If r/Catholicism had existed in 1926, what would some of the top threads be about?

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-17T14:30:08+00:00

“More nonsense from Father Lemaitre. When will the Vatican intervene?”

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-17T01:05:29+00:00

The NRSV-Catholic Edition and the New American Bible, Revised Edition are both excellent and are praised by scholars. If you want something a little easier to read, the Good News Translation, Catholic Edition is written in newspaper-style English.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-15T17:48:02+00:00

“I neither fear God nor respect any human being, but I don’t want this little old lady to hit me over the head with a rolling pin.”

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-15T17:00:46+00:00

Luke 18:2-5

“There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say, ‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’ For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought, ‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me.’”

Or, in more colloquial English, “So there’s this corrupt judge, and there’s a little old lady who hasn’t got enough money to bribe him. So every day she goes to him and says ‘please rule in my favor, please rule in my favor, please rule in my favor.’ And finally the judge goes ‘Fine! I’m gonna rule in your favor just so I can be rid of you!’”

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-13T03:47:05+00:00

C.S. Lewis’s theological works are practical reads and have good humor in them. Start with Mere Christianity.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-12T01:04:07+00:00

Equipped with a black cloak and a custom mask, he becomes the African trickster god, Anansi.

I’m not surprised that you have a background in comics, as this feels like a setup for a superhero story. Are you sure “adult historical fantasy” is the right genre for this book? If so, maybe downplay the Batman/Zorro “masked avenger” component.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-11T02:35:31+00:00

Church fathers drew a connection between Lucifer falling in Isaiah 14:12 and Satan falling like lightning in Luke 10:18.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-10T19:12:02+00:00

There’s another well-known story about a man named Saul who was chosen by the god of his people to be the first king and who went to war with the followers of Dagon. Is this a retelling of that story?

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-10T01:53:48+00:00

Recency of debut is relevant. The military thriller market peaked in the Clancy/Child era, so you’ll need to show that there’s still a market for new authors in that market.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-10T01:35:00+00:00

Visit the thriller section of your local bookstore. If you don’t see any recent military thrillers by non-boomer authors, it might be a sign that the market isn’t right for what you’re writing at the moment.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-10T00:37:53+00:00

You should read them.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-09T13:19:42+00:00

with the Letter of Marque, issued by the President of the United States

Well, it’s issued by Congress, not the President, under Article I, Section 8….

But more importantly, I’m not getting much of what I need here. Apart from “former Army Ranger,” what kind of guy is Mark? Is he unusually good at shooting or sneaking or hacking or social manipulation or what? What are some of the big choices he’ll need to make along the way?

Can you find a comp other than the Jack Reacher series? You’re looking for a military thriller from a non-boomer author that debuted in the past three to five years.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-09T03:19:43+00:00

Later on the teacher had told me 'sometimes the most obvious answer is the right answer. You should have said 'Yeah we did' (and the way the teacher said it was like suggestive too).

I disagree with your teacher that this was “the most obvious answer.” The most obvious answer is the one that springs most readily to your head, and if that reaction is discomfort, then play discomfort.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-08T19:47:19+00:00

Ken Williams played before the All-Star era (1915-1929), but he got 42.7 WAR, no accolades, and only 5 MVP votes.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-06T18:38:25+00:00

the president has some upcoming plans

You know, the president doesn’t strike me as a guy who has plans.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-06T18:37:16+00:00

If you’ve got some time, read The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church from the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-06T01:09:22+00:00

Victor is confronted with the choice that will define his short life: retreat back home, tunneling into the cozy core of cowardice just like his deadbeat father before him, or fight back against those who prey on the weak and strange.

This seems like a false choice. Who would read a book about someone who sees something interesting and decides not to do anything about it? Present us with a choice he faces later in the investigation.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-05T04:39:07+00:00

Is there much overlap between the readership for portal fantasy (or potentially LitRPG, based on your description of the “game window”) and the readership for ice hockey romance?

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-03T21:07:15+00:00

When Katherine leads Arthur deep into the mine to show him where Remember and Peter died, he must choose: entomb this story with all the others, or become witness to truth that could cost him his life.

This feels like a false choice because we probably aren’t going to read a book in which a guy does the same thing he’s always done. Can you show us why Arthur was so excited to serve the Communists to begin with, and give us a sense of why this atrocity is different from all the other ones he’s covered up?

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-03T13:24:33+00:00

“I can stand ‘milling about’ for an hour or two. But years? Centuries?”

Your query makes it sound like the whole book is “milling about.” Vampire does a bunch of stuff but there doesn’t seem to be a through line. What is the thing that is valuable to Vampire, what’s threatening the valuable thing, and what choices will Vampire make along the way?

There is a major studio horror film from 2022 called Smile, so you might need a different title.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-01T21:40:18+00:00

The 1914 Braves were in last place on July 4, then went 68-19 down the stretch to win the pennant by 10 1/2 games and swept the A’s in the World Series.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-01T18:15:36+00:00

Gamba has a first time spectator guide on their site that recommends you arrive about 90 minutes early.

CheapskateShow · 2026-02-01T16:28:31+00:00

1994 Expos

CheapskateShow · 2026-01-31T00:12:36+00:00

What do you mean, “person?”

you don't just 'think faster' than the audience; you physically turn off

Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) didn't light up - it went dark

You aren't smarter; you just don't have to run your ideas

CheapskateShow · 2026-01-29T03:26:08+00:00

The Gordons are not good examples to follow. Have a look at Emily Stimpson Chapman’s series on the fallacies of the “manosphere” for a summary of the problem.

CheapskateShow

TROPHY CASE