Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

PART NINE - ONGOING THREAD FOR 2013 (continued from Part Eight)

What are U reading these days?

I hope to be finished with Tigana today or tomorrow, depending on how much time I get. I finished The Midwife, it was good. Now I can watch it on the DVR. If it wasn't for the TV series, I wouldn't have read it this soon. TV, a prime motivator in book reading, lol

Jackie, it's good to be motivated to read... even if TV is the motivator. :)

Nina wrote: "Thanks Joy, for the recommendation of "For the Big Boys"...

Nina, the title of the movie is: "For the Boys".



And did I mention "A Matter of Life and Death" which I watched on the TCM channel? It was terrific.
It's aka "Stairway to Heaven" (1946)
It's a light fantasy romance with David Niven. I recommend it!
Leonard Maltin gave it 5 stars!It's available as a DVD at Netflix (not streamable):

At Netflix it's: "A Matter of Life and Death":

At IMDb it's: "Stairway to Heaven":

DESCRIPTION: "Royal Air Force pilot Peter Carter (David Niven) is forced to jump out of his plane without a parachute only to wake up alive and unharmed due to a heavenly mishap. He must then stand before God to plead his case for a second chance at life."

This month, I'm taking part in the common read of The Hunger Games that my Action Heroines Fans group is doing. I'm finding it a very gripping page-turner!

Werner wrote: "This month, I'm taking part in the common read of The Hunger Games that my Action Heroines Fans group is doing. I'm finding it a very gripping page-turner!"

Werner, don't you find the theme a bit depressing?

I read The Hunger Games and there's nothing depressing about it. People who haven't read it have the wrong idea about it, mostly from people spreading the hate who didn't read it either, it's not at all what they think. It's a story of love. I don't want to give spoilers and ruin it for Werner but I'm sure he'll agree when he finishes it. In fact, I felt good when I finished it. The one enduring theme in all fantasy books is good vs evil, but you gotta have that adversity for good to mean anything, for the triumphs to be sweet. The main character, Katniss, faces adversity but it's how she faces it that's important, not the adversity itself. Katniss is wonderfully strong female character, a kind of heroine we rarely see.

Jackie, no need to worry too much about spoilers on my account --I've already read reviews that had some, and have read reviews of the later books in the trilogy, too, so I have the general idea of how things turn out. (In my reading, I tend to be as much concerned with the journey as the destination, so don't mind spoilers as much as some folks do, at least in most cases.)

Joy, I agree completely with Jackie's thoughts about the role of adversity in speculative fiction (I'd say in fiction in general, actually). That said, the book has an extremely dark premise; it is, as Jackie says, about love (both romantic and familial) and overcoming adversity, but set against the grim backdrop of a situation where kids --some as young as 12-- are forced to kill each other or be killed, for the entertainment of morally sick adults. It's not depressing per se (I'm usually Stoic enough not to get depressed easily), but it's an uncomfortable reminder of just how depraved our species really is, and puts both the characters and the reader in a very morally ambiguous situation. Paradoxically, though, that's what makes it so emotionally compelling; and the horror of the situation, if anything, grips my attention rather than repelling it once I started reading --maybe some of the same psychology that makes people stare at accidents in progress! If I could, I'd read it non-stop to the end.

Though the book's premise doesn't attract me in itself, I'd already decided to read it myself before the group voted to do it as a common read (in fact, I suggested the latter because I was going to read it anyway!) That's because, in discussing a friend's review, I got into a debate with another Goodreader (who hadn't read the series either!) as to whether Katniss is a better role model than Bella in the Twilight Saga. I had to conclude that it's pretty silly for two people to argue about comparing something they've never read to anything; so I decided that at least one of us should find out what we're actually talking about. :-)

Werner, now that you know both Bella and Katniss, who do you think is a better role model? You can wait to answer after you finish. Or we can move it to a private message. I think you and I will be in agreement, as we so often are!

I forgot to mention the books I'm reading. One was lent to me months ago, A Bouquet Of Barbed Wire. The other is The Witches of Eileanan. Both are good, but in different ways. Bouquet is a mysterious thriller. One of the characters keeps alluding to something major about another character, taunting him. It's driving me crazy that no one is calling him on it, saying "What are you talking about?" or "Explain". I want to know what he's referring to! But it's this need to know that keeps me coming back.
Witches is a good epic fantasy, but after starting it, I found out it leaves off in a cliffhanger. Oh how I hate that! I wish there was a way to know this stuff before I buy the book. I can always find out here on GR but that's after I buy the damn thing! I'll have to see how much I like the story to decide if I want to go further but so far it's good and I'm enjoying it.

Jackie, good question! As you suggested, I think I'll wait to answer that until I finish the book (and then answer it in my review and send you the link, since it will be a boring topic for Glens Falls group members who aren't fans of either series!). And even then, I'll have to add the caveat that while I've read all four novels in the Twilight Saga, this is only the first one of three about Katniss; in the view of some of my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ friends who've read the whole trilogy, her character changes (and not for the better) in the later books.

That said, at this point, I see a lot more similarities of character in the two girls than the vast differences in their situations and shaping environments would suggest. (Though, as my oldest daughter says, those differences are big enough to make direct comparisons problematical.) Bella's far from being as whiny and weak as her detractors make her out to be; and there are hints that Katniss isn't as asexual and devoid of maternal feelings as her gender-feminist admirers like to imagine that she is.

Werner, I have just one word for those that say Katniss isn't maternal: Prim

Jackie, I agree completely (and I'd add a second word: Rue!).

A good Quote for the New Year:

"You are never too old
to set another goal or
dream a new dream."

C.S. Lewis

Good one, Nina? What goal have you set?
My goal is to read more.

My goal is to finish my memoir and put it into published form to give to my "children" and also publish a book of my children's poems for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. Several of these poems were published individually but not as a book. Aside from that are any of you familiar with the author, Evan Connell? He wrote among other things the "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge" books; they were individual books but combined in the movie of that name starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. He died this week and there was quite a bit written about him in our paper this morning. He also wrote,"Morning Star," about the Battle of Little Big Horn and won several prizes for that one.

Nina wrote: "My goal is to finish my memoir and put it into published form to give to my "children" and also publish a book of my children's poems for my grandchildren and great grandchildren. Several of these ..."

Nina, that's an ambitious goal. Good luck with it! I wish I were motivated in that direction. My kids will have to be satisfied with my scrapbook full of copies of the light poetry and parodies which I wrote years ago. My kids will probably toss it out with all my other junk when I die. Who has room to save all my many scrapbooks and photo albums! It's a shame, but they have their own stuff to save. I have boxes of my MIL's photo albums which they'll have to deal with too.

As far as a memoir, my life hasn't been that memorable, IMO. :) My mom's life was memorable and she always wanted me to write a story about it. I wish I could do it, describing the way she triumphed over adversity, but I'm afraid I have no literary flair for putting her inspiring story across. I was only able to write a poem about her, as you know have seen at:
http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/2...

Concerning, Evan Connell, I noted his obituary in the NY Times a few days ago:

"... A decade later Mr. Connell wrote a sequel, “Mr. Bridge,� and the two united many years later in “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge,� the 1990 Merchant Ivory film starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward."


Below are links to Evan Connell's books on which the movie was based:
Mrs. Bridge
Mr Bridge

Book Club plans on reading The Submission by Amy Waldman and then the next book suggested is Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.

Anyone read these books?

Haven't read them but will look into them, Linda.
The Submission by Amy Waldman
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Let us know how you liked them.

The second one sounds like it might be in the romance genre. I could use a little romance. :)

Joy H. wrote: "Haven't read them but will look into them, Linda.
The Submission by Amy Waldman
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Let us know how you liked them.

The second one sounds like it might be in the romanc..."

I read The Submission a few months ago and liked it very much. It has real insight into cultural differences and prejudice--conscious and unconscious. Enjoy!

Carol wrote: "I read The Submission a few months ago and liked it very much. It has real insight into cultural differences and prejudice--conscious and unconscious. Enjoy!"

Hi Carol! OK, thanks! I'll add it to my shelf. I've already added Beautiful Ruins.

Joy, I think your poem is a lovely memoir in it's own way as your description is a peek into not only your mom's life but yours, also. Thanks for sharing. I might have seen it earlier but it was just as nice to read it again and see the picture. But, I would like to add that you don't have to be literary to just write some things about some instances of your life to hand down to your descendents. I am sure they would treasure it.

Carol wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "Haven't read them but will look into them, Linda.
The Submission by Amy Waldman
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Let us know how you liked them.

The second one sounds like it might b..."

Carol, thanks. I'll be sure to let everyone know if I like the book, and the overall opinion of the book club.

I have ordered both of the recommended books as samples on my Kindle; this wasy I can decide if I would be interested in reading them. I will let you know what I decide.

Nina wrote: "Joy, I think your poem is a lovely memoir in it's own way as your description is a peek into not only your mom's life but yours, also. Thanks for sharing. I might have seen it earlier but it was ju..."

Nina, thanks for your kind words and your encouragement. I'll give some thought to what you said. I have a digital file of random memories which I copied and saved after I wrote them up as messages to various people or groups. I have them saved at Dropbox.

Also, I've always kept photographs in scrapbooks and on my computer and online. So they serve as memories too. My pics are saved at Dropbox as well.

I just finished Where the Summer Ends: The Best Horror Stories of Karl Edward Wagner, Volume 1. Wow! It's a 5 star read. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Jim wrote: "I just finished Where the Summer Ends: The Best Horror Stories of Karl Edward Wagner, Volume 1. Wow! It's a 5 star read. My review is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/..."

Great review, Jim. Amazing how you have the patience to record details.

Oh, I just list all the stories & then type in a few sentences as I finish each. Not a big deal, but thanks.

Ah, so you do it as you go along! Good idea!

But, Jim, you are also able to express yourself very well, something I've never been able to do when it comes to writing down my impressions of a book or movie. When I read other people's reviews, their words resonate with me but I'm never quite able to put those inchoate thoughts or feelings of mine into words. (Other people do it for me in their reviews.) :)

Linda wrote: "Carol wrote: "Joy H. wrote: "Haven't read them but will look into them, Linda.
The Submission by Amy Waldman
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

Let us know how you liked them.

The second one sounds l..."Beautiful Ruins looked quite interesting when I read the sample chapters; however, The Submission didn't really appeal to me; it sounded a bit grim.

I am a long time fan of SF writer C. J. Cherryh and am now reading the last book (so far) in the chanur series. Chanur's Legacy is an excellent addition to the series--I previously read the other four books.

I've been wanting to read Cherryh for a while now, I found The Paladin at a book sale. Have you read it, Mary JL? If so, what do you think of it?

I have not read the Paladin, but I have heard it is not her strongest.

If you want to read a single book by C. J. Cherryh, read Downbelow Station. It won the Hugo in 1982 and is fantastic; still very popular.Imho, it is the best thing she has ever written.

A second favorite of mine is The Pride of Chanur. This is the first of a series of four but fairly short and fast-paced.

Though I've never gotten around to reviewing it here, I read The Pride of Chanur back in the early 90s, and also liked it. Another Cherryh novel (a stand-alone, I believe) that I'd recommend is Hestia.

Jackie, I said above that I'd compare Katniss and Bella as role models in my review of The Hunger Games. But I wrote the review on my meal break last night, under time pressure and hurrying, and only realized afterwards that I'd left out that point (even though it was my original reason for reading Collins' book!). So, after kicking myself appropriately, I decided to answer your question here after all --with apologies to anyone who's bored by both series.

I'd give the edge in the role model competition to Katniss. That's not because she's the more athletic and combat capable of the two, while Bella as a human is an accident-prone klutz. Conditioning plays a role in that, but their relative physical prowess is mostly just something the two girls are given by luck of the draw; it's got nothing to do with their character. (As evidenced by the fact that after her vampire transformation, Bella could have licked Katniss and all 23 other tributes, even blindfolded; but her character's no different than it was before.) And it's not because I see Katniss as devoid of romantic or maternal potential, or think she'd be "stronger" or "better" if she were. Rather, it's because I see Katniss as more cool-headed, less inclined to engage in the sorts of risky behaviors Bella does in New Moon just to be able to hear a hallucination of Edward's voice. (Both girls, of course, will put their own lives on the line to save or protect someone else, but that's a different kind of risky behavior.) Also, I don't think Katniss would shut down emotionally for several months like Bella did when she thought she'd lost Edward. Katniss has been through something similar when she lost her dad, and since her mom was the one who shut down, she HAD to keep going. (Though in fairness to Bella, she didn't go completely catatonic like Mrs. Everdeen; she continued to go through her outward duties, taking care of her dad and keeping up in school.) Of course, it's easy to prescribe more Stoicism to Bella when I didn't go through losing the love of my life. When she's hit by Cupid's arrow, it's in her nature to fall fast and hard, and love strong. That's no fault; and we've yet to see Katniss fall in love and think she's lost her beloved, so we don't really know how she'd handle it. But my gut feeling is that she'd tough out the pain better than Bella did.

That said, there are some real similarities between the two girls, and I think they'd like each other. Both won't hesitate to die for somebody they care about; both have had to become mature and responsible beyond their years (Katniss because her father was killed and her mother was too depressed to function, Bella because her parents divorced and her mom was something of a ditz). Neither of them care much about being popular or trying to be stylish; both will try hard to mask their own pain to avoid distressing others; and both display courage in dangerous situations and have the guts to stand up for themselves. (Of course, when Bella slugged Jacob for trying to force a kiss on her, she wound up in the emergency room with an injured hand; while if he'd tried to kiss Katniss, he'd have gone to the emergency room. But they're soul sisters as far as their fighting spirit is concerned!) Once Katniss falls for a guy, I think she'll be as true and loving a partner for her man as Bella is for Edward; and while she doesn't want to bring kids into the nightmare world of Panem (and I don't blame her), if she conceived one, I think she'd be as fiercely protective a mom as Bella is. So, while both young ladies have their faults, I'd say any female (or male) who chose to emulate their good qualities wouldn't go wrong!

Thanks, Mary JL, the Paladin will not be moving up in my queue, lol

Werner,
Interesting comparisons.
Physical prowess isn't a consideration for me, it doesn't mean anything. But I can see that being a reason to role model a person, just look at the sports figures, it's strictly for their athletic abilities that they're worshipped.
The one big difference I see between them is this: Bella is overly dramatic and everything is about her, even when it's not, while, as you pointed out, Katniss is coolheaded and doesn't make moves based on emotion and everything is about her family, Katniss' wants/needs will always come after everyone else is taken care of first.
In fairness to Bella, though, Katniss lived in a harsh world where moving out of emotion can get you killed, she's learned to be analytical and make the best moves based on chances of her survival. And not just in the Games, in her daily life, sneaking out to hunt is one example.
Katniss loves Gale, but she doesn't do anything about it. She doesn't want to start anything with him because love is weakness,(seeing how her mother shut down when her father died impacted her greatly and probably changed her views of romantic love) and but mostly because of her insistence of not having children.
I think Katniss would find Bella silly and look down on her. Bella would find Katniss hard and want to fix her. They're very different people inside, even though they'd do anything for those they love.
I think somewhere in the middle would be good qualities to emulate because both girls go to extremes in their thinking and actions.

Hmmmm! Jackie, good insights as always, with a lot of food for thought. (Being a woman, I think you have a leg up on analyzing female characters; and I think you're probably able to do it more objectively than us guy readers, who tend to react to women characters differently.) I agree that the two girls are very different people in many ways --and the vast difference in their social environment might make it hard for them to relate to each other, too. (But even if they might not appreciate each other very well, I like them both. :-) )

You've also got the benefit of having read the whole Hunger Games trilogy. Just based on this book, I wouldn't have said that Katniss loves Gale. She denies that there's anything romantic about the relationship, though her thoughts about both him and Peeta suggest that there's an unconscious or half-conscious attraction to both boys that she doesn't want to admit, even to herself, at this point, for the reasons that you mentioned.

I'm going to add Catching Fire to my to-read shelf, so I'll be getting better acquainted with Katniss! :-)

My thoughts on Katniss/Gale are from just the first book. I take care when discussing books not to get ahead of the other person, you know how I detest spoilers.
It's been a while since I read HG, but I remember a scene in the first book, while K&G are sitting together while hunting and got the distinct impression that she does love him, or would allow herself to love him, if their lives were different. In the first book, she's very concerned about what Gale will be thinking when they used the 'lovers' gimmick during the games. If she didn't have any feelings for Gale, why would she care what he though about it? Just little clues like that is how I drew my conclusions. It's never implicitly stated, but that's the best part about books, subtext...and the challenge to be able to see it, find it and hope you're right, lol

Just finished reading a short story with the seeting Lake George and Glen Falls; sorry I don't remember the title, probably as the setting was the best thing about it.

Nina wrote: "Just finished reading a short story with the seeting Lake George and Glen Falls; sorry I don't remember the title, probably as the setting was the best thing about it."

I love stories like that, Nina. We have a local mystery writer, Anne White, whose stories' settings are usually around Lake George. Here's her website:

I checked and it wasn't one of hers but I did enjoy as I mentioned reading about the Glenn Falls setting. Unfortunately, I deleted it from my Kindle so can't recall the title.

If you ever find out the title, Nina, please let us know.

PS-Did it have anything to do with artist, Georgia O'Keeffe?
She used to come to Lake George.

No, it was fiction and the theme was of a divorced father taking his son to some place on Lake George to keep him from being with his mother. If I remember more I'll let you know. As you and I discussed once, we prolong Christmas; I am just this afternoon reading all the Christmas issues of my monthly magazines.

Found it in my Archives: "The Soul Keeps the Body Up," by Amity Gaige; 4,894 words.

Nina wrote: "Found it in my Archives: "The Soul Keeps the Body Up," by Amity Gaige; 4,894 words."

Thanks, Nina! I googled for info about "The Soul Keeps the Body Up", by Amity Gaige, and got the following hits which may be of interest to you.





BTW, I found out that the short story is really an excerpt from Amity Gaige’s novel, Schroder: A Novel. The article (at the first link above) says that the short story feels complete all on its own.

PS-My Christmas tree is still up. :)

I started a new book Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. I've heard there's to be a British mini-series based on it so it's moved up in my queue. I think this is the right one, but if not that's OK too since it's really good. I have a thing for stories that feature archaeology, because you get two stories in one book, what's going on in the present and the story that unfolds from the past.

Thanks for the links; interesting to read. I get a Story once a month and so I keep up somewhat with comtempary lit. that way.

Jackie wrote: "I started a new book Labyrinth by Kate Mosse. I've heard there's to be a British mini-series based on it so it's moved up in my queue. ... I have a thing for stories that feature archaeology, because you get two stories in one book, what's going on in the present and the story that unfolds from the past."

The one story I remember which had a story within a story was Possession by A.S. Byatt.
My review is at: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Below is a link to a site which gives examples of books which fit into the genre, "story within a story":


Also, the following is a link to a site which gives examples of movies which fit into the same genre:

Nina wrote: "Thanks for the links; interesting to read. I get a Story once a month and so I keep up somewhat with comtempary lit. that way."

Nina, I'm having a hard time keeping up with literature of ANY sort. Today on TCM-TV they aired a Father Brown movie, "The Detective", with Alec Guinness. That led me to a search of the Father Brown stories by G.K. Chesterton. They were written in the first half of the 1900s. I found out that I can read many of them online at:

But a brief glance at the beginning of the story gave me the impression that Chesterton may be too wordy for me.

I read and really liked the first of Chesterton's several Father Brown collections, The Innocence of Father Brown, and hope to eventually read more of them. (If anyone's interested, my review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... .) But I'd agree that Chesterton is definitely very wordy; so Joy, his work might not be your cup of tea!

I'm currently reading one of Donald Hamilton's Matt Helm spy novels, The Shadowers. With a common read coming up in another of my groups in February, I wanted something that's guaranteed to be a quick read; and I've liked the other books by the author that I've read so far.

Werner wrote: "I read and really liked the first of Chesterton's several Father Brown collections, The Innocence of Father Brown, and hope to eventually read more of them. (If anyone's interested, my review is h..."

Thanks for the warning about Chesterton, Werner. :)
I think it was Alec Guinness who charmed me more than the idea of Father Brown. He does make a charming Father Brown.

There was a TV series about Chesterton's Father Brown in 1974. I'm going to try to view it. It starred Kenneth More as Father Brown.


There was also a good review of the movie, "The Detective"(1954)(with Alec Guinness), at:
It was partially based on Chesterton's "The Blue Cross".

I finished Kate Forsyth's The Witches of Eileanan and I'm eager to get the next two books of the series. The Pool of Two Moons and The Cursed Towers Witches left off on a cliffhanger. Had I known that, I wouldn't have started until I had the next books of the series in hand. It was fantastic, exactly how I like my fantasy: epic. Rife with complex characters and multiple storylines.

I started 1000 Wonders of Nature, lots of wonderful images and interesting facts. It's one of those books that sits on the table to be picked up when I have a few minutes to kill.

And I'm back in the Karavans universe by Jennifer Roberson with the 3rd book in the series, The Wild Road. Another continuing series but at least there's no cliffhanger ending, most of the story is wrapped up, while smaller threads are left open to be picked up in the next book, for the most part. I've waited over 5 years for this book to be published, paid a whole lot more than I would have liked to get it immediately but it's off to a good start so I'm content. I only hope I don't have to wait 5 more years for the next installment (and hopefully the end of the series) Dragon Moon.