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Post by onlyMark on Oct 29, 2020 7:18:15 GMT
I like audio books and have them from time to time, but the circumstances have to be right for me to listen to them. Not driving for example but I do listen to them on long journeys where I'd otherwise be reading or looking out of the window. Also I can listen whilst playing a game to pass the time on my pad. Also if I go out for a long walk. I can't though just sit at home and listen to one.
There are a number of free sites for books, never mind those you need to pay for, including those that use volunteers, of which a very famous person with a voice of a matinee star (famous on this forum anyway, can't really say as to elsewhere) contributes to one called LibriVox. I dip in to that from time to time to see what there is and find a few gems, though the one I've just spotted, titled "Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments" will be given a miss.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 2, 2020 19:47:18 GMT
I know there are forumites who would love this book. There is always the hope, too, that those who claim they'd never read a digital book might give one like this a chance. It's the perfect book to dip in and out of, simultaneously feeding ones love of nature whilst acquiring a new skill for only $1.99.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 7, 2020 20:53:56 GMT
Apologies for posting this selection so late in the day, but hey ~ along with hundreds of thousands of other people all around the globe, I was joyously distracted by this morning's glorious news. Anyway ~ ~ ~ I dithered a little bit about this book, but it does look intriguing and when I like a Sebastian Faulks book, I generally like it very much, so:
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 10, 2020 18:08:52 GMT
I almost instantly dismissed this book because the description made me fear it might be about espionage, a subject I avoid. But the reviews and the "look inside" are compelling, along with the fact that it's a nice long book for only $1.99.
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 14, 2020 17:57:24 GMT
As we all head for yet more indoor time, here are some selections to while away the hours ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Nov 17, 2020 22:37:48 GMT
I am looking forward to reading this book, as the peek inside was very promising ~ Yes, I will read fantasy and enjoy it thoroughly. As far as I can tell, this book has time travel elements ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 11, 2020 18:30:59 GMT
Cross-posting this to the DNA thread ~ 2019 PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award Finalist "Science book of the year"—The Guardian One of New York Times 100 Notable Books for 2018 One of Publishers Weekly's Top Ten Books of 2018 One of Kirkus's Best Books of 2018 One of Mental Floss's Best Books of 2018 One of Science Friday's Best Science Books of 2018 “Extraordinary”—New York Times Book Review "Magisterial"—The Atlantic "Engrossing"—Wired "Leading contender as the most outstanding nonfiction work of the year"—Minneapolis Star-Tribune www.amazon.com/dp/B075PVZRQ1
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 15, 2020 17:12:49 GMT
I keep putting good deals I find on cookbooks in this thread, even though I'm not sure anyone, including myself, is interested in digital cookbooks. Since this is often considered a mainstay cookbook, I guess everyone should have a crack at the updated edition, all 1199 pages of it, for only $3.99 ~ www.amazon.com/dp/B00AK78VTA Here is something I learned of last night. I've signed up for it, but have not explored nor even used it yet. I think you get a free book when you sign up, but am not even sure about that: glose.com/what-is-glose
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Post by fumobici on Dec 16, 2020 6:19:30 GMT
That was my go-to as a young man cast into the world left to my own devices. It served me well.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 16, 2020 6:24:36 GMT
I'll bet you can lard venison with the best of 'em now, right?
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Post by bjd on Dec 16, 2020 6:47:59 GMT
Since I am still reading paper books, I rarely look on this thread, but I just noticed the Sebastian Faulks book. Did you read it, Bixa? I had a look on Goodreads and reviews are mostly positive but quite a few meh's as well. I hesitate to read books about Americans in Paris -- they tend to be naive and explain too much about obvious things. But I do like Sebastian Faulks, so I'd be interested in your opinion.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 16, 2020 17:53:58 GMT
Bjd, so far I haven't read the book. What with physical books + ebooks, I have enough stockpiled that I seldom start reading a book when I acquire it. I just checked & I have 578 ebooks. Considering some of those are probably crap -- freebies acquired when I started out -- that still means I have a nice ebook library of @500 books, almost all of them snapped up when offered at the special prices. Even so, I'm picky & only get books which seem really worth reading. I have a lifetime membership to the English-language library here, but no longer check out books, although I regularly cruise it to buy used books. Until the wonderful bookstore Amate closed this year, I was a customer there as well. This means I have physical books waiting to be read along with the ebooks. Even though I know I sound like a broken record, I will again urge everyone to put the free app on a device, buy a bargain book, and give digital reading a try. Honestly, I've gotten to the point where I think I prefer it. www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=16571048011 -- Note that the picture in that link shows books on phones in portrait mode. Reading in landscape mode is much more comfortable & feels more normal somehow. And the app allows you to choose fonts, font size, and background color, making it a godsend for people with vision problems.
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 19, 2020 1:03:13 GMT
Who loves y'all? Bixa does! Not all of this is the printed word and that's because it's pretty much everything. Bookmark it and be happy ~ archive.org/
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Post by bixaorellana on Dec 24, 2020 17:28:02 GMT
After reading the description and a little bit in the "look inside" feature, I knew this would be one of those books that entertain while letting me learn about all manner of things. I think htmb would be interested, as she has brought us two excellent reports on Smithsonian museums, but others who enjoy factual books and a good story should enjoy this as well. Lotta bang for two bucks! www.amazon.com/dp/B00UN8BKVW
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Post by htmb on Dec 24, 2020 17:31:29 GMT
Thanks, Bixa. Appreciate the tip.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 9, 2021 19:07:30 GMT
Two non-fiction bargain picks for you all today ~ This book is tempting because hey -- who doesn't want 1,000 of anything, especially for two bucks. But I looked inside and, even though I already have a shelf full of Mexican cookbooks, I decided I needed this one as well. www.amazon.com/000-Mexican-Recipes-Book-41-ebook/dp/B00BS03QVG/ref=sr_1_2 This book is about a 19th century "spirit photographer" and is full of all kinds of fascinating detail about the period after the US civil war and the burgeoning art of photography. Given that the path loops through the Civil War, the telegraph, P.T. Barnum, spiritualism and a trained seal, it's impressive that The Apparitionists is as brisk a read as it is. The tone is knowledgeable, but the touch is light; technology is deftly explained, figures who have been gone too long are always briefly reintroduced, and Manseau is happy to reassure you you're reading a history. NPR www.amazon.com/dp/B01I4FPNG8/ref=pe_385040_118058080_TE_M1DP
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Post by htmb on Jan 15, 2021 18:23:02 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2021 18:35:53 GMT
Today's offers are a real treasure chest, what with a novel, a book of poetry, a multi-faceted environmental book, and a history of a whole European region. I read this book a few years ago because I tend to read anything by this author. It is a sneakily powerful book, but be warned: it made me immensely sad in a way that to a degree lingers even now: www.amazon.com/dp/B000FCK2TW Having only ever read a few poems by Margaret Atwood, I was excited to see her brand new collection available at such an attractive price. www.theguardian.com/books/2020/nov/23/dearly-by-margaret-atwood-review-the-experience-of-a-lifetime www.amazon.com/dp/B0847NZL76 This book is about a body of water that I know well, from many different vantage points. “Splendid . . . . Davis is a historian, and this book is packed with research, but The Gulf does not read like a textbook. He is a graceful, clear, often lyrical writer who makes sometimes surprising, always illuminating connections―it's not a stretch to compare him to John McPhee. And he is telling an important story, especially for those of us who live around what he calls the American Sea. What happens to it happens to us, and the more we know, the better equipped we'll be to deal with a future on its shores.” -- Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times www.amazon.com/dp/B01HDSU0GA This short book is an overview which I think will be of interest to those with a love of history as well as travelers to the region. www.amazon.com/Low-Countries-History-Anthony-Bailey-ebook/dp/B07D9K7D6Y
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 15, 2021 18:37:57 GMT
Hey, Htmb ~ I was putting together my post, so didn't see yours until after I posted mine. Thanks so much for that, as it did not come up in my offers. I have been waffling about that book, mainly because I think I have it mixed up with a different one. I will definitely get it now, based on your recommendation.
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Post by htmb on Jan 15, 2021 18:45:18 GMT
I’ve said before, I like things many others don’t, so always hesitate to recommend books. However, this book is well-written and very close to being a biography. It’s a fascinating story and I reread it before visiting Milan so I could better picture what the city was like during the war.
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Post by casimira on Jan 16, 2021 3:38:48 GMT
As synchronicity would have it or serendipity whatever, I just purchased Atwood's new tome of poetry a week ago with a gift card to our local bookstore!!! I have sung Margaret Atwood's praises as a poet on here umpteen times over the years and noted that she has written more poetry books than she has fiction. 'Tis a shame that more have not acknowledged her talents as a poet and fixate on her work as a novelist and in particular her notoriety The Handmaid's Tale . Bravo Bixa for drawing attention to her poetry!
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 25, 2021 20:31:54 GMT
Here is the The Divine Comedy: 914 pages encompassing all three canticles together in one volume. The price is $1.99 for as long as the deal lasts, which is usually 24 hours. I was quite impressed when using Amazon's "look inside" feature on this book. Far too often when a book has a lengthy introduction(s), that is all Look Inside shows, denying the prospective buyer a peek at the meat of the book. That is not the case with this book's peek, which gives the full introductions plus a more than adequate look at the text and layout. The Look Inside even has working footnote links. As a companion to the text of the Divine Comedy, its first canticle, The Inferno, is available in audio online free, read by John Ciardi: www.openculture.com/2016/05/hear-dantes-inferno-read-aloud-by-influential-poettranslator-john-ciardi-1954.html
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Post by fumobici on Jan 26, 2021 15:34:19 GMT
As someone who has read all three, Inferno is deservedly the most-read of the three. The original text is pretty readable by anyone who can read modern Italian, which seems pretty remarkable to me, and only more so as the same can't be said for many modern dialects of the same language.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 26, 2021 17:43:49 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 6, 2021 22:08:15 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 20, 2021 18:10:26 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 22, 2021 16:37:41 GMT
Admittedly, I am still waffling about whether or not to spend my precious two dollars on this book, but I felt it was important to share the offer here. Besides the abiding fascination with Paris, I know there are at least two fans here of the tv show Babylon Berlin who might be interested because of the similar culture depicted. Anyway, the usual warning about the brevity of this low cost offer ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 25, 2021 18:32:57 GMT
Here are two books that seem quite different, but I suspect both are quite worthy a good, solid story-driven reads. Even though I saw the tv adaptation of The Queen's Gambit, I have never read a book by Walter Tevis, whose often-dramatized output is phenomenal: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_TevisNow, some of you may need some convincing to read The Guernsey Literary etc. etc. book, as it seems to reek of the more simplistic and sentimental "women's fiction" so horribly common right now. It is absolutely not that. Further, many readers have zero desire to read an epistolary novel. Okay, the book is that, but I can assure you that anyone looking for a book to sink into, to get lost in right now, this could definitely fill the bill. I went into it with all my hokey and hearts&flowers detectors on high alert -- detectors which came down when I realized that I was in the presence of wonderful story-telling.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 6, 2021 20:52:48 GMT
It's been several days since I found anything worth featuring here, but today there were three good ones and quite varied. I always question whether or not it's worth having digital cookbooks. This one seems quite worthwhile in that it's quite inspirational about that most mundane of foods, chicken ~ www.amazon.com/dp/B07778NQD2 Of course I immediately thought of Kimby when I saw this book, but I'm sure there are many other people who would enjoy it as well. Be aware that these are all US lighthouses, & one reviewer said the major focus was on those of the eastern coast of the US ~ www.amazon.com/dp/B00ZAT8WIS And here is a fairly short book that seems like a good read. I say "seems like" because there are no real reviews, although I did use the Look Inside feature and the writing appears to be quite good. I figured it would probably be worth a buck & just hope it doesn't turn out to be romance tripe ~ www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08ZFZJYHZ
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Post by Kimby on Apr 7, 2021 1:27:15 GMT
Thanks for the lead Bixa. If my parents were still alive, I would buy this book for them. In book form, not digital.
Instead, my sister and I will soon be disposing of our parents’ lighthouse memorabilia, except for a keepsake or two.
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