2.05.2013

Top Ten Tuesday: Best Bookish Memories

This topic purports to be a challenge, what with thirty-one years of intensive reading to think back through. But I'll do my best.

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Do come join the fun...

Not necessarily in order:

1. The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows release party. Rachael, Ben, Brenna and I went together, and we were Luna, Lupin, Tonks, and McGonagall respectively. It was quite the emotional buzz. As was staying up the rest of the night reading the book.

2. Reading the entire Chronicles of Narnia on the family moving drive from Florida to Montana when I was seven. All except for the last half of The Last Battle, anyway. I ran out of road and had to finish in Missoula.

3. Reading books aloud with my family when I was a kid. Wilson Rawls' Summer of the Monkeys was a favorite, as were George MacDonald's Wee Sir Gibbie of the Highlands and Alec Forbes of Howglen.

4. Always having a book in my desk for study hall during middle school (two of my three public school years). I can't count the number of times I read Johanna Spyri's Heidi, or Rawls' Where the Red Fern Grows, or Dodie Smith's 101 Dalmatians.

5. When I went back to being homeschooled: bribing myself to do my math work by allowing myself to read a chapter of a novel after every ten sums. The great thing about being homeschooled is that you can get away with that in school.

6. This was probably kind of dangerous, but I used to take a book and sit in a corner of the horse pasture just to be near my horses while reading. On a related note, this Super Bowl commercial made me cry horribly. I miss Lovely.

7. The YA blogger meetup at ALA a couple of weeks ago. I met Lenore Applehans (Level 2), Kristen Kittscher (A Wig in the Window), Cat Patrick (Forgotten, Revived), two of the editors from Flux Books, Sarah Woodard of Sarah's Random Musings, Jasmine Rose of A Room with Books, Benji Kenworthy of The Non-Reluctant Reader, Rachel Patrick of Beauty and the Bookshelf, Amy Tintera (Reboot), Gabrielle Prendergast (Wicket Season, Audacious, Capricious), and half-met agent Jill Corcoran.

8. Writing songs about Harry Potter and The Wheel of Time. And performing said songs for WWU and Vancouver Potter fans.

9. Reviewing books on this blog. Does it count as a memory if I still do it?

10. Being part of my Catholic girls' book club. This is also still going on, but every meeting seems to be a good memory. Which reminds me, I haven't read this month's book yet...

What are some of your favorite bookish memories?

9 comments:

  1. Ah, another toughie.

    1) Being read to by my grandmother & mom.

    2) The fact that my elementary school teachers were resigned to the fact that I would be reading things two or three levels ahead of my grade level.

    3) The first time I heard The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe & The Hobbit, which we had read to us in fourth & fifth grade. I bless the teacher who chose those books.

    4) The many, many hours spent in libraries. A whole world of books open to one's delight.

    5) For a loner introvert books were my friends. Usually always had one with me.

    6) Recommending books to friends & having books recommended to me. And in general the companionship, friendship, & camaraderie I've shared with people both in person & over the web brought about by books.

    7) The joy of finding a wife who loves reading as much as I do.

    8) The days when you have nothing to do but read, sitting in a comfortable chair with cats draped around & on you.

    9) The books which create those moments of sehnsucht, the books which best pull off eucatastrophe, the books which make you weep.

    10) The moment I realized I love eBooks.

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    1. Perhaps a small addendum: All the times I've stayed up late into the wee morning hours because I just HAD to finish a book.

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    2. I'm in sympathy with all ten, and the addendum as well. ;) Very happy set of memories!

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  2. I love your number 2- what a great way to pass time!

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    1. Favorite thing about road trips: lots of time to read. :D

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  3. your list reminded me of something I should have put on mine - starting a book club with some friends over the last year - especially the discussion I led on The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis :-)

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    1. You know, I think my book club did The Great Divorce way back when. Waaayy back when. I remember the book well, anyway. There's so much to talk about that I can definitely imagine your discussion being fun!

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  4. Love this :) Wanted to comment to say how funny it is to me that you have attended (part of) an ALA conference, and I have not; ALA is my profession's national organization. It's huge though, so ALA conferences are a bit overwhelming...I prefer local/more focused conferences. But that was neat to read here.

    If I have time (and feel better--currently battling strep :( ) I may write up a post with my own bookish memories :) If I do I'll come back and link to it. Loved your list!

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    1. That would be awesome! I'd love to read it. :)

      Actually, I didn't go to ALA, so to speak... I just went to a blogger meetup that was organized as a side event by ALA attenders. The conference itself sounded massive and a little competitive, but probably fun in some ways.

      Feel better! Ugh, strep. Not fun.

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