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I learned to speed read when I was a teenager. I took a course over one summer, mainly out of curiosity. This was a long time ago (you will have to trust me on this, because I'm not going to say HOW long ago it was!). There are probably other techniques by now, but back then the way we...

Many thanks, Gem! I haven't been to any of these shops. I did go to Foyles last time I was in London and they seemed to have only modern titles, nothing antiquarian. All of these look wonderful - Daunt Books especially. Peter Harrington, which is my favorite bookstore anywhere, looks quite a...

I like this forum too. There seems to be more room than usual for people of divergent viewpoints - for the most part, everyone is respectful of the opinions of others and there is not a whole lot of the gratuitous nastiness that seems to be so rampant on the Web. I can't remember learning...

It was Nathaniel Branden (born "Blumenthal" but changed his name) that Ayn Rand was carrying on with. He was/is a psychologist and author of "The Psychology of Self Esteem, among other things. He was many years Ayn Rand's junior, and in some ways was her surrogate son - until they had a major...

Anyone have a book store to recommend in the London area?? I collect antiquarian books (natural history and children's literature, mostly). I usually go to Peter Harrington in Chelsea, but wondering if anyone has any other suggestions. I'm hoping to pick up some books while I'm in London next...

I'm an atheist and have no children, but bless you, Lady Cordelia, for teaching children how to read! Only goes to show you how much books can pull people together, even those who may have nothing else in common. Anyone who reads has my respect, and someone who teaches others to read has that...

Add me to the list of those who decided that life is indeed too short to spend any more time on: Imajica - at least a million pages long, and a plot that was as convoluted, meandering and endless as a phone conversation with my mother. The Shipping News - depressing, drab and...

Having lots of books around makes me feel safe and comfortable. I don't care if there's a lot of stuff in the "TBR" section, I need to have a supply of books on hand. The first thing I look at when I go to someone's house for the first time is whether or not they have books. If they do, I'm...

I read more non-fiction than I do fiction, although I like both. I have very little formal education and an aversion to schools, so I read non-fiction to find out about the things that I'm interested in. When I look at the books I own, probably 80% are non-fiction. If I had unlimited time...

Irma Prunesquallor, from "Gormenghast". And her brother, the doctor, is not far behind!

I love antiquarian books, and it's probably my worst vice (there are others as well, unfortunately!). These are the ones that probably are worth the most these days: First London edition of Darwin's "The Descent of Man", published by John Murray in 1871, in 2 volumes, beautiful condition...

I read whenever I have a spare moment (these people who complain that they "don't have time to read" are just not trying hard enough!). I often take a book with me on my morning walk, and I got a very strange look the other day when I bumped into a telephone pole and said "excuse me". I am...

Yeah, she likes that sunny window, it's her favorite nap corner. We put a film on the glass that blocks the UV rays (to keep the books from getting sunned), but she doesn't seem to know it and curls up there just about every day. There's another cat who likes to get underneath and stick his...

http://i2.tinypic.com/otnjv5.jpg I hope this works...haven't tried posting pictures before! This is about a tenth of the books in the house - there are boxes of them in the garage too (I don't think I will ever park a car there in this lifetime). I've been told that I have too many books...

Peter Harrington in London is a dealer who handles lots of Rowling first editions (among other things): www.peter-harrington-books.com They have several Chamber of Secrets editions - this one sounds like its condition may be similar to the copy that you have: ROWLING, J. K., Harry Potter...

Saki is my favorite, but I'm a sucker for those Edwardians and Victorians. His stories are usually very short, and often have a twist at the end. Here's one that you can try, it's very short (only about a page), but will give you the full flavor...

I think of myself as being a fast reader, but I too am feeling as though I'm lagging behind. Nevertheless, here's what I read in January: Margaret Atwood: The Blind Assassin Jose Saramago: Blindness (no, it was not a "theme month", just happened that way!) Charles Darwin: The...

I keep my books on a database program too...rbase, which really, really dates me if there are any computer geeks out there. Between my husband's collections and mine, we have over 10,000 books. Fortunately we have a big house and no kids, but even so there are books pretty much everywhere...

I read "Sometimes a Great Notion" some years back and thought it was better than "Cuckoo's Nest" by a long shot. In fairness, part of what I liked was that someone I was infatuated with at the time gave me the book, and I wanted to demonstrate that our tastes were the same (see how well we...

The Dictionary.com definition of "Anglo" is: "a white North American who is not of Hispanic or French descent"