Author Topic: The Library (Read 2309231 times)

Babi · « **Reply #10480 on:** January 19, 2013, 10:54:16 AM »

The Library

Our library cafe is open 24/7, the welcome mat is always out.
Do come in from daily chores and spend some time with us.

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

Let the book talk begin here!

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My library had a copy of this book, which I do want to read. Unfortunately, someone
checked it out and has so far failed to return it. I do hope it's just late, and not a permanent addition to someone's private libarary.

pedln · « **Reply #10481 on:** January 19, 2013, 12:01:55 PM »

I'm reading the Schwalbe book now, salan, and really like it. It's easy to pick up and put down and pick up again, as I've been doing, while reading other things as well. The whole family is amazing, the whole family exceptionally so. I keep thinking that here is this mother, a woman we've never heard of, and she's done all these wonderful things, committed her life to helping others.

JoanP · « **Reply #10482 on:** January 19, 2013, 12:21:15 PM »

This is one we are seriously considering for a group discussion in March. Thanks for your so moments, Sally. Pedln, I think it was you who brought it to our attention. Thank you!

MaryPage · « **Reply #10483 on:** January 19, 2013, 01:12:32 PM »

I own a copy of The Snow Child, having been given it as a Christmas present, but it has not reached the top of one of my many TBR piles as yet. Am currently reading A FOUNTAIN FILLED WITH BLOOD, which is the title of a hymn, believe it or not, and this is one of Julia Spencer-Fleming's wonderful mysteries featuring the marvelous Reverend Clare Fergusson, female Episcopalian priest and sleuth.

I see by the morning paper that the 3 Fifty-Shades-of books have been declared porn officially in one of the South American countries. Some judge was in a bookstore and saw children reading them there. He has ordered them sealed up until sold. I am opposed to censorship, but I do think this a very good solution to a rather sick problem.

JeanneP · « **Reply #10484 on:** January 19, 2013, 02:37:11 PM »

I have been trying to find Maeve Binchy's last book. "A week in Winter" My library must not have it yet.
Didn't realize that the first 3 books are out as a Trilogy on DVD of Barb. Taylor Bradford books . Just ordered it at the Library.

I think I will take this Dirty copy of "Women of Substance" back. Did read that a new Addition of that book will be out this year for its 30 year Anniversary. I must have ready it 25 years ago.

Steph · « **Reply #10485 on:** January 20, 2013, 06:23:12 AM »

My ancient stereo bit the dust before Christmas.. I went looking yesterday.. Oh me,,, they all want you to use IPODs. MP3's etc. I just want something with decent sound that does radio,cd's and cassettes.. I suspect this will get a bit tricky.. I don't want to spend a fortune and the only one most of the stores had was Bose.. That is sort of more than I want to spend..

Babi · « **Reply #10486 on:** January 20, 2013, 08:44:00 AM »

Yeah, it seems whenever new technology comes out the older stuff drops out of sight
pretty quick. Makes it difficult for those of us who are perfectly happy with what we've got
and really don't want to start over with a lot of new tech.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #10487 on:** January 20, 2013, 10:27:37 AM »

Steph mine went about 2 years ago and there is still a place in the older part of town that fixes all sorts of old appliances etc. Yes, I had mine fixed and another that was a portable Tape player and radio that had to be at least 20 years old - Since then I found two other places in the newer area of town - they seem to be older retired folks who years ago would probably have tinkered in their garage. And so I would not look in the high rent district but in out of the way locations.

If you have no luck why not look on ebay = it is amazing what you can find and using pay pal there is double protection buying from an individual.

MaryPage · « **Reply #10488 on:** January 20, 2013, 11:14:49 AM »

You cannot beat a Bose, though. The very last present my husband bought me, at Christmas 2005 (he died January 12, 2006) was a Bose. He knew my cousin Bill had one and loved it, so he wanted me to have one.

Well, it is perfection. All of the time, day after day, it is trustworthy and perfect. You just cannot beat that, and nothing I know of or have ever heard of comes close.

My Bose plays AM or FM radio or five (5) CDs. I love it. Never so much as a second's trouble with it.

I really do believe we get what we pay for.

marcie · « **Reply #10489 on:** January 20, 2013, 11:30:44 AM »

Steph, thrift stores in my area sometimes get used stereos which they sell very inexpensively. They test them first to make sure they work.

ANNIE · « **Reply #10490 on:** January 20, 2013, 11:55:43 AM »

Steph,
If you do have a particular brand in mind there are several brands online that offer new but returned products at cheaper prices with less time for guarantees. Best Buy has these, I think. I like Mary's approval of her Bose product. You might find one that is used on Ebay.

And repairing stuff??? Oh, I thought only my SO of 60 years still did that. When he finished the Dalek robot, I might suggest that he start a business offering repairs to local areas. Hmmmm, might work!

mabel1015j · « **Reply #10491 on:** January 20, 2013, 11:57:18 AM »

One of the reasons i bought the car i have now was because it had both a cd player AND a cassette player. That was in 2006. It was one of the few cars, even then, that had a cassette player. I have many, many tapes that i still want to play in the car. This is a 2006 Toyota and might be the last car i buy, so thank goodness i got it.

Jean

ANNIE · « **Reply #10492 on:** January 20, 2013, 12:04:26 PM »

Boy, Jean, do I understand your wanting a CD and a tape player in your car. Our 97 Chrysler van had one and then we had to buy a new car in 2007 and none had a that combination in the brand we preferred. We bought the car anyway because we had such good luck with all the three Hondas that we had previously owned. And like you, I hope that's the last one we buy. We also gave our '91 Honda to our grans who drive. Leaves us with one car. Works pretty good.

joyous · « **Reply #10493 on:** January 20, 2013, 01:09:06 PM »

JeanneP: The Binchy book will not be out until some time in February. There are already 6 on the
wait-list, so I put my name on it to make #7.
JOY

JeanneP · « **Reply #10494 on:** January 20, 2013, 05:09:16 PM »

Joy. If the Binchy book now out yet then I can't put my name on a list by my computer. Once they buy it then it will show up there. She was only 72 when she died this past July.
I thought I saw another Binchy name as a writer. Think she did have 2 brothes. No Children.

PatH · « **Reply #10495 on:** January 20, 2013, 06:53:35 PM »

We bought a Bose 12 years ago when my husband was sick and wanted to be able to play CDs in the bedroom, and it's still going strong. I bet it's even spendier now. Cassette players are a dying breed, though. Anyone with irreplaceable tapes would do well to transfer them to CDs. That's an awful pain, though.

CallieOK · « **Reply #10496 on:** January 20, 2013, 06:59:29 PM »

Last week, I got "Five Days Apart" by Chris Binchy from my library - but haven't started it, yet.
The jacket blurb says it's Chris Binchy's "American debut" - publication date 2010 - bio says he lives in Dublin with his wife and children but doesn't mention his being related to Maeve. He doesn't mention her in his acknowledgements, either.

There were also a couple of books by David Binchy on the shelf.

CubFan · « **Reply #10497 on:** January 20, 2013, 07:22:51 PM »

Maeve Binchy's newest book A Week in Winter publication date is 12 February 2013. Chris Binchy is the nephew of Maeve Binchy.

Steph · « **Reply #10498 on:** January 21, 2013, 06:25:07 AM »

Ebay,, now that's a good thought. I will also try thrift stores locally..The least expensive Bose is 600.00. That just strikes me as silly at 75.. We will see. Gives me something to hunt for.

PatH · « **Reply #10499 on:** January 21, 2013, 07:03:04 AM »

That seems like a lot of money. Was the system that went bad everything in one, or are there components like tuner, amplifier, speakers, etc?

Frybabe · « **Reply #10500 on:** January 21, 2013, 08:07:29 AM »

I'm not much of a poetry reader, which is why I never join in the poetry discussion group. However, this morning I ran across six volumes by A. B. Paterson on Project Gutenberg and downloaded four (three poetry volumes and one novel). What caught my eye was the one called The Man From Snowy River. I was surprised to see that it is a poem, not a novel, and that I actually liked the first few stanzas I read. I was also reminded that "Snowy River" is an Australian venue, not American. I've begun to accumulate a number of old Australian and Canadian books to read on my Kindle.

marjifay · « **Reply #10501 on:** January 21, 2013, 09:51:36 AM »

I put Maeve Binchy's Week in Winter on hold at the library, out of curiosity because so many seem to like her books. I've never read any. Are they books that mostly only women read?

Marj

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #10502 on:** January 21, 2013, 11:12:08 AM »

I would think so, marjifay - but isn't that true of many books?

I haven't read Binchy's more recent books, but I absolutely loved "To Light A Penny Candle", which to me was extremely true to life. I also enjoyed Tara Road, Quentins and Evening Class. I think she has the Irish speech and way of life down to a tee. She was a lovely woman.

Rosemary

LarryHanna · « **Reply #10503 on:** January 21, 2013, 11:51:39 AM »

My friend has a Crosby music system that looks like an old time radio but has a turn table, a CD player and a cassette player. Here is a link from Amazon if anyone would be interested. The price is very reasonable. I have seen it operate it when he first got it but don't remember the quality of the sound.
http://www.amazon.com/Crosley-Musician-Entertainment-Center-Paprika/dp/B001W6WN3S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1358786905&sr=8-2&keywords=crosby+record+players

JeanneP · « **Reply #10504 on:** January 21, 2013, 01:21:09 PM »

That is a nice one. the large records are back in style now. I still have mine. A beautiful floor model from 1969. Was a collector of records from the 1950s on. Lots of Folk music I kept. Joan Biez and others.
Manage to fine a needle for it last year and had it cleaned up. Have tried most of the records and they still play like new. Don't see woodwork on things now like then.

marjifay · « **Reply #10505 on:** January 21, 2013, 01:25:11 PM »

Rosemary wrote, "but isn't that true of many books?"

I really seem to prefer those that are read and liked by both men and women, just as I usually don't care for books only men like to read. But thanks for your recommendations of the Binchy books you liked.

Marj

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #10506 on:** January 21, 2013, 04:09:34 PM »

Jeanne, I still have a record of Joan Baez singing Bob Dylan songs - I loved it so much when I first had it 30+ years ago that I think I still know most of the songs off by heart. Sadly I no longer have a record player to play it on.

Vinyl is becoming very fashionable here, but at the same time many independent record shops are closing as they can't compete with Amazon. The very good independent shop in Aberdeen is closing at the end of the month - I read that the owner said that is HMV had gone bust a year earlier (they went into administration last week) he might have picked up sufficient custom from them to carry on, but it's too late now. Sad.

Rosemary

JeanneP · « **Reply #10507 on:** January 21, 2013, 05:05:43 PM »

Rosemary. I spent a few hours the other day just testing out all the Joan Baez records that are on Vinyl. All still play so good. She still does some concerts but not many. She has to be in her late 70s now.

I have vinyls of Every show Lloyd Webber did. Play them still. All other UK shows that went world wide.. Favourites like "Oliver" "Half a Sixpence". "Phantom of the Opera". Lots of them.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #10508 on:** January 22, 2013, 03:26:34 AM »

Jeanne - I looked Baez up on Wikipedia and they say she is 72. I also had no idea that her mother was born in Edinburgh!

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #10509 on:** January 22, 2013, 06:27:20 AM »

Thanks Larry, but that is not in the style of most of my house.. I like the all in ones for Stereo.. Plus since I will be moving, I am putting off buying one until I get the new house.. Will give me an idea of space since I am sizing down.
Maeve Binchy. She is not a womans writer in the romance sense..She tells stories of everyday life.. makes connections between people and all in all.. probably is closest to the old story tellers. Very Irish, but in a nice way. not the heavy drinker, no care in the world sense.

Babi · « **Reply #10510 on:** January 22, 2013, 09:18:23 AM »

Hmm, perhaps I should re-examine Maeve Binchy, ROSEMARY, just to explore
the "Irish speech and way of life". This slight shift in emphasis may be
just what I needed to understand in order to enjoy her stories.

JeanneP · « **Reply #10511 on:** January 22, 2013, 06:19:41 PM »

Rosemary. I thought that she was older than 72. Saw her in l966 that would have made her 26. Looked older. Was thinking her father was Mexican/Indian. Quite a well know scientist.

Joan Baez was born on January 9, 1941, in Staten Island, New York.

mother. Joan Bridge Baez
Joan Bridge was born April 11, 1913, in Edinburgh, Scotland, the second daughter of an Episcopal minister. The family moved to Canada when she was a child, and continued moving throughout the United States. Joan met Albert Baez at a dance at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. Their first daughter, Pauline, was born in New Jersey, their second, Joan, on Staten Island in New York City, and their third, Mimi, in Palo Alto, California. When their daughter Joan became famous, Mrs. Baez referred to herself as Big Joan to avoid confusion. Big Joan, however, managed to make the news in her own right: in 1967 she was arrested for attempting to block entrance to the Oakland Army Induction Center in an effort to protest the draft and the Vietnam War. Big Joan and Albert separated in 1977, and in the 1980s Big Joan began writing a series of short books about her varied experiences, including her humanitarian efforts and anti-war activism. Her books are:
One Bowl of Porridge: Memoirs of Somalia.

lbert Vinicio Baez
Albert Baez was born in Puebla, Mexico, November 15, 1912. His father had left the Catholic faith to become a Methodist minister and moved to the U.S. when Albert was two. Albert grew up in Brooklyn and considered becoming a minister as well before he turned to mathematics and physics. He met Joan Bridge while he was still in high school. After they were married Albert and Joan moved to California, where he studied for a master's degree in mathematics and a doctorate in physics. As the cold war arose in the 1950s, Albert saw many of his colleagues pursue lucrative careers in the arms race. He finally decided to devote his career to education rather than destruction, and worked with Unesco. His work took him around the world, and he lived in Baghdad, Paris, and Africa. He also served as president of Vivamos Mejor, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life in Mexico through education and community development. He endowed an award, The Hispanic Engineer Albert Baez Award, which is given for Outstanding Technical Contribution to Humanity. He died on March 20, 2007, at the age of 94.

Steph · « **Reply #10512 on:** January 23, 2013, 06:21:51 AM »

I got a catalogue in the mail yesterday. it was full of sale courses in the adult learning.. So.. I decided to try something new.. I knew that many of you have taken the courses, but I never had. I signed up for a course that discussed and traces early Christianity.. I have always been curious as to how they decided what books were used in the bible and why..What did early Christians and jews believe..I am looking forward to it..

Babi · « **Reply #10513 on:** January 23, 2013, 09:16:27 AM »

Good look with the study, STEPH. You may or may not learn something about the
selections for the New Testament in your text. All I've been able to find on the subject
is rather vague; the church 'Fathers' and religious scholars apparently made the decisions,
but how or why is not clear. Obviously, after the Protestant break, some of the books
originally chosen were dropped as being dubious. So,

$:-\$

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #10514 on:** January 23, 2013, 10:06:28 AM »

Steph, is that "The Great Courses" catalog?(The Teaching Company formerly) You will enjoy them. They do have some good sales, but you have to watch for them. Also, get registered on line, and you will get notices of courses that go on sale, saving a lot of money, as the courses tend to be a bit expensive.

maryz · « **Reply #10515 on:** January 23, 2013, 02:44:46 PM »

Steph, I think that's one that we have considered buying, but just haven't yet. We've gotten an introduction to Islam and an introduction to Judaism - both very interesting. We still have a couple of courses that we haven't watched yet. We have a number of the Learning Company courses. If you like that one, maybe we can borrow. If you're interested (or anybody else), e-mail me, and I'll send you a list of the courses we have. John is usually the one looking for them - and only buys ones on sale.

JeanneP · « **Reply #10516 on:** January 23, 2013, 03:04:50 PM »

Steph. I don't read much about any religion but last month I did get one written by "Pearl Buck" I always loved her books on China.
It I believe was just called the " StoryBible". Written. good research in wording just like any other book we read and so was easy. Does the Old Testament and the New Testament. Give it a try. Still did not change any of my beliefs but was a good read.

Steph · « **Reply #10517 on:** January 24, 2013, 06:15:38 AM »

Yes, now called Great Courses. This was on sale as were a number of interesting ones. I have always wondered how Christianity got itself to where it is now.. Who picked what is what.. This seems to promise exploration of all of this.. I am looking forward to it..

pedln · « **Reply #10518 on:** January 28, 2013, 11:32:02 AM »

Has anyone looked at MOOCs? Massive Optimum Online Courses. I understand they are free.

Barnes and Noble has announced they expect to close one third of their stores over the next decade, but still expect to have a strong retail presence.

Quote

Mr. Klipper [CEO of B&N] said that bookstores serve a different purpose than many other retail outlets. "You go to Barnes & Noble to forget about your everyday issues, to stay a while and relax," he said. "When you go to Bed Bath & Beyond, you don't sit down on the floor and curl up with your blender and your kid."

I think he's right, don't you.

marcie · « **Reply #10519 on:** January 28, 2013, 11:44:46 AM »

Pedln, there is an article about MOOCS at http://www.forbes.com/sites/collegeprose/2013/01/28/moocs-a-college-education-online/

I'm wondering if the conclusion of the article -- that online education can't replace in-person interaction -- is "outdated" and doesn't take into account the ease and depth of interaction experienced by younger people who grow up with the technology. It would make an interesting, probably highly debated, topic for discussion.

News:

Author Topic: The Library (Read 2309231 times)