Jim's (drneutron's) Life in Books - 3

I'm Jim, 61, husband of 38 years, father of a son gainfully employed creating our robot overlords, who reads pretty much anything. We're in central Maryland with roots in Louisiana. I like to read (obviously), cook, trail bike ride/kayak with mrsdrneutron, and want to learn to fly fish. There's probably bourbon somewhere in there too. Of course, LT is a big time sink, but mrsdrneutron seems to have come to terms with my LT addiction...

Total Books: 27

Author Gender
Male: 17 (61%)
Female: 11 (39%)
Nonbinary: 0 (0%)

Author Status
Living: 27 (96%)
Dead: 1 (4%)

Publication Medium
Hardback: 6 (22%)
Trade: 4 (15%)
Mass Market: 0 (0%)
eBook: 17 (63%)

Category
Fiction: 19 (70%)
Nonfiction: 8 (30%)

Source
Library: 21 (81%)
Mine: 5 (19%)

ARC: 1
Re-Read: 0
Series: 7
Group Read: 2

1. The Creeping Shadow by Jonathan Stroud
2. The Godfather by Mario Puzo
3. What Moved the Dead by T. Kingfisher
4. Into Siberia: George Kennan's Epic Journey Through the Brutal, Frozen Heart of Russia by Gregory J Wallance
5. The Magic Order Vol 1 by Mark Millar
6. The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
7. The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor
8. The Syndicate Spy by Brittany Butler
9. Evidence of Things Seen: True Crime in an Era of Reckoning by Sarah Weinman
10. Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker

11. Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak
12. The Amur River: Between Russia and China by Colin Thubron
13. The Magic Order, Volume 2 by Mark Millar
14. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch
15. The Militia House by John Milas
16. Atlas of Extinct Countries by Gideon Defoe
17. Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
18. Hokuloa Road by Elizabeth Hand
19. The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
20. The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
21. The Haunting of Velkwood by Gwendolyn Kiste
22. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
23. The Formula: How Rogues, Geniuses, and Speed Freaks Reengineered F1 into the World's Fastest-Growing Sport by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg
24. Magic Order, Vol 3 by Mark Millar
25. The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
26. The Lost Tomb: And Other Real-Life Stories of Bones, Burials, and Murder by Douglas Preston
27. What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher

Oo oo ooo. Can I get a reservation?

First in Bill!

Happy new thread, Jim!

Thanks, Arlie!

Update Time!



28. The Hunter: A Novel by Tana French

Sequel to The Seeker, French continues the story of Cal Hooper, a retired Chicago cop who moves to Ardnakelty, a small town in Ireland, to find some peace and quiet. This one's about revenge, and family, and fitting into a closed community. Writing's wonderful, as usual with Tana French. This one's a must read!



29. Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Weird story of a young man dealing with a broken relationship with a dead father who gets swallowed by a whale. Yes, swallowed by a whale. It's as bad as it sounds...



30. Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism by Stephen Breyer

Breyer, a retired US Supreme Court justice, lays out his approach to jurisprudence and interpretation of the Constitution - one of pragmatism, not the originalist/textualist interpretation of more conservative justices. To me, his arguments are sound, but his applications were muddy. I just wasn't convinced that some of the example cases he used fell into such neat categories. Still, it's a very good discussion of the problem, and a book I rated pretty highly.

Happy new thread, Jim.

Book 30 does look like an interesting read.

Happy new one, Jim!

Happy new thread Jim!

Happy new thread Doc!

Happy new one, Jim!

Happy New Thread, Jim. It looks like I will have to catch up with The Seeker and The Hunter. I gave up on French a few years ago.

Happy new thread, Jim.

Happy new one!

>2 drneutron: Great stats!

>9 drneutron: Already reserved the hunter from the library. It will be awhile as I am 9th in line with only one book in the system.

Hope the Space Symposium was interesting and that your speech was well received.

Checking in on the new thread, Jim!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Happy New Thread!!

>9 drneutron: Your book bullet has scored! Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism sounds interesting, and possibly even useful for understanding the US' muddled legal and political system.

>10 PaulCranswick: It was!

>11 katiekrug:, >12 quondame:, >13 humouress:, >14 Owltherian: Thanks, everyone!

>15 msf59: These are a bit different from the Dublin Murder Squad. I liked them, hope you do too.

>16 jessibud2: Thanks, Shelley!

>17 figsfromthistle: The Space Symposium was good, my interview went well, I came home exhausted. 😀

>18 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I hope you're having a good Wednesday.

>Thanks, Harold!

>20 ArlieS:. Great! Like I mentioned in my few sentences above, I liked his presentation of the textual vs pragmatic viewpoints. His use of examples was a bit muddier - there aren't clear sides drawn here and many cases wind up being a mix of both. Still, it was an interesting insight from someone who was there.

>21 drneutron: Your very welcome Jim!

>9 drneutron: I've had Whalefall on my list for quite a while, it sounds like a good one for audio. Have to put it on my Libby wishlist.

I just put Reading the Constitution: Why I chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism on hold in Libby for the audio. Its only about a 14 week wait. The library has 12 "copies" and there are 82 people in line. With all the other things in my audio hold list, we'll see if I get to it before the election. LOL.

>23 mahsdad: I'll be interested to see what you think of Whalefall...

You know I like the weird and odd stories. :)

You won't be disappointed. :)

Happy new thread, Jim!

Thanks, Irene!

Happy new thread, Jim!

Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread, Jim!

>9 drneutron: I have read and enjoyed some Tana French, but her latest books are not translated. I still hope that will be done some day.

Happy new thread, Jim!
I've only read the first three books in the Dublin Murder Squad series by Tana French so far, thanks for pointing out more by her...

>29 bell7:, >30 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Mary and Silver!

>31 FAMeulstee: That's a shame. I'd expect they'll make your way at some point soon. At least, I hope so!

>32 SirThomas: I think I still have one more to go n the Dublin murder squad series - honestly, I'm enjoying these more. I hope you can get to them soon.

>9 drneutron: I heard Kraus read at the Iowa City Book Festival, and the parts he discussed/read turned my stomach, so I will pass on this.

I look forward to the new French novel. I still have a bit of a wait; I'm # 10 on the reserve list.

Happy new thread!

>34 BLBera: and >23 mahsdad: and >24 drneutron:
Daniel Kraus is a very interesting author. He wrote Rotters, which was a YA novel that I read. The initial publication press was that this was a horror novel for YA's. It was - and it wasn't. I don't like horror and so didn't read the book, but then I started hearing some buzz about it. The recorded version was on the 2011 ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults - Audio award, and so I finally got the recorded version and listened to it.

It turned out that it was not as much horror as I thought there would be. Although there were scary parts, it was really a book about bullying and its long-term effects on people. In some ways it was a very empowering novel. Totally not what I expected.

Kraus also wrote a duology for YA's titled Zebulon Finch. They are more like urban fantasy along the lines of Jim Butcher than they are straight horror.

I know that Kraus is considered an accomplished author of horror fiction but I can say that Rotters was not what I expected it to be. I thought I would listen to enough of it to be able to sell it to others looking for horror books, but if it got to be too much for me I would quit. I ended up finishing the book and thought it was very well done. If you want to flirt with horror but not be immersed in it, I would recommend Rotters and the Zebulon Finch series. These are not the kind of novels that I normally read, but they were very good and not at all what I expected.

I have not read any of Kraus's graphic novels or his other novels, because they just seemed to be too much horror for me, but I can recommend those three books.

Here's the next readathon https://www.librarything.com/topic/360200

>9 drneutron: This sounds super interesting!

I’ll say, the pragmatism in the title piqued my interest. But I’d say that’s from a research perspective. It’s the epistemology I tend to adopt with my research. Is it similar to this?

I’d say, though, being Australian I’m not higely familiar with the U.S legal system but I’m super intrigued!

>34 BLBera: Yeah, it was pretty gross. 😀

>35 benitastrnad: Interesting. I’ll have to take a look at his others.

>36 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>37 KB23: The basic conflict comes down to those who would say that case decisions should be based only on a strict reading of what the Constitution says (with ‘originalists’ interpreting what that language meant to the writers) versus those who would consider other factors like whether the decision implements a result that the founders intended or whether the original language is meaningful today. Breyer’s in the latter camp and calls this a pragmatic approach. The book gives examples from his time on the Supreme Court to expound and show why he thinks the pragmatic approach gives better decisions.

It’s an interesting debate, and if nothing else, the book gives a peek into the inner workings of a body not known for its openness.

Happy new-ish thread!

Happy Newish Thread, Jim.

>38 drneutron: Bringing up a different point re 'originalists' etc., to gun lobbyists who cite the 5th(?) amendment right to bear arms I'd like to point out - it was an amendment. Un-amend it. (Just sayin'. I'm not intending to open a can of worms here.)

Happy new thread, Jim!

>38 drneutron: sounds absolutely brilliant! I think I’ll add it to my list of reading ☺️

>9 drneutron:

You should read Galore by Michael Crummey. There is s person found inside a whale but the novel is amazing.

>39 thornton37814:, >40 vancouverdeb: Thanks, Lori and Deborah!

>41 humouress: It’s the 2nd, but yeah, nothing that says it can’t be changed. After all, the 21st amendment did away with the 18th (Prohibition). I enjoy the occasional target shooting, have done some hunting in my youth, so am not opposed to people having the ability to own firearms as long as it’s regulated with mandatory training. But the idea the there’s a fundamental right to own them seems very bizarre to me in today’s world.

>42 Kristelh: Thanks, Kristel!

>43 KB23: Great!

>44 Deedledee: looks interesting! I will!

So Friday, I picked up this…

2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport! Nicely powered, 6’ bed, double cab, 4x4. Now we’re set for some adventures this summer!

>41 humouress: Here's an instance where the right doesn't want original intent.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/how-nra-rewrote-second-a...

Original intent seems to mean "They intended what I want them to have intended" as there are so many ways to parse any writings.

>46 drneutron: - What?! No Cybertruck?!?! 😉

Saw one in the wild. It was an abomination. 😂

Good man!

>46 drneutron: As you do when you're browsing the aisles at the corner shop. Nice one Doc.

>48 ReneeMarie: I had a glance at it (just that part). Scary.

>53 humouress: 😀 Probably wouldn't be fun to drive it on the streets of Singapore.

>46 drneutron:, looking good!

>54 drneutron: I've seen a stretch Hummer here; something to do with a US Navy ship being in port at the time, I believe.

>55 Kristelh: Thanks! I'm enjoying it. 😀

>56 humouress: Wow, that would be an interesting drive! 😀

>46 drneutron: Beauty!!

Thanks! It's been fun driving something that's not 20 years old for a change. 😀

Hi Jim, mate, a belated Happy New Thread.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/360348

>59 drneutron: I know the feeling. I have a 2004 Toyota Tundra.

>62 hredwards: Adding my 2005 Toyota Highlander - how many miles on your 2004?

>61 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>62 hredwards: That's a good truck! Can't kill the Toyotas. Unfortunately, they do rust... :)

>63 m.belljackson: I had just under 250,000 on mine.

>63 m.belljackson: About 165,000.

>64 drneutron: My Father in law bought the Tundra used and drove it, then when he got to where he couldn't really do a truck anymore, he passed it on to me. I like it, I'm a big, tall guy. But my wife and others aren't so fond of it as they have to climb into it.

In my opinion, nobody LIKES pickups. If you have to use one you tolerate it and hope that engineers for whatever company made the thing does better when you have to purchase a new one.

I can't believe that people purchase bed liners for pickups. What's up with that? The pickups I have known in my lifetime wouldn't have a bed liner that lasted 2 days in it. It would be just another mud catcher. Or hay bale tangler. Or fence post snagger.

>64 drneutron: >65 hredwards: The bottom of my beautiful red Toyota Tacoma completely rusted out or it would have been kept forever,
with no computer nonsense.

I'll check on Highlander miles - around 171,000, I think.

Edit = 191,111 miles!

>66 hredwards: I had a Ram 1500 back in the aughts that I loved - quad cab, 6 foot bed. It was a great ride, but Mrsdrneutron had to climb in too. I put some step bumpers on that really helped. They’re reasonably cheap and not too difficult to install. Planning to do the same for the new truck soon - just need to find the ones I like.

>67 benitastrnad: Well, I do like, even love, my truck. And Mrsdrneutron really likes it when she wants mulch. 😀

I had a spray-on bed liner in my old Ram that worked out really well. The old Tacoma had a plastic bed liner that was just crap. This one’s got a composite bed liner that seems to be very well attached and I think it’ll work fine. I’m only doing light hauling, so it shouldn’t get in the way and there are some sensible tie downs that are in just the right spots. What I don’t get is why someone would have a tonneau cover - no extra security, gets in the way, etc.

>68 m.belljackson: My old Tacoma hasn’t passed an emissions test in 7 years. Every time I take it in, it reads not enough data, so it fails. I pay my $14 dollars, drive it a month, and repeat. 😀 So yeah, computers…

Won’t have that problem now that I have the new one, but I think there are eight computers in it. 🙄

>69 drneutron: We love our pickups here too. Beginning with my Dad's black '49 Ford (called "Nemo"), through several more Fords and Chevys (one of which was passed down to his grandson), and beginning in 1987, 4 Toyota Tacomas (one of which was not a great fit, because we stupidly went for an automatic transmission---too much vehicle, not enough "oomph"; and another of which we passed along after 15 good years, to that same grandson/nephew). They've hauled everything from rowdy kids, furniture and kayaks to hay bales, field stone, Christmas trees, horse manure, mulch, and scrap metal--with and without bed liners. A couple of them have even been fantastic vehicles for long road trips.

>67 benitastrnad: A friend of mine gleefully bought a red pickup truck about the same time she bought a house, and really loved it. She described it as her middle age crisis - buying an overpowered 2-door red vehicle.

Unfortunately she also loved dogs, and eventually acquired an Irish Wolfhound who couldn't get into the cab, and was far too heavy to lift. (Her previous two dogs were toy breeds, quite easy to lift.) My friend wound up trading in the truck for a station wagon - she clearly didn't like it as much, but it did everything required of it, including transporting materials needed for home improvements, though that part perhaps not as well as the truck would have done.

>70 laytonwoman3rd: Four Tacomas! That’s dedication. 😀

>71 ArlieS: I wanted red this time, but gave up the color for the longer bed. Someday I’ll have a red truck! 😀

>72 drneutron: TWO of them were red!

Red Tacomas Rock! Surprised that Tacomas ever came with automatic...

>74 m.belljackson: It's very hard to get one with a manual anymore.

>75 laytonwoman3rd: Yikes - maybe because older folks are buying them and find the challenge tough -

or younger ones can't be bothered...?

At age 16, I learned to drive with a stick shift and still like the feeling that I, rather than the car/truck, am in control.

>76 m.belljackson: I don't know what the logic is. My mother thought we were crazy to always want manual transmissions in our cars and trucks. My daughter took her driver's test at 17 in my Corolla with a stick shift (her grandfather taught her to drive his Army surplus Jeep when she was 12, so a modern manual transmission was very little challenge for her). I totally agree with you about the control thing, especially on slippery roads. The last car I owned with an automatic transmission was a little Chevy hatchback Chevette, '78 or '79 vintage.

It’s hard to get any truck with a manual these days, but it can be done. Both the old and new are automatic, but the new one has the fake manual with the paddle shifters. Haven’t tried them yet.

Kids aren’t taught how to drive stick, so it’s become a lost art outside the performance vehicle crowd. Auto makers make what will sell.

>78 drneutron: Pick ups (or utes - short for utility vehicles - as they're called in Australia) wouldn't be much good on the roads here for individuals, though you do see lots of them used by construction companies to transport their workers to sites. I drive an SUV - you've met her, Jim. She's 'flamenco red'.

@superboy is currently learning to drive and though mine is an automatic I insisted that he learn on a manual so he understands a bit about how cars work and doesn't think that it's just a case of 'hop in the car, push the ignition and go'. Which apparently happened when he was 14 years old, the first time my husband and I both went on holiday without the kids.

>78 drneutron: ??? "fake manual with the paddle shifters." Thank you, I think!

>78 drneutron:, >80 m.belljackson: "fake manual with the paddle shifters." Yeah, I don't see the point of those.

I will buy a pickup when they start using locking hubs to put the thing in 4-wheel drive. Nothing like having to get out in the mud or the snow and turn those things.

Somebody mentioned Army surplus jeeps - Gotta love those things. No heat. No AC. No doors. No room to haul more than 2 small square bales and only a canvas and plastic windshield.

>79 humouress: Yep, she was awesome!

>80 m.belljackson:, >81 laytonwoman3rd: Me neither.

>82 benitastrnad: :) That's hard core!

>46 drneutron: Nice! Toyota is an interesting choice. I don't see too many Toyota trucks on the road. Looks great. Congrats!

Jacob has just embarked on his first driving lesson this afternoon - well he did have a few four or five years ago but didn't get anywhere near to sitting his test. The norm here is to learn with a manual transmission, as if you learn with an automatic then you only get a licence enabling you to drive an automatic which can be quite limiting.

>84 figsfromthistle: They're very popular here - especially with the new generation of Tacomas. Thanks!

>85 SandDune: That's a sensible way to do things. Only problem here would be a shortage of manual transmission cars to learn on. Got curious, so I looked it up - less than 2% of the cars sold every year in the US are manual transmission.

Less than 2%? Wow. I learned to drive in 1978 and both of my family's cars were manual. I had to take lessons from AAA instead of at school, in order to learn how to drive a manual. But I'm really glad I did, it's a good skill to have. Sadly I didn't pass that on: when my daughters were learning to drive our cars were automatic so ... oh well.

>86 drneutron: I looked it up and about 70% of cars on the road in the U.K. are manual transmission. I've never owned an automatic ...

I've owned quite a few Toyotas, including two of the pint-sized pickups, both of which we totalled. (I skidded on a snowy road and rolled the first, my son skidded in the rain and wrapped the second around a pole.) Lets see. Corona wagon. Tercel. Huge four-door Land Cruiser. All of those were stick.

My wife was complimented by one of the hospital's valets for being able to drive a stick. And I had to fetch my own ride from the garage one time because the valet couldn't drive stick.

I'm sure you'll enjoy that Tacoma, Jim. My brother-in-law got one shortly before he died, and it was the first of his "stuff" my sister parted with. At 4'11" (she shrunk some) she couldn't reach the pedals.

I learned to drive on a manual but when I tried to drive one many years later, I'd lost the skill. I should probably try again (if I can find one to practice on). As we contemplate a vacation in Ireland, it seems that you pay a premium for an automatic transmission, and they get booked quickly (probably thanks to all the Americans :-P).

>87 lauralkeet: I was surprised too. Didn't look for the percentage of trucks sold each year that are manual, presumably that's higher.

>88 SandDune: That's very different from the US!

>89 weird_O: 2024 is the first year for the 4th generation Tacomas and they're significantly bigger than the 3rd gen. I was deciding between the Ranger and the Tacoma without having really seen the new Tacomas, then went to the DC auto show and was wowed. So mrsdrneutron is having to get used to driving a bigger truck again when she borrows it.

>90 katiekrug: Yeah, damned Americans! :)

I was away from a manual for about 5 years, but picked it up again pretty quickly when I needed to when we rented one in Scotland. I was also surprised it wasn't that hard to get used to driving on the left while in a manual!

>91 drneutron: "presumably that's higher" Wouldn't bet on that. When we bought our current Tacoma (2019) we were "warned" that it might be the last of its kind, transmission-wise.

>92 laytonwoman3rd: Interesting. To the Google!

Turns out, didn't find much data. I know that there were 1-2 manual Tacomas listed on dealer websites when I was shopping around. So it's still possible, but hard to find and with limited choices. All the ones I saw were lower end models too, so not getting any fancy upgrades with that manual truck either.

I'm guessing that you might need a manual for steep inclines, especially with heavy loads? I know some automatic SUVs have a first and second gear option to manually change down to, in case.

When I bought my first (and only, so far) new car, I went to my local dealer and informed him what I wanted - a Scion xB, blue, manual transmission. He ended up ordering it from another dealer, they didn't have any sticks on the lot (let alone blue). My current car is a Chevy Bolt EV, and unfortunately you can't have manual transmission with an electric...my first automatic.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/360495

>95 jjmcgaffey: 😀 Yeah, the EVs kinda break the paradigm.

>96 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

Update Time!



32. Owls of the Eastern Ice by Jonathan C. Slaght

Part travelogue, part birding, part science, Slaght's chronicle of his research into and conservation of fish owls in Easter Siberia is pretty good at all three. This is the kind of thing I really like - people going to remote places, doing adventurous things, and living to tell about it. Plus, the biggest owls!



33. Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Gailey's got horror chops, for sure. I don't want to say much about plot since part of the fun here is watching the mystery unfold. But as a teaser: Vera's estranged mother is dying and wants her to come home to a house where some really bad things happened. As we go, we find out more and more about her childhood, what happened to her father, and what's in the house besides her mom.

Mrsdrneutron gave me a model kit for a Famous Detective Office for Christmas. It’s a 3-D model made to fit on a bookshelf with your books, quite fun to assemble! It’s done and on the shelf!

That whale book sounds very "umm?"

>100 drneutron: I got a similar kit a few years ago and it was SO MUCH fun to put together

>100 drneutron:
That is so cool!!! Thanks for sharing that.

>101 The_Hibernator: In fairness, another of our 75ers who I can’t remember right now did enjoy it more than I did. But for me? That about sums it up.

>102 norabelle414: It was! So much so that I’m looking into other modeling ideas. I have a few really detailed card stock models of spacecraft that I think I’m going to do next.

>103 benitastrnad: 😀 Google “Detective famous agency” and you’ll find it!

>100 drneutron: That looks stunning Doc! Nicely done (to you both).

>46 drneutron: Oo, nice!

>98 drneutron: I must get my hands on the owl book. Thanks for the recommendation of that one, Jim!

>100 drneutron: Cool beans!

Have a marvelous Monday, Jim!

>46 drneutron: Love the truck, Jim. Nice looking Tacoma. What is the next trip you have planned?

I also really enjoyed Owls of the Eastern Ice. Glad you got to it.

ETA- Are you still joining us for The Razor's Edge this month?

>105 humouress: Thanks! I may have a new retirement hobby. 😀

>106 alcottacre: I think you'll enjoy it!

>107 msf59: We're definitely going to take the truck when we head back to Louisiana and Texas this fall. Planning some day tris for biking and kayaking this summer. Our next big adventure is a trip down the Rhine to visit the Christmas markets in cities along the way. Probably December 2025.

Planning to - I need to dig my copy out of whichever storage bin it's in down in the basement 😀

>108 drneutron:
One of the best Christmas markets is the one in Ulm. The market is in the Minster square and it is amazing, but so is the Minster. The Bread and Culture museum shouldn't be missed and perhaps you will hear various choirs singing in side squares on the way to the Bread and Culture Museum. However, Ulm is on the Danube so you probably will miss that one. I think it is much better than the one in Heidelberg. The one in Lucerne is pretty good. They are all fun and you will end up with a great collection of mugs from each market.

>108 drneutron: Your future plans sound great, Jim, especially the Rhine trip. Friends of ours are leaving this week for a River Cruise down the Rhine.

>100 drneutron: That shelf scene is tooo cool! I have something similar waiting on me to get back to it -- somewhere that cats won't try to get involved! Doing crafty things like that is currently complicated, but I wanna finish it! And then I want to do another. I've seen a couple built from scratch on Youtube, but that's too far outside my skillset!

>109 benitastrnad: We're sort of torn between the Rhine and the Danube, so we'll see. Right now the top choice seems to be a Rhine cruise starting in Amsterdam, but starting in Budapest on the Danube is a strong contender. 😀

>110 msf59: I hope they have fun!

>111 Murphy-Jacobs: Yeah, I'm not at the do-it-from-scratch level yet either. Though my local library has a maker space, and even after I retire I'll have access to a really nice maker space at my workplace where I could do some of that. We'll see!

>100 drneutron: Very cool.

>108 drneutron: Your river trip sounds lovely, but cold. Of course, you won't get the Christmas markets unless you go in winter.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/360644

Thanks, Silver!

Sooooo.... Wednesday and Thursday we held a tabletop exercise with a bunch of government agencies like FEMA and NOAA to practice the response to a big solar event that impacts satellite communications and GPS. (by the way, this would be a *huge* problem) While we're conducting the exercise, the Sun spit out a series of coronal mass ejections that are the biggest since 2005. 😳

>117 drneutron: - The sun just wanted to be sure y'all still knew who was in charge ;-)

I saw something about the "flares" and how the Northern Lights might be visible tonight much farther south than normal...

>117 drneutron: Nice timing ;-)

But if I understand correctly, another Carrington event would be pretty much disastrous given modern reliance on electricity; I'm unclear on whether it would just cause outages during the event, or whether it would also have EMP effects, basically frying all non-shielded digital tech. (Would this at least be limited to the part of the globe facing the sun during the solar event - assuming it lasted less than 24 hours?)

How on earth does one meaningfully prepare for such a thing, given general unwillingness to invest in just-in-case stockpiles or even less fragile supply chains? Even at nation scale, with all the power and wealth of the US government, one is dealing with rampant cost cutting, which seems particularly prone to target just-in-case preparations.

Coronal Mass Ejections is my new Metal band name.

>118 katiekrug: If the sky is clear, you may be able to see the aurora - except city lights…

>119 ArlieS: Yep, a Carrington event would be really bad. The long term effects would be in the power grid and potential loss of critical satellites like one or more GPS units. During the event we’d see HF radio blackouts, shutting down things like commas with airplanes, so grounding of the airlines for hours to days.

Back in ‘89, it took about a month to fully recover the power grid in Ontario, and that was a relatively mild event. Effects were seen in the power grid all the way to San Francisco. If we see another Carrington-level event, it could be months to recover.

The TTX covered the NOAA processes for issuing alerts to the public, but specifically the power industry and satellite operators. Processes are in place to safe systems that may be vulnerable to minimize effects, saving spacecraft or preparing to shed induced loads in a power distribution network.

>120 hredwards: 😀

Synchronicity, my friend, synchronicity.

>117 drneutron: >118 katiekrug: It has been visible much farther south. Our local news has been showing multiple pictures sent in by people in the area tonight, not just the usual green aurora, but vivid pinks too. We have not seen anything from our house, but where we live has been gobbled up by development, so it's probably too bright. And we don't have a good view toward the north. The pictures they've been showing were taken in rural areas. Last year there were a couple of times when there were reports of people seeing aurora from the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I never thought it would be visible from central NC.

>123 atozgrl: It was amazing here in East Tennessee. Even after I came inside, I could see the flashing from my bedroom window (with all the lights out). There's a large property where the house is at the far end behind me so it is almost like being rural. I had trouble falling asleep because I kept watching the show. I couldn't help but think about the verse, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork" (Psalm 19:1, KJV) as I watched.

PS - I've seen photos from all the way down to the Gulf Coast from friends.

>121 drneutron: / >123 atozgrl: - It was overcast and drizzly here last night, and we couldn't see anything :(

>121 drneutron:
>123 atozgrl:

Raining and overcast and couldn't see a thing in central/southern Ohio!

>122 blackdogbooks: Yep

>123 atozgrl:, >124 thornton37814:, >125 katiekrug:, >126 Tess_W: Rain and clouds in Maryland too, but the son and daughter-in-law took some good pics in South Bend, Indiana.

My nephew in northern Nebraska got some really good pictures. He said that the lights were mostly yellow and green with some reddish tinted blues. He was impressed with the light show. My sister in Bozeman, MT said that the lights were so bright that even in her backyard in town they could be seen. She was a bit aggravated because she drove out of town going straight north and hundreds of cars were on the road doing the same thing she was. Tonight she was going to drive out to a fishing area on the Madison River in hopes of getting another show. She said they aren't going to be as good tonight (Saturday) night, but she thought that the overall views might be better.

I told her to go to Norris Hot Springs spa and see if she could see them while floating in a hot springs with a glass of wine. She opted for the rocky fishing trails along the Madison River. Go figure!

>128 benitastrnad: She may have thought that lots of other people would think of the luxury style...and she'd already had her irritation with crowds.

>129 jjmcgaffey:
I chuckled when I read your post. Norris hot springs spa is no luxury spa. it is outdoors with port-a-potties. They do have a food truck where you can buy food and they sell wine by the glass. It is an old hippie hang-out and it is my favorite hot springs spa in Montana aside from White Sulpher Springs Hotel. That one is a 1950's cinder block building with pools at three different temperatures. One is so hot I can't get into it. I did get inside the door to that one but no way was I going into that water! But, it is luxury compared to Norris.

Floating and sipping wine vs stumbling over rocks - yeah, well, luxury is a variable.

😀Sounds like an interesting place…

>132 drneutron:
next time you go to your conference in Montana you will have to check out Norris Hot Springs Spa. Just don't go on Nude Night. That is Tuesday's - I think. but maybe that would be your bag - who knows?

>133 benitastrnad: Right. Not Tuesdays. 😀

Nothing in Singapore re the Northern Lights (though there was an unconfirmed report of a sighting in 1909) but we’ve been seeing pictures from relatives in the States. The aurora australis has been active too; we got photos from family in Melbourne.

Cool! Yeah, Singapore would be a deep reach.

>100 drneutron: That looks fantastic!! I stalled out on mine with all of RL getting in the way, but I am about 2/3 done on mine. Hope it finish it someday soon!

I missed out on the beautiful sky event, even though I stayed up 'till 1am in the hopes of seeing something. Oh well. Hubby, daughter and I did have a great night of star gazing. : )

Yeah, I saw the pics on your thread. That one looks pretty cool too. Post again when you finish!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/360905

Thanks, Silver!

Update Time!



34. Tripped: Nazi Germany, the CIA, and the Dawn of the Psychedelic Age by Norman Ohler

In Blitzed, Ohler documented the massive amounts of drugs like amphetamines that were used in Naxi Germany. Interesting stuff, but my thought at the time was that his descriptions were pretty overblown. Still, I thought it was informative enough that I thought I’d give his treatise on LSD a try.

Still somewhat overblown, Tripped did give me a sense for the discovery of LSD and the early history of production and use. Once he got into the 60s, I was already pretty familiar. Still, his reporting on the use of microdoses to treat dementia was interesting - not surprising as treating his mother was the motivation for his book.



35. The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean

Book eaters are exactly what the name says - people who live by eating books as food. They’re hidden in extremely patriarchal families, but Devon, a rare daughter, refuses to live the closed, forced marriage and motherhood.

Could have been a good story - and honestly, it was - except for how heavy-handed it was.

Update Time Again!



36. Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind by Simon Baron-Cohen

Found this on my library's new book shelf, definitely not a subject I'm familiar with! But I got curious about modeling this functionality as a system of modules, and being a system engineer, thought I'd give it a go.

The basic idea is that neurotypical people are mind readers in the sense of being able to interpret external behavior of others to attribute internal mental states like purpose and intent. "X is looking at me" leads to "X is angry with me", for example. The model posits a set of connected "modules", functional blocks that take sensory data and form conclusions from them. And from this model, Baron-Cohen posits a difference in this set of modules between neurotypical and neurodivergent people that results in autism.

There's some that are critical of this idea, even though studies over the 30 years since this book was published support his model. Most significant for me is that the Baron-Cohen presents difference as dysfunction, which doesn't seem reasonable to me. And in fact, since then he has accepted this criticism and revised the way he talks about the model.

And yes, he's a cousin of Sasha Baron-Cohen.



37. Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

Latest in the Nowhere Man series. Still fun!

>142 drneutron: You got me with #36, if only so I can critique it from the viewpoint of a person on the autistic spectrum from a family with more people on the spectrum than not.

To quote my sister: "when you've seen an autistic person, you've seen ONE autistic person".

I’m definitely interested in your ghoughts on it!

Here's the Memorial Day readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/361025

Thanks, Silver!

>142 drneutron: The series is still holding up, is it? I'll have to try again, then.

Happy last=day=off, Doc.

And to you, Richard!

>141 drneutron: D14 read and loved Book Eaters. Though I doubt she noticed it was heavy-handed

Great! Glad D14 liked it.

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/361148

Just popping in to say Hi!!

>152 Berly: Hi!

: )

A much delayed update!

Holmes, Marple & Poe: The Greatest Crime-Solving Team of the Twenty-First Century by James Patterson and Brian Sitts

Patterson and Sitts (my guess? mostly Sitts) invents a trio of private detectives modeling themselves after... you guessed it... Poe, Holmes, and Marple. Unlike Patterson's/Sitts' Shadow books, there's no time travel, just three mysterious operatives taking these identities and solving mysteries.

Like so many Pattersons, light, fluffy, and fun while you enjoy them.



39. The Marriage Pact by Michelle Richmond

In church circles, you run into accountability groups - marriage groups among them. So you're a newly wed and you really want to make the marriage work. And a friend offers you access to one that seems to really work! Go for it, right? Even when you find out the punishments for violating the Pact are pretty severe. And you can't ever, ever quit the group...



40. Ghost Station by S. A. Barnes

So you get assigned to work with a team of planet explorers that recently suffered a tragic loss of a team mate. And you're sent to a planet that once long ago seems to have had intelligent life to do a follow-up form an initial exploration. And then you find out that the previous team probably didn't make it out... And something's calling up some pretty horrific memories from your childhood...



41. The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

A reread from long ago - read in conjunction with Mark and others.

Maugham's talent is in writing characters. Ones that are deep and real, and that draw you into their lives. The Razor's Edge is exactly that. There's a story, a plot, here, but really what matters is being these people as they live out their lives over good times and bad, and how one in particular makes his peace with questions we all have: why are we here? Is there really a God that cares about us? If so, why is there evil? If not, is there a point?

Give it a try and I think you'll be captivated too.

>155 drneutron: Oh myyyy, as Takei would say...the entire premise of The Marriage Pact gives me the shuddering horrors. Scary is too mild for this horror...being in a church group! *flees screaming*

Thanks for dropping into my thread and saying hi. I enjoyed reading yours, and the discussion about trucks and automatic vs. manual (I learned on a stick shift but currently drive an automatic). Your reading list is interesting too and I added one or two to my wishlist. Keep on truckin'!

>155 drneutron: I would like to report one-and-a-half BBs from your post. I already have Holmes, Marple, and Poe requested, so that’s the “half.”

I was avoiding The Razor’s Edge but, Man! that sounds like a good read. And Mark and others had such nice things to say about the book.

Thanks for your reviews!

Karen O

>156 richardderus: Oh, it's very definitely horror! :)

>157 elorin: Welcome to the thread! Always be truckin'!

>158 klobrien2: I enjoyed the Patterson book - it's light, but fun. I suspect there will be a sequel, will certainly read that if so.

>155 drneutron: Have you seen that Patterson has completed an unfinished Michael Crichton novel? Eruption...it's about a volcano. Probably not my kind of thing, but @flamingrabbit might like it.

I’ve seen it advertised, but haven’t read it. I like most of Crichton’s books, but am a little skeptical. 😀

>161 drneutron: your response makes me think of my coworker when she saw my library book order come in: "but... Why did you buy two?"

Happy Birthday dear Jim!

>162 bell7: 😀 I’m sure it’ll get read - Patterson’s pretty popular!

>163 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul!

Happy Birthday, Jim. I hope you are kicking back with a nice pour this evening. I liked your thoughts on The Razor's Edge. I also really enjoyed the novel. I am glad you joined us.

Happy Birthday, Jim.
And thank you for a birthday gift - today Babel was available in my public library and I was able to download it. Your recommendation was a while ago, but it's only been in stock for a short time.
Have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, Jim!

Happy Birthday Jim!

Happy birthday Jim!

Belated birthday wishes!

>165 msf59: mrsdrneutron brought home a 5 year old Plantation rum for me. Memories of our trip to Barbados a few years ago!

>166 SirThomas: Excellent, Thomas! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

>167 vancouverdeb:, >168 Kristelh: Thanks, Deborah and Kristel!

>169 richardderus: Feeling that way, yeah. :)

>170 norabelle414: Thanks, Nora!

Thanks, Katie!

>169 richardderus: ;)

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/361299

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday! Hope you were able to spend it exactly the way you wanted.

I am not even trying to catch up, Jim, just stopping by to wish you a fantastic Friday!

>178 SilverWolf28:, >179 SilverWolf28: Thanks, Silver!

>180 figsfromthistle: It was a wonderful day... at work... :)

Actually, it was a good day. We're doing some fun things this weekend to celebrate - gonna bust out the kayaks tomorrow, I think. First opportunity to take the new truck off road a bit.

>181 alcottacre: No worries, Stasia! I hope yours is great too.

Hi Jim! I was exploring old threads and I came across the birthday thread/ list that Linda (@Whisper1) created and I realised it's your birthday. So Happy Birthday! 🥳 and thanks for all you do to keep the 75ers going.

Oh, I made you a 🎁 pressie but it does still need some work. (And, yes, I did have lots of things that desperately needed doing but I tend to create rabbit holes to dive down when I have deadlines.)

>183 humouress: Thanks for the good wishes! That definitely is a lot of work... :)

>184 drneutron: :0)

Happy Birthday! Have a great celebratory weekend!

Thanks, Susan!

I missed your birthday, Jim. Sounds like you'll celebrating it in your own pleasing way today and tomorrow. Have a great time!

Stunning kayak weather today, Jim. I hope you're having a good time!

>188 weird_O: Finished getting my truck tricked out with steps this morning, gonna load up and hit the river soon!

>189 norabelle414: Definitely a gorgeous day! We’re headed to the Monocacy River just south of Frederick - hopefully we’ll see the bald eagles that have been nesting there for the last few years.

Hope you had a lovely birthday, Jim!

Yep, we’ve had a good weekend!

Happy late birthday! Hope you're having an excellent weekend :)

Have a great trip. I hope you manage to spot those eagles!

>193 curioussquared: So far, so good! Got a ribeye on the grill now. Dark & stormies all around. 😀

>194 humouress: No eagles today, but the river was great, even if a bit swift.

>195 drneutron: I'm glad you had fun. Sail safely!

ETA: I know you don't actually 'sail' a kayak but 'float' doesn't have the same oomph or alliteration.

>196 humouress: :) One of my life goals is to learn to sail, so works for me!

Just stopping by to wave 'hello,' Jim. I hope all is well there!

All well here, I hope you're doing well too!

Here's the next readathon: https://www.librarything.com/topic/361415