The Bookworm Tag

The (very simple) Rules:

-answer the questions 

-make up new ones 

-tag people

Rachel @ Edge of the Precipice tagged me for this Bookworm Tag. Thanks, Rachel. These were fun to go through after my long weekend.

Rachel's questions:

1.  If you had to go into the witness protection program, and they gave you the option of moving inside a book, where would you like to go?

This is such a happy question, and I wish it were true. If I didn't have to go on an adventure, I'd like to stay at Bilbo's in The Hobbit; however, if I would have to live out the story, then I would rather play it safe and hideaway in The Wind in the Willows!!! I'm crashing at Mole's. 

2.  Have you ever claimed to have read a book you actually hadn't read?

I sure hope I never did that. If I did, I had mistaken book identity.

3.  What author have you read the most books by? 

No surprise here: Laura Ingalls Wilder ~ 12 books; 

second place: Thomas Hardy ~ 8 books; 

runners up: Shakespeare, C. S. Lewis, and Austen ~ 7 books; 

Howard Pyle ~ 6 books; 

Steinbeck and Jean Fritz ~ 5 books; 

and beyond that, Cather, Dickens, Hemingway, and Suzanne Collins ~ 4 books. 

4.  Do you ever buy fun bookish merch like mugs, shirts, artwork, etc?

Yes. But it is more special when my husband does it for me. He once went to Spain and brought home a hand-painted mug of Don Quixote, and he didn't even know it was my favorite novel at the time. 😳

5.  Do you usually read only one book at a time, or do you have several going at once?

No, I'm crazy. I have at least five books going simultaneously. 

6.  Are you a mood reader, or do you plan out your reads?

Both. I always plan out my books for the year, and then scratch out half of them and add new ones. I'm a mess.  

7.  If you could meet the author of your favorite book and ask them one question, what would you ask them?

This is really hard for me. I'm stumped. 

8.  Have you ever tried a new food or drink because you read about it in a book or story?

Yes, I made clam chowder because of Moby Dick. It was delicious! I also made a homemade pound cake because I read about it in Uncle Tom's Cabin. Also delicious. 

9.  Have you ever named a pet after a book character? 

No, but my daughter and I have discussed owning several goats named after major characters from Jane Austen. Can you imagine calling after your goats with an English accent, "Mr. Bingley! Mr. Darcy! Miss Bennet!"

10.  What book are you reading right now?

Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy; 

The Self-Sufficient Backyard by Melchoire; 

Truth for Life by Alister Begg; 

and I expect to begin poetry by Keats tomorrow. 

And I have already ordered my next book for book club: Red Famine, by Applebaum. That's five. 

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I'm supposed to make up questions and invite others to answer, but I don't know enough bloggers to tag who haven't already been tagged. I'll invite you to answer Rachel's questions, instead, if you would like to join. 

Classics Club: Ten Years Celebration

The Classics Club is celebrating ten years!!

I began blogging (first as An Experiment With The Well-Educated Mind and then Great Book Study) in January 2012, and then in March of that same year I found The Classics Club and immediately joined, thinking it would help me to be accountable to myself. I was on a quest to read through The Well-Educated Mind by Susan Wise Bauer, and most of the books on her list were classics that I had never read. I had been intimidated by them, and TCC sort of challenged me even more so.

In the end I have completed 2 1/2 Classics Club lists since 2012. I fail to remember what happened to my third list, but I think 2020 happened and my priorities flipped. I quit blogging and writing in early 2021, for about nine months, and then returned with this new blog, with freedom and books.

I have yet to write up a new CC list (though I may at the start of 2023) because things are still not settled right now, and we just moved from Cali to Florida, and we are still looking for a house. I don't trust myself to stay with the list right now. But I thought it would be fun to answer the questions, which you can find at The Classics Club blog.

The Questions

When did you join the Classics Club?  March 2012

What is the best classic book you’ve read for the club so far? Why? This question is impossible to answer because my mood changes and with that my experience. I can only give a broad answer and a sample (from 2012-2020): Anna Karenina / The Great Gatsby / Persuasion / 1984 / Walden / Uncle Tom's Cabin / Gone With the Wind / My Bondage and My Freedom / Far From the Madding Crowd / The House of Mirth. The reason why is because these are enjoyable, give a complete picture of a life or lives, and because memories of them continue to come to mind even when I least expect it. 

What is the first classic you ever read? The first classic I read for TCC is Don Quixote.

Which classic book inspired you the most? Anything by Frederick Douglass (He wrote three autobiographies.) / The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings by Olaudah Equiano / Letters of a Woman Homesteader by Elinore Pruitt Stewart.

What is the most challenging one you’ve ever read, or tried to read? I struggled with The Republic (Plato) and did not finish it.

Favourite movie adaptation of a classic? Least favorite? Favorite: Gone With the Wind / Far From the Madding Crowd / Least: Madame Bovary.

Which classic character most reminds you of yourself? Jo from Little Women / Scarlet of Gone With the Wind / Lizzy from Pride and Prejudice / Thoreau from Walden (minus the snarkiness).

Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving? Respecting? Appreciating? Moby Dick, especially after a re-read with Brona. <--because she dug so much and pulled out tons of amazing trivia that wasn't exactly trivial. 

Classic/s you are DEFINITELY GOING TO MAKE HAPPEN next year? This is a good question, especially if I plan to write a new list for 2023: I will definitely include poetry (because I am still working through TWEM): Blake, Wordsworth, Tennyson, and Whitman. 

Favorite memory with a classic and/or your favourite memory with The Classics Club? My favorite memory with a classic is floating in the pool while reading Moby Dick for the first time. And I really enjoyed rereading One Hundred Years of Solitude in 2021 (and doing a read-along with Silvia) because initially I hated the book, but after rereading it, I changed my mind. 

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Head over to TCC to read more answers from members, or answer your own.