Book Nook Cafe discussion

I'm coming late to adding my few books to this list, as i realized i had yet to add all the books i read in NYC. So, i had to do that first. I cannot believe how many books i read when i had no tv or spouse calling my name! Over 50 books in 4 months! In August? Four!

Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton Wharton "does" the Jazz Age with a middle aged woman trying to keep her youth via youth-enhancing products and experiments with psychics, meditation, etc. It's not one of her best but it was sadly interesting to see that working hard to stay young isn't a new idea. ;-)

Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal Remarkable book by a Czech author, this book is about a man who compacts papers, salvaging some classics or books which fascinate him. It's funny for one who loves amassing books to read about his apartment but "witnessing" his obsession is incredible. I really liked this very short novel.

Homicide My Own and Walla Walla Suite: (A Room with No View) A Novel by Anne Argula Two mystery novels, featuring a menopausal cop, which didn't quite sit right with me. The first includes some insights via reincarnation. Naturally, after that i had to read the next one, which wasn't similar at all. Now i have learned that it may be the main character didn't sound "true" because a man wrote the series. That sounds biased but i really felt he created a character who sounded (or was trying to sound?) like a hard-boiled detective from lousy 50s mysteries.

And that is it. I will state that this month i completed reading Edith Wharton's autobiography but will save that for the September list! Already it's better than 3 of the 4 from August.

deborah

Alias Reader wrote REPLYING TO REBEKAH: "I was the one who wants to read a book about each president. I think Deborah (madrano) also said she may try this next year. ..."

Yes, this is my plan. Another project i'd like to pursue someday is to read a decent book about every country. Not alphabetically, however. Maybe by continent?

deborah

Wow! hopefully the countries won't switch on you like they do every few years! Good luck on the books about Andorra,Palau,Kyrgzstan,Tajikistan,Tuvalu, Nauru,Burkina Faso,Benin, Comoros,Etitea, Togo,Guinea-Bissau..etc....

I have a books about Singapore, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tibet (Like the Dalai Lama, I'm not giving up on Tibet's sovereignty). If they would help, let me know. Hopefully for you, by the time you get that far, They will all have joined up with bigger and older countries! : )

I have this quilt made with small silks of world flags. It is so old that there are flags on it that became defunct for nearly 100 years and have now returned again! So who knows? : )

Alias,
Like you I would rather have "a direction" too. Often when i finish a book and am ready to pick another, I get so overwhelmed with all the choices and end up only reading the back covers of about 50 books, trying to decide where to go next. Challenges are so great for that plus you get to try new authors and types of books that really expand reading horizons.

My library TBR largely makes the decision about my next read for me. I read what's due next if I think I'll be able to do it in the time allowed. If not, I go on to the next book in the pile which is due later and is therefore a more likely candidate.

Challenges actually complicate my life because they insert more reading priorities other than due dates, but I involve myself in a few GR group challenges to get some of the books I own read.

Rebekah wrote: "Challenges are so great for that plus you get to try new authors and types of books that really expand reading horizons. ."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you put up your challenge for the rest of this year, Rebekah.

We just started the Folder for challenges.

Ooooooo! I'm being challenged to commit to a challenge! What irony! (smile)

Rebekah wrote: "Ooooooo! I'm being challenged to commit to a challenge! What irony! (smile)"

Love it!

Rebekah, i haven't gotten yet scouted for books about individual countries. My initial thoughts were that those smaller countries would probably end up being part of a larger country's history, i.e., Andorra incorporated into either Spain or France book. Who knows? By the time i get around to this project i may live in a large, large city again which has many libraries from which i can cull my list.

Your quilt sounds wonderful and i'm envious. I'm sure you are correct that some of the flags have been demoted, then reinstated. Slovenia?

The only similar thing i have is a quilt embroidered with each state's name and the state flower. It was made before Alaska & Hawaii joined the union, so it's "balanced", eight rows, six across. State flowers rarely change, i think. ;-)

deborah

DO you quilt? I supposedly do but it takes me about 8 years to finish a simple machine stitched twin size (smile). Actually I love and collect antique and vintage quilts. I love history and admire the women who put their souls into an everyday object their family needed. I love all the patterns and colors too. In fact I have a show called "Pieces of the Past" being shown at the Galveston Historical Foundation Headquarters right now.
This tobacco silk quilt has US flags with 36 stars so it had to be before Nebraska joined in 1867. You were right about Serbia and also the Russian Flag. There are also flags of Ireland with a harp on it. There were more, but now I have drive down there and look again!: )

If you are interested, I could send you a slide show of some of them and if you are interested in the history of American quilts or how to date them and learn what increases their value, I can give you book recommendations. Mostly I pick them for how they appeal to me and worry about the value later. Some are really strange, like the tabacco silk quilt but I love the uniqueness of it.

"Rebekah wrote: "Ooooooo! I'm being challenged to commit to a challenge! What irony! (smile)"

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:) Guilty as charged. I try my best to get people to participate in the board. The more people that participate the better the board becomes.

I also would like to see the books on your challenge. Even if one doesn't get to complete the challenge, it's fun to see what peoples reading goals are.

Alias Reader, yo are right. I have read all the Pulitzer fiction winners. Here is the record of when I read each one:

The Bridge of San Luis Rey, by Thornton Wilder (read Nov or Dec 1943) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1928)
The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck (read 15 June 1946) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1932)
So Big, by Edna Ferber (read 2 Sept 1946) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1925)
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (read 17 Mar 1949) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1940)
Arrowsmith, by Sinclair Lewis (read 16 July 1949) (Pulitzer fiction prize for 1926)
The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (read 31 July 1949) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1939)
The Caine Mutiny: A Novel of World War II, by Herman Wouk (read 31 Jan 1954) (Book of the Year) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1952)
A Fable, by William Faulkner (read 3 June 1956) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1955) (National Book Award fiction prize for 1955)
The Late George Apley: A Novel in the Form of a Memoir, by John P. Marquand (read 29 Oct 1957) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1938)
Journey in the Dark, by Martin Flavin (read 7 Apr 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1944)
The Magnificent Ambersons, by Booth Tarkington (read 13 Apr 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1919)
The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (read 20 Apr 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1921)
Alice Adams, by Booth Tarkington (read 24 Apr 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1922)
His Family, by Ernest Poole (read 27 Apr 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1918)
The Able McLaughlins, by Margaret Wilson (read 2 May 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1924)
One of Ours, by Willa Cather (read 11 May 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1923)
Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady, by Louis Bromfield (read 17 May 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1927)
Scarlet Sister Mary, by Julia Peterkin (read __ May 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1929)
Laughing Boy, by Oliver LaFarge (read 27 May 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1930)
Years of Grace, by Margaret Ayer Barnes (read 31 May 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1931)
The Store, by T. S. Stribling (read 14 June 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1933)
Lamb in His Bosom, by Caroline Miller (read 24 June 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1934)
Now in November, by Josephine Johnson (read 29 June 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1935)
Honey in the Horn, by H. L. Davis (read 19 July 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1936)
Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell (read 6 Aug 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1937)
In This Our Life, by Ellen Glasgow (read 12 Aug 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1942)
Dragon's Teeth, by Upton Sinclair (read 13 Sept 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1943)
A Bell for Adano, by John Hersey (read 16 Sept 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1945)
All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren (read 21 Sept 1958) (Book of the Year) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1947)
Tales of the South Pacific, by James A. Michener (read 30 Sept 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1948)
Guard of Honor, by James Gould Cozzens (read 12 Oct 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1949)
The Way West, by A. B. Guthrie, Jr. (read 18 Oct 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1950)
The Town, by Conrad Richter (read 14 Dec 1958) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1951)
Andersonville, by MacKinlay Kantor (read 27 Dec 1958) Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1956)
A Death in the Family, by James Agee (read 4 Jan 1959) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1958)
The Old Man and the Sea, by Ernest Hemingway (read 15 May 1959) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1953)
The Travels of Jamie McPheeters, by Robert Lewis Taylor (read 25 June 1959) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 1959)
Advise and Consent, by Allen Drury (read 9 June 1960) (Book of the Year) (Pulitzer Fiction prize 1960)
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (read 8 May 1961) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1961)
The Edge of Sadness, by Edwin O'Connor (read 4 June 1962) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1962)
The Confessions of Nat Turner, by William Styron (read 27 Nov 1968) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1968)
The Reivers A Reminiscence, by William Faulkner (read 30 Nov 1968) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1963)
The Keepers of the House, by Shirley Ann Grau (read 1 Dec 1968) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1965)
The Fixer, by Bernard Malamud (read 5 Dec 1968) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1967) (National Book Award fiction prize for 1967)
The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (read 8 Dec 1968) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1966) (National Book Award fiction prize for 1966)
House Made of Dawn, by N. Scott Momaday (read 27 Nov 1970) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1969)
The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford (read 24 Jan 1971) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1970)
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner (read 27 May 1972) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1972)
A Confederacy of Dunces, by John Kennedy Toole (read 21 May 1981) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1981)
The Optimist's Daughter, by Eudora Welty (read 22 May 1981) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1973)
The Killer Angels A Novel, by Michael Shaara (read 29 May 1981) (Book of the Year) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1975)
Humboldt's Gift, by Saul Bellow (read 8 July 1981) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1976)
Elbow Room: Stories by James Alan McPherson (read 8 Aug 1981) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1978)
The Stories of John Cheever (read 17 Aug 1981) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1979) (National Book Award fiction prize in 1981) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1978)
The Color Purple, by Alice Walker (read 28 Jan 1984) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1983) (National Book Award fiction prize for 1983)
Foreign Affairs, by Alison Lurie (read 26 Feb 1986) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1985)
Ironweed, by William Kennedy (read 9 Mar 1986) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1984) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1983)
Lonesome Dove a novel by Larry McMurtry (read 17 Jan 1987) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1986)
The Executioner's Song, by Norman Mailer (read 20 Jun 1987) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1980)
A Summons to Memphis, by Peter Taylor (read 1 Nov 1987) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1987)
Beloved A Novel, by Toni Morrison (read 11 Feb 1989) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1988)
Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler (read 5 May 1990) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1989)
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love, by Oscar Hijuelos (read 19 Feb 1991) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1990)
Rabbit Is Rich, by John Updike (read 17 May 1991) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1982) (National Book Award fiction prize in 1982) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1981)
Rabbit at Rest, by John Updike (read 22 Jun 1991) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1991) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1990)
A Thousand Acres, by Jane Smiley (read 8 Aug 1993) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1992) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1991)
A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain Stories by Robert Olen Butler (read 15 Jan 1994) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1993)
The Shipping News, by E. Annie Proulx (read 19 Jul 1994) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1994) (National Book Award fiction prize in 1993)
The Stone Diaries, by Carol Shields (read 2 May 1995) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1995) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 1994)
Independence Day, by Richard Ford (read 1 Oct 1996) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1996)
Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer, by Steven Millhauser (read 18 Oct 1997) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1997)
American Pastoral, by Philip Roth (read 10 May 1998) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1998)
The Hours, by Michael Cunningham (read 30 May 1999) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 1999)
Interpreter of Maladies Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri (read 8 Mar 2001) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2000)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay A Novel by Michael Chabon (read 24 Apr 2001) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2001)
Empire Falls, by Richard Russo (read 12 Apr 2002) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2002)
Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (read 11 May 2003) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2003)
The Known World, by Edward P. Jones (read 1 Jan 2004) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2004) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 2003)
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (read 26 Apr 2005) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2005) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 2004)
March A Novel, by Geraldine Brooks (read 24 Aug 2006) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 2006)
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy (read 13 May 2007) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2007)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz (read 23 Mar 2008) (Pulitzer Fiction prize in 2008) (National Book Critics Circle fiction award for 2007)
Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout (read 23 Apr 2009) (Pulitzer Fiction prize for 2008)
tinkers, by Paul Harding (read 25 May 2010) (Pulitzer fiction prize in 2010)

I am so glad you responded to my post, Schmurgals.

In another thread, poster Rebekah was having problems finding the books. Did you have a problem finding them? It seems you read them when they were current. If not, any suggestions?

Here is her post.


message 13: by Rebekah
I was going to try that too with the Pulitizers but starting from the most recent and going back. Impossible! Unless you want to try to FIND them all before you start. Gee, things like His Family by Ernest Poole, The Edge of Sadness by O'Connor, Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair, A Fable by Faulkner, So Big by Edna Farber, Years of Grace by Margaret Barnes and In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow, were only a few of the ones it took me more than a year to find. Of course a new one came out each year so that I would read that. Now I only have one to go and it took me the longest to find, Guard of Honor by James Cozzens. I must have naively thought that if they were the grand Pulitzers, they would always be in print and/or they would be in libraries!
Guard of Honor (Modern Library)-His Family -The Edge of Sadness -Dragon's Teeth I (World's End)- A Fable -So Big- Years of Grace -In This Our Life

Alias Reader wrote: "I am so glad you responded to my post, Schmurgals.

In another thread, poster Rebekah was having problems finding the books. Did you have a problem finding them? It seems you read them when they..."

I finally did get them all. A few from libraries, used book stores and checking my friends and familiy's book cases at their houses. Finally I learned that Franklin Mint had published all the Pulitzers up until sometime in the 70's. They are leather bound and look nice but I'm not one for buying books for show only. Franklin Mint is no longer publishing but I was able to get them on E-Bay. Some of the most popular ones were pretty expensive while the others were not as bad. Realistically though, that is by E-bay standards since I never paid more than I would for a hardback bestseller.

Rebekah wrote: "DO you quilt? I supposedly do but it takes me about 8 years to finish a simple machine stitched twin size (smile). Actually I love and collect antique and vintage quilts. I love history and admire ..."

Rebekah, i do not quilt, although at various times throughout my life i amassed fabric i wanted to use in one. First, i need to learn how to sew. Resewing buttons is my limit now. So, i've given up on this dream.

Like you, however, i am fascinated by quilts and have occasionally delved into the history and making of them. When we lived in South Dakota i tried to buy every one i ran across, which was rare enough because families knew to keep them. My favorite is made of wool and heavy as Texas humidity. It's a Bear Claw pattern and shows little sign of wear.

The history and practice of quilts, needlework and other home crafts began to interest me, thanks to the feminist movement and discussions about art. I think many of us came to appreciate those arts in a different light, once we "allowed" ourselves to see beyond the "scrap" part of it (and how ecologically perfect now!). My personal pleasure in quilts began earlier, though, when my grandmother made one for my wedding in '69.

Please tell me about the show in Galveston! How long will it be there? We hope to make it down there sometime next year and would enjoy seeing your work.

You mentioned a slide show, is this online? If so, please share the link. We may want to move this to the general crafting thread... http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3...

deborah

madrano wrote: We may want to move this to the general crafting thread... http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/3054...
"
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Thanks, Deborah.

I've started a Quilting thread in our Crafts Folder for you.

I've X-posted your quilting posts there for you to continue this conversation.

I'm a little late in posting my August reads, but I love reading about what everyone else is reading, and thought I'd throw in my $.02. All my reviews are at http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/... if you are interested. I went to my main list and sorted by date read, but am not sure that will remain consistent from the "reviews" page. So, of course, you can click on any book and see everyone's reviews.

Anyway...
Some of my favorites for the month are:
Somewhere Inside: One Sister's Captivity in North Korea and the Other's Fight to Bring Her Home by Laura Ling A very interesting story about Laura Ling's and And Euna Lee's detainment in North Korea and the efforts to bring them home. I know there is controvery over what they did, but this is a fascinating read no matter what your politics.

The Calligrapher's Daughter by Eugenia Kim A lovely story about growing up in Korea as a daughter in a traditional family when times are changing, set in the first half of the 20th century. I read this for my F2F bookclub, but when I got to the meeting, I found out the book selection had been changed and we weren't discussing this one at all!

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan This one hasn't been released yet, but I highly recommend it. The author becomes involved in helping the children at an orphanage in Nepal. The story is touching but also surprisingly funny in places. I loved this book.

You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam This is a quick fun read that anyone who has ever loved an animal will appreciate.

Sunset Park by Paul Auster This is an odd little novel about a man who falls in love with an underage girl and lives illegally in an abandoned house. I loved the writing but I'm not quit sure why the book appealed so much to me. One quote that readers will appreciate is ...but in the end, books are not luxuries so much as necessities, and reading is an addiction he has no wish to be cured of.

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson. This one took me quite awhile to finish, but it is a terrific look at the man behind the myth.

Bloody Crimes: The Chase for Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincoln's Corpse by James L. Swanson Another peek at history, this one gave me a fresh look at Jefferson Davis.

I read a few others over the month, but these were my favorites. Thank you for sharing your lists, even though my TBR keeps growing.

Happy reading, everyone.

Excellent reading month, Susan!

I have the Ben Franklin book you read on my TBR.
The size is keeping it unread.

As to a book club changing the book and not alerting its members, I would be soooo upset.

An F2F book club should have an e-mail alert list. The one I belong to does e-mails to members and they are also on Goodreads, so it's possible for them to PM the members who are on GR.

Patrice wrote: "I have the Isaacson book too. I love Franklin. If you haven't yet read it, try his Autobiography. Nothing like going straight to the source. It's a hugely impressive book but not huge, just a c..."
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I have it on my TBR stacks.


The Autobiography Of Ben Franklin

In all fairness, I'm new to my F2F bookclub and not in the loop yet so that's why I didn't know there was a new choice. At the next meeting, I'll have to find out about an e-mail list, didn't think to do it last time.

I have a paperback copy of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin that I picked up used, and also an e-book copy. Now if I can just get it started!

I think those of you who are interested in American history and presidents will appreciate the Walter Isaacson biography. I don't worry about reading books like that one quickly as long as I eventually make my way through to the end.

Susan wrote: "I'm a little late in posting my August reads, but I love reading about what everyone else is reading, and thought I'd throw in my $.02. All my reviews are at http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2..."

I appreciate the varied titles on your list, Susan. Thank you for sharing. I'll add echo for reading Franklin's autobiography. What a character and life.

deborah

I realized last night that a couple of the books I listed are ones I finished this month, not last. Oh well, I never claimed to be accurate.

Franklin was such an interesting character, charming to the ladies but cold to those he should have cared about the most. He was a complex man who liked to present a frontiersman, backwoods personna. I really loved reading about him.

Along with so much else he did, I can't imagine crossing the Atlantic back in those days!

How funny...and thoughtful! I didn't know there were action figures of historic people.

Susan wrote: "How funny...and thoughtful! I didn't know there were action figures of historic people."

Nor did i. Clever idea. I envision all sorts. Actually DD has a stuffed Betsy Ross doll from her youth in the '80s. I pull it out for summer holidays.

deborah

Patrice wrote: "Oh yes, there are stuffed dolls of Mozart and Beethoven that play their music. My son and his wife are both psychiatrists and have Freud bobble head dolls."

LOL--i can see how THAT would be popular.


deb

>> there are stuffed dolls of Mozart and Beethoven that play their music<<

I would love to have a musical Mozart doll. Santa, are you listening?

I'm a bit late on this! I didn't read a whole lot in August...but that's not really unusual.



I gave this a 3 out of 5 rating. This was the 2nd book Jodi Picoult ever wrote. Engaging writing, it was just that I didn't like the characters very much. The heroine was annoying and I would've liked to have slapped her a couple of times. Her husband was an arrogant snob who I also could've slapped. There were just too many instances where I said "that would never happen"


I rated this one 3.5 out of 5. Engaging read, but I found it to plod once I got about half-way through.

Hi, Nancy !! Glad to hear from you. :)

I have Harvesting the Heart on my TBR stacks. I usually like Picoult's books, so I'll get to it one day. I have her book 19 Minutes, that was loaned to me, so I need to read that.

I read The Memory Keepers Daughter a few years ago for a f2f book group. I thought it highly unrealistic. I didn't care for it at all. I see the made for TV version listed in the TV guide all the time.

Alias Reader wrote: "Hi, Nancy !! Glad to hear from you. :)

I have Harvesting the Heart on my TBR stacks. I usually like Picoult's books, so I'll get to it one day. I have her book 19 Minutes, that was loaned to..."

I love Goodreads, but I forget about the message boards!
There were lots of unrealistic things in MKD. I've been told the TV movie was horrible. Maybe I'll have to check it out sometime just to see.

Nancy, how could you forget about us??? We are such memorable characters! LOL

Well, Ms. Nancy, it's good to see you again.

Shomeret wrote: "My library TBR largely makes the decision about my next read for me. I read what's due next if I think I'll be able to do it in the time allowed. If not, I go on to the next book in the pile whi..."

I feel the same way. I have lists, and I chip away at them, trying not to insert too many new ones on a whim.

Shomeret wrote: "My library TBR largely makes the decision about my next read for me. I read what's due next if I think I'll be able to do it in the time allowed. If not, I go on to the next book in the pile whi..."

I'm mostly a "pick and choose" kind of reader. Although, for awhile, I would choose to read whatever the most recent book I've received from paperbackswap.com. The only time I get to read a lot is when I'm at our cottage. Otherwise, I'm lucky if I read 2 books a month lately. Therefore, I have a huge box of TBRs, as well as a nightstand drawer full, and now a pile starting ON the nightstand. If I live to be 100 I probably won't get to reading all my TBRs!

at's due next if I think I'll be able to do it in the time allowed. If not, I go on to the next boo..."

You sound like me. I have a stack on my end table in the living room, if I need to start a new book there, I have a stack in my nightstand (2 drawers) and I have a huge stack in my den, where I have shelves. Any place I finish a book I have a stack to choose another one from. I am reading about 5 or 6 books a month, so if I do the math and bring no more home........ you get the picture.

I guess last month wasn't a good month for me I only read Janet Evanovich's Plum books 12, 13 and 14..

Kristin wrote: "I guess last month wasn't a good month for me I only read Janet Evanovich's Plum books 12, 13 and 14.."

Plenty of good humor there, Kristin!

deb

Richiesheff wrote: "
You sound like me. I have a stack on my end table in the living room, if I need to start a new book there, I have a stack in my nightstand (2 drawers) and I have a huge stack in my den, where I have shelves. Any place I finish a book I have a stack to choose another one from. I am reading about 5 or 6 books a month, so if I do the math and bring no more home........ you get the picture. ..."

YOU have a plan, my friend. This isn't a bad idea. All my books are on shelves which means deciding on the next book can sometimes become a delightful hour-long event. Same for DH. An hour we could have spent reading, i hasten to add!

deborah

madrano wrote: All my books are on shelves which means deciding on the next book can sometimes become a delightful hour-long event. Same for DH. An hour we could have spent reading, i hasten to add!
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I love browsing book shelves, be it my own, library or book store.

As for "my own" next book read, I have a different method. Lists. Everytime I hear about a book that sounds interesting, I jot it down. Sometimes, I add to to my Books to Read folder on my computer, but more often I have lots of slips of paper or cutouts from the newspaper with the titles on it. I always plan on organizing all my lists but never seem to get around to it. I also have a folder for Books in my real-life file cabinet which is chock-full. All this, and when a favorite author comes out with a new book, I immediately request it from the library.Either that, or if I have an Amazon gift certificate, I download it on my Kindle. Maybe I should start a speed-reading course. :-)

I hear ya, Jan. It is overwhelming there are just so many books I want to read. It makes me wonder how it is that some folks never read a single book all year long.

As for how I keep my TBR list. I keep 3 small notebooks. One in the living room near the sofa, one in the kitchen,and one near the computer.

I've found this works much better than all the scrapes of paper I used to have.

I also like to browse the bookshelves in people's homes! Nosy me.

I find it flattering when people check out my bookshelves. For one thing, it's a good conversation-starter but it also shows that they are interested in me and what I like. I'm not an extensive collector as I usually read either library books or those on my Kindle, but I do have some special ones that I just like having around.

RI Jan

I own less than 10 print books and have them set where visitors can see them of course. Yes, they are there mostly for aesthetics and conversation.

I have a Ray Bradbury and Jack London collection, Novels and Stories 1932-1937: The Pastures of Heaven/To a God Unknown/Tortilla Flat/In Dubious Battle/Of Mice and Men, Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Maggie-now that are together in a single volume, Annotated Sherlock Holmes Vols I & II (these I've been using since I am reading the Holmes canon on and off), Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss (I pull this out when I'm blue), and a few other odds and ends. I am going thrift store shopping today at three different places and I plan to see if I can add to my little collection.

Jan wrote: "I find it flattering when people check out my bookshelves. For one thing, it's a good conversation-starter but it also shows that they are interested in me and what I like. I'm not an extensive col..."

I agree, Jan. Some of my best conversations have been held after i scanned someone else's shelves or they looked at mine. In Maryland our house was spread over 4 floors and my books were not on the main floor. I felt the loss when visitors came. Rarely did i drag them down to my basement library but when we ended up there, our chats flourished.

Mike, your collection offers plenty of fodder for me and i'll bet for others, too.

deborah

"madrano wrote: All my books are on shelves which means deciding on the next book can sometimes become a delightful hour-long event. Same for DH. An hour we could have spent reading, i hasten to add..."

Alias Reader replied: "I love browsing book shelves, be it my own, library or book store.

I hope i didn't make it sound as though i don't enjoy that process because i do. However, i do not like going through all the shelves just to figure out what i'm going to read next. Yet lately i have been doing just that. Worse, nowadays when DH looks for HIS next book, i stand by him scanning the shelves! I almost have them memorized.

deb

When you do your 2011 DL/challenge list, you will be able to whittle down the time searching. ;)

I keep the 12/DL books (if I own them) all together.

-alias<<< not so subtlety pushing people to make a 2011 DL ;)

I don't know whether i'll make the same sort of DL i have in the past but it appears i already have a loosely-based one. In addition to my Presidential Bio Plan, i have added something else.

After completing East of Eden, i didn't seem to want to start another book but i did seem to want to look at a few shelves. This is exactly what i did. In the process i winnowed through 8 nonfiction shelves, selecting works i want to read in the next year or so. They've been on the "top" of my desire list for years but every time i go through the entire shelves, i get distracted.

Now i've moved them to the end of their shelf. The idea is that now i can just look at the end of the shelves for my next book and, maybe, not get distracted. We'll see. ANYway, it's a start.

Deb, you're not going to tell us the non fiction books you've moved to the top of Mount TBR !!!

Don't tease me like that ! :)

Alias Reader wrote: "Deb, you're not going to tell us the non fiction books you've moved to the top of Mount TBR !!!

Don't tease me like that ! :)"

I didn't meant to leave you hanging, Alias. The books were then (& now) in the room where DH is still sleeping. When he rouses, i'll make a list & share.

deborah

I'm almost afraid of signing on lately, I always seem to find a book I have not read and interests me that I add to my TBR list.
Went to Sawgrass outlet mall on Sun and was disheartened to find the 'Books a Million' store had been closed. : ( That was my favorite place at the mall...... well, 2nd to the bar at any of the restaurants. -Sigh- I have a fear that with kindle and the other electronic readers, as well as Amazon and the other online bookstores that one day actual physical bookstores will be a thing of the past. I guess that will happen to librarys as well. I guess I'm getting old. :|