Maureen’s Comments (group member since Mar 02, 2009)

Maureen’s comments from the fiction files redux group.

Jennifer wrote: "love it! :D

think lara's ever had one of these?
"

good question. i have another: do you think dr. zhivago had one of these?

on shel's easter creme eggs: can we make a correlation to gatsby?

on margaret's peanut m&ms: i've never had any -- i was warned off as a child because they used the "old" peanuts, much like how chocolate milk from a carton was made with "old" milk.

and kerry: thanks for clarifying. i like butterfingers but i don't like coconut! that mounds bar is also covered with coconut. anybody got a mounds literary connection?

and there is also the mars - space opera/sci fi connection.

voila!



and another british delight:

[image error]
was it really the inspiration for the douglas adams books? perhaps we shall never know. :)

how do you like them apples? :P

here's another trivia question: what YA novel's plot turns on the refusal of chocolate, in a vending sense?

Jen wrote: i made up true grit - an example of a candy that would flop. at least i would think it would. of course people like the chick-o-stick, which always turned me off because it sounds like it would be chicken flavored candy. :P

okay, i have never heard of CHIK-O-STICK. what in tarnation is that? and i've never eaten marzipan though i had some in a bath product a while back and it smelled nice. :)

i've never cared for thrills gum -- it tasted like soap to me. ;)

sigh. i can't believe we forgot this one:

Ben wrote: "the lion the witch and the armoire! assuming it's turkish delight, which i've never actually seen.

that stuff pops up all over. it's in graham green stories too."

you and your darn armoire. :) now since you answered the trivia question correctly, can you please explain to brian that snicker doodles don't have snickers in 'em? :P

Jennifer wrote: "and here's an example of one that might not go over very well : true grit (charles portis) :) "

good work jen! we are already miles into this fascinating research study!

there's a true grit chocolate bar? we call them chocolate bars in canada, not candy bars. we don't consider chocolate candy, i guess. :)

i am about to start my research on the three musketeers (which was my childhood favourite, by the way), and also feel i can commit to eating some of those yummy minis whilst reading the three musketeers by dumas.

in the meantime, here's an easy trivia question. what book involves the consumption of this candied treat?

[image error]

Patty wrote: "Matt wrote: "dont forget the self congratulatory back slapping"

Good Job, Matt!"

you two are funny! so proud of myself for knowing you. :P

Jcamilo wrote: "ok, until them, should we still add random books in random bookshelves, anyways?
It will be more interesting if manage to add a random book in a random bookshelve who would do this to us in two d..."

i am going to start calling you "oro, literary terrorist" :P

i think ben's wrong on this one if you're talking about lance carbuncle's book. the reverend dr. faustus was named david if i recall correctly, not lance. i think they are both just calling themselves reverends which can be confusing. :)

perhaps we should make a note about wanting people to introduce themselves when they join the group in the description of the group -- I've noticed other groups have such information as well and it might make it easier for us to identify who group member actually are, as well as to stress that you can't just join our group put a book on our bookshelf, and leave. :)

ben, aren't you in charge of the intro? :)

i just sent dan and brian virtual UBIK on facebook. will they spray IT on themselves when they get it, and if they do, WHAT WILL HAPPEN??????

Brian wrote: "Maureen wrote: "Brian wrote: "

why don't we just eat one and discuss its chewy goodness?"

i am not a big fan of the bar. i do like a kit kat though. are there any kit kat related authors? "

"Rec..."

i am grateful to shel, and to brian, for spawning a whole new subsection of literature: chocolate bar/author crossovers. :) if only sweet b would start a separate thread for this new discipline, i am sure we could be founders in the research of the exciting new field. :)

Mary wrote: "Thank you! I will enjoy this group!!!"

hi mary!!! nice use of exclamation points!! on behalf of the skipper and the rest of these punks, welcome again!!! :)

Brian wrote: "

why don't we just eat one and discuss its chewy goodness?"

i am not a big fan of the bar. i do like a kit kat though. are there any kit kat related authors?

Margaret wrote: "Well I read it and actually had more than a few thoughts about it. I liked that it was just a peice of a story. I also liked the american voice. I thought it was clever and funny. and a bit brave p..."

gee margaret you should have said. i know that for me, i would like to read something more representative of his oeuvre, but at the same time reading something before it solidified is interesting too. maybe we could read fox in the morning and whichever shel picks of the ones i sent her? i've been thinking it might be fun to compare books or stories, anyway, in a two-shot format. this might be an ideal opportunity, especially as they are shorts. and lord knows you felt you were about done with chekhov after two days, so maybe two stories a week is feasible. :)

well, i know shel wrote that but it doesn't make it so. :)

you could all have shouted her down and said, NO SHEL WE LOVE FOX IN THE MORNING. but that didn't happen. :)

so i sent her a few story ideas when i got back from my interview. obviously if shel wants help moderating, i'll be happy to help but right now am wrapping up some freelance work, and trying to find a job so i don't have very much free time -- hence me reading the chekhov story sunday night after everybody was done talking about it. :)

Margaret wrote: "OK, MO. You're up."

i'm not up. shel's up. i sent her some suggestions -- this is her baby -- i'm just giving it a new outfit to wear out to the spring cotillion. :)

hey shel:

i agree something not "the gift of the magi" would be nice. not sure if this story would really be representative though. i'm racing out the door to a job interview (wish me luck) but i could suggest a few titles for you, if you do decide to change. i should be back in around 4 hours. :)

one of his grifter stories might be fun, or the ones set in new york, or ones in the west. :)

it's interesting that you've chosen a story from cabbages and kings. it's the least anthologized, primarily because it is a collection of stories that come together with the intention of making them a novel, whereas his other collections are full of stories that resolve of themselves, and don't link to anything else. i have three o. henry collections, and only four stories from cabbages and kings are in there. looking forward to seeing whether this story can stand on its own.

Jonathan wrote: . . . i think it's out of print, but there's lots of copies floating around on amazon, etc . .that's kinda' why i'm interested in it . . . since literary fiction is all about backlisting, i'm always curious which titles go out of print . . . for instance, all of portis's titles went out of print, and many of stanley elkin's . . .but in both of those cases, somebody reprinted them eventually . . .
"

well i think it's a matter of vogue, but matt can probably tell us more. certainly at the edu publisher i worked at, orders were a consideration: if they don't get orders for books consistently, eventually they move from front list to backlist, and eventually to O/P. a lot of author contracts stipulated if it went O/P they had they option to buy back rights. i would think what would happen is an intrepid publishing house who wants to publish that type of book again and goes through their backlist, or another publishing house might decide that it fit their list and would approach another house with the rights and slap on a new cover, and now's a good time for this book again.