I'm famous? Plus a book meme.

I have been tagged with another meme (a task or idea or tag that spreads from blog to blog) by Ian. This one is the BOOK MEME. Here are the questions.

1. Number of books I own. Way too many, judging by the last move. We dumped a lot of them at the garage sale, and when you move you realize how many books you have that merely weigh you down and don't add anything to your life. As a former English major, I spent lots of money on excellent books that I want to keep forever. But as far as paperbacks and other once-reads go, TOSS 'EM.. So now? I'd say I probably own between 100-150 books all together.

Here though, is a look at my current bookshelf. I don't think there is...uh... any doubt as to my political orientation. Heh.

Shelf #1: My inspirational shelf. Favorite books from childhood and some rescued from the boys' room. Some are quite dog-eared from overuse. Can anything be better written than Dr. Seuss? Fun to read and the kids love them. Dr. Seuss is rather a hero of mine. He was an ad copywriter before taking up writing childrens books. He has got the rhythm. These were far and away the most fun to read to kids. Hmm, I see that "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" is missing from the shelf. Will have to search for it. Good Night Moon is simply the best childrens book ever written. Good night bears, good night chairs. Sweet.



Shelf #2 below: Some good ones here. Besides the political titles (Not to worry, the Pat Buchanan book is a condemnation of the neo-cons) Dot Bomb is great fun. Day Trading Online could make you rich if you pay attention to every single word and follow the advice exactly. The London travel book was stuck in my luggage which was stuck in Surrey (long story) while I was in the city so I never got the chance to crack it open when I needed it.



Shelf #4 below: My two favorite books from this shelf are Memoirs of a Geisha and Daughters of Capt. Cook. I could read both of these thousands of times over. Oh, the "Teachings of Buddha" I stole from the Hilo Nani Loa Hotel.



Shelf #5 below: A strange confession here. I am addicted to reading books about surviving danger. Crabbing in the Bering Straits. Climbing Everest, the voyage of the Endurance. You name it, if it is about survival at sea or climbing mountains, I have read it. Into Thin Air is the gold standard in this cateogry. I've got stacks of others that can't even fit on this shelf.



OK, back to the questions:


2. Last book I bought. The Secret Man, by Bob Woodward. Engaging, fascinating quick read about his complex and often insecure relationship with Deep Throat.
3. Last book I completed. See above.
4. Five books that mean a lot to me. Oooooo, a tough one.
a. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. I believe it's THE great American novel.
b. The Collected Works of Shakespeare. Many university hours spent here, and loved every minute of it. Remember he played to the groundlings, not the high-brows...and was the Monty Python of his time (at least for the comedies.) Long live the Bard. And I shall have to return to England to see Stratford-Upon-Avon, as it was on my list and I missed it. Drat. Bill is one of my heroes.
c. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Pure joy. Brilliant expressive writing. The other great American novel.
d. Good Night Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. Tender memories from my childhood that I can now give my own boys.
e. The Satanic Verses, Salmon Rushdie. JUST KIDDING!!! Heh. How can I put one last book on the list? Well, this is boring, but it would have to be my copywriter's idiom book. Dictionary of American Idioms. Many a brilliant concept emerged from that reference book, adding consderable dollars to my bottom line. Actually, let me add a 6th.
f. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. As a teenager of 14, it changed my life forever. My favorite writing teacher said that there was once a study done on the books that people read in their most teenage influential years. The heroes of those books are the ones you unconsciously model your life after. Yes, Scout and Scarlett.

5. Who shall I tag? Of the blogless: Amy & Kel. The Bloggers: Geoff, Annie and Stinkerbelle.

++++++++++ Although I am not nearly the media whore that our favorite MW is, I got a real kick out of this. I noticed I was mentioned as a blogger by the Washington Post yesterday after linking to an article. Now...does this mean I have officially been published in the WP? OK, well even I know that is a bit of a stretch.



And last, as I now have to go pick up a family member *cough* from the airport, (who will definitely take me next time without wingeing), here's what daybreak looked like yesterday morning. I hate to say sunrise, because we don't GET sunrises in Kona. Look at a map. The sun can only be seen rising from the Hilo (east) side. Does this mean they don't get sunsets over there? I never really thought about that before!?