Author Topic: The Library (Read 2049436 times)

ginny · « **Reply #17200 on:** July 28, 2016, 03:12:26 PM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not).

Let the book talk begin here!

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ginny · « **Reply #17201 on:** July 28, 2016, 03:13:46 PM »

Marjifay, I am right with you on the film of Bleak House!

When I saw your post here, I ran out to the car and took Disk 2 which is sitting in my car, to the PO because I forgot to take it this morning. Sometimes they don't have duplicate copies and I did not want you to have to wait.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #17202 on:** July 29, 2016, 11:07:41 PM »

Ginny - you have no idea - I was determined to see the British bake show because you enjoy it so - have watched it a couple of weeks now - Ginny I have no earthly idea what they are saying half the time - tonight the big blond guy was the looser and he especially - have no clue what that man says - and I really wanted to like him - but my oh my and the problem is they are not speaking some foreign language that you can look it up - oh yaya ya yah.

I always measure a character by what it would be like to meet for coffee and a chat - no way - the strain would be so great my shoulders would be stiff for a week as I would lean in and try and try to understand what in the world they were saying. Also half the cakes are filled with sugary something or other - I'm inclined towards simple - cakes piled high with fresh fruit or fresh fruit steeped in interesting syrups rather than meringues, the variety of cake basis and cream fillings. A different way of eating and I guess different ingredients readily available. Ginny do you make any of these deserts and are any of them available to pickup when you are shopping in your area?

bellamarie · « **Reply #17203 on:** July 30, 2016, 10:10:05 AM »

I picked up a book at the library the other day called Kinsey and Me by Sue Grafton. I've never been known to read too many mysteries accept for Agatha Christie, but because this book is many short stories, I decided I would give it a try. I like how the Preface gives the reader the insight as to how the author must write short stories, compared to a novel:

A MYSTERY SHORT STORY is a marvel of ingenuity. The writer works on a small canvas, word-painting with the equivalent of a brush with three hairs. In the space of twenty or so manuscript pages, the writer must establish the credentials and personality of the detective (Kinsey Millhone in this case), as well as the time period and the physical setting. Usually, there's a murder or a missing person, whose disappearance is a matter of concern. Lesser crimes, such as burglary, theft, embezzlement, or fraud, may provide the spark for the story line, but as a rule, murder is the glue that holds the pieces in place. In short order, the writer has to lay out the nature of the crime and introduce two or three viable suspects (or persons of interest as they're referred to these days). With a few deft strokes, the writer must further create suspense and generate a modicum of action while demonstrating how the detective organizes the subsequent inquiry and arrives at a working theory, which is then tested for accuracy. A touch of humor is a nice addition to the mix, lightening the mood and allowing the reader momentary relief from the tensions implicit in the process. In the end, the resolution must satisfy the conditions set forth at the beginning. While the mystery novelist has room to develop subplots and peripheral characters, as well as the leisure to flesh out the private life of the protagonist, in the short story such indulgences are stripped away. The subtleties of the artfully disguised clue and the place of road signs pointing the reader in the wrong direction may be present in the short story, but pared to a minimum.

As a novice writer myself, I would find it challenging to write mystery short stories because you are condensing a story into such few pages. For me it is like having this huge canvas to paint on and given a time frame, and limited painting tools, to accomplish a masterpiece. Although, I do find it a bit fun to think of writing short stories, not having to come up with tons of pages keeping the reader's interest throughout the book.

I'm excited to begin reading this book. Speaking of "the bests", this caught my interest..... "I've come to believe that Grafton is not only the most talented woman writing crime fiction today but also that, regardless of gender, her Millhone books are among the five or six best series any American has ever written." ______ The Washington Post Book World

Certainly high praise!

ginny · « **Reply #17204 on:** August 03, 2016, 09:26:46 AM »

That DOES look good, Bellamarie! I think I will look for it. I very much like short stories, and I've not read any Grafton.

I had gotten a book of short stories, called the Big Book of Science Fiction or something like that, after reading a great deal about it in reviews. It's new and gigantic. I am not sure I am fully appreciating what they've done, they are in chronological order, and I think I am too much of a novice in this field to fully appreciate the nostalgia and history here. I've put it aside due to some...to me... objectionable material in one of the stories which I actually wish I had not read, and plan to pick it back up later on. You can't judge an entire book of different authors by just one, so I need to persevere.

However, I AM enjoying Robot Uprisings which is also book of short sci fi stories and so far they are very good. I'm well into it (I love Robots as a concept) and one of the short stories scared me to death, so have put it aside until daytime reading. hahaha The story in question is Lullaby by Anna North. Of course I found the movie I Robot scary as all get out, so there you go.

What I like about this volume is each story (like the Big Book of SciFi) includes a brief bio of the author first, which I am enjoying as I have never heard of half of them. It was on a remainder table but is a very good book so far.

I unwrapped the DVD of Bleak House and immediately saw an interview included with Charles Dance (Mr. Tulkinghorn) which I enjoyed tremendously. (It's on youtube, also, the one where he's wearing a blue shirt)....He says that the Bleak House film production follows the original Dickens installments, and now in so watching I am able to begin to piece together what is going on, the mystery, etc. I enjoyed it so much last night I am going to start from the beginning, which sounds ridiculous, but I want to get the full effect, because when you watch it, you are goggle eyed with all the plots and characters, as I imagine Dickens readers were when they read it, but it goes too fast on film.

Ella from this site and I got to watch from an upstairs window the making of the movie Vanity Fair with Reece Witherspoon at Hampton Court years ago, and I will never forget how they turned a sunny very hot day in the courtyard into a dark foggy place. So Bleak House has many very dark foggy scenes which are a marvel, to me. I've rented Vanity Fair to see those scenes again. Film-making looks like a lot of work, I have to be honest, it really does. I can see why it takes an army of people to make a movie, too.

I am thinking I want to begin the book, too, and follow the sequence there as well. The acting is just superb. Dance is an unusual man. He played in the Jewel in the Crown, as Sergeant Guy Perron, (I've ordered that again, too, from Netflix, tho I have it here somewhere and the "missing episodes" not shown on American TV), and Game of Thrones, the new Ghostbusters, the new And Then There Were None, he's in everything. I think he has three coming out in 2017, more power to him. He says in one interview that old actors can't retire who would play the wrinkled old people? hahahaa I've watched quite a few of his interviews now, he's fascinating. I think he'd be very hard to live with, but he's absolutely perfect in Mr. Tulkinghorn, and it turns out he was nominated for an Emmy for it.

So it's a great experience.

And I'm still reading The Gold Coast and enjoying watching the menace of the
Don Next Door in this tony and exclusive upper crust mansion filled neighborhood of the country. It's become an interesting little morality play. You can't help but wonder what you would do. Kind of an Analyze This without all the humor, tho DeMille really does have an irrepressible tone in it. Lots of cleverness.

Still reading Cicero and His Friends, which as noted before is very slow going but very rewarding.

What's everybody reading? I'm always on the lookout for something really good. I hope once the classes begin I can still have time for pleasure reading, and movie watching, but Latin is SO absorbing I am afraid like all the previous years it will be put aside.

PatH · « **Reply #17205 on:** August 03, 2016, 12:34:55 PM »

Ginny, do come into the sci-fi discussion and tell us about it. It looks like it has some classics in it, and we might point you to some good ones. For starters, if it has Isaac Asimov's The Nine Billion Names of God, try it. It's a bit dated, but packs a wallop.

The movie I, Robot isn't much like the loosely connected set of Asimov short stories that inspired it.

marjifay · « **Reply #17206 on:** August 03, 2016, 01:08:33 PM »

Read your interesting post about Sue Grafton and short stories, Bellamarie.

I bought Sue Grafton's A is for Alibi after watching a Jeapardy question "A critic wrote after reading her last book 'I wish there were more letters in the alphabet.' Of course the answer was Sue Grafton.

As for short stories, I don't care for them and usually skip any discussion about them.(People at Constant Reader on Goodreads like them and discuss a lot of them.) There were only three I liked, all from Ernest hemingway:
A Clean, Well Lighted Place, The Killers (also a movie), and The Short Happy Life of Francis Maccomber (also a movie). This is odd because I've never been able to finish a full-lenth Hemingway novel.

Marj

Frybabe · « **Reply #17207 on:** August 03, 2016, 01:33:10 PM »

Oh yes, Ginny, do pop on over to the Sci-fi discussion. I have read Robot Uprisings; love Daniel H. Wilson's works (the ones I've read so far). You might like John Scalzi' s Locked In too. It is a medical assist robot detective story.

marcie · « **Reply #17208 on:** August 03, 2016, 04:14:03 PM »

That Science Fiction book sounds like a winner, Ginny.

FYI, everyone: to make it more visible we've moved up the Poetry-Shakespeare Sonnets discussion from the "General" area to the "Current and Scheduled" area that holds our monthly book discussions. We're talking about a sonnet each day to celebrate the 400th anniversary this year of Shakespeare's death.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17209 on:** August 03, 2016, 09:47:58 PM »

Marj, I just finished the first short mystery in this book of short stories of Grafton's called "Between the Sheets" I actually liked it, but I did keep thinking how much more exciting it would have been as a novel, taking the time to figure out the clues and characters. I'll finish the book but I can see how I feel a little cheated. I noticed she has novels A - V which all takes place in the 1980's which Grafton points out: I am, myself, caught in a time warp. One obvious consequence of this same decision is that many of the technological advancements in the forensic sciences and most certainly innovations in communications are nowhere in evidence. NO Internet, no cell phones, little DNA testing. This means she's forced to do her sleuthing the old-fashioned way, which better suits her personal style and the needs of the narrative.

Have you gotten around to reading A is for Alibi? If so how did you like it? Grafton is new for me, but I do like her style.

I just finished the book The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand. It was exactly what I was looking for in a summer read, taking place on Nantucket, but without giving the ending away, all I can say is grrr...... Would definitely recommend it for a light read.

ginny · « **Reply #17210 on:** August 04, 2016, 10:15:27 AM »

They didn't have the Grafton at B&N so I'll have to put that off a while.

PatH and Frybabe, sure I'll come over there, but I don't think my musings would be much use, I'm a novice in Sci Fi.

It doesn't have either Asimov's The Nine Billion Names of God or the Locked In, but I'll look for both. The story by Anna North I was shocked to see is online, Google books appears to have it in its entirety, but the print is minuscule.

I love Asimov. I had bought, when I Robot came out as a movie and it scared me to death, the book, so that I thought I could regulate the shocks (that is a GOOD movie for the visual effects alone) but I did notice the short stories were not the same. Still Asimov is Asimov and I enjoy his writing.

Yesterday I bought at a Wal Mart the new Truly Madly Gladly by Liane Moriarty, because I keep reading rave reviews of it. I have her Husband's Secret and her other book whose title I forget, but have not read either. I am trying to make serious dents in my TBR piles and taking books to the library right and left. I don't know what KIND of writing she does. Is it chick lit? I don't know what it IS but this last one has extraordinary reviews so I am going to try it next.

Am still reading Living With A Dead Language: My Romance With Latin by Ann Patty. I keep trying to slog thru it. it's about her. It's really really about HER? I did not need to know she was so excited on her second day of class she skipped her bath and went two hours early.

It's about HER. I don't know what I expected. I'm only on chapter 3 and am forcing self to read on in hopes that it will be redeemed. What is it they say about travel? The problem with travel is that some people can't leave themselves behind?

The problem with this book is she can't leave herself behind.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17211 on:** August 04, 2016, 10:42:31 AM »

Liane Moriarty I understand is a bit of chick lit. She is selling like hotcakes!

https://www.amazon.com/Liane-Moriarty/e/B00459IA54

ginny · « **Reply #17212 on:** August 04, 2016, 12:02:23 PM »

I was afraid of that, but, having bought it, I'll give it a whirl.

I did manage to find Arthur C Clarke's The Nine Billion Names of God in an anthology of all his short stories, and I like him VERY much, I keep rereading his 2001 series, and I also found Lock In by John Scalzi and they were both reasonable and Prime, so have ordered them!

PatH · « **Reply #17213 on:** August 04, 2016, 11:19:14 PM »

Oops, sorry. I said Asimov, and that short story is, as you said, by Clarke.

The sci-fi site isn't experts, it's just us describing books we've read, howe liked them or didn't, and giving each other ideas of new things to try--like here.

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #17214 on:** August 06, 2016, 01:43:04 PM »

I started reading Liane Moriarty last year. She was a big change for me as I usually read mysteries (mostly British and Swedish). But I found myself wanting something a little bit lighter to read and came across her. She has sometimes been labeled as chick lit, but some of her writing includes serious issues. She writes about motherhood, middle age, and relationships between women. I really liked her previous book, “Big Little Lies”, which is scheduled to become a TV series in 2017. It is being produced by Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.

There’s a good interview with her in BookPage about her latest book, “Truly Madly Guilty.” The article compares her to Kate Atkinson. In my opinion, she doesn’t come close to Ms. Atkinson, but she does write good books. Here’s the link:

https://bookpage.com/interviews/20179-liane-moriarty#.V6Shq7grLIV[url]]https://bookpage.com/interviews/20179-liane-moriarty#.V6Shq7grLIV http://

PatH · « **Reply #17215 on:** August 06, 2016, 02:06:38 PM »

Hi, Winchesterlady. It's good to see you.

CallieOK · « **Reply #17216 on:** August 06, 2016, 02:14:52 PM »

Winchester Lady, I recently discovered Liane Moriarity and have enjoyed her books. So glad to know "Big Little Lies" is going to be a tv series next year.
I thought "What Alice Forgot" was interesting because it is told from the viewpoint of a woman as she progresses (regresses?) through the stages of Alzheimer's.
I almost exclusively read e-books because I can borrow them through my library. Unfortunately, "Truly Madly Guilty" isn't available in that format at this time. Maybe it will be soon.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17217 on:** August 06, 2016, 04:53:18 PM »

Winchester Lady, Thank you for the link and the info about the TV series. I am going to pick up a couple of her books at my library if they have any. Usually they are on hold. Not sure about the Alzheimer one. I watched The Notebook movie with Gena Rowlands, James Garner, Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling and cried so hard I refuse to ever watch it again. Too much of a reality for me.

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #17218 on:** August 06, 2016, 10:49:26 PM »

Callie -- I think you may have "What Alice Forgot" confused with another book. In this novel, Alice falls, is knocked out, and when she comes to, has lost 10 years of her memory. She finds her children are 10 years older, and is shocked to discover that she and her husband are in the process of divorcing. Apparently, this is a condition that has actually occurred in real life, although I've never heard of it. I enjoyed this book also.

CallieOK · « **Reply #17219 on:** August 06, 2016, 11:08:02 PM »

Oops, I think you're correct. I've read so many books this summer that it's easyfor me to get them mixed up. Thanks for the reminder.

.

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #17220 on:** August 06, 2016, 11:22:04 PM »

Callie....I do the same thing. We just read too many books. But now I cheat and keep info about the books I've read (and want to read) on my computer. That's a big help!

CallieOK · « **Reply #17221 on:** August 07, 2016, 12:14:53 AM »

So do I. After my last entry, my current data base had over 200 books listed (not all from this summer!

)
I have them sorted by author - then by category (biography, non-fiction, name of "series" ) and then by title.

PatH · « **Reply #17222 on:** August 07, 2016, 07:52:22 AM »

I don't undertand the concept "read too many books". Not possible.

CallieOK · « **Reply #17223 on:** August 07, 2016, 09:35:04 AM »

Patti, I agree. Wincesterlady was kind to provide an excuse for my "Intellectual Interlude" about the character mix-up.

Onward and Upward.....

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #17224 on:** August 07, 2016, 09:57:15 AM »

I started reading Liane Moriarity's "Truly Madly Guilty" last night, and I must say it is very, very slow -- not at all like her previous books. If she's a new author for you, you may want to start with one of her earlier books. Meanwhile, I'll keep reading and see how it goes...

bellamarie · « **Reply #17225 on:** August 08, 2016, 11:28:11 AM »

Carol and Callie what a great idea to keep a list and notations of the books you read. I think I will begin one myself!! So many times I try to remember the names of a book that comes to mind and if I had borrowed it from the library I don't have the opportunity to glance at my bookshelf to find it. Thanks for the advice to begin with an earlier Moriarity book.

I am reading, The Good House by Ann Leary, and I am trying to force myself to muddle through the slowness of it. I hope it gets better. Has anyone read Lillie's Redemption by Lydia Waring Meyer? My neighbor finished it and gave it to me to read. On our early morning walks this summer she would tell me parts of it, and I am just not sure it's something I want to read. This is on the back of the book:

It's been two years since 51-year-old Melodie Farmer, devoted Christian wife and mother, died from a sudden heart attack, but a mystery still remains. Why, a decade before her death, did she withdraw from life, leaving her husband and youngest child in despair? In search of an answer, Melodie's husband Martin and her daughter Lillie read her diary and discover a secret that offers healing for the Farmer family...but threatens to destroy the church and community all of them love.

Sounds intriguing, but our church just went through a scandal and not sure if I am ready to read this book. Ughhh....

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #17226 on:** August 08, 2016, 12:16:37 PM »

Bellamarie -- I read The Good House and liked it. Speaking of slow books ... After all the praise I gave Liane Moriarty, I stopped reading her latest book, "Truly Madly Guilty", on page 28. It doesn't compare to her other books, but I've noticed it's getting good reviews. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for it now.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17227 on:** August 08, 2016, 01:57:43 PM »

Carol, Thanks for letting me know you like The Good House. I'll stick with it.

CallieOK · « **Reply #17228 on:** August 08, 2016, 08:38:42 PM »

Bellamarie, one of the neat things about a data base is that you can make a lot of columns and give each one whatever title suits your needs (mine are Last Name, First Name (of author), Category and Title). Then you can sort them however you wish I sort by Last Name and then by Category so I can make a note in that column that's it's fiction, non-fiction, biography (and of whom), a sequel, books in a series or books based on the same character. If I do it correctly, I'll know which ones in the series I've already read.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17229 on:** August 09, 2016, 12:41:19 AM »

Callie-Thank you, I am going to give it a try!

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #17230 on:** August 09, 2016, 12:54:57 PM »

National Book Lover's Day

bellamarie · « **Reply #17231 on:** August 10, 2016, 06:04:57 PM »

Does anyone know if we have a book planned for September to discuss. I know we are discussing Shakespeare's 158 sonnets, one per day which will take us a few months, which I am enjoying, but I was just curious if we intend to read and discuss a book.

marcie · « **Reply #17232 on:** August 10, 2016, 10:54:43 PM »

Good question, Bellamarie. We're working on finding a book for September. We hope to announce soon.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17233 on:** August 11, 2016, 06:28:38 AM »

Right now I am reading Sheltered Lives by Charles Orberdorf. Like the short story I read, this is engrossing. He considers himself to be a Science Fiction writer, but his writings are so much more. This one is about a near future society where individuals are closely monitored and people with STDs are interred in camps. The character who is narrating the story is a government employed "companion". Not a subject I would ordinarily gravitate too, but like I said, he writing and characters pull you in. His writings, while set in future societies, primarily delve into social and psychological behaviors. IMO, Orberndorf is a somewhat neglected author. Too bad he hasn't written more.
https://vimeo.com/21115821

bellamarie · « **Reply #17234 on:** August 11, 2016, 01:16:16 PM »

Thanks Marcie for responding. I'll keep watch.

ginny · « **Reply #17235 on:** August 11, 2016, 08:02:41 PM »

OH I'm glad to see others reading Truly Madly Guilty (which I thought was Gladly you can see how well I see hahahaa), and even tho it seems slow, I look forward to starting it, I'm glad to hear others reactions.

I have been enjoying our grandson for the last 3 days but prior to that I was just immersed in finishing The Gold Coast and really could not put it down. So since it seems to rain every day here I read pretty much all day Tuesday and finished it and loved it. I don't know what I enjoyed more, the experience which is all too rare with me of sinking into a good book, or the book itself, but it was a pleasure. Reminds me of John Grisham. There IS a sequel and I have read it years ago, but I don't seem to remember it, so I've got it now but thought I'd do the Moriarty first, if I can. I'm a little daunted because Winchester Lady and I seem to have similar tastes, so I will open it with caution. (So glad to see you here, Winchester Lady!)

Are you all watching the Olympics? I thought I was not interested in this one in Rio with the awful water, Zika, etc., but am glued to the set, so I must be. :)We get 11 channels of Olympics on DISH and one is for men's soccer, which my grandson took over, one is for basketball, and then there are the others. I got a glorious morning of equestrian, too, on tape a day or so ago.

I have to say that I pretty much skip the Today Show folks and their coverage, if I can, and happily I've escaped them so far. I have never really appreciated whatever it is Matt Lauer brings to the show, and I must say I saw them at breakfast this morning and with the exception of Hoda Kotb? (sp) who is charming, and Camila Alves, Matthew McConaughey's wife, who is gorgeous, and apparently head and shoulders over any of the regulars, the others looked bored/ irritated/ to be there and uninterested in anything anybody else was saying. I will say I enjoyed Al Roker's occasional bon mot, he's a very clever man.

I know people are devoted to their morning anchors so this may not be a popular feeling but I really can't watch them long, but in fairness, I don't watch any morning type program.

I love the Refugee team. That Yusra Mardini, who with her sister pushed a boat with 18 other people in it to Greece for 3 hours when it was stranded coming from Syria, I think, is just spectacular. And she won her heat. I think she needs a medal, what a story!

What's your favorite story of the Olympics, if you have one, so far?

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #17236 on:** August 12, 2016, 11:36:48 AM »

Women's Gymnastics final! Such power and beauty in the Floor Exercise. And bless her heart, Ali Reisman crying when she finished her routine! Have never seen her express emotion over her performance. I was sitting here in tears. Awesome!

Winchesterlady · « **Reply #17237 on:** August 12, 2016, 12:50:55 PM »

Ginny, I have also noticed that we often like the same fiction. I read the Gold Coast years ago and think it was the best book DeMille wrote. Maybe I should read it again since I've forgotten so much of it. Once you've finished reading Truly Madly Guilty, please let us know how you liked it. I was so looking forward to that book. I pre-ordered it from Amazon months ago! So if you say it's good, I will give it another try.

ginny · « **Reply #17238 on:** August 12, 2016, 07:38:50 PM »

Tome, I agree, how triumphant! What riches the Olympics has brought. Ali's poor mother, I felt for her anxiety.

Winchester Lady, that's why I reread The Gold Coast again and liked it more this time. A couple of sexual escapades aside, the rest is pure gold, like the title. I'll start the Truly and let you know, tho if you found it slow I am afraid I will echo that thought.

I just saw Florence Foster Jenkins with Meryl Streep today and all I can say is go see it and find somebody to discuss it with, or come discuss with us, here. Bravura performances from not only Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant but also Simon Helberg as the accompanist. Beautiful work, that's got to be another Oscar nod for Streep, and I can't see why the others shouldn't get one, too. Magic.

CallieOK · « **Reply #17239 on:** August 12, 2016, 08:59:54 PM »

Ginny, I've just received "Truly, Madly,Guilty" in e-book form from my local library. I want to finish "The Bee Keeper's Ball" before I start reading it but that shouldn't take long.

I'm also reading "Plantation" by Dorothea Benton Frank. I always enjoy her books and, so far, I'm liking this one.

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Author Topic: The Library (Read 2049436 times)