Hi and SkepLit update
Hi All, I’m very happy to be able to join in on the blog and post about books. I am excited about the new system Rebecca is putting into place. I think it will make the book club more dynamic, because I’ll be able to post reviews and interviews more often and we’ll be able to discuss things right in the blog. I’ll keep the SkepLit forum going, too, until I figure out how many people read both or just the forum or just the blog. So let me know which you read the most and where you like to discuss things.
In the meantime, for those who don’t read the forums….
I’ve been pretty lax in updating the SkepLit forum in the last few months. I’m finally caught up with work and ready to start reading again.
Because it’s the holidays, I’d like to suggest we try reading a book recommended by Lysistrata, who sent me a pm saying, “I would like to suggest a book for future discussions. It is called Inside Job by Connie Willis. It is about a skeptic who investigates paranormal claims. It is very funny. It is also very short so would work for quick discussion.”
I’m a big fan of Connie Willis, plus she lives in Colorado, so I’m proud to be her neighbor. If you’re not familiar with her writing, you’re missing out on some really great reads.
Here are links to amazon and the publisher, plus a couple of reviews I nabbed from a quick google search:
Once Rebecca has the new site up and running (see below for more info), I’ll get back into regular postings about books. I want to read and talk about books a lot more next year, becuase I hardly made a dent in my “to read” stack this year. I can’t let that happen 2 years in a row, or I will be buried alive in books.
Donna
Hooray! Welcome to the Blog-o-tron, Donna.
“Buried alive in books” has just hit my top 10 list of ways to go. Ohhh – or imagine being trapped in your house having to read your way out rather than go to work or all that boring stuff. Fantastic.
And like Joshua said welcome to the Blog.
Welcome. Maybe this will shame me into reading more. I didn't think that my commute changing from public transportation to driving would kill my reading, but it did…horribly. I think I read three measly books all year.
TheCzech,
Books-on-Tape (or CD) saved my sanity back when I had a long commute! And the selection now is even better than it was 10 years ago when I used them. I note that Dawkins has audio versions of his books.
Ja, and they even have a decent selection on Audible and iTunes for iPod downloads. Do you know if Dawkins reads his own books? It would be really weird to hear someone else reading his stuff.
I will also put a plug in for your local library. Many libraries today are offering downloadable books for library card holders. Alas, the majority of these do not work with iPods (Apple won’t license to them.) but they do work with any player that accepts WMA or MP3. So check it out.
Thanks for the advice folks. I don't own an iPod yet, but audiobooks are more likely to push me over that cliff than anything else.
I should use books on CD/Tape, particularly from the library. I already use them for longer trips, but haven't gotten into the habit of doing so during daily driving.