Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA
Posted: Tue May 09, 2006 10:09 pm Post subject:
I read Clan of the Cave Bear and the second book as well. I LOVED Clan and DETESTED the second book. I felt that the characters' perspectives were a little "au courant" for the setting of the book. I haven't been tempted top read any of the others.
Just one gal's feelings... _________________ L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais
Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Posts: 224 Location: kingston, ny
Posted: Wed May 10, 2006 1:21 am Post subject:
Donna wrote:
I felt that the characters' perspectives were a little "au courant" for the setting of the book. I haven't been tempted top read any of the others.
Just one gal's feelings...
Although the books are part of the larger series, and therefore its easiest to understand if you read them in order, it IS possible to skip book 3, The Mammoth Hunters, and go to book 4, The Plains of Passage. PoP has lots of scenery details, so if you're at all into Ice Age hortoculture, you'll adore it. Book 5, Shelters of Stone, picks up more on the cultural aspects of the Others (cro-Magnan man). If you're really interested, in an almost stalker-ish way, check out The Auel Board for everything you could ever want to know, and WAY more. Did I say it was stalker-ish?
Of course, nobody knows when the next book is coming.
Joined: 25 Nov 2005 Posts: 94 Location: New Zealand
Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 2:55 am Post subject:
Many good authors mentioned in this thread.. I've accumulated quite a 'wish list' and can't wait to have the time to catch up.
Not reading at all is NOT an option, so I do make time for a few that really call out to be read.. plus some form of distraction is a must and essential when curled up in a tent halfway to nowhere. It gets dark early in winter.. and reading by headtorch all mittened thumbs is the cosiest feeling. The only book requirement (since I have to carry them for 50 plus kilometers over hill and dale, and the odd volcano) is that they have to be light, not content wise.. but in weight
Something about Michael Ondaatje's "the English Patient". For me, Anthony Minghella's screenplay was one of the better adaptations of a novel. Save some classics and LOTR.
I love reading and I love the places I read.. where do others curl up with their books?? _________________ Vorrei quello che stanno mangiando loro.
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 1196 Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia
Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 4:18 am Post subject:
I totally agree with you Leo - reading by headlight torch in a tent is one of my favourite places, doesn't matter where in the world that might be. We always take far too many books away with us wherever we go 'cos the worst thing in the world would be to run out of reading matter whilst on holidays. Okay, so I'm exaggerating, but you get the idea.
Gee, I'm not sure about The English Patient, though. I LOVED the book, but was disappointed in the movie as I didn't feel it portrayed the relationships in the same way as the book. Tell me, Leo, did you read the book or see the movie first?
I love this thread. More please! _________________ Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness
Joined: 25 Feb 2006 Posts: 81 Location: Cedar Creek, Qld, Australia
Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 5:05 am Post subject:
Leo wrote:
I love reading and I love the places I read.. where do others curl up with their books??
Well I mostly read on the train to work. Sitting on a train without reading material is incredibly boring (and I risk falling asleep and missing my stop). Mind you, with a really engrossing book I've almost missed my stop a few times anyway.
I've also got a hammock on the front veranda, but I try to avoid that as it's a real productivity sink. However, it'd make an ideal place to lay and read a book...
In Australia I would sit in my garden and read for an hour after lunch. Peaceful, nice fresh air, very relaxing. The cat would be stalking around bashing ants, lizards and anything else that dared to move.
If it was in the night I might run a lovely hot bubble bath and have a soak while I read. A glass of wine and the cat curled up behind my neck made it perfect.
Here in Paris I generally read on our lounge as we have no outdoor area. If I am going to be out and about (and am not in the midst of a huge tome) I will take a book and read it in a cafe while I lunch.
I love curling up in bed and reading. My guilty pleasure. When I have finished my chores and have a bit of free time I will take the cat and curl up under the covers for an hours snuggling and reading. Especially in winter, there is nothing like having a purring cat to caress and a good book to read while wrapped in your cozy quilt with a mountain of pillows behind you. Absolute bliss!
A nice cup of tea (white tea lately thank you Jenjen!) is also a good companion to a book. _________________ If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 2:29 pm Post subject:
Yesterday I recieved the books I ordered, YAY! Phil picked up John Hodgeman's "The Areas Of My Expertise" and wouldn't put it down. All evening I heard him erupt into gales of laughter, and saying, "Listen to this". He is already halfway done, and I am eagerly anticipating my turn.
Where do I read??? Everywhere. In the summer I like to read in my garden, with my chair situated close to the snap peas. I have a sort of oasis in one corner of my office that is a very cozy place for reading. The floor has been a favorite place since I was a kid, I still even use the dog as a pillow. Although I'm not "beachy", that is the one thing I like to do there.
Woodstocker,
I have not read Jean Auel, it sounds like you can learn some very interesting things reading it. Thanks for your recommendation!
Judy,
I am so glad to hear you love this thread, and I now will always think of you reading by headlight. I also bring lots of reading material of vacation, it's an absolute must. I forgot my books in England when we hopped over to Prague. I was miserable when we ended sitting in the airport for four hours and the only books I found were in Czech.
Debbie,
I used to love the bath/book combo, until I dropped my book in the tub. I am famous for doing stupid things like that. May you be gifted with better coordination than I! _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 1196 Location: buried under a pile of books somewhere in Adelaide, South Australia
Posted: Thu May 11, 2006 11:21 pm Post subject:
Hey Erin, will you be visiting the West Coast anytime in December?
We're going to spend December with our friends in Mt Vernon .... well, Big Lake actually. We're praying for a White Christmas, which would be our first.
But if you're heading back home we could meet at that fantastic bookshop in Seattle....... just remembered its name.... The Elliott Bay Bookshop. I could have spent a lifetime, and a fortune, in that place. _________________ Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness
My suggestion is Rainer Maria Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet. A friend recommended them and I was blown away by their beauty. Here is my favorite quote:
"Things aren't all so tangible and sayable as people would usually have us believe; most experiences are unsayable, they happen in a space that no word has ever entered, and more unsayable than all other things are works of art, those mysterious existences, whose life endures beside our own small, transitory life." _________________ http://antiquariancooks.wordpress.com/
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 9:40 pm Post subject:
NewYorkDely,
Thanks for your suggestion, I am adding it to my next book order! By the way, I checked out your site for the first time today and really enjoyed it. _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
Joined: 25 Oct 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Toronto, Ontario Canada
Posted: Wed May 24, 2006 11:27 pm Post subject:
Erin
One of my very favourites is the trilogy that Debbie suggested by Sandra Gulland. They are historical fiction of the life of Josephine Bonaparte and Napoleon which is written in such a poetic way that they are absolutely worth reading twice. The second book of the series "Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe" was shortlisted for the Trilliam Book Award. Do check these out!
NewYorkDely,
Thanks for your suggestion, I am adding it to my next book order! By the way, I checked out your site for the first time today and really enjoyed it.
Joined: 28 Oct 2005 Posts: 118 Location: Haifa, Israel
Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 4:43 pm Post subject:
I know it's been a while since some of these books came up but I have to second The Woman in White, and the other widely available Wilkie Collins mystery - The Moonstone. I've heard talk of film adaptations in the near future, but am not too sure about that.
Erin - if you're into historical fiction and YA, you might want to try Jennifer Donnelly's A Northern Light. It's set in upstate New York in 1906 (?) and is wonderfully written.
Judy - good to see there's another Gabaldon fan! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. I got into the Outlander series a few years back, and have enjoyed it very much. I've no idea how accurate the historical details are but it seems well-researched. I love the way she throws in just about every genre imaginable and plays around with what would be considered the conventions of each.
Woodstocker - I read the first three Earth's Children books in 7th or 8th grade. It seemed pretty entertaining at the time but when I tried again as an adult I really didn't like it.
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
Posted: Thu May 25, 2006 6:28 pm Post subject:
I used to read a lot of historical fiction when I was younger, mostly about WW2.
Right now I am actually reading 'The Da Vinci Code', I think I'm the last person in the world that has. At halfway through, I really don't see all the fuss. It seems rushed, instead of gripping and fast paced. The characters don't seem very multi-dimensional and Silas' past seems cliche. I guess my expectations were too high, I expected to be drawn into the story unable to free the book from my grasp. Though being a dissalusioned ex-Catholic angry about the churches views on women the theory behind it all does interest me greatly. Who knows maybe the rest of it will floor me and my whole opinion will change. I am keeping an open mind.
I found this list on the BBC website, it seems that Brits have good taste in books. http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/vote/ _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
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