Thursday, October 26, 2006

More Oxford Coolness

I've had a busy, busy day of cleaning, dancing to "Chain of Fools", singing loudly with Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding, Louis Armstrong and Jars of Clay while bagging up old clothing. Music makes things so much more pleasant. Because I've been a bum, for a long time (I cry fatigue) and have a monster tidying job to perform before beginning NaNoWriMo, next week, please pardon me if I become scarce in both comments and blog posts!

Onward . . . At right is a blank leather journal that hubby noticed, perched open in the window of a store in Oxford, Mississipi's town square. We all thought it was totally appealing. Who wouldn't want to journal in something so elegantly personalized? "The Life and Times of Nancy the Bookfool." Ha.

Also wasting my time, today: Shelfari. I so do not understand what is so appealing about this website. Maybe it's the idea that you can find out who has many of the same titles as those on your own shelves or that it's possible to view the books your friends own, compare thoughts, send notes, read comments. I just love it. Thanks to Heather for pointing out Shelfari!

At left, a photo taken inside Bottletree Bakery in Oxford, an inexpensive bakery with absolutely the most amazing, mouthwatering food and, apparently, no website. I'm not a big fan of soup, but their soups are to die for. And, the decor is funky. I could spend hours just looking at the walls, photographing the people who come and go, soaking in the atmosphere. Bottletree Bakery is a place to pause and smell the coffee (and drink the cider, sip the soup, munch the scone, etc.) if you're ever in Oxford.

Trip over here to see some terrific photos of Oxford by some chick who probably makes money off her photos.

Still reading: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Just walked in my door: Everywhere That Mary Went by Lisa Scottoline (I've read this one; my friend Eileen rescued me and sent her copy because I want to reread but haven't located my own, an earlier printing - I discovered Lisa Scottoline when she was on her second book - and my stupid library doesn't carry this title).

Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates (with some totally fun bookmarks and a lovely note tucked inside, from one of my extremely cool book group and blogging friends!!)

Next up: A bath. Oh, you thought I was going to mention a book title, right? Gotcha. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is next on the agenda.

And, someday I'm really going to get back to that book about King Arthur, honest.

Must read, must read, must read . . .

13 comments:

  1. hey i love reading your posts. it is cool to see that your well rounded. I cant wait to go to college. I know u have no idea who i am or ever met me but i am proud of you so keep up the good work! Oh and plz no one can sing chain of foolds better than me or dance in the hallway while sinign into the brush as well as i can.

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  2. I like Shelfari, but it bugs me that you can't delete books from your "shelf."

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  3. Princess/reeves,

    Thanks for the compliments!! I don't feel very well-rounded, but I try! :)
    I'm picturing you dancing and singing into your brush; thanks for the laugh. My husband looks at me like I'm an alien when I do that, but nothing beats "Chain of Fools" for perking up and getting the housework done!!

    Angela,

    It's not an obvious feature, but you can delete books from your shelf. I think what I did was put the cursor over the book I wanted to delete and then right-clicked on the mouse. Maybe it's left-click. Anyway, see which works - you get a drop-down menu that includes a delete option. I accidentally loaded the same books twice, a couple of times, so I needed to remove a couple.

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  4. ah.. i'll try that, thanks..
    they're still in beta, so hopefully it'll be easier to use as they go along.. i notice a lot of times that "add to shelf" wont work.

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  5. I mentioned Shelfari here if you want to read my opinion (and a few others). You, Andi and Heather seem to be happy with it, though, so maybe I was too quick to judge. I'll wait for further opinions. :)

    I can't wait to hear your thoughts on The Thirteenth Tale. I'm about two-thirds in and am not loving it as much as The Book Thief.

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  6. Angela,

    Yep, sometimes you have to try to add twice to get it to work. I'm not sure why I got so excited about Shelfari, really. I need to budget my time a lot better and I may not last!

    Les,

    I'll look at your entry; Heather did mention she got the idea from you but I don't recall seeing a post about it. It's fun, but there's no way I could possibly list all the books I own and upon reflection I'm concerned that I shouldn't spend the time required to add books.

    I wouldn't expect you to enjoy The Thirteenth Tale as much as The Book Thief - how many books can compare? You're just going to have to lower your standards for a while, babe. :)

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  7. Oh, Les, I remember now! I did read that entry (and left a comment) along with the article about Shelfari. I didn't check Shelfari out at the time, though, because I don't like the fact that it's linked up to Amazon. I'm already peeved at Amazon for saying things ship within 24 hours and then shoving you to the back of the line and making you wait for weeks if you don't get their premium shipping.

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  8. I read Black Water last year and thought it was awesome! It sparked a Joyce Carol Oates binge that has yet to abate.

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  9. Ex Libris,

    Wow, am I glad to hear you loved Black Water! It will be my first Joyce Carol Oates book. I noticed she has young adult novel that looks very appealing. Have you seen it or read it, by any chance? Can't remember the title.

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  10. Hi Bookfool!

    I read SNOWFLOWER and thought it was very good, but enjoyed MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA more.

    My husband is reading THE 13th Tale and I'm read THE BOOK THIEF. We both say, "It's good." I haven't reached the "hoopla stage" for TBT yet. I hope it happens.

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  11. Joy,

    I'm really enjoying Snow Flower. Memoirs of a Geisha is sitting on one of my TBR shelves; it's one of my library sale finds. I find self-control difficult when a title many people have recommended shows up for a quarter. I'm glad to know you enjoyed it! It's always good to hear that about a book that's waiting to be read.

    Maybe you've read too many uber-positive reviews of The Book Thief and it colored your opinion. I think that happens, sometimes. Or, it might not be the book for you. I found myself swept away on page 1, although not everyone has felt that way!!

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  12. I've been "wasting time" logging books over at Shelfari, too... Don't know why, as I love Library Thing, and it suits the same purpose. There are good points for both sites, and each has things that the other doesn't, so I suppose that's why I am being redundant & logging all of my books at Shelfari, too. But, hey... Do I NEED it? No. Do I like it? Absolutely! ;o)
    (and it'll be a good distraction for when I'm *supposed* to be writing. ;-P LOL)

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  13. Now, just don't do that, Jenn. Go back and write, this minute. Shelfari? What's that? Nope, there's nothing to do but Nano. Off with you!

    ;)

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