Size Matters


I would estimate that my library consists of about 2500-3000 books.  This is the largest it has ever been and I HAVE downsized some.  I have a weakness for craft/stitching/sewing books and have even received two new ones in the mail this week -- thank you Amazon.com.  I also seem to have much more of a "thing" for cookbooks than somebody should who doesn't like to cook -- received one in the mail this week --- thanks again, Amazon.

The only reason that I don't have more books is because I have no more space, hence the e-reader.  I don't even know where I am going to put the three new ones.  Right now they are next to my chair.  The cookbook will probably stay in the kitchen since it is a bread machine cookbook and I LOVE my bread machine -- 350 recipes, a new one each day! Wow, that sounds like a challenge.  I digress.

I would naturally assume that  my childhood library was the smallest but I have no idea how many books I had.  I will say that my mother had to get my grandfather to build bookshelves on one wall of my room to hold them.  We were big fans of books clubs -- The Best In Children's Books and Nancy Drew were two of them.  I still have many of those books and some that I inherited from JLSHall -- mostly Bobbsey Twin books.  I also liked the Honey Bunch books and have actually acquired a few more of those quite recently.  I still love children's books and I still buy them. 

So, that is about the size of it for my library -- haha! As much as I hate to admit it, I have no control over my buying habits and, at my age, I probably won't even try -- I have a great idea for closing in the patio for a nice little sun porch/reading room completely with -- yes, more bookshelves!

And the question is --- what, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you're reading?

And the answer is -- none!  I usually have the television on or nothing at all.  I prefer nothing at all but in the evening, that isn't the case around here.  I have tried listening to internet radio while reading but it doesn't work so well because I tend to fiddle around with the radio instead of reading! 

Booking Through Thursday

With the advent and growing popularity of ebooks, I'm seeing more and more articles about how much "better" they can be because they have the option to be interactive..videos, music, glossaries..all sorts of little extra goodies to help "enhance" your reading experience, rather like listening to the directors commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.  How do you feel about that possibility?  Does it excite you in a cutting edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that is not what reading is all about?

I purchased a first generation Nook to help relieve my ever-bulging bookshelves because I cannot, apparently, do anything about my insane book shopping habits and library real estate in this house is at a premium.  My thought process was that if I bought an ebook and really, really liked it, I would purchase a hard copy (on sale or used) for my library.  This has generally worked for me except I am drawn like a moth to the candle to the sale tables at B&N and there just doesn't seem to be anything I can do about it.  At least they are on sale.  Whatever.  I digress.  In any event, I have never used any of the "extras" on the Nook except the word look up -- twice.  I have never listened to music on it, played games on it and the web browser is more trouble than it is worth.

I also purchased a Nook Color to use as a tablet -- definitely not a reader because it doesn't have e-ink pages and it is like reading a computer screen and for those of us who like to read for hours on end -- that isn't really good.  I have tried to read on it and ended up with a dreadful headache and so much eye strain I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my head.  It is good for "Angry Birds" however.

The new Simple Reader from Nook is, in my opinion, a great option for those who just want an e-reader to-----read! It is smaller, quite light weight and of a size that can be held easily or carried in a purse or bag without adding unnecessary weight.  The battery life is improved as well.  In this format, I just see the e-reader as another book -- a collection of books so to speak.

Does the idea of e-readers "chill me to the bone"?  No, of course not because everybody's reading experience is different.  I do, however,  think of reading as an escape from a hectic, electronically charged world and while it sounds redundant to use an e-reader to escape our hectic world, I think that if it is used without all the added goodies, it is no different than a book except that you aren't going to have to buy more bookcases.

Booking Through Thursday -- and the question is--


All things being equal (money, space, etc) would you rather own copies of the books you read?  Or borrow them?

Since we have bookcases literally all over our house and we sometimes list our local Barnes and Noble as our second address, I think it safe to say that we have a problem and probably need an intervention.  However, all things being equal, I would rather own my own books than borrow them.  The way I have solved the problem is that I bought an e-reader and I purchase books for that which means I still do own them but I don't need to put them on a shelf.  Then, if I really like the book and want a hard copy for my library, I go buy it, preferably on sale or at Half Price Books, or ebay, or even our local antique store.  I feel that having books is a privilege and a necessity to my very existence.  I guess that is a by-product of being an only child.  

Booking Through Thursday -- 28 April 2011


If you could see one book turned into the perfect movie -- one that would capture everything you love -- the characters, the look, the feel, the story -- what book would you choose?


While there are several recent reads that I could see made into movies, the one that I would really love to see as a movie is In the Company of Others by Jan Karon.   Since it is set in Ireland, I could see the scenery being gorgeous, the story would make a great mystery and the characters have been strong yet lovable since the very first Mitford book.  In fact, if I had my way, the original Mitford series would make a really fun mini-series.
 

Booking Through Thursday

This week's question asks what is the strangest thing I have ever read.  Well, while it  is technically a book, I would have to say the telephone directory.  Now, before you say that isn't odd -- I guess the circumstances surrounding my reading it are what are odd.  You see, like many teenagers, I had a boyfriend who was the one I hung out with when I was between "real" boyfriends.  I was the same sort of "girlfriend" to him.  Anyway, we would talk  on the phone for hours and when we ran out of things to talk about, we would read the phone book together and find as many funny names as we could.  The funniest that comes to mind was Weldon Rumproast.  I now feel bad about making fun of Mr. Rumproast's name but you have to admit -- it is unique!  As far as teenagers reading the phonebook for entertainment -- what can I say -- we were really innocent!

Booking Through Thursday


Series? Or stand alone books?


Late with this, again, I realize but this has been a very busy week.  So, the question is, do I prefer series books or stand alone books?  Well, it depends -- cop out answer, I realize but it is true.

If it is a good series, like the Mitford series, I love it because if the book is that good, I really hate to see it end.  However, if it is mediocre, or worse, it is a problem for me because I have a problem not finishing things and a bad series can be a real drag.

For that same reason, I like stand alone books.  Sometimes, in series, they start out great and, like the movie that should have ended half an hour earlier, they sort of "wear out their welcome".  It is especially satisfying when the entire story can be told within one cover.  In the case of the Mitford series (I know, I know), the original story really needs to be told in multiple books.  However, Karon's new Fr. Tim series is stand alone.  Even though the second book subtly references the first, you don't have to have read the first to read the second.  With that said, however, if you haven't read the first, you will want to.

So, I guess my answer to the question is -- both -- depends on the book, the topic, and the author. 

Do you read celebrity memoirs? Which ones have your read or do you want to read? What nonexistant memoirs would you like to see?

I don't read celebrity memoirs. Even though, in my youth, I read my share of "movie magazines" and had Elvis scrapbooks and whatnot, I am not particularly interested in celebrities. I guess the closest I have come to reading one is the book on Katherine Hepburn and maybe the one on Audrey Hepburn. However, in both cases, I have just not gotten around to it. Since I don't have a huge interest in this genre, I would have to say that there isn't anybody I would like to see write a book about themselves.

What Niche Books Do YOU Read?


I have always been a prolific reader -- in the past more so than now -- it was easier when my mother was doing the cleaning and cooking -- I had LOTS of time then. However, now my reading goes in spurts but I still manage to get some in every day. When I say "reading" I mean anything -- magazines, books, how - to books.

I guess the largest group of "niche" books I read would have to be needlework books -- either cross stitch or quilting. That comes in all forms, magazine, online magazines, books -- I have a good sized collection of quilt books as well as a number of cross stitch pattern books and more magazines than I can find a place to store. One of my favorite magazines is "Piecework" because of their articles on needlework history. In this group I would have to include blogs. I read a number of needlework blogs -- two daily -- http://mymarkdesigns.wordpress.com and http://marykathryn.wordpress.com. These are two very talented ladies in the field of needlework. Their blogs are never disappointing.

The second largest group of "niche" books would have to be cookbooks. I have no clue why because I don't really like cooking but I like cookbooks. Maybe somewhere deep down I WANT to like cooking. Nah.

Following the cookbooks closely would be self-help books revolving mostly around diet. Note to all -- the diet books don't work. Just quit eating. Really. If you must follow a book I would have to say Bettheny Frankels book "Naturally Thin" would be a winner. In a nutshell it tells you -- just quit eating. Some of the self help books I read involve "going green" -- many in magazine form. I believe in going green. It is better, cleaner for everybody, cheaper in the long run and maybe the ol' planet will keep turning for a while longer if we all did our part. Jumping off my soapbox now.

The last but definitely not least "niche" books I read are religious books. I read a lot of "Christian" fiction but I read a lot of non-fiction religiously based things as well. Right now I am reading a Bible that I found that is broken up, like a diary, into passages for each day of the year. It isn't in chronological form but rather each day has a passage from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. The goal is obviously to read the entire Bible in a year. Now, granted, reading it chronologically would make more sense but this way a person at least can read the entire thing and then go back later and re-read. It is written in modern language which I don't think is so great but, again, it makes it more readable and there are lots of footnotes and notations showing where the "translations" were coming from. I am also reading a book on the rosary -- the history, the meaning, the process. It is very interesting and for us non-Catholics it clears up a lot of the misinformation that we were given in our non-Catholic churches regarding the Marian devotion.

I love getting lost in a novel, being able to be someplace else, somebody else, living life vicariously through a book but it seems, as I am getting older, that I am reading more for knowledge -- how to do something, how to make things better, how to be a better person -- things like that.

Booking Through Thursday

Fifteen books you've read that will always stick with you -- in 15 minutes.

1. The Bible

2. The Bobbsey Twins at London Tower

3. A Woman of Substance

4. To Kill a Mockingbird

5. The Good Master

6. Bunnicula

7. We Have Always Lived in the Castle

8. The Diary of Anne Frank

9. Flowers in the Attic

10. Blue Willow

11. The Little House books

12. Fingersmith

13. Star Girl

14. The Wizard of Oz

15. The Bumper Book

Hmm...lots of children's books on this list -- what can I say -- I liked to read when I was a child and I read to my children -- it is a good thing!

What book would you love to be able to read again for the first time?

I think the book that comes to mind that I would love to be able to read again for the first time was "The Diary of Anne Frank". I must have been about twelve or thirteen when I read it for the first time and knew that it was different from any other biography that I had read before. In the first place, it wasn't written about the past it was written in present tense and was the first time that I had had such a personal view of such tragedy and the person was approximately my age. It was controversial yet not inappropriate and it opened up a world to me beyond my own walls. Now, I had read other books about other countries -- I was partial to Kate Seredy's books and I inhaled anything to do with the United Kingdom. "The Diary of Anne Frank" was completely different in that it was a real person and it happened only a decade before to a girl my age. I could completely identify with her thoughts and feelings and empathized with her completely. I would love to be able to get the "first" impression of this book again -- I wouldn't mind being twelve or thirteen again either if just for a day.

Book gluttony! Are your eyes bigger than your book belly? Do you have a habit of buying up books far quicker than you could possibly read them? Have you had to curb your book buying habits until you can catch up with yourself? Or, are you a controlled buyer, only purchasing books when you run out of things to read?

Ha! This is sort of funny, actually, in a sick and twisted way. Yes, I admit it, I am a book glutton -- is there a twelve step program for that? I frequent the bookstores and love -- LOVE -- the bargain tables. I have enough books to last for the next five years -- maybe longer -- since I am a very slower reader and now have become addicted to Animal Crossing which bites into the reading time. Recently, I have had to curb my buying and I am proud of myself. I went to B&N looking for a copy of "The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane" only to be told that it hasn't been released yet, come back in a couple of weeks. So, I went looking and before I knew it, I had a couple of books in my hand plus several magazines. I stopped, checked myself and put the books back -- I rationalized -- why should I buy something just because I was THERE -- just wait for what I went there to buy to begin with. The magazines are a different story. My husband purchased a book which he THOUGHT he had and I purchased a magazine that looked familiar and sure enough, we both had copies of them so it is apparent that we are both sort of literarily dysfunctional and it will require a return trip to B&N and who knows what sort of pandemonium might ensure then.