Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion
What Are You Reading Now (anything goes) 2017
Desperate Characters
Paula Fox
3/5 stars
I have never read Paula Fox and when she passed away recently, I heard good things about her writing and had decided to add her to my reading list. In this book, Fox writes about a couple who are undergoing many changes in their lives but when a stray cat scratches Sophie, this act seems to exacerbate all their problems and causes Sophie to re-evaluate her life and her marriage. Fox does a wonderful job building up the tension in and between Sophie and her husband. It is so palpable it makes the reader uncomfortably share their despair.
I enjoyed The Naughty Book of Eel Recipes: Slippery When Wet so much that when I finished it, I turned back to the first page and started over. It is primarily a cookbook, but is full of goofy little stories about Eel promoters from around the world, for instance Winston Churchill vowing that "If Corporal Schickelgruber thinks he's going to taste lady So-and-So's baked Eels he's got another think coming," apparently the main thing on his mind as the Second World War rages at his feet. The recipes are pretty goofy, too: at one point when he instructs the reader to add the elephant garlic, he adds "mind the tusks."I think he could have added many, many more excellent Eel recipes but he stuck to a few of his favorites, several of which involve Kalamata olives, tomatoes and (shudder) capers. No simple grilled Eel with the fat poured over the rice; no Eel sushi at all, and nothing involving smoked Eels. But as far as it goes, it's a fine read. I gave it 4 stars.
Mod
I don't think we have eels around here. At least I've never seen one. Can you buy them in the grocery store?
I've never seen them in a grocery store except in cans. Unless you catch your own, cans are the best option. Apparently the very best way to prepare an Eel is to kill it yourself and fix it immediately.The best source of canned Eel is actually the Amazon grocery store.
Mod
Kind of spoiled my appetite.
Mod
4 stars
This book is similar to some books I have read about Mormon cults, but these people weren't Mormons. The father is an aging hippie (well, I guess all hippies are aging, aren't we!) who ends up taking his wife and 14 children to the forest in Alaska, which is actually a national park. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. He cuts down trees and finds a bulldozer so he can build roads and thumbs his nose at the government. But his downfall is how abusive he is to his family. They dress like they are in the pioneer days and if anyone goes against what he says there is hell to pay. While I would have liked the story to move along a little faster, it was interesting enough to keep my interest and I did want to keep going to see how it all turned out in the end.
Lots of history about the national park system in Alaska here and startling to realize how quickly a person or a business can come along and spoil the last of our pristine wilderness.
It makes me wonder -- along with the stories of the Manson Family and Ira Einhorn -- how many weird, violent hippies there are for every 100 peaceful ones.
Mod
3 stars
If you are interested in this book because you are a fan of the TV show, I think you will be disapponted. There is actually very little about the show here. The author will mention a show by title, for instance the show titled "Ashes to "Ashes" deals with incident simulation using a computer, then it will go on to tell you more about how that forensic tool works. The basic premise of the book is that the TV show has generated more interest in forensics as a career, but aside from that there really isn't anything else about the show itself. If you have read other books about forensic science, I don't think there is a lot new here. On the other hand, if forensic science is new to you, this is an easily read and understood book. I just wouldn't pick it up thinking you are going to learn more about the TV show.
Mod
I don't know. Werent the hippies a peace loving bunch for the most part? Remember they would go around flashing people the 'peace sign' all the time? As with most groups of people, we only hear about the bad apples. And now the hippies are in their 60's and 70's. Trouble with the guy in the book I read is that he didn't grow out of the hippie phase, but he definitely wasn't into the whole love and peace thing.
Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "It makes me wonder -- along with the stories of the Manson Family and Ira Einhorn -- how many weird, violent hippies there are for every 100 peaceful ones."I don't know. Werent t..."
That's exactly what I'm asking. For every 100 typical hippies "with flowers in their eyes," how many went weird and took out a knife and...
Mod
I don't ..."
I don't know how we would find that out. But we know 2 for sure.
Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Koren wrote: "Fishface wrote: "It makes me wonder -- along with the stories of the Manson Family and Ira Einhorn -- how many weird, violent hippies there are for every 100 peaceful..."Heck, more than 2! Squeaky Fromme, Susan Atkins, Chuckie Manson, Tex Watson, Clem Grogan, Bruce Davis, Bobby Beausoleil, Ira Einhorn, John Linley Frazier, Mary Brunner, Katie Krenwinkel, oh, and Caleb McGillvary!
Are hipsters the younger generation of hippies? Just wondering.
I would add Bert Potter of Centrepoint.
I don't know any specific names, but one notoriously criminal hippie outfit was the Children of God cult, who prostituted all their members ruthlessly, even very young children. Oh, and let us never forget the Ant Hill Kids in Quebec. Really, really violent and crazy.Wasn't there a murder or two among the Hare Krishnas? You can't get much more hippie-dippy than that crew.
Selina, I actually don't know the definition of "hipster."
Mod
Fishface, you probably think I am a poor excuse for a TC addict, but the only names on that list that are familiar to me are the Manson family.
Mod
Just wondering.
I would add Bert Potter of Centrepoint."
Selina, I've never heard of hipster either but the hippie generation would be the mid to late 60's to early 70's. Anyone coming of age after that would think they are too cool to be hippies. Didn't we have the y generation (not sure about that one) then the gen x'ers and now the millennials. But the hippies are the only ones that preached love and peace and were anti-war.
Mod
Not Exactly Love: A Memoir
Selina wrote: "Are hipsters the younger generation of hippies? Just wondering.
I would add Bert Potter of Centrepoint."
No. Per Urban Dictionary: "Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads which cater towards the hipster demographic. Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities. Consequently many hipsters tend to have jobs in the music, art, and fashion industries. It is a myth that most hipsters are unemployed and live off of their parent's trust funds. "
So they do have a lot in common with hippies. But few of them appear to be living in tents in the wilderness in order to get back to nature or just find God.
Uh ok. But it doesnt have anything to do with hip-hop then. To me a hippie is someone who dropped out and did a lot of drugs.
Some who preaches love and peace isnt a hippie, they were probably a Jesus freak, but extreme. You also get different kinds of Jesus freaks who want to kill everyone too, or wait round to the end of the world to be raptured.
In general its people who didnt want to grow up maybe? I actually dont know any if the people on that list Im not really keeping track but usually hippies are harmless till they run out of sex anddrugs and then get violent, probably cos of withdrawal.
The Book of Speculation
Erika Swyler
3/5 stars
Simon Watson, a librarian and his sister Enola have seen plenty of tragedy. Having lost both parents, one by drowning, they now live separate lives. After he loses his job, Simon receives an unusual book in the mail about a traveling circus that includes a story about a mermaid who drowned. Who sent him this book and why? Does this have anything to do with his mother's tragedy? Interesting read!
Selina wrote: "Uh ok. But it doesnt have anything to do with hip-hop then. To me a hippie is someone who dropped out and did a lot of drugs."
Oh, peace and love was the primary message of being a hippie. They dropped out and used drugs and lived in communes as a protest against the Establishment values that made the Vietnam War possible. It was all kind of the same thing. And a lot of them were also Jesus freaks of course.
Mod
Almost done with the book Not Exactly Love: A Memoir. There is really not much if anything here about being a hippie. Why this is mentioned in the book description I have no idea.
Koren wrote: "Koren wrote: "Just by accident, found this book about two teenagers in the hippie generation that met and married. The husband preached peace and love during his hippie days and then was very abusi..."Probably the same reason the box on my DVD of TRIANGLE said it was a story about the Bermuda Triangle, which wasn't true. Whoever wrote the jacket copy for that book never read it.
Mod
Some people think everyone that grew up in the late 60's were hippies. I grew up in rural America. We were just hippie wanna-bees.
Well, how could they be counterculture if they weren't in the minority? On college campuses they weren't, but back in the 'burbs Susie and Jim were still pretty straight and narrow.
So basically hipsters are middle class kids that dont want to appear to be middle class. I mean not everyone has a trust fund. HIppies are people that avoided being drafted into the army?
Mod
HIppies are people that avoided being drafted into the army?"
I suppose most of them did because they were all about peace and love. I remember posters that said Make Love Not War.
Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery
Fred Van Lente
3/5 stars
Interesting modern take on Agatha Christie's original book with a title I can't print here but than titled Ten Little Indians and than later titled And Then There Were None. Van Lente changes up the original premise by using ten comedians that are being murdered one by one on a island. The ten comedians in the book are thinly disguised characters of some real life comedians which makes the book more fun to read. Not the greatest book I ever read but I found it a entertaining and fast read.
Morning Glory
LaVyrle Spencer
3.5/5 stars
It is the late 1930's and Elly Dinsmore, a recent widow and mother of two with one on the way, was desperate. She could not take care of her family and her home by herself so she advertised for a husband. Will Parker, a drifter, who served time in prison and could not find a steady job was also desperate till he sees her ad as his last chance to redeem himself. The two try to make a go of it though many obstacles keep getting in their way. I am not much of a romance reader but I really enjoyed this sweet novel about love and redemption.
Koren wrote: "I suppose most of them did because they were all about peace and love. I remember posters that said Make Love Not War."
Many Vietnam veterans became hippies after coming home from their tours of duty. They were bitter enough to write off the entire Establishment.
There must be a book that tells you all about hippies out there somewhere. I dont think its just an american thing cos we do have hippies in nz and nobody here was involved in the Vietnam War. I think its mostly people that do a lot of drugs and live in communes.
That is not a bad definition, Selina. There are several books that tell you about them:We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against
THE SEEKERS, Jess Stearn (unaccountably not in GR database)
The Making of a Counter Culture: The Making of a Counter Culture: Reflections on the Technocratic Society and Its Youthful Opposition
Woodstock Nation: A Talk-rock Album
Go Ask Alice
...and on and on.
EDIT: There are individual biographies and nonfiction discussions of smaller segments of that movement, too, of course:
Hippie
The Eden Express: A Memoir of Insanity
Diana: The Making of a Terrorist
The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Child of Satan, Child of God
Slouching Towards Bethlehem
On the Road
Ravens in the Storm: A Personal History of the 1960s Anti-War Movement
The Voices of Guns
Sweet Chaos: The Grateful Dead's American Adventure
Orange Sunshine: The Brotherhood of Eternal Love and Its Quest to Spread Peace, Love, and Acid to the World
12.21
Dustin Thomason
3/5 stars
December 12th, 2012 is well known for doomsayers and in this mystery thriller about the possibilities of the end of the world, a man comes to the ER in California, dying due to sleep deprivation from an unknown cause. Dr. Stanton, who investigates infectious diseases is called in to see this patient. In the meantime, Chel, a young Mayan researcher has received a rare, illegal codex from a Mayan ruin. As their paths collide, Chel and Dr. Stanton have to race to find the cure before the deaths of millions of people. Enjoyable read though you may need to suspend some disbelief while reading this story.
The Longings of Wayward Girls
Karen Brown
3/5 stars
In the early 2000's, Sadie, a young mother who after facing a miscarriage, reflects on her life and the choices she made in the past and the present day when she gets involved with a man from her youth. His return brings back the horror of a summer in the 70's when a girl went missing and reveals the extent of their culpability. There is a feeling of dread through out this story.
Fishface wrote: "That is not a bad definition, Selina. There are several books that tell you about them:We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against
THE SEEKERS, Jess Stearn (unaccountably not i..."
I've read On the Road and the Electric Kool Aid acid test. And Go Ask Alice, which was made up. It seems to me judging from these books hippies were the people that ran away from home after they dropped out of high school.
Selina wrote: "Fishface wrote: "That is not a bad definition, Selina. There are several books that tell you about them:We Are the People Our Parents Warned Us Against
THE SEEKERS, Jess Stearn (un..."
That's another good definition. They were all following the clarion call of "turn on [to drugs], tune in [to war-protest music], drop out [of college and the Establishment lives your families want for you]."
The collins english dictionary gives this definition..(esp during the 1960s) a person whose behaviour, dress, use of drugs etc implied a rejection of conventional values.
So are these hippies?
They certainly violate several basic rules of public appearance.
Endless Night
Agatha Christie
3.5/5 stars
A young heiress, Ellie meets a young man, Michael who is chauffeuring her through Europe. They fall very much in love and marry. After their marriage, Michael finds out a piece of property called Gypsy's Acre is up for sale and convinces his wife to buy it even though there is a curse on the property. Another wonderful read from the great Christie. I sped through this in a weekend because I just could not put it down.
Mod
"
Oh yeah. I think so.
The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
Julia Quinn
4/5 stars
Miss Miranda Cheever has a unhappy home life with a father who spends little time with her. To compensate she spends most of her time with her best friend, Olivia Bevelstoke. When Olivia's brother the Viscount Turner returns home after his horrible wife died, he runs into Miranda, who is quite lovely as a grownup. Turner and Miranda become attracted to each other but of course they have to go through quite a lot of grief before we learn their fate. I found this to be a fast read and enjoyed the romance between the two characters. If you like the romance genre, you will probably appreciate this book.
Why Shoot a Butler?
Georgette Heyer
4/5 stars
This classic mystery novel by the prolific author Georgette Heyer still stands up today. Barrister Frank Amberley is on his way to a wedding when he becomes lost due to the directions his cousin gave him. He happens upon a car with a dead man in it and a young girl standing beside it. Believing the girl had nothing to do with the murder; he drives to the police station to report it and so begins his part in a murder mystery which revolves around an inheritance. Thoroughly enjoyable though the ending is a little dated.
This Sweet Sickness
Patricia Highsmith
4.5/5 stars
Part of my challenge this year was to read more mysteries and as luck would have it, our library had a mystery display and on it were books by Patricia Highsmith, the talented writer of Stranger On a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. I had seen both movies so I was interested in something of hers that I wasn't familiar with and I found this 1960 book of hers that sounded so intriguing and I wasn't disappointed. The story centers around a young man, David Kelsey who is a talented scientist, however he is obsessed with a young woman he dated a few years ago. She, unfortunately, married another man but remained friendly with him. To console himself, he buys a home and lives the life he would have liked to live with her as his wife on the weekends. He returns to his job on the weekdays while living in a boarding home during that time. He also continues to contact his ex and when her husband finds out he confronts David and which sets in motion events that overwhelm David's fragile state.
Bet Me
Jennifer Crusie
5/5 stars
Minerva and her boyfriend, David have recently broken up. At an outing she overhears a conversation between her ex and Calvin Morrisey making a bet that he couldn't get her to go to dinner with him. She decides to play along and they start to fall in love but there are complications along the way. I don't read a lot of romances but I thoroughly enjoyed this funny, sweet book. This would make a wonderful rom com film.
Follow You Home
Mark Edwards
5/5 stars
Daniel and Laura are traveling through Europe on the trip of a lifetime. As they travel on a train going through Romania, they are convinced by a fellow traveler that they have just met to take an empty sleep compartment to rest. When they awaken all of their money and ids are gone. A conductor finds them in the compartment and throws them off the train with Alina, another passenger who was defending them. As they wander through the countryside trying to get to a town, they encounter a home deep in the countryside. When they enter the home, they discover something horribly wrong going on in the house. Two of them escape only to have to relive the horror of what happened to them when they return home.
This book has had mixed reviews, it seems people either loved it or hated it but I could not put this book down. Would love to see it as a film.
Greatly enjoying A Wealth of Evil: The True Story of the Murder of Martha Moxley in America's Richest Community, written by a neighbor a year younger than Martha who knew a lot of the key players and was able to observe, and report on, the effects of Martha's murder on the previously rather smugly community of people insulated fro danger by wealth and influence.
Redshirts
John Scalzi
3/5 stars
This science fiction novel tells the story of a "real" star ship crew whose lives are being affected by the lives of a crew on a fictional science fiction TV show. When Ensign Dahl is assigned to a new ship, he notices that when there is a call for ensigns to engage the enemy, the rest of his crew members in the department scatter. As he investigates, he realizes his ship has a higher than usual death rate among the ensigns and he is determined to find the answer. What he finds out is unbelievable and he and his crew members decide to try to change the future and hope to decrease the chances of them getting killed. I liked this story but at the end it shifts perspective a couple of times and frankly I got a little confused and bored at times at the ending.
Biography, Autobiography, Memoir
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Kate Alcott (other topics)Annie Hartnett (other topics)
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David Mitchell (other topics)
Diane Setterfield (other topics)
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