OT: wondering why

Have you tried any of Terry Pratchett's DiscWorld novels? Not to everyone's taste but I find them irresistible.

I loved the Japanese Iron Chef but can't stand the American one. (then again I have this overwhelming urge to bitch slap Bobby Flay every time I hear him speak)

Never watched Project Runway - never got into fashion and never will. C

I dunno. They're in the children's section of my local bookstores.

Best wishes, Ericka

I adore them - can't wait to get my hands on the next one. I am most fond of the ones dealing with the Watch. Just finished Darwin's Watch (The Science of Discworld - 111). These combine the real science of 'roundworld' (ours) with the Discworld Wizards.

I also like his juveniles - The Wee Free Men are hilarious He manages to make a great deal of pointed social comment without preaching.

However, I understand (perhaps incorrectly) that TP has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's.

MargW

I don't care for "reality" TV (I have to put that in quotes, because there's not much reality in them!) except the first season of "Dancing With the Stars" when it was new and fresh. But last week I discovered "Bathroom Divas" on Ovation TV - anyone seen it? They take contestants and train them to sing operatically. You get to watch the coaching sessions and learn what the teachers are looking for and how they coax good performances out of the singers and how they challenge their students. Really interesting.

The show is made in Canada.

What do you dislike about Bobby Flay. He's a New Yawker and he sounds like one and acts like one. I like him and his attitude.

Lucille

Project Runway is fun for me because I worked in the Garment Center when I was a kid and saw the same kind of shenanigans with the designers I worked with. Talk about Divas, they outdo any performer I've ever heard of. I also adore looking at the kind of high fashion that I never could wear.

I do get Bravo TV but I've never seen that show listed. Too bad, it sounds interesting.

Lucille

True. See

Some mother complained Hardy Boys encouraged her boys to play with knives (don't send them to Scouts then) and she's on the Library Committee so off to YA where they didn't get read and left the library. C

His sneer and in your face attitude. BBQ is used to the everyman way to cook. C

snip

OK, tell me, what *is* YA??

I am surprised they refer to it as rare - I know two people and younger than him, in their 40s, who died of it. Remaining siblings living in great trepidation. The one redeeming feature seemed to be that it was very quick whereas my two aunts lived healthily for ten years more after they were out of it mentally.

Young Adult. Books for tweens to early adulthood, so "big kids" don't have to be seen in the kiddie section.

Duh, obvious isn't it!!

Thanks, Linda, for clearing that up!

Gill

I wonder how many people make the connection between the Wee Free men with their Scottish accents and the Free Church of Scotland, generally referred to as the Wee Frees? See

I guess I saw that sneer every morning on the subway so it's just a natural look to me. I've seen him lose on Iron Chef and he seems to take it graciously and he usually looks sincere when he congratulates the winner. I would like to think he's really a nice guy because I like the show.

Lucille

I quite like him too. In his "Throw Down" show he seems to sincerely congratulate the folks who beat him (and do quite regularly). When I watch his interaction with his two assistants it seems genuine and quite mutually respectful and affectionate.

The Iron Chef I don't like to Mario B. I watched a show (not IC) where he had two young people in his kitchen for a week. They had to learn one of his signature dishes, and at the end of the week make it and present it in a blind taste testing against the same thing made by one of his sou-chefs. Then he was quite condescending when they didn't win. Hello? You are pitting a couple of 18 year olds who have had only a couple of chances to perfect the dish against professional sou-chefs who have made the dish hundreds if not thousands of time, and then sneer?

I prefer Gordon Ramsey, who for all his foul language, actually seems to care whether the person he is working with actually succeeds. Interestingly when I mentioned my opinion to one of the chefs at the College, he agreed with me.

MargW

Sorry - young adult

I used to love to watch cooking show but never liked him or Mario Bateletli (yah, I know it is misspelled).