I had read a couple but got back to it more or less because of Micah and can recommend, especially at the present moment. Very soothing. Sometimes soothing in an "I can't believe you made that pun" way, but still and all
Because they are not nearly as good as the others and frankly I'd skip up to Pyramids because they can be very samey. Start with something good like Mort and then read the early ones later when you already like Pratchett
you even think equal rites and wyrd sisters are worth skipping and coming back to? i’m only 2 books past pyramids rn but i feel like those ones were really good.
Sorry for the delayed reply. From what I've read, Pratchett originally conceived Diskworld as a series of novels where Rincewind was a primary character. After the success of the first two, he switched course and focused the novels on new and recurring characters (including Rincewind). 1/2
Not sure why he switched but glad he did. Rincewind is a good but limited character, so those books are somewhat formulaic. As you proceed, you may find primary characters, like Vimes, Tiffany Aching, DEATH & the Wyrd Sisters will hold your interest more strongly. At least I and other readers have.
Oh please do. I haven't even read but a portion of it (all the titles featuring the witches/the Tiffany Aching books), but it's always such a relief to find a writer whose sense of justice runs as deep as mine.
I think it was in Jingo - Vimes's utter disgust and fury when one of the Ankh-Morpork nobles says that he (Vimes) should understand something because he's a 'military man'.
I forget if it's Jingo, but I think there's a passage with Fred Colon talking about the difference between being a solider and being a cop. Something like being in war is a lot easier because you know who the enemy is, guys in other uniforms shooting at you. Being a cop is a bit more complicated.
mayb dumb but: do you have a list of these ready to go in advance or do you go through the whole process of thinking it out, finding and picking the quote, etc. each day?
God I remember this hitting me like a ton of bricks when I first read Snuff.
I actually took a minute to set the book down and, since Pterry was slowly dying at the time, mourn what a wonderful, incisive, and witty person we were losing.
It's fascinating to see from these pulled quotes, over and over again, how much of my worldview and social philosophy was guided (maybe even formed) by reading Pratchett in my 20s. He should be required reading. Especially the Vimes series.
Yes! I have a professional development series when I did dementia research, and the first session was The Art and Science of Professionalism and it was Pratchett-themed. He taught me so much about being a scientist, and a person.
I didn't read Discworld until I was in my 60s (for a long time I only read women authors). The series just gets better and better, more and more relevant. My heroes are Sam Vimes and Granny Weatherwax, teaching me how to be a grownup.
and the other thing about policemen who think they're soldiers is that they're much less likely than actual soldiers to take things like "the rules of engagement" seriously
"If you use the military on the people, they will come to think of the people as the enemy," is one of those things that has stuck with me a lot, even though I don't think I actually even quite finished the first season.
In a nutshell, what's happened to police over the past two decades. Give them military uniforms, weapons and equipment, then wait for the shit/fan collision and mumbles of, "Get along or I'll bust ya. Just following orders."
this encapsulates the difference between the Metropolitan Police (which is what His Grace the Duke of Ankh would be leading) and the police in the USA, which originated as slave catchers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peelian_principles
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I actually took a minute to set the book down and, since Pterry was slowly dying at the time, mourn what a wonderful, incisive, and witty person we were losing.
It's a truly beautiful story, and I don't want to spoil any of it.
https://www.eurogamer.net/the-story-behind-the-oblivion-mod-terry-pratchett-worked-on
“Sir?”
“It seems that you have managed to retain this even though you are authority.”
“Sir?”
“That’s practically zen.”
So im rereading the complete Discworld series.
Just finished SNUFF.
Thanks for reminding us!
1. "oh hey it's QOTD time"
2. "let's look back and find a book I haven't used in a while"
3. "is there a good quote from that book that I haven't used in a while or do I want to go find a new one?"
4. *pick quote based on my answer to the previous question*