MemberDennis_David

Real Name

Dennis David

About My Library

Like most of you I have books stored all over my house if having all too many books stacked on the floor could be called “storing”. It’s a constant battle between books and bookshelves. When we moved into our new house one of the stipulations was that I would have a room that I could turn into my library/reading room where I could keep my favorites close at hand. I installed dark cherry wood floors and had a built-in bookcase created where the closet used to be. It’s not a large room and to my wife’s dismay it could never hold all of my books but it is the one room where I can get away from the hustle and bustle of family life and retreat to my books.

My main interests are Books on Books, Motorsports, History and Travel. As I enter more books you should be able to get a clearer idea of my collecting/reading habits. Suffice to say I historically read more non-fiction than fiction though this in no way written in stone.

My current median/mean book obscurity of 12/147 seems to reflect this heavy non-fiction bias as compared to most other Library Thing users. The computers books I own are for work but I can't think of anything more boring to read!

9/2/08 - I've been selected to review one book in each of the first two months that I requested them through the Early Reviewer program only now I have to re-adjust my reading schedule so that I can write my reviews in a timely manner! I'm closing in on 2,000 books entered into LT. As part of this exercise I've gotten rid of a number of duplicates or marginal copies. Now it doesn't look like I'll reach 3,000 books any time soon.

9/12/08 - One of the advantages of recording you books in a program like LibraryThing is that it forces you to go through piles and piles of books finding titles that you had forgotten about. For me I buy a lot of books when I travel anywhere besides the beach. The subject matter, the land and culture of my destination that provides a way for me more than any souvenir to remember where I’ve been. It may be a book on an Indonesian Wayang show or one on water puppets, a museum guide or a program. It could also be a book of stamps, coins or postcards that will never be used or sent.

9/22/08 - I've added a wish list that I will keep to 100 books or less that I am currently hunting for. Nothing rare but rather too fill holes that I have in my collection.

9/28/08 - I've just come back from the Friend's of the SF Library book sale with another 15 travel books to add to my collection as well as taking measurements for some new bookcases. My wife asked me if I didn't already have enough books ... what a foolish question!

1/9/2009 - I've continued to add to my travel section and it's beginning to look pretty comprehensive even though I have few books from current popular authors Bryson, Chatwin, et al it does represent my own ascetic tastes. I am currently reading a book by Vita Sackville-West called Passenger to Teheran, which really shows the difference between classic travel literature and the “sand in my bra brigade” of current writers.

3/1/2009 - I am currently working in San Diego and have just started to investigate the local used book shops, stay tuned ... San Diego has turned out to be fertile grounds for a book hound with several good bookstores forcing me to buy a couple of bookcases to hold my new acquisitions.

8/22/2011 - There are a number of good used bookstores in the San Diego area, my favorite being D. G. Wills on Girard in La Jolla. Like any self respecting bookstore the books are stored from floor to ceiling. What seems different is the selection is so much better than other bookstores and I don't know whether it's the caliber of his customers or the results of the owners own keen eye. I suspect it's the latter. I'm not talking leather bound bindings but rather the quality of subject matter that you will find here.

About Me

I'm married with one son who is starting college. I was born in Hilversum, The Netherlands but grew up in the United States. I work as a software consultant, specializing in Enterprise Content Management. Besides reading and collecting books I love to travel, enjoy motorsports and collect stamps though I have not purchased any stamps in a while.

Location

Union City, CA

Homepage

http://www.alongdesire.com

Memberships

LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Also On

("dennis_a_david")

Favorite Authors

Paul Bowles, Graham Greene, Joseph Roth

Member Connections

Friends

callmejacx, illustrationfan, jztemple

Interesting Library

moibibliomaniac, petefenelon