General chit-chat and information (part 2)

[Sigrid]

I would love to read something about King Arthur.. :)

[Laurel]

Cathy wrote: "Picked up a copy of Anthony TrollopeThe Small House at Allington from second hand stall on the weekend - can I read it out of order do you think? Does anyone know what ..."

It's a delightful book, and it works very nicely on its own. Warning: I dare you to finish it without immediately longing to read The Last Chronicle of Barset next.

[Paula]

In a side email, one of our group members brought up a good point and I wanted to mention it to everyone.

If you want to pose a question to the group about a book we are read (or have read) you can do so whenever you would like. It is not the discussion leaders only who can do this and it often leads to great discussion by other members! Feel free to add whatever comments and questions you would like, and as long as we all continue to be respectful of others we'll keep having great discussions!

[Everyman]

Cathy wrote: "Picked up a copy of Anthony TrollopeThe Small House at Allington from second hand stall on the weekend - can I read it out of order do you think? Does anyone know what ..."

You can read it out of order, but I would suggest trying to read it in order if you can. But it's one of his better books, well worth reading. A good purchase.

[Everyman]

Margaret wrote: "Not Victorian or Neo Victorian but I thought that on Valentine's Day readers might like to see what 'Lonely Hearts' advertisements said in 1695:-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyl......"

Love the thirty year old "Elderly Persons" comment.

[Barbara]

Sigrid wrote: "I would love to read something about King Arthur.. :) "


I read a wonderful book about the historical Arthur. Let me dig up the name and I'll get back to you.

p.s. guys, I bought a kindle!

[Barbara]

Sigrid: Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit (A Novel of King Arthur) by Mercedes Lackey. I loved it.

[Paula]

Yay Barbara!! Keep us updated on your Kindle thoughts and impressions. I have one too and love it for the convenience factor but find myself continually reverting to 'real' books :)

[Sigrid]

thanks barbara! :D

[Barbara]

Paula: I expect delivery tomorrow. I'm not giving up on regular books, that's for sure. I'm just finding another way to enjoy them. At least I hope I am. I literally just took a leap and ordered one, because I haven't been able to decide, and one more friend bought one and liked it and that pushed me over the edge.

[Joy]

Barbara - I will be interested to see how you like the Kindle. I have been interested in buying one, but haven't been able to decide either. I just love hunting around used bookstores, buying books, flipping actual pages, writing notes (and seeing previous owner's notes!), underlining, etc. I do have many classics on my iPhone, but haven't really used it for extended reading so I'm not sure if I do like reading 'virtual books.' But now that the iPad is out, I may just skip the Kindle and purchase myself one of those...

[Laurel]

I'm having to read a DTB (dead-tree book) right now for a group because the title is not available on Kindle. I'm having a hard time of it. First, I have to find it. Then I can't find the slider for opening it. I don't know how to keep it open while I'm eating, and I keep punching the margin to turn the page and nothing happens. And forget about wanting to look up a word in the dictionary! There's no little instant definition cursor.

[Darcy]

Laurele wrote: "I'm having to read a DTB (dead-tree book) right now for a group because the title is not available on Kindle. I'm having a hard time of it. First, I have to find it. Then I can't find the slider fofor opening it. I don't know how to keep it open while I'm eating, and I keep punching the margin to turn the page and nothing happens. And forget about wanting to look up a word in the dictionary! There's no little instant definition cursor."



At least we haven't selected any Books on Scrolls yet!

[Barbara]

Laurele said: Then I can't find the slider for opening it. I don't know how to keep it open while I'm eating, and I keep punching the margin to turn the page and nothing happens. And forget about wanting to look up a word in the dictionary! There's no little instant definition cursor.


That's what I mean. It's the cool other stuff the machines do that I can't resist. No replacement, just fun new toys.

[Everyman]

Laurele wrote: "I'm having to read a DTB (dead-tree book) right now for a group because the title is not available on Kindle. I'm having a hard time of it. First, I have to find it. Then I can't find the slider fo..."

Ah, it's a tough life.

[Paul]

All I know is that I can take my low tech Thomas Hardy and drop it off the roof. Then I can pick it up and read it.
Can I do the same with a kindle?

[Paula]

Paul wrote: "All I know is that I can take my low tech Thomas Hardy and drop it off the roof. Then I can pick it up and read it.
Can I do the same with a kindle?"

Do you spend a lot of time up on the roof? :)

[Paul]

Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It's a great place to read. And sometimes the books can get caught in the wind.

[[deleted user]]

I bet you don't need to take a spare battery with you.

[Paul]

No, I don't. It is amazing how long you can keep reading the low tech book with out any batteries or cord.

[Barbara]

Again, I repeat that it is my opinion that a kindle does not replace a regular book and never will. That said, yesterday I was playing with my new kindle and saw a book I wanted to read. Not only did it cost only $4.50, it downloaded directly to my kindle in roughly two minutes while I remained snug in my bed reading other things. But good to know I shouldn't take it up on the roof.

[Paula]

Paul wrote: "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. It's a great place to read. And sometimes the books can get caught in the wind."

So, this may sound silly, but I've thought about doing this at our house. I saw the movie "Roxanne" with Steve Martin and Darryl Hannah and that put the idea in my head. Just seemed remote, unlikely to be crowded, and could potentially get more sun that our shady backyard. I'm not sure that I leave my Kindle behind - it wouldn't be likely to get caught by a gust of wind.

[Everyman]

IMO, the argument between Kindle and paper book is like an argument as to which is better, tea or coffee. You like what you like and others like what they like and that works for everybody. Except those who don't like either, and they're the equivalent of those who don't read so don't care about whether Kindle or paper book is "better" because they don't use either.

[Barbara]

I agree completely. And as proof of the truth of Everyman's statement, I like both tea and coffee and drink a bit of each every day.

[Sigrid]

haha :P what a fun discussion.. to jump in..:
I agree with Everyman too, but still I'm very happy I don't drink coffee, because all my friends who drink coffee drink a LOT of coffee., which means that if they don't get they're coffee in the morning.. well, you might imagine. I just hate being addicted to things.. at least things like drinks and food and so on..
I love tea though ^^

[Joy]

Disclaimer: This is a random comment, y'all may or may not be interested, and it has nothing to do with Victorian Literature.

Since this group has similar literary interests, I thought some of you might be interested in grammar (and the mocking of those who misuse it) as I am. Check out the link below for some hilarious posts dedicated to the ridicule of public displays of improper grammar (mostly in the UK and US).

http://www.grammarblog.co.uk/

I also highly recommend taking a look at the Grammar Wizard comic. Remember: those that live by the grammar sword, die by the grammar sword.
http://www.grammarblog.co.uk/2007/08/...

[The Book Whisperer (aka Boof)]

Joy, that grammar blog is brilliant! I love things like that - I crack up when I see a mispelt or grammatically incorrect sign.

Thanks for posting.

[Sigrid]

I love that stuff too! :D Thanks ^^

[Joy]

I'm glad y'all liked it! Go back to the link periodically, because there is always some new blunder being posted :)

[Paula]

It's day two of the fiance being gone for a work trip. I thought I'd be excited to have so much extra time to read since I'd be in the house alone, but that's not really been the case; I actually miss the guy. What happened to all my independence, my love of 'me' time, my sheer contentedness at being left alone with my books?? This is terrible!!

[[deleted user]]

It's only temporary. It will come back.

[Joy]

:( sorry Paula! That is the worst - I hope he isn't gone for too much longer! My hubby is leaving next week for 4 days, so I am going to throw myself into studying for the GRE (yuck!). I say more wine and more reading to make the time pass more quickly for you...

[Paula]

That's the worst part - it's only 4 days, sheesh! :) Then soon I'll be gone for 5 weeks. Then... his sister is moving back to town and is moving in with us... "for a bit," which means I lose my attic library. :(

I took the GRE - you'll do fine. So much of it is word stuff; reading comprehension, vocab, a writing example, stuff like that. Then there's the math section, which wasn't too terrible. I think I got a "GRE math for dummies" book and didn't do too bad.

What degree are you planning to go into? Please tell me English lit so I can live vicariously through you :)

[Paula]

Oh weird - I meant mine is gone for 4 days but yours is gone the same amount of time.

[Joy]

Ah, man - 5 weeks? I hope you are going to do something fun to take your mind off of the absence, or I guess working really hard would also do the trick!

You got it - English Literature! I intend to focus on Victorian literature, but that will also depend upon the school and the professor that I can get as my mentor. Unfortunately, I can't apply to any schools yet because I have no idea where I am going to live next year. My husband is graduating with his MBA this May and he is applying to jobs all over the country. So, hopefully he will have a job soon and I can start applying! I have taken 1 practice test so far and I did terribly on the math section. It has been almost 10 years since I did any algebra in high school (I took a few years off so I am just now earning my bachelor's). I will have to check out a "math for dummies" :)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Good luck on the GRE - I'd give you advice on it, but I think it's not the same test as when I took it! (I sat for it when it wasn't administered by computer.)

[Paula]

Joy wrote: "Ah, man - 5 weeks? I hope you are going to do something fun to take your mind off of the absence, or I guess working really hard would also do the trick!

You got it - English Literature! ..."

Yup, it's the "working really hard" thing :)

English lit,... ahhh.. we have a few others on here who are working on an English degree. We should start a support group! Then I could live vicariously through all of you :)

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

And at least one with the Ph.D in English lit - my mother.

[Joy]

Paula - you have full reign to live vicariously through me: Right now you should be feeling anger at receiving a B+ on a paper, sprinkled with feelings of failure. Ahh, isn't grand to do what you love... ;)

Susanna - how fun to grow up with a mom that appreciated literature! All my mom kept around the house for me to read was Nora Roberts. :)

[Sasha]

Justin wrote: "Kindle is very handy for long-term traveling. I was in China for three months last year and had a hard time packing a bunch of thick nineteenth-century novels. Wasn't the best time to get around ..."

Good point! There is nothing worse than being away somewhere and not having something to read. Kindle allows one to have so many choices all the time.

I have Kindle on my laptop and I lug it around everywhere with me. I am still pinching myself that so many wonderful books are at my fingertips! I never would have believed it 10 years ago.

I taught English last year and it was gratifying to see Grade 9 kids downloading Dracula and Frankenstein from www.gutenberg.org. It opened up a whole new world for them. And the best bit....it was FREE!!!

[Paula]

Susanna wrote: "And at least one with the Ph.D in English lit - my mother."

Cool! We could make her an honorary member (I know it wouldn't mean much but it sounds cool).

[Sigrid]

I hate being away somewhere and not having anything to read! It kills me every time..
but what's Kindle?

I want to study English literature! :D
Honorary member does sound cool ;)

[Barbara]

I vote that honorary member is a great idea! As for having a degree in English Literature, I managed to stretch four years of college into seven without getting an advanced degree. As an English major. Senior year I was reading four and five books at a time. Heaven.

[Joy]

Barbara wrote: "I vote that honorary member is a great idea! As for having a degree in English Literature, I managed to stretch four years of college into seven without getting an advanced degree. As an English m..."

I've managed to stretch my college experience into almost that long Barbara. There must be something about us English majors that we just don't want to leave. Since they just keep offering interesting classes and great books, why would we?

[Stacie]

Susanna wrote: "And at least one with the Ph.D in English lit - my mother."

I want my PhD in Lit...well, actually I want an interdisciplinary PhD of Lit and history. I have been contemplating taking the GRE and applying, but I just don't know if I can handle the pressure of the program right now.

I have my MA in Lit though.

I do, however, hate being out of school. I probably wouldn't miss it as much if I was teaching, but I am currently one the many unemployed California teachers. :(

[Barbara]

Actually, that's why I didn't get an advanced degree. My favorite professor told me that it would be a bad idea to get an advanced degree in English unless I was independently wealthy. As I'm a peasant, I went the practical route and got a law degree. But I do legal research and writing for a living, so it works for me.

[Stacie]

As I'm a peasant

I like that. I am going to use that. Yeah. The age old joke...I'm an English major, would you like fries with that?

I am also an editor, so that at least keeps me in the word world a bit, but I thrive teaching. There is simply something magical about seeing the lightbulb moment for students. I love it!

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

Paula wrote: "Susanna wrote: "And at least one with the Ph.D in English lit - my mother."

Cool! We could make her an honorary member (I know it wouldn't mean much but it sounds cool)."

She is a member! (Not a very active one, granted.)

[The Book Whisperer (aka Boof)]

Ooh, Susanna, who is she?????????????????

Will the real Susanna's mother please stand up?

[Darcy]

Stacie wrote: "Yeah. The age old joke...I'm an English major, would you like fries with that?"

My boyfriend and I met in grad school where he was getting an MA in Creative Writing for Poetry. His dad used to call and leave messages on his voice mail telling him that he'd looked all through the classifieds, but strangely no one was hiring poets.

We'd also get strange post cards in the mail from Emily Dickinson . . . and it turned out later that his dad was sending them ;)