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The Lure of the Basilisk by Lawrence Watt-Evans.
A book that I was trying to google search for weeks after I spontaneously remembered a couple of months ago using terms like great cat mount anti-hero etc etc. to no avail.
I was looking for that early 80's Del Rey spine for a couple of weeks and went into the used book shop and it was faced out on the top shelf. :p
TheLureoftheBasilisk.jpg

Really well written; strange and tactile descriptions in the prose. Read it when I was around 17 and I'm looking forward to reading the following three in the series (my high school library only had this one).
 
as long as this thread has enjoyed another renaissance i'd like to point out to those that read ebooks that this is a great site for discounted ebook offers from amazon and the google play store sometimes dropping down to 99 cents or even free, i just bought one for 99 cents from amazon called Notre Dame vs the Klan about a famous 1924 incident that i didn't know even existed

BookBub: Free Ebooks - Great deals on bestsellers you'll love

"...In 1924, students of the University of Notre Dame and members of the Ku Klux Klan faced off in a violent confrontation in South Bend, Indiana. This shocking and true hidden chapter in Catholic and American history is recounted in Notre Dame vs. The Klan, the story of two uniquely American institutions that rose to power amdist rampant anti-Catholicism and collided druing a riotous weekend..."

They seemed to have really earned the name The Fighting Irish here.

I should point out that this isn't any kind of 3rd party or subscription service, it's strictly a notification service. You still buy the books from amazon or google Play, the point of this service is you register and tick off the type of books you like and you get a daily curated email of books that fit your criteria that you may not know even existed or occasionally had such deep discounts. There is an occasional best seller and famous authors but it's mostly lesser known authors but hell for $4.99 or $.99 I'll give anybody a shot.
 
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Just finished Annie Jacobsen's "Area 51, And uncensored history...."

There's an irony here in that minus the author's loosely integrated insertion of non-documented "fact" and opinion about Roswell and it's supposed connection to Area 51, the book is a very fine read regarding more conventional activities she alleges to have taken place over the long history of this legendary facility. It's almost a shame that Ms Jacobsen has mucked up an otherwise informative history of Area 51 with a "peekaboo" version of Roswell that just does not jibe. Overall, the book is a worthwhile slice of cold war history.
 
"(Since Eve Ate Apples) Much Depends on Dinner: The Extraordinary History and Mythology, Allure and Obsessions, Perils and Taboos, of an Ordinary Meal" by Margaret Visser

Fascinating. A great read. :)
 
I just finished 'Hack Attack,' by Nick Davies. If you want to read about the hacking scandal that took place a few years ago in the UK, this is your book. You get to find out what a low-life Rupert Murdock truly is. I had to put the book down numerous times as it made my gut churn.
 
This is why we can't have nice things; Mapping the Relationship between Online Trolling and Mainstream Culture
Whitney Phillips

"...Internet trolls live to upset as many people as possible, using all the technical and psychological tools at their disposal. They gleefully whip the media into a frenzy over a fake teen drug crisis; they post offensive messages on Facebook memorial pages, traumatizing grief-stricken friends and family; they use unabashedly racist language and images. They take pleasure in ruining a complete stranger’s day and find amusement in their victim’s anguish. In short, trolling is the obstacle to a kinder, gentler Internet. To quote a famous Internet meme, trolling is why we can’t have nice things online. Or at least that’s what we have been led to believe. In this provocative book, Whitney Phillips argues that trolling, widely condemned as obscene and deviant, actually fits comfortably within the contemporary media landscape. Trolling may be obscene, but, Phillips argues, it isn’t all that deviant. Trolls’ actions are born of and fueled by culturally sanctioned impulses—which are just as damaging as the trolls’ most disruptive behaviors....
 
I just received Ardy Sixkiller Clarke's latest book, 'More Encounters With Star People...' I thought I would get a jump on things so I could ask some decent questions when Dr. Clarke appears on the Paracast.
 
Rikki said:
c36bee8897ae8fa9bdf7f389c4c6e056.jpg I wish I could read books about aliens or ghost but with my twin daughters hitting 13 this will have to do...
Click to expand...
You sound like a very loving parent, but I first heard about UFOs when I was about 6 or 7 and was so fascinated that it inspired me to read more about them. My first real UFO books were The Report On Unidentified Flying Objects by Edward J. Ruppelt (1956), Flying Saucers Serious Business by Frank Edwards (1966), and UFOs The Whole Story by Coral & Jim Lorenzen ( 1969 ). In 1967, my Mom gave me a copy of The World of Science - A Deluxe Golden Book, and I began to look for scientific ways to explain UFOs. Consequently, by the time I was in high school I knew more general up-to-date science than my science teacher.

So ufology can be very interesting for young people, and my group ( USI ) has had pre-teen members join ( with the consent of their parents ). All that being said, it's important that you feel right about what your children are exposed to, and there is a lot of nonsense and some age-inappropriate content out there, especially in the more fringe areas like abductions, religious interpretations, and the experimental use of hallucinogens. So it's certainly wise to do some filtering if your children are easily frightened or impressionable, but done with care, the subject can also inspire interest in science, aerodynamics, engineering, art, and other things that are good for young people.

Personally, I think the biggest risk in exposing young people to ufology is in the bad attitudes that some skeptical bully types take toward those with open minds who want to learn about it. They can be very mean and rude, and I'd hate to see any young person become a victim of that kind of abuse in the schoolyard. But then again, if they're properly prepared and have loving homes to come to, where the subject isn't taboo, then dealing with those problems is a lot easier. I personally feel that learning about it at a much younger age than 13 did me much more good than harm. In fact I don't recall it being harmful ( for me ) at all.

As a parent, what age do you feel it's appropriate to introduce the idea that there are people who believe that there are aliens who may have come here from a planet around another star? Chances are that by the age of 13, they already know that much. Besides, it's more sensible to many folks than introducing them to the idea that there's some sort of God floating in a big throne in the sky who will punish them if they're bad. Not to mention that the Bible is filled with all kinds of gory and very adult stuff. How could it be any worse than that? Yet many children are exposed to stories of religious atrocities at a very early age ( including me ).

Bottom line: Ufology can be delivered in a manner that leaves out age inappropriate content and inspires young minds to be creative and learn how many things in the world and universe work from a scientific perspective. Just be aware that not everyone is open minded enough to seriously consider it, and that it can result in some conflict, including skeptical bullying.
 
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