Book Tag

Thanks a lot 4boydad for tagging me. How does one type something sarcastically? Maybe someone needs to invent a new formatting for fonts. We have B=bold, I=italics, U=underline, why not S=sarcastic? Perhaps the letters could have flames coming out of them, or devil horns. Or drips of venom. I don't know. Just a thought. It would be really useful right now. Actually, anything about books is welcome and I shall give it my best:

1. How many books have I owned?
I don't know. I have eleven bookcases in my home. They all hold books. Two hold SF and Fantasy, two hold general fiction, at least three hold books that only my wife reads (mystery and craft), one holds non-fiction theology/devotional, one holds a mish-mash of textbooks, anthologies, etc, two hold history and Star Wars Lego models (the Lego is for my son who can play with them when he is old enough. Until then, someone has to keep them from getting too dusty...that job falls to me), two hold children's books (I think I just passed eleven...hold on...let me check the other wing of the Splitcat library), and five bookcases of gender studies (no, wait...that's at Barnes and Noble).

I have avoided the question. My guess is a bit over 2,000, which means that I have just a bit fewer than 2,000 left to read.

2. What was the last book you bought?
Gary Wills' Reagan's America (bargain rack find). I had read and enjoyed his Lincoln at Gettysburg and hoped for a reprise. I made it through the "new" introduction and realized the book was an attempt to explain just how twisted America had to be in order to select such a dunce as Reagan and how skilled he must have been at playing America while accomplishing nothing other than cracking some pretty quick one-liners. Apparently, Mr. Wills believes that for every silver lining of the eighties there was a category five hurricane named Ronnie aimed at the heartland. I read no more.

3. The last book that you've read?
Orson Scott Card Children of the Mind. I have a great fondness for Ender's Game and even Ender's Shadow. That fondness has led me to wade through the rest of the related books...Xenocide, Hegemon, and Children of the Mind. I just needed to know how the story ended. Now I know (until the saga continues). I can't say I enjoyed it. It was like going to the dentist. You've made the appointment, you've driven to the office, you've waited forty-five minutes while reading a Glamour magazine about an up and coming young actress named Susan Sarandon, you've been picked, flossed, x-rayed, and pressure washed by the hygienist, at this point you might as well let him drill...for five hundred pages. It reminded me of reading the Dune series. The first book was inspiring, the second book was interesting, the third book was bizarre, the others (I can't even remember how many there are. I have heard his clone is continuing to write) were just plain painful and weird. To sum up my review: two thumbs up, put them over your shoulder, and hope someone picks you up and drives you away from Children of the Mind.

Okay, I got a little carried away there. I really admire Card's work. Ender's Game is a classic. If you haven't read it, do.

4. List five books that mean alot to you.
This is a hard question. Here they are:

• The Bible
• LOTR. I can't read them anymore because I know them too well. I didn't need the movies...the images were powerful enough in my head already. The Ride of the Rohirrim haunts me just to think about.
• Lilith by George MacDonald. This book helped me understand hope in an entirely new way. That understanding of hope got me through one of my darkest times and continues to challenge me today.
• Where's the Poop? I have a four year old and a two year old. Need I say more?
• Starship Troopers. I agree with 4boydad on this one. Actually, I think he is the one who made me read it. At the very least I should blame him for one of the bookcases of Sci-Fi.

5. Tag five people that haven't played yet.
I am new to the blogosphere and don't know five people that haven't played yet. Actually, I am not a reader of one blog that hasn't played yet. Am I supposed to tag random bloggers? I don't know how to play this game.


Peace

P.B. If you live in the Atlanta area and don't mind used books, make sure to check out the Goodwill Book Sale. It is the primary reason that most of our furniture consists of bookshelves.