Books on the Nightstand discussion
What do you want us to talk/write about?
message 501:
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Linda
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Dec 09, 2011 08:31AM
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and we haven't heard from since. I can't think of any others off the top of my head, but I'll bet I could.
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I really liked Down the Rabbit Hole which won an Edgar award. I heartily agree with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie(Flavia may just be my favorite character in all fiction).
Another series my wife and I love is Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy
These last three books all are narrated by a girl between 11-13 years old.
Linda wrote: "I've been wondering about authors who seem to have one book in them. The obvious one is, of course, Harper Lee, but what about Arthur Golden who wrote and we hav..."Another obvious one: Margaret Mitchell. As a writer, I'm thinkin' that, if there's only one book in me, having Lee and Mitchell as role models isn't a bad idea!
Yes, but Mitchell died before she could write another book whereas Harper Lee just didn't. It would only be interesting to talk about the published authors who chose not to write again.
how about a show with books highlighting other countries? not necessarily non-fiction, but fiction pieces set in various parts of the world. books that have the setting become a character. one that comes to mind for me is
. i feel verghese does an excellent job of making ethiopia a real character rather than just a country that the story is set in.
How about show on different UK and US titles of the same booke. Why are publishers are doing that, what is the point? Let me just list few examples:
Julia Steward: The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise (US title); Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo (UK title),
Karin Slaughter: Undone (US title), Genesis (UK title)
Lolly Winston: Good Grief(US title), Sophie's Bakery For The Broken Hearted (UK title),
etc.
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Graham Greene: A Gun for Sale (UK title); This Gun for Hire (US title)Agatha Christie: 4:50 from Paddington (UK); What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw (US)
Agatha Christie: Lord Edgeware Dies (UK); Thirteen at Dinner (US)
(more Christie at http://www.poirot.us/titles.php)
Ngaio Marsh: Swing, Brother, Swing (UK); A Wreath for Rivera (US)
P.G. Wodehouse: Summer Lightning (UK); Fish Preferred (US)
A Google search for "U.K. title" "U.S. title" book brings up lots and lots of these.
Lawrence Hill: The Book of Negroes (Canada) and Someone Knows My Name (U.S.)
So you guys just did your favorite books of 2011 and "Overlooked Books of 2011"...how about "Overrated Books of 2011"? Or, overrated books in general? I won't joke about Moby Dick because Michael would kill me, but we can probably all think of a few books that we're all supposed to love and be in awe of...but secretly hated or think are ridiculously overrated. This could go in conjunction with a "Guilty Pleasures" topic...the books we know we're supposed to look down on, but adore so much that you won't be able to pry them out of our cold dead hands. Here, expect many references to the Twilight series, and confessions of toddlers named Bella, Jacob, and Edward.
Kathy wrote: "Graham Greene: A Gun for Sale (UK title); This Gun for Hire (US title)Agatha Christie: 4:50 from Paddington (UK); What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw (US)
Agatha Christie: Lord Edgeware Dies (UK); Thirteen..."
...and don't forget "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" vs. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"!
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What about couples or partners who both write? Nancy Pearl mentioned Amanda and Joseph Boyden in one of her podcasts, and there are lots of others throughout history. Contemporary might be more interesting, especially if they have different last names and might not be obviously connected.
Thank you, Ann and Michael for introducing me to The Readers podcast. I now follow Gav and Simon's blogs and Tweets. I would love to hear a cross-the-pond podcast with Ann and Gav one week, and Michael and Simon the next. This would be the perfect time to talk about why books change titles, and why books aren't released on the same date in both countries. You might also plan a retreat in England!
retreat in england! i would love to attend that retreat!
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i have a question. the pictures of the author on the back of the book, who has control over this image? does the author choose or the publisher? the reason i ask is i noticed that the picture of Mary Doria Russell looks very different on Doc than the one on The Sparrow. the image on Doc seems even younger than the one on the sparrow yet i was published later. any insight.
Carol wrote: "Speaking of The Readers in one segment, I think it was 6, they talk about violence in crime novels and how we in the US seem to want it graphic. This might make a good topic for discussion on BOTNS."I think that is interesting since the most graphic violent novel is Swedish.
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I just doubt that a publisher is going to ask an author to put in graphic violence unless he or she has it in him or her to do it.ger
Melissa wrote: "I would love to hear a cross-the-pond podcast."What a great idea, Melissa. It would be interesting to see what common (or contrasting) ground the U.S. and U.K. podcasters would find. I like The Readers because their reading interests are so different from BOTNS and the other podcasts I listen to (Nancy Pearl, NPR, The New Yorker's fiction, and CBC's Writers and Company, and The Next Chapter).
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I bring this up because of a pet peeve of mine (the at-the-moment unemployed writer). I'm reading a popular book at the moment and last night came upon this sentence: "The nurses stopped long enough for Sonja and I each to plant a kiss..."
There is an author, a co-author and there should have been an editor, right? Who's responsible for facts and correct grammar?
Um...I believe that would be the copy editor. I think part of the problem is that English education isn't what it used to be.
Joanne wrote: "Melissa wrote: "I would love to hear a cross-the-pond podcast."What a great idea, Melissa. It would be interesting to see what common (or contrasting) ground the U.S. and U.K. podcasters would fi..."
I cannot take complete credit for the idea. I think Simon tweeted that he wanted to do a podcast with Michael. I would just love to go to a book retreat inEngland.
I just finished listening to the podcast where Ann said that she didn't complete her 2011 goal for reading War and Peace. Her comment got me thinking about the books I've been putting off, especially if the book is an epic or part of an epic series. What about talking about the books/series that we're saving to savor in retirement? (I'm being optimistic here...since I'm really hoping that some day I will be able to afford to retire.)
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I like the idea of planning ahead and this might make a good podcast discussion.
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I like the idea of pl..."
and while you are at it, speaking of Michael Connelly's books (or any series author) how do you know when/if you need to read them in order?
Normally I am OCD enough to be CDO and would read any series in chronological order. Recently I won a copy of Connelly's latest book. I am looking forward to reading it but wonder how much I will lose by not starting with the first of the series.
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I am not a huge fan of series and if given the alternative would rather read a stand-a-lone. I absolutely loved Barr's 13 1/2. Though there is comfort in the known I'm really hooked on writers that can give you something different all the time. Now who are those writers? One that surprises and delights is Mary Doria Russell and another, Margaret Atwood.
Carol wrote: "I'm racking my brain to remember if BOTNS did a segment on reading series in order. Whether you need to or not is a challening question particularly in my profession of librarian. There are many series with entries that stand well on their own but some readers must start at the beginning. There are other series that may benefit from a reading from the start. I usually take the easy way out and suggest that you start with the first to get the main players set in your mind and then go from there. I have read Nevada Barr's out of order as the location is more important to me than what's happening in Anna Pigeon's life and I can usually figure out what I've missed from detail in the story. I have read some of the early Harry Bosch but for some reason just want to start at the beginning and go. And another I forgot would be all the Lee Child.
I am not a huge fan of series and if given the alternative would rather read a stand-a-lone. I absolutely loved Barr's 13 1/2. Though there is comfort in the known I'm really hooked on writers that can give you something different all the time. Now who are those writers? One that surprises and delights is Mary Doria Russell and another, Margaret Atwood."
I prefer stand-alones and first-in-series books myself. For the few series I do follow I usually only last for about three or four titles, until the writing goes bad.
I am not a huge fan of series and if given the alternative would rather read a stand-a-lone. I absolutely loved Barr's 13 1/2. Though there is comfort in the known I'm really hooked on writers that can give you something different all the time. Now who are those writers? One that surprises and delights is Mary Doria Russell and another, Margaret Atwood."
I prefer stand-alones and first-in-series books myself. For the few series I do follow I usually only last for about three or four titles, until the writing goes bad.
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and why is that? Do you think there is too much pressure from publishers to produce or does the character go stale or is the author bored with the whole but the public won't let go, or what?
Tanya wrote "I prefer stand-alones and first-in-series books myself. For the few series I do follow I usually only last for about three or four titles, until the writing goes bad".
Carol wrote: "and why is that? Do you think there is too much pressure from publishers to produce or does the character go stale or is the author bored with the whole but the public won't let go, or what?
"
I'm not really sure; but I can speculate :-)
These are generalizations only:
More care seems to be taken with the first-in-series novels in terms of setting up the characters, settings and, most importantly plot. In subsequent novels, the characters are more or less assumed and the challenge becomes coming up with another original plot.Too often, I've watched the same plot dressed up in a new setting with the same characters. The most common plot structure I've seen is what I call the "AB" structure: There's plot A and Plot B and in the end, they tie in together. There's nothing sadder than opening up a new book and knowing how it's going to end with the first chapter or two. This is common in mystery series.
Lack of true character evolution. The core of any character should remain the same; but that doesn't mean that the character needs to remain static or flat. If you haven't seen your best friend in a long time, you can usually pick up a conversations as if no time had really passed at all. It's because that who you are, who the both of you are, hasn't really changed. It's the same kind of relationship with a reader and characters in a book. You should be able to recognize them immediately; but that doesn't mean their experiences wouldn't have had an impact on them. I see a lot of characters who remain absolutely the same, year after year, like they haven't learned anything from the last the books (e.g. The Stephanie Plum series.) Some readers like the comfort of unchanging characters; but I get bored. Less frequently, but worse, is when in the name of character evolvement, the author completely makes over the character to the point they are not recognizable (e.g. Lt. Murphy in The Dresden Files.)
I think publishers want authors to expand the world that was originally created; but often authors drop into a formulaic mode, thinking that what worked before, will work again. And again. And again.
Carol wrote: "and why is that? Do you think there is too much pressure from publishers to produce or does the character go stale or is the author bored with the whole but the public won't let go, or what?
"
I'm not really sure; but I can speculate :-)
These are generalizations only:
More care seems to be taken with the first-in-series novels in terms of setting up the characters, settings and, most importantly plot. In subsequent novels, the characters are more or less assumed and the challenge becomes coming up with another original plot.Too often, I've watched the same plot dressed up in a new setting with the same characters. The most common plot structure I've seen is what I call the "AB" structure: There's plot A and Plot B and in the end, they tie in together. There's nothing sadder than opening up a new book and knowing how it's going to end with the first chapter or two. This is common in mystery series.
Lack of true character evolution. The core of any character should remain the same; but that doesn't mean that the character needs to remain static or flat. If you haven't seen your best friend in a long time, you can usually pick up a conversations as if no time had really passed at all. It's because that who you are, who the both of you are, hasn't really changed. It's the same kind of relationship with a reader and characters in a book. You should be able to recognize them immediately; but that doesn't mean their experiences wouldn't have had an impact on them. I see a lot of characters who remain absolutely the same, year after year, like they haven't learned anything from the last the books (e.g. The Stephanie Plum series.) Some readers like the comfort of unchanging characters; but I get bored. Less frequently, but worse, is when in the name of character evolvement, the author completely makes over the character to the point they are not recognizable (e.g. Lt. Murphy in The Dresden Files.)
I think publishers want authors to expand the world that was originally created; but often authors drop into a formulaic mode, thinking that what worked before, will work again. And again. And again.
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and
and at the same time he has the Fart Powder series
. Perhaps the latter is how he detoxes from the intensity of the former?
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LOL, I am weeding our library collection and Victoria Holt was the author of the day. The younguns in our library said "Victoria who?". We were going to dispose of Mary Renault's The King Must Die, but an older staffer couldn't let it go so we bought this and the sequel in nice new editions and are going to see who we can fool into reading them by putting them on our new shelf. I'll let you know what happens
Carol wrote: "Great Idea!LOL, I am weeding our library collection and Victoria Holt was the author of the day. The younguns in our library said "Victoria who?". We were going to dispose of Mary Renault's The K..."
All these older authors just brought back so many memories of my mom! She was an avid reader taking out 5 or 6 books from the library at atime and Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt were 2 of he favorites!
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There are so many wonderful older authors. Do you think it's out with the old, in with the new?
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There are so many wonderful older authors. Do you think it's out with the old, in with the new?"
Never! It's make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other is gold.
Perhaps you've already covered this, but I'd like to know more about book blurbs. At one point I remember hearing that people usually had a rep write the blurb for them, the author the blurb is attributed to probably hasn't even read the book, and that you shouldn't put too much stock in them. You two mention the blurbs on occasion and seem to give them validity. So what's the inside industry scoop on blurbs? Clever marketing ploy or sincere admiration?
Blurbs were present--and considered untrustworthy--long before a word was coined to describe them. Humorist Gelett Burgess (of "I never saw a purple cow" fame) invented the term in about 1907: his definition was "a noise made by a publisher."
Kathy wrote: "Blurbs were present--and considered untrustworthy--long before a word was coined to describe them. Humorist Gelett Burgess (of "I never saw a purple cow" fame) invented the term in about 1907: his ..."I love it!
I would like to hear about stories with several books from different points of view. For example, right now I am reading The Mists of Avalon which is the Arthurian legend told from the points of view of the women. Another reader has recommended this book to meQueen of Camelotwhich is told from Guinevere's point of view. I'm sure there are many more for this tale alone but also for other classic stories.
As regards historical fiction, a related topic might be different author treatments of the same famous person. It seems that a lot of authors are writing about Catherine the Great right now. It would be interesting to note different author takes on gray areas of the history. A friend of mine is reading The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory and we fell into a discussion of the controversy of whether Katherine of Aragon ever consummated her marriage to Henry VIII's older brother Arthur and how various authors came to their conclusions. I know...this is what I talk about with my nerdy friends...lol. Anyway, I've rambled a bit but these are reader topics that I personally find fascinating.
Linda wrote: "Carol wrote: "It's going to slay me when I get to Whitney and have to part with some of her books! There are so many wonderful older authors. Do you think it's out with the old, in with the new?"..."
I just googled Victoria Holt - she sold over 100 million books... how have I never heard of her?!? Thanks for these new names to explore!
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What about a discussion on how many books a person reads at one time. I've always been a one person book until I got my Kindle.... I started one on my Kindle, but needed a 'bathtub' read so I started on a paperback. It was the first time I've had two books going at the same time.
on the NY Times book review podcast they noted that every book on the best seller list for fiction was either a mystery or a thriller. . . and that the list 30 yrs ago was much more diverse. I found this interesting and wished they would have talked about it more. . .
Frankie wrote: "Linda wrote: "Carol wrote: "It's going to slay me when I get to Whitney and have to part with some of her books! There are so many wonderful older authors. Do you think it's out with the old, in ..."
Great idea. THERE are so many. I went thru a year of reading books only by dead authors once. Does anyone remember Barbara Pym?
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