Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion
ABOUT BOOKS AND READING
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What are you reading or what books have you read or heard about? (Part TWELVE) Ongoing general thread.
Jim wrote: "You're letting others dictate your actions, Joy. Don't. I know what you mean & thoroughly reject it. That's why I rarely agree to any of the free book offers I get any more. Reading should excite m..."Jim, I see what you mean. The free book offers may be more of a disadvantage then an advantage. Most likely they are free because they're not any good. That seems to have been true of the Kindle version of The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton. It was free. Both Nina and I couldn't make head or tail out of it.
Too bad I paid $2.99 for the audio version of the Napoleon book. Maybe I should try to get my money back from audible.com. They once gave me a credit back when I didn't like the book.
Just finished a book on the best seller list, "Commonwealth," by Anne Patchett. I didn't like it as I couldn't keep track of the characters and then the story jumped ahead and went back and forth so much I just gave up. Someone gave me the book so at least I didn't have to get it at the library or B % N. And now I am reading a really good one, "The Songs of Willow Frost," and even Pat Conroy loved it(this was before he died, of course.) I like this author's other book, "The Corner of Bitter and Sweet," very much.
Nina, I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford in 2015. I gave it 5 stars. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...Thanks for the recommendation to Songs of Willow Frost by Jamie Ford.
Also, thanks for the heads up about Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. I hate stories with too many characters and too many time shifts. I think authors sometimes get so wrapped up in their stories that they don't realize how convoluted the stories are to their readers. It seems to me that their editors should warn them about things like this.
I spent lots of time with that book going back and forth to try to make sense of it. A friend priest of mine gave it to me and I wanted to at least be able to discuss it with him when I return it. My librarian daughter met Jamie Ford and she was so impressed with how nice he was to visit with and she said he told her he met his wife in a bookstore and they now have six children. I want to read your review of his other book. Thanks for posting it.
Nina wrote: "... I want to read your review of his other book. Thanks for posting it."Nina, here's the correct link to my review of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
CORRECTION: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
PS - Nina, here are a couple of fairly negative reviews of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweethttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
OverDrive Reports Library Borrowing of eBooks Up 16%, Audiobooks Up 34% in 2016http://the-digital-reader.com/2017/01...
Libraries rock. I've had a life-long love of them & they're changing to meet our needs well.
Jim wrote: "OverDrive Reports Library Borrowing of eBooks Up 16%, Audiobooks Up 34% in 2016http://the-digital-reader.com/2017/01...
Libraries ro..."
Jim, I still haven't gotten used to borrowing ebooks or digital audios from the library. They don't let you keep them as long as they let you keep hard copy books. I can renew my hard copy books much more. I take a long time to read a book!
Besides, I'm still not comfortable with navigating strange websites.
2017 hasn't gotten off with a bang. I decided to try Dean Koontz after seeing quite a few of his books available in audio format. I read several rave reviews of Odd Thomas & gave it a try. I only gave it a 2 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "2017 hasn't gotten off with a bang. I decided to try Dean Koontz after seeing quite a few of his books available in audio format. I read several rave reviews of [book:Odd Thomas|14995..."Jim, better luck next time. Believe it or not, sometimes I like repetition because I often forget what I've read. Sometimes I forget because I read my books sporadically and lose track because of the time lapse.
However, there are other times when the repetition (when not needed by me) gets on my nerves.
Also, I agree with you that sometimes long descriptions "hinder the flow of the story" (as you say) or sometimes, for me, they're just plain boring!
I've never read a book by Koontz because I don't usually like horror. Is he noted for horror or just for suspense?
I think most of his books are horror, Joy. Not awful gore stuff, but chilling stuff.
Jim wrote: "OverDrive Reports Library Borrowing of eBooks Up 16%, Audiobooks Up 34% in 2016http://the-digital-reader.com/2017/01... agree. I don't often use Overdrive but how convenient it is in bad weather or just when I don't want to get in the car or walk to our nearest library. Oh, what would we do without them. I love my Kindle by the way but doesn't mean I don't still read hardbacks in between besides I have a librarian daughter. so what's not to love?
Libraries ro..."
Jim wrote: "I think most of his books are horror, Joy. Not awful gore stuff, but chilling stuff."Thanks, Jim.
Nina wrote: "... I don't often use Overdrive but how convenient it is in bad weather or just when I don't want to get in the car or walk to our nearest library. ..."Good point, Nina! I'll have to get used to navigating the Overdrive feature. At least now I'm used to using the word "Overdrive"! I wonder who came up with that term.
Hmmm, the word is so new when used for libraries that it doesn't seem to be in an online dictionary!!!
Mirriam-Webster defines it as:
----a gear in an automobile that allows it to be driven at higher speeds
----a state of great activity especially in order to achieve something
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti...
Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance was edited by Lee Child & has some very good stories in it. A few stinkers, but overall I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance was edited by Lee Child & has some very good stories in it. A few stinkers, but overall I gave it a 4 star review here: h..."Sounds good. I've ordered the audio version from our library. Thanks, Jim.
http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Mys...
Our library doesn't have the audio version, unfortunately. I got this & several others so I could read almost all of Michael Connelly's short stories in the Harry Bosch Universe. The story in this book wasn't one of his better ones, although not the worst.
Jim wrote: "Our library doesn't have the audio version, unfortunately. I got this & several others so I could read almost all of Michael Connelly's short stories in the Harry Bosch Universe. The..."I see. I'm looking forward to hearing the mystery stories in the audio version. Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance
Joy, I have Overdrive and Return a book on my Desktop so all I have to do is click now to get to the books. And sometimes it is fun just to browse. I wasn't aware of having to return your book sooner than the library ones.
Nina wrote: "Joy, I have Overdrive and Return a book on my Desktop so all I have to do is click now to get to the books. And sometimes it is fun just to browse. I wasn't aware of having to return your book soon..."Nina, that was my experience. They took the book back before I finished reading it. My impression was that they automatically take the book back after a period of time.
I'm not sure how long you are able to keep the books but it must be at least two weeks as I have gotten notices by email when the book must be returned. I wasn't aware they did it automatically.
Nina, I'm really not exactly sure how OverDrive works. I only know that my first experiences with it weren't good. Don't forget, you read faster than I do. :) Perhaps sometime in the future, I'll try it again... sometime when I can cope well with tech-induced frustration! LOL (Did I coin a new expression there?)
Yes, maybe you did introduce a new word.
Nina, I looked online for the expression, "tech-induced frustration". Couldn't find it. All I found was "self-induced frustration", whatever that is. :)
PS-See "self-induced frustration" here:https://lexisweb.co.uk/halsburys-laws...
Can't figure out what it is.
Maybe it means searching the Internet for stupid things. :)
There's more here: http://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-es...
I don't know how those lawyers can understand what they're talking about!
PPS-I found a lot of hits when I googled "self-induced anxiety":https://www.google.com/search?biw=125...
I clicked on self induced anxiety and the things they suggested reminded me of the saying "Things you worry about never happen," and in my case that isn't true, unfortunately.
Nina wrote: "I clicked on self induced anxiety and the things they suggested reminded me of the saying "Things you worry about never happen," and in my case that isn't true, unfortunately."Nina, I clicked on some of that stuff too. I didn't wholly agree with some of the advice either. Some of the advice made sense though. http://www.anxietycoach.com/anxietysy...
We were lucky. We were the eye of the ice storm as all around us was so much worse. North, south, east and west were in terrible straits with power outages and broken tree limb etc. We had ice for two days and then it disappeared and no power problems or trees bent with ice. I just finished reading, "The Songs of Willow Frost," by Jamie Ford and I don't recommend it. I did when I was only half way through but I didn't realize that the only time there was any relief from sadness was the last page. Enough of that in real life so don't need to dwell on it page after page. Watching an old movie with Bing Crosby that I once really liked, "Here Comes the Groom," Hope I still like it.
Nina wrote: "We were lucky. We were the eye of the ice storm as all around us was so much worse. North, south, east and west were in terrible straits with power outages and broken tree limb etc. We had ice for ..."Nina, I thought of you when I heard the weather reports. Glad you got through it OK.
I won't read Songs of Willow Frost after what you said. I don't need any unrelieved sadness.
I see that I once gave "Here Comes the Groom" 3 Netflix stars. Netflix doesn't seem to have it available anymore.
I have a Netflix DVD of the movie "Cover Girl" starring Rita Haworth which I plan to watch. I just finished listening to the audio version of If This Was Happiness: A Biography of Rita Hayworth by Barbara Leaming. I didn't realize what a problem-filled life she had. Then she died of Alzheimer's disease.
PS-Here is a link to my review of Rita Hayworth's biography which I mentioned in my previous post above. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... I gave it 5 stars.
I just finished listening to All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek. It was short & a lot of fun, so I highly recommend it to any Trekkie. I normally hate self-help pap, but this wasn't the normal fare at all. I gave it a 4 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "I just finished listening to All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Watching Star Trek. It was short & a lot of fun, so I highly recommend it to any Trekkie. I normally hate self-he..."Thanks for posting, Jim. Don't let that pot belly get out of control. :)
We sometimes forget that celebraties are also human. Even presidents the one now and the former ones. That's why I really enjoyed reading "Truman," and "How Lincoln Learned to Read."
Nina wrote: "We sometimes forget that celebraties are also human. Even presidents the one now and the former ones. That's why I really enjoyed reading "Truman," and How Lincoln Learned to Read: Twelve Great Americans and the Educations That Made Them too.Nina, here's Jim's review Twelve Great Americans:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
If I remember correctly, I had tried the audio version of Twelve Great Americans but wasn't drawn in.
I enjoyed Truman.
I appreciated your kind words on my review, Nina. It was a great book.
On 1/7/17, the Kindle edition of the book, The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy, was offered for $1.99. I paid $1.99 and now, on 1/21/17, the price is now $6.99 for the same Kindle edition! How nice to know I got a bargain!)See my ongoing review at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Great Courses: Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals wasn't what I hoped it would be. It was too much about the sensations & not enough about the science, so I only gave it a 3 star review here:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jim wrote: "The Great Courses: Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals wasn't what I hoped it would be. It was too much about the sensations & not enough about the science, so I only gav..."Thanks for posting, Jim and thanks for the link to your review. The book sounds pretty gory. :)
No, it's a factual review of cases, Joy. The author is a very public forensic anthropologist, so she went in for sensational cases, but didn't get too graphic & stayed factual. You might like it & it's one of the least expensive Great Courses.
Jim wrote: "No, it's a factual review of cases, Joy. The author is a very public forensic anthropologist, so she went in for sensational cases, but didn't get too graphic & stayed factual. You might like it & ..."Thanks, Jim. I usually don't enjoy material about the seamy side of society. However, there is at least one exception that I can think of. I did enjoy the detective stories of Lawrence Sanders which, IIRC, were a bit gory.
After seeing "Here Comes the Groom," again and looking at that cute Jane Wyman I still can't see why Ronald Reagan ditched her for Nancy whom I never cared for in the first place.
Nina wrote: "After seeing "Here Comes the Groom," again and looking at that cute Jane Wyman I still can't see why Ronald Reagan ditched her for Nancy whom I never cared for in the first place."I hear ya, Nina! Wyman seemed so sweet in comparison to Nancy. I think Nancy set her cap for Ronald. :)
I happened to catch part of that movie with Wyman & Reagan on TCM-TV. Things have changed so much since those old movies were made. They're so outdated... sometime too predictable, as they say.
I agree Joy, some do not branch the tide of time well. However, I did think "Wizard of Oz," seems timeless to me. And is "My Fair Lady," considered old enough to qualify? If so, it too seems timesless
A great surprise by mail came today/a book from my son, "A Gentleman in Moscow," by Amor Towles. It had been recommended by a friend whose opinion of books parallels mine usually and I had even tried a sample and was certain I would either order in on Kindle or try the library first to obtain it in the near future and there it was unbidden on my doorstep. What a way to start the day.!
We had a discussion in another group about how favorites age. Themes often age well, but deliveries can sure vary a lot.
I am still mesmorised by "Dr.Zivago." and it is one movie that I considered as good as the book.
Nina wrote: "I agree Joy, some do not branch the tide of time well. However, I did think "Wizard of Oz," seems timeless to me. And is "My Fair Lady," considered old enough to qualify? If so, it too seems timesless"Yes, I agree, Nina. Both of those movies always seem fresh and new.
Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group
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I am a fast reader, but that doesn't really matter when it comes to audio books. I listen to most on fast speed, but that's only 20% or so faster & now that I've gotten used to it, it sometimes seems too slow.