Merry Wanderer of the Night:
WG round-up

This week Becky challenged geekers to create a playlist. She wrote:

The idea of this one is to choose song titles that sound like they have something to do with reading or blogging. Songs that reflect how you feel about blogging in general. This has more to do with the titles themselves than the actual genres or styles of the songs. So you might include on your blogger playlist songs that you'd never actually put together on a playlist.

Abigail came up with several great songs including 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen; 'ABC' by The Jackson Five; and 'The NeverEnding Story' by Limahl and Beth Anderson. See all her picks by visiting her post here.

Becky picked ten terrific songs including: You Can't Always Get What You Want ~ The Rolling Stones; Who Needs Sleep ~ Barenaked Ladies; and I'm Into Something Good ~ Herman's Hermits. Check out all her picks here.

It is never too late to join in the fun. If you want to choose your own playlist, visit this post and add your link!

This week Becky opened things up and let participants decide on posting from two options:

Option 1: Write a post (or leave a comment) with suggestions for future weekly geek topics! Share as many ideas as you'd like! Be as creative as you want. Or if you can't think of any "new" topics of your own, consider listing your top five topics from the past, from our archives.

Option 2: Write a post about your genre prejudices or your genre allergies. (I tend to be allergic to westerns, for example.) Are there genres that you haven't read that you avoid at all costs? Are there genres that you don't take seriously? Would you be willing to try something new? (Or someone new!) Consider asking for recommendations and challenge yourself to get outside your comfort zone a bit. Alternatively, you may want to write a post about one of your favorite genres and recommend titles to newbies. Which books would you recommend to those readers who are new to that genre?

Seven geekers took up the challenge this week...and choosing both options was a popular choice:

Gautami provided some great ideas for future posts, including a poetry-focused challenge, and creating a book-related collage (go to her post to see all her terrific ideas). She also shared that her book allergy is YA fiction, and she would like to read science fiction.

Serena also picked both options. Her ideas for future posts included several focused on poetry (I especially liked this one: "Video yourself reciting a poem and post it or find a YouTube video of a poem being read and post that.") - again, visiting her post will let you see all of her suggestions. Serena's book prejudices include westerns, self-help books and nonfiction written like textbooks...

Bookworm's post suggestions were fantastic - one of my favorites: Play Matchmaker and get two of your favorite literary characters together on a date. Her biggest book allergy? Harlequin Romance, followed by Self-help books.

Kimberly shared some of her top favorite Geek posts which included literary tatoos, romancing the tome, and Christmas wish lists. She has a few allergies too: romances, westerns, and mystery novels. She'd like suggestions in these genres which might change her mind. And, she also shared her favorite genres which include fairy tale re-tellings and YA dystopian novels.

Bibliophile talked about "red flag subjects" in her reading...I found her discussion about pirate protagonists interesting (she writes: "I enjoy reading about the lives of real pirates, and will pick up a book where pirates are the bad guys without a second thought, but to me pirates and privateers always invoke the image of violent murderers and robbers and therefore I have never been able to suspend my disbelief sufficiently in order to enjoy a tale in which a pirate is the hero."). Read all her thoughts here.

Becky also chose to address both options. She would love weekly topics that include lists ("lists, lists, more lists. I like topics that give me an opportunity to write and share lists with readers.")...and she listed several other really good ideas, which can be found here. She admits she used to have an allergy to mysteries - but now it is her favorite genre! Becky also gave recommendations for other readers who might want to cure their allergy to mysteries.

Finally, Corey played Weekly Geeks this week by addressing not only her literary allergies (boy fantasy, stream-of-consciousness, and poetry), but gave plenty of recommendations for her favorite genres (Historical Fiction, Books about Books, and Classic Literature). Don't miss her post - it is full of wonderful stuff!

Weekly Geeks 2011-14 was a big hit with list-loving Geeks, as Suey invited us to share our favorite authors - in alphabetical order:

You know how when someone asks you who your favorite author is? And you feel a bit crazy coming up with just one? Now is your chance to come up with 26 (at least) favorite authors by making a list of them ABC style.
Naida @ the bookworm has multiple favorites for some letters, and none at all for some others.

On the other hand, Darren @ Bart’s Bookshelf has an entry for letter except U on his list, but he admits to a little fudging: He switched from last-name order to first names to fill in spots for a few letters.

For her very first Weekly Geeks post, Yvonne @ Socrates’ Book Review Blog made a list of her all-time favorite authors.

NicolaO @ Alpha Heroes managed to limit herself to one author per letter, and fill all 26 slots, by getting a bit creative.

And Becky @ Becky’s Book Reviews not only had authors for 25 out of 26 letters (no X), she included links to her reviews of some books by each one of them.

You can find links to even more Alpha Author lists at Weekly Geeks.com. Thanks to everyone who played along this week!

Last week’s Weekly Geeks, which may have gotten overshadowed by the 24-Hour Read-a-Thon (another event we have thanks to the amazing Dewey), was a guest post asking fellow geeks to share their bookshelves in honor of National Carpenter’s Day.

I thought this was a great topic because I, and as it turns out many of the other geeks, love to look at bookshelves when I go to a new house for the first time. I feel like a voyeur, but it’s so great to see what people are reading.

Anyway, Corey of Literary Transgressions – our awesome guest author – posted about her “ex pat” bookshelves that grew from the six books she brought from the United States to have plenty more titles. I can’t read any, but I do love the little elephant figurine!

Kate (also of Literary Transgressions) posted about her built-in bookshelves, and how she may have chosen her current apartment because of them. I know all about that!

We saw a couple pre- and post-move photos of Marineko’s bookshelves (The Gentle Madhouse). I love the way they went from being double stacked with books to long line of Billy bookshelves from IKEA.

Hannah at Among Stories also loves IKEA shelving, and shows off three very full bookshelves. She says she’s in the process of reorganizing them – aren’t we all!

And that was it for Weekly Geeks; stay tuned for a new topic tomorrow!

- Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness), guest wrap-up writer

Becky asked Weekly Geeks to share some thoughts about Books and Movies this week:

Do you have a best list? a worst list? Perhaps a why-oh-why list? Which movies (based on books) would you recommend most? Do you always compare the book and the movie? Or are you able to enjoy each separately? Does a film have to be faithful to the book to be good? Are there any films that you like better than the book? Has a movie ever inspired you to pick up the book? Are there any books that you'd love to see as a movie? Do you have a music playlist--soundtrack--for a book?
This was the perfect theme for Gina @ Fantasy Casting, who shared her list of "Top 5 Movies That Were Better Than the Book." Little Wonder also considered this perspective in the context of "Literary Snobbery."

Fake Steph outlined what she looks for in a film adapted from a book - faithfulness to the spirit of the book tops her list. Bibliophile @ Reading in Reykjavik discussed adaptation as a form of "translation."

Restless Reader mentioned several of her favorite adaptations, while Corey @ Literary Transgressions discussed one adaptation in detail: Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, which was actually a miniseries before it was a book.

Thanks to all of this week's Geeks for participating!

This week had four parts:

1. Visit Save The Word.org to look at all the words that are either not being used enough or are due for a cull probably within the next couple of years. Adopt a word.
2. What is your pet peeve word? – the word that makes you grind your teeth with either it’s over use or being used out of context.
3. What is a word you adore, or a word that you feel is not used enough. Irrespective of meaning or even era it’s a word that you just loveLastly what is your opinon on word culling or the rise in "text speak" that's happening now..

Erotic Horizon hates the word "basically" and the phrase "like totally"... but there are more words she loves including "propaganda" and "giggles."

Naida adopted the word 'Senticous' which means prickly or thorny (I like that word too!). She showed a bit of her romantic side when she listed the following words on her "like" list: Passionate, Unrequited, Adonis, Sweetheart, and Bewitch.

Gigi gave us a wonderful photo collage in addition to answering the questions. She writes:

I’m in favour of words so I have no problem with new and evolving languages. I wish I was better at learning languages as I love to pepper my speech with foreign words but will only do so if I can explain the foreign word or phrase that I am using.
Lit Addicted Brit wrote (in part):

Although I think word culling is sad, I can unfortunately see the purpose. There will always be texts in which you can read the more 'old-fashioned' words and the internet for translating the more obscure. Dictionaries can only hold so much, however, and language must progress. I occasionally encounter 19th century deeds in my day job and am awed by the volume of words used to say the simplest thing! It is elegant and charming but by golly is it hard to make sense of!
Care had a little fun with the word "Satrrify"...she also wrote:

As to text speak? ╰☆╮ I am against all dropping of vowels ✫ for the sake of quick typing-texting. ☆ Then again, I have an old phone and texting is just irritating and I would prefer ☆ to talk or email. (Sigh, I am so old…)
Kristina did not have a pet peeve word, but instead listed some of her least favorite phrases including “it’s a win-win situation” and “just sayin’.”

Quirky Girls Read wrote:

I abhor text speak. I barely like it in actual texts. I write out my words in emails and texts. I find it really scary that characters on tv now are saying things such as OMG! and the like. I am all for the evolution of language, but I’m not really into acronyms and shortening things to nothing. Heck, I’m the person that likes to use a person’s whole name. I like nicknames as terms of endearment; however, I really enjoy the way a whole name sounds and will use it regularly (with the person’s blessing, of course).
And finally, The Diary of a Girl Who Reads Too Much likes the word 'inconspicuous' and is also partial to the word 'chug' (because it's fun to say).

All the participants had a lot more to say about words than I re-capped here ... so be sure to follow the links to read their entire posts!

Make sure to drop by tomorrow for a new Weekly Geeks task!

To close the shortest month of the year, Wendy asked Weekly Geeks for a short post on short books, and offered several possible angles on the topic:

• Do you prefer reading short books or chunky books? Why?
• Do you enjoy novellas? Tell us about some of your favorites.
• Are you a short story reader? Tell us about some of your favorite short story authors. Is there a favorite collection of short stories you've read and can recommend?
• What makes a good short story?
• Do you shy away from short stories? Why?
• Review a book which is less than 200 pages long.
• Go through your TBR stacks and come up with five short books you can't wait to read - tell us a little about them.
• Write a unique post of your own ... as long as it in some way relates to short stories or short books.

A short story contains all the elements of a novel but in a compressed manner. A great story teller can mesmerize us and also tickle us with his short stories. I find short stories great for the in between reads as well as when there is short attention span.
Melissa Pilakowski’s recent reading has been the opposite of short:

In the past few months I’ve read The Instructions by Adam Levin, The Lay of the Land and Independence Day by Richard Ford, Anthology of an American Girl by Hilary Hamann Thayer, Tales of a Madman Underground by John Barnes, and Delirium by Lauren Oliver. All of them range from 400-1000 pages.

While I’m not about to tell Pulitzer Prize Winner Richard Ford that he should edit down his writing, I think that over-writing is an issue in many of these long stories.
Lifetime Reader noticed a common thread in some of her favorite short stories:

Occasionally it occurs to me that these authors echo the voices of my family members when I was growing up in the South...As I write this post, I also see that these three stories are all about women who separate themselves from their home--either physically or culturally--and then have to grapple with their relationship to that home. The characters see themselves as superior, but in each case there is something in the stories that knocks them off that attitude.
Lauren chose to review a book less than 200 pages long:

As a kid, I was never one for survival or wilderness stories, which is why it has taken so long for me to get around to The Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. But when I saw the beautiful new 50th Anniversary Gift Edition, complete with gorgeous watercolors by Ted Lewin, I knew it was finally time to read this classic children’s novel.

My conclusion is this: O’Dell’s novel is a much, much better version of Daniel Defoe’s plodding stranded-on-a-desert-island novel.
Thanks to all of this week’s Geeks for keeping it short and sweet!

Last week, in celebration of Valentine's Day, Suey challenged Geekers write "a post that included anything about love that moves you."

Naida at The Bookworm shared her favorite Gone With the Wind movie scene when Rhett proposes marriage to the spoiled Scarlett (I have to admit, that is also one of my favorites!).

Gautami at Everything Distills into Reading shared some of her own poetry.

Have you heard of the poet A.E. Housman? I hadn't until Rikki at The Bookkeeper decided to share one of his (or is it her?) poems...not really romantic, but it fit the theme!

Who are your favorite literary couples? Bookwormans at Complete and Unabridged shared some of hers including Ray Singleton & Olivia Dunne from The Magic of Ordinary Days by Ann Howard Creel, and Arthur Clennam & Amy Dorrit from Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens. To see them all, visit her Weekly Geeks post.

Wendy at Wall-To-Wall Books chose to answer all the categories on her post. Not only do Wendy and I share the same name, but we also share a favorite country music singer (go, Martina!).

Lauren at Little Wonder's Recommended Reading gave us a terrific review of Noble Laureate Pablo Neruda's collection of poetry: 100 Love Sonnets.

Gypsi of The Couple That Reads Together was finally tempted to join us and gave us a run-down of her literary crushes.

Thanks to all who participated in this fun topic. For those of you who haven't yet written a response, it is never too late. Late links are always welcome!

This week Erotic Horizon challenged participants to select a few books from their TBR stacks that they haven't gotten to and most likely won't read despite the best laid plans and pack up those books and give them away.

A timely topic given that during the month of January I did just that, donating both books I'd read and unread books I no longer had an interest in reading to my coworkers. I still have bags and bags of books that will find their way to my parents' home and eventually their local library. Although I did not keep an exact count of books that have found new homes, I think a good guess would be around 500 or so. There's nothing like an upcoming move to motivate a person to cull the shelves!

Here's what you had to say:

Erotic Horizon finds choosing books to part with to be quite a challenge, but she's determined to give it a try.

Elissa commented on the Weekly Geeks site that this is a good reminder for her as she plans to take a care package full of books to a local care center.

Be sure and stop by next week to join in some geekish fun!

In Weekly Geeks 2011-3: Women Writers, Wendy continued the prior week’s “literary prizes” theme, bringing January’s Orange Prize Project to Weekly Geeks with a few questions:

• What are your feelings about literary prizes regarding WHO gets selected? Do you think literary judges tend to be biased more toward men? If yes, why do you think that is?
• Tell us about some of your favorite books written by women.
• Do you tend to read more books authored by men or by women?
• What are your thoughts about the label "chick lit?" Do you think it makes a difference what we call women's fiction? Are books written by women more likely to be labeled "light," or unimportant?

First-time Weekly Geek Lit Addicted Brit (welcome!) suggested that calling a book “chick lit” isn’t necessary an insult: “But sometimes it's just too easy to say, ‘How dare you imply I can't cope with grand ideas because I'm a woman?!’ And so ladies, I say, don't take offence! Who wants to read fashion garble/stories about ‘Mr Right’/inevitably happy endings/cry into a stereotypical cocktail of the moment?! Much more likely to be a woman than a man - and that's why we're the delightfully charming beings that we are! “

Kristina Kriss is also new to WG this week, and offers brief sketches of women writers she’s had to discover on her own, because they were overlooked during her education: “We must continue watch-dog efforts to ensure they are not only read, but appreciated. They have a lot to say and their triumphs continue to encourage new female writers every day. Without these courageous female voices, we might not have advanced in certain areas of science, philosophy, medicine, human rights, and literature itself.”

Trisha of eclectic/ eccentric took on every one of Wendy’s questions. Regarding literary prizes:”If a book written by a middle-aged male is ‘better’ than the book written by a female, then the male's book wins.” And on chick-lit: “To me, this term describes a particular style of book, and it makes no difference whether a male or a female wrote it. For example, Nicholas Sparks is chick lit to me. I even think the term ‘women's fiction’ is distinct from chick lit.”

Kimberly@ Rouquine Reads noted that she reads slightly more books by men than by women, but it’s more a function of genre than gender. “I think that it is important to read both male and female authors, but that it is even more important to read books you like. I'm not going to read a crappy book just because it's written by a women, nor will I ignore a great book just because it is written by a man. That's just silly.”

Check back for a new Weekly Geeks topic this weekend, and thanks to everyone who responded so thoughtfully to this one!

Last week Suey challenged Weekly Geekers to give us a self-portrait. She wrote:

I think it would be fun if you all took a picture of yourself (or have someone help you most likely) reading your current book (so we can see what it is) in your favorite reading spot. Then post it! It can be a Wordless Weekly Geek if you want!
Darren and Meaghan gave us just a glimpse of themselves behind the book they were currently reading.

Corey showed us a little more of herself - and even less of her book - but I loved the starkness of this shot.

Vasilly chose to share her favorite reading spot - it looks inviting, especially that mug of hot chocolate!

A shadowy photo of Melanie seemed to fit the darkness of the book she was reading which opened with Hamlet, having killed Polonius.

Suey's portrait gave us a lot to look out - a great shot of the book she was enjoying, a nice glimpse of the comfy room she in which she was reading, and of course, her contented face!

I loved Naida's self portrait which gave us a glimpse of her great library, but also included her adorable reading partner Diego (who sported a nice sweater for the photo!)

Nicki showed us a birds eye view of her book - and also included her reading buddy and a pair of colorful socks! I must admit, her photo made me want to grab my nearest quilt and a cup of tea and cuddle up to read.

Florinda looked very studious in her photo - and that book she's reading looks like it could fit the Chunkster challenge guidelines without a problem!

It looks a little chilly where Gautami is reading - but she has her mom nearby to keep her company!!

And last, but certainly not least, Care is enjoying Tim O'Brien and gives us a glimpse of her forehead behind the book!

This was a fun Weekly Geeks - if you haven't dropped by and looked at these creative self-portraits, what are you waiting for!?!??

This week Erotic Horizon wants to know all about our perfect hiding places. You know, those places where you stash the books you don't want your mother-in-law or a casual acquaintance to see.

This is what you had to say:

Erotic Horizon of E.H. On Books N' More shares her favorite childhood hiding place: under the mattress. Nowadays, she favors that sock drawer and occasionally uses her closet. Fortunately her boys haven't found her out yet!

Naida of The Bookworm has found the basement is a good place to hide the Christmas gifts. But for her personal stash, she's found the perfect place for a very special book. It's kept tucked away on the top shelf in her closet for safekeeping.

Olivia's favorite spot, in her pillow covers, has recently been found out so she's on the hunt for a new hiding spot for gifts she buys for her family. She is considering the cellar--or perhaps under her brothers' beds! After all, who would be brave enough to look there? Certainly not me!

We here at Weekly Geeks wish you a Happy Holiday Season! We will be taking a short break this week in honor of the holidays. Be sure and stop by next week to join in some geekish fun!

We are Weekly Geeks, and we are proud to read without guilt! However, since we are aware that some people will judge books by their covers - and judge us for reading them - we may save certain books for our at-home reading.

This was Guilty Pleasures Week for the Weekly Geeks:

Given that the holiday season is filled with eating the foods we love (but shouldn't eat), parties that last far into the evenings (way past our bedtimes), sipping those holiday drinks (fat with calories but oh so delicious), and curling up in front of our fireplaces with books that take us away from the holiday stresses...I thought it might be fun to share our guilty pleasures with other readers:

• Tell us The Books that you Love but are Embarrassed to be Seen Reading
• Tell us WHY you love them
• And (just for fun) tell us your favorite guilty snack that goes perfectly with all that guilty reading.

Bernadette put it this way:

“Of all the things in the world there are to worry about, what other people think of the books I read does not even make it to my radar. I’m Catholic and spent 12 years being taught at strict Catholic schools so I know a little something about guilt. Even so, I flatly refuse to feel guilty for spending my free time in a way that I enjoy and that doesn’t hurt anyone else.”
On the other hand, some Geeks offered up specific guilty-pleasure favorites:

Kat @ A Journey in Reading named J.R Ward’s “Black Dagger Brotherhood” series; Kimberly @ Rouquine Reads counts a particular YA sci-fi romance, the Twilight Saga, and Gone With the Wind among her guilty pleasures. In addition to the Stephanie Plum series, Steph names a book rarely found on lists like this: The Great Gatsby. It’s really her very favorite book, but she thinks it might sound pretentious to admit it.

Check out more responses at Weekly Geeks 2010-40: The Guilty Pleasure Edition, and thanks to everyone who played along this week!

This past week Becky wanted to know what reading challenges you are participating in or hosting this coming year. She also wanted to know how you plan ahead for the next year. Do you make lists? Or do you just read whatever catches your attention?

Kerry wrote a great post taking about why she does challenges, lists the ones she is interested in, and give ideas for other challenges she would think about joining. Overall, her goal consists of 3 challenges and 43 books.

Gautami also signed up for 3 challenges which she says is her max amount. She prefers to read whatever takes her fancy than planning everything out.

Rikki isn't fond of sticking to lists, but also signed up for 2 challenges and is hosting a Steampunk Challenge of her own.

Becky is hosting three challenges (42 Challenge, A-Z Challenge, Young Readers) and one mini challenge (Connie Willis). She's also signed up for quite a few challenges hosted by other blogs and lists a few that have caught her attention, but she isn't sure if she'll sign up or not.

Melanie is signed up for 4 challenges, but has also set a personal goal of reading some of the Russian books off her TBR list. (If anyone knows of a Russian challenge, please let her know!)

Zee hosts the Nordic Challenge and has signed up for at least 9 others. She planning on getting a post up with book lists for all of these within the next couple days.

Chelsea is a new Weekly Geek who hasn't done any reading challenges in the past and isn't sure that she'll sign up for any this year (unless she can find one that gets her to read a wider variety of books).

Katherine hasn't thought about which ones she wants to do this coming year, but lists her favorites from past years and a few that she'll be looking for in 2011.

Carina has signed up for 9 challenges and has 2 that are on-going from this year. She's looking for imput as to what your favorite reading challenge and if there are any you would recommend.

Hannah has signed up for more posts that she originally thought she would. She's up to 5 starting in 2011 and 2 carrying over. She likes the structure and setting goals for herself. She's still looking for more suggestions!

Margaret has only signed up for 3 challenges and has mixed feelings about them. While part of her likes the structure, the other part stops wanting to read a book as soon as "should" read it.

Lifetime Reading Plan has reading goals that she has set for herself based on the book The Lifetime Reading Plan. She has them broken into 6 categories and hopes to read them chronologically.

Amat Libris loves reading challenges! She has signed up for 2 and is thinking about a few more. Her goal for next year can be summed up in three words "Read. More. Books."

Alex wants to sign up for them all. The problem is making sure it is manageable, which should be too hard to this list-maker.

Florinda tries not to sign up for too many due to her mixed experiences with them in the past. She is signed up for at least 2 and is going to continue working on her own Blogging Authors Reading Project.

Suey is going for more general goals after seeing how spontaneous of a reader she really is this past year. However, she's still keeping an eye open for a good challenge.

Jacqueline didn't even realize there were reading challenges prior to this week's post. She isn't sure that she would like being over structured with her reading, but she's ruling out the possibility of doing one if she comes across something great.

Have you posted about your reading challenges yet?
Link up here!

This week Suey wanted to hear about antique books. She wrote:

So this week, write a post sharing with us what old antique books you may have on your shelves, and tell us the story behind them. Did you inherit from a relative? Are you a collector of old and rare books? Did you just discover a certain book in a used book store and couldn't pass it up? What's the very oldest book you have? Do you even like old books? Or do they creep you out? Do you read and enjoy your old books, or is it more a "look and don't touch" thing?
A few people took up the prompt to tell readers about old books on their shelves.

Elena from All Booked Up writes: "I could easily see myself becoming a collector (if I only had the income)." She has a couple of older books, but wishes they were in a language she could read!

Naida at The Bookworm writes: "I don't mind reading old books, but it depends. If the copy is a collectable type book, I won't let anyone touch it..." My favorite book on Naida's shelf would be her 1964 book club edition of Gone With the Wind...which she classifies as one of her "look but don't touch" books!

Bernadette at Reactions to Reading doesn't much care about the container a book comes in, but she has a great collection of leather bound classic books published sometime around 1950. Bernadette is especially attached to these books because they used to belong to her paternal grandmother...and the best part? If you promise not to drop one in the bathtub, she'll even let you read one!

Amat Libris from Between the Covers loves old books because: "They bring a history with them which you can’t get in a paperback fresh off the shelves. Especially when they contain inscriptions or second-hand bookstore labels or other marks of their past, they invite you to wonder about who read them before you, and how they ended up moving on to someone else’s collection." The oldest book she owns is Jonathan Swift’s Journal to Stella printed in 1948.

Margaret at Books Please writes about the old books that grace her shelves: "I don’t value them just as objects, but for their content and some of my old books are not in prime condition. They are well used and well loved." She shares several much loved books which belonged to her parents. I would love to look at her copy of The Girl Guides Book which her mother received as an award for 1st Prize for Sewing!

Alex at The Children's War claims that although her old books are neither antiquarian nor valuable, they hold a lot of sentimental value for her. I covet her collection of Nancy Drew mysteries from the 1930s and 40s. She also has several other childhood favorites...and includes photos of her collection on her post.

Kimberly at Rouquine Reads has one treasured tome: "an 1884 hardcover edition of The Poetical Works of Jean Ingelow: Including the Shepard Lady and Other Poems." She loved her work as an intern at the library where she worked in the rare books room and got to "occasionally dust down the whole room and each volume."

Finally, Suey at It's All About Books weighed in sharing some awesome photos of the old books on her shelves. She has some great books from her grandfather and grandmother, and also The Bobbsey Twins book she found at a thrift store and fell in love with it.

If you haven't already done so, stop by these wonderful posts and be catapulted back in literary time! It is also not too late to join in the fun. If you decide to write a post of your own, visit the Weekly Geeks post #38 to link up!

A very interesting assignment from Becky this week about recommendations that involved reader participation.

So your assignment this week, if you choose to play along, is to ask your readers for recommendations. Choose a genre--any genre--and ask for recommendations. You can be as general or as specific as you like. Consider it as an "I'm looking for..."
Here's what you came up with...

Bart's Bookshelf was looking for contemporary translated books while recommending Green Angel/Green Witch.

Dana Does Read recommended several YA fiction books and series.

Steph from Books for Nerds was very specific about what she was looking for..."a book with a heartbreakingly real voice (ala Something Borrowed), but with the Humor of the Stephanie Plum series, and the thoughtful self-examination of a John Green book."

Thanks for participating!

This week Wendy asked Weekly Geek participants to get into spirit of the season, whether you celebrate Halloween, Oktoberfest or have any other traditions tied to this time of year. How do you celebrate this time of year?

The assignment was to write a post about

• October traditions you look forward to
• Links to Halloween or Oktoberfest activities in your area
• Book recommendations that are guaranteed to put you in the "spirit" of October

Halloween is one of her favorite holidays, says Allegra of Here's to Us. She makes the most of the day and offers a great selection of book recommendations to help get you in the mood.

Gigi of Solitary Spinster offers an intimate look into her own childhood and the women who touched her life in her post called, "My Witch".

However you choose to spend this time of year, whether it's doing nothing out of the ordinary, dressing up in a costume, sharing scary stories or honoring the memories of loved ones, enjoy it to its fullest! And be sure and check out this next week's topic: The Books You Waited Too Long to Read.

This week Suey asked Geekers to share their plans for this weekend's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon...and a few of you took on the challenge.

Molly (The Restless Reader) will be experiencing her first Read-A-Thon. She writes: "Instead of worrying about the number of pages read, my overall goal is to just enjoy the experience."

You might want to amble over to Charlie's house (Life Happens) if you are looking for something good to eat. She plans on: "Food? Snacks? ALWAYS. I prefer lots of these things. I may get a cheese/grape/strawberry plate I spied at the store the other day. It's light and good for you...or I may get Easy Cheese and Chicken in a Biscuits...we'll see how it turns out. The less crumbs on the books the better."

Melydia isn't planning on participating in the Read-A-Thon this year, but she has a strategy anyway. Check out her post on Utter Randomonium for some good advice.

Melanie from Cynical Optimism is mixing a book festival and shopping at the farmer's market into her day of reading. She writes: "The Southern Festival of Books runs Friday-Sunday. Saturday specifically i intend to see Harold Ford at 10, the authors of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us at 12, Brian Yansky and Paolo Bacigalupi at 2:30, then at 3 Dr Bill Bass and author Jon Jefferson are talking about their book!" Check out her blog for some live posts about the festival on Saturday.

There were nine other responses to this week's Weekly Geek's post - and they are all great...so check out the links on this post.

Whatever you're planning for this autumn weekend, I hope it is wonderful...and that you find some great books along the way!

This week E.H. asked us to share a phrase that has stuck with us or answer Who do you connect with?

I have my own quote that made an impact on me. I just turned my calendar to September this week and each month has a quote to inspire people. This month's was:

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.
Vernon Sanders Law
I thought about how true that really is. If only we didn't have to learn the hard way.

Participants came up with their own ways to answer these questions.

*Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise made her own Wordle.

*Bee (a first timer) from Prairie Journals shared experiences as a young person.

*Jordyn from Ten Cent Notes shared a meaningful quote from Fahrenheit 451 (a favorite of mine).

Thank you for participating this week!

Wendy from Caribousmom celebrated her 50th birthday last week and that got her wondering about books published in our birth decades. She asked Weekly Geeks to discuss a book that came out the decade we were born, one that we either loved or hated.

This week our Weekly Geek participants spanned several different decades, which makes the responses all the more interesting. This is what some of you had to say:

Meaghan from Book Geek talks about a book published the year she was born that had a significant impact on her life: The Watsons Go to Birmingham- 1963, published in 1995.

Jordyn of Ten Cent Notes covers the 1980's (up through 2000) with mention of the popular Baby-Sitters Club series.

Annabel from Gaskella, born in 1960, points out several books that were published the decade of her birth, including The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Ballad of Peckham Rye.

Kerrie's (of Mysteries of Paradise) love for reading got much encouragement from the books of Enid Blyton, published in the 1940's. Also among her favorites include Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie.

Thanks to everyone who participated in Weekly Geeks this week, and remember to check back tomorrow for our new topic!