Thought Patterns

In an earlier post, I provided a list of books for auction via eBay. Here's more:

UPDATE: I fixed the links. Had to disable a plugin. Sorry for the errors. Oy.

Bar Girls by Jules Kurre

Lost Paradise by Francine Quesnel

Mended Hearts by Alix Stokes

The Chosen by V. H. Foster

Tiopa Ki Lakota by D. Jordan Redhawk

My publisher, Regal Crest Enterprises (RCE), is operated by a really cool woman. A long time ago, RCE bought out RAP (I can't remember what that stood for, dangit). She has collected some interesting books over the years. First round prints, proof prints, etc. One-of-a-kind prints.

Some of these (both RAP and RCE titles) are being auctioned via eBay. Check them out!

UPDATE: I forgot to mention why C.L. is selling them. Last year, Hurricane Katrina's storm surge beat the crap out of the Gulf Coast. Later, Hurricane Rita beat the crap out of Texas. In most ways, H. Rita did as much damage as H. Katrina but is known as the "Forgotten Hurricane". C.L.'s house was heavily damaged from H. Rita. After she had paid to have the house repaired while waiting for the insurance check, her insurance company went bankrupt! As a result, C.L., her partner, and her three teenage sons are squeaking by with no more savings and still more bills. Selling the books is just one way for them to get back on their financial feet.

Darkness Before the Dawn by Belle Reilly - 1st edition

Roman Holiday by Belle Reilly

Breaking Away by Tonya Muir - 1st edition

Seasons: Book One by Anne Azel

Chasing Shadows by C. Paradee - 1st edition

Tales of Emoria Past Echoes by Mindancer

None So Blind by L J Maas

Tumbleweed Fever by L J Maas

Meridio's Daughter by L J Maas

Prairie Fire by L J Maas

None So Blind by L J Maas - 2nd edition

Makes me want to dig out my older books.

Steinbeck first edition sells for $47,800 US

A rare first edition of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath sold at auction Sunday in Los Angeles for $47,800 US.

A collection of first-edition copies of Steinbeck works, originally owned by his sister, Elizabeth Steinbeck Ainsworth, who died in 1992, was sold at Bonhams & Butterfields auction house.

The Grapes of Wrath, his tale of a family struggling through Depression-era poverty, received the highest bid in the auction, which raised $200,000 US for the family.

Bonhams said the price for The Grapes of Wrath may be a record for the sale of a Steinbeck work.

link to article

I can't remember how I came across this site. Shame that.

Anyway, Kimbooktu is a cool site. It is a blog where Kim shares her opinion about various book related….stuff. Furniture, gadgets, shelves, information, etc. Be warned, though! If you go there, you will click a link! It is impossible not to.

It is amazing all the stuff she has found and shared. On the front page right now, are posts about:

a book cleaner
a book about a book
a film about a bookstore
compact/traveler bookshelf
designer books
the site having an article in a newspaper
the thumb-thing
Shakespeare
a bookmark that is also a dictionary

How cool is that?

Found a cool article over at Wired News. Mentions some books (and movies) I've not read that involve Microsoft Windows or Microsoft the corporation.

References to Windows in Science Fiction

I consider Microsoft Windows to be a thing of "terrible beauty," a phrase the Irish poet W.B. Yeats invented to describe how the British crushed an Irish rebellion. I hate it; I am disturbed by it; but I cannot deny that Windows is a thing of great power that has changed the world. And I know Windows will be affecting computer networks for decades to come. Probably in a bad way. In honor of today's release of Windows Vista, the latest incarnation of the world-eating operating system, let us consider a few notable references to the future of Windows in science fiction.

link to article

On-line friend of mine, Jessica/Irysangel, did the 52 Books In a Year thing last year, although I think she topped out at, like, well over 100. She likes to read, it seems.

She's doing it again and already has 5 books read.

I've decided I need to read more so I'm aiming for 52 books as well.

My list so far is short.

1. The Whole World was Watching by Romaine Patterson with Patrick Hinds

Jessica goes on to review each book. I already did mine in an earlier post.

I've recently had a book reading craving. I read books like I eat Reese Cups. At first, I nibble them to make them last longer but before I know it, they're gone and I've got a pleasant feeling inside.

Alma Rose by Edith Forbes - lesbian fiction; a wonderful story about doing what you can where you are with what you've got; the setting in this book is indeed a main character; I love this book. I've read it about five times now.

Carolina by Yvonne Lehman - Christian romance; 4 short stories/novellas; these all take place right here in my county; I read it to see how she dealt with setting; the book was okay, setting was too perfect (everyone had loads o' money), and the editing stank. I was thrown out of the story several times when things would pop up and just be oh so wrong.

The Swashbuckler by Lee Lynch - classic (1985) lesbian fiction; a wonderful book that spans many years and has quite a bit of lesbian/gay history; I always find this book hard to start. Not that it is poorly written, but because the characters are so real. The book starts long before the Stonewall Riots and back when stone butches and fluffy femmes were the norm.

and I just finished The Whole World was Watching by Romaine Patterson - non-fiction memoir; friend of Matthew Shepard and creator of the anti-Phelps angel wings. Overall, I loved this book. I don't know why I bought it but I'm glad I did. The beginning is powerful. The writing is wonderful, like, great. It starts to fall apart the closer it got to the end, almost as if they rushed it to get it over with. But since the book was mainly about her, Matthew Shepard, their relationship, and the angels, once that was over with, there wasn't much to talk about other than her life since then. The writing gets worse. Perhaps because she's not had much time to reflect on it like she did the earlier parts.

Linkage:
Edith Forbes - Amazon author list
Lee Lynch - author page with current publisher, Bold Strokes Books (Bella books bought the infamous Naiad Press recently)
Matthew Shepard - Wikipedia
Romaine Patterson - official website