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[Luffy Sempai]

Squire wrote: "As I get older, so does my book collection. I've noticed, with an increasing amount of distress, that some of my older HC books (30+ years) have fading print. While reading [book:Foucault's Pendulu..."

Most of my books are in e-book form, but by necessity. I look forward to growing older. It's quite an adventure.

[sabagrey]

*argh* polls are coming up again ...

sometimes, there is nothing among the nominations I really want to read. And then, this month, there is one after the other that has me going 'WOW, I've really wanted to (re)read this for such a long time!'

What to vote for, I ask you???

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I know how you feel, there is no magic wand, no crystal ball. All we can do is vote for the one we want the most and hope for the best.

[Laurie]

sabagrey wrote: "*argh* polls are coming up again ...

sometimes, there is nothing among the nominations I really want to read. And then, this month, there is one after the other that has me going 'WOW, I've reall..."

The good thing is that even if your vote doesn't win, hopefully whatever does win is one of the other books you are interested in.

[sabagrey]

Laurie wrote: "The good thing is that even if your vote doesn't win, hopefully whatever does win is one of the other books you are interested in.."

one can hardly get more philosophical about it :-)))

thank you.

[Pharmacdon]

And yet, sometimes, an excellent book shows up that you would never discover otherwise.

[CindySR]

Don wrote: "And yet, sometimes, an excellent book shows up that you would never discover otherwise."

And that is why I am on GR and why Iove GR, in a nutshell!
Groups like this are like gravy!

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Laurie wrote: "sabagrey wrote: "*argh* polls are coming up again ...

sometimes, there is nothing among the nominations I really want to read. And then, this month, there is one after the other that has me going..."

Yes, there have been so many times that I get excited about a book, but it does not win. That is why Bob started the 2nd Place or Worse Challenge. If I read the book for the challenge and comment in my challenge thread I can still discuss the book with people.

[Pharmacdon]

“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.” —Charles Dickens

[Michaela]

Don wrote: "“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.” —Charles Dickens"

LOL, I like that! Some books (even Classics) are overrated, while others still have to be discovered.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I love the Dickens quote. I'm sure he read some of those books when he was editing others for his magazine.

[Cynda]

A librarian I sometimes chat with as she helps me find books has asked me to help her find a book about the folktale called "The Soldier's Coat". Does anyone here recognize that tile from their childhood or the childhood of friends and family?

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Cynda Reads Again wrote: "A librarian I sometimes chat with as she helps me find books has asked me to help her find a book about the folktale called "The Soldier's Coat". Does anyone here recognize that tile from their chi..."

Don't know what book she may be referencing, but perhaps she it talking about the Grimm's Fairy tale "Bearskin".

[Cynda]

That's what I am thinking too Katy, a variation of. . . . Let's see if any others here might remember having read the book, might even have the book on their shelves, a book with Library of Congress information or ISBN or who retold the tale. . . .I told her I would ask my Goodreads friends. We shall see if an you information surfaces.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Sad news: Cormac McCarthy passed away earlier this week. I consider him one of my favorite authors even though I have read only three of his books. Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West and The Road are two of my all-time favorites.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Sad news: Cormac McCarthy passed away earlier this week. I consider him one of my favorite authors even though I have read only three of his books. [book:Blood Meridian, or, the Eveni..."

Oh my. That is sad news. Thanks for mentioning it.

[Cynda]

Since we are reading A Midsummer Night's Dream this month, Google sent me this article. Being introduced to Shakespeare when young might be the way to encourage enjoyment of Shakespeare's plays.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandst...

If playgoing is not an option, perhaps comic books appropriate to age might be the way to go. There is a wide variety available.

[sabagrey]

Cynda wrote: "If playgoing is not an option ...."

The problem with stage productions of Shakespeare is that many directors seem to be at war with him - acutely jealous, maybe? - over his plays, and feel the need to 'adapt' and 'modernise' and 'interpret' beyond endurance. As if they just could not acknowledge that good old Shakespeare more than anyone else had the knack of making out of almost any (silly) story a play that worked.

I try to see Shakespeare's plays on stage whenever I can be half-way certain that the director grasps that simple fact, and leaves his overgrown artistic ego in the wings.

[Cynda]

I have found that those overworked stage productions have given me clues to understanding the plays. I once watched a production put on by City College with a 20th-century urban theme. Ahhhh I said: Bottom is an arrogant silly man. In that play, we was a academic type whonwore tweed pants, a button-up shirt, a wool sweater, a
always holding and smoking in his smoky pipe. Hot Air Man.

The Duke and The Queen of the Amazons were celebrities, giving interviews, making announcements. Important Personages putting on a wedding production more than getting married. Showbiz Folks.

Now I try to watch university productions, less prestigious productions, something with a twist so that I can find out another aspect of character.

[Sam]

I agree with Cynda adding the caveat that I feel one has to be fairly familiar with the play and have seen a traditional production first and not be trying to figure what going on in the modern production as well as trying to understand the play for the first time. For our read of A Midsummer Night's Dream, I watched two modern film productions after rewatching two more traditional film productions. I enjoyed the moderns as a supplement to watching the traditional and reading the play but would have been less satisfied if I just saw one of those productions without the benefit of the read and seeing the other plays.

[sabagrey]

Sam wrote: " adding the caveat that I feel one has to be fairly familiar with the play and have seen a traditional production first and not be trying to figure what going on in the modern production as well as trying to understand the play for the first time."

I think that's my main criticism of today's 'directors' theatre' - that it is snobbish. It presupposes that everyone has seen everything a dozen times including all its references and cross-inter-textual what-nots. - And thus makes theatre elitist and, in my view, the contrary of what it was meant to be.

Maybe I've been fed too much Brecht in high school. ;-)

[Cynda]

Some here are on the search for new women writers. Might this work for some? The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Romantic Period edited in part by Stephen Greenblatt


From the Preface to the Seventh Edition:

The First Edition of the Norton Anthology was ahead of its time in including six women writers; this Seventh Edition includes sixty, of whom twenty-one are newly added and twenty reselected or expanded. Poets and prose writers whose names were scarcely mentioned even in the specialized literary histories of earlier generations--Isabella Whitney, Aemilia Lanyer, Lady Mary Wroth, Elizabeth Carey, Margaret Cavendish, Mary Leapor, Anna Letitia Barbauld, Charlotte Smith, Letitia Elizabeth Landon. There are in addition three complete long prose works by women: Aphra Behn's Oroonoko, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.

I am reading a bit of this book of over 1112 pages so I can complete the Romantics and so I can be over prepared for by Percy Bysshe Shelley next year.

[Cynda]

This showed up in my feed. Google knows I have reading friends who read literature of the American South 🙋

https://youtu.be/po6DQmmY7Pk

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog]

Quick question
Has anyone else run into a bunch of -Page not Available- when looking at "Compare Books With"

That is my first stop when thinking about frending. Not knowing if it will or will not "be available" is a problem.
I know GR/Amazon has been working hard to gradually mess up GR, is this a new part of the madness?

[spoko]

Phrodrick wrote: “Quick question
Has anyone else run into a bunch of -Page not Available- when looking at “Compare Books With”

That is my first stop when thinking about frending. Not knowing if it will or will not ...”

I’ve only seen that when I try to compare with authors, and not always then. I also compare with other users quite often, and haven’t really seen that in those cases.

[Wreade1872]

Phrodrick wrote: "Quick question
Has anyone else run into a bunch of -Page not Available- when looking at "Compare Books With"

That is my first stop when thinking about frending. Not knowing if it will or will not ..."

I've been running into this error off and on for years, i don't think it has increased in frequency lately, that i've noticed anyway, so i don't think its New Administration related.

Sometimes its temporary (i think) but other times it seems to stick and no matter how long you wait and go back to the same person the error is still the same.

[Pharmacdon]

CNET posted this article Aug 21, 2023: Change These Goodreads Settings for a Better Experience.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-an...

[Wreade1872]

I finished the box for my James Branch Cabell collection.





It went pretty well, everything is the same height and depth now which was what was mostly annoying me ;) .
Stitched together from cereal box pieces, so 3 layers thick in my places with then an extra layer of thick cat food box cardboard, then covered entirely in A4 waste paper and finally with with coloured paper.

With a removable top for easy access without having to snatch at the spines or anything.

[Terris]

I love it! It is a very satisfying project!

[Kathleen]

Wreade1872 wrote: "I finished the box for my James Branch Cabell collection.

A great example of problem-solving using repurposing and creative ingenuity! Inspiring, Wreade--thanks for sharing. :-)

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Very clever solution, Wreade!

[Dave]

It is Cyber Monday. I just bought a ton of books at up to 86% off on Amazon. Other online sites may have similar discounts.

[Wreade1872]

...well my cat just ate a Robin, pretty sure that's some sort of curse coming my way :/ .

[Nigella [Semi-Hiatus]]

Wreade1872 wrote: "...well my cat just ate a Robin, pretty sure that's some sort of curse coming my way :/ ."

How does that even happen- 💀☠️

[Wreade1872]

​⋆｡ﾟNigella ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ (Juliette's Version) wrote: "How does that even happen- 💀☠️"

My cat has a remarkably high kill count, more remarkable, because i've seen him try and he is really bad at it.
So i have the small comfort that the only things he catches must be the really stupid ones, or so i tell myself :| .

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Wreade1872 wrote: "​⋆｡ﾟNigella ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ (Juliette's Version) wrote: "How does that even happen- 💀☠️"

My cat has a remarkably high kill count, more remarkable, because i've seen him try and he is really bad at it...."

I don't have a cat, but fortunately my neighbor has a cat who seems to think she lives here part-time. The cat is named Hunter, and it is a very apt name for this cat who has brought everything under the sun into my neighbor's house (fortunately I boarded up the doggy door a long time ago). I saw her almost get a squirrel the other day, although I don't know what she would have done with it if she caught it. Taken it into my neighbor's house probably, with the hopes that they would fricassee it for her I suppose. Anyway, something got the cat back a little bit the other night with a little nip in her backside. The neighbors have outdoor cameras and they think it could be one of two raccoons, or a possum, or one of two cats, all of which were seen in the vicinity on the night in question.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Just want to steer everyone to a new posting regarding nomination changes. Don't want anyone to miss this:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Terris]

Sara wrote: "Just want to steer everyone to a new posting regarding nomination changes. Don't want anyone to miss this:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."

Thank you, Sara. That all looks good!

[sabagrey]

https://twitter.com/tomgauld/status/1...

... just my plans for 2024

[Michaela]

I like that, sabagrey! :)

[Laurie]

sabagrey wrote: "https://twitter.com/tomgauld/status/1...

... just my plans for 2024"

A great goal for us all.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Me too, Saba.

[Jim]

Works for me.

[Annette]

That is the best kind of reading!! I’m in!

[Terris]

On my landing page, on the list of books I'm currently reading, I am unable to "update my progress." I hope they fix that!!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Terris wrote: "On my landing page, on the list of books I'm currently reading, I am unable to "update my progress." I hope they fix that!!"

Yes, two days now. I'm sure it is the "end-of-the-year got to mess with it" period. Welcome to 2024.

[Terris]

Sara wrote: "Terris wrote: "On my landing page, on the list of books I'm currently reading, I am unable to "update my progress." I hope they fix that!!"

Yes, two days now. I'm sure it is the "end-of-the-year g..."

Thanks, Sara! I hope you don't mind my tears on your shoulder ;)

[Sam]

U.S. Audible is having its annual big sale with up to 85% off. Good opportunity to pick up some bargains if you shop carefully.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

My daughter in law recently asked me if I had read The Consequence of Anna by Kate Birkin. I told her I had not. She said that it was her book clubs latest read. Most of the club liked the book, but a couple thought that the writing was a little strange. During their discussion one member wondered if the book was a product of AI. They did a quick internet check and found nothing that altered their hypotheses. My daughter in law is not on Goodreads and ask me to check out the book here. As you can see the book is listed and the author is a Goodreads author. The author only has a short bio, not much info is offered. Any further digging doesn't offer much more info. I am not an internet detective nor any good with computers in general. So, I am at an end. The co-author Mark Bornz has basically no information listed.

If anyone has any info, please pass it on. Ever heard of or been to a book signing or seen an interview with the author.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Bob wrote: "My daughter in law recently asked me if I had read The Consequence of Anna by Kate Birkin. I told her I had not. She said that it was her book clubs latest read. ..."

Weird indeed.