Ah, I can feel my brain coming awake again!
Me too, and it's lovely to see all of you, and since all i have to do is scroll down here below this compose post box, I can go back and see what you've said as I type!
Welcome, Eloise, Deems, Joan G and Babi!
I love that feature.
Ella, and Babi, no the Mountbatten bio is called Indian Summer. It's new. Barbarians at the Gate is old but the James Garner movie is as good as it ever was. It's about the RJR Nabisco take over by KKR, (someething like Kravitz, Kohlberg and Roberts)... leveraged buyouts? I have no idea.
Interesting that Henry Kravitz (KKR), who makes something like $51, 369 an HOUR, but pays less taxes than somebody making $30,000 a year, is the subject of a new indie movie from warongreed.org, comparing his lifestyle with that of average Americans. It's on [html]
You Tube. I think the combination of the book, and the old movie and this thing would make a powerful discussion sometime, from the responses of the people viewing it: why penalize somebody who embodies capitalism? OR...how dare he live in 5 (or 6) palatial houses with 26 rooms and pay less taxes than I do?
Interesting!
It really WOULD make a fascinating discussion someday, it's old but it's really germane to the current subject of the economy.
I've put Olive Kitteriege, by Elizabeth Stout in the Book Club Online for consideration, it's on People Magazine's best books of 2008 along with Edward Sawtelle and the Guernsey book.
She's gruff, impatient and unwilling to suffer fools, but the aging Maine schoolteacher at the center of these keenly observed stories will ultimately win your heart.
White Tiger is also on People's 10 Best list, kind of a Slumdog sort of thing, or so I understand:
A riveting rags to riches novel about a penniless driver's ruthless rise to power in modern India.
Have any of you read it? Or seen, is it, Slumdog Millionaire?
Looks like there are a LOT of good books suddenly out there that people are reading and want to discuss!
Eloise!! Suite Française!!! Yes. And you know that would be a smasher! We could even try out (don't groan now I well remember your superhuman patience in our last French book effort Les Peregrines, but you know what? I absolutely loved it, every bit of it and I REMEMBER it, that was one of our best, unheralded but best discussions.)
Pedln, another smashing sounding book: forward to Elegance of the Hedgehog centering around Renée Michel, "the dumpy, nondescript, 54-year-old concierge of a small and exclusive Paris apartment."
I'm feeling dumpy lately, sounds like something out of Extras with Ricky Gervais whom I also like, on the list!
Oh boy, start the fire in the fireplace, and let's talk all things books!!!