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Interesting Tidbits
Well, the collaboration that immediately came to my mind was the Bill Clinton/James Patterson thriller The President Is Missing that I really enjoyed.
Booknblues wrote: "I thought it might be fun to have a thread in which we can include about various and sundry interesting tidbits we find surfing around and expand and discuss those.I was listening to this clip wi..."
One of the best collaborations I've read, many years ago, is Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch , a 1990 novel written by the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Another fun duo is Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. Agnes and the Hitman was the first romance-adventure by them that I've tried, but I know there are more books written together.
As regards what I want to read, I think I saw an article about the friendship between Peter S Beagle and Patricia McKillip and that they have a couple of novellas they collaborated on, but I don't remember the titles.
I agree about Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer - Agnes and the Hitman is a favorite. They actually recently have a new seiies wirten together coming out. Somehow I ended up following Jennifer on FB and it's hilarious. She's very funny. Bob of course comments. Over the last year she's posted about their writing collaboration on the current project. It's been as entertaining as her books usually are.Just recalled a recent collaborative read that I just loved: Reykjavík: A Crime Story by Ragnar Jónasson in collaboration with then Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir. They had been friends for since youth, and Katrin has advance literature degrees and did her dissertation on crime fiction. There have been whispers that another collaboration in the works.
I've recently read When We Had Wings which was a collaboration of three authors, Ariel Lawhon , Kristina McMorris , Susan Meissner and The First Ladies a collaboration of Marie Benedict , Victoria Christopher Murray . Of course there are the collaborations of Bill Clinton and James Patterson and that of Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny.
I thought that Roxanne Gay and Channing Tatum writing a romance was a bit unexpected.
So I've been thinking what other unexpected collaborations could we see.
I know Barack Obama loves S.A. Cosby's books so I'd love to see a collaboration with them.
Laura Bush was a librarian and Jesmyn Ward loves to put literary references in her books, so I think that would be a wildly unexpected collaboration.
George W. has turned to painting so maybe match him with someone who wrote about a painting Donna Tart.
Lady Gaga believes in kindness so would love to see her paired with Claire Keegan.
Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio with Richard Powers.
I honestly have not read any collaborations that I can think of.Just now listened to the video of Roxanne Gay talking with Steven Colbert. She's such an intelligent and articulate woman, with a wicked sense of fun! It was a pleasure listening to the discussion. I had known about her crush on Channing Tatum. I may have to pick up their book when it's released.
She also just edited a new collection of feminist writing called, The Portable Feminist Reader, which I'll put on my TBR.
I have a deep seeded aversion to most collaborations and I'm not 100% sure why. I get a yucky feeling when I see James Patterson's name plastered on everything or Robert Ludlum's name used by other others after he has passed. Maybe it's just me being a fuddy-duddy. I have read the entirety of The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey, which is a collaboration of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. They have now started a new series.
John GrishamJohn Grisham recently wrote his first collaboration with his second nonfiction book. Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions with Jim McCloskey who founded Centurion Ministries.
Booknblues wrote: "I've recently read When We Had Wings which was a collaboration of three authors, Ariel Lawhon , Kristina McMorris , Susan Meissner and The First Ladies a collaborati..."The Personal Librarian was also a collaboration with Murray, and I enjoyed that book. I have a hit-or-miss relationship with Marie Benedict, but that one was a hit for me. I think is was her first time teaming up with someone, and I think she made the right move.
Jason wrote: "I have a deep seeded aversion to most collaborations and I'm not 100% sure why. I get a yucky feeling when I see James Patterson's name plastered on everything or Robert Ludlum's name used by other..."I also am not of fan of Patterson using his name everywhere, and I do not seek out any collaborations. I do think the continuation of Vince Flynn's books after his death was a great move, though. The story was so unfinished.
I will spare you most of my diatribe about James Patterson, except to say that books bearing his name as author in the last 25 years or more are no more written by him than me, are not true collaborations, his name little more than a trademark, but are written by a stable of writers to outlines and formula who get essentially no credit or reognition. I will add it ticks me off that Patterson 'shares' the stage as the most prolific living writer with Stephen King who does write every single word published under his name. Though I am not quite sure about Patterson's collaboration with those like Bill Clinton - I suspect one of his contract writers does the actual work.@Jason - that could be your 'ick' factor.
@Joanne - Marie Benedict is partnering up with Murray again, I believe. And with others.
It is worth mentioning that 'collaborations' could include 2 individual writers co-authoring inder a pseudonym, often very successfully - Ilona Andrews. M.A. Carrick, Emma Lathen.
I like some co-authored books, including ones who use a pseudonym. I often prefer the pseudonym ones for posting on GR which has an annoying habit of only showing the first author listed when putting links into texts. I dislike most collaborations when it's a very famous name paired with a newcomer since the quality isn't usually as good. I remember when Robert Ludlum started doing that and have made it a point to shy away from that sort of thing.
We were talking about book covers a while back and I read an article today about them that I am gifting you so everyone should be able to read it:https://wapo.st/3RIkYUv
After reading that I found a couple of sites about best book covers for 2024:https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/bo...
https://lithub.com/the-167-best-book-...
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...
for 2022:
https://wapo.st/42HAt5i
The Murderbot Series are coming to Apple TV+ on May 16th.I just now got the 1st book of the series from the library, but think I'll watch it on the big screen instead.
Booknblues wrote: "We were talking about book covers a while back and I read an article today about them that I am gifting you so everyone should be able to read it:https://wapo.st/3RIkYUv"
Those are the ones I call "cartoony". I do think they are better than the half-naked Fabio covers from a few decades ago. But it's just weird that there are so many cover trends. I think it's to steer shoppers. For a historical novel, there will be women looking away, preferably with the Eiffel Tower in the background. For thrillers, there will be a lot of black. And so on.
Holly R W wrote: "The Murderbot Series are coming to Apple TV+ on May 16th.I just now got the 1st book of the series from the library, but think I'll watch it on the big screen instead."
I would read the books, Holly. First is Novella length. Why? They are fun but most of all because of the Murderbot character itself. You need to establish your own image of this character.
Unless you want to just watch the series, of course and are likely never to read the books..
I will say that as soon as I heard the casting for the series, I was put off and had no intentions of watching it. Having seen the trailer, any softening of my position was killed. My Feminerdy Book Club, which has been reading and loving the series for years, had a very negative reaction to the trailer released a few weeks ago too. A couple might still at least watch first episodes. None of us have any hope it will be a good adaptation.
Theresa, I did not see the trailer and of course, have not yet read the book. I hope the TV series is not a bad adaptation. How disappointing!SciFi is not what I normally gravitate to, but the PBT reviews of Murderbot have piqued my interest. Maybe I'll just read the book(s).
NYT article about best books of 2025 so far.Have you read any? Any on your tbr?
I've gifted the article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/bo...
Booknblues wrote: "NYT article about best books of 2025 so far.Have you read any? Any on your tbr?
I've gifted the article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/bo......"
This is an excellent list based on those I've read, including these 4 and 4.5 star fiction reads:
We Do Not Part by Han Kang
Stone Yard Devotioinal by Charlotte Wood
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Heartwood by Amity Gaige
And a 5-star read:
Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson (non-fiction)
I have a number of them on my TBR but not sure when I'll get to them.
Joy D wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "NYT article about best books of 2025 so far.Have you read any? Any on your tbr?
I've gifted the article.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/07/bo......"
I am currently reading one, as you know.
I have added:Isola
I have on my TBR:
The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780
Holly R W wrote: "The Murderbot Series are coming to Apple TV+ on May 16th.I just now got the 1st book of the series from the library, but think I'll watch it on the big screen instead."
Is AppleTV free for Mac users or does it involve a subscription?
Karin, I don't know if Apple TV is free for Mac users. You'd have to look it up. I pay for Apple TV.I rotate the streaming services I pay for, based on what shows I want to watch. You can generally start and stop them anytime you want, making it more affordable.
You do have to pay for Apple TV but it used to be that if you bought a new computer or other products, you got 6 months free.The TV version of Murderbot is way more “camp” than the books, and all the people seem to be idiots. Of course Murderbot would think that anyway, but they are really over the top. I remember Dr. Mensah as unflappable in all situations and on TV she isn’t much better than the others. And so far, there is a lot of violent action and little mention of the corporate plotting behind it.
Plus as I remember it, Murderbot didn’t name itself that with pride, more the opposite, knowing what he had been used for.
Robin P wrote: "You do have to pay for Apple TV but it used to be that if you bought a new computer or other products, you got 6 months free.The TV version of Murderbot is way more “camp” than the books, and all..."
Thanks, I'll pass then. We still get cable with our package (ISP, cable & landline--my husband used our landline for work until the past couple of years, but we plan to keep it since it costs us peanuts.) I also have Prime, although I seldom watch there. Once in a while I'll go on a little binge there, but not very often.
Booknblues wrote: "Sad news, Paulette Jiles has passed away. Gifted Article:https://wapo.st/465Jw2b"
I remember loving Paulette Jiles' book, "News of the World." For some reason, I thought of her as a younger woman. I'm sorry to learn that she died.
Holly R W wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Sad news, Paulette Jiles has passed away. Gifted Article:https://wapo.st/465Jw2b"
I remember loving Paulette Jiles' book, "News of the World." For some reason, I thought of he..."
I didn't realize it either. She was 73 when News of the World was published and 78 when Simon the Fiddler was published.
I love her voice. I feel like I need to read some more of her books. Simon is on my TBr.
Jiles did have a singular voice. I loved her way of storytelling.
I had not heard that Jiles had passed away. This is sad. I read her last three books, "News of the World," Simon the Fiddler," "Chenneville," and enjoyed them all.
I'm sorry to hear that she died, but I did know she was older. Long story short, my mother had a friend in Vancouver who was an editor who was friends with Paulette Jiles during the time she lived in Canada. That editor friend suggested Enemy Women which was new at that time, so that was my introduction to her writing. That was her first novel; prior to that she'd published primarily poetry and nonfiction plus at least one short story.My mother, her friend and now Paulette are all gone now, which is sad.
Many of us on PBT loved Project Hail MaryIt is indeed being made into a movie. Here is the trailer
https://www.google.com/search?client=...
I am excited about this movie adaptation. Since sound is key to how the 2 main characters communicate, it suits the format.
That is super-exciting! And Ryan Gosling is perfect casting I think
Booknblues wrote: "Many of us on PBT loved Project Hail MaryIt is indeed being made into a movie. Here is the trailer
https://www.google.com/search?client=......"
This is a movie that may actually get me into a theater.
I liked that the trailer didn't actually show "Rocky."I can't wait to see what they have him look like and sound.
Jgrace wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Many of us on PBT loved Project Hail MaryIt is indeed being made into a movie. Here is the trailer
https://www.google.com/search?client=...+..."
JGrace - I said the same thing!
I think Ryan Gosling will be excellent - just in the trailer he show the attitude and personality I associate with the character. The real test will be Rocky, I think.
Book Concierge wrote: "Goodreads has announced some changes ...https://help.goodreads.com/s/announce..."
I see a couple of pointless cosmetic changes and a few more ways to push readers to buy books on Amazon. Nothing about servers not responding or being very slow, notifications misbehaving or the search function being filled with garbage results
More challenges might be useful to members who like them
Theresa wrote: "Jgrace wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Many of us on PBT loved Project Hail MaryIt is indeed being made into a movie. Here is the trailer
https://www.google.com/search?client=......"
I"m glad they didn't totally show Rocky but I don't think they should have even given that much away. I didn't know about it when I listened to the audiobook (a great way to do it because of the sounds) and the surprise was thrilling.
Book Concierge wrote: "Goodreads has announced some changes ...https://help.goodreads.com/s/announce..."
They are all just marketing, more tie-ins to Amazon. I don't keep a wish list or book list on Amazon so I don't know or care if they will add everything from my want to read list someplace.
I also couldn't care less about the little ribbons they give us for reading in each month. All the challenges I care about are in my groups! And I really don't care about the logo. It seems like every place I worked, they would come up with new names for our division, new logos, new mission statements, none of which made an ounce of difference in real life.
Robin P wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Jgrace wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Many of us on PBT loved Project Hail MaryIt is indeed being made into a movie. Here is the trailer
https://www.google.com/search?..."
Same with reading the book - it was a realy cool bit to come across. While there will no doubt be changes, I really hope they keep the book's ending as is. I just love it.
Book Concierge wrote: "Goodreads has announced some changes ...https://help.goodreads.com/s/announce..."
I don't see anything significant other than, as Algernon says, linking things so you buy more books from Amazon. At this point, you can opt not to link but that also prevents using the kindle highlights and quotes feature on GR.
What I see mostly is a meaningless change in the logo.
Robin P wrote: " I don't keep a wish list or book list on Amazon so I don't know or care if they will add everything from my want to read list someplace. ..."Hmm, I have a wish list, but it's on .ca,so hopefully my hundreds (600+ on LT... not sure how many here on GR, maybe 200ish?) of books on the tbr do NOT overtake my Amazon (.ca) wishlist. Because most of them, I intend to get from the library, and I'll never be able to wade through all the books to get to what I actually want to see on my wish list.
And ribbons? there are ribbons? I didn't even know that!
If you have set up a GR challenge for the year, if you click on See Challenge, there are different colored markers for each month. I had no idea they were there till I was looking at the challenge for some other reason.
They call them ribbons? I think they look like bookmarks!Anyway, I spotted them in January as I check my reading challenge frequently because too often duplicate copies of books pop up or one is missing. Since I read around 160 books a year, I'd rather maintain it through the year.
I know I tried to figure out what exactly they were all about and just threw up my hands metaphorically as I already am on the edge of too many challenges to manage.
Oh gosh, I hope they don't move my TBR to my Amazon wish list. Most of the books on my TBR are books I already own or plan to get from the library for my book groups. That would be quite the mess to clean up.
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I was listening to this clip with Stephen Colbert and Roxane Gay the other day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q48KF...
It was all fun and interesting, but the really interesting part is that she is writing a romance novel with Channing Tatum! That is kind of wild.
Here is a short article about it:
https://lithub.com/wait-channing-tatu...
I thought about that collaboration and others. I wondered If there are other collaborations you might like to see and what genre of book would you like them to write?
What are some favorite collaborations which you have read?