Socializing III Showing 701-750 of 1,957

[Valerie]

I've only read There There . I liked it a lot and think it is prize worthy!

[Karen Michele]

I’ve read and loved all three of the books and I’m glad they have all won prizes!

[Kathleen (itpdx)]

I have only read The Overstory, which got one of my rare 5 star ratings and I have gifted to friends and relatives.

[Valerie]

In case you don't know (which is usually my state!) amazon is having a free book give away to celebrate World Book Day.

https://www.amazon.com/article/read-t...

if you scroll just a little you can link to 'amazon international' sites. I took advantage + downloaded 5 of the books offered. Aside from sounding interesting, they may come in handy for a future RwS LiT task!

It is in effect until April 24.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Thanks, Valerie. I didn't know about this sale, but I had already learned about The Murmur of Bees and downloaded it. I'll happily look at the others!

[Anika]

Valerie wrote: "In case you don't know (which is usually my state!) amazon is having a free book give away to celebrate World Book Day.

https://www.amazon.com/article/read-t......"

Thank you so much for sharing this! I already had one of the featured selections downloaded/read, but was able to add the rest and look forward to reading them :-)

[Karen Michele]

I put them all on my Kindle. Who knows when I'll get to any of them, but they all looked good.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I ended up with 4 of them.

Remember that if there are books you want to get to sooner rather than later, we will always try to accommodate a task idea over in that thread. (Sometimes that waits a season or two, but we try not to ignore member input.)

[Lynn]

Thank you so much. I downloaded two, The Murmur of Bees which I already had my eye on anyway, and also An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew. Both look very good. I purchased Go the first time I saw it on my Goodreads feed, but it still sits unread on the Kindle.

[Valerie]

Good, I'm glad you all found the info useful!

In other news - I was VERY disappointed/angry to learn, last night, that our provincial government has seen fit to cut libraries budget by 50%!!!! This means, effective yesterday, all the little local libraries (like mine) have had to cancel inter-library loan and a local co-operative service between regional libraries. This will have a huge impact on me (selfish thinking, I know); and last night in bed I actually was wondering how it will go for my future RwS and classic author challenges. :(

I'm very fired up about this, but am not having any bright ideas about what the most effective points to raise in a letter. We are leaving on our trip shortly, so that is more on my mind I guess. Anyhow, a sad day in Ontario.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I have to pay for inter-library loan services, but it is quite reasonable - $2 per book.

[Valerie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have to pay for inter-library loan services, but it is quite reasonable - $2 per book."

That sounds like a reasonable option, but I think at this point that type of thing isn't on the table. Of course, I am a very fortunate person to be in the middle class so I could absorb a small fee. I haven't always been in this position, so I worry about low income people who do rely on the library even more than I do.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Well, a 50% budget cut probably affects a lot more than just ILL services. I'm not sure what services if any are provided by the State of Alaska. As far as I know our local library is completely locally funded. Our Friends of the Library does provide some monetary support, but that is really for extras - like summer reading programs and downloadable digital services.

[Anika]

Valerie wrote: "Good, I'm glad you all found the info useful!

In other news - I was VERY disappointed/angry to learn, last night, that our provincial government has seen fit to cut libraries budget by 50%!!!! Thi..."

I'm sure you are already familiar with this resource, but in the off-chance that you're not: you can download quite a few classic authors/public domain books for free at project gutenberg. Also (at least in the US--I don't know if it'll work in Canada), you can search for most classics on Amazon and find free copies if they're in the public domain.

This is probably information you already have, but just in case thought I'd throw that out there so you don't get too discouraged in your classic author challenge quest!

[Valerie]

Anika wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Good, I'm glad you all found the info useful!

In other news - I was VERY disappointed/angry to learn, last night, that our provincial government has seen fit to cut libraries budge..."

I did know, but have never linked to, Project Gutenburg - so thanks for the link! I have (in the past) downloaded the free classics from Amazon - when my Kindle was registered in the US. I haven't tried now that is registered in Canada yet.

[Valerie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Well, a 50% budget cut probably affects a lot more than just ILL services. I'm not sure what services if any are provided by the State of Alaska. As far as I know our local library is completely lo..."

I think you are probably correct, but this was the first slash. I know some libraries were wondering if they would have to cut staff, etc. I am pretty sure the fundraising they do is for programing, but of course you have to be able to cover operational costs so that you can offer programs.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

We got past the halfway mark this week. How is everyone doing?

I set myself an ambitious task this season for two rounds of Awards by Country, but I feel as if I'm on pace.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I usually aim for 100 points a season and I am at 65 so more than halfway. I have 5 tasks completed with some repeated.

[Valerie]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I usually aim for 100 points a season and I am at 65 so more than halfway. I have 5 tasks completed with some repeated."

That sounds good! You may come in at the 120 mark!

[Valerie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "We got past the halfway mark this week. How is everyone doing?

I set myself an ambitious task this season for two rounds of Awards by Country, but I feel as if I'm on pace."

I saw that! I'm impressed. I had enough books picked out for the sub-challenge that I kind of wish I had time to do two rounds.

[Valerie]

As it stands now, I have 4 books left for the sub-challenge, and 5 for the RwS challenge. If I am able to do the reading I have planned while we are on vacation (mostly on flights or the train) I should be able to get a megafinish.

This was a season where I seemed to have no problem finding books to fit the tasks, which isn't always the case. However, when that does occur it makes it easier to get at least one of the finishes.

[Karen Michele]

I'm almost to an RwS finish and I have lots of prizewinners ready to go, so I'm hoping for a megafinish this time.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Valerie, I think you may have mentioned it elsewhere, but I forget. When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?

[Valerie]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Valerie, I think you may have mentioned it elsewhere, but I forget. When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?"

Yes, I am leaving! We are going to Italy. It is a 'BIG' trip - the one for Scott's 60th birthday. We are leaving on the 22nd (which is Easter Monday here, I don't know if it is a recognized day elsewhere) and returning on May 10. We will be in Italy 17 days/18 nights, but away for 19 days (time zones + flying). I/We are very excited. We haven't been to Italy before so it is all new adventure.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

I remembered the Italy part. ;-) Just not when and for how long. That's day after tomorrow! The excitement builds and builds.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Valerie wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Valerie, I think you may have mentioned it elsewhere, but I forget. When are you leaving and how long will you be gone?"

Yes, I am leaving! We are going to Italy. It is ..."

My mom side of the family is Italian. My great grandmother came to the US in 1899. I never been to Italy but I would like to go some day.

[Lynn]

Since this is my first time to play, I am probably overachieving. My goal is to finish the RwS 20 books, and any awards books would just be gravy. I am aiming to reduce by TBR list and read books I own whenever I can. It has been fun, but I do not know if I can keep up this reading pace in the future. My house is getting really dirty somehow. Also, the dogs desperately need a bath.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

@Lyn, I been in this group since 2009 and I have never finished a season. I just read what I can fit in for the season.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Lynn wrote: "My house is getting really dirty somehow. Also, the dogs desperately need a bath. "

LOL - that could be either a benefit or a loss.

Yes, challenges have definitely had me reading more and it's hard to pace yourself. Enthusiasm seems to prevail.

[Connie]

Valerie, your trip to Italy sounds wonderful. Have fun!

We have relatives coming from the West Coast the first two weeks of May. I'm trying to get my three library book group reads for May finished before they arrive. Like Lynn, I'm thinking about all the cleaning I need to do! This won't be one of my higher scoring challenges, but I've been enjoying the books I've read.

[Rosemary]

Have a great trip, Valerie and Scott!

I don't know where I am this season. Sometimes I finish books very fast, and other times I go a week without even picking one up. But this week I have a train trip of several hours each way to visit a friend, so I hope a couple of books will be finished in the time I'm away!

[Valerie]

Thanks everyone! We are leaving in about 40 minutes for the airport, and already have been informed the flight is late! More reading time..... and running to make the connection in Munich! ;)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

In the completed tasks thread Joanna wrote: "I read a Harlequin romance whose premise was that a twin sister was engaged to a blind man and she decides to switch places with her twin. I've always found the idea completely farcical, but also weirdly fascinating. Here again, this twister plot line had the same sort of completely unbelievable but still bizarrely gripping feel. "

I went through high school with a set of identical twins. They were so identical that for 3 years they had all of their classes together. Then something happened when we were seniors and they had two classes that were different. They decided to switch classes every once in awhile. The teachers never knew they did it. Not the same situation at all, of course, but still ...

(And I could tell those boys apart in an instant. One had a rounder face than the other - how could you not tell them apart?)

[Rosemary]

Me too, I was at school with a set of identical girl twins, and we always knew them apart ... at least when they were together. It might have been harder if you saw one alone and she was pretending to be the other one ...?

[Lynn]

I bought something last Summer that you all might be interested in. The number of books I have read in the last three years is vastly higher in both quantity and quality. There are a few reasons for this. We finally got so disgusted with TV that now we simply watch ROKU using our internet data. We only watch the program we intend to watch. There is no TV running in the background anymore. Secondly, I was able to move out of teaching math and into the English Department. Finally, last year I bought a bookstand from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

It makes reading in bed or in my recliner so much easier. I can read during a meal if my husband is at work (we often work opposite shifts). Plus, it holds your place. Also, it is nice for holding my Samsung Tablet for Kindle books. (I had an original Kindle that no longer works.) It seems like a little thing, but just the fact that I no longer get tired of holding a book allows me to read more.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

That looks nice, Lynn. A few years ago I bought a book pillow for the same reason. I use it for most hardcovers or heavier, stiffer paperbacks. I have a Kindle Keyboard which still works fine, although I bought a Kindle 5-way a couple of years ago as a backup. Both are fairly lightweight - about 8 ounces, so not fatiguing. I have decided more recently that if a book is over 500 pages, it goes on the Kindle. As I age, hand tiredness sets in on the bigger books. (Exceptions may be made for library books, or longer books not published digitally.)

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

A new word for me today: Bibliopolis

I think it means the world of bibliophiles - all of us book lovers, whether collectors or not.

[Rebekah]

Valerie wrote: "In case you don't know (which is usually my state!) amazon is having a free book give away to celebrate World Book Day.

https://www.amazon.com/article/read-t......"

Thanks! Got a Kindle one

[Rebekah]

Valerie wrote: "Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "I have to pay for inter-library loan services, but it is quite reasonable - $2 per book."

That sounds like a reasonable option, but I think at this point that type of th..."

Truly sad

[Rebekah]

I’ve been trying to read more of my real books. I really need to clear out space. But they seem so heavy and awkward when you can read them on iPad and all lit up so it’s easy to see and in the dark and everything!

[Rebekah]

Anybody up for more genealogy talk? Jayme, did your family come through Ellis Island?

I unexpectedly found one of my ancestors was on a claim on the Guion Miller Rolls of 1908 trying to prove Cherokee descent from the Eastern Cherokee that signed the 1851 treaty! I had no idea! There has been talk of some Cherokee on another line and I came across this by accident. It was one of the few accepted claims for my ancestor had actually signed the treaty. Never thought my blonde blue eyed grandfather had Cherokee. I’ve been doing a lot of side reading now about it but to be honest if I hadn’t read Thirteen Moons a while back and I hadn’t asked about it in the Fictional bio help thread so it was in my mind, I might have overlooked it and not noticed it for what it was!

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Rebekah wrote: "Anybody up for more genealogy talk? Jayme, did your family come through Ellis Island?

I unexpectedly found one of my ancestors was on a claim on the Guion Miller Rolls of 1908 trying to prove Che..."

Yes, I believe so, my great grandmother. I have no way to confirm it though.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Summer is coming! It's a time when we should indulge ourselves. Or at least that's the way I think of it.

Not sure if Kate will get the sub-challenge posted this weekend or early next week, but you should have your pencils sharpened in readiness.

[Valerie]

Just in time for me! I’ll be back home Friday and probably jet lagged all weekend - the perfect conditions for planning a sub-challenge! 😁

[Ed]

For those of you on Facebook and care to take a peek at some of my photos from our recent trip to Vancouver, here you go...

https://www.facebook.com/ed.lehman.3/...

[Bea]

Ed wrote: "For those of you on Facebook and care to take a peek at some of my photos from our recent trip to Vancouver, here you go...

https://www.facebook.com/ed.lehman.3/......"

Looks like a good time!

[Valerie]

Ed wrote: "For those of you on Facebook and care to take a peek at some of my photos from our recent trip to Vancouver, here you go...

https://www.facebook.com/ed.lehman.3/......"

Nice! Looks like you had fun, and saw lots of flowers (which I would expect at this time of year)!

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Ed - Artemis Fowl is shelved as Juv Fiction at BPL and has a Lexile of 600. It will not work for Ratings Game.

[Ed]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "Ed - Artemis Fowl is shelved as Juv Fiction at BPL and has a Lexile of 600. It will not work for Ratings Game."

Thanks Elizabeth. I filled in my workspace with all the books I was hoping to fit in to next season.... I found at least one for every category.... replaced Artemis Fowl with Catch-22.

[Ed]

Valerie wrote: "Ed wrote: "For those of you on Facebook and care to take a peek at some of my photos from our recent trip to Vancouver, here you go...

https://www.facebook.com/ed.lehman.3/......"

Thanks Valerie...and yes.... tons of flowers....more than I would expect....especially so many trees blooming with flowers...and tulips and rhododendrons everywhere.