5 Books

Got a cool mee-mee from 50 Books:

Five most recent books you’ve bought for yourself:

Grover Cleveland (The American Presidents Series) – by Henry Graff

Then She Found Me – by Elinor Lipman – I used to have this book – no idea what happened to it. I love it, so I just bought it again

The Inmost Heart: 800 Years of Women’s Letters – edited by Olga Kenyon (thanks to Letters of the Day for this one)

Triangle: A Novel – by Katherine Weber

Travels with Herodotus (Vintage International) – by Ryszard Kapuscinski (at last.)

Five books you’ve most recently given other people:

Baseball: A Literary Anthology – sent to Dad, and also to David and Maria

We Need to Talk About Kevin tie-in: A Novel – by Lionel Shriver – sent to Beth

Spielberg, Truffaut & Me: An Actor’s Diary – by Bob Balaban- sent to Emily

Five most recent books you’ve loaned other people, and their status:

I rarely lend people books. I very rarely borrow books either – I like to own, and be able to dip in and out of it at my own time. But more than that: I’m not a lender. Buy your own.

Last five kids’ books you bought:

I just went on a binge this morning! I am always in the process of acquiring books I loved as a kid! Here is what I bought a mere 2 hours ago (before I even read these mee-mee!):

Ella Of All-Of-A-Kind Family by Sidney Taylor. Words cannot express how much I love that whole series – but I love Ella, in particular. A WWI story. And I have a vivid recollection of the illustrations in the book … I’ll have to see if they are what I remember.

The Trumpet of the Swan by EB White. I LOVE Louis, I LOVE the father swan – I love the boy … and I remember the last paragraph almost word for word.

Midnight is a Place – by Joan Aiken – This book was read to us in the 5th grade – by my worst teacher ever (ROT IN HELL, BITCH.) But I sure remember this book. It takes place in the early dirty days of the industrial revolution in London – at least I think it does – and I know it involves a mystery, and a big gloomy house, and orphans, and a terrifying old man and little kids who have to work in factories for long hours – and sometimes die, because they get squished by the dyeing machine or whatever (the details are lost in my mind). But I know we, as a class, really looked forward to reading hour every day – we wanted to know what would happen!

James and the Giant Peach – by Roald Dahl Hooray!

Seventeenth Summer – by Maureen Daly Okay, there is a long story behind this book and myself. I must have checked it out of the library in high school – I don’t know. It was written by a girl who was actually 17 years old – she had won a story contest or something. It takes place in the 1950s – and it was written in the 50s too, I think – so it’s not nostalgic 1950s, it’s not kitsch 1950s – it’s actual 1950s. And it’s a teenage romance in a small town – and I remember it being WONDERFUL. I’ll have to re-read it someday and see if it holds up.

Last five books you looked at on Amazon/Chapters/Powell’s/etc.:

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything – by Christopher Hitchens

The Post-Birthday World: A Novel (P.S.) by Lionel Shriver

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union: A Novel (P.S.): A Novel by Michael Chabon

Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939 – by Katie Roiphe

Ava Gardner: “Love Is Nothing” by Lee Server

Top five books on your “to read” pile:

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

Orson Welles: Volume 2: Hello Americans by Simon Callow

By the Lake by John McGahern – they re-named the book when it was re-issued in the states. But the actual title? The Irish title? They May Face the Setting Sun. God DAMnit that’s a far superior title. By the Lake? What the heck is that? A Sandra Bullock movie? At any rate, John McGahern is one of the all-time greats, his Amongst Women is a great novel – so By the Lake is definitely on the list.

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union: A Novel (P.S.): A Novel by Michael Chabon. I’d read a grocery list if it was written by Chabon.

Bottom five books on your “to read” pile

These are books I’ve had around forever, and don’t see myself throwing them out – but I feel no urgency to read them immediately.

America’s Constitution: A Biography by Akhil Reed Amar – I have it, it looks great – I’ll read it eventually!

Elia Kazan: A Biography by Richard Schickel (Schickel, of course, is the dude who wrote an entire book about the development of Cary Grant’s acting style, going from film to film to film meticulously – not focusing on biography, but on talent, and development. I LOVE that book – and wrote about Schickel here). So I will definitely be reading his biography of Kazan – and very much look forward to it – just not any time soon.

Only Revolutions: A Novel by Mark Danielewski – I wrote just a tiny bit about his freak-out book House of Leaves here – I’ll cover it more when I get to it in the Dailiy Book Excerpt thing, but I don’t even know what to say – hooly shit, and I’ve heard this new one is a bit of a let-down, but whatever, I will certainly read it. Eventually.

Grover Cleveland (The American Presidents Series) – by Henry Graff. I’m basically collecting the entire series (they haven’t published all the books yet) – but I can’t imagine I’ll get to Grover Cleveland any time soon. However: when I am ready for him, he will be there!! Thank goodness.

Saturday – by Ian McEwan. Eventually I will read it, I’ve had it since it came out – just not in the mood for McEwan these days. Since he tore my heart out with Atonement, uhm – 4 years ago?? I’ve stayed far away from him! But I will eventually read it.

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17 Responses to 5 Books

  1. brendan says:

    5 most recent bought:
    The Yiddish Policeman’s Union – Micheal Chabon
    jPod – Doughlas Coupland
    The Hit List (Ted Williams on hitters)
    The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night Time – can’t remember who wrote it
    Harry Potter – on order

    5 most recently given:

    Is This a Great Game or What? – Tim Kurkjian on 25 years as a beat writer in baseball
    The Hoboken Chicken Emergency – Daniel Pinkwater for Cash
    Berghdorf Blondes – Plum Sykes for Melody

    5 most recently loaned:

    None

    5 kids books:

    Take ’em out of library coz i am poor

    5 top on to read list:

    David Copperfield – Dickens (on my way through it right now, wow)
    Guns, Germs, and Steel – 4th time’s a charm
    Totem and Taboo – Freud (what a crock, in the middle of it right now)
    Beyond Anger – I won’t say any more on the grounds that i will definitely incriminate myself
    Ulysses – just finished it for the first time and am going to dive right back in, holy shart

    5 books on bottom:

    I’m gonna take this to mean that i would read anything else before I read these 5…

    The Fountainhead by Dingdong Rand
    Anything by Paulo Coelho (won’t read him until I have a ponytail and wear sandals)
    The Ship of Yesterday Today and Next Week or Whatever the Hell It’s Called by Umberto Eco
    Scary Ghosts and Goblins by Henry James
    I’m a Hot Lawyer by John Grisham

  2. red says:

    Bren – Right now, I yearn to hear your Umberto Eco imitation.

  3. red says:

    Bren – you know what the funniest thing was about that imitation? I remember you entertaining us with it, and we were all howling – and you were like, “I should try this out at a comedy club … Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone in the audience would get it. We’d have to invite Salman Rushdie and VS Naipaul in order to get some laughs.”

  4. Erik says:

    brendan, I’m a Hot Lawyer by John Grisham is actually kind of entertaining if you read it in one sitting. And if you pretend you’re living in 1996.

  5. Emily says:

    Hahahaha, on the not being a lender thing. I’ve learned over the years that when it comes to books, there’s really no such thing. You either give someone a book or you tell them, like you did, to buy their own. Seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a book back that I’ve lent to someone, even well-meaning friends. The thing is that some people just aren’t as fanatical about their libraries. I love books. I like to keep them. I’ve even had people as to borrow them and got a shocked and hurt look back when I said “no.” Don’t ask to “borrow” it, because I KNOW you will not give it back. I especially hate the “but it’s just ONE book” people. Um, no it’s not. Over the years, it has amounted to HUNDREDS of books.

    Unless I offer to give it to you, buy. Your. OWN.

  6. red says:

    Ha! I know!!

    I just feel awkward sometimes – because when I want to look at a book, it might be 3 in the morning – but I want to have it right there – just in case!

    Unless it’s a friend I trust (cough – Allison – cough) – I will not lend.

    Buy your own!!

  7. Emily says:

    I’ve got a couple of friends like Allison – but they’re also fanatical like me. If it’s not about books, it’s about their CD collection or their clothes or whatever. We lend each other stuff. And you can tell our mutual fanaticism when we talk on the phone in between seeing each other. “I just want you to know, I still have your Siouxsie Sioux CD and I totally haven’t forgotten that I have to return it to you.” I lent my friend Jen my copy of “The Office” first season on DVD like a year ago; no biggie. I haven’t really missed it. But every time we speak, she says “I still have your DVD…didn’t forget. You WILL get it back.” She understands.

  8. red says:

    Yes! Exactly!

    I’m also weird in that I love to have all my ducks in a row – and sometimes I can physically FEEL it when a book I have is missing.

    hahaha Tossing, turning in bed, tormented …

    Not really, but pretty close!

  9. brendan says:

    In the far reaching duality of our humdrum conundrum, underestimating inertia is a sometimes mildly fatal error made by the Proletariat under class of craftsmen and/or orphans of Bulgarian he/she belly dancers. This leads them to fits of revolutionary boredom, poorly shaped pottery, and pulled ab muscles. Obviously, this is a recipe for existential disaster only rivaled in history by the imaginary meeting of Che Guevara and Gloria Estefan.

  10. red says:

    Oh, I can hear the gravelly voice! Laughing!!!!!

  11. brendan says:

    Hee hee! So stupid!

  12. ChrisN says:

    I see you have the novel based on the Triangle fire on your recently purchased list. Have you read Washington Post writer David von Drehle’s history of the Triangle fire? It’s a pretty well-written account.

  13. red says:

    Chris – yes! That’s a great book! Very well written.

  14. red says:

    And I’ve heard excellent things about Weber’s novel – I’m really psyched about it.

  15. mere says:

    thank you for spelling mee mee as it should sound (at least in my head:) you are a true friend.

  16. red says:

    hahahaha

    meeeeemeeeeeeee

    I will never say ‘meme’. I hate that word, and I hate the people who say it un-ironically.

    “Here’s a new meme …”

    EW.

    Please say Mee-mee. Thank you.

  17. Kate P says:

    Hey, Joan Aiken, cool! When I was a preteen/teenager I stumbled across “Black Hearts at Battersea” (possibly a used bookstore find) and loved the sense of adventure in it. Still have it somewhere in storage–just can’t give it away. Guess I should’ve looked for other things she wrote, but now I know one more (sorry about your evil teacher, though).

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