Bubble, I passed the website on to my sister who is an avid horror/thriller fan. She liked Alfred Hitchcock's rendition of The Birds a lot. I watched a bio of her, among others, several years ago on YouTube. There are a lot of postings for her, including readings of her stories and bios.

I am almost done reading The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams. Here is a good review and summary. https://500wordsofsomething.com/the-reading-list-summary/

The Reading List is finished. There is a book club questionnaire in the Appendix, the author's personal list of book additions beyond the one in the book, and a few paragraphs about her own book reading and writing journey and upbringing. She brought more depth to the characters than I would have noticed while reading a book which became obvious when I read what she wrote about The Life of Pi. It is the only book on her list that I did read. Oddly, her personal list also included only one book I have read.

The latest addition to the Liaden Universe, Ribbon Dance by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, needs finishing even though I am not very fond of it.

My newest hardcopy book arrived today. It is Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War II. The book was written by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter. Edsel is the author of Monuments Men. The paper is an off white, perhaps a light sepia, and the cover similar, making for a vintage affect. All the pictures, and there are many, are b/w. Overall, the look and feel of the book, in my opinion, gives the book a vintage look.

I haven't decided what library read I want to tackle now.

Ok, my new library download is the audiobook version of George Stephanopoulos' The Situation Room. So far, I have only listened to the intro.

I forgot to mention, and I forgot where I saw it, but it appears that print books are making a bit of a come-back and eBooks have declined some. Sorry, I don't remember where I saw that mentioned. Well, it shouldn't be a big surprise since Amazon (the biggest seller) or the publishers have jacked up the prices to near and in a few cases more than the price of a print book. Also, publishers are enticing book collectors/readers into buying special editions with fancy new covers and such, especially the old classics.

I've ordered yet another small bookshelf that will fit between the old chest of drawers and the storage cabinet. My craft books are now residing in the bedroom closet with all my needlework supplies.
 

The bookshelf is here. I will be putting it together this afternoon.

Meanwhile I finished The Situation Room. It was an interesting and very well done audio book. Next up is Sebastian Berry's Days Without End. It is a Western set beginning in 1850 with the Sioux Indian Wars. It follows an Irishman who left Ireland during the Great Potato Famine and joined the US Army. So, I can expect plenty of Irish angst and tragedy.

Hi Mars!  Good to read your messages, even though I haven't been responding.   Days Without End sounds good.   I like "Irish angst and tragedy"!  Reminds me of a book I read decades ago, about the Modoc Indian War, up in the far corner of California.  (now Modoc County).  I was so taken with the story that we visited the Modoc ruins. (remains of their encampment.)    Can't recall the name of the book, but I think it has  "Captain Jack" in the title or sub title? 

No reading going on here, except for the newspaper, and on the computer. Son and dil gave me two interesting sounding novels for Mother's Day, but I will likely never read them.  I did read the one Sandy gave me - "The Pink Hotel".  I hate to think of that being the last book I ever read, so will have to dig around and find something else I can deal with!  plenty to choose from here. 

About George Stephanopoulos  . . .  I remember back when he was a newcomer, and first appeared on the scene.  I liked him then, and followed the early years of his career.  I probably would like "The Situation Room", but lots of other things I would read first.  I haven't paid any attention to him in recent years.   
I've never watched  "Good Morning America"!   I'm probably the only one who hasn't??   I don't turn on the TV until late afternoon, unless there's a breaking story of importance.

QuoteI've never watched  "Good Morning America"!  I'm probably the only one who hasn't??

Not so, Marilyne. I have never, to my recollection, watched it either.

Is this your Captain Jack? https://www.opb.org/article/2023/10/03/modoc-war-captain-jack-execution-fort-klamath-oregon/ (Noted the bright yellow banner across the top of the article. What a shame!)

Mars - That's a good website, explaining the Modoc War, 1872 -1873.  Lots of good information on a fascinating event in history that's not included in any of the standard textbooks. 

The book I read,  The Modocs and their War, by Keith Murray,  tells the story well.  I can't remember what prompted me to  read the book?  There is something about  Captain Jack,  himself that draws you in, and brings the story to life.

As I said,  we visited the site of the Modoc War, back in the Summer of 1972.
It is now part of the Lava Beds National Monument. We were the only ones there, when we walked along the well marked trails and lava caves and lookout platforms. Not a sound to be heard . . . total silence.  It's now been 50+ years since our visit.  I doubt that there are more than a handful of visitors there every year.  It's a bleak and lonely place. 

Here is a book review about Days Without End. https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/days-without-end/ Worth the time to read it.

Marilyne, I am going to see if I can get a copy of The Modocs and their War. The author was a ranger at Lava Beds National Monument before he became a professor at Western Washington University which holds the collection of his papers and works, published and unpublished. Oddly, it appears the University of Oklahoma Press first published this book. Also, according to what I've found, almost all of the first printing, first edition was destroyed by fire. Apparently, the survivors were thirty advance review copies that were sent out before the fire. A very rare find if you can find one, and expensive. ABE Books lists a first edition, first printing at $900.

The Modocs and their War isn't an e-book or audio book, so I will have to opt for a paperback or hardcover. Amazon only lists used hardcover books, but they do have paperbacks -- for almost $20.00.

I think I will stick with local Indians in PA, which included some Iroquois Confederacy members, and the Lenapi Nation tribes that covered Eastern PA, from a little bit of Connecticut, eastern parts of New York and Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and a sliver of current day Maryland. It was with the Lenapi nation that William Penn signed his 1682 treaty to establish the colony of Pennsylvania. I didn't find out until long after we moved from New Cumberland that Leni Lenapi had an encampment at the convergence of the Susquehanna River and Yellow Breeches Creek not far from where we had lived.

I am finally getting on to the first of Gregory Benford's six book Galactic Center Saga, In the Ocean of Night 

Mars . . . I also scrolled through Amazon, and saw that they only had a selection of used hard and soft cover editions.  I was tempted to order, but decided against it, although the story of the Modocs and Their War, is one I would love to own, and read again.   I do feel that I have a special connection to the book, after visiting the Monument, and walking the trail so long ago.   If I happened to find a copy at a used book store around here, I would buy it, but chances of me spending time in a book store, is not likely.
We have a number of excellent used book stores in San Jose, near to or connected to SJ State University.   Also I live less than 20 miles south of Stanford University,  which has a used book store on the campus  that is fabulous.

Marilyne, MarsGal how many do you have? ha ha ha

Bubble,  The thing I like most about going to see my favorite doctor, is that he has a   Little Library Exchange,   set up in his waiting room.  A good sized bookshelf, filled with both fiction and non- fiction  You are invited to take a book home to read, and then on your next visit, you either return it, or replace it with one or more from your own library.  I was pleased to see that the two books I left  last time,  were both missing, so someone is reading them.      I left two more, and picked out a novel by Anne Tyler, that I've always wanted to read. 

Tried posting twice yesterday. Kept kicking myself out. Anyway---

Marilyne, I tell that myself just about everyday, and of course, I just had to go out and buy another hardcopy book, A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World by Nicholas A. Basbanes, to add to my growing collection about all things pertaining to books. It is coming via the US "Slowstal" Service (as we used to say here) so I don't expect if for two weeks. I have just started reading his book, On Paper. There are several others he wrote that I have my eye on including his biography of William Wadsworth Longfellow. 

I am postponing my read of Gregory Benford's Galactic Center series for now. I did not like the main character and the intrusion of a cult religion in the story, brief as it probably is. Anyway, I checked on the audio book and it didn't seem so annoying. The series is now on my audio book wish list. The series spans 10's of thousands of years and involves a war between humans and an advanced civilization of intelligent machines that are bound and determined to exterminate humans (they think of us as vermin) to keep us from spreading across the galaxy. The writing is excellent. One of the characters in the early chapters of the book is portrayed as having and dies from systemic lupus erythematosus. That made me think of Jackie and her struggles.

A surprise! The book I ordered came early. It is a first edition in excellent condition. Not only that, I am surprised to note that the book is printed on acid-free paper and it is decal edged to boot. Very happy!

Mars -  I've read all of your recent posts, and per usual, many of your selections sound good.  I'm especially interested in  "A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World",  by Nicholas A. Basbanes.  I intend to put a hold on it at my library, if I ever catch up with the stack of unread books here,  that are still waiting to be read.  I received  quite a few books  on my birthday in August, that I haven't even looked at yet.

One I read last week from my dil, that you or your sister might like,  is  "The Last Thing He Told Me",  by Laura Dave.  It's a mystery thriller, which is not my favorite style of fiction.  NYT Bestseller a couple of years ago.  It was good, but the ending was weird, and I felt like I had been there before?  Similar endings on lots of thriller books . . .  unsatisfactory.

That is probably because I mentioned the book before, Marilyne. However, she has written a sequel, The First Time I Saw Him, which a good thing because I thought the first book seemed unfinished.

I am still reading On Paper and will have to renew it tomorrow or Wed. Rather that a strict history of paper, it seems also to be a combo of history, biography and travelog. Interesting, but I have been allowing other things to interrupt my reading. My current audio book, How Science Shapes Science Fiction (from Great Courses), has been languishing, mostly because, so far, I don't think it is very interesting or informative.

Mars,  looks like I was three or four years behind everyone else on that book. . . "The Last Thing he Told Me".     I looked it up and found that it has already been made into  TV miniseries, that apparently got bad reviews, and was a big flop.  I have no desire to read the sequel. 

I'm going to try to go through a lot of my most recent paperbacks today, and either start reading or start donating.  I like the sound of the book  you purchased.  "A Splendor of Letters: The Permanence of Books in an Impermanent World", and plan to check the library for a copy. 

I heard that someone was making a series, but hadn't heard anything about it since.

For fans of the spooky, Simon and Schuster just released a volume of stories by Daphne du Maurier, called After Midnight, with an introduction written by Stephen King. I found the list of stories: "The Blue Lenses", "Don't Look Now", "The Alibi", "The Apple Tree", "The Birds", "Monte Verita", "The Pool", "The Doll", "Ganymede", "Leading Lady", "Not After Midnight", "Split Second",  and "The Breakthrough". Aside from "The Birds", is anyone familiar with any of the other stories? Sue is a Stephen King fan and I know she has seen The Birds.

Jane Goodall - 1934 - 2025
I've always been a huge fan of Jane Goodall .  .  . her incredible life,  her books,  and the movies and documentaries that tell her story.    Jane,   the National Geographic movie about her life, is excellent, and available on Netflix. This review says it all!

"Set to an almost overwhelmingly emotional original score by Philip Glass, this is a wondrous and moving account of a remarkable life that puts us right there with Goodall.  "JANE" may be neither the first nor the last film on the pioneering British primatologist, but it will likely stand as the definitive portrait."

After a couple of slow to get through books, I decided on a crime mystery, so now I am in the middle of If You Were Here by Alafair Burke and enjoying it very much. I may have to add more of her books to my reading wish list.The author is the daughter of James Lee Burke. I have no recollection of reading any of his books, but I do know of him. Alafair's background includes law school and a career in law. Now she is a professor of law as well as a writer.

Mars,   I have one shelf set aside for books that I especially love, and want to read over again.  Some I've read many times over, but never tire of them.  One of those is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn",  by Betty White.  First time I read it I was 12 or 13.  Since then, countless  readings.  A timeless story of an Irish immigrant family living in Brooklyn from around 1900 to WorldWar I.  The book was first published in 1940, I think.  It was very popular with the military during WWII.

"During World War II, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn became one of the most popular books among American soldiers because it was distributed through the Armed Services Editions program, in small, pocket-sized paperbacks. The novel's story of poverty, resilience, and the American dream resonated with troops,  reminding them of home, and even sparking a sense of national identity during the war effort.  Soldiers sent large amounts of fan mail to author Betty Smith, telling her how the book provided comfort and a connection to a life they were fighting to protect."

I could have sworn that I read it in high school, but now I doubt it. There was a short story, most likely by O'Henry, that we read that I may be mixing it up with. And now, that has me over on Project Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/files/59637/59637-h/59637-h.htm I have not read an O'Henry since we read "The Ransom of Red Chief" in a discussion on SeniorLearn years ago.

I always loved The Gift  of the  Magi by O. Henry but because I  was young  and  the emotions were close  to the surface, I would cry every time  I read it.  Perhaps  I  should  follow  your  lead,  MG, and go back to the  classics...I just can't seem to get in tune with current lit.  Different times, different way of dealing with life, I suppose.

I agree with you on the Classics. There are still plenty that I haven't read. I do find some fiction acceptable, but a lot are geared to the younger generation. Even at least one of the long-time authors I read has started focusing on the younger set and, now, with this last (and I do mean last for me at this point) has included WOKE sensibilities, some of which I would rather not deal with in my reading.

Now that I have freed up my Kindle, I am about to browse through my unread collection to see what I am of a mind to read next. 

Now, I have never read Lolita believing that the subject matter is rather too distasteful for my liking. Now I discover that there is a 2018 book out, The Real Lolita by Sarah Weinman, in which the author writes about a real life 1948 case that inspired Nabokov to write Lolita. I can guarantee I will not be reading that one either. Distasteful is putting it mildly. How about downright disgusting.

How odd! I just ran across a new John Banville book release titled The Drowned that is more expensive to buy (by about $7.00) paperback than hardcover. I have never heard of this author although he appears to be quite popular. It looks like my online library has most, if not all, of his books, so I downloaded the first two of a mystery series.

My latest library read, as yet to be started, is one of the British Classic series, Death on the Down Beat by Sebastian Farr.

Michael wants to preserve only the active S&F postings

Your thoughts? Proposed board reorganization

Quote from: Oldiesmann on October 15, 2025, 10:08:02 PMI noticed that some boards aren't used much these days and am thinking of rearranging/reorganizing things to clean up the clutter some. Let me know what you think.

"Talk About Photography" and "Computer Art" - no posts in either board since this forum was restarted in 2018. Delete these since nobody is using them anyway

Rearrange other boards based on popularity - currently they're in alphabetical order in each category but some are more popular than others. "Computer Store" hasn't seen any new posts since 2021 but "Village Clubhouse" sees new posts almost daily.

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