book meme

hey, it's exactly the same as that music meme, but it's about books.

1) Total number of books in your house:
approximately 1200, not counting the bookshelf (and boxes) of graphic novels

2) The last book you bought was:
i think it was the dancer upstairs, which i bought last weekend at nightlight. most of the other books i've gotten recently have been from the library.

3) What was the last book you read before reading this message?
see below. :)

4) Write down 5 books you often read or that mean a lot to you.

a. mark helprin's winter's tale. i used to read this annually, although i haven't done it in the last couple of years. i always loved the mix of fairy tale and big-city immigrant story and rich people shenanigans. helprin really is a great writer.

b. john irving's the hotel new hampshire. i read this book probably 20-some times through middle and high school and college--it was the first irving i'd read--my dad gave me his old copy, i imagine forgetting the whole incest subplot. i liked it anyway, and proceeded to read every other irving (except the 158 pound marriage, which my dad would not let me read when i was 13ish, and which doesn't really appeal to me anyway). it's not irving's best, but i always liked it for some reason.

c. sharon creech's love that dog. a kids' book, told all in poetry, about a boy's love for his dog. i cry every single time i read it.

d. haruki murakami's hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world. i first read this in asian lit in college, and i've reread it many times since. it's still my favorite murakami.

e. ann patchett's bel canto. one of the most amazing books i read before i started to keep track of the books i've read. i haven't reread it yet (my mom still has my copy) so maybe it won't hold up, but in my head it's absolutely brilliant and moving.


5) Who are you going to pass the stick to (to three people) and why?
david n. if he wants to. john m., if he does things like this. i don't know who else talks about books, really. :)