Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

Earl, I've read a couple, but they're not my favorite. I just don't get as much out of the story for some reason. I quit reading comic books years ago. It was too expensive & much trouble keeping up with the never ending sagas. Too much soap opera in them, too.

I like some short stories in graphic format, though. Back in the late 70's, I read a lot of "Heavy Metal", "Creepy", "Eerie", & "Vamperella". They were all large format graphic magazines. Some of the first was in color, but all the rest were just B&W. I still have a bunch & skim through one occasionally. I've always liked short SF, fantasy, & horror stories & these were just illustrated versions. Really good writers & artists.

Nina, I got to page 90 in The Shoemaker's Wife and still wasn't interested. It didn't draw me in. So I don't think I'll finish it.

I guess you never got as far as NY and the parts about the opera and Caruso etc. I thought that part was very interesting but we each have our own likes and dislikes and that is what makes this posting group interesting. I have discoved a mistake in the Pulitizer prize winner this year and that makes me think no one does any research checking any more. The book I am referring to is, "The Goldfinch."

RE: The Shoemaker's Wife
Nina, I still have the book. Perhaps I'll browse to the middle of the book and see if I can find anything interesting.

Jim wrote: "Earl, I've read a couple, but they're not my favorite. I just don't get as much out of the story for some reason. I quit reading comic books years ago. It was too expensive & much trouble keepi..."

I think I have MY OWN idea of what the characters should look like, and also somehow it just seems more WORK to read them. I guess I just need to read GoodReads description more closely to avoid them.

I agree, Earl.

Over the weekend, I started reading Pulp Heroes - Khan Dynasty, by Goodreads author Wayne Reinagel. (Having won it in a recent Goodreads giveaway, I thought it only fair to the publisher and author to put it near the top of my reading list.) It's something of a homage to the heroes of the classic pulp magazines of the early modern period.

Werner wrote: "Over the weekend, I started reading Pulp Heroes - Khan Dynasty, by Goodreads author Wayne Reinagel. ..."

Werner, below is a link to a GR review of that book. The reviewer suggests that you take a week off from work to read that book and settle in for "an absorbing read." LOL
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The review says: "This novel encapsulates the finest qualities of the pulp fiction style of story with the better qualities of the novel form."
Enjoy!

Thanks for the link, Joy (I just officially "liked" the review). I'm definitely enjoying the book! (I'd probably better not take a week off from work, though, since Bluefield college is into finals week and the library is pretty busy.... :-) )

Finals! Those poor kids! Give them my sympathies and wish them luck. I remember those awful days. High anxiety!

Yes, some aspects of college life never change from generation to generation!

Nina wrote: "I guess you never got as far as NY and the parts about the opera and Caruso etc. I thought that part was very interesting but we each have our own likes and dislikes and that is what makes this pos..."

RE: THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE - The Shoemaker's Wife (2012)

Nina, I searched online and found the section of the book you referred to (about the early MET opera). It's in Chapter 17. See the link to Chapter 17 below:
http://www.freebooksvampire.com/Other...

Below are two excerpts:
"The Metropolitan Opera House, built of native yellow stone hauled from the valleys of upstate New York, took up a full city block on West Thirty-ninth Street. Its architectural grandeur was evident in its details—ornate doors, embellished cornices, and Palladian arches. The opera house had the massive dimensions of a train station."
...
"The ring of private viewing boxes, dubbed the “diamond horseshoe” by Cholly Knickerbocker and other society writers, was reserved for the wealthiest subscribers. These theatrical boxes were suspended over the orchestra seats, like delicate gold carriages, decorated with ornate medallions. Red damask draperies hung behind the seats, softening any sound from the stairways and grand aisles. Faceted glass sconces shaped like tiaras softly illuminated each level."
==================================================

PS-I found the section in the book first. Then I searched Google. I was surprised to find the ENTIRE book FREE ONLINE at:
http://www.freebooksvampire.com/Other...

I FINALLY got around to writing an Excel macro to figure out exactly what my reading is like in different formats. I export my GR books to a file, run the macro, & then I can count it easily.

Year-audio-ebook-paper-Total
2008 - 0 - 0 - 55 - 55
2009 - 1 - 8 - 139 - 148
2010 - 1 - 7 - 108 - 116
2011 - 24 - 11 - 89 - 124
2012 - 37 - 23 - 61 - 121
2013 - 128 - 13 - 73 - 214
2014 - 47 - 6 - 8 - 61

Well, it doesn't line up all that well, but hopefully the dashes make some sense of it. The GR stats page does show I'm reading more audio books, but this shows the growth far better. I also made it output a similar table for my shelves, although I have so many of those that it's not all that great.

Interesting, Jim. IMO, audio books are the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially for non-fiction & memoirs! However I prefer hard-copy books for reading novels. If you miss something in an audio non-fiction, not as much is lost as when you miss a crucial part in a novel.

I agree, Joy. They've helped me read a LOT more, obviously.

I just finished another book by David Rosenfelt, Heart of a Killer. Even better than his Andy Carpenter series, although the reader wasn't great. I gave it 4 stars here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Mentats of Dune was fantastic, 4 stars. Started a quick and easy book based on Roswell, a TV series I used to watch with Eric when he was little. Shades is set after the TV show ends. Should be fun to revisit some old friends.

Went to the library and picked out some random books hoping I'd get lucky. First one (Lily in Bloom by Margaret P. Cunningham) started out promising but then I lost interest. For some reason, I don't like reading descriptions which don't really affect the plot. The description was of a garden. It bored me. I quit.

Joy, I know you like to read Biographies but what else interests you? Would you like, "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," by Jamie Ford?

Nina wrote: "Joy, I know you like to read Biographies but what else interests you? Would you like, "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet," by Jamie Ford?"

Thanks, Nina. I had heard about Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet a while ago. It's on my "keep in mind" shelf at Goodreads. Thanks for the suggestion. When I feel ready to go back to reading, I'll try it out.

The author of "The Corner of Bitter and Sweet," met his wife at a bookstore.

I am not getting my goodread notices and find that 94 others are having the same problem. Goodreads says their system is down. Are any of you having that problem? Not that I'll get your answer..good-by for now; hope it's not forever.

I'm trying again with this message to see if I get an answer.

Yes, Nina, I've been having a problem with getting my e-mailed Goodreads notices for a couple of days! I get a few normally, but the rest either don't arrive at all or are very delayed (I can tell this by comparing my e-mail inbox with the notifications on the toolbar of my Goodreads homepage, where they're working normally). Since I wasn't one of the 94 people who reported this (I hoped they'd fix it without my taking the time to do that) I'm guessing those 94 are the tip of the iceberg.

I don't receive emails of topic replies, but use the home page. That's been a bit wonky, but mostly works.

I haven't been receiving GR email notifications either.

I just finished The Innocent by David Baldacci. While the story wasn't bad, I was most impressed by the readers & the production of the audio book. They get 5 stars, but the book only got 3 stars.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jim wrote: "I just finished The Innocent by David Baldacci. While the story wasn't bad, I was most impressed by the readers & the production of the audio book. They get 5 stars,but the book only got 3 stars. ..."

I love it when the readers of audio books enhance the material.

I'm on a new series, The Sevenwaters series, starting with Daughter of the Forest, a retelling of the Irish tale The Children of Lyr http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children... So far it's very good, my only regret is in not having a lot of time to spend on it. I have the next book in the series and am waiting for the 3rd to be delivered.

Jackie, thanks for the links. I found the following at Wiki:
"Ler or Lir (meaning "Sea" in Old Irish;....) is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lir
Interesting. I had never heard of Lir.

New Pulp writer Percival Constantine is a relatively new Goodreads author, and I recently stumbled onto a couple of action adventure novels he's offering for free (in the e-book versions). I didn't expect to start either one until fall, but through an unexpected fluke started on The Lost Continent yesterday. Of course, I'm only reading it on my Kindle app (intermittently); but I'll buy a print copy if I like it. (That ability to try out books for free is one function the Kindle app is good for; but I don't intend to ever let it replace the print versions!)

Werner, The Lost Continent is free at Google eBooks too:
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

Trouble is they require you to give your credit card number.

I had to give Amazon my credit card number some time ago, too, when I bought a 99-cent e-story in order to get "customer" status and create my account. But on subsequent transactions where I don't actually spend any money, they don't usually make any reference to it.

I wish they could establish "customer status" without requiring a credit card number for those who are getting only the "free" products. Seems logical to me.

I hear you, Joy!

Apparently I'm the only person on GR to have read & rated Ancient Carpenters' Tools: Illustrated and Explained, Together with the Implements of the Lumberman, Joiner and Cabinet-Maker in Use in the Eighteenth Century by Henry C. Mercer. This can only mean I am a woodworking nerd since it was originally published in 1925. It has been reissued several times since & is often referred to as one of the better books on the subject of historical woodworking tools. I gave it 4 stars here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I tried another by Baldacci, Zero Day, the first of his John Puller series. Yuck. Couldn't finish it, 1 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

So then I tried On Borrowed Time by David Rosenfelt & loved it, gave it 4 stars here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks for the reviews, Jim. I too enjoy books with a psychological approach to the characters, as you describe in your review of On Borrowed Time.

I just finished Kurt Vonnegut's The Sirens of Titan. It's an absurd morality tale, mildly humorous & immensely sad. I gave it 3 stars & a full review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Interesting review, Jim. Thanks.

PS-So much of the stuff produced out there today is dark and depressing. We need some good screwball comedies to cheer us up!

Both reviews are excellent, Jim. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Thanks!

Janny Wurts has 2 more books available in audio format. Both are available through Apple or Amazon. I linked the free samples below, but they should also be available on Janny's website, http://www.paravia.com/ soon, too.

The Master of White Storm narrated by Simon Prebble
https://soundcloud.com/audible/master...

Sorcerer's Legacy
Sorcerer's Legacy, narrated by Emily Gray
https://soundcloud.com/audible/sorcer...
This book was her first & Raymond E. Feist liked it so much that he asked her to co-write the Empire Trilogy with him. This takes place on the other side of the rift in his Rift War series which starts with Magician: Apprentice, Volume 1. This trilogy is also available in audio format.

I finished Daughter of the Forest, it was excellent. I have the next two books in the series, but it's the next generation so I don't have to start the next one because that story has been told. Some Fantasy books leave you hanging in the middle of the story and you have to directly to the next book.
I started The Lies of Locke Lamora, I waffled on this one, buy it or not, but someone I trust must have convinced me because I bought it, just can't remember who it was, lol

Just finished reading, "Gentlemen and Players," by Joanne Harris and didn't like it. I kept thinking it would get better,it didn't.

I just finished listening to The Magicians & gave it 4 stars, also with a short review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'm not sure if I'm going to listen to any more in the trilogy. I kind of like where this one winds up. In the meantime, I've started listening to Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health. It's not going well, though. She's acting like she discovered something new & then leaves an incorrect impression about how & when animal & human medicine diverged. It's really a topic worthy of discussion in this book & I hope she gives it more time. If she doesn't, I won't be finishing the book. As it is, most of her examples are fairly ridiculous so far.

Magicians is on my list, good to know it's as good as I've heard.

I almost tagged you for this on FB, Jackie. I think you'll really like it. Read my review & you'll see why.

I like the review and it reiterates why I love some fantasy so much. I like something different, something unique and this surely fits those requirements.

While "Zoobiquity" has gotten better, I'm reeling. I've known quite a few doctors & vets. The best of the former often explained things to us in terms of animals & vice versa. My uncle & a couple of other vets used to fix up people as needed. We've always swapped medicines with our animals. Anyone who has raised animals & kids knows there's a lot of similarities both physically & psychologically. I read synopsis of a lot of scientific animal studies, so it's quite daunting to listen to this highly trained doctor admit to this level of ignorance.

She confesses to being cloistered from the real world as a top cardiologist & psychiatrist. She points out & admits to the snobbery of the medical community, how the 'top' doctors like neurosurgeons look down on mere vets even though it's tougher to get into vet school. She also correctly points out that vets look down on human doctors since they merely work on one species of animal, one that can usually talk, but similarities between species is all news to her! That's some ivory tower she's been living in. It's scary.

I had to give Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health a single star & not finish it. Amazingly educated, the author is just too divorced from the real world. The narrator was pretty good & this should have been interesting. I'm very sorry it wasn't. My review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...