Obsessions

December 5, 2008 at 6:07 pm

I have an odd relationship with literature. When I was little, with my dad in gradschool trying to raise two little kids, we didn’t have a lot. I know kids are big on asking for everything under the sun, and in our family, the rule was basically “no” unless it was a book. My parents ALWAYS said yes to books. Even if it meant tuna-noodle-bake for dinner again.

As I grew up, I loved going through my Dad’s old books. My mom set up bookshelves in the basement for all of his old stuff, and I would go downstairs to read his highschool textbooks on “New Math” and “Economics for the Second Half of the 20th Century.” My dad never threw away or got rid of his books.

Which is all a long way of saying that I don’t either. I hoard books. I buy them all of the time. I never give them up. I saw Mark throwing out old paperbacks once in our first year of marriage and freaked out. I’m pretty sure it was one of those “Oh my God, I’ve married a crazy woman!” moments for Mark.

So, when Matt tagged me with this cute little question, I realized it was actually going to be a bit hard to answer.

Go to your nearest bookshelf. On the top shelf (or highest shelf with books) what book is fifth from the right and why did you love it? Now go to the bottom shelf (or lowest shelf with books). Tell us about the fifth book from the left. Then tag five of your blog buddies – link please! – to do the same. Be sure to link to the person who tagged you too.

The library

So, if I were going to go to the nearest book-holding-place, it might be the pile next to the couch, or on the stairs. The nearest bookshelves comprise my little “library” up in the loft. Here are my problems. Does bottom shelf mean of all three bookcases? Do I pick the nearest case to the stairs? How do you count from left or right if the books are stacked bottom to top? Or packed in double deep?

Other gems you will find on my bookshelves (see if you can find them in the picture) a cribbage board made out of an antler, my rock collection (I call them geologic samples), pressed flowers from our wedding, an old wireless weather station, DVD backups of my photos, and a map of Mt Everest.

So to answer the question: Fifth from the right on the top shelf (I’m going with right-most case and counting bottom to top) is I’m Just Here For MORE FOOD by Alton Brown. Why do I love this book? Because Alton Brown is both Mark’s and my food hero. His scientific breakdown of cooking processes have lead to many good eats. This book is actually Mark’s. I believe he got it for Christmas a few years back.

Fifth from the left of the bottom shelf? (I’m going with left-most case here) This one is cute. UFO: The Continuing Enigma which is part of the Reader’s Digest Quest for the Unknown series. This is another of Mark’s books. It was actually part of the pile that I climbed into the dumpster to save. Yes, I am completely insane. Because the book is BAD. I’ve never read it, but flipping through it gives me the giggles. I don’t know why or how Mark ended up with every title in this 10-part series, but we use them around the house as nice hard surfaces to write on, or to cover up lights blinking on the humidifier. Maybe someday our daughter will be bored and will get a kick out of flipping through these.

So, on to tagging! Who should do this next? Well, if your still reading, I suggest Doug and/or Liz, Dylan if he wants to, Sean, Lizzy and/or Luke, and Sara. Tag! You’re it!