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PaperclipPerfector  9hr ago (text post)   382 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for July 24, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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What’s everyone reading? (Sorry guy who usually makes this one)

I’m 1/3rd through a reread of The Player of Games by Iain M Banks.

I’ve been rereading a lot of Banks this year since I’ve finished most of the sci fi author i think I would like. Before this, I went to reread Use of Weapons and quickly realized I had not in fact read it before! I had always put off reading it for some reason but I ended up really liking it

One of my favorite qualities of banks is that everything is so low stakes, but memorable and satisfying all the same. The plot is at best, a neat device. But there are so many memorable and creative vignettes in his books that it makes him one of my favorites

Speaking of The Culture series, I’m saving the Consider Phelbas reread for last. It was my first culture book and quite contrary to public opinion, one of my favorites. Perhaps because the MC is so disgusted with the Culture. Ever since I read that, I can’t help but notice even in the later book the undercurrent of critique of the Culture. It’s puzzling to me because Banks wrote an essay where he swears up and down that he earnestly believes The Culture is the best possible outcome for humanity and his preferred societal structure. Even after reading that, I can’t help but believe he’s still just yanking everyone’s chain.

Also, I find it very odd how many smart people I know don’t reread good books or rewatch good films or tv shows. Anything that is good or enjoyable the first time around is often just as good or better when revisited. Particularly if what you think of as good includes some decently complex theme or subtext that’s impossible to fully appreciate without knowing where the characters or story is going.

I am done with The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. My main advice for those who find themselves shipwrecked while in the 18thc. Royal Navy:

  • Do not sink off of Western Patagonia. It's cold, rocky, the weather sucks, and you'll be praying for random birds to kill in order to stay alive. Shackleton and his crew shipwrecked in Antarctica, admittedly with smaller crew and more modern supplies, but they basically could live indefinitely off of seals while floating on big blocks of ice. Sail South, crash there.
  • What are you doing? Immediately salvage anything useful on the ship as soon as possible. Salvage the ship. Take every board and every canvas.
  • Do not scare or aggravate any natives who show up no matter how savage they appear.
  • Do keep meticulous logs of your voyage and any subsequent shipwreck no matter rank or position. This will help legitimize unforeseen but necessary actions in the future up to and including marooning your former captain.
  • Do not surrender yourself to the Spanish if you are free black man. They will enslave you.

Also, I find it very odd how many smart people I know don’t reread good books or rewatch good films or tv shows.

There are lots of books I want to reread because it has been long enough to justify it and there are all the books I haven't read yet. I try to balance it.

Also, I find it very odd how many smart people I know don’t reread good books or rewatch good films or tv shows.

I don't have the time to read and watch all the things I'm interested in once.

I just finished Consider Phelbas and was underwhelmed enough to not continue the series. It gets better you say?

It's very much different from the other novels. The Player of Games is often considered the better way to start

I have only read the first two, but yeah I'd say so. Consider Phlebas was so boring I struggled to finish it, while Player of Games was genuinely quite interesting and fun to read.

Finished reading Bagration 1944: The Great Soviet Offensive by Prit Buttar. I've read through most of his Eastern Front histories now because they feature lots of primary sources. Knew most of the subject matter already but an interesting element that this book brought which many others do not was an expanded emphasis on partisan infighting, especially the conflict between Polish, Jewish, and Soviet (and Soviet-aligned) groups and how the various governments interacted with them. Buttar is also generally much more skeptical about received wisdom and is quick to point out possible inconsistencies/misleading elements in testimony.

Started reading Suttree by Cormac McCarthy. I don't know exactly where this one falls in his authorial timeline but the prose is noticeably more purple in this one than in others I've read of him.

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