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dtrpath27

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Posts posted by dtrpath27

    The Scariest Place in Fiction

    in Horror / Fantasy / SF

    Posted

    This might be silly, but I didn't know the film was based on a book :blush2:. I have an interesting history with the film. One of my bullies at secondary school kept calling me 'De / The Exorcist' when I walked past. I had not seen the film so I wasn't sure what it meant. At some point the film was on TV so I decided to watch it. I saw it once but never again. I find it hard to think about the film without thinking about the guy who bullied me (it didn't help that he was a big strong tall older guy) and feeling my anger towards him.

    Interestingly, the book is based on a true story. It actually happened to a boy. The hospital where the exorcism really took place was the old Alexian Brothers mental hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.

     

    By calling you the exorcist, he was actually calling you the priest tasked with expelling the demon. So really, he didn't think up a a very good insult. You were being called the position of the good guy in the whole thing. Apparently, the bully wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. ;)

    pontalba's 2015 Reading List

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I haven't been to Maple St in years, but we do like Garden District Bookshop, on Prytania.  There is a coffee shop across the hall from them that has great coffee and bagels. :D  Thanks for the heads up on the JP sale, too!

    You're welcome! Garden District Bookshop and the coffee shop are just lovely, aren't they? I think that Garden District is just so well curated, you know? It's this tiny little space, but every selection is wonderful.

    Dtr's 2015 Booklist

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I wasn't that keen on this book either, and like you, I'd read different plot points in other books before, so it didn't feel that original.  It was ok, but nothing more, and I actually felt it was quite predictable.  I was actually a bit bored by it most of the time.  I've just read her second book, and I didn't get on with that either, so I won't be reading any more of her books.

    I wasn't really motivated to pick up the sequel, so I'm glad to hear my instincts were correct. I liked Harold well enough, but a week or so after finishing the book, I find that it's all I remember fondly from it. :shrug:

    Dtr's 2015 Booklist

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    January 2015

     

    The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden

    By Jonas Jonasson

    Fiction

    419 pages

     

    This is the story of Nombeko, a young South African girl who goes from a deplorable reality where wages earned collecting waste from the village latrines go to support her drug addicted mother to living an equally unbelievable existence as the savior of the King of Sweden.

     

    Inserting an unlikely and unwitting character into significant historical events, The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden follows in the tradition of Jonasson's similarly titled first book, The Man Who Climbed Out a Window and Disappeared. I found the book to be enjoyable enough, just as I did the first one. The author has an interesting and enjoyable writing style. In comparing the two books, (which was esentially unavoidable) I enjoyed the storyline of the first more, but the main character of the second better. Like the first installment, I give it a 4 out of 5 rating -- enough to merit the $1.99 I spent on it at the Kindle store, but not enough to buy a hardback to take up space on my shelf and read over and over.

    The Giver Quartet (Spoilers Included)

    in Group Reads

    Posted · Edited by dtrpath27

    Sounds good! There are several who said they would be interested; some have the books and some are working on getting them. I have the first one and am needing the rest. If others are interested, I'll work on getting the next one this weekend. :)

     

    Adding: Just post when you're ready, and when we've all got the first one (and a bit of time ;) ) we'll begin.

    Read-a-thon - (2013-2015)

    in Group Reads

    Posted

    Wow, Gaia! You really have it all mapped out. :) I hope it turns out to be a great weekend for reading.

     

    BSchultz, that sounds like fun! I think someone did that last read-a-thon. I thought about doing that with my Thursday Next books for the same reason. I still might. Hmm...good thing I have time to decide.

    pontalba's 2015 Reading List

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    I haven't been in Blue Cypress in a long time. What about The Book Rack? I see she has moved down to the Severn end of Metairie Road. I'll have to check out her new place. I checked and the Symphony Book Fair is supposed to be in May. But it isn't at Delgado, it's out someplace by UNO I think.

    I haven't checked out The Book Rack yet. I did get over to Maple Street a few weeks back; I love that place!

     

    Jefferson Parish library is having their big book sale March 26-29 at the Pontchartrain Center. We got a fair amount there last year.

    pontalba's 2015 Reading List

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted

    Wow, Kate! You really did have an impressive haul. :D I have to be a good girl and limit my book buying budget, so I went with a very specific list in mind. I swung by Blue Cypress on the way home, but wasn't able to cross anything off the list there either. :/ I suppose I just wasn't meant to expand my collection on Saturday!

    Hello

    in Introductions

    Posted

    Hello and welcome! It's wonderful that you've rediscovered the joy of reading; this is a great place to explore that. Your English is wonderful. Don't worry; most native speakers (myself included) wouldn't tackle Ulysses. ;)

     

    I hope you have a wonderful time here. Happy reading!

    Read-a-thon - (2013-2015)

    in Group Reads

    Posted

    I'm guilty as well. I already have a mental list going. I might as well make it official, though. ;)

     

     

    I plan to tie up any loose ends from the two I'm currently reading, pick up the next Flavia de Luce mystery and try to get a hold of either The Rosie Effect or the next one in the Brilliance series. Failing those two, The Remains of the Day is sitting patiently on my shelf.

    Dtr's 2015 Booklist

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by dtrpath27

    I know what you mean, I had the same very mixed feelings about it. It seemed to have all the ingredients for a great book, but I felt it was very flat in places. I wanted to like it a lot more as I was reading it, but ultimately I was left disappointed (and unsure why).

    Very well said.

     

    I loved it, but I think it helped that I listened to it whilst walking - so I felt almost a part of Harold's pilgrimage. :)

     

    Edit: I totally understand what you mean about it feeling morose though. :)

    It would be perfect for walking, wouldn't it?

    Dtr's 2015 Booklist

    in Past Book Logs

    Posted · Edited by dtrpath27

    January 2015

    The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

    by Rachel Joyce

    Fiction

    319 pages

     

    Retiree Harold Fry lives an ordinary life in an ordinary house with his wife Maureen. One day, a letter arrives from a person in Harold's past, setting him upon a journey that is anything but ordinary.

     

    Well, hmm...this was a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed reading this book, but then I didn't. It was well-written with interesting, relatable characters. Very human. However, chunks of the plot seemed to be snagged from various movies; this thought stayed with me throughout. It was very bittersweet, as well, so much so that it bordered on depressing for me. I don't think I would re-read it, but it was enjoyable enough for $1.99. I would recommend getting it from the library, but not buying a hardback. Others might feel differently, but I just don't like the feeling I was left with. Unsettled, but not in a good way. Perhaps morose is the word I'm looking for?

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