Thursday, February 28, 2008
Found in my files
So. I promised a bunch of book reviews. I had three mostly written, that I was this close to finishing up and posting. And then I thought: no, it's more important that I do all these assignments for CRM new staff orientation. And, well...it kind of was more important that I do that. But. During said new staff orientation, my hard drive crashed. I thought I had saved the reviews as drafts in Blogger. But no. They were on the hard drive, and they're gone. At some point soon, I will rewrite. In the meantime, I did find this book meme saved in my drafts...so here you go.
What are you reading right now?
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eugene Peterson
What's Your God Language, Myra Perrine
I have to confess that I'm not really actively reading the Peterson right now. I started it in Edinburgh, and haven't gotten back into it, mainly because it requires more focused attention than I've had of late.
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
I have some NCSA reading to do (David Bosch's Spirituality of the Road, and re-reading Nouwen's Spiritual Direction) and at some point soon I want to read The God of Small Things. I also have a couple of South African novels that I checked out of the library--because I thought I'd have a ton of free time for reading? Yeah.
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
It’s not my bathroom and they aren’t my magazines, but the magazines that are in a bathroom in this house: World Magazine (excessively conservative Christian news magazine), Acts & Facts (Institute for Creation Research magazine). This tells you more about my parents than it does about my magazine-reading habits (which are pretty much non-existent).
What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
I hated Tristram Shandy with a passion. HATED IT. Even though I read it for a class with one of my favorite professors ever. It probably wasn’t the worst thing ever, but it’s what comes to mind first.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
Anymore, I’m pretty careful who I recommend what to--I tailor recommendations rather than recommending one thing to everyone. For a while, I was recommending The Sparrow to everyone, but then I stopped. I went through a phase like that with To Kill a Mockingbird as well.
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?
Nope. My childhood librarians did, though.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?
Not across the board, but there are a couple specific instances. I bought Cry, the Beloved Country for Kristy--twice, totally forgot I’d already bought it for her--and I don’t think she ever got into it. And I was blown away by Slaughterhouse-Five and recommended it to Kristy and it gave her nightmares. I usually don’t strike out like that with her! And then there was that time I recommended The Sparrow to Justin and it totally screwed with his perceptions of what I read...
Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re driving?
Yes, yes (in the bathtub, not in the shower), sometimes, yes, not really, and no…though I have been tempted to do so (ok, maybe sometimes I've snuck in a few sentences at red lights).
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Never. My best friend and I were both total bookworms. We both won prizes at the library during the summer reading programs, and we were always reading way ahead in our readers at school when we weren’t supposed to. One year when we were allowed to read at our own pace, both of us blew through the required readers and moved on to the special shelf of extra books which we also blew through rather quickly.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
The most recent Harry Potter.
What are you reading right now?
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, Eugene Peterson
What's Your God Language, Myra Perrine
I have to confess that I'm not really actively reading the Peterson right now. I started it in Edinburgh, and haven't gotten back into it, mainly because it requires more focused attention than I've had of late.
Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that?
I have some NCSA reading to do (David Bosch's Spirituality of the Road, and re-reading Nouwen's Spiritual Direction) and at some point soon I want to read The God of Small Things. I also have a couple of South African novels that I checked out of the library--because I thought I'd have a ton of free time for reading? Yeah.
What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now?
It’s not my bathroom and they aren’t my magazines, but the magazines that are in a bathroom in this house: World Magazine (excessively conservative Christian news magazine), Acts & Facts (Institute for Creation Research magazine). This tells you more about my parents than it does about my magazine-reading habits (which are pretty much non-existent).
What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read?
I hated Tristram Shandy with a passion. HATED IT. Even though I read it for a class with one of my favorite professors ever. It probably wasn’t the worst thing ever, but it’s what comes to mind first.
What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone?
Anymore, I’m pretty careful who I recommend what to--I tailor recommendations rather than recommending one thing to everyone. For a while, I was recommending The Sparrow to everyone, but then I stopped. I went through a phase like that with To Kill a Mockingbird as well.
Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they?
Nope. My childhood librarians did, though.
Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all?
Not across the board, but there are a couple specific instances. I bought Cry, the Beloved Country for Kristy--twice, totally forgot I’d already bought it for her--and I don’t think she ever got into it. And I was blown away by Slaughterhouse-Five and recommended it to Kristy and it gave her nightmares. I usually don’t strike out like that with her! And then there was that time I recommended The Sparrow to Justin and it totally screwed with his perceptions of what I read...
Do you read books while you eat? While you bathe? While you watch movies or TV? While you listen to music? While you’re on the computer? While you’re driving?
Yes, yes (in the bathtub, not in the shower), sometimes, yes, not really, and no…though I have been tempted to do so (ok, maybe sometimes I've snuck in a few sentences at red lights).
When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits?
Never. My best friend and I were both total bookworms. We both won prizes at the library during the summer reading programs, and we were always reading way ahead in our readers at school when we weren’t supposed to. One year when we were allowed to read at our own pace, both of us blew through the required readers and moved on to the special shelf of extra books which we also blew through rather quickly.
What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down?
The most recent Harry Potter.
| posted by Barbara | 10:10 PM
| 
Sunday, February 03, 2008
A conversation
This afternoon after Heather's baby shower, one of the girls (and her mom) asked if I could answer some questions for an Awana "interview a missionary" assignment. Tricia (4th grade, I think) asked me the following questions:
What did you do when you were a missionary?
What did you like about it?
What was your job?
Then, after a whispered conference with her mom, she determined that she could ask her own question if she wanted. This was her additional question:
Tricia: You're pretty.
:)
What did you do when you were a missionary?
What did you like about it?
What was your job?
Then, after a whispered conference with her mom, she determined that she could ask her own question if she wanted. This was her additional question:
Tricia: You're pretty.
:)
Labels: quotes
| posted by Barbara | 2:37 AM
|
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Birthday outing?
I've been casting about for what I want to do for my birthday this year. My goal was to be in another country by then, but that's probably not going to happen that quickly. (Both birthday and being in another country will indeed happen...just not simultaneously.) My 3-year-old nephew was recently elated to discover that he has the same birthday as me, and I will no doubt celebrate his 4th with him, but can't really ignore my own...not this year.
Was thinking of leaving town. Still may do so. But then I found this in a Chapman alumni email today. I just might have to attend (and will then have to add that unread copy of Midnight's Children to my 2008 reading list). Anyone up for it? Kristy? It'll be like Benjamin Bagby's Beowulf! Only much more modern!
Alternately, anyone have other birthday invitations/ideas you'd like to extend my way?
Was thinking of leaving town. Still may do so. But then I found this in a Chapman alumni email today. I just might have to attend (and will then have to add that unread copy of Midnight's Children to my 2008 reading list). Anyone up for it? Kristy? It'll be like Benjamin Bagby's Beowulf! Only much more modern!
Alternately, anyone have other birthday invitations/ideas you'd like to extend my way?
| posted by Barbara | 3:19 AM
|