Holly’s last login was 2 weeks ago. « hide recent activity
Holly now owns 1001 Questions to Ask Before You Get Married.
Holly is planning to read 50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know: What to Do, When to Do It, & Why.
Holly is planning to read The Journal of Best Practices.
Holly is planning to read Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion?: A Novel.
Holly is planning to read Maphead.
Holly is now reading Extra Virginity.
Holly is planning to read Concierge confidential.
Holly is planning to read Life Without Limits.
Holly is planning to read Stuntman! : my car-crashing, plane-jumping, bone-breaking, death-defying Hollywood life.
Holly is planning to read Happy Accidents.
Holly’s last login was 2 weeks ago. show recent activity »
Did you check out Paris Trout. Three of us are reading it now... it is really quite good. Let me know if you decide to read it and if so, what you think.We will probably start something new in another week or so. I will let you know.
It looks like a number of people already read "The Jungle" so I may put it off for a little while but I would be happy to read it with you when I do. I think we may read "Paris Trout" by Pete Dexter. Only Leslie has read that and she is interested in reading it again. I just read "Spooner" by the same author and loved it and "Paris Trout" won the National Book Award (not that necessarily means anything).So... your Iditarod trip. How does that work?
where have you been? what are you reading? want to read something with the group? in a couple of weeks we will be starting something new... Barth, Nabokov, Proust... I am not sure. hope all is well.
sorry, not even shrimp. and no, it is not due to an allergy. never liked the smell of fish and really couldn't get past that. my sister would torment me with her tuna fish sandwiches growing up (i couldn't be in the same room as her when she was making/eating it) and remember gagging a lot.i have since tried a handful of different seafood items (mussels, halibut, tuna roll, calamari, anchovy and salmon) and i had a hard time getting each and everyone down (and then it always left a horrible aftertaste in my mouth). i have to be drinking to even agree to try something (which is a huge accomplishment for me). i wish i liked it. i love food and love to cook so it really limits me. i do take fish oil vitamins for the omega-3 to make up for some of the deficiencies from the lack of seafood in my diet.the good news is that i will eat almost anything that live on land (or in trees). i love venison, goat, lamb, ox-tail to name a few. well, enough about that."confederacy of dunces"... i remember it took me about 50 pages or so to really get into the mind of ignacius and be able to "hear" what he was saying and doing. in many ways, it is similar to "don quioxte" in that he lives in his own little world, out of touch, yet in somes ways in touch with his surrounding and his surroundings in touch with him (or at least, working around him). it is definitely not a book for everyone but i think that is what makes it so much fun. it is really an usual story with an unusual antagonist that, like most people, takes a while to get to really know and understand. in the end, whether you like it or not, i think it is one of those books that you will come back to you and grow in your mind.what are you planning to read next? i am working on picking our next book for the club. i may go back to non-fiction (it has been a while) and was thinking about "All on Fire" about William Lloyd Garrison and the early abolitionist movement. We will have to wait and see...
Hey Holly,That is too funny. I DO come home with little clippings and post its of books that I want to read (as well as new music). This happens most every day actually. And I thought I was the only one...Glad to be your friend!
"valve" problems? i haven't read it in quite some time but i think it is merely constipation. i will have to look back.
not a seafood person, unfortunately. the gumbo, cornbread, etc. were all great. the best were the meat pies in nachitoches. got to get back into the swing of things. be back soon.
Your take on Ignatius is interesting. I never viewed him as someone I would hang out with. All of these people live on the fringe of society. Once I read about the author I thought he was probably a lot like Ignatius and the reason I compared him to David Sedaris is that they both had a lot of pain in their lives but they cope by twisting it into humor. I just read a quote by Carrie Fisher that said, "My life is funny. Otherwise, it would just be true and that is unacceptable." This why I think some of my friends didn't like it they just saw the painful side. I still can't figure out how they get Sedaris and not O'Toole.Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it. I thought it was one of the funniest things I'd ever read and I'm glad my best friend loved it too. We still talk about it and use some of the phrases in our conversation when we're trying to be funny. I hope you'll post something when you are finished to let me know. Nice chatting with you.
Sorry, I meant to say .. that "maybe" you can't be delicate about Ignatius' valve/gas problem, haha.
Hi, Holly. I had a friend at work that recommended Dunces to me about 3 years ago. I work in the office a manufacturing company that makes "valves" for the oil & gas industry so the book took on a special humor. We were running around the office for a while talking about our "valves" slamming shut. To put it delicately, but make you can't that valve he's always talking about controls his "gas". I recommended the book to my book club but unfortunately only about 3 of us found it hysterical. The others thought it was sad, pathetic, depressing. Somehow they didn't get thei irony of it. Probably the funniest thing is that most of these women LOVE David Sedaris... who in my opinion is a modern day O'Toole. I hope you are able to find the humor in this book. I thought it was just genius.
thank you for the great notes. i am glad that you got stiff. i think you will really like it. confederacy of dunces is a toss-up. some love it, some hate it. once you get into it, however, i think you will get a kick out of it.i know massapequa. does your boyfriend have a stong island accent? i would think so. i had a slight accent (north shore long island is not as affected) when i went to college but lost it between illinois and buffalo (grad school).kristin (my lady friend/wife) have been wanting to go to alaska for some time. hopefully, we will be able to go soon. i am all about the outdoors (many of our trips involve camping/hiking/rusticity and we have been to many national parks). i also love birding and would love to see some bald eagles. Who/waht is the Eagle Lady and Jewel?In Great Neck we have (I have to be careful about what I say in a public forum) a very homogenous demography. the parks and libraries and distance to the city (25 minutes to penn station) keep us happy. Well, we are off to Louisiana for a couple of days. Have to go pack. Talk soon. Hope you like the book.
nice new picture. be careful not the jenga.i am glad you like the book. it is still my favorite by bryson.sounds like you are sick (or are you just taking nyquil for fun?). feel better.by the way, if you see the governor, would you give her a swift kick to the head for me. thanks.
are you clairvoyant? i was going to recommend bill bryson when you said you wanted to read something funny. definitely check out "A Walk in the Woods."Other ideas i had are "Motherless Brooklyn" by Lethem. Even though I found the ending to be a little bit disappointing, the book is really funny and well written.Another one I really liked was "The Know-It-All" by... I am drawing a blank."Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers" is also quite amusing.Finally, if you have not read "Confederacy of Dunces" it is also funny, but a little bit more obtuse in its humor.Hope that helps.Say hello to Alaska for me. I have been meaning to pay that broad a visit.
I can only assume that you use the word "weirdo" as a compliment. No, I have not read "Fierce Invalids" or "Half Asleep." I needed a break from Robbins many years ago and I never returned. I am not even sure that this writing would still resonate with me at this point, but I do plan on giving it a go at some point; just haven't had the time with my list growing steadily. Also, my wife read both and enjoyed them thoroughly. Also, I have been told by many fans that "Fierce Invalids" may be his best work.Not that you asked, but since we are on the subject, I genuinely disliked "Skinny Legs" but to each his/her own.About my profile bio and you knowing nothing... you would be surprised, you know more than you think.If you have time for more recommendations, I would be happy to provide some. It is hard to do being that your shelf is rather light at this moment. However, I would suggest perusing my favorites for some can't miss ideas.Take care,Matt
i saw your note about "fierce invalids..." in it, you mentioned "even cowboys..." and "...frog pamajas."if you haven't read "Jitterbug Perfume" or "Still Life With Woodpecker" you are doing yourself a disservice. Those, are without question, his best efforts.
