Booky

Chantal tagged me in this book 'meme' (hey, that's what she called it..) so here we go...

1. Number of books I own:  I would guess, about 100.  If you counted what was in the kid's rooms, well, then the # would shoot up, but I have no idea; last count was 250 or so for them.  I don't have a lot of space, so I usually will check out new books at the library, and if I like them enough, that I know I'll reread it or want to lend it to a friend, then I buy myself a copy. 

2. Last book I read:  Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince, of course, last weekend.  It's the best book of the series so far, I think.  I like it just as much as I liked the Goblet of Fire, which had been my fave until now.

3. Five Books That Mean A Lot to Me:  Okay, this one is harder to answer...

1.  Anne of Green Gables-- The L.M. Montgomery children's classic.  I was home sick from school one day and my Mom brought this to me from the library.  I loved that story!  A smart, feisty red-headed schoolgirl?  I must've read that every year from the time I was 10 until I hit high school.  I'm not a red-head, but I identified with the spirit of this girl so much, it hurt.  I'm thinking about getting a copy for a smart, feisty red-headed schoolgirl that I know right now...

2.  Little Women.  Louisa May Alcott's story was another book my Mom brought me that day.  I enjoy the characters in this book, and wanted to be Jo when I grew up.  I don't have sisters, but this book made me wish I did.

3. The Stand-- Stephen King.  What's not to love about Stephen King?  I love his books, and this is my favorite one.  My copy has been read so many times, it's held together by tape, and some of the pages fall out when you open it up.  While it's true that it's grim, it's a good story.  Ya just gotta love that the evil survivors flock to Vegas and make it their headquarters.

4.  The Count of Monte Cristo--Dumas' tale of love, deceit, and revenge was a pleasant surprise to a high school sophomore.  I like it every time I read it, and it's been a while since I read it last.   (I need to get my own copy, I've never owned this one.)  I still remember how it made me sit up straight in my seat.  Okay, I'm cheating now and adding another here, but The Divine Comedy affected me that way too.  Shyah, those images of Inferno stayed with me for a loooong time.  (Nothing like a little Catholic guilt, eh?) 

5.  The Harry Potter series, and the Lord of the Rings.  I'd never read the Lord of the Rings until I saw the first movie.  I just couldn't get into it, and wow, was I ever glad I opened that book up.  His use of language is amazing, the story is so vivid, I would sit up in my room after the kids had gone to bed and read it by the light of the t.v.  With Harry Potter, I resisted being drawn in by the hype, then decided to read it to Nolan one summer.  And we were both hooked.  I love it that I share Harry with Nolan, that he seemed to start to really like reading when we read it together.  He is also a fan of LOTR, but he hasn't read them--yet.  He returned the favor to me, in the form of Junie B. Jones.  He hasn't gotten to many of my childhood favorites, not yet.  Somehow, I think getting him to read "Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret"  would be hard to explain to his Dad, lol.

Let's see, I would feel I was leaving something out if I didn't mention "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series.  Love them, they are fantastic.  I am transported back to teendom when I read them.  Another favorite of mine that I recommend to my friends (and that they've all liked too) is "The Dogs of Babel," by Carolyn Parkhurst.  So haunting, I couldn't put it down.  And I love Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros, for my Spanglish spirit.  For small town flavor, The Big Stone Gap trilogy by Adriana Trigiani is so reminiscent of my small town experiences that I recommend them too.  And my guilty pleasure has been the Georgia Nicholson books by Louise Rennison.  Any book titled "Angus, thongs, and full-frontal snogging" is going to make you pick it up, lol.  There are 4 of them now, maybe 5, and I am unashamed when I check them out even though they are technically found in the young adult/teen section of the library.  Yup, I smile back unabashedly as I hand over "On the bright side, I'm now the girlfriend of a sex god.." (her 2nd book in the series) to the librarian.  They are hysterical.  At least they are to me.

Okay, now I get to tag some folks, I think.

Kelly,  Mrs L, Tara (soundtrack), Pickle (jen), Tara (peachy t), and Remo.  (links to these in my 'other journals')  Aw, come on guys, it's only three questions.  :)