Ace of Spades HQ

June 09, 2013

Sunday Morning Book Thread 06-09-2013: WTF Edition [OregonMuse]
— Open Blogger

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to the the award-winning AoSHQ's Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Leftovers

This was a comment from Vic in last week's thread I wanted to address:

Just Downloaded Dominatus from Amazon. Once again had to go around my elbow to get to my ass. Amazon just does not appear to want to download to an android. Had to download to "cloud" which took forever to load. The move from cloud to Kindle, then copy from Kindle to Android.

This is some major suck.

I don't understand why you have to do this. I was able to register my Nexus with my Amazon account, so when I buy a Kindle book, it gives the option over on the right side of the page to deliver to "OregonMuse's Android Tablet." Which I do. Easy-peasy, lemon squeezy.

However, if this is just not working for you, another thing you can try is giving the book to yourself as a gift, perhaps from another Amazon account. I have done this myself from Mrs. Muse's Amazon account, and it works great.

Two Blegs

Bleg #1: Would somebody please tell me what happened to Andy Weir's book, The Martian? All you morons were raving about it, and when I went to buy it for myself, it seems to have disappeared from Amazon, except for an audio book version.

Bleg #2: And speaking of science fiction books written by smartass morons, I remember reading one when I was a teen that I cannot remember the title or author, but maybe someone else does. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of clues, but what I remember is that it was not a recent book, it was written perhaps in the 40s or maybe earlier, back when author didn't have their characters cuss, but rather just told you that they did. Anyway, everybody's on an exploration rocket ship heading for the planet Venus, and when they get there, it's all lush jungle vegetation (yeah, right), and, of course, perfectly breathable air. But one of the things they ran into was that the vegetation oozed some kind of sticky sap that bonded like super glue and caused a bunch of problems and the main character found himself glued to a tree until they came up with an acetone(?) compound that dissolved the sap. I also remember one of the crewmen falling off of a tall tree with the branches slapping him as he fell all the way to the ground, and the author said something like "he fell at the rate of several vulgar adjectives per foot". I suppose it's not all that humorous now, but I thought it was howlingly funny when I was 11. The entire book was written in a smartass style that they used to call "cracking wise" and which makes me think that the author would make a pretty good Moron if he were around today. I know this isn't much to go on, but if this rings a bell with anyone, please let me know. Thanks.

Update: Thanks to Mr. Matamoros and kent18 for identifying this as "Men, Martians & Machines" by Eric Frank Russell, written in 1955. And right smartly, too. My bleg didn't even last 15 comments. Why I Love This Blog (Reason #4,362)

Because bad-ass action thriller author Robert Ferrigno showed up in last week's thread. Which only goes to show that you never know who's out there reading this blog. For those of you who missed it, this is what he had to say:

My comic eco-terrorism thriller, The Girl Who Cried Wolf, is on all eBook platforms. Knucklehead Greens and tough women. Read the prologue at my website, robertferrigno.com.and see for yourself. I wrote the Assassin trilogy a few years ago and I believe every word I write. I start the day with a hot cup of Moron Horde with a shot of Value Right; makes the rest of the day go down easier.
Robert Ferrigno

Uh, Bob, the correct spelling is "Valu-Rite", but we'll let that minor faux pas slide. He didn't ask me to pimp his new book, but I will, anyway. The Girl Who Cried Wolf is available on Kindle for 99 cents. I picked it earlier this week, and let me tell you it's a real page-turner. Very fun. Very recommended.

And as Mr. Ferrigno mentioned, he is also the author of the 'Assassin' trilogy, available here:

Prayers for the Assassin
Sins of the Assassin
Heart of the Assassin

Here is the general milieu of this series, as described in the first novel's blurb:

SEATTLE, 2040. The Space Needle lies crumpled. Veiled women hurry through the busy streets. Alcohol is outlawed, replaced by Jihad Cola, and mosques dot the skyline. New York and Washington, D.C., are nuclear wastelands. Phoenix is abandoned, Chicago the site of a civil war battle. At the edges of the empire, Islamic and Christian forces fight for control of a very different United States...
After simultaneous suitcase-nuke attacks destroy New York, Washington, D.C., and Mecca -- attacks blamed on Israel -- a civil war breaks out. An uneasy truce leaves the nation divided between an Islamic republic with its capital in Seattle, and the Christian Bible Belt in the old South. In this frightening future there are still Super Bowls and Academy Awards, but calls to Muslim prayer echo in the streets and terror is everywhere. Freedom is controlled by the state, paranoia rules, and rebels plot to regain free will...

___________

And speaking of political thrillers, that 'Ulstermann' guy, who's been dishing out inside dirt on the Obama administration, has written a novel, Dominatus, available on Kindle for cheap.

The United States is no moreÂ…and hidden away within the isolated wilderness of AlaskaÂ’s interior resides the tiny community of Dominatus. There lives a small but diverse group of people seeking out simple lives of personal liberty and freedom, but who now face termination under the oppressive and deadly regime of the New United Nations. They will fight and if need be, die for an America that once was. An America before being swallowed up by the monster of tyrannical global governance. An America before the mandates. An America before the government drone killings. An America before ObamaÂ…

Hat tip to jerry's kid in last week's thread for letting me know about this.

Another Moron Author Heard From

I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, so this is a bit of a repeat, but longtime lurker and occasional commenter 'artemis' has written a couple of novels, the first of which, Tainted Angel, is now out in print (Amazon and B&N) and is also available on Nook and Kindle. She tells me

The moronettes in particular may be interested; it's a Regency version of Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The heroine is an agent for the Crown but her spymaster suspects she is "tainted"--a double agent working for Napoleon. Her love interest has his own dark secrets--unless his affection is feigned and he is actually setting a trap to reveal her own treason. The story offers up a compelling game of cat and mouse where no one is who they seem and the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

___________

So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, rumors, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then gmail.com.

So what have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as we all know, life is too short to read lousy books.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:27 AM | Comments (155)
Post contains 1278 words, total size 8 kb.

1 Read "The Stand" a couple months ago and haven't been able to pick anything else up since. Got another King book (Four past Midnight) and some Orson Scott Card short stories last week and trying to figure out which to read next.

Posted by: BK at June 09, 2013 07:31 AM (o87nI)

2 "As always, book thread tips, suggestions, rumors, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse,"

Can we also send you hearsay and innuendo?

I'm sure there's tons of that around here...

Posted by: HH at June 09, 2013 07:33 AM (XXwdv)

3 Oregon Muse I do not recall such a science fiction story dealing with Venus. But that era is still a large swathe of Terra Incognito for me. Author sounds like a Campbell writer however.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 07:33 AM (TCGmg)

4 Try "Men, Martiians & Machines" by Eric Frank Russell

Posted by: Mr. Matamoros at June 09, 2013 07:34 AM (7FScs)

5 Most of the week was spent on Gone With The Wind. I promised a review of that after I finished. I must say that it is too long. I grew bored with it about Â¾ of the way through. Moved on to one that I got cheaply called White Raven by a new Russian author. I didnÂ’t make it through the first chapter. It was awful. Now redoing the Da Vinci Code.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 07:35 AM (lZvxr)

6 The Martian was picked up by a publisher. Won't be available again until Feb.,2014. Word of mouth being what it is , some editor dude must have noticed it was a ripping good read. I guess the author will probably make some real money now.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 07:37 AM (M/TDA)

7 OM, I was trying to do what I did with my Kindle. I would use the computer to purchase the book and then direct it to the Kindle but it just did not want to send it to the Android. Since then I have purchased another book from Amazon and I found that if I ordered it direct from the Android that it went straight in with no problems.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 07:38 AM (lZvxr)

8 June 11th is the official release date of Elizabeth Moon's fourth book in her Paladin's Legacy series. It is titled Limits of Power. I was hoping that at Project A-kon her publisher would have sent a few advance copies to sell, they did not. *mutter-grumble* Which left Elizabeth with only three copies of the 10th Anniversary edition of Speed of Dark to sell at her table. Though she did taunt us with the UK edition of Limits of Power that has the Marshall General on the cover and let drop a few snippets.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 07:38 AM (TCGmg)

9 Read "Sutton" by J. R, Moehringer, per Amazon's recommendation. Excellent novel about Willie "The Actor" Sutton (Why do you rob banks? That's where the money is!) Not a thug. Grew up dirt poor in Brooklyn's Irish areas at the turn of the 20th century. Portrayed as a thoughtful guy. Historical insights. Recommended. *** Became a fan of C. J. Box because of author interviews on the Hugh Hewitt show. Reading his "Breaking Point." His best yet. Particularly enjoyable if you aren't a fan of today's thuggish EPA. Local library re-ordered more copies due to heavy reader demand. Highly recommended for all morons, particularly those who love the West and liberty.

Posted by: Doug at June 09, 2013 07:40 AM (9gPxf)

I finished Sharyn McCrumb's The Ballad of Tom Dooley. My feelings are kind of mixed. I love her books generally, but in this case the story was told through two characters; a Foghorn Leghorn-style frontier politician, but the most of it through a manipulative psychopath. I suppose it's a tour de force in storytelling. There was only one remotely sympathetic person in the whole book.

If I want to read about glad-handing and ambitious politicans and manipulative murderous psychopaths setting up other people for judicial execution, I think I'll stick to reading about current events.

Posted by: Sgt. Mom at June 09, 2013 07:40 AM (PvxhO)

11 Get a Nook. Don't have to deal with BS like the Kindle.

Posted by: SavedFromAbortion1971 at June 09, 2013 07:40 AM (f2ShW)

12 "Jepson fell twenty-five feet at the incredible rate of two vulgar adjectives per foot."

-- MEN, MARTIANS AND MACHINES, by Eric Frank Russell (1955)

Posted by: kent18 at June 09, 2013 07:40 AM (p9sbs)

13 read beck's "control" on the way to maui & passed it along read gaffigan's book "dad is fat" on the way back home.....very funny

Posted by: phoenixgirl@phxazgrl..back home at June 09, 2013 07:40 AM (8JJ6O)

14 Love that optical illusion photo OM.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 07:44 AM (lZvxr)

15 I've read pretty much everything Robert Ferrigno has written. He's always a great read. While his Assassin Trilogy was good and very clever, I tend to favor his pre-Assassin novels. "The Wake-up" is particularly good. And I like "Scavenger Hunt" a lot as well. But, in all honesty, everything he writes is worth reading. The new one sounds like a return to the earlier style. Bought it.

Posted by: Chris Christie's Donut Party at June 09, 2013 07:45 AM (ZR4Xh)

16 Read "The Stand" a couple months ago and haven't been able to pick anything else up since.

BK, The Stand is the only thing he has ever written that was WAS.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 07:47 AM (lZvxr)

17 I actually finished reading two books this week, both of which have a personal tie in to me. The first I finished was "Freedom at Midnight" by Larry Collins and Dominique Pierre and the reason I read it was it was about the partition of Pakistan during which my son in law's grandfather, who died this past week, was almost killed. The book was very well done in describing the violence that accompanied the partition which was part and parcel of India becoming independent of the British Empire. The last quarter of the book was devoted to the assassination of Gandhi, who was opposed to the partition. I was so impressed by the writing of this that I bought of book of their's at a book sale last weekend without particularly caring about the subject matter although I wasn't disinterested in it either.

The other book I read in short order was "The Match: the Day the Game of Golf Changed Forever" by Mark Frost about a match at Cypress Point in 1956 betweeb the professional team of Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan versus the amateurs Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. I had heard about this before from a friend but decided to read it after the death of Venturi, the last one left of the foursome and who I saw win his only major tournament in 1964 at the US Open in Congressional in Bethesda, Maryland where he overcame the sweltering heat and almost collapsing over 36 holes on the final day, which is how the Open used to be conducted. I was just a teenaged kid soaking my bare feet in a pond in the shade while all this was going on with no idea of the historical significance. Plus I've been on the Seventeen Mile Road which wends its way through Cypress Point and it is just a gorgeous setting. The book is superb and should be read by anybody interested in golf or just in sports in general. Venturi was the source of a lot of insight for this; the portraits of all the participants are very vivid particularly Hogan.

Posted by: Dr. Captain Hate at June 09, 2013 07:47 AM (T7jsy)

18 For the 'ettes, I recommend Whitney Gaskell, who is linked on the Main Page sidebar.

Posted by: Phinn at June 09, 2013 07:47 AM (oFH2D)

19 I finished 'The Orphan Master's Son', which I liked. Currently reading 'The Tender Bar', a memoir by J.R. Moehringer. It's about growing up on Long Island, fatherless, and the effect a local bar had on him.

Problem for me is, it's just too pat. He's quoting conversations he had with his mom and various family members like when he was 7yrs old.

Dunno, I'm just kind of suspicious of that sort of recollection.

Posted by: HH at June 09, 2013 07:47 AM (XXwdv)

20 I tried reading "Gone With the Wind" many years ago. Quit about a fourth of the way through. I could not understand what the fuss was about. Booooring!! Definitely one instance of Hollywood improving upon the original.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 07:53 AM (M/TDA)

21 Just finished Empire of the Clouds, a melancholy non-comprehensive look back at the UK's aviation industry from after WW2 until it mostly disappeared in the '60s. Depressing even for a non-Brit.

Posted by: Waterhouse at June 09, 2013 07:53 AM (Kz/r3)

22 To make up for the loss of The Martian (and I do hope Mr. Weir makes buckets of money and read the contract REALLY carefully) allow me to recommend Demon of Undoing by Andrea Alton. It was published years ago and has recently been reissued as a self-pub ebook on Amazon (presumably elsewhere, I didn't check). It is adventure science fiction set on a medieval-tech world populated by sentient, bipedal cat creatures, once contacted by humans. The humans caused so much trouble just by asking questions they were termed Demons. One of the cat people discovers a human, long thought vanished, and the fun starts from there. What makes it particularly enjoyable is it is told entirely from the point of view of the alien, and how strange he thinks humans are. Don't be put off by the blah cover, the story is really good. Editing and proofreading also good (she even fixed some errors from the print version) but the formatting needs a bit of work. It isn't unreadable, just what look like extra spaces due to injudicious use of full justification ;-) I really hope the author writes more...

Posted by: Sabrina Chase at June 09, 2013 07:53 AM (wfSF5)

23 Add me to the list of being less than impressed with "Gone With the Wind". It was one of the reasons I decided to quit the book group that read it.

Posted by: Dr. Captain Hate at June 09, 2013 07:54 AM (T7jsy)

24 It seems if I am not the only one who thought GWTW was too long and too boring. Is it coincidence that all are males?

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 08:00 AM (lZvxr)

25 "Don't be put off by the blah cover,"

Man, a whole Sunday Book Thread could be done about book covers.

Posted by: HH at June 09, 2013 08:02 AM (XXwdv)

26 There is always Outworld Cats by Jack Lovejoy. Two ET gene-engineered cats are stranded in orbit when those pesky Earthlings pay a visit to the satellite. From there the cats are carted off to Earth for study where they promptly escape and get befriended by a truly odd-ball hero and his ward. From there its a romp through the life of a fading Hollywood starlet still with legions of fans to the final showdown on the evil madman's secret island lair.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:02 AM (TCGmg)

27 I read Ferrigno's "Assassin" trilogy. Excellent pacing, believable characters, intelligent plotting, and delightfully un-PC. Highly recommended.

Posted by: Doug at June 09, 2013 08:02 AM (9gPxf)

28 Clark Ashton Smith also thought that Venus was a jungle. Pretty much all the SF authors did.

The early writers did better with Mars, mostly because our telescopes could see the surface: cold, salmon-coloured desert.

Posted by: boulder t'hobo at June 09, 2013 08:04 AM (QTHTd)

29 David Brin, 1998: "The Transparent Society: Will Technology Force Us to Choose between Privacy and Freedom?" Recommended if you want to get the wheels turning on where we go from here. I read it then, so I can't tell you how well it holds up given current events. But it might be worth looking into.

Posted by: Piercello at June 09, 2013 08:05 AM (E/6f0)

30 I finished (finally) Michener's Texas. I'd say about 1/3 of the book interested me, the rest was kind of painful to get through.

Also finished Lois Lowry's The Giver series, which I liked. Of course, being a huge fan of dystopia, was no surprise that I liked them.

Finished the Trace Adkins book, which was fine. Nothing spectacular.

Current reads are Stephen King's new mystery Joyland and a book about the Gambino crime family.

Posted by: Dr. DangerGirl Ph.F.D., B! @deadlyestrogen at June 09, 2013 08:05 AM (GrtrJ)

31 A quite strange item I'm just a short ways into is 'The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success.' There is a certain subset of the population that doesn't function cognitively like the rest of us and are often guilty of horrendous crimes. But they also may be vital to building and maintaining our civilization.

I'm listening to the audio of Peter Hamilton's latest epic SF doorstop, 'The Great North Road.' A highly detailed future setting, a large cast of characters, and a mystery that first seems a simple crime but gets more difficult to solve the more closely it is examined.

A body is found in the river in Newcastle in the 2140s. It has a famous face but that face is worn by several hundred people, a family cloned from a single man that collectively is one of the planet's greatest corporate powers. But no member of the family is found to be missing. That is merely the beginning. I'm only about 30% in but if this was a TV series it would be into the second season already.

Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 08:10 AM (kcfmt)

32 Never cared anything for Michener either.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 08:12 AM (lZvxr)

33 Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 12:10 PM (kcfmt)

Sounds like my kind of book. And if you like SF mysteries, check out the author Jack McDevitt. I really like his stuff.

Posted by: HH at June 09, 2013 08:15 AM (XXwdv)

34 I've about finished the second book in the British Space Empire series, God Emperor of Didcot.

This time the author's mainly lampooning Dune and "religious fanatics" generally. But for all the care he takes to call a jihad a "crusade", it's clear what denomination is most on his mind.

Otherwise it's like the first: decent action set-pieces, great characterisation, too much reliance on direct pop-culture references (less than the first book, though).

Posted by: boulder t'hobo at June 09, 2013 08:15 AM (QTHTd)

35 Currently reading "The Stake" by Richard Laymon". So far, it's a clever twist on the vampire theme. Two couples, who are mutual friends, find the desiccated corpse of a young woman with a stake driven through her heart, while exploring a recently abandoned town. The prologue shows us the scene where the young woman was murdered as seen though the eyes of her killer. Though from the way the scene was written, he could just as easily been a psychopath as he could a vampire slayer. This novel has quite a bit more set-up than the usual Laymon novel as the main character becomes obsessed with the dead woman and finding out who she was, discovering evidence of a serial killer operating twenty years ago in the abandoned town. All the while, his daughter has caught the interest of a current serial killer operating in their town. Obviously, this is all building to the moment and aftermath of pulling "the stake" from the murdered woman's chest. So far, so good, hopefully Laymon has written a clever enough climax to match his build-up.

Posted by: Chris Christie's Donut Party at June 09, 2013 08:16 AM (ZR4Xh)

36 #29

A lot of that book figures into the setting of Brin's recent novel 'Existence.' And in turn, the ideas were first laid out in an earlier Brin novel 'Earth.'

Some stuff in 'Earth' I found a bit uncompelling but it was an interesting look at the future from the mid-90s perspective, as 'Existence' will likely reflect much about our era when looked upon fifteen years hence. The future can only be viewed through the present if it is to be believable. The accomplishment is in how long your vision takes to become quaint. Then the next accomplishment is to still be read in spite of that.

Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 08:16 AM (kcfmt)

37 DangerGirl, did you get a doctorate for reals? I missed that. If so, congrats

Posted by: boulder t'hobo at June 09, 2013 08:16 AM (QTHTd)

38 We started our eldest off on a few Heinlein juveniles (Tunnel In The Sky and Starman Jones). He just finished fourth grade, but his reading comprehension's been tested at beyond 12th grade level. I think I read 'Have Space Suit Will Travel' in about third grade, so I don't doubt he can handle it but whether they'll hold his attention is another thing.

Posted by: zsasz at June 09, 2013 08:17 AM (MMC8r)

39 Piercello might as well read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash where the US is balkanized, the CIA is a subscription information service, some people are fully wired into the Metaverse[Internet] who are called gargoyles for the gear they carry[Google glasses anyone just chunkier], and there is a guy who is trying to control all humans via code written for the deep brain. And the only people standing in his way? A ex-Costa Nostra Pizza delivery guy named Hero with a katana and a SoCal skater-chick named YT.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:19 AM (TCGmg)

40 Eric Frank Russell like to "crack wise". I enjoyed The Space Willies and The Wasp.

Posted by: Bertram Cabot Jr. at June 09, 2013 08:19 AM (fnPRp)

41 37 DangerGirl, did you get a doctorate for reals? I missed that. If so, congrats
Posted by: boulder t'hobo at June 09, 2013 12:16 PM (QTHTd)

LOL no. It's a leftover from a thread earlier this week about some lib woman who faked her CV, stating she had a doctorate when she didn't. Then blamed it on a low-level employee. Guess it's time to change it.

Posted by: Dr. DangerGirl Ph.F.D., B! @deadlyestrogen at June 09, 2013 08:21 AM (GrtrJ)

I read a book when I was a kid about an alien who came to earth with the idea of conquest in mind. He could adopt a human appearence but his nervous system was not compatable with human reaction.

He kidnaps a human and demands that he bring his nervous system into accord. The human teaches him all the great all the great art and philosophy that humans have acquired and releases him knowing that he can never survive with that as a basis.

I do not the name of the book or the author but would very much like to find it again. Perhaps a fellow moron can help.

Posted by: Libra at June 09, 2013 08:21 AM (q5QAW)

43 #28

Pretty much goes back to Burroughs and 'Carson of Venus.' 19th Century astronomers figured what they were seeing was a lot like some of Earth's rain forests as seen from high in the mountains, under perpetual mist. It's become a metaphor for how our stories evolve as our factual knowledge changes, with some facts occasionally getting replaced by better informed facts.

Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 08:22 AM (kcfmt)

44 Great optical illusion picture for this thread, stolen straight from the pages of Mad Magazine!

Posted by: Ed Anger at June 09, 2013 08:22 AM (tOkJB)

45 Vic, I found GWTW a tedious read also. Not to mention I wanted to slap the shit out of Scarlett for the majority of the book.

Also, when you purchase an Amazon book on your computer, does it not give you a little dropdown menu on the right under the "buy now with 1-click" button where you can choose which device to send it to? That's how I send my books right to my Android when I buy them.

Posted by: Dr. DangerGirl Ph.F.D., B! @deadlyestrogen at June 09, 2013 08:24 AM (GrtrJ)

46 There was also a series by SM, Sterling, that was set in the near future, on the old style vision of Mars, ala Barsoom, and Venus as jungle world.

Posted by: Admiral Marcus at June 09, 2013 08:24 AM (Jsiw/)

47 Clark Ashton Smith also thought that Venus was a jungle. Pretty much all the SF authors did.

Posted by: boulder t'hobo at June 09, 2013 12:04 PM (QTHTd)

They weren't the only ones. As a senior in highschool the science club visited Martin-Marietta and talked to guys who'd worked on the moon landing projects and the Venus probe(s?). A guy who'd been part of the Venus project told how everyone had cheered as the probe went through the clouds and saw *green* land (and then they all felt sick as they realized the cameras were adjusted incorrectly, and then the probe was destroyed by the toxic atmosphere).

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette, assault Hobbit at June 09, 2013 08:24 AM (lVb7s)

48 @Anna/epo, Thanks, I'll have to look those up. I just finished binge-reading my Gibson collection, so I might be in the right frame of mind. Another gritty dystopian sci-fi trilogy I like is the one by Richard K. Morgan: Altered Carbon Fallen Angels Woken Furies

Posted by: Piercello at June 09, 2013 08:27 AM (E/6f0)

49 After finishing "The Martian" I turned to the first book of Ms. Chase's Seqyoyah trilogy and another moron recommendation , "Written in Red" by Anne Bishop. Enjoying both thoroughly .

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 08:27 AM (M/TDA)

50 Not to mention I wanted to slap the shit out of Scarlett for the majority of the book.

My feelings exactly. The book was too much Scarlet petty crap and too little Civil War.

As for the other, yes, I had those drop down choices on the Amazon page but it simply refused to recognize a "click" for the android. But like I said, I have got another book since then using the Android itself to place the order and everything went like clockwork. (Except the book was crap but I only paid $2.00 for it)

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 08:28 AM (lZvxr)

51 Dig out some of the old stories by Leigh Brackett for tales of lush Venus and desolate Mars. Along with intelligent life on Ganymede and other moons.

Polliwogette even though they had the wrong filter on that probe's camera, at least it reached its destination. One of the early Martian probes, Mariner 6 or something, went off track because one comma was left out of the code.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:28 AM (TCGmg)

52 A question for the Moron Literary Horde.

Was Scarlett the first emo? Or just a drama queen?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:30 AM (TCGmg)

53 My husband, son and I started the senior AP required texts: Othello, Heart of Darkness and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. My son chose those instead of Pride and Prejudice and Rebecca. Heavily skewed to the girls, yes.

Posted by: NCKate at June 09, 2013 08:31 AM (nVCJW)

54 Long I have no problem with in a novel. I plugged Peter Hamilton's latest, after all. But boring? There is a long list of critically beloved and quite short works I either forced my way through or just gave up. I can only image what it would be like having a conversation with some of these authors if a narrative under their complete control is so tortuous. There are some obscure writers who were first with ideas that caught on big later when a writer with a more interesting style took them on. It can be sad to realize this person was a very original thinker but a terrible writer.

Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 08:31 AM (kcfmt)

55 *bangs head into keyboard*

Hub showing an episode of Shezow. Japanese doujinshi or even yaoi writers would have Shezow or her male self getting legs spread. And that would then get made into an anime.

*thud*

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:36 AM (TCGmg)

56 americathreepointzero.com. America 3.0. The Ace Army would like it.

Posted by: jeff at June 09, 2013 08:37 AM (MOSsR)

57 Read Open Range because I liked the movie (and because I share a last name with the author (no relation, tho), and because I was doing some research and was reading anything/everything Western), and man, oh, man. Perhaps if I hadn't already read scores of better western novels, or maybe if I hadn't read ANY novels.... Aw, who am I kidding? Open Range, the book, sucks out loud.

The author, Lauran Paine, should not be punished, however. His publishers, who somehow encouraged him to write over 900 books, should be.

Seriously, who the fuck writes NINE HUNDRED books? And how does one not get any friggin' better at something after practicing it 900 freakin' times?

And I'm pretty sure I'm not all pissed because I've written two books, and that asshole wrote NINE FUCKING HUNDRED.

Posted by: jwpaine @PirateBallerina at June 09, 2013 08:37 AM (/lWM8)

58 Hub showing an episode of Shezow. I saw an ad for that watching 'The Aquabat Supershow.' My first thought was 'really??'

Posted by: zsasz at June 09, 2013 08:41 AM (MMC8r)

59 Was Scarlett the first emo? Or just a drama queen?

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 12:30 PM (TCGmg)

More like a spoiled little rich girl combined with an emo.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 08:41 AM (lZvxr)

60 Listened to the entire Sequoyah trilogy last week. The theme of finding a home (sometimes in surprising places) resonates at the moment since wherever I end up at will be the first place chosen without John. While he was alive wherever he was *was* home and having to find a new definition makes the series have special impact right now.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette, assault Hobbit at June 09, 2013 08:42 AM (lVb7s)

61 I love that movie Open Range. I guess another case of the script writers fixing a crap novel.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 08:43 AM (lZvxr)

62 55 I, too, love the long epic novel. Sharon Kay Penman's "When Christ and His Saints Slept" comes first to mind. So many more I could spend an hour going through them. "Gone With the Wind" though was just blah. I couldn't find one character that I cared enough about to justify finishing the book. Back to the library it went.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 08:44 AM (M/TDA)

63 61 Love that movie.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 08:46 AM (M/TDA)

64 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shezow

Wow. I have to check that out just to see how they handle things. Is there an underlying message about being nice to crossdressers? Of course, if the ring actually switched his mind into the body of an adult superheroine, he'd never leave the house. At least, not until he heard about lesbian bars.

Ever read 'Empowered' with the supporting character Maid Man? Essentially Batman if he wore a French Maid costume and had a mop as his primary weapon. No super powers but nobody in the Super Homies fails to take him seriously. Also the only Super Homie who treats the main character decently.

Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 08:46 AM (kcfmt)

65 Dear Old Mom thought she was Scarlett O'Hara.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy, who did not vote for this shit at June 09, 2013 08:47 AM (0HooB)

66 Well that was very disappointing for an episode. Shezow stops a bank robbery and decides to nick some money. When Guy's sister gives him grief over it. What does he do, uses his Shezow powers to sneak the money back. Do we really want that as 'entertainment' for the kids? Some example especially since he does sneak the money back.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:47 AM (TCGmg)

67
61 I love that movie Open Range. I guess another case of the script writers fixing a crap novel.
Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 12:43 PM (lZvxr)

Me too. The novel, as it turns out, serves as a character list and a basic plot skeleton for the movie. Pretty much everything you like about the movie is not in the book.

Posted by: jwpaine @PirateBallerina at June 09, 2013 08:54 AM (/lWM8)

68 I guess I killed the thread. Kei, Yuri some help here.

"It wasn't our fault!!!" - Kei and Yuri.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 08:55 AM (TCGmg)

69 Has anyone's kids read a series called divergent? It is a dystopian future a la hunger games written by a girl in college. It sounds really bad from some amazon reviews but there is a girl in my sons class who is urging all the 5 th graders to read it. So was wondering if anyone here had heard about it or read it?

Posted by: Paranoidgirlinseattle at June 09, 2013 08:55 AM (C8G4S)

70 67 Duvall and Costner work very well together. Wish they'd get together again for another movie.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 08:57 AM (M/TDA)

71 68 Morons must be out mowing their grass.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 08:58 AM (M/TDA)

72 Yup it's pretty much a dead thread.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 08:59 AM (M/TDA)

73 Positively

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:00 AM (M/TDA)

74 My mother loved GWTW (book and movie). Even convinced my great grandmother who was living with us at the time to read the book. She was born in 1888 and hated all things Yankee. She liked the book.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 09:00 AM (lZvxr)

75 Absolutely

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:00 AM (M/TDA)

76 I've never read nor seen GWTW. Is that a bad thing?

Posted by: Vendette (formerly I lurk, therefore I am) at June 09, 2013 09:00 AM (08XhI)

77 74 Aha. A spark of life remains

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:01 AM (M/TDA)

78 Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb the author of The Black Swan has much to offer the Moron Horde. The iatrogenics of big (and small) government is a big topic.

Posted by: tmitsss at June 09, 2013 09:01 AM (XjLzL)

79 Iain Banks died. Just found out. That's a huge loss.

Posted by: Todd Wiley at June 09, 2013 09:02 AM (lrkg9)

80 PGiS I am reading that interview with Roth on Amazon for the first book. As was said at the writer panels at A-kon, the more you write the more your true voice is heard. And frankly Roth seems to be a situational ethicist as she flatly says the books are her therapy for trying to be 'good' for her family and God.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:02 AM (TCGmg)

81 PGiS, I read the first two books in the Divergent series. I dunno, I liked them just fine. It's pretty action packed but I don't think I'd compare it so much to Hunger Games.

For YA dystopia, I'd recommend that series for a kid who liked that kind of stuff. Also the Legend Series and the Maze Runner series were pretty good, IMO.

Posted by: Dr. DangerGirl Ph.F.D., B! @deadlyestrogen at June 09, 2013 09:03 AM (GrtrJ)

82 76 Classic movie. Still enjoyable after all these years. Great performances. Beautiful costumes,music and set design. Memorable sweeping camera work . Catch it next time it's on TCM.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:04 AM (M/TDA)

83
70 67 Duvall and Costner work very well together. Wish they'd get together again for another movie.
Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 12:57 PM (M/TDA)

Agreed. But Duvall works great with anyone. I'd watch the next Twilight POS if Robert Duvall was in it.

As they are with Sam Elliott, Western movie producers should be contractually obligated to include Duvall in every film.

Posted by: jwpaine @PirateBallerina at June 09, 2013 09:04 AM (/lWM8)

84 First!

Posted by: Colossus at June 09, 2013 09:06 AM (ZR4Xh)

85 83 Sam Elliott. That voice.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:06 AM (M/TDA)

86 Try again refugee from The Forbin Project.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:06 AM (TCGmg)

87 Hey 'Rons and 'ettes. I too liked Open Range; interesting the book is crap. I'd say writing 900 books may just make you a formatic writer, a churner, and therefore likely to put out incomplete or poorly formed work. ?

Posted by: Yip at June 09, 2013 09:08 AM (/jHWN)

88 Ferrigno for 99 cents? Well I paid full price for the Kindle edition and got my money's worth. The Assassin Trilogy is awesome.

Posted by: tmitsss at June 09, 2013 09:09 AM (XjLzL)

89 Sam Elliot and Duvall together, now that would be a good one.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 09:09 AM (lZvxr)

90 >>> As they are with Sam Elliott, Western movie producers should be contractually obligated to include Duvall in every film. With Brian Dennehy as the Great Plains.

Posted by: fluffy at June 09, 2013 09:10 AM (z9HTb)

91 Also a shout out for what I'm reading , Rick Atkinson's The Guns at Last Light.. third in trilogy on WWII. Reading about the D-Day landings this last week was great. I wish I had more time set aside to read.. it's taking great effort to force myself to sit and read like I'd like to...

Posted by: Yip at June 09, 2013 09:10 AM (/jHWN)

92 Reading "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds" by Charles Mackay. Got one the of the free versions, so it does not include figures nor translate the Latin and French quotes in footnotes. Too cheap to see if any of the paid versions do. Most famous quote is from the Preface "Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one". Just finished the chapter on Nicholas Flamel, famous Potter character and apparently a real life person as well.

Posted by: Fredlike at June 09, 2013 09:10 AM (tatZs)

93 Jeez, I've managed to kill a thread without simultaneously incurring the creation of a new one. I haz broke da innernetz! Behuld my werk, ye mitee, and despare!

Posted by: jwpaine @PirateBallerina at June 09, 2013 09:10 AM (/lWM8)

94 89 Would it ever!! Two crusty cowpokes on the trail. Love the idea. Let's all write a script.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:11 AM (M/TDA)

95 Do magazines count? Like I have time to read a book.

Posted by: ALH at June 09, 2013 09:11 AM (xEAGD)

96 The husband unit and I watched all 8 hours of Lonesome Dove a few weeks ago.

Posted by: ALH at June 09, 2013 09:12 AM (xEAGD)

97 I have a book question for the literati of the Horde. Has anyone read the "Temeraire" books by Naomi Novik? The plot revolves around the Napoleonic Wars, but with dragons thrown in for good measure. I saw it mentioned on Amazon, it seems to have won some awards and the comments on Amazon seem positive, for the most part.

Anyone read this series and have an opinion?

Posted by: Pave Low John at June 09, 2013 09:12 AM (3l3rg)

98 95 They count. Just read.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:12 AM (M/TDA)

99 86 Try again refugee from The Forbin Project. Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 01:06 PM (TCGmg) After you learn that freedom is simply a construct of ego, you will learn to love and accept my processor-based humor as your own.

Posted by: Colossus at June 09, 2013 09:13 AM (ZR4Xh)

100 If the characters are good, the story interesting, and the writer can craft words; then the book will kidnap you thus time has no importance then.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:14 AM (TCGmg)

101 The husband unit and I watched all 8 hours of Lonesome Dove a few weeks ago.

Posted by: ALH at June 09, 2013 01:12 PM (xEAGD)

I have that one too but I hated the ending.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 09:14 AM (lZvxr)

102 Just finished the first book in the Assassins series and starting the next one. Really interesting premise.

Posted by: Smc1225 at June 09, 2013 09:16 AM (/g5vp)

103 Oh dear bless its cold silica based heart it has no idea... ask those lovely boys on the Newport City SWAT about me. Or better yet Leona Ozaki but her comments will probably blister paint.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:17 AM (TCGmg)

104 ot: Could it be that this most corrupt Admin ever leaked the NSA data collection program to take public attention and pressure off the IRS and Benghazi scandals? Wouldn't put it past SCOAMF and his acolytes to expose the American public to danger by leaking national security information in order to save his lazy ass. Finally, somebody on Geraldo's show last night raised the issue of SCOAMF's whereabouts during Benghazi and contrasted the great secrecy on that question with the mass publication of his presence in the Situation Room during the Bin Laden raid. I'll say it again, there's no reason for SCOAMF to be so secretive about his whereabouts unless he was with...da da...REGGIE LOVE

Posted by: MoeRon at June 09, 2013 09:19 AM (Ty7eg)

105

>>Has anyone's kids read a series called divergent?

Don't know that one.

My daughter just started a series about owls. Never heard of it before, but there was a movie called "Guardians of Ga'Hoole".

My youngest wants me to read one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books to him. I really don't enjoy those, but all 3 kids love them.

Posted by: Mama AJ at June 09, 2013 09:20 AM (SUKHu)

106 I have a question.....

When I go through the AOSHQ Amazon store, the price for The Assassin Trilogy serious is $7.19 per book.....when I go direct through Amazon, the price is $6.83 per book.

I realize it's not a huge difference but why a difference at all?

Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at June 09, 2013 09:20 AM (X6akg)

107 serious (you guys) = series (you guys)

Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at June 09, 2013 09:22 AM (X6akg)

108 Danger girl thanks. I think I may borrow one and read it before I let my son read it. Anna puma yeah the objections on amazon reviews to the book seemed to be about her casting of the brave types to be huge jerks and making science and reason out to be bad things. But the kids are devouring the series and I think it isn't quite appropriate for 5th graders. I find myself too suspicious of author's politics and what they want to subtly or not so subtly influence kids into believing these days.

Posted by: Paranoidgirlinseattle at June 09, 2013 09:24 AM (ETCgz)

109 I'm listening to the audio of Peter Hamilton's latest epic SF doorstop
Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 12:10 PM (kcfmt)

Heh, he does write gigantic tomes. I tried to read a couple of his books, but he seems to really like having advanced societies engage in sexual orgies... While that is an AoSHQ(TM) Approved lifestyle, it's really annoying how often he inserts that into his books.

Posted by: KG at June 09, 2013 09:24 AM (IPz9m)

110 I realize it's not a huge difference but why a difference at all?

Posted by: Tami at June 09, 2013 01:20 PM (X6akg)

probably Ace's cut.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 09:24 AM (lZvxr)

111 105 That they have that many scandals to use to take the heat off the previous scandal is in itself scandalous.

Posted by: Tuna at June 09, 2013 09:25 AM (M/TDA)

112 I saw there was a request to link to my book in the ONT after I went to sleep last night. If Beckoning Chasm is reading this the link is

http://www.amazon.com/My-Teachers-are-Zombies-ebook/dp/B00CKJ70AW

Purposeful perusal of the defining demonstrational copy is considered quite kind.

Posted by: Tom In Korea at June 09, 2013 09:25 AM (oJkTX)

113 We have a storm moving in from the South so I may have to bail out of here soon.

Posted by: Vic at June 09, 2013 09:26 AM (lZvxr)

114 Let's all write a script.
And all the sentences can only be three words long!

Let me start:
Jim bent over.

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:27 AM (9+vDU)

115 Let's all write a script. And all the sentences can only be three words long! Let me start: Jim bent over. Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 01:27 PM (9+vDU) His back hurt.

Posted by: Vendette (formerly I lurk, therefore I am) at June 09, 2013 09:28 AM (08XhI)

116 97: Yes, I've read the Temeraire books, and really like them. The dragons are very different from what you normally see. The fighting ones are crewed, like ships, and the protagonist in Temeraire's Captain. They're written, as best I can tell, in the style of that time, which took me some getting used to, but it works quite well. The series is in my multiple-readings category, if that helps.

Posted by: Empire1 at June 09, 2013 09:28 AM (YbMyN)

117 Jim bent over. His back hurt. "First!", he cried.

Posted by: Colossus at June 09, 2013 09:30 AM (ZR4Xh)

118 >>> When I go through the AOSHQ Amazon store, the price for The Assassin Trilogy serious is $7.19 per book.....when I go direct through Amazon, the price is $6.83 per book. Going through the AOSHQ store, did you end up at the paperback?

Posted by: fluffy at June 09, 2013 09:30 AM (z9HTb)

119 Pudding was soothing.

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:31 AM (9+vDU)

120 Jim bent over. His back hurt. "First!", he cried. Pudding was soothing. Who is she?

Posted by: Vendette (formerly I lurk, therefore I am) at June 09, 2013 09:32 AM (08XhI)

121

Jim bent over.

His back hurt.

"First!", he cried.

Pudding was soothing.

(His balls burned).

Posted by: dudenolongerinsantacruz at June 09, 2013 09:32 AM (ZCu9v)

122 121 Jim bent over. His back hurt. "First!", he cried. Pudding was soothing. Who is she? Jim asked, wondering.

Posted by: Piercello at June 09, 2013 09:33 AM (E/6f0)

123 This might be interesting - The Undead Hordes of Kan-Gul.

About a ninja, a sorceress, Japan, Korea, and the undead.
http://tinyurl.com/q2erwed

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:34 AM (TCGmg)

124 Never mind.....one is the paperback ($7.19) and the $6.83 is the e-book.

Looks like you can't get the e-books through the AOS store link. Odd.

Posted by: Tami[/i][/b][/u][/s] at June 09, 2013 09:34 AM (X6akg)

125 Jim bent over. His back hurt. "First!", he cried. Pudding was soothing. Who is she? Jim asked, wondering. My mother-in-law!

Posted by: Vendette (formerly I lurk, therefore I am) at June 09, 2013 09:35 AM (08XhI)

126

>>I realize it's not a huge difference but why a difference at all?

Val-u-Rite is spelled correctly in the more expensive version.

Posted by: Mama AJ at June 09, 2013 09:35 AM (SUKHu)

127 Jim bent over.

His back hurt.

"First!", he cried.

Pudding was soothing.

"Who is she?"

Jim asked, wondering.

"Just some bitch."

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:36 AM (9+vDU)

128 #110

It's just a symbol of hedonism. past or future. Wherever there is wealth and power a Caligula is waiting to be born.

Posted by: epobirs at June 09, 2013 09:36 AM (kcfmt)

129 [Mother-in-law line works along with my late addition left intact.]

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:37 AM (9+vDU)

130 Or a Borgia Pope and his chestnuts.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:38 AM (TCGmg)

131 Triptych Jim thought.

Posted by: Anna Puma (+SmuD) at June 09, 2013 09:39 AM (TCGmg)

132 6 The Martian was picked up by a publisher. I hope somebody tacks a decent ending on the book. The guy fantasizes about women while he's marooned (hey, how appropriate is THAT word here?) and then doesn't even get laid when he gets back!

Posted by: Ray Van Dune at June 09, 2013 09:47 AM (qIFL7)

133 Triptych Jim thought. New thread! Runs.

Posted by: Vendette (formerly I lurk, therefore I am) at June 09, 2013 09:48 AM (08XhI)

134 BTW, the Borgias TV series has been cancelled. There will be no fourth season.

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:50 AM (9+vDU)

135 Doh! Into barrel.

Posted by: [iandycanuck[/i] at June 09, 2013 09:50 AM (9+vDU)

136 Still in barrel.

Posted by: [i]andycanuck[/i] at June 09, 2013 09:50 AM (9+vDU)

137 Finally! It's fixed.

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:51 AM (9+vDU)

138 Triptych Jim thought. New thread! Runs. MIL joins barrel.

Posted by: Vendette (formerly I lurk, therefore I am) at June 09, 2013 09:51 AM (08XhI)

139 New thread! Runs.
See you later.

Posted by: andycanuck at June 09, 2013 09:52 AM (9+vDU)

140 Iain Banks died. He wrote a number of books, including one of my favorites, Crow Road. Unfortunately, Banks, true to his scots roots, was a bit of a shit in that he spent some of his last moments railing against Israel.

Posted by: waldo at June 09, 2013 09:56 AM (dHIHO)

141 Forgot this: http://goo.gl/fKylS

Posted by: waldo at June 09, 2013 09:57 AM (dHIHO)

142 Just picked up Sharon Penman's latest, "Lionheart", about Richard vs. Saladin during the Third Crusade. I enjoyed her earlier books about the English royalty during the Middle Ages especially after giving up on George R. R. "Gasbag" Martin's bogged down series. His bloviating doesn't hold a candle to real historical events. Skullduggery, treachery. brutality, back-stabbing were a feature of medieval times, and I begin to understand one of the motives of the Crusades, to get a lot of troublesome nobility the hell out of Europe. Just as much ,or more, political motivations rather than religious.

Posted by: JHW at June 09, 2013 09:57 AM (B38OD)

143 Re-reading "The Perfect Machine - Building the Palomar Telescope" - Ronald Florence, 1994. I can't add much to the citation by some guy who wrote passable sci-fi: "A perfect job of science writing for the general public. Over to you, Pulitzer Prize Committee." - Arthur C. Clarke Gives me an excuse to mention that I saw the most effective keep-off-the-grass sign EVAR when I visited Palomar back in the day. It didn't try to tell me what to do at all: it just had one word on it as it stood in the long grasses bordering the sidewalk. The word was "RATTLESNAKES". I wonder if they have changed it now to read "Eric Holder"?

Posted by: Ray Van Dune at June 09, 2013 10:03 AM (qIFL7)

144 Hello morons and moronettes, anyone remember that guy who wrote Injured Reserves? Is he up to anything recently?

Posted by: Yoshi, Aggrieved Victim of the White Man at June 09, 2013 10:18 AM (dh83Q)

145 Posted by: waldo at June 09, 2013 01:56 PM (dHIHO) Huh. I just picked up Use of Weapons, haven't read too far though.

Posted by: Yoshi, Aggrieved Victim of the White Man at June 09, 2013 10:19 AM (dh83Q)

146 The Girl Who Cried Wolf was pretty good. (Still wanted her to be a werewolf but...) ALSO New book out by Wen Spencer called "Eight Million Gods." (I still like Alien Taste and her Ukiah Oregon books the best but she did sort of write herself into a corner by book 4). "Eight Million Gods" was great, though. Especially if you're into Japanese culture, Anime or Manga.

Posted by: Synova at June 09, 2013 10:21 AM (7/PU+)

147 To make up for the loss of The Martian (and I do hope Mr. Weir makes buckets of money and read the contract REALLY carefully) allow me to recommend Demon of Undoing by Andrea Alton. It was published years ago and has recently been reissued as a self-pub ebook on Amazon (presumably elsewhere, I didn't check). It is adventure science fiction set on a medieval-tech world populated by sentient, bipedal cat creatures, once contacted by humans. The humans caused so much trouble just by asking questions they were termed Demons. One of the cat people discovers a human, long thought vanished, and the fun starts from there. What makes it particularly enjoyable is it is told entirely from the point of view of the alien, and how strange he thinks humans are. Don't be put off by the blah cover, the story is really good. Editing and proofreading also good (she even fixed some errors from the print version) but the formatting needs a bit of work. It isn't unreadable, just what look like extra spaces due to injudicious use of full justification ;-) I really hope the author writes more... Posted by: Sabrina Chase at June 09, 2013 11:53 AM (wfSF5) Sounds familiar. I think I read that story many, many moons ago.

Posted by: eman at June 09, 2013 10:23 AM (cQ4xo)

148 I have two that I just checked out, and I think they look good. The first is "The Year Without Summer: 1816 And the Volcano that Darkened the World and Changed History" by William and Nicholas Klingaman. I've always been fascinated about that year. This covers the affects of the cold weather in the US and Europe.

There's also "To Save Everything, Click Here" by Evgeny Morozov. It's an anti-technology screed and I always find those interesting. We are told that Silicon Valley has the solution to all of life's problems. Refreshing to hear that it doesn't.

Posted by: notsothoreau at June 09, 2013 10:27 AM (Lqy/e)

149 147 Posted by: waldo at June 09, 2013 01:56 PM (dHIHO) Huh. I just picked up Use of Weapons, haven't read too far though. Posted by: Yoshi, Aggrieved Victim of the White Man at June 09, 2013 02:19 PM (dh83Q) They also made a miniseries out of Crow Road which I highly recommend. Banks had a back ache in January which he attributed to poor posture and his computer. He went to the doctor and found out he had cancer of the gallbladder. It happened very fast.

Posted by: waldo at June 09, 2013 10:53 AM (araOs)

150 reading "Filth" by Irvine Walsh... the guy that did "Trainspotting"-- man, once you can get used to him writing in like phonetic Scottish/English it's a great novel... kinda like "Bad Lieutenant"-- recommended

Posted by: tomc at June 09, 2013 11:47 AM (avEuh)

151 When fedgov won't help, it's everyday guys versus punk jihadists -- for starters. http://herbork.com/2013/05/02/piece-of-resistance-matters-to-men/
Men are back. Tell your neighbors.

Posted by: herbork at June 09, 2013 12:22 PM (t1s5e)

152 Went into the local Barnes and Noble this forenoon to pick up Ferrigno's Assassin series, nothing on the shelves and only one available to order. Also tried to buy the book one of the co-blos has been talking about, To Set The Record Straight: something something , about the Swift Boat Veterans. Not on the shelves and not showing up in the B&N database.

Posted by: motionview at June 09, 2013 02:00 PM (6Tbb5)

153 For anyone with an audible.com account who haven't read Weir's 'The Martian', the narrator does a really good job with it. It is interesting how many people don't like the coda at the end of the story, I thought it was perfect.

Posted by: waelse1 at June 09, 2013 02:00 PM (cPZ9o)

154 My recommendation, although I'm only a few chapters in, is:

"An Unlikely Prince: The Life and Times of Machiavelli" by Niccolo Capponi, a direct descendent.

Gives one the inside story of the setting of Machiavelli's Florence. A little rough on the translation and a few too many Italian words but passable and with some great insights into Italian politics of the times. M comes off as a social climber with political ambitions but turned to writing - "He who can, does. He who can't, teaches."

As to GWTW, I finished it and was surprised how much more than just a chick book it was. One needs to look at the history of Reconstruction to understand the insights of the period. Growing up in the Deep South, half the women thought they were Scarlett and the other half Melanie.

As to "Texas" I was put off in many parts too. A much better use of one's time is Fehernbach's "Lone Star" a straight non-fiction history.

Posted by: Whitehall at June 09, 2013 02:55 PM (k876Y)

155 Eric Frank Russell is always a treat. When I was a teen, I read a novel called _The Secret of the Martian Moons_. I believe it was by Donald A. Wollheim. An exploration mission from Earth arrives at Mars, and lands on one of the moons; it turns out that it is hollow and humanoid aliens live inside. In fact I think it was an alien spacecraft that somehow got stranded in Mars orbit (yeah right). And in fact the other moon was also an alien spacecraft, from another alien faction, and they have been there since long before humans invented telescopes. I guess they must be pretty low on supplies by now. The high point of the book, for me, was when the protagonist was equipped with a ray gun and told to go shoot one of the aliens of the other faction. He wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but he kind of didn't trust the alien who gave him the blaster. He started wondering why the aliens didn't just use the blaster themselves... why get him to use it? He reasoned that maybe it spewed so much radiation that it was hazardous to the user as well as to the target. So, when the moment of truth arrived, instead of pulling the trigger, he threw the blaster with great force at the head of his target, and knocked the alien out cold. Later it turned out that the "blaster" was a dummy, and nothing would have happened had he pulled the trigger; in his suspicion he succeeded at a mission he was intended to fail. I have no idea how well this book would hold up... maybe it would be cheesy if I read it now, but I greatly enjoyed it then.

Posted by: mr_jack at June 09, 2013 03:02 PM (P0N+7)

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