Reviews and Recommendations (An Ongoing Thread)

[Sam]

This is where to post reviews and recommendations of books, shows, music, events, or whatever.

[Sam]

I have a recommendation for anyone who wants to show a significant other a good time, with a major touch of class, for reasonable bucks (usually $20-$25 a person).

Gather up another couple or three and go to a place that serves high tea. Just google "high tea" in your area, and you're very likely to come up with a selection of places that observe this Olde English tradition frequently. We just went at 2:00 p.m. on a Monday.

We've been to high tea at three different places during three consecutive holiday seasons. This time, there were eight of us We didn't have to dress up (I wore an open-necked shirt and sweater (oh, and pants too). The women tended to dress up a little more because they definitely felt special.

They started out by bringing each of us a pot of a tea we each selected from a lengthy menu. Beautiful pots too. Then each of us had a very good scone with butter and jam. Then each person got this silver multi-tiered platter with a lot of little sandwiches and desserts on it.

It happened that the place was an art gallery too, and we had a great time playing art critics while we drank our tea and ate and chatted. We were there nearly two hours, and it was uncommonly relaxing, as we temporarily forgot the problems of the day. One person had just lost her husband of 50 years a month ago, and the number of laughs she shared with old friends really seemed to do her a lot of good. Total price for my wife and myself: $42, including tip.

The fact that the whole thing was suggested by the men in the group let the women know that we can be more than frustrated jocks who only take them to places that have red sauce and television sets. At least once a year.

I recommend high tea as an unusual, classy, fun thing to do during the holiday season (or any other time).

Sam

[Sam]

Posted by Matty in another thread:

Jeb i went and saw true grit this afternoon and.... I think John Wayne would have loved this new True Grit, definetly closer in feel to the book than the Dukes version. Jeff Bridges absolutely NAILED Charlie Portis's Rooster Cogburn.

usualy when i think of John Wayne whose my favorite actor, I think of him in the role of Rooster Cogburn or John B. Books (the shootist) after today though, when i think of True Grit i'll think of Jeff Bridges portrayal. Cant wait to see it again. Hope ya get to see it soon, get yoru mind off your troubles for a bit and enjoy a new american classic.

[jeb]

thanks Sam!

Copy that hoot maybe we will go see it tomorrow.

[bobc33]

This time of year always brings my thoughts to the Battle of the Bulge. I think the best book on the subject is A Time for Trumpets by Charles B. MacDonald. I highly recommend it if the subject is of interest.

[Sam]

Posted by 112288 on another thread:

RISE OF A DYNASTY - BILL REYNOLDS

Book discusses Celtic 1st Championship - 1957

Great read.....Great Holiday book!

112288

[Sam]

Bobc,

Thanks for that recommendation. As somewhat of a World War II fanatic, I appreciate the suggestion. I hope other members will feel free to post their recommendations on anything (books, music, movies, plays, tv shows, whatever) on this thread, whether or not they have anything to do with basketball.

I hope that having them all on this thread should make them easier to look up than having to pore through a list of threads in order to recapture a given recommendation.

Thanks again,

Sam

[worcester]

Saw "the Fighter" last night - definitely the best sports themed film of this century so far. Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Amy Adams are superb. For years I used to drive through Lowell en route to my grandmother's, thus the movie struck a special chord within me. It's about so much more than sports, and the characterizations are so well drawn and portrayed. I give it a ten. Don't miss it.

[jeb]

Man i loved to watch Mickey Ward fight. The fight between he an Gatti where Gatti broke his hand is the best fight i ever saw.

[Cooz]

You betcha jeb--gatti/ward equaled hagler/hearns.

[jeb]

3 rounds of toe to toe NOBODY backin down we were shittin ourselves with glee

[jeb]

gone baby gone

is a movie ben affleck directed which is based on a novel by a bostonian named denis lehane (mystic river)

and it is EXCELLENT...would love to get the take of some a youse real boston guys on it.

jeb

[Matty]

Recently I aquired a book titles "Paris Demystified" and have now read it through three times..

imagine having someone quite familer with a destination you'd like to visit explaining some of their favorite area's & moments in that area helping you get a feel for the city in one ear as someone else reads all the usefull information a touring guide book into ur other ear, then somehow all the information gets digested and makes sense..

thats sort of how i felt after reading Paris Demystified, was able to gleen enough details about the city overall to get a feel for what the city was like in a broader sense while also beginning to get a sense of the aspects of the city I'd be partically interested in.

the writing team excelled at being able to add enough personal expereinces and personal points of interest which helped the city become alive to the reader while not making the book about Them.. The Book is about Paris and leaves one with the distinct possibility that when/if they ever visit that falling in love with the city will be a given.

Paris Demystified can be purchesed from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_9_17?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=paris+demystified&sprefix=paris+demystified

[DMJY510]

hi,I am dmjy,510 has a special meaning so I add to my username,you also can all me dm.I am new here,nice to meet you all .we will be frineds.can we?

[Sam]

Hi, DM. Welcome to the board. Tell us a little about yourself. Where do you live? How long have you been a Celtics fan?

Sam

[Sam]

Matty,

I just noticed, for the first time, the very nice compliment you gave to the Paris Book published by Mrs. Sam and myself. It is much appreciated.

You, of all people need to get there. Your artistic eye would relate to far more than the formal art of Paris. From the architecture to the landscaping of the parks and even to the displays at grocery stores, Paris is an art lover's delight.

Sam

[gyso]

I just finished reading the third book in the Divergent series, by Veronica Roth.  The books are Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant.  Mrs. gyso got the first book on her ipad because they were talking about it in the high school where she works and she wanted to know what it was all about.  She also knew it was going to be made into a movie and that this type of story may appeal to me.  Once I got my Kindle, I copied it over and read it.  She was right, I did like it.  Then I got the other two.

The movie Divergent, based on the first book, is now playing in theaters.  It is about a dystopian society where like people are grouped into Factions.   The five factions of people are Abnegation (who are selfless and put other's needs before their own) the Dauntless (who are brave and fearless risk-takers), the Erudite (who are studious), the Amity (who are peaceful), and the Candor (who are brutally honest).

It is a different take on what caused society to crumble.  I won't go into that because you really don't know why until after the first book.  I enjoyed the read and look forward to seeing the movie.

gyso

[Sponsored content]