(Image by Akallisti)
Yes, it is a day overdue, but I didn’t want to pass up my opportunity to share some of the things that have come my way in the mailbox over the past week or so. And…if you stick in here until the end, you just might find out that you have something coming in the mail as well!!!
It began with rain and ended with rain, but sandwiched between the downpours were moments both literally and metaphorically sunny. Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a-thon, April 2009, has ended, and I can say with all sincerity that I truly enjoyed this, my first opportunity to participate. The read-a-thon began and ended with rain, but it also began and ended with a goat! And this is where the giddiness begins.
At the start of yesterday’s event, Mary was checking out my post and clicked over to the World Vision website, the link for the charity we chose to fund. Within seconds she mentioned that one of the things a person could donate was a goat. A goat! I immediately…and I kid you not (no pun intended), it was instantaneous…had this conversation in my head: “I want to donate a goat and I want to name it Chasuble!”*. And this made me giggle inside. In fact I thought about it often during the day, and as I read Ex Libris and came across Anne Fadiman’s mention of a Nordstrom’s catalog with a goat on the cover, I took it as a sign and declared to Mary that in addition to a donation to the educational fund of World Vision, we were going to give a goat.
The name “Chasuble” is, incidently, the surname of the reverend in The Importance of Being Earnest. Why in the name of all that is holy that name popped instantly in my head at the idea of donating a goat, I will never know! It just did, which, incidently, is what led to me choosing the movie adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s play for our evening’s entertainment.
So there you have it. We came, we read, we donated a goat (and possibly 5 ducks, I haven’t yet decided for sure).
*for the record, you don’t officially get to ‘name’ the goat you donate. But that didn’t stop me.
And now, a recap of the read-a-thon experience.
“Real luxury is time and opportunity to read for pleasure.”
~Jane Brody
I decided it would be fitting to start this post, the one in which I will do regular updates throughout the day, with a sample of some of the books on my potential reading pile. The alarm clock in the picture is at least as old as I am, my parents purchased it in Germany, where I was born, while my dad was in the Army.
Mary has decided to join me in reading, at least through part of the day, and she suggested that we give a donation to the educational division of World Vision.
During the day I will post updates, each of which will have a header indicating that it is the latest update, so feel free to check back! I’m so psyched to be participating! It is raining (meaning no reason to feel guilty for not mowing the lawn) I have my everything bagel and my cinnamon twist from Einstein Bros. Bagels, a glass of orange juice, and my first read. And away we go….
(Image by ToniVC)
“We read to know we are not alone.”
~C.S. Lewis
The person who says that reading is a solitary activity just hasn’t met the right people. Let one reader encounter another and time can stand still while they share the pleasures of their respective literary adventures, from their earliest recollections of story to the book they just put down. Reading is an activity that allows one to go on a journey with a group of friends the world over. This is more true than ever with the advent of book blogs. But even before the internet made it possible for us to share our passion for the written word with people all over the world, we were a community. I have read novels that are over 100 years old…the same road I traveled down has been traversed by many before me, from all walks of life…we shared the same road and yet all had unique adventures on that road with the same cast of characters. The knowledge of that kind of shared experience can be staggering if you take the time to ponder it.
The ease with which we can communicate with one another today has taken this idea of community to an entirely new level, and one of the people who helped form that community was Dewey. Many of you know that Dewey passed away last year and in her honor the book blog community has continued many of the events that she was a part of, one being the 24 Hour Read-A-Thon, now renamed Dewey’s Read-a-thon. This event occurs once in April and once in October. In the past I have not been able to participate due to being out of town on each occasion. This time it will be different.
(Image taken by Hadassah28)
I have not participated in the Mailbox Monday or Library Loot posts this year, but since giving in to temptation over the last few weeks in regards to book purchasing AND going crazy with library check outs, I decided to join in the festivities today. Book porn of a different nature, as it were. Happy belated Easter to everyone and, of course, happy Monday!