Recent Book Activity

2012 update: There may have been less activity on my bookshelf recently, but I am still reading! I haven't so many TBRs from other BCers at the moment, so I am actively pursuing my dual goal to re-read many of my old favourites (and then consign the ancient dilapidated paperbacks to Book Heaven) and reduce the over-crowding on my shelves. Among the authors I am revisiting are Monica Dickens, Georgette Heyer, Anya Seton and others. From time to time I am given bagsful of unwanted books to dispose of so I need to do more wild releasing but Wrexham is rather stony ground!


I was told (briefly) about BookCrossing, made a Note to Self to look at the site and never got around to it for about 6 months. Big mistake! I missed out on 6 months of living, breathing, eating and sleeping BookCrossing, which is a horrendous thought to have to live with.

Apart from the great love of books and reading which I have had nearly all my life, the very concept of BookCrossing is the sort of thing which has huge appeal for me. Shortly after finding BookCrossing, I discovered the UK mailing list, BookCrossingUK which I would also heartily recommend to all who have some tenuous connection with the UK.

I am often accompanied on my BookCrossing activities by HonoraryBCDog. She loves wild releasing!

I am not a fast reader and I have numerous interests apart from reading, so my turnover is not huge. I just wish I could learn to control my urge to acquire books, so that it was more in line with my reading rate. I love taking part in Rings and Rays, but have been trying very hard recently to resist most of them in order to reduce the height of Mount TBR and free up some more books for wild releasing and RABCKing.

I have signed up for RABCK.com and am getting a real buzz from checking out people's Wishlists and sending off surprise packages. Check it out!

Because I've been asked so often, here's the explanation for my BC screenname. It comes from the house named Jalna, which is at the centre of the 16 books of the Whiteoaks saga by Mazo de la Roche. It is about 45 years since I read my first one (Young Renny) and became totally and utterly hooked. Since then, I have read all 16 books many times over, some more than others, but often the whole series from start to finish without a break. When I reach the end, I weep. I now have a hardback collection of the books, and plan to start another Whiteoaks marathon in the near future.