The old year is behind us (and I cannot say I am sorry about that) and 2015 begins. What better way to do so than to join my fellow Quills in a treasure hunt. Our search will take us through our book shelves. Beginning with a set list of what we were to search for, we all got busy. So, here goes!
Robin Lythgoe, author of As the Crow Flies, is up first. Here is what Robin found while scrounging around:
Rummaging through my bookshelves (both physical and digital) makes me feel like a dragon admiring its treasure. I have silver and gold, precious jewels, priceless collections of beautiful words at my very fingertips! The hardest part of this task? Getting sidetracked. I want to read this! no, this one! And that one, too! Oh, it’s been a long time since I’ve read <fill in the blank, there are lots of options>! I got so sidetracked, in fact, that it took me three attempts to collect the actual goodies.
Read more on Robin's blog, here.
Read more on Robin's blog, here.
Next up is Kristie Kiessling, author of Sanguis Dei. I wonder what Kristie found on her bookshelves.
A Scavenger Hunt is fine for parties and kids in college. What we have here is a Scavenger Hunt involving books, and therefore, I deem it a Snark Hunt! Since I am often easily charmed with smiles and soap ... I endeavored to find ONE book with all ten.
When that didn't work . . .
Read more here.
Finally, I had some fun with my treasure hunt. Here is what I found:
When that didn't work . . .
Read more here.
Finally, I had some fun with my treasure hunt. Here is what I found:
A book with the letter “J” - I assume this one means "a book with a title including the letter 'J' and so, I found this one fairly easy. My choice is Jekyll and Hyde, by Robert Lewis Stevenson. Oh yes, I know, the full name is The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but as most refer to it by its shortened name, so too will I. This is a great read, showing the risk of taking physical beauty too seriously. I highly recommend it if you have not managed to read it as yet. My only regret with regard to this story is that the last time I went to New York, shortly after the Broadway show started to play, I missed it. Why? Well, it seems the reviews did not go well and thus, they pulled the show the week before I arrived . . .
A fantasy classic – What could be more “classic” than this decades old The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien, who is commonly considered the father of the modern fantasy. While I’ve read all the tales, I admit: this is one situation where in my mind, the movies outdid the stories. The lighting, the settings, the music, will all go down as some of the best of all time, in my mind. Pictured here is a cover for Part 1.
A book with a dragon on the cover – Here, I had to go with Eragon, by Christopher Paolini. Interestingly, Paolini, a home-schooled youth, wrote the first draft of Eragon at only 15 years of age. Whether you find it nothing more than a modern re-telling of The Lord of the Rings, or a new and unique story in itself, one thing is for certain: if a 15 year old can put together a story of this nature, so too can you!
Oldest book on your shelf – By “oldest,” I am assuming the rules mean the oldest physical book, and not the one written the longest time ago. In this event, I believe that would be Martin Chuzzlewit, by Charles Dickens. My copy (not pictured here) is complete with binding that includes strings coming loose. The first time I read this story, I was “new” to Dickens. I was so confused! Why did the writer continually speak of Chuzzlewit as such a sinless, humble character! It seemed to me that we was quite the opposite. Later, I read all the other Dickens works and tuned into his gift of satire and sense of humor. So I re-read the story and yes, then I did “get it.”
A book with a shield on the cover – Here, I chose the thriller, The Last Patriot, by Brad Thor. Truthfully, I don't remember anything of this tale, but it has a seal on the cover!
A book with an animal in it – Here, I chose The Chronicles of Narnia, by C. S. Lewis. I know this is supposed to be one of the most famous “fantasy” stories of all time—Chrisian fantasy at that—but I admit, I found the stories VERY slow, and not entirely engaging . . .
A cover with only words (although it is not the one shown here) – The Chamber, by John Grisham, a story I’m sure I read, but do not recall much about. In general, I very much enjoy mysteries and thrillers. Also, as an attorney myself, I enjoy the occasional “legal thriller.” Unfortunately, I ofttimes find them to be like caricatures of real-life attorneys and of the practice of law. In that regard, they leave me a bit frustrated. Accordingly, I haven’t read one for some time.
A cover with gold lettering – Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. While a worthy read, I find that, notwithstanding Rand's important (timely and timeless) story, her inflexible anti-God attitude gets on my nerves.
A book written by an author with a common last name (and one which, in this case, also has a cover with only words). – I had trouble determining what a “common” name is here, so I went with a “simple” name. Thus, I chose The Purpose Driven Church, by Rick Warren.
A red colored book – We’re going back to my roots here, as I choose Tribe’s law school textbook, American Constitutional Law. Most would not find anything particularly engaging here, as it is largely a mix of court decisions, but I’ve kept it on my shelf for over a quarter century now . . .
While the treasure hunt rules do not require this, I thought I'd offer a single word to describe what is on my shelves. That word is "eclectic."
Please join us Quills again in February.
Please join us Quills again in February.
