Read any good books lately?

[Lady tehMa]

I find when I'm feeling overwhelmed by life I retreat to books I know I love and enjoy. They are old friends, comforting me. This spring has been a busy time, with a lot going on and my introverted soul is craving that which I know.

I have 4 new books to start in the Star Wars Universe (Thrawn trilogy plus I think a prequel - I mean to read them before the Ahsoka mini-series starts) but I've been hesitant. Apparently, they are very well written and the tip of the iceberg. They lead into a series (written by multiple authors) that according to Wikipedia comprises 381 books. I don't know if I'm ready for that level of commitment. Fortunately, my friends have most of them. But still . . . that's a BIG rabbit hole to get lost down. :/

I never actually put thought into why I enjoy re-reading favourite books as much as I do, but I think you nailed it. The familiarity provides a safe, solid ground when life is busy and unpredictable.

I've read both Thrawn trilogies and highly recommend them. The original trilogy with Thrawn is no longer canon, but it is still one of my favourite Star Wars book series.The newer Thrawn books were a little tough for me to get into at first; however, as a big Star Wars fan, I love stories that enrich the galaxy we see in the movies. There are indeed many, many SW books, some better than others, so I'd recommend reading about Thrawn and then decide when in the SW timeline you want to delve into.

My knowledge of Thrawn comes from Rebels, and I thought he was an interesting character. I am almost done with "The Courtship of Princess Leia" (the book I was advised to start with) and found it difficult to get into. I will start carrying book 1 of the Thrawn trilogy with me, in case I finish when I am away from the house.

Best Friend and I are headed down to Osoyoos tomorrow, which means stopping at The Book Shop in Penticton, and apparently, there is a fairly good used book store in Osoyoos (but none in Oliver!).

[SuperMom]

My knowledge of Thrawn comes from Rebels, and I thought he was an interesting character. I am almost done with "The Courtship of Princess Leia" (the book I was advised to start with) and found it difficult to get into. I will start carrying book 1 of the Thrawn trilogy with me, in case I finish when I am away from the house.

Best Friend and I are headed down to Osoyoos tomorrow, which means stopping at The Book Shop in Penticton, and apparently, there is a fairly good used book store in Osoyoos (but none in Oliver!).

I enjoyed The Courtship of Princess Leia, but I have definitely found some Star Wars books difficult to get into.

Enjoy your book shopping!

[Lady tehMa]

The weekend was fun but the book shopping was a bit of a bust, for myself anyway. I did find a fun read, this one https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8596 "Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door" but nothing from my list.

Son is interested in early civilizations and is considering taking archaeology. I found a few books on the topic, and he is absolutely pumped. Apparently, one of the books I got is a textbook used in Oxford! I don't recall the title/authors, but it made him happy. It was one of the pricier books (at $10) but for the most part, the prices were reasonable.

[Lady tehMa]

I'm 1.5 books into the Thrawn trilogy, and I agree it is quite well-written. I was less impressed by The Courtship of Princess Leia.

It's been a struggle because garden/yard stuff has been demanding, and work has been a bit busier than it had been so finding time to read has been unusually difficult.

Today though: Today is Day 1 of the Okanagan Regional Library's book sale! Put on by the Friends of the Library, starts at 1 pm to 8 in the Curling club on Recreation Ave. They will also be happening Tues/Wed from 9am-8 pm May you find the books you seek

[SuperMom]

I'm 1.5 books into the Thrawn trilogy, and I agree it is quite well-written. I was less impressed by The Courtship of Princess Leia.

It's been a struggle because garden/yard stuff has been demanding, and work has been a bit busier than it had been so finding time to read has been unusually difficult.

Today though: Today is Day 1 of the Okanagan Regional Library's book sale! Put on by the Friends of the Library, starts at 1 pm to 8 in the Curling club on Recreation Ave. They will also be happening Tues/Wed from 9am-8 pm May you find the books you seek

I'm glad you're enjoying Thrawn!

I am hoping to find some good books today at the sale.

[Lady tehMa]

I'm 1.5 books into the Thrawn trilogy, and I agree it is quite well-written. I was less impressed by The Courtship of Princess Leia.

It's been a struggle because garden/yard stuff has been demanding, and work has been a bit busier than it had been so finding time to read has been unusually difficult.

Today though: Today is Day 1 of the Okanagan Regional Library's book sale! Put on by the Friends of the Library, starts at 1 pm to 8 in the Curling club on Recreation Ave. They will also be happening Tues/Wed from 9am-8 pm May you find the books you seek

I'm glad you're enjoying Thrawn!

I am hoping to find some good books today at the sale.

I hope you enjoyed the book sale - I sure did! 3 hours and $40 later . . .

[ferri]

I am reading, "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver and I think everyone should read it. It is taking me forever to read 550 pages but it is so deep and covers so many issues that it's not something I can zip through. Not a lot of "haha" moments in it.

WINNER OF THE 2023 PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION

Set in the mountains of southern Appalachia, Demon Copperhead is the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. Relayed in his own unsparing voice, Demon braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in a popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities.

Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to the contemporary American South, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imagine leaving behind.

As a side note, I have read in a few "Southern" novels that the drug companies flooded the "hillbilly/redneck/hick" areas with oxycontin and it was easy for them to get a prescription for it. This book digs a little deeper into it, along with other social issues. What.a.book.

[Catsumi]

The audiobook I just finished today dovetails right into your remarks pertinent to the freewheeling prescription-writing of Oxycontin for that area of the USA, The Empire of Pain. It documents step by step the production of painkillers to the public by the Sackler family that benefitted mega-financially from drug dependence.

Interesting that when the company was being called out for their direct contribution to the increasing numbers of deaths related to their drugs, they called it ‘misinformation’.

Where have we heard that before, only to find later on, that the charges were absolutely correct?

For those interested in how Oxycontin came to be, by whom and the legal fallout, I recommend

https://orl.overdrive.com/media/5851743

[ferri]

I just put that on my wish list! In the book Purdue is mentioned but not the family that owns it.

[normaM]

bunch of the Slacker family have been sued

[Queen K]

For those who missed the Friends of the Library sale, try driving over to Vernon to the Alpine Book Warehouse store at Alpine Mall on Kalamalka Road. Tables in the center are laden with books, two boxes deep. Under the tables are boxes of books, so check there too. As you can see, the walls are packed full, top to bottom. Center books, pocket sized that is, are 0.50 cents and trade paperback sized novels and other books, are $1.00.

With the very few exceptions of specially marked books, I bought a Roy Vickers book for $5.00 showcasing his work, everything is a dollar or under.

The store is very easy to find, turn right at College Way just before reaching Vernon, go through the round about at the bottom and make sure you are driving towards Vernon, not Cold Stream, on Kalamalka Road, and turn into the Alpine Mall to your left.
Go right to the back of the mall complex. You'll see a red and white sign. Park where you can and walk in. Take books to donate as they rely on donations to keep it all going. Every topic under the sun is in two giant rooms.

Be very careful to understand their days open and their hours. This is a book thrift store, not a regular store. They are only open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturdays, 10:00 AM to 2 PM. The rest of the week is spent organizing, refilling and cleaning.
I caught a friend of mine saying, "I plan to go there on Friday." No, you'll drive there on Friday and be vastly disappointed. Same with Monday and Tuesday. Just google Alpine Book Warehouse and recheck their hours.

Categories: Finance/self-help/spiritual/children's/humour/biology/history of all sorts/young adult/sci-fi/writing/cookbooks/sports/travel/old books/politics/bio and autobio/ - health/ and more. This photo showcases the novels in the middle and on the walls. There is a huge second room to the left, full of different categories.

[Lady tehMa]

I have every intention of going to the Vernon store (when I have money again).

Just polished off a few of the books I got at the friends of the library book sale.

Dragons of Nibiru - written by a person from Kamloops. It was okay, I don't think I'll keep that one, though. This one has what I would call a YA feel.
Clairel - Garth Nix - it's an excellent book and I am collecting the series so it's a keeper. I don't know how this is classed as YA when it is simply good fantasy. The only downside, is that it is hardcover. I don't really have enough space for hardcover.
The Vermilion Emporium - Excellent. It's that sort of fey fairytale vibe that Seanan McGuire has, or like Nettle and Bone by T Kingfisher. That one I'm keeping.
An Enchantment of Ravens - I'd say it is pretty good, but not excellent. I haven't decided on that one. It's a romance first, a fantasy book second. As opposed to The Vermilion Emporium, which is fantasy first, and romance second. I don't object to romance, but it can't be the only thing about the story. Also hardcover.

I had gotten Insurgent at some point in a batch of books and enjoyed it. So, when I found the next 2 books in the series at the sale I grabbed those as well. Those I haven't read yet but they are in the queue.

Also picked up one of William Shatner's memoirs - has a gold cover. It's a duplicate (darn it!) but at least it was a paperback, I can let the hardcover go and squeeze in a few more books.

I found 4 books for my son and one for my daughter - they are pretty happy with their selections. She's collecting World of Warcraft books and he is into early history (Roman or earlier).

And I found 2 vintage books for my collection, one with really cool binding ("Tom Brown's School Days" by "An Old Boy" who was apparently Thomas Hughes, published 1904 by MacMillan but first published in 1857) and another I will actually read (3 Against the Wilderness by Eric Collier - first edition to boot! Only 1959 though, so not all that old).

Obviously, not much is getting done around here

[Catsumi]

I just put that on my wish list! In the book Purdue is mentioned but not the family that owns it.

Yes, the family stayed off the radar in relationship to ownership of businesses. Yes, the book covers the trial closely.

[Lady tehMa]

Library book!

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath

Enjoyable read :) I found the previous/first book in the series at the ORL book sale, The Left-handed booksellers of London

[ferri]

I just finished: *bleep* Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison

What a book. I had no idea I was reading a banned book. lol

The bleep is a child of unwed parents. LOL I figured I'd have problems with that title.