Marie H Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Hope you have lots of happy reading in 2015 Kylie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 Thanks Athena and Marie. As it's already 2015 here, I can officially start my 2015 reading, but I hardly know where to begin! I guess I should start by finishing A Christmas Carol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Pixie Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Wow, lots of great reads there ! And alphabetized !! Mine are just listed in areas of dumpage around the house. Of your wish list, I really enjoyed Edmund Crispin`s The Moving Toyshop ( I`ve read all of his Gervase Fenn books, liked them all except the last one ) and Jasper Fforde is one of my favourite writers. Happy Reading in 2015 ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Begins Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 I noticed Bitch by Elizabeth Wurtzel on your TBR and I don't want to add to your TBR or anything *whistles* but that really isn't her best work. Have you read Prozac Nation or More, Now and Again? They are about her life and are pretty harsh but great (if you could say that)! In More, Now, Again her writing of Bitch and her media tour feature. Happy Reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Wow what a giant TBR! You're so organized too. We have some of the same books in our TBR pile. I can't wait for you to read Gone Girl and I Capture the Castle. Also Carson McCullers's books are wonderful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSchultz19 Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Oh my you HAVE TO READ Marley & Me. It made me refall in love with books when I was in like fifth grade. Then again I was in fifth grade, so my judgement might not be great Hope you have a great reading year!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Very organized, nice lists! Happy Reading in 2015! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Hope you have a fabulous reading year in 2015, Kylie, and may your reading may exceed your acquisition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Oh my you HAVE TO READ Marley & Me. It made me refall in love with books when I was in like fifth grade. Then again I was in fifth grade, so my judgement might not be great I read Marley & Me in 2013 and loved it so I'd hearthily recommend the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblybear Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Oh my, you have a lot of books! Some comments: Stephen King's IT - I didn't realise you were reading this now. Are you enjoying it? It's my second favorite of his. My absolute fave is The Stand, which I've noticed is also on your TBR pile (and on your priority reads ). The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga. Read this a couple of years ago, and really liked it. It was different to what I was expecting and I certainly wasn't expecting to enjoy it half as much as I did. Flowers In The Attic - Virginia Andrews. This was a staple read in early years of high-school. Very.....interesting reading, if not a bit sick and twisted. Case Histories - Kate Atkinson. Loved this one. Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood. One of my favorites; have read it a couple of times. I know it's had mixed reviews on here, but there's something about it that just draws me in. Deenie - Judy Blume. I read this back in high-school and re-read it last year (it was a Kindle cheapie). It was ok, but not as good as I remembered from school. And The Ass Saw The Angel - Nick Cave. I've had this one my bookshelf for probably 15 years. It's just never seemed like the right time to read it. House of Leaves - Mark Z Danielewski. This is up in my loft. I've tried to read it but got bogged down by it's highly artistic and unusual style. One that I'm saving for later. Ubik - Philip K Dick. Great book, but a bit of a mind-bender. That Was Then, This Is Now - SE Hinton. My absolute, absolute favorite book when I was in my early teens. I borrowed it from the library so many times, must have read it about 30 times, just loved it. Tex - SE Hinton. Read this many times as a teenager and read it again a couple of years ago. It was as good as I remembered. Small Island - Andrea Levy. I've read this one a couple of times......a very fulfilling read. Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple. A fun and humorous read, with a few serious parts. It's got a quirky style to it too which makes it all the more entertaining. The Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond. This was one of my first non-fiction books and I really enjoyed it. It's been a while since I read it, but I don't recall it being too heavy going. I have a couple of his others on my shelf, but they are reserved for when I have more time to focus on them. Helter Skelter - Vincent Bugliosi. One of the best true crime books I have read. Such a comprehensive look at the case, and Bugliosi is pretty kick-arse as well. I hope you have a great reading year, Kylie. You've got some really good reads ahead of you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inver Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 Enjoy your 2015 reading.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Happy Reading in 2015 Kylie! xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Happy Reading this year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Happy 2015 Kylie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I am always completely impressed and in awe at your organisation, Kylie. Wishing you a happy year of reading in 2015. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I hope you have a magnificent reading year in 2015, Kylie! I loved going through your lists, as always Your wishlist is surprisingly short But then I remembered that you have a longer version stashed somewhere...? I noticed your stats on books acquired, and you've really come a long way from your crazy year! (yours came a year later than mine, in 2011. I wonder if it's because we were born in different but consecutive years... ) Read in 2014:Augusten Burroughs Running with Scissors (from both lists)Agatha Christie And Then There Were None (Frankie)Nancy Mitford The Pursuit of Love (Poppyshake)Haruki Murakami Sputnik Sweetheart (Frankie)Donna Tartt The Secret History (from both lists)Sue Townsend The Secred Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ (from both lists) Awww, you kept tally of that! I keep overall tally but not one per each specific year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 I've been spending a lot of time recently adding data into my Book Collector software to fill in gaps about where I bought my books, how much I bought them for and what they're worth (i.e., recommended retail price). Eventually I hope to fill in all of the data, and then I'll know how much money I've spent on books *gulp* and how much my collection is worth, which will be handy for insurance purposes. Anyway, I found a 'database totals' section that adds up and averages all of these things, as well as number of page etc. I thought I'd include a screenshot to show what my database totals are at the moment, and then as I enter more data, I'll periodically post new screenshots to see how my data changes. According to these statistics, I have nearly 2,500 books. I know I have at least 200 more to add, because I haven't catalogued my Babysitter's Club or Goosebumps books. I have given an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 to the books I've read. I've been trying to remember to enter my ratings for books read over the past year, at least, but I haven't been very consistent. At the moment, I've probably only rated a few dozen books. Over time, I'll be going back through all of my reading lists on BCF (back to 2007) and copying across my ratings. The total number of pages will eventually be much, much higher, and the average number of pages will probably also go up, because the software sometimes adds a default of '0' to the page number field. Next are all the fields I'm most interested in—purchase price, current price and cover price. At the moment, my average purchase price is $9.44. This actually seems a bit high when you consider the number of books I've bought at book fairs, where prices are generally $5 or less. The number is so high at the moment because I've only been entering the data for books I've purchased brand new from the Book Depository (thank goodness they store my past order history!) When I get around to entering data for my book fair books, I expect this number will decrease a bit. Although I suppose $9.44 is still fairly cheap when you consider that books at Australian bookshops would cost, on average, $20-$25. Ha, and I just noticed that my average cover price is currently $22.78, which is perfectly in line with what I just mentioned about average Aussie prices. I'm not sure why the total current price and total cover price are so different ($5,500 to $19,500) because I thought I'd been entering the same price for both fields. For the current price field, I've been entering the approximate price that the book would have cost if I had bought it brand new from a bricks-and-mortar Australian bookshop, where prices are generally much more expensive. Ah OK, I've just figured out why there is such a big difference. Book Collector has automatically populated the cover price field for many of my books (which I'll have to change, because it's always wrong—I think it enters US dollars, but I obviously need Australian dollars), but it doesn't automatically populate the current price field. So as I enter more data, these numbers ($5,500 and $19,500) should start to move closer together, but will probably still end up well over $19,500 once I convert the US dollars to Australian dollars. I don't know if any of this will make sense to anyone (except maybe Gaia ), but it's interesting to me, anyway. This is an ongoing project that will probably take years to complete. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devi Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 You and Gaia really make me want to buy book collector software! I love cataloguing my books and creating lists, so far I have GoodReads for my bought books and some wish-lists and a notepad with the rest of my wish-list - which is heaps long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 I don't know if any of this will make sense to anyone (except maybe Gaia ), but it's interesting to me, anyway. This is an ongoing project that will probably take years to complete. It totally makes sense to me ! It's very interesting to see your statistics. I'll be working on my collection too, as for me certain values are also off. Cover Price is often way too low, I agree with you that it's possibly dollars it uses and in my case not euro's. I loved reading your post ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Oooh, thanks for the book data screenshot, interesting stuff!! You know, when I was going through your TBR the other day when I commented on your log to wish you a happy new reading year, I noticed that your TBR stands at 1996. Wow!! When did you get there? But then it's been a while since I was aware of your TBR, and one could've assumed you would've been well over 2000 so far. But here's where your curbing your book buying enthusiasm last year helped you a great deal! I like it that your current price is way higher than purchase price Well, who wouldn't Sounds like a really silly comment now... I don't know if any of this will make sense to anyone (except maybe Gaia), but it's interesting to me, anyway. This is an ongoing project that will probably take years to complete. Oi! Don't you underestimate the other readers of your reading log! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karsa Orlong Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Happy reading in 2015, Kylie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 As always, your lists are fabulous to peruse. Have a wonderful year of reading Kylie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 I received a book in the mail today: George Orwell's A Life in Letters. I ordered this last year, so it counts as a 2014 book (and don't try to tell me otherwise! ). I think Devi received this for Christmas recently. Just after Christmas the Book Depository sent me an email saying that the price had gone down. It was so cheap that I had to get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Wow, lots of great reads there ! And alphabetized !! Mine are just listed in areas of dumpage around the house. Of your wish list, I really enjoyed Edmund Crispin`s The Moving Toyshop ( I`ve read all of his Gervase Fenn books, liked them all except the last one ) and Jasper Fforde is one of my favourite writers. Happy Reading in 2015 ! Thanks Little Pixie! I think I originally added The Moving Toyshop to my wishlist because of Poppyshake's review, but it's good to know you enjoyed it too. Unfortunately the edition I had my eye recently became unavailable at the Book Depository, but it looks like another edition is coming out in the middle of this year. I noticed Bitch by Elizabeth Wurtzel on your TBR and I don't want to add to your TBR or anything *whistles* but that really isn't her best work. Have you read Prozac Nation or More, Now and Again? They are about her life and are pretty harsh but great (if you could say that)! In More, Now, Again her writing of Bitch and her media tour feature. Happy Reading! Don't worry, you aren't adding to my TBR pile by recommending those books...because they're already on my TBR pile too. Wow what a giant TBR! You're so organized too. We have some of the same books in our TBR pile. I can't wait for you to read Gone Girl and I Capture the Castle. Also Carson McCullers's books are wonderful. Thanks Nursenblack! I've had I Capture the Castle on my TBR pile for far too long, I'm afraid. I'm hoping to get to Gone Girl this year. Oh my you HAVE TO READ Marley & Me. It made me refall in love with books when I was in like fifth grade. Then again I was in fifth grade, so my judgement might not be great Hope you have a great reading year!! I read Marley & Me in 2013 and loved it so I'd hearthily recommend the book. Thanks for the recommendation. I would definitely like to read it one day, but I don't actually own a copy just yet, so it'll be a long time until I get to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 Thanks Pontalba, Chesil, Inver, Poppyshake, Julie, Alexi, Karsa and Chrissy for all your ‘happy reading’ wishes. I am always completely impressed and in awe at your organisation, Kylie. Wishing you a happy year of reading in 2015. Thanks Janet. Luckily I started keeping all of these lists when I had far fewer books, so it's just been a matter of keeping them updated (which has been difficult enough with the huge numbers of books I've been buying over the past few years!). If I'd had this many books when I was starting out, I don't think I would have bothered making lists because it would have been too much work! Thanks for all of your comments, Bobblybear! I stalled about 30 pages into reading IT, but it wasn't because I wasn't enjoying it; I just got sidetracked with other things. I definitely plan on reading the rest of it this year though. Frankie and I discussed House of Leaves a little while ago. I find it really intriguing, and comments like yours make me even more interested in reading it! I know very little (actually nothing at all) about what it's about. The book is a complete mystery to me! The White Tiger and Small Island are books I mostly bought because they are on various 'lists' of mine (the 1001 challenge and the Rory challenge, respectively, as I recall). That means that tend to be nearer the bottom of my TBR pile, but I'm glad you shared your thoughts on them; it might inspire me to read them sooner! So far I've only read The Outsiders by SE Hinton, which I think is her best known work. I thought it was excellent, and I'm really looking forward to reading these—even more so since you've highly recommended them to me! I bought Case Histories and Where'd You Go, Bernadette? after reading so many rave reviews here. I think I'm most interested in reading Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, followed by Collapse. I've put off his books for far too long. Now that I recently finished reading Alan Weisman's The World without Us, I think I'll focus on Diamond next. Helter Skelter is also highly recommended by Frankie. I've been rather interested in the Manson Family since reading about their connection with a couple of Beatles songs. In the last couple of years I watched a documentary about the family, which had extensive interviews with the woman who drove the getaway car (can't remember her name at the moment). It was absolutely fascinating. And then I read a couple of excellent Rolling Stones articles (both a recent article and an older one). So now I guess I'm 'primed' and ready to read Helter Skelter. I'm also interested in reading his 2011 book called Divinity of Doubt. Here's the synopsis from the Book Depository: 'In this controversial New York Times bestseller, Vincent Bugliosi, the fearless attorney who prosecuted Charles Manson, turns his critical eye on both religious believers and the atheists, indicting both camps for the intellectual shortcuts each takes to arrive at their conclusions. He argues lucidly and persuasively why agnosticism-and a healthy skepticism toward certainty of all kinds-is the most responsible position to take with regard to the existence of God. Divinity of Doubt sets a new course amid the explosion of bestselling books on religion, urging us to recognize the limits of what we know, and what we cannot know, about the ineffable mysteries of existence.' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.