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ABOUT BOOKS AND READING
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What are U reading these days? (PART SEVEN) (2011) (ONGOING THREAD for 2011)
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Jackie
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Oct 22, 2011 11:38AM
I'm so glad you liked it. As good as it's been, #7 is even better. You're in for an exciting adventure.
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Several years ago, I read Gene Wilder's memoir, Kiss Me Like a Stranger: My Search for Love and Art. I am currently listening to an audio version of this book, read by the author. It's fascinating. Lots of interesting peeks behind the scenes of the entertainment industry. The personal remembrances of Gene Wilder are extremely interesting and the charm of his personality comes through as you hear his words. He seems like such a humble person and very likable. As I listen, it's as if I had never read the book, even though I did. I have no memory of any of the material so far. So it's like reading a book for the first time.
I've always enjoyed Wilder's sence of humor, excellent comedian.
"There are books by which the backs and covers are by far the best parts." Charles Dickens
How apt, Nina. I started The Hallowed Isle series mainly because it promised to be something unique. I had read that it was Arthurian but from the POV of the Saxons. Finished the first book and it's just like every other Arthurian novel, nothing unique, nothing about the Saxons except their initial role as mercenaries which is in every Arthur novel. I'm really disappointed. Normally, a tradional Arthurian saga is perfectly fine, but now that the idea of a Saxon perspective has been put in my mind, I want it.Why do they mislead us like this?
How about The Chrystal Cave etc? I remember them as sounding so authentic..
I love Mary Stewart's The Crystal Cave and the rest of the series. One of my favorites; a well written traditional Arthurian saga. Another fav is The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley which distinguishes itself as being from the POV of Morgaine. Traditional a villian, MZB brings a completely different Morgaine to life.I have the full sets of both series on my 'Keeper' shelf and have been read over and over.
I think I read those also. But it's been a while. I can almost remember the cover and they all were so good. I wanted to visit the island of Corfu after reading Mary Stewart but I only got as close as Athens and a bit beyond.
Jackie, did you read the book, "Practical Magic?" I loved it but hated the movie. They ruined the book. They made it silly instead of magical.
Nina, was that book, Practical Magic, written by Alice Hoffman?My old records show I read 3 books by Alice Hoffma a long time ago but I can't remember anything about them. However, I have a vague feeling that I didn't enjoy them very much and I'm not anxious to try another of her books. I suppose I really should try her again sometime.
I don't think I read it, Nina. GR is giving me problems and won't let me read 'more' to see it's description.
Yes, Joy it was written by Alice Hoffman and I really did like it. It was just a fun book to read and enjoyable as it was different but I didn't like any of her other books. Sometimes that seems to occur.
Yes, it does sound different from her other books, Nina.
Point of information for those interested:The movie "Paths of Glory" was based on the novel by Humphrey Cobb.
See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050825/f...
There are several different novels with that title:
Paths of Glory by Humphrey Cobb
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer
Paths of Glory by Stephen Brumwell
I am almost finished with, "Paths of Glory," and it is a pleasant change from, "Sarah's Key," which I couldn't put down and almost couldn't sleep at night if I read it late before sleep.
I'm reading A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. The hook is in but I wish the plot would move faster. So far I don't find it compelling. If it were, I would have been further along than I am now in the book.
About A Reliable WifeNo spoilers, please.
I'm in the middle of reading this book. The plot unravels slowly. There are twists and turns which are interesting. They're not hard to follow either, although certain developments are very subtle.
Sometimes I get the feeling that the characters are not plausible. It's hard to understand they are how they are. The character development is not convincing.
As for style, I find that the writing is uneven. Some parts are compelling while other parts are repetitive and tend to bore me. While the plot is clever, I find that the writing lacks style. It seems simplistic and flat.
Despite all of the above, the book is holding my attention, but it takes me a while to go back to it each time I leave it. In that sense, it's not as compelling as I like a story to be. But I'm staying with it to see how things end. I'm not particularly fond of any of the characters although that's not necessary for a good story.
Any thoughts on any of the above?
No thoughts on the book as I haven't read it but I completely understand how you feel as I've had the experience recently with The Book of the Spear #2 of the Hallowed Isle series. I got a Saxon perspective but it fell flat, I didn't connect with the one major Saxon character, I just didn't care. In fact, I didn't care about Arthur either; a character who should come alive for me. I didn't rush to get back to it every day. And that bothers me more than anything else. I decided to continue with the series, if I didn't push ahead, I would never get back to it. And I'm glad I did. The Book of the Cauldron is a far better experience for me. I connect to the characters of Morgause, Igraine and Gwenivere, and the subject of female mysteries are more interesting than military battles which comprise the male dominated first two books. Diana Paxson is in her element with Cauldron and she shines.
Yes, Jackie, I like to connect with the characters in the books I read too. In _The Reliable Wife_, although I don't connect with the characters very well, I'm continuing because I'm curious about the ending. The hook is in. BTW, I'll be away from my computer until late tomorrow. TTYL. Thanks for the reply.
I was reading the second book in the Mageowrlds trilogy, Starpilot's Grave.Then my friend lent me her copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So I stoplped the Mageworld's book temporarily and I am finishing the Harry Potter series.
It is wonderful.
It sure is.Have you seen the movies? They did a pretty good job of it. Next week the final movie comes out of DVD. I can't wait to get it. Eric took me to see it in the theater but we bought all the movies, they're worth seeing again.
I started The Book of the Stone earlier today. Haven't put much time into it yet but so far it's good.
Glad you're enjoying it, Mary JL.I'm still in the middle of _A Reliable Wife_. Too many other distractions right now.
I'm currently listening to the audio version of Audition by Barbara Walters. I'm finding it much more interesting than I expected it to be. Barbara Walters knew so many famous people and through her we get a glimpse of those people's lives as well as her own. This audio version is read by Bernadette Dunne whose voice is very pleasant to listen to. Somehow she transmits Barbara Walter's personality in a very likable way. There are 21 discs altogether.
Jackie: I saw two of the movies. However, I am deliberately not borrowing them from my friends until after I finish readin the books. The books, imho, are always better---more depth and so on.
Mary JL, I really liked the Mage World trilogy. I got some other books that expanded on it, but didn't find them as good. There are some prequel books & later ones.
Yes, Jim: Mageworlds is good. Reviews pending.
Well, I finally finished reading A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.The plot unravelled slowly. There were twists and turns which were interesting. They weren't hard to follow either, although certain developments were very subtle.
IMO, the characters were not plausible. It was hard to believe that people are like that. The character development wasn't convincing.
As for style, I found that the writing was uneven. Some parts were compelling while other parts were repetitive and tended to bore me. While the plot was clever, IMO, the writing lacked style. It seemed simplistic and flat.
It wasn't as compelling as I like a story to be. But I stayed with it until the end, simply out of curiosity about the ending. I wasn't particularly fond of any of the characters although that's not necessary for a good story.
As I said, so much of the writing seemed flat and prosaic. The philosophizing was overdone; too much repetition of the same old, same old. It seemed uninspired and simple, despite the attempt to give it depth.
I wish I could say I enjoyed the book but I didn't. It seemed to drag and drag. But, as I look back on the story as a whole, I do feel sympathy for the characters. Life shouldn't be so awful.
I think the writer was expressing his own feelings about life as he wrote the story. In one part of the book (near the end) it says: "It was just a story about despair."
I'm not a fan of the dragging book. I like when I'm caught up in the story and can't wait to get back to it. I finished Paxson's Hallowed Isle series. It was good. But I didn't feel compelled to rush back to it. And that's disappointing to me.
I chose The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper. This will be my second book by this author. In a friend's review I read that it starts slow but picks up speed and has a Wow ending. We'll see....
Jackie, Tepper's name rings a bell with me. I see that I read her book, Beauty. I remember that you enjoyed that book. Hope you'll enjoy this next one just as much.
I'm currently listening to the audio version Audition, Barbara Walter's autobiography, first published in 2008. I'm finding it much more interesting than I expected it to be. Barbara Walters knew so many famous people and through her we get a glimpse of those people's lives as well as her own. This audio version is read by Bernadette Dunne whose voice is very pleasant to listen to. Somehow she transmits Barbara Walter's personality in a very likable way. There are 21 discs altogether.I never realized how much stress Barbara Walters endured as she climbed the ladder of success. She was one of the first women to break into the male-dominated world of TV news reporting. In this memoir she describes the politics which went on behind the scenes. The story of her switch from NBC to ABC is riveting. As I listen to the CD, I am admiring Walters more and more. Before this, I've had reservations about her personality which seemed hard-boiled. But in this memoir she seems far from hard-boiled. Perhaps one gets that way after going through what she has been through. She says that both Frank McGee and Harry Reasoner gave her a hard time when she worked with them.
Reviews are so individual. I expected a slow read from that review I read on The Gate to Women's Country and my experience is that it isn't slow at all. I read a good portion before bed last night because it was so good I couldn't put it down and now I just want to get back to it. I generally don't read reviews before reading a book and this is why. I almost put the book back last night, thinking I don't want to read another slow book. I'm glad I decided to give it a chance.
Jackie wrote: "Reviews are so individual. I expected a slow read from that review I read on The Gate to Women's Country and my experience is that it isn't slow at all. I read a good portion before bed last nigh..."Jackie, that's why one has to take all book recommendations with a grain of salt.
PS-I was curious about that expression (grain of salt). So I looked for the origin. If you're curious too, it's at: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/ta...
I know but they can still have an effect before reading the book. Yet there's something to be said for reviews when many people share the same consensus.
Yes, when a majority give 5 stars, it probably means it's a good read.Sometimes I filter the GR reviews for one star. Even when there are comparatively few one-star reviews for a particular book, I find them interesting.
Yes, reading a review before you read a book can turn you off or make you want to read it. It's hard not to be affected. It's the same with the movie reviews by members at Netflix. Sometimes there's such a wide variation of likes and dislikes that one wonders what planet these people come from. There's no accounting for taste.
I rather read highly rated reviews because it can motivate me to read the book. But one star reviews are better left unread, for me, because it can turn me off. Even though I know better, that I don't share the majority's view.
It's late, time to climb in bed and read. Have a good night, Joy.
I finished Book 2 of the Mageworlds Trilogy: Starpilot's Grave. There were sure a few unexpected twists at the end of Book 2, which ended on a cliff hanger, being the 'linking' book of the trilogy.tomorrow, I will begin Book 3: By Honor Betray'd. Today I am too stuffed with cranberry sauce and stuffing to do any serious reading.
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!I gave Women's Country 4 stars, it was a very good book and had some interesting ideas.
I started Brisingr by Christopher Paolini a few days ago but haven't had much time to put into it. So far so good, which is what I expect from the talented young Paolini. I'll purchase the final book of the series shortly so I can finish the series. And I look forward to whatever Paolini has in store for us next.
Mary JL, I just read the write-up for Mageworld and they sound really good.
We just ate and I finished cleaning up....now to pass out while reading Brisingr. lol
Jackie: the Mageworlds was originally a trilogy. Later, several sequels and prequels were added.Imho, you would definitely enjoy the main trilogy. Good od fashioned space adventure, well written and some neat characters and ideas.
After I read Book 3 , I will review the entire series for you.
I'm stuffed too after our Thanksgiving meal. Can't do much more than sit back and read at this point. Happy Thanksgiving!A few days ago I finished listening to the audio version of Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years (1993). It was read by Whoopi Goldberg who did a great job of narrating the story about the two black Delany sisters who managed to break racial and gender barriers in the early 1900s. An enjoyable and uplifting read.
I also recently listened to the audio version of Monica's Story by Andrew Morton, published in 1999 after the affair between Monica Lewinsky and President Clinton, an affair which was in the news in the latter part of the 1990s. The book presents a sympathetic picture of the traumatic experience Monica went through during that time. Although over ten years have passed, the story is still a gripping one, especially interesting because time has given it a different perspective. I was left with the feeling that what the prosecutors and others did at the time, was worse than what Monica did.
We had a nice day yesterday. Lots of food for dinner & then we played dominoes. We have one of those big sets that goes up to 15. Jackie, I agree with Mary JL on the Mage World books. I really liked the original trilogy, the rest were OK - the ones I read, anyway.
I'm currently listening to the audio version of Talking Back by Andrea Mitchell. It's a very frank and open memoir of her life as a reporter. I find it to be an interesting review of the current events which I've observed over the years. The behind-the-scenes nature of the book makes it even more interesting.As for games played with the kids, on Friday I played Farkel with my 10 year old grandson who's visiting for Thanksgiving. It's a fun dice game with points earned based on rules similar to poker.
http://www.google.com/products/catalo...
It's a game you can carry in your pocket.
We played 500 Rummy last night. Erin kicked our butts.;-)
Speaking of games, can anyone suggest good board-type games for my sister's very bright 3 year old granddaughter? The only thing I can come up with is Chutes and Ladders and Candyland. It's been too long since Eric was that age, I can't really remember anything else we played.
Those would be the only 2 on my list, Jackie. Sorry.
The game, "Sleepy Time" is cute for a 3 yr old little girl, Jackie. See:http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/14...
http://boardgamegeek.com/image/60248/...
http://boardgamegeek.com/images/board...
DESCRIPTION: "'Sleepy Time' is a very basic game for young children Ages 4 - 8. You have a hand of 4 animal cards and 4 animal cards to choose from on the table (face up). The object is to find a pair of matching animals and put them to bed in your cardboard sleeping area of 6 beds. You must make a match with a card from your hand and a card on the table - you can not 'put to bed' pairs from within your hand. If you are unable to make a pair, you discard a card face up to the table. The first player to put six pairs of animals to bed first, wins. This game is easy to teach and moves very quickly to hold attention little one's spans."
Thank you, Joy! That sounds perfect! I'm going to send her this info right away.
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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