Booking Through Thursday: Carry-Ons

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I've sadly neglected this blog lately, and it's been quite some time since I participated in Booking Through Thursday, so...there's no time like the present, right?

Here's today's question:

Do you bring the book(s) you’re reading with you when you go out? How?
Physically, or in an e-reader of some kind? Have your habits in this
regard changed? (I know I carried books with me more when I was in
school than I do now–I can’t read while I’m driving to work, after
all.)

Short answer:  Yes.  Often.  I find myself in situations where I have to "wait' a lot, and if I have my current book with me, no worries.  Irritation at having to wait vanishes when I get caught up in the story.

I used to have a Kindle before I broke the screen, and I really miss it for that very reason.  You can't beat the portability!  I really wish I had an e-reader again...even though I love actual books and would never completely abandon them.

Oh, and I NEVER go on a car or plane trip without a good book!

Go here to participate in Booking Through Thursday

and go here to enter for your chance to win a beautiful top from Soft Surroundings!

Booking Through Thursday: What's the oddest book you've ever read?

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I'm participating in Booking Through Thursday today, and the question is:

What’s the oddest book you’ve ever read? Did you like it? Hate it? Did it make you think?

The book that immediately comes to mind is a self-published one that I read when I was working at a Christian radio station.

It was by a preacher who claimed he had died and gone to Heaven and then come back.

No, it wasn't the more recent ones--90 Minutes in Heaven, or Heaven Is For Real. I've read those too, and they have a ring of truth, whether or not you believe in near-death experiences.

This one--and I'm sorry I don't remember either the title or the author--was really outlandish to the point of laughable.

The author claimed that while in Heaven, an angel showed him a large room over which was a sign reading "Unclaimed Blessings," or something like that. In the room was shelf after shelf of body parts--legs, arms, hands, you name it--which were to be sent to people on earth who needed to be healed. Mmmm, yeah.

He also claimed all the flowers in Heaven have faces.

It's been years, so I don't remember much else about it. I just remember thinking this guy was crazy to think anyone would believe him. I remember just thinking it was absolutely ridiculous.

(And by the way, I do believe in Heaven, but I think it's so amazing and incredible that there aren't human words to describe it. And for me, the jury's out when it comes to near-death experiences--are they real or can they be scientifically explained? Not sure!)

So I can't say I "hated" it...I just pretty much scorned it.

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Booking Through Thursday: Grab the nearest book...

Participating in Booking Through Thursday today, and here's the question:

It’s National Book Week. The rules: Grab the closest book to you. Go to page 56. Copy the 5th sentence as your status
(We’ve done something similar to this before, but it’s always fun, so … why not?)

This was much more challenging for me today than it would normally be! I'm on vacation in Texas, and I'm sitting in my mother's livingroom. The only books nearby are of the coffee table and gift book variety. Many of them don't even have five sentences on a page!

The book I'm quoting from is a lovely pictorial titled The Majesty of Natchez, by Steven Brooke.

It's filled with photographs of some of the most gorgeous, stately, architecturally beautiful homes in a city that's called " one of the largest and best-preserved collections of antebellum architecture in the country."

So, page 56 includes a photo of a lovely winding staircase in a house called "Auburn." The fifth (and last) sentence on page 56 is this one:

"The interiors of Auburn feature original furnishings and an extraordinary freestanding geometric stairway that is an architectural masterpiece."

It really is a beautiful book--and having just seen "Gone With The Wind" again on my way down to Texas, it's especially of interest to me!

Booking Through Thursday: What Book Were You Excited to Read?

I'm participating today in Booking Through Thursday. Here are the questions:

What’s the last book you were really EXCITED to read?
And, were you excited about it in advance? Or did the excitement bloom while you were reading it?
Are there any books you’re excited about right NOW?

OK, I know this sounds very convenient, but I was actually really excited to read the book I'm reading now--Liz Curtis Higgs' Mine is the Night.

I had read the first book in the series, which is a re-telling of the biblical Naomi and Ruth story, but set in 18th-century Scotland. (This is a device Higgs used masterfully in her Lowlands of Scotland series, which was a re-imagining of the Jacob/Rachel/Leah story.)

Since I know what happens in the Naomi and Ruth story, I have a pretty good idea of how things are going to turn out, but I was excited to get my hands on this book and see how Higgs envisions it.

I ended up winning four books in a blog give-away, and when a couple of the books weren't available in the US, I was told I could have any book on Amazon.com--so "Mine is the Night" is now mine!

Better than I even expected


I have to say, my excitement has blossomed as I read the book. Truthfully, I'm having a hard time putting it down. I'm supposed to be getting ready for a long road trip right now, and I find myself continually returning to this book!

There's something about the way Liz Curtis Higgs writes. The way she turns a phrase, her descriptions, her characters, everything, is just lovely, evocative and compelling. I've truly loved everything she's written, and I have read every piece of fiction that she's written thus far.

What am I excited about reading next?

A few on my to-read list that I can't wait to get my hands on:

Minding Frankie, by Maeve Binchy
When Sparrows Fall, by Meg Moseley
Nightmare, by Robin Parrish
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Booking Through Thursday: Do you care if a biography is well-written?

I'm participating today in Booking Through Thursday, and the question is:

There are so many crappy biographies … would you rather read a poorly-written biography of a fascinating life, OR an exquisitely well-written, wonderful read of one of a not-so-interesting life?

I had to think about this for a minute. Biography (along with autobiography) is my second-favorite genre, after fiction.

I love to read about the lives of interesting people. Delving into how they were raised, what made them tick, how they rose to prominence...it all just fascinates me.

To get to those fascinating facts, I will, and have, read biographies that are written in a mediocre fashion.

But if I had my druthers, I'd want the best of both worlds: to read about the story of a fascinating person, written well by a wonderful author.

The images you see are two such biographies, albeit of two men who were vastly different. Jim Elliot, the missionary who lost his life bringing the gospel to the primitive Auca Indians, was a man who was sure of his faith and his destination.

Branwell Bronte was a tormented soul who was unable to attain success or happiness in this world.



Both books are brilliantly and compellingly written--prime examples of biographies of people who might not be in the highest strata of celebrity, but whose stories are written by master wordsmiths--Shadow of the Almighty by Elliot's widow, Elisabeth Elliot; The Infernal World of Branwell Bronte, by acclaimed novelist Daphne DuMaurier.

When I think of "crappy biographies," I think of those "unauthorized" paperbacks about Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga that you see at the grocery store. No, I won't be reading those. :)

Booking Through Thursday: Dog Days?

Participating today in Booking Through Thursday--and the question is:

...what animal-related books have you read? Which do you love? Do you have a favorite literary dog? (Snoopy, anyone?)

You know, I probably haven't read a book specifically about an animal since I was a child.

However, I love the way Dean Koontz incorporates dogs into almost all of this books.

This from Wikipedia:

Koontz is an avid dog lover, and canines (typically an unusually smart Golden or Labrador Retriever) often feature prominently in his works: Fear Nothing, Seize the Night, The Taking, Watchers, Dark Rivers of the Heart, Dragon Tears, One Door Away from Heaven, Ticktock, Twilight Eyes (towards the end of the book) and The Darkest Evening of the Year are prime examples.

I can't fully recommend all Dean Koontz books, especially his earliest ones. The earlier ones can get a little crazy.

But many of them are terrific, suspenseful, and even thoughtful and insightful reads, and his portrayals of dogs are nothing short of loving.

Go here to participate in Booking Through Thursday!

Booking through Thursday: How Big is Your Library?

I'm participating today in Booking Through Thursday, where the question is:

What’s the largest your personal library has ever been? What’s the greatest number of books you’ve ever owned at one time? (Estimates are fine.)
Is your collection NOW the biggest it’s ever been? Or have you down-sized?
What’s the fewest number of books you’ve ever owned (not counting your pre-reading years)?

Wow, this is a tough question...I'm terrible at estimating!

I have six bookcases in my home full of books, most of them mine. I do think this is the largest amount of books I've ever had, and if we ever move, it's going to be quite a chore to load them all up.

The fewest amount of books were probably during my childhood, although even then I had a decent amount.

Like most bibliophiles, I fantasize about having a home library--one room lined with bookcases and set aside simply for the purpose of reading.

But owning a vast amount of books is never what it's been about for me. I DO want my own copies of all my favorite books. But for me it's mainly about the pleasure and enjoyment of the reading experience, not necessarily how large a library I can accrue.

Go here if you'd like to participate in Booking Through Thursday!

Booking through Thursday: Music to read by?

Participating today in Booking Through Thursday...and the question of the day is:

What, if any, kind of music do you listen to when you’re reading? (Given a choice, of course!)

My answer:

Unless I'm reading in a place where there's music already playing (a car while traveling, a waiting room, etc)--I don't listen to ANY music at all.

Here's the thing. I absolutely love reading and I absolutely love music. But they are each things that I like to immerse myself in completely. Given the choice, I want silence while I'm reading.

That's not to say I'm completely unable to focus if there's music playing. I definitely can and will. But as I said, given the choice, I don't want music or preferably any other noise while reading...it would just be a distraction.

Go here to participate in Booking Through Thursday!

*photo credit

Booking Through Thursday: High-Tech Reading?

I'm participating in Booking Through Thursday today, and the question is an excellent one:

With the advent (and growing popularity) of eBooks, I’m seeing more and more articles about how much “better” they can be, because they have the option to be interactive … videos, music, glossaries … all sorts of little extra goodies to help “enhance” your reading experience, rather like listening to the Director’s commentary on a DVD of your favorite movie.
How do you feel about that possibility? Does it excite you in a cutting-edge kind of way? Or does it chill you to the bone because that’s not what reading is ABOUT?

By eBooks, I'm assuming you're referring to books on Kindle, etc, as well as books available online?

Anyway...I've really given this some thought. My grown kids love to read, and both my sons have gone happily and enthusiastically into the Kindle age.

Around Christmas time, one of my sons asked me if I'd like a Kindle for Christmas, and I said no.

My main reason is that I don't just love reading. I love BOOKS. I love the feel of them, the smell of them, the look of them. I love holding one in my hand and turning the pages. I love the bookcases that decorate my home, chockful of, well, BOOKS!

"Mom, you'd end up loving it if you had one," my son assured me.

And he may be right. I can see an advantage or two of having a Kindle--the sheer amount of books it can hold, for one thing. While traveling, I wouldn't have to worry about the extra weight of books in my luggage.

And the interactivity of it appeals to me.

But I just can't see myself ever abandoning real books for a high-tech reading experience. If you look in the sidebar of this blog, you'll find a button that says, "I pledge to read the printed word."

I want to preserve the actual book, the actual printed page, before it becomes...a page in history.

Go here to participate in Booking Through Thursday!

Booking Through Thursday: Own or Borrow?

Participating in Booking through Thursday today:

All things being equal (money, space, etc), would you rather own copies of the books you read? Or borrow them?

This is one question that's impossible for me to answer just one way--even with "all things being equal."

There are some books I just have to own. Pride and Prejudice. Great Expectations. Jane Eyre. Little Women. The Chronicles of Narnia.

And, of course, many lesser known books that I simply love and want to read again and again.

Some of them I only have in paperback form now, and am slowly obtaining hardcover versions.
Other books I see no need to own. Reading them once is an enjoyable experience, but one I'm not likely to ever need to repeat. Those can stay in their library home, and I'm fine with that.

Yet other books will be given or loaned to my mother, who is an avid reader--ones that I think she'll particularly enjoy.

So, to own or to borrow? It just depends on the book. (By the way, I don't worry too much about space. I will FIND a place to put books.)

Go here to participate in Booking Through Thursday!

Booking through Thursday: Do You Read Reviews?

I'm participating again today in Booking Through Thursday, where the questions are:

Do you read book reviews? Whose do you trust? Do they affect your reading habits? Your buying habits?

The answer? You bet I do!

I have always paid attention to book reviews, even way before I had a blog. I would read the reviews in USA Today (I really liked Deirdre Donahue's reviews), women's magazines and the like.

Since starting blogging, and especially since starting this book blog, book reviews have definitely influenced my reading and buying habits.

A recent case in point: I read (actually bought it, at Borders!) Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog because of a review I read that was part of Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books, and it kicked off a spree of reading Connie Willis books. (I'm still looking for a couple of them.)

I also got into P.D. James' Adam Dalgleish mysteries thanks to a Saturday Review of Books review.

Those are just a couple of recent examples. I'm sure there are more, and at least 5 books on my Goodreads "to-read" list are there because I read bloggers' favorable reviews.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily avoid a book if a reviewer didn't like it, but it would weigh in my decision...and if a reviewer genuinely raves about the book, I'll definitely be influenced to read it.

How about you?

If you're visiting from Booking Through Thursday, please, please, please leave a comment, even if it's a very short one! I'd love to know you stopped by.



You can participate in Booking Through Thursday here!

Booking through Thursday: Are You in a Reading Rut?

I'm participating in Booking Through Thursday today. Here's today's question:

Do you ever feel like you’re in a reading rut? That you don’t read enough variety? That you need to branch out, spread your literary wings and explore other genres, flavors, styles?

Well, I don't feel as if I'm in a rut. I do read a wide variety of books, but I purposely choose books that I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy.

With the exception of biographies, I read fiction almost exclusively--so the case could be made that I need to include more nonfiction into my reading diet.

But why? I read plenty of books in school and college only because I had to. I don't feel that my leisure reading should be a "have-to" kind of thing.

I do have some guidelines in what I read. I think the following statement sums up my leisure reading philosophy:

Any book that is not ultimately redemptive, uplifting, and/or enjoyable, is a waste of my time.

(This doesn't mean that a book has to be totally happy and fluffy. It just means that whatever sad or disturbing things the book takes me through, it must ultimately justify me spending my valuable time on it and subjecting my thoughts and emotions to it. It MUST have some redeeming value, even if "quality entertainment" is pretty much the only redeeming value!)

So, I guess the answer is no...I don't feel I'm in a reading rut! :)