Heather’s Comments (group member since Aug 30, 2011)

Heather’s comments from the Exceptional Books group.

I also enjoyed The Stand. 11/23/63 is a mad page-turner as well. I literally could not put it down.

I think they are exceptional only as a pop culture phenomenon.

Kato wrote: "David wrote: "Nashville. Directed by Robert Altman, starring just about anybody who was working in the 70s. Ned Bety, Lily Tomlin, Elliot Gould, Keith Carradine, Karen Black, Henry Gibson, even Jef..."

I loved it!

Beth wrote: "my top three are probably:
- Forrest Gump
- Dead Poets Society
- Apocalypse Now

I love all three but Apocalypse Now is probably my all time favourite. I love anything that messes with my hea..."

Good choices!

I agree with all of you, with the possible exception of the assertion that no current historical authors have characters who breathe. Clavell was a master and his work was part of my introduction to historical fiction; I received a box set including Shōgun for Christmas when I was 10. Philippa Gregory has written some fantastic stories like The Queen's Fool and some prurient garbage like The Wise Woman. I think that historical fiction does not have to be about the distant past though. I often find novels with modern themes that have strong historical elements that lend them authenticity. Examples include Middlesex, Freedom, and A Visit from the Goon Squad.

Thamks to all for the excellent recommendations. I gave hubby a playstation3 for Christmas so now we can stream netfix to the TV. I see a few movie marathons in our immediate future!

Has anyone seen Winter's Bone? I think it was the best movie we've watched this year.

Deborah wrote: "In the Bedroom is based on a short story by Andre Dubus (who I think was one of the best short story writers of the 20th Century and one of the most underrated.)

It's a beautiful piece of film mak..."

I agree! It has been a while since I've seen it. I think I need to watch it again soon.

Lena wrote: "Heather wrote: "Luys wrote: "Prestige. it's a 2006 movie with excellent actors (Hugh Jackson and Christian Bale are male leads), totally amazing and suspenseful. It's so good it just popped up as s..."

I liked both, but loved neither. I own Cukoo's Nest, American History X and Stand By Me and do watch them repeatedly. I've never heard of Desert Blue so I will look into it. I really hated the book The Reader, is there any reason for me to check out the movie? (I love Ed Norton too!)

Marialyce wrote: "Nothing better than To Kill A Mockingbird with Gregory Peck."

I agree. I think I need to watch it again soon!

Gale wrote: "Can't wait to Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud. One of my alltime favorite books. Also The Art of Racing in the Rain."

I loved both of those books, but I didn't know they were going to be adapted into movies. Do you have any other details?

Im afraid I must dispute this one. I found the writing very average, most of the characters one-dimensional, and the ending may be the biggest cop-out in the history of fiction. It is no plot device to set up a conflict and then resolve (or not resolve) it in such a cheap way.

Bette wrote: "Heather wrote: "I am looking for movies that meet our criteria for books- good characters, good plot, well made. I need to add some quality to my Netfix queue, but it would be a bonus if my husband..."

I couldn't find The Theory of Flight on Netflix, but I requested it from the library. We love her so it should be a winner!

Luys wrote: "Prestige. it's a 2006 movie with excellent actors (Hugh Jackson and Christian Bale are male leads), totally amazing and suspenseful. It's so good it just popped up as soon as I read your request."

We will be watching it this weekend!

I have seen many of the older classics. I love A Man for All Seasons and Cleopatra, but my husband is having none of it. I think he can't suspend his disbelief enough to get past the production values. I added a few of your suggestions to my queue and requested a few others from the library. I'll let you know how they work out. Thank you!

I am looking for movies that meet our criteria for books- good characters, good plot, well made. I need to add some quality to my Netfix queue, but it would be a bonus if my husband doesn't hate it. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Bobby wrote: "Beowulf and Canterbury Tales. Still love to read these stories."

Although they are both fantastic, I'm not sure either one of them qualify as historical fiction. We have had some lively discussion about exactly what distinguishes the genre, but I think the consensus is that the story must be set in the past with characters or events that are part of the historical record. To the best of my knowledge, Beowulf is an epic poem derived from early English oral tradition and Chaucer wrote Canterbury Tales as a satire of his contemporaries and an attempt to write in the English language at a time when French and Latin were the languages of the literate.

I will be assembling a list of all of your suggestions this weekend. What would you think of selecting your personal top 10 and bottom 10 from the list as a means of voting? Then I will put together another list of the books that get the most nominations. If anyone has any other ideas of how to narrow it down please let me know.
Happy reading!
Heather

Karen wrote: "Heather wrote: "Karen wrote: "In my opinion, Dorothy Dunnett was just about the best historical fiction writer ever. Her six-book series "The Lymond Chronicle" is wonderful beyond words as is her ..."

absolutely.

Karen wrote: "In my opinion, Dorothy Dunnett was just about the best historical fiction writer ever. Her six-book series "The Lymond Chronicle" is wonderful beyond words as is her eight-book series "The House o..."

I'll list them each individually in the ballot, but you don't need to do that here.