Passing The Stick

Actually, two sticks have been passed to me--one from Saija and one from Fish.

1. You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451. Which book do you want to be?

I keep lists of the books I read and among the hundreds of titles, you won't find this one. So though I vaguely know what this book is about, may I skip this question? Due to past experience, I've learned it's best not to fake knowing what I am talking about. That can generally lead to trouble. :)

2. Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Hmmm... I'll have to echo Saija here--Rhett Butler definitely was a heart-throb when I was in high school. And this will sound odd, but in these later golden years of mine, perhaps I'd choose David Grayson (Ray Stannard Baker) as he portrays himself in his books like
Adventures in Contentment,
Adventures in Friendship and
The Friendly Road. Or maybe that's more a case of recognizing a kindred spirit who happens to be male, and wishing I could have spent an afternoon with him in his lovely home in Amherst, Mass.

3. The last book you bought was...?

Grace Livingston Hill: Her Story and Her Writings by Jean Karr. One of only two biographies about GLH, written shortly after her death in the 1940's.

I still read an occasional Grace Livingston Hill book--have done so since I was a teen (and yes, I know some Christians think these are fluff, but I disagree...). I've collected 7 or so in their original hardback form from the 1910's, 20's and 30's because the feel of those is so much 'realer' and 'take-you-back-in-time-ish' than the mass-marketed paperbacks.

4. The last book you read was...?

That would be two books which I love dearly and often reread:
Gone Away Lake
and
Return to Gone Away--both by Elizabeth Enright. I've read them probably 6 times.

And okay... both those books are novels for pre-teens, but each has everything that I ever longed to experience when I was a child--and as an adult, too:
Discovering a forgotten old 'town' in which two old people still live all alone...
Walking through the decrepit, forgotten Victorian homes...
Hearing stories about the people who once lived there...
And then later being able to buy one of the old houses and fixing it up..
And then finding in the attic, forgotten antiques which help pay for restoring the old place. Both these books are incredible and again, have everything I could want in a good story.

5. What are you currently reading?

Wild at Heart by John Eldredge (yes, again!). It's still the one book I would recommend to anyone and everyone if I could only recommend one.

The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie Brink. A vintage mystery novel for 8-year-olds...

6. Five books you would take to a desert island?

The Bible

The aforementioned Gone Away Lake and Return to Gone Away

Mary Emma and Company by Ralph Moody. (Please tell me you all have read his autobiographical Little Britches series of books!)

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Yes, I'm serious. I've read this book probably 15 times and have visited Almanzo's childhood farm in upstate New York twice. I'm surprised I didn't faint dead away from joy both times because of experiencing such a dream come true. I was giddy and light-headed, though.

What three people are you passing this stick on to and why?

I will pass the stick to any of my regular readers who wish to pick it up. Why? Because I believe in giving everyone an opportunity to share their thoughts. :)