Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2 (Read 776993 times)

rosemarykaye · « **Reply #2160 on:** August 20, 2011, 04:24:03 PM »

This is the place to talk about the works of fiction you are reading, whether they are new or old, and share your own opinions and reviews with interested readers.

Every week the new bestseller lists come out brimming with enticing looking books and rave reviews. How to choose?

Discussion Leader: Judy Laird

Thanks Steph - I will wait until she is a bit older. Whether she can "take it" or not, I don't want to encourage her!

Rosemary

Steph · « **Reply #2161 on:** August 21, 2011, 06:20:15 AM »

The book is not graphic.. But the girl moves in with her
Dad and his girlfriend and it is a small house.. so she is aware of love and life around her and muses on it.

JoanK · « **Reply #2162 on:** August 25, 2011, 03:19:06 PM »

Last day to vote on which classic to read next.

VOTE HERE http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=2395.80

Steph · « **Reply #2163 on:** August 26, 2011, 05:58:53 AM »

Just really inhaled in the past two days.. Lisa See..."Dragon Bones" It is sort of a mix.. General fiction and mystery.. Seems she has written three books in a series on a Chinese Red Princess. These are people in china whose parents were both involved heavily in the revolution and consequently are important people in China. She is Lin Hulan and she is married to an American. This is the third book in the series and I am busy trying to find the first two. Tells a lot about current China,, historic China and in the process solves several grizzly murders.. Reveals a cult.. and really is just fascinating.

Aberlaine · « **Reply #2164 on:** August 26, 2011, 06:30:07 AM »

I've finally gotten into Dancing at the Rascal Fair. I started a bit late to participate in the discussion here, but I'm reading the comments as I go along. A great book about Montana and its Scottish settlers.

I'm also making my way through The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks for my monthly f2f book group. A bit technical and slow. But a fascinating read.

Babi · « **Reply #2165 on:** August 26, 2011, 09:02:16 AM »

So glad you're enjoying "Dancing at the Rascal Fair", ABERLAINE. It is unquestionably one of
the best books I've read this year. Doig is really good!

FlaJean · « **Reply #2166 on:** August 26, 2011, 01:38:39 PM »

Steph, "Dragon Bones" sounds interesting. Will check my library for it.

Steph · « **Reply #2167 on:** August 27, 2011, 05:57:34 AM »

I am in the middle of our library book sale, and am in charge of the Special collections table, but I have the fiction and mystery women on the lookout for Lisa See... I did like the third one and want to read the run ups..

maryz · « **Reply #2168 on:** August 27, 2011, 09:13:37 AM »

Our library book sale is 3-12 September. We'll work a couple of shifts, but I don't know which ones yet. We're pretty flexible, so the scheduler will assign us our times later on. Good luck with yours.

Steph · « **Reply #2169 on:** August 28, 2011, 06:13:20 AM »

Amazing. We were mobbed yesterday at the book sale. This is supposed to be our small sale, but we had as many donations as the large sale in the winter. We made over 5000.00 in five hours, so you know what the mob scene looked like..
I was out in the lobby with my big books and classics, etc. People buy the most amazing things..There isnt a single book that someone doesnt love. We did have one set that was remarkable. It was every single Nobel winner, the book, the author and a biography all alphabetical. Ran to 22 books.. Whew. and I sold it.. Only 25.00, but the man was thrilled and I was thrilled about not having to move it about at the sale.

JoanK · « **Reply #2170 on:** August 28, 2011, 05:17:04 PM »

It's a good thing I wasn't there. I would have had to have it, and the last thing I need is a big new set of books.

Aberlaine · « **Reply #2171 on:** August 29, 2011, 06:43:46 AM »

Babi, I've been lucky to have read some great books this year. I'm adding Dancing at the Rascal Fair to that list.

Babi · « **Reply #2172 on:** August 29, 2011, 08:49:00 AM »

I think you'll be very glad you did, ABERLAINE.

FlaJean · « **Reply #2173 on:** August 29, 2011, 11:35:59 AM »

Our library has several Lisa Lee titles so will check out "Dragon Bones" today. I like to try new authors but still cling to my favorite old ones.

CallieOK · « **Reply #2174 on:** August 29, 2011, 12:18:55 PM »

I'm reading "The Way The Crow Flies" by Ann-Marie MacDonald. There are two story lines, one of which is very disturbing. However, they're beginning to intertwine and I don't want to put it down.

Has anyone read it? Comments?

MaryPage · « **Reply #2175 on:** August 29, 2011, 03:51:30 PM »

Steph, do you think that mob scene could be credited to people thinking real books might disappear?

Steph · « **Reply #2176 on:** August 30, 2011, 03:01:43 PM »

It is startling the number of peole who referred to not liking anything but real books,, but the library just started with ebooks and the demand has been spectacular..So I think people will do both.. I know that I am taking my IPAD with me to Scotland, but also maybe three paperbacks just in case..

FlaJean · « **Reply #2177 on:** August 30, 2011, 03:54:58 PM »

I enjoyed reading "The Help" and saw the movie yesterday. It closely follows the book and it was really good. So often I don't enjoy a movie after I have read the book but this time I think the movie is as good, maybe better than the book.

jane · « **Reply #2178 on:** August 30, 2011, 04:06:10 PM »

Steph...the same is true here in our little burg. Adult circulation is down a bit, but the borrowing of ebooks is continually rising. I never thought I'd be an ereader, but I must confess that I adore it. I can get new issues from the comfort of my chair in this little town, and cheaper than paperbacks in many cases. I tuck it in my purse and have my whole elibrary (some 170 titles) now at my fingertips...literally.

Have a wonderful time in Scotland. We enjoyed our visit there some years ago.

jane

maryz · « **Reply #2179 on:** August 30, 2011, 06:14:02 PM »

Our library system are suppposed to have e-books available for checking out sometime by the end of the year - when Amazon makes this available for libraries. I know some systems already have it, but then there's the one here.....

I have had several folks comment at my sitting in the bookstore at the library, selling books, and reading my Kindle.

One good thing has happened. The city and the county have finally parted ways wwith the library. It's now just a city library, and anyone not living in the city limits has to pay a fee to check out books. (The county was dragging its heels re providing their share of the funding.) Only one branch was not in the city limits, and it was in one of the other incorporated towns in the county. That small city has taken it over. Nothing like local politics to keep things interesting.

salan · « **Reply #2180 on:** August 30, 2011, 06:34:37 PM »

FlaJean, I recently saw The Help and really enjoyed it. I had read the book first and thought the movie followed the book quite well. It's not often you can say that about a movie.
Sally

Steph · « **Reply #2181 on:** August 31, 2011, 06:35:50 AM »

I just finished Icy Sparks.. Interesting book. It was an Oprah pick a while ago, but I just got around to it. She does love mountain people books. This one has an interesting protagonist.. Icy is trapped with a problem noone knows how to solve.

Babi · « **Reply #2182 on:** August 31, 2011, 09:13:12 AM »

I would guess the younger generation would readily take to the ebooks. Does that seem to
be the case where you are, STEPH? The older generation are more likely to want to continue
their lifelong love affair with the printed book.

Question: how many books will one of those e-readers hold? Can you delete those you are
not interested in reading again, to make more room? And how is it on your eyes? I'm sure
there are several e-book readers here who can give me their opinions.

pedln · « **Reply #2183 on:** August 31, 2011, 11:21:53 AM »

Babi, I can only speak for Kindle, which is great for the eyes. There's no glare and you can adjust the size of the print, which I like.

I think the number of books is something like 3500, but that may be an exageration. Amazon can store them, but don't ask me how. How it works with other its, mobiles, tablets, etc, I don't know, but would guess it would be based on the units memory, or how the provider achives the titles.

There's a lot to keep up with in all this technology business, isn't there.

Tomereader1 · « **Reply #2184 on:** August 31, 2011, 11:37:46 AM »

Yes, you can "delete" a book when you've read it, which I usually do with some of the "freebies" I download from Amazon.

The Kindle lets you adjust the size of the Font (I have mine at a medium setting). Only one drawback...it isn't lighted, backlighted or any of that. You must have a light source to be able to read the screen, clip ons are available most anywhere. Reading in the daytime or outside is fine as there is no glare in that.

FlaJean · « **Reply #2185 on:** August 31, 2011, 11:57:44 AM »

You can adjust the brightness on the iPad. I think the only limit on the iPad would be depending on size of memory you buy (8gbs, 32gbs or 64gbs). I love my iPad.

mabel1015j · « **Reply #2186 on:** August 31, 2011, 01:39:06 PM »

Steph, tell me more about the Icy Sparks story. My library has the book, but there's no description other than "Oprah's book club!" how about that? Oprah only needs one name and is important enough to be a "description" of a book!

Jean

Frybabe · « **Reply #2187 on:** August 31, 2011, 02:03:48 PM »

I deleted two downloaded files from Kindle but they went into the archived folder. I wanted them deleted, period. I get the impression that what goes into the archive folder is actually a "pointer" file that goes out to Amazon and re-downloads the book if you want to read it again. I could be wrong on that, of course. Anyway, I don't think I can archive any of the books I got from other sites. Those I just delete and they are gone. I can redownload them from my computer if I want the again,

maryz · « **Reply #2188 on:** August 31, 2011, 04:33:41 PM »

I love my Kindle, and have no desire to read an "actual" book any more. I do, of course, for one reason or another, but that's just not important to me. I can't imagine that I would ever have more books than the Kindle could hold - it's almost infinite. When I delete one, it goes into Amazon heaven somewhere. But it's always mine, and as I understand it, I could always retrieve should I so desire.

jeriron · « **Reply #2189 on:** August 31, 2011, 05:45:12 PM »

When you delete a book from home on the kindle it goes into the archive so if you want to read it again you can. If you want to delete it entirely you have to go into your account and delete it from there. At least that's what I remember reading how to do it. I've never tried it.

Frybabe · « **Reply #2190 on:** August 31, 2011, 08:27:34 PM »

Thanks, Jeriron. I'll look into it. The two I don't want were freebies from Amazon. I doubt I would delete anything I actually paid for.

Steph · « **Reply #2191 on:** September 01, 2011, 06:43:48 AM »

Icey Sparks.. It is the story first person of Icey who lives with her grandparents and from an early age starts eye popping and the tics and jerking and then the language uproar that is Tourettes Syndrome. The town and doctors have no idea what she has. This is not 2000 or so, but earlier. She has problems and is so ashamed of what she is and does.. A teacher has no patience and she ends up in a mental institution, so they can maybe figure it out. Her only friend at the beginning is a hugely fat adult woman, who is kind and patient. Her grandparents adore her as well. It is simply the story as she grows and begins to understand herself and her life. I loved it.
my IPADis so much fun. I love it.. I am not sure it is just younger people with ebooks.. Seems to me a lot of seniors who have problems holding books, etc.. I am seeing more and more people when I am out for lunch reading their ebooks rather than a regular book.. That is any age at all.

Babi · « **Reply #2192 on:** September 01, 2011, 09:45:19 AM »

Thanks, everyone. I'm not going to techbooks any time soon, but there could come a day....
Yes, it is hard to keep up, and especially to judge between all the different claims, uses, and
perhaps-not-mentioned drawbacks of the mutltude of offerings.

JimNT · « **Reply #2193 on:** September 01, 2011, 10:15:29 AM »

I just started Freedom by Jonathan Franzen. I waded through his award winning Corrections but this one shows promise. Corrections is only a hair better than Ultimate Jest by David Foster Wallace which I found to to be a monumental bore. But I'm the one "out of step" as both Corrections and Ultimate Jest received rave reviews. Well, maybe I'll gain favor with the literati elite if I espouse the glories of Freedom. We'll see.

pedln · « **Reply #2194 on:** September 01, 2011, 10:49:16 AM »

Jim, I'm reading Freedom also. Or let's say I've started it. Enjoyed the first section tremendously, the second -- the autobiography part, not as entertaining. But will keep on. I had it from the library, but it's a biggie and then a couple library "holds" came up, so I bought it for my Kindle, since it would probably not be renewable. Much easier now to read in bed.

Steph · « **Reply #2195 on:** September 02, 2011, 05:21:05 AM »

Ihated Corrections, so have sort of put the next one on hold.. Not a favorite author of mine at all.

Babi · « **Reply #2196 on:** September 02, 2011, 02:47:41 PM »

I've started Ivan Doig's "Prairie Nocturne" and so continue to enjoy Doig's masterful hand with
wordcrafting. I've also got "Elephant Journey", read the intro., and I expect I'll be alternating
my reading between the two. "Elephant Journey" is a smaller book than I expected. From all
that was said about it by readers here..ie., they wanted to read it slowly to savor it...I assumed
it was some large tome. I'm looking forward to a really scrumptious holiday weekend with these
two books.

Steph · « **Reply #2197 on:** September 03, 2011, 05:47:37 AM »

I am still off and on reading
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.. It is so loooong.. and not as interesting as I had hoped. Sigh.

Babi · « **Reply #2198 on:** September 03, 2011, 08:59:55 AM »

You have our permission to toss the book w/o finishing, STEPH. I have done so on more than
one occasion. Sometimes, across the room.

JoanP · « **Reply #2199 on:** September 05, 2011, 07:42:09 AM »

By now you've probably heard that we've begun the search for a good title to discuss in November. Right now we've got a three-way tie showing. We're only choosing one title this time - for the November discussion. Your input is important to us. The vote will be open until Sept. 8.

Before voting, be sure to read descriptions of each title here - HERE in the Suggestion Box and then cast your vote - today!

News:

Author Topic: Fiction ~ Old ~ New ~ Best Sellers #2 (Read 776993 times)