Author Topic: The Library (Read 2088870 times)

Steph · « **Reply #5320 on:** June 09, 2011, 05:53:53 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!

*Suggestion Box for Future Discussions
*SeniorLearn's Archives

hmm, senior learn is throwing me into the beginnings and instead of the current bookmark place.. Interesting. Some mornings are harder than others..

Babi · « **Reply #5321 on:** June 09, 2011, 08:28:07 AM »

Good point, ROSAHANA. I had never thought of a sport as a substitute 'conflict' between
old enemies, but it makes sense. What's the answer? Threaten to ban the sport if the
viewers don't behave?

pedln · « **Reply #5322 on:** June 09, 2011, 10:56:16 AM »

Frybabe, Book Lust to Go must be Pearl's most recent book. I have her Book Lust and More Book Lust, both given to me by my Seattle daughter. I wanted a Nancy Pearl bobble-head doll, too, but that has never been gifted to me.

It's been a while since I've looked at either -- thanks for the reminding me of a good place to look for additions to my TBR list.

Octavia · « **Reply #5323 on:** June 09, 2011, 05:49:45 PM »

I remember ethnic violence spilling over in the Australian Open in 2006? whenMarcos Baghdatis(a Cypriot) was playing in the finals. The Cypriots clashed with the Greeks over Turkish military occupation of Cyprus.
Roshanarose, I think soccer is gaining more mainstream appeal these days with the success of the Socceroos.
It's funny that nearly all primary school kids play soccer, but switch to football later on. I guess soccer is kinder to little bodies.

roshanarose · « **Reply #5324 on:** June 09, 2011, 10:03:46 PM »

Octavia - I'm not sure that I remember that match as being a conflict between the Greeks and the Cypriot, Baghdatis. Greeks and Cypriots are akin in their enmity towards the Turks. The Greeks go crazy when Greeks (or most likely those of Greek background) are on the court. I remember watching a matching between Mark Phillipoussis and Pete Sampras. There were Greeks everywhere, the distinctive blue and white flag flying, and I think that Mark was more in awe of Sampras than wanting to defeat him. They used to call Mark "Scud" or "Poo" because it was so hard to say his name. Now the commentators have to deal with Russian names as well. I think they have pronunciation coaching before they go on air

Gumtree · « **Reply #5325 on:** June 10, 2011, 03:27:22 AM »

Octavia & Roshanarose - Here I am 'stalking' you both again...

I remember the Bagdhatis match where the fans got a little unruly but the real trouble was afterwards when Bagdhatis was seem on Internet airing the grievances ... as for pronunciation The Scud - came late in the day. The commentators started to have their troubles when Navratilova first came to town. I well remember Newk and Fiery trying to work out where the stresses might fall on her name.

Steph · « **Reply #5326 on:** June 10, 2011, 05:52:42 AM »

I love ice hockey and a baseball game or two, but thats it.. No football or basketball or soccer.. Rugby is neat, but I dont understand the rules and the last tiime I visited one of my sons, he had lacrosse on, which again seemed like fun, but did not know the rules..
But actually I dont watch much sport, since I dont enjoy it on tv and do not live close enough to see it live.

pedln · « **Reply #5327 on:** June 10, 2011, 10:02:46 AM »

Has anyone read Tim Tebow's Through My Eyes? Football quarterback, born to missionary parents, home-schooled. Won the Heisman as a sophmore.

I just sent a copy to my almost 15-year-old grandson in Seattle. He's an avid sports fan and a good reader, though reading is not high on his list of things to do.

I'm not a football fan, except when Wisconsin plays in the Rose Bowl. Seriously, that's about the only time I ever watch it on TV. I don't make a point to watch sports on TV, except maybe for a championship soccer game. Don't really follow it. Or yes, JoanK, ever since the last summer Olympics, if I happen upon a beach volleyball game, I'll watch it.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #5328 on:** June 10, 2011, 10:05:11 AM »

Yea! Mavericks!

JoanK · « **Reply #5329 on:** June 10, 2011, 09:27:52 PM »

ROSE: your explanation of the soccer violence makes sense. There was a touching story about two "yugoslavian" basketball players who were drafted by different US teams. They had played together in their home country and were very close. When they came to the US, although on different teams they would call each other almost every day, to share experiences in adjustment to the strange environment.

But one was Serbian, the other Croat! And as the ethnic problems mounted, one stopped all contact with the other. The second one felt "this has nothing to do with us: we're friends, we're not involved". But no. the friendship was broken forever. One died, and the other was finally able to make it up with his parents.

MaryPage · « **Reply #5330 on:** June 10, 2011, 09:34:26 PM »

Yugoslavia was not a real or realistic nation, it was a nation put together by committee after World War One, and would never have worked after World War Two if it had not had a ruthless dictator in Tito.

The Croats are Roman Catholic and sided with the Axis in World War II. The Serbs are Eastern Orthodox and sided with the Allies in World War II. As different tribes of Southern Slavs, they have long hated one another.

Strange, strange, strange indeed is the way the game of life plays out. Even stranger than chess!

Octavia · « **Reply #5331 on:** June 10, 2011, 11:28:30 PM »

I'm sure you're right Roshanarose, I've probably got mixed up with Gonzalez.
Memory on the decline

Steph · « **Reply #5332 on:** June 11, 2011, 05:53:58 AM »

Tribal differences cause as much trouble as religion. I wish that people would look harder at our sameness.. and leave off the he brushes his teeth backwards or other stupid differences.

Babi · « **Reply #5333 on:** June 11, 2011, 08:48:42 AM »

Hear, Hear!, Steph.

MaryPage · « **Reply #5334 on:** June 11, 2011, 10:51:53 AM »

I agree with you, too, Steph. Difference, be it tribal, religious, political, ethnic, racial, cultural, physical, educational, pertaining to wealth, material in any way; it is difference that makes people FEAR others and it is this fear that fuels the hatred and the desire to exterminate.

pedln · « **Reply #5335 on:** June 11, 2011, 07:05:14 PM »

Right on, Steph. I wonder why there is so little tolerance for differences.

Off topic, but I've "heard," here especially, so many times -- "I can't remember what I've read." Well, according to the Washington Post article below, you are not alone. You're merely suffering from biblio-amnesia

Biblio-Amnesia

JoanK · « **Reply #5336 on:** June 11, 2011, 09:30:57 PM »

Oh, Pedlin, I'm so glad you posted that! I just realized yesterday that two of the books I had just gotten from the library I've already read, and was feeling bad about my bad memory.

marcie · « **Reply #5337 on:** June 11, 2011, 10:40:15 PM »

Yes, thanks very much, Pedln. That's an interesting article and the forgetting that you've read a book certainly applies to me.

maryz · « **Reply #5338 on:** June 11, 2011, 11:32:42 PM »

Someone (here?) recommended Finding Frances by Janice Van Dyke. I've just finished it and it is a wonderful book about a woman trying to find the best possible death. It's particularly poignant and meaningful to me right now. My dear wonderful 91-year-old aunt is easing her way out of life. She lives in Texas, so I can't be with her right now (her son and ex-daughter-in-law are with her most of the time), although I did get to see her in April. It will probably be soon now. It was very timely for me to be reading this book right now, and I'm so glad to have found it. Thanks.

Steph · « **Reply #5339 on:** June 12, 2011, 06:00:32 AM »

I mostly remember in the first 20 pages if I have read the book. But there are some writers, who essentially write the same book over and over.. Those, I can read the whole thing and still not be sure.. Norah Roberts or actually the J.D. Robb series.. I cannot begin to separate them.

Babi · « **Reply #5340 on:** June 12, 2011, 08:55:36 AM »

Join the club, PEDLN & JOAN. Isn't it irritating to pick up a book with anticipation
and find you've already read it? But, hey, let's give ourselves a break. Consider the
enormous number of books we've read!

ANNIE · « **Reply #5341 on:** June 12, 2011, 11:06:08 AM »

When my DH discovers that he is repeating a book, he tests himself to see if he remembers it all and if not, he just continues to read it.

pedln · « **Reply #5342 on:** June 12, 2011, 01:14:19 PM »

Don't you love it when things come together, inter-connectedness, deja vu, etc.?

Here's my tale of joining together:
1. We have an exciting discussion about BookTowns coming up on SeniorLearn.
2. I'm reading Pete Hamill's Tabloid City

And how do those connect? Well, Pete Hamill's protagonist is Sam Briscoe, editor of the modern day tabloid newspaper, The World.

And yesterday's WSJ had a review of Paul Collins' Murder of the Century, a true tale about a grisly murder in the New York of 1897, and the competition between Joseph Pulitzer's New York World and WR Hearst's Journal as they kept the tale before New Yorkers in true tabloid fashion.

And years ago, on SeniorNet, we read Paul Collins' Sixpence House, about probably the first and most famous BookTown, Hay-on-Wye.

Kind of a jumbled circle, but there it is. What connects for you?

kiwilady · « **Reply #5343 on:** June 12, 2011, 09:22:44 PM »

Rosemary- you said the other day you enjoy the characters and plots in novels. I have recently read two books you may enjoy.

Being Emily by Anne Donovan - set in Glasgow about the coming of age of a young girl. It also is about her extended family. I really enjoyed it. I have a soft spot for Glasgow as it is the place where my grandmother grew up and where one of my second cousins still lives.

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand. A book about three young women as they deal with three separate crises in their lives. They spend the summer together ( with two small children) on the island of Nantucket.

The two books are about real life, the characters are very well drawn with excellent description of the settings and you feel like you can actually see the environment and homes featured in these two books.

Carolyn

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #5344 on:** June 13, 2011, 02:01:04 AM »

Thanks Carolyn - I have started keeping a notebook right by the computer to write down suggestions (otherwise I end up trying to scroll back for pages to find something I know someone mentioned

), so I have put these in straight away, they both sound good.

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #5345 on:** June 13, 2011, 05:58:49 AM »

I am almost finished with Shanghai Girls. Interesting in what it tells me about China from the 1940's on.. A very different picture from what I had always imagined. Paper Sons?? Girls called Beautiful girls as some sort of profession. I
I am off. First to walk dogs, then later the gym and then for lunch, a new widows group that simply does lunch once a month. I had been invited before and just never went, but it is time to broaden my horizons.

Babi · « **Reply #5346 on:** June 13, 2011, 08:51:55 AM »

I remembered we discussed a book about a 'book town', PEDLN, but I couldn't remember
the name of it. What sticks most in my memory is learning how thousands of that didn't
sell were burned regularly. It seems a waste, but realistically there are many books out
there you couldn't pay me to read. (Well, maybe. How much money are we talking about?

)

Good idea, STEPH. You never know who you might meet; maybe a great new friend.

Frybabe · « **Reply #5347 on:** June 13, 2011, 03:30:09 PM »

Ran across this article about John Steinbeck's heirs and a copyright suit. The Supreme Court declined to hear it.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/06/13/supreme-court-rejects-bid-to-hear-copyright-dispute-over-author-john-steinbecks/

serenesheila · « **Reply #5348 on:** June 13, 2011, 03:52:41 PM »

STEPH, I think that I would enjoy the book you are reading about China, from 1940 onward. WWII made the largeist impact on me of anything that happened in my lifetime.

Good for you, for trying out the widow's luncheon. I spent a few years in a widow's group. Met one of the best friends of my life. Also, went out to eat as a group, played bridge, and volunteered as a facilitator for new comer groups. It was a very good way to process my grief. I hope that you will find it helpful for you.

Sheila

Steph · « **Reply #5349 on:** June 14, 2011, 05:56:45 AM »

Some days this widow thing sort of throws me.. I realized while sitting at the luncheon that I had spent my entire adult life avoiding luncheons and ladies groups. My husband and I just did interesting things and I never quite had time. I am now living my mothers life, since she adored womens group, all sorts of clubs, etc. No more wonderful adventure days,, just the same sort of days.. I know I have to deal, but it feels so weird sometimes.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #5350 on:** June 14, 2011, 06:31:05 AM »

Steph, Although I am not widowed, I too have a bit of a problem with ladies luncheons and things like that - before I left Aberdeen, I had a good friend with whom I used to have days out, just the two of us - we had great fun visiting art galleries, exhibitions, places in the country, etc. I really miss that as I know no-one in Edinburgh, so once we finally have a permanent base I too will have to start joining things - when I get cold feet about that I will think of you and your bravery in getting out there - good on you

Rosemary

jeriron · « **Reply #5351 on:** June 14, 2011, 08:43:07 AM »

Being a fairly new widow I can't get my self to join womens groups. I always did things with my husband and that was always enough for me. I never wanted to go any place unless we went together. I still haven't wanted to join any groups at all. One day for some reason the "Red Hats" entered my mind. Then I thought OMG I can't see myself running around in a purple dress and red hat.. So I forgot about that one fast.

I guess for now I will stick to my computer, IPad, Kindle and Movies.

Babi · « **Reply #5352 on:** June 14, 2011, 09:29:30 AM »

STEPH & ROSEMARY, I've never been much of a joiner, either. My track
record there is not great, beginning with the Brownies. Committees
left me almost stiff with boredom; frankly, I work best on my own. I did
work with a team on my favorite job, but in that case I was either team
leader or specialist. They were mostly a find group of professionals
and it worked well.

CallieOK · « **Reply #5353 on:** June 14, 2011, 11:42:59 AM »

My husband died before retirement age and had always had time-consuming jobs. So I have been a member of various women's groups for many years. (However - no purple/red in public for me, either!! When asked if I'd like to join a Red Hat group, I always say, "I'm not eligible; I don't know how to spit". <read the essay, which I love and, apparently, very few Red Hatters have actually read!>)

As a widow, I found that these groups were a good source of friends with which to do a lot of the things that my husband and I had done together - like traveling and going to the theater.
It certainly isn't the same and there's a certain "stigma" that has to be dealt with - but I have managed an interesting life for the 18 years that I've been on my own.

The thing I noticed is that, if I mentioned my interest in (whatever it was), someone would usually pick up on it and we could go together.

LarryHanna · « **Reply #5354 on:** June 14, 2011, 12:46:47 PM »

Interesting discussion of joining groups. I will give you one man's perspective. After I retired about 15 years ago and moved to this community I met a group of men who came to the new Senior Center every Friday morning for coffee and at that time donuts. There were a few who also met daily at the local cafe for about an hour and I joined in with them I have been getting up and out every morning, except Sunday, since then. We now meet at McDonald's and our group is informal and welcoming to other men. Most men have never had the opportunity to do things like this when they were working and we all find it very enjoyable. Sometimes there may be two or three and other days we may have nine or ten. In all that time there has never been an argument or unpleasantness as we accept each other as we are. We never have a "program" or officers and someone just offers to do the job of making coffee on Friday and cleaning up.

I also have a weekly men's luncheon and we have a great time of fellowship, kidding each other and sometimes have some serious discussions. I recently became a part of a second men's luncheon group that meets approximately every two weeks that are all retired men from my church. This group is equally enjoyable. My wife also has a group with whom she goes out to eat once a week. Since I usually leave in the morning before she gets up it doesn't interfere with things we want to do together. My friends are very important to me.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #5355 on:** June 14, 2011, 01:16:27 PM »

Larry, that is very interesting and sounds wonderful. There are so many men who seem to wander about like lost souls after they retire. You sound like you have a very full and rewarding life. Our church in Aberdeen also had a men's breakfast group and there was a very active group of retired men there who were involved in lots of things, with and without wives.

My parents-in-law do absolutely everything together - I always envy them their close relationship, but I do wonder how my FIL in particular would cope on his own - however, the children have already agreed that in that event he would come and live with my husband and me, as he is such an avid reader and book collector and has more in common with me than any of them.

Callie - my mother was widowed at the age of 39, so has always done things on her own or with friends, groups, etc. I would say she has a very full life, although unfortunately I don't think I have inherited her socially-confident gene.

Babi - your mention of Brownies struck a chord, as I absolutely loathed it - my elder daughter, who is not like me at all, loved it, but my little one, Madeleine, is like me and found it so stressful she begged to give it up. Similarly, elder one is into every orchestra, ensemble, etc that she can manage, whereas younger one would rather eat glass than participate.

By the way - what is a Red-Hat? We have things like the Rotary, but I've never heard of Red Hats.

Rosemary

mabel1015j · « **Reply #5356 on:** June 14, 2011, 01:20:43 PM »

Since we're talking about lunching........ I'm reading a good book titled The Ladies Lunch! Five women in Washington D.C. have lunch once a month. They are a judge, a news reporter, a congresswoman, the WH press secretary, and a caterer. One of them has an accidental death and that opens a can of worms. It's written by Patricia O'Brien, whom i only disc overed recently and i like very much. The characters seem real, the story moves along nicely, it held my interest at every page.

I'm also reading O'Brien's Harriet and Isabella, a fiction book about those two Beecher sisters and mentions many characters of the late nineteenth century, along w/ the issues of the time.

I was never a joiner, but there are four of us who have lunch about every month or six weeks, actually it turns into an afternoon at Panera's. We have known each other since the seventies when i was ex dir at the YWCA and hired two of them and the fourth was a woman who worked w/ a group of us who campaigned for the NJ ERA. We know each others children and grandchildren, so we catch up on everybody. In btwn lunches we sometimes have dinner w/spouses or go to concerts or other events together. We have drifted away and back again over the decades and now we all have more time to get together. Even tho we each still have separate interests, we have similar politics and other interests, which i think helps us stay together. I think that would be the hard part about getting into any new group which didn't have a common cause to get together.

I think what keeps us going is that we have great respect for each other and are not offended when someone says "no i can't/or don't want to do that" and each is comfortable saying that.
I'm the oldest and have fibromyalgia, so sometimes have to say no to an outing that takes a lot of walking. That doesn't stop them and we're all o.k. W/ that. ......... Jean

CallieOK · « **Reply #5357 on:** June 14, 2011, 01:53:48 PM »

Rosemary, a number of years ago, a poem from the book "Warning: When I Am An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple" became very popular. The Red Hat Society was formed from this popularity and, today, there are groups all over the USA - and, maybe, all over the world.
Here's a link to the poem (read it all to find my reference to spitting) http://labyrinth_3.tripod.com/page59.html

and here's one to The Red Hat Society http://www.redhatsociety.com/aboutus/index.html
The local group does a lot of fun things together but there is NO WAY anyone would EVER get me go out in public with a group of women all wearing silly red hats and (sometimes) outrageous purple outfits!

Jean, I'm going to look for The Ladies Lunch. Sounds like a good story.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #5358 on:** June 14, 2011, 02:36:37 PM »

Callie - I had a look! Whilst I commend their aims and achievements, I'm with you on this one - I just could never walk around looking like that, although I'm sure they have a lot of fun. I can't imagine it taking off in the UK, we're all too reserved (or as my Canadian friend would say, uptight and weird....

)

My mother is in groups for her family history stuff and her quilting - that's about as far as I could ever imagine myself going, group-wise

Rosemary

maryz · « **Reply #5359 on:** June 14, 2011, 03:20:44 PM »

This has always been one of my favorite poems - first read it in the 1980s and cried because it reminded me of my mother. She was always her "own person", and I felt it was something I could aspire to be. For one of my senior projects as part of my painting major in 1990, I did a self-portrait wearing a red hat and a purple shirt. It's still one of my favorite pieces.

However, I don't see myself as ever joining the organization - although they seem to be quite active in their respective communities. Like others here, I'm not much of a joiner. More like Larry, my closest group of friends is one that just "happened" among a group who came together at a water exercise class at the YMCA. Even our spouses join in from time to time. This is the group that goes to coffee after class three mornings a week.

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Author Topic: The Library (Read 2088870 times)