Member: jnwelch

oh thanks. sadly, armchair traveling is all i can do anymore but believe me, i make the most of it. a lively imagination helps. i can often smell, hear, feel and taste things in well-written books. i expect that's true of most ardent readers.

i got 'miss pettigrew' on your recommendation. the narrator is Francis [Frances?] McDormand and while she does a tolerable job, she's really only a tolerably good narrator. i think the book would be better read visually but it's fun in bits and pieces. it's one of those books i'd like to speed read through. i do thank you for the recommendation.

i've found so many wonderful reads in just a shortish time as a librarythingist.

posted by mirrordrum at 6:08 pm (EST) on Dec 22, 2009

i saw your play in a silly book game and i love the title 'wings of the sphinx.' and i see it comes in audio format. whatcha think so far?

and oh, i see you've added the sense and sensibility screenplay/diaries book above. had me rolling on the floor and also made me realize, yet again, that actors do go through a lot. i was thinking this morning, apropos of nothing in particular, that Kate whatshername got hypothermia shooting S&S and then again on the Titanic shoot. it is so not easy to be immersed in near-freezing water. gawd! the woman has spunk.

anyway, i'd appreciate knowing what you think of 'sphinx.' i have a very full plate but the title is so enticing.

posted by mirrordrum at 4:47 pm (EST) on Dec 22, 2009

I posted my review of The Vorkosigan Companion. The upshot: for the hardcore fan.

posted by jennieg at 2:02 pm (EST) on Dec 15, 2009

Thanks for the theatre view. I had hoped to bring my family to see it; I can console myself with the idea that it's too old for my seven-year-old granddaughter.

posted by jennieg at 10:36 am (EST) on Dec 14, 2009

Thanks.I'm doing the 1010 challenge and one of my catagories is cozy mysteries and it is tagged that by some members so I'm going to count it as one !Thanks for the info the library does have the ones you listed so maybe I'll read more than one.

posted by susiesharp at 12:31 pm (EST) on Dec 12, 2009

Thanks!

posted by MrAndrew at 6:55 pm (EST) on Dec 3, 2009

Thanks!

posted by sweetiegherkin at 10:41 pm (EST) on Nov 29, 2009

Hi, Joe. We were at both the Ian Frazier talk and the panel of New Yorker cartoonists. Last weekend we went to the talk on laughter and the First Amendment and Torey Malatina (sp?) on radio humor. Did you get to either of these?

I did not see the Wimsey plays, I regret to say. Oh,well, maybe they'll be revived.

posted by jennieg at 5:53 pm (EST) on Nov 18, 2009

His bio in the book said he is also known as John Dickson Carr, who I've read before-I really like his locked room puzzles! This book is not as good, but still enjoyable.

posted by seasonsoflove at 7:41 pm (EST) on Nov 16, 2009

Hi Joe.......yes, I am loving "Killing Floor". Almost done with it. I have several more Lee Child novels that we got at Goodwill recently. I had thought that he might be more of a "guy" writer, but I've been enjoying this one very much. I look forward to more Jack Reacher novels.

Do you like Dennis Lehane? He's my all time favorite. I also like Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, Stephen White...etc. (you can see all my faves on my page).

It really is fun and makes me so happy to discover a writer that has alot of books out.....I don't have to wait to enjoy more if I want! :o)

Thanks for writing, and happy reading to ya!

posted by porchsitter55 at 1:30 am (EST) on Nov 12, 2009

i'd seen your post on 'doomsday book' and was going to post a comment to you today. :)

i read almost no sci-fi anymore. that was primarily a thing of my youth and young(er) adulthood. time travel books, though, have intrigued me since i was very young because they make my mind go all funny.

doomsday was no exception. i wondered throughout much of the book about how willis was going to deal with kivrin's inevitable attachment to the contemps, regardless of what doom befell them. how do you take 2050 sensibilities into mid-14th century England and not have a nutty? how could one not try to save lives that, without your presence, wouldn't have been saved or try to change events, like the marrying of child brides to lecherous older men, that one's 21st century British sensibilities find abhorrent?

i thought Willis' solution, though agonizing, was the only one feasible and it was a good one. but suppose there'd been less slippage? of course, she'd have met other contemps but the morbidity and mortality rates would still have been high, she'd still have been powerless, she'ds still have formed attachments with people whom she would have had to abandon to their fate either through inaction or through physically leaving.

another huge question for me was the plan that the recorder be implanted so that if Kivrin died, they would potentially be able to find it in a 2050 dig. well, but if Kivrin died in the 1300's, then she would never have existed in the 21st century in order to have anything implanted.

that's why time travel books make my head go crazy. from a 'butterfly effect' perspective, how can time travel not change the present day of the people sending the traveler back?

all that having been said, i promptly got another Connie Willis' 'to say nothing of the dog.' 21 hours long. is the woman incapable of writing a short book. ;)

thanks for the comment. i'd be interested in your thoughts.

posted by mirrordrum at 1:28 pm (EST) on Oct 28, 2009

Well at first, she still drove me insane and made me want to punch her, but by the end, I definitely wanted to punch her a lot less ;)

posted by seasonsoflove at 10:06 pm (EST) on Oct 26, 2009

Your assessment is correct. The traditional action is largely replaced with an adventure through realms of fantasy and fiction. Lots of symbology, lots of mythology. I can certainly see why you, and other people, might not enjoy the later books.

posted by rojse at 6:59 pm (EST) on Oct 24, 2009

I'm so glad you liked it!!! And thank you for all the amazing recommendations!

posted by seasonsoflove at 6:03 pm (EST) on Oct 24, 2009

Thanks. It's so much fun remembering all I've read.

posted by walklover at 8:36 am (EST) on Oct 13, 2009

Thank you!! I'm having a blast with it :)

posted by seasonsoflove at 12:45 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2009

Thanks for your note. Haruki Murakami has become my new "favorite" author. I find his books so refreshing in that they're mentally challenging, fun, and complex, and extremely well written. May he write LOTS for MANY years to come.

posted by whymaggiemay at 7:34 pm (EST) on Oct 2, 2009

I really liked it! I enjoyed Angels and Demons, and DaVinci code, more, but I still really liked this-it was clever with some great characters, and I loved the twist with who the evil guy really was.

posted by seasonsoflove at 3:24 pm (EST) on Oct 1, 2009

So I totally should be working on my homework, but instead am on Librarything...hmmm...wonder who I learned that from? ;)

posted by seasonsoflove at 12:53 pm (EST) on Sep 29, 2009

Thanks Joe. I've been stuck in the house with a bit of a stomach-bug, so I've been re-reading The Nine Tailors with one eye on the computer; hence all the posts in the last day or two.

posted by rankamateur at 8:44 pm (EST) on Sep 27, 2009

Good for you for standing up for Agatha!!!

Also, have you read Endless Night? If you haven't, its one of my favorites-I must have a copy either on the top shelf of the bookcase in the room formally known as purple, or in the attic on my Agatha/Erle shelf.

posted by seasonsoflove at 1:56 pm (EST) on Sep 15, 2009

haven't gotten to the 'psychanics' yet. I'm just dipping into the large print edition for quotes to play the silly book game. i have come across the 'well of loneliness,' which i assume is a bar. cracks me up since 'well' is on my list of most badly written, self-pitying and completely irritating books I've ever read. i know it was published in 1928 but, i mean, REAlly.

Mary Renault was so irked by it that she wrote 'the friendly young ladies' (US title 'the middle mist') as an antidote, or possibly a form of riposte, published in 1943.

posted by mirrordrum at 1:55 pm (EST) on Sep 14, 2009

You're welcome, I'm glad you like it too! Can't wait for a new entry...

posted by rfb at 10:25 am (EST) on Aug 31, 2009

i've been enjoying the online issues of "The Dreamland Chronicles" - a great suggestion on your part.
thanks!
bob

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 4:00 pm (EST) on Aug 30, 2009

a poetry slammer, a storyteller, a writer/student/teacher-to-be--wow!

i used to watch def jam on HBO a lot--and then i found librarything! i have only so much i can do with my eyes. anyway, those 'kids' just rocked my world. totally amazing. ya done good.

and er, if i may ask, what is it you *do* do when you're not librarythinging and engaging in random acts of kindness? not as if those weren't sufficient unto the day, of course. ;)

looking at your books I'm wondering if you might enjoy a book my partner just insisted i read. i got the large print version but their idea of large and mine eyes' differ widely so she's going to get me the audio.

it's *bachelor brothers' bed and breakfast*. i force-read a paragraph and nearly fell off the couch laughing. that was all i could manage but it's pure delight. here's the amazon.com snipurl.

http://snipurl.com/rgsxw

thanks for your very kind comment. i love laughing and i love what people come up with on the silly book game. you've brought yet another smile to my day. how very wonderful to have smiles in this old world. be assured i shall pass them on.

and my awe, best wishes and joy to you and your family,

ellie

posted by mirrordrum at 6:21 pm (EST) on Aug 28, 2009

The Dreamland Chronicles sounds very much up our alley. Thanks!
(i THINK we have just about everything N Gaiman's done - though we first read the novel of Neverwhere years ago, when a friend gave a copy to our son who was in 8th grade at the time, we didn't get into the Sandmen and follow ons till a good while later. I thought the "graphicization" of Neverwhere was v. well done and generally think that Gaiman is at his stongest when he's thinking and working visually. Neverwhere WAS a tv series first, and it shows.
thanks
bob

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 7:04 pm (EST) on Aug 21, 2009

I'm foolishly glad your name's Joe. Joe (actually J. O. Flint whom everyone calls 'Joe') is a favorite character in one of Mary Renault's earlier books.

nice to know that laughter abounds. :)

what a marvelous group picture, btw. all look like folks I'd like to meet. odd how one makes judgments about people.

posted by mirrordrum at 2:17 pm (EST) on Aug 21, 2009

oh, jim.you made my day. i thought i was frightfully droll. thank you for sharing my quiet mirth and telling me about it.

posted by mirrordrum at 12:13 pm (EST) on Aug 21, 2009

Hey Jim -
we have a fair bit of overlap in our libraries - i thought i'd ask for some graphic novels recommendations. What we have AND liked include:

Sandman etc. (Gaiman is at his best in his graphic novels, i think)
Fables - Willingham
Persepolis, Pride of Baghdad
The Rabbi's Cat (both volumes)
Lucifer (Mike Carey)
V for Vendetta (the only Moore book i've really liked)
I like the Army@Love - Patty hasn't read them yet.
Freakangels
the Josh Whedon Firefly books
Posey Simmonds (Tamara Drewe, Gemma Bovary)
---
generally don't care for the trad. "superhero" books, more SF and fantasy and personal histories (Persepolis/Rabbi's Cat). We've liked a fair bit of anime - but am at a loss as to where to jump into manga.
Serial Experiments Lain, Cowboy Bebop, Miyazaki's movies are among my favorites, if that helps.
thanks
bob

posted by bobmcconnaughey at 8:03 pm (EST) on Aug 19, 2009

Joe - Thanks for your note vis-a-vis the Inspector Salvo Montalbano series. I'm almost finished the fourth instalment, "The Voice of the Violin", and it only serves to affirm what I've said before - that this is one of the best series I've ever read. Camilleri deserves all the accolades he's received in his native Italy, and I look forward to reading more. Regards, Peter

posted by petermc at 8:47 am (EST) on Jun 25, 2009

Thanks for your views on Rebecca. I am still at the beginning! lol. I will pay extra attention to it now with what you have said!....Linda

posted by lindasbooks at 9:47 am (EST) on Jun 16, 2009

Thanks for the note, and sorry you had a problem. I actually wish I had read your report earlier. I would have figure out what was wrong with the site faster... Anyway, you shouldn't get it anymore, although you may find complex pages take a while to load. Best, Tim

posted by timspalding at 1:37 am (EST) on May 18, 2009

Hi Joe. Hope all is well with you and your family. I really did enjoy Still Life and certainly plan on reading the rest of the series. You are right about the plotting, I knew who did it fairly early into the book, but it didn't really matter, as her descriptive writing is so good. I spent some time living in eastern Canada some years ago, and I think she captured the "village" atmosphere perfectly. Her autumn scenes really made me miss those crisp fall days that I remember.

Judy

posted by DeltaQueen50 at 4:38 pm (EST) on May 6, 2009

Hi Joe. Thanks for the info re: Graceling - I will look for it. It's funny you mentioned re-reading Agatha Christie, just last week I was thinking I should re-read some as well. I discovered her when I was in my early 20's and read them one after another. Thinking back it's hard to separate them in my mind and a re-read seems in order! Happy reading. Judy

posted by DeltaQueen50 at 10:53 pm (EST) on Apr 9, 2009

awwww what a nice family picture!

interesting array of favorite authors..
:)

kath

posted by mckait at 4:25 pm (EST) on Apr 6, 2009

Hee hee....unfortunately it was a library copy, otherwise I would. Remind me, and next time I'm at the library I'll pick it up for you.

posted by seasonsoflove at 9:58 pm (EST) on Apr 1, 2009

I really really liked it! It took a while to get into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down.

posted by seasonsoflove at 9:36 pm (EST) on Mar 27, 2009

Hi there, I just wanted to let you know that I read Still Life by Louise Penny because of your description of it in the Crime Thriller and Mystery group. Thanks for recommending it because I really enjoyed it. --Nancy

posted by nancyewhite at 9:49 am (EST) on Mar 17, 2009