Random books from SamHouston's library

Season Ticket: A Baseball Companion by Roger Angell

Never Surrender by Michael Dobbs

The View from Nashville by Ralph Emery

The Postman by David Brin

The Widow's Mite and Other Stories by Ferrol Sams

The collector of hearts : new tales of the grotesque by Joyce Carol Oates

Big Mouth & Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates

Members with SamHouston's books

Member connections

Friends: 3M3m, ClassicalBookworm, dtorres, Ex_Libris, JeremyCShipp, jillmwo, LSS312, maggiereads, pagesturned, SleepyReader, tinylittlelibrarian, writergirl

Interesting libraries: dew, dovegreyreader, dtorres, Ex_Libris, jhowell, jillmwo, parelle

LibraryThing authors: Karen Harrington (WriterGirl), Julie C. Meloni (jcmeloni), benjamin orbach (benjaminorbach), Deanna Raybourn (deannaraybourn), Marisa de los Santos (Marisa1), Kevin Smokler (Smokler), Laura Stamps (LauraStamps)

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SamHouston's reviews

Reviews of SamHouston's books, not including SamHouston's

Member: SamHouston

Library1,443 books — see library

Reviews235 reviews — see reviews

Cloudstag cloud, author cloud

Tagsnovel (389), detective fiction (157), Review Only - not owned (118), History - Civil War (97), Uncorrected Proof (78), short stories (77), memoirs (76), classic (75), reference (62), suspense novel (51) — see all tags

GroupsBloggers, Books Compared, British & Irish Crime Fiction, Canadian Bookworms, Crime, Thriller & Mystery, Deep South, Early Reviewers, Historical Fiction, Readers Over Sixty, Reading Resolutions — show all groups

About me I became an avid reader before I started first grade and the habit has only gotten worse as I grow older. I can't imagine how anyone can be a non-reader in an age when movies and television have set such low standards. I was born with the "collector gene" and, when I really admire and enjoy an author, I feel the urge to be a completist and want to own everything they've written. This habit has rewarded me in the past because I now own some nice first editions that have appreciated in value very nicely...but they won't be sold because I plan to give my granddaughter the library someday.

About my library The size of my library is limited only by a lack of shelf space (and cash). I've even built shelves inside some of the lesser used closets in the house but it's a constant battle to find space for new books. I'm a big fan and admirer of Joyce Carol Oates, Larry McMurtry, Ruth Rendell, James Lee Burke, Elmer Kelton and writers of Civil War history. My library largely reflects that fact.

Homepagehttp://bookchase.blogspot.com/

Membership LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Real nameSam

LocationHouston

Favorite authorsNone specified

Account typepublic, lifetime

Connection NewsConnection News

URLs http://www.librarything.com/profile/SamHouston (profile)
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/SamHouston (library)

Member sinceJul 15, 2006

Comments from other LibraryThing-ers

(Leave a comment.)

Sam,
I posted about this (the "police" issue) on another forum and one of the book fanatics there said it is a construction they use all the time on "The Wire", which is set in Baltimore. Apparently, it is the common local construction, but it still strikes me like a wrong verb tense or something.
Lisa

posted by LisaLynne at 10:08 pm (EST) on May 12, 2008

I have talked with several friends who have lived in Baltimore and the surrounding areas and none of them were familiar with it. I did talk to one person who thinks she heard one of the detectives on Homicide use it, which sparked quite the tv debate, the conclusion being that if the guys on The Wire don't use it, the it's not right. Now I'm going to have to look for a website or something where I can contact her.

posted by LisaLynne at 8:26 am (EST) on May 6, 2008

Sam,

I came across your review of What the Dead Know after posting my own and I am SO glad that someone else mentioned her use of "police" as a singular noun. "I'm a murder police" sounds like something a 5 year old would say, and I have a hard time believing that this is some sort of Baltimore slang. Glad to know I'm not alone.

Lisa

posted by LisaLynne at 12:02 pm (EST) on May 5, 2008

You have such a refreshing outlook on life and technology.

I am so glad to have other like-minded people in my life.

posted by frank2775 at 2:24 pm (EST) on Apr 26, 2008

Hi,

My name is Dawn and I am a librarian and the host of Toronto Public Library’s online book club: Book Buzz and a fellow LibraryThing member.

This month we are reading Consolation, by Michael Redhill. I noticed that you include Consolation in your library and I enjoyed your review of the book.

I’d just like to invite you to visit us and share your thoughts about Redhill’s book. It’s a friendly easy-going book club with over 500 members and we are always looking for new points of view.

We will also be hosting the author himself until the end February.
Post your questions for Michael Redhill and he will answer from his current home in France.

If you are interested, visit us at http://bookbuzz.torontopubliclibrary.ca .

Thank-you for your time,
Dawn
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Book...

posted by BookBuzz at 2:54 pm (EST) on Feb 8, 2008

Hi, Sam! I came by today to update my Librarything library and saw someone else owned my new novel, "The Witches of Dixie." Since it just came out, I immediately clicked on the link and found it is you. I had forgotten you mentioned on your blog that you are a member of Librarything. Neat! I also belong to Goodreads.com and have been spendng lots of time there getting my Author page set up. Now that it is done, I am back and thrilled to find you here. Well, enough chatting (grin)...I'm off to finish revamping my Librarything library. Happy reading and magickal blessings!

posted by LauraStamps at 2:52 pm (EST) on Oct 6, 2007

Hi! Esta here. . . envious of all your reviews! (I didn't even finish full catalog/revise my profile etc etc and meant to do lots of reviews. . . . but glad to get your note!) You asked about my Gordon Baxter: I picked it up at used book sale, and it is an autographed copy! It seems to have changed hands twice: "From Julia to me!" in ink: date 2/22/80 in pencil. Then "From me to Jack Happy Birthday! 6/11/80 Dad" And there's an address sticker = John J. Davis Sr. 9835 Shadydale Lane Dallas TX 75328 ( probably Dad). . . Julia might have gone to a bookstore reading. (Written in haste. More another time.) Esta 1923

posted by Esta1923 at 7:14 pm (EST) on Jul 22, 2007

Hi, Sam. I appreciated your thoughtful review of Leave Me Alone, I''m Reading. I'm of the female extract, and I find Maureen Corrigan's feminism annoying, so I can understand why you would, and why it would deprive you of a lot of enjoyment in the book. I'm definitely not for women's oppression, but I get tired of those who interpret every event in life, and every book, and every everything in light of its oppressiveness to women. Women are a lot more than victims!!! The rest of the book I've truly enjoyed, especially her efforts to trace the influence of books in shaping her life and thought, and her writing about how certain books, often unlikely ones, like people pop up at just the right time in one's life to make a huge difference. I've also enjoyed her emphasis on mysteries and her consideration of them as "real" literature. Blessings, Martha Huntley

posted by MarthaHuntley at 8:30 pm (EST) on Jul 19, 2007

Sam, thanks for posting a review on the book called "Season of the Witch" by Natasha Mostert. I had seen in at the book store but was waiting for someone to review it before I spent the money on it. Great job on the review.
Kathy

posted by Oklahomabooklady at 1:02 pm (EST) on Apr 24, 2007

Welcome to Books Compared. Hope you'll feel inspired to contribute a comparison review!

posted by margad at 9:51 pm (EST) on Apr 11, 2007

I agree with you about ditching a book that isn't "working" for you. (Quote marks because that might not be the best word!) I notice we share Anne Tyler books, and that's a case in point. I was one of her earliest enthusiasts. Bought them, read them, put other people on to them. And then one came along that seemed to lack any spark of sense! For the first (and only) time I returned it to store for credit. Generally I've had good luck with library books, but some go back unread. I'm now at a stage where I'm re-reading off of my shelves at home. Listing them here has reminded me how very good some are! Esta 1923

posted by Esta1923 at 5:13 pm (EST) on Dec 24, 2006

Thank you for joining Reading Resolutions!
Oddly enough, I was at the 140th Gettysubrg Reenactment, where Newt Gingrich was signing [Grant comes east]. I've had a passing interest with the Civil War, but I'm afraid though that I've only read the Sharras' novels of your fiction list.

posted by parelle at 12:29 am (EST) on Dec 19, 2006

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