Reading for pleasure! What are you reading now?

dbooks · Wed Apr 23, 2008 11:05 am

Ralphinlaos: Ian Rankin is Scottish, his novels feature Inspector John Rebus, and are based in Edinburgh. It is a bit early for me to recommend him since I have not yet finished reading The Falls, and haven't yet read any other novel by him. However, he is considered as one of the best new detective novel writers, along with Peter Robinson (when I write "new", it is as opposed to older, longer established writers such as Rendell or P. D. James). I believe he "travels" a bit: he has been translated at least in French.
I have never heard of Garrison Keillor: is he good?

Theomanic · Wed Apr 23, 2008 12:36 pm

Ralph: The author you are mentioning is Anne Perry, and the movie about those events is called "Heavenly Creatures". It's a creepy and eerily moving movie... definitely a surprise when I rented it, as I didn't know it was based on a true story. The movie is from New Zealand, I believe, but maybe the actual event happened there and the movie was filmed elsewhere. I'm not certain. I am told that Anne Perry didn't like the movie or feel it was very accurate. As to the movie being based on a book, I haven't a clue!

Naked Lunch is still quite the shocker, even in this hedonistic day and age. :laugh:

Though personally, I felt all the "shocking" situations got a bit repetitive.

Ophelia · Wed Apr 23, 2008 1:50 pm


	Quote: Memoirs of a Geisha is a really fascinating novel, I have read it twice... Right now I am reading a detective fiction: The Falls, by Ian Rankin. I had never read any Rankin novels before and I am enjoying it, the plot is complex and intriguing.

I don't know enough about these authors to comment, but I'll take the opportunity to say hello, Marie. It's good to see you're finding your way around the forum.

President Camacho has started a thread called "Taking control" in which he (among other things) imagines a modern form of democracy which reminds me of direct democracy in Switzerland.
I don't know whether you are a Swiss citizen and are able to vote, but perhaps you can join the thread and tell us about your experience of direct democracy. The last time I talked about this with a Swiss person was over 10 years ago and she seemed to say that voters were not very motivated.

Also, you are just a few posts away from 10, which is the number of posts you need to be able to vote in the poll to choose our next fiction title. :smile:

Ophelia · Wed Apr 23, 2008 2:02 pm


	Quote: It's good to see that lot's of us are reading because we like to read; not because we're supposed to read a particular novel

Actually, we're dilligently working on a fool-proof way of preventing any reading by members apart from official BT selections.
I'll let you know how we're progressing (and meanwhile, enjoy those last free reads).


	Quote: Theomanic - I don't know if you are male or female, but I think Naked Lunch has been kept alive all these years and even become a minor classic because of male readers. Does that make any sense? I think there are many books which appeal to one gender more than to the other

This makes perfect sense to me Ralph, especially about novels and movies (you should hear some of my colleagues describing the sort of movies their husbands want them to see as entertainment: Rambo, Spiderman...)

For some types of novels, in particular detective stories and thrillers, I take into account whether the person who advises me to read (or tells me it's awful) is a man or a woman. In my experience, men tend to like more "hardboiled" detective fiction.
And I agree about Jane Austen fans being mostly women ( and of course "tend" and "mostly " are important here.)

dbooks · Wed Apr 23, 2008 4:53 pm


	Theomanic wrote: Ralph: The author you are mentioning is Anne Perry, and the movie about those events is called "Heavenly Creatures". It's a creepy and eerily moving movie... definitely a surprise when I rented it, as I didn't know it was based on a true story. The movie is from New Zealand, I believe, but maybe the actual event happened there and the movie was filmed elsewhere. I'm not certain. I am told that Anne Perry didn't like the movie or feel it was very accurate. As to the movie being based on a book, I haven't a clue!

Wow, I had no idea that this creepy movie was based on a true story. And that one of the girls involved was famous writer Anne Perry (not that I have read anything by her, but it is really a name everyone knows). I find this idea even more creepy... Apparently she hasn't seen the movie, and it is a part of her life she understandably does not like to remember (you can read this on her official web site: http://www.anneperry.net/3.html)

ralphinlaos · Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:53 am

Hello everyone -

dbooks: Garrison Keillor is an American writer who is quite popular here, but I think his books are probably a little bit too "American" to appeal to the rest of the world. That's what I was wondering; I imagine there are authors who are very popular in one country but unknown in others. But then, Willa Cather was a very "American" author and I think she is well known around the world, isn't she?

Yes, Theomanic, that is exactly who I was referring to - Anne Perry. She's still quite popular among female readers in America. Somewhere out there, there must be a book (non-fiction) detailing this story and her life. I'm not surprised she herself dos not want to disuss it. I vaguely remember seeing Heavenly Ceatures quite a while ago - mostly memorable because it was based on a true story and for the fact that one of the girls went on to become a best-selling author. I wonder what ever happened to the other girl.

Oh, Ophelia, do I detect a hint of sarcasm there? More than a hint, I think. Surely you, as a college professor, cannot deny that much of what your students read is not of their own choosing, no?

Thanks for the Anne Perry website, dbooks. I'd love to know (read) the whole story, but probably won't find it there.

Ralph

Chris OConnor · Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:26 am

Ophelia said:


	Quote: Actually, we're dilligently working on a fool-proof way of preventing any reading by members apart from official BT selections. I'll let you know how we're progressing (and meanwhile, enjoy those last free reads).

ROFL This was pretty funny! :laugh:

Ophelia · Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:45 am

Yes, Ralph, this was just a joke, not sarcasm. :smile:

I actually don't associate students with the idea of reading lists because I teach in a secondary school, and only my colleagues in French lit give set reading.

ralphinlaos · Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:24 pm

I have no idea what ROFL means; does everyone else?

Theomanic · Thu Apr 24, 2008 12:40 pm

Rolling On the Floor Laughing

Lawrence · Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:06 pm

Theomanic, you mentioned that comments from readers on your writings didn't mean much to you unless you knew them. One fellow posted to my blog, "Lawrence, please send me the secret decoder ring so I can understand what the hell you are saying." I'm ROFL and I take him very seriously when I do my rewrite. This place is fun. L

President Camacho · Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:37 pm

You aren't going to let me forget about that so easy, are you Lawrence?!?! :laugh:

I apologized for that comment if you didn't see the post. I'm ashamed you brought it back up. Well, I hope that it's water under the bridge now.

Lawrence · Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:09 pm

Pres,
You don't understand, I haven't been able to communicate effectively with anyone since the second grade. I know I don't talk like other folks but being on BookTalk allowed me to say"Hey, it's OK" do the best you can do. I really believe the rewrite will more clearly state the essence of what is in the blog. I just wish others would comment. I gleam much from honest comments. So, ashamed be not. You are my new best friend. L

President Camacho · Thu Apr 24, 2008 9:20 pm

Great. Now I feel like a monster. BT isn't doing anything for my self esteem.

ralphinlaos · Fri Apr 25, 2008 4:08 am

Oh, President Camacho, I don't think you will ever have self-esteem issues. But I do think you are in danger of becoming the official mascot around here - not a bad thing at all.

Now I'm going to go and see if I need a decoder ring to make sense of Lawrenceindestin's blog (I certainly can't figure out that handle of his).

Ralph

Forum rules

Reading for pleasure! What are you reading now? Tweet This Topic

Who is online

Chat Room Always Open!