Book Lair discussion

Instead of spewing on threads devoted to serious topics we should chat here. I hope you don't mind Ana.

Love the idea of a random chat thread. That way the actual topics don't get slammed with random info haha

I'm wondering if anyone else here rereads a lot? I find myself rereading over and over. Some books I've read 15 or 20 times and others just 2 or 3.

I always get a bit irritated with myself just before I start a reread, thinking that I could be adding something brand new to my read pile, but then two seconds later I feel satisfied knowing I will enjoy it. Again.

I used to re-read a lot. For example, when I was still a student, I used to start each summer holidays by re-reading the Harry Potter saga.

Unfortunately, I have much less time for reading since I started working, and therefore read a lot less, which means even less re-reading.

The fact that most of my books are stuck in stock doesn't help, since I can only read the new books I buy.

But yes, I have some comfort books I read and read and read again. I even bought back some of my books only so that I can re-read them.

I don't mind at all, glad I am not the only one creating topics!

You know, there are quite a few books I would like to reread, stuff I have read long ago, enough to have forgotten the important stuff, but the books I have not yet read and are already on my shelf are so many that I keep putting it off!

I am constantly re-reading books…I purposefully buy the ones I love just so I can have them to read again and again. My family and friends look at me like I'm nuts saying that I could buy a completely new book I haven't read…and I'm just like hell no I want this one to read again haha

I have to admit to reading The Colorado Kid for the third time this year alone! I have recently become addicted the tv show Haven based on the location and characters of the book. Now I am obsessed with solving the unsolvable mystery of this darn book!

The three times I've read it this year don't include all the times I've read it since it was published.

I have a problem...O_o

Hmm The Colorado Kid is a book people have mixed feelings on, isn't it? I'm hesitant on reading it soon... Never heard of the show Haven either.

People either love or hate The Colorado Kid because it's so unlike anything else he's ever written. I'll admit that the very first time I read it I was closer to the hate camp. I've never really hated anything of his, but I wasn't happy with it. Now, Like I said, I've become obsessed!

It just feels like such a perfect little mystery, and like I say in my additional review, I love that you can take the novel at face value, but also the sort of "monster of the week" vibe of the show and neither loses anything.

The only books I sometimes reread are Jane Austen's... I love them as much each and every time. I'd love to reread more but I only have so much time and so many new books to read. Do you also find yourself saying to yourselves 'Once I'm retired...':-)???

Honestly I don't think about retirement much xD It's more of a 'once I am done with everything I have standing by on my shelf' thing!

Hmm not sure I will be reading TCK soon then...

On the reread discussion, I reread one of my favorite books couple years ago called HELTER SKELTER by Vincent Bugliosi. I love the book, and when I gave my brother a copy to read I decided to reread it so I could buddy read it along with him. Someday I want to reread GONE WITH THE WIND, another favorite.

On a different "random chat" we're all readers but do you guys have any favorite TV shows? It seems when I'm not reading I'm on the TV so I was curious who also watches cable. There are some interesting "book shows" like Game of Thrones and Under the Dome (both of which I read/watch) HBO, Showtime, Fx and AMC are all networks I watch that have in my opinion some quality shows with good writing and acting.

For instance Stephen King loves Sons of Anarchy on Fx (which he cameo appearanced in!) and he also recently highly praised American Horror Story Freak Show (another of my current favorites) TV seems to get a bad rap from hardcore readers as if to say "I don't watch TV" can make you appear like a good thing because TV is a waste of time. While that could have been true in the past, as I mentioned above TV (with cable shows especially) has come a long way in creating well written scripts and characters to rival many literary stories!

Abigail wrote: "On the reread discussion, I reread one of my favorite books couple years ago called HELTER SKELTER by Vincent Bugliosi. I love the book, and when I gave my brother a copy to read I decided to rerea..."

I love television shows, especially when they are adapted from books. Some of my favorites are (or have been) Dexter, TrueBlood, Haven, American Horror Story, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black.

Under the Dome was an amazing book and I’ve watched both seasons of the show, but I really don’t like it.

Kandice out of all those shows you listed, I love them all except I've never seen Haven - and O.is the new B. is on my list of what I want to check out eventually. It's funny with Under the Dome, I read the book and I haven't talked to anyone who read the book before watching the show who actually likes the show very much. BUT my husband for instance has NOT read the book and he enjoys the show. I think for those who aren't familiar with the book, the show can be of interest. But once you know King's version, it's hard to get past how completely different the show is. I'm sure this gets talked about a lot, but King himself wrote a letter to his fans explaining the book to show adaptation

Kandice wrote: "Some of my favorites are (or have been) Dexter, TrueBlood, Haven, American Horror Story, Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Orange is the New Black.

Under the Dome was an amazing book and I’ve watched both seasons of the show, but I really don’t like it. "

If you like Stephen King then Haven is a must! It's based on the town and some of the characters from The Colorado Kid, but the best part is that the writers, producers and set decorators hide between 3 and 5 King references in every episode. It's so fun to look for them.

As I mentioned before I cut down on my tv time a *lot*. When I do watch tv, it's always my favourite shows (our cable provider allows us to watch programs whenever we want as long as they were broadcast in the last 7 days, no idea how it works where you live heeh).

The shows which have been my favourite for a while now are Criminal Minds, Person of Interest and Law&Order Special Victim Unit. For a while I enjoyed Once Upon a Time but then something changed, I don't know.

I watched a couple of new ones that I enjoy as well - Intelligence and Forever.

I miss Fringe a lot... And I liked V as well. Those two weren't up long enough here.

Not sure if any of these are based on books but if so I haven't read any.

The shows you watch now are the same shows my husband watches!

I watch Once Upon a Time as well, but agree that something changed around season 3. I think I continue to watch out of hope for the "magic" to return. LOL

I almost never watch live tv. I watch NetFlix or in demand, which is kind of what you say is available where you live except that it's available for the rest of the season, not just a week.

I loved V! I also have to admit to loving the 80's series and having rewatched it over and over. I am a bit addicted to old cheezy shows. I have the original Incredible Hulk in a big boxed set I got as a gift and any time I don't feel well or have a headache that's my go to background noise.

Kandice wrote: "The shows you watch now are the same shows my husband watches!

I watch Once Upon a Time as well, but agree that something changed around season 3. I think I continue to watch out of hope for the "..."

Haha yes I also hope the magic will return but I don't know, guess it's a bit of a stretch now, they're making stuff up for the sake of continuing the series, doesn't flow as well as before.

Your husband has good taste *nods* ahah!

Ooh there was this series back in the 80s or 90s that I absolutely loved, I think it was called Outer Limits. Creeeepy! Sort of in a Twilight Zone kinda way, which I also loved.

Loved that too!!!!!

You should check out California Sorcery. You'll love it!

Added to my want to read shelf ;)

My husband and I watched a few episodes of Under the Dome, but we weren't into it.

Currently we're watching Orphan Black, Sons of Anarchy, American Horror Story, Boardwalk Empire, and The Walking Dead...and waiting for True Detective, Fargo, Justified, House of Cards, and Orange Is the New Black to come back.

We also watch Game of Thrones, but they race so fast through the stuff that was in the book, spend too much time on stuff that wasn't in the book (did we [i]really[/i] need to spend so much time on Podrick's unexpected sexual prowess...at the expense of other things I would have preferred to see?), and skip so many important details that sometimes I wonder how anyone who hasn't read the books has any idea what's going on.

The Theory of Everything is at the theatre and I really, really want to see it. I actually teared up during the preview and I am not a movie cryer! It's about Stephen Hawking and his first marriage. I love that guy.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/

Is anyone else interested in this movie?

Hmm I hadn't heard of it, sounds like a moving story!
I watched Interstellar yesterday and was pleasantly surprised.

Ana wrote: "Hmm I hadn't heard of it, sounds like a moving story!
I watched Interstellar yesterday and was pleasantly surprised."

Hey--me, too! I thought it was phenomenal. Do you have English spoken versions in Portugal? We only watch movies in their original languages, but sometimes the subtitles in French and German (they do both in Switzerland) is really distracting.

I watched the movie Mockingjay, based on the book of the same name by Suzanne Collins.Mockingjay

I enjoyed it, but felt like they left out too much of Katniss' time in the District 13 medical bay. Instead of seeming mentally unstable she seemed annoying.

I thought I wouldn't like how they slip the movie into two parts, but it was better than I thought.

Overall, I thought it was a good movie. The acting was good, visuals great, and the overall theme of the book was maintained.

What did you guys think?

I have now seen Mockingjay the move twice. I read The Hunger Games as an ARC and thought from my very first read that it would have been a much more effective book if Peeta and Katniss had eaten the berries and ended the book that way. I think the publisher told Collins they could sell a series and she rewrote. Having said that, I still read the series and have seen each of the movies at the midnight premiers with my children.

I loved the first movie installment of Mockinjay. I have always felt HG was the strongest of the three novels, with Mockingjay being the weakest, but the movie was better. They added more politics and made the manipulations on both sides more apparent. This is aimed at a YA audience, so I found that an improvement.

Leigh wrote:
Hey--me, too! I thought it was phenomenal. Do you have English spoken versions in Portugal? We only watch movies in their original languages, but sometimes the subtitles in French and German (they do both in Switzerland) is really distracting."

When I go to the movies they are never dubbed - unless they are for kids. Otherwise they use subtitles. I don't find them distracting at all, they're actually quite helpful, since sometimes I can't hear or understand what the actors say very well. I usually don't have much trouble reading in english except for the odd word I don't know the meaning of, but listening is a totally different matter :)

I have no objections to Subtitles on movies, especially when watching at home as I cannot always filter out background noise (like someone eating a bag of crisps) Regarding dubbed movies I kind of like reminds me of being a kid watching stuff like Monkey adds a little bit of charm in my head. I also find that the original movies sometimes tend to be better, for instance The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I much preferred the original Swedish movie.

Sarah wrote: "I have no objections to Subtitles on movies, especially when watching at home as I cannot always filter out background noise (like someone eating a bag of crisps) Regarding dubbed movies I kind of ..."

The only time this actually bothers me is when the original language is English, but the subtitles are in French/German like at the cinema here. The language switch from what I hear and see can sometimes pull me out of the movie....And speaking of Swedish stuff, have you ever seen the show Real Humans? It starts out slow but really builds. Gotta love Swedish made books, shows and movies!

Leigh wrote: "And speaking of Swedish stuff, have you ever seen the show Real Humans? It starts out slow but really builds. Gotta love Swedish made books, shows and movies!"

Nope, but going to look for it. Thanks for the recommendation Leigh.

Don't forget Swedish women, Leigh! Well, you may not feel the same way I do on the front....

Nathan wrote: "Don't forget Swedish women, Leigh! Well, you may not feel the same way I do on the front...."

Give me the Swedish Chef from the Muppets, any day!

If you could go out to dinner with any writer at any place, who would you take and where? What would you talk about?

I'd choose Neil Gaiman and we'd talk about magic.

I come up with these questions sometimes, so I hope it's alright if I toss them in here.

I'd like to go to some greasy spoon with Stephen King and talk about childhood.

I love Neil Gaiman and wouldn't mind talking about anything with him as long as I could listen to that buttery velvet voice of his.

Colleen McCullough at an Italian restaurant would be my close second and I would want to talk about Gaius Marius.

Kandice wrote: "I'd like to go to some greasy spoon with Stephen King and talk about childhood.

I love Neil Gaiman and wouldn't mind talking about anything with him as long as I could listen to that buttery velve..."

You're spot on with Stephen King! Have you read his book On Writing? Whether you write or not, it's a great book for King fans. The first half is about his life up until he almost died from the car crash.

I've read everything the guy has written that the public can get their hands on. I even saw his last concert with the Rock Bottom Remainders, front row, and got to talk to him, Amy Tan and Mitch Albom after. Greatest night of my life (outside my marrisge!) so far!!!

In true stalker fan fashion I even have a shelf devoted to books about him.

That's amazing! What did he say to you?

They were on stage cleaning up their stuff and just sort of clowning around. Everyone else was gone and my son was picking me up, but the El Rey theatre is in a bad part of L.A. so he made me promise to wait inside until he got there. Thank goodness, because that's the only reason I got to chat with them. The three of them just wanted to know how I liked the show, had I read each of their work, how long, etc. Albom and Tan signed my cell phone (all I had on me!), and King apologized and said he wasn't doing autographs. I hadn't asked any of them to, Tan offered, but I thought it was sweet of him to offer an excuse. King did go backstage and find one of the RBR t-shirts from a long ago concert and hand to me. "Souvenir" he said.

Tan was hilarious, Albom was like a little kid, but King was just...amazing. He has that nasally voice and those long fingers. He was putting his guitar in order and kind of absent mindlessly strumming and it was just great. Like I said, best 10 minutes so far! All thanks to my over cautious son. Who King said must be a good one, by the way.

I uploaded a photo to this group page. :D

Wow Kandice, what a great experience!
Any idea why King doesn't do autographs btw? O.o
I think about meeting him one day from time to time, but I would totally be starstruck and not be able to say a word.

I don't think King "never does autographs" I think he just wasn't doing them right then.

I do know that before everyone had left the stage he got a bit irritated with some fans because they basically rushed the stage begging everyone for autographs and shoving things in their faces. He said something like "We just did a show which you came to see. Be happy with that." and I felt bad thinking he was being a jerk, but later, after everyone was gone and I was basically the only one left and they came out for their stuff he was really nice and charming. I thought maybe someone had been rude or obnoxious and pissed him off.

That's understandable. I wish I could see your pic better but it is pretty small :S Are those photos of the show?

Three are and one is of a publicity shot of all the performers together and one is a caricature of them that was given to all attendees.

Aww wish I could see them, especially the caricature one!

I'll try to post a better photo.

Alright, thanks!

Thanks for posting these, Kandice, they're really cool!

I'm into book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire, or Game of Thrones as some people call it. A Storm of Swords It's so good! Has anyone else read the series?

Derek wrote: "I'm into book 3 of A Song of Ice and Fire, or Game of Thrones as some people call it. A Storm of Swords It's so good! Has anyone else read the series?"
I've read through book three and then stalled. I think I may re-read three and pick up again the new year.