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 Today’s question: Work multiples. Do you own multiple copies of any books? Which ones? Why? Can you share your list?
I don’t own many multiples, at least not listed in LT. Here are the ones under my statistics:
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Norton Critical Edition (2004), Paperback)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Penguin (Non-Classics) (2004), Paperback, 864 pages)
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Signet Classics (2002), Paperback, 960 pages)
- Abhorsen by Garth Nix (Eos (2004), Paperback, 528 pages)
Abhorsen by Garth Nix (HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks (2005), Paperback, 400 pages)
I have my original paperback copy of Anna Karenina, a copy in Russian (which is hardcover and not catalogued properly), and a Norton critical edition because the professor required that one and my original copy was at home anyway. I thought that was my only multiple, but I see that I also have two copies of Abhorsen. I bought one on my own, and my boyfriend bought me the second one because he thought I’d like it without realizing that I already had it. The days before LT, of course.
I also have two versions of Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone that I haven’t catalogued. I’ve listed one, of course, my original paperback. My mom gave me that in my beat-books-up days and thus it has been bent, stained, and dog-eared beyond belief, so I got a new hardcover sometime last year. I think between us my fiance and I have at least one duplicate, but he doesn’t have many books and he’s not buying at all now that he has my collection to read from, so I don’t foresee that becoming a problem.
I keep all copies of the books I own. I remember which ones I have eerily well, so I don’t have any accidental duplicates. Mainly I keep the few I have for sentimental value. If I was going to buy duplicates on purpose, it would most likely be to acquire a better translation of foreign language books or if a special edition was released.
Do you own any book duplicates?
This week’s question: Legacy libraries. With which legacy libraries do you share books? Tell us a little about a couple of them and what you share.
If I’m counting correctly, always a dubious thing with me, I share books with 38 of the legacy libraries listed. That seems quite a lot more than the last time I checked, so they must be adding many more libraries. Makes sense because some are complete. Anyway, that statistic in mind, the person I share the most with by a fairly large amount is Ernest Hemingway. We have 52 books in common. With that sort of reading taste, how did he manage to put out such boring literature?
Okay, I can’t legitimately say that, having read only The Old Man and the Sea nine or so years ago. But I know I didn’t like it, so haven’t bothered to read anything else. I don’t think our similar taste in literature will compel me to read more, either, although I like him more for his Russian literature and his Edith Wharton.
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Just a reminder for anyone who doesn’t frequent my blog – I’ve got two giveaways on, one for Paul of Dune and one for The Heretic Queen. Stop by and enter if you’re interested! I don’t have many entries so far, so your chances are high.
Today’s question: Series. Do you collect any series? Do you read series books? Fantasy? Mystery? Science fiction? Religious? Other genre? Do you use the series feature in LT to help you find new books or figure out what you might be missing from a series?
I love a good series. According to LibraryThing, I have at least one book from 296 series, covering 544 books in total. That’s nearly half my library. I think that this is probably due to my somewhat large collection of fantasy – almost all fantasy books come in series and I quite like it that way. I also have a fair number of historical romance novels, most of which come in series form too, although each can normally stand alone. I’m impressed by the amount of knowledge people have contributed to the series feature on LibraryThing; there are many books that I own that I didn’t even realize were part of any series, like Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy. Who knew?
I like to read series because they allow me to form a greater attachment to characters I can revisit over and over again. In fantasy novels, I like that the complexity of the story can grow with each book, but I only like that if the series is going to end someday. I have one in particular that has left me hanging for a while now, which is George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. He’s still alive, which is nice, but he still hasn’t finished the fifth book of the series, which was supposed to be imminently published after number four. At the rate he’s going, it’s easy to worry that he won’t finish it and even more so that the final books will never live up to our expectations. He hasn’t got it all planned out for the wondrous Brandon Sanderson (or someone like him) to take over like Robert Jordan did. This is a shame because the first three books of the series were probably the best I’ve ever read in fantasy.
So I guess that’s the only pitfall. I want a conclusion! Otherwise, series are a yes for me.
Today’s question: Early Reviewers- do you participate? How many books (approximately) have you received through the program? Have you liked them generally? What’s your favorite ER book? Do you participate in the discussion group on LT?
Yes, I participate, and I love the program. I’ve been in it since the beginning, June 2007 according to the Early Reviewers profile, but I didn’t get a book until October. I seem to get books every few months. I believe I have received seven, even though I only “officially” got six. They are Luminous Cities by Eduardo Garcia Aguilar, Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah, The Girl with No Shadow by Joanne Harris, The Venetian Mask by Rosalind Laker, Sweetsmoke by David Fuller, and Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland. I also received The Fire by Katherine Neville ostensibly through the program because the publisher had extra copies, but I haven’t finished it yet. Actually, thinking about it, I got Firefly Lane the same way. So far my luck seems to be about 50/50 as to the quality of the books. Of the six I’ve read, I enjoyed three and really disliked three. I don’t really anticipate getting any more books soon because I’m in the UK at the moment and the books we get over here are few and far between. Still trying though. So far my favorite is Sweetsmoke by David Fuller, by several miles.
I’m a member of the group and I participate sometimes. Usually, I ignore it because it’s mostly the same complaining about the algorithim and lack of books/abundance of books for others as well as confused questions by newbies who can’t find the list when it isn’t up yet. I’m just happy to have free books occasionally – it gets frustrating when I don’t get any for months, but that’s the way it works. I do try to participate in discussions of books I’ve received, though.
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And in other news, the final count is in – I managed to bring 40 books over here with me in two large suitcases and a backpack. I won’t be running out of books over here any time soon though because the city centre has four new and four used bookstores!
This week’s question: -LibraryThing’s Recently Added feature: do you look at it? Do you use it for ideas? Is there something listed there now that looks interesting to you? What have you added to your LT library recently?
I look at it sometimes just to see what’s been added, but I don’t really pay much attention to it. Generally the books are so random that it’s not entirely worth the time to figure out what they all are, but it’s nice to see what others are reading or adding to their TBR piles. It awes me that people are adding books to LT every minute that I’m looking, every day.
I haven’t added anything to my LT library recently. To be honest I’m a little afraid of my TBR piles and occasionally I try to pretend they don’t exist, although right now it’s more a matter of digging the books out of all our packed stuff from camping. I have I think five books to add – The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham, The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas, The Making of the Middle Ages by R. W. Southern, The Queen’s Man by Sharon Kay Penman, Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell, and The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick. Okay, that’s six, and now I’ve taken them out so I will diligently put them into LT.
My fiance and his mother have both decided that I should stop buying books and use the library. They know I’m not going to listen to them. The library is well and good, but I really prefer to own my books. I love to have them, look at them, and know I can reread them even if I never actually do. Besides, I’ve never been to a library that had all the books I wanted to read and though I can request books for purchase, I’m sure they’d stop after dealing with me for a month or two. On top of that, I always want to own the books I like that I’ve read from the library, so I still buy them when I can. We may not have space in our house for anything else, but having so many books makes me happier. And since I never pay more than $4 (£2) for a book unless it’s a recent release that I must have, I don’t think this is too much of a problem.
What do you think?
From the Boston Bibliophile: For this week’s Tuesday Thingers, I’ve copied the list of the most-challenged books of the 1990s straight from the ALA website. I’ve highlighted the ones I’ve read. Highlight what you’ve read, and italicize what you have in your LT library.
1. Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2. Daddy’s Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
11. Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman
12. My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
13. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry
15. It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
16. Goosebumps (Series) by R.L. Stine
17. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. Sex by Madonna
20. Earth’s Children (Series) by Jean M. Auel
21. The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson
22. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
23. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
24. Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
25. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
26. The Stupids (Series) by Harry Allard
27. The Witches by Roald Dahl
28. The New Joy of Gay Sex by Charles Silverstein
29. Anastasia Krupnik (Series) by Lois Lowry
30. The Goats by Brock Cole
31. Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
32. Blubber by Judy Blume
33. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
34. Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam
35. We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
36. Final Exit by Derek Humphry
37. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
38. Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
39. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
40. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters by Lynda Madaras
41. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
42. Beloved by Toni Morrison
43. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
44. The Pigman by Paul Zindel
45. Bumps in the Night by Harry Allard
46. Deenie by Judy Blume
47. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
48. Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden
49. The Boy Who Lost His Face by Louis Sachar
50. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat by Alvin Schwartz
51. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
52. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
53. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
54. Asking About Sex and Growing Up by Joanna Cole
55. Cujo by Stephen King
56. James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
57. The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell
58. Boys and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
59. Ordinary People by Judith Guest
60. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
61. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons by Lynda Madaras
62. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume
63. Crazy Lady by Jane Conly
64. Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher
65. Fade by Robert Cormier
66. Guess What? by Mem Fox
67. The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
68. The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney
69. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
70. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
71. Native Son by Richard Wright
72. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies by Nancy Friday
73. Curses, Hexes and Spells by Daniel Cohen
74. Jack by A.M. Homes
75. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A. Anaya
76. Where Did I Come From? by Peter Mayle
77. Carrie by Stephen King
78. Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
79. On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
80. Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
81. Family Secrets by Norma Klein
82. Mommy Laid An Egg by Babette Cole
83. The Dead Zone by Stephen King
84. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
85. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
86. Always Running by Luis Rodriguez
87. Private Parts by Howard Stern
88. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford
89. Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
90. Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
91. Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
92. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher
93. Sex Education by Jenny Davis
94. The Drowning of Stephen Jones by Bette Greene
95. Girls and Sex by Wardell Pomeroy
96. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
97. View from the Cherry Tree by Willo Davis Roberts
98. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
99. The Terrorist by Caroline Cooney
100. Jump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
I’ll be reading The Bluest Eye tomorrow in celebration of Banned Books week. I actually read most of the bolded books in school or when I was young; I was assigned three of them to read in eighth grade alone. I wish I could go back and thank that teacher for opening our minds!
I’m still behind on commenting; I just read 388 blog posts from the past three days and I’m feeling overwhelmed by life (and I have dishes to do and reading to catch up on), so I probably won’t get around to commenting on other Tuesday Thingers posts until tomorrow. I’m sorry! I’ll have a look round then.
Today’s Question: Favorite Authors. Who do you have named in your LT account as favorite authors? Why did you choose them? How many people share your choices? Can you share a picture of one of them?
I have several:
Jane Austen
Jacqueline Carey
Bernard Cornwell
Robin Hobb
Kazuo Ishiguro
Guy Gavriel Kay
Stephen King
George R. R. Martin
Sharon Kay Penman
Brandon Sanderson
Leo Tolstoy
Edith Wharton
In general, I choose favorite authors based on how much I love two or more of their books and the fact that I’m on a mission to own all of their books. Well, except for Bernard Cornwell, as I haven’t tried out his Sharpe series yet; I’ve got a couple of them, but they’re not in my time period so I’m not sure I’ll like them. Generally, my favorite authors write in my favorite genres, and I have an equal representation of historical fiction, fantasy, and classic literature. I’ve got two who don’t fit. Ishiguro is my favorite modern writer and I think he’s absolutely brilliant. My biggest aberration here is Stephen King, but I unequivocally adore him so he can stay despite not writing in one of my genres or writing “literary” fiction. 
 I’ve got twelve authors listed, and two people on LT share five of them. A lot share three or four, so I’m inclined to think my favorites aren’t all that strange. The author that is least popular is Brandon Sanderson – only 47 people have included him in their list. I really enjoy Brandon’s books, so I think people are missing out, especially those who enjoy fantasy. Besides that, he’s a nice guy and his blog is one of my favorite author blogs. I hope more are discovering him now that he’s working hard on the last of the Wheel of Time books.
My most popular author is Jane Austen with over 1,000 fans, which isn’t at all a surprise. She deserves all that credit!
See the photo of Brandon to the left – I think he deserves to have his picture here since he is the least popular on LT.
Finally, I have an unrelated update – I apologize if anyone attempted to access my blog this morning to find it down. My server was having some issues, but they’ve been sorted out now as far as I know.
Today’s Question: Have you ever added a quote to the quotation field in common knowledge? What’s a quote you particularly like from a book, one that you know by heart?
Nope! I’ve added very little to common knowledge, actually. Some characters’ names and author genders and such, easy stuff that I know off-hand and can put in without too much work. I’m not a big quote person. Maybe I should be, I do come across quotes that I love, but I never seem to write them down or remember them, and usually it doesn’t bother me very much. So I don’t really have any memorized, except for obvious ones like the opening to Pride and Prejudice. I have a particularly good quote that I noted in my livejournal a few months back, though, that I will share.
“Joscelin, is love supposed to make you feel like you’re sick and dying, and mad enough to hit someone, and drunk with joy, and your heart’s a boulder in your chest trying to burst into a thousand pieces, all at once?”
– Kushiel’s Justice, Jacqueline Carey
I noted this one because it sums up perfectly how I felt when I was frustrated by love in the beginning, and while it’s settled into a much more comfortable phase since then, it can still cause those emotions, all at once. This is part of the reason I love Jacqueline Carey; this is the first time in the series that she’s summed it up like that, but she does a brilliant job showing what love is and even in a fantasy novel, the emotions she portrays are genuine and very true to life. There is a reason she’s one of my favorite authors.
As usual, from Marie at The Boston Bibliophile:
Today’s question: Awards. Do you follow any particular book awards? Do you ever choose books based on awards? What award-winning books do you have? (Off the top of your head only- no need to look this up- it would take all day!) What’s your favorite award-winning book?
I don’t really follow any. I’ve become interested in the Man Booker prize recently, mainly because The Remains of the Day won it and if they chose that book, they must have good taste. Then I read two Bookers that I was less than enamored with, The Sea by John Banville and Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie. So I’m not sure I’ll continue to follow it. I have another in my collection, Possession by A.S. Byatt, so I’ll give that a shot before I decide to follow it in earnest (read more of them, pay attention to the long and short lists, etc.). I also tend to gravitate towards buying Pulitzer Prize winners, as I’ve liked most of those that I’ve read in the past, like The Hours by Michael Cunningham.
My favorite award winner is probably The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. And there’s another Pulitzer Prize for you right there, so obviously, I should start following that prize!
Today’s question: Members who have your books. Do you ever look at this feature? Do you use it to make LT friends, or compare notes? There are three tabs- weighted, raw, and recent. “Weighted,” which means “weighted by book obscurity and library size” is probably the least self-explanatory of the three, whereas “raw” and “recent” are more so. Do you get any kind of use out of this feature?
I don’t really use it in any of the ways described. Mainly, I look at it and see who I know has the most similar books. I’ve looked at nearly all of my top most similar libraries, but the large majority of the weighted ones have in common mainly romance novels. I’m not really interested in expanding too much in the romance genre as I don’t read them much at the moment, so those libraries aren’t as useful as they could be and I don’t feel that they reflect my current tastes very well. I do have a few book bloggers that I know on my list now, though, probably thanks to ARCs. I like this feature, but only to observe and perhaps see what similar books I might be interested in.
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