The Border Book Club

[DivineDon]

At the moment, I'm reading about Regulatory Affairs in the Pharmaceutical industry for an exam tomorrow - light reading :grin:

Sounds like fun - NOT! Good luck tomorrow :smile:

[NightMistBlue]

Blecch!! That would put me in a stupor, Lacken :)

Kim, Sir Isaac Newton was kind of like Brian May of Queen (that's how I picture him anyway - a brilliant, gentle chap). I think Newton was more eccentric, what with all the obsessing over the Bible and alchemy.

[AlreadyGone95]

Good luck with the exam tomorrow, Lacken.


Marci, I've heard of his eccentricity. I remember my physical science teachers teaching his laws of motion (which I have now forgotten), and they briefly talked about how things were back then, and that he had to do some of his work in secret.

[buffyfan145]

I just posted in Glenn's section but I just finished the debut novel by one of my friends Marie Cauley, "Never Forgotten You", and it was so great!!! :D Was a great read for me too as I pictured Glenn as her main character Chris. The story takes place in the late 90s about Karen, an early 30s woman who moves out to California for work but one day luckily meets her old teen idol Chris Lassiter who is back restarting his solo career in his early 40s. Chris was the lead singer/guitarist and actor in a band in the 70s and Karen loved him since she was 11 and always thought they'd meet. Just turns out 20 years later they would and they quickly fall in love.

Chris reminded me of Glenn so much with his personality, the things he went through in the 70s and 80s, the way Marie describes his smile, and his sense of humor on & off stage. Some of the supporting characters reminded me of Don (Chris' best friend and band mate since the 70s), Randy (his bass player whose name has the initials RM), and one of Chris' priests name is Father Timothy. There were lots of twists too and it is also a very spiritual novel as well, which I personally loved. Both characters have so much they went through and are trying to change, and I loved their love story.

It's the first of a series too Marie's writing and I can't wait to read the 2nd book!!! :D I met Marie through the "Jersey Boys" fandom and we both bonded over being writers as well and I helped her somewhat as I also self-published my novels too. I told her about the Glenn similarities I saw and she thought that was awesome. She based Chris off of a few teen idols of hers from 70s too.

[Jonny Come Lately]

At the moment, I'm reading about Regulatory Affairs in the Pharmaceutical industry for an exam tomorrow - light reading :grin:

Good luck in the exam. I hope it goes well for you.

Newton was a brilliant scientist, he certainly could be a bit eccentric but his work remains very important in maths and physics (and related fields) - for example, his laws of motion are very satisfactory and still form the basis for classical mechanics over three centuries after they were originally proposed. I can see a bit of the 'eccentric scientist' in Brian May, although I also definitely see it in Jimmy Page (maybe it's the white hair?)

[NightMistBlue]

I was being *slightly* facetious in comparing Sir Isaac Newton with Brian May - one discovered gravity and invented calculus (the fiend), the other plays a mean guitar and has a doctorate in astronomy. The main similarity is their flowing, curly locks.

I agree there's a hint of the mad professor about Jimmy - even before he had the white hair.

Buffy, your friend's book sounds very interesting. I'm going to look for it on Amazon.

[Freypower]

I was being *slightly* facetious in comparing Sir Isaac Newton with Brian May - one discovered gravity and invented calculus (the fiend), the other plays a mean guitar and has a doctorate in astronomy. The main similarity is their flowing, curly locks.

I agree there's a hint of the mad professor about Jimmy - even before he had the white hair.

Buffy, your friend's book sounds very interesting. I'm going to look for it on Amazon.

Newton wore a wig, of course....

[AlreadyGone95]

Has anyone read any of Stephen Fry's(British actor/Comedian/author) books? I checked of his books, Revenge, out of the library, and it's next on "to read" list once I get done with the Newton book. (Revenge is the US name. Elsewhere, it's The Stars' Tennis Balls.). It's a modern day version of The Count of Monte Cristo (which I've never read.) Just curious what others think of his books, as I'm not familiar with him too much, except as Mycroft in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

[jane02]

I just posted in Glenn's section but I just finished the debut novel by one of my friends Marie Cauley, "Never Forgotten You", and it was so great!!! :D Was a great read for me too as I pictured Glenn as her main character Chris. The story takes place in the late 90s about Karen, an early 30s woman who moves out to California for work but one day luckily meets her old teen idol Chris Lassiter who is back restarting his solo career in his early 40s. Chris was the lead singer/guitarist and actor in a band in the 70s and Karen loved him since she was 11 and always thought they'd meet. Just turns out 20 years later they would and they quickly fall in love.

Chris reminded me of Glenn so much with his personality, the things he went through in the 70s and 80s, the way Marie describes his smile, and his sense of humor on & off stage. Some of the supporting characters reminded me of Don (Chris' best friend and band mate since the 70s), Randy (his bass player whose name has the initials RM), and one of Chris' priests name is Father Timothy. There were lots of twists too and it is also a very spiritual novel as well, which I personally loved. Both characters have so much they went through and are trying to change, and I loved their love story.

It's the first of a series too Marie's writing and I can't wait to read the 2nd book!!! :D I met Marie through the "Jersey Boys" fandom and we both bonded over being writers as well and I helped her somewhat as I also self-published my novels too. I told her about the Glenn similarities I saw and she thought that was awesome. She based Chris off of a few teen idols of hers from 70s too.
That sound like my type of book Buffy - I just ordered it on Booktopia and cannot wait to read it.:yay:

[NightMistBlue]

Has anyone read any of Stephen Fry's(British actor/Comedian/author) books? I checked of his books, Revenge, out of the library, and it's next on "to read" list once I get done with the Newton book. (Revenge is the US name. Elsewhere, it's The Stars' Tennis Balls.). It's a modern day version of The Count of Monte Cristo (which I've never read.) Just curious what others think of his books, as I'm not familiar with him too much, except as Mycroft in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.

I read a book of his years ago, I think it was The Liar. It was clever and mildly amusing, but the tone got wearisome after awhile. It also left a bad taste that he was flippant about one character (much older) using a 12-year old boy for sex.

[AlreadyGone95]

I read a book of his years ago, I think it was The Liar. It was clever and mildly amusing, but the tone got wearisome after awhile. It also left a bad taste that he was flippant about one character (much older) using a 12-year old boy for sex.

I don't think the book I'm reading will have a situation like that, at least I hope not.

[NightMistBlue]

Let us know your impressions. I really enjoyed Fry in "A Bit of Fry & Laurie," his comedy sketch show with Hugh Laurie and "Black Adder" with Laurie and Rowan Atkinson.

[LuvTim]

Let us know your impressions. I really enjoyed Fry in "A Bit of Fry & Laurie," his comedy sketch show with Hugh Laurie and "Black Adder" with Laurie and Rowan Atkinson.

And wasn't he also Geeves to Hugh Laurie's Wooster?

[AlreadyGone95]

Let us know your impressions. I really enjoyed Fry in "A Bit of Fry & Laurie," his comedy sketch show with Hugh Laurie and "Black Adder" with Laurie and Rowan Atkinson.

Will do. Not only did he work with House, but Mr. Bean as well? :stunned:

[NightMistBlue]

And wasn't he also Jeeves to Hugh Laurie's Wooster?

Indeed he was. I love their silliness but they're also both very fine dramatic actors.

Kim, yes - those three guys + Emma Thompson have been friends and occasional collaborators for years and years. They went to school together, Cambridge. Except for Rowan, who went to Oxford.

[LuvTim]

Indeed he was. I love their silliness but they're also both very fine dramatic actors.

Kim, yes - those three guys + Emma Thompson have been friends and occasional collaborators for years and years. They went to school together, Cambridge. Except for Rowan, who went to Oxford.

Such distinguished company: I'm impressed.
Makes me want to stand up straighter, somehow. ;-)

[AlreadyGone95]

Such distinguished company: I'm impressed.
Makes me want to stand up straighter, somehow. ;-)

I agree and speak (type) proper English.

[buffyfan145]

I finally got to read the Beatles graphic novel about Brian Epstein "The Fifth Beatle" and it was so good. :D It was so well written telling Brian's story and I just felt so bad for him. I can't imagine what he went through and how he couldn't be who he truly was and all the hatred. Plus, he never realized how much people did love him, especially the boys, and it was so sad. I also really loved the artwork and how everyone was drawn. I'm really looking even more forward to the film version they're working on. :)

[AlreadyGone95]

I finished the Stephen Fry book last night. Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5. I liked it, but it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down or couldn't wait to find out what happened. I found myself somewhat happy to reach the end of the boom The plot and story was pretty good, but a bit far fetched. I think that if the book was about 50 pages longer, I would've liked it more. The middle and the end was too short. I felt like there was some gaps. The book is definitely very British. I might read another one of Mr. Fry's books.

I'm now starting on Damascus Gate by Robert Stone. It takes place in modern Jerusalem (1990s). An American journalist uncovers a bombing plot to bomb the Temple Mount while on assignment. While digging deeper, he meets colorful characters. He slowly uncovers an attempt to seize political advantage that reveals duplicity and depravity on all sides of Jerusale's scared struggle.

[Jonny Come Lately]

Indeed he was. I love their silliness but they're also both very fine dramatic actors.

Kim, yes - those three guys + Emma Thompson have been friends and occasional collaborators for years and years. They went to school together, Cambridge. Except for Rowan, who went to Oxford.

This reminds me of a funny moment from one of my favourite Blackadder episodes (I've never watched Series 1, but I love the other three series) - 'General Hospital' from Blackadder Goes Forth (the WWI series), where this friendly rivalry inspired a joke, when they are trying identify a German spy:

Blackadder (Atkinson): I asked if he had been to one of the great universities, Oxford, Cambridge or Hull... but you failed to spot that only two of these are great universities!
General Melchett (Fry): That's right! Oxford's a complete dump!

You can watch the clip here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKuHYO9TM5A

(My parents have mixed feelings about this gag as they went to Hull University! To appease them I should probably add that though although it's definitely never been as prestigious as Oxford and Cambridge, I think it ranked quite highly when they went in the late 70s/early 80s when Philip Larkin was the librarian there, but it isn't part of the what is now considered to be the elite group of public UK universities, known as the Russell Group. )

I haven't read any of Fry's books myself so I can't comment on them.

[NightMistBlue]

I loved the Blackadder series, though we got it here in the States quite a few years after it was made. After each "era" I thought they couldn't top that, and then they did.

Bookwise, I'm just about halfway through the audio version "Of Human Bondage" by Somerset Maugham. By the time it's finished, my audiobook of Toni Tennille's memoirs should have arrived. Talk about a contrast! From culture to schlock. Though maybe there are unexpected parallels: Carey has a complex about his club foot; Tennille has one of her fingers amputated in an accident and is self-conscious about it; Philip Carey is consumed by an unrequited and self-destructive love for a callous tart; Toni stays for decades unhappily married to a chilly, emotionally distant man.

[AlreadyGone95]

Very rarely do I not finish a book, but after 100 pages of the Damascus Gate book, I had to throw in the towel. I just couldn't get interested in it, especially since there was 400 more pages to read.

Now, I'm going to read 2 classics back to back, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. I should've read Uncle Tom's Cabin before now because it was written during the time of America history that I'm fascinated the most by. (The Civil War era, and the events before and after the war). I'm going to read For Whom the Bell Tolls because of the Metallica song of the same name. It will be my introduction into Hemingway's works.

[Brooke]

Good luck with Hemingway, AG! I have three of his books and have tried to read them with no luck. I just couldn't get interested. I'm one that has to finish a book if I start it, but these....couldn't do it!

[buffyfan145]

I've never read "Uncle Tom's Cabin" yet (expect for what we studied in school) or Hemingway's books, even though I love his friend F. Scott Fitzgerald's novels. I'm currently finally reading the "Sherlock Holmes" novels. Even though I love both the BBC version of "Sherlock" and CBS' "Elementary", and so many of the other Sherlock movies & shows over the years I've never read the original books till now. I'm having fun reading the original stories and now seeing how the various adaptations did things compared to how the books were.

[NightMistBlue]

I've read three Hemingway novels and enjoyed them. Read everything by F. Scott Fitzgerald (I took a course on him in college) and adore him. I was surprised at how empathetic Hemingway's writing is, particularly about women. His swaggering, macho image belies a real sensitivity.

[AlreadyGone95]

I've only read one F. Scott Fitzgerald book, The Great Gatsby. My 8th grade history teacher had us watch the movie, the one with Robert Redford as Gatsby. I liked the movie, so I read the book twice. It wasn't until the second reading that I grew to love the book. I don't know where to start with his other books.

[zeldabjr]

I recently read For Whom the Bell Tolls...it was my first Hemingway novel...not sure I loved the subject matter...but I did like his style...will definitely try another of his books...I am loving reading classic books in recent years...right now I'm starting "The Brothers Karamazov"...

[buffyfan145]

"The Great Gatsby" is one of my all-time favorites!!! :D I've loved it since we read it in school when I was 16, and I liked Redford's movie but enjoyed the recent one with Leonardo DiCaprio so much. I even saw a TV movie that had Paul Rudd as Nick. My 2nd favorite of his is "Tender is the Night" (which I knew of the Jackson Browne song before I read the book, even though they aren't connected). I also loved "The Beautiful and Damned" too and a lot of his short stories too.

[NightMistBlue]

I agree with Buffy re: Tender is the Night.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'll look for Tender is the Night the next time I go to the library, which won't be for a few weeks, because I've got 7 books to read, including the 2 classics. I'm good for a while! Lol

Buffy; I've read some of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and I love them. The Hound of the Baskervilles is the onlg one of the 4 novels I've read, but it's great, too.

[buffyfan145]

AG, even though I haven't read it, "The Hound of the Baskervilles" has been one of my favorite episodes of both the "Sherlock" shows I watch. The CBS version just did it finally a couple weeks ago. Back to "Tender is the Night" that is the one Fitzgerald book I really want to get a new movie of. I think there hasn't been one since the early 60s.

[WalshFan88]

I'm waiting for the Sebastian Bach autobio as well as the Springsteen autobio.

I just got Lita Ford's, but haven't read it yet.

[Dawn]

I'm looking forward to Brian Wilson's book coming out this fall - I saw Love and Mercy and thought it was good but so much about Brian's life and music can only really be understood and appreciated thru his own words and in his own time - that's what this book is about IMHO.

[AlreadyGone95]

I thoroughly enjoyed Uncle Tom's Cabin. It's definitely a book I plan on buying and rereading. I now understand why it caused so much controversy when it was released. Slaves escaping and making it to Canada, plus a slave who is defiant in the end.

I had to give up on For Whom the Bell Tolls. Not because of the book itself, but because of the font of the text. It was very small and bold. After a few pages, words started blending together and I ended up with a headache. Sometime in the future, I'll try again with a different edition.

Right now, I'm browsing through a book I bought called The Official Heavy Metal Book of Lists. It's a book full of lists about metal. It's a nice, refreshing break after reading so many serious books. The illustrated pictures are very comical. (I'm also reading two Eagles bios I bought, Flying High and Taking It To the Limit). The next non music book I'll start reading on is a horror/mystery book called In The Dead of Night by John Saul.

[WS82Classics]

Right now reading "Out of My Mind," a memoir in essays by the late Andy Rooney, perhaps my favourite writer/essayist of all of them.

Also have his "Common Nonsense" and "And More By..." books rented from the library. Also have American Presidents Series books on Andrew Johnson and Warren Harding, colourful characters in their own right, though not among our most celebrated Presidents, rented and due for a renewal this week.

[AlreadyGone95]

I've got 10 different books from local libraries to read, ranging from a mystery in 14th century France involving a nun, to 2 modern day ghost stories, to an Agatha Christie novel, to 2 books about the Civil War(one fiction and the other non fiction), to murders in Las Vegas, murders in ordinary towns,, and 2 fictional books written by musicians, Jimmy Buffett and Judy Collins, which involves the rock music world.

I'm reading the Buffet book, Where is Joe Merchant?, first. Joe Merchant is/was a rock star who committed suicide by jumping off of a boat 5 years prior to the book. His sister and a tabloid reporter think that he may still alive, so the search staffs to find him.

OT: One of the sections in the book is titled "You Can't Hide Your Mayan Eyes". :lol: ( after looking on the copyright page, it says that Jimmy got permission to use Lyin' Eyes)

Judy Collins's book, Shameless, is about the life of a photojournalist in the music world who finds her world and life turning upside down and out of control. It tells her struggles to get through it all.

[buffyfan145]

I just finished the final book in one of my favorite authors Maggie Stiefvater's series "The Raven Cycle", "The Raven King", and it was amazing. I've loved this book series so much. It's so hard to describe what it's about but it's a mix of a modern day take on the King Arthur stories, Welsh and Celtic mythologies, fairy tales, magic, the spirit realm, psychics and tarot, and at the base of it love and friendship. The series starts with a 17 year old girl named Blue and how she ends up meeting and befriending four "Raven Boys", the boys at the local prep school she usually hates. But these boys aren't like anyone she's ever met before and over the course of the four books they form lasting friendships and a family while searching for the possible burial site of the actual real last king of Wales, Owen Glendower (The Raven King), who possibly was buried in Virginia and magically be awakened.

So much stuff happens over these four books and it was just wonderful. It's so unique and magical, and I just loved it. I relate so much to Blue and feeling like you were made for something greater, and then being enamored with these four (later five) boys and loving them in different ways (including one romantically). Plus, some of my favorite scenes were all of them driving around in the leader Gansey's 1973 Chevy Camaro and having adventures in the magical woods. :) And when Gansey's car broke down once and he banged on it till it finally started back up and Stevie Nick's "Edge of Seventeen" just blared out of the radio. LOL :D I feel like Stevie would even like this series.

Plus, I got into Maggie's other books 7 years ago thanks to my dear friend Laura. Laura passed away last year from cancer so she never got to see how this series ended, but I thought of her the entire time and how grateful I am she recommended Maggie's books to me. It's been a huge influence on my own writing, even though I mostly write dramas, since Maggie writes character's thoughts and relationships so well. Hope those rumors of this being turned into a TV series is true as I already miss it and these characters.

[NightMistBlue]

I'm about 3 discs into the audio version of Mick Fleetwood's autobiography "Play On." Really enjoying it. He was certainly a child of destiny (or just incredibly lucky) falling right into the thick of 60s rock cognoscenti not long after moving to his sister's flat in London, routinely hanging out with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Plus, he seems like a warm person and speaks with great love for his family and friends.

He's very insightful about the differences in the Sixties "scenes" in the UK and the US, and has also given the best explanation I've read so far on the appeal of American blues for British musicians.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm about 3 discs into the audio version of Mick Fleetwood's autobiography "Play On." Really enjoying it. He was certainly a child of destiny (or just incredibly lucky) falling right into the thick of 60s rock cognoscenti not long after moving to his sister's flat in London, routinely hanging out with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Plus, he seems like a warm person and speaks with great love for his family and friends.

He's very insightful about the differences in the Sixties "scenes" in the UK and the US, and has also given the best explanation I've read so far on the appeal of American blues for British musicians.

That's the recently released one, right? I've read the one from the 90s, and was wondering how much different the new one is and if the recent years have a decent amount of ink.

--------
I'm still reading on the 10 books I mentioned a few weeks ago. I've just started the next to last book of that group. The renaming books are the murders and crimes books. Once I'm done them, I'll be reading a bunch of historical fiction set in medieval times and the American Civil War, plus a few books not of that genre that I randomly picked out from the library.

[NightMistBlue]

Yes, the one I'm listening to is from about 5 years ago. I haven't read the earlier book but now I'm curious to see how it's different. Judging by the reviews on Amazon, the first book appears to be the favorite.
Mick seems to be deeply connected to (and possibly still in love, just my impression) with his first wife Jenny Boyd.
I see where Dr. Jenny Boyd wrote a book a few years ago exploring the idea of musical creativity being the result of natural talent or other influences. Sounds very interesting. That's going on my wish list now.

[LuvTim]

Just sharing: duh hubs gifted me with a copy of Sheila Weller's book, Girls Like Us, for Mother's Day, so I'm now beginning to read that. :-) I think I remember a few of you on here commenting on how much you enjoyed it.

[NightMistBlue]

That was a fascinating book, Luv! Hope you dig it. The book was very well-researched although Weller doesn't know about the Mitchell-Frey amour. She should have interviewed some of our Borderers :)

AG, Mick Fleetwood does talk about the more recent years in the band's triumphs and travails. I'm now in the early 1990s portion. "Oh dear" is all one can say. Had no idea they'd experienced such depths.

[LuvTim]

That was a fascinating book, Luv! Hope you dig it. The book was very well-researched although Weller doesn't know about the Mitchell-Frey amour. She should have interviewed some of our Borderers :)

AG, Mick Fleetwood does talk about the more recent years in the band's triumphs and travails. I'm now in the early 1990s portion. "Oh dear" is all one can say. Had no idea they'd experienced such depths.


She doesn't write about Joni and Glenn? Rats. I was looking forward to getting some more info about that.

I have noticed, just by glancing through the photos and skimming the index, etc., that James Taylor seems to be an obvious unifying link amongst the ladies of this book, and I'm betting, amongst a lot of the ladies of the whole rock and roll scene. ;-) And who can blame them? Have you seen the cover photo for his album, Sweet Baby James? Whoo! Lol...

[NightMistBlue]

Very much so. One Amazon reviewer snarked that there's so much JT content in the book, he should have been included in the title as well. One wonders though: how great of a lover could a regular heroin user (addict, by his own description) have been? I merely ask :)

The person who ended up intriguing me the most was Carole King. Especially as she got older, she really stepped off the curb so to speak and made highly unconventional choices in her lifestyle. Enigmatic, soulful, feisty, brilliant, sometimes tragic - what a broad.

Let us know your impressions, LuvTim.

[AlreadyGone95]

That was a fascinating book, Luv! Hope you dig it. The book was very well-researched although Weller doesn't know about the Mitchell-Frey amour. She should have interviewed some of our Borderers :)

AG, Mick Fleetwood does talk about the more recent years in the band's triumphs and travails. I'm now in the early 1990s portion. "Oh dear" is all one can say. Had no idea they'd experienced such depths.

I think I'll search the local libraries, and see if they have that book.

I must admit that I haven't heard of the Girls Like Us book before.

I've just started reading 1356 by Bernard Cornwell, which is one of his 4 historical fiction books about the Holy Grail. It takes place in the title year in France.

[NightMistBlue]

They're threatening to make a movie out of the Weller book. I think it would have to be a mini-series at least, because all three women had very eventful personal lives as well as stellar careers. It could all go very wrong and over-the-top, like Valley of the Dolls but with much better music.

[LuvTim]

They're threatening to make a movie out of the Weller book. I think it would have to be a mini-series at least, because all three women had very eventful personal lives as well as stellar careers. It could all go very wrong and over-the-top, like Valley of the Dolls but with much better music.

LOL! :lol: :cry: :rockguitar:

[AlreadyGone95]

I've just started reading A Midsummer Night's Scream by RL Stine. It's his modern retelling of the Shakespeare classic. I bought it from a local library because of the who the author is. There's some romance in the book. I hope that it doesn't overpower the scary and supernatural aspects of the book.

[NightMistBlue]

My next audiobook will be "The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham. I also have a paperback of Dr. Jenny Boyd's book "It's Not Only Rock 'n Roll" exploring the creative spark of musicians and from whence it cometh, for a flight and what I anticipate may be a lengthy wait at the airport.

I really enjoyed Mr. Fleetwood's book and was rewarded in the final chapters with a lot of info on my fave member, the complex and enigmatic Christine. It really sounds as if she had more than "just" a crippling case of flying phobia, but shut herself away for over 15 years and was on her own a lot. She was cut off from music and to a large extent other people, at least to hear Mick tell it. Very glad to hear she's overcome all that and is enjoying an adventurous life once again.

[The Disco Strangler]

I just downloaded Steve Williams' Out of the Rough. He's caddied for Greg Norman, Tiger Woods, and Adam Scott...to name a few. Looking forward to the read.

[NightMistBlue]

Note to Don Henley appreciators: there's a fair amount of Henley content in "It's Not Only Rock and Roll" by Dr. Jenny Boyd, wherein she interviewed many musicians about their creative process. Interview subjects included Lindsey B., Stevie, Mick, Christine, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Nash, Winwood, etc.

You know that part in HOTE where Don H says something about not being one of the football players in high school that the girls loved? You may have wondered, as did I, why a mature, intelligent, wildly successful person like himself would continue to give the tiniest crap. Turns out Don was only 98 lbs in high school, and got beaten up by those football players. That would stay with a person.

[AlreadyGone95]

Note to Don Henley appreciators: there's a fair amount of Henley content in "It's Not Only Rock and Roll" by Dr. Jenny Boyd, wherein she interviewed many musicians about their creative process. Interview subjects included Lindsey B., Stevie, Mick, Christine, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Nash, Winwood, etc.

You know that part in HOTE where Don H says something about not being one of the football players in high school that the girls loved? You may have wondered, as did I, why a mature, intelligent, wildly successful person like himself would continue to give the tiniest crap. Turns out Don was only 98 lbs in high school, and got beaten up by those football players. That would stay with a person.

I need to check out that book. Poor Don, but at least he went on to bigger and better things.

I'm reading The Gods of Gotham by Lyndsay Faye. It's one of the books I bought for $1 from a local library. It's about bartender turned policeman in 1845 New York City. He comes across a young Irish girl who tells him about the murders of at least a score of children her age. The police uncover a mass murder who targets poor children.

[UndertheWire]

I have a recommendation for AG, if you can find it in a library. It's the first of a historical series which starts in Scotland in the 16th century. It's dense and political and a bit hard-going to begin with but if you get hooked, it's a wonderful ride with an intriguing flawed hero. Like most fans of the series, I've read it many times. Before I forget:

"The Game of Kings", Dorothy Dunnett

Here's the wikipedia entry but stop reading when it comes to the parts on the individual books as they contain spoilers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles

[buffyfan145]

I'm currently reading "Unhooked" by Lisa Maxwell and it's another novel where the "Peter Pan" story is completely reversed with Hook being one of the ones trapped there and Pan and the evil fairies as the real villains. One of my favorite shows "Once Upon a Time" started this trend, which made me love the Captain Hook character, but it makes sense as an adult and looking back on the "Peter Pan" books and movies. From a child perspective you see it one way, and as an adult the other.

It's also the 4th time I've seen Hook portrayed as a romantic lead. The first being "OUAT" with Killian "Hook" Jones, 2nd the book "Alias Hook", third the "Pan" movie from last year, and now "Unhooked". Plus, this version of Hook is an Irish/English version named Rowan very close to how "OUAT" is portraying him (and why my other "OUAT" friends recommended the book to me).

Plus, I love Celtic mythology so seeing the fairies portrayed as how they originally were is nice too.

[AlreadyGone95]

I have a recommendation for AG, if you can find it in a library. It's the first of a historical series which starts in Scotland in the 16th century. It's dense and political and a bit hard-going to begin with but if you get hooked, it's a wonderful ride with an intriguing flawed hero. Like most fans of the series, I've read it many times. Before I forget:

"The Game of Kings", Dorothy Dunnett

Here's the wikipedia entry but stop reading when it comes to the parts on the individual books as they contain spoilers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles

Thanks for the recommendation, UtW. I should be going to the library soon. I'm sure that at least one library in Georgia should have it. ( I can get books from almost any library in the state sent to my local or preferred library.)

ETA: My main library has it, so I've placed a hold on it, and will pick it up either today or tomorrow.


I have a feeling that my reading time will be reduced for the next 7 weeks, but I'm going to read as much as I can. I'm about to start on another Civil War book and then its sequel(Galveston and Red River) They're both part of a series by PG Nangle. I'm starting in the middle of the series by mistake, but I'll read the other books when I can.

[UndertheWire]

Thanks for the recommendation, UtW. I should be going to the library soon. I'm sure that at least one library in Georgia should have it. ( I can get books from almost any library in the state sent to my local or preferred library.)

ETA: My main library has it, so I've placed a hold on it, and will pick it up either today or tomorrow.

That's good. When you get it, the usual advice is to give it about 100 pages, skip over the foreign or archaic quotes and trust that it will begin to make sense soon. It's more "Game of Thrones" than "Outlander".

[NightMistBlue]

I've started on the audiobook of Carly Simon's autobiography, Boys in the Trees, narrated by Ms. Simon herself. She has a gorgeous speaking voice, husky and warm, and is an excellent descriptive writer (no great surprise I suppose, considering who her father was).

[AlreadyGone95]

That's good. When you get it, the usual advice is to give it about 100 pages, skip over the foreign or archaic quotes and trust that it will begin to make sense soon. It's more "Game of Thrones" than "Outlander".


OK, I'll keep that in mind. I have some books to read before I get to it.

Right now, I'm reading a few more books by Bernard
Cornwell for my non-school reading. I have to read a lot of short stories in 2 of my classes.

[L101]

Note to Don Henley appreciators: there's a fair amount of Henley content in "It's Not Only Rock and Roll" by Dr. Jenny Boyd, wherein she interviewed many musicians about their creative process. Interview subjects included Lindsey B., Stevie, Mick, Christine, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Nash, Winwood, etc.

You know that part in HOTE where Don H says something about not being one of the football players in high school that the girls loved? You may have wondered, as did I, why a mature, intelligent, wildly successful person like himself would continue to give the tiniest crap. Turns out Don was only 98 lbs in high school, and got beaten up by those football players. That would stay with a person.

Thanks for the recommendation MMB - I've just bought it on Amazon and I've also bought Mick Fleetwood's 'Play on' - now I've just to find the time to read them :grin:

[NightMistBlue]

I loved "Play On"! It gave a more nuanced insight into the band members, plus it was just charming and chatty.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm reading Swine Not? A Pig's Tale by Jimmy Buffet. I need something lighthearted to read for a change. It provides a stark contrast to my serious school work.

[Jeremy Lawrence]

I've written this;
https://www.amazon.com/Already-Gone-Novel-Eagle-Book-ebook/dp/B01G4ILO3I

and starting book 2 of the series. Really interested in The Border members thouights on it.

Thanks,
Jeremy Lawrence
Author - Already Gone: a Novel
https://www.amazon.com/Already-Gone-.../dp/B01G4ILO3I
https://www.facebook.com/alreadygonenovel/

*** Special thanks to The Borders own "Ive always been a dreamer" for being a beta reader and providing great feedback and enthusiasm about the book. ***

[buffyfan145]

Just finished a fantastic novel by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore called "June" and I loved it so much!!! :D It tells the story of a young woman in Ohio Cassie and her getting unexpected news that a classic Hollywood actor Jack Montgomery named her as his granddaughter in his will and left everything to her. It's a huge shock to Cassie as her late grandmother June apparently was involved with Jack and Cassie's father was his son, and June never told anyone including her husband or Cassie's now dead father. That's just the beginning as we start to find out all these twists with the characters as Cassie meets Jack's famous daughters and starts to uncover all the secrets of her true grandparents and all the people in the fictional Ohio town St. Jude. Half the story takes place in June of 2015 with Cassie finding all this out and falling for her new aunt's assistant Nick, while the other half is flashbacks to June of 1955 when Jack and his movie came to film in St. Jude and the whirlwind romance of Jack & June that summer. I loved this novel and I've read another of Miranda's books but this one is my favorite now. I love Classic Hollywood and getting the flashbacks in this and was so awesome to see two chapters actually set in my city Columbus and at places I've actually been to. I've never really read too many books that take place in Ohio so that was fun. Just such a great twist filled book and one of my new favorites this year.

[NightMistBlue]

Buffy, that does sound intriguing. I may check that out. The contrast between old Hollywood and present day reminds me a bit of one of my favorite guilty pleasures, a novel from the late '70s by Trevor Meldal Johnsen called "Always". In that book, a screenwriter in Los Angeles starts having flashbacks of a past life in which he was involved with a tragic young actress. The book has kind of a cult following.

[zeldabjr]

I'm wondering if anyone has read the Stephen King book The Stand?...a friend of mine wanted me to read it because she said it's one of her favorite books...so she lent it to me...it's over 1100 pages..and now she tells me it's about 90% of the world's population getting offed by some virus...omg...don't know if I want to do this or not...doesn't sound like something I would like...any opinions of it out there?

[Freypower]

I'm wondering if anyone has read the Stephen King book The Stand?...a friend of mine wanted me to read it because she said it's one of her favorite books...so she lent it to me...it's over 1100 pages..and now she tells me it's about 90% of the world's population getting offed by some virus...omg...don't know if I want to do this or not...doesn't sound like something I would like...any opinions of it out there?

I haven't read it but I can tell you that it inspired Glenn's song Brave New World.

[buffyfan145]

I've never read "The Stand" but it's because we watched some of the TV miniseries in my high school science class when we were studying viruses and it scared me so bad. LOL I have really bad OCD and viruses and germs are a part of it so that's one I for sure will stay away from. However, I do like other Stephen King books/movies/shows but more that are in the science fiction genre like "Under the Dome" or "11/22/63" or like "Stand by Me", and not horror. I also want to check out his "Mr. Mercedes" series as it's his first detective/mystery novels.

[zeldabjr]

I haven't read it but I can tell you that it inspired Glenn's song Brave New World.

wow..really? so I guess Glenn must have read it huh?

[Freypower]

wow..really? so I guess Glenn must have read it huh?

Well, yes, I must assume as much.

[NightMistBlue]

That's so cool that Glenn was inspired by The Stand, did not know that. The original 1978 edition - it can be hard to find - is a great, powerful book. Terribly exciting and instantly involving. You must read it.

However, for reasons known only to himself, Stephen King re-wrote the book some 10+ years later, "updating" the events and such. It just didn't feel the same to me. You get some glaring anachronisms like a young woman's apartment in the 1990s having a poster of the movie "Love Story" - dumb stuff like that which pulls you out of the dark spell the original book had.

[AlreadyGone95]

I just got done with a book called Sherlock Holmes Illustrated. It contains several of Holmes short stories, and info about Holmes, Conan Doyle, London at the time, and Scotland Yard.

Up next is the book that UtW recommended for me.

[zeldabjr]

I just got done with a book called Sherlock Holmes Illustrated. It contains several of Holmes short stories, and info about Holmes, Conan Doyle, London at the time, and Scotland Yard.

Up next is the book that UtW recommended for me.

oh that sounds wonderful AG...I love Sherlock Holmes!! who wrote it?

[AlreadyGone95]

oh that sounds wonderful AG...I love Sherlock Holmes!! who wrote it?

The only author listed is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I found it in a local library besides the canon stories/books under Doyle's name. Here's the amazon page for it. https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Illustrated-Arthur-Conan/dp/0723565996

[zeldabjr]

The only author listed is Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I found it in a local library besides the canon stories/books under Doyle's name. Here's the amazon page for it. https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Illustrated-Arthur-Conan/dp/0723565996

Thanks AG...I just ordered a copy of it!!

[AlreadyGone95]

Thanks AG...I just ordered a copy of it!!

I hope you enjoy reading it.

[AlreadyGone95]

I just got done reading Betty White's autobiography, If You Ask Me(And of Course You Won't). It's a great insight into her life.

I'mNow reading William Shatner's autobiography, Shatner Rules. So far, I'm :rofl: while reading it.

After this book, I plan on reading two American classics, Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Alice Walker's The Color Purple.

[NightMistBlue]

I just got done reading Betty White's autobiography, If You Ask Me(And of Course You Won't). It's a great insight into her life.

Did she address why she posed nude as a young actress? I don't ask that in a judge-y way; I'm just curious if she needed the dough and/or didn't consider it a big deal.

[buffyfan145]

I just finished a fantastic debut novel called "Sweetbitter" by Stephanie Danler!!! :D I can't believe it was her first book and it was so well written and I couldn't put it down. It's about Tess, a young woman who moves to New York from Ohio in 2006 and gets a job at a fancy restaurant making friends with her fellow coworkers, idolizes an older server Simone who takes her under her wing, and falls for the "bad boy" bartender Jake. It seems ideal for a while but then Tess starts to realize the truth and it's heartbreaking. I could relate so much to Tess as I used to think about moving to New York or California as a teen but never did, usually end up falling for the wrong boys, and that I used to work at a restaurant and I hated it. LOL This is one I really hope becomes a movie and made me a fan of Stephanie.

[NightMistBlue]

I mostly "do" audiobooks now, as I previously mentioned, because of a long commute. Just started Donald Fagen's Eminent Hipsters, a book of essays which he narrates himself. Mr. Fagen of course is the voice and at least half the brain of Steely Dan.

What a jazz fiend this man is! And he communicates his passion so persuasively that I find myself listening to the Boswell Sisters, a 1920s New Orleans singing trio, because he argues so well that Connie Boswell is a musician's musician with a catalogue as worthy of respect as Duke Ellington.

[AlreadyGone95]

Did she address why she posed nude as a young actress? I don't ask that in a judge-y way; I'm just curious if she needed the dough and/or didn't consider it a big deal.

No, she didn't. This book focuses more on her life in recent years. (It has published in 2011.)

[AlreadyGone95]

Just curious, is anyone going to read or is reading the new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? I'm debating on whether to see if my library has it or to buy the book.

[DJ]

Just curious, is anyone going to read or is reading the new Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child? I'm debating on whether to see if my library has it or to buy the book.

My daughter is currently read this AG, I can let you know if she approves. My kids are huge Potter fans.

[buffyfan145]

I'll be getting it from the library within the next couple days as I had reserved it. I do have some friends who've already read it and most liked it. Some were disappointed it's actually the play's script but most of us knew that months ago. I'm excited to know what happens and see the characters as adults and their kids. Entertainment Weekly gave the script & actual play an A grade and most of the critics seems to be really loving it.

[NightMistBlue]

I didn't realize that Irving Azoff is still managing Steely Dan and Donald Fagen when he's solo. The latter part of Fagen's book is a 2012 tour diary, when he was on the road with Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. It is laugh-out-loud funny, with Fagen describing the "leprechaun-sized" Azoff as traveling everywhere with imposing bodyguards, and "owning a piece in everything that remains of the music industry" that continuously spits money back at him.

[Jonny Come Lately]

While I've been away on holiday I've been reading a book called Football Against The Enemy. It was written in the mid-1990s, it describes the author's personal journey across the world and talking to footballing (and non-footballing) people, and the role that football has played in each society.

There are many fascinating stories which range from the moving and shocking (such as one East German man's determination to follow the West German side Hertha Berlin from the other side of the wall) to moments of comedy (for instance, the Senegal national team missed out on the 1990 World Cup through sheer incompetence, by failing to submit their entry). The timing makes it especially interesting in the chapters on the former Soviet states, which had only recently gained independence, and immediately post-apartheid South Africa. It is a riveting read and I would recommend it to anyone with so much as a passing interest in association football. Even my mum, whose interest in the game is casual at best, really enjoyed reading the chapter about the rivalry between the Dutch and German national teams.

[LovinGlennGirl]

Reading Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings for the second time. Love this book, the farm it is based on is nearby. A friend and I toured it last week so thats why I am re reading.

[buffyfan145]

My fourth novel "Angel Eyes" is finally out!!! :D It's on Amazon here (https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Eyes-Amanda-Hogan/dp/1365262014/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470227588&sr=1-4&keywords=Amanda+Hogan) in both paperback & Kindle formats and it's also available in paperback and ePub versions on other sites including where I self-published on Lulu. I'm really excited about this one as it took me over two years to write & finish this and it's my first romantic-thriller novel. I actually got the idea for it two years ago after watching the film version of "Jersey Boys", having read Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", and hearing Eric Church's song "Springsteen" all around the same time.

[NightMistBlue]

Reading Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings for the second time. Love this book, the farm it is based on is nearby. A friend and I toured it last week so thats why I am re reading.

Woah! You're lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I read the book years ago and it made me want to be a farmer for awhile :) Finally toured the house a few years ago.

Have you ever seen the movie starring Mary Steenburgen?

[NightMistBlue]

My fourth novel "Angel Eyes" is finally out!!! :D It's on Amazon here (https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Eyes-Amanda-Hogan/dp/1365262014/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470227588&sr=1-4&keywords=Amanda+Hogan) in both paperback & Kindle formats and it's also available in paperback and ePub versions on other sites including where I self-published on Lulu. I'm really excited about this one as it took me over two years to write & finish this and it's my first romantic-thriller novel. I actually got the idea for it two years ago after watching the film version of "Jersey Boys", having read Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", and hearing Eric Church's song "Springsteen" all around the same time.

Congratulations, Buffy! :cheers:

[Brooke]

Good for you, Buffy! I hope it does well!

I'm currently reading the Sheila Weller book, Girls Like Us. I really like Carole King and Carly Simon's music, not too thrilled about Joni Mitchell's. Good stories so far. Some of you have already read it, I think.

[NightMistBlue]

Yes, I read it (actually, listened to the audiobook) and found it very interesting.

There's some Eagles content in the Carole King section.

[UndertheWire]

I'm back to reading detective novels. I'm through the first three of the Wallender series (Henning Mankell) and I'm enjoying the style. A hero who seems ordinary and feels out of depth in the way crime is developing in Sweden, lots of human error and yet he somehow makes it through and solves the crime.

I'm now onto the fifth of Harry Bingham's "Fiona Griffiths" series. I started reading these because it's my home territory and I've continued because they're different and intriguing. She's a young - and rather odd - detective in the South Wales police and it's all told in the first person.

[NightMistBlue]

I'm back to reading detective novels. I'm through the first three of the Wallender series (Henning Mankell) and I'm enjoying the style. A hero who seems ordinary and feels out of depth in the way crime is developing in Sweden, lots of human error and yet he somehow makes it through and solves the crime.

UtW, did you watch the Wallender television series starring Kenneth Branagh? I was wondering how faithful the books are. Might be too depressing for me, though I did "enjoy" (if that's the right word!) the tv show.

[buffyfan145]

Thanks NMB and Brooke!!! :D

I remember the "Wallender" show too, especially since Tom Hiddleston was on it before he got famous, but I haven't read them either.

[UndertheWire]

UtW, did you watch the Wallender television series starring Kenneth Branagh? I was wondering how faithful the books are. Might be too depressing for me, though I did "enjoy" (if that's the right word!) the tv show.
I've only seen one episode which I enjoyed - I do like Kenneth Branagh - and I've just read the book on which it was loosely based. There were very big differences for good reasons. The book was set in 1992, near the end of apartheit and is about an attempted assassination of Nelson Mandela whereas the tv show was set some twenty years later and had a much simpler and less extreme plot.

I don't find the books depressing. Perhaps I'm hopeful that things will get better for poor Kurt. He seems a nice man. I also think it's funny that Kurt's father spends his life painting the same scene but sometimes with a grouse and sometimes without.

[NightMistBlue]

What an intriguing idea. It's kind of appalling that Shaun Cassidy could still be affecting my life though. Geez, don't I have enough to deal with...

[buffyfan145]

I like that idea too. :D Wonder what it says about me that I had multiple and that Glenn, Don, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney were part of it along with my normal pre-teen crushes of Paul Rudd, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and other actors & musicians from the 90s. LOL :lol:

[LovinGlennGirl]

Woah! You're lucky to live in such a beautiful place. I read the book years ago and it made me want to be a farmer for awhile :) Finally toured the house a few years ago.

Have you ever seen the movie starring Mary Steenburgen?

Yes, I've seen the movie, and loved it, but the book is better. But I always think that. :)

As I am re-reading it I keep comparing it to what I saw on the tour. It makes me want to go back again, even though I just went. It touches my heart.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm reading a science fiction classic, Douglas Adams' A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's a bit quirky for my tastes but not bad. I have a few more of my usual tastes after this (historical fiction). After those books, I plan to read Margret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. I've never read the book nor watched the movie.

I would like opinions on the Harry Potter book. All of the copies at the library were checked out, and I didn't want to pay $30 for it yet.

In the autobiography department, I bought Tony Hawk's autobiography on Amazon. I like skateboarding and am a fan of his, so I'm sure I'll like his book.

First celebrity crush? Chipper Jones (baseball player) was probably the first one I had. My first crush on a musician was Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony.

[NightMistBlue]

You sound like a cute kid! I remember Shaun's ice blue satin jacket very well, I had a door-sized poster of him wearing it. But he married young and never even gave me a chance...

I'm currently reading "Long Promised Road" a biography of Beach Boy Carl Wilson. It's extremely well researched but focuses almost entirely on the music. If you want to know anything personal about Carl, you're outta luck.

Aside: Shaun Cassidy was/is a serious BB fan and covered an obscure but gorgeous Brian Wilson tune "It's Like Heaven" on his Todd Rundgren-produced LP Under Wraps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqiZQe3ufB0&list=RDlqiZQe3ufB0

[buffyfan145]

Kim, I finished the "Harry Potter" book/play and it's really good!!! :D It's worth a read if you're a fan. Really liked seeing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest as adults and get to know their kids (especially Draco Malfoy's son). At times it felt like "Back to the Future" as well. Does make me wish I could see the play but maybe they'll film the production and release it on DVD in a few years or it will go on tour.

[AlreadyGone95]

Kim, I finished the "Harry Potter" book/play and it's really good!!! :D It's worth a read if you're a fan. Really liked seeing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the rest as adults and get to know their kids (especially Draco Malfoy's son). At times it felt like "Back to the Future" as well. Does make me wish I could see the play but maybe they'll film the production and release it on DVD in a few years or it will go on tour.


Thanks Amanda. I checked it out of the library today. I'll try to read it over the weekend. I also checked out The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

I decided to wait to read Gone With the Wind because with college, it would take me what to long to read a book that is over 1,000 pages long.

[NightMistBlue]

Leonard Cohen's book "Stranger Music" - I know we've mentioned this before on these forums, but I couldn't find the thread again. Don Henley has recommended that songwriters check out this book, specifically page 287 - the last bit of an essay entitled “How To Speak Poetry.”

Basically, Mr. Cohen is saying to writers don't be so eager to show the audience how much you've suffered in love. Don't go big in expressing your emotions, merely state the facts.

I'm sure I need to think more/deeper on this because... I'm not sure it's all that elucidating or helpful, at least for me.

In other news, I got started on Linda Ronstadt's Simple Dreams. She's a good writer - kind of quirky though, maybe discreet or private is more apropos. There's no telling why she goes on for a paragraph of rich detail about the appearance and character of famed groupie Pamela Des Barres, while other luminaries who were colleagues and friends - we're talking legendary figures - are only mentioned in passing.

[AlreadyGone95]

I did like Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, though the play format took some getting used to.

I also read Tony Hawk's autobiography. I really enjoyed it. It's a great read for those interested in arguably the best and definitely most well-known skateboarder of all time.

I've just started reading Ripped by Shelly Dickson Carr. It's about a 21st century teenager/young woman who time travels to London, England in 1888, during Jack the Ripper's reign of terror. I'm interested in London and England during the Victorian era, and I'm intrigued by Jack the Ripper, so this should be a good read for me.

[WS82Classics]

Reading Paul Trynka's biography of Rolling Stones founder Brian Jones.

I used to try modeling my hair after his, and succeeded for a while until my bangs thinned and fell away. There are some rather disturbing tales of...excess in that book.

Another one along those same lines I strongly recommend is Tony Fletcher's "Moon: Life and Death of a Rock Star."

[NightMistBlue]

I have a biography of Brian Jones by Mandy Aftel that comes highly recommended. It's in the "To Be Read" stack o' books.

Finished the Ronstadt bio last night, ended up being very impressed with it. She writes about music intimately, if I can put it that way. People looking for a conventional autobiography may get frustrated with it, but it was a unique insight into a singer's art.

[Brooke]

I enjoyed Linda's book, too, although some of the musical bits were over my head! She's obviously a very smart and talented lady!

[NightMistBlue]

She's very intelligent, agreed.

[Delilah]

I browsed through it at B&N awhile back, but I didn't get it. I remember her recounting a time some record exec(?) tried to leave the impression with others that they spent the night together. And he was getting married that week. She certainly had to put up with some jerks.

[NightMistBlue]

Yeah, that cretin actually disrobed in her hotel room - yecch! He was an anomaly though, she seems to have gotten along with most men very well. However, that didn't include drinking with the boys, despite what Don H. said in HOTE about her being able to knock back tequila with them best of 'em. Ronstadt herself claims she's allergic to alcohol and when she drinks tequila, she skips the drunk part and goes straight to the hangover.

Next up is Judy Collins' 2000 autobiography. Despite her delicate appearance, apparently she *was* the kind of gal who could drink anyone under the table.

[Delilah]

Judy Collins :huh:? That should be interesting.

[Delilah]

I started reading "Altamont: The Rolling Stones, The Hell's Angels, and The Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day." I've been intrigued by this subject ever since learning about it from Barney Hoskyns' "Hotel California" book. It still blows my mind that someone was murdered at a Stones' concert.

So far it's really interesting getting into the back stories of the major players: the Stones' financial and personal situations, the changing social and cultural scene in San Francisco, and the unconventional lifestyles and mindsets of the Grateful Dead members.

[AlreadyGone95]

I don't have any music related books that I plan on reading within the next month or so.

I read Philip Dick's The Minority Report a few days ago. I hope that what happened in that book never happens. I'm currently reading Witches and Ghosts of the British Isles by J. Wentworth Day. I love ghost stories, so when I saw this book in the library, I decided to read it. I'm enjoying it, but some of the language is hard for an American to follow. I plan on reading Murder at Buckingham Palace by T.E.B Clarke next. I have several books checked out from a local library, but I don't have a specific order to read them in, so I just pick one after I finish one usually.

[WS82Classics]

After I finish the Brian Jones biography, my stack of 'to-read' books includes "Hitch 22" by Christopher Hitchens and "How to Be Born Again" by Billy Graham(can you imagine two more different authors?).

[NightMistBlue]

I started reading "Altamont: The Rolling Stones, The Hell's Angels, and The Inside Story of Rock's Darkest Day." I've been intrigued by this subject ever since learning about it from Barney Hoskyns' "Hotel California" book. It still blows my mind that someone was murdered at a Stones' concert.

So far it's really interesting getting into the back stories of the major players: the Stones' financial and personal situations, the changing social and cultural scene in San Francisco, and the unconventional lifestyles and mindsets of the Grateful Dead members.

Have you seen the movie "Gimme Shelter"? It's a classic.

[Delilah]

No, I haven't seen it but after reading the book I absolutely want to. I don't think it's on DVD though and I don't have Showtime. I did see some clips on YT.

[NightMistBlue]

It's been on DVD for ages. Shoot, I think I saw it on VHS!
https://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Rolling-Stones-Gimme-Shelter/60002833?strackid=7753e3596c92eacc_2_srl&trkid=201891639

Oh, I forgot about YouTube. Someone's probably uploaded the whole film there.

[Delilah]

Well, doh!:doh: I need to be more vigilant about these things. Thanks for the info, NMB.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm currently reading a lot of historical fiction. As I type this, I'm about halfway done with The Black Death by John Hatcher. It focuses on one English village during the spread of the bubonic plague (The Black Death) between 1345-1350. The book after this one will be Churchill'so Secret Agent by Max Champlin. I also plan to read a few Faulkner books and The Diary of Anne Frank sometime within the next month.

[buffyfan145]

I just finished reading Nicholas Sparks’ latest novel “Two by Two” and it was great!!! :D It was a bit different for a Sparks novel as it feels somewhat like a memoir as it’s told from the main character Russ’ POV and tells what happened to him over the worst year of his life and Russ shares a story at the beginning of each chapter from his past. The book focuses a lot on Russ’ marriage falling apart and him learning to be a single dad, which probably was inspired by what was going on with Sparks in real life at the time, but then it does take a tragic turn before getting hopeful again. It also felt different as romance wasn’t the main aspect of this book, but it was more about relationships between family members and friendships and how that will help us get through anything. :)

Next I'm reading "With Light" and it's a new Christmas set Young Adult novel in California that's been getting great reviews. Then will be reading a couple memoirs by actresses Lauren Graham and Anna Kendrick that come out this month and want to check out Bruce Springsteen's and Phil Collins' new books too.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm currently reading the Diary of Anne Frank. I've seen parts of the movie, but I've never read the book. It's amazing how upbeat she managed to stay despite the situation her and her family were in.

[NightMistBlue]

I had been listening to the audio version of Carl Hiaasen's "Bad Monkey," - narrated by Arte Johnson of all people (of Laugh In; who knew he was still alive?!). It was amusing and typical Hiaasen, but it simply overstayed its welcome and I finally gave up with a little less than 2 discs to go, which I almost never do. Hiaasen's "Tourist Season" is one of my all-time favorite novels, but he does have a rather narrow range.

I'm now well into Brian Wilson's autobiography. It's not chronological; the narrative ranges freely across time, which may be off-putting to some, particularly those who aren't familiar with his life and career. But it's very interesting to get Brian's perspective on things, after reading so many other biographer's analysis of him.

[Freypower]

Phil Collins' autobiography Not Dead Yet. My copy is signed.

Far too much about his personal life & virtually nothing about his relationships with the members of Genesis except for what appeared to be a general group wide feeling of resentment towards Peter Gabriel's 1) costumes; 2) insistence on writing all the lyrics of The Lamb 3) ' Star treatment' on the Lamb tour before he left. I am enjoying it but I would have preferred more information on the music. I didn't know that he isn't the biological father of Joely.

[AlreadyGone95]

I saw Phil's autobiography at Books-a-Million last week. I didn't have $30 for it (gotta save up for Scotland), but I want to get it. Maybe for Christmas.

I'm about to read 2 William Faulkner books, The Unvanquished and Reviers: A Reminiscence. I've only read one of his short stories, but since he's a southern author, I think I'll enjoy these books.

[NightMistBlue]

I started on the audiobook of Emma Cline's "The Girls," a fictionalized story based on the Manson Family. My brother recommended it, and I've read good reviews. So far, it's incredibly depressing.*

*Not that you'd expect a laff riot on this particular topic, but my bro told me there was a Dennis Wilson-type character who gets involved with the cult, and I thought it would be ... I dunno, at least exciting or something. But so far, it's just examining the psychology of a 14-year old suburban girl from a broken family. She's lost her one friend and is excruciatingly self-conscious, unloved and unnoticed. Not too hard to see that this vulnerable kid is going to walk right into the lion's den.

AG, how did you get on with Faulkner? I liked "Absalom, Absalom" (aka The Wild Palms) even though I wasn't sure what was going on, ever. Had a real frustrating experience with "The Sound and the Fury;" it just took me to the edge of patience but I grimly held on and finished it.

[LuvTim]

Been trying to get around to Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run. My son and daughter-in-law gave the book and the companion album to me last month on my birthday, but I'm having a little trouble lately getting enough downtime to get into it. Anybody else have that problem lately? LOL...

[buffyfan145]

I loved Lauren Graham's memoir!!! :D Had some great advice in it too about life and also writing as she herself is becoming more of an author of novels and screenplays/shows. Also really liked Anna Kendrick's memoir and some funny stories with her. Just finished reading the 4th book in one of my fav PI series by Ingrid Thoft, about a young female PI named Fina Ludlow in Boston who also has a really messed up family.

Now I'm waiting for Neil Gaiman's novelization of the Norse mythologies to come out in a few weeks and to get my copy of the novel version of the "Victoria" TV series by Daisy Goodwin, but currently reading more of the original "Sherlock Holmes" books between.

[NightMistBlue]

I'm currently listening to Stephen King' "Revival." It's not nearly as good as the Mr. Mercedes trilogy, which was very suspenseful and quite ingenious. It's amazing that King is writing at such a high level again, after almost retiring after his accident.

One thing I found delightful in Revival is that the working ranch/recording studio in Nederland, Colorado that the main character eventually works for is so obviously based on the legendary Caribou recording studio. King even says Joe Walsh recorded there.

In a bit of poetic license though, King says the owner was briefly part of a one-hit wonder band that was popular for "sounding exactly like the Eagles."

[buffyfan145]

That's a cool Eagles/Joe shoutout Stephen did NMB. :D I'm hoping to read the "Mr. Mercedes" trilogy soon, especially since there's going to be a TV show version of it later this year on DirecTV's audience network.

[NightMistBlue]

I definitely recommend it. I listened to the audiobooks because I have a very long commute. The actor who narrates it, Will Patton, is excellent.

[AlreadyGone95]

This summer will be dedicated somewhat to leisure reading because 2 of my professors ordered me to read over the summer since I'm not taking any classes. :lol:
On the 9 hour flight from Atlanta to the layover in Amsterdam, I read Stephen King's The Green Mile.
I bought 7 nonfiction books in Scotland. Four of them are about Scotland/UK; I finished the first one yesterday, Scots Who Made America.
I can't remember all of the titles of the other 6, but subject matters include: Scottish ghosts, the union and possible disunion of the UK, Scottish Protestant Reformation, Alcatraz, Hitler/citizens of Nazi Germany, and the dark side of Hollywood. Before I read those though, I'm reading some local library books, such as bios of Johnny Carson and Carol Burnett, a survivor's account of Pearl Harbor, a book on the history of politics, a book about John Wilkes Booth, and the book I'm currently reading: London 1849: A Victorian Murder Story. It looks at daily life in London for average people during that year.

[buffyfan145]

I just finished a great novel that came out about 10 years ago called "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana DeRosany. It's about an American journalist in Paris investigating what happened during the roundup of the French Jews in 1942 during WWII. Parts of the story are from the POV of Sarah, a little girl who went through all of this. It was very hard to read at times but it was such a great and emotional story.

Now I'm reading Teri Wilson's novels, who I got recommended by a post from another of my favorite authors Emily Giffin, and I'm loving them so far. Two were recently Hallmark Channel films which I've watched now, "The Art of Us" and "Unleashing Mr. Darcy". Some of her books are based off classic novels or films but all set in modern day and with twists. "The Art of Us" is a modern day gender swapped version of "My Fair Lady" (she's the professor and he's the imposter she trains), and "Unleashing Mr. Darcy" is "Pride & Prejudice". Her others I'm reading soon are "Unmasking Juliet" (Romeo & Juliet but I don't think anyone dies LOL), and her new royalty themed series with "Royally Roma" ("Roman Holiday" but the guy is the prince instead), "Royally Romanov" (based on the cartoon movie "Anastasia"), and "Royally Wed" (the film "Royal Wedding" but with a fictional British princess).

[NightMistBlue]

This summer will be dedicated somewhat to leisure reading because 2 of my professors ordered me to read over the summer since I'm not taking any classes. :lol:
I bought 7 nonfiction books in Scotland. Four of them are about Scotland/UK; I finished the first one yesterday, Scots Who Made America.

Welcome back, Kim! I'm so glad you got to go to Scotland and had a wonderful time. Your photos are lovely.

I also learned from my time in Scotland that the Scots invented everything :) [to hear them tell it anyway] I'm kidding! Please don't hurt me, Scottish people!

Congratulations on your 4.0 average too, missy. I knew you'd do well.

[AlreadyGone95]

Welcome back, Kim! I'm so glad you got to go to Scotland and had a wonderful time. Your photos are lovely.

I also learned from my time in Scotland that the Scots invented everything :) [to hear them tell it anyway] I'm kidding! Please don't hurt me, Scottish people!

Congratulations on your 4.0 average too, missy. I knew you'd do well.

Thanks for the welcome back, NMB. I'm glad to be back.
Scotland is a wonderful country; I'd go back in a heartbeat! Hopefully, that trip is just the start of many more wonderful travels to come. (A week-long trip to Canada should occur in February 2018 ).

Scottish people were, overall, extremely polite and fun to talk to. And yes, they did invent almost everything, :lol:.

[UndertheWire]

Around 15 years ago, I got hooked on police prodedurals. I had a few favourites and I'm just catching up on the latest in two series - Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch and Ian Rankin's Rebus. Although one is set in LA and the other in Edinburgh, there are quite a few parallels. Both are good cops who don't always follow the rules (but that's true of almost all fictional cops) and at the start of the series, they were in early middle-age but have now reached an age when they have been retired and are having trouble letting go. Both authors have created stories around a different character in the same environment, with Connelly having Mickey Halley (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Rankin having Malcom Fox, but have ended up merging them with the stories around Bosch and Rebus respectively. Both series have had tv eries based on them (Rebus had two because the first attempt with John Hannah didn't really work).

Does anyone have recommendations for this genre?

[LuvTim]

Around 15 years ago, I got hooked on police prodedurals. I had a few favourites and I'm just catching up on the latest in two series - Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch and Ian Rankin's Rebus. Although one is set in LA and the other in Edinburgh, there are quite a few parallels. Both are good cops who don't always follow the rules (but that's true of almost all fictional cops) and at the start of the series, they were in early middle-age but have now reached an age when they have been retired and are having trouble letting go. Both authors have created stories around a different character in the same environment, with Connelly having Mickey Halley (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Rankin having Malcom Fox, but have ended up merging them with the stories around Bosch and Rebus respectively. Both series have had tv eries based on them (Rebus had two because the first attempt with John Hannah didn't really work).

Does anyone have recommendations for this genre?

My husband recommends David Baldacci. :-)

[AlreadyGone95]

UTW, I'd recommend James Patterson's Women's Murder Club. (http://www.jamespatterson.com/womens-murder-club#.WTslX58pDqA) The first few and the latest few aren't quite as good as the middle books (I haven't read the 16th book yet.) My favorite remains The 5th Horseman, which was the first "adult" book I ever read.

My history professor paid me to bring back some books he bought in Scotland so that he didn't have to lug them back by himself when returns to the states later this month. The two conditions were that I had to use the money to buy more books with and to read one of his books.
His generosity helped me buy these 5 books.
http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a552/kim_dixon2/20170603_135757_zpsb9zbsql9.jpg

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a552/kim_dixon2/20170603_135840_zpskss3hoeo.jpg

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a552/kim_dixon2/FB_IMG_1496867667206_zpsdc41oilh.jpg

Between these and the Scotland books, I'm set for the summer, I do believe.

I could use some recommendations for comic books. The same professor highly recommended that I attempt to find some comic book series that I like since I like crime novels and some science fiction. I have no idea where to start.

[New Kid In Town]

AG - Let me know what you think of all those books. I may check them out. Especially the Graham Nash book and the one on Pres.Kennedy and Dallas and the Secret Societies.

[NightMistBlue]

I'm hoping to read the "Mr. Mercedes" trilogy soon, especially since there's going to be a TV show version of it later this year on DirecTV's audience network.

Oh shoot, you need a satellite dish to see it? That rules me out. Maybe it will be on Netflix eventually, or one of the (non-premium) cable networks.

Graham Nash should probably do an epilogue to his "Wild Tales" autobiography, since so much changed in his life after it came out. He left his wife of 30-some years and fell out with David Crosby, whom he spent much of the book saying how much he loved and treasured their friendship.

[New Kid In Town]

NMB - I thought the same thing ! I read an interview with Graham earlier this year where he said his friendship with David Crosby was over. He was tired of his shit and the way he treated people. So on and so forth....

[buffyfan145]

Finished reading John Grisham's latest "Camino Island" and loved it!!! :D It's about a heist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's original manuscripts from Princeton and a young, female author being asked to go undercover at her family's beach cottage on the island as their bookstore's owner is suspected of having them hidden in the store. She also grows very close to the owner so that complicates things. :)

Now I'm currently reading the first two books in the "Charlotte Holmes" series, a new young adult trilogy about Sherlock Holmes and John Watson's present day descendants Charlotte Homes and Jamie Watson and them following in the same footsteps and I'm loving it. :D

[WalshFan88]

I reread Joe Perry's (Aerosmith) book last week. I really, really enjoyed it. I think it's one of the best rock autobios I've read.

[buffyfan145]

I finally read "Ready Player One" by Ernest Cline and it was fantastic!!! :D Had to make sure to read it before the movie comes out next year and had been meaning to for awhile. The book takes place in 2045 where there's a virtual reality technology called the Oasis that is so realistic that everything online and things from TV shows, movies, books, video games, and even music all exist there. You can even interact with your favorite characters and play out your favorite movies/shows/games as those characters or change the story (much like writing a fanfic but actually playing it out yourself). Then the Oasis' founder dies and a "Willy Wonka" style quest starts as whoever wins will inherit the Oasis. So many things are referenced and featured in this book, especially things that I'm a fan of and 80s music played a huge part in it with the band Rush the most. Steven Spielberg is making the movie and so far they've gotten a lot of the rights to use the various characters, movies/shows/games, and music in the book as well as now Steven's past work and Warner Brothers. If they're able to pull this off this movie is going to be amazing. :D

[NightMistBlue]

I reread Joe Perry's (Aerosmith) book last week. I really, really enjoyed it. I think it's one of the best rock autobios I've read.

I listened to the audiobook, read by Mr. Perry himself. I love his New England accent. Steven Tyler's book was wildly entertaining. Their relationship is very complex. From Joe's book, I got the impression that the two men seem to get along fine when they're socializing - for example, they've taken vacations together with their families with little or no trouble. It's when they work that sparks fly. They seem particularly jealous and threatened when other collaborators enter the picture. Maybe they need that tension for the creative chemistry to thrive.

[New Kid In Town]

WOW - Thanks guys ! I really have to make a trip to my library to see if they have any of these books. I have to start my list. It's going to be a long one !

I usually read biographies, current events, historic, and political related books(that was my major-lol).

[UndertheWire]

Has anyone read Goodnight, LA by Kent Hartman. I haven't, but it might be interesting. Here's a review:
http://www.houstonpress.com/music/cocaine-and-control-boards-la-classic-rock-in-the-70s-9780972

[NightMistBlue]

Intriguing. Have a look on Amazon at the book's index - a very diverse cast of characters gets mentioned. I'll wait until my local library gets a copy then pounce. Sweet Randy Meisner is cited four times.

I don't imagine that Waddy shared about his 1998 bust on child porn possession (he got probation).

[Delilah]

Has anyone read Goodnight, LA by Kent Hartman. I haven't, but it might be interesting. Here's a review:
http://www.houstonpress.com/music/cocaine-and-control-boards-la-classic-rock-in-the-70s-9780972

This does sounds interesting. I haven't even read the first book yet though. The Rod Stewart album cover story sounds familiar. Thanks for the heads-up.

[New Kid In Town]

Intriguing. Have a look on Amazon at the book's index - a very diverse cast of characters gets mentioned. I'll wait until my local library gets a copy then pounce. Sweet Randy Meisner is cited four times.
I don't imagine that Waddy shared about his 1998 bust on child porn possession (he got probation).

Holy Crap - Waddy got busted for child porn !? Damn....

UTW - The book looks interesting I will have to check Amazon.

Buffy - John Grisham's "Camino Island"is one the books I have been thinking of getting I saw him interviewed on tv talking about the book and it sounded great.

[NightMistBlue]

Holy Crap - Waddy got busted for child porn !? Damn....

Buffy - John Grisham's "Camino Island"is one the books I have been thinking of getting I saw him interviewed on tv talking about the book and it sounded great.

Yes, in 1998. He sent his computer in for repairs and that's how the files/images were discovered.

Hey, you guys didn't mention that "Camino Island" is set in Florida! It's a made-up name but it's probably based on a real place, like Stephen King does.

[AlreadyGone95]

My leisure reading time has been reduced this semester. By the time I finish my required reading for both British and World Literature, I'm tired of reading. However, I'm currently reading Breaking the Da Vinci Code, Hollywood gothic : the tangled web of Dracula from novel to stage to screen, and I am not Spock by Leonard Nimoy.

I just completed Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew for Brit lit. I now have to read The Tamer Tamed by John Fletcher.

[buffyfan145]

NKIT: It was great!!! :D I've only read a couple of Grisham's books but it's one of my favorites of his now.

NMB: Yes, it's a fictional island in Florida but it sounds like some I've heard before.

I'm currently reading the 5th book in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series, "The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye" and loving it. :D It's been taken over by a new author but he's done a great job and it still feels like the same characters and how the series would've continued if the original author lived.

[NightMistBlue]

I am not Spock by Leonard Nimoy.

Shoot, I didn't know Mr. Nimoy wrote an autobiography. I'm gonna check that out.

Buffy, is "Dragon Tattoo" very violent? I've gotten squeamish in my old age. I used to be able to watch horror movies and read true crime books but I tend to steer clear now.

[buffyfan145]

NMB, it varies depending on the books. The original trilogy did have more than the 2nd half, but they are all mystery/crime novels. Weird thing is I normally don't have a problem reading violent scenes but do watching it.

[Dawn]

Has anyone read the Eagles FAQ: All That's Left To Know About Classic Rock's Superstars by Andrew Vaughn?

I was just reading a promotional intro and look who got a shout out!


"Online research reveals all kinds of valuable sources of information, from in-depth fan sites to casual bloggers and writers with captivating insights to industry movers and shakers like Bob Lefsetz. Thanks to Nancy and Lisa, who run two exemplary Eagles sites, EaglesFans.com and EaglesOnlineCentral.com. The information and passion they channel is simply awesome."

[UndertheWire]

I'll certainly agree with the bolded part.

I'm sure we touched on the book in a few places but there wasn't a lot to say as it's pretty much a retread of what we already know.

[New Kid In Town]

Has anyone read the Eagles FAQ: All That's Left To Know About Classic Rock's Superstars by Andrew Vaughn?
I was just reading a promotional intro and look who got a shout out!
"Online research reveals all kinds of valuable sources of information, from in-depth fan sites to casual bloggers and writers with captivating insights to industry movers and shakers like Bob Lefsetz. Thanks to Nancy and Lisa, who run two exemplary Eagles sites, EaglesFans.com and EaglesOnlineCentral.com. The information and passion they channel is simply awesome."

I read it. If you have read any other book then don't bother - it has the same rehashed info, some wrong, that the other books do. He has a book that he wrote about them that goes for something like $150.00. Needless to say I have never bought it, too much money for what is probably rehashed info from the book your talking about.

[Dawn]

Thanks UTW and NKIT. I agree with the bolded part too 😏 and appreciate your candid reviews.

[AlreadyGone95]

I figured that I would revive this thread as I have just finished Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. I watched the show Dickensian (a British show that puts the characters of several Dickens novels in one London neighborhood) a while back, and decided to read Oliver Twist while on winter break. I found myself going back and forth on the book. Some parts were very good and others were much more boring. I also had trouble keeping up with the cast of characters and what was happening. I've read much worse, though. I know that book was written as a piece in a serial over a period of two years, and, I think that affects the flow somewhat.

I don't know what I'll read next. I have a few books on my ever-growing "to read" list that are piquing my interest. I have several books for an upcoming independent study class coming in the mail between now and Christmas. Once I get those in, I'll probably try to knock a few of them out.

[Elle81]

I didn't even know this thread existed! This is awesome. I read all the time, and have a bad habit of getting a giant stack of library books when I usually have an even bigger stack of books I own that I have not read yet. However, now that thanks to the virus I can't go and browse the isles of the public libraries, I've been reading the books I have at home. I'm almost out of new books to read, so I'm going to have to start reading ones I've read before. I really hope the libraries open back up soon. I just recently finished To Kill a mockingbird and it was good, sad, but good. I'm currently reading Darkfall by Dean Koontz. I've read this before, but not in a very long time, so it's like a brand new story.

[AlreadyGone95]

I didn't even know this thread existed! This is awesome. I read all the time, and have a bad habit of getting a giant stack of library books when I usually have an even bigger stack of books I own that I have not read yet. However, now that thanks to the virus I can't go and browse the isles of the public libraries, I've been reading the books I have at home. I'm almost out of new books to read, so I'm going to have to start reading ones I've read before. I really hope the libraries open back up soon. I just recently finished To Kill a mockingbird and it was good, sad, but good. I'm currently reading Darkfall by Dean Koontz. I've read this before, but not in a very long time, so it's like a brand new story.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite novels. As a history major and person from the south, the story really resonates with me.


I decided to read Patricia Cornwell's Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed. I tried to read it a few years ago, but for some reason or another, I never finished it.

[Elle81]

AG, Do you read any John Grisham? I'm not exactly a big fan of courtroom dramas, I did like The last Juror. It has the feel of Mockingbird, in the sense that it is a court drama, but at the same time it's a 'slice of life' novel.

[AlreadyGone95]

AG, Do you read any John Grisham? I'm not exactly a big fan of courtroom dramas, I did like The last Juror. It has the feel of Mockingbird, in the sense that it is a court drama, but at the same time it's a 'slice of life' novel.

I read A Time to Kill about two years ago. I liked it. I haven't read anything else by him because college limits the time I have to read any "choice reading."

[Elle81]

I read A Time to Kill about two years ago. I liked it. I haven't read anything else by him because college limits the time I have to read any "choice reading."
damn, that's too bad. But I get it, I've done the whole college thing, or at least the community college thing.
BTW, (sooo trying not to gloat but...) I went to American River College in Sacramento. The same community college our sweet Timothy B. went to! Not at the same time, as I'm 33 years younger than him, but still pretty awesome. :laugh:

[AlreadyGone95]

damn, that's too bad. But I get it, I've done the whole college thing, or at least the community college thing.
BTW, (sooo trying not to gloat but...) I went to American River College in Sacramento. The same community college our sweet Timothy B. went to! Not at the same time, as I'm 33 years younger than him, but still pretty awesome. :laugh:

That's so cool! I go to Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (the "ag" part really isn't relevant anymore because several bachelor's degrees in non-ag fields are offered- history and government (my fields), writing and communication, math, science etc.) I hadn't planned on going here, but my community college merged with ABAC nearly three years ago, so since I was now a student, I decided to stay and complete my Bachelor’s. I'm planning on going to grad school, so I'm going above what is expected of me (in class and outside, too), to hopefully help me get some funding for my master's degree. That's the main reason why pleasure reading is almost nonexistent for me, lol. After Christmas, for example, I'm going to finish narrowing down a topic and write a proposal for a political science conference.

After I read the Jack the Ripper book, I'll most likely start on my first "textbooks" that have come in. These books aren't really textbooks, but they're required for my research papers for my independent study on the modern history of the United Kingdom (1970-2000). My first books will be The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008 by Sean Wilentz and Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship* by Richard Aldous.


* That sounds like a good title for a book on the Eagles.

[Elle81]

good luck with your studies! and your side note about a title for an Eagles book made me laugh very loudly out loud. :rofl:

[AlreadyGone95]

good luck with your studies! and your side note about a title for an Eagles book made me laugh very loudly out loud. :rofl:

Thanks, lol! :grin:

[UndertheWire]

After I read the Jack the Ripper book, I'll most likely start on my first "textbooks" that have come in. These books aren't really textbooks, but they're required for my research papers for my independent study on the modern history of the United Kingdom (1970-2000). My first books will be The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008 by Sean Wilentz and Reagan and Thatcher: The Difficult Relationship* by Richard Aldous.


* That sounds like a good title for a book on the Eagles.
Welcome back! It's so nice to learn how your studies are progressing. Those sound like daunting books but maybe I should read them to understand what was really going on. Don't forget that you have access to quite a few of us who lived through that period on this board. Though mostly what I remember about Reagan was the fear he would take us into a nuclear war with his "Star Wars" Space Defense Initative.

My UK perspepective:
The 70s: the oil crisis, three-day week, sex discrimination act, high tax rates, inflation, strikes, Russian invasion of Afghanistan
The 80s: the nuclear thread and Greenham Common protests (against the siting of US nuclear missiles), the coal miners' strike, Falklands war, deregulation of the Stock Exchange, Glasnost (and the falling of the Berlin Wall), Chenoybl, AIDS, gay rights
The 90s: Gulf wars, Afghanistan (perhaps I was too focused on family at that time because I can't remember the big stuff). Thatcher being brought down.

For reading, my suggestion would be "The History of Modern Britain" by Andrew Marr (you could watch his tv series on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tRJ1E9Ai2E&list=PL_sBmgIo_piKmBACo5tj__RkerbLOLzLb) to get a flavour although that covers an earlier period)

[AlreadyGone95]

Welcome back! It's so nice to learn how your studies are progressing. Those sound like daunting books but maybe I should read them to understand what was really going on. Don't forget that you have access to quite a few of us who lived through that period on this board. Though mostly what I remember about Reagan was the fear he would take us into a nuclear war with his "Star Wars" Space Defense Initative.

My UK perspepective:
The 70s: the oil crisis, three-day week, sex discrimination act, high tax rates, inflation, strikes, Russian invasion of Afghanistan
The 80s: the nuclear thread and Greenham Common protests (against the siting of US nuclear missiles), the coal miners' strike, Falklands war, deregulation of the Stock Exchange, Glasnost (and the falling of the Berlin Wall), Chenoybl, AIDS, gay rights
The 90s: Gulf wars, Afghanistan (perhaps I was too focused on family at that time because I can't remember the big stuff). Thatcher being brought down.

For reading, my suggestion would be "The History of Modern Britain" by Andrew Marr (you could watch his tv series on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tRJ1E9Ai2E&list=PL_sBmgIo_piKmBACo5tj__RkerbLOLzLb) to get a flavour although that covers an earlier period)

Thanks, UtW! The reason that Reagan is involved in this course is because the course name is "U.S. and the Modern World." It's supposed to be mostly about modern U.S. history. However, I'm already pretty knowledgeable in that subject, and I've written and presented several papers on Brexit (including my capstone, my huge research project to prove I'm capable of writing and researching at any appropriate level to be able to graduate. Therefore, my professor, who is well versed in the subject and runs the study abroad trip to Scotland that I did nearly three years ago, decided that I, rightfully so, need a working understanding of modern British history to be able to better understand Brexit and where it came from, so I'm doing this "crash course" (political, economics, cultural etc). However to satisfy the head of the department, we had to include small tie-ins to the United States, so we'll partly focus on UK-U.S relations during the period. Our main years will be the 1970s and 1980s, but we'll briefly go over the 1990s.

Along with the required 11 books, there will be some "fun" work, such as watching documentaries and British TV shows (I'll soon binge my favorite British show, Are You Being Served?).

The topics you mentioned are sure to be covered, especially the strikes, oil crisis (similar to the US, there), the debates around the pound (inflation), and the Falklands War. I'll also learn about the IRA and conflict between Ireland and the UK, the UK's role in the EEC (later the EU), the success and failures of each prime minister. I'm sure there's some other stuff I've forgotten, but I won't have an actual syllabus and list of topics until mid-January or so. (My professor knows what he wants to do, but he hasn't written it yet).

I'll look into that book and the YouTube series. I might create a thread in the appropriate subforum on the topic, so that if I have any questions, I'll see if my British (and Irish) Border friends can help.

Also, if I ever say something that is incorrect on the topic, please feel free to correct me, in a nice way.

[sodascouts]

I read all the time for my job, but rarely read what is outside of my job requirements because that consumes so much time. I've decided to try and change that. I appreciate the recommendations for "lighter reading."

[AlreadyGone95]

I read all the time for my job, but rarely read what is outside of my job requirements because that consumes so much time. I've decided to try and change that. I appreciate the recommendations for "lighter reading."

Same here, as a student who's being pushed harder than most of her classmates. (I have two professors preparing me for grad school). When you have 8-15 textbooks, 2-5 dozen books for papers, and numerous articles to read per semester, there is no such thing as "lighter reading." While I don't have to read the books cover-to-cover (except the text books) I still have to know the general argument and the information used to back it up, which rarely can be found in the introduction or conclusion. I typically have to read about 500 pages a week minimum (I know that number will increase substantially over the coming years). Reading for academic purposes requires allot more focus and time (thank God for indexes). Plus, in history, I need to be able to place the book within the historiographical timeline of the topic. By the time I call it quits for a day, I have no desire to open another book and make me eyes and brain work more (My brain is usually fried, to make a bad pun). Unlike many students, who are just there to get a degree and put in minimal effort, I always do the required readings. (It's amazing to me how many students don't even do that on a regular basis). I know what I have to do to make it further in academia, so pleasure reading and sometimes, leisure, in general, become nonexistent. It's a trade-off though, because, hopefully, in 5-8 years, I'll have a job that'll let me have a few spare hours a week for such pleasures.

[AlreadyGone95]

I decided to read Patricia Cornwell's Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper Case Closed. I tried to read it a few years ago, but for some reason or another, I never finished it.

I now remember why I never finished it. It's very badly written. It's supposed to be nonfiction, and claims to prove 100% who Jack really was, but there are no footnotes or endnotes; there's only a short bibliography at the end. None of the claims are backed up by actual proof and the evidence that is presented is questionable at best. Cornwell approaches the subject by injecting her suspect as Jack the Ripper, instead showing how it's possible that her suspect is the Ripper.This book should serve a means of showing how not to write a nonfiction historical book. I'm going to finish reading it as pure speculation and possible theories (fiction).

[groupie2686]

I didn't know this thread existed either! With a lot of time on my hands outside of work because of covid, I've been reading the entire fiction works of author Nicholas Coleridge. His books are hilariously, laugh out loud funny and practically impossible to put down. I'm on #5 of 6 and I have no idea what I'll read next!

[LuvTim]

I've just started reading for my book club and for the NEA Big Read, Circe by Madeline Miller. She also wrote The Song Of Achilles​, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction.

[Elle81]

Since I've pretty much have been working since mid January, I haven't had a lot of time to read (which for me is unheard of!). However I was able to finish that Dean Koontz book. The most recent book I read was The book thief by Markus Zusak, which was went against my personal rule of reading the book before seeing the movie. I saw the movie back a few years ago and loved it, so I thought I'd give the book a try. I'm glad I did, because it was indeed a really good book.

Now I'm reading The Broker by John Grisham. I haven't had a good track record with his books, I've read at least four of his books before and only liked one: The Last Juror. However, this one is pretty good and I'm more than halfway through it.

[AlreadyGone95]

I'm finding myself with alot of free time on my hands since I'm no longer having classes. Plus, during slow times at my library job, reading is encouraged. I've currently just started The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry. It is so nice to be able to read fiction again without feeling like I'm slacking by not reading a nonfiction book related to my studies.

[Elle81]

That's cool that you now have all this time to read, AG. And is that book a crime drama/ thriller? sounds like it is from the title.

Books are pretty much one of the only things that's keeping me sane right now. Currently I am reading the first book in the Lord Of the Rings, The Fellowship of the ring. I tried reading The Hobbit back in 2019, and geez, it was so boring, but I made myself finish it. But boy did I want to throw it into a wood chipper. Luckily, I'm having better luck with Fellowship. I'm almost finished with it and it's a decent read. I hope the other two in the series are as good.