Ace of Spades HQ

November 24, 2013

Sunday Morning Book Thread 11-24-2013: The Grim Trifecta [OregonMuse]
— Open Blogger

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

Oh No, Not More JFK Coverage

Hey, do you know what famous person died on Nov. 22, 1963? Well, C.S. Lewis, for one. I ask again, do you know what famous person died on Nov. 22, 1963? How about Aldous Huxley?

Huxley wrote a royal crap ton of stuff, stories, satire, and novels, and was one of the leading intellectuals of his day. His best known work is probably the dystopian novel Brave New World.

Lewis also wrote a royal crap ton of stuff, and perhaps best known for The Screwtape Letters, although I believe the best way to get to know him is by reading Mere Christianity or, my personal favorite, God In The Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics. And of course, the Narnia Chronicles.

Kennedy "wrote" Profiles in Courage, and I use quotes because it is now known that he wrote PiC the same way that Barak Obama wrote his books, i.e. he didn't. Instead, PiC was mostly written by his ~~lackey~~ speechwriter Ted Sorensen, who admitted decades later that he very well paid by Kennedy for his ghost writing services. Because of his work, Kennedy was awarded a Pulitzer Prize.

The strange coincidence of these three men dying on the same day is the basis for the book Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley by Peter Kreeft, who imagines a conversation between these men, each representing distinct worldviews, with Kennedy as a modern humanist, Lewis representing Christian theism and Huxley advocating Eastern pantheism.

I grabbed the "triptych" photo from this article, which also has a trivia quiz so you can test your knowledge on Lewis, Huxley and Kennedy.

And doesn't Huxley look like a complete nerd?

The Sunday Morning Book Thread Gets Results!

And by "gets results", I mean "causes PGiS to blow off work in order to read and futz around on the internet":

I read that book recommended by OregonMuse on yesterday's book thread, "Gone at 3:17." It was avery gripping book and I blew off doing useful things today because I wanted to finish it. It was an interesting read because it covered more than just the school explosion, it talked about the East Texas oil fields, the way the news story was covered, and the shocking lack of safety regulations in schools--many of those regulations were put into place after this tragedy.

Reading the book resulted in me spending time on the internet today looking at photos and then reading about other school fires and then watching a weird newsreel film by the Los Angeles Fire Department about "Our Obligation" in terms of keeping kids safe while at school...

Posted by: ParanoidGirlInSeattle

I knew nothing about the book when I posted it last week, other than it looked like it might be interesting. I'm glad it turned out not to be a dud.

Gone at 3:17: The Untold Story of the Worst School Disaster in American History is available on Amazon.

"Martin Bashir Said What?"

Oops, She Did It Again

Earlier this week, I thought I heard, way off in the distance, the pop-pop-pop sound of tiny liberal heads exploding. So I figured Sarah Palin must have said or done something to cause this. Sure enough, she has another book out, so I wasn't just hearing things. Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas, is her new book, and in it, she

defends the importance of preserving Jesus Christ in ChristmasÂ—whether in public displays, school concerts, and pageants, or in our heartsÂ—and delivers a sharp rebuke to today's society for the homogenization of the holiday season. Sharing personal memories from Palin Christmases past, she illustrates why she holds the celebration of Jesus Christ's Nativity so dear.

I have no idea if it's any good or not. My guess is that if you like Sarah Palin, you'll probably like the book, and vice versa. As for me, if she has something to say about public policy regarding the role of religion (specifically Christianity) in the public square, I'd be interested to hear it. On the other hand, I don't particularly care about her personal or family life. I read the introduction available on Amazon, and I wasn't impressed. The exaggeratedly kitschy/folksy writing style of the intro is very off-putting and makes me not want to read the rest of the book. But I have to say I take great enjoyment in the fact that Palin is a continual source of existential pain to liberals and progressives, and so despite whatever I might think about the book, I hope that it will turn out to be a raging shadenbonerrific best seller.

Also, you can have fun by reading the one-star Amazon reviews and seeing if there's any evidence that the reviewer actually read the book.

Moron Recommendation

From one of the morning threads this week:

I've been reading a wonderful book called The Reach of Rome by Alberto Angela. It's a journey through the Empire during the reign of Trajan, embodied in a single coin as it travels from the mint to Britannia and then as far away as India as it changes hands. The last third of the book seems rushed, as if the editor told Angela to cut things, but it's very well written, with characters (all drawn from actual archeological finds or ancient writings) so vivid you wish they would travel along with the coin instead of using it in commerce.

Highly recommended.

Posted by: Mary Poppins' Practically Perfect Piercing

The Reach of Rome: A Journey Through the Lands of the Ancient Empire, Following a Coin by Alberto Angela. Also available on Kindle. Thank you MP⁴ for the tip.

___________

Got an e-mail this week from Markham Pyle who asked me to plug a novel written by his business partner, so I will. Cross and Poppy: a village tale by GMW Wemyss, first in a series about a Â“cozy UK village slice of lifeÂ” which, underneath the surface, ain't so quiet and aint so cozy, featuring "Trollopean clerics, comic peers with hidden depths, the villagers of a thousand cozy English novels Â… but in a very modern world: our own." So I think this means that if Anthony Trollope were alive today, he'd have written a book like this.

$3.99 on Kindle.

___________

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 aoshqbookthread, followed by the 'at' sign, and then 'G' mail, and then dot cee oh emm.

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 06:52 AM | Comments (115)
Post contains 1159 words, total size 8 kb.

1 Reading 12 years a slave.

Posted by: NCKate at November 24, 2013 06:52 AM (vjZKo)

2 Didn't Bill Cosby play Aldous Huxley in av TV sitcom? Pretty sure.

Posted by: Dang at November 24, 2013 06:54 AM (YWXTN)

3 2 Didn't Bill Cosby play Aldous Huxley in av TV sitcom? Pretty sure. Posted by: Dang at November 24, 2013 10:54 AM (YWXTN) Aldous Huxtable. His family was so chill because he kept them doped up on Soma.

Posted by: Insomniac at November 24, 2013 06:57 AM (MeVdV)

4 Oh No, Not More JFK Coverage Yeah, where are the Norma Jeane links?

Posted by: artisanal 'ette at November 24, 2013 06:59 AM (IXrOn)

5 That book by Peter Kreeft sounds like a very interesting one. He is a professor of Philosophy at Boston College and, I believe, is a Roman Catholic. At any rate, his website has a lot of interesting articles on the Christian life: http://www.peterkreeft.com/home.htm

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 07:00 AM (23Kgq)

6 The great divorce is a good Lewis book too.

Posted by: NCKate at November 24, 2013 07:00 AM (vjZKo)

7 Just read Failsafe for the first time. It's ancient history, when we had competence in our national government.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at November 24, 2013 07:02 AM (u82oZ)

8 Still translating Frank-Kamenetzky and NÃ¶ldeke from German. Good news is I can see the end from here. Might make a beg for anyone else who can understand German and has an interest in pre Islamic Arabic poetry, and is still alive, to help proofread the thing - not just yet though.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at November 24, 2013 07:02 AM (zihxQ)

9 I second the recommendation for "The Great Divorce." It is a wonderfully engaging book about Lewis' imagined bus trip from hell to heaven.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 07:02 AM (23Kgq)

10 Just finished The Breakers series, probably won't try reading it again. Reading "A Desert Called Peace" by Tom Kratman right now. Holly Chism's "The Godshead" is free on Kindle today, last day for that, the sequel is coming out soon.

In paper I just got "The Law of Self Defense" by Andrew Branca, using the Moron discount (check the gun thread today, it's usually mentioned there).

Posted by: GGE of the Moron Horde, NC Chapter at November 24, 2013 07:02 AM (yh0zB)

11 Is it just me or are them some mighty sharp elbows in that photo of Mrs. Palin. And it just screams "Molon Labe", does it not? Nothing personal, OM, but I'll gladly take a kitschy Palin who is a patriot and writes her own stuff over an unrepentant terrorist who writes memoirs with overtly nautical metaphors for others without attribution.

Posted by: turfmann at November 24, 2013 07:04 AM (GgGgG)

12 But right now I'm a tired moron, having been up all night, so I'm off to find slumber so I can work all night tonight. Day one of six, yay me.

Later roonz and roonettez. Fear no evil.

Posted by: GGE of the Moron Horde, NC Chapter at November 24, 2013 07:04 AM (yh0zB)

The 1937 New London, TX school explosion reminded me of this forgotten 1959 Houston elementary school bombing. It was probably caused by a climate of hate.

http://alturl.com/423r6

Posted by: Frankly at November 24, 2013 07:08 AM (yLy0R)

14 I am re-readinmg "Surrendering to God" by Keith Beasley-Thomas which takes as its basis the Covenant Prayer used by John Wesley which is a really radical prayer of submission to God: I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal. And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, thou art mine, and I am thine. So be it. And the covenant which I have made on earth,let it be ratified in heaven. Amen. The book contains chapters on each of the sentences of the prayer and way of thinking about incorporating it into one's life.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 07:10 AM (23Kgq)

15 Finished reading Kill Shot by Flynn. Bought The Last Man for my kindle.

As a person that resisted Kindle a great deal, let me tell you about my Kindle paperwhite. It is a great book reading platform. I was lugging around Song of Ice and Fire for a while (never got to it), and this Paperwhite is much prefered. Drop the coin for one, or give the hint to your significant other that you would like one for Christmas. It is a great book reading platform.

Posted by: Zakn at November 24, 2013 07:10 AM (zyaZ1)

16 I did see one interesting book - "Hitler's Furies". Half a million women swarmed east after the Reich conquered it, for various reasons; I didn't read much, but it seems they were just as bad as the men. Yay feminism! Mind you, those are obviously the 500,000 out of the whole German population who selected *themselves* to go to the Bloodlands.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at November 24, 2013 07:10 AM (zihxQ)

17 JFK like all Kennedy's was a worthless fuck up and it was only through pure luck and an act of god that we didn't have a nuclear exchange with Russia.

Oh and the Democrats stole the '60 election.

Sound familiar....

Posted by: Kreplach at November 24, 2013 07:11 AM (hmUex)

18 I've been on a "PAW" (Post Apocalyptic World) fiction kick lately and though it's not really PAW, last night I started on a tome penned by "Max Velocity" titled Patriot Dawn.

He's got it as a free Kindle download this weekend:
https://tinyurl.com/ml693mh

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:12 AM (V1PJQ)

19 Patriot Dawn by Max Velocity is free for the Kindle today. Haven't read it, don't know if it's any good....but free has a strange appeal I usually can't resist.

Posted by: Passerby at November 24, 2013 07:12 AM (sOlwy)

20 "Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises" is available for download to Kindle for free today at Amazon.

Posted by: creeper at November 24, 2013 07:13 AM (B4E7O)

21 Must be some sort of echo in here.

Posted by: creeper at November 24, 2013 07:13 AM (B4E7O)

22 I'll be damned. There seems to be an echo in here!

Posted by: Passerby at November 24, 2013 07:14 AM (sOlwy)

23 HI Rons, It's a cold thirty seven here in SC, but the coffee is hot and osp just passed 27K words on his way to the end of Amy Lynn, Golden Angel. Prolly only 120 K to go. This week I read a book Called Cocain Cowgirl: The Outrageous Life and Mysterious Death of Griselda Blanco, The Godmother of Medellin. Yep, that's the whole title. A facinating non-fiction book that begins in the seventies and goes through the evolution of the Cocain trade. A story based on the life of the woman that scared the shit out of Pablo Escabar. Not very flowery, just facts places and little stories. It kind of makes scareface look like forest gump. I liked it.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:15 AM (XIxXP)

24 Posted by: creeper at November 24, 2013 11:13 AM (B4E7O)

Heh. That or a lot of "like minded individuals."

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:15 AM (V1PJQ)

25 "Patriot Dawn: The Resistance Rises" is available for download to Kindle for free today at Amazon. Posted by: creeper at November 24, 2013 11:13 AM (B4E7O) I get a Mack Bolan, the executioner vibe just reading the title.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:16 AM (XIxXP)

26 I saw the BookTv segment for Hitler's Furies. Seemed like an interesting read. Lots of atrocities committed by the fairer sex, but they can't be prosecuted because they lack service records that the Men had

Posted by: Zakn at November 24, 2013 07:17 AM (zyaZ1)

27 I saw the BookTv segment for Hitler's Furies. Seemed like an interesting read. Lots of atrocities committed by the fairer sex, but they can't be prosecuted because they lack service records that the Men had Posted by: Zakn at November 24, 2013 11:17 AM (zyaZ1) Is that the plural of Furry or Fury? It sounds good, I'll ckeck that one out.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:20 AM (XIxXP)

28 6 The great divorce is a good Lewis book too. Posted by: NCKate at November 24, 2013 11:00 AM (vjZKo) That's Mrs. Muse's favorite CS Lewis book.

Posted by: OregonMuse at November 24, 2013 07:20 AM (fd0Pp)

29 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 11:16 AM (XIxXP)

The author is former SAS and mil contractor; the book is along the lines of J.W. Rawles, "A. American", and Glen Tate's stuff. A better categorization than PAW would be "Prepper" fiction.

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:20 AM (V1PJQ)

30 Just read Failsafe for the first time. It's ancient history, when we had competence in our national government. Fail Safe is, after all, a work of fiction.

Posted by: OregonMuse at November 24, 2013 07:21 AM (fd0Pp)

31 I should throw Matt Bracken in that list of authors, as well.

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:22 AM (V1PJQ)

32 I was never a big fan of JFK, but I realize now that it was mainly the people who tried to bask in his glow when he was alive and the politicians who took advantage of his assassination, using his coffin to bulldoze through all kinds of laws that he might not have pushed--or pushed more slowly (or in watered down versions) had he lived. Remember, he was campaigning in Dallas that day, and it wasn't guaranteed that he would be re-elected in 1964. Also, all the conspiracy theories have as their starting point the impulse to separate JFK from the escalation of the war in Vietnam. There is little evidence that JFK planned to withdraw troops.JFK was every bit the Cold Warrior that Nixon was. The " 60's" wouldn't have played out the way they did if that loser commie dork Oswald got hit by a bus on the way to Dealy Plaza.

Posted by: JoeyBagels at November 24, 2013 07:24 AM (Usdw3)

33 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 11:16 AM (XIxXP) The author is former SAS and mil contractor; the book is along the lines of J.W. Rawles, "A. American", and Glen Tate's stuff. A better categorization than PAW would be "Prepper" fiction. Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 11:20 AM (V1PJQ) I just finished a short series like that, Alexandra Swanns, The Planner which wasn't half bad, and the Chosen, the follow up book that seemed rushed and less thought out. Kind of a political Apocalypse where the JEF gets his wishes and then some.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:25 AM (XIxXP)

34 For the life of me I can't remember which moron wrote it, but does anyone remember The Westerly Gales series by, I believe, E.C. Williams? Very much looking forward to the next book.

Posted by: Emile Antoon Khadaji at November 24, 2013 07:31 AM (CrJzY)

35 I spotted this review of Dan Simmon's new book Abominable on BadBlue so I thought I'd pass along the link:

http://tinyurl.com/mhkq9zk

The review doesn't exactly make me want to run out and buy it, but I hope my local library gets a copy so I can check it out.

Posted by: GnuBreed at November 24, 2013 07:31 AM (cHZB7)

36 I just wanted to congratulate Sgt. Mom for having her book plugged by Insty on Friday.

Posted by: HH at November 24, 2013 07:32 AM (XXwdv)

37 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 11:25 AM (XIxXP)

A lot of the genre is like that. Rawles' first book Patriots was good, but the follow-ons are hit and miss. Tate's 299 Days series has been pretty good so far, but they're overpriced (especially for Kindle) and he's taking forever to release the seventh installment. Bracken's Enemies plots, especially in The Reconquista, tend to push the suspension of disbelief envelope a little too much. The best consistency has been "A. American's" Home series.

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:32 AM (V1PJQ)

38 I don't usually come here cuz of course I can't wead, but I couldn't resist linking this review of a NYT Book Review from Breitbart on Tingles new book. The reviewer dumps all over Matthews and his fictional history of Tip and Reagan. I'm not encouraging anybody to buy the book for crissesakes, but the excerpts of the review are freaking beautiful. http://tinyurl.com/mlqzk8h

Posted by: ontherocks at November 24, 2013 07:32 AM (g1FLl)

39 "The Darker Side of Camelot" by Seymour Hersh. I read part of it and stopped, just because it is poorly written the unremittingly depressing picture of Kennedy. I didn't care for the man at all, but the book portrays him as an out of control sexual sociopath. Could be true, or just Hersh stringing a bunch of stuff together. Where did JFK find the time for all the sexual shennanigans? If Kennedy lived, it would have been a very different political landscape. Likely, Nelson Rockefeller would have run against him in 1964. After the martyrdom of Kennedy, it was obvious that Johnson would be easily elected in 1964, and all the "stronger horses" in the Republican Party were not interested in running against the inevitable Johnson. So Goldwater, the Ted Cruz of the early 60's, who railed against the establishment Republicans and the lack of difference between them and the Democrats, got the nomination. Ronald Reagan emerged as a politician in that year (1964).

Posted by: Severe Conservative riding Orca at November 24, 2013 07:32 AM (v6hyJ)

40 I read the Muirwood trilogy by Jeff Wheeler. It is very appropriate for pre-teens and teens, but I couldn't put it down. It is a medieval magic alternate world book, which is not my style, but I really enjoyed this one. My daughter, who's 12 devoured all three books in four days. The price is right. Especially if you borrow for free on amazon prime.

Posted by: Matt in Maine at November 24, 2013 07:32 AM (MhK7g)

41 Having read about the various health issues, diseases and ailments that JFK suffered in his brief life, it seems to me that in all those glamor shots that still send libs into a tizzy, that "famous Kennedy smile" was nothing but a mask, an attempt to hide constant pain.

Posted by: JoeyBagels at November 24, 2013 07:32 AM (Usdw3)

42 "As for me, if she has something to say about public policy regarding the role of religion (specifically Christianity) in the public square, I'd be interested to hear it. On the other hand, I don't particularly care about her personal or family life. I read the introduction available on Amazon, and I wasn't impressed."

I watched her interview on the Chris Wallace program and she said it was a great book. So there

My next book purchase will probably be something devoted to the CS Lewis - JRR Tolkien friendship. A cursory search shows several possibilities.

Posted by: mrp at November 24, 2013 07:33 AM (HjPtV)

43 Oh , I didn't see you all last week, I read Silent Waters by Jan Coffey. A improbable, predictable story surrounding the hijacking of a Nuclear Sub. Bubble heads might enjoy a trip down memory lane. The book is technically accurate. But the story just sucked.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:33 AM (XIxXP)

44 I should throw Matt Bracken in that list of authors, as well. I'm reading his Enemies Foreign And Domestic right now. Pretty good so far.

Posted by: OregonMuse at November 24, 2013 07:33 AM (fd0Pp)

45 I've been cleaning out my office lately, turning it into a bedroom for my boy. Have to clean off the bookshelves and make room for books somewhere else. I set aside to re-read "Duty" by Bob Greene. I remember really enjoying the book years back. It's the story of Bob going home to be with his dying father, and how his life intersected with Paul Tibbets. It being quite cold and windy today, and me feeling quite lazy and unwilling to go outside, I may just start on it shortly...

Posted by: shredded chi at November 24, 2013 07:35 AM (J4eqE)

46 Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 11:25 AM (XIxXP)

I should mention that each of those series are along the same basic "crypto-Marxist liberals finally get their way and look what happens" plot lines.

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:35 AM (V1PJQ)

47 39, imagine if Kennedy had lived to face re-election, and ended up running against Ronald Reagan in 1964?

Posted by: JoeyBagels at November 24, 2013 07:35 AM (Usdw3)

48 I should mention that each of those series are along the same basic "crypto-Marxist liberals finally get their way and look what happens" plot lines. Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 11:35 AM (V1PJQ) You descibed it much better than I could have. There is a dearth of these books. Most of them suck. I spend my 3.99 or 4'99 and I am treated to Clifford the Big Red Dog predictability. I'm over it.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:38 AM (XIxXP)

49 Posted by: OregonMuse at November 24, 2013 11:33 AM (fd0Pp)

It's the best in the series; the other two are good reading, but a little over the top, plot-wise.

Posted by: Country Singer at November 24, 2013 07:38 AM (V1PJQ)

50 OK Rons, It's time for OSP to throw down in the Kitchen. A little steak, Eggs and Tater brunch for the family. Love use guys and gurls, Later.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 07:41 AM (XIxXP)

51 The movie "Shadowlands" is an account of C.S Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) life with Joy Gresham (Debra Winger), her tragic death from cancer, and his deep questioning of his own faith. Not a "happy" movie, but pretty good. Shows C.S. Lewis in a somewhat different life. I think the story was originally written by Douglas Gresham, the son. Ultimately, it is a re-affirmation of love and faith.

Posted by: Severe Conservative riding Orca at November 24, 2013 07:42 AM (v6hyJ)

52 Modern humanist? Is that code for banging bimbos?

Posted by: Freezing In LA at November 24, 2013 07:42 AM (kkbgQ)

53 "imagine if Kennedy had lived to face re-election, and ended up running against Ronald Reagan in 1964?"

The possible scenarios are endless. Alternate history is *fun*. I wish there was more of it that was worth a damn.

The thought upthread about how Rockefeller might have challenged Kennedy in '64: imagine if Nelson had in fact won it.

And then as an incumbent President in tough times faced a convention fight in 1968 with a discontented rightist faction led by Goldwater.

Posted by: torquewrench at November 24, 2013 07:44 AM (gqT4g)

54 Oldie but goodie is American Assasin by Vince Flynn. Read it before the movie comes out in a year or two.

Posted by: Roc Ingersol at November 24, 2013 07:45 AM (r9IFY)

55 Modern humanist? Is that code for banging bimbos? Posted by: Freezing In LA I don't think that Jack Kennedy was much of a Roman Catholic. Pretty much a pragmatic cynic. Surprising that, being the son of Joseph Kennedy, a very rich and cynical man.

Posted by: Severe Conservative riding Orca at November 24, 2013 07:45 AM (v6hyJ)

56 For the life of me I can't remember which moron wrote it, but does anyone remember The Westerly Gales series by, I believe, E.C. Williams? Very much looking forward to the next book. Book 2 is out and is available on Kindle for 99 cents. I'm too lazy to post the Amazon link, but search for "Westerly Gales Saga" and you'll find it easy.

Posted by: OregonMuse at November 24, 2013 07:46 AM (fd0Pp)

57 'Camelot' was actually the story of a doped-up philanderer, his stolen coronation, his trophy wife, and their legacy of non-achievement while looking photogenic.

The libs love themselves some myth.

Posted by: --- at November 24, 2013 07:47 AM (MMC8r)

58 And then as an incumbent President in tough times faced a convention fight in 1968 with a discontented rightist faction led by Goldwater. Posted by: torquewrench I think the Conservative "Right" movement within the Republican Party would have been stillborn, had Rockefeller been elected in 1964. And it could have happened. Rockefeller would have carried New York (amazing to think about now), and had enough money to corrupt the process just as much as the Kennedy's did in 1960. Reagan was just emerging in 1964, and had no chance to be the Republican nominee then. The party was still dominated by the "Eastern Establishment". The more things change.....

Posted by: Severe Conservative riding Orca at November 24, 2013 07:49 AM (v6hyJ)

59 34 For the life of me I can't remember which moron wrote it, but does anyone remember The Westerly Gales series by, I believe, E.C. Williams? Very much looking forward to the next book.

Posted by: Emile Antoon Khadaji at November 24, 2013 11:31 AM (CrJzY)

You hear anything about the next book? His website has no info whatsoever.

Posted by: redclay at November 24, 2013 07:50 AM (4ajtD)

60 OregonMuse, yes I have all three. Wondering about number 4, "Assault on Zanzibar" IIRC. Good PAW for those curious, but more of a plague aftermath than civil war.

Posted by: Emile Antoon Khadaji at November 24, 2013 07:54 AM (KvKOu)

61 If you want a alternate view of Nixon's downfall, read Silent Coup by Len Colondy and Robert Gettlin. Written in 1991 . When I read it I just assumed it was as slanted as ATPM. Still a good perspective with what were previously unknown facts? to me.

Posted by: Roc Ingersol at November 24, 2013 07:55 AM (x+Knu)

62 My daughter, a high school senior and a prodigious reader had to read Brave New World for school this year. She strongly disliked it.

I think the problem may be that fiction, contrary to what they might want us to believe, has a finite shelf life (pun intended). Some of it, anyway. There needs to be something about it that is relevant to the current reader, and I don't particularly think it is the reader's responsibility to understand the contexts in which these supposed "great works" were written.

If it doesn't hold up today, it doesn't hold up.

Me, I've never read it. Frankly, I have little use for most fiction. I just started in on Antony Beevor's D-Day. Which should be great. Given his track record, and the subject matter.

Posted by: BurtTC at November 24, 2013 07:58 AM (BeSEI)

63 For my money the two best works by Lewis (not counting Mere Christianity because it's a gimme) are Till We Have Faces and Perelandra. No punches pulled examination of our roles, how we perceive ourselves, how God perceives us. The Unman is every chilling psychopath writ. Ungit, a stone, more horrible a villain than many written today. I taught Till We Have Faces in my 7/8 grade lit class. Good times. On the non fiction end, Lewis and Frued at Yale was fascinating.

Posted by: tms at November 24, 2013 07:59 AM (7ub16)

64 "...that "famous Kennedy smile" was nothing but a mask, an attempt to hide constant pain."

Posted by: JoeyBagels at November 24, 2013 11:32 AM (Usdw3)

Or he was constantly stoned and grinning like an idiot.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at November 24, 2013 08:02 AM (oJ5Fd)

65 If you want a alternate view of Nixon's downfall, read Silent Coup by Len Colondy and Robert Gettlin.

G. Gordon Liddy has recommended that book in the past as being one of the best on the subject.

Oh, and....BUY GOLD!!!

Posted by: --- at November 24, 2013 08:05 AM (MMC8r)

66 22 Who's taking bets Dave will forget the Football thread and elbows?

Posted by: Nip Sip at November 24, 2013 08:06 AM (0FSuD)

67 Has anyone else read Jack Cashill's If I had a Son: Race, Guns, and the Railroading of George Zimmerman? It's primarily about how the Martin family lawyers, along with Sharpton and Jackson initially molded the narrative to fit their needs, how the political left fine-tuned that narrative for their election/gun control needs and the complicity of the MSM in uncritically delivering that narrative. Also covers the role of bloggers in doing the critical thinking and investigating that the MSM didn't do.

Posted by: USA at November 24, 2013 08:09 AM (VIaw0)

68 "I don't think that Jack Kennedy was much of a Roman Catholic. Pretty much a pragmatic cynic. Surprising that, being the son of Joseph Kennedy, a very rich and cynical man."

Didn't stop the Kennedys from pushing themselves really hard as imagined model Catholics in boroughs where there was a big Catholic vote to be drawn.

Unfortunately, too many Catholics bought into the schtick. Especially Irish ones.

I knew a formidable old Irish lady who had to resist the double siren song of voting for another Irish Catholic just like herself. Every single member of her extremely large extended family pulled the lever for JFK, because it was a thumb in the eye to the WASPs who they felt looked down on the Irish Catholics.

Tribal solidarity. They felt that JFK was one of them. Of the blood, of the Faith. Which of course he was not. He merely seemed to be.

She sensed, accurately, that there were some things very wrong about the guy. And was not surprised when the stories later came out confirming her suspicions.

Posted by: torquewrench at November 24, 2013 08:18 AM (gqT4g)

69 @39 Having lived through the 64 primary, your suggestion that Nelson Rockefeller would have been the nominee is total horse shit. Nelson spend millions of his daddy's oil money to try and win the nomination. He tried, we beat his ass. You don't remember the cow palace boos when Nelson tried to speak? He was run out of town. The only good thing you can say about Nelson? He died while fucking his mistress.

Posted by: Nip Sip at November 24, 2013 08:23 AM (0FSuD)

Been a member of the History Book Club for about 30 years. This month there must be about 6 new books on JFK glorification. I am so tired of this crap. Getting ready to resign. Get over it; he was shot by a card-carrying Commie along with the fact that there hasn't been a Kennedy born who wasn't a spoiled, ignorant, self-centered piece of crap.

Posted by: Libra at November 24, 2013 08:24 AM (GblmV)

71 Posted by: USA at November 24, 2013 12:09 PM (VIaw0)

I've never read any of Cashill's books. I just hope he writes better than he talks.

Guy used to be on TV (PBS) and local talk shows all the time here in KC. Frankly, I found him boring, and almost obsessive about whatever it was he was going on about.

He comes off, at least to me, as someone who just goes on and on about some sort of conspiracy. I'm sure you know the type. Just.won't.quit.

He may have some interesting ideas, but I would never invite him to a party.

Posted by: HH at November 24, 2013 08:27 AM (XXwdv)

72 For the blockheads that still believe Oswald wasn't the lone assassin- Read "Case Closed" - in it every piece of evidence is given the high tech/scientific once over from guys who originally thought they would find conspiratorial evidence.... Spoiler: They didn't. Everything points to Oswald as the lone assassin. The sophicated sound analysis is worth the price of the book. The Science is settled, conspiracy nuts.

Posted by: The Bourbon in Boehner's Belly at November 24, 2013 08:27 AM (0cMkb)

73 Posted by: torquewrench at November 24, 2013 12:18 PM (gqT4g) There you go. Just substitute "black" for Catholic and/or Irish and you have the major reason for Obama's victory despite his total fail as president and harm he's done to the black community.

Posted by: The Bourbon in Boehner's Belly at November 24, 2013 08:30 AM (0cMkb)

74 51 One of my favorites. Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins were wonderful. Beautiful, moving story.

Posted by: Tuna at November 24, 2013 08:32 AM (M/TDA)

75 The book contains chapters on each of the sentences of the prayer and way of thinking about incorporating it into one's life.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 11:10 AM (23Kgq)

Have you ever seen the small book about The Prayer of Jabez? What an eye-opener to look at the current way of reading it compared to how they were meant in the time period in which they were written!

Posted by: RushBabe at November 24, 2013 08:35 AM (hrIP5)

76 Huxley was a genius. Also, his brother Julian was more or less the inventor of the science of population control, which has been used by governments on the population ever since. What Aldous wrote about in fiction was essentially the novelization of the kinds of things that his brother worked on for reals. Which is why BNR seems to be coming true. It's no accident, and Aldous Huxley wasn't prescient. He was just close to the people who were hired to turn people into livestock.

Posted by: Phinn at November 24, 2013 08:35 AM (KOGmz)

77 The Science is settled, conspiracy nuts. Posted by: The Bourbon in Boehner's Belly at November 24, 2013 12:27 PM (0cMkb) Yep, one of the few conspiracies I had to let go. I heard the wise but moderatly statist Btitt Hume explain it best. The reason for conspiracies is that the Kennedy Sycophants, (My Word) Can't wrap their heads arund the fact that a total loser with a twenty dollar rifle could kill their king.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 08:46 AM (XIxXP)

78 One of my favorites. Debra Winger and Anthony Hopkins were wonderful. Beautiful, moving story. Posted by: Tuna at November 24, 2013 12:32 PM (M/TDA) Oh Yeah, that movie tore me up.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 08:47 AM (XIxXP)

79 Interesting point, RushBabe. Thx. I am familiar with the context of the Jabez prayer. The problem with Wilkinson's book, IMO, is that he bases the promises on little exegesis and talks about God's blessings with little support in the text. It's an man centered message that our wishes may be met but contains nothing about praying for others or the sovereignity of God in answering prayer.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 08:48 AM (23Kgq)

80 Hi FenelonSpoke, which I,ve always pronounced as FelonSpoke. Which is an antithisis to your posts.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 08:51 AM (XIxXP)

81 Posted by: tms at November 24, 2013 11:59 AM (7ub16) I don't read science fiction but I did quite enjoy Lewis' foray into the genre very much probably because it has so many theological points in it.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 08:51 AM (23Kgq)

82 I don't read science fiction but I did quite enjoy Lewis' foray into the genre very much probably because it has so many theological points in it. Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 12:51 PM (23Kgq) He's sneaky about it, you buy into it before you realize what he has done.

Posted by: Oldsailors Poet Palin/Bolton 2016 at November 24, 2013 08:52 AM (XIxXP)

83 Shortly after high school I read Huxley's "The Devils", about an episode of group demonic possession of mainly aristocratic nuns in Loudun, France, that Cardinal Richelieu got involved in. He'd been working on getting all town fortifications torn down, anticipating local resistance to central (royal) authority, but Loudun had refused to go along. After brutal torture, a sham trial, and the foreordained guilty verdict of the alleged wizard (a priest), Richelieu got to knock down Loudun's walls.

A few years ago I found out that a number of my ancestors had been peons on some of Richelieu's estates in the Loudun area, whom he'd recruited to go settle Acadia (Nova Scotia), roundabout 1635-1640, which inspired me to revisit the Loudun possessions. He was a real prick but, then again, so were all the other political players of the time.

Posted by: Trotsky with an ice-pick in his head at November 24, 2013 08:52 AM (MAlP4)

84 Hi FenelonSpoke, which I,ve always pronounced as FelonSpoke Well I have gotten some traffic tickets. Aside from that I'm clean so far. ;^)

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 08:53 AM (23Kgq)

Miss Marple, on another blog, posted this morning that she has not been here since the Incident, and that anyone posting at Ace as 'miss Marple' is an imposter.

Posted by: Mr Natural at November 24, 2013 08:58 AM (yjSCI)

86 "Yep, one of the few conspiracies I had to let go."

Dunno if you've ever read it, but one of the great books about conspiracies and people who believe them is 'Foucault's Pendulum' by Umberto Eco.

All at once weird, funny, and scary...

Posted by: HH at November 24, 2013 08:59 AM (XXwdv)

87 79 Interesting point, RushBabe. Thx. I am familiar with the context of the Jabez prayer. The problem with Wilkinson's book, IMO, is that he bases the promises on little exegesis and talks about God's blessings with little support in the text. It's an man centered message that our wishes may be met but contains nothing about praying for others or the sovereignity of God in answering prayer. Posted by: FenelonSpoke at November 24, 2013 12:48 PM (23Kgq) Excellent analysis, FS. PoJ is 99 44/100% pure pop theology, man-centered and sentimental.

Posted by: OregonMuse at November 24, 2013 09:00 AM (fd0Pp)

88 #8 "Might make a beg for anyone else who can understand German and has an interest in pre Islamic Arabic poetry, and is still alive, to help proofread the thing - not just yet though."

Oh brother, I know someone who has a specific interest in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry, in fact, he mentioned some collection he was working through last year. BUT he's imbibed so much Kool-aid, you wouldn't be able to talk to him about anything outside of the poetry or translation without, well, smacking him maybe? If you think you could deal with him, and he does know his stuff in this particular area, let me know when you're ready and I can ask him for you.

Posted by: Trotsky with an ice-pick in his head at November 24, 2013 09:01 AM (MAlP4)

89 as to why the Catholics supported JFK so much- there's a book: Scott Farris's "Almost President: The Men Who Lost the Race but Changed the Nation".

Catholics didn't support JFK because JFK ran as a Catholic. JFK really didn't run as a Catholic - he spent so much time telling the Baptists that he believed in the separation of Church and State, that some quipped that he was running for office as the first *Baptist* President.

(This was back when the Baptists were still much like the Danbury Baptists - they didn't trust establishment WASP progressive religiosity any more than the Catholics did.)

What happened in 1960 was Catholic memory of a 1920s candidate: Al Smith. When Smith ran, the nation had a collective freakout about this Papist secret agent. The campaign was really, really ugly.

Al Smith didn't help his case, true; by floating comments about how Christians should help the poor, he made people suspect he was going to be a social-activist in power - think Huckabee, but with pals in the Irish mob (which was a thing then).

But instead of attacking Smith, the Protestant churches (including Baptist churches) went out of their way to attack all things Catholic.

It got American Catholics' Irish up, as they say, and they turned out in droves when they got the chance again a generation later.

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at November 24, 2013 09:13 AM (K6nQG)

90 Wow Thanks for including my comment in the post! Of course the one morning I sleep really late and miss the book thread action. I will add one thing to my comment about the book, a young newspaper man by the name of Walter Cronkite was sent to cover the New London school explosion.

Posted by: Paranoidgirlinseattle at November 24, 2013 09:33 AM (RZ8pf)

91 An upcoming book on Red Klotz, the person who has lost the most games of basketball as anyone on Earth. Red was the player/coach of the Washington Generals and the shortest NBA player ever in a playoff game for the original Baltimore bullets. Still plays full court b-ball in his 90's and can game 3's better than almost every moron. http://tinyurl.com/ktdzw8c

Posted by: dfbaskwill at November 24, 2013 09:43 AM (ndlFj)

92 You don't remember the cow palace boos when Nelson tried to speak? He was run out of town. The only good thing you can say about Nelson? He died while fucking his mistress. Posted by: Nip Sip Not endorsing Nelson at this point, but just pointing out the likelihood. Of course he got booed at the Cow Palace during the convention. The hall was full of Barry's loyalists who hated the Eastern Establishment and Big Government Republicans, which is what Nelson stood for. But if Kennedy had lived, the terrain would have been different, and the differences between Kennedy and Rockefeller were not that great, which I would guess was also you point. Rockefeller would have made more of an effort to run in 1964 had Kennedy not been assasinated.

Posted by: Severe Conservative riding Orca at November 24, 2013 09:44 AM (v6hyJ)

Thanks, OM.

IÂ’d like to add something, on two heads. First, the New London School Disaster has always been something close to me: my great-great-uncle, W. Chesley Shaw, was the school superintendent when it happened (he was my dadÂ’s motherÂ’s fatherÂ’s brother, and there are a right smart of Shaws and Eatons and Rayfords and Gaudets in Pleasant Hill Cemetery, and a right smart of those with birthdates in the Twenties and the same March 18, 1937 date of death: GrammyÂ’s cousins and second cousins and all). One thing about it: we may have become the first family in America to learn that you couldnÂ’t trust Walter Cronkite. With 2012 being the 75^th anniversary, the disaster got some attention outside Rusk County: not only in Gone at 3:17, as mentioned, but in Ron RozelleÂ’s My Boys and Girls Are In There, which I highly recommend. Ron Rozelle, funnily enough, lives down here and is an old friend of my uncleÂ’s, GrammyÂ’s younger son and thus one of Chesley ShawÂ’s grandnephews; Mr. RozelleÂ’s a danged fine writer with tons of experience. (GervÂ’s and my Â’37: the year of portent, which also came out in 2012 and which youÂ’ve kindly plugged heretofore, has an entire section on the New London School Disaster, in parallel with the Battle of Guadalajara in the Spanish Civil War.) BrownÂ’s book is quite good; RonÂ’s may just be a bit better. (YMMV.)

Again, thanks for plugging GervÂ’s new novel. ItÂ’s a novel, not a political essay, but I think I should say a word or two to my fellow Â’Rons here. ItÂ’s British (as all get-out), so it doesnÂ’t precisely map over to our own politics, but you donÂ’t have to follow UK events to enjoy the dukeÂ’s comments on the Cameroons (the Tory version of RINOs), and you canÂ’t not, I think, love a character Â– the duke, again Â– who, in addition to being IMO funny as hell, has four interests in life: cricket, steam trains, High Church Anglicanism, and Thatcherism. Social cons will like it best once theyÂ’ve hit the ending (slight twist and all), and then, possibly, read it again in a new light; libertarians will, I think, like it for the secular passages but may get uneasy with the church passages. I donÂ’t think anybody, though, Left, Right, or Center Â– okay, Â“CentreÂ” Â– can read the account of the Remembrance Sunday services at the village war memorial and not be moved. Anyhow, thanks for the plug for a book I was glad to help publish; and IÂ’d like to know how folks like it.

Posted by: Markham S. Pyle at November 24, 2013 09:51 AM (WlkUc)

94 This week I finished Cloud Atlas, which I pretty much enjoyed but it got pretty overtly lib at the end, which others here warned me about; so much so that it ended up jaundicing my overall reaction to the book. I've been fighting a prolonged cold and it might have kept me from noticing some of the connections between stories; or maybe they're not there. We had some good discussions on this in my book group. I think I'd give it a B. the next book we're reading is Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. I thought this might be a plot by the homos to inflict some Wizard of Oz crap on me but the first couple chapters seem interesting. Only read a little Gibbon and it was mainly minutiae about rankings within the Byzantine court; pretty boring crap imo but necassary, I guess, to give a complete picture; particularly because this was published in 1776 when such discussions would perhaps be of more interest.

Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPhone at November 24, 2013 09:52 AM (LnCzx)

95 Actually, Huxley puts in mind of Nathan Thurm..., if you remember him: http://www.progressivefox.com/wp-content/gallery/thurm-block/thurm.jpg

Posted by: Mike Hammer at November 24, 2013 09:53 AM (aDwsi)

96 Pyle ----> Barrel

Posted by: Mike Hammer at November 24, 2013 09:54 AM (aDwsi)

97 Jesus. Sorry about 93 and the formatting. The link to Ron Rozelle's New London book is, http://www.amazon.com/dp/160344761X.

Posted by: Markham S. Pyle at November 24, 2013 10:01 AM (WlkUc)

98 Pyle, you must really like it in there

Posted by: boulder toilet hobo at November 24, 2013 10:02 AM (Nsoq9)

99 C. S. Lewis's "That Hideous Strength" is a good read - last of the space trilogy and the least about space. Short version: pre-WWII Brit Liberal Nazis pick wrong guy to fuck with, the resurrected Merlin, and it does not end particularly well for them. Think "Masque of the Red Death" but without the feel-good happy ending. My schadenboner lasted for a lot longer than 4 hours!

Posted by: Ray Van Dune at November 24, 2013 10:03 AM (+FlW1)

100 Yeah, I give up. I miss typewriters, honestly I do.

Posted by: Markham S. Pyle at November 24, 2013 10:04 AM (WlkUc)

101 JFK was a mental midget compared to C.S and Aldous...hell both of those MEN had stools which were smarter than old Jack. IF Jack had not of gotten his brains splattered all over Dallas no one would give a crap about that spoiled playboy brat.

Posted by: IrishEd at November 24, 2013 10:07 AM (bfm04)

102 Anyhow (he says, typing carefully), getting back to Lewis, can I speak up for The Problem of Pain? (Funny story: after USAir first bought out Piedmont, and flying Roanoke to IAH suddenly involved a change in Pittsburgh, I was reading TPOT in the airport waiting on my connection ... and realized suddenly that the old gentleman sitting across from me and smiling at the book cover was Sheldon Vanauken. Nice guy, too; we chatted.) Be that as it may, TPOT, to me, even more than A Grief Observed (or Van's Severe Mercy), has been to me as to a number of people more than just a theory of theodicy - particularly between 2010 and 2011, when I lost both my parents within 18 months.

Posted by: Markham S. Pyle at November 24, 2013 10:17 AM (WlkUc)

103 Read a few chapters of the book "Interloper" about LH Oswald ...intersesting so far.

Posted by: william at November 24, 2013 10:27 AM (RcZhL)

104 Beyond Heaven and Hell was in my parents' bathroom when I was growing up. Read it, it's good.

Posted by: Meekle at November 24, 2013 10:36 AM (kqHcW)

105 I strongly recommend Lewis's book _The Abolition of Man_. It's an essay which covers some of the same ground that Huxley does in his novel _Brave New World_: what happens when humans gain control of nature, including a complete functional understanding of human behavior? I particularly recommend it to my fellow unbelievers, because it lays bare so many of the issues of tradition and morality that atheists prefer to skate over.

Posted by: Trimegistus at November 24, 2013 10:41 AM (Y010F)

106 For the book nerd in all of us, I'm seriously considering "The Call of the Wild" shirt just because of the double nerdiness. http://www.litographs.com/collections/t-shirts/

Posted by: no good deed at November 24, 2013 10:45 AM (HsJeN)

107 Good Afternoon Morons. Just got back in from another weekend road trip. I have been trying to read Ender's Game on the Kindle now for over a week but road trips and funerals have been keeping me away from it.

Now the rocking chair will interfere. I am simply burned out on the road.

Posted by: Vic[/i] at November 24, 2013 10:47 AM (YowqD)

108 #101

Intelligence is expressed in different ways. Huxley, for example, was a sucker for medical scams. In the 40s and 50s there was a scammer by the name of Bates who claimed he could correct visual impairments such as nearsightedness by means of eye exercises, as if the distortion of the lens was the effect of weak muscles. The slogan 'Throw away your glasses!' is still used by those working the scam today.

Huxley was a public supporter of Bates. Bennett Cerf recounted a story were Huxley was giving an after-dinner speech and found himself stumbling. He pulled his notes from his pocket and that only made things worse as Huxley couldn't read what was there. He then produced a magnifying glass from his pocket and was able to read his notes. A hush had come over the room because everyone present was familiar with Huxley's advocacy of 'The Bates Method.'

I have a friend whose father was very close to Robert Heinlein. This friend dreamed of being an Air Force pilot as a kid but the coke bottle lenses in his glasses made it painfully obvious that he'd never qualify. Corrective surgery was still decades away from common use. Surprisingly, Heinlein recommended the Bates Method to my friend. This was sometime in the mid to late 70s. I don't know if Heinlein from his woes until he found a new aspiration or if he really believed the Bates nonsense.

Posted by: Epobirs at November 24, 2013 10:53 AM (bPxS6)

109 Vic, can you tell me the name of the history textbook you mentioned a few months back. Think you said it was SC or Wofford related. I put it in my amazon cart back then but it's disappeared. Thanks.

Posted by: NCKate at November 24, 2013 11:14 AM (vjZKo)

110 Another consideration for the 1964 election is whether JFK would have been capable of running. The demands of the campaign weighed against his declining health may just been too much. So, what would happen in an election where JFK wasn't martyred but wasn't running either?

A friend who I haven't seen in nearly a decade had a pet theory about the assassination being a form of euthanasia calculated for political effect. There wasn't any provision for relieving the President of his office due to infirmity. The 25th Amendment wasn't enacted until 1967 but the first proposals were in 1963, with Sen. Estes Kefauver having raised the disability issue frequently in his career. (We know now that JFK lied about his Addison's diagnosis while campaigning in 1960.)

At the start, the main precedent he had in mind was likely Woodrow Wilson, who had a stroke during his time in office and would almost certainly be relieved of office under the 25th Amendment. But a certain number of people knew that Kennedy had serious medical issues with cognitive side effects and that the treatments had yet more cognitive effects.

A long time ago, I read a translated French novel about an immortality drug that also cures all ailments. There are limits, as shown when the first creature used as a test is so far beyond its normal life span that its wings have crumbled to dust and it cannot grow new ones. The drug can cure illness but not produce regeneration beyond the normal capability of the body, so trauma will still kill an immortal. To maintain a kind of detente, samples of the drug are given to world leaders. Nobody can use the drug to become an immortal dictator because they will immediately have numerous rivals. An analog to the nuclear standoff.

In the book, JFK is President and his pain is truly severe. He succumbs to temptation and takes the drug. He is restored to health but to restore the balance of power is assassinated by a section of the CIA that exists solely for this purpose.

I've tried to find the title of that novel but no luck.

Posted by: Epobirs at November 24, 2013 11:31 AM (bPxS6)

111 I read the Kreeft book about Kennedy, Lewis, and Huxley. Very good. I'm a huge Lewis fan, both of his theological and fiction writings.

Posted by: John F Not Kerry @jfd1965 at November 24, 2013 11:39 AM (HF2US)

112 Listened to the audio book 'Honor of the Queen', book 2 of David Weber's Honor Harrington series. At times goes a bit slow but gathers speed near the end and finishes with a great space battle, just like the end of book 1. Listened to the short story 'Army of One' which apparently takes place between books 3 and 4 of the Star Force series by B. V. Larson, who I'd never read before. Exciting story, will have to check the series out.

Posted by: waelse1 at November 24, 2013 11:46 AM (5m4Yl)

113 109 Vic, can you tell me the name of the history textbook you mentioned a few months back. Think you said it was SC or Wofford related. I put it in my amazon cart back then but it's disappeared. Thanks.

Posted by: NCKate at November 24, 2013 03:14 PM (vjZKo)

I am not sure which one it was. I have read three or four that are used as Wofford textbooks. This is the one I love the best so it is probably the one I referenced. (especially since I borrowed all of them originally from a friend and this is one that I went back and purchased for myself).

Ironically, when I went to check to verify the title I can not find my copy so I have loaned it to someone. Which means I will have to go buy another copy.

Posted by: Vic[/i] at November 24, 2013 11:49 AM (YowqD)

114 Last!!! I read Speaking From Among the Bones, I think the fourth of the Flavia DeLuce mysteries. I love these books, and I purchased an audio version of the first one for my parents, thinking they would find it equally delightful. When I asked them how they liked it my stepfather said "Hated it" and my mother said "That book about the horrible little girl who wants to poison everyone? We couldn't finish it and we didn't like the narrator's voice." Really blew my mind, because my mom usually digs anything in that time period (post-WWII), and she would have been about Flavia' s age then. And they love mysteries. I hate making recommendations that I think are spot-on and being wrong.

Posted by: Gem at November 25, 2013 01:56 AM (zw+pb)

115 I feel your pain Gem. Some years back, I bought my parents a copy of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's "The Shadow of the Wind" I found the novel absolutely enchanting and was really happy to have the chance to share it with them. And of course my father didn't like it at all. IIRC my mother still hasn't read it. Similar story with Christopher Barzak's "The Love We Share Without Knowing" which my mother did read, and absolutely could not understand what I liked about it. She found it depressing. And now I find out that my dad thinks B.F. Skinner is just the greatest. I worry that sharing books with him might be a lost cause.

Posted by: BornLib at November 25, 2013 04:40 PM (zpNwC)

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