The Book Meme

gus van horn threw down the gauntlet, so I'm picking it up...

Total Number of Books Owned
Probably close to five hundred. Of which 100 to 200 have been read. Lots of boxes filled with books I want to get to but can't find the time. Yet.

Last Book Bought
Two actually. "Going Postal" by Pratchett [One of Gus's links mentioned this and I thought I'd give this writer a shot. Apparently this is one of a whole slew of books set in the author's universe. I hope I'm not joining the story in mid-stream]
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. I prefer foreign films to the dredge Hollywood produces, and this was assumably the companion to the movie.

Last Book Read
"The Lions of Al-Rassan" by Guy Gavriel Kay. Canadian author. This man is a real craftsman. In short, if you want to read "near literature quality" fantasy, he's your man.

Five Books That Mean A Lot To Me [In no particular order]

1] The Fountainhead. Rand. The book that opened up the universe for me. I was a total slug. An aimless drifter of 23 when this book was handed to me. I started reading and could not let the book out of my sight, even for a moment. It was my 'security blanket' for months, until I finished it. Hell, I even slept with it! Also, reading it made me use a dictionary for the first time. A practice I embrace even more so, today.

2] Atlas Shrugged. Rand. Is there a theme here? The great American novel has been written and this is it. I have read this novel cover to cover 25 times, since first reading it in 1979. Literally hundreds more times just opening it and reading whatever my eyes fall on until I have to stop to sleep or go out. When depressed, I would reach for this book and start reading Part III in Atlantis. My thoughts and mood changed quickly, as you might imagine.

3] The Ominous Parallels. Leonard Peikoff. A masterwork his first time out of the blocks, if you ask me. I have read this book four times and learn more each time. Too bad for America this book is all but unknown and unappreciated. Maybe in the near future, it will get its just reward. I hope it happens when Leonard is still with us.

4] "93". Victor Hugo. A book so powerful, I still vividly remember sitting at the edge of my chair, rigid, stiff, sweating--and unable to stop reading. Talk about captivation!

5] Booked to Die. John Dunning. Another good craftsman who is serious about presenting intelligent stories for his readers. You owe it to yourself to give this man a try and start with this book, please.