Hi again... I first delurked somewhere else (well, the first "first" would be two years ago), it just hit me you guys actually subscribe to different sets of threads (not an option in my "home" forum on WX), so I hope I don't seem too abrupt to people who haven't seen me around before. My ambition is to read everything! :)

I was very interested in the SF discussion you had going on in here, I haven't read contemporary SF and fantasy since the early nineties, so I feel sorta updated on the trends...

I still can't resist bargain books.

*sighs heavily in complete understanding*

Hey, I found the first 3 books in the P.N. Elrod Vampire Files series in one volume at Half-Price Books (wooo, cheap books!). I'd never read it, and I didn't realize till I actually opened the first page that they are set in the 1930's! I thought they were modern setting, and had never worked up an interest (how many vampire/slayer/zombie queen/werewolf/ghosthunting private dicks running around 1990's/2000 America do we really NEED, anyway?)

They were pretty good. I was happily engrossed, and entertained. And the anthology only included the first three, so I have some potential light reading still out there, all ready for me to just buy it! Woo and hoo.

Hi Lola! C'mon by and stay awhile, the reading around here is always fine. I keep learning about books I never would have picked up.

I once saw one of those home makeover shelves and one of the big points the hosts made was the homeowners needed to divest themselves of all their superfluous books. This turned out to be a short shelf with maybe 20 best-sellers on it, and I laughed evilly when I thought about the way those fashionable metrosexuals would have blanched in terror faced with just my Wall of Books #1.

I once saw a great home decorating book all about decorating with books! It had wonderful photos of houses with walls lined with books and framed art/photos hanging from the shelf edges (if you needed to get to a book behind the framed item, you just took it off the nail, retrieved your book, and replaced it on the nail), big art books being used as the base for a glass-topped coffee table, and other brilliant suggestions for dealing with big book collections.

My favorite home decor story comes from the old TT Book Sluts thread--the poster was a carpenter who had worked on the installation of a beautifully done home library, with cherry shelves and all the bells and whistles possible. About a month later, he came back to the house for another job, and decided to peek into the library to see how they decked it out. He was shocked and disappointed to see that they were using the shelves for knickknacks and some obviously color-coordinated books, probably picked out by the decorator. What a waste!

One episode of Designer Guys showed the hosts going to an antique book dealer to find out the best way to choose, handle, and display books. They had a book-oriented client, so they decided to embrace book-love and do it up right.

And that's when they became my one true Cutiehead Design Team.

ETA: And they have a book of their own. [link]

I once saw a great home decorating book all about decorating with books!

Was it this one?

Yep, that's it! I recognize that cover.

For the extreme niche, it should be a book about decorating with books about books.

And that's when they became my one true Cutiehead Design Team.

Those are the former Designer Guys! they have two new shows called: Design Rivals [link] and So Chic! [link]

Here are the new Designer Guys: [link]

Thanks, Megan. I get Design Rivals on one of the home improvement channels (yay deep cable). Sadly, I think Steven dyed his lovely red hair sort of brownish on DR (probably because he wanted to wear a lot of pink shirts), so my fondness for tall, chatty red-heads with big hands doesn't get quite as much play. But he and Chris are still loads of fun to watch. And they put together some good looking rooms, too.