pontalba

I've read the series, but I can't say I am attracted to the TV series.....I've seen the pictures of the actors, and a trailer. So, while I guess their presentation is accurate enough I like my own vision better. I'm interested in reading your reactions, and your comparisons when you do read the book(s).

Difficult? . No, just not my taste.

It's interesting, the varied manner in which countries handle television broadcasting. And, I definitely sympathize with the problem of a slower internet connection. Our location only has DSL because when Hurricane Katrina blew through in 2005 it uprooted 75% of the trees in the area, and in doing so pulled up the buried phone lines. So it was logical for the phone company to add the DSL in with the new wiring. Otherwise we still wouldn't have the faster connection. We are rural. But look at the way broadcasting has morphed in the last 40 or 50 years...in another span of years, we would/will not recognize it. Companies like Time Warner and Comcast will either change and grow, or perish. I had cable for a few years, and for me at least, it wasn't worth it. It was simply more of the programming that is on the broadcast channels, 80% of which we are not interested in seeing. There are only a handful of programs we like. So streaming is a more palatable choice, for us, and evidently many others.

Looks like you are right. CBS just announced the same...here, in the New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/17/business/cbs-to-offer-web-subscription-service.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSum&module=first-column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news from the article: Subscribers to “CBS All Access” will be able to watch local CBS television stations in 14 markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas and San Francisco. More affiliates are expected to join. I cancelled the cable here five years ago. Only use the TV for DVDs, and we stream Amazon as we have Prime. I don't miss "regular" TV, in fact when we are out of town, I occasionally will watch, or try to watch network television, and honestly, my eyes glaze over, and I can hear the brain cells screaming in agony.

Connery can qualify for anything he darn well pleases!!

Ruth, I love dystopian, but could not get into the above Atwood books. At all.

I'm still reading In the Lake Of the Woods, but have also started Detour by Martin M. Goldsmith. Noir.

I voted "once every few days", as it just depends. Sometimes, every day, sometimes several days. I usually check, even if I don't always log in as I don't always get notifications. Not sure why, but it's sporadic. If there is a book discussion of a book I'm either interested in, or reading for said discussion I could check several times a day. But right now, since I don't much care for fantasy novels, I'm not as consistent.

We saw The Judge yesterday, with Robert Downey, Jr. and Robert Duval. Great film. Great actors.

Well, having read it twice, I can comment that the first time I was a bit "meh", second time was the charm....don't remember my rating, but def enjoyed it a lot more the second time. Some books are just like that.

It looks like Cable Television just might be in it's death throws. HBO is launching a new, separate from cable streaming possibility for viewers. Of course they are not the first, but certainly HBO has been one of the premium channels on cable tv for a long time now. One could almost call it one of the "founders". The Washington Post newspaper ran this article, even sent out a special News Alert for it! http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/10/15/hbo-is-launching-a-stand-alone-streaming-service-in-2015/?wpisrc=al_tech_b An excerpt: HBO will launch a streaming video service in 2015 that doesn’t require consumers to have a cable or satellite subscription, the company said Wednesday, in a move that could roil the television industry and pave the way for vastly more choices for consumers. But with an online streaming service, HBO is taking a page directly from Netflix and will soon compete head-to-head with the rival streaming service. HBO has 30 million subscribers in the United States; Netflix has about 37 million.

She reminds me of a young Claudia Cardinale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Cardinale

My husband is about two-thirds through, and loving it.

My remarks/answer were in reference to "unscrupulous", using lyings primary meaning.

. Ahh, I believe the bad reviews pinpointed the ending! Oh and BTW.....I'd read a while back that the movie ending was different, but yesterday I read an interview with the author, and that is not true. LOL re the marmite, and, not bloody likely! This is the first Tim O'Brian book I've read, I'll def read more.

Amazing, and wonderful! Very interesting breakdown and analysis, Gaia. And, please don't be embarrassed! Reading a lot is a Good Thing! <<>>

An unscrupulous person is the type of person that would rob an old person of their life savings, without any guilty feelings. IOW, someone that commit a bad act and not think of, or care what misery that bad act caused the victim. As far as I am concerned, lying is the basis of many bad personality traits, so, being a liar is definitely one of the worst traits a person can have. A habitual liar is capable of anything......cheating, stealing, you name it.

I've never really understood the reasoning behind reading certain genres at certain times of the year. I know lots of people do this, but while I go on "tears", reading all of an author at the time, or being attracted to a series of spy or detective stories, it's at no particular time of the year. Now, I will say that I don't usually put up snow scenes as a desktop during the winter........

Me too! Library Thing is merciless in reminding me though. If I input an ISBN that I already have....their stock remark is Duplicate ISBN in your catalog or the ever popular, There is another version of this work in Your books. They are so very helpful. LOL, yes, you do! Interesting, and downright mind boggling in places would do nicely.

I've had to remove some emoticons....wouldn't let me post.....oy. hah Glad to see you really enjoyed GG a lot! And, yes, some very nice twists and turns came about making it very much more than ordinary. I wonder though, if it's not another of those "marmite" books.....I've read some pretty nasty reviews/posts about it elsewhere. BTW, have tasted marmite now, don't see that much to it. But only on the end of the spoon, not on toast....yet. Later for that. I read the Niven book many years ago, I just loved him! Loved it. I don't think I've posted about a couple of books I've finished in the last few days, no review yet though. The Condor Passes by Shirley Ann Grau was a 3.5/5 good enough, atmospheric, but rather an ordinary generational, up by the bootstraps sort of story. and Snowbound by Blake Crouch....a 4/5, thriller, on the run sort of story. Some nice twists to it. I started In The Lake of The Woods by Tim O'Brien this morning, and a lovely, very unreliable narrator....sort of a 'is he insane or not?' story. Gripping.

I took a look, and agree, it's going on my wish list. Thanks for the rec! Thanks, Gaia. I know what you mean, not enjoy, but appreciate the message, sorta. I do the same thing, sometimes I'll start reading and as I read, I recall. Hah, we'd save time if we could remember just when we initially pick up the book!

Here is a conversion site, Gaia. http://fahrenheittocelsius.com/ For example, right now it is 81F in Celsius that is 27.2C. So, it's warm, but clear and not too humid. Gorgeous weather, the last two nights were very cool, but those are warming up. October is really about the best month here, weather wise.

Yays! I've started, well am about halfway through, The Condor Passes by Shirley Ann Grau. Fascinating generational story of a family. Grau's descriptions of people and places is wonderfully atmospheric. A good deal of the book takes place in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, so I well know the places she is describing and she captures it exactly, and richly.

Good reviews, Gaia. It's been so long since I read 1984 and Animal Farm that I don't remember any details, only very vague images. I should definitely reread.

Thanks, it was a bit different. Nice fantasy concept, with a realistic frame.