Sunday Morning Book Thread - 07-17-2022 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

Welcome to the prestigious, internationally acclaimed, stately, and illustrious Sunday Morning Book Thread! The place where all readers are welcome, regardless of whatever guilty pleasure we feel like reading (civilization is overrated...). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material, even if it's nothing more than your tax return. As always, pants are required, especially if you are wearing these pants (now with extra Val-U-Rite!)...

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, twist the lid off a jar of marmalade, and crack open a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

PIC NOTE

This is the Central Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. It's fairly large, holding almost 1.5 million volumes, along with over 300,000 journal and magazine issues and over half a million theses. each of the walls of the exterior represents aspects of Mexico's history, from pre-Columbian times to the modern day. In a weird sort of way, the library exterior is itself a book, as anyone who understands the "code" can read the history of Mexico on its walls. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly eye-catching

HOW TO BE A BETTER READER...

Many of us who read the Sunday Morning Book Thread are "experts" in reading. We don't think too much about it and we can plow through several books a week when we put our minds to it. However, not everyone reads at that level, and there are people out there that would like to improve their reading capabilities, but are not quite sure where to start. Or maybe you are someone who doesn't much care for reading, but would like to learn how to enjoy it.

With that in mind, here are some videos that might inspire you or someone you know to pick up more books and start reading!

Comment: A few excellent tips to help you improve your reading. Make small goals for continuous improvement. Pair your reading activity with something else that you enjoy (like exercise or watching television) so that you start to associate reading with something pleasurable. (NOTE: This is the same technique used to train animals to do something they don't always enjoy!)

Comment: Reading should not be a competition against other readers. Instead, it should be a competition against yourself to improve your mind. Through the Sunday Morning Book Thread recommendations, I have pushed myself to try different books, which is excellent. That's one reason why I created a Libib section for Moron Recommendations, so everyone would have an accessible catalog of different books from the Horde that would present new and interesting reading opportunities.

Comment: Setting aside deliberate time for reading, making an appointment is good advice. Many people do the same for their regular physical exercise routine. Why not do the same for mental exercise? Chunking, especially for non-fiction, is also excellent advice. There's a reason why most non-fiction books have subsections within each chapter and it's for exactly that reason--breaking up the information into more manageable chunks of information. Cognitive research is pretty clear that we need time to process new information and form long-term connections in our memory. So read a section, take a break, and then THINK about what you read.

What other tips and tricks can the Horde recommend for improving one's reading skills?!

BOOKS BY MORONS

No Books by Morons this week...Y'all must be on summer vacation this week...

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

The feature on short stories a few weeks back inspired me to finally buy Evelyn Waugh's shorter works. The collection I picked up spans his career, from the Smart Set of the 1930s into the 60s.

While I've been sharply limiting my reading to China in a desperate effort to finish my book, I did indulge my curiosity to read "Basil Seal Rides Again."

Basil Seal is one of Waugh's wonderfully amusing characters, an anti-hero if there ever was one. A total rake, he is the main character in a couple of the Smart Set books but always seems to be lurking in the background. Anyhow, we last saw him in Put Out More Flags (in which the Smart Set goes to war) which was written around 1941. Seal manages to land a gig identifying homes for evacuees and he comes across the three worst children in England.

Chronically short of money, he comes up with the idea of forcing householders to bribe him to avoid placing the children with them.

Anyway, the short story is set years later and all I'm going to say is that Waugh is amazing. When I got to the "twist" at the end, I was weeping with laughter.

Posted by: Ace-Endorsed Author A.H. Lloyd at July 10, 2022 09:25 AM (llXky)

Comment: OK, I think I'm going to have to track down a copy of this story because it does sound highly amusing! Fortunately, I have direct access to an entire university library system, so this should be fairly easy for me to do...stay tuned for my own update!

On a lighter note, The Comfort Crisis was a great non fiction read on bettering yourself. The author wrote for Mens Health and Outside. He explores how we as a society have become soft- and how people need to go on hard journeys and be physically uncomfortable to regain strength and mental fortitude. Highly recommend. Inspired me to pick up my old rucksack and start moving around with it again.

Posted by: Secret Squirrel, author of the military SCI FI series Outward Frontier on AMAZON at July 10, 2022 09:26 AM (jQkkr)

Comment: There's a lot to be said for this. About a decade or so ago I went on a fishing trip in Canada. Part of the reason why I went was to push myself a little. We were out in the middle of nowhwere, at least 100 miles from the nearest outpost of civilization. Just three men surviving on our own for a week. And naturally there was a blizzard our first day. For a time, I wasn't quite sure I would make it out of there. But we survived and had a great time.

Non fiction: From Strength to Strength by Brooks. About goals as you grow older and can't do the work that you once did either mentally or physically. What comes next?

David Page Coffin's Shirtmaking as I'm working on making some clothes. I never sewed anything in my life other than the occasional button but stumbled into some antique sewing machines (treadle powered not electric) and am now trying to learn to sew, just for fun and something to do.

Posted by: Heresolong at July 10, 2022 10:17 AM (/tYLr)

Comment: I think I've only sewed maybe one or two buttons in my life, though I do remember learning how a long time ago. I did take a home ec class in junior high school where we did a bit of sewing. But that's one of the great things about books...there's just so much to learn. I picked up a few books on sleight of hand tricks not too long ago because that's something that's always interested me. Maybe I'll learn a trick or two for the TXMOME...

The book and author that got me started on a lifetime of reading was The Secret Sea by Robb White. The story concerns a young naval officer wounded at the Battle Off Samar (I didn't realize which battle at the time but now it's obvious) and invalided out of the service. Meanwhile, his kid brother is injured and needs expensive care but there's no money. Back when he was still in the Navy, he had been a part of field testing a new sonar set in the Caribbean and came across a suspicious wreck on the bottom and rescued a Spanish sailor, who soon died, clutching an old ship's log describing the last voyage of a Spanish treasure galleon. So he teams up with spunky street kid and goes treasure hunting. But he has competition, an evil guy in a black ship who had sunk the ship of the Spaniard who he had rescued but who had soon died.

I got this book in the Scholastic Reading program through the school. The schools wouldn't touch this book today; it has unfavorable things to say about people of color yellow and features violence and torture not to mention it drips with toxic masculinity. White wrote a metric shit ton of books usually involving sea. Ironically, the only of his books still in print, as far as I know, is about the desser, Deathwatch. Deathwatch has twice been made into movies, neither particularly good. All of his books are about young men who with grit and determination overcome the odds to defeat evil.

Posted by: Anonosaurus Wrecks, Now the Summer of Our Discontent at July 10, 2022 10:26 AM (FVME7)

Comment: Sounds like a fun adventure story. Too bad it probably won't be turned into a watchable television series on Netflix or Amazon Prime, though. I'm sure the problematic elements could be tweaked with good writing, but we don't have that in Hollywood anymore. They'd tweak it far too much in the "woke" direction...

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (286 Moron-recommended books so far!)

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

• Monster Hunter Vendetta by Larry Correia -- Pretty fun story. Though the ending of this one included a bit of deus ex machina (as did the ending of the first story). But still quite enjoyable despite some flaws.
• Monster Hunter Alpha by Larry Correia -- Werewolves galore! Not quite as good as the first two in the series, but still entertaining.

That's about all I have for this week. Thank you for all of your kind words regarding my Sunday Morning Book Thread. This is a very special place. You are very special people (in all the best ways!). The kindness, generosity, and wisdom of the Moron Horde knows no bounds. Let's keep reading!

If you have any suggestions for improvement, reading recommendations, or writing projects that you'd like to see on the Sunday Morning Book Thread, you can send them to perfessor dot squirrel at-sign gmail dot com. Your feedback is always appreciated! You can also take a virtual tour of OUR library at libib.com/u/perfessorsquirrel. Since I added sections for AoSHQ, I now consider it OUR library, rather than my own personal fiefdom...

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 07-03-22 (hat tip: vmom stabby stabby stabamillion) (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

("Huggy" Squirrel is ready for the
zombie / vampire / werewolf Apocalypse!)

posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

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