What are you reading??

4jean

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OH MY GOSH!!! I HAVE TO TELL YOU A STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do you remember the Elizabeth Smart kidnapping??? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Smart_kidnapping

Okay...so I was living in Salt Lake working at the Barnes and Noble that I just mentioned in the post to Yvonne. Often homeless people would come and hang out in the store. We had a regular bum that everyone downtown nicknamed "The Jesus Bum." This guy went out of his way to sew Biblical looking robes and wore leather strap sandals, long hair, hood, beard, the works. He looked like he just left a film set and walked around pan-handling, and would visit our store fairly often.

My coworkers would often criticize me, because I was never nice to the guy. They would tell me I was too judgmental... yada yada, but I always told them he gave me the creeps and I had a bad feeling about him.

One day, he came up when I was at the cash register and he was buying "Walden" by Thoreau. The guy handed me a perfectly sewn large coin bag like you'd see in the movies and paid for his pricy hardcover copy of Walden in change. He also acted like he had taken a vow of silence and refused to speak. He attempted to ask me the time by dramatically pointing at his wrist. I was like: "WHAAAT...WHAAAT DOES THAT MEAN!?!?? I DON'T UNDERSTAND YOOOOOOU!!!" I was a total jerk. My coworker answered his question, gave him the time, and after he left she told me that I was acting like a jerk--which I WAS, but I whined my same ol' "he gives me the creeps."

Then he didn't come to our store after that. Never saw him again...UNTIL....DUN...DUN...DUNNNNNN!!!!.........................
HE WAS DISCOVERED TO BE THE GUY WHO KIDNAPPED ELIZABETH SMART AND WAS ALL OVER THE NATIONAL NEWS!

So, in my mind, the association WILL ALWAYS BE: Henry David Thoreau=Jesus Bum who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart and I was a jerk to him.


p.s.
Now, I imagine you with sewn elbow patches and a pipe.

Wow!!!!! That is quite a story!
 

Prairie Mom

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I will never be able to read anything by Thoreau or listen to mentions of him without thinking of the kidnapping Jesus Bum! :) Happily, Elizabeth Smart is alive and well or my story wouldn't be as fun to tell :D
 

Prairie Mom

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Well, "A Walk to Remember" was pretty much what I expected it would be. I'm grateful the print was so large in this relatively short book. No one in my book club particularly enjoyed it, even the person that recommended it could see many failings upon reading it again. The book had some moments... I giggled at the constant use of "fornicator." Sadly, the parts of the story that could have actually been interesting and characters you wanted to learn more about like Hegbert and the Scrooge-like tycoon Grandfather were completely skipped by the author. Instead, you were left in the main character's whiney head waiting for the big "announcement" regarding Jaimie's health from about page five until the end of the book.

I would say: Definitely skip this one and read "A Fault In Our Stars" by John Green instead. -That is a wonderfully clever book! I want to read more John Green. I heard "Paper Towns" was really good.
 

Prairie Mom

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Onto the next!

Finishing up the "Mazerunner" series (loved the first two books and am curious how this ends).

Will soon be starting:
-"Cry, the Beloved Country" by Alan Paton
-"Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel
and "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins
 

Blakem

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I'm reading Stephen king's "The Stand" and I've been working on it for 3-4 months! Sloooooow start, but it started picking up about 700 pages in.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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im currently reading 2 books. stephen king's the shining and stephen king's salem's lot i've read them before they're just some of my favorites i plan on reading stephen kings IT again soon to
Good books.
I prefer King's earlier stuff, myself.
 

Tidgy's Dad

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I belong to/host a book group where I live. The book for the month rotates among the membership. We don't always pick winners. We often pick books none of us have read, but are curious about. It can be pretty hit and miss, but I still enjoy meeting together and discussing them regardless of how thrilled I am about the book choice.

In addition to my book club reading, I went ahead and jotted down some books that I want to read. There is a lot of sci fi type stuff, because we don't often read that in my book group, but there is also regular fiction, mystery, and supernatural/horror as well.


Has anyone read any of these or do you have any interest in these? I'm unfamiliar with most of them and won't guarantee content, but this could be fun:) ???

Want to read one with me and we post about it?


-"Station Eleven" by Emily St. John Mandel -Sounds like a really interesting post- apocalyptic novel. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven

-"The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins -Supposedly a good Psychological thriller. I read a review once that made me think that you learn the main character is already dead as the book opens. -Not sure if this is accurate, but sounds intriguing. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22557272-the-girl-on-the-train

-"Elantris" by Brandon Sanderson - God-like people suddenly become like Lepers from some mysterious affliction and are exiled in a prison city. The story follows a Prince who is afflicted and sent into the city run by sick and suffering thugs as well as the story of his fiance' outside of the city walls.Those who are afflicted are dressed in their burial shrouds and sent into the city, while the outside world has their funeral. I remember really liking this book, but would like a reread. This was written as the author's Masters' thesis when he graduated and then became a big-time writer.

-"The Martian" by Andy Weir - Heard the book was really good. The movie looks really good and I'll be renting it soon.

-"The Rent Collector" by Camron Wright -Heard it was good, but haven't read it. It's set in Cambodia and involves a group of people who live and make a living from recyclables at a dumping ground. Heard the story was really gripping and an uplifting read. May have received an award of some kind, but I'm not sure.

-"The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson -it's been years since I read it and would like a reread. My husband teaches this in a literature class regarding supernatural/horror lit. This is the same author who wrote the short story "The Lottery."

-"The Dog Stars" by Peter Heller - Sounds like it could be interesting. Here's a summary: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13330761-the-dog-stars?from_search=true&search_version=service

-"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" by Phillip K ****. -I haven't read any Phillip K. **** since my teens and would be interested to see what I think of his writing now. This is the story that inspired the movie "Blade Runner." No idea how the book is, but I know this is an interesting author.

-I also just finished the first one in the Young Adult "Mazerunner" series and am about to start "The Scortch Trials."
I'd be happy to join you with any of these but i'd have to see if i can get them here and if not order them from Amazon.
I've only read one of them and wouldn't mind reading it again.
 

lismar79

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Currently re reading the castings trilogy by pamela freeman. I have read this series a few times now and by far my fav. For its rawness, grit, imaginative, and great racial symbolisim. For those that like a bit of fantasy or GOT types.
 

Cowboy_Ken

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So at this stage in the game, I'm not sure how much more I'll be willing to put into reading, "The Government". It's just exhausting. I've got so many others that I'd prefer to read, from sci-fi to Buddhist teachings that I've found if it doesn't grab me fast, the odds are better that I'll toss it rather than read it in it's entirety, unlike Kurt Vonnegut. Regardless of the book it's guaranteed to be golden.
 

jaizei

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So at this stage in the game, I'm not sure how much more I'll be willing to put into reading, "The Government". It's just exhausting. I've got so many others that I'd prefer to read, from sci-fi to Buddhist teachings that I've found if it doesn't grab me fast, the odds are better that I'll toss it rather than read it in it's entirety, unlike Kurt Vonnegut. Regardless of the book it's guaranteed to be golden.

How many pages is it in total?
 
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