All About Books discussion
General Discussion
>
What are you doing right now? Part 2

Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multiple generations. Covering so much ground appeals to you because you enjoy the sensation of slowly compassing the distance you cross, enfolding the landscape into yourself. Others may despair of finishing Karl Ove Knausgaard's epic My Struggle series, but you relish every moment. If you had three months to spend on a reading holiday, you would take Moby Dick, or Anthony Powell's four-volume A Dance to the Music of Time, or Tolstoy's War and Peace, Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks, George Eliot's Middlemarch, Philipp Meyer's The Son or all of Proust's In Search of Lost Time. You derive satisfaction from the achievement of completing the journey.
I've been really enjoying watching Wimbledon, there have been some fantastic matches although I have to admit to being a little bit bored by the epic semi-final between Anderson and Isner on television at the moment.
They are very impressive players in terms of power, fitness an serving ability but I think Nadal vs Djokovic will be more entertaining tennis and I don't think the winner of that match will have much to worry about in the final
I'm also really looking forward to Williams vs Kerber in the women's final, Serena Williams is just an incredible athelete
They are very impressive players in terms of power, fitness an serving ability but I think Nadal vs Djokovic will be more entertaining tennis and I don't think the winner of that match will have much to worry about in the final
I'm also really looking forward to Williams vs Kerber in the women's final, Serena Williams is just an incredible athelete
B the BookAddict wrote: "I am the The Endurance Reader
Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multiple generations. Covering..."
I can't get on to the website it says it will be available from September 1st in my region :(
Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multiple generations. Covering..."
I can't get on to the website it says it will be available from September 1st in my region :(
B the BookAddict wrote: "I am the The Endurance Reader
Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multiple generations. Covering..."
My answers were fairly distributed:
Philosopher: 1
Judge: 0
Lionizer: 3
Romantic: 1
Aesthete: 4
Endurance Reader: 1
Pundit: 0
Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multiple generations. Covering..."
My answers were fairly distributed:
Philosopher: 1
Judge: 0
Lionizer: 3
Romantic: 1
Aesthete: 4
Endurance Reader: 1
Pundit: 0
Yesterday Dylan called me just to talk and we taked a long time about his job, college option, what's going on with him. What a treat! :) He used to do that a lot when he was younger, but it has been a while since he called me just to talk.
Heather wrote: "B the BookAddict wrote: "I am the The Endurance Reader
Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multi..."
Same here.
Like a long-distance runner, you have powers of endurance and you don't mind tackling epics or long sagas that cover varied terrain and multi..."
Same here.

Philosopher: 1
Judge: 2
Lionizer: 2
Romantic: 0
Aesthete: 0
Endurance Reader: 4
Pundit: 0
Mirror: 1
Karin wrote: "Honestly, this was not a good test for me as a number of the questions did not have a good answer for me, so of course that meant I ended up an endurance reader since sometimes that was the least d..."
I felt that way too Karin, for a couple questions especially
I felt that way too Karin, for a couple questions especially

So now I wonder is it significant, just random or the power of suggestion that my scores seem accurate?
Aesthete: 3
Philosopher: 2
Pundit: 2

How nice!

Most of the possible answers were irrelevant for me so I didn't pay much attention to the results.

When my teens talk, really talk, to me I feel so priviledged.

Nancy from NJ wrote: "I am like J. Prufrock, I come and go. Or maybe be as they say, I am the wandering Jew. Not sure why I left, but I am back. At this moment I am waiting for my daughter to drop something off and then..."
Glad you're back Nancy! :)
I haven't read that book though. Do you like it so far?
Glad you're back Nancy! :)
I haven't read that book though. Do you like it so far?
Nancy from NJ wrote: "Thanks for the welcome, Greg. I missed everyone here and our book discussions."
We all missed you too. Hope life has been treating you well!
We all missed you too. Hope life has been treating you well!
Nancy from NJ wrote: "My life has been good, Greg and I hope yours has been also."
Good to hear! - I'm hanging in there :)
Good to hear! - I'm hanging in there :)

Much better, thanks. I tend to heal fairly quickly even now at this age (not old, but definitely not young--my parents are 80 & 85 and I'm their eldest child). But I have a restriction on lifting for another few weeks. I'm assuming you mean the surgery (I did mention that, I think).

Nancy from NJ wrote: "I can't seem to get through The Death of Mrs. Westaway. I seem to spend more time talking about books, buying books, looking over my own collection or being at the library. Oh well, for now I seem ..."
:)
I guess the important thing is what you get out of them, not how many you get through.
Because of life and work issues, I've read fewer books this year than I think I have any other year in my adult life, but it's ok!
:)
I guess the important thing is what you get out of them, not how many you get through.
Because of life and work issues, I've read fewer books this year than I think I have any other year in my adult life, but it's ok!


I totally agree with your comment! I have been doing too many challenges, which results sometimes in reading shorter books and avoiding the longer more complicated ones. I have recently started to slow down and take notes and reflect/imagine what I'm reading. As my husband says, "Just enjoy the experience, rather than rushing through to the end." Good advice from the guy who takes 6 months to read 1 book.

I read in different ways--sometimes more slowly sometimes quickly. I think some books are best savoured slowly.

Though they can be thought provoking they are not particularly deep and his writing style makes me laugh but most of all I love his characters.
I don't like authors that take their writing so seriously they focus almost exclusively on crafting such beautiful phrases to the detriment of plot and character.

Esther wrote: "I am reading Head On by John Scalzi I just love that his writing make me want to gobble-up his books whole.
Though they can be thought provoking they are not particul..."
Esther and Ruth, I can go for authors with beautiful crafting & style, but I can also go for books focused on character, plot, or in Scalzi's case, humor. I really enjoyed Redshirts - both gripping & a lot of fun! That's all I've read by him so far, but it was great!
Though they can be thought provoking they are not particul..."
Esther and Ruth, I can go for authors with beautiful crafting & style, but I can also go for books focused on character, plot, or in Scalzi's case, humor. I really enjoyed Redshirts - both gripping & a lot of fun! That's all I've read by him so far, but it was great!

Head on is the second Lock in book. I think I might have to pre-order the sequel to Collapsing Empire, the anticipation is nearly killing me!

Though they can be thought provoking they are not particu..."
I've read all of the Lock In books so far.

http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/w..."
I had some trouble answering some of the questions but my stats said that I was a lionizer (described below). It doesn't sound like me completely but some of it is spot on (especially the bit about children's classics!).
"The Lionizer
You bring an element of fiction to the way you see the world and the way you see yourself. To you, life is an adventurous novel that you create and change, day by day, taking inspiration for your own path from the actions and journeys of brave, determined people you know, or read about. The Goldfinch will intrigue you as much as A House for Mister Biswas; and for you, the slums of Behind the Beautiful Forevers or a biography of Thomas Jefferson will hold as much allure as the towers of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. For you, a book is a passport to another place and time. Whether you travel much in your real life, you like books that transport you to terra incognita, like Land of Love and Drowning or Absurdistan. In your dreams Cloud Atlas is your diary. Nonfiction books hold your interest when they describe personalities and situations that demonstrate the mutability and drama you crave. You likely harbor a passion for classic children's literature, too—that's the Lionizer's wading pool. "
Philosopher: 1
Judge: 1
Lionizer: 5
Romantic: 1
Aesthete: 0
Endurance Reader: 2
Pundit: 0
Mirror: 0

:)
Leslie wrote: "Greg wrote: "Yesterday Dylan called me just to talk and we taked a long time about his job, college option, what's going on with him. What a treat! :) He used to do that a lot when he was younger, ..."
(((((Leslie)))))
(((((Leslie)))))
Well, here we go!
Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But a coworker won the lottery and gave me one of his 3 tickets, only one unfortunately so Ron can't come. :( But it will still be a lot of fun!!
Kudos to my work-friend!
Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But a coworker won the lottery and gave me one of his 3 tickets, only one unfortunately so Ron can't come. :( But it will still be a lot of fun!!
Kudos to my work-friend!

Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But a coworker won the lottery and gave me o..."
ComicCon is on my bucketlist. It is insane how difficult it is to get tickets. Why are you locked out after losing the lottery, that doesn't seem fair.
Esther wrote: "Greg wrote: "Well, here we go!
Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But a coworker won the lottery ..."
The way it works, there are two lotteries:
One where only people who went the prior year are eligible to enter. If you win, you can buy up to 3 tickets but only for people who had passes the prior year. The chances to win at least a day are prettty high - maybe 75% chance.
There is a second lottery that anyone can enter, but there are so many people entering that one that the chances to win are extremely low. Probably less than 1%.
So after losing the first lottery one year, you're stuck with only the second lottery until you get lucky enough to win. I haven't won the second lottery since Ron & I lost out one year on the first lottery and got locked out..
But this year a co-worker hit the jackpot in the second lottery and gave me one of the 3 slots (one for him, one for his wife, and one for me). :) Unfortunately Ron still can't participate in the first lottery next year because he didn't win a pass this year, but I will be able to.
Pretty confusing and weird, but that's how the whole system works. :)
Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But a coworker won the lottery ..."
The way it works, there are two lotteries:
One where only people who went the prior year are eligible to enter. If you win, you can buy up to 3 tickets but only for people who had passes the prior year. The chances to win at least a day are prettty high - maybe 75% chance.
There is a second lottery that anyone can enter, but there are so many people entering that one that the chances to win are extremely low. Probably less than 1%.
So after losing the first lottery one year, you're stuck with only the second lottery until you get lucky enough to win. I haven't won the second lottery since Ron & I lost out one year on the first lottery and got locked out..
But this year a co-worker hit the jackpot in the second lottery and gave me one of the 3 slots (one for him, one for his wife, and one for me). :) Unfortunately Ron still can't participate in the first lottery next year because he didn't win a pass this year, but I will be able to.
Pretty confusing and weird, but that's how the whole system works. :)

Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But a coworker w..."
A clear explanation, Thanks.
But it seems terribly unfair that people who have been before have a much greater a chance of going again.
It is rather discriminatory against people who want to visit from abroad or even those who live far away.
Esther wrote: "Greg wrote: "Esther wrote: "Greg wrote: "Well, here we go!
Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But..."
It is rather random Esther and also unfair!
I think what happened is that there were some core people who had been going 20 or 30 years that were supporting exhibitors (buying comics, original art, books, etc). Then, as the convention continually expanded in focus and attention, a lot of the new people were drawn more to the newer studio exhibitions (panels on movies, TV shows, etc) and were maimly coming to meet & see famous actors. This was particularly a problem during the series of movies for the Twilight books - many would come only for the Twilight panels and would camp out and sit through everything in that room just so they could get into the Twilight panels; so many panels were full of people completely uninterested in them. Imagine 100,000 teen girls camped out in tents weeks early surrounding the convention center hoping to get front seats to the panel and meet Edward and Jacob and you will get the idea. :)
Some core exhibitors started complaining to ComicCon that it was not worth them coming anymore because they couldn't sell anything since their customers couldn't get in. It was a tough balancing act as the convention kept expanding and expanding. I think the organizers have made some poor choices and no one is happy with them, but I think they are trying to do their best. What they really need is a bigger venue so more people could come, but it's tough to find a venue big enough!
Tomorrow I have tickets to ComicCon in San Diego. Since losing the yearly lottery a few years ago, Ron and I have been locked out.
But..."
It is rather random Esther and also unfair!
I think what happened is that there were some core people who had been going 20 or 30 years that were supporting exhibitors (buying comics, original art, books, etc). Then, as the convention continually expanded in focus and attention, a lot of the new people were drawn more to the newer studio exhibitions (panels on movies, TV shows, etc) and were maimly coming to meet & see famous actors. This was particularly a problem during the series of movies for the Twilight books - many would come only for the Twilight panels and would camp out and sit through everything in that room just so they could get into the Twilight panels; so many panels were full of people completely uninterested in them. Imagine 100,000 teen girls camped out in tents weeks early surrounding the convention center hoping to get front seats to the panel and meet Edward and Jacob and you will get the idea. :)
Some core exhibitors started complaining to ComicCon that it was not worth them coming anymore because they couldn't sell anything since their customers couldn't get in. It was a tough balancing act as the convention kept expanding and expanding. I think the organizers have made some poor choices and no one is happy with them, but I think they are trying to do their best. What they really need is a bigger venue so more people could come, but it's tough to find a venue big enough!

Ruth wrote: "Greg, I loved Redshirts. You should read Fuzzy Nation and Old Man's War both of them are really good."
I have a copy of Old Man's War & definitely plan to read it!
I have a copy of Old Man's War & definitely plan to read it!

I was hoping for a warmer one today but it's only forecast at 8C.
B the BookAddict wrote: "No wonder I am freezing this morning - it's just 2C. Yesterday we had a top of 7C and it was the kind of day where the cold seeped into your bones and refused to budge. By the time I walked down th..."
I didn't know you had goats Bette! I'm not sure goats are very smart, but I do like them. They seem sweet & mischevious to me, and they will eat anything! - a goat once started eating my pants while I was still wearing them; all I did was turn away for a second. :)
I didn't know you had goats Bette! I'm not sure goats are very smart, but I do like them. They seem sweet & mischevious to me, and they will eat anything! - a goat once started eating my pants while I was still wearing them; all I did was turn away for a second. :)
Hopefully tomorrow will be a lazy day - I plan to just lie about like a beached sea creature!
My calves are sore from walking at Comicon all day yesterday, and now I'm just craving a do-nothing day to recharge. :)
My calves are sore from walking at Comicon all day yesterday, and now I'm just craving a do-nothing day to recharge. :)
Books mentioned in this topic
The World of Yesterday (other topics)A Companion to The Cantos of Ezra Pound (other topics)
The Cantos of Ezra Pound (other topics)
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma (other topics)
Out There: A Scientific Guide to Alien Life, Antimatter, and Human Space Travel (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Leo Tolstoy (other topics)Alessandro Manzoni (other topics)
Rosamunde Pilcher (other topics)
Anita Shreve (other topics)
Umberto Eco (other topics)
More...
The lowest temperatures where I live (only 49kms from Melbourne CBD) can get to 0 but I am at 700m in a mountain rang..."
Okay, that sounds like what I would have expected at that latitude so close to the ocean.