36 Books I've read in 2013

Bibi n Eric Sandstrom-Kollenberg
near Santa Cruz Veterans Hall

In no particular order, these are some of the books I've read (and finished) reading this year. If I didn't finish reading a book, I didn't like it. Therefore, these are books I liked.

Twelve Years a Slave
     By Solomon Northup

Southern Fried Sushi
     By Jennifer Rogers Spinola

Here Shall I Die Ashore: Stephen Hopkins (Bermuda Castaway, Jamestown Survivor, and Mayflower Pilgrim.)
     By Caleb Johnson

Tune In Tokyo: The Gaijin Diaries
     By Tim Anderson

The Confessions of a Catnip Junkie
     By Allan Goldstein

Ten Days in a Mad-House
     By Nellie Bly

Stone of Tears (The Sword of Truth #2)
     By Terry Goodkind

Love & Darts (On Impulse)
     By Nath Jones

2000 Deciduous Trees (On Impulse)
     By Nath Jones

Dance Like There's No-one Watching : Attract Happiness the Natural Way
     By Susanne Spencer

Scout's Honor (A Tale From The Deadlands)
     By Jeremy Lee Riley

Daisy - the Autobiography of a Cat
     By Miranda Eliot Swan

The Eden Prescription: The war on cancer is not what you think...
     Evers, Ethan

Breakthrough!: How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World
     Jon Queijo

Writing Life Stories: How To Make Memories Into Memoirs, Ideas Into Essays And Life Into Literature
     By Bill Roorbach

Living to Tell the Tale: A Guide to Writing Memoir
     Jane Taylor McDonnell, Vivian Gornick

Wild (From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail)
     By Cheryl Strayed

Vet Tech Tales: The Early Years (Confessions of an Animal Junkie)
Phoenix Sullivan

The Funniest Cop Stories Ever
Scott Baker and Tom Philbin

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Mukherjee, Siddhartha

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake
William Gibson, Yoko Ono, Barry Eisler, Jake Adelstein,

The Fathers of New England: A Chronicle of the Puritan Commonwealths
Andrews, Charles McLean

New Discoveries at Jamestown: Site of the First Successful English Settlement in America
Cotter, John L., Hudson, J. Paul

The Big 5-OH!
Bricker, Sandra D.

Palm Trees on the Hudson
Tiber, Elliot

Hilda - Snow White Revisited (Hilda the Wicked Witch)
Kater, Paul

The Human Side of Cancer: Living with Hope, Coping with Uncertainty
Jimmie Holland, Sheldon Lewis

The Bookseller of Kabul
Asne Seierstad, Ingrid Christophersen

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife
Eben Alexander III M.D.

The Son of Man
The Son of Man 2, Elders of Zion
The Son of Man 3, The Heylik
By Johnson, Charles W.

Hunger Games
Catching Fire
MockingJay
By Suzanne Collins

44 Books I Read in 2011

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A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius *****
Author: Dave Eggers


Steve Jobs ****
Author: Walter Isaacson

The Emperor of All Maladies *****
Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee

The Time Traveler’s Wife ****
Author: Audrey Niffenegger



No Impact Man ****
Author: Colin Beavan

The Son of Man ****
Author: Charles W. Johnson

The Help ****
Author: Kathryn Stockett

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake ***
Authors: William Gibson, Yoko Ono, Barry Eisler, Jake Adelstein, & The quakebook community

Palm Trees on the Hudson: ***
A True Story of the Mob, Judy Garland & Interior Decorating
Author: Elliot Tiber

Jerome and the Seraph (Quantum Cat) **
Author: Robina Williams

Admit One: My Life in Film ***
Author: Emmett James

The Man Who Would Be King ***
Author: Rudyard Kipling

Soul Identity ****
Author: Dennis Batchelder

The Bookseller of Kabul ***
Author: Asne Seierstad & Ingrid Christophersen

To the Is-Land ****
Author: Janet Frame

An Angel at My Table ****
Author: Janet Frame

The Envoy from Mirror City ***
Author: Janet Frame

Writing Life Stories ****
Author: Bill Roorbach

Rainbows End *****
Author: Vernor Vinge

Labor of Love: The Story of One Man's Extraordinary Pregnancy ***
Author: Thomas Beatie

Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping ****
Author: Judith Levine

Cats Are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics *****
Author: Laura L. Gould

Bel Canto ****
Author: Ann Patchett

Not Wanted on the Voyage ****
Author: Timothy Findley

Wake Up, I'm Fat! ***
Author: Camryn Manheim

Wrestling with the Angel: A Life of Janet Frame ***
Author: Michael King

Raleigh's Lost Colony ****
Author: David N. Durant

An American Childhood *****
Author: Annie Dillard

Pleasure: new poems ****
Author: Gary Young

No Other Life ****
Author: Gary Young

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan *****
Author: Lisa See

Porter Gulch Review 2011 ****
Authors: Many


The Funniest Cop Stories Ever **
Authors:  Tom Philbin, & Scott Baker


Pompeii: City on Fire **
Author: T.L. Higley


Memoirs of a Snowflake *
Author: Joe Vasicek


The Big 5-OH! *
Author: Sandra D. Bricker

Coffin Humor: A Short Story *
Author: John Brinling

Hilda - Snow White Revisited *
Author: Paul Kater


Antiques Roadkill: A Trash 'n' Treasures Mystery **
Author: Barbara Allan


Fat, Forty, Fired **
Author: Nigel Marsh


The Apothecary's Daughter ***
Author: Julie Klassen


Boneshaker **
Author: Cherie Priest

Note:
I don't keep an ongoing list of my reading material. Perhaps I should in the future. I had to go through my list of purchases of hard copy books from Half.com and Amazon to jog my memory. After this, I perused my bookshelves and found a few more. Even though I have about 451 books in my Kindle. It was easy to compile.

It surprises me that I read all those. I have some others, too, which I started then set down somewhere forgetting about them. I didn't put them in the list.

Minimalist Book Seller

I've now gathered another eighty books to haul off to see if someone wants them. There are two other bookstores in the county of which I am aware, that will buy or trade books. Or I have the option of selling on half.com  I have a dear friend who has offered to help me maneuver their system. She's done quite well selling her books there.

Decisions, decisions. Do I take the time and energy to load books in the trunk of my car, including the ones rejected already by one bookstore? Or, shall I cull out the ones that will sell on half.com and make some cash? The advantage of the first is the simplicity of unloading books all at once. But there is no guarantee, of course, they will be purchased or traded, and I might just come home with a trunk full of books anyway, and nothing to show for my time and energy. Do I want to spend a couple days driving around the county to drop books off, waiting a few days and returning only to be told, "We want these, but not these." or worse yet, "Sorry, we don't want any."

The disadvantage of selling online is that I'll have those same books, not in my trunk but stacked up under the table in the living room, (where they are now) taking up space, having my home in disarray, and having to be dealt with. The advantage would be that two people will be attending to this. It might be fun!

In both cases, receiving money of any sort will still be up to chance. Perhaps the leftover books could be sold on ebay in a lot. I've always wanted to try ebay selling. I certainly buy enough things there, which has got to stop if I am to continue working towards a more minimalist lifestyle. I will need to ask my brother, who sells on ebay all the time, how easy or complicated it might be.

I wonder, too, if the rejects would be a kind gift to donate to the Senior Center, or an insult. Some of those well read paperbacks might not be wanted. When I am down to the last should I donate to the thrift shop? Or just toss those rejects in the recycle bin?

In the meantime, I still have seven other shelves full of books to consider in the future! Too bad I just don't have the courage to release them through Freecycle and let someone else quickly and easily take them off my hands. Why do I want to be so responsible in dissolving my book collection? Am I simplifying my life? Is this how to become a minimalist? Is there a right way, a better way to do this?

Related posts

Part 1 - Overbooked
Part 2 - Take Some Books Off My Hands
Part 3 - Is Dreaming of Book Disposal a Nightmare?
Part 4: Stealing from the Book Store

Stealing from the Book Store

Seventy five books I turned into the Capitola Book Cafe to be purchased or traded. Surprisingly. I was offered $76 trade or $44 cash. Guess which offer I accepted?

Interestingly these offers were made upon only twenty eight of my books and the rest were given back to me. I took the trade and ended up with three new books of my choosing. Two of them of great importance to me, and the third will be read and passed on to someone else. It was only $8 and marked down because it was someone else's trade-in book. I not only feel like I got a deal, but I got a steal!

And I didn't spend all of the $76 trade. I still have $24 left over. I intend to get a cookbook for someone I deeply care about who loves to cook. Well, at least he likes to look at pictures of food and read the recipes. He already has a great cooking style and repertoire. I'm not sure he would take on a new recipe to try out. But, I know he would love the book, and since his birthday is coming up, it's a perfect gift, (aside from the sobakawa pillow I already have in the closet).

See related posts:

Is Dreaming of Book Disposal a Nightmare?

Today I took five boxes off to my long time favorite, Capitola Book Cafe where they will buy them or provide the opportunity to trade. Since the trade value will be higher than the cash offer, I have opted for trade.

Okay, Okay, I wasn't going to buy any more books! Was I? I even turned down the offer of two good reads last week staying true to my commitment to downsize, much to the distress of my friend. But here I am seeming like a hypocrite. But, really, I can justify trading 75 books for one really special book that I normally couldn't afford. Wouldn't you? They probably won't take them all and I will be left with the dilemma of having to find another place for the rejects.

I have friends who say, sell them, put them on Ebay, or trade them at paperbackswap.com.

That last one wont work out. Trading books one to one is not my idea of minimalizing. I am too averse to having a yard sale, so that is out of the question. Then, there are those who have said they would take some books off my hands. Yes, that's an idea. But, a part of me thinks I wouldn't be doing my friends any favors by adding to their overweight bookshelves. But, I will keep it in mind knowing that the argument might be: "why deprive them of what someone else will end up with in the long run?" I'm thinking about it...

Decisions, decisions, too many opportunities, not enough clarity. I'm leaning in all directions at once. In order to have some clarity I will have to sleep on it.

"To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub."

See related posts:

Related posts

Part 1: Overbooked

Part 2: Take Some Books Off My Hands

Take Some Books Off My Hands

To be, or not to be: that is the question: whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the selling of books or take the easy way out of discarding them...

Of course there is the option of taking them to a bookstore that gives a pittance in trade-in value. Trade a hundred books for one thick volume of poetry? Is it worth my time to advertise on half.com, amazon or hope for some anxious buyers to vy for the right to bid a high price for my precious books, the books that have set on my shelves for so long waiting to be read? I'm sorry books! Really I am. But my commitment to making room in my life for emptiness is strong.

Wine boxes line one wall of my garage, loaded with various treasures. (I mean, junk.) This weekend I emptied 5 of them into a large bin, brought them in the house, nicely arranged 75 books inside and loaded them into the trunk of my car.

See related post
Part 1: Overbooked

Overbooked

I have 17 shelves of books. Five bookcases in the living room, two in the spare bedroom, the five foot space beneath the aquarium and an ever-changing small stack of to-be-reads on the headboard of my bed. Many of my books are not kept upright because there is no room. So, they are stacked in the shelves on their sides. One could say I'm "overbooked".

Oops, almost forgot! I have old magazines I can't part with stacked in the living room and bathroom. Doesn't everybody? What will I do without them?

I think even if I partake of no other reading material than that which I already have, I wouldn't finish them all before it is time for me to leave this planet. Too bad I can't take them with me?

I recently read an article written by Robyn Devine, (Minimalist Knitter), entitled Breaking The Sentimental Attachment To Books. Since I was right in the middle of culling books, it really substantiated my commitment to let go.

Though I have to admit that, I am not willing enough to just toss them all immediately. Step by step, book by book they will leave my house and give me a LOT of free space. My friends will be shocked, but I also think thrilled, to accept my cast offs.

I love books, don't get me wrong. Ever since I climbed on my father's lap insisting he read me the newspaper simply because he was doing it without me, I have loved reading. Yes, after hearing Daddy read the editorial, even though I didn't understand; it was all up hill after that.

I can't even imagine how many books I have read since then, and I look forward to reading many more, but one at a time. There are few books I will cling to for sentimental reasons. I probably wont be keeping many reference books, either. Much of what I research can be found on the internet. Clearing my house of books is part of my plan to become minimalist.

I also have another reason to say goodbye to my books, and that is, allergies to house dust and mold, which are quite impossible to prevent where my books are concerned.

Yes, yes, I have cats, but one must choose one's poison, they say. I am quite sure I will never be a purist, but my intent is driven, and I am often thinking of other ways to divest myself of "Stuff".

But, first... the books!

Books in the Spare Bedroom

Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman
Author: Elizabeth Buchan

Bel Canto
Author: Ann Patchett
  
Long Quiet Highway : Waking Up in America
Author: Natalie Goldberg
   
Children's Writer Guide to 2007
Author: Susan M. Tierney
   
Leap of Faith : Memoirs of an Unexpected Life
Author: Queen Noor

The Mind-Body Problem
Author: Rebecca Goldstein
   
Starting Out in the Evening
Author: Brian Morton

A Cat Is Watching: A Look at the Way Cats See Us
Author: Roger A. Caras

Contented Cat
Author: Nobuo Honda

The Perfect Kitten: How to Raise a Problem Free Cat
Author: Neville

Costumes for Your Cat
Author: Lynn Chang

Education of Oversoul 7
Author: Jane roberts

The Further Education of Oversoul Seven
Author: Jane Roberts
   
Ninja Secrets of Invisibility
Author: Ashida Kim

Ninja Mind Control
Author: Ashida Kim
   
The Pilgrim's Progress
Author: John Bunyan

Not Wanted on the Voyage
Author: Timothy Findley
   
Dynasty of Death
Author: Taylor Caldwell

Captains and the Kings
Author: Taylor Caldwell

Dynasty of Death
Author: Taylor Caldwell

Arab Historians of the Crusades
Author: Francesco Gabrieli

Girl With a Pearl Earring
Author: Tracy Chevalier

A Thousand Splendid Suns
Author: Khaled Hosseini

A 3rd Serving of Chicken Soup for the Soul
Author: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen

A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul 
Author: Mark Victor Hansen, Jack Canfield
   
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Author: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen

Suleiman the Magnificent
Author: Andre Clot

Death Be Not Proud
Author: John J. Gunther

Rivals for the Crown
Author: Kathleen Givens

The Blue Sword
Author: Robin McKinley

Jacob's Ladder: The History of the Human Genome
Author: Henry Gee

Rules for Writers
Author: Diana Hacker

The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Author: Mohsin Hamid
   
City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan
Author: Beverly Swerling
   
The Beloved Invader
Author: Eugenia Price
   
Raleigh's Lost Colony
Author: David N. Durant

Legends, Lies Cherished Myths of World History
Author: Richard Shenkman
   
City of Glory: A Novel of War and Desire in Old Manhattan
Author: Beverly Swerling
   
Small Miracles: Extraordinary Coincidences from Everyday Life
Author: Yitta Halberstam, Bernie S. Siegel

Defending Andy: One Mother's Fight to Save Her Son from Cancer and the Insurance Industry
Author: Marilyn Azevedo

Frommer's Britain's Best-Loved Driving Tours
Author: Roy Woodcock, John McLlwain

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Bk 4)
Author: J.K. Rowling

The Pillars of the Earth
Author: Ken Follett
   
SHE
Author: H.Rider Haggard

The Name of the Rose: including Postscript to the Name of the Rose
Author: Umberto Eco

The White
Author: Deborah Larsen

Small Miracles: Extraordinary Coincidences from Everyday Life
Author: Yitta Halberstam, Bernie S. Siegel

The Devil's Horsemen : The Mongol Invasion of Europe
Author: Chambers

The Beloved Invader
Author: Eugenia Price

Pleasant Dreams: Nighttime Meditations for Peace of Mind/155
Author: Amy Dean, Amy E. Dean

Secrets of the Widow's Son: The Mysteries Surrounding the Sequel to the Da Vinci Code
Author: Daniel Burstein, David A. Shugarts

MycoMedicinals: An Informational Treatise on Mushrooms
Author: Paul Stamets

Fitness Over Fifty: An Exercise Guide from the National Institute on Aging (With DVD)
Author: The National Institute on Aging, The National Institute on Aging

Acupressure for Lovers : Secrets of Touch for Increasing Intimacy
Author: Michael Reed Phd Gach

Mastering Leptin: The Leptin Diet, Solving Obesity and Preventing Disease, Second Edition
Author: Byron Richards

When Crickets Cry
Author: Charles Martin

Yoga Over 50
Author: Mary Stewart

The Second Coming of Mavala Shikongo: A Novel
Author: Peter Orner

Pleasant Dreams: Nighttime Meditations for Peace of Mind/155
Author: Amy Dean

The Anti-Aging Fitness Prescription
Author: Z. Altug, Tracy Olgeaty Gensler

The Last Templar: The First Knights Templar Mystery
Author: Michael Jecks

Questions and Answers on Death and Dying
Author: Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

My Sister's Keeper
Author: Jodi Picoult
   
Galileo's Daughter : A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love
Author: Dava Sobel

Autobiography of a Face
Author: Lucy Grealy
   
The Essential Handbook of Women's Spirituality
Author: Barbara G. Walker

History of the Arab Peoples
Author: Albert Hourani

The Tartar Khan's Englishman
Author: Gabriel Ronay

Prehistory and the First Civilizations (The Illustrated History of the World, Volume 1)
Author: J. M. Roberts
  
The Templar's Penance
Author: Michael Jecks
  
Witchcraft a Secret History
Author: Michael Streeter
    
Magical Spells for Your Home: How to Bring Magic into Every Area of Your Life
Author: Anne-Marie Gallagher

The Illustrated Discovery Journal : Creating a Visual Autobiography of Your Authentic Self
Author: Sarah Ban Breathnach

Is It in Your Genes?: The Influence of Genes on Common Disorders and Diseases That Affect You and Your Family
Author: Philip R., M.D. Reilly 

The Double Helix : A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
Author: James D. Watson

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3)
Author: J.K. Rowling
   
Physiology
Author: Peter Abrahams
   
Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying
Author: Ram Dass, Mark Matousek, Marlene Roeder

Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom Volume 2 
Author: Rachel Pollack

Our Family Tree Record Book
Author: Mason Linklater
 
The Woman with the Alabaster Jar : Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail
Author: Margaret Starbird

Essentials of Genetics
Author: William S. Klug, Michael R. Cummings

Creative Digital Photography
Author: Peter Cope
  
The Expected One
Author: Kathleen McGowan