Greatest global online bookclub in town

I checked with booksfree.com about the Snelling books and they are all labeled ‘rare’ which means that you stand little or no chance of ever getting them. (I’ve written to them two or three times about not listing those books since being able to get them seems to be so impossible. They still list them.)

I haven’t found a prime time show that really interests me in several years. I’d rather read or turn to one of the cable channels and knit or crochet while watching/listening to the show.

I admit to liking Dancing with the Stars altho. DWTS is split into two nights; first night (Monday) where the ‘stars’ do their dancing and the second (Tuesday) when the results are given; one ‘star’ is given the boot each week. I really think the producers should cut out the two or three numbers by guest singers. I haven’t cared for any of their guests except the young man who is such a magnificent tap dancer and I can’t think of his name. He’s the one who did the tap dancing for the movie about the penguin and I can’t remember the name of the movie either. That was a good ‘guest’ but as for the singers – no interest.

And yes, I do realize that this is a no-brainer show but I enjoy watching those who compete with any competitive spirit at all improve over the course of the show. Most of them try really hard but when they’ve got two left feet . . . . .

I thought I had tape Womens’ Murder Club but it didn’t tape so I missed the first one. I have read the books by James Patterson, so I’m familiar with the concept but would have liked to have watched the first show.

ROFL at the joke, Candace; I hadn’t heard that one.

I’ve just ordered and got the books that Rutherfurd wrote about Ireland,

The Princes of Ireland

and

The Rebels of Ireland

but I’ve not started them yet. I’m waiting for the second of Robyn Carr’s Virgin River trilogy from booksfree.com before I start the ones I bought. I do have the third and I may go ahead and start to read that to see just how interested I am in Virgin River. It seems to be a good series; we’ll see. I’m thinking I may pass up Carr’s books and order them later.

I think I’m being picky! Maybe I’m hungry – it’s almost lunch time.

Jo

That’s a great story, Georgianna–very well expressed from beginning to closing. Most everyone can relate from time to time.

Candace

I sure enjoy this group. I come across notes that I have made from some of your posts and it is just wonderful to have the opportunity to learn from all of you.

I just came across the book True Love by Robert Fulgham and then tried to buy one for a wedding gift but only got one that is highlighted. I still sent it as a gift. The joke someone posted reminded me of it. He sat in a coffee shop and offered to buy anyone a cup of coffee that would tell him their love story. A gentleman came in and said he would have to check with his wife first. He came back a day or two later and handed Robert a letter and said, “I want you to know this was written over ten years ago and we are still married.” The letter said, “Dear __________, I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. With all my love, respectfully, __________________.” I can’t remember the names of the people but I really liked that book and can, on occasion, appreciate the story.

Georgianna

Jan, your post about the TV show reminded me of a joke I heard recently. It may be old to the rest of you but it was new to me. A woman goes to a fortune teller. The fortune teller tells her she has bad news. “What is it?” the woman asks. “Your husband will die this year.” After a pause, the woman says, “Will I get away with it?”

Candace

The first episode of this new show was on Friday night and I really like it.  Good acting and interesting plot.  It shows promise, I think.  And Men in Trees is back – I like that one.  After the first episode I have enjoyed Private Practice.

It seems ABC is by far the best network the past couple of years for quality television,  Although I will be watching Fox after the first of the year when American Idol come back.  My step-grandaughter will be a contestant!

I’m with you, Judith–so far none of the new TV shows appeals to me. One more aspect of changing taste–first in books, then in movies, now in TV. I am sticking with NCIS and The Unit because I find the actors and their characters interesting.

This morning there is a review of “Discovery!” written by Wallace Stegner in 1955–17 years before he wrote “Angle of Repose.” This book is about the US interest in Middle East oil. The last paragraph of the review reads: “‘Discovery!’ may not quite be the ‘lost classic’ its publisher touts it as being. In the canon of Stegner’s work it’s a minor entry. But as a journey into the origins of a boiling crisis, it’s richly fascinating. And for the reader bewildered by the dangerous mutability of America’s role in the Middle East, it supplies a small but significant piece in a vast puzzle.”

I look forward to reading it. It should provide additional 20/20 hindsight along with ‘One World’ written in 1943 which gave context to many of those same areas during WWII.

Candace

I watched a little of Night Lights and gave it a thumbs down, I haven’t really seen any that would appeal to me so it is back to House if it is still on and Boston Legal. I got the second and third years of Boston Legal from the library (for a $1.00 each) for a week because I didn’t start watching it until the last half of the third year. I would rather read or knit while listening to a book on tape.

Friends,
I try to watch each new TV show that comes on to see if I am going to like it or not. So far this season, I have not found a single one that I intend to watch regularly. I liked the first episode of “Cane” but didn’t care for the second. I liked the first 1 1/2 episodes of “Bionic Woman” and then it just got too viollent. I gave “Caveman” about five minutes and that was the end of that one.
Has anyone seen any of the new shows that you like?
It is back to the History Channel, Discovery Channel, PBS and Food Network for me.

Judith

Georgianna, good to hear from you.  As I recall you were having trouble getting into GGOBIT.

Darlyne, I have read the first three of Snelling’s Red River series and have been waiting about three weeks for No. 4.  I have No. 5 and No. 6 but don’t want to start them out of order.  I gave An Untamed Land to my grandaughter.  I thought it would be a good way for her to get to know about the kind of life her g-g-grandmother lived.  I figure the place the Bjorklands settled was about three or four miles north of where my grandparents settled and where I grew up, only on the North Dakota side of the Red  River.

I picked this book up a couple of days ago but haven’t had the time to ‘read’ it yet. This is dental check up time for us and dh had had some dental surgery, etc. I really like John Grisham. I was so happy to see all of you and know what you are reading.

I would really like to have heard Ken Follet. I read Pillars of the Earth and I thoroughly enjoyed it. We were living in Europe at the time and to see those Cathederals while I was reading the books was pretty neat. I did hear there was another one out by him.

I am also interested in checking out the NY Times and the Washington Post. I love newspapers and maps.

It is good to hear from all of you. Georgianna

I have been happy with the extended summer we have been having and am enjoying the cooler weather we have now. we did get some badly needed rain.

I don’t know when Folletts newest book is coming out. I know that my library doesn’t have it yet. I am starting on Snelling’s The Untamed Land. I got it second hand from Amazon but it looks new.

As for the snow, blech! And that’s a Bronx cheer, folks! I am NOT ready for snow although I am enjoying the fall weather.

I’ve been a Follett fan for a long time and remember his Pillars of the Earth- sorta. When is this new book due? It’ll be in hard cover anyhow as he is a ‘famous’ author and another year probably before the paperback comes out and thence to booksfree.com.

As for audio books, I like the thought but I DON’T like it when someone tries to do the different voices, dialects, etc. When Tony Hillerman reads his own books, he does say “he responded” etc. He reads it in the same tone and it seems to make it more exciting than it might be otherwise. There is another young Indian lad who reads also; I can’t remember exactly how he reads it but I do remember liking it.

We’re having lovely fall weather – cool, crisp days except for an occasional hot one. Summer hates to let go, I guess. I do leave the slider open all day and the cats love it. The sky was really grey looking and the wind was blowing hard, sideways, so I trotted out to close the windows and my word! The rain came down in sheets, still sideways, and I got soaked before I got back inside. It didn’t rain for long like that, 20 minutes maybe, but that was a good plenty. Cooled off nicely, too.

I love autumn. AND winter. Without so much snow.

Cheers all; take care.

Ah, Candace the past two days have been glorious.  Clear blue skies, warm weather though cool at night and to my surprise some lovely color to the trees.  Not as brilliant as North Alabama, but very nice anyway.  I hope when you go to the festival, I’d say “be prepared” but don’t worry about it.

I went out to my daughter’s for dinner and to spend the night last night, then to the Senior Center for a sing-along and lunch with a friend.  Met some more nice people.  I think I will plan to do that a couple of Tuesdays a month.  I have missed singing because I did to much of it in Alabama.

Jan, I don’t like the sound of your weather report. I’ll be meeting my son and DIL in Boise to drive over to Sun Valley for the Jazz Festival. We’ve been watching the weather trying to predict what to expect. My Houston wardrobe isn’t geared to freezing weather and snow. In previous trips it has been rather mild–a light jaacket was enough. From what we’re seeing it appears that’s not likely this year.

Candace

Yesterday morning I woke to a snow covered world and it kept snowing until about 2:30.  It was beautiful, but apparently a wet snow because it broke lots of large tree limbs.  I had friends who were coming from Yellowstone to visit and they didn’t arrive until mid-afternoon and said there was a white out on the way so you couldn’t tell where lines were on the road.  It was wonderful seeing them – 14 years is a long time.  They live in southern Utah now.  We went out to dinner last night and while the snow had begun to melt, there were patches of ice on the sidewalks and parking lots that you couldn’t see.  They left for home this morning, but I didn’t go to church this morning because I was afraid the steps would  still be slippery.  I need to get some boots or good shoes for this kind of weather, because I know there will be lots more of it.  Having lived in Alabama and California for the past 56 years, this is quite a change!

So glad I could comment without having to login again, seems like I have to when I haven’t done it in a while. I returned Plain Truth to our library and the only Jodi Picoult books there were two more copies of the same book. I’m on a waiting list for one I’ve not read and can’t even remember the name. Someone was overdue with it.

I then took Nicholas Spartks At First Sight on audio tape, and its ok, but feels kind of like a chick flick movie. The reader does a good job of imatating dialects, southern and New York, and doesn’t include, “he replied” or “she responded” or don’t any of the audio readers include these? I’ve never noticed before. But you can tell, I’m not really into the story when I wonder about such things.

Our Indian Summer has folded into a gray, cool, damp fall, but we’ve had it good.

Its still nice to be home again, Jacky

Darlyne, we were watching the same program. Some time ago I read some of his thrillers but this is different and sounds very interesting. I keep jotting down names of authors and books that I want to check into–the list is growing faster than I can read.

Candace

This morning I watched an interview with Ken Follett. They were discussing his new book which is about the plague and Westminster Abby. It is a sequel to Pillars of the Earth. I have not really been a fan of his thriller stories although I have listened to a few but I did read Pillars and thought it a real page turner and I will try to read the seguel. Pillars was about building the Abby in the middle ages and the people invoved.

The gist of the story is that she held all of that hate without even knowing that the girl was grieving her life away with guilt. When she found her in the cuckoo’s nest she realized she was wrong and that she still loved her old friend.

Yes I did finish it, Jerry. I admit it did get a bit more ‘cheerful,’ if that’s the word, but it still seemed to me that they both were fighting it and each other. I could certainly understand why they divorced, however. She had ‘let go’ of the anger and revenge but he couldn’t seem to do that. I wonder if it’s because he didn’t go back and she did? At any rate, I’m now reading the last book of Fern Michaels’ Sisterhood series. I really hate to have this series quit; Michaels has quite and imagination and I’m wondering how in the world she’s going to finish this one. It will likely be a good one.

And so I’m off to go to bed and read the rest of the book.

Have you finished the book Jo? I felt kinda the same way in the first part of the book but it gets much better if you finish it. If you still think it’s not uplifting there’s always “The Gospel According to St. John”.

This one arrived today and I have mixed feelings. It certainly is not an uplifting book, to me at least. I agree it was well written and certainly did evoke the kinds of feelings the author intended. But it is not my kind of story. Are all of her books along that line?

I saw Grisham interviewed on the Colbert Report. He said there’s not one lawyer or judge anywhere in this book. He stumbled onto the subject while in Bologna, Italy doing research for a new book, found it so interesting and generally unknown here so wrote about it. He’s now working on the book he originally intended when he went to Italy which will have lawyers again.

Candace