Readers and Reading discussion

If you have any information about authors that you would like to share with the group, post it here.

We had the author/historian Taylor Branch in the store this week. He was speaking somewhere else, but came in to sign our copies of his new book, The Clinton Tapes. He was an older gentleman, very nice, and when I looked at the cover of the book, I noticed that it said he was a Pulitzer Prize winner, so I commented on that. He said that yes, he was, but the only thing it really meant was that when he dies, the first line in his obituary will read "Pulitzer Prize winning author Taylor Branch......" I told him that the same thing would happen if he'd won American Idol. So wow, I made a Pulitzer Prize winning author laugh out loud!

Connie wrote: "We had the author/historian Taylor Branch in the store this week. He was speaking somewhere else, but came in to sign our copies of his new book, The Clinton Tapes. He was an older gentleman, ver..."

Connie, Isn't he married to a famous actress? I think I have heard of him.

Donna in Southern Maryland

I love Taylor Branch his bios of Martin Luther King are wonderful..I have The Clinton Tapes but haven't began reading it yet...I love political books...used to devour them but less so now...I think I'm not as patient a reader as I once was.

Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Connie, Isn't he married to a famous actress? I think I have heard of him. .."

He is married to Christina Macy but I do not think she is an actress. He lives a couple of miles from my daughter in Baltimore.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Donna in Southern Maryland wrote: "Connie, Isn't he married to a famous actress? I think I have heard of him. .."

He is married to Christina Macy but I do not think she is an actress. He lives a c..."

AH! I think I had him confused with Taylor Hackford, the Director.

Donna in Southern Maryland

Here is a great article (IMHO), Allen Drury and the Washington Novel, written about the author in 1999

http://www.hoover.org/publications/po...

John Ramsey Miller

Another name from the Favorite Fiction past! So many of us loved his thriller THE LAST FAMILY

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

which was published the same year (1996) as Nathan's Run. In fact, Miller and Gilstrap are good friends.

Well, I just discovered that Miller has written 6 more thrillers in the intervening years. You can read about them (and more) at his website:

http://www.johnramseymiller.com/

I am reposting this from another thread

Michael originally posted this interview with Lionel Shriver


On the subject of her book, We Need to Talk About Kevin A Novel
[RB is Robert Birnbaum, who can probably be googled.:]

...
LS: I sense that with my friends that have children and clearly are glad to have children on balance that when you speak to them about the experience of parenthood, they are often doing a kind of a sales pitch. Right? Which clearly involves selling the idea to themselves, not to me. There is a big downside. There are sacrifices. After all parenthood has that reputation and thy are constantly running this patter through their heads convincing themselves that the sacrifices were worth it. That they loved their children, "Oh, the world is made anew." It often sounds a little hollow. I think that parents feel to give voice to what they don't like about parenthood is to betray their children and that is why I found a number of woman, in particular, have been grateful for this book. It's someone giving voice to his or her reservations. And Eva speaks for them about the things that they have never felt they had permission to say.

RB: I have for a long time held a view that my parent's generation was not prepared for parenthood…

LS: It was a less conscious decision to have children and it was a less examined experience.

RB: There was an expectation that it just happened and that everything worked out.

LS: And that parenthood was something that came naturally to people. It wasn't something you had to study up on or take courses in.

RB: On top of that, the world changed significantly. We grew with television becoming increasingly influential and a consciousness of the world that was very different and more influential than the so-called nuclear family.

LS: And there has been this huge demographic change. We are just not having as many children. That makes them a much bigger deal. Most women in this country will, at most, have two kids, and a lot will only have one. And I gather that the figures are that twenty five percent in the US are not planning to have any children.

RB: There is the new trend of adopting Chinese baby girls. I'm a sure that's a wave that you are aware of…

LS: That's because otherwise they bury them in the back yard.
[laughs:]

RB: I was disturbed for a time when I saw the way people seemed to be treating their children as fashion accessories. I remember being on an airplane and saw a kid who maybe was two or three, wearing a leather jacket…

LS: Likewise I am very suspicious of this whole phenomenon of women in their mid forties, as I am, who spend thousands and thousands of dollars to try to get pregnant. And you talk to these couples and it becomes this obsessive quest. But it starts to smack of, you know, there is this Gucci pocketbook that you absolutely must have.

RB: [laughs:]

LS: It is getting something. And it also feels a little competitive because, "Oh Nancy has a baby. I want one too."

RB: Maybe my parents' generation wasn't so bad?

LS: That casualness is enviable. The middle and upper class in this country having children is tedious in the extreme and not necessarily good for the kids. It's too self-conscious, too hands on. These are the same parents who hardly ever let their kids out of the house without going with them. That's not the way I grew up. I don't think I would have ever been a writer if people didn't leave me alone as a kid.
.....
-- anyone who read through this far, have any reactions to this conversation?

re-posting this post of mine from November....

I read Shriver's book and thought it was chilling and accurate and haunting.

I think the author is very on target about "designer children" who are often accessories. I have a visceral reaction to the word "parenting" and cringe at the things parents enroll little children in. I also hate how today's kids are so over-programmed.

Shriver's last remark "These are the same parents who hardly ever let their kids out of the house without going with them. That's not the way I grew up. I don't think I would have ever been a writer if people didn't leave me alone as a kid" unfortunately does not reflect today's unsafe world, though.


Interesting interview which led me to this website:

http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/b...

with lots of Birnbaum's interviews with authors.

Thanks, Michael!

another re-posting from November:

R/Meenie wrote

I came to the parenting game late having my first child at 36. Then I went on to have 2 more,the last when I was 41. Thru the years I was always amazed at the "uber" parenting going on around me. Having gotten married and becoming a mom later and having parents who were in no means neglectful in the '50s and 60's,I followed my Mom's example and always made sure I had some kind of social life outside of just being a Mom. I don't think I suffered from this nor did my kids. I do know people who have never left the house without their kids...yes those annoying screaming kids who are rounding out your dinner coversation in the nice restaurant! I am and have always been a firm believer in the "adult hour". Some of these kids who have been the center of the universe since they were born and have had every moment organized for them,have a very difficult time organizing themselves at college.

I do think there was much denial on the part of the mother in the Kevin book. Now that is something I think went on with our parents generation. It was also very easy to pull off because everybody was so into being closed mouthed and polite back then. The moms I know here in my town back in elementary school 1991-2003 would have banded together and made sure this mom knew Kevin was weird and his behavior was not acceptable. Not being a mom in the burbs in this country I don't think Shriver knew that! This was a book club selection for me and the moms agreed with me on this one!

I feel very fortunate to have grown up with the father I had (I'll leave my poor mother out of this) and to have grown up in the time I did.

Now, it does seem that many current parents are totally focused on their kids to the exclusion of all else - their marriage -(if they have bothered to get married!)their extended families, and their own time as adults outside of parenting. I don't believe that anyone loved their kid anymore than I loved mine, but I did leave him with a sitter from time to time for "me" time as well as "couple" time. He also was able to be outside in the summertime with other neighborhood kids without direct supervision. He had 'down' time; he wasn't scheduled 7 days a week.

God help this new age of 'helicopter parents.' No wonder these kids don't seem to know how to do much on their own, let alone make thoughtful decisions!

Donna in Southern Maryland

Donna said:Now, it does seem that many current parents are totally focused on their kids to the exclusion of all else - their marriage -(if they have bothered to get married!)their extended families, and their own time as adults outside of parenting...................and.........God help this new age of 'helicopter parents.' No wonder these kids don't seem to know how to do much on their own, let alone make thoughtful decisions!

I wish I saw more parents who were focused on their kids. I can't get them to help with homework, come to conferences or give a royal rat's behind about their childrens' behavior. I have one mom in complete denial about a very serious behavior situation and she even told me she's in denial and wont' talk about it. Many of my kids have no one at home who reads to them, and for the first time in my career no one orders from the monthly book club I send home. To be fair, I teach in what would be considered the inner city school of my town, and many of my parents are barely making it. The kids have so many issues of hunger, cold, lack of proper clothing, etc, that it takes their energy to survive. I cannot tell you how many of my kids have never stepped through the doors of the library. I do have the opposite end of the spectrum in my classroom too, and those are the kids who are over-scheduled. Those are the ones who are never read to or helped with homework because there "isnt' time". Those are the kids who don't know how to play. I've taught for close to 25 years and the difference in kids now is astounding. The children are ruling the roost at home in many cases, and they think they are going to do that at school too. Then they meet me and my friends. : ) We have a very strong character ed program at our school and for some of the children, this is the first they've ever given a thought to how their behavior affects others. Again, to be fair, about a third of my children are coming from solid homes with solid parenting. I love my profession, but it is not what it used to be. JoAnn mentioned the difference in the openess of society now and that does play a factor. In my profession, we are now more aware of what to look for in identifying disturbed or abused children. <------Uh oh, as is normal for me I'm about to go off on a tangent because I read We Need To Talk About Kevin and it left me haunted.

I'm going to stop myself here because I can hear the sounds of my soapbox coming on and I don't need to put you all through that. : )

Boy though, now my mind is back to Monday. Guess vacation is over.

kate

Kate, I for one would really like to hear more about the "character education" program in your school. Is this something each teacher does or is it done by a specialist? Is it a district-wide program?

Although I live in PA, I may as well live in Delaware (my PA home is only .2 of a mile from DE and my beach house is in DE) and it is a very very small state. The most horrific news in recent months/years has been the arrest of a pediatrician at the beach who has been abusing his BABY girl patients for years and videotaping it. Somehow this sicko got the parents to allow him to remove the little ones from the exam room.

The character ed program at my school is headed by a committee whose members have been trained in character ed programs. It has become district wide, and has also moved to other schools in the area. Part of the reason for that is that our program is sponsored by the Joe Nuxhall Character Ed program. Joe was a beloved Cincinnati Reds baseball announcer, and also the youngest person ever to play in the big leagues. His son is the gym teacher at my school and got it started there. The Nuxhall name and our success interested other districts. Our morning announcements are heavy on the character message, but it is done in a fun way and the kids enjoy participating. Has it eliminated behavior issues? Heavens no, but it does make it easier to talk with students and to work out programs for kids who are troubled. The children do seem to treat each other with more respect and all are eager to be featured in the announcements,the Wall of Fame, or as Student of the Week in a classroom. I'm only skimming the surface, but there you have a basic idea.

kate

kate/Edukate12 wrote: "The character ed program at my school is headed by a committee whose members have been trained in character ed programs. It has become district wide, and has also moved to other schools..."

Thanks for this explanation, Kate. It sounds interesting and certainly worthwhile.

My son has one of those over protected children that his life revolves around. Parker (our baby boy :)) started kindergarten this year and my son volunteers on Friday mornings. About the second week, the teacher said to him, "I'll bet you pick up everything after him, don't you?" My son admitted that he did, and she said, "WELL, STOP IT!" Woke him up a little bit!

Brave teacher!!

Kate, thanks for filling us in on the character building program. When my kids were in school we had a program to highlight positive behaviors in & out of class. While it worked well, i think one mistake was that it was run by people whose focus was to eliminate addictive personality traits. The intent had been to commend the child in school & encourage parents to commend the same behaviors at home. Worthwhile but the parents became attached to the idea that the school felt the kids were headed for drugs & alcohol, leading them to distance themselves from the praise.

I like the program you describe because it is part of the system, not the PTA trying to work with the teachers. Often this made a difference in programs in our elementary school. The goals of healthy character building is the important point. Continued success in spreading the program to the rest of the district...and beyond!

deborah

BE STILL MY HEART - an interview with ANNE TYLER !!! Here is the link:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertain...

and a bonus question that does not appear in the print version:

Q: Can you elaborate on the allegory of Noah's compass that gives your book its title?

A: One of Liam's minor irritations is his born-again daughter's insistence that a person who lacks religion lacks a moral compass. Liam, like Noah, is bobbing on uncharted waters without a clear destination, but by the end of the book I believe he's proved that he most definitely has a compass.

JoAnn, thank you for sharing the link. I was selective in reading it, not wanting to know much more than i already do about it. I've saved it, however, for later reference, as i have the reviews i've seen about it, including yours.

I noted she has moved into an apartment. Have you tracked her down yet? Keep your eyes open!!!! When you find her i expect an email for it, too! LOL!

deborah

Well, not exactly an apartment, but a very large condo - I read this when she bought it about a year and a half ago. I am sure she is still in the same general area. I just found out that Dorothy Hamill lives in Laura's neighborhood too!

Here is another Q and A ---but it was before this latest book, so you do not have to worry about reading it, Deborah.

http://www.writersdigest.com/article/...

JoAnn, that explains the age issue. She was born on my birth date 10 years earlier than me. I couldn't figure out why her age was wrong, now i know. LOL!

I couldn't get the writer's digest link to give the article, only the headline. I'll try again later. Thanks.

deborah

Deb, if you cannot get the Writers' Digest link to work let me know and I will copy and paste it. It is a good article.

Thanks, JoAnn, but the article came through this evening, again taking a long time. Can you believe she has only been to her publisher's office twice? Incredible. I guess i thought just signing contracts for each novel would mean an author showed up more than twice for 18 novels. Remarkable...and good for her!

deborah

madrano wrote: "Can you believe she has only been to her publisher's office twice? Incredible."

I guess they honor Tyler's well-known reclusiveness. That was surprising to me too.

kate/Edukate12 wrote: "Donna said:Now, it does seem that many current parents are totally focused on their kids to the exclusion of all else - their marriage -(if they have bothered to get married!)their extended familie..."

Kate: Before I retired 2 years ago, I worked an Adolescent Psychiatric Unit and I identify with your statement about how children are so different today. It was a rude awakening to me as a mother and as a nurse to see how differently kids were being raised. Well, not raised in most cases. I loved that job though more than an other area of nursing I had ever worked.

There's an author named Tamara Thorne that has some amazing stuff out. She writes a lot of ghostly type stuff and her books have just some great, what I call "cinematic" endings. I wish a movie producer or director would jump on these books and start getting scripts written. I think maybe Ghost House Pictures would be a great company to take her stuff on but also think George Romero (Night of the Living Dead & Creepshow) could pull these off well. I highly recommend Either Bad Things or Haunting. Candle Bay needs a sequel and she really needs to get some more books out cause I am really jonesing for more.

Steven wrote: "There's an author named Tamara Thorne that has some amazing stuff out. She writes a lot of ghostly type stuff and her books have just some great, what I call "cinematic" endings...."

I would bet that someone has optioned her books. It does not take much to do that, but many books are optioned and never made into movies.

Steven wrote: "Ghost House Pictures would be a great company to take her stuff on but also think George Romero (Night of the Living Dead & Creepshow) could pull these off well...."

When I was first married, in the ealy 70s, I lived in an apartment complex near Pittsburgh. There was a guy who lived in the building next to ours who was always sitting out in the yard on a chaise or at the pool, while his wife went off to work. After a few months I found out that his name was George Romero and that he had made a movie called "Night of the Living Dead". Many of our neighbors were in the movie and in the next one which was something like "Dawn of the Living Dead" that was filmed in a local mall.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Steven wrote: "There's an author named Tamara Thorne that has some amazing stuff out. She writes a lot of ghostly type stuff and her books have just some great, what I call "cinematic" endings...."..."

I wish Hollywood would jump on some of these authors' stories. Especially since a lot of the movies coming out feel like reruns lately or just remakes. I am looking forward to seeing The Lightning Thief movie but think they may have jammed 5 books worth into one movie so I'm not sure how well it will be and I am still waiting for info on The Nightmare Academy movie based off Dean Lorey's books. Stephen Sommers (the Mummy movies & Van Helsing) is working on that. Also there was talks of James Patterson's Maximum Ride being made into a film and news of that has vanished.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Steven wrote: "Ghost House Pictures would be a great company to take her stuff on but also think George Romero (Night of the Living Dead & Creepshow) could pull these off well...."

When I was firs..."

Hey JoAnn...cool info...I used to go to school at the Art Institute in Pittsburgh and met Romero while there. I grew up on the scary movies and the zombie stuff thanks to my dad and my grandmother so meeting him was very cool. I also went to a zombie/horror movie convention that was right next to the mall they filmed Dawn of the Dead in so that was a great time as well. I really did enjoy living in Pittsburgh at the time and thought it was a very interesting city. I am still a Steelers fan to this day also

Steven wrote: "..I really did enjoy living in Pittsburgh at the time and thought it was a very interesting city.."

We also enjoyed living there and also thought it was a great place to live. It has so much to offer.

JoAnn & Steven, what good memories about Romero. We liked his work, particularly Night of the Living Dead. Great place to have a convention! LOL

deborah

madrano wrote: "JoAnn & Steven, what good memories about Romero. We liked his work, particularly Night of the Living Dead. Great place to have a convention! LOL

deborah"

Absolutely, I am such a zombie movie junky thanks to that guy. I think my wife would like to have a talk with Romero about turning me into this horror/living dead movie freak but it's all good. I don't know what it is about zombies but they really are just one of the scariest monsters to me. I wouldn't want to live in a world infested with them. We used to get visits from Romero's makeup man Tom Savini when I was in school there. He was friends with one of my teachers so he would come in to check on our work...see who he could hire I guess.

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Steven wrote: "..I really did enjoy living in Pittsburgh at the time and thought it was a very interesting city.."

We also enjoyed living there and also thought it was a great place to live. It ha..."

I think the thing I liked about Pittsburgh the most was it's history and how often they filmed things there. Plus they had the best zoo I have ever gone to. That place was the best place to get awesome up close pictures of the animals. I still have a great shot of one of their elephants from back then.

I agree that the Pittsburgh Zoo was awesome. The city has great museums too...the Carnegie is one of the best I have ever been to.

These authors' thoughts on writing were very interesting. Lots of interesting "tips".

It is in two parts:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/...

JoAnn, from what i saw there was a wealth of information in those tips. Thank you for sharing. Is writing something you've considered doing yourself?

deborah

madrano wrote: "JoAnn, from what i saw there was a wealth of information in those tips. Thank you for sharing. Is writing something you've considered doing yourself?

deborah"

Not fiction, for sure. I have written for local newspapers over the years and done a lot of book reviews. Editing is what I really liked to do when I was younger.

One thing that jumped out at me in those tips was how many of the authors talked about editing and not overwriting/using too many words which, as you know, is a pet peeve of mine!!!

Yes. I found myself wishing even established writers would look carefully at some of those tips.

deborah

Katie Couric's interview with Kathryn Stockett, author of THE HELP

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/katie...

Stockett mentions the movie version of "The Help"—which I figured would happen but had not heard about. Tate Taylor (Pretty Ugly People) will direct. According to Variety, “Taylor grew up with Stockett in Mississippi—his mother inspired one of the Mississippi matriarchs in the novel—and was so helpful to the author that she gave him an early peek; an option was made well before the book came out.”

On the PenguinUK website it says that the author is at work on a second novel: “It also takes place in Mississippi, during the 1930’s and the Great Depression. It’s about a family of women who learn to get around the rules, rules created by men, in order to survive.” Sounds good to me.

I had no idea this site of Couric's existed and will be checking back for more author interviews. One I noticed on this page was an interview with Thomas Friedman.

My SIL called yesterday to tell her of the marvelous book she just read. Sure enough, it was The Help. I told her i haven't been able to get it from the library yet but am eager to do so. She felt it really informed her about the civil rights movement. As an avid film viewer, she'll be tickled to learn there's a movie ahead.

deborah

Thanks so much for The Help author interview w/ Katie Couric. I intend for this book to be my book club choice for the next season!
I think the actress,viola Davis who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Doubt could be a pick to star in the movie!

R. wrote: "Thanks so much for The Help author interview w/ Katie Couric. I intend for this book to be my book club choice for the next season!.."

I listened to/sorta watched this interview while cooking dinner last night and thought it was very interesting.

It sounds interesting, Deborah. Good luck with the sales!


deborah

Pat Conroy to publish "My Life in Books"

http://www.bookpage.com/the-book-case...

Interesting piece on Kitty Kelley's unauthorized biography of Oprah. What I found of special interest was her methodology (how she compiled information).

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3639530...

After three years of research and 850 interviews with occasionally reluctant sources, author Kitty Kelley finds "Oprah Winfrey to be a “remarkable woman” who is “sometimes generous ... sometimes petty.” In the unauthorized biography “Oprah: A Biography” by Kitty Kelley, the writer probes beyond the public persona of this powerful, influential woman."


JoAnn,from this review it doesn't seem like there will be anything earth shattering. I was going to get on the library list for the book (it's release date is April 13.) However, after reading the review you posted and noticing that the book is 544 pages I think I'll take a pass for now. Are you going to read it?

I was disapointed to read that Oprah's new network will replace Discovery Health Channel. I like that channel.

"A joint venture of Winfrey's Harpo Inc. and Discovery Communications Inc., OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network is now set to sign on Jan. 1 after missing two earlier deadlines. It will be available in approximately 80 million homes, replacing the Discovery Health Channel."

Read more: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3626854...

No, Alias, I will not be reading this book about Oprah, as I do not like the woman.

I just enjoyed reading how Kelley did her research. I am a voyeur in that respect. I love reading about how authors write.