I just wanted to let everyone know that I have some book giveaways on my blog. Be sure to stop by and sign up.
http://thebooktree.blogspot.com
Laura

Helen, I love the quote! Do you know who wrote it? Or do you remember where you found it? (I've gathered quotes for years and years, and often lose attribution as the bits of paper somehow separate themselves from one another...you know, like socks in the washer!)

I so enjoy the web site and the podcast both..such a delight.
I hope this poem, I found gives someone an
ahuh moment:
In a world of
sometimes friends
and part time
loves,
The truest
nurturing comes
from
Books,
Books and books...
The sweetest
companions that
fill
the hours,
the head and
the heart.

Could you create a folder that we can post threads for individual books mentioned in your podcast? I, like many, have a BOTNS shelf that I read from and it would be fun to discuss books with other listeners and blog-readers. Just a thought!

Tanya wrote: "Whenever I find a book I love, I'm always torn by a paradox: I want everyone I like to like the book AND; I don't anyone I dislike to like the book!"

Tanya, I feel the same... I get scared to recommend books I've loved for fear that others won't like them!

Whenever I find a book I love, I'm always torn by a paradox: I want everyone I like to like the book AND; I don't anyone I dislike to like the book!

On the receiving end of books, I am absolutely mystified when what I consider to be mediocre fare receives raves from my friends! Along those same lines, I am often extremely suspicious of Best Seller lists!


Melissa wrote: "Isn't it puzzling when someone whose taste you respect loves a book that you find to be a work of staggering drivel? One book club leader recommended The Funeral Planner, and someone in another gro..."

Isn't it puzzling when someone whose taste you respect loves a book that you find to be a work of staggering drivel? One book club leader recommended The Funeral Planner, and someone in another group recommended Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral. I will now stay away from all books with "funeral" in the title. We all have our guilty pleasures, but we usually recognize them as such.

Oh, how I loved Rocket Boys! I had forgotten all about it, but it's such a great read! Thanks for the reminder.

I didn't get Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius either, and it's a book that my bookclub *hated* except for the person who chose it, but I do know so many friends who love the book (and whose taste I respect) that I chalk it up to the phases of the moon or something.

So many topics in here…

Two books that I recall reading and wondering what I missed were both on my radar, but I was nudged because either my book discussion group assigned it or a friend really enjoyed the book. they were on my radar, but just out of range were The first wasRunning with Scissors. I later read his brother's book which I loved and suggest to people all the time, Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison.

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers was a book I got for a friend for Christmas at her request. She wasn't even much of a book reader at the time and she said she loved it.

As to differences between the book and the movie Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent was a decent read, but when the TV movie came out, the ending was completely different.

The one time I felt the book and the movie were on equal footing was for Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam which became the movie October Sky (which is an anagram of Rocket Boys - Hickam pointed out at a book signing I attended.)

The movie Julie and Julia puts Julia Child's cookbook back on top!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/busine...

Bobbi wrote: "What I don't understand is why an author would agree to a total rewriting of the outcome of the book in a screenplay! I realize that some authors consider the screenplay a different animal altogeth..."

On Sunday, Jennifer Weiner came to Barnes & Noble and one of the questions someone asked was about writing the screenplay to In Her Shoes. She said she didn't want to because she considered it completely different than the book. She's the novelist and whoever wrote the screenplay does that for a living. I thought that was an interesting take on it.

On the question of changes between books and movies - did anyone see The Orchid Thief?

Did you mean the film "Adaptation", Dottie? I think the story on that was Charlie Kauffman was asked to adapt the book by Susan Orlean and found it unadaptable so that is what he wrote about-that and the completely fabricated story about his twin and Orlean's affair with said orchid stealer of course. I heard her interviewed about it on Fresh Air a few years ago and she was just amused about the whole thing.

On the question of changes between books and movies - did anyone see The Orchid Thief? I think they just bought the name on that one. I think when the authors take the money, they totally lose control - unless there are some very tight contract specifications.

dottie m

What I don't understand is why an author would agree to a total rewriting of the outcome of the book in a screenplay! I realize that some authors consider the screenplay a different animal altogether and divorce themselves from the project, but that still makes me crazy because it's still a screenplay based on THEIR story...

I am still puzzled by it because it just is not the same story any longer, and I find that disturbing. Sorry that I babble on about this, but it just does not make sense. Why base a movie on a novel, if you want to tell a different story to begin with?!

Conny - They CAN really do it, and they DO really do it. Case in point: The Horse Whisperer. The ending of the movie was so radically different from the book, and such a shock to me that I sat in my seat for several minutes after the lights came up, repeating," I can't believe they did that!"

I consider this category as the miscellaneous one where we put stuff that does not really fit anywhere else.
I went to see "My Sister's Keeper" at the movies this afternoon, and I was so disappointed. It has been a while since I read the book, but I had the feeling that too many things had either been sweitched around or added that were not in the book. Oh yes, and the end of the novel was completely changed in the movie. Can they really do it? Whad do you think, if a movie is based on a novel, should the end of the movie then be totally different from the end of the novel?

Thanks for the link Susanne. Even some of the ones we haven't talked about (Graveyard Book and Bats at the Beach) are faves of mine. You'll hear about Graveyard Book on our Audio show!

Conny wrote: "Peze,
Last summer I attempted to read "Then we came to the End" by Joshua Ferris. Everybody talked about it as a must-read. I did not like anything about the book. My husband offered to read it to ..."

You know, you might then, get a kick out of my blue-collar office book, HANDLE TiME. . In fact, there's even a video review on the amazon page -- so you can get a gauge of what other people think about it.

If you want to see what other kind of "office-lit" is out there, Amazon has a new listmania list for office-lit. Check it out and see what you think. Office fiction is becoming the 'new' chick-lit, IMHO.

If you do read HANDLE TiME, please let me know what you think. It was high time a WOMAN wrote about the office experience -- and I hac a blast writing it!

Interesting link!
Most of these books have been talked about by Ann or Michael and many members here!

http://news.bookweb.org/news/6759.html

I didn't get the Corrections either.

I also didn't get the ending of The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I loved the book, but when all the threads were supposed to be wrapping up I just got lost. Anyone else have that experience?

No, Dottie, I hadn't heard of that one. I might have to mooch it and then carry it around just so I can say "hey, have you seen MY book?" LOL Thanks for the tip. :-)

Graceann - totally off any subject, I wondered if you were aware of the book by P. L. Whitney (writes mysteries as Polly Whitney) called This is Graceanne's Book? I read it quite a while ago and enjoyed it but I do warn anyone that has Oprah problems that this is a plot she would have liked - strong girl overcomes problems.

dottie

Agreed.

agree with you re: THE CORRECTIONS, Tracey! kind of boring, imho.

I struggled to get through The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. I didn't understand what the buzz was about.

I LOVED Then We Came to the End so much, but then I think I was the target audience. I worked in an office very much like the one depicted, and I did so for almost 20 years, so I got the jokes (and, more importantly, appreciated them). I laughed out loud (and, occasionally, cried) several times.

I wrote in my review that mileage will vary on this one, wildly. If you haven't lived this kind of life, and if you haven't experienced it in this way, you probably won't care for the book. I thought it was brilliant, but then, I've been there - and have since escaped.

Conny wrote: "Peze,
Last summer I attempted to read "Then we came to the End" by Joshua Ferris. Everybody talked about it as a must-read. I did not like anything about the book. My husband offered to read it to ..."

Yawn - I got 80 pages in and sold it online.

My husband pointed out that I might not have worked in the free-market economy long enough, but the little glimpse I got at it as part-timer was good enough, not to want to read about it in a novel.

Conny
I'm smiling as I read your message; I'm struggling with the very same book at present - what are we missing!

Peze,
Last summer I attempted to read "Then we came to the End" by Joshua Ferris. Everybody talked about it as a must-read. I did not like anything about the book. My husband offered to read it to me, but whenever we tried I fell asleep before he had finished the first paragraph.

Hi Ann
How about a discussion on books where our own experience appears to be completely different and at odds to the general concensus. On occasions I will read a book that is getting rave reviews, and appears to be critically acclaimed and commercial successful, and I just simply don't get it. My most recent experience is Netherland by Joseph O'Neill; I didn't enjoy it and it never really engaged me - I seem to be in a minority on this.

If only one person mentioned that, it was me! I am a latecomer to the podcast, and your episodes made me think about the topics and want to discuss them. I will definitely post topics on old episodes, especially for people like me who are late to the game. I am going to catch up this summer since I have a much-needed break from teaching high school!

I have your group/podcast promoted in my book group Busy as a Bee Books and Bookmarks Subscribers. If you ever read that magazine, my book group was featured in the last issue. Mom was so proud of her 28 year old daughter. :)

In our reader/listener survey, someone mentioned that they wished we had a GoodReads thread for each podcast episode, because they wanted to comment on something but didn't know where to put it.

So that reminded me to remind you: this is your group as much as ours. You should absolutely feel free to create a thread if there's something that you want to discuss. No permission needed!

And we will create a discussion thread for each epsiode as well. I'll probably put them in a separate "folder" or subcategory to keep them together and to make it easier for people to find.

Any other comments, questions, suggestions? Don't be shy, throw them our way. Thanks!