SMF

Following my wife's lead, I've been buying my books on Kindle for about 5 years now. My daughter gave me the Kindle as a Christmas gift. I've told her several times the Kindle is one of my favorite and most useful gifts in a long time. We've got shelves of old books (pre-Kindle) gathering dust upstairs and one of these days I'll finally get around to boxing them up --- and --- ???

Same for the VCR carts and DVD discs.

What are your experiences and/or opinions in this regard?

I'm definitely behind the times, Gary.

I still like printed books. It is much easier to skip around within the text than it is with a digital reader. (And I love my dictionaries.)
My phone is a prepaid flip-phone, which I use mainly for texts and secondarily for the occasional emergency call.
I still use a VCR every week to record programs that come on at a time inconvenient to view them. It still does the job that I need of it.
I still like to watch the occasional movie or documentary on DVD. I even have a couple of favorite old movies on videotape only.
I still shoot film cameras (35mm/135 and 120), though I bought a really nice used DSLR that I need to learn how to use. (It will complement the film cameras, not replace them.)
I also still like fountain pens and mechanical watches.

I used to be on top of all the latest technology, but it got to the point that there was existing tech that did the job with no need to upgrade purely for the sake of having the latest.

You think I might just be getting old?

- Murray

washington black by esi edugyan

brothers wrote: ↑Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:55 pm We've got shelves of old books (pre-Kindle) gathering dust upstairs and one of these days I'll finally get around to boxing them up --- and --- ???

Same for the VCR carts and DVD discs.

What are your experiences and/or opinions in this regard?

Gary, many public libraries accept donations. We have gotten rid of many books this way, but we continue to purchase, so our shelves remain full. That’s OK, though, I love the look of shelves full of books.

I've owned a Kobo in one form or another ever since they were introduced. I still have my favourite physical books, but as some of my well worn paper backs die, I am finding that I am replacing them on my Kobo.

My current read is Watership Down -- a long-time favourite that gets read every year or two. When the pages started falling out from the binding a year and a half ago, I determined to replace it on the Kobo the next time I wanted to pick it up. I like the convenience and lightweight feeling of an e-reader, but always have had mine in a cover so I get the sensation of actually holding what feels like a traditional book in my hands.

Back to Watership Down -- before anyone asks, no I haven't watched the BBC/Netflix show yet. I am waiting for when I can sit down and watch all the episodes back-2-back. I love this story - and even loved the original animated movie. My wife and I went on a date to see that when it first came out -- she fell asleep in the theatre, and I cried my eyes out --- all at 19 yrs old.

Current read is “The Game” by George Howe Colt about the 1968 Harvard-Yale football game, set against the backdrop of the social and political upheaval of the era. Colt is the author of one of my favorite books, “The Big House,” a memoir of the family beach house where he vacationed in his childhood. Anyone who summered at a special house, especially with friends or cousins, would appreciate “The Big House.”

Midnight Line by Lee Child

Tear It Down, a novel in the Peter Ash series by Nick Petrie. Quite good books, sort of thrillers but with a lot of character development.

I know this is a reading post, but I have to say how disappointed I was with the BBC production of Watership Down. They took far too much liberty with the story line in the last 2 episodes. It could have been so much better.

Now - back to what I am reading. I picked up my wife's copy of Becoming by Michelle Obama. And regardless of what you think of her politics -- this is an outstanding read, and a story that is well worth telling. Really finding it a very good read.

Shadow Tyrants by Clive Cussler

The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection by Robert Farrar Capon
Spectacular prose, terrifically funny, quite insightful.

Leisure The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
Quite readable as German philosophy goes and a delightful antidote to a culture of total work.

Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport
Not a call for Luddism so much as a reminder of what life was like as few as 10 (and as many as 2000) years ago...and could be again.

A Jade in Aries, by Donald Westlake

vietnam by max hastings; if you're french, hang your head in shame!

Now I read a book called "Shantaram" by Australian writer, Gregory David Roberts, an autobiography, but parts of it are reportedly fiction as well.
In the year of 1980, while serving a prison sentence in Australia, Roberts escapes to India. And the story begins! I don't want to reveal the entire plot, but the book is absolutely worth reading.
You can read many of rave reviews here
Actually, the reading had captured me so much, I even bailed on my math assignments. So probably I will need the help of this website.
But I don't really care, this book is a gem.

AnabledN, welcome to SMF!

It's a pleasure to find a new member who tells us something about him/herself in their profile. We used to do that a lot, but it has become rare in recent years.

- Murray

Thank you for the kind words, Murray And thank you for telling about yourself too I see you have such a wide range of interests! What cultures and languages are among your favorites?

AnabledN wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2019 3:11 am Now I read a book called "Shantaram" by Australian writer, Gregory David Roberts, an autobiography, but parts of it are reportedly fiction as well.
In the year of 1980, while serving a prison sentence in Australia, Roberts escapes to India. And the story begins! I don't want to reveal the entire plot, but the book is absolutely worth reading.
You can read many of rave reviews here
Actually, the reading had captured me so much, I even bailed on my math assignments. So probably I will need the help of this website.
But I don't really care, this book is a gem.

AnabledN, thank you for bringing this one to my attention. I have read a number of the published reviews of this book. This one's on our list now. The author must have spent considerable time living in India (based on his extensive knowledge of Bombay and the people who inspired the book) before he ended up in prison in Australia. I find it remarkable that the author says he wrote his book 3 times while in prison, and twice it was confiscated, causing him to write it yet again and managed to take the last copy with him when he escaped from prison to go (back?) to India.

AnabledN wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2019 3:11 am Now I read a book called "Shantaram" by Australian writer, Gregory David Roberts, an autobiography, but parts of it are reportedly fiction as well.
In the year of 1980, while serving a prison sentence in Australia, Roberts escapes to India. And the story begins! I don't want to reveal the entire plot, but the book is absolutely worth reading.
You can read many of rave reviews here
Actually, the reading had captured me so much, I even bailed on my math assignments. So probably I will need the help of this website.
But I don't really care, this book is a gem.

I hope your inclusion of a link to an essay writing site was not a sign of things to come. We routinely throw out members who put such links in their posts, as they are here to advertise and not to participate in our love of wetshaving.

drmoss_ca, I got it. I'm here not those things. I really like your community and I appreciate that kindness and responsiveness you all share here.

brothers wrote: ↑Wed Apr 03, 2019 2:28 pm

AnabledN wrote: ↑Tue Apr 02, 2019 3:11 am Now I read a book called "Shantaram" by Australian writer, Gregory David Roberts, an autobiography, but parts of it are reportedly fiction as well.
In the year of 1980, while serving a prison sentence in Australia, Roberts escapes to India. And the story begins! I don't want to reveal the entire plot, but the book is absolutely worth reading.
You can read many of rave reviews here
Actually, the reading had captured me so much, I even bailed on my math assignments. So probably I will need the help of this website.
But I don't really care, this book is a gem.

AnabledN, thank you for bringing this one to my attention. I have read a number of the published reviews of this book. This one's on our list now. The author must have spent considerable time living in India (based on his extensive knowledge of Bombay and the people who inspired the book) before he ended up in prison in Australia. I find it remarkable that the author says he wrote his book 3 times while in prison, and twice it was confiscated, causing him to write it yet again and managed to take the last copy with him when he escaped from prison to go (back?) to India.

brothers, you are welcome. I encourage you to read a follow-up called "The mountain shadow" too.