Poetry, Music, Books and all things good....

[longdogs]

Really enjoyed it susiejb. Thought the acting was great and a good story too.

Thats good to hear..yes it was a really nice light-hearted fun film.

Hopefully finding time this weekend to read...just getting into 'The Help' and its looking good...I downloaded it on to the ipad...its not quite the same as reading proper book somehow...the Kindle is probably better as its smaller.

(a confession....I rather like popcorn )

My partner is a real book lover so I bought her a kindle 3G for christmas. I took a bit of a chance as I wasn't sure she would like it but she absolutely loves it. She's already downloaded about 20 books (many of them free).

 

[Susiejb]

Hi squeaky...yes I can imagine that a kindle is great....Barnsbury said that he has one. The ipad is good for actually reading but it is really a bit too big.

I have just finished 'The Help' what a good book that was, reading that, and also A Thousand Splendid Suns has been quite challenging and I have really looked at myself and my pre-conceived ideas of people....we are so quick to judge someone by the colour of their skin, the way they dress, their religion...but those books have really helped me to look at people in a less judgemental way....which of course can only be good
I think that after reading those two and The Art of Racing in The Rain (Barnsbury's choice) and shedding more than a few tears I need something a bit lighter so I am going for your choice Paullina Simons A Song In The Daylight, I am downloading it from Amazon on the Kindle App.
Thank you so much you two for making book suggestions ... its such a minefield out there when you think...I want to read but I am not too sure what to choose....so helpful to have your posts to refer back too...and do keep updating when you read that special book.....and of course anyone else who has a good recommendation....I am sure that there are lots of avid readers on here.

Its Saturday I am staying up on Dartmoor and there is a glimmer (just the slightest) of sunshine....
"Today will be a good day...for I shall make it so"
I don't know who made up that quote...but its a really good one...I think it might have been me

 

[longdogs]

Excellent choice. I'm sure you will be hooked on Simons. I'm just about to start 'The Thread' by Victoria Hislop lent to me by a friend. It might take me a while though because it's in hardback and I'm not sure my arms will be able to take the weight for too long.

How was Dartmoor?

 

[Susiejb]

I don't like hardback books either squeaky.

Dartmoor was wonderful thank you, but the stay was too short...moors and coastline are stunning...hope to get back for longer in July

 

[conny]

Well, my first post in here and its about a book. Used to read 'trashy' war/espionage type of books, Clive Cussler, Len Deighton etc then lost the time. Have recently started again and been reading some by a local author called Tom Slemen who is a bit of an authority on the supernatural. He has written a series of books on ghost sightings/experiences in and around Liverpool so being able to recognise a lot of the places has made them quite enjoyable. Now reading a book which I first read in High school as part of my English Lit. Its by Silas Hocking and called 'Her Benny'. Its a wonderful heart wrenching tale about 2 young children just before the 'turn of the century' Liverpool, (20th century that is), who live in squalor and have to go out each day selling 'fusees' (matches), and carrying peoples bags to earn enough to get by each day. Thankfully I've forgotten the ending so am enjoying every page again but I thoroughly recommend it.

 

[longdogs]

I too like a good ghost story and I can imagine that reading about places you know would make them more realistic. I've also read a few Cussler and found that some were excellent and some were totally boring. Like you say it's getting the time to read. I normally only read in bed and soon fall asleep.

 

[Susiejb]

Conny how nice to see your post.....I am not too much into ghost stories...a bit too scary for me, but Her Benny sounds excellent, I will definitely get hold of it...either from Amazon or Ebay.
I'm still reading a Song in the Daylight squeaky, as you say its not always easy to find quality reading time , but will hopefully fit some in this weekend and tell you what I thought of it.

 

[Diane2]

evening Susie, did u know its world poetry day tomorrow?

 

[Susiejb]

no I didn't ..thank you for telling me....I will look it up.

 

[Susiejb]

To celebrate World Poetry Day a little gem from Spike Milligan

Granny

Through every nook and every cranny
The wind blew in on poor old Granny
Around her knees, into each ear
(And up nose as well, I fear)

All through the night the wind grew worse
It nearly made the vicar curse
The top had fallen off the steeple
Just missing him (and other people)

It blew on man, it blew on beast
It blew on nun, it blew on priest
It blew the wig off Auntie F anny
But most of all, it blew on Granny!
Spike Milligan.

 

[Space cat]

Now that's my kind of poetry. It rhymes. It scans. It has something to say. I like it.

 

[Susiejb]

Glad you liked it SC. although whenever poetry is mentioned it seems to be mainly the subject of ridicule...there is in fact poetry to suit all tastes...just as you would choose a novel to read ...it is really just the same ... you can actually read poetry even with out realising it...take the book the Gruffalo for instance:

THE GRUFFALO
A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.
A fox saw the mouse, and the mouse looked good.
"Where are you going to, little brown mouse?
Come and have lunch in my underground house."
"It's terribly kind of you, Fox, but no –
I'm going to have lunch with a gruffalo."
etc.

I wasn't sure which Milligan poem to choose as I also love this one:

Feelings

There must be a wound!
No one can be this hurt
and not bleed.

How could she injure me so?
No marks
No bruise

Worse!
People say 'My, you're looking well'
.....God help me!
She's mummified me -
ALIVE!

 

[Barnsbury]

Conny,
I read war of the worlds when i first got my kindle. Then move to Woking a few months later. I have now been to many of the places mentioned in that story, Horsell Common, Maybury hill etc. I am intending to re-read it now i can picture where it is set.

Susie,
I love Spike Milligan poetry, as does my daughter. The land of the bumbly boo, and The Ning Nang Nong among my favourites.

Mary Pugh was nearly two when she went out of doors
She went out standing up, she did, but came back on all fours
The moral of this story, please meditate and pause
Never send a baby out in loosely waisted drawers.

Or

String
String is a very important thing
Rope is thicker
But string is quicker

Finally

There are holes in the sky
where the rain gets in
the holes are small
that's why rain is thin

 

[Space cat]

A mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood.
A fox saw the mouse, and the mouse looked good.
"Where are you going to, little brown mouse?
Come and have lunch in my underground house."
"It's terribly kind of you, Fox, but no –
I'm going to have lunch with a gruffalo."

I like that one too but with this:

There must be a wound!
No one can be this hurt
and not bleed.

How could she injure me so?
No marks
No bruise

Worse!
People say 'My, you're looking well'
.....God help me!
She's mummified me -
ALIVE!

I have a problem because I just can't see in what sense it can be called poetry. It reminds me of a story about a woman at a modern art exhibition who spent half an hour studying a fire bucket trying to work out what it was supposed to represent. I had to laugh at the time but, after trying to fathom out some of the poetry that's been posted on here, I know how she felt.

 

[Diane2]

is this thread going to be renamed...

poetry, (with the exeption of limericks), music, books and all things good....

even Shakespeare wrote limericks.