Does anyone read? Part II

[treebeau]

Originally posted by piqaboo:
Patricia Cornwell, "The Last Precinct",
one of the Kay Scarpetta stories.

Is that the one with the "Loup Garou?" Hmmm, maybe that was "Black Notice (Watch?)" Boy, read almost all and hard to keep the names straight.

Avoid "Isle of Dogs." It's probably her worst novel.

Regards,
Tim B.

<small>[ 02-24-2004, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: treebeau ]</small>

[Marye]

Well I will trust your review NM.... I am intrigued also but I abhor the violence that will be depicted and watching such cruelty will just make me sob... so I cannot watch it.

So others will have to fill me in.

[treebeau]

This space intentionally blanked.

<small>[ 02-24-2004, 03:45 PM: Message edited by: treebeau ]</small>

[Marye]

Oh Isle of Dogs was indeed rubbish. Good call Tim... what are you reading now then.

<small>[ 02-24-2004, 05:17 PM: Message edited by: Marye ]</small>

[dai bread]

Have finished "The Penguin History Of N.Z." Next will be "Colours". It's authors' name escapes me at the moment.

[Shapley]

Marye,

RE:<<A bit of a hijack alert here..
Does Mel Gibson's new movie interest anyone?>>

My wife and I plan to see it soon, but we'll have to wait a few days, since the various churches here have bought all tickets for the first few showings. Some are scheduling discussion groups to follow the viewings.

I expect it to compare to "Schindler's List" in scope. Difficult to watch but important to see.

V/R
Shapley

[Marye]

I don't know Shap... I have read this morning's reviews on "The Passion of the Christ" ... One Star. Even Mel states don't bring children under 13 because it is 2 hours of violence. Two hours of constant violence? Oh my...

[Nicole Marie]

Hi Marye-

It's funny you brought up Mel and the kids thing. I was watching CNN this morning and they had reports from the theatres that held special mid-night showings. Many parents brought their children to the movie! And these were young kids, 10 to 13. I think that is so out of line for the parents. One parent said to the reporter, "The Bible does not do a good job of showing the death of Jesus so I wanted my kids to see it." (Not the direct quote but you get the idea.) Uh, it's Hollywood.

I'm going this weekend. As Shap said there are no tickets available right now. I'm also waiting for some of the crazies to get out of the way before I go into a dark theatre with them.

[treebeau]

Originally posted by Marye:
... what are you reading now then.

Now then? Good oxymoron!

What I'm reading:
1. "Island of Bones" by P.J. Parrish. Saw it in a rack at the grocery store and it looked interesting, but so far I'm a third into it and haven't found the interesting part yet.
2. "The Sea Hunters" by Clive Cussler. It's a meld between actual ships that Cussler et. al. have discovered, and somewhat fantasy accounts of how they got lost in the first place. Definitely not a Drik Pitt adventure, so it's hard to keep interest, yet I'll trudge on.
3. "The Great Bridge" by (somebody) McCullough. It is a historical account of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. I take it in small doses.
4. The application to refinance my home. Gotta buy the "soon to be ex" out.

Waiting to be read:
1. "Deception Point" by Dan Brown of "The DaVinci Code" fame.
2. "The Oddysey" by Homer. Bargain for less than $4 at Borders books. I am familiar with the story, but never READ it.

Recently finished:
1. "The Opposite of Fate" by Amy Tan. Loved about 3/4 of it. It waned near the end.
2. "The King of Torts" by John Grisham. Good read!
3. "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown. Another good read.

Thanks for asking. Don't you wish you hadn't? Would love to see more of what everyone else is reading.

Regards,
Tim B.

[Marye]

Hi Tim,

I am not sorry I asked... I am desperately seeking something to read that will be highly entertaining but not stupid. Hard combination. I take a creative writing course through the University here and I am too distracted to read something fabulous for fear of what I am writing begins to sound like theirs.

Tim, let me know what you think of the other Dan Brown books.

[treebeau]

Originally posted by Marye:
...Tim, let me know what you think of the other Dan Brown books.

I like Dan Brown books. I could barely put "The Da Vinci Code" (DVC later) and "Angels and Demons" (A&D later) down. "Digital Fortress" was a fun story too, but it seemed that he tried to be a little too Michael Crichton-ish. I love Michael Crichton and have read every one of his books. I just don't think Brown does a good Crichton. And as for "Deception Point", I haven't started it yet, but a friend read it and said kind of the same thing, comparing them to "DVC" and "A&D"... good, but not AS GOOD.

What's the hero's name...Robert Langdon? The symbologist. I'm looking forward to more stories that feature him.

Regards,
Tim B.

[treebeau]

Originally posted by Marye:
highly entertaining but not stupid....creative writing course...

Maybe someday you'd care to read the books I am writing?

Regards,
Tim B.

[Marye]

For real Tim? You are a writer? What type of book are you writing?

[treebeau]

Hi Marye,

Not a published writer. But I would like to be one day. Please check your Private Messages for more info.

Regards,
Tim B.

[Shapley]

I recently finished reading "With Christ at Sea" by Frank T. Bullen, author of "Cruise of the Cachalot". It's not as interesting as "Cachalot". It starts well enough, although it requires having read most of his other works (which I haven't). It seems the author got tired of writing it about halfway through, as he just speeds through the final chapters.

I kept thinking about Monty Python's "Contractural Obligation Album", wondering if this was Mr. Bullen's "Contractural Obligation Book."

V/R
Shapley

[Marye]

Shapley,

What is this book about?

[Shapley]

The book is Frank Bullen's autobiography, concentrating primarily on his religious devotion, and sometime lack of it, aboard the various ships he sailed on.

He has written several books about his travels, "Log of a Sea Waif" apparently being the first, "Cruise of the Cachalot" the most familiar, and apparantly the only one still in print. In "With Christ at Sea", he frequently skims over topics, saying he has already covered it in one book or another, which is annoying if you haven't read the book he refers to.

V/R
Shapley

<small>[ 02-26-2004, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: Shapley ]</small>

[piqaboo]

Kathy Reichs series of forensic anthropology.........Tempe Brenan

Thank you SO much for the author's name.
I have read two of these, and havent been able to remember the author so as to get more. I really enjoyed the first one especially.

Yes, the Cornwell book I'm reading is the second book in the series to deal with le loup garou.
I'm nearly done but patching and painting the interior of a house got in the way. <BTW- My paint clothes have WAY too much white on them. If anyone plans to paint in lovely rich colors like that blue in Haggis' den, please invite me over to help. > So perhaps tonight I'll learn if the scumbag I've been suspecting since the beginning is really a scumbag or not.

After all the ugly in this book, Im tempted to hunt out a copy of the childrens books The Secret Garden and the Narnia series for a breather.

Has anyone read a "readable" translation of Don Quixote? My copy was translated in the early 1900's and is turgid. I've spent months getting thru the first ?1/5th?. In comparison, I read War and Peace in a weekend (not that I did much else that weekend....)

[hal 9000]

Originally posted by Nicole Marie:
To continue on the topic under Eric's board...

Just finished the Da Vinci Code. Wow! Great book and I suggest everyone give it a shot. (I knew there was a reason I believed in Goddess worship.) But my question is has anyone read any other books extending on this topic? Does any one have a recommendation to follow up on the topics addressed in the Da Vinci Code?

[hal 9000]

Oops, new at this... There were a series of books written about the topics covered in The Da Vinci Code. They were:

1. Holy Blood, Holy Grail
2. The Messianic Legacy
3. The Dead Sea Scroll Deception
4. The Temple and the Lodge

By a trio of British authors named Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln.

Also, you may want to check out the book "Jesus & The Riddle of the Dead Sea Scrolls" by Barbara Thiering.