PS- thanks for the information on the bench. I do think it is an absolutely perfect bench. Have you been to the Book Art place in Minneapolis (on Washington Ave. downtown)? They have a fabulous staircase that spirals up to the second level and is designed to look like the pages of a book fanning open. The next time I'm there, I will try to get a picture. Thanks again. - S

posted by 4daisies at 12:12 pm (EST) on Jul 22, 2008

Hi Melissa, I'd like to recommend The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton. It's one of my favorites from the past couple years worth of reading. -Sheila

posted by 4daisies at 12:08 pm (EST) on Jul 22, 2008

Hi Bookworm12, I noticed that we share 91 books so far and they are many of my favorites that I have actually read.(I tend to buy books much faster than I can read them.)I have a question about your picture - specifically about the bench in the picture. Can you tell me where that bench is located? I absolutely love it and since I work for a landscape architecture firm, I am always on the look-out for interesting site furnishings. In fact we are in the midst of a library project right now- how perfect is that?

posted by 4daisies at 12:01 pm (EST) on Jul 18, 2008

Hi! Thanks so much for the comment! I'm so glad you found me!

WOW! I am so jealous of your library!! Where do you keep it all?!

Tomorrow, I'm off, and am going to compare our libraries so that I can send some recommendations your way [Girlie, I was SO bad this week--I ordered 14 books from Amazon--so much for using that tax refund check for bills and school! :Þ]

Talk to you tomorrow!

Take care,
Tanya

posted by punkypower at 4:51 pm (EST) on Mar 26, 2008

Hi, Melissa.
Thanks for your note & your kind words. When I saw that you red-flagged "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and "Water for Elephants" as two of your top picks in 2007, I knew I had to add you to my "interesting libraries" roster. I loved both books.
I'm just finishing "Middlesex" now, which I see you have in your growing library. It's one the best I've read in at least a year. One book you might want to consider (I didn't see it in your collection) is "The Confession of Max Tivoli." Really interesting book.
Take care,
Brian

posted by brianinbuffalo at 9:07 pm (EST) on Jan 21, 2008

Sorry I never replied about The Ha Ha. Actually, a few days after I started it, I went into labor and gave birth to my first baby a month early and I never got back to it. It's been a crazy 2 1/2 months. I would have loved to discuss it with you and will if I ever do read it all the way through.

posted by alleycat570 at 8:52 pm (EST) on Jan 12, 2008

Thanks for stopping by. I see that you have "Straight Man" and "Cloud Atlas"--I recommend those a lot to folks. :) Have you read Connie Willis' "To Say Nothing of the Dog"? Since you read some sci-fi (and funny sci-fi, like Adams), I'd recommend it. It plays off of a lot of Victorian fiction, including Wodehouse and Jerome K. Jerome. Another author I don't see in your library is Richard Powers, whom I love.

I'm always up for recommendations, too, so if you think of anything, let me know! I especially want good sci-fi recommendations, as I'm fairly new to reading it, and need help sometimes separating the wheat from the chaff.

posted by Medellia12 at 11:16 am (EST) on Jan 1, 2008

Hiya. Thanks for your comment. Yes, the Chunk Challenge tag does relate to the size of the book.I realised I was tending to shy away from thicker books, so I challenged myself to read at least one book of over 500 pages each month this year. All the books that have more than 500 pages are tagged "Chunk Challenge". :)

posted by Kell_Smurthwaite at 5:37 pm (EST) on Nov 28, 2007

You and I share more books in our libraries than any one else I have seen. Thanks for accepting!

posted by clik4 at 5:22 pm (EST) on Nov 28, 2007

Just wanted to say have a great Thanksgiving!

posted by tapestry100 at 8:53 am (EST) on Nov 21, 2007

Thanks for writing.
I'm only half way through EOE, so I can't say just what my end conclusion will be, but for the most part, I think it's pretty magnificent. Sometimes there's just too much talking or too much description, and the biblical references are way to heavy for my tastes. On the other hand, Lee Hamilton is such an endearing character, that those flaws fade away when listening to him. I'm just at the point of the book where he dies, so I'm wondering what comes next. I also love Lizzie and all of the children.
The character of Adam is somewhat fuzzy to me; self-indulgent in his sadness and always wimpy as a child and as an adult. His lethargy annoys me.
Cathy's psychotic behavior, on the other hand, is mesmerizing, even if I never understand where she's coming from. The narrator tells us she was born without a conscience, which I guess is as good an explanation as any.
It does seem clear to me that the book deserves to be a classic. In the end though, I'm, not sure if I'll love it as much as I've always loved Grapes of Wrath.

posted by vivienbrenda at 3:49 pm (EST) on Nov 17, 2007

Read any good books lately?

I just finished the Looking Glass Wars and its sequel, Seeing Redd, by Frank Beddor. It's a re-imagining of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I really enjoyed both of them. I also read Here, There Be Dragons: the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James Owen. This was a really fun read, too. If you are looking for something that's not a hard read and is fun, I'd recommend either of these.

posted by tapestry100 at 7:02 pm (EST) on Nov 6, 2007

It is in a room that doubles as the staff offices at the Hertford College Library, University of Oxford. The seminar I attended was organized by librarians at the Bodleian, and as part of our seminar, we were treated to behind-the-scenes tours of the Bod and various College libraries. Needless to say, it was incredible! At one point on our tour of the Bod, we were several stories (nine, if I remember correctly) below street level and I looked over to see fragments from a sixth century BC Book of the Dead from Asia simply lying on a shelf, with no protection whatsoever, albeit its location in a locked cage! It was one among many, many treasures yet to be processed.

posted by grkmwk at 12:24 pm (EST) on Oct 10, 2007

Hello there,

Just popped over to your library again and noticed your pic...is that the chained book bench in the lobby of the British Library?? If it isn't, it sure could be! I had the opportunity to attend a seminar in England last year, and we spend one day visiting the BL, which, needless to say for any bibliophile, was INCREDIBLE! If that isn't where you were, you really should go!

Happy reading!!

posted by grkmwk at 7:54 pm (EST) on Oct 8, 2007

HI Bookworm12, I really liked The Thirteenth Tale. Being a twin myself, made it all the more interesting. I can relate to the statement made in the book, that being without your twin is like being an amputee. I never thought of it like that, but it's true. The Sacred Romance is an excellent book and I would highly recommend it. I read it when I was in a place of discouragement from too much "doing" and trying to be something everyone else wanted. That book really opened my eyes to some new truths.

posted by Karbie at 11:51 am (EST) on Sep 27, 2007

Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries list! As I'm looking through your catalog, I see that we have a lot of books in common - personally, I think we have *great* taste in books...:)

posted by scaifea at 2:45 pm (EST) on Sep 21, 2007

The Shadow of the Wind was amazing! Once I was able start it, I couldn't put it down! I've already lent my copy to my mom, and have recommended it to all my friends. I would be anxious to see some of his other books translated in to English, as I think Shadow is the only one available; at least it's the only one in English that I've been able to find so far.

posted by tapestry100 at 8:19 am (EST) on Sep 21, 2007

Yes, I loved Lonesome Dove. I was surprised I liked it as you were. I too thought it was just a western/romance, something I'm not usually interested in. I finished it couple of weeks ago. I'm thinking I should rent the mini-series now. I heard that was good. We share 45 of the same books, although your library is much larger than mine. What did you think of the Thirteenth Tale? Did you like The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge?

posted by Karbie at 11:32 am (EST) on Sep 19, 2007

WOW! You were right about The Shadow of the Wind! I wasn't able to start it when I thought I was going to, but once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! I honestly don't know that I've enjoyed a book this much since The Thirteenth Tale. Everything, from the story to the characters to the actual writing itself, is superb - great recommendation! Thanks! I'm now rereading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in preparation to start The Looking Glass Wars.

posted by tapestry100 at 8:11 am (EST) on Sep 19, 2007

Hi Melissa... re: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil -- I, too, really loved the book. In fact, I went to Savannah just after I finished it. I couldn't wait to see everything! Then, when his next book came out, I went to see John Berendt at a booksigning, and was very excited about meeting him. I think what surprised me the most was how distant he seemed. It felt like he was very detached both from the crowd that was there as well as from the stories he'd written. He also came across as more than a little arrogant; like he was way above everyone else. I go to many many booksignings, and I'm always very impressed with how congenial the authors are... even those who have sold tons of books still seem very grateful to their readers and are always willing to chat, etc. This one was horrible. And it might just be that his personality is such that he's not very sociable (which is odd, given the story of Midnight) but I just was very turned off. I wouldn't make the effort to go see him again. (Sorry! Maybe he was just having a bad day when I saw him!)

However, he's a very good writer, so I'll just focus on that!!

posted by tls1215 at 9:04 pm (EST) on Sep 18, 2007

Hi, Melissa ~ Thanks for your comment. Yeah, the late 60s/early 70s in Chicago were something else. I wish I could say I understood it all while I was going through it, but only in hindsight do I comprehend how the turbulence of the times shaped my reading habits (and life) and how the books I read then reflected the times and helped me to incorporate the things I witnessed and in which I participated (peace marches, not violence against the civil rights movement) into a mostly coherent value system. Maybe that's one reason I hold LotR in such high regard, but I also love it for the story, the writing and characters and the world Tolkien created.

BTW, love your pic. Where was it taken?

Mary

posted by Storeetllr at 3:24 pm (EST) on Sep 1, 2007

Hi
We both have a lot of books by Maeve Binchy & also J. D. Salinger. They are 2 authors that don't have a lot in common, but I have tried to read all of their books. Maeve, to me, is a "comfort author". When I want to get away from it all, I can just lose myself in one of her books. It's always good news to hear she has written a new one.
J.D. Salinger is different. In hi school, I wan influenced by Catcher in the Rye, & then the 9 stories, reading them originally in the New Yorker. I also became immersed in the lives of the Glass family. A few years ago, when Joyce Maynard came out with her "tell all" book about her life as J.D.'s mistress, my first reaction was to feel sorry for her, but then, thinking it over, she was not just some young kid that had been taken advantage of by an older man. There was something calculated in her actions. A few weeks ago, I bought the book "Dream Catcher" Salinger's biography written by his daughter Wendy. I haven't read it yet, my TBR pile is humungous. Have you read any books about JD? However one looks at him, he is certainly interesting.
MaarianV

posted by MarianV at 11:34 am (EST) on Aug 25, 2007

Well, I've been struggling through an Early Reviewer's copy of Tipperary by Frank Delaney, and finally had to give up on it. I had read his previous novel, Ireland, and had LOVED it, so had high hopes of enjoying Tipperary just as much, so was a little disappointed in it. As such, I'm starting the Shadow of the Wind tonight!

posted by tapestry100 at 9:13 am (EST) on Aug 23, 2007

Went to see the film version of Stardust last night, and while it doesn't follow the book 100%, it is a faithful adaptation, and I think the changes that were made were well done and didn't really detract from the book. I'd recommend going to see it!

posted by tapestry100 at 1:17 pm (EST) on Aug 11, 2007

Well, as it happens, I own The Shadow of the Wind. I picked it up at my local library sale last year, and just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. Maybe I need to add that to the pile of books to read sooner than later. I just finished reading The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho. Amazing book! You might want to give that one a try!

posted by tapestry100 at 4:42 pm (EST) on Aug 10, 2007

Oh yes an e-mail addy would be handy now wouldn't it?

I'm new at this, so do you need an e-mail address or is it something you can forward or send to me internally on this site?

Please let me know.

Thank you.

posted by see_a_knight at 12:05 am (EST) on Jul 15, 2007

Hi lindsacl aka bookworm12,

Thank you for your comment that I just received from July 3rd, I've been busy reading so I haven't visited the site lately.

Even though I've already read [[Ami McKay]]'s novel [The Birth House], my bookgroup is reading this book for our September meeting.

So, I would love to take you up on your offer of providing me with the Q&A that is made available to you because you or someone from your paper had the lovely opportunity to interview her.

I am interested in the content and perhaps my book club would also like to see it as well.

Thank you, you're very generous.

Colleen.

posted by see_a_knight at 12:00 am (EST) on Jul 15, 2007

Hi there, thanks for your comment. I went to Purdue -- graduated 1984, I think I'm older than you are :)! I'm originally from Cincinnati.

posted by lindsacl at 9:18 pm (EST) on Jul 12, 2007

Thanks for your comments. Eat, Pray, Love is worth listening to I feel - most folks seem to relate to the first part on Italy the best; I liked India better for her friend Richard's pull-no-punches style. I recently posted my Jan - June 2007 reading on my page; the ones with asterisks (they're tough to see I know) were audiobooks, so feel free to ask about them. Also, I can list the ones for 2006 I thought were pretty good audios; I started keeping a record in the middle of last year.
P.S. As you review plays, I saw "Uncle Vanya" the other day, and it was as good as productions of "Three Sisters" and (the short story) "Lady with a Dog" I'd seen previously. Who knew I'd become a Chekov fan!

posted by Seajack at 2:41 pm (EST) on Jul 10, 2007

I thought I was the only one who's ben known to read more than one audiobook at once!

posted by Seajack at 12:52 am (EST) on Jul 3, 2007

I take it from your post (June 9 week, #111) that you started reading The City of Falling Angels. I still have a sticky note on my desk reminding me to share with you my thoughts of the book, which you asked for the week of May 12th! I actually only finished the book a week ago (life has a remarkable way of getting busy all of a sudden, eh?), but even though I couldn't get through it as quickly as I hoped, I loved every moment of it. I am hoping to post a review at some point, so I won't share much here. Besides, if you're already reading it, hopefully you're loving it as much as I did! I'd love to know your thoughts on The Aspern Papers.

posted by grkmwk at 2:36 pm (EST) on Jun 16, 2007

We do indeed share a lot of great books - I've added you to my watch list as well, I think I could get many more great books out of your library. =)

posted by littlebookworm at 6:41 am (EST) on Jun 8, 2007

I've added you to my watch list too. :)
Kell.

posted by Kell_Smurthwaite at 5:51 am (EST) on Jun 2, 2007

I am reading Middlesex too. Parts of it I really found funny. The interbreeding made me cringe.

My last book was Shantaram, about Bombay's underbelly set about the time of Indira Gandhi's assassination. Much more fascinating.

posted by shishi at 7:58 pm (EST) on Apr 9, 2007

http://www.leftfield.org/~rawdon/books/s...
Fellow Reader, Is this of any interest to you?

posted by messageinabloggle at 4:50 pm (EST) on Jan 11, 2007

Dear chick-lit reader,

I’m a belgian university student that loves chick-lit. Would you like to help me with my thesis and write to me why you (personally) like reading chick-lit? What is it about chick-lit that appeals to you? What are your favourite books and why? Your help would mean a lot to me!

Best wishes,

Ester Wellens

esterwellens@gmail.com

posted by esterwellens at 5:05 am (EST) on Jan 9, 2007

I beg to differ with Mr. McNugget. I've read all of the Hitchhikers books and the two Dirk Gently books and while I liked them all, I think the Gently books are much better than the others. To come entirely clean, I did listen to them in audiobook form, read by Adams, before reading them, and I think that it improved the experience. But the Gently books are just better crafted, in some ways. All of the seemingly random events and jokes fit together better, fewer get left behind on demolished planets. I suppose that since they take place, largely, on Earth and involve, mostly, humans, the satire is closer to home. Adams probably had to work harder to ground the absurdity in something believable because he couldn't just attribute it to funny aliens, but the result is wonderful because the characters are easier to relate to and the story is more cohesive.

posted by Mallou at 5:51 pm (EST) on Nov 26, 2006

you asked about the Dirk Gently books. I haven't read them myself, but someone else had and told me they weren't very good. I am reading Good Omens right now (by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchet). It's very similar in style to Hitchhiker's Guide, though it moves a bit slower and there isn't the same randomness.

posted by JohnnyMcNugget at 1:17 pm (EST) on Sep 18, 2006

Is First Knight: A Novelization any good?

posted by TheaMak at 9:16 am (EST) on Sep 16, 2006

It's so strange seeing someone with so many of the same books. Cool but strange.

posted by MKAMBUI at 11:22 pm (EST) on Sep 15, 2006

Hi! I see my book on your random list. What a beautiful sight--right by Shakespeare and Shelly! Now, you really must get to reading it....:)

posted by GingerGarrett at 7:15 pm (EST) on Aug 31, 2006

Hi I have just discovered LibraryThing and started updating my library. You are currently no.1 on my shared list so thought I'd say g'day.

:) Pleso

posted by pleso at 6:22 pm (EST) on Aug 7, 2006

I've personally read Shadow of the Hegemon and Shadow Puppets, but I'm not sure if I would like Speaker for the Dead or not. It was always the politics and strategy that I loved about Ender's Game.

BTW, curious incident is a fantastic book. It has a really unique structure but it makes it hard sometimes to follow. It's great, just don't read it at bedtime.

posted by JohnnyMcNugget at 11:01 am (EST) on Jul 25, 2006

Just saying hello, we seem to share quite a few books. I was wonderign if you've read all of the Ender series books, and which ones you found to be the best. Looking to read more of them, but not so sure.

posted by JohnnyMcNugget at 5:45 pm (EST) on Jul 5, 2006

We have a lot of books in common, so I just wanted to drop by to say hello :)

posted by luvtink81 at 12:25 am (EST) on Jun 9, 2006

I like your collection....but do you own Goodnight Moon? It's a fantastic classic! :)

posted by messageinabloggle at 8:54 pm (EST) on Jun 7, 2006