Sunday Morning Book Thread - 12-24-2023 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

(HT: CBD)

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 (I know the author of this one). Here is where we can discuss, argue, bicker, quibble, consider, debate, confabulate, converse, and jaw about our latest fancy in reading material. As always, pants are required, unless 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, put out some cookies and milk for you-know-who, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

NOTE: We had Christmas services at church last night, so I'll be around all morning...

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

-- Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)

PIC NOTE

CBD sent me a link to this article about a Christmas Tree made out of books at St. Pancras station in the UK. The station houses Hatchards, the UK's oldest bookshop. I would not mind spending time tucked away in a little cubicle to read a book while waiting for my train.

READING THE CLASSICS

In the video below, the presenter acknowledges that he received a sub-par education from the Louisiana education system. He laments this fact and is determined to correct this by reading the 50-volume Harvard Classics series. I know we give Harvard a lot of grief these days because of how they have debased the value of the education they offer now. However, at one time they DID offer a high-quality education grounded on the classics from Western Civilization. The Harvard Classics series is an attempt to preserve and pass on this wisdom to future generations. Kudos to this YouTuber for rising to the challenge of educating himself this way. More people (including myself) should probably follow his example.

The "classics" are classic for a reason. They capture the timeless qualities of the human experience. I admit that I have not read these books, though I am well aware how they have influenced authors and popular culture that came after them. The best authors of today have read the classics and have used these books as inspiration for their own tales, continuing the long tradition of using literature to entertain the reader, but also to give them lessons on what it means to be truly human.

FEATURED MORON REVIEW: The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

OrangeEnt sent me the following review of MP4's book:

Here it is, a review of MP4's The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of. I've posted this review on Amazon, where I bought the book: The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of, a look inside early Hollywood through the eyes of makeup man, Toby Swanson.

The story is told from Toby's POV. Toby is the makeup artist - and confidant - for silent film star Theda Bara. Her best known film, Cleopatra, is set to begin filming. At a publicity event, a body falls out of a fake coffin. Who is it? We delve into the world of Hollywood behind the scenes of cover ups, catty "friendships,"" wacko cults, and the sordid world of those willing to do anything to become a "star." Toby and Theda set out to solve that mystery, and fall into another, when a "friend" of Theda's suddenly dies in a crash in one of Miss Bara's automobiles. Was she alone, or with someone? Accident, or murder? Suspicion falls on the silent star because the two had a loud argument in front of friends just hours before.

Toby and Theda follow clues to the mysteries, being both helped and hindered by connections in the studios, and those who resent her. It's a quick, breezy read, with plenty of page turning excitement. If you love old Hollywood, mysteries, and snappy dialog, you'll enjoy this book. A Siskel and Ebert thumbs up.

I will second OrangeEnt's recommendation. I found it to be a very entertaining read, as MP4 draws you into the life and times of early Hollywood studios. Things were a lot different back then, though some things will probably never change...

DEPLORABLE BOOKS

To me, "Deplorable Books" can have one of the following connotations:

• The content of the books is deplorable in some way. Badly written or offensive subject matter.
• The author of the books is a truly deplorable person. Either in their behavior or their character or both.
• The author is a "Deplorable" in the same way we are "Morons." He or she has embraced the word and made it their own.

Fellow part-time COB "movigique" has a new book coming out early next year (Jan 7) with an offer for early reviewers:

Hi, Perfesser!

Book 2 (Foul Brood) is coming out January 7th! I didn't quite hit my review quota the first time so, same deal: Free ARCs to anyone willing to leave a review. Hardbacks to those who want them.

They can fill out the form at dsblake.com, email me i--at--dsblake.com, or
just leave contact info in the thread with foul brood in there so I can find it. (If possible, I'll jump on the thread, but I'm usually asleep.)

Obviously this is super-late for tomorrow but super-early for the Christmas Eve thread, so maybe you can get it in there.
+++++
Jake Ambler's had a tough couple of years. So he's grateful to be on Alvum among the peaceful and almost mystical Trigonans, a race of hyper-intelligent hive-minds uncannily like Earth bees.

Their technology mysterious, they produce a honey that excites emotion, beautiful music, and are at work construction a Neurofield that will unify the whole planet.

Their only downside? The kill Myrmidons, the giant antlike creatures that live under the earth, on sight. And when the Myrmidons strike back, Jake finds himself sucked into a holy war like no other.

Adding to the mix is the invasion of Space Station XEE by The Lost Girls, a mercenary band of privateers, and the alluring Doctor Lazar.

Who is spurring the Myrmidons on? What treasures does Alvum hold that the evil head of New Helena's agency wants to get hold of it? Can Jake have a normal date with a girl?

I will miss the book thread today, but if you need a Christmas themed book for elementary ages, the kids loved Hank the Cowdog: The Wounded Buzzard on Christmas Eve.

Lessons on generosity and kindness gently and humorously taught. Plus, it features Wallace and Junior.

I've always regretted that my first two were too old for that series. My son, especially, would have loved them.

Posted by: sal: tolle adversarium et afflige inimicum at December 17, 2023 08:38 AM (KB0Aa)

Comment: I enjoy sharing recommendations for children's books, especially those that spread a positive message. Too many children's books these days are all about promoting ***THE MESSAGE.*** And even if your kids may be too old for these books, someday THEIR children will be just the right age where you can read these books to them in your best grandparent voice.

I enjoy these collections of letters from writers I enjoy. I also have the two volume set of letters for CS Lewis as well as similar collections for HP Lovecraft and EB White. Then there is Chickens, Gin, and a Maine Friendship: The Correspondence of E. B. White and Edmund Ware Smith which is insightful and hilarious. I really enjoy these glimpses into the lives and thoughts of these authors. They offer insights into the development of the books I so admire and there is a lot of humor in the correspondence between friends.

For my taste they are definitely worth the time.

Posted by: JTB at December 17, 2023 09:41 AM (7EjX1)

Comment: Last week I included a book about Tolkien's own correspondence. It's not surprising at all that someone would post a comment like this, as we have a wide variety of readers here at AoSHQ. It can be fun to witness the playful banter between two old friends who are clearly dear to each other.

I would like to recommend Silk Unspun by fellow moron author, D.S. Blake ["moviegique" - PS]. He was kind enough to send me a review copy, but it is now available through Amazon.

Jake Ambler, after finishing his sentence on Mars, has decided he does not want to return to Earth. So he joins the ICF, an "exopreneur" company that is trying to come to a trade agreement with a newly discovered world. The main sentient lifeform are arachnids and the females hold the power and the males are pawns. Jake finds himself sympathetic to the males and a hero of their rebellion. But is he a pawn of his company as well as of the female arachnids?

Jake is an interesting character and, since "Silk Unspun" is the first of a series, I look forward to his next adventure on another "bug" planet. Building a world and a culture based on insects and arachnids is tricky, especially with respect to communication. How can two very different biological entities communicate? How are non-verbal emotional states expressed? Mr. Blake's solutions to these problems are rather creative and his world is logically consistent within itself.

Recommend.

Posted by: March Hare at December 17, 2023 09:47 AM (WOU9P)

Comment: Book Two will be released in January, so now would be an excellent time to get caught up with the series over the Christmas holiday season. First contact situations have a long pedigree among science fiction authors. Sometimes it can lead to grave and tragic misunderstandings, such as can be found in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game.

It's been mentioned several times, but I can't recommend Paul Kengor's The Devil and Karl Marx highly enough. Read it in conjunction with Fr. Robert Spitzer's examination of the Deadly Sins (particularly the sin of pride) in his book, Christ versus Satan in Our Daily Lives.

After reading both books, I finally realized that Communism is, besides being a failed economic model, spiritually evil. Communists are spiritually invested in collectivism --- 150 years of demonstrable failure is meaningless. That's why utilitarian arguments against Communism don't work.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at December 17, 2023 11:54 AM (pJWtt)

Comment:

More Moron-recommended reading material can be found HERE! (1000+ Moron-recommended books!)

WHAT I'VE BEEN READING THIS PAST WEEK:

After reviewing some of OregonMuse's old Book Threads, I thought I'd try something a bit different. Instead of just listing WHAT I'm reading, I'll include commentary as well. Unless otherwise specified, you can interpret this as an implied recommendation, though as always your mileage may vary.

Riverworld Book 5 - Gods of Riverworld by Philip José Farmer

Book 4 (The Magic Labyrinth) was originally intended to be the final book in the series, but Farmer included a potential sequel hook at the end of Book 4. He then exploits it fully in Book 5, Gods of Riverworld, by pitting the survivors of Book 4, who have finally made it to the Tower of the Ethicals at the north pole of the Riverworld, against a mysterious entity that killed their benefactor. Now Richard Francis Burton and his diverse companions must explore the Tower, unravel its mysteries, and gain control of unfathomable power over the lives and deaths of the remaining 18 billion inhabitants of Riverworld, as well as twice that many souls.

It gets kind of weird as the power they now command goes to their heads and they begin resurrecting anyone and everyone who interests them. For instance, it's discovered that Jack the Ripper was actually three men working in concert to protect a royal secret of Victorian England. The three men and two of their victims are resurrected and given another chance to change their ways, with the end goal of achieving a higher ethical state that would allow their souls to "Go On" to the next plane of existence. A former slave from the American colonies resurrects all of his fellows that he knew, just so he could establish himself as their king thanks to his powers. They eventually cast him out of his own heavenly domain.

The ending is a bit ambiguous, but I think that's by design as it's now clear that some humans have achieved an "ethical" state where they are able to become true masters of their own fate. I would not consider Farmer to be the "best" science fiction writer out there, but it's very, very clear that his ideas have influenced and shaped many authors within the genre to some degree or another. So in that respect he is hugely influential on the genre as a whole. Worth reading if you want to know the origins of more modern science fiction.

Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker

Midnight at the Well of Souls is the first book in Jack L. Chalker's Well World series. Like Farmer's Riverworld, the Well World is a planet that serves a definite purpose for sentient beings. It was created by a race of super-powerful beings that are able to shape reality like clay. Human society--several centuries in the future--is presented as one of homogeneity. Humans are now grown in vats instead of being born through natural procreation. There's a uniformity to humanity that has led to stagnation in our advancement. Though there are throwbacks like Nathan Brazil, who lives on the fringes of society. He's one of the few humans who knows how to read. He even frequents libraries, which are now archaic buildings used by a small handful of scholars. Humanity prefers to access knowledge through portable devices that are ubiquitous throughout the galaxy. In fact, it's a rather prescient look at today's society in many ways.

The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari

This is a retelling of the classic biblical tale where God and the Devil make a wager for the fate of the world based on free will. Here, a rather weary God (who has gone through this numerous times and nearly always won) agrees to a wager with Lucifer that if Lucifer wins this time, God will erase the world He had made in favor of one that will be designed according to Lucifer's wishes. The Devil will be allowed to tempt Joby away from God, just as he did to the original Job. It's up to Joby to remember the noble, chivalric ideals that influenced his childhood in order to prevail against the wily Devil. And God will be unable to intervene under any circumstances. Will the Devil win this time? Has he finally outwitted the Lord and Master of all Creation? (SPOILER: No, probably not, but let's enjoy the journey...)

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 12-17-23 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

(Huggy Squirrel's nuts grew three sizes that day!)

Disclaimer: No Morons were harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Many Deplorables were sacrificed on the winter solstice so that you might be entertained.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

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