Member: hthbooks

Knowing that you like books about books, you would enjoy Books: A Memoir by Larry McMurtry. I'm skimming it now.

posted by BrokenSpines at 9:55 am (EST) on Sep 15, 2009

I loved the Borrowers; believe I read various sequels too, though first was best. The daughter Arietty was such a tragic figure. Trapped forever with her parents like that and no friends.

The averageness of Rabbit: Yes, offputting. I will keep looking...

Let me know how you get on with M.E. Kerr's account of her affair with Highsmith...when you get to it, that is.

posted by DaleHrabi at 2:14 pm (EST) on Jun 14, 2009

It is my firm belief that the true book lovers will NEVER read all books in their collections, because reading them all in one lifetime is pretty much impossible. I do like being able to catalog my own collection here, though!

posted by sethbook at 5:30 pm (EST) on Jun 8, 2009

Oh sorry, you asked me what I'm reading. I'm on a Marijane Meaker/Patricia Highsmith kick. The former wrote some of the very best y.a. novels as M.E. Kerr, but also wrote pulp mysteries as Vin Packer and conducted a two-year affair with Patricia Highsmith (which was news to me.)

So I read her memoir as M.E. Kerr, then her account of the lesbian romance with Highsmith (Highsmith: A 1950s Romance), and now am revisiting Highsmith with Strangers on a Train.

Also reading a book called Plug Your Book Online in an effort to keep up some Perfect Baby buzz, but it's asking me to do outlandish things, so not sure how far that can go.

D.

posted by DaleHrabi at 3:20 pm (EST) on May 11, 2009

Lady Oracle: I was smitten by this novel in high school (especially the early sections), but re-read it recently and tend to agree with you. The humor is a bit too broad, esp. the satire of Toronto art scene) and the book has not dated well. One of the cheesier Atwoods.

If you haven't read Atwood's Cats Eye yet, it's a much better book. And revisits some of the same childhood material but more expertly.

And I also like Atwood's very first novel, The Edible Woman. Also broad, but, despite a point-of-view switch and some heavy symbolism, is a more straightforward, traditional novel than any she since wrote. Does not aspire to be experimental or boundary-pushing, and benefits from a more modest agenda. You need to read it as a first-effort tho, because it's not as sophisticated as later books.

I've done some D.L. Sayers, not a habit. Prefer Josephine Tey.

No clue who your mystery mystery writer is...

D.

posted by DaleHrabi at 3:15 pm (EST) on May 11, 2009

What are you reading these days?

posted by DaleHrabi at 4:59 pm (EST) on May 10, 2009

Thanks, Helene (re: NYT, that is). I think I was introduced to 84 Charing Cross by Elizabeth Smart, author of a cult novel called By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept (one of the best titles ever). How did you find it?

posted by DaleHrabi at 1:06 am (EST) on May 9, 2009

Thanks, Helene! -Bob

posted by BrokenSpines at 11:32 am (EST) on May 3, 2009

Hi Helene:

I tried (twice, I think) but didn't connect with Dawn Powell. I wanted to like her because of her story, enigma status, etc. but...sometimes these things don't work out.

Can you recommend anyone Dawn Powellesque?

Dale

posted by DaleHrabi at 8:47 pm (EST) on May 1, 2009

Dear Helene:

I've added a few books I don't own, certainly. They fall into three categories:

1) Books I've loved in the past, but don't currently own.
2) Books I wish I could say I'd read/owned (These quickly get deleted.)
3) Wishbooks: I've put a couple books on the list to remind me to seek them out.

You're down to 15...so is that an acceptable number?

Dale

posted by DaleHrabi at 12:25 pm (EST) on Apr 30, 2009

Navajo Prayer

"Beauty is before me,
And beauty is behind me.
Above and below me hovers the beautiful.
I am surrounded by it.
I am immersed in it.
In my youth I am aware of it,
And in old age I shall walk quietly
The beautiful trail."

posted by theoldman at 12:21 pm (EST) on Apr 27, 2009

Yes, but my cover page has too many defaults. Yours is good because you have all the real covers. Did you see the post showing how to convert a photo of your face into a composite of all your book covers, i.e., you are what you read. I have only about 16 Truffaut books. He's got his own tag.

posted by BrokenSpines at 4:19 pm (EST) on Apr 13, 2009

Have you checked out your "Gallery" of author pictures? I love that function. Mine is mostly men; yours in more mixed.

posted by BrokenSpines at 12:07 pm (EST) on Apr 10, 2009

Nice new picture. Who is it? Have you read LT's guidelines for using pictures? It's very severe. I had been using internet images for Thomas Hardy on some of my no-cover-available books, but I took them all off after reading the guidelines. I'm not experienced with social networking sites but Library Thing's talk component seems cumbersome to me. No surprise - we have only two books in common.

I guess other people can see our conversation if we don't check make private. -Bob

posted by BrokenSpines at 2:18 pm (EST) on Mar 31, 2009

Hi, Helene: My list is books I own except for those with the tag, "Favorite Recent Reads Not Owned." -- These are from the library. Of the books I own I guess I've read about 80% of them. -Bob

posted by BrokenSpines at 9:00 am (EST) on Jan 17, 2009