I know many of us have unread books on our shelves. Others, like myself, can't pass up a book bargain and keep stacks of to-be-read books. I don't want to not have something to read; plus I have to be able to satisfy any mood.

What Bookmark reviewed books do you have waiting to be read on your shelves? And which Bookmark inspired books have you recently purchased?

I know I have lots of unread Bookmarks reviewed books on my shelf, but I'm just going to start with the ones I came home with today from Goodwill.

Ghostwalk by Rebecca Stott - Hardback
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson - Hardback
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters - Trade

I got all three for under $6.00. I always get excited when I find Bookmark books for a steal.

Lisa wrote: "I know many of us have unread books on our shelves. Others, like myself, can't pass up a book bargain and keep stacks of to-be-read books. I don't want to not have something to read; plus I have t..."

Oh my goodness, the list is too long to post! Many of the ones I've gotten lately, I've been inspired to get because of reviews from the people on this group.

Betsy, join the club. I'll post my long list of owned but unread. If enough of us post, then maybe we can find some common shelf sitters to read together.


2004 Books:
*
2005 Books:
*
2006 Books:
*
2007 Books:

2008 Books:
* * *
2009 Books:
*

* I have these books on my schedule to read during the Fall. I'm hoping to work a few others into my schedule. As I was posting, I noticed that quite a few of these are recent purchases from my local Goodwill store. I've really been hitting the jackpot on my bargain book excursions there!

Here's what we have in common:

People of the Book I have on my bedside table, and Charlotte Simmons, Dragon Tattoo and Whiskey Rebel are on my TBR list, but I don't have them yet.

I started, but didn't finish and swapped, Post-Birthday World. I found the main character mildly annoying and finally gave it up. I have too many books to spend time forcing myself to read something I'm not liking.

Betsy wrote: "Here's what we have in common:

People of the Book I have on my bedside table, and Charlotte Simmons, Dragon Tattoo and Whiskey Rebel are on my TBR list, but I don't have them yet.

People of the Book is great and I'd highly recommend it, but my book club read I Am Charlotte Simmons and we all thought it was a big waste of time and extremely boring. If you haven't bought it yet, I'd suggest not buying - if you really want to read it, just check it out from the library and spend the dollars on a good book.

Lynn wrote: "Betsy wrote: "Here's what we have in common:

People of the Book I have on my bedside table, and Charlotte Simmons, Dragon Tattoo and Whiskey Rebel are on my TBR list, but I don't have them yet.

..."

Hmmmm. I haven't bought it yet. Has the group read other Tom Wolfe and enjoyed them? I'm a big fan of his.

I haven't read other Tom Wolfe books than I Am Charlotte Simmons, that was the first -- and didn't make me want to read others. If you are curious why, I think it's best summed up in the Bookmarks magazine review of the book. I totally agree with the review. I understand some of his other books are very different, but I don't have the desire to try any after that one.

I picked up another 3 Bookmarks reviewed books, all hardback, for $6.50 today at Goodwill.

My gosh, I own so, so many that I have lost track. I was over at my parents' house today and their neighbor had set up a card table in his driveway with a bunch of books and a sign that said "free". Uh, can anything be more tempting? Along with Me Talk Pretty One Day, I picked up Sightseeing, which was reviewed in February. It looks pretty good and I was psyched to get a hardcover copy for nothing!

Jaime, you need to show me what you've got. I get such a thrill out of seeing all those bookcovers. Plus, I need to be reassured I'm not the only one with this book buying addiction!

Free! Did you clean off the whole table? LOL!

Oh my gosh! I have SO many books I could list here. Maybe if I have some free time I'll list them tomorrow, but you will be shocked at the number, I'm sure! I have a terrible book buying habit. Although I swear my Kindle (and the free books I can get) is helping some!

Julie, did you see the 38 "unread" books I posted? Nothing will shock me, LOL. I have at least 200 unread books on my shelf, but who's counting?........hopefully not my husband.

Have but haven't read Water for Elephants, Eat Pray Love (among many others- just posted at bottom of my profile page).

I like Tom Wolfe and did like "I am Charlotte Simmons". It drew you into the setting (Duke?) and characters, was well written as one would expect from Wolfe, and kept you turning the pages. However, it did not have as much substance as Bonfire of the Vanities or Man in Full. For me it was worth reading, but non-Wolfe fans may not feel the same way.

Can someone explain to me how to post the covers of books here? I am a computer-idiot!

Jaime wrote: "Can someone explain to me how to post the covers of books here? I am a computer-idiot!"

Jaime, at the top of the comment box you'll see "add book/author". Click on this, then click book. Enter the title, then the book will appear in the list. At the bottom of the lists, you will select 'cover' to post book jacket or 'link' to post title. You may have to click "other editions". When you have the correct book, click "add book." You may have to play with it a little to figure it out. Hope this helps!

Thanks, Lisa! I've added titles like that before, I guess I never noticed how to add the covers.

Okay......this is almost embarrassing. Here is my list of books that I own that received four star reviews in Bookmarks that I haven't read. I am on a waiting list for several more on a book swap site.


























Two I can think of that got 3 1/2:



Pretty bad, huh? Looks like I should be spending more time reading instead of posting the books I NEED to read!

Who am I to judge? In comparison to me, your list doesn't look bad at all!

I know you're going to remove The Falls off this list onto your currently reading list soon, right? :) That should help, or if you're like me, I read one and add three more.

Yup, I'm definitely like you, Lisa! I can NEVER catch up. I don't think I'd want to. What would I have to look forward to? My sister just gave me a gift card for B&N for my birthday. Time to find some more books!

Two More:

Here is my list of the three 1/2-two stars ( I don't have any one stars):

HaHa! You just surpassed me. I had 38 posted unread books and now you have 39. Except, I went to Goodwill today and I know at least one of the books I picked up was a Bookmarks book. So for now, we are equally bad. I could have worse vices, then again ..................

40, if you count Sightseeing posted before the rest!

And that's not even close to the "to read" books I have on my shelves. It's very bad.

I spent under $3 today for:


So Jaime, we're both at 40 Bookmark shelf sitters.

I now have bookshelves for:
to read and own it
to read wish list
to read sometime library list
Bookmarks mag


The Bookmarks books I own but haven't read are:

Well, the Goodwill has caused me to add more books to my Bookmark shelf sitters. (Better they sit on my shelves than theirs.) I discovered these books today:

Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan - Bookmarks Issue: 20-Jan-Feb-2006
Before You Know Kindness A Novel by Chris Bohjalian - Bookmarks Issue: 14-Jan-Feb-2005
The Hour I First Believed A Novel by Wally Lamb - Bookmarks Issue: 38-Jan-Feb-2009
The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker - Bookmarks Issue: 22-May-June-2006
Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston - Bookmarks Issue: 25-Nov-Dec-2006
The Road by Cormac McCarthy - Bookmarks Issue: 25-Nov-Dec-2006, Pulitzer, National Book Critics Award

The first 4 books are hardback and the next 2 trade, all for about $12.

I picked up two more books today from Goodwill to add to my unread Bookmark shelf:

Heart-Shaped Box A Novel by Joe Hill - Bookmarks Issue: 18-Sept-Oct-2005

1776 by David McCullough - Bookmarks Issue: 18-Sept-Oct-2005

Both were hardback for about $4.50.

The Goodwill is feeding my book obsession and growing my "own-but-unread" Bookmarks TBR. I've just added these reviewed books to my collection:

The Center of Everything by Laura Moriarty - Bookmarks Issue: Sept/Oct 2003
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon - Bookmarks Issue: 29-July-Aug-2007
The Twelfth Card by Jeffery Deaver - Bookmarks Issue: July-Aug 2007 - Great Mysteries Vol II
In the Heart of the Sea The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick - Bookmarks Issue: July/Aug 2006 - 101 Crackerjack Sea Books(#40)
- The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith - Bookmarks Issue: July-Aug 2007 - Great Mysteries Vol II

The first 4 are hardback and the last trade paperback. I got them all for $10.25.

I've added a few more Bookmarks books to my shelves thanks to Goodwill and it only cost me $8.

Hardback:

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde - Bookmarks Preview Issue: Summer 2002
Thunderstruck by Erik Larson - Bookmarks Issue: 26-Jan-Feb-2007
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman - Bookmarks Issue: 38-Jan-Feb-2009

Trade Softbacks
Abide with Me A Novel by Elizabeth Strout - Bookmarks Issue: 23-July-Aug-2006

Lisa wrote:

[book:T..."

This is one of my favorite books. I'm not even sure exactly why, but it struck a cord with me, and I loved it.

Lisa,
Elizabeth Strout is great, and I really enjoyed Abide with Me. It's a goodie!

I can't wait to read them. It's nice to hear your endorsement too. I often buy lots of books from Goodwill, even if I don't know too much about them. I continue to be amazed at the good ones I find.

I'm excited to be turning my living room into a library. Hopefully, by the end of the month it will be complete. I'm afraid though my books will still runneth over!

I would love to do that! My bedroom pretty much is a library at the moment. I've never tried Goodwill for books. I should definitely do that.

Lisa wrote: "I've added a few more Bookmarks books to my shelves thanks to Goodwill and it only cost me $8.

Hardback:

The Eyre Affair by [author:Jasper Fforde|44..."

I enjoyed Eyre Affair - it's the only one of his I've read and I enjoyed it for its uniqueness, but I don't know that I need to read any others.

I thought Thunderstruck was weak in comparison to Devil in the White City. My husband and I both read it (a rarity for us), he enjoyed the Marconi piece more, and I enjoyed the murder story better. Different strokes...

I read The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde last month. It's part of his nursery crime series. It was imaginative and entertaining, but not something I'm going to race out to read the next in the series. I've heard lots of positive comments regarding The Eyre Affair, so I happily grabbed it off the shelf.

I still need to read Devil in the White City. I started it 5 or 6 years ago and didn't get very far, because of work and kids; then I just never picked it back up.

Most of the local libraries near me have ongoing used book sales. I went to return a couple books today and found The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society for 50 cents. Score! This book is all the rage in many, many online and local book clubs that I know of. In fact, one group that I sometimes go to right up the road is reading this for January. Maybe now I'll have the motivation to join them. I also picked up The Whole World Over A Novel. I only paid $2.50 for those and three other books not reviewed in Bookmarks (including a brand new centennial edition of East of Eden). It was a good book-buying day today!

What a great way to spend a Saturday. Enjoy Guernsey!