Book Nook Cafe discussion

Is there a way to just see unread posts vs. threads? I am looking for a way to just have the new posts show like AOL used to do. I am picking the unread options but it still jumps to the bottom of the thread but includes all the post on that thread page. In other words, if there are 2 unread posts out of 11, it still shows me the other 9 unless it is a separate page. Maybe there is a way to show fewer posts at a time so so many unread ones don't come up? I would appreciate any help. Thanks.

At the top of the thread on the right hand side, you will see, date and Newest. Click on Newest. Once a page loads, it will take you to the new posts, though the old ones would still be there if you use the tool bar to scan back up.

Hope that helps.

BNC has 3 Group bookshelves.

You can access them buy clicking on Bookshelf which is one of the links in on the right side of our main page.

group shelves:

read -- These are the books we have read as a group. You can view this by either clicking on Bookshelf on the right side of the our main page or by scrolling all the way to the bottom of the page.

currently-reading- If we are currently reading a book(s) it will be listed here.

to-read A list of books that group members have said they would like to read in the future. You may suggest a book for this shelf to me at anytime.

* Note only the moderators can add books to these shelves.

Has anyone ever made a custom GR book shelf? Like the it has "read", "to read" and "currently reading", but I made a custom one called "started but currently on hold". Every time I try to put one on there it disappears and it's impossible to move it from "currently reading" to the custom one without deleting it from both. Anyone else experienced this and/or knows how to make it work right?

Mike, if you don't get an answer here, I would post your question on the GoodReads Feedback board.

Alias Reader wrote: "Mike, if you don't get an answer here, I would post your question on the GoodReads Feedback board."

Oh yeah, I keep forgetting I joined up there. No worries though, I think I got it working correctly after all.

FYI

GR has made some slight changes to the menu at the top of the page (Home-My books- Friends-Groups- Explore- your Screen name)

It is now a menu you have to click on to get the drop down. They also organized the drop down choices a bit differently.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that it isn't your computer but a change was made.

If you happen to feel strongly, one way or another, about the change there is a thread about it on the GR Feedback board.

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

Mike wrote: "Has anyone ever made a custom GR book shelf? Like the it has "read", "to read" and "currently reading", but I made a custom one called "started but currently on hold". Every time I try to put one o..."

I made a custom shelf a looong time ago...."abandoned"

I created an "abandoned" exclusive shelf as well, and never had any trouble with it. Fortunately, I don't need it often. I'm one of those people who usually slogs on, expecting something wonderful to happen in a book I don't love. But then again...not always.

For those who haven't played with creating their own shelves, you can create whatever shelves you want in addition to the to-read, currently reading, and read shelves that are default and exclusive. If you mark a shelf as exclusive, then it can be on only one exclusive shelf at a time.

Susan wrote: "I created an "abandoned" exclusive shelf as well, and never had any trouble with it. Fortunately, I don't need it often. ."

I am not as good about updating my "abandoned" shelf as I am my "read" shelf. I am sure they would be equal in number if I were more diligent.

How do you hide spoilers when commenting on GR??

Amy wrote: "How do you hide spoilers when commenting on GR??"

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The best way to explain it is to ask you to click on the link above the box you are typing in that says:
Some Html is OK.

It's really simple. But hard to type it out as that will just result in the spoiler tag.

Here is my try at explaining it.

(view spoiler)[ then type the close bracket.
then type your message.
then type (hide spoiler)] and close bracket.

It's a great feature!

Thanks Alias!! You explained it well, don't worry. I understand it now. :)

You're welcome. :)

Have i forgotten how to send mail via GR? I tried but keep getting a message that the address wasn't given, which it was. Am i doing something wrong or is that service not offered any more?

deborah

Deborah, I just sent an email to someone I've sent messages to before, and didn't have any problems. Are you going to your inbox and trying to post from there? When are you getting the error message? I wonder if it is a problem with a specific recipient rather than a general problem with GR mail.

Unfortunately GR does not supply an address book. A easy way to get around this is go to the avatar of the person you want to email. (Avatar is the picture next to the person's post.) Even if there is no picture this will work. Just click on the avatar.

Right under the profile box you will see a link that says send message.

Ah, i think this is the problem. The person i'm trying to email doesn't have a public profile box! Thanks to both Susan & Alias, together you allowed me to figure it out. First we have to be "friends".

deb

That makes sense. I think you can send a message to anyone whose profile is public though, without first being a friend. There are the letters that you need to type in the first time you send a message to someone. I understand the need and appreciate that GR is protecting us, but sometimes I have trouble figuring out what the letters are so I guess. Sometimes right, sometimes wrong. Pretty much like the rest of my life.

I have been unable to post a book to MY BOOKS. It is a book that was on my "to read" shelf and I wanted to move it to the "read" shelf. It is not appearing on my list, yet it is gone from my "to read" shelf. Just floating around in the netherworld, I suppose.

Any ideas?

Susan, i think you are right about sending message if there is a profile. I've done that previously, although long ago. This is probably why i thought i could write the private profile person. I know what you mean about those letters. In most cases they offer a different set of letters & i get those right. Once, i got it wrong 4 times & still they offered me another chance!

JoAnn, you are so good in keeping up with that shelfing. When i was trying to write the not mentioned above i realized it's been a very long time since i posted what book i am reading, etc. It's been so long they don't even have my list. Sorry i cannot help you with your issue. Maybe waiting a day helped?

deb

Hmmmm, being my nosy self, I just learned that some people who have private profiles do have a "Send Message" box on their profile page, and some do not. So it is apparently an option that the person can choose.

JoAnn, that sounds very strange. If it is still doing that, maybe you should post a message in the Bugs section of the Goodreads Feedback group?

Deb, your book lists disappeared? Wow, I didn't know that ever happened. I'd really hate to lose my list. How could the rest of the world know see my incredibly important reading tastes? ;-)

Yes, Deb, I am pretty religious about keeping my book list updated. It is so easy to do on GR. It has taken the place of my paper book journal.

I figured out the problem. I first added the book in March of 2009 and put it on my "to-read" shelf. I just discovered that marking it as "read" and writing a review (yesterday) did not change the date, so I found it back in my 2009 books. GR was sorting my books by "date added" and not by "date read".

JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Yes, Deb, I am pretty religious about keeping my book list updated. It is so easy to do on GR. It has taken the place of my paper book journal.

I figured out the problem. I first added the book in..."

Thanks for the info JoAnn as that is likely to happen to me on the date thing.

Susan wrote: "Hmmmm, being my nosy self, I just learned that some people who have private profiles do have a "Send Message" box on their profile page, and some do not. So it is apparently an option that the per..."

Ah, that makes sense. I know some of our old regulars don't want to be emailed much & at times we go "off the board" a bit. This is probably the answer. Thanks, Susan.

Susan wrote: Deb, your book lists disappeared? Wow, I didn't know that ever happened. I'd really hate to lose my list. How could the rest of the world know see my incredibly important reading tastes? ;-) "

I didn't mean to scare you there, Susan. My actual list didn't disappear. What i meant was that i just haven't written on my "just read" and "about to read" shelves in so long, those titles vanished. At the time i was trying to figure out how long ago it had been since i posted. LOL! Btw, i don't think those are the actual titles of the shelves but that is their meaning.

deborah

Ah, I misread your post, Deborah. Not unusual for me. I'm glad nothing actually disappeared.

I keep a hand written journal since 1999 and the last few years here on GR. I almost never access the GR list, but I do search my hand written journal all the time. I mostly keep the GR list for other and the hand written one for me. I do like seeing what other GR members are reading. It's a good source for finding new books. So I keep the GR list up as part of being a good citizen of GR if you will.

Just a FYI, I do believe you can print out your GR books read list. That might be a good idea to do periodically. One never knows what the future may hold.

Alias, i do the same with the written list, which i've had since the early '70s (with listings of books i remembered reading even earlier). I spent much time moving the list to the computer, which is handy. However, it is quite fallible, so i'm glad i still keep up the handwritten list. Just this year my computer list changed 1/3 of my books to having been read since 2009, which is quite untrue. I think it has something to do with using it the way i do, changing the columns (by author, title or year) to locate a particular book. So, it's back to the notebook.

Recently we acquired an external hard drive, which i recall JoAnn, among others, liking. Thus far it has kept everything i've asked it to keep, most particularly my photos. As long as i don't actually LOSE it, the way i have so many of my CD lists & compilations, this may work.

I like the idea of GR list but the flesh is weak...

deborah, the weak

Deb, my husband has gone one step beyond me as far as storage - he uses an online service that is about $25 a year - that way if the external hard drive is lost or stolen or damaged, all of his stuff is still safe.

JoAnn, is this a "cloud" i've been hearing about?

Madrano wrote: "JoAnn, is this a "cloud" i've been hearing about?"

no, it is not a "cloud". That is different....but interesting

Ok, thanks.

Not sure whether this should go here or elsewhere. I was wondering if anyone has updated their yearly challenge for 2012 yet? Perhaps I'm a bit ahead of schedule, I know we still have a few days left in the year, but I'm already thinking about how many books I want to read and want to post it on my profile. Anyone?

Are you talking about the GR challenge for books read?

People on the GR Feedback board asked when the 2012 challenge would be put up. GR said there will be a 2012 challenge. I guess they will put it up Jan. 1.

I don't know yet the number I will pick.
Prior to this year my all time high number of books read in a year was 77, so I used that number for 2011. I read close to 95 this year. But I doubt if I could read that many again. So I haven't decided yet on a number.

How do you all come up with a goal number ?

I'm vaguely aware of this idea. Is the challenge to set a certain number of books to read in the upcoming year? My reading from year to year has been so varied lately that i wouldn't know where to begin. Maybe by counting the least number of books read in one year over the last decade?

deb

Yes the challenge is to beat the number of books you set to read for the year.

GR then keeps track of it.

I see. Thanks for the info.

deb

When I see GR put up the link for the new 2012 challenge I'll try to post it here.

I had 40 for my goal which I think was a slight reduction from my original goal. I had something else (I forgot how many) but decreased it in the middle of the year because I didn't like it telling me I was so far behind all the time! Then I deleted the challenge altogether during a period of being overwhelmed with life. Turns out I read 39 so I would have been close! And 39 just happens to be the same amount I read last year. I don't know if I will participate in 2012...I just started two books last night, both with over 900 pages! Yes, I am insane.

Julie wrote: ".I just started two books last night, both with over 900 pages! Yes, I am insane.
"
------------

Insane for books and knowledge ! Not a bad thing to be.

Alias Reader wrote: "How do you all come up with a goal number?"

Last year I made one up based on what I thought was reasonable. I figured I read a little more than 2 books a month, so I started with 30. Then it became apparent I was going to beat that goal, so I increased it to 33. I ended up passing it by a couple of books, but didn't update the goal to match.

I think this year I'll probably try for 30 again, as I have some big life events coming up (job searches, moving back to the states, buying a house) that will probably take a lot of time.

I'm torn on committing to numbers. Last year, when i had no tv for almost 6 months, i read 79 books. This year, having been disappointed in how little i read, i find i finished 52 books, a book each week, so to claim. I couldn't have predicted either, although last year, in addition to no television, there was a great library system near me. Maybe that is how i need to base my numbers?! Now that we've retired, i find i am reading less, not more. How'd that happen?

deb, impressed by how well others managed to attain their goal or even close

This is the time of year when I fondly remember O'Malleycat (Jan) with her Mt. TBR stacks of 17.

Madrano wrote: "Now that we've retired, i find i am reading less, not more. How'd that happen?..."

That's weird! I have been known to joke that I need to quit my job in order to read everything I want to read.

Sarah wrote: "This is the time of year when I fondly remember O'Malleycat (Jan) with her Mt. TBR stacks of 17."
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:) Yes. She was quite adamant that we all create 17 book DL's.

Julie wrote: "Madrano wrote: "Now that we've retired, i find i am reading less, not more. How'd that happen?..."

That's weird! I have been known to joke that I need to quit my job in order to read everything I want to read. ..."

Believe me, Julie, i am surprised by this turn of events. The up side is that DH & i are reading more books in common & having good discussions about said books. However, overall, i am reading less, probably because we moved closer to family and/or have been traveling more than ever.

deborah

Sarah wrote: "This is the time of year when I fondly remember O'Malleycat (Jan) with her Mt. TBR stacks of 17."

LOL, those were great discussions. Who was it who kept her DL in a cradle? Was that you, Kate? No specific number, if i recall correctly, just what was in that cradle. Funny.

deb

*** moving post to this thread.

message 1: by Norman

How do I mark topics "read"?


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

Hi Norman

We ask that people do not start new threads. So I've move your question to the general conversation thread.

To mark a thread read you go to the Unread Topics link which you see
on the right side of the page. It's under the search box. Once there
you will see a mark all read link.

However, it usually does not work well. Good reads has been notified but fixing it does not seem like a priority.

The only think you can do is open the read to get it to note that it is read.

Thanks
Alias Reader
Moderator.

OK, I am lost. I have signed up for many 'free' books to add to my stack and am told by many that if I dont review it I will not have a chance at any more. I will read it, but it is the 2nd in a trilogy, so I want to find the 1st one to read 1st. 2nd somebody keeps saying you need to list it on 1st reads??? I have no idea what that is and on my books I tried to list some books, but cant even get it to let me do that. I hate it that they sent me Book 2, because it will be a little while before I find Book 1 and then read both books. I guess I really need help on how you add books etc.