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Smiley

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Posts posted by Smiley

  1. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) February 28, 2020  -- 00:30  A.M. (GMT) February 29th -- for a discussion of "Basalt" by Terry Sanville.  The story is a recent offering of the Saturday Evening Post.  It discusses cultural rifts created in the USA during the Vietnam War (many of which are still tearing at the American consciousness.)

    The story is available on line at: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/09/basalt/

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

        Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4  

        mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend. 

  2. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) February 22nd, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) February 23rd, 2020 -- for a discussion of A Journey by Edith Wharton.  A Journey was published in 1889, about a woman's mixed emotions as her husband's health declines rapidly on their train ride home.  The story had been published in a number of anthologies.

    The story is available on line at:  https://americanliterature.com/author/edith-wharton/short-story/a-journey

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  3. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) February 15th, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) February 16th, 2020 -- for a discussion of "The Terrible Old Man" by H. P. Lovecraft.  Lovecraft was a writer of horror and fantasy stories who, although a frequent contributor to the American pulp and weird fiction periodicals, never managed to support himself by his writing.  His claim to fame was the development of what has since been recognized as a style of horror story based on slime and decay (as opposed to blood and guts). 

    This story is a more typical one (you might even consider it Poe like).  The story is available on line at:  https://americanliterature.com/author/h-p-lovecraft/short-story/the-terrible-old-man

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  4. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) February 8, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) February 9, 2020 -- for a discussion of Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff. 

    Tobias Wolff is a celebrated American author and educator.  Since 1997 he has taught at Stanford University, where he serves as Professor in the Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods School of Humanities and Sciences.  He is best known for his short stories most of which have been published in anthologies.   Two of which have been adapted for film.  

    This story is an unexpected version of the "last thing to go thru your mind at the moment of death?", and no ,  "a 1/4 ounce of hot lead", is not the correct answer.

    The story is available on line at:  https://pov.imv.au.dk/Issue_27/section_1/artc2A.html

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

     

  5. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) February 1st, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) February 2nd, 2020 -- for a discussion of "Rib Night" by by Will Mackin.  The story is a contemporary offering of The Atlantic.  It offers a view into into the life of soldiers deployed to the garden spots of the Middle East (Afghanistan).  It provides a fairly accurate view of the methods used by those soldiers to cope with the stresses of combat.  I think you will appreciate and enjoy the story

    The story is available on line at:  https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/03/will-mackin-rib-night/550892/0

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

     

  6. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) January 25th, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) January 26th, 2020 -- for a discussion of "The Day the Earth Smiled" by Nathan Goodroe.  The story is a contemporary offering of The Saturday Evening Post.  It offers a somewhat nostalgic, somewhat humorous look at a family's love for a slightly eccentric father.  I think you will like the story.

    The story is available on line at:  https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/06/the-day-the-earth-smiled/

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  7. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) January 18th, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) January 19th, 2020 -- for a discussion of "Other People's Bodies" by Becky Mandelbaum.  The story is an examination of the angst suffered by young Kansas college girl as she discovers the pros and cons of romantic encounters during a student tour of Europe.  It is an interesting story and a relatively short one. I believe our female readers might be able to explain some of its points to the males.

    The story is available on line at https://www.carvezine.com/story/2019-winter-mandelbaum  

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  8. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) January 11th, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) January 12th, 2020 -- for a discussion of “They Grind Exceeding Small” by Ben Ames Williams.  The story is an offering from the archives of The Saturday Evening Post (originally published in September 1919).  The title is a partial line of Longfellow poetry translated from the writings of a Greek Philosopher, i.e. "The mills of the gods grind slowly but they grind extremely small".  The moral issues dealt with might be summarized as "Karma can be a b****."

    The story is not a happy one but it is a satisfying read.  I believe you will appreciate it.

    The story is available on line at https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2018/09/they-grind-exceeding-small-by-ben-ames-williams/    

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

     
    •  
  9. Happy New Year!  I have had a week of hectic activity entertaining a house full of grand daughters, all of whom had departed for their homes this morninng.  I hope you have all had as busy and pleasant a holiday season as mine,  and that you are ready for another year of stimulating discussions in #readers_corner.

    Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) January 4th, 2020  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) January 5th, 2020 -- for a discussion of "Voodoo Magic" by Robert Buettner.  The story is one of the offerings of Baen Books' Free Library (a source of many of our most interesting tales).  Despite the title, the story has nothing to do with black magic, zombies, or similar mysterious beings.  I think you will enjoy it.    

    The story is available on line at https://www.baen.com/readonline/index/read/sku/9781625797254   As are all the offerings on the Baen Books, the story is available in multiple e-reader formats as well as readable on your browser.  The story is listed as "chapter five" of the book (left column chapter list) or by name from the contents link top right hand corner of the web page.

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

     
  10. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) December 21, 2019  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) December 22, 2019 -- for a discussion of "The Thieves of Christmas Eve" by William Fay.  

    This story, an offering from the Saturday Evening Post from Christmas Eve 1949, deals with the difficulties in investigating a possible murder while simultaneously doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

    The story is available on line at https://tinyurl.com/vgca737

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  11. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) December 14, 2019  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) December 15, 2019 -- for a discussion of "The Calefornian's Tale"  by Mark Twain.  

    The story deals with life in the small towns remaining after the gold rush in California and their falling into decay with the departure of the thousands of prospectors that had provided the customer base for the local merchants.  

    The story is available on line at eastoftheweb.com and can be downloaded at:  http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/CaliTale.shtml

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

     

  12. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) December 7, 2019  --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) December 8, 2019 -- for a discussion of "Treason Properly" by  J.J. Cragun.  The story is a free offering from Baen Books and is available in a number of electronic formats.  This tale is one of several contained in the Baen Books "Free Anthology" (please see instructions on navigation to the story below.)

    "Treason Properly" deals with the qualities of leadership, loyalty, and sacrifice we expect--or rather demand--from the soldiers that stand between civilization and chaos.  I think you will enjoy it.

    The story is available on line at: https://tinyurl.com/v6kkt84  (Chose  chapter 7 from the options on the menu on the left navigation panel)

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

    And have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday.

  13. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) November 30, 2019  -  01:30  A.M. (GMT) December 1, 2019 -- for a discussion of "The Ring" by Ashley Summerfield.  In honor or the ongoing holiday shopping frenzy it seems wise to examine the pitfalls of delaying the purchase of Christmas gifts for our loved ones.  The consequences of facing Christmas morning without present in hand is too horrible to consider.  This week's tale serves as a stern reminder to shop early.

    The story is available on line at:  http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Ring1103.shtml

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

    And have a Happy Thanksgiving holiday.

  14. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) November 23,  2019  -- 01:30  A.M. (GMT) November 24th -- for a discussion of "The Hawk" by Harry Mark Petrakis.  Petrakis, the son of an immigrant Greek Orthodox Priest, was born in 1923 in St Louis, MO.  He is a prolific author of novels and short stories and has received many literary awards, many of then dealing with growing up in the Greek ghettos of Chicago. 

    This weeks story addresses the moral issues faced by a young businessman needing to succeed in the cut-troat world or real estate sales while attemting to maintain his ideas of fair play.  I think you will find the story interesting.

    The story is available on line at: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/10/the-hawk/

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner

       Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y68da9v4

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend. 

  15. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) November 16, 2019 --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) November 17th -- for a discussion of "Lacrimosa"  by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

    By popular request this weeks story is from the horror genre'.  The horror is more subtle than the typical vampire or werewolf tale, but just as frightening.  I think you will appreciate it.

    The story is available on line at: 

    Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) November 16, 2019 --  01:30  A.M. (GMT) November 17th -- for a discussion of "Lacrimosa"  by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

    By popular request this weeks story is from the horror genre'.  The horror is more subtle than the typical vampire or werewolf tale, but just as frightening.  I think you will appreciate it.

    You can download the story at:  https://tinyurl.com/w2e7wo7

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat: https://tinyurl.com/y68da9v4

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

     

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  16. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EST) November 9, 2019  -- 01:30  A.M. (GMT) November 10 -- for a discussion of "The Ghost Rider" by Erica Plouffe Lazure.  It discusses the life and aspirations or a member of a house band in  Nashville. It's a semi-humorous and semi-serious tale.  I think you will enjoy and appreciate it.

    The story is available on line at: https://www.carvezine.com/story/2019-fall-lazure  

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner

        Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4  (choose your nickname -- if your nick is registered you will have to identify after you join the chat)

        mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  17. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) November 2, 2019 --  00:30  A.M. (GMT) November 3rd -- for a discussion of "The Mansion" by Mehdi M. Kashani.

    This story is a humorous one from the archives of the Saturday Evening Post.  I think we will all enjoy exploring the development of love between two not so randomly selected riders on the subway.  Oh, did I fail to mention that the initial encounter between our star crossed lovers was caused by a sneak attack of flatulence by a random fellow rider?

    The story is available on line at:  https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/10/the-mansion/

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat: until the web chat client on Koach.com can be fixed, please use this url to join us on the web client offered thru mibbit. https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  18. Please join us for our next chat in #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) October 19, 2019  -  00:30  A.M. (GMT) August 18 -- for a discussion of "The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall" by John Kenderick Bangs. 

    This story is an old style ghost story with all the trimmings.  John Bangs, an accomplished writer of stories as well as novels, spent the latter years of 19th century working as an editor for Harpers Magazines (at that time he also served as the chief of the humor sections of all three of Harpers publications:  Harper's Magazine, Harper's Bazaar, and Harper's Young People.)

    This selection is a fine example of his writing, and it provides us with a back story on the ghost as well as a well crafted method of elimination of the problem.  I think you will enjoy it.

    The story is available on line at:  http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/WateGhos.shtml

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4 

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  19. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) October 12, 2019  -- 00:30  A.M. (GMT) October 13th -- for a discussion of "One Last Wish"  by Robert Hasker.  It is a gentle little story about a man with premonitions of death.  It has a moral...that being:  be careful what you wish for, you might get it.  I think you will enjoy the story and the somewhat predictable twist at the end,

    The story is found on line on a reliable source of free short stories, East of the Web at this url: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/OneLast1088.shtml

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

           Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4  (choose your nickname -- if your nick is registered you will have to identify after you join the chat)

           mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    The story is interesting and fun. I feel certain you will like it.  I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  20. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) October 5th, 2019  -- 00:30  A.M. (GMT) October 6th -- for a discussion of "Iron Monsters" by Emily Devenport.  The story is a recent offering of the Saturday Evening Post.  It discusses cultural differences through a tale of a not to distant future involving indian tribes (or are they indigenous peoples) and white men.  It's a really good story, and it looks at bigotry from several different angles.

    The story is available on line at: https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2019/09/iron-monsters/

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

        Webchat:  https://tinyurl.com/y59x7gs4  (choose your nickname -- if your nick is registered you will have to identify after you join the chat)

        mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend. 

        

     

  21.  

    Sci Fi

              Azimov:    Novels:       Foundation series

                                                      I Robot      

                                                      The Gods Themselves

                                  Shorts:       Nightfall

              Card, Orson Scott       Ender’s Game

              Frank Herbert               Dune

              David Drake                  Hammers’ Slammers series

              Anne McCafferty          Dragon Flight

              Larry Niven                   Ring World

                 w/ Jerry Pournelle   Lucifer’s Hammer

                                                       The Mote in God’s Eye

    Fantasy     

              Tolkien       Novels:      Lord of the Rings (trilogy)

                                                      The Hobbit

    Historical Fiction        

              Follet                              Pillars of the Earth

              Eco                                 The Name of the Rose

              Shaara, Wm                  The Killer Angels

              Sullivan, Mark               Beneath a Scarlet Sky

     

    Cold War

              Le Carre                        The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

    Clancy                            The Hunt for Red October

    (and all the Jack Ryan Series)

  22. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) September 28, 2019  -- 00:30  A.M. (GMT) September 29th -- for a discussion of "Hall of Small Mammals" by Thomas Pierce.  Pierce is a relatively new author, recently graduated from The University of Virginia's Creative Writing Program.  This story is the title tale of his first published collection of short stories.  

    The story deals with the challenges of acting as a new parent to a modern young teenager.  It's an interesting tale and I think we will have a lot of fun discussing it.

    The story is available on line at: https://lithub.com/hall-of-small-mammals/

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

    Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  23. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) September 21, 2019 -- 00:30  A.M. (GMT) September 22nd -- for a discussion of "The Oblong Box" by Edgar Allen Poe.  We have discussed many of Poe's stories, and we have always found them interesting.

    Poe ( 1809 to 1849 ) was a prolific writer of short stories, poetry, and essays, and is considered to be the father of the detective story and was credited by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as having provided the inspiration for the Sherlock Holmes character.  Since his early death, Poe has grown into what amounts to a cult phenomena, with many of his tales being used as the basis for horror movies and television shows. 

    "The Oblong Box" tells the tale of some strange passengers on an ill fated voyage from South Carolina to New York by sailing ship.  The story is available on line at: s web site at: http://www.free-short-stories.org.uk/edgar-allen-poe-the-oblong-box.htm

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

  24. Please join us for our next chat in  #readers_corner at 8:30 P.M. (EDST) September 14, 2019 --  00:30  A.M. (GMT) September 15th -- for a discussion of "The Long Watch"  by Robert A. Heinlein.

    Robert A. Heinlein (1907 -- 1988) is considered one of the three most influential authors of modern science fiction (the other two being Arthur C. Clark and Isaac Asimov).  He attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served as a naval officer until forced to accept an early medical retirement in the mid 1930's.  He returned to school and studied aeronautical engineering, and worked for the Navy as a civilian engineer through World War II.  After the war he devoted most of his time to writing, both science fiction and science articles.

    His stories are based on "hard science", that is factual science rather than imagination.  During his earlier stories and novels, his themes trend towards military ones, focusing on loyalty, sacrifice, and heroism.  This story was written during the early days of the cold war when the threat of nuclear war had risen to the level of national paranoia (a bomb shelter in every back yard).  I think you will enjoy the story and appreciate the thematic content.

    The story is available on line at: https://www.baen.com/Chapters/1439133417/1439133417___4.htm

    Meeting Place:  #Readers_Corner 

         Webchat: http://koach.com/chatlogin.php?chan=readers_corner

         mIRC Users:  /server -m chat3.koach.com:6667 -j #readers_corner

    I hope to see you all at our chat.  Don't forget to bring a friend.

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