Membro: citygirl

citygirl! I see you just added the Nabokov book by Alfred Appel! Let me know what you think of it - Appel was a professor of mine in college, and he was the one who introduced me to Vladimir the Great. I loved his class and I'd be willing to bet money you'll like the book. Never met anyone as enthusiastic about a writer in my life. He'd spend whole class periods talking about his visits w/ Nabokov (who was his professor at Cornell) and what they used to chat about (Ulysses, mostly. Also that Appel sometimes reads more into Lolita than Nabokov had intended). Enjoy!

publicado por jfetting às 4:53 pm (EST) em Dec 12, 2009

Are you enjoying Jane Smiley's 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel? I couldn't get through it. Hope you're doing well!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 1:31 pm (EST) em Oct 15, 2009

Hey citygirl! Just a note to say 'Hello' and to let you know I was thinking of you! I love your literary awards!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 11:14 am (EST) em Aug 27, 2009

hmmm, do happy people create well ...

i think this depends on the nature of the person but no, i don't think one necessarily has to be unhappy to be at their creative peek. However, many artist use their art as an outlet and in that respect, sure, those people may immerse themselves deeper in their art when they are depressed.

Years ago (ok, decades ok) i noticed i wrote great poetry when i was struggling with the world. So much so that i swore off writing all together for about 10 years: i found i'd get into a writing jag about something that bothered or depressed me, and the more i'd write about it, the more it would bug me. the solution seemed pretty simple.

So, when i chose to begin writing again, i set standards. #1, dont live for the art. if writing about something really bothers me, i step back, not to ignore or turn away from it,

but to allow myself time to see if what i'm writing speaks to the ear I want to reach. it's a little trick i've taught myself as a way to stay somewhat near sane.

the other standards? well, mostly encouragements, but #2 would probably be, write for myself. dont let any one person steer my head, much less my hand.

edit voraciously. let poems ferment. use cliched words (like like, clouds, etc) rarely, and always take points off for finding them in a line.

edit even more.

that sort of thing.

and now, i've gone on and on. i hope these words brought a smile.

t

publicado por tcw às 1:36 pm (EST) em Jul 13, 2009

The new room is set! Please let other people know! :D

http://www.thesiblingrevelry.net/chat/te...

publicado por JPB às 5:47 pm (EST) em Jul 7, 2009

Hi citygirl:

The US Open is August 31 - September 13. Before that, Roger plays in 2 warmup hardcourt matches - Montreal and Cincinnati, starting August 10th and August 17th respectively.

I'm glad for the break - I've been living and breathing tennis since May. Time to get a few things done on the weekends.

Take care and see you around LT.

karenmarie

publicado por karenmarie às 4:15 am (EST) em Jul 7, 2009

I really enjoyed the Wimbledon final with you and littlegeek yesterday.

karenmarie

publicado por karenmarie às 11:36 am (EST) em Jul 6, 2009

Noticed you liked The Bluest Eye, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here as well as a few other book-related sites. Thought you might like my book since it's also southern and a bit dark. I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like (I'm out of physical copies at the moment). Let me know if you're interested. Here's a link to a summary in case you're interested:

http://christophertusa.com/

Thanks,

Chris

publicado por cmtusa às 11:12 pm (EST) em Apr 22, 2009

So, citygirl! I just discovered your wickedly funny commentaries in January and then you disappeared! Hope all is well and you're still finding time to read, as at the very least I'm expecting year-end awards again! But no pressure! :-) Bonnie

Are you posting on a different thread, maybe?

publicado por bonniebooks às 4:43 pm (EST) em Mar 27, 2009

I hope your circumstances get better soon. Keep hanging in there.

publicado por VictoriaPL às 8:20 pm (EST) em Mar 13, 2009

I finished Bone by Bone last night! Leave a msg when you've finished and let me know what you thought about it. Hope you're having a wonderful week!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 10:26 am (EST) em Mar 10, 2009

Hey citygirl! How are you doing with Bone by Bone? I'm about a third of the way through it. And I haven't figured out who the killer is, so I guess that's a good thing. It reminds me a lot in tone of both Judas Child and Stone Angel. I guess that feeling of returning to your hometown, your past, etc. What do you think of it so far?

publicado por VictoriaPL às 12:09 pm (EST) em Mar 9, 2009

Fantastic! Tomorrow it is!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 11:56 am (EST) em Mar 4, 2009

Hey Citygirl! I finished The Brothers Karamazov so I'm ready for Bone by Bone if you haven't already finished it. Let me know!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 1:23 pm (EST) em Mar 2, 2009

That's great! I have not read it yet. Right now I'm doing the Brothers Karamazov, a 900page behemoth. Do you want to aim for later in FEB or MAR 1st? let me know. Hope things are improving for you.

publicado por VictoriaPL às 2:38 pm (EST) em Jan 31, 2009

It's so good to hear from you - I've been worried about you. I hope everything works out, I know family situations are tough. There's no pressure, we can move things back a little if you want to wait to get your hands on the copy you've already purchased. I can do it in your timeframe - no problem! Just let me know. Hang in there!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 1:57 pm (EST) em Jan 5, 2009

Happy New Year! Are you still up for reading Bone By Bone? Let me know whenever you are ready!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 10:15 am (EST) em Jan 5, 2009

Merry Christmas!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 6:40 pm (EST) em Dec 24, 2008

I just read your rating system and wanted to tell you that I really like it and may have to steal ~ er, borrow it from you.

publicado por Storeetllr às 12:17 am (EST) em Dec 4, 2008

Hey citygirl, just checking in with you. I hope you have a wonderful week!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 2:46 pm (EST) em Dec 1, 2008

Hi, citygirl ~ I could swear I added you as a NaNo buddy but I haven't seen your NaNo name on my NaNo profile.

How are you doing with your novel? Almost done? Proud bearer of a green bar?

I am slouching along, I should have 20k by the end of this evening which is so far behind I don't even see the frontrunners' dust, but I plan to push myself this weekend and take it up another notch next week. I've done it before from even further back. We'll see.

publicado por Storeetllr às 10:11 pm (EST) em Nov 21, 2008

You are a dear citygirl! Thanks for taking that leap into TFC! Now, a weakness you say? Nah, not in my opinion. Who isn't hungry for praise these days (I know I am), for praise, that is, which isn't shallow flattery but merited and earned, especially in this all too discouraging, hyper-critical world. Aspiring writers like you showing excellence in their work deserve it, simple as that. Praise, I've found, when it's genuine (and it's easy to tell when it's not) can be a profound influencer and motivator not only for the praisee but the praiser, bringing out the best in everyone involved, if you'll pardon my mini-sermon.

Thanks again citygirl, and see, praise works! you joined! Nah, if you hadn't, I'd of stood by my words.

Warmly,
EF

publicado por EnriqueFreeque às 4:30 pm (EST) em Nov 19, 2008

Thanks! It was really one big scene that got me through. I had such tremendous fun killing off my Nazi.

publicado por VictoriaPL às 7:11 pm (EST) em Nov 15, 2008

I've got Never Let Me Go in my TBR. I see you liked it, that gives me hope!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 2:35 pm (EST) em Oct 28, 2008

Maybe we can read Bone on Bone together. I was going to read it in Dec as a reward for NaNo. But I've decide to read it for my 999 challenge instead. Let me know when you start your copy and we can compare notes!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 2:33 pm (EST) em Oct 28, 2008

Hey! Nice to hear from you. Yeah, I snagged an ARC off of BookMooch. We'll have to compare notes.

publicado por VictoriaPL às 8:28 am (EST) em Sep 30, 2008

This is strange! I was thinking about you earlier today!

I didn't read The Host. MrsHouseLibrary did. She's an Elementary School Librarian, and at a meeting of ~all~ of the Librarians in the school district, someone mentioned the book. Two years earlier, someone had mentioned LibraryThing, and that's how ~I~ found out about it. Anyway, Karrell has 'turned' 167 other women into Twilight fanatics, has hosted 2 of the 3 book discussions, and hosted the release-night party when The Host was available. Try to picture 40 maniacal women all chanting, "Edward, Edward..." I felt a strong need to visit a hardware store.

So, the rating is hers, not mine. I seem to recall that she was somewhat disappointed in the story, in the the characters behaved differently than they did in the previous 3 books. Other than that, she enjoyed the story anyway.

Late for a Boy Scout meeting...
Mike

publicado por WholeHouseLibrary às 7:40 pm (EST) em Sep 29, 2008

Hi there. Doing OK here - all in one piece and damage to my home is minimal. Others were not so lucky. Still without power, and being in the city's not much fun right now, but lots of neighbors are pulling together and supplies seem to be slowly trickling back in.

Will stop by again when I've got more steady access to the internet.

Dani

publicado por philosojerk às 10:11 am (EST) em Sep 16, 2008

Hello there! It has, indeed, been forever! I've really gotten pulled away from 'net communities over the last several months as life has just gotten totally hectic. Still trying to get my reading in, but sadly even that has suffered.

Afraid I don't know what you're talking about with Gormenghast - I've only just bought it and haven't read it yet! Have heard lots of great things, though, so was psyched to chance upon a pristine omnibus at the used book store a couple weeks ago.

What's this new job you speak of? (And congrats!) How are things otherwise? And if you've been reading lots and lots... any new recs to offer?

Good to hear from you!
Take care,
Dani

publicado por philosojerk às 12:21 am (EST) em Sep 11, 2008

Don't worry citygirl, I may be freeque, but I'm not a freak.

publicado por EnriqueFreeque às 1:35 am (EST) em Aug 23, 2008

Hey, citigirl! I have watched a few Master series matches, but none with Fed. He's having a bad summer, that's for sure. It's depressing.

I'll be watching the Olympics, if it ever stops raining in Bejing. And the Open for sure.

publicado por littlegeek às 1:38 pm (EST) em Aug 11, 2008

I completely agree with your assessment, great for Rafa, he totally earned it, but so sad for Federer. Poor karenmarie was beside herself with grief. I'm sure Roger will come back fighting and won't "pull a Borg." That would be bad.

If you can make it in the chatroom for either Olympics or US Open, you should. It was fun in there.

publicado por littlegeek às 5:35 pm (EST) em Jul 7, 2008

OH MY GOD, did you see that match today? One of the greatest ever. I'm spent!

Missed you in the chatroom.

publicado por littlegeek às 8:43 pm (EST) em Jul 6, 2008

Yay! for you! I'm glad about job, hubby, and mother in law. Yeah, I'm busy. Good busy though, so...can't complain.

Great to hear from you.

publicado por Timi às 3:37 pm (EST) em May 24, 2008

Thanks for your rating system. It feels right intuitively.

publicado por zenomax às 5:08 pm (EST) em Apr 29, 2008

Hello,

It's been ages. How are you? What's happening with your loved ones? So sorry for being out of touch...work is my only excuse.

publicado por Timi às 12:24 pm (EST) em Apr 28, 2008

Glad to know you're alright - I really just wanted to make sure nothing had happened! I've also pretty much permanently excused myself from the political discussions here, I finally realized that in all those discussions, you're either preaching to the choir, or else arguing against a brick wall. Either way, nothing much comes of it. I'm not even watching P&C anymore.

The ER thingies showed up I wanna say about 2-3 weeks ago. There's a thread about them somewhere in the New Features group, but it was a bit ago.

Anyway, glad to know you're getting things done (and reading - that's always good too ;)!

Cheers
Dani

publicado por philosojerk às 11:29 am (EST) em Mar 19, 2008

Hey lady! I haven't seen you around for a while, so I thought I'd come by and drop a line. How's everything? I hope you're doing alright, and maybe just having a massively-productive-round of working on your "NIP".

Cheers!
Dani

publicado por philosojerk às 9:49 am (EST) em Mar 18, 2008

I just checked out the site, and i am not impressed...what's a girl to do? Corrections will be made. Suggestions are welcome.

The date was alright. He wasn't really my type, but he was nice. It was supposed to be a lunch date, and all i had was an hour. So i made him drive around, and then when my hour was almost up he bought me take out. it was alright, i guess.

I'll be praying for you, and yours.

publicado por Timi às 9:23 am (EST) em Feb 25, 2008

Holla!

The site is finally up (partially). I had to threaten bodily harm to the designer, and then apologise (not good for work relations, you know). Yes, you can see it(www.gypsyblack.com) . Tell me what you really REALLY think about it.

publicado por Timi às 9:10 am (EST) em Feb 25, 2008

Hi citygirl, I just wanted to pop in and let you know that I just read Thirteen Tale, as per your recommendation and LOVED IT. I can't stop thinking about it!

publicado por kticesk8s às 10:05 pm (EST) em Feb 19, 2008

yeah, life is good. YouTube! who'd a thunk it?

given half a chance, i'd post a million youtube's up ehre, but that would be even a little crazier than even i'm capable of, i'm hopin.

life's rushing by, seems like there's never time to read, but i'm still plucking a book here, another there, from these lists. stay sane, citygirl.

good seeing you.

publicado por tcw às 9:08 am (EST) em Feb 19, 2008

Très silly! I hope you'll understand if I'm too lazy to reply in French, lol. How to get accents - you don't actually need to use HTML to get them, you can produce them with your keyboard. You have to hold down the alt key and then type in a series of numbers on your number pad. So the most common ones, for example, are é and è, which are 130 and 138, respectively. You can play around with it and see what all the others are - accented letters start at 128 and go to 154 (because there are capital letters, too).

Your second question is tougher. Why do I study philosophy, and how did I get interested in it... well, it started out as an interest specifically in Eastern thought. I got into Buddhism and Tao when I was in high school, and read just about anything I could get my hands on. But as it turned out, at the bookstore I shopped in back then, the eastern thought books were shelved in the "philosophy and religion" section, so I started to dabble in other stuff - the ancients, mostly, and a few more contemporary things. I knew already by the time I finished high school that I wanted to study philosophy. My interests kind of morphed from there, though - from first eastern thought & religion more generally, then to logic, then finally to ethics and poli phil, where I've taken up permanent residence.

The why is a tougher question to answer... maybe I'll think on it a bit before responding? (Although I can say right off the bat that a big part of it is just my love for argument. What could be better than a job in which you get to argue all day? I'm sure you understand that - you're a lawyer, after all!)

publicado por philosojerk às 8:09 pm (EST) em Feb 17, 2008

Aloha!

I'm tired...but i think it's something i had for breakfast. The business is still progressing...i truly don't want to talk about it till the site is up...who knew so many issues could come up at the last minute? Hmm.

I'm praying for your MIL; all things are working for good. How's the novel progressing? What's it about?

Hurray! You've started your blog.

Me?...just let me get the site up...

publicado por Timi às 7:21 am (EST) em Feb 6, 2008

Hmm... no notes in the back of mine that I can see. Mine ends with chapter 6 of part V, and that's it. It's a 1969 edition hardcover, second printing. Maybe he hadn't written them yet by then? But in that case, they can't be part of the novel. *scratches head* I didn't look too closely at what's going on at the back of the book, since I didn't want to spoil anything, so maybe I just missed it?

publicado por philosojerk às 8:32 pm (EST) em Feb 5, 2008

Heya. I have to admit, I'm progressing pretty slowly in Ada. I've got about 150 pages or so left. A big part of that is that I'm reading all day, non-stop, for my comps right now, so when I get home at night, my eyes & head hurt, and I just don't make much progress. But also, a little after halfway through it got real slow for a bit, in terms of story-line. When you get to the chapter that is basically telling the story of the novel that Van writes, that's about where I realized that the story was absolutely crawling. It seemed to pick back up a bit last night when I was reading, so we'll see.

I'm actually not having any problem with the French, but I'm fluent and have done a lot of reading in it. Be glad your edition actually has notes - mine is from the 60s, and if I didn't know French, I'd be shit outta luck!!

We'll have to compare notes when we finish. I'd like to finish soon, since I just bought a dozen books this past weekend and now there are all kinds of goodies calling to me from that TBR shelf (cuz the 40 or so that were there already weren't calling me loudly enough...)

Cheers, and happy Mardi Gras!
Dani

publicado por philosojerk às 4:28 pm (EST) em Feb 5, 2008

Aye. I'm not sure which is happening, but either Doug is turning into a bigger jackass with each passing post, or I'm rapidly becoming a less tolerant person. I think part of my frustration is with the fact that he says exactly the same thing in every post he makes - including all the same over-generalizations and unfounded assumptions, but never actually takes into account, or even acknowledges, when others point out all the logical fallacies he's endorsing.

*deep breath*

Anyway, I've had all I can take of that. I knew there was a reason I chose a profession in which everyone knows how to argue responsibly, if not always productively... I'm giving Pro & Con a break for a bit.

publicado por philosojerk às 7:25 pm (EST) em Jan 31, 2008

My most recent favorites have been Atonement and Water For Elephants. Some others that I didn't notice on your list yet are: Snow Flower & the Secret Fan (although you didn't rate Memoirs of a Geisha very high, so I don't know...it is similar to MoaG), Endurance by Lansing (amazing if you're up for a short adventure story), Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown (one of the most incredible memoirs I've ever read). I noticed you've read quite a bit of John Irving - if you haven't read Cider House Rules yet, give that one a go. I'll move Thirteenth Tale up on my TBR list - I haven't read that one yet. Thanks for the other suggestions, I'll take a look!

publicado por kticesk8s às 3:50 pm (EST) em Jan 29, 2008

Hi there! I just wanted to stop in and say hello -- I just looked through your library, and it is crazy how similar it is to my own...even down to the childhood ones. What have been some of your recent favorites?

publicado por kticesk8s às 9:47 pm (EST) em Jan 28, 2008

yep, I was up til 4:00. It was disappointing that Djerkovic won (I'm starting to hate him), but Tsonga will have other chances, I'm thinking.

Great tournament! See you in France!

publicado por littlegeek às 9:21 pm (EST) em Jan 27, 2008

i am into books that make you laugh and cry at the same time i like girly stuff (romance)

publicado por Tay11 às 5:44 pm (EST) em Jan 26, 2008

Well, the results are in for the Serena vs. Jankovic match, but I'll leave it at that in case you haven't tivoed through it yet. I want to comment more on the various tennis matches, but I'm afraid I'm going to spoil someone's day if they haven't seen the score/match.

I finally remembered the author who used to be an editor. Her name is Kit Whitfield and her literary science fiction book Bareback (UK)/Benighted (USA) brought her to my attention. Here's the link to her somewhat amusing comparison of book submissions to dating: http://www.kitwhitfield.co.uk/publisherd...
I doubt you need any of this advice, but what the hey, it can't hurt (I think). There's also some stuff in her FAQ's that may be of interest. Given Ms. Whitfield's from the UK, I'm not sure if the book she refers to as listing publishers, etc., is relevant to you or not; I think the USA equivalent is The Writer's Market, but I'm not 100% sure. Anyway, I hope this is of some help.

bookstothesky

publicado por bookstothesky às 1:56 am (EST) em Jan 22, 2008

I'm sorry I didn't check in sooner to thank you for your thoughtful contributions to the (apparently dormant) Hillary thread. You should get extra points for dealing with crenner.

All best wishes!

publicado por Makifat às 6:53 pm (EST) em Jan 21, 2008

hey there ~ you're in fine form over in the Pro & Con group

publicado por NativeRoses às 10:46 pm (EST) em Jan 16, 2008

You showed up in my connections news having just added an Indian cookbook to your library. You have to let me know how it is, I absolutely love Indian food and have been trying to find an Indian cooking class in my area for a while now (I actually found one woman who does them, but her classes are always either full or else have too much seafood on the menu, and I'm allergic).

So yeah... cook lots of Indian food from your new cookbook, and let me know how it turns out!

publicado por philosojerk às 12:43 pm (EST) em Jan 15, 2008

Hmmm,

Sorry about all those typos/spelling errors in that last message; rather painful for me to re-read it.

I just wanted to say you did a great job with that "Tennis, Anyone?" group introduction. I'll see if I can chime in with a cogent thought or two tomorrow when I'm a bit better rested.

The other thing I wanted to tell you about, and this may be an example of teaching one's grandmother to suck eggs, so to speak, but author James A. Owen at his book signing today highly recommended Stephen King's "On Writing" as the best guide to novel writing he's seen/used. He claims to know numerous authors who've used it as a guide and he says he's worn out his copy, so maybe it'd be something to check out if you haven't already done so.

I like the new Avatar, too.

bookstothesky

publicado por bookstothesky às 2:12 am (EST) em Jan 11, 2008

citygirl,

Sorry you've been stuck flying/working so much that you haven't had time for *gasp* Tennis (where are your priorities?); though it has been the off season, so I forgive you:)

I wish you joy of your legal career. I chose to leave that work option behind after 9 years as a litigation paralegal and a year of law school. At that point I had 22K in student loans and would be around 50K in debt if I finished law school, which would force me to work as an attorney just to pay off the debt, and I wasn't enjoying the work much. I took a look around me at the 40 or so attorneys I worked with and I could only pick a handful I thought really loved the job; the rest were stuck with financial and family obligations that required an attorney comparable salary; I decided I wanted to do something I loved, so I left the legal world behind and have slept well ever since:)

I also wish you great success as a novelist. In the last year or so I've run across a couple of published author websites that set out the best way(s) to get your book actually looked at after submission to a publisher/editor. One of those authors actually worked for years as an editor at a publication house before becoming a successful author, so her advice for getting an editor to look at a manuscript seemed particularly valid; I don't recall her name at the moment, but I'll look around and get it to you.

Now, back to Tennis. Before you get too *le pant* *le gasp* excited about Roger, Rafa and Roddick, please recall that I only said I'd seen the top pros who practiced at the relatively small summer UCLA tournament; thus, I have not seen the "triple 'R' tennis and beefcake threat" you mentioned, but I have seen Marat play live. I watched him lose to Tim Henman 6-8 years ago out at the Indian Wells tournament. I was rather happy since, at the time, Marat was in the top 3 of the guys my wife liked to watch play; I would watch the tennis and she'd watch Marat. Luckily, Indian Wells also overlaps the women's State Farm tournament, so the opportunities for me to watch for "proper form" *cough* also existed aplenty:). Over the years, between the two tournaments and the occassional exhibition, I've seen Agassi, Sampras, Edberg, Wilander, Becker, McEnroe (John and Patrick), Stich, Ivanisovic, Rafter (you'd have liked that one. This was a year or so before he broke into the big time when he was around 40 in the world. There were maybe 5 people watching him practice with, I think, Aaron Krikstein, and Rafter had his shirt off, gleaming bronze in the sun. He was probably the best built tennis player before Rafa came along, I'd say:), Gilbert, Spadea, Chang (Michael and older brother Carl, who tried to make it through the qualifying one year), The Bryan Brothers, Hewitt, Philipousus,(sp?), Muster, Blake, that Argentinian crybaby who got to number 1 without winning a Slam, and a whole host of other "journeymen" as Agassi might say. Just a couple of years ago I saw Donald Young at age 15-16 play the qualifying at the tournament. I'd never heard of him but man his strokes were good; amazingly soft hands on the groundstrokes though he was lacking in power, as you might expect. I should perhaps mention that the qualifying rounds are also played at UCLA on the "Sunset" courts while a couple of blocks away the top pros are practicing on the Stadium and two lesser show courts. When nobody of interest is practicing, I watch the qualifying matches and just kind of bounce back and forth.

I have not yet made it to a Grand Slam. The closest I've been is in Paris two weeks before the French a couple of years ago. I was accompanying my wife who was there for a week of training for her job and I just had to amuse myself in Paris for a week while she worked; it was rough, let me tell you:) It was kind of painful though to see all the Roland Garros banners hanging around and Amelie Mauresmo's face in various shop windows and realize I wouldn't be able to attend; someday... Anyway, I'm crossing my fingers and toes that you'll get to go. Of course, while I haven't been to a Slam, I have been many times to the Indian Wells tournament (though not for the last few years) which is sometimes called the 5th Grand Slam tournament, so I've got that going for me, to quote/paraphrase Bill Murray in Caddyshack.

Let's see, what else?? Ah, yes, Serena. She did indeed look to be much more fit than in the past couple of years as I watched her play in the Hopman Cup last week. It always cracks me up how announcers, even former player announcers, somehow count top players out just because there ranking is down due to injury or lack of motivation or "retirement." Serena is sort of the female version of Andre Agassi when it comes to that. You'd have to be an idiot to think she can't win anywhere she wants when she's healthy (except, maybe, on clay). I don't know if you remember when Agassi dropped to 120ish in the world then won the U.S. Open (I think) and everybody acted all shocked. It's not like he'd lost his talent; a ranking is just a number, after all.

You're probably right about Jankovic being a reader, too. I believe she may still be taking university courses in her off time in Serbia. I disagree that her star will rise farther than Vaidisova's. Jankovic is 23, I think, and Vaidisova is only 18. Vaidisova scowls when she loses and Jankovic smiles; in other words, she doesn't hate to lose, in my opinion, and I think Vaidisova does hate to lose, which seems to be one of the indicators of a champion. Jankovic is now in her sophomore year where she's going to have to defend her points/results from last year and everybody knows her game now, so I think her work is cut out for her. I don't see her going any higher in the rankings and I think there's a decent chance she'll be around number 10, plus or minus a couple of spots, by year's end.

Finally, as I've got to get going to a book signing (James A. Owen's "Here, There Be Dragons" and "The Search for the Red Dragon"), as well as a day of watching the wife shop in Pasadena, I'll just say thanks for enjoying what passes for humor from me. Please do check out my mystery books and ask me about anything that seems interesting (hopefully I will have acually read the book). Recommendations are also extremely welcome. The latest mystery author I love is Jo Nesbo out of Norway, and his books "The Redbreast" and "The Devil's Star." You may have decent access to them in paperback since they were published that way in the UK, but only "The Redbreast" is out in the USA, and that in hardcover.

Talk to you later,

bookstothesky

P.S. I think a Tennis thread is a great idea, even if only for the Aussie Open.

publicado por bookstothesky às 3:25 pm (EST) em Jan 10, 2008

citygirl,

Well, I was just getting ready to respond to your comment when up popped the too oft' seen LT maintenance notification scheduled for 9:00 PM Pacific time (and it's 8:30 now); thus, as I'm a durn slow writer, my words of wisdom will be delayed until tomorrow morning. You can let out the breath I know you were holding in anticipation:)

Until tomorrow,

bookstothesky

publicado por bookstothesky às 11:38 pm (EST) em Jan 9, 2008

Hi -

I fixed that link that didn't work on
this thread. They had moved the article off the CNN website, but I tracked down the original.

publicado por oregonobsessionz às 6:31 pm (EST) em Jan 9, 2008

Howdy,

I got up this morning and flipped on The Tennis Channel (or "Tennis Channel," no articles allowed anymore, apparently:) to see if I'd catch the Jankovic/Vaidisova quarterfinal of the Medibank Classic; got Henin beating up on some relative unknown, but another match was scheduled afterward, so hope remained (like you, I believe, I'm not much of a Henin fan, though her strokes are pretty, and I too am a slut [stud?] for volley's, as littlegeek put it so aptly.). I cranked up my computer and went to LT, then on to Darkson's profile page and saw a comment left by Buchleser. I went to Buchleser's page and reading his comments saw this "u makes cittehkitteh laff muchs" and figured, rightly so, that you would be a woman of humor and interest; your profile page is very funny, and your reading materials are impressively diverse (I pretty much stick to stories where violence happens by gun, sword or lightsaber). I too am a fan of Carol O'Connell's works, so I'll let my subconscious work on that and see if any similar authors pop-up that I can recommend to you.

So, I started perusing comments left on your page and ran across littlegeek's Tennis remarks, then I read all of your back-and-forth commentaries and thought to myself that it was a pretty weird coincidence to be reading about The Tennis Channel on LT within minutes of turning it on. Anyway, while reading, Jankovic/Vaidisova did indeed come on the tube and it looks to be a close match. I'm rooting, slightly more, for Vaidisova, since she too is a book lover (one of those half-hour, behind-the-scenes "No Strings" episodes shows her driving to her local Books-A-Million store in Florida and shopping for books to take on tour). Interstingly, they were just talking about a Vaidisova swinging volley and it made me realize the first person I recall ever hitting swinging volleys was your boy Andre; everybody used to scoff, me included, at that shot but now it's a staple on the women's tour and, to a lesser extent, the men's. Hmm, the ladies have split sets; I'm guessing Jankovic will choke since she has a poor record in three set matches against top 10ish opponents, plus she had a muscle pull during the Hopman cup.

Well, I could go on for quite a bit about Tennis as I've seen virtually every top male player of the last 18 years practicing live at UCLA before that summer event (you can just walk on in the weekend before the tournament and watch the seeded players practicing with one another, though it's somewhat more restricted since 9/11). I once saw Sampras, then Agassi practicing back-to-back in one hour each blocks of practice time while sitting in seats normally reserved for high-rollers during the actual tournament. Nothing better than watching practice matches and player interaction without having to pay for it:).

Well, enough of that Tennis stuff. Sorry to barge in on you unannounced, so to speak. I'm always up for talking books or Tennis if you've got a hankerin' (you take on a French accent, I drop into redneck-speak; I've definitely read too many westerns).

Take it easy,

bookstothesky

publicado por bookstothesky às 12:00 pm (EST) em Jan 9, 2008

Hey lady, happy new year! What happened to your boys yesterday? Was sorry to see them go down (not really, but I'm trying to be nice here.)

Hope you had a great holiday! I've been back for almost a week now, but trying to catch up on all the Talk posts is so overwhelming, I haven't actually motivated myself to do it yet. Soon, really...

publicado por philosojerk às 2:49 pm (EST) em Jan 2, 2008

thank you, and a very happy literary new year to you!

publicado por aemilys às 1:17 pm (EST) em Dec 31, 2007

Citygirl thanks for accepting my invitation to be a library friend. In reading your profile, you talked about your reading addiction, so I am but I am sure there will be a 12 step program for us soon! Actually I read an interesting essay in the NY Times Book Review section about how readers have been seen through time. Now readers of course rule, according the NEA (national education association) readers tend to be more involved in the community and physically fit! Good news for us. Not that long ago people that read a lot were consider to have an illness. Anyway an interesting essay. I look forward to more interactions.
Michael

publicado por michaelbartley às 6:30 pm (EST) em Dec 27, 2007

PS. i may start a blog soon. my best friend started one and i'm one of those passive-aggressive competitive types. Or not.

Nice avatar!

publicado por Timi às 7:50 am (EST) em Dec 19, 2007

Merry Christmas!
Sorry I disappeared for a while. What's been happening? I was sick for about 3 weeks. First it was a very bad cold. Week 2- my wisdom teeth are growing in the wrong direction; dental surgery was mentioned. They'll never take me alive. Third week - malaria. It wasn't fun. I'm much better now. THANK GOD. Business is progressing...slowly. A lot like a shuffle, but it's not speed, it's direction that matters...so 'they' say. Two of my sisters are coming home from school today, so the house is getting really full. The book is coming together a lot like the business. Congrats on yours though!

Hmm...what else? Oh, there was a book fair last week, and i managed to get 6 books at the bargain price of N1,200. Oh joy!Read two already.

My regards to the enlightened man. Happy Holidays!

publicado por Timi às 7:47 am (EST) em Dec 19, 2007

All in good fun about the football, of course.

*Wanders off chanting, "it sucks... to be... a Florida Gator..."

;)

publicado por philosojerk às 12:33 pm (EST) em Dec 17, 2007

OMG I wish I had the Tennis channel! When I was home for Thanksgiving, my mom had it and we watched all the Sampras/Federer matches, among other things. Davis Cup, as well. They really should televise Davis Cup on regular TV. grrrrr!

If I were to have sexy dreams about a tennis player, it would probably be James Blake. He's yummy! Not to mention a stud this yeat at Davis Cup.

publicado por littlegeek às 6:43 pm (EST) em Dec 16, 2007

Haha, that's funny, cuz I don't care for Styron either. (too wordy). Anyhoo, Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series is great fantasy, but if you're at all sexually squeamish, give it a miss. The first book in the series is my favourite, lots of sex, political intrigue, romance. She's up to 5 volumes now and will undoubtedly write more.

Didn't care for her retelling of LOTR (Banewreaker is the first volume), but Kushiel is great.

publicado por littlegeek às 6:39 pm (EST) em Dec 16, 2007

I just read your review of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, and I laughed out loud when I reached this part:

"...men don't like to be given advice and like their egos (etc.) stroked..."

So subtle, yet brilliant! Thank you for making my morning. :)

publicado por Luv2danse9 às 7:17 am (EST) em Dec 15, 2007

I'm so glad Chris is back!

Did you notice we share 50 books? And I have less than 200 in my LT library, so that's great odds.

Go Roger. Did you see him in GQ this month? He's smokin' hot!

publicado por littlegeek às 12:19 am (EST) em Dec 15, 2007

I can has CityGirl comment?

publicado por buchleser às 8:35 am (EST) em Dec 14, 2007

A good probing response to geneg on today's thread. But I wonder if you are indeed taking a side--though not necessarily within the parameters earlier set forth--but still, there's no reason to apologize for it.

publicado por krolik às 6:53 pm (EST) em Dec 4, 2007

i chuickle when i see your name tacked on to one od the many pro and con discussions.

i have to confess, i haven't found the pleasure of the non-debates in there: each side tends to reiterate, none ever seem to grow closer or come to life-changing epiphanies,

and then there's the inevitable name slinging ...

you need more peace, my citygurllll.

and mild tea.

repeat after me:

"ommmmmmmmmmm-yyyyyy-darrrrlllllllinnnnn...

clementine..."

publicado por Tim_Watkinson às 1:57 pm (EST) em Dec 4, 2007

I think I snagged my "dangerous thoughts" pic off a website celebrating banned book week (the rebels...) -- it would be cool to have a poster, let me know if you find one!

publicado por TeacherDad às 5:28 pm (EST) em Nov 26, 2007

candygram

publicado por Tim_Watkinson às 2:00 pm (EST) em Nov 20, 2007

Your new avatar is cute! Variety is good.

publicado por jillmwo às 4:19 pm (EST) em Nov 16, 2007

so, i bought my copy of anne sexton's all my pretty things at a garage sale for maybe a dime.

read all the poems but never looked at the first page,

where she'd signed it.

too cool.

fast forward a dozen or so years, we went to see makine kumin read, and she's sick as a dog, but they talk her into sticking around to sign books. my gal says "leave her alone, i'll sign her name for you"

so it's not how much it's worth,

it's how much you enjoy it.

life is good, citygirl.

pullin my own finger. dammit.

publicado por Tim_Watkinson às 3:18 pm (EST) em Nov 16, 2007

pull my finger!

publicado por Tim_Watkinson às 1:58 pm (EST) em Nov 16, 2007

Thanks for your nice message. I hope you enjoy my novels, and look forward to chatting with you. P.S. The weather here in Florida is absolutely perfect today!

publicado por lisaunger às 12:11 pm (EST) em Nov 8, 2007

I've never seen the pros play live, sorry to say.

I was never a big fan of Andre, I was the Pete fan! Backcourt guys bug; I'm a slut for someone who can volley. Remember lovely Stephan and that red-headed hottie, Boris?

I cried when Boris won Wimbledon at 17.

publicado por littlegeek às 5:19 pm (EST) em Nov 6, 2007

I remember that Justine thing, too, which was very weird. Crap, Pete Sampras puked in the bushes and still won a match. Get some spine, girl.

Although, she does have spine. what I like about her is that she is small, but can keep up with all the big girls.

I like Mauresmo, too. I'm a sucker for a lovely backhand.

But I'm with you on the Williams sisters. Serena is my hero, bigtime.

I'm a big fan, too, going back to the '70's. I remember all the great modern champs, including Laver, and Roger is the best, no contest.

publicado por littlegeek às 4:21 pm (EST) em Nov 6, 2007

Cool, I love tennis! What do you think about, oh, what's his name? He's Serbian I think? Mucho game, does killer impressions of other players? Rafa? (Love them both--but I do want Roger to win the French some day. Not sure he can do it with Rafa around.) Adn do you think we'll ever have a decent American male player again? James Blake is cool, but not quite enough game. And Mr. Mojoless hardly deserves mention. Why, what happened?

Williams sisters? (I love them.) Justine? (love her too, she can volley!) Are there any other women worth watching out there or am I missing something?

publicado por littlegeek às 2:46 pm (EST) em Nov 6, 2007

It's nice to meet you. I look forward to exploring your books. This service is quite addictive, and you are not alone ;o)

publicado por lisaunger às 8:28 am (EST) em Nov 6, 2007

Yeah, after I left the comment I saw that you didn't say the INFP group. I think my hubby is an INTJ. I read once that you get along best with someone who is two different from you, so not a prob. I'm glad the Yahoo thingy worked. I like it too! It's a cute way to get an Avatar, as long as they don't come and sue us. :)

publicado por dr_zombieswan às 6:03 pm (EST) em Nov 3, 2007

citygirl, i wanted to write the following after your fine succinct words on how Tinker Creek affected you:

i would love to know if my book Rise, Ye Sea Slugs! does to you for sea cucumbers what APATC did for mantis's! They do not pray for sure, but Basho's apprentice Shiko has a whole essay comparing them to solitary wandering sages . . . If my income last year was not only $1000 (less than the cost for my catastrophe-only health care insurance) i would mail you a copy immediately -- if i could get to the PO which i only do maybe once/month! please peek inside it at amazon or if it is there google (i can't recall if it is there) and if . . .

i do too much spamming already and wanted to try to avoid mentioning my books on that forum, so i wrote here. Ah, i read susan orlean's bk -- got it at a garage sale. The writing is beautiful and i vaguely recall liking the way she changed scenes but wanting something more as i approached the end . . . best

publicado por keigu às 7:58 pm (EST) em Nov 2, 2007

I got my picture by designing it with the Yahoo Chat program's avatar thingy. http://messenger.yahoo.com/chat.php I don't chat on it very often, but had a friend who insisted, and I found that the avatar builder thing was fun, and what I used the most. :)

You have to download the software, if you don't already have it, but it's mostly harmless if you set it to not automatically log you in. :)

No problem; I'm not worried about fellow INFPers being stalkers. :)

publicado por dr_zombieswan às 7:57 pm (EST) em Nov 2, 2007

i think that's great that you're writing a novel! i can only imagine the work involved in a project that big. damn. i have hard enough a time writing poems, forget about songs or short stories, let alone a novel.

so, i'm impressed. i hope you find the strength to follow through.

as for writing for a living, that's a path i considered, way back before you were born, but somehow got lost in the dodging the draft, wandering around throough life, and by the time i got back to school and took a few writing classes i didn't have the wherewithall to continue.

anyway, i'm enjoying getting to know you, yeah, i see your posts every now and then throughout this site. kudos.

now, about those favor shoes ...

publicado por Tim_Watkinson às 9:37 am (EST) em Nov 1, 2007

Aloha!

False alarm! The battery pack shifted so that's why it wasn't coming on. Phew! In other news, yesterday was my 25th birthday. Hurray! I had a small thing with my family - pasta, wine (100% grape - i don't like alcohol) and cake. It was cool.

Things are okay, generally. How are you? I saw something about a wildfire in Malibu, did that affect you?

publicado por Timi às 6:39 am (EST) em Oct 26, 2007

I assume your comment was a compliment, but I'm not sure of the cause. I hope it's not because you think I've read all the books in my library - far from it. I do have some very smart friends (one on LT who dragged me here) if that is any compensation...

publicado por existanai às 8:18 pm (EST) em Oct 23, 2007

This site is.....AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:-))

publicado por aluvalibri às 5:40 pm (EST) em Oct 23, 2007

Hi Citygirl - Thanks for the suggestion on Gardner and MBTI - "Multiple Intelligences and Personality Type" by Dario Nardi. I will take a look for it. The concepts are very interesting and I find them useful in characterization; It's important to me that my fictional characters are real and authentic. These kinds of books are great at helping to sketch out things.

The multiple intelligences is a good book, if a bit dry in places. I became interested because my son was tested as genius and yet, he is very impractical about life in general. Putting away dishes was very painful for him...LOL and most young boys I'd venture to guess! But, Gardner's ideas helped me understand how people are intelligent in very different ways.

I enjoy your posts and comments very much.

All the best,
Iris (villandry)

publicado por villandry às 4:55 pm (EST) em Oct 22, 2007

Well, I'm thoroughly impressed by anyone who is visited by a muse. Mine is sadly and conspicuously absent...
Occasionally I fall into a poem but whether it's any good is another question, lol.
Anyway, good luck with your NIP (I've heard of WIP--work in progress, maybe the two can battle it out). I'd love to read a brief synopsis of what you've got so far! I'm always curious about people's plotbunnies.
My wiki? Yeah, have no idea what to do with it. I could do a wishlist, but I finally caved and created a wishlist tag. I guess a wishlist feature has been in the making for oh, a year now? Tsk.

publicado por KirstenV às 2:55 pm (EST) em Oct 21, 2007

Aaargh! The laptop crashed, and i didn't backup....(strangled sob)

publicado por Timi às 9:09 am (EST) em Oct 19, 2007

P.S. Also decided to add comic books. Not very smart move. Will take ages, particularly if I read every single one after adding it, as I have done so far.

publicado por desideo às 3:41 pm (EST) em Oct 18, 2007

The lateness! I've been out of the loop. Thank you for adding me to your 'interesting libraries' list. I invariably feel very interesting for at least five minutes every time it happens, so it's definitely a good thing. Lately, I've been buying lots of books - a used book shop (the books are used; not the shop, I never manage to decide whether or not a hyphen would be a good idea to use somewhere in there) near me is moving and is selling everything for mere cents! Fabulous, but lethal. My boyfriend looked at the four huge paper bags of books I had dragged home and said, 'You're so cute.'. I guess that bodes well for our long-term happiness, haha.

publicado por desideo às 3:39 pm (EST) em Oct 18, 2007

We do share a number of interesting books. I see you have The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel. I liked it a lot, and recommend that also.

Paola :-))

publicado por aluvalibri às 10:35 pm (EST) em Oct 12, 2007

Yes! Women have a lot to offer and way too often they belittle themselves, and that drives me crazy!!!!
I will have fun perusin your library!
:-))

P.S. I love San Francisco!!!

publicado por aluvalibri às 10:31 pm (EST) em Oct 12, 2007

Yeah, the whole issue of performing animals is a tough one. There are some crappy circuses out there. My circus was awesome. No animals. (I don't think I would have decided to work for them if they did.) One of the early reviews referred to Chimera as "Cirque du Soleil without the attitude", which still cracks me up. Unfortunately, after 10 years, it is no more...

I was wondering, do you have a journal where you post some of your poetry/fiction? Or is that still too private?

publicado por KirstenV às 10:02 pm (EST) em Oct 11, 2007

It's fairly easy

< img src="HTTP://weblink of image goes here" >

remove the space before img

you have to make sure it's the link to the image not just the web page.

publicado por readafew às 6:04 pm (EST) em Oct 11, 2007

Oh dear, I think I may have passed myself off as more interesting than I really am! I actually didn't perform any act, I worked in the ticket office and ran errands. I suppose I could have learned something...but I'm scared of heights, I get dizzy very quickly, I'm totally inflexible and uncoordinated... ;-)

I enjoy your library a lot too, I actually remembered some books I had read thanks to you! I really like the Ultimate Bar Book, the binding alone is beautiful, the pages are thick and glossy, and I like the way it's written, very comprehensive. I don't know if it's industry standard but the cocktail recipes I've tried were tasty, with the exception of Black Widow which didn't match the one I had from Trader Vic's Tiki Party (a fun one for rum cocktails!)

Thanks for the invite to the Meyers-Briggs group, I'll be seeing you there!

publicado por KirstenV às 2:57 pm (EST) em Oct 10, 2007

As you asked ...

Harpsichords
My basic attraction to them is that they are elegant instruments that are lovely to listen to, and easy to build. You can be taken to another plane of existence while listening to a harpsichord, more so than you can by listening to any other instrument in the world, although a didgeridoo (believe it or not) is a close second if you can tolerate low notes.

Simple balanced, lever-action actuators flicking near paper-thin plectra at bare (mostly) wires, producing an almost ethereal sound, as if it floats without an inkling of the concept of gravity. That, in a nutshell, is a harpsichord.

People who play piano find it difficult to master the harpsichord. Pianos are designed to strike as many as 3 strings with each felt-padded hammer. A harpsichord plays a single string with each key. The effect is that it is stroked like a lover, each sigh coaxed into existence by the thundering velvet hand* of the qualified musician. It’s an entirely different ‘feel’ than a piano. The timbre of a piano is more raw, more open, almost naked and sensuous. Pianos are more ‘Edwardian’.

You can buy harpsichord ‘kits’. I remember seeing them advertised in the back of ‘Popular Science’ when I was a kid, and later in ‘Yankee Magazine’ when I was older. I’ve helped build 3 of them with friends whom I’ve since lost touch with. They’re simple to build if you have the right tools and patience and are also good with fractions (not necessarily in that order). Using the best quality woods for their particular function – oak for strength, spruce for resonance, for example – is probably the most important choice you’d have to make when building it. A fourth friend who built one for his wife (Civil War re-enactors) before I met them, used plywood. It makes a good ‘practice’ instrument because the sound doesn’t travel much further than the small room where they keep it. Hearing a harpsichord always reminds me of old friendships that should have never waned.

After my motorcycle accident, while my right leg was barely more than an appendage and absolutely incapable of movement, I worked for an organ builder (pipe organs). Since all I could do was sit, I would wire up relays to junction boards and consoles. Later, we’d go to tune organs, and I sat at the console, pull a stop and play a note until I was told to go to the next one. The reason I mentioned Tracker Organs earlier in the thread was because I helped repair one in NYC. It is ENTIRELY mechanical (except for the blower. Press a key, or pull a stop on the console, and its all thin strips of wood and brad pivots that finally allows air to flow through the pipe and create the note. The nearest pipes were 50 feet away and 20 to 30 feet above the console. The ‘choir’ pipes were another almost 100 feet away in an entirely different direction. And no electricity was required to run it. I crawled all over the thing because we had to replace leather seats and such. Pipes with a 64 foot throat! And others that were smaller than the stylus for my eBook! Magnificent! The wind chamber was room larger than my apartment, and the air pressure alone caused the temperature to be about 15 degrees higher than outside. It’s not harpsichords, but the organ story just kind of jumped out and wrote itself down, so I’m obliged to keep it for now. Consider it an unexpected gift. I always do.

The organ builder had a friend/acquaintance who lived somewhere in the Hudson Valley region of New York State. The friend owned a 17th Century French harpsichord, and was going to loan it out to someone else who was going to be playing it at Carnegie Hall sometime within the next week. My employer was the only one who had a vehicle large enough to move it. So a deal was struck, and this was a good year after the motorcycle accident, so I was ambulatory, but the leg was still quite weak. In the 17th Century, the French were into their big-and-gaudy phase, so the harpsichord was maybe four feet larger than a modern-day grand piano, and white with gold filigree all over it. It was a MASSIVE 72-key instrument. I was of little actual help getting it loaded or unloaded, I’m sorry to admit. Prior to moving it, however, the owner sat down and played it for us.
An instrument that large has a lot of power (sound) behind it. That sound being a 3-century old, well-cared-for quality wood construction was unlike anything I’ve heard before or since. I never did find out what piece he played, but the music flowed through me like I was merely loosely-formed air. I am rarely moved to tears, but this was just an extraordinary circumstance, and he played full-out for 20 minutes this way! I couldn’t speak, even if my life depended on it. If the room were on fire, I would not have noticed nor cared one whit, and I seriously doubt that I would have notice as my body was consumed by the flames. I was completely and utterly mesmerized and driven to tears as this fellow played on and on. I was a very different person for a long time after that experience.

* Dan Fogelberg used that 3-word phrase in a tune called ‘Leader of the Band’. I can’t imagine a more aptly-worded clause that would apply here.

publicado por WholeHouseLibrary às 10:09 pm (EST) em Oct 1, 2007

OK, these are my wife's favorite chick lit authors : Jennifer Weiner, Mary Kay Andrews, and Judy Blume. Others she likes to a lesser degree include Ahern, Coburn, Green, and Keyes. She cautions that if you're looking at the other writers in her collection, she reads some of them just because she knows they'll be an easy read when she has trouble sleeping. Also, some of those are in constant rotation with the trade-in bookstore so her part of library is fairly dynamic. For my part, I'll suggest Hanan al-Shaykh's [u]Women of Sand and Myrrh[/u]. I didn't think it was brilliant, but it was worth reading and I like some of her short fiction. I don't know if it qualifies as chick lit (it isn't marketed as such) and to be completely honest, I have no idea what "chick lit" actually means.

publicado por findundercan às 1:30 pm (EST) em Oct 1, 2007

Hello -

I am enjoying your comments on "the person below me" thread. Sometimes they are just what I am thinking, but other times, they take me by surprise. It's kind of fun, isn't it?

Anne

publicado por amancine às 2:00 pm (EST) em Sep 23, 2007

Sorry, chick lit is the realm of the other half. We're on vacation right now, but I'll try to gather some recommendations from her half of the library when we get back. Out of the "classics", you already have most of my favorite romances, other than War and Peace.

publicado por findundercan às 11:36 pm (EST) em Sep 16, 2007

Hello,

it's been a while...sort of.
Update 2: I got home yesterday and saw my Dad for the first time since my 'Decision'. He was alright. Not mad at me, just a little sad and confused. I think the appropraite word would be 'dissappointed'. That makes me sad...sort of. And i'd like to explaim myself to him and make him feel better, but i don't like to explain myself and at this point, i'm not sure how. Hmm.

In other news, i have stockbroking exams in a week (please don't ask), and my left brain is giving me nightmares.

publicado por Timi às 7:34 am (EST) em Sep 16, 2007

Indéniablement! And that's perfect - If I ever decide on a husband, it will have to be one that builds things; particularly bookshelves. (Note to self.)

publicado por desideo às 6:25 pm (EST) em Sep 15, 2007

Oh, that happens to me all the time too. Is it a good move? (= more place for books)

publicado por desideo às 6:17 pm (EST) em Sep 15, 2007

Aaah, you added so many great books. I can't stop feeling like a stalker when clicking 'connection news', though!

publicado por desideo às 6:06 pm (EST) em Sep 15, 2007

I had a professor many years ago who wrote her thesis on the authenticity of In Cold Blood. She interviewed some of the townspeople from Holcomb and some other related parties. I never read the full thesis, but her conclusion was that it was, for the most part, as accurate as she could verify. That said, my confidence in this professor is not such that I'd encourage you to go ripping the "allegedly" off of your tag, but it's something to consider.

publicado por findundercan às 5:14 pm (EST) em Sep 13, 2007

Welcome to Books Compared. I enjoyed your reviews, which reflect an eclectic taste in literature. So I do hope you'll join the discussion and contribute a comparison review of your own one of these days!

publicado por margad às 1:01 am (EST) em Sep 12, 2007

You have some really tempting cookbooks!

As requested: here's a vulgar link; please don't hold it against me.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Swedish/Sla...

publicado por desideo às 6:07 pm (EST) em Sep 7, 2007

Hehe, I wish I *had* an actual library! I've got books in my daughter's room, books in the wardrobe, books at my parents' house, books under the bed :-) It is my dream to live in a house big enough to have a dedicated library!

publicado por scarletslippers às 4:56 am (EST) em Sep 7, 2007

*grin* Your family motto sounds a lot like my personal motto. "I'm not paranoid. They really ARE out to get me." I just don't let it change the way I live because that would be letting them win! :P

~ seimeis

publicado por seimeis às 2:04 pm (EST) em Sep 3, 2007

Hi Citygirl,

You are very welcome to use my post however you'd like. :) I wouldn't write something in a public forum I wasn't already willing to share and have seen. Type and religion should prove to be a very interesting thread!

~ seimeis

publicado por seimeis às 1:37 pm (EST) em Sep 3, 2007

Hello! I have decided to make you a friend! You shall know receive updates on what I'll call 'A writer's quest'.

Update 1: Apparently, i have caused a mini-family crisis by quitting my job. My father is upset, and one of my uncles will probably not be invited to my wedding, or any of my siblings' weddings (cos they're mad at him too! Long story). Strangely enough, the womenfolk are all for it! Follow your dream/heart/spirit, they all say. Who knew?

publicado por Timi às 6:11 am (EST) em Aug 24, 2007

Hi City Girl
Unfortunately I don't know much about the 1920's literary scene except that it was divided among the literati in NYCity that hung out at the Algonquin & published in the New Yorker & considered themselves the avant guard, which, I guess they were. On the other hand, there were the "masses" of ordinary people living in the rest of the country who were reading books written by Grace Livingston Hill. In Ms. Hill's literary world virtue (& Christianity) always triumphed. Ms. Hill & her imitators would see to it that a woman who dared seek a divorce was suitable reprimanded at the end of the book. In my mother's world, divorced women were referred to as "grass widows" because their husbands were still walking over the grass rather than lying beneath it. Of course there was always the poor dutiful wife whose husband took up with some hussy, got her in trouble & had to divorce his wife in order to make the child legal. I don't know which category the title character of "The ex-wife" would fit into. Also the name "Ursula Parrott" could be the nom de plume of a member of the NYC literati who was making fun of the Virtue always Triumphs Grace L. Hill Crowd.
Perhaps the best way to get more info would be to track down the publisher. Grosset & Dunlap published much of the GLH type of novel - they also published The Bobbsey Twins of which I was inordinately fond - but in the years since, G & D has merged & been taken over several times & I don't know what current mega-media organization they have evolved into. Perhaps a Google search of the publisher of "The ex-wife" might be a start.
Good luck
MarianV

publicado por MarianV às 2:55 pm (EST) em Aug 23, 2007

Nice to hear from you. If you like the Mallory books then I think you'll like Sharp Objects. The protagonist (I can't remember her name right now) is a journalist who goes back home to follow a murder mystery. She has a lot of issues and she's very dark.

publicado por VictoriaPL às 6:31 pm (EST) em Aug 22, 2007

A little lesson in html

!b?text to bold!/b? bold
!i?text to italicize!/i? italics
!u?text to underline!/u? underline

To create a link:

!a href="url" target=_blank?this is the link!/a?

this is the link

In order to spoof the html so I could show you the format of these commands, I had to change the control characters some.

Replace the ! with a < and the ? with a >. The safest way to do html is to create the start and end characters !b?!/b? and then fill in between. This will keep you from leaving open an html command.

If you have questions or problems let me know.

publicado por geneg às 10:48 pm (EST) em Aug 20, 2007

Yes, she catch me a little on Judas Child. Did the symbolism of the flowers at the end remind you of the same flower-talk in Stone Angel? Do you think she'll do another non-Mallory novel? Switching subjects... have you read Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn? Have a good week!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 7:16 pm (EST) em Aug 19, 2007

[Yoga: a scientific evaluation] is not a how to do it book on yoga. I probably bought this book over 30 years ago, with only a passing interest in practicing yoga; maybe, more for philosophy. It was originally published in 1937, before yoga became an exercise alternative. It does have a few photographs of some of the more difficult postures without any explanation of how to achieve them. I don't really do yoga, although about a dozen years ago my wife and I did attend some yoga classes while living in Indianapolis. My main exercise is actually race walking. Stretching exercises are recommended. One I sometimes do is where you stand on one leg and double up the other leg -- this I think has a yoga quality to it. For balance, instead of thinking of straightness (which makes me lose my balance), I think of my weight bearing foot as pushed into the earth.
I looked up my book and found that I had only one tag, and it was an early entry into my catalog. I've now added a bunch of tags. I have a page bookmarked in there on the chapter on yoga psychology. One statement that jumped out was: Every act of knowledge is a three-cornered affair..."

publicado por vpfluke às 12:42 pm (EST) em Aug 18, 2007

My favorite Carol O'Connell is Stone Angel. Winter House and Fine Me are favorites too. I also like Judas Child (non-Mallory) quite a bit.

publicado por VictoriaPL às 7:30 pm (EST) em Aug 14, 2007

Hello there! We share an affinity for Carol O' Connell. I just love your tag 'in love with Author's brain'. That is so true. I might have to start using that in my library. My favorite "top 50" books are that way... I just connect with the author on some level. Have a nice day!

publicado por VictoriaPL às 4:41 pm (EST) em Aug 14, 2007

Hello citygirl: A colleague of mine gave the book PLEASE UNDERSTAND ME II by David Keirsey a few years back. It changed so much about the way I see myself and others. It has been a positive force for me. Some people don't like the temperament typing because they fear it puts people in boxes, but I don't think it does. It is an unavoidable fact that we all have preferences and that is all the test measures, preferences. If anything, I've moved out of the box because I've sought to improve areas that are not my preferences. I hope we stay in touch.

publicado por TheresaWilliams às 12:46 am (EST) em Aug 14, 2007

Hi CityGirl,

I loved Charlotte as a character. I think Tom Wolfe could have done a better job telling her story. I also thought the book was longer than necessary and there was a lot of repetition. That said, I'm glad I read it. I really felt for Charlotte and she was a very "real" character to me.

Have you read it?

I added you as an interesting library becuase we share many of the same books and I like your well-thought-out rating system. I need to do that. Mine is pretty arbitrary and sometimes I even change the ratings as my opinion changes over time.

Anyway...thanks for the note!

publicado por jayceebee às 10:33 pm (EST) em Aug 4, 2007

Hi Citygirl, I am relatively new to LT and have been enjoying putting my books in order and reading the groups chattering. I have tried some writing and consider myself "a writer" although strictly speaking I am probably a dilettante. One writing book I especially remember as helpful is [Writing Down the Bones by Goldberg]. I'd be interested to know what you are reading now. Currently, I am reading [Pocketful of Names by Joe Coomer]. It is set in Maine and reminds me of Pacific Northwest landscapes and it is about a woman who is a bit of a recluse, and I identify. Also, [Shaping Success] which is about training a dog to do agility. I have two Miniature Schnauzers and read about dogs a good bit. Looking forward to hearing more from you and wishing you the best with your writing.

publicado por maggie1944 às 12:34 pm (EST) em Aug 2, 2007

Citygirl,

Thanks for making me one of your "interesting libraries." So far we share 86 books...pretty good! I'm glad you've rated your books. I'll have to go through them and see how we differ, and what you have rated highly that I have not yet read,e etc.

You ask if anyone has a "good references for riction writing." I'm not a writer (yet) but very interested. There is a fairly new highly reviewed book out that you can probably get at your local public library: "Reading like a writer: a guide for people who love books and for those who want to write them" by Francine Prose. I am reading it right now and can barely put it down; it's that interesting! I've never taken any course on creative writing...so all is new to me. But I am an avid reader, and this book is really opening my eyes. Check out the reveiws here on LT and then click on the amazon link in the left hand margin of the books page and it will take you to the amazon page where there are many more reviews. Let me know if you check it out and find it useful.

MsBaba (Barbara from Redondo Beach)

publicado por msbaba às 2:08 am (EST) em Jul 20, 2007