Day: May 19, 2010

Book Problem Year 3

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Another year, another evaluation of my unread book selection.  Here’s my stack of unread books in May 2008.

And last year I recreated the stacks (I added 49, but read or gave away 49) and took this photo

book problem 09 2

So, now it’s time to fess up.  I did not do so well at keeping my unread book pile from continuing to take over the house.  I started with 369 books, I read or gave away 41, but brought 79 new titles into the house that I haven’t read yet.  Yes, that’s a total of 407.  Here’s the visual…

You can see that even Max is a little shocked!

But there’s more book news that makes this book problem  more serious.  You know when you leave home and boxes of your stuff get packed away in your parent’s basement?  Well, at the age of 38 I finally convinced my Dad that I could handle the boxes (I mean we have a big basement now too ;)), so over the holidays he brought box after box of stuff. 

Wanna guess how many books were in these boxes?

Here’s a look at the new visual with the books in front.

I refuse to count these and add them to my total.  Whatever I don’t read or get rid of by next year I’ll add.

But you will get to benefit from these extra books I now have.  Over the next week or so I will be offering up free books from these boxes.  Take a look at the book selection, tell me which one you’d like to have in a comment and on June 2nd I’ll pick a winner or two from each day and he or she will receive the book of their choice.  PLEASE enter every day.  They are used books, but there are some good titles in there.

By recreating my stacks of unread books every year it does hold me in check for a good six months.  I don’t plan on buying books – well, except for baby – and I won’t enter giveaways unless the book is on my wish list.  I need to be good because I have a feeling when baby comes my reading may take a hit for a while.

So, do you want to post a picture of your To Be Read pile or piles?  Leave a link in the comments and I’ll add you here.  Come on, let me see that I’m not alone!

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict, by Laurie Viera Rigler

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Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler: Book CoverFinished 5-16-10, rating 4/5, fiction, pub. 2007

Sanitized simulacra, lack of indoor plumbing, and oppressive mothers notwithstanding, there is something about the simplicity and quiet of  this world that not only does not disappoint, but which exceeds any expectation.  I don’t have the constant noise in my brain from all the Internet, ipod, and radio signals streaming all those sounds and words and pictures into my consciousness practically every waking moment of every day.  I never even noticed that noise in my brain until I realized I didn’t have it anymore.

Chapter 14

Courtney Stone goes to sleep in current day Los Angeles and wakes up in 19th century England.  And she’s not even herself.  She finds herself in the body of Jane Mansfield whose love life strangely mirrors her own.  Courtney has always been a fan on Jane Austen and the regency time period, but she finds that novels do not always capture the dark side of pre-plumbing living.  How long will she be stuck in Jane’s body?  And is there anything she can do to get home?

This was a fun and frothy read.  I loved when she was able to meet Jane Austen and Austen thought she was a lunatic.  I enjoyed the story, but I’m not sure it’s one that will stick with me.  It was almost too light, but still fun.  I know there is a sequel and I will probably pick it up at some point.

This was from my personal library.