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Book a Week in 2013 - Week two


Robin M
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A very quick read was Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages by Michael Popek which I finished in less than an hour.

 

From Amazon:

 

"It's happened to all of us: we're reading a book, something interrupts us, and we grab the closest thing at hand to mark our spot. It could be a train ticket, a letter, an advertisement, a photograph, or a four-leaf clover. Eventually the book finds its way into the world-a library, a flea market, other people's bookshelves, or to a used bookstore. But what becomes of those forgotten bookmarks? What stories could they tell?

 

By day, Michael Popek works in his family's used bookstore. By night, he's the voyeuristic force behind www.forgottenbookmarks.com, where he shares the weird objects he has found among the stacks at his store.

 

Forgotten Bookmarks is a scrapbook of Popek's most interesting finds. Sure, there are actual bookmarks, but there are also pictures and ticket stubs, old recipes and notes, valentines, unsent letters, four-leaf clovers, and various sordid, heartbreaking, and bizarre keepsakes. Together this collection of lost treasures offers a glimpse into other readers' lives that they never intended for us to see."

 

It was a very visually interesting read (or perhaps browse is a more appropriate word choice). For those doing a Dewey Decimal challenge, the call number is 745.54075.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I nce found a $10,000 check in a library book. I'm pretty sure it wasn't good; the memo said something about "to myself in the future" or something. I turned it in just in case.

 

DS found (when he was maybe 3) a picture of "princesses." It was teen girls, maybe prom or homecoming. It cracked me up, because it was in a picture book and because I couldn't convince him they were just normal people.

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I once found a $10,000 check in a library book. I'm pretty sure it wasn't good; the memo said something about "to myself in the future" or something. I turned it in just in case.

 

DS found (when he was maybe 3) a picture of "princesses." It was teen girls, maybe prom or homecoming. It cracked me up, because it was in a picture book and because I couldn't convince him they were just normal people.

 

Fun finds, Trillian! My husband recently found two twenty dollar bills in a used copy of Hewitt's Conceptual Physics. (We had a nice dinner out!) My library currently has a display of found bookmarks with an invitation for the owners to reclaim them. None of those found bookmarks are money ....

 

Regards,

Kareni

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A very quick read was Forgotten Bookmarks: A Bookseller's Collection of Odd Things Lost Between the Pages by Michael Popek which I finished in less than an hour.

 

Sounds like a neat book.

 

The book I'm currently reading (Canadian book "Women of the Klondike") was from PaperbackSwap. It came w/ a postcard tucked in it as a bookmark; the postcard is of a Lynx from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada.

 

One of the recent books I read ("Chinese Letter") came w/ a clear Ace of Hearts card in it. Somehow, it seemed apropos for the book. I left it in there when I mailed the book to the next PBS user.

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I finished reading The Neverending Story. I will have to think some more on how I feel about it.

 

I am going to start Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres next. I loved the movie, and only just found out it was a book first. LOL I must be on a book-to-movie kick right now.

 

So far:

1. The Hobbit

2. The Neverending Story

3. Corelli's Mandolin - reading

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I am getting a slow start on this year thanks to the flu. I just didn't want to look at words for a long time because my head was killing me. I haven't checked out the blog yet, but I will soon.

 

Not sure what I will be reading next. I just read a few non fiction books- The Better Bladder Book: A Holistic Approach to Healing Interstitial Cystitis and Chronic Pelvic Pain by Wendy L. Cohan and something called Organized Kitchen I think; I'll have to double check. Both were New Years resolution type books.

 

I don't know what I'm feeling right now to read.

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Oh, no, I've lost my file of top five books I'd made up @#! (Yes, swearing like a typist again.) Woe is me! I only remember Jeeves & Night Circus.

 

I don't usually enjoy Atwood, though I, like you, appreciated Handmaid' s Tale more than the others I have read (not a failing in the books, but some stories speak to my heart and others, equally well crafted, I experience intellectually, but don't connect with)... but The Penelopiad was different for me; the intellectual appreciation of brilliant craft blossomed into a connection that has grown in the days since I finished the book and has driven me to reread the Odyssey. I highly recommend it even to those who haven't connected with Atwood before.

 

Okay, I could try this later this year. I used to hate how detached her characters seemed to be from everything, among other things, but since it's been a good 20 years since the last time I read her, it's possible I could appreciate it now. There are certainly plenty of books I once enjoyed that I can't abide now (eg Moby Dick).

 

I'm on Perelandra. Book Two of the Space Trilogy by CS Lewis. Actually finished it and didn't like it any better than the first. I'm going to read something else completely different now before tackling the third book.

 

I am trying hard to remember of this name is so familiar because my parents had it on their shelf, or if it was because I actually read this trilogy. I read so many books as teen, including many scifi novels, that I can't remember. It doesn't sound that good, however, so I'm spared reading it to see if it rings any bells.

 

I don't think I'll read The Handmaid's Tale, since I've seen the movie several times and have loved it. I read this a few years ago and liked it. Loved both of these.

 

I'd totally forgotten that I heard once that that story was made into a movie. Was the ending of the movie the same as the ending in the book?

 

Sounds like a neat book. The book I'm currently reading (Canadian book "Women of the Klondike") was from PaperbackSwap. It came w/ a postcard tucked in it as a bookmark; the postcard is of a Lynx from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. One of the recent books I read ("Chinese Letter") came w/ a clear Ace of Hearts card in it. Somehow, it seemed apropos for the book. I left it in there when I mailed the book to the next PBS user.

 

Cool. My maternal grandparents lived in Whitehorse for a number of years, & my first plane ride was to that airport (I don't remember it as I was 2, nor do I remember the next flight even though I remember the trip, which is odd, since flying wasn't as common yet and it was only my second plane trip.)

 

So far I've never found anything so fun in a book.

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I've never found anything, but my daughter once found a note addressed to her in a library book. She and another girl had been the only participants in a book club at the library and the librarian recommended 100 Dresses. The other girl checked it out first and left a note for M-girl telling her that it was a really good book. That was fun.

 

Speaking of the library, my hold for The Secret Keeper came due so I picked it up yesterday. I'm two chapters in and questioning if this is really a book I want to read? I'll try a little bit longer mostly because AggieAmy says it's good.

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Love the found bookmarks stories! I have never found anything other than bookmarks though a couple were very pretty and still in my rotation. I often find library receipts from other patrons still stuck in books. Is it weird that I'm interested in what other people check out from the library? LOL

 

Not weird at all! IMO I always look at the receipts to see if there are any good ideas for me. LOL

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I can't believe what an incredibly slow start I've had this year. I've completed only one book:

 

#1 - Cotillion, by Georgette Heyer. Humorous; predictable; but oh the writing - love the writer's style.

 

I am SO impressed with all the reading everyone is doing - and the LISTS some of you have of what you have ALREADY read! May I just say that those lists make me pea-green . . . :001_smile:

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I've never found anything, but my daughter once found a note addressed to her in a library book. She and another girl had been the only participants in a book club at the library and the librarian recommended 100 Dresses. The other girl checked it out first and left a note for M-girl telling her that it was a really good book. That was fun. Speaking of the library, my hold for The Secret Keeper came due so I picked it up yesterday. I'm two chapters in and questioning if this is really a book I want to read? I'll try a little bit longer mostly because AggieAmy says it's good.

 

I read it for book club and if it wasn't for that I would have given up on it at about the 25%. I hadn't been caught by then. Whoo boy though. The last bit of it was when it got good. Everyone in my book club loved it except for one girl who said it was one of the worst books she's ever read and that all the characters were annoying unlikeable. I guess I would call that mixed reviews from my book club. I hope you like it.

 

Just now DD and I finished The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. We started it in November and just never made much progress until last night when she asked me to finish it (with over 100 pages left!). I read for two hours straight tonight and finished it. We both loved it.

 

In Progress:

 

Eye of the World (Wheel of Time 1)by Robert Jordan

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin (for ladies book club)

The Postmortal by Drew Magary (for book club)

 

2013 finished books:

 

2. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (*****) - fantastic read aloud

1. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (***)

 

Amy's Rating System:

 

***** - Fantastic, couldn't put it down

**** - Very good

*** - Enjoyable but nothing special

** - Not recommended

* - Horrible

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I'm off to a pretty good start. I am still reading Total Money Makeover but I have finished three other books: Zen to Done, Love Wins, and our read aloud Little House in the Big Woods. ZTD had some good ideas, not necessarily something I really enjoyed *reading* but worthwhile.

 

Love Wins was really good... I think it made me look at some things in a fresh perspective. When you read a book on the topic of religion/spirituality, I think it's interesting no matter what, because it either helps you see and consider new ideas, or it firms up what you already believe, whether you agree with the author or not.

 

So, I have finished:

 

1. Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

2. Home Again by Kristin Hannah

3. Zen to Done by Leo Babauta

4. Love Wins by Rob Bell

5. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

Next up is another religious book, Erasing Hell by Francis Chan... it is actually a standalone book but supposed to be somewhat of a response to Love Wins. I'll keep going with TMM. We'll also be starting Farmer Boy as our next read aloud. And I was going to wait and read The Handmaid's Tale later in the year, but with everyone else reading it, I changed my mind and got on the library list, shouldn't have to wait long!!

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I'm off to a pretty good start. I am still reading Total Money Makeover but I have finished three other books: Zen to Done, Love Wins, and our read aloud Little House in the Big Woods. ZTD had some good ideas, not necessarily something I really enjoyed *reading* but worthwhile.

 

Love Wins was really good... I think it made me look at some things in a fresh perspective. When you read a book on the topic of religion/spirituality, I think it's interesting no matter what, because it either helps you see and consider new ideas, or it firms up what you already believe, whether you agree with the author or not.

 

So, I have finished:

 

1. Vintage Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

2. Home Again by Kristin Hannah

3. Zen to Done by Leo Babauta

4. Love Wins by Rob Bell

5. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

 

Next up is another religious book, Erasing Hell by Francis Chan... it is actually a standalone book but supposed to be somewhat of a response to Love Wins. I'll keep going with TMM. We'll also be starting Farmer Boy as our next read aloud. And I was going to wait and read The Handmaid's Tale later in the year, but with everyone else reading it, I changed my mind and got on the library list, shouldn't have to wait long!!

 

I have Erasing Hell on my kindle but haven't read any of his stuff yet. Let us know what you think of it, please.

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I finished The Missing by Chris Mooney. The front cover says, "'Scary story. Scary talent. I love this book,' Lee Child." My dh loves Lee Child, especially his Jack Reacher books, so I thought this would be a great read. It turned out just okay. About 2/3 of the way through it starts to read a bit like a horror movie, where your heart is pounding and you just know something bad is about to happen so you're reading as fast as you possibly can. It still wasn't enough to redeem the slower parts of the book for me. Bummer.

 

This week I'm continuing to work my way through Getting Things Done and am also reading Becoming Fearless by Michelle Aguilar.

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Wow, you all have been busy! I haven't finished anything yet. I'm at 57% in Shoeless Joe on my Kindle. It's the book on which Field of Dreams is based. It seems the movie stayed pretty close to the book with one big character exception. In the book, Ray Kinsella goes to get J.D. Salinger. I've read that Salinger was quite litigious, so I can see why the makers of the movie changed his character to the James Earl Jones character. In fact, he was outraged and threatened to sue if he appeared as a character in "any other medium" should the book be adapted.

 

Sometimes the "Life is a Baseball Game" metaphors get tiresome, but I knew what the book was about so I can't complain. I read Eight Men Out some years ago, so I'm familiar with Shoeless Joe Jackson and his teammates.

 

I doubt I'll watch the movie any time soon. It was a nice movie, but not one I'm dying to see again. I hadn't planned on doing the book to movie challenge anyway. It was just coincidence that my first book for the year is one that was made into a movie.

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I've decided to give up on Robinson Crusoe- I read 100 pages or so and instead of getting more interested I'm becoming less interested. I just cannot engage in the story at all. I got "The Help" and also they told me I can download "The Happiness Project" for free on my Kindle. I'm hoping to finish "A Wrinkle in Time" as our read -aloud this week, so perhaps I'll at least be able to get one there.

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I finished The Handmaid's Tale the other night and then watched the movie. The movie changed a lot and if I hadn't read the book, I would have been really confused about everyone's motivations.

 

I'm halfway through Bossypants for the Dewey Decimal Challenge and will probably start on the ultimate in fluff reading, a Mass Effect novel that dh bought me for Christmas.

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Trying to push through the beginning of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. This is one of those books that I feel like I should like -- that I probably will like -- if I can just get into it. I am on page 80 and contemplating tossing it back on the stack because it's just d-r-a-g-g-i-n-g. (I've also encountered a character who reminds me too much of Mr Skimpole from Bleak House. Ick.) Who has finished this one? When does it get good?

 

 

I read the book shortly after it came out when it was the latest hot thing. I did finish it, but I never loved it. I found it fairly slow going throughout.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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I finished Politically Incorrect Nutrition last night. It was difficult to read the parts about heart disease because my dad suffers from heart disease and hypertension, but everything I tell him to do and eat he ignores. He is also diabetic now and yet refuses to change his diet. The attitude of many doctors and of many Americans towards heart disease and such is so frustrating.

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3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows~fiction, WWII, letters, humor, community.

 

I liked this. It was easy to predict but it had all the elements of a black and white screwball comedy. Plus it used Charles Lamb and Elizabeth's German Garden as plot points and I've been reading them the last few weeks so there was a sense of talking about books with other book lovers. Okay. Positive ending.

 

2. The Little Book by Seldon Edwards~fiction, Vienna, time travel, turn of the century

1. Mad Mary Lamb by Susan Tyler Hitchcock~biography,19th century, women's roles, mental illness. (Finish the Unfinished challenge)

 

Working:

 

Elizabeth and Her German Garden (Europe)

The Great Human Diasporas (Dewey Decimal challenge)

Dream Wheels (Canada/North America)

The House by the Sea (journal)

Away (Canada/North America)

The Museum of Hoaxes (Dewey Decimal challenge)

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Am reading Switch. What did you think of it Paulaine?

 

 

 

I enjoyed it. I read it after seeing it mentioned in a thread here. One thing that stuck with me is that when you want to change something you should focus on what is working instead of what isn't. I am a pessimist and tend to focus on the negatives instead of positives.

 

 

Paula

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I've decided to give up on Robinson Crusoe- I read 100 pages or so and instead of getting more interested I'm becoming less interested. I just cannot engage in the story at all.

 

Robinson Crusoe wasn't what I expected either. I forced my way through it for the sake of cultural literacy. I also found the ending to be strange. It was like Defoe didn't know how to end the book.

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Robinson Crusoe wasn't what I expected either. I forced my way through it for the sake of cultural literacy. I also found the ending to be strange. It was like Defoe didn't know how to end the book.

 

Well, that makes me feel a little better. I was thinking how crazy it was that I was going to force myself to read something I didn't want, just for what, I don't know. I also know as well if I'm not really enjoying something I can skim really fast and don't get much out of it anyway.

 

Oh, and unfortunately "The Happiness Project" has a wait list, so I'll have to wait. I did also see on there "The Last Child in the Woods" which I've wanted to read forever so I got on the wait list for it as well.

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I've finished two books, but both were started last year.

 

#1 The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis - every essay was excellent, even when I didn't fully agree with him.

 

#2 Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer - the case studies were interesting, if sometimes disturbing. I have a real problem with some of the memorization techniques he used, and did not appreciate the party scenes.

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While I finished my book last week, I never got around to posting about it, I read The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Thumbs up! Review This book was a dusty book challenge.

This week I'm reading The Great Gastby. For a short book, I'm having a bit of trouble getting into it, but maybe I just need to quiet time with it. This is a classic challenge.

 

I am also reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire out loud to my daughter, but we started it last year, and are only just past the first task, so this book is for the long haul.

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I finished The Handmaid's Tale yesterday, you all talked me into it! So that's two books for me so far:

 

1. Classics in the classroom

2. The Handmaid's Tale

 

I just put up my blog post about them. I don't know what is next yet...

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I just put up my blog post about them.

 

 

I read something in your blog post that I'm going to respond to here. You wrote that you don't have any used book stores near you. That is sad, I agree. We're fortunate to have one in our city (though the hours are inconsistent) and one or two in nearby cities.

 

Does your library ever have a book sale? Ours has sales a few times a year. They sell books that were pulled from the shelves, and some that were donated but not put on the shelf. Some people donate books specifically for the sale to help raise money for the library. Most items are organized but they always have a few bargain boxes of books. It's not quite the same as a used book store but close. Just thought I'd mention it.

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I have Erasing Hell on my kindle but haven't read any of his stuff yet. Let us know what you think of it, please.

 

 

I definitely will! I got it mostly because it seems to be "answering" the other book I just read, but I have a friend who has read a couple other things by Francis Chan and really likes him, so I was interested to check out his writings. :)

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I finished Neuromancer by William Gibson (Canadian author). It isn't an easy read as it is an intellectual, physics laden, crime ridden, computer geeks acid trip that is complex and multilayered. It's not a quick read by any means so be prepared to spend some time in the world of cybertech. My review will be up in a couple days.

 

Need a light read after all that so pulled out dusty book - Around the World with Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis. Interesting side note: My dad has the memory of an elephant and told me on my 50th birthday, this is the book he read to mom while she was in labor with me. So yeah, I had to read it. Plus hubby and I happened to stumble upon the movie a week or so ago and enjoyed watching it.

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I finished Neuromancer by William Gibson (Canadian author). It isn't an easy read as it is an intellectual, physics laden, crime ridden, computer geeks acid trip that is complex and multilayered. It's not a quick read by any means so be prepared to spend some time in the world of cybertech. My review will be up in a couple days.

 

That sounds fantastic!

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I'm still reading Kisses from Katie. I'll finish it this week, but I doubt I'll finish the second book by the end of the week. I single parent through the week and then we all want to spend the weekend with dh, so I don't get much reading time. I may end up at only half of the goal, but I'll keep plodding along. ;)

 

 

 

I have Kisses from Katie on hold at the library. I'm looking forward to it!

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I finished reading Imperfect Harmony by Stacy Horn, here's my review. If you love singing (or playing music in general!), this was a great read. It's due out in April.

 

Now I'm finishing up The Aeneid for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church. I'm thinking this will be a future read-aloud (obviously not yet, since DD is only 3 1/2 haha). I should be done with this one either tonight or tomorrow.

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Finished my first audio book, Outlander, yesterday morning. It was wonderful hearing voices given to my beloved characters. I started the 2nd book in the series this morning, but the CD tracks aren't automatically moving forward. It's making it rather annoying to listen to the story when I have to change tracks every 3-4 minutes. Does anyone know if putting the tracks into a playlist would fix it?

 

I also finished a sweet fluffy novel a few days ago, and am almost finished with a very lengthy fan-fiction drivel online.

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Well, I didn't think I'd be able to finish "The Help" this week as I just started reading yesterday but I've already read about 260, so I think I'll be able to knock it out. I'm really enjoying it. It took me a bit to adjust to the first person, especially the perspective of the maids. I was late cooking supper as I just wanted to read a *little* more, sigh, this is my problem with books if I like them I never want to stop reading.

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Angel Ă¢â‚¬â€œ IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢m still slowly chugging away at Wheel of Time. IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve been sidetracked this week because IĂ¢â‚¬â„¢ve put off reading all my book club books and now I have to make a push to finish them all by this weekend. I plan to have Wheel of Time finished by next week! How are you doing with it?

 

 

 

I'm past page 500! As we get more into routine this week, I am finally finding some time to read. I'm really reading closely this time around and have already caught some of the nuances that I've missed before. Just some small things that really set up the story but the first (and even 2nd, 3rd, etc.) time around I missed them. That's fun.

 

Brandon Sanderson, the co-author of the final three books, is at a local bookstore tonight doing a book signing of the final book. Unfortunately you have to have bought the book at that bookstore to get in. :glare: I don't know if paying the extra $15-20 for the book is worth his signature ;)

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Around the World with Auntie Mame[/url] by Patrick Dennis.

 

I had no idea it was a book. I love the movie. I've seen it many times.

 

 

I started the 2nd book in the series this morning, but the CD tracks aren't automatically moving forward. It's making it rather annoying to listen to the story when I have to change tracks every 3-4 minutes. Does anyone know if putting the tracks into a playlist would fix it? I also finished a sweet fluffy novel a few days ago, and am almost finished with a very lengthy fan-fiction drivel online.

 

An actual CD or on your portable player? If on your portable player you need to make sure that you load to your player as an audio book and not as music. Many audio books automatically transfer as music for whatever reason. So check to make sure the file says "audio book" before you transfer it. You can change it directly right before transferring if your using an MP3 player or on iPod you have to change it in iTunes.

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I finished Shoeless Joe. I really enjoyed it, but it's hard to say what I would have thought it if I hadn't seen Field of Dreams. I kept seeing the movie in my head instead of creating my own movie. Stacia, I believe this book qualifies as magical realism. :001_smile:

 

Up next: The Paris Wife. It wasn't what I planned to read next, but the library notice for the Kindle book came in an email this morning. E-books can only be checked out for 2 weeks, with no renewals.

 

I'm also still plugging away at Democracy in America. I never expected to read it in a week, but I also didn't expect it to be as slow going as it is.

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