The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion
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Groovy wrote: "It was in the low 80's here with some rain. Gorgeous here, too. We're still averaging low 70's for rest of week. I hear they got 4" of snow in Minnesota. Wow!HAPPY NOVEMBER, Christine!!
Don't f..."
Can't wait for that extra hour of sleep
In the list of Authors mentioned in this topic I have only read:William W. Johnstone (other topics)
Daphne du Maurier (other topics)
Mary Stewart (other topics)
Philippa Gregory (other topics)
Boy, did I enjoy that extra hour! But I wish they'd just get rid of this. We don't really need the spring forward, fall back, practice anymore, right?
I had something recently happen, book nerd wise, that really annoyed me. I am wondering if some of you can relate...or perhaps empathize with how ridiculous it all was. Bear in mind, while I do like to listen to talk radio and debate stuff way more than, say sports (over my head), I prefer to keep my talks on that and my reading totally separate.Anyways, my wife and I were recently at a show at a bar. Whenever I go out to shows or whatever, I always have a book on me to read in between bands, sets, quarters or periods; this is how it has always been. On this particular night, I was reading a book that is a selection from Reese's Book Club. A guy comes up, asks me what I was reading...I show him. This leads into a conversation about how I am really liking it a lot and of how this particular book club has had some very good stuff in it. I then tell the guy that I never thought I would be the kind of person who enjoyed celebrity book clubs and that Reese had the first one I loved, which I learned after reading Where the Crawdads Sing.
Speaking of this, this is also how I got into Jenna's Book club, specifically from Remarkably Bright Creatures, which we all read here a while back and I loved! I tell the guy that I, surprisingly, read from Read With Jenna, which is the Today Show book club founded by Jenna Bush Hager, one of the daughters of George W. Bush, our 43rd president. Besides the fact that I am a full believer that, whomever is in the oval office, you must take the good with the bad, I can completely remove myself from whom the creator of this book club is, let alone the...well...feathers her dad ruffled when he was a sitting president. Not everyone thinks like me, I learned the hard way.
"So it's probably got an agenda, right, or does it," the random dude said, which was making it painfully obvious the way he usually votes. "I mean, it's got references to WMDs, and supporting wars and all of that, right?" By now, I could not get a word in sideways and my anxiety was through the roof.
Has anyone else dealt with people like this?
A lot of people nowadays seem to have politics boiling just under the surface at all times. I try to avoid the topic when I'm with anyone I don't know well, but some people can make anything political. Just because you typically like the same books as another person does not mean you agree with all or any of their politics. Sheesh...
You are not alone. I am disappointed in the current state of way too many people, and the way they do not want to learn about any other point of view, or culture, or whatever.I grew up learning that books expand one's horizons. If I don't like how a character behaves or speaks, or if the book doesn't resonate with me completely, at least I gave it a try, and maybe learned something about how someone who is not me thinks and behaves in the world.
I read books that will never ever be read by small minded frightened people and it makes me sad that they will never know how cool other people can be. Who cares if the author has an agenda? If they are talented enough to spin a good yarn, then enjoy the ride.
Personally, I think that every single person should read the Murderbot series. But, the MC is not gender-specific, so there will be people who never experience the fun and wonder. Oh well.
I fall prey to the bias as well of course. I almost didn't read One Second After because it has a forward by Newt Gingrich, and I abhor him, but I set that aside and loved the book.
I don't pay that much attention to the celebrity book clubs since Oprah recommended The Bridges of Madison County, which I gave 1 star. But, I have seen some really good titles on Jenna's and Reese's lists.
Travis wrote: "I had something recently happen, book nerd wise, that really annoyed me. I am wondering if some of you can relate...or perhaps empathize with how ridiculous it all was. Bear in mind, while I do lik..."Travis, I reckon when you enjoy a book and you find a book club or reviewer or friend who likes it, too, it's always worth finding out what else they like. That's one of the main things I enjoy about Goodreads.
If I like a review, I often check the person's GR shelves to see some of their favourites. I've had great luck finding (too many!) authors who are new to me.
@Travis & JennyReading books can almost imperceptibly make you a more open-minded, tolerant and accepting person towards others even when you wholeheartedly disagree with what they are supporting/representing.
Although attempts at banning books are over my high tolerance level. (I'm only human, after all.)
@Patty
While I'm quite unhappy with GR abandoning its members to its seemingly arbitrary and random "developments", I'm still grateful for all the readers I got to know and all the great books I've read thanks to their recommendations.
It's World Kindness Day. Make sure to hug someone; or do something to put a smile on someone's face. Although, I think every day should be World Kindness Day.
Jenny wrote: "You are not alone. I am disappointed in the current state of way too many people, and the way they do not want to learn about any other point of view, or culture, or whatever.I grew up learning t..."
I have explored some of Oprah. Some good, some hit and miss. She is a little pompous for my taste, but some books are good. I do avoid the non fiction and memoirs, however, on Reese and Jenna. I am very picky what non fiction I read.
Melindam wrote: "@Travis & JennyReading books can almost imperceptibly make you a more open-minded, tolerant and accepting person towards others even when you wholeheartedly disagree with what they are supporting..."
I agree with objecting to banning books. Both sides of the aisle do it. In neighboring Idaho, libraries cannot have LGBT books. When I was in high school, Harry Potter was removed, but then Portland schools removed Huckleberry Finn, as it is insensitive to it's black students.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who celebrate!!!! 😊
December and in 18 days we will get 3 minutes more daylight.I feel for the ones in snow storms. That is a lot of snow.
Leona wrote: "December and in 18 days we will get 3 minutes more daylight.I feel for the ones in snow storms. That is a lot of snow."
Yay for more daylight!
Definitely a little bit chilly over here. Cold enough that I have had to wear a hoodie under my winter coat, as, I walk to and from bus stops, then to the office and to home.Random rant for today: good reads posted something about a list of short books to round out book counts for the book challenge this year. Is it just me, or does it but the crud out of anyone that it is always book quantity? I mean, it can look really good for someone who reads 70 books if the books are all, like, 250-300 pages in length. I read books in the 300-350 page range, but I also read a lot of bigger ones as well. This is why I no longer participate in the good reads challenge as it is; rather, I challenge myself to read 15,000 pages every year. I just cracked it with my third to last book; by finishing spell shop, I am now over 16,000 pages for the year.
Does anyone else do this?
Random question: what do they mean by cozy mystery or cozy fantasy? And what the heck is cottage core?
29*F at 5:30 this morning and supposed to be a windy mix and 10*F at 6:00 PM. Also a chance of wintry mix today. I really feel for the adults out East. I am sure the kids are loving all the snow.I am reading The Vanishing Kind
by Alice Henderson I won on GR. This is book #4 Has anyone read the other books in the series?
Travis wrote: "Random question: what do they mean by cozy mystery or cozy fantasy? And what the heck is cottage core?"Travis,
I've also come across the name 2 years ago first, I guess, when I was reading Legends & Lattes.
I found this article on Book Riots afterwards and found it helpful. ;)
https://bookriot.com/what-counts-as-c...
These types of books are a hit or miss with me. I really like some when in the mood, but cannot automatically like all books of the genre.
Travis wrote: "Definitely a little bit chilly over here. Cold enough that I have had to wear a hoodie under my winter coat, as, I walk to and from bus stops, then to the office and to home.Random rant for today..."
It is a very interesting approach you have Travis on challenging yourself on page count. :)
I'm going for the book count usually, but because I participate in lots of team reading challenges where page count is a factor, I tend to read quite a few doorstoppers. On the other hand, I'm reading across a variety of book lengths, but usually they are above 300 pages.
And BTW, from January on I'm going to start a monthly reading tracker "challenge" for members who are interested and I'm currently developing several google sheets for the purpose where you will be able to add and track page counts among other data. 😊
Leona wrote: "29*F at 5:30 this morning and supposed to be a windy mix and 10*F at 6:00 PM. Also a chance of wintry mix today. I really feel for the adults out East. I am sure the kids are loving all the snow.I..."
I have not come across this series, but mostly because it's not in my usual genre. I hope you are enjoying it, Leona. 😊
Melindam wrote: "Leona wrote: "29*F at 5:30 this morning and supposed to be a windy mix and 10*F at 6:00 PM. Also a chance of wintry mix today. I really feel for the adults out East. I am sure the kids are loving a..."The book is about trying to find jaguars in New Mexico. There is suspense in the book but a lot about wildlife and some archaeology.
Melindam wrote: "Travis wrote: "Definitely a little bit chilly over here. Cold enough that I have had to wear a hoodie under my winter coat, as, I walk to and from bus stops, then to the office and to home.Random..."
That is a good way to do it! I mean, you do get a lot of door stoppers in, but it makes a lot of sense that you do a lot more for various book groups.
The one that amuses me the most, however, is when Good Reads begins doing the "here is a list of short books to get your book count up!"
As of now, I have finished 40 books, reading 41. Just over 16,500 pages. Not bad for sometimes weird schedules and long hours.
I may have to read a short book to make my 50.
There are some really great short books out there, Leona. I hope you find one that you love.
Hi Everyone!I'm Mary from Northern Ireland, U.K. and I want to make new book friends. I like most genres but favourites are fiction and thriller. Add me I'll add back 💕📖
Hi, Mary. Welcome. I bet your accent is beautiful:) I love to hear people from Ireland talk. Their accents are so lovely.
Kristie wrote: "There are some really great short books out there, Leona. I hope you find one that you love."There were some awesome short horror novels that BN had on a display table this summer. I enjoyed several.
I’m straight and a Christian but I have mixed feelings about some rights being removed from the LGBTQ community. I don’t think they should be excluded from getting jobs or insurance or fair treatment. I would never advocate for a comeback to the early 20th century. Does anyone want to talk about this with me?
I know Christmastime can be a very sad, lonely time for so many people and that it can make them feel more worthless, like they don't care for life anymore. If you are that kind of person, I'd love to be there for you somehow. Feel free to talk with me anytime in the Christmas season, even Christmas Eve! Just drop a message to me.
I know Christmastime can be a very sad, lonely time for so many people and that it can make them feel more worthless, like they don't care for life anymore. If you are that kind of person, I'd love to be there for you somehow. Feel free to talk with me anytime in the Christmas season, even Christmas Eve! Just drop a message to me. And that goes for anyone from the LGBTQIA community too.
How do y'all choose your next book? (Personally, not in the group. )
I am doing quite a few reading challenges and try to choose books that fit both tasks I need to read for and personal genre/author preferences. I'm also checking GR friends feed/reviews for new bookfinds and came across some of my now favourite books this way. :))
It was -6* F at 5:00 this morning and snow on the ground. Now, we can look forward to more daylight.
Kally wrote: "How do y'all choose your next book? (Personally, not in the group. )"I'm very similar to Mel. I always have book clubs, challenges, and books for review to read. I go by whatever needs to be read next. When I need to choose something for a challenge that I can't use a book club or review book for, I choose a book that I've seen around Goodreads that looks interesting or a favorite author or something like that. I also love to check out reviews. I rarely have a difficult time choosing my next book because I have so many book obligations each month and so many books that I really want to read.
Leona wrote: "It was -6* F at 5:00 this morning and snow on the ground. Now, we can look forward to more daylight."I'm looking forward to more daylight too. The weather where I live has been really nice, actually pretty mild out, so I can't complain about that at all. I'm heading north for Christmas and it's going to be really cold there though. I'm not looking forward to the colder weather, but I'm excited to see everyone.
The Perks Of Being A Book Addict
Books mentioned in this topic
Shadow of the Silk Road (other topics)The Care and Management of Lies (other topics)
Legends & Lattes (other topics)
The Vanishing Kind (other topics)
One Second After (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Colin Thubron (other topics)Jacqueline Winspear (other topics)
Alice Henderson (other topics)
William W. Johnstone (other topics)
Daphne du Maurier (other topics)
More...
HAPPY NOVEMBER, Christine!!
Don't forget to turn your clocks back this weekend, everyone!!!