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By TheophileEscargot (Fri Mar 10, 2023 at 11:33:12 AM EST) Reading, MLP (all tags)

Reading: "The Secret to Superhuman Strength", "The Stainless Steel Rat". Links.

What I'm Reading
Read The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison "Test" Bechdel, the third in her series of autobiographical graphic novels after "Fun Home" and "Are You My Mother?". This one focuses on her life in fitness and sports, she's a pretty keen cyclist, runner and did some karate and a lot of other stuff.

It's lighter than the the other books but still manages to fit in a lot of angst somehow, along with the wry humour. It covers her whole life decade by decade so it's not really a sequel.

I liked reading it though it wasn't as mindblowing as "Fun Home".

What I'm Reading
Re-read The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison, classic sci-fi action comedy. Felt like I needed some nostalgic comfort reading and it fit the mark: funny and clever. Was reminded of it when I read Harrison's juvenile "The Men From P.I.G. and R.O.B.O.T." to the kid, but despite my hopes can't give him this one. There's no explicit sex or even swearing, but there are clear implications of prostitution and lines like "swimming in a spacesuite is about as easy to manage as making live in free fall".

Great nostalgia for me, not sure how other people would take it.

Links
Sci/Tech. Hacker hoodie uses IR to blind some surveillance cameras. Binary star sundial.

History. So you've been challenged to a duel, full book. Emperor Commodus.

Economics/politics. Growth: who loses? Economy is less flexible than we thought.

< It's lonely out in space | Pandemic Anniversary >

You're hot stuff with a hatpin | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)

Old books by ucblockhead (4.00 / 2) #1 Fri Mar 10, 2023 at 11:55:24 AM EST

I'm always nervous to read books I loved when I was much younger (like Stainless Steel Rat). Sometimes they live up to memory and sometimes they are incredibly cringy.
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[ucblockhead is] useless and subhuman

: Yeah by TheophileEscargot (4.00 / 1) #2 Fri Mar 10, 2023 at 12:07:07 PM EST

I was lucky with this one.
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It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?
[ Parent ]

IIRC that one had by wiredog (4.00 / 1) #3 Fri Mar 10, 2023 at 02:01:55 PM EST

A fair amount of torture porn. Or maybe that was a later one in the series ? I remember I got tired of them before I got out of the Army.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}

I think by TheophileEscargot (2.00 / 0) #4 Fri Mar 10, 2023 at 04:03:46 PM EST

That must have been a different one.
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It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?

[ Parent ]

their kids showed up in later books by marvin (4.00 / 2) #5 Sat Mar 11, 2023 at 09:51:53 AM EST

Don't recall stainless steel rat going that direction.

When I hear the phrase "torture porn", Piers Anthony is the first one to spring to mind. Some of his stuff from the 90s put him into the unreadable pile.

[ Parent ]

: I remember by TheophileEscargot (4.00 / 1) #6 Sun Mar 12, 2023 at 12:04:09 AM EST

"Bio of a Space Tyrant" was a bit of a surprise after reading some of his less lurid books.
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It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?
[ Parent ]

cringing by iGrrrl (2.00 / 0) #7 Tue Apr 04, 2023 at 05:01:37 PM EST

I'm reading the Star Trek Novel How Much for Just the Planet and noting a few things.

Not my type of humor
After Claire Willett's live tween of watching TOS for the first time, the Kirk characterization as a womanizer is actually a bit off.
Oh god the sexism

"I honestly pity the stupid motherfucker who tries to talk down to iGrrrl" - mrgoat

A LOT of the characters by wiredog (2.00 / 0) #8 Thu Apr 06, 2023 at 05:54:36 AM EST

are based on various Star Trek fans and authors who were active at the time.

His other Star Trek novel, The Final Reflection, is one of the best. Really interesting take on Klingons.

Earth First!
_{(We can strip mine the rest later.)}

[ Parent ]

: I loved The Final Reflection by iGrrrl (4.00 / 1) #9 Mon May 22, 2023 at 08:22:43 PM EST

Which was in part why I so disliked How Much for Just the Plant.
"I honestly pity the stupid motherfucker who tries to talk down to iGrrrl" - mrgoat
[ Parent ]

You're hot stuff with a hatpin | 9 comments (9 topical, 0 hidden)