Just Talking Showing 2,601-2,650 of 3,141

[Luke]

If anyone's looking for a bit of bookish quarantine fun, my library's looking for people-completed book covers over on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sccld/status/1253...

[[deleted user]]

You can check out books from the public library by using their "Libby" app (https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/). Of course, you must have a library card to log-in.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Don wrote: "You can check out books from the public library by using their "Libby" app (https://www.overdrive.com/apps/libby/). Of course, you must have a library card to log-in."

I was using Libby before Covid and the waits would be a week or so. Now, our library has wait times stretching to months. The demand on Libby has just exploded.


Luckily, like most readers, I have a backlog of physical books to read. Honestly, I am reading more than I did last year. but fewer books. My work load has shifted from actively teaching to much more screen time. I am reading, just not books. I did just proofread a chapter for a friend who is writing the introduction to a book.

[Laurie]

Does anyone have access to Hoopla through your library? There are no waiting times for those books. Before the pandemic, my access was limited to 2 titles a month and it was limited to comics, movies, or music albums. Now we can borrow up to 10 and they added ebooks and audio books. I don't know how long the expanded options will last, but I am trying to take advantage while it's there.

[Rosemarie]

I use Hoopla occasionally for graphic novels and comic books. I have been reading the Peanuts Collections.

[[deleted user]]

Here are three sites that alert you through emails about ebooks that are currently available on sale: BookBub.com, EarlyBirdBooks.com, and BookPerk.com. The website of chirpbooks.com offers discounted audiobooks. I use Apple books for most of my ebooks. There is a section called “Great Books, Amazing Deals” that has a list of discounted ebooks. I have discovered a few authors by using this. Both Kindle and Apple Books have some books that are free or low cost. Both Goodreads and Google Books offer searches to different sites to purchase books.

[[deleted user]]

I just wanted to say a big “Thank you!” to this group’s moderators. I appreciate all the hard work involved, especially at nomination time. I sure it feels like herding a bunch of cats. Thanks also to keeping the group organized and informed.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Don wrote: "I just wanted to say a big “Thank you!” to this group’s moderators. I appreciate all the hard work involved, especially at nomination time. I sure it feels like herding a bunch of cats. Thanks also..."

I (We) appreciate your kind words Don.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Don wrote: "I just wanted to say a big “Thank you!” to this group’s moderators. I appreciate all the hard work involved, especially at nomination time. I sure it feels like herding a bunch of cats. Thanks also..."

You are welcome! LOL, the cats made my day. But, honestly it is a pleasure to work with the people in this group.

[Wreade1872]

I just checked my calendar to see how many days left until the end of May... oops.
I have truly lost all sense of time.

[PinkieBrown]

I got to the point where I wouldn’t mark where I was in a book because I would get likes. I developed an antipathy to likes from Letterboxd where people like each other’s reviews more for the like and the follow than anything else; logically it isn’t possible to know if there is any merit in a review if every review gets liked and if everything is great then “good” starts to sound like a perjorative (someone once called a review of mine “semi-genius”! Rein it in cowboy). When I haven’t reacted well to pandering suddenly my writing appears to get worse because I get less likes; yes I’m really confused by this 😜. So here I am now getting likes simply for saying I’ve started a book and it may be personal but I’d prefer not to because I can’t weigh what is genuinely of worth when the implication is I’m supposed to be liking stuff back; scratch my back just there between the shoulder blades. I assume it’s partly a cultural thing and sometimes it seems speaking English like lots of people means being English is subsumed into other cultures; but no I’m happy being English and part of that means I don’t like my head being patted like a puppy. 🤪

[Sandra]

I woke up to the news of author Carlos Ruiz Zafón dying this morning at the age 55. I'm so shocked! What a great loss! He was an impressive novelist, the type you don't see that much any more... :(

[Nidhi]

That’s very sad. 55 is not an age enough to fulfill one ‘s dreams. I have read Shadows of the Wind and was much impressed by it. I intend to read the series this year.

[Sandra]

I read Shadow of the Wind in 2015, and last year bought the tetralogy. I was planing to reread SotW and keep going with the series. I also read Marina.
It is a great loss, specially for Hispanic Literature.

[Rosemarie]

I read that too, Sandra. It is sad news for readers and all those who know and love him.

[Terris]

Oh my! I am reading The Shadow of the Wind right now, finishing today! I'm so sad to hear of his passing.

[Laurie]

How sad that he died so young. Such a loss of a great writer. I haven't finished the SotW tetralogy but I plan to at some point.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sandra wrote: "I woke up to the news of author Carlos Ruiz Zafón dying this morning at the age 55. I'm so shocked! What a great loss! He was an impressive novelist, the type you don't see that much a..."

I just started The Shadow of the Wind yesterday. Such a talented writer.

[Terris]

I just now finished The Shadow of the Wind. I loved it! So sad that such a talented man is gone.

[Jim]

Good afternoon! I don't know where to put this question. On June 19, 2020 I started reading an omnibus, Five Novels. I'm only on page 30 of 1,212; pages 1-242 comprise the first novel, The Pioneers, and I can't get into it because of the long, convoluted sentences, the formal language, and the really small print. Am I the only one who can't get into a book that is supposedly a "must" read, and feels guilty about it?

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Jim, you are not the only one who hasn't been able to get into a "must" read book; so don't feel guilty about it. Move onto something else.

[[deleted user]]

Jim wrote: "Good afternoon! I don't know where to put this question. On June 19, 2020 I started reading an omnibus, Five Novels. I'm only on page 30 of 1,212; pages 1-242 comprise the first nove..."
It might be less daunting if you get a book with just one novel in it. There are free version (ebooks) online.
I agree with Katy to move on. Sometimes when I move on, I might come back later to finish the book.

[Karin]

Jim wrote: "Good afternoon! I don't know where to put this question. On June 19, 2020 I started reading an omnibus, Five Novels. I'm only on page 30 of 1,212; pages 1-242 comprise the first nove..."

Not at all. I have discarded many "Must reads" and won't reread ones I read and really didn't like even for group reads. I became good at this after the age of 40 when I had three young children and not much time for personal reading. I figure that there are so many books and compared with that such little time relatively speaking, so why waste it reading a book I hate for no good reason?"

[Luke]

I do a great deal of preemptive culling to avoid such situations, as once I start a book, I always finish it. If that doesn't end up sparing me, striking a balance between honesty and critical thought in my reviews is always something I need more practice in, and having non-friend comments turned off for them gets rid of the nastier elements.

[Laurie]

Jim wrote: "Good afternoon! I don't know where to put this question. On June 19, 2020 I started reading an omnibus, Five Novels. I'm only on page 30 of 1,212; pages 1-242 comprise the first nove..."

Jim, I can understand your issues with long sentences, etc. I started The Last of the Mohicans several years ago and had the same issues. I love some authors who are like that, but the descriptions of the wilderness went on and on. I bailed and figured I could peacefully move on without having read one more world renowned classic. I agree with the others that you can stop with no guilt and come back to it some other time if you want.

[PinkieBrown]

Your taste comprises both what you like and what you don’t like; ever developing, always tested. It would be interesting to know what made you pick these books in the first place because it implies a lot of confidence that you would like the book, since five books is a real commitment in time and money. I’ve seen the Mann/ Day-Lewis movie but I can’t see it pushed me towards wanting to read the book.

I’m about 70 books into a classics project of sorts (10 years/ 1 classic a month= 120 books). I can’t see myself reading Henry James or Faulkner again but give me Zola or Conrad any day of the week! So taste is a great big ball of greatness and rubbish and, of course, it’s absolutely personal; which is good cos you can’t be right or wrong then!

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Jim wrote: "Good afternoon! I don't know where to put this question. On June 19, 2020 I started reading an omnibus, Five Novels. I'm only on page 30 of 1,212; pages 1-242 comprise the first nove..."

Jim you are in very good company. The fault may be the author's more than yours. Ha! In fact, James Fenimore Cooper is notorious for being difficult to read. You might enjoy hearing Mark Twain's opinion of Cooper entitled Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses.


https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/projec...


I couldn't resist. I had to give just little bit of Twain's writing here. Odious love scenes LOL:

"A work of art? It has no invention; it has no order, system, sequence, or result; it has no lifelikeness, no thrill, no stir, no seeming of reality; its characters are confusedly drawn, and by their acts and words they prove that they are not the sort of people the author claims that they are; its humor is pathetic; its pathos is funny; its conversations are -- oh! indescribable; its love-scenes odious; its English a crime against the language.

Counting these out, what is left is Art. I think we must all admit that."

[Rosemarie]

Jim, I am really affected by the size of the print in a book. I have read two of Cooper's books-The Pioneers and Last of the Mohicans. I don't mind long sentences and lots of description and I enjoyed The Pioneers, but The Last of the Mohicans was torture-but I did finish it. I read the first in a trade paperback format and the second as a ebook with illustrations.

[Michaela]

I´m glad to hear from English native speakers that Cooper is difficult to read. I started Last of the Mohicans twice, and never finished.

[Tara]

Michaela wrote: "I´m glad to hear from English native speakers that Cooper is difficult to read. I started Last of the Mohicans twice, and never finished."

Michaela, I’d encourage you to try Last of the Mohicans again, especially if you enjoyed the movie adaptation. I had a similar problem with Cooper’s writing style the first time I attempted the book, but recently gave it another try, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was well worth reading, the plot in many ways superior to that of the film.

[Michaela]

Thanks Tara! Yes, I liked the movie, so will try again. The problem is I always have to start in the beginning... :P

[Karin]

Rosemarie wrote: "Jim, I am really affected by the size of the print in a book. I have read two of Cooper's books-The Pioneers and Last of the Mohicans. I don't mind long sentences and lots of description and I enjo..."

I find that the older I get the less I enjoy books with very small print size.

[Tara]

Michaela wrote: "Thanks Tara! Yes, I liked the movie, so will try again. The problem is I always have to start in the beginning... :P"

Haha I’m the same way. I must’ve read the first fifty pages of Moby-Dick three separate times before finally being able to read the whole book ;)

[PinkieBrown]

I’d like to recommend mining YouTube for its collection of explanations of classics; “Why should you read ....”.

As an example I watched “Why should you read The Master and Margarita” on TedEd; https://youtu.be/miNBicrLiXo.

Whilst describing its context and a taster of the plot; using cartoons to show key scenes, it extols the book without giving too much away. I’d disagree it is more witty than hilarious but otherwise it gives a real sense of the book and answers the question- “why should I read?” quite well.

Once you watch a few of these, YouTube will start throwing more titles into your feed. An instance of YouTube not being total brain melting drivel!!

[Pillsonista]

Michaela wrote: "I´m glad to hear from English native speakers that Cooper is difficult to read. I started Last of the Mohicans twice, and never finished."

One of the great literary eviscerations is Mark Twain's essay on James Fenimore Cooper. Cooper's reputation never recovered in no small part because it didn't deserve to.

[Pink]

PinkieBrown wrote: "I’d like to recommend mining YouTube for its collection of explanations of classics; “Why should you read ....”.

As an example I watched “Why should you read The Master and Margarita” on TedEd; h..."

Thanks for mentioning, I've saved a few to watch later :)

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

PinkieBrown wrote: "I’d like to recommend mining YouTube for its collection of explanations of classics; “Why should you read ....”.

As an example I watched “Why should you read The Master and Margarita” on TedEd; h..."

I enjoy the Thug Notes series on YouTube, but unfortunately he didn't do one on The Master and Margarita.

[Cynda]

I have watched and enjoyed ThugNotes various times. My favorite so far is the Hamlet episode. . . .About a year ago, a few of us on the bus were talking smack about Hamlet, about how all the men from King Claudius to the guards are all thugs. Polonius and Orestes just smooth thugs, like TRoosevelt with his walk-softly-and-carry-a-big-stick talk. Or maybe wannabes. Good Memories.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Cynda wrote: "I have watched and enjoyed ThugNotes various times. My favorite so far is the Hamlet episode. . . .About a year ago, a few of us on the bus were talking smack about Hamlet, about how al..."

Well, don't miss the Pitch Meeting series (on a different YouTube channel) that covers movies and TV shows. Especially good is the Pitch Meeting episode for The Last Jedi - that's as good a starting point as any.

[Cynda]

I did the first Stars Wars run three times--with one brother then another and then my son. While I am open to ths ppssibility of enjoying the new seriss, I went with other Pitch selections. I see, to have really liked Pitch. I watched 4 or 5 episodes in a row. Enjoyed the Bohemian Rhaposdy episode particularly well: Bipic, joy documentary.

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

Cynda wrote: "I did the first Stars Wars run three times--with one brother then another and then my son. While I am open to ths ppssibility of enjoying the new seriss, I went with other Pitch selections. I see, ..."

Glad you liked it. Some of them are funnier than others. Another favorite of mine is the James Bond Pitch Meeting.

[Luke]

In celebration of Women in Translation Month, the creator of the event is hosting an international WIT gift exchange. Sign ups for it end at 9AM GMT tomorrow (that's 2am PST). You can check out the sign up sheet here: https://twitter.com/Read_WIT/status/1...

[[deleted user]]

[Kathleen]

Don wrote: ""

I had no idea!! Happy day to all of us!

[PinkieBrown]

If it’s easy for a mod to do; I’d appreciate it if a link could be posted to any discussion threads for Moby Dick. Thanks.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

PinkieBrown wrote: "If it’s easy for a mod to do; I’d appreciate it if a link could be posted to any discussion threads for Moby Dick. Thanks."

Hope this helps:
You can find them in the Herman Melville Collection

[PinkieBrown]

Great ta

[Nente]

Some three years ago I made a GR shelf with "100 recommendations," books I'd recommend to most people who would ever ask me, even if not necessarily those I loved most myself. I should have known that name would come back to bite me... Now I realize that Death in Venice, the best book I read this year, should have a place on that list - and what do I kick from it?

[Sandra]

Mente, change the shelf name for "101". That's what I would do. :)

[Sandra]

*Nente, I meant. Autocorrector.