I found this meme at Of Books and Bicycles, which I have is a blog I read in my Google reader, but which I have yet to post about.
The idea is simple:
1.) Go to your bookshelves…
2.) Close your eyes. If you’re feeling really committed, blindfold yourself.
3.) Select ten books at random. Use more than one bookcase, if you have them, or piles by the bed, or… basically, wherever you keep books.
4.) Use these books to tell us about yourself – where and when you got them, who got them for you, what the book says about you, etc. etc…..
5.) Have fun! Be imaginative. Doesn’t matter if you’ve read them or not – be creative. It might not seem easy to start off with, and the links might be a little tenuous, but I think this is a fun way to do this sort of meme.
6.) Feel free to cheat a bit, if you need to…
I only “cheated” by including an entire set if I picked a book within a trilogy or series. I think the books really reflect our bookshelves.
I love Old English. I love the sound, the look, and the grammar of the language. I’ve tried, half-heartedly, to teach myself Old English with this book. It is a well-worn copy now. I have a journal that I write down all the selections in, and then translate. I actually haven’t gotten all the way to Old English, but have learned a bit about the other languages that developed around the time of Old English.
2. The Writer’s Idea Workshop: How to Make Your Good Ideas Great, by Jack Heffron
I think I got this with a handful of other books from Writer’s Digest Book Club, before I realized how much more I was paying by going through the book club. I like referring to this now and then for inspiration, but by and large I’ve given up fiction writing for the time being. I still won’t give up my mini-library of writing books.
This is one of JRob’s books that I have always intended to read, but never made time for. He swears it’s a great book, and I’m inclined to believe him. Hopefully, this meme will put The Professor and the Madman back on my radar.
4. Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
We picked up this book at a bag sale at Locust Grove Historic Home in Louisville. Awesome historic landmark, with an even more awesome book sale once or twice a year. I grabbed a bagful of beat up classics with the intention of reading them. Unfortunately, the library is always full of good books, and I never get around to the ones on my shelf. I think I am going to take a library break for the month of February.
5. Stones from the River, by Ursula Hegi
I read this book shortly after high school. It was given to me as a graduate gift from an English teacher I had briefly. My last two years in high school were a real struggle as I dealt with multiple hospital stays and the beginning of a life-long illness that left me unable to attend school regularly. I spent most of my time at home, but attended a few classes a day when I could. I also graded papers for this particular English teacher, and she was privy to a lot of my pain. She helped, and thinking of her, and this gift, make me tear up even today. Sadly, I have lost contact with her.
6. H.P. Lovecraft Omnibus 2: Dagon and Other Macabre Tales, by H.P. Lovecraft
This is another of JRob’s books. He loves H.P. Lovecraft. I don’t know if I’m as devoted to any one author as JRob is. I don’t read through an entire author’s works. Even Neil Gaiman, who is easily my favorite author, has a few books out I haven’t read yet.
7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, by J.K. Rowling
I hated the Harry Potter phenomenon when it first appeared. My nephew had all the books, so I started reading the first in the series one night while at my brother’s house. I was hooked. I bought the first four in a set, was gifted the fifth when it came out, and then waited anxiously for books six and seven. JRob didn’t think much of reading Harry Potter at first, until I told him the books were different than the movies. Now he’s read each book at least three times. He really got into thinking about what might happen next, and tearing apart the plot lines. I liked to discuss, but I have too much to read to have re-read the series so often.
8. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkein
I have yet to read these books! This is a series reading to-do this year. Again, because I own them, I get into the mindset that I have all the time in the world to read them – only to keep putting them off. I can’t wait to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, because it has influenced so much and because JRob speaks so highly of them.
9. The Forbidden Games Trilogy, by L.J. Smith
(The link is actually to a pre-release of the whole series in a single volume.)
The Forbidden Games trilogy was a huge favorite of mine back in middle school. My best friend owned the books, but since we were always together, that was never a problem. I was highly addicted to this series. I was also a huge L.J. Smith fan back when she was hugely unfashionable to read. I didn’t care, and I’m so happy to see her books re-released (even if it is because she wrote vampire books before they became fashionable). You would not believe the ecstasy I felt in realizing this favorite trilogy will be re-released to hordes of hungry Twilight fans. Yay!
10. Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
I bought this and put off reading it for awhile. I really wanted to read and like Garcia Marquez. I’m not sure why I started with this instead of 100 Years of Solitude, but I’m glad that I did. Once I got around to reading this (about two years ago), I fell in love. I’ve yet to read another Garcia Marquez, but only because my reading list is so massive and random.
I’m sad to say that there are two Oprah’s book club books on this list. I try not to read those, because I detest Oprah and most of what she puts into the world (sorry to any fans). I can say that the books I’ve read from her list (Stones from the River and Love in the Time of Cholera) were not chosen because they were on her list. Stones was a gift, and Cholera was because I really wanted to read Garcia Marquez.
Of the 21 books mentioned in this list, I’ve read 14. That’s about right for the books in the house, too. Making this list has challenged me to take at least one month out of this year to just read books at home. February will be the first month. I’ll get my holds at the library and finish what library books I have at home, then move to my own bookshelves.
What percentage of the books on your bookshelves have you read?
twyls
