abarbarian Posted July 1, 2019 Share Posted July 1, 2019 Trekker When Dark Horse Comics gave me the chance to create my own comic years ago–a very rare opportunity at the time–I jumped at the chance to build a vivid, sci-fi setting, and a gifted, troubled young bounty hunter plying her trade through a violent, complex world. Mercy St. Clair’s stories begin in the twisted streets of New Gelaph, but over time carry her farther and farther afield, until she becomes a central player in forces at play in the distant stars . My plan is to tell a life story that stretches out over a long series of action adventures where the character’s journeys are both inward and outward. Mercy St.Clair has also returned to print, first through teaming up once again with Dark Horse Comics, and now by turning to Kickstarter to fund the further adventures of Mercy St. Clair in a series of all-new graphic novels at trekkerkickstarter.com. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 I regularly take patients to Singleton Radiotherapy at Swansea Hospital as part of my voluntary driving duties. There they have a table full of books which they sell at 50 p / 64 cents. My recent find and an excellent read which I have just finished is, The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/page/3/ Luckily for me it happens to be the first book in a series, now if only I can find book two. This extract could almost describe me, ‘I had been given a perfect childhood, perfect, at least, to the ideas of a boy. I was raised among men, I was free, I ran wild, was encumbered by no laws, was troubled by no priests and was encouraged to violence.’ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete! Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 4 hours ago, abarbarian said: I regularly take patients to Singleton Radiotherapy at Swansea Hospital as part of my voluntary driving duties. There they have a table full of books which they sell at 50 p / 64 cents. My recent find and an excellent read which I have just finished is, The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell. http://www.bernardcornwell.net/series/the-last-kingdom-series/page/3/ Luckily for me it happens to be the first book in a series, now if only I can find book two. This extract could almost describe me, ‘I had been given a perfect childhood, perfect, at least, to the ideas of a boy. I was raised among men, I was free, I ran wild, was encumbered by no laws, was troubled by no priests and was encouraged to violence.’ https://b-ok.cc/book/3872561/237ece 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 Nice site, Pete. Thanks. I found a Math book that I'm downloading. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete! Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 2 hours ago, zlim said: Nice site, Pete. Thanks. I found a Math book that I'm downloading. Since I found that site, I seldom turn on my cable box. My 76 year old eyes don't do well with the print size in a typical paper&ink printed book (especially paperbacks), but with an e- book I can select a type size that doesn't have me reaching for the reading glasses. If you don't already have a favorite reader, I recommend the e-book viewer in the Calibre suite. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted March 1, 2020 Share Posted March 1, 2020 3 hours ago, Pete! said: If you don't already have a favorite reader, I recommend the e-book viewer in the Calibre suite. I second Calibre and its built-in eBook Reader. I rarely read on my computer. I normally adjust/manipulate my eBook library using Calibre and my Nook reader. Calibre can be found HERE. A screenshot of mine... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 I actually like the googleplay books for reading. I have both the googleplay books and kindle app on my tablets. I download books on overdrive from my local library. I don't read on the computer. I might download books but then put them on my tablet or on a micro sd card to read. I have Calibre installed on my laptop but not for reading. I know two seniors who own Kindle devices. I move books on to the Kindles after converting them to the correct format. My sister-in-law's son bought her a Kindle. She doesn't have internet access, has no email address, has never used a computer, so there is no way she would be able to use a Kindle unless I put books on it for her. Before I did that, the Kindle sat in a box for months. I'm surprised she didn't throw it away. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted March 8, 2020 Share Posted March 8, 2020 On 3/1/2020 at 2:45 PM, Pete! said: https://b-ok.cc/book/3872561/237ece Super site mate, thanks. I found a cache of free sci-fi books at https://www.baen.com/allbooks/category/index/id/2012?page=2&pageSize=30&filter=created_at&dir=DESC. Just finished The Northworld Triology by David Drake which was ok I suppose for a light time waster. Next on the list is There Will Be Dragons by John Ringo with a title like that you just have to explore the unknown. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssherjj Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Thank you guys for posting all those links. Great information and I'll have to check out Calibre as well. Need to bookmark them for sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted May 9, 2020 Share Posted May 9, 2020 Day the World Stood Still by John Cooper Clarke Quote Deafening whispers loud and clear The sound of nothing meets my ears I get the message – i know the drill This is the day the world stood still The day the world stood still The day the world stood still No traffic noise or sparrows trill From the dead flowers on the window sill This is the day the world stood still 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted June 3, 2020 Share Posted June 3, 2020 Internet Archive Open Library I did not even realise there was such a library with modern books. Thought the Internet Archive only had out of copyright books. Well worth a look though I have never tried to borrow a book as I have tons of books to read as is . Seems like not everyone is happy with the library, Publishers sue to shut down books-for-all Internet Archive for 'willful digital piracy on an industrial scale' Quote The Internet Archive invited the ire of publishers and authors back in March when it decided to lift restrictions on the digital copies of library books it has acquired and scanned. Anyone that registers with the site can take out any of 1.3 million books, the complaint states - although the Internet Archive claims the real figure is 1.4 million. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 Not really reading but I guess radio plays are sort of literature so am posting here. If unhappy please do move. Found a couple of neat sites for radio plays. http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=genre Quote The Fantastic Four Radio Show. A classic radio show from 1975 narrated by Stan Lee and starring Pre-Saturday Night Live Fame Bill Murray as hot head Johnny Storm AKA The Human Torch. It has slipped into the public domain now and we are excited to bring it to you to help fill your now empty days!!! https://oldtimeradiolover.com/the-shadow/ Quote The Shadow The old time radio show, The Shadow, came about to increase sales of the Detective Story Magazine. James LaCurto was the first narrator for the series, but when Frank Readick, Jr., took over the role, he gave it a new voice that thrilled the listeners. The first run of The Shadow was from 1930 until 1935. It returned in 1937 and this was the old time radio show that became a classic. Orson Welles played Lamont Cranston who was the rich young man about town. Frank Readick would put a water glass beside his mouth, in order to get the echo effect during the reading of the infamous line, “Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” Some excellent stuff on both sites. I can recommend this series if you like detective drama with a subtle twist. http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=series&genre=OTR-Detective&series=A Case For Dr Morelle 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) 5G conspiracy theory books are being sold on Amazon Quote Unbelievably, the books appear to be listed as ‘factual’ titles. Edited July 3, 2020 by abarbarian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 That's actually NOT funny because idiots will buy these books, read them, and spread this BS to other idiots. Disinformation/Misinformation... it's worse than a virus pandemic; spreads faster, too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_P Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 On 6/9/2020 at 4:24 PM, abarbarian said: Not really reading but I guess radio plays are sort of literature so am posting here. If unhappy please do move. Found a couple of neat sites for radio plays. http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=genre https://oldtimeradiolover.com/the-shadow/ Some excellent stuff on both sites. I can recommend this series if you like detective drama with a subtle twist. http://www.radioechoes.com/?page=series&genre=OTR-Detective&series=A Case For Dr Morelle I remember The Shadow shows. One of my favorites as a kid. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookmem Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Ed_P said: I remember The Shadow shows. One of my favorites as a kid. I do too. I was about ten when we go our first TV and I hated it. They had a lot of great radio shows at the time but the TV shows were horrible. There were only two TV channels at the time, and we got the network shows via "kinascope", three MONTHS late. Christmas shows at Eastertime!!! Edited July 4, 2020 by Bookmem 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrke Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 I decided to give myself an early birthday present and went to Alibris. Bought 9 books, all old favorites because I reread a lot. A couple were to replace paperback versions of books that had literally disintegrated. I just don't like e-books and could bankrupt myself on Alibris, but I swallow the cost of shipping because there are no second-hand bookstores in my area anymore. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Sadly, I had to quit buying actual books. They were taking over my home because I never got rid of any of them. After eliminating 3/5s of my 15K editions a few years ago (just kept the special books ), I decided to just let the local library store my books for me. Heh! Up until this coronavirus fiasco, I was going to the library regularly for all my reading needs. Sadly, the local branches all closed in March of this year. They have not reopened yet. For this reason, I've had to depend on ebooks during this past few months. I still prefer a real dead tree book, but I've been getting good use out of my Nook during this time. Oh, and when I was still buying used books online I had long ago given up on ABE and Alibris and others and purchased from only one place... a place with the best prices, best and fastest shipping, excellent customer support, etc. Thriftbooks I've been buying from them for nearly a decade. I have never had a complaint. I HIGHLY recommend them. Have fun! 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 And about The Shadow... It was, of course, waaaaaay before my time, but I remember it because when I was a wee lad in the early 60s, these radio dramas were replayed on a local AM radio station here in Tampa. My mom would have the old Sears Silvertone turned on and tuned in every afternoon about 2PM. She'd listen to the shows while cleaning the house, folding the laundry, etc. I was there in the livingroom in front of that ol' console stereo listening along intently. Ah... the memories! Our old Sears console looked very much like this one, but had the "blonde" wood finish. There was also a satellite speaker, so you could enjoy true stereo using the turntable... or if you could find an FM station back then that was transmitting in stereo (rare until about '65 or '66). 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 (edited) On 7/3/2020 at 4:11 PM, V.T. Eric Layton said: That's actually NOT funny because idiots will buy these books, read them, and spread this BS to other idiots. Disinformation/Misinformation... it's worse than a virus pandemic; spreads faster, too. Those are not the least "funny" books amazon sells, Nazi children’s books branding Jews 'devil in human form' on sale on Amazon in various languages I am all for freedom in all forms however I personally think that amazon should not sell or promote books like this. Keep them in a museum or library. Quote “If Amazon can predict what you want buy then they should be able to stop this filth. I cannot understand why the world's richest man Jeff Bezos cannot monitor what is being sold on his company's website.” Quote Others were critical of Amazon for profiting from the book: “This is an ugly example of a company making money off of racism and of a corporation sponsoring and disseminating Antisemitism. This is despicable. Amazon should know better and must stop spreading hate.” RT.com has contacted Amazon for comment, but has yet to receive a response. Edited July 6, 2020 by abarbarian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 Amazon (Bezos) could care less about what they're selling. Their ONLY concern is that people are BUYING. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrat Posted July 6, 2020 Share Posted July 6, 2020 7 hours ago, V.T. Eric Layton said: Amazon (Bezos) could care less about what they're selling. Their ONLY concern is that people are BUYING. *couldn't care less* . Think about what it means. I hate when the internet gets flooded with incorrect usage propagated by sheeple who just copy the wrong things other sheeple say. Don't be a sheeple! Another pedantic example is the disappearing usage of the word "who" recently. So often I see written eg. "the person that did the thing". When I was at school, "that" referred to objects and "who" referred to people. I also read recently a Swedish study which found an average decline of 7 IQ points per generation. Confirms my unscientific observations that the world is getting stupider. Now git orf ma lawn! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 Confirms my unscientific observations that the world is getting stupider. Sadly, I've observed this also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bookmem Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 1 hour ago, zlim said: Sadly, I've observed this also. What else would you expect from a society that discougages reproduction except from is poorest members? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrke Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 My pet peeve, and I hear it from people who should know better, is "returned back to . . .". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cluttermagnet Posted July 10, 2020 Author Share Posted July 10, 2020 This is an interesting thread. I've seen several opportunities to step in and 'set things straight'. Yeah, right. I rarely could resist the temptation of a 'tar baby' set before me, but in this case I did decide to pass (mostly). So I settled for checking out Eric's ThriftBooks reference, where I did a quick test search and found Jack Williamson's "The Legion of Space". Great old pulp SF fiction that got many a boy's heart pumping back in the day. (Probably contributed to my later electronics engineering career). I was first exposed to the SF genre as a young boy, age 7 to 10. "The Legion..." was it. Changed my life, it did. Talk like Yoda, I sometimes do... A parting comment, however- there are many possible definitions of 'sheeple', depending on your orientation. I submit that for a vast majority of mankind, myself included, the old addage is so true: "Look in a mirror- there you will be looking at the source of all your problems". Remember, those 'sheeple', supremely confident in their erroneous ways, believe you are the sheeple. Heh! Dang, I wish everyone could be as perfect as me... </sarcasm> Clutter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V.T. Eric Layton Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 On 7/6/2020 at 7:31 PM, sunrat said: *couldn't care less* . Think about what it means. I hate when the internet gets flooded with incorrect usage propagated by sheeple who just copy the wrong things other sheeple say. Don't be a sheeple! Yeah... Yeah... irregardless of that. ;) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebrke Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 4 hours ago, Cluttermagnet said: I was first exposed to the SF genre as a young boy, age 7 to 10. I started reading years of back issues of monthly publications like Nebula and Galaxy and many others, all tied up in bundles by year in the attic of a friend of my mother. It started when I was about 12. She talked in the kitchen and I climbed up into the attic to read year after year of great stories. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarbarian Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 If you like alternative humour this might be a good read. Quote From the heart of the Western Queensland Channel Country, Australia's oldest and favourite newspaper details our country's very rocky start to a new decade that was supposed to be one of great optimism and innovation. But fate had other plans, starting with the worst bushfires in human memory. While large swathes of the country burned, our politicians were either on holidays or giving their mates grants to build indoor pools in blue-ribbon seats. Surely, it couldn't get worse. 'ken oath it could. Mother nature arrived as COVID-19, and told us all to go to our rooms. Quote About the Author AUTHOR INFORMATION The Betoota Advocate is a small and independent regional newspaper from far west Queensland. We pride ourselves on reporting fair and just news with an authenticity that rivals only the salt on the sunburnt earth that surrounds us here in the Queensland Channel Country. Established in the mid-1800s, we are arguably Australia's oldest newspaper and have always taken pride in our ability to report both regional and metropolitan news. Recently, our popularity has grown immensely as a result of a bold online revival. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunrat Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Haha awesome. You realise the Betoota Advocate is none of those things it claims to be in that quote. It's an internet news satire site. Funny as he11 most of the time. Very Aussie. https://www.betootaadvocate.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.