Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Where Is Your Bookmark? (10/07/2014)



These aren't the best photos, I know, but they are the stacks of books my husband and (mostly) me culled from our book shelves this past weekend. It was an unplanned project that came into being with the moving of furniture and shelf space (I finally got my curio cabinet thanks to my saving my Amazon gift cards for the past several years.). I lost three bookcases in the process (the curio cabinet isn't that big, but we also re-purposed three of our existing book shelves). I now have empty shelf space. It is a strange feeling. The sooner I get these books out of my house the better--before I change my mind . . . And can I tell you how difficult it was to touch and hold every one of my books, especially those I haven't read yet, and just plop down on the floor in front of the bookcases and just read, read, read?

I saw the movie version of Gone Girl in the theater Friday and thought it was very well done.  I expected more of a change than there actually was--so that was a little disappointing.  Too much hype about the change that wasn't, I think.

My car was back in the shop yesterday. I was having such a great morning, got in a four mile aerobic workout, got a couple of chores done, and then when I went to get into my car, it wouldn't start. I was hoping it was just the battery. No such luck. Granted my car is 10 years old, but it really needs to hang in there for the next several years, until we get my husband's car paid off. Just what we don't need though, more car repairs to pay for.

I did not get any reading done this weekend. I was hoping to make more progress in Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, but the time just was not there. I do not want to fall behind right at the beginning of the read-a-long, but that may just well happen. I am really enjoying the book though, and as soon as I open the book, I am swept into Sue Trinder's life. I love the way Sarah Water's writes. If only I could take a day off of work and just read it!

Last week I also began reading Liz Strange's Erased, a science fiction thriller, which also has me glued to the book as I read. Science fiction isn't a genre I gravitate towards on a regular basis, but I do enjoy it now and then. Erased has its flaws, but it's an intense read, and I am enjoying it. It has a Total Recall type feel to it.

Later this week, I will begin reading Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn for an upcoming tour. Set during the 1920's, it is the story of Poppy Hammond who goes on  an adventure to find the man who helped her escape an aristocratic marriage during the 1920's. Scandal, political intrigue and mystery ensue.

What are you reading at the moment?  Is it something you would recommend?





Every Tuesday Diane from Bibliophile By the Sea hosts 
First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where  
participants share the first paragraph (or a few) of a 
book they are reading or thinking about reading soon.


Here is the opening of Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn. I'm already intrigued!
March 1920 
"I say, if you're running away from your wedding you're going about it quite wrong." 
I paused with my leg out the window, satin wedding gown hitched up above my knees. A layer of tulle floated over my face, obscuring my view. I shoved it aside to find a tall, bespectacled young man standing behind me. His expression was serious, but there was an unmistakable gleam in his eyes that was distinctly at odds with his clerical garb.

 Would you continue reading?


© 2014, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

50 comments:

  1. We definitely need more shelf space. :)
    I'm looking forward to watching Gone Girl; I'm really curious how it'd show on the big screen.

    Night of a Thousand Stars sounds interesting! Can't wait to hear what you'll think about it.

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    1. Melody - I liked the movie version of Gone Girl, and am glad I got the opportunity to watch it.

      Shelf space is always good. :-)

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  2. We had a cull two years ago when we had our heating system replaced. A difficult job as you say but I hope the books went to a good new home.

    Just started The Book Of Beasts by John and Carol E Barrowman, the third and final book in the Hollow Earth trilogy.

    Yes, I'd continue reading Night of a Thousand Stars as there is so much to tantalise in just those few words.

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    1. Tracy - I'm still working out where all the books will go, but two bagfuls ended up coming to work with me this morning for the office book box. It's a start! My last major culling was three and a half years ago, right before our big move. I generally do minor weeding of my books throughout the year, but major culling doesn't happen very often.

      I hope you are enjoying The Book of Beasts!

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  3. Iots of people talking about Gone Girl. But i think it's not my kind of book. Raybourn sounds intriguing. thanks for sharing!

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    1. Deasy - If you are not a crime fiction/thriller fan, than Gone Girl is definitely not for you. I'm looking forward to diving into Raybourn's book!

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  4. Oh I know the pain -- and necessity -- of culling books. The opener made me smile.

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    1. Beth - I have a confession. I took some books from the giveaway pile and put them back on my shelf yesterday morning. Don't tell my husband. LOL

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  5. My goodness! I bagged 40 books the other day to give to GoodWill, but left them out and when anyone came over, asked them to take what they wanted. Only 10 books left to deliver, now.

    Yes, I would certainly keep reading. I mean, it is Deanna Raybourn!

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    1. Jenclair - It's reassuring to know that people out there do like to read. :-)

      This will be my first Deanna Raybourn book. I'm looking forward to starting it.

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  6. I liked the intro, but would want to know a bit more about the general premise of the book before deciding.

    Here's Mine: http://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/top-ten-tuesday/top-ten-character-driven-novels-tuesday-intro/

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    1. Sarah - I'm so glad I didn't know much about what Fingersmith was about before starting it. I think it's made the reading experience all the more better.

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  7. I got new bookshelves a few Christmases ago, and I went through serious culling. It is good for the soul to just ADMIT that you won't read this book or that book, versus hanging on to absolutely everything; I'm hoping to see Gone Girl this upcoming weekend, even if I have to go by myself! And I'm glad you are enjoying Fingersmith. Just hang on, it gets so good, you can't put it down.

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    1. Sandy - Yes, I think so too. I read more on my e-readers now anyway--and have even bought e-books of books on my shelves to read for convenience sake (like Fingersmith), which is even more reason to admit I need to let some of the books go (although I am keeping my print copy of Fingersmith no matter what anyone says).

      I hope you like Gone Girl!

      My lack of reading this past weekend had nothing to do with the book. If I had my way, I would have read the entire weekend. No, we were just extra busy. I normally don't get a lot of reading done on the weekends though--it's family time.

      Delete
  8. I love the opening to Night of a Thousand Stars and will add it to my TBR stack.
    Our bookshelves are nearing capacity and we'll have to do some weeding soon. I dread that!
    Thank you for visiting my blog today.
    Sandy @Texas Twang

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    1. Sandra - I finally started reading Night of a Thousand Stars and am really enjoying it. I hope it stays this good!

      I hate weeding books, and yet it does feel nice to have some wiggle room (although I am trying not to think of it that way because I really don't need more books right now).

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  9. Gone Girl: Glad to know the movie is close to the book as I might not get to the book before the movie. The one thing about getting rid of things is it makes room for more. Enjoy your curio. Sorry to hear about your car. I hope it's not too bad. I loved the opening of Night of a Thousand Stars by Deanna Raybourn. It sounds like it will be fun to read.

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    1. Pat - I'd say watching or reading one is like doing the other--and it kind of is--but if you don't mind the book being spoiled by seeing the movie, then you're good seeing the movie first. :-)

      I was worried we wouldn't get rid of enough given the three bookcases we lost, but it worked out well. We have a little room to grow, but not much. It's safer that way anyone.

      Fortunately the car repairs this time weren't so bad at all. It's an older car, and so I'm sure I won't be able to say that often when it comes to auto shop visits.

      I hope to start Night of a Thousand Stars tomorrow. It does sound good, doesn't it?

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  10. I don't even have to read the intro, the two sentence summary had me wanting to read this book, and the fact that I love the author. It is always sad when books leave the house, but sometimes it has to be done.

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    1. Nise' - Is she a good author? I get that impression. This will be my first book by her. I'm looking forward to giving her a try.

      Yes, sometimes we do have to say goodbye to our books. I still have more than is probably good for me, but I do like to be surrounded by books. :-)

      Delete
  11. Culling books is hard and painful... you did a great job! That opener sounds like fun.

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    1. JoAnn - Yes, it is! And thank you. I tried to be ruthless, but, really, the sooner I get those books out of the house the better. I've already changed my mind about a few.

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  12. Everyone once in a while when I'm at work and it's a slow day I think about creeping home early to read for a bit while the house is still quiet. But then I get home, feel guilty about the mess, and clean instead. Bah.

    How brave you are to cull your shelves that way! I've been hearing so much talk on twitter about culling and I REALLY REALLY need to ...I'm never going to read all the books I own and there's not a good reason to keep ALL the ones I have read. I'd love to see the curio, though! I've been wanting something to put my bells in but not sure how cluttered that would look (right now they're all boxed up in storage).

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    1. Trish - I can totally relate! Whenever I have time--and the house--to myself, I rarely end up reading like I dreamed of doing. There's always something that must get done around the house or I end up having to run errands.

      That's my reality too. I am never going to be able to read all the books I haven't yet read that I own. No matter how much I want to. I try to console myself by remembering I can always try to find the books in the library if I do change my mind after the books are gone.

      I got the curio for the purpose of displaying my bells and miniature clocks. I only displayed certain ones--not all of them (the bells, I mean--I don't have a lot of mini clocks). It would have been crazy cluttered if I did that. I didn't get a curio with doors that lock (it just didn't occur to me) and so Mouse likes to open the bottom doors and play with my music boxes and mini clocks. I figure it won't hurt. Well, they could break, but it's good practice for her in being careful. And I remember how much I loved playing with my grandmother's little knick knacks growing up. The bells are higher up, so she can't quite reach them yet.

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  13. I absolutely would continue reading. I love Deanna Raybourn and it's been a while since I read any of her novels. I'm impressed with the number of books you're releasing from your book shelves. I did a similar purge over the past few weeks, donating the books to two upcoming charity books sales. As you say, it is very hard to let go of them, even when you know there's no chance you'll get to them.

    Hope your car repairs aren't too costly and that your week ends on a better note.

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    1. Catherine - What does help is knowing the books will go to other readers who want to read them. It is hard though. I struggled most with letting go of some of the fantasy novels that my husband shared with me shortly after we first started dating. They aren't very good, but they were favorites at the time. I hung onto them for sentimental reasons. I did hold back a couple from the set that meant more to me than the others though.

      My week so far hasn't been too bad. Work is crazy busy right now, but the repairs to my car were minor, thank goodness.

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  14. I definitely like that intro and would keep reading.

    As for the culling of books - I find it enjoyable, especially when they are donated to a good cause or given to other book lovers. enjoy your curio.

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    1. Diane - It's very catchy, isn't it? I like the intro too. I almost didn't stop reading after I typed it in.

      I wish I felt so positive about giving away books. It is nice to know they are finding love elsewhere instead of just sitting on my shelves, but it's still hard to let go of them.

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  15. Yes, I'd definitely keep reading. I'm intrigued.

    I want to see and read Gone Girl. It looks wonderful.

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    1. Yvonne - I am too! I can't wait to start in on Night of a Thousand Stars.

      I really liked Gone Girl and hope you will too if you read or watch it.

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  16. Hope your car doesn't give you more trouble. I am hoping to go watch Gone Girl this weekend. The husband and I enjoyed the book a lot so it is going to be interesting to see how the movie is done.

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    1. Athira - I hope not either. It's been one thing after another. This time it was a minor fix, but since I was just at the shop last week . . . I wish I wasn't so reliant on my car.

      I hope you like the movie version of Gone Girl!

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  17. To part with books is very tough. This year, I donated a few to a library but they were the ones I knew I'll not be reading again.

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    1. Neer - I try to do that, give away the books I don't think I will read again, but sometimes I have trouble deciding whether I might re-read the book or not.

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  18. The opener really appeals to me. Sounds like fun.

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  19. That must have been quite a project! It is difficult to get rid of books that are unread! It is usually easier for me if I can find them in the catalog of the local library. There is something about knowing I COULD read them if I ever found the time!

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    1. Kim - It was quite the project! I'm surprised we were able to get it done in one weekend. I reshelved all my remaining books, and made sure they were in order (in the three years we've lived in the home I haven't bothered because my daughter would just pull the books out anyway and put them back anywhere she wanted). And yes, that's my one consolation. I can turn to the library if I change my mind.

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  20. I'm hooked! that was a fun opener. Wow you were ambitious this week! Have a nice week! kelley—the road goes ever ever on

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    1. Kelley - I really like that opener too. I want to know where she is going and why she's running away. I hope to read the book very soon.

      My husband and I got quite a bit done this past weekend. It definitely felt like one of our more productive ones.

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  21. I am one of the few that did not like Gone Girl the book. I still want to see the movie but I was hoping that the movie's ending was different. I heard that it was not. Bummer.

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    1. Ti - The rumor is true. It was kind of disappointing as a result. I was looking forward to seeing a different ending. Oh well. Hopefully you will like the movie more than the book--although they pretty much are the same.

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  22. Isn't it crazy how books take up so much space? I recently donated quite a few to goodwill.
    I want to see Gone Girl, but I want to read the book first. Happy weekend :)

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    1. Naida - Yes! They take up a lot of space. Except for e-books, which are hidden away on my e-reader--but then, that makes them easy to forget. A not so good thing.

      I hope you enjoy Gone Girl when you read/see it!

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  23. Oh my goodness, saying goodbye to all of those books must have been emotionally exhausting - although you did get to have your curio cabinet!

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    1. Lisa - It was hard saying goodbye to so many books. They are out of the house now, for all our sakes. I had already started taking some back and slipping them onto the shelves again . . .

      I am really liking my curio cabinet. It fits in well with my bookcases. My daughter seems to like it too because she's always going over to it and opening the bottom doors to pull things out.

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  24. Ugh, I keep telling myself I need to do a purge - I've been really good about not buying NEW books, but I really need to start saying goodbye to some oldies.

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    1. Elizabeth - I have been good about not buying new books in print, at least. I can't say the same for e-books. :-S It is hard to let go of books. I know not everyone understands that, but I think most of us here do.

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