Chit Chat Showing 1,501-1,550 of 2,741

[[deleted user]]

How is everyone doing? I'm waiting to write my physics exam...last one of the year! I'm taking a year off before going into my next program, looking very forward to it!

[Kristie, Moderator]

Doing excellent Kelsi. :) I just returned from a literary festival. I got a bunch of signed books:


All of the authors that we listened to were excellent and we had a great time. :)

I also picked up , but I missed the talk and signing! (Bummer!)

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

Oooh I'm so jealous Kristie!!! I'm almost certain book signings don't exist here... Minus annual Comicon (which isn't that impressive.)

[Kristie, Moderator]

Really? That's such a bummer! We are going to another one in July. They're pretty interesting. You get to hear the author read a little section of their book and there are different discussions about the writing process and what the books mean to the authors. After each discussion the author(s) that was speaking sells and signs their books. I have to say, I think Comicon would be a lot of fun too.

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

The only thing that I can say about our Comicon that is great is that every year I've gone, there's been one actor/actress from Star Trek. For that alone, they can take my money. :)

[[deleted user]]

Wow that sounds like a lot of fun, I have never been to a literary festival (or to Comicon for that matter...haha) but it sounds like a lot of fun! I live in a very small town so we don't get a lot of big events. I am moving to a bigger city in July though so hopefully I will get the chance to check something like that out in the near future.

[Jennifer]

Kristie - that sounds like a fantastic day to me!

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks! We had a great time. It's actually in a town about 1/2 hour away from us. Not too far for a fun day. :)

[[deleted user]]

That's not bad at all, definitely sounds worth it :)

[Ellana]

Really not well present as I am really anxious and depressed but I am hoping to get over a bad spell

[Lynn, Moderator]

Finally pulled my finger out, tickets booked and setting off to watch Divergent in 15 mins. Whoop! Looking forward to it :)

[Kristie, Moderator]

I haven't seen that yet. Yet us know what you think of it. :)

[Misha]

I watched Divergent yesterday & thought it was pretty okay.... definitely, the book was better :-) :-)

[[deleted user]]

I am picking up the book at the library today, can't wait to read it! I'm looking forward to watching the movie after. Let us know if it's good!

[Lynn, Moderator]

I thought it was pretty good actually ..... obviously not as good as the book but I didn't expect to be.

I did regret leaving it so late that I had to go on a Saturday afternoon ..... I had some stupid kids behind me; talking, dropping popcorn and skittles all over the floor (twice!) and kicking the back of my chair.

Words were had!

[Lynn, Moderator]

Now I'm settling down for the evening to watch the Eurovision. Bring on the cheesy, camp and the outrageous!

Is any fellow Europeans watching?

[Kristie, Moderator]

I hate when people are disruptive at the theater! Always worry about that with movies that draw a younger crowd like Divergent. Glad you thought the movie was good. I guess I'll have to check it out after all. :)

[Kristie, Moderator]

I have a conflict and I would love some input on it. :) I am going to a literary festival in June. It is a bit far, so I can only go on one day. I sorted out which authors I'd like to see before the schedule came out and here's my conflict: I can either go on Friday and see Alice Hoffman (The Museum of Extraordinary Things), Elin Hilderbrand (Summerland), Anthony Marra (A Constellation of Vital Phenomena), & Gabrielle Zevin (The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry) OR I can go on Sunday for a brunch with Jodi Picoult. I would love to go to that brunch, but I'd have to give up all the other 4 author events. What would you do??

[Angela M]

I would go on Friday to make the most of the opportunity and meet more than one author , unless Picoult is one of your favorites .
Where is the festival , Kristie ?

[Kristie, Moderator]

That's what I'm leaning towards. I've really enjoyed Jodi's writing. This is a 2 hour brunch where she will discuss her research and the development of her novels. I think it will be so interesting, but I also really want to see more than just one person. I haven't read any of the other authors before, but I've heard a lot about them and I'd like to check out their work.

The festival is in Nantucket. We will have to take the ferry over! :)

[Angela M]

Have a wonderful time , Kristie ! Wish I still lived in MA ! I read The Dovekeepers by Hoffman which I highly recommend and I loved A Constellation of Vital Phenomena .

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

I agree with Angela.

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks ladies!

[Anima]

Kristie, I totally third the Angela and Ally's view. I think that Picoult's branch can be a fantastic event, but still I would be able most probably to find most of her comments in other ways than attending the branch :), while personal experience of meeting other authors seems really thrilling. Have a great time, it sounds like a great adventure :),

and BTW, congrats on finishing the school. I envy you, I still have a year ahead and cannot wait to finish and have more time to read for pleasure :), no I'm stealing the time and have to read much less than last year due to immense number of readings assigned.

[Alycia]

Reminder for all US and Canada residents, Audio Book Sync's program starts today! Free audio books to download during the summer months. I found out about it last year and love it! :) Here's the link: http://www.audiobooksync.com/

This week's free downloads are: and .

[Kristie, Moderator]

Anima wrote: "Kristie, I totally third the Angela and Ally's view. I think that Picoult's branch can be a fantastic event, but still I would be able most probably to find most of her comments in other ways than ..."

I completely understand! I read in little bits for 2 years. It is great that you are getting an education though and the next year will be over before you know it! Thank you for the congrats! :) Heading out to graduation now. :)

[Lynn, Moderator]

Congrats again Kristie, I hope you've had a lovely day :)

Anima - We can tell you're reading less, I've been missing you around here!

[Anima]

Lynn, thank you, I've been missing you as well, and missing being present here in our group, I hope to get some more time from the mid June as I finish an academic year then :).

Kristie, I am definitely happy that I have the chance to study again, I learn a lot, and many interesting things :). I just hope for more balance between studying and rest ;)

[Donna]

So frustrated! Trying to se up up my Kindle Fire (and PC) to use the Overdrive app, and it says that for the digital materials I'll need to create an Adobe ID. Fine, but after filling in the screen to create my password and ID, I click on Create and it gives me an error message. On the Adobe website it says that their system is down, and they're working on it. And just now my library emails me that one of my digital books on hold is now available. Figures! :(

[Alycia]

You can fulfill the hold without downloading the material. So at least you won't lose the book! :)

[Kristie, Moderator]

Lynn - Thank you again. We had a wonderful day. :)

Anima - Yes! That was the one thing with being back in school. Everything was out of balance. Too much study time and not enough sleep or relaxation. Look forward to hearing more from you when your school breaks. :)

[Donna]

Yay! Finally got my Overdrive problem resolved, and I've downloaded the audiobook I had on hold, The Cuckoo's Calling. Good listen so far, and really liking Overdrive!

[Lynn, Moderator]

Glad you got it sorted Donna :)

[Kristie, Moderator]

Has anyone else seen that this book is coming out?

Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three - Prisoner #1 (of 5)
Release Date: September 17th, 2014

Stephen dark fantasy epic returns—and now the action moves to the mean streets of New York City! Meet Eddie Dean, a troubled young man gifted (or cursed?) with the ability to open doors to other worlds. Can he survive family tragedy, haunting addiction, and the deadly forces that conspire to stop him from growing up to challenge the Man in Black? If you thought the badlands of Mid-World were dangerous, just wait until you experience Brooklyn in the 1960s!

I want to add it to my TBR, but I can't find it on Goodreads, at my library yet (no surprise there), or on Amazon. The only place I see it is on Stephen King's webpage! I'm feeling a bit impatient. lol

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

Kristie, This is a graphic novel adaptation by Marvel Comics. It's going to be released Sept 2014.
Peter David and Robin Furth are the adapters, so looking under Stephen King might not work (although currently I can't find it under anyone)
Goodreads search engine is just a marvel of modern technology. NOT!

[Kristie, Moderator]

I know. I can't find it anywhere else. Do you know if graphic novels are typically marketed differently in terms of dates, such as when it is put up on Goodreads? I know regular novels can be posted years in advance. Maybe they don't do that with graphic novels? It's not my typical genre/format, so I don't know much about it. I think it would be great if he did novels of the backstories of all the ka-tet, but I'll still check them out if they're graphic novels. I'm sure it will fit into a challenge somewhere!

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

I have no idea. This one seems like an anomaly. It does seem strange that its not even on Amazon.
I usually wait for volumes to come out instead of individual issues, so I usually end up reading them after they've been released for quite some time.
There's a Stephen King fan book club on Goodreads, they might have better answers?

[Kristie, Moderator]

Thanks. I'll probably wait a while to see if it shows up anywhere. There's plenty of time before September! :)

How's your bunny doing?

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

If I didn't know better, I wouldn't know he was sick.
He's had urine and blood tests and an ultrasound and I still don't have any definitive answers.
They could do exploratory surgery, but honestly, that doesn't even make sense to me and might not even solve the problem (because no one knows what the problem is $1000 later.)
He isn't in pain, which is good. So its meds everyday and hope for the best. Cherish every moment
I've come to despise my Vets. They are guilt-tripping thieves.

[Portia]

As in "Little Kittie Wittie" would be much better off if she had a $400 cardiology check including x-rays ($$) and a sonogram (more $$$)? Because only then would Dr. Vet feel comfortable cleaning Fluffy's teeth.

[Kristie, Moderator]

I know. My dog has pancreatitis. She needs fat free food, but they wanted to run all sorts of crazy tests first. It is difficult to weigh the risks versus costs for pets that we love.

Portia - If you are comfortable with it, tell them they don't need to be comfortable. My dog needed to get her teeth cleaned and the vet wanted to do a bunch of tests first. I just told them that she had been under anesthesia before and did fine. If it is her time to go, then that would be a very gentle way for her to pass. They looked at me like I was nuts, but cleaned her teeth anyway and she was fine.

Ally - Glad your bunny at least feels ok. It is hard to spend that kind of money when the bunny seems fine. And surgery has its own risks. Probably not worth "exploring", if nothing is showing p in the other tests. (By the way...I think you now have the most expensive bunny around!)

[Portia]

Kristie and Ally,
First, you and your pets have all of my best wishes.
Second, thanks to Ally and then Kristie for commenting on "predatory" (my term) vets. I listen to "Animal House" occasionally and at the end of last week's episode, Gary Weismann, the show's featured vet, did a short spot on the fact that not all vets are the animal-loving angels we want them to be and therefore we should feel free to vet shop. My spouse has suggested that these young people need to pay off their student loans and so convince worried pet owners to agree to expensive tests. I finally put the brakes on the other day when the vet tried to convince me a level one heart murmur required a $500 visit to the cat cardiologist. I pointed out that the cat had had surgery twice last fall, (once on her [that particular vet's] recommendation for an abscess) without anyone noticing any heart murmur. The vet said, "Oh, he did?"

I need to stop now or else I will keep going. I thought I was the only one this happened to. I'm sorry others are being put in this situation. I hope sharing this information will help owners make better choices.

[Melanie]

Just wanted to let everyone know the Dresden files are on kindle daily deal today 1.99 each if anyone's interested!

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

If I ever got a cat or dog in the future, I would definitely consider buying pet insurance. It seems worth it.

[ally ¯\(ツ)/¯]

& Thanks Kristie & Portia :)
I always feel better after venting! lol

[Donna]

☆αlly☆ (litєrαry єscαpist) wrote: "If I ever got a cat or dog in the future, I would definitely consider buying pet insurance. It seems worth it."

Glad your bunny seems to be doing much better!

Pet insurance has its problems too, Ally. It won't cover conditions that are pre-existing, or breed specific, or hereditary.

My dog has skin allergies (pre-existing), frequent ear infections (considered secondary to the skin allergies), and dry eye syndrome (breed specific since Pug's have protruding eyes, short noses, and ineffective tear ducts).

Since his sick visits are always for these excluded conditions, I end up paying out of pocket for every vet visit, and the pricey medications. Got sick of paying the high premiums for nothing, so I cancelled my pet insurance recently. It's been totally useless to me.

[Angela M]

I met my first Goodreads friend, Judi for lunch today. We became friends last year when I discovered her great reviews. Through emails, we discovered that we lived about an hour and a half away from each other. We met half way today and had a lovely lunch. We talked a little about Goodreads and a little about books, but mostly spent the time getting to know each other.

[Lynn, Moderator]

Aw, that's lovely Angela :)

[Angela M]

It really was , Lynn . Good things besides good reads happen here!

[[deleted user]]

That's awesome! Sounds like a lot of fun :)