What are you reading or what books have you read or heard about? (Part TWELVE) Ongoing general thread. Showing 1,251-1,300 of 2,793

[Nina]

Good review, JIm. As usual, thought provoking.

[Jim]

Thanks, Nina.

Joy, there are links to the movie, book, & short story in the review, too.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Charley was a very good movie. Saw it years ago and then not too long ago. It stood the test of time."

I've never forgotten it. Such a great story. However, I had forgotten the title and had to search around to find it.
"Charly" (1968) (starring Cliff Robertson)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062794/

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

[Nina]

Dog doors. Did you know Sir Isaac Newton invented the dog door as he got tired of getting up to let his cat in and out so first it was a cat door.

[Jim]

There's a cat door mentioned in one of Chaucer's tales (Can't recall which one, but I remember discussing it in class.) which predates Newton by a few centuries, Nina. I think dogs were domesticated 15, 000 years ago, cats about 10,000, so I expect there have been doors around for them since we had tight enough shelters to warrant them. It's too common a problem & our ancestors weren't stupid.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PICS OF DOG DOORS: https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&a...

[Nina]

I heard the trivia about dog doors on "This Old House," program as they were installing one.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "I heard the trivia about dog doors on "This Old House," program as they were installing one."

I guess dog doors are pretty popular!

[Jim]

Nina wrote: "I heard the trivia about dog doors on "This Old House," program as they were installing one."

A lot of popular history is wrong, unfortunately.

[Nina]

Another old saying Joy, "Heavens to Betsy." Who was Betsy?

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Another old saying Joy, "Heavens to Betsy." Who was Betsy?"

Good question, Nina. I'll try to find out.

BTW, OSCARS tonight!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Another old saying Joy, "Heavens to Betsy." Who was Betsy?"

Nina, I found the following "hits":
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hooplah...
http://www.hooplaha.com/heavens-to-be...
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/he...

[Nina]

Well, so much for finding out who Betsy was. No one else it seems is much the wiser. Interesting that it is no longer in use. Not surprising as neither are so many other colorful sayings in our today's language.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina, speaking of things which are no longer in use, remember "Betsy Wetsy" (1934)? Nostalgia!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_W...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OxmC...
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Ideal-Betsy-W...

[Jim]

Saturn Run was shockingly good. Written by John Sandford (the Prey mystery thrillers) & Ctein, it's a first contact SF novel. Highly recommended. I gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nina]

One of my daughter's had a Betsy Wetsy. I wonder if the name Betsy was just used and didn't refer to any one person named Betsy?

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "Saturn Run was shockingly good. Written by John Sandford (the Prey mystery thrillers) & Ctein, it's a first contact SF novel. Highly recommended. I gave..."

Thanks for posting, Jim. According to the book description, John Sandford is "one of the world’s greatest masters of suspense". That's quite a reputation to live up to! Tempts me to read him.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

PS - Jim, why didn't you give Saturn Run 5 stars?

[Nina]

dog-kin/ Know we're related but don't know how.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "One of my daughter's had a Betsy Wetsy. I wonder if the name Betsy was just used and didn't refer to any one person named Betsy?"

Nina, Wiki says that the doll was "named for the daughter of Abraham Katz", the head of the Ideal Toy Company.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_W...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "dog-kin/ Know we're related but don't know how."

Huh?

[Jim]

Joy H. wrote: "PS - Jim, why didn't you give Saturn Run 5 stars?"

I reserve that for books that are life changing, very re-readable, or excellent references. This book was excellent, but I probably won't reread it nor did it change my life or have any life lessons.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "I reserve that for books that are life changing, very re-readable, or excellent references. This book was excellent, but I probabl..."

Jim, that's an excellent answer. I've never established any special "five-star" criteria for myself. Let's just say... I know it when I see it! :)

[Nina]

i am reading and loving "A Man Called Ove." by Fredick Backman and the movie disc from Netflix is waiting to be watched until I finish the book. I can't believe the movie will live up to the book but one of my daughter's saw it and loved it. So well written. It isn't exactly a page turner but I seem to not be able to wait to get to the next chapter.

[Nina]

Joy H. wrote: "Nina wrote: "dog-kin/ Know we're related but don't know how."That is the definition of dog-kin I saw written in a book.

Huh?"

[Nina]

Joy H. wrote: "Nina wrote: "One of my daughter's had a Betsy Wetsy. I wonder if the name Betsy was just used and didn't refer to any one person named Betsy?"

Nina, Wiki says that the doll was "named for the daug..."

Interesting answer for Betsy Wetsy...

[Nina]

Am recommending "Saturn..." to my son after reading your review, Jim.

[Nina]

How about "dog days?"

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "i am reading and loving "A Man Called Ove." by Fredick Backman and the movie disc from Netflix is waiting to be watched until I finish the book. I can't believe the movie will live up to the book b..."

RE: A Man Called Ove BY Fredrik Backman

I watched the movie. I gave the film 5 Netflix stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "How about "dog days?""

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/20...

https://www.google.com/#q=origin+dog+...*

[Nina]

I had no idea that the term 'dog' days had nothing to do with dogs. We often hear that term where we live as those days of summer are so hot. Interesting to find out that origin.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "I had no idea that the term 'dog' days had nothing to do with dogs. We often hear that term where we live as those days of summer are so hot. Interesting to find out that origin."

I thought it was interesting too, Nina. Glad you asked the question.

[Nina]

Just watched, "A Man Called Ove," and thought it was very good but not, like the old cliche, doesn't compare to the book. Just my opinion.

[Nina]

I REALIZED THAT THE MAIN WOMAN CHARACTER IN "OVE.." DIDN'T DIE UNTIL MUCH LATER THAN WHEN SHE WAS IN THE ACCIDENT TO IGNORE MY YESTERDAY'S QUESTION.

[Nina]

Another saying, "hill of beans,"

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "One thing that bothered me in the film, "Ove..." was that in the bus accident Ove was young and his wife was pregnant and in the book her neighbor Anita was also pregnant and later on it said her s..."

I didn't read the book, A Man Called Ove. So I can't comment.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "Another saying, "hill of beans,""

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-h...
http://www.cookthink.com/reference/98...

[Nina]

How about "shooting the breeze?" Where did that originate? Like the explanations on the beans. Funny isn't it how all these old things we used to say came into being and I doubt that they are used today.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Nina wrote: "How about "shooting the breeze?" Where did that originate? Like the explanations on the beans. Funny isn't it how all these old things we used to say came into being and I doubt that they are used ..."

Couldn't find much which is worth anything.
http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_bo...
http://www.wordwizard.com/phpbb3/view...
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/shoo...
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-ori...
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shoot_...

[Nina]

No, none say how that saying originated but that's OK. We know what it means and not sure I knew that.

[Jim]

I was really interested in The Modern Scholar: The Building Blocks of Human Life: Understanding Mature Cells and Stem Cells but John K. Young's voice was like nails on a chalkboard to me. I couldn't take it any more. Glad I didn't have him as a teacher. I didn't give the book a star rating since it's on me, but I did put the TOC in my review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I decided that Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us was appropriate to try next!

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Thanks for posting, Jim. A good narrator can make all the difference.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "I decided that was Annoying: The Science of What Bugs Us was appropriate to try next!."

Yes, that one sounds good. I've put it on a digital reminder list at our library. Unfortunately, they have only the hard copy.

[Jim]

Joy H. wrote: "Thanks for posting, Jim. A good narrator can make all the difference."

He's not really a narrator, but a lecturer, the actual teacher. I've listened to quite a few of these & they're actual lecture classes that are just packaged into an audio book with a reference guide. Some are very good speakers, others not so much. There's something about the tone of his voice that just annoys me as much as a baby crying or an ambulance siren.

[Jim]

How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown was really interesting. I didn't get all the answers I wanted, but I was never bored & found a renewed interest in space as well as a lot of food for thought. I gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "Thanks for posting, Jim. A good narrator can make all the difference." He's not really a narrator, but a lecturer, the actual teacher. I've listened to quite a few of these & they'r..."

Oh, I see. Thanks for clarifying, Jim.

[Joy H., Group Founder]

Jim wrote: "How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown was really interesting. I didn't get all the answers I wanted, but I was never bored & found a renewed inter..."

Another good one! Thanks, Jim.

[Jim]

Broadsides from the Other Orders: A Book of Bugs by Sue Hubbell was wonderful. She reminded me a lot of Rachel Carson in her poetic enthusiasm for bugs & then environment. The science is somewhat dated since this was published in the early 1990s, but not too badly. I highly recommend it & gave it a 4 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Nina]

I think I read Sue Hubbell's Book of Bees and loved it. Such a good writer. I was into reading all about bees after reading it. I had a couple of bee skeps but no bees were in it.

[Jim]

I'd highly recommend anything by her, Nina. She has such an easy, conversational way about her writing, yet it is quite detailed.