What are U reading these days? (Part Five) (begun 3/12/09) Showing 51-100 of 1,049

[Jim]

The X-men are a blast. I have all their cartoons. Read their comic books for years, too. Lots of fun. The movies haven't been too bad, either.

We just watched Hancock with Will Smith. That was pretty neat.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "The X-men are a blast. ...
...We just watched Hancock with Will Smith. That was pretty neat."

The info below, about the movie "Hancock" (2008), is from:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448157/
and also from links at the above site.

EXCERPTS:
====================================================
"The powerful alcoholic and clumsy John Hancock is the most hated person in Los Angeles, as in spite of saving lives, he also destroys properties causing high cost to the city to fix his damages."

"A hard-living superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public enters into a questionable relationship with the wife of the public relations professional who's trying to repair his image."
--------------------------
"Will Smith plays a Skid Row superhero who cleans up real good in "Hancock."
-from Roger Ebert's review page at http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...
--------------------------
"Imagine Superman as an alcoholic misanthrope and you've got John Hancock (Will Smith), a downtrodden man with superpowers who just doesn't give a damn."

"Will Smith's charisma is Hancock's single most important asset."

"Hancock is a hodgepodge of intriguing ideas that, if developed further or presented as more than throw-ins to a confused production, might have made for a unique superhero film."

"Hancock is sometimes funny, sometimes clever, and occasionally involving, but it's never brilliant and its edge is compromised by the neutering that accompanies the teen-friendly PG-13 rating."

"The ending is a complete mess."

-from Berardinelli's review at: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
--------------------------
TRIVIA: "The script, originally titled 'Tonight, He Comes', floated around in Hollywood for over a decade."
====================================================

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "I'm almost finished reading _The Master_ by [a:Colm Toibin|2792653|Colm Toibin|http://www.goodreads.com/..."I was interested in your review of the Henry James novel..I have mostly known him through movies made of his books and I felt that way, somewhat about D,H, Lawrence. I always heard of him but had never read him. The past week we watched, thanks to Netflix, "Coming Through." which was a fictionalized view of his life. Interesting! nina

[Jackie]

Yes, X Men are the good guys.
The 1992 version is the cartoon TV series which I love. It has recently been released on DVD and I'd like to buy it one of these days when I have money enough to buy all the seasons.
Patrick Stewart plays Charles Xavier in the movies, they couldn't have picked a more perfect actor for the role. Ian McKellen plays Magneto, the villan. Another perfect choice.
Stan Lee, who created the X Men and who put Marvel on the map, said that early on everyone liked Magneto even though he was a villian because they could sympathize with him. He may not go about doing things within the law but we can all understand WHY he does what he does.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "I'm almost finished reading _The Master by Colm Toibin..."

Nina, what did you think of _The Master_?

Thanks for telling us about "Coming Through". I've put the movie on my Netflix queue.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

I finally finished reading _The Master_. See my review here: ====>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Now I'll get busy trying to finish reading _The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao_
and _The Almost Moon_.

[Jen]

Hi All!

I'm currently reading The Gargoyle. I'm a a little over half way through it, and love it! :)

I'm also reading The Neverending Storyand a goodreads first reads book - Genghis Birth of an Empire.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jenni wrote: "Hi All! I'm currently reading The Gargoyle. I'm a a little over half way through it, and love it! :)...I'm also reading The Neverending Story and a goodreads first reads book - Genghis Birth of an Empire. "

Hi Jenni - Nice to see you here.
I'll have to check out the descriptions on those books to see if they might be ones I'd like to read.

I love reading the book reviews of Goodreads members. Each one is so different, showing the diversity of tastes here.

[Jim]

Jenni, I also just got a copy of Genghis; Birth of an Empire. I'm looking forward to reading it. Let me know how it goes, please.

[Nina]

Joy,

I didn't read, "The Master," but it does sound interesting. I do seem to enjoy biographical fiction.I think they come close to the truth about the subject. I saw the movie, "Becoming Jane," and it was fairly good but am enjoying the book, "Just Jane," far better. It is by Nancy Moser. And in one of your messages you mentioned, "The Almost MOon," and it is our book club selection this coming month..Just picked it up at the library this morning. Plague of Doves is moved up to May. I am blessed to be three blocks from our library. nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, _The Almost Moon_ is a very unusual story. I really have to give more time to it. So far, I find it quite compelling.

Yes, being near the library is a big bonus. I love living near all the activities.

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina, _The Almost Moon_ is a very unusual story. I really have to give more time to it. So fa..."
I am curious about where you live; maybe tomorrow I will look up Glen Falls in the atlas. Are you near Buffalo, Albany, Croton on Hudson, NY City ? Give me a hint..nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "I am curious about where you live; maybe tomorrow I will look up Glen Falls in the atlas. Are you near Buffalo, Albany, Croton on Hudson, NY City ? Give me a hint..nina "

Nina, we are about an hour north of Albany, NY, and very near the Lake George resort area which is a short distance north of us. Glens Falls was named "Hometown USA" by Look Magazine in the 1940s.

Below is a link to some photos I took of downtown Glens Falls:
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/m...

Glens Falls is a charming city within the town of Queensbury, NY. I think it's unusual to have a city within a town.

[Catamorandi]

I went out and bought three books at Hastings. I had a gift card from Christmas to use. I bought Water for Elephants, 1776, and Eat, Pray, Love. It only cost me 45 cents.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Perpendicularandi wrote: "I went out and bought three books at Hastings. I had a gift card from Christmas to use. I bought Water for Elephants, 1776, and Eat, Pray, Love. It only cost me 45 cents. "

That was a great deal, Randi!
What is Hastings?

I read _Water for Elephants_ and loved it.
It was a great story. They should all be that good!

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Perpendicularandi wrote: "I went out and bought three books at Hastings. I had a gift card from Christmas to use. I bought Water for Elephants, 1776, and Eat, Pray, Love. It only cost me 45 cent..."Let me know what you think of Eat, Pray, Love..I liked the Eat part the best. nina

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "I am curious about where you live; maybe tomorrow I will look up Glen Falls in the atlas. Are you near Buffalo, Albany, Croton on Hudson, NY City ? Give me a hint..nina "

Nina, we are..."I don't know why I can't get the town on the Web. I keep getting weather...I will copy the address and try it on my own Web tomorrow. nina

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina, _The Almost Moon_ is a very unusual story. I really have to give more time to it. So fa..."

So far, I don't care for, "Almost Moon." Perhaps it is for various reasons: I am against euthanasia(sp?)and I didn't like the way alzheimer's was portrayed. A very depressing book to me. nina

[Jackie]

Joy wrote: Glens Falls was named "Hometown USA" by Look Magazine in the 1940s.

How very interesting! Glen's Falls is a nice area. There are many lovely old homes there. If we ever move out of Lake George, that's where we'd probably go, since I'll never get my wish to live in the desert or Alaska. Talk about extremes, LOL

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: ""I don't know why I can't get the town on the Web. I keep getting weather...I will copy the address and try it on my own Web tomorrow. nina "

Nina, the reason you keep getting "weather" is because the WunderPhotos are part of the Wunderground Weather website.

Perhaps the link didn't work because you're not registered and logged in as a member of WunderPhotos.

Try going to: ====>
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/i...

Search for the photos of "Joy1934". (That's my username.) (They call usernames "handles".) The Glens Falls photos were taken on 12/31/05. The pics are arranged according to date.

It might be too confusing to try to find the pics. Maybe another time, I will upload those pics elsewhere. Too bad you can't see them because each one has a caption to go with it.

[Jackie]

Go to:
http://maps.google.com/
And type 'Glens Falls, NY' in the search bar, and you'll see glen's Falls. there's even a 'Street View' feature where you can put in a street name and it'll show you the street and you can 'walk' along.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Go to:
http://maps.google.com/
And type 'Glens Falls, NY' in the search bar, and you'll see glen's Falls. there's even a 'Street View' feature where you can put in a street name and it'll show y..."

Thanks, Jackie, I followed your directions. The photo I saw wasn't exactly the nicest part of Glens Falls. LOL

I'll try again.

The photos I posted at Wunderphotos are of some of the best looking buildings in downtown Glens Falls, 2005.

PS-Below are two links to pics of Crandall Park in Glens Falls: ====>
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album...
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sea1934/A...#

PPS-Here's a pic of the gazebo in City Park, Glens Falls. It's right by the library. ====>
http://www.glensfallsonline.com/index...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "So far, I don't care for, "Almost Moon." Perhaps it is for various reasons: I am against euthanasia(sp?)and I didn't like the way alzheimer's was portrayed. A very depressing book to me."

Nina, so far, I don't get the impression that the story is really about euthanasia. She didn't intend to commit euthanasia. To me the story is about mother-daughter relationships.

Also, you have to admit that alzheimers isn't a very pretty illness.

Cover-link below:
The Almost Moon

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Joy wrote: Glens Falls was named "Hometown USA" by Look Magazine in the 1940s.

How very interesting! Glen's Falls is a nice area. There are many lovely old homes there. If we ever move out of..."

Yes, Jackie, I love the old Victorian buildings in Glens Falls.
Glens Falls is such a cozy city.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Try the link below for my WunderPhoto pics of Glens Falls.
I found the URL on Google! ====>
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/v...
I couldn't believe it when I saw my name among the hits for "Glens Falls Hometown USA"

PS-Also see the following web page which says some nice things about Glens Falls: ====>
http://www.bestplaces.net/backfence/v...
However the picture at that web page doesn't look like Glens Falls. We have no high-rise buildings to speak of. The highest building is the CNA Building in GF. See: ====>
http://www.city-data.com/picfilesc/pi...

Also found this excellent web site about Glens Falls. It has quite a few good photos: ====>
http://visit.cityofglensfalls.com/thi...

[Jackie]

Joy,
It's a different picture today than yesterday. They must change it.
Here's the coolest feature to Street View: you can move around. The upper left has arrows, click them until you are in the middle of the street, then you'll see arrows on the street itself, click them to walk down the block, when you come to an intersection, you can turn by using the arrows in the upper left. You can go anywhere, you don't have to stay on the street they are showing today.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Joy,
It's a different picture today than yesterday. They must change it.
Here's the coolest feature to Street View: you can move around. The upper left has arrows, click them until you are in t..."

Jackie, I didn't realize that you could continue along the street view.
Thanks for pointing that out.

Yes, I notice that the pic is different today at:
http://www.bestplaces.net/backfence/v...
It keeps changing. I don't think those buildings are part of Glens Falls.

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: ""I don't know why I can't get the town on the Web. I keep getting weather...I will copy the address and try it on my own Web tomorrow. nina "

Nina, the reason you keep getting "weathe..."

Joy, I got some pics. Two of library; lovely brick building. and one of building in NY city and lots of Mohonk Mountain..Were there others of Glen Falls? If all else fails send them to me by email. tlpwrite@juno.com nina

[Nina]

I will try the web site.. let you know if I get them. NOw I am curious..nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "I will try the web site.. let you know if I get them. NOw I am curious.
... If all else fails send them to me by email."

Nina, below is a link to some good pics of Glens Falls which I just uploaded to a new album: ====>
http://picasaweb.google.com/Sea1934/S...#

You should have no trouble accessing the above album at Google Picasa.
It's an excellent website.

[Jackie]

Nice photos Joy. You capture the old-time feel of the buildings.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jackie wrote: "Nice photos Joy. You capture the old-time feel of the buildings. "

Thanks, Jackie. Yes, I love those buildings... and so many other things about Glens Falls. As I said, it's a cozy town.

The new condo at "The Mill" certainly adds a wonderful aspect to Glens Falls's skyline. I love it. It's an interesting sight to see, very attractive and exciting.
See:====>
http://www.themillofglensfalls.com/
http://www.themillofglensfalls.com/fl...

It's amazing what they did with the old mill building.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

There are more photos of various buildings in Glens Falls at: ====>
http://www.themillofglensfalls.com/po...
(Select the "View All" category. Click on the thumbnails.)

The photos are excellent!

[Jackie]

Now I'm reading Eclipse, 3rd in the Twilight series.
I wanted to tell Jim that I wanted to slap Bella by the end of New Moon.

[Jen]

Jackie wrote: "Now I'm reading Eclipse, 3rd in the Twilight series.
I wanted to..."

Me too! At some point I will finish the series because I hate to leave a series unfinished... but the unhealthiness of the Edward/Bella relationship is so awful it makes it hard for me to want to read. :(

[Jackie]

For me, it's me about her insisting on being friends with Jacob. Leave that boy alone! She made her choice, Edward is her 'true' love, fine. Jake was her friend but he's in love with her, nevermind the vampire/werewolf thing. He wants more than friendship with her and she can't give to him, she better let him move on. By trying to be his friend, she's not allowing his wounds to heal. It's beyond selfish and that's why I want to slap her.

[Catamorandi]

Joy - Sorry to get back so late. Things have been kind of hectic around here lately. Hastings is a bookstore chain that is sweeping downward in leaps and bounds. Fortunately, we still have one where I live. I bought Life of Pi and The Kite Runner today at B&N to finish up the gift card I also got for Christmas. I didn't fare as well with that one. I had to pay $10 for those two books. It's still better than $32, though.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Perpendicularandi wrote: "Joy - Sorry to get back so late. Things have been kind of hectic around here lately. Hastings is a bookstore chain that is sweeping downward in leaps and bounds. ... I bought Life of Pi and The Kite Runner today at B&N..."

Hi Randi - Thanks for explaining.
Below are the cover-links to the books you mentioned:
[image error] The Kite Runner

[image error] Life of Pi

I read the first one and thought it was great.
I'll have to check out the book description for the second one.
Thanks for bringing them to our attention.

PS-About _Life of Pi_ (from Goodreads book description):
==================================================
The precocious son of a zookeeper, 16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting "religions the way a dog attracts fleas."

... After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a 26-foot lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42...
===================================================

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jackie wrote: "Joy wrote: Glens Falls was named "Hometown USA" by Look Magazine in the 1940s.

How very interesting! Glen's Falls is a nice area. There are many lovely old homes there. If we eve..."Finally, I am seeing your pretty town. Yes, it looks so quaint and inviting. well preserved points of interest and beauty.. thanks for sharing it. nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Finally, I am seeing your pretty town. Yes, it looks so quaint and inviting. well preserved points of interest and beauty.. thanks for sharing it."

You're welcome, Nina. Thank you for your interest.

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Try the link below for my WunderPhoto pics of Glens Falls.
I found the URL on Google! ====>
http://www.wunderground.com/wximage/v......"This site reminds me of Holyoke, MA. Nice view of the mountains..My son-in-law is from there. nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "This site reminds me of Holyoke, MA. Nice view of the mountains..My son-in-law is from there. "

Wiki says:
The novelist, Raymond Kennedy (1934-2008), grew up in Holyoke in the 1940s and later set many of his books in a fictionalized Holyoke that he called "Ireland Parish" and "Hadley Falls". FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holyoke,_MA

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "This site reminds me of Holyoke, MA. Nice view of the mountains..My son-in-law is from there. "

Wiki says:
The novelist, [a:Raymond Kennedy|602173|Raymond Kennedy|http://www.goodreads..."Thanks for that info on the author from Holyoke. I thought the fact that he called Holyoke the Ireland Parish," goes along with my son in law,Ken feeling right at home when he visited Dublin, Ireland.
I once visited the daughter of a friend of mine whom I had never met before. She lived in Oxford, England and it was a terrible snow storm the day I arrived. Her friends and herself were out shoveling snow. I had gone to visit her with her mother..One of her friends after shoveling the snow invited us to tea.
We glady accepted..My friend's daughter was a chldren's librarian with NATO and her friends were all teachers..When I told them my daughter was a teacher and that she got her degree in MA the hostess asked where in MA and I said Peabody MA at Our Lady of the Elms and I told her she lived in Holyoke during that time because her husband was from there..She asked his name and then said he happened to be her brother's best friend all through grade school. Small world, a cliche but so true..nina

[Nina]

Jim wrote: "The X-men are a blast. I have all their cartoons. Read their comic books for years, too. Lots of fun. The movies haven't been too bad, either.

We just watched Hancock with Will Smith. That wa..."I'm starting, "Dewey," the story of the library cat..Has anyone out there read it yet? nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "...She asked his name and then said he happened to be her brother's best friend all through grade school. Small world, a cliche but so true."

Nina, I love stories like that. They're almost spooky. The coincidence of meeting an unlikely person in an unlikely place makes me wonder about the laws of probability. Against all odds, the oddest things happen.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "I'm starting, "Dewey," the story of the library cat..Has anyone out there read it yet?

Haven't read it, but I've heard of it.
Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron
Sounds like a true story. Is it?

[Margaret]

Nina wrote: "Jim wrote: "The X-men are a blast. I have all their cartoons. Read their comic books for years, too. Lots of fun. The movies haven't been too bad, either.

We just watched Hancock with Will S..."

Haven't read "Dewey" yet, but it's on my to-read shelf. I have two six-month old kittens, successors to my wonderful Maine Coon cat of 13 years who had to be put to sleep in December, and I can never resist a good cat-tale! I think this one is a true story. Wonder if you've read Peter Gethers' enchanting series of books about life with his Scottish Fold called Norton?
The Cat Who Went To Paris
A Cat Abroad
The Cat Who'll Live Forever

[Debra]

Hi Joy, it's been awhile since I contributed. I was in Hawaii for the Left Coast Crime writers conference and taking a bit of a holiday, and I'm still trying to catch up on the backlog of emails. I just finished reading two books: Oh Danny Boy by Rhys Bowen. This is a historical mystery set in 1902 New York, which I very much enjoyed. The other book is a collection of speculative fiction stories called "Finding Creatures and Other Stories" by C. June Wolf, a Canadian writer, which I also enjoyed. I'll be posting a review in a few days.

Debra

[Nina]

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Nina wrote: "I'm starting, "Dewey," the story of the library cat..Has anyone out there read it yet?

Haven't read it, but I've heard of it.
[bc:Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the Wor..."Yes, Dewey is a true story. nina

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Margaret wrote: "Haven't read "Dewey" yet, but it's on my to-read shelf. I have two six-month old kittens, successors to my wonderful Maine Coon cat of 13 years who had to be put to sleep in December, and I can never resist a good cat-tale! I think this one is a true story. Wonder if you've read Peter Gethers' enchanting series of books about life with his Scottish Fold called Norton?
The Cat Who Went To Paris
A Cat Abroad
The Cat Who'll Live Forever"

Margaret, I haven't read those books yet. Thanks for telling us about them. I'm going to pass the info on to some cat-lovers I know.

I had never heard the words "Scottish Fold" before. So I looked them up at Wiki. Below is the link for other curious persons. :)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish...
Excerpt:
===================================================
"The Scottish Fold—sometimes called Coupari by Canadian breeders—is a breed of cat with a natural dominant-gene mutation that makes its ear cartilage contain a fold, causing the ears to bend forward and down towards the front of their head, which gives the cat what is often described as an "owl-like" appearance."
===================================================