Ape's 2011 Challenge (11)

Prequel
Thread #1 (Book 1)
Thread #2 (Book 2)
Thread #3 (Books 3-5)
Thread #4 (Books 6-10)
Thread #5 (Books 11-13)
Thread #6 (Books 14-15)
Thread #7 (Books 16-22)
Thread #8 (Books 23-25)
Thread #9 (Books 26-28)
Thread #10 (Books 28-23)

Books Read: 34
Pages Read: 8,449

January:
1. Wave of Terror by Theodore Odrach
2. Southern Storm by Terri Blackstock
3. The Ten Thousand by Michael Curtis Ford
4. The Medical Detective by Sandra Hempel
5. Biohazard by Ken Alibek

February:
6. The Atlantic Sound by Cary Phillips
7. The Killers Within by Michael Shnayerson
8. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
9. Book of Clouds by Chloe Aridjis
10. Victorian Painting by Julian Treuherz

March:
11. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
12. Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum
13. Vampire Haiku by Ryan Mecum
14. Gods and Legions by Micahel Curtis Ford
15. Day by Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne

April
16. Never Suck a Dead Man's Hand by Dana Kollmann
17. Terror on Troll Mountain by M.D. Spenser
18. Plague by Edward Marriott
19. Where the Sky Ends by M. G. Stephens
20. What I Was by Meg Rosoff
21. I Am Zoe Handke by Eric Larsen
22. Leonardo da Vinci (DK Art Book)
23. The End of the Alphabet by C. S. Richardson

May
24. The Bounty by Caroline Alexander
25. Muse of Fire by Dan Simmons
26. Peace by Richard Bausch
27. Prisons of Light by Kitty Ferguson
28. Van Gogh (DK Art Book)
29. Riddled with Life by Marlene Zuk
30. The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
31. The Pearl by John Steinbeck
32. Rembrandt (DK Art Book)

June
33. The Sword of Hannibal by Terry McCarthy
34. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Phew, I'm really glad that image is broken, because I copied the URL to check it out and it's HUGE! :o

Truth, but I did shrink it. Oh well.

Stephen- Like Richard, I am also a big movie fan. I am also, much like my approach to books, very selective about what I watch. There are so many very good to great films out there, both old & new, foreign & domestic, that you really never need to watch a "stinker".
Hope your day is going well, my young friend!

If your sister gets movies from the library, you can watch them together. Problem solved.

I must go back to your previous thread and Norabelles comment about Some Like It Hot.
We were at a Trivia Night one evening, and the category was "Last Lines of Movies." The quote was "Well, Nobody's Perfect." My 23 year old son piped up immediately with Some Like It Hot. We all looked at him like he was crazy (who knows that??), and he said it was his favorite movie.

And we were the only ones in the crowd who got it right...

>7 tloeffler: LOL You know how to raise 'em, TLo!!

Katie: Ah, but shrinking the dimensions (height/width) doesn't change how long it takes to load. :(

Thanks Mark! It's ridiculously humid outside, so I'm just staying in and reading.

Nora: Horrible idea! I'd rather she got books and we could discuss those. Ptui on movies!

Terri: I watched it in a high school 'film study' class, and it was probably one of the better things we watched. I wouldn't have remembered the last line for that question though, I'm really bad with trivia, because my memory is crap.

Hi, ummm, what's his...RICHARD! Yeah, that's it, Richard's his name. Hi Richard! :)

Borrowing a page from Kath's book: pfffffffffffft

New thread!

Stephen: I don't want to push the movie thing if you're really not interested, but since you've noted that you like watching movies with others, have you considered watching movies 'with' other - i.e. via your thread? You have so many friends here, perhaps some would be interested in movie night where several folks watch the same movie, around the same time, at their homes and can discuss and enjoy that way?

Just a thought.

Ooh shiny new thread. I'll just sit here in the corner with my popcorn.

Richard: Kath wrote a book? It's not one of those sex guide ones, is it? They are so embarrassing, people don't actually check those out of the library, do they?

Tom: I dunno, I don't even like group reads, let alone group watches...

Micky: Ooooh, eating foods on my thread, very adventurous of you. I hope you brought your own popcorn, because the stuff in my concession stand is...well...

But if you can't get her to the library in the first place then she can't check out any books for you to discuss.

I'm like you, Stephen, just not into movies that much. Too "hot" a medium for me, I think. Books are much preferable!!

Nora: Ah, but I can. I just need to read more zombie books, apparently.

Roni: Definitely. I mean, technically, I can sit down every once in awhile and watch a movie and not hate it...but oh, how much reading I can get down in 90 minutes! Why watch movies, when I would rather read. :)

Apparently we can now star topics without even posting, but that seems wrong somehow...

Hi!

Trust me, I know better than to eat anything on your thread. I might get stuck here for six months of the year or something. ;)

Couldn't you star topics without posting before? I used to...that's how I stalked followed without anyone knowing. *ahem*

Welcome! :)

Wait, did I miss something? Did someone say IT'S MOVIE NIGHT AT STEPHEN'S TONIGHT? No? Oh, oops, my mistake. ;P

I don't think too many people want to spend too much time in a dark room with me, so there is no worry of that. :)

Eeek! Figures you'd have a new thread going by now... seems like if I blink once or twice, Stephen's got a new thread started in the meantime. Sheesh! :-)

#21: Not to worry. I brought tranquilizers and an isolation cage from my thread for you. Everyone else gets bean bags. We're set. :) So when's the pizza coming?

#22: He does that on purpose. He's mean like that. He'll have another one going by the end of the week, I'm sure.

I've got the popcorn! What are we watching?

I just finished Inception. That ought to do nicely.

#24: Sweet! :) Not sure. Somehow I think Stephen would be opposed to be anything in my DVD collection, even though I'm actually watching a drama for once (mock gasp): The Education of Charlie Banks.

#25: I've been wanting to see that one. Any good?

Ilana: That whole blinking business is suspicious. Are you sure you didn't take an extended, multi-week nap without realizing?

Sara: Will not! I probably won't even have another one until next month! ...

Nora: I have popcorn too! Although mine is butter-free, sorry everyone.

Jim: *Shrug* That one looked kind of interesting, I guess...

Sara: I see your DVDs in my Connection News all the time. I can't say much for the movies themselves considering I've never heard of many of them, but some have nice covers... :P

I have lite butter and extra butter. I like to mix them together.

I am just checking in to the insanity, Stephen :)

Extra butter over here, please, and can we faGawdsake watch something *without* a naked woman in it, please, for once?

I'm with Richard on this one.....

;-}

Careful about checking into insanity, Stasia, it's not easy to check back out!

Richard: Extra butter just makes popcorn soggy. You practically need a ladle to eat that stuff they sell in movie theaters.

Jude/Richard/naked women: Yes, I know, I went over this on the last thread. See post 252. :)

Nora: I think at that point I'd just stick with the extra butter. The problem with eating an extra-butter popcorn and then eating a non-buttered one is the non-buttered suddenly tastes terribly plain, whereas if you never have the extra-buttered popcorn in the first place the non-buttered is perfectly enjoyable.

I don't drink soda and I think water is great and I'm happy to not drink anything else. But if I drink a soda or tea or something at my mom's house and then take a swig of water, it's so plain and boring-tasting.

I understand what you mean, I feel the same way about skim milk or diet soda. The reason I can drink both of them in the quantities I do is because I never drink the full-calorie versions.

But popcorn I feel differently. To me, no butter and extra butter are like two different flavors. I think of no butter as "salt-flavored". Plus, if you mix them together some of the extra butter rubs off on the lite butter, making it regular butter :-)

Mmm, I'm hungry now. And I want to watch a movie. Stephen, where are the books? ;)

Nora: That makes sense, I suppose. I still have a feeling I'd wind up picking out all the buttered popcorn first though, leaving all the non-buttered sitting at the bottom of the bowl. Like pretzels in trail mix. (I like pretzels, but they are taste like filler when surrounded by all the yumminess in trail mixes.)

Micky: Ooooh, I've read 9 books this month and it'd be cool to hit 10, but I don't think I'm quite going to make it. Maybe tomorrow or the day after I'll have one of those book review things, though. Unfortunately it's an action-oriented miltary/historical fiction thingy. Sorry! :P

Regular popcorn for me here. And no naked women?? Well, there goes my movie selection. What about quasi-women--The Crying Game, The Silence of the Lambs . . . ? Does that apply? :P

wait, quasi-naked-women, or quasi-women? Are the quasi-women fully naked?

I vote for movies with naked men.

Quasi-women, as in manginas, trannies, the whole s/hebang. And yes, I believe they're fully naked in The Crying Game and The Silence of the Lambs.

I vote for movies with naked men too.

*raises, errrmmm, hand* Another vote for naked men!

*snorts* Why am I not surprised? ;)

So, Stephen, what have you found for us picky moviegoers?

While I don't approve of nakedness-without-purpose, if it's a requirement then I'm sad to say I would prefer women over men. Sorry everyone. :(

>42 Ape: No apologies necessary! Just means *you* won't be pickin' the movie!

#42: There's always a purpose for nakedness, so there! :P

#43: Ha ha! Wait, then who is picking the movie?

I think i'll vote for this little guy.....



;-}

What is that!

A Naked Mole Rat!!!

;-P

A mole, I think? I'll bet he'll be on my side, though, when I suggest we watch Willard. >:) I don't think there's any naked men in it, though....

ETA: A naked mole rat? I was close.

There's always a purpose for nakedness, so there! :P

Haha! Okay, maybe you got me on that one.

Naked mole rats would definitely be preferable. :)

I've decided: Shortbus. Nekkid mens. A few moments of female nudity, negligible.

Followed by The Brown Bunny. Vincent Gallo galloping around naked for no obvious reason. In fact, the movie was made for no obvious reason, but Gallo doin' the dangle makes the impenetrable (!) screenplay worth snoozing through.

#49: Aha! I knew you were secretly into animals.

#50: Perfect! I love Shortbus. :) Unfortunately, I can never listen to the Star-Spangled Banner now without laughing.

And The Brown Bunny?? My god, that sound raunchy. I think I'll pass on that one.

Richard: Well, I have to say I really enjoyed 28 Days Later despite the blatant (and pointless) male nudity in the beginning. Still, I think I'll give those movies a miss.

Sara: Of course I'm into animals. You can give them all the hugs and smooches you can possibly give them, talk to them funny with no fear of judgement, and curl up with them under a blanket while you read books all night without having to worry about all those horrible things humans expect from you. Like conversation and sex. What's not to love?

Conversation and sex are horrible.

Oh dear.

This is a great deal worse than I thought.

#52: lol @ 28 Days Later. Agreed. I love Cillian Murphy and all, but what was the point of that? Do all hospitals in England keep their patients naked? If so, I'm never going over there, not even for a visit.

Oh, suuure! Make me out to be the perv here.

Wait...wait...28 Days Later has naked men in it?! And I refused to go see it?!? *bustles off to Netflix with a purposeful air*

Richard: Of course conversation and sex are horrible. Both generally lead to nothing but embarrassment. Doesn't sound like a fun time to me, really.

And yes, 28 Days Later had a naked fella, for a few seconds in the beginning.

Sara: Don't worry, I think they only do that during zombie apocalypses. Under normal circumstances they let you keep shoes.

Oh, and I think you see his backside later on for some odd reason. Zombies probably stole his clothes.

Shoes? Oh well, that's a relief. Zombies'll eat everything except my feet. Great.

That's if they catch you. Shoes make for a better running attempt. . . . unless you're left with heels, but even then they can be used as a weapon.

Oh, they'll catch me. I'm wearing sandals. :(

Sara: *Tries to remember man's backside* Hmmmm, maybe...at the military base? Yes, I think you are right. *Shrug* I have no explanation for that one. :P

Katie: Makes me wish I wore running shoes, instead of...ummm...whatever it is I wear. They are very flat-footed, is all I know. Eek!

Sara: *Tries to remember man's backside* Hmmmm, maybe...at the military base? Yes, I think you are right. *Shrug* I have no explanation for that one. :P

Katie: Makes me wish I wore running shoes, instead of...ummm...whatever it is I wear. They are very flat-footed, is all I know. Eek!

May summary

Books read: 9
Pages read: 1,823

Fiction: 3
Nonfiction: 6

Male authors: 4
Female authors: 5

*Waves*

Hi Kath! :)

33. The Sword of Hannibal by Terry McCarthy



Pages: 401
Rating: 3/5

Historical Fiction

The Sword of Hannibal is a pretty standard military fiction set in the ancient past. There is a hero who does, well, heroic things. There are Improbable schemes, unlikely situations, and lots of over-the-top action that tests the reader's ability to have their disbelief suspended.

It's not necessarily a bad thing, but if you are looking for some sort of in-depth look at the war in question (Second Punic War and Hannibal's march across the Alps) you won't quite find it here. This reads more like an action adventure novel that just so happens to take place during this time period. There are nonfictional sections (usually a paragraph or two) dedicated to informing the reader about the war in question at the end of each chapter, which were nice, but they mostly feel tacked on. The book could have just about any setting and the story would still remain intact.

The story itself is about a mercenary who finds himself joining with a band of Asturians on a search and rescue mission. He struggles to maintain a professional relationship with a group of people he quickly becomes friends with, kills a bunch of people (naturally), and develops a romantic relationship which is about as believable any other romantic subplot you'll find in similar books.

So, what can I say? It's good for what it is intended, and if you can look at the cover and honestly say 'that looks interesting' then heck, you'll probably like it. I did, and I did. If you're looking for action, the book is serviceable I suppose. It's not really much more than that, however. 3 stars.

Richard - Recommending Shortbus? Are you trying to kill the young, innocent thing?

Yeah, what Tom said!

Wait, huh? Richard's trying to kill me? I should've known. All those trips to romantic islands, the late-night strolls along the beach, the champagne and full-body massages. I knew something fishy was going on. HE WAS TRYING TO KILL ME!!

...right? ...

>66 ty1997: Bigmouth.

>67 Ape: No, no, apple fritter! Not at all! Perfectly innocent fun, promise. Really. Pay *no* attention to the bad man, he'll be leaving soon. Permanently.

Apple fritter. Hee hee.

Okay, Richard, I won't pay any attention to the bad man. Do you have to be leaving soon though? You are still perfectly welcome here. The ladies of the group seemed to have stopped throwing things at me and hitting me with things. I need someone to keep me on my toes. (There isn't a naughty joke with that last line, is there?)

I've never had apple fritter...and now I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. It sure looks yummy, that's for sure. (Crap...)

(keeps mouth shut because "on my toes" + ropes = a whole lotta auto-erotic naughtiness)

I've never had apple fritter either, but by the looks of this--



--I'm never gonna! XP

Ick, I read about that...errr...trend, that you may be referring to (or not) and was totally creeped out by it. It takes a LOT to creep me out, so that is saying something.

That apple fritter does look good though, to me! It also kind of looks like a fried brain though... *shrug*

Sara > I suddenly have INSX's "What You Need" running through my head.

Mmmmm, but they're magically delicious! That's just an awful picture. What could be wrong with fried dough and apples and cinnamon?!?

That's it - 28 Days Later is now on my Netflix list. And apparently, I watched Shortbus a few years ago but I don't remember it at all.

And if we're talking about black and white movies, I'm a big fan of Laura. Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, a young Vincent Price - it's one of my favorites.

I really like 28 Days Later, despite one or two incredibly silly things that happen in it. I won't ruin the movie for you if you plan on watching it, but I will say the 'tunnel' and 'grocery store' scenes are quite absurd. Still a movie I liked though. :)

What Laura said.. about the fritters..

#72: "It" was what I was referring to. And that apple fritter looks good to you? Oh my. (hands Stephen some eyeglasses)

#73: Hee hee. You're welcome. :)

#74: You forgot Shortbus?? :o How could you forget about a movie that was basically all about sex?

I liked the tunnel scene. You just know something bad's gonna happen. Tunnel. Broken-down car. Zombies. Oh, and rats. :) And if I could switch the grocery store out with a bookstore, then it would've been perfect.

Spoiler! Don't read this Laura!

78: Yes, but it was just silly when they drove up on top of the other cars. And why were the lights on/the food not rotten in the grocery store?

Thanks for the alert, Stephen, my eyes are averted from the above post. I should hopefully get it some time next week (the movie I mean, sheesh) and will come back to chat about it then.

And I know, I don't know why I don't remember a thing about the movie! I watched the trailer, and only 2 people look vaguely familiar. Should I add it to Netflix again?

#79: Laura, avert your eyes again! :)

How else were they supposed to get around the cars? And why not drive over them? It's not like they would get a ticket or anything. And as for the lights on, who knows? They were in a panic and forgot to lock up? And the produce that hadn't gone bad was all irradiated (hence the guy going "Mmmm, irradiated").

And consider yourself kicked in the shins. I was in the middle of a different movie, but now I'm gonna have to rewatch those bits in 28 Days Later to make sure I'm wrong or right.

Ok, Laura, you can read again. :)

I hope you like 28 Days Later, too. It's one of my faves.

And definitely try Shortbus again. If you don't remember a guy trying to give himself head or a frigid sex therapist trying to have an orgasm, then you probably weren't watching it. (is still baffled anyone could forget Shortbus ;)

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT

28 Days Later is on **right now** on the Independent Film Channel.

Continue averting your eyes, Laura.

How else were they supposed to get around the cars? And why not drive over them? It's not like they would get a ticket or anything.

It was just unrealistic. There is no way you could drive over cars like that, it was just a silly idea, and I rolled my eyes when I watched it.

I think he did say something about it being irradiated, didn't he? I forget, but I do remember the older fellow scrutinizing an apple now. I don't remember what he said though. As for the lights, there shouldn't have been electricity. If I remember correctly they didn't even have running water in the city, so electricity is quite unlikely.

Richard: Neato! But boo for watching movies on TV. They are all edited and censored and stuff.

#82: Too weird.

#83: (I somehow missed your message. Oops.)

Yeah, it was unrealistic. I doubt that car really could've made it over a pile of cars and trash, but it was fun.

Oh, right, electricity. I don't know there. If there were generators being used, I would think the hospital would've been all lit up instead of a grocery store. I think you're right there.

See? I'm nitpicky. :P

I still liked 28 Days Later though, I guess because I tend to like any kind of post-apocalyptic story. :)

Did not watch the movie.. glad you liked it!

Aaww, you're a real romantic, you know that. :p

Kath: Oh, I didn't watch it just now, it's one of the few movies I actually own though, and one of the fewer that I actually liked well. :)

Sara: I'll assume you are talking to Kath. She definitely is a romantic. I think once she surrounded her self with roses and sipped fine wine while listening to soothing music in the dim glow of a dozen candles. I know this because I walked in on her just as she was licking the last few drops of spilt wine from the table top.

:P

Oh my, Kath! :o

Geez, with all of this averting of my eyes, I should be burning a few calories. Sara, I do remember that guy trying to give himself head now that you mention it. Wasn't that the opening of the movie, BTW? You know, it's such a normal thing for me to be surrounded by all of these people having sex, that the movie just didn't register.

Kidding!!!!

And if Kath licked wine off of a table, I have to say that I've done it too. It was just too good to waste! (And, to be honest, I'd had the rest of the bottle before I spilt it, so I was just a smidge hammered at the time.) :-)

I may have drank a partially spilled daquiri off a table with a straw. . . hey, someone had to clean it up, right?

Wow, I never considered that the ladies of LT would become even crazier after a few drinks. Scary... :P

I have many facets..

Thanks for posting the link to my new thread Stephen.. you are a good buddy!

Kath: You are most welcome! I just figured you had another night like the one in post 88, and passed out before you posted the link. ;)

not quite, but I guess I was distracted by the online library.. 'cause
I downloaded 2 more books.

You don't have to live in denial, Kath. Katie and Laura both admitted to have the same problem. It's okay, we're all friends here. Besides, you have wine stains on your forehead... :P

I hate when that happens.. I will have to stick with guinness

Somehow your thread got unstarred! I found a couple others that the same thing happened. Strange strange LT. Too behind to read everything but I did catch snippets of conversations about 28 days later. Is that the one where everyone turned into a zombie?

..Kath: Guinness compliments oak tables nicely, the flavors were simply meant for each other.

Valerie: Essentially...many people claim it isn't a ~real~ zombie movie, because the people are infected with something called the 'rage' virus. But, aren't all zombies nowadays a result of disease infection? Certainly they don't rise from the grave anymore, that would be totally unrealistic. :P

Cool! Don't let Stasia see that though. I know she loves board games, and she might try to use that one to get me out of hiding.

The zombies have returned! Stephen, do you have other fictional monsters hanging around your thread? Or do I just have to worry about the brain-eaters?

I'm sure there are plenty of monsters about, but I'm not sure how many are fictional ones.

You mean the Stephen-monster is real??? ;)

Stephen is harmless, it's Ape you have to worry about. He's a little weird sometimes...

Do they eat people in this one? And wasn't there a sequel that came out afterwards?

#105: ...and masturbates on other people's threads. Ha! Point for me. I used the M word.

>105 Ape: Handy tip. Will definitely write that one down in my LT survival guide. ;)

(pokes Stephen's eyelid with her sticky lollipop)

Hmm, nope. Looks asleep to me. Back to Micky's thread to talk some more smack about him. :)

Valerie: Yeah, basically. The rage virus makes the infected essentially a zombie, except they are fast ones. If you are bitten by one you become infected. The only difference is that if one kills you, you stay dead, because they aren't ~zombies~ just people infected with a virus that makes them crazy. There was a sequel named 28 Weeks Later...which was just okay, but nowhere near as good as the original. There were more explosions and action though! *shrug*

Sara: I do not masturbate on other people's threads! That would be rude and uncomely. Well, maybe no uncomely, but definitely rude! I merely TALK about masturbation on other people's threads because it makes me giggle. :D

Micky: LT Survival Guide rule #1: Don't read the blue words! They are dangerous.

pokes Stephen's eyelid with her sticky lollipop

OH MY GOD DON'T DO THAT! Geez, you about gave me a heart attack. I thought you were Richard there for a second. :P

(Sorry Richard, you never post on my thread unless I refer to you in an overtly sexual way!)

You were in the crossword puzzle the other day.
16A) Hairy brute of the jungle. 3 letters, starts with A

That's me alright! :)

Lollipop. I Have Been Impugned. *sweeps away in an offended huff*

I bet it was a dum dum.

*Rolls eyes* Due to certain undesirable circumstances, I have no other choice than to believe that size doesn't matter. So I don't want to hear it. Besides, I'm pretty certain you can find some pretty large lollipops online. -.-

The only zombie movies I can watch are the ones that don't eat people, which totally defeats the purpose of zombies I would think.

I think the only one I've ever been able to watch was I am Legend, but that wasn't really considered a zombie flick, was it?

I don't know, zombie fans are picky about what is considered a zombie and what isn't. I think they have to walk with their arms outstretched and moan 'brrraaaiinss' or...something... *Shrug*

#110: You said uncomely. (snickers)

#111: Hmm, my first word was ASS, but I suppose APE will do as well.

#113/115: (bites lollipop in half) There. Are we less size-conscious now?

#116: I don't remember the creatures from I Am Legend. I thought those were vampires.

Btw, 28 Weeks Later was a pretty good sequel, as far as sequels go.

I don't discriminate on zombie origin, state of death, speed, intelligence, or any other factors. If they go after people and gnaw on them til the victim is dead or 'infected', they are zombie enough for me :D

*snorts* How liberal of you. :D

>120 katelisim: I like that definition. I am one of those people that ain't too concerned about how you define zombie. If they like to beat, chew, eat, lick humans, or anything similar to that, they are zombies to me.

In that respect, everyone's a zombie, including my pets. (eyeballs cats)

I'd be careful of your cat then. ;)

>110 Ape: Too late. I've read so many words in blue my TBR list has just exploded. But I managed to avoid the Ape monster so far, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself. *bats away zombies*

#124: I always have a healthy fear of my pets, especially since one of them already looks like this one:

Sara: No, we are not less size-conscious, and yes, those were more like vampires if you ask me.

Katie: Agreed! I'm not picky at all. At least when it comes to zombies... :)

Valerie: Yeah...I think the 'lick humans' incriminates a lot of people...

Micky: Yep, those blue words are dangerous. One of the benefits of having a small library with so few books is the blue words become much less effective. :)

Sara: o.O

I think it's safer to cast the net wide then to let some slip through the cracks.

*choo* a cat how dice fer all eww I mean you

Wow, I haven't been here since May, and you haven't started a new thread yet, might things be slowing down here? ;-)

Valerie: Sounds like a good dating philosophy.

Richard: *Pat pat*

Ilana: Oh yes, obviously no one loves me anymore and everyone is ignoring my thread. *Counts* I only got 20 messages yesterday. TWENTY! *Strangled sob*

*Pat pat* for Stephen :) Poor baby.

LOL...but that just oozes desperation.

Stasia: Thanks Stasia, I knew you would understand. Why, just getting only 50 messages in a day must be upsetting for you... ;)

Valerie: Desperation is my middle name. Umm! I mean, yeah, you're probably right. *Nervous laugh*

I've finished The Picture of Dorian Gray. Now to review the blasted thing. If it isn't hard enough to review a classic and feel you are doing it justice, it's even harder to review a 5-star classic. Maybe I'll just keep it short.

34. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde


I wish I had a better picture of the cover...

Pages: 269
Rating: 5/5

Fiction: Classic

Dorian Gray is beautiful. He is handsome, charming, and wonderful to be around. He is adored by a painter who believes Dorian has greatly influenced his work for the better, and equally adored by philosopher who wishes to impart upon him his ideals of beauty and youth. When the painter finishes a portrait of Dorian and he is able to see himself from a different perspective, he realizes how beautiful he truly is. He is aghast that he will one day lose his beauty and youth, and in a fit of narcissism, wishes that it were the painting that would grow old, so that he may be eternally young and handsome. This is the foundation of The Picture of Dorian Gray, and it lays the groundwork for what I consider to be one of the better books I've ever read.

It's hard to describe what the book is about, exactly, simply because it is about so many things The overarching theme is of the 'inner-self, or the soul, if you will, and how one's actions affect it. But there is so much more to it than that; the perils of vanity and philosophy, criticism of the time period, the toxicity of the influence of others, and so on. It seems each character has not one, but several themes to convey to the reader, and I'm sure every person who reads the novel takes something different from it. The preface states It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors. I believe this is true about the book, and is proof that it is, indeed, a work of art.

I just watched that movie.. the new one. It is really good!
I never read the book..

>136 Ape: Thumbs-upped that heartfelt review!

me too, of course

Read Dorian last year and loved it. Good review.

I haven't seen any of the movie versions, but I remember seeing something about the new one. . . . Is it the same actor that is Prince Caspian in the Narnia movie(s)?

Thanks guys. :)

The movie looks...interesting. At least, I like the cover anyway...

Good review Stephen. I also just saw the movie. Must now read the book.

You received a thumb from me, of course.

I've seen two film versions - the one in which Angela Lansbury plays Sibyl Vane (1945), and the most recent version. Michael and I both enjoyed the 1945 production, but it certainly wasn't earth-shattering, and it wasn't nearly as moving as the original text. I thoroughly enjoy the new film, but I think it's necessary to divorce oneself from the novel to thoroughly appreciate the film; it is without a doubt an interpretation of Wilde's novel as opposed to a representation of the narrative. And that, I would argue, is why it's successful - movies and novels are two entirely different mediums, and a direct representation is nearly impossible. I believe the feeling has been preserved, while presenting the story in a way that will appeal to a contemporary audience, and for that I applaud Oliver Parker.





PS. A fact I find delightful: Angela Lansbury is also the original Mrs. Lovett from the first production of "Sweeney Todd." That trollop Helena has nothing on Ms. Lansbury...

Thanks Cindy, I always tend to not like books after I've watched the movie first. In this case though, I can't imagine all of Lord Henry's lengthy speeches were reproduced in the movie, so there still might be a lot to interest you.

Still, because I tend not to like books after I've watched the movie, I'm making a point now to avoid any movie based on a book, if I can, unless I've already read it. Especially ones based on classics. Of course, considering the fact that so many movies nowadays be based off of books, it makes things difficult...good thing I don't watch movies often! :)

Oh yes, that's one of the pictures I've been seeing, Luxx. It does, indeed, look interesting. Not sure if I'll ever watch it or not, though. *Shrug*

I agree about not seeing a movie before reading the book. I didn't finish the movie for that reason.

>136 Ape:: Thanks for reminding me that, somwhere, I have this book and it's waiting to be read.

>144 Ape:: I don't like to watch movies before I read the books either. DH is waiting for me to start with L on by TBR list some year because he wants me to watch the film adaptations of Lehane's novels with him. He does it the other way around, sometimes being prompted by a film to read the book.

Great review, Stephen! Thumbs up from me too.

I always knew you were the smart one around here, Cindy!

Well, hello there, Jeanne. Is this the first time you've posted here? I certainly don't remember seeing you here before. Well, it's nice to see you, and welcome to the thread! Be warned that people have a tendency to say odd things on my thread, but these things are most certainly not a reflection of me, personally. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise! :)

I always knew you were the smart one around here, Stasia! ... :P

I rarely watch a movie before reading the book, but not due to fear of
prejudice. I just rarely watch movies. I do tend to try to avoid ( in most cases)
movies after I have read a book, as the movies are certainly not as good.

Harry Potter is an exception..
as will be The Sparrow and Hummingbird's Daughter.
If the promised movies ever show up.. I will watch those.

Ahahaha! I'm SO glad Dorian Gray got the full five stars, it's one of my top three favourite books of ALL TIME! And yes, I very much liked the new movie. Sorry honeybunch, I'm a movie girl, I LOVE to watch the book then see the movie, just to be able to compare and see how they interpreted my favourite parts, whether I like their version or not. And classic movies rock! Audrey, Jimmy, Katherine, Cary, Humphrey, Gregory, Marilyn... (*trails off to see if Stephen knows who the hell I'm talking about*)... how can you not love 'em? One of the best ones I saw for the first time recently was Invasion of the Body Snatchers with Kevin McCarthy, that was awesome!

On Steinbeck: I loved Of Mice and Men the first time, but it's such a tragic story that the second time this kind of dark feeling permeated the whole experience and I decided not to read it again. Why do schools always set weepie books and/or their movie adaptations for class? A Kestrel for a Knave (*sobs*), Of Mice and Men (*slows to a hiccup*), and Romeo and Juliet (*outright bawls*), all in a few short years, like we just enjoy bursting into tears in the middle of English class!

Right, well, I've spent all afternoon at work catching up with TWO WHOLE THREADS instead of reading a book, so I'm off for a bit! Oh Lordy, Max at the Indian restaurant next door is cooking again and it's wafting in through the door and making my stomach rumble! :D

Oh! And P.S. can I just say how much I ADORE the CafePress website. Searching for 'books' or 'libraries' or anything like that just turns up the most incredible array of T-shirts, mugs, cups, flasks, mouse mats and anything else you can think of that an image can be attached to. I still haven't managed to narrow down a choice of mugs (I want a couple for the shop!) but I ADORE this clock for my flat (though it'd be good in the shop too, I suppose!):

#152: I need to get that clock for my library!

Kath: My problem with watching the movie first is it basically makes it impossible to read the book afterward. By watching the movie, I've essentially ruined a good book, and why would I want to do such a horrendous thing!?!? :o

Oh, hi Ellie! Yes, you told me you had a thread to catch up on and I didn't have the heart to tell you were about two threads behind. Forgive me!

On the topic of movies, well, I guess I just need a movie girl to watch them with, don't I? :)

You know, now that I think about it, it does seem like just about every book we read in high school wwas very depressing. Then again, thinking of the classics that I have read voluntarily, many of them seem to be depressing as well. Perhaps happy books are only sensational temporarily, whereas sad ones are eternal. What books are popular now?

Do you think 100 years from now people will care or even know anything about books like The Da Vinci Code? ...what about The Road? Will that one be long lasting? Maybe sadness key for longevity in literature...

ETA: Oh, and I love the clock! Hmmm, is it just me, or does that seem perfect for using during a readathon? :)

Stephen, I'm with you. As much as I like movies, I can not read a book after having seen the movie. If a book sounds good to me, and a movie version is coming that also sounds good, I make it a point to read the book before I see the movie.

The book is (99.9999% of the time) always better.

Seeing a movie makes me WANT to read the book. If the movie was bad, the book will be better! If the movie was good, the book will be great!!

But generally I try to read the book before seeing the movie. A lot of the time, I notice a movie I want to see, then read the book first, then forget to see the movie. Oh well.

Tom: Funny thing, I tend to intentionally avoid books that are made into (major) movies. It's not for any logical or rational reason, other than being a simple act of rebellion. "What's that? So it was made into a movie, and now EVERYONE is reading it? Them I most certainly will not read it any time soon."

Like, right this second, everyone is reading Game of Thrones because it was made into that HBO...thingy. Well, bah humbug, I ain't touching the series. Like I'm going to read a book ~just~ because it was made into a movie/series. PFFFFTT!!

I know, I can be silly sometimes. Only sometimes though, right?

Oh, and this doesn't apply to classics, of course. :)

Nora: Even if the book is better than the movie, which it almost always is, I still have a difficult time trudging through a book I already know the story too. I also won't be able to help but picture the movie actors as I read the books, which also lessens the experience for me. I just can't read the book if I've already seen the movie.

How about a movie being made into a book? have never quite figured that one out.

I do try to read books when they are super popular (like they're being made into a major movie) for two reasons. 1) popular books are cheaper, especially if you get them from a thrift store or a friend who just finished it. 2) if lots of people are reading a book I might accidentally hear/read a spoiler, so I try to read them before they can get spoiled.

Stephen, I can understand that. When hype gets too big, I sometimes find myself avoiding something just to spite (maybe?) the hype machine. What more often happens to me though is that I buy the book to read before the movie, procrastinate, and then never read the book or see the movie!

I will warn you that they are making a movie of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas and that is a book not to be missed, for any reason.

Yeah. . . I get that rebellion thing going too. Like right now the Hunger Games is super popular and turning into a movie. I'm having difficulty getting the want up to read it even though I already own it and know I will like it *le sigh.

However, I can read books after I've seen the movie. I have this wonderful brain that can 1) block out things I choose (like actor's faces in the role) and 2) has an imagination that can override any linger things that refuse blocking :)

Cindy: RUN AWAY!!! They're horrible most of the time, if I'm not mistaken.

Nora: Ah, spoilers aren't an issue with me. I don't talk to people, and I'm really good at ignoring blue words here when I want to. :)

Tom: Spite is definitely a good word for it.

Katie: Haha, yeah, I'd actually really like to read the Hunger Games, but my library's copies are always out.

I go either way on the books into movies issue. Sometimes I will ensure that I've read a book before I see the movie but sometimes seeing a movie adaptation will motivate me to actually want to read the book, which for me often happens with classics. I enjoy classics, but sometimes having mental images from the film to compare with the text makes it a more interesting reading experience for me and can make me push through the dry bits that sometimes crop up.

Stephen, I have never entertained the idea of reading a book based on a movie. it just doesn't make sense.

Micky: Hmmm, I guess that just doesn't work for me. Watching the movie automatically means 'I'm not reading that book.' Maybe that's just me. =/

Cindy: Yes, I've seen, I think, 1 good review for a book based off a movie ever. The problem is many of them are written, quite hastily, for promotional purposes. Maybe promotional isn't the proper word, but it's mostly just another way to cash in on a hot product.

Books that are better movies: Interview with a Vampire, and anything by Stephen King.

Of course, I decidedly dislike both authors (and yet I live in a world of King fans...), but I loved "Interview ...", "The Shining," "The Green Mile," etc.

I love movies, even terrible ones - my B-horror movie collection is probably the largest genre on my shelves. ;)

Stephen, promotional is probably close enough to what you mean, but perhaps you're looking for the word 'synergy.' Disney is pretty masterful of this. . . soda companies are also adept for their product category.

#136 Ah, The Picture of Dorian Gray, an absolute delight of a book!

#166 I disagree with you there, The Shining, the book was definitely better than the movie, despite Jack Nicholson, the same stands true for Interview with a Vampire. The Green Mile, both the book and movie were decently good.

As much as I liked Do Androids dream of Electric Sheep, I liked Bladerunner, the movie better.

On a girlier note, I like The Jane Austen Book Club better as a movie, and 84, Charing Cross Road works well both ways. Maybe it's the book theme that does it for me!

I definitely agree that reading a heavy-going classic AFTER seeing an adaptation is a great way of clarifying and separating the characters in your head and helping you get through the 'jeez dude, get an editor!' bits. Particularly with things like the 'Big Russians' where there are a lot of similar character names, and each character has multiple shortened versions/nicknames as well. And how about things like biographies that have been made into movies? I enjoyed Frida (Frida Kahlo), Pollock (Jackson Pollock) and A Beautiful Mind (John Nash) so much that I now want to read the books they were based on, to find out more about the subjects for myself.

Mists of Avalon was a wonderful book. The movie was painfully dreadful.
I mean, they should have been put in stocks in Marion Zimmer Bradley's hometown.
In the rain.
In February
Travesty

It was that bad. The worst transition I have ever seen.

Luxx: Surely you don't mean anything by Stephen King, some of those movies are just awful! But then, if you like B-horror, maybe that makes sense. I've only seen a few B-horror movies and only liked a single one. Although I can still look at it with a critical eye and say that it's terrible, I still enjoy it for some reason. It's called Mortuary. *shrug*

Katie: Synergy? Hmmmm...perhaps!

Piyush: I keep forgetting Bladerunner was based off Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. I loved the book, but haven't seen the movie...

Ellie: I do agree that seeing the movie can help keep characters straight when there are a lot of them! But that still doesn't encourage me to watch them though.

I did watch The Lovely Bones recently though, and I liked it. But then, of course, I never had any intention of reading the book, so perhaps that doesn't count. :)

Lovely Bones.. good book, good movie..

OMG OMG OMFG Immediately without delay drive, hitchhike, or sell your body to get to the liberry and retrieve "Bladerunner"!!

Only the most gorgeous woman **EVER** is in it...Sean Young...and for us normal men there's Harrison Ford to lust after, in a seriously sexy brooding role, and whatsisname the blond monster all battling for survival in a scary LA that makes today's LA look like Sunnybrook Farm! Srsly the movie is so visually amazing...it's like zombies attacking vampires amazing.

Kath: Mists of Avalon, I haven't read. Richard keeps associating it with uteri (that's the plural of uterus, right?) so I just haven't gotten around to it yet...*ahem*

Richard: Isn't it on TV all the time or something? Maybe I'll errrr, catch it on...sometime... ;)

Surely you don't mean anything by Stephen King Oh, no no no - there are plenty of S.K. movies that should never have been made, but as a general rule I prefer King films to King novels.

#152: Love that pic. :)

Hmm, films that I've enjoyed more than books include Stardust and Chocolat. It's a rare occurrence though. More frequent are films and books that I enjoy equally.

Luxx: Ah, yes, that makes sense. The same is probably true for me...I mean, I'd rather watch a movie based on a Mark Twain book than actually read through the awful things.

Oooh, I really liked Stardust but I haven't read the book yet. Must get around to it one of these days.
I have The Portrait of Dorian Gray on my shelves but I haven't read it yet. I have seen two great reviews for it, one by you, and the other by Linda. When I read the back, I wasn't too interested by the story, but you definitely sold me to take a closer look sometime. :)

It's a good one, Valerie. If you need any more encouragement, just ask Luxx. :)

I'm a fan.

You're also insane. ;)

I'm really glad you loved Dorian Gray Stephen. Good review too. I read it a couple of times over the years and it's one of those books that I'll probably read several times more. In fact, every time I see someone's reviewed it, it makes me want to drop whatever I'm currently reading and jump on it, but, I. Will. Resist. This time, anyway. ;-)

In fact, every time I see someone's reviewed it, it makes me want to drop whatever I'm currently reading and jump on it You and me both.

182 - If by "insane" you mean "awesome," then yes. If by "insane" you mean "insane," then I'd have to say that I prefer "eccentric."

#184 ha ha! Fantastic tattoo btw, now that's dedication! My mini-review of Dorian Gray pending.....am only half way through!

#183 Couldn't have said it better.

I wonder if I will ever read a book and love it enough to perma-etch something on my body. :)

I perma-etched it on my children, too - my boys are Brooks DORIAN, Max HENRY, and Victor WILDE. ;)

Sara: Well, it's always nice to have company. No wait, company is bad for a social-phobe. It's, ummm, nice to know I'm not the only one!

Ilana: I don't consider myself much of a rereader...in fact, I've never reread a book. That might change soon, however, because I keep geetting the itch to read some of the books I read a few years ago...so perhaps it'll be a reread for me too, some day.

Luxx: I like eccentric too... :)

Megan: Hmmm...I need to find your thread...

Hi Piyush!

Valerie: I've seen some fun generic bookish tattoos. Nothing specific, just small open books and things like that. :)

Just checking in to the shenanigans for today, Stephen ;)

Hi Stephen- I know this is the official zombie site, so I thought I would ask you if you have heard of Autumn? It's the 1st book in a new series. A friend lent me the 1st 2 and he loved them. I'm starting it today.
I'm glad there is no WeinerGate talk, going on over here!

Hi Stasia! *Waves*

Mark: I have heard about it, but unfortunately my library doesn't carry it. :(

made me laugh

me too

Haha, I swear I look nothing like the ape in that picture! My eyes don't match my fur... :P

Is it just me, or do the Like buttons keep getting bigger and bigger?

I do a quite a bit of re-reading (it's one of the primary considerations I make when deciding to buy a book) and will often get book cravings for a specific book. I'm astounded that you've never re-read a book. O_o

And you thought you wouldn't look good in purple, Stephen.

Micky: I know, weird huh? There are so many books out there I want to read, and I already don't have enough time to read them all, that spending time reading ones I already read seems...inefficient? There are books I want to re-read, specifically ones I loved when I was a 3-4 years ago. My tastes have changed a lot since then, and I'm curious about what my thoughts would be if I re-read some of the science fiction novels I list as favorites from those years, like Spares/Only Forward, Mars Crossing, and Mammoth. Hmmm...

Nora: Ha! I'll have you know my high school colors were purple and white, so I have no fear of the purple! >:)

There are so many books out there I want to read, and I already don't have enough time to read them all

Yep, I think I've re-read once, but I don't really have a desire to do so....there's just so many new books to discover.

I do think, in times ahead, when it's been 20, 30, 40 years since I read a book I loved, I could see myself potentially re-visiting. But today? Nope.

Tom: Definitley agree. Although, I just checked and it was only just 2009 that I read Mars Crossing. Hmmm... *Shrug*

I think I'm in the same boat as you Stephen where I feel like there are SO many books out there that I haven't read yet that re-reading seems like I'm "wasting" time. But I've done some rereads usually because something has prompted me. I think the only times I've reread a book is when a new book in a series is coming out and I don't remember what happened in the earlier books then I feel like I have to start from the beginning and reread everything before I will read the new book. Or if it's a children's book that I read with I was a little kid like the Roald Dahl books - those I can read over and over again just because they are such quick and enjoyable reads.

#189: Company: bad. Definitely bad.

#202: That's why I love/hate series. For now, I try to buy all the books in a series before I tackle them, because I know I'll keep going back to the previous book . . . and the previous . . .

I agree: Roald Dahl is definitely fun to re-read as an adult! :)

>203 saraslibrary: I totally know what you mean. But then you have authors who are take like 10 years to wrap things up and they are still working on it.... >.

I'm with you on the reread thing, I was astounded to realise that I had only reread 2 or 3 books, ever. I thought I must have read mine more than once.....then I remembered that there are too many out there waiting to be read. The ones I had reread were ones that either held great sentimental value to me or, in the other case, that I couldn't actually remember anything about!

*Nods and agrees with the above 4 posts*

I re-read some of the books of the Harry Potter series as new ones were being released, and I've re-read a couple books I liked as a child a couple of times, but that's about it.

I have never re-read an entire book either, though I do tend to re-read preferred passages from favourite books.

A few years back, pre LT
I read both Mists of Avalon and The Once and Future King almost every year..
I have read them both many times. I have reread others, but these two are most reread.

Piyush: I need to get into the habbit of marking down favorite passages and whanot. Too many times I want to look something up and can't find it. *grumbles*

Kath: That's pretty impressive. I had a friend in high school who used to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy every summer. I think I'd get tired of reading the same thing all the time.

I carry sticky flags around with me at all times so I can mark parts of books that I like :-)

I almost never go back to them though.

I feel like I am visiting old friends when I am reading a book..

I will add one other thought on re-reading: The books I'm likely to re-read are books I loved. As time, age, life events change us, our perspectives, opinions, and likes can change as well. I fear that I may re-read a favorite and longer love it. That would break my heart.

Nora: That is smart, but I will definitely avoid it. I tend to stick sticky things on things they shouldn't be stuck to. Like sleeping people. :P

Kath: Sure sure. I suppose, like visiting real friends you haven't seen in awhile, while they are still the same friend, they've changed just enough to offer a new perspective?

Nope! I'd still get tired of them. :P

Tom: Yes, that's kind of why I'm afraid of re-reading Michael Marshall Smith's cyberpunk novels. I remember thinking they were so funny a few years ago, and I'm afraid I won't feel the same way now. Better to preserve that fond memory than to wreck it be re-reading, hm?

As CRAZY as this may sound, sticking stickies on things they shouldn't be stuck to eventually does lose its fun. I grew out of it after about 2 months of using stickies for my job.

Unless alcohol is involved. Then all bets are off.

Bah, sticking Dora the Explorer and Tinkerbell stickers to a young sleeping man's forehead never gets old!

Although it sounds like you have more experience than me, so maybe you're right.

As far as alcohol goes, at that point I think markers are a better choice, if there is no fear of them waking up. :)

I also used to avoid re-reading because there were too many new books I wanted to read, but I've started changing my mind just this year. I've been reading more books every year since joining this group, so I finally feel like I can spare just a bit of time to revisit some old friends. And I've had a very positive experience with my five re-reads so far!

>215 Ape: I meant drinking on the part of the sticker-er not the sticker-ee. But I like your way better, as it makes me sound like less of a lush.

Also, your stickers sound way cooler than mine. Mine only come in colors and say "sign here" or "initial here" or have arrows.

I am so far behind...forgive me?

>100 katelisim: I saw the first line of that article:

You're trapped in a small town infested with zombies

and now, i want the damned game!!!

.........have to play catch-up with the rest of these posts.

;-}

There are a multitude of books I re-read often. I find it tremendously comforting to go back to a book where I know the plot well. They're just familiar friends that hang out on my shelves. But I guess I'm in the minority here...

Zoe: Sounds like I need to get reading. Or, re-reading. I've also been finishing a lot more books since I joined this group. Nothing like a bunch of wonderful book-lovers to encourage a person to want to read more. :)

Nora: Well, I don't drink, so if there is a drunk sticker-er on my part on my part it's hard to know what would happen. More likely I'd miss the person and sticker myself, on the back, and then fall over after I chase myself in circles trying to reach it again.

Hi Jude! Nothing wrong with being a behind. I mean, being behind! It's always nice to see you!

Micky: I always thought it was the other way around, I thought most people re-read books and I was the few that didn't. I'm surprised to see so many people saying they also don't re-read. Hmm!

I used to re-read more often: The Lord of the Rings, Mists of Avalon, The Source, A Wizard of Earthsea, Judas My Brother, Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, and The Little Prince stand out as fiction I revisited time and again. But in the past 2 decades, I rarely re-read (except for school). Game of Thrones was the only book until The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which was this month.

Hi Jeanne, thanks for letting Micky know she's not so weird (I mean different) afterall. :P

I like re-reading. It's a comfortable thing. I always get a (tiny) bit of tense anxiety before reading a new book. I'm gonna hate it. It will be a waste of time etc, etc. But with a re-read, you know you like. You know what's going to happen, so you can read it faster or in pieces (can't do more than 4-5 breaks in a book before I start forgetting things and want to walk away to re-start another time when I can be more involved in the plot). It's like re-watching a favorite movie. And I can usually find something new that I missed before or a new perspective that I couldn't see a previous time. You've had new experiences since you've read it and can now apply them to the story. I don't really fear not liking it anymore. I only re-read those I lovelovelove, where the stories or certain aspects have ingrained themselves in me.

See Stephen? I'm not weird at all. I leave all the weirdness to you. :P

I guess I need to re-read a book soon...JUST so I can be less weird, of course. *ahem*

Great news everyone. I GOT A NEW CAR! Or, ummm, more accurately, my mom got a new car, so I get her old car. I didn't even have to give her my old car in exchange. So in addition to having a new car, I'll be selling my old one for extra cash, so I won't have to live in the new one...at least, not anytime soon. ;)

*Sigh* Now I get to go through the job interview process, which is never fun with the debilitating social anxieties. *Cringe* I sent an email to my local library first thing, to see if they were hiring, and if they aren't then....ummmm...well, I don't really have a plan. It's just nice to know I can go where I want when I want again. I feel like a teenager who just got their drivers license.

I told my sister I can take her to the library whenever she wanted! Hehe...she didn't seem too impressed. She read through, I think, 200-250ish pages of Deathbringer but lost interest and never finished it. Too bad. :(

Yay car! And mobility!

CONGRATS on the new car and all the freedom that it brings! Now don't let that get to your head. :)
At least now if the world came to an end do to a zombie break-out, you don't have a "borrow" a car to make a get away..hehe
Good luck with the job hunting. I think working in a library would be absolute heaven.

Congratulations on the car! And I hope the library turns out to be hiring.

Congrats! What kind of car?

>226 Ape: That is really wonderful news! V. happy for you!

Great news, to have working wheels!

Congrats on the new wheels and much luck on the job search! Now, all we need are pictures of your car (with license plate) and then we can totally track you down. ;)

Thanks everyone! :)

Katie: Mobility is nice, even if it turns out I am now my sister's personal chauffeur. She's already said 'now we can go to the movies!' ...*shrug* I'll take it, better than nothing!

Valerie: It would be a dream working in a public library. I don't have an MLS/MLIS or anything, but if they had a grunt position, I'd be happy with it regardless of how little the pay. So long as I can work around books and scrape together a living, it's all I ask for in life.

Zoe: Unfortunately I haven't heard back from them yet...I may have to go in there and ask personally. They have a book sale coming up so maybe I can ask at that.

Jim: It's 2002(I think) black Pontiac Grand Am.

Thanks Richard and Roni. :)

Micky: I'll might taking pictures today, I think, but I'll be sure the license plates aren't visible. ;)

Congratulations for the new car and the soon to be had money by disposing off the old one and best of luck for the job hunt.

>233 MickyFine: Don't worry Micky. When Stephen gets a job at the library we will totally be able to hunt him down.

I am seriously happy for you. Look online for other possibilities.. just in case.. the sooner you look,
the sooner you will find.

Piyush: Thanks. As I understand it, these cars usually sell fairly well (Ford Escorts)...plus, used car prices are way up right after the Clash For Clunkers program we had, so hopefully I'll be able to sell it at a decent price.

Nora: Crap, I never thought of that! And I was the one who entered my library's address here on LT. D'oh!!!

Kath: I plan on it! We used to have a Goodyear tire factory in town, but it left years ago. :(

Ok, I have pictures.

Here's the old car (1995 Ford Escort):



And here's the new (2002-ish Pontiac Grand Am):

nice upgrade :)

Nice ride!

Moving up in the world!! :) Now the chicks will be all over you. :P

Kath: Indeed, although there is one thing that worries me about the new car. The paint on the hood seems to be...peeling. At least, I assume it's the paint, I really don't know. Something is peeling off it. Still, it runs, and that's all I care about. :)

Jim: Haha, well...it's definitely nicer than the last car, I'll give ya that. :)

Valerie: What? You mean girls don't go crazy for guys who drive teal cars? Huh... :P

Stephen, that was an issue with Chevy Celebrities back in the day..
it happened to mine, my neighbor's, another friend and I saw it in parking lots.
Is Pontiac a GM company?? I know nothing about that sort of thing..

maybe you can make the company to fix it? check it out online..

If the paint on the new car is peeling, you should probably repaint it teal.

>246 norabelle414: LOL! There's your answer, cover all your bases. Well if teal is what drives the girls bonkers, then all the more reason to repaint your car..haha

Teal drives me bonkers, that's for sure.

You should repaint the car teal and then wear ALL teal clothing. I mean why not just go all the way! :)

Huzzah for the upgrade and the potential cash!

"Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black." - Henry Ford.

Stephen in a teal leisure suit, driving a teal grand am? I wonder if they make teal hair dye.

yup. I've dyed my hair teal before.

Kath: Yes, Pontiac is under GM. Pontiacs aren't made anymore, so think that means parts could be expensive if it ever breaks down. But, again, it's better than nothing. *Shrug*

Valerie/Nora/Tom: No, there will be no more teal cars for me! That thing was an eyesore, from a color stand-point. I told my friends in high school that the only people who could possibly like my car would be girls below the age of 14 or women above the age of 85. It was still a popular car, however, simply because it had wonderful gas mileage. :P

Luxx: The black is definitely a nice change, although it does show dirt a lot easier.

My mom bought a truck, by the way. Someone must not have told her about the gas prices. :o It's nice though...

Pontiacs were nothing but a trim variation on Chevys for years, Stephen, so little to worry about there.

I *would* normally be coughing a lung up to remind you to start a new thread, but I figured if ANYone shouldn't need reminding, it's you. After all, the carrier pigeon-and-harnessed-hamster system you laughingly call "Internet service" should be taking forever to load your own thread.

Stephen, what are you talking about??? Teal is THE BEST COLOUR EVER!!! I don't know why you'd trade it for sleek black. :P

lol, my first junker was a teal '96 Grand Am. . .

Congrats on the new wheels, Stephen! I suppose having a black car might make it a little bit more difficult to track you down as teal stands out more, but between and the bras laying in your front yard, I'm sure we can manage locating you.

And good luck on the library job! I'm on the short list for a grunt job at my local library (as in, I'll get the job eventually, I just have to wait until a position opens up and they get to my name on the list of 20-some people), and I'm very excited about it. Here's hoping your library has a position open! (And BTW, at my lib the job title is Library Page, and I applied through my cities HR dept.)

Richard: Good to know, that's definitely comforting. Now I just need to find a job before it decides to break down while I'm still broke...

Micky: ...

Katie: Teal cars must make great first-junkers, since the horrid things must sell so cheaply. How many people actually willingly choose a car of that color!?

There's a redneck fellow with a HUGE GIANT truck with GIANT HUGE tires and EXTRA LOUD engine...and the truck is teal. I don't get it...

Hi Laura! I hope a position opens up soon! Wouldn't it be wonderful to work in a library? I'll try every library within driving distance before I stoop to whatever-else-I-can-find. I've never been to any other library and, to be honest, don't even know where they are found. Doesn't matter though, I want to work around books if I can...

NEW THREAD IS UP!!!

ETA/Note: I created a 2nd thread twelve because my originally posted thread 12 got killed with lots of giant pictures.

Um...Steven, that link just plops me back to this thread. I'll go look for your new thread...

Karen O.

How do I always manage to do that?

I created a new thread, linked to it properly, but it got flooded with images of people's cars and I had to create a new one. When I came back here to edit the link to link to the new-new one, I messed it up somehow! D'oh.

Well, HERE IT IS, I hope.

Yep, that works a lot better!

Karen O.