Wouldn't You Like to be a BXer Too?
Over the past two days I have been busy scrounging the local thrift stores for books. As a result, my BookCrossing Bookshelf has a ton of books available for trades or RABCKs (Random Acts of BookCrossing Kindness - where someone sends you a book and asks for nothing in return).
Since I've become really active in the last month or so, I've had literally dozens of books come my way out of the kindness of other people's hearts. I've done my own RABCKs over there, but now I want to try and get others involved.
Here's the deal. The first three people who register at BookCrossing will get a book from my shelf (any of the ones with an @ symbol in front of it; sort my shelf alphabetically to find them easily) along with a special gift.
Once you've registered send me a PM (Private Message) from the site with a note saying you saw this post, the book you want, and your address. All I ask is that you read the book in a timely manner and then either release it into the wild (leave it somewhere) or pass it on to another BookCrosser.
I know I'm probably be a little rabid about the BookCrossing thing, but it's such a great program. I've encouraged people to read my whole life, so I can't help but be annoying about this. 
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*encouraging from the pews* preach it sistah! spread the love!
*wishing she could sign up again, just to make it exciting for kymberlie* I registered (referring you) long ago... and have been just as addicted.
you should check out the last few released, über fun stuff!
Posted by amancay at September 5, 2003 01:27 PM
I joined! Thanks for the reminder. How do I make you a friend? I am glacierlily. :)
Posted by Rori at September 5, 2003 04:45 PM
I've actually been a BookCrossing member for a really long time, since the earlier days of the site. I forgot about it! It's developed a lot since I was last there. Thanks for spurring me to get back to it.
Posted by Meredith at September 6, 2003 12:51 PM
I promise I will mail In Her Shoes tomorrow morning. Didn't have enough time this morning before work. :) I've also started reading Innocents, so I hope to get that one out to you ASAP.
Posted by Rayne at September 8, 2003 04:46 PM
Ok! Ok! I registered! :) (Was I one of the first two?) Now I just have to figure out how to do it all. I can't wait! Oh - I made sure that you were referenced when I signed up!
Posted by Christine at September 10, 2003 09:14 AM
Help. I'm so lost. I need slow, clear, simple instructions on this Book Crossing thing. For example, I would *love* to read "Sphere" by Micheal Crichton which is on your @ list. How do I tell you that? What do I do?
Now what? Help! :)
Posted by Christine at September 10, 2003 09:27 AM
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Free and Clear
I went to check my bank balance and noticed the current amount owed on my Miata loan - $0.00! The last payment went through today and my car is now free and clear! Very, very exciting indeed!
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Congratulations! What a great feeling!
Posted by Zuly at September 2, 2003 06:45 PM
one of the yummier feelings, noticing that your debts are no longer :)
Congratz. *squish*
Posted by munin at September 2, 2003 06:46 PM
Woo hoo! What excitement that must be!! :)
Posted by kristine at September 3, 2003 05:05 AM
Hey I just wanted to thank you for putting Cell Block tango on your site. You wouldn't happen to have Mr. Cellophane somewhere would you??
Posted by Jez at September 3, 2003 11:02 AM
Fantastic! I'm so happy for you!
Posted by Kristina at September 3, 2003 11:13 AM
Awww... it seems like only yesterday that you got the Miata - it's so cool that it's now all yours! Whoo hoo!
Posted by Christine at September 3, 2003 05:14 PM
that's great, Kymberlie! i have about 13 months left to pay on mine. and then it's free and clear, too! woohoo!
Posted by Kathy at September 3, 2003 08:30 PM
Woohoo!
I love it when my debts are all paid off :)
Congrats!
Posted by Kimberly at September 4, 2003 12:53 AM
Well done!
Posted by David at September 5, 2003 11:35 AM
Hopefully your luck won't follow mine. As soon as I get a car paid off, the door handle falls off, or I lose a hubcap or something. Never fails.
Posted by Danelle at September 7, 2003 08:54 PM
*high fives*
Posted by robyn at September 8, 2003 05:29 AM
Yay, congratulations! That's awesome.
Posted by Meredith at September 8, 2003 09:05 AM
Congrats!!
Posted by Kevin at September 9, 2003 03:16 AM
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The Virgin's Knot by Holly Payne
The Virgin's Knot by Holly Payne: an amazing first novel set in 1950s Turkey.
Twenty-two year old Nurdane is the center of this book - indeed, she is the virgin who ties the titular knots. Crippled with polio when she was six, her father taught her to weave so that she could travel places without her legs. Normally, this would be a skill taught by women, but sadly Nurdane's mother died in childbirth. Since she is considered less of a woman by men, Nurdane's virgin status allows her to create prayer rugs and matrimonial dowry rugs that are believed to heal the sick and bring good fortune for any lucky enough to possess them. Most of the novel is about Nurdane's life, but we are also introduced to John Hennessey, a physical anthropologist, and Adam, Nurdane's doctor along with people from her village.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel until the last fifty pages or so. I found the ending to be very out of character for what I thought would have happened. After thinking about it, I can see why it was that way, but I felt that the book would have been stronger with a different ending. It altered the intricately woven narrative with a dream-like quality into almost a totally different novel. Still, the book alone is worth reading simply to experience Nurdane's life.
(Finished on September 1, 2003 for Zuly’s Reading Room.)
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I disagree. I believe the ending was very satisfying. It left me with a sense of awe about the extreme measures these people would go throught to achieve peace with Allah.
Posted by Nicole Allison at March 8, 2004 07:48 PM
i was bored on the computer one day and tped in my name Holly Payne and found nothing but a ton of sites dealing with a new authur named Holly Payne. She looks almost exactally like my dad (he has the payne side) but in a girl way. i was wondering if me and her were related since we both have the payne name and it would be weird since my name is holly also. i got her book to look up on what she writes about and everything and it was very awesome, considering i rarley read books. if anyone knows of a way to contact her, please feel free to e-mail me ;)
Posted by Holly Payne at July 22, 2004 08:17 PM
I read Virgin's Knot while living and working in Ankara, Turkey. (While my husband was a Fulbright scholar, I worked as a reporter for the Turkish Daily News and the Prime Minister's publicist for the Zeugma excavation.) My fellow Turkish language students loved Holly's book and we eagerly passed it around, discussed it, and recommended it to others.
I have just finished my own third novel which begins in Baghdad and ends up in southeast Turkey. (First two novels were set in the US, published in 2001 and 2002) I am hoping to work with Peter Miller who has my manuscript now. This novel is a new experience because I am attempting to represent a culture different than my own.
I will be living in Turkey half time from now on with my professor husband. I would love to talk to Holly about issues such as honor killings, status of women in Turkey, goddess traditions--and how Islam impacts Turkish daily life.
Please contact me, Holly! Or tell me how to reach you. I too am a Turkophile with 13 years of experience traveling to Turkey. Americans don't know what they are missing when they say they are afraid to travel to Turkey. I know you agree, Holly! It's one of the sweetest, most elegant cultures I have ever encountered.
I also would love to hear about your current novel set in the Balkans. Please get in touch with me! Your web site gave no contact info.
All the best,
Jeni Grossman
Posted by Jeni Grossman at August 3, 2004 07:22 PM
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Burning Resources
Okay, I've been meaning to post this for a while, so here's a run down of the programs that I use to rip, burn, and make CDs.
CDex: I use this program to rip my CDs (turn them into mp3 tracks). It's freeware, so that's always a plus. It's really easy to use and also accesses the CDDB (a database of thousands of CDs) which makes naming tracks really easy since it's done for you.
MP3 CD Converter: this is what I use to convert all my mp3 tracks back to .cda files (files that can be played in a regular CD player). I've been using this program for years and just love it. It's only $19.95 which is a hell of a deal.
MediaFace 4: this is what I use to create my snazzy cover and CD art. It's the only program that I've found that allows you to create a CD booklet. Since you can fold a booklet in half, you get a nice CD inside and outside cover using one piece of paper. This feature alone is why I went ahead and paid for the program. It's also only $19.95 and once you pay you have access to over 500 high resolution background that you can download. It's really easy to print both the CD covers and the labels for the CDs themselves.
So, if you held off from joining any of my CD exchanges before because you didn't know how to make a CD, now you have no excuse. 
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This is great. I just got a new computer with a CDRW and had no idea what I needed. Thanks Kymberlie!
Posted by Marie at September 1, 2003 12:05 AM
How can I join a CD exchange?!?! :)
Posted by Adelle at September 1, 2003 04:58 AM
i just use nero to turn the mp3s into cda files ... it does it during the burn process! one less step. :-)
Posted by tj at September 2, 2003 08:22 AM
I just want to add that constant conversion between mp3 and wav will eventually result in loss of audio quality. For example, if you rip a song from a cd in wav format, then encode it to mp3 you're actually losing quality. If you take that mp3 and convert it back to a wav, the resulting wav will be of lesser quality than the wav you ripped from the cd. It's just like dubbing VCR tapes... the more you do it, the less the quality. Just something to keep in mind. ;)
Posted by nastybastard at October 24, 2003 10:54 AM
Hi,
Can someone please steer me in the right direction here ?...After much labor recording many of my cassettes (into WAV format) and writing in all the titles, I'm now read to burn some CD's. However, when I load Roxio's Easy CD and DVD Creator 6 with music and burn it, then play it on my computer, they are no longer in WAV format and I've lost all my titles! I also discovered that the songs I recorded are in cda format.
I suppose cda format would not be so bad provided it had the titles..so how do I fix this .......please help!!
Posted by G.C. at November 23, 2004 11:08 PM
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The Trials of Tiffany Trott by Isabel Wolff
The Trials of Tiffany Trott by Isabel Wolff: another British chick lit book that I found to be occasionally uneven and ultimately a bit disappointing.
We first find Tiffany Trott on the even of her thirty-seventh birthday getting ready for her party. She's in a good mood since she's got a wonderful boyfriend and she's convinced that he's going to be asking her to marry him any minute now. Unfortunately for Tiffany, by the end of the party she receives the dreaded "we need to talk" call and Alex dumps her.
The rest of the novel is about Tiffany trying to find the right guy. She uses lonely hearts ads. She tries dating agencies. She even tries Eat 'N Greet single matches. She does find one eligible guy, but the fact that he's married and looking for a part-time girlfriend, really isn't what Tiffany is looking for.
For the most part I enjoyed the book, but I never found myself dying to get back to it and find out what was going to happen next. I definitely found the ending annoying, but I do wonder what Tiffany's going to do about the events that unfold in the last ten pages or so.
All in all, not the worst chick lit book that I've ever read, but definitely not the best. It does have some good, dry British humor, though, so that's always a plus.
(Finished on August 31, 2003 for Zuly’s Reading Room.)
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I read this book ages ago, and I felt a lot like you did. It was... "ok"
Posted by Adelle at August 31, 2003 04:32 PM
I read it too, but I found it hilarious. I then read her next one, 'Making Minty Malone' which was a really fabulous, exciting read.
Posted by Michelle at September 29, 2003 11:43 AM
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