What's on My Bookshelf?

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What's on My Bookshelf?

A glimpse inside one author's private book collection. Find new books you haven't read before as well as books to help you write. This lens is here to answer the question: What's on your bookshelf?

 


Three reasons why you should read the lens! 

  • You love to read and are looking for suggestions on what to read next. (many fiction books are included on this list)
  • You are a writer looking for books on writing better. (several how-to write books can be found here)
  • You are feed up with the "adult comics" of today and what a kid friendly alternative. (Dell comics are good comics!... so are Gladstone comics and Gemstone comics... all of which can be found on this lens.)

 

water welcome

What's On My Bookshelf and Why You Should Care: 

...and my challenge to other authors on Squidoo.

On this lens you will find over 150 books, brought to you straight from my own bookshelf, as the most often recommended books. (Books I recommend to others the most often, that is.)

The books on this lens can all be found in my private collection. I have chosen only books from my own library of books for a simple reason: So that you can get a glimpse inside the private bookshelf of a writer. And also because it would be rather pointless for me to be recommending books that I don't even own myself!

Since this lens is a showcase for my favorite books, which I own, and I own more than 10,000 books and more than 7,000 comic books, for a grand total of more than 17,000 books, that means that over time, this lens could get quite a bit long! And if you have a hard time wrapping your mind around just how many books there are in a private library collection of 17,000 books, think of it this way: The average public library has a collection of books in the 10,000 to 12,000 range. Yep, that's right. I have more books than your average public library does, and my collection gets bigger and bigger every single week as I am in the constant search for more and more books.

BOOKS = My biggest and most rabid addiction, the one thing I spend more money and time on than anything else. My passion. My hobby. The vital essence of my very existence.

People often wonder and ask of writers such questions as: "I read all of your books, what other books can you recommend I read?"

What these people are asking, isn't "What should I read next?" but rather "What do YOU read?", however they word it.

So, my challenge to all other authors and writers here on Squidoo, is to start a lens, like this one, to show your readers what it is that you read.


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What's On My Bookshelf: 

And here they are . . . my favorite books.

Retief 

series by Keith Laumer

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By far the greatest sci-fi series ever written. Follow James Retief and Ben Magnun on their action packed, tongue-in-cheek adventures across the galaxy.

The Retief series started out as a series of short stories published the various science fiction pulps during the 1950's through to the 1960's. These are good old-time classic sci-fi as it was written before the days of the moon landing. All together there were more than 60 stories about Retief's space adventures.

In the 1970's, Keith Laumer began to compile collections of these classic pulp fiction stories into a book series. Each book in this collection contains 3 to 5 or more stories.

I own nearly the entire set. Of these books, Retief and the Warlords is my fave, closely followed by Retief Emissary to the Stars. Some of the books in this series are out-of-print and quite hard to find.

If you like Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy than you're sure to love Retief.

Retief and the Warlords (Jaime Retief Series #4)

Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $2.95
Used Price: $0.01

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

My Extended Review 

I needed more room to yap about Keith Laumer and his books, and ended up with not one, but two more lenses about him!

 


The World's Greatest Author! 

Books by Don Rosa.

Ask me who the world's greatest author of all time is, and you'll always get the same answer: Don Rosa. This always brings about one of two responses:

1.) Either you know who Don Rosa is and you too think he is the greatest author this world has ever seen.

or

2.) You ask: Who is Don Rosa? Because you have never heard of him.


Walt Disney Treasures
Uncle Scrooge
:
A Little Something Special


Don Rosa is a niche writer with a close knit following of fans for his cult classic stories. For his fans he's the greatest thing since Carl Barks, but for the rest of the world he is practically unknown.

If you are a fellow fan, than you know what he wrote and you know why he's the best, but for the rest of you, go out and get one of his books and find out who he is. This recommendation is usually followed by this response:

You go out, you look up Don Rosa, you get ready to buy his books, and than you say: "Huh? But this is a comic book! How can the world's greatest author be a comic book writer?". You than scourer the bookshelves in search of some non-comic book books by Don Rosa thinking you must have made a mistake when you picked up the comic book. Nope, sorry, no mistake. Yep, Don Rosa writes comic books and yep he is the world's greatest author.

But how can that be? Well, have you ever read one of Don Rosa's comic books? These are not your average dinky little 12 page dime store comics that have no rhyme nor reason to them. His most famous book, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, is a whopping 219 page long! It'll take you a few days to read it. There are no blood spattered pages, no aliens, no super heroes, no super villains. What you find is an action packed, adventure filled book that reads like a book, but also has a lot of pictures in it as well...and as the word comic means, it's down right funny.

I dare you to read a book by Don Rosa and not get hooked. Don Rosa's books are like chips: no one can read just one!

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck

Amazon Price: (as of 11/23/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $17.99
Used Price: $87.99

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

 

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion

Amazon Price: $11.55 (as of 11/23/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $16.99
Used Price: $8.86

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

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My Disney Mania Continues 

My Disney-Scrooge-Don Rosa-Carl Barks fandom has resulted in many, many other lenses! Here are a few of them . . .

 


Faeries 

This section is two-fold. I love to read about faeries. I also love to write about faeries. The books listed here can help you with both. Great reference books for anyone interested in studying the history of faerie myths, great stories for those who just want to read about faeries, and great guide books for those who want to write about faeries.

Wonderful, wonderful books.

 


Books for Writers 

by various authors

Every writer has a few writing-how-to books that they would recommend every writer should have. The five books shown in this section are the ones I put in that category.

The Self-Publishing Manual is the best-ultimate guide that no self-publisher should be without.

The Writers Book of Matches is a powerful brainstormer, filled with 1,001 weird and quirky one sentence story starters. Simple pick an idea and write a story based on it.

The Writer's Little Helper, is your basic writing how-to which covers all the basics of grammar in a simple and easy to read format. Great for quick reference.

On Writing Horror is by far my favorite writing-how-to book. Written by over 50 different horror authors (including Stephen King), it covers everything you ever wanted to know about writing horror books.

Writers on Comics Scriptwriting is a 2 volume set. Written in interview/question & answer format, each chapter details the daily life of a different comic-book author and the secrets to writing for comic books.

My Review of My Fave Writing Book 

This little section wasn't big enough, so I built an entire lens about it!

Books by Linda Seger 

More Books Just for Writers.

The editors of Edgmont recommend that all writers should read the books on writing by Linda Seger. Normally I steer clear of traditional publishing houses, as I prefer to have full and complete control over every aspect of my books. In other words I self-publish. I do make one exception to that rule. I just love the books put out by Edgmont, which results in them being the only traditional publisher I ever work with.

Of course, since Edgmont is the only traditional publishing house I send my manuscripts to, that means I went out and bought every single book written by Linda Seger. After reading her books, I can see why they come so highly recommended. They are by far the best books written on the art of writing and no writer should be without them.

 


Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 

by Douglas Adams

This has got to be the funniest book ever written in any genre. It's like Alice in Wonderland meets Star Trek and than mashed up with every bit of sarcasm this side of the galaxy. To quote the book: It's like having your brain smashed out by a brick wrapped in a lemon. This is one of the best books ever written. I've read it several times, and most likely well read it many more times in the future.

NOTE: If you've seen the movie, do not judge this book by it's movie! The movie fell very short of coming any where's near to being like the book. They kept a few basic concepts and changed most everything else. The book is ten times better than the movie.

I got to admit, that as much as I loved the first three volumes of the trilogy, I did find the final two volumes of the trilogy to be quite disappointing, as they didn't meet up to the standards written in the first three. And yes, for those of you who don't know, there are five volumes in the Hitchhikers' trilogy; that's part of the irony of the series.

For some reason, my copy of this book and the copy Amazon shows here have different covers.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 25th Anniversary Edition

Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 11/23/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $15.00
Used Price: $7.24

Release Date: 08/03/2004

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Harry Potter 

I know it's cliche by now, but it just can't be said often enough that the Harry Potter books really are the best fantasy books ever written. If you haven't read them yet, I recommend you start today.

 


Star Trek 

by James Blish

I love these books. These are not stories based on the Star Trek series, these ARE the stories of the Star Trek series. Every episode from the original Star Trek series was retold as a novel in the mid 1970's and released under the simple title "Star Trek by James Blish Vol. _".

Children especially love this series as they get to read the same stories they can later watch on DVD. Sadly these old books are nearly all out-of-print now, except for a handful of the more popular volumes, which have been reprinted as anniversary editions. Finding copies of every volume in this series could prove a challenge as they can be quite hard to find now. Mine are all first editions, I'm only missing 3 or 4 volumes.


Shop the Star Trek Store Today!

 


Pippi of the Villa Villekulla 

As a child I loved these books and read them and re-read them as though they were breakfast, lunch, and dinner! They were among the very first "real" books I read, after upgrading from Dr. Seuss and Maurice Sendak. (I was 6 years old at the time.)

I loved Pippi's complete and total rebellion against the adults in her world. I loved the way she did just as she pleased. I loved that she was a pirate with her own ship. I loved the fact that she, like myself at that time, drove an orange 3-wheeled ATV. But most of all I feel totally head over heals in love with her house: The Villa Villekulla. I dreamed than, (and still do now) of recreating that wonderful old Gothic Victorian house. Of all fictional places to live, this would be my house of choice: The Villa Villekulla.

Of all the books I've read in my life time, I think these are the ones that I have read and re-read the most times.

NOTE: The covers shown here are different from the ones I own, as mine are from the 1960's and 1970's and no longer in print, and these are the new editions which are currently being sold from Amazon.

Featured Lens: Astrid Lindgren 

Not one of my lenses, but about one of my fave authors so I'm putting it here too!

 


Donald Duck Adventures (series III; Gemstone digest editions) 

comic books in paperback format... great for taking on the road


Donald Duck Adventures Volume 20
(Donald Duck Adventures)



Not what you usually see in America, these are reproductions of the French and Danish stories about Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge, translated into English.

The traditional Disney comic books of America's Golden and Silver Age (1930's - 1970's) as written by Carl Barks and the Modern Age (1980's - today) as written by Don Rosa are aimed for an older reading level, with their long and wordy dialog and their highly detailed illustrations. These are not your traditional Carl Barks and Don Rosa American Disney comic books, however. Unlike traditional American Disney comics these are much more cartoonish, less wordy, less detailed illustrations, brighter colored, with a more "cute" feel to them, and certainly targeted for much younger children.

Some die hard Barks/Rosa fans may not like these stories. They do not follow the 50+ year chronological series that has been so strictly adhered to in America. These stories do not continue from one issue to the next, and instead, they run a muck with no continuity. For those of you used to Carl Barks and Don Rosa, this will be a big change of scenery for you. These stories rarely follow the Carl Barks/Don Rosa story lines and tend to be an anything goes format when it comes to including fantasy, ufo's, and magic.

Each book is 6"x4" paperback-digest editions, approx. 190 pages long, and features 3 different stories in them, all with super bright eye popping art work that is unlike anything seen in traditional American Disney comics.

Instead of telling one long story that continues from one issue to the next for a period of 50+ years (as the American series does), this series is just a bunch of random stories for the pure and simple fun of telling fun and adventurous stories.

 


Choose Your Own Adventure 

series by assorted authors

It was a dark and stormy night when you started reading this book. You heard a noise. If you think it was a ghost in your attic, than grab your flashlight and turn to page 22. If you think it was a burglar coming in the window, get your baseball bat and turn to page 34. If you think it was just a car in the street and of no concern of yours than do nothing and read on to the next page.

And so starts your adventure. Every book in the long running award winning series starts out with YOU as the main character. You start out as an ordinary kid doing your home work and minding your own business, when suddenly something happens and it's up to you to decide how to deal with it. The chooses you make determine the story you read, as each choose takes to a different page throughout the book.

WARNING! Do not read these books straight through. These are Role Playing Game books and you have to follow the instructions answer the questions and make chooses to determine which page you should go too next.

This wildly popular long running series started in the early 1970's and continues to release new volumes today. At last count there where more than 300 volumes in the series written by nearly a dozen different authors, in genres varying from fantasy to sci-fi to murder mystery to adventure and all things in between.

These chapter books are written for children ages 8 to 15, but have been enjoyed by readers of all ages young and old.

 


My Teacher The Alien 

series by Bruce Coville

Did you ever wonder what would happen if aliens invaded the planet, disguised themselves as school teachers, and than set out the teaching earth's children. What if you and your best friend knew the aliens had taken over earth's schools, but you couldn't get any adults to believe you? Why you'd take matters into your own hands and save the world all by yourself of course!

These books are great fun for sci-fi fans. I remember waiting for each volume to be written the same way children today wait for each new volume of Harry Potter.

 


The Tailypo  

By Paul Galdone and Joanna C. Galdone

It started out as a whispher, but than it grew louder. Tailypo! Tailypo! Where is my Tailypo? Tailypo! Tailypo! I'm coming for my Tailypo!

What child of the 1970's doesn't remember this spooky and terrifying tale of a ghost cat?

Or the stories of the Little Red Hen and Henny Penny?

Or trolls who guard bridges and eat all who dare cross them until the day three brave little goats challenge him to a duel?

Or the story of a brave little kitten who put on a pair of boots and set out to rid the world of orges and demons?

Written By Joanna C. Galdone and illustrated by Paul Galdone, these timeless award winning children's classics have been ebraced by millions of children around the world and revered as some of the greatest picture books ever written.

These beatifully illustrated picture books are written for ages 4 to 10 and are intended to be read aloud by an adult.

BANNED BOOK WARNING!: Though originally written for children ages 4 to 10, one of the Galdone books has gone down in history as one of the most terrifying children's books ever written, made famous by the onslaught of angry mothers who were quick to protest the scary nature of this book, and demand it be banned, claiming that their children were plagued with nightmares for months after being read this story. Mothers and School teachers today still give warnings that if your child is easily scared than avoid reading The Tailypo to younger easily frightened children.

Maybe I was a grim child, but I never found The Tailypo to be over the top scary and it remains today, as it was 30 years ago, one of my all time favorite books. If your children enjoy a good ghost story than find a copy of The Tailypo and enjoy reading this great creepy book together. Best read at midnight by flashlight during a thunderstorm to get the full effect of this story. *flashes evil grin*



To find out just how truly terrifying this book is, all one has to do is read the pages and pages of reviews written about the nightmares the adult reviewers had during their childhoods, caused as a direct result of having been read this book! Here are just the ones on Amazon's homepage for this book. Reviewers on Amazon.com for the Tailypo had this to say:


    Wanting to scare children is worse than peculiar . Tailypo is not a favorite childhood memory in our household. A school superintendent told this 'ghost' story to elementary students year after year after year, and the "value" forever eluded this mother. Why must children be unwilling victims anywhere? ~February 24, 2007 By mcHaiku "nmi"




    This book traumatized me as a small child. I probably should have been in therapy at the time as a result. BEST BOOK EVER! ~ March 9, 2006 By Thorn




    My mom read me this book when I was...5? I'm 30 years old now and I don't like to say the name of this book out loud. I'm not scared easily, but I think I have PTSD from this! You teachers and librarians who think this book with "no blood, no gore" is innocent fun are deluded. It's a good story, and it's horribly scary. Don't read to small kids! ~November 18, 2007 By S. Tompkins




    Tailypo haunts me....still, our evil harpie of an elementary school librarian scarred generations of children with this book. we've found some comfort in reading these customer reviews and to discover: we are not alone. the story, the art, it burns into your very soul. i will never ever ever EVER eat a Tailypo's tail!!!!!!! p.s. how many of you traumatized adults are from BOONE, IOWA, PAGE SCHOOL ELEMENTARY '78-80? ~ March 20, 2007 By Jay M. Boileau "zoe6"




    Scariest picture book ever! I honestly can't remember much about this book, but over 20 years later I still recall that it scared the dickens out of me! Even now, I'm not sure I have the nerve to try again. There are very few things that have left an impression of being truly scary on me, but this one I will always remember. ~ December 7, 2006 By Mary Leinart

The Tailypo: A Ghost Story (Clarion books)

Amazon Price: $7.95 (as of 11/23/2009)Buy Now
List Price: $7.95
Used Price: $3.76

Release Date: 12/31/1969

Avg. Customer Rating: Amazon Rating

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Gothic Cult Classics 

dark, spooky, and oooh so romantic!

There is nothing like a good scary Gothic story to read by flashlight after midnight. From Jane Eyre's brooding Mr. Rochester to Count Dracula himself, Gothic books just have the best leading men: dark, grim, creepy, morbid, and villains that just plain make good anti-heroes.

These five books are the best Gothic stories ever written, each filled with big old haunted houses, dark & mysterious leading men, and charming damsels in distress.

 


Bunnicula 

series by James Howe

Life with Chester is far from ordinary. Chester is an orange tabby cat who loves to read horror books, suffers from an over-active imagination, and has the ability to tell ghost stories that send the rest of the family's pets running from the shadows.

The series starts one dark and stormy night. While Chester is reading Dracula, the family brings home a new pet: a baby rabbit named Bunnicula.

Chester warns the other pets that Bunnicula is really a vampire in disguise, but no one believes him. Soon strange events lead the other pets to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Chester was right about Bunnicula and before they know it one thing leads to another and the next thing they know, the family pets are thrown into some of the wildest and scariest adventures they could ever imagine.

Written for ages 8 to 12, these great children's chapter books books have everything from vampire bunnies to haunted doghouses to killer zombie vegetables. Loads of great fun for all ages.

The Bunnicula books should be read on chronological order, as they continue one into the other. This is an ongoing series which is still being written, so future books will be added to this series as the years go by.

The Celery Stalks At Midnight is my fave book in the series.

 


InuYasha 

series by Rumiko Takahashi

Yep, you guessed it: MORE COMIC BOOKS! Yay! OMG! I am soooo addicted to these books. Rumiko Takahashi both writes and illustrates these amazing books.

These are by far the best book to ever come out of Japan, and they are quickly moving up the ranks to becoming my all time fave books ever.

Kagome is your average high school girl, until the day a demon jumps out of a magic well and transports her 500 years into the past to Japan in 1568 when demons controlled the world and humans were in constant civil war.

Soon after arriving in the past she finds a half human/half dog-demon trapped by a priestess's spell and sets him free. Soon she and the dog demon InuYasha join forces in search of the shattered pieces of a sacred jewel, and it becomes a race against time to gather up the magic shards before they get into the hands of evil demon Naraku. As the series goes on, more and more character join Kagome and InuYasha on their travels.

My favorite character from this series is InuYasha's full demon older brother, the evil Lord Sesshomaru Dog Demon of Death and Destruction.

These are not your standard comic books, each beautifully illustrated 6"x4" paperback volume contains 200 - 275 pages and reads like a very fast paced novel. These books went on to become the second highest, best selling comic book series of all time, and later resulted in an equally popular, long running (8 season) TV series.

NOTE: These books are Rated T-16 by the publisher, which means they are not recommended for teens under 16. This is an action - adventure - comedy - romance series which includes intense scenes of graphic violence, adult dialog (swearing), and light romantic situations which may not be suitable for younger readers.

The animated TV series based on these books, however is rated M (for mature audiences only.) It should be noted that the version played in America on Saterday mornings on Cartoon Network during the late 1990's had been edited for American TV and is rated PG-LV. Adult Swim was the only American TV station to ever air the unedited M-rated version of this show. Note that if you plan to buy this series on DVD you would be buying the UNEDITED M-rated version as it was aired in Japan and not Cartoon Network's edited Saturday morning American version, which you may remember watching. There is a quite a big difference between the edited and unedited versions of the show, enough to make some viewers not like it, so be sure you know that before you buy the DVDs. If you've only ever seen the Cartoon Network's edited version, know that the unedited DVD version has A LOT of blood, gore, violence, swearing, and adult situations (romance) not suitable for younger viewers, which Cartoon Network cut out of the show before airing it on American television.

Watch out! I'm going to try to list every volume of this VERY long running series, which currently stands at 52 volumes! Unfortunately these books are not all translated into English, and only about the first 20 volumes are available in English translated editions. The rest of the series is still only available in their original Japanese language, so you'll have to buy them in Japanese and than do what I did, find English transcripts on the internet to read as you go.

See... I told you I REALLY Love this Series! 

I have 26 lenses totally devoted to the InuYasha series, but thess are the ones is the best of all:

InuYasha AniManga 

series by Rumiko Takahashi

Second series of InuYasha stories by Rumiko Takahashi.

These stories are retelling of the originals, but using the script-words and illustration-stills from the cult classic TV series based on the original books.

Note: Not all volumes in this series are still in print, so not all volumes are listed here as Amazon.com no longer sells the out-of-print volume numbers.

Meet The Author: 

 


Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators 

by assorted authors

If you loved Scooby Doo, Nancy Drew, or The Hardy Boys, than you'll love The Three Investigators.

Three best friends form a detective agency, and the very first person to call them is none other than the horror movie director, Alfred Hitchcock, who gives the a chauffeured Rolls Royce and assigns them as his studio's personal detectives to solve all the many mysteries that turn up in Hollywood.

The first chapter in each of these books was written by Alfred Hitchcock himself, after that the rest of the story is written by one of the series' many authors.

This long running series out lived it's creator Alfred Hitchcock, and the volumes written after his death are different in that they are no longer called Alfred Hitchcock's Three Investigators, and instead called simply The Three Investigators. The later volumes do not contain the intro chapters written by Alfred Hitchcock, either of course.

These young adult mystery books are written for ages 12 - 18.

My Art Books 

As an artist, my bookshelf also includes a massive collection of art instruction books, far to many to list on this lens. To show you my art book collection, I have created a separate lens, just for those, and here it is!

 


I Read Kids Books! 

And am dang proud of it too!

Now that you've reached the end of this lens, I'm sure you've come to one conclusion: I READ KIDS BOOKS! Yep, if you thought that, than you'd have been right.

Why is that? I don't know, I just love kids books. They are always so filled with fast-paced action and adventure and often they are funny to boot. And that's what I like to read: action, adventure, and something to make me laugh.

Most of all though, kids books are just plain fun to read!

 

What do I look for in a book?

In trying to figure out why I like the books I like, I ended up writing this lens:

 


Oh but Wait... 

This lens is still under construction! I have so many more books I want to recommend for you!

Since this lens is a showcase for my favorite books, which I own, and I own more than 10,000 books and more than 7,000 comic books, for a grand total of more than 17,000 books, that means that over time, this lens could get quite a bit long! And if you have a hard time wrapping your mind around just how many books there are in a private library collection of 17,000 books, think of it this way: The average public library has a collection of books in the 10,000 to 12,000 range. Yep, that's right. I have more books than your average public library does, and my collection gets bigger and bigger every single week as I am in the constant search for more and more books.

Keeping all that in mind, this lens will be continually added too, so come back every few days to see what else I've added!

Where To Find Out More About My Books: My LibraryThing 

The Last Books I Added to My Account Were:

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If You know the Name of This Book, Please Let Me Know and Help Me Find My Lost Book! 

In 1978 I had a book, which some how got lost and I have never been able to find another copy of it. Every year when Halloween come I remember that book and wish I could find another copy of it, but for 20 years, my search has come up fruitless. If anyone knows where I can find this very rare (possibly banned) book, please let me know.

It was a children's picture book, much like The Tailypo. The art was very similar, and the story was ten times more graphic. It was a very unpopular and very hated book, and my understanding is that it was banned only weeks after it's release and all copies pulled from the shelves. To my knowledge, no second edition of this book was ever made, and this first edition of it is extremely rare.

Part of my problem in finding this book, is I have no idea what the name of it was, or who wrote it, or who illustrated it.

Here is a summary of the story:


    A boy went walking in the forest one night and met a ghost's flying hand. He followed the hand deep into the forest, where he meet the ghost the hand belonged to. She lived in a house built of out bones and blood. (the blood was the only color in the book, the illustrations were black and white ink drawings, reminiscent of The Galdones art). The ghost thanked the boy for returning her hand, by feeding him to her pet wolf, and the boy lived after that inside the wolf's belly watching the tv which the wolf had eaten. The boy eventually escaped and ran home.


As you can see, like the Tailypo the story is pretty graphic for a book sold as for children ages 4 - 8, but it was the 1970's and Halloween books meant to scare the daylights out of toddlers were all the rage back than, and I was one toddler who loved them and collected them.

If anyone has any idea the name or author or this book, please let me know, as I'd like to re-add it to my collection.

Join My Book Lovers Group! 

I had so much fun building this lens, that I decided to build a group just to showcase it on! If you've got a lens about books or authors, feel free to join this group. The Top 100 Lenses in the group will be featured on it's homepage!

Reader Feedback 

What do you read?







Thank You Kitty

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I'm looking for some great on-topic lenses to add to my lensroll. This is an ever growing, ever expanding lens, which I am constantly adding new information too. I also feature and lensroll on-topic lenses by other lensmasters on this lens. Have you got a lens about favorite books? If so, please feel free to leave a link to it in the comment box. Next time I log-in I'll stop by and check it out. I'll feature the ones that are on-topic for this lens, and lensroll most all lenses related to books, book collecting, and comic books.

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What Do Other Lensmasters Read? 

Find out today!

Well, I love books, by now you've figured that out. That said, I love seeking out Squidoo lenses about books, because I'm always on the look out for something that I have not yet read. Reading is so addicting, but finding really good books is sometimes frustrating, and so I often look to genuine book reviews written by readers who truly love the books they review. And that brings me to this section of my lens on books I love.

Here are some cool lenses created by other lensmasters about their favorite books. I am constantly on the look out for Squidoo lenses that are review lists of books you enjoyed. Have you got a lens that lists your favorite books? If so, leave a link to it in the comment box, so me and others can find it!

 

 

 

 


Book Collectors Should Check Out LibraryThing 

 


Some Other Stuff You Might Like: Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device 

(The following comes from Amazon.com)

Introducing Kindle

Three years ago, we set out to design and build an entirely new class of device-a convenient, portable reading device with the ability to wirelessly download books, blogs, magazines, and newspapers. The result is Amazon Kindle.

We designed Kindle to provide an exceptional reading experience. Thanks to electronic paper, a revolutionary new display technology, reading Kindle's screen is as sharp and natural as reading ink on paper-and nothing like the strain and glare of a computer screen. Kindle is also easy on the fingertips. It never becomes hot and is designed for ambidextrous use so both "lefties" and "righties" can read comfortably at any angle for long periods of time.

We wanted Kindle to be completely mobile and simple to use for everyone, so we made it wireless. No PC and no syncing needed. Using the same 3G network as advanced cell phones, we deliver your content using our own wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet. Unlike WiFi, you'll never need to locate a hotspot. There are no confusing service plans, yearly contracts, or monthly wireless bills-we take care of the hassles so you can just read.


Kindle:
Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device

With Whispernet, you can be anywhere, think of a book, and get it in one minute. Similarly, your content automatically comes to you, wherever you are. Newspaper subscriptions are delivered wirelessly each morning. Most magazines arrive before they hit newsstands. Haven't read the book for tomorrow night's book club? Get it in a minute. Finished your book in the airport? Download the sequel while you board the plane. Whether you're in the mood for something serious or hilarious, lighthearted or studious, Kindle delivers your spontaneous reading choices on demand.

And because we know you can't judge a book by its cover, Kindle lets you download and read the beginning of books for free. This way, you can try it out-if you like it, simply buy and download with 1-Click, right from your Kindle, and continue reading. Want to try a newspaper as well? All newspaper subscriptions start with a risk-free two-week trial.

Kindle's paperback size and expandable memory let you travel light with your library. With the freedom to download what you want, when you want, we hope you'll never again find yourself stuck without a great read.

We're very proud to introduce Amazon Kindle and we hope you like it as much as we do.

- The Amazon Kindle Team

Great Stuff for Book Lovers on CafePress 

 


What Wikipedia has to say about books: 

Private or personal libraries made up of non-fiction and fiction books, (as opposed to the state or institutional records kept in archives) first appeared in classical Greece.

In ancient world the maintaining of a library was usually (but not exclusively) the privilege of a wealthy individual. These libraries could have been either private or public, i.e. for individuals that were interested in using them. The difference from a modern public library lies in the fact that they were usually not funded from public sources. It is estimated that in the city of Rome at the end of the third century there were around 30 public libraries, public libraries also existed in other cities of the ancient Mediterranean region (e.g. Library of Alexandria).[17] Later, in the Middle Ages, monasteries and universities had also libraries that could be accessible to general public. Typically not the whole collection was available to public, the books could not be borrowed and often were chained to reading stands to prevent theft.


Best Books for Kids Who
(Think They) Hate to Read:
125 Books That Will Turn Any Child into a Lifelong Reader

Celsus Library was built in 135 A.D. and could house around 12,000 scrolls.The beginning of modern public library begins around 15th century when individuals started to donate books to towns.[18] The growth of a public library system in the United States started in the late 19th century and was much helped by donations from Andrew Carnegie. This reflected classes in a society: The poor or the middle class had to access most books through a public library or by other means while the rich could afford to have a private library built in their homes.

The advent of paperback books in the 20th century led to an explosion of popular publishing. Paperback books made owning books affordable for many people. Paperback books often included works from genres that had previously been published mostly in pulp magazines. As a result of the low cost of such books and the spread of bookstores filled with them (in addition to the creation of a smaller market of extremely cheap used paperbacks) owning a private library ceased to be a status symbol for the rich.

In library and booksellers' catalogues, it is common to include an abbreviation such as "Crown 8vo" to indicate the paper size from which the book is made.


The Children's Literature Lover's Book of Lists

When rows of books are lined on a bookshelf, bookends are sometimes needed to keep them from slanting.

A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of paper, parchment, or other material, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf, and each side of a leaf is called a page. A book produced in electronic format is known as an electronic book (e-book).

Books may also refer to a literature work, or a main division of such a work. In library and information science, a book is called a monograph, to distinguish it from serial periodicals such as magazines, journals or newspapers. The body of all written works including books is literature.

In novels, a book may be divided into several large sections, also called books (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, etc).

A lover of books is usually referred to as a bibliophile, a bibliophilist, or a philobiblist, or, more informally, a bookworm.

A store where books are bought and sold is a bookstore or bookshop. Books can also be borrowed from libraries.

More Great Stuff for Book Lovers on CafePress 

 


About Me 

Lensmaster EelKat has been a member since April 18 2007, has rated 6,046 lenses, favorited 3,138, and has created 404 lenses from scratch. This member's top-ranked page is "How to Start a Publishing Company". See all my lenses

My Bio



I am Wendy C Allen, Doll Maker and Independent Avon Sales Representative.
I love Eels. I love Bobcat. I am a Giant Squid and a Squid Angel.
I am an author and artist who rescues animals & raises Ranchus.
View my page on I Believe.
Are you on FaceBook? Become a fan.
You can find out more about me and my life here: About Me & On Being Homeless
I believe in Faeries, Phookas & Faith Not Religion.
I was a witness to a UFO sighting in Maine.
I am a CosPlayer.
My favorite actor is Vincent Price.
I love reading and writing and spending time with nature.
My favorite author is Keith Laumer and his best book is Retief & the Warlords.
Thanks for visiting my lens.



If I were a month, I would be August.
If I were a day of the week, I would be Friday the 13th.
If I were a time of day, I would be twilight.
If I were a planet, I would be Jupiter.
If I were a sea animal, I would be a giant moray eel.
If I were a direction, I would be East.
If I were a historical figure, I would be ______ ?
If I were a liquid, I would be Moxie.
If I were a bird I would be a turkey vulture.
If I were a cat I would be black.
If I were a dog I would be a Cocker Spaniel.
If I were a tree, I would be a great white pine.
If I were a tool, I would be _______ ?
If I were a flower, I would be a blue flag.
If I were a type of weather, I would be a warm spring day.
If I were an animal, I would be a bobcat.
If I were a season I would be Autumn.
If I were a holiday I would be Halloween.
If I were a color, I would be orange.
If I were an emotion, I would be love.
If I were a sound, I would be laughter.
If I were an element, I would be the water.
If I were a car, I would be a Cadillac.
If I were a food, I would be macaroni and cheese.
If I were a place, I would be Otter Cove.
If I were a body of water I would be the North Atlantic Ocean.
If I were a song I would be "Come Hell or High Water" by Poison.
If I were a book I would be Jane Eyre.
If I were a gemstone I would be a pigeon blood star.
If I were a metal I would be platinum.
If I were a word, I would be unforgettable.
My favorite color is orange.
My second favorite color is blue.
I also like pink.
My favorite city is Old Orchard Beach.
My favorite place to walk is The Ross Forest.
My favorite view is the rocky coast of Maine.
My favorite Disney character is Scrooge McDuck.
My favorite super hero is Darkwing Duck.
My favorite Disney villain is NegaDuck.
My second favorite Disney villain is SteeleBeak.
My favorite super villain is the Joker.
My favorite Disney non-duck character is Tiger.
My favorite trees are white pines.
My favorite flowers are purple iris & blue roses.
My favorite animals are eels & bobcat & roosters & ranchu.
My favorite flavor ice cream is French Vanilla.
My favorite dogs are Cocker Spaniels.
My favorite singer is Serj Tankian.
My favorite musician is Liberace`.
My favorite guitarist is C*C*DeVille.
My favorite food is veggie & rice stir fry.
My favorite pizza is black olive, mushroom, spinach, cheese, dill pickle, & lima bean, with no sauce.
My favorite fruit is grapes.
My favorite place to shop online is Kyoto Antiques.
My favorite non-fiction book is The Self-Publishing Manual by Dan Poynter.
My favorite book is Retief and the Warlords.
My favorite series of books is The Retief Series by Keith Laumer.
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Hey, you know what? I sell Avon! I'm an Independent Avon eRepresentative and that means you can buy Avon from me, 24 hours a day, from your computer, from anyplace in the world, and Avon will ship it to you.






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by EelKat



I am Wendy C Allen, Doll Maker and Independent Avon Sales Representative.
I love Eels. I love Bobcat. I am a Giant Squid and a Squid Angel.
I am an...

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