Jen must think I’m kind of rude, because she tagged me forever ago to do a meme, this one about books. It’s amazing to me, the number of memes that are going around, but how can I say no to this one? I love books and I think that memes are a great way to learn some interesting things about people. So you put the two together, and really? How can you go wrong? Plus, when I’m over talking about our big move, the half-arrived furniture, the mover who was so drunk that I got a buzz just from standing next to him, well… books would be a welcome break!

I did a little unpacking last night and came across the box from my bedroom that contained the contents of my nightstand. Amongst those contents is a rather large stack of books that I’ve been meaning to get to. Since Pea was born. Ugh. I used to read. A lot. Several novels a week. Now? I’m happy to get through the latest issue of US magazine in one sitting. But books play an important role in our home, nonetheless, and I can’t stop buying them. I’ve said it before, we could have no money in the bank and I’d still justify the purchase of books.

So I chose the book on the top of the huge pile next to my bed (yay! our bed arrived!) and here it is…

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more (no cheating!)

The top of the stack is a first edition “A Child’s Garden of Verses” by Robert Louis Stevenson. My mother bought it when she was in college at a used bookstore (couldn’t believe the find, even back then in the 60s!) and spent probably more money than a college student should spend on a book, in the hopes of someday sharing it with her own children. And that she did. We read this book a lot when I was younger. It has beautiful illustrations in it, in black and white, and for a while I was toying with having some of them removed from the book and framed to hang in one of the girls’ rooms, but in the end, I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t deface such a beautiful old book. It just seemed wrong. But it occurs to me now that my mother passed on a rather odd tradition. I also bought up favorite childhood books to pass on to my own children long before I had children.

Find page 123

How strange. This book doesn’t have page numbers! I actually had to count them, one by one. I began from the first page of the actual prose, so it took me to an odd little story, not one of my favorites, because the accompanying illustration is a little creepy, of a big old elf on a small and overworked horse. But that illustration is on page 124, so it’s a moot point, right? Anyway, it’s a nonsensical little piece about sleep and dreams.

Find the first five sentences

What can I say but brilliant rhyming of a little warning to let me lead?

Post the next three sentences

“Here is the simple Shepherd’s Land,

Here are the fairy hollyhocks,

And there are Ali Baba’s rocks.”

Tag five people

Okay, like I always say before I tag people, this is completely no-pressure. You do not have to do this. You do not even have to acknowledge this. But, come on… sharing your books with others? How interesting a way is that to learn more about someone? If you’re anything like me, you can’t help but look at the titles on someone’s bookshelves. Most people sneak a peak in the medicine cabinet? I will sneak a peak at your stacks of books…

So I’ll go with Lisa (Mango Mama) at Living Out Loud Now because she’s so interesting and I’d love to know what book sits next to her bed. And then how about Erin at The Adventure because she’s probably reading something really interesting. I’m guessing this because it was Erin who mentioned the show “Man vs. Wild,” of which I am now hooked. And I have to add The Mama Bird Diaries to the list because The Mama Bird is just… fabulous. Check out her “About Me” page, and you will know what I mean. And then there is Shannon at The Cole Mine (isn’t that a clever name?) who I just like… and who tagged me a couple of weeks ago, so… back at you! And lastly, Latte Mommy because she’s doing this crazy 365 days of blogging thing and I just… wow. She’s going to write a post a day for a whole year? Props to her. Latte Mommy, file this blog away and pull it out when you have writer’s block.

Thanks, Jen. That was fun. Sorry it took me so long, though…