Serena_v's comments (member since Aug 02, 2008)

Serena_v's comments from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die group.

I'm usually reading two or three books at the same time, most from the library, until the due date is looming and I'm forced to sit and finish one. I thrive on deadlines, hahahaha. Now that I'm knitting and crocheting more again I've been doing more audio books lately on public transportation and sometimes at work.

But I do take my Palm Pilot with me everywhere, so there are always 5 to 10 titles available there; some downloaded from the library some from the public domain, all free and available whenever I'm waiting and have nothing to do. I'm sure the Kindle reads a lot more like a real book, but I love the portability of the Palm TX and the fact that I have lots of card games and trivia games and other distractions available, as well as emergency internet access (comes in handy on vacation to check work email without having to haul along a laptop). I really enjoy reading from the Palm, especially laying on my side at night with the auto scroll on. It's not so good in the sun though.

Libby wrote: "Actually I had no idea that many public libraries had that - I'll have to check it out. Thanks for sharing!

"

Oh fantastic, I hope yours has it too. Mine enters books into the system even before they're published. So if I have a favorite author with a new book coming out in a few months I'll get on the hold list right away. There's even ways to search for books on order (for my library you go to 'advanced search' and enter "on order" as the Call Number). I've been pleasantly surprised using this search to find books, in categories I like, ahead of the publication date.

Libby wrote: "Jen wrote: "Why not just use the public library? I'm sure in NYC you can get ANY of these titles. In our small library we can get books from just about anywhere in the states using ILL. Seems li..."

Keep in mind that most public libraries have become quite easily accessible through the internet. A trip to the local branch of my library is generally about 2 minutes as I dash in the door, return anything I'm returning and go to the "hold shelf" to pickup whatever I've reserved online. It's not so much hit-and-miss anymore; spending lots of time at your branch, hoping they have a certain title on the shelf that particular day. You go online and place a hold on the title and they email you when it's at your local branch (all my books are there together on a "hold shelf" near the front door, so it really is a 2 second process to grab them, scan them and get back outside) waiting for you to pick it up.

My library system has a feature where you can freeze your holds (all of them or specific titles) if you aren't ready yet for a certain book or books. So you can get on the hold list and move up in line as normal, but when the book is ready they will give it to the next person in line until you unfreeze your request. And then you're first in line when a copy becomes available. My library system allows 20 holds per person and I utilize this feature to the fullest.

If you request a title for which no one else is waiting, it just takes a day or two before they email you and it's waiting at your local branch.

Anyway, sorry if this is old news to anyone, I'm just trying to be helpful.

Many libraries also now offer digital downloads of books and audio books. If there's a title with a long wait list, or something I'm not sure I will like, I often grab the digital download and get started with it on my computer screen or palm pilot. If you're interested in portable digital books, you don't have to spend money on Kindle versions; you can get many of the same titles free from the library to use on most PDAs.

For classics, I agree with adding 'The Metamorphosis' - definitely a must-read.

Also Kenneth Roberts, one of my all time favorite authors; shouldn't 'Northwest Passage' (at least) and 'Rabble in Arms' be included in the list?

As for newer books, the two that come to mind for me are 'Out Stealing Horses' by Per Petterson and 'Evening is the Whole Day' by Preeta Samarasan.

Oh I forgot about David Sedaris, his audio books are excellent! You may want to check your library's web site to see if they have free audio book downloads too. Then you're not just limited to what's available at your branch.

Earlier I mentioned A Short History of Nearly Everything, and I've enjoyed many others by Bill Bryson as well - so there's another recommendation.

The Time Traveller's Wife was also good in audio format and was easier to follow (in my opinion) than the printed version because of the dual narration.

I also enjoyed Letting Go of God by Julia Sweeney. I have a definite preference for books narrated by the author; it seems to really add something having the inflection exactly as the author intended. Her narration is excellent.

I loved the audio versions of Cloud Atlas and Life of Pi. Just be aware in Cloud Atlas, like the book, it cuts off right in the middle of a story to go to the next (in one case mid-sentence). A short History of Nearly Everything was good too, and also Angela's Ashes (read by the author). I got through Choke via audio book (also read by the author, with a nice bit of additional material at the end).

I hope you're feeling better soon.