Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow to all of the American members. I look forward to a day off and some good food and watching football.
Tomorrow, here in the US, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. It is generally accepted that this event was first observed in 1621 when a feast was held to give thanks for the bountiful harvest. In modern times, many people just look at it as an excuse to get a day off from work. For those who do give thanks, its rarely for a bountiful harvest, but I believe everyone can find something to be thankful for. I personally have much to be thankful for, and along those lines I would personally like to thank our wonderful moderators for the time and effort they put into making this one of the best sites on goodreads. They are not paid for this and do so out of the goodness of their hearts for the sole purpose that others may share the enjoyment of books. Thank you all!
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And thank you to all of our members who keep us going.
Niles wrote: "Tomorrow, here in the US, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. It is generally accepted that this event was first observed in 1621 when a feast was held to give thanks for the bountiful harvest. In mode..."Thank you Niles for the information about where Thanksgiving is coming from. It´s always nice to learn new things :)
Thank you Niles for your kind words. I'm glad you enjoy it here and thanks to you and all other members for being so great :) I'm in the UK and don't celebrate thanksgiving, so happy Thursday everyone, hope it's a great day for you all, wherever you are!
Mark Twain's interesting view on the origins of our Thanksgiving holiday:“Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for -- annually, not oftener -- if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man's side, consequently on the Lord's side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and extend the usual annual compliments.”
― Mark Twain
Just an FYI for anyone that likes audio books and uses Audible, they have a sale going on until Wednesday. A ton of books are on sale for $4.95.I was able to pick up a couple that were on my wishlist so I was happy :)
I will add that I heard this sale at Audible allows non-subscribers to get this special price.
Sarah wrote: "Just an FYI for anyone that likes audio books and uses Audible, they have a sale going on until Wednesday. A ton of books are on sale for $4.95.I was able to pick up a couple that were on my wishl..."
I bought five... My TBR pile just never stops growing! ;-)
Christine wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Just an FYI for anyone that likes audio books and uses Audible, they have a sale going on until Wednesday. A ton of books are on sale for $4.95.I was able to pick up a couple that we..."
Every time I think I am making headway on my TBR...I come across suggestions on GR that sound really good or there is a sale on books/audio books somewhere. I have given up on shrinking the TBR! :)
I am going to the library soon and just stocking up on books for winter break. I can't wait for this semester to end!
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Hoorah.
Is it just me, or has the font style and size changed on GR?
Pink: Yes, it has changed, along with several other things. Some new GR makeover of some sort. See this announcement: https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/5...Personally, I don't like the very bright white background at all, it makes everything so hard to read. Otherwise, some changes are OK, others not that much, like the new profile page, where everything looks so cluttered/not that well separated from each other, because of all the changes.
Edit: Also it seems that the font that comes out when you write the comments changes if you edit things, meaning the original written font is different than the editing written font. On screen once posted it looks the same.
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I guess it is what it is, but I'm finding it harder to read. Generally I can read a computer screen easily without glasses, this new font style has push my need for aid right to the limit. The words are a little fuzzy. I don't think I'm going to like this new change.
I agree--bright background and this font make it hard on the eyes, and as readers we need to preserve our poor eyes!We can comment on the "something different" link on our home page. So far it looks like a mixed bag, but lots of complaints.
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Kathy wrote: "Happy New Year. And for some of us, Happy New Year in a few hours."Happy New Year to you Kathy!
You know you love reading classics when you dream that you see a random guy in a public place wearing a shirt with this book cover
and you spend your whole dream trying to chase him down so you can ask him where he bought his shirt. And then you wake up and try to find the shirt online only to discover that it was, alas, just a dream.
Kat wrote: "You know you love reading classics when you dream that you see a random guy in a public place wearing a shirt with this book cover and you spend your whole dream trying t..."That is so sweet, thanks for sharing it.
This is wildly off-topic for this group, but of all the groups I'm a member of around here, this one has the most international population.I am reading a book about the English language and the author keeps talking about the "Authorized Version" of the bible. I finally figured out that he's talking about the King James version. It threw me for a loop, 'cause I can't recall ever hearing it called simply the "Authorized Version" before... Sure, it says "Authorized King James" on title pages, but in the US Midwest, I grew up calling it just the "King James".
I'm wondering if this might be yet another difference between British English and American English.
What do you guys call it? Has anyone heard of it as the "Authorized Version" before? And if so, what continent are you from?
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Melanti, the range of international members is one of my favourite things about this group. I belong to one other group that has a heavy European membership, from several countries, but apart from that my groups are heavily American dominated. As for the bible, I'm in the UK and I would know the King James bible, or the authorised King James bible, but I wouldn't know it just from being called the authorised version. Perhaps others more familiar with the bible would know more than me though. I've actually been reading through it (despite not being at all religious) and although the King James version is supposed to be poetic, I don't get on too well with it myself and find I prefer the boring standardised UK edition, whatever that is!
Hm. Well, that puts a dent in my theory! But I still have hopes that someone will wander in and prove me right.The other explanation I can think of is that it's a lexicographical term that he's using without clarification and that wouldn't be the first such term in the book.
I guess a third explanation is that he's being intentionally meta by asking me to question his usage of language in a chapter about who has the authority to set language standards, but I think that's giving him too much credit.
Anything other than the KJV just sounds wrong to me, but that's the kind I had as a kid. I didn't even realize there were other versions/translations until I was embarrassingly old. But I agree that other translations are a lot easier to read.
Hello everyone... Hope my message finds you well...So, I hope it is not a problem that I use this place to tell you about this new group I formed. Aside from being a bookworm, David Bowie has been my greatest idol since I was a child. The news of his death was devastating, but I decided to make a book club in his honor.
As many of you may know, he was a bookaholic. A few years ago he made this list of his 100 must-read books, and there are several literary references in his work. So, the idea of the group is to tackle all this readings that inspired him.
If you are a Bowie admirer or if you are interested in more quality readings, please join us: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Feel free to share this message with someone you think will enjoy the David Bowie's Reading Club.
Thank you all...
I have no comment on Bibles, except that I used to know the "Annunciation to the shepherds" by heart after having played an angel three times in the Christmas play at school (1st, 2nd and 6th grade) IIRC. And then they went and changed it... Though I guess I have to thank the Reformation and the Lutheran Church for even having written Finnish and demanding that everyone learns how to read.Also I have been meaning to read some of the books on Bowie's list, I even own some of them. I already joined one challenge in the Finnish Book Blogistania.
But anyway...
I made a table of years, so I could read one book from every year from 1920 to 1999 (and ten from 1900-1919, instead of 2000-2009) over 30 years, three books every year that were written 30 years apart (about one generation). I also spread it out so I wouldn't be reading consecutive years but decades.
It's a very nice reading plan. Too bad I am pretty sure I will not stick to it. And I'm already six years late because it should have been started in 2010 (and with books from years 1920, 1950 and 1980)... Maybe I will do "last year's reading" this year, though. But I just thought it might be interesting to try to compare for example similar genres or books about similar subjects or with similar characters written a generation apart. Has anyone done something like that?
Tytti wrote: "But I just thought it might be interesting to try to compare for example similar genres or books about similar subjects or with similar characters written a generation apart. Has anyone done something like that? ..."I've done a multiple-decade type challenge with relatively narrow sci-fi and fantasy categories before. It was interesting to see the changes over time.
Wow. I looked at the David Bowie group bookshelf, Lidiana, and I have to say I've only heard of about half of those books! That's rather unusual for someone's top 100 list...
Here is a listopia for easy access: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...Yep, I imagine there might be changes, Melanti. But then again I am more interested in realistic fiction (and mysteries and such) and when I read a book from 1927 I was surprised how modern it felt, even though the language was old. (There were no Finnish words for some things yet.)
Maybe it depends on which books you choose, too.. If you were to focus on Cozy Mysteries and start with Miss Marple, you'd probably notice quite a difference by the time you made it to modern Cozy mysteries.
Well I read most of Miss Marples as a child, and it's not really a genre I am particularly interested (they are easy reading for me), I don't think "Cozy Mystery" even has a Finnish translation. Also I don't know who are modern authors of the genre, I think they are mainly British..? I might read Trent's Last Case one day, though.But for example Great Gatsby, Quiet American and Catcher in the Rye would be books I'd like to compare to older/newer ones. So books about people's lives or politics or something like that.
Melanti wrote "Maybe it depends on which books you choose, too.. If you were to focus on Cozy Mysteries and start with Miss Marple, you'd probably notice quite a difference by the time you made it to modern Cozy mysteries. " i thin Miss Marple is 12 of Agatha Christie's crime novels
Rachid wrote: " i thin Miss Marple is 12 of Agatha Christie's crime novels ..."Yes. The Miss Marple series is by Agatha Christie. It's the earliest cozy mystery series I could think of off the top of my head.
Tytti wrote: "Also I don't know who are modern authors of the genre, I think they are mainly British..?l..."
It started out as mostly British, but it's a lot broader now. I was just using Cozy as an example subgenre cause I don't know much about classic mysteries and Agatha Christie was the first author I thought of. Feel free to substitute any sub-genre you do like to read.
Tytti wrote: "But for example Great Gatsby, Quiet American and Catcher in the Rye would be books I'd like to compare to older/newer ones. So books about people's lives or politics or something like that. ..."
I think you have to get rather specific to find meaningful changes. Politics as a subject of The Quiet American is really vague, but say, something like "British Imperialism/Colonialism", going through books like Kim, to The Painted Veil, to A Passage to India, to The Quiet American, to Midnight's Children would show an interesting progression of ideas and styles.
Yeah and probably they wouldn't be from the right years, either, so it would mess up my fine plan anyway. But I was mainly thinking about relationships between men and women, or the position of women or maybe attitudes towards wars. But they wouldn't have to be from the same countries, either, just that something would connect them.
enjoy your reading Melanti.i love novels by Agatha Christie
To Kill a Mockingbird coming to Broadway in 2017.
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That should be an interesting play to see.
Bat-Cat wrote: "That is so sweet, thanks for sharing it..."Thanks, and you're welcome. :) I've never even read Ulysses (yet) but I do wish I had a shirt featuring the book cover!
Kat wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "That is so sweet, thanks for sharing it..."Thanks, and you're welcome. :) I've never even read Ulysses (yet) but I do wish I had a shirt featuring the book cover!"
I have never read it either but maybe when I do I will find a shirt with the cover on it as a reward. ;)
Bat-Cat wrote: "Kat wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "That is so sweet, thanks for sharing it..."Thanks, and you're welcome. :) I've never even read Ulysses (yet) but I do wish I had a shirt featuring the book cover!"
I ..."
I've finally started reading Ulysses....after being on my shelf for about 20 years! It's complicated, but not as scary as I was expecting. I think I need something completely different to read alongside though.
Pink wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "Kat wrote: "Bat-Cat wrote: "That is so sweet, thanks for sharing it..."Thanks, and you're welcome. :) I've never even read Ulysses (yet) but I do wish I had a shirt featuring the ..."
That's cool - I look forward to hearing your take on it. I have very often found that a lot of the books I used to think were so formidable are really not. It is always a nice surprise to realize this. :)
I kept my first childrens story hour today. I actually expected only 15 or so children (+adults of course) to come from one daycare center, but there ended up being around 35 children (+adults) listening to me, as one other daycare group called a day before and said they would come too. And of course the number includes those few kids that came in with a parent instead of a daycare group. So overall, story time went very well, even if I was slightly nervous about the amount of kids. Only one story that I read was a bit too long for them (kids were aged 1-5 years), but the other two they listened very carefully. They liked the event, and I hope they will come in next time, too, since we will start doing this every month till May.
Maarit wrote: "I kept my first childrens story hour today. I actually expected only 15 or so children (+adults of course) to come from one daycare center, but there ended up being around 35 children (+adults) lis..."That's so fabulous Maarit! I'm sure they'll come again.
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Wow, that is an amazing turnout for your first story hour.
Maarit wrote: "I kept my first childrens story hour today. I actually expected only 15 or so children (+adults of course) to come from one daycare center, but there ended up being around 35 children (+adults) lis..."Sounds like a wonderful start, well done!
I didn't see a good thread to put this post, so I suppose I'll put it here.The US Kindle version Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles has taken a steep dip in price from around $11 to $2.
It's an upcoming group read, I think, so if anyone needs a copy and has an e-reader, you might want to check your favorite stores to see if it has dropped in price there as well.
Melanti wrote: "I didn't see a good thread to put this post, so I suppose I'll put it here.The US Kindle version Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles has taken a steep dip in price from around $11 ..."
Thanks for the heads up!
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Melanti wrote: "I didn't see a good thread to put this post, so I suppose I'll put it here.The US Kindle version Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles has taken a steep dip in price from around $11 ..."
have you got a link for this?
I can't see it listed at all on amazon.com
I'm in the UK anyway, where it is available on Kindle for £4.50 (about $7)
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
They Were Sisters (other topics)The Wind in the Willows (other topics)
The Wind In The Willows (other topics)
The Consequence of Anna (other topics)
The Consequence of Anna (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kate Birkin (other topics)Robert Coover (other topics)
Ray Bradbury (other topics)
Kate Birkin (other topics)
Kate Birkin (other topics)
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I'm glad you'll be joining us for our group read! Hope to hear your thoughts in the discussion thread. :-)