About Me

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Recent retiree--35 year's experience teaching reading, English, adult basic education and volunteer leadership skills. Started this blog to exchange ideas and commentary with friends and others having an interest in joining the discussions. Greatest life accomplishments include: 1.organized my 3rd grade class to check out library books for me to get around librarian's weekly limit--Amazon.com, the Mullins Elementary 3rd Grade Class of 1956 is still waiting for "thank you" notes; 2. volunteered in the Peace Corps, island of St. Kitts, West Indies; 3.taught adults to read, earn their GEDs., and speak English as a second language; 4. bought a border collie puppy for $6, got evicted rather than give him up, and began a life-long love affair with all things "Dog"; 5. joined a physical fitness boot camp in my mid-50s--don't mess with someone who's been doing regulation pushups in wet grass at 5:30 a.m.; 6. walked across Northern England with best friend Sally--over 80 miles from the Irish to North Seas; and 7. travelled to many foreign countries for pleasure and work.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Book Fetishes

I had promised to show you some more Irish gardens after my Fun Monday post. However, I think a bit of a delay would whet your appetite so look for more Irish travels/gardening near the end of week. In the meantime, let's talk about books. Karen posted this meme recently to help us explore our book love.

She wants us to answer these questions:

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why? Neither. I love softback books because they're still the right size and I can markup without guilt.

2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it. . . Stacks--that's what I like to see in every one's home--stacks of books to be read and re-read.

3. My favorite quote from a book is. . . "The life of a good dog is like the life of a good person, only shorter and more compressed." in Good Dog. Stay. by Anna Quindlen. This quote pretty much sums up how a dog lover feels.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be. . . Alice Steinbach, author of Without Reservations--The Travels of an Independent Woman and Educating Alice--Adventures of a Curious Woman. Steinbach was a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist for the Baltimore Sun who gave up that job for a time to travel solo in Europe and Asia learning about the world and her own self.

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except the SAS survival guide, it would be. . . a huge blank journal. Perfect place to write my own story.

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that . . . this is stolen from someone else, but how about an invisible button that you could press to define words as you read. Exactly what does sanguine mean? It keeps coming up. . .

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of . . . our public libraries. They're the pits and we just voted to not upgrade them in the last general election.

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention title) it would be . . . easy peasy, that would be Miss Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Love her beauty, intelligence and sense of humor--as did Mr. Darcy. . .sigh.

9. The most overestimated book of all time is. . . anything from the Oprah Book Club. I can choose my own reading, thank you very much.

10. I hate it when a book. . . favorite author cranks out too many books--I become suspicious that the main goal is making money.

Now, it's your turn to reveal some of your book fetishes.


7 comments:

Patience-please said...

What a fun meme. I'll do it soon, after I get back to some dog stories for my readers. I agree about choosing my own book, but I give Oprah credit for getting people reading again. And I want my novel be one of her book club choices someday, yes I do!!!!

Thank you for sharing-
Patience

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Great answers. I would love to be Elizabeth Bennett, what a lovely thought.

Sauntering Soul said...

I love your responses! You'd feel good in my house...there are stacks of books everywhere.

Karen said...

Good answers - I love your bookshop name :o)

Apparently 'sanguine' means cheerfully optimistic, but like 'nonchalant' it's just not a word people ever say out loud!

laurie said...

great meme.

i've liked some oprah books, but i have to confess that i have never bought one because it was an oprah book.

but i don't let that stop me, either.

Lane Mathias said...

A blank journal on an island is an inspired idea!

I've never read Alice Steinbach so must rectify that pronto:-)

Gay, Married, with Cat said...

I had to look up "sanguine." LOL. I loved the word lookup, even if you did borrow the idea.