Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Tuesday Things (on Wednesday)

I'm a day late with this post, but I have always been a procrastinator. As many of my friends know, I am a huge fan of LibraryThing.com, and as part of the Book Blog Roundup there, let me tell you a little about myself and this blog.

First, me: I'm 42, so I should know the answer to Life, The Universe and Everything, but sadly, I do not. I'm a graduate of Kent State University and currently I work for a product testing laboratory. Basically, we break things. I'm in sales, but when I started here they promised me that I would also get to break things. So far I have only broken the laser printer, but I have high hopes. I have one cat, a lot of bookshelves and a fine collection of knitting needles. I also have a nice yard and a hammock, where I do a lot of reading in the summer. Have you ever noticed that you can't really do anything productive in a hammock? You're flat on your back, balanced rather precariously, and there is no way to do anything important...other than read.

As for my books, I have a lot of them. I grew up in a family that valued reading, with the sort of parents who not only didn't mind if I read under the covers with a flashlight, they would actually check the flashlight to make sure it had good batteries. Wouldn't want me to strain my eyes after all. I have a fairly long commute so I do a lot of my reading by audiobook. Anyone who wants to argue that this isn't actually reading is cordially invited to kiss my ass. What book lover does not have fond memories of being read to as a child? It can be a marvelous way to experience a story.

And last but not least, my blog. I can be very casual about my reading. Hmmm, that was good - and on to the next book. Right now, there are over 100 books in my "to be read" pile, and it's growing all the time. Still, that doesn't mean I shouldn't be thoughtful about what I read. Writing reviews and posting them here gives me a chance to really think about what I've read, why I liked or didn't like it, what was really important about it. It's also a great writing exercise - I love to write and I don't always get to do the sort of writing that really makes you think and leaves you satisfied. I hope this blog will do that for me.

One final comment: a cousin of mine passed on a huge compliment to me recently. She said, "I have books that other people have loaned me that have been sitting on my shelves for months, but every book you have loaned me, I've read within 10 days." How nice to think that I could do the same for some of the people reading these reviews.

9 comments:

Marie Cloutier said...

I have a hammock too- the best place to read in the house. At least until I fall asleep!
it's nice to meet you- thanks for participating & i look forward to reading more of your blog :-)

Lenore Appelhans said...

What I great post! I love the wit you put into your writing and look forward to reading your book reviews.

jlshall said...

Loved your post. I take it the breaking of things is by design and not just because you work in an office full of klutzes like me?

I also expected to discover the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything at 42, but that era came and went and left me none the wiser. And I'm afraid it doesn't look like things are going to get any clearer with advancing years!

Anonymous said...

Hi, found your blog on LT. I'm only just making my way around to everyone's blogs. I totally know where you're coming from when you said you read under the covers with flashlights!! I look forward to more of your posts:)

Elizabeth said...

Hi - I also found your blog at LT and wanted to say hello. I can tell I will have a lot of good reading here! =)

Laura said...

Wow, 100 TBR books! Mine top out at about 45 right now, so I'm making a goal to get at least half of them read for my 50 book challenge this year.

Nice meeting you!

Lisa said...

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate the kind words and I hope you enjoy the reviews.

(Jshall, yes, the breaking is by design. You send us your stuff and we break it - it's quite a business.)

Anonymous said...

Hello! I have a cat and a pair of knitting needles I just can't get to grips with, even though I can make curtains and cross-stitch etc! Grr!

Like your writing style and look forward to reading more of your reviews - I'm a fellow LTer of course...

Lisa said...

Lyzzy, bring the knitting needles on over - I can teach anyone! You'll be knitting big rectangular blocks of nothing much in no time!

And thanks - I'm finally beginning to write reviews that are beyond a quick thumbs-up/thumbs-down and so I am trying out a lot of things.