Hey!! Let's get some action going! What are we reading? - Page 202

kennyc · 11-20-2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Barely past the first 10 pages or so.

BOb

I read the first page so far.

Thanks!

kennyc · 11-20-2009, 08:04 AM

Hey just an email from GoodReads. Interview with John Irving about Twisted River here:

http://www.goodreads.com/interviews/..._medium=email&
utm_source=Nov_newsletter

I found this particularly interesting:

GR: Is it true that you always begin writing a new book with the last sentence and then build the story toward that fixed point? What is your favorite last sentence that you have written? Any favorites from other writers?

JI: For 12 novels the last sentence has come first, and not even the punctuation has changed. From that last sentence I make my way in reverse through the plot, because there always is a plot—I love plot—to where I think the story should begin. The process from last sentence to first sentence sometimes takes a year or 18 months; in the case of Last Night in Twisted River, only seven months. And once I get that first sentence, I can begin writing the novel. By then I know the whole story and all the important characters; how and where they meet, when their paths cross again.

FatDog · 11-20-2009, 11:54 PM

Just finished "The Girl who Played with Fire" by Steig Larsson (second of three, looking forward to the third).

I'm audiobooking "The Strain" read by Ron Perlman during the commute and waiting for my wife to finish the hardback copy of "Unseen Academicals" by Terry Pratchett.

Latinandgreek · 11-22-2009, 12:47 PM

I am reading "World Without End", and am about 3/4 of the way through. It has been a fantastic read so far, and I highly recommend it.

kennyc · 11-22-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latinandgreek

I am reading "World Without End", and am about 3/4 of the way through. It has been a fantastic read so far, and I highly recommend it.

That's on my list ... depending on when and how I get on with Pillars of the Earth.

Thanks for the report.

I'm about halfway through Last Night on Twisted River and loving it! I guess John Irving was in town this week promoting, there was a lead interview article in the books section of The Denver Post today.

http://www.denverpost.com/books/ci_13827197

polyfragmentiert · 11-22-2009, 01:33 PM

Algernon Blackwood's "The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories" here. Read the title story which was rather nice. A little like Lovecraft, only with horrors not so "nameless and cosmic"

BenG · 11-22-2009, 09:31 PM

Ella Minnow Pea is a novel about words and wordplay.
The subtitle calls it "A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable." A lipogram is a story written without using a chosen letter or letters. Epistolary means the story is told using the letters the characters write to one another. It's progressive because as the story goes on more and more letters are banned by the government.

One more definition, a pangram is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet.

The hero, Ella Minnow Pea (say it out loud to get the pun), lives in a small island nation called Nollop about 21 miles off of the coast of South Carolina.
There is no mass media or telephone service so letter writing is the preferred means of communication using Pony Express. Over the years the country’s leadership has sought to uplift its black and white citizens through almost monastic devotion to liberal arts education and scholarship, effectively elevating language to national art form, while relegating modern technology to the status of avoidable nuisance. Formerly Utopianna, the country’s name was changed in 1904 to honor native son Nevin Nollop, the author of the popular pangram sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."

In the midst of the capital is a monument honoring Nevin Nollop with his famous phrase written across the top. When the story opens, the tile with the letter Z falls off the monument and the leaders decide that it is Nollop communicating from beyond the grave and ban the letter z and words using it from written and spoken language. Corporal punishment and or exile is the penalty for breaking the law. Some are true believers, some use the law for revenge or material gain.

The letters which make up the book use fewer and fewer letters and more tiles fall and more letters are banned.

The wordplay is central to the book, but there is also a charming and thoughtful story about the gradual loss of liberty one letter at a time.
And the letters are amusing because everyone tries to write literary letters that tend to be somewhat flowery.

Mobile Mason · 11-22-2009, 09:44 PM

I'm reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It's been great so far, and I hope it was as good as Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row was.

Steinbeck is definitely on my top ten favourite authors list.

kennyc · 11-23-2009, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobile Mason

I'm reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It's been great so far, and I hope it was as good as Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row was.

Steinbeck is definitely on my top ten favourite authors list.

Ebook or Pbook?

Mobile Mason · 11-23-2009, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Ebook or Pbook?

A psychical book and an eBook.

kennyc · 11-23-2009, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobile Mason

A psychical book and an eBook.

Thanks. For some reason I thought it was not out as an ebook....but just checked.

lilac_jive · 11-23-2009, 08:27 PM

I'm reading "Tippy Toe Murder" by Leslie Meier, in pbook since only a few of the books are in ebook (sad). Tomorrow I'm going to start "Full Moon Rising" by Keri Arthur on my Reader, which was (and I believe still is) a Suvudu freebie.

DixieGal · 11-23-2009, 08:36 PM

Just finished Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion on audiobook.

Now -- have returned to reading REAL words finally after 2 months of not being able to see!

Resumed reading Pratchetts' "Guards! Guards!"

kennyc · 11-23-2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Just finished Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion on audiobook.

Now -- have returned to reading REAL words finally after 2 months of not being able to see!

Resumed reading Pratchetts' "Guards! Guards!"

nomesque · 11-23-2009, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Just finished Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion on audiobook.

Now -- have returned to reading REAL words finally after 2 months of not being able to see!

Resumed reading Pratchetts' "Guards! Guards!"

YAY!!

11-20-2009, 08:04 AM	#3017
kennyc The Dank Side of the Moon Posts: 35,918 Karma: 119747553 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Denver, CO Device: Kindle2; Kindle Fire	Hey just an email from GoodReads. Interview with John Irving about Twisted River here: http://www.goodreads.com/interviews/..._medium=email& utm_source=Nov_newsletter I found this particularly interesting: GR: Is it true that you always begin writing a new book with the last sentence and then build the story toward that fixed point? What is your favorite last sentence that you have written? Any favorites from other writers? JI: For 12 novels the last sentence has come first, and not even the punctuation has changed. From that last sentence I make my way in reverse through the plot, because there always is a plot—I love plot—to where I think the story should begin. The process from last sentence to first sentence sometimes takes a year or 18 months; in the case of Last Night in Twisted River, only seven months. And once I get that first sentence, I can begin writing the novel. By then I know the whole story and all the important characters; how and where they meet, when their paths cross again. Last edited by kennyc; 11-20-2009 at 08:08 AM.

11-22-2009, 01:33 PM	#3021
polyfragmentiert Groupie Posts: 181 Karma: 14258 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Kiel, Germany Device: SONY PRS-T1, bald tolino vision 3 HD	Algernon Blackwood's "The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories" here. Read the title story which was rather nice. A little like Lovecraft, only with horrors not so "nameless and cosmic" Last edited by polyfragmentiert; 11-22-2009 at 01:37 PM.

11-22-2009, 09:31 PM	#3022
BenG Home Guard Posts: 4,730 Karma: 86721650 Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Alpha Ralpha Boulevard Device: Kindle Oasis 3G, iPhone 6	Ella Minnow Pea is a novel about words and wordplay. The subtitle calls it "A Progressively Lipogrammatic Epistolary Fable." A lipogram is a story written without using a chosen letter or letters. Epistolary means the story is told using the letters the characters write to one another. It's progressive because as the story goes on more and more letters are banned by the government. One more definition, a pangram is a sentence that uses every letter of the alphabet. The hero, Ella Minnow Pea (say it out loud to get the pun), lives in a small island nation called Nollop about 21 miles off of the coast of South Carolina. There is no mass media or telephone service so letter writing is the preferred means of communication using Pony Express. Over the years the country’s leadership has sought to uplift its black and white citizens through almost monastic devotion to liberal arts education and scholarship, effectively elevating language to national art form, while relegating modern technology to the status of avoidable nuisance. Formerly Utopianna, the country’s name was changed in 1904 to honor native son Nevin Nollop, the author of the popular pangram sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." In the midst of the capital is a monument honoring Nevin Nollop with his famous phrase written across the top. When the story opens, the tile with the letter Z falls off the monument and the leaders decide that it is Nollop communicating from beyond the grave and ban the letter z and words using it from written and spoken language. Corporal punishment and or exile is the penalty for breaking the law. Some are true believers, some use the law for revenge or material gain. The letters which make up the book use fewer and fewer letters and more tiles fall and more letters are banned. The wordplay is central to the book, but there is also a charming and thoughtful story about the gradual loss of liberty one letter at a time. And the letters are amusing because everyone tries to write literary letters that tend to be somewhat flowery. Last edited by BenG; 11-22-2009 at 09:34 PM.

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11-20-2009, 11:54 PM	#3018
FatDog Witless protection Agent Posts: 290 Karma: 1002898 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Los Angeles Device: Kindle	Just finished "The Girl who Played with Fire" by Steig Larsson (second of three, looking forward to the third). I'm audiobooking "The Strain" read by Ron Perlman during the commute and waiting for my wife to finish the hardback copy of "Unseen Academicals" by Terry Pratchett.

11-22-2009, 12:47 PM	#3019
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	I am reading "World Without End", and am about 3/4 of the way through. It has been a fantastic read so far, and I highly recommend it.

11-22-2009, 09:44 PM	#3023
Mobile Mason Resident Anglophile Posts: 76 Karma: 460 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Ohio, United States Device: Kindle 2	I'm reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It's been great so far, and I hope it was as good as Of Mice and Men and Cannery Row was. Steinbeck is definitely on my top ten favourite authors list.

11-23-2009, 08:27 PM	#3027
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	I'm reading "Tippy Toe Murder" by Leslie Meier, in pbook since only a few of the books are in ebook (sad). Tomorrow I'm going to start "Full Moon Rising" by Keri Arthur on my Reader, which was (and I believe still is) a Suvudu freebie.

11-23-2009, 08:36 PM	#3028
DixieGal Hi There! Posts: 7,473 Karma: 2930523 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ft Lauderdale Device: iPad	Just finished Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion on audiobook. Now -- have returned to reading REAL words finally after 2 months of not being able to see! Resumed reading Pratchetts' "Guards! Guards!"