An excellent work.
My heart always sinks whenever I hear that a TV or movie adaptation of a work I really like has been planned, because, for the most part (not always, admittedly, but almost always) they make such a complete mess of the adaptation.
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Spoilers What Book Are You Reading?
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An excellent work.
My heart always sinks whenever I hear that a TV or movie adaptation of a work I really like has been planned, because, for the most part (not always, admittedly, but almost always) they make such a complete mess of the adaptation.
i guess we have a difference of opinion on this one
meanwhile i finished reading (electronically, not my preferred medium)
Seveneves, Neal Stephenson
another great book by Stephenson (and another big one).
great science fiction and society development. very thought-provoking.
Cryptonomicon remains my favorite if his books, but Anthem and this are also very good.
i like how each is so very different from the others.
and this one has a ton of important female characters
there are some logical flaws (IMO) and the 3 different parts of the book could be balanced better, but a great read
Just finished the sample of this on my Kindle. I have to say that it has moved up to the top of my "To Be Read List."
Well, I think it comes down to what people come across first. I read a lot - in fact, I am always reading, but watch very little TV. Thus, it is very very rare for me to see a TV adaptation before I read the book, and the book is what influences my (personal, private) interpretation of the work.
Yes and it's great. Read the book as well, enjoyed them both---if you can be said to enjoy something so thoroughly depressing. It haunts me still (both the book and the film).
I wish i could read a s much as you! Only a 100 pages in and do agree though.
I wish i could read a s much as you! Only a 100 pages in and do agree though.
Well, yes, very kind of you to say so, but, I love reading, I speed read, and I love the written word.
Most of the time, I am reading a few books simultaneously. Sometimes, several. Fiction, fact, and a few which intersect that area between fact and fiction.
(And yes, I am a published author, of - as it happens - a pretty well received history book).
I always read multiple books at a time too. I read recently that the average person reads 6 books a year. I was surprised because knowing what I know about the "average person", that actually seems high!
As it is, it's May and I've already read 30 books this year!
Right now I'm reading a book called "What Philosophy Can Do" by Gary Gutting that applies philosophical concepts to everyday issues. I'm also reading "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf.
As it is, it's May and I've already read 30 books this year!
Right now I'm reading a book called "What Philosophy Can Do" by Gary Gutting that applies philosophical concepts to everyday issues. I'm also reading "Mrs. Dalloway" by Virginia Woolf.
Can we know the name of this book (or your name, so we can search for it)?
No, you may not, but thank you for asking.
I like the privacy of the forum, and prefer to keep my professional persona quite separate and distinct from my online presence here.
Actually, this is the first online community I have joined, and I like the idea of a nom de plume, and the anonymity it affords.
She did say no.
I watched a fair amount of television when I was younger. Granted in those days the shows were much more innocent than today's junk. Recently sat with the missus and went over some television shows today's children enjoy watching on television. Mind you, this is for the 10 and under crowd. Good Lord, some of the stuff we saw surprised us. I'm not an easily offended individual in terms of lewd remarks on television or film, but some of this stuff isn't age appropriate. There is of course Sesame Street, which is fine but I'm not sure if they still record it. One of the benefits of having Netflix and Prime is that there's plenty of quality children's programming or even tablet games that encourage learning, and not mindless dilly-dallying around.
Making this post short as I have a tendency to drag on for paragraphs, I don't want much television these days. I have my favorites, of course. From NCIS to stuff like Downton Abbey or anything that Carnival Films/PBS/Masterpiece churned out over the years. I do like to read more. A few years ago, I used to go through 4-5 books every few weeks. Now I read to the kids. Good stuff, from literary fiction to non-fiction. I'm exploring personal literature nowadays for myself. I'm reading more science fiction even though I detest the genre, and action adventure novels.
If you want to read more, all you have to do is sneak in a few pages here and there. It's much easier with an e-reader device, such as a Kindle or even on your phone. There are more books out there in the English language than a voracious reader can go through in his or her lifetime, but there are also more television shows and film than an avid watcher can go in his or her lifetime. Which one do you think is more important? With reading, you can whisk yourself away to the land in which the book takes place in. TV Shows? You just want to be the badass on the screen. I could watch a Bourne film and wish I could be like the stuntman on the screen. I could try, but seeing as I'm now at the age of throwing out my back by picking up toys or the newspaper, I can't. But I can imagine being Jack Reacher in a Lee Child novel. Several Jack Reacher novels vs. 3 films.
Anyway, recently ready Huge Howey's series, Wool. Quite good, to be honest. 4/5 for me. Quite surprising to learn this was originally self published. It must have been heavily edited by a professional because the self-published books I've read were awful.
I watched a fair amount of television when I was younger. Granted in those days the shows were much more innocent than today's junk. Recently sat with the missus and went over some television shows today's children enjoy watching on television. Mind you, this is for the 10 and under crowd. Good Lord, some of the stuff we saw surprised us. I'm not an easily offended individual in terms of lewd remarks on television or film, but some of this stuff isn't age appropriate. There is of course Sesame Street, which is fine but I'm not sure if they still record it. One of the benefits of having Netflix and Prime is that there's plenty of quality children's programming or even tablet games that encourage learning, and not mindless dilly-dallying around.
Making this post short as I have a tendency to drag on for paragraphs, I don't want much television these days. I have my favorites, of course. From NCIS to stuff like Downton Abbey or anything that Carnival Films/PBS/Masterpiece churned out over the years. I do like to read more. A few years ago, I used to go through 4-5 books every few weeks. Now I read to the kids. Good stuff, from literary fiction to non-fiction. I'm exploring personal literature nowadays for myself. I'm reading more science fiction even though I detest the genre, and action adventure novels.
If you want to read more, all you have to do is sneak in a few pages here and there. It's much easier with an e-reader device, such as a Kindle or even on your phone. There are more books out there in the English language than a voracious reader can go through in his or her lifetime, but there are also more television shows and film than an avid watcher can go in his or her lifetime. Which one do you think is more important? With reading, you can whisk yourself away to the land in which the book takes place in. TV Shows? You just want to be the badass on the screen. I could watch a Bourne film and wish I could be like the stuntman on the screen. I could try, but seeing as I'm now at the age of throwing out my back by picking up toys or the newspaper, I can't. But I can imagine being Jack Reacher in a Lee Child novel. Several Jack Reacher novels vs. 3 films.
Anyway, recently ready Huge Howey's series, Wool. Quite good, to be honest. 4/5 for me. Quite surprising to learn this was originally self published. It must have been heavily edited by a professional because the self-published books I've read were awful.
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I finished 'The Story of Wine' by Hugh Johnson. It was a very entertaining read.
Ah, excellent. I'm delighted that you enjoyed it and found it very entertaining (and hopefully, interesting, too); when I recommended it to you, I had hoped that you would like it.
Who Goes There Spoilers
I watched The Thing (1982) last night, excellent as usual. One interesting thing about the book, completely ignored in the movie, is that it bothers to explain how the creature used telepathy to read minds and that this happened while it was still frozen, team members were having bad dreams as a result of this interaction. In the book it explains that just being a duplicate without the personal history and knowledge, would not be nearly enough to pass itself off as an original amoung humans. And the book as a pen upbeat conclusion.
I watched The Thing (1982) last night, excellent as usual. One interesting thing
about the book, completely ignored in the movie, is that it bothers to explain how the creature used telepathy to read minds and that this happened while it was still frozen, team members were having bad dreams as a result of this interaction. In the book it explains that just being a duplicate without the personal history and knowledge, would not be nearly enough to pass itself off as an original amoung humans. And the book as a pen upbeat conclusion. 
I kind of get your point, and not wanting to out you, but were any of these you
Possibly not! I'd imagine something more about the history of politics.
I kind of get your point, and not wanting to out you, but were any of these you
Possibly not! I'd imagine something more about the history of politics.
No, not me. And yes, more history......though I am a fan of wider versions of cultural and social history, too. You can learn a lot about a country through such works.
Though I wish I'd had the chutzpah to write the book 'King Power' (by Richard III) that I got lats week - it's hilarious.
I wish I'd written Harry Potter £££! I could write a book based on my experiences over the last few months, but I think any publisher might find it a tad to depressing.
The thing about Harry Potter - or, the fantastic Animal Farm written by George Orwell - is that they are so good, and so original, they are often turned down when the writer tries to publish them first. Often, the fact that they are original is a turn off, as publishers are primed to publish stuff that has been successful, not stuff that might be successful.
Harry Potter was turned down by several publishers, and I am sure they are kicking themselves.
Eventually, a small publishing house (Scholastic) gave her (J K Rowling) a contract.
Recently, I read a very funny article which quoted letters rejecting manuscripts that subsequently became classics. The justifications (Orwell was turned down with a letter that argued 'what this book needs are more public spirited pigs', which missed the whole point of Animal Farm) are sometimes hilarious.
Well, you can always look to the future, should you wish to put pen to paper....
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For those who enjoy ancient Roman historical fiction, I highly recommend "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves. I also encourage you to check out Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. "The First Man in Rome" is the first book in said series and it is tremendous. If you can get your physical or electronic hands on the audiobook version of "The First Man in Rome",(read by Jill Tanner) you won't be disappointed.
I have read 'I, Claudius' (by Robert Graves) and think it an excellent - a really first rate book, and beautiful written, too.
Colleen McCullough's books, the Masters of Rome series - though I haven't read them all - I read the first few - are also very well written, and are certainly well worth reading.
I'm going to read a bunch of history books and pan them all on here until I strike a nerve.
I'm going to read a bunch of history books and pan them all on here until I strike a nerve.
Off you go; indeed, I might come across some I haven't read, and so will be more than delighted to make their acquaintance........