All things Books and Reading thread - 2017

[Margret]

Well, as usual I find that I'm currently reading three books at once. I'm still reading A Wizard of Mars, by Diane Duane, but I've also begun the new Bahzell Bahnakson book -- The Sword of the South, by David Weber (having completely skipped War Maid's Choice, which is still on my wish list), and tonight BookBub had Dreaming Spies, by Laurie R. King, on sale for $1.99. It's one of her Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series and I think it's set just before Locked Rooms, since it's set in Japan and there were references in Locked Rooms to something that happened to them in Japan on their way from India.

That is, I'm reading three books at once when I have time to read at all. It's been a difficult week, and here it is only Wednesday. Roger (my husband) managed to fall and ruin his walker Saturday (thankfully the walker took the brunt of it), so I've been busy looking for new walkers (I found a great deal on Drive Medical Deluxe Two Button Folding Walker Silver | Walgreens this is identical to the one he just ruined; we can get two of them for just ~$45, and anything over $35 comes with free shipping) so we're probably going to get both a replacement and a spare, but in the meantime we had to find a loaner to keep him mobile until the new walkers come. And then I found out today that Luvsome Cat Food (Kroger store brand and the only canned food that Jasmine will consent to eat) is having some kind of distribution problem and the boxes are "temporarily unavailable." They were unable to tell me just how temporary it will be, so I grabbed all the loose cans they had in flavors Jasmine will eat that I could reach (tall shelf, short woman). Fortunately they were on sale for $0.49/can, but it means that I'm buying a lot more cans at once than I normally do. And I'm supposed to be going to MileHiCon this weekend; this is going to make money very short for the con. I need to talk with Roger about it, but he's working late tonight. ( I hope that means he's actually making some money, not just playing computer games at the office.) I think I need to give him a call and then go to bed; I have to get up tomorrow.

Margret

 

[raysmyheart]

Margret , I hope everything is better with your husband. I know how important medical equipment is (from past experience) and it is very stressful to be without. Sending good wishes your way!

How is everyone's reading going (or breaks from reading, we need those, too)!

I am enjoying my new nook immensely. I don't understand how I can fly through the reading now versus reading a traditional book, and I have the greatest respect for books. I don't notice my vision problems and attention problems I think because I can make the screen very comfortable for me.

Never thought of myself as a reader, but now I do and have a library of books lined up in my nook, that I had to put the brakes on and say READ THE ONES YOU HAVE. This is very much like my sewing hobby of years ago where you look forward to buying fabric for the next wonderful project!

So far I have read :

In North Korea, Lives and Lies In the State of Truth
Under The Same Sky: From Starvation In North Korea To Salvation In America

I am almost done with The Girl With Seven Names.

I have a good start on :

What Happened
Lending A Paw
Letters of a Woman Homesteader (I will finish next)

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm currently reading some of the Lucy Stone cozy mysteries. I like Lucy, although the series won't be a "collect and keep."

 

[raysmyheart]

I'm currently reading some of the Lucy Stone cozy mysteries. I like Lucy, although the series won't be a "collect and keep."

Mamanyt1953 , oh no, you've piqued my interest (again) with this Lucy Stone Series. I notice there is a Trick or Treat Murder. I have to contain myself with the cat mysteries, I am now reading Lending a Paw! and the cat groomer books sound so good! disclaimer: I originally wrote this as "peaked my interest" but looked it up and had no idea it was piqued. That is something I also like about reading, is that I can learn new words or re-learn words I was using incorrectly.

 

[Winchester]

I like the Lucy Stone series, too, but they're not collectible, IMO.

I walked over to the library today. Right now, I'm reading:

The Kraken Project - Douglas Preston
Thunderhead - Preston/Child
Cross the Line - James Patterson (I do like his Alex Cross series)
The Devil's Bones - Jefferson Bass
The Bone House - Brian Freeman
Dark Rites (Krewe of Hunters series) - Heather Graham
Wicked Deeds (Krewe of Hunters series) - Heather Graham
Monet Talks - Tamar Myer

I have so enjoyed re-reading the Preston/Child and the Preston and Child novels. They really are excellent.

 

[rubysmama]

I'm currently reading "Three Wishes" by Liane Moriarty.

Margret

Margret

 

[Margret]

Margret , I hope everything is better with your husband. I know how important medical equipment is (from past experience) and it is very stressful to be without. Sending good wishes your way!

Thank you.

We found a walker that will work temporarily, though not as good (for Roger) as the one he broke (actually it's a more expensive walker, just doesn't properly meet Roger's circumstances), and I'm ordering two duplicates of the one he ruined online for $45 total, free shipping. I think this will work quite well for him, and I'm hopeful that he won't make the same mistake that led to the fall which ruined the old walker, now that he knows what to watch out for.

I originally wrote this as "peaked my interest" but looked it up and had no idea it was piqued.

Related to "piquant." From the French for "prick." (I just looked up the etymology online, didn't know it already.)

I'm still working on Sword of the South by David Weber, A Wizard of Mars by Diane Duane, and Dreaming Spies by Laurie R. King. And I picked up a used hardback of Elegy for a Lost Star by Elizabeth Haydon when I was at MileHiCon this weekend. I believe this is the first book of the second trilogy in the Symphony of Ages series. I had read the first trilogy many years ago and very much want to catch up with the rest of the series. Hmmm. I wonder whether I have them bookmarked on BookBub; I should check.

I met Eric Flint at the con -- nice guy as well as a great author. I love the way he's opened up his 1632/Ring of Fire series to other authors, including brand new authors, and helped them learn how to make their writing good. That's an education that's increasingly hard to get these days.

And Connie Willis gave a great talk about the meaning of "irony" and why it's so important in fiction. Connie's an excellent speaker, as well as a great writer; I always enjoy her talks/panels/readings, and I've heard a lot of them because she lives in Colorado.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Mamanyt1953 , oh no, you've piqued my interest (again) with this Lucy Stone Series. I notice there is a Trick or Treat Murder. I have to contain myself with the cat mysteries, I am now reading Lending a Paw! and the cat groomer books sound so good! disclaimer: I originally wrote this as "peaked my interest" but looked it up and had no idea it was piqued. That is something I also like about reading, is that I can learn new words or re-learn words I was using incorrectly.

If you love cozy mysteries, check this blog site, it really is good for finding cozies by theme, and for keeping up with what is new (I get the newsletter, and always enjoy it). I think it is ok to post here, as it isn't a cat site of any sort.

Cozy Mystery List | A Guide to Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

I like the Lucy Stone series, too, but they're not collectible, IMO.

Yep. Good reading, but not fascinating enough to take up permanent bookshelf space!

And Connie Willis gave a great talk about the meaning of "irony" and why it's so important in fiction.

Favorite title of a Spider Robinson book, "God is an Iron." Speaking of irony!

 

[Margret]

Favorite title of a Spider Robinson book, "God is an Iron." Speaking of irony!

And there's always the thief in Ankh Morpork (I forget his name) who absolutely knew the meaning of "irony" -- anything metallic is irony. Duh.

I do miss Sir Terry.

Margret

 

[Katie M]

After I finish Orient Express, I'm going to read Princess Bride. I've never actually read it.

 

[Margret]

After I finish Orient Express, I'm going to read Princess Bride. I've never actually read it.

I have, and it totally put me off of the movie, for years. I finally watched the movie under protest, and loved it, but the book goes into much more detail about how Westley is tortured -- nightmarish detail, I'd say. I suggest you skip that chapter.

The book is supposed to be the good things version of the original (non-existent) book, but the reality is the movie is the good things version of the book.

Margret

 

[Katie M]

I have, and it totally put me off of the movie, for years. I finally watched the movie under protest, and loved it, but the book goes into much more detail about how Westley is tortured -- nightmarish detail, I'd say. I suggest you skip that chapter.

The book is supposed to be the good things version of the original (non-existent) book, but the reality is the movie is the good things version of the book.

Margret

So you read the book first, then watched the movie? I own the movie and have watched it more times than I can count, so maybe my experience will be different?

 

[Margret]

So you read the book first, then watched the movie? I own the movie and have watched it more times than I can count, so maybe my experience will be different?

Correct. I had heard such great things about it, and I knew that the movie was based on a book so I looked for the book, on the theory that the book is always better than the movie based on it. This is the case that proves (i.e. tests) the rule.

Trust me. Avoid the torture chapter, which is pretty much what the movie did. You already know enough about the torture from the movie so skipping that chapter won't hurt you. Other than that it's a good book.

Margret

 

[Katie M]

Correct. I had heard such great things about it, and I knew that the movie was based on a book so I looked for the book, on the theory that the book is always better than the movie based on it. This is the case that proves (i.e. tests) the rule.

I'm glad you brought this up, actually. I'm curious what others think as well. I've found that, for the most part, a book is better than the movie based on it, but not always.

Case in point-Les Miserables. I've always preferred film adaptations to the book, because they cut out all of the unnecessary things. For example, the priest from the beginning is there for just as long as he needs to be. In the novel, we get what is practically his entire life's story, including his death years later. Hunchback of Notre Dame suffers from similar issues. I think the stories and characters Victor Hugo created are wonderful, but they're also far better suited to film.

 

[Margret]

Katie M , those books are from an era that produced books that modern sensibilities perceive as being overly verbose.

When I was a kid my dad subscribed to the Reader's Digest Classics for Young Readers (or something like that; I don't remember for sure) series. They had a lot of classics: The Three Musketeers, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Prisoner of Zenda, and similar books, all abridged ("digested"?) for publication, which basically meant edited for modern tastes. As an adult I've downloaded all of these books from Project Gutenberg and I have to say that the Reader's Digest versions were much better.

Two other recent movies based on books/written stories:

1. Arrival, based on "Story of Your Life" by Ted Chiang (collected in Stories of Your Life and Others, which has been re-released as Arrival to take advantage of the movie tie-in). I've loved this story for years; I spent full price to buy the book for my Nook. When I found out they were making a movie from it I was extremely excited. So, how do they compare? Well, in the first place they had to add to the story in order to have enough for a movie. In the process they changed a lot of things:

• In the story, the daughter died of a climbing accident, not an inherited disease. It was not her illness that split her parents up.
• In the story the linguists never met the aliens up-close and personal, just through the super-high-tech video communications devices the aliens had set up.
• In the story the written version of the alien language didn't look like octopus ink.
• In the story the reason for the aliens' visit was never explained at all, not even the vague "They'll need help from us somewhere down the road" that the movie used.
• In the story the heroine wasn't given the totality of the aliens' language.

So, was the story better than the movie? No, but by the same token the movie wasn't better than the story. They were different, and each should be taken in its own context and enjoyed accordingly.

2. Hidden Figures, based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly. I don't actually have this book; it's going for ~$11 and even the Young Readers version is going for ~$8. However, I do know that some things were exaggerated in the movie. The movie gave an accurate picture of racial discrimination in that era, but not of the culture at NASA. For instance, I've been told that in the book, despite the closest "Colored" restroom being clear across the campus these women didn't bother to go there; they simply went to the closest Women's restroom, said nothing about it, and basically dared anyone to challenge them and no one did.

And the movie missed some of the things that were in the book that would have been really great scenes, for instance the Colored sign in the cafeteria. A friend has told me that every day when these women went to eat they would sit together in the Colored section of the cafeteria, because they were going to sit together anyway, but also every day one of the women would take the "Colored" sign with her when they left the cafeteria. And every day when they went to lunch someone would have replaced the sign. No one ever said anything about it, but the tacit message that the women were sending was quite clear and one day the signs stopped being replaced. I think that's a great story and I would have loved to see it in the movie.

This one is a bit harder to call. The movie is excellent, and it's based on truth, but it's also fictional, which the book isn't. And the fact that I haven't actually read the book makes it difficult. I think that maybe this is another place where the movie and the book each need to be seen on their own terms, the movie as a movie, which accurately portrays a great truth about the horrors of discrimination and the wonder of the human spirit but uses fiction to do so, and the book as a memoir and a historical document.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm on the last of the Lucy Stone series that was sent to me in a BIG OLD BOX OF BOOKS! Man, I have wonderful friends, most of them I made here! After that, I'm going to dive into the latest Lynsay Sands "Argeneau Vampires" book. I know, I KNOW...they are my guilty reading pleasure. Something about that whole premise just tickles my funny bone! Then after that, I have a pile of cat themed cozies to read.

 

[Winchester]

I'm reading Sleeping Beauties by Stephen and Owen King. e-book from the library.

 

[Margret]

A word of warning about BookShout. I've bought two books from them; one was quite some time ago, and one just the other day -- I had completely forgotten about the first book until I went to their website to try to download the new one and discovered that I couldn't, but that I "owned" two books on their website. They have reading apps for sufficiently advanced incarnations of Android, and for sufficiently new iPads, and that's it! If you don't have that much room on your phone, or your tablet is too old, you can only read your books on their website. When I complained they explained that they don't have any apps for computers, and they're prohibited from allowing me to download the books for other people's apps by their agreements with the authors; they're sure I can understand that. Yes, I understand all right. What I understand is that they set up to sell books without first arranging ways to make them available for download except for some of their customers, not including me, and that they didn't warn me before selling me the books.

Now, in their favor, when I said that if I can't download it I don't own it and I want my money back, for both books even though the debit card I used to buy the first is now defunct, they complied immediately. But if you actually want something in one of their emails be absolutely certain that you have the app you need to read it before you spend money on the book.

Margret

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I read all I had of Sofie Kelly's Magical Cats Mysteries, and am now filling in some of the blanks in my "Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries" series by Ali Brandon. I'm loving those, as Hamlet's fursonality is so very, very similar to Hekitty's...both are eaten up with catitude!

 

[catspaw66]

Some of you people are so lucky. I went to my County Library, asked what e-books they had and was told they were between D and F on the shelves.