As the Page Turns (the Book Thread)

[millyskate]

I read What is a girl worth by Rachael Denhollander (in French, as it was gifted to me). It's remarkably well written.

 

[Stefanie]

I finished A Waiter in Paris by Edward Chisholm last week. Soo good! An expose on working in a restaurant in Paris circa 2008-2009ish. After reading it, I went to bed and couldn't remember a detail (wasn't sure if I missed it or it simply wasn't included in the book). I found the author's Instagram account and took a chance and sent him a message about it. Much to my surprise, he wrote me back! I was so appreciative of that. It really made my week last week.

 

[Prancer]

I've read some books I found interesting or entertaining lately and I will probably post about them at some point, but for now, I just want to purge myself of some indigestion.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour

Two heaping cups plus 1 Tablespoon Twilight
1-1/2 cups Where the Crawdads Sing
1 heaping cup Children of the Corn (can substitute any cheesy blend of fundamentalism and paganism in a small community)
1 heaping cup Bonnie and Clyde
1/2 cup Swamp Murders
1/2 cup Sons of Anarchy
Dash each: Game of Thrones, Succession, any other work that comes to mind when the plot is going nowhere. Experiment; don't be afraid that the flavors won't combine or make sense together!

Mix together until just combined; batter will be lumpy. Pour into greasy casserole dish. Cook in microwave until half-baked; texture should be an equal combination of cardboard and Swiss cheese. Remove from microwave and top with a blatant rip-off of an iconic movie ending. Serve lukewarm.

Yes, I see that the book has a 3.8 rating on Amazon. Leis! My only excuse for reading past the first chapter is that I kept thinking it had to get better because it had such good reviews.

 

[rfisher]

I consider anything less than 4.1 a red flag and a hard pass.

 

[mattiecat13]

This time I decided to read The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I picked it because the movie looked pretty bad but I had enjoyed the Hunger Games books and figured the book would be better. And it was. But not as good as the original trilogy.

I thought it was really good and explained a lot about how the Hunger Games came about and how the people involved started it. I always recommend it to those who have read The Hunger Games.

 

[gkelly]

I happened to be reading a little something and came across the following strongly worded comment:

"...& then the dreadful Moment came in which the destroyer of all comfort, the deceitful Betrayer of trust reposed in her, & the Murderess of her Cousin succeeded to the Throne."

Just curious: Can anyone identify the author and/or the subject of this comment?

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

I happened to be reading a little something and came across the following strongly worded comment:

"...& then the dreadful Moment came in which the destroyer of all comfort, the deceitful Betrayer of trust reposed in her, & the Murderess of her Cousin succeeded to the Throne."

Just curious: Can anyone identify the author and/or the subject of this comment?

The History of England by Jane Austen - Mary

www.mollands.net

Leave it to Jane Austen.

 

[Jenny]

Fun aside if you are a Jane Austen fan - in one of my favourite movies, the 1999 version of Mansfield Park, the main character Fanny writes stories that are in fact taken from Jane's juvenilia, including her History of England, quoted above and written when she was a teenager. I thought it was clever to use elements of Jane's own life to add further dimension to the character she created

 

[gkelly]

The History of England by Jane Austen - Mary

www.mollands.net

Leave it to Jane Austen.

Yes, it's taken from the section on Mary, but the comment refers to Elizabeth.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

Yes, it's taken from the section on Mary, but the comment refers to Elizabeth.

I was identifying only the author, since the question in your post used "and/or".

My thought was that the subject of the comment would be discernable from the context of the quote once its source was identified - and you did manage to do that.

 

[cygnus]

Jane was a huge Mary Queen of Scots fan, and had no use for Elizabeth l.

I was lucky enough to see a display at the Bodleian Library a few years ago in Oxford. Beside the amazing Tolkien exhibition was a small exhibit called "From Sappho to suffragettes" which had some of the original works of female writers. Along with the original manuscript for Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1816) with comments in the margin- presumably by Byron and Percy Shelley, was a short manuscript by a 13 year old Jane Austen. A charming story (which could have been told in Tweets) about the Beautiful Cassandra who refuses to pay for things she purchases and beats up a pastry cook. I was entranced.

Here is the text for the story https://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/juviscrp.html#beaucassand

 

[Bunny Hop]

Fun aside if you are a Jane Austen fan - in one of my favourite movies, the 1999 version of Mansfield Park, the main character Fanny writes stories that are in fact taken from Jane's juvenilia, including her History of England, quoted above and written when she was a teenager. I thought it was clever to use elements of Jane's own life to add further dimension to the character she created

Just a pity the version of Fanny in that film bore only a passing resemblance to Fanny of the book in a attempt to make her 'relatable' to a modern audience. Ditto 2007 ITV adaptation. But this is the book thread not a TV or movie thread so I'll say no more.

 

[Prancer]

I happened to be reading a little something and came across the following strongly worded comment:

"...& then the dreadful Moment came in which the destroyer of all comfort, the deceitful Betrayer of trust reposed in her, & the Murderess of her Cousin succeeded to the Throne."

Just curious: Can anyone identify the author and/or the subject of this comment?

I knew it was about Elizabeth I immediately, but would never have guessed Austen.

I am now rethinking my love for Austen, as it has never come close to my love for Elizabeth I .

 

[tony]

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1bcx03t/organized_my_bookcases_by_color/

So I decided to reorganize my bookcases after having them alphabetical, and it's causing quite a split opinion

 

[Tesla]

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1bcx03t/organized_my_bookcases_by_color/

So I decided to reorganize my bookcases after having them alphabetical, and it's causing quite a split opinion

I like the rainbow effect! I could never do that because I'd never be able to find what I want (says the woman with stacks of books shoved willy nilly) but it would be fun looking for the book I'd want (I get lost flipping through books).

 

[made_in_canada]

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1bcx03t/organized_my_bookcases_by_color/

So I decided to reorganize my bookcases after having them alphabetical, and it's causing quite a split opinion

Rainbow order is the best for kids. I personally struggle with it for myself but I might feel better about it if I had all my books in one place. I have not yet convinced mr. mic to build me a wall of bookshelves

Anyone should be outraged if a bookstore or library switched to rainbow order, but in someone’s home it can make sense. It does look pretty

 

[MsZem]

https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/1bcx03t/organized_my_bookcases_by_color/

So I decided to reorganize my bookcases after having them alphabetical, and it's causing quite a split opinion

Tony, how could you???

My books are usually arranged by genre and author. I like that it's a visual mix

 

[quartz]

I have to alphabetize everything at the store - at home I do not. I like the randomness, altho fiction is altogether in one area, history is grouped together, rock books are together, that sort of thing.
Why does anyone care how a person sets up their individual books anyways.

 

[MacMadame]

It's hard to order by color because color is on a spectrum and not linear. (I organize my clothes by color and run into this all the time.)

When we had books that weren't eBooks, I organized them by genre and alphabetically by author within the genre. I also would put a series in chronological order (if I knew it). Otherwise, I didn't necessarily organize a particular author's books in any particular order.

 

[Tesla]

When we had books that weren't eBooks, I organized them by genre and alphabetically by author within the genre. I also would put a series in chronological order (if I knew it). Otherwise, I didn't necessarily organize a particular author's books in any particular order.

I would do this, except alphabetize an author's non-series books. If I did this.

 

[MsZem]

@tony and his bookshelves are on r/all! Maybe I should do the reddit equivalent of lobby-chicking?

 

[oleada]

I've read some books I found interesting or entertaining lately and I will probably post about them at some point, but for now, I just want to purge myself of some indigestion.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour

Two heaping cups plus 1 Tablespoon Twilight
1-1/2 cups Where the Crawdads Sing
1 heaping cup Children of the Corn (can substitute any cheesy blend of fundamentalism and paganism in a small community)
1 heaping cup Bonnie and Clyde
1/2 cup Swamp Murders
1/2 cup Sons of Anarchy
Dash each: Game of Thrones, Succession, any other work that comes to mind when the plot is going nowhere. Experiment; don't be afraid that the flavors won't combine or make sense together!

Mix together until just combined; batter will be lumpy. Pour into greasy casserole dish. Cook in microwave until half-baked; texture should be an equal combination of cardboard and Swiss cheese. Remove from microwave and top with a blatant rip-off of an iconic movie ending. Serve lukewarm.

Yes, I see that the book has a 3.8 rating on Amazon. Leis! My only excuse for reading past the first chapter is that I kept thinking it had to get better because it had such good reviews.

Omg I read this after liking her first book, “In My Dreams I Hold a Knife”, which is batshit in a good way. But like what in the Twilight hell was that?! The worst book I’ve read all year.

 

[Japanfan]

I've never organized my bookshelves!

What's most important is that like all good intellectuals, I have a hardcover copy of The Communist Manifesto on hand.

Can't say that I've read more than a few paragraphs here and there, however.

 

[Prancer]

Omg I read this after liking her first book, “In My Dreams I Hold a Knife”, which is batshit in a good way. But like what in the Twilight hell was that?! The worst book I’ve read all year.

Right??

And yet...Library Journal gave it a starred review. Publisher's Weekly liked it. The author has a Ph.D in literature!

My favorite author review: "Where the Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller."

Er.....

 

[A.H.Black]

I like the rainbow effect! I could never do that because I'd never be able to find what I want (says the woman with stacks of books shoved willy nilly) but it would be fun looking for the book I'd want (I get lost flipping through books).

For yourself - looks great. However.....

Right after the pandemic, I went back to one of my favorite thrift stores and they had arranged the books by color. I just had to think "I'm going to the bookstore today. I think I want a red book". I laughed a lot.

 

[Prancer]

I read a review highly recommending Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. The plot summary sounded like The Cutting Edge, but the book is apparently a Tik Tok sensation and the waiting list was long, so why not? How bad could it be?

I am three pages in and I've already LOL a few times. Our heroine, Anastasia, has won a figure skating scholarship to a nonexistent branch of UCLA, where she was assigned to compete as a pair skater on the college figure skating team. Her coach is a described as figure skating royalty--a former pair skater, mind you, who didn't even make the US Olympic team. Anastasia herself is struggling to make said team because she can't land a quadruple lutz, even though her partner can do it flawlessly.

 

[MsZem]

I read a review highly recommending Icebreaker by Hannah Grace. The plot summary sounded like The Cutting Edge, but the book is apparently a Tik Tok sensation and the waiting list was long, so why not? How bad could it be?

Never, ever read a book marketed as a Tik Tok sensation, unless you know and trust the author.

Never, ever read a sports romance about a sport you know well, unless you know and trust the author.

 

[Baby Yoda On Skates]

I tried to read Icebreaker because all my Insta mutuals were reading it and I gave up after the first chapter.

My all time favorite skating book WTF moment is still when a skater scored a 66 and change with a 3S/2T combo. In the LP she did a 3A that she had never completed in competition and then threw in a backflip and my eyes rolled out of my head.

 

[quartz]

Icebreaker has been flying off the shelf at my store - we’ve sold out several times. I’ve never even cared enough to read the back of it. We have a TikTok table to put all the current popular titles on.

 

[alexikeguchi]

I just purchased James by Percival Everett after reading the review in the NY Times and then a sample on Amazon. It is a retelling of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from Jim's perspective. I usually prefer the original classics and find the new versions to be varying degrees of contrived, but I think this one may be the exception.