TBR, Read Shelf, Mood Reader, DNF

In this series I explain terms used in the low impact movement, lifestyle terms, and other verbiage that I use on my blog and in my daily life. Here they are defined simply, in case they are new to readers. In some cases, I have done some research on them, but these definitions are mostly what I understand them to be and how I use them.

So clearly, BookTube (the offshoot of YouTube that’s all about books) is my new thing. Getting into a new niche community always comes with language that you learn as you go along. BookTube has those in spades. But they are not only for use in BookTube. These words and phrases can be used by all readers.

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TBR
This term is used a lot on BookTube. Quite plainly it stands for “To Be Read”. This term refers to books you own and want to read (Physical TBR), books you’ve heard of and want to read (Mental TBR), or any number of lists or places where there are books that you want to read. Readers keep TBR lists, TBR shelfs, TBR spreadsheets. Readers have life time TBRs, monthly TBRs, or TBRs of specific styles and genres.
Personally since I have a lot of books that I have accumulated from thrifting, library sales, or books found or given to me, I only consider the books I’m actively planning on reading my TBR. I keep these on a shelf or two and swap them out either after reading, or after deciding I’m not ready to read them yet.

Read Shelf
This term is pretty self-explanitory, but often gets a little confusing bc when spoken it sounds like “red shelf”. A Read Shelf is where one keeps all their already read book, books that they have read or completed. Some readers only store books that they have actually read here, some put all the books on they own on these shelves. Some people are collectors and find their favorite editions to collect, some collect whole series whether they have read them or not. Many reader keep every book they have ever read but there are people who only keep what they enjoyed and get rid of low star reads. Just like collecting, each reader has their own flare for how they organize and decorate their Read Shelves. Alphabetical, by genre, by color, be length, are just a few ways people organize Read Shelves.
I try to keep only physical books that I enjoyed, culling every few months. I keep my shelves organized alphabetically.

Mood Reader
Again, this term is pretty clear. Mood Reader refers to a reader who chooses what to read by the mood they are in. Many readers make a TBR and stick to it or read to accomplish some goal, but mood readers read what they feel like reading when they feel like.
I’m definitely a mood reader, so I like to peruse my TBR piles, but what I pick depends on how I feel.

DNF
Standing for “Did Not Finish”, this term is used to describe a book that one started reading but didn’t finish. There are many reasons why someone doesn’t finish a book but some of the most commonly referred to in BookTube is not liking a book and stopping reading it, not being in the right mood for a book, or starting a book when you are already reading other which take precedence. DNF can be “ for now” or forever.
I don’t generally DNF, I try to finish all the books I start. But I will sometimes DNF for now. If I’m really not vibing with a book, it’s better for me to put it down for a while then struggle thru.

Do you use any of these reading terms or were they new to you? What other BookTube or reading terms do you use?

Coke Machine Glow

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I really enjoy Gord Downie’s solo music and his band The Tragically Hip. Coke Machine Glow is the companion poetry book to his album of the same name.

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To accompany his solo album, Gord Downie collected this book of poetry incorporating the lyrics from the album.

An atmospheric and graphic look at life on the road, this books has mostly short poems. I’m not a huge poetry person, but I guess if I had to choose, I prefer short poems. Three to five lines seems to be my favorite. Perhaps my favorite style of poetry are haikus. I love poems that can make you see or feel something in only a few lines. Having had a little taste of life of the road living with a band in my youth I liked that these poems reminded me of that time. That was also the time that I got in to Downie’s music so the whole collection was very nostalgic for me. Overall, I didn’t love this book tho and still don’t love poetry collections. I got thru this book in a day, but the only entries that stuck with me were the lyrics I already knew. I liked that Coke Machine Glow included the lyrics form the album bc it helped me to think of all the poems as songs, which made this book easier for me to digest. I would recommend this book if you are a fan of Downie’s music or the tragically hip, to those who love poetry or who want a glimpse of life on the road in prose, and people who have an affinity for Canadians.

Have you every listened to Gordon Downie or the Tragically Hip?

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The Borrowers

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I loved this book series as a child, but my husband had never heard of The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Talking about it with him made me want to revisit it.

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Arriety Clock is a typical teenager, she longs to adventure and explore and do other grown up things. Except Arriety is only 3 inches tall.

Told in a flashback story from an aunt to her niece, we are introduced to the borrowers as if no one believed that they exist. When our narrator’s brother gets sick, he is sent to a relatives house to rest and recoup. Telling his story the reader, like the niece, is not sure at first that the events happened or were imagined. But we soon get the perspective from the borrowers themselves. What I remembered most before rereading this story was the pictures and the world building. You are immediately immersed in a rich and interesting world, which is pretty awesome for such a short book. I loved hearing about how the borrowers used everyday objects for their own means and needs. I remember wanting to appropriate every little object in the house and create a borrowers type world for my dollhouse as a child. This book gets a child’s creative mind moving but it also deals with themes of intolerance, xenophobia, and classism. I think this is a great book for sparking young imaginations, and that, along with the gorgeous illustrations, should make this a classic and must read for all children, parents, and the young at heart. In short, I would highly recommend this book.

Have you read The Borrowers or it’s sequels?

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Unnatural Causes

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

The third book in the Adam Dalgliesh series, I’m not sure where I picked up Unnatural Causes by PD James. Maybe a book sale?

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Superintendent Dalgliesh is looking forward to some time away from his work and his personal life. He’s looking forward to quiet days and long walks with his aunt. When a body is discovered, Dalgliesh is drawn into the investigation.

Reading this series out of order was not the best idea. I am constantly tyring to remember where in time and Adam’s career we are when I start a book. I liked that in this book Adam was taking some time for himself. Dalgliesh usually is all business, even most of his travels are done out of some sort of obligation. This book starts with him being excited to visit his aunt, but not looking forward to having to dodge writers in the author enclave where she lives. It’s not ideal that she lives in a den of writers, but he hopes he can avoid most of this bookish community. Since Adam is a published poem, he is able to fit right in, but he finds the community opressively gossipy and catty. My favorite part of this book was how hard James' pokes fun at the book and writer’s community. She clearly doesn’t love this community either, but is also a part of it. Another great and unusual aspect of this book is that Dalgliesh is not the copper on this case. He cannot use his talents, skills, and connections to solved this case in his usually expedient manner. In fact, he can only do investigating, despite the lead detective, instead of ordering the lower ranked officer to act. It’s interesting to see Dalgliesh in such a frustrating position. I would highly recommend this book to those who are following Inspector Dalgliesh’s journey, those who like mysteries set in remote towns or communities, and those who like satires or parodies of the writing world.

Have you read any books about authors communities? One that comes to mind is Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb. I remember enjoying that book, although I haven’t read it in many years.

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Don't Panic

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I’ve had Don’t Panic, The Official Hitchhikker’s Guide to the Galaxy Companion for many many years. When I picked it up again, I had forgotten that this was one of Neil Gaiman’s first book. I couldn’t remember if I had read it (I had), so I started it again.

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The Hitchhikker’s Guide to the Galaxy was a surprise hit when it was written (and performed, and recorded, and filmed) in the 80s. A comedy, a sci fi, a comentarty, a travelog, it’s not surprising that so many people loved it. A radio play, a record, a book, a computer game, a tv series, it’s not surprising so many people were confused about it’s origins. Don’t Panic! Neal Gaiman is here to unentagle it’s miraculour and drunken beginnings for us.

I was surprised at hoe soon after H2G2 this companion book was written. I started reading H2G2 when I was very little bc a friend recommended it to me and I’ve never stopped reading it. I knew I loved it but I had no idea how beloved and hyped it was by the world (or mostly England?) at the time of it’s inception. This companion explains all the twists and turns that the series took, how it was made, what iterations it became and how Douglas Adams continually said he was not making more books and then did. Even in the eighties, as the books were still being written, people needed a companion to untangle the convoluted path of H2G2. This book was written as guide to the guide, includes interviews and thoughts from the author. It uses a silly and comedic style so that it can be read as a book in it’s own, as well. I feel like this is a must read for anyone who loves The Hitchhikker books or Douglas Adams. It also has some insights into the publishing world and how writers write. I would also recommend this book to anyone who likes to learn about the history of how books, and especially phenom books, were created.

Have you read the Hitchhikkers “ Trilogy? What is a favorite book you’ve read would you like to see/read the history of it’s inception?

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The Silence of the Lambs

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

After watching Hannibal, based on the Hannibal Lector Series, and after reading The Red Dragon, the first book in this series, I had to pick up a used copy of the second in the series, Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris.

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Jack Crawford needs help finding the lastest serial killer he’s been hunting. He can’t turn to Will Graham after his run in with first Hannibal Lector, and then the Red Dragon. He needs Lector himself, but Dr Lector won’t talk to Jack. Enter Starling, a bright and ambitious student at Quanico. Will Lector see the spark in her that Crawford has already identified?

Hannibal Lector is a well known charactor to say the least. Most identified with actor Anthony Hopkins, many people will know at least a little about “Hannibal the Cannibal”. Much like the first book, FBI director Crawford uses a young and talented agent (student, in Starlings case) to help solve a case he is at a stand still with. Her help is needed not in the investigation, but in attracting the attention of and gaining information from Hannibal Lector. She, like Will Graham in Red Dragon, has a quality that Crawford knows Dr Lector cannot resist. The relationship between the three men in the first book and their relationship to the titular character, The Red Dragon, is what makes the first book so appealing. The same is true in Silence of the Lambs. How Crawford manipulates the situation, knows his own shortcomings can be rounded out by the talents of both Starting and Lector, is not only a driving factor of the book, but also a fascinating character trait. And as always, Jack Crawford cares little for who gets caught in the cross fire. While still a genre true thriller, SotL, falls into second book syndrome a bit, by being more about advancing the characters and focusing less on the plot and action of the story. I enjoyed this book, and am interested to see how the trilogy (Yes, I know there are 4 books, but i’m not counting the prequel that Harris was harassed to write), wraps up in Hannibal. I would recommend this book to those who want to continue in the series or people who are reading the source materials for the movies and show, readers who like serial killer mysteries/thrillers, those who are interested in forensic science fiction or FBI fiction.

What’s your favorite second book in a series?

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The Long-Legged Fly

One of my goals in 2020 is to read more. See other books I've read or listened to here.

I always keep my eye out for books set in my favorite cities. The Long Legged Fly by James Sallis always makes in onto lists of books set in New Orleans.

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I had tried to buy this book second hand several years ago, but it never showed up to my house! When I started my 2020 reading highs, I decided it was time to try to get another copy.

Lew Griffin may have his ups and down, but throughout his life he tried to fight the good fight and stand up for the downtrodden and forgotten.

I thought this book was really interesting. I’ve had some time to separate from it, between reading and writing this review. I think that is good, bc where when I first read it I had very strong feelings, they have mellowed a bit and I’ve decided that I did like this book. The first chapter is absolutely shocking and gripping. But perhaps after starting in such a graphic and astonishing manner, the rest of the book can’t help but be a bit less intense. This book follows Griffin, a PI, from the 60s to the 90s through many changes in his life, and many cases he has had. It was interesting to have a story that was told over many years, and to see those years change our main character. My biggest issue with this book was that the main character is a black man, but written by a white author and Lew Griffin never felt completely believable as a person. Similarly, this book is set in New Orleans (which is why I initially picked it up), but it seems like the author only knows a few things about New Orleans. In short, this book left me feeling like the author was trying to hard to write about things they had no actual experience of, and therefore the book fell short. Now that I’ve had some time to think about it, the things that stuck out the most, and that I liked, were Griffin’s (failed) relationships with people and how he interacted with the world. He was often a passive character but one who’s inactions moved his life along as much as his actions. I hesitate to say I would recommend this book based on it’s flaws.

Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?

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