What's The Last Book You Read?

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Your powers of observation know no beginning.

And no end, may I add.

I don't understand a single word, but I'm sure that's hilarious.

I understand it partially. I need to get my ass to learn it already.

OK, how many languages have you decided to learn?

Last time I read one of your posts, you were trying to learn Russian, Arab, German, Polish, Japanese, Ancient Greek and Sindarin. You need to focus, man! One language at a time, please!

[Brónach 1,302]

I don't understand a single word, but I'm sure that's hilarious.

I understand it partially. I need to get my ass to learn it already.

OK, how many languages have you decided to learn?

Last time I read one of your posts, you were trying to learn Russian, Arab, German, Polish, Japanese, Ancient Greek and Sindarin. You need to focus, man! One language at a time, please!

I'm only with German right now. Later I'll got into Latin. Other than that I don't really have a plan.

I've ditched all of Tolkien's languages. Dead languages are more fun. He would have agreed with me!

[Jay 37,364]

I hate reading books on tablets/phones. I understand the convenience but I want my books in physical form.

I have no interest in reading books on a kindle/tablet, I love real books. I only do it for these comics cause I have no other choice - it would cost a small fortune and a ton of time to track down all the stuff I want to read.

I get people who listen to audiobooks while working out... but actually reading? sounds difficult

I couldn't do it with a real book I don't think, words'd be too small. But with the comics its mostly art, so it works. I prop it up on the elliptical's top and chug away. Usually close it down after reading a few issues then go hard until the time's up after that

[Brónach 1,302]

I'm curious, what are you reading, if I may ask?

[Jay 37,364]

I'm re-reading the entire Valiant Universe (Solar, Magnus, Harbinger, X-O, Rai, Shadowman, Archer and Armstrong, Eternal Warrior, etc)

[Wojo 2,453]

I'd have swore blind my girlfriend would never give up her beloved books

I love the smell of old books. It's a comforting smell, like an old friend you're curling up with beside the fire with a mug of hot cocoa or tea to escape into a fantasy land for a few hours.

I don't know what an old Kindle would smell like. Probably an electrical fire or something.

[alicebrallice 134]

I hate reading books on tablets/phones. I understand the convenience but I want my books in physical form.

I have no interest in reading books on a kindle/tablet, I love real books. I only do it for these comics cause I have no other choice - it would cost a small fortune and a ton of time to track down all the stuff I want to read.

yeah I guess they're OK for reading comics/magazines.

I tried dragging and dropping pdfs to my iPhone via iTunes, opened iBooks and... it works it works!

[Brónach 1,302]

I prefer having my digital comic books as .cbr or similar.

[Jay 37,364]

Yea all my comics are CBR/CBZ. I don't even know if there's a CBR/VBZ reader for iOS or not (I know there is for android)

[Ren 75]

I hate reading books on tablets/phones. I understand the convenience but I want my books in physical form.

I have no interest in reading books on a kindle/tablet, I love real books. I only do it for these comics cause I have no other choice - it would cost a small fortune and a ton of time to track down all the stuff I want to read.

I get people who listen to audiobooks while working out... but actually reading? sounds difficult

I couldn't do it with a real book I don't think, words'd be too small. But with the comics its mostly art, so it works. I prop it up on the elliptical's top and chug away. Usually close it down after reading a few issues then go hard until the time's up after that

I reread all of narnia, kings under the done and the last Harry potter all on the elliptical.

[Wojo 2,453]

Since getting the Harry Potter audiobooks, I couldn't imagine actually sitting down with the paper.

[Brónach 1,302]

I hate audiobooks.

[Wojo 2,453]

Well I tried driving and reading a book one time, and it didn't work out so well.

Besides, the Harry Potter audiobooks are extremely well done. The narrator's voices get so good there comes a point you know who is speaking before he tacks on the "said so-and-so" after the dialogue.

[Quintus 5,399]

I prefer having my digital comic books as .cbr or similar.

What's the difference? I'm curious. Not heard of the format.

[Jay 37,364]

a .CBR is literally just a .RAR file full of JPGs, with the extension changed to .CBR. There are lots of CBR readers. PDFs are more or less the same thing (a container for JPGs), but full of adobe bloat.

[KK 3,307]

I hate audiobooks.

Likewise. I hate books and digital books. I need to read all my books with real physical copies, including comics like Tintin. At the moment, I'm reading Dostoevsky's Notes from Underground.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yea all my comics are CBR/CBZ. I don't even know if there's a CBR/VBZ reader for iOS or not (I know there is for android)

Apparently there's a choice: appadvice.com/appguides/show/Best-iPad-Comic-Books-Apps

a .CBR is literally just a .RAR file full of JPGs, with the extension changed to .CBR. There are lots of CBR readers. PDFs are more or less the same thing (a container for JPGs), but full of adobe bloat.

So what are the benefits over pdf? I don't have Adobe on my iPad. I'm curious as to why they are preferable as I might be interested in getting hold of some. Or Chaac?

[Jay 37,364]

They are smaller files that load up quicker, and some windows based CBR readers are terrific little programs with a lot of nice features compared to just using adobe or Foxit or some other generic PDF reader.

For example, I use CDisplay on my laptop, with it set to Rotate. Essentially I just click on the comic I want to read and it comes up full screen, rotated. I turn my laptop sideways and read a page at a time, hitting the spacebar to go to the next page. I can also easily zoom, pan, etc with keyboard shortcuts instead of using the mouse and some other stuff.

There are other more elaborate CBR readers that are more like organizers, you have have virtual "long boxes" of comics, search by author or title or whatever, etc.

[Quintus 5,399]

Hmm, that stuff doesn't sound useful or interesting to me, but thanks for detailed answer. As far as the Tintin pdfs go they're instant, so loading time doesn't seem to be a problem, at least in my experience.

You turn your laptop sideways do you?

Lol

[Jay 37,364]

For reading comics at the moment, yes. That's why I just bought a tablet.

if I was going to read it on my desktop monitor, I'd put it in 2pages at a time mode, which CDisplay also easily does with the touch of a keyboard key.

[Brónach 1,302]

I have Calibre for organizing comic books and books in three different libraries by authors and tags etc. I also use Comix for the .cbr

A .cbr/.cbz is basically a container with image files in order. I can extract the pages and play around with them, changing the order, split the book, etc, and then creating new comic files with the results, which is useful for me. I also do stuff with .pdf but for some reason I'm finding myself using it less and less, only for fixed page number documents with pictures and prepared format, etc.

My default form for plain text is .epub. Kindle doesn't read .epub but other readers do. If I had a Kindle I'd simply convert the epubs I add to the necesary format with Calibre.

[Jay 37,364]

Right. Like sometimes you download the comics and they kept the ads that appeared throughout the story. You can easily move them to the end, or just delete them entirely, if you like with CBR/CBZ files. Harder to do with pdfs.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

For the last few years, I've been reading and collecting Asterix in Latin. It's such great fun and it's just awesome to see the Romans speak Latin!

I have Asterix apud Britannos. Though when I got and read it, my Latin was still in (slightly) better shape than it is now.

[Maglorfin 196]

I've just received Asterix et Cleopatra last week and it's totally cool! One can't not love Rubricastellanus's translations which are masterpieces unto themselves and elevate the whole experience to an even higher level.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I love my Kindle. Definitely prefer it over physical books.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

I've just received Asterix et Cleopatra last week and it's totally cool! One can't not love Rubricastellanus's translations which are masterpieces unto themselves and elevate the whole experience to an even higher level.

I recently actually read that (the German version) at the same time I watched Mankiewicz's Cleopatra for the first time. The notes in the Asterix release series pointed out several of the similarities between the two versions, otherwise I'd never have thought of timing it that way.

[Hlao-roo 389]

I love my Kindle. Definitely prefer it over physical books.

I like some elements of physical books -- the formatting, the ease of flipping through pages -- but on balance I've come to prefer electronic ones.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I prefer Nook to Kindle

[Ren 75]

I prefer Nook to Kindle

And what aspects of the nook do you like better than kindle may I ask?

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Remember Ren, I was a Barnes and Noble part time employee for 10 years. I like the discount.

[Ren 75]

Ha. I see

[crocodile 8,017]

Alan Moore's/Melinda Gebbie's Lost Girls and Peter Ackroyd's Hawksmoor. Both really good.

Karol

[Joni Wiljami 1,206]

I love my Kindle. Definitely prefer it over physical books.

I like some elements of physical books -- the formatting, the ease of flipping through pages -- but on balance I've come to prefer electronic ones.

Ha hah.

You are so Americans. Nothing beats the physical book. I mean the real one , the Book.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I hate audiobooks.

why, they are wonderful.

I love them. They are great for books you simply cannot get into.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I love my Kindle. Definitely prefer it over physical books.

I like some elements of physical books -- the formatting, the ease of flipping through pages -- but on balance I've come to prefer electronic ones.

Ha hah.

You are so Americans. Nothing beats the physical book. I mean the real one , the Book.

The only thing they have over eBooks is the pricing. Publishers charge a ridiculous amount of money for some PDF files. If they were between .99-$5 they'd be selling crazier than they already are.

[KK 3,307]

I can't stand e-books to be honest. There's nothing like flipping through the pages of a hard copy.

[crocodile 8,017]

I like my books AND my Kindle. In fact I sometimes have two copies.

Karol

[Brónach 1,302]

I reread Vittorio Giardino's comic book Hungarian Rhapsody (1982). It's very elegant stuff. I have to read the rest of the series.

[Ren 75]

I like my books AND my Kindle. In fact I sometimes have two copies.

Karol

I'd like to get the HPs digitally

And make all my audiobooks be on my iPhone......if I could only wave my wand

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Brónach 1,302]

Yes.

Personally, I loose track of the narration with an audiobook. It ends up tiring me, or going too fast, or too slow (when I read, my rythm and speed vary accordingly to the story). Plus I like listening to some music when I read.

And if it's in English I find it a bit harder to follow than in written form, as I'm not a native speaker. If it's a particularly complex text I need to read it at my own speed going back and forth.

[Ren 75]

Has no one listened to Jim Dale!?!?!? He's incredible.

[Quintus 5,399]

From the Carry On movies?

[Wojo 2,453]

Has no one listened to Jim Dale!?!?!? He's incredible.

I read the first three Harry Potters in paperback, but completed the series by listening to his narration in the audiobooks. They were superb.

[JoeinAR 1,949]

I hate audiobooks.

why, they are wonderful.

I love them. They are great for books you simply cannot get into.

I wonder if audiobooks is an American thing. I mean, I don't know anyone here in Europe who listen to audiobooks (even children).

Audiobooks is something I don't understand, personally. I can read. Why would I let anyone read a book for me?

because there is something magical about being read too.

Audiobooks are great for long trips. I don't know how many of you Europeans actually drive for hours upon end but some of us do over here. When I drive to see my mom I can usually listen to about 1/3 of an audio book, 6 hours or so. I get tired of music. An audio book forces me to concentrate and I get less tired on long drives.

Wojo is correct, the Jim Dale read Harry Potter novels are superb.

[Jay 37,364]

The last book I read was Ender's Shadow

For a book that more or less covers the same events as Ender's Game, there's almost no overlap or redundant passages at all. Bean's story is a captivating one, I was hooked from the very first few pages. It is very interesting to read this story from the eyes of a super-super-genius surrounded by super-geniuses. It's interesting how much he figures out on his own and how it never feels forced. The only problem I had with the book was the end. Everything was paced beautifully up through when Ender leaves for Command School, then all of a sudden the book becomes rushed and flies past many parts only referring to them in a minor way. You wait the whole book to see what happens when Bean gets to lead Dragon Army, then it gets there and all his battles are just talked about after the fact. Disappointing. Overall though, a terrific book. I'm almost afraid to continue on with the shadow series, because I have a feeling they won't live up to this at all. I am more interested in Bugger stories than civil war on earth and political procedings

[Trent Hoyt 13]

Assholes Finish First by Tucker Max

This is the second book of his. He has one more in the 'fratire' genre. These books are simply stories of him drinking and hooking up. It's like 50 Shades of Grey for guys.

[Brónach 1,302]

Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree by Tariq Ali.

Brutal narration about the end of the Andalusians at the hands of the Castilian conquerers, right before they turned to America to continue the same thing. The pace of the narration is slightly awkward at times but I didn't care. It's more worried about getting you in the head of the people and the ambience of the Granada of the time than in developing a complicated story, which I appreciate given the complexity of this part of our history.

[Romão 2,274]

That sounds fascinating. Is it an historical novel or an historical narrative?

[Brónach 1,302]

It's a novel, it's centered around a fictional family within the historical events.