On May 25, 10:11 am, "Amy Blankenship"
Post by Amy BlankenshipPost by PatOn May 24, 11:02 pm, "Mr.Cool (Call me William if you would like)
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Post by PatI don't actually "read" books and it drives a friend of mine
absolutely crazy. I figure that if the publisher doesn't care enough
to put it on CD (formerly tape), then I don't care enough to read it.
My friend doesn't think listening to CDs is reading. But I read all
kinds of things as I drive but the purist doesn't actually read
anything. So I guess somehow, in his mind, it is better to not read
real books than it is to actually read CDs. Go figure. People are
interesting.
(Side note. When I remodeled a few years ago, I needed more shelf
space so I took the books that I will never listen to again, to the
library. Great expression when I walked into the library will bags of
tapes. 99 tapes in that trip. Increased the number of title by about
a third. Since all books-on-tape listeners had already read
everything in the library, this was quite the boom for the other
patrons and the books on tape circulation spiked as people had new
things to read. The librarian, to his credit, recognized what had
happen. Now, our library orders more books on tape (and CD) than
books on paper. The books on tape collection is much smaller, but the
circulation is higher. Got to love those tapes/CDs.
A month or so ago I hoed out more of tapes. I took another 24
there. I have some more that need to go down.)
Might I recommend that if you're ever tempted to get a David Webber book on
CD/tape, that you make sure it is the ABRIDGED version...
One thing I like about talking books is that you can listen to them with
another person, pause it and discuss the book.
-Amy
I'm not a big Harry Potter fan, but I listened to Harry Potter and the
Intolerably Long Tome, which went on for about 900 pages. My son was
having major reading problems so he read the book, in the car, as I
was listening to it -- mirroring it like someone reading to a kid.
After untold hours and 900 pages, his reading was noticably better.
It built up his "endurance", which was important. So while I don't
like Harry Potter, I at least have grudging respect for any 900 pages
book that can get a kid to read it.
The first couple Anne Rice books are good, but then they get boring.
How much can you do with a vampire.
Some Hemmingway is marginally okay, but some puts you to sleep as you
drive.
Good biographies work well for me.
Paul: The Mind of an Aposyle was a good read.
I'll read just about anything. I like some variety. There was one
book I didn't finish. It was "By the light of my father's smile" by
Alice Walker. She's a well-regarded author, but a book written from
the perspective of a black lesbian just didn't have what it takes to
grab me and make me finish it.
Interestingly, two books that I thought were great were "Reason to
Believe" by Mario Cuomo (liberal former governor of NY) and "What I
saw at the Revolution" by Peggy Noonan (speachwriter to Ronald
Reagan). I think what I like best about them is they they were both
superb speakers reading great writing that they had written for their
own cadance.
For my next read, I'm thinking about seeing if I can find a used copy
of Empire Builder about Robert Moses.