Lori’s Book Nook

As the New Year approaches, some people like to think of ways to better their lives, and to some, that means reducing clutter.

But to declutter books — is that really something a book lover wants to do? No, I don’t think so…but the reality is that sometimes we may have to do it.

Over at 43Folders is a post about this very topic, with a link to the original source, a question and long series of rather good answers at Ask Metafilter on “Advice for clearing literary clutter” — although, for me, the asker loses some credibility for even thinking of the phrase “literary clutter”!

What do you think, O Loyal Reader? Is there such a thing as ‘literary clutter’? What does it look like to you? What do you do about it?

Or, as is the point, what are you planning on doing in the New Year to clear some space on your bookshelves (to make room for new books in 2008)?

We all need some mental relaxation periodically. I’ll often pick up a book I’ve read a thousand times, open it to the middle, and just ‘continue’ reading…calms me right down.

Yesterday, I picked up a bit of chick lit that had been sent my way (by BzzAgent actually — I participated in a preview of some upcoming books from Penguin, and they sent me one of the books…unfortunately, not the one I would have chosen), Your Big Break by Johanna Edwards. (A cute little story about a woman who works for a company that can be hired to break up with your boy/girlfriend for you, quit your job…)

It was morning, I was lying abed (again) with a cup of coffee, brought to me by my man, and I picked up this book. Its 308 pages were done by about 9:30 a.m. Maybe three hours (2 pee breaks, 1 break to get more coffee, and one to pour a bowl of cereal, which I brought back to bed of course!) to read through a $20 book.

No wonder I prefer 1) secondhand books, 2) meatier books. More value per word.

Am I alone in this? Does meatiness level contribute to your book buying? What are your criteria for buying a new (ie. not secondhand) book?

Found this site today: Damn.org which has a great library of .txt files, introduced as follows:

Welcome to my collection of classical literature. Despite the fact that almost no one has used this resource in over a year, I persist in trying to have at least ONE useful thing on this entire site. The works found in this library represent some of the greatest classical books written throughout history.

Please, people! Go to Dr. J’s site and make use of his resources!! He (?) hasn’t updated since 2003, but the library text files are still there.

Here are some first lines, in honour of the interest my previous post has accumulated (can you name the books?).

#1, in honour of the Christmas season:

 "Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled
Jo, lying on the rug.

#2, ’cause it’s just great:

LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings
    won!

#3, one of my favourite books of all time:

IT WAS seven o'clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills
when Father Wolf woke up from his day's rest, scratched himself,
yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid
of the sleepy feeling in the tips.

#4, the first first line that ever caught my fancy:

"TOM!"

   No answer. 

    "TOM!"

   No answer. 

   "What's gone with that boy, I wonder? You TOM!" 

   No answer.

‘Tis not a difficult quiz. Ten lashes with a wet noodle if you can’t get at least 50%. Hie thee to a secondhand bookstore — immediately — if you don’t recognize any of them!

So we did it. Traveled all the way to Portland, OR, to visit Powell’s City of Books…a mecca of sorts in the book world.

Was it worth it? Well, it was raining in Portland, so it wasn’t like we were going to do any other sightseeing. We’d woken up late in our campground, which was not in itself a bad thing, but instead of breakfast we had brunch…and we ended up driving all the way home that day/night, instead of either camping in the wet or getting across the mountains and setting up camp at night.

But, I’m not answering the question. Yes. It was worth it. It’s a fabulous bookstore. It makes me happy knowing that there exists a place I can get numerous John Fante or Lawrence Ferlinghetti books, should I need to. It had 4 copies of one of the books on my wishlist, Ursula LeGuin’s Dancing on the Edge of the World…now no longer on my wishlist, but in my library.
Another treasure that is now in my library, for a great price, is the New and Collected Poems: 1931 - 2001 of Czeslaw Milosz, Polish poet & Nobel Prize winner. One of the reasons I wanted a book of his poetry was A Book of Luminous Things: An International Anthology of Poetry — a collection he edited. The choices he made, and his commentary, put him firmly in the category of Poets I Like.

I will leave you with one of his poems, entitled A Boy.

A Boy

Standing on a boulder you cast a line,
Your bare feet rounded by the flickering water
Of your native river thick with water lilies.
And who are you, staring at the float
While you listen to echoes, the clatter of paddles?
What is the stigma you received, young master,
You who are ill with your apartness
And have one longing: to be just like the others?
I know your story and learned your future.
Dressed as a Gypsy girl I could stop by the river
And tell your fortune: fame and a lot of money,
Without knowledge, though, of the price to be paid
Which one does not admit to the envious.
One thing is certain: in you, there are two natures.
The miserly, the prudent on against the generous.
For many years you will attempt to reconcile them
Till all your works have grown small
And you will prize only uncalculated gifts,
Greatheartedness, self-forgetful giving,
Without monuments, books, and human memory.

Enjoy.

It was on this day in 1847 that Charlotte Brontë published her novel Jane Eyre. (From The Writer’s Almanac)

Isn’t that a fabulous thing? If you haven’t read it, go to your favourite local 2ndhand bookstore and pick up a cheap copy today. If you’re overawed by the concept of reading a book from 1847, watch the very nicely-done movie (with William Hurt as a wonderfully hulking Rochester, and Charlotte Gainsbourg as the quintessential plain Jane) to get yourself in the mood.

Or, if you have read it already, shake up your perceptions a bit by reading Jasper Fforde’s The Eyre Affair, a wonderfully odd book.
I’ve read the classic numerous times. I think I’ll pull it off the shelf today and give it a re-read in honour of its birthday.

A couple of years ago, a friend blogged about a great art installation — in a bookstore. The Adobe Bookstore in SF to be exact. I was actually on my way to California right after, so I made a point of going to the bookstore, to see the books all arranged by colour. The juxtapositions were fascinating, Balzac next to dog grooming…

Anyway, it’s time for another bookstore quest. This time, my husband and I are going to Portland, OR, so that I can go to Powell’s City of Books, supposedly the largest bookstore in the world. Fills a whole city block.

Can’t wait.

The Internet is a wonderful ‘place’, right? We are all in agreement on that point? Yes, it sucks time and energy, distracts us from the rest of our lives, but you can find the answer to most of your questions, and for the others, you can find a group to discuss the possibilities.

But why, when I’m presented with a new, super-cool book search tool — this time BookWormSearch — do I feel a little lost?

Is it only me who feels paralyzed by endless possibility when faced with a search box on a simple webpage?

Years ago, someone said to me, “You know, the Internet is like the world’s largest library…except that you can’t browse the shelves.”

And in the end, that is the reason I like my books in their analog form…and bookstores and libraries to have open shelves. I don’t want to know what I’m looking for, the discovery of a new interest is just around the corner, and I don’t want to miss it.

That said, I’d like to point you to two beautiful things:

1. The Open Library…a project by librarians for book lovers now, and in the future. The idea is to scan books, page-by-page, and enter them into an online library, where readers can still lovingly turn the pages. Plus, the plan is to have each book read as well, so you can opt to have the audio version play while you read, or if you can’t read…
2. StumbleUpon, the most amazing time-waster on the Internet. It is the closest thing I have found to just wandering the aisles of the Internet bookstore, to see what you can see.

“So, it ain’t all bad.”

This is something that has cropped up a couple times so far, since I began this blog. What makes a secondhand bookstore great, or mediocre?

New bookstores — well that’s easy. Whatever Chapters ain’t. Knowledgeable staff. A broad range of books on the shelves, including small press stuff and lesser known authors. Good ordering policy. Chairs scattered throughout. Intriguing displays.

But 2ndhand bookstores, that’s different. Lots of stock, piled high, but not too high. Lots of space to house an ever-changing population of books. Piles of books kept to a manageable level…customers should be able to walk down your aisles, not pick their way precariously. Stools and chairs scattered about. At least one cat.

Most importantly — an aggressive acquisition policy. One of the used best bookstores in Vancouver Albion Books (523 Richards Street, downtown Vancouver. Tell Dave I sent ya!) is great because the owner pays cash for new stock, and he really knows his books (and music). So Axiom #2 is “Pay in store credit, you’ll get crap.” [I'm keeping Axiom #1 open for a larger insight...]

And a used bookstore needs a constant influx of fabulous stock…or people like me will pick it dry quickly. Then it has to lie fallow for 6 months to a year, before going back in.

Admit it — you know what I’m talking about!

Anyway, what are your favourite bookstores? Anything else to add to my criteria for a great one?