Collective Book Journal: For members who don't want their own threads

It seems there a quite a few members who want to discuss some of the books they're reading or just completed, but don't want their own threads. (It can be intimidating.) This thread is for those members.

This sounds like a sound idea because I know I don't want my own thread:)

>2 chalton: Yay! :o)

This post has nothing to do with books...
Last night I watched my favorite among football teams The Cowboys vs the Rams. Okay,it's only fair to say the better team won.The Cowboys just got outplayed.I don't like seeing the Cowboys lose,but it is what it is somebody has to.

And can I just say the new Rams stadium.....very nice!

>1 GreenDragon: Great idea!

I've starred this topic.

>4 chalton: Do you think there will be a superbowl this year? I am not a sports fan so while I know that covid has been playing havoc with sports, I really don't know how to extrapolate anything.

>6 BookstoogeLT: I feel like there will be, although right now there are no fans in the stands and the cheering noise is pumped in.

The Cowboys beat the Falcons 40 to 39.It was nice to see the Cowboys win but man, it was tense.
And to be fair there was a lot of luck on the Cowboys side, Falcons actually played better ball.
(that was hard to admit).

>7 chalton: I'm guessing a half time show would also be virtual....

>9 BookstoogeLT: Yeah, I don't know how they would swing that..
nope I got nothing.

Okay, we lost but the Cowboys vs Seahawks was a good game. And it was close.

The Cowboys got the first points but then the Seahawks came back and it was really a good game.

Cowboys 31

Seahawks 38

Okay so the Cowboys lost to the Browns. The Cowboys had a good 1st quarter and a good 4th quarter. But the 2nd and 3rd belonged to the Browns. To be honest, I didn't see the game because it was blacked out in my area. But looking at the game stats afterwards I saw that the Cowboys did not score in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Whereas the Browns made points in all 4 quarters. It was a high scoring game.



Cowboys 38

Browns 49

>12 chalton: What does "blacked out in my area" mean? Like an actual black out due to power loss or simply not carrying the game on a channel you could access? Or something completely different? :-D

>13 BookstoogeLT: If I understand chalton correctly, they used to do that here, too. Suppose there was a rugby match (Springboks v. Wallabies, for example) played in Durban, supposedly being broadcast on SABC2. The rest of the country would see it live, but in Durban that channel would show something else for the duration. This was supposed to force the fans to go and see the match live. The practice was dropped when it was found not to make the slightest difference to gate receipts.

i'm thinking some kind of mental interference, preventing you from seeing images when you look at the tv. The ultimate protection for companies that purchase viewing rights.

Just to derail this thread, has anybody read Gormenghast ? I'm reading it at a glacial pace. That's glacial in the traditional meaning of rate of advance, not the modern sense of how they disappear, which seems to be pretty quick.

>15 MrAndrew: I loved the first two books of Gormenghast. The author was suffering illness when writing the third and it reduced the creativity.

I remember a TV series based on that - I think - it was a bit surreal so it may have been a hallucination from 30 years ago!

>17 Bookmarque: There was a four-part mini series. I watched it when it was first broadcast and have it on DVD. I tried to watch it again last year and gave up on it. My advice would be "stick to the book".

It was the first book that gave me an appreciation of characterisation and good descriptive writing. Up until then plot had been my main interest in a book. The second book in the trilogy, "Gormenghast", contains some beautifully drawn characters. I think the teachers are wonderfully portrayed.

The first book got quite dark in places.

>15 MrAndrew: I keep buying copies of Titus Groan, and starting to read it, but never get past the first few pages for various reasons. If I ever actually make it in past the first chapter or two, maybe someday I'll keep going.

>19 SylviaC: I am glad someone else has the same problem as I do! A schoolfriend, whose tastes I usually shared, recommended it extremely enthusiastically, and I have been trying intermittently to get into it ever since, without success.

>19 SylviaC: & >20 -pilgrim-:
I found the first few pages difficult to get into but found it worthwhile once I got past them.

>13 BookstoogeLT:
Yeah, so the Texans were playing their game at the same time and on the same channel. And given my proximity to Houston, TX, the Texans had priority. It doesn't seem fair to me but the only way around is to buy the ESPN sports package and it's more affordable to just miss a game once in a while.

>23 chalton: Thanks.

Glad this was able to spark off a good side conversation too :-)

>15 MrAndrew: I'm trying to read it. Glacial pace is a good description. Mostly it is sitting by my reading chair giving me malevolent looks. I'm more than a few pages in, but am not enjoying the tone of it at all, although I have no problem with the actual writing. Possibly I am not at a place in my life where I can be immersed in a new world, which is why I haven't actually giving the thing away. I keep hoping I will hit a different stage where the pace and gloom will not bother me.

>25 MrsLee: If it's giving you malevolent looks, probably time to dump it on someone else before it becomes full-on cursed!

>26 reconditereader: It's just so THICK! I have the trilogy in one paperback. So thick. A brick. I do NOT want it to start flying around the room.

Bury it in the garden at midnight?

>28 reconditereader: No, not at midnight! Do you WANT it to come back and haunt MrsLee?

>28 reconditereader: It might GROW!

>29 -pilgrim-: Too right!

Hmmmm. Toss it in the sea and hope a crab eats it off the ocean bottom?

>31 reconditereader: *Envisions giant crab rising from the ocean to fight Godzilla.* Nope.

It was the Giants vs Cowboys and it was a good game, to the very end.

And final score was

Giants 34

Cowboys 37

I watched the Monday Night Football, Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys.

Bad game, okay no one scored the 1st quarter and then in the 2nd quarter only the Cardinals scored.

And they kept scoring, really made the Cowboys look bad.

Final score:

Cowboys 10

Cardinals 38

>34 chalton: That doesn't sound like a very fun game to watch.

>35 BookstoogeLT: Oh, you are so right. The first part was boredom and it slowly turned to anger as I watched the Cowboys lose the ball to the Cardinals 4 times. The Cowboys QB broke his ankle last week, and they are playing with the 2nd string QB. But I don't feel that 1 man is that meaningful, the rest of the team should still be capable.
But now I feel like I'm rambling....so sorry if I said too much.

>36 chalton: I thought Andy Dalton did a decent job last week when he took over after Daks injury, but he's kind of a clunker out there. Guy just can't evade the sacks. I only watched part of this one; I'm a Pats fan so I was watching Chiefs vs Bills.

>37 Darth-Heather: And he threw 2 interceptions and you're right he can't evade well.

>15 MrAndrew: Very late to the conversation, I have read Gormenghast - it was actually my special study back when I was at uni mumble mumble years ago. At that point I'd never read them (as in before not by the time I'd finished), and had mooted the idea to my tutor of maybe something Tolkien related to which my tutor replied no, no one ever does that well, you should look at this instead and the bonus is by the time you've finished you'll either love it or hate it but it won't matter because you'll either be better of than you are now because you've discovered it or you won't have lost anything because you haven't read it yet. I didn't get what he meant at the time, but afterwards I really understood what he was getting at after spending so so so many hours with it (I came down on the loving side for the record although it's been years since my last read).

I'm with pgmcc on avoiding the TV series - I did hear some good reports but only from people who'd not read the books. It didn't work for me.

I keep meaning to re-read the series and also part of me wants to try the fourth and final book. Mervyn Peake had written notes and plans and the opening chapter(s) but never got to complete the final book, instead it was completed by his wife Maeve Gilmore and is called Titus Awakes. One of these days I will embark on the journey again - I still have my old uni copies although they are looking a little worse for wear at this point.

>39 Peace2: ...also part of me wants to try the fourth and final book.

I went as far as getting a copy but I have not started to read it yet. I almost dread to open the cover lest I damage what came before.

I bought a beautiful anniversary edition of the trilogy and started a re-read a few years ago only to be interrupted by work and have never gotten back to it.



Before reading the third book, Titus Alone, I was aware of Peake's illness at the time of writing so I was not surprised that it was not of the same standard and did have the same flair as the first two.

Factors that stand out in my mind from reading the trilogy are the characters, and the surprising similes. I must go back and get examples, but I always remember being surprised at what Peake compared with what in a simile, but having read a surprising simile I understood what he meant.

Having Gormenghast as something you had to read for college must have been a delight. Also, if you were working on a book that not many other students were working on would have given you an advantage at marking time as it would break the boredom for the marker and your report/thesis/dissertation/review would have been received with a welcoming smile. I know I benefited from focusing on less popular subjects in my post-grad years.

>40 pgmcc: discovering Gormenghast was a real treat and far more suited to my exploration. In terms of standing out from the crowd strangely enough no one else that I know of tackled anything that wasn’t typically classical (Dickens, Brontes, Austen) or more of someone we’d studied in one of the other classes (Romantic poets, American or Irish plays/literature).

what, no Hardy?

More than likely

It is so hard being a Cowboys fan right now. The team is just not playing with feeling.



Dallas Cowboys 3

Washington Football Team 25

>44 chalton: Oh, that HAD to hurt to watch. I have to ask, how do you get 25 points though? My football math is a bit fuzzy.

I thought this thread was for people who want to talk about their reading without having to maintain their own thread. Was I wrong?

>46 jjwilson61: Nope. You are not wrong. That is why it was created, but if it turns into a Junk Drawer that's okay, too.

>45 BookstoogeLT: You throw a couple field goals (3pts) in and you can get some wacky scores.

>48 chalton: Oh yeah, I had forgotten about the 3 pointers. That would definitely make it doable...

>47 clamairy: Well it was a good idea. Too bad it got highjacked. I'll just set it to ignore and I just won't see if anyone ever uses it for it's intended purpose.

So our individual threads are allowed to go on and on about non-book stuff, but this one isn't? Come on people, it's one thread and people are having a good time. Who cares if it's football.

>51 Bookmarque: Agreed.

>51 Bookmarque: I suppose the issue is that if there was a member whose personal passion was something that bored me to tears, and they wrote about it at length, without including much discussion of books, then I could block it, knowing that I was not missing anything.

Whereas mixing the uses in a shared thread means that blocking risks missing book discussion as well.

Maybe a "non-thread-owner"'s Book thread AND a
non-thread-owner"'s waffle thread would solve the issue?

Note: I have not, myself, blocked ANY thread in this group - and I don't even know the rules of American football! ;-)

Yeah, well, it's a pub, whaddaya want?

If we could change subjects on threads I would change this one. I admit it might be confusing and somewhat off-putting to someone who genuinely wants to share reviews.

You know what's funny? I didn't even notice the full title of the thread OR who started it. I just kind of saw Chalton posting and took off with it.

>55 clamairy: So that can't be done, even by mods? I didn't know of that limitation, but it is good to know.

>56 BookstoogeLT: I think a small handful of mods in groups where there have been issues have the ability to delete threads, but we've never needed (or asked for that) in here.

You know guys, I didn't mean to make people mad and I'm sorry if I did. I mainly saw this was a place where people didn't have to create their own thread. A place to be social is just a plus.

>58 chalton: No worries! You haven't made anyone angry. You seen to have annoyed someone, and that is it. LOL I'll start a random chat thread when this one starts to fill up. And I'll restart the collective journal thread at some point too, but I won't connect it to this one. Sound good to everyone?

>59 clamairy: Sounds good to me, and thank you.

>59 clamairy: Sounds good to me. I like the idea of a general piffle thread for people who don’t have their own thread and/or don’t want to piffle in their own thread. Piffle is fun, too.

I wasn’t at all bothered by it in this thread, although I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t very much book chat. I was initially excited to see the thread created because I see people with reading interests in common with me who don’t maintain their own thread, so I was hoping I’d get to hear from some of them about what they’re reading. Hopefully the new collective journal thread, once created, won't languish without any posts at all, but I will continue to hold out hope! Either way, I’ll enjoy the collective piffle thread. :)

>53 -pilgrim-: mmmmm, waffles.

>63 -pilgrim-: Waffling is good. They are very tasty.

>62 MrAndrew: Especially the Belgian ones.

More seriously, should we suggest to Clamairy the need for not one but three "collective" threads? One for books, one for football (and other sports -- I suspect Richard and I would love to confuse that one with cricket, if the Australians ever get out of lockdown and CSA get rid of the current corruption scandal) and one for piffle?

>64 hfglen: I'm inclined to question the need for a separate "piffle" thread. Don't most GD threads tend to accumulate a fair amount of piffle?

I don't have a problem with people talking about football (whatever that means in your jurisdiction—it means different things here, in Canberra, in Texas, in Dublin, and probably in Durban) or cricket or anything at all, subject to Pub rules. This is a pub, after all. Bluntly, if you look at the group description, quite a few recent threads have been a long way away from our "official" purpose. So what? This Pub is still one of the very best places on the Net.

I would have a concern with respect to a separate "piffle" thread. Many of us, in a rush to start a new thread for a new year, or new quarter, are in dire need of a piffle party to help reach the prerequisite 150 posts to trigger the new thread prompt. If we have a dedicated piffle thread the availability of piffle may be affected. Those of us desperate for some much needed piffle on our own threads could find there is a shortage of piffle and would therefore be left with the predicament of going into a new year or quarter with an old thread. Just think about it. Piffle, we can assume, is of finite quantity. If we create a dedicated piffle thread the piffle in the world would gravitate towards that thread leaving the personal threads starved of piffle.

I propose a campaign to protect the freedom of piffle and not have it confined to a dedicated piffle thread. All those in favour, say "Piffle".

>59 clamairy: Good idea!

>66 pgmcc: I believe the more piffle threads the better. Protect the freedom of piffles to proliferate! ;)

>67 MrsLee: Propiffleration!

Piffle piffle?

>69 reconditereader: My point exactly!

Society for the Propagation of Piffle.

>66 pgmcc: No worries. When in dire need of piffle just ask for it in the current piffle thread. You'll probably be overwhelmed.

>71 clamairy: SPOP. That sounds good. Of course we would need to discuss the best pronunciation; "S-POP" or "SPOP"?

>72 pgmcc: My vote goes for SPOP. It sounds like something I'd be willing to drink....

>73 BookstoogeLT: Seconding (or thirding) the SPOP.

But what about SPO-P?

>73 BookstoogeLT: I like the sound of SPOP, it has my vote.

And on the whole thing of piffle'ing, if anyone needs help in December to piffle up their thread counts to get a new one for '21, just drop me a line in my thread and I'll make an effort to piffle about on your thread ;-)

>66 pgmcc:

If the quantity goes up, will the quality go down?

We don't need any half-baked piffle!

>78 suitable1: I am coming to the conclusion that piffle industry needs to be regulated to ensure quality and availability.

>79 pgmcc:

However that might block some great amateur pifflers.

The universities can offer certificates in piffling.

>80 suitable1: The universities can offer certificates in piffling.

I thought that was what they did.

Come late December I invite all members, would-be members, amateur and professional members of SPOP to piffle to their hearts content in my thread. Your efforts, expert or otherwise, are always welcome.

>82 Peace2: Thank you, challenge accepted.

>58 chalton: you are welcome to chat about NFL in my thread if you want:
Book Bullets From The Dark Side

As long as you don't want to talk about the TOMpa Bay GRONKeneers. I mean, I'm watching TB games, but still a little sour about the whole thing... :(

Finally getting around to reading an Eric Ambler book. The publisher recently did a give-away of a pair of his titles. The Care of Time being one of them, I decided to begin it last night. The book features quite an intriguing opening that immediately pulled me in. Anyone else read any Ambler?

>86 ScoLgo: I have The Mask of Dimitrios on my TBR pile, but so far haven't got to it. My reading dropped off a cliff this year - partly because I am working from home and hence not commuting (I could easily read for at least 90 minutes per day on the train), and not visiting Paul's Mum where I'd read a lot a couple of weekends a month.

I did dip into it and it looks like there is a possibility of some period attitudes.

>86 ScoLgo: Have just finished Judgment on Deltchev, having been pulled into trying Ambler on the basis of pgmcc's comments on The Mask of Demitrios.

>86 ScoLgo: & >87 Maddz: Thank you both for the first actual book discussion in this thread!

>87 Maddz: >88 -pilgrim-: I don't have The Mask of Demetrios or Judgment on Deltchev, (what did you think of that one -pilgrim-?), but may very well look for them if I end up liking the two freebies I received from the publisher, (The Care of Time and Doctor Frigo). Despite being his last published bit of fiction, the style of TCoT does indeed have a bit of a dated delivery, but that sort of thing seldom bothers me. As long as the plot makes sense and the characters have some nuance to them, I tend to forgive authorial foibles that might send other readers round the bend.

>89 clamairy: Well, technically... >15 MrAndrew: beat us to it    ;-)

>90 ScoLgo: Oh right! It was so long ago I'd forgotten about it!

>86 ScoLgo: I discovered Eric Ambler last year and have read four of his novels since then. They are:

The Mask of Dimitrios
Journey into Fear
The Intercom Conspiracy
The Schirmer Inheritance

I love his books.

I signed up for the same offer you did and received The Care of Time and another e-book. The publisher followed up with a lengthy extract from The Shirmer Inheritance with a proposal that if I agreed to write a review they would send me an e-copy to read. I agreed but heard nothing from them since. I think COVID must have hit them on the head.

I had a copy of The Shirmer Inheritance due to my Eric Ambler enthusiasm and have read and enjoyed it.

Apparently Graham Green and John Le Carré both pointed to Eric Ambler as an influence on their writing. I can see it. Ambler's books offer more than just the story.

I have Doctor Frigo somewhere in the depths of the TBR pile.

>90 ScoLgo: I very much liked Judgment on Deltchev. It does not really follow genre conventions, probably because the genre did not really exist at the time of writing.

I sometimes found the narrator - a writer who has briefed himself for the job by reading ONE book! - too naïf for words, but maybe that is with the benefit of hindsight. This was written in the fifties about the fifties; maybe most people were that naïve then.

He is attending a show trial, with typically preposterous charges. And then begins to suspect (once suitably guided) that the heroic Deltchev is not actually innocent of ALL charges...

I borrowed this for free from Kindle Unlimited. They have quite a few by Ambler. I intend to read more.

>89 clamairy: don't encourage them. I tried it first at 15, and see where that went.

>95 MrAndrew: It went straight to Piffletown! On the express bus no less...

woo woo! All abooooooard!

Alright, the Dallas Cowboys are keeping their losing streak. They lost last night to the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn't game I enjoyed watching, but hey, what are you gonna' do?



Cowboys 9

Eagles 23

Have you considered switching to Curling? They don't call it "The Roaring Game" for nothing.

>99 MrAndrew:

The tension is too high.

>100 suitable1: It can actually be incredibly tense, if you're trying to clinch an important shot--rather like golf in that respect. (former competitive curler here)

>101 Marissa_Doyle: Coming from a country that takes its curling seriously, I am suitably impressed.

Just discovering this thread and it's lovely, very old school GD. I stopped hanging out here for years after everyone got their own thread, I couldn't get into it. I stop by and post my books in my own thread and poke about a bit, but I still like this approach better.

FTR, I am pro piffle and LOVED Gormenghast.

ETA: I also love curling. If only my non-dominant knee didn't have issues, I would take it up.

>102 -pilgrim-: Oh, I never aspired to compete on more than a regional level, but my ladies' team did quite well in our area. There were enough clubs in the northeastern US to give us some fun road trips north to Maine and Vermont, and as far south as Philadelphia, for bonspiels. Then my twins were born, which kind of put paid to all of that. I keep thinking I should start again, but things have changed; the politeness of curling has unfortunately diminished, and the arthritis in my hips has increased.

>103 littlegeek: I am pro piffle and LOVED Gormenghast.

Music to my ears.

>99 MrAndrew: Every Olympics I watch curling, that looks like a sport I could enjoy to watch. It's a very tactical game and I can get into that.

>104 Marissa_Doyle: I have curled for the last several years, but have been waffling about it this year as two of my former team mates want to curl doubles on another night, and I'm a bit worried about the combination of the usual socializing afterward and covid. I'll miss it, though.

>107 NorthernStar: Yes--I'm not sure my local club will even be opening this year. Ouch.

Waffling, piffling and curling. What will we get up to next in this pub?

I'd like to drive this thread headfirst at high speed into the roomba thread. Pow! Kerbang! Waffles, roombas, curling and piffle flying everywhere. Goggles highly recommended.

>110 MrAndrew: Hard hats recommended too, however, even a hard hat would be little protection from a flying curling stone.

>77 BookstoogeLT: piffle?

>112 justanotaku: Aha! What a perfect subject for piffle. How does one define “Piffle”?

piffle? piffle piffle. PIFFLE!piffle piffle piffle,piffle.

>113 pgmcc: I hear what you are saying. There is much piffle in what you say!

>115 pgmcc: lol

Now I'm thinking about curling with roombas instead of stones. Or maybe using roombas to sweep rather than brooms...

>117 Marissa_Doyle: Maybe curling with Roombas as stones and training cats as sweepers?

Now I'm thinking of flying curling stones, how scary would that be?

This discussion needs more cheese and PGGBs.

idk what a PGGB is but definitely cheese

>121 justanotaku: Have you read any Douglas Adams?

>122 littlegeek: i dont think so

>118 -pilgrim-: Having cats as sweepers kind of defeats the purpose of sweeping, though. Particularly if they shed a lot.

>124 Marissa_Doyle: its a endless cycle of sweeping and shedding

>123 justanotaku: Here you go.

>126 littlegeek: hmm what hath thine gifted upon me

The Dallas Cowboys had a game yesterday evening that was worth watching. The Cowboys played the Steelers and they had their 4th string QB in. I say 4th string (I think so) but I didn't even recognize his name. Anyway the game was worth watching and the score ended up

Cowboys 19

Steelers 24

This book, so entertaining. As I was reading the first part I kept thinking this seems so familiar. And then it hit me, it is a heist and several of the main characters specialize in their particular magic- not unlike Ocean's 11. Anyway. enjoyable book and I'm starting the 2nd now.

>129 chalton: What book might that be?

>130 BookstoogeLT: Wow, I'm sorry, I was copy and pasting.
However the book was Mistborn.

>131 chalton: Ahhh, a good book indeed! And a good trilogy to boot.

>131 chalton: That is a favorite of many in the pub. In the early days we had a group read of Elantris, one of Sanderson's early novels. He was kind/brave enough to participate with us. A nice man.

How about organizing Roomba races?

>134 suitable1:
That would create a business opportunity in Roomba training classes.

>135 pgmcc: Can Roombas rumba?

>136 -pilgrim-: We shall see during the classes.

>137 pgmcc: LET THE RACES COMMANCE

>134 suitable1: It would be like racing puppies. Their attention span and sense of direction are rather random.

>139 MrsLee: Makes the betting all the more exciting!

>140 BookstoogeLT: Less boring than snail racing...

>141 Maddz: anything is less boring than snail racing,except rock racing.

Hey All,
I am dropping this here because I don't maintain my own reading thread...

Stolen from YouKneek, who stole it from Narilka who stole it from fuzzi who stole it from SandyAMcPherson's thread, who stole it from RD’s thread, who stole it from PC's thread...

***

1. Name any book you read at any time that was published in the year you turned 18:
Because this is personally identifiable info, I won't answer specifically. However, it's safe to say that any SF published in the year I was born is firmly ensconced in the 'Golden Age'. I will let you all extrapolate from there...

2. Name a book you have on/in your TBR pile that is over 500 pages long:
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel.

3. What is the last book you read with a mostly blue cover?
Atlas Alone - 4 stars (also from the same series: After Atlas - 4 stars).

4. What is the last book you didn’t finish (and why didn’t you finish it?)
El Sombra - 1 star. Gratuitous gruesomeness combined with unrealistic characterization was a deal-breaker. I gave it about 20% & called it quits.

5. What is the last book that scared the bejeebers out of you?
Books don't really scare me but I was nicely creeped out by several segments in House of Leaves - 4 stars.

6. Name the book that you read either this year or last year that takes place geographically closest to where you live? How close would you estimate it was?
REAMDE - 4 stars - by Neal Stephenson. While there is a fair amount of globe-trotting involved, much of the narrative occurs in Seattle, Eastern Washington, and Southern British Columbia. All within less than a day's driving distance.

7.What were the topics of the last two nonfiction books you read?
Longitude - 4.5 stars - was a gripping story outlining the search for geo-location. Latitude has been easy since nearly the dawn of civilization. Longitude, not so much. Fascinating stuff.

Should also give a mention for When We Were the Kennedys. Monica Wood's memoir about her childhood in 1963; the year her father died just a few months before JFK was assassinated. Just started this one tonight.

8. Name a recent book you read which could be considered a popular book?
The Goldfinch - 3.5 stars - (if pulitzer-winning = popular? ;).

9. What was the last book you gave a rating of 5-stars to? And when did you read it?
The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry. Read in 2020.

10. Name a book you read that led you to specifically read another book (and what was the other book, and what was the connection):
Among Others - 4 stars - by Jo Walton lists many, many fantasy & SF books. The one that really springs to mind that it led me to is Pavane - 4 stars - by Keith Roberts. I had not heard of Roberts prior to reading the Walton book. That led me to another Roberts book, Grainne - also 4 stars. Thanks, Jo!

11. Name the author you have most recently become infatuated with.
I don't have 'infatuation' with authors on any kind of personal level but I will take this question to mean recently discovered (by me) authors whose books I have quickly begun collecting...

- Emma Newman
- Robert Jackson Bennett
- Elizabeth Hurley
- Ken MacLeod

12. What is the setting of the first novel you read this year?
The Armageddon Rag - 3 stars - is set in the rock & roll counterculture of 1960s and 1980s USA.

13. What is the last book you read, fiction or nonfiction, that featured a war in some way (and what war was it)?
They Called Us Enemy - 5 stars. A graphic novel by George Takei outlining his childhood experience of his family being held in a Japanese internment camp during WWII.

14. What was the last book you acquired or borrowed based on an LTer’s review or casual recommendation? And who was the LTer, if you care to say.
The Care of Time - 3 stars. I took advantage of a free give-away that was mentioned in a posting by pgmcc, (thanks, Peter!).

15. What the last book you read that involved the future in some way?
This Immortal - 3.5 stars. Re-read of a far-future, post-apocalyptic, dying earth tale featuring an ancient greek dude that seems to live forever. The novel's main claim to fame being that it tied with Dune for the Hugo award in 1966.

16. Name the last book you read that featured a body of water, river, marsh, or significant rainfall?
River of Gods - 4 stars.

17. What is last book you read by an author from the Southern Hemisphere?
Things We Lost in the Fire - 4 stars.

18. What is the last book you read that you thought had a terrible cover?
The Secret Ascension - 4 stars. As much as I like Michael Bishop as an author, and as much as I enjoyed this book, the cover is Just. Not. Good. I notice the touchstone pops up the (slightly better) cover for the book's alternate title, Philip K Dick is Dead, Alas. Here is the one I have...



19. Who was the most recent dead author you read? And what year did they die?
Endangered Species - 4.5 stars - by Gene Wolfe, who passed away in 2019.

20. What was the last children’s book (not YA) you read?
I can't remember the last actual "children's book" I read. The nearest thing in recent memory would probably be Greenwitch - 4 stars - book #3 in The Dark is Rising series.

21. What was the name of the detective or crime-solver in the most recent crime novel you read?
Eve Rossi in Hostage Taker - 3.5 stars.

22. What was the shortest book of any kind you’ve read so far this year?
The Umbrella Academy: Volume 1 - 3.5 stars. The graphic novel upon which the Netflix series is based. We enjoyed watching the show this year so I thought I would try the source material. Liked it pretty well but not as much as the brilliant graphic novel coming up in question #25.

23. Name the last book that you struggled with (and what do you think was behind the struggle?)
Waking the Moon - 1.5 stars. Disjointed narrative. Odd characters, (not in a good way). Graphic violence/gore. I tried. I really did. I pushed all the way to the halfway mark and finally threw in the blood-soaked towel.

24. What is the most recent book you added to your library here on LT?
Toby - 3.5 stars - by Thomas Watson. A heart-warming story of a lost dog and lost human that rescue each other. Feel-good story of the year.

25. Name a book you read this year that had a visual component (i.e. illustrations, photos, art, comics):
Ms. Marvel. Volumes I, II, and III - 5 stars for each. A wise-cracking super-hero that also happens to be a confused teenage muslim girl? What?!? This one is so very excellent in so many ways.

BONUS QUESTION!
26. What is the title and year of the oldest book in your physical library that you have reviewed on LT?
I have not reviewed either of them but the two oldest physical books on my shelves are...

- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Grosset & Dunlap edition. There is no date on/in the book but online searches lead me to think it was printed in 1942, but it could be older than that.

- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Harper & Brothers. Again, no date on/in the book. Online sources tell me that it's from circa 1915 to 1920. The book certainly looks as though it could be 100+ years old!

>143 ScoLgo:

#6 All within less than a day's driving distance.
Coming from a country where an extremely long journey from my home to a remote part would take 5 to 6 hours (depending on tractor traffic) I found it interesting when you regard less than a day's drive to be a short distance. By the way, I loved REAMDE.

#11 Glad to see your are liking Ken MacLeod's books. I must check out the other authors you've listed.

#14 You're welcome. I put Eric Ambler as one of my recently discovered authors.

FYI: I stole the questions from fuzzi as did Sakerfalcon. I had intended to answer the questions but had not gotten around to it when I saw Sakerfalcon's post. That added impetus to my completing the set. You might say I was influenced by fuzzi, ably supported by Sakerfalcon.

E.T.A.
I see I have Mr Shivers. I remember picking it up but I have not managed to read it yet.

Oh! That Elizabeth Hurley. I had not realised she was also writing.

Great answers! This quiz is the gift that keeps on giving!

>143 ScoLgo: Putting your answers here was a great idea, I hope some other people who don't have their own thread will follow suit if they feel like it. I enjoyed reading your answers!

>144 pgmcc: Arrgghhh... For #11, that should have been Kameron Hurley. I have nothing against Elizabeth Hurley, (thought she was great in the Austin Powers film), but I have not read, and do not own, any books by her. What can I say... it was a dark & stormy night and my mind was not entirely clear. I will edit my post for clarity...

>145 Sakerfalcon: Thanks! I have enjoyed reading everyone else's lists too, (and my TBR has ballooned accordingly).

>146 YouKneeK: Let's hope so!

>147 ScoLgo: Your subliminal inclusion of Elizabeth Hurley raises all sorts of questions. :-)

>148 pgmcc: LT also seems infatuated with my girl Liz... All attempts to edit my post results in half of the touchstones becoming munged up. Guess I'll have to leave it... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

>149 ScoLgo: I have had trouble with the touchstones too. I thought it was a temporary glitch but it does not appear to have been solved yet. It appears your infatuation with Liz Hurley will be in the permanent record.

>150 pgmcc: There are worse things in life... ;)

>149 ScoLgo:, >150 pgmcc: I typically have issues with touchstones in long posts that have lots of touchstones, especially if it's a brand new post and I've copied the text from elsewhere. It seems to do ok if you only enter a few at a time, but gets overwhelmed by too many new touchstones at once. I don't often have the problem when I'm just editing one part of an existing post, but I have seen it a couple times.

I especially see it with the reading index I maintain at the top of my thread. It’s fine when I start a brand new index at the beginning of the year, and throughout the year when I'm just adding a single book at a time to the existing post. When I start a new thread mid-year though, and I copy the entire index from the old thread and try to paste it into the new thread, I have to work at it a bit to get the touchstones to all come back. I had a similar issue when I answered these questions on my thread, after writing my answers in Word then copying and pasting them in.

My tactic is to do it in pieces, maybe 10-15 touchstones at a time. So I paste in only 10 or so at a time, re-type a letter and/or a bracket in one of the touchstones to kick it back into gear looking for the books, then wait. Sometimes it takes a couple minutes. After it gets those done, I paste in another set and repeat. A bit tedious, but I've had good success with it.

>152 YouKneeK: The problem I am having sounds very close to the problem I am having. Like you I copy my list of books read from the previous thread and paste it into the first post on the continuation thread. My problem is that the post I am having trouble with has had functioning Touchstones since I started the thread. I went in to correct an error (the Touchstone was pointing to the wrong book) and all of a sudden the Toucshtones stopped working. I suspected I had caused some syntax error that messed up the whole post.

I suspect I will have to follow the path you described.

E.T.A.
PROBLEM SOLVED

I went into edit the problem post, copied out the content, and pasted it into a Word document.

Next I tried the content from the Word document into a new post. When I did that all the Touchstones worked.

I then entered Post #1 in edit mode and was about to paste the content into it when the Touchstones all came on-line and worked.

The gremlins are obviously watching closely and are happy to play tricks on us.

>152 YouKneeK: It's a mystery... I entered the text by hand so copy/pasting is not really part of the equation here. I also am not a web developer but have built a few websites in the past so am fairly comfortable around html code. When it comes to linking on LT, I have found that it helps to wait for the touchstone preview to update before entering the next link. A bit of patience usually goes a long way when dealing with touchstone issues but it hasn't helped here.

Following are three images to show what I am seeing during the edit process...

The Edit...


The Touchstone Preview...


The Post Preview...


No amount of editing, waiting, replacing of text, etc, etc, seems to help. I even tried closing and re-opening my browser but it made no difference. Oh well, other hills to climb...

>154 ScoLgo: Very strange! I tried putting in just those 4 touchstones, with and without the hyphens, but my preview looked ok. I even copied and pasted your entire #10 and #11, added all the html I assume you used based on what I see, and that worked ok too. Then I tried putting your original Hurley, previewing, then replacing with the new Hurley. Still fine, although maybe I’d have seen a difference if I’d actually posted it then edited it.

Interesting that it’s putting Grainne in the list since that was from a few lines earlier, and even a different kind of touchstone. I’m curious what happens if you temporarily remove the Grainne touchstone along with re-editing the author touchstones? Does it then repeat Pavane instead?

Sorry, this kind of stuff drives me nuts, I can never resist trying to troubleshoot it. :)

Edited to fix odd grammar.

I have learned more about touch-stone'ing in the last 10minutes than I have in my entire time here on LT! What a crew! :-)

>155 YouKneeK: Ok, that got me curious so I tried something...

1. Copy/paste to Notepad.
   
2. Re-enter HTML and touchstones code.
   
3. Copy/paste back to a new post in this thread.
   
4. Wait for touchstones preview to populate...
   
5. Click preview and... all looks good!
   
6. Copy/paste working code from new to original post >143 ScoLgo: and...
   
7. Touchstones are goofy again... O_o
   

I even went so far as to hand-edit every touchstone link in the post, previewing between each entry. All is fine until I get to the Grainne link. But that's not the key either because if I disable the book link, the subsequent author links (Emma Newman, Robert Jackson Bennett, etc), all change to Keith Roberts.

Conclusion: There is a bug in my post and I cannot find it so... I give up. Looks like my girl Liz will remain in my heart and in my post for all time. (sorry Kameron) LOL!

>157 ScoLgo: LOL, so weird! I was using the inspector earlier to look at your post and see if there was anything obviously wonky with any of the HTML, focusing mostly between questions 10 and 11, but nothing stood out to me and I'm most definitely not an HTML expert anyway.

But none of this explains why there is only one copy of each of Elizabeth Hurley's works.

>159 MrAndrew: That is because ScoLgo is the only LT member with Elizabeth Hurley's books.

game 11

The Cowboys played the Vikings this Sunday. And it was a good game, the Cowboys looked better than they have in the past 8 or 9 games.

Anyway the playing better let the Cowboys win.

Cowboys 31

Vikings 28

First Cowboys beat Aliens, and now Vikings! What's next, Cowboys Vs Ninjas?

>162 MrAndrew: What about Ninja Cowboys V Alien Vikings?

What, no Pirates?

>164 MrAndrew: the Vikings could be Pirates, and just to keep things balanced, the Cowboys could be Giants.

>165 Jim53: The Cowboys (Dallas) could not be Giants (New York).

Thanksgiving/ game 12

We had a very small thanksgiving (9 people total) and it was a nice day so we ate outside keeping distance apart easy. We saw family that we hadn't seen since last year, so it was nice.

And we watched the Cowboys play the Washington Football Team. Yeah, not a good idea.

Cowboys 16

Washington 41

The game was played in the Cowboys stadium, which just makes it worse.

Well, whaddayaknow? Just realized that my Thingaversary is today, (12/4). Luckily, I have prepared for this auspicious occasion by recently completing my collection of CJ Cherryh's Foreigner series in hardcover...



Having not yet read this series, I am really looking forward to taking the dive in 2021.

>168 ScoLgo: At least they look good on the shelf :-)

edited to add "good". Man, I just cannot type today...

>168 ScoLgo:
That shelf looks good.

>168 ScoLgo: Impressive!

>168 ScoLgo: Congrats!

>169 BookstoogeLT: >171 Narilka: >172 chalton: Thanks everyone!

>170 pgmcc: It's a Billy! :-D

>173 ScoLgo: I have just finished constructing my 15th Billy. Well, my 15th 80cm wide Billys. I have a few narrower ones for DVDs and CDs.

>168 ScoLgo: Happy Thingaversary! I only read the first in that series, but I really enjoyed it. Hope you love them!

>175 clamairy: Thank you, Clare. CJ Cherryh makes my top-5 authors list. Everything else I have read by her leads me to think that this has been a sound purchase. I don't expect disappointment - or the Spanish Inquisition!

Oh, I don't know. It is 2020 after all. So there may be a Spanish Inquisition.

>168 ScoLgo: Happy Thingaversary!

>168 ScoLgo: Congratulations! That is a fine way to celebrate!

>174 pgmcc: We have a handful of Billy's in our home. The number fluctuates whenever my brother-in-law visits, (his name is Billy). We also have other shelf styles, (media center, CD, DVD, etc), and a large 4-drawer filing cabinet that all match the bookshelves. Unfortunately, when we bought all of these items, we decided on the Beech veneer - which Ikea has since discontinued. I regret not settling on the still-available birch. Oh well...

>178 MrsLee: Thank you, and let's hope not!

>179 Sakerfalcon: Thanks! Yes, I'm looking forward to cracking open the first volume soon!

game 13

The Cowboys never seem to fail me, they lost to the Ravens. But I watched the whole game.



Cowboys 17

Ravens 34

game 14

The Cowboys played the Bengals today. It was the first time in a while that it was decent game and the Cowboys did win. Which made my day for me, despite the nasty weather.



Cowboys 30

Bengals 7



Finally a win:) !

game 15

The Cowboys won their game against San Francisco 49er's.

I'm just happy to see them win a game.



Cowboys 41

49er's 33

Merry Christmas and hope everyone enjoyed the day:)

>184 chalton: And a merry Christmas to you Chalton! (even if a day late, hahahaa)

Game 16
The Cowboys are still in the game, haven't been denied being in the play-offs yet. The Cowboys won against the Eagles.



Eagles 17

Cowboys 37

First test Proteas vs Sri Lanka, lunch day 4:
SL 396 and 180/9, SA 621. SL trail by 45 runs.

ETA: And that was also the final score. SA won by an innings and 45 runs.

Which is more positive than the recent abortive T20 tour by England, where the only winner was the Covid virus.

Happy New Year guys!

Have a good time and be safe one and all:)

>188 chalton: Same to you!

>188 chalton: From me also!

End of the season (week 17)

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the New York Giants,

It was a good game but the Cowboys aren't going to the playoffs.



Cowboys 19

Giants 23

Happy New Year, >188 chalton:!