Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2013

[Athena]

*high five*!

[Little Pixie]

I didn't like The Memory Keeper's Daughter much but thought she might be worth trying again ... I don't think I'll bother now though That seems a cheap trick promoting your own book in your subsequent book .. I don't like the sound of it at all (though I quite liked it when the polar bear from The Bear was hiding behind the sofa and The Snowman was playing on the TV )  Well done for reaching 699 LP

 

 

Woohoo! You should go and buy some books to celebrate!

 

Like Poppyshake, I didn't think much of The Memory Keeper's Daughter, so I definitely won't be trying The Lake of Dreams!

 

Thanks Poppyshake and Kylie !   Perhaps if I just buy books and keep the TBR under 700.... Oh, and I realised that I was counting one book twice in my TBR list, so it`s really now 698 - double-woo !

 

Oh, and glad to help with the not-buying-books.  I did wonder if it was just me, but it seems that plenty of other people on Amazon came to the same conclusion - and the author giving herself a shout-out and publicising a previous book was not seen kindly.

 

I read Carol Goodman`s The Lake of Dead languages a while back, which had a similar theme - woman goes back home after long absence and solves mystery from past - but found it far more enjoyable. It wasn`t perfect, and you can easily tell whodunnit, but the story and writing still made it worth a read, for me.

Edited September 14, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Little Pixie]

x

I have The Mists of Avalon in Dutch, I really liked the book when I read it, when I was a teenager, but a few years ago I watched the TV series and didn't like the story as much (of course, the book might be better than the TV series and have different emphases). I'm not sure if I'll want to buy the book in English at some point, whether I'll still like it or not. Well, maybe if I find it cheap sometime.. I hope you enjoy your books, anyway! 

xx

I find it lots of fun! It'll take time at the beginning but personally I enjoy doing things like that!

 

I used to have profiles with several different sites but gave up on updating them all. Now I just use GoodReads (and mainly, a database program on the computer, Book Collector, which has the most accurate information). I might still use some of the other sites at some point. I liked LibraryThing's statistics but found GoodReads easier to use and most of my friends are on GR. Also LT often doesn't have my Dutch books or the right edition and I often need to edit a title or author because it's not correct. But LT also has things GR doesn't have so it's a personal preference. I love Book Collector, that program has been really useful. Anyway, have fun if you decide to catalogue your books .

 

EDIT: Congrats on getting your TBR to below 700!

 

Thank you !

 

I liked the Mists of Avalon mini-series ; it made me want to try out the book. Or should I say buy the book, then think about reading it for a while.  

 

I`ve looked at GoodReads a bit and find it useful when I`m looking for an author similar to one which I`ve enjoyed.

[pontalba]

This Book Collector program sounds interesting.  I have all of our books on Library Thing, but not all would transfer to GoodReads.....would I be able to download my Library Thing lists to Book Collector?  I don't think I am able to face that input again. 

[Athena]

What format would be LibraryThing list be in? I think if you can get a list from the ISBN's you can put all of those in, but depending on how you want it organised you may still have to fill in some things yourself. Ie. I like to fill in the country of origin of the author, this information is often missing. Some books are given 'subjects', which I usually remove and put my own things in there (sometimes leaving it blank as I wouldn't know because I haven't yet read it). I understand the prospect of filling in all your books is very daunting (and you have a lot of them!). I enjoy doing these kinds of things but you have a lot more books than me..

 

I should mention, there exists an app for Android and iOS phones that lets you scan the ISBNs of books and then export them to the computer (or to email, text file, etc).

 

Here's a link to their main website. If you click on Book Collector (accompanied by the blue and purple round icon) (link) you should be able to see some screenshots.

 

One thing I really like about it is the statistics feature. You can see many different statistics of your collection (ie. graphs of which publishers you have books of, which shops you buy at, your ratings, and much more). If you like, I'd be happy to make some screenshots for you.

 

You can also upload most of your collection online (though not completely all of the data you've filled in carries with I think), it's nice for a backup (manually backing up the files is safest and so I do both).

 

So in short, I think you may be able to carry over the ISBNs possibly, but some of the information might need a manual hand depending on how precise you want to be. For example, when a book is part of a series, I want its title to be SeriesName X: Title. So most of the time the titles have to be edited to get them to be what I want. For ebooks, the program can scan folders on your computer and read the authors and titles from the files it finds. I don't think you have any ebooks or an ereader though, so this feature probably isn't useful for you. I hope this information helps, maybe Kylie knows more.

 

It's free to download a trial of the program (it gives you a coupon to get the program for a bit cheaper, too), so if you're ever feeling bored or anything you could always give it a go.

Edited September 15, 2013 by Athena

[Karsa Orlong]

Under 700??    That can't be right 

 

Well done Sarah 

[Little Pixie]

Under 700??    That can't be right 

 

Well done Sarah 

 

Thank you.

 

I`ve decided that Kindle Books will go on a separate, virtual TBR list, `cos they really don`t exist.  I`m aiming to start off with freebies ( like The Golden Bowl - Henry James , which I was looking at recently with the idea of getting one of those cheapie Wordsworth classics ) and the Sujata Massey short stories, which I think are only available on Kindle. Oh, and the last of the Hildegarde Withers mysteries, which I couldn`t find a used or new book of anywhere at all, but now it`s out on Kindle - yay !   

 

I think I may be Kindling more than I assumed I would.

[Little Pixie]

This Book Collector program sounds interesting.  I have all of our books on Library Thing, but not all would transfer to GoodReads.....would I be able to download my Library Thing lists to Book Collector?  I don't think I am able to face that input again. 

 

I do like the idea of `playing library`.

[Athena]

Thank you.

 

I`ve decided that Kindle Books will go on a separate, virtual TBR list, `cos they really don`t exist. I`m aiming to start off with freebies ( like The Golden Bowl - Henry James , which I was looking at recently with the idea of getting one of those cheapie Wordsworth classics ) and the Sujata Massey short stories, which I think are only available on Kindle. Oh, and the last of the Hildegarde Withers mysteries, which I couldn`t find a used or new book of anywhere at all, but now it`s out on Kindle - yay !

 

I think I may be Kindling more than I assumed I would.

x

I'm glad you're having fun with your Kindle!!

 

It makes sense to make a seperate TBR list for Kindle, especially for those Kindle free ebooks (such as free classics or some books by indie authors). My TBR contains all my books but I can easily see if it's a paperbook or Kindle book (I also know it usually but okay).

 

Do you aim to get your TBR further down?

x

I do like the idea of `playing library`.

x

Me too!

 

When I was a child, my sister and I used to pretend we were going to the library, borrowing each other's books (not fully reading them, though). I'm not sure if she remembers it or if it meant much to her but I always loved doing that.

[pontalba]

What format would be LibraryThing list be in? I think if you can get a list from the ISBN's you can put all of those in, but depending on how you want it organised you may still have to fill in some things yourself. Ie. I like to fill in the country of origin of the author, this information is often missing. Some books are given 'subjects', which I usually remove and put my own things in there (sometimes leaving it blank as I wouldn't know because I haven't yet read it). I understand the prospect of filling in all your books is very daunting (and you have a lot of them!). I enjoy doing these kinds of things but you have a lot more books than me..

 

I should mention, there exists an app for Android and iOS phones that lets you scan the ISBNs of books and then export them to the computer (or to email, text file, etc).

 

Here's a link to their main website. If you click on Book Collector (accompanied by the blue and purple round icon) (link) you should be able to see some screenshots.

 

One thing I really like about it is the statistics feature. You can see many different statistics of your collection (ie. graphs of which publishers you have books of, which shops you buy at, your ratings, and much more). If you like, I'd be happy to make some screenshots for you.

 

You can also upload most of your collection online (though not completely all of the data you've filled in carries with I think), it's nice for a backup (manually backing up the files is safest and so I do both).

 

So in short, I think you may be able to carry over the ISBNs possibly, but some of the information might need a manual hand depending on how precise you want to be. For example, when a book is part of a series, I want its title to be SeriesName X: Title. So most of the time the titles have to be edited to get them to be what I want. For ebooks, the program can scan folders on your computer and read the authors and titles from the files it finds. I don't think you have any ebooks or an ereader though, so this feature probably isn't useful for you. I hope this information helps, maybe Kylie knows more.

 

It's free to download a trial of the program (it gives you a coupon to get the program for a bit cheaper, too), so if you're ever feeling bored or anything you could always give it a go.

Thanks Athena!!  I don't know what format the LT stuff is in.  I suppose I could/should ask the guys at LT.  They are usually quite helpful. I did take a look at the collectorz site and it looks interesting.

 

I do like the idea of `playing library`.

 

It was bad enough the first batch I input...I'd bring stacks to the computer and input, input, input. It took ages.   /groan/

[Athena]

Yeah I can imagine that would take a while.. ><. If you have a smartphone and buy the CLZ Barry app, you could scan your ISBNs and then transfer them to the computer, so you wouldn't need to drag the books all the way to the computer (except for the ones the database doesn't have, because you'll need to fill that information in manually, or the ones were information is missing, ie. on rare occasion some things aren't filled in, such as the page numbers (though you could look this up online as well)). Sometimes I use the scanning app, other times I type in the ISBNs manually. It depends how much books I have and what I feel like.

P. S. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me .

@ LittlePixie
What are you reading at the moment?

 

EDIT: I did some testing and Librarything can export a .csv file. If you edit this in Excel and move the columns around ( and delete some) so that they're in the right place for the Book Collector program, then you can import the file into the BC program. The books then appear in your collection, with their title, author and ISBN. However, there are no ratings saved (The BC program rates from 1 to 10 (and 0 for not rated)). You then can link the books to the online database which will fill in things like page numbers, cover, publisher, publishing date, etc. So you will have to re-do your ratings, if you rate books on LT, but you won't have to bring all your books to the computer.
 

Edited September 16, 2013 by Athena

[Little Pixie]

x

I'm glad you're having fun with your Kindle!!

 

I`m still waiting for it to arrive ( hopefully by Thursday ) , though that hasn`t stopped me from ordering already.

 

 

 

It makes sense to make a seperate TBR list for Kindle, especially for those Kindle free ebooks (such as free classics or some books by indie authors). My TBR contains all my books but I can easily see if it's a paperbook or Kindle book (I also know it usually but okay).

 

Do you aim to get your TBR further down?

 

I`m hoping to reach 680 by the end of the year.   Perhaps I should have a reading quota for the year ( 100 ) and a TBR decrease target ( maybe I can get 50-60 books off the list per annum ).

 

 

xx

Me too!

 

When I was a child, my sister and I used to pretend we were going to the library, borrowing each other's books (not fully reading them, though). I'm not sure if she remembers it or if it meant much to her but I always loved doing that.

 

Aw, what a lovely memory !

[Little Pixie]

Thanks Athena!!  I don't know what format the LT stuff is in.  I suppose I could/should ask the guys at LT.  They are usually quite helpful. I did take a look at the collectorz site and it looks interesting.

 

 

It was bad enough the first batch I input...I'd bring stacks to the computer and input, input, input. It took ages.   /groan/

 

At least it stops you from buying duplicate books ?

[Little Pixie]

 

@ LittlePixie

What are you reading at the moment?

 

Eep, must update my `reading now` thingy more often ! I`m reading Mr Golightly`s Holiday by Salley Vickers ; I read her book Miss Garnet`s Angel previously and enjoyed it.

[Little Pixie]

I may have cracked and bought Incubus.

 

And no, that is not a Mills & Boon cover.

[pontalba]

Yeah I can imagine that would take a while.. ><. If you have a smartphone and buy the CLZ Barry app, you could scan your ISBNs and then transfer them to the computer, so you wouldn't need to drag the books all the way to the computer (except for the ones the database doesn't have, because you'll need to fill that information in manually, or the ones were information is missing, ie. on rare occasion some things aren't filled in, such as the page numbers (though you could look this up online as well)). Sometimes I use the scanning app, other times I type in the ISBNs manually. It depends how much books I have and what I feel like.

 

P. S. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask me .

 

@ LittlePixie

What are you reading at the moment?

 

EDIT: I did some testing and Librarything can export a .csv file. If you edit this in Excel and move the columns around ( and delete some) so that they're in the right place for the Book Collector program, then you can import the file into the BC program. The books then appear in your collection, with their title, author and ISBN. However, there are no ratings saved (The BC program rates from 1 to 10 (and 0 for not rated)). You then can link the books to the online database which will fill in things like page numbers, cover, publisher, publishing date, etc. So you will have to re-do your ratings, if you rate books on LT, but you won't have to bring all your books to the computer.

 

 

Thanks Athena, I'll def look into it, but when I feel a bit more energetic I think.  lol 

I really would like to manage to have the lists on my machine.

 

At least it stops you from buying duplicate books ?

 

  er, sometimes, at least.......the really odd thing is, sometimes when I check LT from the iphone, a book will not show up.  But when I input it on LT, it might come up either duplicate, or "another version exists".  The nice thing about LT is that is will show duplicates, with no extra stuff to post.  Goodreads doesn't do that.  I know Frankie found out that there is a way to post duplicates on GR, but honestly, it's a bit of a pain (for me), so I don't bother with that.

[Little Pixie]

Hurray ! The Kindle Fire has arrived. Shall post my new book downloads when I get a minute ( I have to play with my new toy for a while...    ).

[Athena]

Awesome! I hope you enjoy it .

[Devi]

i hope you enjoy your kindle fire too

[Little Pixie]

Thank you Athena and Devi !

 

The first day I got it, I was so engrossed in it that the cat ended up leaping into the net curtains to get my attention.

[pontalba]

Lucky thing the cat didn't climb your legs to get your attention!  I know, I have cats! 

 

So, how are you enjoying your new kindle?

 

One of ours is always nudging the book/kindle to get our attention.  heh  He'll try to knock it right our of our hands.

Edited September 20, 2013 by pontalba

[Little Pixie]

Lucky thing the cat didn't climb your legs to get your attention!  I know, I have cats! 

 

So, how are you enjoying your new kindle?

 

One of ours is always nudging the book/kindle to get our attention.  heh  He'll try to knock it right our of our hands.

 

 

Have you got your cats` pics online here ?

 

The Kindle Fire`s my new best friend.   Niggles aside - BBCiPlayer and YouTube won`t work with it, due to a bug they`re working on - but the rest is brilliant. I imagine it`ll end up paying for itself in free book downloads. Maybe.

 

 I don`t have a smartphone or other tabletty thing, so it`s a reveleation to sit in front of the TV, go through the TV planner and see that there`s a film on which might be worth a look ( The Garden of the Finzi-Continis ) and be able to immediately look it up on IMDB and play the trailer, log it into the planner and find that it clashes with other shows,  then look at LocateTV`s site to see when my other shows are on, so I can catch a repeat. Great stuff.

 

I`ve not read an actual book on it, but I`ve played with the X-Ray bit and listened to narration. Oh, and downloaded these freebies :

 

Kipling - Soldier Stories , Soldiers Three

 

Elizabeth Gaskell - North and South, Cranford

 

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

 

Gaston Leroux - Mystery of the Yellow Room

 

Henry James - What Maisie Knew, The Golden Bowl, The Diary of a Man of Fifty, Daisy Miller

 

Arnold Bennett - Anna of the Five Towns

 

LM Alcott - Little Men, Jo`s Boys

 

Ernest Bramah - Four Max Carrados Detective Stories

 

DH Lawrence - Twilight in Italy

 

Tolstoy - The Cossacks

 

Lafcadio Hearn - Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan

 

[frankie]

Thank you.

 

I`ve decided that Kindle Books will go on a separate, virtual TBR list, `cos they really don`t exist.

 

That's one way of looking at it.... It's your reading log, so you call the shots

 

 

Thank you Athena and Devi !

 

The first day I got it, I was so engrossed in it that the cat ended up leaping into the net curtains to get my attention.

 

The gadget might end up costing you a whole lot more than what you paid for it to begin with, if you have to replace them curtains at certain intervals...

 

[Little Pixie]

That's one way of looking at it.... It's your reading log, so you call the shots

 

And was it not Confucius who said My thread, my rules ?

 

 

The gadget might end up costing you a whole lot more than what you paid for it to begin with, if you have to replace them curtains at certain intervals...

 

 

 

I`ll be so busy reading and playing with the new toy, I won`t notice the mini-kitty-tornado.

 

I`ve managed to restrain myself from downloading spider solitaire to it ; once I do that, all hope is lost.

[frankie]

And was it not Confucius who said My thread, my rules ?

 

I don't know, he must have been a moderator before I joined the forum

 

 

I`ll be so busy reading and playing with the new toy, I won`t notice the mini-kitty-tornado.

 

Just as long as you don't get any nasty stalkers who love to peer in and watch you read books on the thing