Just Talking Showing 1,401-1,450 of 3,141

[Kathleen]

Okay, this isn't about Harry Potter or anything, but I read the weirdest story today. Who Will Greet You at Home In case anyone is up for a quick read of something really different and creepy (for Halloween?), you can read it for free here:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/201...

[Celeste]

Kathleen, I just read the story that you recommended, and I loved it. It was just about the strangest story I've ever ingested, but it was a powerful, beautiful strange. It was only 15 pages long, but the author said all she needed to say in those 15 pages. Gorgeous and deep. Consider my thoughts provoked.

[Kathleen]

Celeste wrote: "Kathleen, I just read the story that you recommended, and I loved it. It was just about the strangest story I've ever ingested, but it was a powerful, beautiful strange. It was only 15 pages long, ..."

I know! I don't think my thoughts have ever been this provoked! Glad you enjoyed it Celeste.

[Nima]

Anyone completely exhausted with the US election this season? I just want it all to end already!

[SherryRose]

Yes! I can't stand it any more! Even the names of Trump and Clinton drive me crazy!

[Brina]

I'm sick of the political phone calls I keep getting to my unlisted number. At this point I'm more excited for my kids' school wide election than the real one

[Laurie]

Yes, absolutely tired of the election rhetoric. We just have to hope that it really will be over after we vote. I don't want to imagine how awful it will be if Trump loses and challenges the results.

[Brina]

And/or other way around. Both candidates are capable of growing foul.

[SherryRose]

They're both so ugly and hateful and crooked. He can call her crooked Hillary all he wants or earlier in the game Lyin Ted Cruz but they're BOTH crooked liars. I'm sure all politicians are lying crooks but these two are so obvious! BTW Trump says it's rigged and Hillary thinks the Russians are hacking the polls. It could be ugly at post election either way.

[Melanti]

I'll be glad when the election is over too. I'm sick of getting multiple emails a day asking for campaign donations. I've tried to unsubscribe several times, but it doesn't do much good.

Just the other day I got an email that at first glance seemed to threaten to kick me out of the party if I didn't give them money. Which is idiotic. You don't have to register as a particular party to vote in primaries in my state so I have no official party affiliation to begin with. Even if I did have to declare a party, poll taxes are unconstitutional so they can't force people to donate in order to be a party member.

Shaking me down for money that the candidates don't even need (since they're all corrupt and get the majority of their cash from big business) is NOT the way to earn my vote. I'm seriously considering third party after that email. I don't live in a swing state, so it might not matter who I vote for anyway.


All this reminds me of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy conversation about lizard politicians: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1625...

[SherryRose]

I keep putting that book off. I'd like to hear Stephen Fry read the audio. In any case, threats will put anyone off voting for them! I'm a registered independent as well. There is no party worth committing to. I vote person, not party. Local elections are easier than the presidential. The choices are horrible this year. Libritarian is even ridiculous. He doesn't know what Aleppo is and he can't name any world leaders.

[Megan]

Kathleen wrote: "Okay, this isn't about Harry Potter or anything, but I read the weirdest story today. Who Will Greet You at Home In case anyone is up for a quick read of something really different ..."


Thanks Kathleen, such a great story!

If anyone would be kind enough to follow me on twitter I will follow back :) twitter username: mdX3xx

[Emerson]

HELP! I need your advice or Christmas is cancelled!

My sister wants Arthurian and Knights of the Round Table novels for Christmas, I know of Chrétien de Troyes, are there other authors I should be looking at?

[[deleted user]]

Emerson wrote: "HELP! I need your advice or Christmas is cancelled!

My sister wants Arthurian and Knights of the Round Table novels for Christmas, I know of Chrétien de Troyes, are there other authors I should be..."

Here are some other Arthurian books from Listopia, although I cannot vouch for any specific authors.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

[Melanti]

It really depends on what she wants.
Does she want prose novels or medieval epic poems?

Novelized modern retellings? Old sources?

Focused just on King Arthur or on all of the various knights?

[Emerson]

Old sources, prose or poems, King Arthur and the Knights. She wants the "true" story...

I googled it a bit, I was thinking Marie de France and Geoffroy de Monmouth as well as Chretien de Troyes?

Thank you for taking an interest Melanti and thank you for the lists Lisa Ann!

[Melanti]

I've never read Marie de France or Monmouth, but Monmouth especially sounds good if she wants "history."

Chretien de Troys is good.

Another one you might consider is Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table. It is a later work (15th century) but a lot of other writers use his version as a source.

[Wreade1872]

Emerson wrote: "Old sources, prose or poems, King Arthur and the Knights. She wants the "true" story...

I googled it a bit, I was thinking Marie de France and Geoffroy de Monmouth as well as Chretien de Troyes?
..."

I REALLY liked 'Idylls of the King', its a very... human look at the Arthurian legends and it ryhmes :) .
I also read part of the TH.White trilogy the 'Once and Future King' which was pretty interesting.
Also a 'Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court' is a pretty interesting look at that sort of thing. It really takes a sledge-hammer to the whole Arthurian romance genre :D .

[Emerson]

Thank you, thank you, I'll definitely get her La Morte D'Arthur.
Hopefully I have some time to order everything she needs.

[siriusedward]

Kathleen wrote: "Okay, this isn't about Harry Potter or anything, but I read the weirdest story today. Who Will Greet You at Home In case anyone is up for a quick read of something really different ..."

Thanks Kathleen.
Very strange yet beautiful story.
Very sad and haunting...

[Everyman]

Sherry wrote: "They're both so ugly and hateful and crooked. He can call her crooked Hillary all he wants or earlier in the game Lyin Ted Cruz but they're BOTH crooked liars. ."

Sad but true. And it's our fault as voters (not people here, of course, but all the other voters) that we are so fascinated with candidates tearing each other apart that nobody who would actually make a good, honest president is willing to wade through the swamp of the election process.

The last candidate for President I really respected as a person was Hubert Humphrey.

[SherryRose]

The press focused so hard on Trump that none of the others had any chance. It was all negative but the spotlight never leaves him. They could have ignored his stupid tweets etc but they played right into his hands.

[Brina]

Forget about the election for a little bit. I just witnessed history 71 years in the making. When I come off of cloud nine, hope to read more than mysteries.

[Linda]

Brina, I'm glad at least it was the Cubs that beat the Dodgers!! I'll be rooting for them!

[Brina]

Linda thank you. I still feel like I'm dreaming.

[Laurie]

Definitely I will be cheering for the Cubs. So glad they finally got back to the world series.☺

[Brina]

I feel like I'm dreaming. World Series and holidays end at approximately the same time. I really mean when I say I'm looking forward to heavier reading again.

[Loretta]

Sorry guys, I'm an American League fan so let's go Cleveland! :)

[Renee]

Since my Jays didn't make it (couldn't score runs against Cleveland) I'll be cheering for the Cubs. They've had a good year, and I think they've waited long enough!

[Brina]

Amen!!!

[Laurie]

Here is some election humor related to books and Trump's tweets.

[Everyman]

Renee wrote: "Since my Jays didn't make it (couldn't score runs against Cleveland) I'll be cheering for the Cubs. They've had a good year, and I think they've waited long enough!"

Isn't it great to have something besides the election to look forward to. And we can be sure that the two teams won't be pummeling each other in the media, only on the field where the rules are clear and enforced and fair play is the standard.

[Pink]

Laurie, thanks for sharing, they were great!

[Tytti]

Renee wrote: "Since my Jays didn't make it (couldn't score runs against Cleveland) I'll be cheering for the Cubs. They've had a good year, and I think they've waited long enough!"

Poor Murphy the Goat...

[Hailee]

Laurie wrote: "Here is some election humor related to books and Trump's tweets."

OMG so funny! I actually had tears in my eyes for some of them.

[Everyman]

Emerson wrote: "HELP! I need your advice or Christmas is cancelled!

My sister wants Arthurian and Knights of the Round Table novels for Christmas, I know of Chrétien de Troyes, are there other authors I should be..."

While it's not straight Arthurian, you might offer her The Fairy Queen. Arthur appears in it (as the prospective husband of Queen Elizabeth!), and there are plenty of knights and deeds of derring do.

[Tytti]

I made an English section to my GR book club. Now I am wondering if anyone will be interested... There ARE millions of users here (I'm guessing) so I am thinking that maybe a couple might be, maybe a couple more now because the Worldcon 75 will be in Finland.

[Brina]

Goodreads choice awards are up. I think the people in this group should vote and give write in votes when applicable. We are as a group more intelligent than the average goodreads user and it would be great to sway the votes in that direction.

[Pink]

Brina wrote: "Goodreads choice awards are up. I think the people in this group should vote and give write in votes when applicable. We are as a group more intelligent than the average goodreads user and it would..."

I'll have to take a look, though usually I haven't even heard of most of the suggestions.

[Loretta]

Brina wrote: "Goodreads choice awards are up. I think the people in this group should vote and give write in votes when applicable. We are as a group more intelligent than the average goodreads user and it would..."

What? What a thing to say Brina. I'm sure the Goodreads population will really appreciate that basically you're saying that they aren't intelligent! Wow!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Not touching that one.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I'll be leaving the Goodreads Choice Awards alone also. I did a quick check and saw no books that I knew anything about. I clicked on a few and they were published this year, I've read no book published in 2016. This year I read one that was published in 2015, and I thing it might have won a category last year. The choice award is not something Goodreads does that I care about.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

I usually ignore the "Choice" Awards.

I'm not interested in those books and haven't read them.

[Tytti]

Yeah, they are rarely translated the same year, so I don't really hear about them, either. There was one book there that I know people have read and even liked but it's mainly a popularity contest, nothing to do with the quality of writing because most people haven't read that many of them anyway.

[Christine]

I haven't read any of the nominated books, either. It's usually interesting to see which ones end up winning, though.

[Pink]

I had a look through the nominations and I've read one book in the non-fiction category Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City which was slow to get into, but very much worth the effort by the end. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you like books about social issues, then I'd recommend it.

I haven't read anything else on the lists and have very little interest in them. However, new and popular books are not my preferred reading, so it's no surprise that most of them are unknown to me.

[Nathan]

I like the Choice Awards just fine, though it is frustrating that every year I've only read a couple of the nominees across all of the categories.

This year I wrote in Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist in the fiction category. It was an excellent read and deserves whatever accolades it can get. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised to see it in contention for the Pulitzer.

[Laurie]

I agree that the Choice Awards don't work for me since I've read essentially none of them. I have read Homegoing in the historical fiction category. It was very good. But the voters need to be a reader of very current releases which many of us in this group don't seem to be.

[GW]

hero's are made in the fall classic. The World Series is on and the series should be tied up, but anything is possible if you are an Cleveland fan. I've put reading on hold due feeling too full of Halloween candy and business concerns. On the odd side. My brother bagged a 500 pound bull elk. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Elk is tasty, like reindeer.

[Brina]

Gary I did my reading during the day. I don't think I will get any reading done during the next 24 or so hours. Go Cubs!