Yup, Cheese-Rolling in Gloucestershire - near where I grew up, and an annual festival that sees the local boys (and increasingly men dressed in superhero outfits filmed by Japanese TV crews) tear down a suicidal hill in search of a Double Gloucester cheese. When I saw this book heavily discounted in Foyles, I thought, hmm, yes - and it appears to be a local historian's attempt to write about the custom - which (if we believe the book) dates back to 'pre-Roman times'. But of course we won't believe the book, but we shall admire it for a splendid investigation into local colour and file it under 'English Whimsy/saw on Japanese TV'.

inlägg gjort av eine vid 3:09 pm (EST) Aug 25, 2008

Dude, thanks for the Ryan Gattis recommendation! It's cool to see my alma mater embracing very cool writers. There's a strong, albeit mostly underground, writing tradition that's come out of Chapman over the last 25 years. Two of RGs colleagues at Chapman are published authors themselves, Mark Axelrod & Martin Nakell, both of whom I studied under. Another, Terri Brint Joseph, was an internationally known poet, known primarily though, in scholarly poetry circles, and her work, unfortunately, has yet to be owned by anyone here in lt.com. I've been opening boxes in the garage, a veritable corrugated memory lane, and came across that old Chapman journal. Thanks for noticing...nice memories.

inlägg gjort av EnriqueFreeque vid 1:48 pm (EST) Aug 22, 2008

Ah ha! I was trying to remember where I even heard of such a book! Now I remember! Weird.

inlägg gjort av eswnr vid 11:06 am (EST) Aug 9, 2008

I enjoyed parts of the Immigrants book. Unfortunately it's not one of Seabrook's best. It's a collection of articles he originally wrote for the American at a time when he'd become respectable. It has its moments when Seabrook has a particularly fun anecdote or is talking about one of his favorite topics, like the occult, though.

Adventures in Arabia and Jungle Ways I'm sure you'll enjoy, though!

inlägg gjort av marc_beherec vid 12:00 am (EST) Jul 30, 2008

Very cool. benwaugh does have an amazing library, and The Magic Island is a great book, despite (and because of) Seabrook's tendency to exaggerate.

I've beefed up my Seabrookiana tag if you'd like to see other works that touch on the man. He's had a couple of novels based on him (one in his lifetime), for example. I know a fellow who's working on a biography; hopefully it'll come out soonishly.

inlägg gjort av marc_beherec vid 2:07 pm (EST) Jul 26, 2008

Thanks, I haven't been very active there lately I'm afraid. I have a fresh reason now however since I've just finished "La vie mode d'emploi" (with mixed emotions) and seem to recall such a thread there. So I might put the whip on my own back and get to it soon. Or maybe I should hold a carrot in front of my own nose. I really don't know which is best. (Maybe I'll try with a bottle of beer instead. In front of my nose, that is.)

See you at the Oulipo Headquarters, I guess? Til then, a good night from Stockholm (it really is sleepy time here).

inlägg gjort av pierrot vid 7:13 pm (EST) Jul 22, 2008

Thanks man. Had 'em forever...forgot I hadn't input 'em. Happy to be buds.

inlägg gjort av EnriqueFreeque vid 6:44 pm (EST) Jul 21, 2008

I noticed you added mine to your interesting libraries. I'm pleased you like it.

I'm also interested to see you're reading The Magic Island. Seabrook was a fascinating character -- and a minor obsession of mine. I'd be interested to hear what you think of what was even at the time an extremely controversial book!

inlägg gjort av marc_beherec vid 2:15 pm (EST) Jul 13, 2008

I agree, but I'm a sucker for that kind of book. I guess they saw me coming. Have you read any Luc Sante or Nik Cohn? I'm reading Nik Cohn's The Heart of the World (sort of an offbeat walking tour of Broadway through it's history) and I love his style.

inlägg gjort av hinsdaledog vid 7:07 pm (EST) Jul 10, 2008

Summer has been treating me alright. I nearly raised my fist in triumph when I saw the Wilson book. Cheap as well, if you don't mind being made more jealous. I read that same Orwell essay, by the way, which is why I picked up the Raffles. I've also been looking for "Fantomas," but the only editions around are the one put out by Penguin, so I may have to pick it up new. The Dali book has long been on my wishlist.

Cheers, and I hope your summer has been going good as well.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 1:06 am (EST) Jul 9, 2008

Hi there slick,

Our little dude will be starting tt-ing very soon too. My wife went over today to B&N to pick up the latest Wickham re-release, and found "Where' the Poop?" by Julie Markes. Besides being a funny title for a book, it looks like a good one to read to your child to help them see that tt-ing can be fun (which the funny animal pop-out pictures attest). The book ends with a pop out picture of a toilet and, you guessed it, flip up the flap and...voila..."there's the poop!"

For parents, try out the overly optimistically titled "Toilet Training In Less Than A Day" by Nathan Azrin. Helped us a great deal with our daughter several years ago, though it took longer than a day I can assure you.

I tell you, RSH is a blast! His enthusiasm for good writing is infectious. I think at times we're competing to see who can write the longest, most bombastic post. He's winning hands down -- and that's a compliment in my book!

Great hearing from you! We've obviously got a lot in common. I'm envious at how you've fixed up your profile page. Say, while I've got you, can you help enlighten my tech-savvy-ignoramusness by informing me how you managed to edit your text with bold & italics & whatnot, and how you inserted your covers & links in your page? I've been trying to figure that out for months to no avail.

Talk to you soon,
"Lola"

inlägg gjort av EnriqueFreeque vid 12:05 am (EST) Jul 9, 2008

If possible would you tell me your opinion about "The Adventures and Misadventures of Maqroll"? I read it a few years ago and I haven't stopped re-reading it since. Alvaro Mutis has a few short stories translated in a book called "The Mansion" that are also stunning.

I know that I may be overexcited by Mutis, but I've never met anyone else who has read him. I was lucky enough to speak to Edith Grossman about him and she, too, was enthralled. It's a pity that so little of his work has been translated. I also spoke to Francisco Goldman about him a few years ago, who told me that Mutis was very ill and had not been writing for some time. (I don't travel in literary circles, I met both at different book fairs.) Lastly, I saw Carlos Fuentes speak about contemporary authors writing in Spanish and he included Mutis.

That's my Adventures & Misadventures regarding Maqroll.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks in Advance. M. E. Katz (Stronghart)

inlägg gjort av Stronghart vid 10:37 pm (EST) Jul 6, 2008

Yes, Hiraide's For the Fighting Spirit of the Walnut does look good, though I really don't know anything about it; it plunked into my mailbox unsolicited through the good offices of New Directions Press. Kenzaburo Oe, a discerning reader, has this to say: "Even in translation, his fine poetry really shines. At times I am reminded of T.S. Eliot."

inlägg gjort av dcozy vid 4:01 pm (EST) Jun 26, 2008

slickdpdx--I first read Hrabal a few years ago--I served the Queen of England. I did not care it for that much. In conversations with Papalaz (who is a big fan) here Hrabal's name came back up and he actually suggested Too loud a solitude--and I actually did think it was great--the irrepressible nature of Hanta, the beer drinking, book collecting solipsistic anarchy of his character makes him a very attractive literary creation for me--the idea also striking me that there is much of Hrabal himself in this character.

As for my job--I try to do it as best I can--keeping in mind the intrusions of a rather large bureaucracy constantly trying to tweak thinks that it very often doesn't understand. I tend to leave work though at work. The end all is it's a job that has paid the bills and at least in upstate New York it is a very good one and I feel fortunate to have it despite everything. I didn't really see much connection between it and Hrabal's book but if you ever chance to read Charles Bukowski's Post Office--I would see a big connection there.

inlägg gjort av lriley vid 6:51 pm (EST) Jun 25, 2008

Thanks. Apparently franknotes didn't appreciate the "benwaugh" comment. I never heard back from him.

inlägg gjort av makifat vid 12:55 am (EST) Jun 22, 2008

You're welcome. I hope you find some NYRB books you like.

inlägg gjort av urania1 vid 7:37 pm (EST) Jun 20, 2008

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll check it out.

inlägg gjort av wilsonknut vid 5:57 pm (EST) Jun 9, 2008

Just got my copy of The Feverhead yesterday, and I'll be reading it once I'm done with Kafka on the Shore, which hopefully will be today. Thanks for the recommendation!

inlägg gjort av JackFrost vid 6:11 am (EST) May 25, 2008

Thank you again; I'm reading Dogs of God, and I can't imagine how it's escaped my notice until now. If it hasn't been shot as a film, it certainly should be. The word that comes to mind is sensuous.

inlägg gjort av hinsdaledog vid 10:58 am (EST) May 19, 2008

"I think I'll hit Dirty Snow first. And I have yet to get to the Carco..."
I've been sidtracked from Carco by Paul Leppin, "Blaugast", etc. Right now I'm
getting back to Charles Williams, "River Girl". One of the best of the hardboiled writers.
I have an old Signet pb of "The Snow was Black" by GS. Love those old fifties pb's.

inlägg gjort av tros vid 6:32 pm (EST) May 15, 2008

Thanks! If you see anything else similar, feel free to let me know. I've been on an experimental/bizarre book kick lately.

inlägg gjort av JackFrost vid 10:18 am (EST) May 15, 2008

Thank you very much - I'll have to admit I just don't have time to read any of them right now - have got my head down for a PhD, but I CANNOT wait to finish and get stuck in. Like, for example, Beggars of Life - a book I see you've recently added. Oh, to light out for the territory, etc--

inlägg gjort av eine vid 8:26 am (EST) May 12, 2008

I just got their new "supplement" to the same old catalog - lots of cool stuff I'm going to have to pick up.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 1:28 pm (EST) May 11, 2008

Do you know the Bat Segundo Show podcast? I just listened to his 200th interview from April 14, the subject being Nicholson Baker. It was mostly about the new book, but he touched on some of the others. I really like Baker for his eclecticism, and he had good words for this interview; said it was one of the best he'd done.

I'm going to try Ryu Murakami. I'm working on your canon list, though I don't always pick the same title.

inlägg gjort av hinsdaledog vid 2:21 pm (EST) May 10, 2008

Thanks. I've been trying to review every book I've read since 2006, but I've fallen pretty far behind (something like 30 books behind). I've been making an effort to catch up and will probably be posting a lot of reviews over the next few months. Just posted a new one today for "Lady Chatterley's Lover."

Cheers,

-CZ

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 2:04 pm (EST) May 3, 2008

Must thank you; I'm reading The Intuitionist and I love it. Also today I see one of my favorite movies: Withnail & I, and didn't know about How to Get Ahead in Advertising. I'm going to have to keep an eye on you!

inlägg gjort av hinsdaledog vid 10:48 am (EST) May 3, 2008

Noticed you've added a some Simenon. "Man Who Watched the Trains Go BY"
is an all-time favorite. I think I have a pretty complete Simenon in
trans. Hard to do with all the various editions/translations.

inlägg gjort av tros vid 10:22 pm (EST) May 2, 2008

Thank you! Now, what to do with my time?

Oh yes - READ!

inlägg gjort av makifat vid 12:25 am (EST) May 2, 2008

Your lost book group led me to your library. When I saw the name Colson Whitehead it rang a bell and I knew I must have seen it in today's New York Times. In fact, he has a very funny op-ed about (and the caps are his) "The Guy Who's Where He Is Only Because He's Black". I recommend it, and thank you for the introduction.

inlägg gjort av hinsdaledog vid 12:56 pm (EST) Apr 24, 2008

Hi-
I've only recently joined and decided to put up just what I've read since the start of this year. But looking at your library, I see several matches to my previously read list from your favorite authors list: Especially Auster, Barthelme, Bukowski, Camus, DeLillo. As well as others I have enjoyed reading: Abe, Amis, Sorrentino, Borges, Calvino, Whitehead. And more! Europe Central was great. Riding Towards Everywhere, not so much.

inlägg gjort av ChazzW vid 8:10 am (EST) Apr 19, 2008

Glad you're enjoying the early Pynchon short stories...you'll find that he uses many music and lyrical references throughout all of his works. I'm trying to figure out a way to reference more modern sound compositions in my recent writings, but I find it to be very challenging. Maybe I need to re-read 'Silence' by John Cage(?)

Cheers & all that, Jeremy

inlägg gjort av abductee vid 2:35 am (EST) Apr 12, 2008

"There's a glut of other poison sloshing around in my trough..."

So, what poison is sloshing in your trough lately? ;-)

Just finished "Depravity" (Les Innocents) by Carco. Definitely
a must read. A wild ending!

inlägg gjort av tros vid 2:06 am (EST) Apr 7, 2008

Thanks for the comment about Ishiguro, I think I will give it a go (and Never Let Me Go as well) at some stage. I must reread The Trial some time as well...

inlägg gjort av ian_curtin vid 8:49 am (EST) Apr 1, 2008

AND - your laudable effort has put me in mind, again, of Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy - from which AT grabbed a good portion of his arcana ("Nodina", for example). It's been on my must read list forever.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 1:06 pm (EST) Mar 19, 2008

Another convert to (the other) Theroux - very cool re Crucifer's Library (you must be as well employed as I am). Who is the woman who's name was spelled backwards. I've read that damned thing three times and never caught it. I was always curious as to whether or not the book by "cardinal d'Arconville" mentioned in the book is more than fictional. Theroux, supposedly, wrote that novel as a revenge against some rustic doxy who spurned him (she a student, he a teacher, story of his life it has been told). I will have to check with a friend of mine over the woman's name - she still lives in the Charlottesville area, apparently.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 1:48 pm (EST) Mar 18, 2008

Yeah, I'm only an hour and half drive south of you. Closer to central Oregon than Portland is, but still in the Willamette Valley.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 1:30 pm (EST) Mar 13, 2008

Thank you for your compliment on my recent fanzine and comic additions. Yes, I do own that issue of BB Gun for the Breyer P-Orridge article. I work with Genesis helping out with website and archive tasks.

inlägg gjort av kinoeyevertov vid 6:55 pm (EST) Mar 10, 2008

You probably should. "Infinite Jest" is his best, but it's daunting and not for all tastes. I would recommend starting with a collection of essays, such as "A Supposedly Fun Thing I Will Never Do Again." That one in particular is a good introduction to his style and his various obsessions. It's also incredibly funny.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 2:33 pm (EST) Mar 10, 2008

Thanx for the Glass analogy slick - I love Glass and Nyman and kind of see what you're getting at - I'll try it next winter (long dark evenings). Thanx also for marking my collection as interesting

inlägg gjort av papalaz vid 11:27 am (EST) Mar 4, 2008

It took far longer for me to get that reference than I would have liked. This is not a good sign!

I just noticed looking through your library that your reviews convinced me to buy Parasites Like Us and add Cool Hand Luke to my colossal master "to read" list a while back. It was a prophecy, I swear. Or something.

inlägg gjort av eswnr vid 6:12 pm (EST) Feb 29, 2008

i can handle the blame. enjoy!

inlägg gjort av wordtron vid 12:02 am (EST) Feb 29, 2008

Hello, I was thinking the same about you-- I like your tag "my canon" and the selection of books so tagged. I set up a "top 10" but it's limiting. I got to know Simic personally many years ago. His output and continuing success still impresses me. I was happy to see your library including Bukowski, Sorrentino, McSweeny's, Barthelme, various poetry, and J Safran Foer, all at the same time. Breadth and depth! I like the exercise of writing short reviews (I leave them in the "comments" column until I think they're done) because it helps me to remember what I found notable about some books which I may have read 30 or 40 years ago. Enjoy LT, I know I do. --Jay

inlägg gjort av abirdman vid 5:23 pm (EST) Feb 28, 2008

http://www.nybooks.com/nyrb/movingsale

inlägg gjort av wordtron vid 10:24 am (EST) Feb 25, 2008

i AM bankrupting myself on those NYRB books. but it's worth it. nice collection, yours.

j

inlägg gjort av wordtron vid 4:59 pm (EST) Feb 24, 2008

'Darconville's Cat' is an incredible novel...it lead me (eventually) to Gaddis' 'The Recognitions'. I'm still working through A. Theroux's newest work 'Laura Warholic', but am enjoying it. I am always interested in the books you add to your library (whether wished for or otherwise).

inlägg gjort av abductee vid 2:01 am (EST) Feb 22, 2008

well, I'm just finishing it, and am totally bowled over by the stuff on Shostakovich. Very moving stuff. And I agree with you about the portraits of the two generals. I'll check out some of your other recommendations for future Vollman reading.

inlägg gjort av tomcatMurr vid 10:44 am (EST) Feb 15, 2008

You would be surprised how man werewolves there are out there. I always seem to keep busy.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 12:54 am (EST) Feb 15, 2008

Great library!

inlägg gjort av NativeRoses vid 9:35 am (EST) Feb 13, 2008

I see you've read "Perversity". It's been quite a while, so I'll have
to re-read it one of these days. I'm having fun with several new-to-me
Carco stuff.
Also love the John Carter/Burroughs stuff. Just re-read those a few years ago.
Try "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons. Warning: highly addicting 4 vols!

inlägg gjort av tros vid 1:18 am (EST) Feb 9, 2008

thanks for your message. It's nice to know that my blog is appreciated. I haven't managed to collect many IOs recently because I haven't been reading 19 century literature for a long time, but it's fun coming across them when I'm reading.
I notice that you have Vollman's Riding toward Everywhere in your on deck category (that's like a TBR pile, right?). I'm currently reading Europe Central by him and it's incredibly good. My first Vollman. i will be interested to hear your reaction to RTE, and your recommendation for his other work.
Best wishes, Murr

inlägg gjort av tomcatMurr vid 9:59 pm (EST) Feb 6, 2008

If I remember well, it was a sculpture realized by an asian women. I can't remeber the name. I found the picture on flickr or Google image, but I haven't been able to find it again, even on my computer.
If it exists somewhere, it must be something to see.

inlägg gjort av timacor vid 5:24 pm (EST) Feb 1, 2008

Hi slickdpdx.
First off, I'm impressed by the size of your library.
For your question, if you mean an english bible translation, I personnaly use (even if I usually read it in french) the New International Version, and also the New King James.
I hope it helps.
By the way (since you are the first one to write to me, you'll get my questions too), have you ever managed to (or tried to) get an early reviewer book? I have tried since I'm with LT (only 5 months or so) but never got one so far. I'm just wondering the odds of success...

inlägg gjort av timacor vid 9:09 pm (EST) Jan 31, 2008

Welcome to Books Compared. You have a really intriguing list of favorite authors. I'm looking forward to your comparison of Hunger vs. The Arabian Nightmare.

inlägg gjort av margad vid 8:15 pm (EST) Jan 26, 2008

Hey, sorry about that strange URL for "Zardoz" on the front page -- I don't know why it's publishing a wrong archive address. The correct URL is http://www.cclapcenter.com/2008/01/movie... . By the way, you're not just making things up in your review of "The Maltese Falcon;" Peter Lorre's character was indeed gay in the original novel, one of the several "lewd" aspects that led the Hays Code committee to banning the original 1931 version of the movie, prompting this "cleaner" 1941 version that's now become so famous. I left more details over at your original review, in the comments.

inlägg gjort av jasonpettus vid 12:26 pm (EST) Jan 25, 2008

Again, thank you very much for the positivity! It is hugely appreciated. I recently finished reading Tanizaki's The Secret History of the Lord of Musashi on a recommendation from a friend; it was brisk (maybe 160 pages or so) and genuinely excellent, frequently confounding my expectations of historical novels, although I suppose this might be a novella despite what its publisher says. I can't say I recommend Arrowroot, sadly (it came bundled in my edition of The Secret History...), as it is more of an essay-narrative quoting actual sources, as opposed to the tactfully fabricated ones employed to further suspend the reader's disbelief in TSHotLoM. Look it up if ever you're seeking a palette cleanser between long narratives.

inlägg gjort av ryangattis vid 10:08 am (EST) Jan 8, 2008

Judging by your comments on Rice, I think you'd really like Lantern too, as it's also set in early contemporary China.

Su Tong's next is coming out in hardback sometime in the middle of February. It's apparently based on an old Chinese myth and thus set in the pre-modern era. Howard Goldblatt is on board again as translator, and it promises to be excellent all around!

inlägg gjort av Trismegistus vid 12:52 pm (EST) Jan 6, 2008

Isn't Su Tong excellent? I've actually read both Rice and Raise the Red Lantern, but My Life as Emperor is by far my favorite. I hope his next novel also exhibits a similar leap in skill--it'd be phenomenal.

I'm still holding off on rereading the Taran books, because I want to have somewhat forgotten them before I pick them up again (I pretty much knew every word as a child)...it's the next best thing to reading them for the first time again!

inlägg gjort av Trismegistus vid 9:41 pm (EST) Jan 5, 2008

Thanks for the kind words. I'll be fine as long as I can find ways to turn my pain into comedy.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 2:26 pm (EST) Jan 5, 2008

Cheers slick dp - I wanted to write reviews of the physical books I had - the actual copies, and that Ballard was such a major one in my life. But... once that was written and a few others, I slacked off. I kind of worry about how may hours there are in the day. It's either too many or too few, but either way, it's the not the right amount. Had a breeze through your blog. Good things + impressive. I'll read again. Myself have just picked up a copy of a book called 'Fishlore' - just an informative book about fish, but there's a humorous twist to the writing which has addicted me. Keep Zoning + Trailing, dudre.

inlägg gjort av eine vid 6:16 pm (EST) Jan 3, 2008

Pickwick is really the further adventures of Toby Shandy. Enjoy!

inlägg gjort av erkie2007 vid 1:54 am (EST) Jan 1, 2008

Hey Slickbird,
Thanks for finding my virtual collection and for your note. Any comment from a Committed Electic like you is much appreciated. I see you dig Murakami--it's hard to top The Wind-Up Bird, isn't it? Makes you feel like hanging out in a well... Anyway, I add books to my LT library only after I "review" them, which as you saw entails much cud-chewing. So, it will take me a while to drag in all 100 works from the list--the centathlon is a long slog...
Mike

inlägg gjort av MichaelMenche vid 12:33 pm (EST) Dec 30, 2007

btw I see that Pickwick Papers is in your library but haven't you read it? It's wonderful. I also recommend Tristram Shandy.

inlägg gjort av erkie2007 vid 1:24 am (EST) Dec 30, 2007

Hi slickdpdx,

Thanks for connecting. I've enjoyed going through your library. So far, I've just been cataloging books as I read them, kind of to keep score. I'll eventually put everything in that I actually have. Mostly it's classic lit, although during the past couple of years I've started to get interested in the Japanese novel.

inlägg gjort av erkie2007 vid 1:19 am (EST) Dec 30, 2007

Glad the books got there ok - I have some others to send yr way (I'm a nut in that I nab up copies of books I like a lot in order to redistribute them to peeps I think might enjoy them, and to further my own agenda, whatever that may be - ha!).

Yeah, I bookmarked 'Entropy' for you as it is my fav short-story. To a certain degree it's like ripping out 20 or so random odd pages from one of Joyce's longer works, but the mechanics beneath it are a bit more complex; also, whereas Borges can be overtly-technical, I find this to be a far more realistic, nay, flowing immersion. My 2 cents.

You Bright and Risen Angels by Vollmann was such an eye-opening experience for me when I first read it. I think that book, along w/Gravity's Rainbow, really opened me up to moving beyond first-person human-based narratives to that of inanimate (and lesser-animate?) POVs. Or somethin' like that - (oh I sooo need to go to bed now).

Maybe some of this made sense...hee. I'm off to make some New Year resolutions; some to keep, some to break. - J.

inlägg gjort av abductee vid 1:15 am (EST) Dec 29, 2007

Thank you for your complement on my review of Kangaroo Notebook by Kobe Abe. I enjoy reading his books very much and hope you do too. Have a wonderful New Year!

inlägg gjort av ihavereadthat vid 10:52 am (EST) Dec 26, 2007

Thanks for the tips.
Boyle´s East is East did I already have at home, but no time to read it. I really loved the Water Music and surely want to try another Boyle.

Bad Monkeys is the only book by Matt Ruff I have not read, but the others were fantastic. Crazy, but funny and exciting. My favourite book by him is Fool on the hill, which is, in my opinion, very well-written and related to shakespeare, lord of the rings, stephen king (allthoug I don´t like him) and many tales.

There are many German authors, which are very good, you might know Thomas Mann and Günter Grass, who has even won the literature-nobelpreis. But one of my favourite is Daniel Kehlmann, his book, "Die Vermessung der Welt" is pretty new and really great. I don´t now, wether it has been translated in English, but I hope, if it is, that nothing of the beautiful and humerous language is lost.

I hope this was helpfully and please forgive my bad English :)

Cheers

inlägg gjort av mondschaf vid 8:40 am (EST) Dec 15, 2007

Deleted it. I'm paring down my online presence.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 10:35 pm (EST) Dec 12, 2007

Thanks - that might be a better idea. I just happened to notice that LOC had lps - so I went to town. They seem to have gaps in their holdings or entries, though. I would like to keep the media separate.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 8:18 am (EST) Dec 11, 2007

Hey - glad you liked the the tajine - and it does take more effort than I'm used to expending (pasta in boiling water... sauce on top), but it is delicious. If you'd like, I'll scrounge up my recipe for Harira (a Moroccan soup and, I believe, a Ramadan staple). I have not yet made the Turkish dish - but will give it go over the holidays.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 9:53 am (EST) Dec 10, 2007

I was hoping you'd know - and must confess, I ain't tried it yet.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 5:15 pm (EST) Dec 1, 2007

Heya. I only archived mine because I was bored (who'da thought). Here, by the way, is another recipe someone posted privately (unless it's a secret recipe, I don't think I'm guilty of a gravy indiscretion):

Kiymali Ispanak (spinach with minced meat; Turkey)

Super easy and tasty.

1 pound frozen spinach (because I'm lazy like this)
2 onions, peeled and chopped
some oil
1/2 pound minced meat
1/2 cup rice, washed
16 fl ounces broth
salt and pepper
1 tsp red pepper
1 1/2 cups yogurt (the thick, creamy kind)

Heat the oil and fry onions and meat until the meat is dry...make sure to crush the meat properly. Add rice, spinach and broth, red pepper and salt/pepper to taste, bring to cook and let it simmer for 30 minutes. If it gets too dry, add a little more water. This isn't a soup, but should be juicy. Add spices if necessary and serve with yogurt. Serves 4.

Mubattan (stuffed potatoes; Libya)

This is from Kulinarisches Arabien (although I already made some improvements, or at least I think so ;)), and while it's a little laborious, the results are SO worth it.

1 pound minced meat
1 onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 tblsp parsley, chopped
2 bread rolls, soaked and squeezed
salt and pepper
1 tsp cumin

Mix everything well to create the stuffing for the potatoes. Cover and put aside.

6 big potatoes, peeled
oil for deep-frying
flour

Slice the potatoes into 1 cm thick slices (a little less than 1/2 inch). Lengthwise cut some kind of a pocket into them, making sure you don't hurt the second long side. Salt the potatoes generously inside and outside and let them rest for 20 minutes (in the meanwhile, you can prepare the tomatoe sauce). Dry them with some kitchen towels and fill them with the prepared stuffing; the stuffing should be around a good 1" thick. Turn the stuffed potatoes thoroughly in flour, brush off the excessive and deep-fry until golden brown. De-fat a little by putting them on a kitchen towel for some time, and enjoy :)

4 big tomatoes, peeled, without kernels and chopped
2 onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
4 tblsp tomato paste
2 tsp parsley, chopped
salt
1 tsp harissa
oil

Heat oil and fry the onions a little; add everything but the parsley and make a tomatoe sauce. Add spices to taste and when done, the parsley. Serve potatoes with the sauce (serves 4).

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 9:31 am (EST) Nov 30, 2007

I'm a binger, not a purger - I just archived 'em. And now, voila:

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 2:21 pm (EST) Nov 29, 2007

Yes! I always look at peoples' bookshelves when I go to their house. (Ugh, grammar clash) Thankfully, my friends are eccentric enough to not mind my sniffing their books. Sometimes I get weird looks at libraries though.
I love buying library discards. They've been read by so many people and they're so full of personality.

inlägg gjort av lilbrattyteen vid 1:03 am (EST) Nov 18, 2007

Hope you're enjoying "The Thought Gang". It is one of my favourite reads from the past couple of years.

inlägg gjort av plaugher vid 6:16 pm (EST) Nov 16, 2007

Ha, sry for the delayed response; yes I own 5 copies of CoL49 - I collect different versions of TRP's books, so I have multiples of each lying around.

Yes, I have a sickness; but it is such a good one...

inlägg gjort av abductee vid 3:48 am (EST) Nov 12, 2007

Thanks for the comment about my comments about the Sorrentino book. I wish I'd noticed it sooner, but after an initial burst of enthusiasm, I haven't been spending much time on LibraryThing of late. I'll have to get around to entering the rest of my books and posting more reviews soon.

inlägg gjort av lucienspringer vid 6:11 pm (EST) Nov 6, 2007

yes, I have read the three musketeers before ... i can't argue with you about the cover, but it is an interesting piece of packaging.

inlägg gjort av wfzimmerman vid 8:05 am (EST) Oct 30, 2007

HC is part of my organizational system. I have a separate shelve for hardcover books (divided further into fiction and non-fiction), so the "HC" prefix indicates that a book is on my hardcover shelve, and it makes it easier for me to find titles.

inlägg gjort av jellyroll vid 1:01 am (EST) Oct 29, 2007

Rotten does have a lot of great content, once you get past the deeply skeevy vibe of the place.

inlägg gjort av gregtmills vid 3:39 pm (EST) Oct 25, 2007

I have to admit, I don't feel as strongly about [Dracula] as I did about [Frankenstein]. I'm just about finished with it and while Stroker is a great job building up tension in the first part I feel the ending is dragging. Plus all the Victorian sensibilities around women are really starting to get to me. Oh, mustn't upset the little woman, don't tell her anything. It makes me wish Dracula liked men instead.

PS anytime you see a post, it's the Mistress ('rissa) since I'm the one with the fabulous desk job.

inlägg gjort av prophetandmistress vid 4:03 pm (EST) Oct 18, 2007

By the way, like the profile pick. What's the story on it?

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 11:27 am (EST) Sep 21, 2007

No worries. I've found a few people on this site and Last.fm (the only social sites I use, since I can troll for book and music recommendations. Just need a comparable site for movies and I'm set).

Happy cataloging to you.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 11:26 am (EST) Sep 21, 2007

Thanks for the comments on "Parasites Like Us." And your review. And the link to my review.

I gave the book to a friend, who thought it old hat, just more whining by college people about their rather silly lives. Since that is, in a sense, the take-off point of the book -- the vacuity of collegiate success, the vacuity of our civilization's alleged high-water mark -- I was a bit surprised that he couldn't read further.

But one thing I've noticed: people have different tastes and different tolerances!

(Now there's an almost vacuous response! It's certainly laboring the obvious.)

inlägg gjort av wirkman vid 1:57 pm (EST) Sep 20, 2007

Yo. Nice to see your taste in books is as good as your taste in music. Cheers.

-zombiereligion.

inlägg gjort av coffeezombie vid 9:11 am (EST) Sep 20, 2007

3 of the yo-yo books came with 1 yo-yo and 1 yo-yo book came with 3 yo-yos!

Yes, I collect yo-yos (and yo-yo books). Am I a champion yo-yoist? Uh-h-h no, no just so-so.

inlägg gjort av LordNigelKnickKnack vid 8:12 pm (EST) Sep 19, 2007

It looks like a dream I've had. Every night for the past 30 years.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 12:34 pm (EST) Sep 12, 2007

Well, quite frankly, I have no idea. I've just ordered it. But, Ewers is the creepiest and the most amusing writer of decadent horror fiction you could ever hope to read. Back to the Ant People. I was going over my Ewers stuff of an evening and discovered that another of his books I have not yet read, The Wonders of the Ant World, is a toned-down for "young readers" version of The Ant People. My hopes are high. His story "The Spider" joins decadence and bugs pretty efficiently.

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 10:34 am (EST) Sep 6, 2007

Thanks for linking to my idiotic blog.

U R nice.

Greg (Bastard of Art and Commerce)

inlägg gjort av gregtmills vid 12:35 am (EST) Aug 28, 2007

You're very welcome. Let me know what you think when you finish it.

inlägg gjort av ryangattis vid 12:34 pm (EST) Aug 21, 2007

Thanks so much for the positivity, Slick. It's humbling to know people with such taste as yourself enjoy my work and it definitely gives me energy to keep plugging away on what I'm crafting now. By the way, have you read After the Banquet, by any chance? That's one of my very favorites of Mishima's. Kazu is one hell of a character, and certainly one of his finest protagonists.

inlägg gjort av ryangattis vid 1:46 pm (EST) Aug 14, 2007

I am honored that you listed my library as "interesting". Good to meet a fellow devotee of Wolverton.

inlägg gjort av LordNigelKnickKnack vid 12:36 am (EST) Jul 25, 2007

Confessions: My copy of Those Who Return is bound in green cloth: rather unattractive. My copy of the short story collection is a series of freely downloaded print-outs: unwieldy and unattractive. And I was shocked to find, at this late hour, that someone had republished these. I am assuming it's a Kessinger sort of slap-dash public domain snatch: old translations, heady glue fumes?

inlägg gjort av benwaugh vid 3:10 pm (EST) Jul 24, 2007

Thanks for the heads up!

inlägg gjort av pepektheassassin vid 10:04 pm (EST) Jul 12, 2007

Nice to see someone else has a copy of 'Devil in the Dooryard!' Thanks for posting the cover.

inlägg gjort av SidWainwright vid 6:49 am (EST) Jul 1, 2007

I'm surprised we aren't matched better... I was looking at your author cloud and most of the names are people I enjoy, or people on my booklist to pick up. I'll have to go through the names carefully and pick out those few I have not heard of.

inlägg gjort av princemuchao vid 11:38 pm (EST) Jun 11, 2007

Why thank you very kindly. I try.

inlägg gjort av MarquesadeFlambe vid 10:22 pm (EST) Jun 4, 2007

Hi.
I really like your library! I saw you recommended Gilbert Sorrentino as a good po-mo writer. Is there any specific book you would recommend?

-The Mistress

inlägg gjort av prophetandmistress vid 12:42 pm (EST) May 15, 2007

weirdly, i have around four (probably five) different copies of this book. It might actually be the one that i own the most of.

inlägg gjort av orbis_quintus vid 9:16 pm (EST) May 10, 2007