The Library

[Frybabe]

Morning all.

I am reading the second book (Dying Suns) of SFI series by Tony Peak. The Redshift Runners series is about a group of spacers (some former military, some former pirates, and others) who have banded together to try and save colonists from various groups bent on ripping off, killing, or enslaving them. Adding to that is a supposedly impervious barrier between these worlds and a large area around Earth because of the danger of solar flares. Mayhem truly ensues when that barrier is finally broken.

After rummaging around in my online library wish list for a while I finally settled on the second in Christopher Fowler's Bryant and May series, The Water Room.  In this one, they find themselves investigating in the sewers. streams, and channels that lace through London's underground. It is a wonder that with all the weight of the city London hasn't sunk into the mud long ago.

Still occasionally listening to the Great Courses series The Other 1492: Ferdinand, Isabella and the Making of an Empire when I am on this computer and not needing to concentrate on other things, and Blue Earth Remembered which I may give up on for a while because it is rather slow moving. The basic story is good, and the narrator is great, but I keep falling asleep on it. Too much conversation and not enough action maybe? And to think there are two more after this.

I cut back on my audiobook buying/borrowing for the moment to try and catch up on what I already have. Well, talk about withdrawal symptoms, trying not to buy/borrow more. I've been pretty successful, but after three weeks I still feel the urge to browse through the catalog and buy something.

[BarbStAubrey]

Yes, I know that feeling - been trying to cut back myself - I'm a sucker for history and even a historical novel can bite me but I've been leaving them go knowing I have so many book in my kindle that like you I do not need anymore -

Still reading The Cross that is including one fact or experience after another that I had not heard - still full of all sorts of questions so I'm not reading novels just now - plus still getting rooms ready to be painted and not everything is unpacked so staying with a novel is not a timely possibility - however, did start Freedom or Tyranny? Are you alive or a robot? by Ernest Kinnie -

Started out how we build blocks of propaganda with one of the techniques involved called triggering - certain words trigger talking points, narratives, arguments, positive thoughts - daily a word is sent out by whatever organized group wants something back from you like loyalty or your vote and that word is then repeated in mass media, mailings, blogs, tweets, etc. so that it becomes a warm feeling full of wisdom and in our brain there are narcotic like chemicals that wash this warm feeling through our brain and we want more of it... one word leads to the next - fascinating - probably been working all these couple of thousand years by religions without anyone realizing what was happening. I only say religions because they have been a constant for more years than how any nation or group has governed itself.

[ginny]

I was just reading about the death of Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall and the two sequels. I did not realize how she died. She was just 70,  it was in late September,  and she and her husband of 50 years that night were packing to move to Ireland as they both had ties there, and  they were finished and he left to take some stuff to the dump and when he came back, she  had had a massive stroke,  and died.

Moving is SO stressful! Bless her heart. The good news is that the third book in the Wolf Hall series is now in production, the TV series and the play.  And in the TV series both Mark Rylance (Cromwell) and I believe Henry VIII (Damian Lewis) and as many of the original cast who can are to be in the new film. I can't wait.

I thought of Thomas Cromwell and his endless waiting as a legate when reading this past week the account of Liutprand, Bishop of Cremona and his trip to see Nikephorus II Phokas the Byzantine Emperor. There's history and then there's history! I have never read anything like the history of the 10th century.  There's a website which features  Voices from the Past, and has an account of a different trip he made as an envoy, this time in 968 here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8JLpQaHo_Y&t=9s

Nikephorus II Phokas appears to have looked nothing   whatsoever like Liutprand describes him, but Liutprand was angry at his treatment. 

[BarbStAubrey]

Vaguely remember reading that Hilary Mantel had passed - just looked it up and it seems she suffered from endometriosis since she was in her 20s which would account for their not having any children but do not know if it contributes to having a stroke. It was probably a blessing she died because incapacitate to work on from a stroke along with her endometriosis would have been a terrible life.

Where I haven't been doing my usual amount of reading I did find a series on TV that I knew nothing about - the Medici's - well done and the story fills out so much - my only knowledge was they were ruthless and immoral - well there is so much more - it was a 3 year series with 8 episodes a year - I've finished watching the first year - every bit as well written and photographed as for instance Downton Abbey or any of the PBS Masterpiece blockbusters over the years however, this was not a PBS production - don't know where it was shown originally but it is on Netflex - don't know if it is showing on any other 'network' or whatever these various channels I guess are called like Youtube or Prime and several others. Do not recognize all the actors but several are American including of all people showing his age, Dustin Hoffman and the one brother, Cosimo I believe is being played by the Scottish Actor who played in Game of Thrones.  It is probably a mixed caste since I recognize a few other British actors.  The sets and costumes are outstanding with seamless acting - and if this is true to the Medici story it is so much more than I thought based on the little I'd heard over the years. 

[BarbStAubrey]

Finished watching all of the Medici - even back in the fifteenth century trade was the biggest money maker for individuals, banks and governments - the series took no moral stance but showed happenings with the facts of what went on - it appears once successful everyone wants what you have achieved including the church's banker and other wealthy families.   

The series had me stepping back realizing there was no policing and little law and order - if someone was killed the only response was revenge killing - and the only law affecting individual behavior appeared to be laws from the Pope, the Bishops, the kings or if a family was wealthy they could hold in their own basement prison like cells culprits who harmed them and their family - the city state's prison in towers were for those who were enemies of the state - there did not appear to be courts of justice for those who committed murder - therefore you had to be wealthy enough to have influence and power and be able to afford to hire mercenaries or enough power and influence to hire whole armies.

What the Church stood for was the moral guide and yet, those within the church were as corrupt as any of the laity however, in place was this umbrella protection that no one messed so to speak with priests, Bishops, Cardinals or the Pope - looks like the church held all these city states together and was the 'only' power so that I have a new appreciation for the bold move made by Henry VIII -

I did not put it together that all three of the most famous artists from the Renaissance were alive at the same time and news to me they were all supported by the Medici family. Also, even after reading the book on the building of the Dome, I did not put it together it was the Medici that pushed for and supplied the money to build the dome on the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.

The series only covers those first few generations of the Medici however, so well done I would have liked more - the story of the two boys who became Popes would have been interesting with all the machinations used to influence votes and then their accomplishments as Pope including their self indulgent life style observed by Luther but then that may be a better story from Luther's viewpoint.

Looked it up and the Medici family was a force in Florence until and after Florence became part of a unified Tuscany in the sixteenth century - they continued to rule into the sixteenth century with the last of the blood line (no male heir) into the eighteenth century. The series only shows the family in the fifteenth century with the series focused on Cosimo and Lorenzo

[ginny]

Is that the one with Jeremy Irons? That I found disturbing and couldn't watch. I do recall going into the Vatican afterwards (and it's been quite a while, that's an older film), and the Medici apartments for all their finery then  are totally  bare, stripped down, sort of a...it was interesting. I don't know what they look like lately, however.

[BarbStAubrey]

Ginny I believe Jeremy Irons is in the Borgia's which is on my saved list but would have to watch it on my computer since it has a rental fee - My TV has a firestick connection Paul put on the TV that is paid by Paul and I do not want to rack up any charges to his Prime account - Instead I've started the series called BritAnna which is about the 3rd Roman invasion where the General plays one tribe against the other. After reading about just that when we were reading the Mabinogion it is seeing it from the Roman viewpoint rather than the Welsh and British point of view... Evidently Caesar came and quickly left and then a 2nd invasion with more men but this series is about the 3rd invasion that included achieving occupation with even more legions headed by General Aulus Plautius.

The series is depicting the Druids as strange and dangerous however, I remember reading when we were reading Julies Caesar  - was it Shakespeare's Caesar, that I don't remember or maybe it was when we were reading Mabinogion - What I do remember was reading in some support book how Caesar sent his son to Britain specifically to be educated by the Druids who were considered at the time to be the best educators in Europe. And so knowing that tidbit I have to wonder how close to truth is this series or is it fictitious slanting the facts to make it more exciting or whatever...

[ginny]

Not sure from that description what Caesar we're talking about, but it can't be Julius, the 3rd "Invasion of Britain"   was Claudius in 43 B.C. and "Caesar" (Julius) had no son. So we are talking about a different Caesar? Not that it makes any difference?

[BarbStAubrey]

From what I understand Caesar was the 1st invasion - not sure if he was also the 2nd  but yes, the 3rd was Claudius although this, I guess originally a TV series only mentions Claudius one time -

It is all about the General so that he is even accused of acting as Rome without the Emperor's agreement, direction or input and after watching the first year's episodes along with one episode of the 2nd year the focus seems to be on how the gods ruled - The story line includes a roman soldier affected by probably hypnosis and when he comes out of it there is a bit with him talking to another soldier, both in hiding, how in every society where he had fought there were different gods all ruling and he questions their power - then this last episode I watched after the death of a queen and other events the end of the rule by gods is announced by a new queen and the end of the gods is repeated by the leaders of each group who were touched and affected by Rome including the Druids -

The series is well done without all the deep voices and drums that are so typical of movies set in this time frame - difficult to compare to the Medici series with such a huge difference in historical time but then like Masterpiece Theater on PBS has over the years shown different stories in different times in history they are all well done with equal attention to the set and photography as well as the acting -

As to the Caesar that had a son educated by the Druids - I too do not remember which Caesar - It would have had to be much later than this time frame when Rome had more control over the territory - I just remember reading this and being surprised not even imagining there was long distant travel going on except for wars and basic occupation. Reading this about the Druids reputation as educators I then had a changed notion about the Druids - In this series, they like the other groups have their own way of covering themselves with earth, chalking their faces and clothing mostly draped single pieces too similar to how Romans dressed earlier than this time of which I doubt its accuracy - to have cloth would mean weaving and flax growing or sheep for wool or cotton growing and none of this is seen - if they had cloth it would have been a natural color or probably shades of gray since there was so much metal that was later traded, metal makes various shades of grey dye or maybe the browns using bark and nuts from trees - the movie is showing people having knives and swords but again no blacksmith areas. It is difficult to tell what is accurate and what is part of a fictitious account - it is not a documentary so there had to be some license taken in order to focus on the story - the tribes and characters mentioned I do remember from when we read Mabinogion and where I had not read about the Queens at the time there were several.

Watching the story has me glued but backing off as much as the writing is wonderful so that I'm on the edge wondering what will happen next I realize I did enjoy the Medici story far more - both stories though are featuring individuals and groups that I knew about.

Ginny did you watch the Borgia with Jeremy Irons? From the excerpt I read the Borgia's came from Spain - I did not know that - sounds like another story of a powerful family that being wealthy seem to attract enemies - did you enjoy that depiction of Medieval Italy?

[ginny]

On the Jeremy Irons one, no,  I couldn't deal with it, it was rough. Awful, really. Not the acting, the events. Really almost like a horror movie. I am sure the acting was first rate.

On Caesar, (Julius) he did an "Invasion" (reconnaissance mission) in 55 B.C., and, met with resistance, returned in 54 for the 2nd Invasion. That was it for him.

[Frybabe]

Uh, oh! I have had Peter Matthiessen's Shadow Country for years sitting on the shelf unread. The thing is about 900 pages. Today I ran across the audio book version and gave it a listen. Well, I didn't get much from listening to the sample except that it didn't sound like something I would want to read. Wrong! I picked up my print book and started reading the Author's Notes. There is something about Matthiessen's writing that draws you in, a depth to it that the audio book narrators didn't seem to be able to convey. So now I am through chapter one and will continue on with it. Shadow Country is about a real person, Edgar J. Watson who lived in Florida in the late 1800's and up till his death shortly after the 1910 hurricane. Watson, is the guy who is suspected of murdering outlaw Belle Starr when he went out to Oklahoma for a while. This will be the first print book I have read in several years and will be the first novel by Matthiessen whose non-fiction books and articles I am more familiar with.

[BarbStAubrey]

hmm I also have a copy of Shadow Country still packed - I also thought it was non-fiction talking about the countryside or out-of-doors

Ah so Caesar was also heading up the 2nd invasion - thanks Ginny

[BarbStAubrey]

Britannia got so beyond reality that it was gross and silly - started out pretty good and then it became a war between 2 ancient brothers who had been already living before the 1st AD century for 10,000 years - the Roman General visits the underworld so that he ends up being a representative of the gods labeled Hell - The series was no longer anything that resembled history - One of the battles instead of rocks or fireballs cascading on the enemy from the catapults it was the severed heads of captured soldiers and in another bit, two soldiers who had gone AWOL found each other in an abandoned village, ended up finding the stash from the medicine man that were mostly hallucinatory herbs that they go back and use to spike the water in the Roman Camp so that a group of druids that were followers of the one ancient brother came in and killed most of those in the camp - each episode became a writer's fantasy of horror some of which are too much to even repeat - did not watch past mid way through the second season - the first season had some deaths but no more than we see among any warring groups and the main characters were not aspects of the gods from the underworld... 

[ginny]

Oh well I had the same feeling about the JD Vance book I picked up and put down fairly quickly when the WIFI and phone went out for a day yesterday.  He really writes well. I was very interested in the premise but the "MAW MAW"s and "PAW PAW"s became too much.  Every other word. Would it be a crime to say "my grandfather" to break the monotony?

I am sure it's Sociologically important but I simply could not continue reading it. Maybe it's too close after "Mr Elick"   Murdaugh's  "Pau Pau."

So what was better? hahahaha Well I  have three going now, one about the woman independent traveler, not sure how independent she really is but I'm leaving the door open, where is Bryson when you need him? One is an old Agatha Christie like a fine wine, comforting in that regard,  and one is....hold on... Relic again. The writing is superb, horror though it may be. I like museums, and tales of such. I really like Reliquary better,  but chose this one for some reason.

Happily FINALLY my copy of   The Golden Child came, I mean it must have been 6 months waiting!!!!  by Penelope Fitzgerald, and I'm going to read all of hers again, that's my summer project, starting with after  The Golden Child, The Bookshop (again),  and Offshore. (again).  But I'm in Museum mode, and The Golden Child is about that.

And just to keep soaking in nostalgia, I'm re-watching the original Mapp and Lucia, for the 300th time, on Brit Box,  which I can almost participate in, I've seen it so many times. The oldest is the best, I think.

Now THERE is a reading/ viewing  list. hahaha What is everybody  reading?

[Tomereader1]

My reading is much more Plebian that yours (Ginny, Barb and FryBabe).  I am just starting "The Rose Code" because several of my friends recommended it.  I went to the back of the book, and read the "Author's Notes" and that was absolutely enough to get me going.  This, of course, is Historical Fiction, and in her notes, the author, Kate Quinn, delineates which of her characters were "composites" of real folk there at "Bletchley Park", and kind of an update on happenings/stories since the end of WWII. One interesting note:  Prince Philip of Greece was close friends with one of the ladies who did the cryptanalysis, and remained friends even after his marriage to Elizabeth.

I had watched (I think it was a PBS series) "Bletchley Circle" and thoroughly enjoyed it, and wish I could find the series on DVD.  I probably can if I'm willing to pay the price, LOL!  Anyway, I know I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the book, all 624 pages in this paperback format (not large print either).
So, I may touch base in here intermittently, to let you all know how I'm liking/not liking the book!

Happy Reading and DVDing to the lot of you!

[ginny]

Tome, that sounds super. DO keep us up on it.

You are such a hoot, HOW can you get more plebeian than Relic? hahahahaaaaaaaaaaa  It is NOT possible.

Or for that matter Mapp and Lucia? OR Agatha Christie?

hahahah I fear half the time to PUT  in here my reading choices because they
ARE so ....enjoyably....but inescapably...........  plebeian.   (Sorry but the "PAW PAW" stuff has always gotten to me) but "Mr. Elick" was the straw that broke the camel's back, if that's what you're referring to.  It's the style and total overuse of the word in the JD Vance book I'm reacting to, not the endearing  word itself.

(Ever since I started reading paperback books instead of looking at the ipad and reading books on it, I have slept through the night!)

Plebeians  R Us.

[PatH]

Tomereader, that's just the kind of historical fiction I like--where you are told what's fiction, so you end up with a good feel of the time without any mistaken ideas of the facts.  And the Bletchley Park story is a good one.  Keep us informed on how it goes.

I'm enjoying rereading some things I read many years ago, and seeing how I react to them now.  Currently, it's Owen Wister's The Virginian, the groundbreaker of a standard Western story.  (Think High Noon.) It's still too early to tell, but I'll let you know.

[BarbStAubrey]

Cannot remember I think it was on PBS but maybe it was a series that Amazon made available - but there was a great series with women who had worked together at Bletchley Park that had to be their secret and together they solve crimes in London.

One has an abusive husband that they try to help and finally get her away from him - the the main character is married with a couple of kids and her husband, as nice as he seems is typical of the men in the 1950s when women had few rights and were expected to stay home in the kitchen or knit in the living room - there was one women a bit older than the others who had a limp and an adventurous attractive sexy women - that is four and I think there were 5 - the series continued till they eventually go to California before WWII and I think onto Australia which was when I had grown tired of watching.

Early in the series one of the episodes was about someone badly burned from Atom fallout that the government was hiding and another was something about the older gentleman they were reporting to that turned out after all that time to be the enemy - I'm almost thinking now it was on PBS on a Wednesday or Thursday evening.

Anyhow, after all that, the write up for The Rose Code reminds me of that series - but then everything that became a story about or resulting from the work at Bletchley Park is a woman centered story. The analogy that those women who worked at BP have had to keep secret it's existence as well as their contribution and phenomenal work skills because the government demanded secrecy  was a mirror of women's skills, education and contribution to society and her family kept secret so as not to tip the balance of the world of men who ran the show - similar to how the government ran the archived activities that won a massive victory for Europe.  Bletchley Park as a national secret during the war, like much of the war effort was kept a secret... but after hmm - It was not like the army kept Bletchley Park active to track and interpret coded messages between Communists during the Cold War.

[Tomereader1]

Barb, there was a later version of Bletchley Circle, when the ladies moved to U.S. in San Francisco, and did the "detective" type thing.  It was an okay series, but the original with them in BP was much, much better.  Now the orginal PBS presentation is only available (through PBS) in the format used in the UK and Europe, which does NOT play on American DVD Players.  Also, the lovely words "this is not currently available" occurs in the PBS catalog, as well as on some of the used book/DVD sites; i.e. Alibris.  They list some that were made in the correct time frame, 2013, etc. but do not tell me if they are playable on the US made DVD players; and it looks like the ones they are showing are the San Francisco episodes. I might try ordering one (very low prices) and see, as they do have a good return policy.

[ginny]

The Bletchley Circle seasons 1 and 2 are available free (with commercials) on Amazon Prime Video.

If this is the right one?  2012?

 2012: S1 E1 - Cracking a Killer's Code (Part 1)
September 6, 2012
47min
TV-14
Susan, Millie, Jean and Lucy have returned to their normal lives, but when Susan identifies a hidden pattern in a series of murders, she enlists the help of her former colleagues to crack the case.

The one in San Francisco is also available.

[BarbStAubrey]

tra la - great find Ginny - thanks... so there were only 4 women - ok no wonder I could not remember anything about what I thought was a 5th in the group... however, like you, the original Mapp and Lucia is just the ticket to watch - Geraldine McEwan was too perfect oh and Nigel Hawthorne - no one can beat his characterization of Georgie

[ginny]

No, I agree, he was perfect in that part and yet he never mentioned it in his autobiography, but he WAS Georgie.

 In fact I think the whole cast is perfectly cast. I enjoyed the newer ones and they ARE different, but it's hard to beat that one, isn't it?

[BarbStAubrey]

Here is an interesting tidbit - Archeologists Discover Roman Fortlet Dating Back to A.D. 142 Near a Scottish Elementary School

https://nicenews.com/culture/ancient-roman-fortlet-discovered-scotland/

[Tomereader1]

Finished "The Rose Code" and enjoyed every minute of it, even staying awake till 2:00 AM a couple of mornings;
"just one more chapter". You know how that goes!

The book was put together well, and a lot of you who don't like switching time frames, may be put off.  That was only from war years ('39-'44 then to 1947.  This was a nice way of deliniating the characters, and ultimately the "big finish". 

The Mansion at Bletchley Park has been restored, as well as the Huts the codebreakers worked in.  Kate Middleton's  grandmother was employed there, in Hut 16.  Duchess Kate officially reopened BP, and hundreds of thousands of visitors tour every year.

The author lists books for further reading (non-fiction) and fiction books, as well as the films made about it.
"Bletchley Circle", "Enigma" and Imitation Game (which is the film about Alan Turing with Cumberbatch.

[PatH]

Tomereader, have you seen Imitation Game?  Cumberbatch would be great as Alan Turing, especially if they tell a lot of his troubled fate.

[Frybabe]

i started to read Umberto Eco's book, Prague Cemetary. The first several chapters, at least, seem to be about different individuals. It is supposed to be a novel. If his goal was to make the described characters thoroughly disgusting individuals, he has succeeded. They (and by extension their occupation, gender, age, race, etc.) are brutally portrayed, emphasizing every character flaw imaginable. Downright vicious. This is not my idea of a good, enjoyable read. Eco claimed that all the characters, except for the main character, were real. I doubt I will get very far into it, but it does hold a certain horrifying fascination. For some bizarre reason, it made me think of the movie Seven where the killer featured one of the Seven Deadly Sins in each murder. Two stories that feature the worst that humanity has to offer, maybe.

[Tomereader1]

Yes, PatH, I have seen The Imitation Game.  Cumberbatch was excellent in it.
There are some really good, spy-type movies out there!  Not the car chase/blow 'em up things of today.
There's "The Good Shepherd"; "Bridge of Spies", "3 Days of the Condor"; "Breach" (2007) excellent; "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and lots of others that do get into the "action movie" genre.

[Frybabe]

Oh! I forgot to mention something this morning. There is a YouTube channel about Cord Cutting that I watch occasionally. This morning the guy mentioned the writer's strike. One of the components of the strike has to do with AI generated scripts which have live writers upset. Say What? Computer generated scripts? News to me. Apparently, the real-life screenwriters are being relegated to just reading and touching-up AI generated scripts which is or will be a major loss of income to them. Who would have thought that AI would be used to write scripts, etc.? Next question, how many of our books are or will be AI written in the future?  This is a future I don't think I want to see/read. Too easy for "Big Brother" to change history, too easy to brainwash everyone into lock-step thinking. Heck, we already interact with these AI text generators via online "Assistants" and of course, there is Bing's new AI search engine.

Ok, I have to go mow the lawn now. My grass is not, nor is the lawnmower, AI generated.

[jane]

Frybabe....I've read some AI generated articles, and I could not have guessed they were AI generated.  [I don't know how today's English or other subject matter teachers/professors can tell the difference, unless they require the essay/paper to be written in class in a class period and all phones, tablets, computers, etc. placed on the floor.]

I wish the Writers' Guild a lot of luck trying to control that.Unfortunately, all writers will face that...be they any part of the "media" or news.

jane   

[BarbStAubrey]

Been hearing about AI as both a boon and the impact we humans are not prepared for and some see it as dangerous - and so I ordered

The Impact of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence on our Society: A journey through the basics of AI and controversial theories about our future. ... of AI through real examples and case studies.  - have no clue what ChatGPT is and so that will be new -

Also ordered, Mind Change: How Digital Technologies Are Leaving Their Mark on Our Brains and Artificial Intelligence: 101 Things You Must Know Today About Our Future

I've my homework cut out for me but it appears to be a subject we need to understand


Interesting bit of history that evidently is a big deal since it changes known British history...

A set of 44 coins dating back to the ninth century has transformed historians’ understanding of the political leaders in the British Isles at the time. The coins, which two men had tried to illegally sell, were uncovered in a police investigation led by the U.K.’s Durham Constabulary and shed light on the relationship between Alfred the Great, the king of Wessex, and Ceolwulf II, the king of Mercia.

“The coins show beyond any possible doubt that there was a political and economic alliance between Alfred and Ceolwulf II,” Gareth Williams, the curator of early medieval coins and Viking collections at the British Museum, said in a press release.

Previously, it was thought that Ceolwulf was a mere “puppet” of the Vikings, not a powerful leader in his own right. But the coins, which show both Alfred and Ceolwulf “standing side by side as allies and peers,” indicate otherwise. “The coins literally enable us to rewrite history,” Williams told The Guardian.

Following the investigation, the artifacts — valued at nearly $1 million — are now in the hands of the British Museum, where researchers will continue to study their historical significance.

More here on this link...
https://www.durham.police.uk/News/News-Articles/2023/April/Viking-coins-recovered-during-a-police-investigation-have-changed-the-shape-of-British-history.aspx

[Frybabe]

WOW! That sheds some more light on the political dynamics at that time. That general time period of the Viking and the Anglo-Saxon conquests is pretty murky to me even though I am familiar some of the players. There was so much land and political shifting going on between Rome's withdrawal and the Battle of Hastings that it is hard for me to keep track. 

ChatGPT sounds like those dad-blasted chat bots many businesses are using and steering customers to using instead of talking to a live Customer Service Rep or tech. Oh, and now Microsoft is pushing it AI generated web searching system (and whatever else it does). I should probably look into it more too, Barb. I am concerned about what this will do in the future to power structures, political and otherwise. I am also wondering why some of those working with AIs and AI technology are so apprehensive about our future under AIs, while they continue working to further the advancement of same. Maybe they think there is a chance to control them even though they fear not.

Mind boggling what society may look like even 100years from now let alone 1,000.  I don't know if I would like what I might see, but I sure would like to take a tour. (I read too much SF).

I am finally getting around to listening to the last (I think) book in Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga. Called Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen it seems to primarily be about genetics and gestating babies out of the womb. Several of Bujold's books include bits about women's reproductive rights and freedom, along with androgyny and hermaphrodites.

Also reading, The Burma Wars, 1824-1886 by George Bruce.  

[PatH]

Frybabe, I think you're right about Jole being the last one, and think it's just as well.  Miles is getting pretty stuffy and unamusing.  The book speeds up some as it goes on, but not one of her best.

[Frybabe]

Miles hasn't shown up yet, other than being mentioned once or twice. I am not overly interested in this talk of reproductive rights and sex. However, I persevere if only because it is the last.

Ann Leckie has a new Imperial Radch universe book being released on June 6. I am looking forward to reading it, since I enjoyed the main sequence so much. As far as I can tell, thought, the novel will not include any of the original characters.

I bought two new SD chips for my tablets to store all my books on. I misplaced the original one I had after I took it out of the tablet and then promptly misplaced it. Also, I couldn't stand the lower Audible grade, so, after only one month I back at premium. Also, I picked up a Bluetooth headphone and a stand for it. Now all I have to do is pair it with my Kobo in order to listen to audiobooks on it. That was something I wasn't expecting when I bought the thing. I knew I could listen to audio books on it but didn't realize I had to buy a Bluetooth device to actually hear them.

[PatH]

They always stick you with buying an unexpected part, don't they?  I've got the opposite; my current hearing aids will do bluetooth, but I have no interest in hooking my phone to them.

[PatH]

Ginny, are there any pitfalls to buying the Oxford Companion to Classical Literature online, such as different printings and you have to know which one is best?  Abe Books has a ton of them, quite cheap, but I don't want to end up with the wrong one.

I noticed recently that you can order from Abe Books by ISBN number.  That was actually useful recently.  My favorite paperback English-Spanish Spanish-English dictionary was falling apart, and the move finished it off,  It had been a standard classroom text for years, with many revisions, and I wanted the same edition, since I knew I liked it.  I plugged in the number, and got a practically new one.  It'll fall apart too, since it's way too thick for the flimsy back, but it'll take a while.

[ginny]

Gosh, a LOT of interesting stuff in here!

I came IN to see if any of you watched the Coronation and what you thought?

I taped it but haven't watched it all, but I did watch part of it. History in the making and all that.

Pat, if I were getting the Oxford text (aren't they unbelievable in price?!?  I remember getting the first one and having to pay  way over $100 back then...they seem to have become more reasonable with the advent of the kindle one, and about time, too...) and didn't want the kindle one (which I think may POSSIBLY  be, not sure,  somewhat abridged) I'd get the latest edition of the book as it may contain more up to date information in a subject that often is amended by new discoveries. I still use my two physical older ones, the 2005 and the 2011. But the kindle one (and I think mine is  the newest kiindle one, the latest one I have physically  has the black and white cover) is a blessing when wanting to copy text.


I know exactly what you mean about the old books. Last week in my last week at Furman/ OLLI for the end of term, one of the Directors brought me two Latin  books from her mother's library. Her mom had  died and two of her books were old Latin texts, one of them my own original  book from the 50's and the other a  Fourth Latin Book from 1933 and I ... was stunned at the presentation in that book.  And still am, actually. They do NOT make books like that any more. Just....it's impossible....to even articulate how different it IS. It's like stepping into another world. I  really had not realized how different things "used to be," Latin textbook wise. Jaw dropping.

Talking about another world, a reference to HAL recently in conversation caused me to watch Kubrick's 2001 again and then 2010. I remembered them a lot differently than THEY were, too.

In fact the original McEwan and Hawthorne  Mapp and Lucia versions on Brit Box ARE the British versions and I am not sure I remember the 2nd year that way, either.

On AI, it's interesting to me to find out from the submissions of some enterprising Latin students that apparently it's not infallible. It seems to be able to spit back what's been programmed IN, even in obscure areas, but lacks enough (?) input to make the decisions a human would have to make in order to solve a particular problem. I expect it's a lack of enough input at the  moment, but if corrected, next time it will spit back THAT person's grammar reasoning  anyway with a reason, and  I have a feeling once every version on earth is loaded in,  it will be a power in all our lives in future.

 R.U.R. again!!!

[Tomereader1]

My daughter was visiting me, and since I have all the Coronation programs on BritBox, we watched all of the beginning parts, the entire Ceremony, and leaving the Abbey for the return to Buckingham.  Will watch that crop of episodes when she comes back over for Mother's Day.  She doesn't get much in the way of "good" TV as far as local channels are concerned.  I do, but found, after having DVR'd almost all of it, that the U.S. network folk were blatherers, that talked over much of everything, and sometimes with only a small square in the upper corner to show the actual goings-on as far as the procession from BP to W Abbey. They were more interested in the arrival of  Harry, and if he would be well-received by any members of the Royal Family.  The Princess Royal did speak to him, as did one of Andrew's daughters, and miscellaneous others.

The Coronation itself was Splendid.  The British broadcasters were quiet, except where needed, and when they spoke in very quiet manner, they gave pertinent historical/present-day information, which was priceless.  The photography of the Abbey from many angles was awesome, and you could see from overhead shots, where everything/everyone was situated.  It is Pomp and Circumstance in all its glory.  Yes, it is too expensive, but gee, how often does something like this occur? Last was 70 years ago.  I remember seeing, in black&white, small TV screen, Elizabeth's Coronation.

I realize the Monarchy is a drain on the British people money-wise, as it has been for centuries.  Not being British, other than having a huge soft spot for Queen Elizabeth II, Winston Churchill, and a very few of the Modern Royals (other than Princess Royal, Anne), I would hate to see all this fade away.

I won't touch on Colonialism, or that CIIIR is not too terrifically well-liked (but why would all those people camp out, stand in the rain for hours, just to see him and his queen pass by in an ornate Gold carriage).  Must be a tiny bit of "like" there somewhere! Or maybe so they can say, "Back in the day, I witnessed the Coronation of King Charles".

In closing, you can probably tell that I found the entire Coronation  wonderful.  I can only hope that those of you here can watch this on BritBox, as U.S. coverage really (pardon the expression) sucked. 

That's my contribution to this site for now.  Will wait to see how other folk here felt about it!

Be Well - Be Safe!

[BarbStAubrey]

I too enjoyed seeing the seriousness and formality of a ceremony that is hundreds of years old... I was up at 4: in the morning to see it on TV as it was shown live with no shots of Harry other than an attempt to take his photo in the Cathedral that was blocked over and over by Princes Anne's giant hat. Moderators discussed how they believe it was planned - that every bit of the ceremony and who sat where was planned - this was going to be about the coronation of Charles and not about how his son looked or was received by the family

Regardless of his history Charles is just not very personable nor is he good looking - in fact Camilla is not especially good looking either and in today's world good looks and being photogenic is where it is at... Many politicians are not very good looking but they have more going for them then a King by Birth - all I know about Charles is he likes Traditional architecture, green spaces, restoring old houses and making them into hotels that become job and school opportunities for the young living in English villages - also recent reports that he is behind the green energy politics however, I have not seen any news blurb showing how he expresses that interest. I have read reports he wants to streamline the expenses the Royals chalk up - As to Camilla I have no idea what she supports - frankly I do not think the English particularly care - they seem to like keeping up with William and Kate which says to me the monarchy will continue.

I have not seen the series 'The Crown' and not sure if I want to - sounds to me like a gossip column being acted out... There is a TV movie out on Phillip's Mother, Elizabeth's Mother-in-law that I would like to see. And no rush but I'd like to know more about Lord Mountbatten - he seems to have been a pivotal friend and guide to both father, Phillip and son, Charles 

[Frybabe]

Yesterday I started a non-fiction titled The War of the Three Gods by Peter Crawford, PhD. It begins in the 600's and appears to be about the Christians, Muslims and whatever Persia was worshipping at that time. Zoroastrianism? I know so very little about it other than it has been around for a very long time. Zoroaster, AKA Zarathustra, is said to have begun the religious movement about a thousand years earlier, one of the earliest organized religions.

My Kindle Unlimited subscription is soon going to be history. They are jacking up the price by $2.00 a month. Well, there go most of the SciFi books I have been reading. This comes not too long after the Free Library of Philadelphia dropped its legacy Overdrive app for, as far as I am concerned, the less Me friendly Libby app. It looks like they also rearranged their website, so I have to figure out how to get around that too. It all seems to be geared up for cell phone use. My old (legacy) wish list is a "tag" now and I can't figure out how to delete books that I've already read from it. While I haven't tried it, I assume that my local library is forced to follow on by switching to Libby since they were also using Overdrive.

I wonder when Amazon will be done "rearranging the furniture" (dropping people and programs). I will be interested to see how this will ultimately affect many of the authors who publish through their services. Anyway, I can't say I will miss the expense and I will have no choice but to read all the books I have accumulated outside of the Kindle Unlimited program and have been neglecting. Also, I now have a program to convert Amazon book files to .eps so I can read them on my Kobo, which isn't getting enough exercise. Then there is the program, which I have not yet tried, to convert .aaw audio books to .mp3 files. That last is because Amazon has not seen fit to get a reader and audio app approved for the Windows 11 in S mode like they have for their video and shopping apps, and they stopped supporting the Audible app on Windows 10. Idiots! For that matter, Libby isn't compatible either. One of the reasons I got the laptop was so that I could access my reading on it as well as the tablets, especially for reading. I like the idea of seeing print materials like maps, photos, etc. on a larger screen. Think Great Courses and my collection of history books.

[PatH]

"Dropping people and services"--that's all too typical of Amazon.  And it may be convenient to have in your pocket, but serious reading on that small a screen is far from ideal.