|
Been a long hiatus since I last read anything, but I'm gonna get started on some John Updike this Christmas – the "Rabbit" series – because I was suggested this if I like psychological mindfucks – sadism and trying too hard. Put two and two together. 
|
#
?
Nov 27, 2013 02:37
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 05:32 |
|
|
Hopefully this is the best place for this to go, but I was hoping someone could help me remember the name of a book and/or author. I will do my best to describe it. This is my memory of the very beginning of the book: It's an insanely hilarious (from my opinion anyways) book about this crazy guy in Florida who eats LSD at the beginning of the book, begins to think he's an astronaut or something (the descriptions of the experience are very comical,) but ends up being on some highway down in FL, talking about the history of the drug runners that ran up the highway and other things. He also goes on about Henry Flagler and his railroad system throughout the book; I believe he breaks into the Flagler Museum or some such at some point in the book. The author is a very famous comedy author and I believe most of his books are set in Florida in some way. Somehow, his name and the book elude me.
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2013 04:53
|
|
|
Dave Barry?
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2013 04:57
|
|
|
Answered my own question...I did Google first before asking but I finally got the right keywords to guide me. Book is "The Stingray Shuffle" by Tim Dorsey
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2013 04:59
|
|
|
except for the whole literal comedy part, i was thinking elmore leonard. lots of books set in florida, and theyre hilarious
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2013 05:03
|
|
|
I'm trying to remember a book I read when I was younger. It was 80s generic fantasy, with the main character called Flat-Top and the premise of the book was that he was at a computer swap meet and came across this video game with a special purple glass. When he played it, he was transported into the game, which was set in medieval England. He then has to integrate with medieval society while trying to find a way back to his own universe. Does anyone have any clue what I'm talking about? It wasn't a very long book, maybe 200 pages, but it was fun pulp and I'd like to try and find it again.
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2013 22:01
|
|
|
Crossposting from the Audiobooks thread as it may get more attention here:HenryJLittlefinger posted:I don't know if this is the best place to find the answer to this question, but here goes.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2013 18:24
|
|
|
My dad scored a set of Science Fiction Book Club edition Wheel of Time books (1 through 13 I believe) on ebay or something a while ago. He now wants the newest one in the same format so it fits his collection. It's on his christmas list, but I'm not seeing any way to buy this book without joining SFBC myself and ordering it. He's not a member already. Their website is a little vague about what it costs to be a member. So, you join and order your first book, then they email you with offers periodically that you have to accept or reject? I guess I'm trying to gauge how easy it'd be for me to join for the purposes of getting this one book for my dad, then either ignore or get out of the membership afterward. Anyone else had experience with them? I just want to avoid surprises. Alternately, if anyone knows of another source for obtaining this specific book, that'd be great too. I've been searching ebay for a few days hoping one would pop up but it has not yet happened.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2013 18:44
|
|
|
It looks like you can join and then just ignore the emails. That's much more convenient than the old setup.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2013 20:22
|
|
|
You could also try Amazon's "other ways to buy this book" amd biblio.com, though I didn't see any in a quick look.
|
|
#
?
Dec 5, 2013 23:58
|
|
|
HenryJLittlefinger posted:Crossposting from the Audiobooks thread as it may get more attention here:
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 01:13
|
|
|
http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/11/how-books-are-printed This is kind of a cool article about how modern hardcover books are printed. Lots of photos of each step. I just found it fascinating as a book lover!
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 05:57
|
|
|
Ornamented Death posted:It looks like you can join and then just ignore the emails. That's much more convenient than the old setup. Looks like they're going to send me their "introductory package" no matter what I do. That can be returned "at their expense" within 20 days of the order. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a stupid ordeal, I want to give my father this book. EDIT: I can already tell these guys are shady. I'll just have my credit card company block them if they get stupid. The Ferret King fucked around with this message at 06:27 on Dec 6, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 06:25
|
|
|
DirtyRobot posted:You said you tried Audible, but have you tried just listening to a bunch of their previews of random Victorian novels read by different people? You might actually recognize or figure out the reader, and then you're 99% of the way there. What you describe sounds kinda like Frederick Davidson, but I'm probably wrong on that. I think I may have tracked it down to a 1975 recording by Ian Richardson, but I can't find a sample of it online to be sure. Still searching...
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 22:15
|
|
|
Hedrigall posted:http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/11/how-books-are-printed
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2013 22:41
|
|
|
So, if there are any J.D. Salinger fans, his story "The Ocean Full of Bowling Balls" leaked. It's about Allie's death, though in the story his name is Kenneth. The story is really good. One of these days I'm gonna write a giant post defending Catcher in the Rye. Edit: quote:Holden's charming letter from "Camp Goodrest for slobs". He begins: "This place stinks. I never saw so many rats. You have to make stuff out of lether [sic] and go for hikes. They got a contest between the reds and the whites. I am supposed to be a white. I am no lousy white." It rambles on with a wryness that is pure Holden. DirtyRobot fucked around with this message at 00:51 on Dec 7, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2013 00:44
|
|
|
There's also a nice PDF of Salinger's out of print stories floating around online. It's a through collection and makes me wish stuff like Hapworth 16, 1924 was more easily available.
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2013 03:43
|
|
|
The Ferret King posted:Looks like they're going to send me their "introductory package" no matter what I do. That can be returned "at their expense" within 20 days of the order. Hopefully this doesn't turn into a stupid ordeal, I want to give my father this book. I never found them to be shady. The way it used to work was like the Columbia House CD clubs: you'd get a bunch of books for a penny each when you signed up, then you were obligated to buy a certain number of books within a two-year period (or be billed for the price of the initial books). They also did a monthly selection of two titles that they'd send to you unless you told them not to (either by returning a little mail-in form (at their expense) or, later, on their website). I always felt it was good deal if you were smart and waited around to pick up omnibus editions of stuff as part of your obligation. Now it just looks like you'll get a 2-for-1 deal (their introductory package?) and they'll send an email every few weeks with their editor's picks. Reading through the fine print it seems like you'll still need to tell them NOT to send the books, otherwise they will automatically. So not shady, just a typical book/CD/whatever club setup. quote:http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/11/how-books-are-printed I actually find it kind of depressing because it's pretty clear why hardcovers fall apart so easily nowadays  .
Ornamented Death fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Dec 7, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2013 05:07
|
|
|
Ornamented Death posted:I actually find it kind of depressing because it's pretty clear why hardcovers fall apart so easily nowadays
|
|
#
?
Dec 7, 2013 05:47
|
|
|
Hedrigall posted:http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/11/how-books-are-printed I've been to a couple of printers before (I work in publishing), and it's really cool to see everything in action. Most people don't realize how much effort goes in to creating books. The paper cutters at some of the plants are beyond terrifying. One of the best things to see is a paper mill, though. If you ever go to see one, check it out! We got to tour the forest where the trees that make paper come from, saw the logs get chipped, and saw the magical moment when actual paper is made. Pretty fantastic. It stinks something awful, though.
|
|
#
?
Dec 8, 2013 02:32
|
|
|
Bit of a weird question, but I had a similar one last year and you guys helped me out, so I'll just give it a shot again. I have to ask because a good friend of mine has a phobia and I want to buy her a book, so has anyone read "Swamplandia!"? If so, does anyone lose a limb or are there any amputees? If so, it's right out. Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Dec 12, 2013 07:37
|
|
|
Anyone know if there's a script or something that lets you sort books on amazon by page count? Sometimes I like a long book to read and so many are only like 290 pages
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2013 17:50
|
|
|
Danith posted:Anyone know if there's a script or something that lets you sort books on amazon by page count? Sometimes I like a long book to read and so many are only like 290 pages Tried looking at some greasemonkey scripts but I guess there aren't any right now. What I do though is buy a handful of books at the time, and then I pick and choose depending on my mood. Sometimes I just can't read an actual book so I might be better off with a short story collection, and sometimes I'm just hungering for a big old brick.
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2013 09:49
|
|
|
Not really sure on where to post this, but does anyone know where I can get more information on this book ("Elements of Meteorology" by John Brocklesby, 2nd ed): http://imgur.com/b1OZ3Um I'm trying to figure out specifically if it has any value, but all the websites I've found are only giving information on current editions (reproductions) of the book. Any info could help! Thanks!
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2013 20:58
|
|
|
Danith posted:Anyone know if there's a script or something that lets you sort books on amazon by page count? Sometimes I like a long book to read and so many are only like 290 pages You definitely can on goodreads; you could start keeping a to-read queue there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2013 05:33
|
|
|
Bit of an odd question that has to do more with destroying a book than reading it: I collect fantasy maps, and found a copy of Ursula LeGuin's Tales from Earthsea & The Other Wind that has a map inside it, two actually. The problem is that half of the first map is printed on a page that is glued to the interior of the front cover (the other half is the first page of the book) and half of the other map is glued to the interior back cover (the other half being the final page of the book). I got lucky because it looks like the maps are just a single piece of paper, one half of which has been glued to its respective cover and the other half let to flap about. My question is: Any idea how I can get the map off the cover without damaging it? 
|
|
#
?
Dec 18, 2013 23:57
|
|
|
Depends on how it's attached. It might have been glued with something not intended to ever be detached. Sounds like you'll have to damage it in order to get it off. Or you could print off a nice copy of this: 
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 00:34
|
|
|
Juanito posted:Depends on how it's attached. It might have been glued with something not intended to ever be detached. Sounds like you'll have to damage it in order to get it off. Ha, I've actually got that as the background on my computer right now! I don't know how easy it would be to print a copyrighted map on decent paper since I'd have to go to Kinkos or something... I should have mentioned I'm ok with damaging the book itself, I'd just prefer if the map was unscathed if possible.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 01:10
|
|
|
The only thing I can think of is to try to soften the glue. A hairdryer might work, and holding the book over a pot of boiling water would almost certainly work, though it has a good chance of damaging the paper in the process. You could also rip the book apart and cut the boards off of the spine, keeping the left half glued to the front board and then glue the right half to the back board. You may need to trim the inner edges of both boards down somewhat so that everything fits flush.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 01:42
|
|
|
Millions posted:Ha, I've actually got that as the background on my computer right now! I don't know how easy it would be to print a copyrighted map on decent paper since I'd have to go to Kinkos or something... You could also use a knife along the edge of the map on the cover side of things, and then you might be able to pull it off of the cover without damaging the map. I spent an entire summer cutting up and repairing the bindings of old library books, but I just spent a few minutes in GIS and I could not find the blade that I worked with. I just know it was very sharp, and we were constantly replacing the blades to make sure they were very sharp, because as soon as it would get even a little bit dull, it wouldn't cut as well. A brand new box cutter would probably work well.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 01:47
|
|
|
Millions posted:Bit of an odd question that has to do more with destroying a book than reading it: Would you mind sharing the edition information for that book? I've got a similar collecting habit going in a small way and have been looking for an Earthsea map suitable for framing like that.
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 02:07
|
|
|
Thanks for all the suggestions, I guess I've got some work to do.Hieronymous Alloy posted:Would you mind sharing the edition information for that book? I've got a similar collecting habit going in a small way and have been looking for an Earthsea map suitable for framing like that. Sure! The map is pretty small, but it's all I can find. http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?121261
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 02:11
|
|
|
Millions posted:Thanks for all the suggestions, I guess I've got some work to do. Thanks! You could try maybe steaming it lightly, like you would to take a seal off a letter. With some books where I've wanted to get sticky stuff off of it, the simplest thing is just to stick it on a shelf and wait a few years while the glue ages and dries. I've used both those techniques to get things like old library tags off of old books. A lot depends on the type of glue used. Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 02:53 on Dec 19, 2013 |
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2013 02:48
|
|
|
When you're reading a book of short stories or essays is it trashy to tick off the ones you've read with soft pencil on the contents page?
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2013 00:18
|
|
|
Mr. Squishy posted:When you're reading a book of short stories or essays is it trashy to tick off the ones you've read with soft pencil on the contents page? Not so much trashy as odd I guess. Just use a bookmark as you go along.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2013 01:14
|
|
|
I'm a radical book remixer who eschews the printed order 
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2013 01:20
|
|
|
Mr. Squishy posted:When you're reading a book of short stories or essays is it trashy to tick off the ones you've read with soft pencil on the contents page? No. Hell, I write in the margins of just about anything, even sports biographies.
|
|
#
?
Dec 20, 2013 02:32
|
|
|
Edit: found a recommend thread.
|
|
#
?
Dec 24, 2013 00:31
|
|
|
I'm looking for something that probably doesn't exist: an android reading app (for epubs, since I've got all my books in that format) that allows you to sort your books by page count. I've used Aldiko and the Google Play Books app in the past, but they don't offer this. Sometimes I just know that I'll only have time to read a short book in a given week, or I simply don't want to start reading a 900 page behemoth because it'll be the only thing I read for six weeks. Do any of you guys know an app like this? Free, preferably, of course.
|
|
#
?
Dec 26, 2013 13:31
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 24, 2024 05:32 |
|
|
Well, Goodreads lets you sort by page number, so maybe you could make a to-read list there? Not a perfect solution but it would work.
|
|
#
?
Jan 2, 2014 03:00
|
|
