What Are You Reading?

Discussion in 'Reading & Writing' started by Sheldon Scott, Aug 9, 2015.

  1. K E Gordon

    K E Gordon Veteran Member
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    That sounds like an interesting book Ren Tanner. It sounds like it would be something having to do with Japan.. Is this correct? I remember back in the 70's when everyone was reading Shogun which was later done as a movie. ALso, the Last Samurai was another Epic of course. I think that it is always interesting to learn about cultures that are different than our own, and in this way we expand our horizons. It is defintely something to look into. I hope I am not wrong about the country of your book!!:)
     
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  2. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    As many of you know, I work on web directories for a living (or, at this point, to supplement my Social Security). Since I've been in the Regional section for the past few years, from time to time I come across a part of the country or world that intrigues me. A couple of years ago, when I was creating the Channel Islands section of Aviva Directory, I very much wanted to live there, and ended up buying a couple of books that featured the Channel Islands. A month or so ago, I created the Myrtle, Mississippi category and, being a small town, I had trouble finding enough sites to create a category, since we generally want at least five, although I sometimes make exceptions when I come across a town that has an interesting history that I can use as a description. One of the sites that I came across was for a book that a former Myrtle resident had written about growing up in Myrtle, so I bought it on Kindle. The author used an interesting technique in putting his memoirs together. Rather than telling the story of his life in Myrtle in chronological order, or of telling the history of the town in chronological order, he went from place to place, starting with those that were near where he lived, since these were the ones he most often visited while he was a young child, and wrote of his memories as they related to the church, the vacant place behind his house, the homes of his early childhood friends, etc. Later, he branched out to the school, and other places. It was a curious structure to use, and quite effective. After his book, "Then I am Strong," I bought another book about Myrtle that had been written by someone from a generation before him, but it wasn't nearly as interesting.

    But that's not what I'm reading now, because I have finished them for now. For such a small town, there have been several books written about Myrtle but the others aren't available in Kindle format. Yeah, I know. I might end up buying them, anyhow but, for now, I'm hoping I forget.

    I have just begun reading "Saints," by one of my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card. It’s not a new book, as it was written in 2001, but I haven’t read it yet. It was actually first written in 1984, and sold under a different title, “A Woman of Destiny,"marketed as a romance novel.

    I expect I’ll like it because I don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Card that I haven’t liked. I haven’t read it yet because it’s not the type of genre that I normally read. It is also one of the few of his books in which his Mormon faith takes center stage.

    Anyone familiar with Mormonism will be able to recognize hints of it in his other works, but generally none of his characters are Mormons, and the Church of Latter Day Saints isn’t a part of most of his books. His fiction is usually in the fantasy fiction genre, sometimes set far into the future, as in "Ender’s Game,” but he has also written some good stuff set in colonial America, such as the “Alvin Maker” series.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 29, 2016
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  3. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I'm at 88% on the romance e-library book I'm reading, and then I'll be starting the Leah Remini book. I figured that might be stressful, since it's about Hollywood and Scientology, but I really want to read it since I like her, so I decided to sandwich it in between the romances. These romances are legitimate full-length books, unlike some of the freebies I have been reading, so it could take me through the weekend.
     
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  4. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Is the Leah Remini book cheap? I like her also and it sounds like it would be a good read.

    I'll look it up on Amazon...thanks.
     
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  5. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I don't know how much it costs, but I doubt it's cheap. I borrowed the electronic book from my local library.
     
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  6. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Yeah, $12.99 on kindle. :(

    I'll wait for your review.
     
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  7. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I'm loving Troublemaker by Leah Remini, but I don't know if you'd like it @Chrissy Page. If you don't like a lot of swearing, you probably won't enjoy it. To me, it's a folksy style, and there are some commonalities between the things she mentions and ones I'm familiar with, since she grew up in New York (I think it was Brooklyn) and I grew up in Boston. The Scientology stuff reminds me a lot of what I read about the FLDS in the book I read and posted about in this thread a while ago. I guess all cults have similarities.

    Growing up in that area in the 60s and 70s, I would encounter Moonies and others like them from time to time, but I wasn't familiar with Scientology until a friend was recruited by an older guy she met. I don't know if she's still into it, but she was somewhat ripe for brainwashing, and did take at least several of the classes, and seemed to feel they had value.

    I'm having a difficult time putting the book down, and I'm going to be sad when it ends. She doesn't sugar coat her behavior, which is refreshing. I'm sure part of that (she actually even mentioned it) was because once the church figured out the book was an expose, they would make public whatever they knew that would make her look bad, so she decided to release the information on her own terms.
     
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  8. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I don't mind swearing...doesn't bother me. Actually takes a lot to shock me. :)

    My son in law's brother in law's mother is in Scientology. I don't even think she raised her son...a friend did. She's very strange from what I hear.

    @Diane Lane ...I may buy it...as long as she doesn't sugar coat things. I hate biographies where they really don't say much and half is stuff that's already out there.

    I'll read a sample to see if I like the style of writing....that's important to me too. Doesn't matter if the book is only 99 cents but it does if I'm paying $12.99!
     
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  9. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    Oh good, then you might like it. What i'd recommend is seeing if you can read an excerpt, then see if your library has it on e-loan if you have an app or reader, or you could just borrow the actual print book. Since swearing doesn't bother you, I think you'd find the Scientology part interesting. She does go into how the children are raised somewhat, and as I read it, I recalled reading something about that before. I think that was a big part of why Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes split up.
     
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  10. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I've never done e loan....I am a member of the library in Fresno, haven't been in years though.
     
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  11. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    Maybe this is the time to check it out. You should be able to visit your library's online site and log in via your library card #. You'll probably have to set up a password or maybe a 4 digit pin. If you start e-borrowing, you can also check out Hoopla Digital, and see if it's affiliated with your local library. They had other items not available via the libraries, that are able to be borrowed via your same library card and affiliation. Here's the link for Hoopla Digital.
     
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  12. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    #237
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  13. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    What the heck, does your library sell books? I wonder if that's an affiliate link? I don't use overdrive anymore, I go directly to my library to look for items, but when I see Place a Hold, it means the book is in the system, but checked out, or at another branch. Placing a Hold notifies my branch to request it, and then they email me (or might text if you have a cell phone and give them your number) when it's available for pickup, if you're reserving a tangible copy. If it's an e-copy, they'll also email you and you can then check it out electronically. The way mine does it is I get sent to Amazon, and they handle the book borrows somehow. When the borrow period expires, it disappears off of my device. I'm usually long finished with it before that happens, though. Here's a link to a video I'm watching about Leah Remini and Scientology. It goes over what's covered in the book, but of course it's condensed. In the book, it's almost as if you're living through it with her. I went to find the dance she talks about in the book (Leah Remini DWTS Roar) should bring it up if you're interested. I remember seeing it during the DWTS season she was on, but it's even more effective now that I'm about 88% finished with the book.
     
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  14. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I don't think my library sells books...I searched for my library and then the book and that's how I ended up on that page.

    I'll just buy the book on Amazon. If I watch the video will I get bored with the book or is it different?
     
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  15. Diane Lane

    Diane Lane Veteran Member
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    I don't think you'd get bored with the book based on watching the video, but the link will be here, so you might as well read it first, then watch the video. Do you have an e-reader? If so, and you're logged in there, you should be able to just click the link to place a hold. I sometimes borrow the book from the library, then buy it if I really like it and plan to read it again.
     
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