If you like reading and gettings others to read, then you will **love** bookmooch.

It is, as I have said before, a book swapping website. I have given away almost 20 books now, books I would have given to charity. But these are books the charity would probably have struggled getting rid of.  Get a book from BookMooch.com

I also have managed to get quite a few books that were on my “i am curious about...” list, without the guilt of spending any money on a book I might not like.
Anyway, I currently have another 100+ books to give away, I need the space. These are good books that I will simply never re read (I have 1200!) or won’t lend either (cause I have 20 books in that style I like a little more and would lend first). Give them a new lease of life, then pass them on!
Here’s the list:

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I have been reading more again - with the weekly commute to London and back, and being stuck in hotel rooms.

As a result I have been catching up on reading or re-reading my books.

I finished indexing my books at librarything, apart from some coffee table books and cookbooks. See here for the damage: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/iphigenie. The last count is 1224, although about 20 of those have since been given away.

In the process I have started to select books I won’t reread or lend out to people, and try to sell them on Amazon or get them “mooched”. I think I sold about 5 on Amazon, as for most books you just cannot sell them at prices to cover even the shipping! So I have started using book swapping site bookmooch.com. As of today I have given 11 books, received 7, have 2 on their way to me and 3 about to ship out. I like sending the books to someone who actually wants to get it, it feels better than giving a box to charity (as you dont know whether they will just gather dust for years). Check my list and get those books off my hands:

I have found myself running out of books a few times and having to pick up a book from a charity shop or bookshop or even the supermarket. As a result I have ended up with a couple maintream titles.

The Book of Lost Things - that one had a huge buzz but left me cold. It’s a good book, in the magical realism vein, but I have read lots of books of this genre and this one isnt quite as compelling as others. I think the buzz comes from people not used to reading that genre. Still, it is not a bad book at all, and the tone is at times delightful.

Half of a Yellow Sun - will make you pause and think - after you have devoured it. I picked it up from Asda and boy am I glad. Well written, and a glimpse at the awful drama of Africa. This book follows a group of characters through the Biafra conflict, which I am too young to remember. It should makes you think a lot, as well, about what part europeans had in creating the messes in Africa.

The Kite Runner - that is a few years old and an intriguing book happening in Afganistan. A good book, although I did feel a bit manipulated by the drama, it was a bit over the top. It could very well be that the reality of Afganistan was over the top, though. A good read.

Anansi Boys - Neil gaiman tackles a trickster theme. Top notch.

A shepherd’s watch & the dogs of windcutter down - I picked those up from a National Trust store and they are a great read - a chronicle about sheep farming and a delightful read. Made me think, too, as I really think people should be able to make a decent living farming.

A few community sites I actually hang around and use - although some I only found recently so not sure how long I will use them (updated March 25)

LibraryThing.com - i tried shelfari and although it looks pretty it just didn’t click - i started adding a few books but it made it slower than practical, and it didn’t really seem to be aimed at the book lover. I had been hearing about librarything via some blogs i read, so i figured I’d try that to compare. Before I knew it i had 500 books listed, by just adding a few books from 5 authors then and adding all the ones I own which popped up in the related items. I even have ordered the little barcode scanner to add the boxes of books reliably. http://www.librarything.com/catalog.php?view=iphigenie

LT is accessible via mobiles and has saved me from buying duplicates a few times already

Via LT I found the following websites:
What’s that book? http://www.whatsthatbook.com/ - a cool little “help me identify this book” forum

book swapping http://bookmooch.com/. I have sent over 100 books now via bookmooch already, and requested almost as many.

Not so long ago i started thinking about what stories I enjoyed as books and would like to see made into film.

Well here’s one I would not have dared suggest, due to the dark and hugely complex stories (that, and it’s not finished yet) but of course if you go from film to TV then it might just work:

HBO has acquired the rights to turn George R.R. Martin’s bestselling fantasy series “A Song of Fire & Ice” into a dramatic series to be written and exec produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

“Fire” is the first TV project for Benioff ("Troy") and Weiss ("Halo") and will shoot in Europe or New Zealand. Benioff and Weiss will write every episode of each season together save one, which the author (a former TV writer) will script.

The series will begin with the 1996 first book, “A Game of Thrones,” and the intention is for each novel (they average 1,000 pages each) to fuel a season’s worth of episodes. Martin has nearly finished the fifth installment, but won’t complete the seven-book cycle until 2011.

And as these things go, there’s just been announcement that Stephenson’s “The Diamond Age” is also heading for a TV adaptation. That seems a bigger challenge yet, due to the mix of styles and realities in this book. Although it will be easier to adapt than “Snow Crash”, which I remember enjoying but something also not quite understanding - The Diamon Age is an “easier” book.

This reminds me that I haven’t read his books since “Cryptonomicon” (thoroughly recommended, by the way), I should check out what he’s done.

I read lots of books. Many are good, quite a few i keep and re-read one or more times.

But some books have stayed with me long after i have read them, and some authors have delighted me over and over. It is quite a short and personal list as it only lists the most memorable books and authors.

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I realise it’s been ages since i last posted this, but i wont try to go too far back

Last August I did reread the whole wheel of time, prior to the new book which has come out recently. I am still disappointed with how he’s dragging it on and on, but the characters and universe created are still interesting enough to hang on with it.

1610: A Sundial in a Grave - Mary Gentle - “Spys and assassins, mathematical magicians, swordsmen and kings and one indomitable, incorrigible woman share the stage in a stunning epic alternate history. “.

That really had a unique tone, and is a rather adult book at times. Not for everyone. I enjoyed the story and the twists and the tone, but then I like alternate history and darker tales.

What else did i read?

Robin Hobb Shaman’s crossing. Felt less dark than her previous series, so far, although it’s still pretty glum. Great tale as always, but not as compelling as previous series. Maybe I’m just getting used to her

CJ Cherryh - Destroyer - a new book in the “foreigner” series, and it was a delight to see that universe again as it is one of my favorite science fiction series.

Elisabeth Moon - 2 books - Trading in Danger and Moving Target. Hugely readable and enjoyable space opera, which made me want to dig out her Serrano books but also made me want to dig out all my Miles Vorkosigan books—now that’s a series which needs revisiting..

Most recently I read two not-so-recent books in Modesitt’s Recluce series. I have read 7 or so of the 11 books, and they have always been enjoyable although they feel a tad repetitive in structure if you read too many in a row. Or maybe that’s just me. Anyway, Magii of Cyador and Scion of Cyador were both rather enjoyable and it was a rather different style.  I will now get the 2 i dont have, probably used via Amazon again.

Just purchased, waiting on my book pile

Engine City - Ken MacLeod

Midnight Tides - Erikson (malazan series, latest book)

Honoured Enemy (Legends of the Riftwar S.)