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What are you reading?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Off Key - General Discussion
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  • A AndyD

    @Steve-Miller
    There are still a couple of launch builders here in England.
    https://landamores.co.uk/project/slipper-launch/

    S Offline
    S Offline
    Steve Miller
    wrote on last edited by
    #114

    @AndyD

    Beautiful things!

    1 Reply Last reply
    • A Offline
      A Offline
      AndyD
      wrote on last edited by AndyD
      #115

      In London last weekend I got these in an Oxfam bookshop

      20260329_163100.jpg

      Today I trawled four charity shops in a nearby town and spent a colossal £5.50 for these (six are really nice, including one on watercolour for MrsA, an interesting flower ID-by-month when they flower; the one with Harold King is a Folio Society from 1973 on the Bayeux Tapestry with complete photography, though Shining Sands will be my first read)

      20260404_190444.jpg

      Ventosa viri restabit

      1 Reply Last reply
      • C Offline
        C Offline
        CHAS
        wrote on last edited by CHAS
        #116

        Dominion:How the Christian Revolution Remade the World
        Just started reading. Impressed so far. Holland is not accepted by many academic historians. Some like his work.

        link text

        1 Reply Last reply
        • AdagioMA Offline
          AdagioMA Offline
          AdagioM
          wrote on last edited by
          #117

          Caroline: Little House, Revisited by Sarah Miller.

          IMG_2615.jpeg

          I read the Little House books a long time ago. I know part of the story is problematic (colonialism, racism), it’s still fascinating. In this case, the story is told from Caroline’s viewpoint (the mother). It’s tender and sweetly told, so far.

          1 Reply Last reply
          • A AndyD

            20260311_063424.jpg

            So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
            This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
            MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...
            20260311_063654.jpg
            20260311_070228.jpg
            20260311_063906.jpg
            20260311_071345.jpg
            20260311_064112.jpg

            D Away
            D Away
            Daniel
            wrote on last edited by Daniel
            #118

            @AndyD said:

            20260311_063424.jpg

            So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
            This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
            MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...
            20260311_063654.jpg
            20260311_070228.jpg
            20260311_063906.jpg
            20260311_071345.jpg
            20260311_064112.jpg

            I wonder why England has the best gardens with maybe Italy a close second followed by France. Or maybe it's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased in favor of England because I'm a native English speaker. Who knows. Beautiful book. Congrats.

            'But as they said in one of the later Rocky movies, "Time...it's undefeated.".-- Mik

            A 1 Reply Last reply
            • J jon-nyc

              My current bedtime/sofa/airplane read (a third reading for me):

              IMG_0295.jpeg

              My current audiobook:

              IMG_0296.jpeg

              I’m a glutton for punishment. After the endurance test of Twain I pick up two 1000+ page reads.

              C Offline
              C Offline
              CHAS
              wrote on last edited by CHAS
              #119

              @jon-nyc Got a Kindle sample of the English book. May do the same for the Third Reich book.

              1 Reply Last reply
              • D Daniel

                @AndyD said:

                20260311_063424.jpg

                So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
                This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
                MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...
                20260311_063654.jpg
                20260311_070228.jpg
                20260311_063906.jpg
                20260311_071345.jpg
                20260311_064112.jpg

                I wonder why England has the best gardens with maybe Italy a close second followed by France. Or maybe it's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased in favor of England because I'm a native English speaker. Who knows. Beautiful book. Congrats.

                A Offline
                A Offline
                AndyD
                wrote on last edited by
                #120

                @Daniel said:

                @AndyD said:

                20260311_063424.jpg

                So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
                This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
                MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...
                20260311_063654.jpg
                20260311_070228.jpg
                20260311_063906.jpg
                20260311_071345.jpg
                20260311_064112.jpg

                I wonder why England has the best gardens with maybe Italy a close second followed by France. Or maybe it's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased in favor of England because I'm a native English speaker. Who knows. Beautiful book. Congrats.

                Could be partly taste; Japan has lovely gardens, with small stone bridges over water, and I love their stone lanterns.

                Ventosa viri restabit

                D 1 Reply Last reply
                • dolmansaxlilD Offline
                  dolmansaxlilD Offline
                  dolmansaxlil
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #121

                  I’m rereading Project Hail Mary. I’m enjoying it more the second time. It’s still not as good as The Martian, but pretty great! I’ll see the movie when it comes to streaming.

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  • A AndyD

                    @Daniel said:

                    @AndyD said:

                    20260311_063424.jpg

                    So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
                    This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
                    MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...
                    20260311_063654.jpg
                    20260311_070228.jpg
                    20260311_063906.jpg
                    20260311_071345.jpg
                    20260311_064112.jpg

                    I wonder why England has the best gardens with maybe Italy a close second followed by France. Or maybe it's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased in favor of England because I'm a native English speaker. Who knows. Beautiful book. Congrats.

                    Could be partly taste; Japan has lovely gardens, with small stone bridges over water, and I love their stone lanterns.

                    D Away
                    D Away
                    Daniel
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #122

                    @AndyD said:

                    @Daniel said:

                    @AndyD said:

                    20260311_063424.jpg

                    So I was browsing the charity shops of Durham City, and found that one is moving. Selling off stock, 10 books/cds for a pound, to eliminate moving costs. 10p a book!
                    This is the most lovely gardening book, though for the larger English garden, I guess it can be applied anywhere.
                    MrsA is our gardener, I prune the trees, hedge, lawn. This is an inspirational book however, beautifully painted plans to go with photos...
                    20260311_063654.jpg
                    20260311_070228.jpg
                    20260311_063906.jpg
                    20260311_071345.jpg
                    20260311_064112.jpg

                    I wonder why England has the best gardens with maybe Italy a close second followed by France. Or maybe it's a matter of personal taste and I'm biased in favor of England because I'm a native English speaker. Who knows. Beautiful book. Congrats.

                    Could be partly taste; Japan has lovely gardens, with small stone bridges over water, and I love their stone lanterns.

                    Yes, how could I forget.

                    'But as they said in one of the later Rocky movies, "Time...it's undefeated.".-- Mik

                    1 Reply Last reply
                    • A Offline
                      A Offline
                      AndyD
                      wrote on last edited by AndyD
                      #123

                      Yesterday (after a busy morning brushing 6 bags of sand into our pressure washed block paving... hard work), Mrs A wanted to go pokemonning. So I went a-browsing and hit the motherload with these four:
                      20260502_175205.jpg

                      Everyone loves a deal. Buy 4 get the cheapest free, and a further 25% off. Just as well as Oxfam used books ain't a pound for a hardback like in my usual weekly haunts. I've looked through them briefly already.

                      The Grass Gardening book was originally the most expensive at £25 but was cheapest at £3.99 so was... free. Go figure.
                      My mother loved adding ornamental grasses into borders for their structural/architectural qualities. This is another truly lovely gardening book to flick through. Added to wife's collection.

                      The London Interiors is a masterwork of interior photography to enjoy & study, while the other London book has superb sketches fascinating for an historian or artist. Both bargains at a mere 5 & 6 quid.

                      The fourth on Japanese Swordmanship I nearly snatched from the shelf, in really good nick too. Pricey at £20 (£16.50 new in 1981).
                      Quality martial arts books are rare in charity shops; there was also a 1st ed Karate by Funakoshi but I passed as it was in rather poor condition.

                      So £23 spent, which will bring a lot of pleasure

                      Ventosa viri restabit

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      👍
                      • J Offline
                        J Offline
                        jon-nyc
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #124

                        I just finished rereading Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia.

                        I’ll be in Barcelona twice this fall, both for scientific conferences.

                        AdagioMA 1 Reply Last reply
                        • J jon-nyc

                          I just finished rereading Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia.

                          I’ll be in Barcelona twice this fall, both for scientific conferences.

                          AdagioMA Offline
                          AdagioMA Offline
                          AdagioM
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #125

                          @jon-nyc Have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón? Novel set in Barcelona, 1945. Murder, madness, doomed love…

                          My friend said it was a must-read. I enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as she did.

                          J 1 Reply Last reply
                          • S Offline
                            S Offline
                            Steve Miller
                            wrote on last edited by Steve Miller
                            #126

                            IMG-5962.jpg

                            It’s largely a chronicle of his life (hippie surfer baker chef) up to when he opened the Tartine bakery. It’s a good story. There’s also a good bit of it dedicated to recipes that use day old bread - fancy ones! - and various permutations like baguettes, English muffins and brioche.

                            But in the middle of all that is the base recipe and how he developed it. How it’s supposed to look (big holes, baked very dark), how it’s supposed to taste (not sour. Chad doesn’t like sour).

                            Also pictures. The soupy mess that I get when I use his recipe is not a failure - it’s how it’s supposed to look! It’s what gets you the big holes! He goes on to tell how to make it come together again, something not in the base recipe.

                            Read it straight through in one sitting. I’ll read the part with the method again before my next bake.

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            • A Offline
                              A Offline
                              AndyD
                              wrote on last edited by AndyD
                              #127

                              20260517_072542.jpg

                              A lovely book containing amusing and thoughtful poems that will delight any gardener.

                              If you can find it! I've failed to find another copy to buy worldwide...
                              My 50p thrift shop copy looked near mint in its dust jacket, but on opening the book 😬 the 1994 spine binding is terrible quality. Cracked, repaired, come away from the hard cover again, a page loose. Close it and it looks fine again😄
                              20260517_071655.jpg
                              20260517_071819.jpg
                              20260517_071904.jpg
                              20260517_075347.jpg

                              Ventosa viri restabit

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              • AdagioMA AdagioM

                                @jon-nyc Have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón? Novel set in Barcelona, 1945. Murder, madness, doomed love…

                                My friend said it was a must-read. I enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as she did.

                                J Offline
                                J Offline
                                jon-nyc
                                wrote last edited by jon-nyc
                                #128

                                @AdagioM said:

                                @jon-nyc Have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón? Novel set in Barcelona, 1945. Murder, madness, doomed love…

                                My friend said it was a must-read. I enjoyed it, but maybe not as much as she did.

                                I have not, but thanks for the recommendation. I’ll look into it.

                                1 Reply Last reply

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