This meme has been going around for a few weeks so I thought I might as well go ahead and join in as well. In addition I was tagged for weirdness, not really a surprise, is it? I have responded to that as well.
There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book.
~Marcel Proust
First off, the childhood reading meme:
1.How old were you when you learned to read and who taught you?
My wife is frequently astounded by how hazy some of my childhood memories are. There are a lot of things I simply don’t remember. This is one of them. I am sure it was my mother prior to kindergarten but I do not have any concrete memories of this. Any help mom?
2.Did you own any books as a child? If so, what’s the first one that you remember owning? If not, do you recall any of the first titles that you borrowed from the library?
As a really young child I remember having some Peanuts hardback books. I also remember a hardback picture book about a young girl whose dog got really jealous because of some other pet or something and so he got some help making a giant egg that he hatched out of. I think the egg was pink with purple polka-dots or something like that. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
We went to the library quite frequently but I am not sure what the first book I borrowed was. I do have to say that, although I love convenience, I do miss the old card catalog system of looking up books. There is something very nostalgic about that.
3.What’s the first book that you bought with your own money?
The first book I remember buying was Han Solo and the Lost Legacy by Brian Daley.
I had borrowed the first two in this series from my uncle and remember being very excited when I saw this on the bookshelf in our local dime store. It was published in 1980 and that was when I would have gotten it. I was 11 going on 12 at the time. I may have purchased books before this but do not remember. I am sure anything I bought from the Weekly Reader (does anyone remember this?) was with my parents’ money.
4.Were you a re-reader as a child? If so, which book did you re-read most often?
Oh yes, and still am. I know I checked out Peanuts books a lot from the library and re-read them. I know there are several books that I read multiple times. Angel Baker, Thief was one of these. I remember so vividly seeing it as a new arrival on the library shelf. The cover seems very silly now.
The Snarkout Boys and the Avocado of Death by Daniel Pinkwater was one I got from the library. This was another I came across because the librarians had it faced out when it was new. Bless them. Years later I had a heck of a time remembering the exact title. I remember working in a bookstore and being so thrilled when the name came back to me. I have since gotten a copy of this and read it to my wife and later to my daughter. Such a fun, fun book.
5.What’s the first adult book that captured your interest and how old were you when you read it?
I guess the Brian Daley books I mentioned above were the first ‘adult’ books that I read, followed by Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrision. I would’ve been around 10 or 11 when I read the Daley books. I don’t recall reading anything ‘adult’ before then.
6.Are there children’s books that you passed by as a child that you have learned to love as an adult? Which ones?
I don’t recall reading any of the Winnie the Pooh books but I love them now. I get the brilliance in the language as an adult.
The Anne of Green Gables series. The Chronicles of Narnia. Alice in Wonderland.
Bonus Question: Are there books you remember reading as a child that you either can’t find now or can’t remember the title?
Yes! Of course not being able to remember them means I can tell you little about them. I remember one book that I read around my elementary school years in which the boy finally kissed the girl towards the very end. I vaguely remember the cover and remember reading it several times before I had to take it back to the library. I always think that someday I’ll return to that library and scour the children’s section to see if I can find it. Most likely it is a book that is long gone.
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For truth is always strange; stranger than fiction.
~Lord Byron
Laura over at Knitting Cybrarian tagged me with this:
The Guidelines: List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets. Tag 5 friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people. Don’t forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their blog!
So, here goes:
1. Our dog, Razz, has a weird OCD trait that reminds me of Robert, from Everyone Loves Raymond, and his habit of touching food to his chin. Razz will repeatedly move his chin from the bowl to the floor, over and over and over. The D’s have told us that this is because he used to hide food under the mat when he lived at their house. At the time they also had Marcy so sharing food was probably an issue. It is somewhat funny to watch but also annoying when he is wearing his tags because they jingle like Santas’ sleigh when he is doing this.
2. When I was a child I used to eat all my food item by item. I probably started with the least pleasant items first although sometimes I left those until last and fought with my parents over eating them. I remember as an adult having to make a conscious effort to mix up my foods, enjoying bites of each item randomly selected. Now it is a habit but it was a hard one to break.
3. I don’t like to have my feet under the covers until after I have fallen asleep. If I wake up in the night I am perfectly comfy being bundled under the covers, but something about that when I first go to bed really bugs me and I like to have at least one foot uncovered. I also cannot stand wearing socks to bed.
4. I cannot abide ear hair and it freaked me out the first time I started getting hairs in my ears. Don’t laugh kids, it will happen to you! I will pluck them out or use my beard trimmer to shave them whenever I notice it. If a few days go by and I find a hair or hairs I kind of wig out and have to get them out. Its all about growing old and my refusal to do so gracefully. I’m not real fond of nose hair either.
5. I wait an eternity between haircuts eventhough I do not really like it when my hair gets long (thick). I usually go way past the time when I’m tired of the length of my hair. It just seems incovenient and a waste of money to go do it. Once I get it cut I am thrilled and I always enjoy the experience. I rarely leave the stylist without thinking that I am going to change my ways and come back more frequently but it never happens!
That’s all folks! Nothing too weird, I hope. I am not going to tag anyone specifically. If you want to participate in either meme feel free to comment here or do it on your site. Have a terrific Tuesday, everyone!
Oh, books and weird things… My (extended) family used to think I was a very weird little girl, because you could put me down somewhere with a book and I would get so engrossed in it that everyone (including me) would forget I was there.
That is the kind of easy child care that every parent wants to have!
I also used to eat my food item by item and they couldn’t touch one another. Heaven forbid if my peas got BBQ sauce on them!
I just finished “American Gods.” What a great book. I really, really enjoyed it!
i still don’t let my food touch.. and eat each item, one at a time.. turning my plate as i go.
I don’t think I ever turned my plate, but I could be wrong. Its been a long time. Since I’m an adult now (meaning I can take what I want and don’t have someone else putting food on my plate) I enjoy savoring each item but eating them however the mood strikes.
Glad you liked American Gods, Shannin. It is extremely fascinating. You will have to read Anansi Boys sometime. It is much more of a British comedy but features Mr. Nancy from American Gods and his offspring. I also recommend checking out the short story Monarch of the Glen. It is in the latest short story book Fragile Things and also in the anthology Legends II: Shadows, Gods, and Demons. It is a follow up story with Shadow set after the events in American Gods.
This tagging is making me nostalgic. come to think of it I always sucked at the game.
I loved tag of all kinds because I was a really, really fast and wirey kid. I was little so always surprised bigger kids with how fast I was. I especially liked this game that we played at school where there was a base and two people were ‘it’ and the object was to leave the base, run around the school, and end up back at base without being caught. The ‘it’ kids would tag whoever they could, thus making those kids ‘it’ as well. It was always a source of pride to be one of the last 2 caught, especially once a bunch of kids were ‘it’. Surprisingly enough I’m not quite as fast today…could it be because I’m pudgy and don’t exercise? 🙂
I’m not done reading your whole meme but wanted to tell you that I think that book about the dog & the egg may still be at mom & dad’s. I don’t think I ever read the story but I can kind of remember the cover of it. I will put it on my list to look for it when we are back there over the 8th & bring it to you.
It’s funny you say that about the card catalogs. I loved the card catalog system at the Norfolk Public Library b/c the drawers always opened and closed so smoothly and I liked the sound it made. I also liked watching the librarians check out my books – the process was very interesting to me. I remember going home and setting up my own book check-out system and would play pretend library.
Oh, card catalogues! I do miss them!
My husband still eats his food item by item unless
we are with company…he always eats his veggies first
and saves the ‘main’ course as a reward.
I have no doubt that I too ate my veggies to get them out of the way. Especially if it was peas…yuck!
I wouldn’t be surprised if that book was still there Abby. I can picture the cover and pages, etc. but have no clue what the name of it was.
I TOO REMEMBER THAT BOOK AND WILL LOOK AFTER WORK. I ALWAYS READ TO YOU KIDS WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE.
REMEMBER THE MASHED POTATOES, CARL? I FEEL BAD THAT WE ALWAYS MADE YOU EAT THEM EVEN IF IT TOOK A FULL GLASS OF MILK TO WASH ‘EM DOWN.
I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED TO READ. STILL DO WHEN I HAVE THE TIME.
I have very hazy memories of my childhood, too. Strange!
I think my parents did too many drugs when we were kids and that’s why my memories are vague… 😉
I try not to remember the mashed taters mom…or the peas…or the stringy ham…
FWIW those Daley Han Solos still hold up very well; I’d go so far as to call them the best Star Wars novelizations I’ve read (though Zahn’s are a close second.)
I think the hold up as well, Dan. Those are among a handful of science fiction books that I re-read fairly regularly. I know I read at least one every year. I also agree with your assessment on them vs. other SW novelizations.
and i never heard if you got that book in the mail…?
I just sent you a ‘thank you’ note today! But I will thank you here as well. I loved the artwork on the envelope!!!
I totally agree with you when it comes to haircuts. I read that whole paragraph to Keri because it describes me to a tee when it comes to haircuts. It made me laugh out loud. I have needed one for atleast a month now but I just hate spending the money and yet I always enjoy it when I finally get one.
I pretty sure I still have those Han Solo novels plus I believe the Lando one’s but I never liked them half as much as Han Solo one’s.
I also picked up an Ian Fleming Audio book today at Half Price Books. They had a copy of Live and Let Die unabridged for 7 dollars. So I thought I would give a try. I’ll let you know how it is.
Carl: Forgive me for contacting you this way, but I am writing a short column on the topic of reading challenges (such as the RIP challenge) aimed at the library profession. Would you contact me via my blog to let me know how we could set up a brief interview by email? Thanks.
Yay for Pooh! I read Pooh as a kid and loved the stories but I like them even better as an adult. And your list of weird wasn’t too weird either 🙂
I do the same thing with haircutsand always leave there resolving to actually keep the appointment I made for six weeks later. I never do. I loved Pooh and still do. I think I didn’t discover Beatrice Potter until I had children. I love them. My favorite is Jemima Puddleduck. Thanks for triggering all of these warm memories of reading.
I remember that book from when I worked in a library that had a children’s section. I wish I could remember the title. I will ask around at work tomorrow!
Jeff, I have the trade of Casino Royale coming in. I hope it is good because I love all those newer Penguin trades so much that I want the collection. I never had any desire to read the Lando novels…didn’t even know they existed until years and years after I discovered the Han Solo books.
Jill, no need to forgive, I sent you an email.
I had done this weird meme before and the answers are here, maybe they will be a little more weird for you Stefanie.
I don’t know if I have ever really read any Beatrix Potter books, Pat. I love the covers and illustrations.
How interesting, I find my history of books/reading to be a bit spotty. Well, moreso my recollection of it – it just seems to always have been there. And for the record, you’re not alone in your eating patterns as a kid or your delayed hair cutting schedule as an adult. I’m guilty of both! The food thing used to drive my mom nuts!
You already ordered it; bummer. I was going to suggest tommarrow we order them togther to take advantage of the 3 for $ 25 special. I also love the covers and want the the collection too or maybe they are in a Bond art book. Now that we be cool. 🙂 I didn’t find any of used copies of Bond books today at Half Price in Olathe. I think I’m going to check a few more of them in the coming week.
I didn’t know about the $25 thing until after you mentioned it yesterday and I had already ordered it with some other Christmas gifts. I wouldn’t be averse to getting the second one in the series with you if you still want to go in on something like that.
cool! i’m glad it stayed on there.. with my luck, i thought it’d get wet, & the pen would bleed everywhere. lol
I know it’ll come as a shock but I actually loved reading as a boy and couldn’t get enough books. I enjoyed doing book reports and couldn’t wait until the school library got in the next Encyclopedia Brown story. I read anything but especially liked science stuff. There was a series around 4th or 5th grade that I especially loved called the Monster books. It was, I think, a purple monster something like a Barney but not so fat and the books were like a small magazine. Then of course I got my fill of reading in college and unless I find an excellent read, I really don’t enjoy reading as much.
That is a shock Tom!!! We just need to find you some books worth reading.
Can totally understand the haircuts thing. I can’t countenance spending the money either; mind you, I also consider getting my hair cut only a little less unpleasant than going to the dentist.
So my hair is past my waist, and my mother trims it from time to time. I’m an awful warning.
Mary needs to start cutting your hair Carl. That would solve the problem!! I have it easy though. The only thing you can do with James’ hair is use the clippers on it. I cut his hair every three weeks or so. I do his nose and ears and eyebrows, too!!
I rub the pads of my fingers and thumbs together when I am tense or nervous or anxious. James can tell how I am feeling that way. Is that weird?
I sleep east and west even if the bed is North and South. Beds are supposed to face east and west to get better sleep. My body knows this.
I wish I had a brother. He would undoubtedly ride a motorcycle and he would come pick me up and take me places. I have always wished for this.
I don’t see myself ever allowing Mary near my head with a pair of scissors! LOL!!!
I wouldn’t let my mom cut my hair if the world depended on it–I love ya mom :).
I can’t stand not getting my hair cut (thick & short=blah on me).
I used to hate my food touching, but now I mix it whenever possible.
I must agree with my dad when I say that Raz is rather psycho, but he is cute though