No wonder that book is such a hard read.
Mal: We're still flying. Simon: That's not much. Mal: It's enough.
'Serenity'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Aims - Nov 13, 2008 7:04:46 pm PST #7905 of 28414
Shit's all sorts of different now.
beth b - Nov 13, 2008 7:33:23 pm PST #7906 of 28414
oh joy! Oh Rapture ! I have a brain!
Before this thread goes too far, someone might have to get firm with it.
Fay - Nov 13, 2008 10:18:57 pm PST #7907 of 28414
"Fuck Western ideologically-motivated gender identification!" Sulu gasped, and came.
Are you offering to take it all in hand, beth?
(I do trust that Moby Dick fandom doesn't involve a lot of fanwanking?)
...oh, sweet Jesus. It has just occured to me that Moby Dick/Free Willy crossover fanfic might be out there somewhere.
Also? What IS with naming fictional whales after the penis? Really? Hello, subtlety?
I mean, honestly, Shamu and all these names at Sea World - are these just stage names? Are they really called things like John Thomas, Woody, Ivor Biggun, Trouser Snake, Pork Sausage, Truncheon Of Love and Really Enormous Penis?
...and suddenly I'm imagining the voiceover person warning the front 15 rows that they might want to move, because Really Enormous Penis is going to soak them all.
Aaaand I'm done. Okay. Leaving the conversation now.
edited for more gratuitous penis talk.
Noumenon - Nov 15, 2008 7:17:13 am PST #7908 of 28414
No other candidate is asking the hard questions, like "Did geophysicists assassinate Jim Henson?" or "Why is there hydrogen in America's water supply?" --defective yeti
Also? What IS with naming fictional whales after the penis?
It can be done the other way around, too. It was the Pinocchio movie that first inspired me to name mine Monstro.
Anyway, I came around to ask the hive mind or whatever you're calling it these days if anyone has ever read a book about "noens." They were little telepathic glowing lights. The children saw them out their plane window and the noens came to their dining room and took them away to another planet, and that's all I remember. Google knows nothing.
sj - Nov 15, 2008 8:56:18 am PST #7909 of 28414
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
This may be a stupid question, but is there an easy way to tell if a science book geared toward adults is appropriate for a 7th grader? He is probably reading on the 9th grade level, but I don't want to get anything that is too over his head theory-wise.
Hil R. - Nov 15, 2008 8:58:21 am PST #7910 of 28414
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
What book, sj? I'd guess that most pop-science books would probably be OK, but ones geared toward a scientific audience probably wouldn't be.
sj - Nov 15, 2008 9:06:41 am PST #7911 of 28414
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
I don't have a specific book in mind. I just want to get something for my nephew that isn't a gameboy game and he loves science. I'd be happy to take suggestions.
Barb - Nov 15, 2008 9:25:15 am PST #7912 of 28414
“Not dead yet!”
sj, why don't you check out the Simon Basher books: [link]
Abby has the physics and periodic table books and loves them, they're a lot of fun. (She's in sixth grade, BTW)
Hil R. - Nov 15, 2008 9:51:53 am PST #7913 of 28414
Sometimes I think I might just move up to Vermont, open a bookstore or a vegan restaurant. Adam Schlesinger, z''l
I'd also recommend Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feinman to any science-loving middle-school kid. Or high school kid or adult, for that matter.
sj - Nov 15, 2008 12:47:31 pm PST #7914 of 28414
"There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
Thanks, Barb and Hil! Those are wonderful suggestions. The older nephew is a wonderfully bright math and science geek. Which I love to encourage, but they are very much not my subjects. The younger one loves stories of all kind and craft projects which are so much easier for me.