I’m feeling a little bit disjointed today, so instead of a single-idea Sunday Salon, I have a few random tidbits to share:
- The boyfriend and I are moving again next weekend… again. I thought when we found the house we’re renting now, we’d be able to stay for most of our time in small town Minnesota, but earlier this summer our landlord decided to sell the house. It hasn’t sold yet, but we decided we couldn’t stay in a place where we’d have no guarantees after our original lease was up. It’s been a stressful time, trying to decide if we should move and then where to go — the rental market in this area is terrible — but I’m glad it’ll be done with in a week.
- I should have been packing yesterday, but instead I spent a good chunk of time getting some of my books cataloged in LibraryThing. I’ve wanted to do it for awhile, but only recently figured out how to use the barcode scanner app on my phone to add multiple books at a time. I’m about a third of the way done, and so far it’s been relatively painless.
- This New York Times article about services that sell huge volumes of book reviews is distressing. This quote, in particular, made me bang my head on my desk: “Reviews are the smallest piece of being successful … but it’s a lot easier to buy them than cultivating an audience.” Luckily, Chrisbookarama has offered up The Fake Review-inator has a funny antidote. You could also visit this website to help you calm down (Spoiler Alert: Manatees!).
- I have a new Audible credit, and I have no idea what to use it for. Any recommendation for fabulous audio books that will make packing our house less tedious?
- This week, I finished reading The End of Men by Hanna Rosin, which I enjoyed and disliked all at the same time. In talking with the boyfriend about it, I realized that maybe my dislike came from me expecting the book to make different or more expansive argument than it was trying to make, so I have to unpack those thoughts before I can write a review.
- Over at Book Riot, I wrote a little bit about the book that has been on my To Be Read pile for the last 12 years. Any guesses which book?
That’s all I’ve got today. Back to the packing… I’m hoping to get up two posts this week before potentially being offline for the weekend while we’re moving and getting settled in the new place. Happy Sunday!
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The idea of selling book reviews makes me feel outraged on several levels. There is no integrity or credibility in that, and it diminishes book reviewers who do it either professionally or (in our case) out of pure love of reading, discussing, and reviewing books.
Good luck with the move!
Yeah, it’s definitely frustrating. On the other hand, maybe it gives reviews done in a semi-professional way (like on a blog) more credibility — if you get to know a blogger, you’ll know that their reviews are independent and trustworthy. Certainly, it’s a reason to be skeptical of Amazon reviews and the like.
Good luck with the moving. The rental market out here is pretty horrible too. I don’t think I’m going to read the post about buying reviews because that seems like I’m asking for a migraine. 🙂 Now I’m really curious about The End of Men. I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts.
I’m not sure what’s going on with the rental market right now. There are a ton of houses for sale here, but very few for rent. It was unbelievably frustrating trying to find a new place.
Good luck with the move!!
Good luck with the move! Moving REALLY sucks, so I can understand your reluctance.
Moving is the suck, sorry to hear you’re having to do it again. 🙁
I moved a lot for a while, but I’ve stuck for a while here, and it’s been nice to not have to pack. That said, you accumulate an awful lot of junk when you stay in one place for a long time. Sometimes I freakishly find myself wanting to move so I won’t have any excuse but to get rid of all this excess crap that is overrunning my home!
P.S. The manatee site is awesome, I feel calmer already. LOL!
That is true — every move causes me to do a pretty good clean out of my books and other possessions, so it’s at least cutting down on the excess stuff. Way to think on the positive side 🙂
Thanks for the shout out! I love the manatee site. I could use this everyday.
I tried Atlas Shrugged and couldn’t get into it, either. Perhaps that is what you should use your audible credit on! I actually like listening while knowing I have a print copy to refer to later if needed. Otherwise, I want to listen to Tim Robbins Great Gatsby next and then will be attempting Anna Karenina in October! join me?
Atlas Shrugged isn’t a bad idea for Audible… I wonder how long it is? I was thinking about trying to read Anna Karenina before the movie came out, but I bet listening to it would be fun (maybe like Catherine the Great, which I liked on audio). Good suggestions!
Sorry to hear about the move…that completely sucks but I see why you must move. As for Atlas Shrugged, I always feel like that’s a book I should read, but it doesn’t sound like one I would enjoy, so why bother?
Good luck with everything Kim 🙂
So true, it’s not worth it to waste time on bad books. Not that Atlas Shrugged is necessarily bad… but there’s probably a reason I keep avoiding it.
Good luck with your move! I’m moving in about a week and a half so I feel your pain. I’m hoping to stay in the same place basically until we decide to buy a house… here’s hoping I don’t have to move for awhile because I also hate the entire process.
That’s the most frustrating part — I was hoping we’d get to stay in this house for our time here, before we move somewhere larger. I’ve most nearly every year since college, and it’s draining.
Will look forward to your review on End of Men as it’s been on my TBR pile for a while.
In those same twelve years, I have read Atlas Shrugged 3 times. It makes my heart pitter patter and I don’t care who knows it. However, I won’t judge you for not reading it–it’s a brick and the last time through, I looked up at husband and said, “40 pages — I am 40 pages into a manifesto right in the middle of a novel. I’m not stopping until I get to the end of it.” Dinner was late that night…
Wow, that’s a lot! I’ve heard about the infamous manifesto (and received mixed suggestions about whether to read it or skip it!). But knowing you like the book makes me more inclined to want to pick it up, anyway.
My guess is “Atlas Shrugged,” just because it’s been on my list for better than a decade. Someday I really will read it. Just not today.
Ding ding ding! Yep. That’s exactly what I keep saying too.
I just read the same article and was also annoyed that author’s who had paid for reviews were putting them down as unimportant – probably to try and minimize our perception of how terrible it is that they’re paying for reviews. I also very much agree with Stephanie that people who right good reviews because they’re paid too make all of the rest of us look bad.
Yeah, there’s a big disconnect between their sentiments of paying for reviews, but then dismissing them as not that important. Frustrating all around, anyway.
Packing books…urgh! Best wishes for an easy move! And I hope you found a house with lots of space for those books. 😀
I think so! At the very least, I’m getting at least one taller bookshelf. And maybe one new on, depending on how the space works out.