Author Topic: The Library (Read 197213 times)

pedln · « **Reply #160 on:** January 03, 2009, 06:17:32 PM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat always out.
Do come in and join us.

We look forward to hearing from you, about you and the books you are enjoying (or not) right now.

Let the book talk begin here!

Everyone is welcome!

JoanK · « **Reply #161 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:08:11 PM »

The MYSTERY CORNER is now open:

http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=82.0

serenesheila · « **Reply #162 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:10:56 PM »

Hi, all. I just found this site. It is good seeing all of you! I am sick in bed. Haven't been reading much. I have been slowly reading a non fiction, called "The Forgotten Man". It is about the Great Depression. I find myself quite interested in history from the first WW through the depression. It is well written. Very different from all of the anti Hoover information I heard growing up.

I look forward to coming back here with all of you.

Sheila

JoanK · « **Reply #163 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:14:18 PM »

Great to see you again, SHEILA.

pedln · « **Reply #164 on:** January 03, 2009, 07:43:09 PM »

Sheila, hope you're feeling better soon.

CubFan · « **Reply #165 on:** January 03, 2009, 08:26:46 PM »

Babi

I started Remember the Morning today. When I started looking up Fleming's books I first checked my shelves of unread books (mainly non fiction) and found that I had that one. I too decided to start with the beginnings of the family even though it was the sixth book written. Besides now I don't have to wait for the others to come. I'm finding it interesting in that it takes place during a period of our early history that I haven't read much about and it also takes place around in the area that my ancestors settled and they were there at that time. They arrived in New York in 1709. I'm really looking forward to reading this series. Mary

mabel1015j · « **Reply #166 on:** January 03, 2009, 09:58:19 PM »

Hope you enjoy the Fleming series. I read Remember the Morning a few years ago and don't recall the specifics, only that i enjoyed it. It covers sev'l decades as i remember and does give an interesting look at NYC. It also includes sev'l different ethnic groups who would have lived and worked in NYC at the time.

Mexican Train can be played w/ a lot of people. Each starts their own "track" of dominoes based on one of the doubles. We start at 12 and each round drops down to 11, 10, 9 etc. Each person can play on their own track, or if someone couldn't match their own track, then all others can play on that track and the Mexican Train track. The more people who play the more options each person has. And from that point it plays just like a regular dominoes game and the first person to play all their dominoes wins. There is some strategy of blocking others and keeping your own track open. .............that's the way we play, but i know that some people play it differently. The nice thing is that there can be conversation and eating while some other person is deciding how they ar going to play.............not like some serious, stratigic game where you constatnly have to be paying attention and every one is very serious!

................at least at our house, even tho we have some very competitive people in our family. ................jean

maryz · « **Reply #167 on:** January 03, 2009, 10:36:51 PM »

jean, we play Mexican Train nearly every night when we're at the beach. And, I must admit, I've found an online site so I can play - not live, but with three other "players". It's terribly addictive!

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #168 on:** January 04, 2009, 12:16:41 AM »

Drove all New Year's Day and then barely moved from the bed on Friday - today was busy with Conversation Cafe and lunch with friends plus going to the Farmer's Market for fresh veggies, eggs, bread and grass fed beef - dinner tomorrow with my son and his family driving up from Houston - in the middle of it all I can hardly wait to take time to read - my copy of "Homecoming" by Shlink arrived -

While driving through Mississippi I heard on NPR a wonderful interview and reading of Mercy by Toni Morrison - just ordered it - I Loved that she explained the kernel of truth the novel is getting at is that real power and all power is within each of us and that no community, organization, government or other powerful individual can give us power. Saying that from a slave's point of view in this book has to be powerful.

I gifted my grand, who is a senior this year and loves bantering with words, two audio sets of Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster and Jeeves along with 2 of the books - the drawing room comedy and farce of these stories with the upper class English dialect is right up his alley as his life is all smiles and fun just now. Listened to one of the tapes and decided it was just too much fun and so I found used copies of the 2 audio books and ordered them for me.

Will be busy busy for the next few days and then it will be time to get back to books - I know Fairanna and I cannot wait to get the poetry discussion going again - Anna had chosen a couple of great poets to focus our attention on in November and February - and was going to do January but it was all disrupted so we need to regroup - looking forward again to my daily pickmeup with this new version of Seniornet.

joangrimes · « **Reply #169 on:** January 04, 2009, 08:56:57 AM »

Jean,

Some of my friends and I play Mexican Train about the same way that you do. I love playing it.

Maryz what is the Website where you can play Mexican Train? Please tell us. I would love to be able to play it online.

Joan Grimes

Pat · « **Reply #170 on:** January 04, 2009, 09:40:32 AM »

Quote

Barbara in Post# 168 -- looking forward again to my daily pickmeup with this new version of Seniornet.

SeniorLearn is not a new version of SeniorNet.
(We are using the same free software that SeniorNet used. Ours is more secure because we are using the latest update and will update frequently)

It has NO connection whatever with SeniorNet.

We are interested in providing a good learning environment for the Latin Classes and a friendly environment for people interested in reading and discussing books.

Perhaps at some later date other areas of interest could be added, but at present there are no plans for that.

Steph · « **Reply #171 on:** January 04, 2009, 09:48:11 AM »

Aha ... Both Judy and Ginny were the sharks.. I remember a friendly game of scrabble that got waaaay out of hand. And the other one. The one where people kept changing the rules?? Sigh.. It was fun.. I vote for an explanation for the Mexican game as well..
Just finished "Tell me Where It Hurts".. by Dr. Nick Trout.. A surgical vet at Angell in Boston. Excellent book on pets, people and vets.
We picked up our latest Rescue Corgi yesterday.. Her name is Miss Gracie and she is shy and gentle and very afraid. We hope that within a month or two, she will blossom.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #172 on:** January 04, 2009, 11:05:05 AM »

THE NONFICTION GENERAL DISCUSSION IS NOW OPEN.

COME JOIN IN!

SHEILA, so sorry you are no well! No fun! Come into the Nonfiction discussion and tell us about the depression and your opinion of the book. I just finished a good one also about the depression called THE WORST HARD TIME. It received the National Book Award and was very good.

nlhome · « **Reply #173 on:** January 04, 2009, 12:25:14 PM »

Wow, I am so glad to find these discussions. I missed the old book discussions, especially reading about all the other books people are reading. Thanks for notifying me and for having this site.

N

Babi · « **Reply #174 on:** January 05, 2009, 10:22:50 AM »

MABEL, you are so right about different ways of playing Mexican Train. I had played it once, and enjoyed it. I happily joined a group playing it at the local Senior Center, and found they played by entirely different rules. Not only that, but some of the rules didn't make sense to me and seemed to change at the whim of the leader, who showed noticeable exasperation at my continued queries and apparent density. Needless to say, I bowed out.

MARY, I'll let you know when I get "Remember the Morning". We can compare notes and opinions.
BARBARA, I'll be interested to learn which poet you and Fairanna pick for February.

LarryHanna · « **Reply #175 on:** January 05, 2009, 07:45:56 PM »

Hi everyone. I have spent the last hour or so reading through all of the messages here in the Library and enjoyed the postings of everyone. Robbie, I remember when you started your discussion and it is really something that it continues after 7 years.

My wife listens to many books on CD and is always interested in new titles to request from our wonderful library system. I sent her an e-mail with the link to the discussion and one of the title I saw mentioned.

I am going to try to stay up-to-date in this discussion. Not sure I will participate in any of the book discussions but might be tempted to do so. I used to spend a lot of time in the background in setting up new discussions in the early days of SeniorNet but unlike so many of you who have stayed with the Books Discussions I sort of fell by the way in terms of active participation.

Larry

ANNIE · « **Reply #176 on:** January 05, 2009, 10:00:57 PM »

Welcome back, Larry! Its good to see you posting here. I seem to remember that you took care of our books exchange. Hope you will soon join us here in a book discussion or just continue leaving messages in the Library.

Has your wife finished all those quilting books that I sent to her?? Hahaha!

Robby · « **Reply #177 on:** January 06, 2009, 08:01:53 AM »

Thanks for your comment, Larry, about the length of life of the discussion "Story of Civilization." I suppose it is even more "something" that I have continued for seven years! It is the amazing interest of the participants in SofC that have kept it alive. In just the short time that we have existed here on Senior Learn, nine people have joined our discussion, some old timers and some newbies.

Please spread the word, Library visitors - we welcome everyone to SofC where we examine where we came from, where we are now, and where we are headed. Since we started seven years ago, we have discussed the first four volumes by Will and Ariel Durant - Our Oriental Heritage, Life of Greece, Caesar and Christ, and The Age of Faith. We are now in the middle of the fifth volume, The Renaissance.

We are an informal group who do not pretend to be experts. We would like to have you with us. Just click onto "Story of Civilization."

Robby

Steph · « **Reply #178 on:** January 06, 2009, 08:33:21 AM »

::)Larry, glad to see or at least read about you. I remember the book exchange. I now belong to a paperbackbook swap, which is easy to deal with. I love the wide variety of books that are listed..
It is so nice to come up in the morning after breakfast, click on and be with a lot of old friends indeed. I missed you all on senior net when I dropped out, but the headaches from the flashing and color were just too much for me. The new site is wonderful. Uncomplicated and lovely.

Gumtree · « **Reply #179 on:** January 06, 2009, 09:21:17 AM »

Stephanie : Your comment the new site is wonderful. Uncomplicated and lovely is right on the button. It is so good not to be bombarded with flashing lights and moving icons, huge signature lines etc etc. They make it hard to see the wood from the trees (to coin a phrase)

pedln · « **Reply #180 on:** January 06, 2009, 09:47:13 AM »

Welcome back, Larry. I remember the book exchange. Such a big help for so many folks.

Books Into Movies is now open. Do drop in and tell us what you think of this current crop of films that are based on the book. Or maybe you’ve found a sleeper on DVD. We’d like to hear about that, too.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #181 on:** January 06, 2009, 10:18:47 AM »

LARRY!

How nice to see you posting here; I remember all the help you gave me when I first came to Seniornet in 1997 or perhaps it was when I first attempted to get a home page. I never mastered that. I think the hours I spend here in the Books are enough time in front of the screen and I never went any further than that.

I hope you stay with us and discuss a book. Do you like nonfiction? Take a look into that folder, we have many suggestions for good books to read.

PatH · « **Reply #182 on:** January 06, 2009, 02:01:55 PM »

If anyone is unfamiliar with "Story of Civilization" and wondering whether to try it, I would like to point out that you don't need the book, since Robby posts chunks of the text, and that makes the basis, or at least the starting point, for the discussion.

Robby · « **Reply #183 on:** January 06, 2009, 08:06:44 PM »

I forgot to mention that, Pat. Thank you for calling it to everyone's attention. It makes a big difference to those who were thinking of participating but don't have the book.

Robby

Steph · « **Reply #184 on:** January 07, 2009, 07:52:42 AM »

Am reading the latest Carolyn Chute.. I loved The Beans of Egypt , Maine and this is the same type of book. She is very episodic.. Moves the plot along, but digresses in odd directions. This time it is cult type religion and the militia.. Actually in both cases, since they are against the status quo, she seems to be all for them.

straudetwo · « **Reply #185 on:** January 07, 2009, 10:11:21 PM »

Thank you for all the interesting posts.

As promised, here's a short report on our local group's discussion yesterday of Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. We've been meeting for years, we know and enjoy each other, and our monthly discussions, because they are enriching and, literally, good for the soul.

Given all that, yesterday's discussion was exceptional.
People voiced different opinions and reactions and defended them passionately. But all agreed that the book is beautifully sensitively written. We also lingered over a heavy tome of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright (for he is the "Frank" of the book's title). Words fail me to adequately express the satisfaction I felt.
Let's not forget that shared joy and pleasure (in anything, especially books), doubles it.

PS After seeing the plight of people in the state of Washington I am little worried about Judy Laird.

Babi · « **Reply #186 on:** January 08, 2009, 08:56:41 AM »

Has anyone else found that sometimes, when you click on a link, SeniorLearn disappears and you have to re-enter? It doesn't always happen, and I haven't the faintest idea why it happens when it does.

Babi

jane · « **Reply #187 on:** January 08, 2009, 08:59:52 AM »

No, I haven't had that happen, Babi. Weird.

jane

Steph · « **Reply #188 on:** January 08, 2009, 10:30:30 AM »

We went to
Wisconsin several years ago in the rv and went to Frank Lloyd Wrights house. Gorgeous.. totally impractical, He disliked giving space to hallways, bathrooms, anything he did not like. Whew.. And I gather that water leaks are always a problem with his work. Still it is so very lovely..The book, Loving Frank bothered me . Not sure why.She was sensitive and caring. I would guess the basic premise bothered me. Just walking away.. I simply cannot imagine.

ANNIE · « **Reply #189 on:** January 08, 2009, 11:16:58 AM »

Traude,
Judy called me yesterday and she said their weather was cold, rainy, dark, icy, etc, etc. And the traffic in Redmond has gotten much worse. Says she asks everyone she knows, "Why are we living here?" and they all say the same thing, "I don't know!" Judy is all for moving to Georgia, some place that is warm and has sunshine during the winter.

Maryemm · « **Reply #190 on:** January 08, 2009, 11:45:10 AM »

I've made my way here as I want to make a list of recommended books I can seek for, either in the Library or on line.

Ginny : I have never heard of the Pendergast series and can't wait to get started on them.I enjoy stories about relics, and/or Egypt and one of my easy-read favourites is Robin Cook's "Sphinx". I caught this on TV once and quite enjoyed the part I did manage to view but I like the book best of all. The author usually writes medical thrillers but this book isn't one.

I enjoy books with a "re-incarnation" theme : "Katherine" by Anya Seton; ""Green Darkness" also by this author both come to mind. I enjoyed these books and have read them many times.

Barbara Erskine writes on similar themes. Her "Lady of Hay" was/is a best-seller and she has written many equally enthralling stories since. Several of them include Celtic/Roman characters.

You may recall my obsession with Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Sadly that lovely author was diagnosed with the start of a rare form of Alzheimer's in 2007. He donated £500,000 to research as our Government donated so little. Anyway he was awarded a well-deserved Knighthood in this year's New Year Awards. Well done, Sir Terry!

The author P.D. James and her detective-character Adam Dalgliesh were mentioned in earlier posts. I liked the first one I read, "Shroud for a Nightingale" (1971), but don't Google the title as there are spoilers around which divulge the name of the murderer!

Oh, and I mustn't forget to mention Joanne Harris who wrote "Chocolat" and "The Lollipop Shoes".

So many book ; so little time!!

pedln · « **Reply #191 on:** January 08, 2009, 12:20:37 PM »

Maryemm, glad you made your way here, and you are right. This is a good place to find recommended books. You have quite an eclectic list. I remember Anya Seton, but it’s been years. She would make a good “Readback.” Have you read Joanne Harris' Gentlemen and Players -- about a Latin teacher. Excellent.

Steph, somewhere I read that Mrs. H.F. Johnson (WAX) did not think that Wingspread, the home in Racine (my hometown) that Wright designed for the Johnson family, had enough closets. But no one lives there now. It’s more of a cultural center. I have Loving Frank, but it’s not at the top of my “to read” list.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #192 on:** January 08, 2009, 03:07:38 PM »

JoanG - here is a website for on-line Mexican Train. It isn't nearly as much fun as the real thing w/ real people - you can't block and i haven't figured out when you HAVE to break the double, because sometimes you and sometimes you don't...............

.........but it is addictive as Mary says.

http://www.ussgames.com/playgame-406-Mexican-Train-Dominoes.html

jean

EvelynMC · « **Reply #193 on:** January 08, 2009, 03:13:18 PM »

Hi Maryemm,

It is so nice to see you here. I haven't read Anya Seton in years, but I always enjoyed her books.

We visited Frank Lloyd's House in Spring Green, Wisconsin many years ago. At that time it was a school. It was a week day and we went up to the house and asked if there were tours, and a student took us around. The house was lovely and I enoyed it very much.

Evelyn

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #194 on:** January 08, 2009, 04:18:17 PM »

Welcome Maryemm!

I've been to two of Frank Lloyd Wright's homes; Fallingwater in PA and the one in Chicago and I wouldn't live in either! Who would? They look so uncomfortable with built-in furniture that resembles boxes in ways. Perhaps I don't understand architecture as he is so well known and so revered. The book, Loving Frank, was good reading even though the characters left me cold. However it would make a very good discussion.

nlhome · « **Reply #195 on:** January 08, 2009, 08:17:31 PM »

I have not yet read Loving Frank, but I have it on my list. I have heard from others that it is good reading, so it's good to be reminded of it.

From what I hear, Mr. Wright was arrogant and not particularly well liked by the locals. However, he was very talented. His style of architecture seems to have been a starting point for others. Like much of today's architecture, I think the designs did not not take into consideration the practicalities of actually using the buildings.

maryz · « **Reply #196 on:** January 08, 2009, 08:54:07 PM »

This is the site where I play Mexican Train...
http://www.allgamesallfree.com/games1592-mexican-train-dominoes.html

Joan, have you ever been to the FLWright home in Decatur, AL? It's the Rosenbaum House, and is really neat! And we have one here in Chattanooga, too. I don't think Wright himself was ever at either building site, though. The one in AL is a much more liveable house, IMHO, than the one here. But the one in Decatur is now open to the public as a public site, and the one here is still a private home.

EvelynMC · « **Reply #197 on:** January 08, 2009, 09:46:36 PM »

MaryZ:

I see you live in Chattanooga. This is off the subject, but I was wondering, have you ever visited the new aquarium there? And if you have, how would you rate it?

Thanks,

Evelyn

maryz · « **Reply #198 on:** January 08, 2009, 10:38:28 PM »

Evelyn, the "new" aquarium opened in 1992, and we think it's spectacular! There is a new building that opened two years ago, with an enormous salt-water tank, a section on invertebrates, and a group of penguins. Our whole waterfront is wonderful.

Where are you from? You should come visit us sometime. I'd love to show you around.

joangrimes · « **Reply #199 on:** January 09, 2009, 12:24:53 AM »

Mabel, thanks so much for the Mexican Train site. I have just played on there for a couple of hours and really enjoyed. I really like to play it with people but don't always have people...so it is nice to be able to play it on the computer too.

Joan G

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Author Topic: The Library (Read 197213 times)