Musing Mondays: Sequel

This week’s Musing Mondays (hosted by Books and a Beat) asks this question:

What sequel do you have yet to read?

The first one that springs to mind is Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

I’ll also say there are a couple of entries in the Jack Reacher series I’ve not read yet and there’s a new Harry Bosch novel on the horizon that I’m eager to read!

Musing Mondays: Let’s Get Together

Time to kick off the week with Musing Mondays (hosted by Books and a Beat).

This week’s random question is: If _____ and _____ were to get together and write a book…

My first thought on this one was: If George R.R. Martin and Douglas Adams were to get together and write a book, it would be a least five years late getting to our shelves.

Adams once said that he loved the sound of deadlines as the “whooshed by” and if you’re a reader of Martin, you know that he’s not exactly the most consistent when it comes to meeting publication dates.

Beyond that, I’m not certain that these are two great tastes that would taste great together.

I think I’d rather see Martin get together with Jim Butcher.  Butcher has one of the best fantasy series on the market today in the Dresden Files and he actually publishes more than one book every decade.

The mystery lover side of me thinks a novel by Michael Connelly and Raymond Chandler might be interesting.  (Impossible, yes because Chandler is no longer with us).

Musing Mondays: The Book Was Better

Musing Mondays is a weekly book-related meme that I participate in on a sporadic basis.  This week’s random question asks: Name a book that was turned into a movie, and completely desecrated (in your opinion).

Being a literary snob, I can think of a lot of books that were much better than the movies. My first though was Jurassic Park, which removed several plot lines that drove some of the tension of the last half of the novel.  But I don’t necessarily think that desecrated the original novel so much as it disappointed me.

I guess if I’m going to go with desecrated (and I hate to do this because I love Ron Howard) I’d have to say Dr. Suess’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas.   I think this movie had a lot to compete with beyond just the original book but also the beloved animated special.  And, quite frankly, I think less is more when it comes to the Grinch.  Expanding the material to 90 minutes from 30 didn’t do it any favors.

 

Musing Mondays: Best of 2015

Time to start the week with Musing Mondays hosted by Books and a Beat.  This week, I’m going to try and answer some of the questions instead of just the usual random one.

• I’m currently reading a of books including Leonard by William Shatner, Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman and The Running Man by Richard Bachman (or as you might know him better, Stephen King)
• Up next I think I’ll read The Night Manger by John Le Carre.

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: What is the best book you read LAST year?

There were a couple of books that I read last year that I awarded five stars.  Revisiting Calvin and Hobbes and the Far Side were delightful fun and a re-read of To Kill A Mockingbird cemented its place as one of my favorite books.  I also read two novels by my good friend Sally Kilpatrick — Bittersweet Creek and The Happy Hour Choir — that were pure gold.

Monday Memes: Musing and Movies

Time to kick off the week with a couple of memes.  First up is Musing Mondays hosted by Books and A Beat.  This week’s open-ended question is:

Have you ever read a book after watching the movie/television version only to find that you don’t like the book as much as the adaptation?

For the most part, my literary side wants to read the book first (if possible) and then see the adapted version.   But there have been a few times I’ve seen the adaptation and gone back to the source material to find I didn’t like it as much.  One of these is Forrest Gump, a movie that took some of the good ideas from the book and created a far better movie.  The original novel doesn’t quite have the same heart that the movie does and I think it loses something in the translation.

Musing Mondays: Make Your Choice

Kicking off the week with Musing Mondays (hosted by A Daily Rhythm).

Today’s question asks:  How do you choose which books you read?

There are a variety of factors that go into choosing the books I read.  Sometimes I’ll pick up a book based on a recommendation from a friend.  There are other times I may pick up a book because I like the author and enjoyed his or her works in the past.  Another time, it could be that I just like the cover or the description on the dust jacket or back cover.  Or it could just that I’m in the mood for a certain type of book and the book I find fits the bill.

There’s no rhyme or reason to it, really.

Musing Mondays: How Many Books?

It’s been a couple of weeks since I participated in Musing Mondays.  So, trying to get back into the swing of things, I thought I’d answer this week’s random question:  Do you read more than one book at once? Why, or why not?

Yes, I do often read more than one book.

One simple answer is that I listen to audio books, so I can  be listened to an audio book and reading one at the same time.

But that doesn’t fully answer it.  I guess the best answer is I can be fickle.  Part of this could be the due date at the library.  Or it could be that I’m reading something (or a couple of somethings) and a book I’ve been looking forward to reading comes available at the library and I will re-order things.

Musing Mondays: Shannara

Time to kick off the week with Musing Mondays hosted by A Daily Rhythm.   This week’s random question asks: Have you read – or do you plan to read – the Shannara Chronicles by Terri Brooks? Have you been watching the new TV series based off the books? If so, what do you think?

I’ve only read Stones of Shannara and that was a long time ago.  I’m curious about the new series and have the DVR set to catch it.  But so far I haven’t watched it yet.  I’d like to read the novel it’s based on (the second in the series I believe) if I find I enjoy the series.

I did read several of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series by Terry Brooks and this may be why I’m hesitant to dive too deep into Shannara.  I found that series followed a predictable formula for all the installments.  And that kind of turned me off to the series and Brooks.

Musings Mondays: Christmas Reading

Time to start the week with Musing Mondays (hosted by A Daily Rhythm).

This week’s random question asks: What books are you hoping to get for Christmas (whether as gifts, or ones you’ll purchase yourself)?

I haven’t put any books on my Christmas list but I do have a few on my reserve list at the library that I hope come in to read during the season.

At the top of my list is the new Michael Connelly novel, The Crossing.  Hopefully it will come in soon because I’m eager to read it!

I’ve also been doing a bit of browsing of books to get me into the spirit of the season.  Luckily my local library has a couple of displays of books with a Christmas theme.   I’ve picked up a few cozy mysteries with a Christmas theme and I’ve got to admit I’m really enjoying them.  I’ve also got a collection of stories from Southern writers that has been enjoyable as well.

Musing Mondays: Favorite Book of the Year

This week’s edition of Musing Mondays (hosted by A Daily Rhythm) asks a tough question.  What has been your most favorite book, so far, this year? Why?

Looking back over the multitude of books I read, there were a couple that stood out to me for a variety of reasons.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee — I re-read it before Watchman hit the shelves and was struck again by just how awesome this book is.
• The Happy Hour Choir & Bittersweet Creek by Sally Kilpatrick — Even if I wasn’t friends with the author, these two books would be on “best of” list for the year.  They’re outside my usual reading comfort zone, but they’re so well done with such engaging characters that I don’t feel too strange for loving them as much as I did.
• Scary Close by Donald Miller — Miller’s latest book about dropping the act and becoming really open with the people closest to us really struck a chord with me and is one that I’ve kept thinking about long after I finished it.
• A couple of Doctor Who Target audio books — Full Circle, Remembrance of the Daleks and The Ark in Space all took my on a trip down memory lane and each book was a much fun as I remember them being.  Now if this audio range could see fit to give us Day of the Daleks, I’d appreciate it.
• Star Trek: New Frontier: The Returned by Peter David — I waited five years for the next New Frontier installment and then got three e-books that make up one larger story.  And it was everything I love about this series and then some.  And it left me panting for more!  Mr. David, please give me more!