All About Books discussion

A lot: many were my parents'; some my husand's.
Some I've found around - now that I've moved, and don't know where do they come from ...

I probably have a few of my dads and boyfriends books but the one I feel guilty about is my friends copy of The Casual Vacancy I've had for a year. It's a big hardback and I always forget it everytime I see her!

Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you

I have quite a few books borrowed from friends and family, but they usually don't want them back, so I end up keeping them. I guess this makes them my books now!

I currently have The God of Small Things out from the library

I also have my daughter's school copy of The Collector waiting to be read before she returns it next month.

I don't have any borrowed books except my current library book The Round House which I'm reading for the current fiction group read. I have that many books both "real" and kindle, that I don't need to borrow any more from anyone! In fact, my husband would be horrified!!

A copy of Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, highly recommended by a colleague, which I haven't managed to read yet.

June5 Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you

My current library book: The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera (alternative title: The Medical Detective: John Snow, Cholera And The Mystery Of The Broad Street Pump, which is the copy I have)

It's fascinating. I have previously read The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World and was impressed by John Snow.
This book came out of that interest. It tells a very different picture of John Snow than Ghost Map.
For example, in Ghost Map, I got the impression that John Snow had no idea of how cholera was transmitted when he first started investigating Broad Street. In Medical Detective, he had an idea of how cholera was transmitted and needed an experimental site to test his theory. When cholera appeared on Broad Street, he was ready.
Medical Detective has interesting background on cholera and its path around the world, the beginnings of anaesthesiology and the beginnings of epidemiology, as well as John Snow's life and methods. Well-written, too, in an easy-to-read manner.

Petra wrote: "June5 Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you

My current library book: The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Cholera (alt..."

That sounds fascinating, Petra. I studied John Snow and cholera in my A level history. I've been to the pump as well, as it's close to where my Dad works

Heather, the pump and the John Snow Pub are two places I want to visit if I'm ever in London. How cool that you've been there. Kind of scary (in a weird way) that your dad works so close to the centre of the cholera epidemic area.
From Ghost Map, I learned that the pump that is there now isn't the original pump. The original got lost over time and they put in a pump that was smaller than the original to mark the spot.

Heather wrote: "Petra wrote: "June5 Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you

My current library book: [book:The Strange Case of the Broad Street Pump: John Snow and the Mystery of Chole..."

Never heard of it

June 4: Your least favourite book by your favourite author

Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper

June 5: Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (library book) or Enter Sir Robert by Angela Thirkell (borrowed from my mom)

Leslie, The Brutal Telling andBury Your Dead are my favorite of the series so far. I hope you're also enjoying the books.

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman; this is my sister's book. She's insisting I read it but I don't want to read it; I rarely read Australian authors. I'm hoping if I hang onto it long enough, she will forget all about it and I can just stick it back in her bookcase and never discuss it.

I loved that book , Bette .

The Go-away Bird and Other Stories by Muriel Spark. This was an 'orphaned' book that I found and now it is in my possession.

Petra wrote: "Leslie, The Brutal Telling and Bury Your Dead are my favorite of the series so far. I hope you're also enjoying the books."

I have been liking this series so far. I just started The Brutal Telling this morning, so glad to hear it is a particularly good one! (view spoiler)[I was worried when it opened with Olivier as the possible murderer! (hide spoiler)]

@Angela I know:) So many people I know loved it but it's just not for me. I have a hard time reading about a place in my home country; something I never say in my Aussie Readers group. And Aust authors, with the exception of a couple like Alex Miller and Peter Carey, just don't do anything for me. (hangs her head in shame)

@Angela. As I normally worship the quicksand she walks on, my sister would find it quite odd that I don't want to read it.

No need to hang your head , Bette ! If it's not for you , it's not for you .

Leslie wrote: "I have been liking this series so far. I just started The Brutal Telling this morning, so glad to hear it is a particularly good one! (view spoiler)
..."

re: spoiler....I know!!! Just wait 'til you read how things unfold....

Heather wrote: "3rd June A book with a blue cover "

The Oxford English Dictionary (all 20 volumes have blue covers!)

Or, if a more normal book is intended, E.B. White's The Second Tree from the Corner.

Heather wrote: "4th June Your least favourite book by your favourite author "

Ooooh. That's hard. I would have to say Austen's Northanger Abbey, although even if it's my least favorite Austen, it's still one of my favorite books on my shelves.

Heather wrote: "Day 5 05/06/2014

Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you "

Has to be a library book, since I don't borrow other peoples' books.
Plato's Trilogy: Theaetetus, the Sophist, and the Statesman

Not a translation, but a commentary on the three dialogues by the incomparable Jacob Klein. Am reading because the Western Canon group starts discussing Theaetetus next week.

Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift?

Day 6- I don't tend to give books as presents, a lot of my friends aren't big readers and I would try and pick for the person individually

Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift? "

Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater

Heather wrote: "Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift? "

No. I try to give books according to the taste of who receives it.

Several.
If I really have to pick one up ... La chimera by an italian writer Sebastiano Vassalli who's not so nown. But the book is really great

Not really one particular book - depends on the person and their taste.

As many have expressed already, it depends on the person to whom I want to gift a book.

The books that I had gifted recently:
Italian Journey
Kristin Lavransdatter
Waiting for God

Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift?

I used to give this book out as gifts but I've given it to everyone who would be interested in it:

Good Friends Cookbook

The Street Sweeper by Elliot Perlman

I've given this as a gift eight times and only one person didn't like it. It's about the Holocaust and I think it's an important novel for people to read.

Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift?

Not really. Most people I know don't read books. If I've read something particularly good then I'll pass that book on to my Mum or daughter, otherwise I'll buy things suited to their tastes.

Bette, that book sounds interesting and just the sort of thing I like to read.

Pink wrote: "Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift?

Not really. Most people I know don't read books. If I've read something particularly good then I'll pass that book on to my Mum or daughter, other..."

Pink It's well worth reading. For your perusal, here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and from AAB group,Angela's review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Heather wrote: "Day 6. Is there a book you always give as a gift? "

For children ages 6-15 or so,
Swallows and Amazons

or, if I've already given it, the next one in the series that they don't have.

The last book I gave as a gift was A Nice Little Place on the North Side: Wrigley Field at One Hundred by George F. Will. My husband, son and I all love baseball, and I was born in Chicago and have lived and died with the Cubs. The 3 of us made a trip to Wrigley Field when Kevin was 10 years old, and we have some great memories of that. It's a beautiful ballpark.

Leslie wrote: "June 1: What is your favourite childhood book?

I think perhaps The Phantom Tollbooth,  . Jenny's book has been in 11 apartments; my copy of thi..."

My favorite childhood book is Anne of Green Gables. My mother read it to me before I could read and I have since read it several times. I even went to Prince Edward Island in Nova Scotia and visited Prince Edward Island. It was a wonderful experience!

Tell us about a book in your possession that doesn't belong to you

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Homes, is a book that sits in my bookshelf waiting to be read. It belongs to my dear friend Sally (also on here) and Sally if you read this: I promise to bring it back in July!!!! ;)


Is there a book you always give as a gift?

There's a few depending on the gifted.

I generally love to give A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

For lovers of non-fiction I would give: My Promised Land by Ari Shavit

For lovers of experiments and hybrid forms of literature and poetry lovers: Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson

And for anyone who hasn't laughed tears in a while: The Story of the Little Mole Who Went in Search of Whodunit also known as The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch



(I swear, I am generally not a fan of toilet humour, but this one made my curl up in laughter as a kid and still does so know)

I never give the same book as a present because my friends' tastes vary a lot. The last book I gave as a present was a Tolkin biography to a friend who loves practically all his books.

June 7th A book you'd forgotten you owned

For me, about 90% of my kindle!

A book you'd forgotten you owned

I remember my physical books, but also tend to forget which I own on kindle. Especially free classics that I downloaded ages ago such as Three Men in a Boat or Oedipus Rex

Heather wrote: "For me, about 90% of my kindle!"

Me too.

About physical books I forget the ones I had to read at school and didn't like a lot. I find them again when my son has to read them for school: before going to the bookshop I look to my shelves.

Nearly bought another copy of Cyburbia: The Dangerous Idea That's Changing How We Live and Who We Are. James Harkin and then found a copy I had bought before on a shelf!

I have to admit, a couple of months ago I bought a Margaret Atwood book, only to discover I already had a copy I had forgotten about! Doh!

Is there a book you always give as a gift?

Over the years, I have given 5 copies of Precious Bane to friends. It's a book I like a lot, and at one stage it was really hard to get copies of it, since it was only available second-hand. So each time I saw a copy I bought it, and then passed each copy on to someone I thought would enjoy it.

I can't tell you that because I've forgotten I own it:P

But seriously, it's The Diary of Samuel Pepys by Samuel Pepys

Gill wrote: "Is there a book you always give as a gift?

Over the years, I have given 5 copies of Precious Bane to friends. It's a book I like a lot, and at one stage it was really hard to get co..."

The book looks very interesting. Those who received your gifts were lucky.

Shirley wrote: "I have to admit, a couple of months ago I bought a Margaret Atwood book, only to discover I already had a copy I had forgotten about! Doh!"

Which one, Shirley?

June 7 A book you'd forgotten you owned

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon (just ran my eyes over my bookshelves & was surprised at this find)

I second (third?) the comment about forgetting 90% of what's on my ereader.

Petra, I am guilty of that sin of double purchasing myself.