What Are You Reading Right Now? ( Hwæt béon ðu bocrædung?) Showing 3,501-3,550 of 10,105

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Grrr. Braveheart. :{ Me no likie either.

[Darcy]

Sorry, I didn't mean to bring back the pain. For the record I agree, it is not a film to aspire to in any way or by any stretch of the imagination.

[Jane]

Margaret wrote: "Jane wrote: "I'm partly Scot background; that story was an insult to Scots everywhere."

Mel Gibson's accent was an insult to Scots everywhere!"

And how authentic was the face half blue and half unpainted? That bugged the heck out of me.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Jane wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Jane wrote: "I'm partly Scot background; that story was an insult to Scots everywhere."

Mel Gibson's accent was an insult to Scots everywhere!"

And how authentic was the face ha..."

Looked and sounded more like a football supporter rather than a "freedom fighter".

It was the lurv affair with Princess Isabella that REALLY peed me off. Talk about playing fast and loose with history. :p

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Terri wrote: "Grrr. Braveheart. :{ Me no likie either."

Referred to with great condemnation in my family as "Bravefart".

[Darcy]

Margaret wrote: "Terri wrote: "Grrr. Braveheart. :{ Me no likie either."

Referred to with great condemnation in my family as "Bravefart"."

In mine it was Gravelark

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

My family liked it. (Mum, Dad and brother) I get no help trashing the movie around them.

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Darcy wrote: "Margaret wrote: "Terri wrote: "Grrr. Braveheart. :{ Me no likie either."

Referred to with great condemnation in my family as "Bravefart"."

In mine it was Gravelark"

I like it! :D

[C.P.]

Bryn wrote: "Manga, C.P.? How cute."

It is very cute, actually. ;-)

Dawn, the opera is based on Alexander Pushkin's novel in verse. There's a ballet, too, but that's much later (1970s?). It's quite wonderful, actually—not at all as intimidating as "novel in verse" makes it sound.

[Mark]

a reread for group read.

[Sherry]

I've just posted reviews of Philip Matyszak's The Gold of Tolosa and Colin Falconer's Stigmata , both of which were suggested by members of this group. (Sorry I didn't jot down your names at the time, but thank you!) I thought GOLD was a fun romp (picture Indiana Jones in a toga) and STIGMATA an excellent tale of knights, fair maidens, and God.

[Dawn]

C.P. wrote: "Dawn, the opera is based on Alexander Pushkin's novel in verse. There's a ballet, too, but that's much later (1970s?). It's qui..."

Hmmmm, sounds tempting then. Russian and an Opera.....I'll have to add it.

[Jane]

Don't let 'novel in verse' frighten you. It's a very clever novella--and the opera's great too. The very words to (view spoiler)[ Tatiana's letter scene (hide spoiler)] are right from the story.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Sherry wrote: "I've just posted reviews of Philip Matyszak's The Gold of Tolosa and Colin Falconer's Stigmata , both of which were suggested by..."


Good to see someone from the group read Stigmata. I'll check out your review, Sherry.

[Dawn]

Jane wrote: "Don't let 'novel in verse' frighten you. It's a very clever novella--and the opera's great too. The very words to [spoilers removed] are right from the story."

Now I need to find the opera and listen to it as well. You tube should have it, surprising how many full operas are on there.

[Bryn]

I like to sing along to the letter scene, since I have the opera in English (Kiri Te Kanawa). Lucky you can't hear me... It's a real singalong, that opera.

[Dawn]

Awesome, it is all sounding better and better.

[Alicja]

I just picked up The Last Kingdom from the library. So looking forward to reading it but I must refrain until I finish at least two books I've currently started. My ADD=self is in the middle of 10 right now, lol.

[C.P.]

Bryn wrote: "I like to sing along to the letter scene, since I have the opera in English (Kiri Te Kanawa). Lucky you can't hear me... It's a real singalong, that opera."

Yes, the music is glorious. I'd love to hear Te Kanawa's Tatiana. Lucky you, Bryn!

[Jane]

Dawn wrote: "Jane wrote: "Don't let 'novel in verse' frighten you. It's a very clever novella--and the opera's great too. The very words to [spoilers removed] are right from the story."

Now I need to find th..."

Also, in Act II is Lensky's Aria, "Kuda, Kuda" which is very famous, plus there is a polonaise at the ball. Eugene Onegin

[Jane]

Bryn wrote: "I like to sing along to the letter scene, since I have the opera in English (Kiri Te Kanawa). Lucky you can't hear me... It's a real singalong, that opera."

You don't only sing along w/ Mme. Larina and her daughters making jam? :)

[Jason]

After much procrastinating, I've finally gotten around to reading Wolf Hall. Mantel's style is glorious, IMHO, but I have to confess I had to go back and re-acquaint myself with Henry's England, just so I could keep track of who everyone was!

Next on the list is The Blood Crows, as Mr. Scarrow was giving a talk at the Roman Army Museum when I visited Hadrian's Wall and I managed to get a signed copy. Should be a fun read now that the 'boys are back in town'!

[Lariela]

Devil's Brood by Sharon Kay Penman

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Finished The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA

Started 617: Going To War With Todays Dambusters

[Jane]

Am still reading Within the Hollow Crown: A Valiant King's Struggle to Save His Country, His Dynasty, and His Love

Started The Ancient Celts this afternoon.

[Eileen]

Jane wrote: "Am still reading [book:Within the Hollow Crown: A Valiant King's Struggle to Sav..."

Jane - interesting bit of trivia I once read about Richard II - he was the one who invented the handkerchief. I don't know if it is true or not, and it did make me wonder what did people use before that (their sleeves?). Maybe your new book will mention it.

[Jane]

Perhaps, I haven't come across anything yet. And I read somewhere that Frederick the Great of Prussia was the one who started the custom of having the buttons on mens' sleeves, precisely to forestall the use of sleeves to wipe noses on.

[Eileen]

Jane wrote: "Perhaps, I haven't come across anything yet. And I read somewhere that Frederick the Great of Prussia was the one who started the custom of having the buttons on mens' sleeves, precisely to forest..."

Mothers everywhere are grateful!

[Jane]

That's why Frederick was called 'The Great'! :)

[Margaret, Sherlockian Sheila]

Eileen wrote: "Jane wrote: "Am still reading [book:Within the Hollow Crown: A Valiant King's St..."

Yes, they used their sleeves.

Richard II introduced the handkerchief into England via his young French bride. The hankie was invented in France.

[[deleted user]]

Shield of Thunder

[Mark]

Derek wrote: "Shield of Thunder"

Cool.

[[deleted user]]

Mark wrote: "Derek wrote: "Shield of Thunder"

Cool."

Well...Lord of the Silver Bow was extremely cool! So I figured it was about time I got to book 2.

[Jane]

Margaret wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Jane wrote: "Am still reading [book:Within the Hollow Crown: A Va..."

Ah--no wonder I haven't found it in the book yet--where I am, Richard's still married to Anne of Bohemia.

[happy]

Just finished

- good read

currently reading

[Eileen]

Margaret wrote: "Eileen wrote: "Jane wrote: "Am still reading [book:Within the Hollow Crown: A Va..."

Well, I definitely appreciate adding this to my ever-growing store of trivia!

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I do love useless bits of trivia like that. Thanks to all. :)

[Bryn]

I don't know whether this is a bad idea but I'm going to read Thorvald Steen's Lionheart ahead of the Penman Lionheart with next month's group read. It's a short one.

I finished Norman Mailer's Ancient Evenings with severely mixed feelings.

[Eileen]

Bryn wrote: "I don't know whether this is a bad idea but I'm going to read Thorvald Steen's Lionheart ahead of the Penman Lionheart with next month's group read. It's a short one..."

Well, let us know how the two Lionhearts compare. I've read the Penman one, which was well researched and written, but I felt did not really explain Richard.

Apparently many of the men who knew Richard wrote about him, and the author had many primary sources to go to for the book. But the book is told from the points of view of the people around him, never from the man himself. Kind of like describing the sun from the POV of the planets.

I hope her next book on Richard tells the story from his POV.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Bryn wrote: "I don't know whether this is a bad idea but I'm going to read Thorvald Steen's Lionheart ahead of the Penman Lionheart with next month's group read. It's a short one..."

Always a dangerous move reading two books on the same thing one after the other. Hope it works out. :)

[Bryn]

? I think I like doing it.
I have to say, the translation in the Thorvald Steen seems awful. It's written in an impressionistic way and my guess is the translation is having trouble with that.

[Jane]

Terri wrote: "Bryn wrote: "I don't know whether this is a bad idea but I'm going to read Thorvald Steen's Lionheart ahead of the Penman Lionheart with next month's group read. It'..."

I tried that with two Arthurian books by different authors right after the other. That did NOT work out for me.

[Eileen]

Jane wrote: "Terri wrote: "Bryn wrote: "I don't know whether this is a bad idea but I'm going to read Thorvald Steen's Lionheart ahead of the Penman Lionheart with next month's g..."

I did it for Helen Hollick's novel, The Forever Queen and Patricia Bracewell's Shadow on the Crown, both about Emma of Normandy. I thought they both covered the woman and her life pretty well. Helen's book was a bit grittier, more down to earth than Pat's book. Pat's gave a more polished image of life in that time.

It may have helped that neither book needed to be translated, and that they were both written within a few years (months?) of each other. Sometimes books that were written a while back may have been written in a dated style, but that was not the case with these.

[Jane]

I felt much the same but there was a gap of at least a year between each of these two, Eileen. I read the Hollick first, then the Bracewell, like you.

[Alicja]

Started The Last Kingdom. I have heard such amazing things about it that I have really high expectations. Which I hate starting a book with because that always means I get disappointed but this is Bernard Cornwell so I am still hopeful.

[Bryn]

I thought I'd be more aware of Penman's choices, after another version. Because I can't say I know about Richard in detail.

This is a dark look at Richard 1 and I understand the SKP isn't, so they're in contrast.

[C.P.]

Finished The Eagle and the Swan and The Charter and am trying to decide what to tackle next.

I also wasted a huge amount of time talking sense back into my iPad after I allowed it to upgrade iBooks, only to discover that this version was the one that introduced a "lovely new design" that turned Sleeping Beauty into an ugly crone. But I did eventually persuade my computer to revert to the older version. So now I can go back to reading....

[Darcy]

Alicja wrote: "Started The Last Kingdom. I have heard such amazing things about it that I have really high expectations. Which I hate starting a book with because that always means I get disappointed..."


Feel free to add your thoughts on the group read thread Alicja. The threads are never locked for perpetual participation :D

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Eileen]

Bryn wrote: "I thought I'd be more aware of Penman's choices, after another version. Because I can't say I know about Richard in detail.

This is a dark look at Richard 1 and I understand the SKP isn't, so the..."

SKP did a tremendous amount of research on Richard, and it shows in the book. She said she approached the book with a negative impression of Richard, but ended feeling positive about the man.

[Bryn]

I'm onto Sand Daughter. Same time, same crusade, but the adventures of a Bedu girl. I'm loving it. Romance unobtrusive, so far. It's more wish-fulfilment adventure: girl runs away on horse... fights for Salah ad-Din in the end, I think.