Addenda

[oyceter]

Addenda to 15 things about books (aka, I cheat! Muhahaha!)

3a. I mention reading speed not because it's a how-fast-or-slow-I-read thing (I read faster than some people. I read slower than some people. I figure, as long as I'm getting what I want to be getting out of the thing, all is good) but because it was a very important number for me. I'd basically negotiate hours in bookstores or libraries with my mom all the time ("How long are you going to spend there?" "Four hours!" "Four?? Two!" "Three?") because I would make her dump me there whenever she went shopping, or just when we went to Taipei (they had English bookstores there!). So it was absolutely crucial to know about how many pages an hour I could read, because then I could try and pick a book that I thought I could finish in that time. This usually worked against me; I'd spend so long picking a book that by the time I started reading, I would inevitably be at the climactic good parts when my mom would drag me off screaming. I've still not finished a good deal of books because of this, though for others, I would determinedly camp out in a bookstore for several days in a row just to finish.

Also, 100 is a much easier number to divide into things that 135 or 85.

14a. (this is going to make no one ever want to invite me over to their house ever, ever again) I try not to be judgmental about books on shelves, but it is difficult. I check over bookshelves because a) I am a snoop (though I only check on bookshelves openly displayed, unless I have been introduced to bookshelves in rooms, in which case it's all fair game), b) I am selfish and want to survey to see if there's anything I want to borrow, and c) sometimes it's not even intentional, but I seem to naturally gravitate toward the shelves. They call to meeeee!!

14b. Ever since I worked at a used bookstore as a book buyer, I now have the truly horrible habit of trying to evaluate how much the contents of someone's shelves would get at the used bookstore. Not necessarily the general fiction, but if there's obscure knitting or quilting books, or random metaphysics books, or rare frsts or something, I tend to go into "acquire" mode for the bookstore even though I don't even work there anymore!

Oh my god, no one is ever going to want to have me over at their house now.

Um, yes, that's my dirty book laundry. What's yours?

Comments

[kythiaranos.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about inspecting acquaintances' book shelves. I figure I can tell a lot about someone by the books they display, or the lack thereof.

I figure it could be worse. My little sister was a total home-decoration snob when younger (well, perhaps she still is) and decided at an early age that she could tell everything she needed to know about someone by the state of their bathroom. She had to visit the facilities in any home she entered, much to Mom's chagrin. And then give a detailed report on the way home.

[oyceter]

*snork*

That's awesome! She would probably conclude from mine that I am very messy, like girly shower curtains, and have books on every flat surface available, all of which is correct ;).

[maga-dogg.livejournal.com]

One wonders: do you really want to be invited to the houses of people who are ASHAMED of their bookshelves?

[oyceter]

Well, sometimes people aren't ashamed of their shelves but I end up being judgmental anyhow... (you have no idea how many times people have recced The Da Vinci Code to me). I mean, I figure reading things in general is better than not, even if they are things that I don't necessarily like.

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to think if I have the habit of examining other people's bookshelves, and I think I don't have it badly (probably because I have an excessive discomfort with being in someone else's space). However, I do have a lot of friends who gravitate immediately to my shelves, and I totally don't mind that. ^^

Reading fast is strange. I'm always aware that I'm a very fast reader (although not the fastest I know, and probably not as fast as I used to be), but I think it's because while I was growing up everyone made such a big deal of it--usually people I didn't like, like classmates who'd stop by my desk every hour or so and *stare* at my book to see how many pages I'd gone through since their last stare. So it's a weird facet of my identity now. :/

[canandagirl.livejournal.com]

Oooohh! I love your purple icon!!!

[hysteriachan.livejournal.com]

It's from a fractal set posted to obsessiveicons--I just poked around the memories, but couldn't find the post right off. :/ There're a lot of really nice icons in it, though.

[oyceter]

Oo yeah, I definitely had people ask me if I had actually read the book and quiz me on stuff.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

You mean there are people who don't inspect bookshelves when let into someone's house ?

[oyceter]

I guess so! Strange, but true.

[heresluck]

Re: 14a: There are people who *don't* do that? Huh.

Re: 14b: Yep. For me it's shelving and alphabetizing, though. I cannot stop myself from reshelving something that's been put in the wrong section, and then from telling the folks at the counter what I did in case they had it listed incorrectly in the computer system.

[oyceter]

Hee! I love trying to figure out how people have organized their shelves as well. And I am a reshelver in bookstores, but usually not in libraries.

[canandagirl.livejournal.com]

Heehee...you must have been such a trial to your mother! I use to get my mother to drive me to the video store, in which I'd spend the next 2 hours looking at movie titles and decide which one I wanted to rent. She learned to bring a book while she waited for me in the car.

I suppose my dirty little book secret is that I like to collect books. I buy books for whatever reason, and then they sit forever on my bookshelf waiting to be read. The reason for this is because I read at the leisure pace of about 30 p/h.

If you ever come down to L.A., you have a standing invitation to come over to my place and stare at my bookshelves without shame.

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

The time-before-last I was at a party at canandagirl's place, I not only stood staring at her bookshelves, but pulled out a wriet's reference book on poisons and read gruesome symptoms aloud for twenty minutes. I am amazed she invited me back.

[oyceter]

*snork*

I can so see you doing that! That rocks!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

"Wriet," of course, being "writer," as opposed to a species of oriole.

[oyceter]

LOL! Yes, my mom was usually somewhat confused as to why in the world I'd want to spend four hours in a bookstore, but to her credit, she'd take me anyway!

Oooo a bookshelf invitation! Yay!

[canandagirl.livejournal.com]

Just let Rachel know when your in town, and we can all get together, stare at bookshelves and eat to our hearts content!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_abulafia/]

I read at the leisure pace of about 30 p/h

Yes...! I was beginning to think I was alone!

[canandagirl.livejournal.com]

Me too!! Slow-poke readers unite!

[avrelia.livejournal.com]

Hee! I definitely check out the bookshelves whenever I visit someone - even if I cannot read them, such as at my friends' place where most books are in Polish and Romanian, I still gravitate there. ;)

about the dirty laundry - I love to lend or recommend books to read, which is good, but I really need to know whether a person read that book and like it.

or, and I posted my own list here (http://www.livejournal.com/users/avrelia/106952.html)

[oyceter]

Oh cool! I love this meme and am glad lots of people are doing it so I can read it!

I have a horrible habit of borrowing tons and tons of books and then never getting around to reading them.