Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #1 (Read 162634 times)

Frybabe · « **Reply #760 on:** July 13, 2009, 02:12:28 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

Gosh, I haven't been up to the glass museum since before Corning divested itself of the CorningWare and Pyrex lines. I especially used to like watching the LampWork and Glass Blowing demos. Not to mention the gift shop.

We've been by the Rockwell Museum I can't tell you how many times but never stopped in. George is not big on art museums, but it isn't hard to get him to stop at glass, auto, rail and other museums centered on science and technology.

Williamsport, JoanK? That must have been before I discovered SeniorNet or I would have been there.

joangrimes · « **Reply #761 on:** July 13, 2009, 02:41:22 PM »

Yes Frybabe, Williamsport, Pa. The Bash was just after the 9/11 attack. But I am Joan Grimes not Joan K. Joan K was not there.

Joan Grimes

EvelynMC · « **Reply #762 on:** July 13, 2009, 04:46:39 PM »

ADOANNIE and maryz,

Thanks for the info on the full-spectrum lamps for SAD. I changed most of my lamps to full-spectrum because I have trouble reading, but I think these are different and much brighter. I'm going to check into them.

Right now, the sun is shining brightly here everyday, but come Jan. and Feb. we get clouds and rain every day, and the "gloom and doom" sets in.

Evelyn

ANNIE · « **Reply #763 on:** July 13, 2009, 05:55:52 PM »

OH, MaryZ, I was at the opening of Chattanooga's aquarium back in the '90s. Took my two grans who grew up in Ithaca,NY. We just loved it. And we have been back two times. And Chihuly is involved. I know its a good exhibit if he is around. Our Botanical Gardens Conservatory is just this week redisplaying a Chihuly exhibit that was bought for the city by some very rich people about 6 yrs ago.

JoanG,
Thanks for the name of the Rockwell Western Museum. Its a place to see.

maryz · « **Reply #764 on:** July 13, 2009, 09:19:51 PM »

JoanG, come up any time. We'd love to see you!

Steph · « **Reply #765 on:** July 14, 2009, 07:58:57 AM »

The museum looks quite extraordinary.. Chihuly..Ah our favorite glass artists. Will put Chattanooga on our list.. His bridge of glass in Tacoma is wonderful.
We hope to do the Rockwell as well. I was somewhat confused as to who he was, but saw some informationlast night downtown on him.. I will say that the Gaffer district where the museum is is a funny place. We finally found a restaurant downtown that wasnt closed,but it was horrid..Ugh.. Three of the restaurants on the little downtown map were closed.. I am not fond of Brewery type restarants.. and a tapas did not appeal.. Lots of spectacular gift shops though.. Mostly all glass of course.. also downtown is full of motorcycles... teens wandering around in large groups.. Not the kind of thing to make older people happy about walking.

joangrimes · « **Reply #766 on:** July 14, 2009, 08:14:23 AM »

Steph,

I remember that we had a hard time finding a good place for lunch the day that we were there. I remember now that our lunch was terrible.

Enjoy the glass and the Rockwell.

Joan G

CallieOK · « **Reply #767 on:** July 14, 2009, 02:52:12 PM »

Even out here in the "wild west", we get to see both Chihuly and Rockwell!

Click here http://www.okcmoa.com/exhibitions/dalechihuly-theexhibition to read about the Chihuly permanent exhibit at The Oklahoma City Museum of Art. The yellow/golden two-story piece (shown in a thumbnail) is in the museum entrance and is spectacular to see if you drive by at night. (You might enjoy some of the other links, too.)

In 2004-05, there was an extensive interactive Rockwell exhibit at what was then called The Omniplex in OKC. One of the most fun things about it was the photo-ops in settings of the various Saturday Evening Post covers. You could even put on outfits similar to the ones in the sketches. My grandchildren loved it.

Steph · « **Reply #768 on:** July 15, 2009, 08:06:55 AM »

Callie,, Last year we were in the RV out west and went through Oklahoma City.What a delight. We went to the museum with the Chihuly installations and ate in the little cafe in the museum. We also went to the Cowboy museum which is truly remarkable.. Lovely city..
Went nuts in the new Glass museum.. They have a new installation of contemporary glass artists. Wild.. We loved it.. bought a small original piece.. Spent almost all day there.
Columbus, OHIO has a lovely older Chihuly installation at the Botanical Garden building. We spent a lovely afternoon there several years ago.. Very nicely done building, but the installation needed cleaning. That is the trouble wit glass. Needs care

JoanP · « **Reply #769 on:** July 15, 2009, 08:49:06 AM »

Several months ago we had a vote for Individual Book Discussion Titles - and you all voted for Dickens' Mystery of Edwin Drood, which we hope to discuss in September - and Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book, which starts - TODAY!
Hope you didn't forget - we're waiting to hear what you think of Brooks' protagonist - Hanna Heath. If you haven't started the book yet, that's okay too. The author is travelling abroad on an international book tour this month, but promises to try to respond to your questions via email if she can. Please do come over and say hello -

People of the Book.

Babi · « **Reply #770 on:** July 15, 2009, 09:49:24 AM »

Mary, I've seen some of the Chihuly glass, via internet, and WOW! definitely
defines it. I'd love to see it 'live'.

Hmmm,..it would appear there is definitely an opening for a good restaurant
in the Gaffer area of Chattanooga. Someone enterprising young chef ought to
jump at it. There are a number of good eating places in the neighborhood of
the major Houston museums.

marjifay · « **Reply #771 on:** July 15, 2009, 11:36:54 AM »

Has anyone read any good novels lately?

I just finished the best book I've read this year -- SARAH'S KEY by Tatiana de Rosnay. Riveting! It's so good, it's hard to believe it's her first novel. It is a remarkable historical novel which brings to light a disturbing and deliberately hidden aspect of French behavior toward Jews during WW2. From the first page on I found it very hard to put down, and will be looking for her next book.

Marj

mrssherlock · « **Reply #772 on:** July 15, 2009, 01:15:32 PM »

The House on Fortune Street, by Margot lvesey, has left me with strong memories of its characters and situations. The accounts of different people who share the same event, a la Rashomon, is not a unique way to tell a story. Livesey has taken the concept and given it a twist by recounting the events which bring together several people from the point of view of each one. Abigail has acquired a housel, through inheriting a small fortune, where she lives in the top and lets the lower flat. She is in the theater and shares her life with her lover, Sean, a writer who is working on his dissertation of Keats. Her lodger, Dara, is a friend from St. Andrews, where they met and bonded over their laundry, who counsels abused women. This banal-sounding premise expands to form a small unverse of finding, losing, hiding love. Believe me, this is powerful and riveting.

marjifay · « **Reply #773 on:** July 15, 2009, 01:57:15 PM »

THE HOUSE ON FORTUNE STREET sounds delicious, Jackie. I'm adding it to my TBR list, right up there with the next two I'll be reading -- THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett and SEA OF POPPIES by Amitav Ghosh

Marj

mrssherlock · « **Reply #774 on:** July 15, 2009, 02:01:29 PM »

Ah yes, The Help. Meant to put that on my list but forgot, thanks for mentioning it. Tell mer about Field of Poppies, please.

ALF43 · « **Reply #775 on:** July 15, 2009, 03:07:54 PM »

I just finished The Help recently and enjoyed it. One of the few this summer that I have enjoyed.

maryz · « **Reply #776 on:** July 15, 2009, 03:12:34 PM »

Steph, we may be visiting John's cousin in September, so maybe we can check out the Corning museum again. Thanks for the update. The first time we were there, the piece I wanted to buy was the most expensive one in the place. John says I have impeccable taste.

Babi, we love all the new restaurants we can get. And we're getting more smaller ones that aren't chains (our favorites!). But I'm at a loss. I don't know what they mean by the "Gaffer area" of Chattanooga.

I went to help out at the library today by "deprocessing" some books being discarded by the library. Most of them go into the Friends of the Library book sale. But I found an Ivan Doig book that I wasn't familiar with, so I grabbed it. Just had to pay the regular book sale price of $2.00.

Aberlaine · « **Reply #777 on:** July 15, 2009, 04:55:00 PM »

For those of you planning trips to Ithaca and Corning, and if you're wine lovers, don't miss the Finger Lakes wineries that line both sides of Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake. It's so much fun to taste their wine before you buy it. I try to get to a few of them each summer and restock my wine "cellar" (actually a wicker basket) for winter.

marjifay · « **Reply #778 on:** July 15, 2009, 09:50:46 PM »

SEA OF POPPIES by Amitav Ghosh is being read this month in an online book discussion group I belong to.

Per the New Yorker, "Ghosh's best and most ambitious work yet is an adventure story set in 19th century Calcuta against the backdrop of the Opium Wars." Per Publishers Weekly, Starred Review, "Diaspora, myth and a fascinating language mashup propel this picaresque epic of the voyage of the Ibis, a ship transporting Indian coolies and others to Mauritius (an island off the Indian coast east of Madagascar) in 1838. The is marvelous and the plot magestically serpentine, but the real hero is the English language which has rarely felt so alive and vibrant."

marjifay · « **Reply #779 on:** July 15, 2009, 09:54:27 PM »

In my post above re SEA OF POPPIES, the last sentence should have read "The cast is marvelous ...."

Marj

Steph · « **Reply #780 on:** July 16, 2009, 08:05:02 AM »

The Gaffer area is in 'Corning,NY.. Gaffer is glass speak for the master blower.. Yesterday was up toWatkins Glen and then on to several wineries. Watkins is great fun. A nice little town on a glorious lake and we had fun in the wineries. We had already done the top level around Geneva weeks ago when we were up there and now have finished the bottom tier.. Altogether have two cases of a varied types of wine.. Mostly white and blush.. I am a believer in red being better in California and of course France.
Took notes on all of the books.. My list acquired on this road trip is getting way too long. Whew.

ALF43 · « **Reply #781 on:** July 16, 2009, 09:18:53 AM »

Steph, I hail from that area of New York State and one year Bill was working on the Painted Post School building and we lived in a campground in Watkins. I loved the winery tours and all that the area provides. Have fun.

Babi · « **Reply #782 on:** July 17, 2009, 08:49:55 AM »

Thanks for the info., STEPH. I've heard the term 'old gaffer' before, and
always thought it simply referred to an old man. Maybe if does, now, but
it's interesting to know where it came from.

Sea of Poppies does sound good. I remember someome posting about
"The Help" before, but I don't remember now what it was about. ??

Steph · « **Reply #783 on:** July 17, 2009, 09:32:48 AM »

I agree Babi, I thought a gaffer was an older man, but it seems in the glass business, it is a specific term.. Who knew??
We are now outside of Lebanon, Pa. at a not particularly nice campground, but wanted to explore the area a bit. My granddaughter would like a quilt for her birthday and thought this might be the place. We are off to the Lebanon farmers market today and has discovered there is an old Iron Foundry in Cornwall, Pa, that is open to the public. Thought that might be interesting.

Frybabe · « **Reply #784 on:** July 17, 2009, 11:30:18 AM »

Hey Steph, you are getting mighty close to me.

If you have the TIME, stop in at the National Watch and Clock Museum off Route 30 in Columbia. At the bottom of the page, below the address is a link to mapquest directions. It is only a couple of blocks off Rt. 30 and easy to get to. I just love it. http://www.nawcc.org/index.php/museumlibrary

The Lebanon area is pretty country but, like a lot of places it has gotten a bit touristy. The Strasburg Railroad Museum is great and there is a Toy Museum not to far from it.There used to be an Auto Museum close by too, but I heard it closed.

If you are heading east, the Moravian Tile Works and the Mercer Museum are must see. They are on the same grounds. Here is a link to the tileworks. http://www.buckscounty.org/government/departments/Tileworks/index.aspx

If you are heading west, there is lots of goings on at Hershey. Hershey Park, auto museum, Hershey Rose Garden (haven't been there since I was a kid), tour the chocolate factory. And then there is the Gettysburg Battlefield past me.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #785 on:** July 17, 2009, 02:32:11 PM »

Frybabe - you sound like your in my growing-up-neck-of-the-woods. I grew up in Shippensburg, so i know the area well. Also, my son went to Gettysburg to college and played in that football league of FandM, Dickinson, etc.there's a college in almost every town, I love that area of the country. ....................... .........jean

Steph · « **Reply #786 on:** July 18, 2009, 08:24:34 AM »

I grew upin Delaware and alot of our boys in the 50's went to the small boys colleges around here. Lehigh,F and M..etc. etc. I know the Lancaster area pretty well. We have come through there several times and done most of the stuff. Also Gettysburg.. We are acting heading down 81 to 77 to get home.. Lebanon is sort of an ugly town where we were, the farmers market is nice, but is mostly prepared food. We bought stuff for dinner tonight. No quilts anywhere.. Kait will probably have to wait until our next trip that covers amish country. There are mennonites quite close, since we passed a mennonite school on the way into the campground.. But no farm signs, etc. Darn.. Iam having a horrid allergy attack, but we may at least drive to Hershey today,, probably do some stuff, but not the park.. Went to a wonderful Iron Foundry yesterday in Cornwall. Lovely tour.. Beautiful buildings.. Wow..
Watch and Clock.. Will look up route 30 from here..My husband is a watch freak.

Frybabe · « **Reply #787 on:** July 18, 2009, 01:30:10 PM »

Mabel, I grew up in the on the "West Shore" of the Susquehanna River, in New Cumberland and Mechanicsburg. Now living in Enola. My sister and Mom are now living on the "East Shore" in the northern Harrisburg suburbs. They don't see me very often

I hate driving around on that side of the river even though it only takes me 15 minutes to get to their places.

My guy did his ungrad work at Shippensburg and PhD at Lehigh. I was pretty bummed about Dickenson selling out to Penn State.

Steph, shame on me. I've never been to the Iron Foundry in Cornwall. I hope you can find the time for the Watch and Clock Musuem, but if not perhaps next time.

Steph · « **Reply #788 on:** July 19, 2009, 07:08:50 PM »

The Watch will wait untl next time, since MDH wanted to see the Hershey Rose Gardens.. We went, but were disappointed. Weeds, no dead heading... and mislabeling. Someone in charge is not doing a good job.. Oh well. they were beautiful and smelled wonderful.. But what a zoo.. Hershey is just one huge traffic jam.

Frybabe · « **Reply #789 on:** July 19, 2009, 07:58:00 PM »

Oh Steph, that is soooo disappointing. I haven't been there in years. Have you been to Longwood Gardens since they remodeled it? I really, really would like to go.

Steph · « **Reply #790 on:** July 20, 2009, 08:30:52 AM »

Have not been to Longwood in so many years. Since I originally came from Delaware, used to go there as a kid. I have many friends who still live in Delaware and I know they go there especially at Christmas time.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #791 on:** July 23, 2009, 09:58:45 PM »

Frybabe - my first teaching job was at Wm Penn H.S. in Harrisburg, when it was still a high shcool. Loved the job and the city. Had relatives on both the "east" shore and the ''west shore" - lemoyne, and i lived in New Cumberland the last two yrs i taught at W.P.

My husband and i are both grads of Shippensburg. Did Dickinson sell everything to Penn ST? My impression was that P.S. only took over the law school.

Steph - i can't believe you couldn't find any quilts, even in Shippensburg there is a shop that sells quilts and we're on the fringe of "Amish country" and the closer you get to Lancaster County the more likely it would seem that you could find them.

We're planning a trip to Longwood gardens soon. They have light and fountain displays at 9:00 at night and we haven't seen those yet. We'll probably go on to Lancaster, it has become quite a tourist town w/ music venues and lots of shops and arts and crafts, plus the outlets - however, i 'm not much of a shopper, so the outlets don't draw me by themselves.
Milton Hershey would be very upset about the rose gardens, they used to be beautifully kept....................jean

maryz · « **Reply #792 on:** July 23, 2009, 11:05:35 PM »

jean, we've seen one of the light/fountain shows at Longwood Gardens. You're definitely in for a treat! Enjoy!

Steph · « **Reply #793 on:** July 24, 2009, 09:28:27 AM »

Got a beautiful quilt in Harrisonburg Va. Now to hope that Miss Picky likes it. Who knows. I was really startled about the no quilts, but then we ate in a restaurant that said Amish and it was as amish as I am, that is to say..not at all. I was heartbroken, I wanted chicken and slippery noodles, dried apple pie.. all of my childhood favorites. We did find a breakfast place that had scrapple, but they fried it to death. Darn.. We went to Lancaster a few years ago and had a blast. There are many tourist havens, but the back roads, still have the old quilt and woodworking and jam signs.. Fun. Also found a wonderful pottery in some little town close to Lancaster. Just beautiful stuff. Got the daughter in laws and myself wonderful pitchers done with a deep blue decoration on the gray .. Lovely

Frybabe · « **Reply #794 on:** July 24, 2009, 09:34:57 AM »

Good heavens, Mabel, I grew up in New Cumberland. Well, that is until we moved when I was 14 or 15 to just outside of Mechanicsburg. I started ninth grade at Cumberland (Cow) Valley. I thought I would die because I wouldn't be going to Cedar Cliff.

When I was a little'un the family made the trip over to Italian Lake a few times. How beautiful it was then. After the Canada geese took over, it became a slippery mess. They finally got rid of most of the geese a few years back and it is now nicer to walk around again.

Steph, up along Rt. 15 between here and Williamsport, there are a few places you can stop and buy Amish quilts. One of them actually hangs her quilts outside by the road. We often stop at a general store that serves the Amish community up that way, complete with buggy hitching posts. I am glad you have been able to find one, finally, even though it wasn't in PA.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #795 on:** July 24, 2009, 12:32:13 PM »

Frybabe - did you ever see the May Day ceremony that the Wm Penn students held on Iralian Lake? It was beautiful - a motorized swan bro't the "May queen" down the lake and students who were on the honor roll were the court and the girls wore pastel gowns. They had two May poles and dancers who wrapped them. I lived on the lake for the first 2 yrs of my teaching at Wm Penn and walked around it to go to work. Did you know that it was a CCC project in the 1930's? It was so pretty w/ the little Japanese bridge across the middle.

Those darn geese have ruined many places in the last 20 yrs. Here in Moorestown, NJ we also have a lake that was a CCC project - Strawbridge Lake - yes, named for the department store people whose family owned the property at some point in history. It became impossible to walk along it until they hired some geese chasers, but i have a feeling they aren't in the budget anymore.........
Well, to some "book" discussion - I'm disappointed in the 15th Evanovich, very slow, too much description about her feelings about Joe and Ranger and a strange "driving around" checking out Ranger's properties to see if they might get broken into

There are some funny bits about Lulu and Grandma trying to make bbq sauce and a pressure cooker blowing up, but overall it's not one of her best. I'm also finally getting to Shem Creek which some of you recommended and i'm loving it, a very nice description of Mother/dgt relationships. Frank is becoming one of my favorite authors............jean

CallieOK · « **Reply #796 on:** July 24, 2009, 07:46:11 PM »

I also like D. B. Frank and just finished her newest Lowcountry one - "Return to Sullivan's Island". It's not quite a sequel to "Sullivan's Island" but has the same characters.
The general plot is good but I didn't much care for the story line about the main character.

I think Evanovich needs to develop a new set of characters to write about.

Aberlaine · « **Reply #797 on:** July 25, 2009, 06:38:08 AM »

Just finished The Alienist by Caleb Carr and would recommend it highly. Set in 1896 New York City, it's the story of one of the brand new and not yet accepted police psychologists who profiles a child serial killer. One of the minor characters is the new NYC police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt.

Nancy

Frybabe · « **Reply #798 on:** July 25, 2009, 09:18:40 AM »

Mabel, No I didn't the May Day procession. Sounds like it was great fun.

pedln · « **Reply #799 on:** July 25, 2009, 11:16:59 AM »

Nancy, it's always amazing to me the history and bits of information one can pick up in fiction. I did not know that Theodore Roosevelt was once a NY police commissioner.

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Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #1 (Read 162634 times)