Celticangel.org

Hello. I am the Celticangel, and I am a Book Addict.

Some people are addicted to nicotine or alcohol. I am addicted to books. No, seriously. I am.

Occasionally, I try to kick the habit. Sometimes I manage long stretches of a diet consisting only of magazines or non-fiction, because I can set those down after a chapter or a few pages. I can walk away and get other things done. I can do important things like…sleep or work. But it’s only a matter of time before I pick up some fiction again.

Generally, one book leads to another. I discover a new author and dive gleefully in. And this can be a huge problem as work and sleep tend to get in the way of my reading. Luckily, I can eat and read at the same time. At least now that I don’t live with my parents, that is. (Apparently it’s rude to read at the table when there are others at the table with you. Who knew?)

The worst part is that I am a Book Pusher by profession. So…pretty much any book I want I can get my hands on if I am willing to make the effort.

Books are my addiction. Most books are like a nice beer. They are a refreshing break that gives you a nice buzz. But then there are those books that are more like a wonderful dessert wine. Not too sweet, not too bubbly. Before you know it, you’ve had one glass too many. It’s just so good you lose track. One such book is Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. It is Grade-A, Top Choice, Book-Crack. (If you’ll forgive the mixed metaphor.) It’s the kind of book that you read in the kitchen while making dinner. I’d like to blame my sister for talking me into reading it, but the truth is…I’ve been meaning to read it for some time. Perhaps I was just putting off the inevitable. Sigh. Luckily, I will have book 2 tomorrow, as a fellow Book Pusher has a copy she’s going to lend me.

In the meantime, I’m reading Twilight again. And I have to stop typing now and get back to it.

So…read any Book Crack lately?

The Live Oak Nature Trail

So, last Sunday I finally managed to nerve myself up enough to go to that lovely Episcopalian church all on my lonesome. Apart from a severe lack of parking, it was just lovely. Perhaps someday I can get some pictures to show you. The stained glass windows, the curved lines of the ceiling, and the hanging lights were inspirational all on their own. Conveniently, the order of service was very well documented in the bulletin so I didn’t get lost. Overall…it was quite the restful experience. I think I’ll go back.

Later in the day we were out in San Bruno visiting with friends, and when we asked about a place to take a walk they suggested Junipero Serra County Park. And wouldn’t you know it? It was just across the street. How convenient. (Imagine The Church Lady’s voice there.) They were correct. There are some lovely trails over there. The picture at the top of this post is from that walk. (A couple more are over at my flickr phtotstream.) I never knew that Poison Oak could be so…pretty. It brings a nice splash of color to the scenery. You just have to be very careful not to touch it. Next time I’ll be sure to dress for an actual hike, and bring things like…water. Handy thing, water.

I did have my camera. But then, I almost always have it with me. Good thing, too, as I like the pics I took.

Sorry I haven’t updated lately. The Olympics have sucked me in. Well…that and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, which is Grade-A Book Crack. I’ve finished it, and book 2 will be in my hands on Saturday. Suffice to say…I loved it.

TTFN.

According to SciFi Wire, Disney is making yet another attempt to re-imagine “Escape to Witch Mountain.” You’d have thought that the last attempt (the purple monstrosity) would have cured them of this, but no. “Race to Witch Mountain” is described thusly:

“Andy Fickman is on board to direct what is described as an action thriller, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and AnnaSophia Robb. The adaptation, written by Matt Lopez, revolves around a pair of paranormal-powered siblings (Ludwig and Robb) who, with the help of a Las Vegas cab driver (Johnson), go on the run from a diabolical group of men who wish to exploit their abilities. Hinds will play the nefarious leader of the pack.”

Argh! Did they even read the book or are they working from the film again? …And “The Rock” is playing the Mr. O’Day character? Who’s playing Uncle Benet? Vin Diesel?

*grumble*

It’s Banned Books Week, so I thought that I should make this week’s Thursday Thirteen a list of 13 Banned (or Challenged) books that I have read. Really, if you ban a book, it just makes me want to read it more.

13 Banned or Challenged Books That I Have Read:

1. Sex by Madonna (I read this one in college. Well…looked at the pics is more accurate. Not too much text in that one.)
2. The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) (Another book I read in college. I was in the back seat of my friend’s car. I wasn’t really all that impressed.)
3. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (I read this one in High School. It was assigned. I did not enjoy it, but it did have some good quotes. “Sucks to your ass-mar” for example.)
4. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain (I read this one in Junior High for fun. It was the first book that I read with a little bit of romance in it that didn’t make me say “ewwwww.”)
5. Where’s Waldo? by Martin Hanford (I still like these books. They’re fun. I remember someone dressing up as Waldo for Halloween one year when I was in college.)
6. How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell (I read this one in elementary school. I thought it was good. I’m not sure why anyone would challenge this one.)
7. The Headless Cupid by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (I *loved* this book. In fact, I loved the whole series. Okay, anything by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Another elementary school find.)
8. And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell (I just read this one today. It is cute…and is also the most banned book of 2006.)
9. Candide by Voltaire (I read this one while I was working on my French degree. It was okay. I was amused by the extent of his optimism.)
10. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (I love the Lorax. I first read it when I was very young. I think it was one of the things that made me think about the environment.)
11. Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Another assigned book from High School. It annoyed me, actually.)
12. Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (It seems to me that I read this one in High School as well. It was very interesting. )
13. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (I read this one in High School French class. I was annoyed with the main character for not seeing how much her husband loved her.)

Thursday Thirteen

Well, here’s the deal: Books I’ve read are in bold. Ones I’ve yet to finish are italicized. The ones I want to read are underlined.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie

Well…I don’t know who came up with this list originally…but I feel a little inadequate now.