Now Reading in the New New New Year

[fif1435]

I tend to push through and finish the book even if I'm not really into it. I like to have it wrapped up so that when I put the book away, I know I'm finished with it and don't have to worry about what I might have missed. I don't think I've deliberately decided "I'm not reading any more of that book", but...there are a few times when I've politely wondered on to another book(s) with the thought that I'll get back to the first book next time. I've had Dr. Zhivago on my nightstand for a year or more now...I'll get back to it eventually...maybe....

I think what I'm really doing is hoping the book gets lost on a shelf somewhere and I don't have to feel guilty about its unfinishedness!

[Oil Can Boyd]

I agree. I am usually fairly picky about what books I start but once I start them it is fairly rare that I don't finish them. I read a fair amount and I can only think of less than ten books in the past 25 years that I have not finished. Interestingly, two of them have been in the last month. I also keep books after I read them. I am happy to loan them to people but I like to get them back. My wife is the opposite on both counts. She'll start a book, read 25 or 50 pages and if she doesn't like it, she'll put it away and start something else. She also gives books away as soon as she finishes them.

[GtrPlyr]

I almost always finish every book I start, though there's been 3 or 4 that I couldn't get through for various reasons. Funnily enough one of the last ones I recall abandoning 1/3 of the way through is "The Shipping News." I just wasn't drawn in by it for some reason. That was many years ago, maybe I'd have a different reaction to it now.

[fif1435]

I keep all of my books, too. I love having shelves of them to pick through if only to read a paragraph here or there when I don't have the time (or energy) for more. I also have the hope that one of my kids (teenagers +) wil grab a book of mine and read it just for the hell of it, then actually sit down and have a discussion with me about it. But, alas, hasn't happened yet. The closest was last school year when my daughter was assigned "The Hound of the Baskervilles", which I re-read parallel with her when I found out. But most of our conversation revolved around her trying to get the required assignments completed. Oh well. And I still scratch my head as to why they haven't delved into my Calvin and Hobbes collection...!

My wife tolerates my books but thinks it all looks like a bunch of clutter. But she knows I love 'em and leaves 'em alone.

[Oil Can Boyd]

And I still scratch my head as to why they haven't delved into my Calvin and Hobbes collection...!

I wonder the same thing (about my kids, not yours). They read other comics - and read and re-read all of the Foxtrot collections - but they almost refuse to look at Calvin & Hobbes. I wonder if I pushed it too hard on them.

[Moss]

I have a very hard time not finishing a book once I start. Probably have a handful in my life. The one that comes to mind is "Dune" which I'm sure is sacrilage to some. The other thing I never do is re-read a book. Seems like I am in the minority on that which amazes me.

[smells like flowers]

My usual approach is like Oil Can Boyd's wife -- if the first 50 or so pages don't grab me, I abandon ship. Since I work at a library, I don't feel the need to keep books that I've already read (with some exceptions, of course); also, I rarely buy books. I'll let the county government do that! But I work with some serious book hoarders whose personal library collections contain bazillions of books.

[kidsmoke]

I have a very hard time not finishing a book once I start. Probably have a handful in my life. The one that comes to mind is "Dune" which I'm sure is sacrilage to some. The other thing I never do is re-read a book. Seems like I am in the minority on that which amazes me.

 

I rarely, rarely re-read a book. It's simply that I have so many books I want to read that re-reading seems like I'm frittering my reading time away. There are a few books that deserve a re-read though...usually books I read at a much younger age that I might have a different take on, today. Or books so far recessed in memory that I can't quite recall the plot. Those are almost like new books! Haha, score one for senility.

 

I find it very hard to quit a book even when it isn't doing much for me. I guess I'm a completist. But there have been a couple of times when a book was just so bad that I came to my senses and gave up on it. Life's too short. In other cases though, I've taken half a book to begin to really care about the characters and plot, and then wound up completely adoring the book. It's a hard call. Sometimes I'll read the praise blurbs on the back cover or inside to see who praised it, and if it's someone or a publication I respect, I'll stick with it a bit longer.

 

Keeping books is a problem for me. This house is small and there are so many great books! I've got far more books than bookshelves. But I've been using the library lately, and that helps, because they get really pissed if you don't give the books back.

[Fritz]

I almost always finish every book I start, though there's been 3 or 4 that I couldn't get through for various reasons. Funnily enough one of the last ones I recall abandoning 1/3 of the way through is "The Shipping News." I just wasn't drawn in by it for some reason. That was many years ago, maybe I'd have a different reaction to it now.

 

Fantastic! That's the book which prompted my question in the first place! I'm just not getting into it but we've got a long weekend in Australia this weekend and I'm determined to finish it. I want to start John Irving's In One Person before Monday.

 

I rarely read a book twice but I remember when I finished Jonathan Franzen's Freedom (which I adored) I couldn't get the characters out of my head. I found myself thinking about them for days afterwards! I wasn't in the right place to immediately begin another book. My wife suggested re-reading an old favourite to tide things over and that was a great tip. I re-read A Widow For One Year and was ready for something new by the time I'd finished it.

[GtrPlyr]

Fantastic! That's the book which prompted my question in the first place! I'm just not getting into it but we've got a long weekend in Australia this weekend and I'm determined to finish it. I want to start John Irving's In One Person before Monday.

Well if you manage to finish it you'll have to let me know if I made a mistake giving up on it too soon.

 

I just found that book on one of my bookcases with a bookmark between pages 96-97. Guess I didn't quite make it a 1/3 of the way through.

[Queen Amaranthine]

Life is short, time is tight--if a book isn't grabbing me, I'll either abandon it, super-speed read or skim more of it to see if anything eventually does grab my interest, or look up something about it online to see if it's worth plowing through.

 

As for rereading books, I don't generally do that, but I have a number of nonfiction books that I get out again from time to time and skim or refer to parts as needed, such as health guides or spirituality that help me now and then. For fiction, there are just too many on my want-to-read list that prevent me from taking the time for rereading.

 

I too have many, many books. Now and then I go through a weed-out stage to get rid of some. Later this summer we're having a neighborhood garage sale, so I've been in the process of weeding out, and I've been in the mood to do it. I have over 1,000 books which I tell myself are well organized and not cluttery. Really, though, I ought to get a kindle or nook, or maybe an ipad (isn't there a kindle app?) and read more that way. I have ibooks on my iPod but it's hard to read for long lengths of time on a small screen.

 

That brings up a question--what do you all recommend? Kindle, nook, or ipad apps? As much as I'd LOVE to have an ipad, I'd rather not spend that much money right now, but I'm open to suggestions about all of these options.

[Oil Can Boyd]

 

Not as good as his Any Human Heart, but still an enjoyable read.

[IATTBYB]

 

That brings up a question--what do you all recommend? Kindle, nook, or ipad apps? As much as I'd LOVE to have an ipad, I'd rather not spend that much money right now, but I'm open to suggestions about all of these options.

 

I have a Kindle and I like it a lot. I don't love it because there are certain things about it that I think could be improved - page formatting being the biggest letdown in my opinion. I wish I would have waited a few months and bought the Fire as opposed to the Kindle. But I do like the fact that it is easy to read in direct sunlight, which I think could possibly be a drawback of the iPad (and yes, the iPad and Android tablets do have Kindle apps). I'm not very familiar with the Nook, but from what I can tell, it may have similar features to the Fire.

 

The other problem with any e-reader is that the ability to share a book you really like with a friend is somewhat limited. And that is half the fun of reading a real good book.

[Moss]

 

Working my way through this as I am heading to Scotland tomorrow for vacation. Love the authors name. I can see why the Scots are not chummy with the British. Holy cow, for a small island, the amount of war and death is just staggering.

 

As far as E-books I have a Fire. I think for pure reading the non fire Kindle's seem better. The Fire is great for watching movies, surfing the net and stuff but not as easy on the eyes for book reading. The nice thing about the Fire is you can "root" it and make if a very powerful tablet (look it up online, very easy). Then you are not stuck with the clunky Operating system and small choice of Apps. Basically you get an IPAD for about $200.

 

I believe there is a book sharing function on the Kindle that is actually pretty cool although I have not tried it yet myself.

[Fritz]

Life is short, time is tight--if a book isn't grabbing me, I'll either abandon it, super-speed read or skim more of it to see if anything eventually does grab my interest

 

This is what I've done this afternoon with The Shipping News. Nothing really changed, there was no wild swing of trajectory in the story...it just didn't grab me and I couldn't be done with it fast enough.

 

I will be starting this tonight:

 

[bleedorange]

That brings up a question--what do you all recommend? Kindle, nook, or ipad apps? As much as I'd LOVE to have an ipad, I'd rather not spend that much money right now, but I'm open to suggestions about all of these options.

 

I have a Kindle Fire and absolutely love it. I've read more book since getting it than I have the previous 3 years. It's the perfect size and there are still a ton of great apps to download to it. I recommend it to everyone.

[lost highway]

 

Now I'm reading this in preparation for my journey to Argentina/ Uruguay next month.

[indy81]

That brings up a question--what do you all recommend? Kindle, nook, or ipad apps? As much as I'd LOVE to have an ipad, I'd rather not spend that much money right now, but I'm open to suggestions about all of these options.

 

I've got a Kindle and an iPad. If you don't want to spend a lot of money and are just looking for an e-reader, I'd get the Kindle. It's much better for reading books than the iPad or Kindle Fire -- the "e-ink" is easier on the eyes because there's no backlight. Plus you can get a basic Kindle for under $100. The iPad is wonderful but it's a computer, not an e-reader, and it's priced accordingly. The Kindle Fire is basically a "budget" version of an iPad.

[Moss]

I've got a Kindle and an iPad. If you don't want to spend a lot of money and are just looking for an e-reader, I'd get the Kindle. It's much better for reading books than the iPad or Kindle Fire -- the "e-ink" is easier on the eyes because there's no backlight. Plus you can get a basic Kindle for under $100. The iPad is wonderful but it's a computer, not an e-reader, and it's priced accordingly. The Kindle Fire is basically a "budget" version of an iPad.

 

You can actually look online and very easily "root" your Kindle fire and put an android operating system on it. At that point it becomes as good as an IPAD for way cheaper although it does void the warranty. I have not done it myself as I really only use the fire to watch movies but I have a few friends that have done it and they are very happy with it. Makes it a very powerful little unit for only $200.

[bleedorange]

Plus, the HBO Go App is now available on the Kindle Fire too.

[alison the wilca]

Everett Ruess was a poet of the West in the late '20s and early '30s who one day went out exploring into the wilds of Utah and disappeared. He was in his early twenties. His writings are beautiful- I adore the southwest and he lets me travel there.

 

"As to when I shall visit civilization again, it will not be soon, I think. I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I prefer the saddle to the streetcar and star-sprinkled sky to a roof, the obscure and difficult trail, leading into the unknown, to any paved highway, and the deep peace of the wild to the discontent bred by cities. Do you blame me then for staying here, where I feel that I belong and am one with the world around me?"--From Everett's last letter to his brother Waldo before he disappeared

 

[Fritz]

I just finished In One Person by John Irving. I'm a big Irving fan and whilst it's no Garp or Owen Meany (and, after all, only those books are) this is quite a beautiful book. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than Last Night In Twisted River or Until I Find You.

 

I'm not too sure what's next. I'm tossing up between Cloud Atlas or Madame Bovary.

[Oil Can Boyd]

I just finished In One Person by John Irving. I'm a big Irving fan and whilst it's no Garp or Owen Meany (and, after all, only those books are) this is quite a beautiful book. I found myself enjoying it a lot more than Last Night In Twisted River or Until I Find You.

Good to hear. I just got it but haven't read it yet. I liked Twisted River a lot but embarrasingly had forgotten about Until I Find You. That was the tatoo themed book?

[The High Heat]

[Fritz]

Good to hear. I just got it but haven't read it yet. I liked Twisted River a lot but embarrasingly had forgotten about Until I Find You. That was the tatoo themed book?

 

Yes, that's the one. It's a huge book but I've forgotten so much of it now.