#49: I am a fan of the man...pure and simple!

[Bella19]

OMG for me too - I'm re-reading the Gabaldon books right now! I'm on Voyager again and never did read A Breath of Snow and Ashes so I have that to look forward to during this drought. Ya gotta love those red headed men!

Hee! I see there's a few of us! For anyone who hasn't read them.....run! You CAN find them secondhand. I did. The library usually isn't really an option, as they're too popular.

I was in Chapters on Friday and they're still selling them in paperback - I think I saw the whole series there, right up to ABOSAA. You'd probably enjoy Gabaldon's website - she's been posting excerpts of the new book An Echo in the Bone, which is tentative for a fall release.

Here you go: Diana Gabaldon's Home Page

[KAndre]

Scarlett, you know me so well - I couldn't stand Dr. Zhivago (even though Sharif is one of the cutest things ever on two legs - people need to either fish or cut bait!) and I did think Lara's Theme was sweet.

I didn't even know there was a movie Against All Odds. Huh.

I'm gonna have to try the Outlander series...I've been seeing the books around for years...

[FromClaygary]

OMG for me too - I'm re-reading the Gabaldon books right now! I'm on Voyager again and never did read A Breath of Snow and Ashes so I have that to look forward to during this drought. Ya gotta love those red headed men!

Hee! I see there's a few of us! For anyone who hasn't read them.....run! You CAN find them secondhand. I did. The library usually isn't really an option, as they're too popular.

I was in Chapters on Friday and they're still selling them in paperback - I think I saw the whole series there, right up to ABOSAA. You'd probably enjoy Gabaldon's website - she's been posting excerpts of the new book An Echo in the Bone, which is tentative for a fall release.

Here you go: Diana Gabaldon's Home Page

Cool! I'll check out the website...

Re buying the books, though.....I guess I'm too cheap! I refuse to pay $15 apiece for them when I can buy them for $5....and then go back, get $4 for it and buy the next one for $5...well, you get the picture.

[muskifest]

My library usually has had the books, but I HAD to buy each one for my own personal collection! I have one or two hardbacks, but most are the 'trade paperback' versions...I put covers on them when I read them because they're too precious to tear up!

And yes for those red-haired men! Gah....and gah...I'm getting ready to start my Girls Like Us book---the one about Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon, but as soon as I'm done, I think I'll start with Outlander and go through them all again so I'm primed even more for An Echo in the Bone later this year

(Or....maybe, considering the size of each of the books, I'll read the 'companion' book for the first couple to refresh my memory and then just read the last two ACTUAL books?

Yikes! I'm getting myself stressed! Will I be able to finish them all in time? Will I feel like I'm shortchanging myself if I only read the companion summaries of some?

Leave it to me to make a pleasure become stressful!

[Bella19]

My library usually has had the books, but I HAD to buy each one for my own personal collection! I have one or two hardbacks, but most are the 'trade paperback' versions...I put covers on them when I read them because they're too precious to tear up!

And yes for those red-haired men! Gah....and gah...I'm getting ready to start my Girls Like Us book---the one about Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon, but as soon as I'm done, I think I'll start with Outlander and go through them all again so I'm primed even more for An Echo in the Bone later this year

(Or....maybe, considering the size of each of the books, I'll read the 'companion' book for the first couple to refresh my memory and then just read the last two ACTUAL books?

C'mon...you know you want to read them all! You'd miss all those "romantic" scense she writes to well if you just read the companion books!

If you're like me, reading them again will be much faster than the first time, because you'll remember the story as you read and then you can re-read certain chapters too...

[Lotus]

Damnit I'm sick of winter. We had blue skies and sun yesterday. There were spring flowers in bloom in my garden and it was actually warm in the sun.

Today...4" of snow on my deck...arghhhhhh!!!! Just a half hour drive, north of here? 10" !!!

In this weekends Globe and Mail there is an interesting article in the book section. It seems that it is not just on singers' and actors' blogs where fans express outrage but also there are wars among fans of authors.

Restless Readers Go Bonkers

A writer's engagement with readers via blogs and websites creates a real relationship and unleashes the demands – sometimes angry demands – that go with it

The article is written by GUY GAVRIEL KAY for you readers of fantasy.

[KAndre]

I had to laugh when I read that article - I have read most of the authors (except the one who wrote the article). It just re-emphasizes to me that Clay's fandom, with all of its crazy, isn't particularly unique. The biggest online battle between and author and her fans that I know about is with Linda Hamilton - that's gotten personal. Entitlement is rampant in all fandoms, but I think the hard core comic fanboys take the cake for total insanity.

[muskifest]

BWAH! cool article... and this?

George Martin may end up having to post his daily workouts, down to calories burned, weights lifted, pulse rates before and after. With video, to prove it. It has probably been suggested to him already.

Let's project, shall we?

George Martin Clay Aiken may end up having to post his daily workouts appointment calendar, down to calories burned meetings with potential record label executives, weights lifted songs written with co-writer Reed Kelly, pulse rates before and after. With video, Clack to prove it. It has probably been suggested to him already. By many entitled fans.

[jmh123]

Great article, Lotus. Thanks for linking it. My favorite paragraph:

There's another aspect. Imagine a young novelist querying his or her publisher's marketing director: “So, what are the marketing plans for my book? What's the, well, campaign going to focus on?” That marketing director (or junior publicist, more likely) is going to laugh. They are eventually going to recover from laughing and say, “Are you kidding me? With today's budgets? Go blog! Get out there and blog yourself to flog your book!”

Almost forgot this part, and it relates to why Clay doesn't blog more, IMO:

These days, writers invite personal involvement and intensity from their readers. In direct proportion to the way in which they share their personalities (or for-consumption personalities), their everyday lives, their football teams and word counts, their partners and children and cats, it encourages in readers a sense of personal connection and access, and thus an entitlement to comment, complain, recommend cat food, feel betrayed, shriek invective, issue demands: “George, lose weight, dammit!”

Disturbing as this is, in some ways, I find it difficult to come down hard on readers of a writer who has steadily made him or herself “available” to them. A feeling of being part of an inner circle, or even the writing process, has to flow from that.

As possessive and controlling as some fans are, I can only imagine what it would be like if he actually got as friendly with them as some people want him to. ACK!!

[liney23]

muski... Excellent!

big *gasp* version

I am not sure if I have ever seen this photo before. Probably have, but the close up still took my breath away.

00lsee... I have often wondered about how Clay saw himself before Idol. He was tall, skinny, big ears, wonky eye, freckles, (won't talk about the hair cause it was just something for him to play with in style and color). Then you look at that picture and he's gorgeous. I'm sure he didn't know that was under there... I hope he accepts that he is handsome now... if not Reed better get to work IIT...

[keepingfaith]

I must be some freaking weirdo. My current read is The Looming Tower -- Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright. To me, there could be no fiction as enthralling and sweeping as this narrative covering five decades, it's horrifying and breathtaking and just an amazing read so far. Fiction can rarely do that for me anymore. I feel like I've had my fill of stories -- unless John Irving comes out with something new, because A Prayer for Owen Meany remains my favorite book in the whole world and I keep giving him chances to equal it.

May I just take a moment to confess that I have this Clayaholic disease that I must buy anything I see with Clay's face in it or on it. I've walked past that PEOPLE Yearbook 2009 about 50 times in the past few weeks and never gave it a second look ... until I saw it face down and Clay's picture on the back cover, so I had to check inside and there was the full page picture of Clay and Parker, so I had to buy it .... even though I have the original People with the same picture on the cover and all, I had to have it in the Yearbook. I feel like writing People Magazine to tell them that I only bought their Yearbook for Clay's picture. I think they need to know about us Clayaholics. This is exactly why I'm buying a couple of BOCA's even though I already have all those songs, many times over. Anyway, the packaging is new, and environmentally friendly, so I'm hooked .... like a fish.

[annabear]

I'm hooked .... like a fish.

Thread title?

[00lsee]

I think the hard core comic fanboys take the cake

THEY took the cake? Dammit! I want it baaack!!!

There's nothing wrong with me that a good dose of chocolate frosting couldn't fix.

Maybe.

I'm willing to test that theory, anyway.

annabear

keepingfaith

I'm hooked .... like a fish.

Thread title?

YESSS! Hooked like a fish! Like a cod! A perch! A salmon! Hooked like a hooker! I mean...um. Did I say that out loud?

[tribeca]

I forgot that Canfly was from Canada although there is a way that people from different countries can vote (not legally). Some David A. fans were trying to teach people last year. Some even offered to buy people go phones if they voted for him.

Scarlett don't remember that Jimmy Steward movie so I probably haven't seen it. My mom loved him & I thought she had us watch all his movies. Thought you were talking about the Brad Pitt movie & no I don't find that one romantic.

Can't think of any romantic books at all. And since I like chick flicks my choices would probably be those. I loved Love Actually. We were just talking about that one at work.

You know whats weird I didn't even know you could comment on Clay's blog. His blogs never made me feel any closer to knowing him or anything. I kind of don't understand that concept.

Brittany Spears blogged on her site after all her hmmm hard times last year saying something as simple as

I hit my lowest point

I really did

fond the statement true, kind of heartbreaking but never felt I was closer to her or that I knew her.

[merrieeee]

THEY took the cake? Dammit! I want it baaack!!!

No no no the cake was left out in the rain

[00lsee]

THEY took the cake? Dammit! I want it baaack!!!

No no no the cake was left out in the rain

OMG...*sniff*...and I'll never have that recipe again!

[keepingfaith]

Scarlett don't remember that Jimmy Steward movie so I probably haven't seen it. My mom loved him & I thought she had us watch all his movies. Thought you were talking about the Brad Pitt movie & no I don't find that one romantic.

Can't think of any romantic books at all. And since I like chick flicks my choices would probably be those. I loved Love Actually. We were just talking about that one at work.

I actually liked Mr. and Mrs. Smith .... but I love Mr. Smith Goes To Washington with Jimmy Stewart. They play it a lot on TCM.

And I'm crazy about Love Actually. Or am I just crazy about Karl?

THEY took the cake? Dammit! I want it baaack!!!

No no no the cake was left out in the rain

OMG...*sniff*...and I'll never have that recipe again!

OH NOOOOOOOO!!!!

[lilyshine]

I'm a little late, as usual, to the party but I'm really happy that there are so many book lovers here. My hobby is bookbinding and I love taking old beatup books and rebinding them.

I also am known for hauling all of my Clay friends all over New York looking for interesting papers to use in making blank books and journals.

[jmh123]

I'm a little late, as usual, to the party but I'm really happy that there are so many book lovers here. My hobby is bookbinding and I love taking old beatup books and rebinding them.

I also am known for hauling all of my Clay friends all over New York looking for interesting papers to use in making blank books and journals.

The tools are absolutely fascinating. Between the papers and the tools, it makes me wish I could bind books too. And very cool stores--I love being hauled around NY by lilyshine.

[FromClaygary]

Great article, Lotus. Thanks for linking it. My favorite paragraph:

Almost forgot this part, and it relates to why Clay doesn't blog more, IMO:

These days, writers invite personal involvement and intensity from their readers. In direct proportion to the way in which they share their personalities (or for-consumption personalities), their everyday lives, their football teams and word counts, their partners and children and cats, it encourages in readers a sense of personal connection and access, and thus an entitlement to comment, complain, recommend cat food, feel betrayed, shriek invective, issue demands: “George, lose weight, dammit!”

Disturbing as this is, in some ways, I find it difficult to come down hard on readers of a writer who has steadily made him or herself “available” to them. A feeling of being part of an inner circle, or even the writing process, has to flow from that.

As possessive and controlling as some fans are, I can only imagine what it would be like if he actually got as friendly with them as some people want him to. ACK!!

Very good point indeed, and it wouldn't surprise me if that was part of it. I think the other parts might be 1) not inclined 2) dang busy and 3) digging his heels in.

I'm a little late, as usual, to the party but I'm really happy that there are so many book lovers here. My hobby is bookbinding and I love taking old beatup books and rebinding them.

I also am known for hauling all of my Clay friends all over New York looking for interesting papers to use in making blank books and journals.

Very cool! What an interesting hobby!

[FromClaygary]

Heee....Jimmy Kimmel on The View today....see anyone that looks familiar BESIDES Jimmy?

[FromClaygary]

And then, there's these....taken yesterday at JFK....

Sorry! Forgot to credit mee2u2 at CV....

[PerusingOne]

Happy birthday PerusingOne! Maybe this will get you out of lurker mode for a bit!

Dream on!! It will be a miracle if she's caught up. She'll see her birthday wishes next week

Happy Birthday PerusingOne.

Not quite a week later, but I'm just getting to last Friday. Thanks for all of the Bday wishes. Love y'all - (even if no one called/texted me about the blog).

[Lotus]

Scarlett, the eagle pair are back in their nest on Hornby Island. There are no eggs yet but according to an interview I heard this morning the eagle pair have been very busy adding to their nest.

Here is the link: Hornby Island Eagle cam

FromClaygary Thanks for bringing those photos over. Ain't he purdy?

[aikim]

Awe, he looks good!

Kim