# What're you reading right now?



## braveheart

I've just finished reading Hidden by Cathy Glass, and am now onto The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. 

How about you?


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## ladylore

I am trying to think - What am I reading right now. In non-fiction "A new earth" Eckart Tolle. And I have 3 novels on the go. One's an Irish detective novel but I can't think of the name off the top of my head. I started a novel by John Saul and I have a few other books that I have picked up and put down. 

What is interesting is that whatever I read I tend to incorporate the language into my writing or speech. I have been told that at this moment I have more of an English/Irish slant to my speech and writing. 

:goodpost:


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## Halo

I am actually not reading anything....besides posts on the forum :lol:

I find that I tend to go in waves with reading.  I will be really keen on reading and almost obsessed with book after book and could do that for months and then it starts to wear off and I can go for a couple of months without reading much at all.  When the wave hits though I can spend hours reading :read:


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## lallieth

I just finished a fantastic book by Dean Koontz called "The darkest evening of the year" about a very special golden retriever/angel.It is alot different than what he usually rights,but he did it in memory of his own beloved golden Trixie,who has gone on to the Rainbow Bridge



> No one is surprised when Amy risks her life to save Nickie, nor when she takes the female golden into her home. The bond between Amy and Nickie is immediate and uncanny. Even her two other goldens, Fred and Ethel, recognize Nickie as special, a natural alpha. But the instant joy Nickie brings is shadowed by a series of eerie incidents. An ominous stranger. A mysterious home invasion. And the unmistakable sense that someone is watching Amy's every move and that, whoever it is, he's not alone.Dean Koontz Website,  Suspense novel - Dean Koontz - The Official Site


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## Lana

I'm in fiction mood lately.

I just finished "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory.  It was a good read and I didn't realize that most of it was based on actual history.   If you like period stuff, that's a page turner, this book is for you.

Now I'm reading Jonathan Kellerman's "Obsession".  It's the psychologist Alex Delaware series.  Always liked them.


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## lallieth

Lana said:


> I'm in fiction mood lately.
> 
> I just finished "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory.  It was a good read and I didn't realize that most of it was based on actual history.   If you like period stuff, that's a page turner, this book is for you.
> 
> Now I'm reading Jonathan Kellerman's "Obsession".  It's the psychologist Alex Delaware series.  Always liked them.


If you enjoy The Other Boleyn Girl" you should read Phillipa Gregory's other books in the Tudor Series..

Constant Princess
The Boleyn Inheritance
The Queen's Fool: A Novel


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## Lana

Thanks, Lallieth 

I'll put those on my to-read list.


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## healthbound

I could never get into fiction, but always have at least 3 non-fiction books on the go (and rarely completely finish any of them, lol).

Right now I'm reading "Constructive Living" by David Reynolds, "The Zen Path Through Depression" by Philip Martin (which is excellent) and "The Theory of Poker" by David Sklansky.


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## Meg

I am reading 'sense and sensibility' at the moment.  I went and saw 'the jane austen book club' at the movies and thought I ought to read the Jane Austen books I haven't read before.


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## Persephone

I am reading "Women who run with the wolves" by Clarissa Pincola Estes. Beautiful read, she just speaks my language. Stories, myths, fairy tales...I express my truths through stories...and she swims into stories and translates them to us. I am in love with this read...:heart:


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## Lana

I have "Women who run with the wolves" also.  It's a great read but I wouldn't say an easy one. :blush: For those not familiar with her work, in this book, she uses old folk tales and fairy tales and breaks them down into psychological components and how they relate to women archetypes, their psychology.  It's quite interesting and would probably make for a good book club read where you read a section and then discuss it.


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## braveheart

^ That is one of my most favourite books ever...


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## sunset

Currently reading books by Karen Kingsbury about the Baxter family series. Just love it.


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## rosedragon

Currently reading Paradise by Abdulrazak Gurnah. It's story about African slave and this book is quiet good. But I'm too distracted these days to finish it.

I'm putting reviews about books I read in my blog anyway.


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## ladylore

I just finished reading Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things by Madeleine L. Van Hecke. It's a psychology book that I really enjoyed and learned alot from. Great read.


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## ladylore

Starting reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell


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## braveheart

Deliver me from evil - by Alloma Gilbert. Another abuse survivor biography.

and

Healing your emotional self - by Beverley Engel


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## lallieth

Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao-Dr Wayne Dyer

Amazing book


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## lallieth

The Secret Diary of Ann Boelyn


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## Halo

People Magazine...very deep :lol:


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## braveheart

"Noone wants you" by Celine Roberts

and .. dipping into..

The Inner World of Trauma by Donald Kalsched. [and also Healing your emotional self]


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## lallieth

Dr. Wayne Dyer's 10 Secrets for Success and Inner Peace.It's peaceful just reading it


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## Misha

"An anthropologist from mars" by Oliver Sacks.


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## BlueEyes

I am currently reading two books - 

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence King - hilarious!!  And -  Awakening the Buddha Within : Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Lama Surya Das.


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## braveheart

Not Alone by Jenny Tomlin.


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## ladylore

"Born In Death" by J.D. Robbs (aka Nora Roberts)

Love those mysteries!


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## Elizabeth

Tell me why mummy one of those true stories about children and abuse..


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## braveheart

Sylvia by Bryce Courtney


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## Gene53

Halo said:


> People Magazine...very deep :lol:



Mad Magazine... entertaining :rofl:

Next, the phone book...


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## sister-ray

Right now I am reading a book about Avian Medicine, called "Bird Diseases" by Arnell/keymer. Its a bit outdated but its a book Ive been after for a while, got it second hand at a charity store!!


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## Neil

I just finished "The Picture of Dorian Gray". Was a good read, I really like Oscar Wilde.


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## HelpingHand

I just finished The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It's a unique love story. And apparently it will be a film starring Rachel McAdams and Eric bana (according to imdb). I quite enjoyed the book.


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## Daniel

I am finishing the audio version of this book:

The Consolations of Philosophy (Unabridged) - audible.com

The book inspired a video series on public television, my favorite part of which was Nietzsche on Hardship.


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## sister-ray

I'm reading another book now again slightly old due to finding it in secondhand store, its called  UfO's a British Viewpoint by Jenny Randles and Peter Warrington. I also found some other UFO books by Timothy Good so will read them later.


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## Into The Light

i really liked the time traveller's wife, it was a beautiful story, but sad too.


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## megk

The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath


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## Meg

Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte.  I only bought it because it was three classics for $15 and I wanted two Jane Austen ones and needed to pick a random third.  I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, but I actually really am.


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## amastie

Hi,

al-time favouries are by Jane Austen.  The best version of one of her books was the Engish version made about 1995 of "Persuasion" with Amanda Root in the lead role.    Must be seen in the cinema to see how the photography and lighting so brilliantly captured the atmosphere of the piece.

Easily the best version of her "Pride and Prejuce" was that also made in England (as a tv series I think) with Jennier Ehle and Colin Firth.  'Mr Collins' was a stand-out!

Book currently on order is "The Legs Are The Last To Go" by actress Diahhan Carroll - if only to read about Vic Damone and Sydney Poitier.  (I'm just old enough to have fallen for them myself)  Famous celebrities often make very interesting authors (or have very good ghost writers) because they live the life that dreams are made of (such as Vic Damone and Sydney Poitier  ).  I wonder if she ever had more than a pssing acquaintance with Harry Belafonte?  If she did, she got the trifecta!

Not that I would diminish her own obvious appeal and the many accomplishments she achieved in her own right.  It's just that her partners holf more appeal for me.

Of recent books I most liked, easily the best of them are those by Eckhart Tolle.  No everyone's taste, but each to his, or her, own.

amastie



Daniel said:


> I am finishing the audio version of this book:
> 
> The Consolations of Philosophy (Unabridged) - audible.com
> 
> The book inspired a video series on public television, my favorite part of which was Nietzsche on Hardship.




oooooohh... Must look it up.
Thanks,
amastie


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## Sparrow

I recently finished "The Conquest of Happiness" by Bertrand Russell for around the 10th time. The book is a little bit deep, but he is one of my favorite authors. I find the book very insightful with an upbeat theme


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## ladylore

I'm currently reading 'Strangers In Death' by J.D. Robb


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## Meg

Amastie - I don't think I've actually seen Persuasion as a movie.  I really liked the book, though.  So far, it's coming in second place after Pride and Prejudice.  The BBC adaptation of P&P is one of my favourite things to watch.  I have several friends who love it as well and about once a year we cook up a very ladylike afternoon tea and watch all 6 hours of it.  The guy who plays Mr Collins sure is a great actor.  I don't  think I'll be able to accept anyone other than Colin Firth as Mr Darcy or Benjamin Whitrow as Mr Bennet.  Actually, the  whole thing was very well cast.  I didn't like the latest movie with Keira Knightley as Lizzie.  But each to their own 

At the moment I am reading a book by Peter Hoeg called 'The Quiet Girl'.  I'm really enjoying it so far, but I'm only a few chapters in so I'm still a bit confused about what's going on.  There's some big mystery about a child and I'm not in on it yet!


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## Eye Stigmata

Yeah...see reading is a problem for me...not because I can't read or don't like reading, but I start a million books at once...so...currently I'm reading,

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
19 Minutes by Jodi Picoult

I'm loving all three books, but 19 minutes is unreal! Actually...anything by Jodi Picoult is unreal.

Change of Heart is a really good one if anyone is in need of a healthy cry.


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## suewatters1

I am reading  Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson

Sue


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## amastie

Meg said:


> Amastie - I don't think I've actually seen Persuasion as a movie.  I really liked the book, though.  So far, it's coming in second place after Pride and Prejudice.  .....  I don't  think I'll be able to accept anyone other than Colin Firth as Mr Darcy or Benjamin Whitrow as Mr Bennet.  Actually, the  whole thing was very well cast.  I didn't like the latest movie with Keira Knightley as Lizzie.  But each to their own



Hi Meg,

I agree that the whole cast of that version of Pride and Prejudice was fabulous in every way.  I bared saw the beginning on the more recent version but gave up on it as it didn't come close to the previous version.

If you and your friends ever get a chance to see the 1995 version of Persuasion (starring Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds), watch it preferably at a cinema to capture the full atmosphere of it.  Otherwise, watch it at night with the lights off.  I think you would really like it.

Speaking of classic books to film, I was very surprised to see a modern version of the classic film 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier starring Charles Dance and Emilia Fox, made for tv in 1997.  I hadn't intended to watch it because the original version, starring Laurence Olivier, was such an iconic film for me - especially the way it ended with Mrs Danvers smiling as she burned the  mansion down around herself as she clung to the memory of Rebecca.  Bur I was surprised by certain aspects of the Charles Dance version.  For example, it uses the motion of the sea in a very atmospheric way.  I actually preferred Charles Dance to Laurence Olivier in the role, and Emilia Fox was more realistic than Joan Fontaine.  Of course, the later version didn't have George Sanders who was *so* good in the first, and Faye Dunaway didn't help the newer version either.  The biggest disappointment in this later version was the actress who played Mrs Danvers - Diana Rigg - who was not at all suited for the role.  Totally different.  Nowhere nearly as scary as the original who was played by Judith Anderson.  But it still had qualities to make it worth seeing.

As you say, the most recent version (for tv) of Pride and Prejudice - and all the others which seem to have been in the same series of Jane Austen's books - were not nearly as good as the original.

For now,

take care 

amastie


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## Meggylou

She's come undone is an amazing book!!! I love it so much. Same with "I know this much is true" that one is stunning.
I'm reading text books and journal articles....in the full swing of the semester (actually only 4 weeks of class left) and I have no time for pleasure reading. 
I do want to get Hannah's Dream though, it sounds beautiful. It's about an elephant and I LOVE LOVE LOVE elephants!!!
The latest "elephant" book I read was Water for Elephants, it was fantastic. The BEST elephant book though is "The White Bone" by Barbara Gowdy...I think that's how you spell the last name.


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## amastie

Anyone into the Eckhart Tolle books?  Such as A New Earth, which was covered in a series of downloadable 'lessons' from Oprah Winfrey program.  Perhaps because I already come for a very similiar spiritu al viewpoint, I loved his boods so far.

amastie


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## megk

The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom - Jonathan Haidt


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## Daniel

I liked _The Happiness Hypothesis_.   I have it as an audio book from Audibe.com.


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## adaptive1

Just curious, these books all sound great, I try to read books and my mind wanders, I never get past the first few pages and even then I have read them over and over, does anyone else have this problem? How do you get past it, I dont want to miss out on some great books?


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## dont be crazy

adaptive1 said:


> Just curious, these books all sound great, I try to read books and my mind wanders, I never get past the first few pages and even then I have read them over and over, does anyone else have this problem? How do you get past it, I dont want to miss out on some great books?



hi adaptive1 i think i can relate to what you are saying. i have a some what simalar problem. seems i have to consintrate so hard sometimes to understand what it is i  am reading. that i have to read the same paragraph over and over to get it. if it is not something i am totaly inthrawaled with forget it. good thing theres movies


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## amastie

adaptive1 said:


> Just curious, these books all sound great, I try to read books and my mind wanders, I never get past the first few pages and even then I have read them over and over, does anyone else have this problem? How do you get past it, I dont want to miss out on some great books?



Hi adaptive,
I have a similar problem.  I can read very, very light reading, but can't get into anything else though I'd like to.  My only suggestion (which I've tried with some success) is to choose a book you want to read and then set a goal of reading a certain amount before going to bed each night.  Even one or two pages at at time.  Hopfully, as you get into it, it will become easier, but at least if you keep at it you will eventually get through it.  If you have trouble taking it in, the trick is to read each sentence very slowly.  I can feel overwhelmed when I see too much small print, paragraphs which go  on for ages and not enough white space.  I need to visualize it in smaller sections.

Another more successul way I get around it, is to buy the book as an audio book as an mp3 file to listen on my mp3 player (you could also try to find it on CD/DVD).  I sit on a bus or tram allowing the words to flow over the sound of people around me and it seems to be much easier.

But maybe your difficulty is different however.

Others may have better solutions 

amastie


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## Sparrow

I just finished reading The Happiness Hypothesis and it was good to read... somewhat (the chapters being old news to me). But before I drown myself in Dostoievsky, can anyone suggest a more cheerful read that's intelligent while being humorous? Even dark humour?


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## Jazzey

Hi Sparrow,

I'm currently reading Tom Wolfe's "I am Charlotte Simmons".  It's well written and intelligent  - with the dark humour you're not opposed to! 

I


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## ladylore

The Monk Who Sold His Ferari - The 10 anniversary edition

It's interesting because everything the Sages in Savana teach in this book I have learned through recovery therapy - mainly CBT.

Cool


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## sister-ray

Ive got my hands on a book by Robert Stroud  The Birdman of Alcatraz!!  Its called  Strouds Digest on the Diseases of Birds, my local library were selling it off its in good condition. I dont usually go to librarys but I was waiting for my hairdressers to open and went there to keep warm Im glad I did now!!, its a fasinating book!


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## ladylore

_Three Cups of Tea _by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin


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## Jazzey

"Peeling the Onion", G?nter Grass.  Real cheerful...


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## megk

In Cold Blood ~ Truman Capote


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## Jazzey

I loved that book MegK...


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## megk

yes, it's good.  I just finished One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.  I loooove that book.  I could read it over and over again.


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## Jazzey

one of my favorite books has always been The Stone Angel (Carole Shields).  But I've also been an avid fan of  Margaret Atwood's (just for the sheer level of language).  Granted, some of her later stuff was just a little too dark for me, but, I still think fondly of "the Edible Woman", "Cat's Eye", "Lady Oracle", "the Handmaid's tale", "Alias Grace", "the Robber Bride" and "The Blind Assassin".  I just purchased "Oryx and Crake"...Although if it's too dark, I may not finish it...let you know in the process


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## megk

I really enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale.  The movie was great too.  I must say I haven't read enough Atwood.


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## Jazzey

While the Handmaid's tale was good, it's nothing compared to Cat's eye and the Edible Woman...

Handmaid's tale was fun because of the futuristic perspective which, honestly, I found quite interesting.  But her other novels, I think anyway, have more "personality" and realism to them if you know what I mean?


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## Into The Light

i found the handmaid's tale a bit 1984-ish in its theme, if I remember correctly. spooky.


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## Jazzey

It was a little spooky.  But I bet if you'd re-read it today, you'd see some themes which where not that far-fetched...Just my impression on the book. It is depressing, but you have to read between the lines with Atwood...  But yes, some of her work can be darn right dark..

Personally, as a first novel of hers, I would read the edible woman...Not handmaid's tale...Cat's eye is good too...


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## Into The Light

that's the thing. big brother really is coming to life with today's technology. i must re-read those two books, it's been ages.


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## Andy

I have Cat's eye and the Handmaids tale. Loved them both.  I would love to get more of her books but I can't concentrate well enough now. I have 5 books on the go that I will probably have to start over by the time I get back to them.


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## Jazzey

Don't worry about it STP...Do what you can, ok?  This is a hobby -just remember that.


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## Fiver

I'm with *STP*. Open right now I've got "Something Under The Bed Is Drooling." Calvin and Hobbes never fail to put my mind where it needs to be.


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## Daniel

"Don't You Know Who I Am?": How to Stay Sane in an Era of Narcissism, Entitlement, and Incivility

"Health and wellness campaigns preach avoidance of unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyles, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, but rarely preach avoidance of unhealthy, difficult or toxic people. Yet the health benefits of removing toxic people from your life may have far greater benefits to both physical and psychological health. We need to learn to be better gatekeepers for our minds, bodies, and souls."


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## Daniel

_Earthly Possessions_ by Anne Tyler 

A review of the book at Amazon:



> The Lightness of Being
> 
> It could have been a day like any other in the dull life of housewife Charlotte but fate decided otherwise. Because of a failed bank heist, she finds herself taken hostage by the robber Jake. Then follows an improvised road trip across the US to escape police attention. Things slowly reveal themselves to be not so simple. Jake isn't the tough guy he tries to be and Charlotte finds a nearly perverse pleasure in being caught in a passive situation, having left her life behind without regret. It is a captivating story because you keep wondering how it could possibly end. In between chapters, we retrace Charlotte's strange and sad life until the bank kidnapping. She is a woman hard to decipher and probably don't quite understand herself and her motivations fully either. Possessions and attachments burden her. She seems on a search for an impossible lightness of being that life, with its bothering duties, can never provide. Hence perhaps, the secret pleasure in drifting away with Jake on the road towards the unknown. But then, what? I won't reveal the ending but it is a wonderful, if very melancholic, story. It raises questions about our choices, our duties, our bonds to things and people and how much of it all is really us? But then detached from everything and everyone, who are we? Charlotte definitely is on the search for an answer...


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## Lufero

Was reading an article "Why investors should not ignore Greece's golden visa program" and it actually made me shock. I didn't know that there is a country in Europe passport of which you can buy and it's legal.


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## Mari

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

Interesting...


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## Lufero

Lufero said:


> Was reading an article "Why investors should not ignore Greece's golden visa program"  and it actually made me shock. I didn't know that there is a country in Europe passport of which you can buy and it's legal.



I found out that there are similar programs in Spain, Montenegro and many Caribbean countries.


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## Daniel

Amazon product



> A breakthrough in human cloning becomes one woman’s waking nightmare in a mind-bending thriller by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Gibson Vaughn series.
> 
> In the near future, advances in medicine and quantum computing make human cloning a reality. For the wealthy, cheating death is the ultimate luxury. To anticloning militants, it’s an abomination against nature. For young Constance “Con” D’Arcy, who was gifted her own clone by her late aunt, it’s terrifying.
> 
> After a routine monthly upload of her consciousness—stored for that inevitable transition—something goes wrong. When Con wakes up in the clinic, it’s eighteen months later. Her recent memories are missing. Her original, she’s told, is dead. If that’s true, what does that make her?
> 
> The secrets of Con’s disorienting new life are buried deep. So are those of how and why she died. To uncover the truth, Con is retracing the last days she can recall, crossing paths with a detective who’s just as curious. On the run, she needs someone she can trust. Because only one thing has become clear: Con is being marked for murder—all over again.


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## Daniel

A quote from the book:

“After the behemoth social networks had died off in the twenties—victims of changing legal and cultural privacy concerns—they’d been supplanted by self-managed private social networks. Designed by white-hat, open-source, anti-corporate coders, the new do-it-yourself PSNs were free, easy to set up, decentralized, and had no corporate overlords. Con had read somewhere that there were more than twenty billion private social networks worldwide interconnected in a complex latticework.”


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