Kylie Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thank you Sofia, Laura and Weave! I think it's a pretty good haul too. I really need to put up my new bookcase soon so I can shelve them all. I currently have small piles of books dotted all around the place waiting to be put away. I probably don't need to tell you how delighted I am about The Mitford Girls, Orlando, The Fourth Bear, A Damsel in Distress, Summer Moonshine and Love's Shadow but I will anyway .. I love the Nevil Shute Vintage books (the covers I mean .. I've no idea about the stories) and love the sound of the Christopher Milne and George Orwell titles. In fact, just from the titles alone, they all sound brilliant and there's bound to be some excellent reading there. Hope you enjoy them Kylie, I'm sure they are already looking very handsome on your shelves (do you catalogue them first? .. I'm too disorganised and impatient to catalogue .. apart from putting them on Goodreads that is.) Thanks Poppyshake! I wasn't sure about The Mitford Girls because I didn't recognise the author's name. Have you read this one before? A few of the bookshop owners complimented me on my selections, which was nice. One cafe/bookshop we went to had a gorgeous room with a fireplace, cosy chairs, bookcases around all the walls and lovely views of the mountains outside. When I bought one of the Calvino novels from there, the owner said something like 'someone who can read!' implying that I had good taste in literature. Someone else said that Orlando is supposed to be a good starting point for Woolf, so I might start with that one, even though I already have a few others on my TBR pile. The copy of Orlando that I bought is an old orange Penguin but it looks as though it has never been read and has a lovely vintagey cover. I rather like the Nevil Shute covers myself (no surprise there, I guess). I found this one in as-new condition, which made me even happier! I cannot believe my luck with all the Bloomsbury Group novels I've found recently. I don't know if you saw an earlier post of mine from a week or two ago, but I hit the jackpot one day and found three of them in one shop. I must have at least half a dozen of them now. The Christopher Milne book appears to be a volume of his childhood reminiscences about the places mentioned in the Pooh books. The George Orwell book is a collection of essays on various topics. Yes, I catalogue all my books before shelving them. I catalogue them on Goodreads and LibraryThing but I'm a bit slower to update my reading thread here. I'm also a bit slow in getting them to the shelves. It doesn't help that I've been buying books at such a fast pace (and have more to arrive in the mail) that it seems pointless to shelve them straight away when I know I'll have more to add in the next day or two. I wonder if I could make a job for myself in organising and cataloguing people's books when they are simply too busy to do it themselves? What a wonderful job that would be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Librarian Kylie - it's meant to be! Anyway you can change careers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 Librarian Kylie - it's meant to be! Anyway you can change careers? It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it? I'm currently applying for a job for something that I think is even better than being a librarian...being an editor! I would get to read all day long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladymacbeth Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Oh yay! Yep that sounds terrific. Good luck - hope you get the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Good luck Kylie that sounds just up your street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Wow Kylie, you never mentioned that, good luck with the application, it certainly does sound your kind of job. I really need to catalogue all my books again, but I really don't have the motivation at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Thanks Poppyshake! I wasn't sure about The Mitford Girls because I didn't recognise the author's name. Have you read this one before? A few of the bookshop owners complimented me on my selections, which was nice. One cafe/bookshop we went to had a gorgeous room with a fireplace, cosy chairs, bookcases around all the walls and lovely views of the mountains outside. When I bought one of the Calvino novels from there, the owner said something like 'someone who can read!' implying that I had good taste in literature. Someone else said that Orlando is supposed to be a good starting point for Woolf, so I might start with that one, even though I already have a few others on my TBR pile. The copy of Orlando that I bought is an old orange Penguin but it looks as though it has never been read and has a lovely vintagey cover. I rather like the Nevil Shute covers myself (no surprise there, I guess). I found this one in as-new condition, which made me even happier! I cannot believe my luck with all the Bloomsbury Group novels I've found recently. I don't know if you saw an earlier post of mine from a week or two ago, but I hit the jackpot one day and found three of them in one shop. I must have at least half a dozen of them now. The Christopher Milne book appears to be a volume of his childhood reminiscences about the places mentioned in the Pooh books. The George Orwell book is a collection of essays on various topics. Yes, I catalogue all my books before shelving them. I catalogue them on Goodreads and LibraryThing but I'm a bit slower to update my reading thread here. I'm also a bit slow in getting them to the shelves. It doesn't help that I've been buying books at such a fast pace (and have more to arrive in the mail) that it seems pointless to shelve them straight away when I know I'll have more to add in the next day or two. I wonder if I could make a job for myself in organising and cataloguing people's books when they are simply too busy to do it themselves? What a wonderful job that would be! Yes, the Mary S Lovell book is the book about the Mitford girls that I adore most .. you'll be fascinated. The bookshop sounds lovely .. I want to go It sounds like some of the places in Hay. Of course they think you're well read .. you are! .. by rights they should be dropping curtsies and offering you sponsorship deals. It must be nice for them to serve someone who appreciates good books.o I like the sound of the Christopher Milne book, how lucky he was to have such lovely stories told to him (a bit like Tolkien and Kipling's children.) My Dad is a cowboy (in his imagination) and so any stories told me were all about riding the range, ho downs and two fingers of red eye and whatnot (not sure if most of this was suitable for my delicate ears but it sailed way over my head anyway) .. coming from Chiswick this was quite hard for me to relate to Apparently, if I had been a boy, I would have been called Cody .. can you imagine it? .. I would've been Cody Cox .. life at school would have been hell. In hindsight, my sister and I are grateful that Mum chose our names. I can't wait to find out how you get on with Orlando. This lunchtime, after a lot of procrastinating, I picked up To the Lighthouse and just read the first page to see how I got on with it .. I got on with it very well and so am encouraged and will plod on. I'm so convinced that I will like her writing, or at least admire it, that I'm pretty terrified of finding out that the reverse is true. The Bloomsbury books do look so good on the shelf together, it's great luck that they also turn out to be good stories. I wish they would publish some more, I would like a whole row of them. A job in a library would be heavenly, but whenever I've seen a vacancy for one they want the candidate to have all sorts of qualifications which I don't have (I mean, I love books and reading, but they don't seem to be concerned with that .. which is odd.) I always thought that Tom Pinch in 'Martin Chuzzlewit' was given the best job in the world. He was shown into a huge dusty and neglected room which was full of piles of books and told to sort them, arrange them and catalogue them ... heaven! .. and he was paid handsomely too. The very best of luck with your job application Kylie, they need look no further as far as I'm concerned .. you'd be perfect Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Good luck with your application, Kylie! Editor sounds very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 A job in a library would be heavenly, but whenever I've seen a vacancy for one they want the candidate to have all sorts of qualifications which I don't have (I mean, I love books and reading, but they don't seem to be concerned with that .. which is odd.) I am a trained library assistant and there's a lot more to it than loving to read. It's all the background office stuff that you need the qualifications for. I work at a university library, where it totally doesn't count that I live to read novels. I would love to work at a public library, where I could relate better to the media they have and give recommendations to the customers and such. But so far I only had a few internships at public libraries during my 3 year job training. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 Wow Kylie, you never mentioned that, good luck with the application, it certainly does sound your kind of job. I really need to catalogue all my books again, but I really don't have the motivation at all. Thanks for the good luck wishes, Ladymacbeth, VF and Ben. I only found out about the job on Monday, Ben, and I applied for it that night. It is my absolute dream job and I applied for a position there just over a year ago but I was too late with my application and they had already filled the position/s. So I've waited a whole year to have another chance at this job! They sent me a test essay to edit and I took the whole day off work today to concentrate on it. Despite that, I've only just sent it back at 11pm. It was really badly written (before it got to me) and I'm so nervous about doing well that I spent a lot more time on it than I really needed to. Now I have a nervous wait to see if I make it through to the next round, where I will need to edit three more documents. A job in a library would be heavenly, but whenever I've seen a vacancy for one they want the candidate to have all sorts of qualifications which I don't have (I mean, I love books and reading, but they don't seem to be concerned with that .. which is odd.) I always thought that Tom Pinch in 'Martin Chuzzlewit' was given the best job in the world. He was shown into a huge dusty and neglected room which was full of piles of books and told to sort them, arrange them and catalogue them ... heaven! .. and he was paid handsomely too. The very best of luck with your job application Kylie, they need look no further as far as I'm concerned .. you'd be perfect Thanks Poppyshake. Again, it's the perfect job for me. I would be able to work from home and work my own hours. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I know I'll be very disappointed and upset if I don't get it. I could really do with some good news in my life right now. Tom Pinch's job sounds perfect for me! Stick me in a room with books (and preferably no people) and I'll be in my own little heaven. I think I would probably prefer to work in a bookshop than a library. I would very likely cry whenever I saw a book come back in bad condition. I might get violent with the perpetrators of the cruelty towards the books as well. Good luck with your application, Kylie! Editor sounds very good. Thanks mate! I am a trained library assistant and there's a lot more to it than loving to read. It's all the background office stuff that you need the qualifications for. I work at a university library, where it totally doesn't count that I live to read novels. I would love to work at a public library, where I could relate better to the media they have and give recommendations to the customers and such. But so far I only had a few internships at public libraries during my 3 year job training. Do you have to learn all that stuff about the Dewey Decimal System? I recently had a great idea relating to my local library: I thought I'd see if they had a program set up where volunteers could take books to people in the community who are physically unable to get to the library themselves (well OK, I got the great idea from a book). It turns out they have a program in place, which is a relief because I was already mildly panicking at the thought of having to set something up myself. There is an application I can fill out to become a volunteer to distribute books once or twice a month. I'm not generally a sociable person but I rather fancy the idea of visiting some old/disabled/etc folks and having a nice little chat about books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted July 13, 2011 Share Posted July 13, 2011 Do you have to learn all that stuff about the Dewey Decimal System? We don't use the Dewey Decimal Classification in germany, we have other cataloguing systems. But I kinda worked with it while volunteering in a library in Western Australia (well, I just shelved the books according to the DDC). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I recently had a great idea relating to my local library: I thought I'd see if they had a program set up where volunteers could take books to people in the community who are physically unable to get to the library themselves (well OK, I got the great idea from a book). It turns out they have a program in place, which is a relief because I was already mildly panicking at the thought of having to set something up myself. There is an application I can fill out to become a volunteer to distribute books once or twice a month. I'm not generally a sociable person but I rather fancy the idea of visiting some old/disabled/etc folks and having a nice little chat about books. What a lovely idea Kylie. Let us know how you get on. And good luck with your job application too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Oh Kylie, my fingers are firmly crossed for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 We don't use the Dewey Decimal Classification in germany, we have other cataloguing systems. But I kinda worked with it while volunteering in a library in Western Australia (well, I just shelved the books according to the DDC). Oops! I thought the DDC was one of those international things. Now I feel like one of those annoying foreigners who thinks that everything in the world should be (or already is) like everything in their own country. What a lovely idea Kylie. Let us know how you get on. And good luck with your job application too!! Thanks Poppy. The library volunteer thing is on the backburner for just a bit while I pursue my dream job. If it all works out, I'm going to be a very busy person soon (I'm trying not to think what that will do to my reading). Oh Kylie, my fingers are firmly crossed for you. Thanks Chrissy. I heard back about my test edit already and I made it through that round! Woohoo! Now I have a week to do several more tests, and if I make it through that there will be another test followed by an interview. Phew! I have a long way to go yet, but the fact that I made it through the first (rather difficult) edit has given me a bit of a boost to my confidence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 You are inspiring, Kylie. You are pursuing things that will make you happy. You are not 'settling', and that is inspirational. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Aww, thanks Chrissy. I'm not sure that I agree though. It has taken me way too long to get to a point where I'm motivated to do anything, and even now it is still difficult. I'm terrified but also excited about pursuing this. My life-long dreams could eventually be fulfilled if I get this job (no pressure though ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Oops! I thought the DDC was one of those international things. Now I feel like one of those annoying foreigners who thinks that everything in the world should be (or already is) like everything in their own country. Oh Kylie, that's totally fine. How should you know about german library catalogue systems? While volunteering at the public library in Western Australia they told me about their library system in WA. I found it to be very good, as the State library would always exchange their books with the other libraries. That little library I worked at just didn't have the money to buy a lot of books themself, so they always got 100 books or so from the state library and after a while they exchanged them for 100 other books. This way the customers always had "fresh" reading material. Because all the WA libraries use the DDC, it's possible to use all books in all libraries. So a big YAY for australian libraries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 But you are pursuing it, that's the thing. You are, and however long it has taken you to reach this point, you are going for it. That's worthy of note. Regardless of the outcome you are moving forward, and in many ways you are doing this despite the last few years of difficulties and stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Well done Kylie for getting through to the next round and the very best of luck with your next task we're all rooting for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delilah Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I am a trained library assistant and there's a lot more to it than loving to read. It's all the background office stuff that you need the qualifications for. I work at a university library, where it totally doesn't count that I live to read novels. I would love to work at a public library, where I could relate better to the media they have and give recommendations to the customers and such. But so far I only had a few internships at public libraries during my 3 year job training. Yes I also once thought on starting a Master's degree in Library Science but then I realized I don't find library work stimulating enough! Maybe like what Kylie wants to do editor. Will have to check that book out by the guys who goes mad while achieving success! Sounds very interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Well done Kylie am keeping my fingers crossed for you for the next parts, but I think you'll pass with flying colours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Oops! I thought the DDC was one of those international things. Now I feel like one of those annoying foreigners who thinks that everything in the world should be (or already is) like everything in their own country. He who drinks Australian thinks Australian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 (edited) Great book haul today! Challenge titles in brackets. Fiction Pat Califia: Doc and Fluff (dystopian; I've been looking for this book for years and couldn't find it anywhere) Dave Eggers: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Rory) Jack London: The Iron Heel (1001, dystopian) Katherine Mansfield: The Collected Stories (501) William Morris: News from Nowhere and Other Stories (1001) Shel Silverstein: Where the Sidewalk Ends (1001 children) Harriet Beecher Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1001, Rory) Rabindranath Tagore: Selected Poems Non-Fiction Anne Fadiman: Rereadings Virginia Holman: Rescuing Patty Hearst (Rory) Susanna Kaysen: GIrl, Interrupted (Rory) Alberto Manguel: Into the Looking-Glass Woods: Essays on Books, Reading, and the World HL Mencken: My Life As Author and Editor (Rory) Simon Winchester: Krakatoa I also bought/received two other books in the last couple of weeks: JG Ballard: Miracles of Life Strunk and White: The Elements of Style Edited July 26, 2011 by Kylie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauraloves Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 wow great haul Kylie you have loads of new challenge books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Yes good haul Kylie...I was secretly hoping for news of your job application though ! 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.