Tuesday, August 7, 2007

http://www.librarything.com/

You can tell that I am a modern 21st century-type person because I have a blog, but did you know that I am also a member of an online community? Yep, its true. For the past seven months, I have been a member of LibraryThing. I tell you quite honestly, I have found my online home there. I love it. I am addicted to it.

I found the site one day when I was at work, googling the names of my family members. (What? Doesn't everyone do that?) Anyway. While I was googling Tom's name, a link to this site came up: http://www.librarything.com/profile/tom.n.kristy so I took a look at it. Tom and Kristy had entered several hundred of the books they have in their Chicago apartment. I was hooked immediately. I could catalog all the books I own, with book covers and tags and reviews. In fact, I could list up to 200 books for free. I started right away. I created a profile page, which was easy to do. You can check it out here, if you are so inclined: http://www.librarything.com/profile/amancine Pretty soon I was ransacking the house literally from attic to basement, entering every book I could find.

The really important thing about LT for me (that's what we insiders call it - "LT" ), though, is that it has me seriously reading again. I have been a voracious reader all my life, but over the last few years, I had just - stopped. I don't know why. Probably, you know, the whole soul-sucking-job-thing, but I don't want that to become a convenient excuse for everything I have failed to do in the last five years.

You can see that my days at home are quite full now what with writing in my blog, writing in my top-secret journal, writing on my facebook page, reading books about how to write better, reading like crazy to make up for the years that I missed, and spending lots of time on LibraryThing. I really don't have time for an outside job anymore. Quitting my job was the only sensible thing to do.

6 comments:

tom said...

Oh man, that last paragraph completely cracks me up.

If only I could get my landlord to see things your way, I'd join you in between-job-itude in a second!

LibraryThing is a very very good thing, and I'm proud to say that as soon as I'd used it for a few hours I purchased the (ridiculously cheap) lifetime membership.

I'm glad that you've found an online home there, as it were! I never got as much into the community aspects of LT, but back before I had a job that required me to work, I used to be a proud Atriot and I know how nice it can be to belong, even online.

jamanci said...

oh man, it sure has got you reading again! and i think that's great--you really do tear through the books, like i remember from my whole childhood. most evenings (and sweltering summer days, too) were spent reading, and that's probably what got me and tom into it.

funny that this post follows your one on SVU and law and order generally--your tv watching has fallen off sharply (almost completely, even) since you started reading more! which i applaud, except for the part where we don't have cable here but you guys do at home. how's a gal to get her law and order fix?!

tom said...

Don't get it at all! Why, you could use that time for reading! :)

On a more serious note, I did mean to mention what a good thing it was that you were getting back to reading. I wish I had more time for it myself. I just blew through a really good trilogy that I need to write a post about.

anne mancine said...

What good kids you are!

Ben said...

That is an odd title for a post right there. But I can attest to how much you enjoy your LT time, and that you have enthusiastically resumed reading. Bravo! Hooray for the interactive edu-tainment for the modern 21st century type person!

Anonymous said...

This statement right here stopped me in my tracks:

I really don't have time for an outside job anymore.

So true, so true...