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JulieLill's 2019 Reading Challenge
A Scanner Darkly
Philip K. Dick
3/5 stars
A law enforcement agent, Fred is following the criminal activities of a known drug dealer and user – Bob Arctor. Bob is selling Substance D which alters the mind while destroying it at the same time. There is a big twist involving the two in this black comedy tale. The book was made into a movie and I would love to see how the director interpreted this unusual story! Published the Year You Graduated School
Julie, while i haven't read the book yet, the filmed version was rather unusual. I remember that both Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves were in it. The odd thing about it was the visual effect used, first filmed digitally then animated, so the effect looks curious. It didn't motivate me to read the book, i must add.DId you think the book reflected your graduation year? From my year i see a number of WWII & Korea war novels, but not really ones about the fighting itself. For instance, MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, incidentally, of the books WIKI lists, i have not read a single one, which leads me to think that was a very clever DL idea.
madrano wrote: "Julie, while i haven't read the book yet, the filmed version was rather unusual. I remember that both Winona Ryder and Keanu Reeves were in it. The odd thing about it was the visual effect used, fi..."I don't think this reflected on my graduation year at all. I lived in the suburbs so the drug culture was not part of my friends groups though I am sure other students may have been on them. And the book really didn't discuss what was going in that time period except for the prevalence of drugs. I do fondly remember Star Wars being released. I also worked at Kmart my senior year and was getting ready for college. My sisters and I all worked in high school-no sitting around in the summer. I do have a hold on the DVD so I am looking forward to see how the director projected his idea of the book.
Good comments about the connection between you and the book at that time. Because i hadn't read the book, i couldn't see whether it expressed Dick's book. It is one of the few animated films i've been able to sit through since the proliferation of them in the last 20 years, i must say.
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Casey Cep
5/5 stars
The trial of the murder of Reverend Willie Maxwell, who had taken out insurance policies on numerous family members with several ending up murdered, was the one story that Harper Lee could not resist. And so she returned to Alabama to attend the trial to take notes in an attempt to write a book about the crimes. Cep’s book flows so well that it was hard to put down and the information on Lee and the trial was fascinating. True Crime
Julie wrote: "Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Casey Cep
5/5 st..."
Did Lee ever publish anything on the trial ?
Alias Reader wrote: "Julie wrote: "Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
[author:Casey Cep|18..."
After all that work, she never published anything on it. I think she felt there was not enough information for a full book.
This sums it up better than I can-
https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/casey...
Julie, i appreciate your comments. I've been curious about the book but didn't want to read it if it wasn't really good. Now i know to add it to the TBR.
Julie wrote:After all that work, she never published anything on it. I think she felt there was not enough information for a full book. ..."Thanks for the feedback. I do enjoy courtroom books.
Born with Teeth
Kate Mulgrew
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Kate Mulgrew, actress, who grew up in Iowa in a very interesting family dynamic and who eventually got into acting. She started out in the soap opera Ryan’s Hope and the book ends with her starting in her new role as Captain Janeway in the show Star Trek: Voyager. She certainly led an interesting life and this is definitely a page turner. Celeb Bio
I have liked her for such a long time and was tickled when she was named the Captain for Voyager. I didn't watch soaps much but i recall hearing much about Ryan's at the time.
madrano wrote: "I have liked her for such a long time and was tickled when she was named the Captain for Voyager. I didn't watch soaps much but i recall hearing much about Ryan's at the time."I remember watching Ryan's Hope during the summers in high school and I remember Mrs. Colombo and I love Star Trek and have watched all of it's series. Also I loved her in Orange is the New Black! I looked her up and she has been in a ton of TV shows, plays and movies. Truly one of the hardest work women in show business!
Monsters: A Celebration of the Classics from Universal Studios
Roy Milano
3/5 stars
I picked this book because it had some more information on the film The Creature From the Black Lagoon which I read about in The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O’Meara which was really interesting. This is a pretty short book about some of the first monsters in film history but it has some great photographs from the films plus some interesting facts about the actors and the monster films they were in.Plus there are essays by Rick Baker, John Landis and some of the children of the actors in those films.
This is not on my reading challenge but I had found this after I read about Milicent Patrick and it was interesting and had great pictures of the actors in their costumes. In the book they also highlighted the makeup process for a lot of the creatures and I feel so sorry for what they had to go through- just hours spent getting made up.
Oh, i'd forgotten about Mrs. Colombo! I think that's when her name stayed in my head. While i felt that character really didn't fit with the original Colombo series, we still watched because we liked her so much.Julie, did you ever see the SciFi Channel's reality show Face Off? It was about creating creatures for scifi films and was a competition. Fascinating stuff. Your comments on Lagoon books remind me of that show.
madrano wrote: "Oh, i'd forgotten about Mrs. Colombo! I think that's when her name stayed in my head. While i felt that character really didn't fit with the original Colombo series, we still watched because we lik..."I've heard of Face Off but I haven't seen a episode. I will have to look into it. I don't think I could sit there day after day having that make-up being put on. Sometimes it would take over 4 hours to put on and then take off.
I suppose it illustrates a dedication to acting on some level but is that acting? I think of all the zombie extras on The Walking Dead that way, too. And so many of those parts are non-speaking--to be a movie monster must be frustrating. Of course today's animated (& such) creatures don't have that problem, i suppose.
Ayesha at Last
Uzma Jalaluddin
4/5 stars
This is a fun spin on Pride and Prejudice though this time the background is set in Toronto amidst the Muslim world. Ayesha is a poet and teacher when she meets Khalid to work on a community project. They clash over her choices while he is very conservative. While she would like to have nothing to do with him, circumstances keep putting them together. I really enjoyed this debut book by Jalaluddin. The Re-Telling of a Well-Known Story
Julie, sounds good, not to mention a neat idea. Thanks for the introduction.
Time and Again
Jack Finney
3/5 stars
This is the story about a government organization recruiting citizens to go back in time using self-hypnosis. The goal is to just observe but not change anything in the past. Set in the 1970’s Si Morley has shown adeptness in going back in time. He has done his first mission when the organization is upended when one of their other members who time traveled caused someone’s life to disappear after a mission. Despite that Si is urged to go again to the past and he ends up falling in love with someone from the past. Well told but at times the descriptive narrative just goes on and on and I just wanted something to happen and also the use of self-hypnosis to go back in time seemed implausible to me. A Book About Time Travel
Julie, was your edition illustrated with photos? When i read it my edition had photos from the era and drawings by Si, all of which enhanced the novel, imo. However, since then i've learned that not all editions have that. Pity, if not.The process of signing up with the organization seemed to go on a long time, as i recall. Other than that, i liked most of it. He gave much detail in recapturing what he saw in the past but i liked that aspect.
Did you ever see the film Somewhere in Time, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour? It employed the same idea for time travel via a sort of self hypnotism. I just looked the film up & see that the producers named a character for Finney, the one who informed Reeve's character of how to time travel. It was apparently a nod to using JF's method. Neat.
madrano wrote: "Julie, was your edition illustrated with photos? When i read it my edition had photos from the era and drawings by Si, all of which enhanced the novel, imo. However, since then i've learned that no..."I had seen that movie but so many years ago. My edition had the photos too which was nice. I forgot that Somewhere In Time used the same technique but I haven't seen it in years.
My favorite time travel book was The Time Traveler's Wife. There was to be a sequel and I just read that she is working on it. I can and can't wait- I hope it isn't a dud! Sometimes sequels don't work out!
https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/people...
Good interview. I never would have guessed about the graphic artist part of her career. And creating a story for the TT's daughter is perfect, imo.I had a problem with TTW that i seemed unable to overcome. It seemed to me that the Time Traveler had an opportunity to "groom" his future wife and i was very uncomfortable with that. It kinda creeped me.
My favorite time travel book was Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. It was the first time i recalled the traveler having physical problems returning, which intrigued me. I also liked the deeper philosophical question about slavery & the traveler.
Did you see About Time? It's a British film (again, with Rachael McAdams, from TTW) about a man with the ability to time travel who tries to change his past in hopes of improving his future. There is little science to it, mostly as it runs in one family and only the male members can travel. Still, it's a lovely film & i wish there was a book for it.
madrano wrote: "Good interview. I never would have guessed about the graphic artist part of her career. And creating a story for the TT's daughter is perfect, imo.I had a problem with TTW that i seemed unable to..."
I do love a good time travel film and I did see About Time and enjoyed that! I also read Kindred and enjoyed that one too.
Mr. Dickens and His Carol
Samantha Silva
4.5/5 stars
This is the fictional story of Dickens whose last book was a flop and his need to get a best seller before he goes bankrupt. I thought this was quite charming and a very fast read. Set During a Holiday
Oh, Julie, this one sounds delightful. Thanks for sharing about it.
madrano wrote: "Oh, Julie, this one sounds delightful. Thanks for sharing about it."I really liked this one and it was a fast read.
I found a copy & am looking forward to starting reading it tonight.
Ann wrote: "madrano wrote: "I found a copy & am looking forward to starting reading it tonight."I hope you enjoy it! My thoughts about the book were similar to Julie's. It was well written and a pleasure to ..."
I just gave a short review of the book because I didn't want to giveaway any part of the story- of course some of it is actual fact but the rest is fiction!
I finished the book last night (staying up quite late, as i just had to see how it would end) and am glad i did. I was impressed by how well she followed Dickens' style as she wrote. Delightful. Thank you, Julie & Ann, for your encouragement.
madrano wrote: "I finished the book last night (staying up quite late, as i just had to see how it would end) and am glad i did. I was impressed by how well she followed Dickens' style as she wrote. Delightful. Th..."I am glad you enjoyed it. The book I am reading now is a slow read but am getting through it but that book was so enjoyable that I read it in such a short time.
It's a sort of palate cleanser to have a fast and pleasurable book between tough ones. This is why i liked the Silva book so much, i think.
The Drowning Girl
Caitlín R. Kiernan
3/5 stars
This fantasy book revolves around a young woman, India Morgan Phelps (Imp) who is schizophrenic. With her mother dead, Imp struggles on her own. Working dead end jobs, writing stories and meeting people who may not be real makes up her life. She meets Eva one night but is Eva real or part of her schizophrenia. Though well written, I sometimes struggled with the writing style of the book though I feel the author was using that style to enhance the character’s schizophrenia. Fantasy Novel
Isn't it interesting & sometimes confusing when authors do that? When writing about confirmed mental illness, it's even more challenging. I suppose it gives readers insight into the main character's own questions about reality. Still, i admit i'm not a Big Fan of this kind of writing. I guess i'm just too concrete a reader, so to speak.You are sailing right along with your DL. It's been fun sharing your reviews and categories, Julie.
The Fifth Child
Doris Lessing
A very happy couple from London marries, buys a new home and starts a family. Wanting to have a big family, they start having children and are quite content until Ben, their fifth child is born. Ben is not like the others and tries the patience of the whole family till they know they have to do something about him. Considered a horror novel, we initially place Ben as the evil one but is he really? This book really is an eye opening look at family dynamics and what people will do when they can only see one option open to them. Horror
This sounds quite interesting, Julie. I'm adding it to my "wanna read" list.
Julie wrote: "The Fifth Child
Doris Lessing
A very happy couple from London marries, buys a new home and starts a family. Wanting to have a big fami..."
I didn't know she wrote a horror novel.
I believe deb and I read her other book
The Grass is Singing
Wiki
The Grass Is Singing is the first novel, published in 1950, by British Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing. It takes place in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), in southern Africa, during the 1940s and deals with the racial politics between whites and blacks in that country (which was then a British Colony). The novel created a sensation when it was first published and became an instant success in Europe and the United States.
I thought the writing was excellent.
Julie wrote: "The Fifth Child
Doris Lessing
A very happy couple from London marries, buys a new home and starts a family. Wanting to have a big fami..."
Julie, according to Wiki there is a sequel.
. A sequel, Ben, in the World (2000) recounts Ben's life after he has left his family.[1][2]
Ben, In the World: The Sequel to the Fifth Child
Alias, i don't have Grass on my Read list but recall talking to you about it. I just looked up the description & can only guess the timing was wrong for me. Bummer--i know it's her highest praised work. I have yet to read a Lessing novel.However, i managed to get this one, Julie, as soon as i turned to my iPad, so will be reading it in the near future.
Presently i'm reading another book JulieLill read earlier this year--Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee. It's author Casey Cep's first book and she covers a gamut of topics in the first part about alleged murderer (for insurance purposed) Rev. Willie Maxwell. In that one section alone she wrote a short history of the insurance industry, another shortie on voodoo (including a nod to the groundbreaking work of Zora Neale Hurston) and offered a fairly decent rendering of life in Alabama in the middle of the last century. Part two is about the attorney who represented Maxwell in his fight for the insurance claims, as well as murder trials. The final part will apparently cover the interest Harper Lee took in the case.
It's good, engaging reading once one gets started. However, it took me a couple of chapters because i felt she was a tad condescending in her descriptions of the place & people. Probably my own personal problem there because now that i'm into it, i have a tough time stopping.
Alias Reader wrote: "Julie wrote: "The Fifth Child
Doris Lessing
A very happy couple from London marries, buys a new home and starts a family. Wanting to h..."
I heard about the sequel after I read this book. Ambivalent about reading it but maybe! Sometimes sequels don't live up to the previous work.
madrano wrote: "Alias, i don't have Grass on my Read list but recall talking to you about it. I just looked up the description & can only guess the timing was wrong for me. Bummer--i know it's her highest praised ..."That was a fast read for me-so interesting.
Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill
by Candice Millard
4.5/5 stars
Millard is one of my favorite authors and she doesn’t disappoint in this tale of Churchill’s escape after being captured during the Boer War in 1899 in South Africa while he was there as a news reporter. Highly recommended! My only disappointment is that I have read all her books now. I am hoping she is writing something else! Military Related: Non-Fiction
She writes very well, i agree.* I wasn't aware of this latest title, though. As much as i want to read it, my husband (once i told him about it) wants to read it even more. *I quite literally fell in love with James Garfield via her writing. I knew nothing about him previously, other than the fact of his presidency but what a man!
Agree. She write well. When I heard she was writing a book on Churchill I was very excited as I like to read about the WWII era. However, when I saw the focus was on the Boer War, I decided to pass. Maybe I should rethink that decision.
Thanks for the review.
Julie wrote: "Considered a horror novel, we initially place Ben as the evil one but is he really? This book really is an eye opening look at family dynamics and what people will do when they can only see one option open to them..."This is about The Fifth Child, the Doris Lessing novel Julie mentioned upthread. I finished it last night & am not sure i'd call it a horror novel but i don't know how else i'd categorize it. Is there a category which covers scary, thoughtful, and uncomfortable?
From the beginning, i wasn't in love with the couple but thought the description of their full & vibrant home was neat. Once that 5th pregnancy began, i felt the child was doomed, whether it was like the others or not. I've known a couple of women whose pregnancies were so awful that their love of the resulting child seemed less full (i'll call it that for lack of a better phrase), so i was prepared if that happened. What did happen was very interesting.
It truly left me wondering, which is always a pleasure, even if it's uncomfortable wondering. :-) Thanks for the introduction to the book, J.
madrano wrote: "Julie wrote: "Considered a horror novel, we initially place Ben as the evil one but is he really? This book really is an eye opening look at family dynamics and what people will do when they can on..."I think the horror came in to being was from what they did to that child when they couldn't handle him at home anymore. I think that when people think of horror - they think of supernatural source but that wasn't true in this book.
madrano wrote: "She writes very well, i agree.* I wasn't aware of this latest title, though. As much as i want to read it, my husband (once i told him about it) wants to read it even more. *I quite literally fel..."
I loved her Garfield book. I have read her 3 books but I want more. I am hoping she is writing something else!
Alias Reader wrote: "Agree. She write well. When I heard she was writing a book on Churchill I was very excited as I like to read about the WWII era. However, when I saw the focus was on the Boer War, I decided to pa..."
I did not know anything about the Boer War before reading this book so it was very enlightening to me. My husband worked at one time with a man who has family that are of Boer descent.
madrano wrote: "Julie wrote: "Considered a horror novel, we initially place Ben as the evil one but is he really? This book really is an eye opening look at family dynamics and what people will do when they can on..."Julie, am reading it, also. I am on page 94 of 133
The writing is very good.
(view spoiler)
Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote: "Julie wrote: "Considered a horror novel, we initially place Ben as the evil one but is he really? This book really is an eye opening look at family dynamics and what people will do ..."Thanks for the article. It is terrible what people do to each other. Thank goodness that place shut down though I am sure there are other places still around like that.
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The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto
Mitch Albom
3.5/5 stars
Narrated by the voice of Music, this is the story of the magical but difficult life of Frankie Presto, musician extraordinaire, born in Spain and who became an orphan at a very young age. He was taken in by a blind music teacher who helped him hone his gift which leads him into his musical career and the ups and downs of his unusual life. Interesting read! Featuring Music