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Any Good Books Lately?


TexasAg1969

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I finished "The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for literature. Excellent prose throughout which explains the prize. One of the best written novels I've read in some time. The author is a Vietnamese American living in California well connected into the repatriated Vietnamese community, many of whom were "boat people" or otherwise came to America when the war ended.

I liked it so much that I have just now started another Pulitzer Prize winner for literature (2015), All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr which takes place mostly in the Normandy area during WW II. Story of a young blind former Parisian 12 y.o. girl and a young German Intel officer assigned to that area of occupied France. Shows promise in the first few pages.

EDIT: Just a side note. The author was born and raised in Cleveland and now lives in Boise, Idaho. He spent 10 years writing this novel to get it just right.

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Books? What are they?

Actually I used to be a voracious reader but after college (age 34 MBA) I just kind of quit, always was so busy with everything. I'n junior high our school was a block from the McKinley Memorial Library, used to read a book every day or two.

I bought Bernie Kosar's latest book but haven't read it yet......I keep saying I'm going start reading again, instead I'm on here with you knuckleheads. :lol:

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I go through a lot of them, audio books. My vision is weird so it prevents me from reading the printed word well enough to enjoy a novel. Mostly crime Thrillers and Mysteries or legal drama. With the occasional heavyweight or classical literature tossed in.

If you are a fan of mysteries I don't think anyone is better than Harlan Coben.

WSS

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Whenever I get audio books it takes me a long time to get through them because no matter how good they are I end up falling asleep listening to them.  So, I have to go back to try to figure out where I fell asleep, and I invariably have to listed to some of the same parts over again....and then I get to a new part...and ten minutes later I fall asleep again.

Its great for insomnia, but, as I said, it takes a long time for me to get through them.

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On 2/17/2018 at 4:51 PM, DieHardBrownsFan said:

I just purchased Term Limits by Vince Flynn.

Just curious where do you all get your books?

I've been buying through Amazon.com especially since I've got prime, free shipping two day delivery. Cookbooks, tons for my wife and her mom, some new most used but like new condition. 

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4 hours ago, DieHardBrownsFan said:

I got this one thru Amazon (I have Prime).  But sometimes they don't have what I'm looking for and I go through Barnes and Noble or just google the book I'm looking for and it will come up.

You can get really spoiled with prime and the generally no tax, free delivery, two day delivery......without leaving the house. I'm expecting a 24" tv today for the wife over by her recliner. So easy. 

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3 hours ago, Westside Steve said:

Depending on your cash flow the library has a ton of books records and DVDs. 

Because I can only do audio books I've had a subscription to audible.com for almost 20 years.

WSS

I almost exclusively just get whatever books I read and DVDs that I watch from the library.   There are only 2-3 series that I will actually purchase the DVD for:  Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom. 

Right now I am listening to Power and Empire....which has Tom Clancy's name on it....plus whatever guy wrote it under his guise....as he obviously didn't because he has been for like 5 years. 

(In checking, the guy writing the new books is Marc Cameron)

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My wife and her 93 year old mother especially her mother are voracious readers, my wife for decades now has done the occasional yard sales and got boxes of books for pennies on the dollar we then give many away. Lately once or twice a month she will stop in the local Goodwill store same deal......and the occasional amazing clothing finds, new sweaters with the tags still on $85 for $5. She has also got me some amazing name brand shirts for $2 or $3 each, when I lost a ton of weight in the hospital I needed a new wardrobe 10 shirts for less than  $30?

Incredible other deals but we don't really need household stuff but there are the occasional beautiful pieces. They must get estate clear outs and other things these prices for top merchandise are better than yard sale junk.

Oh our neighbors of 28 years just moved we got a few boxes of books and other stuff, her mother also just moved out......looks like we might have a yard sale, must have hundreds of books in our upstairs library.

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Try James Lee Burke if you like crime novels. His detective Dave Robicheaux has most of his encounters in the La. Swamp country with really well developed villains and victims. You will find most of the older ones in libraries or relatively cheap thru amazon. He has others besides Robicheaux, but I like those best.

Start with his Edgar award winner Black Cherry Blues. One of my favorites from him is "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead"

His "Lost Get-back Boogie" was nominated for the Pulitzer for fiction.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lee_Burke

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2 hours ago, The Gipper said:

I almost exclusively just get whatever books I read and DVDs that I watch from the library.   There are only 2-3 series that I will actually purchase the DVD for:  Game of Thrones, The Last Kingdom. 

Right now I am listening to Power and Empire....which has Tom Clancy's name on it....plus whatever guy wrote it under his guise....as he obviously didn't because he has been for like 5 years. 

(In checking, the guy writing the new books is Marc Cameron)

I've been watching and listening how CDs and DVDs are getting phased out due to the popularity  streaming content especially with the new generation of consumers.....plus the costs are WAY down not to burn, stock, sell, etc.

I've got over 100 each of VHS, eight tracks, cassettes to prove it can happen. The problem also is they quit making and selling the devices to play them on.

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1 hour ago, mjp28 said:

I've been watching and listening how CDs and DVDs are getting phased out due to the popularity  streaming content especially with the new generation of consumers.....plus the costs are WAY down not to burn, stock, sell, etc.

I've got over 100 each of VHS, eight tracks, cassettes to prove it can happen. The problem also is they quit making and selling the devices to play them on.

I am supposed to be getting a streaming service that my son got us for Xmas.....but have yet to get it set up at home.

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17 hours ago, The Gipper said:

I am supposed to be getting a streaming service that my son got us for Xmas.....but have yet to get it set up at home.

How do you stream talking books off the internet? I love to read but have been dyslexic my entire life so it takes me about 3 times longer to read a book that it does my wife. I tell her I am just memorizing it. When it comes to history, I think she believes me.  LOL!:lol:

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11 minutes ago, TexasAg1969 said:

How do you stream talking books off the internet? I love to read but have been dyslexic my entire life so it takes me about 3 times longer to read a book that it does my wife. I tell her I am just memorizing it. When it comes to history, I think she believes me.  LOL!:lol:

Audible.com is great. I think there are also some different streaming services, some of them might be free but wouldn't have the selection.

WSS

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2 hours ago, TexasAg1969 said:

How do you stream talking books off the internet? I love to read but have been dyslexic my entire life so it takes me about 3 times longer to read a book that it does my wife. I tell her I am just memorizing it. When it comes to history, I think she believes me.  LOL!:lol:

It would not be for books.  It would be for movies, TV series etc.  For "streaming books"  wouldn't Kindle or some such thing do that basically?

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46 minutes ago, The Gipper said:

It would not be for books.  It would be for movies, TV series etc.  For "streaming books"  wouldn't Kindle or some such thing do that basically?

You can get books and magazines if you have amazon prime, I've never used it but it appears there.

I just clicked on prime:

1-16 of over 1,000 results for .........kindle&prime.......  "prime books free for members"   (I had to kill the link)

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Good link there Steve-thanks. I have a Kindle Fire but my wife is always on it playing "Goldfish". But it can go to my cell phone using the app. I'll check it out. But there is still a lot to be said curling up with a good book and a cat for company when everyone else is asleep or off doing "stuff".:D

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I got this to print from Amazon.com, they have audible narration but I'm not sure if that's the same as audio books. Prime benefits.....

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On 2/17/2018 at 6:45 AM, Westside Steve said:

I go through a lot of them, audio books. My vision is weird so it prevents me from reading the printed word well enough to enjoy a novel. Mostly crime Thrillers and Mysteries or legal drama. With the occasional heavyweight or classical literature tossed in.

If you are a fan of mysteries I don't think anyone is better than Harlan Coben.

WSS

Tell me a little more about Harlan Coben-which is your favorite book from him?

I just ordered a good used copy of Tell No One for $5 that included shipping thru Amazon.

Any other you would highly recommend?

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2 hours ago, TexasAg1969 said:

Tell me a little more about Harlan Coben-which is your favorite book from him?

I just ordered a good used copy of Tell No One for $5 that included shipping thru Amazon.

Any other you would highly recommend?

Actually I started a long long time ago and I got deal breaker on cassette. He has a series of books starring Myron bolitar, a college basketball star who blew out his knee first day in the pros. Went to law school became a sports agent and has a series of adventurous with some of his clients accused of crimes. He also writes stand-alone books and tell no one is a good one. The reason I like him so much is that so many authors just pull attending out of their butt but his last two chapters are intricate and put the whole thing together.

WSS

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we were at an auction, and bought a box of books, threw most away, but in there was some very old "Pony Boys" and

"Saddle Boys" western novels. Never heard of them before. The pony boys novels are not written well, but the saddle boys were, and were fun to read.

   Still working on my novel. Have tended to only work on it in the winter. Went three years without touching it, LOL.

Almost done. Over 34,000 words, 120 pages, but not structured for publication or anything yet. Like conversations between different people are on separate lines, the correct font/size, etc. We see if I can finish it before May.

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  • 1 month later...
On 17/02/2018 at 12:45 PM, Westside Steve said:

If you are a fan of mysteries I don't think anyone is better than Harlan Coben.

WSS

Coben is great if you like those see if you can find books by English author Mark Billingham and his Tom Thorne series. They’re excellent. 

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