What Are You Reading Showing 3,101-3,150 of 6,935

[Sara]

Barbara I find sometimes I need a break from audiobooks and I spend more time listening to podcasts or music.

[Donna]

Paul wrote: "He's our family lunatic .He's good for a laugh.
As kids he used to chase us with his false teeth"

My Granny didn't take hers out all the way but she would sort of push them out and make funny faces at us. And my Great Uncle Hughie had a wooden leg and he used to tell us a wee mouse lived inside and poke his finger out of the hole to make us jump and squeal.

Good memories!

[Diane]

I had a friend who was an avid horseman. A horse she was riding fell with her on it and crushed her ankle and foot. After many failed operations to repair the damage, she had her leg removed from the knee down and she got an artificial one that used a button on the inside of the knee area to attach/detach it.
The horse was fine and she still rode him but every now and then while riding, the button would be hit and her leg would fall off.
She said the reactions of other riders were hilarious.

[Thomas, Moderator]

Jamie Lynn wrote: "LOL! What is it about old guys taking out their teeth? I've know a few of those types! I had an art teacher who wasn't actually very old. some kids were acting up and he couldn't get their attentio..."

I was brushing my teeth and bridge(2 false teeth) when Pat came in. He was fascinated. He asks to see my bridge frequently, for about 2 yrs now. The others don't care

[Diane]

She had the best attitude imaginable. I don't think I would have ever ridden that horse again.

[Diane]

Theresa wrote: "Toughing it out is the best way to survive and I admire her."

And a good sense of humor

[Diane]

Oh, you write "humour" don't you? We in the US spell a lot of words differently. Does that drive you nuts?

[Colleen]

I hate when American publishers feel the need to change the spelling of words ,like we are too dumb to know that humor and humour are the same word. I also like having the "native " slang left in instead of changing it so I might learn something.I also like it left alone so I feel like I'm reading a novel about Ireland or GB.lol I will now step off my soap box.

[Colleen]

Diane wrote: "She had the best attitude imaginable. I don't think I would have ever ridden that horse again."

I don't know if I could have ridden that horse again either.

[Diane]

Colleen wrote: "I hate when American publishers feel the need to change the spelling of words ,like we are too dumb to know that humor and humour are the same word. I also like having the "native " slang left in i..."
When I was in third grade, I found out about some of the differences in spelling and, being a smartaleck, I wrote colour instead of color. Naturally it was marked it wrong. The teacher said that we live in the US and it is color and that is that.

[Donna]

I still spell it colour. And tyre. And windscreen. And put petrol in my car. I think I consciously held onto terms that remind me of very happy times in my life. Now if I could just find a place to get decent curry chips...

[Paul]

I get do annoyed when software tries to correct from metre to meter.

[Colleen]

I have a friend that is English and her son spelled mum on a Mother's Day card and the teacher had a fit and corrected him that you spell it mom .

[J.]

Paul wrote: "I get do annoyed when software tries to correct from metre to meter."

Many years ago I did some editing work for British colleagues. Before being ridiculed and reprimanded sufficiently, I "corrected" their English text from "The government are" to "The government is". They were not amused.

[Diane]

Paul wrote: "I get do annoyed when software tries to correct from metre to meter."

hahaha Paul. We rule!
:-)

[Trelawn]

I agree. The government is a collective term that should be treated as a singular.

[Paul]

Emma. People should be shot for that one. Its up there with the sign with zoo spelt Zu in made up Irish .

[J.]

Trelawn wrote: "I agree. The government is a collective term that should be treated as a singular."

I'm probably revealing my age, but I worked for the UN in the 70's and old school English was rigorously applied to all documents. No split infinitives, and collective nouns were treated as plural, as in "The Government of Great Britain are opposed to..."

[Diane]

Here is another difference. Sometimes I can't remember who does which when writing for an US or European audience.

US quotation mark punctuation: He yelled, "Hurry up."

But I found this in a blog: Both sides are understandably protective of their version of the language, so it was a pleasant surprise to find Ben Yagoda of Slate praising the "logical punctuation" that we are said to use in the UK. Specifically, he notes a "punctuation paradigm shift" away from the traditional US practice of placing commas and full points (periods) inside quotation marks.

[Paul]

@Emma and don't forget Carr instead of Gluastain

[Diane]

Emma wrote: "@Paul or when it tries to change an s to a z in words like recognise"
So does it bother you when we spell things differently? Or do you "recognize" that we aren't just being illiterate? Well, we may be but we aren't going to tell you that.

[Paul]

Cheeky

[J.]

Theresa wrote: "I don't remember a time when collective nouns took the plural. However I just can't bring myself to split an infinitive."

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collecti...

In British English, it is generally accepted that collective nouns can take either singular or plural verb forms depending on the context and the metonymic shift that it implies. For example, "the team is in the dressing room" (formal agreement) refers to the team as an ensemble, while "the team are fighting among themselves" (notional agreement) refers to the team as individuals. This is also British English practice with names of countries and cities in sports contexts; for example, "Germany have won the competition."

That sounds very wrong to American ears, and maybe we are winning that particular war, if it sounds wrong to you too. We're working hard on the split infinitive thing too: "To boldly go..."

-Jim

[pauline_nlp]

I'm currently reading the Jane Austen's classic book : Pride & Prejudice :)

[Paul]

Is that the one set in Bollywoid

[pauline_nlp]

Thanks Emma :) I'm going to borrow the french version of it to help me if I don't understand something :)

[J.]

Pauline wrote: "I'm currently reading the Jane Austen's classic book : Pride & Prejudice :)"

If French is your mother tongue, and you learned English in school, then I am thoroughly impressed that you are able to read at such a high level. Pride and Prejudice is a fabulous book, and for me it created my internal romanticised version of 19th century England. Then Wuthering Heights destroyed it.

[Diane]

Emma wrote: "Pride and Prejudice is a great introduction to Jane Austen Pauline. It was my first foray into Austen; first through the BBC adaption in the 90s and then as a book when I was about 14."
I read it at about 14 also but since tv wasn't invented yet, didn't see the adaptations until adulthood. Ok so it was invented then but the BBC adaptations weren't.
Pauline, I hope you like it. Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion have both been long time favorites of mine and I've read both many times.

[Diane]

Paul wrote: "Is that the one set in Bollywoid "

The Bollywood version was a musical movie, "Bride and Prejudice" based on Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I thought it a hoot and have seen it many times.

[Trelawn]

@ Diane I love Persuasion too. Captain Wentworth's letter gets me everytime. I have a copy of it and other quotes from Austen and C Bronte in a frame hanging in our hall.

[Trelawn]

We live in a fairly bookish house, as you may have guessed :-)

[Paul]

I din't mind the Austen and Bronte quotes on the wall. We used to have Death playing the guitar from Terry Pratchetts Soul Music but not appropriate in a nursery i think.

[Diane]

Trelawn wrote: "@ Diane I love Persuasion too. Captain Wentworth's letter gets me everytime. I have a copy of it and other quotes from Austen and C Bronte in a frame hanging in our hall."

I think it the greatest love letter ever written. Figures that it would be written by a woman who was writing about a fictional man who was supposed to have written it. Or something like that.
:-)

[Thomas, Moderator]

I have just finished Sometimes the Wolf by Urban Waite. I gave it 3. 5*

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

[Trelawn]

Yep :-) but regardless of who wrote it, it is an amazing letter. swoon :-)

[Allan]

Having just finished our monthly read 'The Son' as well as St John Ervine's 'The Wayward Man', which, while enjoyable in a Belfast context, showed its age style wise, I've just started a reread of Fight Club on audiobook, and am about to follow Theresa's lead and get stuck into a Jo Nesbo thriller-the third Harry Hole, 'The Resbreast', which I notice a number of the group have previously enjoyed.

[Cathleen]

Allan wrote: "Having just finished our monthly read 'The Son' as well as St John Ervine's 'The Wayward Man', which, while enjoyable in a Belfast context, showed its age style wise, I've just started a reread of ..."

A fantastic reading month for you, Allan.

[Susan]

Diane wrote: "Emma wrote: "@Paul or when it tries to change an s to a z in words like recognise"
So does it bother you when we spell things differently? Or do you "recognize" that we aren't just being illiterate..."

LOL!

[Barbara]

Emma wrote: "It doesn't bother me when I'm reading Diane only when I'm writing something myself and the software tries to change it.

I always write "The Council are". I wonder if it's an Irish thing. A South ..."

A South African friend and colleague and I are writing an article to submit to a journal. We are finding a number of differences in our grammar:) As it is an American journal, I usually win.

[Barbara]

Finished The Son and wanted more!! Started Keith Ridgways's Hawthorn & Child.

[pauline_nlp]

J. wrote: "Pauline wrote: "I'm currently reading the Jane Austen's classic book : Pride & Prejudice :)"

If French is your mother tongue, and you learned English in school, then I am thoroughly impressed that..."

Yes, I learn it at school and French is my mother tongue.
I borrow a French version to help me in the understanding :) I'll tell you if I understand the book or not :)

[Trelawn]

I'm currently reading The Shock of the Fall by Nathan Filer. To say I am enjoying it is the wrong word, I'm intrigued. I am curious as to how it will turn out. It's very disjointed, but purposely so. Anyway I will write an update or review when I'm done.

[pauline_nlp]

Diane wrote: "Emma wrote: "Pride and Prejudice is a great introduction to Jane Austen Pauline. It was my first foray into Austen; first through the BBC adaption in the 90s and then as a book when I was about 14...."

I wish I can read them all :)

[Paul]

I started the Towers of Samarcand by James Heneage . Its the second part of an epic historical fiction set around the end of the 14th century taking in the Venitian ,Genoan, Byzantine, Ottoman and Mongol Empires. Good story so far if a tad innacurate.

[Allan]

Theresa, I hope the Irish history course is going well. I've seen you add some pretty 'heavy' books on your update feed recently, so can understand your need for a bit of light relief! :)

[J.]

Pauline wrote: "I'll tell you if I understand the book or not :) "

When I lived in Geneva 30 years ago I struggled with French. So I started L'Etranger, and after every paragraph I wrote down the words I didn't know on a bit of paper - English on one side, French on the other. I'd scramble the bits of paper until I could look at any of them and remember the word on the other side. Then on to the next paragraph. So I feel your pain .

Good luck!

[Jodell]

I just read and the movie is coming out in October so Im going to go see it. Ben Affleck plays Nick. We will see how it goes. And on that topic, my 21 year old neice gave me the 50 Shades of Grey books to read. I mean I admit I read them. I don't think Id be into the Spanking junk but My Neice and Daughter want to go see the movie now. I told them Id go but seriously-Im going to burst out laughing if he spanks her. Now if Charlie from SOA was still playing the part. I would do the happy dance just to see him in a movie. But now I told the girls what is the point-- Charlie dropped out. and I don't like whupppins.....lol......Ill let you girls know what I think of these two movies when I see them if you are interested.

[Paul]

Gobe Girl got quite the range of reviews from the group with quite the spread from 1 star to five.

[Jodell]

Well I liked it...but I like phyc thrillers. Im reading Dark Places right now.

[Sara]

I never read Gone Girl. Emma, I'm curious about what make you change your mind about it? Was it the ending specifically?