I need a good book to read. The last one I read was The Twentieth Wife, which was AWESOME. It's about the love story of Mehr-un-Nissa and Prince Salim. And it's based on actual historical facts. And I read Catcher In the Rye. It's a very casual and hilarious book. If you have recommendations PSquared, shoot.
Cuz I can sure use a good book to help me get to sleep:)
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
Im guilty of reading pretty crappy stuff...lol. Ive picked up John Grisham's newest one...The Appeal. I dont know why...I really like them.
Have you read Pride and Prejudice, Psquared? Although I'm not too into romance stories in particular, but it's one of my favorite romantic books. I'm thinking of purchasing a single book that contains all the other Jane Austen classic stories. She seemed to possess an interesting insight into male/female relationships:) I've got several Borders gift cards from students since ages ago that still need to be used. I'm gonna use my waking hours tonight to search the Border's website.
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
^ Ive read Pride and Prejudice a million times!!! Such a beautiful book RV, go for it! Sense and Sensibility is a great piece of work as well.
Re: Im not a happy camper these days…
…and Persuasion and Wuthering Heights 
I've read pride and prejudice before and watched the movie (kiera knightly version), but favorite version is Bridget Jones' Diary.
I've read Wuthering Heights. It's an intense love story, but more on the DARKER side and put me in a grumpy mood. That's how dark it is. But I guess it was modern for its times.
I will try Sense and Sensibility.
Ahem...excuseeeee me, but are we talking about Pride and Prejudice in here?
May I come in?
Cause I ADORE Jane Austen. And Emily Bronte and even her sister Anne.
Actually, I'm going to take a seat here...
Now, I also love John Grisham. I don't know why, I know its really without substance. But let me tell you, my lawyer friends are all impressed with all the jargon I know; mass torts, courts of appeals, dissenting briefs, making partner, I could keep going, he's had like a zillion novels. I hate it when he tries to write something outside of the legal genre though.
Pour me a cup of tea?
So I've just gotten into historical fiction. Particularly the Tudor clan. Okay, so specifically Henry VIII. Six wives! Six freaking wives. The Other Boleyn Girl was good but I don't particularly care for Phillipa Gregory. Alison Weir has a good book that has just the right balance of facts and intrigue.
How do I get this seat to recline...
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
LOL...you're too cute!
I dont tell people I love John Grisham but I adore his novels. Ive read almost every single one of them.
RV, Wuthering Heights was a bit of a dark tale but it was still charming in a way. :)
I think Ive seen Kiera Knightley's PP but dont remember it. Sense and Sensibility is very romantic, you will like it.
So...here is a shot in the dark...anyone read any Sophie Kinsella? The Shopaholic author? Ive read them all and saw they're making a movie out of it. Im a bit disappointed in the leading role though...Isla Fisher...was hoping for a bit more of a dynamic character.
I've read a couple of the Shopaholic novels. Rebecca Bloomwood reminds me of Bridget Jones (clumsiness/lack of grace, jumping to conclusions), BUT she's MUCH crazier and makes Bridget seem very normal, LOL. The funny thing is that my friend Rebecca, recommended the book to me.....and she herself has a few similarities with the character Rebecca in the book, which I thought was ironic and funny. I have seen the trailers for Shopoholic and I'm not sure how I feel about Fisher playing the role of the central character although I've never seen her act before.
Went to the library and it didn't have any of the Jane Austen books except for Northanger Abbey, so I checked it out. I've read that Northanger Abbey is a favorite for some people and considered the most happiest of the Jane Austen novels. Although based on the little research that I've done, it seems Pride and Prejudice is the more popular choice for most people.
See, I watched the movie, The Jane Austen Book Club, a couple of days ago and now I wanna study the books like the characters in the movie. I'm such a nerd, LOL.
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
I read Northanger Abby when I was obsessed with Austen but dont remember it. I think I might pick it up again as soon as Im done with The Appeal.
Isla Fisher is a so-so actress to me. She just seems like a typical thin blonde, nothing special. Up until now, she hasnt had many leading roles...mostly supporting roles in major films. This will be her big hit...if its a hit. I always imagined Rebecca Bloomwood to be a very charismatic and captivating personality. I think of Reese Witherspoon but maybe its because she was in Legally Blonde? Anyway, its one of my favorite series...just hoping this Fisher girl doesnt butcher it.
We're not nerds RV...we're just...tasteful. :)
I've read only a few pages of Northanger Abbey and it's alright so far.....took me some effort to continue reading. Pride and Prejudice on the other hand captured my interest from the first page and it was hard to put down, plus I could kinda relate to it a bit, lol:) But I shall persevere and continue with Northanger Abbey again tonight.....and hopefully in the process get some sleep soon.
As far as Ilsa Fisher is concerned.......she looks alright and she's a good looking woman but there's somethign about her appearance/looks that doesn't strike me as Rebecca Bloomwood. And yesterday I was going through actresses in my head that would fit the character of bloomwood. I hadn't thought of Reese Witherspoon, although when I consider her acting from Legally Blonde, I can picture her as a shopping crazy ditzo!
Although I'm not crazy about Kate Hudson.......she's kinda ditzay, so she crossed my mind. So did Anne Hathaway (although I can't remember if Bloomwood was a blonde in the book). Jessica Simpson............she not only acts BUT ALSO LOOKS DITZY. EVERYTHING FROM HER EYES TO HER SMILE IS ANNOYINGLY DITZY. I can picture her fitting the role of an uncontrollable shopper. Cameron Diaz might fit too......but she doesn't look so fresh these days.
Re: Im not a happy camper these days…
Oooh, I remember Northanger Abbey, 'twas good! I also had a Jane Austen obsession and I think I read everything she wrote within like 2 months. I need to revisit some of those books… For the most part though, most of her books are quite similar. Different plotlines and all, but very similar tone and subject matter. I still enjoy them very much.
I never liked any of the big screen adaptations. They always seem to butcher the book and never seem loyal to the author’s true intent. And its not just Jane Austen books, I don’t think I’ve never liked any film that was inspired by a book. As spectacular as the Potter films are, for instance, I would pick the book over the movie any day of the week.
So I assume that the Shopaholic movie won’t be that exciting either. I haven’t read any of the books because I never liked contemporary chick-lit much, so I might enjoy the movie after all (since I don’t have anything to compare it to). My fiance and I live in different cities we aren’t planning on spending Valentine’s together so I invited my sister and single friend to see the movie with me. None of us has read the book, so I’ll let you know what we think.
I really liked The Appeal, I read it super fast (within a day or two). I hate that I do that though! I wish some books went on forever so that I could keep reading and reading. But even when J.K. Rowling wrote 800+ pg masterpieces I would read with such fervor that the book would be finished before I knew it.
Hey Grisham’s new book, The Associate, comes out today I think!! I’ll wait until the cheaper softcover version comes out though 
ETA: Isn’t Fisher a redhead? I thought that was like her calling card… Did they make her dye it blonde for the movie?
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
I think Isla is a redhead but the original Becky Bloomwood is a brunette! A brunette that is supposed to possess a very curvy figure. I hate it when they do that.
Im not done with the Appeal yet and he goes and writes the Associate! But thats alright because when I AM done...I have something else to read. :)
So right now in Northanger Abbey, Catherine has just met the charming and flirtatious Mr. Tilney. The next day she hopes to see him again.....but he's nowhere to be seen. Hmm, is Tilney playing hard to get? For those of you that have read Northanger Abbey..........DON"T TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **DON"T SPOIL IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **Red Velvet shall read further and find out for herself. The book is starting to pick up the pace now. But so far, I still feel that Pride and Prejudiced engaged my interest much quicker! Ah well, nevertheless, I shall persist with the novel and thus broaden and refine my literary experience!
We upgraded the dish network a few days ago and received a free 3-month viewing of the HBO movie channels, which is pretty nice. So far, I have seen The Jane Austen Book Club and Juno. I've missed Ratatouille and the current Pirates of The Caribbean, but since they repeat the movies, I hope to catch them next time. However at the same time, what SUCKS about the HBO channels......is that they show the SAME movies over and over and over and over again. They seriously need to consider variety! It happens to be the spice of life.
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
Some of Austen's work and the Bronte sisters is hard to get into when you begin...but it definitely gets better and about 1/4 of the way through...you're hooked! Sense and Sensibility will be your next read RV! If you loved PP then you will love that one also.
Juno was adorable to watch but a bit wierd too, lol. The girl has a quirky sense of humor but I dont know many 16 year olds like that...correction...ANY. I havent seen Jane Austen's book club yet so not sure what thats about...is it good?
Honestly, Reha, I didn't really enjoy The Jane Austen Book Club too much. But I still watched all of it cuz I was bored. If you've read all of the Jane Austen Books and remember them, then you might like/understand the movie better.
The movie is basically about a group of women and 1 guy who are experiencing problems in their relationships and come together to form the Jane Austen Book Club because they believe that Jane Austen had a deep understanding of the complexities of relationships. So, every few months the group picks an Austen novel to read. After they all have read the novel, the meet and discuss their interpretations of that particular novel. Then they all move on to read the next novel.
The goal of the story is to have the characters connect their personal lives to the various Jane Austen novels. I thought the concept was clever, however it wasn't portrayed strongly enough. All the group members start talking about their own interpretations of the novel and unless you've read all the novels yourself, you'll be confused. And as the characters share their viewpoints in the book meetings, their view points get LOST within their own personal problems.
In this group you have a young cute uptight French teacher who has deep rooted emotional issues and angst because of her dysfunctional mother AND also is experiencing communication problems in her marriage. Then there is an attractive married woman with enviable gorgeous curly hair who has devoted all her life to her family, and her husband confesses that he's having an affair and files for divorce. This same woman's beautiful lesbian daughter is also a member of the book club and helps her deal with the divorce. Then you have this single attractive older woman with long blond hair and a really smooth forehead (botox, hmm?) who has never married in her life and tries to help set her soon-to-be divorced friend from up above......with a younger man. This younger man is sooooooooo cute and also becomes a sincere willing member of the Austen book club. And lastly, you have the leader of the group, the one who started the club, she's the oldest woman in the group and she's very hip and has been married 5 to 6 times and is not ready stop anytime soon!
I thought I'd tell you about the members of the group and their various situations a little bit so you get an idea about the story to see if it appealed to you. I didn't wanna tell you ALL of the story (such as what happens to these members) cuz I don't want to ruin it for you in case u want to watch it.
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
Hmm redvelvet your plot summary doesn't really do it for me. But I did love Juno. I don't know any 16 year olds with that kind of, erm, spunk. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. I just really like that brand of comedy. Anyone watch The Office, 30 Rock or The Sarah Silverman Show?
So I've been watching a lot of movies at home lately too (less than two months 'til my wedding so I'm a full time bride) I saw Step Brothers and Ghost Town in the last two days. Both were just mehh.
How's Northanger Abbey coming along? And did you finish The Appeal PSquared? I bought three new books yesterday but haven't gotten a chance to crack 'em open yet.
I'm beginning to like Northanger Abbey now. It's started to pick up some pace. I'm not too crazy about Catherine's pretty pretentious friend, Izabella.
I like Juno too, it was quirky. The latest of the Pirates of the Car. comes on in a couple of hours, and I intend to watch it!
Re: Im not a happy camper these days...
You know that's usually the case with Austen's books, as PSquared mentioned, it takes a little bit to get into them. But once you start reading you get swept away! Do you think you'll end up joining the book club after all? ;-)
I never got into Pirates of the Caribbean... I mean, yeah Johnny Depp does look hot in an awkward, make me feel uncomfortable kind of way. Otherwise it just didn't captivate me.
So I got Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Rebecca Wells), The President's Daughter (Mariah Stewart) and Playing for Pizza (John Grisham). Any suggestions on what I should start first?
You know that's usually the case with Austen's books, as PSquared mentioned, it takes a little bit to get into them. But once you start reading you get swept away! Do you think you'll end up joining the book club after all? ;-)
I never got into Pirates of the Caribbean... I mean, yeah Johnny Depp does look hot in an awkward, make me feel uncomfortable kind of way. Otherwise it just didn't captivate me.
So I got Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (Rebecca Wells), The President's Daughter (Mariah Stewart) and Playing for Pizza (John Grisham). Any suggestions on what I should start first?
1st Divine Sercrets of the Ya-Ya sisterhood (a little sad)
2nd the president's daughter (very cute)
3rd Playing for Pizza - haven't seen this one but knw of John Grisham (have read some of his books) this one should be good.