Christmas Reading Poll '09

[Jozanny]

Pity about Border's demise in the UK. I heard they are staying open in the US.

I have always considered Borders the most sheik in terms of the consolidation of book sellers. I cannot really fault Amazon-- they are fast, efficient, make me feel like they consider me, and I have purchased some of my medical equipment needs from them-- this in itself still amazes me-- but their size, their power, and my implicit faith in my significant investment in their ereader technology, this makes me nervous.

I have done book clubs at B&N, and got some of my science readings from them, (still unfinished heady work), and I like my branch and their coffee shop, but Borders was most akin to my literary espirit, and I am not sure they will survive, even in the US, though I've read my work there, as a local author.

It is sad in some ways, and I have to depend on my ability as a writer now, and it is a bad time for it. I am reading fairly competent genre authors for free, authors whom I am not quite on parity with, and by any deity one can name, or not, where this leaves me I can only surmise with no small amount of trepidation.

Be that as it may, I hope you like James Paul; he is an acquired taste on both sides of the pond, and I have spent my life in pursuit of decoding him.

[Scheherazade]

Going twice...

[Paulclem]

I have always considered Borders the most sheik in terms of the consolidation of book sellers. I cannot really fault Amazon-- they are fast, efficient, make me feel like they consider me, and I have purchased some of my medical equipment needs from them-- this in itself still amazes me-- but their size, their power, and my implicit faith in my significant investment in their ereader technology, this makes me nervous.

I have done book clubs at B&N, and got some of my science readings from them, (still unfinished heady work), and I like my branch and their coffee shop, but Borders was most akin to my literary espirit, and I am not sure they will survive, even in the US, though I've read my work there, as a local author.

It is sad in some ways, and I have to depend on my ability as a writer now, and it is a bad time for it. I am reading fairly competent genre authors for free, authors whom I am not quite on parity with, and by any deity one can name, or not, where this leaves me I can only surmise with no small amount of trepidation.

Be that as it may, I hope you like James Paul; he is an acquired taste on both sides of the pond, and I have spent my life in pursuit of decoding him.

Thanks Jozanny. I do like a challenge. I also have a big opinion of myself.

I've just ordered some stuff from Amazon tonight - some books for my wife. I travelled on the bus and spent half an hour looking for one of them in Borders. I couldn't find them. It took me 5 mins to find three by the same author on Amazon and buy them. No wonder they are shutting. Still a pity though.

Hey I just bought it a Borders as well. I did find my old copy but it was falling apart and the print was so small. I got a nice new book with much larger print and footnotes for seven dollars.

Mine's Turn of the Screw and Other stories. No notes or introduction though. It was the last one on the shelf. I've seen it mentioned a lot on the forum, so I'm looking forward to it.

[Virgil]

Mine's Turn of the Screw and Other stories. No notes or introduction though. It was the last one on the shelf. I've seen it mentioned a lot on the forum, so I'm looking forward to it.

Mine is the Modern Library Classics and it's The Turn of the Screw & In the Cage.

I've never hear of In The Cage before.

[Jozanny]

I do not have quite everything James wrote, but I have mostly everything, but my Signet edition with his novellas is literally falling apart; that is how much I read it even with everything else on my plate. I have my James seizures, drop everything, and go to whatever caused the glazed craze in my eye. At the moment my aesthetic is at war between The Ambassadors, because I am arguing with a professor's interpretation, and The Awkward Age-- the only novel before The Ivory Tower which I haven't read, but I am good for another round with the governess and her keeper.

Paul--if my opinion was big enough I'd cut down on my posting activity and do my damn job--but I am cutting down on how much I avoided working in the past, which my former associates at my writing community would only be too pleased too learn--but that's what I mean about Amazon--can't beat em!

I will start TOS tomorrow !

If those of you joining us will forgive me one further indulgence before we start reading, James Senior was a theologian, and like most theologians who study the language of the spirit too deeply, his beliefs went a little off the deep end, and he became a follower of Swendenborg.

Wiki is about as accurate as the scholars with whom I continue to debate and learn from, re:

Theologically, Henry James Sr. was out of sympathy with the naturalism of much of the religious thought of the nineteenth century. He regarded creation itself as "a purely spiritual process, falling wholly within the realm of affection and thought." The fundamental theological problem, in his view, is theodicy, or the problem of evil. His Swedenborgian solution to the problem of evil relied on breaking the bond between God and nature, or, put alternatively, between nature and reality. True reality (or God) is, in James's view, thoroughly spiritual, in a way that denizens of the natural world can scarcely comprehend. But through intuition of this true reality, James thought, liberation from the illusions of natural appearances—which include time, space, and selfhood—is possible. In such liberation lies salvation, in James's view, whereas evil—more specifically, spiritual evil, since James distinguishes this from "physical" and "moral" evil—arises from action based on the delusion of selfhood. In James's thought, "the principle of hell is selfhood and the principle of heaven is brotherly love," as C. Hartley Grattan puts it in The Three James: A Family of Minds: Henry James, Sr., William James, Henry James (N.Y. Univ. Press, 1962 [orig. ed. 1932], p. 75). But James was not a slavish follower of Swedenborg. Rather, it was in Swedenborg that he found the most fecund exploration of his central insight that the source of all evil was in attachment to the self.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_James,_Sr.

This is key to understanding some of his son's religious implications in some of his novels and major shorter works, including The Turn of The Screw. I will post on this more later, but keep in mind that the father was a significant influence on all three of his surviving children, very much so on Henry and William.

[Gladys]

The correct link is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_James,_Sr.

[kasie]

Thanks, Jozanny, for that info on James snr. What a man! What a family! I wonder what conversation over the breakfast table was like in the James' household?

I didn't vote in the poll as I wasn't sure I would have time to join in the discussion: I'm still not sure - I have a houseful of visitors over the holidays and will be Chief Cook and Bottlewasher - but I have dug out my rather elderly Everyman edition and will drop in from time to time to listen in (as is my habit). It's years since I read a James - don't know why because he was a revelation to me when I happened upon him way back when. I suspect that, despite my rave revues to any friend I could buttonhole, I failed to convert anyone to share my enjoyment.

Paul - I shall sadly miss Borders: they can't say I haven't done my best to help them stay solvent. My local store is a jumble at present - and it was only 20% reduction when I went a couple of weeks ago, I'd like to go again but I really cannot justify the time. I must do some cooking, I must re-hang the curtains in the spare room, I must do a bit more than nominal cleaning, I must.....go away and get on with it.

[MarkC]

"The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson.This will be the reading material for me in this Christmas..:-)

[Paulclem]

"The Girl Who Played with Fire" by Stieg Larsson.This will be the reading material for me in this Christmas..:-)

I read the first one - The girl with the dragon Tattoo. I enjoyed it, though I was surprised that, despite the title, so much attention was paid to the chap - I have forgotten his name - in the novel. He became the protagonist for me, even though she is the most interesting character and saves him.

it was only 20% reduction when I went a couple of weeks ago, I'd like to go again but I really cannot justify the time. I must do some cooking, I must re-hang the curtains in the spare room, I must do a bit more than nominal cleaning, I must.....go away and get on with it. Kasie

It was 40% last night, with some going for 60%. Can you not spare an hour? If you've been a good customer - you deserve to benefit a bit.

[motherhubbard]

I know I have a copy of this somewhere and I've been wanting to read it AND i just finished a book. I think I can do this one!

[Virgil]

Wow, it looks like we're going to have a great turn out. Should be a wonderful discussion. Hopefully I will start reading tomorrow night.

[Janine]

Why this novel....just curious...does it take place at Christmas or holiday time? I read it ages ago and I forget. Like I said I am just curious. I think I own the book but I have no idea where I put it. Maybe it's in my compiled edition of James - I will look. I know it's a neat story.

[Virgil]

I think it does take place on Christmas Janine.

[NickAdams]

This is the perfect book to get me back into the reading group.

[kasie]

I read the first one - The girl with the dragon Tattoo. I enjoyed it, though I was surprised that, despite the title, so much attention was paid to the chap - I have forgotten his name - in the novel. He became the protagonist for me, even though she is the most interesting character and saves him.

it was only 20% reduction when I went a couple of weeks ago, I'd like to go again but I really cannot justify the time. I must do some cooking, I must re-hang the curtains in the spare room, I must do a bit more than nominal cleaning, I must.....go away and get on with it. Kasie

It was 40% last night, with some going for 60%. Can you not spare an hour? If you've been a good customer - you deserve to benefit a bit.

Paul - you wicked tempter, you! I really shouldn't but...

re: Girl with Dragon Tattoo - the series is called The Millennium Trilogy and is as much about the magazine, Millennium, as about the two main protagonists. The Plot thickens in Part Two, which has scenes that are just crying out to be filmed, especially the last but one section - but I wouldn't dream of spoiling it by going into details! I'm very tempted to buy Part Three in hardback but I'm teasing myself and waiting for the paperback.