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Ian - I like that, thinking of your tbr shelves as a virtual bookshelf. That is what I do, I browse until something catches my eye. It may actually have been there for 3 years - but suddenly I'm excited about it again.Kim, Yes, soooo many good books, so little time ..... My youngest child started kindergaten today and my hubby asked me whatever will I do with my time now ? I replied with a number of fun activities which include reading and sleeping. He thinks I'm joking !!! LOL I hope to catch up on my reading and even do an A-Z challenge.
Claire - a very good suggestion earlier was a trip to Ikea for a new bookcase - that would help ! LOL
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Luckily you managed to get out you mean, I hate that shop! I am not a person who is easily stressed, but trying to find my out of IKEA makes me break into a sweat!
LOL Nikks - when my youngest started school, I too told people that I would probably sleep most of the day for the first few days -they too thought I was kidding (I wasn't lol).We started homeschool yesterday - our first time ever, it's an online school though so it "should" get easier once the initial chaos goes away lol. But today the poor kids started their assessments and man those things are brutal!
I've never experienced an IKEA in person - only online lol
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Em wrote: "Luckily you managed to get out you mean, I hate that shop! I am not a person who is easily stressed, but trying to find my out of IKEA makes me break into a sweat!"
Just follow the arrows Em :-) Dont try to short cut or wander from the path though.
Ian wrote: "I was in IKEA yesterday....luckily managed to get out without a new bookcase in tow phew."hahahahaha
Kim N wrote: "LOL Nikks - when my youngest started school, I too told people that I would probably sleep most of the day for the first few days -they too thought I was kidding (I wasn't lol).We started homesch..."
Unsure about the appropriate response to home schooling - I think it could seriously damage your reading time ;-) LOL Good luck. I am just getting some freedom and very excited about it. 11 years of sleep to catch up on !
Nikks wrote: "Kim N wrote: "LOL Nikks - when my youngest started school, I too told people that I would probably sleep most of the day for the first few days -they too thought I was kidding (I wasn't lol).We s..."
Oh I'm unsure of the appropriate response to homeschooling too! We're doing this though since we're only here on as visitors and we didn't want the chlidren to miss out on any school simply because of our geographic location. I'm not "teaching" them it's an online school and they have certified teachers who will teach them so that's good. This is our first time doing this and we're hoping it works well for us as we may continue it whenever we do go back to the states.
Nikks - the only problem is, I don't have room for a new bookcase!!! I've got books spread over three already in my room, and the bottom of my bureau and there, unfortunately, isn't room for another one. When I live in a flat on my own at uni next year, it'll be a very different story!!!
Ian wrote: "It's a whole world of Scandinavian hurt Kim usually followed by lukewarm meatballs to complete the nightmare."Sounds like you've had a completely different Ikea experience. Fantastic free creche, insanely cheap food (which has always been good whenever we've eaten there - the meatballs are one of my favourites) and loads of clever furniture and gadgets to check out. Always good for a cheap afternoon out (assuming you master the art of not buying £300 of stuff!)
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Ian wrote: "You'll get used to my sarcasm eventually Paul.....I love Ikea, although other furniture stores and meatballs are available lol"Lol - Ian Ikea do a lovely pear cider - which is well worth getting lost for.
Dave - really, ikea sell pear cider ? Alcoholic ? So I didn't actually have to move all the way to Canada to get it ! Lol
Lol - no they really sell it. But they'll be much more polite to you when you buy it in Canada :)
When debating the move we had a pro`s and con`s list. Two unusual life considerations on my list :One pro - they sell delicious flavoured cider, pear, peach, cranberry, apple and lime etc, etc.
One con - Couldn`t watch Neighbours !
So you can see from my examples, exactly how seriously I considered things ! lol
I will have to try Ikea cider next time I go, its only a 5 hour drive to my closest one !
Happy to report that my actual pile of tbr books is slowly going down since I started the author a-z challenge. However my good reads tbr list goes up daily !
LOL Nikks - it's a vicious cycle I say!!
I went to Ikea a few years ago with a friend and the next day took delivery of two units and two sofas!
Yikes - My good reads tbr list reached 100 !
Nikks wrote: "Yikes - My good reads tbr list reached 100 !"I'm at 400+, Nikks.. :0)
I think it's a direct indication of how long you've been a member of this group! Mine was at about 30 until a few months ago, but now grows daily :)Bill - are they all books you think you will actually read ?
I've just looked at my TBR list on Goodreads and can hardly believe that it numbers over 1,000!! A little bit ridiculous really, because I probably will never manage to read even half....oh well, never mind!
Ha ha, I had to cull my TBR. Like Angela's, it was over 1000 at one point, but I found books on there I couldn't remember putting there or recall why I put them there. With hundreds of DTBs around the house and more than 500 books on kindle to read, I had to remove the vague "maybe read one day". I'm under 700 now and plan to keep it that way by not adding to it faster than I'm reading. It's a plan....................!
When I get chance I'm going to updated by TBR list on here to include all the books sat on my shelves waiting to be read
My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum got the Alexander McCall Smith Ladies Detective Agency series and loaned them to me. I read the whole lot over a 22 day period. I got a reading hangover after that. I get a bit muzzy headed.
I don't have unread books in the house. A paper book enters the house and it has to be a very bad one for it not to be read within a couple of days. I worked my way through my mum's vast collection from the age of 2 - 14. The funny thing is I was talking to her about a John Wyndham book I loved as a teen - one of hers - and she admitted she still hasn't read it!!! It's been in her collection for forty years!! I can't get my head round that as a concept.
I only buy a book I am definitely going to read straight away. The few I don't read are freebies from conventions and one I got from a library book club.
I am a readaholic - and work and home life could suffer if I didn't exercise extreme discipline. It helps I am completely destitute and so can't afford books anyway. Otherwise I would overdose and problems would ensue.
Oh - and I LOVE IKEA. When our flat burnt down and we lost our home and eventually moved into our weeny little rental place -without IKEA we would be living like refugees. As it is even people on our pitiful income are able to put together a home which is pleasing to the eye and balm to a traumatised soul.
Which is why IKEA is listed in my facebook details as a family member - I am an IKEA family member so I reciprocated and IKEA is down as my Uncle :)
Chris wrote: "Ha ha, I had to cull my TBR. Like Angela's, it was over 1000 at one point, but I found books on there I couldn't remember putting there or recall why I put them there. With hundreds of DTBs around ..."Lol one in, one out - like shoes :)
Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum got the Alexander McCall Smi..."
I must admit to having books on my bookshelf that I haven't read, not for 40 years admittedly, but some I bet 10 years ! I figure if I've had them for that long, I'm probably not interested ! I am a medium speed reader, but easily and constantly distracted by my young children. I try to only put books onto my tbr list that I plan to read, and recently made a good reads 'tbr & own' section - in an attempt to organise myself !
Sorry to hear you lost your home, that must have been very traumatic. Glad ikea was there for you x
Nikks wrote: "I think it's a direct indication of how long you've been a member of this group! Mine was at about 30 until a few months ago, but now grows daily :)Bill - are they all books you think you will act..."
They are all books I plan to read, Nikks and there is a steady turnover. I may buy 30 or 40 (maybe more a year) but I also read around 75. I do vet periodically and if it's been on my TBR shelf for ages, then I might trade it in for a replacement.
Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum got the Alexander McCall Smi..."
So sorry about your fire, that must have been dreadful. I don't know how people furnished without IKEA, especially first homes.
I don't get a reading hangover, but I do do what you seem to - get hold of the backlist if I find an author I like, and read the lot one after the other. (In strict series or chronological order, of course.) That's my excuse for not being able to remember individual books very well!
You mentioned a John Wyndham book which you loved as a teen - which was it? His books had a tremendous effect on me at that age. I remember in particular
The Kraken Wakes and every now and then I wonder if its coming true, with the melting icecap. I also remember short stories about time which gave me my first insight into the possibility of parallel universes - The Seeds of Time.
Even though (or perhaps because?) I loved his books I don't like modern sci-fi at all, including dystopian novels.
Hj wrote: "Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum got the Alex..."
I had my first home in the 80s as a student and I furnished it then from a combination of using the classified column in the local paper, a bargain beds shop in the local high street that sold single beds plus mattresses for £40 and from secondhand/junk shops. I tried MFI but most things ended up being returned as not-fit-for-purpose LOL
I think I've read most John Wyndham books if not all. One was under his pseudonym - John Beynon. The book in question was The Chrysalids Chocky is another favourite and the short story collection Consider Her Ways and Others and one I keep forgetting he wrote because it is so well written from a woman's point of view Trouble With Lichen I think those are my top picks out of his works.
I do enjoy modern science fiction but I have to admit skipping the boring parts which helps :)
Nikks wrote: "Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum got the Alex..."
Thanks for your kind words :)
When my Sprog was tiny the only books I bought then were ostensibly for him although like most parents I bought them because I liked them. So I spent a decade quite happily reading the output of Janet & Allan Ahlberg
I can heartily recommend this one:
Poignant and delightful :)
by Martin Waddell is a great book. There is a lovely picture of a footprint on the sand. When we bought the book - Sprog's foot was tiny in comparison. He used to have great fun putting his (well-cleaned) foot on the page to check his growth. These days his foot is bigger than the entire book!
Michele wrote: "Hj wrote: "Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum g..."
I didn't know about his pseudonym - I'll have to look that up! I was less keen on The Chrysalids and Chocky, but I suspect it's because I found them rather disturbing as a child. I liked Trouble with Lichen (I always remember it when I see lichen on old stone).
Nowadays I like auctions as a place to find furniture which I like, at reasonable prices. But you need to be able to furnish at leisure (since one can't know what will be available and when), and to be very disciplined! And to bear in mind the additional amounts such as auction fees and (sometimes) VAT which are added to the hammer price.
Hj wrote: "Michele wrote: "Hj wrote: "Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hang..."
I attended a couple of auctions as a student and got some interesting job lots at virtually no price at all. These days our current place is so tiny there is no room for anything except the bare necessities so even if there was the bargain of a lifetime I would have to pass on it.
I have to admit my new frugal minimalist lifestyle is quite liberating now I have had a couple of years to come to terms with having virtually no possessions. If I wanted to be a Buddhist I'm halfway there already :)
I have a new problem now. I've returned to university and I now have barely any time to read :(
Nikks wrote: "Chris wrote: "Ha ha, I had to cull my TBR. Like Angela's, it was over 1000 at one point, but I found books on there I couldn't remember putting there or recall why I put them there. With hundreds o..."I'm a woman, i hoard shoes too!
Michele wrote: "Nikks wrote: "Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mu..."
Michele - I am always looking for good books to read with my children, we read Charlottes Web and are now reading The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane. The books you mentioned, are they these type of kids books or story picture books ? I need author recommendations, we love EB White and Kate DiCamillo.
Michele wrote: "Hj wrote: "Michele wrote: "My read list is 1,501 - my TBR list is 112.I re-read a lot of my read list. When I do get to read I read very fast. Does anybody else get reading hangovers? My mum g..."
The Day of the Triffids and The Chrysalids are two of my favourite all-time books. I've always enjoyed reading and re-reading Wyndham's stories.
My TBR is so unwieldy (850+) that I have additional shelves for unread books I own (250+) and books I really, really, must have (150+)Seriously I need to give up work now and just read for the rest of my life!!
Have started a cull on my TBR list and have reduced it to 1278! Need to continue, I think:)
Esther wrote: "My TBR is so unwieldy (850+) that I have additional shelves for unread books I own (250+) and books I really, really, must have (150+)Seriously I need to give up work now and just read for the res..."
Thats how I feel too, so many great books, so little time.
Angela wrote: "Have started a cull on my TBR list and have reduced it to 1278! Need to continue, I think:)"Wow, 1278 is a lot ! I was thinking of making a few sub-folders : Will definately read; might read; and should but probably wont ever read. Or maybe just cull the last one.
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I find it hard too, but I know that when I get myself into that situation of having a few on the go, I dont like it.
I try to read no more than two at a time, otherwise it's too hard to keep track of the stories. Of course, I blame my old age for that. :0)
Bill, I blame the complexity of the stories you read :)
Nikks wrote: "Bill, I blame the complexity of the stories you read :)"There you go, that must be it.. lol
My "to read" list is getting quite long too. Gave lots of books to charity shop, but that didn't stop us from buying more! I've got lots of free books on my kindle and aldiko apps to work my way through as well. >^..^<
UK Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Bye Bye Baby: a Sad Story with a Happy Ending (other topics)The Big Big Sea (other topics)
The Chrysalids (other topics)
Chocky (other topics)
Consider Her Ways and Others (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jacqueline Wilson (other topics)Roald Dahl (other topics)
Jeff Kinney (other topics)
Louis Sachar (other topics)
I don't buy as many books now as I have a kindle and access to the library (!) but my bookshelves are all upstairs at home and all full of a variety of books. I tend not to throw books out though which creates space issues!!