Member: tartalom

hey, i'm new at this. you seem to have most of the same books as me. does that matter?

posted by jpglynn at 6:04 am (EST) on May 20, 2009

Hi,

Was wondering if you'd be interested in reviewing my new novel and posting your comments here as well as a few other book-related sites. Saw you liked Paris Trout, and thought you might like my novel since it's also southern and a bit dark (in the same vein as Paris Trout). I could e-mail you the novel in an e-book format if you'd like. Let me know if you're interested. Here's a link to a summary in case you're interested:

http://christophertusa.com/blog/?page_id...

Thanks,

Chris

posted by cmtusa at 12:08 pm (EST) on Mar 23, 2009

Pretty cool! I am impressed with your involvement in the project. However I am obviously disappointed that it doesn't work. I have tried to contact Apple but their support in Ireland (unlike what they offer in the US) is appalling.

posted by liamfoley at 11:11 am (EST) on Apr 9, 2008

I just bought The Cathach of Colum Cille and noticed that you are the only LT member who has this work. Its a fine book but the CD Rom, so my computer tells me, is obsolete or the OS I use is too advanced, it tells me that the "Classic" environment is no longer supported. I suppose it serves me right for using a Mac, do you have the same problem, have you overcome the problem?

posted by liamfoley at 12:11 pm (EST) on Apr 8, 2008

I noticed that you were a fan of Ryszard Kapuscinski, so I thought I'd let you know that a small Canadian press, Biblioasis, has just brought out a volume of his selected poetry. It's the only edition of Kapuscinski's poetry available in english. It's called I Wrote Stone, and was translated from the Polish by Diana Kuprel and Marek Kusiba.

His verse is interesting, and as one would expect, thoughtful, philosophical, aphoristic and engaged politically, morally and viscerally with the world around him. It's something all fans of Kapuscinski should read, a book that meant a lot to him, and that he worked very hard to see published before his death. It's a shame, alas, that he did not quite make it.

Anyway, it's available from Biblioasis. Online (www.biblioasis.com, www.amazon.com) and anywhere else you can find good books. Check it out.

(Sorry: I am an interested party: the publisher. But we're a small, literary press, and we're just doing our best to let anyone who might be interested know about this collection. Pardon my intrusion.)

Dan Wells

posted by biblioasis at 4:23 pm (EST) on Feb 29, 2008

tartalom--I thought I'd bend your ear about Bolano again. I have just put up another review on him for his 'Amulet'. There is another of his books coming out in February 'Nazi literature in America' a kind of faux encyclopedia of right wingish literary types. Looking very much forward to seeing how that turns out.

posted by lriley at 9:21 am (EST) on Jan 14, 2008

I have taken the liberty - with your approval of course - of tagging your library for my future perusal. It looks pretty amazing, loads of future ideas, great favourite authors.

I see you say there are a few crappy books there too - hopefully you tag them as such. I have a plan to delete mine over time, but too lazy at present.

Cheers,

Karen

posted by kiwidoc at 1:00 am (EST) on Nov 21, 2007

I have taken the liberty - with your approval of course - of tagging your library for my future perusal. It looks pretty amazing, loads of future ideas, great favourite authors.

I see you say there are a few crappy books there too - hopefully you tag them as such. I have a plan to delete mine over time, but too lazy at present.

Cheers,

Karen

posted by kiwidoc at 12:58 am (EST) on Nov 21, 2007

Tartalom--two reviews today. Both short story collections. Denis Johnson's 'Jesus' son' and Roberto Bolano's 'Last evenings on earth'.

posted by lriley at 10:47 am (EST) on Oct 8, 2007

Tartalom--Ever heard of Etel Adnan? A Lebanese writer. Just reviewed Sitt Marie Rose.

posted by lriley at 9:10 am (EST) on Sep 10, 2007

Buzzcocks--Singles going steady? I like about half of it--and the other half not so much--which is the way I'm with a lot of stuff. I never went further with them than that. Maybe I should look at something else of theirs. Kind of the same era--Wire's first 3 albums (at least in the US)--Pink Flag, Chairs missing, 154 (which I must have originally bought about 30 years ago--time flies--like them a lot. Gang of four. Another left wing agit-prop band.

posted by lriley at 12:23 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

Well papalaz our other pal is always giving me recommendations and I act on a lot of them. He seems a bit more into the experimental novel. I have tendencies in that direction but like also historical (Zola, Doblin) or even more modern day not so experimental. I kind of jump around a lot. Do like a lot of noir though. Jean-Patrick Manchette is my favorite. His I think his is Derek Raymond. Read some non-fiction, poetry, plays also.

I have to ask you if you know about Manic Street Preachers? They're not well known in the US. I came across them by accident. I was looking up the Situationists--Guy Debord--on Wikipedia. They popped up too. Have bought a couple of their CD's and like them a lot. They're more recent releases though. Do you know anything about them?

posted by lriley at 2:33 am (EST) on Sep 7, 2007

Tartalom--one thing--if we're going to be pals and I read something that I think is great I have to tell you about it. How you follow up on it of course is up to you. I hope that is okay. I'll be getting to Papalaz shortly. Anyway--Nathan Englander's 'The Ministry of special cases' I think is excellent and gave it the highest rating and did a review though that might not be so good.

posted by lriley at 5:55 pm (EST) on Sep 6, 2007

Hi - this any better? http://flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=7142...

posted by papalaz at 3:50 am (EST) on Aug 3, 2007

Hi Tartalom, I wanted to make LT a simulacrum of my real collection - thus the spines (I find covers less interesting and mentally file away the spine image rather than the cover image in order to locate books). I also devised a tagging system that allows me to make sure that when I use cover view if I also use sort by tags the books appear exactly as my shelves are organised. Would that LT would allow me both cover and spine images - my problem is that all of the spine images are scaled and appear at exactly the same size - which of course isn't the case inreal life.

There's an image over at flickr that I composed from LT screen shots that might interest you (I had to scale it down a bit but you get the idea) - http://flickr.com/photos/jamsjoys/714278...

Enjoy

posted by papalaz at 1:59 am (EST) on Aug 3, 2007

Hello, I'm curious, what about my library interests you. Thanks I fixed the website. I don't have one.
Belle

posted by gautherbelle at 12:34 am (EST) on Aug 3, 2007

T (if I may),

To what do I owe the honor of being added to your "interesting libraries" list? And is that a new function? I've never noticed it before.

bookie

posted by bookiemonster81 at 2:16 pm (EST) on Jul 20, 2007

I think you're right. And neither the classics nor football are what they used to be, are they?

Are you a full-blown Greek / Latin reader? I'm not, but I'm thinking (pretty seriously) about doing a Reading Ancient Greek course with the OU.

Cheers

posted by desultory at 6:50 am (EST) on Jul 15, 2007

Woah - 99% affinity. Soul mates! Or possibly the awesome power of coincidence.

posted by desultory at 5:45 pm (EST) on Jul 13, 2007

Hey, thanks! Though I actually think LanguageHat said it better in a comment on the subsequent post. :-)

posted by perodicticus at 7:00 am (EST) on Jun 14, 2007

Thanks for the suggestions on London and NY, I'll have to look into them.

And tag-borrowing isn't pathetic. Expedient, rather.
-bookie

posted by bookiemonster81 at 7:01 pm (EST) on May 25, 2007

Extensive and interesting library; I'm quite jealous!

I noticed that you use the tag "psychgeography" and also have an extensive collection tagged "london." I'm interested in the group incl. Iain Sinclair, Peter Ackroyd, Alan Moore, and their various takes on the city. Also a fan of Patrick Keillor's film "London." Wondered if you have any suggestions for good reads (fiction or non) on this subject?

Thanks,
bookie

and, by the way, Freedom for Tooting! (hope that reference doesn't fall flat)

posted by bookiemonster81 at 7:07 pm (EST) on May 23, 2007

That must have been, up to a point at least and long, long since, when I was writing captions for a variety of what Roger's Profanisaurus terms 'jazz mags'. or alternatively, and only slightly later, making my one (pseudonymous) attempt at fiction: 'Diary of a Masseuse' (1976, NEL)

posted by abecedary at 2:29 pm (EST) on Dec 24, 2006

Have you already finished the newest Pynchon monster? i'm excited to begin it, as i've heard it starts off in chicago, an underwritten city if there ever was one. and is 2 white russians a bit tiddly? my first plan over the christmas holiday is to finish Infinite Jest, and, well, to get a bit tiddly as often as possible. thanks for the recommendation.

monkeyshines

posted by monkeyshines at 2:50 pm (EST) on Dec 6, 2006

oh my god. monkeyshines again. i'm both a space cadet and possibly slightly fried on a school night. i meant to ask about the writer John D. MacDonald. ha ha. have you read him? pardon any confusion. confustion? jeez.

monkeyshines

posted by monkeyshines at 10:36 pm (EST) on Dec 4, 2006

tartalom-

left a message a long while ago, when i first got on this crazy library thing. still haven't really catalogued my library, as i don't have internet at home, but i noticed that you were on a noir chat thing-ee...listserv? blog? who knows, i'm mostly computer-illiterate. just got into a stint with him, and as a "naive and superficial" (ref. Q and 54) american, think he represents several of the social dilemnas here. are there English equivilants to this type of writing? or really, given your collection, any good recommendations for wintertime in the American midwest?

salud,

monkeyshines

posted by monkeyshines at 10:33 pm (EST) on Dec 4, 2006

Tartalom--Since you're certainly a founding member of Library Punx (and since you also have so many of my books) I just did a review of the John Lydon auto-biography 'No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'. I have to say though it's been a while since I'd read it and my memory is a bit hazy. Anyway since no one had reviewed it someone had to break the ice.

posted by lriley at 5:01 pm (EST) on Nov 21, 2006

No problem. Not too surprisingly, my motivation was the same.

Purely as a couple of words of encouragement, I`ll pass on something that was said to me by a mechanic who became self-employed after his employer of 13 years made him redundant - "if you`re angry enough, you`ll make it work". I`m not especially a Mr Angry type of person, but there is some truth to his comment.

posted by nickhoonaloon at 12:59 pm (EST) on Oct 14, 2006

Funny you should ask that, it`s something we have been looking at.

At present, we usually sell on e-Bay only, though occasionally very rare items have gone to Neales of Nottm, an auction house which is now part of the DNFA group. Very mixed feelings about that experience. There are various other options we`ve considered - Antiqbook, Abe Books,a site of our own, book fairs.

For us, we are just starting to stock a few new books and trying to keep on top of the second hand trade as well, so an additional site would probably be too much in addition to everything else (at present).

You don`t mention what you want out of it - i.e. are you looking for a paying hobby, or a job ?

All the sites have different plusses and minuses. EBay will charge you for every listing, succesful or not,with additional charges for succesful listings. Having said that, their fees are not outrageous. Antiqbook offer two paying options - one is 15% fees but no sale, no fee, the other I can`t recall the details. Abe charge a single fixed fee payable upfront I think - i.e. such-and-such an amount to list up to 500 books, a higher figure for 501-1000 and so on.

I hope I`ve not gone on too long, but knowing how handy it is to have good advice, I thought it was worth taking a little time over it.

Best,

Nick

P.S. I had a quick look at your profile. there was one comment I couldn`t make head or tale of. It`s probably none of my business, but what are Q & 54 ?

posted by nickhoonaloon at 11:40 am (EST) on Oct 14, 2006

Limehouse Nights is a peek into the very early 20th c. world of Limehouse- the Chinese opium dens and the sailors' life of squalid lodgings, nasty pubs and off again to the Orient. Interesting, but I would not buy it at OP prices. A lot of big public libraries have it.
Regards. davevans2001@aol.com

posted by hamsterwheels at 9:37 pm (EST) on Oct 13, 2006

Sorry for my misreading of your posting on 54. Glad you are interested in Wu Ming. Did you agree with my thoughts on why US critics don't give great praise?

posted by pgmcc at 4:13 pm (EST) on Oct 12, 2006

Hello Tartalom,

I came across your Library Thing when I spotted your review of 54. You were lamenting that US readers generally don't like your books while Europeans do. You then go on to mention that your books are generally regarded as dealing with social issues; the plight of the common man and resistance to power. Does that not explain why Q and 54 were not critically acclaimed in the US. I suppose you might also blame phrases in 54 like, "America is such a nieve and superficial country". That might do it. Keep up the good work.

I noticed that we share 31 books. One might think that means we have common interests. I am more realistic and conclude that given you have over 2,000 books on the system it is highly likely you will have a high proportion of many people's books. I was glad to see, however, that of the 31 we share I have read all but 2. (They are The Decameron and Wilt.)

Thanks for all the enjoyment from Q and 54. Hurry up and get the rest translated into English.

posted by pgmcc at 9:14 pm (EST) on Oct 11, 2006

Thanks for joining the Librarything Coffeehouse group. Love the profile pic. By the way, I noticed that we share "Groucho, Harpo, Chico and Sometimes Zeppo" by Joe Adamson. What did you think of that one?

posted by coffeezombie at 1:05 pm (EST) on Sep 28, 2006

Just read The Emigrants today. Wonderful, but not as well realised as Austerlitz. I don't think I picked up on everything though - it requires rereading, which will be a pleasure.

posted by dreams99 at 7:54 pm (EST) on Sep 13, 2006

oh, and I love Keaton - do you have the new 3 DVD boxed set?

posted by dreams99 at 7:34 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2006

I'm travelling down to Clapham at the moment so I know the feeling. Currently alternating between Sentimental Education and Grossman's Life and Fate, which is too heavy to carry on the tube.

posted by dreams99 at 7:05 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2006

Up to #2 on your list with 200 more books to catalogue...shearrob's top of mine too, unsurprisingly, but he has 3 times the number of books we have. I see you're a Sebald fan too. I thought Austerlitz was an astounding book. I'm currently on a French lit binge - Balzac, Stendhal, Flaubert, Zola, Maupassant, etc, which you also seem to have covered.

posted by dreams99 at 6:17 pm (EST) on Sep 10, 2006

Thanks for popping over for a visit. And thanks for the kind words about the view from my home. We feel extremely blessed to live where we live, and even with the soothing view I still want to read constantly.

I'm enjoying the LT experience, though it becomes difficult to find the time to adequately browse everyone's extensive libraries. Yours is amazing!

posted by rdixon98 at 6:16 pm (EST) on Sep 7, 2006

I notice The Sportswriter on your random list. I've always wanted to read that one but haven't gotten to it.

-Rus

posted by rdixon98 at 8:10 am (EST) on Sep 7, 2006

We have quite a large overlap, and similar size libraries (I have another 800 or so to put on) Both fans of Kapuscinski too, such a great writer.

posted by dreams99 at 12:56 pm (EST) on Sep 3, 2006

Hi there, I saw you on tanstaafl's comments and thought I'd check out your library. I have a lot of catching up to do with the whole data entry thing. From the small amount I've uploaded at this time, we already have about a dozen in common (no great surprise, with the size of your library). Nice collection.

posted by ChrisG at 3:45 am (EST) on Aug 16, 2006

Thanks Tartalom - King-Spadina is obviously a very cool place.

posted by Miro at 3:57 pm (EST) on Jul 3, 2006

...he chortled in his joy.

Yep, or at least that's what I understand it to mean.

posted by ofrabjousday at 4:59 pm (EST) on Jun 15, 2006

Doubt it. Sir Alex is immortal.

posted by affle at 4:08 pm (EST) on Jun 13, 2006

But 50-odd years ago, when caps were cloth, and the prawn sandwich had not been invented, it wasn't Hampshire, and I could catch a bus, or even walk, to Old Trafford.

posted by affle at 7:40 pm (EST) on Jun 12, 2006

I try to haunt it at least once a week. It's so much fun! :-)

posted by moia at 2:03 pm (EST) on Jun 1, 2006

If you will notice from the size of cue, I either have 1) really BIG books or 2) that pool cue is too small. It goes to a Fisher Price Pool table about 4' x 2', which didnt make it into the picture due to is diminutivity. ;-)

posted by tanstaafl at 1:06 pm (EST) on May 28, 2006

Thomas Burke: I read Limehouse Nights a couple of years ago and was so impressed that I rushed out to buy the other two collections, including More Limehouse Nights, which unfortunately I haven't read yet. Limehouse Nights is a short collection that mixes unflinching brutality with desperately sympathetic humanism. Surprisingly forward-looking in its perspective on slum-life, although in a few stories what we'd call Edwardian "sentiment" wins through. Stylistically lyrical, too. A few of the stories have "weird" or supernatural elements, but not heavy-handedly. I'd definitely recommend the volume.

posted by jfclark at 7:51 pm (EST) on May 22, 2006

bit slow from 11000 to 12137

posted by bluetyson at 8:24 pm (EST) on Apr 29, 2006

Sophistry. You are shackled with an imperialist mindset sir. Rapiers at dawn!

I'm afraid I don't own a rapier. I guess I'll just have to bring my shillelagh.

posted by inkdrinker at 7:55 pm (EST) on Apr 23, 2006

The British Isles is a geographical and ecological term for the archipelago of islands off the northwest coast of Europe, including Great Britain (the largest island in the group), the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and several thousand smaller adjacent islands. The geographical British Isles are not synonymous with the United Kingdom since the Republic of Ireland and crown dependencies such as the Isle of Man are usually included.

posted by inkdrinker at 10:42 pm (EST) on Apr 22, 2006

Anna Politkovsaya is such a wonderful journalist, good to see other people reading her work!

posted by lowfatbrains at 7:32 pm (EST) on Apr 8, 2006

T,

OMG, is that a blogsphere quote making its way back ??
Rgds
mullaghman

posted by mullaghman at 8:44 am (EST) on Apr 6, 2006

Thank you!!

Jim & Ramona

posted by rmckeown at 12:46 pm (EST) on Apr 5, 2006

thanks for that astute observation; I've settled into the real me, now- a fractured guitar player.
Do you know of a similarly functioning film library database?
Halt die Ohren steif, watch for plainclothes..etc..
Love from your ever expanding band of brothers and sisters from across the way

posted by SalNistico at 2:45 am (EST) on Mar 20, 2006

great collection there son, but can you throw a shoe over a house...eh...EH..??

posted by SalNistico at 10:42 am (EST) on Mar 18, 2006

there ya go. I'm hooked. ;=--

posted by SalNistico at 1:39 pm (EST) on Mar 17, 2006

Re: Sal Nistico-
When I was about 12 I heard some frantic jazz coming out of a radio station. It grabbed me. I heard in the background someone shouting out in exuberant tones- ' Sal Nistico! Sal Nistico!!'
And in the years since never thought about the experience again consciously, until yesterday. It's a really cool name, and i just discovered and only cos you asked, actually, that it belongs to a speed fuelled tenor sax man. Ho hum.
Turns out the one doing the shouting was none other than Dizzy Gillespie.

posted by SalNistico at 7:36 am (EST) on Mar 17, 2006

My dearest Tart
Tlön, Ubquis and what's the other one?
Gorgeous Louis....Paßitzch.
Top tip, fella- will indulge further. My shelves are still full of Buk.
'Arse Gravy' wahahahah! Spot on.

posted by SalNistico at 4:16 am (EST) on Mar 16, 2006

PS: How did you come to tag Da Vinci Code "Arse Gravy Stephan Fry." The arse gravy I get (though disagree with - but I've given up the ghost on that particular literary battle), but what has that to do with Stephan Fry? Is that an expression he coined?

posted by willoughby at 11:26 pm (EST) on Mar 12, 2006

Does Curious Incident kick ass? I don't have anything against it, I just don't have a copy. Apparently I don't live in one of the neighborhoods where it came in the mail with free boxes of Tide.

posted by willoughby at 11:22 pm (EST) on Mar 12, 2006

wow. all those books, and nothing by david foster wallace? have you ever tried some robert coover? i have many stupid questions about your collection, but currently too much aplomb to ask. nice tags.

cheers, monkeyshines

posted by monkeyshines at 3:22 am (EST) on Mar 9, 2006

Okay, I'm done and now open to the public. ---michtelassn

posted by michtelassn at 6:16 pm (EST) on Feb 26, 2006

Sorry. I decided to get all my books entered and try to fix typos, tag inconsistancies, etc. before going public. Figure another month for a total around 2,500.

posted by michtelassn at 1:59 pm (EST) on Feb 5, 2006

doppleganger, indeed. I always find it fascinating how one accumulates objects such as books, or music, seemingly without pattern, yet others have chosen the same books for their library.

I'll have to look through your catalog, and see if I cannot find a few more mutual books.

Seth aka Swanksalot

posted by swanksalot at 8:23 pm (EST) on Jan 24, 2006

Glad to hear from you about Mouse and His Child. Its nice to talk to another Hoban fan!

posted by LastCall at 8:59 am (EST) on Jan 23, 2006

T..

Cavan...one generation removed...
Nice Ireland colection: agree your rubbish tag for DeBono but Donleavy ??

Rgds,
mullaghman

posted by mullaghman at 10:33 am (EST) on Jan 13, 2006

Tartalom,

Thank you. I just make sure to annually read at least one undisputed classic I haven't read before, fiction or non-fiction, and some Shakespeare every couple of months.

Smiley

posted by Smiley at 10:35 pm (EST) on Jan 10, 2006