Books on the Nightstand discussion
What do you want us to talk/write about?
Mod
I'm still working on
War and Peace, the Pevear translation in which the French is in tact. It has slowed my reading of the book because I try to see if I understand the French then check the translation at the bottom of the page to see if I'm right.On the other hand, reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
was frustrating because I don't understand Spanish and felt that the liberal allotments of Spanish in that story left me outside a box I wanted to be in.Comments?
Linda wrote: "On the other hand, reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was frustrating because I don't understand Spanish and felt that the liberal allotments of Spanish in that story left me outside a box I wanted to be in.Comments?
..."
It's been a few years since I read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao but what I remember vividly is TOO MANY FOOTNOTES. It really took away from the narrative and the writing, which I really enjoyed.
Linda wrote: "On the other hand, reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was frustrating because I don't understand Spanish and felt that the liberal allotments of Spanish in that story left me outside a box I wanted to be in.Comments? "
I read Oscar Wao and I know Spanish but like with many other books (like for example Wolf Hall which has some bits in french, latin and other languages) I think that one must really not pay much attention to that little parts. Most of the times they are not really important. In any case, there's always the possibility of going online and resorting to a translator, although it is obvious that such thing hinders the reading experience.
Maybe I am used to, since I always have to look in the dictionary some English words that I don't know...
Linda wrote: "On the other hand, reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao was frustrating because I don't understand Spanish and felt that the liberal allotments of Spanish in that story left me outside a box I wanted to be in..."I always have a hard time when I don't understand the language, and while I can read some Spanish (all of high school, most of college) I could not understand a lot of what was in Oscar Wao. When that happens, it takes me out of the book and I tend not to like it as much- which is why I was "meh" at best with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo- too many words and names that I couldn't pronounce.
Mod
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/book..."
check out this week's podcast Elizabeth! and thanks for the suggestion!
Mod
Pretty interesting new site called Bookish. It gives you book recommendations based in up to 4 books you like and you can pick. Check it out and discuss it. (http://www.bookish.com/)
Mod
I had been reading about this site. After reading your comment, I tried it. It took 4 books before it recognized a title I typed in so it could give me a recommendation. (The first was Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend and the second was The Shoemaker's Wife).
i had trouble with this website. it wouldn't even let me enter a title.
I guess they don't yet have many titles available to make the cross-reference and issuing the corresponding recommendation.
If you like non-fiction (as I do) I think a nice list of books to see is the following, which will be discussed in TED 2013.http://blog.ted.com/2013/02/06/want-t...
Elizabeth wrote: "i had trouble with this website. it wouldn't even let me enter a title."ditto but I had an old computer when I tried it last.
Worked fine for me, although it recommended for me a book I had read and hated....lol.
I would really like to find out more about why books have more than one cover design/color, why the same book has a different title and why authors use different names for themselves, all in different parts of the world and how this all fits into our reading lives/reading world?Thank you
As I reside in Australia I am not able to have a vast amount of access to Southern American writers and their books even though I love southern themed books like Looking for salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore or similar and was hoping you could do a special podcast show which enlightens and brings us folks down under up to date with this genre.Thank you
Mod
Those are both great suggestions! Thank you :)
Ann wrote: "Muffysbookclub© wrote: "As I reside in Australia I am not able to have a vast amount of access to Southern American writers and their books even though I love southern themed books like Looking for..."My pleasure.Thank you for taking the time to read my comment. Am looking forward to many more of your podcasts at least well into the 22nd century :)
Hi Ann and Michael - I saw a post come through with one of my favorite authors - Tupelo Hassman - in the subject line and I was so excited... something new about Tupelo! Then I saw it was material from Santa Cruz, which I had the privelege to hear first hand. My next thought was -- oh my gosh this would be a good topic for a BOTN segment. Tips & strategies for staying up-to-date on your favorite authors. For example, I remember Tupelo saying she had something being published sometime soon in Harper's but haven't been able to follow the trail. I'm sure there are some obvious tips (visit authors' web pages, follow them on twitter...) but maybe there are some you can think of that we might not. Looking forward to seeing you in Bellingham. --Cathy in Dallas
I'd love to hear your thoughts about Goodreads.com being acquired by Amazon.com. http://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/41...
I don't quite know what to think. I can't help feeling a bit suspicious that goodreads will become just another marketing platform for amazon, but at the same time, most of the books that I read come from either the library or amazon, so the possibilities for integration are outstanding, especially for those who own kindles...
Mod
http://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/41...
I don't qui..."
When I got home from work and read this news, I did not feel good. I agree with Heather, I'd like to know how others and Michael and Ann specifically feel about this acquisition. Other publishing professionals, too.
I, too, am troubled by the sale of Goodreads. Suddenly I feel like my reviews are being written for a marketing department instead of friends. Seriously, I will likely write fewer book reviews. Am also uncomfortable with Amazon having access to my shelf lists. When will the consolidation stop? What will the effect be on creativity and free thought? And the accessibility of those thoughts to others? If it's not a pulp fiction best seller, will it not get published?
I don't think it would have an effect on publishing because of self publishing, however, I'm sure our shelves will be used as a tool in marketing. I wonder if there will be more ads now too like on Facebook?
Mod
This has me divided between being an Amazon fan and a Goodreads fan. As for changes to the site well Amazon has owned the Internet Movies Database (IMDB) for years and has made that site better while not changing it a whole lot.Changing this site to be all Amazon will be a disaster for Amazon and a PR nightmare for the company.I use a Kindle and its the best book ordering environment that I have dealt with. I use Audible which Amazon has owned for years. I buy from Amazon constantly and they basically keep their promises.As for the negative Amazon has had many problems with their work environment(its basic to say the least) and their treatment of employees.Try as people may your not going to stop Amazon getting bigger. Goodreads sure didn't. If you want an alternative there is Library Thing but as long as BOTNS stays with Goodreads I will stay here.ger
I've eliminated all except the most basic information from my goodreads profile and will be exporting my reviews and lists this weekend. I'll be gradually weaning myself away from groups and in the interim, stop linking titles, covers and authors in my comments. I love the services that AMZN, APPL, google, FB and twitter provide, but deplore the hidden costs of data mining my person. It seems that we are constantly being asked to transfer our lives online, onto a cloud, whatever... in exchange for being tagged to bits! It's unnerving to know that it's very easy for ***any*** concerned party to know where we are, what we're eating, who we're with, what we're doing, what we're watching, what we're listening to and, more salient to this thread, what we're reading. We're being told that this is all to make our shopping lives easier. Really? Perhaps. Regardless, I'm affronted enough by the near constant targeting to minimize my online info.
As for the BOTNS group in particular, I will continue to hang in there until the end of the year at the latest. Hopefully by then, an alternative will have appeared :-)
As for the BOTNS group in particular, I will continue to hang in there until the end of the year at the latest. Hopefully by then, an alternative will have appeared :-)
I am disappointed in this turn of events, though not surprised. I hope that a similar alternative can be figured out, although I would miss goodreads. FYI, not sure if people know about this- if you don't like the idea of other sites being given access to and/or displaying your reviews, there's a box that you need to uncheck in your profile. If you navigate to My Account, click on the "settings" tab. Under Privacy, there's a box marked "allow partners of Goodreads to display my reviews," which you might want to uncheck.
Mod
https://plus.google.com/1078040623077...
For now, nothing is going to change here, though I do know that some of our friends here have already deleted their accounts.
Mod
Mod
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Mod
Janet, just to clarify something .. Amazon doesn't post fake reviews. People post fake reviews on Amazon. There is a difference. Some authors hire people or services to post reviews on Amazon, and there's no reason to believe that Goodreads is not part of their service as well. Whenever you allow people to post reviews, there is danger of the system being gamed. Where Goodreads differs is that you can see your friends' reviews first, and that's usually all that I pay attention to. I know none of my friends are getting paid to post fake reviews, so I can rely on them to be truthful, even if I don't necessarily share someone's reading taste.
Ann,Thanks for the clarification. Would you agree that the impersonal nature of Amazon is what allows the posting of fake reviews and one danger is that Goodreads will become more like them in that regard?
It's great that they are integrating the Kindle product in Goodreads potentially, but frustrating for anyone who owns an e-reader besides Kindle (i.e. Nook). I just hope it won't turn into an i-tunes type situation where you can only purchase the book in e-reader form, and only Kindle e-reader form.
Callie wrote: "I am disappointed in this turn of events, though not surprised. I hope that a similar alternative can be figured out, although I would miss goodreads. FYI, not sure if people know about this- if ..."
Thanks for this. I checked my privacy settings and did not have reviews available to partners of Goodreads. Nonetheless, I was taken aback when I put a book on my to-read shelf and an ad for it popped up on my email page. I have become more active in Goodreads over the past year, but now I am rethinking it.
Callie wrote: "I am disappointed in this turn of events, though not surprised. I hope that a similar alternative can be figured out, although I would miss goodreads. FYI, not sure if people know about this- if ..."
I must be missing it, but are the account settings on Books on the Nightstand or Good Reads? I can't find them in either place and would like to follow your suggestions for updating privacy settings.
I would love to have a repeat of the show(s) you did two or three years ago when listeners got to vote on which book from your "I've never read pile" and then you guys read over the summer and discussed. I thought that was a lot of fun!
Nancy wrote: "Callie wrote: "I am disappointed in this turn of events, though not surprised. I hope that a similar alternative can be figured out, although I would miss goodreads. FYI, not sure if people know ..."
Nancy, it's on goodreads. If you click on the arrow next to your avatar on the top right part of the screen, navigate to Edit Profile. Then go to the second tab on that page, Settings. It's a check box about halfway down the page.
Ann,I just joined the group and started listening to the podcast this week. I have enjoyed them so far.
I have something you may want to talk about? How about great authors that are under appreciated or overlooked?
I can think two novelists that come to mind in this topic.
1) Mark Helprin is one of the great American novelists writing today and he doesn't get the praise or credit that other great novelists have gotten throughout their careers. One of my favorite all-time novels, Winter's Tale, is just a gorgeous read and A Soldier of the Great War is almost as good.
2)Athol Dickson is a novelist that has become one of my favorites and I believe he could be the successor to Walker Percy and Graham Greene in writing thoughtful, moral works of fiction. His best novels are River Rising, Lost Mission, and The Opposite of Art: A Novel
Those are my two under appreciated or overlooked novelists? Are there others?
Marion
Marion wrote: "Ann,I just joined the group and started listening to the podcast this week. I have enjoyed them so far.
I have something you may want to talk about? How about great authors that are under appr..."
I'd agree with Mark Helprin and I'll add Richard Yates to the mix. And while I'm at it, Steve Yarbrough. :-)
Mod
I just joined the group and started listening to the podcast this week. I have enjoyed them so far.
I have something you may want to talk about? How about great authors that..."
When do we get our "like" button on GoodReads?
I totally second Steve Yarbrough! I am reading 2 of his books now. He is a great story teller about people that could be you, me, or anyone. The stories make sense, evoke emotion. Please no more comparisons to William Faulkner!
Debbie wrote: "I totally second Steve Yarbrough! I am reading 2 of his books now. He is a great story teller about people that could be you, me, or anyone. The stories make sense, evoke emotion. Please no more c..."Like!
Two suggestions:1. What is the difference between a meme, a trope and a conceit? These terms keep coming up with reference to books and I don't really get the difference (if there is one!)
2. I would love a phone-in with suggestions for "hard" science fiction, preferably current rather than classic. I find books for my husband to read and am always looking for ideas.
Thanks!
Hi AnnThe Steam Punk genre might shake things up? Where it originated from, how popular it's become and why. Also which steam punk books are top 10 in the world. I would really like to know all this about this genre and perhaps more.
Thank you guys!
Mod
I'd be interested to know a bit more about the self help book genre ... It's such a huge and growing area and it got me thinking a bit more about this genre after reading the examined life by Stephen grotz (I may have just mis spelt his sir name?) Knowing what other listeners think of this area .. Have they ever found such books helpful etc .. Just a thought anyway .. Always love the podcast .. Thanks x
Muffysbookclub© wrote: "Hi AnnThe Steam Punk genre might shake things up? Where it originated from, how popular it's become and why. Also which steam punk books are top 10 in the world. I would really like to know all t..."
I am not sure if all you mentioned is addressed, but there is a prior episode on the podcast about Steampunk.
Anna wrote: "Knowing what other listeners think of this area .. Have they ever found such books helpful etc .. Just a thought anyway .. Always love the podcast .. Thanks x "
It's not exactly a self-help book, but it helped me enormously: The Weight of the Nation: Surprising Lessons About Diets, Food, and Fat from the Extraordinary Series from HBO Documentary Films (by John Hoffman and Judith A. Salerno, with Alexandra Moss; afterward by Harvey V. Fineberg, foreward by Kelly D. Brownell.) The documentary itself is about how obesity (and the overall heaviness of the average American) are a huge social health issue: the causes and ramifications. You can see the documentary (four one-hour segments), for free (legally)here: http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/
The book underscores some of the material from the documentary (great for reinforcing the memory) and adds a little bit more as to what you can do as an individual.
The audio is narrated by Bernadette Dunne. When I listened to the audio, I put it on my iPhone and took it with me on my dog walks at the park. It turns out that if you shake or jostle your iPhone while it's in iPod mode, the tracks shuffle! At first I was confused: Did the text repeat itself again? Did the post-engineers mess up the editing? Where the heck am I in this book?! I finally figured it out though :-D
I have to say it was the most important book I've read and listened to this past year and was instrumental in my own weight-loss campaign and lifestyle change.
It's not exactly a self-help book, but it helped me enormously: The Weight of the Nation: Surprising Lessons About Diets, Food, and Fat from the Extraordinary Series from HBO Documentary Films (by John Hoffman and Judith A. Salerno, with Alexandra Moss; afterward by Harvey V. Fineberg, foreward by Kelly D. Brownell.) The documentary itself is about how obesity (and the overall heaviness of the average American) are a huge social health issue: the causes and ramifications. You can see the documentary (four one-hour segments), for free (legally)here: http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/
The book underscores some of the material from the documentary (great for reinforcing the memory) and adds a little bit more as to what you can do as an individual.
The audio is narrated by Bernadette Dunne. When I listened to the audio, I put it on my iPhone and took it with me on my dog walks at the park. It turns out that if you shake or jostle your iPhone while it's in iPod mode, the tracks shuffle! At first I was confused: Did the text repeat itself again? Did the post-engineers mess up the editing? Where the heck am I in this book?! I finally figured it out though :-D
I have to say it was the most important book I've read and listened to this past year and was instrumental in my own weight-loss campaign and lifestyle change.
Wow that sounds like a really good listen ... Ill check out the link thanks :)
Tanya/dog eared copy wrote: "Anna wrote: "Knowing what other listeners think of this area .. Have they ever found such books helpful etc .. Just a thought anyway .. Always love the podcast .. Thanks x "It's not exactly a sel..."
This was the book Ive just finished - The Examined Life: How We Lose and Find Ourselves by Stephen Grosz
It was really good - really made me think about the incidents and events that come up in life and how we deal with them or manage them -
Ill definitely check that link - Thanks again
Books on the Nightstand
Books mentioned in this topic
The Looking-Glass Sisters (other topics)Leviathan Wakes (other topics)
The Glass Room (other topics)
The Invisible Bridge (other topics)
Ancillary Justice (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Annie Dillard (other topics)Lia Purpura (other topics)
Joni Tevis (other topics)
Athol Dickson (other topics)
Mark Helprin (other topics)
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Mariano, I commented some place about the fact that there were too many people named Thomas in Wolf Hall (Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Boleyn, Thomas Seymour, etc.) I think I counted 8 different ones. I still enjoyed the book - maybe I just grasped the main concept of what was happening with Catherine of Aragon.
I went on to read (listen) to the sequel Bring Up the Bodies which seemed much easier to grasp. I think someone talked to the author about the vastness of her book.