1

You are awesome, thanks for posting one.

2 May as well post another thread right after this one so all the OT stuff can go there.

And that Amity Shlaes book is great. Follow it up with New Deal or Raw Deal for added info.

3 Having seen "John Carter" and loved it, I'm now reading through "A Princess of Mars."  So far it's great, right up my alley.

4 I am reading Sherlock Holmes complete collection. Still. It's really long and the font is like 3 point or something. It was interesting to read a story about Mormonism written almost contemporaneously (sp).

5 The price of the Kindle and Nook editions have dropped to $2.99, so, being a cheap bastard, I finally coughed up some dough.
-------------------------


I jumped all over that but alas you must have found it in one of those one day sales. It is back at $10.87 now.

6 Dueling for Dummies - ed. iii

7 Posted this on the end of the last thread before I saw it was dead.

I don't have time to read. I am too busy watching these dang eagles and their three eggs.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

Hatch day, supposedly.

8 Excuse me, 10.99

9 Read?  All's I read is this blog.

10 So, as Monty used to say, what is everybody else reading? DOOM! Also, David Gingery's 2nd in the Build Your Own Metal Shop series, "The Metal Lathe". Interesting, but I think I'll start with a wood lathe.

11 I am reading Sherlock Holmes complete collection. Still. It's really long and the font is like 3 point or something. It was interesting to read a story about Mormonism written almost contemporaneously (sp).

Posted by: ParanoidGirlInSeattle at March 25, 2012 12:43 PM (RZ8pf)

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

If you would break down and get a Kindle you could get that book for free and set the font size anywhere you want.

12 Slogging my way through Nicholas Nickleby, free Kindle edition, as I am also among the brotherhood of cheap bastards. Anticipating Breitbart's book and Ameritopia, which are on deck.

13 Thanks for starting a book thread!

I'm reading everything I can by W.W. Jacobs [early 1900s] because he is hilarious. He is famous for a horror story called "The Monkey's Paw," but mostly he wrote humorous stories about English schooner captains. Normally I don't care about English schooner captains, but Jacobs is just too funny. His books are on gutenberg.org and manybooks.net.

14 So, as Monty used to say, what is everybody else reading?

Gang Green Nation, the Jets fan blog

If you think the Mitt vs the others threads get nasty ....

15

After I finish The Flanders Panel, by Perez-Reverte, I think I am going to re-read A Soldier of the Great War and Winter's Tale, both by Mark Helprin.  I think he might be my favorite author ever (at least as a middle-aged man; as a yoot, I was addicted to Niven and Pournelle, both together, and when they wrote individually).

 

In between suing banks, of course . . .

16 My neighbor just gave me a book I can't wait to get started on: Marley & Me: life and love with the world's worst dog.


off topic, random thought I had last night while I was drifting off in an alcoholic haze: why is it that the progressives who claim to care so much about the future generations (environmentalism) are so enthusiastic in making sure that they never exist (abortion)?

17 The Forgotten Man is one of those life-changing books that you read and immediately buy copies of for all your family and friends.

It's revelatory in the way it shows just how incredibly, utterly, mind-blowingly wrong the popular memory of the Depression is.  It's perhaps the most non-partisan partisan book I've ever read (insofar as it deftly refutes 80 years of Democratic propaganda).

Plus it's tremendously readable to boot.

18 I'm reading "The Conquering Family" by Thomas Costain. It's a history of the first Plantagenet kings. I love history. It's an older book, so not much chance of Costain's books coming down in price. I paid $20. I considered getting a used version, but I read so much more and so much more conveniently on the Kindle that I sprang for the twenty bucks. I'm planning on reading the rest of this series. It's going to end up costing some real money.

19 Sharkman, I just made a comment to you on the last thread....re: banking docs.

20

Vic, I had a Kindle it disappeared into the black hole that floats somewhere in my house waiting to suck unsuspecting items into it at the most inconvenient times.

 

The Sherlock Holmes book was a Christmas present from about 4 years ago that I am just now getting around to reading. It is so heavy it also doubles as a weapon.

21 Just finished The Road of Danger by David Drake. Good space navy yarn based on Patrick O'Brien novels. Also working through Myron Bolitar books which are light.

22

......why is it that the progressives who claim to care so much about the future generations (environmentalism) are so enthusiastic in making sure that they never exist (abortion)?

 

 

Posted by: model_1066

 

 

Cognitive Dissonance.  Those two words are a great comeback to most of the nonsensical magical thinking of the Progressive Left.  The never ever seem to be able to think through the consequences of their stupid ideas.

23 Vic, I had a Kindle it disappeared into the black hole that floats somewhere in my house waiting to suck unsuspecting items into it at the most inconvenient times.
-----------------------------


LOL, I have one of those in my house, but it will NEVER get my Kindle. That stays right at my hands.

24 off topic, random thought I had last night while I was drifting off in an alcoholic haze: why is it that the progressives who claim to care so much about the future generations (environmentalism) are so enthusiastic in making sure that they never exist (abortion)?
Posted by: model_1066 at March 25, 2012 12:50 PM



Inside the chest of many an environmentalist, beats the heart of a nihilist.  It isn't about future generations.  It's about Teh Erf, and keeping it pure from the ebil humans.  In fact, someone linked the other day to a group calling themselves Voluntary Human Extinctionists or something like that, an environmental group convinced that the only way to save Teh Erf is for us all  to off ourselves.

25 CJ, I agree with your sentiment, because it is cognitive dissonance when it's not outright dishonesty... but it's no "comeback."  They can't see it in themselves no matter how you try to point it out to them.

26 Is this where I come to talk about longbows?

27 4I am reading Sherlock Holmes complete collection. Still. It's really long and the font is like 3 point or something. It was interesting to read a story about Mormonism written almost contemporaneously (sp).

Posted by: ParanoidGirlInSeattle at March 25, 2012 12:43 PM (RZ8pf)

 

Oh, that brings back memories.  My Dad bought me the complete works of Shakespeare, the complete Ray Bradbury, and the complete collection of Sherlock Holmes stories back when I was about 12, and I devoured them all.  Sherlock Holmes being my favorite.  I've read that book so many times that it is falling apart. 

 

I'll go back and take a look, weatie.

28 Cannot say enough about The Forgotten Man. The depth of the lies that I was told about FDR astounds me. Every page has some new outrageous, unconstitutional, socialist or fascist scheme that he just decided was a good idea and implemented. Right now I'm at the part where he's paying all the unemployed writers and actors to produce propaganda for the New Deal and FDR. I mean basically, he's a kinder, gentler, Mussolini or Hitler. It's truly frightening just how much utter tyranny he's exercising, and I cannot emphasize enough just how utterly capricious he is. Early on he's laying in bed eating breakfast, and he tells the Treasury to get the gold price to 21 dollars an ounce, because 21 is seven times three and seven is a lucky number. Never mind that this is going to have massive ripple effects throughout the country and the world. He just decides it and goes back to eating his eggs. Honestly, the country would have been much better off if that assassin had succeeded. FDR was a miserable failure as a President, and an utter tyrant. The fact that he is lauded in schools and the popular culture shows just how powerful the Left's control of the cultural organs is. Seriously, cannot recommend it enough. Anyone who's still hanging onto any admiration of FDR and the New Deal needs to wake up and read it.

29 Can we try to keep this thread about books please?

30 CJ, I agree cognitive dissonance is part and parcel of lefty delusion, but do you think any progressives have ever connected those two points, or have been confronted with them?

31

I'm getting ready for Hawaii and I have my Kindle app for the iPad which I will load with a few books. But I wanted a paperback to throw in my carry on to read but I'm being super picky and Amazon is just not designed to browse the way my mind wishes to browse books.

 

And these days the Amazon website has demoted books to almost an afterthought anyway.

32 By the way, I bought the basic Kindle with Christmas money after reading the comments about it on this blog. One of the best purchases I've made. I'm a fan of ghost stories and there are older ghost stories among the free old books. This is going to do the same thing for me with books that iTunes and iPod did for my music buying. It's so easy to locate and buy this stuff on line that I purchase a lot more than I did previously.

33 Repost from the other thread:

Kind of reading Don Quixote, but it's slow going with everything else going on. Also reading the Conan stories when I have a spare moment.

PGiS, The Black Swan is good, but definitely a little repetitive. Plus, Talib seems to be in love with his own intellect, which makes me want to punch him.

34 I'm reading Murder In The Front Row by Harald Oimoen & Brian Lew. It's about the early days of Bay Area Thrash Metal. Okay, so it's 99 percent pictures...but I'm reading the shit out of the captions! And there's quite a few shots of Dave Mustaine's pants-bulge for the ladies.

35

They can't see it in themselves no matter how you try to point it out to them.

 

 

Posted by: Truman North

 

 

That's when you get to use that book that ParanoidGirlinSeattle has, that's really heavy and can double as a weapon.

 

Boom!

 

Drop some knowledge on them.

36 sorry, Vic...I'll now note that the cover of the book "Marley & Me: life and love with the world's worst dog" has a picture of the most adorable lab puppy.

37 I add all these recommendations to my Amazon Wish List.  If and when I ever do in fact spring for a Kindle (can't make myself take that leap into the 21st century just yet) I will have a handy list all ready to download. 

Until then, I will make my twice weekly treks to the Public Library, like the old person I am.

38 What am I reading right now?  You had to ask *sigh*

CNNSP-12 National Information Assurance Policy for Space Systems Used to Support National Security Missions.

FML

39 I'll now note that the cover of the book "Marley Me: life and love with the world's worst dog" has a picture of the most adorable lab puppy.
Posted by: model_1066 at March 25, 2012 12:58 PM


I have that book but my daughter told me not to read it because it would make me sad.  I don't like to be sad.

40 Joanie, is Dave Mustaine still bitter about being booted out of Metallica? 

I'm amazed to think that now, being 40 years old, how much talent Cliff Burton had when he died at 23....

41 "Marley Me: life and love with the world's worst dog"

I'm in ur commentz, eatin ur ampers&nds

42

I finished Erik Larson's "In the Garden of the Beasts" and it was interesting how much Roosevelt's government just wanted to ignore Hitler. After reading it I was led to wonder if the US had sent a different person to be Ambassador to Germany in the late 30s if things would've turned out slightly differently.

 

It also opened my eyes to just what an effed up system ambassadorships are. I mean, I guess I always knew they were sweet political rewards for donors, but the Ambassador can sometimes have disastorous consequences for US foreign relations.

43 Thanks for the thread, OregonMuse! The book thread was my favorite part of Sunday . . . and it ended before I contributed. I'm another Hunger-Games-before-the-movie person this week (finished last night). It had some of those Twilighty-YA cliches but overall I thought it was easy to read and didn't induce too many eye-rolls. I'm trying to decide now between Catching Fire and Onward, about the history of Starbucks coffee.

44 having dogs makes you sad...when they are no longer in your life.

45 <shaking gnarled fisties at da pixies>

46 I download a lot of ebooks from my public library. Not everything I want and a little clunky, but what a deal. No wading through hobos at the computers.

47

Wheatie:  Posted a response to your comment in the last thread.

48 having dogs makes you sad...when they are no longer in your life.
Posted by: model_1066 at March 25, 2012 01:02 PM


Yup. 

49 PGiS, I read the complete Sherlock Holmes when I was a kid.  Which one is about Mormonism?  I'm intrigued . . .

50 With the recent postings about Bobby Fischer's games, I feel moved (so to speak) to confess that I am another Moron Author. A few years ago I accidentally wrote the book "Practical Chess Exercises." It is a training resource for serious tournament players. In defiance of all reason and good taste, it has been a top selling chess book on Amazon for nearly 5 years. Please - I beg you - stop buying it! Every time I discover a royalty check in my mailbox I cringe with shame and humiliation.

51

 Plus, Talib seems to be in love with his own intellect, which makes me want to punch him.

 

Thank you! I totally agree. He also seems to be working out some personal issues in the book, like I am inferring he has a highly successful brother-in-law who gets rubbed in his face. And that some hot Russian chick totally dissed him at some point.

52 really, golfboy?  link?

53 A few years ago I accidentally wrote the book "Practical Chess Exercises."



What happened?  You were driving to your in-laws for dinner when you crashed your car into a typewriter filled with Bishops and Queens?

54 "I jumped all over that but alas you must have found it in one of those one day sales. It is back at $10.87 now. " I have to pay more attention to the offers on my Kindle. My sister got one that gave a $10 purchase credit for $5.

55 "Joanie, is Dave Mustaine still bitter about being booted out of Metallica? I'm amazed to think that now, being 40 years old, how much talent Cliff Burton had when he died at 23...." I guess not as bitter as he would be if he didn't have Megadeth. Yeah, It amazes me how some of my favorite albums were made by 19 year olds.

56 Commenter Vic notes that the Kindle and Nook prices are now at $10.99. I think maybe what happened is that a whole bunch of cheap bastards like me, lured by the low price, finally bought it, and then Amazon was all like
--------------------------



LOL, Amazon does that all the time. I was jumping all over that Kindle addition because I had read it originally from the library and here was a chance for (cheap bastard) to get it at a decent price.

57 Peaches, the first one "A Study in Scarlet". The murder revolves around revenge for an incident in Mormon territory involving a beautiful young woman. It really doesn't pull any punches in its depiction of Mormonism.

58 Joanie, any books about the row between the metal gods, to keep it on topic?

59 Posted by: model_1066 at March 25, 2012 01:10 PM (PWwbk) Hmm. I've heard that Dave Mustaine's autobiography is great, but I haven't picked up a copy yet. The rave review came from someone who hates him, so I take that as a good sign.

60 Ah-ha! A chance to legitimately double-post, without the banning sword hanging overhead. So anyhow, I am reading a nice little book titled "Outnumbered, Outgunned, Undeterred". It is a really nice look at"twenty battles against all odds". It covers gunfights from Washington at Yorktown in 1781, up to the the defense of the platoon houses and the battle of Wanat in 2006-2008. Nice maps, enough background to keep you from feeling like you have been dropped into the ocean, and an all together uplifting 200 pages. I would suggest it to anyone who has ever felt like quiting, aka everyone. Cut and paste double-posting is the only way to fly!

61 If Mustaine isn't being hated, he probably thinks he's doing something wrong.

62 Best of my recent reads:

Temporary Duty by Ric Locke
Quarter Share, Half Share, and Full Share by Nathan Lowell (3 books)
The Informant by Thomas Perry (The Butcher's Boy is back!)

"Temporary Duty" is one of the most fun books I've ever read and eagerly await a sequel.

63 As it is still Lent, I am currently reading "Can You Drink the Cup?" by Henri J.M. Nouwen.

64 Thank you for offering the book thread!

In preparation for rereading the Garrett, PI books by Glen Cook, I scoured all the used book stores in town last week for Cold Copper Tears (success!). They are fun reads. He has written several more since I first read them, so there will be something new, too.

65 Just finished "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" going to Savannah in Sept.  Started Ameritopia, with The Forgotten Man and American Sniper in deck.  If the weather wasn't so nice, I could get more reading done.  Trying to replace 300 feet of fence.  Ugh.

66 I'm thinking about writing a book, starting with the title: "Help! My brother is turning into a hillbilly since he moved to North Carolina!"  I mean, really...banjo, moonshine...the whole nine yards! I jest, he's a great guy and I always have a good time when I go visit.

67

Posted by: model_1066 at March 25, 2012 01:10 PM (PWwbk)

 

Not about Metal...but if you like Punk Rock, 'Our Band Could Be Your Life' is a great book about the DIY PRock Scene and the birth of (modern) Indie Rock.

68 I'm reading "Count Zero" by William Gibson. I read Neuromancer years ago, and am finally getting around to the rest of the series.

69 "off topic, random thought I had last night while I was drifting off in an alcoholic haze: why is it that the progressives who claim to care so much about the future generations (environmentalism) are so enthusiastic in making sure that they never exist (abortion)?" Or have no concern about inflicting enormous debt on them.

70

I bought the Hunger Games Trilogy a couple of months ago and didn't even realize that a movie was being made.  So on Wednesday I read Hunger Games.  It was an easy read, I thought it was entertaining and couldn't put it down.  I heard the movie was a disappointment over the book though.

 

71 Pushing the double-posting envelope here because the door was opened by the host .... After the ONT from last night, I am not allowed to look at anything connected with chess. Got started watching those chess videos, and after several hours of grinding my teeth I realized that I was still going to get my ass kicked by most competent 12 year olds. All the wrong moves, all of them.

72 Neuromancer was teh awesomeness....

73 Yay! Book thread!

I scored big-time at the local "book barn" (freebies) and library sale (cheap).

12 books cost me a big $4.50. Of course they're real books -- mostly hardbound -- which is how I roll.

Just finished reading Ronald Reagan's autobiography, and am now immersing myself in one of Ed McBain's "87th Precinct" stories.

Good times....

74

Also read 'The Name of the Wind' by Rothfuss (and the second book in that series as well) since the last book thread.

Pretty good stuff.  Not great, but good Fantasy.

75 "A Study in Scarlet".

Thanks, PGiS.  I may have to re-read that. 

76 Eagles never hatch at night.

77 Posted by: garrett at March 25, 2012 01:18 PM (dw5Fi) I haven't heard of that one. I'll have to check that out. I'm waiting for "We Got Power!: Hardcore Punk Scenes From 1980s Southern California" by David Markey and Jordan Schwartz to come out. It's being put out by the same publisher that did Murder In The Front Row. Another one that's mostly photographs & old zines.

78 The college I attended had in its library an old (and I mean old) illustrated book of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner".
....I was mesmerized by the quality of the illustrations, and of the poem. That had to have been there by mistake, it's probably worth tens of thousands.

79 Not 'till you finish "Cat In The Hat" Smokin' Joe...

80

Eagles never hatch at night.

 

The one armed man plays  trombone by moonlight.

81 I read The Hunger Games yesterday - easy read, pretty exiting. Movies always suck.
Read Count Zero and Neuromancer about 20 years ago, I recently got them in Mobi format for the Kindle, planning to reread someday.
I really enjoyed those Patrick Rothfuss books - they've rekindled an interest in the fantasy genre for me.

82

Just finished "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" going to Savannah in Sept.

 

Posted by: Infidel at March 25, 2012 01:17 PM (YiODH)

 

 

I really enjoyed that book. If you haven't seen the movie, don't.

83

Posted by: Tunafish at March 25, 2012 01:27 PM (oA9th)

 

Is it getting hot in here?  Or is it just me?

84 Savannah, I have heard, is just short of nirvana for US history buffs.

85 I think I am going to re-read A Soldier of the Great War and Winter's Tale, both by Mark Helprin. I think he might be my favorite author ever

He isn't mine (Melville has that place) but he's right up there.   I think ASOGW is his best.  There are passages in there that are just stunningly beautiful.  Memoir in Ant Proof Case was quite good as well. 

I'm currently reading Les Miserables.  I didn't have high hopes for it, but it's actually turning out to be a classic for a reason.  It's a brick, though.

86 Medicine for the Outdoors: The Essential Guide to Emergency Medical Procedures and First Aid, 5e

$15.37 Kindle edition. Blech!

87 "49 having dogs makes you sad...when they are no longer in your life. Posted by: model_1066 at March 25, 2012 01:02 PM Yup. Posted by: mama winger" Yeah, but then you go to an Adopt-a-thon at Petsmart and find a beagle with big brown eyes. I didn't read the book about Marley,but I saw the movie, and loved it because my first dog was just like that. Everywhere I went he was the worst behaved dog there.

88 "Your message has been rejected because long strings of unbroken text are very annoying. Use the space bar or tinyurl.com as appropriate."

Alright....I give up.  Four sentences with spaces between the words, commas, periods.  No wonder all I do is lurk here.........

89 Alright....I give up. Four sentences with spaces between the words, commas, periods. No wonder all I do is lurk here.........

As someone had mentioned in the distant past, This Ain't The Ace O'Technology.

90 nerdy girl, my bully-dog molly is quite the high maintenance bitch...but I love her so. She's actually the rock star of the entire neighborhood, and does an impeccable job of security as a side job.

91 Yea, it's back!  My book for today is Mark Levin's "Men In Black" which chronicles the increasing ursupation of democracy by the Supreme Court.  Well worth your nickel.

92
I wish I could afford the Duel book series.

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/duel/

93 Yea, it's back! My book for today is Mark Levin's "Men In Black" which chronicles the increasing ursupation of democracy by the Supreme Court. Well worth your nickel.

Posted by: Libra at March 25, 2012 01:35 PM (kd8U

I learned a lot from reading Men in Black, but my memory is weak. I always have to re-look up a lot of those cases whenever they're mentioned.

94 It's a beautiful spring day...time to fire up the Kawasaki.  Bye for now, fellow morons and moronettes...

95 Posted by: Libra at March 25, 2012 01:35 PM (kd8U
------------------------


This is another great book about the Court.  Find out why Kennedy flip-flops back and forth all the time.

http://is.gd/KSQdAX

96 "Your message has been rejected because long strings of unbroken text are
very annoying. Use the space bar or tinyurl.com as appropriate."

Alright....I give up. Four sentences with spaces between the words, commas, periods. No wonder all I do is lurk here.........
---------------------


Most of the time that is caused by trying to post a non-tinyurl link.

97

The Great Depression Ahead, Harry S. Dent.

(He's caught a lot of grief for misses on the stock market, but his big picture take has been accurate and useful since he wrote The Great Boom Ahead in the early 90's.)

...;'.

Another Nightmare Gig From Hell, Nick Zelinger & Tammy Brackett.

...;'.

(I've pimped this one before but it's a great light read, a collection of horrific and funny stories from musicians about gigs and tours gone wrong.)

...;'.

Write It When I'm Gone, Thomas M. DeFrank.

...;'.

"Remarkable Off-The-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford".

...;'

I went to school with Tom, and yeah he's liberal, but he did a good job here, and I believe this book is historically important in understanding what made Gerald Ford tick.

 

98 model_1066, The best bad thing my now deceased Buster did: My sister brought her boyfriend over. Buster jumped on him hard and got him right in the balls. It hurt so bad he had to turn around and face the wall. I apologized profusely. A few years later my sister had to sue this guy because she had loaned him money and he wouldn't pay her back after they broke up. Yup, dumb of her, but there you are. Anyway, we talked fondly about the day Buster hit him hard enough in the balls to bring him to tears.

99 Re: abortion and environmentalism. Late term abortionist William Hern says he performs abortions to reduce population to save the environment. Sick fuck.

100

Go to the library, you cheap bastards.

 

Downloaded the "Wool"  omnibus novellas to my Kindle for $2.99.  There are five in all, making it novel-length and they flow from one to the next seamlessly. 

 

If you're on the dystopian "Hunger Games" kick but don't care for it's light-hearted and joyful optimism, check out "Wool" series.  It's about a community of people having lived in a silo for hundreds of years, the world above having become toxic and uninhabitable through some calamity (my money's on NBC warfare at this point in the book). 

 

The outside world is only accessible through the cameras on top of the silo and the view is not pretty.  But is the view they're being shown real?  Asking about the outside is a capital crime.  The punishment?  Putting your ass outside.  Lots of twists and turns as the characters discover the nature of the silo and the people who built it.

 

Highly recommend.

101
Most of the time that is caused by trying to post a non-tinyurl link.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2012 01:40 PM (YdQQY)

Certain key words (like Bl*z*r) also trigger it.

102 For my fellow cheapskates, if there's a Goodwill bookstore in your area, it's a fabulous source of affordable reading material.  The one by me is a little on the crummy side, but my dad has one near him that's very nice, everything is sorted by genre and alphabetized by author.  In mine, I always sniff the books (can't bear the musty ones).  In his, they mainly keep the ones that are in really good condition, but there's a small bargain rack, too.   

103  "Wool" 


Highly recommend.

Posted by: Empire of Jeff at March 25, 2012 01:45 PM (JDIKC)

 

 

I second that.

104 When I bought Breitbart's latests, I also got Malkin's Culture of Corruption and Coulter's demonic...after reading them all I am so darned mad I think I am going to have to take another break from politics for awhile.

I did just order Supreme Conflict, Vic, thanks for the recommendation.

Wyatt's book just shipped, so I should have that next week.

Trying to think of someone I know who plays chess enough to get a chess book for Christmas!

105 "Wool" sounds really good, EoJ, thanks for the tip!

106 Most of the time that is caused by trying to post a non-tinyurl link.

Posted by: Vic at March 25, 2012 01:40 PM (YdQQY)

No link in the body, just the one in my name (hash name) and that one seems to be OK.  Doesn't matter, it's a nice day and I'm going fishing!

107 Go to the library, you cheap bastards.

I've tried. Our library sucks. The app they use is just about impossible to navigate through and every e-book they have is a 5 month wait. And our taxes pay for this shit.

108 "Late term abortionist William Hern says he performs abortions to reduce population to save the environment. Sick fuck. Posted by: Lauren" If he's that committed to Gaia, then he should "take one for the team" and commit suicide.

109 Hi, Tammy!!  {waves trashy mystery novel}

110 There was a story on the ONT a few days ago about the Usenet resurgence. There are many e-book threads, my $8/mo has netted me about 5000 books, for those of you so inclined.

111 I'm reading "Peace Kills" by P.J. O'Rourke. I found it at the Dollar Tree last week when I was rounding up ramen and tuna packets for the kid in Afghanistan.

112 Peachie-pie!!!      *waves "Handling Sin", my go-to palate cleanser after stressful reads*

113 Peaches, have you read Metzger's Dog, by Thomas Perry?

Fun read.

114 Our library doesn't have good selection of e-books for men. Almost all are more geared towards women. The few they do have that I liked I already have.

I have downloaded many more from Guttenberg and also from Baen who has a good selection of free SF for download.

115 Tunafish & Vic...Re: Men in Black.  One of the scariest cases listed is Wickard v. Filburn (1942) in which the Supreme Court ruled that by not engaging in interstate commerce, a farmer had thereby affected interstate commerce.  Since Obamacare will be decided on the basis of the Commerce Clause, gives you an idea of what we're up against.

116 So there you are Increase demand results in increased price. Adam Smith's pimp hand still remains strong.

117
Doesn't matter, it's a nice day and I'm going fishing!

Posted by: myYbj at March 25, 2012 01:49 PM (myYbj)

Have fun and good luck! Fishing is time better spent than stinking this place up.

Gonna get my license next week.

118 Fucking Amazon. And I'm a Prime member.

119 Oh, I read fellow-Moron Sabrina Chase's "Last Mage Guardian" just before Monty stopped the Book thread, so I never got a chance to say how much I enjoyed it!

120 As I mentioned in the other thread, the friend that turned me on to The Laundry stuff by Charles Stross insisted that I read "Daemon" and "Freedom TM" by Daniel Suarez.

"Daemon" is mostly harmless. It's essentially a "Colossus: The Forbin Project"/"Snow Crash" mashup. A video game designer builds a system to take over the world; it's distributed as a virus that has infected most of the computers in the world by the start of the book. The bulk of the story follows the struggle to figure out what happened and how to fight the daemon. It does take a bit of a twist at the end to set up the sequel: the daemon sends someone off on a quest to justify the freedom of mankind. Sadly, that didn't set off enough of my alarm bells to prevent me reading the sequel. Neither did the obvious logistics problems involved in maintaining huge fleets of automated killer automobiles (who provides the gas? who keeps them maintained? never explained).

"Freedom TM" is allegedly the sequel to "Daemon". However, it seems to have been written by someone who never bothered to read "Daemon" in the first place.

The entire plot of the sequel is hung on a misquote of the daemon's creator in the first book. In "Daemon", the creator of the daemon has a big monologue explaining that humankind is, fundamentally, the outcome of the battle between parasites and their host species. That parasites have a vested interest in not killing off their hosts. That the daemon will be the best damn parasite he knows how to make. By "Freedom TM", this has morphed into the purpose of the daemon being to "destroy all parasites".

The book opens with an #Occupy wet dream. Our heroic automated killer motorcycles mercilessly slaughter a corrupt bankster, but allow the obviously uninvolved and innocent girlfriend to escape.

In the second chapter, we discover that the government works in precisely the way the #Occupiers claim: it is all controlled by lobbyists and large corporations in order to line their pockets. The motives of the government workers are pure and just, by they are unable to carry out their merciful justice because the real power is in the hands of the unaccountable corporations to which critical government functions have been privatized.

There's a vignette in which our hero, on his quest to justify the freedom of humanity, argues ineffectively with a fast food purveyor unwilling to believe his cash register has incorrectly totalled his order. He complains bitterly about how people are unwilling to think, but merely do whatever the computer tells him. But his *whole quest* involves following a path given to him by the daemon and talking to the people the daemon thinks he should talk to; he is no better than the clerk about which he complains. And he never realizes he is on a Potemkin quest.

The book rails about the evils of money and corporations. Our heros operate in an alternate economy run by the daemon. But calling the daemon's currency "darknet credits" doesn't make it not money. Calling the daemon's organizations "factions" doesn't make them not corporations.

The daemon is dividing the world into "holons", smallish sustainable settlements. We are given a tour of one of these holons at one of the stops along our hero's Potemkin quest. The big idea for sustainable energy involves grinding down a mountain to liberate trace hydrogen trapped in the rocks. I would think that if you're going for this sort of thing, you might want to concentrate on known hydrogen-rich rocks such as, oh, I dunno, coal. But, no. Why not? Well, you see, liberating trace hydrogen in random rocks is carbon neutral and therefore green.

The rock crushing is powered by a tall glass chimney lined with wind turbines situated over a saline pond. Idea being that the sun heats the pond, which warms the air above it, which rises through the chimney turning the turbines. The pond stays warm after the sun goes down, so it even works at night!

There is no indication of how many endangered tortoises sacrificed their lives for  the solar chimney. Nor is there any indication of what happens to the critters who are trying to live on the mountain that is being ground down. As far as I can tell, "sustainable" simply means no carbon.

We are introduced to a key holon in a vignette describing the legal battle between small farmers and large industrial farming corporations growing genetically modified crops. The large corporation uses its corporate minions to plant traces of the patented crops on small forms, then uses its high-priced lawyers to force the small farmers into bankruptcy, allowing them to acquire their land and grow their empire. These legal difficulties simply disappear when the holon "unlocks level four legal protection", whatever that means.

The alternative legal system offers no due process, no legal protections, and no accountability. The implacable AI of the daemon is prompted to take action when complaints on the darknet receive sufficient updings to indicate there is a problem. The daemon then kidnaps the hapless target of the complaints and interrogates him/her/it within an MRI machine to determine the truth of the matter. The only penalties we see are either summary execution or loss of levels.

Oddly, our hero's Potemkin quest never shows us the secret slacker burial grounds.

There's a big battle in which a heroic uprising of peasants daemon operatives takes on the combined might of the private armies of the evil global corporations. Unsurprisingly, the pitchfork augment reality glasses wearing daemon operatives win.

Our hero's quest to justify the freedom of humanity ultimately boils down to telling the daemon whether or not it should stop. Our hero reflects on the events he has encountered along his Potemkin quest and determines that humanity is really more free under the robotic heel of the daemon than it was on its own.

I've often heard lefties say that communism is a good idea, we just never had the technology to do it right. In "Freedom TM", the communists have the technology.

121 I'm reading 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz and it is certainly creepy and suspenseful and all of the things that you would expect from Koontz.  It's also full of his belief in self-reliance and distrust of authority and there is a character who is a full-blown nutjob occupooper type.  He gets killed.  It's the best part of the book so far.

122 Tunafish Vic...Re: Men in Black. One of the scariest cases listed is Wickard v. Filburn (1942)in which the Supreme Court ruled that by not engaging in interstate commerce, a farmer had thereby affected interstate commerce. Since Obamacare will be decided on the basis of the Commerce Clause, gives you an idea of what we're up against.
------------------------------


Yes, I am waiting for a book in the same vein as Forgotten Man, except dealing with FDR's packing of the court.  A book that details not only what a lie the liberals tell about FDR but how the courts have litterally screwed to country since the 30s.

Perhaps Jan Crawford Greenberg will write on like that.

123 Oh, he's thought of that Nerdygirl, but the Earth needs him to keep eliminating other humans, so his life serves the greater good. Yes, he actually said that.

124 Just finished "One Man's Wilderness" by Sam Keith.
I always get sucked in every time it's on PBS so I thought I would finally read the book.Has anyone read the C.S Lewis Space Trilogy?

125 116 There was a story on the ONT a few days ago about the Usenet resurgence. There are many e-book threads, my $8/mo has netted me about 5000 books, for those of you so inclined.

--------

Am I to understand that you're *paying* for your Usenet feed?

(shakes head sadly)

126

I get that reject-message from Pixy sometimes, even when there is no link in my message. ....Seems to happen more often now, when I try to add some additional spaces between words, to try to circumvent that truncating thing that happens.

 

I love the tactile sense of holding a book, turning the pages....looking at the illustrations, etc. ....So I haven't gotten a Kindle yet. ....Not sure if I ever will.

 

Right now, I have been enjoying "Birds of North America - An Illustrated Guide" which I picked up at a book sale last month. ....Estate sales, flea markets, garage sales, etc....are a great place to pick up books these days.

 

I recently scored an entire set of "World Book"...an old encyclopedia set. ....Being sort of a geek, I love non-fiction, how-to manuals and manuals on specific subject matter.

 

There's never been a better time to aquire physical books.....prices are low and getting lower. ....I figure if the electricity goes out, I can still read a book by lantern light.

 

 

127 Question for you high-tech types.  Can I go to the "free e-books" sites and download the books to read on my (kinda old) Mac or do they only work on Kindle-type devices?

128 >>Because I'm exhausted by all of that crazy-ass chess action last night

I have to admit that it was really cool to watch that first game. I am a really crappy player and I recognized some of those moves.

129 Non work reading currently consists of the Horus Heresy series, I am on book 18 or so of the 19 published. Then onto Outlaw Platoon.

I have heard of Wool by Howey on some other blogs. Reinstalling Kindle on my iPad and downloading it. Thanks EoJ.

130 133 Question for you high-tech types. Can I go to the "free e-books" sites and download the books to read on my (kinda old) Mac or do they only work on Kindle-type devices?

----------

They frequently have them as PDFs or (shudder) plain text files.

131 Can I go to the "free e-books" sites and download the books to read on my (kinda old) Mac or do they only work on Kindle-type devices?

Posted by: Peaches at March 25, 2012 02:02 PM (w407e)

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

Guttenberg has free e-books in multiple formats that are compatible with any computer.  You can also down load the Kindle reader software for a computer for free from Amazon.

132 I've had a Kindle from day one. Loved the low prices. Then they started going up. Kindle had an agreement I believe in the beginning to keep prices low, but then the publishers go greedy. You will see on the more expensive books they put a disclaimer about pub setting the price. When a book comes out that I want and the pub has jacked up the price I always write them telling them they lost a sale. Hopefully they can get over the shock of new technology and find a different way of doing business cause right now this isn't working.

133 I also got Malkin's Culture of Corruption and Coulter's demonic...
I also have Dick Cheney's and a few others in this vein - started but unfinished.  I'm too inundated with this stuff day after day. I stay away from the primaries threads (I know there's nothing good to say about our guys, I just can't take being reminded about it).

It's strictly escapist stuff for me at this time.
 

134 recently read -- "Jill the Reckless" by P.G.Wodehouse, "Monster Hunter Alpha" by Larry Correia, and "Dangerous Instincts", which was purportedly a book by an FBI profiler on how to detect the serial killers in your life but was instead something that had gone through a self-help template and mostly just asked questions for the reader to try and figure out on their own.  Maybe *one* page of stuff I couldn't find in a "how to interview" book, it was that lame.  Good thing I got it from the library.

I read "Hunger Games" because I wanted to see what all the talk was about.  It is certainly well-written enough to draw you in, and it sets up a dark, distopian world that just begs for questioning.  There were some nice subtle character developments I was not expecting in a YA either.  HOWEVER, it could have been much better if the author had thought through the tech of her world and made it consistent.  I confess and revel in my nit-picky-ness.

SPOILER!

 (I mean, Panem depends on coal and farmed fruits, but can deploy zombie werewolves with a 24hr turnaround?  Does Not Compute.)

135 Reading Mark Levin's "Men in Black." A really good read. It's amazing how SCOTUS natural tendency is to keep pushing the limits, expanding it's authority. Same with Hollywood, Congress, the Media, ACLU, and our Culture. There must be a natural law that says that institutions, governments, etc. natural tendency to push the limits beyond what is necessary.

136

"in anticipation of the movie, I read The Hunger Games. Mildly entertaining."

 

Great. What did you think of Twilight?

137 126 Our hero's quest to justify the freedom of humanity ultimately boils down to telling the daemon whether or not it should stop. Our hero reflects on the events he has encountered along his Potemkin quest and determines that humanity is really more free under the robotic heel of the daemon than it was on its own.

-------

Huh. Bad form quoting myself, but I just realized this very moment that the big quet in the book boils down to "one man, one vote, one time".

138 Am I to understand that you're *paying* for your Usenet feed?

(shakes head sadly)

I would never steal from a thief.

139 there was some story about Ender's Game being too sexual or something for one parent and there was a minor firestorm. i don't remember the story, but anyway, since i'd already read Ender's Game i picked up Speaker for the Dead and like it.

140

 "There must be a natural law that says that institutions, governments, etc. natural tendency to push the limits beyond what is necessary."

 

Government is a business. Businesses seek to expand.  Tell that to a leftist and they'll start frothing. 

141 140 (I mean, Panem depends on coal and farmed fruits, but can deploy zombie werewolves with a 24hr turnaround? Does Not Compute.)

-------

Clearly, Panem is constantly creating zombie werewolves in order to sequester the carbon liberated by burning the coal.

I haven't read the books, but even *I* can see that!

142 I like traditional books. Something annoying about looking at a screen. Some people tell me kindles are bad for the environment and are made in overseas sweatshops.

143
I get that reject-message from Pixy sometimes, even when there is no link in my message. ....Seems to happen more often now, when I try to add some additional spaces between words, to try to circumvent that truncating thing that happens.

Posted by: wheatie at March 25, 2012 01:59 PM (dEMjC)

To avoid the weird formatting and truncating it's best to copy everything to notepad and then copy that to the comment box.

144 Thanks for the info, Anachronda and Vic!  I will check it out, although I already spend WAY too much time sitting in front of computers.  I'm a paperback person, don't even like hardcover books.

145

Huh. Bad form quoting myself,

 

not really.  Sometimes you have to see it written out to know what you were saying.

 

the book boils down to "one man, one vote, one time".

very good pull, I agree.  A lot of fantasy and action stories are like that, though.  The Hero gets to choose his own path, and usually that of a large or important group he represents.

146 Can I go to the "free e-books" sites and download
the books to read on my (kinda old) Mac or do they only work on
Kindle-type devices?


Posted by: Peaches at March 25, 2012 02:02 PM (w407e)

There is a free download program called Calibre that will convert just about anything to anything else.  It's easy to find and use.

147

If someone tells me that an activity or object is "bad for the environment" then I will go out of my way to do that activity or consume more of that object.

148 I would never steal from a thief.

Haha, that just reminded me of the book Abbie Hoffman (yeah, I know) published back in the 60s, the title was "Steal This Book"

149 I've often heard lefties say that communism is a good idea, we just never had the technology to do it right. In "Freedom TM", the communists have the technology.Posted by: Anachronda

Well, thanks for reading it so that we do not have to.

Our hero reflects on the events he has encountered along his Potemkin quest and determines that humanity is really more free under the robotic heel of the daemon than it was on its own.

Not exactly original nihilism either. It's been done repeatedly both in US sci-fi and japanese stuff. It's the Philosopher Kings via computers. Sad, misanthropic, and smells like the fetid socks of a liberal arts sophomore after a week long bong session.

I despise those people.

150 If someone tells me that an activity or object is "bad for the environment" then I will go out of my way to do that activity or consume more of that object.

Posted by: Truman North at March 25, 2012 02:15 PM (I2LwF)

You are one of my AOSHQ heroes.

151 " Can I go to the "free e-books" sites and download the books to read on my (kinda old) Mac or do they only work on Kindle-type devices? Posted by: Peaches" I have Kindle for Mac software. Not sure what the system requirements are, as far as how new an operating system you need. Also, not sure if you can download the software if you don't own a Kindle. I have a Kindle, so I have the books on both my macbook and my kindle. I downloaded the Kindle for Mac software from Amazon. While I was purchasing a kindle book there was a button or something that said I could get the software download for my computer.

152

149.....To avoid the weird formatting and truncating it's best to copy everything to notepad and then copy that to the comment box.

 

Thanks, Ed. ....I seem to lose the line spaces even worse when I do that, though. .....Have no idea why.

153

Finished: Matt Ridley, The Rational Optimist. Of  Ridley's publications, I have read four books on evolutionary biology and genetics (The Red Queen, The Origins of Virtue, The Agile Gene, Genome). The latest is a cultural  evolutionary view of standards of living, which he sees as mediated by evolving technology and customs of exchange. The thesis shares points with Jared Diamond's view in Guns, Germs, and Steel , without Diamond's emphasis on the North/South versus East/West alignment of the Americas and Africa, in the first case, and Eurasia, in the second case. Ridley argues that material progress depends on the volume of available ideas and the opportunity to recombine them. He's very pro-market and free trade.  

Currently: O'Hanlon and Rotthier, The Fetish Room (biography/autobiography). O'Hanlon reviewed science writing for the Times Literary Supplement (iirc), and wrote Into the Heart of Borneo, In Trouble Again (a trip to the divide bwteeen the Amazon and Orinoco basins), No Mercy (to Lake Tele in the Congo), and Trawler (the North Sea).  His primary interest is evolutionary biology, but these are not dry books. He has a self-deprecating  humor, sometimes gentle and sometimes outrageously funny.

154

Truman..lol. I read there are schools in California that have banned electronics.

155

If someone tells me that an activity or object is "bad for the environment" then I will go out of my way to do that activity or consume more of that object.<<<

 

Wanna come over to my Spotted Owl roast?  I do this every year when I burn all my styrofoam.

156 Just finished a book entitled Father Elijah. It's apocalyptic lit from a Catholic perspective. But it was very different from your normal apocalypse story, as it was less about the events and more about introspection and theology. I really appreciated it.

157 Peaches, Reading the books on the laptop is nice. The print is big and easy to read. I have some free books that play on both devices but I don't remember if I got them from Amazon's free books or another site.

158

156 If someone tells me that an activity or object is
"bad for the environment" then I will go out of my way to do that
activity or consume more of that object.

Posted by: Truman North at March 25, 2012 02:15 PM (I2LwF)
You are one of my AOSHQ heroes.

Posted by: Tunafish at March 25, 2012 02:16 PM (oA9th)

 

 

The reason why this is so is because environmentalism has nothing to do with the environment.  All the legitimate environmental cleanup we ever needed to do was done before 1980 by the EPA when it was an organization of less than 1000 people.  Federal and state EPA bureaucracies now employ 300,000.

 

 

Everything-- everything-- claimed by the AGW mafia since about 1980 has been about control and the elimination of not only individual liberty, but the actual elimination of the individual entirely.  Richard Holdren, who is one of the president's czars, is on record stating that the "correct" number of live human beings is approximately ten million, and that we as a species ought to be working toward that number.

159 I hadn't realized why I couldn't find a number of my favorite fantasy and sci-fi for Kindle was because they sold the copies directly from their website instead. I'd heard of the Baen free ebook library, I just didn't realize they sold the books too. And the prices aren't too bad. ARCs cost more, but if you wait until the day the book is actually released you can get the newest book that's a $28 hardback for 6 bucks as an ebook.

160 Tammy al Thor, glad you liked the book! 

138 Mrs Compton, you are right the prices went up.  Amazon started out doing discounts of popular books, taking a loss to drive market share, and the big publishers got mad and forced Amazon to do agency pricing (Amazon can't charge less than the publisher's price).  There are lawsuits in Europe and pending legal investigations here in the US looking into collusion on the part of the big publishers in fixing prices. 

The publishing industry is in a big mess and they are all hoping the ebook shark will eat them last if they keep ebook prices high.  I encourage you, as an indie writer, to check out books written by other indie writers.  We combine cheap prices with good writing! (And you can always check the writing by looking at the free sample.)  The terror of ebooks is also behind the library problems, I'm sorry to say.  The big publishers want libraries to only loan an ebook 25 times before buying it *again*, or they jack up the price 300%, or other cute tricks.  Penguin doesn't allow its ebooks in libraries at all now.  Me, I would LOVE to get my books into libraries.  More readers to seduce!

161 brb fixin' myself a gin-and-DDT

162 ...you know, so my kids can be born with thinner shells and a malaria resistance

163

I need a good paperback that I can take to Hawaii. Something either in the romance (though I am extremely picky there), mystery, suspense, or sci-fi line. I want a book I can throw in my carry on and haul around.

 

Amazon is making this very difficult. I think I've found something, then the reviews remind me of why I absolutely don't want to read it. Or, I find something that sounds good, but it's a zillion pages and I'd rather have it on Kindle.

 

Despite how poorly it was managed, and the fact that it deserved to go out of business, I miss Borders because it always had the books organized the way I need for just this situation

164 'A Study in Scarlet' is my all time favorite Holmes story. For the Conan Doyle fans, I'd also suggest 'The White Company' and 'Sir Nigel'. Two of his lesser known books, but they both gave me a much great appreciation of the man.

165 Yeah..well most of the electronics banning in schools is in New England and California. So my grandkids are ok for now.

166 Abbie Hoffman was a local "hero" in Worcester, MA. My high school English teacher threatened to kick my ass when I was critical of Abbie right after he offed himself. (Bite me Mr. Roche, I still say he was a douchebag.)

167 If this blog was a child, Ace could be charged with neglect.

168
At one time I had access to free copies of Fantasy and Science Fiction, a monthly publication of short stories and novellas. It's a pretty good read but I can't afford to buy it and don't read it anymore.

http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/

So now I confine myself to reading/re-reading our voluminous library of Military History.

Got stuck at a pharmacy a few weeks ago and started reading Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes. It was on sale for $5.00 so I put it on my sister's bill. A pleasant read, but Military History, general history and SciFi are my favorites.

I do read books on politics but sometimes they outrage me to the point where I retreat to my warm and fuzzy cave of books about mass slaughter.

169 If this blog was a child, Ace could be charged with neglect.

Posted by: soothsayer at March 25, 2012 02:30 PM (w5NHn)

Better that than child molesting

170 At our school the kids are welcome to bring in e-readers in grade 4-5 as long as they get their parent's and their teacher's permission and they only use it at approved reading times.

171 Also all books at the Baen website are DRM free, which is kind of amazing with publishers nowadays.

172

If this blog was a child, Ace could be charged with neglect.

 

I've often noted that it would suck most heavily to be one of Ace's house plants.

173
yeah, Ace probably has a fish tank with lots of fish floating on the surface

174 148 I like traditional books. Something annoying about looking at a screen. Some people tell me kindles are bad for the environment and are made in overseas sweatshops. I felt the same way until I broke down and got my Kindle. You can get a helluva lot of books on it. It is very easy to read and handle, more so than a book. If you are female, you can carry it around in your purse. Then if you have to wait anywhere you have your books with you and can read them.

175 153 If someone tells me that an activity or object is "bad for the environment" then I will go out of my way to do that activity or consume more of that object.

Posted by: Truman North at March 25, 2012 02:15 PM (I2LwF)

I ordered one of these bumper stickers a couple of days ago.  I can't wait to apply it to the back of my evil SUV to show how much I love Gaia.

http://www.cafepress.com/nopasaran.392275160

176

I miss my Kindle. The iPad is OK for reading, but now I'm thinking I'm going to end up getting another Kindle as well because the Kindle just feels better in my hand for extended periods of reading.

 

Waaa, why are there so many electronic devices? I feel like I have to haul the universe with me on vacations now, with all the damn phones and chargers and DS's and i-devices.

177 The Kindle is the next best thing to a cigarette for a single moron.

178 PGiS, I have a suggestion for you:  Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now.  I put a link in my sig.  You can see the major plot points and/or learn something about Trollope on wikipedia.  It's pretty accurate.

179

I enjoyed "The Forgorren Man" by Shlaes, but I feel she pulled her punches vis-a-vis FDR at the end.

 

180 #155

That reminds me of a far better series by Neal Asher in which the AIs that long ago took control on Earth and the growing interstellar civilization, were along the way plotting against themselves and purposely guiding the development of humans that could destroy them when they lost perspective.

It's part of his larger Polity Universe which has quite a lot of fun to keep an SF reader busy for a while.

Asher also has started a new series exploring the problems of sustaining freedom and the difficulty of finding a good benevolent dictator.

181
http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=126088

You knew this was gonna happen.

182 lol Sandra, good bumper sticker

183
Thanks, Ed. ....I seem to lose the line spaces even worse when I do that, though. .....Have no idea why.

Posted by: wheatie at March 25, 2012 02:20 PM (dEMjC)

Make sure you copy into NOTEpad and not WORDpad because wordpad defaults to a rich text format (*.rtf) that causes formatting errors.

I just typed this whole post out in wordpad and I'm sure it'll look just fine. Final hint: leave wordwrap on in notepad.

184

Re: Book stores closing, struggling to compete against e-books

 

Remember the movie "You've Got Mail"? ....Which was that tale of a small bookstore owner competing against the big bad 'Fox Books' chain? ....It also encorporated the internet into its storyline.

 

Oh the irony. ....For now, the big box book stores are struggling to compete with the internet and e-books. ....Tom Hanks seems to leave a trail of Irony behind him like a slug.

185 "Everything-- everything-- claimed by the AGW mafia sinceabout 1980has been about control and the elimination of not only individual liberty, but the actual elimination of the individual entirely." It's also about making Al Gore rich. That private jet and all those cars and mansions aren't going to pay for themselves.

186
perhaps a Book 'n Cook thread would be more better

Books, foods, etc.

187 Truman North, that doesn't strike me as a "light beach reading" book. It would remind me too much of an assignment for English Literature. But I'm adding it to my list of classics to read. (just not at the beach while sipping a Pina Colada)

188 Other Trollope novels I can recommend are He Knew He Was Right (a romantic tragedy) and The Fixed Period (his only science fiction novel).

189 @ParanoidGirlInSeattle

"Waaa, why are there so many electronic devices? I feel like I have to haul the universe with me on vacations now, with all the damn phones and chargers and DS's and i-devices."

I went from my Kindle to my iPad, now I'm back to the Touch Kindle. I love how light it is. You also need the Kindle if you have Prime to borrow books, you can read them on the Kindle apps. I read all of the Hunger Games free cause of Prime!! Love that part of it, you get to borrow a book a month and they are all top sellers!!

190 ...but The Way We Live Now is hilarious.  Like John Kennedy Toole meets Dickens.

191 Abbie Hoffman was a local "hero" in Worcester, MA. My high school English teacher threatened to kick my ass when I was critical of Abbie right after he offed himself. (Bite me Mr. Roche, I still say he was a douchebag.)

Posted by: lincolntf at March 25, 2012 02:29 PM (hiMsy)

When that drugged out cocksucker killed himself, the world became a better place.  Your English teacher sounds like a fucking idiot.

On topic:  I read "The Forgotten Man" and was a bit disappointed in how it seemed to just give a "classic comics" type overview of stuff that I wanted more detail for; like reactions to him trying to pack the Supreme Court and the propaganda that the donks used to keep Franklin Cocksucker Roosevelt in power.  It did accurately point out what an ambulatory colostomy bag FCR was and how he really didn't know what the fuck he was doing in a lot of areas; kind of like somebody else I'm thinking of....

Right now I'm reading "Godel, Escher, Bach" and enjoying it immensely and for some light reading Terry Pluto's "Loose Balls:  The Short, Wild Life of the American Basketball Association".

192 Oh the irony. ....For now, the big box book stores are struggling to compete with the internet and e-books. ....Tom Hanks seems to leave a trail of Irony behind him like a slug.

Posted by: wheatie at March 25, 2012 02:44 PM (dEMjC)

His Bonfire Of The Vanities role is now being replayed, too, though not as rich and white as Hanks had originally played it.

193 192
perhaps a Book 'n Cook thread would be more better



*Dangles recipe for Bacon Jam in front of Horde*

194 Thanks again, Ed.....I'll try that.

195 Good rumor from a friend who has various insider-ness: Bill Buckley liked to puff a little weed in his time. Not as a youth.

196 PGiS, if you are looking for great light beach reading, and you haven't read Robert B. Parker's Spenser books, you can't go wrong with any of them (although the later ones are best).  I still get a little weepy that he's gone . . .

197

When I can fit in the time, I'm re-reading "Howard's End" by E M Forester

Interestingly - not as anti-business as one would have expected.

Margaret Schlegel. is an interesting character..

198
At the moment, I'm reading "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, who appears to have been a 20th century Nostradamus.

199 Peaches, do I have to read them in order?

200 LTC Ralph Peters, Cain at Gettysburg, you might expect an analytic description of the Battle from a military man but what draws you in is the richness of the characters, there's no assumed overview of the events with an omniscient narrator, from Lee and Meade down to the men in ranks none are caricatures or cliched, it'a great rendering better than The Killer Angels or The Red Badge of Courage, the sub text of the whole affair is heartbreak.

201 Peaches, do I have to read them in order?

Not really.  I just recently read one of the very first ones and, while I enjoyed it, it didn't hold a candle to the later ones where he'd really developed the characters and honed his craft.  You could start anywhere. 

202 Good to read you again here, TexasJew.

203 Darn it, I keep finding awesome hardcovers I want to read, but no way am I hauling a hardcover in my carry on. Has anyone read "Moonwalking with Einstein?"

204 Yeah, but if we were teenagers, Ace would be the coolest Dad EVER.

205 peaches i love the spenser books pgis.....nelson demille is very good

206

 

 

198.....Yep. And Hanks, who did that "From the Earth to the Moon" series on HBO...is now extolling the virtues of the SCoaMF, who killed our program to return to the moon.

207 Another really excellent series, PGiS, is John Sandford's Virgil Flowers novels.  All his books are good, but I love the Virgil Flowers ones -- Virgil is a very sexy and lovable guy.  He's a semi-renegade state crime bureau agent in Minnesota (frequently referred by other LEOs as "that fuckin' Flowers").

208 PGiS, what are your requirements for romance novels?

209 198.....Yep. AndHanks, who didthat "From the Earth to the Moon" series on HBO...is now extolling the virtues of the SCoaMF, who killed our program to return to the moon.

Posted by: wheatie at March 25, 2012 02:59 PM (dEMjC)

Yeah

I wish he would have stayed on that fucking island, cornholing that volleyball..

210 DeMille, yes, another master of his craft.  I particularly love the Gold Coast books.

211 PGiS, Have you read any Neal Stephenson? His new book i "ReamDe" is long enough to keep you stocked up the whole trip, but it' a really fast read with some good red meat for conservatives. It's not really scifi, more like very near term speculativr fiction/ thriller.

212 Ollie North's "Under Fire".

213 I'm reading carrying Brad Thor's "Full Black" to Vegas this week.  I don't have an e-reader, and right now don't plan on getting one.  Yeah, the book's in hardback, but it's autographed! 

I still have a thing for holding an actual book in my hands.  I'm sending all the Brad Thor paperbacks to the boy so he can share them with his battle buddies when he's finished with them (if he ever has any time to read).

214 "reading carrying".....Gah.  Needs moar caffeine.

215

Tammy al Thor, there's a backstory to my requirements, involving a period of time in my life when I basically crawled into a cave and did nothing but read, but after I emerged from that cave having read just about every published romance novel there was (except paranormal) I really stopped enjoying them except:

 

1. contemporary with a nice story and some humor

2. regency involving a Duke

3. Suspense by Julie Garwood or Karen Rose

216

"The Keep" by F. Paul Wilson (Kindle). Vampire attacks Nazis in WWII Romania. As with many horror novels, the first half (the build-up) is better than the second half (the pay-off).  But it's a bargain at $2.99 on Kindle.  Made into a film of the same name I have not seen, but plan to watch on Netflix instant view, where it's currently offered. Grade: B

 

"Mountain Man" by Keith C. Blackstone (Kindle). Zombie novel.  Enjoyable read.  Blackstone is a young writer trying to earn enough to make a living through self-publishing, mainly via Amazon.  He's a good storyteller with some real talent. Recommended for zombie fans. Grade: B

 

"Martin Eden" by Jack London (Kindle: "The Complete Works of Jack London" published by O'Connor Books).  Entertaining, semi-autobiographical novel about a poor, aspiring writer.  This is not London at his very best, but it's a strong, tight work, with a lot of good scenes.  It held my interest throughout, which is pretty tough for a 100-year-old plus work of fiction.  Particularly memorable: a hellish sequence set in a hotel laundry circa 1909.  Grade: B

 

"Patient Zero" by Jonathan Maberry (Kindle).  Terrorism via zombies.  I'm halfway through.  Some good stuff, but the plot is kind of sagging in the middle.  Grade: B-

 

"Old Man" by William Faulkner (paperback). A convict is set adrift during the Mississippi flood of '27, and caught up in a series of adventures.  I'm more of a Hemingway than a Faulkner guy, but this novella is excellent.  Faulkner could spin a very good yarn when he wanted to (e.g., "The Bear"), and this is rich in mood and action, written in high style but coherent (which cannot be said for a lot of his work, in my experience (e.g., Part 4 of "The Bear")).  Faulkner captures the primal, devastating nature of the flood with a power that I think few if any writers could match.  In many respects a truly awesome piece of writing.  Grade: A

 

"Bear, Man, and God: Seven Approaches to William Faulkner's The Bear" edited by Francis Utley, et al. (paperback).  I enjoy good literary criticism, sometimes more than fiction.  Most compilations of literary criticism tied around a theme kind of suck, with perhaps one or two good pieces and a lot of useless, mediocre stuff to pad things out.  This is the complete opposite: a really thoughtful, first-rate collection that offers a great deal of food for thought on the considerable depths and complexities of Faulkner's tale.  Really enjoyed this book.  Grade: B+

217 Oh and if you haven't read Stephenson's "Diamond Age" you should, just for the delightful take down of moral relativism.

218 The Preston-Child Pendergast series are also great reads, although probably better to go in order with those.  Their website actually tells you which ones you can read as "stand alone" and which should be read in order.

219 I love Neal Stephenson and have been debating just getting Reamde, but his books are always so heavy. I got Cryptomonicon in paperback a few years ago for a trip and even that sucker weighed a lot.

220 What'cha Readin' For?

221 2. regency involving a Duke

Are you familiar with Georgette Heyer?

222 >>At the moment, I'm reading "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis, who appears to have been a 20th century Nostradamus.
Posted by: Wodeshed

I kinda liked Elmer Gantry. The movie, not so much. SL does seem a bit contemptuous toward Bible thumpers.

223 3:00 pm eastern and a big total of 2 posts here at the HQ...

224

Jane D'oh.....Bacon Jam? Is that sweet? .....Sounds kinda yummy. Could help us with our 'bacon induced coma'. Heh.

225

Posted by: John at March 25, 2012 03:05 PM (k5Bku)

I lived in Oxford Mississippi years ago and a friend of mine there, not as big a Faulkner fan as many of the locals) gave me a quote from somewhere:

"Reading Faulkner, you can't tell if the characters are fucking or playing tennis"

226 In between posts I just assembled a raised bed for a veggie garden. First year we're trying this method, bought the "Greene's Fence Co. Cedar Garden Kit" at Home Depot (one 4x4 square) as a test. Looks to be of good quality, assembles easily, I think it's a go.

227 3:00 pm eastern and a big total of 2 posts here at the HQ...

I figure we'll get a new post once the college basketball games start.  At least I am hoping so . . .  The games have been pretty good, even for someone who normally doesn't follow it.

228
Bacon jam. What a brilliant idea.

Because who doesn't like toast, jam, and bacon.

229 yeah Peaches, I'm not really complaining; I have been a 'ron since 2004.

Just bored today I guess.

230

3:00 pm eastern and a big total of 2 posts here at the HQ...

 

Ace will be back at the crack of 2pm est. tomorrow.  Don't doubt it.

231 Haha, yeah be is definitely an author made for the Kindle, PGiF! I think the paperback print of ReamDe is pretty well made for reading. Cryptonomicon was shaped like a freaking brick!

232 garrett; lol

233

Posted by: lincolntf at March 25, 2012 03:08 PM (hiMsy)

 

Make sure you have good drainage and you'll be good.

234 You know, we should have a thread where we talk about how and when we came to be 'rons and 'ettes.

235 That's what she said.

236 My seven year AoS anniversary is coming up in two weeks,

237 OMG, I know going OT is verboten on the book thread, and I did watch the show this morning, but must have been tending to the laundry when he said it.  Just saw on the 'net that Paul Ryan said on FNS that he would be open to considering a VP slot.  Will my leg ever stop tingling? 

238

I may just take Diamond Age with me because I haven't read it for a while. Even though we are loading the iPad with books the boy wanted to take a "real" book too so he will be taking "The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

 

On the one hand I'm glad that taking 1 book will be good for him, on the other hand I'm kind of nostalgic for the days when I had to load the suitcase with his favorite children's books to read before falling asleep.

239 #144

Who better to steal from? They have the best stuff and cannot report it when it goes missing.

240 242 My seven year AoS anniversary is coming up in two weeks, Posted by: soothsayer at March 25, 2012 03:12 PM (w5NHn) You know what's scary? I've read this freaking stone age blog for 9+ years. I *think* since 2001, making it 11 years... ever since the old AllahPundit days. 11 years of links and content; I'm impressed.

241 i don't think it's sunday morning here in the US except for hawaii now.......

242 Oh, also absolutely NOTHING has changed in the last 11 years on this blog. Except the "New Comments Thingy" which was once actually new. Maybe 8+ years ago...

243

Allah in the House was a great blog.

Before he went off the edge and freaked out.

I posted one of his post-9/11 Photoshops on the Yahoo Group page a while back..

244 248 gergs i laugh when i click on the "new comments thingy"

245 OH TEXAS JEW TELL ME YOU HAVE THE DEMOCRAT COMICS I laughed and laughed and laughed at those.

246 @ 231: Heh.

247 I cannot put an approximate date on when I first read this site. Johnny Coldcuts was a frequent poster.

248 Talk of Regency, I recently reread "Whom the Gods Love" by Kate Ross - it's a murder mystery, though. One of the best relentless unraveling of a murder that I've read. Right now I'm in the midst of "The Man Who Made Vermeers", about a forger who got out of a treason charge of selling a Vermeer to Goebbels by proving he painted the damn thing himself. Frankly though I bought it because I chanced to be by the going-out-of-business sale of possibly the last Crown Books on earth, reminder that big chains were going under before Borders' demise.

249 I'm pretty sure Ace started blogging in early 2004.

Ace-o-Spades

http://tinyurl.com/26wkc

250 Posted by: nerdygirl at March 25, 2012 12:57 PM (rpMe5)

If you are still around...Ambrose Bierce wrote some great ghost stories, and they are free for the Kindle.

251 2004? Hmmm, when did AllahPundit start blogging? I started reading blogs in 2001, might have all blurred together...

252 I've been around here for only about 4 years maybe. Clicked on the link off Hotair and quickly realized this place kicked HotAir's Ass.

253
you were still in AOL chat rooms for fetishes in 2001

254 Woah... blogspot? I don't remember this at all...

255 I was on Insty for sure in 2001. But yeah, maybe you're right. 2003/4 actually makes more sense, now that I'm thinking about it.

256

Posted by: GergS(Dirty Scandi Dog Whistle) at March 25, 2012 03:18 PM (dptRY)

I had all that stuff on my old laptop that died

Saddam as an insane cabbie and on and on.. Hans Blix...

"Quel dommage", as those filthy 'surrender monkey' frogs (another series I remember) say

 

 

257 My husband's really the political one. Ace of Spades is frequently up on his monitor, I started reading over shoulder, etc...He doesn't comment though, he saves his spleen for Usenet boards.

258 I certainly was reading Ace during the 2004 Democratic nomination process. So that's firmly 2003. 9 years! yikes! 10 years coming up soon for Ace then?

259 I just read Heaven Cracks, Earth Shakes: The Tangshan Earthquake and the Death of Mao's China and I recommend it.  Absolutely an amazing read.

260 Haha, Joe Wilson. Good times.

261 I started blogs in 2003, and got around here in 2004, so I guess I'm an early 'ron adopter.

I loved those early blog days during the kerry bush election. 

FINALLY news and commentary from the right and center.

262 For Conan Doyle non-Sherlockians, look for "The Lost World".  Very good read.

263 I've been around here for only about 4 years maybe. Clicked on the link off Hotair and quickly realized this place kicked HotAir's Ass.

Posted by: Lauren at March 25, 2012 03:23 PM (VlkAU)

Same here, Lauren.  I guess we were in the same freshman class.  I went from PowerLine (then they just pulled the plug on the forum one day, not so much as "see ya"), to HA, to here.  Where I found my home and my peeps. 

264 I was reading ace back in early 1989, when he was blogging (on the same software he uses today) from his dorm room.

265 Afternoon all! I lurked for several years starting in 2005, and didn't comment until 2008 (I was shy). I found this place (unfortunately) thanks to Large Green Feet, and when the bicycle rider went off the deep end, remained here for good. An awesome group of people, who make awesome book recommendations too. I'm reading Coulter's Demonic, Jeff Shaara's The Rising Tide, and just finished Pirate Latitudes by Crichton-his posthumous offer. It's pirates Crichton style, which was quite entertaining, but you could tell that he hadn't edited completely before he passed away. I loved the Hunger Games, because the female protagonist wasn't a whiny girl who depended completely on someone else to care for her (Twilight, I am looking at you). The girl was tough and resourceful, and I appreciate that. Sadly, the second two books do not live up to the first-she becomes whiny. That irritated me, but at least no one sparkles in these books.

266 It's 3:30 pm EST. Still nothing up but two morning threads? What happened... The HQ finally got raided by the Men in White Coats?

267 If the next new post is for the tourney...

268 mostly lurked here.....commented at lgf until i got banned when cj went crazy...then came here

269 Ok so yeah looks like first post is late late late 2003. He must have been linked to from Allah In the House in 2004, where I migrated after AllahPundit had his massive burnout and deleted everything.

270 2006 I think. I remember having the choice of "comments" or
"new comments thing" for a while and it looks like that happened sometime in 2006.

271 270 I was reading ace back in early 1989, when he was blogging (on the same software he uses today) from his dorm room. Posted by: Joining the Moron oneupsmanship game at March 25, 2012 03:31 PM (nEUpB) I knew ace way back in 1970, when he was still blogging on the inside of his diapers.

272 270:
CB's Dildo, this is a reminiscence, not oneupsmanship.

Putz

273 274-the cj banhammar was a thing to behold. I remember when something like thirty people got banned one day, because they said something he didn't like-not offensive, not exploitative-something HE disagreed with, so off with their nics. I never went back after that. What a stupid man-he had something really good going and blew it. All the better for Ace.

274

I started posting at this place when I realized it is as close as we're ever going to get to an Assholes Anonymous meeting.

275 Lurked here for years until I quit LGF and got kicked off Hot Air (awfully touchy, they are). Last refuge of a scoundrel, I guess.

276 277: Do I even wanna ask what he was writing WITH?

277 Posted by: kinlaw at March 25, 2012 03:36 PM (1OjQp)

Get a sense of humor.

278 Drainage is the main problem, garrett. Hard red clay and we're kind of on a terraced hill. Our lot is flat but it's lower than another house so we get a waterfall effect if you get my draft. I'm going to probably get some gravel tomorrow and try to put down a bed of that and then get some sand, topsoil, the whole enchilada. Lot of work for a few tomatoes, but the peppers and cantaloupes should make up for it.

279 I miss the days when it was almost de rigueur to work Paul Anka into every comment.

280 Read Allah's In The House in the very beginning. Absolutely hysterical then.  He's pretty much sold out now...can't blame a guy for making a living though.

281 @285: who the hell IS Brian Denehie, anyway?

282 Posted by: moki at March 25, 2012 03:36 PM (dZmFh)

I wonder how many of ace's readers have been banned by Jharles Cohnson?

I'll bet it's in the hundreds. In fact, I'll bet he tracks who goes from here to there and then bans accordingly.

283 283 Take your own advice. Please.

<rim shot>

That's a funny joke right there.

284 I wonder how many of ace's readers have been banned by Jharles Cohnson?




And how many of them have been banned TWICE?  Yeah.  I'm that dangerous.

285 charlie he WAS doing that!!!!! haha.....kirly has a list of the banned at her blog.....

286 I always feel like Ace was the AAA Plumbing of the blog world because of his link placement on HA. I wonder how many Hotairans have jumped ship with us, peaches?

287 mama all my socks were banned too......

288

cantaloupes should make up for it.

 

The Tomato and Pepper Plants love the raised beds...especially if you can keep them warm in the early weeks.

If you can find some 'green sand' to mix into your topsoil, it will help a lot. 

 

289 I officially retract calling CBD a putz.

That was done in humor too dude, or I would have called you a dick.

;-)

290 test

291 we are all italics now!

292 whoops

293 was that you garrett?

294 lol

295 Oh oh, we got us an italics problem.

Or is that just me?

296 yep.

297 Guess not just me.

298

I can't remember when I found this place but "slice like a fucking a hammer" was frequently used and the Spurwing was a regular commenter.

 

I went off the grid between 2007 and 2008 (jail isn't as scary as advertised) and the place has never really changed.

299 Congrats phoenixgirl. I can never get the italics or anything else to work here.


I ostentatiously quit LGF before Charles could ban me. He responded with the "Oh yeah? You can't quit, you're fired!" bit but by then it was too late.

300 mama

all my socks were banned too...... Posted by: phoenixgirl at March 25, 2012 03:42 PM


I know some folks still have a few left, for infiltration purposes.  Me - getting out of that toxic environment was one of the best things that ever happened to me.  I'm embarassed to have even been associated with it now.  I did however meet some wonderful, great people - you included.

301 ErikW, that's the Paul Anka stuff I was referring to.

And shirts; the guys get shirts.

Don't make a fuckin maniac outta me.

302 ((mama winger))

303 Raised beds will dry out a little faster, so make sure you watch the watering.

304 Eaglecam update:  the eagle chicks still haven't hatched.

305 Oregonmuse you are a champ, thanks a lot for giving us a thread.

I also read Hunger Games in 3 days, not great literature but an easy fun read.  Not political like I read on Hot Air yesterday.  Reading book #2 now which shows the denouement of book #1, not nearly as good so far but passable.

306

Don't make a fuckin maniac outta me.

 

Posted by: kinlaw at March 25, 2012 03:47 PM (1OjQp)

 

 

Heh, I haven't bothered to look but I bet that's still in the sidebar somewhere.

307

Posted by: mama wingerat March 25, 2012 03:48 PM (P6QsQ)

 

Row Covers can solve that problem.

308 ...and mulching.

309 Okay, back to books.

I am starting (late to the party, I know) the Wheel of Time series.

Any fans of those here today?

310 Eaglecam update: the eagle chicks still haven't hatched.




I know.  I know.  I'm getting so impatient!  But Dad just showed a wing span that made my jaw drop. 

311 Hey morons and 'ettes, is there a SMOD 2012 bumper sticker for sale anywhere?  Not one of those 'make your own' sites either.  I just want something that looks kinda cool.

Thanks

312 Any fans of those here today?

Posted by: kinlaw at March 25, 2012 03:53 PM (1OjQp)

 

Yep. 

After Book 6 you are going to regret that choice...still waiting for the last book, which I am almost certain will suck.

313 Just finished Janet Reitman's Inside Scientology. L Ron Hubbard is one of history's great con artists, but he does have a fascinating life story...

314 Eaglecam update: the eagle chicks still haven't hatched.

Posted by: Sandra Fluke's solid gold diaphragm at March 25, 2012 03:48 PM (0d0K7)

Where's the eaglecam that you are watching?  I got hooked on one a couple of years ago, I think maybe it was out on the Channel Islands.  They are very compelling.

315

I am rereading The Night Country, by Loren Eiseley. A naturalist/anthropologist/ "relic man".

 

316 315 kinlaw

Got through the first book and part of the second and said "Enough. If it hasn't hooked me by now, it never will."

317 Hey morons and 'ettes, is there a SMOD 2012 bumper sticker for sale anywhere? Not one of those 'make your own' sites either. I just want something that looks kinda cool.

Thanks
Posted by: What a Jerk at March 25, 2012 03:55 PM


If no one has one, I can make one for you, no problem.

318

Re:  The  Forgotten  Man  and  the  real   FDR.

 

Try  this  link  for  some  real  eye  opening  information  on  the  evil  bastard   FDR,  may  he  burn  in  hell  forever.   The  part  where  Joe  Kennedy  Sr.  accuses  FDR  of  murdering  his  son   Joe  Jr.  when   Truman  went  to  see  him  for  a  campaign  donation  is  fascinating.

 

FDR,  the  first  SCoaMF.

 

http://tinyurl.com/63ad3r

319 Eagle Cam:

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

320 Amazing how many commenters I recognize here from lgf.

 Almost like a mass exodus.

321 >>>>Okay, back to books.

>>>>>I am starting (late to the party, I know) the Wheel of Time series.

>>>>>Any fans of those here today?

I am..  Although the last two out seems to be more of a chore than a joy to read..  And after 13 volumes (?) and still counting (hopefully, one more to go) it can be a drag.. 

So whatever you do, don't read the 'Song of Fire and Ice' by George R. R. Martin (HBO did the first book 'A Game of Thrones' as a mini-series.) 
He's another one who will stretch a trilogy out to 8 novels.

322 327 Dave C

Martin's series jumped the shark after the first three books. I got about 950 pages into his latest and said "Never Again!" Martin is a sadistic hack.

323 Thanks to garret, packsoldier, and Dave C for the replies.

I'll see if the firs one really hooks me,and go from there.

Does seem a like an awful long series (13)

324 I tried the Wheel of TIme books, but about the 4th one I realized I didn't like any of the characters anymore. All the men were crazy in various ways, and all the women were complete bitches. I dropped it.

325 Lessee, now - books:

Americans in Paris by David McCullough.
And does the Hornady 7th edition count?

326 #4 I read the hardback of all of the Holmes stories some years ago, then read them again on Kindle recently.  Good God that took forever but was worth it.

327

Posted by: Dave C at March 25, 2012 04:02 PM (hu9d0)

 

The last 'Song of Ice and Fire' book was awful.

 

328 I had a staring contest with a cow moose this AM.

Photography is so-so.

http://tinyurl.com/7ye8yrg

329 **Tugs Braid**

330

I finally started reading the Vince Flynn books - read all 12 in a month, and have passed them on to Mr. TiFW; he likes them too!  Can't wait for the next installment (and I started hubs on American Assassin, and am going to have him read Book #12 next, then have him start with Book #1 and go from there).

 

Now, I'm starting to read the Brad Thor books; just finished the 2nd one and started #3 last night.

 

They're both good series, but so far I've got to say that I like the Flynn style of writing a little bit more.

 

And I, too, tried the Fire and Ice books because of the HBO series, but could barely finish Book #4, and have only made it about 1/3 of the way through #5 (I stopped to read the Flynn & Thor books).  Right now, Bran is trying to turn into a tree (I think), and I just can't drag myself to read any more of the book....

331

Another Eagle Cam....the babies are all hatched and active:

 

http://www.outdoorchannel.com

/Conservation/EagleCam.aspx

 

[had to split the link to get it past Pixy]

332 At the moment I'm re-reading "By Slanderous Tongues" by Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis. It's part of a fun fantasy series set during Henry VIII and his heirs rules, with elves helping Elizabeth I.

333 I finally started reading the Vince Flynn books

Vince Flynn is fuckin' awesome!  He actually mentored Brad Thor, and while I will read anything BT writes, I also prefer the Flynn books.  They're like mind candy . . .

334 The Wheel of Time was fine until book seven, where it went off the rails.  Then the author got sick and realized that all of the plot lines he planned to leave dangling weren't going to get resolved in follow up works and so he tried to cram everything into the series. 

335

Posted by: Alex at March 25, 2012 04:12 PM (tlK1P)

 

and then he died.

336 That's one difference I've seen so far between Martin and Jordan

The PC was dripping from the pages with Jordan (although the stories were good enough)  when every village had an equivelant female character for every male character in charge..  Small towns had Mayors and 'Wisdoms' (Woman healers who could override the Mayor) 
Andor was always ruled by a Queen.
Many cities had King's AND Queen's Courts. 

And of course the Aes Sedia..   all women who pretty much demanded men to submit to them.    

337 I tried the Wheel of TIme books

I liked them pretty well.  Some of them dragged along, ( three pages describing  the women's dresses )but I felt the Sanderson written books were more concise and back on track.

338 and then he died.

Yup. Which was damn rude, IMHO.  In all seriousness, I think that you can tell as the books go on that Jordan is getting more and more desperate to wrap up everything, and as a result the books just get longer and longer and more meandering. 

339

Posted by: Nynaeve al'Meara at March 25, 2012 04:09 PM (dw5Fi)

While longing for Lan. 

340 I liked them pretty well. Some of them dragged along, ( three pages describing the women's dresses )but I felt the Sanderson written books were more concise and back on track.

I don't like the Sanderson books.  The writing is different, and the characters don't feel the same.  Of course, I didn't really have a problem with Jordan's tendency to focus on describing women's fashions and such because it became a part of the experience.  It's not for everyone, but it didn't bother me.

Sanderson's contributions are also not that tightly written.  It only feels that way because he's wrapping up so many plot lines.

341

Martin's  Song  of  Fire  and  Ice  sucked  so  bad.  He  just  drags  out   the  story  with  so  many  side  plots  and  charcters  that  it  just  falls  apart  in  the  last  two  books. 

He's  a  hack.

342 >>>I liked them pretty well. Some of them dragged along, ( three pages describing the women's dresses )but I felt the Sanderson written books were more concise and back on track.

That was easy to tell because several of the story lines got resolved with Sanderson at the helm when he took over the series.  

It was about 3 books too late but still welcome to see.

343 New thread up...

344 I am starting (late to the party, I know) the Wheel of Time series.

Any fans of those here today?

Posted by: kinlaw at March 25, 2012 03:53 PM (1OjQp)

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

I have read the entire series up to waiting on the last book now.  First three are good but bogs down with too many sub-plots after that. Picks back up again near the end.

345 Martin's Song of Fire and Ice sucked so bad. He just drags out the story with so many side plots and charcters that it just falls apart in the last two books.
He's a hack.

I had to quit in book 3 -  I hated that he kept killing off the protagonists.

346 >>>Martin's Song of Fire and Ice sucked so bad. He just drags out the story with so many side plots and charcters that it just falls apart in the last two books.
He's a hack.

I'm almost to the end of the second book..  

I do kinda like the fact that the 'magic' is more of an afterthought for the most part rather than the focus of his books..  so far. 

But it does look like if all the Starks either die or are scattered across the globe, I'll dump it.. with no resolution in sight.

347 Posted by: Dave C at March 25, 2012 04:14 PM (hu9d0)

It was a little PC, but it was as much a response to the fact that in the WoTverse, women play a much stronger role due to the Power.  The White Tower wields a huge amount of influence, and that is going to be reflected elsewhere. 

Personally, I always felt that there was a lot of darker stuff going on behind the scenes by the White Tower to keep society at a status quo.  It wouldn't surprise me if the Browns had a network of agents reporting any "discoveries" made that upset the balance of power (such as someone doing what Mat did with Illuminator powder), and quietly killed them.  Same thing with the Greys and Blues: anyone who seems to be a threat to the Tower's machinations simply disappears.

348 My wife bought me the first two books in the Song of Fire and Ice. I tried the first book and couldn't get anywhere with it. Let lit lay for a year tried it again.


Took both to the library and gave them away. Never cracked the second one.  I asked m wife if she felt any change hitting her in the back on the way out of the store.

349 The Epic Fantasy genre is annoying.  They end up like television series that run on three seasons past the last good material (I'm looking at you Supernatural).  Two to three books should be enough to tell a complete story, and if you need to go to six books then something is wrong.

350 I just finished rereading the first three John Carter of Mars stories, and passed the book on to my little boy who went frickin' APESHIT over them. So I took him to the movie over the weekend. Fortunately we've got a big piece of land so he can go sword-waving through the woods without driving the rest of us crazy.

351 Fortunately we've got a big piece of land so he can go sword-waving through the woods without driving the rest of us crazy.

Every boy needs that at some point in their life.

352 >>>It was a little PC, but it was as much a response to the fact that in the WoTverse, women play a much stronger role due to the Power. The White Tower wields a huge amount of influence, and that is going to be reflected elsewhere.

Even in the Aiel Waste, there were the 'Wise Ones' (all women) who had as much to say about the ongoings of the clan than any chiefdom did.  

Maybe it was due to the fact that for the longest time, women were the only ones who were able to channel without going crazy..  I'll give you that. 

353
Every boy needs that at some point in their life

Agreed.

354

But it does look like if all the Starks either die or are scattered across the globe, I'll dump it.. with no resolution in sight.

 

That  is  pretty  much  what  happens. Spoiler  alert!

 

 

 

 

 

 

He  really  goes  off  the  rails  with  Lady  Stark  as  a  murderous  zombie.

 

 

355 I put a SMOD bumper sticker link in my name for anyone interested.

356 Every boy needs that at some point in their life

Agreed.

Posted by: Dave C at March 25, 2012 04:34 PM (hu9d0)

Girls, too.  Glad I had woods and ponds and all that good stuff.

357 Taking a shit

358 Girls, too. Glad I had woods and ponds and all that good stuff.

Girls have cooties.  I don't let them play with my sword.

359 Girls have cooties. I don't let them play with my sword.

Posted by: Alex at March 25, 2012 04:46 PM (tlK1P)

Heh, when I was a kid I would have taken your sword, knocked your ass into the creek with it and then laughed as you cried like a little baby. 

360 Heh, when I was a kid I would have taken your sword, knocked your ass into the creek with it and then laughed as you cried like a little baby.

With my history, I would have ended up with a crush on you afterwards.

361 Many of Martin's readers have begun referring to him as George RR Lucas...

362 Speaking of books, I'm off to Powell's.  You guys play nice. 

Except for Peaches.

363

Posted by: Peaches at March 25, 2012 04:49 PM (w407e)

 

Arya Underfoot?  Is that you?

364 With my history, I would have ended up with a crush on you afterwards.

It would have been mutual . . .

365 Thank You Mama Winger!  I'll check around first. But i'll probably buy one off you.  Thanks (for some reason It won't let me post .. something about annoying long words)

366 Still on the Tolstoy chapter of Paul Johnson's Intellectuals.  Great stuff, but I've been distracted reading a new book on World War I in Italy, the Balkans, and Africa.  I'm tearing that one up and am already about halfway through.

367 @ Truman North wrote: 53 really, golfboy? link? (1) Really. (2) http://tinyurl.com/6nyth7n @ Mama Winger wrote: 54 What happened? You were driving to your in-laws for dinner when you crashed your car into a typewriter filled with Bishops and Queens? Yes, that's more or less the way it went.

368 What happened to the books?

369 So I'm playing Delegate assignment game. Right now there's a lot of WTA contests coming up and Romney pretty much destroys the competition. California for example is WTA Congressional District WTA At-Large which Romney will win there in a slaughterfest most likely 155-17 against Santorum. Romney has followed closely to McCain's election results. Most likely outcome. 552 Reincarnated Jesus -634 1265 Magic Underwear +121 319 Three Wives - Not A Polygamist -867 151 Laup Nor -1035

370 I figured this was an open thread so meh

371 Oh god and in the wrong one

372 Finished The Forgotten Man a few weeks ago and I have to say it was truly striking and scary how much of what's happening today was part and parcel of FDR's plans. Have we learned nothing? Apparently not.

373 Praise be! Thank you, Red. I have Amity in three formats. Good airport reading/listening/scrolling. "Amity and Enmity won't go together in perfect harmony..." Sorry. I had to come up with some way to remove Amity Island and Amityville from the ole cabeza. It's a family name and I still can't get over it.

374 One of the things I'm finding out about the Kindle is that there's a lot of pretty good reading in the 0.99 - 2.99 range, and I don't have to find room for more bookshelves.

375 106. I sampled Wool. My Kindle Lending Library for March is already checked out. Thanks for the rec, EoJ. I have The Old Man and the Wasteland on TBR. That one was free a while back.

376 Obama is a stuttering clusterf*ck of a miserable failure.

377

I saw a reference to The Incredible Bread Machine, A Study of Capitalism, Freedom, and the State and after a long search found my old dog-eared copy and reread it. If you want to read Part I of the poem about the fate of Tom Smith online go here: http://www.agem.com/tomsmith.htm.

Fans of Gilbert and Sullivan will note that the part of the poem wherein the lawyer explains how he achieved his status in life mirrors the song When I Was a Lad from HMS Pinafore.

Also reading the older books by Joe Lansdale that are set in the West, Larry Aarn's new book on the Declaration and the Constitution, and novels of Robert Duggoni among others.

378 The Forgotten Man is excellent.

I also liked Vedder and Gallaway's Out of Work: Unemployment and Government in Twentieth-Century America. More number-crunching in that one, versus Shlaes's clever humanizing of the Great Depression, but still an amazing book.

379 Nice Post,gay!Iphone 4s Accessories

380 Also being of the tight-fisted variety, I am very much enjoying the independent authors who post their works directly to Amazon Kindle.

Just finished reading Scout Force and First Command, both by Rodney L. Smith.  Quite enjoyable, and good value for the price.

Next in my Kindle reading queue:
The Empty Warrior, by J.D. McCartney
Spellmonger, by Terry Mancour
Warmage, by Terry Mancour
The Enemy of an Enemy, by Vincent Trigili
The Academy, by Vincent Trigili
The Antares Series by Michael McCollum

381

I am not clear if I totally understand the full thought pattern behind this.