The Library Meme, as invented at Gwenda Bond's blog:
List all the books you have checked out from the library. (My addition) 'Splain.
I'm down from my recent high of 41 books, but my all-time best was in the 70s, I do believe. Right now, I merely have 20.
The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Keith Goldsworthy.
Sometimes you gotta know everything there is to know about the Roman army, okay? And for me, "sometimes" means "most of the time." I was particularly checking this out for The Roman and the Regency in full-length novel version, but there are other applications.)
New perspectives on English historical linguistics
Because I am a junky for the history of English. Linguistics is cool, etymology is fine, but the history of the words I use to write every day? Crack, man. It's crack.
The war of 1886, between the United States and Great Britain by Samuel Rockwell Reed
This book--pamphlet, really--was published in 1882. It was clearly written as polemic about our relationship with Britain at the time. Okay, that's my interpretation, anyway. But what is awesome about this is the manner in which it is written, which is as a historical document outlining the war as it happened. It's early speculative fiction, is what it is.
Romantic conventions
A book about reading romances. I could probably take this one back, the parts I've delved into aren't enticing me to read further. Basically, I was trying to figure out what the root of my desire to read romances was.
Becoming a woman through romance by Linda K. Christian-Smith
Same project as above. This one looks more interesting.
Warfare and society in the barbarian West, 450-900 by Guy Halsall
When, exactly, do you write epic medieval fantasy and not need a book like this? Though, according to my new rules, I shouldn't be reading this, or at least, shouldn't be holding on to it, because I'm not, theoretically, working on Heroes of the Cold Island, and yet, here the book is.
Fighting techniques of the medieval world AD 500 to AD 1500
*cough* See above.
Lost in space by Marleen Barr
"Probing Feminist Sciece Fiction and Beyond." Need I say more?
Human evolutionary psychology by Louise Barrett
I firmly believe you have to have a really good handle on humanity before you can successfully write aliens. Plus, evolutionary psychology in general is a really good place to start with aliens, or any species. Though this is a bit textbooky (as it's a textbook), and my efforts to read it cover-to-cover are being met with narcolepsy.
The sounds of the world's languages by Peter Ladefoged
I have some mental image that I will consult this book when trying to make up alien languages. I am beginning to wonder how it would help me, though.
The diffusion of military technology and ideas
*loudly* And why not?
The healing hand Guido Majno
I'm not far into this, but have already taken sheets and sheets of notes. It's about wound doctorin' in them there ancient times. Great stuff.
The past in prehistoric societies by Richard Bradley
I need to get working on this. This is supposed to tell me everything I need to know about Lurian history for By Right of Conquest.
Presenting young adult science fiction Suzanne Elizabeth Reid
An underloved sector of YA. I'm curious.
The evolution of fashion by Margot Hamilton Hill
Covers 1066 to 1930, has amaaaaaazing details (written) about colors, fabrics, ways of dressing, for both men and women, and then has some very rough pattern shapes so you can discern how the clothes were put together, and it's JUST so COOL when you're trying to dress a medieval warrior woman or a Regency buck or, you know, almost anyone except jumpsuit-wearing space cowboys.
Frozen earth: the once and future story of ice ages by JD Macdougall
I should really read this. Even if I don't ever write "Thaw," which is what I got it for.
Why we read fiction Lisa Zunshine
I read the first chapter of this and it ATE my brain. I need to finish this.
Master class in fiction writing by Adam Sexton
This has some great exercises in it, but you kind of have to read the short stories that go along with it, and it's like, sheesh, who has the time??? Someday, maybe I will...
Fashion and its social agendas by Diana Crane
Sounds good. Haven't had a chance yet, though...
The forest for the trees by Betsy Lerner
I've mentioned this one. I'm reading faster now, as it's been recalled. *sigh* Not that there isn't another perfectly serviceable copy at another library on campus!
My thought as I prowled the stacks today in search of an untranslation of Sophocles' Antigone was that I love working for a major academic library--because when I get a wild hare to know something arcane, bang, zoom, I can learn something arcane by my next coffee break, and without relying on the internets. My Google-fu is not such that I could easily find a double-text version of Antigone last night, with Ancient Greek and an English translation side-by-side, but I knew that, with patience, I could have it in my hot little hands ASAP.* I was right.
I spent last evening taking notes from a book of tickets and invitations from the Regency era; tomorrow I'll take notes from a book on street-life in the early 1800's in London. I'm getting ready to write (or finish) a Regency, methinks. But I'm always getting ready to write a lot of things... I have a book on ice ages I need to finish, and a heckuva lot of Roman era stuff and nonsense.
My Google-fu may lack, but my library-fu is pretty damn good. And I'm not even an expert there, either.
* Apparently, one of the librarians asked some kids if they thought they were expert web researchers, and they all said yes. Apparently, this is Generation Y. This Gen Xer would have suggested yours truly is at best a high ranking amateur web researcher, but that the good shit is not on the web yet anyway. I exhibited no surprise to the anecdote, and wondered why the librarian thought she was not an expert--the fault is not with her Boolean capabilities, but with what there is to surf. If the site exists, I can probably find it. Not every site exists; or if it does, it's probably not any good.
In the absence of life-content (I spent most of the day driving around looking for a nursery that didn't exist with my long-suffering stepdaughter in the backseat scrolling through my iPod and tormenting me with endless repetitions of "Hey Ya" played via my PodFreq) and writing-content (last night I outlined a story and tonight I'm work-working from home, updating webpages), I present selections from my bookmark file.
Figures of Time: I don't know why I thought I needed this for writing research, but it is fascinating reading.
3-D Starmaps: multiple uses for the science fiction writer in your life.
Nuclear War Survival Skills: Improvised Clothing and Protective Items: just the thing for post-apocalyptic fiction.
Greek and Latin Roots: I find this helpful in making up names for characters, when I don't go the direct route like using a baby name book.
The Meaning of Meow and Sounds of the World's Animals: Cats: I was writing a story about a cat on a space station (still am writing, technically), but this would work for most any cat story. If you were a cat story writer.
Nova's Time Travel Page: has links to Sagan's commentaries on time travel. W00t!
Next time it comes to this, I will expose you all to my octopus and squid research. Count on it!