richardderus's first 2020 thread

Andre Alice Norton (1912–2005), the 1984 Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (sfwa.org if you're interested), was a prolific and influential author of SF aimed primarily at a younger audience. Many, many of us who grew up devouring her stories became lifelong SF/F fans, and not a few writers cite her influence on their work. Shortly after her death in 2005, SFWA announced the creation of theAndre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy to honor her exponential expansion of the SFF writing and reading worlds.

She started her career as a librarian in Cleveland, Ohio, moving to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, before the Second World War to catalog materials regarding "alien citizenship." How ironic, no? The project was canceled at the beginning of the war; an out-of-work Norton bought a bookstore in suburban Maryland, where she ran into financial trouble after a few years and closed up shop. Her bookselling years brought her into contact with Martin Greenberg, whose Gnome Press used her services as a reader for most of a decade. He also published the first two books of my favorite among her early series, The Solar Queen, starring hunky Dane Thorsen as an apprentice trader. (Well, it would be, wouldn't it?)

During the 1950s, Norton's output of books generated sufficient income to allow her to stop working for Greenberg and devote herself to fiction full-time. Her storytelling was never complex; her characters often ordered up from stock; but her desire to tell you a story was powerful, and that works magic on younger readers.

This is the first edition of Storm over Warlock that I saw. It was in my junior high's library.
The first in Grand Master Norton's Forerunner series about a vanished galaxy-spanning civilization of unknown beings and origins, Storm Over Warlock, was published in 1960. It isn't my personal favorite among them—that would be 1973's Forerunner Foray—but it was a solid entry into her whole shared universe of SF stories. It introduces us to Terran Imperial functionary (another big blond beauty, like Dane) Ragnar Thorvald (are you now picturing Alexander Skarsgard? I know I am)

who is a Survey team lead; that is, part of the Terran Imperial corps dedicated to scoping out planets that their First-In Scouts have identified as habitable by humans. He's like a god to Shann Lantee, a grunt without any status in the Survey party. He's also Black, psychic, and bonded in some weird way to some highly modified wolverines.

And Queer!

He LUUUVs him some Ragnar, quite explicitly so...he uses a fantasy of Ragnar's bodily beauty to both break the evil, pervasive conditioning of the (female) Wyverns who rule planet Warlock but whose dragonish appearance and lack of willingness to engage with outsiders led the First-In Scout to overlook their sentience. This makes Warlock off-limits to colonization. Apparently we've learned that TAKING OTHER PEOPLE'S STUFF is wrong in Norton's future. Shann rescues Ragnar, sets the Wyverns straight (!) about maleness not being automatically equated with inferiority (!!), and...gets zilch from his lust-object Ragnar. I identified with this entire story on a bone-deep level. I read the code more than the words...Shann's race, his sexual desires, and his subordinate position made him the perfect...the only possible...hero for this colonization drama. (Go read Judith Tarr's review, part of a whole-catalogue re-read of Norton she's doing for Tor.com, to get better details.)

I loved Norton for showing Black people, Queer people, in space...we're here, we're there, we will survive!...and for making it a damned exciting ride through a shared Universe I was left to piece together book by book. What reader doesn't love solving a puzzle? As I got older, I lost my taste for the lack of complexity and world-building in each book. I left my Nortons at my mother's house when I moved and, unsurprisingly, she threw them away after a while. But I've recovered a few of the same editions I had, those of the stories I truly just can't live without (the books I've mentioned, Android at Arms, a few more), and I read Judith Tarr's re-read reviews avidly. Norton helped form me; I will never stop being grateful to her.

Jacket of the 1973 hardcover edition...my favorite Andre Norton book, Forerunner Foray

In 2020, I will post 10 book reviews a month on my blog. I already read a book every other day, as this year's total of 155 (a lot of individual stories don't have entries in the LT database so I didn't post them here; guess I should do more to sync the data this year) reads shows; so it's doable, and I've done better than that in the past.

I will Pearl Rule books I'm not enjoying with notes on Goodreads & LibraryThing about why I'm abandoning the read.







My Last Thread of 2018 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.

My Last Thread of 2019 Is Here:
Reviews are back-linked there.

THIS THREAD'S REVIEW LINKS

1 Stay Down and Take It broke a losing streak that was growing dire, post 129.

2 Centaurus II is an average sort of SF generation ship story, post 139.

3 Going Sasquatch made me smile all over my mug, post 221.

Now the conversation may begin.
***
2019 was a *stellar* reading year! For the first time ever, I have two six-stars-of-five reads this year: Black Light: Stories, a debut story collection that gave me so much pleasure I read it twice (ever rarer occurence that), and the wrenching, gutting agony of Heart Berries, a memoir of such honesty and such vulnerability that I was a wreck after I finished it. I went back and forth a dozen times, first Author Parsons was the sixer, then Author Mailhot; neither book could possibly "win" for long because I couldn't get either book out of my mind.

I handed out 34 5- or damn-near-5-star reviews out of 155 reviewed books; that's 22% and that is a LOT. Many, even most of these (10+) were for short stories, for end-of-beloved-series novels, or for story collections. But hold on to something heavy: TWO, yes that's t-w-o dos due deux zwei два were...POETRY COLLECTIONS. Sarah Tolmie's The Art of Dying and the late Frank Stanford's collected poems, What About This: Collected Poems of Frank Stanford. Both were peak reading experiences. Another was cultural monadnock George Takei's graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy, which could not be more important for young people today to absorb.

What a beautiful year it was, to bring so many delights to my door. I hope, greedy thing that I am, that 2020 will repeat this performance. For all of us, really...honest! I didn't just add that on the end of this summing-up to make it sound less solipsistic.

In 2020, I will post 10 book reviews a month on my blog. I already read a book every other day, as this year's total of 155 (a lot of individual stories don't have entries in the LT database so I didn't post them here; guess I should do more to sync the data this year) reads shows; so it's doable, and I've done better than that in the past.

I will Pearl Rule books I'm not enjoying with notes on Goodreads & LibraryThing about why I'm abandoning the read.

...and that's me done. My reports will continue to be quarterly, the day after the end of the quarter.

Welcome back! Can't wait to see what this year's theme is.

>4 drneutron: Heh. I shall Reveal All in due course.

Dropping a star. Welcome to 2020 Richard!

Hej Richard, on to a new year :)

You'd better pick the right theme - bwahahahaha!

Starred you, of course.

xx

>6 swynn: Hi Steve! Thanks, but it still feels surreal...no robot slaves or flying cars (that one's actually a plus to me) in the third decade of the twenty-first century?! What kinda crappy future is this?!

>7 paulstalder: Hello Paul! I'm happy to see you here, and a happy 2020 to you.

>8 katiekrug: mmm-hmmm

Hello, My dear Richard.

>10 Matke: Hawdjadeew, dahhhling.

You do realize that you'll need to post a message down here when you reveal your theme, don't you? Otherwise we'll forget to check the top.

>12 thornton37814: LOL

>1 richardderus: Hi Ricardo!! The anticipation is killing me. Starred as per usual. Smooch.

Happy new decade, Richard. I hope my (multiple) vote(s) have worked their magic in your choice of theme. It was a very good year, ya know! ;-)

Dropping my star in an-ti-ci-pa-a-tion……

Oh, what could the theme be this year??? You always surprise me with some interesting themes. Dropping a star to try and follow along this year. Happy New Year and New Decade!!

Hi Richard, I'm here to read your stories! Eagerly waiting for your theme.

>12 thornton37814: I will make sure to do that, Lori, and thanks for the reminder. The way my brain-fog has been lately I expect I'd've forgotten.

>13 Berly: Berly-boo! *smooch*

>14 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! Watch this space. My decision was significantly aided by the Tammany Hall-style voting. So much more informative than a mere poll.

>15 crazy4reading: Heh...not long to wait...*smooch*

>16 DianaNL: Hi Diana! How are you?! Haven't been that good about keeping up with your threads this year, but 2020 will be better. I'm going to get this sleep issue conquered this year!

Good old Richard, keeping us in suspense. Aren't you afraid we will forget to look in the excitement of all the new threads we have to explore at the beginning of the year?

Dropping off a star so that I can attempt to keep up with you in 2020.

I'm here, I'm here! Happy 2020 Thread. I haven't created mine yet, probably tomorrow.

Hope 2020 is a great year in your world!

>18 Familyhistorian: Not really, Meg...I'll expect that none of y'all will remember to look up and post a note at the bottom when I do the reveal.

>19 MickyFine: It's an endless cycle, isn't it Micky, resolve to be more engaged and then slip...well, thank goodness we're not being graded on class participation.

>20 mahsdad: Hey Jeff! I'll go look for your thread later today.

>21 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle, same back at'cha!

Making art from the plastic trash fished out of the Pacific Ocean:

h/t @witchyritchy/Karen for the link! Amazing story.

>23 richardderus: - Unfortunately, I could only catch about a 3-second glimpse of that art shark before a pop-up informed me that if I want to read further I'd have to disable my ad-blocker. I will just take your word for it as I don't plan to disable anything. Pity that there is so much plastic around to make art. There was just an interview on my favourite science show on CBC, about this very topic (the abundance of plastic garbage, not the art)

>24 jessibud2: That's too bad, Shelley. It's a lovely artwork. The CBC isn't backward about airing pieces on the crisis, is it?

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS
In 2020, I will post 10 book reviews a month on my blog. I read a book every other day, so it's doable and I've done better than that in the past.
I will Pearl Rule books I'm not enjoying with notes on Goodreads & LibraryThing about why I'm abandoning the read.
...and that's me done.

Great NY resolution and I loved the link witchyritchy posted about art made from plastic trash. Stunning and sad at the same time.

Hello Richard Dear friend, I have just dropped my star.

>27 Berly: Thanks, Berly-boo! What're your resolutions for 2020?

>28 johnsimpson: Hello there, John, happy to see you as always!

Happy New Thread, Richard. Happy New Year. Looking forward to another year on LT. In June, it will be 12 years for me. Is that crazy, or what?

Good luck with your goals for 2020, Richard! I want to get more reviews written too...but that includes reading more books! :)

Dropping off my star, Richard dear, but I won't be visiting much until I wrap up 2019. One year at a time!

>30 msf59: Thanks, Mark! It's amazing...like this place has always been here, there was no before, just always. Then counting up the years, well, that is just a stunner!

>31 The_Hibernator: Hi Rachel! Reading more books at your time in life probably feels like The Holy Grail, but soon enough things will quieten down.

>32 EBT1002: Hey Ellen! Nothing much going to happen here for a while, while the year finishes its course.

So! The new theme is up! Y'all got plenty interested when I asked which of the two themes, the Ladies of Science Fiction or the year 1960 in the world's doings, so I'm happy to announce the decision:

It's the Ladies of Science Fiction...AND 1960 in Kulcher. Each month I'll alternate between the themes. This thread, it's Andre Norton, and I focus on her 1960 book Storm Over Warlock. January's thread(s) will all be Ladies. February's will be the year 1960 in some way or shape or form...whatever is bright and shiny and catches my eye. A lot happened that year in politics and film and business, so...well...it's fertile ground.

Come along for the tour!

>34 richardderus: Good compromise, Richard. You have me looking forward to February.

>35 Familyhistorian: Oh good! They're each interesting to me, and they generated a good deal of conversation, so I ended up where I started...two themes I can't pick between. What else is a lad to do?

Well done on making everyone happy, RD :D

>37 katiekrug: Or, more likely, making everyone (else, I was always gonna be happy) similarly disgruntled...which, when you think about it, is pretty much what the world is all about!

>1 richardderus: Oh, excellent choice, Richard! I recall running into her books for the first time at age thirteen in my high school library, and Storm Over Warlock was one of my favorites. My edition is this one, because I didn't have the funds or my own space to start seriously acquiring books until the early 70s, but the cover you show is the one I read first.

I happen to have 120 of her books physically on my shelves and, even though her later ones aren't her best, am committed to keeping all of them because of the hope she gave to a young teen for the alienated, the outcast, the underdog (and her inclusion of minorities) at a key point of life.

Here are my Norton's, with the box extended to the left on the top shelf because there are another 10 inches of her books back in that corner. They are shelved between Larry Niven's Man-Kzin Wars and Star Surgeon by Alan Nourse. These shelves are in what is now my husband's office, so that is his clutter on the shelves.

>39 ronincats: WowEE Roni! That's a beautiful sight. (John's clutter adds to the homeyness of it.) And love the Norton luuuv in general...her work was the first time the issue of Race made any real impact on me. (I was the kid whose Mexican {literally} friends visited, and whose Mama gave them Kool-Aid just like they were, y'know, friends.) Shann's underdogness went a long way to cluing me in about what it was to *live* in a racist world.

...I can't resist...WHY IS THERE A TABASCO BOTTLE ON THE SHELF?!?

Nice choice of theme for January! Witch World was one of my early intros into the genre. I hadn't thought about the Trillium series in a long time, but hitting the Wikipedia page brought that one back too.

>40 richardderus: He eats at his desk a lot and loves hot sauce, although Cholula is his brand of choice. And the desk is just to the left of these shelves.
>41 drneutron: Those weren't out yet at that point. Well, the first Witch World book was published then but not in my school's library. The Time Traders series and the Beastmaster books were favorites.

Yay for alternating theme months! :-)

>41 drneutron: I never read those. They were later in the 70s/80s after I'd moved on to other fields. Permaybehaps now I should try them out.

>42 ronincats: OIC

I adored the Time Traders books! Ross Murdock, that big badass, made a dent in my denial the size of a spaceship.

>43 jessibud2: Great, Shelley! I'm glad to get seals of approval.

I decided I'd do this year-ender I saw on Katie's thread, and now added two lines from Harry's thread cause they's cool.

Fill in the prompts using titles of books you've read this year...

Describe yourself: Black Sheep

Describe how you feel: The Autumn of the Patriarch

Describe where you currently live: The Silent Patient

Your favorite time of day is: Starlight

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: With Walt Whitman, Himself

Your favorite form of transportation: Night Boat to Tangier

Your best friend is: Young Man from the Provinces

You and your friends are: An Orchestra of Minorities

Your favorite food is: The Ugly Chickens

What I would like for my birthday next year: Any Old Diamonds

What’s the weather like: Black Light

You fear: Disasterama!

What is the best advice you have to give: Hope for the Best

Thought for the day: Why Is Nothing Ever Simple?

How you would like to die: With the Fire On High

Your soul’s present condition: The Hunger After You're Fed

What is life for you: Rain and Embers

ETA touchstones

>45 richardderus: - I love your answer for what you fear :)

>46 katiekrug: Heh...and the exclam is in the original title, no less.

Greetings ... *stepping gingerly in* .... am I forgiven for staying away for so long?

>48 cameling: Of course, dear lady! I can only be thrilled you're back. After all, I stayed away a good while, too.

>29 richardderus: 2020 book resolution? Hmmmm. Finish cataloging my books at home. Set free another 150 books. Leave more room for spontaneous reads and read more books off my shelf. Wish me luck!

>45 richardderus: Okay, this one is a lie -- Describe where you currently live: The Silent Patient (you are NEVER silent! LOL)

This one made me laugh -- Your best friend is: Young Man from the Provinces

I stole the list for my thread. : )

>50 Berly: Excellent resolutions! Now post them publicly, so as to be held accountable. Dare ya.

>51 Berly: You would be amazed at how many people here have never heard my voice. Not so much as once.

Yeah, that one made Rob laugh, too, until he said, "I am NOTHING like that creep!" When I realized what he meant, I got him back in a sweet mood with, "no, you're a lot prettier."

Sufficient sincerity of tone got me a smooch.

>1 richardderus: Love that you are doing a mix of your two proposed themes. Fun to reminisce.

>52 richardderus: I did post them publicly. You just read them!! LOL

>52 richardderus: Glad Rob succumbed to your sincerity and you got a smooch. And he must be REALLY cute!!

Just doing the new thread rounds - making sure I've got my stars in place :)

Best wishes for 2020!

I also love that you are doing a mix of your two proposed themes.

I'll miss the vintage car pix, though it is nice to have a more varied theme to choose amongst.
And yeah, starred the thread... :D

Another resolution is to keep up in 2020 with all my friends on LT. Happy New Year!

>53 Berly: Heh. He knows full good and well that he's good-looking, but not at those Olympian heights of beauty. I'd be too intimidated to do more than peck his cheek if he was.

>54 BekkaJo: Hi Bekka! Happy 2020 to you.

>55 DianaNL: Thank you, Diana, and the same to you.

>56 SandyAMcPherson: Oh, there will be more vintage-car pix. The theme will allow for it, I'm sure. Happy new year!

>57 PaulCranswick: Admirable resolutions all, Paul, and may they prefigure your 2020 accurately.
***
What a to-do today started out with...the cleaner came in to my room at 7.45 and screamed her lungs out. She thought I was dead.

I have no idea why...I was propped up to drain allergy gunk, true, but sleeping nonetheless. One would think the snoring would've clued her in.

Happy New Year ! Hope I can keep up with your thread.

Happy New Year's Eve, Richard! I like your themes for 2020. Like you, I enjoyed Norton a lot back in the day, and, even though I've given away a lot of her books the past couple of years, I saved a few just because. Mostly I remember loving her Witch World novels. Simple, yes, but oh, so much fun.

>59 richardderus: What a way to end the year, though perhaps appropros. 2019 was batsh*t like that.

>59 richardderus: The poor cleaner! Poor you! You each scared the crap out of each other. LOL

>60 cindysprocket: Thanks, Cindy! "Keeping up" is an illusion, just wander by when you can. You're always welcome.

>61 Storeetllr: Thank you, Mary, the themes seemed too good to choose between and, since everyone who commented really liked one or the other, why choose at all?

Awomen on the batshit crazy that was 2019. Buh bye, see ya, don't let the screen door hit ya.

>62 Berly: I was utterly bumfuzzled...I am ***NOT*** accustomed to women screaming in my room.

Shocking, I know, but still true.

Found you! Ha ha only 63 messages not the 100 I predicted... hope you are having a lovely New Year's Eve!

>64 cushlareads: Welcome, Cushla! Always a happier day when I see you out and about. I've already seen Rob, my Young Gentleman Caller, so it's already been a perfect New Year's Eve. His job at the restaurant means he'll be working until after 4am...they don't stop serving until 2am!

>59 richardderus: What a way to wake up, Richard. Sounds like your day got better after that though.

>52 richardderus: Oh my Stonewall, which I'd never heard of before, was just brought up in my latest book, Cantoras, which was excellent, btw.

Happy New Year my friend. I'm looking forward to your (compromised) theme. You're very clever.

Hi Richard mate, wishing you a very Happy New Year from both of us dear friend.

Wishing you 12 months of success
52 weeks of laughter
366 days of fun (leap year!)
8,784 hours of joy
527,040 minutes of good luck
and 31,622,400 seconds of happiness!!

Happy reading in 2020, Richard dear!

Found you! Dropping my star

Happy New year, Richard

I hope you are feeling better, Richard! How are those books treating you?

Happy New Year my friend!

>66 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara! Pretty fireworks.

>67 Familyhistorian: Hiya Meg! It did, it did. Rob showing up unannounced and saying he needed my help to keep his new year's resolution...he claimed he'd resolved to kiss me 500 times this year, and had 17 to go...was hilarious, dorky, and lots of fun.

>68 brenzi: Cantoras mentions Stonewall?! Huh! Go know from this. Happy new year, Bonnie!

>69 johnsimpson: Thank you, John, and I return the wishes.

>70 Berly: ...how perfect is that...you do find 'em, Kimmers. *smooch*

>71 FAMeulstee: Thanks most kindly, Anita!

>72 figsfromthistle: Happy you're here, Anita!

>73 msf59: It was a darn good day. It was a *great* reading year. I hope 2020 does us both proud in every way.

>74 mahsdad: Hey there, Jeff, thanks for the good wishes!

DUDE!!!
You can start the muffled laughter and snickers...

Dropping a star, so I can fiollow you!
My 2020 75-book challenge thread is here

Happy New Year Richard. I hope you have a great year of reading.

Happy New Year, Richard!

>78 SandyAMcPherson: SANDY! *smooch*

>79 calm: Thank you, calm, I appreciate the good wishes and heartily return the sentiments.

>80 harrygbutler: Hello there, Harry! I'll come find you shortly.
***
EVERYBODY LISTEN

My 2019 summing-up, and my 2020 Statement of Purpose, is in post 3 and should be heeded.

Also, I added some lines to my end-of-year fun list that I found on Harry's thread. Go look!

I am glad that 2019 was such a good reading year for you! Long may it continue (the good reading, not the year, because obviously that's done and dusted...)!

>83 katiekrug: I can. not. believe. how thrilled I am to see the ass end of 2019. Yes, there's a lot to dread about 2020, but it's still possible the dumpster fires could get put out or at least doused this year.

Did you look at the lines I added to the year-ender from Harry? heh.

Happy New Year Richard!

>85 The_Hibernator: Thanks, Rachel! How beautiful that image is.

>84 richardderus: - Oh those are good additions! I will have to add to mine...

Happy New Year, Richard! I hope your health treats you well, and that your reading is as stellar as last year's.

That's a lovely tribute to Andre Norton up top.

>87 katiekrug: Ha! Glad you approve. I was taken with them and very pleased I got to use Any Old Diamonds for something.

>88 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe! I hope my health treats me well, as well. I am damn near pantingly eager to get to the pulmonologist to get this sleep-study train a-movin'.

>84 richardderus: Haha, good ones. Going to add them to mine.

>45 richardderus: I like those answers, Richard, and particularly for what you fear.

>89 richardderus: Oh, yes, do it, Richard! Since I've been using a CPAP due to sleep apnea (which I hadn't suspected before I had a sleep study done in '18), my sleep has been so much deeper and more refreshing - though I admit some nights I wish I didn't have to bother with the damn mask. Still, worth it.

>90 Storeetllr: Good!

>91 harrygbutler: Heh. That title was what made me want to do the list this year!

>92 Storeetllr: I am agog to do the darn thing! EVERYone whose lives were impacted by this miserable apnea, like mine has been intermittently for years, says the same thing.

Here's to a better 2020, RD! I'm happy with the alternating thread topper themes, glad that Rob has already visited.

Glad you're my friend, too.

*smooch*

Sounds like you’ve got some interesting reading and reviewing planned for 2020! :)

>94 karenmarie: Pretty darn good way to start 2020 fer sher. Back at'cha babay!

*smooch*

>95 ChelleBearss: I hope so, Chelle, I really hope so.

Don't worry, Rdear. I stay in this group and try to visit your thrad more often.

>97 Ameise1: Oh good!

>98 richardderus: Love it. Smooch

Howdy, Richard. I don't think I've been here today. It's nice. Uh huh. What do you gots for snacks?

99 posts, ostensibly on day one. At that rate, you'll have something like 120+ threads in 2020. Good luck with that, my friend. :-)

>100 weird_O: Sir William of Weirdsville! So pleased you made it here. If you can get anyone's attention long enough to ask for something, you'll be doing better than me, and it's nominally my party!

Happy New Year, Richard!

>102 quondame: Thank you, Susan! What a beautiful star, a way I'd never thought to make one before.

'Morning, RD!

>101 richardderus: I like your party pic although I'm sure there is hidden symbolism that would shock me if I knew what it was.

*smooch*

>104 paulstalder: What a beautiful photo, Paul, thanks for the wishes and the decoration both.

>105 karenmarie: I'm sure there is some Deep Meaning, I just don't care enough to go fishing for it.

*smooch*

Sometimes you don't even have to ask your party guests for something. How about some raspberry clafouti?

>107 jnwelch: YUM!! Thank you, Joe!
***
Knowing how much I **adore** boiled camellia-hedge trimmings, I expect you'll be surprised that I was pleased to get A Thirst for Empire: How Tea Shaped the Modern World as a surprise book from...someone, apparently wishing to remain anonymous. Why, one might reasonably inquire. Because tea is, apparently, one of the primary drivers behind the exponential growth of the exploitative extraction economy that will doom our grandchildren to an unlivable planet's narrowest fringes. If they're lucky. (more twitchy touchstone silliness)

Thank you Richard for the topper about Andre Norton. I've started to read some of her early titles, with a vague idea about reading through her readily-available works. She is an author that did not appeal to me when I was in the target audience for her juveniles, so I never read any of her work until I was older. It's a pleasure to read an appreciation by somebody who understood her early.

>33 richardderus: "...while the year finishes its course."
2019 is a year I am damn well happy to be done with. May 2020 bring about the revolution! (ha)

>3 richardderus: Okay, so 2019 wasn't all bad and I'm making note of those peak reading experience (poetry!) as I'd kind of like to read more poetry. And I wholly agree about They Called Us Enemy; it is must-reading for all humans. Even those who don't really qualify for the label (you know whom I mean).

*smooches* to you on this, the second day of the new year

>109 swynn: reading through her readily-available works

There were quite a number of Andre Norton's earliest paperbacks available here and in good to fine condition. In fact about 7 or 8 months ago, I traded my collection for credit! I knew I wasn't going to re-read them... Richard is probably now going to pronounce me a heathen and ban me from his thread! 😞

In case you are really keen on acquiring copies, you could PM me to ask for an up-to-date look at what's there. I usually visit the shop about once a week. I'm trying to find old Sheri Teppers!

(Also, I peeked at your profile and thread ~ I have NO idea if you are even interested in buying from a shop in Canada, but you could phone and ask them).

'Morning, RD!

Getting up at 4:30 isn't a lot of fun, but at least it wasn't to an alarm and I posted my first review for 2020. Now to find my first new books of 2020 - one fiction, one nonfiction.

You'll be happy to hear that I officially abandoned A Tale of Two Cities by Chuckles, and don't envision setting myself up for failure this year by abandoning two by him this year like I did last year.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

>112 karenmarie: The Chuckles news will definitely make RD's day, Karen...

Morning, Richard. Happy Friday. I hope you are doing fine. Getting out for any strolls?

>107 jnwelch: Joe is being rather unfair in showering the gift of food upon you so liberally and forgetting his other friends. Oh well, if you can't beat 'em:

I'm having gorme sabzi (Persian Herb Stew) for supper so I thought I'd share



Have a splendid weekend, RD.

>111 SandyAMcPherson: Thanks for the tip, Sandy! I've been able to find several through ABE Books -- Daybreak 2250 AD is on its way to me as we speak -- but I'll certainly keep that in mind.

>109 swynn:, >111 SandyAMcPherson:, >115 swynn: Excellent! *happy sign* I do so love it when a connection gets made that makes everyone happy...and on my thread is a bonus.

>110 EBT1002: Roni left this for me on FB:

Awomen.

>112 karenmarie: I never want to get up at 4:30 for a haveta. But that's a pretty decent reward for doing what your body tells you to do.

Chuckles:

Well done you! *smooch*

>113 msf59: Ya think?

I got out yesterday for a while, it was sunny and beautiful; today's another drizzly cold blech day, so nope.

>114 PaulCranswick: Partake of the Persian scrumminess, all!

and here's some Persian Pickle to go with.
***
I was in a bad reading mood and have abandoned six books over the past two days. Not forever, I decided after the third one, as it's clear that my mood is the problem when I can't get stuck into six separate books! Two nonfiction, three novels, one weird comic book that might stay abandoned.

But here we are.

Boo to the reading funk! Maybe re-read an old favorite?

Richard, have you ever read Alan Bennett's The Uncommon Reader? It's short and a hoot and may be just the thing to break that funk! I loved it and though hardly ever a re-reader of anything (too many books, too little time, and all that jazz), this is one of the few that has made my rereading list.

>118 katiekrug: I'm savoring a revisit to Amatka, Katie, so that was the trick: Remind myself what it is I like when all I can find is dislikes.

>119 jessibud2: I *loved* The Uncommon Reader! When that officious palace flunky who sent the bookmobile away got posted to the Falklands or wherever, I cheered. Actually out-loud cheered!

>120 richardderus: - YAY! Of course you have read it! I should have guessed. Another of my rare re-reads is Time and Again by Jack Finney. And hey, it's a time travel novel, so that counts as sci-fi (the only sci-fi I read;-). I have been waiting all my life for Spielberg or Ron Howard to make a movie out if this. It has all the right cinematic elements but only if a good director does it. I'd be afraid some hack would wreck it. The physical book is wonderful, though, because of the illustrations.

>114 PaulCranswick: >117 richardderus: I'm rather fond of Khoresht Karafs myself, and the sauerkraut with dill is bliss, but none of the local markets are selling it at present.

>108 richardderus: Oh, good to hear. Now I'll feel fine sending you a copy of "Why Tea is the Greatest Beverage Ever There Was, and Here's How You Can Drink Much, Much More of It, While Playing With Your Cats and Reading Dickens." I'm way too far away for you to throw it at me.

>119 jessibud2: >120 richardderus: I really enjoyed The Uncommon Reader. Found it a book sale and read it right away. One of my best reads last year.

>108 richardderus: Never did I think that I would get a BB for a book about tea on your thread, Richard. A Thirst for Empire sounds like something I would enjoy.

>123 jnwelch: *snort* I wouldn't bet on that, Joe.

Smooches and happy Friday wishes for you, RDear.

I should have known better than to stop in before dinner .... now I'm hungry after seeing the clafoutis and sabzi. Time for me to get started on cooking din din then.

I hate book funks and was in one recently when nothing I picked up seemed to interest me. I did manage to get rid of it by re-reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That always works for me. or if I want a quicker return a good reading state of mind, I'll re-read a couple of JD Robb's In Death books. Never fails.

>119 jessibud2:, >120 richardderus: The Uncommon Reader was actually offered as ER book through LT. I know because I got a copy.

1 Stay Down and Take It by Ben Marcus
Free to read at The New Yorker (you get four free reads a month; this is worth burning one)

Rating: 4* of five

An older married couple called James and Alice, together for many years, are retired to a coastal island that is in Hurricane Boris (much raillery over such a moniker is had)'s sights. Inertia being what it is, they wait until evacuation is mandatory to get out of there. The story is the trip, narrated from Her P.o.V. He is ill. She is a conflicted mass of irritation, habitual affection, and solidly built denial:

James shows his feelings so liberally that they come at a discount, and their value diminishes. When he says he loves me, usually in a threatening way, the statement always seems to beg for reciprocation. I guess he cries wolf. More or less sobs it. One could argue that everything James says is merely the word “wolf” in one language or another.

One could also argue that the huge preponderance of women married to men wouldn't mind a bit if their husbands said "I love you" at all. Or even noticed them. But hey, the grass is proverbially of increased verdance logarithmically proportional to its parallax.

That's another thing Author Marcus does here: His wife is no dummy, no wilted celery stalk; she is a cracker and a wisecracker:

Knowledge is many things, but it definitely is not power. “Dread” is a better word for it, I think, though I do understand how that ultimately fails as a slogan.

One might even say a firecracker. She's annoyed with her husband because he's himself, and he's ill, and he's driving them through the horrors of a hurricane to get...where? The shelter they briefly encounter is far too noisy and too kid-infested...

One might reasonably think that there should be a separate evacuation receptacle for children. A room of their bloody own. Answering to their special needs. Relieving the rest of us from the, well, the special energy that children so often desire to display. Lord bless their fresh, pink hearts.

There it is, Alice, there's the old moxie, put some pepper on it before you deliver it! One gets the sense that, *if* Alice is a grandmother, it is not the cookie-baking and pillow-fort-building sort.

This short story broke my losing streak that 2020 began with. I started and abandoned six books, one of which will remain abandoned because this is the last decade I can confidently expect to see both the start and finish of and that's nowhere near enough time to waste on bad comic books.

I am now ready to find the rest of Ben Marcus's ouevre and dive in. He's gifted me an excellent insight, a perfect little aperçu to trot out on many occasions, and one I recommend to my fellow Americans who have some type or sort of partner in their life:

How come so many things can sound mean and nice at the same time?

>121 jessibud2:, >124 weird_O:, >128 Oberon: It's a wonderful, uplifting read with exactly the right note of whimsy...the Queen going to a bookmobile!...and pleasant goofiness.

>122 quondame: Fake up your own! Get a big glass jar, empty 2 cans of cheap kraut in it, add 2-3 stalks of fresh dill, go away and leave it alone for 2 weeks. Ta-da!

>123 jnwelch:, >126 MickyFine: Heed the Librarian's Warning, Sirrah, and test not my throwing arm OR aim!

>125 Familyhistorian: There are signs and portents aplenty...I begin to think this is The End of Days after all.

>127 cameling: The only cure is the disease when the problem is book-funky. See review in >129 richardderus:!

I still haven't made it to all this year's threads, but I've decided I need to take a break from visiting them to read a book. Imagine that?

>130 richardderus: Alas, the only thing that exceeds my appetites is my laziness. But it is an idea..

Just for kicks, click on the touchstone for your #1 read, then select Conversations. Since you are the only entry for this title, the absence really stands out.

>129 richardderus: Congratulations on kicking the reading funk!

But hey, the grass is proverbially of increased verdance logarithmically proportional to its parallax.

Nice.

>131 thornton37814: A...book...*faints*

>132 quondame: How not-strange it is that I'm the only one bothering to say boo. And such a good story, too!

Srsly...this could NOT be simpler...give it a whirl, eh what?

>133 swynn: Ha! Thanks, Steve, most folks just roll their eyes and pass on when I make those sorts of jokes.

>132 quondame: Really I was trying to point you to a bug in LT, rather than highlighting your singular position as a forward arbiter of taste. As to taste, you are right, I should do the thing.

>116 richardderus: I love that, and it makes me want to read Pride and Prejudice again. Or at least watch the A&E production. Ha.

>129 richardderus: Making note of that one, and I subscribe so I don't even have to worry about that limit.

>135 quondame: Huh? Bug? Well, okay, I'm sure it's a bug if you say it is, but I don't use that feature so have no idea what bug it might be.

G'wan, do the thing.

>134 richardderus: *snerk* Yeup, me too.

It's well-worth your bookmarking for that dreary moment when there' just *nothing* that catches your fancy.

2 Centaurus II by A. E. van Vogt

Rating: 3* of five

A free read linked above; this is part of a series of generation-ship stories that Joachim Boaz is running that a collection of bloggers are participating in. His review of the story Thirteen for Centaurus is linked.

This novelette is by the altogether less talented writer van Vogt; J.G. Ballard blows van Vogt's prose style into a pile of barely perceptible dust fragments. It takes a generation-ship setting as a stand-in for the reign of Edward III. All the events that occur are part of the playbook that Isabella and Mortimer used to depose the old king. Anyway, whatever his sources, the generation ship itself has little relevance. Its purpose is to close the horizons of the people within as effectively as the Black Death did England of the 1340s. The story's weakness is its simple inability to connect with the reader on any but the most superficial levels. I don't necessarily demand that I get every i crossed and t dotted but I'd like to have some idea of what and why the ship got built and sent out; I'd like to have a glimmer that there are people below decks whose purposes are meaningful to them; I'm just that kind of a hairpin. I got none of those things, though I did get plenty of action reported to me, and I got some glancing awareness that Earth is indeed rare among the innumerable planets in this galaxy, therefore urgently needed by humanity.

There's a message I can get behind.

But in the end, I read the story without the pleasure or the sense of immersion that marked my read of Thirteen for Centaurus. This story was, apparently, never anthologized by the practically obsessively anthologizing van Vogt; that says something. The prose is serviceable, the idea a good one, and I'd be remiss if I didn't give it its due: He thought through the issues of human nature as applied to a long, isolated voyage, and came to a conclusion I can heartily agree with, ie that Humanity is made up of nasty wolves and lazy sheep and if you're bristling at that binary's harshness, you're a sheep.

È finita la commedia.

By the way, I just now got around to reading your summary of Andre Alice Norton in >1 richardderus:. I've never read any of her work, nor am I likely to, but I love your homage to her. I also love your description of her powerful desire to tell a story and the effect that can have on a young reader. I'm looking forward to this year's theme(s).

Good morning, Rdear. >129 richardderus: Gorgeous review.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

‘Morning, RD! I hope you have a good reading and otherwise day.

>116 richardderus: I knew the speech referenced but haven’t had enough coffee yet to recognize it as taken from Pride and Prejudice without looking it up. Thanks to you and Roni. I will be rereading P&P this year, so bonus points for fitting nicely into my reading plans. >113 msf59: Looks like you were right, Mark!

>117 richardderus: Sorry about your bad mood. I hope the mood lifted and that one or more books have become friends.

>129 richardderus: *blinks* I am happily surprised that the link lets you print the story. I shall peruse it later. As an aside, I absolutely adore the font the New Yorker uses for its masthead and short story title.

*smooch*

>138 richardderus: Given that review, I can't believe you gave it 3 stars!!

Hope whatever you read today is more satisfying. Smooches.

>139 EBT1002: I don't think reading Norton's work for the first time in one's *cough*ties is a winning proposition. I hope you'll continue to be interested as we trundle along the tracks.

>140 Ameise1: Hi Barbara! Happy that my appreciation of Ben Marcus's lovely story wins your approval.

>141 karenmarie: Horrible! *smooch*

It's another nasty day, weather-wise, with fog and its attendant dankness making me feel depressed. I have placed my Ammy Pantry order so I don't *need* to shop, thank goodness, but I'd like to get outside...without, of course, feeling as though I will mold in the moistness.

>142 Berly: I had to be honest about it...I *did* finish it, and was forced to think about it, so that's a three-star read. I wanted to consign it to the Interstellar Medium and watch it decompress, I admit. Glad you're out and about before going back to work bites.

>122 quondame: Twas made by Hani, Susan and tasted pretty much like the stuff produced by her Persian friends.

>138 richardderus: JG Ballard was especially chosen for you this year in the BAC, RD.

Morning, RD! Gloomy and damp here. Blerg. I could use some sun. My mood is teetering on bad....

Morning, Richard. Happy Saturday. It looks like you may have snapped out of your mini-book funk. Hope that continues. My reading year is off to a stellar start. I love it, when that happens.

>144 PaulCranswick: That's a sure-fire way to get my attention...Ballard is an Olympian figure in New Wave SF and deservedly so.

>145 katiekrug: I totally empathize, Katie. It's day the second of The Blanketing, which is what I'll call the dystopian novel I shall make of the VanderMeer-meets-Stephen-King-ness of the day.

>146 msf59: Hiya Mark! Me too, on the loving good starts. He said without a trace of jealousy or ill will. Not so much as an iota. Nope. None.

>116 richardderus: I feel ashamed to say that I actually had to think about what literary reference started with "I take no leave of you."

Happy weekend Richard!

>148 The_Hibernator: With or without its antique resonances, it's still a terrific meme.

Thanks! I hope it will be!

>145 katiekrug: >147 richardderus: Seriously, where is the sun? And what does it have against New York/New Jersey? (It's day the second of The Blanketing, which is what I'll call the dystopian novel I shall make of the VanderMeer-meets-Stephen-King-ness of the day. hahahahaha good one!)

>150 Storeetllr: *heavy, heavy sigh* We have Offended the Weather Goddesses, clearly.

Thanks, I thought it was a good chuckle.

Well, I can actually feel the winter blues creeping up on me and am seriously considering using Nickel's sunlight lamp for myself.

>147 richardderus: Ha!
Ontario is also in a sun free funk right now. I drove home through a Star Wars snow storm last night and I woke up to the snow melted and the sky missing behind this big grey thing. Makes me want to go back to bed.

>152 Storeetllr: Can't think of a better use for it. After all, it works for Nickel.

>153 ChelleBearss: I empathize! Only for me, that just means turning onto the other side and flipping windows to Netflix. I'm on episode 6 of The Witcher, which I like a good deal better than the professional critics seem to. I'd never read the books, and goodness knows never played the computer games, so I came to it innocent and accepted it as a story that needed telling.

So far, so good.

Is it super scary? I’ve seen many mentions of it but I wasn’t sure if my scaredy-cat-ness could handle it.

May the blessings of the day be upon you, esteemed Mr. Derus.

I just watched Season 4 of Shetland. Wow, that's some of the best tv I've ever seen.

>155 ChelleBearss: No, not to me; but the things that scare me are actual living (often orange) humans. There are a lot of "jump scare" moments and some meant-to-be-spooky VFX.

>156 jnwelch: Oh good! It's always lovely when a show does what it's meant to, ie make people happy.

Hello RD! I am a bit late to the party so belated Happy New Year and best wishes for 2020. Oh no, on the reading funk. Not the best way to start the year off. I take it by the posted reviews that you have your reading mojo back.

Dull gloomy day here too Richard but no snow so that's a plus. For me anyway. The skiers are all complaining.

>158 lkernagh: Thanks, Lori! I'm pretty relieved to have it back.

As always, the group starts the year in full cry!

>159 brenzi: I'm with you, Bonnie, less snow = less ice and that is a Very Very Good Thing Indeed.

ð Ð Þ þ è à ñ
Fun with HTML. I need to practice!

>157 richardderus: Jump scares are the worst! Gets me every time and Nate thinks it's hilarious.

>161 richardderus: ð Ð Þ þ è à ñ
Yes, copy and paste works, I can leave the HTML list aside. I rarely practice these days ;-)

Hi RD. I have stumbled and gone splat on my 2020 foray into some reading.

However, last night I did finish my first book and reviewed commented on my thread. I also mentioned my DNF. I find it so discouraging starting off with 2 (two!) DNF's!

I hope your reading funk is done. Cheers!

'Morning, RD!

Coffee and brekkie consumed, Christmas decorations to come down later, not going to book club since I abandoned A Tale of Two Cities (I can hear the cheers!) and would rather be home with Bill and Jenna.

I hope you have a good reading and/or otherwise day!

*smooch* from your own Madame TVT Horrible

I too read Andre Norton as a child and still have many of her books stolen from my mom's shelves. I don't have as many as Roni because I found the later works dreadful--my mom can keep them! Her stories were deeply influential on my developing tastes, and my first pen scratchings were deeply derivative of her. The Beast Master and Witch World and The Time Traders and The Solar Queen series were all favorites, plus her YA Star Ka'at books, plus various stand-alone books, like The X Factor, Catseye, Daybreak 2250 A.D., Breed To Come, and Secret of the Lost Race.

Thanks for sharing Judith Tarr's rereads. Must go devour right now.

And thanks for the new vocabulary words! Been a long time since I've had to look stuff up (outside of a medical context).

>129 richardderus: Well that was something. As a cranky oldster living with another of same this scraped bone.
>163 FAMeulstee: I keep my HTML O'Reilly (along with assorted UNIX ones) behind my MAC in arm's reach. I may have to clear out the X-Window shelf to make room for last years Christmas gifts, but it will hurt.

>162 ChelleBearss: Oh my heck, then definitely don't watch it! You'll cause Nate to injure himself from laughing.

>163 FAMeulstee: Heh. I realized as I wanted to type "belovèd" that I'd forgotten how. Try to find THAT to copy and paste! It's all beloved beloved beloved in any search.

>164 SandyAMcPherson: Oh dear, Sandy. That is No Fun! I'll go look for the review later on. I'm all sympathy, though, since I was the same way.

>168 richardderus: I can get é with option e command e on my MAC keyboard, but haven't got è yet without going to Emoji & Symbols popup.

>165 karenmarie: I suppose it is worth cheering that you've finally-at-last seen sense vis-à-vis Chuckles's awful stodge, but then again, how long did it take?

*smooch*

>166 justchris: Agreed re: newer Norton. She was always best when edited by editors, not co-writers as she was in her later years. It's a sad truth that her books never rose above serviceable in the prose department, but they really packed a wallop when I was an impressionable youth for the stories she told.

It's nice to know I got more eyes on Tarr's re-read reviews! I love having her modern feminist perspective on the books. I didn't realize, for example, that the utter absence of women in her stuff until, oh let's say, 1963 was pretty much the dream I wanted to live in until Tarr pointed it out...I had only female relatives growing up, so was Over It.

Hang about...the word-vault opens frequently around here, there are way too many excellent words not used enough and I want to inspire a spirit of exploration.

>167 quondame: I can well imagine! It's amazing how Marcus made them at the same time understandable, relatable, and awful.

Hang on to antique coding books! You never know when the Time Vortex will whirl you back to 1995!

>169 quondame: I am blissfully ignorant of all things made by the Half-Bit Fruit people.
***
The Guardian published a 2020 Literary Calendar and is it ever interesting! I think my visitors need to know that William Gibson brings forth Agency, a novel of a female 45 and no Brexit, this month.

Happy Sunday, Richard. Yes, I have been doing some chores, but have also enjoyed watching some football and getting lost in a couple of choice books. I am sure Girl, Woman, Other is on your radar and it deserves all the LT love it has received. That said- I still have 300 pages to go.

>171 richardderus: I automatically filed female 45 with alt-WWII in the I don't need this pile. It may be I do, but I can want to go there. 45 would not have been elected if he ran against a man.

>172 msf59: That's plenty of room to change your mind, Mark, so I'll wait a bit longer. Happy Sunday!

>173 quondame: ...but 45 wasn't elected...

...anyway, the alt-WWII stuff I agree wholeheartedly about. Sicksicksick of that trope. And "the South Won" trope. Stop already! History has magnificent calamities you can play with, alt-hist authors, try a few of those.

>174 richardderus: LOL. Good point, RD, but we have been reading a LONG ASS time, and we get a certain feeling that, a book will continue to deliver and that is how I feel about this one.

I've never been much for alt-history stories although I'm trying to remember one I feel like I read a couple of years ago and loved. My memory fails me. Oh well.

Hi Richard! It's suddenly pouring huge flakes of snow here. Yikes.

>175 msf59: Make it so, Number One.

>176 EBT1002: I wonder what it was...well, maybe it'll float up top before too long.

I am not a fan of sudden snows. I'm getting wind off the sea, but no clouds so no chance of snow, rain, or ice.

Happy New Year, Richard!

Haven't checked in here for years.
I stumbled upon certain books from the 2011-2012 era today and I remembered those very weird and dangerous years for me and what a pleasant company you lot have been.

Happy to see Richard rockin n rollin as usual.

Happy New Year everybody!

>178 kidzdoc: Thank you, Darryl! Right back at'cha.

>179 trandism: NICK!! GOOD GRAVY!!

I'd ask how you've been, but I suspect I know the answer. The neoliberal revolution is damned near consolidated, here as well as there as I know you know, but I can't help hoping that we can stem some of the bleeding even yet. After all there are Pikettys and Varoufakises out there pointing out how naked the economic emperor is...surely SOMEone's listening.

I hope to see you around and about a bit more.
***
I watched the first episode of the new Dracula show on Netflix. It's okay. I like this Claes Bang's wickedly witty take on the old tale. Mildly recommended, as someone who hangs around this group is wont to say; Chelle, and y'all other delicate fleurs, avoid it like it gots the cooties. Jump scares and gross-outs galore!

ETAmend spelling

Richard, I've had quite a decade :)

On the positive side, I'm out of the woods financially speaking, beyond any reasonable expectations. And I'm reading again with some passion. Losing the most productive years of my life, or should I say "throwing them away" with the only aim to achieve survival, is irreversible I'm afraid.

I'm happy to find out that your reading is going great (even poetry).

>181 trandism: It is indeed, and involuntarily having it wished on you is galling. Still, you're out of those woods and launched into your 40s, which years are a *blast*, so my sympathy is muted. Signed, seventh-decade doom'n'gloomer Boomer.

Happy New Year, BigDaddy! I know...I'm late. Sincere apologies. I love the thread topper, and I am also most excited to see 1960 in Kulcher. Good times. Nothing but good times.

>181 trandism: Will you be starting a thread, Nick?

Must read me some Andre Norton.

>183 Crazymamie: MAMIE!!!


>184 PaulCranswick: Frankly, Cranswickulus, I don't think you'd get a single dram of pleasure from reading her stuff. You're too old and too sophisticated to get the frisson of her male-centered triumphalist SF and her lady-centered fantasy is, at best, repurposed outtakes from Tolkien's book.

I keep hoping Nick will rejoin the reindeer games, too, but decided I didn't want to be pushy. Glad you decided to do it, then, for both of us!

Found you finally and starred you. Wishing you good reading and fine health in the year ahead!

>186 Copperskye: Thanks, Joanne! Your keyboard to the goddesses' inbox.

>180 richardderus: Have it recording but not got round to it yet. Have you seen the Derry Girls bake off yet? It's funny - but not the best one I've ever seen.

>184 PaulCranswick: Paul, I won't. I can't imagine myself following up on it through the year.

>189 trandism: That is a shame as it would have been swell to have you along for the ride the whole year or even the bits of it you felt you wanted to.

Hiya RD.
I've been lurking this morning on too many threads! Putting off having to go outside and run unavoidable errands...

Hope the reading is going well. I see lots of visitors on your thread, so that is probably keeping you busy!

Yikes. I didn't visit yesterday. Jenna fun and then Bill came home early not feeling well, which threw the whole day off. Jenna will be leaving within the hour, a combination of yay and stay.

*smooch*

>188 BekkaJo: No, we'll get the Holiday specials a bit later in the year because...well, because. *sigh*

>189 trandism:, >190 PaulCranswick: It's up to you, obviously, but I agree w/PC. I'd like to have a presence to visit, but totally get why that might not be the best thing for you personally.

>191 SandyAMcPherson: Hi Sandy! I'm lapping up a dumb rom-com. I can't quite bend my consciousness further than that.

>192 karenmarie: Hey Horrible! I slept almost 12 hours! It was urgently needed, so I suppose my brain just overruled my body and kept me down.

I know you'll miss Jenna, but it's a good thing to have the place to yourself again. *smooch*

Super glad to see (>3 richardderus:) that 2019 was a stellar reading year for you. 2 x 6-star ratings!!??! Tres incredibles. I handed out 2 x 5-stars early in the year and it was downhill from there....But in spite of a tonne of RL stuff, I was able to read 40 (maybe 41 if I count the one I finished new years morning) books.

>194 LovingLit: Considering how much stuff went on du côté de chez Megan, I'm amazed you read 41. Getting your Big Paper done...getting the sheepskin...all huge stuff to do while being mum and partner and employee.

...I need a lie down...

>195 richardderus: oh yes, re: the paper being prepared for publication, the second revision of it is due *today*!!! I will anxiously submit it for hopefully the final time this afternoon. And if/when it is published there will be a party. (You're invited.)

>196 LovingLit: TODAY. And you're *here*?! Serious procrastination going on...but mos' def'

>197 richardderus: It's already revised and edited (to within an inch of its life) and ready to launch....I just need an hour of complete silence to ensure I carry out the online submission process with zero mistakes. So yeah, that means child-free :)

>198 LovingLit: Ah. Logical. I am excited for you! This is a huge step and will land you in a great place.

Hey, RD. Just checking in. LT has sure been hopping lately, hasn't it? I sure, can't keep up. I know it will begin to slow down, but I am sure glad to see this place Alive & Well, 12-13 years running. I am not sure anyone could have predicted that- Even Kreskin. Remember him? He is still kickin' too!

>200 msf59: The Amazing Kreskin is still alive?! No!! I'll be hornswoggled.

Yeah, we're waaay down member-wise, but we're still chatty as all get-out. I got to wondering about Manny, xieouyang, who hasn't been around in two or three years...I wonder if he's still with us. I got notification that Ellie Moses's birthday is coming up, which is what set that idea going.

Happy Humpday Ahead.

Happy Wednesday, Richard!

Happy Wednesday, Rdear. I hope all is well at your place.

>202 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>203 Ameise1: Thank you, Barbara, it's very windy outside so I'm postponing a light grocery run until tomorrow...both the worst and the most interesting thing about today, sadly.

Well, if that's the *worst* thing about today, you're not doing too terribly badly :)

Weird weather. I looked out the window a few minutes ago and it was sunny. With snow flurries. I was like, "WTF?" but not out loud, which is good, because I was on the phone with my boss.

>205 katiekrug: Excellent self control!

Afternoon, BigDaddy! I also must do the grocery trek tomorrow, which means I need to make a list, which means I need a menu...

>206 Crazymamie:, so you need a menu?

Is that an invitation for suggestions ~ *this* is a CRAZY thread to ask about food, but I have a great idea...
(whisper, whisper, whisper, at #114, Paul, ask him to tell you about the ingredients in gormeh sabzi).

>205 katiekrug: It is, and you're right, so yay!

Snow for them as is north o' me, though not here. Yay twice!

>206 Crazymamie: Heh, no kidding. I have a menu suggestion: "Abby, make something for dinner."

>207 SandyAMcPherson: Not the safest place to bring up food without prophylactic snacking, is it.

Happy late afternoon, RichardDear.

>193 richardderus: Congrats on getting 12 straight. And yes, I'll miss Jenna, and I'm glad to get the place to myself again.

*smooch*

>209 karenmarie: Thanks, Horrible, it was a twofer. I got twelve and a half last night/today. The downside to that is that I missed the pulmonologist's visit, which is a huge boo-hiss.

Sneaking in before I totally miss your first thread to wave hello

>211 SuziQoregon: Juli! Welcome, pull up a chair.

>210 richardderus: RD, too bad you missed the pulmonologist's visit. I hope you can get it rescheduled tout de suite.

Back to >129 richardderus: Oh how I loved this short story. Definitely a 4, and the snark is a joy.

Yay for the good sleep, Richard. It becomes a more and more precious commodity the older we get!

I hope your pulmonologist visit comes up very soon, Richard. I saw mine today.

And I’m delighted that you got some good sleep. We can’t function well without it, unfortunately.

3 Going Sasquatch by Jess Whitecroft

Rating: four goofy-grinning stars of five

Adorable.

What're all this book's h8rs on about? It is what it is. A romance about what should be easy but gets made hard for gay guys. Falling in love and deciding to do it right has to be political because stupid people care a lot more than they should about what others do in private.

So buy, read, enjoy if what u want is a little happiness-conquers-all wish fulfillment with some Hollywood trim and a few hot sex scenes.

>213 karenmarie: Yay for Marcus's snark! I'm probably going to have to wait two weeks, but it won't be forever.

>214 ronincats: I'm usually a good sleeper, easy to get a-dreamin' and apart from a prostate pee about 3, steady at it for 6 hours. When apnea gets bad is when I have trouble...mostly...but it's only now I have the resources to do something about it at last.

>215 Matke: Hi Gail! Good that you're keeping up the visits. *smooch*

Early morning good wishes, RD.

I didn't wake up to an alarm, yay, have already had one mug of coffee, double yay, and have no plans on going out today at all, triple yay.

*smooch*

Morning, BigDaddy! I love your menu suggestion. I did get the menu and the grocery list made, and Abby volunteered to go to the market for me, so hooray for that. Hoping your Thursday is full of fabulous.

Hi Richard! I probably will pass on Dracula, as I watch almost no Netflix at all. No time! I will try to watch Wolf Hall after I finish the first book, and am currently slowly working through Supernatural with Aaron.

>218 karenmarie: All the yay, Horrible! What a great way to spend a day. *smooch*

>219 Crazymamie: I'm glad at least part of my idea got implemented, anyway. I'm so glad you're with us again! Don't aggravate your nerve injury or anything, but having you around is always fun.

>220 The_Hibernator: Pass on it hard, Rachel, with as many demands as you have on your time you don't need to be wasting any of it on such deeply mediocre nonsense. Sending hugs!
***
It took me four days, one of them a well-rested one, to finish a vapid romance book. I really need that pulmonologist to refer me to the *ickptui* sleep study so I can regain my ability to concentrate.

sorry to see you are having trouble concentrating. Hopefully you get your reading mojo back!

>222 ChelleBearss: Thanks, Chelle, it's the endless sleep disturbances that are doing me in. Yuck.

>222 ChelleBearss: I can second that one on the mojo, Chelle. RD we need a constant drip of your reviews here to frown at, smile to and occasionally run and get the dictionary for.

What >224 PaulCranswick: said! *smoochies*

Good morning, RDear!

I'm slowly waking up, first few sips of coffee imbibed.

*smooch* from your own Horrible

>224 PaulCranswick:, >225 BekkaJo: Heh, well I'm workin' on it!

>226 karenmarie: I'm hopeful for a good reading day, Horrible, after I imbibe, and then see the shrink.

Gloomy, cloudy day today so there's no temptation to poke a toe outside. Luckily there is also no need. Yay.

Morning, BigDaddy, and thanks for the kind words. Hooray for no Friday toe poking. I am planning a bit of lazy myownself today.

>228 Crazymamie: I'm glad for it. Don't overdo is a wonderful mantra for the years where we're not old yet but sure as hell sense it creeping up behind us with a giant cartoon mallet. And Friday is the best day to skip rat-racing!

Happy Friday, Richard. Still frigid weather there? Light rain here but very mild. That will change tonight.

So nice to see Ellie Moses mentioned here. I got the notification too. What a lovely person. We miss her. Joe had the great fortune, to have met her, before she passed. I do not remember Manny.

Can't stand gloomy skies, Richard? You wouldn't do well here then, we had 26 days of rain in a 31 day stretch recently. It's probably raining out there now although there is this foreign white stuff on the ground.

>230 msf59: Not the least bit cold today, just dank. Blech.

I miss Ellie a lot. She was a hoot, and such a vital presence! Manny wasn't that involved, and I don't know if he's dead or just left LT. I remember him mostly from disagreeing with him....

>231 Familyhistorian: Yech. Ugh. Um, hey no, thanks for thinking of me, but ummm yeah well gotta go!

>229 richardderus: And Friday is the best day to skip rat-racing!

Damn skippy. Mondays are at least a close second, though.

>233 kidzdoc: Agreed, Good Sir. Mondays are excellent to avoid working on, but NOTHING beats Friday off!

Happy Friday and New Year and Reading and The Whole Nine Yards! I am sorry I am late to your thread, Richard. I hope all is well with you.

I was talking to my friend this morning about some of my favorite episodes of the 10th Doctor. What springs to mind for you?

>235 brodiew2: Hi Brodie! No such thing as late...you're here when you get here, that's enough.

Tenth Doctor? How can anything on Earth beat "Blink?" We meet the Weeping Angels! Might be the best Doctor Who episode ever. Plus it's very witty, which can never be oversold.

>223 richardderus: yuck about those sleep issues! I can relate lately, to a degree, as I'm struggling to get to sleep. I'm hoping a bubble bath and soothing decaf peppermint tea will help calm me to sleep tonight!

>236 richardderus: I agree. "Blink" is the best episode ever (says the girl that's only seen through the eleventh Doctor so far).

It's been pouring rain here all day Richard. Raining. In January. In a place that's usually buried in snow by now. Mild temperatures all next week too. Good thing global warming isn't real.

RD ~ this one is especially for you (in the news).
A pleasant sojourn away from the Middle Eastern grief that seems to be pervading all the news feeds.

Happy New Year, my dear friend. Sorry I'm late but a vast horde of the undead attacked our small band and I alone have lived to tell the tale.

I'm going to take the instant pot I got for Christmas 2018 out of the box today. Rumor has it I can put in a raw chicken and 15 minutes later have chicken salad. Loaves into fishes, indeed.

You continue to astonish me, my love.

'Morning, RD!

*smooch*

>237 ChelleBearss: I hope your sleep was blissfully uninterrupted, Chelle, and stays that way.

>238 The_Hibernator: I just found out that Prime no longer includes Doctor Who in its basic offerings, so I've purged the watchlist of them, but I've seen all the new-generation Doctors that I care to. Capaldi/12 was a bad choice, and Whittaker has too little to work with IMO.

>239 brenzi: Rain. In January. SMH

>240 SandyAMcPherson: Oh my heck, Sandy, how very inspiring! I wish I'd been made to keep mine in their boxes, I had a lot of them but I played with them hard.

>241 SomeGuyInVirginia: Welcome to the world of the IP, sweetiedarling, and don't forget that long-pig recipes are available online. *smooch*

>242 karenmarie: Horrible! *smooch* Happy Saturday.

I'm glad that there are two other members of Instant Pot Nation on LT. I love mine, and I'll use it more often this year, and post IP recipes in The Kitchen.

Did I post the recipe for Melissa Clark's Cajun Red Beans and Rice there last year? That's the recipe I've made the most, including this past weekend.

>245 kidzdoc: I think you did; I used it, and I'm not a subscriber, so you must've posted it somewhere. It is So. Good.

>246 richardderus: Excellent. I'm glad that you also liked it! Maybe I'll post it (again?) to The Kitchen, as I may have only done so on my Facebook timeline.

>247 kidzdoc: My theory: Better to know twice than not at all.

>248 richardderus: Agreed.

Hey, RD. I just finished The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. I'd love to have been among those having dinner with Helene Hanff.

What?! When did Prime get rid of Doctor Who? 😞😞😞 That's where I was (slowly) watching it.

>249 kidzdoc: :-)

>250 jnwelch: No kidding. It's a good book, though 84, Charing Cross Road can not be beat. One of those rare "not one word too many, not one thought too few" reads.

>251 The_Hibernator: Oh, it's not *gone* from Prime, it's just not included with Prime. It's about $15 a season to buy. To which I say "pfui" and bounce away to spend that money on food.

Morning, BigDaddy! Happy Saturday to you. I have only ever watched a few episodes of Dr. Who, but Abby is a fan. They are all on Britbox currently - maybe Prime will eventually get them back.

>253 Crazymamie: Not likely to go back onto Prime because BritBox is the reason they were yanked in the first place. I mean, why would Murrikinz splash out for another streamer if they can get the programs free with Prime?

I just posted this on Mamie's thread. I have a new junk-food addiction.

I am *hooked*Big*Time*

Pretzels plus pizza. Real cheese. Oy, my waistline.

They're so unspeakably scrummy. Doomed, doomed, I am doomed to be Baron Harkonnen's fat ugly brother.

>250 jnwelch: I think I saw that story as a movie, yeah? It was so very good. Anthony Hopkins and ‎Anne Bancroft starred in it. Yes, a wee while ago...

>236 richardderus:>238. Blink is definitely exceptional but I hesitate to call it a best Tennant episode because it is so Doctor light. I would say 'Midnight' ranks pretty high. 'Doomsday' and 'Silence in the Library' as well. All from his final regular season.

>255 SandyAMcPherson: It was indeed...from way back in the day when a feature film was more prestigious than a TV miniseries.

Hanff was an old hand at TV writing, having been a busy busy early-days scriptwriter. She adapted a lot of other writers' work for Playhouse 90 and the like.

>256 brodiew2: I think that's one reason I like it so much. Tennant never phones in a single line, never uses a single shortcut, and even at the moment he and Martha appear in real time, on a quest we never learn about! when he could've done next to nothing, he was The Doctor in the flesh.

Ooo, yes, Silence in the Library is an excellent episode indeed. The ghost-voices *shiver* haunt me.

Hi Richard.

Going Sasquatch sounds like entertainment. And that is a good thing.

>223 richardderus: "...endless sleep disturbances..." You know I can relate all too well.
In the last chapter of The Bone Clocks, Holly Sykes is in her 70s and she mentions "the one consolation of this age" as the reduced need for sleep. I have heard of such and I keep thinking it would be cool to need, say, only 5-6 hours of sleep a night. But I need 7-8 and lying awake at night is just freaking miserable. It's even worse when it adversely affects one's reading!

>254 richardderus: P is going on a solo adventure next week, heading to Denver to see the Monet exhibit at the museum there, and I have been fantasizing about having a bag of cheetos for dinner one of the nights she is gone. But pretzels, pizza, cheese. Sigh.

Hello again, Richard! I stopped following SPN around season 10 at my wife's request, but I still hold it in high regard. So, if it is possible to decide, who is your favorite character and do you have a favorite episode(s)?

Also, what's got your interest on TV at the moment?

Good morning, Richard. Did you catch this on tv this morning?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/studying-the-creativity-and-intelligence-of-the-oct...

'Morning, RDear. Happy Sunday to you.

Happy Sunday, Richard. It finally looks like winter out there, but I am glad we only ended up with less than 2 inches of snow. The Chaneysville Incident has really caught me by surprise. He may get a little wordy but he also teams that up with some very fine story-telling. About a 100 pages in. Enjoy your day.

Good Sunday morning too you, Richard. Your thread is on fire, as usual.

Just passing through with good thoughts and hoping that you will soon get some satisfying sleep.

Smoochings, Dear Boy.

Good morning, Rdear. Coffee is delivered directly.

>258 EBT1002: Yes indeed, entertainment...the equivalent of a veg-out in front of the TV. It's a welcome thing when I can focus long enough to do it with a book.

P being away = opportunity to get some Combos...you'll lurve 'em...g'wan g'wan ya know ya wanna....

>259 brodiew2: Here lately, Brodie, I am having worsening sleep apnea. It means I can't get as much deep sleep as I'm accustomed to, I've had some form of apnea always, both my parents had it, and so I'm unsurprised that it's rearing its ugly head. The other side of that is I spend a lot more time staring at TV shows than I would in better rested times.

Dean is a lot easier on my eyes, but as a *character* I think Sam's a more solidly crafted mover of plots.

>260 jessibud2: Hi Shelley! I hadn't seen that, thanks for pointing it out to me. Sy Montgomery's book The Soul of the Octopus was a gift to me lo, these many years ago by...oh dear...hmm...well, someone sweet and generous who hangs around the 75ers whose name's gone walkabout in the Outback that is my brain ATM.

>261 karenmarie: *smooch* Thanks, back at'cha!

>262 msf59: Sunday orisons, Mark! It's not a lean, pared-down narrative but there's So. Much. Story. for him to tell. I hope it stays involving for you.

>263 Matke: My therapist and my Young Gentleman Caller each quite separately got annoyed with me about this ongoing apnea thing. In almost identical words they charged me with getting myself sent to an outside pulmonongist ASAP so this can get handled before it presents nasty medical issues.

I promised each of them I'd see the appropriate staff member tomorrow.

*smooch*

>264 Ameise1: OMG OMG OMG a coffee buffet! Perfection. *sigh*
Have a lovely Sunday, Anita.

>267 richardderus: Well, I'm Barbara and I'm happy you like the coffee buffet.

>260 jessibud2: I came here with the same thought, Shelley!

>268 Ameise1: No you're not. I'm *sure* you're Anita. Have you checked your birth certificate lately? I'll bet that, if you do, you'll see that you're actually a Dutch lady called Anita and not a Swiss lady called Barbara.

*blush*

>269 laytonwoman3rd: It's a welcome thought, Linda3rd, I love seeing how my dotes the Tentacled Americans are getting good press!

That clip featured one of my favorite MST3K moments, It Came from Beneath the Sea, when the nuclear octopus attacks the Golden Gate Bridge. I about bust somethin' laughing every time I see it.

Ooh, Combos...

Happy Sunday, Richard. Tennant never phones in a single line, never uses a single shortcut Agreed. He's still my favorite Dr. Who, although I do enjoy the new one, Jodie Whitaker. (I liked Matt Smith much more as Phillip in The Crown than I did in his turn as Dr. Who). I remember her from Broadchurch - a very different part! So Broadchurch had two Dr. Whos in the cast. How about that?

I'm another fan of The Soul of an Octopus. I'm not sure when they're going to take over from the ramshackle job we've been doing, but it could be any day now.

>271 kidzdoc: Yeeesss *drool*

>272 jnwelch: I think Matt Smith's performance as Philip was a rare and perfect moment in an actor's career, the blip of a perfect part that's perfectly inside your rage becoming available at the one moment in your career that you can grab it. Thank goodness!
***
The Story Prize nominees are announced at last! I've read EVERYTHING INSIDE and was quite impressed by it, and I own GRAND UNION as well as SABRINA & CORINA, so could have all three read before the award in February! First time that's ever happened.

How's your story-collection TBR? Fatter now, I hope.

>270 richardderus: You shouldn't tease Barbara like that, Richard dear! ;-)

>274 FAMeulstee: What was that, Barbara? Can't quite see....

>266 richardderus: Me! It was I!

>276 ronincats: Excellent! Thank you again and again for such a perceptive and thoughtful gift.

Happy Monday!! Hope you get your sleep apnea thing dealt with ASAP. It totally ruins your ability to think, let alone stay awake. Grrrrr.

Morning Richard - just stopping by :)

>278 Berly: It's not doing great things for mine, that's for sure. *snerp*snornk*

>279 BekkaJo: Heigh-ho, Bekka my dear lady, glad to see you out and about.
***
Cloudy and almost 20° colder than yesterday, an unusual combo. I wondered if this was the source of my desire to hibernate as I schlepped myself up to arrange a consultation with an outside pulmonologist. The proper person to arrange this won't be here today...is ill.

Back to sleep, I "think."

>277 richardderus: Lovely sentiment. Brings a totally warm feeling to us all!

Morning, BigDaddy! Hoping you can get into see that pulmonologist soon. Wearing a CPAP at night has changed Craig's life. And also mine because no snoring. Heh. But seriously, it makes such an incredible difference - Craig can finally get good sleep, and I don't have to worry that he will stop breathing during the night.

Happy Monday, RD.

It's rainy and Too Warm and blech here, but the birds are fun to watch and there are books to read.

*smooch*

>281 SandyAMcPherson: *glows*

>282 Crazymamie: I'm sure the lowered snore volume will please Old Stuff, but that isn't enough to make me abandon the plan. I'm more mindful of the health upside.

>283 karenmarie: Happy Monday! Lots of cloud cover, judging by the number of people around the country who're reporting it today.

Read well!

>277 richardderus: >281 SandyAMcPherson: I love the idea, but the picture gives me the willies.

>285 quondame: I have seen that image (#277) on several threads recently. I had thought of it as the book giving a reader a "hug". Or the printed word being personified...

I suppose that could be creepy if it was in reference to a horror story or something violent.
I'm very interested in your interpretation of the picture as a source of "the willies". I hope you will provide insight, because what one senses from an image can vary considerably to another's.

>286 SandyAMcPherson: I think it's just the lack of definition of the hugger as opposed to the clearly female being hugged. Or the embedded but active form that harks back to some old statues I remember.

Checking in here. I see you're still having difficulty in the slumber department. Hope you find rest soon.

If your not asleep, RD, you might consider treating us to a new thread.

Happy Tuesday, Richard. Did you see the pulmonongist or does that come later after you have confused all the female posters for each other? We have your snow. Do you want it back?

Well, it looks like Mr. Derus is ready for a new thread. Bravo, old man! We have a nice day ahead. I will take the 40s in January. Is it good enough there, to get out for a stroll?

>285 quondame:, >286 SandyAMcPherson:, >287 quondame: :-)

>288 thornton37814: I do, too, and thanks for the well-wishes.

>289 PaulCranswick: Done.

>290 Familyhistorian: Not soon, Meg, I'll have to go out of house to see one for certain on a fixed date and time. The person who coordinates that is not here again today. Illness is a bear!

>291 msf59: Hi Mark! Nope. It's yucky out there and I ain't outta food so I ain't playin the game.

New thread is up!