Joseph's comments (member since Nov 02, 2008)

Joseph's comments from the The Next Best Book Club group.

I'm surprised at the adulation Farenheit 451 is getting. As an English major with graduate degrees, who also taught and is an award winning writer,I can't see what all the fuss is. It's an old idea ,the writing is merely professional, and the relationships pretty tepid. A good book? Yes. But,in my humble opinion , no more than that.

I was so moved by my visit out West, I'll be returning every year to check out the rest of it. As a longtime outdoorsman, I can't wait until I can wet my waders(that doesn't sound right) in a lovely fast moving trout stream.
I'm considering staying out West for a month or so each year.I'd like to find a place with a temperate climate ,plenty of trout water,and easy access to an fairly major airport. Does such a place exist? If not ,I think I'd be willing to settle for a frigid winter,a burning summer desert full of rattlers, and an airport a thousand miles away. The west is that beautiful!

P.S took nearly 500 pictures in 10 days. Now I have to really learn how to use my new digital SLR camera.

Thanks ,Liz.and good luck to another English major. We make great lawyers, journalists,writer's and just about everything else.I am just starting Mountain Man by Vardis Fisher.
I'm a pretty literary guy, but this one was recommended by a great guide out West.
BTW, I loved the Grand Tetons.

Feelfree to check out my books. Nature has always played a very important part in my writing.Do you know what a mayfly is? I wrote a love story about them called (oddly enough)"Mayflies. It is the only story that appears in my two short story collections.
I think the young and the young at heart are usually moved by it. I know I still am.
Best.

I'm thinking fondly of the too brief vacation/work trip out West that ended much too suddenly last night. I can see why so many love it out there. As a writer, I found mysely especially moved by the praries of South Dakota and Wyoming. I loved the silence and the vastness of it;even the lonliness. There is still something big going on there.If you listen,you can hear it on the wind. Pioneers and Native Americans in a clash of cultures that would eventually destroy the one and make the victor poorer.

Here's a related question for all the writer's out there. Do you listen to music as you write. If so, what type? Also is your choice effected by what's happening in your piece; certain music for romantic passages...other kinds for dark or deadly? Just curious what others think.

I was very much moved by Madeline's story about growing up poor, and how her mother encouraged her to read through her own example. It seems many of us have a similar story,although the important person may be a dad or favorite aunt .As a long time teacher(and writer), I can't overestimate how important such people are to the development of youngsters.
I bet a lot of toys or hats or sweaters have gone the way of the dumpster. And yet, we still read. And read.

Friends in the Queen City(Charlotte ,N.C.),
I'm not sure if this info can go here as well as in my events page,but...

I'll be speaking and signing and making a general nuisance of myself at Joseph Beth Books in South Park from 7 -to closing this Thursday, June 11.I love chatting about writing. Drop on by.

I just finished Orpheus Emerged by Kerouac.It was his first book, and it shows.While I try never to be too harsh on fellow writer's ,I have to be honest here. It's terrible.Just terrible. It's not only that it is filled with the kind of narcissism and pseudo -intellectualism so many of us exhibit when young.That can be excused somewhat as one of the excesses of youth.(He was 18, I believe, when he wrote it). It's simply that the writing is so bad.
I guess the only positive thing I can say about it, is that it will give hope to all young writer's,that no matter how poorly they write, there is still a chance they will improve and some day become famous.I'm going to re-read On The Road to remind myself of why I use to like Kerouac.

I certainly like the part about traipsing and galavanting about.I think we should all rant against the coming of the night. Best.

Hayes,
I agree with you regarding older writers.I think,however, what one of the John's was saying was that by the time he has turned twenty, a writer has experienced all the big truths he needs to write about. By then, we have all learned about envy and greed,treachery etc.We've also been disappointed by people who were important to us.Sounds kind of dreary, but I think there's a lot of sunshine in between too.
By your thirties and beyond,you've gained perspective and the ability to look at things a lot more objectively.I'm pretty sure that leads to better writing.

Hayes:
Eighteen. I remember it well. Updike or Cheever(One of the John's)said all a writer needs to write about can be found during the first twenty years of his life. There certainly are a lot of first's then. I'm curious what others feel.Based on your own experiences and readings, is our John right?

I liked(but didn't love)After the First Death), but felt I Am the Cheese one of the singularly most boring books ever written.As a writer myself, I try to be fair and judge a book on what an author intended to do ,not on my personal tastes etc.,but try as I did,I could find absolutely nothing of value in that one. To say it dragged is to give it more credit than it deserves.
Incidentally,when I was teaching seniors,I Am the Cheese was a book I was required to cover.While I always had a lot of fun with my kids,and was fortunate to have a wonderful relationship with them, there were times when I was doing that book I felt my life in mortal danger.I quickly apologized for putting them through such an ordeal and bought everyone donuts!

I finished Finn by John Clinch last night and just completed a detailed review. Rather than summarize it here, let me respectfully direct any who may be interested to my review under My Books (Cavano).
You probably have heard ,that the book is a kind of "sequel" to Twains Huckleberry Finn, as it fills in the blanks Clinch feels are necessary. Huck's there, of course, and so is his mother.I'm betting you'll be surprised by that.
It's an interesting book about an important time in American history. Still. I have a serious question or two about what Clinch has done. I'd be curious to read what some TNBBC readers think. Best.

I love TNBBC, but like other members, I do belong to a few other groups.

I know there is a lot of interest in John Clinch's novel,Pap, so I have written about it in the Fiction Redux Group. I think my commentary there makes an extremely important point, but since I am a two finger typist(and a bad one at that), I can't take the time to re-write it here.
Would it be heresy to suggest that if you are interested, you take a short trip to the other site? Then you can come home to TNBBC, and we can discuss Finn here if you wish.

P.S. Don't yell at me, Lori.You realize I am very much afraid of you as it is. Best.

I'm re- reading Love Songs in Minor Keys which made its debut last night in Charlotte and is now on Amazon.com etc. I'd like to respectfully ask our members who know and respect me for the number and quality of comments I have made since joining, to briefly look at the review on my author page.(Cavano) Sure it's my new book and I wrote the review, BUT it ONLY discusses what is IN the book and what two VERY famous critics have written on the books jacket.
We writer's have to sometimes advertise our books. If you care about Goodreads Authors please consider taking a minute or less.
I very seldom(if ever) spam.THanks

Sorry,
I didn't notice the "Indian subcontinent" heading.

As someone who has spent a month in India recently and loves that country a great deal, (and has written about it previously (Charlotte Observer), let me add another suggestion.Rohinton Mistry has written a very fine work entitled "A Fine Balance." I like it as much as Arundati Roy's The God of Small Things , which is beautifully written and was responsible for me planning another trip to India;this time to Kerala ,Cochin etc. Ms. Roy made the area sound so exotic.
The trouble in Mumbai has temporarily put that on hold ,as has our uncertain economy. Still,
if you haven't been, please consider a trip to India. There is no place on Earth like it.It is a wonderful assault to the senses, and the people are spectacular.
Unlike other places which surprise you occasionally, India will shock you(pleasantly) every few minutes ,and in the process win your hearts.

How about Love Songs in Minor Keys by one of our own? It has raves on the cover from a former Pulitzer nominee, and this year's short lister for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best book of Literary criticism. You don't do much better than that: It's all about Love: though love from a slighty different angle as suggested by the title. Some are naughty;some are nice.None are done tastelessly.

Sure, I'm the author, but I hope this doesn't disqualify me from making a recommendation.I hope it isn't considered Spam.(I think I have more comments on Goodreads than most.)
The book debuts as part of the week-long Charlotte Arts Fest which is a big deal in almost one million population center, Charlotte N.C.

Simply because we are Goodreads Authors, doesn't mean we aren't on our way up and have something to offer.

If you are near Charlotte ,drop by.I'd be honored to meet you.

I think it depends on the country.If you use a really good guide book, it will often recommend a top notch novel set in that country, which will give you a great deal of information about its history and culture .
As an example just before (and during ) my flight to India, I read Arundati Roy's The God of Small Things and Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance. Both were wonderfully well written and important books which added to my enjoyment of the country.

I know there were quite a few, but here are two that come immediately to mind,because i read them as a freshman in high school,when I fancied myself quite a macho jock.

The Yearling(Rawlings) and Cyrano de Bergerac.(Rostond)

How about Arundati Roy's The God of Small Things. It is a love story, set in India, quite short, and a wonderful insight into the geography and culture of South India.I was a teacher for many years. This one will work.
Great idea. You must be a fine teacher.