Member: Stitswerd

I loved Big Night, altho I have to admit at the time I saw it the only actor I knew was Tony Malhoub. Now I find its stuffed with actors I've since come to admire in other works -- including Liev Schrieber, who has a small role in Big Night (I believe as one of the waiters).

posted by BooksCatsEtc at 10:11 pm (EST) on Oct 9, 2009

I would wait to see "Julie & Julia" before I read it. The book's mostly just a passing curiousity, but the performances of Streep and Tucci as the Childs are stellar, not to be missed.

posted by BooksCatsEtc at 8:56 pm (EST) on Oct 1, 2009

I am so sorry it's taken this long for me to reply to your comment from January! I'm so low tech I only just noticed that I had a comments section on my profile, much less that anything was on it.

Anyway, I thought Julie & Julia was interesting for the subject matter, but I developed a real antipathy for the author. It seemed every few pages she was writing about a temper tantum she'd had, and that just got tedious for me. She's also incredibly foul-mouthed, well beyond the "little goes a long way" point. That said, I think it's worth reading but it's not as good a book as Julia Child's "My Life in France".

I was never able to get into "The Writing Diet", and I couldn't really tell you why. Maybe I'm just not ready yet to do that much delving into my psyche, even to lose weight.

Again, I'm sorry I appeared to ignore you. Sandra

posted by BooksCatsEtc at 4:03 pm (EST) on Sep 12, 2009

Great. Send me your e-mail address (mine is mail@christophertusa.com), and I'll send you the e-book.

Thanks,
Chris

posted by cmtusa at 9:12 pm (EST) on May 13, 2009

Noticed you liked Ice Storm, and I was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here as well as a few other book-related sites. Thought you might like my book since it's also about a dysfunctional family and a bit dark. I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like (I'm out of physical copies at the moment). Let me know if you're interested. Here's a link to a summary in case you're interested:

http://christophertusa.com/

Thanks,

Chris

posted by cmtusa at 6:10 pm (EST) on May 10, 2009

I believe there is a large Dutch presence in Iowa, as well, of course, the Hudson River valley.

In the town of Holland, Michigan, they sell bumper stickers that proclaim, "If you're not Dutch, you're not much." Perhaps a bit chauvenistic, but what the heck!

I recall a funny bit from a Seinfeld episode. George asks Jerry, "What is Holland?" Jerry replies, "It's a country." George then asks, "What is the Netherlands?" Jerry replies, "Another name for Holland." Then George asks the ultimate question:

"Where do the Dutch come from?"

posted by DVanderlinde at 12:55 pm (EST) on Apr 29, 2009

My family emigrated from Holland to the US in the 1880s. There is a very large number of Dutch descendants in western Michigan; one can see it in the names of the towns: Holland, Zeeland, Vriesland, and Drenthe. The "V" section is one of the larger ones in the Grand Rapids's phone book.

Much of Michigan was swampy, and apparently the land speculators thought they were pulling a fast one on the Dutch---like selling swamp land in Florida. Little did they know that the Dutch knew how to drain swamps and make the land productive. I wonder, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, if the US government consulted Dutch engineers in rebuilding the New Orleans levees. Nobody on earth understand flood control better than the Dutch!

posted by DVanderlinde at 12:02 am (EST) on Apr 27, 2009

FYI
I have uploaded a cover for Churchill and the Admirals by Stephen Roskill. This is from the 1977 Collins edition.

posted by DVanderlinde at 2:10 pm (EST) on Apr 25, 2009