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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 17, 2024 7:28:17 GMT
Thanks, Lugg! Probably many people are not aware of the possibility of free Audible books.
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Post by lugg on Mar 20, 2024 20:08:32 GMT
I am now on Book No 3 and still enjoying them. Great fun and easy reading/ listening.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 4, 2024 23:45:55 GMT
It's been a while since anything was featured in this thread, but today there is a book that my mother & I both read and enjoyed, if that is the right word. In families with some memory, even second- or third-hand, of the immigration to the new world, there is always that longing to know what it was really like for those who felt constrained to leave in hopes of making a better life. This book, set in early 18th century Sicily, is from almost two centuries before my own ancestors left that troubled island. Even so, it brilliantly shows a world where the aristocracy perpetuated a system of indifference and corruption. Rest assured that this is no fluffy romance glorifying the old days, rather serious literature which sometimes recalls Madame Bovary in its uncanny recreation of a lost time. Do know that there are no graphically shocking passages, but that there are some decidedly unsettling events in the novel.
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Post by lugg on Apr 5, 2024 20:01:38 GMT
I am quite intrigued Bixa and will look to download , thank you
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 6, 2024 16:46:53 GMT
Thank you, Lugg. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts after you read it. That leads me to a question: When you all acquire ebooks, do you download & read it immediately, or leave lthem in your digital library until some future time? Today's book is one I remember enjoying when I read it probably almost twenty years ago, when it was first published. At that time, I'd only read one other of her books, The Patron Saint of Liars, which greatly impressed me. Since then I have read a couple of Patchett's books that I quite disliked, finding the premise, characters, etc. not at all realistic or compelling. At any rate, if other readers feel the same or don't yet know Patchett, this one is on deep discount right now. Be warned that every single reader who reviewed it seemed determined to give away the plot.
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Post by lugg on Apr 6, 2024 19:44:39 GMT
That leads me to a question: When you all acquire ebooks, do you download & read it immediately, or leave lthem in your digital library until some future time? I download them asap if they are free and hope that they remain so....Audible can be a bit dodgy in this regard.
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Post by lugg on Apr 6, 2024 19:48:53 GMT
So I have finished Book 4 of the Joseph Bridgeman series and am eagerly awaiting Book 5. Ray Porter is an odd choice of narrator for what are books set in England but he rose to the challenge well and I stopped bothering about his American accent fairly soon into Book 1. Anyway all free so far but I would happily pay for Book 5 if needed.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 6, 2024 22:14:50 GMT
I download them asap if they are free That is interesting. I always assumed if we "purchased" it for free, it was ours for evermore, regardless of when we downloaded it. I'm sure you must have mentioned it at some point, but the fact that the Joseph Bridgeman novels are about time travel got past me. Just looked them up on Amazon US and am very tempted. I was also happy to see that there is a pronounced price difference in favor of the ebook editions compared to the same work in a physical edition. Ray Porter has his own FB page, if you're interested. My wifi connection must be slow right now or something, as I was unable to load & listen to an audio sample on Amazon.
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Post by lugg on Apr 7, 2024 19:44:11 GMT
Ray Porter has his own FB page, if you're interested Thanks Bixa - I will have a look. I'm sure you must have mentioned it at some point, but the fact that the Joseph Bridgeman novels are about time travel got past me. I did not, in fact looking back I really gave no info about the series but yes it is about time travel and really quite unlike anything I have read before
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 10, 2024 15:26:17 GMT
Thanks ~ I will seek that series out! And now, the novel formerly known as The Possessed ~
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 14, 2024 20:52:01 GMT
For those who don't mind digital cookbooks -- particularly when they cost $1.99 us & cad / £1.59, as opposed to the almost 50 bucks for the hardcover edition -- this seems a nice addition to the cookbook collection. I'd say there is a lot of history and background, as the book runs to 747 pages, but there are only 150+ recipes. It covers the cooking of England, Scotland, and Wales, with the author explaining that he excluded Northern Ireland because he has already written a book on Ireland's country cooking. (eh?!) The author states that this book is "about the traditional and revised-traditional cooking of Great Britain ..." cross-posted to the British Food thread in the After Dinner board
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 16, 2024 21:29:12 GMT
cross-posted to anyportinastorm.proboards.com/thread/8141/indian-recipesHere is another cookbook, one geared to those wishing to learn. I took a look inside and was impressed with how the book starts by giving background on the different parts of the country and their regional styles. I imagine this will be of most value to those who live where they can buy the ingredients needed. Hmmmm. Amazon no longer lets me copy/paste their photos. While looking for a picture of this book I could copy, I found a page offering the book as a free pdf. Yes, the one from Amazon is only $1.99, but I don't know if that price is available anywhere besides the US, nor how long the offer will last. With that in mind: www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/66791626/download-free-pdf-indian-cookery-course-by-monisha-bharadwaj
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2024 1:43:31 GMT
Because a reader cannot live on novels & the stray edifying non-fiction alone ~~
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2024 17:14:37 GMT
... the largest armed resistance to slavery in U.S. history was commanded by Kook, Quamana, Harry Kenner, and Charles Deslondes. The four led an army of several hundred slaves in 1811 to revolt against plantation masters and to march on New Orleans. Historian Rasmussen details the political climate of the time, including French sugar plantation owners destabilized by efforts of the U.S. government to Americanize the region, threats from nearby Spanish-held territories, and the recent slave revolts in Haiti, 6,000 miles away. The slaves were emboldened by Haiti and aided by a cosmopolitan mix of ethnic groups—Africans, Native Americans, people of mixed race, slaves, and Maroons—who enjoyed fairly free movement around the area. BooklistThis rebellion was reenacted in January of 2019. Google "reenactment slave revolt louisiana" for many, many hits. Here are a few: 64parishes.org/reenacting-the-german-coast-uprisingwww.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/11/louisiana-slave-rebellion-reenactment-artist-dread-scottwww.slave-revolt.com/
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Post by bixaorellana on May 1, 2024 16:25:22 GMT
It is my firm opinion that everyone who loves literature would love Daniel Mason. My first exposure to him was The Winter Soldier, which remains my favorite. That's not to say I don't greatly appreciate North Woods, his fifth novel. It was my sister's recent introduction to Mason and she doubts my assertion that any of his other work could possibly be any better. Pounce on this limited-time bargain and you be the judge.
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Post by lugg on May 3, 2024 18:36:34 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on May 3, 2024 19:21:11 GMT
Great to see you back here, Lugg & hope all is well. Thanks for the recommendation & the notification of the tv show. Again, you are made of stronger stuff than I. Two things that have plagued me my whole life are insomnia and being a complete sniveling wimp about anything eerie. But I wish all you grownups joy of the novel & the show. Edited to say ~ PEE ESS: Sorry if I sounded offhand about your health & well-being. I just this moment read your post in the Covid thread. That sounds dreadful and miserable. Honestly had no idea, but fervently hope you recover completely very soon.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 17, 2024 20:02:50 GMT
What better way to commemorate Alice Munro's passing than to read or re-read her work? The digital booksellers have obligingly made this book very affordable for a limited time. (Remember that, even though I link to Amazon, the others almost always have the same deal going.)
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Post by bixaorellana on May 18, 2024 18:36:05 GMT
htmbI keep telling myself that I won't get any more digital cookbooks. That's because, unlike physical cookbooks which present themselves enticingly upon a shelf, it's too easy to forget about the ones tucked away in a digital library. Nevertheless, I am excited about this one and had no trouble plunking down $1.99 for it. If you'll look inside, you'll find an expansive, enthusiastic overview of Naples' culture and history along with the recipes.
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Post by htmb on May 18, 2024 18:48:36 GMT
I’ll take a look. Thanks!
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Post by bixaorellana on May 18, 2024 19:06:27 GMT
What I read made me want to get a ticket to Naples right now.
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Post by htmb on May 18, 2024 19:49:33 GMT
I bought the book and will take a look when I have some time to settle in for a good read. However, my perspective on food is very different these day, so will be trying to figure out how to adapt traditional Neapolitan food to eliminate dairy and meat. It might give me some good ideas of “safe” foods I can order in restaurants on future excursions.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 18, 2024 21:27:00 GMT
I think my main interest in the book is that it shines a light on not only history, but the essential culture of the place. Looking in the two links I included, I only saw one recipe, which was for limoncello. But then I read something you'd like. That is, if you, as a tourist, order a pizza with no cheese, the Neapolitans will love you because it's all about the tomatoes.
When I tried, because one must, the pizza in Naples, it was a slab of pizza margarita from a stand. Unlike the overladen mass that has always turned me off pizza, this had only four little coins of mozzarella & a couple springs of basil. The first bite made me wish I'd asked for a plain marinara slice instead. The bread and sauce were so sublime, the other stuff seemed like an unnecessary distraction.
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