Sunday Morning Book Thread - 7-20-2025 ["Perfessor" Squirrel]

(Click for larger image)

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. As always, pants are required, unless you are wearing these pants...(you know Ace lounges around in these on Sunday mornings...)

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

PIC NOTE

This is a shelf of books in he dictionary section of the library in which I work (but do not work for). If you click on the image to enlarge it, you can see some interesting books, such as the Code Names Dictionary, The Dictionary of Cofusable Words, and Origin of the Term Shyster, written by an etymologist it's been my pleasure to work with over the years in my professional capacity as an instructional designer. Also my German professor. I don't remember anything I learned in three semesters of German, though.

ON THE PASSAGE OF TIME

I am fascinated by the passing of time in a story. We may not consciously realize it, but understanding how the events unfold over time can lead to a deeper appreciation of the story. Or, if the author is terrible about tracking time, it can also lead to a break in immersion, causing us to go, "WTF? How and when did that happen?"

Consider the murder mystery plot. Establishing a time of death of the victim is an important component in unraveling the mystery. Once that time of death has been determined, the investigator(s) can backtrack through the timeline to see which of the possible suspects had the greatest possibility to be in the vicinity of the crime when it took place.

In an action thriller or spy story, we may have a "ticking timebomb" scenario which limits the actions of the protagonist as they are forced to deal with a situation that will rapidly become unpleasant at a well-defined point in the future. Prophecies in fantasy stories can also work this way sometimes, as characters may be destined to fulfill the prophecy during a cosmic alignment.

Here on Earth, we have a time system that's relatively easy to understand. 24-hour days, 7-days a week, 28-31 days per month, and 365 days per year. The world is divided into time zones, but not all time zones are equal, so that can complicate things in a story. We also have several different calendars in use, depending on culture and society. And in a story set in a culture/society before regular clocks were discovered, people largely moved around the hours of daylight and responded to the rhythms of the seasons. All of these need to be factored into quality storytelling.

Once you leave planet Earth and move out into the solar system, things get stranger. We are used to our 24-hour days here on Earth, but in space, that's irrelevant other than as a useful tool for maintaining humanity's natural circadian rhythms. On Mars, days are slightly longer (24.6 hours), so humans can adjust to that easily, but the period of revolution around the sun is much longer (687 Earth days). As humanity achieves greater and greaters speeds for traveling, a necessity due to the vast distances between planets, moons, and asteroids, relatavistic effects will begin piling up, as characters start aging at different rates relative to their frames of reference.

Now leave the solar system and explore the galaxy. How do you track days, weeks, months, or years? What standard do you use for time? Most science fiction stories seem to use a "local time" and a "galactic standard time" that's set by the central government of the galactic civilization, though alien civilizations will have their own methods of tracking time. For instance in the Star Wars universe, the galactic standard time is based on Coruscant, the seat of power for for the Republic. However, the Chiss, who are not part of the Galatic Republic no doubt use their own clocks (they are also highly xenophobic).

Finally, things get truly bizarre when we leave our little corner of the cosmos and explore the multiverse, either in planes of existence in fantasy, or in alternate dimensions in science fiction. In those stories, you may as well throw out any of the rulebooks regarding time. In The Chronicles of Narnia, for instance, where characters travel back and forth between our world and Narnia, it's well-established as early as the first book that Narnian time moves to the beat of a different drummer. The Pevensie children grow up to become young adults in Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe but return to their childhood ages when they cross back into our world. In Prince Caspian, over a thousand years have passed in Narnia when they cross back over, while only a few months or so has passed in our world.

It's fun to play around with time in stories, though you do have to watch out for some gotchas. In Peter F. Hamilton's Night's Dawn series, for instance, it's clear that the story takes place over several months. Two female characters become pregnant early in the story (from the same man--it's complicated), yet neither character shows any progress in their pregnancy during that time. Confederacy medical technology is incredibly advanced, but they don't seem to have the ability to hide pregnancies for nine months. It's a weird little detail that bugged me during the otherise enjoyable story.

(HT: Pete Zah)

(Runner-up HT: CBD)

CHANGING TASTES IN READING

As I've reached the ripe and dignified age of 29+, I've noticed that my tastes in reading have shifted. Oh, I still love my fantasy and science fiction stories, of course, but I don't seek out NEW authors anymore. I did a brief look back through the books I've purchased over the past several years based on their publication dates. They basically fall into the following categories:

• Books written by authors I already know.
• Reprints of books that may have been written decades ago.
• Moron Recommendations.

I only have FOUR books published in 2025, and all of them fall into the categories above. I only purchased ELEVEN books that were published in 2024, and again they all fall into these categories.

Does this make me an old fogey? I dunno. I just know that I am not at all interested in the hot new thing among fantasy and science fiction writers, preferring to read the many, many books that exist in the past. Far too many for me to read in one lifetime. I'll continuing reading new books from authors I enjoy, like Larry Correia or Robert Jackson Bennett, but I've given up on a few authors like Raymond E. Feist and Terry Brooks who have basically ended their long-running series and therefore I don't feel to compelled to keep buying their books.

Has this happened to you?

RESPONDING TO MORON COMMENTS

Thanks to one of my other gigs, helping out at church on Sundays, I don't get to respond to the comments as much as I might like. Usually, I have about an hour or so on Sundays to read the comments before I go to church. But when I am "working" on the tech team, I have to get there early, so I post the Sunday Morning Book Thread and hurry on down there to get things set up for worship. I then come home and read the comments after church.

Perfesser, top pic should be titled Feline dreams of android mice

Posted by: vmom deport deport deport at July 13, 2025 09:06 AM (sT/8C)

Definitely my favorite comment from last week!

One of the Weinsteins (Bret?) has been deriding physics as having become constipated by its obsession with string theory. He speaks of that often when he appears on podcasts.

Apologies, it is Eric Weinstein.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) Point&Laugh! Point&Laugh! Point&Laugh![ at July 13, 2025 09:01 AM (Tv15w)

Physicist Lee Smolin wrote an entire book on the subject of string theory in physics and how it has held back advancements in scientific inquiry: Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next (2006). It's an untested and untestable theory (with current technology), but for at least a couple decades it's been the "hot new thing" as physicists everywhere pursued it to find a "theory of everything." Like climate change, it was a sure way to secure funding for various projects that *might* lead to breakthroughs. Although the mathematics behind it are interesting, I don't think string theory has yet yielded any tangible results.

What book have you read that you want it to be made into a movie?

I would really like them to make Armor into a movie. I understand that it has a Shamalamadingdong twist but I think some innovative screenwriter can make it work.

Posted by: polynikes at July 13, 2025 10:10 AM (VofaG)

I would not trust anyone in Hollywood to make a movie about *any* of my favorite books. They've already butchered one of my favorites (The Wheel of Time) beyond recognition. They did the same to the Shannara series. I turned that show off after less than five minutes.

Some of Clifford Simak's books could make for interesting movies, though. He wrote amazing Western stories. Every time I read one of Simak's Western short stories, they feel very cinematic. You could take a few of those, rewrite them to have the same protagonist, and stitch them into a pretty good Western movie.

MORON RECOMMENDATIONS

Witness by Sandra Brown is a thrilling tale of mystery, lies, intrigue, and a secret conspiracy too horrible to contemplate. The story begins with a horrible auto accident in the rain, a series of escapes to avoid not only the evil doers but those on the side of law and order who seek only justice, and one main character's amnesia from the wreck. Great character development and a twisting, tangled plot that unravels slowly and with surprises around each bend. Secrets are kept until the last page and then - ta da! - still not revealed. Brown writes great tales of thrills and suspense that keep you hanging on to the end. Recommended.

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at July 13, 2025 10:10 AM (kB9dk)

Comment: Sounds intriguing. I may have to read this. I like a good story that winds around itself, revealing just enough to give you a hint that something larger is afoot, but also tantalizing you with darker secrets within secrets until you aren't quite sure who the good guys are, though in the end it should be obvious who the main antagonist is so that you can root for justice to be served. Unless it's part of a series with a much larger metaplot that keeps you coming back for more.

Comment:

MORE MORON RECOMMENDATIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE: AoSHQ - Book Thread Recommendations

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.

Bobby Dollar Trilogy Book 2 - Happy Hour in Hell by Tad Williams

In the previous book, angel Bobby "Doloriel" Dollar found himself enmeshed in a weird conspiracy between an angel and a demon that sought to create a "Third Way" between Heaven and Hell for the souls of the departed. Along the way, Bobby fell in love with a demoness, a strict no-no among the Heavenly choirs. Now he's pledged to rescue her from Hell, as she's now the plaything of Eligor the Horseman, Duke of Hell.

This book is full of dark and twisted humor as Bobby navigates the intricacies of the infernal plane of Hell. Some truly gruesome stuff.

Also, and I don't understand this, Williams inserts a gratuitous swipe at Donald Trump. He does it again in the next book (see below). This series was written long before Donald Trump announced he was even running for President the first time. But I guess he was a public celebrity figure and so authors like Tad Williams and Richard Kadrey (who also frequently swipes at Trump) feel like a rich NYC real-estate developer is an acceptable target. Fortunately, Williams only does it a couple of times and doesn't derail the story with long tirades against Trumpism.

Bobby Dollar Trilogy Book 3 - Sleeping Late on Judgement Day by Tad Williams

Minor spoiler: Bobby Dollar failed in his quest to rescue his ladylove. Returned to Earth, he's still embroiled in a new conflict between Heaven and Hell that threatens to undo the delicate balance between the two forces that has led to an unpleasant, but workable system. He now knows which angelic Power is after him. It's up to Bobby and his allies to unmask the Power so that Heaven's justice can be applied where it belongs.

Although I like Tad Williams writing and I enjoy his other series quite a bit. The Bobby Dollar trilogy is his weakest work in my opinion. Think of it as a combination of Dresden Files meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Supernatural. That about sums up this series.

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

PREVIOUS SUNDAY MORNING BOOK THREAD - 7-13-2025 (NOTE: Do NOT comment on old threads!)

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

"There is no book so bad...that it does not have something good in it."

Disclaimer: No Morons were physically harmed in the making of this Sunday Morning Book Thread. Never accept a dinner invitation from a man dressed in a Lincoln green outfit.

posted by Open Blogger at 09:00 AM

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