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)
Werner wrote: "This year, the main focus in my reading is trying to tie up some "loose ends," that is, cross off some items that have been on my reading agenda for awhile and, for various reasons, seem to have a ..."Wow, Werner, that looks like a wonderful assortment of great authors in the _Great English Short Stories_ collection.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67...
I was so impressed I had to copy and past the names here:
==========================================
Great English Short Stories
by Reginald Hargreaves (Editor), Lewis Melville (Editor),
CONTRIBUTORS:
A.E. Coppard, Daniel Defoe, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Dunsany, George Eliot, John Galsworthy, Elizabeth Gaskell, Oliver Goldsmith, Joseph Addison, Thomas Hardy, Leigh Hunt, Aldous Huxley, W.W. Jacobs, George Payne Rainsford James, Henry James, Charles Lamb, Arnold Bennett, George Henry Borrow, Ernest Bramah, Edward George Bulwer-Lytton, G.K. Chesterton, Wilkie Collins, Joseph Conrad, D.H. Lawrence, Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, Matthew Gregory Lewis, Frederick Marryat, Thomas Love Peacock, Charles Reade, William Clark Russell, Rafael Sabatini, Walter Scott (Contributor), Mary Shelley (Contributor), Tobias Smollett (Contributor), Richard Steele (Contributor), Laurence Sterne (Contributor), Robert Louis Stevenson (Contributor), Jonathan Swift (Contributor), William Makepeace Thackeray, Anthony Trollope, Horace Annesley Vachell, H.G. Wells, Mary Wollstonecraft, Barnaby Riche (Contributor), Saki
===========================================
What a collection!!!
At my library catalog, while searching for the above, I found another interesting book available:
Adaptations: from short story to big screen : 35 great stories that have inspired great films ,edited by Stephanie Harrison.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...
Sounds good!
I also found: The Oxford Book of English Love Stories edited by John Sutherland.
I ordered all 3 from the library. A delicious smorgasbord!
Mary JL wrote: "I am now finished for a time with the Star Trek kick I was on.I am now beginning a historical fiction saga set in Revolutionary War times.
The book is Long Knife by HJames Alexander Thom. The p..."
Mary JL, sounds like a good book to read after one reads _The Kent Family Chronicles_, which I'm doing now. I think you referred us to it while back and then someone else did too. I'm so glad because both my husband and I are enjoying the stories.
Novels by John Jakes: The Bastard, the Seekers, the Furies, the Rebels, the Kent Family Chronicles, Mention My Name in Atlantis
The era of the American Revolution always makes interesting reading.
I grew up in Vincennes Indiana and learned quite a bit about Georgie Rogers Clark. Sounds like an interesting book. There is a beautiful memorial there for GRC.I am reading Women in White by Wilkie Collins, great book and my book club is reading Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
All I can say is, "We've come a long way baby". I love reading about and staying in old Victorian homes but don't like the idea of being a women with very few rights. Any one read either of these books? Linda
I tried, "Women in White," three times and gave up. It just couldn't hold my interest in spite of the fact that it is considered a classic. Must be me; not the book.
Do you like Dickens? I believe Dickens and Collins were friends. I read a Dan Simmons book called "Drood" which was a very weird take on "E Drood" by Dickens.
No, I never read either book, Linda, but I've read plenty about women in the past who were treated like property rather than an individual. It makes me sad but then I think of how it is now and while it may not be perfect, it's a helluva lot better than it was.
In the book "Women is White" the maid is fired by the main characters husband so he could control his wife. The maid said something like, "Oh who will dress Miss Laura for dinner"? Ha ha! I know dressing involved a lot more clothes back then but really? Me and a corset would not get along. I read somewhere that is why women would pass out when they got upset because they couldn't take a deep breath.Yes we are lucky to be living in a time of more independence. I'll take my bike shorts and yoga pants any day!
I once went to a museum showing women's clothing at that era and it was almost inhuman what they went through with the corsets. I had not realized until then that the couches that were referred to as Fainting couches were built for women who did pass out; fainted, from the tight control of their bodies with stays.
Hard to believe. What are u reading Nina?
Jackie wrote: "No, I never read either book, Linda, but I've read plenty about women in the past who were treated like property rather than an individual. It makes me sad but then I think of how it is now and w..."Agreed!
It's one of the reason I like reading about Matriarchal societies like the Celts, where women were equals, if not the dominant members of society.
Linda wrote: "In the book "Women is White" the maid is fired by the main characters husband so he could control his wife. The maid said something like, "Oh who will dress Miss Laura for dinner"? Ha ha! I know..."Hi Linda. I didn't read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins but I saw the movie. Below is a link to my review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
About corset and girdles, when I was young every woman was expected to wear a girdle of some sort. We usually hooked our stockings to it. Those were the days before pantihose. I'm glad those "girdle" days are gone.
Linda wrote: "Hard to believe. What are u reading Nina?"I just finished reading, "Swamplandia," nominated for the Pulitzer. I finished, "Cutting for Stone," and it was one of my favorites this past year. I finished, "Belonging," and found it passively interesting and so it was a relief to immerse myself in it for a change of pace. Right now I am reading, "The Crossroads Cafe," because I got a request from Amazon to do a book review for them. My next read is going to be, "Night Circus."
"Young Goethe in Love" iS A DVD recommended by our newspaper movie critic. Sounded interesting. I am going to try to get it through Netflix.
We watched "A Good Year," for the second time. Still good; great actors, Russell Crowe is star. Fun movie.
Joy, my husband and two sons went to Jesuit schools and that was the policy even back then; teach them to think.
We have this strange robin which I am not certain is a female or male. A month ago it kept pecking or knocking at our solarium window for hours. Finally after building a nest which was never used on the fence next to the window, he/she left for two weeks. Now the bird is back once again pounding on the window. What is that crazy bird trying to acommplish is beyond me.
One of the problems along with of course the physical ones of getting old is knowing so many things in print are wrong. It seems quality control has gone by the wayside.
I remember a time when I thought if they wrote it in a book or newspaper then it must be so. Lost innocence! That is one weird robin, Nina.
Nina wrote: ""Young Goethe in Love" iS A DVD recommended by our newspaper movie critic. Sounded interesting. I am going to try to get it through Netflix."Nina, here are the links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440180/
http://movies.netflix.com/Search?oq=Y...
I'm going on a cruise for a week starting tomorrow. So I haven't got much time for replies right now. See you when I get back.
Nina wrote: "We watched "A Good Year," for the second time. Still good; great actors, Russell Crowe is star. Fun movie."Here are the links:
A Good Year
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401445/
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/A_Goo...
It's adapted from the book: A Good Year by Peter Mayle
Thanks, Jim.Nina, I'm going on a cruise to the Bahamas for a week. Eddie is minding the dog. I just finished packing and will leave early tomorrow morning. Whew! Just made it. :)
Who are you going with, Joy? Have a great time and tell us everything you do while there.
In all of my travels I have never seen a more beautiful sea than the Bahamas. Enjoy!
I am reading Villette, the Ideal Husband and Practical Magic.
Practical Magic was one of my favorite books but the movie was simply dreadful...
Linda wrote: "Hard to believe. What are u reading Nina?"I am now reading "The Crossroads Cafe," as I got a message from Amazon asking me to do a review of that book. It is quite an interesting premise. I think it would make a good movie; setting is the Smokies and Hollywood. Sunday was my birthday and it wasn't the most fun one as I suffered with earaches and didn't go out of the house on such a rainy day. But, all was not bad; watched a good movie, "Today's Special," and we needed rain. Off to a nursery to buy a fern. It is in the eighties this week. Yeah. I can finally plant.
Nina, happy birthday to you (belatedly)! Hope the next year of your life is full of fun and happiness.
Saw a good movie last nigh, "Marry Me." Nexflix. Hot here in the nineties... to hot to plant; all plants are in my solarium waiting for cooler weather.
Check out "The Crossroads Cafe," Jac,ie I think you'd like to read it. Try it to prove me right or perhaps wrong???
No, it isn't a movie but it would make a terrific one. It is a novel by Deborah Smith.if you google it you can tell by it's many five star rathings it is worth a try.
So, it did save my reply after all! Thanks Nina.I finished Sisterhood of Dune, gave it 4 stars. I like origin stories and this gave me the origins of the Great Schools, as well as the beginnings of the Spacing Guild and CHOAM. The Duniverse is an interesting place to be. I love it and will always go back.
I started The Catcher in the Rye, I want to see if it lives up to the accodates. And The Artist, the Philosopher, and the Warrior: Three Renaissance Lives, DaVinci, Machiavelli and Cesar Borgia respectively. That is gonna be interesting. Eric's friend lent it to me with a high recommendation, so far I like it even though I'm not very far into it.
What am I doing today? Planting fifty impatients and a hibiscus(this is have covered with a plastic bag as they are predicting below fifty tonight. My old knees are so tired tonight but it will be worth the trouble in a few weeks. My impatients grow up about three to four feet in height. They are like multicolored bushes. Tornado threatened as we were driving in pouring rain yesterday evening but didn't touch down. We were lucky.
Next book for my book club is "Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English>' Looks intriguing. Have any of you read it?
Nina wrote: "Next book for my book club is "Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English>' Looks intriguing. Have any of you read it?"Haven't seen that one, Nina. I'll look into it. ( Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons) Here's a link to a good review of it by a GR member:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Today I returned a bunch of books and audiobooks to the library, most of which I read or listened to partially. No sense continuing with stuff which doesn't particularly grab me or which fails to keep me interested once the initial appeal wears off.
For example, I listened to about half of A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. After a while it seemed to me to be "more of the same". Maybe I should have stuck with it, but I wanted to get on to other books.
The audiobook of Know Your Power: A Message to America's Daughters was very bland. The following is from the library's description: "Nancy Pelosi, the first female Speaker of the House, provides insightfully inspirational words to women of all ages in this valuable tome." I didn't finish that one either.
The audiobook of Queen of the Underworld: A Novel by Gail Godwin was a big disappointment. Failed to grab me at all. GR's reviewers confirmed that opinion.
I'm continuing to read John Jakes's The Rebels, which has me hooked.
Ace wrote: "I am reading Villette, the Ideal Husband and Practical Magic."Hi Ace. Welcome to the group! Haven't read any of those books but I did see the film adaptation of An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. Gave it 4 Netflix stars out of 5. Here's my review:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Sorry for the short reply, but I just got back from a vacation and I'm pooped. :)
It's dull, just another teen angst story and not a very good one at that. I thought it would have profound wisdom but it never materialized. I don't know what people see in these so-called 'great' books. It was OK, below average.
Joy, how was your vacation? Did you take Romeo with you?
PS-Ace, curiosity got the best of me.I'm taking a look at:
Villette by Charlotte Brontë and Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.
Years ago I read 3 books by Alice Hoffman but can't remember a thing about them. My records show that I read:
Turtle Moon
At Risk
and
Second Nature
I have handwritten notes on those books in an old notebook but would have to search for them. Some day I'm going to organize those notes! LOL
Jackie wrote: "Joy, how was your vacation? Did you take Romeo with you?"Jackie, I left Romeo home with Eddie. :)
I went on the cruise with a senior citizen group. They drove us directly from Queenbury to the cruise ship in NYC. I couldn't resist the opportunity! See my comments about the cruise at our other thread:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
Message #2976
Thank you, Joy, I'll go over there now....
I thoroughly enjoyed, "Practical Magic," but hated the movie.
Nina wrote: "I thoroughly enjoyed, "Practical Magic," but hated the movie."I see that on Netflix, they gave it only 2 stars.
Practical Magic (1998)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Pract...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120791/
"The wry, comic romantic tale follows the Owens sisters, Sally and Gillian, as they struggle to use their hereditary gift for practical magic to overcome the obstacles in discovering true love."
I am reading the marriage plot, mockingjay, Villette and middlemarch. I like to have several books going at once...obviuosly. and some books are tougher to get into than others. But I am enjoying them all.
Ace wrote: "I am reading the marriage plot, mockingjay, Villette and middlemarch. I like to have several books going at once...obviuosly. and some books are tougher to get into than others. But I am enjoyi..."Ace, I couldn't get into Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life. It was too dense and wordy. One of our group members, Margaret, wrote an interesting review of the book. Her review is at:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
I always love what Margaret has to say.
Meanwhile, you've reminded me that I had intended to at least watch the film adaptation of _Middlemarch_ and so I will. I just noticed that it's available for streaming from Netflix:
"Middlemarch" (1994) (BBC miniseries)
Netflix link: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Middl...
IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108858/
Here's the Shelfari link on the book:
http://www.shelfari.com/books/41171/M...
I always enjoy their "Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis". :)
As for the other books your reading, I shall read the Goodreads book descriptions:
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Villette by Charlotte Brontë
PS-You might be interested in the following review of _The Marriage Plot_:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
The review is by Goodreads member, Ruth. She always has something interesting to say.
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Started Sisterhood of Dune, it's off to a good start.