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| Author |
Message |
| 25 new of 58 responses total. |
tod
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response 29 of 58:
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Jan 30 23:29 UTC 2007 |
re #27
The audio version is actually in my county library queue. It will be a
welcome 4 discs compared to the 42 discs for the Clinton book.
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twenex
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response 30 of 58:
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Jan 30 23:53 UTC 2007 |
Re: #27. I have read Kidder's "The Soul of a New Machine," about Data
General's attempt to build a competitor to Digital Equipment Corporation's
VAX, which I enjoyed immensely. Another of those "dry, factual" books which
turns out to be rather a good read. It is also (as of the published date of
the blurb on my copy) the only book about computers ever to win a Pulitzer
Prize. I would be interested to know whether MBM matches up (if you have read
both).
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slynne
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response 31 of 58:
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Jan 31 00:24 UTC 2007 |
I got a couple of good finds from the free book room at work today. I
havent read them yet but probably will this weekend:
_Translation Nation: Defining a New American Identity in the Spanish
Speaking United States_ by Hector Tobar. The blurb on the back of the
book says "Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Hector Tobar takes us on
the definitive tour of the Spanish-speaking United States -- a parallel
USA. 40 million strong, that is transforming the American Dream,
reinventing the American community, and redefining the experience of
American immigrant in unprecedented and unexpected ways. Translation
Nation rises, brilliantly, to meet one of the most profound shifts in
American identity in the last two hundred years."
_Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American
in Iran_ by Azadeh Moaveni. I dont have time to copy the blurb on the
back of this one because it is longer. It looks like there will be some
discussion about feminism in Iran though which is a subject I find
interesting.
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mary
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response 32 of 58:
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Jan 31 14:58 UTC 2007 |
Re: #30 The only other Kidder book I've read is _House_, which I remember
enjoying quite a bit. So I can't make that comparison, sorry.
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other
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response 33 of 58:
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Jan 31 17:28 UTC 2007 |
Incendiary - by Chris Cleave
Compelling novel written as a letter to Osama bin Laden by a
working-class London housewife whose husband and son were killed by a
suicide bomber at a football game. Really enjoyed it.
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twenex
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response 34 of 58:
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Jan 31 18:02 UTC 2007 |
Re: #32. Oh well, it was worth a try, thanks anyhow.
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richard
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response 35 of 58:
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Jan 31 18:52 UTC 2007 |
"Another Bullshit night in Suck City" by Nick Flynn. Nick is a close
friend of my sister's who lives in upstate NY, and has published novels
and poetry of some repute. I got a copy of this particular book when I
was at his and his girlfriend's house over the holidays. This is his
memoir of the time he was volunteering as a caseworker in a homeless
shelter in Boston and how one of the homeless guys who turned up at the
shelter turned out to be his long lost father. Its a true story of the
parallells and contrasts of his life and his father's. A wonderful
read and my personal favorite ever title for a book.
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albaugh
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response 36 of 58:
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Jan 31 20:25 UTC 2007 |
I had finished Wicked in the fall. So Santa brought me The Wizard of Oz
(dusted that off over the holidays) and Son of a Witch, which I have begun.
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kingjon
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response 37 of 58:
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Jan 31 21:02 UTC 2007 |
I'm in the middle of Charles Williams' _Outlines of Romantic Theology_. It's
very good, but typical Williams, so it would be nearly impenetrable to only
casual inspection.
(Williams, born 1886, died 1945, is the third member of the "Big Three" of the
Inklings, the other two being C.S. Lewis and Tolkien.)
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tsty
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response 38 of 58:
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Feb 14 09:02 UTC 2007 |
english first; but not only
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edina
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response 39 of 58:
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Feb 14 16:50 UTC 2007 |
Oh, if only we held YOU to that standard...
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twenex
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response 40 of 58:
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Feb 14 16:51 UTC 2007 |
Hahah.
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tsty
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response 41 of 58:
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Feb 15 12:48 UTC 2007 |
finally! re #39 .. i'm good fer sumpin!
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gelinas
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response 42 of 58:
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Apr 9 03:09 UTC 2007 |
I might have mentioned elsewhere that I recently read _The_Dirty_Dozen. The
opportunity arose, so I gave it a shot. The movie wasn't _too_ far off.
After I finished King's _Hearts_in_Atlantis_, I had to read the "Dark Tower"
series. Which lead me to _Shardik_ and _Salem's_Lot_ (a re-read, which I've
not yet started). I've also read _Carrie_ and, second-most recently, _Cujo_.
(I was reading _Shardik_ and _Cujo_ at the same time.)
Most recently, I've read _Old_Man's_War_, by John Scalzi. FUN Stuff! I've
now started the sequel, _The_Ghost_Brigades_ and am looking forward to more
of his stuff.
Something I heard recently reminded my of _Agyar_, by Steven Brust, even
though it's been a year or more since _I_ read it. If you've not read it, I
suggest giving it a shot.
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mary
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response 43 of 58:
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Apr 9 13:34 UTC 2007 |
I've often thought the opening chapter of _Cujo_ is classic King what
with that whole breakfast cereal thing. He knows how to start a story.
A pity the middles tend to bog.
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mary
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response 44 of 58:
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Apr 9 13:38 UTC 2007 |
I've just finished _The Memory Keeper's Daughter_ and am starting
_Stolen Lives_ today. Now that I'm participating in a book club I'm
reading selections I'd otherwise not have tried. Some work, some
don't. But there is a sense of purpose, nevertheless. ;-)
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cough
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response 45 of 58:
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Apr 9 14:55 UTC 2007 |
Marriage Made in Heaven. Shows how stupid most Jew Democraps are.
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tod
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response 46 of 58:
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Apr 9 17:11 UTC 2007 |
Putz, du bist einem groyser schleppn kundisch
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edina
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response 47 of 58:
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Apr 10 17:33 UTC 2007 |
Re 44 - How did you like _The Memory Keeper's Daughter_? I have it at
home to read (with about 18 other books).
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mary
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response 48 of 58:
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Apr 10 21:18 UTC 2007 |
This response has been erased.
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mary
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response 49 of 58:
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Apr 10 21:21 UTC 2007 |
It has its good points. The plot is very unlikely and the ending a little
too sweet for my taste. But the author has a way of drawing a scene that
worked well enough for me to recommend it to a reader who likes, say, Anne
Tyler, Jane Hamilton or Jane Smiley. Hope that helps.
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denise
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response 50 of 58:
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May 5 08:21 UTC 2007 |
I recently read 'Memory-Keeper's Daughter', too, after getting it for a buck
or two at the Friend's of the Library store at the Ypsi library. [I'm
mourning the fact that I got rid of sooo many books before moving; since then,
I've brought probably around 8 or so books since my move].
BTW, the Friend's of the Library in Ypsi is having one of their big book sales
in a couple weeks.
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rcurl
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response 51 of 58:
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Aug 29 18:38 UTC 2007 |
What with all the hoopla about the seventh book in the Harry Potter
adventures, I thought of the books I read as a child with wizards and
sorcerers - the OZ books by L. Frank Baum. I no longer had any of them but
recalled that were were many more adventures than the original "The Wizard
of OZ" (and the only one made into a movie).
I looked into this, and found there are some 41 OZ books considered in the
"canonical" collection. L. Frank Baum wrote only 14 of them. So I bought a
set of the first seven of these, reprinted in 1979. The following titles
are those given to the reprints.
The Wizard of OZ (1900)
The Land of OZ (1904)
Ozma of OZ (1907)
Dorothy and the Wizard in OZ (1908)
The Road to OZ (1909)
The Emerald City of OZ (1910)
The Patchwork Girl of OZ (1913)
You are probably all familiar with the original 1900 story. Since Dorothy
was spirited back to Kansas at the end of that episode, it was necessary
to find ways to get her back to OZ. The Wizard had originally used a
balloon to come and go, but Dorothy subsequently got to OZ by means of a
storm at sea, by an earthquake, by getting lost in Kansas, and by being
spirited there by the agency of Princess Ozma. Eventually, though, with
increased world travel, as well as an (failed) invasion of OZ by the Nomes
and others, the Good Witch Glinda made OZ invisible to the world, while
Dorothy, as well as Aunt Em and Uncle Henry moved there permanently; with
lots of adventures with strange beings along the ways.
An interesting development was how L. Frank Baum then got information
about the goings-on in OZ, in order to keep to the (OZian) truth in his
stories. I'll only mention here that modern technology - of the early
1900s - played a role.
Unlike the Harry Potter tales, those of OZ are much lighter in mood and
events. Although there are evil characters, and evil deeds, no one dies,
except a couple of evil witches (of the East and of the West - all in the
first book). Dorothy herself remains the same sweet, civil and loving
child throughout.
The OZ book I remember best from my childhood was none of these, although
it followed in the same vein of travel adventures in which various very
strange beings are met under various good and bad circumstances. I suppose
to find the story I recall I will have to work my way through the other 34
OZ books.
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denise
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response 52 of 58:
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Aug 30 01:03 UTC 2007 |
Though I haven't read it yet, I have the book _Wicked_ -- a story of
Wizard of Oz based on the wicked witch's perspective [and its a play,
as well]. It came highly recommened by my nephew who is big into
theater.
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remmers
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response 53 of 58:
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Aug 30 13:06 UTC 2007 |
The Oz books were favorite childhood reading of mine. They were all
still in print at the time and could be purchased at the local
department store for $1.00 or $1.50 - in hardback (how times have
changed). Various authors wrote them after Baum's death; most of them
were by Ruth Plumly Thompson. I liked her contributions more than
Baum's, I think.
There's one other movie I'm aware of based on the Oz books - "Return to
Oz", made in the 1980s. It incorporated plot elements from several of
the Baum Oz books, mostly "The Land of Oz" I think, plus some original
twists. It was flawed but visually interesting - attempted to capture
the look of John R. Neill's marvelous illustrations. He did the art
work for most of the books in the series, although not for "The Wizard
of Oz" itself.
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