Tell us all about what you like to read

Glad to see the new thread. Happy New Year, and here's to some great reads in 2024!

HI Yall!

I started New Years goals!
I finished reading a book!

Sharing a summary of the last 3 books that made "my life better"!

https://time.com/6548861/the-t...

This is a link to the story behind The Boys in the Boat,
a book by Daniel James Brown about the 1936 rowing team
from the University of Washington that won gold in Olympics!

Book was made into movie that my family enjoyed during holidays!

The book I read last fall is non-fiction "When Breath becomes Air"
by Paul Kalanithi who was diagnosed with cancer during his
studies and residency to become a neurosurgeon.
Before medical school, he studied literature,
so he wanted to write a book about his experience.
After his death, I think the book was completed
by his wife and friends.
The first part of the book was about the author
making the decisions to move from the
college literature studies to medical school
and his experiences during his education.
The second part of the book was about
the challenges encountered while striving
to reach his educational and life goals,
while also facing terminal cancer.
Though the book doesn't sound uplifting,
it was interesting to me since I have spent
40 years working in hospitals.
Rarely do people open
the windows to their souls
to be vulnerable and honest
(about experiences and emotions)

The book I finished this am is fiction
"Friendship Cake" by Lynne Hinton.
The 5 or so women who are main characters
are all members of the Cookbook Committee
of Hope Springs Community Church.
As they try to collect recipes,
their lives, and food, are shared,
friendships develop, are challenged, and are reconnected!
The author of the book, Lynne Hinton, is a pastor.
It seems like the stories can be based on real life experiences.
The book is written in a cookbook format
with sections, Favorites, Fruits/Veggies/Meats/Desserts.
At the beginning of each chapter is a personal recipe
and the person and the recipe are discussed in the story.

The book addresses difficult topics like racism, sexuality, death,
and life challenges from elderly dementia to new born hope.
As the women face these obstacles,
they also find opportunities for optimism.

I feel like the theme in all 3 stories and books is humanity.

People overcoming odds
by opening up to opportunity and optimism!

Those books sound interesting, TT!

As for me, I've read every Jane Austen book except one: Sense and Sensibility. I'm enjoying it superbly right now and enjoying reading of the relationship between the mother and her daughters, the humor, and pensiveness involved within the story.

Americans Reading Fewer Books Than in Past

https://news.gallup.com/poll/3...

That makes sense to me. The number of kids U18 reading books has also drastically dropped due to video games and TV. It's too bad; I'd take a good book over a video game any day!

Some other stats
https://www.statista.com/stati...

Thought this was good!

"IT|here's no substitute for constant study to master one's craft...If you haven't read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate, and you will be incompetent,
because your personal experiences alone aren't broad enough to sustain you."
Gen. Jim Mattis, USMC (Ret.), the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense

to master the craft of being alive, I guess?

Warcraft and strategy I'm guessing

Ordered The British Occupation of Wilmington, looking forward to it since I grew up in the area.

Finished Sense and Sensibility. I didn't think I'd like a Jane Austen book more than Pride and Prejudice…but this one I just finished may come on top as champion. Debating what other book I should start…

Have to admit I did not think people read as much as 12.6 books a year. I know some that read but most of the younger people I work with are very surprised when I say that I read something every day. I do know a few that like recorded books but to me that is not reading.

I can't judge, being in the library surrounds me with too many readers, lol. I know my 27 yr old kid is reading.
I'm again slogging thru Into Thin Air , en Francais. Challenging! Don't know why I do it.
I started Matterhorn, ' a novel of the Vietnam war' but it didn't seem to go anywhere after a couple chapters.

I don't count audio books as reading either

My 18-year-old granddaughter reads but the 16-year-old does not. My grandson who is almost 12 (when I started) is reading for school and he seems to like it. He thought it was cool that I read and knew about The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I hope he continues to like it. Neither of my kids are big readers even though I am and read to them often.

It's not for lack of choices- there's a boatload of new fiction all the time. We have so much new fiction in the library- including chapter books for kids. Publishers are hoping they'll hit on the next Harry Potter $$$ or at least one of some other very popular authors for kids books/series.
Graphic novels for younger readers are HOT and growing. I can't really read graphic, but I won't discourage any kid's interest in any book.

Hi Yall!

I'm glad to hear of people's interest in literature, and information,
in any form.

this family uses any method!

I enjoyed reading, though a hospital work schedule and young children limited time for reading books.
This thread rekindles my interest.
now I'm reading a book about a man walking.
After I complete a chapter, I wonder why I'm reading about taking a walk!

My DD was good at reading and writing.
She read "Baby Sitter" series.

DH doesn't read much.
He is more of a worker with his hands.
If he needs to do appliance or vehicle repair,
he checks YouTube, or the manual.

My son had a learning disability.
Specialists said he was more of an auditory learner.
They also said he scored well on vocabulary,
so he is "smart".
Like his dad, he would rather do things, or nap!
When DS in school, I bought Hooked on Phonics.
It includes variety of learning methods,
including tapes and comic books!

My grandson, who is starting his public school education,
is bringing home chapter books from school library.
Now he is reading Magic Tree House books.
Grandsons do variety of activities, including computer,
which will be important in their careers and their lives,
and learning how to use computers, and tech, safely!

PS: Son with learning disability, did graduate college,
has job, paid cash for vehicles and house,
and is my contact for how to save for retirement.

I need to call him this week for tips
for using computer links!

Did not get back into reading until I was in the military, up until that point I always associated reading with things that I had to do...school!

In the military there were long uninterrupted periods where I could read, started with Tom Clancy Novels, maybe because it was more military minded and he always seemed to make the stories about current events, and his knowledge of the military and operations were correct.

My favorite books are ones that have to do with American History, the revolutionary war period and WW2. Science, Physics (still struggle with the concepts) Biology and Geology. Science fiction, Heinlein and Asimov are some of my favorites.
My kids are good readers, oldest son stuggled because of dyslexia, but with a lot of work he has overcome that issue. Grandkids, 13 loves literature and has been reading from early on, 11 reads, but just now getting into it for pleasure.
I think that's where school sometimes misses out, in that you need to find the child's interest so that it is enjoyable, also know that in school they are always pressed for time.
If you can read, you can do just about anything.

The Happy Meal app has some kids ebooks by Cressida Cowell, I recognize her name from our library collection.

luvsgrtdanes said: I don't count audio books as reading either

My 18-year-old granddaughter reads but the 16-year-old does not. My grandson who is almost 12 (when I started) is reading for school and he seems to like it. He thought it was cool that I read and knew about The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. I hope he continues to like it. Neither of my kids are big readers even though I am and read to them often.

I got the Chronicles of Narnia for my daughter when she was 3. For Christmas when she was 1, I'd gotten most of Astrid Lindgren's books ( Mio, My Son, Ronia the Robber's Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart etc) and it took us two years to get through them (and a bunch of other books with more pictures in them). I don't know how much she really understood, but she loved being read to. It's the one thing I miss most from her childhood - all those good night books. When she got older, we took turns reading to each other. She still reads a lot.

When I was a kid, I was the librarian's plague. She could not get new books faster than I could read them. I was 7 when I read The Hobbit, and after that, there was no return. Back then, Fantasy and Sci-Fi literature was still pretty niche and there was not all that much translated to Swedish, which only meant that I started reading them in English.

Much like @crawgarden I had a hard time reading when I started uni. Reading = work. But then I got a free trial of an e-book app as I was about to go on a long train ride and my love for books was rekindled.

My most recent crush was The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. It grabbed me from the first page when it started by mentioning Pu'er tea. I was holding a cup of just that in my other hand. Something that struck me throughout the entire book was how incredibly well researched it was. I learned a lot from this book and I heartily recommend it.

After that, I read Kallocain by Karin Boye, a dystopian classic that was published 9 years prior to Orwell's 1984.

At the moment, I'm rekindling an old flame - Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr. I read her books when I was in my teens and I wanted to see if they were as good as I remembered.

This year is off to a good start.