Play Book Tag discussion

This is a fun collection, tied together by typewriters: prefacing each story is a photo of an old typewriter, most often the one mentioned or featured in the following story. Turns out Hanks collects old typewriters and I presume each one featured is one from his collection. It doesn't feel like a gimmick, but flows quite naturally, and I did find myself making sure I spotted each one as one does with the Hitchcock appearances in his films, or looked for the 'NINA' in Al Hirschfeld drawings in the NYTimes. I enjoyed that little bit of 'how will he introduce a typewriter in this story?' The stories are quite varied in style, format, even genre, but those typewriters make them all work well together. Some are standalones, others involve the same characters, many start very lighthearted but end with a serious note. I rounded this up from 3.5 stars.

I read this in ebook and I could hear his voice so strongly as I read.

The minute I read his dedication mentioning Nora, I knew he meant Nora Ephron, which I confirmed by reading an interview with Hanks - that she kept encouraging him over the years to write. She also encouraged Padma Lakshmi to write Love, Loss, and What We Ate: A Memoir, even gave it that title, as Lakshmi tells us at the beginning. I'm wondering how many others she's encouraged to write, but not published. Nora's legacy just keeps growing.

BWF Letter U with debut tag 8x

Glad you enjoyed this too! I like that Tom Hanks writes about topics he is interested in, like he is sharing them with us. Have you seen his recreation of the Apollo program - From the Earth to the Moon? I've seen it recently and really enjoyed it.

Joy D wrote: "Glad you enjoyed this too! I like that Tom Hanks writes about topics he is interested in, like he is sharing them with us. Have you seen his recreation of the Apollo program - From the Earth to the..."

No I haven't or at least not the full thing. I am a huge fan of his work. Recently some cable channel has been showing Apollo 13 and of course when I sit down to watch a few minutes while eating dinner I end up watching the whole thing. I remember seeing it in the Ziegfield moving theater when first released - the Ziggy was the last classic big screen movie theater in Manhattan and there were just some movies you made a point of seeing there when released (it's now some kind of event venue). Even knowing how it all ends. we were on the edge of our seats, gripping the arm rests with white knuckles.

I am not much of a movie fan, but I loved Apollo 13! I recently re-watched it (don't remember which network/service was showing it).

Joy D wrote: "I am not much of a movie fan, but I loved Apollo 13! I recently re-watched it (don't remember which network/service was showing it)."

Loved especially all that geeky Mission Control stuff - my favorite scene is when they deal with the CO2 filters. And counting how many pocket protectors those guys are all wearing.

It's interesting to contrast those scenes with The Martian -- and the diversity now present compared to when Apollo 13 launched.

Alas, I have not seen the film The Martian (though I read and enjoyed the book).

There is certainly more diversity in the space program now than back in Apollo times! Even in Space Shuttle times there was much more. They now choose from a larger pool, not just fighter pilots. I have a long history with the space program. I used to go on vacation with my family to Cocoa Beach, where we could see the launches, and also when I lived in Florida, I could see those launches from my house (once they got above the tree line).

Joy D wrote: "Alas, I have not seen the film The Martian (though I read and enjoyed the book).

There is certainly more diversity in the space program now than back in Apollo times! Even in Space Shuttle times t..."

So cool. I was visiting Florida - Orlando area - one year decades ago - and planned to go over to watch a space shuttle launch only it was postponed. Since I dislike Florida so avoid visiting, I've never managed to watch a launch. Or even go over there and tour the museums etc. My visits to Florida pretty much only revolve around visiting friends and clients and are as infrequent as I can make them. LOL.

One of my friends actually got a college degree that allows her to call herself a rocket scientist. She ended up working in tech side of finance, then when moved back to Toronto from NYC and married, she went back to school for library science and now has some techie library job. She's asian so one of the first things she ever mentioned to me after seeing the movie of The Martian was how exciting it was to see the diversity.

We are the generation that truly grew up with the space program front and center and something to be excited about, wondered at, read about, even if you aren't into reading science linked books.

A SciFi book that might interest you -- alternate history of the 1950s with the US setting up a women's astronaut program after a meteor destroys much of the US - Mary Robinette Kowal - The Calculating Stars. It's first of a series but reading just it on its own is fine. Feminerdy Book Club read it a couple years ago and we had a great discussion, liking it. Deals a great deal with the issues and discrimination women faced in the 1950s and in a science/space/flight world. Some day I might read the next couple in the series but don't feel I've missed out or been left hanging if I don't.

I would however skip entirely The Astronaut Wives Club - very poor - author who is supposedly a journalist treated the topic and the astronauts and their wives and family with too much awe and too hands off. Pissed me off no end.

My brother and sis-in-law just saw Fly Me to the Moon .. latest pic in theaters re the Apollo mission. He mentioned remembering staying up SOOooo late to see Neil Armstrong step on the moon. (He was about 4 or 5 years old then!)

The Calculating Stars is on my TBR!

Since my family lives in Florida, I need to visit every so often. Other than that, I would avoid it - too hot and humid, among other issues.

Joy D wrote: "The Calculating Stars is on my TBR!

Since my family lives in Florida, I need to visit every so often. Other than that, I would avoid it - too hot and humid, among other issues."

Yup. My reasons. At the moment I only have friends in Naples area. Not convenient to space launches. I still have not visited them either - and they have been there since about 2018.