New Providence Memorial Library's Online Reading Group discussion
Escape Ordinary Summr Rdng 2015
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Escape the Ordinary - Week 4
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Good question. One I have to think about because nothing comes quickly to mind...I used to read everything I could get my hands on by Stephen King but then, IMHO, he started to get too gruesome to suit me and unfortunately have not read anything by him in years.
Another author just came to mind - Dean Koontz. I loved his Odd Thomas series and had finished them (years ago) and since I liked how Dean Koontz wrote, thought I'd try something else. Ugh! Gruesome! I don't think I even finished it. I did like his series about his dog, however. That reminds me that I've not picked up an Odd Thomas or dog book in a while...must put them on my ever growing TBR list.
One author that never disappoints me is Jeffrey Archer and his Clifton Chronicle series. Each book is amazing and of the same high quality writing. My only regret is that I have to wait too long for the next in the series!! Write faster Mr. Archer!
Judy - I've forgotten about Jeffrey Archer. I'm not particularly a fan of short stories but his "A Twist in the Tale" was very enjoyable. I've read a few of his and then just forgot about him. Ut Oh - more titles on my TBR list.
For me, Alexander McCall Smith is consistently compelling. My favorite book of his is always the last one I've read.On Jane Austen, I am not disappointed by any of her books; but, like Lisa, Persuasion is my favorite. And the movie version with Ciaran Hinds as Capt Wentworth? It does justice to the book in a big, big way.
Hi! I think Linda Fairstein has never let me down. Just when I think she has hit the top of her game, shepulls it off a gain. Also, I am secretly in love with Mike Chapman lol. Robert Tannenbaum is the other that also never fails in his long series. Another one that never lets you down. What is it with real life prosecutors and make you keep wanting more? Both of them are outstanding authors if you like reading about the darker side of human nature and the people that bring them to justice. Not one of them has a miss in my opinion. Jeffrey Archer is pretty decent, but has his competition cut out for him to catch these two. Now on a lighter fun read. If you are not familiar with David Rosenfelt, and also a dog person, his Andy Carpenter series is a fun read as well as his stand alones. Worth checking out if you do not know him. He is also a friend of mind and check him out on FB. He is very funny and lives a pretty bizarre life with a houseful of dogs. BUT Andy is someone you will get hooked on and want more. Thank GOD his fiancé keeps him from contempt of court on a regular basis (YOU can not stick your tongue out at the prosecutor when you get him over ruled or tell the judge he was obviously asleep etc). But what can you expect from a lawyer that lives in Patterson New Jersey, hit the lottery and only works when his cop pals need his help and ex-police chief fiancé is in his face to make sure his body guard, Marcus Clark is always near by. AND he does need him often. Now only if Marcus could talk in 2 syllables or more. But honestly, I would bring him home anyway. SHHHHH
Maybe it is a fiction thing. It's not that the authors don't write well, it's just that they eventually seem to keep writing the same story. I haven't gotten to that point with Jeffrey Archer, yet, as he seems to have range (think "Kane and Abel" vs "Twelve Red Herrings"). Stephen King / Dean Koontz - I don't mind the gruesome, but it gets tiring - I haven't picked up their books in quite a while. I do like Robert Tannenbaum, but also not as a steady diet. Isaac Asimov is one that never disappointed - enough breadth that I could always find something 'different' (although no longer "new", sorry to say).
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Thanks for the recommendation of 11/23/63. I was thinking of reading this when it first came out and a friend told me it was good. Another one to add to my ever-growing TBR list! AND...I already have it on my Kindle!
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Has anybody seen the new re-make of Poldark on PBS? I missed it last night. But maybe I'm boycotting it a bit since I so loved the original from the '70s with the gorgeous Robin Ellis. He is in this one, too but as a Reverend...ah, well..
Lisa, I love your comment about learning how to argue. AND I totally agree with you about King's 11/23/63, I stopped reading ANYTHING by him because of his accident and the treatment of the driver. I did my sermon on that last year. But this was really brilliant and extremely well thought out. Plus it kept on pace. Marilyn I'll bring back "Stay" tomorrow. I lost the morning and got behind.
A few years ago I did read all the books from John Grisham. Than I realized they all end up with the lawyer, main character being disillusioned and quitting his/her job. That was the end of it, too predictable. Years earlier I had the same experience with Nevil Shute (high school reading) More recently I have found some better series, however for me it is often too much of the same, so now I tend to avoid books of a series.
Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Ladies Detective series is so charming and gentle, which such likable characters, i never get tired of them. I've read most of Stephen White's Alan Gregory mysteries (psychologist's angle, b/c of my interest in mental health) but other than that i have given up on "Series" books. they tend to follow the same formula. but mostly, i don't read mystery novels anymore (though i like watching mysteries on TV...go figure.) Geraldine Brooks always glows; her historical fiction stories are varied in content, but consistently beautifully written and poignant. (Year of Wonders, March.) Caleb's Crossing is on my soon-to-read on vaca list. Jumpha Lahiri (the Namesake, The Lowland, Interpreter of Maladies, Unaccustomed Earth.... she has never disappointed.) Sue Monk Kidd's first (?) novel The Secret Life of Bees was wonderful, 2nd one (Mermaid Chair, imo, was just awful, and her 3rd, The Invention of Wings, was fabulous. I eagerly await 2nd novels of Amanda Coplin (the Orchardist) and Hannah Kent (Burial Rites). Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See was so amazing, i got 2 of his older works out. i can't wait to read About Grace on my vacation. Barbara Kingsolver and Louise Erdrich usually get 3-5 stars, but Tracy Chevalier, for me, is up and down. i enjoyed Remarkable Creatures and The Last Runaway, but find that in several of her books, just not enough happens (Girl with the Pearl Earring, Burning Bright, Falling Angels...haha.)
definitely agree with the point that Lisa made about fiction v non-fiction. historian/scientist/philosopher/doctor Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Atul Gawande are brilliant, sometimes controversial but always intellectually stimulating.
Hi! Sangeeta WELCOME back!!! I was wondering if you were going to join us! You listed so many authors I want to check out. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I did read several of Alexander McCall Smith. However, I had to give up on Stephan White's Alan Gregory. I read everyone until last year and I just got turned off. IF you want a great psychologist with a wonderful LT Milos Sturgis side kick try Jonathan Kellerman. Start from the beginning, he NEVER disappoints. I have loved him for 15 years and he just gets better with each book. I can't say the same about his wife, but I promise, his books are better than White's. AND the audio's are outstanding. Triple A plus on each one. The movie/TV star Jon Rubenstein performs, NOT just reads the book and you will recognize him when you see his pic from many, many popular TV shows. Kellerman has him under contract to ONLY perform his books, no one else can do the audio. I promise they are the best! It's like George Guidall preforming Craig Johnson's 11 books of the Longmire series. He is absolutely incredible and you feel you are there in person NOT just listening to a story. For those of you that are Longmire fans, Katee Sackoff who plays Vic Morelli emailed me they have 13 scenes left to wrap up Longmire's 4th season to be on Netflix. She said it so hot in New Mexico, she is ready to leave, but loves EVERY POSSE member that brought the series to fruition after A&E cancelled the 2th highest rated show on all cable networks. Power to us over 50 that know what we want and know how to get it with stampeding social networks. By the way, A&E fired both the program manager and their CEO when we got Netflix to buy Longmire. They sent out a message it was one of the biggest colossal mistakes ever made. How does ANY network think 5 million fans is not enough buying power because we are over 50? WHO do they think has the money? 18-25 years old? The Longmire series in book will not disappoint and I think any first time reader will get hooked after the first few chapters. Give it a try. By the way, Craig Johnson lives in Wyoming at Ucross pop 25. Has a 280 acre ranch and knows that he writes about as a former police officer in Virginia. I promise, you will love the show, Netflix is streaming the first 3 years and worth the watch. Also, fans can check out Longmire Fan Club on FB and learn everything that is going on. Okay, time to get Michael off my desk, out of my face so I can stop being so long winded and bore you guys any longer.
Marie - DH and I have watched the first 3 episodes of "Longmire" and ... we really like watching them. Like the story lines but also the characters! I particularly like Vic Morelli so next time you are 'talking' to her, please tell her that we both like her character. And, of course we like Walt. It's been years since I have read a Kellerman, either one, and I have to remedy that. Will have to look at the order of his books and see if I can get the first one on audio. I guess I'll have to also put down George Guidall narrator of Longmire series too since he is a favorite narrator of mine.
thx ! I forgot to mention. ..i laughed out loud when reading your post last week about how a mob of indignant Longmire fans e-bullied the fat cats at AMC (?) into doing a season 4. remind me to NEVER get you mad... lol ! btw...thanks for doing it. after your recommendation my husband and I have watched every episode and look forward to season 4...
11/23/63--I also don't read Stephen King but the Kennedy assassination and time travel have always fascinated me, so I said "What the h___, I don't have to finish it if I don't like it." I finished it in two days! It was an excellent book. I highly recommend it.Series books--I read a lot of Amish fiction and love Kelly Irvin and Beverly Lewis. I'm never disappointed with either of them. I've recently discovered Jenn McKinlay, she writes the Library Lover's Mysteries. I'm not usually a mystery reader, but these are cozy mysteries and I've enjoyed them all. A long time ago I was a Fern Michaels fan, but I don't care for her more recent stuff. I think she's trying to turn them out too fast. I do enjoy reading series and I'm always sad when a series ends. Oh, another good author is Jennifer Chiaverini, Elm Creek Quilts books, a series that's not strictly a series. I love everything she writes.
Lisa, I saw the Poldark remake on Sunday. Worth watching if only for the actor who plays Poldark. (be still my heart.... & everything else)
You can see it online on PBS.
Phyllis wrote: "11/23/63--I also don't read Stephen King but the Kennedy assassination and time travel have always fascinated me, so I said "What the h___, I don't have to finish it if I don't like it." I finishe..."--- Ah yes...eye candy! But, I've never read the book nor seen the original series, so this is a treat to me...DH watched soccer last night so I plugged myself into my iPad and watched "Poldark".
If 3 ladies say this eye candy is worth a look, then I am so checking it on my Roku tonight. I can always use a new fantasy source. My heart will always belong to Rob Taylor aka Walt Longmire, but I am ambidextrous, so I can handle another heart throb.Marilyn, I left off Stay at BH and told then it was for you. GUESS WHAT JUST CAME IN? Craig Johnson's NEW Dry Bones read by YOU LOVE HIM>if you want, because it is checked out for a month, if you wish, I will drop it off at NP for you to pick up and return when you finish. I will let you know when I am done. 2-4 days at most because I listen to each disc 2 times so I do not miss a word.
Sangeeta, I was only the moderator trouble maker to boycott A&E when they cancelled Longmire and contacted Dodge ( the main advertisers) for Longmire and asked them what 18-25 is going to buy a 70K truck? I said my brother is over 50 is contractor and has 2 at any given time in his fleet. These bone heads that think we do not have buying power watch what we do. Pam and Judy and I formed the Posse/Stampede with many pics of horses running/Longmire/cast and reaching to fans to be on Twitter or Facebook at certain time across the US. We shut down Twitter 7 weeks in a row on Monday nights at 9pm with relentless comments, some as simple as #LongLiveLongmire one week to #LongmireLives and changed the hatag to keep from getting into Twitter jail for over use/abuse of the social network. Never tell a bunch of women you are going to take their real life cowboy with guts, grit and spirit (and sexy as hell in those jeans he wears) away from them. I told Diana R at A&E when she told me they ALL agreed to cancelled because the viewing audience was NOT in their realm of attracting the monies that spend(over 55 was what she told me failed their demographics). So I said, HOW ABOUT NO ONE? After we stampeded for over 8 weeks Netflix bought the rights and now owns it. They will finish up filming in the next 4-5 weeks and once edited, Netflix will announce the stream day. Probably after Labor day. Watch for it and I will keep you posted.
Marie wrote: "If 3 ladies say this eye candy is worth a look, then I am so checking it on my Roku tonight. I can always use a new fantasy source. My heart will always belong to Rob Taylor aka Walt Longmire, bu..."Thank you. Will try to get to library soon for STAY. Have 4 discs left in current audio book. Not unusual to have back ups of various books and audio books.
Marie ..."only" the moderator troublemaker?" :-D YOU GO GIRL !
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yes, the game of who-dunnit is loads of fun while watching. but sometimes, i like to turn the brain off and sit back without overthinking it. my favorite mystery tv has a bent of humor. Monk (obsessive compulsive detective) was hilarious but treated his OCD in a sensitive way; ie, a source of humor, but not cruel.
a very high quality show with terrific stories and character development is "Murdoch Mysteries" from Canada. (note there are 2 Murdoch shows - i'm talking about the one with Yannick Bisson, is running now for 8 seasons.) you can stream seasons 1 - 3 on netflix and get Netflix DVDs of seasons 1 - 7. (seasons 1 - 2 DVDs are at the BH Library.) A wonderful cast, gorgeous scenery (obviously sanitized; the original Murdoch mini-series is much more gritty and dark, without any humor.) it is set in the late 1800s, a time of great change in industry, technology and societal values. these are reflected in its interesting story-lines which often include famous people ...Winston Churchill, Harry Houdini, Arthur Conan Doyle, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, Annie Oakley, and the first female Canadian Parliamentarian, suffragettes, and american anarchist (name?) etc. there are a couple of characters (Captain Brackenreid and Constable Crabtree) who add the comic relief, and 2 strong female leads. i highly recommend it for those looking for something different. it's not necessary to watch "in order" but i do suggest it since there are long story arcs, of course romance being one of them. ;-) beware, the VERY FIRST episode ("Power") was not one of the best; it took a couple of episodes to get it going....
Hi! I LOVED MONK! I think I have seen every one 2-3 times. It was the absolute best. Castle is a great show, and the writing and cast have kept it going for 6 years and that is impressive. Nathan Fillion actually joined one of our Twitter Stampedes for Longmire and sent a pic of him and "Beckett" waiting to do a scene while he was twittering Rob Taylor and Lou Diamond Phillips. He said he was so impressed with the Posse, he could never imagine a fan base so heart felt and determined to bring Longmire to a new home. AARP this month had a article on Longmire senior fans that made a historical difference never before seen in the history of television. It said we did not just stand up and demand Longmire back, we STAMPEDED social media and would not relent until we got our show back. One thing we did do, is every one knew CTW and knew if any time, I said we need to do another stampede on Twitter or FB because we still had to boycott A&E, they knew it was time to Circle the Wagons and be relentless. Often just had to twitter the hashtag of the week and nothing more.I just finished Craig's Johnson's 11th book, Dry Bones. He just gets better and better and this man is magic with his insight and sensitivity, Walt can still get pissed and kick ass. But fall to his knees holding his 5 month granddaughter in tears when he learns the father was killed in a routine traffic stop in Philly. Craig is on target, sensitive and yet brings it all out to a hard lesson that is on point. But backs up, and lets the reader decide, and then guide them to the way you see through Walt's eyes and heart, and you do not want it any different. Henry Standing Bear's insight is the usual unreal dimensions that most of us would wish for, but is common in Native culture. Did what you see is real, or did you imagine it or was it real because YOU imagine it? Let me know your thoughts
New Providence wrote: "With all of the talk about how we find our next book, many have said and certainly I have tried reading other books written by an author I really like. I have found this method to be disappointing..."To answer the question- JK Rowling immediately comes to mind. I was never disappointed throughout the Harry Potter series. In fact, when I read an author repeatedly, it's usually a series. I love Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. Never disappoints: Heartwarming, humorous, with a touch of mystery.
Carol wrote: "Lisa, I saw the Poldark remake on Sunday. Worth watching if only for the actor who plays Poldark. (be still my heart.... & everything else)
You can see it online on PBS."
I totally agree with your "review" of the actor playing Poldark.
DH and I have only 2 episodes left in season 1 of "Longmire". :-) I went to library and got season 2 today! Thanks for suggestion. I now have to go to AARP and look for the article. I know I put that issue somewhere...
HI! Just go on Facebook Longmire Posse Fan Club and you can find all of the Hollywood Reporter's article's and others. Just scroll down. Also, you will see the videos done by Rob Taylor and Adam Barkley during our Stampedes. Adam Barkley "the Ferg" did a cool one. He sat in front of the camera and role played wearing the baseball cap for each season calling out, "Longmire Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 and held his hand up with a ball cap without Longmire on it and Says "Season 4?" Posse we ARE so close...we can do this!" It was the most fun when Netflix bought the rights to the show and they told the Hollywood Reporter that they had watched our FB and Twitter for 2 months. And when most of us got put in "twitter jail" for over posting, we bailed each other out to keep it going. Craig's 11th book in the series, "Dry Bones" is I think the best one yet. George Guidall's performance is outstanding and his command of the Cheyenne language is unreal. Craig has said there was NO other reader that would tackle this, and he has done this for all 11 books when Henry Standing Bear needs to speak his mind. Which brings me to my new endeavor. There are only 13,000 thousand people that can speak Cheyenne and the Institute for the Salvation of Indigenous languages will work with anyone that will learn the language with Cd's, work books and on line chats. So last night I did the tutorial, and because I have a lower voice tone range, and can speak from the back of my throat, I passed. Cheyenne only has 14 letters but it is all in the tonation(sp/) of each
sound depending on grouping of letters and if male/female/clan/elder/respect/honor/and more. I am going to give it a try and see if I can do it. I'll keep you guys posted. Have a great weekend.
Marie, your endeavor in trying to learn the Cheyenne language is impressive ! best of luck
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Can't understand how you don't find him appealing. I
My most familiar example is, of course, Jane Austen. My most favorite book is Persuasion. I have read Emma and Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park, etc. but there are just no other heroines I enjoy more than Anne Elliott perhaps because she is so admirable and such a paragon. Elizabeth Bennett is not all all that likeable for much of the story, nor is Emma Woodhouse. They are a bit strident and cocky. We won't go into it all here but perhaps it is because the roles are reversed and it is the male figure, Frederick Wentworth, who displays hubris and too much confidence that is my reason for liking this book so much.
So, while I have read all of Austen's other books and seen all of the movies and mini-series, Persuasion remains my favorite by a long shot and Austen's other books have just never held the same appeal.
I've used an old-fashioned author. And it is not true with other authors I've read widely. David McCullough's 1776 is perhaps the most compelling of his books but I loved John Adams just fine. And Krakatoa was great but so was The Man who Loved China. Maybe it's just a fiction thing?
What do you think? Are there authors who have disappointed you with second or third choices of their other books or is there somebody out there who's been consistently compelling?