Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
note: This topic has been closed to new comments.
ABOUT BOOKS AND READING
>
What are U reading these days? (PART NINE (2013) (ongoing thread for 2013)
message 601:
by
Joy H., Group Founder
(new)
Jul 16, 2013 08:03PM
Jackie and Werner, it's great the way you keep up with your reading. Lately, I haven't been able to settle down to read my current books. Seems there are too many distractions around here at this time of year. There's a lot to be said about being relaxed enough to be drawn into a book.
reply
|
flag
I've been awful about keeping up. I agree about the time of year, there's just so much to do that I'm rarely in the house in the daytime and evenings go on TV. There's something to be said about winters in the north! Lots of free time!
Jackie, I agree about the advantages of winter, especially today when the temps have been almost like living in an oven. We ordered an air-conditioner yesterday. Walmart's home-delivery cost is 97 cents!
I've been weeks reading my current 'real' book - an ebook called Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1). It's pretty good & I should finish it today, but the only time I've found to read it is during my lunch break.Luckily, I've been able to listen to plenty of audio books. I've been going through them at a prodigious rate - too fast to keep up with proper reviews or shelves at times. I can listen to them while mowing, weeding, or just about any other mindless task.
My Goodreads friend Karin Kaufman has been running a giveaway for free e-copies of her latest novel, the series-opener All Souls: A Gatehouse Thriller, to the first 10 people who asked to review it; and I got to be one of those. She kindly sent me a printable version, so I ran it off in hard copy and started reading it this evening. It's not available in paperback yet; but when it is, I've promised to buy a copy if I like it (which I expect I will!).
I just read Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1), the first 5 pieces of what promises to be a huge story. Wouldn't be surprised to see it made into a video game. I gave it 4 stars.Review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I have Wool on my To Read To Buy list. A lot of people liked it, enough that I'm interested.
Jim wrote: "I just read Wool Omnibus (Silo, #1) ..."What is the significance of the title, "Wool"?
Listening while mowing, etc. is a good idea. Too bad I don't mow. :) But I do a lot of listening anyway. As you say, no time (or inclination) to review them.
I'm currently listening to Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History (2008) by Theodore C. Sorensen. I love peeking behind the scenes in history. In this book, Sorensen looks back and tells about his personal experiences in politics and foreign affairs. Wiki says: "...Sorensen was an American presidential advisor, lawyer and writer, best known as President John F. Kennedy’s special counsel, adviser and legendary speechwriter."
The book was published 4 years before he died. He died at the age of 82 in 2010. In the book, he often gives his frank opinion about many of the powerful people he dealt with. He quotes personal letters he received from the people he dealt with, including Jackie Kennedy.
The man was so wise and so knowledgeable! Wonderful with words too. Of course, that's one of the reasons he was an advisor and a speechwriter.
PS-More at my review: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Joy H. wrote: "What is the significance of the title, "Wool"?"Too complicated to explain & a spoiler, but not particularly significant to the story, either. I can't think of a better title, though.
Jim wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "What is the significance of the title, "Wool"?"Too complicated to explain & a spoiler, but not particularly significant to the story, either. I can't think of a better title, though."
The following is from a GR member review:
=================================================
"The name is stupid. It is like a garage band was after a clever name. There are no sheep in this book, there is no wool in this book. There is one tiny insignificant piece where a character is knitting but she isn't even using wool, she knits with cotton. Given the subtitles are all knitting related (unravel, cast off etc) I think the book should have been called "knitting" and then the book would have never sold a single copy."
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
================================================
At the member-review linked above someone commented with the following: "It's about what they use to clean with wool pads."
Another comment said: "In one of the books, it refers to the possibility that The Wool is being pulled over their eyes!"
I guess I'd have to read the book. :) But it sounds too dark for my taste.
The comments are more on target. It is indeed what is used to 'clean' & has significance in that what they see isn't what is real, so they do have the wool pulled over their eyes. I felt it was a real stretch for making those points, though.It starts off quite dark, but gets better. I'm sure it wouldn't be your cup of tea, though.
Jim, sometimes it's hard to find new books which are my "cup of tea".The novel, The Tiger's Wife, wasn't my cup of tea. I read it for an in-person book group. I felt that the whole thing was much too fragmented to enjoy. But that's the modern style of writing these days. See my comments about the book at my topic at: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
I just got an interesting email from GR:On behalf of the Goodreads team, I want to say thank you. You’re in the top 1% of reviewers on Goodreads! Your many thoughtful book reviews help make us a vibrant place for book lovers.
And our community has been growing! We now number more than 20 million members on Goodreads.
Every day readers from all over the world are connecting over a love of books. And our 25 million reviews – including yours – are a big part of that conversation.
Thank you for your support of Goodreads, and keep reading! I’m looking forward to seeing what you think of your next book!
--Otis
20 million? I thought we had 12 million just a month or two ago.
As for the top 1%, I suppose with so many people newly joined, that's possible. A lot of my friends have gotten the same email.
I got the same e-mail, for what it's worth. I've done 378 reviews, according to Goodread's count; I'm assuming that they're ranking people into percentiles based on the number of their reviews. Of course, I joined in February of 2008, and have participated steadily since then; as Jim noted, that kind of long-term involvement naturally gives some of us a leg up over those who've only joined more recently.
I got it too so now we know they're lying! lol I rarely do reviews.
I'm in the top 200 reviewers, so it is correct for me - maybe. I think that's for 'all time' & the US only. I thought it was a nice notice, but maybe not. Jackie, with 20 million users, I wonder if your reviews still don't put you there. 1% is still 200,000.
;-)
It doesn't say, like when I look at others' profile pages, it says what their review rank is. This is all I see: 1219 ratings (3.31 avg)
226 reviews
This is what it shows on your profile, Jim:
2100 ratings (3.33 avg)
1068 reviews
Goodreads librarian
#68 best reviewers
#197 top reviewers
You've done a lot more reviews than I have. Mostly I just give a star rating.
I received the same notice which said: "You’re in the top 1% of reviewers on Goodreads!" Needless to say, I was surprised. :)
I just finished reading Gladiator by Philip Wylie. This was published in 1930 & is free on Gutenberg.org. A friend said in his review that the hero of this book was the inspiration for Doc Savage, Superman, & most modern comic book characters. Sure seems that way. My very short, 4 star review is here:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I wonder how many people even write reviews or bother with giving stars?
They'll have to settle with star reviews from me, since being repeated attacked over a review and goodreads saying there's nothing they can do about it after numerous complaints from me, I just don't care anymore. If I can't express my opinion, then I won't say anything at all.
I've been lucky & haven't run into many jerks commenting. I tend to ignore them or just delete the really stupid ones. That's a nice feature - the ability to delete comments on our reviews.
Yes we can delete the comments but for me it's a deeper problem. The idea that it's allowable to attack a person for an opinion is a complete turn off. A review is an opinion, and if one can't express that opinion honestly, then the whole system is flawed and I don't want much to do with writing reviews any longer. I feel that if I didn't like the book, I cannot say it, or why, because someone will have freak out over it. So now I only write a sentence or two for books that were exceptional. Honest reviews aren't appreciated, or wanted...unless it's positive. I am not playing that game. I also feel that goodreads should have stood by me, and at least issued a warning to the people who cursed me out and called me names. In other words, I feel that it was more important for them to have trolls than honest reviews. Which is fine but it's already lowered the quality of this site and I don't spend nearly as much time here as I used to. I come mostly to this group because it's full of lovely people and this is where I rather be than anywhere else on goodreads.
Jackie wrote: "Yes we can delete the comments but for me it's a deeper problem. The idea that it's allowable to attack a person for an opinion is a complete turn off. A review is an opinion, and if one can't ex..."Jackie, sorry to hear that you've had those bad experiences with your reviews. You certainly should be able to express your opinion without being cursed out or called names. Goodreads should have backed you up. At FunTrivia they actually have a warning which says:
===================================================
"Profanity or nastiness of any sort will result in you being banned from funtrivia.com."
"If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."
"No criticising or putting down other players/editors or their quizzes."
===================================================
I think that's a good policy.
Jackie wrote: "... I come mostly to this group because it's full of lovely people and this is where I rather be than anywhere else on goodreads."Glad to hear that, Jackie. I'm very comfortable here too. I like our friendly little group. I appreciate everyone who posts here.
That is a good policy and I don't see why it cannot be instituted here. In a group I moderate, I have a Zero Tolerance Policy for attackers, and that thread is the only warning they get. We don't have to agree, but we should never attack someone personally. This is the first and best group I joined. It's the reason I loved being at goodreads, because of such nice and polite people in this group. Everyone behaves like adults. And it's such a varied group.
I haven't been reading much, a friend moved around the block from me and we've been doing a whole lot of sitting around and talking and not much else, lol
Werner wrote: "Jackie, no need to worry too much about spoilers on my account --I've already read reviews that had some, and have read reviews of the later books in the trilogy, too, so I have the general idea of..."Is there anything Alec G..is in that isn't good because of him?.
I finally finished Ghostlight. I like it a lot. I gave it 4 stars. I'll be starting World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War later tonight as a buddy read. I wanted to read it before I saw the movie and my cousin finished it before he went back home...so it's mine now.
Nina wrote: "Is there anything Alec G..is in that isn't good because of him?."I've always loved Alec Guinness. He can play so many different roles. I think I'll do search at Netflix to see if there are any streamable movies which include him. I doubt if he's ever had a negative effect on any movie.
Jackie wrote: "... I wanted to read it before I saw the movie ..."I always enjoy having read a book before seeing the film adaptation. I'm looking forward to seeing the film adaptation of Ender's Game. Has it come out yet? The book was compelling. I listened to an audio version via audible.com.
Ender is scheduled for a November theatrical release, probable February DVD release. It's what prompted me to read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. I have most of both series for quite some time. Nothing like an imminent movie release to light a fire under my butt to read the books on my shelves, lol
We all need something to spur us on. I was spurred on to read The Tiger's Wife so that I could take part in a group discussion. The discussion was excellent and made me see the book in new light. We concentrated on talking about the good points in the book instead of the bad points. That helped.Can't wait to see "Ender's Game" when it's available on Netflix.
I just finished Satori by Don Winslow, a sequel to Shibumi by Trevanian. It explains much about Nicholas Hel, the cynical assassin & how he was formed. Surprisingly good. I gave it 4 stars. My review is here:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Just finished, "Galway Bay," and I think it should be required reading in high school. Now reading, "Outer Banks," by Anne Rivers Siddens and haven't decided if I like it.
I think we at Goodreads are so fortunate on the whole for our thoughtful reviews and likewise comments. It has been so helpful for me. Good book recommendations from good reading friends.
Jim wrote: "I just finished Satori by Don Winslow, a sequel to Shibumi by Trevanian. It explains much about Nicholas Hel, the cynical assassin & how he was formed. Surprisingly good. I gave it 4 stars. My ..."Good review, Jim. Interesting and well-written. I like your straight-forward style of writing.
Nina wrote: "Just finished, "Galway Bay," and I think it should be required reading in high school. Now reading, "Outer Banks," by Anne Rivers Siddens and haven't decided if I like it."Nina, I'm still keeping Galway Bay in mind.
As for Outer Banks, it's one of my favorite Anne Rivers Siddons novels. I gave it 5 stars. Have you come to the part with the red ribbon yet? That part is hard to forget. LOL
Nina wrote: "I think we at Goodreads are so fortunate on the whole for our thoughtful reviews and likewise comments. It has been so helpful for me. Good book recommendations from good reading friends."It's been helpful to me too, Nina!
The only thing I've ever read remotely being a criticism of Guiness is in either Pauline Kael's (might have been John Simon) saying that in the early part of DR ZHIVAGO, he looked like Stan Laurel---he sure did!!BTW, Dick Cavett tells the story in one of his books that he saw the name Alec Guiness on a movie marquee, and instantly realized it was an acronym for "Genuine Class".
Arnie wrote: "The only thing I've ever read remotely being a criticism of Guiness is in either Pauline Kael's (might have been John Simon) saying that in the early part of DR ZHIVAGO, he looked like Stan Laurel......Alec Guiness ... an acronym for "Genuine Class". "
Yes, "Genuine Class" fits Guiness to a T.
Funny about him looking like Stan Laurel. I guess he did. :)
As for the Dick Cavett story, I think you meant "anagram" not "acronym".
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary...
I was never good at anagrams. Some people seem to have a skill for it.
Thanks, Joy. In case you hadn't guessed, you'd hate "Satori" & "Shibumi".
Jim wrote: "Thanks, Joy. In case you hadn't guessed, you'd hate "Satori" & "Shibumi"."Yes, but at least I learned of their existence. That's a kind of satisfaction in itself.
Nina wrote: "Joy, I am loving "Outer Banks.""Glad to hear it, Nina.
My Goodreads friend LeAnn Neal Reilly was kind enough, earlier this summer, to offer me an advance review copy of her latest novel, The Last Stratiote. It arrived in yesterday's mail, so I got a start on it yesterday evening before supper. (The hook is already in!)
Werner wrote: "My Goodreads friend LeAnn Neal Reilly was kind enough, earlier this summer, to offer me an advance review copy of her latest novel, The Last Stratiote. It arrived in yesterday's mail, so I got a s..."Here's LeAnn Neal Reilly's bio page. Impressive!
http://www.nealreilly.com/bio/
"LeAnn Neal Reilly graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a master’s degree in professional writing. ..."
Hmmm, I tried to find the definition of Stratiote and all I found was this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratiotes
"Stratiotes is a genus of submerged aquatic plant commonly known as water soldiers. A characteristic of the genus is the habit of the plants rising to the surface at flowering time."
Joy, the Wikipedia definition you found was for an English-language term --naturally, because it's an English-language site! (Actually, the plant genus names come from Latin, but we use them in English as loanwords.) However, the word in the book title is Albanian, and has a totally different meaning, which refers to a person, not a plant. I'm not far enough along into the book to give you an exact definition, since I don't speak Albanian myself. But I can say, from the contexts where I've seen the word used so far, that the persons so designated are warrior types.(Addendum, 8/13/2013 --see Message 687.)
Still in my science fiction mode, I am reading a book about Earth's first interstellar exploration,Coyote by Allen Steele. Only 140 pages read as of now, but the beginning is pretty good.
'English loanwords'? Nah, we just steal, fold, spindle, & mutilate them to our satisfaction. Toss on a few more meanings, discard, & then make up new ones as the mood strikes.English, it's not a language, it's a predator!
;-)
This topic has been frozen by the moderator. No new comments can be posted.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Birdsong (other topics)Anna Karenina (other topics)
Anna Karenina (other topics)
The Perfume Collector (other topics)
A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Sebastian Faulks (other topics)Romeyn Beck Hough (other topics)
Colleen McCullough (other topics)
Simon R. Green (other topics)
Mildred Mastin Pace (other topics)
More...
