You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

The Parking Lot - where vehicles come to rest when their journeys are ended.



Reporting thread for the June 2015 challenge - Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.

Please link the book that you read and tell us which mode of transportation it was about.

Give one (or more) quotes from the book that caught your fancy.

I chose to read Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for this challenge. I'm glad I did. It's a terrific story. I kinda wish my kids were still young so I could read it to them. The story is told in that conversational style that some books have. And of course the pictures add so much.

What kind of vehicle was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang? It was whatever it needed to be. It had wheels and wings. And lots of other stuff that James Bond would have drooled over.

I found out that Ian Fleming wrote the book for his son, Casper. And that Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was inspired by a Mercedes car back in the 1900s called the Chitty Chitty Bang. It was a race car, of course.

My quote - "Never say no to adventures. Always say yes. Otherwise you'll lead a very dull life. " p. 65

I give the book 4 stars.

Lanelle wrote: "I chose to read Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for this challenge. I'm glad I did. It's a terrific story. I kinda wish my kids were still young so I could read it to them. The story is tol..."

Have you seen the movie? It was starring Dick Van Dyke

Mariab wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "I chose to read Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for this challenge. I'm glad I did. It's a terrific story. I kinda wish my kids were still young so I could read it to them. ..."

Of course. I was humming some of the tunes while I was reading the book.

Wow, Lanelle! The sun hasn't quite gone down, and you've already finished your challenge book. I haven't started mine.

Lanelle wrote: "Of course. I was humming some of the tunes while I was reading the book."

Ok... I will say it, no matter the cost: I saw it in the theaters (!!!!). Yep, the past century

Janice wrote: "Wow, Lanelle! The sun hasn't quite gone down, and you've already finished your challenge book. I haven't started mine."

I was up way too early this morning and it was a quick read. I'll think of another excuse here in a minute :)

I have finished Death by Water, in which Phryne Fisher takes a two-week cruise from Australia to New Zealand. Favorite quote: Passengers and crew members from the ship are visiting an island with a Maori village. ‘So,’ she heard Margery Lemmon say to the warrior next to her, ‘are you the indigenous inhabitants of these islands?’ ‘Madam,’ he said, grinning with a flash of white teeth, ‘my ancestors ate the indigenous inhabitants of these islands!’

Greenwood, Kerry (2012-01-17). Death by Water: Phryne Fisher #15 (Phryne Fisher Mysteries) (p. 181). Poisoned Pen Press. Kindle Edition.

The cruise takes place in 1928. I'm not sure just how large the ship was, but an officer explained to Phryne that there were 700 crew members aboard to take care of 800 passengers.

It's not likely you'll find that ratio of crew to passenger any more.

I also read Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for this challenge. Mode of transportation is a magical car. I thought it was an ok book, kind of cute. Several times I laughed out loud at bits. I think it's one that children would enjoy more than I did though. There's lots of action and I think it would be suspenseful for younger kids. 3✭

Sorry, I don't have a quote because I'm terrible about choosing one. However, I'll just borrow Lanelle's from message 2. ;)

Janice wrote: "It's not likely you'll find that ratio of crew to passenger any more."

The ratio struck me as very staff-heavy, even for the time. Particularly when you take into account that many of the first-class passengers apparently brought personal servants (valets, maids) with them as well.

I read Mercenary Instinct in which the president of a new business and her two partners are put out of business and kidnapped by a mercenary company looking to get the bounty on them for falsified criminal charges. Nearly the entire book takes place on a space ship or shuttle.

Typically I don't look much for quotes, and often the ones I like aren't very good out of context, but here is one of the popular passages that has been highlighted by other readers: "He could plot his own course now, but stars were always the same."

I can see why that would be a popular quote, Lara.

I read The Girl on the Train. I very much liked it! The train theme was a presence in all the characters lives; sometimes nostalgic, often as an annoyance. For our flawed heroine it felt almost like a sanctuary, a place to gather thoughts. I also love trains and can relate to this quote:
"...the track at the end of the garden with its trains, always taking someone else to somewhere else, reminding me over and over and over, a dozen times a day, that I'm staying put."

I'm glad you enjoyed your read Vicki. I just bought it as a father's day present for my dad. He loves a good mystery.

I read Murder on the Orient Express and really enjoyed it. I'm not a real Agatha Christie fan, mostly because of the racial stereotyping, but aside from that, this was a good mystery. Enjoyed the ending.

Debra wrote: "I read Murder on the Orient Express and really enjoyed it. I'm not a real Agatha Christie fan, mostly because of the racial stereotyping, but aside from that, this was a good mystery...."

If you are looking for some great story telling and want to listen to some great narrating, try the Nero Wolfe books in audio. There are 27 of 46 books available in Overdrive from my library. I cannot find a lot of the Hercule Poirot books in audio, but I love Archie and Nero.

I read for this challenge. The main character, Pi Patel, becomes stranded on a lifeboat with a tiger named Richard Parker. The story, for me, did not get good until Pi became stranded. The first part of the book was very boring. It was easy to put down which is why I only gave it 3 stars. It is an interesting story for sure :)

A quote from the book:

"I was giving up. I would have given up - if a voice hadn't made itself heard in my heart. The voice said, "I will not die. I refuse it. I will make it through this nightmare. I will beat the odds, as great as they are. I have survived so far, miraculously. Now I will turn miracle into routine. The amazing will be seen every day. I will put in all the hard work necessary. Yes, so long as God is with me, I will not die. Amen."
Chapter 53

I don't think I've ever read Murder on the Orient Express, Debra. I've seen the movie though. Maybe one day I'll read the book.

I read Life of Pi when it first came out and recall that I didn't care for it. I quite enjoyed the movie though.

I definitely liked the movie more that the book, Life of Pi. That doesn't happen often with me, lol!

I finished The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes which I really enjoyed. I'd never considered all the war brides before, and knew nothing of them being shipped over to their husbands together. I forgot to look for quotes to report here but will go back to the book and find some soon.

I just finished Murder on the Orient Express . It was great! I had no idea that the whole time they were trying to solve the murder that the train did not move because it had been stuck in a snow bank.

My favorite quote from the book was regarding one of the last items that they had been looking for - a scarlet kimono. They had searched all of the luggage of all of the other passengers. M. Poirot needed to get a packet of cigarettes from one of his valises.
"He got it down and snapped back the lock.
Then he sat back on his heels and stared.
Neatly folded on the top of the case was a thin scarlet silk kimono embroidered with dragons.
'So,' he murmured. 'It is like that. A defiance. Very well, I take it up.'"
He never found out who had cleverly placed it in his case, but I think it was Mary Debenham.

I finished Three Men in a Boat. I realized when I started reading it for the toppler that it fit the challenge, so decided to double-dip.

The book was humorous, but one segment was quite sad and I thought Jerome wrote about it beautifully, "“...when evening fell and the grey twilight spread its dusky robe upon the waters, she stretched her arms out to the silent river that had known her sorrow and her joy. And the old river had taken her into its gentle arms, and had laid her weary head upon its bosom, and had hushed away the pain.”

The Dog Who Could Fly: The Incredible True Story of a WWII Airman and the Four-Legged Hero Who Flew At His Side was an incredible story of the extreme dedication and loyalty of a German Shepherd for his master. The intelligence and self control this animal exhibited was truly amazing!!! Had he been allowed the dog would have accompanied his Master on each and every flight.

I read Howl's Moving Castle for this challenge it is about Wizard Howls moving castle. This is a cute book but I only gave it 1 star. Nothing really good happened and there really isn't any good quotes

I listened to 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is set on a spaceship for a large portion of the book. I watched the film (possibly the remake but I think I've seen the Kubrick one too) and I never understood what happened. I got the first 3/4 maybe then the end threw me. I was hoping the book would clarify things for me. It didn't!

At the beginning of the audio, Arthur C Clarke talks about the book and the film. I learnt that Clarke and Kubrick worked closely together and that the book and film are kind of based on each other if that makes sense, rather than the film was based on the book or vice versa. The edition I listened to was from 2001 which is why Clarke added a foreword at the beginning. He said that he was saddened that he could not celebrate 2001 with Stanley Kubrick because he had died a couple years before in 1999.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book but when I started to get lost, my interest waned. Maybe I should have read a print version. This is my first Arthur C Clarke book and I will no doubt read more of his works in the future.

A couple of quotes I liked:
“The more wonderful the means of communication, the more trivial, tawdry, or depressing its contents seemed to be.”

“. . . Moon-Watcher felt the first faint twinges of a new and potent emotion. It was a vague and diffuse sense of envy--of dissatisfaction with his life. He had no idea of its cause, still less of its cure; but discontent had come into his soul, and he had taken one small step toward humanity.”

“. . . the newspapers of Utopia, he had long ago decided, would be terribly dull.”

I finished De reis van de gazelle by Gerrit Barendrecht on the 8th of June. It is a Dutch book. The title means: 'The journey of the Gazelle'. The Gazelle is the name of a sailing ship. The book takes place in the 1870's.

It is about the Gazelle which sails with passengers from Dordrecht (NL) to London (UK) to Adelaide (Australia). There it breaks, because a steamship collides with it in the mist. After months in Adelaide harbour, it is repaired and sails to Sydney, to take (NEW) freezing technology to London.
It is about the Northam (also a sailing ship) who sails from Sydney (Australia) to London with freezing technology.
It is about the Paraguay (a steaming ship) which sails from Marseille (France) to Argentina and back. Also with freezing technology aboard.
The freezing technology is tested, to see if it will stay whole during such a long journey aboard a ship.
The freezing technology aboard the Paraguay was made by Ferdinand Carre, who has really lived and done that (sea wikipedia).
With the freezing technology they want to try to get frozen meat from Argentina and Australia (where there are loads of sheep - so much they make them into candles, because they just don't know what to do with them...) to Europe, where people are very hungry (and the butchers put all kinds of terrible, uneatable stuff in their sausages...).

I have to say that I never realized that freezing technology had to be invented sometime (of course! But I just had never really thought about it). Apart from that, you also get the feel of the ship (the Gazelle) and it tells the story of its captain, his new love and the previous owner of the Gazelle (who finances the project and journey of the Paraguay and sells the Gazelle, without knowing it will also be used for a test-journey for freezing).

I really loved this book and gave it 5 stars.

Was your book non-fiction, Elsbeth?

Cherie wrote: "If you are looking for some great story telling and want to listen to some great narrating, try the Nero Wolfe books in audio."

I'll consider that, Cherie. Thanks for the great tip!

Stephanie wrote: "I definitely liked the movie more that the book, Life of Pi. That doesn't happen often with me, lol!"

I enjoyed both, but the scenes in the beginning about the animals who landed on the boat were so graphic and their suffering so great, I feel scarred for life! Especially in the movie. My hubby still brings up how I dragged him to that movie, telling him what a heart-warming story it was and good tale, and he almost walked out during those animal scenes. Their suffering was horrible. I hadn't remembered it being that bad in the book. Probably blocked it out!

Janice wrote: "Was your book non-fiction, Elsbeth?"

No, it was a novel. Most of the main characters were probably fictional. It was told, sometimes like an adventure story and sometimes it was more scientific.
I really like historical novels, especially when, afterwards, I feel like I learned something about that time!

I felt bad and sickened for the animals :( I hate it when bad things happen to animals :(

Elsbeth wrote: "I really like historical novels, especially when, afterwards, I feel like I learned something about that time!

That's what I look for in HF - factual, accurate, yet entertaining.

I read Life of Pi by Yann Martel. It is a frame story that involves the narrator The Author, a novelist who discovers an incredible story while visiting India. The Author travels to Toronto, Canada, to interview Pi and then tells his amazing survival story as a novel. Pi and Richard Parker, the Bengal tiger, are the sole survivors on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean after the ship sailing from India to Canada sinks. They have few provisions and must withstand many dangers, relying on each other to make it to land (Mexico). Themes of spirituality and religion, the nature of animals, the definition of family, and self perception are explored in this novel. It is a text rich in a discourse of morality, faith, and the ambivalence of what constitutes truth.

I read the book years ago when it was first released and rated it a tepid 3 stars. I decided to reread the book, and for some reason I connected with the book this time. I LOVE this book! There are so many layers to the story; it is truly amazing, and I highly recommend it. The humor is even intelligent and wry. I gave it a very generous 5 stars.

Quotes:
If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.

It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.

Repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans.

To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists.

One zoo asked for "an authentic Brahmin cow" for their children's zoo. Father walked out into the urban jungle of Pondicherry and bought a cow with dark wet eyes, nice fat hump and horns so straight and at such right angles to its head that it looked as if it had licked an electrical outlet. Father had its horns painted bright orange and little plastic bells fitted to the tips, for added authenticity.

To be a castaway is to be a point perpetually at the centre of a circle.

Connie wrote: "Quotes:
It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.

Repetition is important in the training not only of animals but also of humans.

To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

The obsession with putting ourselves at the centre of everything is the bane not only of theologians but also of zoologists.

To be a castaway is to be a point perpetually at the centre of a circle.
..."

Awesome quotes, Connie!

I read Pi when it first came out and my reaction was also lukewarm. Maybe I should give it a reread.

I'm glad you liked Life of Pi,,Connie :) i only gave it 3 stars as it didn't hold my interest all the way through :(

Life of Pi is one of those books I had to grow into. I hope that makes sense.

You might like it the second time around, Janice. I understand, Stephanie.

Thanks, Mariab!

I read Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. This book is a murder mystery set completely on a train. This is my second Agatha Christie, the first being And Then There Were None a few months ago. So far, I am really enjoying her. I tried to guess the end of this one the whole time I was reading it and still could not. On to watch the movie now! As well as I hear rumors of a new movie being made?

Mrs. Hubbard: "'D'you think I'd better? I'm a lifelong teetotaller. I never touch spirits or wine at any time. All my family are abstainers. Still, perhaps as this is only medicinal---' She sipped once more." (Page 126)

One can't count medicine purposes! Love that quote AmyCynthia.

I'm parking my aircraft carrier ship here and am not coming back to pick it up.

I read The Ship of Brides. I liked the idea of the book (600 warbrides on a big ship with also marines and other navy-people, to get reunited with their husbands in England after the war), that it is based on a true historical event, and the little bits of actual news clippings at the start of every chapter. But that's about it. If I wasn't reading this for the challenge I wouldn't have finished it. In general, I found it confusingly written, long-winded, I didn't connect to any of the female characters couldn't care less about the male storylines, don't see why the present-day story needed to be added, and found it often predictable.

To be honest I didn't realize I was supposed to give a nice quote here so I didn't look for one (I didn't see it in the original challenge thread), but I don't think I would have found a good one if I knew. I already deleted the book from my ereader and the GR page also doesn't show anything.

Let me know if I need a quote to earn a badge (I want the badge!) and I'll see if I can find something :)

No you don't need to quote to earn a badge. I just thought it would be a fun thing to do.

The premise of the book looked interesting, but it sounds like it was a bit of a dud.

Thanks! Yes, it sounds like something good but it wasn't. At least not for me.

I quite liked it, but I'm glad the pressure is off on the quotes as I deleted it from my Kindle too and love getting new badges :)

Life of Pi

a lifeboat

It was awful. It was so pretentious and I disliked it very much. I beter reread The Alchemist

“Dare I say I miss him? I do. I miss him. I still see him in my dreams. They are nightmares mostly, but nightmares tinged with love.

I still cannot understand how he could abandon me so unceremoniously, without any sort of goodbye, without looking back even once. That pain is like an axe that chops at my heart.”

I read Travels with Charley: In Search of America and discussed it in the other thread. I had a quote to add but can't find it, so here's a couple from the book's GR page.
"I was born lost and take no pleasure in being found."

"We value virtue but do not discuss it. The honest bookkeeper, the faithful wife, the earnest scholar get little of our attention compared to the embezzler, the tramp, the cheat.”

This last quote is powerful, Rebecca! Thanks for sharing.

I finished Confessions of a New York Taxi Driver. It was okay, I ended up giving it three stars, but it could have been shorter. I found a nice quote in it too:

I don't think there is anything wrong about trying to be interesting, but I think it's more admirable by far to be interested. For one thing, being interested makes you smarter. You will learn things by being interested. And, in addition to that, being interested gives the people you are talking to the feeling that they are important and that you care about them. It bolsters their self-esteem and makes them stronger. In my opinion, simply being interested is one of humanity's most noble virtues. It doesn't have to be a dog eat dog world.

I just finished The Driving Lesson and gave it three stars. The story is about a high school freshman and his terminally ill grandfather who make a cross country road trip from Texas to Seattle, Washington. (view spoiler)[ The story deals with the topic of assisted siucide and the grandfather's right to make decisions about his diagnosis, treatment options and quality of life. The trip serves as an opportunity for the two to get closer and say goodbye on their own terms. (hide spoiler)] Along the way their adventure captures the attention of the nation with tons of media overexposure which seems to happen all too often these days.

I enjoyed the scenic route that they took, reliving roads trips I've taken in that part of the country. I've always loved the Cadillac Ranch outside of Amarillo.

Read The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White. The majority of the story takes place on a train.

The Alfred Hitchcock movie The Lady Vanishes is based on this book.

quotes from book: "Lost causes are the only causes worth fighting for."

"Languages give me a sense of power. If an international crisis arose in a railway carriage, and there were no interpreters, I could step into the breech and, perhaps, alter the destinies of the world."