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Chrissie
(last edited Oct 12, 2011 11:50AM)
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Oct 12, 2011 08:07AM
Janice, do you like living is a very small community? Another relevant question is how long it takes to drive to a larger city? I personally adore country life.
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Chrissie wrote: "Janice, do you like living is a very small community? Another relevant question is how long it takes to drive to a larger city? I personally adore country life."I spent the first half of my life in the New York megalopolis, the second half in San Francisco, and now, at age 50, I'm in a small village in the south of France. After only six months here, I know/have met more people than I knew in San Francisco after 25 years! It's somehow comforting to know your neighbors. I probably would have found it a bit stifling to live here as an adolescent, but now, I find the closeness of the community to be a big plus. Of course, I don't know any of the town gossip yet! LOL!
Jim, I also believe that people are more intimate when one lives rurally. In a city you are sitting on top of each other, so to get distance you must pull yourself away. I have lived in several countries, on beaches, in woods in cities, in suburbs. I need a little breathing space around me. A nearby beach, or sparkiing lake, friendly neighbors, although not intrusive, that is the best. You usually find this most easily otu tin the country. For me suburbs are the worst. Everybody looks at each other. You get more distance in a large city than in a suburb. Me, I adore Brittany, France. There are less tourists there, particulaly on the northern coast. We have travelled all along the French coast to pick exactly which spot we liked best. Isle de Ré is nice but it is going to be submerged, you might get claustrophobia on a small island, some seasons are drowned with tourists and then there is the bridge. I also love north of Provence. There is a city where all the dirt is reddish. I have forgotten the name. And the shutters are blue or green.
Chrissie wrote: "Jim, I also believe that people are more intimate when one lives rurally. In a city you are sitting on top of each other, so to get distance you must pull yourself away. I have lived in several co..."I visited Ile de Re back in 1990. I was visiting a friend in La Rochelle at the time and we did a beach day on the island. Quite beautiful. Another picture postcard is Ile-de-Brehat. Yes Brittany is magnificent.
Jim, yup, we visited Ile-deBrehat too. Brittany is the most rugged, and that is what I like. I also like that there are waling paths all around the coastline. I have poictures of Brittany on my profile if you want to reminisce
Chrissie wrote: "Janice, do you like living is a very small community? Another relevant question is how long it takes to drive to a larger city? I personally adore country life."I live on a farm and enjoy the solitude. I grew up in a small town and then moved to a city where I met my husband. We lived there for several years, never even getting to know our neighbors' names.
I enjoy the space and the quiet of the country. I love the wide open sky and that you can see the stars at night. What I don't like is the drive in the winter. It takes me about 1/2 hour to go to the city, which I do every day.
Most of my social circle is from the city - people I've met through work, Toastmasters, quilting, etc. I do know people here in the community, but they are mostly acquaintences. Still, after 30 years, I feel like a bit of an outsider here.
Janice, it is good to try different life styles. I don't know.........you have to see what fits you personally!
Judy, I like quiet as many hours as I can get it. Quiet isn't really quiet. You hear the birds, the patter of dog feet. I got so annoyed at this automatic fan that went on everytimle you wen into the bathroom. We changed that so you turn it on when you want it and off when you don't. Remember the line"silence is golden"? :0)Some people always have a TV or radio on EVEN when they are not in the room. This drives me up a tree! Oh God, I am probably annoying people..........
Hi all, I only discovered this group a few days ago, and I'm so pleased I did. Compiling a full list will take a while although many of my TBR books fit right in. I live on a farm in rural Queensland and I love the peace and quiet too. I think I must have almost every native Australian animal living in my backyard.
Welcome Lesley. So great to have such a widespread membership.I live in the suburbs which I really like. There can be some noise during the day on weekdays from routine traffic and all but most of the time it's really not bad. And I'm walking distance to a train to Boston which is great. I have no wish to live in a city unless I suddenly (and unexpectedly) became rich and could afford a nice condo with sound proofing. I'm also not a country person. I like to be near to libraries, stores, etc. I guess it's a good thing that there are people for each place.
Welcome Lesley!I think the sound of birds, the wind rustling through the trees and other natural sounds are music. Well, the coyotes howling at night doesn't quite fall in the same category. LOL!
Annoying sounds that grate into the quiet are the big trucks rolling by, sirens, woodpeckers hammering on the tree outside my bedroom window.
Birds in general are nice, woodpeckers can be aggravating, yes.
Judy, I do get the picture!!! You like in "Little Heaven". You ought to put up such a sign. I loke naming houses. Now you have a name for yours! I will move right in with you. 0:)Talking of needing : could you make one for Greece? I would like to recommend Eleni.
Lesley, there is another member here in the group from Australia.......but I do not remember the name! The group has gotten so huge that it is impossible to keep track of all. I would like to see your Australia recommendations too!
And Sue, you are absolutely right. Vivez la différence. What a super bore if we all liked the same things!You and I, maybe we have different tastes in housing, but we sahre a common interest in many books. :0)
Janice, yeah, fauna can cause havoc too. Barn owls pooping and vomiting over one's porches is not enjoyable! Ah, the joys of nature.
Chrissie wrote: " Lesley, there is another member here in the group from Australia.......but I do not remember the name! The group has gotten so huge that it is impossible to keep track of all. I would like to see your Australia recommendations tooi..."It's me ...
Lesley - where are you? I'm on the gold coast now, but came from western Queensland.
Lesley and Tanya, nice you met! Put your heads together and give us some wonderful Australian books. Please let us know if they are set in Australia or have Australian authors.
Well, I signed up to be into this group because it is a GREAT way to challenge myself. So, with great hope and I suspect many questions along the way....I hope to be ready to read by January 1st 2012.
Stephanie wrote: "Well, I signed up to be into this group because it is a GREAT way to challenge myself. So, with great hope and I suspect many questions along the way....I hope to be ready to read by January 1st 2012."Welcome, Stephanie. There are a lot of resources here to help you get a list together. There is the master list and all the individual lists as well. If you have questions, ask away.
Thank you! I love to find new books that I had no idea that were out there and "meeting" new authors and I thought this would fit the bill for the up coming year. I am excited by the challenge of it.
There are so many book ideas floating around here, your head may spin a bit. But it's a great group with lots of wonderful reading ideas.
Thank you Chelsea. Sue, my head is spinning all the time with the ratio of books wanted to read vs time available to read. I use audio books and written books and still my "to read" list is growing, with the wild growth of behind the sofa dust bunnies!
Tanya, I am originally from around Blackall, but now live near Roma. I didn't expect to come across someone else from Western Qld on here that's for sure.. amazing.
Lesley wrote: "Tanya, I am originally from around Blackall, but now live near Roma. I didn't expect to come across someone else from Western Qld on here that's for sure.. amazing."So you moved down to the big smoke :-) I'm from Augathella so we were practically neighbors. I still have family there as well as a few cousins in Roma. There was a discussion in this group about living in rural and small towns (I think in Canada?) - I wonder how'd that'd compare to somewhere like Blackall?
Wow, you're right because I actually live west of Mitchell. I have friends near Augathella. Did you live in town or out?The country town thing is interesting isn't it... I guess there are similarities around the world.
Lesley wrote: "Wow, you're right because I actually live west of Mitchell. I have friends near Augathella. Did you live in town or out?The country town thing is interesting isn't it... I guess there are similar..."
Hi Lesley and Tanya. I'm coming out of the woodwork as another Australian! I'm currently in Perth, but I've been in and out of Australia for the better part of the last two years.
Stumbled upon this site this morning. NEA grants to encourage reading in U.S. communities. If you are a teacher/librarian/concerned citizen and haven't already seen this site, check it out!http://www.neabigread.org/
Amazon just listed this month's Kindle offerings for $3.99 or less. For those of you who are able to take advantage of this offer, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html...I noticed on book which on my tbr and the tbr of some of my friends: Nairobi Heat, Mukoma wa Ngugi. It costs $2.69 now.
Jessamy wrote: "Hi Lesley and Tanya. I'm coming out of the woodwork as another Australian! I'm currently in Perth, but I've been in and out of Australia for the better part of the last two years. "Hi Jessamy- I was in Perth last week for work. It is a beautiful city isn't it?
Lesley wrote: "Wow, you're right because I actually live west of Mitchell. I have friends near Augathella. Did you live in town or out?" In town ... are you on a property?
Hi Jessamy, I haven't been to Western Australia (& Sth Aust & Tasmania)yet. I know I would love it! Lots to see and big distances much like QLD I guess.Tanya, I live out of town running a few cattle. The recent rain has been wonderful after all those severe frosts over winter.
Hi everyone, my list is now up. It is mostly whittled down if I had a cheap easy way to get what I wanted. There are a few extras in case I have trouble getting my hands on some of the more obscure stuff. All but a couple are also on the 1001 Books lists. The exceptions are books I'm reading for a challenge that requires 6 books from each of six different countries in each of six regions. Oceania requires deviating from the 1001 list a bit.
I like that you based it on that list. Killing two birds with one stone!
Jenny wrote: "I like that you based it on that list. Killing two birds with one stone!"I agree!! Very Cool!
I'm new to the group - I joined because I think it is a great idea! I read a wide variety of novels, so this group is perfect for me.I've just finished 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaleed Hosseini - one I would definitely recommend for the Afghanistan section.A Thousand Splendid Suns
That's on my list Angie. Welcome!I originally mi-placed it on my list under Iran for some unknown reason.
Stephanie wrote: "Thank you Chelsea. Sue, my head is spinning all the time with the ratio of books wanted to read vs time available to read. I use audio books and written books and still my "to read" list is gro..."
Hi Stephanie! I agree with you on the ratio issue; I hate when reality squashes my dreamworld, too. :D
Angie wrote: "I'm new to the group - I joined because I think it is a great idea! I read a wide variety of novels, so this group is perfect for me.I've just finished 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaleed Hosse..."
Hi Angie, Welcome! Did you enjoy the book as much as his first one?
Hi Mikki and Sue: thanks for the welcomes!Mikki, I enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns more than the Kite Runner, in fact I would list it as one of my favourite books.
What's your opinion of them?
Angie, I haven't read [Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns], but I did read [Book: The Kite Runner] a while ago. I mostly enjoyed the book (especially the first 3/4, I did think that the book got a bit convoluted toward the end but did straighten itself out nicely.I definitely will read his second novel.
Mikki wrote: "Angie, I haven't read [Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns], but I did read [Book: The Kite Runner] a while ago. I mostly enjoyed the book (especially the first 3/4, I did think that the book got a bit..."IMO A Thousand Splendid Suns is a much better book. It is a picture of Afghanistan under the Taleban regime from the inside, where as The Kite Runner is the experience of a returning migrant and looks at the country through the eyes of an outsider. It also does the rare thing of capturing the experiences of women so completely that you believe the author is female, not male. Definately recommended.
Starfish13 wrote: "Mikki wrote: "Angie, I haven't read [Book: A Thousand Splendid Suns], but I did read [Book: The Kite Runner] a while ago. I mostly enjoyed the book (especially the first 3/4, I did think that the ..."I too prefer A Thousand Splendid Suns over The Kite Runner. Please check out The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe. I gave both A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Dressmaker of Khair Khana five stars, but they are very different books. The first is a novel. the second, as explained in the prologue, is a result of a case study written for the Harvard School of Businees concerning women entrepreneurs in Afghanistan after Taliban rule. BOTH are extremely engaging. For those of you interested in taking a peak inside to help choose which book will suit your interests, I hope my spoiler free review will help you decide: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... I am glad I read both,
I haven't read The Kite Runner yet (on my list!) but I too was amazed by the author's ability to write the female perspective.
Thanks, Chrissy. Two very different books so I'll most likely read both.
I have read both Hosseini books and liked them equally.
I'm going to read the Kite Runner ^^ Although I am sad, I have come to the realization that as a teenager I will probably be unable to get ahold of every book I choose. I can only go to my school library after all... D:
Mikki, glad I could explain the difference between the two.
" Join us to read, not to need... " I like that.
Lesley wrote: "I have read both Hosseini books and liked them equally."I loved them both, but Suns chilled me more.
I haven't read A Thousand Splendid Suns yet (it is under my bed), but I loved The Kite Runner, so if people like the second better, I'm all the more eager to read it!
This is an awesome idea! I can't wait to start making my list!
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