Sunday, June 12

Bookshelf Friends

I was tickled pink to be tagged by Catez for the following book meme. However, I must admit that I told Mel about a week ago that I would pick up a tag on it that she dangled out. I never posted it, because I wanted to think a bit more about it and have since gotten distracted. So I guess I've just gone and double tagged myself. Imagine that!

Click link to continue reading:

Total books owned, ever:
I couldn't even begin to guess, more then a couple thousand. I borrow more than I use to and I try to pass the books that I do buy along very quickly. Which keeps them number I own at any one time down.

Last book(s) I bought:
Last week I bought Before Your Pregnancy: A 90-Day Guide for Couples on How to Prepare for a Healthy Conception by Amy Ogle, MS, RD, and Lisa Mazzullo, MD.
Bought for obvious reasons, this is a well-organized guide and its advice seems to be quite sound.

Last book I read:
Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs. I finish this up a while ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a memoir of a young homosexual man who has an unbelievable insane family life. It's quick reading and immensely entertaining. I though I had an odd growing up, but thankfully few of have one quite as odd as his.

Five books that mean a lot to me:
This is the part that had me completely stumped. I haven't really thought of any better answers, but this is what comes to mind at the time.
  1. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. This is by far the book that I read the most as a child. It served as a familiar and safe fansiful-land with a happily-ever-after ending that I needed through some turbulent times. My copy of it fell apart quite a while ago, but eventually I bought a beautiful hardcover version of it, just to have even if I never read it again.
  2. Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving. This is a collection of short stories and a brief memoir by one of my favorite authors. I loaned this book out a while ago and I'm getting very anxious that I might not get it back. I really would like to add everything that he's ever written to this list, but well I must make my choices. I'm excited to add that John Irving has another book coming out this summer, Until I Find You. I can' wait!
  3. Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! by Rosetta Stone. This is another sentimental book for me. The apple of my eye to this day is my little brother, who is eight years younger than me. This was his favorite book as a young child and I read it to him many, many, many times. It's a completely silly story that rhymes and builds up momentum as it explains all of the craziness that happened "... because, just because, a little bug sneezed."
  4. Sword of No Blade by Joan Baxter. I feel that I need to add something philosophical here. This is collection of brief stories that are extremely and purposefully Zen in nature. I'll often read one when I'm feeling wound up and they always seem pertinent and help me see rightly.
  5. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. This is a not very optimistic novel based on where it looks like modern western society is taking us. I've mainly placed it on this list to round things out a bit, but if somebody wanted to know my politics I would very likely hand them this book. It's not her best written novel, but it tackles all kinds of meaty issues.
Now tag 5 people:
I taggeth Sue, Julie, Waterfall, Andrea, andColleen. If you don't want to do it, just let me know and I'll tag someone else.

I wanted to add that I am currently rereading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling. As I am eagarly anticipating the July 16th release date of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

UPDATE: Sue has very politely declined the offer to meme, as it doesn't fit well with her blog. However, she has answered it in my comments below.

Therefore, I have asked Pearl to participate, although I'm not sure if she does these things.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Lora, I'll be happy to do the book meme. I might take up to a week, but probably not that long. Thanks for asking. As far as your link goes, all the links on my site for you seem to work fine for me. ??

Waterfall said...

Sounds like fun! I'll probably post something tomorrow or Tuesday. Thanks for tagging me!

Michele said...

Oh, I love any and all book talk. I have met Margaret Atwood and often see her at neighbourhood coffee shoppes and book stores. She is a wonderful writer and very well known around Toronto. I agree with you that it is not her best book BUT it is still an Atwood book and therefore engaging.

Stopping by to say hello and to add you to my blogroll.

Kevin said...

I enjoy reading, but I don't have too many faves. The Harry Potter books are great, and I really enjoyed Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy. Non-fiction wise, the late Ian McDonald's "Revolution in the Head" is brilliant. But only if you like The Beatles.

Oh, almost forgot. Here today from Michele's.

Sue said...

Oh! Thanks for choosing me... and now I think I understand what a meme is. Kind of like a blog chain letter? Trouble is, although I love anything to do with books (and we probably own a couple of thousand here in Cyprus and almost as many packed away in the UK) I don't think this would fit with my blog. I intended it for family and friends in the UK primarily, who want to know about daily life here, and I think they'd all be mystified and confused if I suddenly posted answers to this questionnaire! I wondered about putting it in my book reviews blog but it doesn't really fit there either... so then I thought about creating a new blog for questionnaires and quizzes only... but I'm already considering making one for recipes and at this rate I could end up with far more than I would ever get around to mainaining.

Does this sound like I'm making excuses?! I don't intend it that way, more to give my thought processes after I read this. But the deciding factor is that I can't think of anyone who blogs who I would ask to do this.

So, since you said it's OK to say no, I think I'd rather not. But thanks for suggesting me, which motivated me to do some research to discover what a meme is in the blog world!

Sue said...

PS to answer the questions anyway, should anyone be interested, in my entire life Ivé probably owned at least 5,000 books but that's only a vague estimate. Last book I bought was The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon, fifth in the Outlander series which I've been enjoying very much. Last book I read, rather embarrassingly, was PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern. I only bought it because I saw it in a second-hand shop, and had read some positive reviews about it from people whose taste I respect. I thought it wasn't bad - I loved the concept, and some of the characterisation was good too. It certainly kept me reading. But the style was rather juvenile, and some of the stuff people got up to quite unbelievable. I'll review it later on my books blog.

As for five books that mean a lot to me, I can't possibly narrow it down to five! The Bible comes top, and then I guess Jane Eyre (which I read and adored as a teenager), and Dogger by Shirley Hughes which is my all-time favourite children's book, and Please Understand Me II by David Keirsey which really confirmed my INFJ type, and the entire Starbridge series by Susan Howatch, and everything by CS Lewis, and everything I've read so far by Philip Yancey, and almost everything by Rosamunde Pilcher, and.. and....

Anonymous said...

Sure, I'll give it a shot. thanks for the invite. So far as Fast ForWord Software, I haven't see it in action apart from a demo. I don't know anyone who used it but I've heard a run down on the statistics of how it improves performance and the number of school boards now using it. It twigs my curiosity.

Catez said...

Interesting Lora. I once heard went to a Margaret Attwood reading - she was very good. I remember reading The World According to Garp years ago - that was John Irving wasn't it? I enjoyed that book.
And a pregnancy guide eh...

Lora said...

Yes The World According to Garp is by John Irving's most well known work. Amazingly enough I have not yet read it, yet!

I would love to go to a reading by either Atwood or Irving. Irving was in Austin in Febuary for a speaking engagement, but I did not attend it. I wish I had.

Kel said...

I love the title "running with scissors"

sounds how i feel when cornered with relatives for too long!

andrea said...

yes, I'd be delighted to participate! I love books, love to read and have been wanting to bring that up in my blog, anyway. I may wait a week or so to do it because I just posted a music meme not too long ago. heaven forbid I should meme everyone to death. also, I want to think it over a bit. books have played such a large part in the shaping of who I am...

thanks so much for asking me! this should be really fun.

Bearette said...

interesting. i heard that augusten burroughs may have fudged aspects of his memoirs (like james frey). i was so disappointed by john irving's most recent book. i hope he gets back in the saddle soon, and writes a better one.

have fun tomorrow!