Author Topic: The Library  (Read 2080149 times)

Tomereader1

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19200 on: August 22, 2018, 05:06:45 PM »

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



nae understood a word.
The reading of a fine book is an uninterrupted dialogue in which the book speaks and our soul replies.


André Maurois

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19201 on: August 22, 2018, 06:10:47 PM »
I know between the archaic language and the heavy accent I had to read it in order to follow - but a hoot...
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19202 on: August 24, 2018, 11:49:16 AM »
Is there any future discussions being considered? 

I have had major plumbing issues to deal with the past two weeks and have not had much time to check in.  Maybe we could begin something in September, to kick off autumn. 

I just finished reading the first book of Georgia Bockoven's Beach House series.  This was the first time reading this author and enjoyed it very much.  Easy, summer reading is always relaxing.  I'm beginning Elin Hilderbrand's Nantucket Nights, another easy read for summer. 

Did any of you watch The Story of the Royals that aired on tv?  I set it to tape on my dvr. 
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

ginny

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19203 on: August 25, 2018, 09:42:15 AM »
Speaking of book clubs, (I don't know what the next one will be), but I did want to say I thought of the Joy Luck Club when I saw Crazy Rich Asians last week. It had many of the same themes: you look  Chinese on the outside but you aren't, you're American, and so on. Also you'll never be good enough.

 It was very interesting and very well acted, all beautiful people, and some really standout stars, I really enjoyed it and I also  really wished it had been shorter: it could have benefited from some editing, about 1/2 hour's worth. But that doesn't take away from the performances and the general dazzle.

Another interesting thing is that they showed a mahjong game. I was so interested to see one played, they did use some of the tiles I do in the online version but there the similarity stops. It looked fascinating. I can hear the clicks now. I worked one  summer of my senior high school year at one of the resorts in the Catskill Mountains, and late at night when everybody had gone to bed, the Chinese cooks would sit out in the dark playing mahjong, never talking, very serious. But I never actually saw the board of one being played  till this movie---very interesting.

I'm reading an odd book called Serpents in Eden: Countryside Crimes (British Library Crime Classics). Despite having come out in paperback in 2016, it's a compendium of old mystery stories, largely unknown and/ or forgotten, by famous authors,  and some never published dealing with crime in small English villages.  The first one was by Arthur  Conan Dolyle, and was quite good, the second less so, because by now I think we know all the tropes and the solutions. The third one I've just started is by  C. K. Chesterton, he of the Father Brown series, whose other works were eclipsed by his Father Brown work, and so one is presented here.

I love the little author biographies presented at the first of each selection, I really like it so far, tho the prose style is  a LONG way from our modern mystery writers. Am also rereading Relic because I alternate rereading Reliquary (my favorite) or Relic (too much gore for me really) every summer and have also started Beast by the man who wrote Jaws, Peter Benchley.

Benchley  is a wonderful writer, and a staunch advocate of saving the oceans  (see his beautiful website and comments) and respect for the creatures in the seas. I want on a Benchley jag a few  years ago and read them all, and  I really enjoyed  Beast, and hope to see if it's as good as I remembered.  People  scoffed at his fiction thriller Beast until one washed up after his death, and nobody knew what it was, and since then several, each larger than the first, have appeared.  I always wished he had lived to see himself vindicated, but he knew or surmised they existed,  or he would not have written the book.

Nice, escapist reading for this long hot summer. But just a nip yesterday of Fall in the air!

Jonathan, and Bellamarie, are you going to get the new  Ma'am Darling: 99 Glimpses of Princess Margaret book? It looks amazing, such an interesting writing concept, and what an interesting character. I think anybody who has watched The Crown will want to try it.


Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19204 on: August 25, 2018, 11:07:26 AM »
Largely because I liked Relic and Reliquary so much, last week I picked up Cabinet of Curiosities to read. Got bored with it after five or six chapters, so went back to a SciFi anthology I had started and Madeline Miller's The Weight of Ink. The latter is either a slow start or an altogether bland book. I hope it gets more interesting real soon, because Andy Wier's, Artemis just came in.  I hope I am not missing anything. All of my holds came in over a week's time, all seven of them. The Weight of Ink was the longest wait; I had a hold on that one since April.

Tomereader1

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19205 on: August 25, 2018, 01:18:14 PM »
 All of my holds came in over a week's time, all seven of them.  Isn't that the way it always goes, Frybabe?  I think "The Weight of Ink" is on my reserve list, but pretty far down.
The reading of a fine book is an uninterrupted dialogue in which the book speaks and our soul replies.


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Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19206 on: August 25, 2018, 04:14:46 PM »
I was just looking back on the book discussions that included the author's participation. We haven't had one of those since 2010. Too bad our group participation has dwindled, except for Latin classes, so much. I miss the author visitations sometimes.

Tome, I had 49 people ahead of me when I put a hold on the book.

PatH

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19207 on: August 25, 2018, 09:08:22 PM »
Frybabe and Tomereader, there must be an evil fairy working on holds.  Mine always come in just when I'm about to suspend a hold because I'm going out of town.  At least my library system has the possibility of suspension.  When you lift it, you are put back in the same numerical place as before--10th, or 250th, or whatever, so some people have skipped ahead, but you aren't any worse off than you were before the suspension.

PatH

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19208 on: August 25, 2018, 09:56:08 PM »
Frybabe
Quote
I was just looking back on the book discussions that included the author's participation. We haven't had one of those since 2010.
I can bring us down to 2014, when Robin Oliveira joined our discussion of her novel I've Always Loved You, about artists Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas.  That was a very positive addition to the discussion, as it usually is, and I miss it too.

Anyway, here we are, still reading and thinking, and we haven't yet picked our next book.  Any suggestion?

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19209 on: August 26, 2018, 06:22:12 AM »
Well Pat, I did like Circe, if you want to discuss Greek Mythology and compare Madeline Miller's take on the Circe myth as opposed to the traditional version. It is a more sympathetic, softer take on the traditional Circe, woman against the odds and fate, and all that. Her changing view of Odysseus was interesting as is her actually meeting up with Penelope and Telemachus, something entirely new and not from myth as far as I can remember. A bit limited, I think, for a month long discussion, though.

Anyhow, I'll think on it a while. I am actually interested in a non-fiction, something historical, this time around.


BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19210 on: August 26, 2018, 07:56:12 AM »
Well one more week of this - I have not had a transaction like this in years and years - end of next week and it looks like after talking to the president of the lending institution this may actually close.

I came across a book on the NY Times best seller list that I would love to read with our group - a German women caring for a wounded service man who turns out not to be a German airman at all - in his delirium he speaks English - read the start of the book and it appears to be a well written fascinating WWII story... White Rose Black Forest

https://www.amazon.com/White-Rose-Black-Forest-Dempsey-ebook/dp/B07416NFHL/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1535283359&sr=8-14&keywords=best+seller+history+books+2018
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

ginny

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19211 on: August 26, 2018, 08:36:52 AM »
Here's an extraordinary article in The Guardian today, which talks about why it's better for your brain  to read in print books than e books. And what all electronic reading is doing to our reading habits and absorption of knowledge. It's quite something, actually.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/25/skim-reading-new-normal-maryanne-wolf?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19212 on: August 26, 2018, 06:49:23 PM »
Books are a weird collaboration
between author and reader: You trust me to
tell a good story, and I trust you to
bring it to good life in your mind.

John Green, Looking For Alaska
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19213 on: August 26, 2018, 09:42:37 PM »
Very interesting article Ginny, thank you for sharing.  I will never give up reading paper books, magazines and newspapers. 
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19214 on: August 28, 2018, 02:56:29 PM »
Book Report: The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

I am not going to recommend this book for one of our discussions. It is way too long and we'd get really entangled in so many elements. I do, however, recommend you read it if you don't mind long books and which switch back and forth in time (similar to Carol Goodman's books).

What begins as an investigation into some very old papers and books found in a closet under a stairs, jumps to the mid 1600s and the small Jewish community in London that fled the Inquisition. This is also the time period in which Jewish communities everywhere were dealing with Spinoza's radical/heretical ideas and with Sabbatai Zevi, who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah.

While a little overall Jewish history is included, much of the book touches (some more heavily than others) on issues of morality, free will, women's place in the community, societal pressures, and discrimination/prejudice. The consequences of ones actions and how it may affect others at the time and in the future is, I think, one of the main themes running across both time periods. I can feel some of the guilt and sorrow and confusion from things done or not done, things left unsaid or said in fear and anger.

A worthy book for those who are up to it. The book won the 2017 National Jewish Book Award.
 

Ginny, among other books mentioned in this book, I noted Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius, the first scientific paper written on observations from a telescope. I am looking for a copy that is in Latin for my Kindle that isn't an arm and a leg in price. Internet Archive and Smithsonian Library (SI doesn't allow me to download a .mobi/Amazon version) have online Latin versions.

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19215 on: August 28, 2018, 05:09:33 PM »
Interesting Frybabe I've had Weight of Ink on my list for a long time now - got so into government financing and international economics that the subject is capturing all my attention but I do want to read Weight of Ink - I wonder if it is a book that we could do over a few months after the holidays when most of us are dealing with harsh winter and we spend more time on an indepth book - in the fall of the year I think we have our time broken up with all sorts of holidays. Although we can pretty much string together September and October - after Halloween I am ready for either a light read or a holiday type read.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19216 on: August 28, 2018, 09:03:54 PM »
OK here we go... these are the books for consideration to carry on a conversation starting mid-September - They all have a historical component...

Voting till Sunday night.

 1) The Address: A Novel by Fiona Davis (about a young women from London who becomes first manager of the Dakota in NY)

2) Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World by Joshua B. Freeman (A sweeping, global history of the rise of the factory and its effects on society.)

3) Old School by Tobias Wolff (a boy at an elite prep school in 1960. He is an outsider who has learned to mimic the negligent manner of his more privileged classmates. He wants to become a writer. But to do that he must first learn to tell the truth about himself.)

4) The Architect's Apprentice: A Novel by Elif Shafak (In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire’s chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota’s help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history.)

5) The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga (Rutherfurd, Edward) by Edward Rutherfurd (a magnificent epic about love and battle, family life and political intrigue in Ireland over the course of eleven centuries starting in pre-Christian Ireland.)
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

youetb

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19217 on: August 29, 2018, 02:13:53 PM »
Hello all. I have recently enjoyed Paula McCain's  Love and Ruin .  Historical fiction following career of Martha Gellhorn, war correspondent 1937 . The journalist who broke through barriers went to Spain during Spanish Civil War was drawn in by the people and Hemingway.  Followed by World War and Cuba.  A good read.

nlhome

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19218 on: August 29, 2018, 10:28:32 PM »
Love and Ruin - sounds good. I had another by her, Circling the Sun. I could not get into it at the time, so loaned it to a friend who loved it so much she passed it on to others and it still hasn't got back to me.

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19219 on: August 30, 2018, 07:31:16 AM »
Barb, I think you will enjoy The Weight of Ink. I forgot to mention that it also hits on the prejudice/bigotry within and without the Jewish community, and the guilt, shame and fear buttons, hitting on all emotional cylinders and a bunch of philosophy as well. It took me a while to start seeing the connections between the modern protagonists' personal life dilemmas and those of the 17th century. Major events include the Inquisition, the Great Plague of 1665-1666, and a touch of the Great Fire of London in September of 1666. What a tremendous amount of material for discussion.

The major philosophical debate at the time, or at least in this book, is the God vs. Nature issue. Does God exist and if so, how much of life can be attributed to God's work vs the work of natural processes. Are God and Nature one in the same?  Oh, and what is the nature of desire? That seems to crop up now and again, but I don't think it got the 'play' that other issues got.

It is a great story, but I warn you, it will be next to impossible to read it without wanting to know more about the events and issues brought up in the book. 

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19220 on: August 30, 2018, 10:54:38 AM »
I think so as well Frybabe - hoping we can read it here come Winter - we shall see what we shall see - other heads are engaged to see if we can work it out...

I've had it on my Amazon to buy list for awhile now but got so caught up in how Governments fund themselves and the role and inception of the IMF, World Ban and WTO and shocked to learn how important trade is to the financing of a nation as well as, the whole background on this nations debt and the bank that took over this nation that even I thought was part of the Federal Government called the of the Federal Reserve and how they operate - I knew some of this because over the years working with folks who arranged for mortgages with variable rates. Those loans the rates are tied to different money markets and the California Federal Reserve Bank is one of them - this whole subject has me by the tail.

Do you think you will be joining us for a read this fall - the list of books to consider probably needs to be posted again - they all have an element of history - hate to think that our reading a book this fall will not happen.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

BarbStAubrey

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“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19222 on: August 30, 2018, 11:17:00 AM »
Barb,  I think the Old School sounds interesting. 

I am concerned we are not getting enough participation to carry on a discussion.  Is Senior Learn coming to a close?  I sure hope not, but I can not continue deciding to discuss a book, with so little input from others.
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19223 on: August 30, 2018, 11:42:32 AM »
We have dwindled haven't we Bellamarie - If you have any email address for some of our participants why not give them a nudge. Let's see if we can get enough interest for just a couple of more books - hopefully this fall and winter especially since the prediction is for a very cold winter it will be nice to discuss together a book - our getting out of our homes may be limited if snow and ice take over.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19224 on: August 30, 2018, 12:01:57 PM »
Barb, Bellamarie brings up a valid point. isn't it always slow in the summer, though? And, I have seen a few new posters lately. Not to mention Hats, who seemed to be away for a while. Also, I know one or two of the Seniors and Friends bunch do "read the mail" without commenting.

I was surprised to find that all of the listed candidates are available in my library. Most have only one copy for the whole system, though.  I am not interested in The Address, but am considering the rest. Behemoth, would be my first choice, with The Architect's Apprentice coming in second.

Wondering if anyone has read We the Corporations: How American Businesses Won Their Civil Rights by Adam Winkler?

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19225 on: August 30, 2018, 12:12:41 PM »
Thanks - have not read it and it sounds like something I would enjoy - hope we hear from Jonathan - the books we have been reading have not been very inclusive for men and hope this group may rectify some of that -

I'm off now for the rest of the day - finally I can pick up my check up in Georgetown and get the final documents all signed to the buyer - she did get the keys first thing this morning because of one last snafu after it was too late to wire funds yesterday - name it and anything that could go wrong went wrong with this home sale -me oh my - and this one may be my last - can't keep up as much as I like being in the middle of it all...
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

youetb

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19226 on: August 30, 2018, 12:42:44 PM »
I vote for Princes of Ireland :)

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19227 on: August 30, 2018, 03:57:11 PM »
I am open to any book, I always enjoy discussing any genre with who ever participates.  Barb, I did hear this is going to be a rough winter.  Yes, maybe we should try nudging some members.  We need more than “lurkers” to have a discussion. 

Youetb, Welcome!  It is nice to see a new member. 

Frybabe, it has not just been a slow summer.  We have had a drop in participation for awhile.  I do hope we can spur on some to stick with us throughout the book.  It has been wonderful to have Hats back with us.  Has anyone heard from MKaren, Rosemary, Dana, Joan, PatH?  I do hope they are all doing well. 
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19228 on: August 30, 2018, 05:56:24 PM »
Bellamarie, I last heard from PatH in the SciFi Discussion just about a week ago. She pops up, oh maybe, once a week or so to see what I've posted over there. Joan shows up on occasion, but not like she used to. I thought I saw Dana and FlaJean in the last month or so, but again, not near as often as they used to be. TomeReader1 has been spending more time over on Seniors and Friends.

PatH

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19229 on: August 30, 2018, 08:16:17 PM »
Actually, I was in here 5 days ago.  I'm fine, things have just been rather hectic lately, but thanks for being concerned.

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19230 on: August 31, 2018, 10:49:38 AM »
PatH., Good to know you are fine, sorry about things being hectic. 

Hectic isn't even close to describing my last two weeks..... we had to replace all our old cast iron, corroded, rusted through, underground pipes throughout our entire house.  Our house was built in 1972.  Plumbers had to bust up my basement floors, excavate my front lawn 8' down, and also take care of a Methane gas that was entering our sump pump area, due to the old pipes.  $15,000 worth of work, took them 9 days to complete.  My  neighbors are on pins and needles worried about their pipes now.

Barb, your realty problems sounds incredibly frustrating.  Did you say this will be your last sale? 

Hope our members take the time to stop in, look at the list of titles, and consider voting, and joining in our next discussion.
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19231 on: August 31, 2018, 12:07:07 PM »
Welcome youetb - somehow I missed that you only recently joined us - glad you found us - you are at a disadvantage not knowing each of us - I suspect the others will introduce themselves in future posts - How did you find Senior Learn? Where do you live? Please tell us a bit about yourself.

We here on Senior Learn have a long history of over 20 years - for the first portion of those years we were part of Seniornet - there was an unpleasant break and the result was Ginny and Joan, who is no longer active set up Senior Learn at the same time others that were part of us on Seniornet set up Senior and Friends that does not include book discussions.

Most all of our discussions are archived on this site - at the time as many as possible of the discussions from Seniornet were grabbed but not all of them were transferred. We try not to repeat a read of a book discussed in the past. 

I live in Austin in the same house now for 52 years - I've 5 grandboys all in their 20s - my daughter lives in North Carolina for the last about 20 years and is a high school teacher while my son lives in Magnolia that is now like a suburb of Houston. And yes, I have been an active Real Estate Broker all these years but I've been slowing down the last few years and now that I am 85 I'm finding it difficult to keep up with all the driving and physical demands of the job. As long as I am learning new things I am as happy as a June Bug in May.

Bellamarie yes, this may have been my last - had not been prospecting for new clients in the past couple of years and the physical demands of the work are getting to me - as you know I love this job -  always meeting new people and helping them find something that is so important to them often helping them fulfill their dreams of how they want to live. It's time and now the real work - as long as I was active living here in what became the middle of town was perfect but now to maintain this big house and the town has so changed I'm seriously wanting to move, probably to Georgetown. I like it and have many friends who live there. Two challenges, clearing out and getting this house ready for the market and then finding a suitable house in Georgetown - both are proving to be a huge challenge since I do not want any old house and then make it work - I've ideas of a lifestyle I would like and where I know I will be culling lots of 'things' there are certain 'things' I want to be surrounded with that need specific space. All my books for one... ;)
 
Wow replacing all your plumbing - Holy Hanna that was a project - 8 feet deep but then I forget that you are dealing with a frost line aren't you and a basement as well - we do not have basements - as it is, houses on pier and beam often find  the area under the house becomes a snake den and the saying goes, that is all a basement becomes - one huge snake den. There are other considerations, like as if a line was drawn through the middle of town going north and south and on the west side of that line everything is on rock, limestone, so that even planting a tree most often requires digging out space with a jackhammer and then east it is all clay that shrinks and swells with dry versus rainy years - the earth moving it cracks up slabs much less, what that would do to a basement - I'm thinking your having a basement is like having another additional rooms for either storage or to finish out and a 3 bedroom house then automatically has a second living area even if it is not yet finished out. Nice. But not nice if it floods which you have mentioned - and now this - wow there is your Christmas present :)

I too hope we hear from a few more of our regulars if only because as of now we are all over the list of recommendations - in order to come up with any kind of consensus  we may have to ask everyone to give a first, second and third choice - but lets see what happens today - worst case and since it is a holiday weekend we may need another day or even two to make our choice and then postpone starting till the 20th so that everyone can get their book. 

Pat I hope things clear up for you - are you still commuting between the east and west coast?
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

hats

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19232 on: August 31, 2018, 12:22:39 PM »
Good morning~

Watching the voting process. Good picks.

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19233 on: August 31, 2018, 01:01:56 PM »
Barb,  NO snakes in my basement!!!   Yes, our basement is an added luxury, it is all finished with a huge front room that I used for my in home daycare for sixteen years.  Since I closed my day care a few years ago, the entire front room in our open concept layout, is my hubby's computer space, and tons of book cases.  The TV room, is completely furnished, with a big screen TV mounted on the wall, couches, chairs and everything to just veg out in. We use this space every Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve to entertain our entire family.  I don't have a formal dining room on the first level of our home, so the openness of our basement is perfect for setting up long tables and chairs for our family formal dinners, and the guys can watch their football games as well.  Thankfully, all the work is complete, floor has been re-cemented, we have disinfected every inch, and now have things put back together.  We are waiting on the insurance check to replace the front room flooring, since it was cut into when they had to bust up the concrete.  This was truly a selling point when we purchased the home back in 1984, and hope it will be as well when and if we are ready to sell.  The plumbers have installed check valves in three different areas, cemented off our in floor drain, (According to them, builders no longer install in-floor drains, in the new homes today.) and took care of any issues that could have been future problems of flooding. They reassured us that there should never be any more flooding.

 

My hubby and I give a lot of thought to selling and relocating nearer to our kids, as I mentioned before.  Living in a small town atmosphere, near quaint shops and eateries is looking more and more enticing to us.  Our biggest concern is the cost of property taxes living in Perrysburg, and finding an affordable home.  It is scary to think of moving after being here all these years, but, we shall see.  We have been weeding out all our storage over the years, and have gotten down to more of our necessities and keepsakes, rather the things we kept thinking we, or our kids could use one day.  Some of you members are ten to twenty years older than me, so I am using your insights as a guide for my what to do next, in my coming years.
PatH., moving to another state really impresses me. PatH., how has your move progressed?  Are you finally settled in your new place?

This site is not only about reading books and discussing them, it is a camaraderie, amongst all of us.  I always look forward to popping in and seeing any and all of your posts.

“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

hats

  • Posts: 551
Re: The Library
« Reply #19234 on: August 31, 2018, 02:12:20 PM »
Hello and Welcome to youetb!
Hi PatH, Barb, Bellamarie and Frybabe~
Thank you, Barb. Glad you were able and had the time to put up a list of books for voters. I seem to have an interest in Behemoth: After reading Charles Dickens' Hard Times while taking a class in Social Welfare, I've always had an interest in the History of Factories. I've worked in one or two. My Mother worked for one in Philadelphia, Pa. Recently, I finished Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan. There is quite a bit in the book, if I remember correctly, about factories. These were not always safe places for women to work. Neither were conditions always the best for men and/or women. Lately, I'm feeling very fatigued. I can not promise to take part in a discussion on a daily basis.
Frybabe for a very long time, I've looked at The Weight Of Ink almost daily. Wanting to read it very badly. I've just finished The Vacationers by Emma Straub. The novel takes place at Mallorca, Spain. She mentions famous places tourists visit like the Miro Museum and Robert Graves home in Deia, Spain. There are the parents and the siblings, two. The daughter-in-law and two married friends of the family. All of them spread out in a big pink house rental. While the vacation moves forward, problems happen whether small or big. Small is getting chunked in the head with a tennis ball.

bellamarie, I love the coziness and friendliness of your Basement room. I would gladly sit down for a meal. You make me appreciate family more and more each time I come here to visit. I remember with great joy days and/or holidays my family spent together. Hope my days will last longer. Then, I can spend more days with them. I love to see table settings. Yours is very nice. Barb can't believe you have five grand boys. Boys run in my family too. There are four sons and too many grandchildren to count without getting the number wrong or missing name.

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19235 on: August 31, 2018, 07:03:12 PM »
Agree with you Hats, Love Bellamarie's cozy basement living area - and love the table all set just waiting for the fun to begin - awesome.

The list gets shorter by one - thank goodness no own has shown an interest in The Address - turns out this is not just about the historical nature of the first manager of the Dakota it is a this and that generation story of which this generation is all about drugs, and the issues of being addicted - I think we are looking for something less into therapy and the drug culture of today so I 'm taking it off our list - which makes it easier for our voting.
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

BarbStAubrey

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19236 on: August 31, 2018, 07:05:37 PM »
Books for consideration to carry on a conversation starting mid-September - They all have a historical component... It will be helpful if you make a first and second choice -

Voting till Sunday night.


1) Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World by Joshua B. Freeman (https://www.amazon.com/Behemoth-History-Factory-Making-Modern/dp/0393246310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535641154&sr=8-1&keywords=Behemoth%3A+A+History+of+the+Factory+and+the+Making+of+the+Modern+World)

2) Old School by Tobias Wolff (https://www.amazon.com/Old-School-Tobias-Wolff/dp/0375701494/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535640959&sr=8-1&keywords=old+school+tobias+wolff)

3) The Architect's Apprentice: A Novel by Elif Shafak (https://www.amazon.com/Architects-Apprentice-Novel-Elif-Shafak/dp/0143108301/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535641015&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Architect%27s+Apprentice%3A+A+Novel)

4) The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherfurd (https://www.amazon.com/Princes-Ireland-Dublin-Saga/dp/0345472357/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535641076&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Princes+of+Ireland%3A+The+Dublin+Saga)
“A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul.” ~ Goethe

bellamarie

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19237 on: September 01, 2018, 12:54:00 AM »
Thank you Hats and Barb, I love decorating for our family holidays.  Hats I sure hope you have many more years to celebrate with your family as well.  Barb, 5 grandsons how exciting!  I have 4 grand daughters, and 2 grandsons.  They range from 7, 10, 14, 15, 16, and 23.  Sadly, my only daughter has no children, and is the only one who chose to move from our hometown in Ohio, to live in Florida. I’m not a traveler, so we wait for her and her hubby to come visit all of us back here.

1st choice:  Old School
2nd choice: The Architech’s Apprentice: A Novel
“What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?”
__Anthony Trollope, The Warden

hats

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19238 on: September 01, 2018, 06:26:46 AM »
May a person change a vote or is the vote sealed for forever?

Frybabe

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Re: The Library
« Reply #19239 on: September 01, 2018, 06:32:59 AM »
Good Morning Hats!