GenreLand discussion

May is for Monkeys! I can't wait to see what y'all read for this. I will probably plug the word into the Hoopla search and just see what comes up!

Another source for ideas is here
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/3...

Maybe I'll just read some Flash comics until Grodd shows up. (Yes I know gorillas aren't technically monkeys, I just don't care.)

The fact that there is a goodreads list cracks me up!

Monkey

A French book: "Un singe en Hiver" by Antoine Blondin.

(In English A Monkey in Winter)

I may read "The Ape's Wife" by Caitlin Kiernan for this one. Also looking at Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson.

So I started a Sheep book while on vacation -- Sheep are like monkeys right? (grin...really just wanted to mention that Three Bags Full - which has sheep trying to figure out who killed their shepherd is entertainingly odd :-)

So, as I said, my book for this month related with monkeys is "Un Singe en Hiver" by Antoine Blondin.(=A Monkey in Winter)

A film was made in 1962 by Henri Verneuil with the famous French actors, Jean Gabin and Jean Paul Belmondo from this book. I saw it when a child with my mother but I did not understand much, I remember that I asked to my mother "but who is the monkey in this story", and my mother explained a bit but I stayed with many questions marks in my head.

So, searching for a book with "monkeys" in the title, I remembered I had bought the book but never read it.

Well, my mother was not wrong in her explanation, but there was more...
So, if you are in the wrong place and think you should move and find the right one, this (short) book is for you.

Sheep are not at all like monkeys - they are like clouds. At least the sheep in Three Bags Full thought so, as I recall. I loved that book and my friend Furball (RIP) who I often exchanged mysteries with did too. We each brought a copy to the same meetup to share with the other.

I have just finished my selection : Did Monkeys Invent the Monkey Wrench? It was a pleasant read which reminded me greatly of my father.

Cheryl wrote: "Sheep are not at all like monkeys - they are like clouds. At least the sheep in Three Bags Full thought so, as I recall. I loved that book and my friend Furball (RIP) who I often exchanged mysterie..."

Just saw your post on the book on BC - grin. and yes, they are like clouds - similar to how mermaids become the foam in The Little Mermaid when they pass, sheep become the clouds :-)

I read Curious George Goes To Hospital by Margret and HA Rey.
Found a second-hand copy of this for the monthly challenge for May - "Monkeys!".
My mother gave me a copy of this and read it to me when I was going into hospital as a small child. Then gave it to one of the nurses to help reassure other children as to what to expect in hospital.
With hindsight, this is much less cosy than I remembered. It acknowledges kids' (or the surrogate child, the monkey George) fears, anxiety or sadness. It also has a quite spare, realistic depiction of scenes and medical equipment. There's no sugar-coating here, though of course the operation goes well, and George has humorous adventures, and everything works out OK.
Looking this up, I found that the authors were French - but also that they were Jewish and barely escaped Paris ahead of the Nazi invasion on home-made bicycles, taking the Curious George manuscripts with them.
I did know that the UK version (which I couldn't find a copy of) was renamed Zozo as they were afraid it might seem offensive to have a children's monkey with the same name as the king of England. I named my toy monkey Zozo.

Angela wrote: "So I started a Sheep book while on vacation -- Sheep are like monkeys right? (grin...really just wanted to mention that Three Bags Full - which has sheep trying to figure out who killed their sheph..."

I've always thought Three Bags Full sounded like a charmingly odd read.

Marie-thérèse wrote: "So, as I said, my book for this month related with monkeys is "Un Singe en Hiver" by Antoine Blondin.(=A Monkey in Winter)

A film was made in 1962 by Henri Verneuil with the famous French actors, ..."

I already have several French books going right now, but I checked and there's a copy at a library in Denver, so maybe I'll check it out later.

Andy wrote: "I read Curious George Goes To Hospital by Margret and HA Rey.
Found a second-hand copy of this for the monthly challenge for May - "Monkeys!".
My mother gave me a copy of this and read it to me whe..."

I remember reading that one when I was a kid! I think I may have read one or two others, but that one really stuck in my head. Thanks for sharing all that history.

I had landed on Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream, as its description suggests that it has monkey content. But then I read The Gauntlet--sort of a clockwork take on Jumanji--and there are characters called grease monkeys. So I'm going with that. Might still give the Zoo book a go, too.

charmingly odd is the perfect description.

Stina wrote: "I had landed on Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream, as its description suggests that it has monkey content. But then I read The Gauntlet--sort of a c..."

I just finished Zoo Nebraska - not the uplifting tale of a small town zoo, rather the sad sad tale of the demise of small town America. The word monkey/monkeys or a type of monkey was highlighted by me 28 times, so I am counting it as a monkey book - though I am not really sure it is :-)

The Cheese Monkeys was not a happy book, either, though it had a lot of comic elements. And it was not really a monkey book, either, but "Monkeys" was right there in the title and the cover had monkeys on it, so I counted it anyway. The first part of the book was pretty good. But around the 65% point, it just kinda disintegrated. I couldn't even tell you how it ended.

Angela wrote: "Stina wrote: "I had landed on Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream, as its description suggests that it has monkey content..."

Yeah, I wondered if it was more an ape book than a monkey book. But it does sound like it had a decent amount of monkey content, if a bit superficial.

Not going to even touch this one. Not my monkeys, not my circus.

Dawn wrote: "Not going to even touch this one. Not my monkeys, not my circus."

I am also not a fan of monkeys.

I read "The Ape's Wife" by Caitlin Kiernan. This author is known for horror and fantasy fiction. This collection of short stories definitely tended towards a certain mood, and while I think she's a great author, I'd warn anyone going in that she's pretty dark. The Ape's Wife story itself is about Ann Darrow, King Kong's girlfriend.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...