By the Book

Purechristianithink of Rebel Without a Pew tagged me for the roving book meme. So here goes:

How many books do you own?

Hmmmm...a few hundred, maybe. The last time I moved, I downsized my collection by about half. And I enjoy giving books away; my rule of thumb these days, just to keep things simple, is to give away any fiction I purchase, and any books that I know I won't want to keep for future reference. But my book hoard has been slowly growing again, and I find myself playing the game, "How many more books can I fit onto this bookshelf before it collapses?" (Maybe I need to read Physics for Dummies.)

Last book bought: To Darkness and to Death by Julia Spencer-Fleming -- a gift for my mom for Mother's Day.

Last book read: Fictionwise, I'm in the middle of To Darkness and to Death (I love it when a plan comes together...) Last non-fiction book read: Loving Jesus by Mark Allan Powell

Books that mean a lot:

Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, the top two books of my childhood.

My mother's big old green cookbook, a circa-1950 wedding present, which I loved to death as a little kid, looking at the photos; it is now minus covers and much of the introductory pages, so I don't even know the title of the thing. Many of the recipes, like Stuffed Goose Necks and a l'Italienne Wieners, have not stood the test of time, but every once in awhile I still find a good one in there.

The Children's Illustrated Bible, which I got for Christmas when I was about seven years old -- sometime earlier, I had overheard my parents murmuring concern that I did not seem adequately interested in religious matters(!), so this volume appeared under the Christmas tree. And, of course, since I knew my parents had a frowny-faced agenda in giving it to me, I refused to even pick it up...in their presence. When they weren't around I surreptitiously read and re-read it. I can still see the illustrations in my mind's eye -- including a blond Jesus who looked like Chuck Norris; what was up with that?

My mother's, aunt's and uncle's 1930's-era high school lit books, which -- unlike my school -- introduced me to the classics of American and British literature at a very young age.

Time-Life science books: Ditto -- they filled the gaps where my public-school education failed me.

The Psalms, the Book of Isaiah and the Gospel of John -- when I finally got around to reading a real Bible.

Our Bodies, Ourselves. Um...that's all I'll say about that.

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek -- The juxtaposition of natural history field notes and the asking of Big Questions really moved me when I first read it. And the prose reads like poetry in places.

Uprisings: The Whole Grain Bakers' Book -- how I learned to bake bread that didn't have the weight and texture of cinderblock.

...and a large and ever-growing host of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, by an assortment of authors, that has enlightened, moved, amused and inspired me.

What magazines do you read regularly? Anymore, I don't. I used to be a voracious magazine reader, but these days about the only ones I read are in waiting rooms, or if I'm hanging out in a Barnes & Noble. I do enjoy the magazine I get from Heifer Project , because it's uplifting; unlike the constant media onslaught of bad news from the developing world, it highlights stories of individual families and communities around the world who are empowering themselves and others.

Tag Five People: If you are reading this, and you haven't participated yet -- tag; you're it.

"Psst! Next book: Dog Grooming For Dummies!"