I Was Tagged in September. I'll Try to be Less Pathetic Next Time.

Total number of books owned: I have books on my bookshelves, in the kitchen, in the bedroom, in boxes, and several shelves of books still at my parents' house. I estimate I have roughly a fuckload of books.

Last book bought: Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. I originally went to the store to buy Eats, Shoots and Leaves, but I got...distracted.

Last book read: Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Cruise. The sad part is it took me two or three months to get through it. Normally a book of its size would take 2 or 3 days, but school got in the way. Let my life be a cautionary tale to you young folks, so you may learn never to put education first.

Five books that mean a lot to you:

Where the Wild Things Are

This is my all time favorite book. I love the illustrations, the minimal wordage, the tone, and the message that no matter how bad I can be I will always be loved. It gives me warm fuzzies every time. Interestingly, I don't own it. Never have. Every time I buy a copy I give it away.

I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies)

I read passages of this book to my mom during our last trip to the Mayo Clinic. She had symptoms that indicated she could have cancer, and we both needed something funny. I read so long my voice gave out, but it was worth her laughter.

The Prophet

This is one of those books that made me feel a little different after I read it, as if something inside of me woke up. The trouble here is that my ex-boyfriend gave it to me. Even worse is that he wrote in it. Bastitch.

The Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (1953)

My mom taught me to cook when I was pretty young. She started me on easy stuff like brownies from a box mix, but most of my intermediate education came from this bad girl. The drawings at the beginning of each chapter scream 1950s values, though the editor missed the one where the SON is helping his mother cook, which was a sure way to turn your little boy gay. I believe I read it cover to cover, and I consulted it constantly in Decembers when I was nearly manic about baking cookies. Good times.

Little House in the Big Woods

Every time my mother was pregnant and chose Karen as the girl name option, she had a son. When she changed the option to Laura, I came to be. My namesake is Laura Ingalls Wilder, for my eighth birthday I received the whole set of her books. She was once the inspiration for a Halloween costume. Of the books, this is my favorite and most frequently revisited. Plus, Garth Williams illustrated a lot of the books I read growing up, so this reading this book feels like going home.