Weekly Geeks 2009-18

This week, take us on a literary tour of your hometown!

Do you live in a place where a famous author was born? Does your town have any cool literary museums or monuments? Does Stephen King live at the end of your street? Was Twilight set in your hometown?

Share your fun literary facts about the town or area where you live. You can talk about famous (or not so famous) authors who live there, novels that have been set in your area, or any other literary facts that you know about where you live. Feel free to embellish with pictures of places and/or authors, maps of the area, and fun facts about the authors.

As usual, feel free to personalize this. Don’t like your hometown? Pick another! Do you live in a literary wasteland? Feel free to expand and discuss a region. Feel like returning to a place you lived 20 years ago? Go for it!

Have fun…and I look forward to reading about your literary tour!

Living in a town like Stratford offers some unique encounters that wouldn’t happen in just any town.  Living in the home of North America’s largest respiratory theatre.  We have many visitors yearly and sometimes those visitors are people that are writing the books you’re reading, or we watch them weekly on television, or starting in the latest blockbuster. 

It was a while after I was working for the Stratford Shakespeare Festival I found out one my colleagues is a published author.  Melissa Strangway author of 56 Water Street works the in the same department as I do and I hear that she’s working on her next novel.  I feel bad that I haven’t read 56 Water Street but because I work with it’s one that I should work on hunting down and read.  But she isn’t the only author that has called Stratford home.

The other, this one is a stalwart in the Canadian literary world, is Timothy Findley.  He’s an author and playwright known most, perhaps, for Not Wanted on the Voyage a retelling of Noah’s days on the arc.  I found the story exhilarating and couldn’t get enough of it.  One of Findley’s last works was a tip of the hat to the town he called home.  Spadework is a novel set in Stratford.  I read this one while living in Manitoba.  It was great reading something like that because I knew exactly where things were happening and know some of the great Stratford landmarks that his characters would have passed while navigating the Stratford streets.

Those are the authors that I’m aware of that live in town.  I’m sure with some research I would find others that are currently residing here or have lived here.  But I do know we’ve had visitors like Michael Ondaatji, Carol Shields and Margaret Atwood just to name a few.  

I know now that the festival is underway again I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more writers in our midst.

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Weekly Geeks 2009-16

I only ask you to do one, some, all or none of the following:

1. Explain your review format – if you have one. Or maybe your rating system?

2. Highlight another book-blogger’s review format by linking to a favorite example – don’t forget to tell us why they are a fave! 

3. Do a review in another book-blogger’s format of your latest read. I did this just the other day when I had read a great post discussing what makes a good review and ‘borrowing’ from a comment by Ramya. That post was one of Bethany’s and my example giving Ramya the credit is here.

4. Highlight a past review that you are particularly proud of and why the format or structure may have had something to do with it.

I would have loved to have seen how Dewey would have presented this – she was always so gracious and helpful with her comments on reviews. It’s wonderful that her spirit lives on with this community we are building, the conversations we are sharing, the friendships we are making and the BOOKS we are READING!

Last, and certainly not least, Dewey’s blog featured a page devoted to her review questionaire format which is what inspired my idea in the first place.

Happy Geeks!

I don’t think I really have a review format, and I definitely don’t have a rating system.  There are somethings that I think are important to have in the review but it really isn’t a hard and fast format.  

I’ve toyed with the idea of a rating system but I really don’t know what to use.  There are some great systems out there but I don’t want to copy something just because it works for one person.  I’d like for a system to be unique to each blog.  And it should be easy to follow.  I just haven’t been able to think of anything that would work for me so I’ve decided not to go with a rating system.

When I write my reviews I like to include a little about the book, a short synopsis.  Then state my like/dislike for the book and explain why I didn’t really like or why I did like it.  I think that’s the most important aspect of a review.  Without this even a rating system is rather useless.

Weekly Geeks 2009-15

How many of us remember a favorite pet from our childhood? Or have enjoyed visiting the zoo? Or relish in walking in the woods and hearing birdsong, or seeing a deer leap away through the brush? How many of us have been thrilled by a soaring eagle? How often have we sought the comfort of a dog or cat, or wept tears of loss when forced to say good-bye to a furred friend?

We are surrounded by our fellow creatures and often our lives are enriched by their presence, whether it be sharing our homes with them or simply being blessed to see them in passing.

This week you are asked to share books (fiction or nonfiction) and/or movies which center around an animal or animals.

• Which are your favorites?
• Which touched your heart the most?
• Which have found their way onto your wish lists or TBR stacks?
• Is there a childhood favorite?
• Have you ever named a pet after an animal from a book or movie?

You get the idea! Have fun with this; use your imagination. Share your thoughts!

As an adjunct to this post, consider sharing photos of animals (domestic or wild) which have inspired or thrilled you, or graced your life with their presence.

There were a few books that came to mind right away when I read todays theme.  I’m sure we could all name several movies that have animals in theme, we watched those films over and over again growing up.  So, I’m going to focus on a couple of books that I just adored and had an animal connection.

The first novel to come to mind was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Hadden.  Once I reflected a little more on the book I found I was a little surprised this would be the first one to come to mind.  The dog we’re talking about in this novel is the poodle found murdered at the beginning of the book.  It’s a fabulous book and made me laugh so much while reading it.  The story of an autistic child searching for the murderer is one of those books that has the ability to change you when you read it.

The other book that came to mind right away was one of my favourite books that I first read in high school and I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve read it since.  I’m talking about George Orwell’s Animal Farm.  I think the reason this book stuck with me because I love history and the story of the Russian revolution is a great story.  Orwell’s retelling of the revolution is fantastic and has everything in it.  It’s amazing and if you haven’t read it forty times already you should pick it up and give it another go.

Those are just two great animal books that should be read by all.  I’m looking forward to seeing what other books have been suggested from my fellow weekly geeks.

Weekly Geeks 2009-14

What shall we cook today? It seems that for most of us, a bit of our book obsession would carry over to the cookbook genre, so this week for Weekly Geeks, let’s talk cookbooks! Here are some ideas to get you started:

–Describe your cookbook collection. How many cookbooks do you own? A lot? Just a few? None at all?
–Do you even buy cookbooks? Or do you gather family cookbook compilations and/or recipe files instead?
–Do you like to collect certain types of cookbooks? Say, from certain chefs? From places you visit? From a particular food group or style?
–When buying cookbooks, what do you look for? Does it need to have pictures? Spiral binding? A specific type of font?
–What is your favorite cookbook? Tell us the story behind it.
–Tell us about your most well-used cookbook. Is it different from your favorite cookbook? Or are they one and the same?
–Take a picture of your collection. How and where do you organize it?
–Share a recipe from one of your favorite cookbooks. Include a picture if you can.

Alright this is something I wish I could contribute to more but unfortunate this isn’t possible.  I have books at my current residence but I also have so many more in boxes at my parents place.  In those boxes I think there may be one book cookbook.  And if I remember correctly I’ve been a good Mennonite and my cookbook is More With Less.  It’s a cookbook that I love using to cook with but I wish I had more.  I hope to get the second cookbook put out by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) called Extending the Table.

I enjoy cooking but when I do I tend to do experiments, most work but there are others that don’t.  And it’s rather unfortunate when one of my concoctions don’t work out as I expected.  But even if I don’t use cookbooks I enjoy looking at them to produce some ideas.  There are even times I wish I had them so I know what to cook.  And there is nothing greater than a good photo of some tasty food.

Weekly Geeks 2009-12

When Dewey started Weekly Geeks, one of the first projects she encouraged us to do was link our book reviews to each other. Sadly, I’ve fallen of the wagon on this one. For people like me who need a refresher and for all the new Weekly Geeks this is a topic that could use repeating.

Let’s look at Dewey’s original post : Dewey’s post.

Here’s what we’ll do:

1. Write a post encouraging readers to look through your archives (if you have your reviews in a particular place on your blog, point them there), and find the books that they have also written reviews. Tell them to leave a link to their review on your review post. For example, I’ve written a review for Gods Behaving Badly and Jane Doe leaves a link to her review of Gods Behaving Badly in the comments section of my review.
2. Edit your reviews to include those links in the body of the review post.
3. Visit other Weekly Geeks and go through their reviews. Leave links for them.
4. Leave a note somewhere on your blog to let people know this is your new policy.
5. Write a post later this week letting us know how your project is going!

This is a big undertaking but as Dewey put it, it’s ‘community building’. Have fun!

This weeks project is a repeat of one we did when Weekly Geeks got started. It’s one that I really enjoyed and have expanded it a bit by doing a google search of the book I’ve reviewed and link at least three other bloggers that have also reviewed the novel I did. Take a look through my archives and see if there is anything I’ve reviewed that you have also reviewed. If you find something that you have also reviewed please send me an email at thatsthebook@gmail.com and I’ll add the link at the end of my review.

Weekly Geeks 2009-11

Do you have a favorite book that really pulled you back in time, or perhaps gave you a special interest in that period? Include a link to a review of it on another book blog if you can find one (doesn’t have to be a Weekly Geek participant).

I generally don’t read an overabundance of historical fiction. When I want history I generally go for non-fiction. But there are a couple of books that that come to mind. One that I’ve read for the first time this year and one that I’ve read again this year. I’m sure those of you regular readers here will know that one of them is Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow.

The other book that I really enjoyed was the winner of Canada Reads this year, Lawrence Hill’s The Book of Negroes (which goes by Someone Knows My Name outside of Canada)

Reviews can be found at these links:
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill
These links have links to other reviewers so you’re not just getting my opinion.

Weekly Geeks 2009-10

Worst movie adaptations: The recent release of Watchmen based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore got me thinking about what I thought were the worst movie adaptations of books. What book or books did a director or directors completely ruin in the adaptation(s) that you wish you could “unsee,” and why in your opinion, what made it or them so bad in contrast to the book or books?

It’s been a very long time since I’ve participated in Weekly Geeks but I’ve always wanted to get back into it. For some reason or another I’ve not been able to get around to participating. I’m excited to finally be a Weekly Geek again! And this week is a great subject so I’m really thrilled to be part of this again.

When I first got the Weekly Geeks page I had to laugh because of the post I made earlier today about the new feature I’ll be having on here (Theatrical Thursday). But this question in particular really got me thinking about adaptations I’ve enjoyed and ones I didn’t. There are so many movies I didn’t like and would rather never see again but ones that I can pin point specifically as ones based on books I’ve read is more difficult.

Part of my problem with coming up with bad book films is that if the film is bad enough I block it out as best I can. The two movies that I can think of are Ragtime and A Clockwork Orange. Ragtime is a a fantastic novel by E.L. Doctorow and of course A Clockwork Orange is by Anthony Burgess was one of the first books that had me gripped right from page one and have altered the way I thought for a few days after.

Burgess’ writing is fantastic and the language he creates for the novel is wonderful. I was definitely drawn to the book for sometime before I picked it up and once I finally I did I was really glad. Before I was finished the novel I started thinking using that language which really excited me that a novel could influence me so much. So, when I watched Stanley Kubrick’s film staring Malcolm McDowell I was disappointed. Primarily because I didn’t think it grasped half of what the book did due to the created language.

And I also have to admit that I cannot watch anything that has to do things with a persons eye. Nothing is supposed to eyes, don’t put things in your eyes (and that includes drops and contacts). That just made watching the film extremely difficult. But that’s just a personal issue.

As for Ragtime directed by Milos Forman failed because it was missing too much of the book. Again it’s just a personal thing but I adored the book so much I didn’t think a good film adaptation could ever be made. Without everything the movie just didn’t seem complete. It did have a fabulous cast so it definitely had that going for it. In this clip you can see Mandy Patinkin as Tateh:

But the book was also made into a wonderful musical that I just love. I’ll leave this post with a clip from the musical.

Weekly Geeks #8 – Scavenger Hunt

I’m really excited about this weeks Weekly Geeks challenge. This week we are having a scavenger hunt, what could be more exciting? This is going to take a while to finish this so be sure to keep checking back for updates on the words I’ve found. The link to location of the given word is provided just below the the word. Then the actual sentence with the word(s) is posted below the link and the actual word(s) are bolded in red. 1. (THE PRIZE. Did you find it?)
http://deweymonster.com/?p=771 OhbythewaytheprizeisasubscriptiontoBookmarksmagazinesogolistthatasnumberonenow! AlsothewinnerwillbefeaturedinWeeklyGeeks#10.
2. youtube
http://bybeebooks.blogspot.com/2008/05/weekly-geeks-5-ive-got-story.html I don’t know who invented youtube, but I like to think that the Universe sat down one day, chin in hand and asked itself: What can I come up with that would make Susan Jackson Bybee deliriously happy? Nice job, Universe…My thank-you note’s in the cosmic mail.
3. war
http://bookworship.blogspot.com/2008/05/weekly-geeks-4-social-issues.html From the cold war to the height of today’s war on terror, groups as dissimilar as armies, religious cults, and advertising agencies have been accused of brainwashing. But what does this mean?
4. Sunday Salon
http://smallworldreads.blogspot.com/2008/05/weekly-geeks-childhood-favorites.html This is a repost of a Sunday Salon post, but it seems appropriate for this week’s Weekly Geeks theme (my first): fond memories of childhood books
5. Buy a Friend a Book
http://melissasbookreviews.blogspot.com/2007/10/hoppin-october.html
If that isn’t enough for you to do… this week is BOTH Buy a Friend a Book Week and Banned Books Week.
6. BTT (or Booking Through Thursday)
http://justaddbooks.blogspot.com/2008/06/whew-catch-up-on-reviews-week-was-hard.html If you would like to see all of our cats, they’re in this post here: http://justaddbooks.blogspot.com/2008/02/booking-through-thursday.html
7. omnibus
http://astripedarmchair.wordpress.com/2008/05/14/weekly-geeks-and-a-blogging-meme/ I just spent ten minutes doing an internet search, and it turns out it’s a trilogy called The Year of the Cat by Zoe Daniels; my friend had an omnibus edition.
8. Speculative fiction
http://eft.fabglitter.org/blog/?p=114 I tend to like chick lit, funny fiction, speculative fiction, very personal fiction, and adult non-fiction the best – which is to say that I want things that are either relaxing or exciting to read.
9. Short stories
http://readingandmorereading.blogspot.com/2008/06/weekly-geeks-7-posting-pictures.html I have found many a poetrt books from here along with history, short stories etc etc.
10. Ani Difranco (or just Ani)
http://boldblueadventure.blogspot.com/2008/05/goose-girl.html Ani is the crown princess of Kildenree.
11. Printz
http://tinyreadingroom.blogspot.com/2008/02/review-looking-for-alaska.html
From the very first page, tension fills John Green’s Michael L. Printz Award-winning novel (Dutton, 2005).
12. Man Booker Prize (or just Booker)
http://rhinoasramblings.blogspot.com/2008/04/blind-assassin-margaret-atwood.html Reason for Reading : Chunkster Challenge, Book Awards Reading Challenge, Man Booker Challenge, I love her other books that I have read
13. Newbery
http://pagenumbered.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/because-im-bored/ Kira-Kira. It won the Newberry one year but I’m not sure who wrote it.
14. Mother Talk
http://deweymonster.com/?p=773
Donated by: Mother Talk
15. interview
http://armenianodar.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/iran-awakening-by-shirin-ebadi/ When I watched that broadcast [an interview Ebadi gave on CNN], aware that it was being beamed around the world, I also realized for the first time that I had become what you might call famous.
16. history
http://www.randomwonder.com/2008/06/black-tower-by-louis-bayard-book.html The Black Toweris both an alternate history and suspense story, spinning an imagined tale where France’s lost dauphin, Louis XVII, survived his tower imprisonment.
17. glbt (or any other arrangement of those letters, or with a q in there)
http://karinlibrarian.wordpress.com/triple-8-reading-challenge/
8 GLBT Teen Novels
18. fantasy
http://jlshall.blogspot.com/2008/06/grannys-wonderful-fairy-tales.html And one thing my home library tour has made me realize is just how much my youthful reading was dominated by fantasy and folk or fairy tales.
19. film
http://www.caribousmom.com/2008/06/14/the-kite-runner-book-review/ The Kite Runner has been banned by the Afghan government because of a rape scene of a young boy and the ethnic tensions that the film highlights. 20. giraffe
http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/02/23/the-no-1-ladies-detective-agency-by-alexander-mccall-smith/ This is the first book in the series and I plan on reading the rest of the titles which are (mainly for my benefit): Tears of the Giraffe, Morality for Beautiful Girls, The Kalahari Typing School for Men, The Full Cupboard of Life, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies, Blue Shoes and Happiness, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive, and The Miracle at Speedy Motors.
21. biography
http://notenoughbookshelves.blogspot.com/2008/06/thirteeth-tale.html Vida hires Margaret to write her official biography, an event the world has been waiting for as Vida is incredible secretive about her past, telling different tales to a variety of interviews.
22. Geraldine Brooks
http://bottle-of-shine.livejournal.com/279973.html The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year went to March, a novel by Geraldine Brooks, published by Viking.
23. graphic novels
http://chainletters.wordpress.com/2008/06/13/the-sandman-the-dolls-house/ As part of the Graphic Novels Challenge, this post was cross-blogged here.
24. classics
http://katrinasreads.blogspot.com/2008/05/classics-challenge-july-dec-2008.html Trish has set up The Classics Challenge – yet another challenge that I can’t resist!
25. faerie
http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/2008/05/29/stardust/ The catch: he has to cross a stone barrier into the land of Faerie and battle others, including a witch, who believes the heart of the star will give her and her sisters their youth back, and brothers, who believe that whichever gets the star will become lord of the kingdom in which they live.
26. Amelie
http://karinlibrarian.wordpress.com/2007/09/18/midnight-alley-by-rachel-caine/ Everyone should be safe now that she has signed a contract with Amelie.
27. doo doo doo
28. 24 Hour Read-a-thon
http://joystory.blogspot.com/2008/06/lets-get-together-read-read-read.html Dewey has scheduled another 24 Hour Read-a-thon! 29. etsy
http://www.clareswindlehurst.com/bookreviews/2008/04/26/weekly-geeks-discover-new-blogs-week/ Chris writes her blog at book-a-rama and it’s full of great reviews and cute etsy finds.
30. poetry
http://justareadingfool.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/weekly-geeks-7-part-1/ Top shelves are mostly hardcovers with a few exceptions; second shelves, American authors; third shelves, poetry; fourth shelves, international authors (primarily though British) and bottom left shelf where cat (who looks sort of demonic with the flash in his eyes, doesn’t he?) is is nonfiction of various kinds.
31. Bookmooch
http://stuffasdreamsaremadeon.com/2008/06/07/weekly-geeks-7-and-stuff/ The other six all came from bookmooch and quite a few have been recommended by you bloggers!
32. del.icio.us
33. R.E.M.
34. Bookworms Carnival
http://armenianodar.wordpress.com/2008/05/16/may-bookworms-carnival-and-some-more/ The May edition of the Bookworms Carnival is up over at Scooter Chronicles.
35. library
http://web.mac.com/cymraeg_ddewines/Welsh_Witch/Merry_Meet.html The Library holds a complete list of the books I read and review while embarking on my wonderful journey into the great book.
36. Lost (must refer to the TV series)
http://jellyjules.com/?p=515 But when Lost is on, I must watch, no matter how dumb it gets.
37. Six Feet Under
http://jellyjules.com/?p=515
That’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, Weeds, Six Feet Under, Dead Like Me, so many great shows on HBO or Showtime, that we watch at our leisure, because we don’t have to watch them on TV.
38. ReadingAnimals (I’m featuring her because I feel bad that I can’t figure out how to comment at her blog.)
http://readinganimals.com/
39. hedgehog
http://blbooks.blogspot.com/2007/12/picture-book-parade.html
Anderson, Lena. 2007. Hedgehog, Pig, and the Sweet Little Friend.
40. pregnant
http://thewrittenword.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/the-friday-night-knitting-club-a-giveaway/ Having had her heart broken by Dakota’s father James while still pregnant, Georgia was left to find her own way to make a living and support her family.
41. nosebleed (or nose bleed)
http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com/2006/06/happy-belated-birthday-hugh-and-one.html “The problem is one part of the brain is doing it, and the other part is listening all the time. Something like ‘coronary artery’ gives me a nosebleed.
42. 42 (No, that’s not a mistake; number 42 is to find the digit 42.)
http://the-iceberg.blogspot.com/2008/05/challenges-progress.html 5 / 12 titles. 42% done!
43. herding cats
http://jlshall.blogspot.com/2008/04/another-challenge-342745-ways-to-herd.html
LABELS: HERDING CATS CHALLENGE, READING, READING CHALLENGES
44. Django Reinhardt
45. A.S. Byatt
http://stuffasdreamsaremadeon.com/2008/06/07/weekly-geeks-7-and-stuff/ Possession by A.S. Byatt – Nymeth is the main reason for me getting this one though I know that many have read and loved this one.
46. Homer
http://bookchronicle.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/the-penelopiad-by-margaret-atwood/ I was particularly interested in this one as my own experience with Homer’s The Odyssey left much to be desired. (The next three are suggestions from my son.)
47. ROFL
48. cheezburger (must be spelled with Z!)
http://the-iceberg.blogspot.com/2008/06/cat-etiquette.html For your Monday enjoyment from I Can Has Cheezburger.
49. d20
http://deweymonster.com/?page_id=686
http://lh5.ggpht.com/dewpie/SBvIuGHlY5I/AAAAAAAABq0/eLWd20mjJs0

50.-?: Each participant gets to put one keyword in the comments, so keep coming back to check on them if you’re trying for the prize!

51. Little Critter
http://blog.mawbooks.com/2008/06/20/our-trip-to-the-hospital-book-recommendations-for-kids-headed-there/
When Little Critter breaks his leg in a soccer game, he has to make his first trip to the hospital.
52. translation or translated
http://age30books.blogspot.com/2008/04/suite-francaise.html
It could be the translation, or it could be how it was written, I can’t say either way. But it didn’t keep my attention the way I hoped it would.
53. dumpster(s)
http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com/2008/05/felicity-young-west-australian-author.html
The disappearance of an 11 year old girl, and the eventual finding of her body in a dumpster, brings Monty and Stevie, already lovers and parents of six year old Izzy, together into a joint operation directed by Monty.
54. Orson Scott Card
http://stuffasdreamsaremadeon.com/2008/03/29/the-blue-girl-by-charles-de-lint/
I’m beginning to put Charles de Lint right up there with Orson Scott Card and Neil Gaiman as one of my favorite authors after reading The Blue Girl.
55. tite kubo
56. Pavement!
http://writingchaosthatisme.blogspot.com/2008/02/so-melancholly-grows.html
Lets walk again our promised road,
yellow pavement we forever followed sedated,
but look the color is gone, the yellow has faded
along with our dreams on pages outdated.
57. magic realism
http://alessandrasplace.blogspot.com/2008/05/book-review-garden-spells.html
This was an enchanting book–full of magical realism.
58. search – and the search bar login thingy that every blog has doesn’t count.
http://www.literaryescapism.com/2008/03/09/90/
I know it’s fairly easy to find them since all you have to do is type their name in the search bar, but my list is there for people who are maybe trying to find someone new or can’t remember how to spell someone’s name.
59. nerdfighter(s)
http://confuzzledbooks.blogspot.com/2008/06/claudia-and-sad-good-bye-babysitters.html
This was done last year of course and they still vlog at the Nerdfighters Site.
60. summer
http://zetor-mogsblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/month-of-june.html
“It’s beautiful the Summer month of June
When all of God’s own wildflowers are in bloom
And sun shines brightly most part of the day
And butterflies o’er lush green meadows play.
61. Amish
http://smallworldreads.blogspot.com/2008/06/booking-through-thursday-clubbing.html
We were discussing the most dreadful book: Crossing Over: One Woman’s Escape from the Amish Life.
62. ARC
http://agirlwalksintoabookstore.blogspot.com/2008/06/review-tea-rose-by-jennifer-donnelly.html
(we do find out in the next book, but it won’t be published until next year; I only know because I’ve been reading an ARC of The Winter Rose).

Weekly Geeks #6 – Missed Reviews Part 1

Alright, as I mentioned in an earlier post this week I said I wanted to use this week to catch up on reviews. This is last weeks task for Weekly Geeks, as I’m sure you all know already, but I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to do some reviews that I haven’t yet done. I will be doing these reviews individually, like I do all my reviews, I want to give each book is due. It is important to give each book the time it deserves and that is why I’m not about to group a bunch of books together in a single post, the books I have time to review will be reviewed individually. There are two books in particular that I want to review so I’ll start with one today and get to another at another date.

On the other hand I don’t think I’ll be getting this weeks (7) Weekly Geeks done as I don’t have a functioning camera right now. I left a vital cord in Korea so I won’t be able to put photos on my camera. If I can borrow a camera from someone I’ll do it but I’m not really expecting that to happen right now.

The first review I wanted to do was for The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn. This was a book that I wanted to read for an extremely long time, I already know what the scarlet letter was, but I never got around to it. I finally downloaded a mp3 audio-book and listened to it while still in Korea. There is something about listening to classics because they were written to be heard. I really enjoyed listening to the book on my new iPod touch.

I’m sure you all the story so I wont give you a synopsis of the book. There were a few things that I really loved about this book. The first was the glimpse into the past that it gives us. The concept of being forced to wear a letter on your clothing that identifies you as a criminal. Everyone in the two would know of the crime committed just because of that bright scarlet letter. The second aspect of the book I loved was how courageous Hester Prynne is. She could have tried to cover up her letter or move into seclusion because of it but she continued to be a functioning member of society.

The only downside that I found, and it could have been because I was listening to the book and not actually reading it, was that there was too much verbal diarrea. The copious amount of verbiage used instead of getting right to the point. It was easy to miss the point of what the author was trying to get across because of the amount of words used. And I find that that happens in many classics, at least the ones that I read. But this is not something that should discourage anyone from reading the book because the story is fascinating.

I’ll be publishing a review of Mail Order Bride by Mark Kalesniko. Also as a reminder to all reads of That’s the Book you can send an email to thatsthebook@gmail.com if you have reviewed this or anything else that I’ve reviewed on this site and I’ll post a link at the end of the post for others to see what you’ve said.

Christina from book-a-rama sent me this link:
http://chris-book-a-rama.blogspot.com/2008/01/scarlet-letter-review.htm

Weekly Geeks #5 – I’ve Got a Story

This week we are to write about a different form of story telling for Weekly Geeks. When I first thought about it I thought this is going to be very difficult but then I remember my favorite form of story telling. Now that I’m back in Canada and more specifically in Stratford I can enjoy this other mode of story telling more than I could in Korea.

Theatre has always been a form of story telling that I love.  This is one mode of telling a tale that can be done using various genres.  Why since being home I’ve already watched my first show at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Cabaret.  The show was fantastic and I would place it in the top three shows of all time.  As with Cabaret you can watch musicals, many of which are now being adopted to the silver screen, but there are also drama, comedy, and mystery.  Not only are these separate genres but they are also sub-genres for the musical and non-musical types.

I could go on and on about theatre and how fantastic it is, I’ve been involved in theatre in many ways and have watched many shows.  But I don’t think I’ll go into all of them.  But I’ll give you a list of some of my all time favorites:

• Anything by William Shakespeare
• Cabaret book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander
• Man of La Mancha book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion, and music by Mitch Leigh
• Proof by David Auburn
• Les Belle Soeurs by Michel Tremblay
• Equus by Peter Shaffer

I’m sure many of you have seen a show or two that you’ve enjoyed.  What are some of your favorites?