What are you reading currently?
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@Catfish_Fan - I just finished The Cerulean Sea and really enjoyed it.
Now reading The Sea Gate- Jane Johnson.
@LadyCalico2 & @FitMary202 - love your reviews. If it's a book I really want to read, your reviews won't dissuade me. Right now I'm trying to find ways to curb the growing of my TBR pile. Can't say I have found anything that works - just went up north for the weekend and got 4 more for the stack from an independent bookstore that I love. There sign on their door read -Management not responsible for lack of shelf control.
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There is a guy in a town next to me that was asked by the public libraries and Goodwill to stop donating used books. He is a bookseller and has infinity used books to donate, so this past weekend he had a sale (fill a bag for $7) in his driveway consisting of 15,000 used books. No, I didn't go…
I looked it up and Goodwill sells our donations of used books to Thriftbooks by the pallet, they don't actually sort them out and put many on their shelves. I'm torn as I was about to donate six large boxes to Goodwill, now I don't know? It seems like this guy could take them (he actually picks up collections with a truck if they are large enough), I don't really know a good way to dispose of six more boxes of random used books. I have to find out if the guy has a donation bin and where?
I had NINE full-sized bookshelves and by culling the books I have read and specifically targeting those on the shelves over library loans I am down to FIVE (one is a half-shelf).
I do not want to ever need to move that many books to a new house ever again. I collect books still, but on my Kindle, not in print. I rely on public libraries for e-book lending too, and fear that those may be going away with the Administration cuts to everything. Already I have been cut off from my out-of-state membership to Houston, I still have one at Queens (not any more let people do that for a fee, that I know of). I live in a rural area and don't have a robust physical library anywhere nearby, it's all digital lending now. I can't pay full price for many at Amazon, and kindle book sales are spotty and jumbled (monthly deals and daily deals).
I'm going to have to start using Kindle Unlimited more often, as my public library selection shrinks, I guess.
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When ebooks started becoming popular I thought that they would be more affordable than real books. That doesn't seem to be the case to me. I hope you find a solution to your lending quandary.
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E-books aren't cheaper, they started out that way but the publishers fixed the prices between retailers and got sued. One of those deals where they pay a fine and get to keep doing it? Unless you get them on a $1.99 or $2.99 sale (Amazon does that but you have to pay very close attention). The thing with those is that it's a gimmick and they will sell you book 1 of a series for that price, and $10+ for the rest. Getting a bunch of books from a series requires a library or a large income. Unfortunately, that is the political climate we are in at the moment, a bunch of people with very high incomes do not value libraries or lower income people…
I used to buy books from Thriftbooks when they were $3 each, but now a Very Good condition hardcover is $8+ on there. That is why I hesitate to sell (or donate) to them, they resell my books for a lot of money but won't pay $1 each for any through the buy-back program. I bought a lot of hardcover books at $3 each back in 2010-2019. Those were possibly a mistake because they are really heavy, try to move a bankers box of them! Or over 25 of those boxes.
It's Tsundoku (that Japanese word for collecting books that go unread) and I've come to rely on libraries and e-books to fill the niche. Prices for the libraries are going up from the publishers while money is being cut, limiting selection and creating 6 month wait lines for a lot of stuff.
I did get a deal on KU by buying myself a 2 year "gift" subscription. Maybe I just read too much, and I should join the rest of society by dumbing down to marathoning Netflix series?
Amazon really needs to make these challenges a little bit more difficult 😁. Spring Kindle Challenge complete with 2 weeks to go.
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Oh, this discussion is all too timely for me as my book shelves are burgeoning and spreading across the floors of my workroom, dining room, bedroom, living room… I'm going to try to cull and carry at least some to my local library. They still do a sale. Goodwill no longer accepts books at all…
No shelf control is hilarious! And tsundoku is real…
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Goodwill still takes them in the midwest, I had to double check. The library sale is in a gymnasium and is all sorted by hardcover, paperback, nonfiction or cookbooks, and it would take a whole day to shop it and cherry pick the books, who has the time? $5 for a paper sack full! The smaller town sale was under tents outside during the river festival, about 40 tables of unsorted books to go through. I suspect they recycle most of the books that are donated. That guy with the sale in his driveway said he tried selling online through EBay and Amazon and only moved 1-2%. I suspect he has a way to recycle all those old copies of The DaVinci Code that nobody wants anymore.
I’m finishing House Harkonnen today (it is 26 hours on audio) and I think I might try The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley that I checked out at the library later today. It’s a 1980s fantasy that was nominated for a Newberry Award for a great children’s novel so I don’t know what to expect. Much shorter, 12 audio hours.2 -
Really enjoying The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It's a very creative recasting of a character from Jane Eyre, presenting the person from a much broader and more interesting perspective. I wouldn't have read it if I hadn't slogged my way through Caryl Phillips's "biography" of Jean Rhys. Sort of "meta-" but I feel richer for having read this.
As a palate cleanser, I've got Dave Berry's new book, Class Clown. The Blue Sword sounds fun!
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Trying to slog through Fenimore Cooper's Last of the Mohicans. So far I'm having trouble understanding why it's famous…
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I am reading and enjoying House Corrino (Prelude to Dune Book 3) by Brian Herbert. I might rate this one 5 stars. The others in this series, that occurs directly before the book Dune, hooked me, and this one is the best of them.
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You inspired me! I saw an upcoming book sale announced at the library so we took 7 big bags of books down there. Hooray! Now to schedule an out-of-town trip for the days of the sale… 😉
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Thanks for the intel on the Dune prequel series. I was wondering if it would be worth the read.
I finished Sea Gate - Jane Johnson - 5 stars - was a different sort of WWII story. I enjoyed it a lot.
Next up Holly - Stephen King. About one of the characters from the Mr. Mercedes series.
Maybe I can find a local tsundoku support group. The problem is real.
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Tsundoku Support Group!!
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The Crimson Moth duology by Kristen Ciccarelli (Heartless Hunter and Rebel Witch) are good and fun for YA fantasy. I am 1/3 finished with book 2.
Maybe because it was released in 2025 it will show up on a Goodreads Nomination for best YA fantasy and I can actually vote for something? I haven't read many books lately that have been released this year, finding more access to older books that are Mt. TBR, and I can't make myself vote for books I haven't read in that Reader's Choice poll.
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I'm skeptical of many of the books that end on those Reader's Choice polls any way. More than one ended up as DNF on my list…
Brought home another Guido Brunetti book. They're calming so I decided to treat myself to one over the weekend.
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Goodreads Readers Choice is an author or book buzz popularity contest, that they allow one to vote for books that are not on a person's "Read" shelf in the first place is suspicious. I can't in good conscience vote for a book that I have not read. But millions of people can and do.
I'm switching after finishing the second book in the fantasy duology and reading the latest Jack Reacher novel (#29, In Too Deep) by Lee and Andrew Child (not sure if Andrew who is a pen name is entirely writing these on his own now as planned and Lee's name is on there for the coattails still?)
My mother is trying to sell my books before I give them all to Goodwill. I am not very hopeful, but she thinks more optimistically. For me it is a waste of time to deal with a buyer and arrange a pickup/meet, which half of the people stand you up at, for the $25, which somebody will dicker down to $20. But she is welcome to try and keep the money. I am not on Facebook so have no access to Marketplace to sell things.
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My mother got 900 clicks on the listing for my books, and sold them to a lady who then stood us up and didn't come. She had 5 conversations with potential buyers going at the same time. Now I think they are going to Goodwill, this is way too much hassle for $25.
I made it yesterday through book #100 for the first half of 2025. I hit my yearly goal in 6 months on the last day.
Tonight I am starting Hyperion, by Dan Simmons, which won some sci-fi awards for being the best in 1990. I have heard great things about the series (The Hyperion Cantos, four books) but am finding it hard to get into to start. I began last evening but I was tired and I couldn't follow what was going on through the first 25 pages or so, I am going to have to backtrack so I don't miss anything important at the beginning.
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One of the books in my box that was asked about specifically is Tai Pan by James Clavell. I remember buying it at an estate sale, some elderly person had passed and the family was cleaning out. I took a closer look and found that what I have is a First Edition hardcover printed in 1966, which may be a “vintage rare book”. The condition is only Fine, not Good or Very Good, it is very old. It does have a dust jacket and that has original plastic on it as protection. The spine could be in better shape. A bit of scuffing on the bottom edges. It belonged (according to the address label inside) to a man from Detroit which is on the opposite side of the state. I’m putting that one aside, Goodwill doesn’t get it. I’m curious to look into videos about restoring old books, book spine glue or whatever to make it in better shape. It is going back into my collection until I can find a REAL interested buyer, or I may just keep it. Looking online the closest match I could find for sale is a similar condition first edition hardcover in South Africa for $55 US (which would need a conversion fee). Hmm, what to do? I believe I have a find but I also believe that I would be ripped off by a used book store, and I am a bit uncertain about my ability to restore it properly myself. Not going to experiment with this old gem. Maybe my dad’s cousin who is a retired librarian would know better than me where to take it or where to get it restored for my personal collection?
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Nice catch, @Catfish_Fan ! Restoration is tricky so I think you're wise to consult a professional. It's amazing that you've read 100 books already this year!
I just finished What Kind of Paradise. It was a quick and enjoyable read, very topical and engagingly written. A friend at the gym yesterday recommended Dr. No by Percival Everett so I'm going to find that one. I had to abandon The Last of the Mohicans. It was just too much seemingly wasted effort. I finished Wide Sargasso Sea, which was quite interesting, and I'll finish Quietly in Their Sleep today. I guess it's the romance of Venice that keeps me coming back to Donna Leon.
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Middlegame by Seanan McGuire was an absolutely wonderful, fantastical book. I now have a book hangover. I am excited to start book two in the series but not tonight.
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