Wow. Pam, you're amazing. Thanks!
(OK, Michael, I concede this one but blame it on Steve Toltz not being prolific...)

If Steve Toltz had written more than one book, I would be reading it right now. But since he only has one book, and Boyd has written quite a few and is also a wonderful author, I ordered 4 more William Boyd books...An Ice Cream War, The Blue Afternoon, A Good Man in Africa and Restless. So thank you both for introducing me to these authors.

But Pam read TWO William Boyd books and only one Steve Toltz book!

(and yes, I know Steve only has one book out... and yes, I still need to read it!)

Michael, no, *I* created a Steve Toltz fan ;)

wow, Pam, I can't believe you read all of these in the past few weeks!

Have I created another William Boyd fan? :)

I think I've already introduced myself, but I wanted to thank Michael and Ann for their wonderful podcast and their book recommendations. In the past few weeks I've read Netherland, Any Human Heart, Brazzaville Beach, Away, and today I finished A Fraction of the Whole. These were all amazing books. (I can't believe this is Steve Toltz' first book.) Anyway, thanks again and keep up the great recommendations. Pam

Deb, I love this intro! I, too, am a Miss Marple girl.

Thanks for your very nice words about the podcast. We aren't doing our job unless your nightstand is overflowing....

Hi everyone. SO delighted to have discovered first the BOTNS podcast and now this site. I am a book person from way back -- since my first "solo read" -- the Nancy Drew book The Hidden Staircase. Rather than offering my demographic details, it is probably more revealing to say that:

Favorite female characters include Marion in The Woman in White, and the narrator of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle. And I prefer North and South's John Thornton to FitzWilliam Darcy when it comes to male leads.

I prefer the Blandings to Jeeves and Wooster and Miss Marple to Poirot.

I keep pushing my friends to read: Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Girls of Slender Means, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, and Chekhov's stories and letters.

Currently on my nightstand: Doctor Thorne by Trollope, The God Dilemma, a bio of Raymond Chandler and his wife, Ibsen's plays, and a Ruth Rendell mystery.

What I love about the podcast is the focus on appreciation. I'd hate to tell you how many books I've bought since I began listening to your podcasts a few weeks ago. The pile on the nightstand now overflowing into piles beside the bed.

Welcome everyone! So many great readers and wonderful stories. I agree with Ann; it's great to know a little more about our listeners.

Ann and I have been amazed at the wonderful things folks have been saying about the podcast lately, both here and in the iTunes reviews. We hope that the quality is always up to your expectations!

Hi Tracey,
Thanks for your introduction. I was a one-at-a-time book reader for a long time, and probably would still be if it weren't for work reading. I find that I am able to better separate fiction and non-fiction, so I can pretty easily navigate one of each at the same time.

As for books you are not enjoying -- I am all for giving up on them. I'm again a recent convert to that philosophy, but it has been freeing. I'm sure that every once in awhile I miss a great book because I gave up too soon, but I am willing to chance it.

Hi Ann, Michael, and everyone,

My name is Tracey and I live in MA with my 2 kids and our dog. Books on the Nightstand is my favorite podcast. I've added quite a few books to my to be read pile. I can only read 1 book at a time and I marvel as people who can keep track of more than one story. I am reading Without a Backward Glance by Kate Veitch and I love it. I was up way too late last night reading.

I try to finish reading every book I start although it's getting to a point where there isn't enough time to waste on a book I'm not enjoying. :) It remains to be seen if I can get myself out of that habit.

I look forward to being part of this group!

Tracey

I think it's way past time I properly introduce myself! My name is Tanya and I've been an avid reader since 1st grade (It was a way to both tune out the world around me and explore the world beyond!)

I have degree in theatre arts from Boston College (and I worked in theaters in Boston and Washington DC for several years) and I was one final-draft-of-my-thesis shy of getting my masters in Medieval and Early Modern European History from Georgetown (guess who had to give her presentation on 9/12, as in the day after 9/11... Somehow "The Non-Christian Antecedents to Marian Iconography" didn't seem so important anymore!)

Anyway, I've worked in the audiobook industry for the last 15 years and have been called upon to do any number of things EXCEPT narrating and casting (that's my husband's job!)

I read and/or listen to about 100 titles a year (fairly moderate by hardcore bibliophiles' standards, I know) NOT counting work-related material, which probably accounts for another 25 titles; but I do read an wide array of material and have come to the point I my life where I have given myself permission NOT to finish a book I'm not enjoying and move on. Usually, my last book will recommend the next book I'm reading, but I also patrol lists, groups and blogs for titles.

My favorite books from the last 18 months (listed alphabetically by author):
Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen); Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1, by Jim Butcher; audiobook narrated by James Marsters); Outlander (by Diana Gabaldon); Odd Thomas (by Dean Koontz; narrated by David Aaron Baker);To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee; narrated by Sissy Spacek); Life of Pi (by Yaan Martel); The Four Feathers (by A.E.W. Mason); Twilight (by Stehenie Meyer); Master and Commander (by Patrick O'Brien); 1984 (by George Orwell; narrated by Simon Prebble) and; The Thirteenth Tale (by Diane Setterfeld);

My favorite quote:
So many Books; so little time... you've got to draw the line somewhere.
(from The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfeld)

William, welcome! Great intro, and I love your background story. It is really helpful as we are podcasting to keep certain readers in mind from time to time, it's a great help to know what you are looking for from our podcast. I so understand the time limitations!

Thanks for posting, and we look forward to getting to know you better and learning what you like to read (besides The Hardy Boys, that is).

Hello everyone,
I found Books on the Nightstand after downloading pretty much every podcast under literature at the iTunes store. This podcast quickly rose to the top as one of my favorites.
I work as an Acquisitions Editor for a publisher that focuses on books about Asian topics. I’ve been an avid reader since the Hardy Boys hooked me back in the fourth grade and never had a problem coming home and settling in with a book after spending the day working on books (though I usually want to avoid having my fun reading overlap my work books, which for me means not coming home and plowing into a book on samurai or tea ceremony, etc.). I have to admit, however, that I’ve read fewer books in the past twelve months than any year since I first marveled as Frank and Joe worked out the mystery of the Tower Treasure.
In March of last year I ran for public office and was elected to my city’s Board of Aldermen. Serving in this capacity takes up two hours or so of my day and sadly one of the things that often gets lost in the shuffle is my reading time. Which is why informational sources such as this podcast are so important to me: there are certainly enough unread books on my bookshelves to keep me going for some time with my now limited reading schedule, but I do not want to lose touch with good new books that are just being released, so the more feedback I can review before deciding to jump into a book the better. Reading books I do not care for hurts a lot more now than it did a year ago.
I’m trying to balance my schedule with the goal of reading a book a week and look forward to getting recommendations from folks on here as to what books should make the cut.
Best wishes,
William

Thanks Scott. I currently work as a librarian in a public library. I was already working there as a library assistant when I finished school. When a librarian job opened up, I applied and got it.

Thanks Chris and a belated congratulations to you. I live in Milwaukee, WI and will be University of WI-Milwaukee. If you don't mind me asking, are you currently working in your field, and if so, any trouble finding a job?

Hi, everyone!

I heard about BOTN about one of the many book blogs I read on a regular basis and have been catching up on old episodes. The one thing I don't need is to add more books to my TBR list but of course I've added at least 5 since I started listening! I'm really enjoying the show.

Scott,

Good luck on your degree. I received my MLS about two years ago from Texas Woman's University entirely online. It was a lot of work but worth it. Where are you going?

Welcome to everyone who has posted intros over the past few weeks! Finally home from Book Expo, exhausted, and just thrilled that we have so many new friends who have joined us. Thank you! I've just written down about 4 books to add to my TBR thanks to your notes, so do know that these recommendations work both ways!

Hello Everyone! I am a new podcast listener. Thanks to the podcast, I found out about this site, Goodreads. I am starting a master's in library science in January and really looking forward to it. I have enjoyed your recommendations so far. I recently listened to the podcast, why did we wait so long to read this. Ann, I also had the Bean Trees sitting on my shelf for about 10 years, and after hearing your review I thought, why not? I loved it and can't wait to read her other work, especially the Poisonwood Bible. (Michael, I have read the Book Thief and loved that too!) Hope you had fun at the book expo and can't wait to hear about.

So far I completely adore FIRMIN. He has such a great voice! I saw Sam Savage on the list for BEA (so sad I couldn't go!) I would love to hear what you think of it.

Welcome to all of you new BOTNS listeners! Thanks for the kind words. Ann and I have huge to-be-read piles and we're glad we could add to yours too!

Heather, let me know what you think of FIRMIN! I just got a galley of Sam Savage's new book at BEA...

Gena, if Ann or I are in Ontario any time soon, we'll knock on your door! I haven't read Eeeee Eee Eeee yet, but I wanted to let you know that Tao Lin has a novella coming out this summer called Shoplifting from American Apparel.

Hello. I'm Vasilly from California. I found out about Books on the Nightstand from one of my friends.

I read all genres but really enjoy reading contemporary fiction, graphic novels, and young adult fiction. I'm trying to read more classics and short stories.

I'm currently reading This Song is You by Arthur Phillips, The Tenth Muse: A Life in Food by Judith Jones, and Bicycles: Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni.

Hi Ann, Michael, and everyone else! I just listened to a few episodes of the podcast yesterday and thought, These are people I'd like to have over for drinks and book talk.

I'm an English professor in the process of moving from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Hamilton, Ontario. My professional field is 18th-century British lit, but I try to keep up a constant stream of extracurricular reading -- mostly novels -- so I don't become one of those weird academics who disavow their own culture.

The last three books I read were Metropole by Ferenc Karinthy, Eeeee Eee Eeee by Tao Lin, and The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon. Today I'm starting Joan Didion's The White Album at the insistence of my husband, who cannot believe I've never read Joan Didion.

Hello, I'm Vanessa from Columbus,Ohio. I have been a Goodreads member for a while as there is something soooo OCD-ishly satisfying about listing everything I've ever read and comparing it with my friends' lists (so, welcome Laura : ) I discovered BOTNS on iTunes recently by accident and love both the podcast and the blog. And they are partly to blame for my ginormous to read list (207 at last count.)

Currently I'm reading Carl Sagan's Demon Haunted World and re-reading The Great Gatsby for my classics book club. As I've already read it many years ago, I'm not counting it toward my Beowulf challenge.

Hi,

I'm Laura. I found BOTNS through a link to the Beowulf on the Beach contest and after listening to a podcast and reading the blog I decided it was time to join GoodReads.

Hi..I'm Shona from Virginia and I just found Books on the Nightstand by accident as I was looking for something else on the web. Figured out how to use my Ipod to get podcasts and now I'm catching up on all the previous episodes. Great way to expand my literary horizons and I've already added some books to my nightstand that I wouldn't normally buy, but I can't wait to dig into them!

Currently reading the Origins of the Specious by Patricia O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman and have just started The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost.

Hi everyone! I'm Heather, from North Carolina. My fabulous kids gave me an iPod Nano for Mother's Day and within short order I had downloaded all 30 (at the time) of your podcasts and have finally caught up with you today. I just love your podcasts and you have already added many, many books to my extremely long wish list and even a couple to my groaning shelves!

Currently on my "nightstand" are the books Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs, Firmin by Sam Savage (thanks Michael!) and The Dark Volume by Gordon Dalhquist.

I also have a (mostly) book blog at http://hiddenplace.wordpress.com

Welcome Debbie... you're our second member from Aus/NZ, that we know of... Hope you find some good recommendations here, on the blog and on the podcast!

Welcome Debbie!

This is a great group!....so many wonderful book recs...your nightstand will grow for sure!

Check out Ann and Michael's pod casts if you can...they are fab!

Let us spread our 'jouissance' around those books on the nightstand....it'll captivate!

Hi....I'm Debbie from New Zealand. This group looks interesting.....on my nightstand (bedside table downunder!) is The Collected Works of Robert Frost.....a great dipper if I am having trouble sleeping.

Dottie wrote: "Hi Danelle - does your small library have the capacity to do interlibrary loan? Our town is pretty small too but we belong to the interlibrary loan network. I can log onto my computer, enter the ..."

That happens to me too Dottie!

Hi everyone,

My name is Chris and I'm a librarian in a public library. I've been listening to the podcast from the beginning and have greatly enjoyed it. I joined Goodreads so I can participate in the Classics reading challenge.

I read mostly fantasy but also like historical fiction.

Hi Danelle - does your small library have the capacity to do interlibrary loan? Our town is pretty small too but we belong to the interlibrary loan network. I can log onto my computer, enter the book I am looking for and when it comes in to the Library, they send me an e-mail. The only downside is that - because the books are coming from all over - sometimes books that I have requested over 2-3 weeks all come in on the same day and I have to do some intensive reading.

dottie m.

i use my library too, it just they're a little slow at getting books, its a small one.

Danelle wrote: "Hey i'm danelle, im 18. And I will read just about anything..except for most non fiction...possibly because of projects when i was in highschool. But i do mostly enjoy reading thriller, horror, and..."

Danelle, I must admit that I do buy a lot (A LOT) of books but I also take full advantage of my local library, because quite honestly if I bought every single book I wanted to read I would have no money to do anything else :-)

Ann wrote: "Hi Danelle,
Welcome! Glad you found us, and as Dottie says, libraries are great!

I used to feel as you did about nonfiction, until I discovered the category we call "narrative nonfiction" -- nonfi..."

A lot of memoirs read like novels as well. I've just started
Undress Me in the Temple of Heaven, and so far I definitely have the feeling of reading an adventure novel.
The Devil in the White City is another good nonfiction choice for those who prefer fiction.

Hi Danelle,
Welcome! Glad you found us, and as Dottie says, libraries are great!

I used to feel as you did about nonfiction, until I discovered the category we call "narrative nonfiction" -- nonfiction that reads like a novel. Some classics of narrative nonfiction that have been very popular with fiction readers:
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillebrand
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (hysterically funny!)
I'm sure others will chime in, too.

Anyway, thanks for joining us here!

Hi Danelle - welcome. Just wanted to say that being broke is what Libraries are all about.
dottie M.

Hey i'm danelle, im 18. And I will read just about anything..except for most non fiction...possibly because of projects when i was in highschool. But i do mostly enjoy reading thriller, horror, and historical fiction. And i love to write...finishing it is the problem. But i enjoy listening to your podcast im broke but i'm interested in reading some of the books that have been mentioned.

Jody wrote: "Greetings. I'm an advanced practice nurse in pediatrics. I have a 45 minute commute and enjoy listening to audiobooks or BOTN podcasts. Evenings are spent watching Cubs baseball or working in the y..."

...these days reading is a much more enjoyable activity than watching the Cubs ....

Greetings. I'm an advanced practice nurse in pediatrics. I have a 45 minute commute and enjoy listening to audiobooks or BOTN podcasts. Evenings are spent watching Cubs baseball or working in the yard with reading to wind down the day. At Ann's recommendation, I'm now reading The Sparrow and Hurry Down Sunshine.

Hi Carla, welcome, and thank you!

I know the feeling of friends disowning you because you talk about books! But we are all kindred spirits here :)

Hello - I'm Carla and a Community Relations Manager at a bookstore, an avid reader (in 3 book clubs one of which I host out of my apartment) and am in love with your blog and podcasts. I too was ecstatic to discover it and have started at the beginning in order to not miss anything. I spend most of my work day in my office corresponding with schools and non-profits but manage to sneak out to the floor and get my "book talk" fix with customers every once in awhile, my favorite part of the day! Thanks for taking the time to put this together, I feel a huge sense of connection with other bibliophiles, my friends have just about disowned me as all I talk about is books...

Ann wrote: "Sonya, wow, what a compliment. Thank you! I love the term "analogian." "

Ann, I'm thinking there must be a critical mass of folks out there, and we should start an "Analogians Anonymous" :P

Sonya, wow, what a compliment. Thank you! I love the term "analogian."

Hello -- I'm a reader and a novelist and something of an "analogian." So my journeys into digital everything and social networking I find mostly overwhelming and exhausting. That said, I'm trying to sift through the gazillion different ways of engaging with new literary media, and I am definitely finding the podcast to be the most writer-and-reader-friendly. In fact, it feels a little like going back in time to story-telling hour -- to reading as interactive and oral/aural. So thanks for doing this! I've got you all on my igoogle homepage, along with TheMillions and RobAroundBooks (your rec).

Yeah, no reading for me if the kids are awake. One is 3 and the other is 17 months old. But they do go to bed early and still nap during the day so I can usually squeeze some reading time in. Everyone tells me I'll miss these days, but sometimes I wish I were already missing them. No, really kids are wonderful.

Hi Kathy! It's so nice to meet you, and I'm thrilled that you came over to join us on GoodReads. How old are your boys? It's amazing how much kids cut into reading time. I'm just getting to the point now where I can read for an hour uninterrupted if the kids are awake (they are 7 and 10).

Hi, I'm Kathy. I love the podcast. I'm always reading when I'm not teaching or taking care of my boys, so I really appreciate all the great book suggestions.