BBAW Day 1: Five Books

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Hey everybody, it's Book Blogger Appreciation Week, hosted by the Estella Society!  For the first day, I'm supposed to introduce myself by telling about five books that represent me as a person or my interests/lifestyle.  So here we go:


  1.  Dancing Goddesses: Folklore, Archaeology and the Origins of European Dance, by Elizabeth Wayland Barber.  I love reading history, I love reading about textiles and women's history, I have kind of a thing for Russia (and India, and the British Isles), and I love Barber's work.  This is a fabulous book that I'm planning to re-read this year.
  2.  Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones. Regular Howling Frog readers are well aware that DWJ is my all-time favorite ever.  And Fire and Hemlock is her strangest, most complex, novel.  I'll let this post cover my love of embroidery too, because I actually have a DWJ sampler in progress...that I haven't touched in a while, actually, but I'm looking forward to working on it more.  I'm making it up as I go, and hope to include something from almost every book.
  3.  The Queen's Diadem, by C. J. L. Almqvist.  In my misspent youth, I was a comparative literature major, specializing in English and Scandinavian.  This was possibly even less useful than it sounds, but I had a good time and luckily, had the sense to become a librarian in grad school, so now I can indulge my love of world literature by purchasing books for my library.   This post thus covers my interest in odd corners of classic literature and my bit of Scandinavian scholarship.
  4. Kindly Inquisitors: the New Attacks on Free Speech, by Jonathan Rauch.   As a librarian, I'm a tad preoccupied with free speech issues and I read all the books I find.  My all-time favorite, the best one, and my pick for best book read in 2014, is Kindly Inquisitors, which lays out in beautiful detail the system of liberal science: how and why free speech is the best and possibly only way to an open, diverse society that is fair to all.
  5. Patterns of Thought: the Hidden Meaning of the Great Pavement of Westminster Abbey, by Richard Foster.  This post not only tells you about my obsession with the pavement, it talks about my quilting mania as well.  I've now actually started a cosmati quilt!  AND---drumroll, please--my mom and I are planning a trip to the UK with my kids in a few months, so I will actually get to SEE the pavement.  For reals, live and in person.  Just thinking about it makes me giddy.  So this post also covers my love of travel and desire to see places all over the world.


 Are you participating in BBAW this week?  Throw a link into the comments and let me know!

Comments

  1. Kristen M.February 15, 2016 at 12:35 AM

    A DWJ sampler? What an awesome idea!

    I was trying to figure out which book really started my obsession with London but I couldn't so I left that off my list. This was a fun exercise though!

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  2. LoryFebruary 15, 2016 at 3:06 AM

    Whaaat, you are embroidering a DWJ sampler? You are my hero. Fire and Hemlock made my list too, unsurprisingly. Have a great BBAW!

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  3. Beth FFebruary 15, 2016 at 3:20 AM

    Soooo Day 1 is really all about making us run out and buy all the books we missed ... great list.

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  4. Shanaya TalesFebruary 15, 2016 at 5:37 AM

    Hi Jean, I came across your bog through BBAW Linky. These books are fairly new to me, but Kindly Inquisitors seems very interesting; will certainly add it to my TBR. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2016 at 5:37 AM

    Oh I dearly hope we will get to see the Diana Wynne Jones sampler at some stage! That sounds amazing! (Fire and Hemlock was on my list too, natch.)

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  6. HeatherFebruary 15, 2016 at 5:39 AM

    Gosh, what a great list! And I seriously want to see that DWJ sampler. LOVE her.

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  7. Girl with her Head in a BookFebruary 15, 2016 at 5:44 AM

    So many people have picked Fire and Hemlock - I think that I need to read to that to find out what it's all about. It's lovely how a challenge like this really does give people a sense of who the person behind the posts really is.
    Really looking forward to the rest of the week!

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  8. ChrisbookaramaFebruary 15, 2016 at 5:44 AM

    A trip to the UK sounds exciting! I love your book picks. They really give a sense of your interests.

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  9. Maureen EFebruary 15, 2016 at 5:58 AM

    I love Fire & Hemlock too! I know some people dislike the ending, but the whole book is one of my favorites. And a DWJ sampler sounds amazing!

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  10. MarceFebruary 15, 2016 at 6:09 AM

    I can hear your excitement, enjoy every moment of your trip to see the Pavement, way to go.

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  11. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2016 at 6:14 AM

    nice to meet you, really cool choices! mine is here: http://wordsandpeace.com/2016/02/15/bbaw-2016-day-1/

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  12. Laurie CFebruary 15, 2016 at 6:34 AM

    I love how the books you've listed really do bring in your other interests! I've always meant to read more books by Dianna Wynne Jones (and now her son, too). My middle daughter loved them as a young teen, but I've only read one.

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  13. Words for WormsFebruary 15, 2016 at 6:58 AM

    Hello, hello! I'm new to this corner of the internet and I love your list! So varied and comprehensive for a lady of many talents. I cannot believe I've yet to read Dianna Wynne Jones. I need to rectify that oversight in short order!

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  14. ShelleyFebruary 15, 2016 at 7:11 AM

    I love the combination of literature and crafts! I'm ashamed to say I've never read anything by Diana Wynne Jones but I'm pretty sure I would like her books.

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  15. KayFebruary 15, 2016 at 7:35 AM

    I love the picture of the pavement and I never thought about the similarity to quilts. How fun! Enjoy your trip. Loved hearing about your favorites here.

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  16. MemoryFebruary 15, 2016 at 7:45 AM

    I love love love the idea of a DWJ sampler, and I'm with everyone else in hoping we get to see it!

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  17. UnknownFebruary 15, 2016 at 9:16 AM

    Great list! I can't believe I've never heard of Fire & Hemlock! It seems like a popular one =) Nice to "meet" you!

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  18. Blogger10February 15, 2016 at 10:19 AM

    Wow, what a great list! Sorry to say I haven't read any of them! I love seeing how you feel they "define" you. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  19. UnknownFebruary 15, 2016 at 1:47 PM

    The pavement, and quilting? Awesome! (I'm definitely adding #5 to my tbr list)
    Here's my five books: http://marelden.com/?p=9435

    ReplyDelete
  20. Roof Beam ReaderFebruary 15, 2016 at 4:55 PM

    This is an interesting list! I haven't read or heard of any of these. Number 5 looks especially intriguing.

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  21. AnonymousFebruary 15, 2016 at 6:40 PM

    Congrats on your upcoming trip! Will you be re-visiting the book before the big trip? Thanks for a fascinating and eclectic BBAW list!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Trish @ Love, Laughter, InsanityFebruary 15, 2016 at 7:14 PM

    Kristen M is hosting a DWJ event next month and after reading about Fire and Hemlock on ALL the blogs today (it feels like), I'm definitely adding it to my list!

    ReplyDelete
  23. guiltlessreaderFebruary 20, 2016 at 4:12 PM

    I haven't read any of your five books so it looks like I've come across someone totally different from me - I'll be looking these books up. (Although we share the love for travel!)

    ReplyDelete

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