book meme

I think this might be the only time I've ever been tagged for a meme, and since it was Todd Tyrtle of Quirky Outakes who tagged me, I feel a certain obligation to comply.

It may surprise some of you who know that I'm all about the rules and regulations and orderly procession of things to find out that I'm pretty much prepared to break the rules of the meme.  What can I say?  I'm occasionally capricious.  Blink and you'll miss it, though.

So here goes, and how the thing is supposed to work:

1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

Okay, right off the bat, I'm breaking number 1.  If I pick up the nearest book, you'll find yourself nodding off over a paragraph from the most excellent book Teach Yourself Visually Handspinning by the talented and knowledgeable Judith MacKenzie McCuin.  It is a good book.  It is a solid, informative book.  But I happen to know that page 123 is devoted to mixing multiple singles and combining textures through navajo plying.  Useful, but appealing only to a definite target audience.

So I decided that the spirit of the meme was really to discover what was on my bedside table, what I was dipping into the last thing before I closed my eyes at night.

And there, well, we touch spun gold of a different kind, because what I'm reading before I drop off to sleep (and which, if truth be told, is actually causing me to try to stay awake as long as possible in order to read it) is The Story of Chicago May, a most excellent exercise in biography (that is not really biography, for reasons the author makes clear in the book) by the late Irish writer Nuala O'Faolain.

I discovered Nuala O'Faolain recently, when the CBC programme Writers & Company repeated an interview Eleanor Wachtel had done with her just after her death on May 9th.  It was one of those bittersweet moments, where you are absolutely delighted to discover someone funny, sharp, and an exceptionally talented writer, only to know that they are no more.  Go listen to the interview, it is absolutely wonderful.   As soon as I'd finished it, I went online to put every one of her books on hold at the library.

When I first opened the book to do the meme, I mistakenly thought the rules said "Turn to page 124", so I did.  And when I realized that I was wrong about the page number, I turned to page 123 and discovered that I'd really rather post using page 124.  So that's what I'm going to do.  So if I turn to page 124, and post the fifth sentence, this is what you get:

The nuns did not allow women to wear underwear.  The French, as May wrote tersely, are very refined in their cruelty.

Oh, seriously -- doesn't that make you want to go out and get the book and read it? 

Yes, I know, that's only two sentences, not three.  Here's the third, if you insist:

Once when I was walking at nightfall across a quadrangle in the complex of law courts beside the Sainte Chapelle in Paris, a door somewhere opened and a group of lawyers hurried toward me down the steps, men in the ballooning black gowns and white neckbands of the antique dress that avocats wear in court in France.

Okay, so now I'm supposed to acknowledge who memed me (done) and nab five more of you to do it, too.  Which is where I break the rules again.  Because I think I'd rather ask what you're reading right now, what's capturing your imagination, or what book or books can you recommend to me?

Because I'm coming to the end of The Story of Chicago May, and I know that I'm not look forward to closing the book -- I've been enjoying it far too much to want it to end.  I'm going to need something just as engaging to move on to when I'm done.

Comments

[zydeco fish]

Sadly, I am reading nothing right now, but maybe I should be reading that book.

[Charlotte]

I'm currently reading one of Patricia Wentworth's mystery novels. Can't think of the title but all of hers are good. I have two recent posts on my blog listing a number of authors/books I enjoy.

[Carol]

Thanks for this - I've just recently moved and have a public library half a block away. I got a library card and am amazed at the changes to TPL system since I last borrowed books (20 years ago).

My hold list - longer than my arm - now has Nuala O'Faolain on it. The rebroadcast of that interview reminded me of one she did with Michael Enright several years ago - it was a delight.

Oh, and I can recommend Mavis Gallant - I've particularly enjoyed PARIS STORIES.