Author Topic: The Library (Read 1966351 times)

Dana · « **Reply #17920 on:** March 18, 2017, 11:32:53 AM »

Seeing your post, Rosemary, reminded me to comment on the two Rebus series that I watched, and I did agree with you that the second series was much better, tho I enjoyed both. Second series worth a second watch. I did like that John Stott (?) He really does have a powerful screen presence. Anyway, got me into reading Rankin again, and also a couple of other Scottish crime writers...MacDermid, MacBride (?), and a woman Mega???.....didn't like them, anyway.......! MacDermid seems to be a best seller, her stories have a certain gripping quality but they are over the top nasty.....tried watching Wire in the Blood and it gets boring very quickly, the characters are really quite unlikeable.

LarryHanna · « **Reply #17921 on:** March 18, 2017, 12:07:45 PM »

A suggestion to those of you having trouble with typing on the iPad. It is blue tooth enabled and there are very inexpensive blue tooth keyboard available that work very well. I have one that I paid around $10 for and it works very well and is powered by a couple of small batteries.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17922 on:** March 18, 2017, 01:04:34 PM »

Hi Larry,

Thamks for the tip, but sorry to be so dim - how does Bluetooth help? (I have never even really understood what Bluetooth is...)

Thanks,

Rosemary

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17923 on:** March 18, 2017, 01:09:08 PM »

Dana - I agree, I find McDermid and MacBride both much too gory and violent. The strange thing is, I have seen Val McD speak at many events, and heard her on the radio, and she is brilliant, very self-deprecating and extremely funny.

I'm not too sure who the 'Mega' person was? Could it be Denise Mina? I have not read any of her books myself but I know she is very popular. The better Rebus actor is Ken Stott.

Rosemary

Dana · « **Reply #17924 on:** March 18, 2017, 01:14:59 PM »

yes, Ken Stott, and you're right , the author is Mina . the only one of hers I tried was about an abused social worker/detective who I think got more abused in the course of solving some crime, but I never read that far.....how about Peter May? Haven't tried him yet...

Dana · « **Reply #17925 on:** March 18, 2017, 03:28:58 PM »

Thinking about what you said about Val Mac Dairmid.......I read somewhere that in an interview she said she based her serial killer Jacko Vance (think I have the name right!) on Jimmy Saville whom she once met and found obnoxious.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17926 on:** March 18, 2017, 05:26:04 PM »

Interesting article I found in Publisher's Weekly about some of our favorite authors and their use of punctuation and such. If you don't care to read the article, just scroll down a bit to see the graphs. Sorry about the huge web address.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/tip-sheet/article/73072-danielle-steel-loves-the-weather-and-elmore-leonard-hates-exclamation-points-literature-by-the-numbers.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly&utm_campaign=7392bcd9db-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_03_17&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bb2959cbb-7392bcd9db-304806741

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17927 on:** March 18, 2017, 06:38:42 PM »

I haven't read any Peter May, Dana, but again I know he is widely enjoyed and acclaimed. Doesn't he set some of his books in Orkney? I'll ask my mother if she's read any.

Rosemary

ginny · « **Reply #17928 on:** March 18, 2017, 07:34:40 PM »

Frybabe, that's very interesting! I am absolutely shocked not to see Dan Brown's name heading the cliche list. I have never ever seen anybody use so many in each sentence, maybe they have somewhere a special category for him.

I've never read Patterson, though, so I may have missed something.

I'd be curious to know how many times Brown uses the word "chuckled" in all his books, his hero chuckles like a maniac at every opportunity. I know that doesn't sound positive but it really sets your teeth on edge and you find yourself bracing for, looking for, the next "chuckle."

PatH · « **Reply #17929 on:** March 18, 2017, 08:03:56 PM »

That's a really amusing article, Frybabe; it leads to all sorts of speculation. I wonder if Jane Austen's low use of cliches is the result of fewer of the ones in his list being current then. He should have checked her out on commas; I'm a lover of commas, but she throws them around with wild abandon.

One of George Orwell's novels (Coming up for Air) is written without a single semicolon; he had decided it was an unnecessary punctuation mark. I tend to use a lot of them, though it's deliberate in this post, thumbing my nose at Orwell.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17930 on:** March 19, 2017, 08:03:35 AM »

Ginny, maybe the author didn't think of chuckle as a cliche. I wonder if he has a chart or researched the overuse of single words in his book. I do see that he has Dan Brown listed in the Exclamation Point chart. What set my teeth on edge is the phrase "it is what it is" (I am cringing just writing that). Thankfully I don't see that in writing very often.

PatH, I didn't know about Orwell's aversion to semicolons.

I don't know in what Blatt holds a degree, but it must be mathematics and/or computer science. While he was at Harvard he did sports statistical analysis that got Wall Street Week's, as well as other papers, attention. He wrote for the Harvard Lampoon and was part of The Harvard Sports Analysis Collective. He was also a staff writer for Slate.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17931 on:** March 19, 2017, 09:02:29 AM »

I know JK Rowling is considered a saint too perfect to be criticised, but her overuse of adverbs drives me mad. And now I see she's a cliche and exclamation mark addict too. I do appreciate that her plots are great and her books excellent page-turners, but when i used to read them to my children I felt that if I saw another 'Hermione said, shrilly' I would throw the book out of the bedroom window. One positive thing to come from my incessant moaning about this is that my daughters know a superfluous adverb when they see one.

Another writer who seems to fall into the saint category is Louise Penny. I enjoyed her earlier books but her sentences just got shorter and shorter until whatever effect they were supposed to have was lost. I haven't read her most recent - and very well reviewed - book, but I had to give up on the previous one.

I am becoming far too crotchety and difficult to please....

Rosemary

ginny · « **Reply #17932 on:** March 19, 2017, 09:24:14 AM »

ohhh I don't think that's it, Rosemary.

Maybe it's the hackneyed writing we're reading now. I love what this little survey is bringing out in us, I would never have guessed that PatH deliberately and defiantly uses the semicolon for a reason. hahahaa

Frybabe, if he didn't consider "chuckled" as Dan Brown uses it, a cliche, then he wants to read the definition in Webster's Dictionary, definition 2b is Dan Brown in spades. (cliche)

1
: a trite phrase or expression; also : the idea expressed by it

2
: a hackneyed theme, characterization, or situation

3
: something (as a menu item) that has become overly familiar or commonplace

It is what it is. hahahahaa Sorry!

ANNIE · « **Reply #17933 on:** March 19, 2017, 12:06:13 PM »

Ginny, I felt the same way about Dan Brown and his recipe plots.

About PatH's use of the semicolon;it helps you make two sentences into one!😄😄😄

Bella, I thought The Shack was too much!!!! Felt like I was supposed to be converted, if I read it. I put it down after reading just a few chapters!

Frybabe · « **Reply #17934 on:** March 19, 2017, 12:13:12 PM »

You just had to do that, didn't you Ginny. Now I am cringing in green.

Anyway, thanks for the definition. I guess almost anything can become a cliche if overused. That reminds me, I get a little bent out of shape when writers constantly repeat themselves as if their readers very have short term memories. Well, I guess some do. But holy cow! I finally gave up on a nine volume SciFi series after the sixth volume because it seemed that half of each succeeding book summarized previous events umpteen times (throughout the book, not just at the beginning). I think some authors are padding out their books to the max to get a bigger page count on their works, at least the ones that start out as e-books. I don't mind brief reminders, especially at the beginning of a next in series, but this guy was excessive.

PatH · « **Reply #17935 on:** March 19, 2017, 12:53:19 PM »

There's an art to putting just the right amount of background in later books of a series, and some authors are definitely worse than others.

Yes, Annie, semicolons are useful for that, and I use them a lot. Even Orwell only went through that brief semicolon ban in one book. (No, I don't count semicolons when I read; Orwell mentions it in an essay.)

Rosemary, I notice repetitive tricks like that much more when reading aloud.

Jonathan · « **Reply #17936 on:** March 19, 2017, 03:15:39 PM »

Out of curiousity I decided I would count the semicolons (if any) in Orwell. His Homage to Catalonia was within easy reach;(?) and with half a dozen pages scanned, I think I see a pattern, or, perhaps, even a strategy. Each of the first three pages has three semicolons; each of the next three, has only one. Did he catch himself in a bad habit after three pages, or did he decide to conserve his ammunition; (?) since he was heading into battle. The Spanish Civil War; of course.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17937 on:** March 19, 2017, 11:48:40 PM »

Annie thanks for responding to The Shack. I felt the same as you, after a couple chapters I couldn't go any further. Young had enough knowledge of scripture to manipulate it to fit into his narrative. He used a highly emotional situation with the father losing his daughter in such a heinous way to bring the message of forgiveness, yet denied the teaching of the Bible which clearly teaches it is only through Jesus we can find forgiveness. His misrepresentation of the blessed trinity has been considered by many Christian faiths to be heresy. I gave it a pass before reading any reviews.

LarryHanna · « **Reply #17938 on:** March 20, 2017, 10:48:46 AM »

Rosemary, blue tooth is a technology that links two devices like the keyboard and iPad or headphones and music player without the benefit of wires. While wi-fi is not blue tooth it basically works the same way. When a device, such as the iPad, is within the range of the blue tooth signal it can "pair" with it. My wife and I use headphones for our TV that work on a blue tooth pairing and they work very well. I hope this makes sense and clarifies the issue.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17939 on:** March 21, 2017, 06:51:34 AM »

Has anyone heard of Wattpad? It is an application you can download to your cell phone for reading books. Curious to know what people think of it.

maryz · « **Reply #17940 on:** March 21, 2017, 08:48:44 AM »

Frybabe, I put the Kindle app on my phone, and can read all my e-books with it. Works fine for me.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17941 on:** March 21, 2017, 11:19:23 AM »

I checked the Wattpad site out. Aside from having a little trouble seeing what they offered, I cannot use it on my particular computer. Microsoft says I don't have the necessary hardware for it. Strange. Their app store says you can use it on a PC with Windows 10, but I don't have the version they say is needed. That is not hardware, that is software. The platform seems to be geared to new writers, and there are instructions for writing to the Wattpad. A number of the non-fiction books are about writing. Hachette Publishing is partnering with Wattpad to produce 50 audiobooks.

Oh, look. Wikipedia has an entry for it. Interesting. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wattpad

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17942 on:** March 21, 2017, 11:57:36 AM »

Thank you Larry for taking the time to explain Bluetooth. I really appreciate it.

Best wishes

Rosemary

bellamarie · « **Reply #17943 on:** March 21, 2017, 08:05:46 PM »

Yep, you should be able to read all your iBooks on your cell phone. Rosemary, Bluetooth is the best way to use all your devices wireless.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17944 on:** March 22, 2017, 11:23:55 AM »

PatH., I have the book Hidden Figures from my library. Do you know if we will be starting it in April? I plan to keep renewing it for our discussion.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17945 on:** March 22, 2017, 11:31:08 AM »

They are shooting for April 1, Bellamarie. I haven't checked to see if the prediscussion is open yet.

PatH · « **Reply #17946 on:** March 22, 2017, 02:12:14 PM »

Right, Frybabe, April 1. I'll put a note in here when the prediscussion is open.

Jonathan · « **Reply #17947 on:** March 22, 2017, 10:10:15 PM »

The lucky kid! He wants to compete in the soapbox derby and has his mother, the rocket scientist, to help him design and build his racer. Of course he wins. That doesn't spoil the read for anyone, I hope. And while we anticipate the discussion of Hidden Figures I'll be reading a book I've had around for a long while, exuding nostalgia. The life of Damon Runyon. By Jimmy Breslin. And how we enjoyed his columns. So many memories brought back, reading his obituary on Monday. Between the two of them they defined the magic of New York. This little bit from the flap says it all:

'Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jimmy Breslin recaptures this flamboyant era (the roaring twenties) in a tour de force as witty, wry, satiric, and outrageous as Runyon himself. With a star-studded cast of character - Pancho Villa, William Randolph Hearst, Al Capone, Jimmy Walker, Walter Winchell, Jack Dempsey_Runyon commands stage center as journalist, dandy, cynic, social observer, and ultimately self-blinded dupe...this book sweeps you back to a world as rich and multifaceted as Broadway itself.

Glory be! I just found another old favorite in my drawer. Turkus and Feder's pocketbook, Murder, Inc. The nights seemed so short reading that one! But I can't wait to find out what this rocket science is all about.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17948 on:** March 23, 2017, 03:56:54 AM »

Jonathan - although I had heard the name Damon Runyan I had no idea who he was. This book sounds fascinating - I will have a look for it in the library (probably in vain) and then on Amazon. Thanks for that.

Another book I have been meaning to read for ages is Up in the old hotel by Joseph Mitchell - have you read that?

What is Murder, Inc? I will look it up.

I am getting to the end of my first Susan Howatch - Scandalous Risks - which is a page turner set in a respectable cathedral close in the 1960s. It combines lots of gossip about the Church of England with a love story (of sorts) and a commentary on John Robinson's Honest to God, which caused such uproar in the church (and, I think, outside it) when it was first published in 1963. I think Howatch has been very clever in combining quite complicated thoughts on sin, God, redemption, etc with a story of obsession and bad behaviour - each time I read a bit I find myself thinking about it a lot. Of course I also enjoy all the clerical jiggery pokery and jostling for position - since I started working in a cathedral myself I have become much more aware of how human the clergy are, and how they can be just as ambitious, gossipy, manipulative, etc as the rest of us (that is not a criticism - the two priests I work with are all the more wonderful for being 'normal').

Rosemary

bellamarie · « **Reply #17949 on:** March 23, 2017, 08:14:45 PM »

Oh Rosemary I have worked for our parish/school since 1984 and being around the priests that have come and gone over the years I can attest to them being normal. I remember I was at a Christmas party and a certain priest who will remain nameless had mentioned how he was taking his vacation on the beach in Florida. I said how wonderful to go and be able to relax and read a book on the beach in the winter. He said, "Who plans on looking at a book when there are so many bikinis to look at." I was horrified! He laughed at me and said, "I am a priest and a man so don't look so horrified." This was truly my first time ever seeing a priest being normal, but certainly not the last.

Jonathan · « **Reply #17950 on:** March 23, 2017, 11:13:48 PM »

The lucky priest...with no wife to inhibit his behaviour on the beach. Were you hearing a confession, do you think? But why would he laugh at your look of horror? That's disturbing. I always did wonder why so much reading was left behind, on the beach. Of course priests are human and traditionally they headed off to the desert to get rejuvenated. I learned that recently, reading Helen Waddell's introduction to her The Desert Fathers. A beautiful piece of writing. And a great alternative to the ardent determination of some feminists to get all men into jail. Perhaps society just needs a new dress code.

Thanks, Rosemary, to the tipoff to Scandalous Risks. I have Honest To God somewhere in the house and have always meant to read it. The time has come. There are so many interesting things about English churchmen. A fascinating breed. And then there's Emanuel Swedenborg. Who hasn't heard of him? He walked
and talked with angels. And assorted biblical characters. He started out as a serious scientist...but then came the awakening. I've just acquired a recent biography. Swedenberg's Secret: The Meaning and Significance of the Word of God, the Life of the angels, and Service to God.

I don't think you would find
Murder Incorporated a pleasant read. It's about bringing orginized crime killers to justice. One of the authors was a NY district attorney. I picked it up on the beach many years ago.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17951 on:** March 24, 2017, 10:31:54 AM »

I remember the first time I ever read an Andrew M. Greeley book. I was again shocked that a priest would be so bold with his writings. Can you tell I am a cradle Catholic with high reverence for the men of the cloth? Well, my eyes have been opened over the years and now see them as "normal" for what ever normal means. I haven't read many books on or about the English churchmen or any clergy to be honest. Jonathan and Rosemary you have piqued my interest.

Mkaren557 · « **Reply #17952 on:** March 24, 2017, 11:43:52 AM »

Rosemary,
I have read the first five of the Howatch Church of England series and loved them all. I learned so much about the Church. There are more books that I want to read someday.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #17953 on:** March 24, 2017, 12:52:48 PM »

I grew up in a Methodist/Presbyterian family where the preaching was that smoking and drinking were "sinful", altho not completely avoided by the men in the family. There were very few Catholics in town and therefore i knew little of the lives of their clergy. I became good friends with a girl in college whose family were very active Catholics and one weekend when her sister was graduating from Catholic school and her cousin was being ordained, I went home with her. Her parents throw a big party, many guests were priests and nuns and I was SHOCKED to see them smoking and drinking!! My protestant ministers were never seen doing so - in public!!! 😀 I was so innocent.

Jonathan - I am an "ardent feminist" and I am not, nor are any of my friends, "determined to get all men in jail." ☺ mybe that will ease your mind.

I am reading a fun book titled "Wonderland: how play made the modern world" by Stephen Johnson. In the first scenario he theorizes how the development of the wish for cotten, calico and chinz as opposed the the uncomfortable, drab woolen garments and underwear of the 17th century, led to more exploration > to a greater need for growing cotten > to the growth of modern history slavery > to the Industrial Revolution > to the department store > to the shopping mall!!! He has also written "Where Good Ideas Come From", "How We Got to Now", and. "Everything Bad is Good for You." Sound intriguing.

Jean

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17954 on:** March 24, 2017, 02:59:38 PM »

Seconded, Mabel, by another ardent feminist

Mkaren - I'm so glad all the Howatch books are as good as the one I'm about to finish. I have three others I think - I found them all in the same charity shop so i think somebody had been having a clear out. What do you think of Aysgarth? The more I read, the more I want to slap him, and the more I want to tell Venetia that she should stop worrying about his 'hidden depths' because he hasn't got any. I like the Bishop and his wife much more.

Always so good to know that a friend likes the same type of books as I do. My youngest daughter, and the only one still at home, has such different reading tastes from mine that I sometimes wonder if we're related.

Rosemary

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #17955 on:** March 24, 2017, 08:24:47 PM »

Rosemary, I'm reading (on my Kindle) a Mystery which I got either free or .99 cents, by Renee Pawlish, set in Scotland. I'm getting a real kick out of it, they are in Lothian, with heavy mention of West Lothian, and other places you used to post about when you were there. One of the cops (I forget where he hails from) but finishes all his sentences with "likes". Is that something some folks say? (I'll look up where he's supposed to be from) He's a very unlikable, sexist pig anyway! THe main detective is much better.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17956 on:** March 25, 2017, 10:01:40 AM »

Tomereader - I looked Pawlish up on Amazon and on her own website but I couldn't see any books set in Scotland - they mostly seem to be set in Denver, where I think she lives. What is the title of the book you're reading?

I don't think people say 'likes' at the end of a sentence, but maybe if I read it in context it'll become clear! West Lothian is a much poorer area than East Lothian. West Lothian is old mining country, with a lot of poor towns and problems, though the countryside beyond them is wonderful. East Lothian is very smart, especially the eastern end of it. The western bit, nearest to Edinburgh, is also old mining country and can be a bit less 'refined', though it's fast catching up. You'd never hear anyone saying anything like 'likes' in East Lothian - in fact in the eastern part you'd hardly hear a Scottish accent, it is all holiday homes for rich people from London and English people living in Edinburgh. Beautiful area though (which is of course why they buy property there, as it's just 20 miles from the city, has good road and rail links, but offers lovely countryside, pretty villages and spectacular beaches.

Looking forward to hearing more about the book!

Rosemary

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #17957 on:** March 25, 2017, 12:27:40 PM »

My Bad! Renee Pawlish is the author of the book I finished just before this one. The author here is Ed James, and title is "Ghost In the Machine". Basically, it's about a killer who uses social media to lure his victims. The story is a bit raw and, you might say, gory and the language is what you might expect from cops and detectives. But I have to say, it has really kept my interest. Should finish it tonight. As the policemen drive from one place to another, they talk about the various towns, i.e. Carnoustie, so I'm getting a pretty good travelogue! Don't know if it would be your "cuppa" tea, but it's set in a different locale than I'm used to, so interesting to me! I've never heard of Ed James, but I'll look him up on Amazon. (Hey, the book was either Free or .99 so I'm not complaining!)

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #17958 on:** March 25, 2017, 12:53:17 PM »

Ed James obviously has an entire series of books with the same lead detective. All seem to be available free on KindleUnlimited. I actually don't have Unlimited. But I got this one, probably BookBug or one of the sites offering freebooks.

The lead detective is Scott Cullen.

Mkaren557 · « **Reply #17959 on:** March 25, 2017, 01:45:37 PM »

Rosemary,
Here is the whole series in order. I read them both ways: in order and out of order. I read them twice and may read them again someday.

Glittering Images   (1987)
Glamorous Powers   (1988)
Ultimate Prizes     (1989)
Scandalous Risks   (1990)
Mystical Paths     (1992)
Absolute Truths. (1994)

News:

Author Topic: The Library (Read 1966351 times)