Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

Jackie wrote: "...About 300, I like that type of movie, but all my woman friends loved it for the eye-candy. I don't think they were interested in the story, but rather all the hot well-muscled shirtless young men in short shorts, LOL"

I wondered about the bare-chested men in battle. How come they don't need protective armor? Or is it all about "amour" for the girls? :)

Speaking of well-muscled young men, I don't like to brag, but this is our son: ====>
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj...
Ain't he cute? :)
He was camping on an island with his family this summer at Lake George and
I snapped this pic of him sitting by the fire.

Operandi wrote: "I just finished The Hobbit and am now on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Have you read the trilogy after the Hobbit?

Have you read Harry Potter before? If not, I think you'll love it. I remember the first time I read it. I thought it would be a rather dull kids book (I'd picked up for my daughter who was in 2d or 3d grade.) Instead, it wowwed me!

Nina wrote: "...I do get tired of depressing books;dysfunctual families and their myriad problems..."


I try not to read many. I read fiction books for an escape, mostly. I'm a romantic. I want a happy ending, not depression. I told Sue Rule that after reading her second book. It was very life like - too much so.

I generally read during lunch, an escape from all the technicality & urgency of my job, or after work to wind down. Sometimes I'm interested in a more 'meaty' book with a philosophical point, but generally, I just want to relax. I read tech stuff all day & my brain is tired.

Jackie wrote:"... I guess they've finally realized comicbooks are moneymakers..."

About these "graphic novels", I went to Amazon.com and "looked inside" _Watchmen_ to see what it was like. ====>
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0930...

I found that it took effort to read the print inside the "balloons", etc. A little bit of that is fine, but to read text like that for pages and pages (in a novel) would get very tedious, I would think. Does anyone feel like that?

Jim wrote: "...My daughter likes the Psychic Academy, Vol 1 books & for years has had a subscription to a Japanese comic. You read it right to left."

Gee... what next! LOL
I have enough trouble reading left to right! :)

Nina wrote: "Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "I'm about to start reading _The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao_ ...
"Let me know how you feel after you read this. nina

Nina, after reading some of the Goodreads reviews, I got the impression that this Oscar Wao book isn't an easy read. For one thing, they say it has lots of background footnotes which are necessary to appreciate the story. So I'll have to adapt to them.

I wish I weren't so curious about finding out what makes these books so special. I could spend my time instead breezing through the light mysteries I've got on the back burner. Meanwhile, I'm trying to do both... and watch my Netflix movies too.

It isn't easy, but somebody's got to do it. :)

Operandi wrote: "I just finished The Hobbit and am now on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

Operandi, I never tried reading the Harry Potter books. I saw the first movie and it seemed to be just one episode after another. I understand that writing style of the author, J.K. Rowling, is what makes them so special.

The Goodreads description of _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_ says: "So far it has won the National Book Award, the Smarties Prize, the Children's Book Award, and is short-listed for the Carnegie Medal, the U.K. version of the Newbery Medal.".

I "looked inside" the book at Amazon.com,
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0439...
and it does sound very appealing. I see there's humor in it as well as suspense. Guess I'll put it on my To-Read list.

Becky wrote: "I saw the previews for The Watchmen when I saw Gran Torino-the movie looks very good....I like Patrick Wilson & Billy Crudup & I adore Jeffrey Dean Morgan...."

Becky, I feel so out of it... I've never heard of any of those actors. LOL
I have a lot of catching up to do. :)

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jackie wrote: "...About 300, I like that type of movie, but all my woman friends loved it for the eye-candy. I don't think they were interested in the story, but rather all the hot well-muscled shi..."



Joy-your son is very handsome & he would probably die knowing you posted his picture on here LOL!!
He looks like he could be on Survivor or in a Tarzan movie....& I mean that in a good way!!

Thanks, Becky. You're right. He's not the type to brag about himself. But, as a mom, I claim my bragging rights! LOL BTW, that's Son #2. He's the athletic one. We have all types. :)

I keep telling him he's at his prime right now at the age of 46, full of energy and always on the go with his family. Oh to be young again.

I had said I would read the reviews of the movie "300". Looks like James Berardinelli liked it more than Roger Ebert. See their reviews here: ====>

Ebert:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/p...

Berardinelli:
http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_t...

I have to say that I think James Berardinelli consistently writes a great review. There's a clarity and intelligence in all of his writing which I enjoy.

I like Ebert too, but somehow, everytime I read a review by Berardinelli, I feel I've learned something and have enjoyed the learning. He's just so special, IMO.

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jackie wrote: "...About 300, I like that type of movie, but all my woman friends loved it for the eye-candy. I don't think they were interested in the story, but rather all the hot well-muscled shi..."

I think you should brag..He's what we used to call a "hunk" handsome..nina

I adore Jeffrey Dean Morgan! That voice! He's very sexy. I'll watch anything he's in.
So far I am loving Watchmen, the opening lines were fantastic. I even read them to my husband and he said "Wow". Oh yeah! I am so into this book.

Jackie wrote: "I adore Jeffrey Dean Morgan! That voice! He's very sexy. I'll watch anything he's in.
So far I am loving [b:Watchmen|472331|Watchmen|Alan Moore|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1175......"

So.....I should read the book before seeing the movie??

It depends on how you feel about it. And how you feel about graphic novels. I just prefer reading the book first. given the chance, I'll read the book first every time. I feel that once I've seen the movie, it would ruin the suspense of the book. I may be wrong about that, it's just a theory. It takes longer to read a book than watch a movie so even if I know the end of a book, it doesn't ruin the movie for me, whereas the other way around would ruin it. And reading the book gets me more excited for the movie.

My friend who lent me this book assures me the movie will be fantastic. I can't wait! And just now my SIL called my husband and he has to stay longer in the city because a pipe broke. Now I have to decide whether to go with him or not.

Jackie wrote: "I adore Jeffrey Dean Morgan! That voice! He's very sexy. I'll watch anything he's in..."

For people like me who don't know who Jeffrey Dean Morgan is, below is a link to his IMDb page which has pics: ====>
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0604747/

He looks so different with a beard and mustache!
Which way do you folks prefer him?

Nina wrote: "I think you should brag..He's what we used to call a "hunk" handsome..nina"

Thank you, Nina.
Yep, we used to call them "hunks"! LOL
The dictionary shows the word,"hunky", too. :) ====>
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/defin...

Jackie wrote: "...I just prefer reading the book first. given the chance, I'll read the book first every time. I feel that once I've seen the movie, it would ruin the suspense of the book. ... And reading the book gets me more excited for the movie."

I agree with you, Jackie. You said it well.

Also, once you see the movie before reading the book, you've lost the chance to use your own imagination while reading the book... picturing the protagonists your own way.

I agree with reading the book first & I almost always do but I wasn't sure with this being a type of novel I have not read before....so I should treat the graphic novel the same as any other book then?

Joy-I like Jeffrey Dean Morgan-with or without the facial hair!!

Becky wrote: "Joy-I like Jeffrey Dean Morgan-with or without the facial hair!!"

I could do without the facial hair. In general, I prefer clean-shaven men. I don't see the appeal of all that hair. LOL Besides, it impedes kissing :) It itches and looks itchy too! Boo! on beards and mustaches!

Only itchy when it is coming in, gets nice & soft after it .....well grows more!!! LOL

I'll take Jeffrey Dean Morgan any way. One movie I absolutely love is 'P.S. I Love You' with both Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, two of my favorite actors. I must have watched it about 10 times. I laughed, I cried; it was beautiful.
Plot Summary From IMDB:
Holly Kennedy is beautiful, smart and married to the love of her life - a passionate, funny, and impetuous Irishman named Gerry. So when Gerry's life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry. So it's a good thing he planned ahead. Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief, but in rediscovering herself. The first message arrives on Holly's 30th birthday in the form of a cake, and to her utter shock, a tape recording from Gerry, who proceeds to tell her to get out and "celebrate herself". In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way; P.S. I Love You. Holly's mother and best friends begin to worry that Gerry's letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. With Gerry's words as her guide, Holly embarks on a journey of rediscovery in a story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into a new beginning for life.

Becky,
It's really up to you. A graphic novel with look like a comic book with illustrations, but the illustrations tell a lot of the story, just a visual accompaniment to the story. I enjoy them. At the end of each chapter, there's regular prose in the form of exerpts from an autobiography, adding history, backstory, origin and relationships between the characters.
This Graphic novel was done exceptionally well, it won the Hugo Award and is on Time Magazines 100 Best Novels List.

I wanted to read the prequel to the LOTR before I read the trilogy, so I have not yet read LOTR. I am reading HP for the first time and am really excited about it. I hear so many good things about it.

Jackie wrote: "I'll take Jeffrey Dean Morgan any way. One movie I absolutely love is 'P.S. I Love You' with both Gerard Butler and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, two of my favorite actors. I must have watched it about 10..."


LOVE LOVE LOVE that movie!!! & yes 2 great guys & Harry Connick too!! Another movie with a good soundtrack....

Jackie wrote: "Becky,
It's really up to you. A graphic novel with look like a comic book with illustrations, but the illustrations tell a lot of the story, just a visula accompaniment to the story. I enjoy the..."


I looked at the book in Target yesterday & it intrigued me but I am not sure if I need to read it, I really want to see the movie though....

I started collecting the comic books based on Stephen King's, The Stand & I just finished the first series of 5 & a new series of 5 starts this month.

Operandi,
Harry Potter was well written, I really enjoyed them. Let me know what you think of it. The only one that should be read before LOTR is The Hobbit Or There and Back Again
By prequels, what books do you mean? The Silmarillion? Unfinished Tales? The Book of Lost Tales, Part One & The Book of Lost Tales, Part Two? The Children of Húrin?

I still have C of H sitting on my shelf, haven't gotten to it yet. I read all the rest and they are old history of Middle Earth. I was a long time ago I read them but they didn't have much bearing on LOTR.

Becky,
I love the music too. I downloaded Galway Girl by Steve Earle, Love You Til The End by The Pogues and If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly.
I'm totally into Celtic music, mostly instrumental though. The violin, pipes, oh I just love it!

How did I forget Harry Connick, he was so funny in that role. What a fantastic movie. I'm not a shoe person, but the shoes Holly designed were absolutely magnificent.
And I'm envious of Hilary Swank, she got to kiss both Gerry and Jeffrey! She was fantastic in her role as Holly; I felt everything she was feeling. She's a wonderful actress, one of my favorites also.

Jackie wrote: "Becky,
I love the music too. I downloaded Galway Girl by Steve Earle, Love You Til The End by The Pogues and If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly.
I'm totally into Celtic music, mo..."

I rented it for the 2 guys LOL & I expected it to be a silly little movie, but it wasn't-I loved it & I am a fan of Celtic music too & Ireland in general!!

Becky,
It's my dream to see Ireland one day, Scotland and England too, but Ireland first. I want at least a month there. I want to see the spectacular countryside, stones circles and old ruins.

I rented it for Gerry Butler, I have to see everything he's in. But the movie was so much more than I expected. This is one case in which I think I will read the book after seeing the movie. I wachted the extras on my DVD with Celia Ahern and the book is a little different than the movie.

Joy wrote: I wondered about the bare-chested men in battle. How come they don't need protective armor? Or is it all about "amour" for the girls?

Sorry, I didn't see these until now. According to history, it was more about their skill as warriors, being good enough to not need armor. Spartans were the fiercest of all warriors and their sons learned to be warriors at an early age, send out with no protection or weapons for days, if they survived by their skills and intelligence and came back they were warriors. If not, they died. I think it was more a matter of pride and confidence in their warrior skills.

Joy wrote: I found that it took effort to read the print inside the "balloons", etc. A little bit of that is fine, but to read text like that for pages and pages (in a novel) would get very tedious, I would think. Does anyone feel like that?

(This is weird, I can't get the italics to come off.)

Not for me, but I'm a comicbook fan so it's just something I'm used to.

And Joy, I can see your son as Tarzan too, (good call Becky!) He's one year younger than me, why does he have all this energy and I do not? Oh, that's right, because my butt is planted in this chair in front of the computer, LOL

I've put 'P.S. I Love You' on my Netflix queue. Thanks for the summary, Jackie. Sounds like a good story. And maybe I'll become more familiar with the names and faces of the actors you all talk about.

Jackie, thanks for explaining about the Spartans lack of armor. Yes, that makes sense.

As for Bill's energy, I don't know where it comes from. I'm only glad he has it. His kids are lucky because he and his wife keep them busy with lots of new experiences and activities. Below is a pic of all 4 of his kids being kept very busy. :-) ====>
http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL25/9...

The pic was taken in 2007. I can't believe how they've grown since then.

If he's got 4 kids, I guess he better have some energy, LOL

They look like they are having so much fun! Where are they?

Great group..Must be fun to watch them. Or do you join in? nina

Jackie,

I just meant The Hobbit. That is what made me read it. I'm very glad I did. It was marvelously fun.

Then you're all set. LOTR is very good, epic in nature. I loved it!

Years ago I read, "Watership Down," that was about rabbits from their point of view. I loved it so much that one night I dreamed I was a rabbit. I am wondering if anyone else out there in Goodreads land ever read it..Like the HObbit it was ageless by that I mean it was equally enjoyed by kids and adults alike. nina

Nina-read it many years ago & I remember that I really liked it....

Same here. I'm planning on re-reading it because I was pretty young when I read it. I've forgotten most of it.

Jackie wrote: "If he's got 4 kids, I guess he better have some energy, LOL
They look like they are having so much fun! Where are they?"

They're on a small lake in downstate NY.

Becky, you won't be disappointed in visiting the British Isles. I just looked at some slides I took several years ago and I could just feel myself back there. I miss each and every place I visited. I especially loved The Isle of Mull and thought to myself if I ever am reincarnated as a ghost that's where I'd head first..nina

Yes, Nina, I read Watership Down out loud to my wife, back in the 80s. Neither of us went so far as to dream we were rabbits, but we both loved it, too! :-) I think it's one of the best books focused on animal characters that I've ever read.

I've never read _Watership Down_ (1972) by Richard Adams. ====>
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76...
Perhaps I should put it on my To-Read Shelf.

There's another edition of Watership Down (1999) by Judy Allen and Richard Adams. ====>
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28...
The subtitle on the cover says: "Challenge to Efrafa".

There's still another version of Watership Down (1999) by Diane Redmond and Richard Adams. ====>
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83...
The subtitle on the cover says: "Hazel the Brave".

I'm wondering how they're different from each other.

P.S. I see there are DVDs out on this same "Watership Down" story. Here's one: ====>
http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-...

I've ordered the different versions which Netflix offers (i.e., I've put them on my Netflix queue).

P.P.S. - Evidently there was a TV series, now on DVD: ====>
http://www.amazon.com/Watership-Down-...

Thank you for telling me about a DVD/Watership Down. I never knew a movie existed. nina

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "I've never read _Watership Down_ (1972) by [a:Richard Adams|7717|Richard Adams|http://pho..."
One version says, "Watership Down," revisited version II and it didn't sound at all like the book but the other one from the cover looked like I remember the book back then..nina

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Jackie wrote: "...I just prefer reading the book first. given the chance, I'll read the book first every time. I feel that once I've seen the movie, it would ruin the suspense of the book. ... And..."

I love the line that if you see the movie before the book you lost your chance to picture the main characters out of your own imagination..That is so true..nina

I liked the movie better than the book. I found the book long & boring, read it once many years ago. Skimmed parts as I recall. I've seen the movie several times. My daughter found it horrifying. Rabbits killing other rabbits!

Nina wrote: "Thank you for telling me about a DVD/Watership Down. I never knew a movie existed. nina"

I never knew either the DVD or the book existed! LOL

You folks and Goodreads are expanding my horizons. It's wonderful!
IMO, there's nothing like a good interactive discussion board for stimulating interest.

I didn't even know there was a movie! I'm going to have to see it one of these days.

What I'm reading right now:
The Ugly Little Boy by Asimov & Silverberg and Ring Around the Sun by Clifford D. Simak. Enjoying both.