Tagged!
Meh!
That Zorkie woman tagged me!
And everyone reading this is tagged as well! Arrrr, fairly warned be ye, says I.
Now you have to tell the world:
1. The total number of books you own.
2. The last book you bought.
3. The last book you read.
4. Five books that mean a lot to you.
Alright, where do we begin...
1. The total number of books I own.
Oh my, not sure. I have a pretty sizable library, several hundred I'm sure. I have a gigantic collection of science fiction/ fantasy paperbacks I got from my 'maternal unit' ;-) . Plenty of non-fiction and reference too. And if we count comic books (and we should) its even more.
2. The last book I bought.
The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions by Winifred Gallagher
3. The last book I read.
Kind of a hard question. At any given time I have a system of books orbiting around me. I like to reread old books and work new ones into rotation here and there.
The Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert was the most recent one today. Previously it was Earth Book of Stormgate by Poul Anderson.
4. Five books that mean a lot to me.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas -Hunter Thompson
Love him or hate him, Hunter Thompson left a mark on American literature. I have one rule when buying books: If it makes me laugh out loud (literally) then I must buy it. This is one of the few that has. It also reminds me of an old friend of mine and a similarly shameful weekend in Vancouver:
"You cant seat yourself! Didnt you see the sign?" yelled the waitress.
"Sign?! What sign?! I didnt see no fucking sign! TS, did you see a goddam sign?"
TS shrugs. "Nope. No goddam sign."
"There you have it." said Mr. Thrasher, gesturing wildly. "No goddam sign."
TS frowned. "Fuck this. Lets get a McMuffin."
Shameful.
Ball Four -Jim Bouton
When it was first published this book caused quite a scandal! Back then, baseball was like a religion and its players were sacrosanct. By todays standards its quite mild, but it touched off a firestorm in 1970. Bouton was banned from Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium for nearly thirty years because of this book. Thankfully he finally got his day in 1998. A baseball book, but not just for baseball fans.
1,000 Reasons To Be Happy -David Baird
This was given to me by someone who wanted me to be happy. Nuff said.
Dark Blue Suit -Peter Bacho
From The New York Times Book Review, Anderson Tepper:
A middle-aged Philippine-American son pauses thoughtfully at a cluster of graves in a Seattle cemetery: alongside the body of his enigmatic father lie several other colorful characters from the same generation of Philippine immigrants who came to America in the 1920's and 30's.... In rough-hewn and wistful style, Bacho's stories bring to life the hardscrabble years of the first wave of migrant laborers--and capture as well the ambivalence of their American-born children, who come of age during the 1960's. Throughout these tales of embattled lives, there is the reminder of the original immigrants' dream--shiny blue suits, but worn and faded over time.
This really struck a chord with me and my dad. He loaned it to me a while back. The author is the same generation as my dad and my dad had similar stories about growing up here. For all that we know about Grandpa and the Old Country, much remains an enigma.
"Like our fathers before us we've eyes for America
Dream of a new life on foreign shores
(But) wherever we go we'll always know
That the land we stand on is never our own"
-Fish 'Internal Exile'
The Sparrow -Mary Doria Russell
This was given to me by a dear friend. Its an interesting mix of science fiction, religion, philosophy, God and humanity. It breaks your heart and lifts it up again.
The Serendipity Books -Stephen Cosgrove
Okay. This is actually a series of books that means a lot to me. There were a whole slew of 'em when I was a kid, but the ones that stick out in my memory are: Cap'n Smudge, The Gnome from Nome, Serendipity, Wheedle on the Needle, and the Muffin Dragon. These were written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James in the early 70's. They were fun little paperback fantasy stories with a subtle little message in each one. They were also an integral part of my Northwest childhood. Long time Northwesterners will remember the Wheedle was the Seattle Supersonics mascot for a number of years! I still have them all. I wonder if they're worth anything now? Doesnt matter, I'd never sell them!
The Stars -by H.A. Rey
My first book on the cosmos and constellations. This book is great for readers of any age. I remember my grandpa teaching me my first constellations: The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, and Cassiopeia. The galaxy I'm associated with, M101, is in the Big Dipper. I remember those summer nights going out in the field with this book and my walkman. I could listen to music and stare at the night sky forever.
Ok, so thats more than five. ::shrugs::
Post Scriptum
I also need to include Sandmans "Season of Mists" to Books That Mean A Lot To Me. I read it when I was going through my own season of mists in 1992, or what has been colloquially dubbed the 'Winter of Darkness'. Thankfully the spring thaw helped bring me out of it. And also, strangely enough, the Beatles 'Abbey Road' album helped as well. Long story, but as Floranista said "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
That Zorkie woman tagged me!
And everyone reading this is tagged as well! Arrrr, fairly warned be ye, says I.
Now you have to tell the world:
1. The total number of books you own.
2. The last book you bought.
3. The last book you read.
4. Five books that mean a lot to you.
Alright, where do we begin...
1. The total number of books I own.
Oh my, not sure. I have a pretty sizable library, several hundred I'm sure. I have a gigantic collection of science fiction/ fantasy paperbacks I got from my 'maternal unit' ;-) . Plenty of non-fiction and reference too. And if we count comic books (and we should) its even more.
2. The last book I bought.
The Power of Place: How Our Surroundings Shape Our Thoughts, Emotions, and Actions by Winifred Gallagher
3. The last book I read.
Kind of a hard question. At any given time I have a system of books orbiting around me. I like to reread old books and work new ones into rotation here and there.
The Santaroga Barrier by Frank Herbert was the most recent one today. Previously it was Earth Book of Stormgate by Poul Anderson.
4. Five books that mean a lot to me.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas -Hunter Thompson
Love him or hate him, Hunter Thompson left a mark on American literature. I have one rule when buying books: If it makes me laugh out loud (literally) then I must buy it. This is one of the few that has. It also reminds me of an old friend of mine and a similarly shameful weekend in Vancouver:
"You cant seat yourself! Didnt you see the sign?" yelled the waitress.
"Sign?! What sign?! I didnt see no fucking sign! TS, did you see a goddam sign?"
TS shrugs. "Nope. No goddam sign."
"There you have it." said Mr. Thrasher, gesturing wildly. "No goddam sign."
TS frowned. "Fuck this. Lets get a McMuffin."
Shameful.
Ball Four -Jim Bouton
When it was first published this book caused quite a scandal! Back then, baseball was like a religion and its players were sacrosanct. By todays standards its quite mild, but it touched off a firestorm in 1970. Bouton was banned from Old Timers Day at Yankee Stadium for nearly thirty years because of this book. Thankfully he finally got his day in 1998. A baseball book, but not just for baseball fans.
1,000 Reasons To Be Happy -David Baird
This was given to me by someone who wanted me to be happy. Nuff said.
Dark Blue Suit -Peter Bacho
From The New York Times Book Review, Anderson Tepper:
A middle-aged Philippine-American son pauses thoughtfully at a cluster of graves in a Seattle cemetery: alongside the body of his enigmatic father lie several other colorful characters from the same generation of Philippine immigrants who came to America in the 1920's and 30's.... In rough-hewn and wistful style, Bacho's stories bring to life the hardscrabble years of the first wave of migrant laborers--and capture as well the ambivalence of their American-born children, who come of age during the 1960's. Throughout these tales of embattled lives, there is the reminder of the original immigrants' dream--shiny blue suits, but worn and faded over time.
This really struck a chord with me and my dad. He loaned it to me a while back. The author is the same generation as my dad and my dad had similar stories about growing up here. For all that we know about Grandpa and the Old Country, much remains an enigma.
"Like our fathers before us we've eyes for America
Dream of a new life on foreign shores
(But) wherever we go we'll always know
That the land we stand on is never our own"
-Fish 'Internal Exile'
The Sparrow -Mary Doria Russell
This was given to me by a dear friend. Its an interesting mix of science fiction, religion, philosophy, God and humanity. It breaks your heart and lifts it up again.
The Serendipity Books -Stephen Cosgrove
Okay. This is actually a series of books that means a lot to me. There were a whole slew of 'em when I was a kid, but the ones that stick out in my memory are: Cap'n Smudge, The Gnome from Nome, Serendipity, Wheedle on the Needle, and the Muffin Dragon. These were written by Stephen Cosgrove and illustrated by Robin James in the early 70's. They were fun little paperback fantasy stories with a subtle little message in each one. They were also an integral part of my Northwest childhood. Long time Northwesterners will remember the Wheedle was the Seattle Supersonics mascot for a number of years! I still have them all. I wonder if they're worth anything now? Doesnt matter, I'd never sell them!
The Stars -by H.A. Rey
My first book on the cosmos and constellations. This book is great for readers of any age. I remember my grandpa teaching me my first constellations: The Big Dipper, The Little Dipper, and Cassiopeia. The galaxy I'm associated with, M101, is in the Big Dipper. I remember those summer nights going out in the field with this book and my walkman. I could listen to music and stare at the night sky forever.
Ok, so thats more than five. ::shrugs::
Post Scriptum
I also need to include Sandmans "Season of Mists" to Books That Mean A Lot To Me. I read it when I was going through my own season of mists in 1992, or what has been colloquially dubbed the 'Winter of Darkness'. Thankfully the spring thaw helped bring me out of it. And also, strangely enough, the Beatles 'Abbey Road' album helped as well. Long story, but as Floranista said "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
posted by Thousand Sons at 2:24 PM
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