welcome griff-rhys! I do know what you mean, and for the most part that is what we discuss. Every now and then conversation strays, but it usually comes right back to books. So, what are you reading now?

hey cindydavid4! I am reading some Edgar Alan Poe as well as Mirth Of A Nation (edited by Michael J. Rosen). Any good books to recommend?

Hello griff and welcome.

If you are looking for great recommendations, I suggest you grab a notebook and slowly read through the monthly "What are you reading" threads. They are chock full of all sorts of titles read by the folks here who share their opinions on the books. Over the past ten years I've been on this forum, I've learned to trust their judgement.

Welcome, hope you stick around, and jump right into any discussion.

PAM

Hi Griff, I have just been posting here a couple of days and I think it will be fun. Mainly I post and read in computer help forums. Not real active anywhere.

hi Pam and jonesy, thanks for your answers and suggestions!

Just finished "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. Has anyone read it? It's excellent! His sequal just came out last month, "World Without End". Just started it, but it's great so far.

nomer, i will have to look into Ken Follett. i have never read him before. sounds interesting.

Welcome Gryff (Welsh, by any chance? *g*)
One warning about Ken Follett - he is one of the most uneven authors I have ever read. I loved Pillars of the Earth, also two thrillers, Key to Rebecca and The Eye of the Needle, but thought some of his more recent books were rather poor.

My favourite recommendations are Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Small Island by Andrea Levy and Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides.

Uneven? Yes, I think that is a good way to describe him. however, I have not read a book like "Pillars of the Earth" before. It really makes you realize how your actions can effect so many people indirectly...the ripple effect. How you see your actions in life as just and good, but how other people might see your actions as greedy and malicious. It also goes to show that you have to take hold of your destiny and take control no matter what obstacles are thrown in your way...perserverence I think is what they call it. I also found it interesting how much control and power the church held during that time period. Scary almost. Is it too far from that now though?

> Is it too far from that now though?

In places where Catholisism is the majority religion, yes in many ways (Latin America, Ireland and Italy come to mind). The Church certainly influences their private lives and their society, and often in those contries have some ties with governmental bodies. But even still I don't think it quite has the life and death control that it did back then. After Vatican II, things changed considerably, esp in less religion oriented countries.

And I really need to find my copy of Pillars; its been ages and I don't want to read the new one before I do that. I suspect - like I do so often - that I see much more in the reread than I did when I first read it (oh, twenty years or so!)

Cindydavid4, I so agree. I live in East TN and it amazes me how the church influences and molds the social circles in this town. I for one, am agnostic, having studied religion in college and found aspects of all religions intriguing, yet many more aspects that leave bad tastes in my mouth. Not saying that I'm not a spiritual person, because I am. After living here most my life, I can honostly say, other than my fiance who is from California, I don't have one person I can call a friend, and I know it is because we don't go to Church and practice religion. But, I saw lot's of current day religious parallelism in this book, of course on a milder level. They certainly don't make women repent for a year for committing adultry, at least where I'm from they don't. I'm not surprised that this is practiced in other places around the world though.

This book definitely had me asking why bad things happen to good people, but I'm a firm believer in Karma, and you see lot's of this in this book. It makes you realize that everything you do in life comes around full circle, directly or indirectly. So far, the sequal is slow, but I'm not very far into it. I hope it is as shocking as Pillars. There were times I could not put it down.

astrokath. actually i am german-irish :)

i stole the name griff-rhys from the english comedian griff-rhys jones (perhaps he is welsh?)

With a name like that, he has to at least have a Welsh background. Or maybe it's just his sense of humour *g*!

I, too, find this a Very stimulating place to come to. For the past few years I've tried to find a good book discussion site. The one I'd been going to became very "child friendly"; making it very bland, w/lots of taboos and "giggly" teenage talk going on. The sophistication level (wit/depth of understanding/scope of genres read, foreign authors/etc.) dropped dramatically. Also, the number of men at the site dropped drastically -- now there are just 2! (It's fun to see a man's point of view on a book.) Guess they were getting tired of the "hen-house party" atmosphere, too!

You have found a GREAT forum for serious book-lovers!
I find that any recommendations or opinions offered are of the highest caliber.
When I need to know........where do I go?
Reader's Paradise Forum !

PS...We've also come up with some amazing poetry threads that continue to surface seasonally years later.
Remember THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS RPers?
Seems like that one might show again soon.......that was great fun.