Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?

GNTLGNT

Grant87 said:

Currently reading Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm slowly starting to work my way through the Jack Ryan universe in chronological order, not by publication. Started with Without Remorse, since it takes place before the Jack Ryan books. Tom sure wrote some doorstops, but they're pretty quick reads nonetheless. I haven't decided how often I plan to mix in a Jack Ryan book on my reading list, so it will take some time to get through them all.

And my wife usually has our tree up on November 1st. She's all in on Christmas. Ours is not up yet because we just got new flooring installed. I'm sure it'll be up this weekend, though.

....I went through a Clancy "phase"....he wore me out with all the intricate detail though...I felt that it got in the way of his plotting at times....

GNTLGNT

...on a whim, I picked this up and damn!....am I glad I did...what a great read!.....

Hedda Gabler

Kurben said:

I've reading The Rise and Fall Of The Dinosaurs by Steve Brusette. He is one of the new generation of paleontologists. Its written in 2019 so its full of updates of what i already knew about the subject plus its written in the very enthusiastic style of a person in love with his work. That makes it very fun to read and more personal than other books i've read on the subject.

Also. Deejers, no tree?? WTH??? Have you had a forewarning of the extinction of the earth or whats going on???

You do a tree and take pictures. I’ll live vicariously through your tree. Everyone take a snap of their tree. I will live in each and every one, like some pine beetle. 

What? Fuuuuu,  just ignore me. 

Hedda Gabler

Grant87 said:

Currently reading Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm slowly starting to work my way through the Jack Ryan universe in chronological order, not by publication. Started with Without Remorse, since it takes place before the Jack Ryan books. Tom sure wrote some doorstops, but they're pretty quick reads nonetheless. I haven't decided how often I plan to mix in a Jack Ryan book on my reading list, so it will take some time to get through them all.

And my wife usually has our tree up on November 1st. She's all in on Christmas. Ours is not up yet because we just got new flooring installed. I'm sure it'll be up this weekend, though.

Good for her! If you care to share, i’d love to see her tree, but I understand  if not. 

FlakeNoir

Nope, no Christmas tree snap sorry, I love you dearly but I'm not going to Christmas Tree enable you. Time to cut the apathy, McScrooge and put up your beautiful tree. 
It doesn't have to be today, tomorrow, next week or the one after.  It just has to be up by Christmas morning. 
You might hate me today, but smile about it later. I hope so anyway. 
@Hedda Gabler

Grant87

GNTLGNT said:

Grant87 said:

Currently reading Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm slowly starting to work my way through the Jack Ryan universe in chronological order, not by publication. Started with Without Remorse, since it takes place before the Jack Ryan books. Tom sure wrote some doorstops, but they're pretty quick reads nonetheless. I haven't decided how often I plan to mix in a Jack Ryan book on my reading list, so it will take some time to get through them all.

And my wife usually has our tree up on November 1st. She's all in on Christmas. Ours is not up yet because we just got new flooring installed. I'm sure it'll be up this weekend, though.

....I went through a Clancy "phase"....he wore me out with all the intricate detail though...I felt that it got in the way of his plotting at times....

I can see that. I haven't encountered that yet, but this is only the second book I've read by him. I've really liked the Jack Ryan series on Amazon Prime too. That's what made me want to check out the books.

Grant87

Hedda Gabler said:

Grant87 said:

Currently reading Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm slowly starting to work my way through the Jack Ryan universe in chronological order, not by publication. Started with Without Remorse, since it takes place before the Jack Ryan books. Tom sure wrote some doorstops, but they're pretty quick reads nonetheless. I haven't decided how often I plan to mix in a Jack Ryan book on my reading list, so it will take some time to get through them all.

And my wife usually has our tree up on November 1st. She's all in on Christmas. Ours is not up yet because we just got new flooring installed. I'm sure it'll be up this weekend, though.

Good for her! If you care to share, i’d love to see her tree, but I understand  if not. 

I can definitely post a picture when we get it put up! I'll make sure the new floors are clearly visible too, since that bill almost knocked me out of my chair.

Hedda Gabler

Grant87 said:

Hedda Gabler said:

Grant87 said:

Currently reading Patriot Games by Tom Clancy. I'm slowly starting to work my way through the Jack Ryan universe in chronological order, not by publication. Started with Without Remorse, since it takes place before the Jack Ryan books. Tom sure wrote some doorstops, but they're pretty quick reads nonetheless. I haven't decided how often I plan to mix in a Jack Ryan book on my reading list, so it will take some time to get through them all.

And my wife usually has our tree up on November 1st. She's all in on Christmas. Ours is not up yet because we just got new flooring installed. I'm sure it'll be up this weekend, though.

Good for her! If you care to share, i’d love to see her tree, but I understand  if not. 

I can definitely post a picture when we get it put up! I'll make sure the new floors are clearly visible too, since that bill almost knocked me out of my chair.

I bet the floors are beautiful. 

GNTLGNT

Kurben

Started Athelstan by Sarah Foot. A much needed biography over Athelstan, the first english king. He is not so wellknown because of bad sources of his time. His grandfather was Alfred The Great, King of Wessex. Athelstan was the first british king to rule over what is called England. He defeated the Viking kings Of Northumbria (York) and East Anglia. Athelstan only ruled for 15 years (924-939) but his way of centralizing the government of england and him leading the Anglo-saxons to victory against the Anglo-Scandinavians of the north had an immense impact on english history. His house (halfbrothers and nephews since he had no children) would then rule England until they lost it to the danish kings (Cnut the Great and sons 1016-1042) until they retook the throne only to lose it to the Normans 24 tears later. The Normans, when it came to ruling, followed in used footsteps. To William The Conqueror it was power that was important, not how to rule. As long as the power was his he was satisfied. About time someone wrote a biography over Athelstan. It takes a bit more work than Alfred the Great or William The Conqueror or even Edward The Confessor because of the scarcity of the sources but such an important english king needed his own biography. So far good, she is very careful to point out which sources she uses for which opinions (a lot of footnotes) but her writing is good.

Hedda Gabler

Kurben said:

Started Athelstan by Sarah Foot. A much needed biography over Athelstan, the first english king. He is not so wellknown because of bad sources of his time. His grandfather was Alfred The Great, King of Wessex. Athelstan was the first british king to rule over what is called England. He defeated the Viking kings Of Northumbria (York) and East Anglia. Athelstan only ruled for 15 years (924-939) but his way of centralizing the government of england and him leading the Anglo-saxons to victory against the Anglo-Scandinavians of the north had an immense impact on english history. His house (halfbrothers and nephews since he had no children) would then rule England until they lost it to the danish kings (Cnut the Great and sons 1016-1042) until they retook the throne only to lose it to the Normans 24 tears later. The Normans, when it came to ruling, followed in used footsteps. To William The Conqueror it was power that was important, not how to rule. As long as the power was his he was satisfied. About time someone wrote a biography over Athelstan. It takes a bit more work than Alfred the Great or William The Conqueror or even Edward The Confessor because of the scarcity of the sources but such an important english king needed his own biography. So far good, she is very careful to point out which sources she uses for which opinions (a lot of footnotes) but her writing is good.

I have never even heard the name Athelstan. That is so interesting. 

GNTLGNT

....if you get the chance, find the short story Heroes by Rich Chizmar.....it's one that will never leave you....I have found many of his stories to be as tasty as a good cup of coffee, but this one lingers in a "smell of perfume in an empty room" kind of way.....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

....if you get the chance, find the short story Heroes by Rich Chizmar.....it's one that will never leave you....I have found many of his stories to be as tasty as a good cup of coffee, but this one lingers in a "smell of perfume in an empty room" kind of way.....

Was it in a collection?

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

....if you get the chance, find the short story Heroes by Rich Chizmar.....it's one that will never leave you....I have found many of his stories to be as tasty as a good cup of coffee, but this one lingers in a "smell of perfume in an empty room" kind of way.....

Richard is a very intuitive writer. He can capture a common feeling or thought that is hard to put into words, yet he does it. 

Not sure when he wrote Heroes (i just read it in my copy of A Long December) but I suspect it was a story coming soon after the death of his dad. I too felt that desperation to do anything —anything — to keep someone with me. I read that and felt my mom and dad especially. I’m guessing you felt that with your losses too, scott. 

What would we have done to keep our people — strong and healthy and here with us? 

Anything. 

FlakeNoir

Absolutely anything. 😭

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

GNTLGNT said:

....if you get the chance, find the short story Heroes by Rich Chizmar.....it's one that will never leave you....I have found many of his stories to be as tasty as a good cup of coffee, but this one lingers in a "smell of perfume in an empty room" kind of way.....

Was it in a collection?

...it is his most reprinted story.....just search the title/author and you should be able to find it with ease...lemmee look......

“Heroes”

• originally published in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; NAL Roc; trade paperback; 1993
• reprinted in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; Doubleday Book Club; hardcover; 1993
• reprinted in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; Severn House Publishers; British hardcover; 1993
• reprinted in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; NAL Roc; U.S. mass market paperback; 1994
• reprinted in 100 Tiny Tales of Terror, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg and Martin H. Greenberg; Barnes and Noble Books; 1996
• reprinted in Midnight Promises; Gauntlet Publications; 1996
• reprinted in Monsters and Other Stories; Subterranean Press; 1998
• reprinted in A Long December; Subterranean Press; 2016

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

GNTLGNT said:

....if you get the chance, find the short story Heroes by Rich Chizmar.....it's one that will never leave you....I have found many of his stories to be as tasty as a good cup of coffee, but this one lingers in a "smell of perfume in an empty room" kind of way.....

Was it in a collection?

...it is his most reprinted story.....just search the title/author and you should be able to find it with ease...lemmee look......

“Heroes”

• originally published in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; NAL Roc; trade paperback; 1993
• reprinted in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; Doubleday Book Club; hardcover; 1993
• reprinted in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; Severn House Publishers; British hardcover; 1993
• reprinted in Predators, edited by Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg; NAL Roc; U.S. mass market paperback; 1994
• reprinted in 100 Tiny Tales of Terror, edited by Stefan Dziemianowicz, Robert Weinberg and Martin H. Greenberg; Barnes and Noble Books; 1996
• reprinted in Midnight Promises; Gauntlet Publications; 1996
• reprinted in Monsters and Other Stories; Subterranean Press; 1998
• reprinted in A Long December; Subterranean Press; 2016

Yep. Found it. Read it. Commented above. 

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

GNTLGNT said:

....if you get the chance, find the short story Heroes by Rich Chizmar.....it's one that will never leave you....I have found many of his stories to be as tasty as a good cup of coffee, but this one lingers in a "smell of perfume in an empty room" kind of way.....

Richard is a very intuitive writer. He can capture a common feeling or thought that is hard to put into words, yet he does it. 

Not sure when he wrote Heroes (i just read it in my copy of A Long December) but I suspect it was a story coming soon after the death of his dad. I too felt that desperation to do anything —anything — to keep someone with me. I read that and felt my mom and dad especially. I’m guessing you felt that with your losses too, scott. 

What would we have done to keep our people — strong and healthy and here with us? 

Anything. 

...It hit a nerve for sure.....this link will give you the inside skinny....

https://richardchizmar.com/book/heroes/

Hedda Gabler

Interesting that he wrote this many years before his dad passed away. How he captured those fears and feelings is true skill. 

GNTLGNT

....he has his own in-roads to the human psyche and he walks them well....

GNTLGNT

...nasty/funny tale....

Notaro

Finished Arizona Dreams, thoroughly enjoyed it, a relaxed pace, a story within a story, intertwined with the subtle art of falling in love and the day to day complexities that try to get in the way.

Marsha

Notaro said:

Finished Arizona Dreams, thoroughly enjoyed it, a relaxed pace, a story within a story, intertwined with the subtle art of falling in love and the day to day complexities that try to get in the way.

Now that sounds like a great review to add to my blurb copy!

GNTLGNT

....that's our Irish!....a living/breathing blurb.......

Hedda Gabler

I picked up The Death of Jane Lawrence and My Heart is a Chainsaw. 

I know nothing about the  first, i just loved that cover. 

I know next to nothing on the second. I hope it’s good.