Romans du coeur - part one
First point of business—public apology to Gina. We had a coffee date yesterday and I got the day wrong. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do it again. I am so sorry.
Then, for all who have prize packages or other goodies coming, watch the mail. They are winging their way across America as we speak.
Topic this week: Favorite books. I followed with interest those of you who posted on Monday. Unfortunately, just got my galleys for Retribution and since they got lost in the mail and I received them on the 27th (yesterday) which is the date the letter says they are due back, I will not go into detail why these are my favorite. But since this was my idea, you at least get the list.
Here’s my short list (in no particular order):
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes (every one of them) Along with pastiches from Aubrey to Hardwick to Walsh—I love the character
August Derleth’s Solar Pons series (if you are a SH fan, you’ll know what these are.)
Ian Fleming’s James Bond (and to a lesser extent John Gardner’s and Raymond Benson’s extension of the series. Sebastian Faulk has added only one book one so far, so I’m reserving judgment.) Reason? Same as with SH above—can’t get enough of the character.
Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series (master of dialogue)
Ira Levin’s Rosemary’s Baby
Laurie R. King’s Mary Russell series (Some SH fans will breathe anathema – but I don’t think she reflects badly on Holmes’ character—no sappy love struck puppy here)
Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series (especially the earlier ones)
Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse and Lily Bard “Shakespeare” series(s) (as different as it is possible to be)
Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.
Okay—this is my list off the top of my head. I have not included many of my contemporaries—perhaps that will be a part two.
Will be back next week with more Whedon news. I tried once again to load a music video that I thought my Buffybuds would enjoy, but as usual, can’t get the friggin’ thing to load. So if you’re interested in seeing a VERY young Alex Denisof in a George Harrison (!) music video—go here.
I like Robert Parker's Jesse Stone series...mostly because Tom Selleck is in my cranium for the main character
Not crazy about LKH these days. I loved the beginning of the Anita Blake series when all she did was kick a**. Excellent action and dialogue....then it became un-kick-a** after OBSIDIAN BUTTERFLY which remains my favorite of the series.
Charlaine Harris can write the phone book and I will read it. Sookie and Lily are my two favorite series of hers, too.
I love Martha Grimes' Richard Jury series.
I collect the Harry Potter on audio and HB. Excellent escapism.
I collect Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series. I was enthralled from the very beginning of the first book.
GONE WITH THE WIND CATCHER IN THE RYE
All top of my cranium, too....I know I'll think of others.
Oh my! Alex Denisof and Geirge together in one place. That was a disturbing video but very hilarious. How on earth do you find these thing? So like Wesley and yet so not at the same time. Man I miss George Harrison. I remember the day he died, even the sky was crying that day. Took me months to get over his death. Seriously ... and I've never been a silly fangirl type person by any stretch of the imagination.
@Jeanne: Don't sweat it. There's always time for coffee.
Re Alexis -- I think he's just a year or two older than I am, so the video took me straight back to high school and the heady, innocent 1980s. Ah....the days when teenage boys wore their jeans tight... :-) :-) :-) ... and not bunched around their knees like they are making room for their diapers.
(What do you think would happen to me if I told some young punk on the light rail who thinks he's stylin' that he looks like he needs his nappy changed? This moment in teen fashion can't end fast enough for me. But I digress....big time....I'm sorry... )
Photographer Leia-- Well, I've ALWAYS been a fan girl and my first real fan girl crush was on George (not Paul or John or Ringo). I was very sad when he died.
Gina said: (What do you think would happen to me if I told some young punk on the light rail who thinks he's stylin' that he looks like he needs his nappy changed?
A lot less then would happen if you made that comment to a punk in SoCal--
In any case, I don't recommend you try. :-)
thanks for being so understanding. I finished my galleys yesterday and got them off--- HURRAY!!!!
PS-- Need to mention here, Mario was the one that got the video to appear on the post....He's going to have to show me how he did it... he made some smart ass comment about needing an XY chromosome to do it.
Just remind him that everybody starts out as XX, and then something unfortunate happens and one of the Xs loses a leg. XYs are all stunted right out the chute with a pre-birth defect.
Oh -- and I won't tell anybody he needs his nappy changed because I DO value my health, but believe me, every time I look at a Mr. Droopy Drawers I'm thinking it. And trying really hard not to smirk.
@ Jeanne - Well George was always my favorite out of the lot. I felt like he put more od himself into his music than the others did ... from a personal angle atleast. It's hard to pick and choose though since they were all good. I was reading something the other day that said the Beatles were the #4 selling rock group of the past decade (I'll double check my numbers ... it might have been a little higher but I think it was #4). Kind of hard to argue with numbers like that for a group that disbanded in '69.
@ Mario - Thanks for getting the vid to appear in the blog! Jeanne when he helps you figure out how to do it, I would like to know how it is done myself.
@ Jeanne and Gina - hmmm somehow I have a feeling that wouldn't go over well. (the bit about the droopy pants). Thankfully the pants don't usually droop as low as they used to. I still fail to understand how somone thinks it looks cool to go aroudn with your pants belted just above your knees. I've laughed many a time at people who lost thier pants in the middle of a public area because they wore the pants too low and they fell down - atleast they remembered to wear interesting patterened boxers. though I really would have prefered to not see the boxers at all. But hey ... that's just me.
@ Jeanne - I'm glad to see someone else mention Bram Stoker's Dracula. I first read that in a course where we spent a few months reading and discussing early horror fiction. I had a lot of fun analyzing the manner in which information was presnted in the novel (newspaper clippings, personal letters, diaries), which characters had access to which forms of information, and how this reflected back on the story. A lot of fond memories of that book. It was a slower read but very worthwhile one. If you haven't read Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera I highly recommend that you do. I first read that about 8 years ago and I highly recommend it. It is a bit bizarre at parts (the phantom had a very twisted past that led him to some unusual places) but a quality work.