Briansgirl "Master Book Sale Huntress"'s comments

Briansgirl "Master Book Sale Huntress"'s comments from the The Next Best Book Club group.

Note: Briansgirl "Master Book Sale Huntress" is no longer a member of this group.

I tried reading this once (Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell) because I saw it in a People Magazine list of best books for that year. After 2 chapters I found this thing so bloody boring I gave it back to the library. It might get better, but I wasn't about to read any more of it to find out.

Mel wrote: "One word I refuse to pronounce correctly is Worcestershire (like the sauce), I pronounce (along with my mother) all of the parts of the word -- it's not wooshteshire sauce to me. It's war-chester-shire sauce. :-P ..."

I usually try to avoid saying the word since I always assume I'll say it wrong. lol

I've got shelves on some bookcases 2 high and 3 deep with paperbacks until some shelves are totally packed to the point they definetly can't hold anymore. I also store some stacked on the top of the bookshelf (for hardbacks).

I'm just surprised she'd phone the library on how to spell a word!

Kandice wrote: "I just don't think of looking on the internet FIRST. *dinosaur clumps away*"

I'm just too lazy to go downstairs for the thick heavy dictionary. lol

Kandice wrote: "Becky, you are such a marvel! It still doesn't occur to me to look things up on Google or whatever. I grew up with dictionaries. Thank you :)"

I get lazy and use an online dictionary. lol
However, whenever my kids ask me how to spell anything when they're doing their homework I make them break out the 3+ inch thick dictionary and look it up. hehe (Which, btw, I won at a bookstore a decade ago in a drawing. They said very few entered to win it.)

Fiona wrote: "There's no point in making more then one topic I suppose.

I'm going to copy someone else's challenge and do an A-Z one too. Including the ones I've already read."

Are you going to try A-Z Authors as well as A-Z Book Titles? I'm using some books for both lists so you don't necessarily have to read twice as many. And for authors, the group I'm doing it in said first or last name counts, although I'm trying to use all last names except for X.

wow, you read fast

Susanna wrote: "If it's the Boston Celtics, it's "sel-tics"; if it's the ancient inhabitants of the British Isles, it's "Kel-tics." That's what I was taught, anyway."

You are correct.

When does the challenge end? How long do we have to read for this?

I'll read reviews if it's books or authors I'm not familiar with but I've heard recommened on Goodreads. I've done that recently for Outlander and Odd Thomas. Both are a bit different than what I'd normally read. When it comes to stuff like Harlequins... I just read the back blurbs til I find one that peaks my interest enough to open the book.

As for writing reviews... mine are usually pretty short. I've only put written reviews on a few so far because I only joined last month and I wasn't writing reviews on older books I've read that I put in unless I really remember something (good or bad) about it. I was just sent a book to review by the author that I'll put a longer review on.

Joanna wrote: "This is related in a way, but it got me going on this again and I had to put in my two cents.

I have to say that I was always peeved with my English instructors for marking my papers down for usin..."

I find myself using more and more british words all the time having picked them up as my fiance is british. But I have to stop myself when speaking with others as they won't have a clue what many of them are. When my kids joined the youth soccer leagues I had to call it football when speaking to my fiance, but soccer to other americans.

Jane wrote: "Briansgirl wrote: "Well done Jane! I forgot you were listing the Beatrix Potter books. No wonder you're ahead of me. lol I've got the complete set of those in Nathan's closet but havn't read them t..."

I read them while stationed in Germany. I bought a Beatrix Potter set of children's china tea set from a china shop. The Stars and Stripes bookstore on the military base had a set of hardback Beatrix Potter books in a collector's box. It's got like 22 books in it. They let me put it on lay-away and each payday I bought 2 books til I had the set and they gave me the box. Later, after I got married and had kids I decorated the nursery in a Beatrix Potter theme. I'm pretty sure I read them all as I bought them, lol, but I have no idea. I really only remember a couple of them. I've got cross stitch charts for Beatrix Potter too if you're interested in any.

Lisa wrote: "yeah I need to figure out how to put mine in alphabetical order...Right now I'm just typing them into the excel file."

It was a bit tricky. I hit the AZ (arrow up or down) button after highlighting the column to sort it alphabetically. Trouble came in that if it only sorted the one column, not the entire list, then the book titles would be alphabetical but would no longer match up with the authors. I can't remember how I did it now, but I managed to keep all the rows together so all the books data stayed intact, but alphabatized the column (title or author) I needed. Just be sure to save it before you start if you don't do it right you can easily go back and try again if undo doesn't work. I had 3 copies of the list when I was done. The original GRs export file, one saved alphabetical by book title and one by author. But I need to do this again after I finish inputting the rest of my books.

Lisa wrote: "Wow...that is cool. I've been keeping track of my books in an excel sheet."

I'm not that organized. lol The best record I've got is what I've read (not counting children's books) in a notebook over the last 5 years. I've put those into Goodreads (although was too lazy to put the dates read in, lol). So the GoodReads shelves are the only inventory I have of my home library. I did export it and sort by author or alphabetical by title. After I finish inputting more harlequins in, I'll export again.

The few shopping carts would be gone as soon as the door opens. In fact, there is a line of folks with boxes and bags at the door waiting for them to open. lol I'd have grandparents babysit the kids and take the stroller with me to use as a shopping cart. I'd go to the romance table and grab books based on the color of the spine (telling me which harlequin series it falls into). Everyone is just grabbing books left and right like a madhouse. After I had what I thought was enough, lol, I'd stop and off to the side pack my bags. Paperbacks are the perfect height to match the width of a paper grocery sack. I'd pack a row across, and then add another. I think you can get either 4 or 5 rows high and the bag is stuffed like a huge brick! lol I'm pretty sure I got at least 60 books into each bag, maybe more. So at $1/bag, you'd get alot of books quickly from this sale and I used to get a couple bags each year at the annual sale. I think this year I'll grab books off the regular fiction and mystery tables as my romance collection is now quite extensive although old. I only started inputting all of them (slowly) into Goodreads as I don't have any other inventory of them and as I'm searching through my home library for books to fill the A-Z Book and A-Z Author challenges, it's easier than searching shelves that are stacked 2 high and 3 deep. lol

Lisa wrote: "It's so easy to collect books...lol "

It is when you can get 60+ books for $1, however much you can fit in a bag! lol I love the bag sales that last morning. No time to read titles that morning though as it's a mad house as everyone is just grabbing. At least the tables are sorted by genre.

Well done Jane! I forgot you were listing the Beatrix Potter books. No wonder you're ahead of me. lol I've got the complete set of those in Nathan's closet but havn't read them to him yet. He asks us to read him Cat in the Hat repeatedly! lol I will count (adult) short stories {like Rip Van Winkle} but I havn't counted children's books.

You've made a good start. I came close to my goal last year as well but didn't quite make it. I think after finding GRs I'll bust it this year!

Once I started inputing my harlequin romance shelves (havn't gotten to the boxes yet) my unread pile on GRs is just huge. I know I've read more of these than what's listed but if I can't remember, they go in as unread. (I had to seperate the unread from the to-read shelves on GRs). I still have boxes in the basement to eventually list. lol (I have so many because my father gives me his after he's done, I get Harlequin desires off a lady on freecycle giving them away, and I hit the annual summer friends of the library book sale where on the last day books are $1/bag and I can get about 60 into a paper grocery sack. And at that price, I'd get more than one bag. Of course, many of those are 20-40 year old romance novels.)