New Book Meme

Keith Marshall of Zen Mischief has tagged me with a book meme. Stop by and say hello to Keith and then feel free to steal the meme if you like it.

One book that changed your life:

The Bumper Book by Watty Piper. This was literally the first book I ever read by myself. The original is now out of print, but the hardcover can still be found. It opened a world of color, rhyme, and short stories that led to a lifetime of love of books.

One book that you have read more than once:

James Michener, Hawaii - This was the first of the great Michener historical novels that I read and absolutely fell in love with the whole sweep of time from the formation of the Islands to all the stories up to the modern era. This genre is still my favorite: The well researched historical novel written by a great author and filled with true to life characters based in reality (Spare me the romantic bodice rippers!!!).

One book that you would want on a desert island:


Anthony Powell, Dance To The Music of Time. This book (or rather four books for four seasons) just made the desert island list. For years I had been promising myself I would read it. That finally happened and it is going to be one of those go back often books. Then the old standby that must float up on the desolate sands: The Collected Works of Shakespeare.

One book that made you laugh:

Douglas Adams; Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. Do not read this book in public. People will assume you are totally certifiable. You start to giggle just thinking about reading it, much less actually opening the book. This was the book that really hooked me on British humor and howls of laughter later (Thank you Monty Python), I am still addicted.

One book that made you cry:

Helene Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road To this day when I think about the line, "The blessed man who sold me all my books died a few months ago." things get a little damp. It is that connection that only happens between people who genuinely love to read and share the very real joy of holding a wonderful book in your hands.

One book you can’t read:


Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time It's right up there on my bookcase. It is the work of a genius. I know, I know ... someday.

One book you wish you'd written:

Almost anything by David McCullough, Doris Kearns Goodwin, or Shelby Foote. We are blessed now to have historians who are great story tellers. I would love to have written even one of their books.

One book you wish had never been written:

This one I left just as Keith wrote it. "Not sure I think any book shouldn’t exist (that's a variant of free speech), but if I really had to choose I’d pick two books: the Bible and the Koran; they’ve done more damage in the world than possibly all other books put together."

One book you're reading:

Robert Hughes, The Fatal Shore. I've been working on my genealogy and have a branch that ended up in New Zealand and Australia. This was being read for background and now the genealogy is temporarily forgotten while enjoying book.

One book you're going to read:

This list is far too long to even begin. I'll just go to my Amazon Wish List and click on whatever's next. Unfortunately, this list gets added to faster than I can make a dent.

Fifth Sentence Book Meme

Mary The Teach over at Answers to the Questions tagged me to do a new Book Meme.

Here are the Rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people & post a comment here once you post it to your blog, so I can come see.

The Source by James Michner



"From the warm rising current which has sustained it, the vulture entered the cold outer layers, descending in a great arching curve, its sharp eye fixed on the object that had just died. Speed and determination were necessary, for before long other birds would spot the lifeless target and would come swooping in to claim it, but on this day the solitary vulture was to be the angel of death and it sped down on silent wings. On the ground a small donkey lay trapped with its hind leg pinched into the fork of a desert shrub, and its efforts to extricate itself had brought exhaustion.

Now I’m supposed to tag 5 people who will let me know when theirs are completed:


Mo of It's A Blog Eat Blog World
Lois of Lowdown From Lois
Sandee of Comedy Plus
Linda of Are We There Yet
Mags of Miss Maggie Moo Talks 2 U

The Book Meme

Linda over at Are We There Yet has passed along a meme for one of my great passions: Books. If you love them as much I do, feel free to steal and share your favorites. The only bad thing about this oh so individual meme is that you have to narrow it down to one book in each category. For a reader that is almost inhuman punishment, so I cheat in a couple of places, but here I go.

The Book Meme

One book that changed your life:

The Bumper Book. It was the very first book I read all by myself the Christmas before I turned three. I was one of those fortunate children for whom those odd symbols made pictures in my head and took me to another world. Relatives learned rapidly that when I was reading, you had to shake me to get my attention because I was living somewhere else. The funniest was laying on a couch waiting for my aunt the nurse to give me a shot. When the book was finally put down, I went to ask when she was going to do it, and she answered "an hour ago".

One book that you have read more than once:

There are probably at least 50 books that I regularly reread, so a favorite is impossible. One that I always close with a smile of satisfaction is James Michner's "Hawaii". The first reading was in 1959 or 1960 when it first was published. This was the book that introduced me to stories that combined with phenominal research make true historical fiction such a constant joy and sometimes conveys a "truth" that just perusing reality never quite conveys.

One book that you would want on a desert island:

Given my technical expertise, I probably won't live long enough to get much reading done, but just to try surviving for awhile before the pretty luxury cruise ship showed up: Robinson Crusoe or The Swiss Family Robinson

One book that made you laugh:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and all of its sequels by Douglas Adams. If you love tongue in cheek, quirky British humor, these are the books for you. Try not to read in crowded public places. People get very nervous around others who suddenly shriek out loud and clutch their stomachs while tears of laughter streak down their face. Read it a couple of times while indoors before you take it outside.

One book that made you cry:

Many books over the years have brought tears to my eyes when the characters who have become friends face various trials and tragedies, but the one time crying was funny was while working the all night shift as a phone company operator. After midnight the four of us would take over information as well as our usual long distance. We often got students with homework, all sorts of emergencies and the spelling challenged looking for a place or name. In the wee hours the group would chat or read waiting for the next buzz of incoming call. That is where I was the first time I read The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien and got to the point where Gandalf fell to his death in the clutches of the Balrog. Adult women with a home, husband, and children do not suddenly moan out loud

"Nooooooooooooooooooo!"

One book you wish you'd written:

This honor goes to Paul Scott's The Raj Quartet which is technically four books. It deals with the British raj in India from it's inception to the time of Ghandi. The people and themes still echo today in India, Pakistan, and the Muslim countries of the Middle East. You almost can't read a page without drifting to your daily newspaper for some current fall out to events back then. Plus, I would really love to go to India and these books are likely as close as I will ever get.

One book you wish had never been written:

Strangely enough none. Just as I would never want to see a book destroyed, so I would never wish even the most foul out of existence. They are all the product of the human mind in all its evil and glory. That evil or glory would exist whether or not the book ever happened and sometimes a truly horrid book can point the way to the people who need to be stopped from inflicting their poison on the world.

One book you're reading:

I'm finishing up with my current trip into British history The Lion and the Unicorn and will shortly head into the wild west one more time with "Doc Holliday"

One book you're going to read:

I have promised myself for years that I would finally get around to all 12 novels of Anthony Powell's "A Dance to the Music of Time". That procrastination is about to come to an end as a copy of "Spring" containing the first three novels has finally entered the house and is the next work of fiction to be attacked.

Now I am going to add one more category for comment. We often complain that the movie, mini series, or play just doesn't measure up to the book. Name a book or books where you think the transition to screen or stage was actually well done and why. With books that have more than one version (i.e. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory), which version was you favorite.
84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. The letters between two book lovers is a reader's paradise and the movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft actually captures most of that joy thanks to two great actors who were able to make characters separated by 3000 miles of ocean into a love affair.