second book Mini Cows Christmas!
Posted by: Elinor, Who Usually Looks Lurkily at August 16, 2026 11:58 AM (TPFQA)
276
I think J K Rowling choosing to write her excellent Strike detective novels under a male pseudonym so she didn't immediately lose a male audience. I think women read books by both male and female authors, but men not so much.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 11:58 AM (kJmSS)
277
> His adaptation of Ellison's "City on the Edge of Forever"
Ellison ranted for years about how the philistines had destroyed his masterpiece.
Roddenberry's response was something like "Yeah, Harlan's script was great. The problem was that it would've cost $10 million to shoot, while my weekly budget was a cheese sandwich and a can of store-brand soda."
Ellison ranted for years about how the philistines had destroyed his masterpiece.
Roddenberry's response was something like "Yeah, Harlan's script was great. The problem was that it would've cost $10 million to shoot, while my weekly budget was a cheese sandwich and a can of store-brand soda."
Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 16, 2026 11:58 AM (IG3/x)
278
The Box within the Barrel is where I'd probably end up. Figures.
And on that happy note it's off to spread chaos here at Casa Some Guy.
Sabrina, thanks for the thread.
Have a good one, gang.
And on that happy note it's off to spread chaos here at Casa Some Guy.
Sabrina, thanks for the thread.
Have a good one, gang.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:59 AM (q3u5l)
279
I'm off for the rest of my Sunday activities. You lot behave and don't burn the place down while unsupervised, you hear? Or the Tentacle monster will get you!
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026 11:59 AM (k+oif)
280
I think J K Rowling choosing to write her excellent Strike detective novels under a male pseudonym so she didn't immediately lose a male audience. I think women read books by both male and female authors, but men not so much.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice)
I check every now and then to see if she's announced the next book in the series. Nothing yet.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice)
I check every now and then to see if she's announced the next book in the series. Nothing yet.
Posted by: Tuna at August 16, 2026 12:00 PM (lJ0H4)
281
Or the Tentacle monster will get you!
-
This fisherman reeled in an octopus and the video is absolute nightmare fuel
https://tinyurl.com/3apusv3b
-
This fisherman reeled in an octopus and the video is absolute nightmare fuel
https://tinyurl.com/3apusv3b
Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Fear Me! at August 16, 2026 12:03 PM (ndZc7)
282
I always thought the bookstore scene was the best thing in The Big Sleep, and The Big Sleep was a heckuva movie.
Also not bad at all -- some of Margaret Sheridan's scenes in the 1951 The Thing.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:26 AM (q3u5l)
And then, there was Marian, the librarian. *sigh*
Also not bad at all -- some of Margaret Sheridan's scenes in the 1951 The Thing.
Posted by: Just Some Guy at August 16, 2026 11:26 AM (q3u5l)
And then, there was Marian, the librarian. *sigh*
Posted by: Prof Harold Hill at August 16, 2026 12:04 PM (hmYU4)
283
His adaptation of Ellison's "City on the Edge of Forever"
Ellison ranted for years about how the philistines had destroyed his masterpiece.
Roddenberry's response was something like "Yeah, Harlan's script was great. The problem was that it would've cost $10 million to shoot, while my weekly budget was a cheese sandwich and a can of store-brand soda."
Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 16, 2026
***
Plus HE's script did not fit the format established by the twenty-some previous episodes. Members of the crew running drugs (or so I've read)? Kirk choosing to abandon his ship for Edith?
Rodenberry was not that great a writer, but he was a very good re-writer, and he shaped the various SF authors' scripts into something special.
Ellison ranted for years about how the philistines had destroyed his masterpiece.
Roddenberry's response was something like "Yeah, Harlan's script was great. The problem was that it would've cost $10 million to shoot, while my weekly budget was a cheese sandwich and a can of store-brand soda."
Posted by: Rodrigo Borgia at August 16, 2026
***
Plus HE's script did not fit the format established by the twenty-some previous episodes. Members of the crew running drugs (or so I've read)? Kirk choosing to abandon his ship for Edith?
Rodenberry was not that great a writer, but he was a very good re-writer, and he shaped the various SF authors' scripts into something special.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 12:08 PM (wzUl9)
284
I'm off for the rest of my Sunday activities. You lot behave and don't burn the place down while unsupervised, you hear? Or the Tentacle monster will get you!
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026
***
Or as I like to say on the ONT, "Be good, and if you can't do that, don't get caught."
Posted by: Sabrina Chase at August 16, 2026
***
Or as I like to say on the ONT, "Be good, and if you can't do that, don't get caught."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 12:09 PM (wzUl9)
285
I did not find Bogart the least bit sexy in The Big Sleep. In the book, yes, where I could imagine what he looked like. The book is so superior to the movie.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 12:10 PM (kJmSS)
286
Ellison ranted for years about everything.
Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at August 16, 2026 12:11 PM (Cqx++)
287
Ellison should not have been surprised at how TV reworked his stuff. He'd been in Hollywood for quite a while, penning at least one episode of Burke's Law and two of Man From U.N.C.L.E (thoughtthose two were *after* his ST experience).
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 12:11 PM (wzUl9)
288
I did not find Bogart the least bit sexy in The Big Sleep. In the book, yes, where I could imagine what he looked like. The book is so superior to the movie.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026
***
The guy who earlier had played Jim Jones, Powers Boothe, I thought made a good Marlowe in the HBO series of the '80s or '90s. Phil in the stories was described a couple of times as a pretty good-looking guy and "well-built."
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026
***
The guy who earlier had played Jim Jones, Powers Boothe, I thought made a good Marlowe in the HBO series of the '80s or '90s. Phil in the stories was described a couple of times as a pretty good-looking guy and "well-built."
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 12:13 PM (wzUl9)
289
By the way, nood
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at August 16, 2026 12:14 PM (wzUl9)
290
What about Mysteries as a genre? I enjoy those over the others mentioned.
Posted by: Angel at August 16, 2026 12:20 PM (3Nsid)
291
I am big detective/mysteries fan. Been reading John Sandford lately. The more complex the mystery and how good the author is in dropping clues adds to the enjoyment. Liking the story telling, characters but also trying to figure out who dunnit makes it more interesting reading.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice) at August 16, 2026 12:28 PM (kJmSS)
292
291 I am big detective/mysteries fan. Been reading John Sandford lately. The more complex the mystery and how good the author is in dropping clues adds to the enjoyment. Liking the story telling, characters but also trying to figure out who dunnit makes it more interesting reading.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice)
+++++
CJ Box and the Joe Pickett series.
291 I am big detective/mysteries fan. Been reading John Sandford lately. The more complex the mystery and how good the author is in dropping clues adds to the enjoyment. Liking the story telling, characters but also trying to figure out who dunnit makes it more interesting reading.
Posted by: Sharon(willow's apprentice)
+++++
CJ Box and the Joe Pickett series.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at August 16, 2026 12:31 PM (2Ez/1)
293
#136 I need to think of a better title because Jane Austen parodies are now a genre. "Pride, Prejudice and Landships" might work.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:22 AM (ZOv7s)
I'd buy it! I mean, I read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.
Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at August 16, 2026 10:22 AM (ZOv7s)
I'd buy it! I mean, I read Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.
Posted by: March Hare at August 16, 2026 01:28 PM (+A1pr)
294
Rather late to the thread, but I wanted to comment that, for some decades, having only observed the title, I assumed that 'Westward Ho!' was in fact a Western.
You can't tell a book by its cover.
You can't tell a book by its cover.
Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at August 16, 2026 01:37 PM (XeU6L)
295
Good morning all Bookists! TY Sabrina! Hugely enjoying DH Fischer's Washington's Crossing. My slow reading will mean I will finish in about the time it took for the actual campaign.
Posted by: goatexchange at August 16, 2026 08:54 AM (hyS0X)
======
Late to the party, but "Washington's Crossing" is superb history. His "Paul Revere's Ride" is just as rewarding.
Posted by: goatexchange at August 16, 2026 08:54 AM (hyS0X)
======
Late to the party, but "Washington's Crossing" is superb history. His "Paul Revere's Ride" is just as rewarding.
Posted by: mrp at August 16, 2026 01:39 PM (rj6Yv)
296
Wait. So these Posleen (sentient human-sized reptiles) have eternal souls?
Uh huh. Got it.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at August 16, 2026 09:39 AM (2Ez/1)
I'm very late in replying (going to Mass and then lunch intervened). It was a science fiction story, but the Catholic Church teaches that the whole person is composed of body and soul: we're not just "meat robots."
Since the Posleen are sentient, I didn't have any problem with the Pope being concerned about saving their souls (after we finally beat them militarily).
Uh huh. Got it.
Posted by: Quarter Twenty at August 16, 2026 09:39 AM (2Ez/1)
I'm very late in replying (going to Mass and then lunch intervened). It was a science fiction story, but the Catholic Church teaches that the whole person is composed of body and soul: we're not just "meat robots."
Since the Posleen are sentient, I didn't have any problem with the Pope being concerned about saving their souls (after we finally beat them militarily).
Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at August 16, 2026 02:05 PM (ksbjf)
297
Hey guys! Still a few days left on my Kickstarter.
"Lair of the White Worm," a Gothic horror rewrite/reimagining of Bram Stoker's last novel.
https://tinyurl.com/3zwv386u
Check it out, check it outers!
"Lair of the White Worm," a Gothic horror rewrite/reimagining of Bram Stoker's last novel.
https://tinyurl.com/3zwv386u
Check it out, check it outers!
Posted by: moviegique (buy my books) at August 16, 2026 02:43 PM (K40fF)
298
Genre Dysphoria is a real thing
Posted by: epador at August 16, 2026 03:14 PM (FOFsU)
299
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300
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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
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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
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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
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Changes Liberal Senator George Michell Will Make at Disney
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A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
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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
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John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
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