For those of you not already convinced that I am insane, the following post should clinch it:
My book list is back.
Lovingly and carefully transferred from Crappy Computer Number One to slightly less Crappy Computer Number Two and now to Very Nice Secondhand Computer Number Three, it is my inventory of my personal library, every last precious book, by category.
Because it also includes information about the books, such as where and when I got them and in what notebook I've scribbled my reviews of the ones I've found the time to read, it now runs to 78 pages long. And that's in 10-point font.
It's a mental disease. It's pointless. Nobody else in the world gives a darn and when I die, my lovingly gathered lifetime collection will probably be tossed into dumpsters or doled out in some garage sale.
For two months, I had no home computer and the book list sat on an email of my work computer. Last night, I finally had a few minutes to put it on the new computer. And to add the six or seven books that I have acquired in the interim, my book addiction being utterly incurable.
I feel like myself again. All is well with the world. Except for war, disease, poverty and oppression of Women.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
My book list is back
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11 comments:
Ohhh, I envy you so much.
I started my own list, a while ago (while I was studying for exams, so naturally i had to find something else to do, like all procrastinators), but I stopped at about 200... Say, you aren't going to post it, are ya? Ok, I won't ask for the reviews (d'oh), but the list would sound really cool.
Wow, I had no idea anyone else would be interested in such a list. I'll think about maybe posting it sometime. It proceeds chronologically, from the first books of literature that I know of which are extant, up until the modern era, and then thematically.
I just thought of something. Tell me what is your favorite book by a Romanian author -- I have books from Canada, India, Japan,China, the UK, Hungary, the Phillipines, etc., but nothing from your fascinating nation, Trisia.
Wow! How long is this book list? I'm not a great reader personally, but I'm always intrigued by people who are.
Ohh... so hard to decide. Ok, I'll tell you one that I know for sure was translated, and that I loved for a very long time (still do, actually).
Mihail Sebastian
Journal 1935-1944: The Fascist Years
This author is my fav all-time Romanian writer. You might also wanna try Maitrey, by Mircea Eliade. He was Sebastian's friend, and a professor at the Uni of Chicago - he taught History of Religions, I think. I personally don't fancy him too much - not my cuppa tea, but it's a well-written novel nonetheless.
Trisia: Thank you for your prompt reply. I will go in search of that book this week.
Epimenides: I'm actually a terrible reader too, as far as retaining anything from what I read, which is the point of reading. (Unless you're just seeking to change your mood. They have drugs for that.)
Recognizing that I am a terrible reader, I now take notes of what I read, like some brown-nosing school nerd, and store them in notebooks which I never have time to read.
Welcome to my blog.
I'm cautious on venturing out and trying new authors or works without someone saying "Hey, this is good, this is what it's about" so I'd totally be into perusing your list.
Better yet, put it all out there on a website and give access to the world!
Sharing information rocks. :)
I'm humbled, all that effort and time - you should post.
And here I debated whether even to put this post up, thinking it akin to Ernie's Paper Clip collection, thinking that people would scratch their heads and say, "Geez, what a self-centered idiot, thinking this stuff would be of any interest to anyone at all!"
First of all, Ecd, the fact that we like the idea of seeing your list doesn't make you any less of a nerd. It just means so are we :p
Seriously now, I wonder how you could say such a thing. This is your blog, right? So it's not self-centered of you to share things that you're interested in, it's what blogging is all about. Good blogging, too, if I may add.
Yep, I'm turning a bit green myself, you managed to do something I know I should be doing and will regret if I don't. Only problem is I'll be embarrassed by the short list I'll come up with... which should actually act like motivation, right? Do post that list whenever you decide to, and speaking of lists, I had a peak at Borges' list of "must reads". Right after finishing with being lazy, I'll get on that.
Thank you, Mara, and all others who have commented.
Seems most of us have a love for books, and for the possession of books, in common. Hence the urge to keep a book list, which I now see isn't an idea unique to me.
I long ago realized that I will be probably be dead before I could possibly read every book now on my shelf. But they are a comfort to me even just being there.
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