| Author |
Message |
Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Monday, June 19, 2017 - 8:45 am 
Yesterday I plowed through a terrific autobiography called I'll Be Damned by Eric Braeden who plays Victor Newman on the Young and the Restless. I saw him once when I was covering the Daytime Emmys and he seemed like a cold fish and I was not impressed but his book is excellent I have to admit. Probably one of the best written autobiographies I've ever read.
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Monday, June 19, 2017 - 8:47 am
Uncle Ricky it sounds like you have a glamorous career or at the very least you work in a very glamorous place and hopefully it's enjoyable. 
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, June 19, 2017 - 9:48 am
I look forward to reading it, Ric. I love advance copies. I get so excited when I get one for a book that I have been wanting to read. And I do love when I get a copy and I am pleasantly surprised by the little sleeper.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Monday, June 19, 2017 - 11:03 am
Oh, MB (and Sugar), would that it were even a tiny bit glamorous. Alas it is not. But then it's not drudgery or anything like that.
It's like any other office job in the world. The big difference, though, is my boss is the best boss I've ever had - she hired me as her assistant 15 years ago and I've been with her ever since.
She's the head of the HR department, and as her assistant, that makes me the de facto office manager (35 people). So...we get to deal with all the corporate employees (new hires, problem employees, layoffs, etc.)
The company is great to work for, don't get me wrong, but the only people who have any real "fun" are the people who work on the actual films themselves (on location or on the sound stages).
Just these past couple of days, for example, I've had to oversee a big employee event we're holding next month in conjunction with the release of our big summer film ("War for the Planet of the Apes"). That's meant sending an invitation to over 2,000 employees to attend four screenings of the film and attend a company picnic. It's fun for the employees, of course, because they get to see the film during the day and enjoy the company picnic. Again, I love the job because my boss treats me so well. But in 15 years of overseeing this yearly employee event, I have never attended one picnic nor any of the screenings. That's just the anti-social side of me coming out - I prefer to go to my car and read my book while that picnic madness is going on!
I forgot to mention earlier that the film adaptation of "The Woman in the Window" has an excellent chance of succeeding because of Elizabeth Gabler, the executive who found the property and who will oversee the production. She was responsible for bringing other popular novels to our studio ("The Devil Wears Prada," "The Fault in Our Stars," "Gone Girl" to name just a few). I will be shocked if TWITW isn't a big success when it's released. (Fingers crossed!)
[Mamie, I hope you like it, too. Finn is an excellent writer and none of the passages made me groan or anything like that!]
[MB, thanks for the tip about the Braeden book - I love reading about daytime people. I watched Y&R for a couple of years and he and Jeanne Cooper made that show fun.]
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Monday, June 19, 2017 - 12:53 pm
Uncle_ricky, I am a tad disappointed that your work days are not spent amongst all the glitz and glamour, rife with captivating stories for my parched ears, lol.
Midnight At The Bright Ideas Bookstore was ok. How I long for a novel where the "villain" is a surprise to me.
Rise & Shine Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick was also ok. I was sorely tempted to shout at Benedict to stop being so naïve. Phaedra Patrick also wrote The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.
I also read Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout. When I saw this title on my spreadsheet, I could not remember a single thing about the book and had to look it up on Amazon. I didn't really care for Olive Kitteridge so perhaps this author is simply not one I care to read anymore.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Tuesday, June 20, 2017 - 4:50 am
IT'S SUMMER!!!
I'm scribbling down all your recommendations and getting ready to wallow in reading!
Side Note: Ricky - your job actually sounds wonderful! I started college intending to go into HR but got diverted into teaching my junior year. While I do think I made the right decision, when I retire from teaching at the age of 54, I would love to get into HR or an assistant-like job with lots of communication possibilities. My favorite summer jobs have always been customer service oriented.
On to reading....
I finished In the Woods by Tana French Saturday and have the next one on Kindle loan from the library. LOVED it - and I'm pretty sure it was based on a recommendation by someone here (Ricky?).
I also finished listening to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, so now I'm listening to The Fiery Cross by Gabaldon. I'm working my way through both series as I bike this summer.
For our book club on Sat. I'm reading Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell. I'm only 2 pages in, so no opinion yet.
I also have Match Up going on my other Kindle. It pairs famous writers together to write short stories that share their famous characters. All stories are 10,000 words or fewer, so it should be a good one for short blast reading. My dad started reading it through our Kindle family library already, and he said it is excellent!
I also have the Alex Baldwin autobiography on interlibrary loan (again - THANK YOU for the recommendation), so I'll be starting that as soon as I finish the book club selection.
My entire week's goals consist of 1) finishing laundry, 2) biking another 100 miles, 3) transferring the strawberries and asparagus to vacuum sealed bags for the freezer, and 4) READING!!
I LOVE SUMMER!
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 7:20 am
I enjoyed Matthew Quick's Love May Fail so much that I zipped through his Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock and Sorta Like A Rock Star. He's great at putting the reader through the highs and lows of life with his quirky characters and situations. Rock Star kept me up late at night and had me crying. It was one of those books that I was sorry to come to the last page knowing that I will miss the characters.
Just now I finished Fredrik Backman's very short novella And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer And Longer. It's a sad and sweet story about generations, how we spend our time, loss of memory and loved ones.
And now, for something completely different, I decided to read a book by Sue Grafton, X.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 9:20 am
Teach, you definitely made the right decision. Think of all the students you've inspired over the years. And you get to retire at 54! I'm 59 and I have to work at least 10 more years before I can even think of retiring. But had you gone into HR, I'm sure you would have succeeded immensely. I think the people who fail in HR are those who don't grasp the customer service requirement!
On this first day of summer, I wish you a very GREAT summer - as long as there are books are around, it'll always be great. And good luck with the bike ride!
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 5:51 pm
"Retire" to another job - but RETIRE AWAY FROM GRADING ESSAYS!!!
Truth be told...I may "retire" by teaching overseas so I can see a bit of the world. I'll be working until the house is paid off (at least another 10 years) but I suspect I'll be working in some kind of customer service until I hit at least 68 or 69 (20 years) just to support/create a travel habit.
And thanks - have biked 108 miles so far this week!
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Wednesday, June 21, 2017 - 7:36 pm
Do you pretend those 108 miles are toward somewhere you would like to visit?
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Thursday, June 22, 2017 - 12:45 pm
Teach, the travel idea sounds great! And I just noticed your pledge page in one of your Twitter posts. I get paid next Thursday - I will make a donation then.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Friday, June 23, 2017 - 8:48 am
Sugar - I do! When I hit my 500 mile goal, I will have ridden Scotland's Highland Highway North CLICKIT
It's not necessary, Ricky, but it would be much appreciated. 
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Mameblanche
Member
08-24-2002
| Friday, June 23, 2017 - 9:00 am
Just finished reading Andrew McCall Smith's two latest books from the number one ladies detective agency series. Excellent as usual.
I'm on a massive reading binge this week.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 3:42 pm
Has anyone recently read a mystery/thriller where the "villain" was a surprise or at the very least not blatantly obvious? I would like to read something that had a bit of a surprise ending.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 3:48 pm
That's kind of a setup, Sugar. It's hard to have an ending surprise you when you are expecting it from a recommendation.
I'll try to think of one though.
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Teachmichigan
Member
07-22-2001
| Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 4:34 pm
Sugar - In the Woods by Tana French has a bit of a twist at the end. Any of the Merrily Watkins (by Philip Rickman) series also have excellent twists and turns.
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Saturday, June 24, 2017 - 8:06 pm
Hmmm, I hadn't thought of that Jimmer.
I'm willing to risk it.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, June 25, 2017 - 2:10 pm
I finished Alex and Me and just loved the book, and Alex.
Starting My Life as a Bench by Jaq Hazell.
It has been compared to The Lovely Bones..
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Sugar
Member
08-15-2000
| Sunday, June 25, 2017 - 7:55 pm
My Life as a Bench sounds interesting from the few lines I read about it. I did not care for The Lovely Bones.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Sunday, June 25, 2017 - 9:50 pm
I did like it, but this one sounds interesting and was on sale. We will see.
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Tresbien
Member
08-26-2002
| Monday, June 26, 2017 - 11:55 am
Earlier I was discussing beach books with a friend who was unfamiliar with the term. I found some lists to show as examples and particularly liked this one from NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106983620
I had mixed feelings about The Lovely Bones but was glad I read it. The Jaq Hazell novel sounds intriguing.
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Mamie316
Member
07-08-2003
| Monday, June 26, 2017 - 12:12 pm
I liked The Lovely Bones. It was a tough read but it reeled me in. In fact, my husband read it too and he is not a big reader and he liked it.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Monday, June 26, 2017 - 4:36 pm
I had read Alice Seybold's memoir before she wrote The Lovely Bones, and later was the movie.
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Uncle_ricky
Member
07-02-2007
| Tuesday, June 27, 2017 - 4:31 pm
I thought you all might find this Twitter exchange between me and A.J. Finn amusing and/or interesting:
Ric Munoz @munoz_ric
#TheWomanintheWindow by @AJFinnBooks comes out in January. I read an advance copy: LOVED it! Mr Finn's debut is a spectacular thriller 10/10
7:49 PM - 18 Jun 2017
AJ Finn @AJFinnBooks
Replying to @munoz_ric
What a gent! Thanks for this -- so pleased you had a good time with it.
1:57 PM - 22 Jun 2017
Ric Munoz @munoz_ric
Replying to @AJFinnBooks
You're welcome! I expect the film adaptation will be of similar quality. Alas, the book, as you well know, is always better than the movie!
2:18 PM - 22 Jun 2017
AJ Finn @AJFinnBooks
Replying to @munoz_ric
I bet this'll be an exception. The movie's gonna make the book look bad. Just you wait.
2:48 AM - 24 Jun 2017
Ric Munoz @munoz_ric
Replying to @AJFinnBooks
You're in good hands! The #Fox2000 folks sure know how to improve a book as proved by classics such as #TheDevilWearsPrada & #HiddenFigures
8:15 PM - 24 Jun 2017
AJ Finn @AJFinnBooks
Replying to @munoz_ric
Oh, they're amazing. Life of Pi, Marley and Me, The Fault in Our Stars... And such lovely people there, too. I'm obscenely lucky.
5:48 AM - 25 Jun 2017
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Tuesday, June 27, 2017 - 4:51 pm
That's a fun conversation!
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