Jan 11 2009
End of the Week links
HarperCollins makes Lois McMaster Bujold’s Beguilement free online. Unfortunately you can’t download it. I believe this is because HC believes that if they force you to use their awkward software, you’ll give up and buy the version and if they allow you to download it, you’ll never buy a legitimate copy. Whatever. In good news, though, Bujold’s “Horizon” is being released at the end of the month in hardcover. Bujold is a highly underrated author. Hope she sells buckets.
Oprah is giving Suze Orman’s 2009 Action Plan away in PDF format. This giveaway ends Tursday, January 15, 2009. (Thanks Susan)
In yet another example of Darwinism, scientists have a study that shows men with higher intelligence have more sperm and that its more motile than the sperm of the dumber men in society. (Thanks bec).
Also from bec is a list of Ten of the Best books with Duels. I’ve never read the book, Dangerous Liasons, but the movie version of the duel was great but not because of the swordplay. I thought it was particularly ironic that Pushkin wrote about duels over a woman and died himself in a duel because of a woman. (sorry, link only works with a subscription).
Elizabeth sends over the top 10 out of print books of 2008. The third is Nora Robert’s Promise Me Tomorrow which she refuses to have re-released. I tried to get it through interlibrary loan, but was my request was turned away. Libraries are probably afraid of thieves.
Send to Kindle
Jan 11, 2009 @ 17:27:43
“Bujold is a highly underrated author. Hope she sells buckets.”
Holy Tribble Poo! I actually love an author Dear Author loves too! And so do a lot of my Blog Buddies.
I think this is a first. I can’t remember one Dear Author fave I liked too.
Jan 11, 2009 @ 18:01:26
Jane,
Dangerous Liaisons (or Les Liaisons Dangeroux) is…pretty 2 dimensional. It’s pretty easy to spot who’s who and what’s what. And, it’s a very quick read (it was my favorite book in high school, even though I figured out it was fake). But it’s interesting in that it’s a good representation of how scandal sheets wrote back in the day. It’s also a rip roaring good poke at the uselessness of aristocrats. ;)
I reccomend it as it’s an easy read and fun to reference.
Jan 11, 2009 @ 21:35:44
HarperCollins also put up the first 86 pages of Bujold’s upcoming Horizon on their website. And it says something about how much I want this book that I managed to read all 86 pages, despite getting horrible eyestrain from their shitty software.
Jan 11, 2009 @ 22:53:19
Thanks for the heads up on Suze Orman’s book. Appreciate it!
Jan 12, 2009 @ 00:28:35
Two woodworking and a knitting book in the top 10 of most wanted OOP books. I think that must be a reflection of Americans preparing for the apocalypse aka prolonged recession. ;)
Yay on the Bujold. Horizon is a great finish, and it provides closure so the tetralogy. But I wanted to read more in the world like *right now*. :)
Jan 12, 2009 @ 07:11:04
Hmmm, this link doesn’t seem to be working for me.
Jan 12, 2009 @ 13:47:22
I must be really dense here, but what’s fake in Dangerous Liasions? The German version has over 400 pages, so I am not so sure it is a quick read…. well maybe it is the wordiness of German?
Jan 12, 2009 @ 14:28:20
I read Liasons Dangereux a bizillion years ago and liked it a lot. Gotta say, though, I don’t recall much about the duel. As for being fake, I think the author(ess, in those days) really was a princess. Bugger, now I’ll have to dig out my copy and re-read it. Leaves grumbling to self.
Nota bene: (the Latin is just to irritate Jane) the top 10 books with duels link doesn’t work for me either.
Jan 12, 2009 @ 14:31:58
@Throwmearope The link doesn’t work because you have to be a subscriber. But, heh, it was a list of 10 best duels!
Jan 12, 2009 @ 14:34:00
Well, is there a list of them somewhere else?
Jan 12, 2009 @ 14:36:05
Work avoidance and general k’vetching* but bugger it, I’m seeing typos in triplicate (if that “three” word is spelled right which it probably isn’t because I’m such a wretched speller) … however: tursday Liason and my fave, “motile” sperm. I’m wondering now, how would a motile sperm be different from a mobile sperm? One wonders … :)
* and maybe the k’v… word is spelled wrong too :D
Jan 12, 2009 @ 14:44:23
@Janet W tursday Liason? I don’t see it. But motile, the word used in the report is actually correct.
@Jayne – no, I don’t see one.
Jan 12, 2009 @ 14:47:14
Also from bec is a list of Ten of the Best books with Duels. I've never read the book, Dangerous Liasons
Motile is correct? Shows what this mum of three knows about sperm: precious little I guess! OK, thank you and I’ll just slink off and SHUP now …
Jan 12, 2009 @ 22:28:51
Ooh, ooh, one I know. Motile is derived from motility and is the medical term for spermatozoa that do more than just sit there. So Jane’s right, motile is correct. As for sperm, the dangerous little beasties are really cute when you see them swimming around on the microscope slide.
Jan 13, 2009 @ 19:33:06
I love Bujold’s Vorkosigan stuff. I hadn’t read the Sharing Knife series, so I checked it out! I agreed totally a)terrible software and b) not downloadable… grumble, grumble… that being said, I read the entire book! I’ve already gotten the second book from the library! If I keep going at this rate, I’ll end up buying the fourth book when it comes out!! Congratulations, Harper Collins!
It’s got a LOT of romance in it. The premise is one that I’d thought was out of vogue. It’s the scarred, older, alienated hero with the naive, innocent young heroine who is underappreciated by her family! I remember reading lots of those in my teens – the 80s!