Be kind . . .

ralphinlaos · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 2:04 am Post subject:

Hi Penelope -

Have you ever seen 84 Charing Cross Road - the movie or the play? It's really terrific - lots ot talk about books and the US/England connection during WW!!. I loved the movie - Anne Bancroft and Tony Hopkins and some lovely English actors. I think it was 84, wasn't it? Maybe 88?

Also, Shirley Valentine is a wonderful play and movie - great dialogue and performances.

I'd love to work in a "great big barn of a bookstore." I've always wanted to own and operate a bookstore, but have never lived in an area which would support one (excepet for New York City, and I had other interests at that time). Someday . . .

I'm going to look up Cheshie Book Centre on-line and see what you are doing - and I still have to read your blog (I keep forgetting - until I log off, of course).

Have you read anything really good lately? I've read about six books this past month, and none of them were anything to write home about. Hopefully, something in my "to read" file will be "unable to put down," as they say in far too many bad reviews.

What's your favorite reading topics? Fiction or non-fiction? Who are your favorite living authors? Favorite dead ones?

I look forward to hearing from you again.

Ralph

Penelope · Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2008 9:40 am Post subject:

Hi Ralph

It is 84 Charing Cross Road - I have read the book and seen the film twice and loved them both. I enjoyed the book slightly more as I like the little bits of humour which weren't in the film.

I also liked Shirley Valentine.....but my favourite film is 'Educating Rita' by Willie Russell.

My husband and our friends Derek and John, and I often go to the the Theatre in Manchester - The Lowry, and we recently saw 'The History Boys' by Alan Bennet. Alan Bennet is definitely one of my favourite writers, in fact he is one of my favourite people.

We also saw a new production of 'Hobson's Choice' last season which was brilliant. We also enjoyed an Indian Dance troop perform 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' with lots of dancing and in four languages. That was so colourful and memorable. My very favourite production was 'The Magic Flute' Mozart's Opera. I was on a high for days after seeing that.

Some of my favourite books.....well I have read almost all of Amy Tan's novels. I like Isabelle Allende - especially 'House of Spirits' and 'Portrait in Sepia' - they are about Chile, and she being the daughter of the President Allende - they are well researched.

Of course, these will probably not be your cup of tea because they are all about women and by women. I like to read about womens' bravery and resilience in dire circumstances.

Memoirs of a Geisha is also one of my favourite books although that, unbelievably, was written by a man.

I don't read much in the way of non-fiction. I like history, but much prefer to read well-researched historical fiction as then I am more likely to remember the names and dates.

I can't get on with John Grisham I'm afraid, but he certainly is very popular and his books do make good films. I find the same with Jane Austen - can't stand the books but love them made into films and plays.

I do like the travel writer Patrick Leigh Fermor - A Time of Gifts - is a superb book about his travels as a student in Crete.

I think my tip-top favourite is 'A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Gallaxy' a trilogy in five parts!!!! They are the only books I have read more than once. I have liked all Douglas Adams' books.

My blog is very boring.....I can never think of anything to rant about.....I need the stimulation of the people on Booktalk to get me going. I'm not really a natural ranter.... Laughing

I keep thinking about you and your students, especially that elderly gentleman who cycles all that way each evening to your classes. I have told many people about him......he might be encouraged to know that.

By-the-way, the books you will see listed by us on abe and on our website are only the ones on the internet database. We have several thousand others - modern paperback fiction etc....in the store just for browsing.

Look forward to hearing more about your students.

Best Wishes
Penny

JTrunner · Newbie Joined: 02 Apr 2008 Posts: 1 Gender:

Hello everyone, I'm Jean, or you could call me JT. Stumbled upon Booktalk when I Googled "reading groups", and it has been a fantastic discovery! Browsed through the forums and was glad to find some insightful comments and discussions, and its always great to have perspectives from all over the world!

I know I should post on the Intro Forum for my first post, but I wanted to link up to Ralph's emails, so I'm gonna reply and intro in the same email! Very Happy

I'm a Singaporean citizen (island state south of the West Malaysia peninsula), and have lived here all my life. I'm currently on a break before starting a new job in 2 weeks, and wanted to take up reading some good books again, a long relinquished hobby since starting my last job. English is not my native language, in fact, most of you probably would not understand a word I speak/write before I turned 10. But my Dad/brother directed me to Joe Dever's Lone Wolf gamebooks (remember those?!), and from there I started reading fantasy/sci-fi novels, before moving on to other genres. Reading literally "opened" the world to me, and gave me a way to discover new perspectives/information independantly. God bless my English Literature teachers! Sadly, I neglected this hobby when the rat race took over, but hopefully this time it won't be left behind!

Ralph, I agree with you about most Asians (well, Singaporeans anyway, I've lived here all my life) not reading much, or if anything, most read the current fashion mags/thrillers/romance etc. Talk about instant gratification - video games, Internet, clubs and bars, new houses and fast cars... I guess most modern Asians living in the cities have more than enough to be distracted with, not to mention the typical 60hr or more work week for the corporate types. I was fascinated by your account of teaching in Laos, and I think it's really great that you're spending time teaching in Laos (and previously Taiwan?). I spent about 2 weeks in the Philippines about 6-7 tears ago, and helped out at an orphanage/children's school. The eagerness of the children to learn really amazed me. They were constantly reminded that education is the key out of poverty, and the best thing about that place was that many kids who left at adulthood came back to help financially or on the weekends. Beyond the potential material gains though, the children really loved to learn new things within or outside of the classroom.

Your account also reminded me about John Woods, that ex-Microsoft guy who's going around building schools in Asia, and I recently flipped through a book "3 Cups of Tea", about another person building schools in Afghanistan. There are a number of Asian organisations building schools in China and India as well (may not be covered in western media), in an attempt to bring these countries (typically the rural areas which are a lot less well off) out of poverty. I'm not familar with South-East Asia other than Malaysia/Singapore/Indonesia though, so I was excited to read your comments. Do share more about your experiences!

regards,
Jean (JT)

Ophelia · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:53 am Post subject:

Hello Jean, and welcome to Booktalk! Smile

I'm always happy to welcome new members, and it's particularly encouraging when someone writes that they have had a look at our forums, and liked what they saw.

Also, one of my pet ideas is to attract people from all parts of the globe, especially places where no one seems to know about us so far. And finally, my personal credo is that there must be a number of people all over the world whose mother tongue is not English but who are fascinated by English and books written in this language-- if only they could hear about us.

I know that there are people like this in Europe for example, but I have no idea how to reach them. Advertising is Chris's department, and anyway most people seem to find us simply by doing what you did, googling something like "reading group". This is what I did.

What you write about Asia is of course very interesting to me, and we'll all be very pleased to hear what you can tell us about Singapore.

As for our books, I understand from what you wrote that you are interested in fiction... All three titles with the book pictures are still open for discussion, and our current selection is "No Country For Old Men", by Cormac McCarthy. The discussion only started a short while ago.
Would you like to join us?
I look forward to discussing books with you.

ralphinlaos · Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 2:05 am Post subject:

Hi Jean - my neighbor!

I've only been to Singapore when changing planes at the airport, so have never seen the country. However, living in Asia, Singapore is always held up to Asians as an example of what can be achieved with the right leadership/government. Have you ever read any of Somerset Maugham? He's one of my favorite authors and, I really do believe, one of the reasons I am in Asia today. Read some of his short stories (preferably while drinking a Singapore Sling on the veranda at Raffles on a Sunday afternoon - I bet that would be an expensive afternoon).

Welcome! What is your new job going to be?

And Penelope -

Willie Russell didn't write 84 Charing Cross Road, did he? I also loved Educating Rita. I thought that all three of these (Educating Rita, 84 Charing Cross Road and Shirley Valentine) started as plays - didn't know they were novels. Somewhere, someday there must be a "Best of Willie Russell" collection.

And wasn't Educating Rita a great showcase for Julie Walter? Not to mention the always terrific Michael Caine (did you read his autobiography? Pretty good, and I heard he actually wrote it himself).

Several years ago, there was a movie wherein Julie Walter and Brenda Blethyn were friends, one of them a lot of money at a bingo game, and they took off for a trip to Las Vegas, where they met Kris Kristofferson. Have you seen this? There's a lot more to it than what I have mentioned; a good movie - and Brenda is always a treat.

The History Boys was a recent hit on Broadway, made into a movie which quickly came and went - and I look for it every time I buy DVDs.

One of my all-time favorites is Hobson's Choice - ever since I saw Charles Laughton, John Mills and Brenda DeBanzie in it - years ago. I know that they did a successful musical version (with Norman Wisdom, I think) - have they now done another? The Norman Wisdeom one was called Walking Happy.

Of course, it only goes to prove my point - David Lean is the best director of all time! Look at the list of his films and compare them with any other director. John Ford comes in second, with Hitchcock far behind. I just watched Bridge on the Rivr Kwai last week - again - and, even butchered as it was for TV, still tremendous movie-making. And what's the one with Trevor and Celia - Brief Encounter? Beautiful, huh? And, I think, written by Sir Noel - just the very best, that's all.

I've only read one of Amy Tan's books, The Joy Luck Club, and enjoyed it. Did you know that she plays in a rock group with Stephen King and a couple of others? That's true!

House of Spirits - a terrific book.

Yes, Memoirs of a Geisha was quite a surprise - being written by a man, I mean. But I enjoyed it very much - but was disappointed by the movie.

I don't know Patrick Lee Fermor, but will keep my eye open for him. Who's the travel writer - I forget his name - who has written about Laos and Southeast Asia - and many other places (Patagonia?) I remember his talking in one of his books about Laos and how they put marijuana in the cookies and how clean the brothels were. I'll remember his name later (as soon as I post this).

I've never read A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - five parts? Five separate books or all in one volume? Didn't Douglas Adams have a hit with something else years ago? Maybe I'm confusing him with someone else. Watership Down? Something about rabbits, wasn't it?

I envy you and your theatergoing; that's one of the things I miss most about not living in the States. There was a period of about 15 years when I saw everthing done on and around Broadway. One of my real dreams is to go back and spend a week in NYC and see everything I can in the space of a week. Then, back to real life ...

Well, I have to get out of here - students coming in a little over an hour.

Ralph


	HOME	ABOUT	BOOKS	VIDEOS	TRANSCRIPTS	LINKS	BLOGS	DONATE	CONTACT