Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2 (Read 774973 times)

bellemere · « **Reply #4160 on:** December 29, 2012, 03:39:19 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

tome reader, franz kafka? Is that the cockroach guy? I have never read the book, don't know the exact title, but have heard about it.
Everybody should get this one" It is a truth univerally acknowledged....."

JoanK · « **Reply #4161 on:** December 29, 2012, 03:43:05 PM »

Jane Austen -- first sentance of Pride and Prejudice.

bellemere · « **Reply #4162 on:** December 29, 2012, 03:58:59 PM »

that was too easy. How about"

Midway unpon the journey of my life......."(I finally figured that one out, it is not from
English literature.

And one that absolutely has me baffled: "All children except one gr......HELP

and a teaser: "My urpose in going to......"

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #4163 on:** December 29, 2012, 04:57:32 PM »

Franz Kafka "Metamorphosis"

bellemere · « **Reply #4164 on:** December 29, 2012, 07:24:39 PM »

so, Metamorphosis was the title of the cockroach book?

Steph · « **Reply #4165 on:** December 30, 2012, 06:20:50 AM »

Finished The Drop.. Interesting in many ways.. Harry ages.. Funny to think of your fictional detective doing that, but Harry does.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #4166 on:** December 30, 2012, 01:52:04 PM »

"My purpose in going..." ;Henry David Thoreau - "Walden"

JoanK · « **Reply #4167 on:** December 30, 2012, 03:17:29 PM »

"Midway in the journey of Life" Dante's Inferno.

JoanK · « **Reply #4168 on:** December 30, 2012, 03:19:50 PM »

I told Judy i wanted to practice my Hebrew, so she sent me "Metamorphasis" in Hebrew. One day.

bellemere · « **Reply #4169 on:** December 30, 2012, 06:26:29 PM »

tome\reader and Joan K. both corrct.
Is this too easy? "Reader, I married him."or "I'll drown by book"

Steph · « **Reply #4170 on:** December 31, 2012, 06:13:34 AM »

I asked for and got Virginia Scharff's.. The Women Jefferson loved for Christmas.. I love her mysteries and thought this would be interesting. It is,, but up to a point. There is a good deal of talk of the evils of slavery and mixed race, when part are slave and free.. Not nearly as much thus far on Jefferson and his mother,wife, now up to when he and Sally got together. Of course I did not realize that Sally Hemmings was a half sister of his wife and 3/4 white.. I do wish she would stop discussing slavery or write another book on it and get on with Jefferson himself and how he related to the women in his life.. Darn.

Frybabe · « **Reply #4171 on:** December 31, 2012, 07:41:33 AM »

"Reader, I married him." - Jane Eyre

Babi · « **Reply #4172 on:** December 31, 2012, 09:21:47 AM »

Wow! JOANK, you do like a challenge! I wouldn't tackle Kafka in English! I'm sure
he'e brilliant, but my one attempt to read one of his books ended in a relieved
decision to forget the whole thing.

Well, STEPH, the title did state the book was about the women Jefferson loved. And it sounds like she covered them pretty thoroughly. It does seem tho',
that their relationship with Jefferson, and his behavior towards them, would be
a major part of their lives.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #4173 on:** December 31, 2012, 02:22:34 PM »

The Castle and The Trail by Kafka are both brilliant and can be found online to read. The stories remind me of some of our round and round tangles we live today especially with the law.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4174 on:** December 31, 2012, 07:23:36 PM »

Didn't realize that Sally Hemmings was sister to Jeffersons Wife. So why has she always been written of as A Black Slave? Didn't he have 8 children with her.? I may see if I can find that book. Will read if the print is not really small.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4175 on:** December 31, 2012, 08:14:20 PM »

Sally Hemings was black. She was light colored black, as her father was the white owner of her black mother. Her father was also the father of Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha. Martha and her father were pure white. This is the way things were in the days of slavery.

These relationships have not, I believe, been proven, but they are most likely correct. The Hemings/Jefferson relationship was proven some years ago now by blood tests or DNA or something; I forget. Anyway, the white Jefferson descendants have admitted the Heming children's descendants are related and do come down directly from Thomas Jefferson.

Steph · « **Reply #4176 on:** January 01, 2013, 06:10:38 AM »

Interesting..Sally Hemmings grandfather on her Mothers side was white as well.When you count up, that makes three white and one black grandparents.. so I suspect she was very fair.. Nothing remains to tell us, but three of her four children passed for white all their adult lives.
I guess what I am saying that that there is nothing concrete for his Mother, wife or Sally,, just inferences.. She kept backing herself into blaming slavery for quite a lot actually.. It is just that the book is supposed to be about the women and in many ways it wasn't. I still liked it and finished it yesterday.. Having babies in that era was hazardous beyond belief..

JeanneP · « **Reply #4177 on:** January 01, 2013, 05:11:09 PM »

It is hard to believe all that was going on just 150 years ago. My grandmother was born the same time.

In UK rumors use to go around and most probably still do that lots of people in the Southern States could have black blood in them that could show up later, and to be carefull after the war ended in getting married to anyone.

Then it did come true for a family in my town. She married a nice young man. Thought to be Italian from NY. They had a baby and it turned out to be very dark. Her family upset along with his family. and did research and it did turn out that the young man great grandmother who was not known to them was a black person. She had not raised the child she had. it had been adopted out to a white family and not as a different race. So down the line came.

Hope no one gets offended at me writing this.. It has happened in this country quite a lot. We will see it happen years from now again but now it is looked at a lot different. Many mixed marriages and some beautiful children born who will pass with some not even knowing. I just read the other day that alway there will be a difference in the Genetics and DNA and can be much easier traced. But again. Race will not mean as much. Only certain health when it comes to Genetics.

Steph · « **Reply #4178 on:** January 02, 2013, 06:07:19 AM »

Since there are no pictures of Sally Hemmings and the close familial relationship to Martha.. I do wondor if she looked like her half sister.. Jefferson had lots of opportunities with well educated women who were interesting in their own right.. Possibly he was reminded of his much loved Martha by the younger version.
Ah well. interesting book in many ways..
I have moved on to The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharon McCrumb.. It is a fiction account of a true story in the mountains of North Carolina..Thus far, there is not one single person in the book that is good or honest or fair.. Hmm. I like McCrumb, but I also like to feel something for the characters other than disgust.. Darn..

Babi · « **Reply #4179 on:** January 02, 2013, 08:38:19 AM »

I've noticed that some particularly beautiful people can emerge from these mixed
backgrounds. Just think of all the beautiful Eurasians we've seen. Imagine...maybe
if all races gradually merged together, we'd have the original humanity from before
the famous 'Tower of Babel' scandal divided everyone. (Just kidding

)

marjifay · « **Reply #4180 on:** January 02, 2013, 10:27:43 AM »

I've just started Zadie Smith's NW. In her novel, she talks about a very ethnic mixture of people who live in the northwest part of London (their postal code is NW). After reading the first chapter, I almost gave up. But I read a review of the book and an interview with her and understood what she was doing.

I loved this: On page 20, P. 20 Leahs' mother is babbling on the phone about her life and regrets. The author says "The story, once rationed, offered a few times a year, now burst through every phone call, including this one. Time is compressing for the mother, she has a short distance left to go. She means to squeeze the past into a thing small enough to take with her. It's the daughter's job to listen." (Wonderful -- just what I often do, boring my son)

An interesting book, once you get into it.

Marj

MaryPage · « **Reply #4181 on:** January 02, 2013, 03:53:41 PM »

Babi, I became so upset at racial cruelties I saw as a teenager that I began daydreaming way back then in the nineteen forties about a scenario where all the babies born in this world would, for a period of ten years, disappear completely from their cradles almost immediately after birth and be replaced by a baby born within the same hour elsewhere on the globe. And peoples all over the world found they could do nothing about it (this was pre DNA and pre computers, etc.), so they loved the babies they got instead of the babies they birthed. And racial hatred disappeared all over the world and people loved one another and inter married and got to keep their own babies and, eventually

Everyone looked Hawaiian. All over the world.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4182 on:** January 02, 2013, 07:36:52 PM »

One still has to think about Genetic when it comes to Mix races. Even now after all these years many Health problems remain in certain ethnics. Have Certain Cancer in Jewish Female Eastern Europe. African Race have others that Caucasians don't have. Seem that Caucasians showing more Alzheimer's. Asian race also have different things but they seem to be the race with the less problems. We have many that those races will not get.

Medical science has a long way to go in curing or knowing how to cure before we can stop worrying about that. In My opinion not gotten very far yet knowing
a whole lot about Cancer. Alzheimer's. they say will be 3 times more in the next 25 years. Lew Garrick decease, MS. are some that they don't know if could be Genetic as records not kept years ago.

We can't loose sleep about such things but the problems are there.

We are the only race that usually cannot keep our wisdom teeth as we age. Even our Jaws are different.

Steph · « **Reply #4183 on:** January 03, 2013, 06:38:49 AM »

Alzheimers is generally an age problem.. Early onset is a different story.That has a genetic component. I was genuinely started to discover when I had the DNA done that I was totally northern European.. Ah well, blonde, blue eyed and very fair skinner.. not sure why I would have thought differently.. In genealogy a lot of families were doing DNA tests to see how interrelated we might be. It is interesting.
A

Babi · « **Reply #4184 on:** January 03, 2013, 08:46:31 AM »

Very imaginative scenario, MARYPAGE. Tho' actually, I don't think I'd want everyone to look the same. Too boring. I'm fascinated by the endless variety of God's creation

True, JEANNE. I wonder if possibly more joining of races would resolve any of
those genetic problems. Different races might have the gene that would help protect
others from inherited illnesses. Marry into a race that rarely develops Alzheimer's
and maybe our kids would be safer? (Not that one would marry for that reason, of
course.

)

MaryPage · « **Reply #4185 on:** January 03, 2013, 09:38:31 AM »

Has anyone read any of John Green's books? He is featured by Barnes & Noble today in an email from them. His latest is THE FAULT IN OUR STARS, but he has also written:

Looking For Alaska
Paper Towns
An Abundance of Katherines

And he has been noticed by committees who give out awards for writing and he has been on the best seller list. His books are aimed for young adults. Just wondering if he is any good and if any of you have read any of his work.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4186 on:** January 03, 2013, 01:38:42 PM »

Babi. Medical Science will have to get a lot smarter in figuring out Genetics. More things seem to be around now that were centuries ago. They do see that people in such as the Nordic areas. China, and places were no mixing as gone on that health is good. Even where interbreeding happened it was only certain things that would show up.

A evil man but remember Dr. Mengil er the German. He was working researching Genetic mixes. May have gotten somewhere had it been a different situation. People thought of him a crazy but had he been able to do his research the good way then a lot would have been found out I believe.
He was later living in Brazil, Still doctoring, and things are showing up in the village he was living in, with people that they think has come from things he was still doing.

salan · « **Reply #4187 on:** January 03, 2013, 06:20:18 PM »

Steph, Where did you have your DNA tested? I have been looking at the National Geographic Genome project & have been wanting to have mine done. It's fairly expensive & I am not sure if I would know how to read it. Has anyone had theirs tested there? If so, I would like your feed back. Thanks
Sally

Steph · « **Reply #4188 on:** January 04, 2013, 06:18:48 AM »

It was done through one of my ancestor families and was free for me. They also included charts and how to read it.. Very interesting. I gave my husband the National Geographic one for his birthday back in 2009.. He was also pure northern European..

Babi · « **Reply #4189 on:** January 04, 2013, 08:33:07 AM »

JEANNE, I was startled to read that "things are showing up in the village he was
living in, with people that they think has come from things he was still doing."
I've got this big red question mark hovering in my mind, now. I definitely want to
find out more about this.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #4190 on:** January 04, 2013, 10:06:35 AM »

MaryPage - Madeleine (my 14 year old) read The Fault in our Stars, which was hugely lauded here, but she didn't like it much. I think she thought it was a lot of hype about nothing.

Rosemary

marjifay · « **Reply #4191 on:** January 04, 2013, 10:30:54 AM »

JeanneP wrote: "remember Dr. Mengil er the German. He was working researching Genetic mixes. May have gotten somewhere had it been a different situation. People thought of him a crazy but had he been able to do his research the good way then a lot would have been found out I believe."

A good fictional book about Dr. Mengele is THE BOYS FROM BRAZIL by Ira Levin (Rosemary's Baby) where the fiendish Dr. Mengale has devised a horrifying project to clone Hitler-like males to start a Fourth Reich.
(made into a 1978 movie with Gregory Peck and Laurance Oliver)

Marj

JeanneP · « **Reply #4192 on:** January 04, 2013, 02:05:38 PM »

Babi. Dr. Mengele they say is known for many other things that are now used today. Prior to the horrible things he got involved in. Even all this "Invetro conception" that is so popular today goes back that far. He was working on that it was said.

With this thing in the Small town where he had lived in Brazil they are thinking that what has been happening to cause some many women to be giving birth to Twins . Starting back in the 60s may be a way he was treating.(He was still doctoring). It was over half the births . Also so many people looking the same.

This is one thing that all the crazy things Hitler wanted. A race of Tall, Blond, Blue eyed intelligent beings. He thought could wipe out many of the deceases some children born with such as Downs .and many that now seem to be showing up more. (He was born with one). Through interbreeding I think. Believe that it was his mother and father had the same father.

Not much of that WW2 period will have come out in history. Some did in UK when I was growing up. Not even a mention in the USA.

Twins were his big research during the War. We would be surprise if we knew how much progress now done in the USA regarding female type things would go back to the Mengele research.

Had the US found him. I don't think they would have done more than bring him here. Maybe not under his name. They knew what he could do for Medical Science. They would not have destroyed him.

I would have liked to have studied Anthropology at one time. Still find it interesting.

ginny · « **Reply #4193 on:** January 04, 2013, 05:36:18 PM »

Ok I apologize in advance for the severity of these remarks. If you have been to the National Holocaust Museum in DC and you manage to get to the third and last (I think) floor you step out of the boxcar into a room of horrors. If you look down in wells, which are about 3 feet or 4 feet tall and have been done that way to spare any child viewing what's inside, there is film in each of them of the good doctor's experiments. I will never forget as long as I live the expressions on the faces of the people in those films, and they did not even show the children. Children!!!!

There are no words for Dr. Mengele, none. Remember the Hippocratic Oath: First, do no harm. I can't believe we're even discussing that monster.

GO to the museum. Look at the real film and you won't sleep for months and you will not be interested in anything whatsoever he did.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #4194 on:** January 04, 2013, 08:21:50 PM »

I'm with you on this one, ginny. I don't see how ANYONE could possibly think he did "good" things.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4195 on:** January 04, 2013, 08:39:36 PM »

Every thing has to be known. Good and Bad. So much is kept quiet and that is why horrible things keep on being done.
There were many horrible things done by others in that war and being done today but we are not aware of it having happened and still happening. But no. they let us know on TV, papers lots of things that mean nothing. Many Students questioned this last few years in Schools. Had no idea what the Holocaust was about. Some here in our schools did not even know who was fighting who in the 1st and 2nd war. But the could name every person in "Star Wars".

Steph · « **Reply #4196 on:** January 05, 2013, 06:21:07 AM »

Oh thank heaven Ginny, I was getting ready to explode. I have been to the museum. I have read hundreds of books on the war and nowhere... absolutely nowhere was Mengele thought of anything but a monster. He did not care for who he killed or why,, just his research. I will do so looking, but I would bet that I will not find one thing that he did that had good results.. Visiting Dachau many years ago turned me into a fanatic about what was done in the name of research.. Oh ugh.. please please change the topic.

Babi · « **Reply #4197 on:** January 05, 2013, 09:52:10 AM »

I found an article about the village in Brazil where Mengele spent quite a bit of
time. The percentage of births that were twin is way beyond normal averages. A
picture of all the current crop of twins was a remarkable sight. They all looked
healthy, and fair in appearance, which is also a bit odd considering this is Brazil.
Since Mengele's goal was to create that "race of tall, blond, blue-eyed" beings,
this does seem a strong indication that Mengele was pursuing that goal there.

(GINNY, I imply no approval or support whatsoever of anything Mengele did. The
man was indeed a monster.)
Sorry, STEPH. Consider the subject closed. I've satisfied my curiousity and am
quite satisfied to consign the man to oblivion.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4198 on:** January 05, 2013, 10:18:18 AM »

Thank you, Rosemary. I was wondering because I have a lot of great granddaughters who are readers. If your daughter did not like him, that is good enough for me.

Ginny, I second everything you said. The man was a sick, sick monster, and the thought of history casting him in a favorable light made the contents of my stomach come up my throat into my mouth. He was not enlightened in any way and his ideas were those of an extremely perverted mentality.

salan · « **Reply #4199 on:** January 05, 2013, 05:15:58 PM »

I am taking Steph's advice and changing the subject. Several years ago, I started keeping track of what books I had read during the year. I read 75 books in 2012. None that I considered great; but my favorites for '12 were: On Agate Hill by Lee Smith, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, The Last Child by John Hart and several by a Texas writer Ben Rehder. What were your favorites for 2012?

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Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2 (Read 774973 times)