Nollaig Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Since I started a new job, I only get five personal days this year and I can't take them until after September. I'm lucky, though, because after 2 1/2 more years, I'll be up to three weeks; that's a lot of vacation time for most jobs in the States. Two weeks for full-time employees is the norm unless you're a Union or government employee. 5 days?! That's nowhere near enough! I've yet to read anything by Claire North. Not sure why I haven't tried her yet. I'm going to spend (what's left of) my lunchtime getting through a few more pages of A Little Life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Since I started a new job, I only get five personal days this year and I can't take them until after September. I'm lucky, though, because after 2 1/2 more years, I'll be up to three weeks; that's a lot of vacation time for most jobs in the States. Two weeks for full-time employees is the norm unless you're a Union or government employee. I think I'm going to work on Touch by Claire North today. Wow, I didn't know it was 'that bad' in the US. That seems way too little. Here, as far as I know, 4ish weeks is the norm (for full-time jobs), I think. I have to start on a new book, but so far I'm not really sure what I'm the mood for. Nothing seems to really appeal right now. I'm sure something will come to me though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 Two weeks holiday a year? Yikes! I think a minimum of 4 weeks (including public holidays) is required in the UK, so I'm pretty lucky that I get 5 weeks. I've started Coldbrook...going well so far. And, I'm nearly all caught up with reviews. I only have 3 to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 It varies between companies/organizations here in the US, but when I started at my current job I was given 2 weeks vacation and 3 personal days. That was for being full-time in the corporate world. Every 5 years it went up a week so now after 17 yrs I'm at 5 weeks vacation, plus those 3 personal days. Too bad I won't be here for 20 and get 6 weeks I switched to listening to Game of Thrones instead of reading it. It seems better going, listening to it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted June 22, 2016 Share Posted June 22, 2016 It varies between companies/organizations here in the US, but when I started at my current job I was given 2 weeks vacation and 3 personal days. That was for being full-time in the corporate world. Every 5 years it went up a week so now after 17 yrs I'm at 5 weeks vacation, plus those 3 personal days. Too bad I won't be here for 20 and get 6 weeks That's wonderful. My husband got two weeks after nine months, but that's all he'll ever get. He's not even allowed to take them back-to-back. My brother-in-law was union and got four. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 That's wonderful. My husband got two weeks after nine months, but that's all he'll ever get. He's not even allowed to take them back-to-back. My brother-in-law was union and got four. I wouldn't call it wonderful, I'd call it basic decency. People need to be able to take time off work. I'm sorry you have to deal with so little time off work, I really think that's unfair. Apparently I read 230 pages of A Little Life yesterday - 248 to go! It doesn't actually feel like that long a book at all. It's taking a lot of time, but when I think back over it I don't feel like I've already read 472 pages. I can't believe it took me more than three days to read the first hundred pages, and now I'm doing over 200 a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Wow, you're flying through A Little Life. I can't remember how long it took me to finish it, but it felt like a long time. I'm about halfway through Coldbrook. It's very fast-paced and exciting, and easy to read. I went to the library today; I only wanted to return a few books but ended up borrowing: Finders Keepers - Stephen King (wasn't expecting to see this, so over the moon to find it) Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (the second one in the Dexter series, which I've been waiting for, for quite a while) The Silent Sister - Diane Chamberlain (can't go wrong with this author) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 I went to the library today; I only wanted to return a few books but ended up borrowing: Finders Keepers - Stephen King (wasn't expecting to see this, so over the moon to find it) Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay (the second one in the Dexter series, which I've been waiting for, for quite a while) The Silent Sister - Diane Chamberlain (can't go wrong with this author) That happens to me too . I hope you enjoy all three books . I quite liked The Silent Sister, but then I've liked all of Diane Chamberlain's books I've read so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 23, 2016 Share Posted June 23, 2016 Thanks, Athena. My library has a few Diane Chamberlain books; I went with this one because it seemed a bit more interesting, but like you, I have liked all of her books that I have read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Thanks, Athena. My library has a few Diane Chamberlain books; I went with this one because it seemed a bit more interesting, but like you, I have liked all of her books that I have read. That's nice to hear . I'm currently reading Michael Grant - Gone 5: Fear, and I'm about half way through. It took me a bit of time to decide what to read, but I settled on this one in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I've only 27 pages left in A Little Life. So close. I was too tired last night to complete it. Now sure what I'll read next - I had started The Butcher Boy but I'm not mad about the style of writing so I might put it aside and read something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleonora Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 (edited) Hello Finally I can see this forum again I've just finished Foundation, Asimov.. and now I'm not too sure what to read next Edited June 25, 2016 by Eleonora Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Hello Finally I can see this forum again I've just finished Foundation, Asimov.. and now I'm not too sure what to read next Hey Eleonora! Good to see you again . How've you been? Did you like Foundation? I have the book on my TBR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Finished A Little Life. It was fantastic. I had issues with it - it was overwritten at times, some characters started out getting a lot of attention and then faded into the background, and the sheer volume of horrendous things that occur is a bit much, but somehow none of that mattered in the end. A book that will definitely stay with me. Started Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, my first foray into the works of PKD, and I suspect I'm going to start Yanagihara's other novel, The People In The Trees (allegedly described as a book about abusers, where A Little Life is a book about the abused), today too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marie H Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Read 33% of The Eyre Affair, and I am enjoying it now, getting into the weird stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Hello Finally I can see this forum again Hello again! Good to see you on here. Finished A Little Life. It was fantastic. I had issues with it - it was overwritten at times, some characters started out getting a lot of attention and then faded into the background, and the sheer volume of horrendous things that occur is a bit much, but somehow none of that mattered in the end. A book that will definitely stay with me. Started Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, my first foray into the works of PKD, and I suspect I'm going to start Yanagihara's other novel, The People In The Trees (allegedly described as a book about abusers, where A Little Life is a book about the abused), today too. So glad you liked A Little Life. It definitely has it's flaws but it is still a very good read. I watched Blade Runner (which is loosely based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) last night. It wasn't as complex as I remembered, so maybe it was the book I struggled with. I have it on my bookshelf and want to give it a re-read at some point, but I need to leave big gaps between PKD books as they can be a bit intense. He tends to just dump you in the middle of the story, and you are left to decipher the words he uses to describe various futuristic things. It can be a bit much. Not saying I need my books spoon-fed to me, but sometimes it helps. I haven't actually thought about reading Yanagihara's other book, so I look forward to reading your thoughts. I'm halfway through The Doll Maker by Richard Montanari. I like a good straight-forward detective novel and it's been a few years since I've read one of his. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrpath27 Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Read 33% of The Eyre Affair, and I am enjoying it now, getting into the weird stuff. Nice! It took me awhile to get it, too, but once I did, I was hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 Started Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, my first foray into the works of PKD, and I suspect I'm going to start Yanagihara's other novel, The People In The Trees (allegedly described as a book about abusers, where A Little Life is a book about the abused), today too. I liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, I hope you enjoy it (and that you enjoy The People In The Trees too). I've almost finished Michael Grant 5: Fear, I've got 43 pages left to read. I plan to finish it later today and then start one of my new library loans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 26, 2016 Share Posted June 26, 2016 I'm so close to finishing The Doll Maker. I was reading in bed for ages last night, and I'm up to a really good bit but I was so tired, and ended up going to sleep. Next up is either After Dark by Haruki Murakami or Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Not sure which one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I'm currently reading Ernest Cline - Armada (the Dutch translation). I'm just past halfway. I like it so far, though I'm not liking it as much as Ready Player One (another book the author wrote). Then again, I love RPO so I wasn't expecting Armada to be as good. But I am enjoying Armada so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 So glad you liked A Little Life. It definitely has it's flaws but it is still a very good read. I watched Blade Runner (which is loosely based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) last night. It wasn't as complex as I remembered, so maybe it was the book I struggled with. I have it on my bookshelf and want to give it a re-read at some point, but I need to leave big gaps between PKD books as they can be a bit intense. He tends to just dump you in the middle of the story, and you are left to decipher the words he uses to describe various futuristic things. It can be a bit much. Not saying I need my books spoon-fed to me, but sometimes it helps. I haven't actually thought about reading Yanagihara's other book, so I look forward to reading your thoughts. I really loved it. I think portraying Jude as a sympathetic, likeable character, despite the things that also make you want to shake him senseless, is a real accomplishment. I think I saw one reviewer commenting on why s/he couldn't understand why anyone would bother putting so much effort into him the way his friends and family did, and I'm like, that reviewer missed something, because Yanagihara definitely managed to make me one of those people who wanted nothing more than to help him. Loving her other book too, so far. Possibly more than A Little Life - but I'm not sure yet. It's far more exotic and extraordinary, anyway. Shorter, too So far loving Electric Sheep, not finding overly complex. Never seen Blade Runner! If you have any recommendations for PKD books you think are particularly good, they'd be warmly welcomed! Must dig out his bibliography on Goodreads and make a list. I liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, I hope you enjoy it (and that you enjoy The People In The Trees too). Thanks So far, so good! I'm about halfway through both Electric Sheep and People in the Trees, so hoping to get them both done in the next day or two. I'm having great luck with awesome reads lately! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 So far loving Electric Sheep, not finding overly complex. Never seen Blade Runner! If you have any recommendations for PKD books you think are particularly good, they'd be warmly welcomed! Must dig out his bibliography on Goodreads and make a list. I'm probably not the best one to make recommendations for his books because I find them quite daunting. But, I did enjoy The Penultimate Truth which I read very recently. I have about 4 of his books on my shelf, which took me by surprise. For some reason, I thought the only one I had was Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? I'm reading two books at the moment. After Dark by Haruki Murakami. It's going well, pretty short so I may finish it tonight. And Being Mortal: Illness, Medicine and What Happens in the End by Atul Gawande. It's basically about growing old, and I have to say I'm finding it depressing and scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted June 27, 2016 Author Share Posted June 27, 2016 I'm wildly enjoying Far from True by Linwood Barclay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted June 27, 2016 Share Posted June 27, 2016 I went to the library after work today to borrow This Must Be The Place by Maggie O'Farrell. It's her most recent book, only released this month, so I was chuffed to be able to borrow it. I also borrowed Chocolate Wars by Deborah Cadbury, which is about Kraft's takeover of Cadbury's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted June 28, 2016 Share Posted June 28, 2016 I finished The People In The Trees. It was every inch a five star read until the final 80-100 pages. Then it momentarily dropped down to 3 stars, which I eventually conceded averaged to 4 stars. It had a LOT of issues. But what I loved about it, I really loved. Hm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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