Sunday Morning Book Thread - 2-9-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

HT: Biden's Dog

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 (you were warned...). 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...or these pants...(GO TEAM!)

So relax, find yourself a warm kitty (or warm puppy--I won't judge) to curl up in your lap, start prepping Super Bowl snacks, and dive into a new book. What are YOU reading this fine morning?

PIC NOTE

Biden's Dog sent me a link to this story about the construction of Obama's Presidential Library. Apparently, one of the subcontractors is suing the firm managing the project because the supervising firm is not satisfied with the quality of the concrete the subcontractor is using. The Chicago-based subcontractor wants $40 million, claiming racism and discrimination. It's a perfect example of the Chicago grift in action. The subcontractor is inexperienced with this type of project and is cutting corners, probably skimming a bit off the top as well. It's the Obama presidency in a nutshell.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PAPER

A WRINKLE IN TIME V. THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH

The YouTuber above attempts to compare two classics of childhood literature against each other to determine which one is "better." I thought his approach was interesting, as he tries to find objective criteria for comparison but also allows for subjective criteria at the end as a tie-breaker. I remember reading and enjoying both books when I was a child. But I think he makes a good point about how our knowledge and experience as adults can color our perceptions of quality over time. I doubt I would enjoy either book now the same way I did when I was a child, simply because I would not be able to capture that same sense of wonder and excitement. Ah, well...such is life...

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

I'm reading Rutherford's Radioactive Substances and Their Radiations (1913), about all the often simple, and always clever, experiments happening during what was maybe the most exciting era of physics history. Back then, unlike now, the vanguard of theoretical and empirical physics research was still understandable by the educated layman (but usually found only in foreign language journals in university libraries,) and the lab apparatus was often relatively inexpensive. Here it is gathered in one book, in 700 pages of clearly written English.

Posted by: gp F'n Loves Science! at February 02, 2025 09:02 AM (P3fKr)

Comment: Science is awesome. The internet is incredible. Combine the two and you get a massive treasure trove of scientific knowledge. We get a snapshot of history and science by flipping through Ernst Rutherford's book. Pretty cool.

The latest novel in the Nora Kelly series by Preston and Child is Dead Mountain. Nora Kelly is an archaeologist in New Mexico. She receives a call from her friend, FBI agent in training Corrine Swanson, on a cold case gone hot.

Fifteen years ago, nine grad students were on a winter mountain trip in the area, when something unusual happened. During a blizzard, the hikers cut through the back of their tent and ran, most not even bothering to put on boots. Six frozen bodies were found within a few hundred yards of the tent, and three had remained missing until some teens recently stumbled upon the skeletons of two more, in an Indian burial cave.

The campsite happened to be near a classified military base, which eventually leads the women's investigation into a completely different direction while they search for the last victim. Interestingly, this story has its roots in actual events that occurred in Russia and the US.

Posted by: Thomas Paine at February 02, 2025 09:25 AM (rfDMn)

Comment: Nora Kelly is a side character from the Agent Pendergast novels written by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. She's a forensic anthropologist/archaeologist who often helps Agent Pendergast with his own unusual cases. Now she's moved out west and has been given her own series of novels. She often teams up with the young FBI agent Corrie Swanson, Agent Pendergast's protege.

I combined text, maps and illustrations from three public domain books and here is the result:

The Shirley Letters from the California Gold Fields 1851-1852 by Dame Shirley

The PDF version was generated online from my edited epub file.

Posted by: 13times at February 02, 2025 11:51 AM (sZZcM)

Comment: History is awesome. Have I said that the internet is incredible? Combine the two and now we can all take a trip deep into the past to witness first-hand accounts of life 170+ years ago.

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

WHAT I'VE BEEN ACQUIRED THIS PAST WEEK:

• Sons of the Forgotten Warrior Book 6 - Heart of the Mountain by Larry Correia -- I can now confirm that the dedication page in this book reads, "To George R. R. Martin. See? It's not that hard." I still find this hilarious.
• Star Wars - Crucible by Troy Denning -- I don't recall if this is the LAST adventure of Luke, Han, and Leia, but it might as well be. I read it on my Kindle app a few years ago and it seemed like a fitting end to their story, as they are several decades older now.
• Return of the Crimson Guard: A Novel of the Malazan Empire by Ian C. Esslemont -- This is a 1,000+ page doorstopper of novel that re-introduces the reader to the Crimson Guard, sworn enemies of the Malazan Empire. It takes place shortly after Lasseen has seized control of the Empire after deposing Kellanved.

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.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Balance Point by Kathy Tyers

In book 6 of The New Jedi Order (out of 19) the Yuuzhan Vong are making a play for one of the Core worlds, deep in New Republic territory. Duro is being resettled by refugees, who hope to restore the inhospitable planet to its former glory, reversing decades of ecological damage. Han, Leia, and their children all converge on Duro, ostensibly to help with resettling refugees, but soon get caught up in a conspiracy from within that stretches the highest echelons of the New Republic government.

"Contrived coincidence" is alive and well in the Star Wars universe as three disparate groups of Solos and Skywalkers all converge on Duro without realizing the other groups are also there. Eventually, they do team up to work together, but Duro is now lost in the hands of the enemy thanks to an infiltrator thought long dead. In universe, all of the contrived coincidences can be explained away as "the will of the Force." Still, it does seem like there's an awful lot of "luck" whenever the Solos or Skywalkers are around where they just happen to find each other in the same part of a giant galaxy.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Edge of Victory I - Conquest by Greg Keyes

In book 7, the Yuuzhan Vong are consolidating their hold on the worlds they've already conquered. They also extend a "truce" of sorts to the New Republic. No more conquest for a while if the New Republic will surrender the Jedi into Yuuzhan Vong custody. The Yuuzhan Vong have also discovered Yavin 4, the site of the Jedi academy, where dozens of young Jedi-in-training are in hiding, under the protection of a handful of Jedi Knights and a Jedi Master. Unfortunately, they are not strong enough to slow down the Yuuzhan Vong, who are able to capture a fourteen-year-old Jedi female for their vile experiments. Now sixteen-year-old Anakin Solo must risk everything to save young Tahiri, as he now realizes that she is destined to be his soulmate.

I found this story interesting as we get some background details about the Yuuzhan Vong and their culture. They are true fanatics when it comes to technology, viewing ALL forms of technology as an abomination and those who use it as infidels. They hate technology as much as Gazans hate Jews. In fact, they view artificially created fire as "the first abomination" as all technology ultimately comes from fire. Anakin also makes a startling discovery when he is able to harvest a living crystal and embed it as the focusing device for his broken lightsaber. Now, he, out of all Jedi has developed an awareness of the Yuuzhan Vong, who are otherwise immune to the Force.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Edge of Victory II - Rebirth by Greg Keyes

Han, Leia, and their elder son Jacen turn to piracy/privateering in an attempt to slow down the Yuuzhan Vong's conquest of the galaxy. Far too many smugglers and criminals are supplying the Yuuzhan Vong with war materiél. Meanwhile, Anakin and his girlfriend Tahiri team up with Corran Horn to warn the world of Yag'Duhl of an impending attack by the Yuuzhan Vong, even as infiltrators on that world seek to undermine its defenses. Luke Skywalker prepares for the birth of his son, though Mara suffers a resurgence of the Yuuzhan Vong-created disease that threatens her life as well as the life of her unborn child.

Star Wars - New Jedi Order - Star by Star by Troy Denning

The Yuuzhan Vong have engineered a terrifying weapon that blends the life of their galaxy with a creature within the Star Wars galaxy. Trained to seek out and destroy Jedi, they are unstoppable killing machines, taking out many Jedi before the New Republic and the New Jedi Order are able to form a counterstrategy. Now, a handful of young Jedi Knights surrender themselves to the tender mercies of the Yuuzhan Vong so that they can track down and destroy the source of the Jedi scourge.

This is approximately the midpoint of the full story arc of The New Jedi Order. Up until now, the New Republic has been fighting a retreating battle against the Yuuzhan Vong. Now they are starting to regroup and form counterattacks, as the New Republic is able to find a few weaknesses and exploit them.

The government as a whole is pretty useless, as one might expect. Various factions still want to find a way to coexist with an enemy that sees them as heretical vermin to be exterminated. Idiots.

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 2-2-2025 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

Tips, suggestions, recommendations, etc., can all be directed to perfessor -dot- squirrel -at- gmail -dot- com.

Disclaimer: No Morons were physically harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Squirrels residing in south-central Missouri get a tax break for supporting the Kansas City Chiefs, according to the state constitution.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

| Access Comments