Author Topic: The Library (Read 2085553 times)

bellamarie · « **Reply #17720 on:** December 18, 2016, 01:37:35 PM »

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.

Well book club members, since it is almost Christmas and we are all avid readers of all sorts of stories I have a short story to share with all of you. I will post it over in the Holiday section as well for those who are going there but not here to see. As you all know I am an aspiring author, and love to write, so when our lives got a bit turned upside down Friday I decided it's something that must be shared. This link will take you to my blog to read "Daisy's Getaway" Hope you all enjoy it!! Please feel free to leave a comment in the section at the very bottom of the blog page.

https://ciaobellamarie.wordpress.com/2016/12/18/daisys-getaway/

Dana · « **Reply #17721 on:** December 18, 2016, 04:01:41 PM »

Bellamarie, my other laptop crashed with a virus this am, I am afraid to open anything, I look forward to reading your story when I am brave enough to open it, I know I am being paranoid but I daren't have anything happen to this one till the other is fixed.
I looked up Mango, Ginny, and it seems to give little bits of Greek, the first 5 lines of The Iliad for example. I don't see how you could learn Greek from it really...it would maybe be an exciting beginning for someone though. I remember in 2005 ....just saw my date on the book,.... I'm loving having an organised library!!..... I got a book called Learn Ancient Greek, the Telegraph was serializing it I think, anyway, I loved it and it got me going again.
I don't know the Pearl Buck book about the ghost.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17722 on:** December 18, 2016, 06:50:27 PM »

Dana, I have my old laptop that also may have a virus causing it to shut down unexpectedly or like the guy at Best Buy said because it is 8 yrs old the system could just be going because to get more than 5 yrs from a laptop is unheard of. So, I purchased my new DELL with Windows 10. Oh boy is this fun learning..NOT! My blog page is no different than opening a site much like this site. We take a risk anytime we sign onto the internet in all reality, but I understand your concern since you already have one computer down.

I like Pearl Buck, we read The Good Earth by her not long ago in here.

jane · « **Reply #17723 on:** December 18, 2016, 10:07:51 PM »

If you like these various lists of "Best Books of 2016,” here's another one:

https://www.newinbooks.com/librarians-top-book-picks-for-2016/?utm_source=NewInBooks&utm_campaign=e62f1580e1-NIB_Content_December_2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1bab251ae0-e62f1580e1-106920433

ginny · « **Reply #17724 on:** December 19, 2016, 09:59:07 AM »

Dana, it's now official, the Cambridge people are preparing a Caecilius like Greek beginner text, that should be very interesting.

The Mango Gallic Wars seems quite popular, tho I am not sure on the ancient Greek one, starting as it does with The Iliad. I kind of agree with you. I had a Mobile Meals route for years in a small town and we picked up the meals from a diner owned by a Greek gentleman who asked me constantly (lovely man) when I was going to Greece. So when I did I started learning conversational modern Greek, a phrase a week every Thursday. Even today all these years later, I remember almost all of it (I checked the main conversational phrases on Omniglot, I like their Catalan bit too). But I found with the Mango it was a different situation entirely on the Iliad Greek. I am not sure why.

I think that bridge between a modern conversational language and an ancient one, which Cambridge tries so hard to build, is not always doable.

Oh what a wonderful list, and so beautifully presented, thank you, Jane.

Librarian’s Top Book Picks for 2016

Ella told me she got her best recommendations from library lists and I agree with their first choice, The Woman in Cabin 10. Fabulous book, sags in the middle but picks up in the last 1/3d in a breathtaking roar, never read anything like it. Didn't see it coming either.

Some other interesting titles:

Commonwealth
Ann Patchett.....haven't read this one. Have any of you and is it good?

My Name Is Lucy Barton
Elizabeth Strout....now that really looks good!

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend....gotta read this one, never heard of it, just LOOK:

Katarina Bivald

If you ever want to be reminded of how much you love and cherish books, just pick up The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend. The main character, a Swedish woman named Sara, has flown to a small town in Iowa to meet her beloved bookish pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, she discovers that her friend has passed away and the small town is in shambles. Although Sara is heartbroken, she helps the town turn the tragedy around by opening a bookstore with all of Amy’s books. Books have a way of significantly impacting our lives, and this one will remind you why you love reading as much as you do.

Now THAT is going on my list.

Oh wow, look at THIS one:

A Great Reckoning
Louise Penny

An intricate old map is found stuffed into the walls at a bistro in Three Pines. The villagers thought nothing of it at first but over time it becomes more strange. This map is given to Armand Gamache on the first day of his new job and leads him to an old friend and older adversary. And to places even he is afraid to go. But must. Once there, Armand discovers a dead professor with a copy of the old map. Everywhere he turns he sees the guarded and angry protege of the professor, Amelia Choquet. The investigation then turns on Armand himself and his mysterious relationship with Amelia.

I like her anyway, and didn't know about this one.

The Nest: Got this one, have not started it.

The Summer Before the War: got this one, need to pick it back up, the idiom seemed off, it could have been me and the time I read it after so much Benson.

So MANY I never heard of, that's a good list.

Oh look, we've discussed this one here in the Library, have any of you read it?

Truly Madly Guilty
Liane Moriarty

I've got it but haven't started it. And there are MANY more on the list, thank you Jane!

I can see what's going on MY new list.

I'm still reading Christmas Short Stories, the latest this morning by Carter Dickson (John Dickson Carr). I need to read more of his, he's good.

FlaJean · « **Reply #17725 on:** December 19, 2016, 12:36:10 PM »

Bellamarie, enjoyed your short story and glad there was a happy ending!

Frybabe · « **Reply #17726 on:** December 19, 2016, 01:32:32 PM »

Warning for anyone using Firefox. Although it looks like a file from Firefox/Mozilla do not download a file that may pop up saying it is an emergency patch for Firefox or webpage saying same, with a download now button. It is not. firefox patch.js is a virus.

Fortunately, I ran my Malwarebytes Anti-Malware and it seems to have got rid of the files it managed to download on my computer. A further ran my Avast Pro Antivirus at full scan, and the boot scan. Then rescanned using Malwarebytes to make sure.

jane · « **Reply #17727 on:** December 19, 2016, 01:54:15 PM »

Thanks, Frybabe!

bellamarie · « **Reply #17728 on:** December 19, 2016, 02:55:00 PM »

Flajean. Thank you! We were all glad for the ending.

Frybabe, thanks for the heads up, I don't use Firefox.

PatH · « **Reply #17729 on:** December 19, 2016, 05:13:22 PM »

I use Firefox, thanks for the warning, Frybabe. Though my computer is so old you can't really update the browsers, so I might have been suspicious.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17730 on:** December 21, 2016, 12:20:47 PM »

Well, after reading many of the names of books you all have been posting, I decided to place an order with Amazon to have something new to read for the long winter ahead. I chose to purchase:

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskeell (for our upcoming discussion)
The Secret Sister by Brenda Novak
Because of Bethlehem by Max Lucado
A Diary of The Lady by Rachel Johnson (I have always loved epistolary style writing)

jane · « **Reply #17731 on:** December 24, 2016, 04:29:57 PM »

Merry Christmas

&

Happy Hanukkah

ginny · « **Reply #17732 on:** December 27, 2016, 02:29:13 PM »

Has everybody begun to recuperate from all the festivities? I am noticing that it's taking me a great deal more time this year than it has in the past. In fact I spent the ENTIRE day yesterday and I should not say so, sitting in front of a roaring fire in a dark cloudy drizzly too warm for a fire day reading and enjoying my ...laziness no end.

I read Christmas is Murder yesterday by C.S. Challinor. It had very good reviews and is a sort of wide-ish paperback, beautifully printed, about 200+ pages. I liked it. Blizzard surrounds country house at Christmas, and the occupants keep dying but in different ways and why on earth this one or that one did is a mystery. Very cleverly done. It's considered a "cozy," but I have no idea why, it's not particularly cozy (but it isn't nasty or graphic either) and it IS a pleasure to read. Very very clever. I would never have guessed hu dun it, but then, I never do. I don't really try. There are some things I like to look at carefully and think about and some that are just recreation. That said, it was a good book to read in front of the fire on a foggy drizzly take a break day.

So since the new year is fast approaching, what is, in your own reading, the best book you think you read last year? I've been trying to think which one I've enjoyed the most. I have to say the first one which comes to mind is The Woman in Cabin 10. I notice it's listed at the top of a list I saw last week, too, so I must not be the only one. Yes, it sags about 2/3rds thru but then you canNOT put it down till it ends.

I'm still plugging along in Bleak House, I really like it, but I get waylaid. At the moment I am listening to "commentary" on the old black and white 1951 A Christmas Carol with Alastair Sim, I noticed that the DVD I have says it has "Commentary" so out of curiosity I listened.

It features an interview with the actor who played Scrooge when he was a young man, he had a lot of scenes, at Fezziwig's and with his love interest, and at the death scene with Fan, etc. He is a VERY hard interview. The poor moderator has done his homework but the actor's answers are sometimes a single "yes," or he might say "no, not really," to a complicated fascinating question, and silence ensues, or he goes into a seque about other actors and movies and scenes, and I felt sorry for the interviewer when suddenly last night, the actor began to talk about all sorts of things (he had been a great friend of Alastair Sim, said he "adopted him,)" etc., and it became wonderful. I don't know what suddenly set him off, but he had years of backstage memories and quirks and it was really great.

His name was George Cole and he died at 90 within 6 weeks of another star of the movie, Patrick Macnee (The Avengers) in 2015, my goodness, last year.

I think we tend to forget, I know I do, that actors act and they are not necessarily what you see on the stage. They must have prodigious minds, because there's no way on earth I could memorize all those lines.

So what's the best book YOU read (or maybe not the BEST but the one which stands out the most for you last year?) OR what are you going to buy with your new gift cards.

ginny · « **Reply #17733 on:** December 28, 2016, 01:31:18 PM »

Feeling stuffed and sluggish?

Here is a wonderful How Are You quiz which got me moving this morning, it's wonderful and uplifting. And private. See what you think?

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/hay#iYjufEHgXVTv4hwY.97

I came IN to say my book, James Lees- Milne Diaries, 1942-1954 finally came, Rosemary, and you were so right. It's impossible to put down. The characters and situations just leap off the page. Perfect for this time of year. And real, that's the kicker.

MANY thanks for recommending it, have you started yours, Winchester Lady?

Am in a cleaning frenzy and found the hardback of John Grisham's Rogue Lawyer, I like him a lot so I am looking forward to a great read there, too, if I can pry myself away from Milne.

What's everybody reading?

Frybabe · « **Reply #17734 on:** December 28, 2016, 05:24:31 PM »

I'm just zoning on another SciFi and Forever Odd. Coming up in January will be the Cranford discussion and another Evan Currie (King of Rogues, or something like that), not to mention back to Latin class.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17735 on:** December 28, 2016, 06:56:33 PM »

Ginny, like you I have been a bit sluggish and not bouncing back so quickly after the hustle and bustle of the Christmas rush, shopping, cooking, cleaning, partying and visiting. We finally got home on Christmas day around 7:00 p.m. after leaving the house at 9:30 a.m. I was so exhausted and ready to snuggle down in my nice warm new Michigan blanket with my hot cappuccino when my neighbor friend called asking for help with her new Kureig coffee maker. I reluctantly walked over to help her out and didn't get back home til 9:00 p.m. I could feel a sore throat coming on just before bedtime and woke up miserable. Needless to say I spend the entire day in my pjs, on the couch watching a million shows of Flip or Flop and Love it or List it on HGTV. Luckily I had an antibiotic in my cupboard and started on it immediately. Today I was feeling much better so we took the two grandkids to see the new movie, Sing.

As for what I am reading, I have not read anything since before Christmas. I am falling asleep early and with caring for the two grandchildren there just is no time. I did enjoy the short story of A Kidnapped Santa Claus.

My most enjoyable book I read this year was hands down Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah.

DISFrontman · « **Reply #17736 on:** December 29, 2016, 07:19:11 AM »

Quote from: Frybabe on June 25, 2016, 09:16:27 AM

I recently finished an historical (Christian) fiction called Regarding Tiberius by Helena Mithridates Kleopatra and Bartholomew Boge. That is a bit deceptive; there was no Helena Mithridates Kleopatra. Boge, who is a composer/musician started out trying to write a rock opera, switched to a play, gave that up apparently and finally wrote the story as a book. I put my thoughts on the book over in the Fiction section, posts 6019 and 6020. At any rate, I know very little about the the Romans in the East and Mithridates and his wars except for the Bible stories. So, long story short, my next two Roman history reads will be Sherwin-White's Roman Foreign Policy in the East and Kevin Butcher's Roman Syria and the Near East.

Point of clarification:

This is Bart Boge, author of Regarding Tiberius. I haven't "given up" on the project as a musical/rock opera just yet. In fact, I have about 70% of the music arranged in a rough draft of what I hope will end up being a 2-CD "concept album" (remember those?

).

Also, if anyone is at all interested, I did make some comments in the thread Frybabe mentioned in her post above.

Bart

bellamarie · « **Reply #17737 on:** December 29, 2016, 10:17:13 AM »

Bart Boge, What a delight to have you join our discussion! Thank you for letting us know you have not given up on the project, and are indeed still working on it. I still listen to my CD music so yes, I do remember those. I will look forward to hearing your music when it is completed. We always feel honored when an author drops in and posts a comment. Thank you ever so much, and please feel free to stick around. I have not read your book, but now that you have taken the time to comment I must check it out. It would be nice to consider Regarding Tiberius for a future discussion.

Ginny I took the quiz and it was exactly how I expected it to turn out. I need more exercise in my lifestyle, but my diet is on target!

DISFrontman · « **Reply #17738 on:** December 29, 2016, 12:05:17 PM »

Quote from: bellamarie on December 29, 2016, 10:17:13 AM

Bart Boge, What a delight to have you join our discussion! ..I have not read your book, but now that you have taken the time to comment I must check it out. It would be nice to consider Regarding Tiberius for a future discussion.

I would LOVE to hold up RT to your community's scrutiny!

As far as checking out the novel, keep in mind that if you have Amazon Prime, you can read the title from the lending library for no extra cost to you. Strangely enough, because of the length of the book (194,000 words, over 1,000 adjusted Kindle "pages") I earn more as an author if you just BORROW the book and read it using Amazon Prime than if you were actually BUY it as a paperback or an ebook. Amazon really wants to make their Prime service take off and succeed, and is willing to pay decent money to authors to offer their books on it.

My wife and I are working on an accompanying book club/small group study guide, so any discussion about the title here could influence how we put that together. I'm all ears!

Bart

bellamarie · « **Reply #17739 on:** December 29, 2016, 12:34:54 PM »

Bart, This is good to know Amazon Prime is paying authors decent money. I am not an Amazon Prime member but have been considering a membership. Now you have really piqued my interest in you and your wife's venture in an accompanying book club/small group study guide. Would that be an online club, or is it a face to face? I would certainly be ready to join if permissible online.

I am certain our moderators will be checking in soon and will see your comment, so hopefully we will be discussing your book in the very near future! Knowing we can borrow it at Amazon versus purchasing is a real incentive. Marcie, PatH., JoanK., Ginny, Barb St.Aubrey, what to you think? Can we make this happen?

PatH · « **Reply #17740 on:** December 29, 2016, 05:39:31 PM »

Bellamarie, we'll figure out who's free to take a look at the book and see if it's suitable. Not all good books work well in our kind of discussion, though this looks like it's complex enough to give plenty of stuff to talk about.

Interesting that an author gets more for borrowing a book than buying it. If other things are equal, I try to get a book whatever way gives the author the biggest cut, but it's a moving target.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #17741 on:** December 30, 2016, 02:38:30 AM »

Nice article

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/27/reading-group-which-penelope-fitzgerald-book-should-we-read-in-january?utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Bookmarks+base&utm_term=206272&subid=2902654&CMP=EMCBKSEML3964

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #17742 on:** December 30, 2016, 10:16:29 PM »

Metaphor?
A movement of resonance
perhaps, a rhyming not of sounds or words,
but of meaning.

Do you not know this light and quick
movement of energy as two separate
thoughts touch wings and fly off
into the distance together?

bellamarie · « **Reply #17743 on:** December 31, 2016, 02:03:22 PM »

Wishing you all a very Happy & Healthy New Year!

DISFrontman · « **Reply #17744 on:** December 31, 2016, 04:29:19 PM »

Quote from: PatH on December 29, 2016, 05:39:31 PM

Interesting that an author gets more for borrowing a book than buying it. If other things are equal, I try to get a book whatever way gives the author the biggest cut, but it's a moving target.

Pat,

The situation with my novel and Amazon royalties might not be typical. A little over a year ago Amazon made a huge change that made many independent writers upset, but which benefitted my situation. It involves how royalties for the KDP are calculated:

Originally, Amazon would give a standard royalty for books borrowed from their Lending Library (for Amazon Prime members). But they determined that a lot of these titles were being downloaded but never actually read by the borrowers. Amazon then changed the royalty scheme to be per PAGE VIEW, which ticked off writers who publish manuals, reference books, or shorter books.

In my case, the royalty per book read actually went UP substantially under this new model, because Regarding Tiberius is so long (194k words, or about 2x longer than the typical novel). I make nearly TWICE the royalty for a book that's checked out and read from the Lending Library than I do from either an ebook or paperback purchase.

On the other hand, the length of my book makes the Print On-Demand (POD) paperback version of the title LESS profitable for me. In fact, if you order the paperback from Amazon, I get paid the LEAST out of the three means of publication (physical copy, ebook, borrowed ebook). This is regrettable to me, since I put a lot of time into the graphic design and layout of the paperback, and to me it is the best representation of my work. Artistically, I would want every customer to have a physical copy, but I am compensated far better if each reader were to merely borrow it via Amazon Prime.

So your confusion over how best to help an independent writer makes sense, because the royalty scheme helps writers differently on an instance-by-instance basis. I would recommend that you buy titles in whatever form you prefer and assume that the writer will be grateful for your patronage, no matter what form it takes.

If there is one UNIVERSAL truth about all this, however, it would be as follows: Independent writers NEED AMAZON REVIEWS. The more reviews come in, the more free advertising a writer gets from Amazon, and since Amazon is the biggest player on the planet, this is a critical factor to an author's success.

Some of the more effective marketing starts to come online when writers exceed the 50 and 100 review milestones. By 100 reviews the buying public can begin to trust the average star rating, as there are few people who have 100 family members, friends, or colleages who would be willing to post an online review. At that point, Amazon starts recommending the book to customers via their buying choice algorithms and even sends out email solitications to likely buyers.

Keep in mind that it doesn't matter how long or how eloquent that review might be. When addressing my readers in person, I say that all I'm asking for is "three sentences and a star rating." Something honest, direct, and that demonstrates that you've actually READ the book (and there are plenty of reviews that come from people who clearly did NOT read the title, sad to say).

Does that help clear things up, or at least better explain the innate "murkiness" of author compensation?

Bart

DISFrontman · « **Reply #17745 on:** January 01, 2017, 01:45:39 AM »

Edit to the post above:

I forgot two other ways this particular author can be compensated: ordering the novel via CreateSpace (the POD publisher, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon) or direct sales from a book signing event. As of this writing, here is how those means of distribution rank with regard to royalties I receive, from best to worst:

1) Purchasing the paperback in person at a book signing
2) Purchasing the paperback via CreateSpace
3) Borrowing it from the Lending Library via Amazon Prime
4) Purchasing the ebook via Amazon.com
5) Purchasing the paperback via Amazon.com

FWIW, ordering the paperback from CreateSpace or Amazon.com is the same price and shipping, the same product, shipped from the same publisher, in the same packaging. The end cost and result are identical, but my royalty is more than 2x more if you order from CreateSpace. I have no idea why Amazon has designed the royalty structure this way, but that's how it is.

BB

PatH · « **Reply #17746 on:** January 01, 2017, 06:36:03 AM »

Should we have a discussion of Regarding Tiberius? One of the DLs has read the first 20% of the book, and some of us have discussed the matter. The book has many merits, but we don’t believe it would work well for the kind of discussions we do here.

One of the strengths of the book is the richness of detail of the history, geography, and customs of the time. To discuss this properly would take a big investment in time and attention by the readers, to learn enough about the time, and I think there are only two or at most three who would have that kind of interest in the period.

The book also has a number of graphically gory scenes and this tends to scare away discussers.

So, although it would make a good read for pleasure, as the story sucks you in and holds your interest, we don’t think we should discuss it formally.

DISFrontman · « **Reply #17747 on:** January 01, 2017, 11:12:51 AM »

Quote from: PatH on January 01, 2017, 06:36:03 AM

Should we have a discussion of Regarding Tiberius? One of the DLs has read the first 20% of the book, and some of us have discussed the matter. The book has many merits, but we don’t believe it would work well for the kind of discussions we do here.

One of the strengths of the book is the richness of detail of the history, geography, and customs of the time. To discuss this properly would take a big investment in time and attention by the readers, to learn enough about the time, and I think there are only two or at most three who would have that kind of interest in the period.

The book also has a number of graphically gory scenes and this tends to scare away discussers.

So, although it would make a good read for pleasure, as the story sucks you in and holds your interest, we don’t think we should discuss it formally.

SeniorLearn Community,

From what I've seen in the last week or so, you have a great discussion forum with insightful members. In order to keep such a group going, maintain its vision, retain members and add new ones, your librarians/moderators have an important role as gatekeepers. I would be out of line to offer any protest to their wisdom as it pertains to formal group discussions of my novel.

I appreciate the interest in Regarding Tiberius expressed by a few your members and the opportunity you've given me to discuss it in your forums. I will have no hard feelings if the title is deemed inappropriate for formal group discussion. The characterizations of the subject matter in the quoted post above (historical detail, graphic violence) are accurate. If there is a sizeable percentage of your online community who would not be interested in a tale steeped in Roman history or would object to numerous depictions of cruelty and violence, then this book isn't the right one for your group to take on.

It is my understanding that about 10,000 new novels a year are published. Mine is just one of them. To have even been considered is an honor. That said, I am curious as to what final opinon of the DL mentioned in this post will be is he/she finishes the entire title. I doubt it would change his/her judgment regarding its candidacy as a book to be singled out for formal group discussion, given that incidents of ancient warfare are peppered throughout, but I wonder if the tale's conclusion might redeem it somewhat in his/her eyes.

Sincerely,
Bart

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #17748 on:** January 01, 2017, 03:20:00 PM »

Reminding Everyone - We open the pre-discussion to Cranford this week.

We are trying something new by way of an introduction to our discussion leader for Cranford, Karen.
So let's have some fun learning a bit more about Karen and her love of Victorian Literature.

Barb: Karen how did you become interested in Victorian Literature?

Karen: My mother joined a book club for me when I was eleven years old and each month a new book came for me. I fell in love with Victorian novels through that book club: Black Beauty, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Around the World in 80 Days, Alice in Wonderland, and Little Women.

I loved stories about the rich and the poor, about the "olden days" and about overcoming problems. I also, in those days, loved adventure stories and strange characters. I also loved fairy tales with the lords and the castles, the princesses, and even the wicked witches.

My first assignment in high school was to complete David Copperfield during the first quarter. That was my formal introduction to the Victorian novel. In spite of its being the longest novel I had ever read, I loved it and went on to read poems, essays, and novels from that age as part of my formal education. My love for literature from this period kept growing.

Barb: Looks like you were drawn to the Victorian Period - did you continue this love with scholastic study?

Karen: I taught world history to 9th and 10th graders and had to do much preparation because my undergraduate work had been mostly in speech and English. At the same time the National Endowment for the Humanities offered a summer program in teaching the humanities using an integrated approach:with history as a base, bringing in the literature, art, and the music from the time period.

I went on to be accepted into two NEH six-week workshops: one was on Chaucer and the Medieval World and the second was at Oberlin College and was on 19th century women writers. I developed a medieval unit and a 19th century British history unit, incorporating literature art and music from both the romantic and the Victorian age.

Barb: Ah - So both the Romantic and the Victorian period was on your radar?

Karen: Yes, and at this same time I started a Master of Liberal Studies degree with a focus in Victorian Literature. I actually wanted to design a Victorian Studies elective for my high school students. I took courses in the essay, poetry, and the novel and completed the coursework I needed. However, as school reform kicked into high gear, electives were no longer part of the curriculum, so I never had a chance to put my plan into action. But my interest and love for the time period and the novels from the period led me to agree to lead a discussion here on Cranford as an excellent example of a Victorian novel.

Barb: How special for us. Of course there is an entire discussion in itself about the wisdom of eliminating electives however, we are going to really benefit from your love and study of Victorian Literature. What would you say is special about the Victorian period? Give us a glimpse into the life lived during this time in history.

Karen: The Victorian Age in both history and literature refers to the time that Victoria ruled 1837-1901. In literature it was preceded by romanticism and followed by realism and modernism.

Historically it was a time of peace and prosperity for the upper and middle classes. The population of England doubled during this period and improvements in transportation opened up the rural areas to the urban dwellers. The industrial workers in the cities, in contrast, lived in squalor and poverty. Frequently the whole family had to work with the smallest children chained to the weaving machines pick up bobbins that fell underneath.

During the age, improvements in sanitary conditions, medical treatment, and the coming of electric power and lights improved the quality of life in the cities, but poor houses and orphanages abounded.

Barb: Wow! Although typical of Victorian life, the hardships of so many sound like realism enough doesn't it - Like all difficult life situations, authors can find the goodness beneath the rough veneer. It sounds like the readership was encouraged by reading how various improvements were making change and so they wanted more of this genre. Is this the difference highlighted in a story between earlier and later Literary periods?

Karen: Romanticism grew out French Revolution which sought to cast off the the institutions of the Old Regime: the Church, the aristocracy, the absolute monarchy and put power in the hands of the common man.

Poetry which expressed strong emotion and an awe for nature, broke the forms and the rules of classicism. The poets looked at the world with optimism, espoused strong nationalism and interests in the past and in the bizarre.

In summary, it was a revolt against the rationalism of the classical period.

Barb: Thank you Karen - you have now opened our eyes and hearts to this time in history. Cannot wait to get started with Cranford - So glad you agreed to guide us through this story and now we have historical happenings to look for before we even start our introduction to the characters.

PatH · « **Reply #17749 on:** January 01, 2017, 04:07:58 PM »

I can't wait to get started too.

bellamarie · « **Reply #17750 on:** January 01, 2017, 10:25:33 PM »

Looking forward to it!

Frybabe · « **Reply #17751 on:** January 02, 2017, 09:00:49 AM »

Bart's mention of On-Demand Printing brought to mind the high speed, quick print presses at my former company. As more and more short run and on-demand jobs came in, the company invested in more of these new presses. Many of our small print jobs involved things like the annual reports from companies that switched from print to online pdf format. Some stockholders and investors still want hard copy. Other on-demand items might include books like Bart's, scientific papers and journals.

When I left the company I was giving the choice of moving over to third shift to help run these presses or get laid off. Mostly standing and working in a fast moving environment didn't sound like a good idea to me, partly because of my arthritis and partly because I didn't want to go to third shift. So there I was, just two and a half years shy of 65 and one year short of the severance pay cutoff the company was offering people to leave. Our pre-press department, of which I was part, was slowly being obsoleted by the newer direct to plate and direct to computer technologies, so our days were numbered. Still, I had hoped to make it to retirement. I don't know how the department is fairing now, but the goal was to move employees to other departments or lay them off leaving only two or three pre-press people per shift.

So, now you have a little personal history. Now I can read lots more, explore the Internet, and clutter up the discussion board with my thoughts whenever the mood strikes. Aren't you all lucky?

Mkaren557 · « **Reply #17752 on:** January 02, 2017, 09:27:17 AM »

Fryebabe, welcome to the world of retirement and go crazy doing everything you put off because of work. I feel as if I am reading a tale written by an artisan in the 19th century - - replaced by a machine.

Frybabe · « **Reply #17753 on:** January 02, 2017, 11:14:29 AM »

Oh yes. It kind of reminds me of the industrial revolution and all the displacement and arguments that caused. In fact, I believe we have our own form of Luddites with us today.

check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk1NkWl_W2Y one of the good things coming out of military research.

ANNIE · « **Reply #17754 on:** January 02, 2017, 12:15:51 PM »

HOPE Y'ALL ARE WATCHING THE ROSE BOWL PARADE!!! Only on for 45 more minutes! As usual , it's spectacular!😍😀😍

bellamarie · « **Reply #17755 on:** January 02, 2017, 01:16:37 PM »

Oh shucks Annie, I missed the parade browsing around my Facebook and other sites. I swear I can spend hours on this thing. I think I'll just check my messages and before I know it the morning is behind me.

Frybabe, I am hearing more and more stories like yours of people just a few years away from retirement getting told to take a new position or shift which they don't want, so they take early retirement. I wanted to wait only three more years to retire but I was forced to do it early due to insurance coverage no longer available to my in home day care. I am thrilled I retired, never more happier to spend my days with my hubby doing whatever we want. I also have been able to rejoin our Bible study group, and begin volunteer work at a Pro Life pregnancy center. I'm truly lovin life!

PatH · « **Reply #17756 on:** January 02, 2017, 01:44:02 PM »

I forgot it was today, but I've been either on planes or in airports today anyway.

Frybabe, I remember when Fry downsized, I thought you should switch your name to Friedbabe, but for some reason you didn't want to do that.

BarbStAubrey · « **Reply #17757 on:** January 02, 2017, 02:03:47 PM »

My sister was set aside and forced to leave as a Collage Dean would you believe a year before retirement because of course the collage saved on some of her retirement benefits - seems to be happening to so many it is a huge national issue - Several of us have our stories and bottom line it affects our financial well-being never mind the health care that we pay for but is not there once you turn 65.

Not much we can do about it as we talk about the problem - what I am wondering is how folks are making a few dollars here and there - we could almost use a discussion board where we share what we are doing and get ideas of how to earn some dollars in small ways while keeping alive a quality of life that we expect. We could even review the many many books written for those in retirement - I have a whole box full of which among them only a very few are worth the paper they are written on - I keep thinking I should share my opinion about each on Amazon but I find that mean - however, if I can save any of you from purchasing some of these titles I would be pleased. Often the cover and title is the anticipation of good 'stuff' - huh... often it is the same ol' same ol' we have heard or read a thousand times before.

All to say Frybabe after the shock wears off and the sense of betrayal of giving your best all those years to be tossed aside subsides there is another adventure or grind that those who do have a retirement income do not share and so you soon learn you will be looking at life with a different set of eyes and the old expression 'no rest for the weary' had new meaning. Also, you may go through the stage where you have to figure out your values all over again since we expected everyone cared when you gave it your all - so what then becomes your reason to give it your all and how do you handle trust and betrayal.

I'll be thinking of you - but please remember you have at least 15 more years of really top notch living before the various issues of age start to poke their nose into your life - you can do all sorts of things in 15 years - you can have a second career - no, not in the usual corporate culture and self-employment may be the answer - but this could open the door to more than you ever imagined.

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #17758 on:** January 02, 2017, 02:16:37 PM »

Yesterday I sat down and did something I haven't done for years - read a book - Cranford - from beginning to end non-stop! It was great, so I'm really looking forward to discussing it here.

Thanks for the motivation everyone - I'd never have got myself round to this if I hadn't had the group read to focus my attention!

Best wishes to all for a happy 2017,

Rosemary

Mkaren557 · « **Reply #17759 on:** January 02, 2017, 02:33:45 PM »

Oh I am so glad you loved this book, Rosemary. I can't wait to start the discussion. Pre-discussion starts on Wednesday.

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