Gabbie

I too am a fan of the IKEA Billy. It's just so very nice size for books (with the only exception of big coffee table books, they tend to be too wide for Billy). Because we just moved, most of our books are still all over, but being the slightly crazy organizer me, I created an Excel file long ago of my books. Now the moving boxes are numbered, and for each book that's in a box the corresponding number is entered in the Excel file. Yeah, I'm slightly funny like that. I do have most of the paperbacks and such here already, so they're all on a set of 7 IKEA Billy's (in white), arranged by color. And I did group them by size, so that they fill the shelves as much as possible. I didn't want the actual shelf to show up above and behind the books. This rather nice looking wall of color is in the hallway, behind a small sitting group. The older books, the leather-bound ones and such will be in our (still very much a work-in-progress) library room. They just look better there, as it'll be more Old World look all around. The only problem is getting my work-related literature there, as they're more "modern" looking yet my work area is in the library. I'm still working on a solution to that... Some books are spread around the place, cooking books in the kitchen, obviously, some art books and such in the living room, decorating books in the dining room... And of course the ones we're reading or planning to read (or just left there) in the bedroom!

As this silly cold I've gotten has kept me laying low for the past couple of days, I've also managed to get some reading done. Page 265 (out of 401) of the Room and it's definitely taken a turn to the better. I'm starting to get the positive reviews people are giving this book. Might actually finish the book over the weekend as I'm still taking it easy. I really really want this cold to be over and done with by Tuesday so I don't have to cancel tennis.

A friend of mine had a theory back in university: good girls are boring. They never say anything interesting, they never do anything worth talking about, and they're just not entertaining to be around. While that was a bit of an... well, mean thing to say, and some alcohol definitely went into that comment (and an evening in a rather boring company of some goodie-good-girls) she did have an element of truth in that. It's kind of like when Tolstoy wrote that happy families are all happy in the same way, but miserable families are miserable in their own individual ways. So much more interesting! Similarily "flawed" characters are more intersting, more ... individual, you know? The flaws and oddities are what makes us us!

I guess some would call me a book snob, so I try to explain this the way I mean it. Which is to say, my intention is not to insult of upset or cause trouble. But yes, I do think less of people who ONLY (that's the imperative word here) read books like Twilight (sorry. I glanced at one of these in a bookshop, read a paragraph in which 7 out of 8 sentences started with the word "I". That's a give-away for a badly written book in my mind. Not to mention the reviews I've heard from people with tastes I trust.) and only watch BigBrother. I'm not saying, mind, that reading Twililght or watching BigBrother is bas as such, but if that's the only reading and TV watching you do, then no, I'm not going to assume great intellectual depth in you. I think as long as the book you're reading (whether contemporary or classic) makes you think, generates some thought progress in you, some original thought, then it's worth your time. (And concequently, you're worth mine.) And if that's the kind of material you usually do, then it's "ok" to read the occasional fluff. We all need the easy escape every now and then, after all and there's nothing bad in that. It's like spending a day on a beach, doing nothing, as opposed to visiting a museum. I guess it's more about who I feel comfortable around than any actual "I'm holier than thou" attitude. I just don't find myself having anythign in common with the Twilight/BigBrother types. But bree, you're perfectly right. Book smarts is not the end of it, and I too know plenty of people who don't really read all that much. Then again, they also don't watch BigBrother (using that as a genre here). And they do have original thoughts. But in the academic world in particular we are falling in to the trap of thinking our kind of "smartness" is the only kind, the best kind. It's not. But that's not quite the same thing than the original topic, don't you find?

Oh, that's interesting. I must make a note to get that. I loved Groucho's autobiography (in which he spoke of everything but his life because apparently that won't interest anyone. Haha) and it'd be nice to hear Harpo's take on the events. I adore their movies!

That's so true! Well said, Poppyshake. I read it again the past summer, when my book club took a month off for the holiday season and we read two books instead. We combined Mrs. Dalloway with Cunningham's The Hours which was a really really good idea! I'd seen the movie (Meryl Streep! love.) before but the book just brings so much to it. It'd be interesting to read the letters of Woolf and try to compare how well Cunningham managed to recreate her for the book.

Oh, thanks for the recommendation, Kidsmum! I'm still in the early pages, about 60 pages in, so it's tough to say one way or another. I really enjoy some aspects of it, but I do find the voice slightly forced. Like that's not really what a five year-old would think and sound like, and the occasional incorrect word or verb tense is... well, planted for credibility. For starters, which five year-old is familiar with the concept of negative numbers?? That just rubbed me in the wrong way in the very beginning, so I have had to force myself to pick it up again. I did hear it gets way better after a while, so... I'll keep at it. Especially now that you've liked it too.

I'm really really bad at making To Be Read -lists and taking up challenges, although I really do enjoy planning them and putting together reading lists and plans. I just never really feel like it when the push comes to shove and I have so much "mandatory" reading in other parts of my life that voluntarily forcing (can one say that? sounds all confusing and wrong) myself to follow a plan when I don't feel like it is... well, not very tempting. So, I thought I'd go with the flow of my emotions, read what I feel like reading, but at the same time keep tabs on few interesting challenges, see if I can cross some titles off those. And who knows, maybe the challenge lists and Fall Reading Lists and such give me some ideas and inspirations and a new enthusiasm to a particular title sitting on my overflowing shelves. I'll be gathering a list here on what I'm reading, maybe posting a few lines about what I thought of them, but I don't want to promise too much. It's better to say "I'll hope to update semi-regularly" and then just positively surprise everyone. Right? Haha Feel free to jump it and offer suggestions and comments and whatnot at any time! Currently Reading: The Room by Emma Donoghue.

I really enjoyed Mrs. Dalloway, although not the first time I read it, only the second and the ones after that. What did you think of it? Did you find it as weird as some of my friends or did you enjoy the story and the characters like some others did?

Oh, I love this book! It's so very lovely and full of beautiful ideas and thoughts and ... the way of writing, the language, is simply amazing! I'm not surprised to see quite a few saying they didn't enjoy the book but are glad they've read it, 'because it's not an easy book to get into and everytime I read it I find something new from it. And everytime it makes me think. Which is a definitely a must when it comes to books with me. Funny enough, though, I think M. Ozu was the least intersting of them all. He was just so... polished. Too good, too perfect. Nothing to really get a hold of there. Of course, it's been a while again since I read the book last, so I may be overlooking some aspect of his character. But that's the image that first comes to mind about him.

Thank you, westonw! I'm still trying to find my way around in here. It's really rather overwhelming, don't you find? Lopenha, thank you for the welcome! Love the sparkles! Haha

I'm reading Emma Donoghue's The Room for my book club. Haven't really made any progress as of yet, just getting started. For another book club I should start Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Anyone read either?

Oh, that happened to me too! Haha Only I was really proud of myself having more or less figured them out, using the context in which they appeared.

Thakn you all, for the welcome. An accidental vacation trip happened and took longer than I thought and... oh well, I quite forgot I found this lovely place. So sorry! Thank you, Kylie. Oh, you'll love B&J's. Phis Food is lovely. I really like the little fish in there, so yummy. Haha, oh I'm not that bad! I just don't believe in unnecessary gadgets in the kithcen. A tool for squashing garlic? No thank you, my knife will do the job just fine and so on.

Snap! That's it for me too! If we're talking about my own books, not those owned by my parents.

It's nice to see that this book creates so different reactions. I, for one, loved this. I do. It's so beautiful and, like someone said above (sorry, I don't remember the names yet!) every word matters in this. Everything is thought out and through. And I think it says a lot about the talent of the author to carry the story, if you can sort of understand the characters even when you don't particularly like them. And that's what happened with Great Gatsby. (Another one is Anna Karenina. Gosh, she was annoying! Yet I "got" her, her reasoning.) I really need to read this again. Too bad I have far too much books waiting to be read on my shelf as it is.

Thank you all, for the warm welcome! I'm sorry I disappeared, I had to go some places and my computer was left home. Talk about withdrawal! haha

Ah, sorry. I didn't realize that caused confusion. If you, or any friend of yours, ever tries that, let me know. I don't own a microvawe (bit of a purist when it comes to the food I eat and my kitchen in general) so I can't try it myself. Hi frankie! I like Finland very much, thank you. Hi chesilbeach! Thank you for the welcome. Oh, I loved it! The Forgotten Waltz is about an extramarital affair. And unlike in most books that have dealt with it in the past, this one isn't judgemental or going out of its way to dish out some sort of "justice". It's very clear from the start of the book that the two lovers, who are both married to other people, end up together. Usually it's all "you're an adulterer so you must suffer a painful end and bathe in misery on your way to it". This isn't about that. Plus I really enjoyed Enrights style of writing, it reminded me a bit of some Chinese or Japanese authors I've read, because she doesn't really give you everything and the sink to work with, but there's room for your own thoughts. It's very simplified at parts. I took quite a bit of the story before you learned the protagonists (who is also the narrator) name. I really really loved this book, but I don't know what your tastes are like (yet) so I don't know... I hope my thoughts about it help you decide, one way or another. Hi Karsa Orlong! I'll try to remember that, thanks for the hint. Finns are an ... shall we say interesting bunch.

Thank you, vodkafan (maybe the coolest call sign ever!) and Ben! Ben, I currently live in the States, although right now I'm visiting Finland. I heard from a friend (seriously, it was a friend, not one of those "friends" to which stuff happens when it's too embarrasing to say it really was you) that if you microwave B&J Cookie Dough it's really good. Although, as this conclusion was reached around 4am, and consipicuous amounts of alcohol were involved, I wouldn't trust that.

Jumping in here, if you don't mind. I prefer a paperback. I actually like the book to show signs of wear. It think it's lovely that you can see the book has been read and loved or hated or felt something about. I guess that's because most hardbacks in my childhood were old ones, so they evidently showed some signs of wear. For me a new shiny book is just so soulless. There's no life, no emotion. Just words on paper. It's what that words make us feel that truly create the story.

Hi, I'm new around here, but really looking forward to getting neck deep into reading and talking about reading. I'm Gabbie. I prefer my books to be thought provoking and challenging, though sometimes it is nice to balance it all with something lighter. Recent books I've loved were the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett and The Forgotten Waltz by Anne Enright. I never really know what to tell about myself, so... My favourite B&J flavor is Vermonster (though Cookie Dough is giving it a run for its money), and my favorite fruit is lime. I don't like candy, but have a weakness for chips. Anything else you'd like to know? Ask! I beg of you!