Rate the last book you read

[ethiostar]

[ I can agree with your last point; I do miss the feel of the page. I Download all my books from torrent sites so I don't pay for any of them. Most the classics are free anyway. I have the Gen 1 Kindle and it's not like a computer screen at all--can't speak for the new ones they have come out with, though.

I have downloaded a free e-reader for my macbook pro. Also, in addition to what I can find from itunes store, I found a website from which I downloaded a lot of the classics. Although, I have yet to read anyone of them.

If you want to share some links for sites that have ebooks outside of the classics I would greatly appreciate it. You can PM me.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Did you do Diamond Head / Hanauma Bay?

No... went past DH.

Went to Polynesian Cultural Center on the other side of the island.

 

[Phrozen Phil]

Not so much I don't like it but I have a few reasons that I haven't bought one yet.

First, I have over a hundred or so books (maybe closer to two hundred )I have purchased (mostly from a used book store) over the last couple of years that I have yet to read. I need to finish reading those before I consider buying an e-reader.

Second, prices for e-books are a bit too high, IMO. I can buy used books for $3.50 or less from a store near my house. I have had a very good relationship with them so I can give them a list of books to look out for and they will set them aside for me when they come in and call me. When I'm done reading them I take them back to the same store and get $2 or so credit, which I can use to buy other used books. At the rate with which I read books, on average 2 books a week, that is more palatable for our budget. We have two kids (these suckers cost a lot of money) and we've been saving to buy a house. I should also say that I do buy few new books but those are rare and usually are books I can't find at the used book store/online or are books I've been waiting for a long time to be published and I can't wait for them to be available as used books.

Third, I hate reading more than a couple of pages on a computer screen. I am a researcher and an evaluation specialist by trade so I spend a lot of time reading and writing for a living everyday. If I have to read a document and it is more than two pages I have to print it on recycled paper. Maybe e-readers are different, I won't know until I actually spend some time using one.

Lastly, I really like reading paperbacks and hardbacks. There is something about it that is comforting to me. I can't really explain this last part but it just is.

In the end, I just think I am a cheap old fart who can't seem to get with the times.

A good strategy for an ardent reader. I got a Kindle prior to my heart surgery two years ago and I love it. When I travel, it's all I have to take. It's not like reading from a computer screen as the letters are dark grey on a light grey background. For an older reader, it's very easy on the eyes. Like you, I look for cheap paperbacks ( and cheap used hard covers) and will get those when they're available. The ebooks are all over the map in price and I won't overpay for a book.

My most recent read is King's Under the Dome, and I will freely admit that I wanted to read it when I heard they were bringing it out for TV. I enjoyed it and found elements of the Stand in it. Characters were well developed and you could indentify with them. I still think The Stand is his Opus and I've re-read it more than once. I'm currently reading the final book in the Wheel of Time series and I'm enjoying it. It's really for Robert Jordan Fans and the multiple story lines are being drawn together in this epic. You're better to have a hard cover version of this or have a map of that world handy for reference.

I enjoy this thread and have looked for books more thana few times, based on suggestions here.

 

[junk]

Not so much I don't like it but I have a few reasons that I haven't bought one yet.

First, I have over a hundred or so books (maybe closer to two hundred )I have purchased (mostly from a used book store) over the last couple of years that I have yet to read. I need to finish reading those before I consider buying an e-reader.

Second, prices for e-books are a bit too high, IMO. I can buy used books for $3.50 or less from a store near my house. I have had a very good relationship with them so I can give them a list of books to look out for and they will set them aside for me when they come in and call me. When I'm done reading them I take them back to the same store and get $2 or so credit, which I can use to buy other used books. At the rate with which I read books, on average 2 books a week, that is more palatable for our budget. We have two kids (these suckers cost a lot of money) and we've been saving to buy a house. I should also say that I do buy few new books but those are rare and usually are books I can't find at the used book store/online or are books I've been waiting for a long time to be published and I can't wait for them to be available as used books.

Third, I hate reading more than a couple of pages on a computer screen. I am a researcher and an evaluation specialist by trade so I spend a lot of time reading and writing for a living everyday. If I have to read a document and it is more than two pages I have to print it on recycled paper. Maybe e-readers are different, I won't know until I actually spend some time using one.

Lastly, I really like reading paperbacks and hardbacks. There is something about it that is comforting to me. I can't really explain this last part but it just is.

In the end, I just think I am a cheap old fart who can't seem to get with the times.

Book prices, especially for older books, are out of whack on e-readers. No way should an old Stephen King book, which I can find at a used book store for $2, should cost $9 on an e-reader.

However, many libraries now have digital lending libraries. They are growing daily and you can get some decent titles on there with nothing more than a library card and a PC.

I love my Kindle. It is the best way to read when traveling (especially on airplanes) and, in most cases, I'll always try to read something on my Kindle as opposed to a normal book. The one exception is if I'm heading to the beach. I like to grab an old paperback that I don't care if it gets wet, sandy or left on a beach chair.

 

[ethiostar]

A good strategy for an ardent reader. I got a Kindle prior to my heart surgery two years ago and I love it. When I travel, it's all I have to take. It's not like reading from a computer screen as the letters are dark grey on a light grey background. For an older reader, it's very easy on the eyes. Like you, I look for cheap paperbacks ( and cheap used hard covers) and will get those when they're available. The ebooks are all over the map in price and I won't overpay for a book.

My most recent read is King's Under the Dome, and I will freely admit that I wanted to read it when I heard they were bringing it out for TV. I enjoyed it and found elements of the Stand in it. Characters were well developed and you could indentify with them. I still think The Stand is his Opus and I've re-read it more than once. I'm currently reading the final book in the Wheel of Time series and I'm enjoying it. It's really for Robert Jordan Fans and the multiple story lines are being drawn together in this epic. You're better to have a hard cover version of this or have a map of that world handy for reference.

I enjoy this thread and have looked for books more thana few times, based on suggestions here.

I'm sure I'll eventually get an ereader at some point. God knows my wife has been trying to get me one for a while because she is so tired of my seeing books taking over almost all shelves in the house. :laugh2:

I have the first couple of books of the Wheel of Time series but I have yet to read them. I've heard a lot of good reviews on them. Exactly how many books are there in the series? I have heard contradictory information on that.

 

[ethiostar]

Book prices, especially for older books, are out of whack on e-readers. No way should an old Stephen King book, which I can find at a used book store for $2, should cost $9 on an e-reader.

However, many libraries now have digital lending libraries. They are growing daily and you can get some decent titles on there with nothing more than a library card and a PC.

I love my Kindle. It is the best way to read when traveling (especially on airplanes) and, in most cases, I'll always try to read something on my Kindle as opposed to a normal book. The one exception is if I'm heading to the beach. I like to grab an old paperback that I don't care if it gets wet, sandy or left on a beach chair.

I have thought about ereaders when I have traveled carrying a few books in my backpack. Like I said in the other post, I will eventually get one and its nice to hear I can get an ebook from a library.

 

[VietCowboy]

finished listening to the first Dresden Files book, Storm Front. It was pretty good! I saw the series on Amazon Prime (free), so looked up the book series. Pretty interesting world.

 

[ethiostar]

finished listening to the first Dresden Files book, Storm Front. It was pretty good! I saw the series on Amazon Prime (free), so looked up the book series. Pretty interesting world.

The series isn't too bad. Its a bit hit or miss though from book to book. I just finished reading Death Masks (book 5) and it was entertaining.

 

[Khartun]

I have the first couple of books of the Wheel of Time series but I have yet to read them. I've heard a lot of good reviews on them. Exactly how many books are there in the series? I have heard contradictory information on that.

There are 14 books in the series plus I believe a prequel. The last book in the series was just recently published. I have just started the first one myself. The last few books were written by Brandon Sanderson with help from notes Jordan left before he died.

As for ereaders I recommend an eInk reader. Don't get one that looks like a tablet, like the Fire. The screen is shiny and will bother your eyes. The eInk is better IMO. I have a Nook Glowlight and I love it. I won't read paper again. I actually purchased a book for my Nook that I already had in paper but I prefer to read the Nook. Also, get one with a light built in, the Glowlight or the Paperwhite is I believe Amazon's. It is definitely worth it.

 

[ragman]

I'm sure I'll eventually get an ereader at some point. God knows my wife has been trying to get me one for a while because she is so tired of my seeing books taking over almost all shelves in the house. :laugh2:

I have the first couple of books of the Wheel of Time series but I have yet to read them. I've heard a lot of good reviews on them. Exactly how many books are there in the series? I have heard contradictory information on that.

The main series is 14 books. There is a prequel to the series called New Spring, which takes place about 20 years before the main series. While I have not read New Spring, I have read all 14 books of the main series. You have to be VERY patient in reading this series. The books are long. The first 4 are very good. The last 3 are very good. It's the middle books that are the problem. Robert Jordan, the author, keeps adding characters and subplots, so that it's hard to keep track of what's going on sometimes.

 

[ethiostar]

There are 14 books in the series plus I believe a prequel. The last book in the series was just recently published. I have just started the first one myself. The last few books were written by Brandon Sanderson with help from notes Jordan left before he died.

As for ereaders I recommend an eInk reader. Don't get one that looks like a tablet, like the Fire. The screen is shiny and will bother your eyes. The eInk is better IMO. I have a Nook Glowlight and I love it. I won't read paper again. I actually purchased a book for my Nook that I already had in paper but I prefer to read the Nook. Also, get one with a light built in, the Glowlight or the Paperwhite is I believe Amazon's. It is definitely worth it.

The main series is 14 books. There is a prequel to the series called New Spring, which takes place about 20 years before the main series. While I have not read New Spring, I have read all 14 books of the main series. You have to be VERY patient in reading this series. The books are long. The first 4 are very good. The last 3 are very good. It's the middle books that are the problem. Robert Jordan, the author, keeps adding characters and subplots, so that it's hard to keep track of what's going on sometimes.

Thank you!

 

[Kristen82]

Read Fahrenheit 451 recently. Couldn't put it down. My lit prof uncle suggested I put some classics like Watership Down, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange, etc. on my summer reading list.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Read Fahrenheit 451 recently. Couldn't put it down. My lit prof uncle suggested I put some classics like Watership Down, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange, etc. on my summer reading list.

Check out the NPR list. I posted it around 10 pages back. It has all the books you listed and more like them. Sounds like you enjoy disutopian fiction, which are my fav. If you haven't read them yet check out 1984 and A Brave New World.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Just read "The Beast of Boggy Creek" which is a recent book chronicling the exploits of the Fouke Monster over the last 100 years.

Went to the movie theater to watch "The Legend of Boggy Creek" when it was released in 1972. I was a kid and it both scared the bejesus out of me and fascinated me at the same time.

 

[ethiostar]

Read Fahrenheit 451 recently. Couldn't put it down. My lit prof uncle suggested I put some classics like Watership Down, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange, etc. on my summer reading list.

Excellent reads.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

Read Fahrenheit 451 recently. Couldn't put it down. My lit prof uncle suggested I put some classics like Watership Down, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange, etc. on my summer reading list.

Watership Down is my favorite book.

I've recently read:

Day Of The Jackal / Frederick Forsyth - I like it, but it was way too English for my taste.

The Dog Stars / Peter Heller - It's an end of world apocalyptic book, but not the zombie driven morbid type. It's a fantastic book about a man and his dog who take refuge at an abandoned air field in the mountains of Colorado.

Skeletons On The Zahara / Dean King - It's a true story of a U.S. ship that wrecked off the coast of Africa in 1815. The entire crew is captured and enslaved by nomadic Sahrawi nomads. It's a brutal memoir of the crews time spent in the Sahara Desert.

 

[Khartun]

Excellent reads.

No love for Watership? or you just haven't read it? I love Watership Down.

 

[ethiostar]

No love for Watership? or you just haven't read it? I love Watership Down.

Haven't read it but I will keep an eye out for it.

 

[Fletch]

I don't read. enguin:

 

[Rack]

I'm just finishing up the 11th Jack Reacher book.

Love 'em all.