What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed* Showing 11,351-11,400 of 13,523

[Calathea]

John wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Do tell! I'm always looking for something excellent to read....."

At the risk of sounding like a sycophant, I had to pull out the big guns and re-read CUTYS to rinse out my brain...."



You say the bestest things, John. (Though, I had to look up the longish s-word.^^)

[Liade]

Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you ..."

According to a foodie friend currently living in Turkey the way to deal with a pomegranate is to SHAKE it really well before cutting it open. Apparently that dislodges all the seeds, making it easy to scoop them out. Just to warn prospective promegranatists: I haven't tried it yet.

[Susinok]

John wrote: "At the risk of sounding like a sycophant, I had to pull out the big guns and re-read CUTYS to rinse out my brain. I always keep a bit of Josh handy. Purely for medicinal purposes, you understand. ...."

Perfect choice. Though it took me a minute to work out the acronym.

[Susinok]

Liade wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself...."

I've always just peeled them a bit at a time and scraped the seeds off with my teeth. Whatever works. I love their flavor.

[John]

Tharayn wrote: "I'm just reading juices and seeds here! What's going on, lol (or maybe it's just too late here)."

Better, I guess, than "seeds & stems". ;)

[Susinok]

Na wrote: "Susinok wrote: " Though it took me a minute to work out the acronym."
I'm still trying to figure that out and hope a kind soul would explain it to me. :)"

He means the book Come Unto These Yellow Sands.

[John]

So. I have a question for the esteemed assembled company. Amazon has auto-recommended a couple of books by Etienne - bits of the Avondale Stories - I think Bodies of Work was the suggestion. I'm learning to ask before I leap into multi-volume series, so has anyone read any of these? Were they good? What'd ya think?

[John]

Tharayn wrote: "Now I have weird pictures in my head, thank you. Sleeping will be a challenge, lol. ..."

Ever your humble servant, I'm happy to oblige. :)

[Reggie]

For James Buchanan fans, just saw that Laying Ghosts(Deputy Joe #3) is out. 8)

[Josh]

Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "I'm going to have to work juicing into a story pretty soon."

:-) Not planning to put Kit through it though, are you... ;-)

ETA: Oh, wait, actually that would be highly entertaining!!!"

Heh.

[Josh]

K.Z. wrote: "Josh wrote: "I'm juicing regularly now, which I really like..."

That was a very attention-grabbing way to begin a comment. Would make a hell of an opener for a story, too. :-D"

:-D :-D :-D

[Susinok]

Or JX takes up juicing and Kit puts up with it. Barely. That would be very Kit, I think.

[Josh]

John wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Do tell! I'm always looking for something excellent to read....."

At the risk of sounding like a sycophant, I had to pull out the big guns and re-read CUTYS to rinse out my brain...."

Ha! Yes. Purely medicinal. Drink veggie juice with each story and double the benefits!

[Josh]

Liade wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself...."

Hmmm. I'll try that next time.

[John]

Josh wrote: "Ha! Yes. Purely medicinal. Drink veggie juice with each story and double the benefits!"

Aww, jeez. The temptation to write something ... um, totally inappropriate... is almost overwhelming. Almost.

(Rustling in the toy box for the handcuffs, just in case.)

[Karen]

Pomegranates were a fancy winter treat when I was a schoolchild. I have an odd, vivid, and poignant memory of being unable (too upset) to eat the one in my lunch box the day J.F. Kennedy was shot.

I'll have to try the quartering and submersion trick. I can't imagine how shaking them would help; they're so tightly wrapped. But it's worth a try. When my students bring them for lunch or snack the seeds end up propelled all over the room.

I also use them in salads, and added to a couscous with pistachio mix served with yogurt.

Here's a lovely version of the Persephone tale, one I've read aloud to my classes, and used in my writing folktales lessons.

[Josh]

Karen wrote: "Pomegranates were a fancy winter treat when I was a schoolchild. I have an odd, vivid, and poignant memory of being unable (too upset) to eat the one in my lunch box the day J.F. Kennedy was shot.
..."

They are pretty dense. The water trick works very well.

I've come to love them in my morning juice.

[Karen]

Johanna wrote: "Karen wrote: "Susan wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now..."

Oh LOL, Karen! :) Better keep my cupboards empty of certain yummy items then... It'll be challenging to bake a cake out of spinach and cucumber... ;)

For the first couple of weeks after my fall/concussion my taste buds were totally skewed. The only things that tasted good, or even tasted, were apple slices, tart apple sauce, celery, and tart dairy products like cottage cheese and yogurt. I was eating these for breakfast-lunch-dinner, drinking green tea instead of my usual coffee and Earl Grey, and forgoing my bread-wine-chocolate (add a bit of sharp cheese) "diet."

And guess what? I lost no weight at all! — because my only physical activity was carefully toddling from one room to another. Then I went back to work and back to our mostly healthy with some indulgences diet and lost a few pounds — because I was active again. Sheesh.

[ED]

Karen wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Anne wrote: "That's funny, I never read fan fiction, but "stumbled" upon The Student Prince which is also about Merlin and Arthur, and both funny and well written, it was good comf..."

I agree as well. It is a story I will re-read for sure.

[Karen]

John wrote: "Tharayn wrote: "I'm just reading juices and seeds here! What's going on, lol (or maybe it's just too late here)."

Better, I guess, than "seeds & stems". ;)"

Will I ever be able to give our elementary introductory botany lesson (classify what we eat as root, stem, leaf, seed, flower or fruit) again without thinking of you guys? ;-)

[Jordan]

Karen wrote: "Manda wrote: "Please tell me I'm not alone in liking all the BDB books? Maybe because romance isn't a big thing for me, I love a good story with my sex what can I say :) I enjoy the sub-plots and..."

Wait... Anne Rice wrote a book with M/M BDSM in it? Which one was that?

[Karen]

The scene I was referring to is in the third book of the trilogy, titled "Laurent: A Lesson in Submission," about a third way through the book. A slave turns the tables on his master. I know this (location) because I just pulled my copy from a dusty shelf, and although I haven't looked at it for over a decade, I could easily find the passage due to where I'd cracked the paperback's spine. Yep. (slightly abashed grin)

I loved Rice's m/m relationships, raced through her m/f to get to the next m/m interaction. Well, except for the Mayfair Witches; for those I could read either.

Added later: No these books aren't m/m, but have m/f, m/m and f/f scenes, and some menages, mostly m/f though.

[K.Z.]

Jordan wrote: "Wait... Anne Rice wrote a book with M/M BDSM in it? Which one was that?"

The only possibility I can think of is
Cry to Heaven. It's m/m but not BDSM. Rather, it involves castration ('cause it focuses on 18th century Italian castrati).

[Jordan]

Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now and I really, really long f..."

I'm taking this stuff called Akea Essentials. All fruits and vegetables turned into a powder that you mix with juice and/or water and drink. I hate eating vegetables and I'm picky about my fruits, so this is perfect.

http://www.akealife.com/essentials/

[Karen]

K.Z. wrote: "Jordan wrote: "Wait... Anne Rice wrote a book with M/M BDSM in it? Which one was that?"

The only possibility I can think of is Cry to Heaven. It's m/m but not BDSM. Rather, it involves castration ('cause it focuses on 18th century Italian castrati."

Cry to Heaven is one of Rice's more well-reviewed book. It's lush and overblown and works all that very well. The book was published in 1982, about a decade before the film Farinelli came out in 1994, bringing the book renewed attention. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farinell...

A.N. Roquelaure's (Rice's) Beauty trilogy (mid-1980s) was billed as "the erotic adventures of Sleeping Beauty," and if I haven't completely bungled the premise in my mind the story involves princesses and princes serving some time as sex slaves in a sultan's regime in order to fully prepare themselves to "serve" as future rulers. I know, sounds... questionable?

Rice also wrote two books as "Anne Rampling," both m/f lighter erotica. Exit to Eden was BDSM and was made into a comedy movie that was critically panned and apparently had little more than its title to do with the book. Belinda had a Lolita theme.

Here's the Cry to Heaven cover that's closest to the original hardcover:



... having completely outed myself as an Anne Rice fangirl in a former life

[Cleon Lee]

Karen wrote: "A.N. Roquelaure's (Rice's) Beauty trilogy (mid-1980s) was billed as "the erotic adventures of Sleeping Beauty," and if I haven't completely bungled the premise in my mind the story involves princesses and princes serving some time as sex slaves in a sultan's regime in order to fully prepare themselves to "serve" as future rulers. I know, sounds... questionable?"

I read similar fic by Heidi Cullinan, but m/m style.

[Karen]

Cleon wrote: "I read similar fic by Heidi Cullinan, but m/m style."

Which one/ones?

[Cleon Lee]

Karen wrote: "Cleon wrote: "I read similar fic by Heidi Cullinan, but m/m style."

Which one/ones?"

Sweet Son. I have no idea how similar the plot is to Anne Rice's book though.

[Karen]

Cleon wrote: "Karen wrote: "Cleon wrote: "I read similar fic by Heidi Cullinan, but m/m style."

Which one/ones?"

Sweet Son. I have no idea how similar the plot is to Anne Rice's book though."

The cover implies a m/m Snow White. There's an excerpt on Amazon. The voice is "fairy tale style." Rice's voice is not. Thanks, I'm always interested revised fairy tales. I loved the Fractured Fairytales on the Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon show.

[Jordan]

Na wrote: "It was written under her other pen name A.N Roqueleaure. Though you could find it under Anne Rice in GR. It's the Sleeping Beauty trilogy.
Edit : I don't remember it as being M/M but it's been a wh..."

Thanks! Will look into that.

[Jordan]

Karen wrote: "The scene I was referring to is in the third book of the trilogy, titled "Laurent: A Lesson in Submission," about a third way through the book. A slave turns the tables on his master. I know this (..."

Still... sounds interesting...

[Jordan]

Jordan wrote: "Josh wrote: "Johanna wrote: "I've been eating healthier food after Christmas. And I've been pretty successful in it if I may say so myself. :) But, you see, it's been a few weeks now and I really, ..."

Plus, since it's just me living here, it's hard to keep fresh stuff around without it going bad so quickly.

[Jordan]

i just read Two Hearts Two Spirits. It was a good story, but if you're looking for a true romance, this isn't exactly it. There was a story, but no kissing, or holding hands. Some talk about dreams of each other, but that's about it. Well, and one saves the other's life. But I was expecting a little more romance.

[Karen]

Na wrote: "*Also smiling thinking about the books*
(Damn, talk about guilty pleasures !)
I have to find back my books as well. Argh, Karen ! Now I'm curious again and want to re-read them ! :D"

Na, here's a luscious little tidbit just so you'll continue looking:

"His eyes had an indescribable luster. It was the soul but the soul through a veil of beauty that was distracting."

[Johanna]

John wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Do tell! I'm always looking for something excellent to read....."

At the risk of sounding like a sycophant, I had to pull out the big guns and re-read CUTYS to rinse out my brain...."

Aah, that's something I really should have done after finishing TC — to start reading something from Josh right away. Instead I started the Ricochet and I had to use some emergency SKHE and ASW with it. Well, I've learned my lesson now and I'm back on track with The Dark Horse series.

Anyway, I've lately learned the strangest words from you, John. :) The useful sycophant being one of them... LOL.

[Anne]

Johanna wrote: "John wrote: "Calathea wrote: "Do tell! I'm always looking for something excellent to read....."

At the risk of sounding like a sycophant, I had to pull out the big guns and re-read CUTYS to rinse ..."

And I have now (in another thread) learned the true meaning of the word "snark". Not that long ago I would have thought it was misspelling for " snork" - which is Norwegian for "snore". :)

[Josh]

Snork! That's great. What a great word.

Snork. My reaction to Snark. ;-P

[Anne]

Josh wrote: "Snork! That's great. What a great word.

Snork. My reaction to Snark. ;-P"

LOL!

[Susinok]

Josh wrote: "Snork! That's great. What a great word..."

It is a great word! I hear it every evening from the guy on the sofa.

[Josh]

Susinok wrote: "Josh wrote: "Snork! That's great. What a great word..."

It is a great word! I hear it every evening from the guy on the sofa."

:-D :-D

[HJ]

When did snark acquire this meaning? To me it is a (mythical) animal hunted in the poem by Lewis Carroll: The Hunting Of The Snark.

But snork - what a great word! It will be recorded in due course that it entered the English language in early 2013, and we'll know it's because of this thread.

How about snoek? It's a fish which was imported canned into Great Britain during WWII - I know this from childhood reading, as Enid Blyton named a cat Snoek after it. Another good word. Perhaps we could use it for underhand or sneaky snark - it sounds like that to me.

[Josh]

Hj wrote: "How about snoek? It's a fish which was imported canned into Great Britain during WWII - I know this from childhood reading, as Enid Blyton named a cat Snoek after it. Another good word. Perhaps we could use it for underhand or sneaky snark - it sounds like that to me.
..."

I love that! :-D

[Anne]

Hj wrote: "When did snark acquire this meaning? To me it is a (mythical) animal hunted in the poem by Lewis Carroll: The Hunting Of The Snark.

But snork - what a great word! It will be recorded in due cou..."

I love this :)

[Calathea]

Hj wrote: "When did snark acquire this meaning? To me it is a (mythical) animal hunted in the poem by Lewis Carroll: The Hunting Of The Snark.

But snork - what a great word! It will be recorded in due cou..."

So, if someone snoeks is he walking around as a snark in disguise or being snarky without anybody noticing? ;)

Beautiful words you have! :D

[Antonella]

I don't know where to put this, but Ginn Hale published an excerpt of ''Lord of the White Hell'' Book 3!
Here: http://ginnhale.livejournal.com/13800...

[Emanuela ~plastic duck~]

Antonella wrote: "I don't know where to put this, but Ginn Hale published an excerpt of ''Lord of the White Hell'' Book 3!
Here: http://ginnhale.livejournal.com/13800..."

I'm going to steal this bit of news from you :)

[Johanna]

Antonella wrote: "I don't know where to put this, but Ginn Hale published an excerpt of ''Lord of the White Hell'' Book 3!
Here: http://ginnhale.livejournal.com/13800..."

Oh wow. Thanks for sharing the link, Antonella!

[Johanna]

Hj wrote: "How about snoek? It's a fish which was imported canned into Great Britain during WWII - I know this from childhood reading, as Enid Blyton named a cat Snoek after it. Another good word. Perhaps we could use it for underhand or sneaky snark - it sounds like that to me. "

I loved the snark—snork—snoek train of thought you guys had. But... I think I'm guilty for using the word "snark" wrongly. This is the trouble when English isn't your native language. You roughly know the meaning of bunch of words, but the slight differences in the meanings (and sometimes not so slight...) can actually lead to all kinds of misunderstandings.

Aaaanyway, speaking of words... I found a fun quote on Pinterest today:

The EARTH without ART is just "EH".

:)

[Charming]

Re: snarky reviews: I kind of think this is the wrong place for this discussion, so I will just say that I agree that posting mean reviews of your friends' books is ill advised and leave it at that. :-)

[Josh]

Tharayn wrote: "I decided a long time ago that I shouldn't buy because I liked the cover. A very beautiful cover unfortunately doesn't mean the content is also beautiful. But after I skipped through the recommendations of goodreads I noticed that a few times I'm not interessted because the cover looks... cheap.
..."

I've bought vintage paperbacks based on covers. :-)

I think a good cover attracts a reader's eye and then from there the sale is made on the blurb and sample writing.

A bad cover repels the reader and then the blurb and writing have to do double duty to get past the reader's disinclination to read further.

So yes! Good cover art matters though I can't imagine it's the deciding factor for anyone.