Retro Reads discussion

I think rules and preferences vary depending on the host of the Little Free Library. My LFL has a sign on it asking people to return books after reading them (commenting on the cards if they wish); or, if they want to keep the book, to put another book in its place. A few people do put books in the box but mostly books just wander away. If books in my library aren’t being taken out, I take them to another library nearby and swap them. I do have a used bookstore in the adjacent town where I can occasionally trade in a book, and where I buy more books for the LFL about once a month, investing about $75 to $100 each time.

My sense is that my neighborhood is fairly book-starved (and the town library has been closed for COVID safety and because of a roof leak) so I’ve decided my “social work” is going to be stocking the libraries of my neighbors! In the end, I’d rather nurture reading and support authors than have the library function as originally intended. It’s an entertaining hobby, trying to find books appealing to people I’ve never actually met.

Abigail wrote: "Ugh yes, Karlyne, you’re evoking date-night horrors, sitting at a table trying to focus on a conversation with a relative stranger and not let my eyes stray to a game on the telly above the bar, ev..."

Haha, Abigail! At least when you're with a boring date, you can pretend the game is amazing! Of course, if the person turns out to be a sports nut and you're not, this could backfire...

I do take the odd book from LFLs but find they are mostly stocked with Danielle Steele and James Patterson. I must confess I have never given one back and I shall remedy that. My unwanted books go to our library’s annual used book sale fundraiser.

As an aside, one year the library discarded all the leftovers in a nearby dumpster and people were enraged to see their donated books there! The library was much more discreet in future. They try selling the books for two years running and then smuggle the leftovers into the landfill. But honestly, how many used books end up in the dump?

I have such a phobia about throwing away books! I can’t even make myself toss the politico-apocalyptic booklets some nut puts in my LFL from time to time. This week I replaced my copy of Miss Buncle's Book because the old one had lost its backing and ALL the pages were loose, and I felt like a criminal tossing the old one.

Elinor wrote: "I do take the odd book from LFLs but find they are mostly stocked with Danielle Steele and James Patterson. I must confess I have never given one back and I shall remedy that. My unwanted books go ..."

I used to volunteer for an 'op' (charity) shop. I looked after the books & there were only so many copies of Fifty Shades of Grey & The Da Vinci Code you could sell - or even give away!

We were allowed to put unsaleable books in the recycling, book swaps, donated to the annual Book Fair run by a charity. I used to put some in a giveaway bin at the front of the shop but I notice the shop doesn't do that any more.

Abigail wrote: "I have such a phobia about throwing away books! I can’t even make myself toss the politico-apocalyptic booklets some nut puts in my LFL from time to time. This week I replaced my copy of [book:Miss..."

I had an old coffee table that I decoupaged pages of A Civil Contract (Georgette Heyer) onto, years ago. Although I had another, good copy, it was a wrench to actually help it die...

Karlyne wrote: "I had an old coffee table that I decoupaged pages of A Civil Contract (Georgette Heyer) onto, years ago. .."

That would be such a cool thing to do!

I have to say, I struggled to even put GH's books into the 50 cent boxes! & I brought home some that didn't sell.

Smart idea, Karlyne! If only I were crafty . . .

As a side note, the local Book Fair fell victim to COVID this year.

Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "I used to volunteer for an 'op' (charity) shop. I looked after the books & there were only so many copies of Fifty Shades of Grey & The Da Vinci Code you could sell - or even give away!

We were allowed to put unsaleable books in the recycling, book swaps, donated to the annual Book Fair run by a charity. I used to put some in a giveaway bin at the front of the shop but I notice the shop doesn't do that any more.."

Most of the charity shops in the UK sell their excess or unwanted books by weight to companies which usually have part of their business which is 'penny dealing' on Amazon. If the books aren't saleable online they are pulped for recycling.

I worry about books that I love being pulped up, because I know that they're not popular. Which is why I have multiple copies of some books; I have to rescue them!

I just started a re-read of Ellis Peters' Inspector Felse mysteries (after a summer of Thirkell and Stevenson). It's been decades, and I'd completely forgotten what an amazing writer she was. I mean, wow... She does need to go on one of our upcoming lists!

Karlyne wrote: "I worry about books that I love being pulped up, because I know that they're not popular. Which is why I have multiple copies of some books; I have to rescue them!

I just started a re-read of Elli..."

Isn’t she? Glad to hear your endorsement of this series, I’ve never tried it but have been meaning to - I started rereading the Cadfael series as a soothing comfort read a few years ago after some family health traumas, and now the Reading the Detectives group is reading them. I just love her descriptions of the natural world! Glad to know her other series is worthwhile. I’d love to give them a read with the group!

Susan in NC wrote: "Karlyne wrote: "I worry about books that I love being pulped up, because I know that they're not popular. Which is why I have multiple copies of some books; I have to rescue them!

I just started a..."

I think the Felse ones are even more descriptive. Since they're modern, she doesn't have to set them into a historical place and keep us in contextual time (is that a thing? haha), so she has more time to focus on the everyday natural -and unnatural- world. I'm quite fond of Brother Cadfael, but the Felse family is something even more special!

Karlyne wrote: "Susan in NC wrote: "Karlyne wrote: "I worry about books that I love being pulped up, because I know that they're not popular. Which is why I have multiple copies of some books; I have to rescue the..."

Oh, great! I shall have to give them a try!

I started the series once and forgot about them, not sure why. I should go back and try again.

Jackie wrote: "I started the series once and forgot about them, not sure why. I should go back and try again."

Although the second one has all of her great writing in it, I'm not crazy about the ending. One thing I'm noticing after such a long time is the retro feel, because except for the first one, Fallen into the Pit, which was post-War from 1951, they were written in the 1960/70s and they bring back that vibe very strongly!

I must apologise for being a bit distracted this week. Hopefully I'll be back where I belong - on Goodreads.

Our house has been reroofed - & the original roof was concrete titles. The roofers did the house in sections so we had three days of the original concrete tiles being removed & crashing to the ground. I just couldn't concentrate on anything.

The roof is finished now, (& looks great!) but the workers still have to come back to dispose of the tiles, so hopefully just one more day of noise.

Congratulations on (mostly) getting through it!

Abigail wrote: "Congratulations on (mostly) getting through it!"

Yes, they were lovely boys, but their boss was only here for half an hour yesterday as he had to go to Auckland. Once he left, they slowed right down. The heat has been extreme for November & I think they were tired.

Understandable. I hope you soothed their scorching bodies with . . . oops, wrong group for that! :-)

😂

Ha! They were gorgeous - but very young!

All the better! Rrrrooowwwww!

🤪🤪 hope everything quiets down soon, Carol! Meanwhile, enjoy the scenery - young or not, no harm in looking…😉

Just because you look at the map, doesn't mean you're going to take a trip!

Critterbee❇ wrote: "Just because you look at the map, doesn't mean you're going to take a trip!"

Oh, I like that, very classy!

Good one, Critterbee!

Love that, Critterbee!

My grandkids are getting to the dating ages, and there's just something very wrong about noticing those youngsters. I just wear really dark glasses. hahahahahaha...

Well, the boss lit a fire under them, so they certainly sped up with the clean up yesterday. Marty did offer to help, but I think they were horrified at the idea of this old fossil wheelbarrowing the tiles to the trailer. Marty filled two wheelbarrow loads after they left anyway.

One of them is badly sunburnt. They did try to get it all done yesterday, but the boss rang & said they would finish the clean up today.

Now raining heavily, so I can't see it.

But this should give me time to organise the book pool. :)

The New York Times has been conducting a poll of its readers about what might be the best book of the past 125 years, the stretch of time in which they have been reviewing books. The results are out today, and they are pretty weird and random:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...

Inviting comments! By coincidence, I started reading the winner for the first time yesterday, so I will see whether I agree. The one I voted for did not win or even make the top 5. The results seem to reflect people’s reading habits more than any real attempt to develop criteria for quality.

We can’t read this without a subscription, Abigail. Can you tell us what is the winner?

Elinor wrote: "We can’t read this without a subscription, Abigail. Can you tell us what is the winner?"

Or even the top 10?

They list the top 5:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. 1984 by George Orwell
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
5. Beloved by Toni Morrison

Critterbee❇ wrote: "They list the top 5:

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien
3. 1984 by George Orwell
4. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
5...."

I'm reading No 1 with another group next month!

I've read all the others except for Solitude.

Sorry, I didn’t realize it was so fiercely firewalled! Thanks, Critterbee, for supplying the list.

Is it a Goodreads group that’s reading Mockingbird, Carol?

Abigail wrote: "Is it a Goodreads group that’s reading Mockingbird, Carol?"

Yup, a group I'm very fond of! I've found a lot of good reads through them.

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Thanks, Carol—I joined the group! I see a lot of books read in the past year that I would have enjoyed discussing, sigh.

Abigail wrote: "Thanks, Carol—I joined the group! I see a lot of books read in the past year that I would have enjoyed discussing, sigh."

I don't think they mind people bring up old threads. The main thing they minded was people nominating books then not participating in the reads. So they have a few rules about voting.

So I noticed, in the Feb 2022 nominations thread. Oh well, I can always find a few things to say about Lady Susan, even if I don’t find time to reread it!

Just a heads up that I am going away for a few days from tomorrow. I'll update the Book Pool when I get back. :)

Hope it’s a journey of pleasure!

Abigail wrote: "Hope it’s a journey of pleasure!"

Yes my daughters' engagement. I would have loved to stay away even longer to visit the Mary Quant exhibition in Auckland but we can't get a minder for our cat on Monday

Have a wonderful time :0)

Veronique wrote: "Have a wonderful time :0)"

Thank you!

Abigail: Hope the engagement events all went well, Carol!

It did!

We had to move the venue to Chloe's future in-laws as there was a cyclone warning (which didn't end up hitiing this part of NZ as it was going to be beachfront in a part, but it was probably for the best - I just don't know how we would have got everything organised otherwise as the girls had a big vision.

& Xave finally got the Introduce the Girlfriend over & done with & M made a great impression.

It was a great afternoon/night.

The wedding is in April. :)

Good lord, a cyclone warning! I’m glad storm clouds aren’t on the horizon for the marriage 😉, meeting the in-laws can be so fraught.

Susan, everything okay for you in your storm?

Abigail wrote: "Good lord, a cyclone warning! I’m glad storm clouds aren’t on the horizon for the marriage 😉, meeting the in-laws can be so fraught."

& we were up in Auckland/Pt Wells for another cyclone warning. It didn't get to that point, but the Harbour Bridge was closed for a few hours & the alternate route was congested, so we nearly had to stay an extra night.

Other than that (& large numbers of people who are no longer compliant) we had a great visit. My daughter is getting married in April & we saw the venue, I found a pair of shoes & my husband has a complete outfit! Even shoes, which are a problem for him.