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Friday, August 16, 2013

Books! (A Q&A)

Questions about books? I would LOVE to answer all the questions you never knew you had (and most likely never actually had) about my reading habits.
(I got the questions from Jessica at Faith Permeating Life. Thanks Jessica!)
 
Favorite book cover?

I can't say that I have one. I really don't pay attention to the covers... There's that old saying, and I've heard it way too many times.

What are you reading right now?
I'm listening to No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt; The Homefront in WWII by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Fascinating to learn about the history of the country at that time. I have read a lot of stuff about the Jewish people in Europe, and a few books about the Japanese internment camps, but nothing about the Roosevelt's or the rest of this country at that time.
On my Kindle, I'm reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. (Mind you - I have been reading this for six months. I love the story, and get slowed down by the French history. I enjoy the history, it just takes a lot longer for me to read it.)
I am also reading The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts. When I want to mess with my brain, I'm reading The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns. (I love what it says. It basically says that the gospel of Christ is all about compassion, empathy and serving and taking care of others. I have long felt that anyone NOT willing to take care of those less fortunate can't claim to be followers of Christ's teachings, but... I also feel guilty that I have food to eat and I drive a car and there are people who don't have either... so it messes with my brain, because I feel guilt that I have so much and live such an amazing life. Anyway, his story is interesting. He went from being a big corporate CEO to running a Christian non-profit that helps bring food and clean water to people in third world countries.)

Do you have any idea what you'll read when you're done with that?
Not a clue...
I'll probably get back to Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell, but other than that, who knows until I am reading it?


What five books have you always wanted to read but haven't got round to?
Shy Boy by Monty Roberts
Maybe one of Dan Brown's books.
And there's currently 174 books on my Goodreads that I want to read, but haven't gotten to yet.

What magazines do you have in your bathroom/lounge right now?
Trout magazine.

What's the worst book you've ever read?
I can't think of anything right now.

What book seemed really popular but you didn't like it?
Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. Ugh. Generalizations that didn't fit me, or any of my relationships, but claimed to be about everyone. I did not like it AT ALL.

What's the one book you always recommend to just about anyone?
There isn't a book I could recommend to everyone... but there are a few books that I found to be SUPER helpful in my own life journey.
The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
The Four Agreements and The Mastery of Love and The Voice of Knowledge by don Miguel Ruiz
What to do when you don't know what to do: Common Horse Sense by Wyatt Webb

What are your three favorite poems?
I'm not a big poem person... I don't have any favorites.

Where do you usually get your books?
Amazon.

When you were little, did you have any particular reading habits?
Devour books. I would read until 2 or 3 in the morning... my parents once told me to, "Just go watch TV or something," because I asked for more books. I loved to read. My favorites were historical fiction.

What's the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was too good to put down?
Me Before You by JoJo Mayes

Have you ever "faked" reading a book?
Yeah. When I was in fifth grade, there was a lot of reading, and I couldn't get through the required books (and my fun books) fast enough. I read most of all of the books, but there were a couple that I didn't finish... My mom read the end and helped me with the assignments.

Have you ever bought a book just because you liked the cover?
Not that I can think of.

What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Calico Captive, Babysitter's Club, Boxcar Children

What book changed your life?
Too many to name them all, but Tao of Equus by Linda Kohanov really helped me figure myself out. It made sense of my PTSD. It made dissociation, seizures, flashbacks, and my fears seem more natural and healthy. It also helped me find other books that helped (Wyatt Webb's books, Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine, Mark Rashid's books, etc.) That book opened up a whole new world for me, and I am forever grateful for the things she taught me and the path that book started me on.

What is your favorite passage from a book?
I don't have a favorite. Most recently, the exchange between the Bishop and Jean Valjean in Les Mis. Or the exchange between the two main characters in Me Before You, when she realizes she's in love with him... and she realizes how long she has been in love with him... I liked a lot of things in Confessions of a Molly Mormon. But even those are just the ones currently in my memory.

Who are your top five favorite authors?
Wyatt Webb
J.K. Rowling
Lois Lowry
Susan Richards
Brene Brown
John Gierach

What books are you an "evangelist" for?
None. I'm not an evangelist for anything. Evangelism seems egotistical to me.

What are your favorite books by a first-time author?
Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards
Dancing with Crazy by Emily Pearson

What is your favorite classic book?
I haven't read Gone with the Wind in a million years, but I loved it back then.
I enjoyed the twisted humor of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

Five other notable mentions?
The Worlds of Lois Lowry: (The Giver, Gathering Blue, The Messenger) and now Son
The Elephant Whisperer: My Life with the Herd in the Wilds of Africa by Lawrence Anthony
Fuck it: The Ultimate Spiritual Way by John C. Parkin
The Horse Boy: A Father's Quest to Heal his Son by Rupert Isaacson

What do you think about any of the books mentioned here? If you answer the Q&A, leave a link in comments!

2 comments:

  1. The Dan Brown books are pretty good. I read the first 2 (in the Robert Langdon series) before the other 2 existed. I've been meaning to get to The Lost Symbol for several years, and then he came out with Inferno recently.

    Anyway, fun list. I love books!

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    Replies
    1. Todd just finished the Inferno, and thought it was cool... I kind of know how it ends, because he wanted to talk about it... but that just made me want to read it more.

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