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I am reading Life of Pi and The Screwtape Letters right now for challenges and Sunday school.

Has anyone read Last Man by Mary Shelley? I didn't find it easy to get into - an awkward writing style, quite unlike Frankenstein. I had the feeling she was trying to "step up" her writing to please the literati who may have had expectations of her. But some interesting insights into the famous people who were close to her, Byron, P Shelley, etc (and who were depicted as various characters in the story). Not that I remember it that well...

And speaking of people being written into novels - Dickens; I hear from some that he wrote himself (his moods and reflective thoughts) into female characters from time to time.

LeAnn wrote: "Rick: Colleen McCullough wrote an entire series on the end of the Roman Republic (Masters of Rome series, I think). I read most of the series last year because we were covering ancient Rome with my..."

are you reading the Sir Richard Burton version of 1001 nights?
just bought it

Robin wrote: "Has anyone read Last Man by Mary Shelley? I didn't find it easy to get into - an awkward writing style, quite unlike Frankenstein. I had the feeling she was trying to "step up" her writing to pleas..."

Robin
I tried to read it- but found it very mind-numbing- too essoteric- so I deep sixed it

Mike wrote: "I've got several books going right now...try to keep several going at once most of the time. Usually a fiction, a non-fiction, and possibly an audio to listen to when my hands are busy with somethi..."

LOVE GK Chesterton!! great witty book!

Not as familiar with him as I might be. I love C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, George MacDonald, (contemporaries) but haven't read a lot of Chesterton. Not being a mystery fan I haven't even read his Father Brown Mysteries.

I may try some of his non-fiction next.

I have complete Father Brown Stories- while they are a bit more seriocomic then Wodehouse- they are very well written and well worth your time-
you can download them for free
and type GK's name by search

mike actually use this link


10,000 plus free classics - unabridged

Wow, that could take a couple of days......:)

By the way, I love Wodehouse.

same here
Love THE DRONES CLUB & THE OLDEST MEMBER

Watch out for flying bread rolls....

I discovered my first Jeeves story maybe 15 years ago. Hooked ever since.

Hi everyone; I just want to mention the passing of J.D. Salinger. A great loss to the literary world and mastermind of my favorite book of all time, "The Catcher In The Rye". A thousand pities indeed.

REST IN PEACE, J.D.!

I am currently reading Tatiana and Alexander by Paullina Simons. This is the second book of a trilogy. The best way to describe this series is epic historical, with romance (nothing cheesy), suspense, intrigue... set in communist Russia during WW2. I am also reading Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, book 3 in the Outlander series. I have been in a historical mood lately. But I do jump around from genre to genre.

Fiona wrote: "I really liked The Bronze Horseman and liked Tatianna and Alexander enough... but the third one should never have been written. I hope you like it, many others did but then I wonder if those who di..."

Fiona,
I have been staying away from spoilers to The Summer Garden, I hear it is different than TBH and T & A. What did you not like about TSG?
I am liking Voyager so far, I didn't care for book 2, Dragonfly in Amber. I can respect the falling away from Gabaldon, some people seem to dislike some of the more current releases. I am planning to read the entire series as of now, but I will take time in doing so.

Fiona wrote: "I think Simmons starts to flog a dead horse in the third one. She should have left it whilst it was still good - the third one felt more like she was just cashing in.

Dragonfly in Amber wasn't as..."

Good to know, I'll keep that in mind. It's alright, your not vicious, just selective.

Of course, of course Rick, what a long acting career James Mason had! Of the long list I have watched at least five. Loved them all! I will try to search amazon but for what I am looking for you would know best. I want to purchase a series of movies in which James Mason acted in. What DVD collection one can purchase that would best represent his awesome acting skills? Any decade? "The Verdict" was awesome and I remember him well as Captain Nemo and the Roman mini series "Tiberius" (I think it was) but remember distinctly his acting in the Roman Empire setting. I watched the tail end of his career, he sure was a busy actor and by the list you provided, so many different roles. That is so cool!

Brian wrote: "Of course, of course Rick, what a long acting career James Mason had! Of the long list I have watched at least five. Loved them all! I will try to search amazon but for what I am looking for you wo..." I loved his final role in "The Shooting Party" as the patriarch of a titled English family. When I think of James Mason, the word "elegant" comes to mind. He is sorely missed.

North by Northwest, Brian!

Jill wrote: "Brian wrote: "Of course, of course Rick, what a long acting career James Mason had! Of the long list I have watched at least five. Loved them all! I will try to search amazon but for what I am look..."

yes Jill- I purchased the DVD of The Shooting Party- it has beeb re-mastered- so beware of the olderone- which I purchesed years ago and was disappointed.
so sad that he remained so fine an actor to the end- with several films coming out after his death at 75 in 1985- if only he has lived a bit longer...

Brian

I recommend
Lolita
Georgy Girl
The Man in Grey
A Star is Born- 1954 Version
Island in the Sun
The Man Between
Odd Man Out
East Side, West Side
Caught
The Boys From Brazil

Gary wrote: "North by Northwest, Brian!"

excellant suggestion Gary!!!! great villianous support by a young Martin Landau too

I am reading DROP CITY by T.C. Boyle. Why? Well,I've always wanted to read it. The "Hippie" theme interests me. My cousin lived in a hippie commune,and I was always jealous that she got to be a wild woman! Ha! I am also reading it because next Wed. he is appearing in St. Louis,and some friends and I are going to go see him speak,and get our books signed! Can't wait! I am really enjoying the book, btw!

didnt T.C. Boyle write a book called Road To Wellsville about john Kellogg?

yes!

print | close
For writer T.C. Boyle, literature is a show
By Joe Williams
POST-DISPATCH FILM CRITIC
Sunday, Jan. 31 2010
T.C. Boyle taught me a lesson.

Twenty years ago, a decade after Boyle had been my supportive writing teacher
at the University of Southern California, I took a bus to a Beverly Hills
bookstore where he was signing his novel "East Is East." But then I decided
that such a famous and well-traveled writer wouldn't remember a humble student,
and I balked at bothering him.

Yet six years later, while he was signing books at Duff's restaurant in St.
Louis, he recognized me in the autograph line and called out my name.

Boyle may be a literary legend, but he's still a teacher at heart. He has
taught writing at USC since 1978, which means a few thousand alumni think of
him as a beloved mentor. (Among them are Jason Reitman, the writer-director of
"Up in the Air," whom Boyle described in a recent phone interview as "a great,
wonderful person I dearly love.")

Boyle retains copies of his ex-students' submitted schoolwork in an
8-foot-by-4-foot bookcase in his office.

Yet as fans of his fiction will see when he visits the St. Louis Country
Library on Wednesday, T.C. Boyle at age 61 isn't some doddering Mr. Chips.

He's as slender as the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and he still wears the
same ear cuff and Van Dyke beard that he sported in the punk era.

Boyle is a rock star among novelists. He packs venues worldwide.

"The biggest group I ever performed for was in 1993 in Central Park in New
York," he said. "It was me and Patti Smith. I suspect that a lot of those 7,000
people came out to see Patti Smith. But nonetheless it was wild. It was like a
rock 'n' roll concert with bodyguards and degenerates howling from the bushes."

Boyle calls his appearances "performances," not "readings."

"A reading connotes some boring classroom with the lights buzzing and
intellectual duty," he said while he was driving to a gig in Los Angeles. "I
want to give a show. Which is why I bought my new red suit. We're really going
to shake it up in St. Louis. I want to do my part to let people know that we
love literature. It's not just something you get in the classroom."

Boyle's influence has spread from the classroom to the culture.

"One thing that disturbs me about the popularity of my book 'The Tortilla
Curtain,' which all these classes or even whole towns read as a project, is the
idea that books exist to produce term papers," he said. "It shouldn't be work.
It should be read because it's subversive and fun."

Officially, Boyle is coming to our town to promote "Wild Child," his latest
collection of short stories. But he has another release, the paperback edition
of "The Women," a novel based on the life of Frank Lloyd Wright, who designed
the house where Boyle lives near Santa Barbara.

"They are hoping it will be a best-seller," he said. "Of course, that's very
hard in literature. A few years ago, The New York Times decided to split their
lists between 'mass market' � i.e., crap � and 'trade paperbacks' � i.e., good
stuff. But immediately, the crap publishers realized they could dominate both
the trade and mass market lists. So it's really hard to get on the list. That's
what they're hoping by trotting me around again."

In this case, "they" is Viking, which has been Boyle's publisher since the late
'70s. His first novel after graduating from the famed writing workshop at the
University of Iowa, where Boyle's mentors included John Irving, Raymond Carver
and John Cheever, was the historical adventure "Water Music."

His subsequent novels included the award-winning "World's End," a
multigenerational saga set in Boyle's native upstate New York, and "The Road to
Wellville," the health-faddist farce that is the only one of Boyle's books to
be turned into a movie.

Boyle says that his stolen-identity story "Talk Talk" has been optioned by a
studio and that his short story "The Lie" will soon become a movie by director
Joshua Leonard. But although Boyle toils in the orbit of Hollywood, he pays
little attention to it.

"I have to devote all my energy to one thing, which is writing fiction," he
said. "That's why I don't write essays and give lectures. The most competitive
thing I do is walking deep in the woods by myself, muttering."

Boyle says his favorite day of the recent past � the third of January 2008, to
be precise � involved a walk in the woods with his dog, a book and bottle of
rum.

Yet he's not unaware of his place in the pantheon of literature.

"John Updike is one of my heroes," he said. "Recently, I learned something
about Updike that was touching to me. He was a brilliant book critic for the
New Yorker but, as far as I knew, he never reviewed any of my books or even
mentioned me. And I thought, Jesus, he's one of my heroes and doesn't even know
who I am.

"But it turns out that's not the case. When I was inducted into the American
Academy of Arts and Letters last year, it was Updike who conducted a vigorous
letter-writing campaign on my behalf. He knew who I was."

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Any one read Road to Wellsville? I saw the movie, I wonder if the book is any good.

I am currently reading "The Last Surgeon" by Michael Palmer. My first book by Mr. Palmer and I am thoroughly enjoying this thriller!

Lori wrote: "I am currently reading "The Last Surgeon" by Michael Palmer. My first book by Mr. Palmer and I am thoroughly enjoying this thriller! "

I read I think The First Surgeon- about a Dr whose best friend is US President- is it that one? or a sequel
I read all of Michael Palmer'sbooks (Robin Cooks too)

Do you like Michael Palmer's books, Rick? So far, I find this book a good story and very well written.

"The Last Surgeon" isn't a sequel and I have an ARC. The book doesn't come out until Feb 15. I would definitely recommend it so far though!

LOVE MICHAEL PALMER BOOKS!!! I read all of his books
I really like Medical Thrillers
LOVED PALMER'S THE NURSES ABOUT VERY VISCIOUS NURSES
AND THE FIRST PATIENT

Just started The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie and Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie is a treasure!!!!

I forgot one more, I'm listening to The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner.

I'm at various stages of reading a whole pile of books, as you can see by looking at my "Currently reading" list. The chief one is Tana French - "In the woods - A Novel"- a murder mystery set in Ireland.

Kay wrote: "I'm at various stages of reading a whole pile of books, as you can see by looking at my "Currently reading" list. The chief one is Tana French - "In the woods - A Novel"- a murder mystery set in Ir..."

haha- you sound like me Kay!!! I cant seem to read one book at a time- right now I am in Victorian England with Lady Audley's Secret and current day New Orleons with Burnzone by James Born

Sadie wrote: "Just started The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie and Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote"

I think "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a masterpiece. Capote remains my favorite writer.

Ivan wrote: "Sadie wrote: "Just started The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie and Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote"

I think "Breakfast at Tiffany's" is a masterpiece. Capote remains my favorite writer."

I haven't read any of his stuff before, but I have seen the movie..and because of Seinfeld, I now know the book has a different ending. :)

RE: The film of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

Capote hated the film. So do I. I love Audrey Hepburn ("Sabrina" is a treat, "Funny Face" is sublime), but she isn't Holly Golightly. This is one of my all time favorite books, and one of the great American masterworks of the 20th century. Capote saw Holly as a young Marilyn Monroe type - sexy, manipulative, ignorant, bold and brash, but deeply vulnerable. The script is one of the worst "adaptations" ever. The only actor in this film who seems to bare any relation to a character from the book is Buddy Ebson as Doc. He seems to have stepped out of a diffrent film. A better film. I want to see THAT film! Patricia Neal's character isn't in the book. She's not bad (she was better as the negro maid in "Hud" - oops, I guess they changed that role from black to white for the film). Mickey Rooney is an abomination as Holly's Japanese neighbor - I cringe just thinking about it. Instead of Capote as narrator we have the VERY heterosexual George Pappard....if I go on I'm going to start drinking again. PLEASE somebody make a good film of this beautiful story. Billy Bob Thornton would make a heartbreaking Doc. Come on Hollywood, I dare ya! Oh, on the positive side, I loved "Moon River."

Sadie wrote: "Any one read Road to Wellsville? I saw the movie, I wonder if the book is any good."

The book is 1000 times better than the movie. It's a great book full of history and humor.

Ivan
you are so very wrong- JOHN MCGIVER as the Tiffany's salesman was perfection personified in the role.
peppard stunk

I'm re-reading "Heat and Dust" by Ruth Prewar Jhabvala.

Ruth Prewar Jhabvala is the screenwriter for all the Merchant-Ivory films
my favorite was maurice- I loved Denholm Elliot

And I just noticed as I'm looking at the book that it's Prawer and I've been saying Prewar. Yes, she's a great screenwriter - won Oscars for "A Room with a View" and "Howard's End" and was up for "Remains of the Day." Funny thing is she didn't write the screenplay for "Maurice" - James Ivory wrote that particular script with Kit Hesketh-Harvey - it's one of just a few she didn't write for Merchant/Ivory - I believe she was busy writing Schlesinger's "Madame Sousatzka."

Rick wrote: "Ivan
you are so very wrong- JOHN MCGIVER as the Tiffany's salesman was perfection personified in the role.
peppard stunk"

I stand corrected.

as far as mickey rooney went as well as peppard- both were terrible- peppard because he was a bad actor- and rooney because his role was wacked out- but you must admit that John McGiver was wonderful as the salesman and Buddy Ebsen- especially- the scene where he leaves on the bus - were both superb

There is never going to be a remake of that film, because the film is a classic and most people, myself included, have never read the book. When the book came out I was young enough that I've got a good excuse.

...sigh... Actually I was old enough, but back then the New York City library system made you pay to read the new books, and I could not afford to do that. I literally never read a current best seller until I could afford to buy them.

What about Merchant Ivory's film production of The Mystic Masseur? I thought the book by Vidia Naipaul was far more intriguing given the way he uses the English language to convey meaning.

Bertille wrote: "What about Merchant Ivory's film production of The Mystic Masseur? I thought the book by Vidia Naipaul was far more intriguing given the way he uses the English language to convey meaning. " Bertille......I am unfamiliar with that film. I have tried to view all the Merchant/Ivory films. When was it made?

Jill wrote: "Bertille wrote: "What about Merchant Ivory's film production of The Mystic Masseur? I thought the book by Vidia Naipaul was far more intriguing given the way he uses the English language to convey ..."

It was released in 2001 and was one of the rare films directed by Merchant and not Ivory.

The movie was filmed in Trinidad, produced in the USA, about two hours long and was the first film adaptation of a novel written by Naipaul.