drneutron's (Jim's) Reading to Avoid Work - Part 8

Welcome to Thread 8! The Son decided to learn how to brew beer. Here's his first attempt, a nice hoppy pale ale. We got a chance to sample and it came out really good!

Read so far:

The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Committed by Dinah Miller and Annette Hanson
The Inkblots by Damion Searls
Monstress, Vol 1 by Marjorie Liu
The Seventh Plague by James Rollins
You Disappear by Christian Jungersen
The Unwinding by George Packer
The Ferryman Institute by Colin Gigl
The One-Cent Magenta by James Barron
Three Gothic Novels by E. F. Bleiler
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Invincible, Vol 1 by Robert Kirkman
Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee
Lola by Melissa Scrivener Love
Devil in the Grove by Gilbert King
Armada by Ernest Cline
Powers of Darkness by Bram Stoker
Coolidge by Amity Shlaes
Magic in Islam by Michael Muhammad Knight
Watchmen by Alan Moore
I Am Providence by Nick Mamatas
Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz
The Nowhere Man by Greg Hurwitz
Evicted by Matthew Desmond
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton
The Secret State by John Hughes-Wilson
Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan
The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston
Rutland Place by Anne Perry
Brimstone by Cherie Priest

And the second part of the list so far:

The View from the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman
Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by Bill James
Invincible, Vol 2 by Robert Kirkman
Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Scars of Independence by Holger Hoock
Strangers in their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
The Dreamquest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
The Presidents Book of Secrets by David Priess
Cold Earth by Ann Cleeves
The Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. Anthony
City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
A Cold Legacy by Megan Shepherd
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
My Favorite Thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris
Wolf on a String by Benjamin Black
Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance
Strangers in Their Own Land by Arlie Russell Hochschild
Autumn Princess, Dragon Child by Lian Hearn
The Lord of the Darkwood by Lian Hearn
The Tengu's Game of Go by Lian Hearn
The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn
Everything we Lost by Valerie Geary
Ararat by Christopher Golden
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

And the stats:

Total Books: 62

Author Gender
Male: 41 (64%)
Female: 23 (36%)

Author Status
Living: 63 (98%)
Dead: 1 (2%)

Publication Medium
Hardback: 11 (18%)
Trade: 23 (32%)
Mass Market: 1 (2%)
eBook: 27 (44%)

Category
Fiction: 40 (65%)
Nonfiction: 22 (35%)

Source
Library: 46 (75%)
Mine: 15 (25%)

ARC: 7
Re-Read: 2
Series: 20
Group Read: 4

So, no knock against Bob Dylan, but if he can win a Nobel, so can my favorite poet, Jimmy Buffett! He's all about celebrating life and love, and the joy we find in everyday things. Here's my favorite of his:

Tin Cup Chalice
I want to go back to the island,
Where the shrimp boats tie up to the pilin'.
Give me oysters and beer for dinner every day of the year,
And I'll feel fine, I'll feel fine.

'Cause I want to be there,
I want to go back down and lie beside the sea there.
With a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine,
And I'm-a chewin' on a honeysuckle vine.

Yeah, now the sun goes slidin' 'cross the water;
Sailboats, they go searchin' for the breeze.
Salt air it ain't thin,
It can stick right to your skin,
And make you feel fine.
It makes you feel fine.

'Cause I want to be there,
I want to go back down and lie beside the sea there.
With a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine,
And I'm-a chewin' on a honeysuckle vine.

Yes, and now you heard my strange proposal;
Get that Packard up and let's move.
I want to be there before the day
Tries to steal away and leave us behind;
I've made up my mind;

'Cause I want to be there,
I want to go back down and lie beside the sea there.
With a tin cup for a chalice
Fill it up with good red wine,
And I'm-a chewin' on a honeysuckle vine.

Happy new one, Jim!

>5 drneutron: LOVE it!

Congrats on another new one and congrats to your brew master son!!

>5 drneutron: Can't beat oysters and beer for dinner....but maybe not every day!

Happy new thread, Jim.

Oysters and Beer? Depends surely on your plans for the rest of the evening!

>5 drneutron: I always thought that the worst part about being Jimmy Buffett would be people would constantly be coming up to you and asking to trade places. Sigh, if only my life were so easy! I also thought that Jimmy and Warren Buffet should do some songs together. "Cheeseburger in asset backed security" etc.

Happy new thread, Jim! I hope all is well.

Random Q: Who is your favorite LOTR character?

Hi Jim. Cheers and all that on this here new thread. I want to go through your list of reads and copy some of the titles. (Not that I need more books on Tower TBR.) Heh.

Jim, did you do a review of The Silk Roads and I missed it? I have that one on my watch list and have been looking for what people have thought.

Happy new thread!
Your son is developing a very useful new skill, and one that I'm sure you've encouraged. What a coincidence, my new batch of blackberry/blueberry cordial was finished just a few days ago.

>6 Crazymamie: Yup, my favorite song of his, though A Pirate Looks at Forty is a close second. 😀

>7 Berly: Thanks! He's planning to try a stout next. That'll be fun to try!

>8 laytonwoman3rd:, >9 PaulCranswick: 😀 I actually don't like oysters. Shrimp? I'm there!

>10 pbirch01: 😂 I love it!

>11 brodiew2: Thanks! Hard to say, but I've always had a fondness for Sam. He's such a constant even when he struggles with what's going on.

>12 weird_O: Heh, turn about's fair plan. 😀

>13 Oberon: Unfortunately, I didn't have a high opinion of it. Here's what I wrote on my first thread:


The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

A retelling of "world" history through a lens centered on the Middle East and Central Asia - mostly concerned with the ebb and flow of goods, ideas, and people through what we call the Silk Road. World is in quotes because it's still Eurocentric and ignores a good bit of Asian history. And of course, anything outside that geographic region isn't to be found.

Now, that could be forgiven. It's an ambitious thing to write a true world history, and it may nigh well be impossible anyway. What's unforgivable is that it's boring. Truly boring. As in I had to force myself to pick it up towards the end. Don't bother.


>14 mstrust: Oooo, sounds good! mrsdrneutron did a blueberry vodka infuse this summer that was pretty good!

Happy New Thread, Jim.

>5 drneutron: Love it!

I will avoid The Silk Roads. There are plenty of not-boring books out there waiting.

Happy new thread, Jim, the beer at the top looks good. How much can he make in one brew?

>16 jnwelch: Thanks!

>17 FAMeulstee: Five gallons, so about 22 liters. He sent a picture of a bunch of bottles in his kitchen. 😀

Happy New Thread, Jim! Ooh, I like the look of that hoppy pale ale. One of my favorite styles.

>15 drneutron: Very fresh oysters eaten straight after being shucked with a twist of lemon and a splash of tabasco is close to heavenly, Jim. It's properties are also very good for the, erm, soul.

Happy new one, Jim.

Happy new thread, Jim!

Good morning, Jim! I hope you have a great weekend.

>15 drneutron: Sam is a good choice. I just concluded Two Towers and Sam's thoughts on Frodo's "death" and what he should do next are good stuff.

For me, I'm between Gandalf and Theoden.

>19 msf59: Yeah, I thought of you when he brought us the bottle. 😀

>20 PaulCranswick: "Soul". Yeah. 😂 Come visit and I'll make sure you get to a good oyster bar.

>21 Ameise1:, >22 scaifea: Thanks!

>23 brodiew2: Theoden is another favorite of mine. After Gandalf saves him, he's steadfast and truly trying to lead his people through desperate times.

>24 drneutron: I just may do that, Jim. :D

And the latest update!

63. The Queen of Swords by R. S. Belcher

A bit ago I came across the weird Western (yes, that's a thing...) series about a small Nevada town called Golgotha and the strange goings-on there. It was one of my favorites of a batch of similar books/series that came out about the same time. Fortunately, it lasted beyond Six-Gun Tarot and Shotgun Arcana!

The Queen of Swords expands the story of Maude Stapleton and her daughter Constance who are part of the mysterious Daughters of Lilith, a group of women trained in martial arts and mental capabilities in order to save the world from ancient evil. This is the kind of stuff I really enjoy, and this one's the best of the series so far. Well plotted and written, full of struggle with eldritch horror, at some points just plain funny, filled with great characters.

64. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

Pulley's book is steampunk, the way steampunk started out to be. Yes, there are gadgets, a mysterious plot, a character who can remember the future. And those are essential parts of a steampunk book. But unlike so many books in this genre, this one's got the punk down along with the steam - disillusionment with society and the political system, consequences to actions and decisions that don't wrap up into a happy ending, damaged characters that are doing the best they can in the face of an uncaring world. In a lot of ways, it reminds me of The Anubis Gates or some of the other first wave steampunk classics.

And that's a good thing. Unfortunately, while it's got all those elements, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street never lives up to its potential. The ideas are great, but the execution falls flat and the book gets somewhat plodding along the way. The last 50 pages or so are quite good, but it's hard to say that makes up for the previous 200. Still, Pulley has a new one out and I want to see if it's better.

65. THe Radium Girls by Kate Moore

So I've done my share of work with radiation sources, and have a great appreciation for personal (and personnel) safety. And my employers are pretty sensitive to these things too. That wasn't always the case, though, and The Radium Girls is a fine history of one of the defining cases of occupational health law in the US - the history of the women who painted radium on watch and instrument dials during the early part of the 20th century. Frankly, it's a horrific story. The effects of radium poisoning on the body are gruesome - and Moore doesn't spare the details. And the radium companies of the day clearly cared about profit over safety - the embodiment of just how bad capitalism can be.

So this isn't a happy story. But it's an important one well told. These women and their fight for justice were one of the foundational cases for occupational health and worker safety/compensation law in the US, and they deserve to be remembered. So read the book and appreciate what they did for us. Then think about how easy it would be for that legal progress to be lost - which is why this story is so needed today.

>26 drneutron: Nice reviews, Jim! And a public service announcement for your readers: The Radium Girls ebook is on sale at most major platforms in the U.S. at least (Kindle, Kobo, Nook) for $2.99 or less. I grabbed a copy this morning. I'm looking forward to reading it.

>26 drneutron: Good news about The Queen of Swords, which I'll want to get to soon. And The Radium Girls is a bullet.

>27 rosalita: Thanks for the PSA, Julia!

>15 drneutron: Well that is the feedback I was looking for! Thanks.

Requested Radium Girls from the library!

Happy new thread Jim and the homebrew by your son looks good mate but sadly I am not a beer man which is a bit of a crime for a Yorkshireman to admit to, ha ha.

Hi Jim and happy new thread!

>27 rosalita: Thanks, Julia! I snagged it on Amazon for $2.90.

Howdy Jim!

>15 drneutron: I read Peter Frampton as the author of The Silk Road! It's been a long day and my brain is not at it's best. LOL!

>26 drneutron: BB for Radium Girls.

>27 rosalita: Snagged it for Kindle. Thanks Julia

>1 drneutron: We haven't tried to produce beer, but Will makes wonderful red wine. I'm sure your son feels very happy about his ability to produce something so incredible.

All good wishes for a great summer.

Hugo Awards are out! My comments here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/265555#6143033

And I agree with you about the Pulley book. I just read an interview of her about of the new book today and haven't decided yet if I'll look for it.
http://www.omnivoracious.com/2017/08/the-bedlam-stacks-natasha-pulley-amazon-boo...

>28 swynn: Well worth it if you've read the others!

>29 Oberon: no problem!

>30 Berly: Awesome! I hope you like it.

>31 johnsimpson: I can imagine that's a tough one to admit! 😀

>32 karenmarie: Thanks!

>33 luvamystery65: Frampton! 😀 I hope you like Radium Girls.

>34 Whisper1: I'd love to try my hand at making wine some time! I'm sure at some point I'll work with the son to make a batch of beer.

>35 ronincats: I'll have to check out the interview with Pulley. She's got potential, I just hope the next one works the bugs out.

>40 LovingLit: Had a good weekend, but was keeping an eye on things. Charlottesville is pretty far from us, but we in the DC area never know when stuff like that will come to town. I cannot for the life of me understand how people who claim to follow the guy who taught unconditional love can spew such hate. Well, I can understand it - they don't really follow him in the first place.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy Six-Gun Tarot and the others. They're great fun! I will say that Radium Girls does hit a spot in the middle that loses pace a bit. But the last third or so of the book more than made up for it with me.

>41 vancouverdeb: Thanks! It's amazing how fast the time goes. 😀

Hi Jim, looks like you got back to my place before I got over here. It would be really cool to meet some of the DC area folks. I'll have my daughter along, so I would probably vote for a coffee shop meeting or something equally teen friendly. :) I'll PM you my email for communications.

>43 brodiew2: Sounds good. I'm sure we can come up with something.

>26 drneutron: Re: health and safety laws....Then think about how easy it would be for that legal progress to be lost
I agree. People so easily forget what it took to protect the lives and the jobs of staff.

Stopping by to say hi! I've got Radium Girls out from the library, but I fear I may not get to it until before it's due date. Yes, the stuff in Charlottetown. What to say? Sometimes I am lost for words and that is not often.

Awesome! I hope you get a chance to read it!

Good morning, Jim! I hope all is well with you.

Joe said you may have been the one who turned him on to Orphan X which I have just discovered. I love it! I'm only 2 discs into a Scott Brick narration, it is a really fresh take on the genre. Jason Bourne meets The Equalizer. Very cool!

Yup, I was. I really enjoyed both of them!

Hoppy new thread, Jim! ;0)

Thanks!

Hi Jim, hope you have had a good week and wish you a great weekend.

It was a rough week at work - nothing bad, just really busy. But the weekend is looking pretty good!

>53 drneutron:

Any chance NASA can clear the sky over Madison, Wisconsin, around 1:15 PM on Monday?

The current University of Chicago Magazine has a good article, "Hot Pursuit," on Parker and its origins.

Sorry, for weather, you need NOAA! 😀

Nice article! They used some great shots of the spacecraft.

Visiting this thread is dangerous: I've been bombarded with bb's!

Radium Girls looks interesting. I was recently redpading about women who made, I think, matches, and their struggles with the effects of handling phosphorus. Horrific! There was even a name for it: Phossy Jaw. I agree that we need to be aware of this history to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Phossy jaw was the first thought from the doctors who first treated some of the radium girls. You definitely need to read it!

Update time!

66. The Girls by Emma Cline

A young girl falls into a cult in the 1960s that lives a communal life on a ranch devoted to a charismatic leader who's a failed musician with delusions and megalomania. Sound familiar? Yeah, it should. Cline's closely based her story on the Charles Manson murders, using that to see from the eyes of a teenager growing up in a dysfunctional family with lots of issues.

It's a good book, but not a great one - not up to the hype, in my view. The writing's good, but wordy. But my biggest problem is that didn't like and couldn't connect with any of the characters. So my interest level really flagged through the story. Which is a bit of a shame since I think Cline's pretty talented.

67. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami

A couple of folks, mostly Caro, convinced me to join in the group read of this postmodern, mind-bending coming-of-age (?) story. It's out there, that's for sure, and I'm still not sure I get what it means - or even if it's intended to mean anything at all. There's a few horrific parts (cat mutilation, a dream rape), but mostly it's just weird. And yet I couldn't stop reading it. It'll be a bit before I get a grip on this one.

My second Murakami - I read The Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World way back in 2010 - and I'm deciding I need to queue up some more.

68. World Gone By by Dennis Lehane

Lehane's one of my favorite authors, and the Coughlin books have been some of my faves of his. This one's the third, set ten years after the events of Live By Night. It's a brutal story, about brutal people, but people all the same. Joe Coughlin is still an interesting character, and Lehane has serious story-telling chops. Not a happy book, by any means, but one well worth reading.

>Thanks for the review of Radium Girls, Jim! There are times when it's helpful to be a reference librarian - and this is one of them. I just requested a copy on interlibrary loan from one of our partner schools. I'm looking forward to starting it when it gets here. I've heard a bit about the sacrifices these women made but it will be interesting to read more about it.

>58 msf59: Ah, sounds like the weirdness of Murakami has hooked you, Jim, at least a little bit. There are so many more great ones!

As you may have seen, in November there'll be a group read of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, which is my #2 of his after Kafka on the Shore. 1Q84 is my #3, with Hard-Boiled Wonderland right up there.

>42 drneutron: I, too, was saddened to see so many people spewing words of hatred at each other in Charlottesville - people on both sides of the issue. It's tragic. I don't believe Gen. Lee would have ever wanted to be the cause of such division.

On a literary note, have you ever read, Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged and Profited from Slavery by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang & Jenifer Frank? It's a very interesting look at the evidence uncovered by three reporters for the "Hartford Courant" when they set out to write a news story apologizing for the fact that their newspaper had ever run advertisements for the recapture of fugitive slaves. I highly recommend it, both for the quality of writing and the educational content, especially in light of current events.

>59 Copperskye: I'll look for your review!

>60 katiekrug: I'm in for both, I think. I've read Hardbolied Wonderland before, but it's been 7 years, so a reread is due!

>61 drneutron: Haven't read it, but I'm aware of at least some of the history there. Mrsdrneutron and I did a tour of the Freedom Trail in Boston not long ago and both noted the irony in that so many of the people there got wealthy from the slave trade. I've added this one to my wishlist.

Hi, Jim! Good comments on The Radium Girls. I hope everyone gets to read that one. Sorry, The Girls fell a bit short for you. I really liked it. Not sure, it hit "great" status but a worthy read IMHO.

Also sorry, that Kafka is leaving you scratching your head. Maybe more Murakami will help with that, although that one was my first and it put me on the right track.

>61 drneutron: Yes, it is certainly tragic that we still find it necessary to fight Nazis who deserve to be derided.

>64 drneutron: - Exactly. I'm okay with confessing to saying hateful things about white supremacists and Nazis.

>64 drneutron:, >65 drneutron: You're welcome to deride Nazi wanna-bes here any time! 😀

Hi Jim, stopping by to get caught up. How fun that your son is starting to brew his own beer! Is your role the "official taster"? My brother used to brew his own beer (until he retired and now spends more time traveling with my SIL than at home) and I was always amazed at some of the brews he came up with. He made a lovely raspberry ale one summer that was just divine!

Darn, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street looked so good. I hate when a book has all the elements for a good read and then just falls flat. Great comments regarding The Radium Girls. No BB for that one as it is already on my future reading list

>68 brodiew2: Unfortunately, he lives 9 hrs away by car - he's a grad student at the University of Notre Dame in Computer Science - so I won't be his regular tester. I understand, though, that he's had a number of volunteers in his research group. :)

Yeah, I was disappointed with Watchmaker. We'll see how her next turns out.

A few of us are planning a get-together for the National Book Festival Saturday, September 2. If you're in the Washington, DC, area and would like to join us for a meet up, please come! It'll be a breakfast group this year - Le Pain Quotidien at 433 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001. I'll be there from 8:15 or so till 9:15 or 9:30, when I'll be heading to the Convention Center a few blocks away for the book fest.

Hello Jim! Happy Friday!

I have started The Nowhere Man right on the heels of Orphan X. I'm in love with this series.

Yeah, I read them back to back too. Eagerly awaiting the third later this year!

Did you see there was a short story released on Kindle?

Nope, gotta go get it!

I keep forgetting to ask but was your department a ghost town on Monday or were people using some sort of NASA specific technology to further enhance the experience?

I went to Central Oregon and the xkcd sums it up quite well:
https://www.xkcd.com/1880/

>70 pbirch01: Sounds great!

>75 jnwelch: we had a big event for viewing, gave everyone the time away from their responsibilities so they could see it! Plus we had some scientists at NASA events across the country!

>76 ChelleBearss: Awesome!

Hi Jim!

>58 msf59: I think I liked Kafka on the Shore better than you did. I don't think I analyze books as much as I used to, and don't feel too unhappy that I don't 'understand' KotS completely.

>78 brodiew2: Don't get me wrong - I liked it and am planning to read others as the group reads are started. But it's clear this one's deeper than a surface read, and I'm still processing what Murakami was trying to do with the work.

>79 drneutron: Murakami's belief that multiple reads are needed for Kafka on the Shore is discussed over on the challenge thread. I sure benefited from the re-read, and I'm thinking I'll probably read it again down the line.

>1 drneutron: One's of Nathen's friends brewed his own beer and it was really yummy. I want to get Nate a kit to make his own at Christmas this year

>80 brodiew2: Yep, I've been tracking that conversation. I'll join in if there's a reread.

>81 Oberon: That's how the son got started - a kit of some kind. Apparently there are kits where the mash is already cooked and comes as a liquid ready to ferment, and some kits that have the ingredients but you do more of the mixing and cooking. He got the latter.

Good morning, Jim! I hope all is well with you.

Random Q: Who was your favorite Babylon 5 character?

Sheridan, I think, closely followed by Delenn.

Sheridan is pretty awesome. I may be in the minority, but I rather liked Sinclair and loved how his story ended.

>84 msf59: Hmm. Suddenly I am wondering if Jim is a techno-mage.

>86 drneutron: Get this, Oberon. I have been talking up a booked called Orphan X which I think has some Equalizer flavor. Edward Woodward was The Equalizer and also played the father of Galen, the technomage, on the B5 spinoff Crusade.

Geek out over.

😀

Oh to have the ability to turn invisible today...

Hi, Jim. We do not want Dr. Neutron to disappear. I wanted to know, thanks to you, I started Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde and it is very good in the early going. I appreciate the nudge, Doc!

Jim? Hello? Are you here? I can't see you! LOL Just got my copy of Radium Girls from the library today--thanks!! And I wish I could be in your son's research group. ; )

😀 No worries, I'm still here!

>89 drneutron: Great! I thought you'd like it!

>90 lindapanzo: Awesome! Can't wait to hear your thoughts on it!

I hope today is better for you than yesterday. : )

I'm glad you're enjoying American Eclipse. I thought it was a fun look at 1878.

I really enjoyed my short trip to watch the totality, even if I didn't see all the effects described in the latter parts of the book (such as a wall of darkness approaching or shadows racing along the ground). Believe me I was looking for them!

>92 drneutron: Yes and no. Dealing with more problems today, but fewer people that really pissed me off. 😀

>93 pbirch01: Cool! I finished through chapter 9 this morning over breakfast. SO now I'm all set to start the race across the country.

Hi Jim, I just wanted to mention that I've started a September Series & Sequels thread. Anyone interested in series reading, whether mysteries, sci fi, westerns, or whatever, is welcome to stop by.

It's at: http://www.librarything.com/topic/268378

Quick update- Go Down Together has been excellent. Such a smooth narrative too.

>95 brodiew2: Great! I'll add it to the group wiki. If I ever get through my library book backlog, I want to knock out the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French.

>96 drneutron: I hoped you'd like it. Smooth is the right word for it.

>96 drneutron: nice, I thought The Road to Jonestown was very easy to read and engaging narrative as well. Seems like Guinn has found his specialty area and keeps delivering the hits!

Time for an update!

69. Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich by Norman Ohler

Some fun facts I didn't know:
- Methamphetamine was invented by Merck in Germany as a stimulant for use by the general population
- The German army throughout World War II used over-the-counter meth (yes, over-the-counter) to drive troops to exceed normal human limits. The Blitzkrieg that surprised so many was made possible by soldiers' and tank drivers' ability to continue to invade without sleep for days at a time while hopped up on meth.
- In spite of Hitler's public insistence on chemical and food purity for himself and others, he was paranoid over his own health issues and used a private physician to provide "remedies" to treat his "symptoms". These remedies were mostly mega doses of vitamins and (you guessed it) methamphetamine. And later on a mix of meth and cocaine. And then a mix of meth, cocaine, and oxycodone (also developed by Merck, I think).

Ohler's thesis is that you can't understand Nazi Germany or Hitler without adequately assessing use of these dangerous stimulants in the general population and in the Nazi leadership. And he's right. It's clear that a lot of the weird decision-making in the second half of the war on is clearly the thinking of a meth addict - paranoia, fear of loss of the stuff he was addicted to, delusional thinking, narcissism, etc. Now, Ohler is quite clear that this is not the source of the evil that was Nazi Germany. But he does show interesting ways where the use of theses drugs influenced how history played out.

70. Seven Million: A Cop, a Priest, a Soldier for the IRA, and the Still-Unsolved Rochester Brink's Heist by Gary Craig

In 1993, a group of unknown robbers stole more than $7 million from a Brinks depot in Rochester, New York. In spite of lax security measures at the facility, it quickly became clear that it was an inside job - one of the small number of people ending their work day at the depot fed the robbers information and may have even let them in. And very quickly, it became clear that the robbers at least had ties to the Irish Republican Army, then in the throes of conflict with the British before reconciliation. In the end, only $2 million was recovered, and only a couple of people went to jail for the crime - the rest has never been recovered and a former boxer turned illegal casino manager turned up dead, with no proof that the suspected murderer did it.

True Crime fans, especially, will like Gary Craig's telling of the story, though at times it's hard to sort out the players without a program - there are lots of players involved and some share last names, for instance. Craig is a reporter from Rochester who's been investigating the crimes - the robbery and murder - for many years, and he clearly knows his stuff. But ultimately, the book leaves the reader hanging a bit given that the money's still missing and the murderer got away with it. Recommended, though.

Hello Jim! I hope you have a great weekend.

>99 scaifea: 69. This is really interesting. I'm surprised that this is not more common knowledge. I have never heard of these things.

>100 weird_O: It was a good book. I was pleased to find that he didn't try to "explain" Hitler or Nazi Germany in terms of drug use only, but that clearly played a part in how history turned out, especially as things began going south for the Axis.

Hi, Jim! I have to tell you: I just accidentally x-ed your thread and had 30 seconds of pure panic before I figured out how to find it again (your clever threadbook, of course) and fix the catastrophe! Ha!

😀 Threadbook to the rescue!

Exactly!

>99 scaifea: Nazi meth. I read about that book in the New York Review of Books and put it on my wish list. Thanks for the nudge.

Several years ago I read a book titled On Speed that covered some of this territory. Not much on Germany, but quite a bit about American military research and experimentation. We came to the conclusion that "speed" wasn't worth it.

Nice review of Blitzed, Jim. IIRC I first learned about Hitler's use of methamphetamine in my Pharmacology course in medical school.

Thanks! I was aware of the usage, but not the extent. The pharma companies made a truly staggering amount of this stuff.

At the National Book Fest. First up? David McCullough!

Missed the second talk (nothing I'll lose sleep over) and went book shopping. Will post a list later.

Now waiting to see Shetterly, hear about Hidden Figures.

Hi Jim--Have fun (and why wouldn't you?) at the National Book Fest!!! Great review on Blitzed. I had never heard about the drug use before. Makes sense. I want to hear about Shetterly!! And the book binge.

Shetterly was awesome! It was interview style with the NPR TV/movie critic asking the questions. She talked a lot about telling people's stories and how important it was for her to learn about people of color beyond the standard history told in Black History Month and such. Plus, she knew a lot of the people she wrote about growing up.

The most entertaining award goes to John Scalzi of Redshirts fame. Wow, just over the top laughs!

Here's the stash:
The Wright Brothers and The American Spirit by David McCullough

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Leona by Jenny Rogneby

The Old Man's War by John Scalzi

Hi, Jim! Wishing you a great and book-filled Labor Day weekend!

Happy Sunday, Jim. Glad you had a good time at the Book Fest. Nice book haul too. The Wright Brothers & Hidden Figures are excellent reads. Glad you enjoyed the Shetterly interview.

>112 charl08: Thanks! I hope yours is good too!

>113 LovingLit: We saw the movie of Hidden Figures, but she talked a lot about how the movie and the book are different. I'm looking forward to it!

>69 drneutron: I imagine he might have lots of volunteers ;)

I read Kafka on the Shore a few years ago for my book club, and it was the group consensus that one had to read it more than once -- and now I see that Murakami admits it. So, does that make it a successful work?

Margot Shetterly sounds great.

How was the meet up? Pictures?

McCullough and Sheerly -- how wonderful!!

Book festival sounds wonderful. I've been reading a puzzling (to me but probably not to someone who works in your field) GN about quantum physics. A little fantasy explorer meets scientists from across 20c history.

ETA A title might have helped here, Mysteries of the Quantum Universe.

...scanning for pics of the Sept 2 meet up...

>114 sirfurboy: I didn't read the book Hidden Figures but did see the film, which I really enjoyed. Even if it did feel rather simplified.

>99 scaifea: Interesting book about drugs use in the Third Reich. I think I will have to get that.

Happy Labor Day, Jim. I finally posted my review of Go Down Together. You were deservedly given a nod too. Hope you are having a great holiday weekend.

Coincident with your report on Blitzed, I'm reading The Narrow Road to the Deep North and learned the Japanese too were speeding in WWII. A Japanese officer is popping a drug called Philopon to energize himself, and also to suppress the sense that tiny ticks are crawling all over his back, burrowing into his flesh.

Googled Philopon and learned it was a form of crystal meth widely used by the Japanese (civilians as well as military). A significant portion of the populace was strung out for years following the war's end.

I watched about 40 minutes of McCullough being interviewed at the festival on CSPAN this morning. Seems like a charming guy with tons of facts in his head.

>99 scaifea:
>119 drneutron:

On the Plus side, prescribed meth in small intermittent doses
was the best and easiest weight loss drug ever.

On the Minus end, it was not - even for the 60s - the best plan
to drive non-stop from Venice to Chicago, sprinkling it on hot fudge sundaes.

Hey, folks sorry to be away for a couple of days... I have a meeting in Cocoa Beach, Florida, this week, so mrsdrneutron and I came earl to enjoy a couple of days of beach for the holiday weekend. I'll be taking her back to the airport this evening, but I'm here til Friday morning - and keeping a weather eye on Irma!

>115 msf59: Meetup was great, though sparsely attended as the weather and some transportation issues thinned the ranks. Nora and I did get to meet Max (omargosh) over breakfast, then we all split up for the Fest. Nora, Mrsdrneutron and I did meet back up for John Scalzi.

Picture's coming as soon as I get a chance to edit and post it!

>116 weird_O: Yup! Add Scalzi and it was a pretty good batch of talks - aside from Scot Turow, who seemed like he just wasn't in the mood to be there.

>117 mstrust: I've seen the title, but haven't checked it out. On the list it goes...

>118 m.belljackson: It was definitely simplified and Shetterly talked a lot about the process and why the filmmakers made the choices they did. Was quite an interesting look at things.

>119 drneutron: Cool! I'll look for your thoughts on it.

>120 drneutron: Awesome! I'll head our to your thread to see your review?

>121 drneutron: Wow, had no idea it was so prevalent in Japan. American soldiers did use Benzedrine, another amphetamine with less severe side effects, but I don't recall ever hearing it was widely accepted in civilian life - though maybe I'm naive about it. I'll have to look for that book.

>122 mstrust: Was that a rerun from the Festival? C-SPAN was there and videoing...

>123 drneutron: :) sounds like the voice of experience...

I don't know if they had run it earlier in the weekend, but it was dated 9/2/17. He was interviewed onstage.

Yup, that was the book fest interview. I was in the audience! It was a great interview.

They pointed the camera at the audience often- if only you had mouthed "Dr. Neutron" while giving the "this guy" thumbs. ; ) But it was an excellent interview and the crowd seemed to hang on every word.

Wow. What a way to run a war--strung out on Meth. I had no idea, beyond mysterious hints about Hitler's drug use. I must read that one.

I'm sorry Turow wasn't at his best. I've admired his work for years. But I'm glad that overall it was a good-to-great experience.

Please stay safe down there. Family has already asked to use my house as a refuge...of course the answer is an unqualified yes. It looks like a beast of a storm.

>129 drneutron: 😀 We were pretty far back!

>130 drneutron: We will at this point it looks like we'll all be safely away before the storm arrives. I feel for the folks it's going to hit though.

Hi Jim. It was too bad to miss the meet up. I had loaded the Uber app on my phone for quick and easy transport, but it wouldn't work. It kept telling me that it couldn't find a driver, when I could see them all on the map. I wasted precious time fussing with it and should have just driven myself, which is what I did in the end. Oh well. Another time. The Bookfest was good fun. :)

Stay safe in Florida, Jim!

>132 drneutron: No worries - there's always next year! :)

>133 brodiew2: We will!

So here's the meet-up pic! Left to right: Jim (drneutron), Nora (norabelle414), Max (omargosh)

>135 mstrust: "Like"

I'm about 2/3 of the way through The Stone Sky, Jim, and it's another good one by N.K. Jemison. I suspect you've read some of the trilogy, but have you made it all the way through. (Apologies if I missed your comments).

So far my only Jemison has been The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms. I've just gotten distracted by other things. Mrsdrneutron listened to the Broken Earth trilogy and loved it, so that's gotten pushed high on the list. And now with your comments I've pushed it even higher.

Good morning, Jim!

>111 RebaRelishesReading: the National Book Fest sounds like fun. I would love to meet Scalzi. Redshirts is personal favorite.

>135 mstrust: Nice pic!

>135 mstrust: That's a good-looking LT meet-up group!

Yea for meet-ups! Great pic!

>135 mstrust: Hooray for another Meet Up! Nice looking trio!

I hate dropping book bombs on other people's threads, but I am really enjoying The Punch Escrow. It reminds me a lot of Dark Matter, which I know many of us loved. This would be your cuppa too. Just sayin'...

>138 scaifea: Good evening! If you want to come to DC for it, I'd be happy to show you around!

>139 drneutron:, >140 pbirch01: Yup. I wish Jenn had been able to join us - maybe next year!

>141 katiekrug: It's on my Overdrive wishlist - saw it and immediately wanted to read it. And book bombs are always welcome!

Morning, Jim! Great meet-up photo!

Well, folks, tomorrow should be an interesting day. I've been in Cocoa Beach, Florida, for the last few days for a meeting. Meeting's over, but I can't get a flight out until tomorrow morning. Mandatory evacuation order kicks in at 3 pm tomorrow. So I'll get out, assuming the plane flies, ahead of the storm. But who knows what the airport's going to be like tomorrow... :)

oh wow, best of luck! I was in a similar situation in DC right before Sandy hit. I think we were one of the last planes to leave before they shut down DCA. Alaska airlines was offering people crazy amounts of vouchers to give up our seats and there were people everywhere camped out waiting to get on a plane. GOOD LUCK!!!

I'd make a rental car reservation, just in case....

>145 lkernagh: Yeah, I'm planning to get to the airport super early tomorrow!

>146 pbirch01: I've got one, but I'll have to give it up at the airport. Orlando's actually being pretty proactive about stuff. The evacuation order is for the coast, where I am, so far. Storm's not supposed to hit this area until late Saturday night/early Sunday morning, so I think i'll get out ok and in plenty of time. Will probably be a real patience test tomorrow - can I survive without throttling someone? We'll see!!

Good luck! I hope you get out in plenty of time and arrive home safely.

>147 drneutron: - Ha! I'd rather drive all the way home than deal with the airport under those circumstances :D If you do throttle someone, do it with style so you become a YouTube star...

Best of luck for your travels home, Jim!

>147 drneutron: If only I could figure out a way to send you a beer at the Orlando airport bar...

>151 ChelleBearss: 😀 I had a Kona Long Wave with dinner tonight. But thanks for the thought!

Hope you make/made it home ok, Jim. >99 scaifea: Blitzed looks very interesting and, given how prolonged use scrambles thinking, explains a lot.

>135 mstrust: Love the meetup photo!! >144 katiekrug: Good luck at the airport tomorrow!! Yikes.

Thinking of you this morning, Jim - good luck at the airport!

>135 mstrust: Love the meet up pic!

>147 drneutron: Hope you get out safely and without having to throttle anyone!!

Great meet-up photo, Jim. I hope you're currently winging your way home!

Good morning, Jim! Havea great weekend.

Random Q: Who is your favorite Star Wars EU (Legends) character?

>153 brodiew2:, >154 drneutron:, >155 Familyhistorian:, >156 karenmarie:, >157 streamsong:, >158 drneutron: Thanks for all the good wishes! I made it home safely and didn't get arrested for throttling anyone. 😀 Other than a blitz of people at the security line, things were pretty calm.

>153 brodiew2: Yup, it does. And I was surprised at just how prevalent the use was throughout Germany.

>154 drneutron:, >156 karenmarie:, >157 streamsong: Thanks! I'm hoping we get the gang together again next year. So if anybody wants to join us...

>158 drneutron: Um, I'm ashamed to say I haven't done much with the expanded universe, so I don't really have a favorite in that regard. I've been a bit of a purist - sticking to the movies. Same for Star Trek - beyond some early novelizations I've stuck with the series/movies.

>159 drneutron: If drugs were easy to get and condoned and things were pretty surreal anyway probably a lot of people turned to drugs as a way to cope with the new reality.

Good to hear that you are back home safe and sound. Enjoy your weekend.

Hi Jim!

I'm glad you made it out safely. Like everybody else, I've got friends/family hunkered down in Florida - cousins in Port Charlotte, another cousin in Jupiter, friends in Ocala.

I never realized that WWII had so much government-sponsored drug use. I wish my dad was still alive so I could ask him if he was given Benzedrine or observed anybody on it.

Glad you made it out safely - and especially glad you didn't have to throttle anyone.

I'd love to get to the National Book Fest some year. I've never been to DC. I'll have to keep an eye out as to which authors will be there next year.

>160 drneutron: Thanks! Unfortunately, I'm spending most of Sunday getting material ready for a review coming up at the end of the month. Such is how it goes as we get closer to launch!

>161 rosalita: I hope your friends and family are safe!

>162 drneutron: Well, if you get the chance, let us know! We'd love to get together with you.

Time for an update!

71. American Eclipse by David Baron

This one came available on Overdrive just in time for the recent eclipse, so of course I had to snag the story of the 1887 eclipse and the people trying to observe it. This was a pretty good story with some interesting characters and ties to issues of the day such as Women's Suffrage and the position of women in American life. What it wasn't was the promised rollicking adventure promised in the back blurb. But that's ok, it was a fine story anyway.

72. The Caped Crusade by Glen Weldon

Steve (swynn) got me interested in this history/literary criticism of portrayals of Batman over the decades and how that portrayal has affected and been affected by fandom, especially the geek culture. I was a reader back in the late 60s and 70s, so saw the transition from the campier Adam West version of Batman to the darker - though not as dark as more recent renderings - of the comics in the 70s. While I've lost any real connection to the DC universe, I've enjoyed the various film versions of the story over the years. (Nolan/Bale Dark Knight version rocks!) So this interplay of closed geek culture that closely guards the "real" Batman story with the broader culture that is more open is pretty fascinating for me. And Weldon does a pretty good job of writing about it. So if popular culture is your thing, this one might be of interest to you.

73. In the Woods by Tana French

Great start to a series of police procedurals centered around the Dublin Murder Squad. In this one, a detective who, as a child, was found bleeding and confused in a wood near Dublin investigates a murder years later in that same wood. That might have connection to what happened to him and his two friends who didn't come back that day. Good stuff, looking forward to the next.

74. Through a Glass Darkly by Stefan Bechtel and Laurence Roy Stains

Last year, I think it was, I read The Witch of Lime Street that discussed Harry Houdini's involvement with an investigation of a Spiritualist medium by a team put together by Scientific American. Arthur Conan Doyle was a true believer in Spiritualism by this time, and had already been through a friendship and feud with Houdini over the truth of his beliefs. In that book - and, frankly, in most books on the subject - Conan Doyle comes off as an uncritical buffoon, duped by the most obvious fakers because he wanted to believe. And this is most often attributed to the loss of his son after WWI in the Spanish flu epidemic. But this is made the more mysterious by his earlier life as a doctor and "man of science", and as the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories - probably the most hyper-rational character ever invented.

Bechtel and Stains take the view that this is only an apparent inconsistency and that in reality Conan Doyle did keep his scientific bent throughout his life - it's just that he was convinced by what he saw and viewed debunkers like Houdini as willing to do anything to discredit what he saw as a "rational religion" for a scientific era. So the purpose of the book is to resurrect his reputation and to engender a little sympathy for him. And mostly that works - I think it's unfortunate that he gets dismissed so easily. One can be honest and thoughtful and still be wrong. Having said that, he *was* fooled by some pretty transparent fakes, so it's hard to take his later work seriously.

Through a Glass Darkly is a good, but not stellar insight into Conan Doyle. The subject has been done better. But it is a bit of a counterbalance to some of the trashing of this man by other authors, and a reminder that we all hold wrong beliefs and that we all color our reason with emotion.

And now for number 75!

75. Marvel Year by Year: A Visual History, Updated and Expanded by Peter Sanderson

Expanding on the comic book theme - crossing the goal line this year with a gorgeous, colorful history of Marvel comics from the early days in the 1930s until 2016. There's a lot of stuff here, laid out in year-by-year summaries that show nicely the changes in characters and story lines over the years for some of the favorites - X-Men, Avengers, Spiderman, etc. It was a nostalgic romp for me. Plus the artwork is beautiful!

One of the things this brought home to me was how the need to push storied further and further to maintain sales drove the chaos that we see over and over in the comics. The book above on Batman showed the same thing. So you get crossovers and mixed universes and drastically inconsistent world-building across comic book lines. And frankly, that's mostly why I've given up on both DC and Marvel comics. Instead, I'd rather pay attention to stand-alone graphic novels that pay attention to real storytelling. But without the Marvel stories, we probably wouldn't have such a rich and robust GN world today!

Congrats on reaching the big 7-5, Jim!

Thanks!

I really have to read in The Woods again, so I can get to the rest of the series. It has been years since I read it and the whole thing is a fog for me.

Glad you made it home safely!

Congratulations on hitting 75! Tap that keg!

>164 mstrust: I also enjoyed In the Woods but the second book was hard to get into! However the third made up for it! :)

Congrats on hitting 75!

I need to try In the Woods, Jim. That sounds good.

I know what you mean about all the cross-stories and so on in comics now. Too confusing for me. Marvel has some good series like Ms. Marvel and Jessica Jones, and on the DC side I like some of the Wonder Woman GNs, particularly The Legend of Wonder Woman Vol. 1: Origins by Renae De Liz, which gets closest to that great Gal Gadot movie.

Hello Jim! I hope you had a great weekend.

>165 ChelleBearss: excellent comments. I quit collecting full time 15 years ago, but I've kept up a little on the DC side. I lost interest in Marvel 20 years ago or more. I think it was due to convoluted mess you mention above. Plus, Marvel tells genreally darker stories with generally darker colors. It was hard not to get depressed reading it. ;-P I know retconning has been DCs go to ever since Crisis on Infinite Earths, but , at least, the tone is generally lighter and the colors are for sure.

>165 ChelleBearss: Congratulations on reaching 75, Jim!

Woo hoo! Congrats on hitting the 75 book mark, Jim!

>168 FAMeulstee: Well, join me! mrsdrneutron got the first 4 for me while we were in Boston, so I'm going to try to get to them all this month.

>169 ronincats:, >170 drneutron: Thanks!

>171 jnwelch: It was pretty good, also a twisting in a psychological sense.

I've been encouraged by The Son to start the Netflix Marvel series, probably will in October when mrsdrneutron is away for a bit. I hear Jessica Jones in gn format is pretty good!

>172 swynn: Yeah, Marvel is definitely darker, with the exception, I think, of some of the Batman stories. You should try the Batman book - it's a pretty good fandom history. Plus the author is just downright funny sometimes with his comments.

>173 nittnut: Thanks!

Krysten Ritter makes a great Jessica Jones, Jim. We love that series. And David Tennant is terrific as the villain Kilgrave. We also like Mike Colter as Luke Cage; he and Ritter have good chemistry.

Congrats on 75, Jim! And glad you liked the Batman book!

Congratulations on 75!

>177 drneutron:, >178 msf59: Thanks!

75!! WOOT!!

And more congrats from me - sounds like a fun book to hit the target on.

>180 Matke:, >181 streamsong: Thanks!

Congrats on hitting our magic number, Jim. The Mighty 75!

Glad you enjoyed your first Dublin Murder Squad book. You have started a rewarding series.

>183 vivians: Thanks!

Congratulations on #75, Jim! It's a bb for me. I was a big, big fan of Marvel back in the day. Like you, I know prefer the stand-alone G.N.'s.

Congrats on the 75 and thanks for all you do here!

I'm glad you liked American Eclipse even if it wasn't quite what you were expecting.

I've read the first two of the Tana French books, and definitely mean to go on with the series.

>185 johnsimpson: Thanks! I enjoyed it - I hope you do too.

>186 drneutron: Thanks! Don't get me wrong, I actually liked American Eclipse for what it was that I would have liked the more adventurous version described on the back cover. 😀

Once I finish my latest Early Reviewer book, I'm diving back into French's series!

Congrats on 75! I'm a fan of the Tana French series too.

Thanks!

Congrats on hitting 75 Jim.

Thanks!

Congrats on 75!! Pretty good with still 1/4+ of the year to go :)

Congrats on reaching 75!

>192 Storeetllr: Thanks! I typically hit 110 +/- a few, at least I have since I started keeping track. I'd really like to break 120, since that seems to be my wall... :)

>193 drneutron: Thanks!

Way to go, Jim!

Thanks!

Yay, Jim! Congrats on hitting 75! One of the more recent of the 75 is now on my TBR list: >99 scaifea: Blitzed. And may I just say thank goodness for the meth use - without it, who knows what might have happened!

>197 drneutron: Thanks! I hope you like it!

Congrats on 75!!

Sad to hear that the Cassini spacecraft ended its journey, but what a great ride!!!

Yup it was. I wasn't working yet when it launched, but i did do some radiation modeling of an instrument built by people i work with to understand some odd behavior that the instrument was exhibiting. Turned out to be something we could work around.

Well done Jim on reaching 75!

Of course it is easy when you have nothing else to do, hehehe!

Have a great weekend.

>201 msf59: 😀 I hope yours is good too!

Happy Sunday, Jim. Spent a wonderful day with a fellow LTer yesterday, hiking, birding and chatting. Life is good and LT has made it better.

Happy Sunday Jim, and congratulations on your #75!

>203 drneutron: Happy Sunday! Your trip sounds great! Mrsdrneutron and I are headed over to Maryland's Eastern Shore with the kayaks for a couple of days - will report back any birds we see!

>204 johnsimpson: Thanks!

Have a great time, Jim. Hope the weather cooperates. I hope someday we can hook up for some outdoor activities and of course, cap it off, with a brew or 2.

Safe travels, Jim!

>204 johnsimpson: Sounds like a plan!

>207 Thanks!

Hi Jim.

Got home from a short get-away with mrsdrneutron yesterday just in time for the Talk Like A Pirate Day treasure hunt! Got 14 out of 16, the other two just stumped me. I think I know what they are, but I'm not finding the right pages. Got into the giveaway drawing, though!

>210, nice! Of course I was going to hop on LT for a quick second and ended up spending way too much time trying (and eventually getting to) 16. This year was hard and I felt like I spent a lot of time trying different permutations of things (i.e. HMS Beagle & 826 Valencia). Still a good time and nice change of pace!