Ace of Spades HQ

September 29, 2013

Sunday Morning Book Thread 09-29-2013: The Next Action Hero [OregonMuse]
— Open Blogger

Good morning morons and moronettes and welcome to AoSHQ's prestigious Sunday Morning Book Thread.

Ripped From The Sidebar!

OK, so I've always been intrigued by England's preeminent scientist Isaac Newton being commissioned by the crown to track down counterfeiters. earlier this week, this story was linked in the sidebar that gives a brief overview of how Newton accomplished this task. One counterfeiter in particular, William Chaloner, was not easy to stop:

By September 1697, Newton had enough evidence to lock Chaloner upÂ—but not for long. Working through intermediaries inside the prison and out, Chaloner bribed the prosecutionÂ’s star witness into fleeing to Scotland. Chaloner was released and accused Newton of framing an innocent man.

So, when the going gets tough, the tough amp it up to 11:

Acting more the grizzled sheriff than an esteemed scientist, Newton bribed crooks for information. He started making threats. He leaned on the wives and mistresses of ChalonerÂ’s crooked associates. In short, he became the Dirty Harry of 17th-century London.

This may be a bit of overreach: I don't think Sir Isaac went around shooting bad guys right and left, but I think the movie version would have him busting into the boudoir of some underworld punk's mistress and slapping her around a bit. But he wouldn't sex her up. The reason for this is because, as far as history can tell, Isaac Newton never sexed anybody up. He remained celibate for all of his life until the day he got laid in his grave.

The upshot of all of this is that someone did write a novel about Newton's adventures as a bad-ass enforcer for the Exchequer: Newton and the Counterfeiter: The Unknown Detective Career of the World's Greatest Scientist by Thomas Levenson.

Here is a snipped of an interview of the author where he describes some of his research:

But of all the wellsprings of this book, none were more important than the file it took me over a year to find. I knew that some of the records Isaac Newton's criminal interrogations survived, because I found reference to them in a couple of the older biographies and other secondary sources. But in the reorganization of British official records that took place in the decades after World War II, the cataloguing systems for Mint files had undergone enough changes that this crucial set of documents had slipped out of sight of the contemporary Newton scholarly community. I managed to track it down to its current location in the Public Records Office, and then I had writer's gold: more than four hundred separate documents, most countersigned by Newton himself, that allowed me to retrace his steps as a criminal investigator informer by informer. Most fortunately--NewtonÂ’s nephew-in-law reported that he helped his wife's uncle burn many of his Mint interrogation records. But the entire Chaloner case remained in the one surviving folder, and it made for fascinating, gripping reading. Once Newton realized how formidable an opponent he had in Chaloner, he proved relentless in reconstructing not just particular crimes, but the whole architecture of counterfeiting and coining as it was practiced in London in the 1690s. You get to see, smell, hear how the bad guys worked, in their own words, as elicited by a man who (surprise!) proved to be exceptionally good at extracting the evidence he needed to solve a problem.

All movies are now action movies, pretty much, right? So I'd like to see Sir Isaac jumping out of a window a split-second ahead of a massive explosion, breakneck chases through the back streets of London, bullets ricocheting all over the place, and maybe throw in some Matrix-style martial arts. Totally ridiculous, but I'd watch it.

Warning: Real Interlekshul Stuff Ahead

In looking around for information on Newton's rampage against counterfeiting, I ran stumbled upon the Action Philosopher series of comic books. Seems that a couple of comic book artists put out a multi-volume series of comics that gave an overview of western philosophy from Plato to Derrida. I thought this would be perfect for morons who (a) can't read or (b) get intimidated and confused by books with no pictures in them.

A single-volume compilation of all the volumes of this series is available on Amazon.

Here is an interview with the authors of the Action Philosophers series. These are the same guys who put together the Six Degrees of Francis Bacon poster, which claims to link up

the entire history of literature...From God to Hemingway to Kafka to Danielle Steel, the 50 greatest names in the history of literature are here depicted, described (Charles Dickens Â“accidentally sang a Christmas carol to Philip Roth,Â” for example), and inevitably related to Francis (and his good pal Kevin) Bacon by no more than six degrees.

It's pretty silly, but you can see this poster for yourself here.

New Book By Brandon Sanderson

No, it's not the sequel to The Way of Kings, dang it. This one is entitled Steelheart and is apparently the start of yet another sci-fi/fantasy series.

Here's the teaser in the e-mail I received from the Barnes & Noble NOOK list:

Ten years ago, the Calamity gave extraordinary powers to some ordinary people-and they became the Epics. Steelheart is the one Epic said to be invincible. Can he be beaten by a teenager out to avenge his father's death?

Just $4.99 on Kindle, don't know how long this price will last.

Books For Morons

Another new moron author heard from: Randy Beck e-mailed me this week to tell me about his new novel One Thousand Years, which involves alternate WWII history, a downed Tuskegee airman who has been presumed dead, and space Nazis from the future.

"Don't argue with me, Sam. Look where you are. You're on a Luftwaffe starship. I assure you, the United States gives up on the war."

It's available on Kindle for $2.99. And Mr. Beck is already busy writing a sequel.

-...-

So that's all for this week. As always, book thread tips, suggestions, rumors, threats, and insults may be sent to OregonMuse, Proprietor, AoSHQ Book Thread, at YOURPANTSaoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm. But don't forget to remove YOURPANTS, otherwise I won't get your e-mail.

What have you all been reading this week? Hopefully something good, because, as I keep saying, life is too short to be reading lousy books.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:36 AM | Comments (140)
Post contains 1085 words, total size 8 kb.

1 Still working on those Harry Potter books but down to #6 now.

Posted by: Vic at September 29, 2013 07:34 AM (zZbNF)

2 If they can do abe lincoln vampire hunter , then isaac as a dark knight of justice shouldn't be too tough .

Posted by: awkward davies at September 29, 2013 07:38 AM (WK8VM)

3 No, it's not the sequel to The Way of Kings, dang it. This one is entitled Steelheart and is apparently the start of yet another sci-fi/fantasy series.

This is the kind of shit that pisses me off. The sequel is due out next March but look at the damn Kindle price tag.

http://tinyurl.com/kaycqd6

Posted by: Vic at September 29, 2013 07:39 AM (zZbNF)

4 We are about to take up "Lord Foul's Bane" in our book club at work. It has been decades since I read it.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:40 AM (AO9UG)

5 There was a scathing book review of Malcolm Gladwell's new book this week. Awesome part was he reviewed Gladwell's entire oeuvre and pretty much explained how it was all bullshit. Gladwell just cherry-picks weak social science data to tell just-so stories to reassure rich liberals. Razib Khan had the link on his science blog.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at September 29, 2013 07:40 AM (ZPrif)

6 Isaac Newton was a force to be reckoned with, indeed.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:41 AM (AO9UG)

7 Newton dabbled in Chemistry, too. Perhaps a version of Breaking Bad is coming soon.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:43 AM (AO9UG)

8 "He remained celibate for all of his life until the day he got laid in his grave." Kinky

Posted by: Ragamuffin at September 29, 2013 07:44 AM (fzFF6)

9 And, yeah, that Isaac Newton thing seems .... a bit fishy. He claims Newton did all this underworld, bad-ass shit ... and then says Newton destroyed all the records of it. So how does anybody know Newton actually did all the Outlaw Josie Wales shit? Seems like he just assumes Newton, who was an effete virgin, did all sorts of underworld stuff without any actual evidence.

Posted by: Flatbush Joe at September 29, 2013 07:44 AM (ZPrif)

10 So much of Newton's work it derivative.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:44 AM (AO9UG)

11 Yet, Newton is an integral part of our modern world.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:44 AM (AO9UG)

12 "Until the day he got laid in his grave" That there is some kinky shit yo! What style

Posted by: fastfreefall at September 29, 2013 07:45 AM (Tz35j)

13 Ragamuffin, must be tuned into same bad channel, lol

Posted by: fastfreefall at September 29, 2013 07:46 AM (Tz35j)

14 The Baroque Cycle has some excellent (mildly fictionalized) biographical detail on Newton.

Posted by: TallDave at September 29, 2013 07:48 AM (lNW+B)

15 Yay!! the book thread.

So: I went to the library on Friday and found Milka Levy-Rubin, "Non-Muslims in the Early Islamic Empire, From Surrender to Coexistence". That would be the publisher's choice of title. The book itself is better.

ML-R's background is in second/eighth century AH/AD Palestine. She especially has studied the Samaritan Chronicle for this period (I reviewed her translation on this book thread a couple months back). So she knows whereof she speaks.

The book is short but covers a lot of ground. First chapter is about Islamic treaties with the cities they were planning on conquering. If the city surrendered, it cut a deal where it could keep its Christian (or Jewish-Christian) character: this would apply to Edessa / Ruha, Nisibin, Jerusalem. There are those who doubt the authenticity of these treaties. ML-R draws parallels with Byzantine-era treaties known elsewhere.

The main thrust of this book is to discuss the so-called Shurut Umar. This is the modern Islamists' template for how to deal with dhimmis, so it's the one we see a lot of in counter-jihad websites. ML-R looks into its origins and parallels. She finds that it was a composite: there was a portion which basically amounted to a dress-code for dhimmis; and there was a portion about how dhimmis were supposed to behave.

The dress-code was probably real. The Umar, here, would be Umar bin Abd al-Aziz, caliph in the late 90s/710s. But the stuff about us bowing our heads, never raising our voices in front of Muslims, not building churches, and not ringing church-bells was probably drawn up in heavily-Muslim areas and then, later (under al-Mutawakkil) imposed on everyone.

Which brings us to the title. ML-R is very apologetic about her research; since it has ended up, by a circuitous route, exactly where Bat Yeor and Andrew Bostom ended up. Dhimmis living under Islam are second-class citizens, and where Islam is dominant we get bent right over. But she can't actually say "infidels get boned in Islam til their jizz runs red"; not if she wants tenure.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at September 29, 2013 07:50 AM (LAG7y)

16 Newton was a putz.

Posted by: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz at September 29, 2013 07:50 AM (Vk2pI)

17 Newton vs. Dracula: Principia of Blood

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:51 AM (AO9UG)

18 So much of Newton's work it derivative.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 11:44 AM (AO9UG)

Fuckin' A dude!

Posted by: Gottfried Liebniz at September 29, 2013 07:52 AM (/kU/5)

19 Phinn's Tip of the Day -- You can't forget to remove your pants if you never put them on in the first place.

Posted by: Phinn at September 29, 2013 07:53 AM (oFH2D)

20 The celibate are laid to rest, not laid in the grave. Now I have visions of Mother Mary in a French maid's outfit...and now I'm going to hell. Great. Thanks for the linguistic, early morning Moron trap after a morally questionable night of hobo hunting.

Posted by: ArmChair in sin at September 29, 2013 07:55 AM (Z788W)

21 Phinn's Tip of the Day -- You can't forget to remove your pants if you never put them on in the first place. Posted by: Phinn at September 29, 2013 11:53 AM (oFH2D) The Moron is strong in this one.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 07:56 AM (AO9UG)

Finished John Ringo's zombie apocalypse book, Under a Graveyard Sky.

Interesting story, as civilization falls apart, and one family in a boat tries to rescue enough prople trapped at sea to re-start it. As this book closes, they have rescued 400 people and made contact with the surviving National Command Authority, whuch is a DOD Undersecretary and a few officers trapped by the zombies; and a few nuclear submarines.

Supposedly he has 3 more books in the series plotted and written already.

Posted by: rd at September 29, 2013 07:57 AM (D+lxs)

23 >>>>Newton vs. Dracula: Principia of Blood<<<<

That could have been a kick ass Hammer movie back in the day. Christopher Lee as Dracula, Douglas Wilmer as Newton, and Ingrid Pitt's tits as Ingrid Pitt's tits.

Posted by: the guy that moves pianos for a living... at September 29, 2013 07:57 AM (P/gm7)

24 Two minutes to go. I'm a nervous wreck. http://new.livestream.com/spacex/F9-6

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 07:58 AM (sdi6R)

25 My Best Beloved has friends who swing by his office every time they are in the area and drop off bags of books. So I just got a new stash. Looking for opinions on the following: John Sandford Buried Prey Tom Clancy Threat Vector Ridley Pearson Killer Summer Brad Meltzer Fifth Assassin Greg Iles Turning Angel And by James Patterson: Zoo Alex Cross, Run 11th Hour 12th of Never Any guidance appreciated.

Posted by: Ragamuffin at September 29, 2013 07:58 AM (fzFF6)

26 Anyone read The Diary of Samuel Pepys?

It's a great look into 17th century England, and surprisingly easy to read.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 29, 2013 07:59 AM (/kU/5)

27 Many Newtons are famous and accomplished.

Posted by: Fig Newton at September 29, 2013 08:01 AM (0G1qs)

28 Was gifted an Audible book by a Facebook friend: Cutting for Stone: A Novel by Abraham Verghese. I'm still listening to The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, and like it very much. I started reading it because my mom said it was her favorite book when she was a teen in the 50s. Said it shaped her thinking in a lot of ways. Yes, my nerdiness is genetic. Also, still reading via Kindle: Sons of Cain by Val Bianco--a thriller about a modern-day version of the Knights of Templar. Have a blessed Sunday everyone! (I started to say "my friends," but that phrase makes my want to hurl anymore.)

Posted by: baldilocks at September 29, 2013 08:02 AM (Tnlh/)

29 "He remained celibate for all of his life until the day he got laid in his grave."

Ewww! Necrophilia is just wrong!

Posted by: RoadRunner at September 29, 2013 08:03 AM (KGniF)

30 Sandersons book didn't last at 4.99, its at 7.00 already.

Posted by: Yankee in GA at September 29, 2013 08:03 AM (GyXj+)

31 Posted by: baldilocks at September 29, 2013 12:02 PM (Tnlh/)

My wife loved "Cutting For Stone!"

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 29, 2013 08:04 AM (/kU/5)

32 Two minutes to go. I'm a nervous wreck. http://new.livestream.com/spacex/F9-6 Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 11:58 AM (sdi6R) Nice launch.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 08:04 AM (AO9UG)

33 Anyone read The Diary of Samuel Pepys? It's a great look into 17th century England, and surprisingly easy to read. Somebody's posting it like a blog here: www.pepysdiary.com

Posted by: OregonMuse at September 29, 2013 08:04 AM (v8xyR)

34 Larry Correia was touted last week, which led me to "Dead Six", kept me up all night. So much of what I read as science fiction is being classified as 'young adult' but I'm old enough I don't care what people think. (There was a thread about that.)

ebook prices are getting to steep for my pocketbook. Especially when I could read one every day. Should go to the library I guess.

Posted by: Allendale in Hampshire at September 29, 2013 08:04 AM (HdJyT)

35 I demand a movie where Newton and Liebniz fight with Katanas on top of Big BenÂ…

Posted by: The Integral Hat at September 29, 2013 08:05 AM (Vk2pI)

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 11:58 AM (sdi6R)

Thank you. Caught it at T-30.

The frequent video dropouts had me scared at first. I hope the telemetry is prioritized and they did not lose any data.

Posted by: rd at September 29, 2013 08:06 AM (D+lxs)

37 Â…alternatly, I demand a movie where Newton and Liebniz are forced to team up in a wacky "buddy cop" movie.

Posted by: The Derivative Hat at September 29, 2013 08:06 AM (Vk2pI)

38 27 Many Newtons are famous and accomplished. Posted by: Fig Newton at September 29, 2013 12:01 PM (0G1qs) Preach it, brother.

Posted by: John Newton at September 29, 2013 08:07 AM (v8xyR)

39 Â…alternatly, I demand a movie where Newton and Liebniz are forced to team up in a wacky "buddy cop" movie. Posted by: The Derivative Hat at September 29, 2013 12:06 PM (Vk2pI) Or they team up to fight Aliens.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 08:07 AM (AO9UG)

40 www.pepysdiary.com

Posted by: OregonMuse at September 29, 2013 12:04 PM (v8xyR)

That's a great idea.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at September 29, 2013 08:07 AM (/kU/5)

41 Gravity, hah! I could kicks it's ass any day of the week.

Posted by: Electromagnetism [/i] at September 29, 2013 08:07 AM (U2UQk)

42 38 27 Many Newtons are famous and accomplished. Posted by: Fig Newton at September 29, 2013 12:01 PM (0G1qs) Preach it, brother. Posted by: John Newton at September 29, 2013 12:07 PM (v8xyR) I agree.

Posted by: Olivia Newton John at September 29, 2013 08:09 AM (v8xyR)

43 Falcon 9 v1.1 launches like a boss.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 08:09 AM (AO9UG)

44 Posted by: Olivia Newton John at September 29, 2013 12:09 PM (v8xyR)

She's nothing but a prostitute...

Posted by: Olivia Newton's John at September 29, 2013 08:10 AM (KGniF)

45 Falcon 9 v1.1 launches like a boss. They didn't build that. Only government builds things.

Posted by: The Precedent [/i] at September 29, 2013 08:11 AM (U2UQk)

46 11 Yet, Newton is an integral part of our modern world. Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 11:44 AM (AO9UG) I say that Newton (and, yes Leibnitz) defines the modern world. Take somebody from the height of the Roman Empire, an intellectual, maybe a Greek slave. Send him to an American university. All of the crap he would understand, including "modern" inventions like existentialism, etc. But Calculus is a whole different concept.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 08:12 AM (xSegX)

47 These new aerospace companies launching new designs, do they have NASA quality control technicians looking over their shoulder, watching them work?

Posted by: Allendale in Hampshire at September 29, 2013 08:12 AM (HdJyT)

48 Ok others may have a different opinion but I read that newton and the counterfeiter book and it was very dry and not as engaging as the reviews made it out to be.

Posted by: Paranoidgirlinseattle at September 29, 2013 08:13 AM (RZ8pf)

49 I watched B'Gal read MP3's book The Director's Cut. She enjoyed it immensely. I'll get started on it this week.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy, who did not vote for this shit at September 29, 2013 08:15 AM (0HooB)

50 SpaceX has a Falcon 9 v1.1 launch babe. I'm likin this company.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 08:15 AM (AO9UG)

51 Ok others may have a different opinion but I read that newton and the counterfeiter book and it was very dry and not as engaging as the reviews made it out to be. Thank you, that's good to know. Some of the Amazon reviews pointed this out, so you're not alone.

Posted by: OregonMuse at September 29, 2013 08:16 AM (v8xyR)

52 "The Father of Us All" a collection of essays on war and history by Victor Davis Hanson. Need I say more? Liberal idiots will be pissed.

Posted by: Libra at September 29, 2013 08:18 AM (GblmV)

53 But Calculus is a whole different concept. Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 12:12 PM (xSegX) My math professor told us the Ancients came right up to the edge of discovering calculus, but just could not make the leap. Sadly, my pun was wasted on you, AmishDude.

Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 08:18 AM (AO9UG)

54 36 Thank you. Caught it at T-30. The frequent video dropouts had me scared at first. I hope the telemetry is prioritized and they did not lose any data. Posted by: rd at September 29, 2013 12:06 PM (D+lxs) Very glitchy video, but it sounds like it was a perfect launch. I'll take that over perfect video of an explosion any day.

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 08:19 AM (sdi6R)

55 Good morning rons. This week I read two books. The Planner by Alexandra Swann and A Flower shop in Bagdad by Michael Banzet. AFIB, starts out as an ode to the author, his accomplishments and military career. At first I was put off by it but later I discovered the man had a lot to brag about. From the enlisted man to an officer and later a Pilot. That's not easy. Then He got into his job in Iraq trying to help build the Iraqi Air Force. I learned much about what our people faced, what it was like to deal with the Iraqis as well as a multi-national force. It seemed to be an impossible job but our people never gave up. This book will make you laugh, cry and think. It's all that I expect out of a Novel. 5 Stars with a bullet. The Planner is a dystopian Novel about, well, our future under a strict progressive regime. It's the end of social security as we know it so the book postulates this question; With houses made impossible to afford and a retirement unable to achieve by the average person. Would you give up everything you owned to move to a community where your every need is taken care of? This book scared the shit out of me. There is no blood or violence, just the knowledge that what this author writes about could be very real and very plausible. I give it 4.5 stars. This week I am reading Dominatus by DW Ulsterman. Enjoy yourselves, love you guys and gals, later.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at September 29, 2013 08:19 AM (XIxXP)

56 I think it takes a real talent to take historical source material and weave it together into an entertaining and readable story. Erik Larson does a good job of it most of the time.

Posted by: Paranoidgirlinseattle at September 29, 2013 08:19 AM (RZ8pf)

57 For the last few weeks I've been "reading" an audio novel while I exercise. Earthcore. One of those deals where you can download it and pay what you want later. It's a thriller about oogly monsters and people in a mine. I could go on and on about all the ways in which the book is screwed up. (45mm submachine gun, for example). That Doesn't Matter. The book is fun and it makes my exercise sessions FLY by. http://podiobooks.com/title/earthcore/ (for every failure in details about technical stuff, there's a triumph in plotting or story-telling. It works.)

Posted by: Comrade Arthur at September 29, 2013 08:20 AM (83xuc)

58 Been busy with a lot of non reading stuff this week so didn't make any progress in Gibbon, for example. Have been reading "Parrot & Olivier in America" by Peter Carey for my book group and am enjoying it a great deal. It is very loosely based on the life of Alexis de Tocqueville who is embodied in the Olivier character. Commentor Jeffrey Pelt made the point that de Tocqueville isn't presented in a flattering manner, which is indeed true. But based on the other Carey book I've read, "Oscar & Lucinda", he has a soft spot for geeky awkward characters and ends up quite sympathetic toward them. We'll see if this shakes out the same way. It's certainly very well written and quite entertaining. And a good portrait of post 1812 United States and France post Napoleon.

Posted by: Captain Hate on his iPhone at September 29, 2013 08:22 AM (gXII6)

59 Hey, Oregon, how bout them Ducks!!

Posted by: John Smith at September 29, 2013 08:22 AM (wR+pz)

60 4 We are about to take up "Lord Foul's Bane" in our book club at work. It has been decades since I read it. Posted by: eman That's great. I've read the first trilogy 3 times and the 2nd twice. Donaldson used so many obscure words in the first book that I bought one of those library-sized unabridged dictionaries. (yes, that was way before internet looking stuff up)

Posted by: Comrade Arthur at September 29, 2013 08:22 AM (83xuc)

61 I still don't get why people still think Marx was intelligent. The guy's an internet troll. He wrote in ALL CAPS with lots of exclamation marks!!!!eleventy!!!! He would make up words for things even though it was a simple concept that any idiot could understand. He made bold predictions that fell spectacularly flat. And, on top of all that, he blew 2 inheritances and sponged off of his trust-funded friend.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 08:25 AM (xSegX)

62 Amish: I reckon al Khwarizmi would grok calculus though.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at September 29, 2013 08:26 AM (mS4db)

63 62 AmishDude,

Marx was sort of the prototype for "Hopium Dealer" and prior to him you pretty much had to have religious trappings to believe in miracles.

The right would do a lot better putting that demon to bed if we simply mocked the hell out of it while civil disobediencing away from its doctrine and weathering the punishments with smiles.

Posted by: The Phantom Menace at September 29, 2013 08:27 AM (9jfyN)

64 Â…alternatly, I demand a movie where Newton and Liebniz are forced to team up in a wacky "buddy cop" movie. Posted by: The Derivative Hat at September 29, 2013 12:06 PM (Vk2pI) Or they team up to fight Aliens. Posted by: eman at September 29, 2013 12:07 PM (AO9UG) With Katanas!!1!

Posted by: The Derivative Hat at September 29, 2013 08:27 AM (Vk2pI)

65 54

Very glitchy video, but it sounds like it was a perfect launch.

I'll take that over perfect video of an explosion any day.

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 12:19 PM (sdi6R)

But, its success means there will just be more launches! Every launch makes Gaia scream in agony!!

*sob*

Posted by: pussy weather guy at September 29, 2013 08:28 AM (TCWb5)

66 AmishDude, Marx was sort of the prototype for "Hopium Dealer" and prior to him you pretty much had to have religious trappings to believe in miracles. The right would do a lot better putting that demon to bed if we simply mocked the hell out of it while civil disobediencing away from its doctrine and weathering the punishments with smiles. Posted by: The Phantom Menace at September 29, 2013 12:27 PM (9jfyN) We've improved on that. We've made it perfect!

Posted by: The Frankfurt School at September 29, 2013 08:28 AM (Vk2pI)

Okay, so I've just finished "Night Film", by Marisha Pessl, and I have to vent. Language warning and spoiler alerts:

I can't say it was a bad book, exactly because I read it in 3 days, 200 pages at a time, and it wasn't exactly painful. I'm just not sure if it's good, or even if I liked it.

Firstly: Those. FUCKING. Italics. Between 2 and 10 words per page are italicised, seemingly at random. It kept jarring my brain, because it altered what seemed to be the natural flow of the sentence. It's disconcerting to have to remind yourself that yes, that's what the author intended it to look like.

Secondly, it's hard to overstate how stupid the characters had to be. For instance, we have the main character who decides, on the basis of one anonymous phone call, to call a celebrated director a child abuser/killer and demand that said director be taken out.

Everyone keeps talking about how wonderful the director, Cordova, and his daughter Ashley are, and how charismatic. And yes, by the end I had a powerful yearning to watch a Cordova film. But it was essentially a bunch of stooooopid people telling us how ossum they were. It might well have been better to just have them as the main characters. And all the talk about how his films were soooo violent and gruesome that no one could show them except in underground venues made no sense. Sure, the ratings system is messed up, but it's hard to imagine, from the admittedly awesome sounding synopses, that there's anything that's that much worse than, say, GTA.

There was some jarring talk about witchcraft (never made believable), but in the end it's just a mundane explanation, albeit one that hinges on some pretty bizarre behaviour. None of it really works within the narrative. The internal consistancy isn't there.

And yet, and yet...I still read it, and without the homicidal rage that I started to feel at about page 750 of Parade's End. ("I might as well finish the last 150 pages, but this bullshit is pissing me off and I can't believe I powered on this far for this...") It feels like a philisophical debate, doesn't it? What do we mean by something being good? At what point can we say we enjoyed something?

Posted by: Liz at September 29, 2013 08:29 AM (UKClW)

68 67 The Frankfurt School,

Quite, rigging the game since 1923.

Posted by: The Phantom Menace at September 29, 2013 08:30 AM (9jfyN)

69 59 Hey, Oregon, how bout them Ducks!! Groan. Don't rub it in. I'm a Cal fan.

Posted by: OregonMuse at September 29, 2013 08:32 AM (v8xyR)

70 Baldilocks, Cutting for Stone is excellent, was widely adored by my mother, four sisters and several friends, especially anyone who is in the medical field (in my family, nurses). That is one I have been meaning to reread again, actually. very up close and personal with medical stuff, and fistulas and other ladyparts stuff so be forewarned. That said I loved it, hope you do too.... I am retreading The Stand this week, amazed how Randall Flagg is so Bill Ayres-like, what the hell happened to You, Stephen King? Next up is The Lowland (I think) by Jhumpa Lahiri, who I actually knew in person way, way back when I was a kid in Rhode Island. I adore her other books and writing style. On deck on Audibles, the new Neil Gaiman "Ocean at the End of the Lane", his books are excellent on audio.

Posted by: Goldilocks at September 29, 2013 08:35 AM (1kxWc)

71 If Hwood got its grubby fingers on the property, you just know Newton and Chaloner would be drowning in homoerotic tension. I've been rereading the Vorkosigan books, which I love, but I've read five times. I've got to shake it up and get to the library.

Posted by: Gem at September 29, 2013 08:36 AM (tUBLt)

72 My math professor told us the Ancients came right up to the edge of discovering calculus, but just could not make the leap. Sadly, my pun was wasted on you, AmishDude. Undoubtedly. I went to American public schools. It's true but I think you can only say that about the ancient Greeks. They could compute the area of a circle using limits.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 08:36 AM (xSegX)

73 Tony "the Clamp" Gambino worries that the looming Mafia shutdown "will certainly hurt the economy".

Posted by: BourbonChicken at September 29, 2013 08:39 AM (Ircth)

74 Â…alternatly, I demand a movie where Newton and Liebniz are forced to team up in a wacky "buddy cop" movie. Leibniz: Hey Ike, I heard you're the second greatest mathematician in all of Christendom Newton: That's funny, I heard the same about you.

Posted by: OregonMuse at September 29, 2013 08:40 AM (v8xyR)

75 63 Amish: I reckon al Khwarizmi would grok calculus though. I think a lot of them could learn it, but it would be something completely outside of their experience. The notion of the limit is the intellectual equivalent of the Gutenberg press.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 08:40 AM (xSegX)

76 Frankfurt School -> wikipedia -> various and sundry links ->
bright idea -> internet search ->buzzword generator and corporate bingo

http://www.robietherobot.com/buzzword.htm

Posted by: Allendale in Hampshire at September 29, 2013 08:41 AM (HdJyT)

77 O/T Has anyone posted this SNL skit on Obama Care? It's a winner. http://tinyurl.com/m4xth2e

Posted by: John Smith at September 29, 2013 08:44 AM (wR+pz)

78 I read that Newton book a year ago and really enjoyed it, an eye-opening story of the English government trying to protect it's currency from criminals (clipping coins, etc). Had no idea Newton did work like that.

Posted by: waelse1 at September 29, 2013 08:46 AM (HJ/op)

79 What was with that Abraham Lincoln looking guy during the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony?

Posted by: Boss Moss former editor of the Harvard Law Review at September 29, 2013 08:47 AM (0axsw)

80 Tits up

Posted by: Vic at September 29, 2013 08:49 AM (zZbNF)

81 Ragamuffin, I enjoyed most of Greg Iles's work. It's a lot of detective stuff mostly located in Natchez, Ms. The only one I could not get througth was Mortal Fear. Turning Angel is part of a trilogy with Devil's Punchbowl and The Quiet Game.

Posted by: bigred at September 29, 2013 08:51 AM (OsheA)

82 I demand a movie where Newton and Liebniz fight with Katanas on top of Big BenÂ…

Not unless The Calculus also enables time travel. Saint Paul's was brandy-new in Newton's lifetime, but he did not live to see it finished (and if you count all five St Paul's that have been, that describes 90% of the Britons who ever lived). There was a tax on coal to pay for the cathedral -- after the government defiled it for several generations. But you could do a fight scene on the dome.

Newton did not dabble in chemistry. He dabbled in alchemy, and went so mad from mercury and lead fumes that his friends saw to it he stayed out of London society for several years. He was a damned good furniture maker, though -- made all his own scientific instruments, which is how breakthroughs happen, and more than once retired from state employment to make a decent living in wood.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at September 29, 2013 08:53 AM (JNUY4)

Good morning Gentlefappers!

I read the Shift omnibus by Hugh Howey, the second volume in the Silo trilogy that tells how the silos came into being. Even though we know the results of this social experiment from the first novel, this second one leading up to the activation of the bunkers was a real nail-biter. The bulk of this story is from the viewpoint of the unwitting architect of the project, who thought his design was only an emergency retreat for workers disposing of spent nuclear materials. Highly recommended, but read Silo first.

Thanks to the person who suggested this series!

Posted by: All Hail Eris at September 29, 2013 08:54 AM (G93ZW)

84 "Anyone read The Diary of Samuel Pepys?"

I haven't read the whole thing, but extracts from it are wonderful, and scary - in particular, his description of undergoing surgery for a large bladder stone (without anesthesia, mind you), and of the great fire of London.

What a shame he closed the diary before 1688; his description of the so-called Glorious Revolution would have been fascinating.

Posted by: Brown Line at September 29, 2013 08:54 AM (a5bF3)

85 If anyone wants a full-on historical fiction featuring Newton, Leibnitz, counterfeiters and pirates with lots of action and the history of the birth of the modern monetary system: The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. Its a monster, and its brilliant.

Posted by: Fnord at September 29, 2013 08:54 AM (HZDmd)

86 The only one I could not get througth was Mortal Fear.
Posted by: bigred at September 29, 2013 12:51 PM (OsheA)

If that's the one where the guy ties up his wife I'm there too.
The only one I didn't like. I WILL visit Natchez, MS someday just because of his books.

Posted by: Tunafish at September 29, 2013 08:56 AM (P05t6)

83 ".... and more than once retired from state employment to make a decent living in wood."

Good to know we Fed 'rons have options......

Posted by: All Hail Eris at September 29, 2013 08:56 AM (G93ZW)

88 A peek at a near future when all of the Liberal policies of American Politicians have succeeded in erasing poverty, applying laws fairly to citizens, and embracing international laws that put us on equal footing with the rest of the world. A Utopia that only the paranoid and irrational would struggle against as their way of life is taken from their Cold Dead Hands.
http://www.amazon.com/Perdition-The-Line-Sand-ebook/dp/B00ESMNXH8

buy at a discount from this store
http://colddeadhands.us/store-t130/perdition-the-line-in-the-sand-1-pdf.aspx

Posted by: Texas Son at September 29, 2013 09:01 AM (iRNDY)

89 Tunafish. Yeah he is part of some internet company. It is very ponderous and heavy. The rest of his stuff is very good.

Posted by: bigred at September 29, 2013 09:02 AM (OsheA)

90 I wish to make a complaint concerning Showalter's Armor and Blood about the Battle of Kursk. In the introduction he tells us that there will be no "war porn." In the MASH TV series Hawkeye whines that while he used to love Hemingway, after having seen war he no longer does because Hemingway romanticized war. This is hypocritically ridiculous in that MASH presented the Korean War as an extended cocktail party full of hijinx and banging hot chicks. Similar is Showalter's aversion to "war porn." When you drain the blood out, you drain the life out. (And I won't mention that the title of this tome is Armor and BLOOD.) An historian once said the secret to enjoying history is realizing that those people living in olden days didn't realize they were living in olden days. That is impossible when the experiences of people are removed. After all, Sherman didn't say "War is hell" because of its effect on the return on investment. Worse still is the sanctimonious method he uses to tell us that we can't handle the truth.

Posted by: WalrusRex at September 29, 2013 09:06 AM (PjgvN)

91 65
Or they team up to fight Aliens.

With Katanas!!1!

And how the aliens got katanas, we'll never know!

Posted by: Anachronda at September 29, 2013 09:06 AM (U82Km)

92 Working on the 6th Harry Potter book and the new Stephen King novel "Dr Sleep."

I've been spending my free time playing GTA V, so not much reading this past week.

Posted by: DangerGirl, home sweet home at September 29, 2013 09:10 AM (GrtrJ)

93 Newton vs. Dracula: Principia of Blood<<<< For those so inclined, I like Newman's Anno Dracula.

Posted by: WalrusRex at September 29, 2013 09:15 AM (PjgvN)

94 Actually, Sir Isaac Newton appears in a super-secret spoiler in the classic anime Escaflowne. I didn't really believe the side of his personality shown in that, but I have to admit that the rogue cop side of him makes it a bit more believable.

Read Or Die (ROD), particularly the OVA episodes that came before the TV series, is based on various famous scientists being brought back to life in the modern world as action supervillains.

Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at September 29, 2013 09:19 AM (cvXSV)

95 27 Many Newtons are famous and accomplished.

Posted by: Fig Newton at September 29, 2013 12:01 PM (0G1qs)

Hey, you going to eat that?

Posted by: Nate Newton at September 29, 2013 09:21 AM (LBMeO)

96 I read somewhere that Leibniz's street name was Prof. Moriarty.

Posted by: Fritz at September 29, 2013 09:21 AM (x2W/k)

97 I ate the thread

Posted by: Nate Newton at September 29, 2013 09:28 AM (LBMeO)

98 I love the book thread. I lurk and lurk and learn and appreciate -- so thanks. Here's a little contribution for those who might enjoy travel writing -- travelogues.

Anything by the Welsh Jan Morris, and dips into Bruce Chatwin, Kate Simon or Theroux -- a good oldie -- The Great Railway Bazaar.

Also Freya Stark -- 30s-40s British Explorer in Middle East and Afghanistan. Good bio of her -- The Passionate Nomad. Also see the wikipedia write up which is decent for some of her writings.

And another oldie -- Black Lamb and Grey Falcon -- A Journey through Yugoslavia, Rebecca West. Lots of history and author and time bias but still fascinating. Big book. Lots of pages. One of my favorites.

My offerings in thanks for all I have gotten from you guys.

Posted by: gracepmc at September 29, 2013 09:37 AM (rznx3)

SIR ISAAC NEWTON IS THE DEADLIEST SON OF A BITCH IN SPACE!

Or maybe this belongs in the games thread. Either way, it's true. Google it!

Also, Nova had a show on VIKING LONGSWORDS and they showed fire melting steel. Just sayin'.

Posted by: The Atom Bomb of Loving Kindness at September 29, 2013 09:42 AM (jqHOY)

100 OK. Book thread. Yesterday I received a book that I ordered about a week ago. I was familiar with Wallops Island, VA being a rocket test site. The vast majority of launches from there over the years have been small suborbital rockets to study the upper atmosphere and things like that. It's never gotten a great deal of publicity. But this month has seen the launch of a moon probe (Minotaur/LADEE on Sept. 6) and a cargo resupply mission to the ISS (Antares/Cygnus on Sept. 1

, both of which are unprecedented from that location. I asked on a space forum whether there were any books about the history of Wallops Island, and was referred to Joseph A. Shortel's "A New Dimension" which covered the period from 1945-1960. It was published by NASA in 1978 and is out of print. I found a used hardcover copy on Abebooks for $99 including shipping. It's in excellent condition with a scratch and a few scuffs on the cover, while the pages are pristine as far as I can tell. I probably won't read all 700+ pages, but it's nice to have as a reference. There aren't too many copies available: http://tinyurl.com/nxvebct OK, I admit that this one is pretty esoteric even by my standards.

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 09:51 AM (sdi6R)

101 (Antares/Cygnus on Sept. 18 )

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 09:52 AM (sdi6R)

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

Posted by: John from next to ID at September 29, 2013 09:54 AM (1c7Ql)

103 I've had a good week quantity wise anyway. Finished "American Betrayal: The Secret Assault on Our Nation's Character" the book that has Horowitz' and Radosh's panties all twisted up. It was well-written so it was easy to read, but the subject matter of how the communists infiltrated FDR's administration all the way to the top (Harry Hopkins, the co-president decades before Hill was co-president) is so depressing that I had to keep putting it down. My only complaint is that there's no separate bibliography, all the books are cited and listed in the close to 1000 endnotes.

Then it was on to "The System" an 'expose' of big-time college football. I don't follow college football outside the pac-10 so I don't know how accurate it is, but there's a combined six chapters on my school's A.D. Bill Moos and relatively-new coach Mike Leach. #GoCougs.

Now it's "The Communist" the story of Our Leader's mentor in Hawaii, Frank Marshall Davis. What a piece of work he was. Explains a lot why Our Beloved Leader is the way he is. Davis's "redeeming characteristic" if he had to have one was that he hated democrats... FDR, Truman, George C Marshall, etc.

Posted by: John from next to ID at September 29, 2013 09:54 AM (1c7Ql)

104 "62 I still don't get why people still think Marx was intelligent.

The guy's an internet troll.

He wrote in ALL CAPS with lots of exclamation marks!!!!eleventy!!!!

He would make up words for things even though it was a simple concept that any idiot could understand.

He made bold predictions that fell spectacularly flat.

And, on top of all that, he blew 2 inheritances and sponged off of his trust-funded friend.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 12:25 PM (xSegX)"

My theory is that humans are prone to certain types of mental errors. We are familiar with the sort of optical illusions where two lines of the same length look different or in a room with perspective cues faked, two people of the same height look much different in size.

Marx hit upon a whole bunch of mental errors that pertain to the way human beings tend to view society and cobbled them all together in one big erroneous package of fail. Somehow his meme set got hooked into the part of human brains that handles faith and theology and we so we have today the situation where intelligent people continue to ignore the evidence that their theories don't work, have never worked and despite their best efforts and willingness to kill and oppress millions of people, will probably never work. Despite the endless evidence of how wrong they are, people infected with the Marx meme persist in their belief that they are the vanguard of history and that utopia is just over the next hill.

Posted by: Obnoxious A-hole at September 29, 2013 09:58 AM (31Nrp)

105 That Newton book is not a "novel"...It is genre that is often referred to as "nonfiction".

Posted by: Kasper in soy sauce at September 29, 2013 09:59 AM (7x9pP)

106 I picture Isacc Newton in a scuffle with one of the thugs in an upstairs room. Newton pushes him through a large window and steps to the edge of the opening, watching as the baddie crashes to the ground below, perhaps onto a wrought iron gate.

"Looks like you've discovered gravity too."

End scene.

Posted by: Where're my ping pong balls at September 29, 2013 10:03 AM (YxaXw)

107

Speaking of Marx, did anyone else read Jonathan Sperber's biography of him? I admit I skimmed through the 100+ page section full of arcane Marxist theories (ah, who am I trying to impress? I skipped it), but what really cracked me up were the constant references to his happy marriage. Yup, apart from burning through his two inheritances and the ensuring poverty, his rabid misogyny - oh, yes, and the kid he had with the maid. Yes, marriage is a series of peaks and valleys (the good usually outweighing the bad) but if the writer counts that as "happy", then god help him.

Posted by: Lizzie at September 29, 2013 10:04 AM (UKClW)

108 Somebody's posting it like a blog here:

www.pepysdiary.com

---

What a great link. Besides the day-by-day entries, there are all those annotations to fill in background on the people and places. Very cool.

Posted by: Retread at September 29, 2013 10:05 AM (Oz+LZ)

109 "86 If anyone wants a full-on historical fiction featuring Newton, Leibnitz, counterfeiters and pirates with lots of action and the history of the birth of the modern monetary system: The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. Its a monster, and its brilliant.

Posted by: Fnord at September 29, 2013 12:54 PM (HZDmd)"

I will add my endorsement to Neil Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle".

The only criticism I can make of it is that it is excellent and while you wish it will never end, as I got near the end of it I realized that I had not read any other non-professional required reading for almost a year. Still, I highly recommend it as one of the best things ever written in the English language.

Posted by: Obnoxious A-hole at September 29, 2013 10:07 AM (31Nrp)

110 Just into the next Chet and Bernie mystery by Spencer Quinn, "The Sound and the Furry". This one finds them in New Orleans looking for a missing inventor in the bayous. Chet just got his first whiff of alligator and can't quite figure out what it is he's smelling.

Posted by: Tuna at September 29, 2013 10:08 AM (M/TDA)

111 Just into the next Chet and Bernie mystery by Spencer Quinn, "The Sound and the Furry".
Posted by: Tuna at September 29, 2013 02:08 PM (M/TDA)

Those look kinda cute. I just went and dl'ed them.

Posted by: Tunafish at September 29, 2013 10:17 AM (P05t6)

112     Afternoon horde,

       In preparation for our discussion on "conservatives" this week in my 20th American history grad class, we're reading "Suburban Warriors" by Lisa McGirr. McGirr is a Harvard history professor writing about the grassroots conservative movement in Orange County, CA between 1960 and 1980. She tries to be even-handed (sorta) but ultimately, she comes across as a Diane Fossey, Conservatives-in-the-Mist type of writer. Spends a ton of time examining the John Birch Society, but says nothing about F.A. Hayek, Ayn Rand, Russell Kirk, or anything even remotely connected to, you know, "thinkers."

     I give it 2.5 stars out of 5. Competent writing, but a little too much condescension for my taste. Plus, how do you talk about conservative culture in Orange County and mention John Wayne only twice, both in throwaway lines? Liberals trying to write non-biased history about conservatives almost always ends up a mish-mash like this. She tries, I'll give her that, but it's just too much of a stretch for her to treat the conservatives in her book like real flesh-and-blood people.

Posted by: Pave Low John at September 29, 2013 10:22 AM (Qgnxi)

113 112 They are. Start with the 1st and work your way through. Chet is awesome.

Posted by: Tuna at September 29, 2013 10:28 AM (M/TDA)

114 They are. Start with the 1st and work your way through. Chet is awesome.

Posted by: Tuna at September 29, 2013 02:28 PM (M/TDA)

I bought the first one soon after it came out, then got the next two from the library, then forgot to keep checking for new ones. Now I see this is the sixth so I have some happy catching up ahead. Thanks for the reminder.

Too bad they want $11 for the kindle version, too pricy for my budget, so library it is.

Posted by: Retread at September 29, 2013 10:32 AM (Oz+LZ)

115 Too bad they want $11 for the kindle version, too pricy for my budget, so library it is.

Posted by: Retread at September 29, 2013 02:32 PM (Oz+LZ)

Send me your email address. I'll let you borrow the whole set.

Posted by: Tunafish at September 29, 2013 10:43 AM (P05t6)

116 How about the sequel to The Way of kings? $14 for the Kindle version.

http://tinyurl.com/kaycqd6

Posted by: Vic at September 29, 2013 10:58 AM (zZbNF)

117 What's a good book for an introduction to "small-l" libertarianism? Can't abide the "Stupid Party" any longer, but I can't go LP, either.

Posted by: Doug at September 29, 2013 10:59 AM (fGgmK)

118 I will add my endorsement to Neil Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle".

The only criticism I can make of it is that it is excellent and while you wish it will never end, as I got near the end of it I realized that I had not read any other non-professional required reading for almost a year. Still, I highly recommend it as one of the best things ever written in the English language.

Posted by: Obnoxious A-hole at September 29, 2013 02:07 PM (31Nrp)

Pretty good description of where I am now Â— just finishing The System of the World. Whew! I did manage to read a few other books this year, but barely, and it felt as if I was Â“cheatingÂ” on Stephenson.

Posted by: jix at September 29, 2013 11:09 AM (iGpXz)

119 Go to Reason.com for libertarian stuff and not the big L Party.

http://reason.com/

Posted by: Vic at September 29, 2013 11:10 AM (zZbNF)

120 Reason,pff. Incubator of Dave Wiegel. Concern troll central

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at September 29, 2013 11:25 AM (mS4db)

121 And here I am-even later than usual-to one of my favorite recurring threads-the book thread. :^) That book about Newton solving a crime sounds fascinating. I actually looked for it at a bookstore today-but didn't see it in the new books. I think my son might enjoy it. He is currently very interested in Newton. I am reading the Father Brown Mysteries by G.K. Chesterton. I just started so I can't say too much. I recently read "Orthodoxy" and various essays by Chesterton which I quite enjoyed, so I thought I would take a look at his fiction. Mysteries seem like a good choice since I enjoy that genre.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at September 29, 2013 11:27 AM (a4Omg)

122 @116 Done.

Posted by: Retread at September 29, 2013 11:29 AM (Oz+LZ)

123 Posted by: Obnoxious A-hole at September 29, 2013 01:58 PM (31Nrp) Nice thought. I think it'd make a good essay or even more to look at the "false consciousness" of Marxism.

Posted by: AmishDude at September 29, 2013 11:32 AM (xSegX)

124 The Baroque Cycle was my favorite book of all time. My complaint is that everything I have read since has been a disappointment to a greater or lesser degree. If you loved The Baroque Cycle, I would love to know what else you loved. I will say The Magicians by Lev Grossman and The Doomsday Book by Connive Willis were about the best books I read last year, but not in the same league as TBC.

Posted by: Matt in Maine at September 29, 2013 11:33 AM (dcLM4)

125 Uh, that should be Connie Willis. Thank you auto correct.

Posted by: Matt in Maine at September 29, 2013 11:36 AM (dcLM4)

126 What's a good book for an introduction to "small-l" libertarianism? Can't abide the "Stupid Party" any longer, but I can't go LP, either.

Posted by: Doug at September 29, 2013 02:59 PM (fGgmK)

The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek

The Law by Frederic Bastiat (99 cent Kindle book at Amazon)

That will get you started.

Posted by: GGE of the Moron Horde, NC Chapter at September 29, 2013 11:37 AM (yh0zB)

127 Thanks for the libertarian pointers. Pure genius -- Janis Joplin's version of George Gershwin's "Summertime" -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bn5TNqjuHiU Too many brilliant musicians died too young because of their appetites...

Posted by: Doug at September 29, 2013 11:57 AM (fGgmK)

128 Oh, I almost couldn't see you all the way down there, Electromagnetism.

Posted by: Strong Nuclear Force at September 29, 2013 12:23 PM (qZPXs)

129 I second Frederic Bastiat's "The Law". It was written by a Frenchman in 1850 and it's a very short book. The English translation I read was superb. It sounded very modern and relevant to our time.

Posted by: rickl at September 29, 2013 12:38 PM (sdi6R)

130 If you haven't read "The Law" by Bastiat, it should be the next book you read. There are even free versions on the net - NO EXCUSE!

Posted by: Comrade Arthur at September 29, 2013 12:57 PM (83xuc)

131 127 What's a good book for an introduction to "small-l" libertarianism? Can't abide the "Stupid Party" any longer, but I can't go LP, either. Posted by: Doug at September 29, 2013 02:59 PM (fGgmK) The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek The Law by Frederic Bastiat (99 cent Kindle book at Amazon) That will get you started. Posted by: GGE of the Moron Horde, NC Chapter at September 29, 2013 03:37 PM (yh0zB) Both for free at mises.org.

Posted by: baldilocks at September 29, 2013 01:49 PM (Tnlh/)

132 Ragamuffin, if you're still here/visit again:

I like, in general, Pearson and Sandford.

I like Iles,too, but I'm a biased source; I grew up in Natchez, the town he mostly writes about (as did he ... even if he did go to the rich kids' school). He's four years younger than I.

Posted by: RovingCopyEditor at September 29, 2013 01:57 PM (/S5ss)

133 Random question: any recommendations for a translation of the Koran, preferably one with annotations that can link passages to the context in which Mohammed wrote this?

Posted by: Conservative Crank's iPhone at September 29, 2013 02:31 PM (CM79y)

134 Uh, that should be Connie Willis. Thank you auto correct.

Posted by: Matt in Maine at September 29, 2013 03:36 PM (dcLM4)

I liked The Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing Of The Dog. I haven't read TBC but after all these recommendations today I'm going to give it a try.

If you're willing to take a chance on something completely different, and have a taste for history, specifically 16th century Europe, try The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. They're historical fiction but she was rigid about keeping the history accurate. As the characters develop over an arc of six books, I would say it's important to start at the beginning, the first book is The Game of Kings. Her command of language is like no one else and sub-plots abound to the point that re-reading is not just enjoyable but necessary to fully appreciate some of her subtleties. For instance, when one particular character asks the time it indicates more than that he wants to know if it's time for dinner, and it took the reading group years to work that one out.

I understand your comment about everything else seeming a bit disappointing. I felt the same after reading Dunnett. The cure has been to re-read in between doses of others.

Posted by: Retread at September 29, 2013 03:42 PM (Oz+LZ)

135 Just setting nic for new computer.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at September 29, 2013 03:47 PM (Pexsc)

136 I started and am really enjoying a book that just got published a couple weeks ago. It is a memoir of a former prison chaplain, "Walls, Wire, Bars and Souls" by Peter Grant. Many of you will probably know him better as conservative blogger Bayou Renaissance Man. If you ever wanted to learn about what goes on inside the today's American prison system and the minds of the people in it this is a book you will want to pick up. http://tinyurl.com/k5p76st Peter Grant also has two published science fiction novels that I understand are very good: "Take The Star Road" and "Ride The Rising Tide"

Posted by: BornLib at September 29, 2013 04:09 PM (zpNwC)

137 Hey, Tunafish, Chet is keeping me company. Thanks.

Posted by: Retread at September 29, 2013 04:25 PM (Oz+LZ)

138 *86 *110 *119 Piling on: Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle is well worth the time, and his treatment of Newton's investigation is fascinating.

Posted by: Aristomenes at September 29, 2013 07:04 PM (45WpZ)

139 Lace wigs

Posted by: newton at October 01, 2013 01:44 PM (HYmSh)

140 There are no lace wigs on the book thread!!

Posted by: OregonMuse at October 04, 2013 02:54 PM (xm1A1)

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