Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?

GNTLGNT

...was there a Royal mouse toileter?.....

Hedda Gabler

Did anyone see the South Park episode poking fun at the Sussexes? I’ve just seen a snippet featuring their Privacy Tour promoting Harry’s book holding signs saying Stop Looking At Us. And We Want our Privacy. 

That is hilarious and exposes their hypocrisy.  And the fact he trashes Royal family, but uses the Prince , Duke and Duchess titles — grifters. 

Keep Sending all your money and support to the grifters in this world, dumbasses. 

GNTLGNT

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ce_QEfU57CQ

Kurben

Reading Catastrophe: Europe goes to war in 1914. By Max Hastings the well renowned historian. It fucos on 1914 but takes on the things that lead to the outbreak of WW1 like Germanys Schlieffen plan, like the earlier wars Austria-Hungary had made against Serbia and how crucially important it was for Russia to keep free access to their ports in the black sea without which their export economy would die. But the main part is about the battles of 1914, very bloody battles before both sides decided to dig down into a stalemate with the trench warfare that started in december -14 to january -15. Probably the most known battles during this early stage are Marne and Ypres, very bloody battles. When the trench warfare had taken over probably the most known are Somme and Verdun both held in 1916.

Hedda Gabler

Finished Harry’s book. 

Well. I feel wildly sad for him as a person. He’s friggin’ rich, so he’s living large. He’ll be okay in that respect even though daddy cut off extra support. He is pissed about that. What was he supposed to do now? he fumes. A thirty something year old man.  But, in his defense, they never ever taught him real life skills. None. I am so surprised he didn’t write about his old mate, The Groom of the Stool. 

I believe some of his revelations and I believe he believes ALL of his revelations. I think he is a drug addict and an alcoholic. He freely details his ongoing drug and alcohol abuse every chance he gets. Anyone who sucks down a tank of laughing gas meant for his wife in labor is a raging drug seeker. (And I’ve never heard of laughing gas given for labor. I didn’t get laughing gas. Where was my laughing gas?  I didn’t get to yuk it up when I delivered my babe, my uterus, 3 ribs and a clown car.)

We hear numerous dick stories. Constant dicks, his, anyone’s. Calm down Harold. We aren’t doubting your manly manliness. 

And Meg not knowing anything about the royal family? He claims she knew nothing. I don’t believe that for a minute. She lived and worked in Canada for 7 years — a British commonwealth.  And it was exposed she wrote something about Kate on her blog before meeting Harry.  I think she is an opportunist. She  is an actress and she staged a romantic play for Harry.  He thinks he’s Fabio with his damsel in distress.  The drama of their lovvvvve. Good god. 

Having said all that, i’m glad he’s out but he needs his titles stripped. You can’t have this both ways. Privacy and separation from royalty,  but keeping royal titles? Come on. His hypocrisy about many issues is just boggling.  

Be happy. Get your shit together.  Continue to do your charity work.  He loves the veterans and shines on that front. 

They want to be left alone, but they won’t know what to do with themselves without all the attention. 

GNTLGNT

....I'm just agog that you squeezed out a clown car.....did that include the aahooga horn?.....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

....I'm just agog that you squeezed out a clown car.....did that include the aahooga horn?.....

😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣

Kurben

Kindred by Octavia Butler. A kinda time travel story switching between a slave ranch in the south and yesteryears New York. And since this is Octavia Butler her prose is excellent and her interest is the characters. There is no machine that does the traveling, no porthole, it is just a dream but it is real and only works under certain circumstances. Started really promising.
This is just an observation, dont know if its valid, but four of the most interesting SF authors i've read when it comes to characters and description of societies, past, present or future, is all women. Ursula K. Leguin, Margaret Atwood, Octavia Butler and Tanith Lee. Lee switched over to crime stories after awhile which i think was a pity since i find her SF more interesting. Is that a coincidence? That all four are women i mean. Just a question i'm throwing out there.

GNTLGNT

....no coincidence Kurb....women are usually keen judges of character and have foresight beyond us knuckle draggers.....that being said, Asimov, Bradbury, Verne and Heinlein held their own pretty well....

FlakeNoir

I think a contributing factor was their unfailing ability to see the 'lost' jar of pickled yams in the back of the cold cupboard, when nobody else could. 

GNTLGNT

FlakeNoir said:

I think a contributing factor was their unfailing ability to see the 'lost' jar of pickled yams in the back of the cold cupboard, when nobody else could. 

....that is an awesome comparison, and I'm not just yam-mering....

Grant87

Well, I had a really good reading month again in February. Got to everything on my list and had time to squeeze in an extra book. Here's what I read:

• How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix. I really enjoyed Grady's newest novel. It takes a campy premise (haunted house filled with killer puppets) and makes it work. Some creepy moments and Hendrix's dark humor make a good combo.
• Strange Weather, Joe Hill. Solid collection of novellas from Joe. I've now read everything from him, besides the comics. I need more!
• Don't Fear the Reaper, Stephen Graham Jones. This one was a really fun slasher. It's the 2nd book in a trilogy, so you have to read My Heart is a Chainsaw first. By not having to set up the world or give the reader background info on the characters, Jones is able to put the pedal to the floor from the get-go. I highly recommend checking his stuff out. He's one of the biggest names in horror now. (Side note: look up his episodes on The Kingcast podcast. He's fun to listen to.)
• In a Lonely Place, Karl Edward Wagner. Well-known (but hard to find, until now) horror collection from the 80's, re-printed by Valancourt Books. This one was great. Wagner was quite a writer. These stories gave me similar vibes to King's short stories of that era. Highly recommended.
• When Things Get Dark (anthology). Solid anthology full of talented writers tasked with crafting stories influenced by Shirley Jackson.  Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Joyce Carol Oates, etc. are in here. My favorites were "Hag" by Benjamin Percy and "Tiptoe" by Laird Barron. If nothing else, try and find those stories online somewhere. They were great. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's everything I plan to read in March:

• Fairy Tale, Stephen King
• The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay
• Daphne, Josh Malerman
• Red London, Alma Katsu
• The Charlemagne Pursuit, Steve Berry
• Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid

GNTLGNT

...impressive my friend...

Hedda Gabler

Grant87 said:

Well, I had a really good reading month again in February. Got to everything on my list and had time to squeeze in an extra book. Here's what I read:

• How to Sell a Haunted House, Grady Hendrix. I really enjoyed Grady's newest novel. It takes a campy premise (haunted house filled with killer puppets) and makes it work. Some creepy moments and Hendrix's dark humor make a good combo.
• Strange Weather, Joe Hill. Solid collection of novellas from Joe. I've now read everything from him, besides the comics. I need more!
• Don't Fear the Reaper, Stephen Graham Jones. This one was a really fun slasher. It's the 2nd book in a trilogy, so you have to read My Heart is a Chainsaw first. By not having to set up the world or give the reader background info on the characters, Jones is able to put the pedal to the floor from the get-go. I highly recommend checking his stuff out. He's one of the biggest names in horror now. (Side note: look up his episodes on The Kingcast podcast. He's fun to listen to.)
• In a Lonely Place, Karl Edward Wagner. Well-known (but hard to find, until now) horror collection from the 80's, re-printed by Valancourt Books. This one was great. Wagner was quite a writer. These stories gave me similar vibes to King's short stories of that era. Highly recommended.
• When Things Get Dark (anthology). Solid anthology full of talented writers tasked with crafting stories influenced by Shirley Jackson.  Stephen Graham Jones, Paul Tremblay, Joyce Carol Oates, etc. are in here. My favorites were "Hag" by Benjamin Percy and "Tiptoe" by Laird Barron. If nothing else, try and find those stories online somewhere. They were great. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's everything I plan to read in March:

• Fairy Tale, Stephen King
• The Cabin at the End of the World, Paul Tremblay
• Daphne, Josh Malerman
• Red London, Alma Katsu
• The Charlemagne Pursuit, Steve Berry
• Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid

These all sound good. Added to the list. 

Lou_Sytsma

Finished The King of Shadows. Mixed feelings on this one. McCammon spends an inordinate amount of time with the backstory of the villains. On one hand it is good to know more about Corbett's enemies but on the other, the main story wasn't that compelling.  

The main plot also did nothing to progress the overall series arc either.

Next up is the sequel to Leigh Bargudo's excellent Ninth House, Hell Bent.

Kurben

Finished Kindred by Butler. Gave me an appetite for her writing and started Lilith's Brood. An SF dystopian trilogy that starts with Dawn. A woman wakes up in a prison cell and confused by her surroundings only gradually in memory flashes remembers the downfall of humanity while sometimes being visited by strange humanoid alien (the Oinkali) beings that asks questions.

Kurben

While Kindred was good Dawn, the first in the Lilith's Brood trilogy is truly excellent!! Highly enjoying myself. About twothirds into the story now and it is totally captivating. Great story, great narration and a highly imaginative vision of the alien society.

Kurben

Dawn was excellent right to the end! Planning to start two books; Adulthood Rites which is book two in the Liliths Brood trilogy and The Origin of Empire by David Potter. Starts from when the Roman Republic started to become too big for its own good and sowed the seed to its own destruction (The Punic Wars) and end with Hadrian, one in line of good emperors that brought Rome to its peak. Sadly there were very few emperors of Hadrian and Trajans calibre and after Marcus Aurelius it went downhill fast..... I know the history but will be interesting to see his take on it.

Hedda Gabler

Read the first chapter of The Curator. 

That is some tortured writing. 

As I’ve said in the past, Owen reminds me very much of authors like Hemingway, Faulkner, Whitman, Capote, Fitzgerald — men of a certain voice and style. And while his work is good, like theirs, it is difficult at times because of the use of elevated, intelligent sentence structure. 

  I bet money he carefully crafted every single line. Not that other writers don’t, but they seem to allow for the casual while there is nothing casual about Owen’s choices. Or it feels that way. 

I see him slumped over the work, writing and changing words to get just the right sound. The right cadence. He’s too smart for me but I’m going to try very hard to meet his challenge because it’s writing like this that elevates me too. 

And like Tabitha King, you definitely see the poetry in his work. 

While I do think I am a smidge above— there once was a man from Nantucket , I’m not anywhere near the complicated voices of skilled poets.

Lou_Sytsma

Change of plans, will be reading The Curator next instead.

Hedda Gabler

Hedda Gabler said:

Read the first chapter of The Curator. 

That is some tortured writing. 

As I’ve said in the past, Owen reminds me very much of authors like Hemingway, Faulkner, Whitman, Capote, Fitzgerald — men of a certain voice and style. And while his work is good, like theirs, it is difficult at times because of the use of elevated, intelligent sentence structure. 

  I bet money he carefully crafted every single line. Not that other writers don’t, but they seem to allow for the casual while there is nothing casual about Owen’s choices. Or it feels that way. 

I see him slumped over the work, writing and changing words to get just the right sound. The right cadence. He’s too smart for me but I’m going to try very hard to meet his challenge because it’s writing like this that elevates me too. 

And like Tabitha King, you definitely see the poetry in his work. 

While I do think I am a smidge above— there once was a man from Nantucket , I’m not anywhere near the complicated voices of skilled poets.

Here we go. 50 pages in and Owen is settling into the story.  Now he’s becoming more gentle. 

There is a moment between brother and sister — walking around a corner and people disappearing. I love this passage. 

Hedda Gabler

I’m 143 pages into Owen’s book, The Curator.  I am loving this. I hope this holds up because I have a long ways to go, but I really think this is his best book so far. Love the story. 

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler said:

I’m 143 pages into Owen’s book, The Curator.  I am loving this. I hope this holds up because I have a long ways to go, but I really think this is his best book so far. Love the story. 

....received mine t'other day....always have to "prepare" myself for Owen because he is such a meticulous writer with a style that takes my receptors a moment to adjust to....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

Hedda Gabler said:

I’m 143 pages into Owen’s book, The Curator.  I am loving this. I hope this holds up because I have a long ways to go, but I really think this is his best book so far. Love the story. 

....received mine t'other day....always have to "prepare" myself for Owen because he is such a meticulous writer with a style that takes my receptors a moment to adjust to....

Do not be deterred by the first 2 or 3 chapters. (this could just be a dana issue)  They are tortuous things. Once he settles into his story, it’s good. 

Kurben

Found Queens of the Conguest by Alison Weir in an used bookshop pile of books that cost just half an US dollar. Of course i was on it like a puma. Weir is a very good popular historian specialized in medieval and Tudor times in England. This is about the early Norman Queens and their influence and personality. From Matilda of Flanders (the Conquerors wife) to the Matilda that fought a civil war for her right to the throne some generations later (between Henry I and Henry II). Good that we get a history that focus more on the woman that, though not given the same amount of power as their husbands, had quite alot of influence on their times.