What are you reading right now ?

[Ransom]

Out of the Ruins by Sally S. Wright

Fiction — The conflict between a Southern family who has owned most of Cumberland Island for generations, and the government and developers who are trying to force them to sell, so they can bring in tourists. Much family intrique, and of course...murder. Very good read.

I have a weakness for really good murder mysteries. Anyone else? (Come on, we can't read books on boats and pirates — or in Mission's case, removing limbs — ALL the time. )

[Blackbead]

Misson: The world is a surprising place - I'm surprised that someone who finds poetry inane, foolish and stupid would be quoting Dewey. Of course, it could be me; perhaps I need to go back and reread "Art as Experience." Regardless, your point is taken and your insult registered. Fare well.

[Misson]

Well, it wasn't meant as a specific insult to you or anyone else. If you wrote the book, I apologize to you viz. any potential insult you find to your person. I have actually written the stuff and I know it is hard work.

However, I've never found it to be worth all the work. Your experience may vary. I have dropped two classes specifically because they focused on poetry. Poetry intentionally disguises its meaning which seems counter-purpose to me. Thus I find it inane and foolish as a medium. The only poem I have ever found that I enjoyed was The Raven and it mostly because Poe consistently rhymes within rhymes and I thought that pretty clever (and recognized how much work it must have been.)

[Ransom]

(I suppose it surprises me that he mentions poetry as much as he does because it has always struck me as such a fatuous medium and surgery such a pragmatic one.)

Mission, even if you really feel this way, why would you post such an insulting remark right after a post made by someone working very hard to compile a book of poetry? In this case, it might have been more polite to keep that one thought to yourself.

[Misson]

Ah, so he is writing it. It didn't specifically say, so I assumed he was just proofing it. Sorry about that, then.

(You can just figure me to be an opinionated philistine when it comes to poetry, if you like. I've made similar noises in other threads around here when the topic came up.)

[Blackbead]

Mission and Ransom:

Gentlemen:

Let's not make such an ado about something that is of so little consequence. The Pub is a very large place; there is absolutely no reason why we should ever have to all sit at the same table.

Mssr. Mission: I wish you all the best and a successful and thriving surgical practice. Since I presume you to be a doctor of medicine, I completely understand your total lack of imagination, soul, wit, humor, tact, passion, love, honor, lust, or any other feeling held in common with those of us who belong to the human race. If we ever do find ourselves sitting at table together, I would be pleased to buy you a tankard of whatever tasteless swill you prefer (forgive my presumptiveness in this matter since I base my impressions on what you care to drink on your preferred reading material) and attempt to explain to you the thoughts, emotions, and ideas expressed in the following simple, easy-to- understand, poem that I attempted to write in words of two syllables or less:

Farewell, Brave Lion

I took you from a Spanish captain,

Back in seventeen-oh-two,

I knew it was your maiden voyage:

Your sails were still brand new.

You handled like an Irish racehorse,

Headstrong but steady and true,

And with the slightest breezes

There was nothing I couldn’t ask of you.

You managed fourteen cannon

Without giving up a knot

And in every fight but the last one

You gave better than you got.

It was my mistake to fight a carrack

With a twenty-four gun array

And now you lie forever

‘Neath the blue of Santiago Bay.

It’s been years since first I boarded you,

Now your sailing days are through,

Your guns have all gone silent:

I finally asked too much of you.

(Stephen Sanders

©2008)

Mssr. Ransom: I sincerely appreciate your kind words and the thought and I look forward to sharing a cold pint or two when the day comes that we meet again.

Fair winds and a slow galleon to you both,

Blackbead

PS: Nah-nah, nah-nah, naaaah-naaaah! I got you to read a poem, Mission!!

PPS: Since we are writing this in email and not speaking it face to face, PLEASE know that my intent is to turn this in a humorous course and not one that is truly adversarial. In the spirit of the Pub, Blackbead

[Hester]

I don't usually enjoy reading poetry.

I've always attributed that fact to my being shallow and low-brow.

But I did like your poem, Blackbead! (Oh dear, I guess that might not actually be considered terribly welcome praise...) Nonetheless, perhaps someone could set it to music and turn it into a shanty!

P.S. I feel I should point out that Ransom is a Madame, not a Monsieur ... unless that was just poetic licence on your part.

[Hester]

I have a weakness for really good murder mysteries. Anyone else?

Well, yes -- since my taste in novels tends to run to the shallow and low-brow rather than the deep and literary, I have indeed read many a paperback murder mystery in my time (usually when I should have been doing something more productive).

I particularly enjoy the mysteries written by Martha Grimes, Elizabeth George, and Anne Perry.

When I'm in a particularly fatuous mood, I even enjoy Elizabeth Peters' satirical mysteries.

[Blackbead]

Madam Hester:

I humbly apologize to the fair Ransom; I assure you it was a thoughtless mistake and not intended as a slight of any kind.

Thank you for your kind words; praise, like constructive criticism, is always welcome to a scribbler. Actually, I like to think that my best works are those that speak to the "Everyman" in all of us instead of the high brow and the obtuse.

Hopefully, after a few rums, all of my poems get better rather than more vague and unclear.

Blackbead

[Blackbead]

I, too, love a good murder mystery. Hence, the Chandler book of short stories. He didn't write that many but they were some of the best. Someone dated, I agree, but there are elements of the stories that appeal to you regardless of the times. Has anyone here ever read any Dashiell Hammett?

[Red Bess]

Poetry intentionally disguises its meaning which seems counter-purpose to me.

I find that metaphors, similes, hyperbole and analogies sometimes speak more eloquently than a direct statement. But then, I enjoy the challenge of reading and writing poetry. To each his own.

I just started reading the original version of "Treasure Island" -- up to this point I had only read "retold" versions directed at kids.

[Ransom]

I humbly apologize to the fair Ransom; I assure you it was a thoughtless mistake and not intended as a slight of any kind.

Blackbead

None taken. It is an oft-made mistake, since my name isn't exactly gender-specific. And should we ever meet, I would be happy to sit and enjoy a drink together.

Also, I was not trying to stir up a debate on poetry lovers vs non-poetry lovers. To me it was more a matter of courtesy. Dear Mission is free to find poetry as fatuous as he pleases. I, for one, am not a huge fan of poetry either. I just thought the remark a little insensitive. But, like a true gentleman, he has apologized. Bravo.

And Hester, I see our choices in murder mysteries are very similar. I too like Martha Grimes, and Elizabeth Peters. I used to read quite a bit of Elizabeth George, until I heard her give an extreamly "fatuous" commencement speech at the Universidty of Calif. at Riverside, when I had gone to see my best friend receive his Doctorate in History. I was so dissappoined in her, that I quit reading her books. It really was the stupidest speech I had ever heard.

Might I suggest to you Minnette (?) Walters. Very good reads.

[Hester]

Might I suggest to you Minnette (?) Walters. Very good reads.

Hi, Ransom:

Yes, I've read a couple of Minette Walters' books. However, I actually find them a bit too scary for me. The psychological tension she creates almost verges on the horror genre. I've found the same with some of Ruth Rendell's stories too.

I'm afraid I like my mysteries a little bit gentler (although not quite as fluffy as some of the American "cozy" mysteries).

I haven't been reading many murder mysteries lately, but I do like the Yorkshire police procedurals by Peter Robinson (who now lives in Toronto):

http://www.inspectorbanks.com/

...and the Peak District mysteries by Stephen Booth:

http://www.stephen-booth.com/

[Misson]

Mssr. Mission:  I wish you all the best and a successful and thriving surgical practice.  Since I presume you to be a doctor of medicine, I completely understand your total lack of imagination, soul, wit, humor, tact, passion, love, honor, lust, or any other feeling held in common with those of us who belong to the human race.  If we ever do find ourselves sitting at table together, I would be pleased to buy you a tankard of whatever tasteless swill you prefer (forgive my presumptiveness in this matter since I base my impressions on what you care to drink on your preferred reading material) and attempt to explain to you the thoughts, emotions, and ideas expressed in the following simple, easy-to- understand, poem that I attempted to write in words of two syllables or less:

e Pub, Blackbead

Actually, I paint, draw, design, write (prose) monthly columns on success concepts, give trainings (including one on creativity) and even sculpt. For proof of my creative ventures, feel free to check out my website for some of the crap (and some of it really is crap) that I've made. (Although the life-sized velociraptor is one of my favorite projects.) [Daffy Duck]So there.[/Daffy Duck]

And I drink tasteless red wines, single malt scotch and (lately) interesting rums straight. (Be careful what you promise, I remember such promises. Come to PiP sir!)

As for the poem - credit to you for having it rhyme. What do you think of poems that don't rhyme? (Although I have a particular dislike of them, the last one I wrote didn't rhyme at all. Ah, but we are complex creatures. Since getting into this discussion, I have been wondering why I have never liked poetry, but the only reason I can come up with other than the reason offered previously is poetry's decided bent towards sentimentality - which I usually try to eschew. Doesn't seem enough, does it? Perhaps there is some deep dark psychological reason which I have yet to uncover. Probably not though. I think it may be that poetry is (in my view) intrinsically impractical. While I like creating things, I like creating practical things. Like life-sized velociraptors.)

And I have read Hammett's Matlese Falcon and The Thin Man, although it has been a long time. In fact, The Thin Man is a favorite movies series of mine.

[Misson]

Also, I was not trying to stir up a debate on poetry lovers vs non-poetry lovers. To me it was more a matter of courtesy. Dear Mission is free to find poetry as fatuous as he pleases. I, for one, am not a huge fan of poetry either. I just thought the remark a little insensitive. But, like a true gentleman, he has apologized. Bravo.

Never let it be said I didn't do the least I could do.

[Blackbead]

There are many things which I disagree with in the philosophy of Aldus Huxley, but I see wisdom in his thought that (to paraphrase him) after silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. I believe that poetry falls somewhere on that continuum line.

What do I think of poetry that does not rhyme? I’ve written a great deal of “free verse” in my time (I won’t force you to endure any of it here!) I don’t care if it rhymes or not if it creates within me a feeling or an image that provides me a chance to grow. I do tend to be a big fan of introspection so long as it doesn’t become an obsession. I wrote a poem about the difference between aloneness and loneliness once called “The Middle Watch” because I wanted to say something about the power and the necessity of taking time to look within yourself.

And the life-sized statue of the velociraptor? At least it isn’t a T-Rex.

I spent several evenings in Germany trying to acquire a taste for single malt and all I got for it was a great friend and a boat-load of those little crackers to cleanse my pallette. I will be happy to share a bottle of burgundy or a bordeaux with you, however, and if you enjoy rum then we have a lot more in common than we think, fatuous poetry aside. (And I dream of coming to PiP . . . perhaps if the book takes off this winter then I can come out and do some poetry readings and sign some copies. I'll give you fair warning before that starts so you can find a sound-proofed room!)

Some people like poetry, some don't. Some people find no reason to watch films about hard-boiled detectives, some do. Some watch porn, some watch slashers. We are a strange brew of breeds and while I still turn my head in parts of the new version of "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," I wouldn't have it any other way.

When the new book comes out, there'll be an autographed copy reserved for you. For $9.99, of course . . .

[Ransom]

And I have read Hammett's Matlese Falcon and The Thin Man, although it has been a long time. In fact, The Thin Man is a favorite movies series of mine.

I am astonished, suh. We have something else in common. Who would have thought!

[Zephaniah W Nash]

Reading "The Saint" by Dan Abnett right now, an omnibus collection of four of his Gaunt's Ghosts novels, set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. You could say it's re-reading, as I've read all the novels separately (as well as the three novels in the omnibus "The Founding, the first of the series), but I'm a sucker for getting them all in one large book.

In my opinion, they'd make a heckuva good war series even if they weren't sci-fi.

[Blackbead]

"I hope they don't hang you, precious, by that sweet neck. Yes, angel, I'm gonna send you over. The chances are you'll get off with life. That means if you're a good girl, you'll be out in 20 years. I'll be waiting for you. If they hang you, I'll always remember you."

"Oh, it's all right, Joe. It's all right. It's my dog. And, uh, my wife."

"Well you might have mentioned me first on the billing."

I loved the mysteries but it was the dialogue that made these films special.

[BriarRose Kildare]

At the moment I am reading Eldest, the second book in the Eragon Trilogy series.

And I am also reading a book on Marie Antoinette by Joan Haslip. So far it is a very good book. Of course I already know how it's gonna end....snicker...

[Misson]

Ah, Nick and Nora. Anyone who thinks b/w films are too old to be worth watching really must see some of the Thin Man movies. The sequel films are of the same caliber as the one taken from Hammett's novel. Although if I remember it rightly, the novel is a little less whimsical than the films were. As I said, it's been awhile.

As for music, I don't tend to prefer songs. I prefer instrumental music. My iPod is probably about half recorded lectures of one form or another, 30 or 40 percent instrumental music and the balance consists of songs. So I am not even much for the poetic side of music. Still self-analyzing; perhaps I will discover why.

[Capt. Sterling]

Proceedings in the Court of Vice-Admiralty of Virginia, 1699-1775

Just in case there is a pop quiz down in Beaufort...

Oi Dutchie ever hear of this book?

[Mission]

Of Wounds, Of Gun-Shot Wounds, Of Fractures and Luxations by Richard Wiseman. Thank God for John Kirkup's glossary at the end!

Generating more excitement, however, is the fact that the college library was able to get me a copy of a book I have been trying for since January. (The public library failed me on that one. Curse their little blue cardboard checkout cards!) It is the apparently seminal work on the topic, Shipwreck-Survivors a Medical Study by MacDonald Critchley. It came from an Alabama Air Force Library; It's been such a struggle to get that I photocopied the whole thing. So I look forward to tucking into that when I finish with Wiseman.

[Capt. Sterling]

A series of kids books, or as my daughter keeps correcting me..."Young Adults" based on a character named Montmorency... setting is Victorian England... a thief turned gentleman turned spy (with the thief resurfacing now and then)... after falling through a glass roof and being put back together... Not as detailed as I would like but still fun and I do recommend em to folks that like that type of storyline.

[blackjohn]

In Defense of Perpetual Title to Sovereign Wrecks

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org12-7m.htm