Reading ... it's more than just a hobby

Kudos to you, Kay. You know years ago I would scoff at some of my older relatives who spent a large part of their retirement , Reading.

I realize now that it is a very enriching endeavor to spend your retirement doing

I'm glad to hear your books are on the Kindle. I could not imagine having 3000 books lining the walls. It brings back memories of the momentous task of clearing out my fathers place after he passed a few years back. Parents were not hoarders but had amassed a lot of stuff over the years, even to my mothers wedding dress still being there, even a wedding cake slice from 1955. So much stuff.

What we did not throw away, my sister was running a little Ebay business for a while selling all the more desirable stuff.

All I took were a few photo's in the end. My father had been into electronics for most of his life but had dropped off some years prior in getting the latest stuff so nothing really desirable.

So I should ask the question to those who devour books, do you also keep them?

I was the same with nonfiction, Mark. That is up until 2017 when my wife suggested that I read Jodi Picoult's book about a school shooting . I was hooked on fiction after that

l Know that you went to see Revenge of the Sith re-released in Cinemas again which made 8 million for a 1990's available anywhere movie.

Admit it...

For me, I generally prefer all forms of physical media, but for different reasons. My books must be physical as I much prefer the feel of turning pages, gauging my place in a book by the thickness of pages read versus pages unread, and the smell of the paper - even an old, musty book's smell can add a nostalgic sheen to a book.

Movies I prefer to own in physical form to eliminate issues with Digital Rights Management. Even when you "buy" digital versions of movies, you don't actually own them. You own a usage right that can be taken away at any time. Further, good luck tracking down your movie if the digital rights provider goes out of business (unlikely, but possible). Additionally, streaming has come a long way in terms of video quality, but it still isn't as good as a physical copy played in a decent, let alone cinemaphile-quality, Blu-ray player. But even more importantly, the sound quality from physical media is far superior to compressed streaming audio tracks (if you have any form of home theater beyond your TV speakers). That said, I do rip my movies and play them via Plex for times when ease of use is more important than sound and video quality.

With music, I find myself buying more vinyl than CDs. If I really enjoy an album, I'll likely buy the vinyl and Hi Res download versions. The Hi Res versions contain higher quality files than CDs. I also subscribe to a streaming service, but that's mainly for my wife as she prefers the ease of use.

Added later: Regarding reading, I read as much as I have time for, which is currently considerably less than I'd like (who knew kids were such a time suck...). I currently have a "books to be read"pile about 12 books high.

Are you saying he performed at the Opry??

I am going to be an arrogant ass and suggest that Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita will make you change your mind. And there's a bonus point here: the movie's coming out soon. You can read the book, watch the movie, marvel at the quality of both, then start criticizing the movie for taking artistic liberties you would not have.


And I think James Clavell's Shogun will make you marvel at the fine art of positioning yourself as a marketer that's in that novel. And then you will (of course) read fiction like crazy. Or maybe not. But you cannot say I did not try to convert you, can you?

That viewpoint is very limiting on many levels.

There's more to life than being useful. We can get enjoyment and fulfilment from activities that aren't ostensibly about being productive. And why would anyone force themselves to read a 2,000 page novel just for the sake of it?

But it's a mistake to think that only books designed for a specific purpose can provide invaluable life lessons. Well-constructed stories contain truths that often can't be said by other means.

Readers of good literature - it doesn't have to be Shakespeare or Proust - can learn a lot more about the human condition than they'd glean from any number of self-help books.

I've read several of the books on Seduction, written by the gurus in that field., along with studying Match.com descriptions at different ages, and from both genders. Trying to learn how people think at different ages, and what they think is attractive at different ages.

It's all marketing. The exact same principles. The exact same techniques.

And I studied these subject while married to Cheryl. I even told her about a hooker I interviewed in Las Vegas, to learn how her business worked.

It's all just basic marketing. And it's students are mostly sad young men who think there are secrets...techniques...."Tricking" women into having sex with them.

I wonder if any of these seduction gurus are happy and married now that they are middle aged or older.

Have you read Robert Greene's book called Seduction?


I chuckled at books on seduction. But not his.

"It reminds me of when I read Life Of Pie. After reading the last page, I sat in silence for a long time....coming down." Typo fixed.

I used to read Sifi a lot, Asimov, A B Dick, Clarke, Larry Niven was great too. Also books describing after death descriptions. There used to be an old suitcase under my bed that contained an illustrated large novel from the 19th century, cant remember the title but it disappeared, sure it was worth something. Another was a 1908 book by an astronomer of note describing Jupiter as possibly a hot planet. Pages fell out on that one. Old books of course are worth more if first editions and their dust jackets are intact.

Arr No!

When l went to a friends place we would either ride our bikes or play Atari 2600 games to death, never sat there reading a book.