april blog-o-sphere think tank :: favourite book.


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my love for books began when young at home, when i was told 
if you don't know how to spell it, look it up in the dictionary.
when we were old enough to be trusted to ride our bicycles 
three miles or so into town, my sister and i frequented the local library,
where mrs. hartman and mrs. mahoney would allow us to check out books
past our age-specific reading level. 
we were advanced readers, and we both fell in love with books. 
in fact, when the local catholic school closed, my family was given
an entire library of books, to include children's books, 
encyclopaedias and dictionaries, 
and classics no longer in print. 
we'd sit on the floor of our little windowless library closet, 
reading by the light of a bare pull-string light bulb.
now i have the pleasure of frequenting the sutton library, 
where mrs. bertels is always willing to help me find 
just the right book….

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my favourite books: 



my journal. 

i've long been a journaler. 
not for reasons that folks seem to journal nowadays, 
but more for tracking purposes. 
both my grandfathers wrote in ledgers, and the tradition carried forth 
into my generation. 
in the 80s, i journal'd where and when and with whom i was traveling. 
in the 90s, i wrote of the lineage of all the sled dogs i raised. 
now i journal simply to note whatever occurrences take place 
in day-to-day life. 
and, yes, i keep and read my journals. 

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h is for hawk. 

a few years ago i took interest in raptors, 
most likely because mister pencilfox and i live in the 
matanuska river migration route of eagles and hawks.
quite often we see birds of prey perched right here in our trees. 
so, when i read an interview with the author of this book, 
i knew it would be a new favourite of mine. 
i find myself carrying it with me on road trips and stuffed into 
the bag i carry to physical therapy. 
quite often i re-read pages, over and over again, 
because the book is well-written, honest, poetic, and beautiful in its style. 

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the book of awakening. 

the fact that my journal is putting weight on the cover
is mere information enough for you to know that 
this is a book i read daily. 
the pages are dog-ear'd and curled from my reading and referencing it. 
i read it in the bathtub, mainly. 
this book helps me center myself and be in the moment. 
it was sent to me by the friend who owned it, 
writing to me that the book did not feel like it belonged to her,
but to me.
this book speaks of truths of the heart, based on varied belief systems. 
i love this book so much that i recently ordered-and-gifted a copy to 
a long-standing alaskan friend. 
she and i often talk deep and long and meaningfully of matters of the heart. 
point in fact, this is the basis of this book. 

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reference guide for essential oils. 

'nough said. 
you'll notice, the pages are curled and dog-ear'd. 
a frequently-used reference book. 
i wear [and ingest] essential oils every day of my life. 
when i have need of a medicinal, i often use oils before other medicinals. 

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animal dreams. 

i have mentioned this book once before when writing a blog-o-sphere post. 
early barbara kingsolver writing just can't be beat. 
i have owned this book since it was published, and i read it once a year. 
the main character [codi noline] returns to grace, arizona, 
finding her way back home again, rediscovering self. 
this book is full of blunt and raw emotion. 
it touches on environmental issues, politics, family relationships, and love. 

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what is this blog-o-sphere think tank?

my friend andes cruz formed a group of friends who blog from 
all different areas of life, a once-a-month blog circle. 
we all write about the same topic and post on the 20th of the month. 
it is always fun and interesting to read others' posts, how they interpret the topic. 

please join me in perusing the posts of my fellow blog-o-sphere writers: 




Comments

Anonymous said…
A fantastic list of favourites
nanotopia said…
H is for Hawk! Great titles here :)
pencilfox said…
thank you for saying so..!!
Farm and Field said…
Good to see you here. I've been thinking about you lately, and hope you're feeling well. I'm so glad that Book of Awakening has touched you!
xx
HappyDayArt! said…
OK, I just went and bought that book "Book of Awakening" on Amazon. That looks like something I can digest over time. Thank you for sharing it Marie!

Catherine
kerin rose said…
I think we are are friends cause we love the same books...and the same music!....was driving listening to the mix you sent me a looooong time ago, and I could have made it myself....imagined us hanging out with some tea and jazzin'.......xo
pencilfox said…
i love that book..! and after gifting a copy to my friend betty, she has since suggested it to others..!

thank you for my book, farmgirl. it's getting good use, as you can see….

xx
pencilfox said…
one reading a day, or several a day!

x
pencilfox said…
you've been heavy on my mind lately, dear friend.
i'm sure we would enjoy our time together, if we could have it….

xo
sage and spirit said…
Just picked up Pigs In Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver. And, it was a thrift store find!!
Dying to read H is for Hawk.
And loving the dog-eared collection you have here. xx
pencilfox said…
oh.my.
pigs in heaven. TRULY GOOD read..!

and h is for hawk….i keep stopping it and re-reading certain pages, over and over. i love this book and don't want it to end..! her writing is so very beautiful, unlike anything else i have ever read.

so glad you stopped by..! xx
MrsLittleJeans said…
Lovely list of favorites dear friend....I love your childhood story and your journaling, a habit I have not developed (mostly deliberately because I am even private to myself)...I will check out your other blogger friends xx
pencilfox said…
sometimes i journal simply to write about the weather….

xx
Sandra Dunn said…
"Books contain 50% more rare rare words than prime time tv." -Statistic

Oh, I just can't give them up. Books or journaling!! Love your share. :)
pencilfox said…
love this quote!
and i must agree!
that is why i am quite choosy with my spoken words, often pausing to find an uncommon word to express myself….
Kirsten said…
Interesting how tastes move to non-fiction. If I had gotten around to participating in this one, mine would have been a similar selection of genres, if not titles.
pencilfox said…
sometimes my life seems so .. FICTION .. or sci-fi, even, at times….
so i enjoy reading non-fiction.

i wish you would have joined us….
prairiegirl said…
Bernard,
I have a black journal with an elastic band. Wish I was more diligent in writing down the bones. (Thanks a lot, iPad...you're sucking up my pen & paper time...grrrr)
I do read daily meditations, tho. A book I've had for oh, a hundred years, The Promise Of A New Day. I treasure it, like an old friend. The Awakening book Boo gave you, it's like that.
I don't have to tell you how wild I am about H is for Hawk! You already know!
And Barbara Kingsolver is the only fictional author I read. It's true. I am strictly a non-fiction reader. Except for every single book by Babs.
I gave away all my books by Kingsolver, you know, Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven, Poisonwood Bible, and all the others...except for Animal Dreams. I kept that one! Funny, huh?
Loved seeing your book stack!
xO
pencilfox said…
there are so many books here on pencilfox acres. out in the book shed, here in the house.

put down that ipad and pick up a pen and some paper..!

xO
prairiegirl said…
Okay...I will. Right now. You'll have proof in four days. ;)