Laurie R. King Virtual Book Club discussion

Welcome to Paige & Stephanie & Diana & Mary, new members who have joined us the last couple days. This site for the LRK Virtual Book Club is still in testing mode so feel free to look around, join in any discussions you would like, and certainly share any suggestions you may have for us here. Oncde again, welcome!

John.

I'll add my welcome to John's - great to know there are some new faces here. We're a pretty friendly crowd, so feel free to jump right in!

Also welcome from me! the discussion on 'The Three Garridebs' is still going on so feel free to come over and have a look!

Welcome to our new members!

I've been hanging with this VBC crowd since June 2009 and you won't find a nicer group of people online anywhere. :)

Welcome, Katherine! Great to see a fellow astronomy buff here! Take a look around our site here, and have a good time!

Welcome to Sherrill and Eric who joined us here at the VBC today! Feel free to participate however you wish, and have a great time doing it! Thanks for joining!

John.

Welcome, new peeps! Pull up a chair and tell us about whatcha like to read!

A big VBC welcome to new member Nancy!

John.

Hi, Nancy! And Elizabeth, too! *waves*

Greetings and welcome to all the folks who have joined us here at the VBC Goodreads today! We are happy to have you with us and hope that you enjoy and join our varied discussions and conversations. We would love to hear from you all!! Welcome!

John.

Echoing John's welcome--howdy, all! Have a seat, put your feet up, and tell us about what you like to read.

Hello. I'm new. I think I cheated by following a link to join Goodreads from discussion on the laurierking website. My local librarian gave me several new authors to try, and The Language of Bees was one of the books. After getting thoroughly involved, I realized that a friend of mine had raved about A Grave Talent years ago, but I was not in the mood to pursue anything that wasn't on my agenda. Shame on me. Just returned the Bees and borrowed Grave Talent. Now I'm here just saying, Howdy.

Hi, Bookmaven and welcome--so glad you clicked over and found us! With a username like that, you're sure to find a lot of kindred spirits hereabouts. A Grave Talent is *wonderful*! I picked that up after voraciously gobbling up all the current Mary Russells (then at six volumes, I believe), and then dove into the Martinellis. I remember hardly being able to believe AGT was from the same author as the Russells. I'd gotten used to Russell's somewhat formal, first-person style, and the Martinellis are written in a much more modern, third-person mode. I haven't run across many authors who can pull off such different styles so well. But then, that's why she's Our Fearless Leader. :D

What genres and other authors do you like to read? Many of our number are mad for mysteries (and as you might expect, we have a lot of Sherlockians), but the group reading interests cover a lot of other ground as well.

Hi! I LOVE that name!!

Bookmaven wrote: "Hello. I'm new. I think I cheated by following a link to join Goodreads from discussion on the laurierking website. My local librarian gave me several new authors to try, and The Language of Bees w..."

Welcome, Bookmaven; and I agree with my fellow bibliophiles that your moniker is truly inspired! :)

Thank you, thank you all. Someday I'll have an avatar, too. Right now I'm reading mysteries because I can't seem to "commit" to serious reading. I'm reading a Sara Peretsky V.I. Warshavsky(sp?) mystery, can't remember name. Mysteries get me used to focusing. Some favorite authors are A. S. Byatt (Possession), P. D. James, Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell (when she's actually working at it). I remember mystery writers because they're recent reads. In the past I've gobbled up Dick Francis and Tony Hillerman. I love Mary Russell's formal, period style. I'm a word lover, an image lover, which makes me remember that I like Norman Rush (Mating, a book no one in my old book club could stand). I've also enjoyed Sujatha Massey's books that take place in Japan (and USA). I just finished The Case of the Missing Servant, Tarquin Hall, in which India's most private detective darts about. I'm not much of an action, shoot-em-up person. My other reading is non-fiction:, history of mathematics these days, physics for the not-too-talented and neurobiology cum cognitive psychology. Sounds more serious than it is. My mother was a librarian. What can I say?

Not sure that mysteries are not "serious reading." As LRK and others have pointed out, good mysteries are an attempt by the protagonist to restore balance in the universe. (As you are a Tony Hillerman reader, you can relate this to the healing ceremony, the attempt to restore hózhó to the world.) Thus, they can be intensely moral tales. Worthwhile literature does not have to be heavy going.

Just a quick comment to be friendly as I've just joined up. So - hello - I am in fact friendly. :-)

With this herd of new members, I am at a loss as how to greet you all individually and properly! First, we welcome you all! We love book lovers! We love to talk books, argue pretty civilly when we differ, we love to tell you what we are reading and we love to hear what you are reading. We do believe mysteries are "true literature" given that some are better written than others (D.L. Sayers rules!) and we also love to chit chat. You'll find we are an extremely eclectic group but not arrogant about it all. You can get advice on reading from moms juggling their kids at home, lawyers, scientists, librarians, and myriad other interesting folk here. Tell us your stories and we'll tell you ours!
Jennifer

Lenore wrote: "Not sure that mysteries are not "serious reading." As LRK and others have pointed out, good mysteries are an attempt by the protagonist to restore balance in the universe. (As you are a Tony Hill..."

I was just going to ask what "serious reading" was. ;-)

That distinction of "serious" for literary fiction has always kind of bugged me as it seems to imply that every other type of fiction is frivolous (ie. not worth reading). I finally found a relatively understandable definition for literary fiction recently and I find it kind of funny that what distinguishes "literary" from "popular" is that literary has no plot to speak of. And now it totally makes sense why I hate wasting time reading that stuff! ;-P

Erin wrote: "Lenore wrote: "Not sure that mysteries are not "serious reading." As LRK and others have pointed out, good mysteries are an attempt by the protagonist to restore balance in the universe. (As you ..."

Huzzah and Amen to that!

Um, foot somewhat mangled from being in mouth. By "serious reading" I meant not necessarily unpopular reading (some good stuff is popular). I meant "serious" as in heavy, head-scratching, need to be awake. I didn't mean to create a dichotomy between mysteries and serious reading; I don't like reading any books where the writing is bad, although I will read some because the content is worthwhile. That's one reason I made the crack about Patricia Cornwell, whom I otherwise admire; she wrote a few Kay Scarpetta mysteries where it seemed her heart just wasn't in it.

I was thrilled and delighted to discover LRK because of her writing. I had been stuck waiting for new material from the same old authors. I may or may not think of mysteries as "serious" reading, perhaps because I enjoy them (joyous being pretty different from serious). My list of mystery writers includes one or more on the lighter side as well as those I love to read because of their storytelling or their use of language. A. S. Byatt writes "serious" stuff, but I eagerly gobbled up Possession as a mystery.

Perhaps I did mean that the serious reading, so-called "literature," was more akin to writing having no plot, although I find the arc of a story to be a kind of plot. And, true, I read mysteries because of plot, to compel me to turn the pages, which I can't do when I'm not captivated by something. My brother died last year, and I've found little pleasure in the things I used to love, among them music and love of language. I'm self-medicating with mysteries advised by Dr. Librarian. I made an off-hand remark that stepped on quite a few toes around here. I didn't have a clue that the topic was such a sensitive one.

Nevertheless, I'm still here. And still me.

Oh pish posh! You just helped start up one of our fondest debates! No one would dare surmise you didn't think mysteries worthwhile if you signed up for this ride! We just love talking literary theory such as mysteries being morality tales. You should have been around for Cadfael!! So, put all that aside and consider yourself properly introduced to our chatter! We are really like the characters in a Dickens novel, all with our own foibles and funny bits!
Jennifer

No worries! No toes were injured by your remarks! ;-)

I just used your comment as a jumping off tangent...which I tend to do. As Jen said, it's all in the spirit of good commentary and discussion!

To me the difference between "serious" and non-serious reading is whether I have to pay close attention or not. Lots of books I can read with half a brain; others make me stop frequently and go "Hmmm. What does he mean by that?" or "Dang, what did I miss?"

I have a number of favorite books that I've read so often over the years I call them "comfort books" much like in "comfort foods." They're something I like to read when I get down in spirit or am sick.

Hi, Implusereader! *waves*

I love all sorts of books, although I don't read literary fiction as often as I read genre and non-fiction. I enjoy the structure and framework of genre stories, but I also love when authors mix up an subvert those structures in creative ways. I love how LRK brings beautiful, precise language and meaty themes to the mystery genre.

Bookmaven, I love to read science and brain-related books, myself. I was always lousy at math and science, but I like to appreciate them from the biblio-bleachers, even though I can't actually *do* them worth a toot. I even have a brain-related shelf here on goodreads. Feel free to look through my shelves and recommend some of your faves. I'm always looking for another good read!

Bookmaven -- echoing Jen and Erin here -- you didn't step on any toes, you just contributed to one of our running themes. PLEASE don't be inhibited by our lively debates. Speaking for myself (and, as I sometimes add, for whom else could I speak?), I don't think you could step on my toes short of an intentional insult, which I can't imagine anyone in this group would do.

Jen, don't start me on Cadfael!!

;D

Jen, thank you for "pish posh."

Steve, mysteries are not so much comfort food (for me) as they are assisted hand-cranking for the brain (although I do have those comfort books).

And Vicki, this is probably not the space for brain recommendations, but I was most profoundly affected by Where Mathematics Come From: How The Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics Into Being, by George Lakoff. I'm ok at middle math but horrid at arithmetic. My mind wanders, and I forget what I'm doing. I say, "I'm too tired to carry the 1."

A tale on myself: during the time I was reading the Lakoff book, my beloved reported that from a dead sleep I sat up suddenly one night and slowly growled out "ONE PLUS ONE EQUALS TWO," then shrieked wildly and fell back into sleep. Funny thing was I knew exactly what passage caused my distress. Ah, well...

Anyway, thanks for the gang initiation. Now I feel truly welcome.

As long as we are on it, here's a great discussion on the origins of the phrase "pish posh."
http://www.word-detective.com/2008/08...

As for why the use of said above phrase: I had just started listening to "Pride and Prejudice" and I was channeling Lizzy'z mother....
Jennifer

LOL! I bet 'pish posh' in an American accent sounds AMAZING!

I don't think I can even say "pish posh" without slipping into a terribly garbled version of an English accent, actually ;-)

Vicki wrote: "I love to read science and brain-related books, myself. I was always lousy at math and science, but I like to appreciate them from the biblio-bleachers, even though I can't actually *do* them worth a toot."

I'm in that category myself, but I just ran across a great book for folks like us in -- of all places -- the collection of my systems engineer (and major science guy) son: The Cartoon Guide to Physics by Larry Gonick. (I would link to the Goodreads page if I could figure out how.) I'm going to sell most of his old books, which could be in Ugaritic for all that I understand them, but I'm keeping that one for myself!

Just checked Los Angeles Public Library for books by Larry Gonick. There are lots of them. I put in a request for the one holdable copy of "The Cartoon Guide to Computers". Hope springs eternal.

Amy wrote: "LOL! I bet 'pish posh' in an American accent sounds AMAZING!"
Gathering my tattered dignity about me, I must say, my "pish posh" is also in an English accent and a very acceptable one, I do believe! After all, it's only two words! I did say I was channeling an Austen character!
J

Thanks! I guess the book/author thing should have been obvious. (Blush.)

I've only read one book (which I just finished) by Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, but he does stress how one part of the brain can take over from other parts that are malfunctioning -- and apparently more so in the young.

Lenore wrote: "Thanks! I guess the book/author thing should have been obvious. (Blush.)

I've only read one book (which I just finished) by Oliver Sacks, [book:Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain|129798..."

I read (or listened to) a big chunk of "Musciophilia" and I have to say I was overwhelmed by the technical details of all the various malfunctioning aspects of the brain! I had this misguided idea that the book would be about the effect of music on the brain, not the malfunctioning of the brain. I stuck with it for probably 2/3rds of the book and then abandoned all hope.

Lenore,
I am successfully listening to "Pride and Prejudice" on my ipod but I have to be honest and say my son did all the work for me and when he downloaded the book from the computer to my ipod, the chapters (created by the download) were huge and unwieldy, and out of order. So now, if something happens to the ipod, such as me exiting somehow other than pausing, I have to start back at the beginning of a chapter which is apt to be over an hour long. Not convenient. Is there a way to remedy these two infelicities, the too long chapters and the out of order chapters?
J

Lenore wrote: "I've only read one book (which I just finished) by Oliver Sacks, Musicophilia: Tales of Music and t..."</i>

Lenore (and Jen), I love Oliver Sacks, but I'd read iffy reviews of Musicophilia and didn't think it would satisfy. Try this one: [book:This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, by Daniel J. Levitin. He's written another book on the same topic, but I haven't read it.

Farmwifetwo: I was so relieved when I got to algebra. I kept making the same dumb mistakes, but I got credit for method, and my goofy arithmetic didn't count as much. My mother took pity on me in the seventh grade and brought me The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics. I don't recall "Speed" being in the title of what I read, but it justified what I had been doing to "cheat." I was so relieved and fascinated. I recommend it for all otherwise smart kids who stumble on arithmetic (not math in general) and have given it (used copies) to a few kids/mothers over time.

Jen wrote: "Is there a way to remedy these two infelicities, the too long chapters and the out of order chapters?"

Unfortunately, because I use a Sansa mp3 player and not an iPod, I know nothing about iPods. When I upload CDs to my computer, and then download them to the player, I sometimes have the same problem with out-of-order chapters. This last time, downloading Califia's Daughters, I think I finally figured out why: On the upload, as they are being "ripped" from the CD to the computer, BE VERY CAREFUL that each disc has exactly the same spelling and typography for the book name, the author name, and the disk and track numbering. If they are not, "edit" whatever is different so that only the numbers are different and even they are in the exact same format. Otherwise, when you download to the player, it thinks that anything that doesn't match is a different book, so it puts it in a different order. Then you have to move from disk to disk manually.

As for the unwieldly length of chapters, I haven't got a solution there. My own player, being very inexpensive, does not support "bookmarking," so if exit the book I do have to start the segment over again. However, all players, including iPods, permit you to "scan" more hurriedly through a section (or through a song) to arrive at where you left off (or what you want to hear again -- or skip). I don't know how to do it on an iPod, but on the mp3 player it's just pressing continuously on the forward or back button; I'll bet the iPod is similar.

Suffice to say, I need some ipod info. This one is a classic and we got it for dd about 4 years ago, I believe. And so a manual is not at our fingertips at this point. I know there are many ways to achieve the information so I will get on it. Wish these things were more intuitive...
PS Huzzah for online manuals! I can now advance! You'd be surprised what you can learn if you have to! This is head-smacking time!

Jen wrote: "So now, if something happens to the ipod, such as me exiting somehow other than pausing, I have to start back at the beginning of a chapter which is apt to be over an hour long."

Jen! Go back to that link I posted a little while ago! It has the solution! How to set the track numbers (so they'll play in the right order), and how to make them bookmarkable (so they'll start from the place you stopped at if you stopped mid-chapter). Maybe let your son read through the link, so he can see what you need? It's really a pretty straight-forward how-to.

Hi, I am a new member as well :-) Greetings from Tunisia.

Ghada wrote: "Hi, I am a new member as well :-) Greetings from Tunisia."

Welcome to the VBC!

I hate to display my ignorance of other languages, but is Ghada a male or female name? I'm presuming it's Arabic or Berber? Or is it something else entirely?

Hello and welcome, Ghada!

Erin wrote: "Jen wrote: "So now, if something happens to the ipod, such as me exiting somehow other than pausing, I have to start back at the beginning of a chapter which is apt to be over an hour long."

Jen! ..."
Erin,
Again I am woefully behind times and almost as cheap. That link seemed to deal chiefly with downloading books from audiobooks or something else like it and I am going to have to use the Public Library's "Overdrive" to download. And I do not quite understand where the two different methods begin to share directions. I have learned a lot about just simply using my device to listen to the books. I have learned more about the interface, how tell if it's on, how to forward through a chapter, how to turn up the volume. You know, the stuff a kindergartner can teach you blind-folded with one hand behind his or her back...

Guilty to having posted comments to LRKVBC without having first introduced myself. Still new to Goodreads and not sure of protocols...sorry.

I've been reading Laurie King pretty much as she publishes since Beekeeper's Apprentice first appeared. Although not a student of ACD I read the required book or so and many of the short stories in high school...and if it counts for anything absolutely adore Jeremy Brett as the 'quintessential Holmes'...I've always pictured him in the role of Mary Russell's consort...a love story which for me, evokes Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane in "Gaudy Night."

It took me days to find this compatible group...and another day to do some Sherlocking of my own re: this group's origins... as it soon became obvious it had existed before its current incarnation...

I do not know how much stronger the group is since you migrated to Goodreads, but those few (or many) of us who have just joined would probably benefit from seeing a list of your 'group reads' from your previous virtual locations.

Is it possible to load them into the group bookshelf? I think it will serve to attract more readers/members as well as a reading source for those of us who have come late to the party.

Hi Pat! We don't really have "protocol" so don't worry about diving right in. That's pretty much what everyone else did! The LRK Virtual Book Club was "born" in 2007 and just moved to Goodreads in the last couple of months. The previous incarnation of it is archived here: http://www.laurierking.com/vbulletin/ All of our discussions, tangents, introductions, etc. are there. Five years of discussion is quite a lot to get through, but I might suggest going through the Introduce Yourself thread as a number of people here started there. Some of us have been here since the beginning and some have dropped out along the way. Others have joined in as they discovered us and all are welcome. Some of us have met each other in real life, especially at Bouchercon, which is the Mystery Writers of America yearly convention. Also, all of our previous book discussions are in those archives as well, although I do think your suggestions of making a list is a good one - John? Vicki?

Hi, Pat and welcome! I'm glad you found us! Sorry for the delayed response--I'm resurfacing after several days toiling through TurboTax Hades. Meh, it always gives me a headache.

I think the idea of making a list of former reads is a great one. I'll see if there's a way to do that--it would probably work to just add group reads, backdated, with a link to each discussion on the old platform. We also could use a FAQ about the group, methinks. I'll start drafting something and get some input from the group.

And we always have great fun at B'con--it's in the land of Cleve this year, in October. Check it out, and join us if you're able: Bouchercon 2012.

We can definitely add those books and backdate them, I think. But I don't think we can add a link to the old discussion unless we have a discussion thread for that? It seems like anyway.