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Book Talk - What are you reading?

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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Remember when Saturday Night Live did a spoof of dubbed movies? What they did was have one actor just open and close his mouth, and the other actor duck his head behind the first one and shout the words. It was sooooooo funny. :)

    This was done by John Belushi and Dan Ackroyd, two brilliant comedians IMO.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Let me save you from that pain. We rented "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and couldn't get past the first 30 minutes. It's in Swedish with dubbed voices - very BADLY dubbed voices. I suspect that if you spoke Swedish it'd be pretty good, but the dubbed translation made the conversations seem very stilted and it was dead boring.

    It is my understanding that an American version of this movie is in development.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Seven) is directing The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, with plans for worldwide release December 21, 2011.

    I have a friend that likes to recommend books. Her last "must read" was Twilight. She gave me a copy as a present. Read a couple of chapters and then began skimming. When I got to part where the young vamp reveals he sparkles in sunlight, I stopped. It was good for a laugh. Now my friend is touting The Girl With a Dragoon Tattoo and the holidays are coming. Oh dear. :sick:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You have to like that sort of thing.

    Actually Stephen King, of all people, wrote a book about Writing which is actually pretty good. At least he was quite honest about it, and never claims to be a great author. Rather, he says that what he's good at is getting you to turn the page.

    And I agree, that is a *basic* requirement. If it's also War and Peace, all the better, but at *least* it shouldn't bore you to death.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    I was a bit disappointed in Cujo, not much bite till you got about half way thru it. A lot of nondrama about business problems and affairs with the main characters. When it's game time you give the ball to your star and let them run with it, that would be Cujo.

    Let's not take half a book for character development Stephen... you should know better. :mad:

    The whole Cujo being possessed by the evil spirit of a child and women killer was a bit odd as well. How's it bounce back and forth from the kids closet to Cujo.... and why?

    Anyhow, out of a 5 star rating system, Cujo the dog gets 5 "jip"stars and Cujo the book gets 2 1/2 "jip" stars. :shades:
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The Nick Adams stories. After Ike Walton I suppose but way before A River Runs Through It. Mostly set in the UP - local color.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Did you ever read that one line review of the movie "Cujo" in the Village Voice?

    "cujo momma make a worse movie than this?"
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    A book by Francine Prose about a professor of creative writing stuck in some minor college in New England. He's bored to death trying to teach illiterates to write creatively, and then this rather plain looking Goth chick comes into class and starts submitting (secretly, to him) brilliant prose.

    Then all hell breaks loose. Very entertaining book. "Lolita" with a twist.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Rather bizarre (and somewhat lewd) book by Luke Rhinehart, about a psychiatrist who decides to make all his decisions in life by the role of the dice in order to liberate mankind from social roles imposed upon us. Predictably, things go very wrong, but also occasionally produce great benefits to some. The dice become his god in a sense, and his religion. Interesting premise, thought-provoking, fun read in parts, but a tad too long. I think there's even a sequel.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    edited January 2011
    Did you ever read that one line review of the movie "Cujo" in the Village Voice?"cujo momma make a worse movie than this?"

    I vaguely recall the movie, from watching it about 2 decades ago. All I remember is the boy being trapped in the car with his "momma". Must have left an impression, as now any large or satanic looking dog is called Cujo. :sick:

    Next up: Pet Semetary. :surprise:
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Read The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. If you liked his other books, you'll like this one

    Right now I'm reading On Hallowed Ground: The Story of Arlington National Cemetery

    I'm into history and non-fiction for the most part :shades:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    god bless ya', I can't read 10 minutes of Dan Brown--I find the writing very cliche, clunky....but if you like plot-driven books, it's an okay beach read I guess.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    It seems to be that way. Not so much the story as the style that people either can or cannot read.

    That sentence could have been an entire Dan Brown "chapter" :P
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Oh, Dan Brown is OK as long as you realize he is making up all his hitory, atr religion, etc material. Anyone looking for a tie into what actually exists should definitely look elsewhere.

    Like Stephen King on a good day (which was not the day he wrote either Cujo or Pet Semetery) he'll get you to turn pages.

    Stephen King at his best can really pull me in - things like The Stand or The Dead zone. OTOH I''ve had a couple of his novels that I abandoned midway because I just couldn't care less what happened - From a Buick 8 and Lisey's Story fall into that category.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I NEVER got the objection to Dan Brown books. They're FICTION. Yes he incorporates real places, hsitoric references, etc., but it's just a STORY.

    Sometimes I feel like screaming, "Just sit back and be entertained!"

    What started the conspiracy-itis that exists now, where EVERYTHING is some kind of plot or has some kind of ulterior motive?? :sick:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I think the CIA and NSA write all of Tom Clancy's books. ;)
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    King's "The Shining" is my favorite. (Side note: The film and made-for-TV didn't do it justice.) I've often thought that once King became a huge success, his publisher pulled his editors. Later books were so much unnecessary rambling that I gave up out frustration. However, I do enjoy his short stories, even though they can be longer than a lot of novels. Recently read "The Death of Jack Hamilton." It is somewhat of a departure from his usual thriller/horror genre.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited January 2011
    I just think they're boring. Stephen King knows how to get you to turn a page at least, or at least he DID know how until he became a book factory. I wouldn't put the two authors on the same level myself in terms of skill. King knows how to write.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    edited January 2011
    I'm about 2/3rd's thru with Pet Semetary. It's good, but not spectacular like I was hoping. Spectacular is what I'd call "The Shining" and "Salems Lot". Moments of horror, but not enough. Hopefully the last part will have that sizzle.

    I got about 60 pages thru "The Gunslinger" and stopped reading it. May pick it up again, but the dialogue was too Shakespearean. i.e weird and un-King like.
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,215
    Salem's Lot...

    Had to finish the damn book, before I could go to bed.... 5 AM..

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  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    Had to finish the damn book, before I could go to bed.... 5 AM..

    Now that's the definition of a good book. :P
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 235,215
    Well.. that, and it's about vampires... knocking on your bedroom window.. No way I could go to sleep in the middle of that...

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  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    Just remember, don't invite them in. :P
  • fezofezo Member Posts: 10,384
    Yeah, Salem's Lot is another good one. I think he did his best work right as we was able to write full time - that would start with Salem's Lot and include the previously mentioned The Dead Zone, The Stand, The Shining (I saw the movie first - like it until I read the book which was far superior). The frirst book where I noticed the cracks starting to show was Firestarter.

    I liked his Richard Bachman book Thinner.
    2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    Just finished reading Pet Semetary. Yeah, a bit disappointed it wasn't as good as either "The Shining" or "Salem's Lot". Like Cujo, it just didn't maintain a high level of suspense, horror and tension.

    The climax was a bit lacking as well. The final battle between good and evil was over in the bat of an eye. I thought King could have drawn this battle out much better with some of that creepy dialogue he used earlier with the main characters.
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,147
    Today's deal - $10 for a $20 gift card:
    http://livingsocial.com/deals/21336-20-amazon-com-gift-card

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  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    thanks. I just bought it!
  • jipsterjipster Member Posts: 6,244
    edited January 2011
    Just for fun I rented the movie "Pet Semetary" the other day. It's probably been around 20 years since I've last seen it. Compared to the book, well these is no comparison. The movie is just mediocre. There were a few frightening scenes in the movie. i.e Little Gage with a scalpel, the dude run over by a truck back from the dead to warn Louis not to venture past the pet semetary.

    The script for the movie was pulled almost completely from the book. This created a lot of "holes" that made watching the movie difficult. In the book, a lot of the story is in the mind of the main character, Louis. Still, it was interesting to see on film what had been created in your mind while reading the book.
    2020 Honda Accord EX-L, 2011 Hyundai Veracruz, 2010 Mercury Milan Premiere, 2007 Kia Optima
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Jip, I felt the same way when I went to watch the big screen version of the Tom Clancy novel "Patriot Games". I spent the entire movie telling myself "Hey, they skipped that part of the plot" and "Wait a minute, where did this character come from?".

    I still have those thoughts every time I watch the movie.

    I was talking to an artsy friend about it and he told me that I have to enjoy the movie adaptation of any book as completely separate from the source material. A 700+ page novel just doesn't translate to a 125 page screenplay for a 2 hour movie.

    After that, I enjoyed the movie "Clear and Present Danger", even though it, too, was quite different from the novel.

    BTW, Clancy's latest - "Dead or Alive" - is the best book he's written in almost a decade. And he had a co-author this go around.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I just finished "The Keep" by Jennifer Egan. I thought it was going to be really good but she wasn't really able to tie everything together in the end. So it was ultimately unsatisfying.
  • lemmerlemmer Member Posts: 2,689
    I also read "Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein not too long ago. I am apparently the only person in the world who didn't love it. In fact, I thought it was pretty awful. It was like a Lifetime TV movie adapted to be a novel.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Cyber Way by Alan Dean Foster. A bit of Tony Hillerman wrapped in computer tech. Ok beach read.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,147
    I recommend "Money to Burn" (James Grippando).
    If you liked "The Firm" with its fast-paced style and numerous trwists and turns, you'll probably like this. I read it the whole thing in under 24 hours - it's one of those can't-put-it-down page turners (though I was reading on Kindle - no pages to turn).

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  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The Secret of the 9th Planet, Donald A Wollheim.

    "He watched the cars in the street, so amusingly compact and small, each designed in the fleeting style of the year. The cars of a dozen years ago had been designed for length and size, but the trend had been the opposite for a decade now. The cars grew smaller and their lines weirder as the manufacturers strove to compete.

    What other planet could boast of such simultaneously astonishing ingenunity and wonderous tomfoolery?"

    Copyright 1959. :D
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,327
    This was a great read by Cormac McCarthy. I love semi-fact based stories of the old west. I have read most of his books, including "No Country for Old Men", and the 3 books that make up "The Border Trilogy". They are all great.

    Most of his books have a dark nature and somewhere along the line McCarthy decided to leave out most punctuation, but IMO he is the best writer in the Country.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited February 2011
    I need to get back to him - really enjoyed All the Pretty Horses. Don't know how much the movie tracked the book but I liked the No Country movie (and I don't like many movies).

    (Hey, you can loan it to me on your Kindle, lol).
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Oh Blood Meridian is a GREAT book indeed !! One of the greatest novels of the last 50 years. It's a very dark view of human nature however. It's bleak. Basically, it suggests that people are evil just for the hell of it, and that avengers of that evil aren't much better. The judge (what was his name) is a scary character.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    other topics...recommended to come here due to a question I asked in another "slightly" unrelated topic...here goes...I am asking about e-readers, like Kindle, Nook, etc...

    Does anybody know of a comparo that I can read to try and make an intelligent decision???...they come in small and medium and large, backlit or not backlit, some can download only Borders books, do batteries last 2 hours or 10, yada, yada, yada...

    Can anybody help???...thanks...
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,327
    edited February 2011
    Don't know about all of them but I have had a kindle e reader for over 2 years and I expect I will always have one.

    Kindle books are available from Amazon and you can get virtually any book there. Book prices range from completely free to about $10. The kindle itself costs about $130. On the newer models you can store about 1500 books. A virtual library. One charge will last about a week with fairly heavy reading.

    You download books on line either from the kindle itself or from your computer. A complete download takes less than 1 minute. You can also get free samples of any book just to check it out, etc.

    You can also access and read any of your books on your home computer or laptop. The whole operation is very slick. Highly recommend.

    The kindle and the whole operation is very slick. I think the kindle is pretty much the top e reader and I highly recommend it.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You should also ask people who own iPads and use them as readers.

    I'm actually reading The Great Gatsby on a smart phone and of course I don't recommend it but it's amusing when waiting on line somewhere.

    I might buy an e-book reader if it had a two-page display, to avoid too much back-paging. I also read fast.
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    I've had a Kindle for a couple of years also. Although, since my college daughter discovered she can download some text books to it, I haven't been able to use it. Can't offer a comparison of other e-readers, but the Kindle is very easy to use. I like that you can read in full sunlight.

    Got an iPad for Christmas, but haven't tried doing a book on it yet. Some day when I have mass quantity of free time, I'll give it a shot.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    responses...it is interesting that a feature of the Kindle is that you can read it in full sunlight...that implies reading outside...I haven't read outside in more years than I want to count...I either read in my easy chair, or in bed, which is why a backlight might be something to consider (for me, anyway)...I never sit in the yard, and I detest the beach...

    Different strokes for different folks...
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    That's sort of my issue (besides being cheap). I like working on my laptop outdoors, but it's hard to see the screen. The Kindle sounds great for that.

    But I like reading in bed and I'd love to lose the lamp. My laptop has a built-in light on top of the screen that's handy for typing in the dark, but it's too heavy to use in bed. I hear you can get a case for a Kindle with a built-in light so that may be an option.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,327
    ...or you can get a clip on book light for reading in bed.

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,147
    That's what I did. Plus, if you can share an Amazon account with your spouse, and you have two Kindles, you can download that book to both of them, and both read it - just like you'd share a regular book. You can associate several Kindles with one Amazon account.

    We just stock our Amazon account with credit and download and read at will. I like the instant gratification nature of deciding you want a book, and getting it within a minute, without leaving the house.

    I didn't think I'd really care for an e-reader, but I do love my Kindle. Plus, the house was getting stacked up with piles of paperbacks. No more!

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  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    I was listening to someone sing the praises of the Nook to someone else while waiting for my dad at the Dr. She sounded like she had spent some time researching the Kindle, Sony, and Nook. I can't remember everything but she did mention price and that the Nook was the only one in which a user could replace the battery. I think she also said it was able to load books from the library.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    Thanks...that is the kind of info I am seeking, along with the feedback of all the others...I would not think of whether a battery was replaceable or not, or whether one can load library books...

    It's kinda like I don't know what I don't know, so I don't know what features to look for...a replaceable battery would be nice, as long as it is smaller and less expensive than, say, a hybrid car battery...
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    ...or you can get a clip on book light for reading in bed.

    I've had those and they bug me. I've tried just about everything over the years.

    My wife isn't a night owl like me so a nice halogen clipped to the headboard isn't an option. I've used flashlights, LED lanterns and currently I'm back to a nightlight bulb. This one is stuck on the end of a Christmas candle thing and I've only busted one bulb knocking it over while half asleep. That's better than the time I used a nightlight on an extension cord and caught my pillow on fire. :blush:

    The first week with a new Kindle, I'd probably fall asleep in mid paragraph and drop it onto the hardwood floor and bust it.
  • houdini1houdini1 Member Posts: 8,327
    edited February 2011
    I am not sure we are talking about the same type of clip on. I am talking about a very small L.E.D. device that clips right onto your book or kindle. Battery powered and only cost a couple of bucks, lasts forever. Weighs about 2 ounces, only illuminates your reading material and won't disturb your bed partner.

    How far away from civilization are you anyway ?? :)

    2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460

  • tallman1tallman1 Member Posts: 1,874
    Well, don't take my word for it, of course; I don't own one. There are lots of reviews around though.
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