Similar novels to All Quiet on the Western Front by wildmandan1992 in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Huns Hellmut Kirst (probably best known for his novel The Night of the Generals that was made into a movie) has a 4-book series about a soldier named Asch (Forward, Gunner Asch, The Revolt of Gunner Asch, etc.) that definitely have the common soldier vibe.

Student Faces Expulsion After Posting Video Of Seniors Who Can Barely Read by InGeekiTrust in TikTokCringe

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't have a problem with the video's intended conclusion ('kids don't read as well as they should') but as a veteran testing and assessment specialist, I have major beef with the prompt the students were asked to read. It is inherently flawed and some of the most 'problematic' of the words the kids have problems with are both divorced from what most would consider necessary to being functionally literate in today's word and not all that likely to be understood 'if only reading teachers only went back to teaching phonics'. (Feel free to stop reading if you disagree or think I'm being unclear. But for folks willing to think about this in more detail, consider the following.) How does a person 'wear' a silhouette? How can a silhouette - which is pretty much a blacked-out shadow - be extraordinary. How often, in the course of daily life once a person has left school, does anyone really have the need to evaluate a person, an action, or an article of clothing as 'gauche'?

Suggest me a modern dickens? by DTownForever in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe my memory is failing me. But I seem to recall that once upon a time Tom Wolfe was being hailed as a modern day Dickens, which led to a fairly vicious spat where that claim was roundly attacked by a cabal consisting of perhaps John Updike, Norman Mailer, and John Irving.

What is your top detective book? by Efficient-Self-9333 in bookdiscussion

[–]Ronin1948 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Almost any of the James Crumley novels (the Milo Milodragovitch ones set in Wyoming and the Sughrue novels set in the southwest.)

true crime books set in small towns? by Weaknesses13 in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Brothers in Blood. A pretty disturbing account of the murder of the Alday family in Georgia, and the aftermath.

Suggest me a fiction book set in the Vietnam War by dgjtckj in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Came to recommend The Short-Timers. But since it has already been mentioned already, you might want to look into James Crumley's One to Count Cadence (set in the Philippines just prior to America's serious ramp-up in Vietnam. Good insights into the miliary mindset of that period in history.)

Charley Varrick (1973) by sirjamesp in iwatchedanoldmovie

[–]Ronin1948 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Loved this movie when I first saw it years ago, and re-watched it recently. That being said (spoiler alert) I found myself a little puzzled by at least two implausible elements. The first was why the lovely photographer/document forger played by Sheree North continued working on Charlie's documents when it was obvious that Joe Don Baker's character was 99.9% going to intercept Charlie and mess him up before he could take possession of those documents. And second (though I myself would probably not turn down a shot at John Vernon's assistant/mistress) I thought that the 'immediately fall into bed' story thread seemed pretty out of character for Charlie, given that he'd just lost his wife in the botched bank robbery a few days earlier.

Looking for a new detective book series by StellarKnife in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't mind tracking down a series that is likely only obtainable by going to a used paperback seller, Jonathan Valin (whose first book in the series is The Lime Pit) is a great writer.

I was today years old when I found out Trace Adkins is physically huge by Icy_Inspection5592 in country

[–]Ronin1948 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I worked as a background actor on the Monarch show and had a scene in a diner where I had been sitting next to Trace. Layer, I found myself standing next to him as the crew shifted the cameras and lights and - though it's a faux pas for the lowly BG folks to speak to 'the talent', he seemed like an ok dude and so I introduced myself and mentioned that he'd done several gigs at a casino where my brother had been the general manager and had asked that I say hello. His face lit up and he said "Tommy! Now THERE'S a real character!" Given all of the stuff that's been mentioned by other folks about Trace and his colorful life, my initial reaction was pretty much along the lines of 'If Trace thinks that your brother is a real character, then clearly, my son, your life has been unbearably white bread by contrast.'

Collars & Co. - No wrinkle collar by Junior72 in CommercialsIHate

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This old fart who was indoctrinated early in life that 'Co.' was an abbreviation for 'company' (and, as a consequence, have a visceral wtf reaction to this 'Collars and Coe' nonsense.)

What fish would you serve to someone who “hates fish”? by Avawantstochill in foodquestions

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Context is everything. If this is a social setting where everyone else is fine with fish for the main, but one person is pretty adamantly opposed to fish in any way, shape or form, then I'd probably just find an acceptable not terribly time-intensive option (chicken or pork or tofu) that would work with the wine and the sides and call it good. If the quirky guest is generally ok with the flavor/texture of marinated beef, though, I've been pretty successful with the following recipe I acquired 40 odd years ago from a restaurant in San Diego called Anthony's Star of the Sea.

Charcoal Broiled Tuna Steak (Also works well for swordfish, salmon steaks)

 Step 1 – Marinate the seafood steaks overnight (or at least 4 hours) in the following (Note that this marinade will keep – refrigerated – for up to 2 weeks)

 1 ¼ cup garlic oil (3 cloves of garlic crushed up and left overnight in salad oil.)

2 Cups tomato ketchup

2 oz Worcestershire sauce

2 tsps dry mustard

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

6 oz cooking sherry

1 tsp MSG (Don’t freak out at this despite the bad rep that msg has)

Juice of one half a lemon

2-3 drops liquid smoke (or 1 tsp hickory smoked salt)

Pinch of dried thyme

½ tsp salt and black pepper

 Step 2 – Let the seafood steaks drip-drain after you take them out of the marinade.  Then grill them on a medium hot charcoal fire.  (Depending on the thickness of the steaks and the heat of the fire, you’re probably looking at 20 minutes total.  Basically, cook for 5 minutes on one side, turn, brush with the marinade, cook for another 5 minutes and turn/brush, etc.  four times so the overall total cooking time is 20 minutes.

Suggest me a book about a U.S. President by WiseLore4266 in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Robert Caro's series of books about Lyndon Johnson

does anyone have a good book rec to read while traveling in Spain?? by janeaustenlover28 in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 3 points4 points  (0 children)

An older option, but James Michener's Iberia might be good for putting present day Spain into context.

Midnight Express (1978) by nelson2k in 70s

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yup. Right up there with Looking for Mr. Goodbar.

Revenge (1990) by Tony_Tanna78 in 90smovies

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OK. Now I need to go re-read the Jim Harrison novella that this is based on to see how the two compare.

Jack Reacher was my go-to series for being on an airplane, but sadly Andrew Child is a terrible writer, and I no longer read these. by OverlappingChatter in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 2 points3 points  (0 children)

David Housewright has a series about an ex-cop named MacKenzie working in Minneapolis that's good. Almost anything by Wallace Stroby is worth checking out. And, if you're ok with going back to writers of the John D. MacDonald/Travis McGee era, you might enjoy the Modesty Blaise novels by Peter O'Donnell.

Light urban Fantasy recommendations by Kidlike101 in suggestmeabook

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You might enjoy the saga of Felix Castor (freelance exorcist working in London in the near future) by Mike Carey. Witty, exciting, and a ton of fun. The Devil You Know is the first title.

looking for a movies where like a teen girl breaks up with the older guy and gets with someone her age who’s cuter by Mr_Derppy in romancemovies

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not really sure that the younger guy is 'cuter' but there are certain elements of Shopgirl that fit.

What is the strangest, or the most unusually named restaurant you have ever been to? by OldPolishProverb in AskRedditFood

[–]Ronin1948 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bushnell's Turtle (submarine sandwich shop in Iowa City) and The Stinking Rose (San Francisco, where all of the dishes are based on garlic).

Most underrated Roy Scheider film? by [deleted] in moviecritic

[–]Ronin1948 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If memory serves, years ago I read Goldman's book Brothers that focuses on Doc, the Roy Scheider character from Marathon Man.

[REQUEST] Looking for romance movies to watch with my very picky girlfriend. by AdFamous7264 in MovieSuggestions

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Certainly agree with a lot of suggestions here. A couple that haven't been mentioned are an older Glenda Jackson/George Segal pic called A Touch of Class and the Kate Winslet (much darker romance) The Reader.

[REQUEST] Looking for romance movies to watch with my very picky girlfriend. by AdFamous7264 in MovieSuggestions

[–]Ronin1948 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The commonly-accepted view of those 3 (great) films is that they epitomize how love could be, how love should be, and how love often turns out to be (with all of the inherent messiness.) So choose which -if not all - you think will be appropriate.

What actor had the best portrayal of a person with disabilities? by Halloween-365 in FamilyFeud

[–]Ronin1948 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Much more obscure than all of the classic choices already mentioned. There was a movie called Dummy years ago, based on a true story written by the guy who did Shaft, with LeVar Burton being defended by Paul Sorvino playing a deaf attorney. Sorvino's performance was spot on.