Show us you fantasy/ficiton-bookcollection!

[Lenny]

Thank the lords you're 400 miles way...

When I get a job I'd like to buy one or two books a week. Some people spend thousands of pounds a year on fags, or going to the pub, so why not on books?

[HoopyFrood]

Most of my student loan seems to go on books

[Lenny]

Better to spend it on books than booze.

The only problem I can forsee is the lack of shelves, maybe. And the fact that if you travel back and forth on a train, you'l be a bit hard-pressed for space.

[HoopyFrood]

Very true...which is why I'm going to start instructing Amazon to send them to my home rather than here (I don't have time to read them here, but I have a 3 month holiday in the summer...)

[Lenny]

3 months?!!

So you have 9 months of doing nothing for 6 days of the week, and essays on the 7th... and then 3 months of doing further nothing?

No wonder so many people turn to drink...

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When are you next home? Easterish? because we'll be expecting pictures of your full collection.

[HoopyFrood]

Actually, I only have an essay every three or four weeks

Yep, got a 5 week holiday () for Easter, so I shall be posting my home bookshelf then. Which is far bigger than my measely 7-8 books here. Although I have to say that one and a half shelves are taken up by Stephen King

[Lenny]

OK I'll revise my estimate.

352 days of lazing about doing nothing, and 13 days of feverishly working on essays, revision, and whatever else it is that students are supposed to be doing.

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Nothing wrong with one and a half shelves being taken up by King. They do it in Waterstones, and Borders, so it must be alright.

Now that must be something, being the owner of Waterstones.

[HoopyFrood]

Exactly

Although that's only really for the Arts Students...sciencey types have it harder

*Sigh* I miss my bookshelf...it's my favourite thing in my room...

[Lenny]

That's because Arts aren't proper subjects.

What are Uni libraries like? Do they have a good selection of SFF at all?

[HoopyFrood]

The library at Exeter is HUGE. I don't know about the SFF because it's so difficult to navigate...I've only just found the English Literature section.

[Lenny]

Sounds dreamy. *eyes glaze over*

If all Uni libraries are like that, then I don't see the need to spend any money on books at all for those 3 or 4 years. The books can come once you've got money that is constantly going into your account.

[Kitera]

Originally Posted by Werthead

The Confusion is the second volume of The Baroque Cycle. Quicksilver is the first book and The System of the World is the third book. Just to confuse things further, The Baroque Cycle taken as a whole is also a prequel to Stephenson's earlier novel, Cryptonomicon.

The Baroque Cycle is only arguably science fiction. Instead, it's basically Stephenson's argument that the modern age (the Information Age) was born at the end of the 17th Century with the development of the ideas of Sir Isaac Newton and his sometimes-forgotten rival, Gottfried Leibniz. The Trilogy also covers the political transformation in Britain that took place with the Glorious Revolution and the overthrow of King James II in favour of William of Orange and the economic development of European cities such as Paris and Amsterdam. There's also a highly exciting subplot about Barbary pirates. The trilogy is dense and challenging, sometimes dry (you'll learn more about the internal politics of the late 17th C., early 18th C. London Royal Society then you'll ever need to know, for example) but often wickedly funny. Stephenson has a jet-black sense of humour.

Because the trilogy is fairly demanding, I often recommend that people try Stephenson's Cryptonomicon first. This book, which is set in the modern day with extensive flashbacks set in WWII, is more approachable and easier to read with a more natural and rapidly-developing storyline. Once you get used to Stephenson's style, then you can tackle the more challenging trilogy. OTOH, if you find the Gormenghast Trilogy to be too YA for your taste and consider The Book of the New Sun light popcorn reading, you may be read to leap straight in with this

I'd give both Quicksilver and Cryptonomicon four stars. Difficult, but worth the challenge.

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I'm doing mainly history courses this year, so I think this book would help me a little even though its fictional?

Thanks again for the thorough information, apporeciate it.

Kitera

[Dr. Atomic]

I've got too many books and not enough shelves. Add to this the constant taking down, reading, and putting back of the books, multiplied by my severe case of messiness, and you've got an equation that equals sloppy shelving.

Besides, the reading shelves are tucked away where no one can see them.

The vintage stuff... that's a different story. I'm neurotic about protecting the stuff I collect, so it's acid-free boards and bags, no sunlight, and careful shelving. Plus, they're on display, so I want them to look good.

[Kitera]

Here's my collection in the virtual library (I registered the site when i views your virtual book colection Lucien)

LibraryThing | Catalog your books online

[HoopyFrood]

Originally Posted by Dr. Atomic

I've got too many books and not enough shelves.

I have the same problem...I have a positively tiny bookshelf, but my mum won't let me buy a bigger one (yeah, all right, my room is quite small...although one day I'm just going to buy a bigger one and she won't be able to say no!) so I've had to start lying books on their sides on top of other books and it's driving me mad! I like my bookshelf organised and straight-looking...my books my my favourite possessions, I don't want them to look unsightly!