tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post5062760079192263312..comments2024-03-28T18:28:52.888-05:00Comments on Althouse: "You really should read it, Althouse, as it's an unusual and excellent book."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-42517249879744654312016-12-28T23:13:24.860-06:002016-12-28T23:13:24.860-06:00Hated Jethro Tull in the '70's but 40 year...Hated Jethro Tull in the '70's but 40 years later I find <i>Stand Up</i> to be a wonderful, evocative, almost iconic, album. So I won't wait for time to change the literary tastes of others and instead recognize that the only change to come will be over me.The Cracker Emcee Refulgenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14092601135276316645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-71649903004040208492016-12-28T19:20:03.794-06:002016-12-28T19:20:03.794-06:00Leslie Graves:
"Freddy Goes to the North Pol...<br />Leslie Graves:<br /><br />"Freddy Goes to the North Pole" is very definitely a Christmas book! Also, it's a grand adventure story ... an odyssey of sorts.<br /><br />The Freddy books all tell adventure stories, and as such there is a "dangerous" element. I mean, there is danger and conflict which Freddy and the good animals of the Bean family farm must confront and overcome.<br /><br />The villain of the novels is Simon the Rat, who leads a rat gang in disrupting life on the Bean farm. He's dangerous and somewhat sinister but also highly intelligent and charming. I wouldn't say he's evil -- but he leans in that direction. Yet he can also be likeable -- he has some good in him too. A compelling character. <br /><br />I've recently decided to begin collecting old early-edition Freddy books.<br /><br />Enjoy!Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8330576323501044482016-12-28T18:01:20.241-06:002016-12-28T18:01:20.241-06:00But women did break new ground in 2016. They disco...But women did break new ground in 2016. They discovered Ms. Clinton does not have control of the cosmos, nor is comfortably in the soothing hand of Whoever does. Once women adjust to this reality, ( insert your own view of the future here ).<br /> <br />As for Mock E. UhhVelli, terrific writer. I went to high school with him. He was lucky I did, because he couldn't spell or punctuate for anything. I only meet him because his sister, two years older, loved Reese's PB Cups. So between his need for a proofreader and her weakness, high school went really well. ;-)urbane legendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12699110758399432397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-78096704301689266842016-12-28T17:56:40.931-06:002016-12-28T17:56:40.931-06:00@roughcoat: Never heard of them but they sound so ...@roughcoat: Never heard of them but they sound so good! And one of them is arguably a Christmas book so I can read it to my grandkids next winter.<br /><br />https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_Goes_to_the_North_PoleLeslie Graveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09882903942624789700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8815040982080632522016-12-28T17:43:31.086-06:002016-12-28T17:43:31.086-06:00"anthropomorphized animal novels were the Fre..."anthropomorphized animal novels were the Freddy the Pig books"<br /><br />I learned to read as my mother read a series of books called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Dover-Childrens-Thrift-Classics/dp/0486288498" rel="nofollow"> "Old Mother West Wind Stories," </a> by Thornton Burgess.<br /><br />They were good beginning and read aloud books for children just beginning to read.Michael Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18127450762129879267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22305154713306669312016-12-28T17:26:33.927-06:002016-12-28T17:26:33.927-06:00My favorite -- and, IMO, the best -- anthropomorph...My favorite -- and, IMO, the best -- anthropomorphized animal novels were the Freddy the Pig books by Walter R. Brooks. There were 26 of them and I read them all. I found them at once magical, humorous, enthralling. <br /><br />Anyone else read these books and like them?Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70975492390817299142016-12-28T17:24:40.211-06:002016-12-28T17:24:40.211-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Roughcoathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12669030540648967376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-52657744681510376422016-12-28T17:14:49.611-06:002016-12-28T17:14:49.611-06:00The big news in this post is that Meade reads to A...The big news in this post is that Meade reads to Althouse in bed and at night when her eyes are tired.<br /><br />How sweet and loving!David Begleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01553331226126840029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-79853710841132288062016-12-28T16:59:55.752-06:002016-12-28T16:59:55.752-06:00Full Moon said "I'm gonna go out on a lim...Full Moon said "I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest the command word "should" is not a favorite of AA.."<br /><br />I said Althouse "should" read Watership Down and I'll stick with it. It is NOT a "command word"; it's a recommendation word. A command word would be "must" -- or in this context just "read".The Godfatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10575359417766667457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-44739037122704801602016-12-28T16:50:43.327-06:002016-12-28T16:50:43.327-06:00Excellent writing is excellent writing, no matter ...Excellent writing is excellent writing, no matter the subject. What you get with Watership Down is similar, on an easier level of reading, to what you get with Tolkien. A world is created where your participation as a reader leads you on and on, wanting to experience more of that world. The same can be said of Jonathon Livingston Seagull, another 70's icon, but that is a kindergarten level book.<br /><br />Candide, also excellent writing, may leave you with a smile on your face, or a frown. Your appreciation of the summation depends on your personality and maybe on your mood of the moment.<br /><br />Do NOT read the Gormenghast novels. I threw the third book of the trilogy against a wall when I got to the last page, it was so unsatisfying an ending. So did every single person I know who read them. If you need a good trilogy, I recommend the Deptford Trilogy, which is about people born in Ontario who do not stay there. So it is a good winter read.mikeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17875483485290838207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19388673728441666972016-12-28T16:02:38.218-06:002016-12-28T16:02:38.218-06:00"You really should read it...."
I'm..."You really should read it...."<br /><br />I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest the command word "should" is not a favorite of AA..<br /><br /><br />A long time ago, I began substituting "You might consider" ...<br /><br />FullMoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07541560904252155570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-19308858342458484122016-12-28T15:52:51.270-06:002016-12-28T15:52:51.270-06:00@Ron Winkleheimer:Candide is about how there can&#...@Ron Winkleheimer:<i>Candide is about how there can't be a God because there is evil in the world. </i><br /><br />What nonsense. <i>Candide</i> is a satire on those who say everything bad is part of God's plan and that it will all come out for the best. Specifically Gottfried Leibniz, whose shoes Voltaire was not fit to tie.<br /><br />Gabrielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18188485747371986575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-76825861343383830212016-12-28T15:44:25.808-06:002016-12-28T15:44:25.808-06:00Reading Candide makes experiencing the Leonard Ber...Reading Candide makes experiencing the Leonard Bernstein operetta that much more enjoyable. The Leonard Bernstein operetta has songs in it with titles such as "You Were Dead, You Know".<br /><br />Also, these lyrics from "Quiet", sung by the Old Lady.<br /><br />"Without you think I'm giving in to petulance and malice, but in candor I am forced to say that I'm sick of gracious living in this stuffy little palace and I wish that I could leave today. I have suffered a lot and I'm certainly not unaware that this life has its black side. I have starved in a ditch, I've been burned for a witch and I'm missing the half of my backside."<br /><br />My mom played this soundtrack endlessly when we were teenagers.Leslie Graveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09882903942624789700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-53358912537019003812016-12-28T15:39:38.512-06:002016-12-28T15:39:38.512-06:00The cool book Althouse should read next?
Nutshell...The cool book Althouse should read next?<br /><br /><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Nutshell-Novel-Ian-McEwan/dp/0385542070/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482961040&sr=8-1&keywords=nutshell" rel="nofollow">Nutshell</a>!<br /><br /><i>Trudy has betrayed her husband, John. She's still in the marital home—a dilapidated, priceless London townhouse—but John's not there. Instead, she's with his brother, the profoundly banal Claude, and the two of them have a plan. But there is a witness to their plot: the inquisitive, nine-month-old resident of Trudy's womb.<br /><br />Told from a perspective unlike any other, Nutshell is a classic tale of murder and deceit from one of the world’s master storytellers.</i>Saint Croixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17876368500159112781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39118061410185537172016-12-28T15:11:16.254-06:002016-12-28T15:11:16.254-06:00If you've gone that far into Candide, then you...If you've gone that far into Candide, then you are quite finished. Now read Zadig.iqvoicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00439200041936174167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-57070466329978616862016-12-28T14:46:55.226-06:002016-12-28T14:46:55.226-06:00wrong threadwrong threadrhhardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06901742898653890646noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-36438651836810657052016-12-28T14:36:43.315-06:002016-12-28T14:36:43.315-06:00How about Hazel?
Or Constance? Patience?
Presup...<i>How about Hazel?<br /><br /></i>Or Constance? Patience?<br /><br />Presupposing a girl, I guess. For a boy, LM Jr?MadisonManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01212179466758420208noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-9016972144765896262016-12-28T14:32:14.077-06:002016-12-28T14:32:14.077-06:00Avoided Watership Down, hated the Hobbit, gave up ...Avoided Watership Down, hated the Hobbit, gave up on other Tolkien when I realized it wasn't for me. This week I'm sadly reminded that being bored to death by Star Wars creates a bit of cultural dissonance hen a central character from the enterprise up and dies. I did like Carrie Fisher's books and some of her other performances but the Princess Leia phenomenon baffles me.dustbunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14379763339950671076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-48325604630720468482016-12-28T14:27:31.531-06:002016-12-28T14:27:31.531-06:00Meade read you Michelle Goldberg? Did you have a s...Meade read you Michelle Goldberg? Did you have a safe word?Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05006327947962804096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-45870720606489667402016-12-28T14:17:07.013-06:002016-12-28T14:17:07.013-06:00The cartoon/movie stunk. The book was a great nove...The cartoon/movie stunk. The book was a great novel for a young teen (in the 70's, anyway). I've read it since, and although I still enjoyed it the "greatness" just wasn't there. LOTR I've read many times, and I always feel the greatness. BYMMVLCBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03146393047895889252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-65142688775000274742016-12-28T13:52:52.126-06:002016-12-28T13:52:52.126-06:00"Young women rebelled against the small indig..."Young women rebelled against the small indignities that make even the most privileged female lives taxing."<br /><br />Poor things. Life is indeed hard when resentment rises from your skin like steam.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424384180201600935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40988727255813473772016-12-28T13:40:38.523-06:002016-12-28T13:40:38.523-06:00I am tackling Uncle Tom's Cabin for the first ...<b>I am tackling Uncle Tom's Cabin for the first time.</b><br /><br />I read it about ten years ago and mainly because H.B. Stowe was a distant relative so I thought I should. The quality of the writing and the intelligent insight was a revelation I didn't quite expect. Excellent book! mockturtlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10507310332014103437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-50190120513821491962016-12-28T13:35:44.207-06:002016-12-28T13:35:44.207-06:00Candide! Such a wonderful read. I am tackling Uncl...Candide! Such a wonderful read. I am tackling Uncle Tom's Cabin for the first time.Leslie Graveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09882903942624789700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-90149265584100290122016-12-28T13:32:54.311-06:002016-12-28T13:32:54.311-06:00"My parents weren't aware that Adam's..."My parents weren't aware that Adam's wasn't really a writer for children."<br /><br />When I was about 10, I checked out "The Foxes of Harrow" from the library. The librarian called my mother to check if it was OK and she said it was.<br /><br />I read all of Edgar Allan Poe about the same age.<br /><br />Children today are children to age 30. Maybe 40.Michael Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18127450762129879267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39950163834040409172016-12-28T13:31:34.056-06:002016-12-28T13:31:34.056-06:00Read both Watership Down and The Hobbit at the tim...Read both Watership Down and The Hobbit at the time. Of the two, Watership Down was less tiresome. Both were forgettable and pointless.<br /><br />C'mon folks. If you can't be clever with the language like C.L. Dodgson, E.Lear, the sainted Shakespeare (or Laslo Spatula) but you have something to say, then just spit it out plain. Don't obfuscate it in allegory and metaphor.Hammond X. Gritzkofehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00699475004094115240noreply@blogger.com