Book Meme

This fun book-themed meme has been going around and I thought I would give it a try.


Hardback or trade paperback or mass market paperback?
All. I prefer hardback, but they are expensive and they end up weighing my tote down causing pinched nerves in my shoulder. TMI

Amazon or brick and mortar?
I have purchased form Amazon, but I prefer brick and mortar. I just find it more enjoyable to walk around and allow serendipity to take hold. Yes, you can browse Amazon or Powells, but it's just not the same.

Barnes & Noble or Borders?
I prefere Barnes & Noble, but I seem to end up at Borders because of proximity.

Bookmark or dogear?
Oh, bookmark. And I am like a bookmarking S.W.A.T team member. I hate dog-earing books, using post it notes (the glue from the post-it is bad for the books), etc. I am constantly going through books at my place of work and taking out scraps of paper and post its. Grrrr!!!!

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random?
I either alphabetize by author or group by subject.

Keep, throw away, or sell?
I tend to keep and now trade with Paperback Swap.

Keep dustjacket or toss it
Keep!

Read with dustjacket or remove it?
I read with the dustjacket on.

Short story or novel?
Novels. I do not care for short stories-AT ALL>

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)?
Like I said-no short stories.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket?
Definiteyl Harry Potter.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
Usually when I get tired. I always have to read before I go to sleep and some nights I find myself reading the same line over and over again. Or the book falls on the floor. Or I do that scary head-jerk thing when I find my head falling down.

Buy or Borrow?
I used to be a huge purchaser, but now I use the library and swap.

New or used?
It doesn't matter to me.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse?
I read a lot of book reviews. In the past I have subscribed to book magazines like Pages and the now defunct Book. People also recommend books to me and of course I'm a big browser, so I guess all 3.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger?
I tend to like a tidy ending. I read a lot of mysteries and I need to know that good wins out over evil.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading?
Anytime is cool with me.

Standalone or series?
I like both.

Favorite series?
There's too many to name, but right now I'm a lot of Martha Grimes mysteries.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard?
The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge.

Favorite books read last year?
I loved this book and I'm fairly certain I read it last year- Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters by Nikki Silvia and Davia Nelson

Favorite books of all time?
There's too many, and besides The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge, I also adored Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott.

I'm not pegging anyone for this meme, but feel free to give it a try.

"Everyone who know how to read has it in their power to magnify themselves, multiple the ways in which they exist, to make their life full, significant, and interesting."- Aldous Huxley

Friday Round Up

Ever since I was forced to except the new form of blogger I have been having problems posting images so please bear with me. (typepad keeps looking better and better). I also don't know what is going on with blogger today in that it doesn't SEEM TO KNOW WHAT PARAGRAPHS ARE. Once again, typepad, typepad, typepad.

Esquire magazine sent out 250 paper napkins to writers all over the country and got back nearly a hundred stories.

I was shocked, but not really surprised to find out that there is not a single library in the entire First Nations community in the province of Manitoba. Richard Menec has come up with a great idea-The Log Library Project.


As much as I love libraries, I'm not sure I would like to smell like one.

A friend passed on this link. I had never read the blog Gaping Void, but it's one of my friends favorites and now I can see why. Gaping Void has written a manifesto on creativity. I started reading it and realized it's not just about creativity, it's also about all aspects of life. It's long, but well worth the read. Thanks K.


I thought that I had heard of most of the book awards, but I came across the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award the other day. The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award recognizes books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism or our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures. The awards, which are administered by The Cleveland Foundation, are given out each year. The award was named after Cleveland poet-activist Edith Anisfield Wolf.

A published poet and activist Ms. Wolf used literature as a means to investigate racial prejudice and celebrate diversity. She founded the award 35 years before the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education court decision. The award was once known as the Black Pulitzer. Zora Neale Thurston, Stephen Carter, and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King have been honored with this award. 2007 honorees are British novelist Zadie Smith for On Beauty, novelist William Demby for his life's work and Harvard historian Jill Lepore for New York Burning.

I remember the first time I ever tasted Marmite. I was expecting something so hideous I had a glass of apple juice ready as a chaser. I was quite surprised to find out I liked it. Now there's Guiness Marmite. (via Coolest Gadgets)

I came across a bed and breakfast blog the other day. I have always wanted to have a bed and breakfast and I get ga-ga whenever I start reading about them. Fish Creek House is located in Whitehall, Montana. Here is the blog. I am going to try out their recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Oat Cookies. I have been making these cookies since I was in 2nd grade, but this recipe calls for healthy, vegan ingredients so I am going to give it a try.

Next Thursday (March 1st) is the start of the DC Independent Film Festival. Over 100 films will be shown over 11 days. This year's festival is going "green" by working to reduce CO2 emissions during festival operations. The venue is the University of the District of Columbia (UDC).

So you're looking for a gift and you decide on jewelry. Why not purchase some ecologically responsible bling? greenCarat uses recycled gold to make new jewelry. We all are aware of the tremendous toll gold mining takes on the Earth, not just by literally ripping the earth apart, but the horrid mining corporations have unleashed tons of pollution, mercury and cyanide to name two, into the Earth's atmosphere. greenCarat is committed to ending destructive gold mining and diamond mining practices.

Have a nice weekend.

"I used to walk to school with my nose buried in a book." Coolio

The greatest gift is the passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination. Elizabeth Hardwick

To A.

I seem to have spent a lifetime looking for and trying hair products. The ethnic products are too heavy and all of the other products are too light for my thick, dry hair. That's exactly what I was doing 16 years ago tomorrow. It was a Saturday and I had some errands to run. I walked down from my apartment in Rosslyn to the Rite Aid at the metro building. I was walking around in there and all of a sudden there you were. Our eyes met and we started chatting. I remember thinking, "This man has the whitest, nicest teeth. They must be false." I also thought this poor dear has a bit of a speech impediment. (yes, I know-It's a foreign accent). We exchanged numbers and we have been together ever since.

Oh, and what a ride this has been. We have been through so much: education-2 masters for you, 1 for me (i must catch up), various illnesses-of course you can't just get the flu, you have to get cancer, and various asthma attacks and estrogen loss for me. I would not have made it through all of the things we have been through without you. Your amazing strength of character and your eternal optimism (yes, sometimes it gets on my last nerve-like when I call you A. Vincent Peale) have won me over again and again. You amaze me with your boundless energy and your refusal to ever, ever, ever give up on anything.

How do people find each other? There is really no logic that a woman from a tiny place in Southwestern Pennsylvania and a man from Guyana, South America should have ever met, but we did.

You know, that I don't ever think I have been especially blessed, but when it comes to our relationship I know that I am.

You are my world and there really is no me without you. You are my sail and my compass and I am greatful every day that I wake up beside you.

Happy Anniversary my love. You are the best.

"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart." Marcus Aurelius

Bibliographies and Guitarists

I used to be a great sleeper. I never had problems getting to sleep or staying asleep. Now I have joined the ranks of Alexander Dumas and Tallulah Bankhead. Not being able to sleep does allow me to get a lot of reading done and to watch some "interesting" television. Friday night I found myself wondering around the house and decided to numb myself with the television. There was an infomercial on about Time-Life's Malt Shop Memories set. All music from the 50's. I found myself humming along to some of the songs and then I heard one of my favorite guitar riffs. Oh yes, they have included Mickey and Sylvia's Love is Strange in this collection. I started wondering what became of Mickey and Sylvia and this is what I discovered.

McHouston "Mickey Guitar" Carter was actually an amazing guitarist. So incredible that he is included on the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time List. He's number 53. Ali Farka Toure is number 76. I only see two women on the list; Joni Mitchell at number 72 and Joan Jett at number 87. I guess you have figured out who gets the number 1 spot. Jimi Hendrix.

Sylvia Vanderpool Robinson is also still around.

I was looking for some information and found some rather unique bibliographies.

Animal Dung and Archaeology Bibliography

Comics Research Bibliography-this is super extensive and very well done.

Ice Houses and Ice Industry Bibliography-ice, ice baby.

The Looting Question Bibliography-This is fascinating. Full of aspects of looting I had never thought of.

Sami Bibliography-searchable from the National Library of Norway

Vampire Poetry Bibliography-who knew?


"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?" Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Round Up

Thanks Laundress for verifying that the new template is much easier on the eyes. My lurkers have told me they can now lurk much easier too.

I go buy the Newseum most days on the way home from work (when we take the short, boring route). I didn't know it was so close to completion.

By now everyone has seen the adorable photographs of the baby pandas. Now you can help name them. Too cute!!

Oh, I think it would be great to work in a library that did a lot of fun things like this. I think my favorite is the peace-loving bookcart.

If you are a student and looking for something to do for your spring break, look no further. Global Aware: Adventures in Service offers short term,one week, volunteer vacations. What a great way to visit some place new and also to give something back.

It's that time of year and the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) has teamed up with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and released ten new pet friendly sayings on their conversation hearts. Purrfect!

The world's oldest newspaper has gone digital. (thanks K. for the link)

Sad goodbyes to Barbara McNair. I don't know if any of you are familiar with this lady, but Barbara McNair was a big deal years ago. She was a singer and an actress, and she was a class act all the way. If you have ever seen my favorite Elvis movie, Change of Habit, then you have seen her. She passed away February 7 at the age of 72 from throat cancer.

This is a short post this week. I hope to do much better next week.


The name February is believed to have derived from the name 'Februa' taken from the Roman 'Festival of Purification'. The root 'februo' meaningto 'I purify by sacrifice'. As part of the seasonal calendar February is the time of the 'Ice Moon' according to Pagan beliefs, and the period described as the 'Moon of the Dark Red Calf' by Black Elk. February has alsobeen known as 'Sprout-kale' by the Anglo-Saxons in relation to the time the kale and cabbage was edible.

Friday Round Up

I decided to go with another template. Some of my lurker readers have told me that they can't read my blog while using Netscape. Hopefully this template change will help.

I was so profoundly sad to hear that Molly Ivins had passed away. She was such an amazing woman, and now that's 2 great Texas women gone (Ann Richards). More on her here and here.

Every once in awhile I fall in love with a font. Lately I've been ga-ga over CgCloister. I've been reading The Conjurer's Bird by Martin Davies. Not only is this a good read, but the CgCloister font seems to add to the richness of the story. Hunting around for fonts, I came across the 100 Best Fonts. The site is in German, but then so are so many font names. And the number 1 font-drum roll please- Helvetica.

That must be why there is a documentary entitled Helvetica. The film is aboud typography and design. Sounds like another documentary to add to my list of must-sees.

When I was a kid I collected stamps for a brief, brief moment. I still like stamps and I am fascinated by philately. Look at this very cool page Alphabetilately. Love, love the index. Beware: Once you start going through the index you will not want to leave.

Check out this kid, his Game Boy and his locations.

So your hunting around for an image, but you are nervous about using it because of copyright issues. I know you are thinking, "If I only could find out if this is in the public domain?" or "How can I find public domain images?. Wikipedia to the rescue.

Look at all of the folks who have received Honorary Harvard degrees. (I know I'm getting listy again).

If you are watching calories, and who isn't you might want to know what sort of goodies you can consume that have 200 calories. Only 8 Hershey Kisses. I'm so depressed.

Have a nice weekend.

“Of the many unforeseen consequences of typography, the emergence of nationalism is, perhaps, the most familiar” Marshall McLuhan

DST

I just got a telephone call from A. reminding me that Daylight Savings Time is going to start early this year. March 11th to be exact. You are probably wondering why is this significant and why is she sharing this bit of minutiae from her boring life.

I am sharing this because I don't thing there is another human being that HATES DST the way that I do. The thoughts of having even more weeks of this abomination makes me want to shriek.

I do not like it being light out at 9:00 at night. It's not normal. DST reminds me of summer, which I also hate. Combine asthma with having only a teaspoon of estrogen in your body and living in a freakin' swampland and you probably would not like summer either.

And it also has always urked the living hell out of me that we humans feel the need to manipulate every freakin' thing there is to our supposed advantage.

One final word-GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

"Methinks I see the wanton hours flee,
And as they pass, turn back and laugh at me."~George Villiers