Saturday, December 09, 2006

Six books

[I've left it too late to write a real post, but don't want to break my posting-every-day streak, so you get another emergency post.]

A meme, courtesy of going to pieces, found while perusing the Randomizer.

Take six books at random from your bookshelf. (In the original form, it was as simple as that. I found myself calculating which book was interesting at which page depth, so modified it to "six unread books" to regain randomness. Library books count.)

Book #1: first sentence.
Rosecliffe Park Drive runs its entire short length in a curve, along the edge of a rather scenic portion of the Don Valley.
M.G. Vassanji, No new land

Book #2: last sentence on page fifty.
We lived on snow; it took the place of bread.
Elie Wiesel, Night

Book #3: second sentence on page 100.
Like any religious rite, it represented a movement from isolated sorrow to communal sharing, but for the first time the inner life was involved in the religious life of the polis.
Karen Armstrong, A short history of myth

Book #4: third sentence on page 150.
The market disciples ignore the admonition of their idol, Adam Smith, that high wages are essential to growth and prosperity.
John Ralston Saul, The unconscious civilization

Book #5: next to last sentence on page 250.
We have not room in the British Museum to give a loose rein to realism in the matter of accessories, but each animal or bird in the collection is so stuffed as to make it look as much alive as the stuffer can make it - even to the insertion of glass eyes.
Samuel Butler, Alps and sanctuaries of Piedmont and Canton Ticino

Book #6: final sentence of the book.
But we can say that narrative, after facing every conceivable challenge in this century, remains central to our existence, our companion, forever puzzling, forever irreplaceable.
Robert Fulford, The triumph of the narrative

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4 Comments:

Blogger brooksba said...

The last book, Triumph of the Narrative, sounds interesting. May have to check that one out.

December 10, 2006 at 10:12:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Blogger * said...

that's a very nice collection, like especially the sentence #5 "no loose rein to realism" It is always nice to see what other people have for books.

December 10, 2006 at 11:54:00 a.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Rigmor said...

A Meme on books - I like that. In fact I might just try it myself.

How much does your books tell us about you?

December 10, 2006 at 7:50:00 p.m. GMT+1  
Blogger Pilarcita said...

I love it! May have to try it too, as soon as school is over for the semester and I've got all my papers graded.

December 11, 2006 at 2:21:00 a.m. GMT+1  

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