Do you know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?

[Didactylos]

No one is actually dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away

YANBU - Truth! Freedom! Justice! and a hardboiled egg!
YABU - what are you talking about?

I got Discwordle in one!

Me too!

GNU STP on this time and in this place - let's wear the lilac

I've just introduced DD to Tiffany Aching. She absolutely adores the first book.

I expect plenty of tears when she reads The Shepherds Crown.

Nae King, Nae Queen, we won't be fooled again.

I like this sentiment...

"The dead are invisible; they are not absent"

I first heard this in Hilary Mantel's Reith lecture in 2017, but I think it's St. Augustine(?)

Since then my parents have died and it comes into my mind most days

That's what I did, started with Guards! Guards! then went back to the beginning. If I'd started with COM I wouldn't have carried on as it was too obviously 'fantasy' parody and I don't really read fantasy. But the Witches and the Watch books are utter gold, so it's worth pushing on through the first two to get to the good stuff. Moving Pictures is another good stand-alone, with the introduction of the inimitable Gaspode.

to everyone remembering loved ones today.

I agree! They really are my favourite and I think the most relatable.

Mort is a good one to start and introduces the fabulous Death.

Also the Witches and Watch books

I also love Reaper Man and Soul Music. The wizards at the Unseen University crack me up.

Nice idea but no. My husband is definitely dead no matter how much I think or speak of him and I really wish he was a physical presence in my son's life (he is 18 and struggling).
The dead can certainly be a presence, and I am guided by what I think he would have done in certain circumstances, but in no way is he not dead.

There’s some truth in that saying, but also some rather nasty implications. The idea that a quiet, maybe lonely life lived well is of less value than one of notoriety. I’m not keen on that.

Thanks for the advice. I will have another look at my husband's bookcase!

I haven't read the whole thread, but there is a wonderful film on Netflix on the subject called The Song of Names

This legit made me cry.

In fairness this is because of two things

1. because of interruption to supply of HRT the i'm a hormonal wreck
2. I have to see a wonderful person off to a care home today whos joyous colourful and extraordinary past is being eaten by the ravenous daemon that is alzheimer's

I loved the sentiment

Yes.

And a hard boiled egg. Mind how you go STP.

There is a rumour going around that I have found God. I think this is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.

It's not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere would much rather you weren't doing it.

Seems appropriate on this thread

Bit late to this thread! I'm another one who hasn't read The Shepherd's Crown. I might re-read from the beginning. That's how I did it when I first started reading the Discworld books, around 20 years ago. They'd been recommended to me by people whose judgement I trusted, and I knew that The Colour of Magic wasn't the best, but as it was the first and I like to read things in order, I started there and sure enough, things got better and better as I went through. I love the witches and the Watch, but my favourite is probably Small Gods, in spite of my username. Gaspode is my single favourite character - probably.

@Philisophigal I'm very sorry for your loss, but you might have been better to read the thread first.

The title is a quotation from a Terry Pratchett novel. This thread is primarily in memoriam of him.

I think the unseen university sets a fine example of what a pickle selection should look like. I will try and find my favourite sandwich quote.

The Horseradish Sauce Hypothesis runs thusly.
Everyone likes a beef sandwich, right?
But just to vary the flavour one day, you put a little horseradish sauce on it.
You discover you like horseradish sauce, so the next time you do a beef sandwich you put a little more sauce on it.
Then a little bit more.
Then a little bit more.
Until one day, you put so much horseradish sauce on the sandwich that the beef falls out.
And you don't even notice.

My mum read Dodger first, that gave her enough love for Pratchett to get through CoM and Light Fantastic.

GNU Sir Terry.

Oook.

So a fucker like Hitler gets to live forever?

In the sense that he's not likely to be forgotten in a hurry, yes. When we forget about the monsters and tragedies in history, we are less prepared for future ones.

That's really, really not what this thread is about though.

How do they rise up...

Wear the lilac, remember your towel, don't panic.