The Next Best Book Club discussion

Hayes here. New to Goodreads and to the world of websites and forums in general. Where's the glossary for the abbreviations!! Can't understand anything!! (Not really, but a few go flying right over the greying head.)

I've been living in Italy since 1986. I came in a weak moment and never left (it's a looong story).

I'm a trained EFL/ESL teacher, but haven't been teaching much anymore (doesn't pay enough here to make it worthwhile) and have been working on translating, editing, proofreading, etc. That doesn't pay much either, but it's more interesting work.

It's great to be here and to find lots of new books to read and lots of great comments. Thanks in advance - Hayes

Welcome Hayes! Great to have you here . Since we're a very friendly group here st TNBBC, we'd like to hear your story sometime. :)
So, what are your reading interests? Regarding your abbreviations problem, I can post some here that'll help you. Maybe if I miss something, others will pitch in.

TNBBC - The next best book club
GR - Goodreads
Avatar - Your profile picture

Can't think of anything else now. Happy Reading

Hello Hayes (likin the name)
I am sure you will navigate just fine in here, and you will find many of us very helpful.. if you ever need to!

Do you know the basics?
LOL (Laughing out loud)
IMO (In My Opinion)
LMAO (Laughing my ass off)

hee hee.

thanks everyone... great help so far.
Book interests... well...

My name is Hayes (my grandma's maiden name) and I'm a mystery junkie...
Dorothy Sayers
Laurie King
Andrea Camilleri (italian mystery writer, really good!)
PD James
Dick Francis (remember him?)
and lots more.

Scientific essays - SJ Gould, S Pinker, et. al.

Really good novels - I'm not a big fiction fan, so it's gotta be really good. B Kingsolver one of my fav's.

the classics - I'm behind in my education, but it's never too late!

bye, H

I've only heard of Dick Francis in your list Hayes and he's good. If you're really into mysteries, do give Sam Bourne a try.

Welcome Hayes.

I like the name too- we had a Hayes family in the small town I grew up in, so the name gave me some smiles about friends I had not thought about in a long time.

Welcome, Hayes!

If you don't know Dorothy Sayers I highly recommend her novels. Brilliant social commentary, good mysteries and a very good sense of humor.

I quote here from wikipedia: She "was a renowned British author, translator and Christian humanist. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between World War I and World War II that feature English aristocrat and amateur sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. However, Sayers herself considered her translation of Dante's Divina Commedia to be her best work. She is also known for her plays and essays."

Ian Carmichael played Wimsey for the BBC/PBS mystery productions, none of which I have seen! I was already living here and I can't afford the DVDs.

Laurie King has two series. I like the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes books. Lots of fun, very well written, very believable - she was surely inspired by Sayers. King's other books are great too. Particularly liked Folly which deals with aging, depression, self-reliance, among other personal bug-a-boos, and is a brilliant mystery at the same time.

H

Hi Hayes, Welcome! You have great taste in authors, IMO. Laurie King is one of my absolute faves, and Dorothy Sayers and PD James are right up there too!

(I always thought IMHO meant in my humble opinion...no??)

Welcome Hayes! You will become addicted to this group.

Welcome Hayes,

This group is really awesome! Have you ever read Harlan Coben? I love him for suspense/mystery type books. I recommend Tell No One and Gone for Good!

Thanks Hayes for that information. I will surely check these authors out. I'm a fan of Sherlock Holmes too.

oh goodie, new authors to read... thanks

Hi there Hayes, and welcome.

H
Welcome!
I have read several Dick Francis books. My aunt introduced me to him. Since his mysteries all seem to revolve around horses (and I own one) she thought I would enjoy them. And I do!

Thanks everyone for the abbr. definitions. I was a little stumped by a few of them myself.

Welcome Hayes!

Hello & Welcome

Hi Hayes...welcome!!!

Ciao hayes! Che bello che vivi in Italia. Sono partita da Italia mercoledi e provo a non pensare tropo a questo perche mi manca molto.


Oeps, sorry very rude of me to write in italian but forgive me I just left the love of my life: Italy, last wednesday.
So Hayes, where do you live, from where did you come....oh tell me everything, even in a message to me if you don't like writing everything public.......
I heard often Carmichael mentioned but wasn't sure about it. With which books can you compare it?

Welcome to the group - the abbreviations will come. TTYL (Talk to you later) ;-)


--
Wife of fantasy author: Michael J. Sullivan
The Crown Conspiracy (Oct 2008)
Avempartha (April 2009)

Ciao Jeane, Sono a Roma... Good thing you left! It's really cold here now: 3 below zero (Centigrade) in the country this weekend! about 5 degrees above now. I don't know what that is is Farenheit anymore, but I can tell you it's cold. (wait...32F is 0C, so -3C is probably about 24F)

I've been here for 22 years. I came when NYC was in the deepest darkest of recessions; there was no permanent work to be had as an ESL teacher, just lots of "adjunct" work, meaning part-time contracts - 3 hours in Brooklyn, 4 hours in Manhattan, 3 hours in Queens... I spent my life on the subway and couldn't cope, so I took myself to Italy for a year, 2 years max (yeah, right...)

I came to Rome because I had friends here. There probably would have been more work up north, but the weather's better here too, and I found work right away, got a full-time permanent contract with paid vacations and a full health plan... I couldn't believe it! Why go home? So I didn't.

Got married 12 years ago, but we've been together for 20 years and we have a son who is 11 years old.

Now the deepest darkest recession is here in Italy and I'm out of work again, but fortunately can find enough things to do to keep busy.

Come mai sei inamorata di Italia? a presto

Hello Hayes. I think you will probably be expanding your list to overflowing in short order.

Oh. My. Goodness. You guys writing in Italian is making my yearning to explore that country even more pronounced! I have this weird draw to that country and its language. I am also reading Eat, Pray, Love right now and she is in Italy and it's just more teasing! As far as I'm concerned you guys can write in only Italian and I will be happy...

thanks, Maranda. You should definitely come explore - there's so much here that's great (and a lot of stuff that's not, just like anywhere else I suppose.) I still love Italy, although I'm getting very tired of living in Rome. Really beautiful in a lot of ways, and almost impossible to live here.

Hayes I feel like jsut answering you completely in Italian but would find it too rude for any other members. But probably something will come in italian between the rest.
It is really getting bad for Italy, I know. And many people don't realize the worse part isn't near yet! E anche per motivi di lavoro che il mio ragazoo non vuole stare in Italia....it is so difficult not to switch to italian when I know someone speaks Italian!!!1 I love talking in Italian!!!!
At home Italy has always been seen a bit like the special country. Also soccer was important when I was much younger and that way I started to follow the azzurri with my sister and father.Then one day I saw how Paolo Maldini was playing and it looked like moving art to me! I found out he played for Ac Milan and since then I am a Milanista. That is about 16 years ago. Around the same time I got completely obsessed by Italy and surpassed the interest we have at home in Italy. Till I was about 22 I said that not knowing the language was the only thing that kept me in Belgium. But since I was about 16 I knew I didn't wanted to stay in Belgium later. My biggest dream was once to go to Italy and about five years ago I did as au pair for a year. Since then I am also together with my Italian boyfriend. Since I was about 12 years old or maybe 14-15 I have been completely in love with the language, the culture, mentality, food, sport, cars, the whole way of living and so much more. And it is the country where finally I felt home.
hayes, I would have liked to still be there. In the village where I stayed it went to -2. Here in Dublin around 7pm it was 4 degrees yesterday. So it isn't really better.
Il tuo marito e` Italiano? Romanista?

Yeah, the situation here is pretty dire. We'll see if we can make it through. My husband's cousin has just moved to belgium for work; tell your boyfriend to accept the first thing that looks decent - take the money and run!

Husband is Italian yes, but the reason why I married him ; ) is that he's the only italian I know who doesn't like soccer/football... we watch every now and then, but it's not at all part of our lives. He's a musician in his free time, and works in telecommunications to pay the bills.

Hayes my boyfriend is luckily for me a soccer loving italian!!!!
I am from Belgium!!! Where did his cousin move to?

I don't know, actually. I imagine Brussels, but am not sure.