A Book Meme

Over at Sylvia's Insight Sylvia C. invited her readers to participate in a Book Meme. Being a book lover, this was one I just couldn't resist.

1. How many books do you own?

There's no way I can provide you with an exact figure but literally hundreds, and perhaps even exceeding a thousand. I still own all my favorite books from when I was a kid and despite the fact that I have enough unread books to keep me busy for several years (unless, of course, I quit freelancing and read all day), I still keep buying more.

2. What was the last book you read?

I just finished The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. This was my first by this author but certainly not my last. I love magical realism and if I ever turn my attention to fiction writing, I think that's the genre I'd dabble in.

3. What was the last book you purchased?

I just bought two: Paradise Piece by Piece, a memoir by Molly Peacock, who spoke at the literary conference I attended this past summer, and Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First by Shel Horowitz, whose chat I attended during the recent Online Muse Conference.

4. What five books are most meaningful to you?

This is sooo hard for me to answer. Although not all of these aren't necessarily in my top 10 (some of them are), when I read them, they touched me in a way that they might not were I to reread them now: Where the Red Fern Grows, Little Women, One True Thing, A Christmas Memory and Pride and Prejudice.

5. What is your most obscure favorite book? Or, favorite most obscure book… [Added by Lisa]

Hmmm, I'm not sure. Like Water for Chocolate perhaps. I don't think this one is exactly obscure, but it gets nowhere near the acclaim Garcia Marquez and Allende do.

Your turn. I love hearing about what others are reading almost as much as I love reading. So play along or Screw You!