Booking Through Thursday

BOOKING THROUGH THURSDAY is a weekly bookish meme about (mostly) books and reading. Each week there is a new question to answer. This week’s question is about ‘Vacation’.

When you travel, do you bring one book with you? Or a pile of them?

And, is that pile still a load of paper to lug around? Or do you use an e-book reader like a Kindle or your iPad to help carry the load? (Because, even if you prefer paper, it can get heavy when you’re traveling!)

Well, if you really want to know.....

we drive a lot.  I don't mind driving, or riding, as the case may be, and I'm able to read in the car.  I'm lucky that way.  So when we travel, I take the book I'm reading, the one I want to read next, and a spare just in case.  You are safe to assume these are paper books. 

 It's just who I am. 

 I am not  opposed to e-books on Kindle's or iPads, but I am just more 'at home' with a paper book in my hand.  It does tend to get very heavy  tho.

Now, back to my travels.  Besides the 3 books I take, I know I 'll be going to a book store while on vacation, and I made a solemn vow once to never leave a bookstore empty handed, so--you got it--I come back with MORE paper books than I left with. Always.

In addition, I take a bag filled with a few cookbooks from my collection, to peruse while driving (and I mark lots of recipes with sticky notes to try sometime---tons of sticky notes, not enough time)

So, yes, I am lugging around heavy, shoulder hurting bags of books on my vacation.  But only if we drive.  If we fly, that's another story.

Booking Through Thursday

The question for this week's Booking Thru Thursday is:


We all know the beauty of reading a really wonderful book for the first time—when everything about the story and the writing and the timing click to make a reader’s perfect storm … but it’s fleeting, because you can never read that book for the first time again.

So … if you could magically reset things so that you had the chance to read a favorite book/series again for the first time … which would you choose? And why?


What series would I like to be able to begin again given the chance?

No question that for me it would be Margaret Maron's "Deborah Knott Mystery series".
There are a lot of series that I love, but I am really in love with this one.

Ahhhh.....to lie around on a rainy day and have the chance to read them from the beginning, and not have to wait around for the sequel to be written. The whole stack would be there,as well as a plate of warm homemade cookies.

I love these stories I think because it's a little bit about lots of things I love: family, religion, the south (I've never been to the south, but I just think I would love it!), mystery, romance.

I think of these books as 'cozy' mysteries and not hard core thrillers and I love a good cozy mystery---it's like comfort food.

the second part of the BTT question is:

And then, since tastes change … Do you think it would have the same affect on you, reading it now, as it did when you read it the first time? Would you love it just as much? Would you risk it?

and my answer is:
I think the Deborah Knott Series would have the same affect on me. Especially since in this fantasy I don't have to wait for sequels. I would love them just as much.

I've read a few 'stand-alone' books more than once, so yes, I have risked it, and I love them just as much the second time around. It's funny, because, even tho, I know the outcome, as in the Godfather, when I'm reading a second time, I still think "don't go Sonny, don't go. They will massacre you!"
and he also goes.

So, yes, even tho I know what will happen---my emotions are all caught up in it again and hoping against hope that certain things might change.

I wish there were more time for me to re-read some of my favorites. I rarely do, as there is not time.

Booking Through Thursday

Today's question asks:
I've asked before how you feel about lending your books. I’ve asked how you feel about libraries. But—how do you feel about borrowing books from friends? Is this something you like to do? Does it make you feel uncomfortable or rushed while reading? Does it affect how you feel about the book you’re reading, pressured into liking it?


and my answer is:
I don't borrow books from friends (unless I HAVE to read it right away for a book-club),  and I HATE IT when someone just gives me a book and says 'read it', because they are so many in my own TBR pile, I feel imposed upon to read the one they gave me.
Let me clarify that...a gift of a book is WONDERFUL, but shoving a book at me and  saying "you've got to read this"  is not.

I need to learn to graciously say,  "oh, sorry, but I won't be able to get to that for a month or so, so you might want to hang on to it for now."
If they make me take it anyway, then I feel very pressured to get to it, even if I didn't want to.  And I might even not like it, even if it were good because I would be feeling passive-aggressive.  ~sigh~

I am weird.

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly bookish meme that I participate in sometimes.   I wish I did it more often as it is fun just to think about these questions sometimes.

Booking Thru Thursday

This week's Booking Thru Thursday question is this:

What’s the last book that made you spring to your feet, eager to spread the word and tell everyone how much you enjoyed it?

While I am always ready and willing to share a book, the one that literally made me spring to my feet was,  "A Land More Kind Than Home," by Wiley Cash.

Kathy at Bermudaonion recommended it to me as an audio book, and I LOVED IT.   I wanted others to listen to it also, and was a bit nervous that it wouldn't be as good when read, but I needn't have worried.  I shared the name of the book with some book club friends who they passed the novel around between them (not an Ipod or audio listen in the group) and they too LOVED the book.

I had fun going out to lunch with a couple of them to discuss the book, as a book club 'extra'.  And now we all are  'springing' to our feet to recommend it.

It's such a good read, I couldn't do it justice if I tried to explain it. I just know--YOU don't want to miss it!

And that is my answer for Booking Through Thrusday.

Booking Thru Thursday

Today's Booking Thru Thursday question is:
Happy Spring Equinox, everyone! What book are YOU choosing to celebrate with?

I will be celebrating by finishing up "Mudbound" and starting  "The Lacuna" for book club  next Wednesday.  Although I did find out that the Spring Equinox is also  World Storytelling Day, so that's kind of exciting news. 

I don't know if Oral Storytelling is the same as Reading Aloud, but I  love to read aloud to people.  My grandchildren mostly.  They appreciate me--their grandfather does not so much.  Years ago--28 or 30, I took a community college course on Reading Aloud, and I practiced on the Handyman.  I would read aloud in the car when we were traveling (we traveled far and wide--Nevada is big state ~grins~), this was before Books on Tape were wildly popular. Anyway, one time he laughed at me.  Because I was trying out different voices for the different characters.  It was what we were supposed to do!  He just didn't get it.

I listen to  'oral' stories or books almost every day when I walk.  I have books downloaded onto my iPod.  I love it.  I have no music on my Ipod.  I listen to books on my Ipod when I have to drive anywhere also (which is really weird, because I love music, but that's a story for another time)---it syncs to my car radio.

So...
Spring Equinox
World storytelling Day
Reading Aloud
Listening to oral reading aloud while walking
segues into:

my vent about walking shoes!  Right? 
I have always been walker.  (not to be confused with AMC's the Walking Dead) Sometimes a better walker, loyal to a program and to exercise, sometimes not so much.  But I just signed up for  Wendy Bumgardner's  Aboutwalking.com,  70 days to a better me, walking program.
I've been very dedicated this past week.  It really feels great to be out there  walking again.  Mentally and Emotionally great, not to mention physically.

I had to laugh at this article (from Wendy Bumgardner) this morning on walking shoes.
These are the kinds:
Motion Control Shoes (MC)
Lightweight Performance Training Shoes for Neutral Feet

Stability Shoes
Cushioned Shoes

Racing Flats

Race Walker Shoes

Lightweight Hiking and Trail Shoes



There are a few more types, but they really get  into heavier hiking types. So, I thought I would  buy myself some new shoes, and I was thinking I might need the Cushioned Shoes, because I have bad arches, flat feet and the word chusioned?  Just sounds so comfortable. Well, when I read the descriptions this is what best fits me: (the motion control shoes) Motion control shoes are the most rigid shoes. They are designed to be inflexible because they are meant to limit overpronation. They are generally heavy, but durable. Many are built upon a straight last, and may have a dual density midsole, with the denser material on the inside of the foot to help correct for pronation. Primarily, motion control shoes are for over-pronators and heavier people. Often people with flat feet do well in these shoes. The problem with most motion control shoes is that they tend to have a thick heel which makes walking in them the same as walking uphill with every step.   TWO THINGS! often people who are heavier do well in these shoes?!!!  And people with flat feet. I admitted the flat feet!! Can't I have some dignity here? Do I have to admit that I need to lose a (more than) few pounds. (sigh) How dare they!   This is my show... a motion control shoe.  (and it looks exactly like the shoe I wore this morning)  

Happy Spring Equinox!
Happy Reading aloud or listening Aloud!
and Happy Walking!

Moody or not?

Today's "Booking Through Thursday" question is:  

Does your current mood affect your reading? Affect your choices? I know there are plenty of books I enjoy, but only if I'm in a particular kind of mood–or books that can lift me out of a bad mood without fail. Surely I’m not alone?



I am sure that my mood does affect my reading choices.  Like even tho, I love Stephen King, I have to be in the 'mood' to read him.  I have to be  'in the mood' to read Chick-Lit also, but I think the question is asking,  if you wake up in a melancholy mood, do you tend to choose a different kind of book  than if you'd woke up in a happy mood.
I'm sure the answer is  yes. But I can't see a pattern with me.  Because...I am always happy?  Well, more times than not, but everyone has 'moods'.  I am just not a moody person--usually.  (do not talk to my  husband and kids about this).

This doesn't particularly have to do with a 'mood', but when I was pregnant with my first son, 34 years ago,  I had just started "The Thornbirds"  (which was wildly popular and good and was made into a mini-series for TV), but I was so sick---SO SICK--with morning sickness, that every time I think of that book I hate it.  The thought of that book makes me want to puke. (sorry if that is too graphic).  I managed to make it thru to the end of the book, but  it was a horrible read for me.   I hate that book.

On the flip side, when my son was about  10, and  got really sick and had to be in bed for a few days,  I sat by his side and read "Dr. Doolittle" to him.  He loves that book and that is a good memory for him.

So, while those are not moods, I guess our choices of reading material can be influenced by lots of things going on with our lives.
Most of the time tho, a  book can take me away and make me feel better--just for having read it.

Hello (and Booking Thru Thursday)

My friends and I have been discussing the word "Tomboy" and we are wondering if it's even relevant any longer? 
If 'strong is the new pretty'  (it's all over the Olympic coverage), and little girls are stepping over that line of things that are typically considered boy activities--will Tomboys just be considered normal and that word will eventually fade out?

Yes--it's exciting dinner conversation like this at my house!!   We know how to keep guests on their toes!

The Booking Thru Thursday question for today is:
Name a book you love in a genre you normally don’t care for. What made you decide to read it? Did it make you want to try more in that genre?
and
What genre do you avoid reading and why?


my answer is:
I used to never care for Science Fiction, or at least I thought I didn't,  but when we moved here,  15 years ago, I needed something to do, so I took a class at the local college--an English Lit class on Sci-Fi books.
It was a great class!!  I loved it.  It gave me a real appreciation for Science Fiction.
Sci fi
Having said that,  I can't think of the title of a sci fi book I love off the top of my  head.

So...I guess I failed to answer the question.  I lose.  (dang it)  I guess I'll just answer the second question.

#2
I avoid reading chick-lit.  Why?  Because I used to read it all the time, and it's all the same.   There always is the random one which is not the same as all the other ones--and those surprises I do love.


WAIT!!  back to number one!   I don't care for (read hate)  the Self Help genre, but I book I love is.... is.... (sigh) nope,  can't think of one.
sorry.

Booking Through Thursday

This week's BTT question is:

Have you ever used a book to instruct someone of something or is there anyone for whom you would like to do that? (I don’t mean a text book for a class, but a work of fiction or non-fiction that would get a certain message across either through plot or character). What is the book and what do you wish to impart?



Interesting question.
I think fiction can teach so many things--without being preachy.  That is why readers are usually  more open-minded and are usually  more empathetic towards others.  ( usually )

I can think of lots of books that are very 'thought-provoking'.   One that has always stuck with me is  "Mississippi Bridge" by Mildred D. Taylor.
I'm not sure how I would use it to  instruct someone, but I think if you read it, you would never be able to get it out of your mind.    On the surface, it looks like a simple child's novel,  juvenile fiction-- and it takes only an hour to read.  Once you read it tho, you will understand how deep a story it is.  It's a very multi-layered and profound story.  I can't even begin to do it justice with my description.  So I won't.
Just read it.  I dare you! I challenge you! Read it.

It will never leave you.

What would I wish to impart?   That life is never as simple or as black and white (sorry for the pun--if you have read the book) as it looks from the outside.
You've heard that term "what a mile in my shoes?"   
  That is this book--somewhat.  I told you--it's multi-layered and deep.  And hard to explain.   You just have to experience it.

Booking Thru Thursday

 This week's Booking Through Thursday question is:
If you had to pick only 5 books to read ever again, what would they be and why?’


(Such a cruel question!)

Really?  I have to choose five?  This is very hard.  But here goes...
First of all, I looked at some other answers and they chose more intellectual or classic books than I am going to.   Mine are pretty simple.   Its funny how different our choices are.


Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly.
I bought it at a book fair when I was in the 8th grade.  My first love story--written in 1942.   The description in it is beautiful.  It makes me want to be there in that kitchen, that house, falling in love with a teenage boy all over again.

A summer to remember...

Angie always thought high school romances were just silly infatuations that come and go. She certainly never thought she would fall in love over one short summer. But when she meets Jack, their connection is more than a crush. Suddenly, Angie and Jack were filling their summer with stolen moments and romantic nights. But as fall grows closer, they must figure out of their love is forever, or just a summer they'll never forget.





The Stand by Stephen King.
How can one not include Stephen King if one has to read it over and over again?   The ultimate story of good vs evil.

This is the way the world ends: with a nanosecond of computer error in a Defense Department laboratory and a million casual contacts that form the links in a chain letter of death.



And here is the bleak new world of the day after: a world stripped of its institutions and emptied of 99 percent of its people. A world in which a handful of panicky survivors choose sides -- or are chosen. A world in which good rides on the frail shoulders of the 108-year-old Mother Abigail -- and the worst nightmares of evil are embodied in a man with a lethal smile and unspeakable powers: Randall Flagg, the dark man.




The Guernsey Literary  Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Because---I like books written in  epistal form and, it's just the sweetest book ever.

“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….



As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.




The Mother Tongue by Bill  Bryson.
It's just one of the most interesting books I've ever read.

With dazzling wit and astonishing insight, Bill Bryson--the acclaimed author of "The Lost Continent"--brilliantly explores the remarkable history, eccentricities, resilience and sheer fun of the English language. From the first descent of the larynx into the throat (why you can talk but your dog can't), to the fine lost art of swearing, Bryson tells the fascinating, often uproarious story of an inadequate, second-rate tongue of peasants that developed into one of the world's largest growth industries





and last but  not least
Every single  one of the Deborah Knott Mystery Series by Margaret Maron.
Of course, all 18 of them need to be in a collection--a very HUGE book--to be counted as one.

This first novel in Maron's Imperfect series, which won the Edgar Award for best mystery novel in 1993, introduces heroine Deborah Knott, an attorney and the daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger. Known for her knowledge of the region's past and popular with the locals, Deb is asked by 18-year-old Gayle Whitehead to investigate the unsolved murder of her mother Janie, who died when Gayle was an infant. While visiting the owner of the property where Janie's body was found, Deb learns of Janie's more-than-promiscuous past. Piecing together lost clues and buried secrets Deb is introduced to Janie's darker side, but it's not until another murder occurs that she uncovers the truth.



I think is my list---for now.  It's subject to change depending on my whims.


PS  my whim is thinking of switching  one of the above books for the Godfather by Mario Puzo.

Booking Through Thursday and Chocolate Chip Cookie #3

Today's  (even tho it's late Thursday on the West Coast) BTT question, isn't just one, but  many.  It's part 2 of the interview  (part one was here) and I just thought I'd end my night by answering it.

You can check out  Booking Through Thursday here.  It's a fun blog hop/meme which is all about books.

This week, it begins like this:

But enough about interviewing other people. It’s time I interviewed YOU.

1. What’s your favorite time of day to read?

I love to read anytime of the day, but my most favorite is early in the morning.   I get up early  (between 5-6am) and love nothing more than to grab a cup of coffee and my book.2. Do you read during breakfast? (Assuming you eat breakfast.)
Yes, I do.



3. What’s your favorite breakfast food? (Noting that breakfast foods can be eaten any time of day.)
If I am honest?  2 cookies to go with my coffee  (while I'm reading my book, of course.  2 HOMEMADE cookies, preferably the PERFECT chocolate chip!)
But I like oatmeal too.  (I mean a bowl of...not the cookie)
And muffins and fruit.


4. How many hours a day would you say you read?
It all depends of course, but on the average, about  2hours.


5. Do you read more or less now than you did, say, 10 years ago?
I would say more.  No reason why, I've read my whole life...it's just now I dont' have any kids at home.




6. Do you consider yourself a speed reader?
No.


7. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
To be a speed reader.
(I have so many books to read before I die!!)



8. Do you carry a book with you everywhere you go?
Yes, I do. Everywhere.
(I have a big purse)

9. What KIND of book?
What ever I'm reading at the moment.   And my Kindle.  And my Ipod with my audio book on it.



10. How old were you when you got your first library card?
Probably about  6 years old.  I loved, Loved,  LOVED the summer reading program at the public library. 




11. What’s the oldest book you have in your collection? (Oldest physical copy? Longest in the collection? Oldest copyright?)
I can't answer that question....that would involve going up to the library room and sorting thru all my books.




12. Do you read in bed?
Yes, I do.




13. Do you write in your books?
Not very often, but once in a great while I do.



14. If you had one piece of advice to a new reader, what would it be?
A new reader?  That would be, what?  1st grade?  My advice would be to--turn off the TV and grab a book.  Never go to bed without a bedtime story.  Eat your cereal while looking at magazines  (Ranger Rick, Ladybug,  Cobblestone, etc)

HEY!!  All that advice is good for grown ups too!

*********************************************************
Now about those chocolate chip cookies to go with my morning coffee.....

If you remember, I am not only working my way thru this book:

I am also going to make all the recipes I've collected from friends over the years and any that YOU suggest to me  (I've bookmarked them to try during the year)

But this week, I made .....


Chocolate Chip Cookie  #3   from the book above.
exactly as the recipe is written---to see if we can find that 'perfect' one.
I must note, tho, that all the NON-perfect ones don't stick around the house too long.  (if they are someone's perfect ,  just not mine, they are still great to eat!)

Recipe #3. 
These tasted real good on day one, shortly after I took them out of the oven. I was  very excited about them.  They weren't quite as crispy as I would have liked, but they were chewy.    My excitement waned on day two tho, as they did not hold up.   They lost everything and were just  kind of  dry.
I also had  to increase the cooking time from  12 minutes to 15 minutes, and I still wasn't happy with their color.  I wanted them to brown up just a tad bit more.  To be more golden.  But that could have been why they dried out on day two.
Still good---just not  "the one".

They kind of look crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, don't they?

The ingredients and directions for   CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE  #3 are:

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup margarine
1 1/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 extra large eggs
18 oz  (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips 

Combine without stirring, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.
Cream margarine with sugars until light.  Beat in vanilla and eggs until smooth.  Beat dry ingredients into creamed mixture, a little at  at time.
Add chocolate chips and stir to mix well.
Drop by heaping tablespoons onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake at 325 F for  12 minutes, turning sheets end to end halfway thru the baking time. 
Remove from oven and slide parchment off sheets, with cookies still on top. 
Leave undisturbed until cookies are just barely cool enough to handle.
Transfer to  racks to cool completely.

PS  Readers:   I found a great blog with a great picture of the not so perfect chocolate chip cookies.  It explains what went wrong with each cookie and how NOT to do that.
I'll be sharing that soon, but  just remember that even if you want to correct my cookies--I am just copying the recipes as written in the book.   I would be really happy to make yours tho, if you want to send it to me.

The Night Strangers--a 'not' review and Booking Thru Thursday

So, last night I finished "the Night Strangers" by Chris Bohjalian. 
It was very satisfyingly....creepy.  And I liked it very much.  It was kind of a good old fashioned ghost story.  Kind of.

(this is why this post is a NOT review, because I can't write one )
Just wanted you to know I finished and it was good.   Bohjalian is a really diverse writer--and it's always well done. That takes a lot of talent

Read it if you kind of like to be creeped out....

and now, the Booking Through Thursday question is:
If you could sit down and interview anyone, who would it be?

And, what would you ask them?

That is a really difficult question to answer.
Tonight, I am thinking Julia Child.   I just ordered a book of letters of hers.  A book about her  correspondence with a friend.  So besides her cooking,  I would love to know about her correspondences throughout the years...she was a great letter writer.  (as I want to be) 

I think that what I would ask her tho, has nothing to do with her life as a cook, or a military spy, or  her letter writing....   I would ask her about how she dealt with her and her husband's infertility.
REMEMBER, I am thinking that since this is a pretend interview, I wouldn't be hurting her feelings by bringing it up.  I wouldn't seem insensitive.   I would never want to do that to Julia or anybody.   IT IS PRETEND....and I would just like to know how she got thru that.   That maybe she could be an inspiration for others in the same situation.
It is touched on---ever so briefly---in her book and the movie,  Julie and Julia.

That's what I would ask her about.

Booking Through Thursday

It's been quite some time since I've participated in Booking Through Thursdays.  I've always loved to reflect on and ponder questions like these.
Sometimes when I try to engage the Handyman in my thinking and reflecting process,  he gets a worried look in his eyes.  (sometimes not, but most of the time, yes)  As if I'm going to make him discuss "feelings" again.

NO worries Handyman  (as I know he reads my blog faithfully), today I will reflect and ponder with other  Booking Through Thursday people.  And here is our  BTT question for today:
Of the books you own, what’s the biggest category/genre?

Is this also the category that you actually read the most?

My answer?
Interestingly the biggest genre of books that I own are cookbooks. I have about 250 of them right now.  Yes, YES, YES.  I know.  Nobody in their right mind needs  250 cookbooks  (as a side note tho, we are having new cupboards built and he is going to build me a wall to ceiling bookcase, so I can house ALL my cookbooks in one place and will not have to move and transfer and look into big plastic blue tubs under my bed for cookbooks anymore).
But I love them, so ....  what's the problem?

Moving away from cookbooks,  (because I know that Booking Through Thursday is really a meme about books and not cooking, )  I would have to say that  the genre` or category I have the most books of  are series  mystery/suspense.  I do love continuing characters and I love to see how they develop over the course of a series.

I'm not sure I read that genre` "the most", but I never sell them in yard sales....which I will do once in while in a moment of insanity.
Like when I did the  3day/60mile walk for breast cancer a couple of years ago.  I had a BOOKS FOR BOOBS sale, and used all that money for my financial goal for the 3 day walk. 
Yes, I love my books, but I figured if  cancer survivors can be so courageous,  I can sacrifice some of my books.
That was my thinking.
But I miss some of them.

oh well,  too many books, too little time, as they say.

Booking Thru Thursday

Today's Booking Through Thursday asks this question:
What do you think of censoring books BECAUSE of their intended age? Say, books too “old” for your kids to read?

I'm pretty sure I don't have a "following" since I just write random stuff, BUT I often feel as if I repeat myself over and over (so if you do read my blog regularly, please don't roll your eyes and say  I KNOW, SHE SAYS THAT ALL THE TIME.)

When I was in Junior High School, circa 1971-1973, I  'snuck' read  The Godfather,  The Exorcist, and Valley of the Dolls. (This is where I repeat myself--The Godfather is my favorite book)
All completely age inappropriate.   And I am so glad I read them.  I have fond memories of them all.  Granted, there were a few things I didn't understand at the time  (especially things Sonny Corleone did with his mistress.  I couldn't even find that word in the dictionary!  ~laughing~ ),  but aside from those few things, they were good books and didn't hurt my moral conscience.  I don't think anyway.
So, I have a hard time censoring books.  And honestly, I had boys who I would have PAID  to read anything.  (a confession:  I did pay my oldest son to read The Mouse and the Motorcycle when he was in the 5th grade.  I'm not so sure it took.  He's not an avid reader.  He's 31.)
I think age appropriateness has to be a parental decision and I respect that.

Having said that tho.... I hate it when  the other side doesn't respect my right to let my kids read anything they want.  When they try to censor books in a public  (or sometimes even a school) library.
I had an acquaintance once who, when she thought books were inappropriate, would  take them and shove them behind other books on other shelves.
AAACCCKKK!!!

The Book Barn--Used book Stores--and how many books is too many?

Recently, I have been updating my books on 'Goodreads' and I have apparently clicked something that will update my progress on Goodreads to my Facebook page. I keep trying to unclick, but so far no luck. So, if you are my Facebook friend, please don't get annoyed (or unfriend me)  that you are getting 25 or more updates on books I'm reading (or going to read).



I read about 3-5 books a month (I'm not nearly as fast as many of you readers) and I can/usually/sometimes/most of the time, purchase about 5-7 books a month. More if I see a good used book store.


Do the math.


My TBR pile is bigger than my 'read that. done with.' pile. This is a slight exaggeration, but it's getting close.
And if you remember from this post, I said I had bookshelves in every room and even a basket or two for the overflow. I've been regretting saying that every since I wrote it. I don't want you thinking that I have a messy house. Because those baskets are darn well organized!!   (I am laughing as I write this)


But if I don't start to read faster, or quit buying books, this obsession will overtake me soon I fear.


As I'm adding all my books to Goodreads, I am noticing that the books I haven't read are catching up to the books I have read. They still have a long way to go, but so far I have 30 books in my TBR pile....and I know I have many,many more in those overflowing baskets.


I need to be locked away in a tower with all my books for a few months, or years. (ahhhh....if only. Life is hectic sometimes and that seems like a good thing to me right now).

Last spring, when I was in Connecticut we took a trip to The Book Barn   which is located in Niantic, CT, about 40 miles from New Haven, and at this used book store I purchased about $50-$60 worth of books. But keep in mind, their books are all  $1 each. There was so much to be had!
It was very fun.
I can't pass up a good used book store! Even when I'm clear across the country. 

I think the Book Barn is world famous!!  Or it was famous enough that when I googled  points of interest around New Haven, CT, it came up.  The  Book Barn has one maid building (the barn) and many outer buildings ( old sheds, chicken coops, etc)  which house different genres of books.   It's just an eclectic mix of buildings, gardens and garden venues which house over 350,000 books.  I'm not quite there in my count of books that I own, but I bet when I am done logging them in, it will be close to 1000. I could start my own book barn.  I'm almost embarrased to say that.  The Handyman is whispering 'hoarder' under his breath as I am taking my books off the shelf to log them into Goodreads.  Hoarder!  It's only books---there is a difference, isn't there?

Do you have a great little (or big) used book store close by?
Can you pass up a used book store?  Which one is your favorite?  Is there one you always have to visit when you are near it?
And-- are you ever REALLY going to be done with your TBR pile?


I have a lot of pictures of the Book Barn.  I went there with my daughter-in-law, who is a book hoarder like me.  We had a great time!  Here are a few random photos.
Be sure and scroll to the bottom....

 

Booking Through Thursday--a weekly book meme.

In a related question to last week’s–


I was reading the other day a quote from JFK Jr who said on the death of his mother, that she died surrounded by family, friends, and her books. Apparently, Jackie’s books were very much a part of HER, her personality, her sense of self.

Up until recently, people could browse your bookshelves and learn a lot about you–what your interests are, your range of topics, favorite authors, how much you read (or at least buy books).

More and more, though, this is changing. People aren’t buying books so much as borrowing them from the library. Or reading them on their e-readers or computers. There’s nothing PHYSICAL on the shelves to tell strangers in your home, for better or worse, who you ARE.
Do you think this is a good thing? Bad? Discuss!


Well, my answer is:  everyone will know who I am from the over 1000 books I'm going to have on Goodreads.  And all of them are on my bookshelves. But...the trend is that in the future more and more people won't have books--the written word-- on their shelves.  While it does make me sad for what memories I had, It's not necessarily good or bad---it just is.  Times change. Things move forward. 
Okay, I'm fooling myself!  It makes me  really, really sad to think of a future without paper books. I love going into someone's house and seeing what's on their bookshelves. 
I'm not sure they will ever be completely gone from our shelves.  But maybe if we have to be discriminating in what paper books we do buy, the fewer paper books we put on our shelves will give us a better insight of who we are/were.  Only the really important ones will be visible on our bookshelves.

Booking Thru Thursday

Yesterday it was 60 degrees here in Northern Nevada.  This robin thought about building his nest.

This morning? I stepped out my front door and  it looked exactly like this  (because that's when I took the picture)

Neither Robin or I  can understand this weather...and neither one of us like it much.

The Booking Through Thursday question for the day is:

So … the books that you own (however many there may be) … do you display them proudly right there in plain sight for all the world to see? (At least the world that comes into your living room.)

Or do you keep them tucked away in your office or bedroom or library or closet or someplace less “public?”

My answer is.... I have bookshelves in every room.  I have baskets in every room, where the overflow books go.  And in my bedroom?  I've made  a bookshelf out of books.  (which is a fancy way of saying I have a big pile of books--but a bit organized-- next to the wall )

I have used some books to  prop stuff up....like set three books on their side and put a plant on top.  I have books in the closet of one of my guest rooms...it is my children's book library.  Let's face it.  I have too many books.  But I love them. So, they stay.

My wish is too have a whole wall of bookshelves in m 'library' so that I can put all my books in one place and in order.  Right now, nothing is in any order.  I just have books on bookshelves wherever they land when I am done with them, but order would be nice. 

And I don't care if people see them.  I like it when they walk up to one of my bookshelves and ask me about a book.  Or say, they've read it too.