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.
PS-Jim, would you call _The Eyre Affair_ fantasy or sci-fi? I notice that readers have assigned both genres to the book.
Joy, I'm the wrong person to ask about a genre. I called it a fantasy-mystery, but it also has a romantic thread & an alternate history. If I had to pigeon-hole it, I'd say fantasy. There isn't really any SF in it.
Jim wrote: "Joy, I'm the wrong person to ask about a genre. I called it a fantasy-mystery, but it also has a romantic thread & an alternate history. If I had to pigeon-hole it, I'd say fantasy. There isn't really any SF in it."Thanks, Jim. I'll remove it from my SF shelf. The Eyre Affair
PS-47 readers put it on their Romance shelf. So I'll add it to mine as well.
There's a reason we can assign multiple shelves to books now, Joy. Pigeon-holing is so 20th century, don't you know?;)
Jim wrote: "There's a reason we can assign multiple shelves to books now, Joy. Pigeon-holing is so 20th century, don't you know?;)"
Yep, Jim. We don't want to stereo-type our books! :)
There was an interesting article in the NYTimes a few days ago. I thought the graphics in the article really brought the point home: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/opi...
Too many people take things too seriously.
Jim wrote: "Too many people take things too seriously."Jim, I guess the term, "politically correct", has taken hold.
Depraved Indifference by Robert K. Tanenbaum was very well narrated, had great characters, & what could have been a good plot. Unfortunately, it did not mix well for me & I only gave it a 2 star review. It is the second in a series, but I don't think I'll listen to another.
Treachery's Tools by L.E. Modesitt Jr. is the 10th book in his Imager series, second in this particular arc & really well done, as usual. He's one of the few authors whose books I pre-order in hardback. This is a fantasy world with one very particular sort of magic, imaging. In this book, he describes a little bit of the struggle of a nation that is changing from feudalism to capitalism. I gave it a 4 star review. Highly recommended.
Thanks for posting, Jim!
KELLSAmazon advertises the following fantasy book: The Book of Kells by R.A. MacAvoy.
I was curious about the title. Seems that Kells is a place in Ireland.
The GR book description follows:
=================================================
"An unusual and original work of fantasy ... A contemporary man, John Thornburn (a meek, non-violent and unpredictable artist) and woman ... time travel to ancient Ireland to avenge a Viking attack. Packed with fascinating details of historical time and place in Irish history and delicately balanced on the border between realism and fantasy, the story centers around one of the most famous and beautiful illuminated manuscripts in history, the legendary but entirely real Book of Kells. Celtic history blends with magical fantasy for a strange and immersive tale of adventure."
===============================================
There is a non-fiction book called The Book of Kells: An Illustrated Introduction to the Manuscript in Trinity College, Dublin by Bernard Meehan. The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament. It is believed to have been created c. 800. The name Book of Kells is derived from the Abbey of Kells in Kells, County Meath, [Ireland] which was its home for much of the medieval period.
FROM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of...
There is also a fantasy animated film called "The Secret of Kells" (2009)
"A young boy in a remote medieval outpost under siege from barbarian raids is beckoned to adventure when a celebrated master illuminator arrives with an ancient book, brimming with secret wisdom and powers."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485601/
Available at NETFLIX: https://dvd.netflix.com/Search?oq=&am...
I plan to post this in several places.
A fascinating book that I was privileged to see when I was in Dublin.
The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly was another wonderful addition to the Harry Bosch Universe, although Harry barely appears. Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, stars & does a great job bringing out the truth in court. Plenty of twists & turns, great characters, & all, as usual. I gave it a 4 star review.
Nina wrote: "A fascinating book that I was privileged to see when I was in Dublin."Nina, that certainly WAS a privilege! I just learned about the Book of Kells today as I was browsing books Amazon had for sale.
Jim wrote: "The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly was another wonderful addition to the Harry Bosch Universe, although Harry barely appears. Mickey Haller, the Lincoln Lawyer, st..."Jim, as you said in your review, it's hard to finish a book or group of books which you really enjoy. When you're reading a really good book, you wish it could last forever. It's been a long time since I've felt that way. I think there are too many choices today. My efforts are too scattered.
Sometimes I'm happy for a series to end. Too many authors draw them out too long. The quality goes downhill as they repeat the same formula & plots. A lot of the urban fantasies suffer from this. As much as I liked Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson or Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series, they pretty much ran out of material.It's far worse when the author loses touch with the basics that made the series work in the first place the way Laurell K. Hamilton did with the Anita Blake books. The heroine & the tone of the books completely changed around the 10th book & she now has over two dozen. From a kick-ass, vampire killing heroine, she & the series turned into soft core, boring porn. Yuck. I mourn some excellent, lost characters.
It's also sad when authors try to finish or resurrect a series decades later which can also change what I liked in the series because the author's style has changed. Philip José Farmer took a long break after the fifth World of Tiers book, The Lavalite World (1977), & then wrote Red Orc's Rage in 1991 which was awful - completely different setting & tone. I was so excited when I found it since The Lavalite World had left so many loose ends with the main characters stuck, but it was terribly disappointing.
Sometimes the main character doesn't fit the times well any more. The last few Mike Hammer books by Mickey Spillane were losing it & those finished by Max Allan Collins are just awful. It's much easier if a series changes lead characters or at least takes some of the load off as David Weber with the Honor Harrington series.
Some series can age well even when they keep the same main character. Donald Hamilton did a good job making Matt Helm fit the times. He starts off about 37 in 1960 in the first book, Death of a Citizen. He's a better, more complex character than Mike Hammer & Hamilton made him somewhat ageless less than halfway through the series. He dropped references to WWII & aged him enough to keep a thread of realism, so he'd be an active 70 in The Damagers which came out in 1993. Believable not only in the publishing timeline, but also decades later.
Even so, Hamilton got a lot more wordy in the later novels & the plots weren't as tight. Still, I'm really looking forward to the final novel in the series which I hope will be out next year. Hamilton wrote the final novel, but couldn't get it published since it had been so long since his last one. The publisher felt that it wouldn't sell well without reissuing all the novels again & they didn't want to do that. Finally, in 2013, they started to & I think the last one - still no title! - should be out relatively soon. It's been a long, wonderful run, but I'll be glad to wrap it up with book #28. Interestingly enough, that's about how long Connelly's Harry Bosch Universe has run so far.
Jim wrote: "Sometimes I'm happy for a series to end. Too many authors draw them out too long. The quality goes downhill as they repeat the same formula & plots. A lot of the urban fantasies suffer from this. A..."Jim, I had a similar experience with the book, Loop Group (first published 2004) by Larry McMurtry. As I said in my review:
===========================
"This novel was very disappointing, especially since it was written by a writer who won the Pulitzer Prize* before writing this book. The writing was almost sophomoric and the story was stultifying. I finished it only because I was wondering how it would end.
"Even the ending was disappointing. It was as if the author couldn't think of a better ending and wound things up quickly to finish writing. Throughout the book, there was a lot of boring, uninspired dialogue between two female friends about nothing very special, IMO.
"Not much action either... just a road trip to visit an eccentric aunt. She was the most entertaining character. All the others, besides the two friends, were not fully developed. The two friends were rather ordinary, nothing very clever about them."
FROM MY REVIEW AT: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
================================
*You can see my comments about McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize winning book, Lonesome Dove (first published 1985), at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There was a big change from McMurtry's book published in 1985 and the one published in 2004!
Quarry in the Black by Max Allan Collins is the 13th in the series & garnered a 3 star review from me only because I like the character so much & have fond memories of the series.
Jim wrote: "Quarry in the Black by Max Allan Collins is the 13th in the series & garnered a 3 star review from me only because I like the character so much & have fond memories o..."Thanks for posting, Jim. It's great when you find a character you really like!
Watched the "Nine Tailors" netflix last night and have mixed feelings. I did like Peter Whimsey but the story was somewhat depressing especially the ending. The part about the bells was interesting as were the characters.
Nina wrote: "Watched the "Nine Tailors" netflix last night and have mixed feelings. I did like Peter Whimsey but the story was somewhat depressing especially the ending. The part about the bells was interesting..."Nina, I gave Nine Tailors 3 stars. It was interesting but it took quite a bit of concentration to follow it. I had some trouble keeping track of the characters... there were so many. I'm surprised that I was able to follow the plot, since there were so many sudden time & place shifts. I followed it, but it took some effort.
Lost in a Good Book was a hoot! It's a fantasty-mystery on the cozy side, but a hell of a lot of fun, especially since most of the books are well known. Talk about characters coming to life! I had to give it 4 star review.
Jim wrote: "Lost in a Good Book was a hoot! It's a fantasty-mystery on the cozy side, but a hell of a lot of fun, especially since most of the books are well known. Talk about characters coming to..."Jim, that was a great review. Your enthusiasm and enjoyment were palpable. It's great when a book makes you chuckle!
Who am I to critique David McCullough's "Truman," after all the glow about his book and I suppose he is a Pulitzer winner but here goes: He described my home town, Kansas City where I lived for forty years as a "Yankee Town and more like a Midwestern city than Southern." NOT. For one thing and don't think this makes me proud but it's history, Kansas City was a segregated as any southern city with the exception that Black citizens didn't have to go to the back of the bus but otherwise yes, very segregated. And the overall culture was southern and we considered ourselves as the northern south and the Midwest was Ohio, IL, Indiana, WI, PA and so forth. He got that part and the description of our city wrong. I wonder where he got his information...
I bought Marg a set of 3 of McCullough's books. One was Mornings on Horseback & she was quite interested, but found it impenetrable. I'm debating on whether to keep the books or not. I've tried one or two of his books & had the same problem. He's super wordy.
Nina wrote: "Who am I to critique David McCullough's "Truman," after all the glow about his book and I suppose he is a Pulitzer winner but here goes: He described my home town, Kansas City where I lived for for..."Nina, that's an interesting observation. I too have discovered misinformation in a book I read. It was an historical novel. The book claimed that Lake Champlain flows south. It claimed, in great detail, that Lake Champlain flows south and into Lake George. This is wrong.
In actuality, it flows north, not south. My husband and I have boated for years on Lake George. We know for a fact that Lake George drains into Lake Champlain, not the other way around. In fact the waterfalls in Ticonderoga flow north from Lake George to eventually drain into Lake Champlain.
I wrote (by email) to one of the book's publishers about this but I never received a reply.
The name of the book is: The Thunder of Captains by Dan Lynch. BTW, the author described as Dan Lynch at Goodreads doesn't seem to be that person. I included that fact in my email to the publisher. I often wonder why they haven't replied to my email. Here is their webpage (where they mention the book):
http://forpeoplewhothink.com/threelak...
Jim wrote: "I bought Marg a set of 3 of McCullough's books. One was Mornings on Horseback & she was quite interested, but found it impenetrable. I'm debating on whether to keep the books or not. I'..."Jim, I've read 2 of McCullough's books and enjoyed both of them. They were: John Adams and 1776. See my review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
One of my comments was: "McCullough makes it all so real again."
I'd like to hear your opinion of those 2 books.
You should update your review of 'Thunder of the Captains' with that misinformation, Joy. That makes a huge difference to me when I'm thinking about reading a book. A goof like that can ruin it.The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery goes into some detail about this from Arnold side. It was quite interesting. He was a very complex guy, as I'm sure all the leaders were.
As for McCullough's books, I'm on the fence. I have so many books to read & his are such bricks. It would take me weeks to get through any of them & they probably contain more detail than I'm interested in. Mornings on Horseback is about Theodore Roosevelt, one of my favorite historical characters, but I've also read several books both by & about him. Since it is paper books, I can skim, so I might, though.
Jim wrote: "You should update your review of 'Thunder of the Captains' with that misinformation, Joy. That makes a huge difference to me when I'm thinking about reading a book. A goof like that can ruin it. ..."Jim, I'm afraid of being sued. LOL
Jim wrote: "... Theodore Roosevelt, one of my favorite historical characters, ... ."Jim, an interesting aspect of Teddy Roosevelt's life is found in the following book which I listened to as a CD audio version: The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
I was unfamiliar with the details of that period of history. So the information in the book interested me. I majored in history in college and my interest in history has never left me, even though I have found that the scope of history is much too large to ever really learn enough about it. One really must focus on a small area in order to be able to assimilate all the relevant details.
Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
No fear of being sued for stating a fact about a book. "The Bully Pulpit" does look interesting, but too long. Good review. Another friend of mine also gave it 5 stars. I'm not surprised by the feud. Teddy was a man of extremes & stubbornness. When he thought he was in the right, nothing would stop him as evidenced by his hunting the men that stole the boat at his ranch. In the cold, he followed them, caught them, & then spent a few days taking them to jail. The last part was by himself & he didn't sleep the entire time. His final journey up the Amazon & the way it shattered his health is foreshadowed by the way he overcame his physical weakness as a child. Intense & admirable in many ways including a historical icon, I don't think I would have liked him much in person.
I agree with you about studying history. It's like peeling layers off an infinitely large onion. Focusing on one small area is impossible since those are always so influenced by others & there are so many interesting ones. My attention is often scattered about & I'm rarely disappointed in what I find. I've found a lot of enjoyment learning about specific things, too. The history of woodworking or spinning, for instance.
I was a carpenter & read several books about modern construction before I really started exploring woodworking with "The Woodwright's Workshop", a PBS show hosted by Roy Underhill. He deals exclusively with Colonial American woodworking & yet has managed to write & collaborate on quite a few books on techniques & styles, most of which I've read. Since much of the wood was split out to nonstandard sizes, that led me to By Hand & Eye, a book about design that relies on proportions & constructions that goes way back into history. I also wound up looking into the tools that were used & how they were made.
Joseph Moxon's "Mechanick's Exercises" was referred to so often it was a prerequisite & I had to study the wood itself, so The Woodbook was a good start. Just that book alone was fascinating enough to keep me busy for ages. It was originally over a dozen books with actual pieces of wood in it! Mine is a single book with wonderful pictures that is now full of sticky notes with a wobbly spine from being thumbed through so often. I have quite a few other books about wood including Hoadley's books on wood microscopy, various tree ID guides (both winter & summer) & handbooks on wood by members of The International Wood Collector's Society, not to mention monthly magazines from them containing articles by experts.
I'm currently reading The Man who Made Things out of Trees which is simply about using an ash tree to its full extent in modern England. While I know a lot of what he's written, I'm still learning about the use & history of this wood which I've studied & used for decades. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to assimilate all the relevant details, even about the ash tree!
:)
Speaking as we have been about McCullough's books I have to say his "The Wright Brothers " was one of the best books I've ever read. Kept my attention page by page.
Joy, you mentioning the Abigail and John Adams books had me looking up some titles on Amazon and just ordered their letters to one another during the Rev. War and it was free. Plus, a memoir in the back by Abigail. I think I read Portrait of a Marriage long ago. I remember admiring them.
One of the great things about GR is I get offered a lot of books to read for free. Sometimes that seems a mixed blessing, though. Yesterday I was offered Anti-Tech Revolution: Why and How free for an R&R. It's by Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. I was originally going to turn the book down, but I read through a few reviews of the book & thought it might be interesting. He doesn't get any money for the book & I was contacted by the publisher, Fitch & Madison, but there will probably be some trepidation opening the package anyway.;)
I finally got around to Anne of Green Gables & was amazed by how good it was. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "... I'm currently reading The Man who Made Things out of Trees which is simply about using an ash tree to its full extent in modern England. ..."Speaking of trees, yesterday we found that 2 trees had blown down in our driveway. What a shock to go out the door and see that! The trees were: one Elm and a small Maple. They were rotten. Cost us $400 to have the mess cleared up. Thank goodness our car suffered only scratches. This is the second time a tree has blown down in our driveway! First time missed the car completely.
It also cost me taxi money when I couldn't use the car last night.
Jim wrote: "... Teddy was a man of extremes & stubbornness. ... His final journey up the Amazon & the way it shattered his health is foreshadowed by the way he overcame his physical weakness as a child. ..."One of my in-person book groups read the book about Teddy Roosevelt's experience on the Amazon River. The book was: The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard. At the time I wasn't interested but I was surprised at how many of the group members found the book interesting.
Audible.com has it. I might order it since I'm currently signed up for 3 months at half the price of the usual subscription. When you try to cancel your free membership, they offer a 3 month subscription at half price! That's marketing!
PS-Our public library doesn't carry the audio version.
Nina wrote: "Speaking as we have been about McCullough's books I have to say his "The Wright Brothers " was one of the best books I've ever read. Kept my attention page by page."RE: The Wright Brothers: By David McCullough by David McCullough
Nina, thanks for mentioning that book. That's also available at audible.com. I've added it to my Audible wish list. Our public library doesn't carry the audio version.
Nina wrote: "Joy, you mentioning the Abigail and John Adams books had me looking up some titles on Amazon and just ordered their letters to one another during the Rev. War and it was free. Plus, a memoir in the..."Gee, Nina, there are so many books about Abigail Adams that it's hard to choose just one.
My Dearest Friend: Letters of Abigail and John Adams by Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams by Woody Holton
Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams by Lynne Withey
Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles
I'll have to check these out.
Sorry that you had such a rough time with the trees, Joy. Glad the car wasn't badly hurt.I have "River of Doubt", but haven't gotten around to it.
My public library has the following audio-books about Abigail Adams:First Family: Abigail and John Adams by Joseph J. Ellis
Abigail Adams by Woody Holton
Abigail Adams: A Revolutionary Woman by Jacqueline Ching
Jim wrote: "Sorry that you had such a rough time with the trees, Joy. Glad the car wasn't badly hurt. ... Thanks, Jim.
Losing trees is certainly never a blessing especially when it costs to do what you would prefer not to do and in your case so much better if they hadn't fallen and especially onto a car. Glad you weren't hurt or your husband or dog. Just took a picture of the full moon. Largest since 1948. Did you see it? You can see it at dawn in the morning also.
I think the book I read several years ago was "Portrait of a Marriage," and at that time I really enjoyed it.
Nina wrote: "Losing trees is certainly never a blessing especially when it costs ... Just took a picture of the full moon. Largest since 1948. Did you see it?..."I agree, Nina. At least no one was hurt when the trees fell. It could have been much worse.
Yes, I see the full moon here but it's not any bigger than usual. It's possible that your moon looked bigger to you because you are seeing a different view of moon in your time zone and that would make a difference in magnification... so says my husband. It's the same when the sun comes up on the horizon, sometimes it's magnified because of the angle.
Anyway, the moon is lovely and bright and round and I'm glad it's a clear night so I can see it.
The moon often looks bigger to the eye than it actually is. It fools photographers all the time. http://www.grand-illusions.com/optica...
Nina wrote: "I think the book I read several years ago was "Portrait of a Marriage," and at that time I really enjoyed it."Abigail and John: Portrait of a Marriage by Edith B. Gelles
Unfortunately, our library doesn't have the audio version. I doubt if I'd be willing to wade through a hard copy right now. Too many other things are calling to me.
Jim wrote: "The moon often looks bigger to the eye than it actually is. It fools photographers all the time. http://www.grand-illusions.com/optica..."Thanks for the link, Jim. Very interesting. It's another thing to add to the long list of things which confuse us poor human beings... like learning to use the newest digital devises! #@%!#^+#!!!
Earthquake Science by Judith Hubbard is a kids book (8 - 10) but I enjoyed it & learned a lot. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
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...
I'll put in on my "Keep in mind" shelf, but it sounds so strange! The Eyre Affair