Litwitlou

Robert Heinlein wrote a slew of YA, or "Cadet" as they are called in Europe, books. Tunnel in the Sky is about teenagers fending for themselves on their own planet. There is "no fantasy as in magic, elves or wizard stuff." This book sounds like exactly what you're describing. But I may have misunderstood.

Pearl

Poems hit me where I live. I read poetry as much as I read novels, or plays, or biographies. The ones I really like I memorize. I recite them to myself when I'm standing in line for something or am generally bored. so I won't forget them. Limericks are poems too. And they are great fun to memorize. Here are some of my favorites: A tutor who tooted the flute Tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to the tutor Is it harder to toot Or to tutor two tooters to toot? There was a young lady from Niger Who smiled as she sat on a tiger They came back from the ride With the lady inside And the smile on the face of the tiger Titian was mixing rose madder His model posed nude on a ladder Her position, to Titian Suggested coition So he nipped up the ladder and 'ad her. There once was a man from Cape Cod, who was known for his sizable rod. Though he's not one to boast, it can be seen from the coast, and the man from Nantucket was awed. On the breast of a bar maid from Hale Was tattooed the price of the ale And upon her behind For the sake of the blind Was the same information in Braille.

Aphrodisiac

Well, to each his own, I guess. But Heinlein was the first author to but a book at #1 on the NYT Bestsellers List. For a time, he was the only sci-fi author who could write bestsellers. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls and To Sail Beyond the Sunset, among others, also reached #1 on the NYT list. I suppose every book published received at least a few bad reviews, as did Stranger in a Strange Land. But I wouldn't say it received mixed reviews. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Having said all that, Heinlein is not for everyone. He tends to write socio-political treatises disguised as science fiction.

Dune, by Frank Herbert is certainly one of the finest examples of the genre. However, before going overboard reading it's many sequels, I suggest reading other works by Herbert: The White Plague is mind-bending book.

Hippie

Reading list after list of great sci-fi books, I'm more and more baffled by the absence of Robert A. Heinlein. He's won Hugo and Nebula awards. Stranger in a Strange Land is a classic. I mean if you don't grok, you don't grok science fiction. Has he become a pariah for some reason and no one told me? I'm mystified. The man was prolific, groundbreaking, and always on mentioned by other great sci-fi writers. I'm sorry, I just don't get it.

Halfling

Ran across an advance reading copy of Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle on my shelves. She writes beautifully and I was thoroughly appreciating the book until near the end where I think it went a little off the rails. Hard to believe I've never read her before. Many people speak highly of her work. Then I began The Girl on the Train. I couldn't put it down until I lost it. I know it's in the house but I can't find it. Driving me nuts. Oh, and I've started Moby Dick. I'm reading it mostly because I feel guilty about never having read it. Regards, Lou

The only charity shop I've ever seen (I live in New Jersey) is Goodwill. I'll have to stop in and see if they have books. Most of my books come from library book sales. There is a website that tells you where and when to find them. Rare is the book costing more than $3.00. The best sales, of course, are held in the libraries of ritzy towns I couldn't afford to buy lunch in. But these people are readers and they'll donate books in a wide variety of categories. Some of these sales go on for 2 or 3 days and the key is to get there early on the first day and get in line ahead of the people who sell on Amazon or B&N. I know they're just trying to make a living, but I was shopping at these sales before most of them were born; they get no sympathy from me. Oh, and most of the books sold are not library books so don't have the ink stamps and plastic covers. I don't really mind dog-eared pages or a few stains on a book that is difficult to find. I can live with that. And since the only way my books will be sold is over my maggot-ridden corpse, I don't care about resale value. This is my first post so just let me know where I screwed-up and I'll try to do better next time. Regards, Lou