Athena Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 It sounds really nice, pontalba ! I'd love to organise that many books XD or have a look in your house and admire all your shelves. It's nice to hear you have a husband who also loves reading. My boyfriend doesn't read a lot but he likes playing games and watching TV series and films, he has a big collection (consoles, games, DVDs, Blu-rays). I often tell him about my books, in my opinion it's kind of nice that we both like somewhat different things but we also like similar things (for example, I like some of his TV series etc). It's great because we can tell each other about certain things (though I wouldn't mind it if he read a bit more XD), I love telling him what a book was about and what I thought of it. Likewise he tells me about the gameplay of some games and what he thinks of them. Sometimes when he plays, I watch him (while having a book on my lap, possibly headphones on my head for the noises). He knows I love my books and likes that they give me so much fun. I own about 2000ish adult books, and probably about 500ish children's and early teenager's books but I haven't counted them so I'm not sure (only some are on GoodReads). Some are still up the attic in boxes, sometime though I plan to go through all the boxes and see what's inside (then sadly I'll probably have to get rid of some things.. but it'll be good to). I'll have to go through your GoodReads list sometimes, just to see some of the many books you have ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I have close to 500 books, I'm not sure if they are all in goodreads yet. I have them set out in three main categories, fiction, non fiction and SF/Fantasy. They are spilling into every free spot I can find, I have some sitting next to our old fireplace (has a small functioning heater now), some on the tv unit and some on the buffet. I have plans in the future to swap my tv unit (as my books are kept in the lounge) to a smaller one, just so I can squeeze in more bookshelves along that wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I guess a good advantage to having so many books ( besides the fact that they will give you endless years of entertainment ), is the fact that they may reinforce your walls and make your house even sturdier . Kinda like double-decker walls . Let's not think about a day when you may decide to move .... YIKES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 lol We have shelves everywhere! I counted up once, and we have equivalent to 75 bookcases. Practically every possible wall is taken up. The upstairs hall, the downstairs hall, Two walls in the media room, ceiling to floor. It's a large living room, and we have it divided with two rows of back to back bookcases, and another wall in there as well. There is a doubling back staircase in the middle of the house and we have bookcases all around that as well. In the study/computer room the two long walls are built in bookcases. In fact the background in my avatar is a partial picture of one of those walls. Oh, and I converted a hall closet by the front door into a ceiling to floor three sided bookcase. Then there are the stacks in here as well. /sigh/ Fantastic ! * Drools shamelessly* I think that`s a description of my dream home. I`m more into the organic ` pile books on all surfaces and pretend it`s not that bad` mode of decorating. Suddenly my almost 700 TBR seems puny and I may not feel too bad in the future if ( if ?! ) I add to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted July 15, 2013 Share Posted July 15, 2013 I walked past Waterstone's today because I felt bad that mine has crept up to 220 - I should have waltzed in with open arms! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 @Athena...I think your exchanges with your BF sound lovely. Obviously you both are able to listen to and appreciate the other's passions. That is a wonderful thing! @ Devi...Yes, the stacks do have a tendency to pile up, and a smaller tv stand sounds just the ticket. I bet you could find one with shelves too. lol @ Julie...Hah, don't mention the "M" word! I won't think about it. hee hee And, yes, the RH factor, don't they call it? Insulation value in your exterior walls? @ Little Pixie...It's a fantastic mode of decorating....very artistic! If I may say so. lol @ Alexi...Yes! Embrace your inner Waterstones! By all means! You know, I kind of figure that the books are an investment in the future, one never knows if they'll cut down on printing actual books, and we live in hurricane country where the electricity can go out for weeks at the time if a storm really hits us. How would we charge kindles, etc?? Nope, while I like my kindle(s), me like actual books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 15, 2013 Author Share Posted July 15, 2013 Whoops, forgot to mention we bought two books.....another copy of World War Z...Charles is still reading it, and I want to start it as soon as I finish The Kingmakers Daughter. That'll probably be today if I can get off line. Oh, I was able to get the original cover art for this copy, so as his is the movie version it's a bit different. hee hee The other book is his. The Universe in the Rearview Mirror, How Hidden Symmetries Shape Reality by Dave Goldberg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 You know, I kind of figure that the books are an investment in the future, one never knows if they'll cut down on printing actual books, and we live in hurricane country where the electricity can go out for weeks at the time if a storm really hits us. How would we charge kindles, etc?? Nope, while I like my kindle(s), me like actual books.x I agree with this! There'll be less and less paperbooks sold in the future, so it's good to "stock up". I also like my Kindle but overall prefer a paper book. I hope you enjoy the books you just bought . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory 4/5 The Red Queen, named so for the red rose of the House of Lancaster, is the story of pious Margaret Beaufort, mother to the future King Henry VII of England. By will alone she brought her son to the throne of England through several York kings, lastly the infamous King Richard III. Her story is told in first person, as is the prequel The White Queen. This tale dovetails nicely with The White Queen, Elizabeth Woodville's story. The different takes on the events are illuminating, and the bigger picture begins to emerge. I bought this for my mum for her birthday a while back. I'd already bought her The White Queen and she'd liked it, or so I thought. Anyway, she's not liking this one so much, says she's finding it confusing. I suspect it's because she's also watching the tv series of The White Queen which, she tells me, is mixing the storylines from the two books together, so I suspect that's where her confusion lies. it doesn't take much Anyway, I also bought her The Lady of the Rivers, so she'd better buck her ideas up On a slight tangent, last night I finally got around to watching the recent BBC documentary The Last Days of Anne Boleyn, and it had contributions from Phillippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Hilary Mantel. They all have quite different theories on what exactly happened, and why. Unfortunately, they weren't all in the same room together discussing it. If they had been, it would've got violent, I'm convinced. I would've bought popcorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 16, 2013 Share Posted July 16, 2013 x I agree with this! There'll be less and less paperbooks sold in the future, so it's good to "stock up". I also like my Kindle but overall prefer a paper book. I hope you enjoy the books you just bought . Panic buying in case books go out of fashion ? Sounds like a plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 17, 2013 Author Share Posted July 17, 2013 x I agree with this! There'll be less and less paperbooks sold in the future, so it's good to "stock up". I also like my Kindle but overall prefer a paper book. I hope you enjoy the books you just bought . Thanks! I know I will. In fact I'm about a third of the way through World War Z, and enjoying it immensely. I bought this for my mum for her birthday a while back. I'd already bought her The White Queen and she'd liked it, or so I thought. Anyway, she's not liking this one so much, says she's finding it confusing. I suspect it's because she's also watching the tv series of The White Queen which, she tells me, is mixing the storylines from the two books together, so I suspect that's where her confusion lies. it doesn't take much Anyway, I also bought her The Lady of the Rivers, so she'd better buck her ideas up On a slight tangent, last night I finally got around to watching the recent BBC documentary The Last Days of Anne Boleyn, and it had contributions from Phillippa Gregory, Alison Weir, and Hilary Mantel. They all have quite different theories on what exactly happened, and why. Unfortunately, they weren't all in the same room together discussing it. If they had been, it would've got violent, I'm convinced. I would've bought popcorn LOL I have to say that The Red Queen, although fascinating to me, was not as "good" (I know, in the eye of the beholder) as The White Queen. That said....I've read The Kingmaker's Daughter, and absolutely loved it. Review to follow, soon. I'm holding the Lady of the Rivers to the side temporarily...hadda read Z.....husband loves it. And so do I!! Panic buying in case books go out of fashion ? Sounds like a plan. Absolutely. Just because you are paranoid, doesn't mean no one is after you.........always remember that!! /giggle/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 (edited) The Kingmaker's Daughter by Philippa Gregory 5/5 Out of the three books of The Cousin's War series (of 6) that I have read so far, this one is the most compelling. Partially because, I think, it is a culmination of contemporaneous views. We've already seen Elizabeth Grey Woodville's and Margaret Beaufort's versions of the events of the conflict. This book, Anne Neville, Warwick's daughter's view, ties it up beautifully helping us to see the reasons everyone seemed to blame the "other side" for the war. Misunderstandings, distrust and emnity ruled their thinking. And let us not forget old fashioned greed. Or superstion. Anne may be the most innocent of the three. She is a complete pawn all throughout the conflict. First married to a "King", a failed one, widowed of, and daughter of a "traitor" to the York side. Then rescued by Richard, the youngest of the York brothers, she finally comes into her own. Richard III, the youngest of the York boys. Accused of murdering his brother Edwards boys, he has been villified thoughtout history. But what evidence is there, actually of this crime? Gregory presents some very credible versions of what could have happened to the Princes in the Tower, and Richard seems an innocent in this case. I can't wait for the next one to come out...The White Princess. Soon. Soon. Edited July 18, 2013 by pontalba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 18, 2013 Author Share Posted July 18, 2013 The Last Policeman Book II Countdown City by Ben H. Winters arrived in the mail yesterday. It's the second in a trilogy. Detective in a world (ours) that is going to be hit by an asteroid in a couple of months, most police have quit. He doesn't think that is right and keeps on doing his job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Visited the local Library Sale put on by Friends of the Library. Every third weekend. /evil grin/ Hardbacks are 1.00 USD, paperbacks are .50 cents. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (I have a copy, somewhere already, I think...) A Moment on the Edge by Margaret George Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel & Charles W. Bailey II (read this decades ago, very good thriller) Virgin Earth by Philippa Gregory The Finite Element Method by O. C. Zienkiewicz, FRS (husbands for sure! lol) The First Wives Club by Olivia Goldsmith ( saw the film, loved it!) Lovers and Tyrants by Francine duPlessis Gray Hot Night in the City by Trevanian The Death of a President (November 1963) by William Manchester The Great Crash 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith Blood Rain by Michael Dibdin A Mother and Two Daughters by Gail Godwin The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (an author I was actually looking for) Isabella, Queen Without a Conscience by Rachel Bard (Isabella was evidently King John's wife) The sale is open tomorrow as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 19, 2013 Author Share Posted July 19, 2013 Reading the incredible World War Z by Max Brooks we learn exactly what is meant by waging Total Warfare. Essay after essay of survivors of what was the most extraordinary war Mankind has ever fought. This is much the same experience as reading a future newspaper account of war experiences. I am not a "zombie book" fan, usually. This book is something very different though and tells of a happening so terrible, so violent, so difficult for anyone but the most battle hardened veteran to grasp. But we civilians try. Tale after tale, country after country, jungle to tundra, swamp to desert to mountains the stories of survival and battle are so varied and so compelling it is difficult to put the book down. The reader has to know. Has to finally be able to wrap their head around this new entity. The prose is plain and occasionally terse and completely compelling. There are, believe it or not, some laugh out loud moments that take the reader by surprise. This excerpt is taken from a General that has literally seen it all. He explains exactly what Total War consists of: "The book of war, the one we've been writing since one ape slapped another, was completely useless in this situation. We had to write a new one from scratch. All armies, be they mechanized or mountain guerilla, have to abide by three basic restrictions: they have to be bred, fed, and lead." (p.271) The meanings of "bread, led, and fed are pretty obvious. Now, speaking of the Zombies he says: "All human armies need supplies, this army didn't. No food, no ammo, no fuel, not even water to drink or air to breathe! There were no logistics lines to sever, no depots to destroy. You couldn't just surround and starve them out, or let them 'wither on the vine.' Lock a hundred of them in a room and three years later they'll come out just as deadly." (p.272) The narrator/interviewee then goes on to tell how humans/countries are not capable of "total war"...because you'll never get 100% of the people 100% of the time to back it. But that is not the case for the Undead. "For the first time in history, we faced an enemy that was actively waging total war. They had no limits of endurance. They would never negotiate, never surrender. They would fight until the very end because, unlike us. every single one of them,every second of every day, was devoted to consuming all life on Earth. That's the kind of enemy that was waiting for us beyond the Rockies. That's the kind of war we had to fight." (p.273) There is Hope. Highly Recommended. 5+/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 I've seen a few reviews of the movie by people who are big fans of the book. All of them have said that the movie simply does not do justice to the book. Thanks for review, I'm going to add it to my wishlist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 20, 2013 Author Share Posted July 20, 2013 We will be seeing the movie of WWZ probably tomorrow. I'll post about it afterwards. Well, we've been to the second day of the Library Sale. /evil grin/ Majesty, Elizabeth II and the House of Winsor by Robert Lacey Constantine BY Frank G. Slaughter Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn The Fool's Tale by Nichole Galland The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough The Time Tables of American History Editor, Laurence Urdang High Hearts by Rita Mae Brown Structural Styles in Petroleum Exploration by James D. Lowell Cassidy's Run by David Wise The Painter From Shanghai by Jennifer Cody Epstein So Red the Rose by Stark Young Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted July 20, 2013 Share Posted July 20, 2013 Sounds like you'd better find another shelf to start filling it up ! Good finds at the library sale . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Don't know any of the others but i loved The Thorn Birds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 I went on my own shopping spree (again) today! I bought world war z based on your review! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Don't know any of the others but i loved The Thorn Birds x That's great to hear! I picked it up on a book fair a few years ago (no, I haven't read it yet ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Some great books there. Loved Blood Rain - Michael Dibdin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 21, 2013 Author Share Posted July 21, 2013 Sounds like you'd better find another shelf to start filling it up ! Good finds at the library sale . LOL Boy, you are not kidding! But first, have to find some space to put that shelf. Don't know any of the others but i loved The Thorn Birds I read it many years ago, and saw the mini series. Both excellent. This was a hardback copy, and at one dollar, couldn't resist it! I went on my own shopping spree (again) today! I bought world war z based on your review! Oh boy! /nervous/ I hope you like it as much as I did. Some great books there. Loved Blood Rain - Michael Dibdin. I have a couple of his, I've read one quite a while back and enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 We just came back from watching World War Z, the film. Whoa! I'm knocked out. No, they didn't follow the story exactly. LOL Big surprise, huh? But, the changes were not bad, and were interesting in their own right. Only one change really bothered me, well, actually upset me, the fall of Jerusalem. In the book it didn't, and was a successful haven for the uninfected. The overtopping of the wall that was put up was very dramatic, and I know that is what the filmmaker was going for, but.....with all the other horror going on, I felt it was overkill. JMO Plus the film found a "cure", it was just a little too easy. But that sequence was very exciting, I'll admit. Also the source of the plague was not explained in the film, and was in the book. The changes, as I mention in the spoiler were "cinematic events", and did carry the story forward, but just were very different from the book. Oh well. I am not usually a fan of this type of book, or movie. But I thoroughly enjoyed both and would recommend them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted July 24, 2013 Author Share Posted July 24, 2013 Meant to add two more books came today from Amazon. Light of the World by James Lee Burke and The White Princess by Philippa Gregory (next in The Cousin's War) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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