Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 24, 2008 #401 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Hi, Jim, D I dare ASK how the book is going <g>? Lynn You know the more I think about it, he always (at least now a days) writes with another author. Kind of makes me feel like somebody else is doing all the writing and his name is added for the "sell" factor. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 24, 2008 Author #402 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Sorry, had been very busy the last couple of days. OK, I have finished the book and I agree that you could question whether Patterson wrote this book. More of a Nicholas Sparks type of read/listen. Jim Okay, now I can talk <g>. I guess I'll start with a question. Why is it at the beginning of the book Michael was invisible to everyone except little children? Then by the time Jane had grown up, everyone could see Michael? That was the first thing that jumped out at me, but maybe I missed something. Not that this plot was so deep that I SHOULD have missed something, but you never know. I just kept thinking "come on," throughout this whole book. My favorite part was the coffee ice cream with hot fudge topping (also MY favorite, with mint chocolate chip running a close second.) Any comments about the book? Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 24, 2008 #403 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Okay, now I can talk <g>. I guess I'll start with a question. Why is it at the beginning of the book Michael was invisible to everyone except little children? Then by the time Jane had grown up, everyone could see Michael? That was the first thing that jumped out at me, but maybe I missed something. Not that this plot was so deep that I SHOULD have missed something, but you never know. I just kept thinking "come on," throughout this whole book. My favorite part was the coffee ice cream with hot fudge topping (also MY favorite, with mint chocolate chip running a close second.) Any comments about the book? Lynn I cant say that I knew why? Thought the same thing as well. I actually jumped back to make sure I had not missed something. Not a typical Patterson book, thats for sure. Kind of got to a point where I just accepted it instead of rationalizing what was happening. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 25, 2008 Author #404 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I cant say that I knew why? Thought the same thing as well. I actually jumped back to make sure I had not missed something. Not a typical Patterson book, thats for sure. Kind of got to a point where I just accepted it instead of rationalizing what was happening. Jim That's exactly how I listened to the book, too. I just accepted Michael was invisible, then not, just an imaginary friend, then a real man. I don't believe there is any OTHER way to "take" that book. Very simplistic and bordering on childish, I felt. I can't say it was BAD, but it sure was "fluffy." I certainly didn't "take" the meaning to be this grand love crossing time, etc., etc. I've been reading reviews that describe it sort of like that, but seriously! Now that YOU have commented, I don't think we "missed" anything. I really feel there was a loose end there ... probably one of the most important parts of the book (if there was such a thing) that was just dropped flat. Oh, well. I do think this was for the "sell" factor. I agree 100% with you. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_and_Sean Posted June 25, 2008 #405 Share Posted June 25, 2008 How about Bag of Bones by SK, heard that one? Read by the author. I really enjoyed the book "Bag of Bones" and would love to hear him actually read it. I may need to try that one first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_and_Sean Posted June 25, 2008 #406 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Robert McCammon wrote several books that were in a similar vein as Stephen King. One, in particular, has a definite "The Body/Stand By Me" kind of vibe and is called "Boy's Life". It's a very good coming of age story with a horror bend. Later on he sort of 'retired' from writing and disappeared for awhile and showed back up with a book (a very very long book, that is sometimes sold as two seperate volumes) called "Speaks The Nightbird" which is a fantastic story set in the Carolina territory in the late 1600's with a witchcraft trial arc. Now he has come out with a sequel, which is called "The Queen of Bedlam" which has the same main character and is set in 1702 New York... it's got beautiful prose and the setting is fun and really interesting. If it's on audio book you really ought to try it out. And if not... try it anyways. It's really quite good... in my opinion, anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlassBeagles Posted June 25, 2008 #407 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Okay, now I can talk <g>. I guess I'll start with a question. Why is it at the beginning of the book Michael was invisible to everyone except little children? Then by the time Jane had grown up, everyone could see Michael? Lynn In answer to your question it is mentioned, when Jane is little, that Michael can be seen when he wants to be. I just assumed that since he was on "vacation" he would want to be seen by people. Since I hadn't read any reviews I didn't have any expectations and just enjoyed it as a light fantasy/romance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostAgain Posted June 25, 2008 #408 Share Posted June 25, 2008 My librarian suggested the Creative Zen V Plus and that's what I have. I did listen to one audio book, but then got hooked on free podcasts. I listen when I can't sleep at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 25, 2008 Author #409 Share Posted June 25, 2008 In answer to your question it is mentioned, when Jane is little, that Michael can be seen when he wants to be. I just assumed that since he was on "vacation" he would want to be seen by people. Since I hadn't read any reviews I didn't have any expectations and just enjoyed it as a light fantasy/romance. That's kind of what I thought ... about an explanation for Michael being seen or not. I didn't know anything about the book before listening to it either and enjoyed it mostly because the narrator was so wonderful. In all honesty, though, I think it was a very weak plot ... even to the point of Jane's mother being soooooooooooooo terrible throughout Jane's life and then when she's dying she says oh, I loved you so much, etc., etc. My feeling is if a new author wrote this book, it wouldn't have sold. Even on a fantasy level, there were problems with the plot that didn't have a good enough explanation, in my opinion. Of course, this is only MY opinion <g>. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 25, 2008 Author #410 Share Posted June 25, 2008 My librarian suggested the Creative Zen V Plus and that's what I have. I did listen to one audio book, but then got hooked on free podcasts. I listen when I can't sleep at night. Yes, I looked at the Creative Zen V Plus, too. I decided on the Cowon, but I like both very much. Oooh .... I'm interested. Where do you find free podcasts? What types? That's an area I haven't touched upon yet. I'd love some advice! Thanks! Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 25, 2008 #411 Share Posted June 25, 2008 That's exactly how I listened to the book, too. I just accepted Michael was invisible, then not, just an imaginary friend, then a real man. I don't believe there is any OTHER way to "take" that book. Very simplistic and bordering on childish, I felt. I can't say it was BAD, but it sure was "fluffy." I certainly didn't "take" the meaning to be this grand love crossing time, etc., etc. I've been reading reviews that describe it sort of like that, but seriously! Now that YOU have commented, I don't think we "missed" anything. I really feel there was a loose end there ... probably one of the most important parts of the book (if there was such a thing) that was just dropped flat. Oh, well. I do think this was for the "sell" factor. I agree 100% with you. Lynn I was more disappointed with it being a Patterson book than disappointed with the story, I guess I just expected more. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 25, 2008 #412 Share Posted June 25, 2008 In answer to your question it is mentioned, when Jane is little, that Michael can be seen when he wants to be. I just assumed that since he was on "vacation" he would want to be seen by people. Since I hadn't read any reviews I didn't have any expectations and just enjoyed it as a light fantasy/romance. I agree with it being light and the fantasy/romance angle. Even in his fantasy books in the past tho, there was more.....beef (for lack of a better word). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 25, 2008 #413 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I really enjoyed the book "Bag of Bones" and would love to hear him actually read it. I may need to try that one first. I think SK did a great job with the read. The book wanders a little (from my opinion anyway), but it is definitely worth reading/listening to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 25, 2008 #414 Share Posted June 25, 2008 Robert McCammon wrote several books that were in a similar vein as Stephen King. One, in particular, has a definite "The Body/Stand By Me" kind of vibe and is called "Boy's Life". It's a very good coming of age story with a horror bend. Later on he sort of 'retired' from writing and disappeared for awhile and showed back up with a book (a very very long book, that is sometimes sold as two seperate volumes) called "Speaks The Nightbird" which is a fantastic story set in the Carolina territory in the late 1600's with a witchcraft trial arc. Now he has come out with a sequel, which is called "The Queen of Bedlam" which has the same main character and is set in 1702 New York... it's got beautiful prose and the setting is fun and really interesting. If it's on audio book you really ought to try it out. And if not... try it anyways. It's really quite good... in my opinion, anyways. I will add him/them to my short list, thanks for the lead. Feel free to mention any others!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 25, 2008 Author #415 Share Posted June 25, 2008 I agree with it being light and the fantasy/romance angle. Even in his fantasy books in the past tho, there was more.....beef (for lack of a better word). I sooooo agree, Jim <g>. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 26, 2008 #416 Share Posted June 26, 2008 I sooooo agree, Jim <g>. On a whim, I went to the James Patterson web-site and looked at his anthology, he must be doing exactly as we thought. He has 8 books released in 07 - 08. No way he is writing all of those. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 26, 2008 Author #417 Share Posted June 26, 2008 On a whim, I went to the James Patterson web-site and looked at his anthology, he must be doing exactly as we thought. He has 8 books released in 07 - 08. No way he is writing all of those. Jim Aha! That's outrageous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 27, 2008 #418 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Aha! That's outrageous. Probably even more so, I bet he gets the lion share of the check as well. Of course we say that, I would probably be happy with either check..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest carlogesualdo Posted June 27, 2008 #419 Share Posted June 27, 2008 My Palm Treo has a fantastic mp3 player on it, and if I buy new memory cards, I've basically got unlimited storage to carry whatever I want. Thankfully the memory cards have gotten incredibly cheap. Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure my Palm Z22 the same mp3 player on it as well. My Sony Walkman is really portable and lightweight, and it does remember where you left off...as long as you never have to recharge it. As soon as you plug it into a computer (the only way to recharge that I know of - dumb), it reverts back to the first track on the player. It's also not the best for playing music through headphones. It's a lot like listening to AM radio in the days of mono sound. It's not very robust, although it does fine when I plug it into my car stereo. That's where it stays these days. I listen to my Treo mp3 through the headphones and the sound quality is far superior. Using the stylus, it is really easy to navigate to any track and it does have bookmark capabilities. By far, though, my favorite part about it is that I'm only limited by the space on my Treo and on the card I have inserted. Switch the card, and I've got that much more space to work with. Now if I only had that much time to listen to audio boooks. I really like the V.I. Warshawski series of books by Sarah Paretsky. Maybe you'll remember the movie from the late 1980s with Kathleen Turner? Or maybe not... The movie was set up to make her more like the female version of Fletch. In the books, not so much. She's just a female private detective. One worth reading about, I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted June 27, 2008 Author #420 Share Posted June 27, 2008 Probably even more so, I bet he gets the lion share of the check as well. Of course we say that, I would probably be happy with either check..... I agree with what you're saying, Jim. It just bothers me because he is SUCH a successful writer. He sure doesn't need to just sell his name on anything just for the sale. This book is really out of character. It's funny because I don't even read JP's other books. They're not my style (as you know), but still ... this book could have been written by a real amateur (like me). Now I'm in the midst of OTHER books that are really NOT my reading style at all. I'm listening to Eckhart Tolle's THE POWER OF NOW and A NEW EARTH simply because a friend of mine is soooooooooooo fascinated with them and has been following the whole thing on Oprah. I didn't see ANY of the episodes on Oprah and knew nothing about these books other than hearing ABOUT them. I finished the first book last night and am determined to listen to the other one just so I'm able to talk about them with people. These are SOOOOOOOOOO not me, though <g>. Have you read either book? I guess they make good book club books because they evoke lots of opinions and discussion material. Sigh! NEXT I am back to my fun mysteries <g>. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cruisemates Posted June 28, 2008 #421 Share Posted June 28, 2008 I really like James Patterson. The Honeymoon and the Quickie are great! Good narration as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 29, 2008 #422 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I agree with what you're saying, Jim. It just bothers me because he is SUCH a successful writer. He sure doesn't need to just sell his name on anything just for the sale. This book is really out of character. It's funny because I don't even read JP's other books. They're not my style (as you know), but still ... this book could have been written by a real amateur (like me). Now I'm in the midst of OTHER books that are really NOT my reading style at all. I'm listening to Eckhart Tolle's THE POWER OF NOW and A NEW EARTH simply because a friend of mine is soooooooooooo fascinated with them and has been following the whole thing on Oprah. I didn't see ANY of the episodes on Oprah and knew nothing about these books other than hearing ABOUT them. I finished the first book last night and am determined to listen to the other one just so I'm able to talk about them with people. These are SOOOOOOOOOO not me, though <g>. Have you read either book? I guess they make good book club books because they evoke lots of opinions and discussion material. Sigh! NEXT I am back to my fun mysteries <g>. Lynn Have not heard or or read either. Let me know what you think. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 29, 2008 #423 Share Posted June 29, 2008 I really like James Patterson. The Honeymoon and the Quickie are great! Good narration as well. Liked both myself. The quickie was very good, although the ending was a little forced...kind of an epilogue thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jimbo5544 Posted June 29, 2008 #424 Share Posted June 29, 2008 My Palm Treo has a fantastic mp3 player on it, and if I buy new memory cards, I've basically got unlimited storage to carry whatever I want. Thankfully the memory cards have gotten incredibly cheap. Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure my Palm Z22 the same mp3 player on it as well. My Sony Walkman is really portable and lightweight, and it does remember where you left off...as long as you never have to recharge it. As soon as you plug it into a computer (the only way to recharge that I know of - dumb), it reverts back to the first track on the player. It's also not the best for playing music through headphones. It's a lot like listening to AM radio in the days of mono sound. It's not very robust, although it does fine when I plug it into my car stereo. That's where it stays these days. I listen to my Treo mp3 through the headphones and the sound quality is far superior. Using the stylus, it is really easy to navigate to any track and it does have bookmark capabilities. By far, though, my favorite part about it is that I'm only limited by the space on my Treo and on the card I have inserted. Switch the card, and I've got that much more space to work with. Now if I only had that much time to listen to audio boooks. I really like the V.I. Warshawski series of books by Sarah Paretsky. Maybe you'll remember the movie from the late 1980s with Kathleen Turner? Or maybe not... The movie was set up to make her more like the female version of Fletch. In the books, not so much. She's just a female private detective. One worth reading about, I thought. I kind of remember the movie, but I will try one of the books as a listen. MP3 (and all players) have some a long way. There are moany options now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnAB Posted July 4, 2008 Author #425 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Have not heard or or read either. Let me know what you think. Jim Here are a few books I'm having a hard time giving my opinion on ... again <g>. To me the books are beautifully and intellectually written. Mr. Tolle's command of the English language is amazing. On the other hand (you just KNEW I'd have another comment, right?), a lot of what people are raving and raving about to me seems very basic and obvious. Maybe it's just me <g>. I've listened to both books already and have downloaded the 10 podcasts that were on Oprah where Eckhard Tolle and Oprah discuss the second book with people around the world who call in via Skype. Bottom line: I'm not sure how much I "learned" from these books, but I've enjoyed listening to them. Have a Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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