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 EIGHT (2012) (ONGOING THREAD for 2012)
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Jim
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Oct 15, 2012 05:50PM
I agree with Jackie. That's just a cheap shot.
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Jackie wrote: "About your spoilers, Joy, I would have been furious with that kind of ending.[...]"That's how I feel, Jackie. In fact, as you can see, I still haven't gotten over it. What I can't understand is why none of the readers have complained about the extremely vague ending. Aren't they wondering, just as I am, (view spoiler)? Nobody seems to care.
Jim wrote: "I agree with Jackie. That's just a cheap shot."Jim, seems to me it is. I'll never understand why the book is so highly acclaimed. Sometimes I think people are ashamed to admit their ignorance and so they pretend to understand (as in the emperor's-new-clothes-syndrome). I wish you would read the book and explain it to me. If anyone could, YOU could! :)
Sorry, Joy I couldn't find any notes I took after reading Plague of Doves." Next time I have book meeting I'll see if anyone remembers the ending and pass it on.
Joy H. wrote: "Jim, seems to me it is. I'll never understand why the book is so highly acclaimed. Sometimes I think people are ashamed to admit their ..."Joy, art of any sort is subjective & often 'experts' are looking at things that don't interest me all that much. I've heard that those that can do, those that can't teach, & those with an axe to grind become critics.
When egos get involved in social cliques, any hope of common sense is gone. There have been a lot of embarrassing art scams.
- Acclaimed artist is actually a chimp:
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/ar...
- Here are a bunch of others, including a dog that won a weaving contest:
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/ar...
- Han van Meegeren showed them all by forging the masters:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Han_van_...
It also happens in Hollywood. Ali Larter, (Ms. Freeze on Heroes) got her start posing as a hoax on Esquire magazine.
http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/ar...
I saw one silly painting, just a small orange at the bottom of a big, blank canvas in a very expensive shop in NYC. Because of where it was, everyone said it was art. Not hardly. I had to call my bowls art to sell them at Brandywine museum, though. No 'crafts' allowed. Hah!
Books can be worse, especially 'true' stories. Frey's A Million Little Pieces immediately comes to mind. Oprah said it was good & true. Mom & her book club read it & they all swallowed it hook, line, & sinker. I knew the last 3/4 or so of the book was pure fiction, but no one believed me. I've only heard the same fantasies from drunks & drug addicts for over 20 years. Months later, Oprah finally admitted the hoax, but spun it like she just found out. Crap. Her medical expert told her it was a crock, but she was invested in it already, so played out the sorry story.
That's why I rely on my GR friends who share my taste in books for choosing what I read. They have no pretensions or stake in their recommendations. Critics do & far too often that trips them up.
Jim wrote: "... When egos get involved in social cliques, any hope of common sense is gone. There have been a lot of embarrassing art scams. ..."Jim, thanks for the links. Those articles really prove the point!
I remember that incident with Oprah!
I've never understood paintings like the "silly" one you describe.
"[Abstract art is] a product of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered."
-Al Capp (1909-1979)
FROM: http://www.quotationspage.com/subject...
I don't entirely agree with Capp, but usually do. Sometimes the odd patterns can be cool, but generally on the level of a tie-dye shirt. Pretty, but certainly not real art like a good landscape.Eric Sloane is one of my favorite painters of New England landscapes & old barns. His book Eighty: An American Souvenir/Limited Slipcased Edition is wonderful. I reviewed it.
For fantasy, no one beats Frank Frazetta. I have several books of his paintings not to mention a cartoon film he did & dozens of books that have his paintings as cover art. He did all the Lancer Conan books like this,
. He also did Wagner's Kane series, a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs' books & plenty more.
I love the Impressionists. They're my favorites.Your review of Eric Sloane's book is interesting. Funny you should mention Robert Redford... another coincidence. I'm currently listening to the audio version of Robert Redford: The Biography by Michael Feeney Callan. It's fun peeking behind the scenes and reading about all the professional disagreements which preceded the creation and production of many of his hit films. Small fact: Redford was often late for app'ts and rehearsals and that bothered a lot of people. He's very strong-willed and independent.
Another coincidence... I mentioned the Impressionists in art to you above a few minutes ago and now on VPR-Radio, I hear about DeBussy who was an Impressionist in the area of musical composing. The program mentioned that DeBussy was able to take the words and translate their meaning and emotion into music. The poem, An Afternoon of a Faun was given as an example.BELOW IS FROM WIKI:
The composition was inspired by the poem L'après-midi d'un faune by Stéphane Mallarmé, and later formed the basis for the ballet Afternoon of a Faun, choreographed by Vaslav Nijinsky. It is one of Debussy's most famous works and is considered a turning point in the history of music; composer-conductor Pierre Boulez even dates the awakening of modern music from this score, observing that "the flute of the faun brought new breath to the art of music."
FROM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pr%C3%A9...
===========================================
The poem is at:
http://faculty.txwes.edu/csmeller/hum...
Scroll down at the page for a summary.
LINK to the music at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_7loz...
LINK to the music played on piano using a player-piano version from 1918: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbLl2...
Actually, I mentioned Conan, written by Robert E. Howard, not Redford, but that's OK. I like Redford too, especially as the Sundance Kid.;-)
Jim wrote: "Actually, I mentioned Conan, written by Robert E. Howard, not Redford, but that's OK. I like Redford too, especially as the Sundance Kid.;-)"
Jim, you did mention Redford in your review.
You wrote: "He [Eric Sloane] once did a sketch with a chocolate bar that was framed. Robert Redford bought one of his painting. All kinds of fun stuff."
See your review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Joy H. wrote: "I love the Impressionists. They're my favorites.Your review of Eric Sloane's book is interesting. Funny you should mention Robert Redford... another coincidence. I'm currently listening to the au..."
Joy, did you read, "Luncheon at the Boating Party?" This was one of my favorites about the lives of the Impressionists.
Jackie, I don't know if you own a Kindle; I just ordered a sample of "Crewel" and received the first five chapters free. I will let you know what I think. I do still use my hardbacks from the library and paperbacks alternately but this type of thing is another bonus of the Kindle. The other is having so many books to choose from when on an extended trip. Easier to carry than several paperbacks.
Nina wrote: "Joy, did you read, "Luncheon at the Boating Party?" This was one of my favorites about the lives of the Impressionists."Nina, I haven't read that book. I'll put it on my keep-in-mind shelf.
Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland
OR DID YOU MEAN:
The Luncheon Of The Boating Party by Stewart Conn
OR:
The Luncheon Of The Boating Party by Martha Carey
OR:
Renoir: Luncheon of the Boating Party - 4 Fold by Scala Publishers
I have a copy of the painting from a calendar. Here's the pic:
http://artseverydayliving.com/blog/wp...
Nina, thank you for thinking of me. I don't own a Kindle and probably won't any time soon. I see the advantages when travelling but I don't go anywhere, all my books are right here with me.
Joy, it is the the book by Susan Vreeland. I could read it again. As I said, one of my favorites.
Jim wrote: "I'd forgotten about that, Joy."Jim, it's impossible to remember all the comments we make. I'm constantly discovering things I wrote (stored in my own computer) that I don't remember writing. :)
Nina wrote: "Joy, it is the the book by Susan Vreeland. I could read it again. As I said, one of my favorites."According to the GR list of genres for _Luncheon of the Boating Party_ by Susan Vreeland, the genre is historical fiction.
Speaking of coincidences: A couple of months ago I watched a movie set in Sweden concerning an intense competion between a father and son doing some kind of music composition. The father had been seeking a world wide award that was given yearly for most of his adult life and the son followed in his footsteps. Finally, the word came that the father, had indeed was to be honored with the award. Later, just before it was to be given out, it turned out that the award was really for the son; not his father. The father was somewhat abusive in words to the son but in spite of that the son finally decided to not say anything and the father did receive it. It also meant the son could never try again. Not exactly like that movie but I was reading about the two men who were recently awarded the Nobel prize and one of them commented that even though his father had been previously honored as an astronomer for discovering something to do with the galaxy around Mars, he had nver been awarded the Nobel prize as he was now to be given. End of story. Is life stranger than fiction?
Jim wrote: "Forbes did a very nice write-up on GoodReads.http://www.forbes.com/sites/markfidel..."
Thanks, Jim. I've posted the link at my topic here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...
Nina wrote: "Speaking of coincidences: A couple of months ago I watched a movie set in Sweden concerning an intense competion between a father and son doing some kind of music composition. The father had been s..."Interesting coincidence, Nina. Art copied life and life copied art.
At the top of the GR homepage, there is a link that says, "Rate more books". I decided to click on it & it brought up a screen with a bunch of different genres on it that I'm supposed to choose. Some are pre-chosen, based on my current reading. While it got quite a few right, I was surprised that 'Chick-Lit' was checked. I guess that what I get for reading all those PNR books like Sookie & such. I don't think anyone who knows me, including me, would pick me as a chick-lit sort of guy.;-)
It's definitely Sookie that got you on that list, lol
I'm reading something way outside my normal range, Bedtime Stories: A Collection of Erotic Fairy Tales by Jean Johnson. I have no idea who recommended it or why I thought to get it, but I saw it on my ereader & decided to give it a try.
I have to say, it's a lot of fun. The first story is a retelling of the prince who is turned into a frog & what he must do to turn back into a man. I'm chuckling just remembering it. Nothing too dirty or graphic, but definitely erotic & rather nice in a lot of ways. There are some wonderfully happy endings & good points made. Maybe I am turning into a chick-lit reader!
Has anyone else read this book or anything by this author?
Haven't read the author, but this collection sounds like fun.
Jim wrote: "At the top of the GR homepage, there is a link that says, "Rate more books". I decided to click on it & it brought up a screen with a bunch of different genres on it that I'm supposed to choose. ..."Jim, I went to that "book-rating" page you mentioned. They refer to the genres as "your favorite genres". They aren't necessarily my favorites just because I may have shelves for them. For example, "thriller" isn't my favorite genre just because I put a book on that shelf. It could be I haven't read the book but wanted to keep-it-in-mind for curiosity purposes.
Anyway, I'm not picking and choosing my favorites. For some reason I find it hard to call any book or genre my "favorite" because my tastes are eclectic, depending on author, style, and a number of other considerations.
Jim wrote: "I'm reading something way outside my normal range, Bedtime Stories: A Collection of Erotic Fairy Tales by Jean Johnson. I have no idea who recommended it or why I thought to get it, but I saw it ..."
My first experience with any erotic book was The Postman Always Rings Twice when I was a teen-ager and innocently started reading it. When I reached the scene which seemed erotic to my naive sensitivities, I was shocked. I thought it was a mortal sin to read, and put the book in the garbage. LOL
Then in my sixties, I got braver and curiouser. So I ordered Anaïs Nin's Delta of Venus. I think she wrote it to make money. I wasn't impressed.
This one had an interesting cover picture:
http://www.amazon.com/Service-First-p...
or larger image:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/imag...
It's one of those pics which change before your eyes to reveal something else. At first you see two facial profiles facing one another.
That just looks pornographic to start, Joy. You managed to shock me.;-)
I have to say, the writing is a bit more graphic than I originally said, but i wouldn't call it pornographic. It's tasteful smut.
Jim, I notice that the Goodreads copy of that book has a different cover. I guess that the people in charge thought the same as you do. I agree. But I thought it was tricky the way they presented it.
Jim, we talked about fox hunts a short time ago in this thread. FunTrivia had the following question today:===========================================
"This canid is red in colour and used to be hunted with dogs for sport before the practice was outlawed.
Your answer: Fox"
===========================================
Jim, how come we don't outlaw fox hunting in the USA?
Why should we, Joy? First, no one fox hunts in the US. As far as I know, it's always been a fox chase. Hunt implies they're trying for a kill, but they're not. Animal rights whackos keep swearing they do & it's cruel, but they don't know squat. Seems to me the louder those morons are, the more ignorant they are.The sport started in England as a fun, if inefficient way to get rid of foxes which were a real pest & danger to their fowl. They got a pack of dogs and put a guy in charge of them. He’s the Huntsman. He has a couple of helpers to keep the pack together called Whips (Whippers-in). A bunch of other folks want to tag along, so you put the Master in charge of them, the field. Add some fancy clothes and that’s pretty much the setup for a fox hunt or chase.
It’s a blast, a party on horseback with a lot of socializing and getting to run around while seeing beautiful countryside. Afterward, there is a tea, usually a food packed party with enough alcohol to warm everyone up.
The anticipation while waiting to see if the pack picks up a scent only heightens the thrill when they do and you get to take off across the territory, flying over jumps, galloping across fields and through narrow woods paths. Impromptu competitions happen as people race each other to a narrow path, over a jump, or across a field. Sometimes folks will jump together (head-to-head) too.
Of course, the fox is the star of the show, but it really isn't about the fox anymore. I love watching them hunt and play in the meadow, so I’m quite content to just chase them around until they go to ground (back into their den) or run out of the area. (That's why they're chases, because it's rare to catch one and those are likely mercy killings of a crippled fox.)
Over the years, I’ve had the chance to watch the action both from the ground and participate on horseback. Everyone involved loves the chase, including the fox. If they’re not in the mood, they go to ground fast, but if they are it’s a grand romp.
One day we drew a cover near the club (the headquarters of the fox hunt) where a vixen was known to live. She took us twice around a hundred acres or so then went to ground right where we found her. She knew exactly what she was doing. We’d run her around every few weeks and some days she didn’t feel like playing, so she wouldn’t come out. It’s not as if the pack of hounds on a schedule could sneak up on her and they can't fit into her den either.
Another time, I was hill topping (watching the hunt from afar on foot) and saw a fox run out of a woods to a fence that was overgrown with vines and trees. He proceeded to jump through the fence, run up a ways and jump back through. He did that about a half dozen times then trotted up to the top of the hill on the far side and sat down, looking back over the area he had just covered.
The hounds burst out of woods on his trail! They hit the fence and it looked like a scene from the Keystone Kops. They bunched up, went nuts as they fought their way through, their larger size and greater numbers making it a chaotic mess. They did this only to find they had to cross back through again, repeating their frantic and comic scene.
The fox watched calmly from the hilltop until they were maybe halfway through the course he’d laid for them and then slowly trotted off. The pack lost him shortly after that. You can’t tell me he wasn’t sitting up there with a smirk on his face just loving the show he’d engineered.
Fox hounds are much too large to fit into a fox's den which is one reason there are so few kills. In England, terriers used to be carried on horses. When the fox went into its den, the terriers were let loose to kill it.
No hunt in the U.S. that I've been with has ever done that, though. Parson Jack Russell bred the Fox Terrier. His castoffs later became the Jack Russell breed and now the AKC's version, the Parson Russell. We have several and they're a bunch of mutts with all sorts of different breeding.
We did occasionally kill a fox, but almost without exception, it was in bad shape and those aren’t runs, they’re mercy killings. Most have either escaped leg traps which maimed them and left them slowly starving to death or they’ve got mange or some other disease that’s almost killed them. Once in a blue moon, usually in the spring, we’ll get some stupid, young bachelor who is crossing unfamiliar territory and loses his wits. Most of the time, even those run quickly out of the area we’re allowed to hunt in or manage to ditch us.
Some chases don't use a fox at all, but just drag a sack with scent on it around. The hounds follow that trail and it is called a Drag Hunt. They aren't nearly as much fun. There isn't as much suspense and that sack generally goes along a pretty predictable course. Still, it's better than not hunting at all, I guess. More like a trail ride, though. Definitely not the same.
In case anyone thinks fox chasing is only dangerous for the fox, it's not. Hounds get torn up going through fences or hit by cars, but not often. The most common casualty are the people, with horses coming in second. I've rarely been out when someone hasn't fallen off & gotten pretty banged up, some even paralyzed & killed. Broken bones are common & since we're usually off in the middle of nowhere, that means a long ride out to get medical help.
It's a fairly dangerous sport since the horses love the runs as much as people do, but when they spook or fall, their riders often get the worst of that. It's a lot of fun, though.
Joined a book club because I seem only to pick mysteries. Currently, I'm hooked on the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_BoschWhen I read Harry Bosch I picture him as the character in Law and Order played by Chris Noth. I read one right after the other.
So, I joined a local book club which is less than 2 miles from my home and meets one time monthly for an hour. The book is: Forever by Pete Hamill. The book cover states its about a young man from Ireland who goes to NYC in America to avenge the death of his parents. Since he assisted an African shaman he is given a gift of living forever.
Sounded interesting. Eagerly, I read the first 25 pages. Then, something happened and I started to skim. Too many words, too much description on something I wasn't interested in reading (Harry Bosch I read every word and even highlight sentences). There are 613 pages and I'm on 163. Seems like it will take FOVEVER to read. Trying to stay open-minded but I can't help my continuous skimming. There are some interesting aspects to the book, how its all coming together to bring the main character to America. To me, some it stories to get you to NYC could have been eliminated. Rather boring.
Magical and epic tale - yes agreed. But very wordy. I'll keep trugging along. Interested in hearing the discussions at the book club on November 12th. Perhaps I'll be finished by then, but only if I continue to skim.
http://www.petehamill.com/books/forev...
Jim wrote: "Why should we, Joy? First, no one fox hunts in the US. As far as I know, it's always been a fox chase. Hunt implies they're trying for a kill, but they're not. Animal rights whackos keep sweari..."Jim, thanks for all the interesting information.
Note that the "Golden Bridge Hounds" group call it "foxhunting". See the following page:
http://www.goldensbridgehounds.org/UC/
(Scroll down to the bottom.)
It says: "WE’RE ALWAYS READY TO SHARE OUR LOVE OF FOXHUNTING AND RIDING TO HOUNDS".
They should call it a "fox chase" like you do. :)
Do you worry about your mom taking part in this risky type of sport?
Linda wrote: "Joined a book club because I seem only to pick mysteries. Currently, I'm hooked on the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. ... I joined a local book club ... The book is: Forever by Pete Hamill. ... I started to skim. Too many words, too much description ..."Linda, I know what you mean about "too much description". Sometimes it really slow downs the forward movement of the storyline.
I checked out the one-star GR reviews of Forever. Below are the comments of 3 GR reviewers who seem to agree with you:
=============================================
"Perhaps it's cheating to say that I read this book. I read 25 pages and couldn't make myself read anymore. I has a trillion good reviews but I just did not like it. I think what he wrote in 25 pages could have been been written in about a paragraph."
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
"Soooooooo sllllooooowwwww and weird, I stuck with it but it was strange and parts of it put me to sleep- could have cut out lots of the middle!"
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
"Just could not get in to this book. Slow, trying to tie too much stuff together. I quit after about 1/3 of the way through it."
FROM: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
==================================================
How did you find that book club?
I haven't attended any of the library's book groups lately because I'm busy reading my own book choices.
PS-I'm currently listening to several good audio-books as well.
I finished Exile which was very good, much better than Homeland. I decided to start Marker by Robin Cook because it shouldn't take too much thinking.After managing to avoid getting sick the past two weeks, it finally latched on to me. Yep, a cold that will be full blown bronchitis by the end of the day. So I want something that I don't have to put much effort into.
Joy H. wrote: "Linda wrote: "Joined a book club because I seem only to pick mysteries. Currently, I'm hooked on the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly. ... I joined a local book club ... The book is: Forever ..."Searched online for local library book clubs. LG has one on the 2nd Monday of the month from 7pm-8pm. Allows me time to go home from work, eat a quick dinner than go to the library for the book club. First one for me will be Nov 5.
Joy, the term Fox Hunting is just what's used. We call a lot of races Steeple Chases, but they're no longer cross country to some steeple, but on a course with brush or timber fences. Point-to-point races are also steeple chases, but they usually don't end up at a church either.I used to race motorcycles, ski, & sky dive, so no, it doesn't worry me. Mom's over 70 & still fox hunts several times a week during the season, but any time you mess with horses or any large animal, there's an element of danger involved. When spooked, they have no more sense than a retarded chicken. Sometimes they just get mean. Since they generally weigh around 1000 lbs, it doesn't take much to hurt a human.
Jackie wrote: "... Yep, a cold that will be full blown bronchitis by the end of the day. So I want something that I don't have to put much effort into."Jackie, hope you feel better soon! Marker is a perfect book to read while you're sick, a medical mystery! :) I see from the GR description that it's supposed to be "electrifying page-turner". Happy reading.
Linda wrote: "Searched online for local library book clubs. LG has one on the 2nd Monday of the month from 7pm-8pm. ..."Linda, as you say, it's close by. Very convenient! Hope it turns out to be a good group.
Jim! I can't believe you used to sky dive! That's the scariest thing!
Jackie, I missed the bronchitis. I had that last year & couldn't even read. I think I watched the first season of Buffy instead. That just goes to show how my brain turned to mush. I enjoyed it.;-)
Hope you get better soon!!!
---------
Joy, we all have our things. I don't mind heights, but am not fond of scuba diving in dark water. I have a thing about how the mask cuts off my peripheral vision & I can't see well.
Get well soon, Jackie! We're thinking about you.Jim, I think the first season of Buffy was the best (though my exposure to the series has been hit and miss). Of course, some people would say that my brain turned to mush a long time ago. :-)
When I feel like engaging in some wild, daredevil form of life-threatening extreme sport, as Mark Twain used to say about exercise, "I lie down until the feeling goes away." :-)
I loved the first season of Buffy!! I do have to say that as the show went on it got dumber and dumber, but it still tops Twilight. Your brain turns to mush when you watch the Twilight movies. :)Jackie, I hope that you're feeling better soon. I'll send you happy thoughts from Iowa.
(Jim, thanks for the fox hunting/chasing story... that was interesting, especially the fox who "outfoxed" the dogs.)
Thanks everyone. It's hard to concentrate enough to read, so I think it's gonna be a TV day.
Jenni, I'm ashamed to say I'd never picked up on the fact that you're from Iowa! My hometown of Clinton is just a couple of counties east of North Liberty, on the River. So I'm still a Hawkeye, of sorts. (Of course, I haven't lived there since 1978, and haven't been back to visit very often.)I'm our group's resident Twilight fan (as a former co-worker once said, "Werner's into the weird"); but since my brain was already mush, I didn't have anything to lose. :-)
I finished Bedtime Stories: A Collection of Erotic Fairy Tales by Jean Johnson. I liked it! The sex was easy enough to skim through as needed, but it really added a lot to some of the stories. A couple really hinged on it. My review is here:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
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