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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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Werner
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May 11, 2012 09:57AM
Joy, "dense and wordy" tends to be an accurate description of Victorian literature in general (not just Eliot), and you're not alone in not being able to get into it for that reason. It's a matter of personal tastes; but for those whose tastes aren't put off by that feature (or who even like it), Middlemarch has a lot to offer. Personally, I enjoyed it quite a bit (of course, Eliot is one of my favorite authors), though I've never gotten around to reviewing it here. (I know, it's a disgrace that I haven't taken time to review more of the classics that I've read --let alone to read more of them in the first place!)
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Werner, I can understand your liking the Victorian writing style. Years ago I think I had more patience for it since it is so rich in the use of language and in the use of descriptive detail. In fact, I find that if a novel contains too much of the modern colloquial language (aside from dialogue), I tend not to appreciate it. I enjoy seeing language well-used and cleverly used.However, when a story is told in a wordy and descriptive fashion, the pace of the plot is slowed down. Lately I enjoy novels more when a plot moves right along. Either that or when there is some sort of a psychological approach to the character development.
I think the Internet has something to do with my desire for immediate satisfaction as to plot. Life on the Internet is fast-paced. We rush around from one thing to another. We can't wait to get on to the next thing, the next piece of knowledge. Wading through flowery language requires a certain acceptance of the old-fashioned slow-paced life. Sometimes I long for that slow pace of the past once again but the Internet is pulling me along with it.
Maybe one of these days I'll learn once more to appreciate the wordy nature of Victorian writing. I do understand its worth and I thank you for making me think about that. :)
Joy, I think you're absolutely right about the shaping influence of the Internet in conditioning us to want immediate gratification and quick pay-offs (there are actually empirical studies that suggest exactly that, and some that even associate high levels of Internet use with cetain changes in brain chemistry and function). Except for Goodreads (or looking things up at work), I'm not online much, and that probably makes a difference in my offline reading habits and tastes.
Werner, yes, if you manage to stay offline, you definitely have more time to enjoy other (and maybe better) things. As the saying goes: "I know this to be true but I forget it all the time.". LOLRight now the temp is 74 degrees and the sun is shining and what am I doing here inside on my recliner absorbed in my laptop? I should be outside going for a walk with the dog. Well, you've definitely given me something to think about. :)
But first, let me take a look at FunTrivia.com and see how my team is doing. Maybe I can rack up a few more FunTrivia Points. LOL
I know... I'm bad. :)
PS-I took the dog for a walk. Thanks to you, Werner. :) We both enjoyed it.Speaking of dogs, I'm currently listening an audio version of: Ever By My Side: A Memoir in Eight Acts Pets (2011) by Nick Trout. (The word "acts" is crossed out.)
“The lessons that these animals taught me have been subtle, startling, and inspirational, playing a small but vital part in helping to shape the person you see with the stethoscope around his neck.” —Dr. Nick Trout
It's read by Simon Vance who does a good job.
Nah, you're not bad, Joy; as addicted as I am to Goodreads, I'm not likely to point any fingers. (But at least, when you and I are as active as we are here, it's on a site that encourages reading books, and that's a good thing!) Glad you and the pooch had a chance to share some fun outdoors. :-)
Nina wrote: "Happy Mother's Day."Thank you, Nina. I almost forgot that Mother's Day will be on May 13 this year.
Just for fun I went to "My Books" and entered the word "mother" in the search box. Seems that I've read two novels with the word "mother" in the title. They turned out to be the following novels:
The Good Mother by Sue Miller
The Real Mother by Judith Michael
I gave each one 4 Goodreads stars out of 5.
My short reviews are at the following links:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
BTW, Judith Michael is the pen name of husband/wife team Judith Barnard and Michael Fain.
Happy Mother's Day to all!A bad cold had delayed some reading but today I am better and going to read a long chuck of Long Knife. Yes, I am still reading it!
I have always liked historical fiction and I was unaware of the pivotal role George Rogers Clark played in the American Revolution. Overshadowed in our history by his younger brother William clark, of 'Lewis and Clark' exspedition fame, he was largely responsible for the fact that the US kept the Northwest Territory.
A nice, thick, well written and well researched historical novel. Hope to finish this weekend!
Mary JL, thanks for clarifying the two Clark brothers. John Jake mentions them in his Kent Family Chronicles. I always enjoy meeting historical figures in novels.Happy Mother's Day to you too.
I'm also reading The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms which is pretty good so far.Still working on the non fiction book about DaVinci, Machiavelli and Borgia; it's very interesting but I still need my dose of fantasy.
Jackie, I never got a notification about your post #411 above. Sheesh! You are very ambitious, reading about "DaVinci, Machiavelli and Borgia"!
Surprisingly, it's really good. I'm generally not a fan of non-fiction and because it's so dry, it's slow going. But this is every exciting. If the names were changed, I could convince myself I'm reading a novel with all this political intrigue. The idea that this stuff is real is mindblowing. And these three are very interesting people, it keeps me reading. I've learned so much about each one. All I really knew about DaVinci is his work, Machiavelli's cunning in a negative way and Borgia as a psychopath. But there's so much more to these men. For instance, DaVinci didn't eat meat. Who knew?
That was a pretty wild area & period in history, wasn't it, Jackie? Lots going on. It usually is dry, but still interesting. I've read several different versions in introductions to The Prince & other places. If you'd like to mix in a bit more fantasy, read Thorn. That's a fantasy about that period told from Vlad the Impaler's POV, as Dracula set in the modern day. Saberhagen does it through flashbacks as Vlad tries to find a painting. Very well done.
Jackie, you've made me curious. So I looked up Cesare Borgia, a name I've heard but about which I know nothing. In my browsings, I came across a page about the "House of Borgia". I found a chart showing the entire Borgia family at:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia...
(Click on it to make it larger.)
Interesting that Cesare Borgia was "was the son of Pope Alexander VI [Rodrigo Borgia"].
Below are the Wiki links:
Cesar Borgia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesar_Bo...
House of Borgia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borgia
I typed "Borgia" in the search box at Netflix and found a film I can stream:
"Borgia" (2011) (TV)
http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Borgi...
"The name Borgia stands for betrayal, intrigue and corruption in the Vatican, which was the center of the world during the Renaissance. Rodrigo Borgia -- later Pope Alexander VI -- embodied the spirit of the time with its unimaginable contradictions."
IMDb has at least 2 movies listed (both of which were TV Series):
1. "The Borgias" (2011): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1582457/
(with Jeremy Irons as Rodrigo Borgia and François Arnaud as Cesare Borgia)
"The saga of a crime family in 1492 Italy."
(Netflix has this one as a DVD.)
2. "Borgia" (2011)(the same streamable one at Netflix, as mentioned above):
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1736341/
Summary: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1736341/p...
Excerpt:
=======================================
"At the heart of the world order was the Vatican, the arbiter of conflicts between kingdoms and empires. And at the center of the Vatican was a man whose quest for power would propel him to seek the ultimate prize, the holy see of Rome. He was a man whose name would become synonymous with ruthlessness, and whose reign as pope would be remembered as the most infamous chapter of the history of the Catholic church -Rodrigo Borgia. His four children -Juan, the oldest, a prideful, lazy, unscrupulous sexual predator, Cesare, a young man torn between a faith that was not his calling and his dark violent nature, Lucretia, a young girl discovering the secret power that a women's sexuality holds, and Goffredo, an innocent child who would come of age in a family riven by conflict- ..."
=========================================
That should satisfy my curiosity for a good while. LOL
I think I'll stream "Borgia" from Netflix today. A good film for a rainy day like this.
Joy, I watched 2 episodes of The Borgias when it first aired and I was utterly bored that I had to quit. But I think I may try it again once I finish the book.Jim, it was crazy, the level of corruption is astounding.
Ouuu, Thorn is so right up my alley, that's an instant add. TY
Jackie wrote: "Joy, I watched 2 episodes of The Borgias when it first aired and I was utterly bored that I had to quit. But I think I may try it again once I finish the book.Jackie, below is a member review from Netflix on "Borgia" (not "The Borgias"):
=======================================================
"Having watched The Borgias on Showtime and this telling I prefer this one [Borgia]. Better writing, history, and overall production value and performances. For those fans of Showtimes telling this version has the violence, intrigue, nudity, and darkness of that. But it's actually done in a way to help the series and not as a statement. So if you are looking at this show thinking oh great a cheap knockoff of Showtimes The Borgias then you are wrong, it's a must see."
FROM: http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Borgi...
======================================================
After I stream it, I'll let you know if "Borgia" bored me. I have a suspicion that it might. :)
Is this one a TV series also, or is it a movie? I really don't want to invest a lot of time into it. Let me know how long it is.The Showtime series first season had 9 episodes and so will season two once it's complete. 18 hours is a lot of time to put into a show and I don't know if there will be more seasons or not. I didn't see that it was cancelled so there may be more to come. I don't really want to put so much time into something I thought was boring already.
I'm glad to know there's an alternative.
Jackie, both films were TV series.The Netflix one, "Borgia", (which I'm currently streaming) is described online as follows:
DISC 1: This disc includes the following episodes:
-"1492," "Ondata Di Calore"
-"A Sacred Vow"
-"The Wisdom of the Holy Spirit"
-"Bonds of Matrimony."
-----------------------------
DISC 2: This disc includes the following episodes:
-"Legitimacy,"
-"Maneuvers"
-"Prelude to an Apocalypse"
-"The Invasion of Rome"
-"Miracles."
----------------------------
DISC 3:
This disc includes the following episodes:
-"God's Monster"
-"The Serpent Rises."
-Also included is the special feature The Making of Borgia: Faith and Fear.
So far, I find the film to be rather gory and violent. Lots of sex and nudity. I'm still trying to figure out who is who. I've got the Borgias straight but there are lots of other Bishops, etc.
Strange that Cesare Borgia was made a Bishop before he became a priest! It's incredible that everyone was so corrupt. Everyone was power-hungry. So far all they do is argue and fight.
Good maps at the beginning showing the many different Italian kingdoms before the country was made one. Good costumes. The choreography is good.
I imagine it was a bloody and violent time. The Borgia Pope was so corrupt, it's unbelievable.
I haven't been able to find this particular series so I may not be able to watch it.
Jackie, Netflix sometimes offers a free month's trial. You might be able to see it that way.
Joy, I don't like to watch on the computer, if I can't have DVDs, I don't bother. I get too distracted, I'll think 'what's in email?' 'let me play a game, just for a minute' 'what's going on at goodreads'. It takes me hours to watch one episode. I have to remove myself from the computer so I don't get distracted.
Nina wrote: "Joy, does Middlemarch have subtitles?"Nina, the streamed version of Middlemarch doesn't have subtitles. I don't know if the DVD does or not.
Jackie wrote: "Joy, I don't like to watch on the computer, if I can't have DVDs, I don't bother. I get too distracted, I'll think 'what's in email?' 'let me play a game, just for a minute' 'what's going on at g..."Jackie, watching a movie on the computer definitely isn't as enjoyable and if you're distracted by other things on the computer, then it doesn't work for you.
As I've said before, I use ROKU to stream my Netflix movies to my TV screen and it's great. My son set it up for me. So I don't know anything about the tech side of it. All I know is that there's a little black box and a remote which I use to connect.
ROKU lets you stream lots of other stuff, but I haven't played with those options yet.
ROKU or WDTV Live would be the only way to go for me.
Jackie, I think you were right about the Borgia movies. I bailed out and probably won't go back. The only plot is fight, argue and fight some more.
Thanks for letting me know, now I know I'm not missing anything.
Jackie wrote: "Thanks for letting me know, now I know I'm not missing anything."You're welcome, Jackie. BTW, I never rec'd a notification about your post above. It's a good think I checked my "unread" posts at the group.
It's still touch and go with my notifications, some I get, some I don't. And it's random. I won't get a notification for a particular thread but then I will when the next person posts on it.
Joy H. wrote: "ROKU lets you stream lots of other stuff, but I haven't played with those options yet. "I've discovered that I can stream recent television shows that I might have missed recording from Hulu (and others) for FREE and WITH subtitles. (Subtitles are why I never stream from Netflix, they don't furnish them). I don't know how to transfer from my pc to tv, and I don't think it's possible anyway because I don't have a digital (hi-def) tv. Do you need to hook the ROKU to your computer, do you know, or does it hook directly to the tv cable? (Or get the signal direct from your wireless router WITHOUT having to go thru your pc?) My question is could I receive those tv shows on my tv WITH captions? I now have a huge pc screen so watching on the pc is not the hardship it was, but I'd still prefer to watch it on the tv screen.
Never mind, I just looked at the parts list and you need to have a wireless router OR connect to a WIRED network with an Ethernet cable. I don't know how to do that. I HAVE made a 2-computer network with Ethernet cables between but it was always a huge pain. IF Netflix ever starts streaming subtitles I guess I'll have to buy a wireless router, or watch them on my computer screen.
Earl,When you stream through Hulo (and the others), do you mean screening to your computer screen or to your TV screen? I stream to my TV screen. (BTW, that's great about the subtitles being available.)
As for your question about ROKU, I will ask my son by email and get back to you.
As for the subtitles when streaming from Netflix, I don't believe they have that available yet. I called them a while ago and they said that feature wasn't available. Perhaps you can call Netflix and ask them. The number I use is: 1-866-579-7112
I'll get back to you on the tech question as soon as my son replies.
Earl, going through the wireless router would be the way to go, Time Warner supplies them for free and you'd get an encryption code so no one else can access it, which they'd supply to you. I don't have a Roku so I don't know the exact steps to take but I would imagine it would prompt you for what to do next.
We have a wireless router but I don't know how it fits into our ROKU set-up. I've written to our son about the question. Hope he replies soon.
The device itself searches for a wireless router to connect to.
Jackie wrote: "The device itself searches for a wireless router to connect to."Which device?
The Roku. WDTV, a laptop, PS3, they all have something built in so that when you first turn it on, it'll look for the nearest wireless router to connect to. If you're ever in the Village in the summer, you'll see people sitting outside using their laptops. They're leaching off of someone's internet, which is why TW now issues encryption codes so the person paying for the service decides who uses it.
I just finsihed reading, "Mr. Rosenbllum Dreams in English," by Natasha Solomens. I think it will be on my list of favorite books. It was charming.
It was quite difficult to get a paperback version of this book. Mr Rosenblum Dreams in English," as both B & N stores were sold out and an independent book store but we finally got the last copy for a friend at the final B & N. I got mine at the library. She wanted to take it on a trip with her so that wouldn't work. Popular book.
Jackie wrote: "The Roku. WDTV, a laptop, PS3, they all have something built in so that when you first turn it on, it'll look for the nearest wireless router to connect to. If you're ever in the Village in the ..."
Interesting about the encryption codes, Jackie.
I finished my long but excellent historical novel. I immediately started a mystery by James Grippando,Got The Look.I've read him before; the mysteries are usally quck but exciting reads.
A friend gave me one of his books, I haven't gotten to it yet. Knowing that you like it, Mary JL, will help me get to it sooner rather than later.The title is When Darkness Falls, have you read it?
No, Jackie. However it is part of hisof mysteries featuring lawyer Jack Swyteck. So far, the two I have read from that series have been good.
Jackie wrote: "Earl, going through the wireless router would be the way to go, Time Warner supplies them for free and you'd get an encryption code so no one else can access it, which they'd supply to you. I don..."
My pc system is wired, as I'm too paranoid to expose my keystrokes/whatever to hackers. I'm surprised you say the Time Warner wireless router is free. When they hooked me up they ran a branch of their 'tv' cable to a modem, and that modem supplies a wired signal to my phones and computer. I have a friend who WANTED a wireless setup (cause she uses a lap top pc as her only pc) but she said it costs more and declined.
My lap top (Gateway) has a key combo that turns on that WiFi-seeking radio of which you speak. That seems more sensible (just dumb luck, I didn't know about it when I purchased).
I'm still hopeful that Netflix will spring for captions in the future. I don't know the technical difficulties of this. Captions already exist on the dvds, I don't know what the savings they effect by not transmitting them.
Mary JL, good to know.Earl, I was told by a friend that TW wireless was free because my son spent $80 on one when he got his PS3, I called TW, they said Yes it's free and my son returned his to get his money back and picked up the new router from the TW office in GF. It's been a few years, whenever the PS3 first came out. Maybe they charge now? That'd suck. If they do, then sorry about the misinformation. All I know is mine is free and it works perfectly.
I don't know why Netflix doesn't supply captiions, I would imagine it's costing them a lot of customers. I like them turned on for when accents are very thick.
Mary JL wrote: "I finished my long but excellent historical novel. I immediately started a mystery by James Grippando,Got The Look.I've read him before; the mysteries are usally quck but exciting reads."
Mary JL, thanks for the tip about James Grippando's mysteries. I probably would like that kind of mystery, something not too convoluted. Which of his mysteries are you currently reading. Would you recommend it?
PS - I see that it's Got The Look. I'll put it on my keep-in-mind shelf.
Jackie wrote: "... I don't know why Netflix doesn't supply captiions, ... I like them turned on for when accents are very thick. "Same here, Jackie. I put up with the lack of captions because I enjoy the ease of streaming through ROKU. I look at it this way: "At least I'm getting to see the movie." :)
Earl wrote: "... I'm still hopeful that Netflix will spring for captions in the future. ..."Me too, Earl!
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Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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