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Author Topic: Library: Classic Literature/journals/links  (Read 64807 times)

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Offline mendeleyev

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Library: Classic Literature/journals/links
« on: November 03, 2008, 11:39:10 PM »
RUA Library

Welcome to the RUA Library of books, periodicals, magazines, etc.  Leave your suggestions in a post and we'll include them on the "library shelves."  (Thanks to RUA member 2TallBill for the inspiration to do this project!)


A – E

Across the Top of Russia, Richard Petrow
A History of Soviet Russia,  M K Dziewanowski
Alexander Dolgun’s Story, Alexander Dolgun
Around the Kremlin, Various authors & translated by Bernard Meares
Breaking Moscow, Arkady N Shevchenko
Culture Shock, A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette, Anna Pavlovskaya


Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2008, 11:39:51 PM »
F – L

From Da to Nyet: Understanding the Russians, Yale Richmond
Great Moscow Guide, Various with forward by Yuri Luzhkov
Hermitage (The), Boris Piotrovsky
Is Stalinism Really Dead, Alexander S Tsipko
Klass: How Russians Really Live, David K Willis (paperback)
Kremlin Rising, Peter Baker and Susan Glasser
Land of the Firebird, The Beauty of Old Russia, Suzanne Massie
Leningrad, Pavel Kann

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2008, 11:40:36 PM »
M – Q

Message from Moscow, George Feifer
Moscow Farewell, George Feifer
Napoleon and Hitler, Desmond Seward
Nicholas and Alexandra, Robert K Massie
Notes from Underground/The Double, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Parting with Illusions, Vladimir Pozner (paperback)
Paths to Russia, from War to Peace, F Wilhelm Christians
Perestroika, Mikhail Gorbachev



Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2008, 11:41:10 PM »
R – Z

Red Victory, W Bruce Lincoln (history of 1917-1920 civil war)
Rising Tide, The Untold Story of Russian Submarines, Gary Weir & Walter J Boyne
Rulers and Victims : The Russians in the Soviet Union
Russia, David K Shipler (paperback)
Russia, Donald Wallace
Russia, Philip Longworth
Russia and the Russians, Geoffery Hosking
Russia and the West from Peter to Khrushchev, L Jay Oliva (paperback)
Russka, Edward Rutherfurd
Russia Under the Bolshevik Regime, Richard Pipes
RussiaWalks, David & Valeria Matlock (paperback)
Shadow of the Winter Palace (The), Edward Crankshaw
The Decision to Intervene, Vols. 1 & 2, George F Kennan
The Future Belongs to Freedom, Eduard Shevardnadze
The Hidden Nations, Nadia Diuk & Adrian Karatnycky
The Icon and the Axe, James Billington
The Idiot, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The Life and Times of Joseph Stalin, Ian Schott
The Main Enemy, Milton Bearden & James Risen
The Moscow Correspondents, Whitman Bassow
The Private Life of Kim Philby, Hayden Peake & Mikhail Lyubimov
The Russian Mind, Ronald Hingley
The Russians, Hedrick Smith (1)
The New Russians, Hedrick Smith (2)
The Ugly Russian, Victor Lasky
Two Lives, One Russia, Nicholas Daniloff
Under A New Sky, Olga Andreyev Carlisle
Understanding Imperial Russia, Marc Raeff
USSR, A Concise History, Basil Dmytryshyn
Xenophobe's Guide to the Russians, Elizabeth Roberts
 

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2008, 11:42:01 PM »
Russian Classics

A Chameleon [Хамелеон], Anton Chekhov
Agafya [Агафья], Anton Chekhov
Anyuta [Анюта], Anton Chekhov
Death of Ivan Ilych, Leo Tolstoy
Grisha [Гриша], Anton Chekhov
The Death of a Government Clerk [Смерть чиновника], Anton Chekhov
The Master and Margarita (Мастер и Маргарита), Mikhail Bulgakov
Sergeant Prishibeyev [Унтер Пришибеев], Anton Chekhov
Vanka [Ванька], Anton Chekhov
War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy




  Statue of Anton Chekhov in Tomsk.

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2008, 11:42:40 PM »
Monumental

Cancer Ward, Aleksandr I Solzhenitsyn
Doctor Zhivago (Доктор Живаго), Boris Pasternak
August—The Red Wheel, Aleksandr I Solzhenitsyn
Lenin in Zurich, Aleksandr I Solzhenitsyn
Putin's Russia, Anna Politkovskaya
Rebuilding Russia, Aleksandr I Solzhenitsyn
The Gulag Archipelago, Alexandr I Solzhenitsyn



Great Patriotic War (World War II)

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2008, 11:43:14 PM »
Modern Novels

Agent in Place, Robert Littell
Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith
13th Directorate, Barry Chubin
36 Yalta Boulevard, Olen Steinhauer
Moscow Rules, Robert Moss
The Hope, Herman Wouk
The Red Fox, Anthony Hyde
The Winds of War, Herman Wouk
War and Rememberance, Herman Wouk
White Russian (The), Tom Bradby
Winter Queen (The), Boris Akunin

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2008, 11:44:11 PM »
Children's Titles

How the Cock Wrecked the Manor, Lithuanian folk tale
Little Chick Goes to Clucky-Cluck, E. Moshkovskaya
Russian Fairy Tales, Aleksandr Afanasev
Sevka Wants to Live Somewhere Else, G. Yurmin
The Cedar Chest, R. Zelyonaya and S. Ivanov (Fun pop-up book teaching good manners and basic moral values)
The Circus, S. Marshak
The Lion and the Dog, Leo Tolstoy
The Straw Bull Calf, Ukrainian Folk tale
Yushka, Alexander Kuprin (A Story about a cat.) 
White Star, Anton Chekov

 



Speciality Titles

Russian Bride Guide, Smith & Maslova

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2008, 11:45:24 PM »
Titles/Authors Specific to Ukraine

Borderland: A Journey through the History of Ukraine, Anna Reid
Chernobyl Record: The Definitive History of the Chernobyl Catastrophe, R.F Mould
Kiev, Michael Hamm
Lala's Story: A Memoir of the Holocaust, Lala Fishman & Steven Weingartner
The Sebastopol Sketches, Leo Tolstoy
The Tatars of the Crimea: Return to the Homeland, Eward Allworth
The Truth About Chernobyl, Grigori Medvedev & Andrei Sakharov



Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2008, 11:45:52 PM »
Titles/Authors Specific to the former Soviet Republics

A History of Belarussian Literature, Wilhelm Schimdz
Belorussia: the Making of a Nation, Nicholas Valkar
Knight in the Tiger's Skin, Shota Rustaveli
Republic of Georgia: Democracy, Human Rights, and Security Hearing; Christopher H. Smith


Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #10 on: November 03, 2008, 11:47:41 PM »
Ukrainian oriented magazines/periodicals/newspapers


Guide to terms:
Newspaper = газета.
Magazine/Journal = журнал.





http://www.wumag.kiev.ua/
"Welcome to Ukraine" Magazine, English
This is the premier and most important magazine/journal in the English language about Ukraine.  This one sets the standard for all others.   And the on-line version is free!




http://www.whatson-kiev.com/
"What's On Kiev" English
A leading informational English-language weekly magazine in Kiev, covering culture and entertainment in the Ukrainian capital. WHATS ON reaches 40,000 readers every week, including English-speaking Ukrainians, expatriate residents and foreign visitors to Kiev.  Free on-line.




http://www.business*Unapproved Link*.ua/
BusinessUkraine, English
An excellent business journal is dedicated to delivering high-quality business and economic news and analysis from Eastern Europe. The Kiev-based weekly magazine was launched in March 2007.





English edition: http://www.Kievpost.com/
The Kiev Post is the major English language newspaper for Ukraine.  Free on-line access.





English edition: http://www.ukraine-observer.com/
The Ukrainian Observer.  A pro-Western English language newspaper.  Free on-line access.





English edition: http://www.brama.com/news/
Brama is both an English language and Ukrainian language on-line newspaper.




Ukrainian edition: http://www.mw.ua/
Zerkalo Nedeli journal--a weekly Ukrainian newspaper in the English language.



English edition: http://eng.for-ua.com/
'ForUm' is an excellent newspaper available on-line in English, Ukrainian and Russian.  Sign up to read in depth articles.




The Ukrainian Journal
www.UkrainianJournal.com, English
The Ukrainian Journal offers this Web-based source of daily news, gives you access to the news that have been published by Ukrainian Journal, but also to other features, such as comments and analyses from leading experts. The on-line edition is free, however due to it's prestige the price for daily delivery into your email is $795 year. 

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #11 on: November 03, 2008, 11:48:08 PM »
Russian oriented magazines/periodicals/newspapers


Guide to terms:
Newspaper = газета.
Magazine/Journal = журнал.





http://216.197.126.127/
Russian Life Magazine, English
Dating back to 1956, RLM is a colorful, insightful look at life as it is lived in Russia today. Featuring quality journalism, amazing photography and a breadth and depth of coverage published bi-monthly.





http://www.inostranets.ru/
Inostranets Magazine, Russian
Inostranets covers the world of art, movies/film, music, books and theatre in the Russian langauge.





http://www.moscowtimes.ru/indexes/01.html
The Moscow Times, English
Russia's most influential and independent English language newspaper.  Subscribe to have it delivered daily into your email.






http://www.sptimes.ru/
The Saint Petersburg Times, English
Published by the same company which publishes The Moscow Times.





Russian edition:  http://www.pravda.ru/
English edition:  http://english.pravda.ru/
PRAVDA means 'truth."  The official newspaper of the Communist Party during the Soviet period, Pravda continues today as a major Russian newspaper, both Russian and English.





http://www.kommersant.ru/
Kommersant, Russian
This was the leading Publisher of printed materials for the Communist Party but not functions also as a News service and magazine publisher.





http://com.sibpress.ru/
Novosibirsk, Russian
Continent Siberia in Novosibirsk (Capital of Siberia) is a leading Russian language newspaper for the central Siberian plains.






Samara Today Newspaper
Russian edition: http://news.samaratoday.ru/
English edition: http://news.samaratoday.ru/eng
Daily newspaper for the Samara region.  Available in both Russian and English.






http://vn.vladnews.ru/
Vladivostok News, English
At the Eastern front of Russia there is the port city of Vladivostok.  Closer to Alaska than Moscow, this is an English language newspaper. 






http://www.pravdasevera.ru/
Arkhangelsk

Offline mendeleyev

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« Reply #12 on: November 03, 2008, 11:48:45 PM »
Former Soviet Republics oriented magazines/periodicals




http://www.armenialiberty.org/
Armenia Liberty is published in Armenian and English daily.





http://new.aravot.am/en/
Published daily in Armenian, Russian and English.





http://www.geotimes.ge/
Published daily in Georgian, English and Russian.





http://www.ferghana.ru/
Due to the restrictive nature of the dictatorship in Uzbekistan, it is very difficult to gain access to Uzbek media.  This is a Russian newspaper which is published from Tashkent.

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Library: books/magazines/newspapers/websites
« Reply #13 on: November 04, 2008, 12:29:03 AM »
Russian Website Directory


News
Daily news from Russia - http://en.rian.ru/
Russian Global news - http://globalnewsblog.com
Russian News perspectives - http://www.robertamsterdam.com
Tass News agency - http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/



Culture
Art and Faith - http://01varvara.wordpress.com/
Cooking recipes in Russian - http://kuking.net/




Offline mendeleyev

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Library: books/magazines/newspapers/websites
« Reply #14 on: November 04, 2008, 12:29:31 AM »
Ukrainian Website Directory


News
Daily Ukraine news - http://www.ukraine-observer.com/
Kharkov news - http//news.mediaport.info/eng/city/



Culture
Best of Ukraine - http://www.bestof*Unapproved Link*/index.html
History - http://www.theserpentswall.com/page2.html




Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Library: books/magazines/newspapers/websites
« Reply #15 on: November 04, 2008, 12:30:11 AM »
Former Soviet Republics Website Directory


Armenia News
Armenian News agency - http://www.armenpress.am/
Armenia News - http://www.armgate.com/



Georgia News
Georgian Times newspaper online - http://www.geotimes.ge/



Kazakhstan News
Kazakhstan news - http://www.kazakhstan.com/




Moldova News
Moldovan news - http://www.azi.md/en.html




Armenian Culture
Armenian culture - http://www.armeniainfo.am/about/?section=culture



Georgian Culture
Georgian traditions - http://www.hansrossel.com/travel-information/georgia-tbilisi/wine-tradition-georgian-culture.htm
Georgian Wines - http://www.winefromgeorgia.com/
Georgian Wines - http://www.selectwinesllc.com/repofgeor.html




Kazakhstan Culture
Kazahkstan culture and history - http://aboutkazakhstan.com/




Moldovan Culture
Moldovan culture - http://www.everyculture.com/Ma-Ni/Moldova.html



Armenian Church

Offline Olga_Mouse

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Re: Library: books/magazines/newspapers/websites
« Reply #16 on: November 04, 2008, 03:40:32 AM »

Former Soviet Republics Website Directory


If it's the link, I can not click it?

If it's just the title - where's the text?  ???
Leaving Russia is not an emigration, rather an evacuation.

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Library: books/magazines/newspapers/websites
« Reply #17 on: November 19, 2008, 01:07:48 PM »
Book Review:


Russka, by Eduard Rutherfurd





This review was taken from the blog, http://exlibris.typepad.com/russian_reading_challenge, for whom all credit is due.

Russka by Edward Rutherfurd, (is) a saga of four families originating from the village of Russka in the heartland of Russia. The book spans more than 1800 years, from 180AD till 1992 and is a bit reminiscent of the books James Michener wrote, though Rutherfurd's style is different. The size of the book is similar to that of Michener's: Russka clocks in at 940+ pages. Actually, when I did some 'research' for this post, I found out that Michener is a direct influence on Rutherfurd.

Russka: The Novel of Russia by Edward Rutherfurd
This was the third time in about sixteen years that I read Russka by Edward Rutherfurd, a saga of four families originating from the village of Russka in the heartland of Russia. The book spans more than 1800 years, from 180AD till 1992 and is a bit reminiscent of the books James Michener wrote, though Rutherfurd's style is different. The size of the book is similar to that of Michener's: Russka clocks in at 940+ pages. Actually, when I did some 'research' for this post, I found out that Michener is a direct influence on Rutherfurd.

 Each chapter (most are about a hundred pages long) centers on an important moment in the history of Russia and how historical events influence the lives of the Bobrovs, Romanovs, Karpenkos and Suvorins. Each chapter basically centers around a clash between the old and the new, between change and 'staying put', be it the invading Tatars in the 13th century, the reigns of Ivan the Terrible, Peter the Great or Catherine the Great, or the Bolshevik Revolution in 1918.

Some major historical figures such as Lenin, Ivan the Terrible or Catherine the Great make cameo appearance in the story. In between the story-lines, Rutherfurd describes (in at times large sweeps) in a very readable way the history of the land and the state.


Mendeleyev's note:  This book has been added to the RUA Library collection and is a very good historical novel.

Offline Paul

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Classic Russian literature
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2009, 01:24:50 AM »
Here is a quick overview of some of the Classic Russian books that I have read. In the order that I read them.

"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. The paperback at 1455 pages is an absolute must read by anyone from any country. It is a story about the "higher" Russian families during Napoleons failed conquest of Russia. I really do not know how to describe the book other than saying that it is awesome!

"Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. If you only read two of the Russian classics, make sure that CAP is included with WAP, it is another awesome book,.. it is about a young Russian man who kills a pawn broker to survive and thinks that he is getting away with the perfect crime,.. for a little while.... (I do not want to give away too much :) )

"Notes From The Underground" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The paperback is only 91 pages long, but it is one of the hardest books that I have ever read. The book is very depressing and is about a man who despises his peers and later falls in love with a very young Russian prostitute during the mid 1800's. It is a very hard book to read, but I recommend it to get a glimpse into "the Russian soul."

"The Garnet Bracelet and Other Stories" by Alexander Kuprin. This book contains one of my very favorite stories by a Russian author, or anyone else :) "Olesya" is a great short story about a woman who is accused of being a witch. You can read it here http://vidyaonline.org/arvindgupta/46r.pdf If you read any story by a Russian author, please read this one :) The entire book is good, but "Olesya" is the best :)

"Doctor Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak. This is one book that I could not get through, I couldn't even get through the movie with actors who spoke with British accents. From what I know, it starts with "Bloody Sunday" the Russian revolution... read at your own risk.

"The House of The Dead" by Fyodor Dostoevsky, is another one of my favorites. In 1850 Dostoevsky was sent to a prison in Siberia for conspiracy. He spent four years there and tells about it through fiction in this book,.. an awesome read!

"The Idiot" by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Is probably the "deepest" book that I have ever read. I recommend this book as a must read, and when you read it (if you have ever read The New Testament) try to match the similarities between Christ and prince Myshkin... it will blow your mind. I was told by a Russian woman who I respect very much that "Myshkin" was a very weak character,.. read "The Idiot" after you have read "The New Testament" and tell me what you think :)

"The Essential Tales of Chekov" by Anton Chekhov. If you want to impress your Russian girlfriend, read this book :) it is awesome, just like "The Garnet Bracelet" by Kuprin, and will give you another glimpse into the "Russian soul." :)  If you cannot appreciate the words carefully mended by Checkhov in these stories, then maybe a Russian woman is not for you  :duh: Read the stories and you might know what I mean.

"The Brothers Karamazov" by Fyodor Dostoevsky is a very boring book unless you are into legal things. The paperback does not get interesting until you are 500 pages into the story, and it really isn't worth reading too much further beyond that... agian, unless you are into legal/court things. I would not read it again.

I'm currently reading "A Collection of Short Stories" by Gogol. They are along the same lines as "A Garnet Bracelet" and the stories by Chekhov. I get caught up with doing crossword puzzles so it is likely to take me some time to get through them... I'll post about the stories later :)

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Library: Classic Literature/journals/links
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2009, 09:15:50 AM »
DD, of these listed, which was your favourite so far, and why?

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Re: Library: Classic Literature/journals/links
« Reply #20 on: January 05, 2009, 11:08:22 AM »
DD, of these listed, which was your favourite so far, and why?

Oops, thanks for moving my post here Mendy, I had forgotten about this thread.

So far, "The House of The Dead" by Dostoevsky is probably my favorite. It's hard to say why, I just like Dostoevsky's style of writing and the way he goes about describing things. He is able to pull me into the story as if the things are actually going on around me while I am reading, not too many authors are able to do that.

I also like the short stories of Kuprin, Chekhov, and Gogol. They are easy to read quickly, understandable, and very interesting. I love stories from that era  :)

Offline Brasscasing

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Re: Classic Russian literature
« Reply #21 on: January 05, 2009, 11:29:59 AM »
"War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy. The paperback at 1455 pages is an absolute must read by anyone from any country. It is a story about the "higher" Russian families during Napoleons failed conquest of Russia. I really do not know how to describe the book other than saying that it is awesome!

I must ask DD; What translation (if any) did you read? I recently (last 6 months) finished the Constance Garnett translation at 1313 pages inclusive. I would rate this translation/version of the Classic at maybe a 7 out of 10. :(
I tend to gravitate more to historical, biographical, nonfiction literature but a found this translation hard to get through.
As an aside, the biographical life of the author himself (Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy) is just as interesting as his novels (IMO). :reading:

Brass
“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind."  ~ John Diefenbaker

P.S....Unless you happen to live in Quebec and are subject to the Quebec Charter Of Values, of course.

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Library: Classic Literature/journals/links
« Reply #22 on: January 05, 2009, 12:03:45 PM »
DD and Brass, nice to know some fellow readers are on the forum.   :)

Dr Zhivago is my all time favourite movie, the sweeping scenes are breathtaking even after all those years.  I must agree with DD about the casting but sometimes actors make a movie so perhaps we'll never know whether they contributed to a great work, or if the work was so strong that the choice of actors didn't matter?

Tolstoy, anything by this author seems to be a difficult but worthy read.  Fyodor Dostoevsky depends on the particular subject and I've learned to appreciate Chekhov also.


PS....DD, who is the beautiful lady?  You must be happy as she certainly has you smiling!

Offline Paul

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Re: Classic Russian literature
« Reply #23 on: January 05, 2009, 12:33:38 PM »
I must ask DD; What translation (if any) did you read?

My copy of "War and Peace" was published by Signet Classics and the translation was done by Ann Dunnigan, I do not have anything to really compare it against but will say that the translation was done well. Most of the other books were published by Penguin Classics.
 
Quote
I recently (last 6 months) finished the Constance Garnett translation at 1313 pages inclusive. I would rate this translation/version of the Classic at maybe a 7 out of 10. :(
I tend to gravitate more to historical, biographical, nonfiction literature but a found this translation hard to get through.
As an aside, the biographical life of the author himself (Count Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy) is just as interesting as his novels (IMO). :reading:

Brass

I haven't read his biography yet, but read whatever I stumble across on the net about him. Tolstoy was a very interesting man and I was fortunate to visit his Moscow home on one trip... if I can find the CD with the pictures I took of his house, I will post them here.

Offline Paul

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Re: Library: Classic Literature/journals/links
« Reply #24 on: January 05, 2009, 12:44:14 PM »
DD and Brass, nice to know some fellow readers are on the forum.   :)

I can count the number of books that I read in high school on one hand,.. it wasn't until my mid/late twenties that I became addicted to reading. I can't sit down for more than five minutes without picking up something to read (or reading something on the net).

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PS....DD, who is the beautiful lady?  You must be happy as she certainly has you smiling!

She is my Angel  ;D I go back to see her on the 29th and can't wait!  :)