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What books did you get from the library, bookstore, or online? ~ 2023
True. She’s remarkable in her strength.
John, did you see the Amazon Beta point program is over?The email said, starting June 1, you will earn 3 points per dollar spent. Points expire in 3 months.
Points acquired before June 1, will expire in 6 months.
It also mentions double points days. I'll have to keep an eye out for that. If I see it, I'll share here. If you or anyone else sees that, please let me know. The email said one such day is coming in June.
June 6th & 7th2X Kindle rewards points !
I’m presently reading The Invisibles: The Untold Story of African American Slaves in the White House—Jesse J. Holland for the DL prompt on slavery. My original selection, A Slave in the White House: Paul Jennings and the Madisons—Elizabeth Dowling Taylor is no longer available in eBook form, so this seems close. Fortunately Jennings has his own chapter in the Holland book, as well.
Today and tomorrow are 2X Kindle point days. I already had over 300 points (amount needed to get $3 credit)
Today I was listening to a podcast with Father Barron. I decided to get this book which is a companion to the TV series. You can see the series on YouTube.
Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith by Robert Barron
The book was already on sale for $5.00. So I only paid $2.
The book also was worth 30 points. So I double that and got
60 points towards my next 300.
Since it's 2X Kindle point day today and tomorrow I decided to get another book that my library does not have.The Conquerors: Roosevelt, Truman & the Destruction of Hitler's Germany 1941-45 by Michael R. Beschloss
The purchase gave me 84 points X 2
You need 300 points to get a $3 coupon.
Two heavy topics, Alias. I hope you will be able to get to them soon!
Thanks, Deb. I decided to get another book that my library doesn't have for the 2X points sale.
I don't normally read thrillers, but in keeping with trying to expand my reading horizons, I selected for $4.
by Freida McFadden
I hope you like this one— it sounds intriguing.
It's on the Amazon bestseller list and the rating are good. Fingers crossed 🤞
I recently got these books! Me Before You
Cherry Cheesecake Murder
The Sun Down Motel
The Upside of Falling
The Cabin
It Starts with Us
A Court of Mist and Fury
The Fine Print
Happy Place
What a delightful bouquet of titles, Lilli. Enjoy!
Recently i read Lake of Sorrows—Erin Hart, the second in a series of mysteries featuring Irish bog bodies, centuries old bodies, which have been preserved (in some state) and are now uncovered. We were in Ireland several years ago and were introduced to these remains. The book features a US forensic archaeologist in Ireland on a grant. In the first two books not only is an ancient body found but a more recent, yet also preserved body is uncovered. The mystery is in solving the latter day death, which sometimes has a link to the older one, in some way.
Much as i relish learning about bog bodies, i began losing patience with this one. There were numerous modern-day suspects, who were give many, many pages of history, slowing the book for me. Still, i liked the fresh archeological info.
I doubt i’ll read further in the series, though.
Onward to Washington Irving: An American Original—Brian Jay Jones, which i’m reading in a heavy paper version.
Lilli Gilliam wrote: "I recently got these books! Me Before You
Cherry Cheesecake Murder
The Sun Down Motel
The Upside of Falling
[book:The Cabin|28755320..."
I very much enjoyed, Me Before You.
Enjoy your book haul, Lilli !
madrano wrote: "Recently i read Lake of Sorrows—Erin Hart, the second in a series of mysteries featuring Irish bog bodies, centuries old bodies, which have been preserved (in some sta..."Sorry it wasn't exactly what you were looking for. However, as you say, you still picked up some good info.
I finished reading,
Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA and More Tell Us About Crime by Val McDermidThe author is a Scottish crime writer. I've not read any of her fiction books.
This non fiction book explores the various forensic techniques used to solve crimes. "Forensics is scientific tests or techniques used in connection with the detection of crime." Each chapter explores a different subject. The topics include, evaluating the crime scene, fire investigation, entomology (bugs) pathology, toxicology and fingerprinting. I liked this format. Though for some reason I wasn't totally engaged. I think most of the info I found very basic. Perhaps if the author went into a bit more depth about the cases she mentions it would have held my attention better. Most of the cases she does discuss are in the UK. There were quite a few digs at the U.S. system for some reason. I found that a bit odd.
The book is dated as it was published in 2015. Still, I'm sure many of the insights are still valid. Though I suspect computers and DNA have moved to the forefront. The author is not a scientist, so the book is pretty basic.
I did have to skip over a few paragraphs as they were a bit too gory for my tastes. I'm a bit of a baby when it comes to reading about violent crimes.
I did highlight quite a few things. Here are a few of my highlights. One interesting factoid was one study where they asked parents of 30 children to set off smoke alarms at various hours during the night. Eighty percent of the children did NOT wake up, even though some had the alarms in their bedroom. The most effective alarms had the moms voice saying, Wake up ! Another factoid that I somehow didn't know is that maggots come from fly eggs. Maybe because I try not to think about maggots too often. LOL. Maggots can help determine the time of death. Another tidbit is fingerprints of identical twins are different. However, she notes that it is "recommended that fingerprint evidence should be regarded as opinion evidence not fact." One interesting case was where the person was convicted on the pattern of the veins on the back of their hands.
Still, all in all, I think if you like to read crime fiction, you will find this interesting. I gave it a 3/5 rating, which is good but did not exceed my expectations.
Our assessment of McDermid’s book is similar, Alias. One thing i quite liked was that she offered reasons why some techniques may not be as optimal in court or as evidence as we’ve been lead to believe.
I didn't mean to post my review in this thread. It belongs in the Book Salon. However, I'll just leave it here. Sorry for any confusion.
Alias Reader wrote: "I didn't mean to post my review in this thread. It belongs in the Book Salon. However, I'll just leave it here. Sorry for any confusion."Also now with legal podcasts and Court TV, the general public knows a lot more about court proceedings.
True. Reading McD’s reasons for evidence limits filled me in on some court questions i had.
Kindle !Buy $15 in Kindle Books, earn 300 Kindle points.
June 10-25
I began reading The Interrogative Mood—Padgett Powell. Powell’s ideas in lit intrigue me. Previously i read Mrs. Hollingsworth's Men, which was a mixed success for me, but enough to add this title to my TBR. This novel is nothing but questions, one after another. After two pages i was ready to quit, so i skipped 20 or so pages in. Those questions hooked me, so i returned to the beginning.
Obviously this is not a book you read as a story, although there are a few moments when we feel so engaged. It has been impossible for me to read without stopping to consider my response to the poser. Of course this will make the short book longer, but the thoughts tickle one’s mind.
I must add that reading it in eBook form is ideal because i can immediately look for definitions of topics of no familiarity to me, such as Shodlik Palace in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
If you need questions for conversation starters, here’s one. “Provided you were given assurances that you would not be harmed by the products of either, would you rather spend time with a terrorist or with a manufacturer of breakfast cereal?”
madrano wrote: "I began reading The Interrogative Mood—Padgett Powell. Powell’s ideas in lit intrigue me. Previously i read Mrs. Hollingsworth's Men, which was a mixed s..."Sounds very thought provoking.
True, Alias. Although sometimes the question is just one of nostalgia, such as, “Do you remember all-metal roller skates?” Kinda fun.
madrano wrote: "True, Alias. Although sometimes the question is just one of nostalgia, such as, “Do you remember all-metal roller skates?” Kinda fun."Yes, I do .
Do you remember that song by Melanie?
Brand New Key, pair of roller skates
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p02Dg...
Brand New Key" is a pop song written and sung by American folk music singer Melanie. Initially a track of Melanie's album Gather Me, produced by Melanie's husband Peter Schekeryk, it was known also as "The Rollerskate Song" due to its chorus. It was her greatest success, scoring No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart during December 1971 and January 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 9 song of 1972. It also scored No. 1 in Canada and Australia and No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brand_N...
I do recall the song. The question reminded me of my own old roller skates and my neighborhood’s rough streets, where skating was hard! Latest bemusing question—“What if the famous line “I have always depended upon the kindness of strangers” had been “I have always depended upon the freshness of air”?”
What would Tennessee Williams say?
No. That is one of my favorite plays. It would be sacrilege to change a single word.
Agree! I have used that quote many, many times over the years. No changes!I must say I’m enjoying the book, taking it slowly.
Remember the skates? This is an example of something Powell does with some of his questions. NOTE: It is not important to read the entire passage, i just wanted to share this oddity.
“I believe I asked you this before, but let me again if I did, because it is important to me: can you picture those old metal roller skates that had a metal shell or clamp up front under which you slid your shoe and a leather ankle strap in the rear to secure your ankle, the chief feature of which skates was that they had no flexibility or suspension and the wheels gained no traction whatsoever if you were on a surface smooth enough to pretend to skate on in the first place, and which, the wheels, since that surface was generally concrete, gradually wore down to sandblasted-looking remnants of themselves and became even more useless and treacherous than they had been new, so that the net effect of skating on these things was akin to ice skating on concrete? Weren’t those old metal roller skates great? Would the equivalent today to the old metal roller skate not involve some Kevlar/Teflon-ey wheels, a microchip gyroscope, a laser level, a GPS, a twenty-four hour customer-service support hotline, a built-in cell phone with a speed dialer to call it, a liability waiver/rider to attach to one’s homeowner’s insurance policy, and a streaming video feed into the brain of the skater of an exciting virtual landscape to skate when the skater just preferred to put on the skates, or think about the skates, and stay on the couch?”
:) Good points. Everything today needs to do a million things besides what you purchased it for. Though in defense of the old metal skates. I skated on concrete NYC sidewalks and those skates lasted forever. Also they were adjustable. So as your foot grew you just adjusted the skate. Not like todays disposable everything.
I’d forgotten about the adjusting ability of those metal skates! Yes!
Today only June 27thTriple points day for Kindle books purchased.
I love Paul Harding's prose, so I got Enon. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, though. I know it's quite dark and might be depressing for some.
I decided to buy a Kindle copy of:
Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President by Robert DallekThere is an original 2 volume 1,200 pages version. I got the 400 page, condensed one-volume edition. I'm interested, but not 1,200 two volumes worth ! LOL
These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill LeporeI have the audio of this book for free as an Audible member. I like to follow the book along with audio sometimes. So that is why I purchased the book.
I'm not sure when I'll get to them.
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I love Paul Harding's prose, so I got Enon. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, though. I know it's quite dark and might be depressing for some."The reviews on Goodreads are mixed, so i’ll be curious to learn what you think, Kiki. Harding is new to me but i see several Lonely Planet guides with his credit. Interesting.
Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I love Paul Harding's prose, so I got Enon. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, though. I know it's quite dark and might be depressing for some."The reviews on Goodreads are mixed, so i’ll be curious to learn what you think, Kiki. Harding is new to me but i see several Lonely Planet guides with his credit. Interesting.
I’m with you on the Dallek tome, Alias. I hope it works well for you. And enjoy the Lepore book!
July 6-12Buy $10 in Kindle Books
Earn 500 Kindle points !
A YouTuber that I listen to, Ruby Granger, read this book. It's a classic and on sale for the Kindle version for 50 cents !The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
This is the YouTuber
22 Books I Read in May and June
Ruby Granger
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx81k...
madrano wrote: "In my opinion Collins is underrated. I like both the ones I’ve read— the above and The Moonstone."I've only read The Woman in White and The Moonstone, but I really enjoyed those two.
madrano wrote: "Kiki (Formerly TheGirlByTheSeaOfCortez) wrote: "I love Paul Harding's prose, so I got Enon. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, though. I know it's quite dark an..."Thank you, Madrano. I did love Tinkers, which I read several years ago, so I expect to love Enon as well.
Alias Reader wrote: "No. That is one of my favorite plays. It would be sacrilege to change a single word."I love that play, too, and also think it would be sacrilege to change one word. Totally agree.
Thanks. I had not heard of it, either. I was pleasantly surprised.Michele
Last night i began The Water Is Wide, Pat Conroy’s book about a year he spent as a teacher on an island off the South Carolina coast in the early 70s. Poverty ridden, the students were just promoted year after year, most not even knowing how to read or write, some not able to count. I’m only a few chapters into it but am fascinated.Previously, i’ve only read one of his novels and felt it was too much. (I cannot recall which, btw, but perhaps The Prince of Tides.) This one doesn’t seem over the top, so i hope it stays that way.
madrano wrote: Previously, i’ve only read one of his novels and felt it was too much. (I cannot recall which, btw, but perhaps The Prince of Tides.) This one doesn’t seem over the top, so i hope it stays that way."When we were over on AOL message boards the group read
The Great Santini. Perhaps you read that one.
I'm intrigued by The Water Is Wide. If it's non fiction, I may be interested in reading it. Either way, it fits prompt
77- Education or teaching profession or has teacher or student in story F or NF
Though you mentioned another book that also fits the prompt that I've penciled in, Reading with Patrick: A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship
Decisions, decisions. :)
Alias Reader wrote: "July 6-12Buy $10 in Kindle Books
Earn 500 Kindle points !"
I purchased
Richard Nixon: The Life by John A. FarrellThis was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
Alias, i read Reading with Patrick for last year’s challenge, same category. I liked it, although much of it, while with Patrick, was not in school but personally working with him. Since reading it, I’ve thought back on it several times, always a good sign.I didn’t read Santini, partly because it sounded akin to Dan’s upbringing with a career military dad. We saw the film, however.
Alias Reader wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "July 6-12Buy $10 in Kindle Books
Earn 500 Kindle points !"
I purchased
Richard Nixon: The Life by [author:John A. ..."Looks like a good choice! Making a note of it for the day i need a Nixon bio. Thanks!
madrano wrote: "Looks like a good choice! Making a note of it for the day i need a Nixon bio. Thanks!"My favorite Nixon bio so far is Being Nixon: A Man Divided by Evan Thomas Good writing, balance and fair and I liked that it covered his whole life not just the presidency.
I always like when a bio includes the person's childhood. I think it can tell you a lot.
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It's wonderful when a book pulls you in like that !