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Our Daily Thread 5-7-13

Good Morning!

On this day in 1789 the first U.S. Presidential Inaugural Ball was held in New York City.

In 1847 the American Medical Association was organized in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1912 the first airplane equipped with a machine gun flew over College Park, MD.

In 1915 the Lusitania, a civilian ship, was sunk by a German submarine killing 1,201 people.

In 1940 Winston Churchill became British Prime Minister.

In 1945 Germany signed unconditional surrender ending World War II. It took effect the next day.

And in 1975 U.S. President Ford declared an end to the Vietnam War.

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Quote of the Day

“I’ve got to, that’s the whole thing.”

Marshall Will Kane (Gary Cooper)

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And this next one was performed for the first time on May 7th 1824.

And Johannes Brahms was born today.

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QoD

What’s your favorite type/genre of books to read?

54 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 5-7-13”

  3. I like biographies and historical romance. The second because I like to imagine living in that era–whichever one it is.
    I have found lately that I do not enjoy modern romance anymore. First of all it is “mommy porn” and second it has gotten too mystical, what with wiccan, spirits, ghosts, and such other worldly apperitions.
    Mostly right now I have been reading business type books. The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller, EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey, and the One Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.

    The other day on the beach I picked up a Nicholas Sparks book someone left and read it. I have read a few of his books and he has found a winning formula and sticks too it. This latest one is Safe Haven. They made a movie about it. (I think he writes with the end game in mind). Woman in jep. Strong, handsome guy rescues her. It didn’t improve my life in any way but it also didn’t take concentration when I had to stop and re-apply sunscreen. BUT, it also had that mystical story line where the Woman in Jep’s next door neighbor happened to be the Strong Handsome Rescuer’s deceased wife come back to encourage the romance.

    Perhaps I need to dig out my box of Grace Livingston Hill and cleanse my mind?

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  4. All this made me think of one the pitfalls of e-readers. I mentioned above picking up a book that had been left behind and reading it. I even brought it home with me to finish. Book people do that sort of thing. Mr. P accused me of stealing the book. I explained someone left it there for someone else to pick up. I have had strangers in airports approach me with a book they had just finished and ask me if I would like it. From them I learned to do the same. You just can’t do that with a Kindle or Nook.

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  5. I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. But like Kbells, Sci-Fi/Fantasy is my fav. My wife on the other hand reads alot. She won’t watch TV, so she reads instead. She goes thru 10-12 library books every 2-3 weeks. Mostly Mysteries, with some autobiographies and historical fiction thrown in as well.

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  6. I must be the only person in the world who doesn’t know about the Jodi Arias trial. I see that she is accused of killing a boyfriend and the jury is still out. But I didn’t follow it.

    QoD. It depends. Most of you know by now that I’m a voracious reader. But my preference varies. When I traveled a lot, I took books that I call “airport books”. That is books that don’t require lots of deep concentration. I read a 14 book series by Stephen Danielson.
    Since 9/11/01, I have been reading much about Islam, including the Koran. It started with the often mentioned Terrorist Hunter. It included everything Joel Rosenberg has written so far. I have read everything I know that Tolkien has written, and most of Clancy’s work, including non-fiction. I report on some of the books I finish if I think it’s of interest to anyone here. But only those books that affect me somehow. I was once on a Sci-Fi kick, but not recently.

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  7. But, Kim, here’s what you CAN do. I had a Kindle and then got an iPad, on which I downloaded the Kindle app (same account). I gave the Kindle to my two-person-book-club friend and now when one of us downloads a book, we can both read it. We don’t see each other often, so e-mail something like “I downloaded [name of book] and am really liking it. Give it a try.”

    Now that I think about it, I hope that isn’t illegal or unethical.

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  8. I read in a lot of genres. I own a lot of poetry books but haven’t read much poetry recently. Biographies are definitely a favorite. Classic fiction, a little bit of science fiction, good mysteries, and children’s books would encompass most of my fiction reading. In nonfiction, I read theology, books related to a given skill, some relationship books. I tend to read 50-100 books a year, though it has been fewer the last two or three years.

    I tend to read in “spurts.” I won’t get a chance to read much for pleasure for a few weeks, and then I read a book every day or two for a couple weeks (in my single days, anyway), and then continue to read a couple books a week for a while. This week I’ve already started two new books, a fiction and a nonfiction, although I imagine it will be a few days before I get to read much more in either, or in the other books I’m already reading. But I’ll probably read five to ten books this month unless I get another big project in–we let our library card expire, and we’re going to renew it this month. And I also have several new books I’m waiting for a chance to read, besides the two I just started.

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  9. Good Morning, Y’all!

    Haven’t stopped in much lately…high stakes testing in full swing!

    QOD: Enjoy many different genres…but the writer has to be a good storyteller.

    Have a blessed day…and say a little prayer for my sophomores…

    inbutnotof

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  10. The book the Kid and I read this weekend was an interesting idea that was IMHO badly done. The writer tried to take the overdone sci-fi theme of time travel and give it a Christian spin. The Characters were very children’s book stereotypes; Brainy nerd, tomboyish token girl, ethic minority jock and bully, complete with “doughy skin and piggish eyes.” Then the writer tried to write some light, funny, dialogue, which was very out of place considering one of the charterer’s father had just died. I’m one of those people who doesn’t care how good the plot is, if I don’t find the characters interesting the whole book’s a bust.

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  11. Biography, memoir and historical fiction are all my favorites. I do read theological books on the treadmill. I do peruse recipe books and craft books often.

    I have had books loaned to me on my kindle from others or from my library. It is legal to loan them for a couple of weeks. You cannot access them during that time, however. This is different than Linda’s use, though. I read on whatever kindle my husband is not on at the time. We’ve never been reading the same thing at the same time.

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  18. QoD: Fantasy (though not SciFi), historical novels, modern Christian writers like Dee Henderson or Joel Rosenberg. I confess I’ve even read all of my husband’s Louis L’Amours – but those are for light easy reading when sitting in the sun on the deck. My mom was a fan of Grace Livingston Hill, so I inherited quite a few of those as well 🙂
    I rarely read non-fiction, not sure why, maybe it’s because I need to have a happy ending or I am grumpy/down for a week or more after finishing a book. If someone recommends a book to me, I always ask if it has a happy ending and won’t read it if it doesn’t. I wonder if that’s because I like to get lost in a book and it becomes ‘real’ to me.

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  19. I enjoy reading Christian nonfiction inspirational and Christian fiction (contemporary preferred and historical enjoyed almost as much).I would like to go back and read some of the classics, too. Someone recommended reading The Stand by Stephen King so I will try to read it although it is much longer than what I typically read. I used to really enjoy the writings of Michener and Hemingway. I am one who also loves a good children’s picture book.

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  21. Janice,

    The Stand is an excellent book. But remember, it is Stephen King, so it’s still in the horror/fantasy genre. But as far as post-apocalytic thrillers go, it’s the best ever written IMHO..

    Randall Flagg is who I always think of when someone says evil mastermind. Every evil villian needs a side-kick, the TrashCan Man is his. Some of King’s best work.

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  24. I have never read any of King but have seen the movie The Shining.

    I am glad you mentioned Flagg. That is the name of the evil character in a book I recently read, Chasing Christmas, by Steven Hunt. I wrote a review of that book on Amazon. It seems in some ways to be a mashup of some classics. It was wonderful. I wondered about the name Flagg. Now I know!

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  25. The Kindle is wonderful for the classics because they’re all free.

    I have some quirks about reading. I won’t ever read two books at once and I won’t start a new book on the same day that I finish one. I used to have a rule that I had to finish a book if I started it but I gave that up. I’ll no longer waste time on a bad one.

    That might be a good alternate QoD – what books have you started and abandoned? And why?

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  27. I used to love Fantasy, but it holds much less of an interest for me recently, partly to do with the “infiltration” (similar to Kim’s issues) of fairy sex and vampires. These are not my cup of tea.

    Recently, I’ve been enjoying a good mystery/thriller. I even tend to prefer Christian ones, which — if you knew me — you would know that such a preference is odd. I normally detest “preachy” explicitly Christian books/games/movies/art. I think that the worldview is important, but get completely turned off when it gets explicit and preachy. ;-p

    In our household, we all share ONE Amazon account and one iTunes account. So, all our ebooks and apps. are shared amongst multiple devices. Neither company seems to have a problem with that (and why should they? We’d share any regular books or cds we purchased as well.) Technically, software companies, though, think that you should purchase a copy of their software for EACH computer using it, but we don’t believe that is reasonable. Within our household, one copy is enough.

    However, the minute something leaves our household (i.e. my Dad wants it too, or my brother, or a friend), then we buy them their own copy.

    That is how we feel about the ethics of such things: within our immediate family — we share. Outside our immediate family, we may “lend” it first to see if someone likes it, but — if they do — we purchase them their own copy. Seems fair to us, but technically, it does break some copyright rules. 😦

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  28. I do also enjoy a good theology book, especially one oriented on apologetics.

    I also read (on and off) good self-help books: especially those oriented on nutrition and health.

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  29. I have multiple books in process at once. 🙂

    But, I too used to feel that I needed to finish any book I started. Recently — especially with the number of free and cheap ebooks available — I revised that opinion. If it is a poorly written book, or just doesn’t capture my attention, then I abandon it … usually for good.

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  31. I also only read one at a time.
    I don’t remember the names of most books I’ve started and not finished. I do remember a book called The Passover Plot, but I checked the author on Amazon and it is a guy named Schoenfeld. I didn’t remember it that way, but evidently so. I started as an honest attempt to see his reasoning. But after several of chapters, he had so many “presumably”, “we must assume”, “apparently”, etc. that I gave up. If he has some real evidence, he doesn’t present it. Later, I also tried to read, The Incredible Christian by him, but only got a couple of chapters when he kept saying, “As I showed in my previous book….” I gave up. He hadn’t proved anything to me.
    I have, on my table, a copy of L. Ron Hubbard’s Black Genesis that I keep telling myself I’m going to read someday. Someday, when I have time.

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  32. I always have a bunch of books I am reading at the same time. Right now I am trying to finish two books I have promised to review, Home Run, and a devotional, Where God Finds You. I am also reading Michelle’s book, Bridging Two Hearts, which is very good. I also recently read Live Like a Missionary: Giving Your Life for What Matters Most by Jeff Iorg. It was used by a presenter at the WMU conference and then I used it for a very short talk at our church WMU meeting. My husband and I have started back to our reading in Borders of the Heart by Chris Fabry for our commute. Our whole family reads a lot. I am the slowest reader of us three. My brother likes to read history and some politics, especially Michael Medved (sp?). My husband reads lots of mystery and spy type novels and he likes Bill Bryson’s writings.

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  35. I’ve debated it, Kim, but you have to remember housing prices in CA do not reflect reality. Indeed, it’s mostly fantasy and Sci Fi out here and I’d hate to frighten you with how very expensive every thing is!

    I will say, it looks like my husband bought me a house with a park out the kitchen window. A park I think I can actually take care of with my bad hands–mature, drought-tolerant, easy to care for shrubbery.

    That would be the back yard, not me. 🙂

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  37. I have been known to keep one book at work to read on breaks and at lunch and another at home on the night stand. I think I read two John Grisham that way. Which reminds me I sometimes like legal mystery or what ever you call books about lawyers.

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  38. Congratulations, michelle, that was very fast — is it very far from your old house? Still, moving is such a bear, no matter how far (or how close) you’re going. What’s your favorite part about it? Bigger, smaller than the old one? Wish I could start over in the backyard that I have. Sigh. A dedicated gardener I’m not.

    Theology, Christian nonfiction, some Christian self-help or on topics such as prayer, etc.; and for fun, mystery/suspense/thriller. Some of King’s early things were good (The Stand was good), but he became too dark & bloody for me at around Cujo, with too many swear words per page. It just got old.

    Clancy, Grisham, both good, currently reading Micheal Connelly’s latest and a book by Elise Fitzpatrick, one of my favorite female Christian authors of late.

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  40. I forgot to mention that I am currently reading “Great Expectations.” As much as I read, it’s hard to believe that I’ve never read any Dickens.

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  41. Linda, for years Dickens has been my “airport reading.” It sometimes takes a while to know his characters enough to really care what’s going on, and I’ve found that traveling by plane usually gives one a god number of reading hours: waiting for the plane and flying, and any time between flights. By the time I get to my destination I’m well into the book. Usually I read it a bit more over the next few days, but if not I pick it up again as I travel home. (I usually take a nonfiction book with me as well.)

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  42. I remember reading that John Irving (Garp, Cider House Rules, etc.) said his favorite author is Dickens. He said he’s read all but one and hopes that when it comes his time to die, he’ll have enough notice to be able to read that last one before he goes.

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  43. I don’t care for science fiction. It is always so bleak and hopeless.
    I like Jonathan and Faye Kellerman. I like Robert Ludlam, John Grisham, and books that offer hope or understanding. I like a good ending that makes me smile. Not one that makes me want to slash my wrists.

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  44. The worse book I think I’ve ever read from a “depressing” standpoint was “The House of Sand and Fog.” After I read the last page, I walked over to the trash can and dropped it in.

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  45. Wow, Kim, slash your wrists from reading a book? I have never felt like that. I enjoy a happy ending but if a story is otherwise then I usually attribute it to a lack of relationship with God and think how it could have turned out better with the inclusion of God in the mix. I also look for lessons to be learned from bad choices portrayed in the book, and sometimes I may end up thanking God that my life did not have the problems described in the book. Happy endings do not always make me feel happy if I compare my life experiences with them. I remember when I was in an unhappy time in a church and I was reading Christian fiction about a person being treated really in a super and uplifting way by people at church. It made me sad to think that is how it could be but wasn’t for me.

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  47. QoD: It is hard to say what is my favorite genre of book. I read all the classic fiction I can lay my hands on – I am currently going through Anthony Trollope’s Barchester Chronicles – and that covers a lot of sub-genres: from the greatest detective novel ever written, Wilkie Collins’ The Moonstone; to the best romances by Austen and Bronte; to good science fiction like C.S. Lewis’ Out of the Silent Planet; to fine historical novels (A Tale of Two Cities). I like poetry in anthologies – no single poet can hold my attention for a full volume. Shakespeare and a few other classic plays are entertaining to read, but most have too many stage directions to really enjoy the dialogue. For pure relaxation, I turn to short stories – I have read and reread all of Chesterton’s short stories and most of O Henry’s, and they never grow stale.

    I love to read eyewitness historical accounts – things like Julius Caesar’s account of his campaign in Gaul, and even Boswell’s Life of Johnson. There is another class of non-fiction which I cannot name, as it falls somewhere between essay and narrative, which I enjoy reading; books like The Stories of English, a book on the history of the English language or Salt, a History of the World which shows how the human need for salt has helped shape history. I also read collections of essays by classic and modern authors on all kinds of topics to broaden my horizons.

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  48. I enjoyed the “Raising Arrow Children” article, Janice. Thank you. 🙂

    As always, AJ, thanks for the classical music videos. Beethoven and Brahms — ooh, shiver — two of the best! 🙂

    QoD: I have had such an insatiable appetite for more learning in the last 10 to 15 years that almost all of the reading I’ve done in that time has been non-fiction. I tend to delve in deeply on a certain subject for a few years, then on to another after that, and so on: parenting books, homeschooling, health and nutrition, autism. They’ve all had their turns. I just don’t have (or don’t make) the time to read fiction very often.

    I have become a bit more eclectic in my reading tastes lately, though, since learning of the many free kindle books available at Amazon. I’ve downloaded about 30 of them, a few of which are fiction, to my Kindle Cloud Reader on my computer in the last couple months. I’ve only read three of the Kindle books so far, though. It’s easy to say, “Oh, this sounds good” and just order it and not have to worry about having to finish a book by a due date.

    Reading multiple books at once, or one at a time: I’m hardly ever in just one. I like to compare multiple sources on a given topic, and it’s easier for me if I’m reading similar books all at once. If I read more fiction, though, I think I would get confused about what happened in which book if I was reading more than one at a time, so I would probably opt for only one fiction book at a time. Sometimes it’s hard enough remembering which characters said or did what in the one book you’re reading, let alone keeping all the characters and plot development straight among several books.

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  49. Question for all the more technologically-literate people here (that’s all of you compared to me). 😉

    I downloaded a bunch of e-books over the weekend. Most of them are PDFs, and I have no trouble opening and reading them. However, the ones that are in ZIP files I can’t figure out how to access so I can read them. I have Windows 7, and every set of directions I’ve found about how to open zip files does not work for me. Help appreciated.

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  50. I was just watching a game on the MLB Network. Toronto pitcher J.A. Happ was hit in the head by a line drive back at him. It’s pretty bad. I was surprised they even showed the replay. He was down and bleeding and left on a stretcher. Praying he’s OK.

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  51. Phos, I once went to a history program at the county library that was about the salt rations during the Civil War. Those records were some of the only places where ladies first names could be found since they were often known only as Mrs. Man’s Name. I thought that was interesting.

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  53. Aj, that does sound bad. Baseball’s not nearly as ‘dangerous’ as football, but there are times like that when a line drive shot right at someone can really be scary.

    I was going to give up sugar today. But then someone brought donuts in to the newsroom. Sigh. I held out until the very end of the day when I had to do one last story on a freeway crash (no life-threatening injuries). After getting off the phone with the fire spokesman, I broke down and took half a donut.

    I’ll plan to give up sugar tomorrow. 😉

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