Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
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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)
Oy! I don't want to be an astronaut either! :)
Jim, I knew about the bone and muscle problems astronauts face, but not the why of it. Does the book address that? If so, can you tell me why?I'll be starting Merlin's Ring momentarily, one of the books I purchased at the library book sale this morning. I also found it's sequel Merlin's Godson.
Another set I bought was 'Sherwood' and 'Robin and The King' by Parke Godwin. I got 14 books for $8, only two were on my TBR List. I think I did well in restraining myself.
Star Gate by Andre Norton was good but not great, I didn't even bother writing a review. I'm almost finished with The Blank Wall which is better than average but I probably won't write a review for that either. My greedy little hands would rather hold a book right now than write about one and since neither book is exceptional, I figure no one will mind.
;)
Jackie, IMO, you can skip "Merlin's Godson". I really liked "Merlin's Ring" though. 'Godson' does give you some back story, but I didn't find it worth it. You can pick that up well enough through the 'Ring' or read a synopsis/spoiler of it.Why astronauts lose muscle, blood & calcium is that the body is pretty efficient - use it or lose it. Also sensor locations. In free fall, the blood tends to pool in the upper body & the sensor say, "Too much blood." so your body scavenges 15-20%. Your legs aren't getting stressed, so ditto with building them up either via bone or muscle.
One of the cool things is how many different tests have been done either because of the problems of prolonged weightlessness or that coincide nicely. I just finished reading about post menopausal bone loss & bears hibernating. Nothing in common? Wrong. Bears hibernate for months at a time without any lose of bone - sort of. It's complicated, but looking at how they keep bone density is helping to keep it for women & astronauts - they hope. There's a hormone that can help.
Also, usage helps. Apparently women that fell on their hips from 4" up a number of times over a period of time got back bone density that would help them avoid the typical hip break. Weird, huh?
I'd go into it more, but dinner is ready.
Interesting, Jim. Thanks for answering.
Jackie, even if you don't feel like writing a review of a book you've read, you might put it on your GR shelf at least marked "read" and give it one star or as many as it's worth to you. It's nice to have a record of what you've read because some day you might not remember. :)However, I do know what you mean about being reluctant to write a review of a book you've read or partially read. I've found myself in that predicament quite a few times.
In some cases, if I've finished reading a book which was really stupid, I hate to admit it. :) I even hate to have it on any shelf. :) So I don't put it there. (Maybe I should.)
In other cases, if I've partially read it, I hate to judge it with stars. So I've created an exclusive shelf called "read-partially".
In fact, you've given me food for thought. So I've gone back to a few of the books which were still on my to-read list and changed them to "read-partially". I didn't give them any stars. Instead I merely wrote in my review:
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"I didn't read enough of this book to judge it fairly. It didn't draw me in."
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Here are some examples (all 3 are historical fiction about the New Netherlands):
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
PS-The one book about the New Netherlands which I did finish was The Coffee Trader.
My review is at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I move them to Read and give a star rating. If a book is especially bad I'll say so. But when they're average, it seems pointless, there's not much to say.
I have a 'could not finish' shelf. Sometimes I rate them. It depends on why I quit reading.
Jackie, a person looking for info about a book by reading GR reviews might appreciate your comment that a book was just average to you. That means something.
Jim, that's a good way to put it, "could not finish". Do you make the shelf exclusive? I've made my "read-partially" shelf exclusive.I find that the "read-partially" shelf is especially useful for non-fiction books. But it's also useful for fiction. As you say, it all depends on why you didn't read the entire book. For example, when a book is non-fiction, I might read only the parts that interest me.
Yes, Joy, it is exclusive. I have 4 of those:read
currently-reading
could-not-finish
need-to-buy
I rated one could-not-finish book with 1 star & another reader chastised me for it in the comments, "How can you rate a book you haven't read?"
I know there is technically good writing out there that I don't enjoy. A lot of old classics are boring to me, but they are well written. Still, they couldn't hold my interest to finish, so they get 2 stars with an explanation. I didn't like it, but it has a redeeming feature so someone else might.
If the writing is poor or weird (ignores common rules) & the story doesn't grab me, then I don't have to finish it to know it deserves 1 star.
BUT, I'll usually only do that to a classic where my rating doesn't harm the overall score much. I just don't do a public review for new authors. I'll tell them privately, though.
I read a dozen or so books last year that new authors gave me to review. 3 stars or less & I do it in private. For instance, one I really liked, but the guy needed a lot of editing done, IMO. I edited the first 3 chapters for one author & another book for another. Both took most of my suggestions, too. That's a lot of time & work, though.
Jim, your explanations make a lot of sense. I guess there are many different ways to arrange our shelves. We each have to suit our shelves to our own needs. For example, I've created several exclusive shelves for myself. Among them is "listened-to". When I listen to an audio of a book, I don't like to say that I "read" it. Works for me. :)I also have an exclusive shelf called "decided-not-to-read it". That shelf is primarily for books on my non-exlusive shelf called "watched-film-only".
Also, at one point I had so many books on my "to-read" shelf that it was ridiculous. I knew I would never read most of them. So, in my attempt to be honest with myself, I created an exclusive shelf called "keep-in-mind". "Keep in mind" can mean anything. It can mean that I may decide to read it, but it can also simply remind me that the book exists and I know it exists and it may be of some interest to me during conversations, or it may pique my curiosity in related directions.
Anyway, the above is a clue to the way I think. :) My system may not be for everybody, but it suits my needs.
My system has a lot of similarities to some of those in the posts above. I have a started-not-finished shelf for books I don't ever intend to go back to, in almost all cases because I really disliked what I read (though in one case it was because I felt I'd read the really interesting part and don't need to read more). On the principle of the thing, I don't rate or review these -- but I'll sometimes write an explanation of why I didn't finish, in the space where the review would go! :-) And yes, that shelf is exclusive.Since I don't listen to audiobooks, I don't need any shelf for those; but although I don't do it any more, as a kid and youth (even until I was 20 or 21 or so) I read a lot of Reader's Digest Condensed Books. I'm not comfortable saying I "read" the book in that case, but it's part of my reading history; so I have another exclusive shelf for read-in-condensed-versions. But I don't rate or review those, either.
Werner, I suppose the term "not finished" can mean the same as my term "read partially". Is the glass half empty or half full? :)I think that the explanation of why a book was read only partially is valuable information to someone else trying to decide whether to choose that book or not.
Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint exactly why a book didn't appeal to me. So I simply say that that it didn't draw me in or words to that effect. As I read more reviews of other GR members or of professional critics, I hope to be better able to explain why a book didn't appeal to me.
I just loaned a book to a friend of mine(The Confessions of the Ugly Stepsister) and when loaning it I said, "I am not sure I should give this to you as you might not like it. It is different." She called me this week and told me she thougt it was weird. I said for her to skim it enough to get to the end. But she shouldn't feel she has to read or finish the book if she doesn't like it. She just called and said it was the worst book she ever read. I am not surprised. I didn't feel that way but I do think it's not for everyone. That is what even makes goodreads a fun thing to belong to as we don't all agree on what is a good book. nina
Nina wrote: "I just loaned a book to a friend of mine (The Confessions of the Ugly Stepsister) and when loaning it I said, "I am not sure I should give this to you as you might not like it. It is different." She..."Hi Nina. I read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire back in 2003, but have forgotten to add it to my shelves here. I will do that today.
I must have liked the book because I just found 15 pages of handwritten quotes which I had scribbled from it as I read! Even I can't believe it! LOL (These days I don't copy as many quotes because it's too time-consuming. I haven't got the energy either.)
Below is one quote from "Confessions" which I just now found among my notes:
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"Approval is overrated. ... Approval and disapproval alike satisfy those who deliver it more than those who receive it. I don't care for approval and I don't mind doing without."
p. 182, _Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister_ by Gregory Maguire
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I made the following notation for myself about the book: "Opens eyes to the world of art and artists."
BTW, I see that I was reading the book from March 2003 to June 2003. Took me a while, especially copying all those quotations! (lol)
PS-I decided to give the book 5 stars.
PPS-Below is another quotation from _Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister_. Seems I posted it here at this group in 2009 in the following thread (I was posting quotations about beauty.):http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
(See Message #21 at above thread.)
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"Is there a relative value of beauty? Is evanescence - fleetingness - a necessary element of the thing that most moves us? A shooting star dazzles us more than the sun. A child captivates like an elf, but grows into grossness, an ogre, a harpy... a flower... only painting endures... But words endure too ... the small gesture of charity. Isn't that sort of beauty more beautiful than any other? ...perhaps charity is the kind of beauty that we comprehend the best because we miss it the most."
-Gregory Maguire, _Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister A Novel_, p. 313
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Has anyone seen this review:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/boo...
The review is called "Primal Urges" and is about the fiction book, The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore (published February 2nd 2011) by Benjamin Hale.
The Google eBook description starts out with:
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"Bruno Littlemore is quite unlike any chimpanzee in the world. Precocious, self-conscious and preternaturally gifted, young Bruno, born and raised in a habitat at the local zoo, falls under the care of a university primatologist named Lydia Littlemore. Learning of Bruno's ability to speak, Lydia takes Bruno into her home to oversee his education and nurture his passion for painting." ...
FROM: http://books.google.com/ebooks?id=oe8...
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Sounds interesting.
I just read this article at the acupuncturists office today about the curative benefits of reading and writing. Very interesting article.http://www.odemagazine.com/doc/73/rea...
Jackie, thanks for the link to the article. I plan to read it today.I LOVE to read stuff like that! :)
PS-I see that the banner and title of the article read as follows:
"Health"
"Reading, writing and revelation"
"How the written word helps refresh body, mind and soul."
I read the article (at Ode Magazine online) which Jackie recommended, about the "curative benefits of reading and writing".I've always felt that there is a soothing effect in finding characters in books who echo my own feelings. The article validates this when it says:
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"The brain straddles fact and fiction when we read, which is why Dortmund psychotherapist Duda believes books are so powerful and why they 'act like a key that opens the door to a person’s inner world.' Simulating the feelings and experiences of literary figures 'allows readers to perceive and express their own emotions,' he says."
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I often copy quotations which echo my own feelings. It helps to be validated.
Joy, thanks for reviewing once again, "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister." Having just finished reading it, I could very much identify what your feelings were after reading it. I felt it was such a fresh premise that it kept me intrigued until the very end which was somewhat of a surprise also. And I think the words you quoted of the psychotherapist about reading and the brain are equally fascinating. nina
Nina, it's fun reviewing my memories of the books I've read. I wish I could remember more. Thanks for reminding me about _Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister_. What a great title! :)
Finished book 2, I am starting the third book in Scott Westerfeld's trilogy,Specials. It is a worthwhile trilogy--review soon.
Mary JL wrote: "Finished book 2, I am starting the third book in Scott Westerfeld's trilogy,Specials. It is a worthwhile trilogy--review soon."Mary JL, it sounds like you're enjoying the "Uglies" series.
I see that there are 4 books in the series:
Uglies
Pretties
Specials
Extras
Before #4 came out, there was: The Uglies Trilogy
For reference: The GR book description says:
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"This arc of Scott Westerfeld's UGLIES trilogy follows the high-tech adventures of Tally Youngblood. As an ugly, then a pretty, and finally a special, Tally works to take down a society created to function with perfect-looking people who never have a chance to think for themselves."
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PS-At the GR review of "Lisa" it says:
"The last book, 'Extras,' which deviates from the original main character (though she appears later in the book), focuses on popularity and extreme attempts to gain it."
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
PPS-"Scott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling American-born author of YA sci-fi literature."
FROM the GR page of the author, Scott Westerfeld.
I finished Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void & gave it 5 stars. It was super, a great primer on our space odyssey. Not too technical, plenty of humor & great research.I'm going to re-read Magician: Apprentice now for the Fantasy Book Club. Raymond E. Feist is joining in, so it should be fun. Unfortunately, he has a bad case of bronchitis right now & is flat on his back. I know what that's like. I had it over Thanksgiving. What a drag.
Jim wrote: "I finished Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void & gave it 5 stars. ..."Jim, I've put in a request for the book at our library. I also requested an audio version. They haven't come in yet. I hope they come in soon.
I hope you like it, Joy. If you do, try some of her other books. I don't suppose you'd like Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, but Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex was excellent & Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife wasn't bad. I think any one who had any kind of belief in ghosts would probably like it better than I did.
Joy: Extras is on my look-for list soon; but I do not have a copy.From what I have read, many people consider the fourth book a companion book set in the same era, but not directly part of the trilogy.
I do like Westerfeld's writing though, and plan to seek out more of his books!
Jim wrote: "I hope you like it, Joy. If you do, try some of her other books. I don't suppose you'd like Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, but [book:Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Scienc..."Jim, you're right, I wouldn't want to read those books. :) However, I just got a notification from our library that the "Packing for Mars" audio is being held for me. So I look forward to that.
Mary JL wrote: "Joy: ... From what I have read, many people consider the fourth book a companion book set in the same era, but not directly part of the trilogy. ..."Yes, Mary JL, I sort of gathered that, even though _Extras_ is shown as "Uglies #4" here:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49...
I guess the publishers didn't know exactly how to treat it.
Speaking of publishing, I recently read a sampling of:
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books by William Kuhn via Google eBooks.
Jackie Kennedy, in her later years, worked in publishing as an editor at Viking and then as an assistant editor at Doubleday. The book gives an interesting insight into that world.
In the prologue, Kuhn writes that Jackie's son, John, "said that one of his mother’s essential characteristics had been 'her love of words.'" Kuhn writes: "... it is those twin loves—of books and of words—that help to define who his mother was." ... "...first and foremost she was a reader."
Kuhn also quotes someone saying about Jackie: "She was a voracious reader".
The prologue of the book can be read at the link below:
_Reading Jackie, Her Autobiography in Books_
http://www.williamkuhn.com/bio.htm
More here:
http://www.williamkuhn.com/reading_ja...
http://www.randomhouse.com/audio/cata...
http://www.williamkuhn.com/index.htm
Below is a link to Random House page with a free audio excerpt from Chapter One:
http://www.randomhouse.com/audio/cata...
Hmmmm, why can't I hear it? Ooops! There it is. It took a while to download.
As you can see, I am a fan of Jackie. :) I've always been fascinated by her.
PS-Below is a link to another excerpt from the book _Reading Jackie, Her Autobiography in Books_:http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-an...
This part of the book is called "When Jackie Met Jacko" and tells how Jackie became involved in the publishing of the book, _Moonwalk_ (1988). See the GR description here: Moonwalk (by Michael Jackson).
"The #1 New York Times bestseller! Michael Jackson’s one and only autobiography – his life, in his words. With original Foreword by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis..."
It's fun to read what goes on behind the scenes in the writing and publishing of a book!
PS-Below is an excerpt from the above link:
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"... When the first writer who was assigned to the project didn’t work out, Areheart got more actively involved. She flew to California with a tape recorder to record Jackson’s responses to her questions about his life and career. She ... eventually handed off her material to a second writer, Stephen Davis ... He took the recorded material and shaped it into a narrative. ... Areheart had to fly to Australia to get his [Jackson's] approval of the text. He didn’t want to read it, so she read it to him, line by line, for two weeks in 1987, making notes of his changes."
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The book was ostensibly 'written" by Michael Jackson", but from what I can see, they recorded what he said and edited the material into what became the autobiography. It's an interesting process in which editors do quite a bit behind the scenes.
I just finished reading The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller.My review is at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Having finished Specials I am now reading In Danger's Path.It is the eight book in Griffin's series about the US Marine Corps. I have been reading this series of and on for years--I enjoy Griffin's work.
I just finished Gone, Baby, Gone was even better than I expected. It's 4th in a series of mystery-thrillers.
Mary JL wrote: ... "I am now reading In Danger's Path. It is the eight book in Griffin's series about the US Marine Corps. ..."Thanks, Mary JL. The series by W.E.B. Griffin about the Marine Corps sounds like something my husband would enjoy. So I've put in a request for the first two books in the series at our library. They are: Semper Fi and Call to Arms.
One of the GR reviewers, Kevin, says:
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"W.E.B. Griffin's 'The Corps' series are not simply books about war. The war is a backdrop for vignette's about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. His characters are detailed, living, breathing, flawed creatures... just like you and I. ..."
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
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It's interesting that Griffin served in the Army but wrote about the Marines.
Also interesting is the list of pseudonyms which Griffin writes under:
Alex Baldwin
Webb Beech
Walker E. Blake
James McM. Douglas
Eden Hughes
Edmund O. Scholefield
Patrick J. Williams
W. E. Butterworth
John Kevin Dugan
Jack Dugan
I wonder why he used so many pseudonyms.
Jim wrote: "I just finished Gone, Baby, Gone was even better than I expected. It's 4th in a series of mystery-thrillers."Jim, I see that _Gone, Baby, Gone_ (by Dennis Lehane) was made into a film (2007) with Morgan Freeman and Casey Affleck:
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Gone_...
I also see that a couple of other books by Lehane were made into films:
Mystic River and Shutter Island. Wow.
I'm reading a biography of Marie Curie written by her daughter, very interesting and not as dry as other biographies I've read.And Alas, Babylon which is really good so far. Thanks Jim!
Joy wrote: I also see that a couple of other books by Lehane were made into filmsI saw all three and the only one I really liked was Shutter Island. I didn't read any of the books, they'd probably be better than the movies.
Jackie wrote: "... And Alas, Babylon which is really good so far. Thanks Jim!"I liked Jim's review of _Alas, Babylon_:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Jackie wrote: "I saw all three and the only one I really liked was Shutter Island. I didn't read any of the books, they'd probably be better than the movies."Jackie, by coincidence, today I came across the following quote:
"Never judge a book by its movie." -J. W. Eagan :)
Good news for February; 67 degrees tomorrow. It will feel like summer. Even the grass is greening up. Spring is almost a month away, can you believe it? I can. I am reading a delightful, funny book, "Major Pettigres's Last Stand," by Helen Simonson. I recommend it as an escape into the British mind. nina
Nina, our temp went up to 52 degrees yesterday. That was a nice surprise. Some of our iciciles were melting. But today it's down to 18.7 at 4:24 PM. Enjoy your warmer temps! :)Here's the GR link to the book you're reading: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. I read the GR description and it sounds charming. I'm putting it on my to-read shelf. How did you hear about it?
Joy: W E B Griffin also wrote a six volume series on the Army called Brotherhood of War.The Lieutenants.
is the first volume.
Thanks, Mary JL, I'll keep it in mind for Eddie.
Glad you're liking it, Jackie.Thanks, Joy.
I'm currently reading Ragtime (1975) by E.L. Doctorow and I'm really getting into it!Last year I watched a DVD of the movie, but the book includes many more characters. The movie concentrated on only a portion of the original story. So I've been wanting to find out what the whole story is about. I wrote about the movie here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Last year I read Doctorow's The March and gave it 4 stars out of 5. So this is my second book by Doctorow. I'm not sure I want to read any more of his books because I find his writing a bit tedious in certain parts. But when he pulls you in, he REALLY pulls you in! (g)
I've read descriptions of a few of his other books and, sorry to say, the subject matter didn't appeal to me. However, I'm enjoying _Ragtme_ so far.
Jim wrote: "I just finished Gone, Baby, Gone was even better than I expected. It's 4th in a series of mystery-thrillers."Jim,
Is Moonlight Mile on your list? It's another Dennis Lehane novel, featuring Brad and Angie again and Amanda from Gone Baby Gone. It takes place ten years later.
Funny how Alas Babylon has again come up in our discussions. I read it back in the 60's and just picked up a copy from my library after I found out my grandaughter is reading it for 10th grade English.
Joy H. wrote: "I'm currently reading Ragtime (1975) by E.L. Doctorow and I'm really getting into it!Last year I watched a DVD of the movie, but the book includes many more character..."
Joy,
Do you remember hearing that part of Ragtime was filmed in our area? I seem to recall something about it, but cannot find any reference about it.
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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Testing! Did you know everything that went wrong on Apollo 13 had actually been tested before hand? Oh, not the exact scenario, but there wasn't a single task that they did that hadn't been done before as a part of some scenario.
And the medical problems! Their bodies eat up their bones & muscle, scavenging it in weightlessness as if they were paraplegics or post menopausal women. It's incredible what they put up with.