Satunnainen kirjavalikoima kirjastosta, jonka omistaa PandorasRequiem
Violent Cases - tekijä: Neil Gaiman
Scandalous Risks - tekijä: Susan Howatch
Graphic Design Basics - tekijä: Amy E. Arntson
Nabokov's Dozen - tekijä: Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov
Artists' Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages - tekijä: Lynne Perrella
A Field Guide to the Stars and Planets (The Peterson Field Guide Series) - tekijä: Jay Pasachoff
Vogue Body and Beauty Book - tekijä: Bronwen Meredith
Nämä jäsenet omistavat samoja kirjoja kuin PandorasRequiem
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Avainsanatcollection (620), non fiction (504), read (482), reference (479), unread (450), english (414), classics (360), fiction (323), literature (297), history (280) — kaikki avainsanat
Ryhmät1001 Books to read before you die, 20-Something LibraryThingers, 50 Book Challenge, A Pearl of Wisdom and Enlightenment, Album Listener's Club, Art History, Art is Life, Banned Books, BBC Radio 3 Listeners, Best of British — näytä kaikki ryhmät
LempikirjailijatMortimer J. Adler, Tori Amos, Margaret Atwood, W. H. Auden, Nicholson Baker, Nicholas A. Basbanes, Charles Baudelaire, Ray Bradbury, Mikhail Bulgakov, Tim Burton, George Gordon Byron, Baron Byron, Lewis Carroll, G. K. Chesterton, Kate Chopin, Rene Descartes, Umberto Eco, Harlan Ellison, Clifton Fadiman, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Fowles, Robert Frost, Brian Froud, Neil Gaiman, Edward Gorey, Caitlin R. Kiernan, Madeleine L'Engle, Charles de Lint, Daphne Du Maurier, Friedrich Nietzsche, Mervyn Peake, Edgar Allan POE, Terry Pratchett, Ayn Rand, Arthur Rimbaud, David Robinson, Theodore Roethke, William Shakespeare, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Irving Stone, Alfred Tennyson, Baron Tennyson, Hunter S. Thompson, J.R.R. Tolkien, Serena Valentino, Bill Watterson, Evelyn Waugh, Hank Wesselman, Edith Wharton, Oscar Wilde, Terri Windling, W. B. Yeats (Yhteiset suosikit)
Tietoja minusta 
I am first and foremost an artist/writer/bibliophile/bibliomane... which means I spend a lot of time Here in My Head, and also inside books, libraries, book stores, music stores, art stores, etc. I have a voracious appetite for words and art... in fact, I think there are some who could verily present a most productive argument that I spend more time outside of reality than in it. They just may be right. I think even I could easily come up with a much more interesting reality.
oh wait... I already did.
In any case, although my personal collection is a rather ecclectic and strange one, I am first & foremost an AVID reader and welcome any comments, suggestions and observations any of you may have. Please feel free to leave an imprint on this page, or ramblings of the ink-style; all forms of communication on here will be most welcome! That is, if you should be so inclined. *smile*
Tietoja kirjastostani YES I do own all of these books. (I get asked that a lot on here, apparently a large amount of users enter only "wish list items", which isn't really what MY library is all about. All items on here are present in my library and accounted for. Well, *sideways smile* Almost all of them!) I've been collecting books since I was about 5. No really, I have. I even have my first Dr. Seuss book. It's all here somewhere, everything is. Sometimes it just doesn't want to be found..."unripe mind apples"... do you think books have ghosts? Well, I suppose if you believe in Vitalism as it pertains to books, then when they fall off shelves, it means that they are trying to commit suicide (like I read in one of my many philosophy books somewhere) then maybe they -do- have ghosts. Which would makes sense (to me, anyways) because there has always been a kind of ephemeral sense hanging around my library, a personality, and all those voices humming and singing and whispering their esoteric thoughts to me. Something to ponder on, in any case.
I can remember almost every book I've ever had in my library, although some of them have not been with me for quite sometime now. They have since been placed into hands other than mine, in locations unknown. I am quite sure Lucien would know, I must remember to ask him next time I run into him in Dream's library.
As for My Library, it has recently spent a huge amount of time in boxes being relocated to another house, another bedroom, and different bookshelves. A new home. *sigh* So I am mostly using this website to catalog my books and enter their names as I go about my slow but deliberative pace of delightedly unpacking and shelving them. A bit like welcoming back old friends, no?
This is by any comprehensive means a rather minute representation of my expansive Library, so far... and the works cataloged are firstly recent purchases, or recently read (or devoured) so, for the present time, the most "accurate" glimpse of my taste would be to take a look at my tags and or/authors, I suppose.
They -are- an eccentric bunch, but then again so am I.
***RECENT FOOTNOTE***
I've been going through a difficult year, so please forgive me if I don't return your lovely comments right away. I am delighted by all of them, so please keep leaving them - if for no other good reason than knowing they will put a smile on my recently careworn face. Nihil desperandum... I shall return.
READ IN 2007:
1) "Prep"~ Curtis Sittifield
2) "A Walking Tour of the Shambles"~ Neil Gaiman
3) "If I Had a Hi-Fi"~ William Irvine
4) "Literary Las Vegas"~ Mike Tronnes (ed.)
5) "The Gashlycrumb Tinies"~ Edward Gorey
6) "The Thirteenth Tale"~ Diane Setterfield
7) "Blackwood Farm"~ Anne Rice
8) "The Shadow of the Wind"~ Carlos Ruiz Zafon
9) "Stitch n' Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook"~ Debbie Stoler
10) "Harlequin Valentine"~ Neil Gaiman
11) "Indian Art"~ Roy C. Craven
12) "Chinese Art"~ Mary Tregear
13) "Japanese Art"~ Joan Stanley-Baker
14) "Fragile Things"~ Neil Gaiman
15) "Getting In Touch With Your Inner Bitch"~ Elizabeth Hilts
16) "Gormenghast"~ Mervyn Peake
17) "The Great Gatsby"~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
18) "Mrs. Dalloway"~ Virginia Woolf
19) "The Sense of Paper"~ Taylor Holden
20) "The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Fiction"~ R. V. Cassil (ed.)
21) "Titus Alone"~ Mervyn Peake
22) "The Eternals #1"~ Neil Gaiman
23) "Smilla's Sense of Snow"~ Peter Hoeg
24) "Stairway to Heaven: The Final Resting Place of Rock's Legends"~ J.D. Reed/Maddy Miller
25) "Stitch n' Bitch Nation"~ Debbie Stoler
26) "Cats of the World"~ Matt Warner
27) "Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic"~ Alison Bechdel
28) "Ghost Moon"~ Karen Robards
29) "The Golden Compass: His Dark Materials #1"~ Philip Pullman
30) "At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much"~ Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
31) "Ghostwalk"~ Rebecca Stott
32) "Paint It Black"~ Voltaire
33) "Savannah's Laurel Grove Cemetery"~ John Walker Guss
34) "My Story"~ Marilyn Monroe & Ben Hecht
35) "Good Omens"~ Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
36) "The Stolen Child"~ Keith Donohue
37) "Medea"~ Euripides
38) "The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop"~ Lewis Buzbee
39) "Lysistrata"~ Aristophanes
40) "It's A Magical World: A Calvin & Hobbes Collection"~ Bill Waterson
41) "The Knitting Circle"~ Ann Hood
42) "Oedipus Rex"~ Sophocles
43) "Confessions of a Former Cultural Relativist"~Henry H. Bagish
44) "The Audubon Society Guides: Familiar Mammals of North America"~ John Farrand, Jr.
45) "Heartburn"~ Nora Ephron
46) "Alarms & Diversions"~ James Thurber
47) "Strangers in Paradise, Volume 1"~ Terry Moore
48) "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell"~ Susanna Clarke
49) "Lost in a Good Book"~ Jasper Fforde
50) "The Good Fairies of New York"~ Martin Millar
51) "Catching Genius"~ Kristy Kiernan
52) "Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books"~ Lynne Sharon Schwartz
53) "The Camel Club"~ David Baldacci
54) "The Elements of Moral Philosophy"~ James & Stuart Rachels
55) "Vice & Virtue In Everyday Life"~ Christina & Fred Sommers
56) "A Killer Stitch"~ Maggie Sefton
BOOK COUNT STATS:
56 / 60 (92.0%)
CURRENTLY READING:
"An Instance of the Fingerpost" by Iain Pears
"Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe" by Anthony Summers
"Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy
"An Alphabetical Life" by Wendy Werris
"The Fermata" by Nicholson Baker
"A History of Reading" by Alberto Manguel
"Reading In Bed: Personal Essays on the Glories of Reading" by Steven Gilbar
"The Castle" by Franz Kafka
"The Lost Painting" by Jonathan Harr
"Violet Clay" by Gail Godwin
"The Portrait of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde
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LibraryThing Early Reviewers ("varhaiset kirja-arvostelijat")
SijaintiCalifornia
Käyttäjätilin tyyppijulkinen, elinaikainen
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URL:t
http://www.librarything.com/profile/PandorasRequiem (profiili)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/PandorasRequiem (kirjasto)
RekisteröitymispäiväOct 13, 2006
Kommentteja muilta librarythingaajilta
(Jätä kommentti.)
So, I have to ask you -- what was your motivation for adding me (us) to your "Interesting Libraries" list?
I mean, I rarely have the patience to peruse my ~own~ catalog, so I rarely look at others. I'm curious to know what you found that piqued your interest.
Couldn't help but notice that you have Mortimer Adler as a Favorite Author -- I'm currently reading his How to Read a Book -- but your single tag with his name is attached to a book by a different author. So, I was going to ask you about how you enjoyed reading Adler, but I can't; however, I ~can~ ask how he got on that list if you haven't read any of his books.
Oh, I scored something like "mostly dorky genuis geek god" (99 in Sci/Math and Tech/Computer, 65 in Sci-Fi/Comics, and 92 in Hist/Lit). Thanks, I needed that!
Mike
WholeHouseLibrary
Lähettänyt: WholeHouseLibrary 12:45 pm (EST) Jul 21, 2008
We have much in common. I, too, spend much time In My Head, and am very familiar with hundreds of books in boxes, tucked away. I have added you to my Interesting Libraries and sent you a Friends invitation. Let's talk books! I see that you are currently reading Kafka. I am, too, along with my usual five other books at the same time. I am trying to spend quality time with him, making notes, and will go to critical materials, and then hope to write a lengthier critical study.
Lähettänyt: polutropos 12:00 pm (EST) Apr 23, 2008
Lesley
Lähettänyt: lesleyap 10:51 am (EST) Mar 17, 2008
Thanks for the shout out... noticing my library. I'll be happy to reciprocate since we appear to share some common interests and yet there are lots of new areas in yours that I might be interested in exploring.
Even though we only share 5 favorite authors, there are many more in your favorites that I have read or plan to read: W. H. Auden, Nicholas Basbanes, Ray Bradbury, Mikhail Bulgakov, Lewis Carroll, G. K. Chesterton, Rene Descartes, Umberto Eco, Harlan Ellison, Clifton Fadiman, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Fowles, Robert Frost, Neil Gaiman, Madeleine L'Engle, Charles de Lint, Edgar Allan Poe (high school favorite), Terry Pratchett, Ayn Rand, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Irving Stone, Hunter S. Thompson, Evelyn Waugh, Oscar Wilde and W. B. Yeats.
Some authors and/or books you may or may not be interested in exploring: Jack London (note: I read "Sailor On Horseback" by Irving Stone, a London Biography), P. G. Wodehouse, Peter S. Beagle (whoops - just noticed you have "A Fine and Private Place" in your library), "Krakatoa" and "A Crack in the Edge of the World" both by Simon Winchester, Lloyd Alexander ...
Dick Vile in Michigan
Lähettänyt: hashiru 7:11 am (EST) Mar 17, 2008
What a roundabout way I came to your Library. I was looking at Boxofdelight's page- saw your comment about how you liked that user name, admired YOUR user name at thus found myself on your page, admiring your library. Phew! I, too, am a big fan of diversity in a library. I do appreciate )some might say envy) those who have such complete and consistent collections on a particular topic. But I'm too curious about too many things. WE share some fun books in common. I'm looking forward to perusing your collection in depth.
Lähettänyt: lesleyap 1:54 pm (EST) Jan 13, 2008
Lähettänyt: kawika 10:37 am (EST) Dec 28, 2007
Thanks so much for responding to my note.
I'm delighted you felt compelled to get a copy of 'A Case of Mistaken Identity' after reading my review. Please do share your thoughts on it with me after you finish it, which time, I suppose, will not be too far off.
Well, I'm glad you do find my library interesting. I wish people could come over and share it with me, but alas I have no friend who appreciates books in the same way. Today I purchased a signed first edition of Robert Holdstock's 'Mythago Wood' which will find a wonderful home in good company with some of my other books. I will be very excited when it comes.
I think Gabriel must be a wonderful companion - a cat who appreciates old books! Perfect. Or I should say, purrrrrrfect. On the subject of pets, I recommend you not purchase a bunny no matter how cute one may be. They also love books - for sharpening their teeth on. No kidding. :-)
I read some reviews tonight on Quinlan's 'How Reading Changed My Life'. I think I should read it. It does sound very neat. Likewise, I think I need to heed your divination on the meaning of repeatedly noticing 'Fairies of NY'. I will buy a copy next time I'm at the bookstore. Thanks for providing a good excuse...
I did go back and give Thumbs Up on some of your reviews. Do write more of them! You do such a nice job.
Have you seen Beowulf yet? You probably know that Neil Gaiman wrote the script with Roger Avary. The 3D effects are wonderful. I was a little disappointed because the plot was overly simple, but nevertheless I've seen it twice now. I highly recommend the IMAX version! The first scene with the dragon becomes life-size and is stupendous in that venue. You have to experience it to understand the effect, and I hope you can. Interestingly, the script has been published as a paperback, 'Beowulf', with Gaiman and Avary as authors. It reads like a script... There is an initial version and a final draft. On a quick glance, I immediatley saw there was more to the initial version that got cut, which I bet would have satisfied my desire for a meaty plot. And the end of the movie was clarified by the script, too. Very interesting! I never buy scripts, only got this one because I kind of collect Gaiman's works, but this one is pretty cool and I think I'll read it. Also, Caitlin Kiernan wrote a novelization of the movie which I am greatly looking forward to reading, because she has a tremendous moody way with words.
And finally, I'm not sure if I read de Lint's story about the pixies in the wires, although it sounds very familiar and I know I've seen reference to it before. I will have to keep my eyes out for it. I take it that it leaves an impression! I hope an impression was all it left, and it was not in fact responsible for delivering the little creatures into your computer. I hope they give you a break for Christmas.
Take care, and Happy Holidays!
Lähettänyt: bibliojim 11:30 pm (EST) Dec 9, 2007
I was looking at your profile and wondering about your friend question in talk. If you look at the Member Connections box, at the bottom should be link labeled (Edit/see other members' connections). That takes you to a page which should allow you to remove them from your friends list.
Lähettänyt: mvrdrk 4:43 am (EST) Nov 26, 2007
Thanks for adding my library to your 'interesting libraries' list! What was interesting about it?
I saw you recently read 'Ruined by Reading: A Life in Books'. What an interesting title! What did you think of it?
Also, I keep noticing 'The Good Fairies of New York' in the book store and am tempted to buy it. How did you like it?
I read your reviews. They're very nicely done! Really makes me want to read some of those. I loved your review of 'Walking Tour of The Shambles'. I'm going to have to get it.
A book I read a few years ago but NOBODY else on Library Thing has is 'Twilight of the Fifth Sun' by David Sakmyster. I thought it was an amazing book. I can't believe how obscure it is. If you want to read something unusual and neat, give it a try. It would make me feel good to acquaint ONE other person with a book so deserving of reading. I think it's still available on amazon.com. Here's what it says about it on the book flap:
"Amid the ruins of Ancient Mexico, a prophecy predicts the end of the Fifth Sun, the universal destruction of our own time. Ahuitzotl is determined to fulfill the prophecy, to conquer both the living and the dead, while a ghostly pirate, a journalist and a young boy battle to stop him. Will they be able to stop the Aztec King before he destroys them all?" It doesn't come out too much there, but it's a very warm and meaningful book. If you ever do read it, let me know what you thought of it!
Lähettänyt: bibliojim 2:01 am (EST) Nov 18, 2007
I see that you have added my library to your 'Interesting libraries' list,for which many thanks.I'm always pleased when a LT member does this as it shows that I am doing something right with my collection.I also see that we share 170 books and several favorite authors.
Best wishes from the UK.
Lähettänyt: devenish 11:22 am (EST) Nov 14, 2007
Lähettänyt: MerryMary 8:56 am (EST) Oct 30, 2007
Thanks for taking an interest in my library. You are, without a doubt, a much more well-rounded reader than yours truly, so color me flattered.
It's a small thing, but I really like the fact you used the word "verily" in your opening profile paragraph; it brings me back to my Thor reading days (yea, verily:)
Talk with you later,
bookstothesky
Lähettänyt: bookstothesky 10:51 am (EST) Oct 19, 2007
Well, I haven't nearly the diversity your library is, but after only entering about 100 of my books we share 14, including some of my favorites, which is amazing considering that almost all my books are fantasy and science fiction and that is only a small part of your library. I suspect we share much in what we enjoy in books, despite my narrower choice in acquisition.
It will be fascinating to see what we share as I enter more of my collection! :-)
Lähettänyt: bibliojim 1:37 am (EST) Oct 19, 2007
We have a lot of intersections in our libraries but enough that is different to give me ideas when I go to a bookstore again.
I love that you have your childhood books. So do I; I don't really separate them because they have had significance role in my reading life.
Lähettänyt: Marensr 10:30 am (EST) Oct 14, 2007
Are you really reading all those books simultaneously? I do the same thing - I have about 5 going at a time. Sometimes I'll put one down for a while and never really finish it. I have ADHD reading habits. :D
Lähettänyt: lilbrattyteen 4:20 am (EST) Oct 3, 2007
Thanks for adding my library to the list of the ones you find interesting. I am flattered indeed! I will enjoy perusing through your bookshelves as soon as I have the time. In the meantime.....keep reading! (As I know you are doing, as much as I am).
Paola :-))
Lähettänyt: aluvalibri 5:03 pm (EST) Sep 27, 2007
well, at the public desk...at the library...what's not to love about this job? Books and patrons await!!
Lähettänyt: oldmanriver1951 10:19 am (EST) Sep 22, 2007
Very flattered that you've added me to your interesting libraries. Yours is fabulous!!!!
N
xx
Lähettänyt: LadyN 8:06 am (EST) Sep 13, 2007
Thanks for the kind words! And really, whose library is complete without “Hell's Angels” *and* “A Night Without Armor”? ;-)
As for the “guilty pleasure” of graphic novels, I should update that in my profile. There was a time when I could be found reading a graphic novel like some schoolboy sneaking a comic book into his math class, with the comic hidden inside another book, you know, hidden behind Proust, or some other seemingly more prodigious tome. I have since come to read them openly, so I may have to amend that to “formally guilty pleasure”.
And no, I would not want to be cured from my book-toting sickness. While it would make leaving the house a little easier without a bunch of books with me, I wouldn’t know what to do once I left, so I would probably never leave the house, because my house would be where all my books are, then I’d have to find a 12 step for that... Vicious circles.
I am always happy to meet others who read multiple books at once! However, reading your profile made me wish that I still had my childhood books. I have my Peanuts books, but sadly do not know where my other favorites like “Are You My Mother” have ended up. I’m sure some of them were given away, but I think there may be a box or two stored either with me, or perhaps in my parents storeroom. I may have to begin that search some day soon, it would be really cool if I still had some of my “Choose Your Own Adventure” books!
Lähettänyt: dodger 6:25 pm (EST) Aug 11, 2007
Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries list. Woohoo ; )
Your library is pretty interesting as well. What a great profile!
Happy reading,
Michelle
Lähettänyt: greendragongirl 4:13 pm (EST) Aug 8, 2007
Lähettänyt: allmadhere 1:15 am (EST) Aug 8, 2007
Lähettänyt: kawika 8:29 pm (EST) Aug 7, 2007
Lähettänyt: tobiejonzarelli 8:21 pm (EST) Aug 3, 2007
Lähettänyt: ablueidol 10:04 am (EST) Jul 26, 2007
Thank you for adding me to your interesting libraries list :) I see from your profile you are currently reading 'Black Swan Green' by David Mitchell and was wondering what you think of it. I read it a couple of weeks ago and loved it.
Take care,
Sharon
Lähettänyt: Ex_Libris 10:23 pm (EST) Jul 20, 2007
Lähettänyt: margad 7:18 pm (EST) Jul 20, 2007
i must confess though i am not really sure what the practical difference is between: watch list, friends and interesting library.
david perrings
and thanks for joining the Proust Group.
Lähettänyt: dperrings 4:58 pm (EST) Jul 17, 2007
Lähettänyt: Heather19 4:32 am (EST) Jul 12, 2007
your 2007 Reading List is already hefty. you're ahead of me. *grin* I've got my list stored on Livejournal, but I think I'm only up to 17 completed. my to-read pile never gets any smaller, either... *eyes the shelves*
hope you're having a good summer so far. :)
-Silverwraith
Lähettänyt: silverwraith 2:50 am (EST) Jul 12, 2007
Here's my quickie response to the three books you asked about specifically:
Leonardo's Swans disappointed me. I love historical fiction, but it may just be that this period of Italian history is not my cup of tea. Essex did a fine job of portraying her characters, but I just didn't feel that emotionally caught up in their stories.
I found The Last Alchemist fascinating. I read this as part of a series of history/biography books as preliminary research for a novel I'm thinking about writing in the future. Not long before I read this, I read a superb biography of Paracelsus. Perhaps I should do a comparison review of these for the group. Very briefly, Paracelsus was a medieval philosopher and a sincere student of alchemy, whereas the man (oh, dear, I've forgotten his name) profiled in The Last Alchemist was a charlatan whose goal was to make money by cheating people.
I read Pnin because some other contributors to Books Compared recommend Nabokov so highly, and suggested Pnin as a good first Nabokov because the protagonist is more sympathetic than other Nabokov protagonists. I'm still mulling over my reaction. This book seemed a bit like eating vegetables - one does it because they're good for one rather than because they're so delicious. It did seem like a good book objectively speaking - Pnin's character was very clearly and realistically drawn, so much so that he really came to life for me; on the other hand, even though he was sympathetic, I didn't care about him all that much. If I had set the book aside halfway through, I wouldn't have felt a particularly compelling need to pick back up and find out whatever happened to the poor fellow.
How did you like The Thirteenth Tale? I'm thinking of adding it to my to-be-read list.
Lähettänyt: margad 1:16 am (EST) Jul 12, 2007
Just passing by from talk. So I thought I would.
We do share an ecletic mix of fantasy/sf/contempary/classic/reference works, so I've added you to my interesting libraries list. Of the 35 we share I think my favourite would be Good Omens, hotly contested by Jasper Ffordes' works, the least favourite is definetly Eco's pendulem which I really disliked.
have fun!
Fox.
Lähettänyt: reading_fox 7:26 am (EST) Jul 11, 2007
Lähettänyt: ladyjay 4:09 pm (EST) Jul 10, 2007
David Perrings
Danville, CA
Lähettänyt: dperrings 12:10 pm (EST) Jul 10, 2007
Lähettänyt: StarGazer72 1:50 am (EST) Jul 10, 2007
Lähettänyt: ladyjay 5:16 pm (EST) Jun 17, 2007
*disclaimer* That is actually my male Siamese and he would be highly offended if I were posing as him on this site or anywhere. After all, I am only a mere human. :)
Lähettänyt: MrsLee 4:25 pm (EST) Jun 15, 2007
Thanks for the get well wishes. I am starting to feel almost human again.
:o)
Clam
Lähettänyt: clamairy 9:17 pm (EST) Jun 8, 2007
- Bob
Lähettänyt: AsYouKnow_Bob 7:55 pm (EST) May 31, 2007
I found I couldn't leave a response to your comment on your own page (no comments? whyyyyy?), so I am posting one here in the hopes that someday you might return to my page, draw up one of the weathered leather arm chairs in the corner, and read this. *welcoming smile*
Firstly, thank you so much for your comment! I am always most interested in hearing others' responses to books I have read & loved. As far as Diane Setterfield's "The Thirteenth Tale" goes, let me comfort you a bit by saying that I have found that MOST people have a hard time trudging through the beginning. I believe I might have already mentioned something like that in my review, but I wanted to reiterate here.
I have found my hardbound copy here in front of me so as to review my own opinion and perhaps add to it. Margaret Lea, the first person narrator of the novel and also the one who interviews Veda Winter, is only a byway as far as I'm concerned. She is a "scene-starter", like in Shakespeare's plays. Her purpose is merely to get you from place to place.
The only part I liked with her in it was the very beginning, where she describes working with her father in the bookshop. THAT part had my little bibliophile's heart beating in fond rememberence. Other than that, my solid recommendation as far as the rest of the novel is to sludge through the parts with her (Margaret), they are not what is memorable or worth spending time on. It is Miss Winter's extraordinary, ethereal, mesmerizing tale which will weave gossamer webs of enchantment around your conscious (and subconscious) in the end.
I sympathize with your problems with hardbound books. My solution comes from Levenger.com and is called "The Lap Reader". It really works wonders as it has adjustable page holders on both sides, has a wood surface on the top and a comfy padded foam surface underneath to make it comfortable enough to sit on your lap for hours at a time. It is also useful for studying those heavy bug-crusher texts or for a laptop, as the batteries tend to get a bit toasty after a time.
So you are a coffee-store reader? I am always a bit intrigued about those that frequent those shops other than for the caffeine fix I so am addicted to... I am most intrigued by your comment, "and I like to read mostly in coffee shops when I can pretend I'm somebody else but that is another story"...
Please tell me that story sometime! I would love to hear it! I pretend I am someone else all the time. Sometimes I write them down, but mostly it is just a constant running narrative of miscreants in my head. (Another story as well!) *big smile*
In any case, I am glad that you stopped on your travels to visit my page, that you enjoyed your stay and it is my dearest hope that you return sometime to share a cup of coffee with me and share whatever else you care to divulge. :)
Much bliss & Happy reading!
~PandorasRequiem
Lähettänyt: PandorasRequiem 5:45 pm (EST) May 17, 2007
I was one of those kids who was shuffled around alot in the RAF and moved every 9 months until a teen. My mom didn't keep books (my father was the book addict) and so I had few books of my own as a child. Mum thinks this is the reason why I now have so many. In truth, I am unable to pass a book store without going in, and 9 of 10 times I come out with something too good to leave behind. One day I nearly got trapped in a second hand store that was closing - I was so far gone in a book I didn't notice until the door lock was sprung. It would not have been a disaster anyway.
When I was a child, I wanted to be a librarian or a journalist. (I am a family doctor so go figure). Med school is a great way to put a damper on your general reading.
I have read the Anne Quinlen book - it is a lovely and truly - thank god. There is a connection with like-minded people like her that is instant and recognizable.
I also have to admit that I am a 'BOOK SNEAK' - meaning that on many occasions I sneak books into my house, the way some women sneak in new clothes. The frequent buying of a 'must have' title is very detrimental to my existing bookshelf space and hubbie is thankfully mostly oblivious to the addiction. He did make a comment about my closet recently though - half of which is taken with my'must read next' purchases. The trouble is - I also have quite a few clothes that need the space too.
I have put about a third of my books onto Library thing so far - it is quite time consuming - especially as many parts of the books need to be reexamined as I do this.
At present, I am on a bit of a Holocaust jag - which can be pretty depressing and upsetting. Yet the truely beautiful and haunting prose of Kertesz and Levi is unputdownable.
Lastly, I noticed your review of the Thirteenth Tale with surprise. I have noted that this book seems to be univerally enjoyed. I am not sure why, and I did read the whole book, but I just did not get it at all. I found her prose very average and was glad to finish it. Just goes to show you.
Thanks for the wonderful reply and happy reading. Glad to have contected with you.
Karen
Lähettänyt: kiwidoc 6:04 pm (EST) May 3, 2007
The problem is I have the hardback copy which is abit heavy to carry around and I like to read mostly in coffee shops when I can pretend I'm somebody else but that is another story.
I love your library and your profile I am with you on other realities being more interesting.
Best Regards,
Lähettänyt: AnneBoleyn 8:25 am (EST) May 3, 2007
Glad to keep company with like minded biblio-addicts.
Could you tell me if you are currently 'hooked' on any particular author or genre?
Cheers,
Karen
Lähettänyt: kiwidoc 12:17 am (EST) May 2, 2007
Lähettänyt: margad 9:18 pm (EST) Apr 28, 2007
Lähettänyt: aarrrggghhh 6:01 am (EST) Apr 3, 2007
Lähettänyt: aarrrggghhh 11:11 am (EST) Mar 31, 2007
my library is a dream for academics & a nightmare for those who enjoy "light reading." my own mother once asked me if I had anything "light" she could read one evening. I said I had just finished Anna Karenina, if she was interested. *wicked grin* okay, I'll admit Tolstoy is a bit tough (I had to take a break from Anna while I was in school because I couldn't concentrate enough after studying, blah), but the overall principle is the same. I like wordy, meaty, fat-spined books, especially of the Victorian era. what can I say? *sigh*
lately I've been indulging a fascination for cheesy 1970's pulp gothic paperbacks. I've collected a few over ebay & ABE & whatnot; some are enjoyable (some are writhing on the floor in their cheesy agony--those I gave away to a friend :P), but most of them only take 2 or 3 sittings to read. I like the sort of book you get lost in. right now I'm reading Villette, which took a few nights to get into, but now I'm utterly hooked.
I'm very emotional about my library. I don't have any kids (nor do I really want any--someday I'll be a crazy dog-loving spinster lady), so I'm obsessive about taking good care of them. I try my utmost to avoid creasing spines or covers, yada yada. (once I ordered a couple books & they were destroyed en-route to my house. literally. the box was in tatters when it arrived. I cried. fortunately the customer service sent me a new package, but those poor other books...alas.) but speaking of adopting new additions...today I caved & took Lilith (George MacDonald) home from the back office at work. *pets the spine* I just got an order of three from a mail-order bargain website, & a couple more at Border's...I need to take a break for a month so my credit card will recover. hehehe. the irony is only two of this recent splurge were books from my amazon wishlist. it's horrible. I think there's 75 items on it right now (not counting 25+ out-of-print ones I keep on a separate list). maybe four of those items are dvds, and another two are CDs--the rest are books (one of which is The Name of the Rose, oddly enough. ;))
*eyes the list warily* but it sounds like you should sympathize with this sort of problem. hehehe.
I've looked more closely at the books we share, so before I can't resist slipping into recommendation mode before I leave you in peace to study. did you enjoy Rebecca? if so then you must find a copy of Treveryan by Angela DuMaurier (Daphne's sister). I thought it was better than Rebecca, actually. in some ways it's a more complicated story. ooh, and also Hill House by Shirley Jackson. that's one of my most favorite modern novels. :D
until next time,
Silverwraith
Lähettänyt: silverwraith 1:20 am (EST) Mar 14, 2007
ah well--we can but try our best to read our entire libraries, right? heh.
what are you studying at college? I love being out of school because it gives me more time to neglect normal human interaction & curl up with my books, but sometimes I do miss academic life.
-silverwraith
Lähettänyt: silverwraith 12:58 am (EST) Mar 12, 2007
Lähettänyt: aarrrggghhh 11:51 pm (EST) Feb 7, 2007
I've checked out your library too, and it seems we have quite simmilar tastes! I'm always adding books, as I'm sure you are as well, so I'll watch for your reviews and new additions!
~Dawn
Lähettänyt: LyriqueTragedy 9:34 pm (EST) Jan 23, 2007
Lähettänyt: sycoraxpine 7:35 pm (EST) Jan 23, 2007
Very cool...
Having either the rare spare moments, or more likely enjoying a diversionary break, I followed my interest here and then to your "Library Thing."
It was inspiring. Time must certainly be set aside during the coming year to at last complete my first book of owed sharings for your discretionary travel. My best wishes are very much with your own artistic endeavors and new "Bayest of Bays" adventures. May the spirit of Vancouver, British Columbia, also embrace you.
Cheers. :~)
Lähettänyt: HanksterZ 11:03 pm (EST) Dec 26, 2006
I've always thought that if you have to have an addiction (and why not?), then a book addiction is just about the most exciting one there is. And it gives me such utter joy. I know, realistically, that at the rate I find books (either in the hidden corners of Amazon, or on the foreign language shelves when I'm abroad, or just in good second hand shops here in London!) I'm never going to read all I've got. But I do try! And I can't resist it - if something looks especially odd or interesting or original, and it's sitting gathering dust at the back of a charity shop somewhere, I need to rescue it and give it a loving home!
I'm rather jealous of your collection too. So many things that sound downright odd that I've simply never heard of - which always gets my tastebuds going! I shall have a proper perusal very soon!
And you're a fellow writer as well! It's fun, isn't it, adding to the mountains of stories already out there! What sort of things do you work at?
Have a great Christmas - and I hope there are lots of book-shaped parcels under your tree!
Rob xx
Lähettänyt: shearrob 11:02 pm (EST) Dec 20, 2006
Where in California are you at, PandorasRequiem?
And don't worry about chiming in even if you're not going to come to our book club readings. I created the book clubs on MyPeopleConnection.com as a way to connect with other folks who love books and love talking about books. If anyone wants to cross-post book club events, all the better! We can post them on our calendar from anywhere in the world, and it's a great way to meet new friends who love books as much as you do. :-)
Keep in touch and please join the conversations - it's a fun way to share our thoughts.
Cheers,
Jen
Lähettänyt: mypcjen 4:01 am (EST) Dec 8, 2006
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