This is our July 2020 Reading Rabbits Book Posting. You can post your comments and suggestions about any book/magazine/newspaper that does/doesn't have to do with any medical issues on this posting. You can mention about your favorite authors, as well. This posting will be pinned to the Pinned Posts for easier access.
Recently, I had finished βThe Outsiderβ, by Stephen King. It was really good and the ending was a surprise to me. There were a few lines in the story that made me laugh really hard. You wouldnβt find a few lines in a book thatβs supposedly a horror book funny, but thatβs what makes Stephen King and this book really great to read.
I started reading βCold Comfort Farmβ, by Stella Gibbons. So far, Iβm starting the third chapter: βFlora Starts Tidying Upβ. So far, Flora went to the farm and met some of the other members of her family that she never had met before who owns/works on the Cold Comfort Farm. Flora hates messes and wants to keep everything neat and tidy wherever she is living. Canβt wait to see what happens next.
Okay, now to you. What has everyone been reading recently? Canβt wait to hear about it. ο
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This sounds very interesting! Thank you for letting us know.
I just grabbed a copy of Guy Winch's self coaching book Emotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts after listening to his Ted Talk today. Good stuff, just what I've been looking for.
I also have some lightweight mysteries and such on order.
Let us know how you like them when you get the chance.
I wouldn't read Stephen King for years because I don't like horror. I have trouble sleeping if I watch the news after about 1800 because I'm such a delicate flower, LOL! But when I saw a TV series he wrote, I think with Rob Lowe in it, it was so wonderful, and not what I had expected from a writer who I thought wrote only horror. But all the best writers will use comedy from time to time to break the tension - even Shakespeare does it in his tragedies. So I shouldn't be surprised and delighted to hear you mention how you laughed in places! Maybe I should give his writing a go...
I'm about 1/3 of the way through "Circe" by Madeline Miller. She's an American classics professor but she tells a great tale. I knew the name of Circe, but nothing about her. She's a minor disgraced goddess and a witch, and I don't want to say more because I don't know how much people will know already about her and the myths that she's mentioned in.
I've read one book (well, it's an audiobook) by Madeline Miller already. That was "The Song of Achilles". It was beautifully read by the narrator, and I loved learning more about Achilles and Patroclus, his partner. That's why I bought the paper book of "Circe", and I've now added the audiobook because I like the woman who reads that - but I will revisit the story in audiobook form after I've read the paper copy first. I'll buy the paper copy of "The Song of Achilles" too.
These days I am making a deliberate effort to read less but to read it more thoroughly, which is why I am enjoying audiobook versions as well.
The non-fiction I am reading at the moment is all over the place. For work I am currently on the audiobook and text of Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm's "Age of Capital 1848-1875". It's fascinating to read the text, but it's been written by an academic and he's used to writing textbooks, rather than something for consumption by the general public, which would tend to be more relaxed. So it's very formal.
For my own pleasure, non-fiction at the moment includes "Personality isn't Permanent" by Benjamin Hardy, a psychologist and author I've followed for a while online. Its basic argument is summed up in the title, and he spends some of the book explaining why this is true in his view, and the rest of the book telling you how you can change aspects of yourself that you don't like and learn new positive habits. There are exercises to do and I'm just starting on them. (Not that I dislike myself, I'm actually quite happy with who I am, but there are things I'd like to understand better, strengths I'd like to develop further, that kind of thing).
And the other non-fiction book I've just finished in audiobook form is "Make Time: how to focus on what's important every day" by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky. The reason I read this kind of thing is that I am conscious now (at 59) that I am not immortal. I want to make sure that however long I have left (and I don't dwell on death), I am making every day count for something. I want to make sure I am doing as much of what I like as possible, in the time I have spare for work and all those mundane things we have to do like keeping ourselves safe, warm, fed and watered. So I enjoy reading through the systems other people have found to help them get more of what they want in life, in case there are tweaks I can apply to mine.
I hope that doesn't make me sound desperately earnest. I can be quite silly at times!
This sounds really good and that I know you have been enjoying Circe. I read some stories in school years ago for English classes related to Mythology.
I have been reading Stephen Fry's Mythos. For anyone interested in Greek myths, it's a must. Bit gory in places but very informative and being Stephen Fry quite funny too.
I worked on an audiobook written and read by Stephen Fry on America. He did a bit of a tour and wrote down his impressions of the people and places he met in every state (even though some visits were terribly short). It makes for a wonderful listen, I would recommend. Audible has it, I think, and it might be called "Stephen Fry's America". It was originally written pre-Trump, which makes what he has to say about Mr Trump quite interesting!
You should give Stephen king a go this is going to sound weird but his horrors aren't horrific, there's some bits that are but you get so engrossed in story it's not that bad just the odd shock. He's a very atmospheric writer and a lot of it left to your imagination. Don't start with it though it's hard going. Christine a good one
I'm reading the Woman's Weekly Healthy Living magazine because I need something that's quick to pick up and put down when I'm busy looking after my 7 year old grandson.
Quite a few because I've been swapping magazines with my neighbour, Ruth. When I've read my Woman's Weekly mags I give them to her and she gives me her People's Friend magazines. The short stories within them are very good and so easy to read without getting bogged down.
So did my ex-mother-in-law. It was a nice uncomplicated read. Actually, she got me into Mills & Boone, would you believe?! I must have read 3 of those a week. I started to think maybe I should write one. I could borrow so many from her collection, it was undemanding and escapist fun. Sometimes that's just right.
Well ive not got anything to report I still haven't read anything since I finished Paul O'Grady i keep meaning to. I've got last 2 weeks sat paper and magazines unopened and normally I've done all puzzles within 2 hours. I've not picked my stitching up either but I have made several cards unfortunately one of which was a condolences card for friends son, he should have got it today. That's 3 friends lost now and it's obviously effected me more than realised.
Oh, I am sorry to read this. Are you talking about losing people to the virus, or to other things? That's a lot of people to lose in a short space of time, either way. I hope you're taking care of yourself.
It was, she was a lovely lady. We used to go to pictures every Thursday then have a meal and do some shopping so will be weird when out of lockdown and Thursday comes around. I don't think I'll be going to cinema for a while. Last year she came with me to see take that so I went with her to see westlife. It was her hubbies birthday today which wasn't easy.
That sounds like a lovely way to spend a Thursday with a friend. If it's any comfort at all, I'm not sure how many of us will be rushing back to cinemas when they reopen here. You won't be alone in feeling that it's not the same, even if the reason isn't the same for us. I'm so sorry. It's a big loss, and must have been a very difficult day for her husband today.
Sorry to hear that. I don't like when hospitals/doctors cancel operations/appointments that they know is very important to do and then they don't take responsibility for what happens afterwards. Very sad.
It is covid wasn't on her death certificate but it should have been, she had 2 blocked veins needed clearing but as she had mild COPD didn't want to put her at risk, but she wasn't told to shield.
Thatβs not good. I canβt believe a doctor/hospital would be able to say anything like that to the patient. I personally go to new doctors when they are acting that way.
I know I couldn't believe it but she was determined not to shield as hadn't heard from hospital though she.did isolate but went to shops with hubby and wore gloves and mask
I am quite a quick reader and have read quite a few cozy mysteries this month my favourite was Sniffing out sweet secrets by Cate Lawley, it's a Fairmont finds mystery . Fairmont is a GSP like my own dog. Fairmont has his own voice in the books.
On a different note I just received a signed hardback copy of The Cleaner by Mark Dawson featuring John Milton an ex government hit man.
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The Chariot of the Gods sounds interesting. How far have you gotten so far?
Just finished "The life and rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah." A very interesting auto-biography that tells the story of his journey to becoming a poet. He is brutally honest about his life that led him down various paths.
I've also just finished "When Breath Becomes Air." Written by Paul Kalanithi. It's a true story about a doctor preparing for his own death after a terminal diagnosis. It's compelling and it's refreshing in that it openly discusses the inevitable. Something very common in Europe and other countries, but perhaps less so in the UK in my opinion.
Finished "Cold Comfort Farm" before going to bed last night. I strongly recommend this book for those who are romance and animal/farm type of people. The story is very sweet and everyone ends up being happy with how their lives turned out.
Aunt Ada even is in a better mood.
Next book I will start today is: "The Sea Is My Brother: The Lost Novel", by Jack Kerouac.
I recently discovered a new author I hadn't tried before. Just finished the first novel in a series and it was so good I ordered the rest. It is called The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths and is a mystery. Well written with believable characters and not too scary for those of us of a nervous disposition whilst still having moments of suspense and danger. I now have another ten to work through with another being released in paperback later in the year. Happy reading everyone! ππ°π
Wow! This sounds really great and I know you will be happy when the books get to you. Canβt wait to hear more about the series very soon.πππππ
Thank you! Can you believe they arrived today and I ordered Saturday? I have some study to do first so might be a while before I get round to them but they will be a treat! ππ
Wow! Thatβs fast delivery!πππ Iβm impressed! When we do the August book posting, you can let us know more about the series.ππππππ
I have one of those recipe books Jerry. Very helpful for food allergy recipes as they leave out eggs and dairy ingredients can be substituted, likewise flour for gluten free. They also tend to be low sugar.
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