Well, I did a quick search and didn't see a thread devoted to this. I know a lot of members here enjoy reading, and I suspect a few might even enjoy reading books that aren't about roads, transportation, or infrastructure.
What book are you currently reading? Why did you pick it? Do you like it? Would you recommend it to others? Are you reading it in print, on a Kindle, or what? Etc.?
I recently started reading The Brothers Karamazov (abridged edition), the final novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, published in series in 1879-80. Recently, I had a hankering to get into a book, but I never know what kind of book to get from the library. Never having read a Russian novel before, I decided to check one out. Not wanting to read a book as long as War and Peace, I looked for something more manageable, and The Brothers Karamazov seemed like one I might at least halfway enjoy.
So far, I'm about 30 pages in, out of about 720 (it's only about 6 inches tall), and I'm not sure what I think yet. It seems that I'm still in the introductory part of the story–telling the characters' back-stories before getting to meat of the story. But, not being at all familiar with the book, I don't yet know what to expect–say–100 pages from now. It's certainly a different type of story-telling than I'm used to, with quite a bit of narrator-perspective commentary about the characters. Thumbing through the pages to come, however, it appears to be much more conversation-driven later on in the book. So I guess I don't know yet if I like the book or not. Time will tell.
Quote from: kphoger on February 15, 2020, 07:54:46 PM
Well, I did a quick search and didn't see a thread devoted to this. I know a lot of members here enjoy reading, and I suspect a few might even enjoy reading books that aren't about roads, transportation, or infrastructure.
What book are you currently reading? Why did you pick it? Do you like it? Would you recommend it to others? Are you reading it in print, on a Kindle, or what? Etc.?
I recently started reading The Brothers Karamazov (abridged edition), the final novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, published in series in 1879-80. Recently, I had a hankering to get into a book, but I never know what kind of book to get from the library. Never having read a Russian novel before, I decided to check one out. Not wanting to read a book as long as War and Peace, I looked for something more manageable, and The Brothers Karamazov seemed like one I might at least halfway enjoy.
So far, I'm about 30 pages in, out of about 720 (it's only about 6 inches tall), and I'm not sure what I think yet. It seems that I'm still in the introductory part of the story–telling the characters' back-stories before getting to meat of the story. But, not being at all familiar with the book, I don't yet know what to expect–say–100 pages from now. It's certainly a different type of story-telling than I'm used to, with quite a bit of narrator-perspective commentary about the characters. Thumbing through the pages to come, however, it appears to be much more conversation-driven later on in the book. So I guess I don't know yet if I like the book or not. Time will tell.
Homestuck and let me tell you about it LOL
I'm presently reading Harrison Scott's book on the Ridge Route. While the old photos and infrastructure development is great I kind of feel like there are a couple things that are missing. The Stockton-Los Angeles Road and El Camino Viejo are larger glossed over or omitted which is a huge omission.. But to that end I tend to think the Ridge Route is very much overblown in terms of it's importance, it was replaced shortly after it was built.
Not reading anything now, but the last book I read was an e-borrowed copy of "Hillbilly Elegy" on the Libby app on my iPad. I wanted to read it because the author's family is from my area, and the book was so polarizing to so many people. I enjoyed it; I didn't find it to be an indictment of a culture or a region as so many people did, but rather the story of one person's family and his grandparents' life in eastern Kentucky, and his family's subsequent migration to Ohio (as did many from this area seeking factory work back decades ago).
I wish I had more time to read. Between work and home obligations and sleep, I don't see how people find time to read as much as they do.
Quote from: hbelkins on February 15, 2020, 08:39:27 PM
I wish I had more time to read. Between work and home obligations and sleep, I don't see how people find time to read as much as they do.
I've decided that, if I have enough time to watch a dozen videos on YouTube, then I have enough time to read a book.
I have also read Hillbilly Elegy.
I read a lot of detective fiction. At the moment I'm working my way through C.J. Box's Joe Pickett books, where the investigator character is a game warden in north-central Wyoming. I'm also in the middle of research for a project, so I've been either reading or heavily skimming books on Afghanistan, women's prisons, combat handgunnery, and self-defense techniques.
As for how people manage to read so many books a year, some rely on audiobooks (useful for long commutes) while others carry around books (or an e-reader) to take advantage of lunch hours and other small chunks of free time. Publishers' current word count standards for genre fiction are fairly low--a romance novel can be as short as 40,000 words, while 80,000-110,000 words is about the limit for detective novels--and that makes a difference. Classic novels from the 19th century tend to be a lot longer.
About 90%-95% of the books I read in a given year are print copies. The rest are ebooks. I have an old gray-screen Kindle, but typically use e-reader apps on my phone or tablet. Of the ebooks I read, about 80%-90% of them are in Kindle format, though I have read several in Adobe ePub.
The last physical book I read was How the States Got Their Shapes. It's exactly what it says in the title, and is naturally a blend of history and geography.
Not an actual book, but still literature, I'm currently reading the online serial Ward, the sequel to Worm (https://parahumans.wordpress.com/). Here's the official description:
Quote
An introverted teenage girl with an unconventional superpower, Taylor goes out in costume to find escape from a deeply unhappy and frustrated civilian life. Her first attempt at taking down a supervillain sees her mistaken for one, thrusting her into the midst of the local "˜cape' scene's politics, unwritten rules, and ambiguous morals. As she risks life and limb, Taylor faces the dilemma of having to do the wrong things for the right reasons.
I can't recommend the series enough. If you like a series with lots of worldbuilding and details to analyze, Worm and Ward have a lot of that. The author is also
very good with characterization. There are very few characters (even antagonists) who you don't feel sympathetic for when you read their interludes (the story is mostly first person narration from the protagonist, with periodic interlude chapters in third person limited narration following a specific character). I should warn anyone interesting in reading, however, that both Worm and Ward can get quite dark (seriously, I mean darker than the Netflix series The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - which I also highly recommend). They're also quite long, at approximately three times as long as War and Peace. Each. And Ward isn't finished yet, as far as I know (still only through chapter 14.3 as I post this).
Quote from: J N Winkler on February 15, 2020, 09:50:41 PM
About 90%-95% of the books I read in a given year are print copies. The rest are ebooks. I have an old gray-screen Kindle, but typically use e-reader apps on my phone or tablet. Of the ebooks I read, about 80%-90% of them are in Kindle format, though I have read several in Adobe ePub.
I have an older Kindle, but I'm switching back to paper books, which, while they do take up shelf space, are nicer to read and easy to skim to re-read one's favorite passages from. I'm actually in the process of replacing my favorite books that I got for my Kindle with print copies.
Quote from: vdeane on February 15, 2020, 10:04:15 PM
The last physical book I read was How the States Got Their Shapes. It's exactly what it says in the title, and is naturally a blend of history and geography.
I just happened to pick up that same book yesterday at B&N (it was on clearance for $5).
Quote from: kphoger on February 15, 2020, 07:54:46 PM
[...]
I recently started reading The Brothers Karamazov (abridged edition), the final novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, published in series in 1879-80. Recently, I had a hankering to get into a book, but I never know what kind of book to get from the library. Never having read a Russian novel before, I decided to check one out. Not wanting to read a book as long as War and Peace, I looked for something more manageable, and The Brothers Karamazov seemed like one I might at least halfway enjoy.
[...]
I recently started one of Dostoevsky's first books,
Notes from the Underground. I'm trying to like it, but it's very dry, heavy, and rich with ideas. A lot of mid-19th century European literature tends to be the same way. Ultimately, it comes off as cold and aloof, much like the country it was written in and about. The book could use a little more charm and personality.
For a class that I am taking --
Major Bible Themes: 52 Vital Doctrines of the Scripture Simplified and Explained, 1974, by John F. Walvoord (Author), Lewis Sperry Chafer (Author)
Amazon description --
In an age characterized by skepticism and ignorance of the Holy Scriptures, this timely volume clearly sets forth the biblical truths and teachings that long have been cherished by Christians. Virtually a classic for this century, Major Bible Themes includes chapters on doctrines that merit particular attention in the contemporary religious scene, such as the Holy Spirit, the nature of the Church, and the second coming of Christ. Designed for group and individual study, for pastors, laymen, and students, Major Bible Themes is an indispensable tool, providing the biblical basis for fifty-two doctrines, complete with topical and Scripture indexes. Questions for discussion and review follow each chapter. Whether your purpose is to explore Bible doctrines as a new Christian, to erase confusion stemming from conflicting views in the contemporary church, or to establish a stronger basis for witnessing to your beliefs, Major Bible Themes is essential for study and reference.
Lewis Sperry Chafer was the founding chancellor of the Dallas Theological Seminary, and he wrote the original version of this book in 1926.
Last book I read was a soon-to-be published script of a friend of mine. Basically talks about the nature of work, how to develop a work ethic and how lazy kids are today. Stuff boomers will eat up.
"Ecological Urbanism" by Moshen Mostafavi and several other contributors. It's big, but the chapters tend to be short. I should have read it a long time ago, but I remember it being more expensive in the past. Some of the ideas are fascinating, but it kind of feels like a mixed bag.
How the States Got Their Shapes was very interesting, and I recommend that for any American roadgeek here.
I'm reading this right now (very slowly)
(https://i.imgur.com/1EGBGBu.jpg)
but I'll rep the previous book instead: Lovecraft Country by Mark Ruff. It's the tale of a black science-fiction author in Jim Crow America. There are cosmic horrors and plain old human evil. There's a TV series coming up, with Jordan Peele and JJ Abrams involved.
Very, very gradually working on Ulysses by James Joyce. One of those books you have to read aloud to even understand, much less understand the plot. I'm on page 13 of 430 (or so); all I know is that the main characters are preparing breakfast and having their morning routine.
Also planning on reading Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix manga soon - apparently that's considered his masterpiece.
A side thought, how much does everyone actually read presently? Right now I might read two to four books a year. When I was younger I would read at least twenty no problem either out of obligation or boredom.
I read far fewer books than I used to. I rarely even read books anymore.
I actually tack this up to the amount of reading I do on the Internet.
I probably average about 5 books per month. I read while I'm eating lunch, and again before bed. Sometimes I get to read for a couple hours on the weekends.
I recently read a C J Box book in the Cassie Dewall series. Yesterday I finished one James Patterson book and am beginning another.
I don't have reliable numbers for books read per year before 2013, because until 2012, I used to record books I had read in a Word file without notating the dates I had finished them. Now I have a recording method that automatically timestamps every new book entry, and although I don't necessarily record a book on the same day I finish it, I do try to log it within the same month.
Books read per year 2013-2019 inclusive have fluctuated from a high of 127 in 2013 to a low of 93 in 2014. In 2015-2019 inclusive I read more than 100 books annually, ranging from a low of 101 in 2016 to a high of 113 in 2018.
I have found myself trying not to fall under 100 books read per year, but I don't try to read many more per year because that leads to me falling behind on a New Yorker subscription. I would be prepared to accept annual totals under 100 if a substantial proportion of the books read were doorstop classics from the 19th century (not just the Russian greats like Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, but also a lot of Dickens, Thackeray, Trollope, Eliot, Hardy, as well as Melville's Moby Dick), but those can be really slow going.
I am a fairly slow reader, but watch very little TV at present.
"The Last Innocents" by Michael Leahy is the current read over here. It is about the Dodgers in LA during the time stars like Drysdale, Koufax, Maury and such were rising with the backdrop being the societal changes taking place in the early 60's which portended what was to come (integration, the Free Speech movement, free agency in baseball). If sports plus our national culture are of interest, then by all means read the book!
Rick
As a school assignment, I am reading Nineteen-Eighty-Four. I am near the end of the second part of the book (which is about half-way through the book). I picked up the book shortly after reading Animal Farm, as they are similar in that it shares Orwell's hatred of Stalinist Communism. I had a choice of several books to read other than 1984, including Brave New World and Lord of the Flies.
I don't read a whole lot of books outside of school, as I spend too much time either doing other schoolwork or playing video games.
100+ books per year? I'm not sure what my total is, but probably in the 10 to 20 range per year.
Amazon gives access to finding long out-of-print books, and I have found some treasures there; probably half of my readings.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on February 16, 2020, 01:47:09 PM
As a school assignment, I am reading Nineteen-Eighty-Four. I am near the end of the second part of the book (which is about half-way through the book). I picked up the book shortly after reading Animal Farm, as they are similar in that it shares Orwell's hatred of Stalinist Communism. I had a choice of several books to read other than 1984, including Brave New World and Lord of the Flies.
I don't read a whole lot of books outside of school, as I spend too much time either doing other schoolwork or playing video games.
Here is a good animated video made by the guy who runs Alternate History Hub, which explores the world of "1984". It will cost you 15 minutes and some seconds of your life to see it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQxOKXEff4I&t=2s
Rick
Quote from: nexus73 on February 16, 2020, 05:14:14 PM
Quote from: ozarkman417 on February 16, 2020, 01:47:09 PM
As a school assignment, I am reading Nineteen-Eighty-Four. I am near the end of the second part of the book (which is about half-way through the book). I picked up the book shortly after reading Animal Farm, as they are similar in that it shares Orwell's hatred of Stalinist Communism. I had a choice of several books to read other than 1984, including Brave New World and Lord of the Flies.
I don't read a whole lot of books outside of school, as I spend too much time either doing other schoolwork or playing video games.
Here is a good animated video made by the guy who runs Alternate History Hub, which explores the world of "1984". It will cost you 15 minutes and some seconds of your life to see it...
(snipped)
Rick
I started to watch the video, but I figured I would at least finish the book first. Spoilers, and all.
Quote from: kurumi on February 16, 2020, 12:15:39 AM
How the States Got Their Shapes was very interesting, and I recommend that for any American roadgeek here.
Didn't that get turned in to a short-lived TV show of some sort?
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on February 16, 2020, 01:05:45 AM
A side thought, how much does everyone actually read presently? Right now I might read two to four books a year. When I was younger I would read at least twenty no problem either out of obligation or boredom.
My reading has dropped bigtime in the last two months now that I have a new job and am no longer commuting on the subway.
The Only Plane in the Sky and Into the Planet: My Life as a Cave Diver as print books. Blowout as an audio book. Go, Flight: The Unsung Heroes of Mission Control, and the Mistborn trilogy as ebooks.
I read a lot, mostly for pleasure (or at least interest). Brian Sanderson (Mistborn) writes enthralling fiction, and the rest are all holding my interest.
Print books will always be my preference in general; I like audiobooks or at least the spoken word while driving while a tablet (dim, dark, red-shifted settings) works well for me to read in bed. So, as strange as it sounds to younger me, older me has settled into this pattern of having several books going at once.
Quote from: kphoger on February 15, 2020, 09:33:14 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 15, 2020, 08:39:27 PM
I wish I had more time to read. Between work and home obligations and sleep, I don't see how people find time to read as much as they do.
I've decided that, if I have enough time to watch a dozen videos on YouTube, then I have enough time to read a book.
This is true, but I'm one of those who hates videos when the written word will do. So I don't watch YouTube videos, unless I call up some music and have it on while I'm doing something else. I see links posted frequently on social media about something that interests me, and get excited to read the story, and then get aggravated when I see it's a link to a video. I read faster than a lot of people do, so why do I want to sit and watch a 10-minute video about something when I could read the transcript of the video in about three minutes? I'm a throwback. Video has far less appeal than text.
That's another reason I prefer written words to audiobooks. And I only subscribe to one podcast, which I speed up to 1.5x but often slow back down to 1x if there's something I don't want to miss. A friend of mine keeps a list of books she reads each year, and I don't know how she finds time to do them all. I think she listens to some of them as audiobooks, but I still can't find the time to do that.
Quote from: ozarkman417 on February 16, 2020, 05:22:33 PM
Didn't that get turned in to a short-lived TV show of some sort?
Yep. It started with a two hour special that covered some of the more interesting items, then a season of hour long episodes covering general themes, and then a second season of half-hour episodes that didn't cover anything new but turned it into a game show.
So I get an email at work today with the subject, "Message from Secretary Jim Gray."
What's in the video? A five-minute YouTube video. Grrr. I'd rather have his written statement that I could read in a minute vs. having spent five minutes watching the video.
I had read every book in the house (well, maybe not quite...) by age 11 or 12 and pretty much stopped reading for pleasure at that point.
I learned to read quite young, and now I pretty much read in paragraphs instead of individual words. I can't remember the last time I read something that took me more than 2 hours, much less had to be spread out over multiple days. So, this thread is at least quite enlightening for me.
I'm currently enjoying the Keith Richards autobiography "Life".
Not knowing what the COVID library status is where everyone lives, I recommend checking out the book shown below if and when you can make it to the library.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/22/Station_Eleven_Cover.jpg/220px-Station_Eleven_Cover.jpg)
I read it just last year, and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It's a post-apocalyptic book that takes place in Ontario and Michigan, while and after a highly contagious strain of the flu decimates the world population. It's not super nerdy, and I think it would have broad appeal to both men and women, both young and old alike.
Quote from: kphoger on February 15, 2020, 07:54:46 PM
I recently started reading The Brothers Karamazov (abridged edition), the final novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, published in series in 1879-80. Recently, I had a hankering to get into a book, but I never know what kind of book to get from the library. Never having read a Russian novel before, I decided to check one out. Not wanting to read a book as long as War and Peace, I looked for something more manageable, and The Brothers Karamazov seemed like one I might at least halfway enjoy.
So far, I'm about 30 pages in, out of about 720 (it's only about 6 inches tall), and I'm not sure what I think yet. It seems that I'm still in the introductory part of the story–telling the characters' back-stories before getting to meat of the story. But, not being at all familiar with the book, I don't yet know what to expect–say–100 pages from now. It's certainly a different type of story-telling than I'm used to, with quite a bit of narrator-perspective commentary about the characters. Thumbing through the pages to come, however, it appears to be much more conversation-driven later on in the book. So I guess I don't know yet if I like the book or not. Time will tell.
Just yesterday evening, I checked out my second Dostoevsky book. This time, it's
The Idiot.
As for
The Brothers Karamazov, I'd say it took about half the book to get the plot really going. It was a gradual ramping-up that lasted pretty much the entire book. The increase in drama was almost unnoticeable page-by-page but, by the time I was in the last fourth of the book, it was starting to get pretty dramatic, and it was a wild ride toward the end of the book. Certainly a different type of reading experience than I was used to.
Most recently, I read The Promise Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. It's about a doctor who, in the 1960s, delivers his wife's twins, sees that one of them has Down syndrome, and instructs his nurse to take child and put her in a home–before his wife wakes up from the anesthesia. The nurse doesn't go through with it, and then the novel alternates between the lives of all the affected parties. It explores how that decision affects not just the people who know what happened, but also how it affects various relationships.
Basically, it's a chick book. But it's also quite engaging for a man to read as well. I did enjoy it, and I was very happy to have had such mild spring weather here allowing me to read multiple chapters at a time on the front porch.
I just finished Brandon Sanderson's Rhythm of War (book four of his Stormlight Archive series). Took me most of four months to read it because it's over 1200 pages (I read it on a Kindle). Good series, a lot going on. I won't call it as sprawling as the Wheel of Time, at least not yet, but it's close. Not as many characters to keep straight in your mind, which helps when the story is this long. So far none of the four books has been under a thousand pages.
After finishing that, I wanted something much lighter, so I've just started The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL's Most Outlandish Teams. As the name implies, it's about the failed hockey franchise. About as far from epic fantasy as you can get!
Just finished my second reading of Hillbilly Elegy. Since Vance's grandparents are from an adjacent county (the one where I work) I am quite familiar with much of the book's setting. I still don't understand why it upsets the left so much. It's a pretty accurate portrayal not only of life for Appalachian migrants to the industrial midwest, but of those who stayed in the hills.
Quote from: kphoger on July 27, 2021, 04:16:45 PM
Just yesterday evening, I checked out my second Dostoevsky book. This time, it's The Idiot.
Well, I didn't finish
The Idiot before I ran out of renewals at the library. However, a couple of months ago, I decided to check the book out all over again, and so I picked up where I'd left off. I'm almost to the end, with just three chapters to go.
This may well be my last Dostoevsky book. It's hard for me to keep the characters straight (it doesn't help that they all go by three different names), but it's also hard for me to form a connection to them. At least in this novel, I feel some connection to the main character–but not to anyone else. There's also too much family and social intrigue for my liking. I realize that this last point is probably a mark of the author's genius, in capturing the nuances of complicated social structures, but I guess it's just not for me.
Just finished Maus I. Maus II is sitting on my nightstand now.
I didn't know How the States Got Their Shapes was a book. I enjoyed the TV series and recommend watching them if you get the chance. I also recommend using a DVR to fast-forward as some of the History Channel commercials can be a bit much. It's perfect for watching on those nasty weather days where any outdoor activity is worth postponing.
Quote from: skluth on May 26, 2022, 06:32:33 PM
Just finished Maus I. Maus II is sitting on my nightstand now.
I didn't know How the States Got Their Shapes was a book. I enjoyed the TV series and recommend watching them if you get the chance. I also recommend using a DVR to fast-forward as some of the History Channel commercials can be a bit much. It's perfect for watching on those nasty weather days where any outdoor activity is worth postponing.
I have the How the States Got Their Shapes book. It's definitely worth a read. I still remember binge watching the episodes.
I'm concurrently reading two books: When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It! by Yogi Berra, a humorous read that talks about some of his famous Yogiisms and meanings behind them, and The Puppy Handbook, because I have a new four-legged baby arriving in a month or so.
Most recently (in the past few weeks) I finished reading Debbie Harry's memoir Face It, which was a very good and engaging read.
I read a good bit in elementary school, but my recreational reading largely tapered off as the compulsory reading picked up in middle school and high school. The only non-school book I really read during those years was The OCD Workbook (something I definitely needed to read, and credit with helping me manage my OCD over the years, along with medication and cognitive behavioral therapy). However, ironically, I got back into reading at the start of college while doing my assigned reading for my history classes. Being a history major (then), I knew I was going to have to read a lot, so I got into the groove and was enthusiastic about the assigned reading. I'll take reading over mindless busy work any day, so it was a breath of fresh air compared to high school. Once having the spare time, this spilled over into recreation as I actually started reading books for fun again for the first time in over half a decade. My reading pace, however, is pitifully slow. This means I haven't actually read that many books since then. However, I have spent time reading, and thus far I have usually either been reading memoirs (usually of musicians I am a fan of) and history books. Although, I could probably stand to expand my scope, and with that said I have taken some suggestions of some of the books mentioned in this thread that sound very interesting. Since I got back into reading, one of my favorite places to read is outside on a nice day. Spending more time outside is another thing I had a new-found appreciation of in recent years, particularly during the height of the pandemic where sitting on the back patio was a safe and relaxing way to get outside.
Quote from: adventurernumber1 on June 03, 2022, 12:09:00 AM
Since I got back into reading, one of my favorite places to read is outside on a nice day. Spending more time outside is another thing I had a new-found appreciation of in recent years, particularly during the height of the pandemic where sitting on the back patio was a safe and relaxing way to get outside.
Even before the pandemic, I started reading on the front porch. One additional benefit is that the sunlight makes it easier on my eyes, whereas I sometimes strain to read indoors.
I just finished my second Dostoevsky book, and I'm guessing it'll be my last by him. We went to the library to drop it off and to check out some books for my youngest son, but I didn't get another book to read. I've decided not to get another book until I've gone to the eye doctor for a new prescription.
I've started in on Men in Black by Mark Levin, which is a critical look at Supreme Court activism.
Once that's done, I plan to read Slouching Towards Gomorrah by Robert Bork, which seems to be especially relevant today.
The last book I read was a re-read of Hillbilly Elegy, which is very relevant to me since I have worked for years in the county from which J.D. Vance's family originated. In fact, I was working there the year he was born, so I'm very familiar with the Kentucky territory of which he writes. Nothing he penned is inaccurate, so I don't understand why that book has been criticized the way it has been.
Quote from: kphoger on June 03, 2022, 09:09:20 AMEven before the pandemic, I started reading on the front porch. One additional benefit is that the sunlight makes it easier on my eyes, whereas I sometimes strain to read indoors.
What kind of light have you been using indoors? Next to my reading chair, I have a floor lamp that shines directly on book pages, giving me anywhere between 200 and 500 lux (measured using a smartphone light meter app). I have found it's pretty hard to break 50 lux with a table lamp next to an armchair, even if it is fitted with a 100 W bulb (or a CFL/LED with equivalent lumen output), and I don't consider that adequate for comfortable reading.
I've long suspected that part of the popularity of ebooks (especially on devices with their own screen illumination) comes from unresolved lighting problems.
Quote from: kphoger on June 03, 2022, 09:09:20 AMI just finished my second Dostoevsky book, and I'm guessing it'll be my last by him. We went to the library to drop it off and to check out some books for my youngest son, but I didn't get another book to read. I've decided not to get another book until I've gone to the eye doctor for a new prescription.
I'm nearsighted and wear glasses now, having worn contacts in the past. I suspect I am now also mildly presbyopic. I don't even try to read books while wearing glasses--I just take them off. When I was still wearing contacts, I routinely wore reading glasses.
Quote from: J N Winkler on June 03, 2022, 01:17:43 PM
What kind of light have you been using indoors?
? Whatever the lamps put out ?
Quote from: kphoger on June 03, 2022, 01:55:39 PM? Whatever the lamps put out ?
That's just it--lamp type, positioning, bulb/light source output, etc. all matter in terms of illumination. If it's noticeably easier to read outside with the sun as your light source, that suggests to me you're not getting enough light on book pages indoors.
Quote from: J N Winkler on June 03, 2022, 06:18:08 PM
Quote from: kphoger on June 03, 2022, 01:55:39 PM
? Whatever the lamps put out ?
That's just it--lamp type, positioning, bulb/light source output, etc. all matter in terms of illumination. If it's noticeably easier to read outside with the sun as your light source, that suggests to me you're not getting enough light on book pages indoors.
Well, obviously I'm not getting enough light on book pages indoors. That's precisely the problem. But it can be greatly mitigated by getting a new prescription.
I went about a dozen years without glasses. I broke a pair, realized I could see OK without them, didn't want to pay for a new pair anyway, and just did without. But, a few years ago, I started having to really strain to read, especially in dim lighting. So I went to the eye doctor. My eyesight had gotten so bad that we had to quit the eye exam partway through because my brain stopped being able to focus my eyes on the chart correctly. After getting my glasses, reading suddenly became clear again. I have no doubt that a new prescription will make it similarly easier.
Quote from: hbelkins on February 16, 2020, 06:57:30 PM
Quote from: kphoger on February 15, 2020, 09:33:14 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on February 15, 2020, 08:39:27 PM
I wish I had more time to read. Between work and home obligations and sleep, I don't see how people find time to read as much as they do.
I've decided that, if I have enough time to watch a dozen videos on YouTube, then I have enough time to read a book.
This is true, but I'm one of those who hates videos when the written word will do. So I don't watch YouTube videos, unless I call up some music and have it on while I'm doing something else. I see links posted frequently on social media about something that interests me, and get excited to read the story, and then get aggravated when I see it's a link to a video. I read faster than a lot of people do, so why do I want to sit and watch a 10-minute video about something when I could read the transcript of the video in about three minutes? I'm a throwback. Video has far less appeal than text.
That's another reason I prefer written words to audiobooks. And I only subscribe to one podcast, which I speed up to 1.5x but often slow back down to 1x if there's something I don't want to miss. A friend of mine keeps a list of books she reads each year, and I don't know how she finds time to do them all. I think she listens to some of them as audiobooks, but I still can't find the time to do that.
I agree about videos. I would much rather read text than watch a video about, unless there's something particularly compelling about the video format, which there usually isn't. Yes, reading is faster than watching a video, but it's also about eye strain. I can read a printed book for 10 hours and not get as much eye strain as I do from an hour at the computer.
My husband loves to read outdoors, and this summer, he arranged a place for himself in parents' garden. He bought a chair and watched a thousand videos about what lighting he would need. The only thing he didn't consider was the bugs, which gladly joined his reading every evening. I wanted to play a trick on him and bought Lord of the Flies as a gift, but he did not appreciate the joke for some reason. Now I think The Metamorphosis fits better :D
Sorry for being a little off topic.
Advertising link removed. --J N Winkler
Currently I am reading Sparkling Cyanide by Agatha Christie. I have already read Murder on the Orient Express and Ten Little Indians (published today as And Then There Were None).
I am reading Wrath of the Sun, the sixth and final book in the "Lords of Alekka" series by A.E. Rayne. The series is the sequel to the same author's "Furyck Saga," another six-book series I read a year or two ago. Fast-moving and entertaining stuff, though some people might feel there is too much violence. The author says she is fascinated by the Vikings (although she lives in New Zealand), and that's apparent from how many of the characters have Norse-looking names.
I'm at a loss for what I'll read next.
I'm just about a dozen pages or so from finishing "The True History of The Black Adder" - Always have been a big fan of the series (except the first "series"/iteration). I had no idea this book existed until I stumbled on it in a trip to Half-Price Books. I've found enjoyable, and very informative
(https://archive.org/services/img/truehistoryofbla0000robe/full/pct:200/0/default.jpg)
A recent one is 14, by Peter Clines (no relation to the "Ready Player One" author). Single guy around 30yo moves into an apartment building that's quite strange; but the rent is really cheap and it's an intriguing set of puzzles to solve.
It's a fun science fiction / cosmic horror read, with a deliberate, analytical tone. One issue is the author's male gaze. If he meant that to stick to the protagonist or narrator instead, it didn't quite work.
"The Fold" is a similar book, same author, also fun, and I'd prefer not to spoil anything about it.
Teach Yourself Afrikaans. It's my fiancée's native language and phone apps aren't doing the job.
A couple of weeks ago I finished a book called Rock 'n' Roll Soccer, a history of the old North American Soccer League many of us remember from the 1970s and early 1980s. I'm now reading Brandon Sanderson's The Lost Metal, the seventh of his "Mistborn" books (the fourth one featuring protagonists Wax and Wayne).
"Granite Mountain" by Brendan McDonough. So far have only thumbed through it but seems to be a very raw and frank account of his experiences.
**EDIT** Getting about 2/3 of the way through, and Eric Marsh according to Brendan is way kinder and way less cocky than the movie "Only The Brave" made him out to be. Seems like the read is going to be much tougher to get through than the movie, and that says a lot considering that the movie is one of the few things in the world that brings me to tears every time.
The Holy Bible
Quote from: Big John on July 14, 2023, 12:02:16 AM
Quote from: Rothman on July 13, 2023, 11:50:33 PM
The Holy Bible
critque?
Well, 2 Samuel 21 does refer to God approving of human sacrifice to end a famine, so maybe every word shouldn't be taken literally.
I'm currently reading the online serial Heretical Edge (https://ceruleanscrawling.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/orientation-1-01/). From the about page:
Quote
Most easily classified as an urban fantasy/detective/action, Heretical Edge revolves around Felicity 'Flick' Chambers, a teenage girl who is brought into the hidden world of the supernatural when she is accepted as a student at Crossroads Academy, a place where humans known as Heretics train to hunt and kill the creatures known as Strangers, monsters from mythology who secretly prey upon humanity. Heretics fight these Strangers using a combination of fighting prowess and a unique blend of magic and technology.
Soon, Flick learns that not everything at this school, or her own past is as it appears to be. Questions continue to mount, as Flick and her new classmates struggle to survive in this dangerous new world, while discovering the truth about the connection between Heretics and Strangers.
I feel like I've finally found something new to scratch the urban fantasy itch I've had since I finished watching Motherland: Fort Salem last year.
Quote from: vdeane on November 28, 2023, 08:52:08 PM
I'm currently reading the online serial Heretical Edge (https://ceruleanscrawling.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/orientation-1-01/). From the about page:
Quote
Most easily classified as an urban fantasy/detective/action, Heretical Edge revolves around Felicity 'Flick' Chambers, a teenage girl who is brought into the hidden world of the supernatural when she is accepted as a student at Crossroads Academy, a place where humans known as Heretics train to hunt and kill the creatures known as Strangers, monsters from mythology who secretly prey upon humanity. Heretics fight these Strangers using a combination of fighting prowess and a unique blend of magic and technology.
Soon, Flick learns that not everything at this school, or her own past is as it appears to be. Questions continue to mount, as Flick and her new classmates struggle to survive in this dangerous new world, while discovering the truth about the connection between Heretics and Strangers.
I feel like I've finally found something new to scratch the urban fantasy itch I've had since I finished watching Motherland: Fort Salem last year.
Oh, I've heard about it but haven't read it yet.
Now I'm reading this. Because reading this book is a part of my final paper. And I need not only to read it but also to write a review of it. I have some parts ready, but now I face some difficulties and the deadline is coming. I think I'll use some help from https://edubirdie.com/write-my-essay-for-me (https://edubirdie.com/write-my-essay-for-me) because that service has never let me down yet, and I'm sure it's the best option to finish my writing.
(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8120ygsitNL._SL1500_.jpg)
I've long been a fan of Jack Reacher, but I have a nagging sense of "unclothed emperor" as Lee Child hands the reins over to his younger brother.
Right now I have a stack of books checked out of the public library to bed me in for the Christmas holidays. James Ellroy (The Enchanters) has been reliable for me, as has Don Winslow (Satori, a sequel to Trevanian's Shibumi that he was commissioned to write). I've finished the first volume in Daniel Abraham's Dagger and Coin high fantasy series and have the second (The King's Blood) on the pile. In the back matter he mentions being inspired by the history of the Medicis as bankers to kings during the Renaissance, as well as Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond books, and I can certainly see how that is so, though his stuff is definitely more accessible than the latter.
I also have several books out by authors new to me to see whether I like their stuff: Megan O'Keefe (The Blighted Stars, first volume in a planned space-opera trilogy), Charles Cumming (Kennedy 35, second in a spy thriller series--he's being marketed as the heir to John le Carré), and Luke McCallin (The Man from Berlin, part of a series of historical mysteries set in Nazi Germany that is similar in concept if not necessarily approach to Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther books).
The sole nonfiction book in the pile, which I'm looking forward to, is Liza Mundy's The Sisterhood, about the evolving role of women at the CIA. I've already dipped into it and seen a wealth of fascinating detail from the OSS days onward, though the last quarter or so seems oriented toward redeeming the reputation of Jennifer Matthews, who led the team that was wiped out in the Camp Chapman attack (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Chapman_attack) in 2009 and who was subsequently portrayed as out of her depth.