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Member: BenjaminHahn

CollectionsYour library (860), Currently reading (6), To read (162), Read but unowned (1), All collections (860)

Reviews77 reviews

TagsUnread (427), Nonfiction (353), Fiction (352), Read (308), First Edition (307), History (186), Reference (141), Folio Society (82), Fantasy (64), Religion (63) — see all tags

Cloudstag cloud, author cloud

Groups50 Book Challenge, Dishonorable Society Of Lazy Scholars And Leisurely Gentlemen, Edition Erudition, Folio Society devotees

Favorite authorsSimon Armitage, Michael Chabon, Bernard Cornwell, Jared Diamond, Dave Eggers, Neil Gaiman, Hesiod, Homer, Magnus Magnusson, George R. R. Martin, Cormac McCarthy, Neal Stephenson, S. M. Stirling, J. R. R. Tolkien, Gene Wolfe (Shared favorites)

Favorite bookstoresDark Horse Books, Elliott Bay Bookstore, Left Bank Books, Magus Books (Seattle), Michael's Books, Port Book & News, Powell's City of Books, Title Wave Books - Midtown Store, Twice Sold Tales (University District), Village Books

Favorite librariesAnchorage Public Library - Z. J. Loussac Public Library, University of Washington - Suzzallo Library, Western Washington University Libraries

About meI was a late reader, and now I am making up for time lost. I love to acquire books and I love to read them. I love books as objects and as sources of knowledge and entertainment. These two motives tend to battle with each other every time I enter a bookstore. Needless to say, my rate of acquisition greatly outpaces my rate of reading. The strive for balance carries on. This of course clashes with my wife's philosophy which tends towards frugality and practicality. I'm sure others can sympathize.

2009 - 50 Book Challenge List

#1 The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai
#2 A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle
#3 Shakespeare Wrote for Money - Nick Hornby
#4 McSweeney's Quarterly #29 - Short Stories
#5 The Yiddish Policeman's Union - Michael Chabon
#6 Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an ImperfectScience - Atul Gawande
#7 Summer Blonde - Adrien Tomine
#8 Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama - Edited by Jory John
#9 Twilight - Stephanie Meyer
#10 The World Without Us - Alan Weisman
#11 Cold Fusion (The HOW Book Series) - Mr and Dr. Doris Haggis-on-Whey
#12 The Lost City of Z - David Grann
#13 Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Trans. Simon Armitage
#14 The Knight - Gene Wolfe
#15 The Wizard - Gene Wolfe
#16 Finn Family Moomintroll - Tove Jansson
#17 In The Lake of the Woods - Tim O'Brien
#18 Bill Bryson's African Diary - Bill Bryson
#19 Chicken With Plums - Marjane Satrapi
#20 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
#21 The Shield, The Catalogue of Women, and Other Fragments by Hesiod
#22 Wonder Woman: Love and Murder by Jodi Picoult
#23 Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press by Bruce Koscielniak
#24 The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
#25 Fugitives and Refugees by Chuck Palahniuk
#26 Coraline by Neil Gaiman
#27 McSweeney's Quarterly #30 - Short Stories
#28 The Hittites by O.R. Gurney
#30 The Last Season by Eric Blehm
#31 McSweeney's Quarterly #31 - Short Stories
#32 The Sword of the Lady by S.M. Stirling
#33 The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook by Andrew Doughty
#34 Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman
#35 The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
#36 Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming
#37 The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

About my libraryThe library has reached a slow accumulation phase this year. Part of this is due to my new rule about only buying a book once I have read two. But also because I need to build some new shelves. The new rule is working most of the time. I think it encourages me to read more at least so I don't feel too bad about buying new books when I see one I can't pass up.

Two of my new year's resolutions for 2009 have been related to Library Thing. Firstly, I have accepted the 50 book challenge and I have mostly updated my library on a weekly basis in adding all new books as I get them and reviewing the books I have read. This has been going well so far too. I find that just limiting my visits to the book store has also slowed down the library accumulation rate. As sad as that is, it is much easier on the pocket book, which is never a bad thing in today's economy.

Rating system (thanks kevmalone)
★★★★★ top ten books can re-read often
★★★★.5 Excellent. Thoroughly enjoyable made me think/gave me quotes. Could recommend widely.
★★★★ Would recommend - author to watch
★★★.5 Good, engaging - will look for more by same author
★★★ Enjoyable but no strong author voice
★★.5 Lightweight - mildy enjoyable but forgettable could have not read this and not missed it.
★★ Dull plot adequately written/interesting plot idea wasted
★.5 Sloppily written and/or derivative plot
★ Could not finish
0.5 Trash - probably doing a disservice to humanity by existing

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Real nameBenjamin Hahn

LocationAnchorage, AK

Emailbenjamin.hahngmail.com

Account typepublic, lifetime

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URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/BenjaminHahn (profile)
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Common KnowledgeSeries (147), Awards (305), Characters (3056), Places (753)

Member sinceApr 1, 2007

Currently readingMao: The Unknown Story by Jung Chang
The Intellectual Devotional: Revive Your Mind, Complete Your Education, and Roam Confidently with the Cultured Class by David Kidder
Edenborn by Nick Sagan
The Handmaid's Tale by MARGARET ATWOOD
Decipher by Stel Pavlou
Empires of the Ancient Near East 4 Volume Box Set (Empires of the Ancient Near East London Folio Society, Second Edition 2000) by J.M. Cook
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