Subj : Board Stiff.. an excerpt + To : George Pope From : August Abolins Date : Mon Apr 18 2022 10:52:00 Hello George Pope! ** On Friday 15.04.22 - 10:53, George Pope wrote to August Abolins: GP> Another mut read #1 first is "A Spell for Chemeleon"; the GP> first in Piers Anthony's epically long "Xanth" series GP> (they can be read in sets of three after you'veread that GP> one, or sets of nine -- he wrote them in trilogies GP> containing three trilogies each. Publisghuing, of course, GP> one novel at a time! I believe you mentioned that here before. Thx. I have a copy of that one at the ready. My first Xanth novel was "Board Stiff". I loved the opening chapter. The puns were exellent. GP> I like Piers -- he personally connects with the reasder.. GP> ..his puns in Xanth gets lame & expected after awhile,. GP> but his attachment & 4th wall usage in using them is GP> funny. 4th wall? In Board Stiff, he made the punnery part of solving the mystery that the character encountered. That was clever. I still get a chuckle at this part at the beginning: "... I'm actually a smart girl who would make any man an excellent wife. But no man sees that. No man is interested in my mind or personality, just my whatevers. So here is my wish: I'm board stiff. I want Adventure, Excitement, and Romance." Now the ripples made her reflection shimmer. She definitely had the wishing well's attention. "I searched all over for a suitable offering," she continued. "It occurred to me that how you look is governed by the sand on your bottom. It is frankly sort of dull. So I found a pretty colored stone that should add interest. Here it is: my offering, and I hope you like it." She brought out the stone, which was like a faceted blue diamond, sparkling all over. She dropped it into the well. Something happened. A sudden whirlwind surrounded her, lifting her up and ripping off her clothing. She was changing, somehow. Then she fell flat on the ground. Literally. She had been transformed into a flat, stiff board with two knotholes for eyes." >> I keep a small printed list of titles sorted by pubdate. GP> Most of your customers just ask for recommendations & you GP> can point out when the stories are stand-alone? I havent read them all. But most people tell me that that they can enjoy them individually. Sometimes they like to seek out an earlier publication to fill in the gap; they tell me it's still a good reading experience. >> It was simply one of those "necessity is the mother of >> invention" moments. I got tired of "looking" across two >> shelves for a Jack Reacher title. But when laid out in >> title order, I know which one's I've got or not. GP> You don't have a computerized index/db of your stock? It's is MUCH easier to just look at the shelf and see what is missing. ;) I *can* usually tell what title I still have in stock on the computer, but I can only do that one title at a time. GP> Hollywood really ought to start reading more than just GP> comic books! LOL. GP> The movie based on "One for the Money" by Janet Evanovich GP> really missed on the characters & castying -- none looked GP> right except Joe Morelli, maybe. GP> Ditto "50 Shads of Grey" -- none looked like they do in GP> the novels, IMO. Did not see that one. I thought the premise of sadomachism is too dark for me. GP> But maybe today's gen of movie watchers would recognize GP> them just fine, or don't care as they don't read. (had an GP> adult lady friend once tell me "I don't read" (that was GP> the beginning of the end for me) I find that people who say that they don't read CAN be made interested in non-fiction: biographies, history, politics, books on medical topics, cookbooks, etc.. Same thing with kids. Kids who can't seem to bear struggling with Harry Potter, can be fascinated by the Guiness World Record books, encyclopedias, game manuals, field guides, maps. -- ../|ug --- OpenXP 5.0.51 * Origin: Mobile? COFFEE_KLATSCH = https://tinyurl.com/y56r9f2o (2:221/1.58) .