I Love Books

Trish from Nana's Living the Dream challenged me a while back to post 7 interesting/quirky things about myself. I think I will write about my favorite fictional books since I spilled the beans about everything else of interest about myself here previously.

My night table

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (1984) is loosely based on the life of Ms. Burns grandfather, who was a Civil War veteran. If you read this Southern classic, you will feel as though you are right there in turn of 20th century Cold Sassy along with all of the Blakeslee family mourning the death of Granny Blakeslee and feeling the shame of Grandpa's remarriage three weeks later. (true story...on the way home from the Smokies 15 or so years ago ex husband and I were tired and stopped to spend the night in a motel right off the freeway in northern GA. Some vague thought nagged at me all night long. In the morning it came to me. We were in Commerce, the actual town that was the basis of Cold Sassy Tree. I was so excited. We drove all over town,which wasn't very large, so I could see the home of my favorite book close up)

The hall bookcase

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (1948) is set in South Africa and juxtapositions a humble black tribal pastor with a powerful rich white landowner. They are drawn together by a common tragedy. It is a powerful story of love and redemption and while apartheid is not a theme of the book, it does go far to explain the reasons and structures behind the practice. Recently, Robyn of Art Propelled mentioned that her paternal grandmother and the author were first cousins. I wonder how that figures into the six degrees of separation for me?

One of the downstairs bookcases

East Wind, West Wind by Pearl Buck (1930) is the story of a western educated Chinese doctor who is matched with a traditional Chinese woman in an arranged marriage. It's the story of east meet west told from the viewpoint of Kwei-lan, the wife. It is a simple and sweet story that I have loved since I first read it in the 70s or early 80s. I have read most of Ms. Buck's books and have enjoyed all of her tales of the east

Some of my art books and magazines

The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg (1996) is the story of a middle aged woman who runs away from husband and home to find herself. The reader sees the progression of her thoughts in the things she records in her diary and in her letters to her husband. (I generally like all of Berg's books

Some more how-to books

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry is hands down the best western ever written in my humble opinion. And McMurtry is a genius at the art of writing dialogue. I loved this novel from start to finish. If you've never read it you owe it to yourself

Just a few of my Little Golden books

Papa's Daughter, Dear Papa, Papa's Wife, and This is My Life by Thyra Ferre Bjorn circa early 60s. These sweet books are a mixture of fact and fiction about a Swedish pastor who comes to America with his family. I found these books one by one at the thrift store. Everytime I chanced upon a new one I was delighted to be able to read more about this little family.

The bookcase in the den

Sorry Trish, I can't make it through all seven. I've got tons to do tonight and so I've got to cut my post short. Sufice it to say, I love books. Almost every room has either a bookcase or a pile of books or magazines in it. I have collected over 350 Little Golden books (bought 3 new ones today) and I still have all of my girlhood collection of mystery books too. I enjoy mystery, spy thrillers (Robert Ludlum was my favorite author in this genre), biography, self-help, chick lit, almost any type of non-fiction...you name it, I probably like some of it. I also collect old grammar and high school literature and history text books. Any type of art book calls my name. I am a danger to my checking account if loosed in a bookstore.

Bookcase in my computer room

Reading is my favorite hobby.