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Author Topic: Reading anything?  (Read 742732 times)
BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1755 on: July 02, 2016, 04:42:00 PM »

The only reason Where The Wild Things Are was not on that list I made up there is it is not a novel, per se, but I am ashamed I forgot to mention The Princess Bride! Grrr, too many wonderful books have been written in this world!

ER. You put me to shame. I have read or partially read only a dozen of them. Though, I am somewhat surprised that you recommend Doyle's "The Valley of Fear." While it is my favorite of the Sherlock Holmes novels, it is not held in high regard by most Sherlockians. I do know how you feel about this, but . . .? off the top of my head, it seems that almost half of the books you recommend have been made into a film or TV production. And while this may not be the case for any of these, sometimes the film or TV production turns out to be better than the book source. For Example: "Lair of the White Worm." Review at this website. I would not recommend the book, even though it is by Bram Stoker of "Dracula" fame.

Now, this will be a long post, which means I'll have to post it in parts, so all bear with me or not as the case may depend.

Ye'es! With a caveat.

Normally, I talk about a book I have read in its entirety, but . . .?! here I have read only the prologue and the 1st 2 chapters. Though, it is on my list of books to read. Thus, the info found here is based upon reviews of the book from people who have read the book.

As for "Princess Bride, . . ."

"My Lady Jane"
3 narrators. 3 writers.

Gifford or G (19) Written by Brandi Ashton
Edward (16) Written by Cynthia Hand
Jane (16) Written by Jodi Meadows.

Do not be put off by . . .
the age of the teenage narrators nor
that this is an YA novel nor
the length of the book. O'er 500 pages,
as it has a lot going for it.

So what does one like?
a. action
b. fantasy
c. historical fact and fancy
d. literary allusions
e. romance
f. writing that is good
g. all of the above

Pick G. All of the above, but . . .?! most of all, pick it for its wit.

G, who involuntarily turns into a horse at sunrise and into a man at sunset, and . . .
Jane, who is soon to be his wife, in an arranged marriage, and who is the sharpest took in the shed, and thus, always one step ahead of her future husband.

She: Why the long face?
He: That's it! No more horse jokes.
She: Neigh!
He: Nay? . . . Wait! . . . Was that a horse joke?
Me: ROTFL!

obviously, the writers tell it better than I can, but . . ?! it has some of the funniest lines I have ever seen in a book.
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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1756 on: July 02, 2016, 05:04:33 PM »

Ye-es!
Historical Fact and Fancy

Edward
Who is, by the standards of today, a bit of a sexist.

Jane
Who cannot conceive of a world beyond her beloved books.

G
Who is dumb as a pole.

And there is a grain of truth to all 3. Though, G is the least historically correct of the 3.

The Name
in the book: Gifford or G
in real life: Guildford or Gil.
Though, why he is the only one that gets a name change, I have no idea.

The Age
in the book: 19
in real life: ?
Then: while, at 1st, he was thought, like most husbands of his day, to be older than his wife.
Now: with the belief that she was born earlier, and he was born later, than 1st thought, he may be one of the few cases, where the husband is younger than the wife.

The Brothers
in the book: only 1. Stan "the Man" Dudley
in real life: 4 older. 1 younger
Henry or Harry: who, as a teen, died on a military campaign in France
John or Jack: whose health was so shattered by his imprisonment, that he soon died after his release from prison, and in his 20s.
Ambrose: who outlived them all.
Robert or Robin: who is the best known of them all.
Then Guildford: who, as a teen, was executed for treason.
And Henry or Hal: who, as the youngest of them all, was killed on the battlefields of France.
Note the trend.

Intelligence
in the book: dumber than his wife.
in real life: highly educated. Maybe even multilingual.
He only appears dumb, as he is almost constantly compared to his wife, who'd make almost any man look stupid.

The writers do raise a point about him, that I have ne'er seen raised ere. Though, it does go a long way to explain why he looked so different from his father and brothers.
Was he a cuckoo born and reared in another man's nest? Was he illegitimate? For . . .

If they had dark hair, then he had light hair.
If they had a swarthy complexion, then he had a peaches 'n' cream complexion.
If they had dark eyes, then he had light colored eyes.
If they were of average height, then he was 6' tall, which was tall for that day and age.
If they had facial hair, then he was clean shaven.
If they were handsome, especially Robert, who was known as "The Gypsy," then he was more handsome, being regarded as the most handsome man of his generation.

Fact and Fancy
Fact: it's Edward, Jane, and G versus Queen Mary I,
but . . . instead of . . .
Protestantism versus Catholicism
it's . . .
magic users and their supporters versus the opponents of magic users.

And cameos by . . .
King Henry VIII
Queen Elizabeth I
Mary, Queen of Scots
John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland
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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1757 on: July 02, 2016, 05:14:25 PM »

Ye-es!
Literary Allusions
Both book and film
Both known and unknown
And maybe a record for the number of film allusions in one book.

Film (known as to why)
Beauty and the Beast: the "Curse."
Dragon heart: the quote.
Game of Thrones: the "Red Wedding"
Jaws: another quote.
Lady Hawke: shape shifting into a horse.
Lady Jane: the characters.
The Lion King: Henry VIII.
Shakespeare in Love: the counterfactual fun.
Tangled: the frying pan as weapon and The Snuggly Duckling!

Film (unknown as to why)
A Knight's Tale
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Book (known as to why)
East of the Sun and West of the Moon: man by night. animal by day.
the Harry Potter series: Jane, the 16th century version of Hermione Granger

Books (unknown as to why)
the works of Jane Austen
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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1758 on: July 02, 2016, 05:28:04 PM »

Ye-es! But . . .?!
Mostly in book and film "Princess Bride."

Can we get a film o'er here?
Actually, we can as Ridley Scott's Scott Free has picked up the film rights to the book.

Let the casting begin, and, while these are not my suggestions, someone has suggested . . .
Arin Logan as Jane
Tom Hughes as Edward
Jeremy Irvine as G

Though, there are several things about this that gives me pause.
1st. Scott Free has done nothing like this ere.
2nd. The length of the book. Though, now, more than 1 film is being made from 1 book, and this book does divide neatly into pre-Queen Jane and post-Queen Jane.
3rd. After the director, the actors, who are they going to get to promote it properly, as improper promotion is 1 reason that "Princess Bride" underwhelmed the box office.


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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1759 on: July 02, 2016, 05:34:40 PM »

Ye-es!
The Writing

Like all good writing, the characters in the book do grow and develop o'er the course of the book.

Edward
. . .has a major attitude adjustment, when his life is saved by a Scottish pickpocket, who is . . . (wait for it!) . . . a girl.

Jane
. . .comes to understand that there are other worlds out there beyond her beloved books.

G
. . . changes the least. He ain't going to get any smarter, folks, but . . .?! we and they do come to see, that he has . . .
a sensitive soul,
a practical mind,
and a good heart.

And people in this book actually talk like real people talk. With all the hemming and hawing and the ums and the ers.
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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1760 on: July 02, 2016, 05:41:02 PM »

Ye-es!
Finally

This is one of those things that look like it should not work, but . . .?! it does. Maybe, because . . .

That while the relationships here, may not be actually historically accurate, they are remarkably realistic.

That the writes make the good point, that while sometimes we attach expectations and stereotypes to males, especially young males, these expectations and stereotypes may not be good for us nor them.

That for a fantasy novel, the history is surprisingly correct, as far as I can tell.

And the way the book ends, should be the way the real story ended.

Next time: something else.
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indianasmith
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« Reply #1761 on: July 02, 2016, 08:18:37 PM »

I made ER's "Honorable Mention" list!!!!   BounceGiggle BounceGiggle BounceGiggle BounceGiggle BounceGiggle
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"I shall smite you in the nostrils with a rod of iron, and wax your spleen with Efferdent!!"
ER
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The sleep of reasoner breeds monsters. (sic)


« Reply #1762 on: July 07, 2016, 09:37:43 AM »

Kevin, I think I have a gift for (being dumb) not thinking ahead and guessing how a mystery will come out, and I remember The Valley of Fear's conclusion actually did catch me off guard in a wow moment, and I think I got into the love story, too, lol. Yeah, The Hound of the Baskervilles was much better, a classic and a lot of fun, but The Valley of Fear resonated both because it was a happy time when I read it, and the idea of Freemasons (which they basically were) turning into the mob and terrorizing a community was fun. So I cited it on my list. I love Sherlock Holmes stories and have read all of ACD's. I was way into them in eleventh grade and serially read them, and watched Jeremy Brett's old Mysteries!, and  wow, takes me back.  Smile
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alandhopewell
A NorthCoaster In Texas
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Hey....white women were in season.


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« Reply #1763 on: July 07, 2016, 01:50:24 PM »

     My neighbor loaned me this, as my wife had never read the title story, and I haven't read any of them for over twenty years....

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If it's true what they say, that GOD created us in His image, then why should we not love creating, and why should we not continue to do so, as carefully and ethically as we can, on whatever scale we're capable of?

     The choice is simple; refuse to create, and refuse to grow, or build, with care and love.
alandhopewell
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Hey....white women were in season.


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« Reply #1764 on: July 13, 2016, 04:16:24 PM »

     Just started this, loving it....

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If it's true what they say, that GOD created us in His image, then why should we not love creating, and why should we not continue to do so, as carefully and ethically as we can, on whatever scale we're capable of?

     The choice is simple; refuse to create, and refuse to grow, or build, with care and love.
ER
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The sleep of reasoner breeds monsters. (sic)


« Reply #1765 on: July 13, 2016, 08:27:48 PM »

Around Twenty-five Supposedly Good Novels I Didn’t Like:

(Not saying they’re necessarily bad, I just didn’t like them.)


Carrie, by Stephen King

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski

The Catcher In The Rye
, by J.D. Salinger

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

The DaVinci Code
, by Dan Brown

We Were the Mulvaneys
, by Joyce Carol Oates

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

World Without End, by Ken Follett

Beloved, by Toni Morrison

Tess of the D’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

The Color of Magic
, by Terry Prachett

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
, by Stieg Larsson

Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell

Roots, by Alex Haley

The Mists of Avalon, by Marian Zimmer Bradley

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden

The Sun Also Rises
, by Ernest Hemingway

Fight Club
, by Chuck Paluhniuk

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan

The Client, John Grisham

Red Storm Rising
, Tom Clancy

Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King

The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks

The Satanic Verses
, by Salman Rushdie

My Antonia, by Willa Cather


Again, not really blasting them, just saying they failed to reach me the way they did others.
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What does not kill me makes me stranger.
AoTFan
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« Reply #1766 on: July 14, 2016, 03:15:22 PM »


I'm reading The Witch With No Name, the final book in The Hallows series by Kim Harrison.
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BoyScoutKevin
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« Reply #1767 on: July 21, 2016, 07:08:10 PM »

Continuing with My Lady Jane

Jane: placing a pillow and blanket beside her bed on the floor.
G: (Gallantly) You need not sleep on the floor.
Jane: Oh, no, my lord. That is for you.
G: Mouth drops open, but . . .?! nothing comes out.
Me: LOL!

And that is why, or my paraphrase of another scene from the book, is why I am looking forward to the film. Though, we will not see anything ere 2018, as with scenes like that, the film is already half written. Though, we need to find a director who can do comedy, and more importantly 2 actors under 20 and 1 actor under 25 who can do comedy. And most importantly, while we know who is going to try to make it, we do not know yet who is going to promote and distribute it, as it is going to need careful promotion to be a success at the box office.

Other than the comedy, which I find more hilarious than most, it is not that original a story.

Based in part on East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Fantasy writer Dennis McKiernan already took the short folktale and expanded it into a multi-volume fantasy novel. Whose title I am afraid I have forgotten.

Real people as the heroes in a fantasy novel. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, whose title character scholars believe is based on a girl called Alice Liddell, who the author knew.

A land where people turn into various types of animals. Already done. Though, in a book whose title and author escapes me. Though, as here the alpha animal seems to have been the horse, when in human form the rulers, and the beta animal being the hound, when in human form, working for the horse or the rulers. Other animals being everything from snakes to mice and everything in between.  While here we have besides the horse and the hound, the hawk, the fox, the ferret, and the skunk. Do they have skunks in England?

Next time: 6 of 1 mystery + 1 more mystery.
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alandhopewell
A NorthCoaster In Texas
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Hey....white women were in season.


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« Reply #1768 on: July 25, 2016, 02:05:12 PM »

Around Twenty-five Supposedly Good Novels I Didn’t Like:

(Not saying they’re necessarily bad, I just didn’t like them.)


Carrie, by Stephen King

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski

The Catcher In The Rye
, by J.D. Salinger

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

The DaVinci Code
, by Dan Brown

We Were the Mulvaneys
, by Joyce Carol Oates

Divergent, by Veronica Roth

World Without End, by Ken Follett

Beloved, by Toni Morrison

Tess of the D’Urbervilles, by Thomas Hardy

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

The Color of Magic
, by Terry Prachett

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest
, by Stieg Larsson

Cloud Atlas, by David Mitchell

Roots, by Alex Haley

The Mists of Avalon, by Marian Zimmer Bradley

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden

The Sun Also Rises
, by Ernest Hemingway

Fight Club
, by Chuck Paluhniuk

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan

The Client, John Grisham

Red Storm Rising
, Tom Clancy

Doctor Sleep, by Stephen King

The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks

The Satanic Verses
, by Salman Rushdie

My Antonia, by Willa Cather


Again, not really blasting them, just saying they failed to reach me the way they did others.



     I just re-read this (Amazon has it cheap) you might like it....

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If it's true what they say, that GOD created us in His image, then why should we not love creating, and why should we not continue to do so, as carefully and ethically as we can, on whatever scale we're capable of?

     The choice is simple; refuse to create, and refuse to grow, or build, with care and love.
Rev. Powell
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« Reply #1769 on: July 31, 2016, 02:58:21 PM »

Reading a pre-publication novel as an "inside reader" for a friend. Have to answer a questionnaire about it. Sort of nervous that I won't like it. This will keep me busy for the next three weeks.
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I'll take you places the hand of man has not yet set foot...
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