SLEEPY HOLLOW

Not only is it one of my favorite movies, but it's also one of my favorite short stories. Every year that I taught, I read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow to my classes on Halloween, or whichever day we celebrated it. It was always a big hit. I would turn the lights off and sit in the middle of the room with just a flashlight. It was just spooky enough not to scare anyone.

Still, if you are reading that story in the dark, it is creepy enough to make you sit on the edge of your seat. If you've never actually read the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, you really should give it a read tonight. It's fantastic!

A SUPPOSED HISTORY

I have finally finished another book. Whew! It was short, but I've been so busy that it's taken what seems like FOREVER!

I completed The Persian Legacy and the Edgar Cayce Material by Kevin J. Todeschi. I was not really familiar with Cayce, but he was a psychic and medium of sorts of the early 20th Century. His specialty was past life reading, and the book I read was a historical narrative of sorts created from specific past life readings regarding Persia.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. As a History buff, that's what I was most interested in, even if it is just a supposition. Still, it was interesting to read about the beginnings of Zoroastrianism as well as a history of the Greek conquests. Cayce claimed that evidence of this City of the Plains and Hills, around which the stories centered, could still be found around the city of Shushtar. Todeschi points out in his afterword that the city of Troy was believed at one point to be a legend and nothing more. It is a good point.

I don't know that I'd necessarily recommend this book. It was very different. Cayce's "writing" style was quite odd and antiquated, which made those passages difficult to read. Granted, I was really interested in them in the first place. Overall, it was a quick read. And slightly thought-provoking, and I'm just glad I only paid a quarter for it!

And rest easy, Stephen O'Shea -- Sea of Faith has made it out of the bathroom!

READING IN THE BATHROOM

Admit it. You do it. We all do it. We're taught to do it. Society teaches us to do it. Hell, Pottery Barn sells magazine racks designed specifically for the bathroom. The other night, at my birthday party, my friend's wife went to the bathroom and was gone for a little while. When I asked him if she fell in, his reply was, "I don't know. Are there books in there?"

I live alone, so go ahead and make your own assumptions about my mental state after a week of work and not seeing anyone outside of it but my reflection. What else am I supposed to do but read in the bathroom? I even have specific books for the bathroom. Yes, books. I don't even bother with magazines anymore. I just take a book into the bathroom to read when it's necessary. For all you know, I'm reading in the tub, which a dear friend of mine does every morning.

What kind of books do I read in the bathroom? Usually nonfiction, oddly enough. Don't ask me why. It makes no sense. I just read history books in the potty room. What can I say? Right now, I'm reading Sea of Faith by Stephen O'Shea. I bought it a couple of years ago and read the introduction before moving onto something else -- which I do, as you know. I doubt O'Shea would ever make it onto my blog, but if he did, I would hope he doesn't take offense to the fact that his book is my bathroom read. It's just where I decided to pick it back up again. And now that's where it will remain until I finish the other book I'm reading. Then it'll graduate to bus read!

So now I want to know -- which book/genre do you read in the bathroom? And you can't claim you don't read in the bathroom. Like I said, it's ingrained.

By the way -- this is my 20th post on this site! Woo-hoo!

NaNoWriMo

Hi, all! So I'm still working on reading a new book to tell you all about. It's a little funky, but it's been quite interesting. I should finish it within a day or two.

But why I'm posting is to tell you all about NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. NaNoWriMo encourages anyone willing to try to write at least 50,000 words of a novel between midnight of Nov. 1 and midnight of Dec. 1. For years, I've heard of NaNoWriMo, but have never taken part. This year, I'm determined to do so.

We all love books, right? So why not try to write one? I think we all have great stories to tell. So tell one. And if you want to learn about what I'm going to write, visit my writing blog: etasjes.blogspot.com. I'm putting up ideas and having readers vote on them. Then I'll post my installments as I write -- I'm shooting for 5,000 words a day. That'll get me well over the 50,000 mark. Wish me luck!

SLIGHTY OFF-TOPIC

Again. What can I say?

Anywho, the reason for this post is to announce that I have claimed all three of my blog addresses at Technorati. Whatever the hell that means. ;-) It means no one can mess with my titles.

This blog is the oldest of my three. And probably the least read, which is unfortunate. So read it, people! ;-)

Thanks!

ANOTHER LITERARY SURVEY

Since I'm still in the middle of a new book, and I'm having book post withdrawals, I found another fun book survey. It's longer than the one I stole from Kendra last week. But fun. Here goes:

1. What is your favorite passage/line from a book?

“First with the head, then with the heart.” – The Power of One

2. What do you consider the best film adaptation from a book? What do you think is the worst film adaptation?

Best: To Kill a Mockingbird; Worst: DaVinci Code

3. What is the first book you remember reading?

Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes (nicknamed the Snuggle Buggle Book)

4. Did you have a favorite kids’ book as a child?

See above.

5. What book did you hate reading for a school assignment?

The Grapes of Wrath

6. What is the most recent book you read (or are currently reading)?

The Persian Legacy and the Edgar Cayce Material by Kevin J. Todeschi (it’s weird, but interesting)

7. What book would you most like to see turned into a movie?

The entire Thursday Next series

8. What book did you cheat and read the “Cliff Notes” version?

Again with the Grapes of Wrath (hated that book!)

9. What book would you never read again, no matter how much someone was going to pay you?

On the Beach or the Grapes of Wrath; it’s a toss-up

10. Are you more of a library or book store person?

I’m both; when I have money, it’s Barnes and Noble; when I don’t, it’s the library.

11. Have you tried audio books? Do you like them?

I like them well enough. As a former teacher, I find them to be a crutch. I prefer e-books for the classroom if an alternative to paper is going to be used. Honestly, audio books totally depend on the narrator. If the narrator sucks, the book sucks, no matter what.

12. Has any movie ever inspired you to then read the book on which it was based?

Master and Commander: Far Side of the World; it’s a favorite movie, and I LOVE the books, all 21 of them!

13. Describe a passage from a book that made you cry.

The resolution of Severus Snape in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; balled like a baby

14. What is your favorite book series?

Harry Potter and Aubrey/Maturin

15. Describe your favorite place to read.

My bed

AGAIN WITH THE STEALING FROM KENDRA

Who found this fun survey on another blog full of surveys! ;-)

1. Hardcover or paperback, and why?
Paperback because then I can write in them without feeling guilty.

2. If I were to own a book shop I would call it…
Bookworm's (appropriate, don't ya think?)

3. My favorite quote from a book (mention the title) is…
"First with the head, then with the heart." From the Power of One.

4. The author (alive or deceased) I would love to have lunch with would be ….
Jasper Fforde, so I could ask how the hell he came up with his wonderful stories!

5. If I was going to a deserted island and could only bring one book, except the SAS survival guide, it would be . . .
Right now: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (but I should answer this one again another time -- it always changes)

6. I would love someone to invent a bookish gadget that….
Reads the story aloud to me in my own voice

7. The smell of an old book reminds me of…
My grammy

8. If I could be the lead character in a book (mention the title), it would be….
Elizabeth Bennett (cliche, I know, but she did get Mr. Darcy!)

9. The most overestimated book of all time is….
The Power of One. It's my favorite, and not enough people have read it!

10. I hate it when a book…
Ends without some sort of resolution (read any John Grisham law novel for an example)

A WARNING TO ALL BOOK STEALERS!

About three months ago, I loaned my seventh Harry Potter book, the Deathly Hallows, to our summer intern. He's all of 17 years old, but I've always been able to count on kids to return books, no matter what. However, this kid decided he was going to quit and take my book with him. It was small consolation that I have two of his movies: The Simpsons and Donnie Darko. I want my stinking book back!

So I emailed him and asked him to bring it back. I doubt I'll get it back, so I thought I would publish one of my favorite book quotes:

For him that stealeth a Book from this Library,
let it change into a serpent in his hand and rend him.
Let him be struck with Palsy, and all his Members blasted.
Let him languish in Pain crying aloud for Mercy
and let there be no sur-cease to his Agony till he sink in Dissolution.
Let Bookworms gnaw his Entrails in token of the Worm that dieth not,
and when at last he goeth to his final Punishment,
let the flames of Hell consume him for ever and aye.
~Curse against book stealers, Monastery of San Pedro, Barcelona