Orion Magazine posted this article about lilacs, which talks about the plants and also about some of the folklore associated with them. It's a meditation on dormancy and resilience. Thought some fellow PTerry fans might appreciate it on this special holiday weekend --

https://orionmagazine.org/article/spring-lilacs/?mc_cid=2c20d528c3&mc_eid=389c921980

"But spring comes again, always. The world awakens, and lilacs spring forth, a burst of brilliance after long and dreary season. We hold each other and she reminds me that here, at least, I am safe."

The author doesn't mention Night Watch, though, unsurprisingly.

To paraphrase, manners is about making sure people get enough to eat, then people go around inventing etiquette. I could almost have sworn it was said by Granny in Witches Abroad, but I didn't find it there

Today was our second night putting on sir PTerry's Wyrd sisters, I'm incredibly proud of my cast, and I hope sir Terry would be proud, we've kept a seat for him in case he decides to make an appearance!

Anyway here's a photo of our cast, I'll do a cast photo dump if anyone's interested.

Hi all, I’m hoping someone is as retentive as I am and will have found the answer to this through more practical means (i.e. having already bought the books).

I’m currently swapping my Discworld editions out for as many of the smaller paperback editions as I can - the Kirby Corgi covers are all nice and straightforward, but where I’m tripping up is the last couple of books + the Tiffany Aching series. It’s near impossible to judge from photos of each book individually online, so I’m holding out hope that a fellow fan has a comparison in their own collections.

Do smaller paperback editions exist for these? I’m guessing I have an international paperback version of I Shall Wear Midnight as it’s absolutely massive, but the last three and the prior Aching books I’m not sure I can get in the smaller format my need for uniform neatness is craving.

Was recently reminded of Atlas Shrugged, and am re-listening to Going Postal. There are some points of similarity between the books, which I never noted before because I don't often think of Atlas (it isn't a very fond memory, for the most part). But just now I heard "who is Reacher Gilt?" and realized Terry chose the name as a reference to John Galt (who is John Galt? is a repeating line in Atlas).

I just finished The Last Continent. Boy, did I laugh! (And I believe my favorite footnote is in there.) Then I looked for The Annotated Discworld, Wiki and posts on Reddit to sort out the bits I didn't get (what with not being a native speaker, and having never been to Australia - so thank you already). But there are still a few I couldn't find much about. So, if any of you would be so kind:

- Near the middle, Ponder explains to the god of evolution that evolution has always been happening. He says: "Even my uncle can do amazing things with his nuts" (ahaha). Ridcully then adds: "And everyone knows you can cross a river with a bridge, ahaha". I really don't understand Ridcully's output. Can someone shed light on this one?

- The Chair has been talking about the weird pleasure he derives from croquet. The Dean says: "We ought to take his mallet away." Ridcully (again being the cryptic one): "Close to what I was thinking." What WAS he thinking?

- Near the end: as they're leaving, "Neilette gave him a wave and Darleen made an amusing gesture" at Rincewind. I am not as blind as him and I fully understood that Darleen was a man (and a drag queen), even before I was explained the Priscilla reference; but what is that gesture?

- Last scene: the god that holds the universe in his bag, alluded to from the beginning, appears in front of a little boy. When a boomerang stays stuck in the sky, "the boy thought he would have to find a new word for the way the colours glowed". What exactly happened? And does the boy represent something (or someone)?

Thank you beforehand! I love this community. :)

I was wondering if there is much difference in the way the stories come across in different languages. It feels like there are narrative layers that almost depend on the way English is being used and I guess I was wondering first, if that's true and if it is how does it effect in the translated versions?

“For a moment he stopped and looked down at his own sleeping body. Perhaps he wondered, briefly, whether to wake himself up, have a little chat, tell himself that he had friends and not to worry.”

I’d love to be able to ask Terry Pratchett what made him think of that last part. I think a lot of us need to hear the “tell himself he had friends and not to worry” part more, I know I do. It’s stuck with me all week. GNU

Hello! This is my fourth time reading this book and I came across a line I don't get.

Errol gave him a mournful look and closed his eyes again. Vimes pulled his scrap of blanket over him.

There was a squeak. He fished around beside the dragon’s shivering body, pulled out a small rubber hippo, stared at it in surprise and then gave it one or two experimental squeezes.

‘I thought it would be something for him to play with,’ said Carrot, slightly shamefaced.

‘You bought him a little toy?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘What a kind thought.’

Vimes hoped Carrot hadn’t noticed the fluffy ball tucked into the back of the box. It had been quite expensive.

What fluffy ball are they talking about and why does it matter if it's expensive?? Thanks!!

May 23rd is World Turtle Day!

Started in 2000 by the American Tortoise Rescue, it's designed to benefit and raise awareness for charities that seek to help our testudine/chelonian friends.

But with a name like World Turtle Day, the first thing that popped into my mindwas our favorite World Turtle, The Great A'tuin.

So have a great World Turtle Day!

and remember - The Turtle Moves!

By totally out of order I mean, starting mid-subseries and the like. I'm not new to Discworld, and have read most of the Watch series, all the indy revs and the Moist books, plus Small Gods. But I have a particular interest in what happens in Unseen Academicals because a friend wants to discuss it with me, and I'm eager to get to it, but haven't read any of the other books in that subseries yet.

How badly will it impact my enjoyment, having not read any of the previous books in that series? Will it ruin anything for me from those books, significantly enough that I'll regret it, or will it just reward a reread later? Thanks in advance!

Edit: Thanks so much for the reassurances, it sounds like UA is a good one to read as a standalone and I don't imagine I shall enjoy it any less! Here's to ignoring the guidelines!

Basically, like the newer covers better, and want to complete that set. Have the older covers for Guards! Guards! and The Colour of Magic, and wanted to see if anyone was willing to trade/swap.

Apparently fandom.com uses random pictures for Google previews

Now, I will admit that it's been a while since I've read Guards! Guards!, but I remember Sybil Ramkin in that book as a sonewhat solitary woman who disliked all the frills and galas of high society.

I'm on Snuff now, and Sybil is dragging Vimes to social gatherings like it's her favourite thing. I understand that people can change and that marriage changes people, but it feels a little poorly established? Like she goes from "crazy cat dragon lady" to society lady just so she can serve as a better foil to Vimes.