A Meme

Just as A Reader's Respite was bemoaning our recent blogger's block (if you're just tuning in, blogger's block is our version of writer's block), Literary Menagerie came to the rescue and tagged us with the Bookshelf Meme.



Thank goodness because our poor readers were about to be assaulted with a 1000 word diatribe about the uselessness of Proust.

(Whenever we're low on blogging ideas, we take petty jabs at Proust. Just so you know. It's not as if he has a Google Alert set up.)

Proust. Aren't we immature?

Now on to the meme!

And now tell me about...

The book that’s been on your shelves the longest:

My copies of The Chronicles of Narnia. I've had them at least 30 years, although I cannot for the life of me remember who bought them for me as a child.


I lost them for a while, then stumbled upon them in my mother's basement, which shouldn't surprise me. I think the woman saved everything from our first lost tooth to our first bowel movement. Sheesh.

I'm saving them for my own kidlets, just in case one of them learns to read someday. A mom can dream, can't she?



a book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time, etc.):

This one is a toss up between:

War and Peace, which is the ONLY book I took with me when I sequestered myself for one entire summer on a 32' sailboat called The Seawind and sailed the San Juan Islands,

and

Trixie Belden and The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road, which evokes childhood memories of lazy summer afternoons devouring this book. Interestingly, it's the only Trixie Belden book I ever read.

A book you acquired in some interesting way (gift, serendipity in a used bookstore, prize, etc.):

Eragon, by Paolini. I stole it.


Okay, so I stole it from my brother. But still, it was out and out theft.



A book that’s been with you to the most places:

I once tucked a copy of Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air in a side pocket of my flight case and promptly forgot about it until I cleaned out the case some 3 years later. Based on loose calculations I figure that book probably accumulated around 2.2 million frequent flyer miles.

And no, the irony of the title and where the book was misplaced is not lost on me.



The most recent addition to your shelves:

My stunningly beautiful UPS man just stopped by. Sadly, it wasn't a social visit. But he did bring me Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance, by Gyles Brandreth. I'm excited about this one.




A bonus book that you want to talk about but doesn’t fit into the other questions:

Looky what I found whilst digging through boxes in the garage:



That's right, baby, it's The Illustrated Jane Eyre! Bought it right before our big move and it got packed away and completely forgotten about. I *heart* this book!


So here's 5 people who are probably getting sick and tired of me tagging them:

Passages to the Past
Beth Fish Reads
Great Books and Fresh Coffee
Jo-Jo Loves to Read!
All About {n}



And for those of you who were tagged, read the fine print:

The Rules
1. Tag 3-5 people, so the fun keeps going!
2. Leave a comment at the original post at A Striped Armchair, so that Eva can collect everyone’s answers.
3. If you leave a comment and link back to Eva as the meme’s creator, she will enter you in a book giveaway contest! She has a whole shelf devoted to giveaway books that you’ll be able to choose from, or a bookmooch point if you prefer.
4. Remember that this is all about enjoying books as physical objects, so feel free to describe the exact book you’re talking about, down to that warping from being dropped in the bath water…
5. Make the meme more fun with visuals! Covers of the specific edition you’re talking about, photos of your bookshelves, etc.