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.

Book Sale of D00m

My public library has an annual book sale.  I don't usually go, but this being the last one they're planning on having (the district is opening a book store at a new location), I decided it would be fun to give it a go.  And I went two days with a book-lover friend.  This was either a brilliant idea or the worst idea ever.  Because I got A LOT of books.  I can't help it.  All that info, all those stories, all that cool stuff to learn about!!  How am I supposed to pass that up?!

Books on everything

When I fist began this blog, one of my first posts was about a book I came across on being a male escort. Today I came across another that also made me think about the kinds of reading out there - The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men. Turns out it's part of a series of sorts on sexual practices. There is one for anal sex and women, fellatio, strap-ons, lesbian pregnancy, etc. Yes, they will publish anything.

In today's society where it ok to talk about sex, if not mandated, these kinds of books are expected. Sex and sexuality are taught as classes in college; students major in the study. The library I work in not only holds the aforementioned male escort tbook, but also The new topping book as well as many older books written on various sex subjects. t Television and movies no longer sensually hint at the act but show the characters in flagrante delecto (I have no problem saying that people are having sex, intercourse, coitus, etc. I just love that phrase!). Books and series like Sex & the City or Straight up & Dirty have told women, at least, that it's not just ok to be sexual, but to declare it to world! With details!

I know that I am not the only one who has looked at this openness and wondered, is it all it's cracked up to be? Have we lost all sense of modesty, or of romance? Are we too quick to rationalize our sexual desires, name them and put a psychological reasoning behind it all? Can you really have irrational, spontaneous passion if you'd been planning it all day like you read in Redbook? Sex as reproduction is what we all in the animal kingdom do. And for a few of us lucky(??) extra-intelligent species, there is enjoyment in it. I am sure that there is a lot for psychology to say about the reasons why we are a culture obsessed with sex, yadda yadda yadda, but I don't really care. We are. Besides, a lot of it is just due to past repressions, anyway. But now we are obsessed with talking about sex, and apparently, reading about it. I wonder, with all this expose, if sex can still be personal, intimate? Many would make us think that if we don't share openly our sex lives or don't openly experiment with different positions that we're prudes and stuck in the dark ages. Women are attacked for not being feminists and embracing their sensuality. But this isn't the place for one of my rants on sex and culture. This is about The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Men.

I have this thing with sex instruction books like the Ultimate Guides mentioned above. Yes, these books in particular normalize previously "underground" "unspoken" practices, and that's good in a way. But I can't help but feel like it also sterilizes them! It takes something that we do for pleasure and turns it in to school! I can't imagine desiring to study for my next date. For centuries people have been having sex of all kinds with all sorts of people and things - sometimes it was good, sometimes it wasn't. They learned and grew. Lesbians aren't new, and I highly doubt strap-ons are that novel, either. Must we all go in to our first experiences as experts? Where's the fun in that?! Sure, sex ala Bushnell's Samantha may be fun, but so is the journey there. First times are awkward, weird, fun, and memorable. Did I mention fun? The mystery of it is part of that.

So, it's great that you know a lot about anal sex and want to share it. And I understand that someone wants to learn about it. But why take the leap a little blindly? You can know how to be safe without getting a master's degree on the subject. Enjoy growing through experiences! And for pete's sake, don't take it all so damn seriously!!

10.09 EDIT - Just came across The Lesbian S/M Safety Manual edited by Pat Califia. The synop on the back begins, "This handy guide is an essential item for the leather dyke who wants to be well-informed about how to play safe and stay healthy." Ok, for safety (in BDSM, certain scenarios), I get having a book.

too.many.books

Haven't we all said it at one time? Thought it? Considered buying the t-shirt? "Too many books, too little time."

Now I find myself living it.

I am continuously caught in the trap of reading two to three books at once. Or picking up a graphic novel or two on the side. Ordering books from ILL as I see them, despite surely NOT having the time to finish them before they're due. Suddenly the overdue notices spring up on you!
I am currently reading the novelization of Fritz Lang's film Metropolis by his wife Thea Harbou, a version illustrated beautifully by Michael Kaluta. I keep being torn from it by other things and life. I must focus on this one.
I had begun The Threepenny Opera but I think I'll drop it for now. I can learn of the play's plot later.
Recently author John Scalzi released a new book, and reviews of it (on one or more of the various blogs I read that would mention such things) mad me think that I should read Old Man's War first. I'm 50 pages in and I love it. Good sci-fi and humor - just what I need right now. Space travel is my favorite.
While at the public library looking for something completely different I stumbled upon the comic Marvel 1602. It's Marvel characters in the year 1602. Not a big X-men fan, so it's not doing too much for me. I can only pick out a few of the characters anyway. Not sure if I'll finish it or not. Depends on how soon the due date sneaks up on me.
Another sci-fi book is (perhaps) on its way to me via ILL. It JUST came out, so I'm doubting anyone will send it. Prolly better that way - gives me more time to read the above! TI's called Sly Mongoose and I can no longer remember what it's about. I read about it online (BoingBoing?) and ordered it two seconds later. Damnit, libraries will be the end to me, I swear! In addition, a book about food culture and growing, Animal, vegetable, miracle: a year of food life by Barbara Kingsolver was recommended to me. Depends on how the next few weeks go before I think of cracking the cover. I also want to read, at some point, the same author's Poisonwood Bible.


I've been thinking lately about my reading. I am always reading something - I often carry a purse that a book will fit in. But lately I think my reading has been taking my time, energy, and brain power away from other things in life. Important things. Like my future. I'm caught at the moment in a paralyzing fear and detrimental stasis regarding life and my future. I have been wasting my life away at a worthless job (albeit in a library, thus providing me with plentiful books!) and avoiding doing all that needs to be done to move on. This fear has, lately, truly come to mind and I think that I may be subconsciously distracting myself. Sink my brain in to wondrous other worlds rather than face reality.

English Reformation and early printing

For a great blog on a summer tour/seminar of early printing and the Reformation, check out this blog: Reformation of the Book by a Special Collections librarian. If anything, there are beautiful photos and interesting tidbits of book history.

They'll publish anything. Really

So, a book crossed paths with my life today. This is one of those books that makes you stop and think about how there is a book out there on everything and anything, and for anyone. And there are no ends to the self-help and DIY worlds.

The male escort's handbook : your guide to getting rich the hard way by Aaron Lawrence. Yup. It's about getting into the male escort business. It's written by a man who has been in this business so long that he has accolades for it. Plus, lest you be one to try and claim that escorts have nothing to do with the sex industry, he is also an adult film actor. And the picture of him looks like he's the biggest uke sub ever, but I digress.

I am a lover of books. I love the information they can hold, but also the objects themselves. One thing I love, is that you can write about anything,and apparently, get it published. Ok, technically, there are any number of minute publishing houses that will put even the most horrible dribble into print, if you pay them for it. But still. And here in the US there are no limits to what you can publish. Freedom not only to write, to read, and of speech, but to think.

So, I guess that books about how to make it as a male escort make me think. No, this will likely not be as treasured a volume in a hundred years as we now treasure the works of Dickens. Or will we? Is it any less important a book, or should it be treated as less, because of the content? I don't know. My impetus would be to say no. It IS important, because for whatever reason, the author felt it needed to be written, and I guarantee that it has been read by grateful men and women. Maybe books like this are how the future will remember our time. I dunno. I'd rather have it out there than someone saying it can't be.