Comments on: I Have Piles

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:40:57 +0000

Aargh! I always do that with your name, although I'm usually quick to correct it. My excuse is that I'm a big fan of interactive fiction, particularly the work of Andrew Plotkin, so I'm forever typing out his name elsewhere. Maybe I'm trying to subliminally channel his search engine traffic towards your book.

By: Arthur Plotnik

Arthur Plotnik — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:50:36 +0000

I’m proud to be one of your bookends, Mark, especially when you summarize my book (SPUNK & BITE) so kindly and deftly.
Thanks also for the tip on definr, the quick look-up site.

(The name is Plotnik, btw, not Plotkin, which means “fishmonger” in some slavic languages. Plotnik translates to noble “carpenter” in Russian. Both names are, of course, ridiculous.)

Best wishes.

By: Meaghan

Meaghan — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 13:38:34 +0000

Hi Mark!! I have to agree with the piles post because I have random piles of books all around my house as well, they keep growing and I am running out of room for them. It is a problem, but I can’t stop it. Anyways, I am excited to see what is to come on your blog :)

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 17:13:24 +0000

I highly recommend Maddox's The Alphabet of Manliness and John Scalzi's Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded for nudging purposes.

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:59:30 +0000

Thanks Michelle! I’m actually a veteran blogger, but this is my first blog dedicated to books and publishing, so it’s kind of old and new territory all rolled into one!

I fondly remember my first blog, dedicated to music reviews, which I started up in 1996, a whole year before the word “blog” was even invented. Those were the days before all the fancy content management software we have today, which meant having to handcraft the HTML for each page individually. I’m so glad things have evolved since then.

My other main blog is dedicated to the retro gaming scene. It’s fun to write about but the community (for lack of a better word) is very insular–no one really talks to one another. While Google Analytics says you’re getting a decent readership, it can feel like you’re shouting into the wind.

The book blogging community occupies the opposite end of the spectrum. You feel the love and camaraderie seeping out of each and every blog; and Twitter’s usually burning red hot with fast-paced discussions.

I certainly know where I prefer to be!

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 14:17:03 +0000

The inventor of the bookcase probably doesn’t like stackers very much. All those royalties from unsold bookcases they’ll never see, all because of our haphazard approach to book arrangement.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:23:43 +0000

Welcome to blogging. Rebecca sent me here. Looking forward to future posts. :)

By: Beth F

Beth F — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:53:07 +0000

You and I must share an office . . . such similar books. But I, of course, have no teetering stacks of books waiting patiently to be read (mostly because they already done teetered and are no longer stacked).

Welcome to the blogging world.

By: Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog

Rebecca @ The Book Lady's Blog — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 11:42:20 +0000

Talk about a post we can all identify with, Mark! Sometimes I think about what would happen if my house caught on fire with all of those piles of books inside, and really, not a single room would be safe. All that paper! Just waiting to burn up! It’s a horrid thought.

And I love that you guys also giggle over Bill Bryson. I’ve been asked not to read him in bed any more because of all the “hey, honey, you HAVE to hear this” nudging.

So glad you’re up & running!