The Book Meme

I've been tagged with the book meme. Rain said that she'd tagged me and that, though everyone else's participation was required, mine was optional. Well of course because I didn't have to play, I had to play! I have to play not just once, but twice, so here it goes!

Grown Up Version:
1) A book that changed my life: Actually, I think there have been several. The first was actually a children's book, that was actually a single poem formatted as a child's book and illustrated. It was the poem "Fog" by Carl Sandburg. I loved it so much that I fell asleep with it every night for years. That one book/poem is what I credit for my love of poetry and writing.

2) A book that I've read more than once: I rarely read a book more than once, but I'm rereading "Another Roadside Attraction" by Tom Robbins right now.

3) A book I'd take to a deserted island: My thesaurus. I'm pretty addicted.

4) A book that made me laugh: Don't Stand Too Close to a Naked Man - Tim Allen & all of Tom Robbins' books.

5) A book that made me cry: I don't read tear-jerker books (or, see #8)

6) A book I wish had been would hurry up and get written: For a couple years my answer would have been "Dark Tower" of the Gunslinger Series by Stephen King. Now that it's been written (with the most horrible ending EVER) I can't think of any others I'm waiting for.

7) A book that should never have been written: Poetic Acceptance

8) A book I'm currently reading: Slowly, and when I can handle it, I'm reading "The One Year Book of Hope" -Nancy Guthrie and "ABC's of Healthy Grieving" -Harold Ivan Smith & Steven L. Jeffers, and like I said above, I'm rereading "Another Roadside Attraction"

9) A book I'm planning to read I've procrastinated finishing: "The Coming Judgement of Nations" -Grant R. Jeffrey. It's just too steeped in religious jargon, and mathematics. So much so that I've been trying to read it for years, and probably will never finish it.

And the kid's version:
1) A book that changed my life: See #1 above.


2) A book that I've read more than once: "Goodnight Moon." Each of my children has owned their own copy, and I've read it so many times that I can recite it from memory. It's just a great kid's book. Also, "Guess How Much I Love You."

3) A book I'd take to a deserted island: A book of Adlibs. Surely that's years of fun!

4) A book that made me laugh: Stoo Hample's Book of Bad Manners. Any book that begins with a picture of a little girl eating boogers and ends with a little boy mooning someone is funny stuff.

5) A book that made me cry: Love You Forever (I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be...") and "Water Bugs & Dragonflies: Explaining Death to Young Children" - a gift to Terra from E2

6) A book I wish had been would hurry up and get written: I'm not waiting for the release of any new children's books...

7) A book that should never have been written: "Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!" By Katherine DeBrecht and "Why Mommy Is A Democrat" by Jeremy Zilber. (Thank you Michael for pointing these out to me! You're right, they're horrible!)

8) A book I'm currently reading: "Butterfly Eyes" This is a new one we got very recently, from the Observer reporter. It's a wonderful book, alternating between poetry and short stories - the illustrations are beautiful, not the typical cartoon style of children's illustartion. But Terra hasn't been in the mood to sit still long enough to read this all the way through yet.

9) A book I'm planning to read I've procrastinated finishing: "Please Mommy Don't Cry." This isn't actually a children's book, it's a book for grieving mothers, but it's written from the deceased child's point of view, looks like a children's book, and is illustrated much like a children's book would be. I can't make it through it just yet.