What are you reading?

[JackFavell]

I've had it on my list for so long now, Ann, but I still can't afford it. And I just bought another pricey book recently, so that puts it even further out of reach, for now. I can't find a copy for less than $40.

[charliechaplinfan]

Me too, the last film book I bought was Western Guy's biography of George Raft, I just can't afford them anymore. I'm determined to get the Fredric March book though, I'll have plenty time to save up. Kindle books are within my reach. I don't know whether it's my shrinking budget skewing my vision or have good film biographies gone up in price recently. I'd love to get the Dana Andrews book but for now it's a pipe dream. I'm sure it's nothing to do with the authors either, writing a biography must be partly a labour of love and they are not getting rich on it I'm sure but I do think the prices put them out of the reach of the browser and give us dedicated film fans difficult choices to make. I only wish our libraries would pick up some of these titles so I could read them but unfortunately, they don't.

I've finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl, I've never watched the film, although it had a top notch cast. I'm a bit torn about historical fiction, it's a difficult balance to get right. A history lover will want the author to stick to the truth, to hit the wider market you might have to make it a bit more bodice ripping. Taking this book with a pinch of salt and appreciating that it is trying to hit a bigger market, I really liked it, even though there is a lot of supposition in it, did Anne and her brother George commit adultery to get an heir? We'll never know but most probably not. What it does do is present the documented happenings of the age in a chronological and storylike manner that makes it flow in the memory and is probably responsible for more people knowing about the period in history. As long as they don't take everthing literally.

[JackFavell]

I didn't care for the movie much, it was OK, but not particularly inspired.

[charliechaplinfan]

Some of the reviewers on Amazon said that the film was nothing like the book whch runs to 500 plus pages. Interesting casting but I wonder if it was a showcase for the actresses rather than a faithful telling of the book. I lov that period in history, so dangerous.

[knitwit45]

I'm reading The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern. This is one strange book.. I borrowed it as an "e"book from my local library, and have picked it and put down over the last two weeks. I had decided to try and finish it, when I realized it had expired. It is such a strange story, to me, at least, that I had to make a trip to the library to get a hard copy to read. I have a feeling the disjointedness of the storytelling will come together, but I also think it should be read in longer parts than I have so far accomplished.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've seen that book recommended on Amazon. Let me know what you think of it, Nancy, will it come together in the end.

[knitwit45]

Will do. It is becoming darker and darker, don't think I like the direction it's taking....

[charliechaplinfan]

Ah, right, well I won't rush to purchase. I'll wait for your opinion.

[feaito]

Started reading Paul Von Ward's "We've Never Been Alone" (2011), first published in 2004 as "Gods, Genes and Consciousness". So far I have read the introduction and it's going to be a superb read, I am sure.

I ahve just finished and excellent historical novel on Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (IV of Portugal), a truly excellent read and a fascinating character: contradictory, impulsive, good-hearted, impetuous, with a huge sexual-drive, but at the same time very sentimental. His family was comprised of very, very interesting people, at different levels.

[JackFavell]

He sounds a bit like Henry the eighth of England, fer. Or am I totally off?

[knitwit45]

I finished Night Circus, and I still can't make up my mind about it. You have to flip back and forth between chapters, all short, to get a grasp of the timeline. The circus itself is quite magical...literally..but the characters are so shrouded in mystery, it takes forever to understand them. This book is not a pick it up, put it down kind of read, and due to a lot of other obligations right now, that's all I can manage. The author gives absolutely nothing away, but the mystery did not engage me enough to keep reading through my set times. Guess the bottom line is, I'm glad I borrowed the book at the library, rather than plunking down my too few dollars for it.

[feaito]

He sounds a bit like Henry the eighth of England, fer. Or am I totally off?

Not like him WEN. He did not dispose of wives in THAT way. He was sexually driven and had many lovers and one of them was THE LOVER. He was married twice.

[RedRiver]

I'm reading a superficial thriller whose name I won't even bother you with. The kind of thing you pick up at the grocery without giving it a lot of thought. I can't complain, though. I enjoy light reading. The last remarkable book I read was a "new" one by James M. Cain. How did that happen 35 years after his death? We'll have to ask his heirs!

THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS is the Cain we know from noir. Double crossing, back-stabbing, women doing whatever it takes to take care of their children. Not caring who gets in the way. This is good writing. A little sexist. Some passages are clearly meant to excite the male reader, providing little in the way of prose or plot. But the characters are fascinating. Some are admirable. And the story is on fire with twists and turns. There's a lot of Mildred Pierce in the main character, a little of DOUBLE INDEMNITY in the plot.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've got some James M Cain on my to read list, which is as big as the to watch list. I like reading noirs.

Thanks for your thoughts on Night Circus Nancy. Pick em up and put em down books are far more useful to me, I'm not usually indulged with reading time without interruptions but it's really nice to be lost in a book that captures the imagination, even if it is for only 5 minutes at a time.

I've been reading a book about Ruth Ellis written by her sister, she was the last woman hanged in Britain and her sister has done lots of research and dug up the fact she was knew Stephen Ward, Burgess and MacClean all working within the British spy network. It brought up interesting theories, like both were dispatched by the establishment as they knew too much. It's an interesting thought.

Now I'm reading a page turner about the 1950s housewife.

[JackFavell]

That's an interesting idea about Ruth Ellis. Did you ever see the movie about her? I think Maven's seen it too, it's quite good, though it draws no conclusions.