too many books, so little time

hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own.

This week: Do you frequently read more than one book at a time? Do you try to limit this to a certain number? Do you have different books for different purposes/topics?

I am a dyed-in-the-wool read one book at a time fan. I like to immerse myself completely, no distractions or characterisations blending into one another, no getting storylines mixed up…you get the picture. Alas my total devotion to one book and one book only has gone by the wayside.

I usually have a book club book going at the same time as one (or two) from Mt TBR. Too many books not enough time-before-I-turn-out-the light sums up my abandonment of my preferred reading habit.

read the signs…please

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week borrower-bugged Becca asks about those pesky people with whom we must share OUR library…

For the regular library patrons among us: do you have your own idea of what constitutes proper library etiquette? Is there anything you always try to do? Anything you hate when others do?

Not being a big user of my local library I'll comment on my uni library, I suspect library etiquette is slightly different from the staff’s side of the desk. Noise? It's a big niggler for some but, in a library that houses the engineering, science collection noise can be a factor. The engineering students seem to be gregarious and loud which is okay except if they're infringing on the rights of others. Complaints about noise will force me into the classic librarian-shushing-thing but I’d rather the patrons felt welcome to make the library their own and a bit of talking goes with the territory.

It’s good etiquette to clean up after any food and drink you take into the library - which we do allow. After decades of saying 'you can't bring KFC/chips/coke in here' it did bother me to see food and drink so close to the books until I realised that the books are exposed to food an drink in the patron’s home why not in the library!

It is polite to return your books on time at assessment time and NOT to hide the in-demand texts under the shelves for your own personal use (yes we regulary check UNDER the shelves for such sneakiness).

From my point of view it’s good etiquette to be patient with the library staff who are not miracle workers. If you haven't saved the document you've been working on for the last three hours we will try and retrieve it - just be patient and understand who's at fault (even if your asignment IS due in ten minutes/the library is closing in five minutes). And PLEASE read the signs – where is the colour printer? see that sign?, how do I fix a paper-jam? read the instructions **points to sign**, how do I bind my document? read the instructions **points to sign** etc. Don’t get me wrong I am happy to help, it is after-all my job, but happier if you’ve given it a go first… Proactive self education – not too much to ask in a university library is it?

My Christmas cunning plan

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week Busy-Bee Becca asks about  holiday season reading/blogging…
How does your reading (or your blogging) fare in the holiday months? Do you read more or less? Do you have to actively make time to read?

It’s fair to say that we are all time-poor in the lead-up to Christmas, isn’t it? There’s so much socialising and end-of-year things to do that something has to give and for me, like the rest of you, it’s usually reading/blogging/me-time that is sacrificed to accommodate all the extra demands.

Having said that I must confess to being in the lucky situation of being on holidays as of today. Working on contract means that I go where and when I’m needed. The uni semester ended last Friday and so the library can manage with less staff for the next 3 months so, although I miss everyone, staff and students alike, I do relish the opportunity to take the 9 to 5 job out of the equation (whilst also not being too thrilled at abandoning the pack packet).

So I do actually have more time to read/blog if I can just manage to prioritise them. To do this I have a cunning plan – so cunning I could plug it in and light up the Christmas lights with it - My plan is two-fold: firstly I’ll do a list (yes Becca the one with tiny writing) that factors in time for reading and blogging; and secondly I plan to view all the ‘extra demands’ as pleasurable opportunities…

a little bit of positive thinking never hurt anyone!

what about you …how are you going keeping up with Christmas rushing?

school days

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own.

This week brand-new-teacher Becca asks about out school reading...

What books did you read while in school? Were there any that you particularly liked, or even hated? Did any become lifelong favourites?
HA! am feeling all nostalgic for my high school years and Mr Rule – my gorgeous English teacher in my senior years – on whom I had the biggest crush of my adolescence. Details of which books I studied with him are a bit fuzzy, high school was over 30 years ago and I was focusing on other things...that lightening smile, those dreamy eyes, that seductive intelligence ... but I do remember him taking books I hated and bringing them to life. Othello, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew all made sense when HE read them. I began a life-long love of Shakespeare under his tutelage.

I hated To Kill a Mockingbird (I know can you believe that!) until it was brought to life in class discussion and it has since remained my all time favourite book, re-read many times. In fact, when I think about it, I really didn’t like most of my high school books until we deconstructed them in class. 1984, Lord of the Flies, Animal Farm, Great Expectations were all turned around from hated to loved under closer examination.

The standout unsalvageable was Greene’s The Power and the Glory – never conquered the wordiness or engaged witht the subject.

There’s often one teacher in your career that makes a difference and for me it was Mr Rule. While I was convinced that I was not ‘academically minded’ (the euphemism of the day for not so bright), Mr Rule, wrote in my 6th form autograph book that once I got to English at university there’d be no stopping me. University! I kept that thought alive for over 20 years. I wish there was some way that I could tell him he was right – that I loved uni when I started as an undergrad at 41 and, just between you and me, I’d love to to share my 6.0 GPA with all the ‘well meaning’ but unobservant knockers of my childhood.

Musing on Monday

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own.

Today Bethlehem-Becca (she really loves Christmas but I can’t call her Christmas Becca no alliteration there) asks…With the holiday season now upon us, have you left any hint – subtle or otherwise – for books family and friends might buy you for Christmas? Do you like to receive books, or do you prefer certificates so you can choose your own?

ooo this is a hard one I so love gift certificates and getting to choose for myself but you know that we've talked about gift certicates before...AND I do LOVE Christmas presents...lookin at them under the tree, Christmas morning mayhem of unwrapping so I for Christams I'd jave to go with the list over the voucher.

We’re a Christmas-list family, ever since that dreadful year when Father Christmas missed the boat in spectacular fashion. Mummy was greeted with the saddest Christmas face ever after the contents of the stocking were searched and the stocking was turned inside-out in incredulous disbelief. No coal but no pink Nintendo DS either… how could he have got it sooooooooo wrong! Quick boxing day shopping did not undo the trauma of not getting the exact right thing – apparently it’s not the same if Mum buys it, and to be fair it’s really not the same getting the ‘desired’ after the 25th!

Even though the cherubs are grown-ups now I still get them to write out a wish-list that includes specifics (not risking that Christmas disappointment ever again). I need titles from no 2 because he reads so voraciously I now have little idea of what he has/hasn't read. No 1 gives generalities 'I'd like biographies this year' and no 3? Well she's still finding her reading niche so I'll just get her some titles I think she'll like.

Thanks to blogging I now have a wish-list easily accessible for any potential present-givers but just in case this is too subtle I’ve also added titles to my paper list (which is on my bedside table in case any family happen to be reading this). I can cross one off my Dad has already got me The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, I know this because I do his Christmas shopping (he is 90 after all).

more shelves please

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week book-shelf Queen Becca asks…

Does your house have a communal bookshelf? If not, is your bookshelf centrally located so everyone has access to it?

We have bookshelves everywhere in our house. Each of us has one (or more) personal shelf in their room and there’s two in my study and another in the family room. These shelves are crammed with ‘overflow’. #2 and I are probably the best(?) worst(?) when it comes to shelves. We both have a TBR beside our bed and another in our bedrooms jampacked with TBR overflow and the family room shelf is often used when we cannot fit new arrivals into our rooms.

there is a common cry in our house – we need more shelves – which makes MGM groan!

In the book I’m reading at the moment…

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week Book-babbler Becca asks...How much of your reading do you share with others (outside of blogging?) Do you belong to a book or library club? Do you trade books with friends? Do you tell others what you’re reading?

So many of my conversations begin with this line, ‘in the book I’m reading right now…’ I love sharing books with others. You know when you go to an art gallery, shopping, craft show, on holidays and the experiences are so much more enriching when you can ooo and aaa with someone else? Well reading is the same for me. It’s a great joy having grown-up children for many reasons as well as the long conversations about the book we’re reading which usually begin with ‘oh …you have got to read this book…’

I’m lucky to have some really good readers as close friends, some really close friends who are also bookclubers, and some really patient friends who are willing to listen to me bang on about the fabulous book I’m reading that they are not even remotely interested in - so that my reading is always a shared experience. I’m lucky too, that my friends get excited over whatever book is currently exciting me.

A perfect example…I’ve just discovered verse novels. They’re so amazing but I couldn’t quite nail down what it was that appealed to me but Becca knew! She knows my reading habits well enough to encapsulate for me just exactly why I would be attracted to verse novels AND she suggested two more (I’m reading my first one atm – Cold Skin by Steven Herrick) AND she borrowed them from the library AND hand delivered them to me at work today – now that’s sharing with others!

and I know we’re not supposed to talk about book blogging but that’s what We Read is all about - the shared experience that is reading **smiles contentedly**.

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week Book-note Becca asks...Do you take notes while reading – either for your reviews or for yourself? How/where do you make these notes (on the page, post-its, scrap paper, notebooks etc)?

Becca she doesn't take many notes now but I don't believe her. Let me tell you she is never without a note book, is totally addicted to buying them and cannot resist the urge to ‘write it down’ while she thinks of it so I’m a little sceptical about ‘just stick in a post-it for any interesting passages to come back to later.’

That said I’m hopeless at note taking. Becca will tell you that I take notes in margins, in any blank spaces on the cover or the fly page and much to Becca’s chagrin I do it in pen. As my recent vandalism of books with a knife shows I am not at all precious about books which comes as a surprise to me because I thought I was.

I do love them passionately but I also am happy to make them mine with notes, tearing them into sections or altering them and I suppose this is where my dishonouring of the book as a distinct entity began. Altered books is a derivation of scrapbooking that I have grown to love. Once you’ve given a book new life by altering it you never look at the same way. The fist one I did was rescued from a reject bin at reverse garbage. It was a beautiful Catholic prayer book with rice paper pages and guilt edging. I remade it into a keepsake for a friends 40th. The first time I cut into those beautiful pages I went weak at the knees but the end result was a new lease on life for a book too beautiful to recycle to pulp.

Books should be living things. Notes, artistic rendering, inscriptions only increase the living of a book I say go for it ...note it up! (maybe not so much of the cutting into pieces though I may not do that ever again).>

Musing Monday

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week Babe-in-the-woods-Becca asks...

Are you planning on participating in the upcoming 24 Hour Read-a-thon (either as a reader or cheerleader)? Have you made any preparations for the event? And, veterans out there, any tips you’d like to share with the newbies?

As much as I like the idea, sad to say I can not see how I could do 24 hours of a read-a-thon as either participant or cheerleader (even without #4) for these reasons…
1) I need my sleep.
2) 24 hours away from my life = days of preparation before hand and weeks of catching up afterward.
3) kids to feed, taxi to run, Sunday School to teach, responsibilities to front up to.
4) and probably most importantly, I’m celebrating my 25th wedding anniversary with a night in the city and a show on the 24th October I think MGM might object to me taking my books along this time.

Hope all read-a-thoners enjoy the experience!

love a good list

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week book-list-lover Becca (double marks for double aliteration) asks…This past week, Borders re-released it’s 100 Favourite Books of All Times. Do you vote in these kinds of polls when they arise? Do you look through the list, or seek out books featured?
I have never contributed to the making of these list (have no idea how to go about this at all) but I have wondered, when reading said lists, just who does decide what goes on the list. Some times it's more like ....really? that's someone's favourite book (or actually the majority's fav. book) how can that be!

But like Becca I do love a good list (not quite as obsessivley perhaps) and while I don't check the changes from year to year I do like to cross off the ones I've read, even if they are the same ones I crossed off last year. There are few things as satisfying as crossing off items on a list. If I ever find myself in need of inspiration about what to read next I'll refer to the Dymocks or A&R lists but that doesn't happen as often post We Read. Blogging has opened up a whole new world of inspiration.

If wishes were horses…

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week book-begging Becca follows up from last weeks MM…

Last week we talked about keeping a wishlist. Why not pull out that list and show us some of the books you’ve been eyeing off?

0ooo MM is going to be dangerous for my TBR health this week I can see now…I’ve already added Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse John Joseph Adams (Editor), which looks intriguing, from Becca’s list.

And after a quick trip to my new wish-list (started as a result of last weeks MM) here are four books I’ve had in my hands at the bookshop, r-e-a-l-l-y wanted but didn’t get (usually for reason purely fiscal)…

 The 19th Wife David Ebershoff

  Unbearable Lightness of Being Milan Kundera

Beloved Tiny Morrison

Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer

wish-list wonder

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week book-list Becca (well actually any-sort-of-list-Becca but I'm on my mettle to alliterate each week) asks...

Do you keep a book wishlist, either on paper, Amazon/etc, or via a book database site (Shelfari, GoodReads, LibraryThing)? If yes, do you share this list with others (especially coming up to Christmas)?

My wishlist is badly maintained I'm afraid. Like everyone I have MT TBR beside my bed and I do have a wishlist on Shelfari (this is the badly maintained bit) but I'm thinking I really need a list.

You know one of those satisfying pieces of paper that you can work through and cross off as you go. Am going to read all MM posts this week to get ideas for said list - will get back to you.>

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week Boppin'-Becca asks...

Do you listen to music while reading? Does this change if you’re reading in or out of your house? Do you have a preference of music for such occasions?

I'm a big fan of quiet. When I'm at home I read in my bedroom which is far enough away from the madding crowd to be a quiet space requiring no musical interference - just me and a book and quiet.

When I'm out however I choose music of my own rather than listen to the noises the world imposes on me. I notice this especially in the canteen at work. Uni students can be rowdy in their breaks from scholarly pursuits and our canteen sounds like a football match where the home team is winning.

My IPod is my best friend in this situation. I pop in my earphones and suddenly I'm in a tranquil world of my own device. My IPod is relatively new (got it for mother's day) and I so love it! Now I understand what the fuss is all about I'm wondering why it took me so long to get on the IPod band-waggon and, of course, I want the next one with more gigs (mine's 8 but I've a friend with a 120 and it looks awesome) the grass is always greener - really what would I do with all that gig-power ***laughs at herself***

I listen to instrumental - jazz, classical, new age - because any lyrics create too many words inside my head, they get in the way of the words on the page.

library thing

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week book-blogger Becca asks ...This week Bower-bird Becca has a library meme courtesy of MizB:

Library Habits meme:
1) If you don't frequent your local library, why not?  Don’t get me started…It gives me the irrits, there’s never the book I want, or it it says it’s in I can’t find it because as Becca says, the shelves leave a lot to be desired, the general ethos is off-putting which is annoying cause I love libraries (mostly) and I really WANT to like my local but there you go my standars are too lofty I guess.

2) If you do visit the library, how often do you go?

3) Do you have a favourite section that you always head to first, or do you just randomly peruse the shelves?  I usually have something specific in mind if I’m there so that determines where I head first.

4) How many books are you allowed to check out at one time? Do you take advantage of this? See Becca’s notes

5) How long are you allowed to have the books checked out?  See Becca’s notes

6) How many times are you allowed to renew your check-outs, if at all?  again Becca
7) What do you love best about your particular library? That Becca loves it with such a passion.

8) What is one thing you wish your library did differently?  I wish the staff took more pride in their work.

9) Do you request your books via an online catalogue, or through the librarian at your branch?  Once upon a time we had a great branch librarian but that branch had to go now I don’t know where she is so I go elsewhere for books.

10) Have you ever chosen a book on impulse (from the online catalogue OR the shelves) and had it turn out to be totally amazing? If so, what book was it, and why did you love it? As I don’t do impulsive well ride along on Becca’s coat tails, she knows what I like and passes all her great finds off to me (lucky I know). I just don’t have the time to speculate and my TBR is so HUGE I can happily work with what I’ve got.

Guru, you may regret asking this question…

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week book-blogger Becca asks ...

Do you have an account with an online book database site (LibraryThing, Shelfari, GoodReads etc)? If so, do you have a preference? Do you use it for - your own record keeping? finding new books to read? social networking?

When I started blogging it was all about getting a handle on what I have read, am reading, want to read. As you know I found a whole world of fun and new friends, and my blogging became more about  the subject of reading. All this is a long way of saying that yes I have Shelfari & GoodReads accounts because I found myself distracted from my original purpose on my blog.

I loved Shelfari when I started and made it my TBR shelf on my sidebar but, because I’m not really fantastic oat the blogging thing, I found the functionality annoying so I tried Goodreads. Again, was overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I don’t know. I’d love to try LibraryThing, i see it on so many of your blogs and it looks REALLY interesting, but with two failures under my belt am a bit gun-shy (not to mention time-poor). 

And…. to come full circle my recent post listing what I've read this year on WeRead satisfied my desire for all the things for which I originally started this blog. My plan is to do reviews for all my 2009 reads to add to this post and to do another listing all the books I’ve read. This is fairly ambitious (for me) so maybe when I’ve got that done I’ll book the guru up for another intensive lesson and venture out beyond my blogging comfort-zone.

Cover detracttion

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week betoken Becca asks about book covers…again.

As a follow up to last week’s question, Melody asked about when book covers do not match the story. Do you feel disappointed when the cover’s don’t match the story? Have you ever been completely misled by a book cover?

I suppose I do look to the cover to betoken the story and yes I do feel betrayed if the story doesn’t live up to the jacket. As I rarely buy solely based on the cover it’s not a huge problem.

I thought this Twilight cover was interesting or even arresting, was disappointed by the story but I didn't buy it for the cover I bought it for bookclub so it doesn’t count .

 

This cover of To Kill a Mockingbird does nothing for me but I know the book so have it in my collection for the story not the cover, it might be a pity if others are not drawn to it because of the cover… probably a new snazzier one out now anyway.

I’ve picked up some historical fiction by the cover but the blurb usually gives the game away, it it’s a bit Mills & Boonish (not that there’s anything wrong with that) I’ll put it back. Likewise some SF have covers that sometime don’t match the blurb. So while I’m sometimes attracted to books I then reject I don’t think I’ve ever been completely misled by a cover, I’m to precious with my money to buy anything unless I’m fairly certain.

One book I would not have read by the cover alone is The Time Traveller’s Wife. This, to me, very ordinary cover put me off but I was nagged into ignoring the cover AND the  promise of ‘romance’ in the blurb by Becca and since have recommended it to others, because she was right (again), it is fantastic.

In short I read books based on much more than the cover.

cover attraction + blurb attraction = purchase

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own. This week bijou Becca asks about book covers…

We all know the old adage about not judging a book by it’s cover, but just how much sway does a book cover have when it comes to your choice of book – whether buying or borrowing? Are there any books you’ve bought based on the cover alone?

Let’s face it publishers have taken a leaf out of Mother Nature’s book, designing their covers with the express aim of attracting unsuspecting prey. One of my favourite memes is Marcia’s cover attraction over at The Printed Page. Each Wednesday the most amazing artwork is posted by Marcia and those participating in the meme but Marcia’s gorgeous blog is covered in covers - I like visiting her blog just to look at them.

While I’ll pick up one book and not another, based solely on the cover, I rarely buy that way. If the blurb matches the cover in the way of attraction I’ll go for it but I’m often disappointed when the blurb doesn’t match the potential in the cover.

A quick scan of my bookshelves revealed something interesting, most of my books were chosen for their renown; award winners, classics from the cannon, authors of repute… the only books I can acknowledge as true cover attractions are fantasy books.

Amongst others these standout because I knew nothing about them before I bought them and was completely engrossed from page one, for all of them.

 The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson

 

 

 

 

The Belgariad by David Eddings

 

 

The Saga of the Exiles by Juliann May

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about library company…

Buddy borrowing Becca asks…Who, if anyone usually accompanies you to the library? Is it somewhere you go alone? Or is it a regular outing with family or friends? Which do you prefer?

Hmmm library company…? I can think of one person with whom I’d share a library trip (having been there several times with my buddy borrower) but actually not that many other people. I talk a lot (ask anyone who knows me) and I get too distracted doing that to concentrate on book blurbs, so my borrowing is not all that successful with a friend. I prefer alone.

When the tin lids were little I'd have lots of company but the visit was for them so it didn’t matter if I was distracted as I wasn’t really trying to find something for me. When I think about it those were my fav times in the library… with my kids, getting them fired up about books. My son would always take longer so that gave me time to read some books to my girls and exchange them on the spot for new ones. 

The library and my kids what great memories…

Okay, trying to get back to normal…must do weekly memes…

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own.

Today, busy-borrowing Becca asks about library borrowing habits…

Do you restrict yourself on how many books you take out from the library at a time? Do you borrow books if you already have some out? Do you always re-borrow books you don’t get to?

I’m  hopeless library borrower. I love libraries & have spent most of my working life in them, which is helpful when you’re also a hopeless returner. Working in libraries allows certain advantages; seeing all the new books come across the desk (& into my carry-bag), seeing interesting books returned (& into my carry bag), scanning the spines whilst shelving and finding many interesting reads that find their way into my carry-bag…you get the idea.

AND being able to renew all said carry-bag books without incurring fines is very helpful for a slow reader.

I find when I’m not working in one (as I am right now) I don’t borrow from libraries much because I hate the due-date pressure. I read so slowly (am amazed by bloggy friends who read multiple books in a week) and mount TBR is so huge – I have plenty to be getting on with without a visit to the library.

That’s not to say I don’t miss the library like an amputee…

Sunday too far away

Musing Monday is hosted by Becca of Just One More Page. Pop over and read lots of interesting comments & post your own.

This week not before-bedtime-Becca’s post is about reading time…

Do you have a set reading time (before bed, perhaps)? Do you read more at night or during the day? Is there a day of the week, perhaps, that you set aside to catch up on reading?

When I was studying my reading day was Sunday. Up early-ish, off to Church, family lunch and then I’d high-tail it up to my bedroom sanctuary for unadulterated reading. It is a practice I’ve continued.

My family got so used to my departing with book (sometimes with unseemly haste) that they don’t seem to mind me disappearing on Sunday afternoon – so long as I resurface in time to cook the Sunday roast for our evening meal – Sunday dinner is sacrosanct.

I don’t have a lot of time at my disposal in the daytime for luxurious reading so I’m inclined to read anywhere, anytime. I’m never without a book…picking up the kids, waiting for the kids, watching the kids play sport (not popular if caught in the act), waiting in line, brushing my teeth, drying my hair, well you get the picture.

And then there’s bedtime, can’t go to sleep without reading. I do sometimes go to bed early to read although that usually means I’m still reading in the wee small hours. At other times I can only mange a couple of lines.

what about you when do you read?