Books. I've been tagged a tag which digs into my relationship with the literature of our world. Hard hard hard.
Once my brain has received such a challenge, well, it won't quiet itself down. I'm up before the sun again. I know the Dalai Lama gets up at four to meditate, but me? I'd rather be asleep. Meditation can wait. But apparently my brain wants to settle the issue of this tag in a way besides ignoring it, or doing it injustice through a too-hasty reply.
So, Deanna, here goes. Hope it's worthy of the honor of your tag.
My Current Reading List:
Well, thanks to Deanna, Fit Bodies, Fat Minds, by Os Guinness is on the list, along with...
Annie Dillard's An American Childhood
Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth
Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy (which seems to be making the rounds of those I know and love, thus I shall attempt it at last) Natural Capitalism which is a book my son, Ben, loaned me to answer some of the questions born from a conversation I had with him this summer on our back porch
A Kierkegaard Anthology, edited by Robert Bretall and
Crime and Punishment, by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Total Books in my Library:
I stopped counting at 1,000. What is this madness?
Last Books I've finished:
Thomas Merton's Seven Storey Mountain
The Intimate Merton: His Life from His Journals
The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women, by Naomi Wolf
Annie Dillard's Holy the Firm
Go North, Young Man, by Gordon Stoddard (read for the second time)
Last Book I Bought:
A Kierkegaard Anthology, edited by Robert Bretall,
Meaningful Books:
The Bible
The Most Real Being, by Jack Crabtree
Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis
My Favorite Books:
Okay, this is an amazing question. Which are my favorite books? Too long a list. I'm 51 years old and have been reading since I was four or five. As I sit here writing and deleting a list or a long excuse why I can't list, as I contemplate copping-out or waxing deep and apologetic, I realize I must do something with this category so I can go back to bed. "To bed! To bed! To bed, I said." Aha! Dr. Seuss. The beginning of books.
Okay, here goes, I shall close my eyes and let consciousness stream. The first five books I think of I shall write down. Here goes:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss
Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Shepherd's Castle, by George MacDonald
Go North, Young Man, by Gordon Stoddard
Son of Laughter, by Frederick Buechner
Like some crazy high-speed movie the images of books flip through my brain, decades of joy, tears, laughter, thoughtfulness, and heartache all derived from....books. How I love them.
That's the best I can do...at four in the morning.
13 comments:
That's amazing for four in the morning!
Now I feel like a book failure, Cherie. ;) But at least I'm inspired....
Book failure? Not you!
You are definitely word rich, and one of my favorite reads.
I like your new profile photo!
I'm sorry if the book question woke you so early, but I'm glad if it gave you something to do while awake, anyway. I awoke at 4:30, myself (grabbed a short nap since then).
The favorite books question is the hardest. I, too, love the little house series and Dr. Suess. Mere Christianity was one of my meaningful choices, as would also be Crime and Punishment and Anna K.
More than a thousand books. You go, girl!
I did a meme like this a couple of years ago. I just counted the books on one shelf and multiplied by the number of shelves. We had over 900 at that time. Whew!
Pearl Buck is one of my favorite authors! Her writing gives a wonderful insight into the Chinese psyche.
The Grinch is my favorite Christmas show of all time! Boris Karloff's narration is the BEST!
A reference to the Little House books always brings a smile to my face. Laura was an amazing story teller!
When in doubt, always start with Seuss!
Hey, maybe I will see you next month!
;-)
No need to apologize, Deanna, for ruminating over my friends, my books, is a fulfilling past time any old moment of the day. I did make it back to bed and winked out a few more hours. Ahhh....
Tshs, It's easy to form a large library in a house full of avid readers, isn't it. I think you guys read as much as we do. Thanks for the comment!
Pammie! You're coming out here? When? Yay! Are your folks okay? Would be bliss to see you - has your tan faded, yet?
1000 books=madness??? I don't think so. Otherwise, I'd be afraid to find out what I am. I think I have close to 3,000 (but no Kierkegaard, alas), and one internet friend has double that. I'm trying to get mine cataloged at the Library Thing.
Thanks for the encouragement, Patti. Good to know it's not madness after all. Right now my total collection is cataloged in my head, which is oh, so temporary. You are smart to get yours done the right way.
Hey, I'd like to get together with you and Deanna when you and your kids are in town. Maybe we can all meet here at my house for tea or lunch one day - any day, you can pick whichever one works best for your schedule. What d'ya think? Sam can get my number from Joe when you are ready. I'd love it!
That would be great, Cherie. I'd love that, too. Thanks for the offer.
I started keeping a record in 2nd grade after a teacher I never got along with accused me of not reading the assigned books. Still got notebooks full of titles I add to constantly. Let's see, born in the mid 1940s, discount for eye problems and work conflicts, figure 2-3 books of various genres per week, hmmmmm. I'm a 'book snob'!!!hehehe Never created a library beyond reference books due to constant moves for work. Books are too heavy to add to household goods. I envy you yours:)
Oh, good, Patti! Just let me know the day and time that works and we'll do it.
Mike, how interesting it is that you have that list! Wish I'd had the foresight to do such a thing. I know what you mean about heavy books and moving. I go through my collection every few years and weed many of them out, giving them away, sometimes selling them. I mean, after all, humans have to live in this house, too. ; )
Wow... go Cherie. That was fantastic. I'm postponing my response to this one because of too much else to do, but you, Deanna and a few others are inspiring me to read more. My Mum and Dad had several thousand books... I'd be up in the hundreds, but not sure if I'd hit a thousand. Actually probably not even that much... but there are a lot.
It was not an easy task, writing about my books and reading habits in a selective manner such as this tag proved to be, Cecily. I understand your waiting for a bit of time to respond. You are young, you'll reach 1,000 book-friends one of these days....
Actually, though, this is a place where quality beats out quantity any day. I know a woman who has thousands of romance/Christian novels. Not a library I envy.... ; )
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