Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #1 (Read 165183 times)

Pat · « **on:** December 31, 2008, 04:26:57 PM »

This is the place to talk about the works of fiction you are reading, whether they are new or old, and share your own opinions and reviews with interested readers.

Every week the new bestseller lists come out brimming with enticing looking books and rave reviews. How to choose?

Discussion Leader: Judy Laird

Judy Laird · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2009, 12:15:50 PM »

Good Morning everyone. What a great day to reinstate Fiction Old New and Best Sellers.

January 1st seems a great day to start out.
Just to get the ball moving I will tell you what I have been reading and then we can all catch up.
Found a author that I love and have now read most of his books including The Quiet Game (great) Third Degree. He writes about Mississippi and the Natches Trace and I can't wait to go there. I want to drive the Natches Trace someday if I can get out of Georgia. The author's name is Greg Iles

Also Read Mary Alice Monroe Swiming Lessons which was good and
Savannah blues by Mary K Andrews, if you like the south and funny these books by Mary Kay Andrew will keep you laughing from start to finish.

I am on my second book by Stephen Hunter, this one is Hot Springs and he is a great writer as far as I am concerned. It takes place in Arkansaw in the 1940,s when they had gambling.

Lets all join again and tell what we are reading and what books we have enjoyed or really LOVED and maybe we can catch up.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2009, 11:46:42 AM »

Oh, Pat! How wonderful to see that beautiful heading/banner that I remember so well.

It seems we will be getting all our Books/Literature discussions in one spot to simplify catching up at this site. I want you and everyone here to know that I was one frustrated old lady for all those weeks that S/N was gone! I would email Marcie (Bless her heart!) and go to the Home Page, and find nothing but the stock message. Tried the flash chat and it would always be empty. Had it not been for an old AOL board where a few seniors still congregate, someone would have had to put me in a padded room! My deepest thanks to all who are able and willing to do this wonderful computer work and get us back on board! Bless y'all!

Pat · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2009, 11:59:31 AM »

Hi Tomereader,

First --- Judy Laird is the discussion leader here -- just she was on the SN site.
I'm sure she will continue just where we left off.

Second --- I have been reading Riding Lessons bu Sara Gruen. Since I have always rbred and raised horses -this was a really accurate novel. She also wrote Water for Elephants and has a new book coming Ape House.

Judy Laird · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2009, 12:05:37 PM »

Good Morning everyone our new fiction old and new is up thanks to Pat.
My nine in the morning is most everyones noon.
This should be a wonderful place to be.
Come in and tell us what you are reading.
Hi Tomereader I enjoyed Water For Elephants very much. The special thing abou the book was that the author had never been to a circus, that blew my mind.
WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME

mabel1015j · « **Reply #5 on:** January 02, 2009, 01:06:42 PM »

just checking in so i can get back.................that sentence only makes sense to we Seniornetters, uh?....................teeheee, ..........as Ginny would say................jean

Steph · « **Reply #6 on:** January 02, 2009, 01:48:55 PM »

The No Water for Elephants was nice, but sort of transparent about halfway through. I finished the lobster book and am now on a true fact book written by a Vet who works in Angell Vet Hospital in Boston. This is a truly famous vet hospital with all sorts of specialists and it is interesting if you like animals.
Last Night at the Lobster was a true fact, written as fiction novel.. Interesting. He chose thise method because he wanted to put thoughts into the characters and mental observations into the Manager who was Manny.
I think I mentioned somewhere that I had recently discovered Patricia Briggs. She has done a three book series on shape changers and vampires.. Not so light as Charlaine Harris and definitely not quite the way out there of Laurell Hamilton. I enjoyed the three and have discovered she also wrote some sci fi fantasy and am looking for some of them.

maryz · « **Reply #7 on:** January 02, 2009, 02:10:55 PM »

Checking in.

CallieOK · « **Reply #8 on:** January 02, 2009, 02:26:14 PM »

Marking my place.

Unless she has a brand new one out, I've read and enjoyed all of the Mary Kay Andrews books.

I'm kinda in a non-fiction mood right now - some bios and a few essay-type books about various eras.

In between, I'm working my way through Sue Grafton's "alphabet" mysteries; am currently up to "H".

I think I'll look for the "Lobster" book; it sounds very interesting.

Judy Laird · « **Reply #9 on:** January 02, 2009, 02:50:22 PM »

Callie,Mary, Steph, Jean great to see you here.
I am just leaving be gone for a few hours.
Must go 60 mile round trip to see my Mother and
take her some M&M's we'll visit and then I will leave
and the next person who walks by her will say nice
your daughter was here and she will say I never saw
my daughter she never comes here.

Phyll · « **Reply #10 on:** January 02, 2009, 03:24:35 PM »

A quick kiss to all of the true book lovers that I have been missing for so long. I'll be back.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 02, 2009, 04:24:10 PM »

Judy, how sad about your Mom. We had similar with husband's mom couple years ago. Sad, sad, sad. I hope I never lose my memory, short or long term.

Eloise · « **Reply #12 on:** January 02, 2009, 05:46:27 PM »

Great Heading here.

Judy, my mother didn't know who we were in the end and I have come to realize that we are the ones who become sad at seeing our own mother that way, but she herself never was sad, she remained her sweet self right to the end. She was over 90 when she started to loose her memory.

I just saw the movie "The Reader" and it was so good that I bought the book. Kate Winslet and Ralph Fienes and another young actor I didn't recognize played well in that movie. I highly recommend it.

Hi! Pat, Callie, Steph, et al. Great heading Judy.

pedln · « **Reply #13 on:** January 02, 2009, 07:16:22 PM »

Hi Judy and everyone. It's such fun to see what everyone is reading. And so hard to decide what to read next. Judy, I have your Greg Illes on my shelf -- Turning Angel. And then there is Plain Truth -- both book and DVD are here, and also one by Paul Auster who writes about Brooklyn and New York -- The Brooklyn Follies.

Steph, that Night of the Lobster sounds interesting.

I'm just finishing A Thousand Splendid Suns and Emilie Richards' Whiskey Island -- set in Cleveland, about the Irish immigrants who came there.

Gumtree · « **Reply #14 on:** January 03, 2009, 02:12:55 AM »

Judy Laird: I guess you're as happy as I am to see your site up and running again. thanks.
I'm amused at your comment about your -nine in the morning being everyone else's noon- I'm not sure of the exact time difference but I think your nine am is around my midnight or 2 am next morning - It's fun being one of the odd men? out.

Eloise: Lucky you having already seen 'The Reader' It doesn't open here until next week (I think). I'm looking forward to seeing it. I thought the book was brilliant - hope you enjoy it.

Steph · « **Reply #15 on:** January 03, 2009, 09:13:10 AM »

Judy, my mother in law had Alzeimers and the memory is so hard, but I believe like someone else mentioned that we are sad with this, but with no memory, they tend to be happy.
I am off to see a new rescue corgi. Our girl had dm and died in October and I am ready to welcome another one to my heart. Our 12 year old Dexter will go with us to meet Gracie. He must approve since he is old and tired and did so love Bridget and misses her terribly.

Judy Laird · « **Reply #16 on:** January 03, 2009, 12:13:41 PM »

Phyll I am glad to see you. Love your little stack of books, I am terrible computer challenged, it took me 2 days to get Redmond up under my name.

For all of you who enjoy my heading please do not give me any credit it is all tech people and especially Pat I just sit and say when do I start.Thanks for the kind thoughts on my Mother, I don't know if it is harder on her or me. She is still the same at 93 she just doesn't know anything. I saw a side of her that was always there. I laughed so hard. They stuck their head in her door and said exercise time. So I said come on Mom we will walk you out to the living room. She goes over to a couch with 3 women on it walks up and says "thats my seat" and I really though she was going to belt the woman,then she made like she was going to sit on the woman" I grabbed her and said Mom lets go sit over here on another couch. She's always been fiesty and I guess that hasn't changed.

Pedln you have to get into those Greg Iles hes the best I know you will like him.
When are you coming to visit your daughter??I might have to do some dog rescuing myself today, a lady dumped 2 litters of puppies on my groomer and she is drowning in dogs. I hate to go up there to help because I am liable to come home with one. You should see one littler they are tiny yorkie and shitzu mixed they are beyond cute.

Hi Eloise thank for the kind thoughts on my Mother.
Have a great day everyone.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #17 on:** January 03, 2009, 04:14:04 PM »

Congrats Mary - your Lady Vols have beaten us - the Lady Knights - again........and what a game!...................i know you enjoyed it........jean

maryz · « **Reply #18 on:** January 03, 2009, 05:28:25 PM »

jean - that was amazing - I can't believe they came back from 20 points down at the half. Our home-town UTC Lady Mocs lost to Georgia Southern by 2 points at the same time. Good news, bad news.

serenesheila · « **Reply #19 on:** January 03, 2009, 05:46:11 PM »

I am marking my place, here. Have been sick in bed, for a week, with a virus. Am slowly reading "The Forgotten Man." I find it interesting. Can't remember the name of the author. Another view of the Great Depression. I find myself very interested in what was going on in the world in the years around the 1920s.

Sheila

Judy Laird · « **Reply #20 on:** January 03, 2009, 05:51:13 PM »

Welcome Shelia
Its terrible when we get so sick we have to stay in bed. No fun at All.
Is the author Amity Shaels? I would think it would be interesting to read about the great depression. Some say these times compare but I am not sure if its that bad. I think it all depends on your circumstances.
Welcome again

JoanK · « **Reply #21 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:12:39 PM »

The MYSTERY CORNER is now open

http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=82.0

Aberlaine · « **Reply #22 on:** January 03, 2009, 09:32:18 PM »

I'm so glad to see this board and the whole website up and running. I don't usually post but read messages avidly.

My book list is filled with books that are suggested here. I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns and am currently reading Night by Elie Wiesel and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Different subjects; both fascinating in their own way. My f2f book group will discuss Guernsey Friday and maybe SeniorLearn will also discuss it in February.

Nancy

bellemere · « **Reply #23 on:** January 03, 2009, 10:04:53 PM »

Has anyone else got a thing for Barbara Pym? Not much discussion material just delicious comedy of manners. My personal favorite is Quartet in Autumn.
I really think she is the reincarnated Jane Austen.

EdithAnne · « **Reply #24 on:** January 03, 2009, 11:48:45 PM »

Has anyone read Dewey, the true story of the cat who lived in the library in Spencer, Iowa? I wonder if Jane lives near there. It is a heart warming story about this very friendly cat which was adopted by the library staff. At the present time I am reading My Life with Julia Child - who would have thought that she was not French! She was born in CA. I also love the Jodi Piccoult books - Plain Truth was about the Amish - she is a good fiction writer.
I also missed this discussion when SN was down. I got so many ideas for gift giving from the many readers who post here. It is wonderful!

joangrimes · « **Reply #25 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:50:28 AM »

Bellemere.

I love Barbara Pym but it has been a very long time since I read anything by her. I was thinking about her books just a few days ago I used to just devour one of her books everytime I found one that I had not read. I just might reread her books. I think I have read all of them .

Joan Grimes

Steph · « **Reply #26 on:** January 04, 2009, 09:52:13 AM »

I have read Julias biography, My life with Julia and the funniest of all Julie-Julia, which I think they are making a movie of. Julia is and was my hero.. I watched her all those years ago and gathered up my courage and turned myself into a french cook ( not without a lot of experimenting and eating). A favorite of mine, but then I love books on cooks and chefs, etc and have quite a collection.

Phyll · « **Reply #27 on:** January 04, 2009, 10:05:12 AM »

EdithAnne, I have a request in to my library to get Dewey. I had to request the Large Print addition since the queue was only 35 as opposed to the regular print edition where the queue is 202! It seems that a lot of us want to read about Dewey.

I worked for many years at a library in the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York. I emptied the book box nearly every morning and found many odd things in it (some I don't want to talk about!) but I never found a kitten. It sounds like just my kind of book.

nlhome · « **Reply #28 on:** January 04, 2009, 11:07:50 AM »

Hi there, just checking in - my last really good book, one that I didn't want to end, was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Now I'm looking for something that is as good.

Judy Laird · « **Reply #29 on:** January 04, 2009, 01:22:24 PM »

Nlhome I am looking forward to reading the Guernsey book, I hope it gets picked for Feburary's read. Welcome to Fiction Old and New.

My daughter Candi is on a streak of reading Jodi Piccoult's books. They are coming down quite often. I am now reading Keeping Faith. For those of you who don't know my daughter lives in Alaska and is a voriatious reader and when someone comes down they always bring me a box of book.

EdithAnne I am looking forward to reading Plain Truth in fact I might have it around here somewhere. So many books so little time.

Pamjo · « **Reply #30 on:** January 04, 2009, 03:24:21 PM »

First time posting in this discussion: Hi All!

Judy & nlhome: My reading group is going to discuss "The Guernsey Literary, etc." next week so I'll give you their views afterward. I personally found it a delightful read. I seem to remember reading about the German occupation of Guernsey Island (it may have even been during WWII...I could read then!)

Just finished a really good read (only about 50 pages long).."Doubt" by J.P. Shanley.. very powerful and written in play form. I'm going to reread it. Incidentally Meryl Streep is in a movie adaptation and it received rave reviews.

Judy Laird · « **Reply #31 on:** January 04, 2009, 03:41:38 PM »

Herbaltea Welome Welcome I Love that name, from now on I will call you HT
works for me. hehe

I have been reading about Doubt and would like to see the movie. I usually wait til the DVD comes out but maybeI will make an exception here. I absolutly hate when the movie comes on the first is so loud I want to scream, then its too cold too hot, popcorn costs too much..ect ect ect. I don't believe Merly Streep can do anything wrong.

I am going downtown now and go to my bookstore already to long of a list with everyones great sugestions.

Again Welcome HT

nlhome · « **Reply #32 on:** January 04, 2009, 04:15:02 PM »

HT - Thanks. I'll look forward to hearing what your reading group thought about "Guernsey"

N

EdithAnne · « **Reply #33 on:** January 04, 2009, 04:25:27 PM »

I have a correction to my post, # 24. Julia Child's book is called My Life in France, written by her and Alex Prudhomme, copyright 2006. She previously had written 11 books, her first one being Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 1961. In 1963 Boston's WGBH launched The French Chef television series, which made her a national celebrity, earning her the Peabody Award in 1965 and an Emmy in 1966. She died in 2004, two days before her 92nd. birthday. Alex Prudhomme is Paul Child's grand nephew who collaborated with Julia in writing this book, several years before she died. Julia said it would be a "tribute" to Paul, her husband, who swept her off to Paris in the first place.

jeriron · « **Reply #34 on:** January 04, 2009, 04:55:54 PM »

Judy Laird

I am on the same streak as your daughter. I started with Jodi Picoult newest book and have worked my way through almost all of them. I have "Mercy" to read and then I will wait for her newest one that comes out in March. I really like her books. I am usually a mystery book reader but I have gotten tired of them. So this is a change for me.

straudetwo · « **Reply #35 on:** January 04, 2009, 05:07:38 PM »

Judy and All

Great guns for the folder! Good to see the familiar faces, and new ones also. I tried yesterday but had a minor problem and a major distraction. i wanted to share something with you because of an earlier message from you having to do with your visit to you mother in a retirement home. Please lt me reply briefly.

I'd like to think that your presence did register with your mother in a subconscious way, impossible to fathom. An experience I had some years ago with a very dear friend tends to confirm that. But I won't elaborate, only say bless you.

Judy Laird · « **Reply #36 on:** January 04, 2009, 05:19:57 PM »

Thank You for that staudetwo it means a lot.

MarjV · « **Reply #37 on:** January 05, 2009, 08:15:07 AM »

Hi All -

Just started reading Dewey - love kittys so it is truly a sweet tail!

I wanted to mention the new short story book I just finished by a new author - Irish (love to read Around the World mainly). Walk the Blue Fields by Clair Keegan. Her stories get the flavor, sights and smells of Ireland in addition to the good plots. One blurb calls her a unique craftswoman. And I agree.

Usually I don't acare for short stores but this was unique.

~Marj

hats · « **Reply #38 on:** January 05, 2009, 08:29:57 AM »

I'm so glad to be here. Thanks to all who helped make a place to talk books again. Hello to old friends and new friends. I have to say "Dewey" is on my wishlist. I have been in a mystery book mood. I just finished reading "Death of A Winter Shaker" by Deborah Woodworth. It's the first in a series.

I am also reading "Dreams from my Father" by Barack Obama. The book is wonderful. I've heard some of what I'm reading on the documentaries and news shows. Reading the book is giving me a totally different perspective.

Pat · « **Reply #39 on:** January 05, 2009, 08:44:56 AM »

There's hats. Happy to see you posting here. You have always contributed so many good suggestions for books.

I was really concerned when your email kept coming back.

News:

Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #1 (Read 165183 times)