Play Book Tag discussion
August, 2016: Entertainment
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Announcing the August Tag: Share Your Reading Plans and Suggestions
Wow!! I thought for sure it was going to be "dark" but, since I don't feel like reading anything dark right now (aren't the recent politics dark enough!) I'm happy to read entertainment! I won't be reading about actors and film-making though. There's a lot more entertainment than that. I'm off to check on my possibilities!
Not what I was hoping for. I have one book that will fit, it's a memoir so it would fit this month too but I saved it just in case:Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist - Michael J. Fox
Recommendations:
Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
Bossypants by Tina Fey
There are a lot of books on the GR shelf that I've read - lots of popular YA fiction. Oddly The Kite Runner is there. I recommend the book but would not call it entertainment.
Hmmm...I was also hoping for dark, partly because I have no idea how to define an "entertainment" book. Maybe I will find a book that has been made into a movie? Or, the new Liane Moriarty book came out today and that would be pure entertainment.
Maybe a book about baseball? Summer sports entertainment.
Oooo...or maybe I will finally read Seabiscuit! Horse racing is totally entertainment AND it was made into a movie.
Or, I could read Hamilton - either the Chernow book or the Manuel version about the Broadway play.
I need to think about this one. How is everyone else defining it?
I think I'll go with Kate's suggestion from the previous discussion and read The Bell Jar. I also have Julie Andrews' memoir Home: A Memoir of My Early Years that I didn't get to this month.I'm not sure that I have any recommendations for this month. This is not a tag that I would ever use.
I just went through the 100 pages of books shelved as Entertainment. I found 25 books tagged as entertainment that I own. This tag is all over the place, it's interesting what people tag as entertainment. Actually the last 75 pages of the shelf had only one or two people using the tag. Anyway I now have a much larger list to use from.A definite possibility is Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers since it is also on the PBT nonfiction list and I own it.
Ladyslott wrote: "I just went through the 100 pages of books shelved as Entertainment. I found 25 books tagged as entertainment that I own. This tag is all over the place, it's interesting what people tag as enterta..."I'm mystified. I think some people tagged the book as "entertainment" if it PERSONALLY ENTERTAINED THEM. That's all I can figure.
I'm going to try to go with the definition of "being somehow affiliated with the entertainment industry" . . .and thank goodness, Nicole D indicated that Just Kids was one of her five star reads this year, and that lead me to realize that I do in fact own it.
So reading that.
I have absolutely nothing to recommend lol.
I'm trying not to be too much of a sore loser about dark, lol.
that is disappointing (I should have used more votes). Looking through the shelves it seems that pretty much every book is tagged entertainment. So I will just plan to read whatever strikes the mood and then will see if it has the entertainment tag and will probably get a few out if it that way.Honestly, I find these broad tags to be pretty uninteresting because they don't really challenge us to make an effort in pushing our comfort zone (not just singling out entertainment here since dark was also broad). I could of course impose stricter rules for defining the category on myself and I may do that in the future.
I did like memoirs because I never read them surprised myself by my enjoyment of the category.
Anita wrote: "I'm trying not to be too much of a sore loser about dark, lol. I failed at that. Fully admit that I'm being a sore loser about it
I'm also sad 'dark' didn't win.As far as 'enteratinment' goes, I think I'm going with Anita's route. The word itself, and what is tagged is WAY to vague. I'll be trying to read books that pertain to the "entertainment" industry- ie movies, music, theater, whatnot.
I think I'll read a play, that way it crosses with the Shelfagories Challenge List. Maybe also an actor memoir too.
I am also going to define entertainment as having to do with the industry in some fashion. I have Harry Potter and the Cursed Child preordered and it will be out just in time for this tag. I can't think of anything more perfect than a play to fit this tag. If I read anythig else for the tag, I will look for a book made into a movie that matches up with either our PBT 100 fiction or non fiction lists.I am also feeling sore about entertainment over dark.
Oh wow. I thought dark would win for sure. That's what I voted for. Now, I need to decide if I want to read a book that is entertaining (which could be anything really) or a book about the entertainment industry or written by an entertainer (again could be anyone since authors could technically be entertainers, lol).
I was hoping for dark, too. Oh well, have to find some books made into movies.
Anita wrote: "and thank goodness, Nicole D indicated that Just Kids was one of her five star reads this year, and that lead me to realize that I do in fact own it..."
Just Kids is a great read, I read it in 2011 and rated it five stars. I don't see a review posted here, but I am pretty sure I wrote one. Will need to see if I have it in my Word Book Log, thank goodness I write every review in Word first and then copy it into Shelfari (once upon a time) and now here at Goodreads, so I have all my reviews for the past 15 or 16 years.
Ladyslott wrote: "Anita wrote: "and thank goodness, Nicole D indicated that Just Kids was one of her five star reads this year, and that lead me to realize that I do in fact own it..."
Just Kids is a great read, I..."
Interestingly, I vividly remember you reading it and rating it highly - - and that's why I put it on my TBR and then bought it when it was on sale.
Nicole D reminded me about it though!
Jen wrote: "that is disappointing (I should have used more votes). Looking through the shelves it seems that pretty much every book is tagged entertainment. So I will just plan to read whatever strikes the moo..."I like the narrower tags too. I'm working off a list that some kind PBTer (BC or Tien maybe?) pulled together for me. And at the time, we were "moving", so I was just grateful to have a list that actually has removed all the many junk tags (such as ebook) and narrowed to a top 250 that have meaning. But at the end of the year, I'm going to personally revisit and make sure the tags aren't so broad that they also are meaningless. i.e. historical fiction is broad but will certain remain, but a tag like entertainment that isn't being used properly . . .probably not.
All that being said, I always do try to define what counts in my mind and stick to that (as opposed to relying on the tagged book list too heavily) . . .but it is extra hard this month because entertainment has a lot of different meanings really and many things fit within it.
I'm not sure there's much to do about it. I think the GR shelves are more broad than shelfari tags although I think we had some broad ones there too.I personally like the tags that require us to do some thinking about which books to read rather than tags that fit most of the books on our TBR. I almost feel like I'm cheating when I read for these broad tags. But, it is what it is. I'll most likely find a book that works and will try to stick to a narrower definition to challenge myself a little rather than be a poor sport about it.
Now that I've given some thought, I'll recommend Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates. It's an imagining of Marilyn Monroe's life.
Well ...I have Alan Cumming's memoir Not My Father's Son cued up ... will probably listen to the audio next week. That should fit perfectly, as it is about an entertainer.
That may be the only one I get to for this tag.
That's a surprise! I was all geared up for dark. Entertainment has me stumped but I'm sure I'll find something.Anita, Just Kids was a rare memoir that I actually enjoyed.
I'm going to recommend - for dark entertainment American Psycho
Also BBC American series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency comes out in October, so it would be fun (if this is your thing - read: not Anita's) to read these this month.
Freedom is a good choice because one of the dude's is an entertainer
ohhh ... and House of Leaves
I will read something which entertains me (the reality is, I'll probably be sticking to all Man Booker nominees - and Dear and Glorious Physician - because someday I'm going to have to read that)
Appreciate the special side note, Nicole. Is House of Leaves a fit for entertainment? How so?
Anita wrote: "Appreciate the special side note, Nicole. Is House of Leaves a fit for entertainment? How so?"I think they are making a film about the house? Jen, can you confirm?
Part of the plot around House of Leaves involves a documentary. That is a good recommendation! Clever
I've been giving it some thought. All of my books entertain me, and as a category, that's too broad. I didn't think I'd read too many books about entertainers or the entertainment industry, but I've come up with a few to recommend:
-The Swans of Fifth Avenue. Truman Capote was an author, but he was also a well known talk show entertainer. This was a good book.
- The Marvels - Selznicks's wonderful picture story about a London theatrical family and also
, The Invention of Hugo Cabret which deals with early moving pictures.Also, I would think that circuses and carnivals are entertainment so along with The Night Circus, there's the more recent
, The Book of Speculation.
I just started House of Leaves! I'll have to drag it out until August. I ordered it and it was sitting there looking at me so I had to start. It's been so long since I carted a big book around with me. I mostly read eBooks these days but this one needed to be in print.
I'm going to narrow the entertainment tag for myself to 'set at a circus or carnival' -- since a circus or carnival is all about entertainment (in theory anyway). There are several on this goodreads list that interest me:https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...
I have not yet read The Night Circus.
And I'm also very interested in reading Geek Love and Tipping the Velvet.
I can even recommend one in this more focused category: Twilight Eyes by Dean Koontz is set at a carnival and as an added bonus, it fits in the 'dark' category too!
I am never disappointed in the chosen tag. If the tag is narrow, there are still multiple books to choose from, and I like reading some books I wouldn't have necessarily sought out on my own. If the tag is broad, I don't see any problem with challenging myself to read something from a self-chosen subcategory that fits under that tag (like the circus/carnival setting). I just try to have fun with it.
I really love reading dark books too, and weirdly enough, a lot of circus/carnival books tend toward darkness as well, so I feel I may get the best of both out of this category.
I'm having a hard time with this tag. I have gone through my list and found lots of things that I think should work for this tag and no one seems to have tagged them as such yet. So I am going to ask for a ruling from the court. First, it would help to know if we are defining "entertainment" as a book that is entertaining to read or a book that features the entertainment industry in some way (i.e. it was written by an actor, it discusses plays or movies or music, etc). What are we thinking?
Ladyslott wrote: "Not what I was hoping for. I have one book that will fit, it's a memoir so it would fit this month too but I saved it just in case:[book:Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist..."
I think the Kite Runner is on there because they made a movie of it. Most of the books on the list that I felt did not work for that tag I realized there were movies of, or movies in the works for.
Oooo...I like the suggestions of a carnival or circus setting!! I think I have a few on my TBR that fit that, including a newish release whose name is escaping me...
Anita wrote: "This vote was one of our closest . . .I didn't know which would win until the very, very end. And to my very slight chagrin, the winner is:entertainment
Please share your reading plans and recom..."
Awwwwww. I, too, was hoping for "dark". Too bad the admins aren't voting! ;-)
Jennifer wrote: "I'm having a hard time with this tag. I have gone through my list and found lots of things that I think should work for this tag and no one seems to have tagged them as such yet. So I am going to a..."I don't think we're defining it at all. It's up to us to define it. I'm still trying to decide how I want to define it. I might read As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes since it's not only about The Princess Bride, but it's written by an actor. Plus, I've heard it's awesome.
Nicole wrote: "I need to think about this one. How is everyone else defining it? ..."I haven't yet figured out exactly what I'll read, but initially I did a "tagmash" over at LT to see what has the "entertainment" tag along with my initials. The one book I remember is Cary Elwes' biography, so I may be continuing the biography month...? I'll have to redo my search to see what else comes up.
Joi wrote: "I'll be trying to read books that pertain to the "entertainment" industry- ie movies, music, theater, whatnot...."Given the one option I remember, this is likely what I'll be doing, as well. I don't like using someone else's idea of what entertained them as a benchmark.
Joi wrote: "I think I'll read a play, that way it crosses with the Shelfagories Challenge List. Maybe also an actor memoir too...."
A play's a good idea. I just don't think I have any on my tbr, so I might have to think about that. I would like to fill the Shelfagories category, as well.
Carnival or circus is a great idea, as well! And, yup. Those are often dark, too.
Well, I did not vote for dark because the way my life has been going lately, I have no desire to dip further into darkness. You all have good suggestions about how to define entertainment, I will have to think this through!
As for recommendations, I would recommend any of the Chelsea Handler books. They are all hilarious. As for what I read, I may finally crack in to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Other options include Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist or Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.
~*Kim*~ wrote: "As for recommendations, I would recommend any of the Chelsea Handler books. They are all hilarious. ..."I loved these books, but they are not for everyone. If you like Chelsea's humor you will love these books. If you don't like her you will not like the books. They are filled with sex, alcohol binges, lots of swearing and scatological humor. I find her funny, even if I cringe sometimes so tread carefully
Ladyslott wrote:I loved these books, but they are not for everyone. If you l..."
True, her humor is definitely crude.
I would recommend The Circle by Dave Eggers. It was an interesting dystopia novel about the loss of privacy through constantly taping everything you do and displaying it on social media. Plus it is being made into a movie!
~*Kim*~ wrote: "Ladyslott wrote:I loved these books, but they are not for everyone. If you l..."
True, her humor is definitely crude."
But also funny AF
A strange tag, not sure what I will do with it...I might have to read and read and hope something works.
Reading all of your replies, I would think anything by Shakespeare would be a good fit :)
My 2 cents, A) any book that has to do with the entertainment industry, fiction or NF. Such as reading Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet or Show and Tell: The New Book of Broadway Anecdotes or this 5 star read of mine The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom.
B) music industry too.
C) books made into movies. SO MANY! !
D) books billed as humor, often by comedians. Or hysterically funny memoirs like Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir. Too bad The Tao of Bill Murray: Real-Life Stories of Joy, Enlightenment, and Party Crashing won't be out in time. It's a best of 2016 read for me.
E) memoirs by anyone having anything to do with entertaining.
Those are what I'll go by when deciding if it fits the tag or not.
The Selznick books seem a gifted suggestion, as are biographies or autobiographies of comedians like Bob Hope and Tina Fey. Less compelling for me are ones for actors like Alan Cumings, Monroe, or Patti Smith (people should move on Just Kids, a 5-star read for me too). Nicole's idea of circus related tales makes great sense (Water for Elephants would fit, but I didn't love it; maybe Coraline would do for the miniature circus, making another one for dark entertainment). A book related to musical production or stage magic would fit my feeling about applying the tag entertainment (a book version of the movie The Producers or Houdini would be perfect).No recommendation, but I think it's time to take up Kimber's suggestion of Tipping the Velvet (which Story suggested years ago on Shelfari). The high wire act of Let the Great World Spin makes for a fair fit.
Megalion wrote: "My 2 cents, B) music industry too.
O! O! Then The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer should fit the category.
Charisma wrote: "Megalion wrote: "My 2 cents, B) music industry too.
O! O! Then The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help by Amanda Palmer should f..."
Ooh, yes! Good one. I remember when it came out but think I didn't put it on my TBR as i wanted to see what a friend thought of it first.
Occurred to me, another EXCELLENT book that fits entertainment yet is so much more than it, I'm Proud of You: My Friendship with Fred Rogers . IMO, counts because he did educational TV for children. The book is something altogether different. Profoundly spiritual.
Highly recommend to anyone who wants to read for the tag but isn't quite interested in the tag itself.
Highly recommended Period
Gave my hard copy to my therapist to read and she's really been enjoying it. As I see it, it matters not what religion you are, Fred's light was universal.
Somewhere above people mentioned reading circus themed books? In one of my yearly challenges, I'm reading 16 books that fit circus and any other kind of vintage/traditional entertainment before TV & Internet.Dumping the section here, I'd compiled a list of candidates which ended up being long.
(view spoiler)
These qualify too but I've read before.
Tempting as it is to do a lawyerly exposition on the meaning of "entertainment" ... ;)... I shall focus on books that have been made into movies or TV series - and will then watch the movie or TV programme as well.
(The alternative for me was to stick with biographies but purely within the entertainment industry. But I think I want a change from biographies for this month. Mind you, there is a new biography of Paul McCartney that I'd like to read). Paul McCartney: The Life
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Ghosts of 42nd Street: A History of America's Most Infamous Block (other topics)Let the Great World Spin (other topics)
The Fireman (other topics)
Patriot Games (other topics)
Matarese Circle (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amanda Palmer (other topics)Amanda Palmer (other topics)
Dave Eggers (other topics)
Chelsea Handler (other topics)
Chelsea Handler (other topics)
entertainment
Please share your reading plans and recommendations below!
Remember, for the regular monthly reads, the book can be shelved as entertainment on Goodreads, or be a book that is not yet shelved that way but you feel should be.
To find books to read for this tag, please visit:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
I think this tag is especially hard to define, so feel free to post what the tag of entertainment means to you . . .that will help the rest of us decide what to read!