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| Embassies In Jerusalem? That Will Be A Catastrophe! President Trump: "Wrong!" » October 16, 2022
Sunday Morning Book Thread - 10-16-2022 ["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. 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 "The Lottery." As always, pants are required, especially if you are wearing these pants... So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, try some of the fava beans (with a nice chianti!), and crack open a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning? PIC NOTE This is a still image from the classic Disney horror flick, Something Wicked This Way Comes. The title, of course, is an allusion to Shakespeare's Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 1). The movie is an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's book of the same name. You'll never look at a carnival the same way again... TRAGEDY - THE OTHER FACE OF DRAMA Last week we looked at a number of comedic authors and stories. Comedy is loosely defined as anything we find amusing or funny. We human beings love to laugh. We see laughter as an antidote to the darker side of life, even laughing in the face of deadly danger. Or we just laugh because it makes us feel better. Comedy is often seen as one of the two faces of the dramatic arts. I thought it only made sense if we now turned our attention to tragedy, the other face of drama. As a genre, tragedy is usually defined much more narrowly than comedy. Specifically, a "tragedy" in the literary sense exhibits most of the traits listed below:
This is the classical definition of a tragedy, though there are variations on this theme. We see these all the time in movies and television, as well as the classic Greek and Shakespearean plays. I'm not sure how common tragedies are in literature in general. Tragedies by their very nature do not instill a sense of hope in the reader because we know that the ending will be somewhat of a downer. That leads to an emotional response that can be difficult for us to process. Though sometimes we can be in the mood for a good tragic story, if it's told well. Tragic characters do not have to be the main protagonist in the story, either. They can be part of a story if only to serve as a warning to other characters. For instance, Ambassador Londo Mollari in Babylon 5 is a textbook case of a tragic character, though his story is only a small part of the Babylon 5 main storyline. He makes bad choices continually throughout the series until he is crowed Emperor of the Centauri Republic, only to discover that he has enslaved his people to a vicious alien race. (Interestingly, Mollari's death subverts the usual tragic fate of this character, because only through his own death at the hands of his former enemy can he free his people and thus find redemption.) What are some of YOUR favorite tragedies in literature? What is the cause of the downfall in those stories? Pride? Wrath? Avarice? Another deadly sin? (ht: Sharon(willow's apprentice)) FEATURED MORON REVIEW Moron creeper promised to send me a review of a book written by his neighbor and here it is!
MORON RECOMMENDATIONS For a good story with a nice mix of suspense and goofiness, Laurence Shames delivers the goods. His Key West series begins with Florida Straits, the story of the ill-fitting illegitimate son of a Queens mob boss looking for his rightful place in the underworld. He persuades his girlfriend to accompany him to Key West, where he tries to build his own criminal empire...of course, things do not go as expected. Lots of fun, a sweetly positive vibe, and good solid validation for one such as myself, who recently fled New York for the free state of Florida. Comment: It looks like there are currently about 16 books in the Key West Capers series, so if you like the first one, you should have plenty more to keep you entertained for a while! Sometimes it's fun to just read a light-hearted series of stories where the only objective is to enjoy it. And if there is an interesting mystery thrown in, that's just a bonus. The Discworld series of books are kind of like this...Goofy, fun characters thrown into weird situations that require them to solve a puzzle or mystery to save the day. Currently reading The Fate of the Apostles by Sean McDowell. A bit of a slog but still immensely interesting. If you like a multitude of footnotes, this book is for you. Unfortunately for my wallet, the footnotes are leading me to many other interesting books. After twenty years as a cop it doesn't faze me how utterly cruel people can be, but during the time of the Apostles it was routine. The fear of the newly forming Christian faith scared those in power who believed it had to crushed in its infancy. Comment: We are living in a very civilized society compared to previous civilizations, even though we can see civilization reverting to a more brutal, vicious state every day. The Twelve Apostles all faced terrible persecution for their beliefs. A funny book that doesn't poach a famous one or rewrite it, but instead visits the same world and floats alongside, is To Say Nothing of the Dog. It is very much a companion to the book it references, Three Men in a Boat and some of the jokes in TSNotD are made much funnier if you know TMiaB. Comment: This book is by Connie Willis, a Grand Master of Science Fiction (in case that matters.) Sounds like it could be a fun romp. Time travel stories are very difficult to do well, though they are a staple of science fiction. FYI - Three Men in a Boat was written in 1889 by Jerome K. Jerome and is available for free download at Project Gutenberg! Finally, I found a small, 90 page book titled Guiding Principles for Leadership and Professional Success by Danny Arnold and Ahmad Tootoonchi. Comment: I'll never be a leader in the conventional sense...I'm more of the "Evil Chancellor," lurking in the shadows, controlling things from the sidelines. Still, there's a lot of benefit in understanding how *real* leadership works. The so-called "leaders" in government can't be trusted to lead a Girl Scout parade (for A LOT of reasons!). I tried finding this on Amazon, but they don't seem to have it. And you can certainly find tons of lists about "# Principles for Leadership," which is probably just regurgitating what's in this book in some fashion... More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (457 Moron-recommended books so far!) WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:
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 - 10-09-22 (hat tip: vmom stabby stabby stabamillion) (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!) | Recent Comments
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