250K Bonus: Books from Pat’s Library (And 100K: Favorite Things)

This is a Worldbuilders Blog.

This weekend Worldbuilders passed 250,000 dollars. So today, I’m going to kick in the bonus I promised to add to the Lottery: 200 books from my personal library.

But first, I’m going to kick in the 100k bonus: Some of my favorite things. Which, come to think of it, I probably should have called, “Joss Whedon, plus a few other classic bits of Geekery on DVD.”

Everything in today’s blog we’re giving away lottery-style. Which means if you donate on The Worldbuilders Team page, you have a chance to win these things as well as many others.

Here’s the first thing that I like to think of as:

  • All the Whedon.

(Click to Embiggen)

Let’s not beat around the bush here, I’m a geek for Whedon. I made my public declaration of love two years ago on the blog, and nothing has changed since then. I still miss Firefly. I still love Buffy. I still maintain a tiny shrine to Whedon, where I burn candles and leave him gifts of dried flowers, whiskey, and the still-warm hearts of my enemies.

This is everything you need to be a proper Whedon fan. All of Buffy, all of Angel, Dr. Horrible’s sing-along Blog, Firefly, Serenity, and Cabin in the Woods. I’ve also thrown in Buffy: Making of a Slayer by Nancy Holder, and the book that came out in October – Firefly: A Celebration.

Also included is Dollhouse. I didn’t leave it out as a snub. I just couldn’t find a way to include it without ruining the symmetry of the picture. Which I’m fully willing to admit is a stupid reason.

Still, it’s my blog and my fundraiser. I can have my little ways.

  • More Whedon.

The above prize is all one big chunk of awesome. But we’ll be giving out these grouped into 3-4 prizes.

This is somewhere between a Whitman’s sampler of Whedon, and getting your first hit for free from a drug dealer.

Not that I have any personal experience with that sort of thing, of course.

  • Classic Geekery on DVD.

When I was in high school, Twin Peaks was the show we obsessed over and then got pissed off when it was canceled. This was back before Firefly, you realize, and we had yet to learn what sorrow truly was.

Red Dwarf is a classic BBC series that is funny as hell. I weep that many of you have never heard of it.

And if you need me to explain to you what the Twilight Zone is…. Man, I don’t even know how I would go about fixing your egregious lack of cultural savvy. You should probably just go throw yourself into a well and restore from a much earlier save point, because you’ve been playing the game wrong for a long time….

  • $250,000 stretch goal: Books from Pat’s Library

My life has always operated on a book-based economy.

When I was a kid, that’s where my allowance went, and things didn’t change much in high school, either.

In college, I was all kinds of poor. It wasn’t odd for me to go 6 months without buying clothes. I once wore the same pair of shoes for three years. I even cut my own hair a couple times to save money.

But I bet I never went a full two weeks without buying a book.

Through all of this, the only breaking mechanism on my book hoarding tendencies was money. I was poor as a kid, poor as a student, poor as a teacher….

And then I got published. Suddenly not only did I have money to spend and to lend, but every book I bought was tax deductible. Which was important because now I had enough money for the government to want some of it.

So I bought books. So many books. Crazy amounts of books. I bought books until I ran out of shelf space. Then I bought shelves until I ran out of space in my house. I’m thinking of buying a new house now, and you know what one of the biggest reasons is? I need more space for books. I’m not even kidding.

You know what else? When you’re an author, people just *give* you books. They shovel books onto you. Do you have any idea how weird that is?

Also, I tend to prowl used bookstores a lot. And I have a crap memory. So a lot of times I bring back books only to realize that I already have a copy because someone gave it to me as a present. Or because a publisher wanted me to blurb it. Or because I already bought it myself. Twice.

And I tend to buy extra copies of my favorite books just to give away. Because it causes me physical pain when I learn an avid fantasy fan hasn’t read The Last Unicorn, or Stardust, or the Dresden Files, or Discworld….

At one point, I had more than a dozen copies of Neverwhere on my shelf. I’m pretty sure Sarah thought I was developing OCD….

What’s my point?

My point is that my library ends up kinda… cluttered. Not with crap books, but with good books. Books I love. Books that need a good home.

So here you go:

  • 200 Books from Pat’s Library.

(If you Embiggen this, you can read the titles…)

The obsessive among you will note there aren’t 200 books there. That’s because I pulled out some duplicates to make the picture more manageable.

Most of these are out of my personal stockpile, but some I did buy just to give away. Most notably the Sandman Slim series, which I read for the first time a couple months ago and loved with a fierce love. And Wil Wheaton’s books, which I read last year and enjoyed to much that I reviewed them not just once, but twice.

And the Dresden Files. I might be OCD, but I don’t typically have extra copies of entire 12 book series just sitting around. (Which I now realize are out of order on the shelf. That’s irritating….)

These books are going to be broken up into about 40 different prizes for the lottery. That way the winners will get more books, and we’ll be able to keep the series together.

One quick question before I’m done:

What do you guys think about this style of blog, where I take fewer pictures of bigger groups of books?

And also a heads-up: Worldbuilders is finished on January 21st. So now’s the time to donate and spread the word….

*     *     *

If you’d like a chance to win some of these things while making the world a better place, donate on the Worldbuilders Team Page. For every $10 you pitch in, you get another chance to win thousands of books and DVD’s.

Worldbuilders is running some auctions too. You can view all of our current auctions over here.

If you want to see the other items that have been donated to Worldbuilders, or learn more about the fundraiser itself, you can head over to our main page.

This entry was posted in Joss Whedon, Worldbuilders 2012. By Pat38 Responses

38 Comments

  1. Posted January 7, 2013 at 7:51 AM | Permalink

    Your continued generosity never ceases to amaze me. God bless you, Pat.

  2. Constance
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 7:54 AM | Permalink

    Let me be the first of your readers to call you a Smeghead for assuming we haven’t watched Red Dwarf. :D

    • Posted January 7, 2013 at 7:57 AM | Permalink

      I said *many* of you. Not *all* of you….

      • AlanAdams23
        Posted January 7, 2013 at 9:17 AM | Permalink

        I fully expected you to say “In MY day, we had to watch Red Dwarf on PBS on a 13 inch non-HD TV and WE LIKED IT! Now get off my lawn!!!”

      • Constance
        Posted January 7, 2013 at 10:57 AM | Permalink

        Hrm. True. I retract it and instead call you a small, off-duty Czechoslovakian traffic warden.

  3. Blarghedy
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 8:27 AM | Permalink

    I rarely embiggen pictures you post to look at them (or at least pictures of books), but it is nice to have the cover art to glance at. I like cover art. I’m sure it’s a bit tedious to post that many individual pictures, though.

    Do you tend to buy paperback or hardcover books? I noticed that most of those in the picture are hardcover.

  4. Posted January 7, 2013 at 9:05 AM | Permalink

    I like the idea of pictures of multibooks. I can better imagine them nestling on my bookshelves that way.

    Constance – *snork*

  5. AlanAdams23
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 9:10 AM | Permalink

    Will there be some designator that these books came from your personal stockpile? A silly little inscription from the mighty Rothfuss or an “Oot Approved” bookmark maybe?

  6. jpylus
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 9:51 AM | Permalink

    What is the comparison to where Worldbuilders was around this time last year? Are we ahead of last years?

  7. Valarya
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 9:51 AM | Permalink

    I can appreciate seeing rows and rows of books on shelves. In fact, I’d love to see a picture of an entire room of your shelves, Pat… sort of like the photos Gaiman released a couple years ago of his “library:” http://io9.com/5352953/take-a-peek-inside-neil-gaimans-library/gallery/1

    (I’m guessing it’s cool to post links to elsewhere as long as it’s relevant to the conversation? And… legit. If not, feel free to delete this post.)

    • mandabanda
      Posted January 7, 2013 at 10:00 AM | Permalink

      I just went to see Gaiman’s library. DROOL. That is a life goal of mine. I want a room that is only a library, and I want it that full!

  8. Marcus Cox
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 10:12 AM | Permalink

    What is that Locke and Key book? I love the graphic novels, but have never seen that particular spine before.

    Oh Locke and Key, how I love thee. The anticipation for Omega just might make me not trade wait like I’ve always done.

  9. Posted January 7, 2013 at 10:40 AM | Permalink

    Holy awesomeness, Batman!

    brb, need to donate more.

  10. Kendall
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 11:03 AM | Permalink

    Pix of groups of books makes sense to me, though I’m fine with scrolling through and admiring the multiple pic approach, too.

    Re. buying books you own without meaning to, if you have a smart phone or tablet, I recommend one of those programs that keeps track of books…though you have to get the data in, once it’s in, it’s easy to keep updated. But if you own 1 billion books, it would be quite a task to get the data in initially (especially if, like me, you have plenty of pre-ISBN books). I think there’re web sites to do this but I’m not into that so I recommend the program or app route. (I use Readerware on my Mac and then import the data into another program on my iPhone, but he’s making an iOS app so that’ll be a lot simpler soon. I hope the plug is okay….)

  11. lodi16b
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 11:06 AM | Permalink

    I like this style Worldbuilders blog better as opposed to the separate pictures of every book…

  12. ericturner29
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 11:16 AM | Permalink

    What do you guys think about this style of blog, where I take fewer pictures of bigger groups of books?

    I think it would be really silly to waste your time taking pictures of 200 books (or 40 sets for winners, I suppose) separately.

  13. Posted January 7, 2013 at 11:18 AM | Permalink

    I just finished book I of SANDMAN SLIM last night. It was awesomeable. I couldn’t put it down. I stayed up waaaaaaaay too late last night finishing it, but it was worth it. Next book, please!

    I love engaging with you and all the others on Worldbuilders every year–it makes me feel like I’m doing something very important and compassionate. Thanks for doing this every year, Pat.

    Jules in Reno

  14. CancerKiller
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 11:33 AM | Permalink

    I like the larger group pictures. Cover art is nice to see as someone up further said, but not necessary in the context of Worldbuilders.

  15. fb
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 12:08 PM | Permalink

    I would love to win The Last Unicorn. Do you know how hard it is to find that book to buy in UK?!

    • kaleid
      Posted January 7, 2013 at 7:30 PM | Permalink

      Also impossible to find in Australia, as we are grouped with GB..though I can of course order it in from the US. I guess I will see if Amazon will let me buy it….
      But anyways, yes, It would be great if you could do a special draw for the Last Unicorn for someone in Great Britain or Australia. I would donate more if you did!

  16. Posted January 7, 2013 at 12:17 PM | Permalink

    I think buying a new house to fit more books is legitimate.
    I was thinking of getting another this year because I need more room for my gaming table….

    I mean…ehem….dining table. Whatever….

    Anyway – Yes, I like your pictures on this blog better.
    I like it when you take the photos of the books seperately as well, because it usually has a little blurb or something.
    But I think all the books together is better just because I’m lazy and I have to scroll less. If I’m really interested I can just blow up the photo, if I’m not really interested, it keeps your writing more cohesive.

    Just my honest opinion….

  17. Posted January 7, 2013 at 2:30 PM | Permalink

    Is there a way to participate in lottery with PayPal or Amazon Payments? At least PayPal was possible in the past….

    • Amanda
      Posted January 7, 2013 at 2:38 PM | Permalink

      Unfortunately, not this year, as Heifer had to overhaul their website and back end. They’ve tried to make things as simple as possible for you, and if you don’t have a credit card, they’ve got you covered as well. Our FAQ has more information on that if you need it.

      • Posted January 7, 2013 at 2:58 PM | Permalink

        Thank you Amanda. But is very problematic to send a check internationally. Cashing them takes usually most of its value :-(.

        Background: I dislike giving my credit card data. Amazon & PayPal get it, no one else. My daily work is IT security and i have seen too much to put any trust in small shops protecting their data. Sorry, no offense meant.

        I am willing to send you the money directly via PayPal since i don’t need the tax writeoff (Heifers confirmation does not count with my tax office).

        • huchamabacha
          Posted January 7, 2013 at 5:02 PM | Permalink

          Isn’t it Heifer who actually gets the credit card information, though? Heifer’s a pretty big, well-known charity. I wouldn’t think they have too many problems with credit card fraud/theft.

        • huchamabacha
          Posted January 7, 2013 at 5:15 PM | Permalink

          Though if you’re still uncomfortable, you could go buy a visa gift card or something like that and then use that to donate to Heifer. (Which should accept it, I used one last year)

          • Posted January 8, 2013 at 11:22 AM | Permalink

            Thank you for that hint. I will try to get one.

        • Sandhya
          Posted January 7, 2013 at 8:53 PM | Permalink

          Hi Masek,
          Heifer is huge! It is not a “small shop”. I have been shopping on line for years, only at established stores, like Amazon and have never had a problem. I reallly think you would be just as safe giving your credit card info to Heifer, as safe as Amazon and PayPal. Cheers

          • Posted January 8, 2013 at 11:28 AM | Permalink

            huchamabacha had a recommendation i will try.

            I did not mean to discredit Heifer or doubt their commitment to a safe experience, but experience had me setup some personal safety rules.

            Thanks for your comment.

  18. Alacrin
    Posted January 7, 2013 at 2:32 PM | Permalink

    So glad you read Barry Hughart. I love Master Li and Number Ten Ox. Great stuff.

    Also, I enjoy the books grouped together… it makes the blog a little more cohesive rather then feeling like I’m going through a gallery.

    As an aside, thank you for everything Pat. I don’t really comment on much, but I read everything.

    Thank you.

  19. Posted January 7, 2013 at 4:01 PM | Permalink

    I really like this layout better! Makes reading the blow smother with less scrolling. I am deff a fan!

  20. sparrowhawk
    Posted January 8, 2013 at 1:50 AM | Permalink

    This layout was very nice. I appreciated the condensed format!

    Also, these are really awesome prizes and I am so impessed with World Builders this year! It’s amazing how fast this cgarity grows in recognition, donations, and community all of the time!

  21. Dracc
    Posted January 8, 2013 at 4:54 AM | Permalink

    This style is way better. I seriously skip all of the Worldbuilder donation blogs because they are so cluttered and full of stuff I don’t really care about. When organized like this, I actually took the time to read the whole blog and wasn’t turned off by presentation of material that I am less interested in.

  22. Luke
    Posted January 8, 2013 at 8:16 AM | Permalink

    In college, I was all kinds of poor. It wasn’t odd for me to go 6 months without buying clothes. I once wore the same pair of shoes for three years. I even cut my own hair a couple times to save money.

    Curious, now that you are no longer poor, do you still do these things?

    I ask because I have never truly been poor but was raised that doing those things just made sense. My wife and I banter about it all the time because she thinks I need to throw out clothes & shoes 6-9 months before I do.

  23. JFSOCC
    Posted January 8, 2013 at 2:04 PM | Permalink

    I knew you were a fan of Whedon when I read you called the docks in Tarbean the Eavesdown Docks.

  24. DrFood
    Posted January 8, 2013 at 10:45 PM | Permalink

    Aw man, you watched Twin Peaks in High School? Now I’m really feeling old. My friends and I had a great watch party–mainlined the entire series in one night, keeping track of names and relationships on a big poster board, drinking coffee and eating pie–in Medical School.

    Sigh.

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