Book Nook Cafe discussion

Use this thread to tell us about the new books you have just acquired.

What interesting books did you pick up from the library, online or book store?

We'd like to hear all about it!

I bought Pride & Prejudice (in a manga form), Siddhartha (classic version), The Iliad and The Odyssey (classic version) and Petals in the Wind.

Jeanette wrote: "I bought Pride & Prejudice (in a manga form), Siddhartha (classic version), The Iliad and The Odyssey (classic version) and Petals in the Wind."

Nice book haul, Jeanette.

Those are good books, Jeanette. P&P would be an interesting manga book.

Petra wrote: "Those are good books, Jeanette. P&P would be an interesting manga book."

It's in a novel format with Manga drawings in it. I was so excited to have found it browsing around Barnes and Nobles.

Antonia wrote: "I checked out Fellinghetti's Greatest Poems, The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer, and Warlight by Michael Ondaatje. I don't know if I'll have time to read them all unless I set aside the Kindle b..."

Let us know if your opinion of the poems if you read them, Antonia.

Deb is our the main person in our group who is into poems. She is away on vacation for awhile.

I purchased two by Burmese (Myanmarian sounds funny to me) writer Ma Thanegi: The Native Tourist: A Holiday Pilgrimage in Myanmar and Defiled on the Ayeyarwaddy: One Woman's Mid-Life Travel Adventures on Myanmar's Great River. These are actually re-reads, which I felt worth buying as my library doesn't have copies, and ILL is both expensive ($5 per item) and unreliable as to availability.
I haven't read her book Nor Iron Bars a Cage, about her time as a political prisoner, but that may appeal to some more than her (domestic) travel narrative.

John wrote: "I purchased two by Burmese (Myanmarian sounds funny to me) writer Ma Thanegi: The Native Tourist: A Holiday Pilgrimage in Myanmar and [book:Defiled on the Ayeyarwaddy:..."

Thanks for the titles, John.

Well, i'm still working my way through two books i'm liking very much, so have resigned myself to the process. Tell me if you are tired of hearing about these!

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant is my Presidential bio of Grant. This is by Ronald C. White Jr., who also wrote my reluctantly abandoned (but determinedly-will-return-to) A. Lincoln. He writes well and shares much, so why do i find myself losing reading interest? Hmmm.

The other is the marvelous American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation, which is about how trees have played a remarkable part in US history. The details are rich and i'm learning so much about things i previously never considered. Author Eric Rutkow's may be a bit too detailed in covering citizens and their part in the saga but i will stay with it.

AND, worse?, his book led me to purchase The Pecan: A History of America's Native Nut by James McWilliams, which we found at Caddo Mounds State Park earlier this month. We are fans of that nut & thought this was a good book for us. Who knew that the pecan we know is barely like the ones our 10,000 year old ancestors ate? Survival and adaptation, of course, made the difference.

John, thank you for your contributions of titles on travels. Your posts have extended my "arm chair traveling" list to double its original size. What great options!

Antonia, Lawrence Ferlinghetti is such a curious poet. Some of his works are like abstract art. I hope you enjoy them. He's probably better known for being the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers than his poetry. Hurrah for him, i must add.

Thanks for the shout-out!

The pecan book sounds interesting!

John, i'll warn you there are no recipes. LOL! Pecans are my family's go-to nut, so this was a natural fit for us.

madrano wrote:
American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant is my Presidential bio of Grant. This is by Ronald C. White Jr., who also wrote my reluctantly abandoned (but determinedly-will-return-to) A. Lincoln. He writes well and shares much, so why do i find myself losing reading interest? Hmmm.
."

I am never tired of hearing about the books you are reading. Both positive and negative input are important to me.

As to Grant, maybe you should go with the rare on Amazon 5 star book on him.

Grant----Ron Chernow

The Chernow was just too long for me. I did try his Washington bio and didn't find it as engaging as i did James Thomas Flexner's, so was already leery of trying again. Possibly it was too early in his career, as i know he's very popular now. I fear i just have to reconcile myself with the fact i cannot rush through these bios anymore. *sigh*

My husband went with me to the annual record and book sale at one of the middle schools here! It is through the Friends of the Library. My husband got some good Beatles records!

My book haul today

The Da Vinci Code
The Burning Room
Dog Gone, Back Soon
The Alchemist
The Devil's Star
Double Fudge Brownie Murder
Phantom
The Redeemer
The Leopard
The Girl in the Spider's Web
The Bookseller
Men and Dogs
The Promise
The Gods of Guilt
The Brass Verdict
The Handmaid's Tale
The Redbreast
The Death Cure
All the Missing Girls
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
A Nose for Justice
The Casual Vacancy

The only one I have read before is The Promise by Robert Crais...I got this one for my mother-in-law as she likes his books but was the only one I found of his.

Stephanie wrote: "My husband went with me to the annual record and book sale at one of the middle schools here! It is through the Friends of the Library. My husband got some good Beatles records!

My book haul today..."

Sweet ! Enjoy.

Wow, Stephanie, what an addition to your shelves! I recognize a number of titles but the only one i've read is the first, i'm sad to say. I hope you have glorious hours of reading with them--all while helping the Friends of the Library.

Thank you!! It’s going to take me a bit to get to them but it’s fun to build my bookshelf back up as I donated a lot of books when we moved.

Has anyone here read Jo Nesbo? I’ve been wanting to read his books for awhile but hadn’t gotten around to it and was very pleasantly surprised to see a lot of his boos at the sale :)

I haven't read Nesbo, although i've seen them read in airports quite a bit. To be honest, though, i didn't even realize he was male. I'll be interested to read your thoughts on his books.

Where to begin with The Zig Zag Girl... the title appeared as part of a short list of available ebooks for free on account of being a member of IHG hotels loyalty program. I hadn't intended to select it, but I must have goofed in trying to find the expanded description, because my irrevocable selection came through right away.

I'm appreciating the post-war Brighton England setting, as opposed to the ubiquitous London, featuring a policeman who was the first in his family to attend university, but didn't finish at Oxford with the war intervening. He ended up as part of a small special unit with an older magician. Now, he feels he needs the that fellow's help on a case with a "magic" angle, which is forthcoming, but grudgingly as the guy is rather a pessimistic curmudgeon.

John, a couple of years ago i read Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre, in which i read about the magicians which served in WWII creating illusions. Is this similar to what is depicted as the magician/detective's WWII work? It might be fun to read it, if so.

Interesting you mention the IHG hotel loyalty program because i've never had it work for me. At least you got something!

Yes, this is a similar theme. Author is revealing the illusion War background slowly.

The IHG Kindle books are a buggy lot to redeem! I log into my IHG app account which has a link to the Kindle benefit, and then I can see the available titles, and if there's a book I want it directs me to log into my Amazon account to redeem the free book benefit. However, I could swear with this title it was almost fatalistic as I had it redeemed when I clicked to expand the book description, without logging into Amazon that I recall!

The other two free titles I took were Little Boy Lost and Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead. I was able to use the free Kindle book to leverage a reduced-priced audio edition of the former book, which I selected as I wanted one set in St Louis. For the latter story, I checked out the audible sample afterwards, finding her Gravely, Smoky voiced very effective, so I ended up downloading the audio as a library book. I figure either it led me to a really interesting title, or if the audio isn't working out I can always switch to the print book. If I end up not liking the book at all, it didn't cost me anything.

I think you just solved my problem, i don't have an Amazon account. What i like about the IHG selections is that they sound easy to read on the road, not too complicated. Indeed, that DeWitt mystery sounds neat.

Thanks for the info, John, i'm going to give it a try again.

With the reading problems mentioned in another thread about fiction in my mind, i went to the library. I brought home two books. To continue my reading of Presidential bios i have Rutherford B. Hayes: Warrior and President by Ari Hoogenboom. It was the only non-YA or children's bio for him that wasn't part of the American President's series that i don't find fulfilling.

The other was one of those books that catch one's eye from the end of the bookcases, a "tempter" we call them. It is The Art of Found Objects: Interviews with Texas Artists by Robert Craig Bunch. It's not at all satisfying because there are only small photos of the "found object" artworks per artist. The rest is bio & Q&A with the artist. Not that this is bad, only it's not what i wanted. Elsewhere in the library i viewed an exhibit by local artists and saw one piece with found objects, an art form i enjoy. It whet my appetite.

OTOH, as we used to say for "On the Other Hand" (do people still write that?), it included two artists we "discovered" on our recent trip to west Texas. In El Paso's Museum of Art i was delighted by the collage & other art (oils) of Julie Speed. So, i'm a happy camper with that. :-) Below is a link to photos of her oil & collage efforts.

http://www.juliespeed.com/oil-paintings

While reading the Facebook page of our representative to Congress, Colin Allred, i learned about an independent bookstore here in Dallas. I thought it was the only one in Dallas but learned there are two more, one of which mainly sells it's own printed works. This was is named is Interabang Books.

ANYway, we went there to check it out and were pleased. There are reading areas where visitors can sit and look at books which interest them, as well as a lovely area full of children's books. Indeed, it's been a long time since i lingered near children's books and it was a stroll down Memory Lane, seeing books from the childhood of our children, such as A Child's Book of Poems with the delightful art work by Gyo Fujikawa; Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile which our son adored for some reason, thus assuring Bernard Waber a place in our family's hall of fame; Russell Hoban's Bread and Jam for Frances, an endearing series; and, of course, the one we all relished, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. *sigh*

I also found a couple which intrigued me. My First Book of Haiku Poems by Esperanza Ramirez-Christensen is in traditional Japanese, Romaji, which is a Latin script Japanese (letters we would recognize) and English. The illustrations are watercolor. A YA ,The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty, drew my attention because it is one of this year's winners of the Texas Bluebonnet Award. My nephew used to fill me in on the winners when he was in Middle School but a high school junior has no need, apparently, of such things. :-( For more info about the book, click here--
https://texasbluebonnetaward2020.word...

So, what did i walk away buying? Only one book, President McKinley: Architect of the American Century. It is written by Robert W. Merry whose bio, A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent, i liked. Because i prefer to read my Presidential bios in the order of their presidencies, i have 5 more to read before this one. However, it's quite hard to find much on the others, so i am jumping at this book now.

Good day in Dallas!

madrano wrote: "While reading the Facebook page of our representative to Congress, Colin Allred, i learned about an independent bookstore here in Dallas. I thought it was the only one in Dallas but learned there a..."

What a great day and sounds like a really great bookstore :)

madrano wrote:So, what did i walk away buying? Only one book, President McKinley: Architect of the American Century. It is written by Robert W. Merry whose bio, A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent, i liked. Because i prefer to read my Presidential bios in the order of their presidencies, i have 5 more to read before this one. However, it's quite hard to find much on the others, so i am jumping at this book now
Good day in Dallas!


It sounds like you had a lovely day. Well done on finding a McKinley book for you challenge !

Thanks, Stephanie and Alias...now to read the preceding Presidential Bios!

I don't often buy books, as I'm a huge library user. However, last weekend in Portland I stopped by Powells City of Books, not really expecting to buy anything. Yeah, right.

Revolutionary Ride: On the Road in Search of the Real Iran

Where the Wild Winds Are: Walking Europe's Winds from the Pennines to Provence

Llama for Lunch

Lonely Planet Home With Alice: A Journey in Gaelic Ireland (Lonely Planet Journeys

Nearly finished with the library book I had brought on the trip: Why the Dutch are Different: A Journey into the Hidden Heart of the Netherlands

John, you would be a rare reader if you could enter Powells and not purchase something. And one of the best things about the place is that they offer books you are hard-pressed to find in other bookstores or libraries. The titles you shared with us remind me of that.

The book on The Netherlands sounds interesting. We like visiting there, although our last trip in July of '17 was challenging. Not many inns or B&Bs have screens on their windows, nor air conditioners. One gorgeous overnight was marred by mosquitoes seeking us out. Not that the owners hadn't realized the problem...they had a 'skeeter-zapper, which was across the room from the window. Bugs stopped to sup on us before reaching their demise. LOL

Seriously, though, in Amsterdam we were awed by the Very Full multi-storied bicycle parking lots. It was terrific!

I was only in Amsterdam once, many years ago.

My cousin's husband died back in September. She and their only child daughter went to Amsterdam over Christmas, as it was somewhere that held no memories for them as a family who had travelled fairly extensively elsewhere. She reported back that it worked out quite well.

The book is quite well done, I'd find it worthwhile had I purchased a copy instead of a library book.

John wrote: "I don't often buy books, as I'm a huge library user. However, last weekend in Portland I stopped by Powells City of Books, not really expecting to buy anything. Yeah, right.
"

Lucky you. I would love to visit Powells one day.

It's a place really unlike a typical "bookstore" - more like a labyrinthine mansion with an extensive warren of rooms by topic. Easy to find yourself spending hours there.

My sister lived in a small town in the Netherlands in the early '90s, near her mother-in-law. This gave me an opportunity to visit and meet locals. It was remarkable how friendly and helpful they were, particularly in helping my sister learn their language. It's a nation i'd relish an opportunity to visit yet again.

One thing i liked about Powells was that they had a few branches in the city. One was about cooking and food; another was mostly travel books and one in the western suburbs (far from our eastern 'burb), had an enormous children's section. I know the travel shop has closed but i'm not sure about the other.

In addition to the flagship store, across the street there used to be a store for their more technical & science books. I don't know if that is still there but it was more intimate. *sigh* Still miss that place.

I have to go to Powell’s some day! Sounds like the best place ever!

Powells is a bit of paradise for those who treasure reading.

Yesterday i read an article about Melinda Gates and her new book, The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World. I turned to my ereader & got a copy of the book. In the prologue i learned she's from here in Dallas. I had no idea. ANYway, i like the premise of the book and am off to read further.

madrano wrote: "Powells is a bit of paradise for those who treasure reading.

Yesterday i read an article about Melinda Gates and her new book, [book:The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Chang..."

I follow Bill Gates on FB and he mentioned her book. :)
Enjoy.

Thanks. The book is easy to read and full of examples of the changes she and others have seen already. Most particularly how to become a welcomed part of the communities in need.

Friends of the Library sale last weekend!

The Tartans Of The Clans And Families Of Scotland by Thomas Innes. My husband has a number of Scots in his family tree. This book has a large illustration of each tartan mentioned.

Spoon River Anthology, connected graveyard poetry by Edgar Lee Masters. Now i own a copy, whereas all previous readings have been from borrowed tomes.

The Country of the Pointed Firs by Maine regional writer Sarah Orne Jewett. It's a pleasure to own this book now.

Prehistory of the Somerset Levels, a good gift-shop type book about finding on bogs in the Somerset area of the UK. I learned much i hadn't previously known (yes, i read it right away, as it's only 60 or so pages), despite having visited a number of bogs and National Parks when were there a couple of years ago. This, by John M. Coles, had good photos as well as nice illustrations. Lucky find!

Incredible Pizarro - Conqueror of Peru by Frank Shay, just because i keep saying i want to read about him. Of course it would probably be wiser to get a copy that isn't over 80 years old, but it was there!

And we bought a number of books by Winston S. Churchill, finally completing his WWII series, The Second World War. We've both only read The Gathering Storm but intend to read further. As well we bought Volume 2, A History of the English Speaking Peoples, 4 Vols, in that series. With this purchase (The New World) we have volumes 2-4. We're on our way!

My mother's family is Clan MacKinnon, which I believe is mostly diaspora Scots, not resident.

I'm finding my current library book The Widower's Notebook: A Memoir interesting, both for his description of the experience of unexpectedly losing his wife, as well as the "mystery" of her death as a theme

madrano wrote: And we bought a number of books by Winston S. Churchill, finally completing his WWII series, The Second World War. We've both only read The Gathering Storm but intend to read further. As well we bought Volume 2, A History of the English Speaking Peoples, 4 Vols, in that series. With this purchase (The New World) we have volumes 2-4. We're on our way! ..."

Wow ! What a hall. Lucky you.

I have the paperback set of the Churchill books. I believe we read The Gathering Storm together.

John, you'd think i would remember my husband's clan but do not. When we were in Scotland a couple of years ago, we noticed at war memorials quite a number of last names that are in his family, so we are guessing there are still plenty there. It hadn't occurred to us to look that up before going!

Widower's sounds close to Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking. We can seldom image the mourning of a loved one's sudden death.

Alias, i was thinking the same thing--that we read it together. My husband read it in the last 6 months and was constantly online figuring out who some of the names were. I told him i was lucky that you & i were reading it together because you were more faithful than i am in looking things up. :-)

I actually let my TBR pile on my nightstand dwindle down to nothing, so I went on a spree on Amazon. These should keep me busy for a while!

Nice haul, Anita !

I have some travels coming up in the weeks ahead, so print books from the library include: Sister Pelagia and the White Bulldog, The Rule of the Land: Walking Ireland's Border, and The Slaves of Solitude. A bit eclectic I guess, but trying not to read just nonfiction and mystery.

Alias Reader wrote: "Nice haul, Anita !"




Thanks! I'm almost done with Hell's Detective, this pile might not last long =]

Anita, reading “hauls” right away is the way to go! Have fun.

John, the Ireland borders book sounds very good. Just today i was thinking about how many walkers we met while over there. We’ve only met one in the US and that was at a Nat’l Park.

I picked up a library book today that I had requested.

The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting---Jason Fung

I've been doing Intermittent fasting for about 7 weeks. It is supposed to provide a myriad of health benefits. My minimum daily goal is 12/12 (a 12 hour eating widow) My ideal is 16/8.

Alias, do you feel any benefits? I tried this for a month or so in early ‘18 but my life went in a different direction and i never went back. It seemed to me that i was getting more than usual accomplished during that time, which may have helped keep me focused away from meals.

Deb, since my daily goal is modest (12/12) it basically has cut off eating after dinner. So it's hasn't been too hard. I do miss snacking at night since I usually am up late. However, that is another habit I am trying to break. Though moving my sleep time earlier has been much harder for me and I've not been as successful on that front.

I am a normal weight, still with IF I have seen the scale move a bit lower. As for the other health markers like cholesterol, glucose, inflammation markers etc. that IF is supposed to improve, I haven't had blood work so I don't know if there is any change.

Here is a link for 10 things IF is supposed to help with know.://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-healt... )

Intermittent fasting and sleep time are part of various habits I am trying to cultivate with the help of Bullet Journal and Habit Tracking.

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones-James Clear

The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future-Ryder Carroll

How to Bullet Journal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm15c...

Thanks for the info, Alias. I was fasting 12/12 with a few days longer but not regular. It was the nighttime that was toughest for me, too. As i noted above, i felt i was accomplishing more than usual that month or two, however, I had no blood work to base any proof on other pluses.

Oddly, one curious side effect was that because i knew i “couldn’t” eat late in the night, I felt less stressed. It was tough not thinking about eating but making decisions about what to eat vanished & seemed to make some weird difference. My words aren’t as clear as i’d like them to be but it’s the best i have today.