Book Tag!

Okay, I got tagged by Joannie, hardy, and Julia on the book deal, so here goes:

1. Total # of books I've owned: Wow, well into the thousands. I probably actually have only in the hundreds right now, because I'm a big believer in book swapping. We have a great used book store here where you can trade your books for either cash or store credit, with store credit being the much better deal. I usually take in between 20 and 50 books every trip and leave with a couple of bags full. Of course there are books that I own that I would never consider trading - gifts from my late grandmother, treasured childhood favorites, especially meaningful fiction. But I've always devoured books from cover to cover, and giving one up if it meant I could try a new flavor always seemed like a good deal to me. My mom was a great believer in the library, and that definitely steered me.

2. The last book I bought: I have to honestly say that I don't know. I've made several recent trips to the above mentioned book store, and I just can't seperate out those from the last trip.

3. The last book I read: The Brethren by John Grisham. This one doesn't actually belong to me. A coworker and I started a sort of unofficial library at work, a place for people to bring in old books they'd like to share, and I got it there.

4. 5 books that mean something to me: This one's tough to narrow down, but I'll try :

1)Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. My mother in law let me borrow this book, and it's a wonderful love story based on the book of Hosea in the Bible. It really paints a beautiful picture of God's unending love for us despite our past mistakes.

2) A Time to Kill. I saw part of the movie first when I was a teenager. I was at a friend's house and had to leave before it was over, and I was so pulled in that I stopped at Wal-Mart on the way home and bought the book. It just strikes me as a book of such supreme justice.

3) The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. This book made me weep for days. I read it aloud to Nick and it moved him to tears too (shhhh!). It's a beautiful love story based on the life of the author's grandparents.

4) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. A haunting story, very much worth reading, but prepare to be heartbroken.

5)What to Expect When You're Expecting by Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway, and Arlene Eisenberg. This answered every question and calmed every fear when I was pregnant. Truly a life saver.

Okay, now it's time to tag five more : I pick
Sue
Carrielily
Librarygirl
Poochiepoo
and
Grace