drneutron's (Jim's) Reading and Eating in 2019 Part 3

I'm Jim, 56, husband of 33 years, father of a son in a PhD program in Comp Sci at Notre Dame, who reads pretty much anything. We're in central Maryland with roots in Louisiana. I like to read (obviously), cook, want to learn to fly fish, and trail bike riding/kayaking with mrsdrneutron. Of course, LT is a big time sink, but mrsdrneutron seems to have come to terms with my LT addiction...8^}

The new Gene Cafe coffee roaster! I can do a half pound at a time, and it even does a decent decaf for mrsdrneutron!

The Man Who Couldn't Stop by David Adam
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
Legion: the Many Lives of Stephen Leeds by Brandon Sanderson
Revival by Stephen King
Spying on Whales by Nick Pyenson
The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss
The Fact of a Body by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
The Re-Origin of Species by Torill Kornfeldt
In Search of Mary Shelley by Fiona Sampson
Hell Divers by Nicolas Stansbury Smith
Black Skies by Arnaldur Indridason
Darker Shade of Magic by Victoria Schwab
Hell Divers II: Ghosts by Nicolas Stansbury Smith
Atlas of a Lost World by Craig Childs
The Void Protocol by F. Paul Wilson
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
Newton and the Counterfeiter by Thomas Levenson
Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson
Underground by Will Hunt
Crucible by James Rollins
Palace of Treason by Jason Matthews
Faithful Place by Tana French
Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
Out of the Dark by Gregg Hurwitz
Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth
The Lost Puzzler by Eyal Kless
Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys

The 2019 Stats (So Far!)

Total Books: 27

Author Gender
Male: 18 (67%)
Female: 9 (33%)

Author Status
Living: 26 (96%)
Dead: 1 (4%)

Publication Medium
Hardback: 8 (30%)
Trade: 4 (15%)
Mass Market: 0 (0%)
eBook: 15 (56%)

Category
Fiction: 17 (63%)
Nonfiction: 10 (37%)

Source
Library: 23 (85%)
Mine: 4 (15%)

ARC: 1
Re-Read: 2
Series: 14
Group Read: 5

26. The Lost Puzzler by Eyal Kless

Apocalyptic sf/fantasy that tries to be Mad Max while also trying for a farm boy fantasy. Doesn't quite make either. "As you know, Bob" -ing got annoying after a bit, and really, I just never cared about the characters.

27. Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emrys

Riff on Lovecraft and the Cthulhu mythos that worked a whole lot better than the last book. She manages to tie Innsmouth to Japanese internment camps in WWII and Miskatonic U to the Cold War. This one ended nicely as a single book, though there is a sequel - that my library doesn't have. *sigh*

>1 drneutron: Cool, or maybe hot! At first I thought it was rocket something or other!

Happy new thread!

Happy new thread. Also, I now want my own coffee roaster.

Happy new one, Jim!

Let's not tell The Wayne about that coffee roaster, okay?

Happy new thread, Doc!

>1 drneutron: Gosh, you people are serious about your addictions. Better not tell you how I drink my coffee...

Happy new thread, you prize-winner, you! :-)

Happy new thread Jim.

Happy New Thread, Neil Armstrong Award Winner!

That is one crazy looking coffee machine!

Happy new Thread, Jim. I know you are just getting into the Dublin Murder Squad series. I just started her latest stand-alone The Witch Elm. I am curious to see where it goes...

Hppy new thread!

Happy new thread, Jim.
>1 drneutron: This looks like something you could launch!

>6 charl08: Thanks! I can point you to some good ones!

>7 katiekrug: That new back porch would be a great place for him to roast away! And he can make sure you’ve always got a fresh roast...

>8 humouress: Thanks! If we ever got together, I’ll try to bring you some! 😀

>9 jessibud2: Thanks! My reward for winning was a free buffet lunch at a symposium... 😂 Seriously, we’re really excited about it!

>10 johnsimpson:, >11 jnwelch: Thanks!

>12 genesisdiem: Yep! It’s a drum machine that rotates off axis so the beams mix well. I like this one over my old hot air machine because I can slow down the roast and get beans with more body. Plus, the roast is really reproducible.

>13 msf59: Yup, i’m planning to get to it as soon as I can get it off Overdrive.

>14 figsfromthistle: Thanks!

>15 BLBera: Heh, yeah, this one’s pretty hi-techy!

Happy new thread, Jim!

Thanks!

Happy New Thread, Jim! That coffee roaster is impressive!

>17 drneutron: Husband has a bean grinder and I've been thinking of getting him a roaster. Worried though that next he'll be growing his own beans... ;)

>20 kidzdoc: Thanks! I've been enjoying it. Picked up some Haitian beans from a cooperative that is helping to get coffee growers back on their feet. Gonna try that one next!

>21 genesisdiem: Heh. As long as you don't live in a high altitude region with sandy soil and rainy climate, you're safe. 😀

I can give some recommendations for roasters and places to buy green beans if you decide to get him one.

Happy new thread, Jim!
>1 drneutron: I didn't know a home roaster existed. It looks like you've made a life-long commitment. Maybe a second career ;-).
I share your love of coffee but my husband doesn't, so I guess I'll never get to roast my own beans.

That coffee roaster definitely looks like some futuristic engineering project, Jim. Enjoy!

>1 drneutron: Looks like some type of car part. Carburetor, maybe?

>22 drneutron: whew. Safe there then but I did show him your new roaster and now he's been shopping for one all evening.. *sigh* :) If only I drank coffee too... I just don't like the bitterness. I prefer tea. But I have a little tea station with all the bells and whistles so maybe it's only fair that he gets a few new coffee toys as well.

>23 mstrust: Well, I have entertained thoughts of a retirement career in roasting. We'll see...

>24 ronincats: Yup! I chose the red one 'cause it looks cool. The black version wasn't nearly as impressive. 😀

>25 Morphidae: 😂 It's a flux capacitor.

>Cool! Another convert! 😀 Burman's or Sweet Maria's (both on line) are my main sources for green beans.

Happy new thread, Jim!
And belated congratulations on the Neil Armstrong Award.

I didn't even know it was possible to roast your own beans at home! As a non-coffee drinker I don't even know how to brew a decent cup :(

>27 drneutron: It's a flux capacitor.
Of course it is. Cool gadget, Jim!

Happy new thread Jim! And yay for engineering coffee!

>28 FAMeulstee: Thanks, and thanks!

>29 RebaRelishesReading: Yup, back in the day, everyone roasted their own or bought it from a roaster shop. Then this newfangled pre-roasted stuff began to be sold in stores - and don't get me started on *instant* coffee... 😀

>30 lauralkeet: 👍🏻

>31 swynn: Heh. Hadn't thought of it that way, but yeah, I guess I am engineering my coffee. I even keep a log with temperature-time profiles.

Happy new one, Jim! I am drooling over the roaster in your topper - I had no idea such a thing existed.

>16 drneutron: Can you get to Seattle in December?

>32 drneutron: (no comment)

>33 Crazymamie: yup, there’s a whole community of weird people like me experimenting with beans. It’s actually pretty easy and the fresh roasted beans are great!

>34 humouress: I’l have to see what happens later in the year, but maybe!

Happy new thread, Jim. That is quite the coffee gadget!

Happy new thread!

Happy new one, Jim. I suppose it smells wonderful in your house when you're roasting coffee.

Thanks, Meg, Chelle, Barbara!

Surprisingly, for me anyway, roasting coffee doesn't smell good. The roasting process is essentially burning the beans, and there's a bit of acrid smoke produced. I don't roast in the house - the back deck's my spot. Most coffee roasting facilities are vented and use air filtration to keep the smell down.

Beans need to outgas for 12 -24 hours after roasting. Once that's done, it does indeed smell great! It varies by bean type, but most roasts have peak flavor 2-4 days after roasting. If kept in an airtight container, the great aroma will last up to a couple of weeks. I roast in small enough batches that the flavor lasts until the next roast.

I wish you lived next door to me. I'd come smell your house every day.

>27 drneutron: Sure it's not an oscillation overthruster?

Happy relatively new thread, Jim.

Have been badly under the weather but am finally making some rounds.

>1 drneutron: Oh my. I definitely do NOT need one of those. I have trouble enough with the espresso makers. More power to you.

Happy new thread, Jim! Wow! You'd have to be a rocket scientist to figure out >1 drneutron:! Oh, you are and that's way Mrsdr neutron gets a decent cup of decaf ;0)

Hi, Jim. I hope those current reads are treating you fine and thanks again, for all the help on my DC/Gettsyburg trip. Looking forward to it.

>40 mstrust: Come on over!

>41 Morphidae: Hmmm. Could be!

>42 PaulCranswick: Glad you’re feeling better!

>43 weird_O: I never learned to make espresso - one of those things I’d rather leave to the professionals! 😀

>44 Carmenere: 😀

>45 msf59: Any time!

>47 Berly: 😂😂😂

And an update:

28. The Crocodile by Maurizio De Giovanni

Inspector Lojacono is a discredited detective from Sicily now posted in a dead end job in Naples. When someone starts killing young people across the city, everybody assumes it’s the work of the Camorra - except Lojacono, who sees more in the crimes.

Great mystery/police procedural set in a gritty Naples. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!

Hi Jim mate, hope you and your good lady wife are having a good weekend and send love and hugs to both of you from both of us dear friend.

Wishing you a great Sunday, Jim.

Drive by hug...

Your coffee roaster looks awesome Jim, but I would be put out by the curb if I brought one of those into the house! My wife is not a coffee drinker and just grinding a rich dark or medium roast has her crying "skunk"! So I will envy your hobby from afar. I do enjoy good roasts from Peet's so I won't feel too bad ...

>53 RBeffa: Yay Peet's!

>50 johnsimpson: Productive weekend - spent both days power washing our house. Needed it badly since I didn’t get to do it last year. Looks good now though!

>51 PaulCranswick: Thanks! See above... 😀

>52 Morphidae: Hug back! Hope you’re doing well.

>53 RBeffa: Peet’s is a good choice if you can’t roast!

>54 quondame: Agreed!

I'm assuming that's the exterior with a power washer, although I have an image of you folding up the house and stuffing it into a gigantic washing machine...

😂😂 Yep, power washer on the outside...

Another thumbs up for Peet’s! I’m a Peetnik, as I receive a pound of freshly roasted beans in the mail every three weeks. Aged Sumatra is my favorite.

>58 kidzdoc: Yay for Sumatra. That is one of my two or three favorites from Peet's, Darryl. My perennial favorite remains Major Dickason's and has been for about 25 years. My daughter just brought me a bag of their Anniversary Blend a couple days ago. The barista raved about it to her (she works very close to one, lucky girl, and gets to have a real coffee break!). I like to rotate among a couple different roasts.

>59 RBeffa: Same here, Ron. I rotate between Aged Sumatra, Ethiopian Fancy and Uzuri African Blend.

ETA: Peet’s was supposed to take over the Caribou Coffee shops in metro Atlanta, and I was looking forward to having a Peet’s within walking distance from home. Unfortunately that hasn’t happened yet.

>59 RBeffa: >60 kidzdoc: I pretty much stick to Arabian Mocha Java and Latte drinks as most darker roasts trigger my taste disorder.

Yeah, I'm a Major D's fan - we can usually get it at Costco here. I wish we had a Peet's shop close by, but Starbucks seems to have a lock on the area.

29. Border Son by a Samuel Parker

When Ed Kazmierski learns his estranged son, Tyler, is in deep with a drug cartel in Mexico, he heads south to try to help him get away. Ed and Tyler are woefully unequipped to deal with the trouble that surrounds them, but this is Ed's last chance to connect with a son he's not sure he's all that interested in connecting with.

Parker's Border Son is a quick read, with lots of action. But it's mostly the stuff of nearly every action movie of this type - flat characters, bloody episodic violence, a plot that's there mostly to set up action sequences. Not bad, mind you, just average. Would love to see what Tarantino would do with the story!

30. These Truths by Jill Lepore

Lepore's history of conflict, race, economic disparity, and power in US politics is a magnificent read. She's got an ear for language that makes the history come alive, and the subjects she takes up are some of the most critical we should be reading about and discussing. As with all one-volume histories of the US - even those that run to nearly 1000 pages - this is not a comprehensive history, so Lepore focusses on her themes, sometimes neglecting the bigger world picture. But it's a great place to start to understand how we got where we are and how we're fighting many of the same conflicts over and over.

>63 drneutron: glad to see you enjoyed These Truths, Jim! It gave me so much to think about, and some of the concepts keep coming up in conversation with my husband and friends.

>64 lauralkeet: It will definitely be on my best-of-the-year list. My biggest criticism is that part 4 felt really rushed to me as she tried to get everything in. Like I mentioned on the group read thread, after nearly 1000 pages, she could have added another 50-100 to slow it down a bit and no one would have minded. 😀

>63 drneutron: I recently read Lepore's article in Foreign Affairs on the need for a new national story. I made a note to check out her book, and here you are recommending it.

Heh. Yup, strongly recommended. Our national story is one of her themes.

I read through Part Two of These Truths in early February, intending to pick up Part Three in March. But the battery was dead, so to speak, in March. It's warmer now, so maybe with a jump, I can get 'er going and finish the book. I learned quite a bit from what I've read so far.

>63 drneutron: These Truths sounds interesting but 1000 pages is scaring me away. I also don’t normally read history. When I do, I like easy to read popular (micro)history such as The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or The Devil in the White City. How dense is the writing in These Truths? Do you think someone who doesn’t normally read history would like it?

My two cents: Lepore is very readable. the page count gets inflated by an extensive note/source section that's about 1/3 of the count. Plus breaking it into four parts means that one can put it down for a break pretty easily.

Back to Coffee!

Sunday's Comic FRAZZ yields something I'd not heard of:

"You do realize a dark roast only seems stronger because it tastes stronger"

"But you're tasting the roast itself - the caramelization from the heat"

"Which does taste pretty good and strong"

"But a darker roast is a longer roast, which cooks off the character and complexities and brightness of the bean"

"And the Caffeine"

"This is why people don't like Science"

"This is why people should!"

???

>71 m.belljackson: The one Starbucks roast I like is their blonde roast (Veranda - up north in Canada it goes by the name True North). When they first introduced it years ago the barista handing out samples explained that although the taste might be lighter and smoother, the caffeine kick is lot higher because it doesn't get cooked off.

I used to be much more of a tea person than a coffee person. I drank both but preferred tea. Thinking back I realized my switchover happened when I took a new job where coffee was the fuel of choice and I started drinking lots more coffee. Still I enjoyed tea a lot but the final nail in the coffin happened when Peet's got bought out and discontinued their teas ( they have something called mightly leaf now which is not the same). I don't have a Peet's handy so when we were off somewhere I would frequently schedule a stop at a Peet's so I could pick up a tin of loose leaf tea. My wife's family lived in Berkeley and when we were first dating she took me to a Peet's (this was around 78 or early 79) in Berkeley. It was just a couple blocks from her apartment. I'd never seen a place like it! I'm not sure if it was the very first Peet's store location (I think it was tho) but it was one of the first. There were only just a couple then.

>70 drneutron: I don’t know what happened. I mistyped the post number. It was directed at you. I fixed it in >69 Morphidae:.

>71 m.belljackson:, >72 RBeffa: Darker roast coffee have less acid and less caffeine as the roasting process breaks down both. Also, the individual flavors of beans gets broken down, and pretty much any bean at a French roast or higher will taste the same. I typically roast to a medium or just above a medium to strike a balance between varietal flavor and body.

>73 Morphidae: No worries!

Our local news did a report last night about a new coffee brand coming out that is the highest caffeine available, which means it would have to be even stronger than Death Wish Coffee.
I started drinking coffee because at my old job there was a Starbuck's just a 5 minute stroll away, and our boss loved coffee so much that she'd let employees go for a coffee run as long as we brought her back something. It was easy to get hooked.

>75 mstrust: Yeah, I heard about that too. I'm definitely not looking to up my caffeine intake that much! 😀

Hello Jim! Happy relatively new thread and belated congratulations on your award. Sorry I missed all the hubbub.

>1 drneutron: But, that is an impressive device!

The reading in print is a Sahara drought, but Presidents of War on audio is doing the historical trick. I've never been more interested in history on audio than in the last cople of years. They are usually not short books, either. I only got through half Grant Chernow before taking a break. This is one is big, but when 22 disc is only half, that is a TOME!

>63 drneutron: Congrats on finishing Lepore!!! I am glad you enjoyed it. I am not a history person and part of the reason I wanted a group read was to keep me motivated to read it! It's working! I am just starting Part 4. : )

Happy Wednesday, Jim. Looking forward to the Meet Up next week. I reached out to Linda Panzo and it looks like she may be able to join us. Yah!

Would you like me to bring my copy of black Leopard, Red Wolf, along? And you can return it, whenever you can?

>77 brodiew2: Yeah, it's pretty high tech-y looking! I'll have to take a look at Presidents of War - the title sounds interesting!

>78 Berly: I'm glad you've stuck with it. It'll be interesting to see your thoughts when you're done.

>79 msf59: Actually, I just got a copy from the library a couple of days ago and started it last night. It's very good! Depending on how much I get to read this weekend, I'll probably have it with me to finish up on the plane rides.

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone - having Linda along would be great! Haven't heard whether the son will be able to make it. He's deep into getting ready for a PhD topic defense, so he may beg off. I'll let folks know.

>80 drneutron: Hi Jim, I look forward to meeting you. I've asked for the afternoon off. Looking forward to a great discussion of baseball and disaster books, as Mark well knows, though I suppose all other books can also be addressed.

Great! This is going to be fun!

So, found this series on Amazon Prime. Comrade Detective! Supposedly a lost Romanian buddy cop show from the 80s remastered and dubbed into English. In reality, a fantastic parody by Tatum Channing and company. Absolutely hysterical. 😀

>83 drneutron: - Might have to give that a try!

>84 katiekrug: It's a good one. They actually filmed it in Romania with local actors and dubbed the American actors' voices to make it more authentic. I'm loving it - plus it's only six episodes. 😀

Nice to meet you today, Jim. Enjoy your time in our area.

Good to see you making it to Chicago and catching a beer or several with Linda, Mark and Joe.

I just saw the photo of your meet up on Joe's thread. Looks like you all had a great time!

>86 lindapanzo: It was great getting to meet you! Thanks for coming all that way!

>87 PaulCranswick: Yeah, we had a great time! I've met Joe and Mark individually, but when you get then together and add Linda, they're a blast. 😀

>88 Familyhistorian: Yup!

>89 drneutron: It was nice of Mark and/or Joe to reserve the entire restaurant for us. Too bad that they didn't arrange for the German band to entertain us, too.

Hello Jim! I hope all is well.

I am not on board with Star Trek: Discovery S2 yet, but I have heard great things about Anson Mount's Christopher Pike. I even hear that he has leaped into the top three favorite ST captains for some. What's your take, in a non spoilery was of course. :-)

I like him. There wasn't enough of the original Pike to really establish the character, but Mount seems to really have made something of it. Too many spoilers to go much further... 😀

Update time!

31. River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey

Around the turn of the twentieth century, someone in Congress suggested that we import hippos from Africa and establish them in the Louisiana bayous as a potential fix to a meat shortage of that time. This was a real, serious suggestion. Obviously (and thankfully), it didn't go anywhere. But what if it did? Gailey rearranges the timeline a bit and imagines what Louisiana might be like if it did.

This one's part caper story, part wild West, part over the top steampunkishness. And a hippo-load of fun!

32. Dance of Death by Douglas Preston and Lee Child

Sixth in the Agent Pendergast series, and also the middle of his Diogenes trilogy buried in the overall series. As with the others, Pendergast is Batman - always anticipating perfectly, always prepared to pull a surprise - and so don't expect any credibility to the story. But Preston and Child can write and the over-the-topness is half the fun!

I used to love the Pendergast series, but I haven't picked one up in a while. :)

>93 drneutron: River of Teeth is high up on my list, I'm glad to see you enjoyed it!

>94 The_Hibernator: I read Relic years ago and lost the series. But thanks to Overdrive, I'm back at 'em again!

>95 norabelle414: Yup - there's also a sequel that I need to check for at my library.

>49 drneutron: *ow*ow*ow* book bulleted

>93 drneutron: So glad you enjoyed the daffy wild-eyed nuttiness of River of Teeth!

>31 swynn: Hooray for River of Teeth love! I still have to read the next ...

>97 richardderus: I've got the sequel to the Crocodile on my library stack at home - looking forward to it! And yeah, wild-eyed nuttiness is the right term. 😀

>98 swynn: Yup. I've requested it - may take a bit to get it from the library.

Very cool coffee roaster! I'll stick with buying my Stumptown Coffee though.

>83 drneutron: Oh I'll have to find Comrade Detective - sounds fun

Saw the meetup photo on Facebook. LT meetups are always wonderful!

>100 SuziQoregon: Haven't had Stumptown, but yeah, once you get a good coffee source, stick with it! Someone commented that I'm engineering my coffee, which is exactly what I'm doing... 😀

I've always had a good time hanging out with LT folks!

>93 drneutron: River of Teeth was such a hoot. Thanks for the reminder - I just e-borrowed American Hippo to catch up on the sequels.

and I just requested River of Teeth from the library.

Looks like I also need to request River of Teeth. I remember hearing some solid buzz on this one, when it first came out and you confirmed it.

>72 RBeffa: Starbucks Blonde Roast is my "cuppa," too! And I was told the same thing about the caffeine content. It sure is a nice-tasting coffee. I buy it by the bag.

Karen O.

A peaceful and restful Easter to you and yours, Jim.
>93 drneutron: Agent Pendergast - I have some unread copies on my shelve, maybe I should give them a chance.
River of teeth sounds very readable, but our public library doesn't have it. Let's see what the future holds.
Mount TBR is so high, I'm afraid I'll never reach the peak.
But the journey alone is a lot of fun.

>103 SuziQoregon: Cool! I hope you like it!

>104 msf59: I'm interested in what you'll think of it. It can get a little out-there at times. 😀

>105 klobrien2: I tend toward the lower acid coffees, so with Starbucks, I stick with the dark roast or Pike Place. Though our local one has a Clover machine that does individual brews of varietal coffees - those are really good!

>106 SirThomas: I sympathize with the Mount TBR problem. 😀 If you read the Pendergast books, take a look at the LT series page. Most are reasonably stand-alone, but a few are more connected, like the ones where I'm at in the series now.

Happy Easter weekend, Jim.

Happy Easter, Jim!

>109 Ameise1:, >110 mstrust: Thanks! Happy Easter to you!

33. Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Epic fantasy is a fave of mine, but frankly, it's been a bit stale for a while. These days, some really cool things are happening in the fantasy world as folks are getting past the fascination with medieval Europe and such - case in point, Marlon James and the beginning of his Dark Star Trilogy. James takes a big box of African folklore and mythology and build from all these a beautiful, dangerous world that's sensual and sensible, fascinating and mysterious. His focus is Tracker, an outcast with a nose for finding things that gets roped into the search for a child taken by vampire-ish creatures at the center of some mysteries.

James' storytelling was, for me, mind-blowingly beautiful. He dips into nonlinearity, especially early on, even bordering on experimental fiction. His characters, especially Tracker, reminded me at times of Conan and Fafrd & Grey Mouser. But that's just a bit of spice on a very original stew that left me hungry for the next. Fair warning - this is a pretty violent story set in a pretty violent world.

>112 drneutron: How anyone can read fantasy and object to violence is beyond my ken. I point to LotR's The Two Towers, basically a book-length battle scene. Don't mind that? No need to protest that? Then belt up.

I'm readying my swimmies and my snorkel for the dive into this new sea.

>113 richardderus: It can be done, has been done, but for sure is not the norm. I take delight when someone pulls off true magic with out any body count what-so-ever. Of course, nothing but Kiki's Delivery Service comes to mind......

>112 drneutron: I've heard mixed reviews of this, and expect the bordering-on-experimental stuff may be what turns people off. I'm very curious myself, and must get to it soon.

>113 richardderus:, >114 quondame: I agree there's violence inherent in at least most fantasy works, but there's some interesting stuff out there that's not so explicitly violent. Patricia Wrede, Galen Beckett are some that come immediately to mind. Enjoy the waters, Richard!

>115 swynn: Yup, I totally agree. I skimmed the reviews and that was a recurring theme in the lower rated ones.

>116 drneutron: Looking forward to reading this... Eventually.

>113 richardderus: Two Towers, that's always been our opinion of the book (and movie). But if Tolkien had gotten his way, it would have LotR would have been 1 book and Two Towers would have just been the middle battle bit leading to the climax in the Return of the King section. (At least that's what I heard/read somewhere, probably on the internet so it must be true)

>114 quondame:, >116 drneutron: I'll take y'all's word for it. I'm up for some new and different views!

>117 mahsdad: I have heard the same stories, and even knew people who knew people, so I buy it.

And I dislike the entire LotR thing, except the Hobbit, which I read too young to know much about anything! (Although I did call myself "Book-Smaug" one day last week. I'm not insensible to the metaphors.)

>117 mahsdad: My understanding is the publisher divided up LOTR into three books for ease of publication. Tolkien wasn’t happy about it. 😀

>118 richardderus: “Book-Smaug” asleep on his horde... 😀

>112 drneutron: I've heard so many good things about this one - I need to get to it soon!

Morning, Jim! A very belated congrats on the award - how very cool.

>49 drneutron: Adding this to The List!

>93 drneutron: And this one.

Hmmm...Crocodile and River of Teeth, I'm sensing a theme here...

>112 drneutron: Great review! I enjoyed that one, too.

>120 scaifea: Yup, Yup! I’d love to see what you think of it.

>121 Crazymamie: Oooo, did I make the list?! 😀

Hi Jim! I’m learning things about coffee here. I’m afraid I prefer mine adulterated with chocolate.

>112 drneutron: Hooray for Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Jim! So glad you loved it. It didn't grab me the way it did, you and Joe, but most of it worked. Lets see what he does on the next book.

>123 humouress: Cool! Mocha is good too. mrsdrneutron is a big fan of mocha lattes.

>124 msf59: Yeah, I'm looking forward to it!

34. How Long til Black Future Month? by N K Jemisin

Damn, she can write. Great collection of sf and fantasy stories by one of the best talents to show up in the genre for a while. For folks who haven't read any of her longer works, this is a fine intro!

For anyone interested in how power a spacecraft close to the Sun, Here's an article from IEEE Spectrum written by a few friends and team mates of mine.

Hi Jim and a very belated happy new thread.

I love your coffee roaster. I grind beans fresh every morning, always a medium roast. I used to get Gevalia decaf until they stopped selling decaf whole bean coffee and finally went back to ‘caf’, dithered around a bit with various sources, but have found a surprisingly robust but not bitter medium roast at my local grocery store. We buy 1.5 lbs once a week.

>63 drneutron: Nice summary of These Truths.

>70 drneutron: I only counted the 792 pages of the book itself, including Acknowledgements. If I don’t read the notes, I don’t count ‘em.

>93 drneutron: I need to get back to the Pendergast series, too.

>112 drneutron: Black Leopard, Red Wolf is already on my shelves patiently waiting its turn, otherwise I would have had to order it today!

It's been a great machine, but yeah, it's pretty easy to get good coffee these days. More than anything else, this is an opportunity with me to play around and try new things. 😀

Re: These Truths. Thanks for the comment on the summary! Glad you liked it. In this case, I at least skimmed all the notes for clarifications and such. THey're easily skipped.

Re:Black Leopard, Red Wolf. It's well worth the time!

>127 drneutron: - No! Not IEEE Spectrum! There are piles of those sitting around this house... unread.

(PS: They are not mine.)

>130 katiekrug: Well, at least this one's on line... 😀

>126 drneutron: Ooof, and there's another one that's sitting on my list, waiting to get read. It looks SO. Good. I'm glad to see that you liked it!

>127 drneutron: The outgassing and volatilization of the construction adhesives issues made me feel smart...I'd guessed the source of the issue from the description of the problem.

The entire rest of the article, the mere notion of having to keep water cool but unfrozen half a cosmic block from the Sun, boggles my teensy little brain's extra neuron.

>132 scaifea: Yup - hope you like it too!

>133 richardderus: yeah, that freezing thing was pretty counter-intuitive. Took us the better part of a decade to be sure, but looks like it works!

Mrsdrneutron and I are in Urbana-Champagne this morning watching The Son run his first marathon! His time’s looking pretty good - should be done in an hour or so!

>135 drneutron: More power to him! I ran a half a couple years ago. I did pretty well, but it was one of the hardest things I've done. Glad I did it, not sure I'll do it again. :)

Nice comments on the James and Jemisin, Jim. How's that for alliteration?! I've been looking at the James, but I am squeamish, so I'll have to think about that one. I don't read much science fiction, but I've heard good things about Jemisin, so I will give her a try.

Happy Sunday, Jim. It looks like I need to track down a copy of How Long til Black Future Month?. I know Joe is a big fan too. Good enough for me.

>136 mahsdad: He’s done a couple of half marathons, but this was his first full. Plus he didn’t get to finish his training plan and is just getting over a cold. But he still made it in 5:03, just under 11 minutes per mile. Really proud of him!

>137 BLBera: Nice alliteration! You should definitely take a look at the Jemisin - really interesting stories.

>138 msf59: Yup, track it down soon! 😀

>139 drneutron: YAY .. um, son.. or drneutronjr ..or .. ok, just YAY!! Great job!!! :D

Hmm, he’s working to be a doctor, but in Computer Science, not neutron physics. I’ll have to come up with a new nickname for him!

>139 drneutron: Congratulations to your son on his first marathon!

>127 drneutron: Thanks for the article. Quite interesting!

>139 drneutron: Congrats to your son!

>112 drneutron: Just bought Black Leopard, Red Wolf. I suggested it as our bookclub selection this month (along with My Sister the Serial Killer and The Knife of Never Letting Go). Of course they chose the YA selection. lol

>!42 Thanks! I'll pass that along to him.

>143 figsfromthistle: Glad you liked the article!

>144 The_Hibernator: 😀 Honestly, BL, RW is one of those books that some folks just won't appreciate given the way he tells the story. Could make for some interesting book club conversation, though.

>126 drneutron:. Right, Jim? Jeez Louise, N.K. Jemison can write. I hope word spreads on how good How Long Til Black Future Month is.

I just picked up her Inheritance Trilogy as a bargain, so that’s next on my Jemison agenda.

Whoa, Jim, that is quite the coffee roaster. I'm afraid to tell my husband about Oh, he just peeked at the picture and he is interested :-) We are in a townhouse though, so I think the neighbours would not be pleased with him roasting coffee in our tiny yard. Happy New Thread!

>146 jnwelch: I read The One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms when it first came out, loved it, then never got to the rest. I need to go back and read the whole eating this time!

>147 vancouverdeb: Yeah, I have the luxury of being in an area where neighbors are a reasonable distance away. But there are some online videos of folks who've put together filtration systems that would make roasting in a closer neighborhood feasible... Just sayin'! 😀

>148 drneutron: I read The Inheritance Trilogy and liked it very much. I really should read something else by her.

>141 drneutron: I think DrData or DrCode though DrSmiley if he has a sunny disposition.

Also, DrDebug, DrHack, DrBinary, DrByte, DrGoTo, DrBot, DrSyntax, DrPatch, DrCyber, DrMatrix, DrBoolean, DrDebugger, DrBit, DrBoot, DrBuff, DrDigital, DrGateway, DrIEEE, DrPing, DrPixel, or DrRAM.

Oooo, drdata. Or maybe drneuron since he's working with neural networks....

35. The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

What if a meteorite hit the Earth back in the post-WWII timeframe that made folks start thinking about moving off the planet? Kowal's story posits an alternate history of the space program that became truly international, but was still plagued with the gender and racial inequalities of 1950s America. The Calculating Stars follows a former WASP pilot turned calculator who becomes the Lady Astronaut and pioneers breaking through some of the barriers.

Kowal's got a great story here, with interesting and captivating characters, that really brings to the fore how we do everyone a disservice by preserving systems of privilege.

36. Bird Box by Josh Malerman

How do you escape to safety when the sense you most depend on is gone? Bird Box is a short, suspenseful post-apocalyptic story where the very act of seeing whatever it is that came to Earth is enough to drive you homicidally insane. Well done, though not the most terrifying story I've read.

>150 drneutron: DrLogic :)

>151 drneutron: #35 yay! I'm glad you liked the story as much as I did.

#36 His first and, so far, best book. Not a bad tale, but I suspect the sequel (Malorie, due in October) will be a soft pass for me.

>152 genesisdiem: Cool! That's a good one.

>153 richardderus: Sequel. Hmmm... I'm skeptical, but I suppose we'll see how it goes.

>154 drneutron: It feels like a cash-in, and on the coattails of the (very good IMO) film...the title can't be clearer, "more about Sandra Bullock!!" and that's a turn-off to me.

Yup, agreed.

Hey, Jim. Hooray for The Calculating Stars and Bird Box. I enjoyed both too. You have been on a nice roll.

I recently finished Code Girls. When you are in the mood for some NF, this might be a good fit for you.

I'm glad that you liked Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Jim. It's highly likely that I'll read it this summer, possibly as early as next month. Last week I bought my father a copy of the first book in N.K. Jemisin's trilogy, which IIRC won the 2016 Hugo Award, and I suspect that he and I will read all three books when I visit them for most of the month of June.

>157 msf59: Yeah, that one's on my list!

>158 kidzdoc: Awesome! I hope you both like them. I really want to get back to the trilogy soon.

>158 kidzdoc: All three volumes of the trilogy won the Best Novel Hugo. In back-to-back years. That's never been done before.

All bow before Mighty Nora Jemisin!

>151 drneutron: I've got The Calculating Stars (and various attachments - Lady Astronaut of Mars, for one) in my TBR, but they haven't floated to the top yet. I think you've given it a boost...

I read The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms when it was up for its Hugo; the writing is excellent and I hated it. I don't like manipulators and absolutely _everyone_ in the book is plotting and scheming at least part of the time. I haven't read anything else by her; if I'm missing out, I'm missing out, but unless someone can tell me that that was a theme of that book only I've got better things to do.

>161 jjmcgaffey: You might want to give her short story book a try - How Long til Black Future Month. There’s lots of different themes she explores. Plus you can skip to the next if you don’t like one. 😀

Congrats to your son on his first marathon!
A half was the limit of my attention span.

The Calculating Stars on my list and I completely agree about Bird Box.

A half is still very good!

>150 drneutron: :0)

>162 drneutron: Whoa, Doc! 'Are' = plural of 'is'

Hello Jim!

>151 drneutron: >153 richardderus: Like Richard, I too am excited to see that you liked Bird Box. I came here to ask it if had hit your radar and...imagine my surprise. :-P I watch the first 20 of the film and will likely finish it, but it was so different out of the gate. Also like Richard, I'm not sure what to make of a sequel. I will likely give it a look, but I'm not sure I need it.

Heh, great minds and all that! I haven’t tried the Netflix movie yet - mrsdrneutron won’t watch it, so I need to find time when she’s not here... 😀

With the praise from Brodie and most people seem to be liking Bird Box I put a hold on it at the library. I liked the Netflix film quite a bit. Suspenseful and scary but it was never "terrifying". I can see from book summaries that there are significant differences in film vs book. I suppose we never find out who the invaders are. I had a tough time getting a watching companion but my daughter agreed to give it a 20 minute try and stayed all the way through.

I don't know whether or not to read Bird Box. The reviews are all over the place. Everything from zero (if they could have given it) to four and five stars. Some thought the book was better. Some thought the movie was better. Argh! *insert Kermit arm flail here*

>169 Morphidae: Hello Morphidae. My two cents if you haven't already guessed, is to give it a go. If you already know the premise and it is intriguing, why not? The book is not long and works really well as intimate tale of apocalyptic survival.

>169 Morphidae: Got to agree with >170 brodiew2: here, plus even though I wasn't inclined to cheer the film on, I came around to thoroughly enjoying it. The story's the thing...it's got real and intense stakes. Go forth! Experience!

>170 brodiew2:, !71 My comment's the same. It's a pretty short book, so you won't invest much if you decide to bail. I don't think you will, though.

Okay, I’ll do it! One book bullet it is...

Yay! I hope you like Bird Box -- I did!

Karen O.

>151 drneutron: (36) Is there a Netflix Original based on that story?

Yup, that's the movie folks are comparing it to. Haven't seen it yet, 'cause mrsdrneutron ain't gonna watch that one. 😀

I finished Bird Box the book early this morning. Liked it better than the film (which I also liked). The two stories are not the same altho they share some things. Comments and some discussion are on my thread if yer interested.

I haven't hosted a series or an author for a while. I'd like to do so this summer, during a month when the most interested folk have the time to do at least the targeted book, which is only 200 pp. long. I'd like to expose as many people as possible to the works of James H. Schmitz, a science fiction author who wrote from the late '40s through the 1970s. He is best known for The Witches of Karres, but imho has written much better works. Here is my bookshelf.


Many of his works, especially his shorter ones, were very hard to find for quite a while, but in 2000 and 2001, Baen published almost all of his oeuvre in a collection of 6 books, seen to the right of the shelf above. The book I would like to feature is Demon Breed, also found in the Baen collection The Hub: Dangerous Territory. Schmitz is known for his kick-ass female protagonists long before they became the current ubiquitous status quo in his stories about Telzey Amberdon, Trigger Argee, and the hero of Demon Breed, Nile Etland.

See my thread for more info if interested!

>177 RBeffa: Saw that but haven't had a chance to jump into the conversation. Glad you liked it!

>178 ronincats: I'll check it out!

A Tom Gauld for space scientists.

>180 weird_O: LOL!

Hi, Jim. : ) Just trying to catch up....

>180 weird_O: 😂 Saving that one!

>181 Berly: Stop by anytime!

Had a great 34th anniversary date with Mrsdrneutron yesterday - dinner at a nice restaurant followed by Into The Woods at Ford’s Theatre in Washington!

Plus my folks have been with us this week, so not much reading done nor LT visiting. I’ll hopefully be able to catch up Monday after they head back to Louisiana.

>180 weird_O: Classic. I love Gauld's sense of humor, and the illustrations...matchless.

Have a cool, breezy Saturday! Oh wait...that's me...
#sorrynotsorry

>183 drneutron: YAY for long & happy marriages! :D

Happy anniversary! A play at a historical theater sounds like a very good way to celebrate.

happy anniversary!

>184 richardderus: Yeah, cool, not here today...

>185 genesisdiem:, >186 mstrust:, >187 banjo123: Thanks!

Happy 34th Anniversary Jim and Danita.

Happy anniversary, Jim!

Happy anniversary!

Did you enjoy Into the Woods?

Happy Anniversary, Jim, and lovely photo of you with your dad on Facebook!

>189 johnsimpson:, >190 swynn: Thanks, John and Steve!

>191 figsfromthistle: Yep, it was great! The actress playing Little Red Riding Hood was fantastic - funny, sassy, just right.

>192 ronincats: Thanks! We’ve had a good visit with them.

>180 weird_O: That is pretty good.

Happy anniversary.

>178 ronincats: I love Schmitz, and The Demon Breed - I've read it many times. But I think the protagonist is male... It's in a box several layers deep, so I can't dig it out to check. Telzey and Trigger, yes, definitely kick-ass females, but I don't think Demon Breed is in that category. Excellent book, though, is definitely a category it's in.

I found Flint's editing of the Schmitz books very interesting; he left some things I'd have changed (assuming I was planning on changing anything) and took out some that really surprised me. But the story persisted through the changes. I did a two-book read of... I think it was The Universe Against Her and Telzey Amberdon, the first Telzey book anyway, with the cats. It was a fun read - made me pay more attention to the old familiar story.

Sorry, Jenn, but Nile is definitely female!

Happy Anniversary!! 34! I think you must have met Mrs Dr N sooner than me and my Hubby did, since we are about the same age and we are only at 28 years. Congratulations. : )

Was it your anniversary on the 17th? Ours too, although we're only at 21 years.

Happy shared anniversary!

>197 Berly: Thanks! We met in college, started dating at 21, married at 23 years old.

>198 humouress: Cool! It is indeed the 17th. Happy shared anniversary!

>183 drneutron: - Congrats and happy belated anniversary.

The only time I was ever at the Ford Theatre in DC was a very long time ago (mid 1980s). I was visiting my cousin who lived and worked there at the time and we got tickets to see a fabulous version of Gilbert and Sullivan's *The Mikado*. It was an all-black cast and a very modernized musical adaptation. It was called *Hot Mikado*. The stage sets were amazing and the music was terrific. We had done The Mikado when I was in high school so it's a show that was near and dear to my heart to begin with and I was blown away by this particular production. And the icing on the cake, of course, was the historic Ford Theatre itself. Great memories.

I did see Into the Woods but it was in Toronto, where I currently live. Loved it.

It sounds like you had a nice anniversary weekend, Jim. We celebrate our 30th, at the end of the month.

>200 jessibud2: Oh, that sounds like a great production! They did some pretty amazing sets for this one too.

>201 msf59: Congrats! I hope you get a chance to celebrate!

Congrats on the anniversary. I've found they get better and better as the years go by.

Yes, they do!

New thread! Come join me!