Book, Blog and Subscription Recommendations

Yes, yes, a movies thread! (I just got back from How to Train a Dragon.) And then a tv show thread. We don't get cable and I never used to watch tv but now I've discovered hulu.com and I have a HUGE list of shows I watch weekly. (I'm not a reality show person, tho.)

I read all the Twilight books and liked them a lot. But an even better book is her book called The Host. I love that one and really hope for a sequel AND a movie!

Also, there's a really good book that is escaping me at the moment, but the sequel has come out too. It's another YA book and it about the future and kids who are made to enter a game to the death. Really good. Anybody know the name of that one?

Pixy, The Golden Compass is one of my very favorite books. Anne of Green Gables is the favorite and next The Golden Compass. I enjoyed the sequels but loved loved loved the first book. (The movie sucked.) I liked TGC so much that I bought 3 first editions for my kids! (Someday when it's less painful I'll tell you about all the first editions of Harry Potter I gave away and did not have any left for myself because it hadn't gotten popular yet.)

I watched every single episode of Lost and I am still LOST. Soooo glad that one's over.

LOL, Gwen. I think I was addicted to being LOST.

Oh, I was too. It was such a love/hate thing. I really did not like the past couple seasons. This season was downright boring. I mean, who wants to go whole episodes at a time without Sawyer let alone without Sawyer taking his shirt off?!?!? What were they even thinking? At least they didn't kill him off. You think the Dave defenders have been bad - they've been nothing compare to what I would have done had Sawyer gotten killed!

ROFL. But what about Sayid?

No, Sayid didn't do anything for me. I couldn't trust him. Boon had potential but then got killed. Luckily for all of us he's come back as a vampire. ;)

Wow. I would trust Sayid a lot more than Sawyer. He had a huge sense of responsibility. That's funny. But that's why I liked the show, because I really felt like these characters were people I knew.

Boone was too young and wasn't on the show long enough for me. But I can see how he'd make a good vampire!

My granddaughter is a big fan of the Twilight books and I've bought them for her but never read any. I don't mind the vampires in Terry Pratchett's books but I'm not sure I'd be happy spending time with Edward or whoever...

There was a great thread on books, movies and television on the Leisurely Pursuits forum, but several of the posters got banned because we were discussing politically-oriented books and some political preferences became (gasp!) apparent. Someone complained and one of the posters was asked to edit her comments. Kind of went downhill from there...

I have no idea what went on with Lost because I don't watch television much; it sounds like a lot of people I know were really enthralled, though!

Sorry, McCarthy/McCartney - problem of typing AND trying to get out to garden - just passing through, got forced in because of rain, in process of planting out 85 pumpkin plants for my pumpkin sale this autumn! Hurrah. Seeing the direction of the thread right now, I just have to tell Dog joke about movies and books -

Man goes to the cinema and ends up sitting next to a woman and her fox terrier. At the end of the film the man stops the woman on her way out and says

"I am so impressed with your dog - he sat through the entire film patiently, demonstrating real understanding. He was moved at the sad moments, restless during the unresolved ones, and agitated during the tense scenes - he seemed very engaged with the entire story. I am really surprised at his responsiveness"

"Yes", she said "especially since he didn't like the book at all."

I love that joke, really makes me laugh.

Laurie, re the dog joke - LOL

Katye - trust? Who's talkin' about trust?!?!?!

And you have to admit, he was pretty loyal to Juliet.

LOL!, Laurie!
Now I must go through this thread and decide which author's book to download from audible! OOOh! What a delicious decision to make!

Pix, who does the narration on the books you download? The authors? I'd love to hear what some of them sound like, and how they read. Interesting.

glad you liked the doggie joke.

The winner is Solar by Ian McEwan. I've put Wolf Hall and some others on my 'wish list' for later. Alas, the Greenwood novels set in Australia are too short for buying through audible. I will look for them in paperback as they look like good boat reading.

Laurie, some are done by the authors and some by professional readers. The reader can make or break a good book so audible allows you to listen to a sample file from the book. Go here: WWW.audible.com

It's a different experience than sitting with a book, but equally good. I like to listen while I garden. Like Portland, sometimes my mind gets away with other things, but I can always go back and re-listen if I've been distracted. If a book is really good, I rarely get distracted.

Ohhhhh, I'm so glad - on both McEwan's and Mantle's behalf. Good choice, hope you enjoy them. But my question remains, who is reading them? (question answered, thanks - we crossed)

Do you think it would be inappropriate to listen while you were working? Oops - yes of course it would. I find I can't listen and do anything else, whether it is music, radio, and probably book. funny, I think I multi-task fairly well, but I just don't like the feel of being cut off when I am doing something, especially outdoors.

This message was edited May 29, 2010 6:02 PM

I don't like listening to books, although I do sometimes enjoy the "Short Shorts" they've done on NPR. When I read I just read; I don't multi-task. When I'm working in my studio, though, I really like to have music on; my iPod Touch has been great for that!

When I'm outdoors I listen to the birds and the wind; it's part of the reason why I'm out there. Even here with my computer, the doors and windows are all open and I can hear a robin singing; there's an oriole that has its bit to say, too. Or the house wrens and the bluebirds chime in.

I can't concentrate on audio books. I either fall asleep or my mind immediately wonders to other things. I'm a visual person, not so much an audio person, altho I do like to listen to music while I'm doing housework. (Now you know why I rarely get to listen to music.)

Laurie, I have that problem also. I like no sound distractions. Maybe because I'm hard-of-hearing. But I can read and watch TV at the same time. Or at least keep up with a show will I'm reading.

Now if I lived in a place that was always peaceful and quiet, I'd probably feel much the same way about wanting the peace of the outdoors. My neighborhood isn't exactly loud, but I can here the highway from here, and it always seems like someone is using a chainsaw or a leaf blower or something. I'm a little hard of hearing, so the more subtle noises go un noticed anyway. I love listening while working in the greenhouse. I put the mp3 on speakers and just work for hours. I also love listening in the car.
Probably it's because I grew up having books read to me. We always did reading aloud in my family, and we still do. I read to both of my children until they were way old. I read to Andrew until he was 13. Claire always listened, too, and she is 7 years older.

I'm afraid all that talking out loud I do in the garden might distract me from an audio book.

I once entertained three people for about an hour just reading a very poorly written book. Laughed ourselves silly. Wine helped.

Ohh, ww that's funny. Reminds me of getting stuck in an airport once - we had nothing to do, for hours. And the only book we had with us, gawd knows why, was a dictionary - so we started reading it outloud, the other guessing what the word was. It was actually pretty funny - or more likely, we were so bored it was pretty funny. thank goodness there are champagne bars and bookstores in airports these days - especially since they haven't made the delays any shorter.

Bonehead, you are funny. Pix, we need to get you moved. You deserve a more peaceful place - by the way, how are the guys up the road with the statues?

GG what do you do in your studio?

Pixy, we can hear a highway from our place, but it's not that close, and especially in the summer when leaves are on the trees the sound is muted. We have boats coming by, but with the price of gas that doesn't happen as much as it used to, even on a summer weekend. Sometimes the osprey chicks across from our dock get noisy, though; still, it's such a great sound that we don't mind it.

Laurie, I'm a painter. I do commissioned portraits, or landscapes and figurative works just for my own pleasure. This year has not been good; I guess it's the economy, but last year was excellent. Actually I'm a retired school psychologist, and it's nice having the time now to paint and work in my garden - and cook!

We read aloud to the kids, but only up to a point. It's a lovely custom! Winnie the Pooh was always one of my favorites; the rhythms of Milne's poems are great even for babies.

Gwen - you were talking about trust. You said you couldn't trust him. In general, though, I would tend to agree - they are both easy on the eyes.

For the record, I like the sound of the outdoors when I'm gardening, too. Not sure what I'd end up doing if there was a lot of local noise.

I have done books on tape when I commute and I find that the commute flys by and I am not nearly so frustrated with traffic. Haven't for a long time though...will have to do more now that I have so many new authors to look into!

I don't stay in place in my yard long enough to listen to a book when I garden, and usually just prefer to listen to nature's song. I do have outdoor speakers however, and when I have a project that I know that I am REALLY not going to enjoy, I crank up the music and that helps with my mood....yup Gwen... just like housework!

I forgot- anyone who likes Christopher Moore will probably enjoy the writings of A. Lee Martinez as well. Totally absurd humorous fantasy stuff. :)

I am going to sound totally like I need life, but the last 3 books I have read are: Reading Essentials by Regie Routman (work related), Hoodwinked by John Perkins (about the horrific state of the economy), and Great Garden Formulas (everything from potting mixes to compost tea) for which I don't recall the author and it is back at the library.

I did recently listen to the Narnia Chronicles narrated on a set of CDs with my son. I read them to him 10 years ago, he's re-read them to himself before, and then he won the CD set in a raffle at a youth event at the library. There were several items to choose from if they pulled your ticket, and the other guys there could not fathom why my son picked this when he could have had some cool set of pens or a t-shirt. He was really excited, as he has always loved listening to stories and I (like Pix) read to my son aloud until he was in 7th or 6th grade.

This summer, I definitely need to try some of your recommendations, as I am unfamiliar with all of them. Where to start???

I read to my kids but soon they started reading to each other, and then to me. I was the one falling to sleep while they read aloud.

Ooh, posting about Withnail & I on the movie thread made me remember one of my all time favorite nonfiction books: Withnails by Richard E. Grant. Part autobiography, part behind the scenes movie memoir, and always hilarious in that understated English way, I could read this one over and over. And I've never looked to see if there is an audio book version, but if there is one - narrated by REG himself - that would be even better.

And Anne of Green Gables and Little Women sat on my bedside table growing up - for those nights when I couldn't get to sleep. I could open any book in the Anne series or Little Women (even Little Men) and get lost for hours.

One that I will have to put out there for outdoorsy humor is Patrick McManus. I have read almost everything he has written from A Fine and Pleasant Misery on, and and swear that I have never laughed out loud more often from any piece of written material.

Our family would take these books on our driving trips and one or the other would read out loud as we drove. The challenge was to be able to read without falling into a fit of hysteria. He writes short stories based on hunting/camping/fishing and general country life, and unfortunately, with my family, more often than not we could relate.....

I always have liked Richard E. Grant..... I'll definitely check it out... Have you ever seen him in the Scartlet Pimpernel? Oh man, I love those movies...

Books - I don’t have time to read like I used to… I should really start listening to some audio books on my zune - instead of the usual radio talk shows, This American Life, Splendid Table, and Moth podcasts all the time… Your suggestions have inspired me to start up again and expland my horizon! :)

When I did read, I read mostly old stuff…

My Favorites:

Mark Twain – He always makes me laugh, I think I’ve read and loved everything he did EXCEPT for the Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer books… I can’t even get through those – I don’t know why… My husband loves them...

Roald Dahl – The Witches, Boy – Tales of Childhood, all of his short stories… He is fantastic! His sense of humor is twisted and lovely...

Alexandre Dumas – Count of Monte Cristo, but by far my all time favorite series is D’Artagnan Romances: The Three Muskateers, Twenty Years After, and Ten Years Later… The soundtrack to this series happens to be Brahms Symphony No 1… I would play it over and over again while I read it, and it was perfect… I also liked The Companions of Jehu, and The Velois Romances

Robert Louis Stevenson – The Black Arrow (all-time favorite), The Master of Ballantrae, and Weir of Hermiston were also good, as well as a lot of his short stories

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Sherlock Holmes of course – but I also loved The White Company, it brought the Hundred Years’ War to life for me…

Dickens – A Child’s History of England… This is by far my favorite Dickens work. He describes the history of England in the most brutally honest and hilarious fashion. No over-analysis, just fun… It’s great!

Jane Austen – Loved everything she wrote, I was completely giddy to get to visit her house outside Winchester, and to see a few letters she had written on display in the cathedral there... I felt really close to her...

Georgette Heyer – I’ve read everything I could get my hands on at the time… She is one of my very favorite authors, a master at historical romance; especially during the Regency period… my favorite work of hers is Beauvallet though... You can’t beat Elizabethan Pirates… ;)

Tolkien – Hobbit, Lord of The Rings… I know, it’s been so popularized, but this will always be near-and-dear to my heart… Very few books made me cry because they had the gall to end...

Ok… I see now there’s a pattern… I obviously like a lot of adventure and history, with some romance thrown in… ;)

Kur, have you read RLS's travel books, like Silverado Squatters and Travels with a Donkey? Especially the latter is a real treasure and also offers a wonderful window into what rural France was like at the end of the nineteenth century. Someone tried following in his footsteps shortly afterwards and described a very different place; this writer focused on the squalor and filth in the small villages Stevenson passed through. It makes sense, because Stevenson tended not to write about the horrors he endured on his voyages and due to his very poor health.

I am also a Jane Austen fan; I've read her more times than I care to count, but I do have favorites.

What about Rudyard Kipling's Kim? That's another wonderful classic.

Julie, Jim loves Pac McManus. I believe we own most of his books. There's another similar writer, whose name escapes me at the moment, but I'll figure it out and post later.

He also really likes Mark Twain. We recently held a 'literary dinner,' and the book Jim chose was one of MT's.

A former librarian in our school district is a decendant of MT's. Her family has a watch that belonged to him. I thought it was pretty neat to be able to say you were related to Mark Twain!

No, I don't think I've ever read those! :) I'm definitely putting Travels with a Donkey at the top of my list....

Kim... oh yes, excellent and that reminds me for some reason of another one of my favorites, King Solomon's Mines... :)

I really want to read Patrick McManus. I heard about his books a while ago and then forgot about him. Julie & Gwen, which one should I start with?

I've been thinking about books on tape and why I can't get into them. When I recently read Solar by McEwan I often read paragraphs over and over (as I do with all his books) because he is such a brilliant writer. I like to see the words written out on the page to admire their elegance. Sometimes the words themselves in black and white just have a beauty of their own. Beautiful combinations of words actually look beautiful. Years ago I was driving alone to Colorado and listening to Bill Moyers' The Language of Life and he read the words (might not be exact) "What does it mean when you say you love a river?" and I was intrigued. When I got to my destination (skiing, of course) I wrote the words down, and they took on a whole new meaning for me. Maybe it's my brain, but reading a book and listening to a book are divergent experiences for me. I guess I'm too visual a person.

Plus, you can't smell a tape! Well, I guess you can but it just isn't the same.

I don't think you have to read PM in any order. Just dive in.

For sheer eye candy, you can't beat this blog - http://warrengrovegarden.blogspot.com/

She lives on Prince Edward Island. I've always wanted to go there!

Julie - our family read Patrick McManus books out loud too. My Dad is a fairly reserved quiet person, but he would just lose it reading those books out loud. I loved hearing him laugh like that. I've started reading them to my boys as well, although my oldest reads them to himself - but I think these are definitely read out loud books. There is something about humor that is magnified when it's shared.

I also just read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy out loud to my boys, and am raring to get started on the sequel (The Restaurant at the End of the Universe). These are also all time favorites that I can read over and over.

Judi, I'm actually with you about reading vs. listening. I read so fast that sometimes it's torture to listen to a book being read out loud because it is so much slower. The exceptions for me are reading out loud to/with my kids, and listening to audio books on my commute. If I have something humorous or diverting to listen to it makes the drive so much more tolerable.

This message was edited May 30, 2010 9:06 AM