Books moral and immoral

[genevieve]

TygerLily, that's disappointing about Tana French's latest - it's sitting on my shelf and I'm making myself finish up Chronic City (STILL! I thought I'd made great headway and last night I realized I still have 200 pages to go ) before I can read it. But I liked Faithful Place best of all from the first three books, so maybe Broken Harbour will still appeal to me.

On a whim I picked up The Razor's Edge last week. I don't think I've read any W. Somerset Maugham before

[PDilemma]

With the Kindle, you can adjust the print size and I have a screen protector/sun glare screen thing on it. It reads just like a book - a swipe of the screen rather than a flip of a page. I thought I wouldn't like it either, but now that I have my hands on it - my husband hasn't seen it.

I have never been pro-eReader, but circumstances change. I have some vision issues beginning and got a Kindle last month for my birthday. It is actually easier for me to read. I have a Kindle Touch with no back lighting. I have not had a problem with glare and the slightly gray background is easier on my eyes as the hazy/foggy spots in my vision are less noticeable than when reading from a white page of a book and I have less eye strain. The ability to change the font size is great, too. The size I need depends on the day and how my eyes are. I prefer it smaller so I'm not constantly "turning" pages, but some days it is easier to read when it is bigger.

On an interesting note, my optometrist told me that he recently read that Kindle has the best contrast for those with vision issues, better than Nook or other eReaders.

[Prancer]

Has anyone ever read King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa ? My geography professor is insisting that we must must must read it.

[galaxygirl]

Has anyone ever read King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa ? My geography professor is insisting that we must must must read it.

I haven't yet (it's on my TBR) but I've also heard that it's excellent.

[Prancer]

I haven't yet (it's on my TBR) but I've also heard that it's excellent.

Lots of good reviews, but he showed us the photographs from the book and told us a bit about the circumstances of the photos and . I will read it, but I'm trying to decide if I want to buy it (because it's good) or get it from the library (because it's and I probably won't read it twice). I had nightmares about one of the photos last night..

I have so many papers to read right now that I don't have time to read anything I want to read .

[galaxygirl]

Lots of good reviews, but he showed us the photographs from the book and told us a bit about the circumstances of the photos and . I will read it, but I'm trying to decide if I want to buy it (because it's good) or get it from the library (because it's and I probably won't read it twice). I had nightmares about one of the photos last night..

Yeah, I think that's one of the reason it's been on my TBR for so long. I saw a photo (not related to this book) several years ago of a little girl in Africa who collapsed while trying to get to an aid station and there was a vulture near her, just waiting for her to die. I think the photographer later committed suicide. It was horrible.

So I've been reading a lot of YA books lately that don't require too much thinking and that won't give me nightmares.

I'm sorry you don't have any time for fun stuff.

[Prancer]

Yeah, I think that's one of the reason it's been on my TBR for so long. I saw a photo (not related to this book) several years ago of a little girl in Africa who collapsed while trying to get to an aid station and there was a vulture near her, just waiting for her to die. I think the photographer later committed suicide. It was horrible.

Agh! I know that photo. I sometimes teach freshman comp online, which is a prepackaged course (I have no say over any of it). One of the assignments is that the students must analyze an image. One student last year did her paper on that photo.

The photojournalist was a strict adherent of the school of "record, do not interfere," but after he took the photo, he couldn't bear it and he chased the vulture away. The child got up and made it to the aid station, although what happened to her after that is unknown. The photojournalist was accused of staging the photo and of being a vulture himself for taking the shot. He was already depressed and despairing over many things before the photo, and he did indeed commit suicide three months after the picture was taken, two months after he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize.

So many things about Africa are just unbearably sad.

I'm sorry you don't have any time for fun stuff.

Me, too.

[galaxygirl]

Agh! I know that photo. I sometimes teach freshman comp online, which is a prepackaged course (I have no say over any of it). One of the assignments is that the students must analyze an image. One student last year did her paper on that photo.

I think if I had been her, I'd've had to go on anti-depressants after writing the paper.

The photojournalist was a strict adherent of the school of "record, do not interfere," but after he took the photo, he couldn't bear it and he chased the vulture away. The child got up and made it to the aid station, although what happened to her after that is unknown.

I didn't know this part. I'm glad she at least made it to the aid station.

[Michalle]

18 year olds love writing about depressing stuff (at least a lot of them). It's not really real to them at that age, a lot of the time.

[numbers123]

I love J D Robb. I came late to the party and was lucky enough to find a collection for sale (cheap) on Amazon and read through the first twenty-five or so books one after the other. It really spoiled me. I have a hard time waiting for each new one, now.

Yeah - the wait is horrible for me. Which is why I needed to find a few new authors. When Borders were out of business, I bought up just about everything. Problem was that some of the authors I started in the middle of the series and have to back track.

Another problem for me, is that I usually have 3 or 4 books started at any one time. I have been trying to read Lady Lazarus for months now. It seems so disjointed and I can not follow the story line

[TygerLily]

But I liked Faithful Place best of all from the first three books, so maybe Broken Harbour will still appeal to me.

It's quite possible the problem is me, not the book. I also might feel differently once I get into it more.

[Sofia Alexandra]

I'm currently reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who has the slightest interest in science, as well as to anyone who thinks science is boring. I love the bits about how various legendary scientists were as people; a lot of them were complete kooks!

One funny thing: I've just spent a few days in Malta, getting a scuba diving certificate*, and then I read the bit about J.B.S. Haldane and his decompression chamber experiments on the flight back to Sweden. I was a bit sceptical when my diving instructor told me that bad dental fillings could explode in a decompression chamber, due to air trapped inside them - I thought the fillings would have to be catastrophically badly done if that were to happen. Then I found out that that had actually happened to Haldane way back in the early 20th century, so while I don't think anything like that is likely to happen today, it's weirdly cool to know that it actually has happened to someone, once. If only because it was someone who wasn't too fussed about the bad things that happened to him during his experimentation. Here, have a quote of his, on busted eardrums: "the drum generally heals up; and if a hole remains in it, although one is somewhat deaf, one can blow tobacco smoke out of the ear in question, which is a social accomplishment."


*Because my main teacher decided that we should be able to film under water as well as on land. My school, it is awesome.

[Jenya]

Has anyone ever read King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa ? My geography professor is insisting that we must must must read it.

I read it in college and while it's not the most pleasant subject, I found it fascinating and well-written but extremely sad. It certainly gave me a better understanding of the more recent history and continuing unrest of the DRC.

[Lacey]

So sorry for repeating, but within the last two months someone recommended an almost out of print book on skating that is supposed to be good. Can anyone remember?

[Prancer]

So sorry for repeating, but within the last two months someone recommended an almost out of print book on skating that is supposed to be good. Can anyone remember?

Fiction or nonfiction?

[Angelskates]

I'm finally reading "Life of Pi". I don't read books while they're being hyped, but I'm about 1/4 of the way in, and wow, has it already got me thinking....reevaluating things I thought I thought. I'm very pro-animals (vegetarian, anti-animal testing) and previously very anti-caged zoos....just the first couple of chapters really had me thinking... Plus, I'm a liberal, very devout but non-church going Christian...who is fascinated in other religions and others' faiths.

Finishing this book is on my "34 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 34" and I've a feeling I will read it several times before then. I knew nothing about it, except that every I know who has read it, loved it. The other book on my list is "Angela's Ashes".

[IceAlisa]

I am now into the second Maigret novel, Maigret and the milord is the English title. It takes place along the river/canal locks and has to do with a lot of boats and barges and associated terminology. I really didn't need to know how to say "wherry" and "bollard" in French but now I do. I didn't even know what these things were in English or any other language.

So far I am enjoying this one less because of the setting and the jargon. The bodies are piling up but I am looking forward to being done with this one. Hopefully the next one will take part on land.

On a whim I picked up The Razor's Edge last week. I don't think I've read any W. Somerset Maugham before

I love that book and Maugham in general. Can heartily recommend most of his work. The Moon and Sixpence, The Painted Veil, Liza of Lambeth and there is his famous Of Human Bondage which is not my favorite. His short stories are great too.

[Lacey]

Thanks Prancer, not sure, non-fiction. I had it in my cart, then zap, the big A emailed me and said oops no longer available at this seller, and I was busy that day and forgot for a few weeks, but I think others might still have it. So out of print, but still available...Maybe about 20 years old, possibly an anthology. People were replying that they actually did like it, as opposed to some skating books that are, well, just words and pictures.

[gkelly]

Was it this one?

[Prancer]

If it was Skate Talk, it looks like it is out of print, but you can buy it used from Better World Books for a penny through Barnes and Noble Marketplace (it's $3.98 direct from the site, but that includes shipping, so it all may work out to be the same). I always recommend Better World Books; they're a bookstore in Indiana that, among other things, sells donated books and donates the money from those sales to world literacy projects. I've found them to be a real pleasure to deal with--they describe their stock accurately, ship fast and are very pleasant to do business with.

Beverley Smith's Talking Figure Skating is another one people often like; her focus is on people in the skating world who work behind the scenes. BWB has that one for a penny, too, or $3.98 from the site. They also have a new copy for sale for $23.90