Hi All! I really need to extract a digit and get more active here again. I first came to RP way back in the Spike days when offenders were sent off to ride in the teacups. As has been said, it did seem capricious at times. I remember trying to describe a children's party game called "Poor Pussy", where whoever is "It" has to go around to each player and pretend to be a cat, while the child pats "It"'s head and says "Poor Pussy" without laughing. If they laugh they're out. Winner is the last one left. Anyway, it wouldn't let me post "pussy". And "Poor kitty" just isn't the same :-)
Born in the US, I've been reading ever since I can remember, at least four or five because I recall my grandmother giving me "Black Beauty" and "The Prince and the "Pauper" to keep me amused when I was bedridden for a long time at age 6. And I read all my older cousins' Nancy Drew mysteries before we emigrated to Oz at age 8.
I love SF&F (and met my husband of nearly 30 years through joint activities of our respective university SF clubs) but have very broad tastes in both fiction and non-fiction. I suppose crime (true and fictional) and history (ditto) would be a huge part of our library.
I'm contemplating getting some kind of e-reader for travelling as generally I take about half a dozen books and acquire more as I travel- an e-reader will lighten my luggage considerably :-) But at home I will still prefer paper books.
On a personal level I'm a cook and have been in hospitality almost all my working life and have also worked as a journalist for our local paper. My adult daughter lives on the other side of the country :-( but I visit as often as I can :-) We have an older cat who's currently undergoing treatment for mast cell cancer :-( It's not cheap but we love her :-) I have been involved in women's barbershop singing for over 20 years and am a member of a national champion chorus.
Annpan, I live about 100km from Perth but travel there pretty well once a week- perhaps we could meet up some time for coffee?

Hello, RPers. I think I signed up around 2004 or 2005, but don't get over here as much anymore. I'm married with two girls (now in 3rd and 6th grade). My husband is an engineer. I'm a career Executive Assistant at a global Accounting/Consulting firm (some days I feel like I'm babysitting grown adults, though). Television mostly bores me these days, so I read books instead. Reading is primarily a leisure pursuit for me, and I read fairly broadly from most major categories. As long as the writing measures up to what I personally think is a good book, I'll read it. I easily switch from heavy-hitters to guilty pleasure reading. I've also become an ebook addict since owning a Kindle and an iPad.

Some of my favorite reads so far this year:
Galore by Michael Crummey
Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier
The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon
South Riding by Winifred Holtby

Hello from one of the Pams. I believe I counted five posters named Pam who were actively participating here at one time.

I have been posting on GW since 2002. I started off on the Gardening side and then moved on to Kitchens and other forums. I also was sent to Disney by Spike when I accidentally spelled the word duck with an f instead of a d. I recently had my fingers rapped for using the word for a female dog. However, I am grateful that these forums are kept at a higher level than many (most) on the internet.

I was so delighted to discover RP. I have been an avid lifelong reader. I adored The Bobbsey Twins as a child and was never without a "reading book".

I am on the Board of my local library and also volunteer there each week working at the front desk. I love getting first pick of the books as they go by. I belong to a book club and have been introduced to many books I might not otherwise have chosen. Our last book was Brazzaville Beach, which I heard about here. Everyone liked it and it generated a good discussion.

I used to work as a library assistant at my library, for nine years. I never should have left that job although it did not pay a living wage. I then spent 20 years working as a fund raiser for various non-profits, including a large urban library system and an the libraries of an Ivy League university. Give me public libraries over academic libraries any day.

I raised two sons and have been happily single for the past 20+ years. I enjoy gardening and would enjoy decorating if I could afford it! I do hope to travel more but having no one to go with me makes it more difficult, but I know lots of people do it solo. I tend to be adventurous, so I'll be doing more of that.

My job was eliminated two years ago, just about two years shy of my planned retirement date. It came as a shock. One day I had a job and was incredibly busy and the next I was at home. I have been at loose ends since then and have not really "found my way" in retirement. Thank heavens for books and close friends. I am enjoying reading this thread and what many of you are doing in retirement and loving it!

My claim to fame is that I participated on the RP version of The Night Before Christmas.

Dedtired, I have given up travelling solo. I did try after my husband died but I had bad experiences with fellow travellers! Too much talking or not enough, mainly! I did go for a while with family but they are too tied up now. Also I now have problems with sitting for very long so that is that! I hope that you find something you enjoy doing now you are no longer working. I mostly take on shopping projects either for myself or family. A couple of hours a day trotting around is enough and hoping to find that special something I need keeps me active and useful.
Colleen, I have sent you a personal email about meeting up.

I do hope Jan Kinrade is all right, just busy. I know she had health problems, but did not realize that they were serious.

On a visit to the UK some years ago, she invited me for an afternoon's visit. We had a lovely time. I was quite impressed by her book collection and a delightful little garden behind her house, cozy and private and relaxing. She also took me to see a bit of the New Forest and an outdoor theater she admired. Her warmth and hospitality were one of the high points of that visit.

Rosefolly

I laughed when I read the posts about Spike and being disneyed. I do remember all of that. I am pam53-another Pam. I couldn't think of a more original name at the time and then was too lazy to change my screen name. There are times when I have posted a lot, times I have lurked and times I have been away for awhile. I also credit RP for broadening my reading horizons and introducing me to so many wonderful people.
I have degrees in English and education. I taught many different types of special educ. students for 34 yrs. until I retired in 2005. I have had no problem with being retired-more reading time!
My DH and I will be married 40 yrs this coming November. I have 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. Both of my daughters live in Maryland. I also have 2 adorable maltese-shitzu dogs-Olivia and Snowball. They are my babies now that my nest is empty and are both constant sources of fun.
I like most kinds of books except sci-fi and fantasy. I am particularly fond of mysteries/thrillers.
I also love gardening and knitting.

In case readers here have missed it, jankin left a message on The Shadow of the Wind thread.

Hi all! Long term lurker, (very) occasional poster.. I love reading the posts here! I remember the teacups! I was never sent, but I joined kitchens, then the cooking forum in the early 2000's. I love to read. Have always loved to read. Would rather read than do most other things. I love fiction - SF&F, Mysteries, Lit, all kinds, though I'm not a fan of what my DH calls "Head in bag books"... too much gore or fright, and I'll pass, thank you. I have a long commute (about 90 minutes each way) and I drive, so I've taken to audio books for the commute - and especially love non-fiction for that. I'm learning a lot! I just did a lecture series on Linguistics...

I married late, no kids, and DH is also a big reader. We love book store dates! We met in community theater. The closest thing to a book club I've been in was play selection committee for the theater. Oh! and Bible Study; that's book discussion.

Born in Mid-Michigan, I moved to Hong Kong at age 8, Australia age 10 (Melbourne area), Nor Cal age 12, and Connecticut age 16, just begore my last year of high school. I went back to Michigan for college where I got a B.S. so another sorta-techie here. Lived near Detroit for 20+ years and was transferred 8 years ago to SE CT, where I got laid off three years later. I now work for one of those big insurance companies Sheriz6 mentioned. And Colleen, I didn't know you were a singer, too! I love being in choir. Am currently on hiatus but need to get back.

I feel sometimes like an interloper the very few comments I make here, but not because any of you make me feel that way! Thank you all so much for sharing your books and your thoughts about them, as well as a little of your lives :-)

Bizzo, I am really glad you decided to post a bit about yourself here. It is always nice to have a reminder that many people visit here but don't post at all or very often. From time to time I have received an email from someone who visits but for whatever reason doesn't post. Our community is larger than we think!

Bizzo, also nice to have another fan of SF&F. Post all you like! Or continue visiting silently if that is what you prefer.

thanks :-)

It's nice to meet all the new folks around here and say hi! to old friends. I am one of the old-timers, old enough to remember Spike and Disney. I originally landed in one of the gardening forums and chose the name Netla, which is Icelandic for "nettle", because I was feeling rather prickly when I signed up.

I haven't been posting here for some time now, but I take a peep at what's going on every now and then.

I live in Iceland and have been reading since I learned how. Before than, my mother read to me and I definitely got my love of books from her. From my grandmother I got a terrible tendency to collect books which led to a constant struggle to keep my bookcases from overflowing. E-books have therefore been a blessing - now I just struggle to keep my hard drive from filling up with books.

My favourite non-fiction genres are travelogues, popular science and history, and in fiction I prefer the kinds of fantasy written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, humorous romances, historical fiction and mysteries, although I will read almost anything if I like the look of it.

Hello, I am Avis, I live in Jersey. I worked for Lehman Brothers most of my life. I am now attending Brookdale Community College, though, I'm near 50 years old. I love to read. I am also on Shelfari.com (you can see what I have read). Name "TrainwreckB". I love to read drama. My favorite books are: Miss Suzy the Squirrel, The Secret Garden, Sister Carrie, I Know This Much is True, and Their Eyes Were Watching God.
I love to Garden, I love roses. I have been on this site, since they began in the 90's. I hang out in the WinterSowing site, my new love. I love movies esp the classics. I worked with Leonard Maltin by e-mail, I have an eccentric movie collection. I love "Aerosmith". I love Steven Tyler.

I am ccrdmrbks: Cece reads more books. Like most, I am a lifelong reader, favoring mysteries with a British flavor, historic fiction, biographies. I am with PAM-I will read anything my book club proposes except another Jodi Picoult-and I won't read Phillipa Gregory either: I minored in history and her books stray too far from how it really was.
I have an elementary education degree, which in my state means I am always going back to school to keep my certification active. Right now I work as an education consultant-the companies I work for in turn work with state departments of education-I develop curriculums, assessments, etc. I keep my connection to the classroom by substituting in the district where I taught and where our children went to school. I volunteer at the local library once a week and am active in the Junior League.

I'm Martin - the other guy on here.

I used to be a very regular poster on here, but for some reason I just don't get onto here so much. I got a bit annoyed a year ago when the login stopped working properly, and it sort of put me off a bit, but it seems to be back and working again.

I remember Spike and Disney. I've been on here since about 1999 - I'd set up paulgallico.info, just mentioned in passing on here that I was considering doing a stanbarstow.info site, someone said "Well, Stan Barstow drinks in the same pub as me..." - and that's how I set up the site, and met Stan and Dido. Funny old world, eh.

I'm an IT guy by trade, working in the banking industry for a large US bank here in London - you'll all know it. I have a wife, three step-daughters in their twenties and a fourteen-year-old daughter who reads incessantly, to my total delight. She made me read "The Hunger Games" which I must say I enjoyed quite a lot.

Do you remember the multiple Harry Potter threads? ;)

Good to hear from you again, Martin!

Welcome back, Martin. I wondered what had happened to you. I hope you can drop in more often. We had a lot of fun with the virtual parties, remember? Also you kept us up to date with your Bookers collection. Have you filled the dedicated bookcase yet? I got kept off this site for several months but the problem has been resolved. Probably a goat got sacrificed........

Oh the virtual parties-Christmas in England, the Valentine's Party on the Island, Martin with his "room temperature" beer, favorite characters dropping by, wine, velvet gowns, tiaras and decadent desserts....good times.
I too have been here since Spike, bless him. posted as Cece until there was a riot (the multiple Potter threads started it) and people were posting under multiple names-with multiple personalities, no doubt-and we had to re-register. Somebody else grabbed Cece so I went with the new moniker.

Hi Martin- I wondered what happened to you. I remember the virtual parties-they were fun and all the HP threads even though I confess to never getting beyond the first book. I do like the Hunger Games series though, of course it is very different.

I joined Garden Web in 2004 and this board a few months later but I haven't been active at all here.

I too felt intimidated here. Often I'd post something but my post would go unnoticed. I faced reality a while ago. Maybe I really didn't have anything to say!

Or, to put it more accurately, I had plenty to say but it wasn't anything that prompted anyone to reply.

I've spent most of my working life as a translator/editor but did some teaching of English for a few years.

I've had two children. One is still alive and works as a software developer.

I've always been a reader--mostly of fiction but some nonfiction as well, usually biographies of authors or other people who interest me. I'm just another pedant, basically. I have an M.A. and Ph.D. in English and have spent a lot of time in libraries and tinkering with footnotes. Ny thesis was on William James.

I've lived in the South, Chicago, Boston, and now (since 1983) the Pacific Northwest. I enjoy the company of my cat, and I putter with plants.

I'll include a link to my books blog even though I haven't encouraged comments on it, and so it's primarily just a list of books I've been reading and my comments on them.

Here is a link that might be useful: wordswordswords comments on some books

I've been on Gardenweb for years; I think I began when I was doing a kitchen remodel and found the Kitchens forum. I have a Ph.D. in English, with a specialty in early American literature although I now work on the intersection between religion and literature. I teach literature at a university in MN. Needless to say I am an avid reader. I read so much for work, however, that my "personal" reading list just keeps growing. These days I tend to pick up more non-fiction (history, nature, politics) for re-creation than fiction. I do visit this forum occasionally but rarely post--like jwttrans states above, the few times I have posted I've felt a bit ignored. I don't say that as a criticism--I think it is quite natural that close bonds are formed in a group of avid readers and posters and that occasional posters may feel like intruders. I will continue to lurk with pleasure!

You're quite right, marita. It's in the nature of message boards that there will be a few people who seem to "know" one another because they've been regular participants.

Like you, I'll keep lurking.

marita and jwttrans -- I'm glad you're here and glad you introduced yourselves. Don't feel bad about being ignored. I've been here for years and had multiple conversations with other long-timers, but I still contribute posts that get completely ignored. Sometimes, it's just a matter of timing (nobody's around or they don't have much to say). Other times, I assume it's just not a topic or book that provokes comment. If a comment of mine goes unresponded-to for days, I'll just make another comment to bump it down the list.

We have such a diverse group here, with different reading tastes, that you never know what might spark a conversation. For example, jwttrans, I thought your take on Jhumpa Lahiri's book (on your blog) was quite thought provoking.

So both of you, please keep coming and keep throwing those posts out there.

marita and jwtrans, I'm probably as bad as anyone when it comes to meaning to reply to comments/questions. In my case I tend to log-in here straight after breakfast UK time, when everyone 'over the Pond' is tucked up in bed and those in Aus are just winding down after a hard day's surfing on Bondi beach. I look through the posts (and am really disappointed if there is little to read) and then think "I'll get back to so-and-so" or " That looks interesting I must follow it up." Then, of course, real life intervenes, chores have to be done, the DH takes over the computer for several hours . . . the moment has passed.
Jwtrans, I do remember you getting cross all those years ago because it made me feel guilty and I did enjoy looking through your blog; an interesting and eclectic choice.

veer, I'm sorry I don't recall "getting cross all those years ago," and unfortunately there's no way of easily finding one's previous posts here. I must have been complaining about something.

I'm a cranky old crone, no doubt about it. And I'm sorry if whatever I said made you feel guilty.

jwtrans and marita: I think we have all felt like "conversation-killers" at one point or another, and wondered why no one responded to a post. Sadly, it often is a matter of timing: sometimes I read through a thread and see something to which I would like to respond, but there are 20 more posts after it. My post goes begging because the original poster never sees it.
jwtrans: DD and DS-i-L moved from Maryland to the Pacific northwest last summer: they are in the "University of" town in Oregon.

sarah_canary and ccrdmrbks, thanks so much for your kind remarks.

This is off-topic in this thread, but what is the bookmark exchange? I've seen it mentioned a few times but can't figure out what it is or where to find it.

To jwttrans- At Christmas time, an exchange of bookmarks is organised by one of the members here (apologies, total brain fade here) who calls for anyone interested to add their name to a list. Then those interested email her with their names and postal addresses, which she collates and emails to the participants. Each participant mails a bookmark of some sort to each of the others on the list. Some are handmade, some quite elaborate, some elegantly simple, some have been specially purchased and others are free giveaways from the sender's favourite shops/tourist bureaux/whatver. Anything which can serve as a bookmark is fine. It's great to get all the other different bookmarks to see what each person has come up with. I've loved all the ones I have received. Please do sign up the next time it rolls around (as I recall, about October or so to give everyone time to get organised).

I took part in the exchange last year for the first time and had such fun. I am already collecting for this years exchange.

I found Reader's Paradise in either 2004 or 2005 when I was just a newlywed. Now I have to lovely girls (thank you to everyone who posted on my "Literary Baby Names" thread back in 2007) and my husband and I have just bought a house (we are getting the keys tonight) here in Southern California.

Like so many of you here, I am a librarian in a public library. It is a job I love with all my heart and I am so fortunate to have a husband who bravely takes on the mantle of Stay-at-Home-Dad.

I like quirky books with strong characters, award-winners, the usual "literary fiction" stuff (whatever that means). I don't read many genre or series books, but will pick up a stand-alone sci-fi or fantasy book on occasion.

Even though I don't post as regularly as I'd like, I do love this forum! You guys gave me David Mitchell, Andrea Levy, and so many more authors; and I always look forward to Martin's Booker posts. And a big thank you to Siobhan for organizing the delightful bookmark exchange each year. The first time I participated, I ended up taking all the bookmarks and piecing them together into a collage to frame. Now I have some in containers in each room, so I'm never without one!

"two" lovely girls (not "to")

jwttrans, this is a good eg of someone not replying to a query/question ie me not answering you straight away.
You were cross/angry/displeased for this very reason; no one had replied to something you had posted. And please don't be sorry for making me feel guilty . . . the nuns from the school I attended all those eons ago would say "It is good for your eternal soul, think of all those years it will spend in purgatory." ;-)

Although I am not whipping this up into a frenzy or anything, I did want to add that I back Vee up. Jwttrans has mentioned this issue before. But as others have said upthread, there is little need for anyone to feel ignored here. We are a very inclusive group, I think, and would hope that anyone who visits here would feel welcome, whether posts strike a chord or not.

That bookmark exchange is rather a fun project, btw. I have participated in the last few and really enjoyed all the creativity and variety in the bookmarks that have been sent from all over the world. "What larks, Pip. What larks."

(That's from Great Expectations in case any of you think that I have lost my marbles. :-) )

lemonhead, thank you for saying that I "mentioned" something in the past rather than that I was "cross" or "angry." Or even "displeased." I doubt that I sounded angry or even displeased. Such was not my intention.

If two people remember something but there's no way of substantiating what they remember, does that make it true?

I've been a daily participant on a few support-group message boards for 11 years now and have never been told that my posts were angry or cross.

What is being done here seems unfair. Some people here are taking advantage of a feature of this particular board--that there is no way of finding a person's previous posts by searching that person's user name.

That means that anything someone "remembers" about a poster is apt to be taken as a fact. No way of checking, is there?

And calling someone's post "cross" or "angry" in retrospect--that's really passing a value judgment, isn't it? One person's idea of a cross or angry post may not be another's. Saying that someone posted angrily--long ago, and yet people seem to remember it--suggests that the person made herself quite unpleasant at the time.

I don't believe that my posts created much of a stir though I don't recall what I said.

I'm speaking up in my own behalf. Just for the record. I realize that anyone who posts here might be bearing burdens so heavy that I or anyone else can have no idea what that person is putting up with. I try to keep that in mind when I read posts that seem hostile and unwelcoming.

Carry on. "Larks, Pip!"

That is one of the difficulties with on-line discussion - that there can be so many different ways of interpreting a message or post, and only one is actually the way that it was intended.

Oh well. Let's chalk it up to life, shall we? :-)

"Carry on!"...

So - JWT - if you were going to do the bookmark exchange, what kind of bookmark do you think you would collect to represent (in a casual way) you? (These don't have to be elaborate or expensive or whatever. It's what floats your boat.)

:-)

colleenoz, thanks so much for the explanation of the bookmark exchange. I'm glad I asked.

lemonhead, I have no idea what kind of bookmark I'd choose. This will take some thought. It sounds as if this works best if the bookmark has some connection with the person so that the recipients will be reminded of the person who gave it to them when they see it...

Sounds like a lovely idea.

JWT - yes, that's part of the fun of bookmarks. To find one which has a local connection to you somehow... It might be a local event or place, a state memento, or even something that is very *you* which might require some explanation.

It's fun to go through the year and look at bookmarks as you find them and contemplate "is this the one?"... And again, free is fine. Most of mine have been free and pilfered from when I went to a book festival or bookish place... "Pilfered" in a good way, bien sur.

When I go to the library to pick up books I've ordered, I'm frequently asked where I come up with the books I read. They're mostly from you all and your threads. I have read them regularly for years and get lots of good ideas for which I give the regular posters many thanks -- especially to those who discussed Louise Penny. She's become one of my favorite authors.

Hello (again). It is nice to return to RP and play "catch up". I was an active member in 2005-2006 but like a few of the other members will gently mention that I too felt intimidated (I attributed it to my lack of post-secondary education and age.) This forum not only helped me to discover new authors but I self-taught myself in the areas of grammar, punctuation, and etiquette. I will most likely continue to lurk with a set of happy bespeckled eyes and my passion for printed books.

PurpleBC, please don't feel you have to lurk because of any educational difference you may feel. I think the beauty of RP is that we all just love books and talking about books to others who understand the love. This is the least snarky site I know. And you surely aren't older than I am (76 in the summer).

Thank you :)

Carolyn, you are a year older than I am! Many years ago you encouraged me to start posting when I was hesitant to join up. I had just started to get used to a computer then.
Purple BC....I finished formal schooling at 16 but have never wanted to stop learning! I worked in a private library for a while, later became a public servant, then under my husband's tutorage, I became a journalist.
I have a taste for cosy mysteries mainly and so do some of the other posters who have all kinds of degrees! As Carolyn said, we are here because of our love for books.

Purple, please don't feel reluctant on account of age or education. I'm almost 72, and as for the education part, my father was one of the most educated people I've ever known but he never finished high school.

Thanks annpan and jwtrans :)

Blimey.

I never thought of this being an intimidating forum. Compared to some I post on, this is massively friendly and welcoming....

Ah well. I'll just add my apologies if I was intimidating to anyone, and emphasise the welcome we normally give to new members.

I've only just come back to this thread, and I have to say I understand feeling intimidated, but it is really one of the nicest places on the internet I have been. We seem to be able to disagree about books without it turning nasty - I think we all appreciate that 'one man's meat is another man's poison'. (Perhaps a thread of favourite proverbs. I love the fact that for every one, there is an opposite one *g*)

I live in Sweden and came here from the rose forum on recommendation from Rosefolly, probably around 2001. Books and gardening are my main hobbies and I am especially interested in roses. I contribute regularly to a rose society newsletter. I have been married for 47 years to another reader. We have a son and daughter and five grandchildren who all live fairly close. Our daughter lives in the same village.

I retired three years ago at the normal Swedish retirement age of 65. I worked at Uppsala University as an administrator my whole working life and dabbled in translation in my spare time, mostly various academic papers on computer science and sociology. I didn't understand much of the first but a little more of the latter. I translate mostly from English and a little from French, German and Danish, the latter three only if I am familiar with the subject.

Another hobby is languages and linguistics. I didn't major in anything either as we don't have that system. I spent too many years at university studying political science, economic history, anthropology, general history of literature, English and Swedish. I know English well but my active vocabulary is much smaller than my passive vocabulary and my grasp of idioms is not perfect so I sometimes feel intimidated because there are so many clever writers here. My taste in books is catholic. I am reading The well-tempered garden by Christopher Lloyd at present and by my bed are two books I first heard of on this forum, Motherless Brooklyn and the complete Mapp and Lucia.

I started out in Garden Web in the hosta forum. This was at the very end of the Spike era. I stumbled on this forum several years ago. I am about to retire from teaching, and I look forward to having more time to read. I have found many good books recommended on this forum. I was charmed by the No 1 Ladies Detective Series. My son got me started on the Song of Fire and Ice series. One of my favorite authors is Tony Hillerman.

Oooh. A favorite book and a favorite author, right in a row.
Mariannese -- "Motherless Brooklyn" is one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy it. And Mary, I love Tony Hillerman. He may be the only author whose every book I have read.

Mariannese, have you seen Mapp and Lucia on DVD? Well done, I thought and have bought it for replaying. I have "Major Bengy" on order from the library. It is fan fiction but good I believe.