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| Author |
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| 25 new of 58 responses total. |
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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rcurl
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response 54 of 58:
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Aug 30 17:27 UTC 2007 |
Thanks for information on a second movie. I don't recall it, although I was
around in the 80s, and had a child that would have enjoyed it. I think I'll
look for it as the video store.
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remmers
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response 55 of 58:
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Aug 31 11:56 UTC 2007 |
The movie is available on DVD. IMDB has some information on it:
http://imdb.com/title/tt0089908/
I saw "Return to Oz" once, when it first came out in 1985. It's kind of
dark, but Baum's books can be that way too. Overall, I think the film
does a better job of capturing the tone of Baum's Oz books than does the
1939 Judy Garland "Wizard of Oz", brilliant though the latter is.
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rcurl
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response 56 of 58:
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Aug 31 18:53 UTC 2007 |
The part of Garland's "Wizard of OZ" where Dorothy had to destroy the
Wicked Witch of the West was the part that was perhaps closest to the Baum
tone. Nowhere in the books is everyone skipping along singing happy tunes.
(Dorothy did NOT say "There is no place like home" while clicking her
heels together, to get back to Kansas.)
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remmers
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response 57 of 58:
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Sep 10 14:02 UTC 2007 |
Re-watched "Return to Oz" the other night on DVD. It was better than I
remembered - visually dazzling, with mood very close to Baum's writing
and a look that closely mimics John R. Neill's illustrations for the
series. (Neill didn't illustrate "The Wizard of Oz" but did all the
sequels from the early 1900s into the 1940s.)
The story re-arranges plot details from a couple of Baum's Oz books and
throws in some new material. Basically, Dorothy - home in Kansas after
her first visit to Oz - is swept away in a flash flood and finds herself
back in Oz. The yellow brick road has crumbled and the Emerald City is
in ruins, its inhabitants turned to stone. The story describes how
Dorothy and various friends she picks up along the way solve the mystery
of how this happened and restore Oz to its former glory.
The film features a number of Baum's characters - Dorothy's Aunt Em
(played by Piper Laurie) and Uncle Henry, Jack Pumpkinhead, Belina the
talking hen, the Tik Tok Man, Mombi the witch, Princess Ozma, the Nome
King (Nicole Williamson), and the Gump (a flying sofa with a moose
head). Some very cool claymation special effects. Quite a tour de
force and a lot of fun, although it's probably too intense and scary for
very young children.
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