looking over your books I would like to recommend one I just finished. "The Trouble with Tom: the strange life of Thomas Paine"

Susan

Lähettänyt: sgerbic 4:59 pm (EST) May 14, 2008

Oh! This is the book that you quoted in that thread! I was intrigued by the quote. I'll see if my local library has it. If not, I'll track it down by other means. Thanks!
:o)

Lähettänyt: clamairy 7:28 am (EST) May 1, 2008

Hi Mike, how perfectly awful for you to be so afflicted. Must mean constant vigilance. So sorry! Re NY, I lived there for 10 yrs & still have lots of friends with whom Barley & I stay in my old neighborhood, UES, near the park. I get back every few months or so. Spent 2 wks there at xmas. Am working on moving back but the apts are horrifically $$$$$. I'll always keep my place here for security.It certainly would make sense, in your field, to be able to work remotely. Seems everyone does that now . Cheers! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 6:52 pm (EST) Apr 25, 2008

Hi Mike, great news about your new job. I hear Milwaukee is a great city & if you are a beer drinker, Pabst is going back into production! (as heard on NPR) How's that for an inducement?
Re the link: those people make my obsession with all things dog seem comparatively normal. What is it about book people & cats? I am not a cat person. I prefer pets who sometimes do what you tell them. My golden is perfect, of course. He goes almost everywhere I do & is a welcome house guest. He & I both adore manhattan & shopping! It's one of the few places that encourages you to bring your dog along to shop. We are regulars in all the Madison Ave stores, Bloomie's & Bergdorf's, of course. After being rather isolated here in the boonies, it's a welcome change to be back in the crowds of friendly faces for both of us. Am working on getting a place there again. Have a pretty good lead; fingers crossed!
So, how do you & your wife prepare for such a sudden move? Has to take a mastermind of organization. I've been to Austin once & really liked it. It must be difficult to leave. Best of luck . Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 8:03 am (EST) Apr 25, 2008

Hi Mike, Glad to know it wasn't just me re Spufford. Pretty funny that you thought he was a lady! I never read any chapter in full save the 1st & I really don't want to. My theory is that life is too short to do what you don't enjoy doing. I have so many other books awaiting me! Since I'm a newcomer to LT, I've missed a lot of your blogs. I think this is a forum to say what you feel & if someone doesn't like it, they may move on. Plus, nobody has paid for your insights as I did Spufford's.
I love having the goldens here & normally could sail through it, but had a touch of the flu for a few days & it drained my usual boundless energy. All back now, thank goodness.
Gee, with your lack of singing ability, too bad we don't live closer-I could play the piano to accompany you so no one would notice how bad you are because they'd be hanging waiting for me to hit the next note! Gotta run to play with the boys. The weather is idyllic 70 degrees, sunny & a light wind. They've been out most of the day. This is dog central & another one is coming with his owner for dinner tonight. Just made Cointreau flavored zabaglione for dessert-yum! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 4:08 pm (EST) Apr 24, 2008

Mike, I should amend that last comment to include movies! Mr. Holland........Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 9:50 am (EST) Apr 24, 2008

Hi Mike, many thanks for your kind thoughts. I'm a bit envious of the way you are able to call upon books you have read for just the right parallel. I must try to develop that skill. As much as I am enjoying the re-read (I really am not THAT slow a reader, but I have had my friend's 2 goldens here for a week. Add my golden to the mix and you have a non-stop party & no let up for me!), I really did not like Spufford's "The Child That Books Built". He is so mired in self pity that it was hard for me to focus on what I'm sure are the better aspects of the book. I tried flipping through the pages to find a place where he doesn't wallow, but no go. I'll be interested on your spin on it. Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 7:48 am (EST) Apr 24, 2008

So, I've started "Piano Shop" & it is a s wonderful as I remember. Thanks for bringing it to mind. I think part of its enchantment for me may be my futile attempts at playing the piano when I was young. 7 yrs of lessons & the nuns , ever the believers, still thought I should master the thing, based, I think, on the fact that the rest of my family played pretty well. Every piece I played sounded like a funeral dirge. I was terrified of hitting the wrong key. (Yes, hitting is the operative word for me!). Will let you know how I feel about the ending. Cheers! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 5:46 pm (EST) Apr 23, 2008

Hello, friend, thank you for the invite. Sorry for making you blush but you and everyone else deserved the big thank you. My doctor was very impressed with how quickly my iron levels had been restored and now knows all about you, LT and the Green Dragon. She thinks you sound very wise about these sorts of illnesses and remedies and very kind for sharing good advice. I bet I have you blushing again now.
I'm planning to keep up with the diet habits to make sure my iron levels stay as they should be. Thank you once more. Jody :-)

Lähettänyt: Jodyreadseverything 6:19 am (EST) Apr 11, 2008

Thank you

Lähettänyt: Bastian13 8:22 pm (EST) Apr 9, 2008

If evryone is saying how much they hate me know please use my first name........Nick or Nicholas witch ever you you guys prefer to call me

Lähettänyt: Bastian13 7:15 pm (EST) Apr 9, 2008

Dear "Fancy Dan", (You just about made me spray V8 on the poodle sleeping in my lap with that one!)

My husband and I wrote the book several years ago, actually, but with the way LT is set up, it has been impossible until recently for me to be listed as co-author. As it is, the other (meager) copies of the book show up under my husband's name (Benjamin Mancine.)

It is not much of a book, truth be told, but I am inordinately proud of it, and I am just bowled over to think there is even a copy of it in THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. I swear the next time I am visiting my daughter, we are going to head down to D.C. so that I can request it. (Can one do that at the LOC?)

If we had any extra copies of the book, I would be delighted to send a signed copy to you and your lovely wife, but, alas, we just have the one copy right now.

I did not have to send any sort of proof of authorship to Tim or Abby - I guess they just trusted me.

Thanks for asking!

Anne

Lähettänyt: amancine 5:23 pm (EST) Apr 8, 2008

Hi Mike, OK, the way you described your reaction to the "Piano Shop" made me put it on my amazon order. I lived in manhattan for 10 yrs. & was lucky enough to live just 2 blocks from Lexington Books. That's where I found it. At that time , I always passed on my favorite books to friends. The staff at Lexington always had the best books featured & always knew what I'd enjoy. God, I miss them, along with all the other indie bookstores now gone from the Upper East Side.
Was thinking about your French exchange student. Do you think he ate a lot because of his family's deprivation during the war? Hanff's books brought that to light for me. Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 5:45 pm (EST) Apr 7, 2008

Oh, I'm so happy to have been reminded of "The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, etc.", I had completely forgotton that one. Must get it again; I loved that book-thanks! I also see that we both have John Baxter's books in our libraries. He's a fascinating guy. There's a great interview with him on Harper Perennial's podcast. I believe Itunes has that, as well. It's free on both sites. He gives walking tours of literary Paris.I understand his library is phenomenal. He's offered to let me use it for some research I'm doing . Next Paris trip. Cheers! Judie

Lähettänyt: passy 8:25 am (EST) Apr 7, 2008

RYN:
Yeah, that was what my post was about. I am going to rearrange by genre and I wanted to know if LT could somehow calculate the shelf space needed for each 'tag.'
I deleted the post because it accidentally posted 3 times! I thought I left one there, but maybe I didn't...
Thanks for your answer...I think a spreadsheet like that is a future goal of mine...or, maybe LT will just add a feature like that!
I had a works database listing all the books I had when I left my parents' house for college...unfortunately 'ISBN' was not a field in it, so I had to start over when I found library thing!

Lähettänyt: lilyfyrestorm 10:51 am (EST) Apr 4, 2008

The boys are 7 and (almost) 4. They are great and this is the best job I've ever had, although the hours are long and it's rare that I get more than 5 hours of sleep per night. Fortunately, I would probably qualify as a semi-pro insomniac.

Raising kids in a house full of books, as I'm sure you know, has its advantages. My circumstances are certainly not as dire as yours were, but it sounds like you guys got through it ok.

My wife is also suspicious of using family photos, which is why I stick to occult symbols and the occasional funny monkey picture. Tell your beloved that you are a nice looking couple!

Lähettänyt: makifat 11:47 am (EST) Mar 27, 2008

Hello Mike,

Skokie is close to Evanston which has the Northwestern campus and lots of apartments and the train line shoots over to it (The Skokie Swift)so if you have trouble finding a good apartment in Skokie proper I'd try Evanston. In Chicago I often look in The Chicago Reader for apartments but I don't know if they have listings for the suburbs. Skokie is a pretty nice suburb as suburbs go- good access to public transportation and it was (and still is)one of the traditionally Jewish neighborhoods so there are still some excellent bagel shops. There is a nice bike trail and actual canoeing on the Chicago river up there too.

There are some apartment search organizations. In Chicago there is one called apartment people but again I don't know if they serve the suburbs. You might try the listings on Chicago craiglsit and then widen it for the suburbs because I think they have listings for the whole Chicagoland area. There are some websites like apartments.com but I don't know how good they are. If you have a car with you it will make things easier as apartments close to public transportation generally fetch a higher price.

I'd avoid apartments on Howard because it is a big street and there is a lot of traffic. If you have a certain street address send it to me and I'll tell you if I know anything about it.

We're carless at the moment so I haven't been in Skokie much lately but you'll have to let me know when you arrive and perhaps my husband and I can meet you for dinner.

Maren

Lähettänyt: Marensr 11:53 am (EST) Mar 14, 2008

How kind of you to ask. We don't know anything more about my cousin. Her purse washed up on the beach. As far as we know, the forensic search of the house didn't reveal anything. The newspaper keeps implying her grandson is to blame but I don't believe it. And the police have said he isn't a suspect. No one in the family wants to say that she has been murdered but I think most of us believe it. She would come home if she could. She doesn't deserve this. Agatha Christie wrote several books about the taint that follows family when an unsolved crime happens. I have a new appreciation of that.

Take care of yourself. You are a kind, decent man.

Lähettänyt: xorscape 8:00 pm (EST) Mar 4, 2008

Hi Mike

I hardly know what to say except that I am so glad that they were wrong. Keep proving them wrong. I am almost 55.. will be in may. That is not a good time to go if you can help it, I am thinking. I am also glad that you have a great doctor who understands alternative and complimentary medicine. That is surely the best of both worlds. Have you had acupuncture? It is wonderful. I used to work for an holistic vet, and I saw many wonderful things. Animals have no preconceived notions..so if something helps them... clearly it will help us too? so I believe, anyway.

I had to laugh at your rant about corporate America. I so agree!As the wife of an ex Steelworker in the Ohio Valley.. We lost our home and a way of life... we moved... to find work. He then went to Domino Sugar in the Boston area. After three years, march 1 1988 they told the workers that they were closing their doors n march 31. They did, Thanks to Merril Lynch who had bought the company. We moved back to the Pittsburgh area, and he went to work for USAirways. HA! Guess what? Yep.. Almost lost a second house after 9/11. So much for the American Dream?

I have worked too.. once the kids were older and in school.. but of course my pay was supplemental not our living wage.

I was glad to see you say that death doesn't scare you. We have stories too. and my belief system is that we go on. I truly believe that. Still... even though you will be in a different and better place, theose who love you will miss you, so I hope that you will be here for them for a long while.. Beat that 60 yr old thing in your family! You should put that book together.. but if you don't.. how wonderful that you are leaving your stories for your kids.

As for why your library is interesting. . . first of all.. most are to a book lover. It is very eclectic..I like that. I read all sorts of things too.. do not stick to one or two genre... and to me, that is the way to go. So much to learn, be entertained by, experience. It is good to have so many different authors...etc. Also I am awed by the thought of putting a home library in DDS order. great idea.. but thoroughly daunting!

I do know what you mean about looking at other peoples libraries making your wish list grow. I have a wish list and a shopping list at Amazon. A wish list at B&N..and a few in my head. And that blasted "kathleen's Amazon" thing on that site. So many books leading to so many more.

As for being a slow reader...that is not necessarily a bad thing. Yesterday, I read The Authenticator, and 90 minutes in Heaven .. ( serendipitous, considering other points of our conversations.. one is a novel, one is not) Now that is two books in one day. That makes my habit pretty expensive. Sometimes I put a book down and walk away intentionally... to "save" it. If I read slowly, I would still be reading them. Not partway into something new... they go too quickly!

Your description of a perfect reading day almost made me weep.. because I had to leave and go to work .. tomorrow will be just that sort of day...oh well..

A for looking over my catalog.. I may not have a lot of healing books in there.. I really have not put a lot of them in. They are upstairs, and I just haven't gotten there..

but if you do find any.. ask me about them... some are better than others. I do suggest Brian Weiss though.. Many Live Many Masters....not so much healing as... comforting... life changing, for some.
Mike.. I am so glad to meet you. and hope that we can stay in touch. I will be looking at back posts of GD as time allows. Work intrudes on my free time way too much! But even so.. keeping in touch is more fun than reading old posts..
you take care too.. and if its okay?
feel hugged
kath

Lähettänyt: mckait 7:22 pm (EST) Mar 3, 2008

Hi Mike, thanks for asking. Things are slowly improving and I have my next review on the 19th March. I'm still on the same dosage of medication but have been trying you dietary suggestions and I really think they have helped.
I'm sorry to hear about your mother in law and I hope she gets better soon. You take care too. Jody

Lähettänyt: Jodyreadseverything 12:19 pm (EST) Mar 3, 2008

Thank you so much for your thought. I know nothing about searches. I will know more later today about where they searched (beyond what was in the paper). I only have two surviving cousins and the other lives in Taft. I am hoping that maybe she headed in that direction with friend unknown and is somewhere safe. Maybe not realistic but a choice for now. Thanks again.

Lähettänyt: xorscape 1:01 pm (EST) Feb 23, 2008

Your library is a thing of beauty! Kudos for the very thorough tagging as well. After browsing there, I find that my list of "books I must read" has grown even longer....

Lähettänyt: OdetteOdile 10:54 am (EST) Feb 20, 2008

How fortunate you are that you can do this one final thing for your father-in-law. He knew he could count on you, and you will always have the satisfaction of knowing that. My condolences to you and your wife - my thoughts are with you both today.

Anne

Lähettänyt: amancine 11:37 am (EST) Jan 26, 2008

Mike: I mourn with you in your loss. Your many bulletins did make me fear the outcome - and I blessed you in thought for the many hours you spent with him. He wasn't alone. You and your wife are in my heart. Mary Lou

Lähettänyt: MerryMary 6:10 pm (EST) Jan 24, 2008

Sorry to hear about the death of your father-in-law. I hope that you and your wife can find a way to take time to rest and perhaps just be with one another over the course of the next few days. The past few weeks have been hard enough, I'm sure, without wearing yourself down even further.

Jill

Lähettänyt: jillmwo 6:32 pm (EST) Jan 23, 2008

Hi WHL

Thanks for your comment, I will certainly put a link into your group.

We are currently in the UWS, having relocated here from the south coast of England in 2006. Our time in NYC is drawing to a close, but we have thoroughly enjoyed ourselves here.

Louise

Lähettänyt: fabrile-heart 12:52 pm (EST) Jan 15, 2008

> due to her near-Turret-like tendency to wedge 'Jesus' into every aspect of our lives)

great post

Lähettänyt: NativeRoses 12:40 pm (EST) Jan 14, 2008

Your Books about Books section is fascinating. Of course the missus has seen me looking at it and gave me the "don't you dare buy more books" look.

Lähettänyt: OldSarge 8:33 am (EST) Dec 29, 2007

Heehe. Sorry I didn't get your joke last night. In retrospect, that was damn funny! Too bad it went sailing over my head...

Lähettänyt: dodger 6:04 pm (EST) Dec 15, 2007

Hey there. I have never been able to reproduce this, but I did find something about how I wrote the code which looks like it could cause this. Can you see if the problem is solved now?

Lähettänyt: timspalding 12:44 pm (EST) Dec 4, 2007

Hi,

I saw that you posted on a Librarians Who LibraryThing discussion that you print catalog cards from Excel data. I've been trying to do the same thing and haven't been able to. Any pointers?

Lähettänyt: RHLib 3:52 pm (EST) Oct 23, 2007

Thanks for pointing me at Fatal Revenant! I hadn't realized there was a new series in the works.

Can you tell me whether its style is closer to the first or to the second chronicles? I must admit I found the second chronicles a bit verbose.

Lähettänyt: Amtep 1:47 am (EST) Oct 12, 2007

What captured my interest? Hmmmm. Hard to pin down. Probably your thoughtful comments on issues of the day (ie bookshelves, whole house libraries, oven mitts, and Iowa Girls Basketball), your sense of humor, your compassion when anyone is feeling put upon, and your varied interests. I love the idea of someone (or ones - if your wife is included) that enjoys Arthurian legends and Baxter Black!

Lähettänyt: MerryMary 8:55 am (EST) Oct 9, 2007

Hi,
now I face a difficult decision, do I spend my time improving my English or have fun in the "person below me" talk. Reading the description of your house and the books in it, it seems, that we are sort of your European counterpart from Switzerland. This was written on a Saturday, never mind. (hm, that looks better, I agree)

Lähettänyt: diwan 3:37 pm (EST) Oct 6, 2007

Well I am flattered. I am actually getting married in 18 short days to my best friend who just also happens to be a handsome and talented actor, he keeps his librarything account separately or else I'd have a lot more books on U boats and Lawrence of Arabia.

Right now we have a whole apartment library but we hope to graduate to the house version some day.

I think the best libraries are ones that intersect but have lots of different things as well- how else can one find good recommendations for new books.

Lähettänyt: Marensr 11:14 am (EST) Oct 3, 2007

AND YOU KNOW SONGS TOO! Thank you for telling me about the gal with ringalets!!! Now I can go to sleep with a quiet head. Esta1923

Lähettänyt: Esta1923 12:55 am (EST) Oct 1, 2007

You know, I so envy the implied permanence of your name, WholeHouseLibrary. Since I started building my own personal library about 30 years ago (not realizing what I was doing), I've moved 10 times. Each move is more painful than the others because, of course, I have more books. Floor space is expensive in Singapore so now as my husband and I consider moving to a smaller apartment, I feel his calculating gaze alight much too often upon my book shelves.

But good for you and Mrs WHL and your DDS-organized personal library. You should teach a class on this!

Lähettänyt: dizzydame 12:57 pm (EST) Sep 21, 2007

Thank you so much for joining my group! I love your username. It's straight to the point-and sort of what my whole group is about.

Lähettänyt: SweetbriarPoet 3:31 pm (EST) Aug 12, 2007

Hi, I am quite envious of your collection and your house. I want to grow up to be just like you. I got to reading your collection a bit, we have quite a few shared books. Pleased to meet you.

Lähettänyt: pw0327 9:14 pm (EST) Aug 11, 2007

I just read your post on the "Pets! What animals own you um, do you own?" thread and had to tell you that your post was one of the funniest things I've read in quite awhile! Although I’m a pet person, I have dogs; I felt/feel for you and think you're some kind of a hero for putting up with all those intrusions into your home and keeping your sense of humor. Bravo! Now, hurry, go put up those new bookshelves before you come home to an emu.

Lähettänyt: NotSunkYet 12:24 pm (EST) Jun 20, 2007

Purrrrr -- Thank you for the suggestions. I have added copies of both books to my collection. *S-t-r-e-t-c-h.* A massage sounds good about now. Know anyone who knows how to massage a cat?

Catalog

Lähettänyt: catalog_theLTcat 4:50 pm (EST) Jun 16, 2007

I see that you are the one who gave me my human name. Thank you.

Catalog

Lähettänyt: catalog_theLTcat 6:00 pm (EST) Jun 15, 2007

Steinbock Shelves? I too am interested in seeing photos!

I am also trying to loosely use the Dewey Decimal system, but I am making my own tweaks. Using the main numbers to group books is not so bad .....
* 000 – Computer science, information, and general works
* 100 – Philosophy and psychology
* 200 – Religion
* 300 – Social sciences
* 400 – Language
* 500 – Science
* 600 – Technology
* 700 – Arts and recreation
* 800 – Literature
* 900 – History and geography
..... though the 000's are sometimes tough for me. When it comes to sub-sections I get more puzzled at times. Is there a novice web site that can help you decide which category a book should fall under? I am finding I have quite a few books that go under multiple categories and it is a bit difficult at times working out what place to put things.

Lähettänyt: atlaswinks 10:56 am (EST) Apr 5, 2007

Dear Mr. and Mrs. WHL,
What sort of issues are you having with your shelves? I'd love to see pictures of the steinbock units you made, and learn how things are going with the rest of your shelving efforts. I'm thinking about getting (or building) a shelving unit with glass doors for my older books. Any thoughts?

Things have been very busy here, hence the lack of postings. Work has been hecktic, and we're re-doing our bathroom. (No, I tried, but there won't be any shelves beside the throne. My wife vetoed that).

Best,
Steve

Lähettänyt: steinbock 9:58 pm (EST) Apr 4, 2007

My wife and I have bookshelves in every room in our house...

Even the bathroom??? ;-)

I'm getting close--the living room/dining room contain more bookcases than any other furniture. Entry has some bookshelves; cookbooks are in the kitchen. They haven't infiltrated the upstairs yet, except for my current reads in the bedroom.

So what's this about a Library Hotel? Can I send my books on vacation when I run out of space?

Lähettänyt: karen5l 9:09 am (EST) Feb 17, 2007

I find it fascinating that you will categorize your books according to the Dewey Decimal System. The two of you must be very organized!

I'm only 24, so my library is still a work in progress.

Lähettänyt: superlibrarian 10:57 pm (EST) Jan 4, 2007

P.S. I'm so jealous of your home library description! I really want that to be a part of my living space someday too...one book at a time, I guess!
Kari

Lähettänyt: karip8 11:03 pm (EST) Dec 14, 2006