The Great Book Cataloging

So, I have begun in earnest to catalog my library.  I have tried this in the past, but I feel like now that my books are mine, and not my Mom's and sister's, that it's a better time to start this.  I am using the LibraryThing website and platform because I like the format and it's easy.  I can always download the data from the site to have a backup.  And I will be doing this periodically because I can't bear putting in all this work and then losing it all for some reason that the site dies.

This began from  talking with a friend about her impressive reading list on GoodReads (and the notebooks she's kept over the years), my desire to read more like the nerd I was in high school, and a massive influx of books from my local public library book sale.  And once you start cataloging something, you can't stop.  It drives you! The sense of organization amidst the chaos, the feeling of control over your collections.  And I like going through my titles and remembering what's there, adding some titles to my TO READ list so I get to them sooner rather than later.  Because in my head I do plan on reading all of these titles. Even the esoteric old history books I salvage from the discard piles at work.  They seem interesting.  I want to learn about that thing, event, people, topic, etc. I WANT TO READ ALL THE THINGS!!!!!

Ahem, sorry.  Back to the cataloging....

I am using this opportunity to also look at the books I have and decide if I want to keep them.  Some of this happened, on a smaller scale, when I moved out of my mother's house and when she subsequently moved away.  But you can't really ponder a title when you're moving - you need to make a snap decision and keep packing.  So I think it's a healthy pursuit I'm in.  Granted, the cull will not be many.  I know that already.  But I am thinking a little more about, "Will I really read this? Is this worth my shelf space?"
Part of this is due to the sources of my books over the years. I have my core collection that was acquired over years of book store, book sales, yard sales, etc.  I have SO MANY from my favorite used bookstore, which I have been patronizing for over twenty years.  I have all the "tribbles" from the sci-fi library I worked in in college (we kept two copies of titles - the triples seemed to multiply rapidly when we weren't looking - hence the name). And I worked in my college library for the gifts librarian, so I came home with a number from that gig.  Now, I work at a college library and often acquire books from the discard pile (often due to be recycled) or the shelf of donations that were rejected.  Sometimes these are the books I need to rethink the most.  I have a tendency to go for older books, and some are falling apart, or just not worth reading.  I just found one in German and can only assume that I picked it up because the print was really pretty.  I guess I planned on crafting with it?  I know that sounds like blasphemy to a book nerd, but it was slated to have the cover cut off and the paper recycled.  So, using it in art is still recycling it, in a way.  But I don't have time for that.  And since my used book shop won't take these old academic books that not even this book hoarder wants, I'll likely recycle some of them in the end.

Moments like that always make me remember Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  I am a lover of books, of the physical objects of books.  But I am more a lover of knowledge, of story telling.  And it is always the content of books that matters.  So I am getting better at letting go of some of these physical items that are falling apart or useless to me because I know that the content lives on.  And if the content is outdated, then that book and it's knowledge has done it's part, and led to better information, and it's ok for it to rest in the paper pulper.

Of course, the down side of book cataloging is that I want to read them all right away.  So I am trying to utilize my GoodReads list for a more organized reading list.  And when I get through it a little more, I can add more of my other titles.  I know that I will never adhere to it strictly - I have ADD, and I will pick up something random and start reading it.  But it can help when I'm at a loss in the chaos of titles surrounding me.
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If you are reading this and want to play along in the reading game, then come find me on GoodReads. Links to my reading list are on the sidebar, as are links to my ongoing catalog project at LibraryThing.
I'll write another night about these sites, and the communities that spring up in them.  It's an interesting little corner of the internet and worth exploring intellectually.

Web Catalogs and book talk

I started a conversation about the perfect man. I mentioned a character from David Eddings's Belgariad series, and before I could explain the book series, she was disagreeing with me. I have yet to meet anyone, besides to person who first started me reading this author, who knew the series. And this woman has read them all! What a small joy to add to my day.

Usually I have no one to discuss these things with. I have considered utilizing the discussion boards on LibraryThing for this purpose. Also, I have just signed up on Goodreads. Not sure if I can use it differently than LibraryThing. On LT I have two catalogs - one of my reading since early 2007 and the other of my personal library. The latter is coming v. slowly - there are just too many other things to get done besides listing all my books. So, I think I'll explore Goodreads a bit. It may lead to the opportunity to talk about what I'm reading. I have no time for book clubs and pick up my reading in a v. helter skelter manner anyhow.

When I first learned of LibraryThing I was overjoyed. I have long excel schedules of books to read, books I've read. It's hard to keep track of things. And this links to Amazon and other catalogs to fill in all the information! I can catalog to particular copy I own, with the particular cover. Sometimes you need to input the information, but that is a small joy for me - knowing that my book is NOT in these other catalogs.

Readers are strange and wonderful people. Booklust drives us as much as the crave for information, imagination, or the warm fuzzy feeling of curling up with a good book. I like that these social networking/cataloging sites offer up the technology for us to talk to each other and discuss books, and revel in our obsessive need to organize and list our books! And share. I miss my freshman year of college when, in this one Japanese lit class, I had the most wonderful discussions on the historical nature of the readings, the characters, the plot, and all that deep, juicy goodness that makes up a work. I also remember the shear boredom and resentment I had senior year when I was forced through technicalities to take a freshman writing class with the most idiotic teacher they had. The man's depth of literary criticism was shallower than a puddle in the Gobi. I nearly threw an anthology at him one day. Did he not realize that taking the time to delve into a story is better than ice cream on a hot day? The discovery of something the writer wasn't even aware of, another facet of a character. Even to the non-English major these tidbits make the act of reading that much more pleasurable. And by not teaching this joy he was not encouraging his students to read, or read well. The discussion alone brings to light so much, expanding the breadth of meaning for the reader. It's fun, dammnit! I wanted to yell out loud in class.

Currently reading:
David Eddings - The King of the Murgos 9book two of the Mallorean)
Thea von Harbou - Metropolis (illus. by Michael Kaluta)

Comics on the brain?

Over the past few years my friends have tried their best to introduce me to the world of comic books and graphic novels. And though I still cannot stand the ugly, annoying, and confusing superhero ones like X-men and all that, there have definitely been many that have struck my fancy. Though I am not willing to learn 50+ years of back story and character history in order to understand a scene with two Justice League members, a twelve trade series is ok. Certain authors have become favorites, and even some series. I'm v. picky when it comes to comics. The artwork has to grab me or I can't read it. I like books because no one can screw up my view of things with something ugly or garish. And there are still those out there that just are too dumb for words.

So what makes me pick one up? First, who wrote it? If it's by Warren Ellis or Garth Ennis I'll probably read it. I just read a dumber than dumb one-shot by Ellis that he wrote after a joke he made. Seriously, I'll pick up anything of his - it's sick. Garth Ennis is also a sick man, and that makes me love him. He's wicked funny. Yes, I just used the word wicked. The only exception is when they write parts of those superhero series I don't like.
I look to see if it's a title that a friend has recommended. These folks are seriously hard core fans of the comics world. They know the evolution and history of a character going back to the Golden Age. At this point most know what I like and I can trust their recomendations (except Bad World which, though well drawn and well written by Mr Ellis, had burned things into my brain that I'd rather not remember).
As mentioned, the art is a big player. Comics are a visual medium and I'm not about to waste my time reading something if it's surrounded by crappy sketching or blinding neon colors (hello New Mutants ones I needed to read for a game). If you value your writing, you'll find a great artist to present it. I started reading The Authority, created by Warren Ellis. When he wrote it there was an artist that I really enjoyed (Brian Hitch, I think?) who made spreads that could never be captured in a page of words. Then the writer and artist changed and I was done with it. Ew - whoever it was turned every guy into this huge, broad-shouldered, no-neck creature. Couldn't take it.
Story topics, of course, comes in to it. Sure there are a few superhero-type ones, but those are usually the funnier ones (like Hitman) and a little off-beat. I like ones that stretch what the medium is about. Most recently I finished Brian K. Vaughan's Pride of Baghdad. It is about the lions that escaped from teh Baghdad zoo in 2003 and were roaming around the city until shot by US soldiers. It's from the point of view of the lions. It's a unique story and beautifully written. The art by Niko Henrichon is moving. One reason for my love of Ellis, besides his wit, is his using comics to explore what interests him. Space travel, you say? Enter Orbiter (see previous entry) and Ministry of Space. He is almost an anthropologist in his exploration of the world and humanity and everything is fodder for the page.


I have found that far more comics and graphic novels are appearing on my LibraryThing than is really representative of my reading habits, choices, and desires. Warren Ellis has taken over my Author Cloud. Because they are so short and quick, I tend to squeeze in one or two while reading a longer work (I'm still getting through Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass - a late edition with all the addins) or when I'm busy reading parts of reference material for research. No one actually reads those long archaeology tomes cover to cover, I swear! I work in a library and many comics come across my path that I don't seek out, and I just read them quickly before sending them on their way. This is what happened with the two recent ones, Pride of Baghdad and Hitman.

There is some merit to this medium (NOT genre, people). It's another means of conveying story, emotion, meaning. It's not the same as Golden Age Superman anymore.