Book Nook Cafe discussion

John wrote: "describing output as " . . . never having been read above Fourteenth Street." "

lol

John, it sounds good. My local library doesn't have an eBook version but i'm going to search others. Thanks.

I had a hold on this book from the library and it finally came in.

Ballerina Body: Dancing and Eating Your Way to a Leaner, Stronger, and More Graceful You by Misty Copeland

I have no delusions about having a ballerina body at my old age, but I love ballet and I enjoyed Misty's autobiography, so I thought maybe I could learn a thing or two from her new book.

The diet part is pretty basic. I am now reading the various exercises. I think I'll incorporate a few into my exercise routines.

Alias Reader wrote: "I had a hold on this book from the library and it finally came in.

[book:Ballerina Bod..."

Ballet dancers always amaze me....with their flexibility and fitness.

Barbara, the photos in the book are amazing. She is crazy fit and strong. She has worked hard for that body and it's stunningly beautiful.

What a pleasure to have your hands on the book at last, Alias. Savor.

Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile by Julia Fox is what i'm reading now. It's about two daughters of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand, Katharine of Aragon, wife of Arthur and, later, Henry VIII, and Juana of Castile, wife of Phillip of Burgundy. Juana is wildly in love with her husband, to the point where many considered her insane. Good storytelling.

madrano wrote: "Juana is wildly in love with her husband, to the point where many considered her insane."

:)

I recently downloaded the following books to my Kindle
Sarum: The Novel of England[book
:The Bookshop on the Corner|28372019]The Case of the Velvet Claws

Meredith wrote: "I recently downloaded the following books to my Kindle
Sarum: The Novel of England[book
:The Bookshop on the Corner|28372019]The Case of the Velvet Claws"

Wow ! Sarum is over 1000 pages !

Meredith, the Perry Mason mystery should relieve you if you have dry spots with Sarum. I hope you enjoy the books.

madrano wrote: "Meredith, the Perry Mason mystery should relieve you if you have dry spots with Sarum. I hope you enjoy the books."

Perry Mason mysteries were the first adult mysteries I read. They were favorites of my father

I downloaded Palisades Park o my Kindle. I have happy memories fo going to Palisades Park when I was a child.

I got from Amazon
Clara and Mr. Tiffany
The Care and Management of Lies

My introduction to Mason was via my husband's pleasure in watching the Raymond Burr program. When he retired we watched them daily. And still i haven't read one, although DH has. Your pleasure in reading the mysteries knowing your dad liked them must be rewarding.

I'm over halfway through Magpie Murders, which has me really hooked. At first, I was put off by the story-within-a-story premise: starts from POV of a modern book editor settling down to read the latest manuscript in a mystery series set in the 50s. We read the story along with her (as is, no breaking scene for modern digression). And then, she comes to the end, with no solution presented. Can't follow up with the author though as he dies the night she's reading it. So, where are the missing pages, and was his death really a suicide?

John, that sounds like a very good mystery. I'm adding it to my library queue. Thanks for the tip.

John wrote: "I'm over halfway through Magpie Murders, which has me really hooked. At first, I was put off by the story-within-a-story premise: starts from POV of a modern book editor settling do..."

Sounds intriguing John. I like Anthony Horowitz's books. I'm requesting it as well :)

While on vacation at the shore earlier this week I discovered an amazing place called The Book Barn in Niantic, CT. I could have stayed all day (and spent a ton of money LOL)! I picked up 4 titles I'm pretty excited about, I think they'll make for excellent summer reading:

I just bought The Blackstone Chronicles and Down Among the Sticks and Bones from Amazon. At Barnes and Noble I bought Bookburners and Three Dark Crowns. From Target I picked up Beauty and the Beast: Lost in a Book. And from the library I'm currently reading Boy's Life, The Bear and the Nightingale, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and The Boy on the Bridge.

Anita wrote: "While on vacation at the shore earlier this week I discovered an amazing place called The Book Barn in Niantic, CT. I could have stayed all day (and spent a ton of money LOL)! I picked up 4 titles ..."

Sounds like you had a lovely vacation, Anita ! Books and the shore. Who could ask for anything more !

Megan Elizabeth wrote: "I just bought The Blackstone Chronicles and Down Among the Sticks and Bones from Amazon. At Barnes and Noble I bought Bookburners and [book:Three Dark Cr..."

Wow, Megan ! Nice book haul. Enjoy!

Anita, thanks for the book store name. I keep a list of them with hopes of visiting them when we travel. That sounds like a keeper.

Megan E., that's plenty of fine reading ahead for you. Enjoy!

Just got from Amazon
Knit to Be Tied by Maggie Sefton
The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon

Cute title for the Sefton book. I hope you like it.

I just visited my local library after some years and lucky me, I managed to get my hands on all three LOTR books for $1 each 🙌

Great deal, Erin! Enjoy them.

Erin wrote: "I just visited my local library after some years and lucky me, I managed to get my hands on all three LOTR books for $1 each 🙌"

Nice !

Amazon Prime gives you a few free kindle books each month that are just being published. It's called Kindle First.

I just downloaded my free kindle book for July. It's being published Hardcover
Publisher: Little A (August 1, 2017)

The Sky Below---Scott Parazynski

“Scott Parazynski’s drive, curiosity, inventiveness, and great humor shine through the pages of The Sky Below and will certainly inspire future generations to pursue their dreams with every fiber in their being.” —John Glenn, NASA astronaut

An epic memoir from a man whose life is defined by exploration and innovation, The Sky Below re-creates some of the most unforgettable adventures of our time. From dramatic, high-risk spacewalks to author Scott Parazynski’s death-defying quest to summit Mount Everest—his body ravaged by a career in space—readers will experience the life of an elite athlete, physician, and explorer.

This intimate, compelling account offers a rare portrait of space exploration from the inside. A global nomad raised in the shadow of NASA’s Apollo missions, Parazynski never lost sight of his childhood dream to one day don a spacesuit and float outside the airlock. With deep passion, unbridled creativity, resilience, humility, and self-deprecation, Parazynski chases his dream of the ultimate adventure experience, again and again and again. In an era that transitioned from moon shots to the Space Shuttle, space station, and Mars research, Parazynski flies with John Glenn, tests jet packs, trains in Russia to become a cosmonaut, and flies five missions to outer space (including seven spacewalks) in his seventeen-year NASA career.

An unparalleled, visceral opportunity to understand what it’s like to train for—and deploy to—a home in zero gravity, The Sky Below also portrays an astronaut’s engagement with the challenges of his life on Earth, including raising a beautiful autistic daughter and finding true love.

Sounds like a good one, Alias. Keep us posted when you finish.

I just came home from the library with a bag full of books that must weigh 30 pounds!! I am in an "old movie, bad movie, lost movies. B movies" phase right now for some reason. Have just started:

Lost Films: Important Movies That Disappeared by Frank T. Thompson

Jill wrote: "I just came home from the library with a bag full of books that must weigh 30 pounds!! I am in an "old movie, bad movie, lost movies. B movies" phase right now for some reason. Have just started:

..."

Adding to my list!

I recently borrowed Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben, as well as Bifocal by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters, from the library! I'll be writing a book review on my blog found at { https://elsbookreviews.blogspot.com/ } when I finish them! Let me know if you've read either of these books! 📚

Jill, that sounds like a fun book. It could also get frustrating to want to view some & be unable to find them. Enjoy!

El, while i've read the author and liked his books, i haven't read Fool Me Once yet. I hope it's a good one.

I picked up two books that I had on hold from the library today.
I don't know if I'll be able to get to them before I need to renew as I want to start reading The Plot Against America

The Longevity Plan: Seven Lessons from the World's Happiest and Healthiest Village by John D. Day


Swing Time by Zadie Smith

Bought a Big Green Egg and have been getting into smoking meat, which resulted in the purchase of three books I've had my eye on for awhile (but never had a direct use for):

The River Cottage Meat Book

Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing

The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating

I mean, pulled pork and brisket and ribs, that's the easy stuff!

Mkfs, have fun with the egg. We had a smoker before selling our house and had fun experimenting. To this day i crave smoked our smoked cheddar, straight from the cooker. There are so many directions to take in smoking foods, given all the marinade ideas. Enjoy!

Being able to buy books online is just about the best development of this century. If I read a review and like the sound of the book, I can immediately get my hands on it.
Just this last month, I bought
The Fourth Monkey
Testimony
Black Widow
Amanda Wakes Up

The trouble is when the books are not physically stacked on your nightstand, you can sometimes forget about them.

Joanna, i don't know if you forgot to post the books you bought recently or if my app is acting up again. Being able to purchase books online is a great convenience. For myself, being able to connect to my library from anywhere in the world (well, that has wi-fi) and borrow an electronic edition is high up that Internet marvel, too. Yesterday Alias shared a list of Best sellers and i hooked up with my library and now have Sherman Alexie's latest book about his family. Happiness abounds!

Just received Gone for Good by Harlan Coben from Amazon

Madrano wrote: "Joanna, i don't know if you forgot to post the books you bought recently or if my app is acting up again. Being able to purchase books online is a great convenience. For myself, being able to conne..."

I think some can't see the covers of books. It's always helpful to post the title links.

I have tons of books all over the place. It is helpful to be able to see the books. That is the problem with my Kindle. It's a black hole. Books go on there never to be heard from again. ( When I have time, I am going to add the Kindle books to the card file I keep on the books I own.

Meredith wrote: "Just received Gone for Good by Harlan Coben from Amazon"

I own one of his books. However, I never seem to get to it.

Hi Madrano, I went back and added the links. Hope you can see them now. In future, I'll know to include both.

Thanks, Joanna !

Thanks, Joanna. I wasn't aware that is yet another issue with the new GR app.

I have read a couple of Harlen C.'s books but not that one. Yet. I like the way he writes and keeps the story going. Enjoy.

Haven't been as active at GR lately, but wanted to post here about a library (audiobook) I just finished: Elizabeth Is Missing. Author does a terrific job writing from the point of view of a senile 82 year old woman, at times so effectively that I felt her frustration regarding others' frustration with her, as she doesn't fully realize the extent of her condition. I've not read the book, but struck me as like Flowers for Algernon in seeing someone regress.

Sounds good, John. It must be a challenge to get the tone well balanced. I read and really liked Flowers for Algernon for its tone. I look forward to this one because when visiting my mother-in-law's retirement center i've wondered about those whose minds are slipping before our eyes.

Alias Reader wrote: " It is helpful to be able to see the books. That is the problem with my Kindle. It's a black hole. Books go on there never to be heard from again...."

I know what you mean. I don't buy much, so there isn't that many on mine but I have no idea what IS on mine. I have been considering making a own-on-kindle shelf or something similar on goodreads so that it is easier for me to see what they are. I haven't gotten around to that though.

John wrote: "Haven't been as active at GR lately, but wanted to post here about a library (audiobook) I just finished: Elizabeth Is Missing. Author does a terrific job writing from the point of ..."

I read that book recently. I thought it was good except that I thought it got a bit repetitive. Which I guess could be an accurate portrayal of her life...but it made the book drag a little for me.

I admit that I wasn't as interested in her childhood, so those sections dragged a bit for me. Also, I'm not sure I "got" the ending?

For 99 cents, I just bought for my Kindle

A Short History of World War I --- James L. Stokesbury

World War I was a bloodletting so vast and unprecedented that for a generation it was known simply as the Great War. Casualty lists reached unimagined proportions as the same ground -- places like Ypres and the Somme -- was fought over again and again. Other major bloody battles remain vivid in memory to this day: Gallipoli and the Battle of Jutland are but two examples. Europe was at war with itself, and the effect on Western civilization was profound, its repercussions felt even today.

World War I saw the introduction of modern technology into the military arena: The tank, airplane, machine gun, submarine, and -- most lethal of all -- poison gas, all received their first widespread use. Professor Stokesbury analyzes these technological innovations and the war's complex military campaigns in lucid detail. At the same time he discusses the great political events that unfolded during the war, such as the Russian Revolution and the end of the Hapsburg dynasty, putting the social and political side of the war into the context of modern European history.

A Short History of World War I is the first history of this war to be written in twenty years. It incorporates recent research and current thinking about the war in a highly readable and lively style.

I also purchased today for my kindle, ($2)

Adams: An American Dynasty by Francis Russell

John and Abigail Adams and their descendants have profoundly influenced life in the United States for more than two centuries. From the great political and philosophical contributions of Founding Father and President John Adams, the roster of Adams luminaries is unprecedented: diplomat and sixth president, John Quincy Adams; pre-Civil War "Voice of Honor," Charles Francis Adams; and authors Henry and Brook Adams. The story of the Adams dynasty is as impressive and compelling as its legacy. Here it is.