The Bookmooch Thread

[Benny Profane]

Goes here.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Whiner.

[Kurosawa Fan]

By the way, I mooched The Pearl by Steinbeck and JR by Gaddis today.

[Mara]

I ordered a few non-shameful ones that I'm looking forward to-- Love in a Time of Cholera, The Wings of the Dove, etc. I'm not finding many classics, but lots of ones I checked out from libraries back in the day that I'm interested in for nostalgia's sake.

Also a book from the recommendations tab called "The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary" that looks awesome.

And "The Collected Ghost Stories of M. R. James" which someone here-- Davis?-- recommended to me.

[Mara]

I have it that I won't send out of country, but if it's someone from match-cut and you want something on my inventory, let me know and I'll temporarily change my settings.

Although why you'd want something from my inventory is beyond me. That's why I'm getting rid of them.

[thefourthwall]

Also a book from the recommendations tab called "The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary" that looks awesome.


It's a fascinating read--one that's staying in my collection!

[EvilShoe]

I only wanted to spread joy, Benny.

[Duncan]

By the way, I mooched The Pearl by Steinbeck and JR by Gaddis today. Nice.

[Mara]

I rec'd Love in a Time of Cholera yesterday. Sweet.

And today the Wishlist worked for me for the first time. (I had one alert before, but missed out.) I got The Crimson Petal and the White, which I read off a friend's bookshelf while spending the weekend there, and consequently rushed. I remember being fascinated by it, but wasn't able to retain much because I wasn't able to slow down and enjoy it.

[Benny Profane]

JR will be my next read after I finish the Mingus book and then do another quickie called Retail Anarchy which I saw in Barnes and Noble and reminded me a lot of Freakonomics.

[lovejuice]

so i have a mooch account now. will be very surprised though if any of my book gets picked up.

[lovejuice]

my inventory:

- Le Corbusier: Towards a New Architecture
- Michael Judge: The Dance of Time
- Kuznets: Toward a Theory of Economic Growth
- Iris Murdoch: The Flight from the Enchanter
- Eugene O' Neill: Collected Shorter Plays
- Graham Reed: The Psychology of Anomalous Experience
- David Sedaris: When You are Engulfed in Flames
- Simenon: Maigret and the Apparition

[Mara]

That Sedaris is going to be mooched ASAP.

I'd get it myself, except that I already have it.

[lovejuice]

That Sedaris is going to be mooched ASAP.

I'd get it myself, except that I already have it.

will they mind if it doesn't come with cover jacket? aside from that, it's in a pristine condition. oh, and i actually like the book. but don't think i'll ever re-read it though.

[Mara]

will they mind if it doesn't come with cover jacket? aside from that, it's in a pristine condition. oh, and i actually like the book. but don't think i'll ever re-read it though.

There's a spot where you can note the condition of the book. I'd recommend mentioning that it doesn't have a dust jacket.

[Mara]

And I would rank Sedaris so:

1. Naked
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day
3. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
4. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
5. Holidays on Ice
6. Barrel Fever

Sedaris took a deep turn in WYAEIF by focusing much less on his family and his past, and talking more about his present. It worked for me. My favorite essays were probably "Keeping Up" and "Old Faithful," both of which deal with long-term relationships in middle age in a way that is painful, affectionate, and kind of gross.

[Hugh_Grant]

Also a book from the recommendations tab called "The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of The Oxford English Dictionary" that looks awesome.

Great book!

[Kurosawa Fan]

My ranking of Sedaris:

1. Me Talk Pretty One Day
2. Naked
3. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
4. When You are Engulfed in Flames

I've liked them all, but Me Talk Pretty brought the loudest and most consistent laughs for me.

[Mara]

Any conversation my mother and I have partially in French always results in quotes from Me Talk Pretty One Day.

[Mara]

An interesting story (to me):

Before my sister was married, she was taking a long car trip with her now-husband across a good chunk of the United States. They were getting serious, but she was still a little nervous around him. She went to the bookstore to try and find something to read aloud to him during the trip, and called me to ask my opinion of what would be a good, episodic, read-aloud book.

I didn't have my phone on.

So, she called my mother and asked, "What would Natalie have recommended if I had gotten her?"

Later, I returned my sister's call, and when I heard the scenario, I said, "I would have told you David Sedaris." She replied, "Yeah, that's what Mom said you'd say. I hope "Naked" is good."

The moral of the story is that I'm predictable, and my female relatives are psychic witches.

[thefourthwall]

my inventory:

- Le Corbusier: Towards a New Architecture
- Michael Judge: The Dance of Time
- Kuznets: Toward a Theory of Economic Growth
- Iris Murdoch: The Flight from the Enchanter
- Eugene O' Neill: Collected Shorter Plays
- Graham Reed: The Psychology of Anomalous Experience
- David Sedaris: When You are Engulfed in Flames
- Simenon: Maigret and the Apparition

Actually, Le Corbusier is pretty interesting...I don't have enough points for a mooch currently...and need to find some books to get rid of...I'm thinking of going and buying some from my library book sale in order to put up...

[Mara]

Boo! I got an e-mail late last night from bookmooch telling me that I book I wishlisted (Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others) was available, and it was gone by the time I saw it this morning.

I'm annoyed because I doubt it gets put up that often, and I'm surprised someone else wanted it so much.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I mooched Rabbit is Rich yesterday. I'm kind of addicted to this thing.

[EvilShoe]

I mooched Rabbit is Rich yesterday. I'm kind of addicted to this thing.
Does that mean you've read Rabbit Redux yet?

I mooched The Yiddish Policeman's Union the other day. I want to try some Palahniuk, but his books are always immediately gone.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Does that mean you've read Rabbit Redux yet?

I mooched The Yiddish Policeman's Union the other day. I want to try some Palahniuk, but his books are always immediately gone.

No, not yet. I still have it on my wishlist, so I'll hold off reading Rich until I obtain and read Redux.

I'm about to list a ton of Palahniuk. What were you looking for?

[EvilShoe]

No, not yet. I still have it on my wishlist, so I'll hold off reading Rich until I obtain and read Redux.

I'm about to list a ton of Palahniuk. What were you looking for?
That'd be great!

I was looking for - and this is based on recommendations by the one and only :pritch:- Survivor or Choke.

[Kurosawa Fan]

That'd be great!

I was looking for - and this is based on recommendations by the one and only :pritch:- Survivor or Choke.

I have Survivor for you. Perfect condition.

[EvilShoe]

I have Survivor for you. Perfect condition.
Great!

If you wouldn't mind shipping to Belgium, I'd love to mooch it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Great!

If you wouldn't mind shipping to Belgium, I'd love to mooch it.

How could we do this so that you're guaranteed to get the book? I'll change my options to ship overseas, but I don't want to list it and have someone else grab it before you.

[thefourthwall]

What do we think bookmooch etiquette is? I requested a book two days ago from someone who has yet to respond/acknowledge it. Should I cancel the request and try to get it from someone else?

[thefourthwall]

How could we do this so that you're guaranteed to get the book? I'll change my options to ship overseas, but I don't want to list it and have someone else grab it before you.

I set my profile to "Ask Me, I might be willing to send overseas" (or some such) and I had the option to accept if I'll send to the one person that mooched from me, even though she was in the states...is that not how it works if you say, "only in my country"?

[Mara]

What do we think bookmooch etiquette is? I requested a book two days ago from someone who has yet to respond/acknowledge it. Should I cancel the request and try to get it from someone else?

I've had people wait a week.

Rude people, but people nonetheless.

[thefourthwall]

I've had people wait a week.

Rude people, but people nonetheless.

Hmm...apparently this person hasn't been on in 58 days, nor does she have the book listed in her inventory. I probably should have checked that before mooching from her, huh...

Should I still wait or do we think there's a chance? This is the first time I've mooched, so I don't want to do it wrong!

[Kurosawa Fan]

I set my profile to "Ask Me, I might be willing to send overseas" (or some such) and I had the option to accept if I'll send to the one person that mooched from me, even though she was in the states...is that not how it works if you say, "only in my country"?

Thanks. I switched mine to the same. Hopefully this will work. I'll wait until I know Shoe is logged in to BookMooch before I add it to my inventory, just to be safe.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Hmm...apparently this person hasn't been on in 58 days, nor does she have the book listed in her inventory. I probably should have checked that before mooching from her, huh...

Should I still wait or do we think there's a chance? This is the first time I've mooched, so I don't want to do it wrong!

When you try to mooch from her, the book would leave her inventory, so that's nothing to worry about. As for not logging in for 58 days, I'd say don't worry too much about that either, because if people haven't been mooching from her and she hasn't needed anything, that wouldn't seem out of the ordinary either. However, if you really want the book, and are afraid of not being able to find it, go ahead and cancel and grab it from someone else if there's another copy.

[Mara]

Hmm...apparently this person hasn't been on in 58 days, nor does she have the book listed in her inventory. I probably should have checked that before mooching from her, huh...

Should I still wait or do we think there's a chance? This is the first time I've mooched, so I don't want to do it wrong!

I get a note saying "Possibly inactive" when I try to mooch from someone who is never there. If she hasn't been there in two months, I'd cancel.

[thefourthwall]

Thanks! I'll probably give her another day or two, there are plenty of other copies out there (Moo by Jane Smiley). Hers was just the only one that said "great condition".

[Mara]

Thanks! I'll probably give her another day or two, there are plenty of other copies out there (Moo by Jane Smiley). Hers was just the only one that said "great condition".

Oh-- my sister liked that book. We grew up next to MSU. I should probably read it.

[thefourthwall]

I like academic fiction, but I've only ever read ones set on British campuses, so I'm excited to see one in the US, which is more familiar to me. And apparently Smiley is good. What's MSU? Is that what Smiley is satirizing?

[EvilShoe]

How could we do this so that you're guaranteed to get the book? I'll change my options to ship overseas, but I don't want to list it and have someone else grab it before you.
After listing a book, there's an option where you can enter a name to reserve it:
http://wiki.bookmooch.com/index.php?title=Reserve_this_b ook_for_someone

[Kurosawa Fan]

After listing a book, there's an option where you can enter a name to reserve it:
http://wiki.bookmooch.com/index.php?title=Reserve_this_b ook_for_someone

Awesome. Never knew that. 'Tis done and waiting for you. The book I own has a different cover, and when I said perfect condition, I must amend that to say "moderate shelf wear". I hadn't taken it off my shelf in about ten years, and it has some wear on the corners.

[EvilShoe]

Awesome. Never knew that. 'Tis done and waiting for you. The book I own has a different cover, and when I said perfect condition, I must amend that to say "moderate shelf wear". I hadn't taken it off my shelf in about ten years, and it has some wear on the corners.
I can only assume that means its awesomeness intimidated you, so you never reread it.

Thanks a lot!
*Pümps fist*

If I ever upload anything of interest again, I'll let you know.

[Mara]

I like academic fiction, but I've only ever read ones set on British campuses, so I'm excited to see one in the US, which is more familiar to me. And apparently Smiley is good. What's MSU? Is that what Smiley is satirizing?


Michigan State University-- which is a midwestern agricultural university, like the one she is satirizing.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I can only assume that means its awesomeness intimidated you, so you never reread it.

Thanks a lot!
*Pümps fist*

If I ever upload anything of interest again, I'll let you know.

I actually really like Survivor, I just have three copies (hardcover, autographed paperback, and the one I'm sending you). If you like that one, I have a few others I'll be adding to my inventory. Just let me know.

[lovejuice]

btw, my bookmooch name is also "lovejuice." i figure, this is how we check each other inventory.

[lovejuice]

asking about the book that someone's willing to giveaway on bookmooch is kinda moot (hey!), but mara, how is zorro? i'm quite interested in allende.

[Mara]

asking about the book that someone's willing to giveaway on bookmooch is kinda moot (hey!), but mara, how is zorro? i'm quite interested in allende.

I love her as a writer, but I thought this was her weakest work. Not unreadable, but disappointing. If you haven't read any of her, I would check out:

The House of the Spirits
Eva Luna (and The Stories of Eva Luna)
Of Love and Shadows
Portrait in Sepia

I loved all of those.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Just mooched Rabbit at Rest too. So now someone needs to offer up Rabbit, Redux so I can complete the set.

[Mara]

One of the books I sent might be lost in the mail. It should have come over a week ago, and the girl e-mailed me to say that it hasn't. I'm surprisingly annoyed by this-- I liked my perfect record.

[kuehnepips]

I had no idea this exists. Thanks.

There will be a kuehnepips-account next weekend.

I have a bunch of books in German I won't read again. Anyone interested? Steven?

[EvilShoe]

I had no idea this exists. Thanks.

There will be a kuehnepips-account next weekend.

I have a bunch of books in German I won't read again. Anyone interested? Steven?
Sorry, I flunked German. :|

[kuehnepips]

Sorry, I flunked German. :|

Tsktsk ... it might be usefull, when they take over the world.

[thefourthwall]

Yay! :pritch: I got my first book in the mail. Looks good. Now I hope the one I sent on the 4th arrives...

[Mara]

I've gotten a dozen or so books by now. The system works!

[Kurosawa Fan]

Sweet! I snagged V. by Pynchon and Amsterdam by McEwan today! Good day to be a BookMooch member.

[lovejuice]

I've gotten a dozen or so books by now. The system works!
yep, it really does. all my books come in very good conditions.

[lovejuice]

so i notice this trend that the most useless book in my inventory is usually the first to go.

someone just mooch me a random cookbook and a screenwriting manuel which i have never read.

[ledfloyd]

i have a bunch of ill advised purchases from my teenage years. i think i will put them up.

[Kurosawa Fan]

So what have you guys mooched thus far? My list:

Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck
The Pearl - John Steinbeck
Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
Atonement - Ian McEwan (Thanks to Mara)
Rabbit is Rich - John Updike
Rabbit at Rest - John Updike
V. - Thomas Pynchon
A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin
The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien
The Calvin and Hobbes 10th Anniversary Collection - Bill Watterson
Season on the Brink - John Feinstein
The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
A Long and Happy Life - Reynolds Price
The Wanderers - Richard Price
Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer
Of Love and Other Demons - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The God of War - Marisa Silver
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
The Witches of Eastwick - John Updike

[EvilShoe]

I got some good ones... Really need to start reading them:

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon
In the Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco
Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Collector - John Fowles
The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
About a Boy - Nick Hornby
A Widow for One Year - John Irving
A Portrait of the Arist as a Young Man - James Joyce
A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller
Lullaby: A Novel/Survivor: A Novel/Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
Nine Stories - J.D. Salinger
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe

[lovejuice]

mine:

V.S. Naipaul : A House for Mr. Biswas
Nathaniel Hawthorne :The House of the Seven Gables
Ernest Hemingway :The Sun Also Rises
Carter Dickson : The Skelton in the Clock
Graham Greene : Monsignor Quixote
IAN FLEMING : THUNDERBALL
Robertson Davies : The Lyre of Orpheus
Robertson Davies : What's Bred in the Bone (Cornish Trilogy)

[thefourthwall]

Wow, you guys have been busy. I've only gotten The Blind Assassin by Margret Atwood. I tried to get Moo by Jane Smiley, but that failed.

I think some of my problem is I'm very reluctant to part with any of my books, so I've only listed things that most people probably aren't looking for. :cry:

[thefourthwall]

Okay, my parents were having a garage sale, and I sat next to the book table with my laptop checking to see what books people had wishlisted that my parents were getting rid of.

My question: one woman, who I think had wishlisted one of the ones I entered, requested half of the books I put up there, even though they were some really obscure titles--why would she do this? I can't imagine she knows of or cares about them.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Okay, my parents were having a garage sale, and I sat next to the book table with my laptop checking to see what books people had wishlisted that my parents were getting rid of.

My question: one woman, who I think had wishlisted one of the ones I entered, requested half of the books I put up there, even though they were some really obscure titles--why would she do this? I can't imagine she knows of or cares about them.

Perhaps she owns a used book store and uses the site to acquire little-known books for customers?

[kuehnepips]

The Yiddish Policemen's Union - Michael Chabon



Loved this one.