Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2 (Read 775088 times)

JeanneP · « **Reply #4840 on:** July 01, 2013, 12:41:25 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

Getting ready to start reading "The ballad of Tom Dooly".

salan · « **Reply #4841 on:** July 01, 2013, 05:15:26 PM »

I have the library book of Tom Dooley, and will start it soon, also.
Sally

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #4842 on:** July 02, 2013, 07:11:07 AM »

NYTimes article today says Alice Munro is retiring from writing! Interesting article.

pedln · « **Reply #4843 on:** July 02, 2013, 09:33:05 AM »

Thanks for that info, Tomereader. I'll go look for it.

Jeanne and Sally, I'd like to hear your reaction to Tom Dooley. I'm about mid-way, it's going slowly for me. I have mixed emotions. It's a good story, but the characters are not very likeable.

marcie · « **Reply #4844 on:** July 02, 2013, 10:25:28 PM »

Thanks, tomereader,

It's a very interesting article. I didn't realize that Munro is 82.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/books/alice-munro-puts-down-her-pen-to-let-the-world-in.html

Steph · « **Reply #4845 on:** July 03, 2013, 07:28:34 AM »

Dooley ended up a hard read and I love her books,but I too felt there was nothing likeable about the characters.. Oh well.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4846 on:** July 03, 2013, 06:38:39 PM »

I stopped reading Tom Dooly. They have now ordered large print for me. Will be easier.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4847 on:** July 03, 2013, 06:54:52 PM »

Now started reading" the Buddha in the Attic" by Julie otsuka ,
so far good .women being shipped to USA for brides. In the early 1930 .

MaryPage · « **Reply #4848 on:** July 04, 2013, 08:49:01 AM »

Have a Glorious Celebration of this grand day for us all!

Steph · « **Reply #4849 on:** July 04, 2013, 09:23:42 AM »

Happy fourth to every one from very very soggy North Carolina.

Frybabe · « **Reply #4850 on:** July 14, 2013, 07:31:33 AM »

Yesterday I discovered a volume showing over 800 original woodblock illustrations that were engraved for "The Household Edition" of Charles Dickens works. It now resides on my Kindle for reference and enjoyment.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43207/43207-h/43207-h.htm html version

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43207 download page

Steph · « **Reply #4851 on:** July 14, 2013, 10:37:56 AM »

Sounds like fun. I will explore that one for sure.

pedln · « **Reply #4852 on:** July 14, 2013, 11:58:51 AM »

That does sound like fun, Frybabe. The HTML version seemed slow on my PC. What type of download would you recommend? I don't plan to put it on my Kindle, but could put it with the Kindle on PC?

I wonder if any of them come in PDF? I've heard of "Dropbox," but am not familiar with "Google Drive."

Have you read anything by Wallace Stegner? Today we're starting a discussion of his short story, "Chip Off the Old Block," about a 12-year-old who's left alone to "hold down the fort."

Chip Off the Old Block

mabel1015j · « **Reply #4853 on:** July 14, 2013, 02:06:25 PM »

I just started September by Rosamunde Pilcher. I've read only her Shell Seekers previously and really liked it. This appears to be a sequel with the son's character. It also appearsthat "time" is going to be a theme. She has referenced at least 3 times inthe first 100 pages how the lazy, hazy days of summer elude us as we get older. I liked this quote....

It occurred to her, sadly, and not for the first time, that as you grew older you become busier, and time went faster and faster, the months pushing each other rudely out of the way, and the years slipping off the calendar and into the past. Once, there had been time. Time to stand, or sit, and justlook at daffodils. Or to abandon housekeeping, on the spur of the moment, walk out of the back door and up the hill, into the lark-song emptiness of a summer morning. Or to take off for a self-indulgent day.....shopping for frivolities, meeting a girl friend for lunch, the wine-bar warm with humanity and conversation, smelling of coffee and the sort of food that one never cooked for oneself.

All treats that for a number of reasons didn't seem to happen any longer.

Until one retires!!!

Wasn't that lovely and well-written and true?

Frybabe · « **Reply #4854 on:** July 14, 2013, 08:27:13 PM »

Unfortunately I don't see a PDF version listed on Gutenberg, Pedln. If you have a program called Calibri (free) you can convert files from one format to another. Sometimes converting to PDF though doesn't work too well. I tried converting an ePub file to a PDF once and didn't like the result. No harm in trying.

http://calibre-ebook.com/ Calibre is a nice program. Besides converting files from one format to another, you can download and read many magazines and journals and create a bookshelf. Don't forget to download the user's guide if it doesn't automatically download with the program. Set up is relatively easy.

Steph · « **Reply #4855 on:** July 15, 2013, 09:04:46 AM »

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #4856 on:** July 15, 2013, 09:17:21 AM »

Jean her early stories like - September, Snow in April; Wild Mountain Thyme; Flowers in the Rain are light and easy - Starting with Coming Home she tackles some uncomfortable and serous issues that give her books another dimension. Her son's book are a bit hefty rather than like her early work however, the subjects I find are not as demanding as his mother's later work.

In the early days of blogging before everyone and their dog had a blog she had a wonderful web site that was filled with all the charm of her books - come to think of it the web site was not her's but a fan who put it together - wonder if I can find it - it was just wonderful and I visited it often.

pedln · « **Reply #4857 on:** July 15, 2013, 09:46:05 AM »

Thanks, Frybabe. I'm not very brave when it comes to files and Kindle. All I do is just download books from Amazon or sometime the library. I've never tried putting other files on it.

That Calibri looks interesting and easy to download.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #4858 on:** July 15, 2013, 02:35:41 PM »

Thanks for that info, Barbara. I'll keep reading her.

maryz · « **Reply #4859 on:** July 15, 2013, 08:54:39 PM »

We went to hear Mary Alice Monroe at a book signing event tonight at our downtown library. What a treat! Her new book,The Summer Girls, is again set in the Low Country of South Carolina, and is about dolphins. In the Q&A, I identified myself as a participant in SeniorLearn and said that the group has asked to be remembered to her from the time you spent with her at the beach. She remembers it well and what a good time was had by all. We got a copy of the book and had it autographed to our PhD marine biologist granddaughter. We'll give it to her after we get a chance to read it, of course.

Steph · « **Reply #4860 on:** July 16, 2013, 08:36:20 AM »

I have read some of Pilcher.. The later ones are heavier, but quite interesting.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4861 on:** July 16, 2013, 11:46:09 AM »

Rosamunde Pilcher is a JOY. My problem is I have read all of her books and there are no more to read. Sob. I also have the DVDs of all the movies made from her books. Coming Home and Nancherrow are two, The Shellseekers is another.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4862 on:** July 16, 2013, 01:39:27 PM »

I read all of R Pilcher.books but never thought of looking for .DVD. Will check the library.

Steph · « **Reply #4863 on:** July 17, 2013, 08:31:40 AM »

Went into a used book store that was new to me yesterday. They had a really large section of DVD's.. but on checking most are shoot em ups.Darn.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4864 on:** July 18, 2013, 07:23:20 AM »

Just finished reading an interesting story in the August issue of Vanity Fair about how Harper Lee's longtime agent stole her copyright.

Steph · « **Reply #4865 on:** July 18, 2013, 08:46:21 AM »

I read the Harper Lee story in the NewYork Times.Fascinating.. You get old and alone and odd things happen. She had trusted him for so many years. What a slime ball he is.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4866 on:** July 18, 2013, 10:23:39 AM »

You can almost see right in front of your eyes what was happening, though. Here was this man with a family and heirs. And he had been watching while his client of many, many decades who was unmarried and without children was raking in millions every year.
I had NO IDEA one book could furnish such an income. Most writers of many books never see THAT kind of money.
Blew my mind to read that. And she of simple tastes all these many years. Then she got very old. Very, very old. And sick. And he thought he would just take over the copyright and divert those monies to a place where they were sorely needed.
Well, she wasn't THAT very old now, was she!

Steph · « **Reply #4867 on:** July 19, 2013, 08:23:08 AM »

The sorely needed seemed to be his pockets. I hope he goes away for a long long time and has to pay it back. Who knows what Harper Lee wants done with the money. It is hers and she earned every penny.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #4868 on:** July 19, 2013, 01:03:14 PM »

Just starting Bull's Island by D.B. Frank. I always like her books and having South Carolina's coast as a venue always works. Have any of you read it?

I sometimes confuse DBF's books w/ MA Monroe's books because of the location and the similarity of stories about families and relationships. Love them both.

ursamajor · « **Reply #4869 on:** July 19, 2013, 01:51:16 PM »

I like D.B. Frank's books. Not much literary value but lots of fun. The last I read was "The last original wife" about the dissolution of a marriage and a woman building a new mode of living for herself. She makes some excellent points.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #4870 on:** July 19, 2013, 02:12:33 PM »

http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/dbfrank Interesting he was born in Maine.

Ah I bet you are talking about Dorothea Benton Frank - http://www.dotfrank.com/

The other author that writes in a similar vain is Cassandra King Conroy - Pat Conroy's current wife. http://www.cassandrakingconroy.com/

Steph · « **Reply #4871 on:** July 20, 2013, 08:41:53 AM »

and of course Pat Conroy, who is my particular favorite..

maryz · « **Reply #4872 on:** July 20, 2013, 10:46:25 AM »

We love Pat Conroy!!!

Steph · « **Reply #4873 on:** July 21, 2013, 09:34:04 AM »

I am also fond of Lee Smith, Sharon Mccrumb and Margaret Maron.All excellent writers about the south.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4874 on:** July 21, 2013, 12:52:09 PM »

I do not know Lee Smith's writing, but the other two are great favorites of mine. In fact, Maron in particular has given me hours and hours of Joy. I have joined her on line fan club and get her emails. Just trying to make sure I do not miss a new Deborah Knott story!

Steph · « **Reply #4875 on:** July 22, 2013, 08:39:54 AM »

There are so many southern writers. It seems to be in the blood in some ways.

JeanneP · « **Reply #4876 on:** July 22, 2013, 04:48:23 PM »

I just picked up from the library. time is a river by MA Monroe and Off the Leash by Jean Whatley..both look like a good read.

MaryPage · « **Reply #4877 on:** July 23, 2013, 07:27:21 AM »

Oh my goodness, I remember reading Thomas Wolfe's OF TIME AND THE RIVER back in the nineteen forties.

Steph · « **Reply #4878 on:** July 23, 2013, 08:40:57 AM »

No rain yesterday. Hooray for me.. I am sooo tired of the constant rain this year.

Frybabe · « **Reply #4879 on:** July 23, 2013, 09:20:57 AM »

After the rains clear out today, we are supposed to have clear weather for 3 or 4 days.

News:

Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2 (Read 775088 times)