What are you reading?

charley · 10-14-2018, 03:03 PM

I am presently reading the first book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, which is called A Discovery of Witches. I've gotten as far as Chapter 5, and am enjoying it immensely. How I got to start reading it was real simple: I have seen the first 5 episodes of A Discovery of Witches, a TV series adaptation of the book which was released this year by Sky in the UK. It's really very well done, much better than the Twilight film series, sort of better cause instead of for teens it's for adults. It's got everything in it - witches, vampires and daemons; it's well scripted, great acting (and excellent casting); it also has romance, drama, suspense, crime and mystery. Can't wait for episode 6, so I began reading the book... lol

Teresa Palmer plays the "witch" , and oh boy, is she ever a hottie...!!!

She also starred in Hacksaw Ridge as Dorothy...

Harkness has created the witch with a last name of Bishop, going back to one of the original Salem witches - one of her ancestors. So there is a lot of history involved, alchemy, etc. Btw, the two women who raised Diana Bishop (her 'aunts') are a lesbian couple of witches - one white: Sarah (played by Alex Kingston, known for her role in Doctor Who) and one a WOC: Emily (played by Valarie Pettiford) (grinz).

Wikipedia writes of the book:

"A Discovery of Witches was first published in hardcover on February 8, 2011, by Penguin Books, becoming a New York Times Best Seller upon its release. It has since been released in paperback and also as an ebook. The novel has been translated into more than 36 languages. The book received mostly positive feedback from literary critics. It was praised for its intelligence and the mixture of history and fantasy, although some critics felt the plot was trite and the pacing was slow. Comparisons were made between other popular fantasy series, namely Twilight and Harry Potter. The novel began as a "thought experiment" for Harkness, who had previously only published works of historical non-fiction. She drew upon her academic background as a historian and her studies of alchemy, magic, and the occult."

I would say that the pacing in the TV series is not slow at all... kudos to the screenwriters.

Curiously, all of the characters in the book seem to have a dark side, so its appeal seems to be ... um..., universal (laughs)... and that is one reason I thought to mention the book and TV series here (haha!)

IMDb listing carries a rating of 8.6 and popularity is increasing for the TV series https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177461/

dark_crystal · 10-14-2018, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charley

I am presently reading the first book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, which is called A Discovery of Witches.

Love this trilogy. My book club read the first one and w all made sure to keep up after that

Excited for the series but I don’t think we can see it in US yet.

Also the a visit to the Bodleian Library is now on my bucket list

charley · 10-15-2018, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dark_crystal

Love this trilogy. My book club read the first one and w all made sure to keep up after that

Excited for the series but I don’t think we can see it in US yet.

Also the a visit to the Bodleian Library is now on my bucket list

Yes, that would be fun (both you and I would enjoy such a visit); one can just see you quietly moving up to the librarian's front desk, requesting a peek at Ashmole 782, and waiting for the librarian to groan (lol).

Btw, you may have noted in the above Wikipedia quote that one critic uses the word "trite". Personally, on reflection, it must have been one sexist misogynist guy who wrote that review, since Harkness details every feeling which Bishop has, and most sexist men cannot cope with the fact that women have feelings to begin with, lol.

Personally, I enjoy all these details, as it fills in on what much of the TV series doesn't explain.

I also wanted to add that the chapter numbering in the book doesn't equate precisely with the TV episode # - it seems to follow most of the same order, but the first 4 chapters of the book are covered in episodes 1 and 2.

Wrang1er · 10-15-2018, 08:37 AM

I just finished "The Shack" by William P. Young. My mom was reading it and said she'd like to see the movie. I got the movie from the library and we watched it. After that, I had to read the book.

I attended a funeral last week and the preacher doing the service said some things and after reading this book it's really got me thinking.

akiza · 10-19-2018, 02:52 PM

i'm reading switch of william bayer i wouldn't be against something more gore but this one will do

Orema · 10-20-2018, 06:16 AM

An interview with Viola Davis: 'I stifled who I was to be seen as pretty. I lost years'

From The Guardian; Success hasn’t come easy for the Oscar-winning star. She talks to Benjamin Lee about the limited roles black actors are offered, why The Help was a missed opportunity, and how she learned to take the lead – in life and on screen

https://www.theguardian.com/film/201...years-the-help

10-14-2018, 03:03 PM	#1
charley Timed Out - Permanent How Do You Identify?: gentle stonebutch [vanilla] Relationship Status: single Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: canada Posts: 497 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 906 Thanked 1,204 Times in 422 Posts Rep Power: 0	A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness I am presently reading the first book in the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, which is called A Discovery of Witches. I've gotten as far as Chapter 5, and am enjoying it immensely. How I got to start reading it was real simple: I have seen the first 5 episodes of A Discovery of Witches, a TV series adaptation of the book which was released this year by Sky in the UK. It's really very well done, much better than the Twilight film series, sort of better cause instead of for teens it's for adults. It's got everything in it - witches, vampires and daemons; it's well scripted, great acting (and excellent casting); it also has romance, drama, suspense, crime and mystery. Can't wait for episode 6, so I began reading the book... lol Teresa Palmer plays the "witch" , and oh boy, is she ever a hottie...!!! She also starred in Hacksaw Ridge as Dorothy... Harkness has created the witch with a last name of Bishop, going back to one of the original Salem witches - one of her ancestors. So there is a lot of history involved, alchemy, etc. Btw, the two women who raised Diana Bishop (her 'aunts') are a lesbian couple of witches - one white: Sarah (played by Alex Kingston, known for her role in Doctor Who) and one a WOC: Emily (played by Valarie Pettiford) (grinz). Wikipedia writes of the book: "A Discovery of Witches was first published in hardcover on February 8, 2011, by Penguin Books, becoming a New York Times Best Seller upon its release. It has since been released in paperback and also as an ebook. The novel has been translated into more than 36 languages. The book received mostly positive feedback from literary critics. It was praised for its intelligence and the mixture of history and fantasy, although some critics felt the plot was trite and the pacing was slow. Comparisons were made between other popular fantasy series, namely Twilight and Harry Potter. The novel began as a "thought experiment" for Harkness, who had previously only published works of historical non-fiction. She drew upon her academic background as a historian and her studies of alchemy, magic, and the occult." I would say that the pacing in the TV series is not slow at all... kudos to the screenwriters. Curiously, all of the characters in the book seem to have a dark side, so its appeal seems to be ... um..., universal (laughs)... and that is one reason I thought to mention the book and TV series here (haha!) IMDb listing carries a rating of 8.6 and popularity is increasing for the TV series https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177461/

10-15-2018, 08:37 AM	#4
Wrang1er Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Me, myself and I Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Here Posts: 1,526 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 6,112 Thanked 7,043 Times in 1,354 Posts Rep Power: 21474851	I just finished "The Shack" by William P. Young. My mom was reading it and said she'd like to see the movie. I got the movie from the library and we watched it. After that, I had to read the book. I attended a funeral last week and the preacher doing the service said some things and after reading this book it's really got me thinking.

10-19-2018, 02:52 PM	#5
akiza Member How Do You Identify?: femme Preferred Pronoun?: khaleessi lol ^-^ just go with aki,ana,kit or princess Relationship Status: single Join Date: May 2017 Location: Congo-brazzaville Posts: 774 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 318 Thanked 623 Times in 285 Posts Rep Power: 0	i'm reading switch of william bayer i wouldn't be against something more gore but this one will do

10-20-2018, 06:16 AM	#6
Orema Superlative Soul Sister How Do You Identify?: Lesbian stone femme Preferred Pronoun?: She, her Relationship Status: Moving in a single file and sometimes a sinner. Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Cottage of Content Posts: 13,729 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 41,497 Thanked 34,766 Times in 8,975 Posts Rep Power: 21474861	An interview with Viola Davis: 'I stifled who I was to be seen as pretty. I lost years' From The Guardian; Success hasn’t come easy for the Oscar-winning star. She talks to Benjamin Lee about the limited roles black actors are offered, why The Help was a missed opportunity, and how she learned to take the lead – in life and on screen https://www.theguardian.com/film/201...years-the-help