Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Kerri Threw This My Way....

And I figured I'd catch it... Rather than catch up on my work....

So, thank you Kerri!

Total Number of Books Owned: Um, way way too many to count - hundreds? Maybe over a thousand? I have books still packed from our move last September - and I still have more than enough to read and re-read... Something about books - the way they feel and smell... It goes beyond the words for me. There's no feeling like being curled in a blanket with a good book.

Last book bought: I have purchased a kazillion books this summer... Probably to replace those that are still packed away. I think the very last one bought was Snow by Orhan Pamuk. A friend of mine recommended it - and I was able to find a cheap used copy - but I've not yet gotten around to reading it.

Last Book Read: The last book I read was The Girls by Lori Lansens. A good read. A little fluffy in places - but well-written and compelling enough for me to have gotten past that minor flaw.

Five Books That Mean a Lot to You: I would agree with Kerri there are SO many.

1. White Nights and Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoevsky - The opening line of White Nights is one of my favorites... “It was a wonderful night. The sort of night that can only occur when we are young, dear reader. The sky was so starry and bright, that one glance was enough to make you ask yourself: surely ill-natured and peevish people can’t possibly exist under a sky like that, can they?” Beautiful, isn't it?
2. The Treasured Writings of Kahlil Gibran and The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. Gibran wove Eastern and Western theology, a mastery of language, and a clearly active imagination into poems, stories, and philosophical meanderings that get me. Every. Time.
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I was two years old when my Aunt Kaye and my Papa presented me with this book for Christmas. I can remember at four or five, my mother reading to me from it. I so related to the characters in that book, though their lives were clearly much different than my own. This book taught me about how reading can take you away from the present time and place - and give you insight that you'd never get in the world of your own experience.
4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - The 'newest' - most contemporary? - book to make my list. This book made me ache - and the writing was amazing.
5. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein - This book makes the list because it reminds me - and will remind me always of the Clara Barton Camp. Imagine finding a world of company just when you really, truly thought you were alone. That's Barton. And this book played a central part in closing ceremonies. Every time I read it to my niece or nephews, I am reminded of friends for whom I'd do anything - and who'd do anything for me.

Best Five Books You Read in the Last Year:
1. Chances Are: Adventures in Probability by Michael & Ellen Kaplan - So surprised I got through it and need to read it again - but given the subject matter - an excellent book.
2. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling - I loved this book and it only made me love the series more.
3. Shakespeare's Comedies edited by some guy whose name I don't know. Has Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, All's Well that Ends Well - and a host of others. I know lots of people don't like reading plays - they like seeing them. But reading them is grand fun, when it's Shakespearean Comedy. The guy (whomever he was - have you seen that whole debate?) was brilliantly funny.
4. Goodbye Mr Chips by James Hilton - I found a very old copy of this in the basement of our new home and decided to read it... So very glad I did. Also came with lots of notes from Bob's granddad - which made it even better.
5. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire - Yeah, yeah, I'm late to the game, but this was good.

So, I'm not tagging anyone in specific... All you readers out there - this is an open tag!

5 comments:

Shannon said...

There's nothing I love more than curling up with a good book.

I'll get my meme up over the weekend.

Thanks for adding to my list of books to read ;)

Nicole P said...

You're welcome... :)

Steph said...

Hi Nicole!

Thanks for the post. It reminded me that I need to start reading more.

I also loved Little Women! Jo was my favorite. I got chills when I read that you loved Lovely Bones. That book was amazing and I can't hear about it or see it without getting chills.

I need to do a better job keeping in touch - life has been crazy. Just wanted to say hi!

Major Bedhead said...

I had Little Women on my list, too. I love that book.

But I hated Wicked. I think I'm the only person on the planet who did. He just doesn't do it for me. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister wasn't that great either.

Naomi said...

Oooh... books in the last year:
Eat, Love, Pray
The Time Traveller's Wife
Unlundun
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
I Like You by Amy Sideris, which was so funny it just made me snort!!