Nora (norabelle414)'s module alpha: In which a new year is started

Hello, welcome, Happy (almost) New Year, etc. etc.

You may now commence posting on this thread.

My goals for 2012 are thus:

• Help plan (and attend) the big giant Washington DC spring LT meet-up
  
• Read 75 books
  
• Read War and Peace
  
• Continue to keep up with the threads of people who post on my threads
  
• Learn and use more HTML in my thread
  
• Catch up on my LTER reading / reviewing
  
• Read more books than I acquire (acquire fewer books than I read?)
  
• Possibly some other goal(s) related to not accumulating books and/or getting rid of books and/or reading books I have owned for a long time and/or using the library and/or reading more books than I listen to.

Previous Threads:
2011, part 5
2011, part 4
2011, part 3
2011, part 2
2011, part 1
2010
2009

2011 End-of-the-Year Summary

Books read: 77 (hooray!)
Books purchased (paper+audio): 73 (neutral)
Books acquired (purchased+free, not audio): 85 (v. bad)
Books borrowed (friends+library): 19 (decent)
Books read that were on the shelf for a year or more: 9 (bad)
Books deaccessioned: 18ish (good)

-------------------------------------------------​

(most of this bit is stolen from Stephen)

Books read: 77 (paper+audio)

Paper books: 61
Audiobooks: 16

Pages read: 22,874 (no audio)

Average paper book length: 375 pages
Median paper book length: 352

Average pages read per day: 63
Average pages read per week: 441
Average pages read per month: 1,906

New reads: 69
Rereads: 8

Fiction/Nonfiction

Fiction books read: 65
Nonfiction books read: 12

Best new books:

Brokeback Mountain
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe
A Game of Thrones
Soulless
The Postman

Worst books:

Running with Scissors
Snotty Saves the Day
Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way they Learn
Quicksilver
Eating Animals

-------------------------------

Last years goals were:

1) read more books than I acquired (FAILED)
2) try to keep up with the threads of everyone who posts on my thread (passed, I think)

Books read in 2012:

January:
1) The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
2) The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
3) Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
4) From Then to Now: A Short History of the World by Christopher Moore (LTER)
5) Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
6) City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
7) Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury (A) (library)


February:


March:

Currently reading:
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Coming Soon:
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
From Then to Now: A Short History of the World by Christopher Moore (LTER)
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
???

DAYS REMAINING: 367
BOOKS REMAINING: 75
DAYS PER BOOK: 4.89

Got you starred :)

Stars for you, Nora!

*STARRED*

Counting the minutes until I can leave . . . 5, 4, 3 . . .

Starred, as well!

Hi Kriti! Welcome!

(And welcome all my regulars, too)

I'm here to bother you for a whole 'nother year! Woohoo! :)

*starred!*

Starred. Looks like we like a lot of the same kinds of books :)

*****! Looking forward to another great year!

*, we have a lot of books in common!

A star for you and eager to hear more about the Spring meet-up. I've decided I'm going hell or high water.

Welcome back!

Glad to see you back again, Nora!

True to form, I am currently reading War and Peace which is 1450 pages, and The Mysterious Benedict Society which is 485 pages. *Sigh* I just like fat books so much!

Haha, I'm reading a 380 pager and it's feeling like quite the chunkster...

That is pretty fat for you. Can you lift it all by yourself?

Well, it's hardcover so it's kind of hard to...hey wait a minute! I read chunky books on occasion, but I find nonfiction books that exceed 250 pages to be...tedious. Last year (this year) I read Perdido Street Station which was pushing 700 pages, and the year before that I read The Passage which was around 1,000 pages. But I also love those little 100-pager fiction books... :)

All of Mary Roach's books are more than 250 pages long. Are you calling your girlfriend tedious?

Add me to the chunky book society. My copy of the complete works of Shakespeare comes in at 1229 pages. Two columns of text on each page too. :)

At least 3 of my current reads are upwards of 500 pages; are you calling me chunky?!
*walks out of thread in a huff*
*or maybe it's a snit...*

Happy New Year, Nora!

>25 scaifea: Not at all, you're just a chubby chaser ;-)

>26 alcottacre: Thanks Stasia! You too!

Happy New Year Nora. As it is now 2012 I think it's time to start dropping off some



Here's to another good year of reading:)

23: It's the fact that she can write nonfiction and make it so light and easy to read is WHY I love her. :)

1: Help plan (and attend) the big giant Washington DC spring LT meet-up
I'm in!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Nora! I'm going to try to peek in at your thread this year, even as flaky as I am. Looking forward to great recommendations. :)

Happy New Year, Nora!

Thanks ladies! Happy New Year to you, too.

I must say, I'm ready for the year to progress so that people will start forgetting to post on their threads ;-) Keeping up with this group the past couple days is exhausting!

I hear you on that. The posts just keep multiplying and I'm afraid to check LT less than twice a day or I'll never catch up with my starred threads.

I just went to the bathroom and changed into my PJs and when I came back there were 10 threads to check. *sigh*

ETA: and and after I finished reading those, there were three more!

#36: LOL!

#27: Bwahahaha! I wonder what Tomm will have to say about that...

34: I'm skimming. And not posting. For the most part.

I haven't even managed to go through and star threads yet, much less keep up with what's actually being said in them....

I'm spending most of my LT time red X-ing people I don't know. I figure that will save me more time later, and make my talk page look less daunting

I got off last night with my brain exploding from all the threads. I'm scared to start skimming... :)

I just change my talk page to "your posts." That elminiates all the threads you don't post on.

41: I recognize lots of names from last year, which makes it easier (last year I spent two weeks getting the threads under control), but when I don't, I go to the profile and look at the overlap of books. I unjoined 2011, de-starred and de-exed everyone so the only threads that come through are the ones I'd posted to, and haven't yet joined 2012, so I get only the stars, and go to the group page every so often to triage the recent entrants. I feel less daunted than last year, but it's still rather consuming of time.

Stephen: I follow a lot of threads I don't post on, and I hate posting on threads without anything to say.

Katherine: that sounds way more complicated than what I do! I go by only name recognition and people posting links in their old threads. I'm not as interested in book recommendations as I am in just being social, so it doesn't really matter to me if people I follow have similar taste in books. I do agree that the group page is the best page for red X-ing threads.

I hear ya! If things hold true, it'll settle down soon. Kinda like going to the gym in January...everyone quits their resolution to get in shape somewhere around MLK's birthday. :)

45: I'm overwhelmed with book recommendations, don't need more, but if there's little overlap in books and no other connection, then I won't have anything to say. I follow a few threads as lurker, for excellent reviews of books I'll never read, but I socialize more if I can focus. Not set in stone but gotta start somewhere.

You guys. I got rid of SIX books today. And I've bought NONE so far this year. I feel so accomplished :-)

Starting in negative numbers is so impressive, Nora. Good job!

I had a shitty, shitty day. The supervisor was back from her two-week paid vacation and decided that I was her punching bag for the day. And I had to work late. And when I got home my mom had opened my bedroom door after I left so her dogs got into my room and my bathroom and went through the trash and there are tissues and papers and tampon applicators ALL OVER THE HOUSE but of course that is my fault. So it's gin & tonics and chocolate covered cherries for dinner tonight, and going to bed early after watching Netflix.

oh what a nasty day :-(
((cyber hugs))

*Squeezes Nora in suffocating hugs* Ugh. I sincerely hope you don't have another day like that anytime soon. Don't get too intoxicated on those chocolate covered cherries, okay?

It's all good now. I've had a few G&Ts and I'm watching Misfits on Hulu. I love this show.

Hope tomorrow is better, Nora. *virtual hugs*

I'm glad you're feeling better now. In other cheery news, did you see the list ideas thread?

It's sensible to have chocolate covered cherries on hand for such times. I hope today is better.

Got ya starred.

Thanks everyone! Today is turning out to be worse than yesterday, actually. I can't find my headphones which means no music or audiobooks until I buy new ones. And Metro was messed up today so I got in 30 minutes late. And I'm still awaiting the aftermath of yesterday's discussion with the supervisor.

>56 _Zoe_: Yup :-)

>57 qebo: The only thoughtful present my brother has ever gotten me.

I hope today is a better one for you, Nora!

Crossing my fingers for a better day for you.

Here's hoping for a better day, Nora! And if that's not possible, here's hoping you have some candy and gin left over :)

No candy, yes gin! No tonic, but I have to stop at CVS on the way home anyway to get new m(*@#$&%king headphones.

Also, the very best thing about bamboo knitting needles is that no one can hear you when you are knitting under your desk ;-)

>63 norabelle414: Sneaky, sneaky. Can they hear you if you accidentally impale someone on said knitting needles? ;)

Sadly, probably. Also it wouldn't do me much good since her heart is made of concrete.

As Charlie is wont to say when someone isn't feeling well, "Oh, honey." If I were you, I'd get myself a treat while in CVS tonight - does yours sell good chocolates to replace those consumed yesterday?

Hmmm, I haven't been in CVS forever. I'm still angry because they replaced the Super Duper grocery store building...about 15 years ago. Granted I was too young to shop there and I only went in there once ever, but who tears down a grocery store called Super Duper? C'mon... :(

I'm glad the supervisor isn't giving you hell today. Hope it stays that way!

Well, she might have found something else to give me hell about. We'll see.

I shop at CVS so much less now that they've replaced most of their check-outs with self check-outs, which fail whenever you buy too much stuff to fit on the little weighing square (e.g., a few boxes of cereal) and require waiting for an employee anyway.

Ah, the CVS by my house has no self-checkout, and the one by my work is 50/50 (2 cashiers and 2 self-checkouts)

Hmm, I have never seen a CVS with self-checkout. It would have been awesome to have when I was an easily embarrassed 13 year old buying "girl" things while blushing madly :)

I live in Canada. We don't have this... CVS. :P

I hate those self checkout things - all they do is remind me that a human is without a job - so if my CVS ever goes to that, I will not be shopping there again.

Chiming in as also not really a fan of the CVS. I'm actually a fan of self-checkout, though, although I'd not thought about the human-without-a-job thing. I like that I have complete control over how my items are bagged, which is a frequent sore point with me, especially in the grocery store. Smooshed bread is one of the worst curses one can wish upon another.

Most places in DC now mostly have you bag your own groceries, because there is a 5 cent tax per plastic bag used and so most people bring their own reuseable bags.

Excellent idea! I bring my own reusable bags, but mostly because they're sturdier and easier to pack.

Book #1: The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - a solid, fun read. It's a chunkster, but has good plot pacing and is totally worth the read.
Many children answer the ad found in the newspaper: "Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?", but only 4 orphans make it through several rounds of testing. They are Reynard Muldoon (the hero), George "Sticky" Washington (the smart one), Kate Weatherall (the prepared and resourceful one), and Constance Contraire (the stubborn one). They are selected by the mysterious Mr. Benedict to go on a secret mission to save the world.
I thought this book was going to be like Harry Potter, but it's really much more like a Roald Dahl book. Grown-ups, with the exception of Mr. Benedict, are either stupid or evil and also stupid. Many of the names mean things, like "Nomansan Island" and the evil "Ledroptha Curtain". There are puns and hidden foreshadowing everywhere, for the kids who pay attention.

SPOILERS!
My only real issue with the book is that at the end, all of the orphans get families. That seems like an inferior ending versus having them realize that they don't need "real" families to be happy, secure, beloved kids.

I enjoyed it a lot as a standalone novel, but I don't think I will be reading the sequels.

I read all 3 books (to date) in the series and by the time I got to the third, I found the repetition to be grinding. I think for kids of the proper age though, these books would be gobbled up in a heartbeat.

74-76: Something seriously needs to be done about this. Not to sound like some kind of crazy person but seriously, when does it end? Owners of corporations replace factory workers with robots and store workers with computers, who is working? Instead of paying workers they make a 1-time investment and they eliminate humans from the whole process, they rake in all the money and get to keep it all for themselves not having to pay anyone. How can an economy sustain itself like that?

I haven't read up enough on this subject to discuss it with any amount of intelligence, but honestly, it just can't work. If these people aren't going to pay human workers then they need to pay some kind of tax or fee or SOMETHING so the money moves into the hands of the people that are being replaced.

I think progress is great and I'm sure self-checkout are fantastically convenient, I certainly approve of all this, but if businesses don't have to pay an employee and if people aren't getting hired, well, that seems like a disastrous imbalance.



YAY for finishing book one! *Throws confetti*

Currently reading:
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
From Then to Now: A Short History of the World by Christopher Moore (LTER)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Coming Soon:
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)

BOOKS READ: 1
BOOKS BOUGHT: 0
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 0
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 6

DAYS REMAINING: 360
BOOKS REMAINING: 74
DAYS PER BOOK: 4.86

You have a lot going on right now, Nora! Some very good stuff in there too. I hope you are enjoying them all.

Stories from Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury:

A Piece of Wood - A soldier tells his superior officer that he has created a machine which will rust all metal (i.e. guns) within a set radius. Good thing the soldier is merely a harmless psych ward resident who has been wandering around. Right?
The Messiah - A particularly devout priest on Mars sees Jesus in his church. Or maybe it's a Martian who looks like Jesus.
G.B.S - Mark V - G.B.S. being George Bernard Shaw, who at this point is a robot living on a space ship. He is basically in a prison cell and is extremely unpopular with everyone except one crew member, who shirks his duties (and social life) to hang out with G.B.S. Then there is a meteor that kills everyone except robot G.B.S. and his friend, and they have a grand old time.

78: Though I don't think the series is up my alley, I just wanted to add that I love the cover art of those books.

81: I loved The Reader, though it is a very unconventional story. If you end up liking it, the movie is rather well done in my humble opinion.

#83: I will have to check and see if my local library has Long After Midnight. I have not read that one by Bradbury yet. Thanks for the mention, Nora.

>84 RosyLibrarian: It is beautiful art. All of the illustrations are done by Carson Ellis. There are also really cute pictures at the beginning of every chapter.

I'll be interested to see what you think of The Reader, Nora. I read it severla years ago and liked it and am contemplating a re-read this year...

Book #2: The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - I'm reluctant to review this one. It wasn't especially enjoyable to read, but I'm sure it's one of those books that will stick with me for years to come. The ideas and questions that it raises about self-worth and shame and freedom and dignity are certainly ones I won't forget. I especially appreciated it for it's conciseness, and I'm pleased to say I didn't see the plot twist coming.


Currently reading:
From Then to Now: A Short History of the World by Christopher Moore (LTER)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Coming Soon:
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin

BOOKS READ: 2
BOOKS BOUGHT: 0
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 0
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 6

DAYS REMAINING: 358
BOOKS REMAINING: 73
DAYS PER BOOK: 4.90

I felt the same way about The Reader as you did, Nora. I read it back in 2008 and the novel still sticks with me even though it was certainly not the best written book I have ever read.

It just snowed!!!!!!

(for about 3 minutes. A total of 50 flakes)

I've noticed a large number of newbies in this group posting threads late yesterday and all of today. I also noticed that a link to this group was posted on Facebook yesterday. I wonder if there is a correlation.

I've noticed tons of new people this year in general. Oh, and yay snow! We've had 1 snowfall this whole year. It's beautiful and warm out right now here, I have the front door open and Shyanne is lounging in the sun. :)

Maybe you will get our snow soon, Stephen. It started snowing again about an hour after I posted and it hasn't stopped yet. It's even sticking to the streets and sidewalks.

You can keep it, thanks! I enjoyed the snow last year but now I have to drive in it. My mom's boyfriend found himself on some black ice at 35mph and hit a guard rail the ONE DAY we had snow. It's better than trying to drive in a big city though, I guess...

in a big city, you get to ride public transit, which means you don't have to drive in the snow! also, you can read while commuting!

But my car has a radio, a cd player, and it smells nicer.

you can get a discman or ipod, and metro trains almost never smell bad

But batteries go dead, and the fact that you have become immune to the smell is terrifying. Then again, I guess ultimately that's a good thing, isn't it? Like having Ebola antibodies.

hi there! i'm doing the 75 challenge for the first time this year (i've done others in past years), and i thought i'd drop in and say i was following your thread. i think we might have similar reading tastes, so it should be fun.

i too thought The Mysterious Benedict Society was a charming and surprising book for youngsters. like someone else noted, the sequels don't quite meet that level, but they weren't terrible... just not really enough to carry the expectations of adult readers.

i second the recommendation to watch The Reader if you found the book interesting. certainly not feel good material, but it's well done and Ray Fiennes is superb (as always) and Kate Winslet is great (if you don't mind nudity).

i didn't see the announcement on FB, but this group basically wipes everything else out of Hot Topics at the beginning of the year, so i came over and decided to join. maybe that's bringing others in as well?

happy reading!

>99 leahbird: Welcome, Leah! I'm glad you've discovered the 75ers group, we're pretty much the best group on LT. I love your profile picture so much.

I'm with Nora. Public transit is where it's at. Otherwise, I would get far less reading done.

Public transport is all very well, except for when you live in the sticks! I'd never go anywhere.

Actually, that sounds quite nice sometimes.

Plus, The No Pants Subway Ride would be way less fun in a car.

#100 by @norabelle414> thanks! i love my profile pic too, it's just so perfect. i'd actually love to have a big print of it to hang in the house.

Stories from Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury:

The Utterly Perfect Murder - A 50-year-old man decides to travel across the country back to his home town and kill the man who was his frenemy when they were 8.
Punishment Without Crime - An old man learns that his young wife is cheating on him. He decides that instead of getting mad at her he will go to a company where he can pay to murder a robot that is designed to look and act exactly like his wife, and thus avoid actually hurting anyone or doing something illegal and getting in trouble
Getting though Sunday, Somehow - On a boring Sunday, a man is moping in a park in Dublin. He hears a woman playing the harp and it makes him un-mopey. He goes up to her and tells her how awesome her playing is for like 20 minutes, but somehow that makes her play badly. Then he leaves her alone.
Drink Entire: Against the Madness of Crowds - I did not understand this one at all. A man sees an interesting sign on the street and so he walks over to it and then he meets a witch who says she wants to give him everything he desires in exchange for his soul. Then she says just kidding, a person can't give away their soul, they can only lose it. Also she wants to marry him. Then the man goes to work and he thinks he's going to get laid off but he wishes his coworker would get laid off instead. Neither of them gets laid off. Then the man goes back to the witch and he will marry her, but she says she won't marry him because he doesn't have a soul anymore. Then many years later the man runs into his coworker, who now owns the company they worked for.

Half-way done!

drool is right!
Ohhh ohhh April the new Dark Tower comes out! yay!

Ugh I really want to be all cheery and happy today, but I am getting passive aggression from ALL SIDES! Like sides I didn't even know existed! I got a passive aggressive check in the mail today! Wtf?!

Here, maybe this will help. :D

Ahh. Ten pages of cats later, I do feel better ;-)

Obviously you are not trying hard enough to be cheery and happy. I recommend ice cream.

I was just about to post about how I'm eating cookies and candy cane ice cream. You read my mind.

I'm familiar with non-cheery and non-happy days. :)

>106 norabelle414:: Omigod, heart palpitations for a new Temeraire book! And so many other good things! Thanks for posting that link!

Also, ice cream fixes everything. True story.

I'm a little bit curious about the passive aggressive check.

Well, my aunt (who is 70 and a retired teacher and a breast cancer survivor and lives alone and doesn't have any money) somehow decided that a) I don't treat my mom as well as I should and b) that I need to do something worthwhile with my life. So she's been sending me passive-aggressive e-mails for weeks, which I have been ignoring. And now she's sent me a really big check with a note saying that it's for "career aptitude tests", whatever the heck that is. I've told her a million times that I like my job and I make a lot of money and I'm getting promoted and there's tons of mobility and it's pretty much the best thing in my life right now. And there is no way in hell that I'm taking her money. So what do I do with this check? Just not cash it?

I would tear it up and mail it back. But that might be a bit too pointed a response. I totally understand the family pressure about "doing something worthwhile." God, it's annoying. But those people are never going to be happy. When I was an Anthropologist, my grandparents kept trying to get me to go to law school and get married. Now that I'm farming, they talk like my being an Anthropologist was the best thing they ever heard of. You just can't please people like that.

Cash it and buy video games. Then send her the receipts. :P

118: You just can't please people like that.
Indeed. Been there. It's their own internal emotion, which doesn't go away.

There's also a generational thing. My parents (born 1930ish) expect a system in which you latch onto a company or institution immediately out of college, and remain there for life. They are mystified by the zigzaggy approach, a foot in the door here, a switch to another company there, which seems unstable and irresponsible and makes them anxious.

117: Return the check with a note, thanks but no thanks?

Well I asked her not to send it to me in the first place, so I don't think a "thanks but no thanks" would work. What I REALLY don't want is for her to get my mom involved.

I think I'm actually more worried about her mental or emotional state, maybe? I really don't know what's going on. She's totally fine with one of my cousins who is 30 and lost his license to practice law and plays video games in his basement 24/7. She's totally fine with my brother who is 20 and hasn't worked a day in his life. She's totally fine with my cousin who abruptly moved to Mexico and works for a nonprofit. I've worked at this job off and on for more than 4 years, and it's the epitome of a "good job". She's acting more like she thinks I don't like my field than that she doesn't like it. I don't understand why she's starting this now.

121: I wouldn't expect it to stop her in her tracks. Returning politely seemed a middle ground between not cashing (which could mess up her budget) and returning in pieces (which would be tempting but is prone to escalation of emotion).

Are all the people she is fine with male?

>110 norabelle414: lolcats are one of the best of the internet's inventions.

#123

I read that as "lolcats are one of the best of the internet's interventions and wondered how, exactly, they were supposed to intervene in this situation.

>122 qebo: Yeah, I know that's what I will end up doing. I just don't know how to get her to stop. She knows I have plenty of money, why would she send me a check?

There are 5 male cousins and only one female cousin besides me. She thinks all of them are awesome. Sometimes I feel like, in my family, if you COMPLETELY MESS UP YOUR ENTIRE LIFE then everyone is sympathetic and supportive and helpful. But if you're just doing okay, they constantly tear you down and compare you to everyone else.

>123 MickyFine: So true. Also this and this.

>124 lunacat: LOLcats intervene between both a) my heart and total despair and b) me and productivity.

On a similar note, do any of my Canadian friends watch Being Erica? They don't start showing it in the US until the whole season has aired in Canada and I need it real bad. I'm going through withdrawal.

Sorry that you aunt is pestering you. I would probably send it back with a polite note thanking her but stating that it is not necessary.

I had an uncle who was always at me about going to college instead of university, thought I could do better. Didn't matter to him that I was doing something I enjoyed and making great money, he was disappointed that I couldn't say I had a university diploma instead of a college certificate. Meh, he got over in time.

Being Erica is great! I discovered it on Netflix last year and watched the first two seasons. I wonder if the third season is out? I have a little crush on Kai (Sebastian Pigott), he's purdy

>125 norabelle414: I knew about HGRB, but not about HGWC. So thanks for that. :D

As for Being Erica, sadly I don't watch it. My CBC watching is mostly limited to the Rick Mercer Report and Little Mosque on the Prairie. Sorry, Nora.

I checked Being Erica's website and it turns out that the season 4 (possibly series?? Idk) finale is this week. Which means it should start playing in the US very soon! I tried to get the info I needed from the site and then leave so I wouldn't spoil myself, but I failed :-(

Oh, I know that feeling. So far on LT I've managed to avoid any spoilers about the new series of Sherlock here on LT and I've been scrolling past any mention of it to keep it that way.

Book #3: Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - I don't know if it's my personal inclination towards historical fiction, but I liked this book much better than City of Bones. It was actually exciting and unpredictable. I liked the steampunk and general Victorian Era vibe. I think if you go into this expecting it to be a prequel to City of Bones (which it indeed says it is on the cover), you will be disappointed. It's just a solid start to a new series that takes place in the same world, with an overlapping character or two. I'll be borrowing the next book after I borrow City of Fallen Angels

Book #4: From Then to Now: A Short History of the World by Christopher Moore - this is a case of mistaken identity (aka, Nora wasn't paying attention). I thought I was signing up for an LTER book by Christopher Moore, the writer of Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal and You Suck: A Love Story. However, this one is written by Christopher Moore, the Canadian historian. But I read it (eventually).
This is a solid book. The historical facts are accurate and well-written. The artwork is very nice. There wasn't a whole lot going on here that I didn't already know, but I did really enjoy the little tidbits of interesting information provided in colored boxes every few pages. At 184 pages, it was not an overwhelming read; however, at 184 pages, it was not terribly enlightening. And at 25cm tall and 21cm long, it's definitely a coffee-table book and not anything I think I would have found occasion to read otherwise.

Currently reading:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (reread)
The Trial by Franz Kafka
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Coming Soon:
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (borrowed)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin

BOOKS READ: 4
BOOKS BOUGHT: 0
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 0
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 7

DAYS REMAINING: 351
BOOKS REMAINING: 71
DAYS PER BOOK: 4.94

I had to double check that ER as well. I would have been eagerly on a list for a book by The Author Guy!

Glad you liked Clockwork Angel, Nora. I have the second book sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read but I want to re-read the first one to make sure everything's nice and fresh. But I have couple other books I want to get to first before then. (problems of a reader ;)

I saw Clockwork Prince at my local library but quickly realized it was book two in a series. I haven't gotten around to picking up Clockwork Angel but happy to see you enjoyed it and glad you reminded me about the series!

Stories from Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury:

Interval in Sunlight - This was really hard to listen to (I had to stop several times because I was too upset), and it did not have the ending that I needed to feel okay about it. A woman and her horrible awful abusive asshole husband are on vacation in Mexico. And he is terrible. He controls her with money (she has to pay him every time she "ruins" something, such as getting him a soda that is not cold enough) and by tearing down her self esteem at every moment. She tries to get free in several different ways, but she can't.
A Story of Love - A 13-year-old boy is in love with his teacher
The Wish - A man wishes on the first snow of the year that his father would come back to life. His wish comes true, but it isn't quite what he wanted. But then it is.
Forever and the Earth - 200 years in the future, a book publisher decides that the only author who could do justice to the majesty of the Space Age is Tom Wolfe. So he sends someone back in time to get Wolfe an hour before he dies, cure him, and bring him to the 23rd century. It is done, and the publisher sends Wolfe to Mars where he writes and writes and writes. And then they send him back to the 1900s to die so that they don't cause a paradox.

7 stories remaining

so that they don't cause a paradox. "You mean one of those things that could destroy the universe?!" lol. This just strikes me as very bizarre logic. By bringing him to the future, isn't that already a paradox? Or are my metaphysics skills getting rusty?

Well, they brought him into the future, but then they returned him to the past exactly at the same time and place that they had pulled him from. And it was only an hour before he was going to die. So provided he didn't say anything during that hour about the future, and he still died at the same time that he would have died, then nothing about the past changed due to the fact that he had been to the future.

Sounds risky.

I agree. Doc Brown would totally disapprove. ;)

I only allow a 15 minute maximum window when I steal people from the past to do my bidding. That's just me though.

Really? Fifteen minutes? That still seems like too much.

Well, you do need a little bit of buffer room. You do NOT want to return them to a point after they have died. Gawd that is such a time-consuming mess to clean up.

Book #5: Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach - A solidly entertaining and informative read, as expected. The really interesting part was seeing how the things she learned from this book (her first) influenced her choice of topics for her subsequent books, and also how her humor and writing style have been refined through the years. She's one of those authors who provides such insight to the world through her books that you think about the things she taught you every once in awhile for years.

Book #6: City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - The usual. Good, not great. I am getting rather annoyed that, although Clary has been training to be a Shadowhunter, she still has to play the damsel in distress ALL THE TIME.

Currently reading:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (reread)
The Trial by Franz Kafka
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Coming Soon:
The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital by Samuel Shem (borrowed)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin

BOOKS READ: 6
BOOKS BOUGHT: 0
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 0
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 7

DAYS REMAINING: 344
BOOKS REMAINING: 69
DAYS PER BOOK: 4.99

Oh, I have so much affection for Anne of Green Gables. When I was kid and had to stay home sick from school, my mom would always put the movie (with Megan Follows) on for me. I still swoon over Gilbert. :)

#143: I loved Stiff, the first Mary Roach book I read. I am glad to see you liked it, Nora.

*Pictures Nora with a Mary Roach book in her hand and gets woozy at the thought.*

I've been having some major issues with OverDrive lately, which is why I'm "currently listening to" so many audiobooks.

The program on my phone downloaded the WMA format of Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict instead of the mp3 format (which it's not even supposed to be able to do since the mp3 format won't work on my phone) and the customer support people would not (or did not have the authority to?) remove it from my account so that I could download the correct one. Which meant I had to wait until my 2-week checkout period was over before I could download the correct copy. But now it's sorted so I can pick up listening to that one again.

My checkout period for Anne of Green Gables expired today and I'm number 3 on the hold list for 1 copy, so who knows when I'll be able to listen to that again.

I'm almost done with Long After Midnight, but I only have 2 days left in my checkout period and I don't know if I'll finish it before then. So we'll see.

I also have another issue, which is that one of my coworkers lent me a book that looks really good (The House of God by Samuel Shem), but she smokes and the book smells very strongly of stale smoke and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to read the whole thing if it smells so bad. I'm not sure if (or how) I should her that.

*sigh* Reading is so hard....

#148 Ooh, I feel for you about the smoke thing. I've had to not finish books that I've checked out of the library due to them being too smokey or occasionally too perfumed (I'm allergic to fragrances) for me to stand.

I feel for about the Overdrive thingy too, but I've never actually used Overdrive, so it's a more detached sort of sympathy.

>149 LShelby: Thanks for the sympathy. I've had soooo many problems with OverDrive. But there isn't really an alternative for borrowing audiobooks, so I'm stuck with it.

I've also had issues with library books making my eyes bleed, or at least burn a lot. Speaking of which, would it be possible to find a library copy of the book, read that, and the return her book to her?

This is why I can't do electronic library borrowing: I like to be able to keep the book for one more day when necessary, even if it does cost 25 cents.

>151 Ape: Maybe, but *insert griping about going to the library here*

>152 _Zoe_: It suuucks because you can't renew the audiobooks, and you can't put them on hold while you have them checked out. So when your lending period is over but you haven't finished the audiobook, your only option is to add yourself to the end of the hold list. So that encourages people to check out books for the 14-day period instead of the 7-day period. Which means people have books in their bookshelf that they are done with, but they can't return them.

I really wish there was some competition in audiobook lending. If Audible came out with a lending service I would be all over that. I love their Android app SO MUCH.

Griping about going to the library? But why?? :(

Because obviously Nora hates librarians. *mock pouts and goes and hides in the corner*

*Spontaneously combusts* :(

I'm not a big fan of the particular librarians at my library, but that says a lot more about my neighborhood than librarians in general. I don't like using the library because, though I love love love the library in theory, I'm a perfectionist and so I get kind of anxious when there are too many equivalent options. Plus, the library is a half-mile walk in the opposite direction from my twice-daily mile walk. And I don't like its hours. And I don't like having a time limit on my reading.

So that encourages people to check out books for the 14-day period instead of the 7-day period. Which means people have books in their bookshelf that they are done with, but they can't return them.

I've never used Overdrive to get audiobooks (since I don't like audiobooks) but local library uses Overdrive for it's ebook lending and I use that. Perhaps the systems run differently, but I can return an ebook as soon as I'm done with it. Those come through Amazon for my Kindle and I just go to my Amazon account and return the book. I check ebooks out for 21 days in case I can't get to it right away, but I've actually never kept one longer than a week. Seems strange that you wouldn't be able to send the audiobook back as soon as you were done...

The systems for ebooks and audiobooks are indeed different. I don't understand why I can't return them, either.

You really do need to pay someone (me) to go to the library for you. :D

>159 norabelle414: Sadly, Overdrive only allows ebooks to be returned early and not eaudiobooks. But that's Overdrive and not the library's fault. However, if I hear anything through the grapevine about that changing, I'll let you know, Nora. Because I'm a good librarian. *secretly hopes Nora won't make her stay in the corner*

>160 Ape: Move here, and the job is yours.

>161 MickyFine: Unless you're a gossipy soccermom who lives in my neighborhood you definitely don't have to stay in the corner.

What? I need someone to come pick me up. And as part of the job I demand room and board, extra money to buy gummy worms, chocolate milk, and Mountain Dew with, and when we get the new bed for your room I want the bottom bunk.

you get here yourself; I will buy you gummy worms and regular milk, you have to get a real job to buy the rest; you'll stay in my brother's room.

...but...your brother's room smells funny... :(

That's what Lysol is for.

Stories from Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury:

The Better Part of Wisdom - A dying uncle visits his grown nephew. He's oblivious/in denial about his nephew's homosexuality, but comes to terms with it after recalling how he felt when he was young and in love.
Darling Adolf - A really weird story about two Jewish men in the 70s who are directing/producing a movie about Hitler. After some choice comments by the lead actor about hosting and filming a real Nazi rally at Nuremberg to get Nazi supporters to be free extras, the producer & director are convinced that the actor wants to use his role in the movie to actually take over the world.
The Miracles of Jamie - Jamie really wants to do well on his test, and then he does. Jamie really wants a girl to like him, and then she does. Clearly, Jamie must be able to perform miracles. But then one day Jamie really wants something that he doesn't have control over.
The October Game - A creepy horror story about a really, really bad father who hates his wife and is throwing a Halloween party for his young daughter.

3 stories remaining

I saw this and thought of you. I have no idea what their selection is like or if the price is right, but it sounds promising.

>167 RosyLibrarian: Wow, thanks. I will definitely take advantage of their free trial offer. My concern, however, is that since the audiobooks are streamed and not downloaded, I will not be able to listen to them in places where I don't get good wireless signal and/or Wi-fi. (Such as on the Metro, in large buildings, and on an airplane). Also, since I only listen to about an hour of audiobook a day, it's less economical in my case than Audible. It does look like they have a really good selection though.

I have Big News! That I will tell you after work . . .

>162 norabelle414: Yay! *skips out of the corner*

>166 norabelle414: Darling Adolf sounds like it could be really interesting. I think that's one of the stories I would have loved to discuss in an English class back in undergrad.

>169 norabelle414: *Sits on edge of seat in anticipation*

*Spontaneous recombusts* Are you off work yet???

Is it time yet?

Oh, man - The October Game. It must be twenty years since I read that and I still remember it - and its last line. :)

>173 lyzard: It is a good one :-)

Wow, that is big news. I hope you have the happiest of outcomes, though I'm not sure what that would be. Having a heavier workload for less money does not sound worth it to me. But having no job is stressful too. Yikes! At least one good thing for sure came out of it - no evil supervisor, yay!

No matter what happens, hooray for the departure of the evil supervisor! That in itself could potentially compensate for more work and less money, if it comes down to that.

Too many unknowns for comfort. OTOH, the one known is quite excellent.

Damn, I was hoping for POSITIVE news. *Sigh* Well, the "supervisor" leaving is nice, but...meh. I hope everything works out your way, of course...

Can I please strangle your brother? I said please so you have to say yes.

Hope she doesn't let the door hit her in the a** on the way out! On the other hand, hope you get the best possible resolution!

Nora, just delurking to say how much I am enjoying your thread and your regular updates on your Bradbury short stories!

Adding my Yay! to the list for the departure of the supervisor! It's always hard to decide what to hope for in these situations, job-wise; who knows what other fantastic opportunities may be waiting just round the bend, eh? I'll just be content to hope for what will make you the happiest to happen.

Thanks everyone!

>181 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! Here's the last set of stories:

Stories from Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury:

The Pumpernickel - A loaf of pumpernickel bread in a deli reminds a man of a summer he had with some friends when he was young. He wants to send the bread to them to remind them as well, but then he remembers that after that summer, they all forgot about him. So he eats the bread instead.
Long After Midnight - Some EMTs collect the body of a beautiful teenage girl who has hanged herself from a tree. They speculate on what she must have been like and what could have happened to cause her to do something so drastic. Then they take a closer look at her, and realize that all is not what it seems.
Have I Got a Chocolate Bar for You - A chocoholic goes to confession, which is very exciting for the priest who is tired of fornicators and masturbators. He eventually helps the young glutton, simply by talking with him every day for the whole summer. Then the man leaves to travel the world. Many years later he returns to thank the priest, and leaves him a gift brought from Vatican City.

"Book" #7: Long After Midnight: 22 Hauntings and Celebrations by Ray Bradbury - audiobook from the library - This was a spectacular assortment of short stories, ranging from science fiction to fantasy to horror to existentialism and everything in between. I think my favorites were The October Game, Long After Midnight, and Punishment without Crime. Highly, highly recommended if you like science fiction and short stories.

Currently reading:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (reread)
The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital by Samuel Shem (borrowed)
The Trial by Franz Kafka
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Coming Soon:
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin

BOOKS READ: 7
BOOKS BOUGHT: 0
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 0
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 7

DAYS REMAINING: 341
BOOKS REMAINING: 68
DAYS PER BOOK: 5.01

Well, the more senior administrator in my office got a call from the new company at 8am this morning, cancelling her interview and telling her that her job was going to be subcontracted to a staffing agency. She has the opportunity to apply for her job at the staffing agency, but it will pay less than half of her current salary, and there is no health insurance (her husband and her kids are currently on her insurance). So things are not looking good for me. My interview is at 1pm.

In other news, I ate a whole bag of Reese's Easter eggs this morning.

Yikes. At least the pain in the ass is leaving, that's one good thing.

I can't wait to hear what you think of The Magicians. It was one of the most frustrating books in recent years for me. I LOVED one part and really disliked another so I had the hardest time deciding if I liked the book or not.

Eeeee. Fingers crossed.

My interview was weird, and not at all helpful. They just asked me about myself, and what I do here, and then told me about themselves. And that was all.

Very weird interview. Well, I hope whatever happens it will lead to better and brighter things for you, Nora!

So weird.

After having heard NOTHING from him since last Tuesday, we have a conference call with our boss from the old company at 3. I'm interested to see what he has to say.

189: Hmmm. Fingers crossed for you.

Hoping for the best outcome for you, Nora...

Thanks everyone!

I did some biblioretailtherapy (it's a word, I swear!) on my way to having drinks with a coworker after work:

Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith ($1)
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt ($1) (I've already read it, but I bought it for a friend who is visiting Savannah soon)
Buffalo Gals and other Animal Presences by Ursula K. LeGuin (50 cents)

Bibliotherapy is definitely a word. I go to the library and check out more books than I can possibly read in a month when I need it.

>195 norabelle414:: I would like to know where you got these great deals - I'll be in DC at the end of February and have already built in a free afternoon so I can visit Second Story Books, which I miss desperately...

>197 katiekrug: I got them at Second Story Books ;-)

LOL!

There are tooooo many newbies in this group. I can't red-x them fast enough.

(/crotchety old lady rant)

They advertised the group on the LT home page, so that's probably why the group is so (much more) popular now. It's okay though, it's not like I'm an elitist or anything.

(Pssst, I can't set their houses on fire with the meager amount of gasoline you have supplied me with)

I don't really care about newbies (we were all one once!), except when they do things like:

1) post their thread with a title like "75 books!" or something equally non-descriptive
2) make a new thread every time they read a book
3) hijack some other thread with their reading updates, like has happened on the "bragging and backslapping" thread
4) make a new thread asking how to make a new thread

Though I guess I have to applaud the bravery it takes to dive right into something without knowing what you're doing. I lurked for several days before finally making my own thread in the 75ers group way back in 2009. I often forget that most people are not as careful as I am to make sure they're doing something correctly.

I was in the 50 book challenge group for years before finally making the switch in mid-2010. I'm glad you didn't burn my house down.

Pity Dr N, who has to welcome them all.

I just automatically x-out a thread if it doesn't have a name in the subject. Even if I wanted to follow them, I just wouldn't be able to keep track. I've been ignoring far more aggressively this year, so I haven't really noticed any problems. And I've always ignored the Bragging and Backslapping thread--I don't really need to see how far behind I am, since it's not supposed to be a competition.

Oh, and I've also taken to x-ing out threads if they have essentially no content besides a list of books. Makes my life much easier. I used to give people a second chance--maybe they'll start talking later--but no longer. I can always dig up the thread later if I start to see the person around elsewhere in the group.

I still don't use the X. I just post on threads I want to follow and then they show up on the Your Posts page. For me, everyone's thread that I haven't posted on is 'x-ed.' Sorrrrry everyone! :(

> 207: crying because Stephen never visits her thread....

208: Are you sure you want Stephen in your thread? He of course is innocent and pure, but his followers...

> 209: I know, I do read his threads ;-)
I was just in the mood for whining and sobbing!

I should add that in general I think it's all for the good if everyone on LT joins this group. It is the best place to be, after all.

Eh. It's weakening the gene pool. I really feel like I have a sub-group of about 50 people that I care about and keep up with, and everyone else can eat it. It's kind of the same as (one of) the reasons I left TIOLI. It was just too stressful to keep up with soooo many people.

I don't know; I think I could potentially come to care about the new people too.... I've starred at least a couple of new threads already.

Also, you've now made me want to count how many threads I've starred. This seems entirely unproductive, so I'll try to refrain.

212: Yeah, I can't keep up with more than a page of stars or I won't have time to read books, so... overlap of reading interests, people who've commented on my thread, people I've actually met. Triage has become ruthless. Fortunately, Darryl led a bunch of people over to the NF group this year, so I don't have to do so much sifting.

213: I think I could potentially come to care about the new people too
Me too, but at this point unless something really stands out, the thread gets an x. Can un-ex if comments of interest show up on the general threads.

Yeah, I can't keep up with more than a page of stars or I won't have time to read books, so...

Oh, you're going on the assumption that you actually keep up with all your starred threads. Yeah, that doesn't happen. (Sorry, Stephen, your thread moves too quickly.) I just jump in periodically and skim through the non-book discussion if I'm too busy.

217: Well, if we had better Talk organization, then I'd have tiers of keep-up-with and check-in-every-so-often...

I refuse to care about anyone new.

Just kidding. But really I think I'm only following one more person than I was following 4 months ago. I've even tried following a couple new (to me) people this year but gave up because I couldn't get interested in their threads.

Currently I follow:
- people who I have been following for a couple years
- people who post on my threads often (I've given up on my plan of following everyone who posts here.)
- people who I would feel totally out of the loop if I didn't follow them
- people who I've met in real life

>215 qebo: Fortunately, Darryl led a bunch of people over to the NF group this year
See, something like that would be great for me except that I don't prefer any genre of books over others. I *love* certain non-fiction books, but I dislike most of them. Same with YA. I tried kicking up some conversation in the "Fforde Ffans" group once, but I got shut down.

I guess as long as none of my people leave to a different group without telling me, I'll survive. *glares suspiciously at all of you*

As a newbie to this group, I can attest that it's quite hard to find your niche. I hate just barging around claiming a spot in discussions. I put feelers out for people who seemed to have similar reading tastes from the introductions thread, but I'm definitely following more people than are following me. Which I'm fine with since I'm just getting started and a flood of people to entertain would probably freak me out. ;) The popular threads just move so fast!

220: I spent much of last year feeling that I was expending lots of effort with little return. This year is much better. I know whose threads will be of interest, I know who reciprocates comments, some people recognized me and posted on my thread immediately, whereas last year I probably got the newbie x :-) I joined group reads, I posted on what-are-you-reading threads, I went to meetups...
So, give it time.

I'm going to go to one of those meet-ups one of these... *gulp* decades...

#221 by @qebo> Oh, I'm definitely not put-off by the slow welcome. This group is MASSIVE so I don't take it personally if someone doesn't come comment on my thread. The discussions are good wherever they happen. And I love hearing about books that are new to me. I'm just making my way slowly but surely.

Hi, Nora!

*posting just to keep my posting-in-Nora's-thread count up...*

I do what Stephen does - I keep up with the 'my posts' threads - first. Then, on the weekends, if I have time, I try to do some catching up on all those other threads. I keep my sanity by reading threads with 10+ posts first, then if I have even more time (rare), I go back and look at the others. I only use that red x very rarely, if I find that that person just doesn't jibe with me somehow (if they say something that makes me think, "huh, I think I *really* wouldn't get along with this person in real life"). My time is too precious to me to follow thread that stress me out or irritate me.

As a second year 75 er, with my name clearly shown on my thread, gingerly posting for the second time on your opinionated and interesting thread and in the hope of not being written off with the rest of the plebs!

Heh. It's funny that I'm so behind on a thread discussing how hard it is to keep up! :)

I'm still reading all the threads, but I have to confess I skim a fair amount and I lurk a lot. One of my goals for this year is to participate more.

This year, message count is up just a little from last year, but there are quite a bit more threads. My guess is it's like to going to a gymin January -lots of folks that join, and then taper off during the year.

I'm generally willing to talk to everyone, but I tend to follow the other person's lead. The more a person participates, the more I'm likely to interact.

Leah and Paul: You guys are totally not typical newbies. You contribute to the conversations and completely fit in with the flow around here. If you hadn't mentioned you were new, Leah, I never would have guessed. I'm sure there were a bunch of newbies that have been lurking on my thread but I've now scared them away. The only way newbies can get people to post on their thread is to post on other people's threads (like you guys do!).

Esteban: June 9th. In DC. Take the bus if you don't want to drive; if you get your tickets early it won't cost you more than $75 round trip (possibly as little as $4 round trip). That's like 2 video games. Maybe if you make puppy dog eyes at Jim he will let you stay at his house. If I have somewhere to live at that point you can definitely stay with me.

Amber (and Stephen): I have tons of threads that I follow that I don't post on, and don't want to, so I use the "Your Posts and Your Groups" filter. I've red-xed stuff so much that there's almost nothing on there that I don't follow. Which means I can sort by # of unread messages, which is helpful.

Jim: I was just going back over my thread and realized this is the third time I've mentioned how there are too many threads/posts this year. I really am a crotchety old lady!

*goes back to knitting*

Pick me! Pick me! Oh, pick me!

Hey Nora - interesting discussion on newbies. I've been mostly MIA from LT for the last month or so, so I haven't really noticed a large influx of fresh blood, but I'll keep my eyes peeled from now on. And, I'm such a dunderhead that I hadn't thought to X a thread before, but will certainly do so now - thanks for bringing it up, Zoe. I think it's great that there are new people out there joining this totally awesome group, and they're certainly much braver than I am to just jump in, but I pretty much try to keep up with my friends that I already know and love and that's enough to keep me busy. Maybe I'll venture out to check some newer threads, but as it is, keeping up here is practically a full time job.

Hope you're doing well, Nora - when do you hear about your job?

People will probably get a star if there is a combination of two or more of the following:

1. At least 20 percent of their library matches with mine.
2. They post on my thread.
3. Are active 75ers or Green Dragoneers
4. Do more than list books
5. Post with respect for capitalization, grammar and spelling.
6. Have a good sense of humor.

Otherwise, I'm red-x happy.

#227 by @norabelle414> If you hadn't mentioned you were new, Leah, I never would have guessed.

WAHOO!!! ::does a little happy dance::

Thanks! I guess my regular posting and opinionating in other LT groups has prepared me for this one. Well, that and the fact that I'm typically known to talk too much and jump into random conversations in real life. ;)

*Sigh* Does this mean I can't set her house on fire, Nora? :(

All of this discussion has inspired me to star some Xes and X some stars. So I'm following a few different people now. We'll see how long I last.

>229 LauraBrook: Hi Laura! I have not heard anything from either company regarding a job for me. I will know for sure if I am keeping my current job by Feb 15. The other people who have gotten offers from the new company have all made counter-offers because the offered salary was way low. I just have to wait and see if they offer me anything at all, and if it's acceptable.

Dear Stephen,

Please do not burn Leah's house down.

Love,
Nora

No fair, all this pent-up aggression has to go SOMEWHERE! You know I'm teeming with barely restrained masculine ferocity, and if I don't have an outlet someting terrible could happen. I mean, it's dangers, and I reallyOH MY GOD it smells like STRAWBERRIES in here. *Squees like a girl*

Wow, this is a big topic. :) This is my second year in the group, so I guess I could still be considered a newb to some. The first year I mostly listed books in my thread. I enjoyed doing it, as I had come to accept that it was for my own benefit since there weren’t that many comments. This year I decided I wanted to interact more and so have been trying to put more on my thread than just books I've read. I'm also trying to post more on those threads I'm following and not simply lurking.

On the topic of threads, I personally follow the introduction thread and then star those who I think have similar reading interests to me. That way I can follow my limited threads with more ease. Even with that though, I have to check those threads three or four times a day to keep up :) I don't mind usually. I love books and being introduced to more.

Anyways, on to my quest to do more than lurk :)

I was going to the profiles to see common books. Now, too many people, too little time.

Stephen: My in-laws live in Ohio; you're welcome to vent your pyro frustrations upon their house...

Ooh! I second that idea!!

*rubs hands together in an evil-genius kind of way*
Hoohoo, I feel like I have a henchman now! Or maybe more accurately, I get to borrow Nora's henchman for a while. Either way, it feels good.

Oh wow... I can't believe I missed most of the discussion... LOL. I've starred far more people this year than ever before, but I still can't bring myself to x threads. I've got to get past that, I know, or I'll get overwhelmed and disappear like last year. But sticking mostly with the starred threads has been okay so far. I'm still falling behind and lurking a lot more than commenting, but it's a start! And I think Jim is right, some of the participation will wane once the first few months of the year go by.

Almost into February and the posts/threads are slowing down a little. Even though I am into my second year in the 75ers I am still getting to know quite a few newbies (for me) who are far more "established" here than I.

One indicator is the activity on particular threads - I have noticed that someone who just lists and reviews their books tends not to get much attention other than of the good review/bad review type. On some threads the books are almost completely incidental. Apart from some of my friends and interesting libraries I check out those that average over 100 posts per month - surprisingly that accounts for almost 70 people.

Shared interest in reading is of course an indicator too, but empathy and a sense of humour are absolutes.

I should be getting an offer from the new company in the next day or two. Standing by.

Hi, Nora. I noticed way way way back up there somewhere where the subject was books, that you were reading Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and I thought--hey, wait a minute--wasn't it Nora who told me to buy that book because it was so good? And then I saw it was a reread. (I confess it's still on the TBR pile but, someday)

And how's War and Peace coming? That is one of my 2012 goals as well.

This discussion of threads is interesting. I spent much of last year lurking and rarely posting, except when people visited my thread. I almost never use the red x feature, but I star like crazy, for all kinds of reasons (similar books, reading the same book, TIOLI participant, met in person, posted on my thread, interesting discussions--whatever catches my eye, really), and then I use "starred threads" as my main view. So in my world, if you aren't starred I guess it's like you are x'ed. But I must have hundreds of threads starred and it is overwhelming. Some of the really active threads I ignore even if I've starred them because I just can't keep up--once I'm 100 messages behind on any one thread I tend to give up.

Eek. Fingers crossed that things work out for you!

>244 AnneDC: Hi Anne! I figured I should reread Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close before the movie comes out, but I am not enjoying it nearly as much as I did the first time. I probably won't end up seeing the movie because I have heard bad things about it. Many of the pages are full-page pictures, and blank pages, and pages with just a few words on them, if that helps you pick it up sooner! ;-)
War and Peace is going verrrry slowly. I really need to be reading it in bigger chunks, because every time I pick it up I forget what I read the last time.
I'm a big fan of the red X. It keeps me sane. I'm also a fan of declaring Talk-page bankruptcy. Any time I get wayyyyy behind, I just open all the threads and close them without reading, and pick it up from there.

>245 lunacat: Thanks Jenny!

Everyone: Having exhausted my previous stack of books lent to me by my coworker @Soraya71 , (all the Cassandra Clare books), she's lent me another bunch! So coming soon are:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher and
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Oooh, here's hoping you hear some great news job-wise!

De-lurking to comment on the chat about keeping up. I too tend to get overwhelmed but can't bring myself to be quite so ruthless on newbies at the beginning. I actually tend to get much more frustrated with threads that have 50% of their posts as nothing but "hi", cutisie gifs, meaningingless smooches, and personal one on one comments. I tend to skim through those to see if blue ink pops up to talk about books. I hate to x a thread until I see what people are reading, or until I see if there are interesting discussions I want to follow. I tend NOT to comment unless I have something to say that is meaningful to the conversation, but that doesn't mean I'm not visiting the thread. I didn't realize that I'm in danger of being "x'd" because I don't comment.

I think that policy would prevent my discovering interesting newcomers. I really don't think we should tout ourselves as the end-all be-all of groups if we're going to be so insular that newcomers have no way to join in. The suggestion someone had about only following "your posts" doesn't work for me because of the aforementioned policy of not posting indiscriminately. I look at the post (and sometimes profile) for every person on the intro thread to see what books we share, how old they are (it's not a discrimination thing but helps me to frame the person's reading tastes/experience), what they say they like to read (if they don't list at least two genres that I'm interested in then they get an x), and how often they seem to be posting about their reading. I do tend to "x" threads which simply list books w/o comments, although I might ask the person to provide some more info about their reactions to the book and give them some time to get the hang of what we're looking for.

I really think that inviting people to join our group, braying about how much fun we all are, and then blithely and quickly 'x-ing' them out w/o giving them a chance to get acclimated is like inviting people to a party and then ignoring them, not introducing them to anyone, and going off to join the same old clique.

One final note- maybe we need two sub-groups in this group (and some people have started doing this by having more than one thread): a chatty group of threads where we can share photos of pets, grandkids, trade recipes, blow kisses, etc, and a book group of threads where we can discuss our reading - reviews, likes, dislikes, recommendations, issues we have with authors, etc.

Ok....back to lurking...

Nora - as I was ranting above, I almost forgot to mention about the Overdrive/audio dilemma...I realize you are listening on your phone, but if you download the books and then transfer them to an iPod or MP3 player they don't expire on the device Obviously from a space perspective you aren't going to keep them on the device forever, but it does solve the OMG it's about to expire! problem.

As a librarian, I am very used to hearing the complaint about not being able to return the audio books ahead of time. As was mentioned above, you can check in the e-books, but not the audio. Unfortunately Overdrive sets those policies (along with the publishers) and libraries don't have a choice. Yes, it would be nice to have competition, but when NetLibrary was alive and offering audio books, I don't think we had early return options either. Libraries are looking for the best and most cost-effective way to meet the need for the most patrons, and unfortunately, we aren't able to please everybody all the time.

My biggest concern is that the e-book demand will overtake the audio book demand and will force those of us who love audios to be left more and more at the mercy of Audible ....and in spite of their publicity, they are expensive. Audio books are quite expensive to produce, and to buy for the library (whether as hard copy for the shelves, or as downloads) so those of us who are addicts are probably going to have to reconcile ourselves to paying for our goodies.

Looking forward to meeting you in DC in June......BTW, are you a Clemson alum? I'm a Clemson mom and saw the mention of the library on your profile.

#249 - "Audio books are quite expensive to produce, and to buy for the library (whether as hard copy for the shelves, or as downloads) so those of us who are addicts are probably going to have to reconcile ourselves to paying for our goodies"

Ooh, ouch! Scary prediction. I would be very sorry to have audio books disappear from the library. I don't listen to them much myself, but five of my six children do. And although audio books are a favored birthday/christmas present, that's only two books per person a year, and I don't know that we can afford much more than that.

Regarding newbies: I'm just being argumentative about the newbies, I'm truly glad that they've found this great place like I have. I'm also happy that this discussion has brought out some voices besides the usuals :-)

Regarding red Xes: What it comes down to is that I don't have time to follow all of the threads in this group (plus my other groups), and I would rather follow a handful of people carefully than half-ass it with everyone. To me, the red X does not at all mean I completely don't want a thread to exist, it's just a way of separating the threads I follow from the ones I don't, and to make the "groups and posts" view as simple as possible. I quite often go through the list of ignored threads to see if there's anything interesting. And if I often see someone around on my thread or the threads I follow, I'll find their thread and check it out. Maybe I'm just utilizing the red X feature differently than most people do.

Regarding e-Audiobooks: The inability to return a checked-out book is actually the least of the problems I've had with OverDrive. I wouldn't've run into the problem at all if the site hadn't downloaded the wrong format of audio file. I actually don't think that Audible is that outlandishly priced, if you're going to pay for audiobooks, as long as you get a membership and wait for sales. I'm really lucky that I have both a good library system with OverDrive and the means to pay for audiobooks every once in awhile.

I've often fantasized about being a professional audiobook narrator. Getting paid to read books out loud *stares dreamily off into space*

>249 tututhefirst: I'm looking forward to meeting you too, Tina! And yes, I graduated from Clemson in May 2010. We'll practically have our own reunion in June, as Jim went to Clemson, and now his son goes there!

Now I'm off to bed, to think up a clever title for my next thread.

Nora's Garden of Pleasures!

Currently reading:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (reread)
The House of God: The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital by Samuel Shem (borrowed)
The Trial by Franz Kafka
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Currently listening to:
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Coming soon:
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher (borrowed)
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (borrowed)
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (upcoming movie)
The Magicians by Lev Grossman (upcoming tv show?)
The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. LeGuin (reread?)

BOOKS READ: 7
BOOKS BOUGHT: 2
BOOKS ACQUIRED: 2
BOOKS DEACCESSIONED: 7

DAYS REMAINING: 334
BOOKS REMAINING: 68
DAYS PER BOOK: 4.91



**New thread! link below.