Member: Dragonfly

How wonderful! That's me to the life. I once back packed round Europe with another book lover and we hand picked 12 books each, that were going to take us forever to read - long stuff, boring stuff, college set text stuff, and my traveling companion killed two of them on the flight from New Zealand. Within three weeks we were out of things to read but found a wonderful selection in the markets of Istanbul of all places. Those lasted a few weeks and then we were reduced to borrowed copies of The Omen and The Exorcist. My husband is always making jokes about the poor man in the Twilight Zone who left alone after a nuclear holocaust breaks his glasses and cannot read.

Barbara

posted by romain at 1:00 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2009

Well hello! Thank you for asking about library school; it's going quite well. The recruiters keep contacting me about my old line of work, but I'm resisting the salaries and looking forward to a new career. :) I've put in a proposal to my advisor for a master's topic: what motivates science graduates to become librarians. If by chance you are familiar with the Workforce Issues in Library and Information Science study (www.wilis.unc.edu), that's my hoped-for data set. I worked for a year with the research team that conducted the study, so I suspect there will be fruitful findings. Just this month I began as an intern with EPA, which is very exciting for me; I'm cataloging right now and my LT record-hunting experience has been an asset. :) This semester will definitely feature intellectual stimulation: Reference, Systems Analysis, Bioinformatics Research, and Evidence-Based Medicine. This does not bode well for my timely completion of HelpThing pages, though!

I do appreciate your interest; I don't drive and so networking (after the hours that the bus stops running) has been nearly impossible for me. My fellow students often look at me strangely when I say I'm an LT addict. :)

I've never been to Gastonia; is it hilly? I bet it's a great place to live. I honeymooned outside of Asheville last year and it was gorgeous in the mountains. I'm originally from Chattanooga and miss the ridges there.

Thanks again for your interest, and take care!

posted by caffron at 1:59 pm (EST) on Aug 30, 2009

Hi Dragonfly --
The group is up already and it doesn't have a fantasy-style name. I got a handful of suggestions, all different, so I just went with one that appealed to me. If everyone hates it we can always change it-- the key is to have Cabell's full name in it so that people searching Groups realize what its about. Here it is: http://www.librarything.com/groups/thera...
Welcome, whether you join or lurk...

posted by Crypto-Willobie at 5:47 pm (EST) on Aug 16, 2009

I just received "Arabella" today and I'm halfway through it. Possibly my first Heyer (that or "The Talisman Ring"), and still one of my favorites. That one has a dog, too: poor little ugly mongrel Ulysses. His conversations with the elegant Mr. Beaumaris are the high points of the book! --Victoria

posted by Winter_Maiden at 12:04 am (EST) on Aug 12, 2009

Thank you for finding my library interesting! I see you too are a Georgette Heyer fan. I'm rereading her now very happily. --Victoria

posted by Winter_Maiden at 11:46 am (EST) on Aug 10, 2009

I loaned Love is a Mix Tape to a guy I work with. He loved it too. Made us both go out and buy music we'd forgotten about.

posted by varielle at 3:47 am (EST) on May 26, 2009

Hehehe - I too am glad I am not alone! I have no idea what the fuss was about with The Alchemist. but, then, I often read things others rave about and go 'what the?' at the end. This is particularly the case with many award winners - Booker, Miles Franklin, Orange etc. I've wondered for years whether I am really as uncultured and Philistine as I feel after reading one of these -titles that the cognoscenti rave about - or blockbusters that are on the best seller lists for ages. (I read the da Vinci Code years ago - before anybody was talking about it - and thought it was crap. Even after all the rave reviews, I still think it is crap.) But now I have decided simply to accept that my reading radar is tuned to a different wave length and to tread the road less travelled with enthusiasm and chutzpah!

Oh, and I'd love to see a photo of your book room. Maybe you could post it on your profile page? One of my wishes is to have such a room - I drool over ones that other people have. I even have a book on decorating with books - which is as close to book porn as I am likely to get! Maybe one day.

posted by Jawin at 6:46 am (EST) on Jan 25, 2009

Thank you Dragonfly. The card catalog is secured and everyone seems happy. ;-) Merry Christmas.

posted by varielle at 7:21 pm (EST) on Dec 20, 2008

Thanks. When we find them on line they are usually in Maine or Ohio. We're willing to drive, but not quite that far. I'm sure we will stumble over one in some out of the way place one of these days if they haven't all been chopped up for fire wood. Happy Holidays.

posted by varielle at 8:50 am (EST) on Dec 9, 2008

Greetings Dragonfly, I am in quest of an old wooden library card catalog for a Christmas gift. The only one I've found on line is in Ohio. Do you know any library or school surplus locations in our area that might have one? I'm hoping not all of them have been tossed out. I had been cruising the websites for the various counties hoping to stumble across one, but no luck so far. Thanks.

posted by varielle at 8:24 pm (EST) on Nov 20, 2008

I just checked in for the first time in quite a while and enjoyed reading my few notes, including yours re our mutual Creek interest. Glad to see you are still active.

posted by NoWhining at 9:33 pm (EST) on Aug 10, 2008

Hi: Just saw your note. Academentia is my personal tag-line for books I may sell at some time so there's no connecting thread other than I may sell them off eventually. Sorry for the confusion. And yes, I have toiled in the wacky fields of academentia for over 30 years so I'm well on my way there also.

posted by edding at 10:52 am (EST) on Jun 26, 2008

Re: a scientist becoming a librarian. I hope you're right about being in demand; I don't want to move someplace cold for a good job. I'm in the Research Triangle, so that bodes well for potential local positions. Still a long way off, though; I will be going part time for at least a year so I can keep my cushy full-time job and pay off my wedding expenses. Thanks for dropping by! :)

posted by caffron at 9:41 pm (EST) on Jun 5, 2008

Re: Swisher/AMREV in Backcountry. Unless you collect the subject and/or can get it dirt cheap, I'd pass. There are better books on the subject; see under my American Revolution tag, the Revolution in the South is a fav of mine. Cheers, A

posted by Ammianus at 5:38 pm (EST) on May 15, 2008

It appears I am only 35 away from that magic 1700 number. I have already exceeded my available book space and am stashing them under the bed.

posted by varielle at 5:26 pm (EST) on May 4, 2008

Mostly still in the warehouse :( but new ones keep coming home from various places. No more room. Must build my own library.

posted by varielle at 10:52 am (EST) on Apr 25, 2008

Hey dragonfly, I made a lunch time raid on your friends of the library sale and carried off a sack full.

posted by varielle at 3:27 pm (EST) on Apr 23, 2008

Thanks, glad to see I'm not alone! Can I ask how far you got in the book before skipping to the end? I read it all the way through, because it was on the Accelerated Reading* list, and was worth 64 points, and I really wanted those points! It was *just* worth it to stick through to the end, but only barely.

*not sure if they have this everywhere, it's a program where books where assigned reading levels and point values based on length, difficulty, etc and students earn points based on how well they did on a test after reading the book. I won lots of book gift certificates this way. :D

posted by ArmyAngel1986 at 11:45 am (EST) on Apr 8, 2008

I'm always pleased to find another librarian. I've been retired for 4 years and was delighted when a friend recommended Librarything - I was missing cataloguing, which I'd done for thirtysome years. I still seem to have Dewey classification imbedded in my brain!
I've had Burning lamp for many years and reread it while sorting out the shelves. I vaguely remember reading the one about the people she meets on the East Coast but can't remember a thing about it. I enjoyed reading Burning lamp again - even if it's a little unlikely due to attitudes of the time. I see most of what we share are classic detectives, to which I was introduced at an early age by my father. I think I was ten when I fell in love with Albert Campion.
I've never been to North Carolina, but I love Charleston SC. As you can see from my profile I'm a Civil War re-enactor (32nd Virginia) so I've read a lot about antebellum Virginia and the Carolinas. We do have the 43rd Noroth Carolina Regiment but it's a different brigade so I don't know anyone in it (most of them come from the Newcastle area on Tyneside)

posted by cimorene at 9:03 am (EST) on Mar 6, 2008

thanks for sharing the quote - it would be funny if it were not so true. and yet, I smile

posted by bookstopshere at 4:05 pm (EST) on Mar 4, 2008

Thank you, for answering my question. I would like to attend a Native American event; if there is some historical accuracy. Tasting something an ancestor drank religiously seems worth some effort. The "White Drink," that happens to be black tea is made from Ilex vomitoria -Yaupon Holly, Yaupon, or Cassina.

posted by rareflorida at 3:26 pm (EST) on Mar 3, 2008

Florida, Native Americans, history, and genealogy are some interests we share. I've not read A Rogues Paradise but I marked it for future reading. My ancestor was considered a banditti. Your library leads me to believe you have ran across the name, Francisco Xavier Sanchez. Your interest in Florida and plants makes me wonder if you have ever had the Black Drink that the indians brewed. I've never seen any reference of modern tribes drinking the stuff.

posted by rareflorida at 10:26 pm (EST) on Mar 2, 2008

Got your message about the pet food. I've found that my cats are harder to switch over than my dog. I usually add some bits to their kibble and get it in that way. They particularly like the following: deli turkey, roasted chicken or pork, scrambled eggs. They refuse to eat any vegetables I give them, but they are totally in love with the pot of cat grass that I put on the counter and eat that voraciously. Counter to what you'd expect, they absolutely refuse any seafood. It's just about trial and error.

posted by katydid-it at 3:10 pm (EST) on Mar 2, 2008

Thanks. I may scrounge up some donations.

posted by varielle at 8:26 am (EST) on Feb 6, 2008

When is your spring booksale? and if I want to donate some books what's the procedure?

posted by varielle at 7:01 pm (EST) on Jan 27, 2008

Hi :)
I'm a bit further up than Malmö - I live a few miles outside of Örebro, in Närke. Malmö City Library is quite big I think (I have a classmate working there who is quite proud of the place, though I suppose he could be biased ;) I believe they built a new building for it not that long ago. Here's their url: http://www.malmo.se/bibliotek (in Swedish I'm afraid, though they have a link to info about Malmö City in English if you're interested)

posted by Caeru at 6:38 pm (EST) on Jan 21, 2008

Hi (and sorry for the late reply),

I thought Everbody Hurts was very entertaining too! I'm not particularly emo (computer woes aside ;) myself so I can't vouch for its authenticity, but then again it was written rather tongue in cheek.

posted by Caeru at 9:13 am (EST) on Jan 21, 2008

Well, I just moved to the metropolis of Lincolnton where there is much less space for books. Many of them are languishing in a warehouse and in boxes. *sniffle* *whimper* But I did just get a $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble so I'm sure I'll find room somewhere.

posted by varielle at 11:19 am (EST) on Dec 20, 2007

Hello, Dragonfly,

Yes, Georgette Heyer is fine for comfort reading; I have a stash of paperbacks I bought at a couple of used book collections for just that use. I found GH in college, where the library I worked in as a student was buying all her work republished, in orange binding, during that happy period in the late 60s when libraries had money and publisher kept books in print and did lots of reprinting. My books are currently stashed in a difficult to access place; I did some reorganizing of my living room when I acquired some furniture from my parents this summer. I must get them out and find a place for them in my bedroom, ready for the time of need. I think Friday's Child, or possibly Sprig Muslin, are my favorites for comfort reading. I love her foppish young men, and the young women, often smarter than them but socially less skilled who dance through the regency society as they fit themselves to a rigid social network.

The Little White Horse was my first Elizabeth Goudge book too. I have a copy in paperback, but it's just not the same as that 1946 edition, with the blue cover and the interesting illustrations. I've seen that edition for sale for around $250; above my touch, but it is tempting. My childhood library also had Smokey-House, which I loved as well. I went on to read the adult books the library had, and hunted down most of the ones I had missed when I had a big university library to use. I wonder about Elizabeth Goudge as a person. Her work is romantic, with a little religious touch, but there is an edge of the darker side of life in even her children's books. She's aware of it, and of what it does to people, and touches on that and the recovery from damage in a way that I would not now expect from a work aimed at her audience. I don't reread her often; I think the last thing I read was Linnetts and Valerian and that was about ten years ago. I like knowing that I have her books for the time when one of them might be just the thing.

We have a nice range of matching books. I'm still checking out what else people with lots of my books have. I shall do a bit of prowling in your library.

posted by arethusarose at 7:54 pm (EST) on Dec 15, 2007

Thanks for the note. You ask a good question. I had just learned how to use a photo of my own on my profile page, and had just taken a class learning my new digital camera - viola! a happy coincidence. The chevy was sitting out in a big empty lot on an island near Seattle and I just thought it was kind of a nice symbol of my age, too. I learned to drive in a Buick of about the same vintage. The subaru is a much easier drive, but not as romantic. - Karen

posted by maggie1944 at 9:12 am (EST) on Oct 31, 2007

Wow Bella!
What a shame you didn't get to see her. I'm very tempted to have a go. I designed a children's botanic garden in Madeira (Madeira Magic). It would be fantastic. But I shall have to read up on this first. But I suppose that is what any LibraryThinger would say!

You can see some of my gardens on Flickr "jardimformoso"

posted by botanica at 4:41 am (EST) on Sep 1, 2007

p.s.

I tried the link, but it is incomplete, doesn't work. Regarding native carnivorous plants, I clearly remember a field trip to a bog in Massachusetts (I was a grad student at U. Mass. Amherst) where I saw Sarracenia purpurea growing wild - a plant hunting first for me.

posted by botanica at 3:08 pm (EST) on Aug 30, 2007

Ah! Dragonfly. What a wonderful feeling to see the boxes unpacked. This weekend I managed to squeeze in another 8m of shelves above the hallway. Nothing fancy, just brackets against the wall, but it took care of a huge pile of paperbacks. "Plants" is just a catch all tag to divide the books. I'm hopeful of the new innovation of collections. I really need to split up my books somehow.

Thanks for adding me to your "interesting Libraries". Excuse me whilst I add a ton of Portuguese books.

Gerald

posted by botanica at 11:00 am (EST) on Aug 30, 2007

Did you build your bookcases yet? For me this is a constant occupation. I was also given a bookcase as a child.

Checking your stats we have a similar-sized problem. I'm looking over other libraries tagged "plants" though surprisingly, as is our case, there is very little overlap in this field.

Gerald
Sintra, Portugal

posted by botanica at 10:31 am (EST) on Aug 27, 2007

Sorry for this late reply: I've been away 3 weeks. Yes I read the 3 partitions of The Anatomy of Melancholy from cover to cover. But I cannot say I appreciated much of it, contrary to many LT reviewers. For me, the style was really too broken. I mean: the whole work is only a succession of references on a given idea, and then Burton swaps to another point. It was a relief to get to the end... This is perhaps the utility of this book: suppressing melancholy while giving the impression to come to life again once you've read it!

posted by Pepys at 11:25 am (EST) on Jul 7, 2007

Hi Rhonda! I was going to reply right after you left your comment, then LibraryThing went down for a couple of days. Yes, I've done article-level entries for about half of the volumes of the NCGSJ. I've done some other articles in my collection, but mostly from things I've photocopied (e.g., older NGSQ articles). I have so much "stuff" in my office, I need a good finding aid, and LT seems adaptable enough to fit the bill. I have cataloged a number of other kinds of things, in addition to books and articles, too. And of course, packing and moving provides a good excuse for cataloging all the rest of the books in the house, though I've about reached the point where I'm losing my mind now :-)

posted by jhaines at 9:46 pm (EST) on Jun 18, 2007

Good heavens, only us? That book needs reprinting so more people can discover it! I've been re-reading it for years. It's probably time to do so again soon. I started reading Regency romances in junior high during one of the Regency publishing booms and soon found Heyer (all those books with comments on them like "the heiress apparent to Georgette Heyer" got me curious!)

I've read all of her Regencies, some of them multiple times. I think my favorites are The Masqueraders, Venetia and Faro's Daughter. At the moment I'm totally obsessed with the Attolia trilogy and highly recommend it! Of the older books I've read, early Anne Stuart (her Dell Candlelight Romances like Cameron's Landing) and Jane Aiken Hodge's Watch the Wall, My Darling seem to be the closest in sensibility to The Heroine's Sister.

posted by h34th3r at 11:34 pm (EST) on Jun 13, 2007

Dear Dragonfly,
I see you already have three of my favourite mystery writers: Margery Allingham, Dorothy L. Sayers and Josephine Tey. I would also recommend E. C. Bentley, Anthony Berkeley, Edmund Crispin, G. K. Chesterton, Wilkie Collins, Freeman Wills Crofts, R. Austin Freeman, Michael Innes, Julian Symons and S. S. Van Dine. All these are of the period 1860-1960ish. Van Dines's stories are set in America, all the rest are British. If you like adventure stories I would also highly recommend John Buchan and Dornford Yates.
Regards,
Paul.

posted by hinkley at 11:02 pm (EST) on Apr 26, 2007

Good to hear from you again! Yes, I did thoroughly enjoy Ian Kelly's Beau Brummell biography. I thought it was very interesting reading. I think I read Our Tempestuous Day in college- it sounds familiar- and enjoyed that one, too. And I've just purchased "English Society in the 18th Century," which is another non-fiction book that sounds very good. I hope it is!

I agree to an extent that Georgette Heyer is "fantasy." But in the same way that most romance novels are fantasy- not really as a fantasy writer. I know that the Regency and Georgian periods had their problems, but they were still stable periods in history. And the heyday of the aristocracy, really. So they lived it up :-) Why not?

Right now I'm starting Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale, which is very good!

posted by aarti at 8:06 am (EST) on Dec 1, 2006

Dear Dragonfly,
Re Dorothy Sayers: I think Murder Must Advertise is my favorite although Gaudy Night is right up there.
Thanks for the tip regarding the Creek link.
You're right, this is quite a site.
Roger

posted by NoWhining at 1:15 pm (EST) on Nov 29, 2006

I just discovered this site and was ready to stop adding books when I saw Chief William McIntosh lying on the table. I entered it and was astounded that anyone else (2 others)would have it since it was a very small printing. He was my great, great, great grandfather. I also see you are from North Carolina. My roots are in that part of the country although I have never been there. My day has been made.
Roger

posted by NoWhining at 9:53 pm (EST) on Nov 28, 2006

Thanks for joining the Humor group.

Happy cataloging to you.

posted by coffeezombie at 9:04 pm (EST) on Nov 28, 2006

Hello Dragonfly. I am interested to see that you have a book by Jedidiah Morse. My father has a copy of "A Geography of America". It is the second edition, printed in 1792. We have recently had it rebound since it was falling to pieces. It also contains two very interesting maps, that we have also had restored.

Yours,

Graculus

posted by graculus at 11:58 am (EST) on Oct 26, 2006

I am just about to start Black Powder War. I got sidetracked by other books :-) I am still reading North & South for a group as well. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the third book! I didn't think the second installment was as good as the first, but most people I've talked to have liked the entire trilogy- or, should I say, the first three books in what I've heard is to be a longer series (which is exciting to know!).

I've just finished the fifth book in Dorothy Dunnett's House of Niccolo. Reading Dunnett always exhausts me, so I don't know when I'll get to book six :-) Usually, I do one of her books a month, at the most.

posted by aarti at 2:53 pm (EST) on Aug 20, 2006

I was looking through your tags to see if you've managed to read any of those books you told me you were interested in finding, but you have so many tags, I couldn't figure out how to tell if you've read a book or not :-) I do now have Caroline Stevermer's A College of Magics, though I haven't read it yet (that step always takes so much longer than the acquisition step, doesn't it?). I see you have Kushner's Swordspoint, too. I recently read that and didn't care for it. I am very vague on what the plot actually was.

You also have Charles Mann's 1491 on your list- have you read that one? I read it last year and thought it was excellent. I am currently reading Elizabeth Gaskell's North & South. If you like Jane Austen, you might try her. And the BBC adaptations of her novels are very, very good, as well!

posted by aarti at 12:51 am (EST) on Aug 6, 2006

Sorry for the delay in replying. We share 14 books now, all history except for the Canterbury Tales and the Rolling Stone illustrated history of rock and roll. Good mix. I see from your website that you are at the Gaston County Public Library. I work at the New York Public Library Research Libraries (yeah, the central building on 5th Ave and 42nd St.)

As for Nash's Unknown American Revolution, I would recommend it. I bought it mainly because I've liked Nash's work in the past. I worried a bit when I began it because it seemed he was jumping around simply recounting aspects of the revolution dealing with women, Indians, slaves, etc. and it might be a cut and paste work. But then I began to see his method. He moves forward though the revolution returning to each group again and again, including the middle and lower class white artisans and farmers, laying out a strong argument for a real social revolution within the war for independence. And the themes and groups begin to interact and make connections (not always for the best). I don't know if the old consensus conservative view of the revolution from the 1950s still needs refuting, but Nash has synthesized a strong work arguing for a real social revolution, mostly democratic, that the upper classes worried about even when they were patriots in the war against Britain. Much was familiar as separate aspects from other things I have read (such as Indians in the revolution and African American responses to the war), but there were some things that were new. Especially the detail of political disputes that surrounded state consitution making and questions over suffrage. And I was totally unfamiliar with some things like food riots during the revolution and mass action court closings. I'm going to give it 4 and a half stars.

"alibrarian"
Richard Cramer

posted by alibrarian at 9:37 pm (EST) on Jul 9, 2006

I noticed you've added cds to your library, and I was wondering. Have you found a way to get the date througt amazon, or do you add the cds manually?

posted by amberwitch at 5:04 pm (EST) on Jun 17, 2006

Just thought I'd let you know I started His Majesty's Dragon yesterday, and it's very, very good! I just ordered the next two off Amazon, and it looks like Novik has plans for more in the series. I'd highly recommend it!

posted by aarti at 6:09 pm (EST) on Jun 15, 2006

Yes, Lian Hearn wrote a trilogy of Japanese-like fantasy novels that are very popular. I've only read the first one, unfortunately :-) And I think the Wrede-Stevermer book (the first one) is quite good, but the second one I didn't think was that great. I've added a few Stevermer books to my wish list as well. And I completely agree with your assessment on Georgette Heyer. She is top-notch!

posted by aarti at 9:32 pm (EST) on Jun 11, 2006

Oh, and if you like alternative history, comedy of manners type fantasy, then I would recommend Teresa Edgerton's Goblin Moon and The Gnome's Engine if you can find them. They're great fun!

posted by aarti at 4:26 pm (EST) on Jun 8, 2006

In reply to your comment, I use the regency tag for books that were published in one of series lines (i.e. Zebra, Signet, Fawcett). These books are commonly called "traditional" regencies and tend to be sweeter, with little to no sex, and are much shorter books. I use the regency historical tags for the fat historicals that are not part of a line. These tend to have more sex and be a little more serious and dramatic. I think of them as distinct genres, as they read much differently to me.

Yes, librarians do tend to want to know these things! I'm also a librarian, so I understand your curiosity.
Sciezka

posted by sciezka at 1:10 am (EST) on May 27, 2006

In re your early Feb. inquiry: there will be an '06 Great Smoky Mtn. Book Fair. I'm pretty sure it'll be 11/18/06. Hope to see you there. - Chris

posted by wilpotts at 12:18 am (EST) on Apr 10, 2006

Hi Dragonfly,

Although we haven't much books in common, we share the same occupation (librarian, but I turned to indexing lately).
I’m a reader who goes through certain phases. I had an American Indian Phase, a Neville Shut cum aviation phase, a John Buchan phase, etc. The most prominent was the Walter Scott phase. As so many readers I haven’t room enough to accommodate all my books, so once in awhile I weed out the less interesting ones to make room for the subject that has me captivated at that moment. I kept my Scott & Buchan collection, but the bigger part of the American Indian and Nevil Shute collection had to go. Regarding Scott, I have a slight preference for his Scottish novels, Rob Roy is among my favorites, but the Talisman is a very good example of Scot’s style of writing. I looked up Facing East from the Indian Country at Amazon, surely it’s a book I must put on my ‘To Read’ list. Thanks for the tip.
Kind regards,
Stitswerd

posted by Stitswerd at 1:28 pm (EST) on Jan 25, 2006

Hi!

"Doomed" to be a librarian--heehee! :-) What a wonderful childhood gift you had in the book case and books. Too bad those books were lost. Maybe you can find replacement copies...though they wouldn't be quite the same.

Yes, you are invited to the Grand Opening of my Fantasy Library. :-) I hope one day it actually happens. For now, it's just a pipe dream, but who knows?

I haven't seen Beauty and the Beast in so long, I don't remember the library part. But now I'll have to see it again. You were referring to the Disney version, right, not the Jean Cocteau version?

posted by Rachael at 2:44 pm (EST) on Jan 22, 2006