Book Obsessions: Must we really wait a whole year?

Wait? Wait for what?

Heard the talk on the street is...

Book Addict: Aw man, yesterday was the last day of March. You know what that means.

Reading Rambo: Yeah, A Love Affair With Books is over. How are we gonna wait for a whole ‘nother year?

Book Addict: Hey, I’m with you. I added almost all of the 38 books they reviewed at JJL to my must-read list this year, but that still leaves me a good 14 weeks or so to cover until March rolls around again.

Reading Rambo: My list is long too; happens every time. Those people can make book titles I’d never look at twice sound pretty darn great. Girlfriend in a Coma... a JJL homerun. Who would’a thought? And now they have me saying “thank you” to everybody... my folks keep askin’ what’s gotten into me.

Book Addict: Hey, maybe ya got something there... I’m not having much luck explaining my Perfect Mess experiment to my folks... they just ain’t havin’ it. I even got them that coffee table book, but it backfired on me because the cover kinda freaked them out.

Reading Rambo: Well, you could try reading The Opposable Mind one more time, or that Head Trip stuff again. But until we get the book, the gratitude and appreciation stuff can work.

Book Addict: Yeah, I guess it’s worth a shot. Those JJLers come up with great recommendations, that’s for sure. Well, far as reading more reviews goes, all we hafta do is subscribe to their feed. I like the email one. I betcha there will be more book reviews between now and next March ‘cause they can’t stop themselves for another year either.

Reading Rambo: Yeah, you’re right. Heck, any learners not buying books is just plain wrong. Betcha Kevin and that Josh Waitzkin guy would say so too... At JJL they say it’s the curiosity thing, but those people are brave! They even hunt down writers and authors, as a kinda Celebrity Experience thing so they can interview them.

Book Addict: That template that Tim, the JJL graphics dude came up with this year was pretty sweet. Did you use it?

Reading Rambo: Yeah, I did. The notes I scratched out came in handy when I clicked in to the JJL bookstore yesterday. Helped me decide. Had carted five books right off the bat, but then had to pick just three and return two to my wishlist for later; three were all I could afford for now.

Book Addict: Yeah, I used the template as a shopping list too... that’s using it the easy way! Saw that Annotation Anna printed a whole bunch and had this colored paper genre-sorting thing going on… I was like, “whoa dudette!”

Reading Rambo: She does get kinda intense with her book-hacking… have you seen that arsenal of highlighters she carries around? She could be poster girl for that full contact reading everyone kept talking about.

Book Addict: Yeah, we read just as much, but we’re cool about it. Gotta leave time to shoot some hoops, and get my new pup acclimated, know what I mean?

Reading Rambo: You know it... I got your back. Just like Matt says, you gotta “Learn to appreciate slowness.”

Book Addict: Yeah, I liked that one! So what’s coming up at JJL in April? I got the bandwith now, even with all the books I’m reading, thanks to that recommendation from Starbucker; that 4-Hour Work Week stuff was meant to be the story of my life! I’m all for having my own mission one of these days, like, sooner versus later, ya know?

Reading Rambo: Not sure about April, guess we’ll find out soon though... Hey I know, let’s ask Anna. She is always watching for the clues that Rosa and the others start to drop here and there since they work the site’s calendar ahead of time... JJL is getting to be like, an adventure or calling for them.

Book Addict: I don’t know dude, don’t really want to bother Anna until she’s got all her templates bindered or somethin’… You know what? I think she wants to be a Dervish now! Let’s go find Aurora Digital’s kid, Brex.

Reading Rambo: Brex? Well, okay. As Sir Richard Branson would say, Screw it, Let’s Do it! I’m ready for April... bring it on.

Mahalo nui loa

An immense thank you to all our generous, book-addicted, full-contact Rambo-reading, passionate and joyful book reviewers who wrote for us during March for A Love Affair with Books 2008: We have loved your reviews and have thrilled to the learning made newly possible by your recommendations.

We are ready for April too: Do YOU have your subscription ready to rock and roll in more learning with us?

Comments

[Ben Whitehouse]

Rosa, thanks for giving the reviewers space to talk about books they passionately love. I found the experience of writing richly rewarding and I'm glad that the word on the street felt that the Girlfriend in a coma review was a "homerun". I'm touched.

[Steve Sherlock]

Very well done summary Rosa! Thank you!

[Pam]

Rosa, I just love this -- awesome way to summarize and great fun!!!

[Karen Wallace]

Rosa, you've done it again. You have a way with words and story that I can only aspire to. This is a great, readable, funny and so, so generous post! Solid gold Rosa.

I'm not sure how we can wait another year until the next ALAWB, but then again, it's twice as sweet for only being one-twelfth of the year. I know I need a breathing space now to digest all the reviews I haven't fully absorbed yet, and to start making some room on the credit card for all those Amazon indulgences (and room on the bookshelves too)

Thank you for a wonderful month!

PS did you do those collages in Picasa? terrific.

[Joanna Young]

Rosa, thanks for a great round up - I know it must have been a lot of work to organise all of this

I love the collage too - I'm hoping you'll spill the beans as part of our April journey into the unknown...

Joanna

[Rosa Say]

Mahalo for your comments everyone. This was fun to do; started with a basic chat and it kinda took off on a life of its own after that.

Karen and Joanna; yes, I used Picasa. Incredibly easy, and you can do picture grids or contact sheets too --- will be happy to post about it sometime in the coming month.