Author Topic: Books - What are you reading?  (Read 79180 times)

Offline Zero

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #360 on: October 11, 2019, 04:00:20 PM »
Since the last time I posted in this thread, I finished Leonard Nimoy's autobiographies I Am Not Spock and I Am Spock as well as Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking.  Next up is her second autobiography and Cary Elwes's memoir on filming The Princess Bride movie.

I'm on an autobiography, non-fiction kick right now, ha ha. XD
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Searching for the light known as 'you' in the middle of the night...

Offline Miss Kitty

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #361 on: October 11, 2019, 05:41:20 PM »
Oohh, tell me how you like the book Cary wrote!

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #362 on: Today at 02:16:27 AM »

Offline Zero

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #362 on: October 12, 2019, 08:15:06 AM »
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Oohh, tell me how you like the book Cary wrote!

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I'm actually simultaneously reading and listening to the audio book of As You Wish (sometimes at the same time but not always since the audio book version is on my phone and thus more mobile).  XD So far, I think it's more awesome to hear Cary Elwes read his book to you than to read it on your own.  *swoons*  He still sounds the same, so it's like Westley is really talking to you!  *laughs*  Plus, the audio book version includes his fellow cast members and movie director contributing their own comments, so it's more like listening to a behind-the-scenes movie documentary than an audio book, ha ha.

I'm enjoying the book so far though, and if you're a fan of The Princess Bride novel and the movie, I think you'll appreciate Elwes's movie memoir.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2019, 08:18:28 AM by Zero »
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Offline AzT

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #363 on: November 02, 2019, 05:20:24 PM »
LibraryCon Live! 2019 Virtual Event 11/6/19 11am-4pm EST

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A Virtual Festival for Book Nerds, Librarians, and Fans of Graphic Novels, SF, and Fantasy

Join Library Journal and School Library Journal for our third annual LibraryCon Live! We're excited to offer a day-long celebration of fandom-beloved stories and characters, featuring the creators behind mind-bending speculative fiction, innovative comics, and fan-favorite graphic novels. You'll also learn from librarians and industry insiders on how to plan and host your own Comic Con-style event.

Plus, network online with other fans and explore our virtual exhibit hall where you'll hear directly from publishers about their newest books and engage in live chats with featured authors. Whether you're a public or school librarian, an educator of teens and young adults, or a superfan of graphic novels and sf/fantasy, don't miss this chance to meet and interact with some of your favorite stars across these genres.

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We look forward to seeing you on November 6. Can't make the live date? No problem! All the sessions will be archived, and the virtual environment will be accessible for up to three months.

Offline Chris

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #364 on: November 02, 2019, 06:37:31 PM »
This thread always makes me feel guilty that I don't read more...

Offline Miss Kitty

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #365 on: November 02, 2019, 07:04:45 PM »
I read the first Paper Girls and will continue the whole series and will be reading They Call Us Enemy by George Takei

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Offline TardisMom

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #366 on: November 02, 2019, 08:37:34 PM »
I'm reading Blowout by Rachel Maddow.  Lots of interesting info.  And I saw her at the book tour in LA with JJ Abrams as the interviewer!

Offline perc2100

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #367 on: November 04, 2019, 02:35:03 PM »
I just finished "I Heard You Paint Houses," the book that Martin Scorsese's latest film is based off of.  The book chronicles the events of Irish Teamsters official/mob muscle Frank Sheeran: one of the lead suspects in the murder of Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa.  The books mostly chronicles Sheeran's involvement with Jimmy Hoffa (they were close friends and business associates), the mob, and how to two often intersected.  Sheeran has admitted to committing dozens of murders for the mob, and is the main suspect in the FBI investigation into the Hoffa disappearance: a wise thing, since Sheeran admitted he murdered Hoffa while nearing death about 15 yeas ago in the early 00's.  The book talks a bit of Sheeran's background, particularly his Army service in WW2 where he liberated a Concentration Camp (Dachau), spent over 400 days in combat (roughly 4x that of the average WW2 veteran), and committed several war crimes (mostly murder of Nazi captives).  Sheeran was one of only two non-Italians who was convicted for crimes related to Cosa Nostra, otherwise known as the Mafia.

While the book goes into detail on Hoffa's murder, it doesn't dwell on too much gore or violence.  There are some key mob assassinations talked about (with nearly 100 pages in the back of corroborating 'testimony' from eyewitnesses and other evidence) though.  The book came about when Sheeran decided to come clean about his involvement w/Hoffa's death, where he confessed to both the book author as well as his attorney. 

I'm a fan of real life mob stories, and any mob story good enough to pique Martin Scorsese's interest gets my attention.  I can see why he made the film, as it feels like it could be the capper to his career of mob movies; going back to his first integral film, MEAN STREETS, Scorsese has been fascinated with the stories of the Italians and Italian-Americans he grew up around in Little Italy.  This is one of the few films where the main mobster character lasts until old age; Scorsese is 76 while Sheeran dies at age 83.  The book reads like an old man reflecting on the sins of his life, just as Scorsese could be reflecting on the sins of his most popular characters.

I mostly read this book in five days because I was bitter THE IRISHMAN was opening in San Diego & I don't have time to drive up to LA anytime soon just to see a movie.  This was an incredibly quick read, and the details of the inner-workings of Hoffa and the Teamsters union (as well as its entanglement with the Mafia) were entertaining and fascinating to me.  Hoffa disappeared a year before I was born, so most of what I've known about the man was mythologized.  My grandpa was a Teamster post-WW2 in the midwest (an honest one: like, about as close to a saint as almost any man I've ever known) and had nothing but the utmost respect for Jimmy Hoffa and what Hoffa did for working Americans. I of course saw the Jack Nicholson HOFFA film, which played Hoffa as a gangster-type; that might've only been the outside veneer of the man, if "...Houses" is any indication (though Hoffa was indeed brash and loud at times, and did indeed run with the Mafia).

Oh, and about that title:
"I heard you paint houses" was the first sentence that Jimmy Hoffa spoke to Frank Sheeran over the phone.  It's a sort-of code for "I hear you're a contract killer," with the symbolism being "painting houses" = the blood splashing on walls or floors.  Frank answered, "I also do my own carpentry," meaning Frank also disposed of the body himself.  While the book is fascinating, there are conflicting reports out there that much of the book is a lie.  One could choose to remember that the Mafia isn't a fan of anyone airing their dirty laundry, let alone a former associate (who spills the beans on crime family bosses/heads, as well as other high-up Mafia made men).  Or you could read it as an entertaining story that embellishes much of the details but at least gets parts on the public record correct and/or backed-up by witness accounts.  Obviously a very small handful of people know exactly what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.  Sheeran says he was lured into a car for a meeting with a mafia boss, was taken to a house, shot multiple times in the back of the head, and then cremated - there is much physical evidence at the murder location to corroborate a murder took place, and Hoffa hair samples found in the backseat of the car, but nothing that conclusively proves Frank's account of Hoffa's death.

Great read, especially for those of you like me who can't wait to see Scorsese's latest masterpiece (coming to Netflix Thanksgiving, if all else fails)

Offline FBS

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #368 on: November 05, 2019, 07:19:39 AM »
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I just finished "I Heard You Paint Houses," the book that Martin Scorsese's latest film is based off of.  The book chronicles the events of Irish Teamsters official/mob muscle Frank Sheeran: one of the lead suspects in the murder of Teamster President Jimmy Hoffa.  The books mostly chronicles Sheeran's involvement with Jimmy Hoffa (they were close friends and business associates), the mob, and how to two often intersected.  Sheeran has admitted to committing dozens of murders for the mob, and is the main suspect in the FBI investigation into the Hoffa disappearance: a wise thing, since Sheeran admitted he murdered Hoffa while nearing death about 15 yeas ago in the early 00's.  The book talks a bit of Sheeran's background, particularly his Army service in WW2 where he liberated a Concentration Camp (Dachau), spent over 400 days in combat (roughly 4x that of the average WW2 veteran), and committed several war crimes (mostly murder of Nazi captives).  Sheeran was one of only two non-Italians who was convicted for crimes related to Cosa Nostra, otherwise known as the Mafia.

While the book goes into detail on Hoffa's murder, it doesn't dwell on too much gore or violence.  There are some key mob assassinations talked about (with nearly 100 pages in the back of corroborating 'testimony' from eyewitnesses and other evidence) though.  The book came about when Sheeran decided to come clean about his involvement w/Hoffa's death, where he confessed to both the book author as well as his attorney. 

I'm a fan of real life mob stories, and any mob story good enough to pique Martin Scorsese's interest gets my attention.  I can see why he made the film, as it feels like it could be the capper to his career of mob movies; going back to his first integral film, MEAN STREETS, Scorsese has been fascinated with the stories of the Italians and Italian-Americans he grew up around in Little Italy.  This is one of the few films where the main mobster character lasts until old age; Scorsese is 76 while Sheeran dies at age 83.  The book reads like an old man reflecting on the sins of his life, just as Scorsese could be reflecting on the sins of his most popular characters.

I mostly read this book in five days because I was bitter THE IRISHMAN was opening in San Diego & I don't have time to drive up to LA anytime soon just to see a movie.  This was an incredibly quick read, and the details of the inner-workings of Hoffa and the Teamsters union (as well as its entanglement with the Mafia) were entertaining and fascinating to me.  Hoffa disappeared a year before I was born, so most of what I've known about the man was mythologized.  My grandpa was a Teamster post-WW2 in the midwest (an honest one: like, about as close to a saint as almost any man I've ever known) and had nothing but the utmost respect for Jimmy Hoffa and what Hoffa did for working Americans. I of course saw the Jack Nicholson HOFFA film, which played Hoffa as a gangster-type; that might've only been the outside veneer of the man, if "...Houses" is any indication (though Hoffa was indeed brash and loud at times, and did indeed run with the Mafia).

Oh, and about that title:
"I heard you paint houses" was the first sentence that Jimmy Hoffa spoke to Frank Sheeran over the phone.  It's a sort-of code for "I hear you're a contract killer," with the symbolism being "painting houses" = the blood splashing on walls or floors.  Frank answered, "I also do my own carpentry," meaning Frank also disposed of the body himself.  While the book is fascinating, there are conflicting reports out there that much of the book is a lie.  One could choose to remember that the Mafia isn't a fan of anyone airing their dirty laundry, let alone a former associate (who spills the beans on crime family bosses/heads, as well as other high-up Mafia made men).  Or you could read it as an entertaining story that embellishes much of the details but at least gets parts on the public record correct and/or backed-up by witness accounts.  Obviously a very small handful of people know exactly what happened to Jimmy Hoffa.  Sheeran says he was lured into a car for a meeting with a mafia boss, was taken to a house, shot multiple times in the back of the head, and then cremated - there is much physical evidence at the murder location to corroborate a murder took place, and Hoffa hair samples found in the backseat of the car, but nothing that conclusively proves Frank's account of Hoffa's death.

Great read, especially for those of you like me who can't wait to see Scorsese's latest masterpiece (coming to Netflix Thanksgiving, if all else fails)
If you like the book then you'll love the film.

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Offline SyndE

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #369 on: November 05, 2019, 04:47:49 PM »
Just finished MY FRIEND ANNA: THE TRUE STORY OF A FAKE HEIRESS by Rachel DeLoeche Williams and I need to take a bleach shower.

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Offline Miss Kitty

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #370 on: November 05, 2019, 05:23:50 PM »
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Just finished MY FRIEND ANNA: THE TRUE STORY OF A FAKE HEIRESS by Rachel DeLoeche Williams and I need to take a bleach shower.

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Now I don't know if I need to read it or avoid it like the plague

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Offline SyndE

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #371 on: November 06, 2019, 05:06:10 PM »
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Now I don't know if I need to read it or avoid it like the plague

It was compelling... I tore through it in two days! But as I read it I was just wondering how the author allowed herself to get scammed like that. I mean, she put a hotel bill for $30,000 on her American Express card for this scammer - a person she had only known about a year. I'm not blaming the victim here, just mind-boggled that the author could be under the spell of the lush life so deep that all reason left her and she would just pick up the tab for this scammer.

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #372 on: November 06, 2019, 05:48:42 PM »
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It was compelling... I tore through it in two days! But as I read it I was just wondering how the author allowed herself to get scammed like that. I mean, she put a hotel bill for $30,000 on her American Express card for this scammer - a person she had only known about a year. I'm not blaming the victim here, just mind-boggled that the author could be under the spell of the lush life so deep that all reason left her and she would just pick up the tab for this scammer.

I read the Vanity Fair article.  It's really amazing what a good scammer this woman is!

Offline AzT

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #373 on: November 16, 2019, 08:50:29 PM »
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mystgalaxybooks Some heady news. We’ve received notice that we are losing our lease for our Balboa Avenue storefront, and will need to move in 60 days. It is with heavy hearts that we share that unless a new buyer and new location are found immediately, Mysterious Galaxy will be forced to close its doors.

Mysterious Galaxy has become a home for those who love the magical, the odd, the chilling, & everything in between. We have found a family here, among each other and our wonderful readers, and we hope this store can continue to provide an inclusive place for anyone and everyone who wishes to pick up a new book, find an old favorite, or spend time among people who love books and the stories they contain. You can help us by getting the word out and sharing #savemysteriousgalaxy.

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Offline mark

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Re: Books - What are you reading?
« Reply #374 on: December 06, 2019, 10:30:08 AM »
It's December, the month where I like to read spooky/scary stuff. Does anyone have recommendations?