Tagged AGAIN
By Michael this time! This list is about books.
Total number of books:
I've got somewhere around 250 catalogued on LibraryThing (links on my sidebar), and I'd guess that's about half of the books I own. I'm going to say between 500 and 600.
Last book I read:
I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and LOVING it. So much fun science! And it make me feel smart when I understand the fun science. My uncle gave me this book a few years ago for Christmas and I read the first few chapters; I'm just now getting around to digging into it fully.
I'm also in the middle of some museum law and object conservation books. The last book I finished was Hellboy: The Troll Witch and other stories.
Last book I bought:
For myself? Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia at the signing last Friday. For others? Tony Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic and David Chandler's Exploring the Night Sky With Binoculars.
5 Meaningful Books:
1. My favorite book of all time is Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. I first read it in the 4th grade. I think I'd read every other book in the library already and was kind of bored, so I finally went to the school librarian, Mrs. Wallio, for recommendations. She led me to a shelf - I still remember which one, a lower shelf near the door to the hall - and suggested The Phantom Tollbooth. I loved it as soon as I read it. Almost 20 years later I still adore it. As I got older, I got more of the jokes and allegory and grew to appreciate it on increasingly complex levels. I credit the acrobatic language for sparking a lifelong interest in linguistics. I love the overall celebration of the joy of learning and the pleasures of polymathy. Every time I feel listless, I can open this book to almost any chapter and instantly reawaken my sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. The Phantom Tollbooth is kind of my handbook for life. And it makes me utterly, blissfully happy.
2. The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman. When asked to write an college entrance essay on a work of art, music, or literature that most influenced my life, I chose The Best Nest. Yes, it's a picture book. My mother read us dozens, probably hundreds, of books when we were little, but I have some of the clearest memories of this one. We read this one a LOT. I am thankful to my Mom for many many things, but I think one of the greatest things she did for Michael and I was read to us from the day we could hold our heads up as infants. I credit most of my success in school, as well as the simple love of reading and learning that brings so much joy to my life, to all of the hours my Mom and I sat and read together when I was growing up. The Best Nest is a symbol of this for me. It's also a symbol of the close and loving relationship I had with my mother. It's a sweet story on it's own, and highly recommended for all wee ones, but for me its importance lies in the dear memories of Mom that it always sparks.
3. The 1983 World Book Encyclopedia. This is the encyclopedia set that we had growing up (still have it, on the same shelf in our parents' house). It was a gift from our grandfather. My parents didn't have the money for a whole set at the time, but Grandpa said we needed encyclopedias in the house. I vaguely remember them arriving at our old house on Longwood Drive in cardboard boxes. I remember reading different articles over and over when I was little, particularly from the "D" volume (dog breeds, dolls, and dolphins). I remember that when I asked my mom a question to which she didnt know the answer, she'd say, "why don't you look it up?" and I'd head to the encyclopedia. I still run to the bookshelf when I have a question (or when someone else has a question - just ask the last group of friends I had over!). I suppose mine is the last generation to do this sort of thing - nowadays the impulse is to run to Wikipedia. The 1983 World Book, like The Best Nest, allowed me to grow up comfortable with books as close companions. Because of the encyclopedia, I grew to be just as enamored with nonfiction as fiction. I have a little badge somewhere, a prize from a book fair or something, that says "We never guess - we look it up!" This could be my life's motto. I have the encyclopedia - and the various Time Life science and nature series, the plant and animal field guides, the Zoobooks magazines, and the hundreds of other nonfiction books with which my Mom and Dad stocked our home - to thank for it!
4. Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot. The first Sarah Vowell book I read. She helped me gain confidence and fully enjoy the happiness that my oddball interests bring me, rather than feel dorky and embarrassed when I get big thrills from nerdy things (see answer #3). Sarah Vowell is my soul sister!
5. Hervey Garrett Smith's The Arts of the Sailor. My Jamestown shipmates gave me this book as a going-away gift when I left for Edinburgh. They all signed the inside front cover. My Jamestown gig was the best job I ever had, so I treasure this book!
Total number of books:
I've got somewhere around 250 catalogued on LibraryThing (links on my sidebar), and I'd guess that's about half of the books I own. I'm going to say between 500 and 600.
Last book I read:
I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything and LOVING it. So much fun science! And it make me feel smart when I understand the fun science. My uncle gave me this book a few years ago for Christmas and I read the first few chapters; I'm just now getting around to digging into it fully.
I'm also in the middle of some museum law and object conservation books. The last book I finished was Hellboy: The Troll Witch and other stories.
Last book I bought:
For myself? Oliver Sacks' Musicophilia at the signing last Friday. For others? Tony Horwitz's Confederates in the Attic and David Chandler's Exploring the Night Sky With Binoculars.
5 Meaningful Books:
1. My favorite book of all time is Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. I first read it in the 4th grade. I think I'd read every other book in the library already and was kind of bored, so I finally went to the school librarian, Mrs. Wallio, for recommendations. She led me to a shelf - I still remember which one, a lower shelf near the door to the hall - and suggested The Phantom Tollbooth. I loved it as soon as I read it. Almost 20 years later I still adore it. As I got older, I got more of the jokes and allegory and grew to appreciate it on increasingly complex levels. I credit the acrobatic language for sparking a lifelong interest in linguistics. I love the overall celebration of the joy of learning and the pleasures of polymathy. Every time I feel listless, I can open this book to almost any chapter and instantly reawaken my sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. The Phantom Tollbooth is kind of my handbook for life. And it makes me utterly, blissfully happy.
2. The Best Nest by P.D. Eastman. When asked to write an college entrance essay on a work of art, music, or literature that most influenced my life, I chose The Best Nest. Yes, it's a picture book. My mother read us dozens, probably hundreds, of books when we were little, but I have some of the clearest memories of this one. We read this one a LOT. I am thankful to my Mom for many many things, but I think one of the greatest things she did for Michael and I was read to us from the day we could hold our heads up as infants. I credit most of my success in school, as well as the simple love of reading and learning that brings so much joy to my life, to all of the hours my Mom and I sat and read together when I was growing up. The Best Nest is a symbol of this for me. It's also a symbol of the close and loving relationship I had with my mother. It's a sweet story on it's own, and highly recommended for all wee ones, but for me its importance lies in the dear memories of Mom that it always sparks.
3. The 1983 World Book Encyclopedia. This is the encyclopedia set that we had growing up (still have it, on the same shelf in our parents' house). It was a gift from our grandfather. My parents didn't have the money for a whole set at the time, but Grandpa said we needed encyclopedias in the house. I vaguely remember them arriving at our old house on Longwood Drive in cardboard boxes. I remember reading different articles over and over when I was little, particularly from the "D" volume (dog breeds, dolls, and dolphins). I remember that when I asked my mom a question to which she didnt know the answer, she'd say, "why don't you look it up?" and I'd head to the encyclopedia. I still run to the bookshelf when I have a question (or when someone else has a question - just ask the last group of friends I had over!). I suppose mine is the last generation to do this sort of thing - nowadays the impulse is to run to Wikipedia. The 1983 World Book, like The Best Nest, allowed me to grow up comfortable with books as close companions. Because of the encyclopedia, I grew to be just as enamored with nonfiction as fiction. I have a little badge somewhere, a prize from a book fair or something, that says "We never guess - we look it up!" This could be my life's motto. I have the encyclopedia - and the various Time Life science and nature series, the plant and animal field guides, the Zoobooks magazines, and the hundreds of other nonfiction books with which my Mom and Dad stocked our home - to thank for it!
4. Sarah Vowell's The Partly Cloudy Patriot. The first Sarah Vowell book I read. She helped me gain confidence and fully enjoy the happiness that my oddball interests bring me, rather than feel dorky and embarrassed when I get big thrills from nerdy things (see answer #3). Sarah Vowell is my soul sister!
5. Hervey Garrett Smith's The Arts of the Sailor. My Jamestown shipmates gave me this book as a going-away gift when I left for Edinburgh. They all signed the inside front cover. My Jamestown gig was the best job I ever had, so I treasure this book!
posted by ekrobi at 11:54 AM
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