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Memories, Musings and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Melody is today’s featured Member of the Month. She was named Member of the Month in June 2008.

 

Joining PBS special meaning for me. On March 1st, 2006, I brought my dog home after having her leg amputated the day before (due to a cancerous tumor). She was confined to a very small area in the living room. For 3-4 weeks, I camped out on the couch next to her as she healed with a stack of books nearby.

By the end of the third week, I had read all my books. I didn’t have money to buy anything new and couldn’t leave Sierra alone to go to the library. Then I saw an article in the newspaper about this website called PaperBackSwap.com. For a couple of days, I did research on these online book trading sites. In the end I decided that PaperBackSwap made the most sense and I joined up on the 31 March of 2006.

As I’m not working, I can’t justify spending money on books. PBS has given me the ability to have new reads without going broke. I’ve also been able to get rid of some books, though it didn’t work out quite as I suspected. I thought I’d be emptying shelves. Instead, I’ve got a box full of unread books and full shelves!

PBS has expanded my reading horizons as well. I tend to read books rather than authors. I’m easily bored if I read too many books in a row that are similar. Through the members on PBS, I’ve found so many different books to read. I’ve read authors I never heard of before joining and picked up books based on others recommendations. It’s so much easier to take a chance on a book when you aren’t spending twenty bucks on it. I’ve found a love for Anne Lamott, Marek Halter, Rett MacPhersonAnita Diamant, and Tracy Chevalier through PBS. There is no way to get into a reading rut when you’re a member of PBS!

But, PBS means more to me than books. I’ve been a member of the online community since I joined up. At first I lurked, trying to get a feel for the dynamics of the group. Giving the number of posts I’ve written, I’ve probably been too active.

I consider the people here my friends. They’ve helped me through some tough times and cheered me through some happy ones. This is an incredibly supportive and diverse bunch of people.

I am a lifelong reader. I think I may have been born with books in my hands, which explains why the delivery was difficult for my Mom. I remember we had this multi-volume set of children’s classics. Even before I could read, I was familiar with all the stories in every book. If someone finds those books, they can open up to the page for Heidi and find my name written there with backwards letters.

Growing up, I loved Amelia Bedelia, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, Encyclopedia Brown, and The Borrowers. I devoured books in the school library, the bookmobile, the local public library, and still begged my Mom to buy me books from the monthly Scholastic books newsletter.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton would be at the top of my all time favorites list. Though, I think Go Ask Alice was the one book that stayed with me long after I read it. I grew up in the 1970s and I knew a few people who went down the same path and never returned.

There are a few of books which I found meaningful that I read as an adult. Far too many to list, so I’ll give you these: Roots by Alex Haley, Love, Medicine and Miracles by Bernie Siegel, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, Grace (Eventually) by Anne Lamott, and Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.

I am currently reading Her Daughter’s Eyes by Jessica Barksdale Inclan.

 

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

Memories, Musings and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Today our featured Member of the Month is Ani K. (goddessani). Ani was named our Member of the Month in April 2008.

 

I’ve been a member since 7.25.2005.

I first learnt about PBS over at Adwoff (the Nora Roberts messageboard). There were a few posts about it but I didn’t pay much attention. Then, someone I “knew” over there posted some more info about it. I clicked on the link and then PMd her to get some additional information. The truth is this place looked too good to be true. When she confirmed it was as simple as it says: post a book, mail a book, get a book, I had to join. Sadly, I don’t remember who it was that got me started anymore.

PBS is where my friends hang out! I’ve been a MOM and a Games Mod and I was a Tour Guide for awhile too. I’ve made many friends here that I am as close to as my real life friends. I pop on a few times a day, even from work if I’m not busy, to see what’s happening. I currently run the longest running, with only one host, game on the board in the Games Section: my monthly tea swap. So I check in there and any other games I’m in to see what’s happening.

I go into Club Members Thoughts to see what’s important to people. I don’t often comment but I usually read through it. I also check out Love & Romance and Random Acts of Kindness regularly.

I’ve read for as long as I can remember. I was 4 when my youngest brother was born. My grandmother brought me a copy of the Elves and the Shoemaker and read it to me while my mum was in hospital. A few weeks after the excitement of having a new baby in the house had worn off, I told my mum I would read to her. I picked up the book and started reading. She thought I had simply memorized what each page said but flipped to another page and I read it perfectly. I guess there was no stopping me after that!

The book that meant the most to me as a child was Charlotte’s Web. I was terrified of spiders and bugs and with two younger brothers, I was always coming across them! I remember I was about 7 or 8 and had a young reader’s copy of Charlotte’s Web. I was sitting outside in the afternoon sun reading it. I fell for Charlotte! I turned my head and there was a spider’s web. With the sun glinting off it, it seemed the most beautiful and wondrous thing I’d ever seen. After that I was never afraid of spiders again. Worms, however, are still another matter! LOL

As a teenager, the books The Diary of Anne Frank and Mrs Mike (Benedict & Nancy Freeman) were influential to me.

Books that have impacted me as an adult include My Name is Asher Lev (Chaim Potok), How the Irish Saved Civilization (Thomas Cahill), The Daughter of Time (Josephine Tey), Schindler’s List (Thomas Keneally), and The Snow Goose (Paul Gallico). Generally, I’m a huge romance reader but those are the books that impacted me the most.

I am currently reading Tales from Home (Shirley Ann Howard), Kitty Goes to War (Carrie Vaughn on CD) and Past Tense (Samantha Hunter on my Nook). I’m never reading just one at a time!

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

Musings, Memories and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Today our Featured Member of the Month is: Geri (geejay). Geri was named MoM in November 2010.

My name is Geri. I’ve been with PBS since September 2008. I’m a MoM, TG, BDA and BIA. MoM is Member of the Month. That’s something very special to me since other members voted for me to have that honor. TG is Tour Guide. People write with questions and problems they have a PBS. Most are new members and just need a bit of help over a bump in the road. BDA and BIA mean Book Data Approver and Book Image Approver. That’s looking at edits and images that have been submitted by members and saying yeah, good job or oh, no that needs to be fixed and then fixing it. Those two things are earned positions. You actually take a test to become a Tour Guide. I wasn’t sure I’d pass but did with no trouble. A proud day for me!

I actually stumbled on to PBS when I was looking at my book recommendations on Amazon. Someone was singing the praises of PBS there, I found the site and never looked back. When I joined I had almost 1,000 books on the shelves to read! I’m different than most members in that I’ve managed to get rid of about half the books I had. The majority of folks bemoan the fact that they have more books than ever. Now, instead of buying a new series, an author I’ve never read before I ‘ll order the first book in the series and if I like it keep going. Don’t like it, no problem someone at PBS will want the book. Maybe not today but eventually. And I don’t have a series of books that I’m sorry I bought.

My reading days began when my aunt taught me to read around two years old. I remember reading the newspaper when FDR died. At that time there weren’t many children’s books available. I did read comic books. Donald Duck and Little Lulu were my favorites with a host of others. Then a library was opened within walking distance of our house! Oh the joy! Oh the wonder the first time I ever went to the main Detroit Public Library. At the time you walked in the door and saw shelves and shelves, stacks and stacks of books, floors of books!

When I was in grade school I read every book in the library from aardvark to zoology. I loved the biographies and history! I regretted not living during the Revolutionary War. I was ready to fight for freedom. Never thinking about taking a bath of course.

Currently I’m reading Laced by Carol Higgins Clark, Kingsbridge Plot by Maan Meyer. Embers by Laura Bickle and rereading The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie. I’m reading that on my Kindle. Something new for me.

We have a Kindle discussion forum on PBS and even have a way to trade a book with other members of the PBS Kindle group.

The great thing about PBS is that if you have a book preference be it hardcover, paperback, audio or eBook you can find something here!

 

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

Memories, Musings and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Saturday, May 7th, 2011

Today our featured MoM is Patty P. (Patouie) who was named Member of the Month for October 2009

 

Yes — it was October, when the woman with the octuplets had just been in the news. So someone nicknamed me OctoMoM.

So… who else here sat through Dick and Jane books in first grade, reading ahead to discover the thrilling denouement — will Rex run fast?… will Mother be wearing that same dress and apron? — and getting into trouble for not being on the right page? I’m sure I’m not alone.

Some of my favorite books are still children’s books — as a toddler, I felt understood by the author of The Pokey Little Puppy. The first chapter book I read to myself was called The Oregon Trail. It was five or six inches thick at the time. (It has since shrunk.) I didn’t want to come to the last page, and spent some time that summer trying unsuccessfully to design a circular book that would never end.

One of my nicknames growing up was Patty-First-Lemme-Just.

“Turn off the light now.”

“Okay, but first lemme just finish this chapter.”

Two hours later someone would think to check on me. I hadn’t noticed the end of the chapter. Really.

I decided at some point in my twenties that I could write formula romances as well as the next person, and read a whole bunch of them to get the feel of it. It was an overdose. The result was that I cringe at the word “Silhouette”. Kind of like when your mom lets you eat the whole bowl of frosting.

Having my own kids was a wonderful excuse to blend children’s books back into my chosen genres of general literature (a favorite is The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy), historical fiction (my first was Hawaii by Michener), biography (how about John Adams — or anything by David McCullough?), and general non-fiction (Bronowski’s The Ascent of Man fascinated me, or more recently “Before the Dawn : Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors“.)

I’ve started a list here of my favorite children’s literature. You can find it on my Profile. A number of members have added wonderful books to it. When the kids were young, we would rotate who got to choose the book, so we’d read “Treasure Island,” followed by “Mathilda” and “The Princess Bride.” I can still recite aloud the Edward Lear poem “The Jumblies”, and “Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod.” As the kids started to read to themselves, I told them they were only allowed to learn to read if they still let me read aloud to them. 🙂 We would read The Harry Potter books to each other, and one of our favorites was The Golden Compass. We’d always have a book in the car.

When my kids were in middle school/high school, I hated the idea of reading amazing books, maybe sharing them with family members, but then having them just sit there. So I set up a little lending library of my current favorites on a shelf near the front door. Some of the books I placed there were The Life of Pi, Water for Elephants, Angela’s Ashes, Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus, 1776 by McCullough, Like Water for Chocolate, Animals in Translation. I don’t think any of the people coming and going in the house ever took me up on it and borrowed a book, but at least my family always knew where to find a winner.

I read about PaperBackSwap somewhere in 2005, and mentioned it to my daughter when she was home for college. She joined, and as I saw her packages start to arrive, I joined. Getting that first book is a little like a first kiss. Very special. I understood the concept of this site somewhere in my gut. It was that failed little lending library on my shelf, but on a grand scale. At first it was hard to mail off a book I’d really loved, but then I told myself that I was storing my favorite books in other people’s homes.

Soon I was volunteering as a tour guide, and on the data editing and book cover image teams — what an amazing group of people. And participating in Ani’s Tea Swap. (I’m drinking some Gingerbread ice tea someone sent me right now.) I’m a lifer.

 

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

Musings, Memories and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

Today our Featured Member of the Month is: Hunter S. (Hunter1)
Hunter was named our MoM for February 2009

It was December 2005 and I was moving and a friend was helping. When I told her I was going to donate most of my fiction books or other books I no longer needed, she wanted them. She told me about PBS and I told her to take the books so she could post them. After I was settled into my new home, I still had too many books. So I called my friend to ask about PBS and she explained how it worked and also told me she was having a great time playing in the swaps. So really, I joined PBS because the games sounded like fun and I wanted to join and play in the same games as my friend.

During the summer of 2006, the Diva Swap was started and I joined. It was great fun and when the hostess left, I took it over in 2007. The Diva members became such an important part of my life. I had made some best friends on PBS and we had never even met! Then in 2007/08 I became a Tour Guide. I wanted to give something back to the organization that had given me so much, so I took the test, passed it and started helping other members. But what I didn’t realize at the time was what an incredible group I had joined. The Tour Guides on PBS are fabulous and I’ve made even more friends. Since then, I’ve become a Tour Guide Leader, assisting other TG’s in helping members.

Over the years I have been fortunate enough to meet some of my fellow Divas and some of my fellow TG’s and I’ve been thrilled. I look forward to meeting many more.

I cannot imagine not having PBS in my life. It has given me so much more than I could ever describe or ever return. But it does prove the old saying, “What goes around, comes around.” The more I give to PBS, the more I receive.

 

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

Musings, Memories and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Thursday, April 21st, 2011

Today our Featured Member of the Month is: T. who was our Member of the Month- September 2008

1. How long have you been a PBS member?

I’ve been a member since January of 2007. I jumped in feet first and never looked back. Trading books was just a part of the draw of PBS–the value of the friends I’ve made in the forums can never be measured and I am positive some will be lifelong friends.

2. How did you find PBS? How has PBS impacted your life. What does PBS mean to you?

A local woman posted about PBS on Craigslist. My interest was piqued, but I wasn’t sure if it was another crock of a site or a real gem. I found my answer pretty quickly. I ended up ordering from the original woman and we met in person. The book was a Nora Robert’s novel, and I didn’t care for it–but hey, I got free books just for signing up! When I became hooked, I seriously was hooked. I scoured thrift stores and garage sales looking for great deals on WL books to pass on to make credits. At the time it cost about $1.50 to send out a paperback, so it was really cost effective to buy books for a quarter and mail out. My to trade shelf was huge! Then, sometime down the line, my TBR became huge and my bookshelf kept getting smaller. I have so many books now (1000+) that I only get WL books now. This has changed my life. I’ve been the type of person who would read the cereal box if nothing was available. Now there is always something available!

3. Did you read as a child? What was your favorite book growing up? What book impacted you most as a child or young adult?

I was a reader for as long as I can remember. My parents and 5 siblings were not readers and still are not readers. My parents acquired a used set of encyclopedias when I was a grade schooler, including the Childcraft books that went along with them. I read every single volume of those encyclopedias. In 5th grade, during the class Christmas party, our teacher, Mrs. Springfield, gave every student a book. I was somewhat upset that all the other kids got these goofy funny books and I got a big honking paperback–Heidi. No pictures, just pages and pages of text. I ended up loving it and never shied away from a novel because of its size again.

Heidi wasn’t one of my favorites, though. As a child I have to say Black Beauty by Anna Sewell made the greatest impact on me. I grew up around horses here in Texas and couldn’t fathom how they were treated in the book. It was heartbreaking.

4. What is your favorite or most meaningful book read as an adult?

I’ve read quite a bit, both things I have chosen and things assigned when I was an undergraduate working on my BA in English. To ask me to pick one meaningful book that shaped my life is an impossible task for me. I think every book leaves a little bit of itself with the reader. Before I was a college student I would say Stephen King’s The Stand, a wonderful study of the struggle of individuals to align themselves with either good or evil. After graduation, I would have to say books that a real, gritty, and get at the reality of the human condition are my favorites. An example of this would be Toni Morrison’s Beloved. You can feel the emotion as the main character decides that it would be better to smash her infants head against the wall than let the slave handlers have their way with him. It is horrifying, but it is bare truth.

I have to throw in a line or two for Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club. It is more than a movie with Brad Pitt. Read the novel. This guy has a philosophy that amazes me with every reading. That’s what I love…the Wisdom of Chuck.

5. What are you reading now?

I’m reading several things at the moment. Fluff is The Hunger Games Trilogy. Nonfiction is Breakthrough!: How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World. And literature is When the Dead Dream by MariJo Moore.

PBS would not be what it is today without the people. We can pick up books anywhere. We can’t find friends like these anywhere.

 

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!

 

Musings, Memories and Miscellany from our MoM’s

Sunday, April 10th, 2011

Today our Featured MoM is Diane G. (icesk8tr). Diane was our Member of the Month for January 2008

 

I have been a member since April 21, 2005. I discovered PBS through an article in the Atlanta paper at a time when I was out of books to read and the thought of spending $9.99 on a paperback was killing me. So, I immediately posted books and had some requested right away. I have gotten so many great books since I have joined and my TBR pile has grown to over 400 books now!!

It has been fun watching PBS change and evolve over the years. I remember a time when you were unable to send Personal Messages to other members. Once that option was added it opened up doors to be able to meet and get to know other PBS members. I have gained some lasting friendships because of this.

Once the Tour Guide program was started and I became a Tour Guide it enabled me to help new members learn more about how things worked on PBS. This really has been enjoyable and I enjoy getting to know the other Tour Guides better.

I have always enjoyed reading! My favorite books as a child were the Nancy Drew Mysteries. I mostly read mysteries and thrillers with the occasional hockey book, or biography.

For the next few hours I will be reading Lawrence Block, Burglar in the Library. I read about 2-3 books a week.

If you have any nominations for Member of the Month, submit them to us here.  Your nomination will not “expire”–anyone you nominate will have a chance at getting Member of the Month if enough nominations accumulate over time. Each month the person who has the most votes accumulated when the Newsletter goes to press gets to be Member of the Month and gets a newsletter mention and a nifty MoM icon to wear on profile and forum posts with pride.  So go for it! Tell us who’s helped you in the Forums, who’s been a great swapper, who in your opinion is a credit to PBS.  We are keeping a list of all the nominated members.  Who knows–one of them might be YOU!