Bred Any Good Rooks Lately?

Neesy

I started a book last night by Michael Connelly called The Burning Room - it's one of his Harry Bosch books.

Only heard about this by watching The People's Court - Judge Marilyn's hubby mentioned the main character Harry when he said he admired him.

Now this is going to sound funny but I ordered in large type - it saves the strain on my eyes. My library has a limited selection of large type books but it's nice to be able to get them when possible.

Now that things seem to be going back to almost normal in terms of Covid (up here at least) I might look into having my eyesight checked and possibly get the laser surgery again - last time was 2004 so I am due for an update.

GNTLGNT

Hedda Gabler

Must. read. End of Watch. Must . quit. Short circuiting. 

Kurben

Hedda Gabler said:

Kurben said:

I had a talk with my boss and found out i got a raise, went out to lunch and snow started to pour down si i dived into the SF bookstore and bought Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. Felt it was appropriate considering the weather and that i was worth it considering the raise. The first story is Kings The End Of The Whole Mess but there is many authors represented including, Gene Wolfe, Octavia Butler and George Martin. Looking forward to it.

Tell me how Octavia Butler is. She has dome short stories I’ve been eyeballing on Levar Burton Reads.  

Read Butlers short story. It was towards the end of the collection and named Speech Sounds. Takes place in a world where an illness has made most people unable to speak, they can just grunt, and our ability to read and write is starting to fade away because of not using. The main character is a woman called Rye and her experiences on a fairly ordinary day in this future society. It was interesting. Made me wonder how her novels is. I've only read one or two short stories by her before, not any novels.

Hedda Gabler

Kurben said:

Hedda Gabler said:

Kurben said:

I had a talk with my boss and found out i got a raise, went out to lunch and snow started to pour down si i dived into the SF bookstore and bought Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. Felt it was appropriate considering the weather and that i was worth it considering the raise. The first story is Kings The End Of The Whole Mess but there is many authors represented including, Gene Wolfe, Octavia Butler and George Martin. Looking forward to it.

Tell me how Octavia Butler is. She has dome short stories I’ve been eyeballing on Levar Burton Reads.  

Read Butlers short story. It was towards the end of the collection and named Speech Sounds. Takes place in a world where an illness has made most people unable to speak, they can just grunt, and our ability to read and write is starting to fade away because of not using. The main character is a woman called Rye and her experiences on a fairly ordinary day in this future society. It was interesting. Made me wonder how her novels is. I've only read one or two short stories by her before, not any novels.

I’ll give her short stories a try.

Grant87

I finished My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones on Sunday night. Another hit for me. I haven't read anything by SGJ I didn't like. This one was the first book in a trilogy, too. So now I have to anxiously await the second book, which comes out early next year. 

Last night I started Insomnia. This is another King book from the early to mid 90's that you just don't hear much about. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne were in the same boat, and I really liked both of those. I have high hopes for this one.

GNTLGNT

Grant87 said:

I finished My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones on Sunday night. Another hit for me. I haven't read anything by SGJ I didn't like. This one was the first book in a trilogy, too. So now I have to anxiously await the second book, which comes out early next year. 

Last night I started Insomnia. This is another King book from the early to mid 90's that you just don't hear much about. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne were in the same boat, and I really liked both of those. I have high hopes for this one.

....Insomnia has always been one of my favorites, and even more so that I'm reaching codger age....

Grant87

GNTLGNT said:

Grant87 said:

I finished My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones on Sunday night. Another hit for me. I haven't read anything by SGJ I didn't like. This one was the first book in a trilogy, too. So now I have to anxiously await the second book, which comes out early next year. 

Last night I started Insomnia. This is another King book from the early to mid 90's that you just don't hear much about. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne were in the same boat, and I really liked both of those. I have high hopes for this one.

....Insomnia has always been one of my favorites, and even more so that I'm reaching codger age....

I like that it has an older protagonist. Not something you see often in horror novels.

GNTLGNT

....nope, not many septuagenarian heroes....unless your Clint Eastwood and are an eternal badass.....

Hedda Gabler

Grant87 said:

I finished My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones on Sunday night. Another hit for me. I haven't read anything by SGJ I didn't like. This one was the first book in a trilogy, too. So now I have to anxiously await the second book, which comes out early next year. 

Last night I started Insomnia. This is another King book from the early to mid 90's that you just don't hear much about. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne were in the same boat, and I really liked both of those. I have high hopes for this one.

It's a trilogy?  I didn't know that.  Well, I guess I'm locked in.

And I LOVE Insomnia.  A lot of people don't care for it that much but I loved it.  Second Stephen King book that made me cry.  Probably the second book ever to make me cry.

The first was The Talisman.

GNTLGNT

...yeppur...Wolfie got me as well...ugly cry at that....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

...yeppur...Wolfie got me as well...ugly cry at that....

oh my lord yes.  I was sobbing.  SOB-BING.

Grant87

Hedda Gabler said:

Grant87 said:

I finished My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones on Sunday night. Another hit for me. I haven't read anything by SGJ I didn't like. This one was the first book in a trilogy, too. So now I have to anxiously await the second book, which comes out early next year. 

Last night I started Insomnia. This is another King book from the early to mid 90's that you just don't hear much about. Gerald's Game and Dolores Claiborne were in the same boat, and I really liked both of those. I have high hopes for this one.

It's a trilogy?  I didn't know that.  Well, I guess I'm locked in.

And I LOVE Insomnia.  A lot of people don't care for it that much but I loved it.  Second Stephen King book that made me cry.  Probably the second book ever to make me cry.

The first was The Talisman.

Yep. The second book is called Don't Fear the Reaper. It will be released on 2/7/23. No title for the third book yet, as far as I know.

It seems like Insomnia is one of those divisive books among King fans. I usually end up liking those. 

GNTLGNT

....it is one of his "ya either like it or don't" novels....maybe the whole concept got to people because they weren't familiar with the world of The Dark Tower....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

....it is one of his "ya either like it or don't" novels....maybe the whole concept got to people because they weren't familiar with the world of The Dark Tower....

I read it before reading the Dark Tower.  I made it my mission before starting The Dark Tower journey to read every single book he had that had a connection to the Tower first before I read the series.  

So, not really knowing much about The Tower books, I loved it.  I loved Ralph Roberts.  I loved the creative idea of the doctors.  It just hit my life at the right time I guess.  

GNTLGNT

...yeah, most likely...but those that don't care for it haven't the foggiest about DT and hence the tie-ins are just WTF moments....my opinion anyhoo....

Hedda Gabler

GNTLGNT said:

...yeah, most likely...but those that don't care for it haven't the foggiest about DT and hence the tie-ins are just WTF moments....my opinion anyhoo....

No, I hear ya.  Maybe just knowing there were going to be tie-ins was enough for me.

FlakeNoir

I think you'll like Insomnia, Grant. I loved it, a beautiful story.

Grant87

Hedda Gabler said:

GNTLGNT said:

....it is one of his "ya either like it or don't" novels....maybe the whole concept got to people because they weren't familiar with the world of The Dark Tower....

I read it before reading the Dark Tower.  I made it my mission before starting The Dark Tower journey to read every single book he had that had a connection to the Tower first before I read the series.  

So, not really knowing much about The Tower books, I loved it.  I loved Ralph Roberts.  I loved the creative idea of the doctors.  It just hit my life at the right time I guess.  

I'm in the same boat. I haven't read The Dark Tower yet, but I plan to start that series later this year. The DT references in Insomnia don't worry me. It doesn't all have to make sense to me right now. That time will come.

Hedda Gabler

Grant87 said:

Hedda Gabler said:

GNTLGNT said:

....it is one of his "ya either like it or don't" novels....maybe the whole concept got to people because they weren't familiar with the world of The Dark Tower....

I read it before reading the Dark Tower.  I made it my mission before starting The Dark Tower journey to read every single book he had that had a connection to the Tower first before I read the series.  

So, not really knowing much about The Tower books, I loved it.  I loved Ralph Roberts.  I loved the creative idea of the doctors.  It just hit my life at the right time I guess.  

I'm in the same boat. I haven't read The Dark Tower yet, but I plan to start that series later this year. The DT references in Insomnia don't worry me. It doesn't all have to make sense to me right now. That time will come.

I felt the same way .  I looked at the connecting  books as pieces to a bigger puzzle.  An ongoing  mystery to solve.

GNTLGNT

....as devotees, the connections don't get in the way of the tale.....just some creamy nougat to treat the mental tastebuds at some time or another....

Hedda Gabler

Started reading When The Lights Go Down by Pauline Kael. 

She is a movie critic that was highly respected. She is caustic and acerbic. 

So, why is that? Why was she so respected? How did she make a living off of being brutal to creatives ? 

An average Joe Blow gives a negative opinion about a book or movie and they are disregarded as uninformed or uneducated or they didn’t “get it.”  Someone influential like Kael could say the exact same thing and people would agree or disagree. And she’d make money for her loathing. 

Maybe it’s delivery. She uses big fancy ideas and words. I guess when you say someone’s acting sucks or their idea sucked in such a creative way, it makes it okay. 

Really interesting read. I’ve already disagreed with her on almost everything, but, i do see what she is saying every time. 

Hedda Gabler

Wth Michael Connelly. You are inspired to write because at 16, you found a handgun in the bushes. You saw the guy put it there. You sat as a line-up was brought in for you to identify the guy. You couldn’t. 

What exactly was the crime and was it solved?

FlakeNoir

Hedda Gabler said:

Started reading When The Lights Go Down by Pauline Kael. 

She is a movie critic that was highly respected. She is caustic and acerbic. 

So, why is that? Why was she so respected? How did she make a living off of being brutal to creatives ? 

An average Joe Blow gives a negative opinion about a book or movie and they are disregarded as uninformed or uneducated or they didn’t “get it.”  Someone influential like Kael could say the exact same thing and people would agree or disagree. And she’d make money for her loathing. 

Maybe it’s delivery. She uses big fancy ideas and words. I guess when you say someone’s acting sucks or their idea sucked in such a creative way, it makes it okay. 

Really interesting read. I’ve already disagreed with her on almost everything, but, i do see what she is saying every time. 

I don't know why she would garner a following initially, maybe people in the business enjoyed a different perspective?
Of course once she had some small popularity, people just seem to flock to that. Celebrity? 

Hedda Gabler

FlakeNoir said:

Hedda Gabler said:

Started reading When The Lights Go Down by Pauline Kael. 

She is a movie critic that was highly respected. She is caustic and acerbic. 

So, why is that? Why was she so respected? How did she make a living off of being brutal to creatives ? 

An average Joe Blow gives a negative opinion about a book or movie and they are disregarded as uninformed or uneducated or they didn’t “get it.”  Someone influential like Kael could say the exact same thing and people would agree or disagree. And she’d make money for her loathing. 

Maybe it’s delivery. She uses big fancy ideas and words. I guess when you say someone’s acting sucks or their idea sucked in such a creative way, it makes it okay. 

Really interesting read. I’ve already disagreed with her on almost everything, but, i do see what she is saying every time. 

I don't know why she would garner a following initially, maybe people in the business enjoyed a different perspective?
Of course once she had some small popularity, people just seem to flock to that. Celebrity? 

Yes, it must be celebrity. All critics are just that, but these celebrity critics make huge money with prestigious careers saying the same stuff average people say too. It’s just a fascinating hypocrisy ?