Member: labfs39

I'm from Ontario and specifically the Toronto area. Aside from a brief time in Ohio in my high school years I have lived in Toronto or the surrounding area most of my life. I have travelled down east and loved it and have been to Calgary a few times when my brothers lived out there, and loved it as well. Hope to get to BC in the future (and back to Nova Scotia and PEI). I will one day get to The Rock (Newfoundland) but am not brave enough to go in the winter. How do you like Seattle?

posted by librarygeek50 at 10:11 am (EST) on Feb 6, 2009

Have you read "Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks? It was mentioned in a reply to one of my comments and is worth looking at given the skill she showed in "People of the Book". I am looking forward to getting the program completed -- it is a way off yet though as I am studying part time. I am also learning to drive at the same time! Talk about a challenge!

posted by librarygeek50 at 10:02 pm (EST) on Feb 5, 2009

I love your story about your bookshelves and your husband. My husband looks at the pile of books growing on my side of the bed and just shakes his head...but he buys me more for my birthday and Christmas. We are looking forward to our family room project of floor to ceiling bookshelves. And my husband has become resigned to the fact that the tv and audio components will need a separate unit. I am rewarding his forebearance with shelves for his sanctuary/office.

posted by librarygeek50 at 9:28 pm (EST) on Feb 2, 2009

Dear Lisa-
Oh My Gosh, I am so sorry that this reply to your nice note is so long in coming. As so many (apparently) others, I was so burnt out by three months of solid book-entering, I took a hiatus from Librarything. I am just now entering books purchased in the interim, and getting to my messages. I most recently read Penderwicks II, HOUSE ON GARDHAM STREET, and boy howdy, I do like those books. I hope there are more coming down the pike.
As for your comment on my non-fiction bent, I totally understand from whence you are coming, but I suffer from PRS- Precocious Reader Syndrome. I started reading at three, and we lived far away from any other American families in my early learning years, so I read just about anything we had in our house- mostly a dictionary, an atlas, a few history books and an encyclopedia. By first grade, I had begun on the encyclopedia set (The Book of Knowledge, which, as you know is about nine steps down from the Brittanica), and finished it by the end of second grade. My neural pathways were set toward knowledge collection, and so they remain to this day. I like the accumulation of facts and the feeling of being moderately knowledegable in a wide field of subjects.
Besides, it is kinda cool to know that whenever my wife or any of my kids has a question, they all ask Dad (there is hardly any better feeling than when a kid calls from college and has a question (the latest one one was during a late-night game session my #4 daughter was having, and she asked what "autochthonic" meant, and when I told her, I heard her tell her friends "I told you my dad would know"! That, my dear Lisa (please forgive my familiarity), made my day.
As for learning about life from fiction, well, I will just say that I have learned about life by living it, and feel no need not draw on any external sources for reference. Please understand, I am neither claiming any special status or to be an expert on pain nor have I been the recipient of any arcane or preternatural wisdom, nor am I attempting to "buff up my resume" or impress an audience (in this case, you) by making my life out to be anything particularly special. I just am capable of learning, remembering, interpreting and extrapolating my experiences as a man, a husband, a father and, most importantly, a human being. (Gosh, this sounds SO puffed up-I certainly did not mean it to be so at all. Let me just say that I do NOT feel especially intelligent or gifted- I am just VERY curious about many things, and that descriptor I will willingly claim.
Well, I am sure I ranted enough to make you sorry you contacted me on the tubes and pipes of the internets. If I overstepped any bounds of propriety or familiarity, please accept my apologies.
Jamie

posted by JNSelko at 1:30 pm (EST) on Oct 6, 2008

My apologies for the extremely tardy response. Life has a way of getting in the way, sometimes!
I was intrigued to read your pages and peruse your collection. Indeed, what was so intriguing was not the relatively large number of shared books but, given some of our overlapping interests, the ones you have that somehow I don’t know or don’t have. That’s one of the things I enjoy most about LT—the opportunity to learn about what else is out there. Not to mention the chance to meet some truly fascinating people. I must confess that your favorite job sounds intriguing to me. (Is it fair to presume that it is your current job?)

I gather that it means you must have at least a Slavic language or two under your belt. Since my family is primarily from what is now Belarus, I once thought it a good idea to learn Russian. But some things are best undertaken at an early(ier) age. At the end of the year I spent working on it, I had the vocabulary of a kindergartner—or worse. I guess the lack of common cognates is a killer. It meant spending a lot of time memorizing. And six cases just about destroyed my ability to speak. I guess that’s one of those things where it’s better to just immerse yourself in speaking, because if you spend too much time learning the technical aspects like grammar, your mind is too bogged down with detail. And, in fact, when I spent three weeks in Russia and Belarus, I managed to get by. I can read Cyrillic and speak a very basic collection of what I need to know. Plus, even if I wasn’t blessed with a great memory, I was lucky enough to have a knack for excellent pronunciation (even if I don’t know what I’m saying!).
And before I forget, you had some recommendations for me. I must confess that others (including my mother!) recommended “Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress.” I read it some time ago and, though I don’t recall too much about it, do recall not liking it. I can’t really put my finger on it any longer but recollect that it seemed a little…formulaic. But then you also recommended “Quo Vadis” which is something that has been on my list (with a couple other hundred things) for a while. I’ll let you know when I get to it.
I see that you just added “Doctor Zhivago.” (In fact, the little list of your recent additions is so eclectic and fascinating!) Have you had a chance to read it yet? Although it has been quite a while since I read that, I remember liking it quite a bit. I’ll be curious to know what you think.
Hope all is well in Seattle. Chicago is currently enjoying a week of summer weather. But I’ve always preferred fall, so I’m looking forward to next week’s predicted drop in temperatures.
All the best,
Dave

posted by Gypsy_Boy at 8:19 am (EST) on Sep 24, 2008

I'm chewing my way through The Whiskey Rebels, which I got an ARC for. I got mine late, coming from the US, so I'm behind all the other reviewers, and not making headway as fast as I'd like! But I am enjoying it -- whenever I get to it!

I'm also halfway through The River Midnight, which is lovely. Can't wait to get back to it to see where it "flows" next. And... as I don't have enough on the go, I'm reading Sex with Kings for my non-fiction selection.

I've yet to pick up any Fforde, but I have a copy of the Eyre Affair - seemed like a good place to start, and hopefully I can get to it soon!

Happy reading!

S.

PS Please say Woof to frisbee lab for me!

posted by starfishian at 11:35 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2008

I think you might have added it first! I've been watching what my "interesting libraries" are adding on the new LT home page, and finding some books with good potential there!

posted by starfishian at 8:45 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2008

Hi Lisa,
I attended UCLA and studied Slavic Languages & Literature. The CHI books are my husband's. I see you were/are a Slavic serial cataloger, were you also a Russian major?

Marcia

posted by MarciaMercurio at 12:04 am (EST) on Sep 9, 2008

Hi,
My apologies for not having responded sooner. Life has a way of getting in the way!
Thank you for including my library on your list of "Interesting Libraries." It's always a bit of unlooked-for recognition but enormously appreciated nonetheless. I love LT for precisely that reason: it exposes us all to so many other world views, both large and small. In my time here I have been lucky to have made some wonderful contacts and, through them, discovered new authors and books. In turn, I guess, I've learned a lot about many things, some old, some new, and much about myself as well.
I see that although we don't appear to share a lot of books (I suspect your entire library isn't here yet), we do share some books very dear to me.... And that we share an interest in Slavic culture as well and even a favorite author: Arnost Lustig.
In any event, many thanks for the notice; I'm grateful.

Dave

posted by Gypsy_Boy at 8:13 am (EST) on Jul 24, 2008

Floor to ceiling shelves! It won't happen in my current home, but maybe one day... a girl can only dream! Let me know how you make out with your living room reno...

Glad to know we share a love of books, plants (I think we're in the same gardening zone), and apparently, doggies too.

I can't believe we've both read Tisha. I didn't think anyone else had read that book... but now that I look, 138 people have copies!

Thanks for writing!

Best,
starfishian

posted by starfishian at 3:04 pm (EST) on Jul 22, 2008