http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ Just another bbPress community en Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:07:50 +0000 http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/the-bailout-car-guys-vs-finance-guys#post-73 Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:11:10 +0000 burt 73@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Anyone else angry about the treatment Detroit executives received in Washington when compared to the reception Wall Street execs were given? I don't think either one of them should get a bailout, but the fact that the people who actually produce a product were treated so shabbily compared to the people who produce nothing, says a lot about this country and why we're in so much trouble. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/auto-finance-how-to-get-a-cheap-car-loan#post-82 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:01:54 +0000 yogendra 82@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>How To Get a Cheap Car Loan</p> <p>Modern Auto Financing is creating auto financing opportunities for people with bad credit or bankruptcy to buy new or used auto loans at lowest interest rates. Apply now for online auto financing from Modern Auto Financing. We provide easy hassle free auto financing for new or used auto loans focusing on people with less than perfect credit. Modern Auto Financing has made personal auto financing very affordable and accessible to everyone regardless of prior credit problems. 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With the huge competition in the vehicle loan market today, there are actually many lenders competing to grant you an auto loan and they will gladly do it, which enables you to upgrade your old clunker to a newer and hopefully better model.<br /> ===========<br /> Yogendra<br /> ===========<br /> <a href="http://www.autofinance247.com">Auto Finance</a>-Auto Finance </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/literary-prizes#post-80 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:39:55 +0000 Jem Bloomfield 80@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>I was just reading an article in "Prospect" magazine from a few months ago about literary prizes. I've only got a very limited perspective on this (I don't know how such things are managed in the US) but big fiction prizes like the Booker seem to occupy a sort of middle ground between the smaller, genre-specific prizes (like the CWA, or the Romance Authors awards, which sometimes have the air of an intra-industry private party) and the more obviously "artistic" events like the Turner Prize, which simply provides an opportunity for the tabloid papers to be self-righteously Philistine. I wonder what everyone thinks about literary prizes generally? Are they useful ways of recognising people who contribute to our language's cultural life and give a bit of publicity to struggling writers? Or are they a self-indulgent exercise in propping up the "literary novel" which otherwise would have quietly died because no-one actually wants to read it? </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/an-oriental-voice#post-77 Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:57:18 +0000 mamgoon 77@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Hi!</p> <p>I'm a North African writer. I'm not that much known yet, but my audience is ever increasing. Hope you'll like some of my work at:</p> <p><a href="http://arabicwithlagouader.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">http://arabicwithlagouader.blogspot.com/</a> </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/which-books-got-you-started-as-a-reader#post-76 Sat, 13 Dec 2008 19:27:58 +0000 sandy 76@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>For me it was anything by Dr. Seuss. The artwork, the humor, the rhyming - I got more enjoyment (over and over again) from those books, than from anything else in my childhood.</p> <p>If I had to choose one, it would probably be GREEN EGGS AND HAM. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/hello#post-7 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:18:41 +0000 fitler 7@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Well I guess I'll be the first to take the plunge. I'm 54, male, and live on the East Coast. I read mostly non-fiction - biographies, current events, art and architecture. I'm hoping to participate in some interesting discussions and learn what other people are thinking and reading. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/the-host-by-stephenie-meyer#post-69 Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:36:55 +0000 minny 69@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Don't know if we have any science fiction fans out there, but I have to recommend THE HOST by Stephanie Meyer - a tale of alien parasites infecting human brains, but making life better - curing cancer, stopping war, etc. Some people want their old brains back. It reminds me in theme of BRAVE NEW WORLD. A terrific read. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/best-book-ever-read#post-45 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:54:04 +0000 deborah 45@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Let me balance my "worst book" thread with one for best book. I loved THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand. I'm not a Randian, but the story just moved and inspired me. I reread it every few years. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/worst-book-you-ever-read#post-43 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 18:41:49 +0000 deborah 43@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>There are many awful books out there, but when a book is extremely popular and you hate it, you wonder if it's just you or if you're missing something.</p> <p>The worst book I ever read was LEFT BEHIND, the first of the series by Tim LaHaye. I never read any of the others. The plot was absurd, the dialogue wooden. I thought it was beyond bad.</p> <p>Anyone else care to share? </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/presidential-debates#post-33 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 17:44:54 +0000 fitler 33@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Last night was the first one and McCain did better than I expected, but I think overall it was Obama's night. He seemed much more in command of the facts and more confident in the format. This country puts anyone who wants to be President through the wringer for the better part of two years, but the result is impressive - candidates who know their stuff and can perform under pressure. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/whats-everyone-reading#post-12 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:24:56 +0000 robin 12@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>I just finished "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini and highly recommend it. I loved "The Kite Runner" and this was this one was every bit as good.</p> <p>Next up is "The World Without Us" by Alan Weisman. I saw a documentary about this same topic on The History Channel last month and found it very interesting. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/ckick-lit-im-sorry-i-love-it#post-29 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:04:44 +0000 fictiongirl 29@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>I'll admit it (under the anonymity of the internet of course), Chick Lit is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm a huge Jennifer Weiner fan. "Good In Bed" is my favorite, but I think all of her books are intelligent, sensitive and uplifting. Anyone else out there? </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/financial-meltdown#post-55 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:06:46 +0000 buckeye 55@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>What does everyone think about where the US and the world are headed economically? Also, what caused this mess?</p> <p>I fear we're headed for the worst downturn since the depression as people and businesses cut back spending. The money we're pouring in to fix the problem may help in the short term, but I believe that many dollars loose in the world will result in high, maybe devastatingly high, inflation.</p> <p>Home loans to people unable to pay them back may have ignited this crisis, but I think everyone - government, individuals and business - were overextended, and it makes it that much more painful to adjust and live within our means. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/films-of-books#post-14 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:42:10 +0000 Jem Bloomfield 14@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>I should think we're all familiar with the experience of going to see the film made of a favourite book, and being really disappointed. Conventional wisdom tells us that the two forms are totally different, and it's ridiculous to judge one medium on the criteria of the others, but it's tough not to, partcularly when one feels a "prior commitment" to the book. (Hugh Laurie says h and Stephen Fry initially refused the other of playing Jeeves and Wooster in a television version of the P G Wodehouse stories, on the grounds that Wodehouse's genius was verbal, and it would be impossible to act it - before agreeing because if the stories were going to be loused up, they wanted it to be by them rather than by someone else!) </p> <p>I was wondering what everyone's best and worst experiences with "the film of the book" (or tv versions) were? Has it ever happened in reverse? I was bowled over by Ian Richardson in the tv political drama "House of Cards" - adapted from Michael Dobbs' novel by Andrew Davies who went on to script the famous BBC Pride and Prejudice - but when I sought out the original book I found it rather badly written and uninventive. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/vice-presidential-debate#post-42 Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:57:55 +0000 burt 42@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>What was David Brooks of the New York Times smoking when he watched this debate?</p> <p>"With a bemused smile and a never-ending flow of words, she laid out her place on the ticket — as the fearless neighbor for the heartland bemused by the idiocies of Washington."</p> <p>Come on! I like Palin as a person, but her debate performance was embarrassing. Winking at the camera. Ignoring the question that was asked and then going on to her two minute canned speeches. I guess when the bar is set that low, anyone can jump over it. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/james-crumley-rip#post-34 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:27:54 +0000 hardboiled 34@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>The opening line to "The Last Good Kiss":</p> <p>"When I finally caught up with Abraham Trahearne, he was drinking beer with an alcoholic bulldog named Fireball Roberts in a ramshackle joint just outside of Sonoma, California, drinking the heart right out of a fine spring afternoon."</p> <p>It doesn't get any better than that. You'll be missed James. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/three-books-that-permanently-changed-the-way-i-view-the-world#post-10 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 13:33:22 +0000 fitler 10@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Here are three books that fundamentally and permanently changed the way I view the world:</p> <p>* DEATH AND LIFE OF GREAT AMERICAN CITIES by Jane Jacobs - I read this book in the early 70s and was still enamored by the Robert Moses, Ed Bacon school of city planning. Raze old "slum" neighborhoods and put in beautiful modern office skyscrapers or eight lane interstate highways. Jane Jacobs saw the sterility and inhumanity of those actions and she also saw the vibrancy, safety and humanity of those "slum" neighborhoods. I've never looked at cities the same way since.</p> <p>* ON HUMAN NATURE by E.O Wilson - The frightening idea that altruism may be an evolutionary adaption and not a human virtue.</p> <p>* DENIAL OF DEATH by Ernest Becker - Our fear of death may be the driving force in the development of civilization and particularly religious institutions. The ferocity of religious wars is because of how devastating the questioning of our religious world view is to our view of self.</p> <p>I'd be very interested in reading what three books others would choose. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/world-war-i-books#post-27 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:25:31 +0000 burt 27@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Reading about World War I is fascinating because it often explains so much about problems the world is currently facing. I'm interested if anyone has any recommendations. I'll give mine - "Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World" by Margaret MacMillan. It came out a few years ago. She details not just the imperfections of the resulting peace treaty, but explains how the desires and personalities of the negotiators affected the outcome. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/sarah-palin-and-the-left#post-23 Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:46:48 +0000 fitler 23@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>My vote is with Obama. I think he'll have the most thoughtful and intelligent responses to this nation's problems. But it's been embarrassing watching the reaction to Sarah Palin from many Obama supporters. From what I've seen she's an admirable woman whose politics I may not agree with, but someone deserving of respect. Starting with Bill Maher calling her a stewardess, the false rumors about her family, banning books, etc. And there's probably a class aspect to all of this that's really unfortunate. A stereotyping of people not of the wealthy left. Remember when the Democratic party was proud of its working class constituents? </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/has-anyone-made-the-switch-to-amazons-kindle-or-the-sony-reader#post-20 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:03:38 +0000 fitler 20@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>I haven't even seen one yet, but I'm curious if anyone has and what their thoughts are. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/what-happened-to-dean-koontzs-frankenstein-series#post-19 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:06:45 +0000 claudia 19@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Does anyone know when the third book of Dean Koontz's FRANKENSTEIN is coming out? A friend told me that hurricane Katrina altered what he had planned for the story set in New Orleans, but that's been three years now. Has he simply dropped the series? </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/obamas-speech#post-18 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:02:06 +0000 fitler 18@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>I thought Obama's speech in Denver last night was a Grand Slam. He's further to the left than I am, but if he should become President it will be a wonderful change to have an intelligent, thoughtful, articulate leader for America. </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/rules-of-the-road#post-8 Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:24:34 +0000 George Steadman 8@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>Welcome to the California Literary Review Community Forum. We are a very open community and encourage diverse topics and opinions. We have just a few "Rules of the Road" to maintain an environment where members feel safe and free to express their thoughts.</p> <p>* Personal attacks are NOT tolerated. We define personal attacks as malicious dialogue focused toward one particular user. We are a community here. When we talk to each other we address the community. Anyone engaging in personal attacks will be warned only once, then banned.</p> <p>* Spamming is NOT tolerated - one spam post and the user is banned. Period.</p> <p>* Bring value to the community. It's fine to illustrate who you are and what you do in your signature. But if you're only here to sell or promote yourself, you'll be banned.</p> <p>* Never post an entire post or story from another site to which you do not hold copyright. Always post a link to the original material.</p> <p>* If you see a post that you believe to be inappropriate, click CONTACT above and let us know.</p> <p>Have fun!</p> <p>-GS </p> http://www.calitreview.com/forum/topic/how-to-do-simply#post-4 Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:41:49 +0000 Copper777 4@http://www.calitreview.com/forum/ <p>How do you copyright your material? I like to simplify. Write so a 6th grader can understand. </p>