Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
ABOUT BOOKS AND READING
>
What are you reading or what books have you read or heard about? (Part TWELVE) Ongoing general thread.
message 901:
by
Nina
(new)
Oct 17, 2016 01:14PM
Jane Austin's sister burned all of her diarys and letters. It is so interesting to me how often she is referred to in so many novels and she never travelled more than eighty miles from home and people are still reading her and about her.
reply
|
flag
Nina wrote: "Jane Austin's sister burned all of her diarys and letters. It is so interesting to me how often she is referred to in so many novels and she never travelled more than eighty miles from home and peo..."Yes, it's amazing, considering Jane Austen's background, that her writing was so successful. Today I learned (from the CD) that, although she had no formal education after the age of 11, she used to read books in her father's library. Girls in those days were not allowed into the universities. Sometimes we forget that!
Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective by Barbara J. King is one of The Great Courses & was a disappointment. It was published in 2002, but even I found it dated. If nothing else, it shows just how much the Human Genome Project advanced our knowledge, even a tyro like myself. I could have forgiven that, but I didn't care much for her presentation style. She tends to scatter facts like chicken feed & then wander among the kernels. Makes it hard to keep facts straight - too much backing & filling. Anyway, I only gave it a 2 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "Biological Anthropology: An Evolutionary Perspective by Barbara J. King is one of The Great Courses & was a disappointment. It was published in 2002, but even I found ..."Thanks for posting, Jim.
Operation Flashpoint by Dan J. Marlowe is the fourth in his Drake series. I'm afraid it jumped the shark. It was still fun, but I miss the grit of the first couple. I still gave this book 3 stars in my review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "Operation Flashpoint by Dan J. Marlowe is the fourth in his Drake series. I'm afraid it jumped the shark. It was still fun, but I miss the grit of the first couple. ..."Jim, you DO make some keen observations when you read! To me, this indicates the many reading experiences you've had. You're able to look at books from many different perspectives, e.g., cultural attitudes and general information. You're able to make comparisons. This type of background and these perspectives come from your rich reading experiences.
I realize this because my own reading background has been comparatively sparse. I haven't experienced as many perspectives as you have. Besides, you have a great memory and that always helps! I realize this because my memory isn't that great.
Today, I ordered a kindle edition of Dorothy Sayer's mystery _Whose Body?_ (Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries, #1) Whose Body? via Amazon for 99 cents. I was prompted to do this by a question at FunTrivia which mentioned Lord Peter Wimsey, the detective, and his butler, Bunter. I have always wondered if I would enjoy Dorothy Sayer's mysteries. We'll see!Have any of you read Sayer's mysteries? If so, what did you think?
BTW, the question at FunTrivia was: "Which author from crime fiction's "Golden Age" used a member of the British aristocracy as her detective?"
I haven't read any of Sayers' mysteries that I recall. It's been at least 30 years since I read anything by Agatha Christie. Never cared for her writing much & I guess that I dismissed Sayers because of that. I see her detective is a bit more comedic. Not sure that will work for me, but I do occasionally read about Bertie & Jeeves. My library has 2 of her books & one BBC radio drama of hers that are available, so I'll give her a try at some point. Thanks. Memory? Not great. I try very hard to update my reviews on longer books as I go along. Sometimes I'll jot notes down for later. Some things stick, but not as many nor as often as I'd like.
While listening to the latest lecture on biological anthropology, I was quite frustrated because King kept changing dates & wandering around facts. I really prefer a linear progression for such things. I mentioned 3 other related books in my review & they all managed it. I spent a lot of time reviewing the course notes & looking things up in my reviews & from other sources online. Some of that was due to not having as good a memory as I'd like.
It's tough for me to remember a lot of names & dates unless I have something to hang them on. It was always a great source of frustration for me in school history classes. Something happened on 8Feb1467, so & so did such on 16July1459 just went through my head. I did much better when I read something that gave me a historical context & then stuck to general dates - middle of the 15th century is generally accurate enough. It was a busy century in the West with a lot happening that we should all know (fall of Constantinople which caused them to find passage around Africa, printing press, Christian schism, & such). Putting those events in order by decade is probably accurate enough, though. Occasionally specific dates will hold some meaning, but usually only for real scholars - not to most school kids. It turned an interesting, turbulent time into a bore-fest for me.
Jim, I too prefer "linear progressions". When I was in high school, the history teacher introduced us to the idea of a "Time Line". It really helped me to understand history. It was an eye-opener for me! Since then, I've loved Time Lines.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline
BTW, I remember learning from horizontal timelines. The vertical timelines aren't as effective for me.
I've never had any issue with the orientation of timelines, but I certainly like them. Unfortunately, our understanding human evolution isn't as straight forward & linear as some think. King managed to make it worse. There have been multiple species of hominids & our understanding of our evolution is based on what fossils we've managed to find. Leaving a fossil record is fairly rare & us finding them is even more rare, so the record is spotty.Our ability to get & read DNA from fossils has really helped clear a lot of things up, but as you can see from this, it's still rather confusing.
This graphic is part of a really good slide show illustrating the finds.
http://www.slideshare.net/robertosaez...
I'm going to post this in the comments of my review. I wish I'd had it while listening to King's lectures. It's really good.
I've never read any Dorothy Sayers but have watched Peter Whimpsey episodes and enjoyed them.
Jim wrote: "I've never had any issue with the orientation of timelines, but I certainly like them. Unfortunately, our understanding human evolution isn't as straight forward & linear as some think. King manage..."WOW, Jim. That graphic DOES look confusing!
Nina wrote: "I've never read any Dorothy Sayers but have watched Peter Whimpsey episodes and enjoyed them."I haven't ever seen any films adapted from the Peter Wimsey Mysteries. Netflix has several of them:
"Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries: Murder Must Advertise"
https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Lord-Pe...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069612/?...
"Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries: The Nine Tailors"
https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Lord-Pe...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071024/?...
"Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries: Five Red Herrings"
https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Lord-Pe...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072502/?...
The Last Wish was a great audio book. Originally written in Polish, it's supposed to also be the basis of a game, although I've never seen that. The stories were wonderful. I gave it 4 stars in my review here.I'm listening to Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers now. I think it's the third Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. It's fun so far.
I tried my first Lord Peter Wimsey detective novel, third in the series titled Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers. It was OK, but I don't think I'll read another. Not quite my cup of tea. I gave it 2 stars in my review here.
Jim wrote: "The Last Wish was a great audio book. Originally written in Polish, it's supposed to also be the basis of a game, although I've never seen that. The stories were wonderful. ... I'm listening to Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers now. ..."Nice to find "wonderful" stories. Thanks for posting, Jim.
Netflix is sending me the film adaptation of Dorothy Sayers' "The Nine Tailors". Hope I will like it. The Nine Tailors (I don't like the word "complicated" in the book description!)
Jim wrote: "I tried my first Lord Peter Wimsey detective novel, third in the series titled Unnatural Death by Dorothy L. Sayers. It was OK, but I don't think I'll read another. Not ..."Not very encouraging, Jim. Some of the Netflix members used the word "slow" in their reviews of "The Nine Tailors". I hate "slow"! :)
If you like all the witty repartee & English humor, the time would pass pleasurably, but I found my mind wandering. Not really my thing & the underlying story was weak. A good actor & some editing could hide that which is why I think a BBC theater production might be perfect. I think my library has one, but I'm not in a rush.
Jim wrote: "If you like all the witty repartee & English humor, the time would pass pleasurably, but I found my mind wandering. Not really my thing & the underlying story was weak. A good actor & some editing ..."Jim, we'll see if the witty repartee helps me enjoy the film, "The Nine Tailors". The Netflix summary says:
================================================
"Drawing inspiration from the pages of author Dorothy L. Sayers's classic detective novels, Ian Carmichael stars as intrepid upper-crust sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey in these episodes of the popular televised BBC mystery series. In the case of "The Nine Tailors," a New Year's Eve party produces a corpse with no discernable identity. That is, until Wimsey's investigation uncovers a surprising connection to an old crime."
FROM: https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Lord-Pe...
================================================
PS-Among the Netflix reviews of the film adaptation of "The Nine Tailors was the following:"I personally prefer Petherbridge's Wimsey (from the later 'Harriet Vane' Sayers adaptations), though Ian Carmichael does a commendable job."
"Ian Carmichael, however, is just too old to play Peter Wimsey. Edward Petherbridge looks and talks more like my "vision" of the character."
Photos of Ian Carmichael: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&a...
Photos of Edward Petherbridge: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&a...
PS-The following list from IMDb shows the Sayer's film adaptations in which Edward Petherbridge played Lord Peter Wimsey:A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery (TV Series)
Lord Peter Wimsey
- Gaudy Night: Episode Three (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Gaudy Night: Episode Two (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Gaudy Night: Episode One (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Have His Carcase: Episode Four (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Have His Carcase: Episode Three (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Have His Carcase: Episode Two (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Have His Carcase: Episode One (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Strong Poison: Episode Three (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Strong Poison: Episode Two (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
- Strong Poison: Episode One (1987) ... Lord Peter Wimsey
FROM: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0677489/?r...
I found a sneak preview on Tor.com for Lee Modesitt's new Recluce book, Recluce Tales: Stories from the World of Recluce. I read it & added the book to my To-Read shelf here with a short blurb about it & the series. I wanted to include a link to the series itself & got quite a surprise. Part of my review of the first book in the series is included in its explanation at the top when you click on the 'more' link. Am I that much of a fan boy?!!! ;)
The Rich and the Dead was edited by Nelson DeMille. It's a Mystery Writers of America Anthology & had excellent quality over all. I gave it 4 stars & rated each story in my review here.
Jim wrote: "I found a sneak preview on Tor.com for Lee Modesitt's new Recluce book, Recluce Tales: Stories from the World of Recluce. ... Part of my review of the first book in the series is included in its explanation at the top when you click on the 'more' link. Am I that much of a fan boy?!!!;) "
Yes, Jim, I found your comment after I clicked on the "more" link at: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4182... .
Sounds like you gave some good advice to the readers and they appreciated it. Yours is the voice of experience!
I really like the Alan Grofield novels, a spin-off of Richard Stark's Parker novels. Grofield is more fun & certainly has a better sense of humor than Parker, though. I've read all 4 now & this one, The Blackbird, third in the series, is the best. I gave it 4 stars in my short review.
Jim wrote: "The Rich and the Dead was edited by Nelson DeMille. It's a Mystery Writers of America Anthology & had excellent quality over all. I gave it 4 stars & rated each story ..."Sounds like a good anthology... except for the "disturbing" angle.
As for mystery writers, I finally had a taste of Dorothy L. Sayers. I watched the film adaptation of her "Lord Wimsey" mystery, The Nine Tailors.
"The Nine Tailors" Mystery | TV Mini-Series (1974– )
https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/Lord-Pe...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071024/?...
"The title refers to the nine strokes of a church bell to announce the death of a man."
EXPLANATION OF THE TITLE PER WIKI: "death was announced by [bell ringing, aka] telling" ... " ... "The word "teller" in some dialects becomes "tailor".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nin...
This mystery by Sayers really drew me in and, by concentrating, I was able to follow the complicated developments. The film was well done. It was very atmospheric. Thank goodness the DVD had subtitles so that I had no trouble understanding the British accents.
Author Sayers seems to have been quite the intellectual and her character, Lord Peter Wimsey, is very articulate. I enjoyed that.
I learned a bit about "change ringing" "Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a controlled manner to produce variations in their sounding order." It can be very complicated and intricate . For example, "In "call change ringing", each row is specifically called for by one ringer (the conductor [the church pastor in this case] who tells the others how to change their bells' places from row to row."
The method of pulling the various ropes to ring the various bells can be very intricate. "Bellringers typically stand in a circle around the ringing chamber, each managing one rope."
The bells figured greatly in the plot of the mystery.
See Wiki on "change ringing" : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_...
Jim wrote: "I really like the Alan Grofield novels, a spin-off of Richard Stark's Parker novels. Grofield is more fun & certainly has a better sense of humor than Parker, though. I've read all 4..."I found a review which clarified things for me:
============================================
"As virtually all crime fiction fans know, "Richard Stark" was one of the several pseudonyms used by the prolific author, Donald Westlake. Writing as Stark, he was best known for his series featuring the amoral criminal known as Parker which ultimately ran to twenty-four novels. As Stark, Westlake also wrote four novels featuring Alan Grofield who appeared in several of the Parker novels as Parker's sidekick."
FROM: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
=============================================
**********************************************************
Another review said:
"One reason that the Parker novels are superior to the Grofield novels is that, over the long haul, it's more pleasant to spend time with a sullen sociopath than a smartass. In The Blackbird, Grofield's schtick begins to wear thin around page 100, but the book has more than enough action and intelligence to keep you going. "
FROM: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*********************************************************
Well, the last reviewer you quoted & I differ somewhat in our opinions about Grofield. I thought the smartass (Grofield) was more fun than the sullen sociopath (Parker) & didn't think Grofield's schtick wore thin at all. Grofield is a stage actor & usually has a classical quote at hand. It flowed quite well & Grofield's character is just as ruthless as Parker's. It's all in the attitude. Glad to see you liked the Lord Peter Wimsey movie. I think I'll try a BBC audio play next time. It's unusual, but sometimes these are better than the book to me. I like them edited.
Jim wrote: "Well, the last reviewer you quoted & I differ somewhat in our opinions about Grofield. I thought the smartass (Grofield) was more fun than the sullen sociopath (Parker) & didn't think Grofield's sc..."Jim, it's interesting to see the differing opinions! I'd probably enjoy the "classical quotes". :)
As for the Lord Peter Wimsey movies, I too am tempted to watch another Wimsey film. I'll have to choose a time when my mind is sharp (and unencumbered!) and my patience is strong. :)
About The Nine Tailors, Wiki says: "It should be added that this work is a favourite with many readers. Sinclair Lewis judged it the best of his four 'indispensables' ". FROM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nin...
Neither the Parker nor Grofield books would be your cup of tea, Joy. Having read a couple of Sinclair Lewis' books, I wouldn't take his opinion into account. He was a nut job.
I am reading an amazingly good Bio of Bess Truman written by her daughter, Margaret. I am only a quarter through it but after reading a lot about Harry, how did he ever get to be president with so much stacked against him? It is fascinating reading. Maybe because it has so much local history. the book title is, "Bess Truman."
With all the talk about "Nine T..." I ordered the DVD from Netflix. I will say what I think of it later.
Jim wrote: "Neither the Parker nor Grofield books would be your cup of tea, Joy. Having read a couple of Sinclair Lewis' books, I wouldn't take his opinion into account. He was a nut job."LOL - Thanks, Jim.
Nina wrote: "I am reading an amazingly good Bio of Bess Truman written by her daughter, Margaret. I am only a quarter through it but after reading a lot about Harry, how did he ever get to be president with so ..."RE: Bess W. Truman by Margaret Truman
Hmmm. Nina, I'm surprised that a book about Bess Truman would be interesting. I wonder if it's more interesting than Truman by David McCullough.
Nina wrote: "With all the talk about "Nine T..." I ordered the DVD from Netflix. I will say what I think of it later."Nina, I'm interested in your opinion of the film, The Nine Tailors. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071024/?...
Be prepared for fast time shifts. Take good notice of the following names.
Lady Thorpe
Sir Charles Thorpe
Sir Henry Thorpe
Bunter (Wimsey's butler/manservant)
Deacon
Cranton
Driver
Mary Thoday - Will's wife and Deacon's widow
Will Thoday-photo: http://www.aveleyman.com/Gallery/Acto...
Jim Thoday
Thanks, for the info. I will save it for further reference.
I'll move the Tailors to number one on my Netflix list. I am sort of enjoying The Durrels in Corfu on tonight. Public TV. I always wanted to go to Corfubut only made it as far as Athens.
Nina wrote: "I'll move the Tailors to number one on my Netflix list. I am sort of enjoying The Durrels in Corfu on tonight. Public TV. I always wanted to go to Corfubut only made it as far as Athens."I haven't been following Durrels in Corfu. I tried but it didn't draw me in.
It isn't really that good but i am enjoying the scenery. I once attended a wedding in Greece of my husband's nephew and it brings back those memories. We stayed at the bride's home for ten days and it was really a fun and interesting time aside from getting lost one day.
Did I already tell you about the good bio I am reading, "Bess Truman," written by her daughter, Margaret. Seems an appropriate time as the election looms ahead. Wish Truman would appear again as I would vote for him.
Nina wrote: "It isn't really that good but i am enjoying the scenery. I once attended a wedding in Greece of my husband's nephew and it brings back those memories. We stayed at the bride's home for ten days and..."Nina, you have so many wonderful memories of your travels! That's so great!
Nina wrote: "Did I already tell you about the good bio I am reading, "Bess Truman," written by her daughter, Margaret. Seems an appropriate time as the election looms ahead. Wish Truman would appear again as I ..."Yes, I replied in Message #935 above. I'll copy and paste my reply here:
Nina wrote: "I am reading an amazingly good Bio of Bess Truman written by her daughter, Margaret. I am only a quarter through it but after reading a lot about Harry, how did he ever get to be president with so ..."
RE: Bess W. Truman by Margaret Truman
Hmmm. Nina, I'm surprised that a book about Bess Truman would be interesting. I wonder if it's more interesting than Truman by David McCullough.
I hadn't read the David McCullough book although I think he is an excellent writer I am inclined to think this one would be more personal as she had access to her mother's friends and her letters to and from Harry. Perhaps it is also interesting to me as there is a lot of local history of the times not too long after the Civil War and how that affected the town of Independence and of the political background here and how it affected Truman and his relationship with the area people. I can't imagine a courtship lasting nine years as theirs did. For example.
Nina wrote: "I hadn't read the David McCullough book although I think he is an excellent writer I am inclined to think this one would be more personal as she had access to her mother's friends and her letters t..."Nina, I can understand your interest in the more personal aspects of the book by Margaret Truman, especially because you come from that area of the country and would be very interested in that area's local history.
Recently I requested a book from our town library which features photos taken in our Glens Falls area years ago. It's called:
_Warren County memories : the early years a pictorial history_.
http://pac.sals.edu/polaris/search/ti...
It's interesting to see that so many old buildings in town are still standing and have been kept in good condition, showing the architecture of the time.
You can see what I mean by looking at the photos here:
https://www.pediment.com/products/war...
SCROLL DOWN AT THAT PAGE TO SEE THE PHOTOS.
CLICK ON "VIEW SAMPLE IMAGES".
I'm still chuckling from The Eyre Affair, first of the Thursday Next (that's the heroine's name) series by Jasper Fforde. It was a fun, fantasy-mystery tour of an alternate world where literature is more important than politics. Wonderfully written & read. I gave it a 4 star review & look forward to reading another soon.
Jim wrote: "I'm still chuckling from The Eyre Affair, first of the Thursday Next (that's the heroine's name) series by Jasper Fforde. It was a fun, fantasy-mystery tour of an alterna..."Jim, that sounds like a very unusual book. Even the name of the heroine is unusual, "Thursday Next"! I wonder how the author came up with THAT one... and why!
How do you make a nickname out of Thursday Next?
She explains her name at one point. The surname is 'Next' & she was born on a Thursday. Her brothers had regular names, but her family is a bit strange. The book was too, but a lot of fun. The whole idea of a world so enthralled with books that millions are holding their breath as strange things befall a classic. I think you'd like it, Joy.
Oh, I see I messed up the link to my review in #946. Fixed now.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
Books mentioned in this topic
Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem (other topics)The Lincoln Highway (other topics)
Everything All at Once: How to Unleash Your Inner Nerd, Tap Into Radical Curiosity, and Solve Any Problem (other topics)
We Are All Stardust: Scientists Who Shaped Our World Talk about Their Work, Their Lives, and What They Still Want to Know (other topics)
Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Bill Nye (other topics)Bill Nye (other topics)
Stefan Klein (other topics)
Mary Roach (other topics)
Bill Nye (other topics)
More...
