Did you know it was cool to be Canadian? I didn't, not until I read on "Lost in Books" the "Take me Away to Canada eh?" post.
Do You Agree?
Trish at "Hey Lady Watcha Reading?" has a very interesting post on Amazon books, "Why I hate Amazon and Will Never Ever Buy From Them Again." I have just discovered the amazing service Amazon.ca has, but I didn't know it came at a price, and I find I'm really torn here. Sometimes I can only get books on Amazon.ca.
I escape the dilmma (sort of):
Happily, I've discovered that my local favourite indie bookstore, Collected Works, now has their shop online as well as the physical bookstore on Wellingston St, here in Ottawa. I am beyond delighted, because not only can you order online as easily as you can with Amazon.ca, Collected Works also delivers to your door. Direct. You don't have to go down to the store to pick up your books. Here is their link, in case you live in Eastern Ontario or Western Quebec. They might even ship to the US, it would be worth enquiring, especially if you want to go the indie route for your books. I plan on making good use of them!
Celebrating new shelves!!
My booktwin Bybee over at "Naked Without Books" has acquired two new bookshelves and has posted them for us all to drool over (and wonder how long it will take her to fill the empty spaces), on "Shelf Shots". There must be something in the air for Susans, because we bought two bookshelves from Ikea last week which should be delivered tomorrow, and I will finally have all of my books up off the floor. I will be posting pictures of my redesigned library in the living room, two years in the making, then. I don't think I will have any empty spaces, though, which my husband is refusing to admit means we might need another shelf sooner rather than later......
Books and cats just go together:
Nymeth at "things mean alot" has a fabulous review of a Diana Wynne Jones short story that I really have to find now, on "What the Cat Told Me by Diana Wynne Jones". I love cats, and as some of you may remember, our cat passed away in June after fighting cancer for a year and a half. This short story is from the cat's point of view, and the review Nymeth gives has made me miss Bandit once again. I also am a fervent admirer of Diana Wynne Jones, and am sad to see that I missed Diana Wynne Jones week here on the internet.
It's never too soon to get ready for the annual RIP challenge:
Bride over at "Bride of the Book God" has reviewed a gothic book that is perfect for Carl's upcoming RIP challenge, on "The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein." I've added it to my list of books to get, since I'd already noticed this book in the bookstores.
Things you keep at work:
Carl's post at "Stainless Steel Droppings" has made me confess to my own addiction to collecting toys for my cubicle at work, on his post "Moving On." Do you collect anything for your office work space? Do you think toys have inner lives of their own?
Here are the two dunnys I've managed to collect so far: I own the one on the far left on the first set, and the far right on the second set.
The one I really really really want is the middle one of the first set.
Here is the the link to the Dunny site, so you can find your own way to your favourite one. The store that carries them has been sold out for two months now, and I'm sure the clerks are amused at the two 40-somethings who pop in almost every day to see if any have come in yet. I've managed to get my friend at work hooked on them too. Yes, toys are fun, no matter what our age! and really, for my life at work, I do need to have a toy or two to remind myself there is a world outside work. I also have a tiny collection of books for emergencies - a short story collection of fantasy stories set at Christmas, a copy of The Selected Poems of John Donne, a thriller, and a small journal for writing ideas and thoughts. What do you have at your work to keep you sane?
Happy reading, my Gentle Readers!
6 comments:
Susan! It's so good to see you post. And I'm so glad my post made you re-experience having Bandit by your side, even if just for a moment. I avoided animal stories for a while after my dog died, but once that first raw pain has eased it can actually be wonderful to have a story remind us of our lost animals.
On an unrelated note, I wanted to tell you I finished Middlemarch, and it was in part you reading it last year which inspired me - so thank you!
Also, love the Dunnies! And I'm sorry about your tooth and hope you feel better soon :\ You did make perfect sense though.
Bookshelves from Ikea! Yummm!
I'd never seen a dunny before I read this post. Very cute.
Nymeth: Thank you! I agree about the animal stories, too. The kids are talking about when we are going to get new kittens (we're getting two), it's me who is missing Bandit the most now.
I'm so happy you read Middlemarch, and delighted I inspired you! Did you do a post about it? Isn't it a truly superb novel? I will be rereading it again and again I think, just for the pleasure of it.
The Dunnies are cute, I wish we could get some more! lol
Bybee: I bought one for a friend who was low, and we loved it so much I had to get more. Now we can't get any! I wonder though, is it only NA that has them?
I'll be posting pics of my new library when it's all done....still waiting for the shelves, turns out they don't deliver on Sundays.
I would love new book shelves!
But I have no where in the house to put them. I made the mistake of buying an "open plan" house where the main living areas aren't separated by walls - less walls, less places for book shelves.
I don't think the "Dunnys" will sell very well in Australia without a name change.
Over here "Dunny" is a slang term for toilet.
Onesimus: That is the problem with open-plan housing, isn't it? Or one problem, since the other is the noise level. I find with the open plan that sound carries from one end to the other loudly and quickly, and I couldn't live with that, not with three children! Then, I've always considered where my books would fit, as important in any place I've lived in. I don't suppose you could build a wall or two? lol
I know, I saw when I googled Dunny to find their site, that it was slang for toilet Down Under! They would definitely have to change their name to sell there!
Susan,
I lived in an apartment for about 15 years and all of my books were in boxes in a store room.
When we started to look for a house it was my desire to have a room that I could convert into my personal library/study.
I'm not sure where things went wrong - but now I have a house there seems to be no more room for books than I had before and most of my books are still in boxes, in the garage.
Every few months I sort everything out and swap things around, making sure books reflecting my current interests are in the house and the rest get stored away until my interests change again.
Tim
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