Yes, don't talk to me about library fines. Fortunately, in the UK, they have periodic amnesties and so I used to go in with a stack, feeling like a pardoned Jesse James. I wonder whether there is a world record for the most overdue library book. It might be hazardous to compare notes though as, eventually, it probably becomes theft as well as anti-social and I make no admissions.

fxh wrote:

no its unlimited at my library - so as you can see some of them are coffee table books etc, I often wander through and just pick up books on birds or boats or forests or whatever from the folio section on whim.

I reserve books while I'll online, say reading  a forum or blog - see a book reviewed or recommended, go online to my library - reserve it then in a day or so its sitting in my pigeon hole waiting for me to pick it up. The library emails me when my reserves are ready or I just call in and have a look every now and then.

I can renew books on line too for up to two renewal terms.

I sometimes get CDs and DVDs too

I'm a pretty fast reader and some I only skim and others are picture books.

My library has about 6 branches in a LGA of about 170,000 people - the bring online reservations to my local branch for me to pick up if they are housed at other branches. They will also do interlibrary loans from anywhere in the state and also with Unis - theres sometimes a fee for that.

I currently have outstanding fines of $8.40 increasing at 20c a day until I get one book back. My biggest fine ever was $32.

I always look at library fines as a form of charitable donation.  Many of the books I take out go years without interest and they aren't actual loans which need to be repaid, so I don't mind paying the fines at all.  One tax I think worthwhile.

The Most Dangerous Enemy by Stephen Bungay, one of the best histories of the Battle of Britain I have read – and I have read quite a few.

Fredrick Forsyth – “The Fist of God”, entertaining and well written.

Repairing old clocks and watches – Anthony Whiten.

No work books – have this week thrown out all the business / management  / MBA books and all my IT books save a couple from the very early 70’s I think the National Computing Museum at Bletchley Park might be interested in. I went round there recently and found to my embarrassment that PC’s excepted, I had worked on just about every exhibit they have on display manufactured since the early 60’s (including the Military ones).

Last edited by JohnL (2011-03-04 16:00:34)

JohnL wrote:

No work books – have this week thrown out all the business / management  / MBA books and all my IT books save a couple from the very early 70’s I think the National Computing Museum at Bletchley Park might be interested in. I went round there recently and found to my embarrassment that PC’s excepted, I had worked on just about every exhibit they have on display manufactured since the early 60’s (including the Military ones).

I keep all of my work books, mainly quality management guru texts and welding metallurgy stuff at work. It looks better here than in your home library, which should be filled with the Romantics and Beat poetry, jazz autobiographies and some history thrown of the Zulu wars and other such military engagements.

waxtwist wrote:

Kingstonian,

Which Ellroy is that?  I have read all of his early stuff, but I find him less and less interesting as he developed his current style.  It may be intellectually interesting, but I find the characters less developed.  Also, I really, really like Connolly.

I tend to agree - I thought American Tabloid the great American novel but I do struggle with what he's been doing lately at the same time as acknowledging its quality.

"The Idiots Guide to Six Sigma Lean Thinking" - sometimes the simply prosaic has to win out to keep the wolf from the table.

waxtwist wrote:

Kingstonian,

Which Ellroy is that?  I have read all of his early stuff, but I find him less and less interesting as he developed his current style.  It may be intellectually interesting, but I find the characters less developed.  Also, I really, really like Connolly.

'Blood's a Rover'

Connolly books are 'Nine Dragons' and 'The Brass Verdict'.

AWOL on the Appalachian Trail by David Miller.  A great book about one guy's experience hiking the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.  Having lived in close proximity to both the beginning and ending points of the AT, wanted to read why otherwise sane people submit themselves to this sort of experience.  Great book for anybody who likes unusual travelogues.

Big Tony wrote:

Max -

Any recommendations for the Crusades? I'm thinking fat one-volume overviews of the whole shebang, rather than narrow academic studies. Tahnks.

In recent years there have been several well-received one-volume histories of the Crusades published, but I haven't read any of them, so caveat emptor.  Runciman's three-volume history is still a standard work, and is grand narrative history of the old school and a pleasure to read.  If a fat, one-volume overview is absolutely needed I can recommend Carole Hillenbrand's The Crusades:  Islamic Perspectives.   They don't come much fatter than this massive tome, which is generously, even lavishly, illustrated, and provides a fascinating study of the "War of The Cross" from the winner's side.

Kingstonian wrote:

waxtwist wrote:

Kingstonian,

Which Ellroy is that?  I have read all of his early stuff, but I find him less and less interesting as he developed his current style.  It may be intellectually interesting, but I find the characters less developed.  Also, I really, really like Connolly.

'Blood's a Rover'

Connolly books are 'Nine Dragons' and 'The Brass Verdict'.

"Blood's a Rover" is more like the old Ellroy and less of the Zip FLASH Zabbity Oop Doop conspiracy stuff.

^ Ellroy really went off the rails in his last few books, however — at the expense of story, character, and, frankly, readability.

Big Tony wrote:

I found his old book on Byzantine and am reading it (the first copy I found had parts underlined; people who underline in books should be shot; I found another clean copy luckily).

I've seen books that are nearly completely highlighted in yellow, including most of the information on the dust jacket flaps. But if you own the book I imagine you can do pretty much whatever you want with it.  I've seen valuable 19th century folios that have been used as scrap books with things glued to the plates.

These all are wonderful books, I am reading a book of Harry Porter. This is a wonderful book to read, Even I have watched its all movies too still, I love to read Its books too.. this is really wonderful.





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