Member: desideo

Thenk you! You have an impressive collection of Kalle Ankas Pocket! Did you add them all manually or did you find them in a database somewhere? I have been wanting to add all my own but I can't find them anywhere.

posted by nilsr at 7:55 am (EST) on Jan 20, 2009

Hey desideo! I thought I'd drop by and mention that I finally found one of the Green Knowe books by L. M. Boston (The River at Green Knowe) and LOVED it! I'm looking out for the rest of the books... thanks for the tip! :)

~ww

posted by wisewoman at 9:06 am (EST) on Sep 22, 2008

I was in Egypt the middle 2 weeks in May, and now I'm in Charleston, SC (writing this on the hotel computer, so I will be brief).

Yes, the "Pride and Prejudice" movie was a major disappointment, but I expected no less hearing that they cast Knightley as "Lizzie." I worked on a project last year with Jennifer Ehle, who was the Elizabeth in the A&E miniseries and told her I thought she was my ideal.

posted by Django6924 at 10:40 pm (EST) on Jun 30, 2008

Anna -

So good to hear from you! I will be looking forward to an update on your travels.

Anne

posted by amancine at 12:23 pm (EST) on Jun 23, 2008

Wow you are so fortunate. Please tell where you went and what you saw. I am only an armchair traveler these days. Glad you are back.

posted by carolcarter at 4:56 pm (EST) on Jun 22, 2008

Desideo, I just read your critiques of the recent Pride and Prejudice movie, and was pleased to find my own disappointment in the film so well expressed.

One thing that you didn't mention was the wildly inappropriate visual style--something more suitable for Wuthering Heights or Jamaica Inn.

posted by Django6924 at 1:35 pm (EST) on Jan 30, 2008

I've only just come across your extended condemnation of the Hollywood Pride and Prejudice, which said everything I thought, except in more detail, and far more elegently, and far more amusingly. I laughed for the full 20 mins I was reading. May I have your autograph?

posted by DLSmithies at 7:31 pm (EST) on Jan 8, 2008

Hej!

Nu är den min tur att be om ursäkt för ett sent svar. Jag har varit ganska lite på LT på grund av de tekniska svårigheterna (åäö som inte fungerade i korrekt osv.) i senaste tiderna och också andra brådskor.

Svenska språket i Finland – en delikat fråga, det är det. I princip borde alla som gått i grundskolan (födda på 60-talet eller senare) kunna mer eller mindre svenska. Svenska språket är obligatoriskt i finska skolor (och finskan är obligatoriskt för svenskspråkiga). Finland är ju tvåspråkigt, som du säkert visste, men svenskan är ett minoritetsspråk, det är bara c. 6 % som har svenskan till modersmål.

Förr i tiden var svenskan ofta det första främmande språket i skolan. Nuförtiden är det väl nästan alltid engelska. Det är bara få som har svenskan eller något annat språk som första främmande språk. I alla fall har varje finne som gått i grundskolan läst åtminstone några år svenska. Men det tycks vara trendigt att hata svenskan, ”tvångssvenskan” som man kallar det. På sätt och vis kan man förstå det – i stora delar av landet finns det praktiskt taget ingen möjlighet att använda svenskan. Att behöva läsa nånting som man inte alls kan praktisera eller ha nytta av kan vara ganska frustrerande. Den svenska befolkningen är bosatt i vissa delar av Österbotten, skärgården och sydkusten. Där kan man vänta sig möjligen få svar på svenska, men inte lita på det. Åland har en särställning, där är svenskan det enda officiella språket.

Här på LT kan man vanligen relativt tryggt gissa vilket språk man kan använda på grund av biblioteksinnehållet. Men jag är säkert inte den enda som har flera böcker på språk som man själv kan varken läsa eller skriva...

Gott nytt år!

posted by qu1d at 2:35 pm (EST) on Jan 6, 2008

I hope everything is okay with you, Anna. I miss you here on LibraryThing.

Anne

posted by amancine at 3:44 pm (EST) on Jan 5, 2008

Anna how are you? Have not heard from you for awhile. Hope everything is well. What are you reading?

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 6:59 pm (EST) on Nov 21, 2007

Hi! How's it going? Still going strong with the comics? My husband and I are at my mother's house in Maryland for Thanksgiving, which is my favorite holiday because it involves massive cooking. We're supposed to make 2 turkeys, dressing, cranberries, fried chicken, salad and salmon. Others will bring other dishes. Sounds great except we're both sick, he much worse than I, but I'm not comfortable. We've only got a few days to get better! Wish me luck! Talk to you soon.

posted by citygirl at 6:07 pm (EST) on Nov 19, 2007

Anna,

Apparently we have drugs for restless leg syndrome over here. They advertise them constantly. But over here we have drugs for EVERYTHING. I know people who are on so many drugs they may never die.

I have fibromyalgia and a year and a half ago I went to a fibromyalgia clinic. I went for a month. By the end of that period I had so many drugs and supplements I was supposed to take that I gave up. It would have been a full time job to figure out what to when and with what. It was utterly ridiculous. And it cost me a fortune. My other problem with all the drugs is our Food and Drug Administration is policed by the corporations who make the drugs and supply the food. Under Bush the oversight legislation is being written by the people it is supposed to control. That is why we have food we cannot eat and people are dying from the drugs because they are not tested properly.

I hope you don't have restless leg syndrome. It must be brand new because five years ago I had never heard of it.

Cheers.

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 4:38 pm (EST) on Nov 12, 2007

I am glad you like it. It is nice to give something to someone who appreciates it. I can't tell you how many times I have sent things to people and never had it acknowledged. I know America is looking pretty horrifying these days but not all of us are taking it laying down. I love people all over the world and it makes me furious that other countries are afraid of us. I do understand, however, why other countries do not want to be Americanized culturally. I really hope that doesn't happen. Anyway at least one of us is not a lunatic (there are more of us than is probably apparent).

Do enjoy and I will be glad to hear about your projects. As I mentioned we have a booth in an antique store. The owner is a darling and she gives me really good prices on anything she is selling. Today I came home with three vintage quilt tops and two really fantastic vintage quilts. I will be putting some photos up very soon on the blog.

Take care.

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 8:06 pm (EST) on Nov 8, 2007

Glad you are enjoying and this is why I am laconic: I can't help it. I wanted to be a writer VERY badly and I took classes but I could not write long involved, descriptive prose. So I gave up on that. I can write decent poetry (because it is spare) and even had some published but I have to be suicidally depressed to even want to do that. So I run and make quilts. I am happier that way.

Hope you are well.

posted by carolcarter at 6:01 pm (EST) on Nov 7, 2007

Ok then. I will try. 140 is not many.

posted by carolcarter at 11:16 pm (EST) on Nov 6, 2007

I don't quite understand the Twitter site. Do you leave comments like a blog or just read it?

posted by carolcarter at 11:56 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

Wow that was way faster than I would have thought. I hope you enjoy it.

posted by carolcarter at 11:51 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

I'm pretty sure its an American commercial. I also had no idea the rift was so commonly known - especially outside Minnesota, where I'm from and where I'm sure the commercial would play VERY well.

posted by fannyprice at 5:35 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

Oh a related note, there is a hilarious (to Scandinavian-Americans, anyway) Citibank commercial airing right now in which a man and his father go to Norway to rediscover their roots, have a great time, feel like locals and are feted by locals, and then go to the hall of records and discover they are actually....Swedish. It ends with them buying two tickets to Stockholm and getting out of Norway as fast as they can. Finally, the differences between my people are being understood! :)

posted by fannyprice at 5:29 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

So you're Swedish? My grandmother was Norwegian and her husband was Swedish, so I learned a lot about how my genes are probably at war with each other. :)

posted by fannyprice at 5:20 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

Oh, Jane Austen in Hollywood is a great book! I'm such a dork, I loved every minute of it.

posted by fannyprice at 5:09 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

OMG, I just now read your thoughts on the new P&P movie and I almost died laughing. Sounds like a real stinker.

posted by fannyprice at 2:54 pm (EST) on Nov 5, 2007

Anna,

That would probably be Hilde. She has a disease similar to mine and we have been commiserating for about a year. She is very sweet and very creative.

I read the comments and added my own. I would definitely hate for the whole world to be Americanized. I love my country but what makes the world interesting is the diversity. Definitely you are correct about knowledge trumping prejudice but over here we are not putting our money where our mouths are. Our educational system has never been as good as Europe's and since the advent of our antileader Bush it has gone down even farther. I just hope we can elect someone next year who will make some drastic changes to get us back on some semblance of a democracy. It is not looking very good.

Have fun in the country.

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 9:44 pm (EST) on Nov 1, 2007

Anna,

Do you celebrate Halloween in Sweden? I have an internet friend in Norway and she says it is slowly catching on there. I couldn't find any good horror films last night. Usually there is an abundance of spooky old films on Halloween but not so this year.

The Krinkles will stay up for a bit but not the rest. I am quite sick of it. I like to put up decorations a couple of weeks before the holiday and then take them down immediately. Otherwise it doesn't seem like something special. People around here leave their outdoor Christmas lights up for months. It drives me nuts. It is one thing to leave them up but must they turn them on.

Take care,

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 6:47 pm (EST) on Nov 1, 2007

Anna,

You are so welcome. Quilting is something I am passionate about and if I inspire you then I would be very happy. Even if you never use it it could give you ideas. That is one reason why I have so many quilt books and cookbooks. I love to be inspired.

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 5:24 pm (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

Anna,

I have decided on Big Book of Quilting. You can click on it in my library and it will take you to Amazon and some reviews. It is quite comprehensive. Even if you only play around with some of the stuff in it I think it would be a useful reference. My husband will mail it as soon as he can.

And do not fret. I paid next to nothing for it.

Enjoy.

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 6:22 am (EST) on Oct 26, 2007

It will give me a chance to reacquant myself with some of my quilt books that I have not looked at in years.

I will let you know.

Cheers.

posted by carolcarter at 9:35 pm (EST) on Oct 23, 2007

That is exactly the kind of maze I would like to find. I don't suppose over here we have many of those but I will search one of these days.

I shall do some research and try to find the perfect book for you. When I do I will tell you in case you can see some of it online then I will send it. This will be fun.

I am off to tackle twitter.

posted by carolcarter at 9:12 pm (EST) on Oct 23, 2007

Anna,

I would love to send you a quilt book. We are antique dealers in a small way and I often pick up books for next to nothing when we are cleaning out houses. That is how I have so many beginning books. I really do not need even one general book at this point. If you send me your address by email I will send you a book. It would be my pleasure.

That photo of the corn maze is exactly right. Unfortunately with our drought the corn was about half that tall this year. I assume in the past it has been a lot taller and it would have been more fun.

So on top of everything else you are doing you are building a house as well. You must have massive reserves of energy. Good luck with it all.

I will register with twitter and take a look.

Send me your address. I will enjoy looking through my books for the perfect one and if you don't like it I can send another. I have way more quilt books than any one person needs and if it opens up the world of quilting to someone, a world I adore, then I would be happy.

Take care,

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 7:52 pm (EST) on Oct 23, 2007

I don't know Cakes and Ale. How was it?

posted by findundercan at 11:23 pm (EST) on Oct 22, 2007

I am not quite understanding how to register for your blog on twitter. Will I be able to just read yours and how do I find it? I am not the most proficient with technology. Thanks. Or maybe I am going to the wrong place.

posted by carolcarter at 10:09 pm (EST) on Oct 20, 2007

Unfortunately I am American and I say unfortunately because a whole lot of us are terribly ashamed at the way our so-called leaders are behaving. They are not treating us any better either. One or two of our major cities are just weeks away from having no water and they have no plan to deal with it. Sounds like a third world country doesn't it.

Are you looking for a website or a book for general quilt knowledge? I could probably send you one of my general books. I have been quilting for 25 years now and the basics are internalized long ago. If a website I will have to do some research. I bet there is at least one. What you can do is google a technique such as 'cathedral window instructions' and you will bring up someone who has gone to the trouble to put it online as I did with just that one.

The corn maze was ok. I think I was looking for something like a hedge maze. Parts of the maze were so short that you could see the other people walking around. It was a lovely day however.

I don't know the cost of kilns these days but we have two. One is a floor kiln about two feet high which we have had for about thirty years and not used in at least fifteen. We recently acquired a used small kiln. It would fit on a counter but you couldn't make anything too large. You could probably research prices for those online. Isn't the internet wonderful.

posted by carolcarter at 10:07 pm (EST) on Oct 20, 2007

If you want any help with quilt terms feel free to ask. Sounds like what you are describing are 'scraps'. I love scrap quilts. Traditionally they were made with the odds and ends left from other sewing projects. Nowadays fat quarters are what make it so much fun to do scrap quilts. I am not sure of the exact dimensions of a fat quarter. It is slightly more than a quarter yard. Fat quarters have allowed me to accumulate a huge selection of fabrics. When I want to start a new quilt I just pull some choices down from my shelves. Playing with the fabric is so much fun.

The stockings look lovely. How fortunate your family and friends are.

posted by carolcarter at 5:37 pm (EST) on Oct 20, 2007

Are you Swedish or is that just where you landed most recently? I do love staying up at night. I have always been most awake at night. I spent fifty years living with the schedule of the rest of the world and the only good thing about the fibro is that since I cannot work I can live on whatever schedule I want. Of course some days, like tomorrow, I have to get up early. We are going to our favorite cider mill and they have a huge corn maze which I am dying to explore. Alas you cannot do that at night.

Talk to you later.

posted by carolcarter at 8:50 pm (EST) on Oct 19, 2007

All comments on my blog now are moderated by being sent to me via email first. I had a real problem with a commenter about a year ago, I deleted an entire blog because of him, so I always get them first.

Do you run on a daily basis? I used to run fifty miles a week but since the fibromyalgia I run when I can. I am still trying to get to ten or fifteen mile weeks these days. I fell on my face in August and that took me out of commission for a few weeks. Then I rolled my ankle a couple of weeks ago but I have a brace for that because I broke my foot in '96 running. Probably would have done it again but I am running so slow now that it wasn't as disastrous. I quit smoking in 2001 and gained 30-35 lbs which do not seem to want to go away. And I was still running around thirty miles a week then and doing karate (I have a red belt) lifting weights, etc. Not good to start smoking but quitting has given me several problems. Weight gain is one and now I grind my teeth which I never did before. I joke that I should start smoking again. I was actually smoking quite heavily when I ran the marathon in 1994. There were a lot of us. Stupid I know. I am going out running in a few minutes with a brace on my left leg and a knee brace on my right knee because I have arthritis. I probably look like I belong in some kind of special olympics. I really don't care though because running is almost the closest thing to heaven that I know.

posted by carolcarter at 7:30 pm (EST) on Oct 19, 2007

Ah, you're back. :-D. I know, I get a little buzz from being "interesting," too. I go tell my husband, Guess what? Somebody else thinks my library is cool. I feel like a rock star!, like you said, for about ten minutes. Have fun with your comics.

posted by citygirl at 7:30 pm (EST) on Oct 19, 2007

Do you have a blog or journal? I tried your links but there seems to be nothing posted. Must I register?

posted by carolcarter at 6:24 pm (EST) on Oct 19, 2007

Anna,

I agree with you about vintage fabric and as I said if I have a vintage top, and I have many, I always hand quilt them. More nineteenth century quilts were machine quilted than you might think though. Women are no dummies and are quick to see the time saving features of anything. We have had to.

There are a lot of pictures of my quilts, some finished, some in progress, on the first page of my blog. If you scroll down somewhat slowly you will come to them. I haven't done anything just recently. There are more in the archives but not as many. Lately I started showing some of my old work since I don't get a lot done quickly and my quilting readers want to see quilts. Not that I have many readers. There are also quite a few pictures of the vintage quilts I own. We are antique dealers in a small way and I have about doubled my vintage collection in the last year since we joined our antique store.

As for the cookbooks - some people think it is crazy to have so many but I use them in so many ways. Some are just beautiful works of art, some are excellent cultural histories of the area they focus on, some have incredible photography and some I turn to over and over again for the recipes. When I entertained more, and even now when I infrequently do, I sit down with them all and research what I want to make and usually combine several recipes.

Do you cook much yourself? What other hobbies have you?

Cheers,

Candy

posted by carolcarter at 5:29 pm (EST) on Oct 19, 2007

I have made two or three dozen quilts, maybe a few more. I went through a ten year period when I was so busy I didn't do much quilting. I have about ten in progress at the moment and about ten thousand on my list. I have more time now that my kids are adults but I also have fibromyalgia now which has great fatigue and I don't get as much done as I used to or as I would like. Culinary school was fun and I did work in the industry for awhile but it is a very tough career physically. Nowadays I don't even cook much but I love reading about it and watching programs on television. I am glad about everything I did but I would have liked to have had a career. As it was I ended up majoring in sociology and worked as a secretary for twenty years. VERY boring. I didn't go to culinary school until I was in my forties.

Quilting is really pretty easy. You don't even need a machine. The first quilt I made was pieced as well as quilted by hand. I much prefer hand work but as the list gets longer I want to get through each quilt faster so I can get on to the next. I always hand quilt any vintage quilts I make.

Cheers.

posted by carolcarter at 11:01 pm (EST) on Oct 18, 2007

I used to be able to read philosophy in French and be fairly fluent in Spanish. When I started college I intended to major in languages and get a job at the U.N. My French teacher first semester was a priest who couldn't keep his hands off and at the time I just didn't know how to handle that and changed my major. Was a bad decision but I was unbelievable shy and terrified of authority. Needless to say I brought up my daughter to be otherwise and I am no longer like that. I have tried reading French these days but I really can't get more than the barest gist.

posted by carolcarter at 9:39 pm (EST) on Oct 18, 2007

I would have to look at it again. I have had it for several years. I have a lot of quilting books and I should sit and look at them more often.

posted by carolcarter at 9:34 pm (EST) on Oct 18, 2007

Thanks for flagging me. Your library is more than interesting. I used to be multilingual also but I have not been keeping up with it. I no longer treat my books with as much care. I highlight, write notes, dog-ear them even spill food on them. I love them and what is the point of having books if you can't use them. It is like having furniture and not sitting on it. I do have books I take special care of like Harry Potter.

Where are you travelling and is it for work? How fortunate for you to see the world.

posted by carolcarter at 9:23 pm (EST) on Oct 18, 2007

You have a great collection of Art Books. I am no Art Buff at all but I do love John William Waterhouse. I was first drawn to him because of his paintings of some of my fictional heroines. Do you like his work?

http://www.johnwilliamwaterhouse.com/pai...

I note you now have a multi-lingual message page!!! (I am so green with envy)

Anon.

posted by AnneBoleyn at 2:57 am (EST) on Sep 25, 2007

I've been poking around while I'm supposed to be working. Now you have an interesting library. Of course, I can't read half of it. Hope all is well....

posted by citygirl at 7:43 pm (EST) on Sep 24, 2007

Your chanterelle dining experience sounds delightful.

My first visit to Sweden took place in 1967 during a 4-1/2-month "Europe On Five Dollars A Day" adventure. Over the years, letters to my mother from her cousin in Almundsryd were always posted as simply "Ryd", so when I set out to find the place I had no idea that there were in fact several "Ryds". A kindly man who picked us up while my friend and I were hitchhiking spent hours driving us around southern Sweden looking for the right place and eventually delivered us to my relative's door.

Geneology:

Maternal Grandfather - Killeberg, Smaland
Maternal Grandmother - Nas, Dalarna
Paternal Grandfather - Sanne, Bohusland
Paternal Grandmother - Skaara, Onsoy, Norway

posted by tropics at 2:02 pm (EST) on Sep 24, 2007

Yes, that does make the chanterelle photo very special.

I've been to Sweden twice, most recently in 1983, visiting kin. Three of my grandparents immigrated to Canada from Sweden (a fourth was born in Norway). In '83 my husband's and my visit coincided with the Midsummer celebration - a lovely event in this small rural community (Almundsryd) with sod-roofed outbuildings.

Love your comment about book spines!

posted by tropics at 3:30 pm (EST) on Sep 23, 2007

Thanks, Desideo: Beautiful creatures of the forest. Here are more chanterelle photos:

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=...

posted by tropics at 1:57 pm (EST) on Sep 23, 2007

Hej Desideo!

Du kunde kanske försöka The Bloody Chamber av Angela Carter. Det är en kollektion av berättelser, som är mer eller mindre baserade på sagor och andra klassiska myter. Hennes nytolkningar är inte alls självklara utan ofta förbryllande. Man vet inte om man skulle vara rädd eller bara njuta...

Hälsningar

qu1d

posted by qu1d at 5:11 pm (EST) on Sep 22, 2007

Es verdad!!!

posted by AnneBoleyn at 7:12 am (EST) on Sep 22, 2007

Why 27? –I would have to write an essay to answer that question!

I envy you your ability/talent for so many languages. I have often thought how wonderful it would be to read author’s like Gabriel García Márquez in their original translation. I recently bought a copy of Pablo Neruda’s ‘Twenty love poems and a song of despair’ It has the poem in its original Spanish on one side and the English translation on the other side. The English version’s are really beautiful I can only imagine how magical they must be in their original language, it makes me want to study the language or take a Spanish Lover!!

posted by AnneBoleyn at 6:48 am (EST) on Sep 22, 2007

Seen, noted, and greatly desired; thank you!

posted by Eurydice at 1:13 am (EST) on Sep 20, 2007

What's Catrines intressanta blekhet about. Am I correct it means Catrine's interesting paleness? One user says it is 'läsvärd' which I take to mean worth reading.

posted by CharlesFerdinand at 4:07 pm (EST) on Sep 18, 2007

No, no pain. The vet this morning says she's perkier but still not eating. Thanks!

posted by xorscape at 2:01 pm (EST) on Sep 16, 2007

Thanks. Cats are so resilient we really shouldn't count them out too soon. The vet didn't look encouraging and even commented that 20 was a good long life. I ignored her. I still have the Mama Kitty and she's 21, soon to be 22! I gave Babaloo permission to go or stay, whichever she needs to do for herself. And I prayed that I was doing the right thing. Thanks for the encouragement!

posted by xorscape at 12:41 am (EST) on Sep 16, 2007

Yes, it's a very good move, much improved circumstances. Thanks for asking. My husband likes to build things. Hopefully he'll build me some bookshelves. Books should be seen, n'est-ce pas?

posted by citygirl at 6:19 pm (EST) on Sep 15, 2007

I just discovered Connection News maybe two days ago. It's great! It's a little like getting to look into windows. I'm actually opening boxes and repacking them (we're going to move soon). There's a lot I've forgotten I have.

posted by citygirl at 6:14 pm (EST) on Sep 15, 2007

Anna Rebecca,

I am drawn to your page as you added me to your IL! Flattered indeed and most entertained by your comments on profle page. You leave a certain mystical air floating about you that is quite intriguing. I am tempted to probe and question, but just will not, YET!!!

Nice to make contact.

Karen

posted by kiwidoc at 3:00 pm (EST) on Sep 13, 2007

Thanks. Maybe I'll put that book on my Christmas list. Daddy has got some Swedish books including Teach Yourself Swedish but I don't think he has looked in them very much.

posted by TinyBookworm at 9:58 am (EST) on Sep 12, 2007

Yep. Every time someone isn't looking, I try to make something explode.

posted by findundercan at 4:40 pm (EST) on Sep 11, 2007

I guess the tag 'waterproof' would be quite comforting if you like to read in the bath a lot. Some of my other books could be tagged 'washable', which would also be reassuring. None of them are 'indestructible', though.

posted by TinyBookworm at 1:36 pm (EST) on Sep 11, 2007

Re: Dollhouse Bookcase

Thanks! I have gotten a lot of complements on mine. The one in the link you sent me is cute. To bad I didn't start making and selling them on my own. I could retire and spend all day reading Austen, trashing adaptations (although not as well as you :) and talking to people on Library Thing! Someday.

I like what you wrote about cracking the spines of your books and thinking of someone. I used to work at a bookstore. We were allowed to take books home to read, which was nice, but we always had to be so careful. I always seemed to ruin the books I didn't like, and then I had to buy them. I love it now that I can do whatever I want to my books: notes, underlines, dogears, hurrah!

posted by compskibook at 8:43 pm (EST) on Sep 8, 2007

Look at me being all social-like and putting up a picture of myself.

posted by findundercan at 7:24 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

Ah, so that's what she does when I'm not looking! She is the most intelligent of the bunch.
Her name is Artemis and she is adorable. She was about five months old when I took the picture (she's two now). We have two more, her mom Häxli who's also all black and a male tabby (not her dad) called Cherubin. But since that name is so long, complicated and he doesn't listen anyway, we just call him "di Gross" (the big one).

posted by Thalia at 7:01 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

Yeah, for some weird reason she has always loved sleeping on books. Here it's Nietzsche, Hemingway and Orwell. I have quite a few more pictures with her laying on books. I just take one every time because it cracks me up. I believe she would be a bookworm as well if she could read.

posted by Thalia at 6:53 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

desideo, now that we're friends you can teach me all the (in)appropriate uses for the word "task." Thanks for accepting the invite. See you on the threads.... citygirl

posted by citygirl at 5:59 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

Speaking of Dame Christie... I've been wanting to read The Floating Admiral, the serial novel she participated in with the likes of G.K. Chesterton. Have you read it?

posted by VictoriaPL at 3:14 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

That's an understatement. Art museums are like grocery stores for my soul. I tend to worry the guards because I like to get up close to the art. I like to see the brushstrokes and details, commune with the artist, what have you... I brushed the frame of a Van Gogh portrait in Washington D.C. with my shoulder (by mistake, honest) and I just knew I was going to be hauled away to jail. But to my relief no one said anything.

posted by VictoriaPL at 2:48 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

BTW, I'm starting to browse through your catalog. Unfortunately, my only foreign language is a smattering of French so I can't read all the titles. I'm so jealous of your Van Gogh book!

posted by VictoriaPL at 2:34 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

I enjoy Lauren's books as fluff - a light, breezy romp. Sometimes I want that in a book. They're really funny. God help us all if every book was Camus. He has his place, don't get me wrong... I'm just going to stop before I fall any further down this slippery slope.

posted by VictoriaPL at 2:21 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

Hello! I've been enjoying your posts on Jane Austen today. I just finished a series by Lauren Willig that you would just shred to pieces, I'm sure. Have you read her? The Secret Life of the Pink Carnation, The Masque of the Black Tulip and The Deception of the Emerald Ring?

posted by VictoriaPL at 1:26 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

I do love the chick lit. Actually, I suspect there's some stuff that would fit in either category if it were marketed differently.

The dogs don't pick up human things unless they look like dog toys and even then only if they're on the floor. Besides, they always reshelve by title and not by author like I do. I wonder if something happened to it when we moved.

posted by findundercan at 7:17 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2007

Is it obvious without additional tagging which are mine and which are Jen's? And how'd my copy of Crime and Punishment get so much water damage?

posted by findundercan at 6:58 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2007

Let's see... We went on a tour of the archipelago - I love the summer homes. We saw the Vasa. The Art Museum. My in-laws took a tour of the Palace but we opted to tour several churches instead (Stockholm cathedral, the old German church, Storkyrken etc). Sorry about my spelling... We went to Skansen (wanted to see reindeer but it was too hot for them. Got a shadowy picture of them in their barn. Loved the peacocks). We went down the main tourist street in Gamla Stan, I can't remember the name of it. But my favorite part was eatting ice cream on the subway every night. La Glace, the little clown.... I don't eat a lot of fish so the food was an adventure for me. We had a great time.

posted by VictoriaPL at 3:23 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2007

We went to Stockholm and Malmo (sorry, no umlaut) for my brother-in-law's wedding on Midsummer. What a beautiful country - I took so many photos! A little bit of culture shock, but that's to be expected. The National Art Museum in Stockholm was great. And I enjoyed the little museum inside the castle in Malmo too. But I was not fond of the flight over and back. Next time I think I want to cross via boat.

posted by VictoriaPL at 2:38 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2007

Well, this morning my husband showed me a serial novel which had over a dozen authors, called Looking Glass. The 'neat' factor was that every author had signed it in the front. In different inks, etc. I just had a picture of a huge signing party and how much fun that would have been. I have a weakness for signed books. I find serial novels interesting too. Have you looked at the Haunted Soda group here on LT? I like to read some of their submissions.

I love looking at old books in museums too, but it frustrates me when they're under glass because I can't turn the pages! Who decides which page is the deplayed and why is that the most interesting page?

I've only been overseas once (Sweden 2006) but I hope to travel more later on in life. What museums do you recommend abroad?

posted by VictoriaPL at 2:11 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2007

Please xplain more about that secret room behind the bookshelves! :D

posted by JPB at 3:44 pm (EST) on Sep 5, 2007

Your library is wonderful, desideo. I would say "vast" except that you say your parents have 10,000–15,000 books in their library (!). That's... insanely wonderful. And you would probably go wonderfully insane cataloguing all of those here!

Ah yes, my children's books. I haven't read the Emily books in forever. The first time I read them I started the first in the late afternoon and read the third late into that night... three straight through. It was marvelous. I still need to find a copy of Emily Climbs.

1–3 books per week isn't bad. That's about what I do. I would certainly read more but there are other details in my life like a job and husband and online commitments :-P

I've never read Carbonel: King of Cats. I'll put it on my search list. I don't have all the Borrowers books yet, but I read the library copies to pieces as a child. I was homeschooled all the way through graduation, so I had plenty of time to read and read and read. Too bad the local library was so limited.

I must also confess ignorance of Boston's "Green Knowe" books *blush*. I guess I will just blame that one-horse library :-P

posted by wisewoman at 10:38 am (EST) on Sep 3, 2007

Wow - such a small world, eh? There seem to be a lot of Classics-minded folks on LT, perhaps because we tend to be the type who love our books more than most (normal) people...

posted by scaifea at 7:33 am (EST) on Sep 3, 2007

Thanks for adding me to your interesting libraries list - it looks like we share a lot of the same interests!

posted by scaifea at 6:52 am (EST) on Sep 3, 2007

So, I take it that you like Pride and Predjudice?
I'm willing to talk about it, so leave a message!

AR :)

posted by Always_Reading at 1:33 am (EST) on Sep 2, 2007

Tack för tipset och omslaget! Ibland går det undan när man lägger in böckerna... men rätt ska vara rätt!

Allt gott,
Anna-Maria Rimm

posted by Rimm at 5:11 pm (EST) on Sep 1, 2007

No problem, desideo. Let me know when your library is up; it sounds fascinating!

I don't remember posting the "Do you write in your books thread?", hmm. Sounds like a good thread though. I am a copy editor in marketing, so fixing typos is therapeutic for me. Just got through the Signet Classics paperback of Les Misérables and there were numerous typos. Makes me want to mark up a copy and send it to the publisher!

posted by wisewoman at 5:09 pm (EST) on Aug 30, 2007

Enjoyable description of your library! :-)

Books should be loved, and loved means handled, touched, hugged. I don't go so far as dog-ears (*gasp! heehee*) but I do mark typos in my books. It makes me feel better.

posted by wisewoman at 4:57 pm (EST) on Aug 30, 2007

Anna Rebecca,
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed reading your comments above. Quite entertaining!!

Paola :-))

posted by aluvalibri at 9:41 am (EST) on Aug 28, 2007