julie Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Kate Have you been to Savannah to visit ? I think that's where Midnight in the Garden took place. It sounds like such a beautiful city . I'd love to visit there someday . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 17, 2014 Author Share Posted February 17, 2014 Kate Have you been to Savannah to visit ? I think that's where Midnight in the Garden took place. It sounds like such a beautiful city . I'd love to visit there someday . No, I haven't. You are right, that's the setting in Midnight. I'd love to visit there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 According to some YouTube videos I watched, library books in the US look different than they do in the Netherlands. For us everything is made hardback, the cover is plastificied and made bigger (if the original was a paperback). On the spine there is a symbol for the genre of the book. US library books looked to me less well protected and more like the original books, is this true for your library? I find it interesting how libraries around the world deal with things like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Kate How long a drive is it for you guys to go to Savannah ? It'd be quite a long trek for us. Probably a day or two of driving ( I 'm not one of those that drives straight through all night long to get someplace ) . Maybe someday we'll get to go there . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 18, 2014 Author Share Posted February 18, 2014 According to some YouTube videos I watched, library books in the US look different than they do in the Netherlands. For us everything is made hardback, the cover is plastificied and made bigger (if the original was a paperback). On the spine there is a symbol for the genre of the book. US library books looked to me less well protected and more like the original books, is this true for your library? I find it interesting how libraries around the world deal with things like this. The library books here, in the U.S., are ordinary hardbacks in general. The libraries do cover them with a clear plastic, mylar I believe. Usually I'll detach that cover, leaving the regular dust jacket intact. The library also has trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks as well. sometimes they are covered with a plastic sort of "dustjacket" that is removable. The ones like that at the library sales have them already removed, for reuse I expect. Another thing is this.....it isn't only the deleted library books that are on sale, people donate like mad to them, so many of the books have only been owned by individuals. 95% of them are in really good condition. The hardbacks only cost One Dollar U.S., and the soft backs.....trade and mass market are only 50 cents. Not a bad deal. Kate How long a drive is it for you guys to go to Savannah ? It'd be quite a long trek for us. Probably a day or two of driving ( I 'm not one of those that drives straight through all night long to get someplace ) . Maybe someday we'll get to go there . Google tells me it is about a nine and a half hour drive from our house to Savannah. It's (about) 645 miles. Of course google only tells the actual driving time. That's not counting stops for essentials. Food, bathroom, etc. You'd have to increase that by at the least two hours, probably three. I don't know if we could make it in a day or not. When we drove to Houston, google said it was a 5 hour drive, and it took us about 8 hours, as I recall. Even sharing the driving, I was tired. The fact I came down with a killer headache didn't help. Never drive westward in the afternoon! heh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted February 18, 2014 Share Posted February 18, 2014 Wow, I just looked it up and it's about 729 miles from here . We'd both almost have the same distance to drive. I was thinking it'd be a lot close for you guys, but I guess not ! Quite a drive for either one . Yea, those long drives usually end up with headaches, etc... that's why we usually take our time when we go on a trip. Of course, it's been several years since we have gone anyplace on a vacation . Maybe someday again ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 The library books here, in the U.S., are ordinary hardbacks in general. The libraries do cover them with a clear plastic, mylar I believe. Usually I'll detach that cover, leaving the regular dust jacket intact. The library also has trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks as well. sometimes they are covered with a plastic sort of "dustjacket" that is removable. The ones like that at the library sales have them already removed, for reuse I expect. Another thing is this.....it isn't only the deleted library books that are on sale, people donate like mad to them, so many of the books have only been owned by individuals. 95% of them are in really good condition. The hardbacks only cost One Dollar U.S., and the soft backs.....trade and mass market are only 50 cents. Not a bad deal. x That all sounds pretty good ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Just catching up with threads and great haul of books If your going to fall off the wagon then do it with style Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Just catching up with threads and great haul of books If your going to fall off the wagon then do it with style Thanks, Laura. I totally agree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 The Martian by Andy Weir 5/5Worst case scenario. Man injured, thought to be dead, left on Mars by his fellow Astronauts. And although he should have been dead, Mark Watney is not. Although, if he doesn't hurry up and figure out how to eat, drink, and oh, by the way.....breathe, he will be soon enough.If you enjoy edge of your seat action, constant hurdles for your hero to contend with, this is definitely your cuppa. Watney is the perfect contender to survive an unplanned Martian stay, but for how long? How can one human, dependent on a little thing like oxygen manage to live on the Martian surface? No matter how clever, and how original, he is the odds are certainly against him.From Watney's POV, the story is told in Journal Style which alternates with NASA's nail biting and anxiety ridden view. There is a great deal of rather technical information given, but Weir managed to not totally discombobulate this reader. It was actually quite fascinating. The sense of humor Watney shows is fabulous, and was a great antidote to the alternating moments of pure terror.Humankind at it's best. Who can resist that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 20, 2014 Author Share Posted February 20, 2014 Dropped Names: Famous Men and Women as I Knew Them by Frank Langella 4/5Not only is Frank Langella a marvelous and talented actor, it turns out he is a gifted writer as well. His turn of phrase is a delight to read. His candid stories of the wide array of famous people he has known, both casually and intimately, are fabulous. This is definitely not a kiss and tell book. Langella remains a gentleman at all times. The few intimate encounters he does mention are told with sensitivity and discretion.The humor with which the Cast of Characters are handled is wonderful. We hear stories of Marilyn Monroe and Noel Coward to Tip O'Neill, from Richard Burton to Bette Davis. Actors, politicians, agents are all there. Langella does not spare himself. He is not always cast as the "hero". He admits when he behaved badly, and when he did, or didn't attempt to make up for said behavior.There are funny stories, there are deathbed stories, the reader laughs out loud and sometimes sheds a tear. And throughout, Langella's own story is told, albeit not completely. I hope he writes that story someday. I'd certainly buy that one. Langella comes off as a sensual and kind gentleman that has made good in an industry that will eat one alive.Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Great reviews! The Martian sounds quite interesting . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I've added The Martian to my wish list, sounds like an exciting read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 The Martian by Andy Weir 5/5 Humankind at it's best. Who can resist that? Yes, I noticed that one in my local bookshop yesterday, it was in their recommending section.....but not in the local library catalogue - rats! Best price for me is £4.99 at kobo.....that's sort of do-able. Preview downloaded so far . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Great reviews! The Martian sounds quite interesting . Thank you, Gaia I think you might really enjoy, not to mention understand all the chemical stuff going on in the book. Charles is reading it right now, and is loving it too. I've added The Martian to my wish list, sounds like an exciting read. It really is, I actually had to rest from it occasionally. Even so, I read it in two days. And read the Langella book in-between. Yes, I noticed that one in my local bookshop yesterday, it was in their recommending section.....but not in the local library catalogue - rats! Best price for me is £4.99 at kobo.....that's sort of do-able. Preview downloaded so far . That's not a bad price at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted February 22, 2014 Share Posted February 22, 2014 I listened to an audio version of The Martian, and really enjoyed it.. it was like watching a movie in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 I listened to an audio version of The Martian, and really enjoyed it.. it was like watching a movie in my head. I just found the first 6 minutes on youtube. Listened. It does sound great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce-h-p_fKOs Here's the link in case anyone wants to give a listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 23, 2014 Author Share Posted February 23, 2014 The Intercept by Dick Wolf (yes, that Dick Wolf) 4.5/5A fast paced, tense and thoroughly up to date thriller that brings the reader into the murky world of terrorism. Wolf's prose is clipped, lending itself to the swift pacing, never letting up for a moment. The story switches the perspective back and forth between New York Police Department detective, Jeremy Fisk and terrorists on the move. Fisk is attached to a counter-terrorism unit within the NYPD that is partnered with the FBI to intercept terrorists before they can strike.The layered plot leads the reader through many twists and turns. Not everything is as it seems, and it isn't always easy to know when one has reached the truth, or who to trust.I'm certainly looking forward to the next in this exciting series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley 5/5The latest Flavia de Luce installment does not disappoint. Harriet de Luce, Flavia's long missing Mother has at last been found and is coming home. Bradley outdoes himself in this installment. He brings some very interesting and seemingly diverse elements scattered throughout the previous books together very nicely. While some mysteries are cleared up, more are produced. It's a coming together that opens up huge new vistas for our Flavia.To say much more would spoil the surprises, but suffice it to say this just might be the best de Luce novel yet. Bradley always leaves me wishing the next book was out already!Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Great reviews, I'm glad you had two great reads ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 I only squinted at your Alan Bradley review as I'm hoping to get around to the Flavia de Luce series soon (really enjoyed the first one but that's as far as I've got .. though I now have the next two) but very happy that you 'highly recommend' it Must get my skates on and continue on with them .. I'm sure I'll pick up the thread again though it was ages ago that I read the first one .. can remember Flavia (what a girl! ) but am hazy about everyone else Btw .. does Flavia remain the same age throughout the series Kate? .. or is she getting older? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 poppyshake wrote: Btw .. does Flavia remain the same age throughout the series Kate? .. or is she getting older? She does age, although this last, sixth, book she has only aged one year. I don't think my review is really spoilery....I only specify one event at the very beginning of the story...in fact it actually took place at the very end of the last book. Although if you are still early on in the series....otoh, it isn't. lol What I mean is that I'm not telling of an event that even in the first novel you don't know the first half of it. If that makes any sense. oy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted February 24, 2014 Author Share Posted February 24, 2014 Great reviews, I'm glad you had two great reads ! Thanks, muchly, Gaia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley 5/5 The latest Flavia de Luce installment does not disappoint. Harriet de Luce, Flavia's long missing Mother has at last been found and is coming home. Bradley outdoes himself in this installment. He brings some very interesting and seemingly diverse elements scattered throughout the previous books together very nicely. While some mysteries are cleared up, more are produced. It's a coming together that opens up huge new vistas for our Flavia. To say much more would spoil the surprises, but suffice it to say this just might be the best de Luce novel yet. Bradley always leaves me wishing the next book was out already! Highly recommended. I have the first in the series on my e reader, so I'm looking forward to it . Sometime.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 She does age, although this last, sixth, book she has only aged one year. Ah, I'm glad she ages but also glad that it's not by much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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