I actually was thinking of reading Jude the Obscure here soon. But then, I knew it would be depressing.
Last book you've read
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I actually was thinking of reading Jude the Obscure here soon. But then, I knew it would be depressing.
That's a great idea for a book. But... Jellico?And no Archer? Or Spock, for that matter.
Jellico is not in it. It was written pre-Enterprise, so no, Archer's not in it.
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Enterprise_Logs
the first two stories are by Diane Carey a somewhat notoriuous author who tries to force Star Trek to be some kind of Age of Sail in space thing. thank the Great Bird she no longer writes trek novels.
I had to read The Catcher in the Rye twice, for two different schools. I really hated that book.
But on the other hand, sometimes school-mandated books can be good. I actually liked All Quiet on the Western Front and The Poisonwood Bible.
And The Scarlet Letter was okay, if not exactly engrossing. Orlando, on the other hand....<shudder>
I first read it when I was 16, on the recommendation of my mother, well before the movie came out. It took me two months to read and I honestly didn't understand most of it. I did enjoy it, however, have reread it about once a year over the past *cough* years, and still discover something new every time I reread it. I enjoy the movie but don't really think of it as an adaptation of the book, more like based on the book.On the subject of mandatory school reading, I'll never, ever forgive my Grade 12 English teacher for making me read The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz by Mordecai Richler. Just awful. On the other hand, I had to read John Wyndham's The Chrysalids in Grade 9, which not only introduced me to this brilliant author but helped me discover science fiction as a reading genre.
Similarly, I believe (memory is a bit hazy) that my introduction to written science fiction---and perhaps SF altogether---was a school book.
Not an actual assigned book, mind. Just one that happened to be in my 3rd grade classroom which I decided to read one day called The Forgotten Door. (There was this whole thing where if we read enough books and wrote reviews of them, we could get homework passes.)
I loved The Chysalids so much I was tempted to keep the book at the end of the school year, but I was too much of a goody-goody to *gasp* steal something from school. I looked for Wyndham's books over the next few years whenever I was in a bookstore but could never find them because it never occurred to me that they were in the science fiction section and not the regular fiction section. Finally I spotted one of his books by accident, realised it was sci-fi (I can be a bit slow at times, in case that wasn't obvious
), and after that spent a lot of time in the science fiction section of my local library. No one in my family was remotely interested in sci-fi books or television so I had a whole new world opened up to me, and it was marvellous.
I mostly was unimpressed with the books assigned in school, but that was how I came to read Great Expectations, which is one of my favorites.
And Spock is in there. Also, stories by Peter David and our own Greg Cox. I'm not really familiar with Diane Carey, but I do like the naval aspects of Starfleet. This looks like a really interesting anthology.That's a great idea for a book. But... Jellico?
Jellico is not in it. It was written pre-Enterprise, so no, Archer's not in it.
http://memory-beta.wikia.com/wiki/Enterprise_Logs
the first two stories are by Diane Carey a somewhat notoriuous author who tries to force Star Trek to be some kind of Age of Sail in space thing. thank the Great Bird she no longer writes trek novels.
I've read a few books recently...and yes they were all based on movies, but I figured if they were good enough to be rewritten as movies they were probably good books.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult- loved the handling of such a tough ethical dilemma, duty to family vs. duty to self. Having grown up in a family with a disabled sister isn't exactly equivalent of to the story but I could relate to the family dynamics in a way personally and felt it was very well written in that manner as well. I watched the movie after finishing the book...can't say I necessarily like the ending of either 'better', but the movie was more realistic in one way, the book in another. The book had a distracting side plot about was thankfully left out of the movie. Liked the rotating view points and the insights it gave into each family member's 'head' so to speak and how they felt about the situation.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - It's a topic that's been addressed in literature and film several times, the overt racism of the 1960s south. Honestly while I'd had a good idea of what it might have been like, having been a history major with a particular interest in modern US history, I enjoyed seeing the era from a more 'personal' perspective so to speak, especially from the female perspective. While I realize it's fiction and likely dramatized in a way to make it more interesting I also think there was more than a pinch of realism in the story. Again a rotating viewpoint keeps it fresh and the intersection of the three plots at different points was interesting. The ending felt a little...too happy in a way, but I suppose not everything has to be sad or melancholy. The movie was a near spot on translation on to the screen, although the book goes into more details about quite a few things but they're not missed in the film.
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin - We've all had a friend like Darcy, the one who has to be the best and will step over ANYONE to get what she wants. Rachel has been Darcy's friend for years and has continuously let Darcy run roughshod over her, until Rachel's 30th birthday when things start to change. You know, at first I empathized A LOT with Rachel, I basically AM her in a lot of ways. I can also empathize with suddenly having had enough of someone's poor treatment and emotional neediness and wanting to take a stand against it...but to cheat with someone's fiancee two months before the wedding and feeling justified because you knew him first? It felt like too much. I lost respect for the character and I was left feeling. like..if all these characters are capable of such infidelity (both in friendship and romantic relationships) now what's to stop them from cheating on each other again the future? The ending seemed too nicely tied in a way, everyone got what they wanted (in a way)...but not what they needed. Movie was again a good translation and caught the tension and emotions of the book on screen well.
Has anyone else read any of these books? I'm considering getting the sequel to Something Borrowed but I'm not sure if I can handle more of the drama. I'm currently reading One Day by David Nicholls and will likely see the movie once I've finished.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult- loved the handling of such a tough ethical dilemma, duty to family vs. duty to self. Having grown up in a family with a disabled sister isn't exactly equivalent of to the story but I could relate to the family dynamics in a way personally and felt it was very well written in that manner as well. I watched the movie after finishing the book...can't say I necessarily like the ending of either 'better', but the movie was more realistic in one way, the book in another. The book had a distracting side plot about was thankfully left out of the movie. Liked the rotating view points and the insights it gave into each family member's 'head' so to speak and how they felt about the situation.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - It's a topic that's been addressed in literature and film several times, the overt racism of the 1960s south. Honestly while I'd had a good idea of what it might have been like, having been a history major with a particular interest in modern US history, I enjoyed seeing the era from a more 'personal' perspective so to speak, especially from the female perspective. While I realize it's fiction and likely dramatized in a way to make it more interesting I also think there was more than a pinch of realism in the story. Again a rotating viewpoint keeps it fresh and the intersection of the three plots at different points was interesting. The ending felt a little...too happy in a way, but I suppose not everything has to be sad or melancholy. The movie was a near spot on translation on to the screen, although the book goes into more details about quite a few things but they're not missed in the film.
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin - We've all had a friend like Darcy, the one who has to be the best and will step over ANYONE to get what she wants. Rachel has been Darcy's friend for years and has continuously let Darcy run roughshod over her, until Rachel's 30th birthday when things start to change. You know, at first I empathized A LOT with Rachel, I basically AM her in a lot of ways. I can also empathize with suddenly having had enough of someone's poor treatment and emotional neediness and wanting to take a stand against it...but to cheat with someone's fiancee two months before the wedding and feeling justified because you knew him first? It felt like too much. I lost respect for the character and I was left feeling. like..if all these characters are capable of such infidelity (both in friendship and romantic relationships) now what's to stop them from cheating on each other again the future? The ending seemed too nicely tied in a way, everyone got what they wanted (in a way)...but not what they needed. Movie was again a good translation and caught the tension and emotions of the book on screen well.
Has anyone else read any of these books? I'm considering getting the sequel to Something Borrowed but I'm not sure if I can handle more of the drama. I'm currently reading One Day by David Nicholls and will likely see the movie once I've finished.
IIRC, the WW2 story was also notorious for being racist as all get out
Dexter By Design by Jeff Lindsay
50 Dresses That Changed the World arrived in the post today. A great little book to flick through. Not much depth to it, sadly, but as a quick easy-to-access reference list of a well-curated selection of iconic garments, it's great.
Next up, I have Cally Blackman's 100 Years of Menswear, which also arrived today. Going to enjoy that I think, from a brief glance through so far.
Next up, I have Cally Blackman's 100 Years of Menswear, which also arrived today. Going to enjoy that I think, from a brief glance through so far.
doubleohfive
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Hey Holdfast, have you read Fifth Avenue, 5AM by Sam Wasson? I just finished it and it struck me as something that would be just up your alley.
doubleohfive
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Surprisingly, more than I expected to. There's quite a bit of info on the origin of the "little black dress," as well as the beginnings of the script and production of the film, the politics of Hollywood and about Truman Capote as well. Well worth the read, and more so when I watched the film again (for the first time in ages) after reading.
William Shatner's The Return
I've just finished:
1. Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Beautifully written, moving novel. And, no, I'm not going to see the movie.
2. Erin Hunter's Warriors: Into the Wild. Volume 1 of a young adult fantasy series about cats. Fun, even for those of us who are a couple generations past YA.
1. Kathryn Stockett's The Help. Beautifully written, moving novel. And, no, I'm not going to see the movie.
2. Erin Hunter's Warriors: Into the Wild. Volume 1 of a young adult fantasy series about cats. Fun, even for those of us who are a couple generations past YA.
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