I've seen them on other people's blogs, but wasn't sure what to make of them. So when Judith, a blogging pal, "tagged" me the other day to participate in a "book meme," of course, I had to, book junkie that I am.
But first, I wanted to know what the word "meme" means. To my surprise, there is a whole scientific or philosophical (not sure which) field called "memetics," which studies "memes." Simply put, a meme is " an information pattern, held in an individual's memory, which is capable of being copied to another individual's memory" (from a Principia Cybernetica Web article by Francis Heylighen).
Applied to the world of blogging, memes are lists of questions that one answers and then "tags" other bloggers to answer. These bloggers answer the questions and then tag other bloggers to answer them, and so on, like a blogging "chain letter." I understand that there are blogs out there that consist entirely of memes.
Curiosity fully sated, I can now respond to the book meme. Or can I? Looking over the questions, I ask myself, "How am I supposed to pick the books?" I've read thousands of books over the course of my life. I guess I'll just have to go with what comes to mind, knowing that I could give completely different answers to some of the questions on another day, or even later today. Ok, here goes -
1. Name five of your favorite books. (Think I'll make these all romance novels)
- Blaze by Susan Johnson - Have read every single book of hers.
- Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale - Sequel to My Lady's Heart where much of the dialogue is in Old English.
- Love Lessons by Cheryl Holt - Ooooh boy! 'nuff said!
- Voyager by Diana Gabaldon - Exciting; an emotional roller-coaster!
- Kindred by Octavia Butler - not a romance, but one of the best sci-fi books I've EVER read!
2. What was the last book you bought (or brought home from the library)?
- Donna Kooker's Encyclopedia of Crochet - a great reference.
3. What was the last book you read?
- I'm reading several books at the moment, so I'll answer this by saying that the last book I read to completion was Drums of Autumn, 4th book in the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon. Can't tell you how much I am enjoying these books! It's a joy to read an author who not only writes well but is a great storyteller.
4. List 5 books that have been particularly meaningful to you.
- The Nancy Drew Mysteries - (Thanks for the reminder, Judith!) These books had such a profound impact on me as a young reader. They even made me beileve I could write fiction myself (still haven't done it yet, but I'm working on it). They certainly got me addicted to reading at an early age.
- The Nature of Personal Reality - A "Seth" Book by Jane Roberts - This book literally "rocked my world," with its suggestion that I create my reality with my thoughts, feelings and intent. With 25 years of practice under my belt, I can truly say that this is definitely the case. The challenge is to have conscious control of your thoughts and emotions - easier said than done.
- Breakthrough Dreaming by Gayle Delaney. This book is the "Rosetta Stone" of dream interpretation, cracking the code of dream symbolism for me in a way no other book has.
- Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements by Stephen Arroyo - One of the best astrology books out there, it simplified this art/science for me by discussing the myriad components that make up a natal chart in terms of the easily understandable "four elements" - air, water, earth and fire.
- Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis - One of the best tarot books out there; the author encourages you to read the cards intuitively; the book is a great reference when you get stuck.
5. Name three books you've been dying to read but just haven't gotten around to it.
- The Thirteenth House by Sharon Shinn - Fabulous sci/fi-fantasy author, the second book in her new "12 Houses" series.
- Cesar's Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems by Cesar Milan - Nope, don't even own a dog, but this man is so incredible! He has a TV show on the National Geographic Channel called "The Dog Whisperer" where he "rehabilitates dogs and trains people." He teaches dog owners how to be "pack leaders" and his methods literally transform the people who follow them.
- A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon - 6th book in the "Outlander" series. I'm almost done reading Fiery Cross. Kinda don't want to finish it because it means I have one more book to go and I'll be finished until she publishes another one (8 total in the series).
6. Tag five any number of people and have them fill this quiz out on their own. - Ok, now I have to tag 5 people for this to truly be a meme. I guess I have to tag people who read my blog - not a whole lot at this point, so it won't be 5. Plus, several people who read my blog have already been tagged. So, it'll have to be:
Like any chain letter, please know that you don't have to participate if you don't want to. Have fun if you do!