Got tagged for this meme by BevL over at Cubie’s Confections.

1. Total number of books I own

I own surprisingly few books for as much as I read.  I usually sell a book of fiction on amazon.com once I’ve read it, except for the ARC’s, which I dutifully keep for the next reviewer on the list. 

I have about 30 reference books on various topics, from an Unabridged Dictionary, an atlas or two (I LOVE maps), some books on Spanish and Italian language (I so want to speak Italian), a few “How To” books (making decorative boxes, origami, needlework, and car repair), some on history (U.S. Civil War, Elizabethan politics and some others I can’t remember the topics), and a handful of books on high-tech product development process analysis and improvement (my day job – I know – yawn city).

I have about 10 books of plays, poetry, and philosophy.  Sophocles, because Oedipus is such an interesting character study.  Shakespeare, because the tortured characters in Hamlet and King Lear are so relevant today.  Rousseau, because I think he was as much a misanthrope as I sometimes think I am, and, again, so relevant today.  John Donne, because I can’t think of a man who is better able to pack so much into so little – he was just a giant.  Walt Whitman, because his work is beautiful and I wonder what he would have done with his life today.  Pablo Neruda, because he makes me pant.  There are others, but those are all that come to mind right now.

I have about 20 books of fiction (romance and otherwise) that I just can’t bear to part with.  J.R. Ward’s BDB books, Sylvia Day’s recent books (Ask For It and Passion for the Game), plus my old, well worn copies of J.R.R. Tolkein’s books (given to me by a woman who would babysit me and the first serious fiction I ever read) .  I think I have a box in the attic of old Louis L’Amour books – I got on a Louis reading kick one summer and blew thru his whole list.

Now for something really odd – I have removed the dust jackets from about 30 hardcover books and have used them around my house as decorative elements.  I stack them up 2-3 tall and use them to raise a lamp on a sideboard, or a blue-and-white ware urn on an occasional table, etc.  They’re handy and look pretty.  Completely useless books about some oddball topic, but they look cool.  I buy old hardcover books at flea markets for this.

2. Last Book I bought

Highlander Untamed by Monica McCarty, I think, but who knows when I’m going to get a chance to read it.  There’s another one that I bought at the same time, but I can’t remember which it is and it has since been subsumed into my TBR pile.

3. Last Book I read

Driven by Eve Kenin.  See my review here.

4. Five books that mean a lot to me

1. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein.  As I mentioned above, when I was a kid this was my first foray into serious fiction.  I remember reading this under the covers with a flashlight.  I read this book over and over again.  I remember feeling “different” when I finished it, I was so transported by the world of Middle Earth and its inhabitants. 

2. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda.  Twenty years ago, this little book opened my eyes to the world of poetry.  I never took poetry seriously until then.  I realized afterwards I had been missing out on a complex, rich art form that could feed my soul like nothing else.  When I read a beautiful poem, or a complex one, something profound happens to my true self.  It’s difficult to explain and sounds like new-age psycho-babble whenever I try.

3. Toxic People: 10 Ways of Dealing With People Who Make Your Life Miserable by Lillian Glass.  The reason I read this is probably self-evident.  I have bought friends and family this book, as well.  It’s really, really good at dissecting toxic behaviour and gives excellent advice for how to respond to it (or not).  It got me through a really tough professional patch (the boss from HELL) without losing my mind.  Did it work?  Well, I’m still around and that boss is long gone, so you tell me (insert slightly self-satisfied look).

4. Coming Apart: Why Relationships End & How to Live Thru the Ending of Yours by Daphne Rose Kingma.  This is another book that I read, and re-read, made notes in, bought copies and sent them to friends who needed the advice I couldn’t give.  It’s a terrific book if you’re on the verge of ending a relationship or have recently ended one.  It explains the process and helped me figure out it wasn’t all my fault but still allowed me to take responsibility and not feel worthless.

5. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrations by Clement Hurd.  Without a doubt, my most life-changing event was the birth of my daughter.  I waited a long time to have my little curtain climber - I was almost 36 when she came into this world.  Before her, I was all career-minded, living in the Washington, DC fastlane, partying with high-powered friends, traveling all over the world, and climbing the corporate ladder.  After my redhead’s birth, though, EVERYTHING changed.  I became a chauffeur, nurse, maid, chef, dresser (hair and otherwise), bather, and, most important of all, bedtime reader.  

I bought this book while I was pregnant (and blissfully ignorant), thinking, “oh what cute illustrations.”  I didn’t know how important it would become to me and my zygote.  However, when she was a baby, Goodnight Moon was the only thing that would get her to sleep.  I read it so many times, I can STILL recite it from memory and it’s been three years since she’s wanted me to read it to her.  I cherish this book as the marker of when my life went from being selfish to being a mom.  A pretty big deal to me.

Golly – Looking back at this list, maybe I do own a lot of books.  I haven’t even talked about what is in my TBR pile (now two large plastic tubs).

5. Tag 5 people

Argh.  I hate to do this for the same reason I don’t forward chain mail.  But I will, because this was actually fun to do – I haven’t thought of some of this in a long while – and this is the kind of thing I want to know about people.  Feel free to respond in Comments or on your own blog.  If this is a meme you’ve already received, or you just can’t be bothered, feel free to ignore the request.  You won’t hurt my feelings.

Karen Scott

Katiebabs

Devon

Meljean

PamP

C’mon ladies – tell us whatcha got.