Random Musings.. Showing 651-700 of 1,161

[Suzanne]

I'm not exactly what Secret Santa entails, but I could try it :)

[Kat]

This is how secret santa books work:

People who want tp participate make a wishlist (or in our case a shelf) of books they would like to receive, and which they don't mind receiving a second-hand or used copy of.

Everyone PM's me their address, and I do some lottery magic and everyone will get another person's name.

You then go look at their wishlist shelf, choose 1 book to get them, and send it to them for christmas. The person receiving the present doesn't know who it is from (hence secret santa), and everyone gets a book from someone.

The fun part is choosing whether to include something else with the book, like a bookmark or a chocolate bar or a card (as long as you don't sign it). And at christmas we all get to open our secret santa book :)

[Suzanne]

Thanks for the explanation - I can see why you suggested it earlier - it's fun and goes well with your cookies :)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Oh, I thought it was just we each suggest a book for other people to read anonymously. lol.

I guess I should have asked that bit.

[Kat]

It depends on what we want to do.

If we decide we're all short on money and don't want to buy books, we can do it instead with a book suggestion that we choose for the person we got.

I imagine we"d need to include a short explanation WHY we chose that book for that person, and I could publish the result for everyone to find out which suggestion they got on christmas day. Or earlier if you want to then go get the recommended book for yourself for christmas :-)

(also, this version means nobody has to give out their postal address)

[Lindsay]

That sounds wonderful Kat. I won't join in for physical mailing though, as it's quite impractical to mail books to Australia. It usually costs 2x or 3x the price of a book just in postage :)

[Kat]

Yeah, book suggestions might be easier for everyone, as all of us can take part no matter where we are.

[Kat]

Not sure everyone reads the Random Musings thread - can I make a new thread for Secret Santa Book Suggestions and see how many people would be interested? Christmas will come faster than we think!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Yeah. In fact I was going to suggest you do just that. Although general participation in the group seems pretty low atm.

[Sky]

I'll gift someone a kindle copy if that is possible :)

[Kat]

I think that only works in the US. There are whole pages full of customer discussion on the UK and DE Amazon websites asking why we can"t gift kindle books.

But you can do that if it works :)
Edit: would it still be secret, though?

I"ll make a thread!

[Sky]

Kat wrote: "I think that only works in the US. There are whole pages full of customer discussion on the UK and DE Amazon websites asking why we can"t gift kindle books.

But you can do that if it works :)
Edit..."

Hopefully the person doesn't already own it if I found a way to gift it!

[Bill]

So I started using an app on my Google phone called Smart AudioBook Player. It has two nice features that I haven't seen in the Audible or Overdrive apps. The first is that when you change the speed which I always do the time remaining changes to reflect the change in speed. The second is that it gives the percentage completion for the audiobook. Haven't tested with Audible books yet but works great with the library audiobooks I get through Overdrive.

[Suzanne]

Oh interesting. I'd like having both of those features.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Bill wrote: "So I started using an app on my Google phone called Smart AudioBook Player. It has two nice features that I haven't seen in the Audible or Overdrive apps. The first is that when you change the spee..."

Smart Audio book player is fantastic. I've been using it for years. I only use it for review copies and library books though. I never tried using it with stuff I got from overdrive.

Personally I don't do speed changes, but it has a lot of other nice features I like/use. I originally got it to let me play m4b files.

[Sky]

Agreed - Smart Audio Book Player is what I use when I am not using Audible. It is awesome. Audible is slowly getting more usable but I find the latest updates run very slow on my brand new Moto Z Force. Changing the orientation or switching between apps causing the audio to lag for 2 seconds or so. Very annoying. I'd prefer to use Smart Audio Book Player for everything.

[Bill]

Well now I'm just annoyed you guys didn't tell me sooner. :)

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

I've totally mentioned it before. I just don't recall why/when. Maybe that was in S&L, not here though.

I have no issues with the audible app, except that it doesn't show % complete, making me have to calculate it by hand each day.

[Kat]

In regards to hardware - what do you use? Smartphone? iPod? Laptop?

As I mentioned here before, I could not make audiobooks work for me so far. But I recently sat in a car with a friend, who had an audiobook on, and that one was brilliant, so I want to give it another try.

If I play them on the computer at home to listen to with my big headphones while doing chores, what do I use there? Does iTunes handle audiobooks from Audible?

Edit: oooooooooooh, on the Audible website it says I can play their audiobooks on my old Kindle Keyboard. Wow.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

For audio? Primarily an Android smart phone is my player. I use both the built in speaker and the headphone jack (for headphones or to an aux port).

But I've also used my Alexa (both for audible via the Alex Audible app and playing from my phone over blue tooth) whenever I'm near to it for a period of time.

I've also connected my phone to the aux port of my "boom box", typically when I'm downstairs on the trainer.

Sadly my car doesn't do bluetooth audio, so I use the aux port there as well.

I only use headphones when I have to. And the ones I have are cheap earbuds since most of the time I'm on my bike when I'm using them.

I dont own any apple devices save my Apple IIgs, so I can't tell you how it works with iTunes/iPhones/iPods/iMicrowaves/iEtc. I do know there is some kind of iTunes integration, but not how well it works. I'm pretty sure there is an Audible app for iOS though..

[Bill]

Like Rob I use my Android smart phone. I use it with a combination of headphones and a Bluetooth speaker. I prefer headphones as I think I tend to concentrate better with them.

[Kat]

Thanks for the input!

Okay, I found the Audible App for iPhones, and installed that at work while I signed up for the 3 month audible trial. I downloaded the German audiobook my friend had in the car with my first credit, and tried it on my way home with the earphones from the iPod.

It works perfectly, and the book is fantastic!

At home I have formidable big wireless headphones from Sennheiser, which are super comfy and work all the way to the street outside, so I can even go and put the wheelie bin out without interrupting my listening. (It was a leaving present from a company where I worked that does audio engineering, so obviously they got me the good stuff.)

I absolutely hate iTunes, it's the buggiest, crappiest piece of Sh*t ever invented for mp3s. I only use it to edit the playlist for my miniature iPod which I bought because I didn't have a smartphone to play music on the train until very recently. It has no controls other than volume and |< and >| so no idea how to handle a book on it.

The smartphone seems to do the trick.

I shall report back whether I got it to work on my computer at home on the big headphones.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Kat wrote: "Thanks for the input!

Okay, I found the Audible App for iPhones, and installed that at work while I signed up for the 3 month audible trial. I downloaded the German audiobook my friend had in the ..."

Not sure if they still do this, but cancel after your free trial (even if you decide to keep it) and they'll offer you like 3 months at half price. Then again my free trial was only 1 month, not three, so maybe it works differently for yours.

[Ctgt]

I have Audible set up to migrate any downloads to ITunes then I transfer the books to two older Ipods. I also have the Audible app for my semi-smartphone.

[Sumant]

Have been making really bad sci-fi choices, started reading Wild Seed which I forced myself to finished.

Then I began with Red Rising which I could not digest after 11 chapters and so gave it up.

After that I started with The Reality Dysfunction but the audible version of the book was horrible and I could not make out what the narrator was saying.

Finally started with The Last Kingdom

[Lindsay]

Sumant wrote: "Then I began with Red Rising which I could not digest after 11 chapters and so gave it up."

It changes drastically in content and tone once Darrow gets to the Institute. As I said to someone else, it gets a lot better when it finishes off its Divergent section and gets to The Hunger Games section.

[Kat]

I PASSED MY EXAM!

It was just a little one for a work qualification, but it scared the sh*t out of me. Last week was the written one, and yesterday I did the practical.

It's a certificate for vocational trainers, that allows me to oversee the training of apprentices. I don't do that in my current position, but as the paper is good for life it will be a good addition to my CV. Best of all, work paid for it!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Nice. Congrats.

[Lindsay]

Well done Kat.

[Ctgt]

Congratulations Kat!

Cookie time

[Kat]

COOKIES!

*fetches the exam study cookie jar and sends everyone a cookie*

[Dara]

Congrats, Kat! This calls for celebratory cupcakes.

[Bill]

Anyone get any good books for Christmas?

My sister gave me the Penguin Orange Collection. It consists of 12 classics by American authors. Started We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson first.

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

No books yet, but my sister sent my gift to my house. So maybe I'll get one soon..

[Geoff]

I got Babylon's Ashes, Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection and The Windup Girl.

I'm starting with the Expanse but really looking forward to Windup Girl.

[Sky]

Only lots of infant board books in my house

[Kat]

No books.

I had a "no gifts" deal with all the adults in the family. Despite that, I still went home with a new pair of slippers, two large candles that match my sofa in colour, and a notebook for physical book reviews.

[Ctgt]

Received Those Above and The Late Breakfasters and Other Strange Stories. Also picked up several digital collections.
Two Amazon gift cards just waiting to be spent.

[Kat]

OMG, you won't believe what happened today!

For well over a year now I've been moping around the tumble dryers at the electronics shops, looking to buy one, but leaving again empty-handed each time after checking all the price tags.

Today, the caretaker of our building at work suddenly said: "Does anyone need a tumble dryer?"

I put my hand up immediately.

Turns out that a tenant at a residential building - which he is also the caretaker of - bought a new tumble dryer, and asked him to bring the old one to the city dump for her. It's only 5 years old and in perfect working condition, so he thought it was a shame to put it in a skip.

When I said I'd be extremely happy to take it, he asked where I lived to see if he could drive by and unload it for me. Unfortunately I live in the next town. But he's also in charge of the company cars and has all the keys and keeps the calendar on who is using which car when. He gave me the keys to the company's minivan and said: "if you bring it back tomorrow morning, I'll put the dryer inside and you can drive it home tonight. YOu'll just need to find someone to help you unload it."

My neighbour was very helpful and we put it in my basement 30 minutes ago.

YIPPIEEEH!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Late Christmas present..

[Kat]

Happy New Year to my favourite GR group!

May all your endeavours in 2017 turn out to be great!

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Happy New Years!

[Scott]

Happy New Year wonderful fellow readers :D

[Bill]

Happy New Years!

[Jaime]

Happy New Year!

I'm looking forward to 2017!

[Bill]

So was looking at what I have finished this year and 8 out of 9 have been audiobooks. Mostly worked out that way since the series I'm trying to finish are ones that I am doing in audio.

[Kat]

My local supermarket no longer sells my beloved alphabet letter cookies. Wah! What am I to nibble on my book sofa now??

Edit: But they have started to sell alphabet noodles.

[Lindsay]

You need to import Tim Tams so I can live vicariously through you (too much sugar for diabetic me).

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Tam

[Rob, Mayor of Ghost Town]

Alphabet letter cookies?

[Kat]

My ex-neighbour sends me parcels with Tim Tams from Canberra, so I'm good on those.

Alphabet letter cookies:



They're made from eggwhites, flour, sugar and cocoa, and I like to eat them while reading. Because there's nothing like consuming the written word TWO WAYS at the same time!

I guess I'll have to make do with alphabet noodles....