Book-Tagged

I was book-tagged by Mark Leslie, because I dared to open my big mouth on the feedback comments on HIS book-tag post. I can't think of a topic I like much more than books... other than perhaps photography... so I really don't mind. Sorry it took me so long, Mark. Hope the results are somewhat interesting to you.

Total number of books I've owned:

I really have no clue! I did start counting briefly this morning, and the bookshelves in my bedroom probably hold between 500-700 books (they are packed full, mostly stacked double-deep). There are also two bookshelves in each of the other bedrooms, two bookshelves in the basement that hold 50 years of National Geographic magazines, and several bookshelves in the attic along with a number boxes of books and magazines. My goal someday is to own a house with a library and catalogue them; we plan to build in the next few years, so perhaps when that happens I'll be able to give a better count. At this point, I'd guess it is in the 3000-4000 range if you count all the books in the house. Magazines would add to that number.

The last book I bought:

I just bought 2 books from a used bookstore last week, as well as 2 new books that were on my Christmas list but I didn't get. So my most recent 4 books are: Isaaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury, Michael Crighton's The Andromeda Strain, Patricia Cornwell's Predator, and James Patterson's Mary, Mary.

The last book I read:

I just finished Patricia Cornwell's Blow Fly last night. It took me longer than normal.. I think because I missed one or two of her books prior to that one, so the characters were referring to past experiences that I didn't know anything about. I need to go back and fill in the blanks (yippee, more books to buy!)

Five books that mean a lot to me:

Michael P Kube MacDowell: Empery, Emprise, Enigma, and Alternities. Ok I know that is 4 already. We knew the author, so when he began publishing books, we got autographed copies. He was the first published author I ever knew. And for anyone who enjoys science fiction/fantasy books, I would highly recommend Alternities. Once you read it, let me know if you agree.

Robert Munsch: Love you Forever. My mom bought me this as a baby gift when my oldest son was born. For months, tears ran down my face every time I read it. I still choke up if I read it... but by now the kids are old enough to laugh at me for it.

Betty Ren Wright: Rackety-Boom. This was one of my family's favorite books growing up... I think we all had it memorized. It's a cutesy and rather annoying little rhyming book about an old blue truck and the boy who loved it, but the rhythm is very catchy and we all loved it. When we started moving out and taking our stuff along, most of us tried to claim that book but it had disappeared. None of us kids knows what happened to it. But a few years back my hubby tried to get it for me for Christmas because he knew how much I had loved it. He asked me how much it was worth to me and I said, "Oh, probably not over $50." (Understand that this book originally cost 15 cents back in 1953!) So after I said that, he answered, "Oh." Then he told me he had found it for $120 at a nearby antique bookstore. I thanked him for the thought and started looking online, and found it for $29 so we bought it. And the next year at our family Christmas my one brother brought HIS copy of the book to show off that HE had bought somewhere too.

Norton Juster: The Phantom Tollbooth. This is probably my all-time favorite book. You can read it as a kid or as an adult, and you'll find it equally fun at any stage. I can't count how often I have read it. I bought myself a copy while I was in college (our family copy belonged to a brother) and read it out loud with a good friend of mine. And recently I did the same with my kids. There is just so much depth in it... you discover more every time you read it. And my favorite saying comes from this book... "Expect the unexpected, and the unexpected never happens."

C. S. Lewis: The Chronicles of Narnia. Not much should have to be said here... these are just awesome books. Once my daughter and I finish reading the Little House on the Prairie books together, we're going to begin the Narnia series. I think there is nothing better than to share your favorite books with your children. Watching them grow up and learn to love reading as much as you do is such an awesome thing.

The books in my collection where the physical object means a lot to me:

Besides some of the books mentioned in the last section, my grandmother's Bible. I never knew my grandmother because she died just a few years before I was born, but after my grandpa died, my step-grandmother divided some of my grandma's things. I got her sewing box and her Bible. In the front of the bible, she had some saying written. My favorite one is "Patience is a virtue, seldom found in women, and even less common in men." When I see that saying, I feel like I almost knew her. And seeing it in her handwriting adds depth to the feeling.

Tag five people and have them fill out their own answers in their blogs:

I'll only tag Buddha Girl because I'm sure likes books as much as I do. Any of my other friends who are interested may tag themselves.