Reading Anniversary

I didn't know to be grateful for a husband who reads when I was first married. I was naive enough to think that everyone loved reading as much as I. I know better now and I am grateful. We celebrated 12 years on June 20th.

When I asked Scott what was something he would like to do to celebrate, he said he wanted me to read to him. For our date I grabbed a simple and short romantic novel that I have enjoyed several times and we headed up into the mountains. We walked some lovely paths through the Sundance resort before finding the most perfect place to read. There was no one else around, there was a comfortable bench, there was a cool breeze coming off the water fall, and the scenery could not have been more beautiful. A perfect date. (Later we rode the moonlit chair lift ride. Highly recommend. Very romantic.)

I'm going to tell you now that book moment about The Apprentice by Deborah Talmadge-Bickmore mentioned in Book Moments and probably before. Pointless Story Warning.

I found The Apprentice at a used book store and it's cover struck my fancy. It is a short romance/fantasy that appealed to my teenage sense of isolation and drama. (I'll have to review it later. I really do love it. Though as an adult re-reader, I know some of my love is nostalgia. It is a bit of a self-indulgent book.) I loaned it to my friends and they loved it too. Then I loaned it to a less responsible friend and I never saw it again. I dutifully searched all my used book store haunts and could not find another copy. I even went to new book stores. Nothing. This was before the internet, the wonderful amazon, or even before I was aware I could ask a book store to order it for me. Such naivety! Sigh. Regardless. To me, this favorite book was lost forever....

Flash forward to my first semester at college. I had become friends with an apartment of guys and I hung there a lot. (I think I appreciated the quiet, stress-free environment over the girly craziness of my own. I tended to nap there.) One of the guy friends took me to visit a neighbor he had computer questions for. While I zoned out during the computer discussion, I noticed a book shelf and began scanning the titles. I recognized some and registered him as a fantasy reader. Then I saw The Apprentice. Cosmic Moment. So shocked was I that I burst out, interrupted their riveting conversation, "You Have The Apprentice!" I don't normally talk, let alone interrupt, strangers. In embarrassment I babbled about loving that book and losing it. This nice guy then just up and offered his copy to me. (I don't remember how, but he happened to know it was quite near my birthday.) I was stuck. I also don't just accept gifts. Especially from strange boys. But it was The Apprentice.

I took it. Oh the shame. What weakness! I clutched my ill-gotten book and retreated.

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that later, when I encountered him again, I was more than willing to talk and play...till 3:00 in the morning. (I'm a sucker for rubber band wars, and this guy taught me how to flick pennies. The joy!) And then with even less surprise, that I married him.

Happy Anniversary Scott! I love you and I love that you love books and I love that you just gave me that book I wanted so badly. I'll never forget.

I've Been Interviewed!

Hey Bloggies! My friend Stacy over at A Novel Source interviewed Jadyn and I today. Please go check out her beautiful blog and leave her some love!

And because this post would be too short otherwise, let's have some book + picture fun. I really want the first one. :P

Smile! You're on an Awards Show!

In the last month I have received this award from two generous bloggers, Star Shadow and Queen Bee. Thank you again - you made my month. (My apologies for not posting sooner - I usually have limited time and I give priority to my reviews so I don't forget what I want to say. Today Little Mr. Wiggly Butt has fallen asleep so I have TWO hands!)

7 things about me:

1. I name things. It makes it easier to talk about them or direct people to find things on them. For example, the little counter by the oven where miscellaneous things get piled is Mike. The settee by the front door is Nora. The round table that has been chopped short to be a coffee table of sorts in the front room is Arthur. The list could go on and on.
2. I get my nose, rather than my chin, wet when I eat a whole apple . (It's all in the wrist.)
3. I am from Northern California. No, I mean NORTHERN California. A city called Redding that is about 2 hours south of the Oregon border. It is a beautiful hot place with huge lakes, forests, mountains, and rivers. And only 3 hours from the ocean. I miss it.
4. My favorite color is green.
5. I am 4 credits away from my BA in English with a creative writing emphasis at BYU.
6. I decorated my family room in pumpkins and leaves because I love Fall so much I can't bear to put it away for a year.
7. I have an irrational fear of worms.

Passing this on to bloggers who have BEAUTIFUL blogs:

1. Erin at Bookish in a Bow
2. Stacy at A Novel Source
3. Brenda at Brenda Loves Books
4. Morgan at Smitten with Books

 

 This one was also given to me by Queen Bee. Happy Dance!

So 7 more things about me (so that you'll know more than you ever wanted):

1. I wish I could swing all day. I wish my bed were a swing.
2. I have one poem published in Ladybug Magazine and one more supposedly coming out in some future issue some day.
3. I hate mayonnaise and love barbecue sauce.
4. I make up songs and sing a lot over the course of the day. I forget most of them.
5. I have weathered preemie-hood, have a son with ADHD, and a spirited daughter (THIS book is life-saving)...so nothing surprises me. 
6. I care nothing about professional or college sports, current fashion trends, or TV shows.
7. I am a tomboy. My heart goes pitter-pat for camping and hiking and boots and Cabella's and trees.

Passing it On to those with HONEST blogs:

1. Christy at Dearest Dreams
2. Michelle at Michelle Teacress
3. Bookscoops
4. Kim at Good Clean Reads

 (I changed the rules a bit because it was getting too stressful. This blogging thing can't get stressful. That's what I have those 5 kids for!)

Weekly Geeks 2010-11: In the Beginning

I'm asking you to think back to the moment when you realized "I am a reader!" The moment you felt that desire to read everything! The moment you knew you were different than most of those around you and that this reading thing was for real. Tell us what book you were reading when that moment occurred. If you can't pin it down to one book, what other books define this moment in your life? Do you have a story that goes along with this moment? Please do share.

I've been thinking about this topic all week and have been unable to sit down (with two free hands) to write about it!! The more I've thought about it, the more I see my beginning as a reader as a series of events.

(1)  I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing I was in 3rd grade when my older brother (7 years older) decided it was time for me to read real books, which meant fantasy books. He convinced me to check out The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander from my tiny school library (which was a big deal all by itself) and then set me up on his bed right next to him to read together. Can I even express what a huge thing that was?? I was in heaven. The only problem was that the book was still a little hard for me, and I had my first experience with reading the words but not understanding. (Many experiences with this and text books to follow in years to come.) My brother was annoyed and impatient with me when I confessed my weakness. Back on familiar ground. But I now had a goal. Read that book. Make my brother happy. Climb that mountain! (I think everyone should have an older brother - it keeps one humble.)

(2) I read that book about a year later. It was amazing. And my thoughts went from "read that book" to "so that's what this reading thing is about."

(3) I devoured the Prydain Chronicles and The Little House on the Prairie novels and Anne of Green Gables. Each of these were unique and glorious and I knew I LOVED reading. They were also my first experiences with becoming so involved with a set of characters that I would feel destitute when a series ended. What would I do now??

(4) So, I asked my older brother what I should read next. He mailed me a long list of fantasy novels. This started my saving up of my allowance to buy the next book. And the place that I started, the place that made sure I was a fantasy addict for the rest of my life, was Dragonlance. Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

What is it about that (or those) book(s) that caused you to feel this way?

The magic! The epic adventure! The mystery! The suspense! The immersion into an entire world with history and myth and religion and races of people and geography... But I actually know the exact moment in this book, which stretched to include this entire genre, when there was no turning back. The moment when I met Tasslehoff Burrfoot. Do you know a kender? Depending on now you answer this question, you either know exactly what I'm talking about, or you are missing out on something very special. 

Oh Tass. How I love you!!

 

And just for fun, if you are able to, post a picture of what you looked like when this important event happened!

This is me at almost 11 (with my baby sister) and is the closest guess I have to how old I was when I got my hands on Dragons of Autumn Twilight.