Meme time

Every week, thousands of memes are thrown into cyberspace and many of them end up in my RSS feed. I love reading them but I hardly ever participate seeing as they can be pretty time consuming. This week however, was Book Blogger Appreciation Week, so I’ll celebrate with the latest and greatest literary meme.

The book that’s been on your shelves the longest

It’s my mother’s copy of Winnie the Pooh from when she was little. It’s in Dutch but contains all the original (black and white) drawings. I remember my grandmother reading me the stories when I was little and it’s actually the only “literary” family heirloom that I’ve got. Sadly, the dust jacket is torn and the colors have faded but the interior still looks great considering it’s rambunctious past from 1969 onwards.

A book that reminds you of something specific in your life (a person, a place, a time)

Just one? The funny thing is that I can still recall exact time or place when I read a specific book. I actually have a frighteningly good memory when it comes to trivial details so here are a few:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger: I was waiting for my pumpkin to come home from his annual snowboarding trip in 2006. If it wasn't for this book I probably wouldn’t have been able to stay up all night and no other novel has had that effect on me since.

Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton: this reminds me of my first trip to Dublin in 2003 where a friend of mine was lecturing me in Easons on the utter brilliance of Botton, resulting in me purchasing this novel and embarking on an ongoing love – hate relationship with the man.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: This beautifully illustrated edition was my best friend’s most prized possession and was handed down to me last year after she died. Although I’m not into Tolkien personally, I have to admit that it’s a gorgeous object that I’ll cherish forever.

A book you acquired in some interesting way

When I was working at Standaard Boekhandel over a year ago, I received an advance uncorrected proof of The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen so I could analyze its potential. Sadly, it’s still somewhere in my to be read pile but I love the fact that I have a copy that no one outside of the publishing industry has.

The book that’s been with you to the most places

Do notebooks count? Because that’s the only type of book that’s seen more places than my living room, bedroom and the inside of whatever mode of public transport I’m using at the time. I’m constantly jotting down ideas, making lists,…

The most recent addition to your shelves

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, in theory because I still have to bring it home with me. Otherwise it’s my glorious True Blood box set.

Your current read, your last read and the book you’ll read next

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks and Hard-boiled wonderland and the end of the world by Haruki Murakami (probably)