Reading Books For Pleasure

[starrynightin64]

looking at sorting out my kindle folders to find what I have but not read yet & what I really loved to reread again.
I'll have a few weeks down to fill while stuck in the sling again.

 

[seela]

Schroder by Amity Gaige.

Meh.

It's a story about a father who kidnaps his daughter and takes off on a roadtrip. The writing is good enough, the main character is interesting, but somehow the story never quite reaches its full potential for me.

A pretty flowing, easy read after some of the heavier stuff I've been reading this year, but in the end kinda meh.

 

[gracie920101]

Normally low-key Grammar Nazi needs your opinion.

I really don't want to start a whole thread just to ask a single question about usage of a word. It's turning into a pet peeve but I want to make sure I'm correct before I continue stewing about it! LOL. So I thought I might throw this out to other literary types in this thread to see what you think:

I've seen this several times just in the past week and just ran across it again in a kindle book by an author whose books I normally enjoy without wincing over any grammar issues:

"They were like us-she being a submissive to his Dominate, and a couple outside as well."

Have I been mistaken all these years thinking dominate is a verb and Dominant, a noun or adjective?

Is there another usage for dominate within the lifestyle of which I'm unaware?



And don't even try to get me started on shutter instead of shudder...

 

[Collar_N_Cuffs]

I really don't want to start a whole thread just to ask a single question about usage of a word. It's turning into a pet peeve but I want to make sure I'm correct before I continue stewing about it! LOL. So I thought I might throw this out to other literary types in this thread to see what you think:

I've seen this several times just in the past week and just ran across it again in a kindle book by an author whose books I normally enjoy without wincing over any grammar issues:

"They were like us-she being a submissive to his Dominate, and a couple outside as well."

Have I been mistaken all these years thinking dominate is a verb and Dominant, a noun or adjective?

Is there another usage for dominate within the lifestyle of which I'm unaware?



And don't even try to get me started on shutter instead of shudder...

That's about the most crappily written sentence I have seen in a while
Even if you substitute the word Dominant in there, it still sucks grammatically. Maybe, maybe dominance would work, but even then.. crap in my opinion.
You aren't wrong, dominate is a verb.

 

[FurryFury]

The Art Forger A Novel by B.A. Shapiro 4/5 I found this one to be an enjoyable read if a little too pat.

The Grass Dancer by Susan Power 3.5/5

I am not a short story reader usually but I want to read more books about different peoples by different peoples. Fittingly enough these short stories wove together in a bittersweet way that I liked. That being said if I weren't reading several other books with it I might not have finished it.

Peace Tales by Margaret Read MacDonald 4/5

A great time in this world to read about peace is now. Margaret Read MacDonald never lets me down in her story collections for storytelling.

The Taking Tree by Shrill Travesty 3/5

As someone who hated the co-dependent martyr tree in the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein this parody amused greatly. I would have written it differently but it was funny. Btw, I adore some Shel Silverstein books such as The Missing Piece Meets the Big O.

 

[gracie920101]

That's about the most crappily written sentence I have seen in a while
Even if you substitute the word Dominant in there, it still sucks grammatically. Maybe, maybe dominance would work, but even then.. crap in my opinion.
You aren't wrong, dominate is a verb.

Thanks, CNC...thought I was losing my mind. Now I get to write an email to the author about the abilities of her proofreader. Hee hee!
Do they even use them anymore?

 

[HisArpy]

I proofread my manuscripts. I have others who do the same AND an editor. On top of that we use grammar checking software too.

We still miss stuff. Plus, with the formatting changes that are necessary to turn a manuscript into a book, words and punctuation can be dropped. Once you get the formatting done, it's back to proofreading until you're happy with the final version of the proof. Even with all of that we still miss stuff.

 

[gracie920101]

I proofread my manuscripts. I have others who do the same AND an editor. On top of that we use grammar checking software too.

We still miss stuff. Plus, with the formatting changes that are necessary to turn a manuscript into a book, words and punctuation can be dropped. Once you get the formatting done, it's back to proofreading until you're happy with the final version of the proof. Even with all of that we still miss stuff.

I can overlook a lot as I know how difficult proofing can be as I used to do it for scientific papers for USDA submissions. (Usually 40-60 single spaced typed pages with 4 copies!) However, I'm finding "wrong but similar" words more and more these days which makes me think that human eyes aren't used.

I can't imagine one would miss 4 separate instances of wrong word (so far) all the same word and in a single chapter.

 

[iamincognito45]

That's about the most crappily written sentence I have seen in a while

What she said... She is a wise one...

And I thought the same thing. The word in question aside, the sentence is painful to read... Good writing should not require repeated reading to understand what the author is trying to communicate...

 

[HisArpy]

What she said... She is a wise one...

And I thought the same thing. The word in question aside, the sentence is painful to read... Good writing should not require repeated reading to understand what the author is trying to communicate...

Editing and writing are two different things.

We do not write perfect grammar. We aren't supposed to write with perfect grammar. People don't USE perfect grammar. And, perfect grammar is BORING to read.

The point of the writing is to convey the plot through narratives and create the image of the character(s) as a real person. If that takes poor grammar, poor sentence structure, slang, etc, then that's what it takes.

"Ain't nobody no master wit' this writin' stuff." is a very poor sentence. It sucks grammatically, has a double negative, and is slapdash at best. Yet it conveys perfectly, and without further illustration, illumination or description, that the character is a poor speaker. With half a brain cell and with just that sentence nearly everyone can begin to form an idea about the character, his/her personality traits, race/ethnicity, educational background, geographical location, etc. In one sentence, the idea is started to be conveyed and the written plot is forwarded. This doesn't always apply to character speech either. Sometimes it applies to the narrative sections.

The point is that writing is writing. Whatever it takes to get the job done is what it takes. Sometimes what the author WANTS you to do is think. Thus, repeated reading to understand might be the point. Even painful re-re-reading.

On the other hand, poor editing makes a difference. Any run-on sentence is difficult to read. Missed tenses, wrong word choice and so on are editing mistakes. Editing mistakes happen for many reasons. Self editing is the biggest mistake but having a friend proofread something might come a close second. Especially if they rush through it at the last moment because they weren't interested. Rushing to publication is right up there too. I would include "being human" in this category because, as humans, we miss things. Sometimes it's big things sometimes small but we miss things.

All in all, I wouldn't excoriate any author for the illustrated mistake above so long as it is an honest error. When I come across such things, rather than getting angry at the author for making me work a bit harder to read the book/manuscript/article/etc I either skip it (laziness) or puzzle it out. (Because sometimes, we put stuff like that in our work just to make the reader not take us for granted.)

However, if the author in question has this type of mistake sprinkled generously throughout the manuscript, as a reader or reviewer, MY JOB would be to suggest the author get a pro editor on it immediately. Too many people fail to understand that simple facet and instead, eviscerate the work and the author. Remember, there is a difference between constructive criticism and criticism.

If the work is already in print, then the most I could do is either skip over the mistakes, stop reading, or do the edits right there in the pages and mail the book back to the publisher with the corrections highlighted. Which I choose to do depends on how anal retentive and nasty I'm feeling.

 

[Farawyn]

I proofread my manuscripts. I have others who do the same AND an editor. On top of that we use grammar checking software too.

We still miss stuff. Plus, with the formatting changes that are necessary to turn a manuscript into a book, words and punctuation can be dropped. Once you get the formatting done, it's back to proofreading until you're happy with the final version of the proof. Even with all of that we still miss stuff.

Thought you were a "male nurse".

 

[HisArpy]

Thought you were a "male nurse".

Well, I'm male, and I've tended patients of all kinds of species but, nope, I'm a Doctor. Sort of. Maybe. On Wednesdays. Every 5th week. If the office is open. When the electricity is on. And you have an appointment. Unless I'm on vacation. Or having breakfast. Or lunch. Or I left early. Or slept in.

Otherwise, take 2 paralegals, plead guilty, and sleep it off.

 

[HisArpy]

Pastime by Robert Parker 3.5/5 His writing gets old after you've read a lot of it.

 

[FurryFury]

The Mother- Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Federick A juvenile novel for book lovers, particularly those who love Little Women.

Women Who Dance With Wolves : Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Ph.D

I am not a "everyone must read" kind of person but dayum y'all everyone should read this, particularly storytellers, and females. I will admit at times it is dense and slow going. Which is why, I read it interspersed with two other books, one chapter of each until I didn't need that crutch. The three books I read together interwove amazingly well too. Serendipitous.

The Sharing Knife (Passage, Book 3) by Lois McMaster Bujold. I'm enjoying this series though I pacing it so I read other books before the next one and so on.

Sounds awesome!

I picked up on a whim a true classic I had not read before - The title translates as The Earth is a Sinful Song, but I don't think it's been translated into English. I had seen the movie made based on it years ago, and it was quite off putting, so I had very mixed feelings diving into the book.

But I was so wrong! The language is beautiful, so lyrical and rings true. The themes of sexuality, religion and death are handled quite brutally, but somehow the beautiful nature description and the simple elegance of the writing balanced it off amazingly.

The book really left me speechless. Such a great experience, I'm really glad I picked up the book.

 

[FurryFury]

25.) Moon Monterey & Carmel: Including Santa Cruz & Big Sur (Moon Handbooks) by Kristin Leal
26.) California Travel Guide by Frommer's 2013
27.) Fodor's Southern California 2014
28.) Fodor's Southern California 2016
29.) Travel-Ready Packing: Pack Light, Dress Right - Anytime, Anywhere by Julie Ann Martin
30.) Mid - Century Modern Architecture Travel Guide West Coast USA by Sam Lubell
31.) Cats On the Counter Therapy and Training for Your Cat by Dr. Larry Lachman and Frank Mickadeit
32.) Guide To A Well - Behaved Cat: A Sound Approach To Cat Training by Phil Maggitti
33.) March: Book Three by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin , and Nate Powell

 

[seela]

Are you going on a trip, FF?

 

[twister947]

Notes From a Small Island, by Bill Bryson. One of those $1.99 Amazon deals that I couldn't resist...so glad I didn't.

 

[La damnee elle la licorne]

 

[seela]

I finished a book written by my high school teacher last night, and I think this was easily his best one yet. An excellent read, much better than I had expected. Magical realism, a touch of Lovecraft-esque imagery, religion, unexpected events... All good stuf.

Only one of his books has been translated into English, and not the one I finished last night, so once again you're outta luck.

 

[HisArpy]

I haven't read any of Budiansky's works. I tend not to read "true accounts" mostly because what I read for work is nothing but reality's seamier side and prefer to escape that when I'm reading for pleasure. Budiansky writes a lot in this genre and when I engage in this area of literature it's usually fantasy.

His "The Nature of Horses" seems interesting since it deals with the historical perspective of equine evolution. I might pick it up sometime though I have several other books by different authors which also tell this story.

 

[FurryFury]

I am. I'm very excited about it, researching all about the area.

Complete National Parks of the United States by Mel White 4/5
Why were some states left off?

50 States 5000 Ideas : Where to Go, When to Go, What to See, What to Do by National Geographic and Joe Yogerst 2.5/5

A Traveler's Wine Guide to California by Robert Holmes 2/5

Wine Trails : 52 Perfect Weekends in Wine Country by Lonely Planet 2/5

The 36 Hour Day A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Other Dementias, and Memory Loss by Nancy Mace, M.A., and Peter V. Rabins, M.D., M.P.H. 5/5

Are you going on a trip, FF?

 

[HisArpy]

I am. I'm very excited about it, researching all about the area.

There's lot's of things to do and see here besides Disney and Sea World. It can take years to visit only a fraction of the touristy places.

In addition to the wine tours and other stuff you can find online, here's some places I've personally been.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is amazing. Hearst's Castle is a nice tour of history of the big money era. Patty Hearst (of the 1970's SLA bombing/murder spree) is/was the heiress.

The La Brea tar pits are awesome if you like fossils and bones. Their museum is unbelievable. Rodeo Drive is right there too so, who knows, you might see a famous face or 2.

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is new(ish) and you can hop over to Catalina Island for an overnight and hiking.

Depending on when you visit, there are whale watching excursions (spring/fall) for the migrating gray whales traveling between Alaska and Baja Mexico. Just about every port has boats that go out for this and they keep in contact with each other so the captains know where the whales are.

Mule Days! If you're passing through Bishop on the eastern side of the Sierra, check it out.

You can also do what I call a credit card tour of the mother lode. A different B&B every night and different things to see about the California gold rush days. You'll have to book everything yourself because I don't know of any company that does this as a package but the Sierra Nevada's along Hwy 49 are AMAZING. Especially in the fall. Check with local Chambers of Commerce for local events - sometimes things are going on that you'd never know about otherwise.

Sequoia National Park. AMAZING. You only THINK you've seen big trees before. Rent a car in Fresno or Visalia and drive thorough the park. The vistas and sights will astound you. This is better than driving through Yosemite because it's less crowded.

There are 21 missions along the coast from San Diego to Sonoma. They were established by Spanish monks and most have tours and docents. Capistrano is well known for it's swallows and bells but each is unique and different.

The California Poppy reserve.
The Tule elk preserve
Death Valley (BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. People STILL die here every summer but it's an amazing place.)
The Gene Autry Museum.
The Getty Museum.
The California Delta paddlewheel cruise from San Francisco to Sacramento.
The Skunk Train in Fort Bragg.
The home of Seabiscuit in Willit's California. (Check for open dates but you can take the skunk train from Ft Bragg to Willits and back again.




Or, you could, you know, just go to Universal Studio's, Disney, and Sea World and have a good time too.

 

[HisArpy]

Something I just realized this morning is that tourists who don't know the weather here in coastal Southern California can be surprised by what we call June Gloom. They often ask where the sun is.

In May, June and early July, the difference between air temps and ocean water temps allow a marine/fog layer to form. It sticks around most of the day during those three months so the stereotypical "lay on the beach all day under the scorching sun and bake" thing usually doesn't start to happen until mid-July.

Temps during July, August and September can be in the 100's even on the coast.

 

[FurryFury]

Generation V by M. L. Brennan 4/5 Enjoyed and will probably read more but it bothered that the lead character acted like a D&D table top player. Didn't care about viability, didn't take in the scope of threats, just forged ahead like it was going to all work out somehow.

Thanks for this great info! I'm going to be in the Monterrey area but not as far as Hearst Castle (I"ve been in that area for business before but not seen it yet.), and now Big Sur is mostly closed. There is no crying emoticon here. Oh well.

I've also been to San Fran which I LOVE for work and on a honeymoon, L.A. the same, San Diego for work but got to sight see more than expected. Loved it but not Tijuana and Santa Rosa for work.

I would love to see Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Anza Borrego Desert state park, Lassen Volcanic national park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and the barrier islands among many others, on yet other trips.

There's lot's of things to do and see here besides Disney and Sea World. It can take years to visit only a fraction of the touristy places.

In addition to the wine tours and other stuff you can find online, here's some places I've personally been.

The Monterrey Bay Aquarium is amazing. Hearst's Castle is a nice tour of history of the big money era. Patty Hearst (of the 1970's SLA bombing/murder spree) is/was the heiress.

The La Brea tar pits are awesome if you like fossils and bones. Their museum is unbelievable. Rodeo Drive is right there too so, who knows, you might see a famous face or 2.

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is new(ish) and you can hop over to Catalina Island for an overnight and hiking.

Depending on when you visit, there are whale watching excursions (spring/fall) for the migrating gray whales traveling between Alaska and Baja Mexico. Just about every port has boats that go out for this and they keep in contact with each other so the captains know where the whales are.

Mule Days! If you're passing through Bishop on the eastern side of the Sierra, check it out.

You can also do what I call a credit card tour of the mother lode. A different B&B every night and different things to see about the California gold rush days. You'll have to book everything yourself because I don't know of any company that does this as a package but the Sierra Nevada's along Hwy 49 are AMAZING. Especially in the fall. Check with local Chambers of Commerce for local events - sometimes things are going on that you'd never know about otherwise.

Sequoia National Park. AMAZING. You only THINK you've seen big trees before. Rent a car in Fresno or Visalia and drive thorough the park. The vistas and sights will astound you. This is better than driving through Yosemite because it's less crowded.

There are 21 missions along the coast from San Diego to Sonoma. They were established by Spanish monks and most have tours and docents. Capistrano is well known for it's swallows and bells but each is unique and different.

The California Poppy reserve.
The Tule elk preserve
Death Valley (BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. People STILL die here every summer but it's an amazing place.)
The Gene Autry Museum.
The Getty Museum.
The California Delta paddlewheel cruise from San Francisco to Sacramento.
The Skunk Train in Fort Bragg.
The home of Seabiscuit in Willit's California. (Check for open dates but you can take the skunk train from Ft Bragg to Willits and back again.

Or, you could, you know, just go to Universal Studio's, Disney, and Sea World and have a good time too.

Yes. I know. Most expect Cali to be hot and everyone to be in swim suits. The water is actually cold most of the year. Most places you rent have heat but often don't bother with air conditioning so that's a big clue.

I have a friend going to San Diego and told her the beach was rocky there so she would know to wear something.

Something I just realized this morning is that tourists who don't know the weather here in coastal Southern California can be surprised by what we call June Gloom. They often ask where the sun is.

In May, June and early July, the difference between air temps and ocean water temps allow a marine/fog layer to form. It sticks around most of the day during those three months so the stereotypical "lay on the beach all day under the scorching sun and bake" thing usually doesn't start to happen until mid-July.

Temps during July, August and September can be in the 100's even on the coast.

 

[HisArpy]

Yosemite and Kings/Sequoia are within 3 hours by car from Monterey. Easy drive on great roads. The scenic drive up from Visalia through Sequioa will take your breath away. Not kidding, some of the vistas have 5000 ft drops and you can see the earth curve. And, when you see your first Sequoia you will say "WOW!" Then, the road will curve and an even BIGGER tree will be right there for you to exclaim over.

If you go up that way, definitely check the local Chambers of Commerce for the cities along Hwy 49 for local events. They also have museums and other gold rush stuff. You can even pan for gold during the tourist season (the panning sand is "salted" but it's still fun to do the first time). The museums in Mariposa are interesting too if you're there after Memorial Day. (2 of them - A mining and and a living history museum.)

A/C is a MUST HAVE for inland areas. For instance, every year in Bakersfield they have an over/under for when the temp will go over 100 for the first time in the year. Usually around early to mid-May. It's stays up there until late Oct/early Nov. Even on the coast A/C is nice in August/Sept.

Interesting History - the largest fresh water lake west of the Mississippi used to be in the Central Valley of California. They used to have ships (not boats) sailing on it and catching the fish there. You can read about it; Tulare Lake.

Another thing you can read about is The Grapevine. Once called the Ridge Route it was an amazing feat of Highway engineering. http://www.ridgeroute.com/ If you go to the gallery section of their site, you can see historic photographs. The locations are not easy to get to but I have stood at the markers for some of those places. There are plaques there that almost no one reads or cares about anymore.

Anyway, I'll shut up now. Have fun whatever you decide to do and see.