Random thoughts...

[dannyboy121070]

This:

My early years were spent in a small country town in Ireland, with all the old superstitions that came along with life at the time. Even as a kid, I remember not believing any of it, and being somewhat baffled at some of the stuff people came out with.

It was only when I got into the adult library at age 11 and found science fiction that I realized there were plenty of people who thought like me - I just hadn't met many of them at the time Once I found Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, etc, things made more sense.

I do like looking up superstitions to see where they came from. Walking under a ladder, for instance. Sure, there are obvious reasons to not walk under a ladder, such as if someone's up there with a bucket of paint, or you might jostle the ladder, but if it's just a random ladder with no one around, who cares? Well, from a quick Google search: "Many Christians believe in the Holy Trinity -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. This belief made the number three sacred in early times, and along with it, the triangle. A ladder leaning up against a wall forms the shape of a triangle, and walking through it would be seen as "breaking" the Trinity, a crime seen as blasphemous as well as potentially attracting the devil".

Hmm, ok. Maybe I should have been a Vulcan. "That is not logical, Captain".

Fascinating! I never knew, and would never have guessed, that.

I walked under a ladder once. My wife was on it painting the ceiling of our mudroom, and she dropped a big blob of paint right into my eyeball. It was a painful lesson, and I learned to stay away from ladders. At least if my wife is on it.

[c marvel]

This week I learned some borderline bad news about myself. My job, car and housing are all good. It's a health issue (Not covid). For the present my condition is okay. In a couple years things may have changed. I'll learn more when I talk to my dr in November. I am not looking for sympathy. Simply put I have too many books and I have decided to try to downsize. I am trying to sell some Brian Keene novels. These are all S/L hardcovers. I am not good with pictures (I'm lousy at taking pictures). If you are really interested in a title contact me and I'll do my best to send you a picture or two. I'm really hoping I can sell some books here. ~Cap


Brian Keene novels for sale:
Entombed
Dead Sea SOLD
Urban Gothic
Unhappy Endings
The Rising: Death In Four Colors
The Rising: Selected Scenes From The End Of The World
Castaways
Last Of The Alabatwitches

[mhatchett]

Hope things get resolved in a positive way. I'll keep an eye out for your sales. I have the Keene I need right now. Good Luck!

[saginawhorror]

I guess that dark regions book club coupon code really was permanent. I randomly decided to try it and it still worked 5 years after I last used it.

[Martin]

So the new Rex Pickett book is out. For those not familiar he wrote 'Sideways' and stretched it into a trilogy. Sideways was excellent and the follow-ups had diminishing returns . Reading the books and articles about issues with the author that will prevent any other movies in the Sideways universe from being made I got the impression that the main character really was the author. I have been debating getting his new book, wondering if he would strike gold again or continue down his self destructive path. So the early reviews are mostly one and two star reviews. I found one four star review which started with the statement 'If I had to describe my impression of this book in a single word. It would be pretentious.' I rarely determine if I am going to read a book based on other peoples opinions. The best review I can find on this one strongly re-enforces my views of the author. I am now planning on passing on this book.

[Ben Staad]

LOL. Thought I would share this here. My wife, her brother, and me were discussing Thriftbooks on a social media site. This is my wife's reply when I stated Thriftbooks can have some very rough books:

"Don't let Tim fool you. He likes Thriftbooks too! He's a book collector and a total book snob though. If it's not signed by the author, 1st edition, with a remarque by the illustrator, he's probably not buying. We literally have 2 sets of books. Reader's copies and Tim's."

She knows me very well. Anyone going into my library knows which books they can borrow and which books are off limits. By the way. I do like Thriftbooks and purchase a good amount of reading copies from them. I have zero used book stores left in my my region so they are a great resource.

[mhatchett]

They are really hit and miss. One time I got a signed Ray Bradbury book that I was in no way expecting. The next time I ordered from them I received a split spined piece of crap. I tend to avoid them....

[fanatic]

LOL. Thought I would share this here. My wife, her brother, and me were discussing Thriftbooks on a social media site. This is my wife's reply when I stated Thriftbooks can have some very rough books:

"Don't let Tim fool you. He likes Thriftbooks too! He's a book collector and a total book snob though. If it's not signed by the author, 1st edition, with a remarque by the illustrator, he's probably not buying. We literally have 2 sets of books. Reader's copies and Tim's."

She knows me very well. Anyone going into my library knows which books they can borrow and which books are off limits. By the way. I do like Thriftbooks and purchase a good amount of reading copies from them. I have zero used book stores left in my my region so they are a great resource.

You have books you let people borrow? I applaud your generosity. My book go nowhere.

[Dave1442397]

LOL. Thought I would share this here. My wife, her brother, and me were discussing Thriftbooks on a social media site. This is my wife's reply when I stated Thriftbooks can have some very rough books:

"Don't let Tim fool you. He likes Thriftbooks too! He's a book collector and a total book snob though. If it's not signed by the author, 1st edition, with a remarque by the illustrator, he's probably not buying. We literally have 2 sets of books. Reader's copies and Tim's."

She knows me very well. Anyone going into my library knows which books they can borrow and which books are off limits. By the way. I do like Thriftbooks and purchase a good amount of reading copies from them. I have zero used book stores left in my my region so they are a great resource.

Ok, so Ben is really Tim. I didn't realize who Ben Staad was until just now...it's been a while since I read EoTD

[Ben Staad]

Correct! Just about my favorite SK book so I thought I would borrow the name.

Ok, so Ben is really Tim. I didn't realize who Ben Staad was until just now...it's been a while since I read EoTD

[TacomaDiver]

My wife really liked a few books from a series that Clive Cussler wrote and we had trouble finding them all in our local used bookstores, so she ended up buying quite a few from Thriftbooks via eBay. She's not a collector like I am, and while they were solid reading copies, they were ex-library and not something I would have.

I don't tend to have reading copies - I do have IT in paperback because I wanted to re-read that and had no desire to haul the hardcover with me while commuting via train and bus, and the Kindle reviews were not kind.

I've bought one book from Thriftbooks via eBay and it was trash. It wouldn't have been in the free bin at the used bookstore across the street it was so bad.

[RonClinton]

Agreed, Thriftbooks is a gamble that doesn’t often pan out. I’ve tried them three or four times, and while one matched the description given, the others fell far short of even the basic rating they provide. The blessing is that they’re good about refunds (so must get this complaint a lot to have such an expedient process in place), but it’s just not worth the disappointment and hassle. I don’t order from them any longer, period.

[mhatchett]

Halloween on Sunday Always feels weird, But enjoy it, nonetheless!! Happy Halloween All!!

[RonClinton]

I spent much of Sunday working on my '18 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle...took it out on Saturday for a long ride on an increasingly rare sunny, dry day, and ended with a tankful of ethanol-free gas and a bit of Stabil Storage…then Sunday changed the oil, cleaned and polished the bike and chain, over-inflated each tire by a couple PSI, and threw a sheet over it and called it a riding season. Did the same with my '20 BMW R1250R motorcycle a couple weeks ago…never an easy thing thing to do, but the cruel Seattle weather gods don’t care about this fair-weather rider’s feelings.

Be warned: You should all expect me to be in a bad mood until Spring of next year.

[mhatchett]

For any Manly Wade Wellman fans out there. I think this is a pretty good price on the Nightshade Books set. If I didn't already own it, I would have jumped on it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32486989739...IAAOSwM6lhhsOW