Currently reading Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley for the first time in many years, and it’s just as good as I remembered it. I have a Nook, but I seldom use the thing. I much prefer the feel of a paper volume, and have also found that a book is far superior to an electronic device when being used as a tool for swatting flies and mosquitoes.
@ghostsofpompeii - I loved Jack Finney's book Time And Again as well as From Time to Time and all of his other works. It is amazing how engrossed one becomes when reading his work. I have reread his work many times and I find it to be just as interesting as the first time I read them. Just incredible. Time travel has always interested me and was something I studied in college as part of my physics classes. I still collect and read books on this subject. Einstein thought time travel was possible.
@RedheadedMK You know, I really like Greg Boyd. I don't think I would agree with all of his theology (but that would be the case with anyone I guess:) but what I appreciate about Greg is that he honestly wrestles with the "hard" passages of the Bible and comes to his conclusions in a pure manner. He makes me think. I like writers who make me think. Goes well with pipe smoking...
I too am a fan of the hardback. While I am thankful that some hard to find books are available electronically, I still prefer the good old fashioned "in print " version when available. This is what I am currently reading, in the hardcover version.
Well I've started it again. Just finished the Hobbit, and I'll start tomorrow on the Trilogy (for the 7th time). These are one of my favorite reads while piping...
Fans of Lord of the Rings should take a look at Stephan R. Donaldson's (first) Covenant Trilogy, especially the first book, Lord Foul's Bane. Brutal fantasy involving the struggle of a man with leprosy against a villain who has the powers of the Judeo-Christian God.
Other wonderful reads are The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear both by Patrick Rothfuss, the first two volumes in his fantasy trilogy.
I'm a paper man. The feel, smell, and overall view of a real book can't be beat. Though I do use a Kindle now and then. But I don't like how it holds, it doesn't have that "book" aroma, and I feel "lost" in a geographic way when reading. Kind of like where I live, Colorado, the mountains help me know where I am on the planet. When I hit flatlands, I feel lost. I use my kindle for the cheap collections of authors I like. Complete collections of G K Chesterton and St Thomas Aquinas for example are available for about a $1. I can have access to all their writings, while in the meantime looking for affordable paper copies for my library. I like books and I like to read, so I use both.
On Black Friday, I went to Half Price Books for their yearly deal where the first 100 customers get a tote bag and a $5 gift card. Used it to buy the following below:
The Marvel history book was one I would check out of my local library as a lad. The info might be outdated, but I'm more interested in classic Marvel than current Marvel (even though I'm more of a DC fan). As a fan of Anglo-Saxon/British history, I picked up some books on old Anglo-Saxon texts, Medieval manuscripts, and some history on the legend of Robin Hood. Not pictured is a book in the Spellsinger stories.
While on vacation, I read a preview on my Kindle about the history of the legendary library of Sir Robert Cotton. He might not be a name recognized today, but thanks to him, he preserved many old Anglo-Saxon texts and Medieval manuscripts after the dissolution of the monasteries. It's because of his work that we have the full text of Beowulf. I plan on buying the full book and reading it.
Anyone interested,go on line and type in Early Bird Books, Bookbub or Good Reads and you can get it lot of books for Nook ,Kindle or phone for 2.99 or less.I have gotten many great books on these site.Everday you will be recieve notifications by email showing what is the specials of the day.
@Woodsman Also, working languages. When you here them speaking elvish in the movies, it's from a near complete language he invented. That goes for written languages used in LOTR as well. Quite a fascinating man... But then again, he was a pipe smoker...
I've been reading an excellent short story collection entitled "Christmas Ghosts" edited by Kathryn Cramer and David G Hartwell. The book contains stories by Dickens, Arthur Machen, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ramsey Campbell, and a dozen other authors. Although we associate the telling of ghost stories with Halloween, during the Victorian times the telling of ghost stories during Christmas was quite common. For the most part we assume Dickens' tale "A Christmas Carol" to be the only Christmas themed ghost story - but even Dicken's himself wrote several other supernatural holiday ghost stories - two of which appear in this book "A Christmas Tree" and "The Story Of The Goblins Who Stole A Sexton".
Did you even wonder why in the Christmas classic tune "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" the lyrics in one line are "we'll tell scary ghost stories" - that's why. It's probably not an American tradition - but it was in jolly old Victorian England. And this book carries on that tradition with this collection of spooky old Gothic tales of Christmas ghosts. I bought the book sometime in the late 80s' and have made it a point to read it as well as Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" each December.
@ghostsofpompeii I'll have to check that book out. I'm a fan of old ghost stories, and that sounds up my alley.
I know I've mentioned him on here before, but you should check out the work of M.R. James if you haven't already. He would write ghost stories, and read them to his friends on Christmas Eve. While he only wrote one story set at Christmas "A Story of a Disappearance and Appearance", to me, James is intrinsically tied to Christmas. Here's my favorite James story, narrated by Christopher Lee (who met James as a child).
I've read quite a few enjoyable books on pipe smoking and pipe collecting, but I believe I enjoyed this one the most. Copies in print seem to be rare as hens teeth, but I managed to pick up my second copy last month, in a bloodbath of bidding on ebay.
Comments
Of course, new books creep in, like Alan Moore's JERUSALEM. I'm on page 892.
(Highly recommended, but it's not about Jerusalem.....)
Other wonderful reads are The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear both by Patrick Rothfuss, the first two volumes in his fantasy trilogy.
[From iPad]
I first started reading the Thomas Covenant Trilogies, (White Gold Wielder) back in the early 80's.
Read em again about 10 years ago.
I didn't make the connection of the villain being a Judeo-Christian God. But then again, I wasn't looking for it either.
I use my kindle for the cheap collections of authors I like. Complete collections of G K Chesterton and St Thomas Aquinas for example are available for about a $1. I can have access to all their writings, while in the meantime looking for affordable paper copies for my library.
I like books and I like to read, so I use both.
The Marvel history book was one I would check out of my local library as a lad. The info might be outdated, but I'm more interested in classic Marvel than current Marvel (even though I'm more of a DC fan). As a fan of Anglo-Saxon/British history, I picked up some books on old Anglo-Saxon texts, Medieval manuscripts, and some history on the legend of Robin Hood. Not pictured is a book in the Spellsinger stories.
While on vacation, I read a preview on my Kindle about the history of the legendary library of Sir Robert Cotton. He might not be a name recognized today, but thanks to him, he preserved many old Anglo-Saxon texts and Medieval manuscripts after the dissolution of the monasteries. It's because of his work that we have the full text of Beowulf. I plan on buying the full book and reading it.
https://www.lake.k12.fl.us/cms/lib/FL01000799/Centricity/Domain/4432/The Hobbit byJ RR Tolkien EBOOK.pdf
[From iPad]
This may take a few more than 3 pipes though.
I've been reading an excellent short story collection entitled "Christmas Ghosts" edited by Kathryn Cramer and David G Hartwell. The book contains stories by Dickens, Arthur Machen, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ramsey Campbell, and a dozen other authors. Although we associate the telling of ghost stories with Halloween, during the Victorian times the telling of ghost stories during Christmas was quite common. For the most part we assume Dickens' tale "A Christmas Carol" to be the only Christmas themed ghost story - but even Dicken's himself wrote several other supernatural holiday ghost stories - two of which appear in this book "A Christmas Tree" and "The Story Of The Goblins Who Stole A Sexton".
Did you even wonder why in the Christmas classic tune "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" the lyrics in one line are "we'll tell scary ghost stories" - that's why. It's probably not an American tradition - but it was in jolly old Victorian England. And this book carries on that tradition with this collection of spooky old Gothic tales of Christmas ghosts. I bought the book sometime in the late 80s' and have made it a point to read it as well as Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" each December.
I know I've mentioned him on here before, but you should check out the work of M.R. James if you haven't already. He would write ghost stories, and read them to his friends on Christmas Eve. While he only wrote one story set at Christmas "A Story of a Disappearance and Appearance", to me, James is intrinsically tied to Christmas. Here's my favorite James story, narrated by Christopher Lee (who met James as a child).
Also, you might enjoy this episode of a podcast I listen to. On this episode, the host goes into the history of telling ghost stories at Christmas.
http://hypnogoria.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/hypnogoria-80-christmases-of-ghosts-past.html