Poppyshake's Reading Year 2013

[Devi]

Thats the first tuesday book club show isn't it kylie?

[chaliepud]

I think I'll add Travels with Charley to my wish list, thanks Julie.

[Kylie]

Thats the first tuesday book club show isn't it kylie?

 

Yep! Do you watch it?

[poppyshake]

Pops , you had a  splendid Monday !

I certainly did Julie

Love the cover of the Newlyweds-- reminds me of the 50's for some reason. Is that when the story takes place ?

Yes it's lovely isn't it? You won't be surprised to hear that that's what first attracted me to it   It's not set in the 50's though I don't think. No .. it's definitely not, as it's about a woman who emigrates to America from Bangladesh to marry a man she's met on an internet dating forum

I have been eyeing Beautiful Ruins for a REALLY long time. Jess Walter is a terrific writer and seems  to be able to span many types of stories successfully .

I've not read anything by her before but I'm glad to hear that you think she's terrific .. I'm sure I shall too then

I've not read anything of hers before but it's good to hear that you've enjoyed her before

I *THINK* the other with the DARK in the title is one I just put on reserve at our library this morning . Neater cover on yours though .

Now that's a co-incidence .. must be the pull of the moon or something Julie

Dontcha just love the buy one get one deal ? That one always sucks me in too, as I'm sure it does everyone. How could anyone resist ?  I'll bet your mojo hasn't completely dissolved or you wouldn't be so excited about these new books. When my mojo takes off running, I don't even want to buy a book ,because I convince myself I have too many already and don't need any more .

I wish my reluctant mojo did come with the 'not even wanting to look at a book let alone buy it' side effect but alas it doesn't. I am excited about picking up these books though so it can't be that reluctant. I am poking it with a stick as it were

Also, are the other small items bookmarks ?

The orange one is a bookmark that Waterstone's put in the bag with my purchases .. I just liked the sentiment. The flowery 'thing' is my glasses case .. and it's not new it was just nearby as I had been squinting at all the synopsis'   

[poppyshake]

As for the previous post about Grapes of Wrath ... good grief, what a book . Terrific writing but such an ODD ending . I wont give anything away by saying that. It's nothing you will see coming until you read it yourself . Steinbeck seemed to have that ability to drop you someplace at the end and leave you going WHAT ????

If you are on a Steinbeck roll, you gotta do East of Eden. It blows the others out of the water in my opinion. Best ever .

 I could very well find myself on a Steinbeck roll East of Eden shall be added!

Then if you are really dragging along after Grapes of Wrath and want something in the same exact direction ,for lack of a better term, try Erskine Caldwell. Good grief, you will wanna reach in those books and yank the characters out by the shirtfronts ...

Now this sounds interesting .. I haven't heard of Erskine Caldwell before so need to check him out. Gracious Julie!! .. you're as bad as Claire

Such GOOD writing ,both were made into movies MANY years ago ... God's Little Acre and Tobacco Road. There are others but my blood pressure wouldn't handle any more of those .. VERY infuriating characters ,but good stories .

As well as liking gloomy books I like books that make me angry with the characters .. as long as the writing is good.

[poppyshake]

I categorically deny that the afore mentioned book purchases were my fault.

 

 

*exits thread whistling innocently*

Yeah .. butter wouldn't melt Claire

Oh, groaning, I have always disliked Steinbeck, intensely.  I've tried several books, only completing East of Eden (by the hardest)*

I don't know why, but he just sets my teeth on edge.  BUT, y'all have me thinking about The Grapes of Wrath, especially your remark, Julie, about the ending. /martyred sigh?  *another strange expression.....?

Oh poor pont  I can see Steinbeck is to you what Flaubert is to me .. Henry James may well find himself there too if his next read turns out to be a turkey  

[poppyshake]

Pops, it sounds like you had a great time ! The books you bought have really nice covers. I loved reading how your shopping experience was.

Thanks Athena.. we did have a great time

In that case, I think you'll like it. Have plenty of buns handy, though.

I will do Kylie .. it's good to have a reason to buy surplus buns

Lovely books! Oddly enough, I only heard of Beautiful Ruins for the first time today, when I noticed it is going to be reviewed on The Book Club TV show here. The cover is so retro!

It is isn't it? There's a sort of buzz about the book at the moment (and I am very susceptible to buzzes ) You'll have to let me know what they think of it (only .. if it's bad news .. be gentle with me   )

It sounds like it's quite dangerous to go book shopping with Claire, so yes, I think you should go shopping together more often!

My thoughts exactly .. Claire is actually very disciplined herself .. and I am not at all  

[poppyshake]

Have you tried Travels With Charley ? It makes Steinbeck sound so much different ...interesting to hear how much our country has changed since he took his dog and traveled through several states . Not nearly as dark as his fiction books .

I like the sound of this too Julie .. oh my wishlist is getting out of control  

[Karsa Orlong]

 I could very well find myself on a Steinbeck roll East of Eden shall be added!

 

I can't believe I've read that and you haven't     I feel vaguely superior.  I shall make the most of this whilst it lasts

 

 

 

Aaaaaaaand it's over   

[poppyshake]

I can't believe I've read that and you haven't     I feel vaguely superior.  I shall make the most of this whilst it lasts

 

Aaaaaaaand it's over   

Yes well ... *looks around for anything that might help restore the situation* .. I'M not afraid of Virginia Woolf so there   .. I'm only a tiny bit scared of her  

[julie]

Pops

Just wanted to tell you Jess Walter is a man .. He has quite a varied list of books to his name. I first read him many years ago when he co-wrote a book about the OJ Simpson trial ... Then I read a book about the Ruby Ridge shootings ..Not sure if you guys would have gotten the news stories of those over your way. I think it happened maybe back in the 80s or 90s . It's been quite awhile ago ,so my brain is a bit foggy on the details, but it was sort-of a small scale situation like the Waco Texas cult group lived,and the government kinda stepped in to "handle it " and it got out of hand and so many people were killed ?

 

Anyhow , the Ruby Ridge thing happened I think AFTER that ,but I may be mistaken. It was a family that lived out in Idaho maybe ?? Someplace with lots of space ,where people can live and kinda choose how they want to raise their families, their own schooling system, religion, some are people disillusioned with the government , etc.

This family lived out there on top of a mountain and wanted to be left alone ,but the father took his beliefs a little too far and became a little obsessed and fanatical and started stockpiling weapons . So the government found him to be a threat and possible danger . To make a long story short, they surrounded the house with sharpshooters and ended up killing his son and wife .

 

It's a pretty controversial subject and one that I would probably be in the minority on, but it was definitely an interesting story ,and quite a topic for discussion .

 

Jess went on to write some mystery/suspense type books, then Beautiful Ruins . I may be wrong in it ,but I think the woman in the story was modeled on an young Elizabeth Taylor .... gotta check my facts on that one .  YEP -- she sorta plays into the story .. and guess what ? It's under 9 bucks for Kindle .

 

I just paid off my Kindle charge card today .

 

 

D A N G    

 

 

Should I ruin that nice feeling of having my credit card paid in full ?

 

 

 

STAY TUNED .     

[poppyshake]

Pops

Just wanted to tell you Jess Walter is a man

Oops!   

He has quite a varied list of books to his name. I first read him many years ago when he co-wrote a book about the OJ Simpson trial ... Then I read a book about the Ruby Ridge shootings ..Not sure if you guys would have gotten the news stories of those over your way. I think it happened maybe back in the 80s or 90s . It's been quite awhile ago ,so my brain is a bit foggy on the details, but it was sort-of a small scale situation like the Waco Texas cult group lived,and the government kinda stepped in to "handle it " and it got out of hand and so many people were killed ?

Anyhow , the Ruby Ridge thing happened I think AFTER that ,but I may be mistaken. It was a family that lived out in Idaho maybe ?? Someplace with lots of space ,where people can live and kinda choose how they want to raise their families, their own schooling system, religion, some are people disillusioned with the government , etc.

This family lived out there on top of a mountain and wanted to be left alone ,but the father took his beliefs a little too far and became a little obsessed and fanatical and started stockpiling weapons . So the government found him to be a threat and possible danger . To make a long story short, they surrounded the house with sharpshooters and ended up killing his son and wife .

It's a pretty controversial subject and one that I would probably be in the minority on, but it was definitely an interesting story ,and quite a topic for discussion .

Oh my apple pie!! That sounds like it'd keep me awake at night. I did see something on TV a while back about an American cult ... sounds similar .. only they (the cult leaders) persuaded some of their people .. infact a lot of their people to drink cyanide (I think it was .. it may have been some other form of poison) and there was footage of them drinking from this cup and giving it to their little ones .. so harrowing. And this was because people had got wise and suddenly started to leave .. very upsetting. Most of them ended up dead  

Jess went on to write some mystery/suspense type books, then Beautiful Ruins . I may be wrong in it ,but I think the woman in the story was modeled on an young Elizabeth Taylor .... gotta check my facts on that one .  YEP -- she sorta plays into the story

Sounds interesting and it doesn't sound like there'll be a shoot out .. so I'm encouraged

and guess what ? It's under 9 bucks for Kindle .

I just paid off my Kindle charge card today .

D A N G    

Should I ruin that nice feeling of having my credit card paid in full ?

STAY TUNED .     

Far be it for me to encourage you Julie .. but watch out for Claire    

[julie]

Pops

no, I don't think there will be any shooting of any sort in Beautiful Ruins .

 

The Cult thing you were mentioning was back in the 70's maybe -- Jim Jones was the leader. He took several hundred people down to Guyana ??? Not so great on Geography ,but someplace down that direction into the jungle, since the government kinda had their eye on him too,so he talked his congregation into following him there to build a sort of paradise.

 

It turned out horribly ,so many people, I'm thinking 800 ?  Went down there . Lots of their family members were trying to rescue them and we sent down one of our Senators ( I think ) .. these stories are so OLD in my brain . I think his last name was Ryan . We sent him and some aides down to try to rescue the people or see what was really going on down there. This guy more or less robbed people of their money and possessions in the name of the church . When the heat was on and the government came down after him, the senator was killed ,and Reverend Jones told all his followers they would meet in Heaven . They mixed poison into grape koolaid and most adults drank it and gave it to their kids. The ones who refused were shot, as was Jim Jones. I don't know if they ever decided it was suicide or if one of his top dogs was given the task of killing him ,but yes, it was a grizzly and sad scene.

 

That's not the one -the one in Waco were The Branch Davidians .. a much smaller group holed up in a building . Maybe 75 people ?  I dont remember. Some of the kids were let out and a few adults left, but most died .

 

Then we have the Hale-Bopp Comet guy ..Good grief .. do YOU GUYS have any of these cult-like things over there or do we have all the nutbags on our side of the pond ?

Edited September 19, 2013 by julie

[poppyshake]

Pops

no, I don't think there will be any shooting of any sort in Beautiful Ruins .

I cannot say I'm sorry

The Cult thing you were mentioning was back in the 70's maybe -- Jim Jones was the leader. He took several hundred people down to Guyana ??? Not so great on Geography ,but someplace down that direction into the jungle, since the government kinda had their eye on him too,so he talked his congregation into following him there to build a sort of paradise.

It turned out horribly ,so many people, I'm thinking 800 ?  Went down there . Lots of their family members were trying to rescue them and we sent down one of our Senators ( I think ) .. these stories are so OLD in my brain . I think his last name was Ryan . We sent him and some aides down to try to rescue the people or see what was really going on down there. This guy more or less robbed people of their money and possessions in the name of the church . When the heat was on and the government came down after him, the senator was killed ,and Reverend Jones told all his followers they would meet in Heaven . They mixed poison into grape koolaid and most adults drank it and gave it to their kids. The ones who refused were shot, as was Jim Jones. I don't know if they ever decided it was suicide or if one of his top dogs was given the task of killing him ,but yes, it was a grizzly and sad scene.

Yes that's it .. shocking! What is awful is that they were looking for some sort of paradise .. away from all the cr*p in the world .. and then it became a very real hell on earth. There were a couple of survivors that were giving their side of it on this documentary .. one guy had seen his wife take the koolaid and she had died in his arms .. and his children too .. they had already drunk it I think whilst he was trying to stop people from listening to Rev Jones .. it sort of all happened so quickly. I can't remember now how the few escaped that did (but interestingly I think it said that Rev Jones' children were amongst the escapees or some of them .. they were grown ups though .. or possibly they had escaped just prior to the atrocities). To see all the bodies lying there .. very, very sad  

That's not the one -the one in Waco were The Branch Davidians .. a much smaller group holed up in a building . Maybe 75 people ?  I dont remember. Some of the kids were let out and a few adults left, but most died .

Yes I remember hearing about it at the time .. our news was covering the siege. You wonder how people can be so gullible but of course .. they prey on the vulnerable and susceptible. All the same it's hard to have sympathy with the adults .. especially when you see what the children have to endure and then for it all to end like that

Then we have the Hale-Bopp Comet guy ..Good grief .. do YOU GUYS have any of these cult-like things over there or do we have all the nutbags on our side of the pond ?

I think you have most of the cult nutbags .. however I'm sure we have our fair share of deluded individuals  It would seem a lot of it is done in the name of religion and that's not something that holds a lot of sway here these days. We don't have TV evangelism either .. we have some nice people singing hymns on a Sunday and that's about it.

[julie]

Yea, Pops

 I'm not big on religion myself . I've seen what it can do if taken wrongly or you get someone who turns it into a fanatic type thing . Those guys do prey on the people who are searching in life,for some type of meaning, for happiness, or a healing of health or personal problems.  It's so sad when the vulnerable people who truly DO need some direction in life come across someone like these guys we mentioned .

We have had others throughout the years. Another group in WV -- the Hare Krishnas built a palace of gold down there in the hills. There ended up being a revolt amongst the leaders and one or 2 came up missing or killed. The place is now empty ,with only the ghosts of those guys left to wander ,searching for redemption .

 

They now use it as a tourist area .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palaceanddevotees_1982.jpg

 

If you are at all familiar with WV, you'd know how OUT OF PLACE this is ...

 

Anyhow, Bible Thumpers of the sort mentioned in the above posts  aren't nearly as much a fad as they once were . Most of our big televangelists have found salvation in a Hooker's motel room ,so they have all fallen by the wayside .  

 

I'm not saying religion is a bad thing. Most of my lifelong friends were raised in the church and still very devout . Our town has a huge population of a religion closely resembling Mennonites. They are GOOD people . Really good .

 

So not to speak lightly of it, but we no longer participate in it . Maybe we should . I'm not sure .

I think when I kick the bucket ,my elevator is going down .  

 

The Hubster's family is all Catholic which I think is a beautiful religion ,so if I were to choose one, I'd choose it . I have yet to see a Priest going door to door telling us we are going to He** because we don't attend his church .

Edited September 19, 2013 by julie

[poppyshake]

The photo didn't show Julie .. but I did look it up so sad. Usually what we need is right on our doorstep .. if we look hard enough .. but often we can't see it. I guess it's not religion that's at fault .. it's what people do in the name of it. If we could all live and let live and learn to be happy with what we've got (shall we start our own cult Julie? ) As an outsider looking in, you wonder how on earth the people involved can't see they're being brainwashed and deceived .. it all looks as plain as day to us but I guess it's a result of months and months of conditioning.

The Church of Scientology give me the heebiejeebies too .. I saw a documentary on that too and it just seemed plain wrong .. yet it's become sort of acceptable with all the celebs etc (but good on old Katie Holmes for running away .. she's still alive too so there's hope for the rest of them.)

Btw Julie .. have you ever seen any of Louis Theroux's documentaries? I'm wondering if you get him there .. he likes delving into all that kind of weird and murky stuff. 

[poppyshake]

So not to speak lightly of it, but we no longer participate in it . Maybe we should . I'm not sure .

I think when I kick the bucket ,my elevator is going down .  

I'll see you when you get there

[poppyshake]

Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont by Elizabeth Taylor

Waterstone's Synopsis: On a rainy Sunday in January, the recently widowed Mrs Palfrey arrives at the Claremont Hotel where she will spend her remaining days. Her fellow residents are magnificently eccentric and endlessly curious, living off crumbs of affection and snippets of gossip. Together, upper lips stiffened, they fight off their twin enemies: boredom and the Grim Reaper. Then one day Mrs Palfrey strikes up an unexpected friendship with Ludo, a handsome young writer, and learns that even the old can fall in love.

Review: This was quite a bittersweet read, it was gently amusing (and occasionally hilarious) but the overall feeling was one of sadness. Now she's no longer able to live alone, Mrs Palfrey has moved to the Claremont Hotel. She's in great hopes that her grandson Desmond, who works at the British museum, will visit and the rest of the residents have come to expect it too but weeks and weeks pass and he doesn't show. It's on one of her nightly walks that she slips and is helped up and seen home by Ludo, a struggling young writer. The two instantly become friends and it helps put a bit of sparkle back into Mrs Palfrey's life.
She invites him to dinner at the Claremont and he comes, the other residents presume it's Desmond and Mrs Palfrey enjoys playing along .. at last she's competing .. and Ludo too once he's been put in the picture. But Ludo has relationship problems of his own which preoccupy him and he sees his visits to Mrs Palfrey as something akin to research for a novel he's planning. Bittersweet as I said, these are people hanging on to the edge of life .. their pleasures are often overridden by their pains and disappointments .. consequently they're petty and apt to be resentful and querulous. It's quite a sobering thought to think that this is where we're all heading .. IF we are lucky.
So kick up your shins .. while you still can 4/5

[julie]

The photo didn't show Julie .. but I did look it up so sad. Usually what we need is right on our doorstep .. if we look hard enough .. but often we can't see it. I guess it's not religion that's at fault .. it's what people do in the name of it. If we could all live and let live and learn to be happy with what we've got (shall we start our own cult Julie? ) As an outsider looking in, you wonder how on earth the people involved can't see they're being brainwashed and deceived .. it all looks as plain as day to us but I guess it's a result of months and months of conditioning.

The Church of Scientology give me the heebiejeebies too .. I saw a documentary on that too and it just seemed plain wrong .. yet it's become sort of acceptable with all the celebs etc (but good on old Katie Holmes for running away .. she's still alive too so there's hope for the rest of them.)

Btw Julie .. have you ever seen any of Louis Theroux's documentaries? I'm wondering if you get him there .. he likes delving into all that kind of weird and murky stuff. 

 

 

Yea, there's a new book out about the Scientology church and someone who "escaped" from it . Doggone .. what's the name ?

BRB

Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

 

It does seem to be the Famous People's religion. I don't know anyone that has been involved with that ,but that poor Katie Holmes -- everyone knew she was doomed when she got mixed up with the whackjob .... so glad she unloaded him .

 

Yes, I have seen a few of Theroux's videos . The ones about the Baptist church that pickets the soldier's funerals ? Oh My Gosh ,those people are NASTY ..  Terrible nasty and deranged .

 

 

I'll see you when you get there

I don't think you;ll end up there Pops, but I'll save you a seat  just in case . Would you mind bringing along a sack of marshmallows and I'll hunt up something to use for our forks .

[pontalba]

In that case, I think you'll like it. Have plenty of buns handy, though.

 

Lovely books! Oddly enough, I only heard of Beautiful Ruins for the first time today, when I noticed it is going to be reviewed on The Book Club TV show here. The cover is so retro!

 

It sounds like it's quite dangerous to go book shopping with Claire, so yes, I think you should go shopping together more often!

 

 

I know this was aimed at Poppyshake, but I'm also going to take your recommendations on board, Julie. Erskine Caldwell could be right up my alley. I'm going to go and look him up now, and check out the movies as well. I've had East of Eden on my TBR pile for such a long time. I can't believe I haven't read it yet. 

 

 

I must admit that it surprises me that you don't like Steinbeck! I'm not sure why. Maybe I just can't imagine anyone disliking him (although at the same time, I can see why people wouldn't!)

 

I've never been able to put my finger on the why of disliking Steinbeck.  I know he is popular, and considered a classic author.  But every time I start one of his books, something about the syntax, or phrasing, or the way he approaches a subject just gets under my skin.  Like fingernails on a chalk board.  Ever hear that?  /shiver/

 

Kylie

Yes, if you like Steinbeck, you'd like Caldwell, but he makes Steinbeck sound like he's taking Happy Pills .. Caldwell is so doggone depressing , yet good . Writes such interesting characters into his stories ,but they are ALL infuriating.

 

I think you'll love East of Eden . Beautiful story .

 

 

Kat--

Have you tried Travels With Charley ? It makes Steinbeck sound so much different ...interesting to hear how much our country has changed since he took his dog and traveled through several states . Not nearly as dark as his fiction books .

It's really ok if you don't like him --we don't all like the same books and authors, which is a good thing. It'd be a boring world if we all liked the same things .

 

Nope, haven't tried that one.  3 or 4 others though didn't work for me.  I've determined I should try Grapes, due to your take on the ending, but not just yet.........  

[pontalba]

Yeah .. butter wouldn't melt Claire

Oh poor pont  I can see Steinbeck is to you what Flaubert is to me .. Henry James may well find himself there too if his next read turns out to be a turkey  

 

LOL Henry James may well go on my list, along with Edith Wharton......./sigh/  I just wish I could pinpoint the exact reason.  /more sighing/ lol

[Devi]

Yep! Do you watch it?

 

 

Yes when i remember. One of the people gets on my nerves a little though.

 

 

Btw Julie .. have you ever seen any of Louis Theroux's documentaries? I'm wondering if you get him there .. he likes delving into all that kind of weird and murky stuff. 

  

 

I like this guy, i've seen a few of his documentaries here, mainly one on prison systems in the US (thats what was on).

 

Yea, there's a new book out about the Scientology church and someone who "escaped" from it . Doggone .. what's the name ?

BRB

Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

 

It does seem to be the Famous People's religion. I don't know anyone that has been involved with that ,but that poor Katie Holmes -- everyone knew she was doomed when she got mixed up with the whackjob .... so glad she unloaded him .

I have this book on my shelf.

[Athena]

I've put Elizabeth Taylor - Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont on my wishlist, great review !

 

About cults, I hear about these kinds of things sometimes happening in the US. I don't know of any that happened in the Netherlands, though it might've happened here too, I presume it has. It can be pretty bad .

 

About religion, I believe everyone should believe what they want to believe, and telling someone else what they should believe is wrong. Threating them is also wrong.

[poppyshake]

Yea, there's a new book out about the Scientology church and someone who "escaped" from it . Doggone .. what's the name ?

BRB

Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape

 It does seem to be the Famous People's religion. I don't know anyone that has been involved with that ,but that poor Katie Holmes -- everyone knew she was doomed when she got mixed up with the whackjob .... so glad she unloaded him .

 Yes .. good on her because it can't have been easy. Bet they're still following her around though  Tom Cruise is just .... weird

Yes, I have seen a few of Theroux's videos . The ones about the Baptist church that pickets the soldier's funerals ? Oh My Gosh ,those people are NASTY ..  Terrible nasty and deranged .

 That one absolutely beggared belief  .. so much hatred

I don't think you;ll end up there Pops, but I'll save you a seat  just in case . Would you mind bringing along a sack of marshmallows and I'll hunt up something to use for our forks .

 Sure thing .. I reckon we could make your blackened sandwiches fairly easily down there

LOL Henry James may well go on my list, along with Edith Wharton......./sigh/  I just wish I could pinpoint the exact reason.  /more sighing/ lol

I feel I've been a bit unfair on poor old Flaubert in that .. I've only read one of his books so shouldn't really make a sweeping judgement but .. if an author makes you feel that sticking needles in your eyes would be a preferable form of torture then ... it's fair to say that they're not for you  Henry James will have another chance because I've heard The Turn of the Screw is good .. if it isn't .. that's it .. there'll be no more second chances   

[poppyshake]

I like this guy, i've seen a few of his documentaries here, mainly one on prison systems in the US (thats what was on).

Yes Louis is a sweet guy .. I think he tries to find out what makes people tick and get under their skin. It doesn't always work but it can be quite revealing when it does.

I have this book on my shelf.

Well, if you find out what makes them tick .. let us know Devi

I've put Elizabeth Taylor - Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont on my wishlist, great review !

Thanks Athena

About cults, I hear about these kinds of things sometimes happening in the US. I don't know of any that happened in the Netherlands, though it might've happened here too, I presume it has. It can be pretty bad .

About religion, I believe everyone should believe what they want to believe, and telling someone else what they should believe is wrong. Threating them is also wrong.

Yes, if only we could all live and let live .. half the world's problems would be over.