tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post4484211697206319292..comments2023-12-19T13:11:31.497-06:00Comments on TBR 313: Life as a small-town journalistLisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-334743215688481412013-11-07T21:06:52.208-06:002013-11-07T21:06:52.208-06:00Simon, I think it's also a less spontaneous bo...Simon, I think it's also a less spontaneous book, and that's why it's less fun. Some of the boarders' stories felt a bit contrived - or did I just feel that way because I knew this was more fictionalized?!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-34273613360842089942013-11-07T18:02:34.940-06:002013-11-07T18:02:34.940-06:00I liked this one much less than the One Pair books...I liked this one much less than the One Pair books, which is odd because I find journalism more interesting than cooking or nursing - but I think you are right that the tone and style were quite different, and it felt more like one of her novels - particularly in that it was less funny than her One Pair books!StuckInABookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10017836017530130716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-65191334108907996212013-11-06T22:35:38.563-06:002013-11-06T22:35:38.563-06:00michelle, either is a treat (Hands is about housew...michelle, either is a treat (Hands is about housework, Feet about nursing). I also have Mariana on the TBR shelves - I've gone on a bit of a Monica Dickens binge after discovering her this year.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-48784985351261749092013-11-06T01:27:57.686-06:002013-11-06T01:27:57.686-06:00I have an autobiography of hers, One Pair of Hands...I have an autobiography of hers, One Pair of Hands (or feet? Can't quite recall now!)as well as a fiction (Mariana) hiding somewhere in the stacks. Really should get on with them soon. And oh, Vicki's comment about how boarding house landladies turn evil really made me laugh! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-49515606717694836572013-11-05T21:45:07.021-06:002013-11-05T21:45:07.021-06:00vicki, definitely some dark elements! I'm sur...vicki, definitely some dark elements! I'm sure you were a model landlady :) I started making a list of boarding-houses in books, and most of them are a bit grim - though there's the one Jo stays at in Little Women.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-18308741346313643412013-11-05T05:16:17.451-06:002013-11-05T05:16:17.451-06:00I agree that it isn't the best of the three, b...I agree that it isn't the best of the three, but I found it more intriguingly 'dark' than the previous two (despite WW2 being a pretty dark theme in no. 2, of course!). Isn't that boarding-house foul? The carpet! It was once my horrific student job to be 'matron' of a boarding-house for foreign language students - I can easily see how boarding-house landladies become as evil as they are always depicted! skiourophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08200877834536477400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-69400028192643935582013-11-04T21:52:58.753-06:002013-11-04T21:52:58.753-06:00JoAnn, I started with the memoirs, and I still hav...JoAnn, I started with the memoirs, and I still have so many of her novels to look forward to. Her autobiography is definitely my favorite - a lovely story of family.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-38971125752981417552013-11-04T06:54:53.778-06:002013-11-04T06:54:53.778-06:00I've enjoyed her fiction, but the 'career&...I've enjoyed her fiction, but the 'career' books sound pretty interesting, too. Will keep an eye out for them...JoAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13691864361197071517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-81566941681267727452013-11-03T20:56:51.344-06:002013-11-03T20:56:51.344-06:00Pam, she writes so evocatively about her cottage, ...Pam, she writes so evocatively about her cottage, and it meant so much to her. Boarding house stories can be such fun, but this place was so frowsty and weird that it was unpleasant reading.<br /><br />Teresa, it's still a fun book - just a bit less focused than the other ones. I bet you'll enjoy comparing your experiences to hers!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17782561487396697870noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-3842715793920285672013-11-03T18:45:45.693-06:002013-11-03T18:45:45.693-06:00Even if this isn't the best of her workplace b...Even if this isn't the best of her workplace books, I think I have to read it. I had a brief career at a small weekly paper that sounds a lot like this one. But we only had a newsroom of two reporters and a handful of stringers (freelancers), so I did get to write interesting stories, mostly human-interest features. Our stringers handled most of the dull meetings, although I did have to cover the school board, which wasn't so bad.Teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09896331683344872038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1203893324932668537.post-68966022714834879072013-11-03T16:44:49.553-06:002013-11-03T16:44:49.553-06:00I did not know she did autobiographies. Interestin...I did not know she did autobiographies. Interesting sounding book. I also think I would enjoy the part about her journalism activities but also like the sound of her little house with her cat and dog. Boarding houses are interesting concepts and I always enjoy books about them. Especially when the characters are a bit quirky. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com