Pure as the Driven Snow

In honor of the phrase "pure as the driven snow," I have decided to lose my blogging-virginity on this snowy white day. 



The weather outside my apartment today


The world of blogging is very new and foreign to me, and I am not afraid to admit, quite a bit frightening as well.  But since my sister Lori started her blog, foodbymood.blogpot.com, a few months ago, I became a bit envious of how much fun she was having with it.  Not to mention, I think she is brilliant and wanted to follow in my big sister's footsteps.  Thank you, Lori.



My sister Lori, an avid foodie and my Blogging Coach

My sister Lori's blog: Recipes & Tales from Life's Kitchen

A shameless plug for my sister's ice cream truck,
Oogie's Ice Cream
Because we ALL love ice cream!

There was no question that if I started blogging it would have to be about books.  My friend Alison Leigh (of Hair by Eskandalo  and WINK Magazine) has been urging me for years to create a book blog. 



My friend Alison



Hair by Eskandalo!
in Beautiful Southside Bethlehem, PA 



WINK Magazine



And everyone who knows me is well aware that I am a passionate, eager, and voracious reader, devouring 2-3 books every week.  In fact, I rarely turn on the television or radio, opting instead for the much more stimulating activity of getting lost in a good book (well, sometimes in a bad book, too.) 



My library and me



For as long as I can remember, or for as long as I could read, I have cherished and nurtured my undying love for books, stories, poetry, quotes, and the English language in general.  I am so intrigued by every form of writing, right down to the fundamentals of composition.  I adore books, I enjoy each paragraph, I acknowledge every sentence, and I appreciate every word.  I get a thrill when I hear someone use a rare or eloquent word in an everyday sentence.  Or a profound statement is made.  Or I read a clever quote somewhere.  Simply put, words and language fascinate me. 
They always have.

One of my first favorite books

When I was younger, I challenged myself to read every book that was ever written.  Yes, every book.  Ever.  Written.  Now, in my adult years, I know that was quite an impossible feat to undertake.  But in my naïve mind, it was a goal that could be accomplished.  So around the tender age of 12, I began reading the Encyclopedia entries for every writer accomplished enough
to earn a place in the Encyclopedia. 

The Encyclopedia Britannica circa 1979:
 Very similar to the edition we had at home.

Keep in mind, when I was 12, we did not have the luxury of home computers to find this information.  If we had, I may have realized then how impossible  and daunting this task was.  According to Google, there are 129,864,880 books in the world!  Nevertheless, I began creating (on a typewriter) index cards for each author that I discovered in the Encyclopedia with a complete list of every work published by that author. 

The typewriter I used looked a lot like this one.

And I was going to read them all!  And I never even made it completely through the Encyclopedia entries.  I have, however, engaged in a lifelong pursuit to read as much as I could while still functioning as a normal human being who interacts regularly in society. 

(Meaning: I did not intend on becoming a lonesome hermit who dies amidst a massive heap of decomposing books.)

Not going to be me!

While I am not a reclusive reader, I am such a fanatic that last year I embarked on a journey of a different sort.  I had a local tattoo artist, Ken Sigafoos, design a fabulous piece of art to forever imprint  on my right arm. 

Sigafoos Tattoo in Southside Bethlehem, PA

Throughout the designing process, this piece became affectionately known as “The Library Fairy” and it embodies my idea of heaven.  A tattered little fairy flitting about for eternity in a mountain of old books. 
So peaceful.  So serene.  So me.

The Library Fairy

In order to begin this blogging venture, I will rely first on my journal of the books I have read, or have attempted to read.  I began keeping this journal in the fall of 2003 and have become quite a bit obsessive about my literary journey. 

My journal

The very first page

In the spring of 2007, I undertook another challenge.  I would read every novel that ever was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  A much more feasible goal, I must say.

The Joseph Pulitzer Medal:
Awarded for Excellence in newspaper journalism,
literary achievements, and musical composition

And what an exciting and adventurous ride my literary odyssey has been.  I thought it was high time to begin sharing with other readers the wondrous, astounding, and sometimes disturbing and frustrating things I have discovered in my world of books.  I believe that “anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.” (Unknown Author)  For there are so many worlds to be discovered, so many characters to be encountered, and so many thrilling ideas to experience all within the pages of a great book.  Happy reading!

Stay tuned for book reviews by a hungry reader.