dopetalk
General => Music => Topic started by: skramamme on October 21, 2015, 08:26:50 AM
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I thought I'd start a couple of threads here, one for books and one for telly/movies.
So, what are you reading at the moment?
Any suggestions for a good read?
I'm currently reading one of the Dark Tower books by Stephen King (the snobby part of me cringes that I like his work, but he tells a damn good story).
And some of the authors that I love are;
Robin Hobb- the Liveship trilogy is amazing if you like beautifully fleshed out fantasy worlds
Sheri S Tepper (futuristic fantasy might be the way to describe it)
Frank Herbert's Dune
Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams of course (RIP to both of them)
Stephen Hunter's Black Light is great- about a Vietnam sniper vet (there's a movie called Shooter based on one of his novels)
Martin Amis- Money is just a brilliant novel
Robert Campbell's Alice in La LA Land is a very cool gumshoe detective novel (a hard-boiled novel I think they call it)...
so many great books out there :)
What's your favourite genre?
I tend to like sci-fi/fantasy (hard sci-fi is a little hard for me to grasp sometimes), good crime (fiction rather than non fiction) and dystopian-type stuff.
Oh, and horror.
So I'd love to hear what other people are into :D
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I like history books
I just got done with
Legacy of ashes
It was about the cia
I would get up and find it
But HeAd is sleeping.
And I'm on my phone trying not to annoy her.
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an Android magazine and this forum.
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Working on "Chasing the Scream"about the history of the drug war.
Favorite author is Cormac Macarthy, especially Blood Meridian but all of his stuff is beautifully written.
Recently read "Why America Failed" by Morris Berman, an excellent dissection d chronic problems of the USA by a scholar.
Regualr blogs by Chis Hedges and Dimitri Orlov.
I can't sit for 5 minutes without reading something. Once in Guadalajara I was walking down the street reading a book while walking and fell inot an covered, unmarked pit in th emidddle of the sidewalk. Just walked off the dge and had that falling feeling......ouch.
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I've not read any fiction in ages. When I was in HS and college, I really liked reading the classics of English / American literature. Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Edgar Allen Poe, Thoreau, Shelley, Lord Byron, the Bronte sisters, etc.
For the past decade though, I've not read much. If anything, I usually read non-fiction. Primarily history, but sometimes articles on languages, culture, pharmacology, biographies, etc. Usually articles on Wikipedia, sometimes other sites.
As for history, I like ancient to pre-WWI. I just can't get into 20th century history, or a lot of contemporary events. One reason I like history is b/c it offers a glimpse into another world and time. 20th century history is too close to today. It's also a lot of wars, and I hate learning about battles and wars, in whatever time period. For instance, in Roman history, I always hated learning about Caesar on his campaigns in Gaul. Totally boring IMO. Likewise with the history of Ancient Greece and their battles with Persia. Boring.
I'm not into American history either. Some aspects of the Revolutionary War are interesting, primarily from a cultural standpoint. But after that, no thanks. I do like Colonial American history though.
If I had to pick my three favorite historical periods, I'd say:
Ancient Roman (late-Republican to early-Imperial)
English and French history of the High Middle Ages
19th century English history
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Just finished "American pain" and "Dreamland"-as good a break down on the socio-political history of opiate dependence in the states over the last 10-15 years and I'm now reading Bruce Robinson's "They all love Jack".
Read "Ghettoside;investigating a homicide epidemic" recently too.
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I'm reading two, the zamperini book that unbroken was based on and Dean Koontz newest. Well the short story before it. I have very eclectic reading tastes. When I get on my tab I will add titles, this phone sucks for posting g.
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Have two books here: The Sociopath Next Door (Stout), and: It's Here Now (Are You?) (Bhagavan Das)
I want a Kindle.
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Have two books here: The Sociopath Next Door (Stout), and: It's Here Now (Are You?) (Bhagavan Das)
I want a Kindle.
Loved my kindle! Now I use the Kindle app on my Samsung tab, just as good imo!
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I'm reading two, the zamperini book that unbroken was based on and Dean Koontz newest. Well the short story before it. I have very eclectic reading tastes. When I get on my tab I will add titles, this phone sucks for posting g.
Oh man, Unbroken, the book, was so good! I love me some good narrative nonfiction. Haven't seen the movie. Did you see the movie?
I thought I'd start a couple of threads here, one for books and one for telly/movies.
So, what are you reading at the moment?
Any suggestions for a good read?
I'm currently reading one of the Dark Tower books by Stephen King (the snobby part of me cringes that I like his work, but he tells a damn good story).
And some of the authors that I love are;
Robin Hobb- the Liveship trilogy is amazing if you like beautifully fleshed out fantasy worlds
Sheri S Tepper (futuristic fantasy might be the way to describe it)
Frank Herbert's Dune
Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams of course (RIP to both of them)
Stephen Hunter's Black Light is great- about a Vietnam sniper vet (there's a movie called Shooter based on one of his novels)
Martin Amis- Money is just a brilliant novel
Robert Campbell's Alice in La LA Land is a very cool gumshoe detective novel (a hard-boiled novel I think they call it)...
so many great books out there :)
What's your favourite genre?
I tend to like sci-fi/fantasy (hard sci-fi is a little hard for me to grasp sometimes), good crime (fiction rather than non fiction) and dystopian-type stuff.
Oh, and horror.
So I'd love to hear what other people are into :D
Glad you started this thread. I already see some titles I want to add to my to-read list. Right now I'm reading The Biology of Desire: Why addiction is not a disease by Marc Lewis. He also wrote Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A neuroscientist examines his former life on drugs in which he explains the neuroscience/biology of drug use through the narrative of his life. He uses the same format in Biology of Desire, but rather than write about his own experiences this time, each chapter is focused on a different drug user. I'm loving it. The logical explanations really speak to me, and he's also just a very good writer. Some of the best drug-related imagery I've read (although everyone has their own opinions about that stuff).
skramamme, if you like sci-fi I want to recommend a few podcasts (maybe a podcast thread should be started?) because I'm podcast obsessed right now: Meanwhile In The Future and Limetown.
With Meanwhile In The Future they do a small intro skit imagining what some form of the future will be like, for example some of the episodes are "A world with artificial wombs," "A second moon for earth," and "What if we banned all weapons?" and then they interview experts to get their opinion on the subject. Their experts are usually scientists and science fiction authors. The episodes are only about 20 mins and are well produced.
Limetown is only three episodes along but so far seems promising. It's also well produced and episodes are around 30 mins. People are saying it's like Serial meets Welcome to Nightvale but that's probably just bc there aren't many podcasts available for comparison. From their website: Limetown follows journalist Lia Haddock as she investigates the infamous disappearance of a doomed research facility. Give it a listen - I'd love to know what you think.
Ooh ooh, another one I just thought of is Criminal. This one's not sci-fi, it's true crime. Also 20 min-ish episodes covering topics from extortion to counterfeit money to murder. Each episode tells a specific (true) story or interviews a specific person. Some of my favorites are "The buck stops here," "Mothers little helper," and "I'm about to save your life."
Okay okay I'll stop now. :)
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Smalls,
No, haven't seen the movie yet, I am much more into reading than the movies. For instance,I've read the entire Lee Child series but was so bummed when they made Tom cruise Reacher in the movie. Reacher is 6ft6in. Cruise is what 5'4"? Anyways I like creating my own visuals and movies rarely compare.
The movie is on demand right now so I may try it out this weekend and if I do I'll let you know ;).
~lissa
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Smalls,
No, haven't seen the movie yet, I am much more into reading than the movies. For instance,I've read the entire Lee Child series but was so bummed when they made Tom cruise Reacher in the movie. Reacher is 6ft6in. Cruise is what 5'4"? Anyways I like creating my own visuals and movies rarely compare.
The movie is on demand right now so I may try it out this weekend and if I do I'll let you know ;).
~lissa
I'm the same way. Movies rarely ever live up to what I've created in my mind from reading the story.
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Glad you started this thread. I already see some titles I want to add to my to-read list. Right now I'm reading The Biology of Desire: Why addiction is not a disease by Marc Lewis. He also wrote Memoirs of an Addicted Brain: A neuroscientist examines his former life on drugs in which he explains the neuroscience/biology of drug use through the narrative of his life. He uses the same format in Biology of Desire, but rather than write about his own experiences this time, each chapter is focused on a different drug user. I'm loving it. The logical explanations really speak to me, and he's also just a very good writer. Some of the best drug-related imagery I've read (although everyone has their own opinions about that stuff).
skramamme, if you like sci-fi I want to recommend a few podcasts (maybe a podcast thread should be started?) because I'm podcast obsessed right now: Meanwhile In The Future and Limetown.
With Meanwhile In The Future they do a small intro skit imagining what some form of the future will be like, for example some of the episodes are "A world with artificial wombs," "A second moon for earth," and "What if we banned all weapons?" and then they interview experts to get their opinion on the subject. Their experts are usually scientists and science fiction authors. The episodes are only about 20 mins and are well produced.
Limetown is only three episodes along but so far seems promising. It's also well produced and episodes are around 30 mins. People are saying it's like Serial meets Welcome to Nightvale but that's probably just bc there aren't many podcasts available for comparison. From their website: Limetown follows journalist Lia Haddock as she investigates the infamous disappearance of a doomed research facility. Give it a listen - I'd love to know what you think.
Ooh ooh, another one I just thought of is Criminal. This one's not sci-fi, it's true crime. Also 20 min-ish episodes covering topics from extortion to counterfeit money to murder. Each episode tells a specific (true) story or interviews a specific person. Some of my favorites are "The buck stops here," "Mothers little helper," and "I'm about to save your life."
Okay okay I'll stop now. :)
I've heard a little about Marc Lewis, isn't he the one who talks about the physical changes to the brain of long term addicts being irrelevant because of brain plasticity? I am always a bit wary of the disease/not a disease conflict because generally speaking the "it's not a disease" camp tend to reduce addiction down to it just being a lack of ~willpower~ on the part of the addict, which is both unhelpful, untrue and plays into the morality aspects of shaming and persecuting addicts.
I'm not sure what stance Mr Lewis takes wrt the complex nature of addiction, but I am always leery of ex addicts going on about their addiction and how if they can beat it then anyone should be able to.
What is your impression of his attitude towards addiction/addicts?
"Meanwhile, in the Future" sounds very cool- I really should try getting into podcasts but I have a hard time sitting still listening to things (as much as I love music)- it's like I need a visual connection too (that's why I have never even tried listening to an audio book, IDGI if you can read, why would you listen instead?).
I did listen to an episode or two of Welcome to Nightvale but, again, I kinda needed visuals to make the connection, although the story telling was excellent- even just watching the person speak is enough to keep me engaged but words simply coming out of my speakers with nothing else...IDK, I just struggle with it holding my attention.
Which is a shame because I'm obviously missing out on some interesting stuff.
Thanks for the suggestions, I think I will have to give podcasts a second chance :)
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Just finished James Brown's The L.A. Diaries and am reading Burroughs' The Western Lands, both site-appropriate, coincidentally enough.
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I'm an odd duck, I read multiple books at the same time. Well, not really at the same time but you get what what I'm saying. I WISH I was able to literally read more than one at a time. Reading is just about my only hobby outside of video games. I read about 150 books a year. I love non fiction best but I do read a fair bit of novels. Currently reading: Theodore Rex by Edmund Morris (part two of his incredible biography on Roosevelt), Up in the Air by Walter Kirn, Darkness Visible (a memoir of madness) by William Styron, A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca Solnit (fascinating exploration on altruism in humans stemming directly from catastrophes.) After Dark by Haruki Murakami, The Round House by Louise Erdrich and The Cliff Walk, a job lost and a life found by Don J Snyder. That's this weeks fare. And honestly, I have probably ten more books scattered around in various places that I'm also reading. I could get stuck anywhere and will have a book nearby. Thank God for thrift stores, I'd never be able to afford my habit.
(And don't go recommending a Kindle to me. I'll politely bite your head off. If I can't hold the book, turn and smell the pages, I'm not reading it.) :)
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Any body got any suggestions
On history with like a
Howard Zinn slang pov
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I recently read
"Dear Luke, We Need to Talk Darth"
By John Moe
It's a book of pop culture correspondence
Like there's a letter in there
From Dorothy Gale to Glenda the Good Witch
She tells Glenda to fuck off
..."If I knew how to get home all along why in the hell did you make me go thru all this bullshit?..."
She says something in the letter about avoiding a narcotic overdose in the poppy fields and doesn't Glenda know that's what they make heroin from?
It's funny
And you can read most of it online
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I've heard a little about Marc Lewis, isn't he the one who talks about the physical changes to the brain of long term addicts being irrelevant because of brain plasticity? I am always a bit wary of the disease/not a disease conflict because generally speaking the "it's not a disease" camp tend to reduce addiction down to it just being a lack of ~willpower~ on the part of the addict, which is both unhelpful, untrue and plays into the morality aspects of shaming and persecuting addicts.
I'm not sure what stance Mr Lewis takes wrt the complex nature of addiction, but I am always leery of ex addicts going on about their addiction and how if they can beat it then anyone should be able to.
What is your impression of his attitude towards addiction/addicts?
"Meanwhile, in the Future" sounds very cool- I really should try getting into podcasts but I have a hard time sitting still listening to things (as much as I love music)- it's like I need a visual connection too (that's why I have never even tried listening to an audio book, IDGI if you can read, why would you listen instead?).
I did listen to an episode or two of Welcome to Nightvale but, again, I kinda needed visuals to make the connection, although the story telling was excellent- even just watching the person speak is enough to keep me engaged but words simply coming out of my speakers with nothing else...IDK, I just struggle with it holding my attention.
Which is a shame because I'm obviously missing out on some interesting stuff.
Thanks for the suggestions, I think I will have to give podcasts a second chance :)
Hey skramamme, sorry it's taken so long for me to reply. I really wanted to finish the book so I could properly answer your questions, but I'm not done yet and I think I'll have to read it once more for it to all really sink in. I'm no scientist, so while I understand it as I'm reading it, it's hard for me to explain it.
From what I can tell he prefers to call addiction "motivated repetition that gives rise to deep learning," but that doesn't make for a very good soundbite.
From the last chapter: "Because the onset of addiction must include one or more phases of accelerated learning, but can also simmer for long periods, I've settled on the phrase deep learning. This is meant to describe the overall profile of addictive learning, including periods of rapid change, periods of coasting, and temporary remissions (in medical parlance). This profile resembles a standard learning curve. It's just steeper. Desire is at the top of the list when it comes to emotional states that propel learning. But we have to remember that negative emotions, like anxiety and shame, fuel synaptic configurations as well. [...] So addiction is not fundamentally different from other unfortunate directions in personality development: a self-reinforcing habit based on intense emotions, encountered repeatedly. [...] Much of this rewiring is the product of dopamine uptake in response to highly compelling goals, creating an ever-tightening feedback loop between desire and acquisition, wanting and getting. [...] It's a habit that grows and self perpetuates relatively quickly, when we repeatedly pursue the same highly attractive goal. Or, in a phrase, motivated repetition that gives way to deep learning."
He is big on the concept of addiction as just a stage of development and one can develop out of it (not without effort of course). Actually I think the numbers point to most folks aging out of addiction, or phasing out of it on their own without direct treatment. <<I read that somewhere else - Carl Hart maybe? - not in this book.
I totally agree that disease/not a disease is a slippery slope. It's too early in the public conversation to start changing the terminology probably. And it's fine with me if people want to call it a disease if it lifts stigma and gets more funding into maintenance treatment, mental health, and out of law enforcement. I do cringe a bit when he uses the word "habit" because most people will take that to mean a habit like biting your nails, when he means it more in the way of how your fork finds your mouth as you eat is a habit - you don't even think about it.
And I know what you mean about people who clean themselves up and then act like they've got all the answers. Ugh. In his books the narrative part is more of a framing device as a way to explain the neuroscience and biology of what is happening when drugs are taken/pursued.
And as for podcasts, oh man there are so many good ones out there. Some are easier to digest than others. Nightvale took a lot of focus for me too so I didn't really get that deep into it. But others are good for listening while walking, doing the dishes, knitting (if you're into that). Of course not all at the same time. ;)
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Any body got any suggestions
On history with like a
Howard Zinn slang pov
You might like "Why America Failed" by Morris Berman. It's actually one of 3 books the other 2 being "Dark Ages America" and "The Twilight of American Culture" all dissect American culture and critique the American mythology very well.
Anything written by Christopher Hedges.
At the moment, I am about halfway through Johann Hari's "Chasing the Scream" about the history and possible end of the "war on drugs." I had read excerpts a while ago and finally started it in earnest today. It is very good.
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Going through a very slow re-read of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. Whenever I can't sleep I knock out a few pages. This story is not for all: flippant use of the full-on "N word" throughout. But it was the times...
But for the time, Mr. Clemens was very progressive, having a Black man as a main character "ol' Ni**er Jim," Huck's best friend.
They have all sorts of adventures going down the Mississippi river from Illinois on a large (stolen) river raft, with a little wigwam built on it.
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Any body got any suggestions
On history with like a
Howard Zinn slang pov
Idk I'd youd be into checking into "alternate history" genre books, I like you had an appreciation for historical reads, and just this past year started to read more fiction works, and have really enjoyed THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE by Phillip K Dick. And the Sprawl trilligy NEUROMANCER, COUNT ZERO, MONA LISA OVERDRIVE by William Gibson (I'm reading these now, Artificial intelligence based) they're AWSOME and I'm not into much sci-Fi.
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BEHOLD A PALE HORSE by William Cooper
MARCHING POWDER by Rusty Young
SHANTARM / THE MOUNTAIN SHADOW by Gregory David Roberts
Are all also great reads.
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Has anyone read Apaches by Larenza Carcaterra? It is pretty good they should make into a movie he wrote Sleepers as well the movie they made with Kevin Bacon about a few kids who were sexually abused in a juvenile detention facility and grow up and try to get revenge. I read Apaches while I was in jail that jail actually had quite a few good books which was weird because it was a small town and I bet half the people that live there can't read. That might explain it actually they were given books as a gift and just donated them.
Apaches is about a group of older cops who were al forced to retire due to injury or something else, and they still wanted to be cops. One of their friends daughters is kidnapped, and they join together trying to find her. The people who took her ran a drug smuggling ring that uses dead babies and packs drugs in them to smuggle them through airports. It was messed up, they would kidnap kids, kill them, and cut em open and stuff as much as they could in them.
The characters were all pretty interesting and it was very entertaining, I like James Patteson books because they are quick reads and this one was kind of like that. The ex-cops weren't working for the police so they could do shit without fear of getting in trouble, not that cops are afraid of getting in trouble they just do what they want and don't have to abide by the same laws as everyone else. I also read Mystic River and if you haven't seen the movie or read the book I highly recommend it, the movies has sean penn. kevin bacon, and Tim Robbins in it.
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For those of you who refuse to use a Kindle...I too fought against using one or the app...I love love books...I have thousands upon thousands of books...( my own and what my father left me) enough I would love to one day have a library in my house...unfortunately most are packed away because I have far too many and not enough bookcases or space for said bookcases...so I did get the Kindle app and damn if I don't love it...I can access any number of books at anytime and can do searches, keep notes and a ton of other things...tons of free books...anything published before 1923 I believe we're before copyrighting and are public domain....so even though I continue to purchase books I do love the Kindle...plus it's instant when you purchase a book that's nice at 3am....;)
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For those of you who refuse to use a Kindle...I too fought against using one or the app...I love love books...I have thousands upon thousands of books...( my own and what my father left me) enough I would love to one day have a library in my house...unfortunately most are packed away because I have far too many and not enough bookcases or space for said bookcases...so I did get the Kindle app and damn if I don't love it...I can access any number of books at anytime and can do searches, keep notes and a ton of other things...tons of free books...anything published before 1923 I believe we're before copyrighting and are public domain....so even though I continue to purchase books I do love the Kindle...plus it's instant when you purchase a book that's nice at 3am....;)
I think you just sold me on getting one, I have been thinking about it for awhile and your experience definitely is swaying me to make a move! Thanks :)
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BEHOLD A PALE HORSE by William Cooper
MARCHING POWDER by Rusty Young
SHANTARM / THE MOUNTAIN SHADOW by Gregory David Roberts
Are all also great reads.
Every book you listed is fantastic included behold a pale horse. Good choices, man.
Hero you might like confessions of economic hitman by John Perkins.
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As we've been moving (AGAIN), I've had the opportunity to at least touch some of my books. Like Puppy, I have thousands, almost all in storage.
Anyway, I came upon my Patricia Moyes books.
I'd never heard of her until a few years ago, when a nearly complete set of her 19 Henry & Emmy Tibbett mysteries showed up at the Friends of the Library Bookstore: Henry Holt Owl (paperback) editions from the late 70s and early 80s, printed on remarkably acid-free, bright white pages.
There was a sale, and I picked up the whole set for $4. Then, about a year ago nearly another complete set appeared there, also during a sale.
FOTL Bookstores sell items donated by the public. This meant that at least two people had been pretty avid Moyes fans!
Patricia Moyes (Patricia Pakenham-Walsh) was an Irish-born British writer. She was Peter Ustinov's personal assistant from 1946-1955, and co-wrote the film School for Scoundrels, starring Ian Carmichael (famous for his mid-70s portrayal of Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey), Terry Thomas, and Alistair Sim. She was an associate editor at Vogue, and it was at this time she translated Jean Anouilh's 1940 play Léocadia as Time Remembered. This was a huge success in London (1955, starring Paul Scofield, Margaret Rutherford and Mary Ure) and on Broadway (1957, with Richard Burton, Helen Hayes and Susan Strasberg, and wining several Tony Awards). Time Remembered allowed her to leave Vogue and write mysteries full time.
What sets Moyes apart is her ability to mine so many different interests in her books. Two, including her first, Dead Men Don't Ski (1959), are set around Alpine skiing. In several of her books, but most particularly The Sunken Sailor (1961) - US title: Down Among the Dead Men, sailing is prominently featured. Murder a la Mode (1963) is set in the world of fashion publishing, while Falling Star (1964) is set in the milieu of the UK film in the mid-60s.
Johnny Under Ground (1965) pays homage to her years in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, focusing on events that had happened 20 years earlier. If you think of it, that would be as immediate to contemporary readers as the mid-1990s are to us. In fact, the mid-40s are closer to my birth date than the mid-90s (or...gasp...the mid-80s!) But that's a whole nother thread...
After divorcing photographer John Moyes in 1959, the author married IMF linguist James Haszard. Their time at the Hague flavors Death and the Dutch Uncle (1968), in which sailing plays an important part.
Other themes include dog racing, international intrigue, and even transgender issues (in 1978!)
Moyes moved to the British Virgin Islands, where she died in 2000. The Caribbean featured prominently in several of her books.
In addition to very diverse, detailed and realistic settings, Moyes had a gift for rich plots and surprisingly diverse characters. There are surprisingly few "types" in here books. Also, I've found that while I've started certain books with a nagging sense that I won't enjoy "this" one (perhaps the setting doesn't immediately appeal to me), at some point or another I end up hunched in my seat, reading voraciously, eager to reach the solution. I'm down to my last four or five and I have to admit I'll be sorry, when the last is read, that there are no more.
It's light, but very satisfying, reading. Ideal for when you're moving, and David Foster Wallace just won't do, lol.
Moyes' obituary, from The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/aug/22/guardianobituaries.crimebooks
A New York Times book reviewer once noted that the detective writer Patricia Moyes, who has died aged 77, "made drug dealing look like bad manners rather than bad morals".
Hers was a cosy genre of classic crime fiction, which continues to be successful in the United States while languishing in Britain, where most of her books are out of print. Earlier in her career, she had been a radar operator in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF), an assistant to Peter Ustinov, a scriptwriter, translator and Vogue jounalist.
Moyes, was the creator of the imperturbable and engaging Scotland Yard detective, Henry Tibbett (initially chief inspector, and eventually detective chief superintendent), and his cheerful, but formidable, Dutch [sic] wife, Emmy. Tibbett features in 19 novels, from Dead Men Don't Ski (1959) to Twice In A Blue Moon (1993). Many Deadly Returns (1970) won the Edgar Allan Poe Special Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
The books were written in the well-established tradition of British detective fiction, in which solving the crime is the focus rather than the crime itself. But Moyes's perspective was international: she lived in France, Switzerland, Holland and the United States, before moving to the British Virgin Islands, where she died, and drew on her experiences of these places.
Patricia Pakenham-Walsh was born in Dublin; her father was in the Indian civil service and retired in 1938 as a high court judge in Madras. Penny (as she was always known) was educated at Overstone girls' school, Northampton, where she was an exceptional pupil. At 15, she sat an entrance examination for Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford; the examiner stated that her papers were as good as any, but that she was far too young and should reapply.
When war came in 1939, Moyes added a year to her age in order to join the WAAF. She had always wanted to write and, while a flight officer, wrote review sketches for barrack concerts. Peter Ustinov invited her to be his technical assistant on the film, School For Secrets (1946) about the search and discovery of radar. They became friends, and she later became his personal assistant for eight years.
Moyes's translation of Jean Anouilh's play, Leocadia, was produced in 1957 in London and on Broadway, as Time Remembered, starring Richard Burton and Helen Hayes. She was assistant editor on Vogue (1953-58), and in 1960 collaborated on the script of School For Scoundrels, based on Stephen Potter's books, One Upmanship and Lifemanship. With the success of Time Remembered, she moved to France, where she wrote her first novel while recovering from a skiing accident.
After the break-up of her first marriage (1951-59) to photographer John Moyes, she married James Haszard, a lawyer and interpreter at the international court of justice in The Hague. The couple were renowned sailors and skiers, and Haszard only accepted his posting in the early 1970s, to the International Monetary Fund in Washington, on condition that their boat, wine cellar and cats were transported there too. On Jim's retirement, they settled in Virgin Gorda, where he died in 1994.
Penny loved cats, and, on Virgin Gorda, she was involved in a campaign to innoculate, treat and spay the wild cat population. Cats featured in many of her writings, and she wrote two books specifically about them: After All They're Only Cats (1973), and How To Talk To Your Cat (1991).
Jenny Chamier Grove writes:
Patricia Moyes's knowledge of radar was partly responsible for her first steps as a writer.
One night, the Air Ministry sent a signal asking for names of people with film script-writing experience and knowledge of radar. Patricia, who had worked on state-of-the-art short wavelength radar, but had never so much as seen a film script, looked longingly at the message, wishing she had the qualifications to apply. Next day, her commanding officer told her he had submitted her name. "Sir, you're crazy!" she said - but she got the job with Peter Ustinov.
She had a sharp eye for material for use in her plots; a chat with "a very nice greyhound trainer" in Surrey led to The Curious Affair Of The Third Dog (1986), and tips from a parasailing instructor in Jamaica came in useful for Black Girl White Girl (1990).
It was in a mystery bookshop in New York that she first met the crime writer Sarah Caudwell (Obituary, February 8). The two established an instant rapport, and soon managed to combine forces for book-signing tours. "We laughed our way all across the United States," Patricia told me later.
Friends thought them alike. They both eschewed the mean streets and wrote about murders among the well-mannered middle classes, but while Sarah tended to be vague and academic - puffing on her pipe and talking about Catullus - Patricia was practical, and made sure that they always arrived on time.
Even so, on one tour of the US, Sarah contrived to lose her travellers' cheques, passport, return ticket to England and raincoat. Slightly annoyed, Patricia expostulated. Sarah remained placid. Eventually documents - and equanimity - were restored. "Sarah might have been less calm if she'd lost her pipe," Patricia commented later.
Patricia 'Penny' Moyes (Haszard), writer, born January 19 1923; August 2 2000
bibliography (with links to cover art for the Owl books):
http://www.cozy-mystery.com/patricia-moyes.html
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@st. Theresa thanks! Love the bill hicks quote, not related but have you, or anyone for that matter read THE WILILEAKS FILES? I'm hearing a lot of mixed reviews... not that I don't have an impossibly full que already but hey... I AM A JUNKIE! Excess! Excess! Thank you come again!
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Some very very interesting stuff over there at wikileaks, gotta dig thru the troves of files tho.
Check out the book 13 hours: the real story of benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff. Michael Bay is the director behind the movie being released next week.
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@corlene I saw the Trailer for the Michael Bay movie the other day the books been on my list. I'm on the road for the next four weeks or so and will surely miss the movie in theaters let me know if you see it. Thanks for the recommendation!
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Bout to start reading Schizo by Nic Scheff (author of Tweak)
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Currently, I'm reading a book that I got from the library's "Virginia" section, called "The Stronghold: A Story of the Historic Northern Neck of Virginia and its People," by Miriam Haynie.
Nark, you'd like this book, as it contains many descriptions of daily life in this part of the colony of Virginia during the 1600's and 1700's. The Northern Neck (the region where I live now) is a peninsula formed by the Potomac river on its North side, the Rappahannock river on its South, and the Chesapeake bay on the East. As early as the mid-1600s, many people were living and working here, and had lots of dealings with the native peoples. It's quite fascinating to me to hear of places right in my little part of town being mentioned back almost 400 years ago.
Before the Northern Neck book, I read a British publication, "Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth," by Trevor Norton. It is a book about all of the advances in science and medicine that were made by people experimenting on themselves. Much of the early work with anesthesia was done by self-experimenters.
On deck is "Pirate Latitudes," by Michael Crichton. He is one of the few fiction writers I truly enjoy reading. This book is obviously about pirates, set in 1665 on and around the island of Jamaica, back when it was a British colony. A British privateer (a government-sanctioned pirate) who raids Spanish ships and steals their gold and silver is the main character, according to the blurb inside the jacket. Different subject matter from the stuff he wrote mostly.
Interesting facts about Michael Crichton: he was a medical doctor and is the only writer to have a #1 TV show (ER), a #1 movie (Jurassic Park) and a #1 book (Disclosure) simultaneously. Truly an achievement worth noting. The guy wrote a LOT a LOT a LOT of books, nearly all of them good. I recommend him highly. In his later (Andromeda Strain and after) novels, he did much research for each, including a bibliography of the scholarly works he consulted at the end of many of them.
Robin Cook, also an MD, writes good medical/thriller-type fiction. A few of his books have been made into movies too. His stuff is a little more and paperback-y than Crichton's, though.
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About to start Damien Echols book Life after death and the A.I. Trilogy by William Gibson (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) both have been in my que for a while.
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We had a core member, a great guy I had the pleasure of getting high with in DC several times last Summer, who used the handle "Count Zero" on here and Opiophile before that. RIP, Count (Doug).
The cause of death was never put out there, but we think it was etizolam and either heroin or PST (or both).
Died sitting in a chair reading the newspaper.
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^Ugggh, that sucks.^ I recall the username. Hope that all who were close to him are getting along ok.
I used to be opposed to Kindles & such till I sold all my books for dope :(. Since then my eyes have gotten too bad to read most standard size print, so the kindle is a life-saver until I can get some glasses. In case anyone isn't aware copyrights only last 50 years (I think?) & as such there are tons of legitimately free books on sites like https://www.gutenberg.org/ (https://www.gutenberg.org/).
I'm not reading anything specific right now, but I jump around a lot - short stories, essays, something from the Bible most every day, hahaha. I read a lot of philosophy, mostly the existentialists, I've never read a Russian author I didn't love. Been poking around in old crime noir stuff- short stories - Fella named Norbert Davis is cool as hell.
There's this guy, an Irish Baron, who wrote these brilliant, insanely short stories, sometimes one paragraph, under the name "Lord Dunsany" Perfect if you're sitting in a waiting room or have 5 or ten minutes to kill - here's one of my favorites:
DEATH AND THE ORANGE
Two dark young men in a foreign southern land sat at a restaurant table with one woman.
And on the woman's plate was a small orange which had an evil laughter in its heart.
And both of the men would be looking at the woman all the time, and they ate little and they drank much.
And the woman was smiling equally at each.
Then the small orange that had the laughter in its heart rolled slowly off the plate on to the floor. And the dark young men both sought for it at once, and they met suddenly beneath the table, and soon they were speaking swift words to one another, and a horror and an impotence came over the Reason of each as she sat helpless at the back of the mind, and the heart of the orange laughed and the woman went on smiling; and Death, who was sitting at another table, tête-à-tête with an old man, rose and came over to listen to the quarrel.
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I'm working my way through Orson Scott Card's Ender Quartet right now. Currently on Xenocide. I am also looking at the expanse series since I enjoyed the tv show so much. I read the first book already, but I haven't started on the others yet. Sometimes it's hard to stick to one series at a time and I will have a couple on the go at once.
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Currently, I'm reading a book that I got from the library's "Virginia" section, called "The Stronghold: A Story of the Historic Northern Neck of Virginia and its People," by Miriam Haynie.
Nark, you'd like this book, as it contains many descriptions of daily life in this part of the colony of Virginia during the 1600's and 1700's. The Northern Neck (the region where I live now) is a peninsula formed by the Potomac river on its North side, the Rappahannock river on its South, and the Chesapeake bay on the East. As early as the mid-1600s, many people were living and working here, and had lots of dealings with the native peoples. It's quite fascinating to me to hear of places right in my little part of town being mentioned back almost 400 years ago.
You're right, I probably would like that book. Good call.
I love history, but unfortunately when it comes to American history, I'm not a fan. Some of the Revolutionary War is interesting to me, but not all. And after that, I'm, eh, not really into it.
One exception is colonial history. I love learning about the colonies, the lives of the colonists, their interactions with the indigenous populations, etc.
I've never been to Colonial Williamsburg, but I'd like to. I'm sure I'd like it. I have been to Roanoke when I went to North Carolina as a kid. That was interesting.
Speaking of Colonial Virginia and Colonial Williamsburg, my great, great, great, whatever great grandfather emigrated from England to Virginia in 1635 on a ship called George. He settled in an area known then as Rich Neck, which later became known as Middle Plantation, which eventually became colonial Williamsburg.
I don't know much about my family history. I've always wanted to research online to make a family tree, but I'm amotivational and it obviously takes a lot of time. There are sites like Ancestry.com, but people can actually do it for free.
The site familysearch.org is a completely free genealogical site sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e., the Mormans). It's rooted in their belief in being record keepers, or something like that. You can use the site to access all kinds of census, army, genealogical, historical, etc. records.
As for reading, no books as of late. Several Wikipedia and other online articles though.
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When money dies-the nightmare of Weimar hyperinflation-Adam Fergusson.
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The Cinder Field. My friend actually wrote it, takes place at first as a Western kinda and jumps forward to the prohibition era (the same family lineage I believe) but I'd, haven't gotten that far yet.
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When money dies-the nightmare of Weimar hyperinflation-Adam Fergusson.
This is referring to the period after the first world war, before the Nazis took over, when the money was so worthless they had to buy bread with wheelbarrows full of marks?
I hope this doesn't ever happen in the USA, but it seems like our government is doing everything it can to help it come about - printing our way out of a deficit, letting China grab a larger and larger stake in our economy, et cetera ad infinitum et nauseum.
Hope I never live to see the day a loaf of bread is $100.
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Still trying to finish that book "The Stronghold" about colonial Virginia, but on deck is "Major Pettigrew's Last Stand," by Ellen Simonson. It's the March selection for our church book club.
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BEHOLD A PALE HORSE by William Cooper
YES!
i have a bunch of banned books, like Kill Without Joy and the Anarchist Cookbook, The Art of Mantrapping, and many others. haha the military was fun, bunch of sick fucks exchanging shit.
i always loved philosophy based books. Hagakure is one of my favorites, filled with quotes from conversations between a master and a student samurai. Forest Whitaker in Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai put me onto it, with that sick RZA soundtrack.
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I read this book called "on killing" that is supposed to be required reading in the army. It was okay. :/
http://www.amazon.com/On-Killing-Psychological-Learning-Society/dp/0316330116
Two books I really liked that I've recently read is
The philosophers stone by Joseph farrel
And
Confessions of a British spy...here's the pdf
http://www.hakikatkitabevi.com/download/english/14-ConfessionsOf%20ABritishSpy.pdf
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I know it was a while ago that the OP was made, but Stephen King writes some of my favorite stories that i've ever read; The Dark Tower series was certainly no exception. Currently i'm reading "The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime." As a Kindle user, this is the first book that I've actually purchased in a few years and I was quite surprised when I flipped it over and saw the price. Thankfully, I have a veritable library on my hard drive that didn't cost me a thang!